Category: yoso-silly

Odds and Ends – The Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings from Taste of Hong Kong, What’s up with Oxtail Prices, what Made my Xmas Day, and Other Stuffs

Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

Just a couple of things as we recover from New Years.

The Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings from Taste of Hong Kong:

Remember how I was mourning not ordering the Salted Egg Yolk Chicken Wings during my last post on Taste of Hong Kong? Well, last week we did a revisit to ToHK…I decided to not take any photos since I’d just done a post. But then the chicken wings came out.

My goodness, these were terrible! Something has changed with the batter as it was too wet-mushy and had an almost mealy texture to it. There were fried (burned) slices of garlic incorporated into he batter, which had a strange sweetness. The wings had been overfried and while the exterior was saturated, the meat was tough and dry. What a bummer!

This is what it used to look like.

Well, I guess we can cross this dish off my “favorites” list.

Taste of Hong Kong
4428 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

What’s up with Oxtail Prices:

The Missus had thoughts of me making my oxtail soup for New Years, so I went to Zion to see if they had oxtails….I found them, but look at the prices!

I guess I haven’t made oxtail soup in ages? I don’t remember paying this much for oxtails! I need 4-5 pounds for my soup….but yikes! I did go to other places, but all the oxtails were over $14 a pound!

Is this the norm?

What made my Xmas Day:

On Christmas day, I took JJ up the street to visit the local donut shop and grab my usual. Like I wrote back in 2020, I think these businesses are part of the “fabric” of the neighborhood and I try to support them. Especially if the place has such wonderful owners as the Cambodian couple who run TK Donuts. So, I try to visit at least once a week and I guess because I used to go there like 4-5 times a week during Covid to help them stay open, they still remember me!

And on Xmas day, after I got my usual, they asked me to wait a minute and handed me a bag with something wrapped in foil. They told me that “this is something that just finished cooking for Christmas”, it’s a traditional family recipe. What was it?

My goodness, it’s Cambodian style roast chicken! It was still hot when I got home. Actually, the Missus loved it and took most of it to work for lunch the next day!

They are so nice! And this beautiful gesture made my day and really touched me!

TK Donuts
3095 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117

Please be careful out there!

The major storm that hit us on Christmas must have made international news? Because fellow blogger and good friend Kat sent me an email wondering if we were ok! Bless her…Kat, you’re amazing! I emailed her back saying I didn’t think it was too bad. Then a day later, I took JJ to Western Hill Park after having my usual morning coffee and my goodness!

There were actually three trees down in the park! Yikes!

So please, be safe out there and take care!

Staying at The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Touring the Whaley House (Old Town)

Exploring San Diego, Staycation, yoso-silly

**** No food in this one. But I figured I needed to finally get this done!

If you recall, we had a fun stay back in early 2024 at the newly renovated Lafayette Hotel. We had enjoyed our stay so much, that we decided to do another staycation, and to finally play tourist and do a tour we’d been wanting to for a while. So yes, we stayed a night at the Cosmopolitan Hotel and double yes, we booked ourselves a tour of the Whaley House! So touristy, yea?

With the Blue Line Clairemont Drive Trolley stop being established at the end of 2021, it was easy to walk on down and instead of parking, just catch the trolley to Old Town. We only had small backpacks since we’d only be staying the night.

At the time of our visit, the restaurant/bar was not opened yet. I believe they are still only doing Happy Hours during weekends now. Anyway, checking in was done by calling a number provided and the really nice young lady met us at the side gate.

We were staying in the Seeley Suite, the largest suite that has a fireplace and a separate sitting room. On an interesting note, the rooms have no television or telephone.

Named for Alfred Seeley who purchased the property to create a stagecoach hotel. The room is on the second floor with a view of Old Town from the wrap around balcony that stretches the length of the building.

Juan Bandini originally built his home on this location, named Casa Bandini in 1829. It was a single story 12 room u-shaped adobe home. In 1859, Bandini struck by illness and in debt transferred the ownership of the property to Abel Stearns who sold the property to Alfred Seeley in 1869. In 1888 Seeley sold the hotel, which over the following years served as a store, pickle factory, and motel.

The rooms really do transport you to another time. And speaking of transport; I opened the book on the table and started reading…..

About various supernatural experiences that took place in this room! Shades of the Historic Anchorage Hotel, huh?

After resting a bit, we headed off to dinner at Tahona….my photos strangely didn’t come out? Perhaps something was going on with the combination of staying at the Cosmopolitan and eating next door to Campo Santo Cemetery? And throw in the little tour we were headed to after dinner……

At the Whaley House of course! Which claims to be the most haunted house in America and has been featured in many of those “supernatural shows” on television.

We met our guide; Hannah who was so full of stories and entertaining.

Back in September of 1852, James “Yankee Jim” Robinson was hanged on the site of what was to become the Whaley House for supposedly stealing a rowboat. It is said that he is one of the “spirits” that haunts the Whaley House.

Thomas Whaley, who had moved to San Diego after his store burnt down in San Francisco in 1851 purchased the lot in 1855, building a single story structure. In 1857, the two story house was built.

Along with “Yankee Jim”, the house, and the Whaley’s ran into some bad luck. Their 18 month old son died of scarlet fever in 1858 and their store burnt down. Trying to change their luck; Thomas and Anna Whaley moved to San Francisco. They ended up moving back to San Diego after the 1868 Hayward Earthquake. And in partnership with Philip Crosthwaite opened the Whaley and Crosthwaite General Store. Which Hannah went over during the tour.

She also went over the suicide of the Whaley’s daughter, Violet in 1885. In 1868, an upstairs bedroom was converted into a theatre and rented out to the Tanner Troupe.

Unfortunately, a few months later Thomas Tanner, the head of the troupe died suddenly. It is said that he also haunts the house.

It is said that you can smell Thomas Whaley’s cigar smoke in the foyer or Anna’s apple pie in the kitchen…along with utensils rearranging themselves. There have been reports of a Native American Man, a Confederate Soldier, and a mystery woman in the converted courthouse portion.

I didn’t smell, hear, or feel anything. But the Missus did say that something tapped Her on the shoulder as She was walking up the stairs!

And then it was a short walk to El Agave for a nightcap, before returning to the Cosmopolitan. We slept well and luckily were not “awakened” by Mr Bandini or his daughter Yisadora during the evening.

Waking early, it was interesting walking around Old Town at that time of the day.

And we also got to check out the bar and restaurant areas of the hotel as well.

That’s a portrait of Albert Seeley on the wall in the dining room.

It was quite fascinating to wander around.

We did enjoy our short overnight stay in Old Town. I’m certain that we really don’t spend enough time exploring our lovely city. I’m hoping to try to rectify some of that in the future.

Whaley House
2476 San Diego Ave.
San Diego, CA 92110

Cosmopolitan Hotel
2660 Calhoun St.
San Diego, CA 92110

Thanks for stopping by!

Saturday Stuffs – Nutmeg Bakery & Cafe Coming to Bay Park, 85°C Bakery (Balboa) Closing 12/19, and Other “Stuffs”

American/New American Restaurants, Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, yoso-silly

Just a couple of things I’ve come across recently.

Nutmeg Bakery & Cafe Coming to Bay Park:

While having my coffee with JJ at Bay Park Coffee this morning, I noticed a new sign on what used to be the weed growers Hydroponic Shop next to Poseidon Project.

Whoa, now this was quite a surprise as I hadn’t read or heard anything about this. Could it be? Well, at least the sign says Nutmeg Cafe & Bakery is coming soon! The place has locations in Poway and Scripps Ranch, which Cathy has posted on twice.

This is exciting news….though I’m kinda worried that the place is going to take away business from Bay Park Coffee….and the parking in the area, with the new yoga studio is kind of at a premium, so we’ll see! I know there have been plans for up to 14,000 new housing in the area, near the trolley, so they might be putting down roots? It’s going to be an interesting couple of years.

4122 Napier St.
San Diego, CA 92110

85°C Bakery (Balboa) Closing 12/19:

I’d already read about this on other sites; but when I did a quick trip to the bank recently, well, the sign was up.

Yep, they closing on 12/19. There was something that did stir that sarcastic humor of mine. Notice the sign on the left says “Time to Party”? And right next to it is the “We Are Closing” sign?

Anyway, 85C was a most welcome addition to the area when they opened back in 2014. I was told that the cause was the rapidly increasing rent.

Though since Covid, the place always seemed short staffed and opening hours changed quite frequently.

85°C Bakery Cafe
5575 Balboa Ave.
330 San Diego, CA 92111

Hillcrest Sandwich Co. Has Closed:

I made an exploratory drive up to Hillcrest, aka the “new ramen central” to see if I could find a parking spot and get my fix. I was amazed to find decent parking on Fifth Avenue. While walking down Fifth, I looked over and noticed that the Hillcrest Sandwich Co. looked closed.

Checking online, it looked like they closed in February! Oh my….they’ve been around forever. I used to get sandwiches there when I did consulting here in SD back in the late 90’s! And when my office was in the area we used to order from them every so often….though I hadn’t actually been in the shop since my pre-blogging days! Looks like more development in the area is driving a lot of change.

Man, just in the last year El Cuervo, then La Posta de Acalpuco, and many other businesses have closed in the area.

3780 Fifth Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103

And finally…it’s pronounced you-ree-nay:

So, I noticed that Nijiya had Lily Bulb in stock today. And while taking a look, a young lady saw the name and asked the mom if it’s really what she thought it was…..

Like I noted on my Instagram post…..you know what she thought this was, right?

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend!

Recently Consumed

Blog, Cooking, yoso-silly

I haven’t done one of these in a while….so, here we go….just a couple of “stuffs” we’ve been eating.

There’s a thing we used to do when I worked in a restaurant like over 4 decades ago. We used to boil potatoes, smash them, then fry. The exterior would be crisp; the interior creamy…so ono! So, what I’ve been doing the last couple of years is to get those baby potatoes from the market. I then score and put into the microwave. Once soft, I smash and brush with olive oil, smoked salt, fresh ground pepper, and granulated garlic, then put into the air fryer.

I did manage to take a photo of when I did this recently, using mini baby potatoes. The Missus loves them with eggs.

Roasted broccolini and roasted honeynut squash made for a nice lunch.

It’s getting to be Pozole time in our household. I should post my recipe one of these days….

With prices being so crazy, I’ve started making ramen at home these days. We like the Sun Noodle brand. I also liven it up with some truffle soy sauce and even add in some shiitake mushrooms. And….I always make sure my tamago is at least warm!

And on warmer days….I venture into “neba-neba” land.

Love that combo of tororo and natto…..

I really don’t take much photos of the food I make these days….but for some reason here’s some beans-collards-pancetta.

Which tasted really good on toast with microplaned Parmesan Reggiano.

And lastly….some lamb chops, with beans and Cous Cous…..

So, what have you all been making lately?

Thanks for indulging me!

Happy Halloween!

yoso-silly

Well, it’s that time of the year again.

Ever since Covid; it seems that decorating for Halloween has really taken off. Of course, I think the demographic for our neighborhood is changing as well. At times; it seems that there’s a bit of “competition” with regards to decorating….

And J has been enjoying checking things out….though this one scared the heck out of him!!!

And of course JJ is dressing up…..

Did you know his favorite letter is “arrrgh”!

Anyway, JJ and we here at mmm-yoso would like to wish you a fun and safe “Howl-o-weeen”!

Welcome and Pardon the dust!

yoso-silly

Hi folks; thanks for dropping by!

Yes, this is the new mmm-yoso!

It’s a whole new world and learning curve for me,……with posts still uploading along with images.

I’m hoping to be able to start doing new posts by September 26th!

I need to thank Jean-Yves of https://savemyblog.com/ who has really worked long and hard on getting my 5,600 posts and over 110,000 images uploaded to the correct format from Typepad. It’s a long story and perhaps I’ll go over it in a future post.

But for now, let me thank you for dropping by!

I’m working with various plug-ins and widgets to give me the format I want….you know me, nothing fancy, just straight forward and simple….but it seems simple might be rather complicated here!

So please, let me know what you think and if you encounter any issues with various posts.

And most of all, thanks for all the comments, emails, recommendations over the years that have kept me inspired to keep our little blog going!

See you soon! Cheers!

Monday Meanderings – Gusto Grocery Italian Market Moving from Bay Ho, La Posta de Acalpuco (Hillcrest) Closes, Ajisen Ramen (Kearny Mesa) Closes, and Other “stuffs”.

Markets & Grocers, Mexican Restaurants, Ramen, Taco Shops, yoso-silly

A couple of closures and a move for this Monday……

La Posta de Acalpuco (Hillcrest) Closes:

I noticed lots of upcoming changes in my short walk from where I parked my car during my visit to Makai Sushi. Like this one.

IMG_9822

Though one of them caught me by surprise. Looks like La Posta de Acalpuco, like El Cuervo has closed.

IMG_0561

Like El Cuervo, this was a place I'd go to every so often when my office was in Hillcrest….though mostly when I'd have to work nights as there wasn't much open late in those days. And much like El Cuervo; I hadn't been back in ages.

Times change and it seems that Hillcrest is in major turnover mode.

I'm sure folks are going to miss what I used to call the "late-early crowd"……which someone once described to me as "Goth's, Grungees, Gays, Gargoyles, and the bar scene from Star Wars!" And another once told me "You know, the food here is okay, but it sure tastes better at 4 am!"

3980 3rd Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

Ajisen Ramen (Kearny Mesa) Closes:

This one was fairly widely announced, but I was shocked at how quickly the signage was gone for Ajisen on Clairemont Mesa.

IMG_0610

Which explains why they tried Wagyu Street concept. Was never a big fan of Ajisen, though the late Ed from Yuma enjoyed his visit there in 2017. And of course, ramen-maniacs will always remember the Ajisen soup scandal.

7398 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Who you calling a creep ummm, Creap?

On occasion, while shopping, I'll see something that will bring a smile to my face. While looking over the ever changing "treasure hunt" at Nijiya, I cam across this.

IMG_0562

I've come across this in Japan before…it's known as being the only "powdered creamer" that uses real milk. But on this day I just read "Foaming Creap"….. I know, silly me….. But I was sorely tempted to buy some for folks and see if they got the pseudo double entendre.

Gusto Grocery Italian Market Moving from Bay Ho:

A week or so back, I needed some Pesto Genovese….for some reason, we've starting enjoying Avocado Toast with a touch of pesto. And yes, in spite of what I learned in Liguria, I just didn't see myself making pesto from scratch for some avocado toast.

So, I decided to head up to Gusto Italian Market, which, since they opened their brick-and-mortar shop in Bay Ho next to Rose Canyon Deli has been a blessing for picking up Italian Staples for us, without having to head into Little Italy. So, I headed on up and arrived at 1030…and strangely, the shop didn't seem open.

IMG_0485

So, I walked on over and noticed the door was unlocked so I walked on in. I found all the shelves empty! The nice woman who works there came on out, smiled and explained to me that the grocery was closed and moving to "somewhere north"…… Their online orders were being fulfilled at their warehouse now. Bummer, as I'd been kind of taking this place for granted!

I do wish them luck in their new space; wherever that might be!

4901 Morena Blvd Suite 314
San Diego, CA 92117

Odds and Ends – Cumin Chinese Cauliflower (Caulilini), Pliny the Elder at Bay Hill Tavern, and Other “Stuffs”

Beer, Cooking, Pubs and Pub Grub, Recipes, yoso-silly

Just a couple of quick things for today…..

I don't know if you've noticed. Many times, when we're having Chinese food whether at a restaurant or for takeout, we don't order vegetables. The reason for this is that the Missus has a hard time spending maybe over $15 for stir fried veggies. On most occasions we'll have leftovers and then I'll go ahead and stir fry veggies at home. I still have a Big Kahuna, my second one since 2005, this one goes to 65,000 BTU and is great for wok stir fries. 

Or, as in the case of the item below, I'll go ahead and roast something in the air fryer…..sometimes I'll do both at the same time as doing the stir fry can take less than 2 minutes!

Anyway, the latest item was something I just kinda made up. The Missus really likes Caulilini, which is known here as Chinese Cauliflower. It's the type of cauliflower She grew up eating in China. Also known as Baby Cauliflower, it features thin green stems, is a bit sweeter, the florets are more loosely arranged. The Missus grew up eating cauliflower stir fried with tomato. I thought I'd try something interesting, knowing that She enjoys the flavor of cumin in dishes like BO Zi Ran Yang Rou (Cumin Lamb). I thought the P-Cresol-ish cumin would go nicely with cauliflower and it did.

Cumin Cauliflower 01

Because the quantity of cauliflower varies, I'll just give you a photo of the ingredients (minus the cauliflower).

Cumin Cauliflower 02

There's a certain sequence that I've been using for making this.

Air Fryer Cumin Cauliflower
1 – After rinsing, prepping, and draining the cauliflower pour a few tablespoons of avocado, or any other neutral oil into a mixing bowl. Add cauliflower and combine.
2 – Add Sichuan Peppercorn oil to coat and White Pepper
3 – Add Cumin, Chinese Five Spice, and Granulated Garlic – I used to use fresh shopped garlic but it burned too easy. Mix well.
4 – Taste to make sure the cumin flavor comes thru clearly
5 – Add about a tablespoon of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of chili crisp, I found that Lau Gan Ma works the best.
6 – Stir and mix well to coat.
7 – Taste and adjust seasonings and add smoked salt.
8 – Roast in 450° Air Fryer for 12-14 minutes.

The time the Missus said She wanted me to grill some Shishamo:

So, I went to grill some veggies and also some of my Local Kine Chashu Chicken for the Missus when She asked me to grill some Shishamo for Her. I thought this kind of strange, since we'd sometimes do it on the Konro, but She wanted it grilled….

So, I prepped some.

Shishamo JJ 01

When I finished, I found out who it was actually for. Guess who got Shishamo?

Shishamo JJ 02b

I actually posted about it on Instagram and some folks found it funny…..

Pliny the Elder at Bay Hill Tavern:

Earlier in the week, the Missus wanted some tacos from the Tacos La Chorreada Truck. So JJ and I walked on over, placed my order and decided to head on over to Bay Hill Tavern for a cerveza until my tacos were ready.

I was given the "specials" menu to look over and was pleasantly surprised.

IMG_9656

Man, they had Pliny the Elder on tap! When was the last time I had that?

IMG_9655

My goodness….it was so good. I'm hoping they still have it the next time I visit. If you plan on dropping by specifically for a PtE, perhaps you may want to call first as I'm sure they'll soon run out – 619-326-8828.

Bay Hill Tavern
3010 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 11am – 9pm
Friday            11am – 10pm
Saturday        10am – 10pm
Sunday          10am – 9pm

And finally……

My latest "ear worm":

I'm sure this might be before your time, but someone mentioned the late Wili Moku to me recently. He was the DJ I always listened to on KKUA in the 80's (before they became Public Radio – hey you rememba the Home Grown album?)

But for some reason, Da' Mokkettes song Palolo Valley Girls, a parody (of a parody) of Frank & Moon Unit Zappa's "Valley Girl" started playing in my head. Arrgh…..I just can't clear it out!

So, just to share the wealth.

"Shoot la dat, no act, no act……" "Make a all the way!"

Hope you're having a wonderful week!

Monday Meanderings – Potato Powder Love Noodle (for real) replacing Shann Xi Magic Kitchen in 99 Ranch Market (Balboa), TP Tea coming to Clairemont Town Square, and slicing your own bread at Whole Foods

Caffeine Fix, Chinese Restaurants, Desserts, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

I'm doing one of these "meanderings" posts today because I just noticed a couple of things over the last two days that I thought interesting.

TP Tea coming to Clairemont Town Square:

I took JJ to an early morning walk and since I like to keep it some variety, I'll often rotate venues. For some reason, I headed on up to Clairemont Town Square early in the morning, and quickly noticed something new.

TP TEa Coming Soon

Looks like the chain TP Tea – which I guess stands for Taiwan Professional Tea, is opening a shop which was the last known location of Isa.Bella, located in the same structure as Main Chick Hot Chicken. For me, this is great, as I always wondered why there weren't more Asian businesses in this huge complex, other than the Panda Express.

4705-A Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117

Slicing your own bread at Whole Foods:

The Missus wanted some escargot for dinner, so I headed to the Cuisinery to restock. She also wanted some bread and I really didn't want to drive to Secret Sister or even Con Pane. So, I decided to head on over to Whole Foods La Jolla, which is sort of on the way to the Cuisinery. I had gotten the Baby Boule from there before and had it sliced. It's small and not too expensive and would do in a pinch. When I arrived and walked to the bread counter I asked for a Baby Boule and was told it's now self serve….this includes the slicing of the bread!

WF Sliced Bread 01b

I've seen these used at Con Pane and Secret Sister….but never thought it would be safe for me to use one! 

WF Sliced Bread 02

But I just tried it out. It's not hard at all. The hardest part was getting the sliced bread into a bag!

It turned out ok.

WF Sliced Bread 03

And I still have all my fingers…..

Whole Foods Market
8825 Villa La Jolla Dr.
La Jolla, CA 92037

Potato Powder Love Noodle replacing Shann Xi Magic Kitchen in 99 Ranch Market (Balboa):

Yesterday, the Missus told me She wanted me to make my Cumin Chinese Cauliflower. So, I headed over to 99 Ranch Market on Balboa. I walked past the food court to see what was happening adn noticed that Shann Xi Magic Kitchen was closed. Which I thought was strange.

Shann Xi Closed 01

There was a note posted on the counter…never a good sign….

Shann Xi Closed 02b

Which just confirmed what I thought…..well, this location of Shann Xi Magic Kitchen is closed. So, it looks like you'll need to go to the Convoy location if you're craving their food. 

I also noticed a note on the cash register.

Shann Xi Closed 00

And it seems like "Potato Powder Love Noodle" is opening here next month? What a name! I did a quick search and found that PPLN has shops in San Gabriel and City of Industry. Knife cut and potato noodles (thus the name I guess) with various broths.

Man, Shann Xi is one of the "OG" stands in the food court, which has been kind of a revolving door with Dao Xiang recently replacing Mama Lin's, which replaced Saigon 5, and Cluck n Sip replacing Krispy Krunchy Chicken within the last year.

It seems that places are having a hard time staying in business here.

5950 Balboa Ave (In the 99 Ranch Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111