mmm-yoso – Page 157 – 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.

Laguna Beach – Top of the World Loop Trail, Dinner at Sapphire Laguna, and Sunsets

September 6, 2019 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Orange County, Road Trip, Travel

One of Frankie's favorite Aunties; "Alle" recently gifted us with a two night stay in Laguna Beach! So, after an early dinner on a Friday, we headed up to Laguna Beach. We parked downtown and scoped out places I had on my list and also places Uber Blogger "Elmo" had provided for me for the following evening's dinner. Sadly; we just weren't particularly impressed with the offerings……

But that was ok; we were staying at the charming La Casa del Camino; which was built in 1929.

Which has Spanish-style rooms….but our gift certificate specified staying in one of the "Casa Surf Rooms". Each had been designed by different designers and sponsored by various sports and activity companies like Billabong and Rip Curl. We got the very unique Roxy Room.

It was quite comfortable and the staff was very friendly. The hotel has a very popular restaurant and an even more popular Rooftop Bar with wonderful views and a zillion people doing alcohol therapy! We saw quite a few middle aged folks walking kind of unsteadily down the stairs during the evening. We just wanted to relax with the A/C on!

La Casa del Camino
1289 S. Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

We headed down one of the streets to watch the sunset.

The next morning the Missus decided She wanted to go on a hike. We had gone to the visitors center downtown the previous evening and the nice gentleman working recommended the Top of the World Loop Trail. So we headed up to Alta Laguna Park and spent a couple of hours on the easy hike……

It was a pretty hot and humid weekend and the views were pretty hazy.

Lots of mountain bikers and dogs were doing the trail. One really funny Retriever refused to even start the hike; he just laid down on all fours. The owner told us; he doesn't like the sun, so I guess we're not going past here today. It was really funny.

There were quite a few critters on the trail, a ton of rabbits, and this one actually shook his rattle at the Missus!

We were done by 930 and the Missus decided that She wanted Vientiane Lao Thai, so we drove over to Garden Grove for an early lunch. We then headed off to Rowland Heights to buy some snacks and other stuffs. We got back during the early afternoon and walked the mile or so to downtown, did some shopping, and scoped out a few more restaurants. In the end, we decided to have dinner at one of the places that was both on my "list" and had been recommended by Elmomonster. Sapphire Laguna; which was also a block away from our hotel.

The place was booked up; but we took some seats at the bar; which turned out to be an excellent decision. There's a Happy Hour menu, in addition to the regular menu at bar, even on weekends. The lead Bartender was an awesome young man named Paul. He was so friendly and it would turn out quite a mixologist. The Missus started with a glass of white wine and I had a Macallan 12.

The menu at Sapphire is very….well, global fusion.

We started with the Octopus Aguachile.

The pulpo was very tender and the Missus loved the avocado. It was, of course, bracingly sour, but also quite salty. This was not bad at all.

I saw the Burmese Fermented Tea Salad on the menu and had to try that. The presentation was very "Burma Superstar" if you know what I mean.

I eagerly mixed everything together. This was not bad; though it did miss the mark a bit; it was sour, though for some reason, it lacked the bitter-savory-slightly tanic tones that make tea leaf salad so addictive. The tomatoes weren't ripe enough to add acidity and there was too much lettuce in comparison to the laphet. Still, like the octopus, this wasn't bad.

At about this time, we'd gotten to know the two local guys sitting next to us on the bar. They were really friendly and we had a nice chat about local restaurants and bars….they both snorted when I mentioned the Rooftop Lounge…."it's only for tourists!" "And so crowded….." They seemed to know the bar staff quite well. I'm guessing they were regulars. About this time, the really busy, but friendly bartender, asked me if I wanted another drink. I said sure, but wondered if he could make me something….I described my tastes, smokey, smooth, bourbon or mezcal, bitters….. And he came up with the perfect cocktail for me…..all my favorite flavors in balance. It was amazing!

I asked him what the name of this cocktail was, and was told "it has no name….I just made it up for you right now". Awesome.

The Missus was still a bit hungry, so just for the heck of it, I ordered the Sonoran Dog off the Happy Hour menu. The Missus just loved this.

I mean, the bun and onions were just decoration. The Missus loved the snap and flavor of the hot dog; which had a mild spice to it; smoky, with a light oregano and perhaps cumin tones….the bacon didn't hurt at all either.

She loved it so much, I ordered another….. and also another "Paul's a Genius"….when Paul asked me what that was, I told him, "I just named that cocktail you made for me!" He cracked up. During a pause in the action, we had a nice chat. He had worked for a while in Seattle and made some recommendations for our next trip up there.

We loved the folks at Sapphire. And the bartender….and that (those) cocktail(s) was perhaps the highlight of the trip for me. We'd made the right choice for dinner.

Sapphire Laguna
1200 S, Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

We had no plans for the rest of the evening. Yes, I know the Pageant of the Masters was going on, but we just wanted to relax, without crowds and such.

We walked south along Coast Highway, past all the hotels and motels…..and headed down to the beach at Woods Cove…..it was beautiful.

The next morning we headed out early. We had lunch reservations and also needed to do a bit more shopping in the SGV.

We'd had a nice relaxing time in Laguna Beach….it's not quite our kind of crowd there; but all the locals and folks working were very nice. I'm glad we had a chance to check things out.

And those sunsets……

Thanks for stopping by!

A-Bowl (Shanghainese)(Convoy)

September 4, 2019 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

A-Bowl has closed

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!! It's another day with another post about food. Cathy is writing; Kirk is back at work.

The Mister and I were driving through another heavily packed parking lot on Convoy- and behind China Max, we saw a 'Grand Opening' sign and decided to check it out. A-Bowl has been open for about a month and we hadn't heard about it. Apparently the menu is Shanghainese and similar to Tasty Noodle House, according to some people online. We've never been to Tasty Noodle House, so can't compare. In any case, people were stopping out front to read the menu and walking in. It wasn't too crowded when we did the same, but was quite busy when we were leaving.
Looking at that back corner, with the overhead lighting, this looks as if it may have been a Karaoke venue at some point (there are several Karaoke businesses in this mall). It had been an InfiniTea-boba/beverage place before A-Bowl.

The menu is quite extensive (over 100 numbered items) and everything we ordered was served in deceptively large bowls…small-ish circumference, but deep and filled.
We decided to try the House Sauce Lao Mein ($8.99). I pulled out a noodle so you could see the eggy goodness. The 'House Sauce' was meaty (ground beef), ever so slightly sweet, slightly salty. There were small pieces of dry tofu, garlic, ginger and onion in the sauce. Bean sprouts and fresh cucumber slivers rounded this out. Mixed together, this was delicious! Kind of a Mabo, but not spicy. Satisfying.
We also decided to share the 'Spicy Sesame Wonton' ($8.99). Pork filled, large- two-bite-sized thin skinned wontons (there were ten; three layers in the, again, deceptively large bowl) topped with a peanut butter sauce, peanuts, pickled vegetables, cilantro and scallion tops. It wasn't that spicy and we added some of the tabletop condiments (soy, vinegar, white pepper and sambal) in various amounts to get the bit of 'kick' we were looking for, even though eating it 'plain' and with the pickled vegetables was quite good.
We decided to try this interesting "Seafood Combination with Chinese Donut" ($12.99) Large pieces of fish, squid, shrimp and (small, Bay) scallops mixed with plenty of fresh crispy Chinese (fried) donut, covered in a pretty typical Chinese 'Lobster Sauce'-a mild white sauce, chicken based, with eggs, peas and carrots along with green onion. This was great! The 'donut' stayed crunchy, the fish and squid were tender, shrimp were plump, scallops a bit chewy. The combination of flavors was great and the crunch of the donut was satisfying (we asked for no rice and it wasn't needed).

So far, this looks like a good lunch stop.

A-Bowl 4690 Convoy Street, Suite 111 San Diego 92111 (858)384-2278 Open Daily 11-3 then Mon-Th 5-9:45, Fri-Sat 4:30-10 Sun 4:30-9:30

Pacific Pizza (Poway)

September 3, 2019 Cathy Pizza, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Cathy is writing today, Kirk's exciting Labor Day weekend has been extended a bit.

The Mister and I shop about once a month at the Atlas World Fresh Market in the Poway shopping center located in the triangle shaped mall surrounded by Pomerado Road, Twin Peaks Road and Ted Williams Parkway in Poway. Atlas has a small 'Food Hall' area with Persian, Korean, Indian and a few other choices, which we are slowly trying out, depending on what is open when we shop. Sometimes we don't want to eat there.

We noticed this signage for Pacific Pizza about seven weeks ago and finally dropped in. Locally owned, family run, this small shop has four picnic tables for indoor seating as well as a couple of small tables out front.
The menu is simple, with pizzas, slices, salads, pastas, sandwiches, wings and a few other things, including Calzone and Stromboli. You may recall my Stromboli-Calzone comparison post from ten years ago..or not.
A small Greek salad (technically sized for one person, but the bowl is deep, toppings are plenty and we share) ($5). Fresh ingredients and a good balsamic dressing.
We ordered a calzone ($12.99, includes two toppings-we chose mushrooms and sausage)(additional toppings are $1.25 each and I don't think are necessary, since the cheesy mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta alone is great and would get 'diluted' with too many additions).
Two sides of fresh made marina also came with the calzone. That white stuff is a piece of garlic, which, along with the chunky tomato pieces is a pleasure to eat alone or with the calzone. You can see the thin delicate crust, which was brushed with garlic butter and herbs. This calzone was quite wonderful.

People were ordering slices, some lunch specials, sandwiches, salads and pizzas while we were in here. One large delivery was being taken out when we walked in.

I hope Pacific Pizza does well; they are serving quality food and everyone working is patient, polite and friendly.

Pacific Pizza 14897 Pomerado Road Poway 92064 (858) 842-6000 Open Mon-Sat 10-9, Sun 12-8 website

Tip Top Meats (Breakfast and Lunch)(again)

September 2, 2019 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, German Restaurants and Food, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to read this food blog, mmm-yoso!!!. Cathy is writing today, while Kirk and His Missus are 'vacationing' and celebrating the long Labor Day weekend.

The Mister and I drive to Carlsbad every so often just to enjoy a nice meal and pick up some German and/or European treats to enjoy at home. OK, we stop here a lot. This post, from two years ago, has links to my other five posts in the top paragraph. (Yes, seven posts in 13 years is a lot for one restaurant, but it is just so good). Breakfast can be glorious here. The Big John (still $7.98) includes toast, herb-y home fried potatoes, three eggs (any style) and *all you can eat meat*. Except bacon. You can only order bacon once, at the first order. People abused the privilege and now everyone must suffer. Pictured here is bacon and bratwurst. There is a house made breakfast sausage, kielbasa and ham also available as part of your meat selection. There are photos of Big John meats on the other posts; things here don't change.
The European Continental Breakfast ($8.99) is always interesting. First, I crave the bread rolls (which you can purchase in the Deli section for 50¢ each), the Swiss cheese is thick sliced (creamy/buttery soft and a slight nutty flavor) then the meats which are on the plate are always varied. This day, there were two slices of six different lunchmeats (including braunschweiger(!), two salamis, a mild headcheese, veal bologna and thick slices of Black Forest ham). To me, this is a perfect breakfast.

Eggs Benedict ($8.98) House made hollandaise (not very lemony at all) (compared to the hollandaise made at Costa's in West Covina). Perfectly poached eggs on top of a quality (thicker than usual) toasted English muffin and served with the home fries (potatoes and herbs-nice).
Meat Lovers Omelet ($8.99) Choice of two breakfast meats, three eggs.
Ham and bacon were the two chosen meats. There was more of that than egg or cheese wrapped in the eggs.

On some weekdays, we drive up for lunch. Smoked pork chops with both (sweet red and sour white) krauts, mashed potato and beef barley soup ($11.49). Thick, lean, smoked in-house chops. When we left, we purchased more in the market for an at-home feast. The soups here are, of course, house made; thick, flavorful and really wonderful. Beef steak sandwich (from the hot sandwiches menu) on marble rye toast and a side of Cole slaw ($8.99). Oh my. I've never ordered the Big John cheeseburger here; thought it would be 'average. So wrong…this was a perfect medium rare cook of wonderful flavorful beef. The other hot sandwiches as well as cold sandwiches are flavorful, fresh made, quite large and make a wonderful meal.

I hope you are having (or had) a wonderful Labor Day celebration!

Tip Top Meats 6118 Paseo Del Norte Carlsbad, CA 92011 (760) 438-2620 Open daily 6 a.m.-8 p.m.

2020 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Float Road Test #3. Food from Cream Pan (Tustin), Portos (West Covina) and The Hat (Murietta)

August 31, 2019 Cathy Bakery, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Still, there are so many reasons we end up eating the meals that we share here with you. Cathy is writing today.

Link to Road Test #1

Link to Road Test #2

Link to Road Test #4

Link to Road Tests # 5 and #6

The 131st Tournament of Roses Rose Parade (and 106th Rose Bowl football game) will occur on January 1, 2020; the culmination of a week of many other Tournament events. Preparation begins in mid-January, just after the prior parade is concluded. The Theme for 2020 is The Power of Hope. Some floats for the parade are built by Phoenix Decorating Company, which has monthly road tests noted on their website and Facebook page. The website also notes where you can sign up to volunteer to decorate floats. This Link to The Rose Examiner has a lot of current happenings surrounding the Tournament of Roses.

Last Saturday, a few floats were tested for mechanics and maneuverability. "Hope Keeps Us Going", the entry for the City of Alhambra looks to be ready for detailed decorating. SInce you see the artist rendition here, I thought that showing you the back of the float might be interesting.
This float, ridden by the Royal Court (who will be chosen and announced soon) will be the same float as last year, with fresh decorations.
The same is true for the 'Closing' float- the last in the parade (there's usually someone singing on it). The float reminds everyone to tune in to the Rose Bowl football game, which starts about four hours after the Parade ends. The Opening, Closing, Royal and Honda floats are never in competition for the awards given for float design and decoration.
The Huntington is celebrating its 100th year with a float in the 131st Rose Parade. This was a first Road Test. You may recall this wonderful post, written by Ed (from Yuma) about the lovely visit he and Tina had at The Huntington in 2014.
The City of Hope will enter a float for 2020. It sort of looks like a large tree, with doves, flowers, butterflies and bees randomly scattered in the tree limbs. I bet it's going to be beautiful. Hopefully there will be an artist rendition and more details next month. A quick peek inside the Decorating Barn is showing quite a progression being made on float construction.

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On to the food portion of the blogging.

We leave our home at 5 a.m., get to Cream Pan by 6:20. I have been afraid we are taking Cream Pan for granted and barely even post about our stops here. Not to fear; there was a notice inside that they are hiring for their new store in Fountain Valley! This morning, we chose a ham and cheese croissant ($2.80) (always good, meaty, cheesy and flaky), a (still warm) crispy cheese bread ($2.50) (fulfills cravings) and an 'orange chocolate' ($2)-new to us-It's almost like croissant dough in torn pieces mixed with dark chocolate bits and a great zip of orange flavor; now another favorite.

Cream Pan 602 El Camino Real Tustin, CA 92780 Open daily 6 a.m.-7 p.m. Website

Watching floats and then leaving, we were six miles away and had to stop at Portos, again. (My third ever visit, The Mister's second). Underneath that egg is a wonderful light, soft masa with whole pieces of corn, filled with shredded, slow roasted pork accompanied by a great salsa verde, the Tamal a Caballo ($4.75) is kind of a perfect breakfast.
Since we haven't tried the whole menu (yet), a Medianoche (Midnight sandwich; same fillings as a Cubano, but a different bread) ($5.99) was shared. Fillings are slow roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, Cuban dressing and pickles. Great flavors and another good choice any time of the day.
We also shared a ham croquette (95¢)-smoked ham and parsley in a roux, coated with a crispy layer of bread crumbs. Also one of the trademarked Potato Balls ($1.05)- mashed potato filled with a picadillo (seasoned ground beef with red bell pepper and olives).
Because we were eating in, the Porto's cortadito ($2.69) – two shots of espresso and sweetened condensed milk- was delivered to the table in this cute plastic espresso cup with its own tiny spoon (yes, I brought it home). We also shared an iced coffee ($2.25). There were also lists made of what else to try, both for us and for cc, Bert and TC.

Porto's 584 S. Sunset Ave., West Covina 91790 (626)214-3490 open Mon-Th 6:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Fri-Sat 6:30a.m.-9p.m., Sun 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Website

The Mister and I weren't really hungry until at the split of the 15 and 215, in Murietta. The last (or first, if you are heading North) exit is the closest location of The Hat, just East of the 215 exit. The Hat started in Los Angeles in 1951. "World Famous Pastrami Dip" is the primary food item here. But, there are a few other items on the menu.

There's a beef dip sandwich ($10.49)
There are also onion rings ($4.99) (whole onions, a nice crunchy breading and quite a large size).
But no. The Mister has begun looking at photos online. This. This is: chili fries ($6.99) (The chili here is noteworthy, the amount of fries you get in a regular 'small' order fills a paper bag) add cheddar cheese ($1.69) add pickles and tomatoes (20¢) add pastrami ($4.99). It weighed more than two pounds. After ten minutes, with both of us eating, maybe 1/4 of it was gone. We took it home. There were small bites taken for dinner, there were fried potatoes and pastrami for breakfast the next day…
The Hat 40476 Murietta Hot Springs Road Murietta, CA 92563 (951) 304-2244 open daily 10 a.m.-10p.m.Website

Tomson D – Chinese (and Krispy Krunchy Chicken) (La Mesa)

August 30, 2019 Cathy Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Tomson D has closed. It will be missed.

This food blog named mmm-yoso!!! has Cathy posting on this hot summer day. Kirk is enjoying the start of a long weekend.

A sort of odd location, next to a Subway in a curved row of storefronts, this used to be Slides, a great concept with nice owners (I still crave the eggplant as well as the fish sliders from here). Now owned by a friendly couple, who seem to always be working, Tomson D has an interesting mix of food offerings as well as clientele.
When Tomson D first opened in October 2017, it offered Mongolian BBQ in addition to the still existing menu items, hence the empty 'salad bar'/refrigerated area to the right, in the above photo.
To the left, when you enter, is a wall menu of various appetizers,Chinese offerings and beverages.
To the left of the cash register is a display of fresh Krispy Krunchy Chicken, a Louisiana style franchise with four San Diego locations. (Which Kirk has written about, twice.). The chicken display always seems to be fresh and we have noticed that it is changed out regularly during the day if not sold out.

First things first. I've been here on my own before, on Fridays, when I don't eat meat. The 'Appetizer' menu has 'fried white fish' ($2.68 per piece).
One piece is quite large, and cut in half per order.
Light, crispy batter with some herbs; the tartar sauce isn't really necessary, but I end up using it on the second half, if I want variety. The fish is meaty, flaky and properly fried; not greasy.
The Chinese menu sells items by size- lunch, dinner and party. This is the "Tomson Beef" (L $7.38). Pretty much beef and onions. The beef is tender with a nice sauce of garlic and chilis. Each Chinese meal comes with a vegetable egg roll, served in a glassine paper bag. The Tomson Shrimp (L $7.98) isn't spicy and is stir fried with zucchini, carrot, onion and mushroom. Very plump shrimp and good, fresh vegetables.
The Pekin chicken (L $7.58) has a one chili 'heat rating' and it's pretty mild. Bell pepper, mushrooms, onion and chili are the ingredients and it's all fresh, juicy, flavorful.

Our first time trying the Krispy Krunchy chicken. We did order the three piece 'Meal Deal' ($5.59) and received four pieces, which was a nice accident. So, two legs and two thighs and a honey butter biscuit. Wow. The biscuit was really well made- fluffy inside with a crisped bottom and topped with definite honey butter covering the crispy crust; a perfect biscuit. What great fried chicken-light, crispy, the crust- seasoned 'politely' and not 'overwhelmingly'. The chicken meat was juicy, moist. Nothing needed to be added.

A great local owned restaurant with choices which should satisfy most cravings.

Tomson D 7406 University Avenue La Mesa, CA 91942 (619) 597-6666 Open Tues-Sun 11-9 CLOSED MONDAY

The menu has several teas offered, each for $3 (boba extra). The peach tea is very nice; you can taste the tea. But really, they sell chicken here.

Mr. Falafel (Clairemont)

August 29, 2019 Cathy Lebanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog for more than 14 years. Kirk is working a lot this short week before a holiday weekend, Cathy is blogging.

Kirk has written about Mr. Falafel a total of three times; it's closer to His workplace. However, I drive around a lot. There are several signs directing you to this small storefront, (a strip mall *behind* the Panda Country on Clairmont Mesa at Genesee (the Southwest corner)). It used to be a Mexican Bakery where we would stop after eating at the small Mexican restaurant, also in this strip mall. The signage used to indicate it was 'Mediterranean Cuisine' and now it is more specific- 'Lebanese Cuisine'. There are 8 tables (two outside), 18 chairs. The menu is simple. The owner is very friendly and takes your order, apologizes that you will have to wait while it is being prepared, brings the food out to your table and checks up on how you are doing. It is his place and you can tell he is proud of his quality. Did I mention he is friendly? He is also happy, sings with the music playing in the background while cleaning the tables. It's like you are guest in his home.
The entire menu. Of course, we had to try the falafel. Knowing this was Lebanese meant the falafel would have fava beans in addition to chickpeas (I mentioned falafel ingredient differences in this post). A 'Munchie' ($5.99) of falafel was ordered.

Crisp exterior, fluffy interior, onion, garlic, parsley mixed with the garbanzo and fava. Quite perfect. Made to order (of course) and served with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and (a very mild) tahini. This could be a light meal.

So. Lebanese. Top center menu item, Lebanese chicken panini ($7.95). Chicken, pickles, garlic spread on a pressed French roll. This is a Lebanese restaurant…Alforon and chicken tawook came to mind. Could it be?
Oh yes!!! Freshly pulled roasted chicken (there was a small bone in one bite), a nice amount of pickles and the light, fluffy smooth, garlic paste on the nicely crisp yet fluffy pannini'd bread. All the flavors I crave. When you order the sandwich, you can also get a small size of any side item (hummus, tabbouleh, cucumber yogurt salad, potato salad fries or baba ganoosh) for 1/2 price. Ganoosh it was! Smoky, chunky, fresh-wonderful. The 'Munchie' part of the menu says a choice of either fresh pita or pita chips, and we were given some of each. The regular pita here are the nice, thin version (which is what the toasted pita are made from)- and I like thin pita rather than the fluffy, bread-y style.

A longtime (since 2011), local owned, friendly place serving wonderful, fresh food.

Mr. Falafel 4461 Clairmont Mesa Blvd (BEHIND Panda Country and the gas station) 92117 (858)490-0170 Closed Monday, 11-8 Tues-Sun Website

Revisits – Tim Ky and Chicago Fire Grill

August 27, 2019 mmm-yoso Hot Dogs, Vietnamese Restaurants

It's still pretty darn warm out. I think you ought to be trying to relax and keep cool rather than reading a food blog….especially since there's noodle soup involved in this post. But; if you insist, well, I'll carry on.

Tim Ky:

This was actually my first restaurant meal after returning from our last trip to Budapest – Vienna – Munich -etc, etc, etc…..

Not sure why; but I ordered the duck leg egg noodle soup. At most places of this ilk, the duck is served, but here the whole leg is served in the soup. For some unknown reason….perhaps just wanting to see if it was as bad as what I had before?

In some ways this was even worse. The skin on the duck was rubbery; the meat really dry and tough. It's hard enough trying to eat this leg in a bowl of scalding soup without making a mess; but this made things even harder. The broth tastes like salty-bitter water with a hint of five spice….though it is really hot. The noodles were nicely cooked, it still had a bit of "crunch" to it. There was one slice of shiitake mushroom.

Ok, I'm done with this here, I'll stick with the beef sate noodle "dry".

Tim Ky Noodle
9330 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Chicago Fire Grill:

A few weeks back; before "SJK" changed departments, we were both in meetings together with a short break in between. I knew that she loved hot dogs….but strangely had never had a Chicago Dog. I thought we'd be able to grab a Chicago Dog from Chicago Fire Grill. I called in and it was ready when I got there.

The fries were the same as on previous visits. The Poppy Seed Bun was a bit more soggy than usual and the tomato under-ripe. The Vienna Beef Dog had the requisite snap and of course it had been "dragged through the garden"; though there was a bit less fluorescent green relish than usual.

Still, "SJK" who had never had a Chicago Dog loved this.

The place was packed and quite busy on this day; so I got no "words of wisdom" from the Owner. I'm hoping my next visit will be better.

Chicago Fire Grill
8935 Towne Centre Dr.
San Diego, CA 92122

Road Trip – Vientiane Lao Thai Restaurant Revisited (Garden Grove)

August 26, 2019 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants, Orange County, Road Trip

We were in the OC and it felt like a bazillion degrees. It was 10 in the morning and we were getting hungry, so where to go? I had a couple places in mind; though it was just too hot for most of what I had in mind. The Missus had a favorite of Hers, Song Long in mind. And then it came to Her….what would be perfect on a hot and humid day; it had been a while since we'd been to Vientiane; no not the city (though we loved it there); but Vientiane Thai Laos, which we had first tried in 2009 and really enjoyed. So, we drove on over to Westminster Avenue and the strip mall that hosts this little restaurant. Man, has parking always been so bad in this strip mall?

Anyway, the restaurant has changed over the years; it looks much more up to date, though we were hoping that the food would still be the same.

The young lady who served us was adorable, so sweet, and nice.

And of course we started with what was perhaps my favorite version of Nem Khao outside of Vientiane (the city).

Everything was so sparkling fresh. The Missus loved the amount of pork skin and sour sausage in the dish. I wasn't so thrilled as this was not quite as good as what I'd had here before. I thought the rice, instead of being crisp, was on the harder, more chewy side….not bad mind you; just not as crispy, though it was crunchy as what I'd had here on previous visits. There was till that nice sour-sausage-smoky-savory thing going on; but it didn't have the light, faint coconut flavor I recalled.

The Missus wanted Her favorite dish here; the Koong Chae Nam Pa, raw shrimp salad.

These days; the wonderful garlic-lime-fish sauce-chili sauce is now served on the side. Of course it was poured over everything. The shrimp were chilled, with just the amount of toothsomeness you'd want. The tomatoes were perfectly ripe and sweet and tangy. This was every bit as good as what we remembered.

The Missus also wanted Her Lao Style Papaya Salad.

By the time my attention went to this dish, the Missus had almost devoured the whole thing. Not as much salted crab as I recall; but man, this was so perfectly funky and savory; with a stiff spiciness….and again those tomatoes; though this time it had been perfectly bruised in the mortar and was so tender and sweet!

We had decided to add one more dish for the meal and asked the young lady for a suggestion. She recommended the beef salad. Asked how we'd like it done, I said "raw"….she looked up in surprised and said, "are you sure?" And I said, that's how it is traditionally, right? To which she nodded……and it turned out to be the right decision.

And it turned out to be the right decision. Unlike other versions where the meat is minced or chopped and served; this one was pounded in the mortar, making the texture wonderfully tender; like a good tartare. The rice powder added a nice nuttiness; the citrus the acid. The real bonus was the tripe which was surprisingly soft and buttery.

This was just the perfect meal for a hot and humid day. While other tables were getting pad thai and curries (and one dude seemed so hungry he was eating a plain bowl of rice!); we were cooling off with traditional Lao dishes.

It's good to know Vientiane Thai Laos Restaurant is still doing well nearly ten years since we first visited.

Vientiane Lao Thai Restaurant
10262 Westminster Ave
Garden Grove,CA92843
Hours:
Mon      11am – 9pm
Tues     10am – 9pm
Thurs    10am – 9pm
Fri- Sat 10am – 10pm
Sunday   10am – 9pm
Closed on Wednesdays

Ol’ Rodeo’s Market and The Yogurt Mill- Lunch and dessert in El Cajon (Bostonia)

August 25, 2019 Cathy Desserts, Markets & Grocers, Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read about food here on mmm-yoso!!! today. Kirk is enjoying the weekend and Cathy is writing.

El Cajon has some interesting, local places which have withstood the test of time. I haven't written or even photographed some of my 'little secrets' in over ten years of blogging and finally have gotten around to it.

Located at the South East corner of Broadway at Mollison, this small market is known for its meats, fresh tortillas and small kitchen, located just to the right when you walk in.
The menu is uncomplicated. Everything is fresh and prepared to order, by taking the meats straight from the sales counter over to the kitchen area. There are a few (5) tables in the center of the store (which has a small Produce area, wall of refrigerated beverages, wall of refrigerated staples and one (two sided) set of shelves).

These photos were all taken from my seat at the table. Ol' Rodeo's is small.
Soon enough, our 'Combination Plate' ($6.99) order of birria (choice of goat or beef; this is goat) was brought over (also, four freshly warmed tortillas, not pictured). This flavorful, rich, spicy stew hits all the taste points. The obligatory leftover photo; you can see bay leaf and some bones and gristle. This large bowl of stew had close to a pound of meat in it. The rice and beans here are very good in addition to the fresh corn tortillas.
We also ordered an adobada taco ($2.49), so we had something to eat while the other person was enjoying the birria. As mentioned, the meat for grilling was pulled from the meat counter (where it is $3.99/lb). The pork pieces, marinated in red chile sauce with vinegar and oregano was so fresh and flavorful. I was asked if I wanted avocado or guacamole on top. No extra charge.

Superior quality food, wonderful people working here (it's a Mom and Pop place). Known for its carne asada, which will be a separate post.

Ol' Rodeo's Meat Market 927 Broadway El Cajon 92021 (619) 401-7351

Want dessert? Go out to the parking lot…

This landmark building used to be a pizza place called "The Leaning Tower" (there were two other locations in San Diego; one is still partially standing (last photo) and the other, which anchored Clairmont Square, is gone). This family run frozen yogurt business has existed for 41 years and this location was purchased when the Leaning Tower of Pizza went out of business, around 1988.
The menu changes a bit each day and there is always one dairy free and one sugar free option, as well as two or three low fat yogurts in addition to nonfat choices. There are plenty of topping choices, but we are purists.
Tart Mango and Pomegranate Blueberry, Baby size ($3.60)- a lot of frozen yogurt to share (especially after that birria). Tart, well flavored, quality yogurt.

Yogurt Mill 935 Broadway El Cajon 92021 Open daily Mon-Thur 10-10, Fri-Sat 10-11 Sun 11-10

This is why you can walk from Ol' Rodeo to The Yogurt Mill…