mmm-yoso – Page 162 – 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.

San Diego Chicken Pie Shop (revisit)

July 5, 2019 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! welcomes you back for a quick look at a place to enjoy a meal. Cathy is writing and Kirk is enjoying this Independence Day long weekend.

I've written a few posts about the San Diego Chicken Pie Shop since 2006. The menu has expanded over the years. Comfort food, quick service, nice people both dining and working.

There are tabletop 'specials' which include soup and Cole slaw. (Of note, the pea soup here is vegetarian; no ham).
On this day, corned beef and cabbage was the Special ($11) This was very well made and had large portion of tender beef. It came with the carrots, green beans and potatoes as well as the cabbage.
The Pie Dinner (still $10) which also arrives with the finely chopped slaw and fresh, chewy, wonderful dinner rolls is the same as always; a sturdy yet light crust surrounding chicken and turkey and gravy-no vegetables as filler. It's served with mashed potatoes and a Vegetable of the Day.
Full meals are served with a choice of pie for dessert. This day, chocolate pie and peach pie were chosen. Again, the hose made crusts make this so wonderful…light and flaky and so very fresh.

Yes, three different daily fresh baked items- the dinner rolls, the chicken pie crust and the dessert pie crusts. It's why we are here on carb craving days.

A San Diego tradition for more than 80 years.

San Diego Chicken Pie Shop 2633 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego 92104 (619) 295-0156 website Open Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat-Sun 9-8

Creamistry- Ice Cream made in front of you, using liquid Nitrogen

July 4, 2019 Cathy Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read this food blog named mmm-yoso!!! Today's short post is written by Cathy.

Ice cream. A frozen dessert or snack. Countries around the world have some version, using various add ins (I did particularly like the Qwality Brand ice creams along with the falooda ice cream based beverage at Cash and Carry on Miramar Road and the Filipino ice creams and Halo-Halo at Snoice in Spring Valley. San Diego has a few modern ice cream shops as well as some older, established businesses, like Mariposa, Niederfranks and (thank you, cc, for this epic post: Oasis).

In August 2016, Bing Haus opened, featuring rolled ice cream- cream and other ingredients placed on a 'reverse griddle' (ice pan) and in about two minutes, fresh ice cream is made to your order.

A month before Bing Haus, Creamistry opened on Clairmont Mesa Boulevard. Made to order ice cream using liquid nitrogen in a mixer. We finally made a stop.

The menu is fairly uncomplicated, with suggested combinations costing less than ordering each ingredient separately.
Then again, there are quite a few possibilities, based on your particular cravings. Notice the stacked stainless steel mixing bowls in the back, far left.
The chosen ingredients are added to the mixing bowl,
liquid Nitrogen is pumped in, the resulting ice cream is scooped out and, toppings of the same mix-ins are added. This was our first visit, we were hungry. We ordered an "Elvis Presley" ($7) – banana ice cream, bananas, candied bacon and peanut butter sauce. (A plain ice cream is $6 and add ins are 50¢ each, so choosing a pre-designed flavor saves). The ice cream is filled with the ingredients and the toppings were just a delightful, fresh fanciness. The ice cream itself is smooth and rich and so very creamy. This was enough to share.

Another concept of this summertime treat. We will be going back to try more.

Creamistry 7420 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego, CA 92111 (858) 874-6407 {there are two other San Diego locations} Website Open daily at noon.

Goi Cuon Inc (Hillcrest)

July 2, 2019 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

While driving on Robinson Avenue a while back I noticed that a shop named Goi Cuon was replacing The Thai Grill, which was shut down due to some, ahem, critter issues. A few weeks later I read about the opening on Eater. Apparently this shop is an extension of booths at the Hillcrest and OB Farmers Market.

It's an interesting location; but I really liked the hours; 8am to 8pm, which made it a nice little stop on a weekend morning. You know, a little something to eat before taking care of the "Honey-do" list.

Nice shop; clean, wide open, but man, it's quite a menu, with various combinations of the namesake dish, banh mi, salads, "pho rolls", cha gio. I quickly figured out, since the entire menu was in English, and with items like Shrimp and Strawberry and Shrimp and Avocado spring rolls, and a bunch of vegan offerings that this was kind of a fusiony shop.

Still, when I saw Sugar Cane Shrimp with "crispy snack" and "Vietnamese Sausage Pork with Crispy Snack", I figured I'd start there. After all, I've always thought if you can't make the basics, well….. So, there was a very friendly young lady working the counter. She was so nice and was a bit shocked when I ordered the Nem Nuong Cuon and Chao Tom Cuon in horrible Vietnamese. She laughed and asked me if and where I'd had this before and I told her, "Brodard" and the "now closed Dat Thanh". She smiled and we had a nice little chat while I had my Vietnamese Coffee and waited for my Goi Cuon.

Eventually, I got me spring rolls all wrapped up nicely in a little brown bag.

Man, they sure use a lot of plastic wrap. I had to work pretty hard getting it off the spring rolls!

Two sauces were provided; a peanut based dipping sauce and another sauce with a sweeter coconutty flavor.

The spring rolls are not cheap at $3 each, but I was given 20% off as it was during grand opening.

So, what did I think?

The Chao Tom Cuon had a nice thick piece of shrimp paste, which was a bit more tender than I'm used to. It was fairly bland however. There was that "Brodard-like" piece of fried eggroll wrapper which added a nice crunch. There was quite a bit of lettuce in this, some bun, and no other herbs. In spite of being tightly bound in plastic wrap; the spring rolls itself was wrapped fairly loosely.

Next up, the Nem Nuong Cuon.

This was a bit better, though it was again very mild in flavor.

Both really needed the dipping sauces; the peanut version went much better with both goi cuon.

So, no this wasn't nearly as good as Brodard. Heck, it wasn't as good as Duyen Mai or even Banh Mai. But these were fresh and I guess convenient if you live in the area. The young lady was so very nice as well. I wanted to check out a few other items on the menu, so I returned a few weeks later and picked up a lunch to take back to the office.

The nice young lady was again working; I believe she is the owner?

I wanted to try a Banh Mi; there are only "Grilled" meat, tofu, and easy over egg versions available. I'd usually go with the Banh Mi Op La – the fried egg version, but I decided on the grilled pork.

This was by far the best item I've had from Goi Cuon thus far.The bread was nicely done, standard issue banh mi, but warm, crusty-flakey, and it had held up well. The pork almost seemed braised, it was very tender. The pickled carrots and the cucumber were nice and crisp. But man, this was a bit too "gringo" for me, no jalapenos, no pickled daikon, this was banh mi not to offend.

I was curious about the "Pho Rolls"; so I ordered a shrimp version ($3). And yep, this was a version of Pho Cuon, an acquaintance who recently returned from Hanoi mentioned this dish to me, a thickish rice noodle roll, rightly wrapped around beef and herbs used for pho. This is what I got here.

The rice noodle was on the thinner side and was wrapped quite loosely as it just fell apart. No herbs, just lettuce and cucumber; though the shrimp was nice and plump, well prepped. Overall, this was pretty bland and I thought some nuoc mam cham would have gone better with this than the peanut sauce.

There was one more item I was curious about. It was the shrimp and avocado spring roll ($3); so I ordered one. I mentioned how tightly these are wrapped earlier. By the time I got all the layers of plastic wrap off; the spring roll wrapper had started to peel.

The slice of avocado adds an interesting textural contrast; but very little in terms of flavor. The shrimp were thin half slices, quite bland, and having just bun and lettuce again really hurt the overall flavor of the spring roll.

And paying $12 bucks for this lunch seemed on the high side for me.

So, while the spring rolls are nice and fresh; I find the overall preparations and flavors a bit too "Westernized" for me. It's missing the herbs, seasonings, and other ingredients that make these dishes Vietnamese in my mind.

Also, I had thought that Goi Cuon was at least a nice, fresh breakfast option in the area; but at last glance they've changed their hours and are no longer open from 8 to 8. I really like the owner; she's really nice, I hope they do well, but for me, the food has lost its "soul" somewhere along the way.

Goi Cuon Inc
420 Robinson Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours
Mon – Fri 1030am – 930pm
Sat – Sun 11am – 10pm

2020 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road test #1. Breakfast and snacks at Porto’s.

July 1, 2019 Cathy Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. So many reasons to get to the food. Cathy is writing today because the reason to drive North is again happening.

Link to Road test #2

Link to Road Test #3

Link to Road Test #4

Link to Road Tests #5 and #6

A few weeks after the 2019 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Showcase of Floats, on Sierra Madre Boulevard at the end of the Parade route, the President of the 2020 Parade (Laura Farber) was announced and the Theme of the 2020 Parade- "The Power of Hope" was introduced. “With hope – anything, in fact, everything is possible. Hope is more than simply the possibility of fulfillment. Hope is dignity and respect, joy and happiness, aspiration and achievement. Hope never, ever quits. Through hope, we can aspire to be our best and in turn inspire those around us to reach higher.”. The float designs for the 130th Rose Parade use this as their design inspiration.

Float designs were submitted to the Tournament and, once approved, construction began. The first of a series of "Road Tests" (of manipulation, maneuverability and safety of the floats) of some of the 22 floats to be constructed by Phoenix Decorating Company, occurred on Saturday in Irwindale. There will be about 44 floats total in the parade; Phoenix is one of three float building businesses, (six floats which are 'self constructed' also participate). This online newsletter will keep you up to date with Tournament happenings. Oddfellows Rebekahs float for 2020 is "First Responders Bring Hope". This float will be applauded throughout the 5.5 mile parade route.
The little detail which might be missed in the Lions Clubs International "Hope for 20/20" float is that each character on board is wearing glasses- a nod to one of the Lion signature projects: vision.
The 2020 Lutheran Hour Ministries float, "Anchored in Jesus"- a submerged anchor with three fish surrounding it, is the 70th entry for the only Christian themed Rose Parade float sponsored by the Lutheran Layman's League.
Kiwanis International hasn't released an Artist rendition or title of their 2020 float; I'll add it. So cute!

The above floats are marked with the colors to help with decoration (which begins the first Saturday in December). The following two floats aren't quite as far along in construction.
The 2020 Rose Parade float entered by Rotary International, "Hope Connects the World" is going to appear as if it is a balloon (like the San Diego Holiday Bowl parade) in the parade, with out walkers 'holding it down'. It is in the 'cocoon' stage of construction.
The City of Alhambra will enter this "Hope Keeps Us Going" float, still in the 'skeleton' phase of design.

It looks like the morning of January 1, 2020 will be a great start to the year!

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I know, you are here for the food portion of the blog. There was a small newspaper article in 2017 about a new location of Porto's, a Cuban Bakery Cafe, in the Los Angeles County area since 1976, opening a fifth location. Finally, the West Covina location opened two months ago. I was interested in Porto's because of postings by other blogs: cc has made multiple visits, as have Soo and Maggie, Faye, Kirbie and Mary. In fact, we've been to Azucar and Los Pollos specifically to try Cuban delicacies without having to drive a few hours to a Porto's location..
This store, six miles South of Phoenix Decorating, on the same road (which changes names, but is a straight drive) is so close!
There's an open baking area,
the ordering lines are organized.
There is a Coffee bar just to the right as you walk in. We didn't know the 'system' (you can order beverages when you are ordering Bakery and/or Cafe items in any line) and I sent The Mister off to order beverages here. A mojito ($3.39) and a Double Cortadito ($2.59).

The display cases are just that-displays. They are always full. You order and the Porto's guy (or gal) turns and goes to the kitchen to box your items…which (at least around 8 a.m.) are freshly warm.
A potato ball ($1.05), ham croquette (95¢) and, as I must always order, ham and cheese baked in a croissant ($2.35).
Cross sections- the mashed potato ball is filled with picadillo (I could taste the olives!) before being rolled in breadcrumbs and fried. I could see eating a few of these as a meal. The ham croquette is very rich- just ham chunks and a seasoned Bechamel (flour, butter and milk) sauce. It looks small but is just enough.
Cross section of the Ham and Cheese baked in a bread. A wonderful rendition.
Rellenitos-$1.05 each. Made to order. Listed in the 'Savory' section of the menu.
Mashed plantain filled with black beans, fried then rolled in sugar. This is wonderful.

Since it was breakfast and we were here…Torrejas was ordered ($5.98).
Cuban style French toast, made with croissant dough, served with a more or less tropical fruit salad (that is guava sauce and it's not sweetened) and whipped cream cheese. Decadent and kind of addictive.

We will return-many times- to try out the whole menu.

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

Sunday Sandwiches – Revisits to SuperNatural (Miramar) and Sandwich Emporium (Mira Mesa and Clairemont)

June 30, 2019 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

Just some revisits for a sunny Sunday.

Supernatural Sandwiches (Miramar):

**** SuperNatural Sandwiches has closed

Always a stop on my lunch sandwich "rotation", it been nearly a year since my last post, so I thought it was a good time for one.

I know you're expecting this……

The "Siren"; from garlicky-spicy mayo; to the moist and plump shrimp, to go with the buttery-slightly sweet brioche. It's been my favorite since the days when SuperNatural had a stand in the San Diego Public Market. But on my last visit; I decided to finally go with something else.

Still sticking to the "shrimp theme", I ordered the Kirin; basically a shrimp and Chinese sausage Banh Mi.

And I thoroughly enjoyed this as well! I like the way SN does their shrimp, it is almost always plump and juicy….no deviation on this visit. I also always believe that the Siren would do well with a bit of acidity and the typical, pklced crunchy carrot and daikon did the job here. The bread was warm and crusty, a passable Banh Mi. Slices of lup cheong lined the bottom of the sandwich….so; I guess if I took a large bite I'd get a bit of the chewy, slight sweetness. Not a big fan of the way the sauce was drizzled on top of the sandwich, making it….well, like the Siren a mess….but heck, that's splitting hairs.

Of course I'm going to return.

SuperNatural Sandwiches
7094 Miramar Rd. #122
San Diego, CA 92121

Sandwich Emporium – Clairemont and Mira Mesa:

SE hold a special place in my heart as it was one of the first posts I did back in May of 2005! And, as I've noted over the years, they've also created a little empire of shops. I don't get to my neighborhood shop quite as often these days; but recently stopped by when I had to head home during lunch.

And like on that visit; I got the Spicy Julio.

It seems that this combo of roast beef, avocado, pepper jack, pickled jalapenos is a nice combination. I think there's even more filling then before. I did wish the bread had been toasted a bit more to give it a bit more crunch and the the tomatoes were more ripe, but this is a good sandwich.

A few days later; I was doing some shopping…..I did consider fighting the crowds at Menya Ultra; but it was a bit too warm. So I headed around the corner to Sandwich Emporium.

And got a Spicy Julio again. And perhaps there had been somekind of weird telepathic communication? Because this is what I got.

The nice crustiness of the bread just made it that much better.

Which has me wondering; are things made differently at the two shops? Hmmm; I'll need to visit more often.

Sandwich Emporium
3054 1/2 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

and

Sandwich Emporium – **** The Mira Mesa location of Sandwich Emporium has closed
8155 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Hope you're keeping cool this rather muggy (for San Diego) and warm weekend!

Honolulu – Ahi Assassins and Walking Around Shirokiya Japan Village Walk

June 28, 2019 mmm-yoso Honolulu, Japanese Restaurants, Oahu, Poke, Travel

**** Both this location of Ahi Assassins and the Shirokiya Japan Village Walk have closed

Our first full day back from Lana'i was spent doing a bit of shopping. And of course we wanted to get some grindz. Since we don't visit "Home" very often these days; it's quite easy to fall into the "I gotta get all my favorites" mode….just like the previous evening when we hit up the Alley.

On this day though; I wanted to try someplace new. I'd heard about a newish shop that opened up in Moiliili. One that serves fish from the waters around the islands; Ahi Assassins. Funny, when I read the address, I thought, where the heck in that small strip mall are they? Well; the shop is on the second floor. Just look for the Fish Flags!

There's something wonderfully "neighborly – old school" about this place. Like a small hole-in-the-wall that could have been in your neighborhood in the islands growing up.

There are several poke on offer….when it's gone, it's gone. Kind of reminds me of Ray's Café before they moved to Kalihi (btw, we miss you Reid! Hope all is well), when they were on the corner of Smith and Beretania. They had a hand written sign that said; "when the door is open we open, when its closed, we closed". But I digress.

Anyway, the really friendly guy behind the counter got us trying….well, just about everything.

We ended up spending like almost fifty bucks here on poke!

If you're keeping score; from the top left clockwise; The "Secret", basically a riff on Shoyu Poke, a bit sweet, perhaps a bit too salty, the ahi had a real good texture. The "Lunatic" a mayo-less (yay!) version of spicy poke, a bit too salty, with nice touches of garlic. It wasn't too spicy and the Missus didn't care for what She said was "too chewy and overly sauced". The Hawaiian, very traditional definitely my favorite, great balance with regards to salt – onions, though I really couldn't make out the inamona. Excellent texture with regards to the fish on this one. And, for the Missus, a very typical sriracha-mayo based spicy ahi.

Could not fault the quality of the fish; though some of the preparations seemed a bit over done for us. Still, I'd gladly return.

Ahi Assassins
2570 South Beretania St. #204
Honolulu, HI 96826
Hours:
Mon – Tues 10am – 5pm
Wed – Sat 10am – 6pm
Sunday 10am – 2pm

We actually took our fish down to Ala Moana Beach and just had a nice lunch.

Leaving Ala Moana Park I noticed these window washers working on I believe it's Waiea. Sheesh….talk about a spooky job! Definitely not for me!

One of the reasons we headed down to Ala Moana Beach was to do some shopping at Ala Moana Center. After buying some "stuffs"….well, we weren't through with shopping, but had pretty much done enough for the day, I wanted to check out another newish place that I had read about in the Star-Advertiser and then in post by Kat. Shirokiya, now how's that for a blast from the past, opened up it's own version of a Japanese Food Street called the "Shirokiya Japan Village Walk". So, we just wanted to check it out.

No, we didn't eat here on this trip, but it was fun exploring. We actually did return the next day to pick up some stuffs from Foodland Farms. But as always, so much food, so little time.

Thanks for stopping by!

2019 San Diego County Fair- OzSome! (Part 2)

June 27, 2019 Cathy Festivals & Events, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk and (sometimes) Cathy write about food and sometimes add in little tidbits about how and where the food was attained. This is one of those posts, written by Cathy.

The 2019 San Diego County Fair, the largest attended County Fair in the USA (and fifth largest Fair of any kind), has been open since May 31 and will have its final day on July 4. I wrote a short post before the Fair opened and hope that many of you have already had a chance to attend. The Mister and I have visited the Fairgrounds a few times and this short post is just a small taste of some of the Fair foods we have had, and some of what we have seen. There will be a 'Part Three' wrap up post, after the closing. Soo and Maggie have attended.

The theme of the 2019 Fair, "OzSome" focuses on the L. Frank Baum original book series, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" (and not the movie-musical which most of us have seen on television). There are far more details in the 13 volume book series.

From 1947-1984, Spanish actor Tommy Hernandez portrayed Don Diego as the Official Ambassador to the Fair. After the death of Hernandez, instead of having another actor portray Don Diego Alvarado, whose family had a large land grant in the Del Mar area during the late 1800s, a 16 foot tall bronze statue stands at the entrance to the Fairgrounds, appropriately dressed for the Theme.
Once you walk inside, there are characters greeting and walking around, ready to pose with families for photos. Each of the various Exhibit areas is decorate in the Fair theme.
As are many of the entries and displays.

The tornado ravaged home, crushing the Wicked Witch (look to the bottom left in this photo), is quite an original display in Home and Hobby. As are the entries in so many divisions.

I know, you are here for the food. Here's a bit of what is available.
Inside Bing Crosby Hall, the old Dixie's Mini Donuts stand has been sold, name changed to Lillie B's Donuts and reversed (you pay first then walk along and watch your order prepared). Still hot and fresh and a traditional treat.
As always, a sandwich from the Roxy's fair booth is a given for us. This year it was the artichoke sandwich ($13, because we added avocado). This sandwich is just wonderful, yet we never order a sandwich at the restaurant.

Another regular 'Fair food' for us comes from the Fresh Cream Puff booth. This year there was an offering of a 'Neapolitan' puff- with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry cream…but the strawberry wasn't ready yet, so we asked if we could just have a chocolate and vanilla combo…($4) the shell was fresh made as were the real whipped creams. An indulgence we can't find 'on the outside'.

The Mister always must order 'something pesto' from Pignotti's. This year is was the tortellini. Cheese filled and slathered in the wonderful basil-garlic-olive oil sauce…a comfort food.
There's a 'new' booth on the Midway this year (it had been closer to the animal barns in previous years) selling cheese curds ($7). These were served on a bed of garlic-parsley-coarse salted fries, which were also quite good, although the squeaky cheese was just a perfect bite. There are a few 'themed' items, like this "Wicked Witch" Sriracha ceviche. As well as a duo of "Good Witch" and "Wicked Witch" toasts…and everything else on the menu at the Emerald Eatery inside the Paul Ecke Garden Show area (This restaurant/booth changes annually with Fair Themed, 'healthier' choices).

There will be plenty more activities to show in the third post of this series. There's a week to go: the Junior Livestock Auction is tomorrow, fireworks the evening of the 4th of July, and so much more to enjoy until then (Woodworking, Gems and Minerals, Concerts, Flower Show, Photography and Art, Creative Youth, the Farm in Family Funville, the Theme Exhibit, rides, carnival games, Petting Zoo, Camels, Pig Races and a few daily contests (watermelon spitting, pie eating and more) and events. Since the admission is $20 per person, you could still buy a "Best Pass Ever" for $32-it's a season pass, and gets you in every day of the Fair (so you feel no pressure to do everything at once)) at Vons or Albertsons.

San Diego County Fair Website Open daily at 11 (10 a.m. on July 4). Free parking this year only at Torrey Pines High School and Miracosta College (with a free shuttle) $5 parking at Horse Park and $17 parking at the Fairgrounds

It's OzSome!

Budapest – Dinner at Hungarikum Bisztro, a Walk to Buda, and a Danube River Cruise at Night

June 25, 2019 mmm-yoso Budapest, Hungarian Food and Restaurants, Hungary, Travel

It was getting a bit warm after our lunch at Street Food Karavan Budapest. After having a slightly annoying drizzle during the morning and an overcast noon, the sun was now brightly shining down on us. We'd done a fair amount of walking and it was time for a nice nap in airconditioned comfort.

We woke after that short respite fresh and ready to go. And of course, I had to take yet another look at the view out our window….it just never got old.

We walked the rather short distance over to the place I'd booked a few weeks earlier. I'd heard the place, by the name of Hungarikum Bisztro, was very popular and served well prepared traditional Hungarian dishes; which both the Missus and I wanted to try. Also, this was a Sunday so many of our options were limited.

We got there about five minutes before opening and were quickly seated. The young lady who served us was so friendly and just a joy! There was a gentleman playing the Cimbalom. When we were seated, he looked over at us, smiled, and started playing some romantic standard whose title escapes me at this moment. It was quite charming. The restaurant filled up quickly.

The missus started with a glass of white wine; while I chose something a bit more interesting; Unicum Next. Unicum is basically bitters, made from a bunch of different botanicals. Unicum Next is supposed to be lighter; but at 80 proof this still had a bit of kick which was amplified by all the bitter tones.

The Missus took a sip and made one of those really funny faces only She can make. I actually had another as an digestif.

As for ordering; the Missus went with the three course House Special Menu; basically Goulash, Duck Leg with Onion Potatoes, and Braised Cabbage, and a dessert, which seemed like something right up Her alley. I went ahead and ordered the Loin of Pork with Paprika Sauce. The young lady was really on top of things and asked if we'd like to split the goulash soup.

First up, the amuse bouche of bacon and onion bread topped with sour cream and paprika. This was moist and quite lovely as it wasn't too savory, nor too sweet.

The Goulash Soup was interesting as it was a lot milder than I anticipated.

The beef was as expected, on the chewy side, but the broth while lightly smokey and salty, was quite mild; we ended up using the entire small bowl of chili paste provided with the meal (which was nicely floral and spicy) to add some "umph" to the goulash.

The Missus's Duck Leg was decent, if a bit on the drier side, though the skin of the duck was decently crisped up, and it had been under-seasoned. We were warned by the young lady serving us that Hungarian Food was "salty and spicy", but so far not so much.

The cabbage while nicely flavored was quite dry and the potatoes dry and pasty, in need of some seasoning as well.

I fared better with my Pork Loin.

The pork was toothsome, though still pleasant to eat. It was nicely seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika. The porkiness was quite mild as I expected a more pronounced swineyness to it like other regions of Europe. The paprika sauce was good and the sour cream added some nice acidity. The bacon-sour cabbage "dumplings" were on the dry and hard side, but had a mild savory-sourness to it. The dumplings strangely seemed like it was more on the, ahem, healthy side than I expected.

The Missus got Her dessert and I my liquid version.

The meal was quite inexpensive the service excellent and charming. I was glad I'd made reservations as we saw several parties being turned away….one had an older gentleman who was quite pushy and plain nasty…..oh boy; another "Ugly American". Sigh…..

Not sure I'd eat here again, but it was low keyed, friendly, easy to find, and easy on the wallet.

Hungarikum Bisztro
Steindl Imre Utca 13
Budapest 1051, Hungary

It was still bright outside when we left the restaurant and walked to the Danube.

And we revisited some of the places we'd checked out earlier in the day.

The Missus decided that we should walk across the Chain Bridge and since it was still light out, I really couldn't come up with any good excuse.

So we headed toward the bridge. Along the way we passed this place which was starting to fill up. It's the Pontoon Bar….which, even though two Viking Cruise ships was were docked right next to it; seemed to be filling up with young locals.

The view from the bridge is quite nice and the walk across is just about a quarter mile.

Across the bridge is the funicular up to the Royal Palace; which of course we never took because, well….you know the Missus, and the Castle Tunnel. To the right of the tunnel are stairways; which you can use to hike up to the palace; or be like us on this evening and stop at the viewpoint right over the tunnel.

That roundabout is called Clark Adam Square…which cracks me up, because, well, it's round. It's named after the designer, William Clark and the engineer who managed the building of the Chain Bridge Adam Clark.

The Missus decided that we needed to walk down the Buda side and cross on the Elisabeth Bridge a bit further south.

I'll have photos from the Buda side in a future post as we visited twice more.

The Gellért Monument (Gerard of Csanád Monument) overlooks the bridge. Read more about Gerard by clicking on that link.

And of course the views from the Elisabeth Bridge were wonderful.

After crossing the bridge, we headed back to the Marriott. Right across from the Marriot, you can head down some stairs to the Danube. The Missus decided that since it was a beautiful evening (I have the feeling that Budapest has many beautiful evenings) we should see about taking a Danube River Cruise. I read and found out that the cruise was only about 45 minutes long, was narrated, and cost the equivalent of around seven bucks each. Sold! And I am so glad we did this. We got on the last cruise of the evening and the sun had fully set.

I did learn a bit about the history of the various bridges and buildings….but man, the views. During my previous posts I'd mentioned how beautiful the Buda side of the Danube was….and yes, it was indeed beautiful.

But man, when the lights of the Parliament Building comes on……well, the photos speak for themselves.

You need no narration…..the photos speak for themselves, right?

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday Meanderings – Smack’n Guamanian Grill Coming to Miramar, No Moa’ Poke at Zarlitos, and Some Snackage

June 24, 2019 mmm-yoso Guamanian/Chamorro, Poke, Stuff

I haven't done one of these for a bit, so here are a couple of things I saw this past weekend.

Smack'n Guamanian Grill Taking Over the Bann Bann Cutlet & Teriyaki Location:

Noticed this as I drove past the old Bann Cutlet & Teriyaki location on Miramar. In case you don't know; Bann has reopened in the new H Mart.

I'll miss Bann, but it looks like some Kelaguen is coming our way?

9506 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92126

No Moa' Poke at Zarlitos:

I was hoping to grab some poke this past weekend so I drove down to Zarlitos, which I thought made some pretty decent poke, it had become a favorite of the Missus, and I enjoyed having a "Poke-silog" from time to time. First thing I noticed was a sign on the door announcing that Zarlitos was raising their prices. I walk in and quickly noticed no poke in the fridge and a sign that said there has been a management change and no more poke.

Looks like I'm going to have to work on a replacement.

Zarlitos Family Restaurant
505 East 8th St.
National City, CA 91950

And finally……

A Bit of "Snackage":

During my last trip to the SGV for an appointment; I stopped by Hong Kong Plaza, which has gone thru so many changes since we lived in the neighborhood in the late 90's. I quickly noticed how much HK Market had changed; especially the snack selection. So, when we recently drove up to the SGV for lunch (that post is coming soon), I convinced the Missus to drop by the market.

At first She wasn't too keen on the idea……but then

She saw the snacks and had a pretty good haul.

The salted egg fish skin is pretty heady stuff; deeply savory, and not cheap at almost ten bucks a package.

We did have a good time…..and because I was curious, I also got a bottle of the 3 year aged black vinegar ($8.29!!!) for my jiaozi as well.

While I was there, I actually saw a customer grab that bottle on the left, open the cap, and pop the tab to have a whiff. Sigh…..some things never change.

Hong Kong Supermarket
18414 Colima Rd #1
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Sunday Sandwiches – Running Into a “Little Frenchie” (Francesinha) at Paragon Deli Cafe

June 23, 2019 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

**** Sadly, Paragon deli has closed.

Just before we returned from vacation I received an email from (Friend of Yoso) FOY Som Tommy. He started off mentioning visiting a newish deli in the Point Loma area and running into a sandwich I'd mentioned from our travel posts. I almost fell down when he said it was a Francesinha! Apparently he remembered the sandwich from my post on Cafe Santiago in Porto. In case you don't remember what that Francesinha, called a "Little Frenchie" because it was based on a Croque-Monsieuer looked like; this might help.

I had always regretted not having another one of these while in Porto….basically, the Missus would not let me have another….under the guise of caring for my health and fortitude!

So, here I had another chance.

This tiny, but well adorned little shop….I really loved the décor from the tin ceiling tiles to fans; is located in a strip mall on Shelter Island Drive, in the same structure as Fiddler's Green. Parking is a bit of a challenge as there are only two spaces for Paragon in the lot.

The gentleman training the young lady on the register on this day was really friendly and I found my target on the lunch menu at the bottom of the "Signature Sandwiches" list….."Portuguese Francesinha". How appropriate since as the Portuguese have a long history, especially as Tuna Fisherman in Point Loma. We had a short chat at the counter talking about Porto, where the gentleman had been just last year and the Francesinha.

Which was brought to my table shortly by a very friendly older gentleman…….this was humongous.

In case your keeping score; this has ham, roast beef, Linguica Sausage, cheese, topped with a fried egg and "Francesinha sauce" and it was recommended that I have fries with it……the fried egg and fries would have made the "Francesinha a Santiago" at Café Santiago, which is what I regretted not ordering.

The sandwich had been decently toasted, so the bread held out pretty well. The Linguica garnered most of the attention the flavor stood out the most. The egg was a perfect easy over, not that all this gooeyness needed any help. Loved the fries which stayed relatively crunchy thru the whole meal…mainly because this wasn't as drenched in sauce as versions in Porto.

The usual tomato and beer based sauce was also a bit tangier, thicker, and milder than the version I had in Porto. If I had one wish; it would have been the use of a more flavor forward cheese as while it was wonderfully stringy and gooey; I'd have enjoyed more milkiness.

And yes; this was a total calorie bomb, I basically finished two thirds of it before saying "no mas"…..but if I had perished; it would have been with a smile on my face!

I'm sure regular readers would have quickly noticed that this was a single visit. I liked the folks here so much; that I'm sure to revisit. The place seems to have quite a few regulars; at least on this day. They wondered if I lived in the neighborhood and quickly made recommendations for my next visit. And, if I do have another Francesinha; I'll make sure to bring reinforcements.

Paragon Deli Café
2724 Shelter Island Drive
San Diego, CA 92106
Hours:
Mon – Sat 7am – 3pm