yoso-silly – Page 14

Saturday Stuffs – Scenes from the Little Italy Mercato, Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, and Other “stuffs”

January 5, 2019 mmm-yoso Exploring San Diego, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

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!

January 1, 2019 mmm-yoso French Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

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….

December 24, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, yoso-silly

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……..

May 1, 2018 mmm-yoso Beer, Cooking, yoso-silly

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

January 6, 2018 Cathy Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

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”

January 3, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, yoso-silly

**** 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

December 31, 2017 mmm-yoso European Restaurants, French Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

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!

Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2017 mmm-yoso Alsace, France, Paris, France, Travel, yoso-silly

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season!

Funny thing, we're not real big "Christmas folks". But something strange happened during our last trip. First, we visited Galeries Lafayette in Paris. Every year, there's a theme, and a huge Christmas Tree spanning five stories under the dome of the department store. You can click on the image and it will take you to the video page.

And then we went to the city of Strasbourg, which claims to have the largest Christmas Market in Europe. They say that Strasbourg is the Capital of Christmas. The entire city becomes a Christmas Market.

Yes, it's very commercial, but for some reason all the happy people, all the sights and sounds, just put us in a great mood.

You could say we found our Christmas spirit!

Want to see more amateurish videos?

You can find them on Flickr – here, here, and here.

We hope you have a fantastic and delici-yoso Christmas!

Thanksgiving Day, 2017

November 23, 2017 Cathy Cooking, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

We at mmm-yoso!!! wish everyone reading a Happy Thanksgiving Day. Kirk and His Missus (as well as Cathy and Her Mister) are enjoying non-traditional Thanksgiving Day activities (and meals). Cathy is writing this post.

The Mister and I found some good prices on turkeys and sides a few weeks ago. We couldn't wait and have had our feast. Of course, a regular side dish is always made and usually consumed as an 'appetizer'. Fresh cranberries weren't even available in the stores yet….but have been purchased for future meals. The leftovers were wonderful!

The temperatures in San Diego County will be in the 90's today; it will be summer-y, not autumn-y.

You'll be getting a couple of posts about how all of us observed this holiday.

Until then, be safe, enjoy this day of Thanks, family and/or friends, and/or strangers and have a Happy Thanksgiving from the mmm-yoso gang!

Midweek Meanderings – Red Card Cafe Closes, Sprouts Opens, and Kroran Cuisine Coming Soon

November 8, 2017 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Red Card Café Closes:

While driving on Morena a couple of weeks ago; I noticed the "For Lease" sign, so I stopped to take a look.

I was quite surprised to see that Red Card Café had closed down. They had just brought on a new chef and revamped the menu at bit a few months back. Things had looked promising.

Sad to see them go.

4140 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Sprouts Opens in Bay Park:

Or if you prefer; Clairemont. It depends whom you talk to.

While I was sad to see Keil's close. I felt really bad about all the employees who had been there since we moved to the area fifteen years ago. I hardly ever shopped at Keil's; or any of the large supermarket chains. So, I guess Sprouts makes sense for us. They opened up on the 25th of October.

Good to see the strip mall filling up. Now, I'm wondering what's going to take the place of the Hometown Buffet and the old Mike's BBQ.

3015 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

Kroran Uyghur Cuisine Opening in the Former Nazca Grill Spot:

So, I've been working fairly long hours, some of it in the OC. It's often dark when I leave for work in the morning and likewise when I drive home in the evening. I saw a sign in the window of the old Nazca Grill. So, I took a turn into the strip mall for a look.

So, Kroran Uyghur Cuisine, huh? This is going to be interesting. The sign says "Coming in 2018".

4310 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117