Sandwiches – Page 35

1 Strip Mall, 3 Banh Mi – Tan Ky Mi Gia, Ba Le, and Express Deli – Mira Mesa

August 23, 2010 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

If there ever was such a thing as Banh Mi weather, it would have been this past weekend….. man has SoCal turned me into a weather sissy. Anything over 85 seems just plain scorching. Not feeling like eating anything real heavy, I decided it was time….. for another Banh Mi post. But not just any other Banh Mi post. Last year, I noticed that Tan Ky Mi Gia had started selling Banh Mi. This brought the number of places selling Banh Mi in the strip mall on the 9300 block of Mira Mesa to an uneven three, something I thought was quite unusual. I know that Cafe Dore and Saigon Sandwiches and Deli coexist a few doors from one another, but I couldn't think of another location that had three places selling Banh Mi within fifty yards from one another.

Curious, I thought I'd check out all three during one visit, and kinda see how they lined up side by side. I decided that even though I have my own favorites at Ba Le and Express Deli, I'd go with the good 'ol #1, what's usually the Dac Biet (special). I started at Express Deli in Lucky Seafood.

Hit up Ba Le, then ended things buying my last sandwich from Tan Ky Mi Gia. One of my assumptions was crushed before I even walked to the car and ate my Banh Mi. I'd thought that prices would be pretty much in line because of competition…. I could not have been more wrong. The sandwiches ranged from $3.25 at Express Deli to $4 (gasp!) at Tan Ky Mi Gia. Ba Le came in at $3.50. So here goes……

Express Deli:

Is the little fast food stand in Lucky Seafood which I last posted on in March of 2006. There was nothing defined as "Dac Biet" here, so I got the Thit Nuong, which they call their "French Sandwich". The Banh Mi here was the least expensive at $3.25, which may not be something to celebrate. Back in 2006 it was $2.25!

Not surprising was the fact that this Banh Mi had the least amount of meat, which are cut in thin slices. What most surprised me was that I enjoyed this Banh Mi the best out of the three. If all remains the same, I believe the bread is from Le Chef Bakery. It was toasted fairly well. Initially, I thought there was too much "spread" on the sandwich, but it was a decent amount. The jalapenos weren't overpowering, and the pickled veggies had a nice crunch in addition to a good sweet-vinegary flavor.

I could have done with a bit more meat(especially since I like Jamon) and even more pate. There's a tendency for the staff to go a bit crazy with the Maggi, but today it was just enough.

Express Deli
9326 Mira Mesa Blvd (inside Lucky Seafood)
San Diego, CA 92126

Ba Le:

Over the last couple of years, I've been pretty disappointed in the Banh Mi from Ba Le. I wasn't very enthusiastic about getting a Banh Mi here. Especially since I went with the Dac Biet instead of Nem Cha Lua. Ba Le has a tendency to toast the bread to death, until it feels like you're eating a giant crouton that rips your mouth to shreds. So I opened my Dac Biet($3.50) with some reservation.

Also, the pickled veggies tend to be very thick and crudely sliced. On this day, the bread(thankfully) wasn't over toasted. It was however, a bit on the stale and dry side. This sandwich had the most amount of meat by far, but that BBQ pork was very bland and terribly dry as well.

The jalapeno peppers in this sandwich were pretty spicy….. which means you played that always fun game; jalapeno roulette.

I'm still not particularly enamored with Ba Le's sandwiches. More filling doesn't mean that much when proportion and texture means much more to me. To me, a Banh Mi isn't a over-stuffed sandwich.

One interesting note; it seems that Ba Le serves up Bun Bo Hue on weekends……

Ba Le French Sandwiches
9396 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Tan My Mi Gia:

**** Tan Ky Mi Gia is no longer

You really couldn't miss the fact that Tan Ky Mi Gia now made Banh Mi…..

I think I've mentioned how much this place loves signs before. One interesting thing…. even though they have a huge Banh Mi sign hanging from the back of the restaurant…. I didn't see any prices listed. So when the always "interestingly" attired and made up young man told me "four dollars" I was a bit surprised. Oh my, Banh Mi has crossed the four dollar mark! I was brought back to planet Earth when the young man snapped his fingers and held out his hand…. I was taking to long to pay I guess….

Honestly, this sandwich had potential. I enjoy the long baguette more than the usual Banh Mi, but this wasn't toasted enough. In fact it was kinda cold, even though I bought this last, and ate it first. It was just not crustly/flakey enough for me.

There was just a scant amount of pate, and the veggies weren't pickled enough. Also, there were almost no jalapenos, but maybe they thought I was not up to the task. The amount of meat in contrast to Ba Le was positively endangered. On the other hand, I enjoyed the choices of meat for the Dac Biet. And you could actually make them out in the sandwich.

Which is why I enjoyed this more than what I had from Ba Le.

Tan Ky Mi Gia
9330 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Perhaps the next time you want a Banh Mi fest, and don't want to make multiple stops……..

Some Revisits: 777 Noodle House, Pho Hoa Huong, Sandwich Emporium, and more……

August 1, 2010 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Pho, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

Just some revisits, mostly in photos…..

777 Noodle House:

We’ve visited a couple of times since returning from China. We’ve posted on these dishes in our previous posts. The Missus still enjoys the Thai Style Seafood Fried Rice ($6.77):

There are several dishes that are bargains, one of them is the Egg Noodle Soup with Duck Leg, just $4.77.

The broth seems to be getting even better, not overly salty, but with a nice almost seafood influenced broth.

The duck leg, is fairly small, but for under five bucks I’ll take it. On this last visit it was nicely crisped, and I’ll use whatever sweet-soy is left over and pour that into my soup.

For more info check out my previous posts.

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

Pho Hoa Huong:

Man, it’s been a long time since I last visited the “fastest Pho in the West” (not necessarily in a good way). But my last two bowls from Pho Hiep and Grill in the same strip mall had been quite weak. I’ve gotten used to Pho inconsistency here in San Diego, but two in a row was a sign to visit elsewhere.

It’s been so long since I last visited that they’ve gone and changed the dining room furniture, from the red cheapo dining room looking furniture, to something looking more…. like wood….

In terms of service, not much has changed….. much like Pho Hoa on ECB, the menu that’s “dealt” out to your table is pretty much an afterthought. As soon as you sit, someone hovers over you….. as if you should know what to order before even looking at the menu. But what the heck, if it’s good enough for Hanoi, it’s good enough for here, right?

I got the Flank, Brisket, Tripe, and Tendon……which has gone up a measly 15 cents in three years.

On this day, there was no “Ngo Gai for me”…. I asked and they didn’t understand me at first, then they understood, but ignored me…… finally I was told, “no more today…” To add insult to injury, the bean sprouts were getting a bit on in age.

As for the bowl….. the broth was not half bad, mild anise-clove with a beefy finish. Also, it was not too salty. In previous visits, the broth had always been on the dark side, but not today. It was still on the cloudy side. The super quick arrival usually means that the noodles here were sometimes not ready for consumption when they arrive, but today they were perfect. The meat was ok, the flank was decent, as was the brisket. There was one tiny strip of tripe, which actually tasted good. The tendon was on the hard side for my tastes.

Overall, not bad, and I always dig the metal chopsticks….

One of these days I gotta time these guys again, and see if I can get a bowl in under three minutes, which was the old record for this place.

Pho Hoa-Huong Restaurant
6921 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

Open Daily 8am – 8pm

Sandwich Emporium…. yet again:

My good “FOY” TammyC hit it on the nose when she told me this shop always smells like bacon frying…… it must be some savvy marketing move. Nothing fancy here, just solid sandwiches. Of course, smelling bacon means you have to order something with bacon. Like the Club House Melt:

I’d still like to know what my FOY’s go-to neighborhood sandwich shops are (I still need to check out Royal Mart Lynnea), and what I should order. I’m thinking that’ll be a nice post!

Sandwich Emporium
3054 1/2 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

After having the coldest July since 1916 here in San Diego, things seem to be warming up. Perhaps I’ll be transitioning from Pho to Banh Mi soon….. and eating stuff like this:

From you know where……

Say Cheese……steaks. A comparison of cheesesteaks in San Diego – Gaglione Bros., Alex’s Brown Bag, Eddie’s Philadelphia Steaks, Hoagies, and Burgers, Pop’s Jersey Style Cheese Steaks, Olde City Grill, Giorgino’s, and The Philadelphia Sandwich Company

July 14, 2010 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cheesesteaks, Sandwiches, yoso-silly

***You can find some additional Cheesesteak Shops in this post. And part 3 can be found here.

Whew…. talk about some major calories….. so maybe we should start at the beginning. At the end of last year, I was having my usual, at my… usual. That would be an 8" Mushroom Cheesesteak at Gaglione Bros in Point Loma.

I was sitting, enjoying a typical San Diego winter day…… 70 and sunny, eating on the patio, and feeling empathy with this guy.

Whom I believe belongs to one of the managers or owners of the place. Can you imagine, being a carnivore, and having to endure the glorious smell of animal flesh charring??? It must be pure torture, so I hope he/she gets some nice "samples" once in a while. The lab looked down at me, and with a tilt of the head seemed to tell me "you think you like this so much, why don't you do a post comparing cheesesteaks?" Now before you think that I'm headed toward wrapping "mi cabeza" in aluminum foil to prevent Aliens from outer space…. or other food bloggers from reading my thoughts, and am headed with a "ho ho hee hee ha ha to the funny farm." (Though I heard life there is beautiful all the time) Perhaps the lab didn't speak to me, maybe the idea just popped into my head…. but I thought it was a pretty good idea.

Thinking this over a bit, I decided to try to order my usual, and let's be clear, this ain't a "Philly Cheesesteak" comparison… it's basically a Mushroom Steak comparison. It's not that I haven't had the "real thing" though. Over a decade ago, the major vendor of the company I was with was headquartered in Philly. I managed to attend conferences there twice. I had made a few friends, and one of them took me down to the intersection of 9th Street and Passyunk, home of the cheesesteak icons, Pat's who claims to have invented the Philly Cheesesteak in 1933, and Geno's. My favorite cheesesteak of the trip was not from either iconic shop, but from a shop in the Reading Terminal Market called Rick's Original Philly Steaks. Unfortunately, Rick's Steaks' lease was not renewed, which caused quite a flap, and Rick left the market, but has opened elsewhere. By the way, "Rick" is the Grandson of "Pat" Pasquale Olivieri. It is the grandson of Harry Pasquale, Pat's brother who owns Pat's. And then there was the lawsuit… man, the stories themselves are more juicy than the steaks at either Pat's or Geno's. Let's not go into the Cheesesteak I had in another place in Downtown Philly, yuck. Oh, and I actually enjoyed the Roast Pork sandwich from DiNic's more than any of the cheesesteaks…. go figure.

Next question would probably be, "where's the Whiz?" Strangely enough, the faux cheese "whiz" was not invented until 1953. Before that, it was probably American cheeseor provolone. And personally, I'm not a big fan of Whiz…. and prefer the mild milkiness and texture of melted provolone. So onward to the cheesesteaks…..

The Best Cheesesteak I had: Olde City Grill

**** Olde City Grill has closed

I first read about Olde City Grill's Cheesesteaks in Captain Jack's post……

The first thing that struck me about Olde City was how the place looked really sports bar-ish, or just plain Pacific Beach bar-ish.

For some reason I didn't find this very promising with regards to a cheesesteak. But, knowing Captain Jack, whose large heart is only exceeded by his appetite, this place had to be good. You can build your own steak, but I chose the 6" "Aristocrat ($6.99). It's a mushroom steak with sharp provolone and onions…. and oh, the beef is supposed to be "American" Kobe, which is, I suppose Wagyu? Anyway on to the steak:

The roll was a true Amoroso, which has truly become a "marketing" thing. You see, Amoroso now sells their bread through such "boutique" purveyors as SYSCO and US Foods…. so much like how a somewhat unscrupulous Itamae can charge a Gaijin a super high price for sushi telling them the fish "came from Japan" (I've seen this done….in fact twice from a specific Itamae) when indeed that most "farm raised" Hamachi and other fish comes from Japan, it's exactly what all the other upper-mid, and high end sushi bars are selling. Back to the cheesesteak… at first I was a bit hesitant about all the "brown bits" on the sandwich, but I gotta say, it was delicious. The beef actually melted in, or was it just plain melted my mouth. I also didn't notice any cheese at first, until I bit into the sandwich and almost melted my tongue off. I do think that a bit more cheese wouldn't hurt this sandwich, and the roll could be a tad better toasted/heated, but you can't beat the earthy flavors of mushrooms, the beef, and onions that have been grilled to the "sweet zone". Captain Jack mentioned that perhaps the sandwich was not quite as messy as a true Philly, but this oozed onto my hands, causing the loss of several layers of derma….. This 6" was enough for me……

Olde City Grill
967 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

The King is Dead: Alex's Brown Bag

**** Alex's Brown Bag is no longer

We've been ordering from what many of the "old guard" believe is the best Cheesesteak in San Diego, Alex's Brown Bag for years. We've cut down on our orders over the years, because even though they deliver, we've noticed some deterioration in portion size, and I've gotten more than a few dry steaks over the last two years. In fact, I've started ordering the Pizzaiola – a cheesesteak sandwich with pepperoni, but more importantly, marinara sauce (which we get on the side) which helps moisten everything. Heresy perhaps, but a guy's gotta do, what a guy's gotta do to avoid a dry cheesesteak. I did tell myself that the cheesesteak lost something (that would be moisture) in transport, and I had to eat at the shop to actually see, which is what I did.

Finding the brick and mortar Alex's can be a bit confusing……it is located in the well known Mr. A building on Banker's Hill.

Here I went with the "Philadelphia Cheesesteak"($7.75), which automatically comes with mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and mozzarella. I'm sure you can get it with Whiz if you really wanted it.

The best part of the sandwich was that the Amoroso Roll was perfectly toasted, not too hard, not too soft. It could also be that the juices didn't saturate the bread because, well, frankly, it was pretty darn dry. The cheese was too mild for the sandwich, though it added a nice gooey stringy texture to everything.

It's sad to see King's lose their luster, though the sandwich still had a well flavored beefy "soul", for me this was like seeing a mid-seventies Elvis, fat, drug addicted, over-gorged on Peanut Butter-Banana-Bacon sandwiches trying to strut his stuff. It's hard to settle for less from the "King".

Alex's Brown Bag
2550 5TH Ave, Suite 171
San Diego, CA 92103

Long live the King: Pop's Jersey Style Steaks

**** Pop's has closed

I've often spoken to folks about the difference between the "best", and our "favorite". We have our favorites because of a combination of factors, and on the visits I did over the course of eight months, my visit to Pop's was my favorite.

And it's all because of family…. you see, on the day I visited "Junior" was running the counter, and seemed to know every customer. His brother(Tony) and "Pop" were manning the flat-top, "Mom" was in the back. I ordered my steak with mushrooms, and had a seat. Junior brought the food out to me, and asked me how I heard about Pop's… and of course, it was through another of Captain Jack's posts. Let me tell you CJ, if you still read this blog…. you're a celebrity here. Once I told him I knew you, Junior insisted on bring out Pop to talk to me. Which is how I found out that this family, the Guadagni's used to own Alex's Brown Bag!

As for the cheesesteak itself…..

There are fliers tacked up around the restaurant telling us they now use Amoroso's. I like the crust, but the bread portion was toasted a bit too hard for me. Pop had told me that he doesn't do gooey and messy steaks anymore because this is "California, and we should be healthy, and why not have the steak evolve…. like the burrito!" He produced old photos from his time at Alex's…. can you tell that I just loved this guy?

The beef here is the most highly seasoned, great pepper flavor. Pop's was worried because some folks think the steak is a bit too highly seasoned, and Pop's gets his beef shipped in from New Jersey.

Which leads me to a photo on CJ's post. I was wondering about the beef that Pop brings in, and CJ happens to have a photo of the box…… I had to laugh. Among the ingredients is Autolyzed Yeast and Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein….. great umami, which of course, we call something else. I'll still keep coming back because the beef does taste really good…. and of course there's the family!

Pop's Jersey Style Cheese Steaks
1730 Garnet Ave.
San Diego, CA 92109

My standby: Gaglione Brothers

**** This location of Gaglione Brothers has closed

There are a few changes since my original post in 2005.

There's a hot and sweet pepper bar which allows you to pep up your sandwich if you so desire.

I still usually get the 8" mushroom cheesesteak($6.95) with provolone. It's not out of this world, but satisfies my cravings. Prices have gone up a bit, but my capability to eat has gone down with regards to quantity.

It seems to me that the bread is not an Amoroso, but a reasonable facsimile. I could be wrong, but it doesn't have as much "bread" as a typical Amoroso. It is essentially moist, gooey, and beefy for me. The provolone cheese is always totally melted, and gives a faint milkiness to the entire sandwich.

And yet, feet to the fire…. it could be that the real reason I eat at Gaglione Brothers are the garlic fries….. I've never eaten here without ordering garlic fries.

The Missus actually asked to have garlic and parsley added to a sandwich here…. and they did it! Which made Her very happy……

Plus, you never know I'll run into that dog who telepathically "talks" to me!

Gaglione Brothers
3944 West Point Loma Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

A worthy contender: Giorgino's

I had been waiting to check out Giorgino's for a while. After all they claim to make the "Best Cheesesteak in Town".

On my visit, I ordered the Mush Steak ($6.90), which came with White American Cheese, mushrooms, and onions.

To me, perhaps the best bang-for-the-buck. They use Amoroso rolls. But what really made this sandwich stand out was the pronounced garlic flavor, which I enjoyed. when the young man asked me how I liked my sandwich, I mentioned the wonderful flavor of garlic, and asked him if they use "garlic powder" which seemed to irritate him, and he replied snippily, "no… we use only fresh ingredients, it's fresh garlic." Ooops…. though it did make me wonder, if they use only fresh ingredients, it sure seemed like canned mushrooms…. but perhaps they were "fresh" canned mushrooms?

For me, the one "best" that Giorgino's has is the relaxing seating outdoors during a nice day in South Park.

It makes everything taste better…..

Giorgino's
1237 28th St
San Diego, CA 92102

It's not the Cheesesteaks that bring me back: The Philly Grill

**** The Philly Grill has closed

It's Suzanne, the Owner, who has loads of character, and can always bring a smile to my face.

Like I mentioned in this post, the reason I would return to The Philly Grill are not the Cheesesteaks, but Suzanne, and the Italian Sandwiches, which she douses with a mildly bracing balsamic dressing.

The Cheesesteaks here just don't do it for me.

The beef is decent quality, and pretty freshly cut, but there's not enough of it. The bread on my visits was from Gibaldi's and there was too much of it, too doughy, and the crust was not up to the task. The one saving grace was the addition of pickled peppers, much like Giardiniera with added some flavor to the proceedings.

The Philly Grill
2041 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

It could have been better: Eddie's Philadelphia Steaks, Hoagies, and Burgers

**** Eddie's has closed

I like the location on 30th street of this place. My good FOY (Friend of Yoso) Howie told me that even though he prefers Giogino's, Eddie's has slowly gotten better over time.

This converted house has a porch, and different rooms where you can have your meal. The menu itself is pretty large with everything from (of course) Cheesesteaks to Prime Choice (what is prime choice???…. is it the prime cut of choice grade meat, or a choice cut of prime grade meat) Rib Eye…. you can see it on the menu yourself here. Of course, it says "Angus Beef" which is a branded beef, but not "Certified Angus Beef" which is a special industry designation. Enough of that, I was here for a Mushroom Steak & Onions with Cheese ($7.75). I of course, ordered mine with provolone.

There were a couple of things that held this cheesesteak back in my opinion. First, the roll was ice cold and flaccid, it could have used a bit of heat or mild toasting. Second, there wasn't enough cheese to create a nice gooey texture, and not much of the milky flavor I want from provolone. The portion size was good, the beefy flavor rather mild. mushrooms sparce, but at least they weren't canned.

Eddie's Philadelphia Steaks, Hoagies, and Burgers
3501 30th Street
San Diego, CA 92104

And there was one: The Philadelphia Sandwich Company

What can I say other than I dreaded coming here. I've never gotten anything better than Tasty Kakes from here. And yet, this place has been around since 1979.

I ordered a 6" Mushroom Steak with Provolone ($5.84). And to be honest it was the most inexpensive of the cheesesteaks I ordered. That's all I'm going to say. The photos speak for themselves.

You can come to your own conclusions.

Philadelphia Sandwich Company
3904 Convoy St. Ste 112
San Diego, CA 92111

I hope you enjoyed this post on various cheesesteaks joints in San Diego. And perhaps you have a few that I missed. It did take me eight months to make these visits…..

Beyond the narrative, which are, as always based on personal preferences, perhaps you'll get out there and try a few of these places!

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Corner Bakery Cafe- Franchise/Chain and good. In Mission Valley.

May 12, 2010 Cathy Chains, Diner, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is still blogging. Sure Kirk and His Missus are on vacation (clue: It's a country with cuisine I haven't spoken of since April 21), ed is in Yuma, working diligently and Cathy is just driving around, eating and documenting. Enjoy.

Hello again. I have driven through Mission Valley all this year and never stopped- not to shop, meet anyone or to have a meal. Really.

Corner Bakery Cafe is off of Mission Center Road at Camino de la Reina. They built it, along with a few other restaurants in the spot where the Montgomery Ward Service Center used to be. Sometime in the last two years, I guess. I had not heard of it before, but the name sounded nice.
It is a franchise of a pretty large proportions, but the first San Diego location. I walked in, saw some menus and prepacked bakery items at the door and that you were to walk forward to order.
It is similar to Panera, in that you order and pay, take a number and place it in the wire thingy on your table and you food is brought to you. It is also similar in that you get your own beverages. You also grab your own utensils and condiments. Most similar is that the building has free wifi.
The menu consists of soups, salads, sandwiches, pastas and breakfast (I haven't been here for breakfast yet). This is a bowl of homemade roasted tomato basil soup ($5.59). Large and filling, very hearty with chunks of roasted tomatoes, basil and a slight kick of heat which became more pronounced at the bottom of the bowl topped with toasted herbed bread and served with a chunk of fresh herbed bread. This is a very nice light meal.
Another visit, with The Mister. The Trio- pick any three homemade specialty salads ($7.29). I chose the Greek vegetable, the tuna salad and the seasonal fruit medley. (Other choices include chicken, egg, pasta Caprese, Asian edamame, Caesar or mixed greens). A small mixed greens is on this plate also, under the chunk of bread. All of the salads are very nice. The Greek salad includes artichoke hearts as well as usual Greek salad stuffs(tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, onion, pepperocinis and Feta cheese) It is topped with a light balsamic and very fresh and good.
The Mister got a corned beef Reuben panini (on caraway rye) ($7.29). A very flavorful corned beef with sauerkraut and Swiss. There also was a small amount of Thousand Island brushed on the bread. This was very good and quite filling. It is served with house made 'bakery chips' and a pickle. You can substitute baby carrots for the chips.
This is the chicken Carbonara pasta dish ($7.79). Slices of herb roasted chicken breast are underneath the linguine, applewood smoked bacon and spring peas. All is coated in a light (not made with heavy cream) Carbonara sauce. This was large portion and filling, yet not as 'bad' as far as Carbonara sauce goes. The creamy, buttery flavor is there, but the thick coating of fat that usually stays with you wasn't. A good compromise.

My favorite item here, so far (I've had it three times). The Harvest Salad with chicken (Cafe (smaller) size, $6.79). Mixed greens, with slices of roast chicken, green apples, toasted walnuts, currants and blue cheese. It's topped with a balsamic vinaigrette and served with a slice of crispy harvest bread. I *really* like this salad.
It is bakery and does bake all the breads on site. (There is the caraway rye, sourdough, Harvest, Mom's White, whole grain, Asiago cheese and pretzel bread) and a few sweets- cookies and pastries. This is a "Whoopie Pie" ($1.59). Chocolate cake-y top and bottom, filled with a house-made mocha frosting. Very moist, creamy and not too sweet.

This is quite nice for a chain-y franchise. It is worth a stop.

Corner Bakery Cafe Camino de la Reina (SE corner, at Mission Center Drive) (619) 692-0423 Website

Seisel’s- Sandwiches from a grocery store

May 6, 2010 Cathy Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome to mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. The part usually played by Kirk is being played by Cathy for a while. He is on vacation. Still.

Hi. Kirk has written about Seisel's, one of the best meat stores in the San Diego area, but that was almost five years ago . The other day, The Mister and I wanted a quick lunch.
Seisel's sells really good quality meat. Aged. Prime. They also make sandwiches and sell soup and chili and other things you can grab, pay for and take outside and eat at the tables. You order and the order is written on the bag that your sandwich will be placed.
Seisel's has a small grocery and produce area and you can purchase your beverage when you pay for your sandwiches. The few tables are out front and in the parking area (next to the cow; you'll see it).
The Reuben, served hot, on toasted rye with kraut, is perfect. Not too fatty, everything heated through and the rye bread is very flavorful.
Rare, flavorful roast beef, on a hearty white bread, with everything-lettuce, tomato, onions, mustard, mayonnaise. My usual lunch when I am in this part of town.
The Mister's sandwich had onions on it, which he specifically did *not* order. Oh, all the sandwiches come with a small dill pickle.

Almost all grocery stores sell some sort of ready to eat food. Next time you see something, try it. I bet you won't be disappointed.

Seisel's Old Fashioned Meat Market 4131 Ashton San Diego 92110 (619)275-1234 Website

Woodies, a revisit

April 12, 2010 mmm-yoso Hot Dogs, Sandwiches

*** Woodies is now Waldos

So…. we're sitting the car, deciding what the Missuswe want to eat. Sometimes it's tough…. I'll go thru five, ten, fifteen places…… and even though She'll say, "today's your day, pick what you want", every choice will be rejected. Finally, the Missus exclaimed, "I want a hot dog"….. WHAT….. and to top it off, "and maybe some chili-cheese fries." DOUBLE WHAT! The only thing I could come up with was tilting my head and asking the Missus, "hear that?" Of course She replied, "hear what?" "That…. I think hell's freezing over!" I don't recall the Missus wanting Chili-cheese fries since we lived in LA…. really. My first thought was our usual choice, Tommy's….. there was one a couple blocks from us in LA, and of course there's a location on Clairemont Mesa Blvd. A couple of problems, though… first, the San Diego location of Tommy's just doesn't taste right to me. Something seems to be missing. Secondly, just one whiff of the chili from Tommy's gives the Missus heartburn…..

So with some hesitance, I mentioned Woodies. It had been a while since I've been to Woodies. A long while. And in the past, the Missus hasn't really taken to the dogs, nor the fries…. But the Missus really seemed up for it. And I was interested as well, since I believe that Woodies has perhaps gone through at least one change of ownership since I last visited.

In terms of pricing, Woodies' prices have gone up maybe 25-50 cents in the last couple of years.

So the Missus decided to get….. A Jalapeno Dog, Chili-Cheese Fries, AND a Pastrami Sandwich! Yikes…. I decided to order a Diet Coke.

So without further ado. The Jalapeno Dog ($2.85):

Personally, I like the dog at Woodies, nice beefy flavor, and good "snap". The Jalapenos didn't really do well with this, a little bit too "green" tasting, and these weren't really pickled very well. We ended up discarding them. The bun is steamed, and fairly soft. The Missus was never a big fan of the dogs at Woodies, but I think time has changed Her opinion, as She really enjoyed this. Now if I can only stop Her from putting *gasp* ketchup on Her hot dogs……

Here's the Chili Cheese Fries ($4.95). I'd never had the CCFs at Woodies, so I was kinda surprised when I picked my order up.

Geeez, enough to get me to make an appointment with my cardiologist. They've changed how they season the fries here. It now has a bit more spice in the seasoning, which tastes pretty good. I like the thin cut fries…. heck, I like almost all fries. The chili, which I've always thought to be a bit generic on a dog, complemented the fries quite well. There was a bit too much cheese under that chili. We didn't finish this, but came close…….

And the final item the Missus ordered, the Pastrami Sandwich ($6):

I don't even know they bother with the bun on this one. I've never put the fing WoodiesR06 er on why I kinda enjoy this. It's really fatty, but not greasy. And sliced thin. The Missus figured it out right away; She said the chewy texture, and the flavor was almost "bacon-ish" (Her words). I can't quite compare it to bacon, but it does have a good chew. We both hated that it had too much mustard….I think we'll order it without the mustard next time, and bring our own deli mustard.

I'm not quite sure when that next time will be….. could be another three years for all I know. What I do know, is that all I had for dinner was a couple of radishes…..

Here's the address if you want a "Woodie" of your very own. (You know I had to make one Woodie remark, right?)

Woodies Chili Dogs
4250 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

I think it did the Missus good to get this outta Her system…

Of course, on Sunday, it was back to the "same old boring stuff…….."

Harvest Ranch Market and another Pastrami Sandwich

March 19, 2010 Cathy Markets & Grocers, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog, written by a few friends. Today, Cathy has written a short post. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) and Vicky are reading. Or something.

The other day, I was out in El Cajon near where Second Street turns into Jamacha Road and decided to stop into what has been an old favorite place to shop.
It wasn't crowded around 1 p.m. so I decided to continue my pursuit of a great pastrami sandwich, for FOY (Friend of Yoso), "H" and dropped in. It's a fancy market, with a few branches around town (including Jonathan's in La Jolla) with Boars Head meats and condiments
as well as all the other items you'd see in a grocery store.
A fancy grocery store anyhow…the wine selection is awesome and they have wine tasting events here pretty regularly (sign up inside the store to be notified). I don't take photos of people, so that is why I don't have too many photos inside the store.
But here's a nicely blurred photo of the Produce area, where I picked up a d'Anjou pear for my dessert ($1.49/lb). Then I paid and walked over to the Starbucks in the same mall.

A full sandwich is $6.99 (half sandwiches are $3.50) and includes cheese, choice of bread, lettuce, tomato, onions, mayo and mustard. I got pastrami and kraut, warmed, with mustard on rye, no cheese. The bread was soft and flavorful and a seeded rye. The meat was not fatty but wonderfully smoky in flavor. A quality pastrami, plenty of it. The kraut was nice and crispy. The pear cost 70 cents, so my whole meal was $7.69 plus $1.50 for the fresh, individually brewed with a drip filter and freshly ground beans coffee at Starbucks (I did not want the Pike's Place brew and asked for the Bold of the day, which is Italian this week and the nice Young Man behind the counter ground some beans, poured hot water into a little gizmo over the coffee cup and made me a nice, fresh, hot cup of coffee at the regular price). It was a great meal, just on the edge of too much food.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend.

Harvest Ranch Market 759 Jamacha Road El Cajon 92019 (619)442-0355

Website

Sunday “Italian” Sandwiches: Jersey Mike’s Subs, Grab & Go, and Philly Grill

March 14, 2010 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

Boy, was it nice out there today…… I’m figuring that you really don’t feel like reading about a hot steaming pot of Suan Cai Yang Rou (preserved vegetable w/lamb hot pot), so I thought I’d dig up a few photos, and put together a sandwich post. This time, it’s a couple of local “Italian Subs”, which, depending where you live can be called a “Grinder, Torpedo, Hoagie, or Bomber” among other names, depending on where you live. Here’s an interesting threesome, 1 from a National Chain, one from a Local Chain, and one from a local independently owned shop. So without further ado:

Jersey Mike’s Subs – Rosecrans:

As far as I know, there are three locations of this New Jersey based chain in San Diego proper. The actual history of Jersey Mike’s is interesting. Yet, it’s still a franchised chain.

The interior is full on national sandwich shop generic…..

I will say one thing about this shop; the two times I’ve been here, the young ladies are always cleaning like crazy……. whomever runs this shop must put an emphasis on this.

I usually will go for one of the combinations featuring Italian cold cuts.

On both my visits, the sandwich was lettuce heavy, and you really couldn’t taste the meats. The dressing is a good amount of red wine vinegar, olive oil, and a good amount of an oregano spice mix, which is the key to flavor for this sandwich. It’s still not the basic “salad on a roll” that is a sandwich from Subway, and they do slice your meat to order.

The one thing I enjoy at Jersey Mike’s is the bread, which is slightly crusty and airy, and has a almost cracker-like flavor.

Jersey Mike’s Subs
3670 Rosecrans Street
San Diego, CA 92110

Grab & Go Subs – Mission Gorge Rd:

**** This location of Grab & Go has closed

A local “chain” with seven locations, I’ve posted on Grab & Go before. A couple of months ago, I dropped by the Mission Gorge shop since I happened to be in the area.

As I mentioned before, my sandwich of choice at Grab & Go is the Spicy Cappocolla, which is toasted, spice added by pickled jalapenos. Toasting the sandwich releases the oil and flavors from the cappocolla, melts the cheese, and makes the roll crusty…. all good things for me.

A couple of weeks later, I found myself at Grab & Go again, and ordered my other favorite, the Italian Village Special, a cappocolla, salami, and pepperoni sub.

On previous occasions, this sandwich had been toasted when I’ve ordered it. This time it wasn’t, and it was truly lacking. Too doughy, lacking in a good contrast of textures. And ice cold……..

Goes to show me that I need to make sure my sandwiches are toasted in the future.

Grab & Go Subs
6435 Mission Gorge Rd.
San Diego, CA 92120

A quick word on shredded lettuce on Italian Subs…… this is the usual way they are made in San Diego……

The Philly Grill:

**** The Philly Grill has closed

Nestled next to El Sol, Philly Grill is a nice little shop that specializes in Cheesesteaks, which I’ll go into in a later post.

Personally, I don’t think the best item on the menu are the cheesesteaks, which are on the skimpy side, and the bread, a very important item when dealing with cheesesteaks just doesn’t cut it. For me, the best thing I’ve had here is also one of the most inexpensive, the Italian Hoagie.

The owner, Suzanne also adds color, with her unbridled enthusiasm, straight forward approach, and sincere concern for what I ate. I’m sure that you, like myself are often asked “how is everything and what do you think” during your meal. I will guarantee you, that 99% of the time, it is just part of going thru the motions. The person asking really doesn’t want you to answer this. In the beginning, I thought that folks really wanted to know “how everything was”, and replied with my opinion. After instances of rapid blinking, “why did you answer”, “did you just slap me in the face” looks, I’ve just stopped. Stupid me, in the beginning I thought that they really wanted to know what I thought. Somehow, when Suzanne asked me “whaddya think”, I just felt she meant it…… so I think she now knows me as the “bread guy”…… And we did have a nice conversation about her bread, her customers, and such. And Suzanne really did really want to know what I thought.

Back to the sandwich. Suzanne asked me how I wanted my sandwich, and I told her, make it the way you like it, but lose the shredded lettuce. What I ended up with was freshly sliced sliced salami and cappacolla heated on the griddle, prosciutto, and provolone, topped with onions, and great pickled peppers.

The balsamic dressing and oregano spice mix added to the sandwich. At this point, it could have been on shoe leather and this would have been great! I do think that thinner slices, with more surface area would add to the sandwich, but I enjoyed this. I was also pretty stuffed…..

This really illustrates the superiority of independently owned and run businesses (and I’m talking about those folks who are hands on). I’m sure if I walked into Philly Grill tomorrow, Suzanne will remember what my preferences were. And in some way, that beats out a five dollar foot long anytime.

Dennis has a post on Philly Grill which you can find here.

Philly Grill
2041 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Quick note: the hours are sometimes a bit flaky.

Today was a wonderful San Diego day. Yes, the Northwest winds still had a bit of chill to them, but it was a nice sunny day. The Missus wanted to sleep in, so I took Da’ Boyz to Tecolote Natural Park and Nature Center.

The Tecolote Canyon Natural Park is a series of trails, a twelve mile round trip, which stretches throughout the Clairemont area.

Of course we just kinda meandered around for maybe a half mile or so, just far enough so Sammy could smell every bush….

We turned just a bit after passing the back of USD.

The wild flowers are quite pretty after the recent rains…..

Da’ Boyz and I hope you had a great weekend!

Pastrami Sandwich research- Antonelli’s Deli, El Cajon

February 11, 2010 Cathy Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog, mostly written by Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy. A few others contribute as well, all of us writing about food we eat and sometimes the reason why we like it, or don't. Today, Cathy is writing about something she likes.

Hi. One of my earlier posts, about decorating Rose parade floats and having a pastrami sandwich at The Hat, mentioned… a pastrami sandwich. Which I really liked. I got a question from "H", asking me where good pastrami sandwiches were to be found in San Diego, because her hubby is a sucker for them, and realized I pretty much always order pastrami (smoked corn beef) sandwiches whenever it is available, although I like sandwiches of all kinds. I don't make this type of sandwich at home. I did mention pastrami in my post about BMH Italian and remembered again the other day, when I was driving in an industrial area of El Cajon, just off Highway 67 and Fletcher Parkway and saw this sign:
and pulled into the lot. I have been here, but it was years ago (it opened in 1984, back when the Unemployment Office was still next door) and had basically forgotten about it, only stopping in when I was buying tires, looking for plumbing supplies or somehow stayed on Magnolia instead of getting onto the 67. Silly me. The food here is great.
Nice and clean inside. You walk up, order and pay, grab a beverage if you ordered one, then sit down. Your food will be brought out to you. Eight tables (all of which are filled from about 11 a.m. on). They serve breakfast sandwiches all day and also have two soups of the day and make a very nice chili with cheddar cheese and onions ($3.50/$4.25).
I ordered a pastrami, no cheese, on rye with kraut. $7.05 with tax. A very flavorful, soft rye bread (the website states all breads are made fresh daily-wheat, white, rye, sourdough, sqaw and sub roll). It comes with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, Mayo, mustard, salt and pepper.

An excellent amount of flavorful pastrami with a nice amount of fat, grilled to some crispness and warmed sauerkraut. Of course served with a pickle.
Just the right amount of juice and not too peppery. There are breakfast sandwiches and an excellent cold liverwurst sandwich served here also. This is just a Pastrami Post. Thanks for "making" me have to do this research, "H"!!! I shall continue to post about every one I can find in the county.

Antonelli's Deli 1354 North Magnolia (south of Bradley) El Cajon 92020 (619)440-8460

website Open M-F 7-4, Sat 8-4, closed Sunday

BMH Italian- great sandwiches

January 5, 2010 Cathy Italian Restaurants, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog, written by some friends who live (or used to live) in the San Diego area. We write about whatever we eat, wherever we eat it and let you enjoy also. Vicariously. Today, Cathy is helping you be vicarious, along with Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Vicky.

So, it is a new year and there are resolutions made that need some time before saying they have stuck. I hope you are still sticking to yours. The Mister and I were in search of lunch the other day and stopped here, on El Cajon Boulevard.
BMH Italian. It used to be Mama Lina's, and those products are still sold here.
A small Italian bakery, market and deli inside along with a small seating area next door (14 chairs, 5 tables) and a menu consisting mostly of sandwiches, but also soups, salads, pastas and desserts.
I got the BMH – a cold sandwich- Capacolla, ham and provolone on a fresh white roll. Lettuce, tomato, onions, mustard, mayonnaise and house dressing. (Regular price is $7.75, but only $6 for seniors and with student ID).
The Mister ordered a "Ba Da Bing"-a hot sandwich- turkey, ham, pastrami and Provolone. ($7.95- not all items on the menu have a student discount). The toasted bread, even though the same as mine, tasted even better.
What caught my eye when we walked in was this Saeco coffee machine. You get a token for $1.25 when you order and then can choose your coffee, hear the beans being ground and wait to take it from the machine.
I got a cappuccino. The coffee had a good fresh flavor and the milk foam was rich. Something fun to do.