Sandwiches – Page 32

K Sandwiches- more than sandwiches

June 21, 2012 Cathy Bakery, Banh Mi, Caffeine Fix, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the Food Blog you have stumbled upon. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are not blogging today, for various reasons. Cathy has no reason to not be blogging.

If you go to the "Search" box at the top left column of this blog and put in "K Sandwiches", you'll get 2600 links to mentions of it on this blog. Between all of us blogging here, we haven't even written 2000 posts yet. Apparently we at mm-yoso!!! post about it, or places near it, using this former Bank Building on the intersection of Convoy where it turns into Linda Vista and Mesa College Drive where it turns into Aero Drive as a Point of Reference/Landmark as well as posting about the food here.

The parking lot is not this empty very often; such emptiness is unusual.

Inside, there is a small area with fresh baked breads, rolls and croissants.

As well as a "steam tray" area, with rice paper rolls and various other savory choices.

There is also a small area of fresh made dessert items(I don't have a photo, but there is Vietnamese yogurt here; it is different and very good).

Here is a view of the cash registers from a table against the wall. You order (the menu is just behind and above the cash register area-straight ahead when you walk in) and/or pay for items you have picked up. The steam tray and all the other above photographed area is just on the other side of the registers.

This is Sandwich #25- tuna salad ($3.99). The simple tuna and mayonnaise mix is spread on the fresh baked large croissant and filled with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and pickled jalapeños.

One day we picked up (from left) two shrimp cakes (50¢ each), a pate chaud ($1) the shrimp spring rolls ($2.50)and two eggrolls ($1). All fresh, light and crispy and filled with the corresponding meats.

Our latest 'must get' is from the steam trays- the chicken curry ($4.99). When you get it to 'eat here', it is served in this glass pie plate. The chicken is tender, and the curry sauce is fascinating- coconut milk is definitely part of the base, along with those chilis you see in the photo…and it is served with a fresh, hot, crispy roll. Lately, we make sure we get here before noon, so the curry won't be gone for the day.

Then there is another current obsession. Sandwich #7- the sardine banh mi ($2.85). A fresh crispy roll. The sardines -in a tomato sauce- are heated, crushed and served on the sandwich with the standard accoutrement-pickled daikon, carrot, cucumber, fresh cilantro (still on the stem…a bit annoying, but expected here) and raw jalapeño. It is perfect. The flavors are complimented by the hot cafe ($1.75)-strong coffee- I added half and half to it…and new/not on the menu but taped near the registers- mung bean milk (iced or hot, $2.75).

Always an adventure ending in a great meal. I hope everyone is having a good start to Summer.

K Sandwiches 7604 Linda Vista Road at Mesa College Drive San Diego 92111 (858)278-8961

Kneaders Bakery & Café: Yuma and Elsewhere

June 4, 2012 ed fromyuma Bakery, Chains, Sandwiches, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

At this moment Kirk is eating somewhere in this world, Cathy is eating somewhere in San Diego, and ed (from Yuma) is still eating somewhere in Yuma. This post is from him.

You know how sometimes you just don't get around to doing something. I have been eating at Kneaders Bakery and Café and taking pictures of the food now for over four years. Of course, I've wanted to do a post about the place, but I just haven't gotten around to it until today. I guess it's about time.

The Kneaders restaurants in Yuma are part of a small chain centered in Utah (12 locations there and one in Idaho). They seem to specialize in small town locations desperately in need of good bread and sandwich shops – hence the chain’s only two Arizona locations in Yuma. The first one is in the southwest part of town on Avenue B and 28th St.:

The newer location is at the South West edge of Yuma Palms shopping center, close to the 16th St. exit off of I-8 (and close to Ninja Sushi):

Not only do both locations look pretty much the same, they also share a general layout. If you enter from the side door, you are immediately in a line that leads to the cash registers where you place your order. As you can see, there is often a line of customers:

While this line sometimes goes slowly, it has the advantage (for Kneaders, at least) of allowing everyone to salivate over the delicious looking desserts:

You also can choose a loaf of one of their European-style, natural breads baked in an Italian hearthstone oven:

The bread is what keeps me coming back. Although the baguettes ($2.59), French country sourdough ($4.99), and Paisano ($3.19) are perhaps not as good as at Bread et Cie, they are certainly better than other breads available in Yuma. In particular, I love the Rye bread ($4.79):

It is dark, rustic, and flavored nicely with caraway seeds:

The breads are also a key ingredient in the generally excellent sandwiches at Kneaders. The Chicken, Cheese and Ham on Ciabatta ($6.99) is very tasty:

Here you can see the ingredients, which include lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, Swiss cheese, ham, grilled chicken, and honey mustard sauce:

The roll has been lightly toasted and the cheese slightly melted.

My favorite sandwich is called Turkey Bacon Avocado on Focaccia ($6.99):

I remember first ordering the sandwich and wondering if the sandwich had turkey bacon on it or if turkey and bacon were separate ingredients – as they are. Even with the confusing name, I order it often and have numerous pictures of it, such as this one:

As I was thinking about this post, I realized that I needed to talk about some sandwich that doesn't involve chicken or turkey, so I had an excellent excuse to try the French Dip on Baguette ($5.79):

As I feared, the beef was nothing special:

Clearly, this sandwich was also not a messy sloppy drippy decadent French dip, but it was actually pretty good. It had a nice beef flavor, and the barely melted Swiss cheese contributed a certain balance. And the baguette was perfect– very flavorful with a nice complex taste from the levain and a crusty crust that was not too hard and crunchy. The steaming hot jus came in a generous portion and was not one dimensional or too salty. It added to the taste; it didn't take over. All in all, a satisfying sandwich.

Kneaders also has Panini, which are served with a dill pickle spear and extremely good, thick crunchy Parmesan chips. Here's what they call Chicken Pesto on French Country ($7.19):

The chips are really excellent. However, I find this sandwich a little underwhelming and rather ordinary. The menu says the sandwich has pesto sauce, but whenever we've had it, the pesto sauce consists of basil leaves:

A better Panini, to my palate at least, is the Turkey Artichoke on Focaccia ($7.19):

Kneaders’ focaccia bread is quite good and seems to match up with turkey nicely. As on all their turkey sandwiches, this is actual roasted turkey, not some reconfigured turkey breast product:

I also enjoy the interplay between the turkey and the marinated artichoke heart, but often I wish there was a little more of everything on the sandwich:

Sandwiches are also available on croissants, such as this turkey cranberry ($5.79):

As you can see, the croissant sandwiches are served with a small side salad. There is plenty of cranberry sauce as well as lettuce and Swiss cheese:

A range of other sandwiches (called Café sandwiches) are available as whole sandwiches or halves, such as this BLT:

You can also make various combo meals by adding chips or a side salad or soup:

Though I do not know about them personally, Kneaders serves breakfasts of various kinds from 7 AM until 11 and a range of "Gourmet Salads" at lunch:

As you can tell by this post, I focus on the sandwiches mostly. Well, okay, also on the often irresistible desserts. Look at these German chocolate brownies, for example:

And I love the tarts ($1.99), including the mixed fruit tart:

Or the lime tart:

Strawberry anyone?:

And my favorite – available only in season – the peach tart with cinnamon:
I don't remember what these chocolate, coconut, nut and gooey cupcakes are called, but I think I gain a couple of pounds just looking at them:

Overall, Kneaders contributes significantly to the quality of eating in Yuma. In my mind, Kneaders is the best bakery in town. The breads, desserts, and sandwiches are generally good. They do catering for business get-togethers or parties. Unfortunately, no beer or wine is served (it is a chain out of Utah, after all), but sodas, coffee beverages, and tea are available.

Kneaders Bakery & Café, 2851 S. Ave. B #33 (928-726-9700), and 1651 E. Castle Dome Ave. (928-783-4099) – both in Yuma AZ. The location in Yuma Palms is open daily, the other location is closed on Sundays.

Current Obsession: Mango, Chamango, Mangoneada.

June 2, 2012 Cathy Desserts, Mexican Restaurants, Sandwiches, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

You are reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is busy (with things to do and eat in an exotic part of the world), ed (from Yuma) is busy (with things to do and eat in Yuma) and Cathy is busy (blogging about things she did and ate recently).

So. I was cleaning up 'my' area of the kitchen today and noticed something about my current snacks. There is a commonality in all of these items.

I'm not a chocoholic; never was. Sugary sweets don't interest me. I am currently a craver of a combination of tangy mango with salty-savory-pickled-sour with chile powder heat and occasionally the sweet of gooey tamarind candy. Every possible receptor cell taste bud being active in a single food item. How did this happen?

In December I went on a Major Food Crawl with fellow Bloggers caninecologne (Pink Candles at Ridgemont High), Carol (CAB Cooks) and Dennis (A Radiused Corner)-no, I never wrote about the eight or so places we stopped at; I started to and the post got *huge*. Instead, I have returned to each of the eateries we stopped at and have been enjoying the specialties enjoyed at each. There will be more posts.

This is where the spicy and mango comes into play. We stopped at Teresita's Fruiteria.

Teresita's is located in a mall anchored by a KFC and McDonald's on the Northwest corner of I-805 and Palm Avenue. Technically, it is in San Diego City, but it is way South.

There is an extensive menu, however, not only was it late in the very long day for the four of us, but CC knew what Teresita's sold that nobody else does- Chamango. We ordered four.

A frozen mango smoothie-with chunks of mango, swirled with chamoy liquid and topped with bits of Chaca Chaca– a gooey tamarind candy. The combination of sweet-tart mango with the pickled sour saltiness and chili heat of the chamoy and the gooey fruit candy bits of tamarind was delightful, refreshing and a combination of flavors I had never tasted (and those who know what I do around this time of year know that I have tasted a lot of bizarre stuff). I have returned many times to Teresita's, even though it is a long drive from home.

I really only want the Chamango (small is about $4) but also order a small pico de gallo ($3.50) (the long white pieces on tope are slices of fresh coconut) (really good) and, on this visit a grilled cheese sandwich ($2.50) so as to appear to be eating a healthy meal. The pico, topped with Tajin, or a Tajin-like mix of salt, red chile and lime is a wonderful combination of fruit, vegetable and heat. The grilled cheese is particularly addicting for me. There is only one bread, no choice. It is a *really* nice, chewy whole wheat that is crisped up and…filled (you can see) filled with an unusually high quality sliced processed American cheese. Really. I *hate* Kraft slices and don't even want cheese on burgers, but this cheese, slightly melted with this bread…heaven. Creamy and salty and a great sandwich.

Teresita's Fruiteria 4370 Palm Ave, Suite 5 San Diego 92154

So. I have posted about Tropical Fruit Paradise, a fruiteria right down Mission Gorge Road, closer to where The Mister and I live.

I do enjoy fruiterias because the whole concept of a fruit shop is fascinating. Growing up in colder climates, the idea of walking into a store and finding fresh fruit, much less having it prepared in various ways was never considered by either myself or The Mister.

In addition to the torta sandwiches mentioned in my other post, wraps are offered here.

The chicken wrap costs about 50¢ more than a turkey or ham wrap. All are made with a spinach wrapper and simply filled with lettuce, tomato and Ranch dressing. But the chicken is heated on the grill and tastes that much better.

As with most fruiterias, Tostilocos is (are?) available ($3.99). The version here uses regular cucumber as well as jicama and the hot sauce coating everything is quite spicy hot. A bit different and very good.

The mango-chamoy beverage here is a Mangoneada. It is made with frozen mango chunks and orange juice. The chamoy is nicely distributed as the beverage is poured in the cup. BUT instead of being topped with tamarind pieces- the straw is coated in Chaca Chaca, the chewy, salty tamarind candy…

That's a small Fruit Salad Freeze ($3.75). Also very good -strawberries, peaches and banana.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend and satisfying current cravings. Thanks for introducing me to this one, caninecologne!

Tropical Fruit Paradise 10387 Friars Road San Diego 92120 (619) 584-4786

South Bay Taco Run: Birrieria’s La Guadalajara, Mariscos El Pescador, El Gallito Tortas Ahogadas, Tacos El Kiki, Birrieria El Prieto, and Mariscos El Prieto

April 16, 2012 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Sandwiches, Seafood

Recently, my good FOY (Friend of Yoso) TammyC requested a “taco crawl” something that I’ve done a couple times before…once even with this group of folks. This time, YY and her husband MrQ had to be done by 1230, so this would mean a fairly close proximity…..I pretty much had the plan done. I knew this small group would be game, after all we already had done a smaller Chula Vista taco crawl and had both the Mira Mesa Banh Mi tasting and the Amazing Graze behind us….but with a short itme period this could turn out to be pretty brutal.

First stop was a restaurant. It would be nice for the five of us to get to a relaxing start. I chose….

***Birrieria’s la Guadalajara has closed.

Birrieria’s la Guadalajara:

We started with a Tacos Rojo – Borrego:

I also ordered the Borrego a la Plancha, Birria de Chivo, and Cabeza en su Jugo, which MrQ absolutely loved. Folks were encouraged to pace themselves and here leftovers would be ok. TammyC had never been a fan of lamb or goat….until now.

Of course, the food here is major roll back into bed food, so it was kind of a tough start….all of those fresh tortillas just sit in your stomach.

Birrieria’s la Guadalajara
1310 Third Ave
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Next stop was a double whammy…first was:

Mariscos el Pescador:

The consomme here always delivers.

I only went with a fish taco…lots more to come up after this. The fish taco here beat El Peito’s hands down on this day. Nice portion of better flavored fish. The only thing El Prieto had on this was the crunchy batter.

Mariscos El Pescador (In the parking lot pf RTA/Toys R Us)
1008 Industrial Blvd
Chula Vista, CA 91911

The next stop was right across the parking lot…..

El Gallito Tortas Ahogadas:

**** El Gallito Tortas Ahogadas is no longer

I’d been here a couple of times and while I loved the bread had never really been impressed.

However, the #1, traditional Tortas Ahogadas had been pretty spicy and MrC really loves spicy food….I mean he eats Ghost peppers for fun. So we got the traditional at a heat level of 10.

I had a fourth of the sandwich, TammyC a fourth, and MrC half. I gotta say, this was much better than I recalled. The bread was great as always, but the pork had fine flavor. MrC’s verdict, “not bad, the heat does creep up on you.”

YY and MrQ, who often order Thai food at heat level “1” (is there such a thing?) had the #2 at heat level 5, which they had no problems with.

I also had a fourth….I prefer the more traditional sandwich.

By the way, based on all the photos around the truck, I guess Andrew Zimmern stopped by and the place will be featured on one of his shows. So if you’re curious, get there before the show airs and all the “Zimm-heads” blow the place up.

El Gallito Tortas Ahogadas
1008 Industrial Blvd
Chula Vista, CA 91911

We jumped back in our cars and headed down Industrial and onto Main for our next stop:

Mariscos Y Tacos El Kiki:

I just recently posted on the place and things are pretty much the same. So here’s a photo of the Taco Perron I ate along with more consomme:

Mariscos Y Tacos El Kiki
Corner of Main St and Hollister St.

We decided to take a breather and headed across the street to a shop that sells spices, chilies, and snacks called….

El Ruisnor:

I’d noticed this place the last time I ate at El Kiki.

You can smell the spices when entering the shop…there are bags of the stuff lining the shelves.

There are also bulk beans and snacks sold.

Interesting shop.

El Ruisenor
2260 Main St
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Then it was back across the street, into our cars and we were off east on Main, stopping at the final “double whammy” location…..

Birrieria El Prieto:

I’d noticed this truck, parked right across from the Mariscos El Prieto truck a couple of weeks ago and had been waiting to check the place out. This El Prieto “twin” did birria, quesotacos, al pastor, and the like. The sold is “res”, beef.

I ordered a birria and cabeza taco to try things out. YY, MrC, and MrQ had hit the wall and were not participating…..

The birria was dry and rather tough and short on flavor. The cabeza was very moist and tender, but a bit short on the condensed beefiness I expect from rendered cow head.

Of course right across the way is the El Prieto Mariscos truck.

Even though MrQ could not eat another bite of a taco, he still had room for more consomme.

Another funny thing I noticed……El Prieto now has a parking attendant….for eating at taco trucks! I just found this amusing.

In the end, only TammyC (one) and myself (two) could manage to finish the three tacos ordered.

While we both loved the batter, very nice and crisp, the tacos had only little slivers of fish in them. This wasn’t the way it was on previous visits. I’m hoping this was just a fluke.

Mariscos El Prieto
and
Birrieria El Prieto Trucks
3031 Main St
Chula Vista, CA 91911

I noticed that it was just past 12….YY and MrQ had to get going. We’d done pretty good with regards to both time and calories. Whew……I went home and had a two hour nap to recover. Still, it was great fun as always, friends and food just go together so well.

Recently Consumed: Visits to Sultan, Golden City, Homestyle Hawaiian, Balboa Market, Noble Chef, Pho King, Okan, and Bristol Farm

March 29, 2012 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Persian Restaurants, Plate Lunch, Sandwiches, Turkish Food, yoso-silly

Here’s a collection of one-off dishes and other miscellaneous stuff from the last couple of weeks.

Sometimes a dish will arrive that looks just plain delicious. This was true of the Biber Dolmasi (stuffed pepper) the Missus recently had at Sultan.

I just thought it looked so pretty. I’m no great shakes as a photographer; I just point and shoot and after all our meals at Sultan; heck we’re there about every other week. I’ve pretty much keep my camera stowed…..but this one just called for a photo.

It put my Karisik Izagara (mixed grill) to shame……

Oh and here’s a Patlican Kebab for good measure as well……

Sultan Kebab & Baklava
131 Jamacha Road
El Cajon, CA 92019

Cathy and Dennis have already done posts on Balboa International Market. I’ll usually drop by for some dates, walnuts, herbs, ayran, and citrus for the Missus. One day last week I was pretty hungry so I ordered the lamb shank on fava rice (sabzi polo). Love the price….$8.99 and it’s a load of food.

Lamb shank was decent, but the rice was bland and dry….still, the price is right.

Balboa International Market
5907 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

I don’t know why, but on one of my visits to Golden City I only took one shot of the Kwai Fei Chicken. After snapping the photo, I realized that I’ve probably taken too many photos of it already anyway. But just for the heck of it……

Golden City Restaurant
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Not too many plate lunches anymore…….on occasion there’s an exception. Here’s the Korean Chicken from Homestyle Hawaiian.

It had been a couple of months. Mo told me that they were going to renovate and clean up the place a bit…..but it was still a no-go on this visit. Hopefully soon…..

Homestyle Hawaiian Island Style Food
7524 Mesa College Drive
San Diego, CA 92111

A couple of other dishes for good measure…..

Shrimp with XO Sauce Chow Fun from Noble Chef……I was lazy and in a noodley mood.

The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111

I just realize there’s an inordinate amount of styrofoam in this post……I guess I’ve been pretty tired recently……

Here’s the Hu Tieu Mi Kho, which I’ve posted on a zillion times, from Pho King.

Pho King Restaurant
4658 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Here are the only two photos from a recent meal at Okan, the stewed shishito peppers with ground beef.

And buta kakuni……

Which was on the dry and bland side….I’ll need to try this again……hope this isn’t the norm.

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Cathy’s already done a post on Bristol Farms, but recently I was shopping there, really hungry, and lazy to come home and make something. I decided to try out the Tri-Tip Sandwich ($7.99), without the BBQ sauce. The meat is hand cut and it comes with mashed potatoes and gravy which might have just send me into cardiac arrest after eating all that meat. I subbed it out with a pasta salad.

Considering that a lettuce loaded sub with 2 ounces of meat goes for $6.50 – $6.99, this is a pretty good value. The meat ain’t great shakes, it is on the chewy side…they do ask you (or at least asked me) if I wanted to trim the fat off…..guess what my response to that was. The sandwich was topped with muhrooms and caramelized onions. Bread seemed heat and eat, but it was toasted. Not bad….

Also, is it just me, or does it seem like Bristol Farms have lowered their prices a bit? Maybe I’ve been shopping at Whole Paycheck too much recently….. You know, I don’t think I’m a cheapo tightwad, who is always looking to get on the better side of the dollar, and like many do believe in the reality of scale. For example a $7.95 dish which is well made from Sab E Lee will not equal to the same dish which costs $19.95 at Lotus of Siam. Of course LOS will be….better be, better, it’s 2 1/2 times the price. Still, I do like feeling that I get my money’s worth.

**** This location of Bristol Farms has closed

Bristol Farms
8510 Genessee Ave
San Diego, CA 92122

My goodness, I just realized something as I was setting up the categories for this post……this is quite a variety of cuisines…maybe I need to stop grumbling about San Diego’s limited choice…..

Sunday Sandwiches: Grab & Go – Convoy Court

March 18, 2012 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

A few weeks ago, I was driving down Convoy Court, the street that parallels Clairemont Mesa, on my way from a meeting. I wanted something fast to eat back at the office. I'd usually go for a bento from Nijiya or Mitsuwa. On this day, I noticed there was a Grab & Go shop on Convoy Court. I couldn't recall seeing the place….how long had it been there? I guess I don't take use this route very often. I think Grab & Go makes a pretty decent Italian sub, I've posted on other locations before.

So I decided to stop and grab a Spicy Cappocolla ($6.49). This location also seems to serve personal size pizzas too? I'm not quite sure about that one. I will say that my sandwich was put together and available very quickly. The guy running the front counter is very efficient. I got back to my office and opened the thing up……

And it almost fell all over the place…..the tomatoes fell out, there was so much Italian dressing making the sandwich soggy. It seemed to be slapped together, though it tasted ok. I do enjoy the cappocolla which had been heated up a bit to render some of the wonderful tasting oil combined with pickled jalapenos.

Still, I had mixed feeling about the place. The sandwich was a mess and they seemed more about getting you something ASAP, then any quality control. I thought perhaps this was a fluke and decided to check them out again since once again I was driving from a meeting in the same area.

This time I went with the Sicilian ($6.99).

This time I got a drink as well and noticed that I could actually see the two guys putting together the sandwich. They seemed to be having a good 'ol time joking and laughing, not a big deal, so long that the product you're putting together turns out. The guy did drop my sandwich on the counter twice after he wrapped it and they had a couple of good laughs. I really didn't know what it was going to look like when I got back to my desk. But all was well. Nice combination of meats (Cappocolla, Genoa Salami, Mortadella), you couldn't really make out the cheese, since the peperocinis and olive spread really owned the sandwich. One thing was certain, this sandwich wasn't short on flavor. The bread was nice and crusty as well.

Funny thing was, they were pretty busy this time around. But I recall that when we used to get slammed, you'd focus a bit more, it's the slow periods when you make mistakes; you get distracted, you get silly……. So maybe that's what happened? Not quite sure what I'll get next time around….

Grab & Go
7701 Convoy Ct
San Diego, CA 92111

Bolillo Tortas

March 5, 2012 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Sandwiches

*** Bollilo has closed

A couple of weeks ago, I made one of my rare trips down to the Gaslamp and decided to stop by Bolillo Tortas, which has been getting some good play on some of the local blogs. I'd heard that they made a Torta Ahogada with birote (aka bolillo) from Guadalajara, which got my interest.

The place is pretty easy to find, right across the street from the Horton Grand Theatre on 4th Avenue.

I liked the sleek and modern look of the restaurant. The gentleman behind the counter was very polite and prompt. The prices looked like it had the Gaslamp mark-up and then some…… nine bucks for a Torta Ahogada seemed a bit more than steep. Even though it was pretty early in the morning, about a half past eight, I thought why not just go ahead and get the ahogada….hot sauce be damned. When I ordered, the guy behind the counter asked me to wait for a second to make sure they had the proper bolillo for the sandwich. He then verified what I had heard, the bread did come form Guadalajara. Eventually, the birotes were tracked down, and after paying over twelve bucks for a sandwich and a drink I had a seat outside.

Soon enough my sandwich arrived. It based on the looks and texture, instead of drowning the sandwich, the chile de arbol based sauce had been poured over the sandwich. Still it looked pretty good.

Until you noticed that it took up a bit more than 50% of the plate it was on. Compare the sandwich size to the bacon wrapped jalapeno beside it…….

So either this was a snack sized sandwich or that was the jalapeno that ate the Gaslamp wrapped in a belt sized slice of bacon. I'll let you guess which one it was. Still, if this was great, there would be no complaints.

First off, the bread was kind of gummy, with a texture of the heat and eat genre. The crust was more hard than crusty. It was by no means as good as the bread that El Gallito uses. The sauce was pretty mild for my taste, but I can understand.

The pork on the other hand was moist, tender, with a mild smoke flavor. It was also nicely seasoned.

The bacon wrapped jalapeno was barely marked from the grill and both the texture and taste was raw. The bacon was barely browned and thus had a rubbery texture, which gave you the feeling you were eating raw bacon. The corn was tender and seasoned well with Tajin.

Overall, a mixed bag, but I decided to return for a follow-up a week later. This time I went with the Torta Cubana ($9.75), usually a pretty hefty sandwich, which this was.

This was probably too much stuff for me as everything got pretty much lost in a big sloppy mess. The cheese actually pretty much overwhelmed everything. If you've ever go through my posts on tortas you'll find that I'm pretty much of a single protein kind of guy. I still didn't care for the bread which seemed too doughy. Don't get the steamed vegetables which was very bland, even with the salsas provided. This time, the jalapeno and the bacon were charred and crisp, so perhaps I visited too early the last time. I don't think you'll go hungry with this sandwich.

I really need to try the milanesa, chorizo, and other sandwiches. But I'm not sure how soon that will be. The service was very nice, but the prices are on the high side. When I mentioned this place to Karina, whose family is from Guadalajara, she sounded intrested. Until I told her the prices….."a torta ahogada should not be more than about seven bucks, max, US tourist prices even….."

Bolillo Tortas
417 4th Ave
San Diego, CA 92101

Hours:
Mon-Thurs 8 am – 12 am
Fri-Sat 8 am – 3 am
Sun 8 am – 12 am

Say Cheese Part 3: Philly Frank’s, Monkey Paw, and McGonagle’s

February 15, 2012 mmm-yoso Cheesesteaks, Sandwiches

I guess part 3 was inevitable. Every so often, I do want a nice gooey cheesesteak. I really don't know what it is. Funny thing is, when I've visited Philly, it's always been the Roast Pork Sandwiches that I go for…… After having already done two posts on cheesesteaks in San Diego, I figured that would be about it. As I mentioned before, I prefer my steaks with provolone, which probably was the original cheese on cheesesteak sandwiches since "whiz" wasn't even invented until 1953 and Pat's claimed tohave invented the sandwich in 1933. As far as Pat and Geno's is concerned, having eaten there twice….well, I wasn't super impressed with either sandwich and the locals that I knew always thought of them as more icons than purveyors of great cheesesteaks. And for that guy who claimed to serve an "authentic" cheesesteak because he read all about it on the internet…hey, I watched a bunch of Bruce Lee movies growing up and I couldn't do what he did no matter how hard I tried…..they'd probably call my version Jeet Kune Do-Do……

Emails and comments from FOYs Candice and Liverbomb had me craving a cheesesteak again, so I checked out the places they recommended and even saw another while driving in National City. So here's a trio for you.

Philly Frank's Steaks:

This one was a recommendation from Liverbomb. I was in the San Marcos area and decided to check the place out. Located in a fairly non-descript strip mall, Philly Frank's looked decidedly low keyed.

But the interior was full of Philly….well, "stuffs" is what we'd call it back home in Hawaii. The place was also doing a pretty good business.

The prices here aren't cheap, with a full sandwich running close to ten bucks. The two women running the counter really knew their stuff. When they saw a line forming one of them stepped into the dining area and started working the line taking orders.

I got a mushroom steak with provolone.

I wasn't too thrilled when I picked up my sandwich, which looked dry. Frankly, I'm just not impressed by the mere sight of an Amoroso roll anymore since both US Foods and SYSCO carry them….though they are par baked and loses something. It just didn't look very impressive. However, one bite fixed that……..the meat was very tender, not mushy, but tender. This was probably the most aggressively seasoned cheesesteak I've had in San Diego, a good thing in this case, since most cheesesteaks tend to be fairly mild in flavor. In spite of the seasoning, you could still make out the beef flavor. The cheese was molten and gooey, not totally incorporated into the meat, though the weather caused it to firm up rather quickly. The roll wasn't ice cold….all of which made this a very nice sandwich.

As always, Liver picks winners…..

Philly Frank's Steaks
151 S Rancho Santa Fe Rd
San Marcos, CA 92078

Hours:
Mon-Thurs 10 am – 8 pm
Fri    10 am – 9 pm
Sat    11 am – 9 pm
Sun    11 am – 8 pm

Website

Monkey Paw:

**** Monkey Paw has closed

This is Candice's pick for cheesesteaks and beers. The creation of Scot Blair owner of the very popular Hamilton's, this place has a almost dive bar look and feel, yet has a great selection of local and inhouse brews. Located in the East Village, you usually won't find me at these places because, well, I'm just not hip enough…….

One the days I visited you basically just ordered at the bar and the woman working there made sure you got what was ordered.

I actually went twice; the first time I met friends and Candice was nice enough to stop by. We had a great time, but I really ended up not paying much attention to what I ate. I had to return on another late afternoon when the Missus met Her friends for a girls night out. On my previous visit, Candice recommended the "Blair Steak" which came with White American Cheese, sauteed onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers. It also came with one of the two items (the other is tater tots) that San Diego just can't seem to get enough of….waffle cut fries.

This was a nice cheesesteak, gooey, slightly messy, the meat perhaps a bit more thickly cut than Philly Frank's. The green bell peppers added the flavor of "pyrazine", that very mildly bitter, "green" taste that goes so well with beef. The onions added a touch of sweetness, all very nice. In some ways the flavor was prototypical cheesesteak, quite mild in flavor. For nine bucks (with waffle cut fries) plus a couple more for a Sweet Georgia Brown, this made for a nice meal.

One that I'd gladly experience again…………

Monkey Paw
805 16th St
San Diego, CA 92101

McGonagle's:

McGonagle's has closed

I was driving down (up?) Highland Avenue in National City when I passed McGonagle's and had to laugh at the sign over the front door.

I went and parked in the back of the restaurant and entered…..what would be a strange neon sorta cheesesteak world.

The interior was the same orange color as the exterior, seating on the dining area was a bunch of picnic type tables.

And man, this place loved signs….there was one that had "rules", a la Pat's King of Steaks in Philly. Not sure if they really mean this, or if it's some kind of kitsch.

The place had a strange kind of vibe for me, I guess because the A/C was blasting and the place was totally deserted. Not feeling sure what I would get, I ordered a 6" "Authentic Philly Cheesesteak" ($5.75, a 12" is $8.75).

After a couple of minutes my cheesesteak number was called…..

I really didn't enjoy this too much; the bread was ice cold, the meat bland, dry, and tough……'nuff said. I'm glad I didn't get this with whiz….well maybe not, it would have covered some of this up. While I ate the sandwich I read the "eat three sandwiches and win" sign……..seems like everyone is trying to cash in on the Man versus whatever thing. I just can't imagine trying to eat three double meat cheesesteaks from here. But perhaps I just visited on a bad day…….perhaps.

McGonagle's
1231 Highland Ave
National City, CA 91950

You can find part 1 here.

Part 2 here.

Tropical Fruit Paradise- a fruiteria on Friars Road

January 5, 2012 Cathy Fruiterias, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Hi. You've found mmm-yoso!!! the blog about food. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are doing chores and other things and Cathy is blogging today.

Well, it's time for a new calendar and maybe some new habits, or at least a resolve to develop new habits. I feel so fortunate we live in Southern California and have access to fresh produce daily, and that so many fruiterias are in our large County. Many are in East County and I suppose are pretty ubiquitous, since I've posted only of one other fruiteria, merely dropping in to grab a beverage, salad or sandwich when I'm on the run; Fruiterias do not only sell fruit salads and smoothie drinks, but regular salads, sandwiches and sometimes mariscos. A fruiteria location opened last year on East Friars Road, where it crosses Mission Gorge Road-across from the Black Angus. I had been meaning to stop here, but was always in the wrong lane and on my way home to Santee. The other day, I made Tropical Fruit Paradise a destination.

If you miss the driveway from Friars, you can turn at the signal light (Riverdale) and drive up behind the building then into the parking lot in front of the strip mall.

The bright and clean interior has menu suggestions everywhere when you walk in. I suppose some people only buy a packaged beverage and/or piece of fresh fruit…

The beverage selection include shakes (licuados) made with milk, juice blends (jugos), freezes/smoothies and you can make your own with up to three choices for either $3.50 (small) or $4.00 (large), with an add protein shot for 99¢. fresh fruit and vegetables are good to have at any time of the year, not just as a 'resolution'.

Sandwiches on torta, salads and wraps are also part of the menu. While we were eating, several people came in to pick up some large phoned in orders.

The Mister ordered a "Cubana" sandwich($6.99), which ended up larger than the photograph on the wall.

Not at all a Cuban Sandwich, a Cubana includes (perfectly lightly breaded) milaneza, grilled chicken, grilled ham, grilled chorizo, a freshly cooked egg, American and Jack cheeses on the toasted torta bread, topped with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, onion and jalapeño made this sandwich well worth the price (and I am glad we decided to share; this was huge and a super good sandwich).

I wanted to try a pico de gallo salad (small, $4.99) and I must say this was absolutely the tastiest, freshest, nicest pico I have ever had. The jicama, cucumbers, oranges and watermelon were covered in fresh lime juice and the chili seasoning was really the perfect amount and really complimented every item in the container. Let's just say I have a new food obsession for January and possibly the New Year. I wish everyone resolve a positive and fun change for 2012.

Tropical Fruit Paradise 10387 Friars Road San Diego 92120 (619) 584-4786

Chicago: Johnnie’s Beef (Arlington Heights – again), Mr Beef (Dunning), and Superdawg

November 17, 2011 mmm-yoso Chicago, Hot Dogs, Sandwiches, Travel

Johnnie's Beef again:

I had the television in my room on, but my mind was elsewhere. Even after my meal at Kurumaya I was still thinking about food! Specifically, an Italian Beef Sandwich….especially since Johnnie's Beef was a couple blocks away. Finally after about an hour of rumination (and digestion), I jumped in the rental car and headed for Johnnie's. They were pretty busy as usual, but things move quickly, and really all I needed to say were three magical words when it my turn at bat; "beef……juicy….hot". Translated, Italian Beef Sandwich, " juicy" means it's left in the broth a bit longer than "dunked", and "hot" stands for the hot peppers (giardinera). It's just about the only time you'll get away without being slapped for uttering those three words at a restaurant counter.

The sandwich was just as good as my previous one was. It's not huge, so I didn't feel too bad about having it as a snack.

It was indeed "beef….juicy….hot….."

You can find more details on my previous post on Johnnie's.

Johnnie's Beef
1935 South Arlington Heights Rd
Arlington Heights, IL 60005

Mr Beef on North Harlem:

This was actually the first place I had an Italian Beef many moons ago. The Missus had made a request, so I checked out early and made it down to the area on the Northwest side of Chicago known as Dunning. I knew that Dunning was a traditionally Italian neighborhood, but after reading this I found out it that the area has a very strong Polish influence as well.

I wondered how my tastes had changed since I last ate an Italian Beef from this unassuming shop. I had arrived a bit before the posted 1030 am opening time, so I sat in the car checking text messages and such. I was concentrating a bit too hard as a little old lady knocked on my window scaring the daylights out of me! She lifted a sack up and told me "they're open already….you're late!" Which really cracked me up…..

Things looked exactly the same as I remembered……and the same really friendly guy was working the counter as well. I ordered my beef, juicy, hot, and we chatted about where I was from, the weather, the heavy flooding a couple of nights ago while I waited for my sandwich.

When my sandwich arrived I looked at it in stunned silence. I didn't recall it being as large and I don't remember being given a fork along with my napkins either. As you can tell….it was indeed quite juicy.

Man this thing was humongous. It basically sprung open as I unwrapped it…..

The beef was very tender but was not quite as herbaceous as what I had the evening before at Johnnie's Beef. I was just amazed that the roll made it to the last bite….can you imagine if I ordered it "soaked"? The giardinera was also much milder than what I recalled.

What was not up for debate was that this was indeed a two-fisted, juice dripping on your feet sandwich.

I guess I need to make it back to Al's to see how that Italian Beef holds up…..

Mr Beef
3917 N Harlem Ave
Chicago, IL 60634

Superdawg:

The Missus' request? She wanted me to bring home a hot dog. Yep, all the way from Chicago on the six hour flight to San Diego…a hot dog…..I tried to convince Her that it would be a cold, soggy mess, and a total waste of time, but She insisted. Ok, you want a hot dog, you get a hot dog….but not just a hot dog…. but a Superdawg! I had thoughts of just grabbing a Vienna Beef dog in the standard issue Mary Ann poppy seed bun, dragged through the garden, but since was here, why not check out this iconic shop. I'd had a Superdawg before, it was a terribly limp dog, served up in a soggy bun with cold greasy fries. At least I pretty much knew what the Missus was going to be getting! Of course, that one was from Midway Airport…… This one was going to be from the location on North Milwaukee.

What was pretty amazing was that I plowed through my Italian Beef sandwich and drove up from Mr Beef, making it to Superdawg before 11am! And there were people in line waiting for the place to open!

The menu is pretty compact, so I don't understand how the folks in front of me had such a hard time ordering, after all, they had a good long time to check out the menu while waiting. And furthermore, this place is called Super "dawg", right? So of course they ended up ordering burgers, grilled cheese sandwiches, and fish…..

If you're used to typical Chicagoland hot dog prices, you may go into sticker shock here as the Superdawg costs $5.25. Of course it comes with crinkle cut fries. Gene and Jude's this ain't.

The entire set-up of the place is very neat, part 1950's car hop drive in, part roadside attraction. There's a glass enclosed dining area next to the ordering window. With folks peering in at what I was eating, it felt like I was on display….

And what I was eating….was a superdawg of course. Yes, even after devouring that beef sandwich. You gotta love the packaging…..

The dog was tucked in nicely with fries lying to one side.

The hot dog is a bit different from the usual all-beef Chicago wiener. It is made by Vienna Beef using a proprietary formula with a different spice blend. There seemed to be a bit more more garlicky-ness and the dog was larger in circumference than the standard issue stuff. It did have a bit less snap than what I'm used to, and frankly I still enjoy the generic Veinna Beef dog more. What I did really like was pickled green tomato, the firm and crunchy sport peppers, and the very tasty fries. Looking at the fries I suddenly realized that the heat from the fries would end up making the entire thing into a soggy mess. But what the heck, She wanted a hot dog right?

There was quite a line as I made my way to the car…check out the dude with the camcorder…..

So, I sealed the Superdawg in a ziploc bag and stowed it in my carry-on. The Missus picked me up at the airport and when we got home She got Her hot dog….She did love the pickled green tomato and even enjoyed the hot dog, sogged out bun and all. Of course She went and put ketchup on the thing….yikes…..

Superdawg Drive-In
6363 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, IL 60646