mmm-yoso – Page 113 – 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.

Revisits – Saigon Sandwiches & Deli and Cafe Dore

November 28, 2021 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

My last visits to A Chau and Cali Baguette left me wondering how some of the other "old school" banh mi shops were doing, And another Phuong Nga errand had me in City Heights once again. I was craving a Banh Mi Ba Chi from Cafe Dore, so I headed west on University. I was in luck and found some parking in the lot on Marlborough and walked over to Cafe Dore….and sheesh; the place was packed to rafters with groups "old timers" and oh my, the cigarette smoke. There was no way I wanted to walk in….so, I walked on over next door to…..

Saigon Sandwiches & Deli:

Man, I didn't realize it at the time; but it's been nearly fourteen years since I last visited!

And of course things (not including prices) have changed…..whereas I used to joke that Saigon Sandwiches had a huge secondary market in phone cards and cigarettes; well you know what they have now?

Masks in every shape and size it seems!

The Banh Mi Ba Chi ($5.39) looked quite good.

Though when I opened up the banh mi…well, it was either mocking me, or perhaps a fan of the Rolling Stones?

All kidding aside, I really enjoyed this sandwich……the bread was crusty, it also seemed to have been lightly buttered. The pork belly was sliced on he thin side; but I enjoyed the cilantro, which was mostly leaves and full of stems. I liked the ay the jalapenos were thinly sliced instead of one giant piece. It was perhaps a bit on the light side in regards to pickled radish and carrots; but that worked well in proportion to everything else in the banh mi. Which, at least for me is what a good banh mi is all about.

I'll make sure not to wait fourteen years before returning!

Saigon Sandwiches & Deli
4133 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Open Daily 7am – 7pm

Still, I was wondering how Cafe Dore was doing….

Cafe Dore:

**** Cafe Dore has closed

So, I returned to the same strip mall at just after 7am the next morning.

The place was already two-thirds full of older gents….more then a few of them puffing away. Though these days, as I noted in my last post three years ago, all those "video machines" are gone.

I walked on up to the counter and the older gentleman and woman working behind the counter actually smiled and greeted me form behind the plexiglass! I went ahead and placed my order for the Banh Mi Ba Chi ($5), my favorite banh mi here at Cafe Dore.

Then something interesting happened…the woman asked me to take a seat and brought me a cup of iced tea; "for you while you wait"! Whoa, was this really Cafe Dore? I did feel a bit like the guys were staring at me in the place….but looking up; I noticed I was right under the television with the lottery results! Well, at least some things haven't changed.

The older gentleman brought me my sandwich and thanked me……

I really enjoyed this sandwich. While perhaps the bread was prepped a bit better at Saigon; here it was also nice and crusty. The slices of pork are a bit thicker and also seems to be sweeter. The jalapenos were also thinly sliced and had a nice kick. Good amount of cilantro and pickled veggies.

It seems, that even though, some things haven't changed, the customers are almost all male….old timers experiencing what I call the "Coffee Culture of Vietnam" which can be a bit intimidating….the service here just seemed to be a softer, kinder, more welcoming Cafe Dore.

Cafe Dore
4135 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Mon – Sat 7am – 5pm
Sundays 7am – 4pm

Paris (Before Covid) – Restaurant ERH and Golden Promise Whiskey Bar

November 27, 2021 mmm-yoso Cocktails, Fine Dining, France, French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Paris, France, Travel

Yet another quick pre-Covid travel post.

We returned from our little day trip to Chartres and took a nap and rested a bit. For dinner, I chose a restaurant close to where we were staying. We'd be flying out to Tel Aviv the next morning and just wanted something close by. That didn't mean it would be just another dinner though. I had made reservations at Michelin starred ERH restaurant. The restaurant as basically two blocks from where we were staying.

Noting that ERH shares an address with a sake bar and a whiskey bar, we arrived early for our 730 reservation; and notified the restaurant that we'd be having a aperitif at the Whiskey Bar named Golden Promise.

We each enjoyed a cocktail whilst waiting for our table.

Soon enough our table was ready.

The restaurant is very low-keyed and was were really interested in the tasting menu since the chef, like many of our previous fine dining meals in Paris was Japanese, Keita Kitamura. IN fact, ERH stands for eaux (water), riz (rice), and homme (man), as a homage to the three necessary ingredients for sake.

I'll try to keep this post brief from this point forward.

The amuse:

Jerusalem artichoke with Ikura was amazing! The Parmesan Crisp was nice, the potato cream tasted like taro….

As was the monkfish fritter with sate and basil.

The scallop was so very sweet.

The veal tartare was also quite good.

That radish and haricot vert cream just blew me away.

The Foie Gras dish was served in a novel manner.

In a pastry of sorts, with mango and beets to add some interesting textural and flavor contrasts.

The "Bar de Ligne" (Eropena Bass) with Oyster dish was a bit underwhelming.

Really salty, the persillade (parsley) sauce not really adding much to the dish.

The Carnard de Chaland with Chou Vert, which seemed to be Brussel Sprouts rather than cabbage was quite nice.

Great complexity, sweet – sour – bitter.

And the Missus enjoyed the desserts.

A very nice experience; one which we'd gladly do again.

ERH
Golden Promise Whisky Bar
11 Rue Tiquetonne
75002 Paris, France

As I had my usual beer before sleeping, I again thought about how lucky I was to be able to have these experiences.

The next day we were up early and caught the RER to CDG………

Next up…Tel Aviv!

Thanks for stopping by!

Chartres (Before Covid) – Chartres Cathedral and Lunch at La Table du Marche

November 26, 2021 mmm-yoso France, French Restaurants, Travel

Here's another quick pre-Covid travel post.

On the second day of our short visit to Paris, the Missus wanted to explore a bit. We had visited Versailles on a previous trip, so this time around I thought we'd check out Chartres and the Cathedral, often said to be the best Gothic Cathedral in Europe.

Getting there was quite easy from Gare Montparnasse.

And it seems that everyone is invited to take the one hour ride to Chartres.

And once there; well, it's easy to find your way to the Cathedral.

You really can't miss it.

While walking to the Cathedral we passed this amazing mural.

Doing some research, I found that the mural is of Jean Moulin a hero of the French Resistance in World War II who lived in Chartres. Read more about him in the link to the Wikipedia page above.

The Cathedral is indeed grand. It is said that there were four to five churches on this spot, dating back to the 4th century!

There is quite a bit to see if you have the time. We just decided to stroll around and enjoy some of the highlights.

There's a worn statue in Place de la Cathedrale. It is of Fulbert of Chartres who was Bishop of the Cathedral when it burned in 1020. Fulbert devoted his time to rebuilding the Cathedral which was completed around 1145.

There are beautiful Rose Windows over every entrance.

The Church is dedicated to Mary and there are signs of that everywhere.

Many pilgrims come to the church to see the Black Madonna (above). There's some really good information on why the Madonna is black here. But you might say, the Madonna pictured above isn't black. Well, several years back the Cathedral was part of a huge restoration project and all those years of soot and such was removed from the statue; it was very controversial to say the least.

A few blocks from the Cathedral is the Marché aux Légumes – the produce market. And since it was Saturday, we took some time to check ot out.

It's always fun visiting these places and watching the locals go about their daily lives…..

By this point we were getting a bit hungry. Right at the edge of the market is La Table du Marché – the Market Table. So we thought why not?

The staff was very friendly and welcoming. At places like this, it's always helpful to check out the plat du jour….and we ended up ordering two of the daily specials.

The friendly woman working was delighted that the Missus ordered the Andouillette, which She had loved in Lyon.

While not quite at that level; it was literally bursting with offal-y goodness.

I was thrilled to see Boudin Blanc as a daily special.

And while, like the Missus, this wasn't quite as good a my favorite, it was quite mild, but nicely sautéed and I enjoyed the dressing on the greens.

The service was very warm; the prices, since we're used to Paris prices seemed like a bargain; 10 Euros for the Andouillette and just 7 for the Boudin Blanc!!!

La Table du Marché
11 Place Billard
28000 Chartres, France

We left satisfied and ready for a nap when we returned to Paris!

Our Best Thanksgiving Wishes To You!

November 25, 2021 mmm-yoso Blog

Just a quick thank you to everyone for taking the time out to read and even comment on our posts. We are so very thankful for that in these times.

The Missus is busy at work the next couple of days; so I made a nice dinner for Her last night….I know, it's not traditional and all, but She enjoyed it.

I wonder how all of you are doing and hope you are all safe and well.

I took this photo this morning after running some early morning errands and realized how thankful I am to live where we do, to still be in good health, and to still be able to enjoy life.

Thanks everyone from the bottom of our hearts!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Revisits – Cali Baguette and A Chau

November 22, 2021 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

Man, talk about see-sawing weather….one week it seems like it's finally fall; the next week we got days in the 80's…… During one of my trip to get the the Missus's current favorite bun rieu I was, well, a bit hungry. Just for something to keep me until a late lunch or early dinner. For some reason I just wanted a Banh Mi Pate Cha….and good lord, it had been a while since I'd had a "real" banh mi; not one of those fusiony versions, that always seem to miss the mark for me. And since I was there on 54th and University, I thought I'd check out…..

Cali Baguette Express:

Man, it has been years since I'd been here. Once upon a time Cali Baguette had quite an empire with locations on Convoy; which is now Cali Banh Mi. Not quite sure what the story is; but it's definitely not the same; especially the bread. In fact, my last trip to Cali Baguette Express in Mira Mesa was not quite up to par either.

But here I was, craving a banh mi pate cha….so…..

Good thing I wasn't craving some noodle soup here; since they were out of a lot of stuff. Supply chain issues and all that I guess.

And as a sign of the times; what was once a $3 sandwich is now $5….which is still not a bad price considering.

Arriving home, I went ahead and unwrapped the banh mi….

A couple of things struck me right away; first the cutting was kinda off center….good thing I wasn't sharing this as a snack with anyone. Second, the bread was soft and doughy; lacking in crusty-flakiness, a hallmark of good banh mi in my opinion. Decent amount of cha lua, though hardly any musty-offaly pate……too many cilantro stems, not enough leaves. Still, that huge slice of jalapeno did get me pretty good.

I just wish the bread was better…….

Quite sad, because I remember this place being much better.

Cali Baguette Express
5125 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92115
Hours:
Mon – Sat 6am – 8pm
Sunday 6am – 7pm

This banh mi had me wondering how some of the "old school banh mi shops were doing in San Diego. And so, the following weekend day, I headed off to….

A-Chau:

Which was the first Banh Mi shop I posted on back in 2005. Over the years, I think A Chau has slipped a bit. The service has always been perfunctory; but on recent visits; the bread has been stale…..though I gotta say at a bit past 7am….I had the entire horrific parking lot to myself.

The place is looking a bit worse for wear; but not much else has changed….except the price; the Banh Mi Pate Cha is now $5.50…..it was $3.95 on my last visit; but that was three years ago.

A lot of businesses in this strip mall has closed as well.

This was a bit better than what I'd had on my last visit. The bread wasn't stale; though it could have been toasted a bit more. There was quite a bit of cha lua and perhaps too much mayo in this, which just nullified the scant amount of pate. Again; when it comes to banh mi, it's all about proportion to me. Also, not enough cilantro and jalapenos were MIA. Not quite sure if it's because of supply issues….but I did miss that.

Not bad and definitely better than what I'd had previously…..and, I decided to try the cha gio….which, perhaps because it was early in the day was still hot.

These are now $1 a piece! The rice paper wrapper is still a bit more chewy then I recall; but it's still much better than many other places. And it's pretty much stuffed to the gills with pork.

A Chau Restaurant
4644 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92115
Hours:
Daily 7am – 530pm

These two visits has got me wondering how the other places I frequent in City Heights is doing. I guess it's time to start making the rounds!

Golden City-more lunches

November 18, 2021 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Here you are, reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, again. Cathy is writing while Kirk is busy at work.

The Mister and I have been venturing out for meals a bit more lately, visiting places we haven't been since BC-Before COVID and are quite happy for the places which have survived this pandemic. My last post about Golden City was in December 2019. Kirk did write about takeout in June 2020, in the midst of COVID-19. The parking lot can be difficult to navigate at lunch hour because of all the businesses, even though Subway has closed. We usually just park on the street or around the corner.
The interior remains the same; clean with tablecloths. The people who work here are so nice.
The pink menu is the lunch menu and the one printed on yellow paper is the daily menu. I do prefer being able to hold a menu than to scan a QR code and read my phone screen; always think I am missing something.
For our first visit, we had to order our favorite, #45, Egg Foo Young (Choice of beef, pork or chicken) $10.95. It remains one of our favorite versions. Vegetable and egg filled with a crisp crust, even through the gravy. The pork and peas and carrots topping the platter blend in with each bite.
#62, Fish Filet with Tofu ($11.95) is quite wonderful. Fried breaded fish pieces (many) along with strips of wrinkled tofu skin, fried tofu cubes and mushrooms in a gingery sauce has become a new favorite.
Most of the lunch specials come with a choice of soup (egg drop or hot sour), a vegetable egg roll. those crunchy wonton strips and plum sauce.
#32, Chicken Chow Mein ($10.95) satisfied the texture craving for lunch one day. The crunch of vegetables and tender slices of chicken along with bites of the crisp and semi soft (because of the gravy) noodles was something we didn't realize we missed.
#82, Sautéed shrimp and Fish Filet ($12.95) was another flavorful meal. The quite large, plump shrimp along with the thick pieces of fish and the variety of vegetables had textures and colors and distinct flavors. I hadn't realized how much I missed snow peas!
#19, Duck with snow cabbage and vermicelli soup ($9.95) really hit the spot on a chilly day! An overload of duck pieces, bean sprouts, pickled snow cabbage along with firm but non-clumped vermicelli. The flavors were distinct and comforting.

Under the radar, after all these years. Soo had a wonderful dinner here a few years ago!

Golden City Chinese Cuisine 5375 Kearny Villa Road San Diego, CA 92123 (858) 565-6682 open seven days 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot and Grill (again)

November 17, 2021 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog, is being written by Cathy today while Kirk is very busy at work.

The last time we went to Little Sheep was in February 2020, BC (Before Covid). The spicy broth, multiple flavors and textures were a craving, while the ability to use metal utensils and cook a meal at the table was something we just wanted to do.
Things look the same inside. There is still a special lunch menu.

We decided on the House Spicy Soup base, mixed with the mushroom/vegetarian base (not yin-yang style, which I suppose would be a prettier photo, but the flavor blend was great) (soup base is $4.25/person).
My choice was the fish filet lunch. ($9.70) Five large, thick portions of fish along with fresh noodles, frozen tofu, assorted (beef, pork and lamb) meatballs, pieces of 'krab', shiitake mushrooms, potato slices, squash, cabbage and chrysanthemum greens (tangho).
The Mister decided to try the Beef Belly Lunch ($9.70) All of the accompaniments are the same for all of the lunches.
We also chose add ons of wood-ear mushroom and soft tofu ($1 each). Cooling bites if not put into the broth but also tasty when cooked.

Little Sheep Mongolian HotPot 4718 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego, 92117 (858) 274-2040 Website Open Mon-Th 11:30-9, Fri-Sat 11:30-10. Sun 11:30-9:30
Some of the broth leftovers.

Takeout from Yummy House (Again)

November 16, 2021 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

During the last spell of cooler weather….before we got the recent record heat I had a strange craving for the beef tendon pot from Yummy House. Even though the portion size for takeout was kind of "manini" the last time; I thought I'd give them a try.

I drove over, walked into the abandoned looking restaurant…..it took a while but eventually a gentleman walked out of the kitchen and seemed shocked to see me.

I placed my order, then ran some errands….when I returned my order was ready and waiting.

The containers seemed pretty hefty this time around. And the portion size for the Beef Tendon Pot was much larger than before.

Man, lot's of meat, though the "stew" was on the thinner and greasier side this time around. Love the beefiness. Wish they had more tomato and the stew also lacked the tanginess I really enjoy. Still, not bad.

I wanted to order the wintermelon soup for the Missus, but they were out. So, I went with the old standby, the lamb with suan cai.

This wasn't very good; the suan cai lacked fermented flavor and we had to add the last of our homemade…..I guess with the cooler weather we'll (hopefully) be getting we can start making batches of the wonderful stinky fermented napa cabbage again. Anyway, we even had to add a good amount of the fermented liquid to even give this thing some flavor. The lamb wasn't very gamey and was on the dry side. Obviously, the Missus wasn't very happy with this…..

Oh well…..

Also, YH has stopped doing online ordering.

Yummy House
4633 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Tues – Sun 11am – 730pm

Sunday Sandwiches – Uptown Delight Deli

November 14, 2021 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

**** Uptown Delight Deli has closed

Here's another one of those mom-and-pop business park sandwich shops that I found by accident. I was between meetings and decided to head off to the Market at HFS for some poke. So, I got on the 805 North and took the Mira Mesa offramp…..only to suddenly realize it was only 930…..yikes….brain fart…..

So, in need of a "plan B" I took a right on Scranton Road and headed to Nancy Ridge Road the back way; fully intent on hitting up Creative Deli when I passed a "Deli" sign along the road. Another business park deli? How many of them are there around here? Of course I stopped to check it out.

This shop occupies the sliver of a space at the end of a building.

There's one, older Asian Woman working here who does everything….and she seems to know her customers, at least the one's I've seen on my visits.

The menu is full on "Boar's Head", though they seem to be out of a couple of items…probably Covid supply chain issues. The prices seem a tad higher than Sunrise/Creative/Kim's etc…..

I decided on trying the Pub Style Roast Beef ($9.25).

They include a Andes thin mint with every sandwich, a nice touch, along with a pickle wedge.

I enjoyed the fact that horseradish was used; it gave the sandwich some nice "oomph". The white cheddar was nicely melted, I saw the woman place the roast beef and cheese on the flat top for a minute to heat things thru, a nice touch. I just wish the bread was toasted as the sandwich had a lot of carbs going on…. just too much bread and some textural contrast would have been welcome.

Of course now that I had been here; I needed to do a couple more visits; so I returned the very next day. I decided not to go with a "sandwich" and decided on the BLT Supreme Wrap ($8.75).

I chose the Sun Dried Tomato wrap which worked out well. This was nicely heated on the flat top along with the slices of bacon. While a bit on the flimsy side; this was the best of the three items I had at Uptown. The creamy and ripe avocado and the fact the bacon was crisp made this a decent lunch.

Not the biggest fan of American Cheese in this; but it worked out fine.

And so, with temperatures rising this past week; I headed back to Uptown Deli and quickly ordered the "Italian Supreme" ($8.75), without realizing it came on that jumbo French roll….

A bit too much bread and they used the juice from the Peperoncini along with a really sour dressing….they said Balsamic; but since when is Balsamic yellow? There was so much of it that it did the "shart thing" when I bit into it.

Still, no complaints with regards to the price and portion.

Like I've said many times before……places like this keep the masses fed. And as we return to our offices post Covid; I'm thinking they will play a key part in our return.

Uptown Delight Deli
6310 Nancy Ridge Dr.
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours:
Mon – Fri 7am – 3pm
Closed Sat – Sun

And I keep wondering; how many of these places are out there?

Paris (Before Covid) – Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Terroirs d’Avenir, Fou de Pâtisserie, and Dinner at Fleur de Pavé

November 13, 2021 mmm-yoso Bakery, Croissants, Desserts, Fine Dining, France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

*** Yet another condensed post of our trip in November, 2019

As we strolled thru Passage du Grand Cerf, it really looked like the Missus still wanted to explore. And so, by the time we hit Rue Bachaumont, where this pooch was having a great time fetching the Frisbee, I decided to make another stop.

We pass the Church of Saint Eustache on a daily basis when we're in the area and had never visited, so I thought this might be a good time to check it out. There was also something I wanted to see.

The church took a century to build, from 1532 – 1632 and contains one of the largest organs in France; the nave is humongous!

The interior of the church is quite grand and I'd read about the stained glass and had one set specifically in mind.

The church is located right next to Les Halles, which was Paris's central market for almost 800 years. So, of course they would be benefactors of the church. In fact the professional pork butchers association, the "Corporation des Charcutiers" has their own chapel. When was the last time you saw sausages and a pig in stained glass?

This sculpture by Raymond Mason commemorates the closing of Les Halles; it's titled "Le départ des fruits et légumes du coeur de Paris, le 28 février 1969" ("The departure of fruits and vegetables from the heart of Paris, February 28, 1969").

There's beautiful stained glass and some beautiful art work at Saint-Eustache; we'll definitely visit again one day…..hopefully.

The Missus really enjoyed this stop and wanted to keep on going; so we ended up walking all the way to Sacré-Cœur!

And enjoyed the view.

We were getting a bit hungry on the walk down and decided to make a couple of stops.

On Rue du Nil, along with the very popular Frenchie empire, is a group of shops which includes a cheesemonger, a butcher, and of course a boulangerie called Terroirs d’Avenir. So we made a croissant stop at the bakery.

We then headed back down to Rue Montorgueil and to a place I'd read about named Fou de Pâtisserie.

This specialty shop is a conglomeration of curated pastries form some of Paris's most well known pastry chefs like Pierre Hermé.

The pastries looked beautiful and of course the Missus had a difficult time choosing just one.

But She finally made a decision and we had some tea which we took to one of the two small tables outside.

While the croissant fell short; nice texture, but the butter-salt ratio wasn't quite to our taste…..

The Missus loved Her choice, called
L'Equinoxe. So, here's another place I'm sure we'll return to.

Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Terroirs d'Avenir
3 Rue du Nil
75002 Paris, France

Fou de Pâtisserie
45 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France

After this we took a well earned break (nap). For dinner I had selected a restaurant that had just opened during the summer of 2019 and had created a bit of a buzz; Fleur de Pavé. Folks sang praises of this restaurant; the chef Sylvain Sendra had garnered a Michelin Star at his former restaurant, Les Itinéraires which he closed in 2017. He and his wife spent the next, almost two years travelling the globe and exploring various cuisines. The result of which is Fleur de Pavé. The restaurant is also very vegetable friendly as it gets much of it's produce from Asafumi Yamashita a farmer who only sells his produce to certain selected chefs of his choosing.

We were really looking forward to this meal. The restaurant was lovely, the staff very courteous, though service was quite slow. It actually took 30 minutes after we finished our meal and a "L'addition, s'il vous plaît" from me to get our check. Of course, the place is new; and as of 2020 they have received a Michelin Star, so I'm figuring they've straightened that out.

We decided to order form the menu and things started out with a trio of amuse:

From top to bottom; a Parmesian Tart with Tzaziki and Carrot; Blakc Rice Crisp with Labneh and Eggplant Caviar; and the thinly sliced Cauliflower with Madagascar Vanilla and Salt….which looked lovely and had a wonderful texture, but was a bit too sweet for our taste.

Up next was the "Scottish Bread", which looked like Parker House rolls…….but was a nice fluffy brioche.

We were excited to try the Salade du Jardin M Yamashita, which was topped with aged Parmesan.

The dressing could have used more acidity.

The Kabocha Carbonara with Mimolette sounded interesting.

Like other dishes; this was on the sweeter end of things and there wasn't enough textural contrasts for us….the dish just seemed to be mushy.

Our favorite dish of the night – the Scallop Carpaccio with Oyster Sorbet and Sea Urchin – so many complex flavors.

That worked together well.

Though the Roasted Monkfish with Pig Ear Tabbouleh and Red Wine Sauce was a bit much.

The Missus did enjoy the dessert and the wine pairing though.

Overall an interesting dinner; the place seems to be trying really hard and the presentations were wonderful……and I guess that paid off with a Michelin Star.

Fleur de Pavé
5 Rue Paul Lelong
75002 Paris, France