Seafood – Page 20

Crete – Chania: A morning walk, farmer’s market, Vasiliko (again), the Agora, and staying in for dinner

April 30, 2012 mmm-yoso Chania, Cooking, Crete, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Greece, Greek Food, Seafood, Travel

Crete, and Chania specifically had worked its magic on us. we were really charmedby the town, the alleyways and cobblestone pathways that wove around the Venetian structures really took you to a different time. Especially in the early evenings when the day-trippers had left and the partyiers were taking a little siesta before a hard night. The mornings were even more fun as the usually packed areas are devoid of activity other than restaurant workers setting up for the day. There's a peacefulness that overtakes you.

The Missus and I walked through just about every street close to the harbor, just soaking in the personality of the old town. It's hard ot imagine that this part of Chania was heavily bombed during World War II, or that much of the population of the city were either imprisoned or executed by the Germans, suspected of participating in the resistance. Almost the entire Jewish population of the town was shipped off to camps during that time as well, essentially destroying what was a very long history on Crete.

Yet, the beauty and charm of the town survived……

It was a nice time to try and figure out where we'd want to have our next meal….and perhaps where we wouldn't…..

I don't think that I mentioned that a pretty impressive wall was built by the Venetians around what is now Old Town. Unfortunately, the fortifications didn't stop the Ottomans from taking the town from the Venetians in 1645.

On this morning, we headed around the city walls and into Chania proper.

So what would lead us out of Old Town? Well you know it had to do with food right? When we headed out from Madonna Studio's in the morning, I stop and chatted with Thomais, who noted my interest in food. She told me that today was "market day" and the local one was just outside the city walls in front of the fishing harbor. You know I just can't resist these, right?

I believe it's fellow blogger Lynnea, who once mentioned that the classic mmm-yoso travel post will always include farmer's markets and dogs….well, here's the proud little fellow who followed us to the market…then found more interesting folks to follow….

In contrast to the sleepy Old Town, the market was pretty busy…….

The location overlooking the harbor is quite nice as well…….

While walking through the market admiring the super fresh offerings the Missus had an idea…..

Why don't we….which of course means me, make dinner tonight? Well, I hadn't really taken inventory of what was available in our room. I did note a two top burner set-up, so the Missus settled on having a big lunch and a very, very, simple mostly veg dinner. Which was a relief to me since as much as I was tempted to try stuff like this…..

I really didn't feel up to it. So we kept it very simple…….

We headed back to our room with our bounty, then the Missus settled back in to start reading one of the books in the cabinets….book exchanges are wonderful!

When lunch rolled around, the Missus had only one thing one Her mind…….Vasiliko again. Which was just fine for me……

This time around, I ordered the calamari, just to see how it would be. The Missus isn't a big fan of the usual tough squid, but this was very tender….very, very, tender.

Of course we had the octopus….we just had too.

As we had our cheese pie and raki, one of the gentleman working here came over to chat. He had remembered us from the day before. Along with the infamous "how can you live without olive oil", we now got the "why sea salt is healthy for you" presentation…….

Opening the little container of sea salt on the table, "you know, sea salt is very healthy for you….more healthy than almost anything! I will tell you why!" I look at the Missus with an amused look, we're both just waiting for the shoe to drop. "I can take all this sea salt, pour it in water, then mix….it will dissolve, be all gone. The same thing must happen in your body….so it can do you no harm!" We look at each other, trying not to laugh. He looks at us and add the disclaimer, "of course, if any of you is a doctor or medical person, I take this all back!" You gotta love it!!!

After lunch we returned to our room, the Missus settled in,but I was wide awake. I decided to head out for provisions I needed for dinner. Along the way out I got some directions from Thomais to the local market….

I also decided to stop by the Agora, the old central market which is fairly close by……..

The building that houses the market is quite impressive; built in the shape of a cross it was inaugurated back in 1913, when Crete was officially unified with Greece as part of the Treaty of London. On this day, when I arrived, the Agora was almost totally empty. It was late in the day and all the seafood vendors had cleaned up and were long gone.

Though most of the other shops were open, the place had a "ghost town" feel to it.

It was nice to walk around a bit, but I ended up going to the market to purchase, well. just a couple of bottles of wine really.

You see, when I asked Thomais about finding a market nearby, she asked me why. I mentioned needing some salt and perhaps a little olive oil. Did I mention how generous and accommodating Thomais is? Well, I was told not to worry about salt…..and Thomais also brought us olive oil pressed from her very own trees!

Does service get any better than that? Really? We popped open the bottle of red I got from the market…the Missus had a seat on the little porch under the late afternoon sun in Chania.

It was a very humble dinner……..quite simple. But this was Crete and the pure and simple are savored. Of course here, the tomatoes are sold when they are truly ripe.

So what better than a simple salad dressed with fresh pressed olive oil………

We really took our time with dinner.

Soon we finished that bottle of red and I opened the bottle of white we bought in Iraklios. It refreshed us……

We started in on the bread and cheese we bought earlier in the day. Such substance filled us up.

Our main course may seem perhaps too simple, but we truly enjoyed it. The flavors of potatoes picked the day before, zucchini, fresh, ripe, and sweet. Just simmered in water and dressed with sea salt and olive oil……something this simple would actually cost you much more here if bought from the grower here in the U.S……this actually cost us 3 Euros, farm fresh.

After dinner, we took a walk….we had hit that mellow evening time, before much of the dinner crowd had come out.

I'd always thought the lighting at twilight and dusk to be the same, but it is surely not true…..

It's easy enough to be taken by the charm of Chania to forget the history. And you can be easily overwhelmed by the history of Chania as well. Our after dinner walk took us to a street just off the waterfront and up a hill. Here we found a archaeological site right in the middle of a group of buildings and apartments. Apparently, this is the location of one of the city's original settlements on the Hill of Kastelli, where the Minoan's settled in 3000 BC.

This was a nice post-dinner walk. But of course, according to Cretan tradition, we never finished dinner! We never had raki…….luckily, I had also bought a little bottle of raki at the market. This turned out to be good stuff! And it was a nice aperitif….especially for me. The next morning we were to hike the Samarian Gorge!

Crete – Chania: Madonna Studios and lunch at Vasiliko

April 23, 2012 mmm-yoso Chania, Crete, Greece, Greek Food, Seafood

We were kind of sad to leave Iraklios, especially after the two really nice meals we had, but it time to move on. We checked out of our hotel and walked the couple of kilometers to "Bus Station A" and bought our tickets to Chania. Compared to other cities w had quite an easy time finding our way to our hotel, even though it was tucked away down a little street a few yards from the Venetian Harbor. Once you find Plateia 1866 it's just a matter of time before you hit all the tourists and you'll know you're there.

We walked along the waterfront, past all the tourist tavernas and shops and found a quiet little side street where Madonna Studios was located.

There are 5 studio apartments in an 800 year old building that is Madonna Studios. I've got to truly say, of all the places we've stayed, this is one of our favorites. And one good reason is the hospitality. The one woman running the place is named Thomais and embodies the spirit of your favorite aunt in the world. She is kind, warm, and as we were to find out very generous. When we arrived there was a little welcome gift set out for us.

Which included apple cake, cookies, and water…….it really made us feel welcomed. The place had a small kitchenette which we ended up using and a small television which was did not use. The Missus was taken by the rustic charm of the place and immediately told me to run downstairs and take a photo of Her on the little patio.

There was another little patio overlooking the small courtyard. We ended up having coffee here in the morning, some wine in the evening, and even eating dinner here one night.

For some reason the place just seemed right up our alley……….simple, but charming.

We loved watching the tiny street below…..even when nothing was going on.

After taking our sweet time stowing our stuff and taking a nice post bus ride shower, we headed out past the now maddening crowd on the waterfront. Even though the place was crowded, the beauty of the Venetian Harbor shone through. One only needed to look out at the Venetian Lighthouse which guards the harbor, a Chania landmark.

The Missus' birthday was approaching and She decided that Chania would be the perfect place to do some shopping. Somehow, we ended up past most of the tourists, in the area near the Agora. The Missus looked into this little shop, which had opened so recently, that they didn't even have a sign yet.

It was a cute Mom and Pop operation. The owner's son was a very mellow and nice guy, and the Missus found something She liked.

The young man was so nice, we asked him for a lunch recommendation. He had a couple ofsuggestions and told us that his nearby favorite, "is not very pretty, but they make good food, is reasonable, and is even on the waterfront, but many locals eat there." Sounded like the right place! He drew us a little map with the name of the place, Vassiliko. We thanked him and with the Missus's new earrings in tow headed out past the Mosque and the Great Arsenal and easily found the little Taverna.

It was indeed not a fancy place, looking a bit worn, but there seemed to be quite a few older gentleman eating there, a good sign.

What we noticed during our visits, we made more than one, was that tourists would sit at the outer four or five tables and order something like tzadziki and a glass of wine. All the men were having some major meals.

Of course, we were in Greece, so the Missus had to have some wine…..this time the house white.

Another thing I quickly noticed were the cats. THey avoided the outer ring but were right at home past those tables and obviously knew a good thing.

We started with horta, because the Missus couldn't get enough of it, and also because the gentleman taking our order told us that we needed some vegetable to make it a balanced meal! He was a hoot and we have an even funnier story about him later.

Anyway, the horta was nicely prepared, slightly bitter, with a mildly sweet flavor.

We saw another table just going to town on the small fried fish, basically fried whitebait so we had some of that as well.

On the way from the bus station I passed two fishmarkets and there were a couple of items that looked really good. The clear waters around the Greek Isles is so breathtakingly beautiful, but it is not especially fruitful, except for a couple of animals.

The Missus is not particularly fond of octopus, but I just had to order it.

Grilled and seasoned with salt, lemon, and olive oil, this was heaven. The octopus was so tender you could cut it with a spoon! For the Missus it was love at first bite, She had never had octopus like this before and just loved it. This was one of, if not our favorite dish of the trip. So perfectly simple.

The Missus was afraid of the cuttlefish, but after the octopus She was game.

Not as tender as the octopus, but this had picked up a bit of smokiness during the grilling process.

And the meal ended in just perfect fashion for us, some cheese pie, savory and mildly salty, drizzled with honey, and some raki…….

Vasiliko was the perfect place for us, not crowded with tourists, and we could still people watch while having lunch.

Lunch had energized the Missus and She decided to make the kilometer or so walk out on the sea wall to the lighthouse.

It an easy walk, though perhaps a bit windy.

The Missus climbed up the stairs of the lighthouse to take a zillion photos. The view of Chania's waterfront from here is amazing.

Though I took this photo….wish I had a panoramic camera for the shot. It's almost too eays to take a nice photo here.

As we walked back to our room for an afternoon nap, we reflected on how really pretty this city was.

This part of Chania just seemed to be made for postcards…….

It was hard to take a bad shot……

Thanks for reading!

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.

Eating on the Hood of Your Car: Mariscos Y Tacos El Kiki Truck

April 12, 2012 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Seafood

In a recent morning I'd just finished a quick bite at one of my favorite stops in the Chula Vista area and was headed to another. As I was about to make the left turn on Main street and the Industrial boulevard I glanced to my right and noticed at Taco Truck…….

Even though I recall seeing a Birria truck next to the El Prieto Mariscos truck, I decided to put that off and see what was up here.

The name of this one is Mariscos Y Tacos El Kiki and though there's everything from Birria de Res to Quesatacos on the menu, this fit the profile of a mariscos truck to a tee…..and by glancing around at what others were eating, this was a mariscos truck.

I placed my order and was handed a cup of consomme….this one was fairly light, with a mild briney flavor, boosted by a lot of celery.

Since the fish tacos here were only a buck (even El Prieto is now $1.25), I decided to try that and order the Perron #1 taco as well.

The fish in the tacos de pescado was really buried in there. It was pretty bland, the batter not very crisp. Yes, I guess it's worth a buck, but nothing especially good.

The perron is a combo of marlyn (smoked fish) and camarones (shrimp) sauteed in a chipotle based sauce which added some kick. The shrimp were ok, nothing special and a bit rubbery, but I really enjoyed the marlyn, which was smokey and salty……almost driving me to bacon-bliss.

To me it was worth the four bucks. I noticed how firm the taco was and turned it over….it's SOP for these type of tacos to have a layer of cheese on the bottom to protect the tortilla, which is then placed on the griddle allowing the cheese to melt.

This was nice….I'll probably get a tacos de marlyn the next time. And perhaps a gobernador too. One thing, there ain't much room in this parking lot……

The fellow working the counter told me they were at this location from 8am to 7pm seven days a week. So we'll have to see. He also spoke perfect English, which saved me from doing my usual butcher job of the few Spanish words I know.

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

Lucky Seafood- a meal and a take home snack

March 2, 2012 Cathy Markets & Grocers, Seafood, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of the blog you are reading. A few friends write about food they eat, take photos and share meals with you. Kirk is too busy to write today and so is ed(from Yuma. That leaves Cathy, who is sharing a meal and a snack.

Hi. This is a short post. Kirk has written only one post devoted to Lucky Pho, yet Lucky is mentioned in about 24 of our mmm-yoso posts. The restaurant adjoining the grocery store is a favorite/regular spot for The Mister and I of all the pho places around this large county. This the place I recommend to anyone who asks me "where do you like to eat?"

On this cloudy, chilly morning, both of us wanted soup and we disagreed about the basic broth. So instead of messing up the kitchen, we each chose our own preference at Lucky.

The Mister chose Pho Tai ($6.50)…

and I chose the shrimp and krab ($6.50). It's made with different noodles and a very rich fish broth, which was what I was wanting. You'll notice there is mint on the plate of add ins- that's for the seafood soup, otherwise all the usual add ins of sprouts, jalapeno, basil and lime.

Of course we always get the Spring rolls here ($5.50). These are more meat than vegetable filled and always perfectly fried. Another great meal.

Since we were at a market, I started to think about the weekly shopping. There were too many people inside to take photos of the produce section, but the prices here are good and the vegetables and fruit are always fresh.

I headed over to the seafood area where most items are in open display.

Fish heads (great for soup making) are still only $1.99/lb.

The pretty parrot fish caught my eye. I've never had one and wondered how it would taste.

Then I saw the overhead sign…

I waited in line and handed the nice young man my chosen fish, which was weighed and priced and in a few minutes, my number was called.

Then I went to checkout and paid for all of my purchases…

This is my lovely fried parrot fish. It is very meaty was good while hot, but also turned out to taste very good when cold.

No photo of the resulting carcass; you've seen enough this week. I hope all of you have a good weekend! Stay warm and dry!

Lucky Seafood and Pho 9326 Mira Mesa Blvd San Diego Ca 92126

Rocky Port Grill and Fish Market-Mariscos in El Cajon

February 27, 2012 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

Rocky Port has closed

Link to another visit to Rocky Port Here

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!!. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are just too busy to blog today, so Cathy is sharing another meal with you.

The last rainy days we had, I was craving a bowl of fish soup and The Mister and I headed to El Titanic in El Cajon, which I have posted about twice. We hadn't been to El Titanic since September (as one of my birthday week meal choices). Sadly, we saw it had closed. Happily, it seemed to have turned into another mariscos place.

The interior has been cleaned up and all the drawings of sinking ships were painted over. New tables and chairs filled the room.

The area where the pool table had been has been replaced with a fresh seafood counter, offering some pretty good prices on the seafood.

Fresh chips and salsa, along with a bowl of limes and a nice size sample of fresh fish ceviche were brought out to the table with our menus.

The bowl of fish soup ($10.95) was filled with large pieces of fish, green peppers and tomatoes and cooked in a very flavorful broth. This was quite large and very filling.

The menu offered whole fish, grilled with garlic or fried and the red snapper and snook are sold by the each for $16.95. The smaller tilapia were $10.95. Larger fish from the counter were sold by weight. This is a fresh red snapper that I chose to have fried. It came with unlimited corn tortillas (which were layered/flaky fresh and very tasty) and the salsa, rice and salad shown. This was a very good preparation and the fish was moist and really tasty.

We ate every last bit of it, and the soup.

The menu has a good variety of seafood choices, including lobster (griddled or grilled), fish plates, seafood cocktails and the other usual suspects of tacos, burritos and shrimp plates-all served with a choice of preparations and sauces. There are also daily specials and even a kid's menu. This is a bit nicer and pricier than El Titanic and a very nice addition to the neighborhood.

Rocky Port Grill and Fish Market 1771 North 2nd Street El Cajon 92021 (619)593-0637 Website

Mariscos El Navegante: New Seafood Truck in Yuma

February 12, 2012 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Believe it or not, ed (from Yuma) finally has finished a post and Kirk and Cathy can finally take a day off.

Navegante is no longer on Ave B. Currently (2014) Pacific Ave has become a new taco truck hotspot, with two stands across from each other at the intersection of 24th and Pacific, and several stands (4 or 5 some nights) in a large lot on the west side of Pacific a couple of blocks or so south of 16th.

Every fall, as the snowbirds, packers, and fieldworkers come back to Yuma, new mobile eateries – taco trucks if you prefer – open to serve the burgeoning population. This year, I was delighted to spot a new Mariscos truck, El Navegante, on the east side of Avenue B between 8th Street and 12th – just behind the location of Yuma's Best:
A meal there starts with complementary peel and eat shrimp:
The shrimp are served along side a container of spiced red onions and fresh sliced limes, both of which improve the flavor of the crustaceans:

Soon roasted yellow chilies also make an appearance. Spicy, smoky, and juicy:

Although the menu is limited, just about everything is well done. For example, the fish ceviche has all the right flavor notes, lightly fishy and citrusy. It is also crunchy and fresh flavored:

As good as fish ceviche tostada is, Tina and I think the ceviche de camaron tostada is even better:

The shrimp has not been cooked before marinating and has a very fresh flavor and a bit of chewy texture. The fish and shrimp tacos are also good:

The shrimp tacos have a bit more breading and a bit more crunch. The fish tacos are wonderfully fresh with moist real fish fillets. This fish has never seen a freezer and, after frying, hasn't sat under a heat lamp waiting for someone to order it.

The aguachile at El Navegante is close to perfect. When Roger Naylor, the travel writer for the Arizona Republic (and other publications) was in town, I made sure he and I and some other local eaters dropped in on Navegante around 6 one evening, and the whole lot of us were impressed by the chile and lime marinated raw shrimp plate:

We had ordered it moderately picante, so the hot chili flavors did not overwhelm the freshness of the pristine shrimp. Unlike other aguachiles I have had in the past, the lime juice complemented the seafood instead of souring it. Spice, tang, and shrimpiness were perfectly balanced. Crunchy tostadas, avocado wedges, and mild slices of cucumber went with the camarones perfectly.

On a more recent visit, Tina and I tried their seafood soup, simply called caldo. This is the small size:

The clear mild natural tasting broth was filled with pieces of fish, two or three small shrimp, and a little bit of octopus. At three dollars, it was certainly a good value. I found that the soup got even better when I added the chopped onion and cilantro, squeezed in some lime juice and shot some house salsa into the Styrofoam cup.

We also had what they call chile relleno, a yellow chile stuffed with cheese and shrimp, breaded (or not if you prefer), and served with a chili mayonnaise dip:

While a little bit greasy, it was also crunchy and irresistible:

On this visit, the restaurant even had mantaraya, reconstituted dried giant stingray from the sea of Cortez. We had it in a taco:

Muy rico. I had never had stingray with such rich and concentrated taste before. Not overly salty, the smoky, almost sweet flavors filled the mouth. Amazingly good.

El Navegante also does take out. For example, I once brought home a good fresh tasting campechana (mixed seafood cocktail with onions and cucumber in complex tomato water). While lacking the seafood variety of Juanita's campechana, The mariscos were excellent in flavor and half of it filled a small soup bowl:

From that same day, here is a fish taco, a shrimp taco, a chile relleno, lime wedges, and marinated onions, making a tasty and attractive plate:

El Navegante seems to open around 10 AM and closes around 6:30 or 7 PM. The mantaraya is only available on the weekends and the aguachile takes a little while to marinate. Prices are extremely reasonable, and the family that operates this little truck is friendly and helpful. English (as well as Spanish, of course) is spoken. A little dining gemstone in the southwest corner of Arizona. Navigate yourself here.

Mariscos El Navegante, 1019 S Ave B, Yuma AZ, 928-261-6481

Mariscos Monday: Oscar’s Mexican Seafood

January 9, 2012 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Seafood

**** This location of Oscar’s has closed

Man, it was almost like summer for a couple days there, wasn’t it? I don’t ever remember it hitting 80 degrees around New Year! The weather put the Missus and I in the mood for some mariscos. And though we thought of heading to La Playita, or even down to Godoy. We simply wanted a couple of tacos and it was well past the time of El Pescador or El Prieto. Then I recalled that FOY (Friend of Yoso) Candice had mentioned that a mariscos place had opened near the border or PB and La Jolla called Oscar’s.

Getting there was interesting……when going North on Mission you take a left at Turquoise and the place comes up rather fast. If going this route, you might have to figure out where to take that u-turn. Only street parking is available as far as I could tell. The restaurant is tiny, located right next to a smoke shop…or as the Missus says, it’s right next to the “Hoo-kar” (Hookah) store. He-he-he…..

There are literally 6-8 seats in the place and a small counter area outside. The kitchen is bright and shiny and the young man running the place friendly and most helpful. We saw grilled snapper tacos on the greaseboard, but they had run out for the day when we arrived. The menu is compact, with many of the “regulars” you’d see at one of those mariscos trucks.

The Missus started with the Smoked Marlin Taco ($2.75 – tacos de marlyn):

In terms of price, this was cheaper than most trucks, though it wasn’t nearly as stuffed. I never got a shot as the Missus polished it off in no time. She told me the fish was spot on in terms of flavor, but there was a bit too much cheese on it. I dunno, She cleaned this out pretty quickly.

I ordered a Fish Taco ($1.99)

Very routine, nicely fried, though a bit on the smaller side. The batter was fine, though I prefer mine a bit more crisp. There were some hidden what tasted like habanero in the pico, though the salsas are served on the side…a pretty nice touch. The tortillas were massed produced, but decent.

The “Fish Stew” (small – $1.50), was probably the weakest item we had. Served in a 8 ounce styrofoam cup that you’ll usually get the gratis consomme in at most mariscos joints. There were two shrimp and a small scallop or two along with a not so tasty piece of fish in this.

This caldo was just too weak, tasting mostly of celery and lacking the deep flavor of what you’d get elsewhere.

To finish off, I ordered the Cucaracha ($7), also known as camarones a la cucaracha……cockroach shrimp.

The shrimp were headless, but nicely fried before being put to bed in very bracing, spicy-sour, tomato-chile sauce, which was more like a broth. The shrimp were cooked well, the meat tender, the shells adding a nice crunch…making the sounds that you would get when you step on the unofficial Hawaii state animal. This definitely called for some tortillas since there was so much sauce. I ordered some tortillas….which they nicely never charged me for (though I’m thinking it should some with them). But man, it was too sour and spicy for me….man, my tolerance is getting real low, I think I need to head back to Hunan Chilli King to build my resistance and get maced by my food again. The Missus on the other hand, went through this like a hot knife through butter….though She told me “that sauce is burning a hole in my stomach” on the way home.

While really not quite up to par with our favorite mariscos joints, this place wasn’t bad and is a nice addition to the neighborhood. The folks here are very friendly and the prices not bad at all for the area.

Oscar’s Mexican Seafood
703 Turquoise St
San Diego, CA 92109

Oahu: Let’s do lunch, Pineapple Room, Nico’s Pier 38, Poke Stop, and The Alley

December 19, 2011 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Honolulu, Oahu, Plate Lunch, Seafood, Travel

Waaay back when, I started making a list of places I wanted to try when I got back "home"…..as years went by, there just never seemed to be the opportunity to take a trip…and when, after nearly ten years we got back to Oahu it was on the way to and from China and there were family things as well. In fact, I just plain adding to the list since it had pretty much gotten outta control. Happily, the Missus and I managed to hit a couple of places on our last trip…here's a round-up of lunches.

The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong:

**** The Pineapple Room has closed

One of my favorite places to eat is the Chef's table at Alan Wong's. I'm not sure how I first heard of Alan Wong's restaurant in Macy's Ala Moana Center, perhaps it was Kathy or perhaps Reid. Either way, the Missus and Her cousins wanted to go to Ala Moana on Black Friday…yikes! I've never been there on Black Friday, I will usually sneak to Ala's the back way run in to grab my omiyagi stuff (Honolulu Cookie Company or whateva's) and get the heck out of the place ASAP. Since it was going to be a major pain, I decided to get something out of it and made reservations for the Pineapple Room. Man, it took us about 45 minutes just to get into the mall! Luckily, I found a free valet parking on Black Friday coupon online…otherwise I'd probably still be circling around looking for parking…..

Surprisingly, the Pineapple Room was just half full when we arrived. Folks were just too busy wrestling each other for deals I guess. Having been to several of those Nordstrom/Macy's/etc restaurants, I found the service here to be top notch, from the timing of the dishes to the knowledge of the servers, it was quite impressive.

On to the food……

The unanimous best dish of the day was the Pan Seared Monchong (Pomfret) on Sea Asparagus with Pesto:

The Missus loved the Sea Asparagus, it was fairly tender, with a ice clean oceany flavor. The monchong was cooked perfectly; it flaked, but was very moist, mild in flavor, the pesto added a nice bit of richness and a savory touch. By the look and flavor (it was light and lacked that strong "green" – pinenut backbone flavor) it seemed more of a coulis.

The Kalua Pig BLT was probably second; mainly because cousin Long Hui absolutely loved her first taste of kalua pork.

The onion roll was nothing special as was the Caesar Salad.

I was really looking forward to the Loco Moco…….

For me, the veal demi glace made this dish, as the fried rice was very "local style" and not very impressive. Loved the eggs which had nice flavor, but that all natural beef patty was tremendously dry and grainy, even though it was cooked medium-well. I've had more than my share of grass fed beef in my time, but this was exceptionally dry, without the flavor I'd been expecting.

Our least favorite dish was the Steamed Chinese-style Onaga:

Personally, I love onaga (long tailed red snapper), the "Fish of Kings". This one was starting to taste "sour", which to me means it's going south, its not spoiled, just not very fresh. It was also overcooked and a bit dry as well. The sweet soy with sesame oil tasted fine, but the fish did in the dish.

Again, the service was excellent and perhaps I expected too much since the place had Alan Wong's name attached to it. But for over a hundred bucks for lunch, I think the dishes could have been better.

The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong
Macy's Ala Moana
1450 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814

Nico's Pier 38:

This was another place that folks raved about, so the Missus and I headed over on one of the days we had free. I love the location on pier 38…plus it's right next to a fish wholesaler, you can't get much closer to your purveyor than that.

This place is pretty busy for lunch and at it's heart, it is a plate lunch joint…though the offerings seem decidedly more upscale. It also works on the buzzer system…you know, after you pay for your order they give you one of those coaster looking thingamajigs that scares the daylights out of you when it goes off……

The Missus loves the rather recent "brown rice revolution" in Hawaii…..at meny places you can now get brown rice as an option along with mixed greens. I hadn't had Aku Belly ($9.80) in ages so I ordered that, and though I'm not a big fan of brown rice, I ordered it as well to keep the Missus happy.

Loved how the Aku Belly was fried, the texture was perfect, the oils from the belly gave a nice, almost luxurious texture to the belly. The salsa was on the bland side, it had a touch of heat, but not much else. For some reason the tomatoes didn't give the dish as much acid to cut the richness of the belly, which was seriously under-seasoned as well. Some S&P would have gone a long way here. The brown rice seemed like a mix of brown and white here and was too mushy for me.

We also ordered the Ahi Poke Salad ($8.15):

The greens were wonderfully fresh, but I didn't care for the plum dressing which wasn't that great. The Ahi was seared nicely, the fish still raw in the center, but much like the aku belly, there was some serious seasoning shortage here as well.

Prices are great, food was a bit under seasoned and lacking in flavor for us.

Nico's Pier 38
1133 N Nimitz Hwy
Honolulu, HI 96817

Poke Stop:

**** This location of Poke Stop has closed

We ordered a trio (Furikaki Mahi Mahi, Coconut Shrimp, Seared Ahi) along with our poke:

This was pretty good overall, the ahi and mahi mahi were on the salty side, but the Missus loved both fish. She's not a fan of coconut shrimp so I had those, which were nice and hot, and not fried to death. The brown rice here was super hard, but the Missus wasn't complaining as She scarfed up all of the fish. On this visit, the cooked food was much better than the poke.

Poke Stop
94 -050 Farrington Hwy, E4
Waipahu, HI 96797

The Alley Restaurant Bar & Grill:

This was one I really wanted to hit up ever since I read about it on Kat's blog a couple of years ago. Now a bowling alley doesn't seem like a great place for a stellar meal, but Oxtail soup has a long history in bowling alley's though Kapiolani Coffee Shop has moved to Waimalu since Kam Bowl closed down. This little restaurant is actually located in Aie'a Bowl, one of the few bowling alleys still left on Oahu. If you doubt that, you can just check out what's going on from your table…..

The folks waiting on us here were very friendly and efficient. There was so much on the menu that I wanted to try, but I had but one stomach to give for my lunch! The Missus made me a deal, She'd order a combination with the furikake ahi and tasty chicken (I wanted to find out how tasty that chicken was) if I shared my oxtail soup with Her. Of course She knew I really wanted the oxtail soup and that chicken ( remember no chicken and turkey for the Missus).

I gotta say, the brown rice here was made just (the only way) I like it….. Loved the portion control with the rice as it left room to attack the okazu. The Missus was less than pleased with the ahi which was more sesame seeds than furikake, for some reason the Missus is not particularly fond of dishes with too much sesame seeds or sesame oil. The quality of the fish was not quite as good as the other places we had visited as well. As for the chicken….well, I scarfed it without taking a breath. The batter was light, like an airy karaage, even though it was sauced after frying with a nice sweet and very mildly spicy sauce it held texture quite well. I thought the flavor was assertive without being too strong……..I really want this again.

My oxtail soup ($13.75) was delivered disguised as the leaning tower of "china". So what was in those bowls? One held rice, another ponzu sauce (which we thought really didn't go with the soup), and one was empty for your eating pleasure. There was the requisite grated ginger and green onions as well.

I really couldn't believe the amount of oxtail in this bowl. The oxtails were also prepared well, they held form and the cooking was timed well as they were tender without being mushy. The soup here is not the "clear style" but like what I make at home "shoyu style".

The broth had good oil and star anise flavor, with peanuts strewn throughout. The Missus would have a couple of bites of Her fish then tell me "switch" and grab my bowl of soup!

This was by far, my favorite meal of the trip. It was also quite filling as I couldn't eat dinner that night…….. We're coming back here…..

The Alley Restaurant Bar & Grill
in Aiea Bowl
99-115 Aiea Heights Dr, Ste 310
Aiea, HI 96701

Man, this has been a long one; thanks so much for reading….let me leave you with a photo of a landmark that I remember from "small kid time".

Hawaii: Poke Paradise – Poke Stop, Alicia’s Market, Tanioka’s Seafood and Catering, Ono Seafood, and Lana’i Ohana Poke Market

December 6, 2011 mmm-yoso Honolulu, Lanai, Oahu, Plate Lunch, Poke, Seafood, Travel

Even though our trip was a mere ten days, we made sure to get in as much Poke as possible. The Missus, who by now is a full fledged poke-phile and I would often discuss the merits of the poke we ate during our trip. We tried five different shops during our stay and here's the consensus, in reverse order of our favorites. I think our favorite will be a bit of a surprise.

#5 – Poke Stop

On our previous trip I had the pleasure of chatting with a former coworker of my MIL and lifetime Leeward resident Melissa, whom I also had a great time sharing dinner with on her subsequent trip to San Diego. It was really great getting her feedback on a number of places in the Ewa/Waipahu area.Poke Stop was one of the really hyped up places, but Melissa told me that the poke was very salty and perhaps not her favorite, so we passed. On this visit, the Missus and I stopped by the little shop for a light lunch. We enjoyed the "trio" of cooked items which I'll post on later, but unfortunately, the poke here was our least favorite, that's not to say it was bad, but someone had to be numba five. The shop is rather small and the choices rather limited, some of which looked like it had been sitting around for a while, but we ended up getting two different poke along with our plate lunch, a Primo, and headed outside to one of the tables overlooking Farrington Highway.

The two poke were totally at different ends of the spectrum…..

The Sesame Ahi Poke, really didn't look much like what I usually consider to be Ahi (Big Eye or Yellowfin Tuna) at all as it was really pale in color…it was almost like Tombo Ahi, aka Albacore.

But Tombo tends to be kinda mushy and this was firm, so I'm not sure. Overall, this was really bland and the fish, though firm didn't have the richness nor oil content to carry the poke on its own. You could barely make out a whiff of sesame oil on this.

At the other end, the Kimchi Tako Poke was super salty.

The Tako (octopus) was prepared well, chewy, but not too tough. It was just much too salty. We did like the service here; the older woman and her younger counterpart were very friendly. When we said we'd be eating at the tables outside, they told us to go ahead and have a seat and brought our food to us.

Poke Stop
94 -050 Farrington Hwy, E4
Waipahu, HI 96797

#4 – Alicia's Market

This little market on Mokauea in Kalihi is known for sparse parking and great poke and roast pork.

I was really lucky, as I was driving up a car left one of the maybe ten stalls in front of the market (and drive in next door), talk about good luck!

This being a football Saturday the place was packed.

You get into one of the free-form pseudo lines and when you think you're next you tell one of the folks behind the counter what you want….and there's no need for long explanations like "one pound of spicy masago ahi poke" as simple "half spicy masago" will do. If you don't notice when it's your turn one of the other customers will likely let you know…after all, this is Hawaii, and "you no cut in line" here. On busy days you can just pay cash at the fish counter, bypassing the single cash register in the front. It just works better that way.

Of the three we bought on this day, my favorite was the Sweet Onion Ahi, which seemed very fresh, with just enough saltiness for my taste. The onions were indeed "almost Maui" in sweetness.

The Spicy Ahi had too much mayonnaise for the Missus and I, though my MIL enjoyed it.

This one also got on the bad side of the Missus…more on that later on.

There was a lot of "suji"(tough tendon/fishing line like tissue) in the Spicy Masago Ahi Poke. You really couldn't tell by looking at it. It seems like they used the cuts with the most tough connective tissue hiding under all that masago.

Did you notice the banner for Alicia's read "Broke the Mouth"? Well the spicy poke almost broke the Missus' teeth…twice She pulled bones from the poke. I chewed on a couple of scales in the masago poke, which made it not only too tough, but also scaly as well.

Not much else to say…….

Alicia's Market
267 Mokauea St
Honolulu, HI 96819

#3 – Tanioka's Seafood and Catering

We dropped by twice….once right after getting off the plane and once I braved the Saturday line out the door and down the sidewalk. The Missus and I were looking forward to the poke from Tanioka's since our previous visit.

On both visits we were lucky as the Ahi Limu was brought out fresh both times and ended up being my favorite.

It was quite good both times, nice balance of flavor, fresh fish, everything you need…..

For some reason, I found the dried aku poke much too salty this time around.

While the Pipikaula (dried beef) Poke seemed much too tame and mild.

The main reason for the revisit is that the Missus' cousins love Ocean/Seaweed Salad, something I find kinda, well, mundane….but I was told that this stuff is really expensive in China.

They could eat this by the pound….but didn't care much for poke, or poi for that matter.

The lines were long, but moves fast. The security guard who doubles as a doorman to handle the weekend crowd is very nice as well.

Tanioka's did come up numba' one on another list, stay tuned for that post.

Tanioka's Seafoods & Catering
94-903 Farrington Hwy
Waipahu, HI 96797

#2 – Ono Seafood

This one is located in my old stomping grounds; Kapahulu. It's actually in what I believe used to be the manager's studio/office for this apartment complex, apartment numba' 4. Just look for the blue apartment…..

The poke here is a couple of dollars cheaper a pound and some of the items they make up fresh for each order. The interior is tiny. This being a two person operation means that you don't move along quite as fast.

The poke here is fresh and unfettered from too many sauces and salt.

The Missus enjoyed the Wasabi Ahi:

The fish was wonderful, bright in color and with a firmness at first bite which gave way to an almost melt in the mouth texture. I did feel that it was made a bit too much restraint with regards to the "whisper of wasabi".

I enjoyed the simple Ahi Limu, except that I found the limu to be really hard.

Other then that, I thought the flavor was really balanced.

We saved the Smoked Tako for my FIL, who loves the stuff.

If I had my druthers, I might have put Tanioka's number two since I thought eating the poke at Diamond Head Look-out affected our opinions a bit.

Still, the Missus wants to make sure to revisit Ono Seafood on our next trip.

Ono Seafood
747 Kapahulu Ave.Apt 4
Honolulu, HI 96816

#1 Lana'i Ohana Poke Market

**** Sadly, Lana'i Ohana Poke Market has closed

This one was a nice surprise for us. I'd heard that there was a nice little poke shop on Gay street right off of 8th. Unfortunately we arrived on a Wednesday when it was closed. I returned the next day……

The little shop was pretty busy when I arrived….three fire fighters and probably half of the police force (two officers) were either eating or waiting for their food. The woman working the front counter was really nice. I found out that even though there's a 5pm closing time posted, they make one pan of everything a day and once that's gone it's pau hana time.

The Missus has been eating a lot of brown rice recently, and has been overjoyed to see that many Honolulu restaurant are now serving brown rice as an option. I really didn't think the brown rice movement had made it to Lana'i, but I was wrong. When I hesitantly asked the woman if they served brown rice in their poke bowls she said "of course we do". Ha….teach me a lesson…..

The Missus absolutely loved the Spicy Poke bowl with brown rice.

Not overdressed, this had a mild kick, the fish really stood out. This was Her favorite until…..

She sampled the furikake-masago ahi poke.

Put together with a restrained hand, you could make out the flavor of the furikake without it overpowering the poke. The masago added a nice crunch to everything.

Still, my favorite was the shoyu poke.

Again, the flavor didn't take over the poke. I believe there was even oyster sauce in this adding a touch of extra savory flavor. I'm not a big fan of oyster sauce in my poke since it takes over the dish, but here it was used in just the right amount. There was even a slight sweetness to the whole thing as well. The fish literally sparkled……

Much like Ono Seafood, perhaps eating our poke at lovely Hulopo'e Beach might have something to do with our enjoyment.

This was taken at about noon………the Missus and I would joke about over-crowding when there were more then ten people on the beach.

Doesn't this look like the perfect place for one of those Corona Beer commercials?

And the view when you turn around ain't so bad either…….

We actually caught the shuttle back to Lana'i City a bit early to see if we could grab some poke to stick in the fridge for dinner. Unfortunately, they had run out of poke before we returned at two pm. You can't win them all……

Lana'i 'Ohana Poke Market
834 A Gay St
Lanai City, HI 96763

Never would I have thought that'd we'd find poke this good on Lana'i.

OK, I'm getting close to the 1700 word mark, time for bed.

Thanks for reading….I gotta go check my blood mercury levels!