Travel – Page 96

Honolulu: The old neighborhood – Rainbow Drive-In, W & M Burgers, Zippys, the Crack Seed Store, a failed attempt at Leonard’s and a host of others

January 2, 2012 mmm-yoso Burgers, Honolulu, Oahu, Plate Lunch, Travel

I realized on one of our recent trips back to Hawaii that I never did show the Missus my old neighborhood. When we first met, I'd taken Her to a couple of my favorite places to eat, but I'd never really went into detail about it. I consider myself very lucky to have grown up in the Kaimuki/Kapahulu area and it holds a very special place in my heart. Back before our trip to China, I hadn't been back to the area in over a decade and I had wondered how the area had changed. We didn't have much money and my Mom never did learn to drive so everything was either Da' Bus or footmobile for us. In that way, the set-up of Kaimuki was just perfect, even though it's situated on a hill, the main drag, Waialae Avenue is perfect for walking. According to the Historic Hawai'i Foundation's site:

"Kaimuki is a naturally dusty, dry area that wasn’t heavily populated during pre-contact times because of a lack of water supply."

When development started, the main pipe was located along what is now Kaimuki Avenue. Like many now urban neighborhoods, Kaimuki was designed as a suburb, a place where people would live, then commute to Honolulu for work. When the H-1 freeway cut through Kaimuki, the neighborhood became very connected.

Because Kapahulu was literally right down the street, I've always considered it my neighborhood as well. So it was only right that we start our day at Rainbow Drive-In.

Kapahulu sure has changed….Alex's Drive In is long gone, as is KC Drive In (tho' they were never the same after they moved from the Ala Wai) and Love's Bakery has been gone for a couple of decades so is Kapahulu Theatre. But all through that Rainbows has endured and is apparently going strong. I did wonder if things had changed much……I used to recall getting chili here for under a buck.

One thing I noticed right away was a sign that explained the food….say what? Who needs an explanation of Chicken Cutlet…..Loco Moco maybe…why?? When I jokingly asked what was up? The lady at the window told me, "aaah, it's for all da' tourists eva' since the Obama thing." Oh…. I do recall:

“I’m going to get a plate lunch. I might go to Zippy’s. I might go to Rainbow Drive-In. I haven’t decided yet…." Circa 2008.

The Missus wanted a chili dog……while I grew up eating the chili here, I wasn't a big fan of the hot dogs Rainbow uses. It is skinless with a real mystery-meat texture, which strangely reminds me of eating cold Vienna sausages. But whatever, it's what the Missus wanted:

For some reason the chili struck me as being on the sweet side…..I'm guessing my tastes have changed quite a bit since I last had this.

I got a BBQ Beef Sandwich. No it's not slow smoked brisket on a bun……this is a Teriyaki Style Beef sandwich. Local style teriyaki (BBQ) is more salty and less sweet than what is the norm on the mainland.

From the photo you can tell that the meat is not the most tender, but it's what I grew up eating. It's also much better than most of the L&L stuff. For some reason, I've gotten to appreciate the role of lettuce in these type of sandwiches, it seems to cleanse and refresh the palate. Love the mayo and onions too…..

Rainbow Drive-In
3308 Kanaina Ave
Honolulu, HI 96815

There are just two requests that the Missus has when in the area; one of them is Leonard's. I still remember the pure bliss on Her face the first time I took Her to Leonard's for malasadas.

Unfortunately, it seems like Leonard's is a major tourist stop nowadays…..two tour buses pulled up as we arrived and there was a line out the door…..

The Missus decided that it just wasn't worth the wait…..so we moved on to Her other favorite stop in the area; W & M Burger…..

Located right off Waialae Avenue, with half a dozen parking stalls, this little joint is a big part of my younger days. This location is actually not the original, I'll have that a bit later on in the post. W&M always seemed on the expensive side when I was a kid, but luckily, one of our neighbors used to work there….so she'd often bring home a ton of burgers at the end of the day. The parking is absolute "horrors", so we always plan our trip to arrive before it gets too busy for lunch. You can take your chances in the City Mill parking lot next door, but leave someone with the car, or hope you have some luck. Just to digress; the location of City mill was where I had my first taste of pizza as a kid; at a place called Chico's Pizza……

Actually, the woman working the counter I recognized from way back when……

The burgers at W&M are basically teri-burgers made from a "secret" blend of soy sauce etc…… Since we were on what was basically a crawl, I ordered a Deluxe, no mayo/sauce/etc, and some fries "extra crispy"……

The Missus wasn't too fond of the fries extra crispy, so I think I won't order it that way anymore. But that burger was a spot on taste of my youth……

It's one of the few things that the Missus says tastes exactly the same as the first time She ate one.

In a nice distraction move, the Missus told me, "don't you have to take a photo of the front." Which I did, only to turn around and find Her chomping away at that burger……..slick move……

W & M Bar-B-Q Burger
3104 Waialae Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816

Next stop was right up the street. Dating myself, I'll tell you that this was Crown Drive-In when we first moved from Palolo Valley to less than a block from here. But just a short while later it became…..

I believe that this was the second location for Zippy's (McCully was the first). It is also kitty-corner from my elementary school…Ali'iolani.

Which, except for missing the huge, rickety, auditorium looks basically the same.

I should have ordered chili and rice, but for some reason went with the chili-loco moco……

Man, the chili tasted terrible…..very bland, but almost rancid……

I also had a piece of the fried chicken, which tasted much better than the last time I had it.

I don't quite know what to say….maybe bad day for the chili and good day for fried chicken. Oh well…….

Zippy's
3345 Waialae Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816

This is, of course, one of perhaps a zillion locations…..

After this I drove up to Palolo to check out my Intermediate (now called "middle") school….Jarrett. It's a sign of the time I guess, as now there's a fence going around the school.

We drove out of Palolo Valley via 9th avenue and I pointed out what we called the "Jade Building" which we considered kinda swanky for this area when I was a kid. It was pretty much the only high rise in the area. Here are some photos from Jade Circle taken by Ian Lind from his blog. Funny thing is, Ian's wife Meda actually taught a class I took….small blogging world, huh?

On the corner of 9th avenue and Waialae was one of the most important businesses to us. It was a small IGA market called Zane's Market. This market used to deliver groceries if you bought over a certain amount. Since we had no car, it was godsend…..

Right across the street is the original location of W&M Burger.

A bit further up the street is Kaimuki Park, where I wasted a good deal of time as a kid……

Right across the street was my favorite saimin stand Tanoues, now long gone, of course…but the memories remain.

Man, the facade of the old Queen Theatrewas still there. I remember watching movies there when I was a kid…until they started showing porn films, in Kaimuki! Yikes!! Eventually, the place was raided, then shut down. The place is now 75 years old, I'm hoping that it is somehow restored…… unlike Kaimuki Theatre, which used to reside here:

Kaimuki Inn used to be here……

All those places are gone….but as we turned the corner on Koko Head I saw a familiar sign….

What is crack seed you may ask??? It's basically what we called preserved, salty and sweet preserved fruits that the Chinese brought to Hawaii. The most well known being Li Hing Mui. This place has been here for as long as I can remember.

Even more funny, the same guy is still running the place….I'm thinking for over the last 30 years or so??? He was very friendly….though my recollection of him was as a pretty tough, no-nonsense guy. Maybe time has muddled my memory, or he's mellowed over the years?

Of course I got some olive peel (aka Olive Cake) and rock salt plum……

Turning to cut through the municipal parking lot, the Missus chuckled when I told Her that the first place I had "Mexican food" (using a very broad definition here) was indeed at a place called Jose's…..

I was surprised and rather pleased to see that Victoria Inn was still alive and kicking:

Only to read that they just closed on December 12th.

After this, I thought the Missus had enough and it was time to head on back. As I gassed up the car, there was one more building I pointed out to the Missus. In that spot was a Food Pantry, which I thought was an odd location on Harding and 11th avenue. I think they still have their offices there. There are quite a few more places…but I think this is more than enough for a post…… And if you actually stuck around to the end…well, thanks so much for reading!

One last thing….if you've spent anytime in Hawaii since 1981, I'm sure you'll recognize this one – Kanipoli Slack Key. Always makes me smile when I hear it:

Thanks for indulging me!

Istanbul: Bosphorus Ferry Tour, Balik Ekmek, Yeni Camii, and Hotel Djem

December 22, 2011 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Istanbul, Travel, Turkey, Turkish Food

After a fairly hectic couple of days in Cappadocia we caught our flight back to Istanbul. We'd be staying one night then heading onward to Athens and Crete. By this time we had the metro and tram system pretty much down pat and made it to Sulthanmet Park and got out and made our way to the Hotel Djem, which is located across the park and the Hippodrome on the opposite side from our previous hotel. We enjoyed this hotel so much that we decided to make it our base for the rest of our time in Istanbul. Walking out into the street, you can see the back of the Blue Mosque rising into the air….there's something so exotic and exciting about Istanbul.

When we arrived the first thing the manager did was offer us tea while he checked on our reservation. The moment he found our reservation he told us to have some breakfast….and typical of Turkey, it was quite a spread.

There was a little guy who worked the breakfast buffet who was constantly in motion….he seemed to always be on a mission of sorts. Watching him work kept us entertained during our breakfasts.

We loved the gentleman who managed the place…when he found out we'd be leaving early the next morning, before breakfast service, he asked, well more like told us that we'd need something to eat…so they would have something ready for us if we wanted. We told him yogurt and some fruit would be perfectly fine….you gotta love Turkey!

While the Missus was freshening up, I asked the young man about cruises on the Bosphorus…….and really appreciated his honest advice. "You just arrived today and are perhaps a bit tired. Personally, I would just take one of the more inexpensive two hour cruises, the all day ones are a bit long……and after a while, all the buildings will start looking the same. You will stop enjoying it." We took his advice…… He would be our best source during our stays in Istanbul.

We caught the tram down to Eminonu as it started to drizzle and looked over a couple of the cruises near the Galata Bridge which I posted on before.

As we boarded it started raining a bit harder…..it was also fairly cold. The chestnut dude was doing great business though!

Here's what the regular ferryboats look like.

It turned out that two hours was just about the right amount of time for us. Here are some of the sights.

Üsküdar the Asian side of Istanbul.

The beautiful Ortaköy Mosque.

The gentleman at the hotel was right….by the time we hit Rumeli Hisari we had peaked and had our fill……though the cruise really highlighted how little we saw of Istanbul during our trip.

There was one thing that kept us form getting bored though….it was this lovely couple…..

Both were middle-aged. Neither sported wedding rings. The gentleman sported a very serious and conservative suit. The woman wore…well, I mostly remember her for the pointy tipped shoes like we saw in the souvenir shops. Both acted like teenagers in love. As the woman walked to the back of the cabin the gentleman trailed her filming her every move. In fact, he filmed just about every move she took. Once, I thought she had her fill and walked out of the cabin….but no, she was just stepping outside so she could do poses right out the window…..yep, you guessed it, just so the guy could film it! It almost seemed like something out of a comedy. It kept our attention for most of the return trip……it was sweet, cute, hilarious, and just plain bizarre all at the same time.

All along the area around the Galata Bridge are boats selling Balik Ekmek, the famous fish sandwich.

The boats have grills installed on them which already gets your attention, but many have eye-catching…well, almost gaudy design and ornamentation. Some of the hawkers even dress up in what I can only guess is Ottoman style garb…all the while yelling out "BAAaaaa-Liiiik". There's an area where several of the boats gather that have a fairly nice looking dining area set-up.

I walked on over and really didn't like the smell of the fish so I passed.

However, as we got off our boat, I noticed this little boat doing some serious business.

So I decided to try one….you can't beat the price, 2.5 TRY, about $1.25! This being Turkey, the sandwich had quite a bit of bread.

I made a mistake when I first got my sandwich; I had a taste of just the fish, undoubtedly mackerel,which tasted just plain fishy and off. Ick. However, when nestled in the bread, the pungency of the onions helped to cut the fishiness and oil. It tasted much better, but I didn't enjoy the aftertaste…it was not among my favorites from this trip. In fact, I'd take "fish curd" and even "fish poo" (fish preserved in it's own intestinal scrapings) that I had in Laos over this any day of the week.

As we walked to the underground crosswalk I saw the infamous mussel vendor. But after my Balik Ekmek I decided to pass…..

Whenever you're near the Galata Bridge, you can't help but notice the wonderful looking mosque across the street, next to the Spice Market.

The name of the mosque is Yeni Camii, "New Mosque", though it ain't that new being built in the 17th century.

In fact, the Spice Market was built as part of the mosque complex to create revenue for the mosque.

We had heard that the Mosque is quite beautiful and though we passed by several times it was suaully around one of the calls to prayer. We wanted to be respectful and not intrude…so perhaps next time.

There are women selling bird seed to feed the thousands of pigeons that flock around the mosque.

On one afternoon, we saw these men performing Wudu the sacred wash before prayers.

We walked back to our warm and dry room at the Hotel Djem, in need of a shower…..

And perhaps a nap…….

Man, did we love this hotel…….

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".

Honolulu: Royal Kitchen and Nam Fong

December 13, 2011 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Honolulu, Oahu, Travel

My Father In-Law thought it would be a great idea to have the Missus' visiting cousins a taste of an "American Thanksgiving" so he ordered the basic heat and eat Thanksgiving meal from Zippy's. My job was to provide "back-up" if you know what I mean. No offense against Zippy's or any other of the heat and catered Thanksgiving meals, but they really aren't known for great flavor and quality if you know what I mean. We weren't arriving until the wednesday afternoon before T-Day so making anything was pretty much out of the question. So I dug into my "black book" looking for something that might suffice. Several folks had recommended Nam Fong in Chinatown to me, so I called from San Diego and reserved a duck and some pork for Thanksgiving Day. Nam Fong opens pretty early which worked out well as I made a nice 530 am drive from Ewa Beach to the Chinese Cultural Plaza at the edge of Chinatown in downtown. Arriving at about 6am on Thanksgiving morning I was surprised at how busy things were. There was a large group doing Tai Chi on the plaza alongside the River Street Canal. Now those that know where Nam Fong is located may ask what the heck am I doing at the CCP? Well, I drove up extra early to hit up this place:

Man, it has been at least a dozen years since I'd been to Royal Kitchen. I remember first having a baked manapua from Royal Kitchen waaay back in the early 1980's! What is manapua? It's Hawaii's riff on the Char Siu Bao which I mentioned in my post about Char Hung Sut. Why is it called manapua? Depending on what source you get your info from it could come from Hawaiian phrase "mauna pua'a", which means "mountain of pork"……now what non-vegetarian could resist a mountain of pork, eh? Or perhaps it's from the phrase "mea ono pua'a" which means something along the lines of "delicious pork thing", "mea ono" could also be translated to mean "cake" and "pork cake" would be a apt description, right? Whatever the origin, it's all good. Royal Kitchen changes things around when they started making baked manapua, they then put it sidewards by replacing the pork mixture with a whole lup cheong (Chinese sausage – my favorite) and Chicken Curry. Stuff like Portuguese sausage and kalua pork came later.

The shop is tiny and sells noodles and Chinese Barbecue as well.

But of course, I was all about the manapua, still priced pretty well at $1.15 each. Three trips ago (circa 1999), I bought a couple of these to eat on the trip home from Honolulu. Unfortunately, we forgot the package in the rental car….man was I bummed. So to set things right, I bought a box of eight. I even called from San Diego to make sure they'd be open on Thanksgiving.

This time eating was top priority so no views of the fillings. I seem to recall the exterior to be a bit more baked. I've never considered the char siu version to be stellar and it's still not my favorite. This time around the kalua pork overtook the lup cheong and Portuguese Sausage. Who knows what will win out next time? I'm looking forward to that……

Royal Kitchen
100 N Beretania St, Ste 175
Honolulu, HI 96817

Mon-Fri 5:30 am – 4:30 pm
Sat 6:30 am – 4:30 pm
Sun 6:30 am – 2:30 pm

I packed my box in the car, walked along the canal, crossed the street, then down Maunakea Street, the heart of Chinatown. The area has been cleaned up over the years, but there are still homeless folks sleeping in the doorways and it's easy to imagine how the area must have been when the area was the entertainment district or during the post World War II era (remember all those stories about Club Hubba Hubba?) or even as I grew up in Honolulu.

I was told that Nam Fong would be opening earlier than usual and I found the place doing a steady business when I arrived at about 615am.

Though there are a couple of places doing Chinese BBQ along this stretch of road, the ducks in the window sure looked good.

NamFong02

The roast pork hanging inside the shop didn't look too shabby either! There was a makshift set-up with what looked like a dozen Chinese style roasted turkeys that looked really delicious. The woman working the counter was really friendly and my order was ready when I arrived.

Anyway here's the rundown, first off the Roast Pork wasn't bad, it was moist with good flavor, but too chewy and the skin hard.

I ended up chopping up most of it and doing a saute with vinegar, chilies, soy sauce, onions, and scallions a la sisig which turned out rather good.

The Char Siu was pretty good, most places here in San Diego make it really salty and overly sweet, pouring sauce over it to keep it moist. This was mildly sweet, but not salty and I could make out the flavor of the pork for once.

A whole roast duck here costs a very reasonable $16,and while the skin is not quite up there in terms of texture, this duck was very good, much better than anything we have in San Diego. You can just tell by the look of the meat in this photo……

The meat was very tender and moist, the flavor of the duck came through. Initially, even though I could make out a mild five spice-bean paste flavor, I thought the duck too mild. Until I poured some of the jus on the duck, which immediately brought all the flavors out. It was delici-yoso!!! Thanks to everyone who recommended this place to me!

I'd like to revisit on my next trip home to see if the duck is just as good….then I'll be able to make recommendations of my own.

**** Sadly Nam Fong has closed

Nam Fong Restaurant
1029 Maunakea St
Honolulu, HI 96817

Mon-Sat 7 am – 4:30 pm
Sun 7 am – 1 pm

One thing I realized as I drove back to Ewa Beach…..I really enjoyed these morning drives….on days when there was no morning traffic.

"Round and round up and down
Through the streets of your town
Everyday I make my way
Through the streets of your town"

Streets of Your Town – Go-Betweens

Jianyang: Jianyang Mutton Soup (sort of)

December 10, 2011 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, Jianyang, Travel

As I mentioned in a previous post, the Missus' cousin lived in Jianyang, about 80 kilometers outside of Chengdu. And while he and his family really weren't "foodies" he went out of his way asking friends and acquaintances for recommendations. We really appreciated his efforts. On our first evening, he took us to have what is Jianyang's signature dish, Jianyang Mutton Soup. Located down a dusty side street, this little shop was doing some major business….though the customers seemed overwhelmingly male.

This restaurant was supposed to be the "original" Jianyang mutton soup shop…………

There were a few side dishes ordered and it seemed like there were two standard condiments for the dish that came out. The first was simply salt and ground chilies. The second was lamb consomme with chilies.

The broth of the mutton soup seems to made from rapidly boiled bones, creating a milky white appearance, a process that leaches all of the nutrients from the bones. When the Missus used to get sick as a child, Her parents used to make bone soup to nurse Her back to health, so it is something appreciates.

The actual broth was very mild, thus the condiments. The meat was slightly gamey, some of it rather chewy, but not as "wild" tasting some mutton/lamb I've had, and some of it had a slight sweetness to it as well. It was milder than much of the mutton/lamb/venison that I've had.

Do you notice something about the soup? If you've read our little blog long enough, you'd know that one of the items that I'm not a big fan of is jellied blood and this soup is teeming with cubes of blood. Being the guest, the Missus cousin made me the first bowl and I was honored, but it was full of cubes of blood. I looked at the Missus and shrugged, what could I do? I had to eat it…….

And it was delicious….sweet, without that livery-iodine flavor that I don't enjoy. In fact, it was the best thing about the soup. After returning to San Diego, I immediately went to a couple of my favorite Vetinamese restaurants and decided to have the cubed blood again…gaaack, sorry to say, it ain't the same.

The side dishes were very tasty. The minced meat with celery was well executed. The meat in this was rather rich so the celery and tomato helped to cut the flavor.

The second dish, consisting of some pretty fatty and greasy looking meat was amazingly mild as well.

It was a very hearty meal which made both the Missus and I quite sleepy.

The Missus cousin had put us up in a very nice looking hotel…….

Which overlooked the main city park.

There's not much happening here during the day….it's very quiet and tranquil.

But much like the rest of China, after the work days ends, the park is full of people getting their exercise, watching a movie on the big screen over the park, dancing, or just plain socializing.

As for the "sort of"……the Missus hadn't read or even noticed the sign of the restaurant when we ate there. After we returned I asked the Missus to translate the sign and all She could say was "oh my"……

Oh my indeed…….

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!

We’re Back……

December 5, 2011 mmm-yoso Honolulu, Loco Mocos, Oahu, Travel

Over a year ago, when we visited China, we promised the Missus' cousins that if they visited Her parents on Oahu we'd be there. Of course we had to keep that promise, right? So we're back after ten or so days and countless visits to Ala Moana and Waikele Outlets……

And during the in-between time, we were able to visit a couple of places that I'd been itching to check out.

And I managed to reaquaint myself with places I'd been thinking about for years…..places I really missed.

And newer favorites as well…..

So you know they'll be more than enough poke for a post……

We even managed a short side trip……

To the Pacific Northwest….juts kidding. By the looks of the Cook Pines can you guess where this is?

Or perhaps the ranchland???

Here's the answer…..

My father was from Lana'i and I hadn't been back in at least seventeen years. I thought it would be interesting for the Missus to visit a place with no traffic lights, seventeen miles of paved road, and a speed limit of 20 mph.

And of course we had to eat, right?

It felt great to be "home", where there is an endless supply of sunsets……

And beautiful orchids….

And of course there are those items that just grab my attention for some reason or another as well.

So let me regroup and I'll see you all tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by!

Chengdu: Long Chao Shou (龙抄手) and what seems to be the favorite pastime in Chengdu

November 19, 2011 mmm-yoso Chengdu, China, Chinese Restaurants, Travel

Our next stop after Xi'an was Chengdu….and boy, when I first planned this stage out, I was excited! Apparently, one of the Missus' cousins lived in Chengdu so we'd be visiting….then I found out that we wouldn't exactly be staying in Chengdu, but Jianyang a smaller city (of course "smaller" is a relative term as the population of Jianyang is about 1.5 million!) about 80 kilometers from Chengdu. Oh well, I'd have to wait until next time to try all the places listed in Food and Drink Chengdu. We got off our flight and crossed the street to wait for the Missus's cousin to pick us up. While waiting the Missus and I noticed this woman just stop and squat, derriere hanging over the road to take a text message…..I mean really, was that message so important that you had to stop right where you were to take it?

Eventually, our ride arrived and introductions were made. I quickly surmised that this cousin was deeply involved in the "new" China……business and commerce was king. And even though he wasn't familiar with the restaurants in both Chengdu and Jianyang, nor very interested in eating out, he'd made quite an effort for us during our stay. Maybe too much of an effort as the Missus and I would have managed fine ourselves, but we really appreciated the effort.

He had asked around and found a place for us to have lunch. The car was parked near Tianfu Square which is considered the center of the city.

This was once the location of the Imperial Palace which was destroyed after the Cultural Revolution. A huge status of Chairman Mao now overlooks the square.

A couple of things we noticed right away. The pace here was pretty leisurely, at least in comparison with Beijing, Qingdao, Xi'an, and Hangzhou. The sky seemed quite overcast and the temperature mild. We were told that this is pretty common weather for Chengdu, and the mild weather, overcast skies in combination with the hot and spicy food was why the complexions of the women from the area were so beautiful!

We walked through the shopping district and to the Chengdu institution called Long Chau Shou (龙抄手):

The restaurant is huge and cafeteria like.

The restaurant specializes in "snack" type dishes, of which there is quite a variety….and of course Long Chao Shou, which we know as wonton soup. I could clearly see the trays of wontons stacked up in the kitchen area.

I'm still not wuite sure of the system, but it seemed like you walk up to one of the counters and order, pay, then hunt down a table. You aren't given a number, placard, or anything. I truly had doubts that our food would find its way to our table in this mass of humanity. But I would be proved wrong as the blue clad workers had no problems finding us.

There were only two items that I really concentrated on during the meal. The first was the Long Chao Shou. I had chosen the spicy version.

This was quite good. Long Chau Shou's wontons are famous for their "kou gan" – mouth sensation, a combination of textures and a slippery, noodley-ness (is there such a word), and these were really nice. For me, it was all about the thin wrappers. The "soup" was interesting, I had been told and have also found that there was definite difference between Chengdu and ChongQing style food. And the meals we had in Chengdu and Jianyang pretty much confirmed it for me. The food in Chengdu is lighter and less spicy. In fact, I really didn't think this was very hot at all. What did surprise me was the intensity of the "ma", the Sichuan peppercorns were very floral and numbed me from the tip of my nose down my neck. This made getting Sichuan Peppercorns from Chengdu a must have for our return. (Which of course, I did)

I also had to try the Sichuan Liang Mian – the spicy cold noodles…….

This was ok, we've had versions here in the states that are every bit as good, if not better. But again, that wonderful numbing feeling was great…..I'm sure that shipping and irradiation does something to what we get here in the US.

Some of the other dishes:

Not much into sweets…so I passed.

After lunch we were driven to an area known as Jinli Old Street, an area that dates back to the Qin Dynasty and was once known as the "First Street of the Shu Kingdom".

Chengdu was the capital of the Shu Kingdom (221-263).

The street is full of cafes, shops, and little stands plying all types of crafts, knick-knacks, snacks, do-hickeys, and thingamijiggies.

It was a nice area to stretch our legs, browse, and wander around for a bit.

We were headed for a specific spot. This was where I first learned what one of the favorite pastimes in Chengdu was…… socializing in a tea house.

A coworker told me that her dad tried to discourage her from going to college in Chengdu, telling her "you are going to spend all your time in tea houses and not learn anything."

Folks ante up an purchase a cup of tea, hot water is refilled upon request, snacks are purchased…the young folks play cards, older folks read books, socialize, or like this guy, have a major nap.

This guy was sleeping when we arrived and was still napping when we left over two hours later!

The funniest site was watching the monks bum off cigarettes from folks in the tea house…they would sit down, have good smoke and chat with folks……I've seen a monk smoking a cigarette in a tea house in Chengdu…now I've seen it all!

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

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

Johnnie's Beef again:

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

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

It was indeed "beef….juicy….hot….."

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

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

Mr Beef on North Harlem:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mr Beef
3917 N Harlem Ave
Chicago, IL 60634

Superdawg:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cappadocia – Goreme: Nostalji Restaurant

November 10, 2011 mmm-yoso Cappadocia, Travel, Turkey, Turkish Food

We'd had a pretty busy day hiking (more like getting lost) in the valleys around the town of Goreme. For our last evening, I thought we'd have a nice dinner. I asked the ever helpful Mustapha and he recommended a restaurant just up the street (hill) called Nostalji. They had only been open for a couple of months at the time, but Mustapha told us the food is pretty traditional for the area. So we headed up the hill past a couple of streets, about the equivalent of a block here in the US. Of course if you passed this on your way to dinner it might get your attention here in San Diego.

The really nice gentleman stopped, smiled, and waved at us. Remember this four legged fellow, you'll see him again later in the post.

Walking up the street we thought we had missed the place until we saw the sign posted on one of the walls.

There was no one around as we walked into the courtyard past the oven…..

There was a whole lot of construction going on up above. We found out later that they were building a hotel and restaurant above. It's probably complete and opened by now….

A few moments later a gentleman walked out the door, grinning from ear to ear, welcoming us to Nostalji. He asked us into the kitchen where we could check out what was being made for dinner. In the kitchen, three women spanning two generations were hard at work making boregi. They were very warm, gracious, and really made us feel welcome.

They happy showed us what they were making….after this, how could we not eat here?

The dining area was through a set of doors in what was obviously an old residence. It was charming, though a bit dark and crowded. But that was no problem. This was when I opened my big mouth….looking at the patio I mentioned to the man, "you have such a nice view here and such a big patio, when the weather is good you should have tables out there." He turned, laughed and said, "you want to eat out there…no problem…." I protested, we didn't want these folks working so hard, but before I could complain too much a table was set up for us on the patio. It was pretty amazing……

Since it was early, there was no one in the restaurant….we had the whole place to ourselves, impromptu al fresco dining and all! The view was quite nice…..

With the sounds of children playing below……

We started getting the feeling that this was going to be one of those really memorable meals.

Nostalji specializes in set meals, sort of in a prix fixe manner and testi kebab – pottery kebab. But since we hadn't ordered it ahead of time the oven would stay cool for now.

Instead we went with one multi-course meal to share supplemented with a couple of other dishes.

The Missus started with a glass of the house made wine……

Which tasted like it had been made in someones home! Still, we were having such a great time it didn't matter. I had some ayran, which was light and frothy, not overly salty, and perhaps the nest I had on the entire trip.

We took in the our surroundings and really enjoyed the scenery and in a couple of minutes our meze arrived in pretty little bowls.

Green peppers in olive oil.

The Missus loved the dolmalar, stuffed grape leaves which I thought were a bit too thickly wrapped.

I loved the acili ezme, a bit spicy, a hint of sweetness, with a nice smoky background.

I thought the haydari, the yogurt dip was delicious, nice and tangy……

Of course, this is Turkey and you will get an entire loaf or two of bread with your meal!

Which was quite good.

After watching the women in the kitchen making these, how could we not order some of the cheese filled boregi?

This was wonderful. I'd expected it to be similar to a cheese pie wrapped in filo, but this was surprising. The outside was crisp and light, while there was a thin layer of yeasty "bread". I expected a simple white cheese like Beyaz Peynir, but this was more of an aged yellow cheese with plenty of character. It was, simply put, delici-yoso!!!

The Missus also ordered some dolmalar of the stuffed pepper variety.

And of course there was the inevitable coban salatasi, shepherd's salad.

The meal also came with a soup. On this day it was yogurt soup. I wasn't quite sure if I really liked this….hot, runny, yogurt. Amazingly, the Missus, who usually wouldn't want something sour, milky, warm, and runny, loved this. She is full of surprises.

The white beans had been cooked in a clay pot in the oven and was all the world better for it.

And the main course, the kofte was pretty darn good as well.

The meal ended (or so we thought) with some fairly decent baklava.

And of course Turkish tea…….

Our check arrived and was placed under this covered plate.

When we opened it…….

It was a plate of Turkish Delight. We're not big fans of lokum, but these were quite good, maybe our favorites of the trip. It was a very nice touch.

By the time I paid our check, which if I recall was very reasonable, we were in a hurry to head back to the hotel. The sun was setting and I wanted to watch it go down on the hotel's terrace.

On the way back we ran into the guy who rode the horse past us earlier. He smiled and pointed at the doorway of what looked like a flat on the ground floor of a building.

I peeked in….and discovered it was a stable for his horse…..

Aaahh…Cappadocia, "Land of beautiful horses……"

We scrambled past the fowl…..

And made it back to the Arch Palace with minutes to spare. I walked up to the terrace, ordered an Efes and settled in to watch the sunset. The Missus, who didn't quite understand my obsession with watching the sunset on our last evening in Goreme, inspired by the lokum, decided to head down to town to check out some of the shops.

Meanwhile, I just enjoyed my beer and watched the sun slowly set on Goreme.

With the call to prayer going off, the shadow of the minaret of the mosque, and fairy chimney's in the background, this just seemed so exotic…..

As the lights of the main square slowly came on one by one, the Missus returned with some Turkish treats………

Most of which reinforced my belief that I still hadn;t acquired a taste for them.

We hit the sack early. I had scheduled an early flight to Istanbul before I realized that it's a two hour drive from Goreme to Kayseri, we'd have to get up at three in the morning and leave before four….note to self…next time fly into Nevsehir….

I've come to the realization that our trip to Cappadocia would not have been half a wonderful if not for the owner of the Arch Palace hotel, Mustapha. Part travel agent, tour guide, concierge, and what not, I was amazed watching him work the room during breakfast, taking time with each table, calling for tours, making dinner arrangements, drawing out maps that were several times better than what you could buy in any of the stores. He was constantly shuttling his clients off to various valleys and seemed to know everyone in the town. The Arch Palace might not be a four star accommodation, but we sure got five star service.

We had done a lot in Cappadocia, from a early morning balloon ride to visiting an underground city, scrambling up to a monastary dug into a hillside to hiking through valleys rich in history. It made me realize what a very lucky guy I am……very lucky….

Thanks for reading!