Sushi and Sashimi – Page 10

Real Sushi Porn: Getting Some at Sushi Yaro

May 28, 2011 ed fromyuma Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

It's summer, so ed (from Yuma) has time to share a meal with you. In San Diego. Back on March 31. Kirk and Cathy will blog again for you soon.

There are several reasons for the title of this post. I have done picture centered posts with similar titles on sushi at Sakura and at Sammy Sushi (RIP). Kirk tells me those posts still get a lot of hits (along with Lolita's Tacos), particularly from people who do not seem especially interested in the San Diego food scene. Second, I find sushi sexy and beautiful to look at. Third, I forgot to take notes on the wonderful meal that I ate, so this post depends upon some pictures and my incomplete memories of the food. The final reason is the last picture in the post is XXX or at least RRR rated. Proceed at your own risque.

I began my meal by ordering a large bottle of Orion, a pleasant beer from Okinawa that I had never encountered before:
Now that we have a beer, let me provide some background to my visit. Stuck in the desert, I had not had good sushi for months and months. You can't always get what you want, like Mick says, but can always get what you need – and I needed lots of excellent raw seafood real bad. Imagine my delight when this large clamshell packed with chunks of fresh aoyagi arrived in front of me:

I can't recall the last time I was served so much clammy goodness all at once. The texture was not chewy, crunchy, or soft — like goldilocks' perfect porridge, it was just right.

That clam should give you a hint as to why I was at SushiYaro and not some other purveyor. The seafood available is always carefully selected and often truly outstanding. After all, Sammy (of Sammy Sushi fame) is the itamae. I have enjoyed his sushi since I first encountered him back at Katzra, when I didn't even know his name. He has always served me good quality fish. Such as this maguro:

And this (hamachi???):
And this hirame:

I also must confess that I sometimes I am in the mood for the atmosphere at the sushi bars that Sammy has run. Nobody would confuse SushiYaro with a Japanese museum. Sometimes it gets loud, and people are encouraged to have fun. Sammy is happy to turn his television onto a World Cup game or, as on the evening of March 31, the opening game of the major league baseball season.

And what could be better than drinking beer, watching baseball, and eating such wonderful things as aji (Spanish mackerel) or fresh oysters?:

The Spanish mackerel was sweet, fresh, and rich. The oysters had a touch of ponzu sauce and a contrastive crunch of masago (or is that tobiko?).

Speaking of crunch, what possibly could be more crunchy and tasty than the head of a sweet shrimp (ama ebi)?:

To me, it seems paradoxical that sushi bars always serve the tail of a sweet shrimp before its head. So for this post, I've arranged the ami ebu pictures in anatomical, not chronological, order:
This particular sushi feast was particularly excellent because I had warned Sammy that I was going to be there and that I was interested in some of the real good stuff. So several things that evening were truly special. Look at this salmon belly:
Completely creamy. Butterly unctuous. Divinely delicious.

Toward the middle of the meal, I was served miso soup with clams. The clams were a nice addition (and I think Sammy knows I love clams), and the miso broth was intense with pronounced dark miso flavors:
One of my really favorite dishes of the evening was the kuzunoko (herring roe):

I had never had this presentation where the mass of crunchy herring roe is attached to a thin slice of saba (mackerel). The mackerel adds a fishy oceany flavor to the wonderful texture of the roe.

Similarly, the ankimo (monkfish liver) on this evening lived up to its reputation as Japanese foie gras. I don't know where or how Sammy procured this, but I've certainly never had better – and usually have had much worse. This was rich and smooth, mildly flavored and very lightly seasoned (with mirin?):

To be honest, I don't know how I could keep eating, but I did – everything tasted so good. The mirugai (giant clam) was fresh, crunchy, and clammy:

It reminded me the the meal had started with the large clam sashimi, and it also reminded me of those good old days when giant clam was so inexpensive that it was standard in most six or eight piece sushi combinations. Which reminds me that I am getting old.

At this point, to cleanse my palate, Sammy gave me some Japanese pickles (tsukemono). Though both were pickles, the two types had contrasting flavor and texture profiles. Together they were tart and refreshing:
And then my meal finished with the perfect dessert, uni:

Looking back over my pictures, I can't believe I ate so much sushi. And it was an exceptional meal. While I have had some outstanding sashimi and sushi at Sakura and Kaito, for my palate at least, this was as good a sushi feast as I have had in San Diego. The only negative thing I remember from the evening was that the Dodgers won. And that certainly wasn't Sammy's fault.

As I was finishing up – and enjoying a small glass of cold sake – I watched as Sammy made the most unusual sushi roll I have ever seen. It was true sushi porn (move the kids away from the computer screen NOW). So if you are in a basement in Bratislava scrolling through this post looking for pornography, here it is:
"What you call it?" I asked. "It's a WTF roll," Sammy said, and that seems appropriate.

Sushi Yaro, 7905 Engineer Rd # C (where Sammy Sushi used to be), San Diego, CA 92111-1930, (858) 560-1782, cell (858) 442-0212. www.sushiyaro.com

Sometimes it’s all in the timing……..

February 22, 2011 mmm-yoso Sandwiches, Sushi and Sashimi

**** Both Tarttoria Firenze and Sushi Yaro have closed

It's kinda late…..so just something quick for tonight. Sometimes, it's all about getting just what you wanted.

I was pretty bushed the other evening, the Missus was working, and I needed to stop by Henry's on Genesee to pick up some stuff. I decided to stop by Trattoria Firenze, first thinking of some pizza, but not wanting anything too heavy, ordered the Italian Sub. Being just $5.75, I really didn't expect much. I ordered, did my shopping, and picked up the sandwich on my way back to the car……

It was still warm when I made it home. The simple white paper……didn't look like anything much…..

It was nicely toasted…… I'm not so much into over-stuffed sandwiches, so the slices of salami, pepperoni, cappacola, and ham did nicely by me. The crust was nicely toasted and crusty…. Italian Dressing didn't over-power anything…..

But there was something a bit more to this…. I opened up the sandwich, and sniffed…. the sandwich had a mild buttery-garlic flavor….. they had used garlic bread spread! It was just what I wanted; nothing really heavy, but something with flavor……

I have a couple of funny observations about the place, but I'll save that for another day…..

Trattoria Firenze
4421 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Here's my tenth million photo of sashimi from Sushi Yaro…….

When the Missus is working evenings, I'll often just pop by, get some sashimi and gohan (rice), and that'll do it for me……

On this evening, just as I was finishing my sashimi, another plate came out.

Knowing your Itamae has its benefits. Sam thought he had something special on his hands, and wanted to make sure I had it. These were two huge amaebi….enough for a meal in itself.

The shell around the head was a bit too thick to eat; but everything else was fair game…..

Especially this:

Both amaebi were full of eggs! Talk about delici-yoso!

Sam told me that every one of these he had on hand were full off eggs, and I was lucky to have come in that evening…. too bad the Missus wasn't here, She would have gone to town.

Sometimes it all works out….. you're in the right place at the right time! I'm sure you've had those moments, right?

Monday Meanderings

January 24, 2011 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, yoso-silly

Yes, I've been hacked:

My email that is. Sorry to say that I think everyone on my contact list was sent high volume spam from my email address. I've hopefully corrected that. On the good side; it was really nice hearing from folks I hadn't heard from in a while. I just wish it was under better (and legit) circumstances. My apologies.

Meet my latest "toy":

For some reason I actually opened up and looked over the monthly adds for Marukai. I noticed that various Shichirin were on sale for the whole month. I decided that we needed a bit of an upgrade from our little Hida Konro. The one selling for forty bucks was a bit too large….

So I went with the one on sale for just under twenty bucks.

Marukai also has Binchotan on sale this month…. just be aware that the label says it's made in Myanmar. I know some folks are sensitive to that. I also thought that there were US trade sanctions against imports from Myanmar…. but maybe I'm wrong?

And just because I needed to include some food photos:

I'm including photos of our New Years Eve dinner(s). You know where, right?

Some Revisits: Noble Chef, Yum Cha Cafe, and Hong Kong BBQ

January 16, 2011 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

Here are a couple of revisits.

Noble Chef:

It's pretty much inevitable when I get to know someone, that one of the first items for discussion would be, "have anything good to eat lately". And such is the case with my Dry-Cleaner Lady, with whom I've shared recommendations and opinions over the years. One recent discussion was over Noble Chef. We both are of the opinion that many of the dishes were executed better before the previous owners retired. Although we both thought that as time passed the food there is getting better. The Dry Cleaner Lady told me that although the broth was pretty weak, the Hu Tieu with Shrimp Balls were pretty good. So during the recent rain and cold I decided to drop by and grab a bowl of Hu Tieu with Beef and Shrimp Balls:

And yes, the broth was decidedly bland, in need of help from the sweet-soy and other condiments. I'm used to a mild pork flavor broth for my Hu tieu soups…. this had almost no flavor. The Beef Meatballs were fairly "squeaky", and were also pretty weak. Those shrimp balls did have a nice shrimp flavor and were quite tender.

The rice noodles were prepared well, slippery with a mild chew to them.

Overall an ok bowl, but I don't think I'll be having this again due to the really watery broth.

The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111
(858)278-8688

More posts on Noble Chef can be found here, here, and here.

Yum Cha Cafe's cheapo 3 item BBQ Combo:

**** Yum Cha Cafe has closed

On a recent jaunt to Thuan Phat Market to pick up some vegetables the Missus wanted for dinner, I decided to check out what was going on at Yum Cha Cafe. I think things have slowed down a bit, so now there's all manner of specials going on. One caught my attention right away.

Granted, as I've mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of Yum Cha's Roast Duck. But 3 meats and rice for under five bucks? You know I just had to try it out. As the various meat was pulled and chopped I was surprised that it seemed like a good amount of protein. And the box seemed to weight at least two pounds. Not along the lines of Tita's in terms of insurmountable food, but the styrofoam box seemed quite hefty.

Opening the box up, it looked like there was a head on collision of Chinese BBQ that fell on a mattress of rice. After playing a bit of Chinese BBQ CSI, I could make out what was what.

The best item was the roast chicken which was very moist and tender., even the white meat sections:

It had a nice mild lemon grass flavor.

The Roast Duck was also moist, fairly meaty, but lacking in flavor.

The skin was on the rubbery side. Overall, this was better than what I had before, but still not even close to top-notch.

The worst item overall was the BBQ Pork, tough and bland are not good when it comes to Char Siu.

The best item overall were the pickled vegetables, which were good, if on the sweet side. So could I recommend this? Well, if you were really hungry and had only five bucks………this could be two meals.

Yum Cha Cafe
6933 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Roast Duck from Hong Kong BBQ and Dim Sum:

If you've read my previous post on this place you'll know that I've been less than pleased with what I've had here. But after a recent less than satisfying meal from Song Huong, I wandered through Vinh Hung Market and walked pass the Chinese BBQ, and the Roast Duck looked pretty good, so I decided to buy me half a duck.

Which ended up being pretty good, much better than what I've had before.

So perhaps I'll return to try some other items in the future.

Hong Kong BBQ & Dim Sum
10550 Camino Ruiz(Inside of Vinh Hung Market)
San Diego, CA 92126

Postscript: With the left-over duck, I decided to make something. You see, I was still fuming from spending fifty bucks for a mediocre Peking Duck meal at Duck House in Monterey Park. I was especially disappointed in the stir-fried duck meat with bean sprouts which had no flavor at all. When I mentioned this to the Missus, She called me out and asked, "could you do better"…….

Which is why I made this with the leftovers.

I used my 55,000 BTU Big Kahuna to revive and crisp up the duck meat. Added the bean sprouts, which if you've just bought a high BTU wok stove, is a great way to learn to use it. Flavored at the end with duck drippings and premium soy sauce……

Compared to this:

Sunday Stuffs – Convoy Noodle House, Homestyle Hawaiian, and more…..

December 5, 2010 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Pho, Plate Lunch, Sushi and Sashimi, Vietnamese Restaurants

In case you’ve been wondering what’s been going on here…….. I’ve been having some problems with Internet access and such over the last couple of days. Luckily, as always, Cathy has been able to help me out. Because of the spotty access, it’s hard for me to do a “real” in depth post, since I usually just sit down and start typing things out. This one actually took three days off and on, fits and starts, blah, blah, blah……. It started thinking I could get things done on Friday for Saturday…then Saturday….and finally it’s Sunday. I hope to have everything back on course tomorrow…… So here goes, just a couple of real short items for this Sunday……

Even after all the new Pho shops have opened in the Clairemont/Kearney Mesa area, Convoy Noodle House still stands as my favorite overall in the area especially when it comes to the the broth, which has a more robust anise-clove-beef flavor.

After years of thinking I’d get some decent rare steak (even on the side), I’ve learned that the “tao of dry top round” is almost universal in San Diego, and stick with a brisket-tendon-flank combination.

I was a bit disappointed to that they told me they were out of Ngo Gai……. Still, in terms of flavor, this was as good as I’ve gotten in the area in a while.

**** Convoy Noodle House has closed

Convoy Noodle House
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Recently, I dropped by Homestyle Hawaiian…. and Mo told me to try one of the new “specials”….. the Roast Pork Loco Moco. ($8.95)

I’m not quite sure what to say other than…… this was an immense amount of food…. four large slices of roast pork, was enough for maybe three or four people in my opinion. The pork was moist, but I wished for more of the nicely flavored edges. This was too much of a good thing. I asked Mo if anyone had ever finished this, and he told me, “all the time!” You gotta remember that this has the equivalent of three scoops of rice (rice is hidden under the pork and gravy), and a scoop of Mac Salad. The gravy makes this version of the loco moco work, and it’s a very decent version….. still, I want to know who has actually finished this dish. Mo told me that he’s working on a loco moco “challenge”….. I can only imagine…..

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

Thanks so much for your patience……I’m hoping to have everything resolved soon….and I do realize that I need to finish up my China posts….after all I can’t let photos like this:

or even these…..

Go to waste, right?

Saturday Stuffs

November 13, 2010 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, Sushi and Sashimi, yoso-silly

I now realize I haven't been paying much attention…..

To the strip mall where Spicy City is located. There appears to be a couple of new restaurants open, or opening up. The first one, called "Gorilla" has replaced Korean Hometown Restaurant, no more Bondegi soup for me I guess.

They're calling it a "Korean Fusion Restaurant"…… the menu looks like a combination of bar food, a la Min Sok Chon, crossed with modernized/westernized Korean Dishes…..Boo Dai Chigae…. along with Tonkatsu (served with French Fries!) and ramen, and cream corn even…..

I'm not quite sure what to make of it……. anybody check this place out yet?

I also noticed this restaurant in the place of Seafood Island. I'm not quite sure if they've opened yet.

All in the strip mall at 4690 Convoy.

You never know what you'll find at 99 Ranch Market:

I was picking up some lamb to make Cumin Lamb, when something grabbed my attention….. I literally did a double take.

Was it what I thought it was?

You bet…. plus it was on sale!

In case you have a problem finding this…… it located right next to the, ahem, Beef Pizzle.

One of the two things I was craving when I got back from Madison/Chicago:

Strangely, or perhaps not, I wanted a salad when I got home from Chicago and Madison. The other thing I craved was taken care of last night at Sushi Yaro.

Something that I found ironic is that Zo-san is now working at Sushi Yaro. Folks might remember that he used to own Sushi Ishikawa which was on this very spot before Sammy Sushi and Convoy Sushi.

Now if I can only talk Zo-san into making some of the Okinawan dishes they used to serve at Ishikawa!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Saturday Stuffs: Manna Korean BBQ opening in San Diego? Yakitori Koubou set to open, and other stuffs….

October 2, 2010 mmm-yoso Sushi and Sashimi

Manna Korean BBQ opening in San Diego?

Talk about doing a double-take. I'm driving down Convoy when I see this sign:

Wow….. I hadn't heard a thing. For those who haven't heard of Manna in LA, it's a very popular AYCE (All you can eat) Korean BBQ restaurant, or more precisely restaurants in the Los Angeles area. Not known for the best quality meats, the prices when I visited were excellent. I'm still not sure if this restaurant is affiliated with the Los Angeles restaurants(maybe someone out there knows the answer?). And what's even more funny was, when I visited Manna, I was the only Asian in the joint……. so I don't know whether to be excited or not. After all, we have enough of those type of places in San Diego…..

But hey, at least there's some business activity in the area.

Yokohama Yakitori Koubou set to open:

While walking to Izakaya Sakura a couple of days ago, I noticed that the signs were up for Koubou. this morning while I drove by, I read a note in the window stating that they'll be opening on 10/07.

Hmmm….. is that it? I feel like I'm short-changing you with such a short post. So here are some photos from a recent meal at Sushi Yaro.

There, I feel better now……

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Dinner with Friends – Sushi Yaro

August 11, 2010 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Howie Eats - Where the Foodie from Foodieview Eats

**** Sushi Yaro has closed

Since Sushi Yaro officially opened on July 1st, I've been visiting at least once a week. I kinda hesitated in doing a post, since I've now known Sam for almost ten years. I really didn't want to seem to be "shill"…. but Sam has served up some great meals over the years, not only to me, but to other FOYs as well. But much like your favorite watering hole, the relationship between a regular customer, and his Itamae is a very close one. Sam seems to have settled into Sushi Yaro, and the place is starting to have that neighborhood feel Sammy Sushi had. It does seem like the customers are focused on the "world of rolls", but Sam always seems to have something for me……

And once he got his kitchen guy back from a stint at Sakura, the kitchen food started getting better as well.

No, it isn't Ota or Kaito….. but I can't really afford to eat there three times a week. At Yaro, on a weeknight I can relax, have some sushi or sashimi, and maybe some Kubota Manju or Otokoyama, and the world becomes a better place.

This is one of my favorite cooked dishes at Sushi Yaro:

Shishamo is really great stuff grilled…. but it is the female smelt, especially those laden with eggs that we're after. So what to do with the guys??? I guess Sam decided to batter them, and serve them tempura style. I was a bit surprised at the flavor, there's almost a savory sweetness to this. I had thought that Shishamo was a bit too high in oil to be used for tempura.

And sometimes Sam will have something that surprise me, like the night he broke out some Razor Clams. The kitchen hadn't done a particularly great job with these…. but it was very thoughtful.

So obviously, it was just a matter of time before our "eating club" descended upon Sushi Yaro for dinner. What follows is mostly photos… many of which "my favorite Librarian", Jenne took.

I can't remember the last time I had oyster jun…..

As always, I had a wonderful time with Candice, Howie, and Jenne…. I can't wait until next month!

Sushi Yaro
7905 Engineer Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Geez you can even find them on Twitter.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Wa Sushi. Small place. Excellent food.

July 19, 2010 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog which is never on vacation. ed (from Yuma) is resting. Kirk is also resting. Cathy ate and doesn't rest. She is blogging today.

Wa Sushi used to be Haru-Ya. It's in the same mall with Khan's Cave and Boll Weevil, kitty corner from the Registrar of Voters. A few weeks ago, The Mister and I met to have dinner here and it was so very crowded. We would have to wait. So we walked over to Boll Weevil and had some burgers. The other day I was really craving 'food you can eat with chopsticks" and called TheMister and asked me to try meeting here again. We were lucky: there were empty tables. We noticed the sign out front "All sushi and rolls 40% off". We ordered from the regular menu. The Mister's meal came with an excellent -not salty- miso soup.
We ordered the Japanese cucumber salad($3). Crunchy cucumber, marinated with sweet (sugar) and a light vinegar, this was

excellent. I ordered the Assorted fish salad ($13). This is essentially chirashi, but sliced. Usually chirashi pieces seemto be leftovers and chunks of fish. A large amount of *very fresh* sliced tuna, albacore, salmon, yellowtail on top of mosty iceberg lettuce with a light, soy-ginger dressing. Those 'crunchies' on top are fried pumpkin and very tasty.
The Mister ordered the KinTara Misoyaki ($14). Sea bass, marinated in miso, cooked until the skin was crispy but the fish stayed beautifully moist and flavored delicately with miso. The spring rolls were vegetable filled and fried properly, a light crisp, the California roll was made with real crab. The rice, salad and pickles were all fresh and tasty.

We were almost done and still had the menu on the table and the "40% off all rolls and sushi" sign still had us thinking. So we ordered the "veggie roll" ($7 regular price). Asparagus, avocado, cucumber, cabbage, carrot, fried tofu skin, surrounded with rice and wrapped with soy paper instead of seaweed. An excellent dessert for us. Total bill was $40.55 ($1.50 each for hot green tea, refilled constantly.)

Wa Sushi 9340 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard, Suite 8, San Diego 92123 (858) 569-9595

Sakura at the sushi bar.

May 26, 2010 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Cathy Eats!, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

This is mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Usually Kirk writes here about food he ate and adventures he had. Cathy and ed (from Yuma) kind of intersperse with their own anecdotal meals, if there is such a thing. Kirk is still 'vacationing' and Cathy is filling in so you will stay interested. She is only a Temp.

Hi. I was cleaning out my memory card and enjoying again a meal I shared with ed (from Yuma) when he drove in (from Yuma) -a three hour drive- in March. We who contribute to this blog think nothing strange of doing such a thing for food. It seems we who blog here all *really* like Sakura. So that was where he and I met up one evening. Here's our meal. (Most of the photos are from ed-many thanks)
We ordered from the regular menu while waiting for our special/omakase (i.e., not on the menu) sashimi plate to be prepared by Kazu, the itamae (sushi chef), who recognized ed when we walked in. From the "Hot" section: spinach with uni. I never had warm uni before. This was wonderful: creamy, salty, rich. (OK, I'll get it out of the way: everything was wonderful.)
Shiokara: salty, slightly sweet, savory squid guts. I've seen it on the menu, never had it before and will order it again. Really good, chewy, not too salty, rich with a pleasant aftertaste.

Agedashi tofu. House made silken tofu,  deep fried. I had a craving for this. Creamy and a little crunchy. ed had never had this before. He liked it too. (The sauce on the bottom is sweet.)

Our special sashimi plate was finished by Kazu and proudly placed in front of us.    The "decorative" mackerel skeleton was to be used later, as were the shrimp heads. This was a selection of the freshest most flavorful items available.   So fresh that those shrimp -drunk with sake- were still alive and moving. Other items on there, tuna, octopus, abalone,squid, mackerel, yellowtail, salmon…
Once we had consumed the shrimp, the heads were whisked away, lightly fried and brought back as part of a miso soup.
We also had ordered some tempura vegetables, which were perfectly fried and not greasy. A nice crunch.   Plus we were eating vegetables in addition to the spinach uni…

The Spanish mackerel skeleton was also whisked away with the shrimp heads, breaded, fried and brought back to our seats in this simple display. Yes, that's the head. With eyes. The crunch of the bones and flavor of fried mackerel was a wondrous, perfect dish. We squeezed lemon and dipped these cracker like pieces in the accompanying ponzu sauce.

At some point, ed and I decided we needed some kind of carbohydrate and the crab fried rice looked interesting on the menu, because neither of us had ever had -or heard of- Japanese fried rice…then there was the crab factor. Kazu grabbed the menu from us, looked at other things available and He also thought that might be a good way to end our meal. So we ordered it. This was wonderful! Who would have thought of Japanese fried rice? You can see the corn, onion and carrots, There was a lot of crab in here also. Fresh and flavorful, a perfect ending to a wonderful meal.

Neither of us had any Sake, although we both wanted it. Hot tea and water were our beverages. I know you are wondering, so here is a photo of the bill.

Izakaya Sakura 3904 Convoy Street 92111 It is in the parking lot with the Original Pancake House, all the way in the back, next to the Recruiting Depot. The door way. The Neon "Open" sign in the window. No other signage.