So; hope you're staying safe and having a great St Paddy's Day.
Category: yoso-silly
Yes, It’s Jury Duty – Coava Coffee, Abandoned Horton Plaza, and a Return to Sultan Baklava
**** Coava Coffee has closed
Yes, it was that time again, and I caught the bus, then trolley downtown to perform my civic obligation.
I decided to stop for my caffeine fix at Coava Coffee Roasters, a branch of the very popular Portland based roastery/café which opened up in the Westin on Broadway.
Had a very inexpensive Kenyan pour-over; which while as distinctive in flavor as what we get at Birdrock had a nice mild fruitiness and acidity.
And gave me just enough of a boost for the morning.
You can read CC's post on Coava here.
Coava Coffee Roasters
400 W Broadway
San Diego, CA 92101
Hours:
Mon – Fri 6am – 6pm
Sat – Sun 7am – 6pm
This was my first JD since they moved things over to the Central Courthouse where the "lounge" is located on the third floor. Of course, we were excused for like a two hour lunch break. I had a place in mind and took my time getting there. Last time, I walked over and checked out Horton Plaza Park. I'd read that Horton Plaza had been sold and have also read of it's impending demise, so I thought I'd take a look.
It was quite eerie; all the closed shops, not a single customer. It reminded me of some movie set.
The only two main shops still open are Macy's on the North side and Jimbo's on the Southwest corner.
I took a look at the directory to see what tenants were still in place. It was very sparse and quite deceiving…..take a quick look and you'll see Macy's listed 10 times!
Both Cathy and CC mentioned remembering when Horton Plaza opened back in 1985.
It was quite sad.
Even Horton Plaza Park was quite empty….this on a very sunny (it was before the last storm system hit) day. Seems that the businesses there were closed down as well.
I'm hoping the proposed redevelopment is successful.
As I made my way to the South end of the mall; I noticed that 24 Hour Fitness and Jimbo's was doing well. I also noticed that the mall was quite clean and in good shape.
It was, as a whole depressing….I needed some lunch.
Call me a creature of habit; but just like last time I headed back to Sultan Baklava. When Sultan was opened in El Cajon it was a regular stop for us. These days….well, we're older and sometimes just getting around downtown is a hassle. But Jury Duty is the perfect time for another visit.
The owner was setting up the baklava when I entered and greeted me heartily, I had a seat, and quickly got some warming Tea.
The fragrance of bergamot wafting up to my nose.
Being the fairly boring person I am…plus not wanting to over eat because I still had an afternoon (and what turned out to be another full day) in front of me. I ordered the same two items I did last time.
Starting with my favorite meze; the Antipezme (acili ezme). This was much better than what I'd had on my previous visit; nice smokey tones of paprika, good acidity, and a surprising dose of spice. The lavas however was too hard and crumbly; lacking any stretch.
I was worried about my Lahmacun, but it was very well done and quite satisfying.
From the nice crisp edges to the tender center. Nicely balanced and well seasoned meat, this turned over some nice memories for me. Sweet-savory-acidity, it does the trick. I know I always say this….but I gotta return more often.
Sultan Baklava
770 4th Ave
San Diego, CA
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 11am – 1030pm
Fri – Sum 11am – 1130pm
Sultan was one of those places for the Missus and I….it inspired us to travel to Turkey, not once, but twice all those years ago. Sitting, finishing up my tea all those memories returned.
From the bustling and historic Istanbul.
To the exotic land of "fairy chimneys", "underground cities", and cathedrals build into mountainsides; Cappadocia.
To the historic ruins of Ephesus and even the wonderful Mediterranean city of Antalya.
We saw, learned, and ate so much. Those images are imprinted in my mind…….
Midweek Meanderings – Tram Chim Opens, Junz Closes, and Royal Garden Has Limited Hours
It's been a while since I've done one of these……
Tram Chim Opens in City Heights:
Two years ago, I mentioned that Ly's Garden was the last "man standing" of the former 54th St trifecta of Ly's, Lee's, and Lucky Star. Well that's no more as Tram Chim; yes, Tram Chim, the seafood specialist with restaurants in Garden Grove and Westminster has taken over the spot.
This is going to be an interesting addition, as folks who I know mentioned they are not particularly fond of the OC locations for either food, nor hygiene.
Tram Chim
4350 54th St
San Diego, CA 92115
Junz Teriyaki & BBQ Closes:
I noticed this last month when the Missus had Her hair appointment in the area.
Though I wasn't particularly fond of the food here; I know folks who liked the place. Looks like the Hanaoka "empire" has taken a hit.
As an aside….notice the little sticker on the left hand side? Hmmm……is that what's moving in?
3010 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
Royal Garden Has Limited Hours:
The reason I ended up at Hoai Hue this past weekend, was that I drove by Royal Garden nd noticed they were closed! So I parked the car and took a look.
Not sure what's going on here…according to the sign it says they are only open on Thursday and Friday evenings. I'm hoping this is only for the short term.
Royal Garden
4201 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92105
Saturday Stuffs – Scenes from the Little Italy Mercato, Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, and Other “stuffs”
I'll readily admit; my posts are mostly stream of consciousness. And sometimes; it's just better to just post photos. I needed to get my car serviced today. Instead of waiting around; I decided to catch the Trolley, something I used to enjoy, but haven't done in ages…..and just head out and take in San Diego. So; I headed off to the Little Italy Mercato, then walked down to the Tuna Harbor Dockside Market. Instead of some long-winded post; here are some photos of an overcast, yet fun day.
Because of some delays on the Green Line West; I decided to take a round about way; doing the Orange Line to Downtown; getting off at Civic Center and walking to Little Italy. Where I passed an iconic "name" in San Diego….whose commercials you couldn't miss if you lived here in the 90's and "aughts".
I'd heard that Mexican Fiesta; whose existence always reminded me of the Children's book, The Little House had closed. And yes, it has….
I think pooches outnumber children here……
I then walked on over to Seaport Village…..
Man, I haven't been around here in at least a decade….
Things looked a bit depressed; many closed businesses.
Though it's always fun to "pooch watch"……
The Dockside Market was close by; so I headed on over.
A somewhat interesting mix of folks…..
I decided to grab an Americano from here…..
And guess who I saw???
And even coming back around again while I finished my coffee.
Since it was close by; I decided to check out Unconditional Surrender by Seward Johnson.
It was an overcast day; with not too many tourists.
Just like I don't visit Waikiki when I'm back "home"; I really don't get down here to often.
I was glad to have some time on my hands to just reacquaint myself with this area.
And then of course…..it was time for lunch!
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year! It's another one in the books and it was a pretty chilly (by San Diego standards) and wet one as well.
It's been a busy year for me; but I still made it out yesterday, to do, as I've done since 2005, to check out the variety of Osechi set out by our local Japanese Markets. Like I noted from back in 2017 these markets have really scaled back and these days they ask folks to put in orders. I started with Mitsuwa….which might have been a mistake as there wasn't much of anything out at 9am.
Nijiya was bustling at 915.
And I ended getting a few items there.
Marukai didn't have much at all.
The Missus wanted something different for New Years Day this year; so I didn't do quite as much shopping….at least at these places as usual.
And, just like last year, we had the New Years Eve dinner at Et Voila! We brought along a bottle of Champagne from our favorite little Champagne House in Écueil. This was our favorite while doing tastings in Champagne. It's from a very small "house"; it's literally under a house and they do not ship or sell, via normal channels in the US.
I gotta say; even though some of the dishes were quite similar to last year; I think Et Voila has stepped up their game. There were a few things we didn't care for; the pheasant was too dry and the mushroom cream sauce too sweet, but as a whole this was a very nice meal.
The Lobster Bavarois with Périgord Truffle Caviar – just plain delici-yoso!!!
Dorade and Hamachi Crudo.
Grilled Blue Prawns and Snow Crab Raviolis – prawns were very tasty but a bit over-cooked.
Seared Maine Diver Scallops – seared perfectly, super tender. The uni espuma was quite interesting.
I'm usually not a big fan of the meat and poultry at ET; but this Beef Tenderloin was perfectly cooked and almost fork tender and that shaved black truffle didn't hurt things at all.
The afore mentioned Pheasant Breast Ballotine with Chestnut Gnocchi.
And of course dessert….which the Missus enjoyed.
Et Voilà!
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116
As for New Years; well, no Nishime this year….instead the Missus wanted Matzo Ball Soup??? Go figure…. So on Saturday I went to Wing Lee Poultry and bought a chicken and made the soup on Sunday. Skimmed and strained on Monday, made the Matzo Balls and let it soak in the goodness, ready for today.
As for me….well, I went fairly traditional.
We here at mmm-yoso would like to send out our best wishes for a wonderful 2019!
Thanks for stopping by!
Merry Christmas…..and a preview of an upcoming post….
Time seems to go faster every year…..suddenly it's Christmas again!
As always; we here at mmm-yoso wish you a Merry Christmas and the most happy of holidays!
Hope you get everything you wish for…..
And Santa doesn't leave you hanging….or visa versa!
And as I teased in the title; here's a new one for you. Just recently opened…..
You might want to check this place out.
And if you're feeling especially fat deprived (hard to think of that being the case this time of the year); you might want to try the dish called "Fried Pork Fat".
Interesting story behind this one. Stay tuned.
Taste of Hunan
9880 Hibert St
San Diego, CA 92131
Best wishes for a wonderful and safe Christmas!
Thanks for stopping by!
Sometimes……..
Sometimes, you just need to take a breath, and enjoy those little things.
Like taking Frankie for a much deserved "frolic"…..
And maybe make the Missus pasta….sort of like She had in Emilia-Romagna……no garlic, no onions, very little olive oil……you gotta get a bit creative.
And then you can take a break…..and have a nice cold one.
I'll be back tomorrow with another restaurant and…or travel post.
Thanks for indulging me!
Traditions- Rosca de Reyes (from Su Pan) and Calendars
mmm-yoso!!! welcomes you to this first Saturday of 2018 with a post from Cathy. Kirk is feeling a bit under the weather.
Today, January 6, is the 12th Day after Christmas. This evening, the 12th Night, is when The Mister and I take down our decorations (which went up on Christmas Eve). It is traditionally known as the Feast of the Three Kings or Epiphany.
Earlier this week, we dropped by Su Pan Bakery to order the Rosca de Reyes, a traditional pastry symbolizing a King's ring which we will have while working on dismantling the tree and cards and decorations. {If there were people helping us, then whomever gets the piece of Rosca with the hidden tiny plastic 'Baby Jesus' inside would be responsible to host the Candelmas Day meal on February 2, another traditional day to take down decorations}.
I did purchase a small Rosca to mail to family back East, hoping they would receive it today…but the weather is very bad and the Post Office tracking shows it probably won't get there until Monday. At least it will be pretty much frozen and probably still fresh. 
Samples of Rosca on the counter…
Su Pan is probably our favorite bakery, not only for the sweets, but also the fresh bread and the breakfasts (tortas, burritos and plates), lunch tortas and, on Friday and Saturday evenings, street tacos- grilling out in the parking lot.
A ham and egg and cheese breakfast bollilo ($4.99). The bollilo (bread) baked here, of course, is fresh. A nice, light crispy, perfect crust. The filling is a wonderful, light scramble of egg and cheese and pieces of ham. The combination of bread and filling is just a perfect breakfast bite.
The bacon, egg and cheese burrito )$4.99) is also a perfect meld of flavors (as well as filled with wonderful pieces of bacon).
Su Pan Bakery 5006 El Cajon Blvd San Diego 92115 Website Open 5 a.m.-10:30p.m. daily
Another New Year tradition for us is changing the calendars with new, business giveaway calendars. The Mister and I usually are on the hunt for these beginning in November, but this year, we were busy and only managed to acquire a few on our own, and I was thrilled to have been helped by my friend, cc, who, with another friend, (Astroboi), went around acquiring(mentioned at the bottom of that post) the majority of the calendars this year.
As always, we must have an Orchard Supply Hardware train calendar (since 1931, all of their calendars have featured trains-the artist this year is John Winfield ). We usually picked one up after decorating Rose Parade floats in Pasadena, but now there is an Orchard Supply close to home. Nijiya Market always has a beautiful, botanic themed calendar and the Zion Market calendar is quite large and good for writing appointments.
Both Seafood City and Lucky Seafood Supermarket have the traditional 'bamboo' calendars, with drawings depicting the Year of the Dog. Otay Mandarin Chinese Restaurant gave away a beautiful, desktop/standing calendar.
There were more, including the Beautiful photography of the Hudson River Valley, given away by the Marist College, a refrigerator magnet calendar from a local realtor, the HMart desktop style, the Buffalo Exchange (which has the calendar in Spanish, indicates the Days of the Saints and begins in December) and, when we were in Pasadena for the Rose Parade Showcase of floats (another post), we stopped in at the House of Cookies and Mrs. Arsen gave us one of their Armenian themed calendars (with Armenian text). It's hanging right next to my desk and I'll try to learn from it this year.
I hope everyone is having a great year, filled with tradition.
Midweek Meanderings – End of an Era? Emerald and San Tong Palace Close and Taking the “One-Chip Challenge”
**** I know most of you know that Emerald has reopened.
Emerald Closes:
As mentioned earlier today in Eater. Emerald suddenly closed their doors on New Year's Eve. My understanding is that it was rather sudden. I've heard from two sources who tell me that Pearl in RB is also on the market.
According to the posted letter they have "closed their doors due to retirement"……
3709 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
San Tong Palace becoming a Sichuan Restaurant?:
Now that our office has relocated, I don't get down to Kearny Mesa quite as much as I used to. But I did notice this on New Year's eve while returning from grocery shopping.
Man, San Tong Palace had been there forever. I heard that the owners had decided to retire. The sign is interesting….doesn't say much. And Spicy City is in the same strip mall.
4690 Convoy St #105
San Diego, CA 92111
Doing the One Chip Challenge:
I brought a couple of packages to Paqui Ghost Pepper Chips to my friends one evening. I kind of enjoyed it; but it is pretty spicy. Which gave "Al" the idea that we should…..yes we….but not her, should do the one chip challenge.
So the arranged night arrived….but only three of us showed up! Talk is cheap.
Yep, this chip is no joke. One of the guys actually threw up later on.
It is really hot….as with really spicy stuff; I got the hiccups, sweated profusely, but made it through without any other ill effects. The agreement was five minutes without yogurt. Which I did.
It does feel like you've chewed up a hot iron and are gargling with battery acid. The heat starts slowly; the first 10-15 seconds are not bad. Then it gets really hot and kind of hangs around for about 15 minutes or so. I felt like I ate a couple of uni…….shells…..
There's actually a video of this….which will hopefully never see the light of day.
Happy New Year
Happy New Year!
Much like I've done every year since December 31st, 2005, I started my day with a visit to Nijiya, Marukai, and Mitsuwa.
I think I've noted that compared to those early years, the variety available has gone down significantly. Probably because of preordering and changing of tastes.
This year, Mitsuwa seemed to have the better "stuffs".
They definitely won out in the protein category……
I did enjoy the "instruction signs" Nijiya put out for items like kazunoko….just in case, you know….you get the urge to try it out.
We enjoyed going out for New Year dinner last year. So I made reservations for an early dinner at Et Voila. Man, we got in at 5pm and there were already folks eating! I'd never seen the place this busy this early……
Et Voilà! 
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116
We then decided to walk on down 30th street and had a nightcap at Toronado.
Toronado
4026 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104
Sorry to say I'm not one for top ten lists….when it comes to meals and such I guess I'm always looking to the "next one". I'm often, like I'm doing right now, starting to plan three trips ahead.
I am however, somewhat sentimental. And having lost both an amazing companion and a good friend and contributor to this blog this year has been hard. It's not something you easily turn the page on.
With that in mind, I'm hoping the upcoming year will help to repair out those torn pages pages….the creases will remain for sure, but I'll be able to read them, reflect, and smile at the memories.
As the year comes to a close, everyone here at mmm-yoso would like to thank you for dropping by and extend best wishes for 2017!