What Cathy Eats! – Page 93

Wong’s Golden Palace- La Mesa

June 10, 2009 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog and Cathy is today's blogger, not reviewer. (Reviewers get paid to do stuff like this.) Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are busy with other stuff.

If you have been East on University Avenue, you've seen this place.

Wong's Golden Palace has been in La Mesa for about 42 years.

You can tell by the exterior.

You can tell by the decor.

as well as the tabletops…

and sturdy ceramic dinnerware.

Then there is the menu .

We had been here years ago, but not lately and chose some items we felt were pretty 'safe'… and to satisfy a craving I had…

Egg Foo Young ($6) and chicken liver chow mein ($7.00)

I always like my egg foo young to be vegetables only, no meat. This serving was three patties, properly fried, and served with gravy, but it was a very plain white gravy which had no flavor, only a smooth texture. The patties were mostly bean sprouts with some onions and all was crispy but not overly flavored. I had to add soy sauce to give it some 'kick'.

The chow mein noodles (soft, not fried) were excellent. There were at least 12 chicken livers sauteed without a batter or flour and quite a bit of carrots, onions, fresh and plump snow peas and bean sprouts.

Our third dish was the "Wong's Special Sizzling" ($9.50). A large sizzling platter of chicken, shrimp, ham, mushrooms, onions and more of the fresh snow peas. Served "spicy"…

You read that right. Ham.

It was pretty much BBQ pork without the glow-in-the-dark-pink coloring.

Really, I see more people here in the bar area, and the American menu. Even in the morning on weekends.

…but I just can't take pictures. The $6 Steak and eggs or pork chop and egg breakfast is a great deal…

The Mon-Fri 1/2 pound burger and beer is quite nice, for those of you who want a beer at 11 a.m. The burger is cooked to order; they will make it medium rare and it is very good. The bun is toasted. Again, eating alone in a bar on a Tuesday taking photos was just not in the cards for me. It was kind of sad that I was drinking alone anyhow…

Not fancy, not fantastic, but still bringing in patrons daily.

Wong's Golden Palace 7126 University Avenue La Mesa 91941 (619)465-9222 website

The 2009 San Diego County Fair- Part one- almost ready to open.

June 6, 2009 Cathy Festivals & Events, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog. Kirk, ed(from Yuma) and Cathy write about what and where they ate. You get to read and enjoy vicariously.

Hi again. The 2009 San Diego County Fair opens this Friday, June 12 at 10 a.m. I have blogged about the Fair in prior years. Last Saturday, it was just beginning to be set up.

Some vendors had placed their booths.

Some rides were being set up.

What I like to call "The Heart of the Fair"-the reason State and County Fairs exist…for farmers to show the fruits of their work, the Home Arts section of the Fair, had entries brought in and and judging has been happening.

The judges of Preserved Foods- Fruits, Vegetables, Jams, Jellies, Preserves, Conserves, Soft Spreads, Honey, Syrup, Vinegar, Pickles, Relishes and Sauces…spent a grueling four hours tasting the variations in those categories (for example, apricot, apricot-pineapple, berry (other than listed), boysenberry, low sugar, mixed fruit of two or more berries, mixed fruit of two or more non-berry, peach, plum,raspberry, strawberry and other than listed Jams) Each judge got about 45 jars of preserved something to check for proper labeling, proper preparation, taste, compare against the others in that category and then decide which entry was good enough to be awarded a First, Second or Third place ribbon, given an Honorable Mention, or not awarded any prize.

Then all the First Place winners in each category went up against each other, to determine the "Best in Show"

All so that you can walk in on Opening Day and see ribbons on everything.

This year there are many ways to save on some of the more expensive parts of the Fair, like admission, parking and food from some of the vendors.

Go to the website www.SDFair.com for details. If you enter a daily contest, you get in free. If you plan on going more than twice throughout the run (it closes July 5) you can pay $22 for a pass good every day. If you come on a Tuesday, almost every food booth has some good sized $2 samples.

The Theme of the Fair is "Music Mania" and there will be many small shows going on all day and night concerts.

Don Diego will be at the Front Gate.

And I have my work cut out for me.

See you at the Fair!

The San Diego County Fair

June 12-July 5, 2009

Some quick and easy (and inexpensive) recipes to make for a picnic or snack at home

May 22, 2009 Cathy What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog and a few us just write about what we eat. Today, it's Cathy writing. Because Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are getting ready for the three day vacation, Memorial Day, formerly observed as Remembrance Day.

{correction- formerly known as Decoration Day. Remembrance Day was observed on what we now know as Veterans Day, November 11}

Hi. I was walking through Vons and saw the Brand Name (Pillsbury) of pie crusts were on sale this week-$2 for a pack of two. I like these because they are made with partially hydrogenated lard(not shortening) and come out not only tasty, but also flaky. Sometimes I just cut a pie crust into shapes and put sugar on top and bake-just enough of a snack for me.

Down another aisle, the canned cranberry sauce was also on sale for $1. Apples were on sale. I had a meal. Well, something to eat for breakfast anyhow.

I took the crust from the box, rolled up the edges, sliced the apples and poured the cranberry sauce over the top. Then into the oven at 375 for about 25 minutes-until the crust was browned.

The crust is brown and crispy and layered and the apples and cranberry sauce are nice. This

tastes good warm or cold.

Potato Egg Salad

Use as much eggs as potatoes. (Potatoes are on sale at Henry's for 97 cents for 5 pounds) You can't have too many eggs, but half potatoes and half eggs are ideal.

The other ingredients are mayonnaise, dill, salt and white pepper.

Boil and slice the eggs. Boil the chopped potatoes(chop in uniform size so that the potatoes will all be cooked at the same time.

Lightly fold in mayonnaise, salt, white pepper and the chopped dill.

I like to serve right away-This tastes good right away without chilling, but also tastes good after being chilled overnight. The dill permeates with flavor.

Watermelon Treat:

Watermelon is on sale for maybe ~$3, limeade concentrate might be $1.50 and a bunch of mint.

Chop the mint.

Chop the melon.

Add the thawed lime concentrate.

Chill.

If there are leftovers, you can blend for a delightful beverage the next day.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend and enjoys the beauty of these United States. Thanks to all of our Veterans -past and present- for protecting all of us. 001

(These are some photos I took while driving around San Diego working for the Registrar of Voters this past Tuesday.)

Pork, Kale- are on sale this week. So, a $5 meal for two

May 15, 2009 Cathy Cooking, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog and $5 Fridays are back! Cathy makes a meal for two for about $2.50 a person. I walk in a store, see what is on sale and have the makings for a meal.

Hi. I'm back, eating and enjoying blogging. Here is yesterday's dinner.

Pork loin roast is $2.99/lb at Henry's. You should not be eating 2/3 lb of meat per person, but this was the smallest package I could find. There were leftovers.

Kale is 79 cents a bunch (organic kale is $1.49 a bunch). I love kale and if you are growing any, this is the time of year when it is ready to eat from your yard.

A can of beans is priced between 69 cents and $1.50. I buy canned beans when on sale and had these at home. (These were Great Northern beans. You can use and kind of White or Navy beans or black eyed peas or even garbanzo beans..whatever you like.)

I marinated the pork in the juice from 2 lemons, some olive oil and some Herbes de Provence for about 30 minutes.

I put the pork and marinade in an open piece of foil on the center grill of my 3 grill BBQ- and turned on the heat on *both* sides, *not* the center. Radiant heat. Like being in an oven. Close the BBQ lid. I let this go until the inner temperature was 150 degrees. (If cooking in a stove, it should cook at 325 degrees for about 25 minutes per pound, again, until inner temp is 150- you take it out and it will continue cooking to the 'proper' inner temp of 160)

MEANWHILE, a side dish.

Hot pan.

Cold olive oil.

When olive oil gets hot, put in about 2 Tbs butter. Let it melt.

Put the can of beans, drained(but not rinsed) in a single layer onto the butter/oil mix.

Let the one side get crispy, sizzle, kind of get burned.

Yes.

Flip the beans over (so the "raw" side will start to get crispy) and top teh crispy side of beans with raw, chopped kale. It is going to steam while the beans cook.

Wait until you hear the beans sizzling again, then scrape them up, stirring the kale so it will cook in the pan.

When it looks like this, it is done. You can taste it. Some people now add garlic, onions and stir fry some more. I like the butter/oil/fresh kale/crispy burned bean flavor myself.

I put it in a serving bowl, topped with some olive oil and grated parmesan.

The pork, cooked and cooled forms a nice light crust, is flavored with the Herbes de Provence and lemon and is tender inside.

There it is, food for two for less than $5 total.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Roast pork

Marinate pork in a mix of lemon juice, olive oil and Herbes de Provence

Cook by radiant heat until inner temperature is 160 and remove from heat source to cool and continue cooking (or cook in oven @325 for 25 minutes per pound-until inner temp is 160 and remove since it will continue cooking)

Kale and beans

Cook drained/not rinsed canned beans in single layer in pan that has had olive oil heated and then butter melted in the olive oil until the beans start to "pop" and turn crispy on one side.

Flip beans over, top with one bunch chopped kale (about 8 cups) and let beans crisp on other side. (Kale will be steam cooking). Scrape beans, moving kale to bottom of pan and continue cooking until kale is finished. You can add onions or garlic now and let that cook in pan.

Remove from pan, top with olive oil and grated parmesan cheese.

Vallarta Express Mexican Eatery:24/7 drive through

May 5, 2009 Cathy Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!! Cathy is writing today. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are reading.

I have passed the old EZ Take Out Burger location countless times in the last ten years, sometimes stopping for a breakfast sandwich or quick burger and moving along. Finally, the chain closed and the giant barn like structure remained, for almost a year, empty. It has finally been resurrected as Vallarta Express. Friends told me it was wonderful. I had to see for myself.

The footprint is the same. The outdoor eating area is nicer. The food is excellent.

The drive through menu.

It is extensive. Everything available at any hour.

The breakfasts are mostly burritos but also include one 'sandwich' and one available on a bagel.

The carne asada quesadilla ($5.75). Excellent cheese, excellent marinated tender carne asada, HUGE tortilla. It comes with those huge servings of guacamole and salsa.

Combination #5: The chile relleno and cheese enchilada ($7.50) served with rice and beans.

Rice and beans were excellent, the chile was fresh , the cheeses were different, melted and flavorful (I have had enchiladas with unmelted, non-salty, merely gooey cheese inside). The relleno was lightly battered, nicely crisp fried. two different sauces, both distinctly spiced and fresh tasting.

One disappointing meal I have had at Vallarta Express. The carne asada torta. ($5) Fillings were plenty-and fresh. There was no layer of beans on the bread. The bread was not fresh and the toasting did not help. Maybe it was a bad day.

4 rolled taquitos ($4.25) filled with either shredded beef or chicken, topped with lettuce, cheese, guacamole and sour cream.

Fresh made. Properly fried. Overfilled with meat.

The tostada grande ($5.90). Refried beans, lettuce, guacamole, sour cream, cheese and a choice of chicken or steak in a fried flour tortilla bowl.

This is a bit different than the "Vallarta Bowl" (35 cents more), which is the same bowl, filled with black beans, avocado slices and salsa fresca (instead of guacamole), cotija cheese(instead of the shredded mix you see here) and the choice of meat can also include crispy (fried) chicken.

I like both and the Vallarta Bowl makes me feel like I am eating a bit healthier.

I have tried the tacos here.

Hard shelled chicken and hard shelled shredded beef are $2.85 each and overfilled and good.

Top left is a "quesataco", my new craving.

Melted cheese…crunchy…you know, melted cheese on the griddle then rolled over…filled with salsa, guacamole, steak or chicken and. for nomenclature's sake, placed into a corn tortilla. $3.25. Wonderful. The quesaburrito is $5.35 and could be a meal for two. If you wanted to share it.

The fish taco ($3.60 is two pieces of mahi mahi and is fried properly. The white sauce is fresh and goes properly with all the flavors.

That other plate is two shrimp enchiladas ($5.55) , also a disappointment. The shrimp are small and flavorless.

The enchilada sauce and cheese and tortillas are good, though.

The service is amazingly fast, whether you drive through or walk in and order inside. You can call ahead and your order will be ready when you get there. I know this…

Vallarta Express Mexican Eatery 4277 Genessee Avenue San Diego 92117 (858)569-6945

Sieu Sieu BBQ(-Q) and Coco’s (for pie: 2) too!

May 3, 2009 Cathy Chinese BBQ, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to the blog named mmm-yoso!!! Today, Kirk is almost back from His vacation. ed (from Yuma) is working . Cathy is blogging about another meal.

A good friend, Mr. C, asked me if I wanted to go for lunch. I was ready, since I am always hungry. He suggested Sieu Sieu and I was there at 11:30, on the dot. He wasn't.

Kirk has blogged about this place and Mr. C has been here a lot, and I took both of their suggestions in mind when I ordered.

By ordering the Sieu Sieu chow mein, not crispy. (Something neither of them had recommended)

Noodles, bean sprouts, onion, shrimp, chicken, beef, BBQ pork. Plenty of food on this plate. I am unsure what is the difference between 'Sieu Sieu' and the 'combination' chow mein.

Good food. Lots of noodles. Not too spicy, but a good flavor to everything. There were leftovers for Mr. C to enjoy at work this evening.

The very large bowl of beef stew/soup with tendon, egg noodles, dumplings, broccoli and onion.

Very very very good, flavorful. The soft gelatinous tendon was a wonderful treat. The beef was very flavorful and tender. The egg noodles were perfect. Lots of noodles.

My token photo of tabletop condiments.

Along with a blurry cross section photo of one of the dumplings. Filled with ground pork. Very very good.

Oh yes. Our appetizer. One pound of roast pork.

Oh the (just right)crispy skin and tender, flavorful meat. It was wonderful. There was a good amount of pickled cabbage on the side.

Even though we did not finish all of our food, Mr. C said he wanted pie for dessert.

Coc0's is across the street. We walked over.

Mr. C chose the banana cream pie, a bit flat in appearance, but excellent in flavor of the filling and the crust was light and flaky.

I chose the "pie of the month" for May: lemon meringue. Excellent meringue, excellent crust, tart, lemony filling.

We each had coffee. Then Mr. C went to work, with the leftover chow mein.

Excellent lunch. Thanks, Mr. C (and Kirk) for letting me know about Sieu Sieu.

Sieu Sieu BBQ 7420 Clairmont Mesa Blvd. San Diego 92111

K sandwiches for a quick dinner

May 2, 2009 Cathy Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!!, the blog about food. Kirk is somewhere between San Diego and Guatemala, ed (from Yuma) is somewhere between San Diego and Yuma and Cathy is here now.

Hello again. The Mister had to work late the other night. I was hungry and did not want to cook. I told him to meet me at K Sandwich for dinner. I have posted about K and breakfast . Kirk has blogged aboutK sandwich as its own post as well as when He compares banh mi around town. It is on Linda Vista Road at Mesa College Drive.

So anyhow. The usual. We have to get a pate chaud ($1)

Crisp, light pastry surrounding ground pork, lightly seasoned. Never greasy, always good. It is sold in the lighted shelves next to the cash register.

I have to get hot milk coffee(cafe su da)(sua nong) $2.50. The Mister decided to try a lychee slushie ($2.45) .

I got my usual #24, the roast beef sandwich. ($3.89) On a fresh made croissant. The croissant is HUGE.

The roast beef is plentiful, but not too flavorful. There is white cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion and pickled jalapenos on the sandwich.

The Mister got the #12, BBQ Meat banh mi. ($2.75)

I don't know what this BBQ meat is, but we like to call it "Vietnamese Kielbasa" and let it go at that. it is good, sliced thick, has a slight garlic undertone and is served on the fresh bread with daikon, sliced carrot, cilantro and sliced fresh jalapeno.

A lot of food and beverage, $13.67 with tax. Good, fresh food.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend.

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

Sam Woo for breakfast

May 1, 2009 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog. You are reading it. Cathy happens to be writing today. This is because Kirk and His Missus are (still) on vacation and ed(from Yuma) is (still) working.

Hi. Quick post about what The Mister and I eat when we go out on weekends. I've posted about Sam Woo in 2007 and not much has changed, except the breakfast choices are now $3.50 each and coffee and hot tea are 30 cents each.

We are always torn between the #1 or the last one on the menu. This is #1: rice noodle with luncheon meat, egg and onion. (The last one on the menu is rice instead of the noodles with the same ingredients; it is #33 or some number close to that. The only two menu items with egg and luncheon meat(which is a euphemism for fake Spam, by the way)).

We always get a noodle and dumpling soup, either the won tons (5) -pork and a half shrimp inside each one, or the shrimp dumplings (5) with a whole shrimp in each one. There is cabbage, egg noodles and the broth is always rich and deeply flavored.

Then I usually want some sort of BBQ'd meat with noodles. This day it was BBQ duck. Tender duck, crispy skin with a layer of fat. The broth for dipping is the same deep broth as used for the soup, but the noodles and meat are topped with an anise flavored juice/broth.

You can see the sweetened condensed milk container that comes with the concentrated drip coffee in the background. ( really, it is 30 cents a cup at breakfast).

and, my token photo of the condiments on the table: I end up using the chili oil when I am almost finished, just for a kick to the noodles.

All of this food, two coffees and two teas for $12.35, including tax.

Go out for breakfast this weekend. Anywhere. Enjoy your life.

Sam Woo BBQ, inside 99Ranch complex. 7330 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego 92111

The “food court” Inside Zion Marketplace- Happy Family and Tonkatsu

April 30, 2009 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is just a blog, written by people who eat. Today, Cathy is writing, while Kirk (and His Missus) are vacationing and ed (from Yuma) is doing other stuff.

I needed to go shopping for some produce the other day and I know Zion always has some good deals. It was close to dinner time and so I called The Mister and asked him to meet me there.

You can park on three sides of the building (or across the street) and walk in one of those doors to get to the grocery aisles.

Closer to the South end are two restaurants and a small beverage (add boba for 50 cents) place.

Tonkatsu is what The Mister chose.

I went to Happy Family, which used to be Happy Meal, but apparently was sold. Or sued. Dunno. The menu has changed a bit from when Kirk blogged.

(According to FOY (Friend of Yoso) Serena, it is Korean-Chinese food at Happy Family, and the spicy noodle dishes are very good. I have that mental note ready for next time)

The Mister chose the Crunchy roll for $5.95, because he thought it would be smaller (not a Chernobyl sized) roll overfilled with fried shrimp and avocado and basically a full meal, served with miso soup.

It wasn't bad and I liked the avocado. The shrimp did not have much flavor, but did have much crunch.

It was topped with both a sweet and a spicy sauce.

He also ordered the chicken Tonkatsu plate ($7.95) A good sized piece of lightly breaded and fried flattened chicken breast, which came with a house made tonkatsu sauce (which had pieces of mushroom and meat textured bits in it), a cabbage salad with a house made dressing, two stir fried dumplings, miso soup, rice, edamame and some kimchi.

I ordered the galbi plate at Happy Family.

Tender marinated sliced beef short ribs, served with rice, a small salad with a mayonnaise based dressing, (kind of Ranch in flavor), two deep fried dumplings (I liked the other ones better; not as crispy) and the traditional side dishes of preserved radish, dried spicy silverfish, kimchi and fried (not just dried) seaweed. The miso soup here was far better, not made with a paste and was rich in flavor with many slices of tofu in it.

Eat first and then you can go shopping!

Happy Meal and Tonkatsu (inside Zion Marketplace) 4611 Mercury Street San Diego 92111

Panda Restaurant-Lemon Grove

April 29, 2009 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog. It's about food. Kirk, ed(from Yuma) and Cathy and a few others do the blogging. Kirk is on vacation. The part usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy today.

Broadway, in Lemon Grove has an array of shops and restaurants. It isn't a "destination" for people from other parts of the county. This restaurant is a good example.

013

Yeah. You are reading it correctly. Sushi. Pho. Panda.

Of course.

The menu is varied, as you would expect.

There is no air conditioning. There are about 15 tables. The owners know just about everyone who comes in to eat here. A local place. Possibly "exotic" for some.

006

The condiment tray on the table has a unique item on it.

The sizzling rice soup Shanghai ($6.25 for the large size) included juicy flavorful shrimp, many fresh pea pods, mushrooms, a flavorful broth and those two rice cakes you see.

We also selected the tempura from the Japanese side of the menu.

Perfectly fried carrot slices, green beans, asparagus, zucchini and shrimp.

This was served with a sweet house made teriyaki like sauce.

We decided to try the chicken chow mein. This is listed on the menu as "(like spaghetti noodles)". We were told when we ordered that the noodles would be crispy.

They were. In a good way. The carrots and pea pods were fresh tasting and still crispy/lightly stir fried and the sauce/gravy was good.

At first. Then I realized it was quite salty.

The menu lsits chow fun as "(like pasta noodles)". Let's not go there.

The owners here are very friendly. There is a selection of 5 different pho to choose from and Vietnamese coffee (hot or cold and thai iced tea (with or without boba).

An unusual mix of cuisines.

Panda Restaurant 7816 Broadway, Lemon Grove 91945 (619)460-7450, open 11-9 daily