What’s the Missus Craving? Moroheiya (GreeNoodle) Noodle Soba Style

This one is interesting. The Missus wanted zaru soba…well, without the soba! Figure that one out? The Missus enjoys the Tsuyu, the daikon oroshi, wasabi, and grated ginger, but just does not like the flavor and texture of buckwheat noodles! Hmmm……so, funny thing how things just pop back up. A couple of years back, we had a tasting of GreeNoodles at Mitsuwa. The reason that we were interested was that the noodles were made with "Moroheiya", also known as Mulukhiyah, but really know to us as Molokhia, a green veggie we first encountered and enjoyed in Tunisia. Funny thing, we next saw Molokhia available for purchase at Nijiya of all places. I remember being told how healthy Molokhia is. But beyond that, we loved the slightly bitter-vegetal flavor. And the Missus enjoyed how those dried noodles tasted. Anyway, looking for an alternative to soba, I decided to get a couple of packages of GreeNoodle from Tokyo Central (aka Marukai). Of course I wasn't getting the stuff with those powdered soup packets (there's miso, tum yum, yakisoba, etc…). I was just getting a package of dried noodles – $1.99 each.

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Supposedly a good amount of fiber, the noodles aren't fried, a good source of potassium, beta carotene, manganese, antioxidants, blah, blah, blah…..

The main thing is; would the Missus enjoy this? And guess what, She loves it! It's quite simple. I just boil for about 3 minutes, rinse, then put into ice water to chill, then drain. I serve it just like zaru soba. It's so refreshing!

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I've made this five times over the last sweltering two weeks. I guess it's a fixture now. Though I can tell the Missus is getting tired of it because She's requested a "Ma Jiang Mian"; cold sesame noodle version. Go figure.

You know, with all the hot weather, I haven't been making anything really complex. Though, it's been quite interesting. This is another favorite of the Missus. It's based on a dish from our favorite Sichuan restaurant in Paris. So, I've made this like four times already.

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Not sure it's worth a post though….

Still, I thought you might be interested in these Moroheiya Noodles; which have a better texture, taste, and is much more healthy than that instant ramen you're eating. Plus, I thought it interesting how this plant, which supposedly originated in Ancient Egypt, that we first tasted in Tunisia, and then saw for sale at Nijiya, can be found in noodle form! 

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Have a great weekend!

Midweek Meanderings – Looks like Zen Curry is Becoming Curry Club, Fish With You coming to Convoy, New Owners for Tsuruhashi, and Other Stuffs

Just a quick midweek post on a nice, and much cooler Wednesday!

Looks like Zen Curry is permanently closed becoming Curry Club:

**** Update 8/1 – Thanks to some great work by "FOY" Elle (see comments section) Zen Curry is becoming "Curry Club". Here's a link to the Instagram Account. Thanks as always Elle!

Well, this one has been a mystery for a while. I recall first seeing the "temporarily closed" sign back in July 2023. So, just for kicks I went into the parking lot which also houses Katsu Cafe and Yuk Dae Jang and guess what? The Zen Curry sign is gone!

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The same sign saying to check their website is posted.

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The website still says "Reopening TBD". 

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But I would assume that no sign means no reopening???

Perhaps one of our "FOYs" might know? As noted above; per Elle, Zen Curry is becoming Curry Club. Like I always say, this blog would not exist without all you "Friends of yoso"!

7309 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Fish With You coming to Convoy:

Sometimes just waiting to post something works out right. After my lunch at Izakaya Sakura I took a walk around the strip mall to see what was going on. I quickly noticed that Shen Tan BBQ had closed.

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The Change of Ownership sign indicated something named Wei's Fish was taking its place.

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Fast forward a week and the the Eater did a post. Looks like this will be part of chain from Beijing whose name in the US is Fish With You. When I showed the Missus the website She got quite excited. You know how much She loves Suan Cai, right? Well, this chain specializes in Suan Cai Yu. Basically, boiled fish with pickled cabbage, which the Missus loves. 

It's going to be interesting!

3904 Convoy St Suite 101
San Diego, CA 92111

Looks like Tsuruhashi has new ownership?:

While walking back to the car, I noticed a Change of Ownership sign in the window of Tsuruhashi.

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Looks like it'll still be Tsuruhashi though.

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Tsuruhashi Japanese BBQ
3904 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

And Finally:

My food friend "CY" asked me if I was attending the San Diego Taiwanese Festival? Huh? You know how much the Missus and I love Taiwan!

After checking out the link and additional info from a few sources, I found that it's more of a Cultural Festival brought to you by Taiwanese American Professionals (TAP), then a food festival, but it still looks like fun. I'm not sure if you know, but one of San Diego's Sister Cities is Taichung. It is taking place at Torrey Hills Park, 4260 Calle Mejillones from 2pm to 5pm this Saturday, August 3rd. I believe you need to RSVP to attend.

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Looks like lots of activities for kids and such.

San Diego Taiwan Festival
Saturday, August 3, 2024 – 2pm – 5pm
Torrey Hills Park, 4260 Calle Mejillones, San Diego, CA

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Monday Meanderings – Juewei Coming to Convoy, SotBBQ Replacing Olleh Sushi, and Recently Consumed

We're recently back from yet another Road Trip and I needed to do my rounds this past weekend. Driving around Kearny Mesa I noticed a few new places.

Juewei Coming to Convoy:

I actually drove into Plaza del Sol on Convoy to see what was going on with China Max and noticed a new sign. Right next to Bonchon was this signage.

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Whoa, could it actually be? We had been to Jue Wei Kitchen in San Gabriel for the duck neck, pig's feet, etc…….

So, just before typing this up I dropped by Eater San Diego and according to their post, it is true. Get ready for some spicy duck neck, pig ears, tripe, and all kinds of braised goodies!

4690 Convoy St #103
San Diego, CA 92111

SotBBQ Replacing Olleh Sushi:

While driving East on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, I noticed another new sign. This one for something called SotBBQ? This is in the plaza where the original location of Menya Ultra is located.

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Less than two years ago Olleh Sushi replaced Old House Hot Pot, and before that it was Uniboil, which replaced Beauty Hunan, which replaced Szechuan Taste! Man, is this location cursed or what?

Well, we'll see how this works out.

8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

And finally…….

Man, this past weekend was a hot one, huh?

I really didn't want to work too hard at cooking and with the post 4th of July folks still crowding things….man, was the Little Italy Mercato packed. I couldn't find any parking at my usual spots and had to actually get metered parking!

Anyway, just to get a bit silly here, we had stuff from the farmers market; great tomatoes from Andrew at Indian Summer Farms, Fuerte Avocados from another stand. We had gotten a nice sourdough loaf from Erick Schat's Bakery in Bishop, perfect for sandwiches, and so forth…..

For a light lunch I made an Avocado – Tomato Toast, with lardons of bacon and feta…..

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And for lunch yesterday, it was a Watermelon-Bacon-Feta Salad with tomato, basil, cilantro micro greens, and butter lettuce.

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Nice and refreshing.

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What have you been eating to "beat the heat"?

Hope everyone has a great week!

Midweek Meanderings – Shaka Coffee (Balboa) Closes, the Meaning of “Meat Day”, and a Pandemic Flashback

Just a couple of odd and ends for "hump day".

Shaka Coffee on Balboa Closes:

I recently did some takeout from Noble Chef. I parked and noticed the coffee stand in the strip mall had closed.

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And the reason was made clear a split second later.

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Sigh…..

I mean aren't there already 3 other Starbucks locations within a couple of blocks?

The Meaning of "Meat Day":

So, I did a quick stop at Nijiya for "Meat Day" which is the 29th of the month.

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A customer looking at some pork asked her companion why meat day was always on the 29th. Which got me thinking…..I hadn't even thought about the reason.

And then it came to me; 29 in Japanese is something like "ni-kyu/ku" if I recall, and I'm sure you know that "meat" in Japanese is "niku" (肉). Duh, how many years have I been going on meat day and didn't realize this.  I guess I'm not the "sharpest knife in the drawer".

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Having a Pandemic Flashback:

Well, this one has nothing to do with food or drink. I made a quick run to our local Rite Aid on the way home today. I walked in and went to the section with cleaners and couldn't believe my eyes.

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I then walked thru a couple of more aisles…..

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I immediately had flashbacks to March of 2020! I did find what I needed and went to the cashier. I asked him what was going on, was this location of Rite Aid closing? He told me it's just a "supply issue." Well no kidding.

Now to make this even more interesting; I'm wondering if he was actually an employee of Rite Aid or perhaps an apparition? Well, because when I looked at my receipt…..

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Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

mmm-yoso makes 19!

As is my usual weekend morning routine, I dropped by regular weekend coffee stop. Seeing that it was pretty quiet, strange for a Sunday, I decided to actually get a veggie bagel for breakfast and have a seat.

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When my breakfast arrived I looked at my phone and sheesh! I suddenly realized that our little blog made 19! Aiyah….just like last year, the date totally slipped my mind! So you'll just have a veggie bagel photo for this post!

The years sure have flown by and not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that we'd still have our eating and traveling "diary" of sorts around 5263 posts later!

I'm certain that we wouldn't be if not for all the wonderful comments (50,051 of them!), emails, and recommendations over the years. I humbly thank you for all the visits and hopefully next year I'll be more on top of things!

Thanks again for being great F(riends) O(f) Y(oso)!!!!!

Where in the world were we?

Whew, ever had a trip that was so amazing that time flew by and having done so much, when thinking an experience that happened just a few days ago it seemed like weeks ago? Well, we're back from that amazing trip. In spite of the combination of flight time and layovers taking 15 hours plus each way, this one was one of those once-in-a lifetime experiences, from the time we landed in the country's capital at 9300 feet we were entranced.

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From the UNESCO World Heritage Capital.

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To the even higher surroundings.

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The diversity is amazing. In fact, there are 4 different geographical regions in this fairly small country!

Another interesting fact, the Country is named for the imaginary line that separates the Northern and Southern Hemisphere and takes great pride in being called the "middle of the world".

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And yet, things really got even more incredible when we did our cruise. To an archipelago I had always dreamed of exploring. And now have a better understanding of how a famous Naturalist became enchanted and inspired by his visit here when still a young man. And whose most well-known publication is inextricably linked to the islands.

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Our 7-day cruise explored the Northern portion of the archipelago and in all we visited 7 islands. And amazingly, the terrain of each one was different.

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And the Captain even took us on a spur of the moment visit to see nature in action as well!

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Even more impressive was the wildlife.

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And each island had unique variations of species.

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There are strict rules in place on the islands, thus many creatures displayed no fear of hoo-mans.

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Some were even quite curious.

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And it was amazing to see these creatures in their natural habitat.

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It was an enriching experience and we learned so much.

And yes, this is still a food blog…..so we have that covered as well.

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So let me recover from jet lag and get back to posting!

Thanks for being "a pal"……

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And "dropping in".

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Thanks for stopping by!

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You are what you eat? Chapulines……

Our good friend "Alle" just got back from Mexico and had some great omiyagi for us. Among the goodies was some Chapulines. She told me they were from Mercado de San Juan and were among the best she's ever had. We had come to really enjoy chapulines  during our time visiting Oaxaca and nothing here we've gotten here in the states compares.

In case you don't know what chapulines is, here's the Wikipedia page. It's basically roasted grasshopper and has a smoky, almost shrimpy flavor, with a crunchy texture.

Man, these were so good!

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The Missus was really enjoying this with Her avocado toast or on eggs or with some Mezcal, but She wanted to have these for brunch.

So, we headed on over to Carnival Market and got some of the house made chicharron.

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So, with the chopped chicharron and the chapulines….

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With some of the house made tortilla chips, grape tomatoes, perfectly ripe avocado, salsa verde, salsa habanero, white onion, micro cilantro….you get the picture……some hipster chilaquiles.

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But let's not forget what chapulines brings to this….

Thanks again Alle!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Duff’s Doggz (Poway) and Queen Califia’s Magical Circle (Escondido)

It seems that I'm finally getting back into my car and driving around a bit. Something that I used to do quite often before Covid, inflation, and crazy gas prices. In those days it wouldn't be unusual for me to get into the vehicle, then head on off without a destination in mind. Ah, those were the days. But now, finally, it seems that I'm sort of getting back into the groove. Though these days it seems like I do have an objective. Having a Tuesday off, I got into the car and went for a cold brew. After getting my coffee, bolstered by a few sips, I suddenly had a plan for the morning!

There are things that stick in my mind over the years; like this, which we saw outside the Guggenheim in Bilbao way back in 2015.

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This work is called The Three Graces, aka "Dancing Nanas" by French Artist Niki de Saint Phalle. It brought a smile to my face. 

Over the years, we'd come across her work in places like the Stravinsky Fountain in Paris. Located at Place Stravinsky, next to the Centre Pompidou.

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Which we've walked pass innumerable during our visits to the city. Though I can only recall only posting a photo once.

One of the interesting things I noted way back in my post on Bilbao was that Niki de Saint Phalle was a resident of La Jolla from 1994 until her death in 2002. In fact, many of her works can be found around San Diego. In fact, several decades back, I recalled seeing one of her works on the Campus of UCSD. It's called Sun God and was the first work added to the collection. I gotta get back there one of these days. 

Back in the summer of last year, I came across this article on the KPBS site, which mentioned the artist's final work, completed posthumously, is located in Escondido; Queen Califia's Magical Circle. This large work tells the story of the namesake of California, Calafia, Queen of the "Island of California". The sculpture garden is only open on Tuesdays and Thursday from 9 to noon and one two Saturdays a month. I didn't want to deal with any crowds so I decided to head on over to Kit Carson Park. I easily found parking near the Escondido Sports Center and walked to the entrance "gate".

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Right where Eagle Scout Lake is.

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I must say, the squirrels here are fearless. They'll saunter right on over to you!

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From here you just follow the signs….

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And you'll come to the sculpture garden; which was fenced off due to incidents of vandalism and damage over the years. The limited hours are partially due to having the place staffed by volunteer docents.

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It's something to see.

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All the mirrors, totems, and symbols inspired by Native American and Pre-Colombian art. Instead of droning on, I'll just post some photos.

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All under the watchful "eyes" of Queen Califia.

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I had a wonderful chat with the Docent. And for more info on Queen Califia's Magical Circle, you can read the Wikipedia page or this post in Hidden San Diego.

Queen Califia's Magical Circle
Located in the Iris Sankey Arboretum
Kit Carson Park
3333 Bear Valley Parkway
Escondido, CA 92025

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After visiting, I took the loop back to the easy walking trail and made my way back to the car.

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There's a large picnic area and even an area where folks were playing frisbee golf!

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It was a fun time, but now I was getting hungry. It was only 945 and I didn't want a whole lot to eat before heading home. And then it came to me; back in January 2022, in the comments of my Chicago Fire Grill post, "FOY" DavidG recommended his favorite hot dog spot, Duff's Doggz. So, I brought up my Google Maps app, plugged in the name and off I went. Down the I-15 exited on Camino Norte, ending up in the parking lot of Home Depot? Hmmm…… I then spotted the little shack on the East side of the parking lot.

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For some reason this little stand brought back memories of Woodies/Waldo's. There were two guty in front of me in line already. The young Asian kid ordered three hot dogs (which he devoured!) and the other guy got a Lobster Roll, which whew…was like $25.

When it was my turn in line.

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I simply went with a Chicago Dog ($8.95).

Soon my dog was ready. There was only one young lady working and she did a great job!

Duffs 03 Duffs 04  The poppy seed bun was adequately fluffy, the sport peppers spicy, of course there was the radioactive green relish. The dog had a nice snap, I'd expect no less from a Vienna Beef wiener, though for some reason it seemed a bit thinner than what I'm used too? Everything else was in line; pickle wedge, check, tomato slices, check. A bit too heavy handed with the celery salt, but this was a decent Chicago Dog. 

Duff's Doggz
12047 Carmel Mountain Rd.
San Diego, CA 92128
Current Hours:
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Sat, Sun 10am – 6pm
Wed, Fri                                   10am – 630pm

I know, it may seem a bit odd, a fantastic wonderous sculpture garden, followed by a Chicago Dog? But, for some reason, on this beautiful, sunny spring day, it just seemed right!

Thanks for the recommendation DavidG!

Leilanis Attic

So recently, I wanted, nay needed some Chili Peppah Wata for some kalua pork. Now, in the past my usual stop would be Marukai. But since Don Quijote bought Marukai, the stores and what they carry seemed to have changed. There are certain local kine items I know I can get reliably at Marukai, like Aloha Shoyu, but since the change, there are items that are not always available. So, this time around I just decided to hele on over to Leilani's Attic which opened in March of last year. They had Parks Chili Water in stock, the folks working are always friendly, and I like supporting these local businesses anyway. Anyway, I went looking for my post on Leilanis and there wasn't one! What the heck….senior moment creeping in.

So, I decided to drop by at the tail end of my usual Saturday shopping errands (Leilanis opens at 10), just browse a bit (and get some taro chips), and sneak in a few photos. The shop is located in the strip mall that contains Sipz, Di Chan, and Ma's House.

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And in case you're wondering, this is the shop that was next to Leilani's in PB. They also have an outlet in Vegas now as well. It's a small, but well organized shop, food one side, all the other "stuffs" like Local Motion, Hilo Hatties, one another side.

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To be honest, I don't really spend much time in this area.

I'm looking for grocery stuff when I come here. What I've noticed during recent visits is that the crack seed displays, while still yielding a decent variety are kind of depleted.

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Of course there are all the standards….

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And if you need to Noh, this is wea' you can go!

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The one thing I really enjoy about L's Attic is that there are always things that "take me back"; that bring on that warm nostalgic feeling. Just looking at the cold and freezer case for instance.

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Would have me smiling thinking about debates my friends and I would have; "are you team Purity, or team Redondo's"? As I've noted before, I'm totally "team Purity". As for Gouviea, well that was for special occasions, since we could never depend on getting that during small kid time.

Check out this shelf.

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It's amazing what little thing can bring on all those feelings. Like the time I saw that Leilanis carries Good News.

Leilanis Attic 08 Leilanis Attic 10  In case you haven't heard of this, Good News was created back in the 70's. I believe that Good News is mainly sold back in the Islands these days. This was my late Mom's favorite guilty pleasure. She would get me to walk to Kaimuki Sundries or Lau Market to get one for her every once in a while. Every time I see it within the confines of a small neighborhood store or market, I can't help but think of my walks (she never did learn to drive and we had no car) around the corner to get one for her.

Enough of that. Yes, there are places where you can get local kine stuffs these days. For some reason, I enjoy the shopping experience at Leilanis. Also, the nice guy working told me he can order Parks Brand Kim Chee Sauce for me. You don't get that kind of service at large markets. I haven't been able to get that here or in OC for a while. So perhaps it's time for me to make my Chicken Alice Fried Chicken, which I call the "OG KFC" soon.

I'm glad to have a place like Leilanis in a more convenient location for me!

Leilanis Attic
5505 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Open Daily 10am – 7pm

Where on the road were we?

Well, in case you didn't notice; things were a bit quiet here over the last couple of days. Cathy has been super busy and as for us; well, we had us a little road trip. Where you might inquire? I'm glad you asked.

We started fairly locally and did almost a repeat staycation from last month.

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And enjoyed another meal at what is now a favorite of the Missus.

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We enjoy the vibe here…..

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Our next stop was for dinner at a new Chinese restaurant that I understand spent 3 million dollars on renovations before recently opening.

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Well, to say the decor was impressive is an understatement.

Our next stop was a city in Northern LA County. A charming and friendly city, with a lovely "main street".

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The Missus wanted to go hiking in the area to see if the poppies were in bloom. Which was just starting up, so we didn't see much.

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Regardless, we really enjoyed the nice 5 1/2 mile hike, which was quite easy. It was so peaceful, we just loved the sounds of the birds chirping and singing…..

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The city itself is famous for Aerospace development.

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And there's some pretty over-the-top street art as well.

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We had two dinners in town.

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Perhaps a bit more "fried centric" than we are for these days. But I got to get my fried cheese curd fix in.

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Along with some nice brews.

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On the return trip we had lunch at an old favorite, which really delivered.

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And then dinner at an Omakase only place we'd been wanting to try for a while.

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We just returned and am getting things in order.

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Thanks for dropping by and my apologies while I try to climb back to reality!

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