yoso-silly – Page 37

Road Trip-Las Vegas (I found my thrill…)

December 8, 2006 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Las Vegas, Nevada, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

Hi. I wrote this post a little ahead of time and Kirk and I were posting by alternating days of our road trips. I can't possibly follow the Missus' wonderful post from yesterday with anything as creative and beautiful. She truly is so talented with writing and projecting such beautiful imagery, I felt I was in China living Her life with Her. I think we all agree that She has a true gift, and look forward to seeing more of Her stories.

mmm-yoso actually is on another short vacation right now, and Cathy was on one recently, too. Both of us have been blogging, alternating days. Look and see what Cathy ate and did while she was out of town for a few days.

Hi. So, all of you know that Kirk and I blog about where we eat, and what we like … and after a while you have probably-sort of- figured out that mostly we go to places the Locals like.

So, this is Las Vegas. Its open 24/7. People have to work 24/7. It seems a lot of restaurants are open 24 hours. Where oh where is there a place that has good food that is not 'fancy schmancy"? Where do the Locals, the people who work in the casinos, eat? Who should I ask?? Ahhhh, Mr. Bally, of course (my brother, pay attention).

Well, first place Mr. Bally answers to my query is "Blueberry Hill". There are lots of locations all over town. I've seen them when driving on side streets, trying to avoid The Strip. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner anytime you want it. Its sort of a Coco's/Carrow's/Big Boy/Denny's/Jimmy's..a Family type place (Serving Las Vegas since 1987)…booths, nice waitresses who are friendly and would like to get to know you, striking up conversations. Just a good, home-like feeling.

What a menu! Two sided and detailed…

There is a list of "Side Order" prices on the table, and an explanation of why you hear a buzzer every so often (It's to remind the Employees to wash their hands-I do so love sanitation) and the Senior menu, which I find myself looking longingly at sometimes in some places where I would like to have a smaller portion.

..and pay less…I have found myself sometimes saying to The Mister "look, honey, in only x years, we'll be able to order off of this menu"… yes, this is what it comes to…from being irritated how many times I have gotten carded for "appearing to be under the age of 30" to waiting to be 55 and getting less expensive meals…

ANYHOW, I digressed. Sorry… So, we ordered some pretty neat stuff (it was an early breakfast).

Some *great* basic French Toast, crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside, great flavor, with some breakfast sausages (the good ones, with skin).

The 1/2 lb 100% Angus burger, cooked medium rare, the way I like it (looks burned in photo, but was nice and juicy and tasty)and poached eggs (one egg was 'misplaced' upon delivery and promptly replaced) and oh, those pancakes…light, fluffy, buttery tasting. Although Mr. Bally had recommended the waffles, I was not disappointed with these flapjacks. The coffee was good and kept constantly refilled.

Look closely at the menu- the Chicken fried steak is made with Angus beef…the other steaks are choice..and the prices are not at all outrageous.

The food here is fresh, fast, inexpensive, and you can get whatever you want whenever you want. Technically a local chain, family owned and operated.

Blueberry Hill -Multiple Locations in Las Vegas and Henderson. Ask your Hotel Concierge for the closest location (we went to the one at Green Valley and Sunset)

Ah…so there has been a little speculation as to why I am in las Vegas-and without The Mister- well, here is a small clue.

Hmm, Santa dressed like a Cowboy, and the words "Cowboy Christmas"…"The Official Gift Show of the Wrangler National Finals..what is that??? What is Cathy doing in Las Vegas???

And…was that it…oh, "I found my Thrill on Blueberry Hill"…the song…OK, kinda lame but matching the post…or is there more???

OH…Cathy said 'Girls Weekend Out'…I get it- Cowboys! Strong, athletic, muscular…ummm….thrill…

The National Finals Rodeo is a ten day competition of the top 15 contestants from the regular season of each event (bare back riding, team roping, saddle bronc riding, calf roping, barrel racing and bull riding) competing in their event daily and the best of the best in each category after ten days walks away with some hefty prize money and the National Champion title.

Yes, the 5th day of national Finals Rodeo..on the Wrangler "Dare to Wear Pink" night. NFR and PRCA gave a check for $1 million dollars for Breast Cancer Research and the Cowboys, Cowgirls and horses all wore pink during the Competition…as did the opening act, Charlie Daniels.

Before the Rodeo started, you could mill around outside, listening to music and visiting Sponsors displays (for some reason, the Jack Daniels and Coors tents were far more crowded than the Dodge truck display) …

and for the Gentlemen out there, the Copenhagen Smokeless Tobacco Stage…

Yes, I go to National Finals Rodeo every year…and eat in Las Vegas…

The last day, when awards (the coolest belt buckles ever) (along with cash prizes) are handed out is today, Saturday (December 9)…and will be shown on ESPN2 at 6 p.m.

Road Trip-Las Vegas! (Green Valley Ranch Buffet)

December 4, 2006 Cathy Buffets, Las Vegas, Nevada, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

Hi, Cathy here, on an iBook, in an obscure hotel in Las Vegas, with plans for something exciting tomorrow night.

I’m blogging what I ate, and then some…I left San Diego in the wind this morning..and stopped in Baker, to view the World’s largest Thermometer (and get a cup of coffee at Starbucks).

Dinner was at "Feast", the buffet inside Green Valley Ranch Casinos Resort and Spa. $17..and worth it. The Buffet was suggested by Mr. brother, hereafter referred to as "Mr. Bally"who, along with a few others, have made some suggestions as to where I should try to eat while here. Mostly photos…limited descriptions for now..I have to take a nap!…and no photo of the crab legs, chilled shrimp or Mongolian BBQ… I don’t take photos of people…smoked salmon, giant caperberries, fennel chicken salad…there is a lettuce part of the salad bar also…this was *far* more fun. My salad plate(s)..the carving station selections, well some of them anyhow…The Asian food section offered a wide variety of some great tasting food…Then the Italian section…That sauce in the back to the left (not the meatballs) was artichokes, mushrooms and olives…and soooooo goood!
The a sample of desserts:
Ah, so what am I doing here???Well, there is this competition…more tomorrow.
Green Valley Ranch www.greenvalleyranchresort.com

Quick Weekend in Los Angeles

December 3, 2006 mmm-yoso Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Sushi and Sashimi, yoso-silly

Whew, just got in from a short trip to Los Angeles. Here are just a few photos of places I've posted on before.

Of course the Missus's favorite little Sushi Bar is Sushi Komasa.

**** Sushi Komasa has closed

The sushi at Komasa, though not spectacular, has always been consistently good, and is reasonably priced.

On this trip, the Hamachi(Yellowtail) was excellent, a creamy, melt-in-your-mouth tender. The Aji(Spanish Mackerel), was also good.

So tonight we had Ankimo, Maguro, Binnaga(Albacore), Hamachi, Aji, Hirame, Tai(Snapper), Negi-Hama, and Salmon Skin Roll, with Hot Tea, the bill came out to about $65. Not bad at all. You can check out previous posts for more info.

Sushi Komasa
352 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA
213-680-1792

Open Tuesday-Sunday 530pm – 11pm

Since we stayed in Torrance, we had to check out the Torrance Saturday Farmers' Market.

As I noted on my previous post, we used to make the 90 mile round trip to the TFM almost every Saturday when we lived in LA.

We loved the selection, and the low-key atmosphere. And were pleased to see things have not changed. There was still a wonderful selection of produce.

And lots of samples.

Tomatoes seem to be really popular today.

And of course the flowers.

And even Killer Snails!!!

One thing we've noticed is that the Food Court has sure expanded. Though we didn't have a chance to sample the offerings, I took a few photos.

Torrance Sat CFM
Wilson Park, 2200 Crenshaw
Sat, 8A-1P

I know, I know, you're saying, "Reruns, again?" Well stay tuned, I'll have some new posts on a few Los Angeles restaurant, including TianJin and ShenYang cuisine, and other stuff……

And as a great bonus, Cathy's also taking a road trip as well! So you'll be hearing from Her as well.

So why were we in LA? Well, maybe this helps:

Sorry, just being a bit silly. Here's the reason:

Yes, we attended the AKC National Championship. Over 3000 dogs were included in this years show. We'd never attended one of these, and thought this was a great opportunity.

Along with the P-B-G-V(Petit Basset Griffon Verdeen – won the hound group), the Glen of Imaal Terrier, Great Pyrenees, and Dandy Dinmont, we've always loved Havanese. And this was a great chance to check them out.

Hands down, one of our two favorite events was the Agility Invitational.

And it's not just the sporting dogs that compete, some of the biggest cheers were for some of the smaller breeds, like this Bichon Frise:

There were no losers…….

The other event we enjoyed was called "Meet the Breed", where every breed was represented and had a booth. We got to speak to alot of veteran dog owners/experts regarding the various attributes of specific breeds.

Of course there was the show.

As much as we enjoyed the "show" and prejudging portion, we enjoyed other aspects of the show more. Still, it was a great fun!

Meat by the Side of the Road-really

November 20, 2006 Cathy Cooking, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

mmm-yoso!!! is NOT on vacation. Cathy is blogging while Kirk is not. You are here. Continue reading.

Hi again. This is a good, true account of my life.

One day, about 7 years ago, I had occasion to be driving to the house of a friend, daily, in Valley Center (Just north of Escondido, where the Wild Animal Park is located). It was the week before Easter and I noticed, in front of Fat Ivor's (one of 4 restaurants in Valley Center- google it) this yellow trailer, off the side of the road …it says "Optimist Hams and Turkeys" (for now, the turkeys is crossed out..more about that later)…and I drove on by. I asked my friend about it and she had lived in Valley Center and said she saw it there, on occasion, for all the years she had lived there (about ten years at that point) . As I was driving home, I had to stop (you all know I *had* to stop). Here is a better photo, with Fat Ivor's, which is perpendicular to the road, in the picture:

As you can see, some friendly, Valley Center Optimists are sitting under a cover, waiting to chat with you.

I was curious that first time…and back then they were selling half and full smoked hams and also smoked turkeys. The Optimists were using the smoke pit at Fat Ivor's after hours and then sealing the meat in double wrappers. They had a handout, indicating 100% of all proceeds would be used to help Youth in the area, like this handout this year:

Oh, and I happened to be *very* hungry that first time. Back then the half ham was $25…today its $35 and it is *well* worth the price.

The ham is not at all salty nor is it dry. It is deeply smoky, not artificial, and anyhow, I recall I tore through the two layers of thick plastic on the way home, while driving, to tear off a piece of that ham.

Remember, The Mister, born in Finland; smoked meat is something he craves, and he knows what he likes (smoked cheese by the way, is just plain *wrong*).

I've been getting a half ham every holiday since. The half ham is $35 this year, the full ham is $55. It became less cost effective to smoke turkeys. (Something about having to have them reach a very cold temperature within two hours after smoking).

Note that sometimes they run out, but you can order and pay and pick up another day. It's only available these three Holidays a year (Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter) and is *worth* the drive.

Aren't you glad I stopped? I am.

The yellow trailer, in front of Fat Ivor's 27961 Valley Center Road, Valley Center, CA 92082. Starting the Saturday before Thanksgiving, the Saturday before Christmas and the Saturday before Easter

Saturday “Stuffs”

November 4, 2006 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

*** An updated post on Dae Jang Keum can be found here.

Here’s some updates and notes.

Boo Cho has gone through several Owners over the last few years. So I guess that the newest set of owners have decided that a name change was necessary, So Boo Cho has become Dae Jang Keum, or Dae Jang Kuem, depending on which sign you read……

The restaurant has sure gone through a major face lift, new glass doors, the bar next door, has been renovated as well. I haven’t had a chance to eat there yet, but will make sure to check it out soon.

One other restaurant has changed names, Ko Hayang Jip is now Go-Ba-Woo. I keep forgetting to mention the name change.

We’ve visited twice since the name change, and the food and menu is still the same.

Go Ba Woo BBQ
4373 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

I’m guessing that Chopstix is doing rather well. Chopstix Too has just opened in the former Samurai Sam’s location across from Mitsuwa Marketplace.

Chopstix Too
4380 Kearny Mesa Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

A few other upcoming events.

We saw this sign posted on Clairemont Drive.

In case you’re interested.

Imperial Beach Beachfront BBQ Competition.

Yes, a real BBQ contest sanctioned by the California Barbecue Association. The event will take place on November 10th and 11th. We’ll be there for sure, since one of our favorite fellow Food Bloggers Professor Salt, and the Four-Q BBQ Team, made up of fellow Food Bloggers will be competing.

You can read about it on You gonna eat that?

Good luck Four-Q!

Logo courtesy Four-Q BBQ team

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Fall Back the mmm-yoso Way – Brunch at the Red Lion Hanalei Hotel

October 29, 2006 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Buffets, yoso-silly

*** The Hanalei Hotel is now a Crowne Plaza Hotel, and the Sunday Brunch is no more…..

Coming from Hawaii, I’ve always thought the time changes for Daylight Saving Time to be quite strange. I’ve read about the Rationales for DST, and well as the criticisms. To most of us, it just means changing our clocks. Over the last 3 years or so, we’ve found a new rationale for DST, or at least the "Fall Back" portion. After thinking about whole process, we had come to the conclusion that gaining an extra hour during the last Sunday of October meant, not an extra hour of sleep, but an extra hour of digestion……get the drift? Thus, we’ve made a sort of tradition of having Sunday Brunch on Fall Back Sunday, and putting that extra hour of digestion to good use.

We rarely partake of Sunday Brunch, but have 2 favorite brunches in San Diego, one a bit more on the expensive side, Le Fountainebleu at the Westgate Hotel runs about $40 per person, and the Sunday Brunch at the Red Lion Hanalei Hotel, which runs about $25 per person. I won’t go into great detail about these brunches, mainly because I’d just be going over what you can find at Jim, The Sunday Brunchmasters Site. Jim goes over the info and offerings at the Red Lion Hanalei Brunch here.

I’ll just post a few photos.

As with most brunches of any price, you mileage will vary. At this brunch, we’re not particularly fond of the shrimp and crab legs, nor the "sushi"…but, the shrimp is peeled, and the crab legs are already halved, and if you love "rolls" you might find the sushi to be pretty good. We also are not big fans of the chafing dish items.

But as those photos above show, one of the items we love at this brunch is the smoked salmon.

The Missus will eat about a pound of the stuff. We also enjoy the Kona Coffee, the Champagne(sorry don’t remember the brand), and most of all, the service. We’ve always had good service at the Red Lion Hanalei. For example on this visit, it was quite packed, and we didn’t want to deal with the crowds, and since it was a very pleasant morning we were seated outside. I asked for a ramekin for the "Jus", and not knowing that it’s not among the plates, the very nice young man, told me to hold on a second, ran into the kitchen and brought me a ramekin, before I had a chance to tell him not to go out his way. The Missus went so far as to ask the Young Man manning the carving station for the bone from the leg of lamb….for guess who? Let’s just say "Da Boyz" loved it, and when our Server found out She brought us a "doggie bag"(literally) for it. And to top things off, when we were presented with our bill, the Young Lady told us that she had a few extra $2 off coupons, so She used them for us! How’s that for service!

Here’s Frankie’s bone.

Today the Lamb was very good, better than on our previous 2 visits.

Of course you can’t forget about the desserts.

I don’t have a real sweet tooth, but the Missus says the selection is nice. And of course the chocolate tower. The Missus needs to be under supervision whenever She gets close to one of these, I’m always worried that She’ll stick some chicken or shrimp under the fountain and make me eat it. She has been known to cause fountain malfunctions by using too much chocolate, and the Brunchmaster was a witness to one of these incidents.

Just ignore the rice in the photo…it’s a long story. For dessert I just had some pineapple to help me optimize that extra hour of digestion.

Overall I think we made great use of the extra hour, what do you think? How did you use that extra hour???? Oh and what about losing that hour in March? Well, you just have to eat faster! LOL!

All the info you need to know for this brunch can be found here.

Thanks for putting up with this silliness and indulging me. Tomorrow it’s back to stuff like this:

I’m Baaaack!!!

October 19, 2006 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Hey everyone….well, I’m back, somewhat rested and refreshed.

First off, I’d like to thank Cathy for doing a great job while I was away. I really can’t thank Her enough! Since I’m pretty sure all of you will miss her posts; I think/hope She’ll do this again in the future…maybe with some persistent begging. Whaddaya say Cathy???

As for the vacation; well the Missus and I did spend a few days away, but spent most of our time at home, enjoying our favorite restaurants, cooking, and attending the SDAFF. I really didn’t take many photos, but I did miss you all.

As for our trip…..well, you know me, I’m not going to make it that easy for you all. Though, this one might be really easy. Here are a few photo hints:

Nice pine trees…now where could this be?

How about a nice rock formation?

Or two…..

I’m sure you notice the ocean…..so here’s a shot of the "beach". But what’s that in the distance?

Since this is a Food Blog, I guess I better get around to some food.

This one makes it easy.

But where, exactly? Here’s the best hint:

All wrapped up in a nice sunset.

See you tomorrow, with a new post!

Saturday Silliness – Spam®

September 16, 2006 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

I had more than a few comments and Emails about Spam® after I posted on Korean Hometown Restaurant, several of them including one comment from Emily, who authors the wonderful What’s For Lunch Food Blog, asked about the Spam® – Hawaii connection. Now I’m not a Food Anthropologist, but I remember a few things about Spam.

Food Anthropologist Rachel Lauden in Her entertaining book The Food of Paradise writes a bit about the history of Spam® in Hawaii, but more about the perception, attitudes, and different Spam preparations. What little I do know is; in the 1930’s Hormel SPiced hAM, became Spam®. The SPiced hAM product itself was first developed as way to market the left over pork shoulder from canned Ham production. So the name Spam®, was basically a marketing tool. The Hawaii history is based around one major event in History, World War II. Because Spam(and other canned meats like Vienna Sausage) requires no refrigeration, it was portable and convenient food for the U.S. Military, who introduced it to Hawaii, and other areas in the world(i.e. Korea). And so Spam® became the equal opportunity food of Hawaii, crossing racial and economic boundaries. After all it’s not bland, it’s not tough, it’s flexible(check out Hawaii’s Spam Cookbook) and it goes great with rice! Spam® consumption in Hawaii is somewhere around 4 million cans a year………

Here are a few entertaining links that delve farther "into" Spam® than I ever could :

History of Spam

Spam Links(no pun intended)

The Amazing and Fabulous Spam Site

Wikpedia – Spam

And one fun book, Spam: A Biography.

Here’s something I made recently that I enjoyed. Guess what it is?

What happened was the Missus cut the rounded ends off a block of Spam®, so I was left with a square block. So I cut a few pieces off, and made Spam® Katsu. But I wasn’t finished, I also fried an egg, and warmed up some Japanese Curry, and made me some Spam® Katsu Curry:

It was quite good. We found that breading the Spam®, cut down on the salty flavor. I’ll make this again, as soon as my arteries recover………

Which just goes to show…..Spam® is supposed to be eaten.

Odds and Ends

September 3, 2006 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

"New" Tajima Restaurant?

I was driving up Mercury Street and noticed a "new" restaurant, so I turned into the strip mall, and was shocked. The sign said Tajima, which is a quite popular Japanese Restaurant residing just a few blocks away.

The sign fronting the restaurant says "Open", but of course, the restaurant was not. I drove a few blocks away to the "Old" Tajima, and it was still open. So I dunno……

The location is 4411 Mercury St, San Diego, 92111.

2006 San Diego Korean Festival

I was reading a local Asian publication, when this flyer fell out:

I know I’ve been lax about posting upcoming festivals and events, so I though I’d just mention this. It’s taking place on Sat-Sun, September 9th and 10th. The location is Engineer Road.

Click on the photo to enlarge. Sorry I just took a photo of the flyer on our frig, nothing fancy here.

Emily’s Back!

I know many of you enjoy EmilyK’s food blog What’s for Lunch. It’s good to know that She was just on Holiday, and is back posting. Welcome back Emily.

The Question of the Day

September 1, 2006 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

Is…Would you buy this duck????

Parts Missing? What does that mean…like the meat? Or maybe like the Missus says, "perhaps something more precious?" Gulp! And even worse retaining water!!!!

Well it looks like a duck, but I think it’s too late to hear what it sounds like, and I don’t think we’ll be able to see it walk soon. And if it did, I’d be afraid…very afraid.

I really think that there is a better way of labeling this. And I really feel for the poor fellow. After all, I started thinking about parts of me that are missing…I had a piece of my ankle chopped off while being packed on a bike while I was a youngster, 3 discs from my back…..well let’s stop there; I already qualify for this label, lucky thing I’m not a duck, eh?

Happy Labor Day weekend!