mmm-yoso – Page 110 – As in, yoso-silly, yoso-hungry, yoso-full, or best of all; mmm-delici-yoso!!!!! A San Diego based food and travel blog. An Ex-Pat Kama'aina and Friends explore food, restaurants, and travel from San Diego and points beyond.

Tahini (Kearny Mesa)

May 6, 2022 Cathy Middle Eastern Restaurants/Cuisine, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Cathy is writing today; Kirk and His Missus are on vacation.

Since October 2017, Tahini has been thriving in the small strip mall on Clairmont Mesa just East of the County Assessors Office. The 'original' location is being reconstructed to open as Finjån (a Turkish/hot sand coffee shop) just next door to the newer, larger corner storefront. Same owners. There is plenty of parking in front as well as behind the building. You step inside, walk up and order (there is also a Self-Service ordering kiosk in that far corner next to the cash register).

The menu is simple.
Three types of 'main' dishes that you can personalize with three types of proteins and toppings. There are also six 'appetizers'-which could be a primary meal, seven 'sides' and one dessert. Everything is made to order; fresh pita is constantly cooling on racks near the entrance, fresh from the oven.
'Halloumi Cheese Stix' appetizer ($9). Halloumi is a semi-hard cheese with a high melting point, so it can be fried. It is a goat and sheep's milk cheese, kind of tangy. It's served on top of a wheat pita along with a fig jam and a cucumber-yogurt sauce. Every element of this appetizer is fresh and flavorful. This is a half order of Tahini Fries ($5). Crisp potato fries topped with tomato, red onion, red bell pepper, pepperoni, kalamata olives, feta cheese, garlic sauce and tahini sauce. (The large size ($7) is more than enough for sharing).
This is a side order of Cumato Salad ($3). Cucumbers and tomatoes, diced and mixed with an olive oil based dressing, topped with feta. Refreshing. (The Cumato Salad appetizer is $6).

The "Build Your Own" menu consists of three choices: Pita Sandwich, Salad or Rice Bowl. There are three choices of protein: falafel (made when you order), chicken shawarma or steak shawarma. The chicken is marinated with 10+ ingredients and the beef is certified Angus, also marinated with 10+ ingredients.
This is the chicken shawarma salad ($12.50-salad, $9.50, add chicken $3), customized with add ons and topped with garlic sauce and tahini sauce.

Choices of add ons: lettuce, tomato, pickles, pickled turnips, cheese, parsley mix, bell pepper, kalamata olives, pepperocini. (Feta cheese is 50¢ as are toasted almonds).

Housemade sauces: tahini, garlic, BBQ tahini, Sriracha tahini, cilantro tahini, cucumber yogurt.

Plenty of moist, marinated, roasted chicken; plenty of all the other ingredients. Fresh, flavorful, wonderful.
The steak salad ($12.50) had a generous portion of the marinated steak as well as all the other ingredients.
This time, asking for the sauce on the side was a way to try the BBQ tahini (it was subtle; you could still make out the sesame base) as well as our 'must have', the whipped garlic sauce. Again, a wonderful, filling, tasty salad.
A falafel sandwich ($9- pita sandwich is $8, falafel is $1) comes with five fresh made falafel, your choice of add ons and sauce. These are fava bean based falafel, mixed with fresh herbs and subtle spices and perfectly fried so the exterior 'crust' is a light crisp and the interior is fluffy.

Owned by American and Arab friends with immigrants, refugees, butchers and bakers as employees, made it through Covid-19. A great place to enjoy Middle Eastern Street Food.

Soo and Maggie have been here.

Tahini 9119 Clairmont Mesa Blvd, Suite H San Diego 92123 Open Mon-Sat 11-8, Sun 11-7 Website

Trays of fresh pita cooling.

La Casa Blanca (La Mesa) (revisit)

May 5, 2022 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Today, mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy. Kirk and His Missus are busy researching future posts, elsewhere.

My most recent Casa Blanca post was written in 2017. It's time for an update. This family owned, longtime (since 2007) restaurant has withstood the test of time and of Covid-19.
Warm chips and fresh made salsa are brought out while you are perusing the menu.
The Mister (once again) ordered the Mexican Scampi ($15.95). Butterflied shrimp sautéed in butter, wine, chili powder and garlic served with Mexican (veggie) rice. Plump shrimp, flavorful sauce and rice. Always satisfying.
As with my post in 2014 (and 2017)., a cup of the Rancho Pinto Bean Soup was ordered ($4.95; a bowl is $8.95).
This meat filled (bacon, sausage chorizo) bean soup really is a craving for me and always is satisfying.
A Coctele Del Mar ($13.95) with shrimp (no octopus was available this day, or I would have ordered the combination of seafoods) was a bright, fresh and flavorful, satisfying meal. The plump, large shrimp are served in a lime juice based sauce filled with fresh chopped cucumbers, onion, tomato and cilantro which is topped with avocado.

This local Mexican restaurant serves a very nice brunch and has a Monday-Friday lunch menu.

La Casa Blanca 9570 Murray Drive La Mesa, CA 91942 (619) 466-2912 Website Open Mon-Sat 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun 9 a.m.-9 p.m.

Panda Machi (Alpine)

May 4, 2022 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy (again). Kirk and His Missus have barely begun to enjoy their vacation.

In the first months of each year, when I am driving around the County for my job, I make notes about places I see and would like The Mister and I to return to check out once things slow down.
There in the left corner-walking distance from an Ayres Hotel, Chase Bank and a Carl's Jr., I had seen Panda Machi. The Mister and I returned one weekday. This Chinese-Japanese restaurant (Panda, for its Chinese roots and Machi (means 'town' in Japanese)) is a tribute to the roots of this family owned and run (since 2020) restaurant.

The front of the extensive four page menu lists the less expensive lunch specials and appetizers.

The sushi chef was busy around noon the day we were here.
The Almond Chicken (lunch, $8.95) with fried (instead of white) rice was what we decided to order. The large plate of stir fried chicken with celery, peas and carrots included a cream cheese wonton, pork potsticker,
salad with ginger dressing and an excellent egg drop soup. The freshness of all the ingredients was notable and of great quality.
The Mister and I ordered the Assorted Egg Fu Young ($13.95), as we do on first visits to Chinese restaurants. Chicken, beef and shrimp along with fresh mushrooms, sprouts, water chestnuts, peas and carrots in a lovely gravy covered the unique omelette.
The version made here is baked in the pan (rather than fried like an omelette, with thin edges)- the top, bottom and edges were uniform and a consistent bake. The eggs were blended with lightly mashed cauliflower and broccoli. It is so interesting to see the various versions of this dish, which is basically a way to use up leftovers.

We will be returning to try out the Japanese side of the menu. So happy we stopped here.

Panda Machi 1730 Alpine Blvd, Suite 101 Alpine, CA 91901 (619) 445-6224 Open seven days 11-9 website

Sam Woo BBQ (breakfasts) (again)

May 3, 2022 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Cathy is writing while Kirk is vacationing.

The last time I wrote about Sam Woo was in October. This is a regular stop for The Mister and myself just before we go shopping at 99Ranch Market, across the hallway; we don't want our purchases to be influenced by hunger.

The price for breakfast has increased: now each item is $7.50 and hot coffee or hot tea is 70¢. The menu has remained the same. How different from my first post about Sam Woo, in 2007 when each menu item was $3.20 and coffee or tea was 30¢.

On this chilly morning, we chose the roast duck porridge which had some quite large pieces of fresh roasted duck. The Chinese donut is still $2 and is just the add-in that the porridge needs.
The BBQ pork lo mein is always a good choice. The pork is tender and wonderfully flavored; broth, noodles and bok choy round out this plate.

Always a filling, tasty and satisfying meal here.

Sam Woo BBQ 7330 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego 92111 Open daily 9 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Cash only

You have to ask for condiments; the white pepper and red chili sauce as well as some soy sauce are sometimes needed halfway through-after eating the food as prepared.

Duke’s Old Fashioned Onion Burgers (La Mesa)

May 2, 2022 Cathy Burgers, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy while Kirk and His Missus are vacationing.

Duke's Old Fashioned Onion Burgers opened less than a month ago at a previous Starbucks location on the North West corner of Baltimore Drive and El Cajon Boulevard. Checking some Instagram photos, it's been owned by this family since at least October, 2021 (when the hood fans were being installed). Step inside, order, pay and your name is called when ready. The simple, straightforward menu. Oklahoma-style onion burgers started as a depression-era way to stretch beef.
Let me say this is a large tray, the serving of French fries is way more than two adults can (should?) eat and the burger and chicken sandwiches on toasted Brioche buns are wonderful. They are also imperfect.
A single onion burger ($8.95). Fresh ground Angus beef, hand shaped, grilled with plenty of onions. No, no cheese (which does not cost extra). I did choose lettuce, tomato, mustard and (house made) pickles (excellent!) as toppings (also mayo, ketchup and jalapeños are available as toppings). The plain, crisp edged, smashed burger was unseasoned; when taking a bite with the other ingredients, it was great, but by itself, well, the quality meat was apparent, but I think needed a pinch of salt. (I read some hidden Yelp comments and people were complaining of too much salt during the soft opening, so they went the other way, which is fine.)
The chicken sandwich ($8.95) was quite large and very good. I do think it was in the fryer about ten seconds longer than it should have been; breading was a bit too crisp. Each bite was really tasty.
This photo is deceptive; the serving is really large. The container is deep. The fries ($3.25) are fresh and are made to order. You are given a choice of ketchup (regular or spicy) or ranch. The lemonade is made in house. It is not too sweet and quite nice.

We will be back to try the hand dipped milkshakes; many people were ordering those and sharing an order of fries.

Duke's Old Fashioned Onion Burgers 5020 Baltimore Drive Suite D La Mesa, CA 91942 (619) 439-6177

Wa Dining Okan-lunches (again)

April 29, 2022 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of the food blog you are reading. Cathy is writing again.

The last time I wrote about Okan was about 11 months ago. It's time for an update. Covid restrictions are lessened, the tables are not as distanced. People are invited to sit at the bar.

This is the current three page lunch menu. The sashimi salad ($11.50) is a good choice. Fresh greens, shredded radish and a wasabi/sesame/soy dressing which is just right to compliment the fresh, tender raw fish.
Geso kara ($7). The deep fried squid tentacles are tender, lightly battered and served with a citrusy ponzu. Using just a squeeze of lemon (and no sauce) highlighted the freshness of the tentacles.
The Tempura Combo ($11) is a very large shareable appetizer or can be a meal. Three shrimp, four shishito peppers, eggplant slices, sweet potato, squash, carrot, one large shiitake cap, all perfectly fried to a light crisp and served with a light mirin/soy sauce.
The chicken katsu curry set ($12.50) was, once again, a satisfying choice. The curry here is slightly sweet, the fry is (again) perfect and the pickled sides are complimentary. The chicken kamameshi ($15.50) takes 20 minutes to prepare and is worth the wait. The mixed rice is cooked with stock and vegetables (in this case at least three types of mushrooms), fried bean curd as well as the boneless skinless chicken. The light, flavorful, fluffy rice is just perfect. You can (sort of) see the bowl is deep (next to the tea cup). The rice paddle and bowls for sharing are just right for helping to share. We each had three servings of this wonderful comfort-food meal.

It's so good to see Okan is thriving.

Wa Dining Okan 3860 Convoy Suite 110 San Diego 92111 Open Sun-Thurs 11-2, 5-9:30 Fri-Sat 11-2, 5-10 website

Himalayan Palace Restaurant (Sports Arena)

April 28, 2022 Cathy Indian Restaurants, Nepalese/Himalayan Food, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Cathy is writing today.

In February, The Mister and I found ourselves in the Sports Arena area of town and pulled into the parking lot between Phil's BBQ and Red Lobster. In the back of that parking lot, we saw cars parked in front of this longstanding establishment and decided to try it for lunch. We have returned. (Prices have changed; I will list current approximate prices).
The colorful interior (look at that ceiling!) is happy.

The menu is small, one sheet printed on both sides.
The Paneer Pakora ($7) is paneer cheese wrapped in chickpea batter and deep fried. The little pockets are served with a tamarind dip and a mint chutney. This was a wonderful choice of both textures and flavors.
The keema naan (ground lamb filled bread)($8) was also an excellent choice. Fresh made bread filled with ground lamb which was cooked with various herbs. Satisfying and tasty.
The Muligatawny soup ($7) was absolutely mesemerizing with the lentils and chicken and (mild) curry along with a bit of 'sweet' (apple). On the most recent visit, the mulligatawny was not on the menu, but mushroom soup ($7) was a choice. Creamy, garlic-y minced mushrooms blended with cumin and a few other spices, with a touch of (black?) pepper 'heat' in the background. A good size serving.

Chicken Biryani ($14) is served in this deceptively deep bowl. Basmati rice and shredded carrots with boneless chicken, ghee and whole spices (we chewed on some cardamom pods along with mustard seeds and fennel seeds; there were more) and fresh mint and cilantro. So many flavors!

On our first visit, we saw this window signage. The price has increased to $11.95. Worth it.
This is the 'non-vegetable' Thali. Rice and papadum (dough made with lentils or black beans, rolled very thin and deep fried) at the top (clockwise) Tandoori chicken, pickled vegetables, chicken tikka masala. In the center is kheer (rice pudding). The vegetable Thali plate with rice and papadum , Navaratna Korma (onion, ginger, cashews, garlic and sesame seeds blended with coconut milk to make a sauce) along with carrot, onion, peas, raisins, almonds and paneer. Pickled vegetables. Saag (spinach) paneer (really good). Again, kheer in the center dessert area.
The lunch specials include butter naan.

All in all, this longstanding (32 years) restaurant survived the Pandemic for a reason; quality. The friendly, informative staff and plethora of 'regulars' along with the remarkable fresh and flavorful choices make this a wonderful place for a meal.

Himalayan Palace Restaurant 3760 Sports Arena Blvd San Diego 92110 (619) 510-4966 Fax: (619) 510-4968 Open daily 11-3, 4-9 Website

A cooling mango lassi (yogurt-mango beverage) ($5)

Qin West Noodle (UTC)

April 26, 2022 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

I know quite a few people who were excited that LA Based Qin West opened in UTC this past February. I figured that the place would be pretty darn busy, so I waited. And based on what I'd heard; 45 minute waits for food, mistakes on takeout orders, super salty dishes. I think waiting for a couple of months was a good idea. Finally, a few weeks ago I headed over to UTC and easily found parking at 1055 in the morning. I parked by Macy's and made the short walk over to Qin West.

It's a pretty simple interior; from the front counter where you order….

To the simple fast-foodish dining area.

The menu is clearly posted; featuring Shaanxi specialties, along with Sichuan influenced dishes.

My timing was good; early in the week and just at opening time. By the time I got my food, about 20 minutes, there was a line to the door.

I purposely ordered too much food for just my lunch…..thinking that I'd take most of it home to have the Missus sample. The one dish I made sure to order was the Yang Rou Pao Mo ($15.99). As you've probably read ad nauseum, I haven't had a decent version of this dish outside of China; Xi'an to be precise. A lot of this has to do with the lack of appropriate bread; which, you break up by hand and place in a muttony broth to soak up all the flavors. The bread looks like this.

All versions I've had whether here in San Diego or in the SGV, all have featured a waxy, slippery starchy "breadish" stuff that doesn't sop up the broth. So imagine my surprise when I unloaded my food and saw this.

I think I actually swore out loud!

I eagerly broke up the bread; it was a little too soft and leavened, but it wasn't too bad. And of course I poured the broth over everything.

The lamb was not very gamy and was leaner than I would prefer, but the broth, while a bit heavy handed with the white pepper, wasn't too bad.

This is probably the best overall version of yang rou pao mo I've had outside of China. While I've had a decent version with regards to the lamb and broth (which was better than this), Qin West has the most complete "package" overall. I'll definitely have this again.

Man, I'm hoping to have this….the version from Tong Sheng Xiang (同盛祥) again one day….

I also ordered the Twice Cooked Pork ($14.95)….which should have been called "spicy stir fried napa cabbage"……you could count the amount of pork in the dish on one hand.

This was just oily and spicy…….not in the "ma-la" way….as in why not just drink chili oil with salt. I did notice something interesting; Qin West likes to use both dried chilies and huge pieces of jalapenos in their dishes. This was pretty bad.

I also order the combination Liang Cai ($14.75).

Two-thirds of this was pretty good; the pig ear had a nice crunch and the slices were generous; it went well with the chili oil. The Pai Huang Gua; smacked cucumbers were really bland, it just needed more garlic-soy sauce-salt, you name it. The tendon, while cut on the thick side and was fairly crunchy overall wasn't bad. The Missus did enjoy the pig ear and the tendon.

We actually had the liang cai over the course of three meals!

This was not bad overall….

A week later I decided to check out Qin West again. Same strategy; early in the week, just at opening time, for takeout.

There were already 4 customers in front of me when I arrived, but no one behind me when I placed my order. Maybe they saw the young lady working the register chowing away while she took orders???

Isn't there some kind of food handling ordinance regarding this?

I placed my order which was ready in less than 15 minutes; before anyone else's……

Anyway, folks I knew were raving about the Liang Pi ($10.95), so I ordered that.

The portion size of this was quite generous. The noodles were still nice and chilled when I got back to the office….of course it's less than a 10 minute drive back. The noodles were a bit thicker than I like my "cold skin noodles", emphasis on "skin" and not as "bouncy" as I prefer. I enjoyed the blanched bean sprouts and the palate refreshing cucumbers, a must for this dish. It was definitely spicy enough, though I do like some black vinegar tones and a hint more garlic. But this is probably the best version we've got in San Diego right now.

I was also wondering about the Cumin Beef ($16.25) and ordered it. And then second thoughts crept in as I recalled the Twice Cooked Pork Napa Cabbage. The beef however, was pretty good.

Notice the QW playbook move of both jalapenos and dried chilies? The beef was adequately tender; the portion size quite generous. While being a bit on the salty side; this really had enough cumin. In fact, when I opened up the container at my desk one of the guys in the office that day happened to be walking by and said out loud:

"What's that smell?"

I immediately apologized:

"Sorry, I ran out of deodorant this morning….."

I might have this dish again; but probably will not eat it in the office.

It does seem like Qin West is a good new addition to UTC. I need to try other items on the menu like the ro jia mo…..

Qin West Noodle
4353 La Jolla Village Drive (In UTC)
San Diego, CA 92122
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 7pm

Verbena Kitchen – A Quick Look

April 25, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants

*** Verbena Kitchen has closed

*** As we continue our "quick look" series – be aware that these posts are based on single visits

After dining at Wolf in the Woods and Black Radish, the Missus implored me to find yet another new place to have an early, not-crowded or outdoor dining place to try. I recalled that a restaurant named Verbena Kitchen had opened in the spot where Splash Wine Lounge used to be. I sent a the Missus a link to the website and She just didn't seem interested!!! I then sent Her the link to the Happy Hour menu….which starts at 4pm, which for us, in these times where we really don't want to be around too many people sounded perfect. So I made reservations for an outdoor table at 4pm.

We arrived exactly at 4pm and was met with the most friendly, gracious guy whose name I believe is Dallas. He was wonderful to deal with. And since it was a bit windy on this day, he even saved us a table indoors in case we didn't want to eat outdoors. But we found an outdoor table in the corner, where sun still shone on us that we liked. Even though the outdoor seating is located street side and the traffic light meant buses and cars stopped right next to us; we enjoyed watching all the pooches walking by and the staff were so very nice.

And he was quick to tell us about the Happy Hour menu.

The Missus had a sangria which She enjoyed….in fact She had a second one!

The Missus enjoys Deviled Eggs so we got 5 at $2 a piece for HH, versus $15 on the regular menu.

The Missus cracked up at the micro cilantro…..if you've seen any of the soups I make, you'll notice that we use a heck of a lot of micro cilantro these days. This was our favorite dish of the evening. Even though the crab on the deviled eggs were pretty much an afterthought we loved the mustard forward flavor of the egg yolk mixture which was texturally nice and creamy. The whites were cooked nicely as well.

The Oysters were our least favorite dish on the evening $1/each HH, versus $18 for a half dozen regular menu.

If you've ever read any of my posts where we eat raw oysters, you'll know that I don't put a lot of "stuff" on my oyster. I prefer at most, a touch of lemon and really savor the "finish" of the raw oyster. These Baja oysters were super briny, almost salty, without the nice "cucumbery" or "briny raw beef" finish. It just seemed to lack nuance. Still, at six bucks……

We also got the Peruvian Shrimp Ceviche $14HH, $17 regular price.

So, while this didn't use a "leche de tigre" for the cebiche as they would do in Peru; it was not bad. The aji amarillo was quite mild and this wasn't overly acidic. I did like the combination of Inka Corn, Furikake, tomato, red onion, and the aji. For some reason, I really liked it matched up with those sweet potato chips…perhaps I was channeling camote? The one thing we didn't care for was that the shrimp was fully cooked….not in lime juice, but actually fully cooked, rubbery, and tasteless. Heck, I could have just had everything but the shrimp and be perfectly happy.

We weren't sure about the Wagyu Beef Tartare ($18) when it arrived at our table.

It seemed drenched in mayo, which turned out to be a decently flavored Dijon based aioli. We liked the grated cured egg yolk, which tasted like good salted egg yolk. We weren't sure about the fermented mushrooms, but they were very meaty in texture, and the capers really, well "capped" off the dish. The beef was cut a bit too coarse, but this was a pretty good dish overall. The slices of cucumber seemed to have had rice vinegar drizzled on it. I'd have this again.

Overall, a decent meal, for a very nice price, the most inexpensive of these "quick look" dinners. A big plus was the friendly and gracious staff. "Dallas" told us to return on a Thursday when it's Happy Hour prices all evening. I do think we'll return.

Verbena Kitchen
3043 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Wed – Thurs 4pm – 9pm
Friday 4pm – 10pm
Saturday 10am – 10pm
Sunday 10am – 230pm
Happy Hour from 4pm – 6pm and all evening Thursdays

A Takeout Revisit to The Congress Cafe and a Visit to the Memorial to Lucy, the White Deer of Mission Hills

April 24, 2022 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Exploring San Diego, Venezuelan Food and Restaurants, yoso-silly

**** Congress Cafe in now Encuentro Cafe – Same Owners/Menu. You can read an updated post here.

Every so often, I'll go ahead and do a takeout revisit to Congress Cafe. The food is not quite on the same level as Mi Pana in my opinion, but who knows, I haven't been back there since before Covid. I really like the friendly folks at Congress Cafe and as that earlier post mentions, I enjoy walking around Old Town early in the morning before the crowds descend on the place.

It's always the same drill, I order at the Hostess Stand, go back to the bar area to pay; let the staff know that I'm going for a short walk to "earn" my Arepa. I usually get the Arepa Pabellon – still $13.95.

I'll return after about 15 minutes and take my Arepa somewhere………it's usually nearby Heritage Park, which never seems busy even on weekend mornings. I'll sit among the Victorian Homes …..

Or watch the dogs frolicking in the large open field….sometimes I see folks prepping for a wedding in the city's first Synagogue. It's peaceful and relaxing.

And the Arepa Pabellon from Congress Cafe has improved over time.

And while it's not quite as "super stuffed" it's a more balanced these days; at least to me. Sweet plantains, slightly milky cheese, earthy black beans, and moist shredded beef. I do wish the arepa was a bit more crisp, but this'll do.

Plus, like I mentioned earlier; everyone here is so warm and friendly.

Breakfast of champions, right?

The Congress Cafe
3941 Mason St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 8am – 2pm
Sa – Sun 8am – 3pm

On this morning, I was a bit later than usual, so I decided to check out one of my favorite spots in the area. Last summer, in the midst of going crazy with all the "Covid happenings" and missing all of our travels, I started doing some of what I'd call Urban Walks, like the Seven Bridges Walk I posted on. While doing a bit of research, I came across this post from back in 2016. The part that really caught my attention was the mention of "Lucy the White Deer if Mission Hills". Not sure if this was really true, I checked and found this Parks and Recreation report from 2006:

"This female white fallow deer roamed the hills of Mission Valley, Mission Hills,and Presidio Park. This doe escaped from the San Diego Zoo around 1965 and wandered free in Presidio Park for the next ten years."

Which sent me down into a rather shallow rabbit hole and a couple of interesting posts, some mentioned the albino deer escaping from the San Diego Zoo (of course this was denied), another saying that due to over-crowding issues, the San Diego Zoo sold the deer to someone in Mission Hills and the deer escaped. Whatever the story, I was hooked, heck even the San Diego History Center has a "memorial collection" on the deer, named Lucy.

According to the Ranger Report:

"The deer was spotted attempting to cross the I-8 freeway, and some locals reported seeing the deer get hit by a vehicle. Tragically, in the effort to catch the deer, Animal Control used a tranquilizer dart, which ultimately led to the deer’s death in December, 1975."

From what I read in various posts, Lucy was treasured and became sort of a mascot for the community. In fact, some of the "old timers" in the area said that Lucy's ghost haunts the area and they still see her on occasion.

Atlas Obscura mentions that over 125 people attended the service and burial of Lucy.

A fund was created and in 1976 a monument was completed dedicated to Lucy on the spot where she is buried.

So, where is this monument/memorial? You might be surprised. Have you ever driven west on Taylor Street parallel to the I-8? Right before the street to get to the Presidio you might have seen this. I was happy that the gate was open on this day.

I've heard the area on top of the hill is called "Inspiration Point", but I believe it's also called Presidio Park. I've often seen folks taking wedding photos on the platform with a view that sits on one side of the parking lot.

On the other side is this hilly green area.