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.
This is going to be a “one off” post. You’ll soon see why.
I was in the Poway area recently and was looking for an early lunch. I thought about checking out the new location of HFS, but it was just not poke weather, and I had already tried out Pho Tan in that strip mall. I recalled that there was a “Hawaiian BBQ” place in the mall near North Park Produce, so I parked and took a look. And yes, the place is named Ipo Hawaiian BBQ.
It was on one of those rainy days and I was just wanting a loco moco so I walked on in.
Hmmm…..looking at the menu…
Teriyaki – Garlic Shrimp…….Pineapple-Orange Chicken….Tornado Potato? Fresh Coconut? Seems like what someone “thinks” food “back home” is like?
Anyway, I ordered the Loco Moco, $18.55 from the nice young lady. She kindly gave me a cup for water. Taking a look at the cup, well, it was interesting….
And then looking at the condiments……
No Tabasco….but LKK Soy Sauce…no Aloha Shoyu or even Kikkoman!
And then the loco moco.
It just didn’t look right, that really tarry-dark-black gravy.
The best item on the plate was the mac salad, which still needed salt and had too much mayo.
Still, it was edible.
The rice had furikake sprinkled on it, a plus; but it was cold and on the chewy end of the scale.
That gravy was super thick and had a weird bitter-sweet flavor.
Even worse was the burger patty, just look at it.
While decently seasoned, it was almost burnt, super chewy, and dry.
At least the eggs looked fine, until you actually put that fork into it. It was over cooked and had that “fishiness” that I don’t care for.
There were a couple of stray eggshells in there for (not-so) good measure.
You know, I hate wasting food; but between that gravy, the leather-like burger, fishy-overdone eggs….well, I just couldn’t bring myself to finish this.
There’s a part of me that feels bad about doing this post and perhaps if Ipo was closer to home I’d give it another try. But doing a 45 mile round trip and spending about twenty bucks it’s just not worth it to me. Though perhaps “FOY” SD Julie might have a recommendation for what to get here? Or perhaps one of you out there might know what I should try?
Funny thing; if I recall correctly, “Ipo” means something like “sweetheart” in Hawaiian…based on this loco moco……
Ipo Hawaiian BBQ 12370 Poway Rd. Poway, CA 92064 Current Hours: Daily 1030am – 830pm
After my last, rather mediocre revisit to Banh Mi Hoi An, I was wondering how some of my “old favorites” were doing. A few days later I found my self driving on Clairemont Mesa near the I-15 and decided to grab something for lunch. It had been a while since I’d visited Banh Mi Express, so I decided to grab a Banh Mi.
Interesting thing about Banh Mi Express; much like Banh Mi Hoi An they’ve decided to forgo the Vietnamese names of the offerings. I guess it’s the customer base?
This had me wondering how the Pate “Meat Loaf” (aka Cha Lua), now priced at $8.49 (previously $7.75 in April) would be. The woman working was very mellow and sweet.
As for the Banh Mi?
The bread was yeasty, a bit denser than I recall, but enjoyably crusty.
Unlike my previous visit; there was a good amount of pickled veggies this time around. Unfortunately, like my previous visit; there’s still no cucumber. **** I stand corrected – the cucumber detective is correct; there is a thin slice right above the cha lua! Nice slice of jalapeno, which was kind of mellow and a decent amount of cilantro.
Unlike Banh Mi Hoi An, there was a generous amount of funky-earthy-savory pate, which really “drove” the sandwich. In fact, in this case it really got close to too much of a good thing!
Still, I’m not complaining! Still among my favorite Banh Mi in San Diego.
Banh Mi Express 9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd. San Diego, CA 92123 Current Hours: Mon – Fri 7am – 4pm Saturday 8am – 3pm Closed on Sundays
**** No food in this one; so if you’d like to return tomorrow…..
I had another private tour scheduled for our second full day in Quito. This time we’d be heading North to Otavalo. Like on our previous day, we had a light breakfast in the Executive Lounge of the JW Marriott.
We enjoyed the view from the lounge as it seemed that the clouds and weather was constantly changing in Quito.
Our guide arrived right on time and then we were off. We took a short coffee/bathroom break in the town of San Joaquín.
Which seemed to be at the crossroads of two highways.
And then we were off to Muelle Flotante de Cachiviro on the shores of picturesque Lago San Pablo, the largest natural lake in Ecuador. The lake is resides at the base of Imbabrua Volcano.
A lovely little town with a “muelle flotante” a floating pier.
There was a curious pooch who followed us around.
The view from the pier is stunning.
We were told that even though Imbabura Volcano has not erupted for over 7,500 years, it is not considered “extinct”!
In spite of residing in the shadows of a non-extinct volcano; things were so peaceful and calm here.
Though we were told that just up the road was an area very popular with ex-pats who have started moving here.
We were given some bizcochos and Queso Ecuatoriano, basically stringcheese to snack on.
The next stop was one we really enjoyed. We parked and walked thru a city gate.
This is the village of Peguche, which is famous for weaving and the music; though there were two other things the hamlet is known for.
The Quichua (Kichwa) are the largest indigenous group in Ecuador. Those people, like the Incas whose influence spread into the area in the 15th century celebrate Inti Raymi which celebrates the Sun God (Inti). And to be able to determine dates, there’s Inti Watana; the solar calendar.
It’s pretty amazing!
There’s also some neat acoustics going on as when I stood in the middle and whispered, you could hear me clearly anywhere in the structure!
From here, it was a nice walk to our next stop.
We were told that next to the market in Otavalo, Cascada de Peguche (Peguce Waterfall) is the second most popular stop.
This is where; during Inti Raymi, one would “cleanse your soul”. In fact, it is something that is still done today and access to the falls during Inti Raymi is limited to locals.
The falls are 60 feet high. Can you imagine “cleansing your soul” here?
We returned to the village where things were very quiet on this day.
And there was a reason for this. It was a Saturday. And though Otavalo’s Plaza de los Panchos is always busy; Saturday is market day , when all the indigenous craftsmen are present. It really didn’t seem overly busy.
And the Missus enjoyed shopping.
And even bought a couple of things…..
After which we headed on back to Quito. We had decided to get a light lunch in the lounge of the hotel.
Where we could take in that ever changing view of Quito.
We had dinner reservations at a highly regarded restaurant, so we thought we’d save our appetite for dinner.
While driving on Morena, I noticed that Talitha Coffee Roasters had replaced WestBean Coffee Roasters. I made a note to drop by….of course it did take me a while….
I did finally make it, parking on Morena I walked on over. The place was not very busy at just past 8 on this Sunday morning.
The menu is broken up into three parts. Classic (latte/espresso), Trendy (with names like “Oh Snap!” and “Fallin’ For You”), and Breakfast items.
Never thought of myself as being “trendy” per se; but I did order a Nitro Cold Brew ($6) and a Spicy Avo Toast ($12).
My cold brew was ready in the blink of an eye.
And I decided to take a seat on the patio while my Avocado Toast was being prepared.
The Nitro Cold Brew was nicely chilled, fairly smooth, and had a very creamy tongue feel. It did have a decent “kick” to it.
I’d gladly have it again.
As for the “Spicy” Avocado Toast.
Well, this for twelve bucks, huh? The sourdough was barely toasted and got soggy fairly quickly. The eggs were over boiled. The “spicy” was just a drizzling of Chili Crisp. Worse of all was the avocado, can you see why?
Yep, the mashed avocado was starting to oxidize. There were a couple of bites that had hints of bitterness. The mild earth-sweetness of avocado was missing. A definite lack of “QC” here.
So, while I’ll probably return for a caffeine fix; I’ll probably stay away from the food here.
Talitha Coffee Roasters 4140 Morena Blvd Suite A San Diego, CA 92117 Current Hours: Mon – Fri 7am – 2pm Sat – Sun 8am – 2pm
TP Tea:
The Missus was excited to try TP Tea which recently opened in Clairemont Town Square. I think the full name “Taiwan Professional Tea” which brought back memories of all Her Tea Adventures in Taiwan. I did warn Her that I think this is mostly a Boba Shop….but then again, She had really enjoyed that in places like Chiayi and Taichung as well.
So, between our recent rain storms we headed on over.
The Missus was quite impressed with the prices. Very reasonable for San Diego. Since this place is named “Taiwan Professional Tea”, the Missus wanted to see just how good that tea was and ordered the Signature Black Tea ($4.95).
Man was this weak.
It really lacked the natural sweet-floral flavor we like with Taiwanese Black Tea. This tasted really watered down and weak.
I asked the Missus if She wanted to try something else, but She told me “look, the place has Professional Tea in the name. If it can’t even make black tea properly….”
So, I guess this is a one and done.
TP Tea 4711 Clairemont Dr. San Diego, CA 92117 Current Hours: Daily 1130 am – 930pm
We headed back down Church Street and headed off until the trail ended with a view of Big River Beach.
We then walked along the bluffs; where the scenery was quite beautiful.
We then took the trail into Headlands State Park.
Even more lovely views….the coastline here is beautiful.
And as I mentioned before, it’s hard to believe the town is but a few steps away.
JJ was enjoying the scenery as well.
As you head toward the rocky end of the bluffs, things get a bit more dramatic.
It’s an easy 5 mile walk.
Did you know that Miasa (Omachi) in Nagano is Mendocino’s Sister City?
After our morning walk, the Missus wanted to drive up to Fort Bragg, which we did. Though once we got there; the Missus didn’t feel like stopping anywhere, though I think the next time up there we’ll take JJ on the Skunk Train. Anyway, I turned and headed back to Mendocino.
Once back, the Missus wanted to do some shopping, so we headed on out. We came across this honor system farm stand.
Pretty cool, huh?
We zig zagged our way around, in and out of shops. This was the Missus’s favorite.
Where She actually did “Spend-o-cino” if you know what I mean.
Even though they must have to deal with many tourists; folks here were very laid back, relaxed, and friendly.
Circling around Ukiah Street we came across and honor system pottery shop.
The town was giving off major quaint small town vibes!
We decided to grab a sandwich from Mendocino Market, a small shop that sells sandwiches, deli items, snacks, and even wine.
It’s one of those places where you check off your order on one of the handy-dandy forms, pay, then pick up your order at the counter.
After our breakfast we just wanted something light; so I got the Hummus Avocado ($9) on Sourdough.
I’ve come to enjoy pesto on my avocado toast, but never thought of having hummus with it! The nutty-earthy – slightly tangy hummus actually went quite well with the creamy-rich avocado.
The lovely alfalfa sprouts and tomatoes made the sandwich complete. Not haute cuisine, but just a nice, light sandwich for lunch.
Mendocino Market 45051 Ukiah St. Mendocino, CA 95460
After which it was time for…..you know what, right?
In my last post on Woomiok, “FOY” Mar mentioned checking out the recently opened Chodang Tofu & BBQ in the Hmart Food Court. Now, what little I do know is that Chodang is an area of Gangneung that is famous for….well, their soondubu, At the time of the posting and comment, the weather was a bit too warm for that dish. But turn the page and a few weeks later, with the rain…well, things have become rather chilly…at least by San Diego terms. So, the Missus and I thought we’d go and check out Chodang.
Chodang opens at 1030 and the always busy food court in HMart was pretty mellow at a few minutes after 11.
We walked on over and took a look at the menu….and whoa; I think the prices at Chodang is the highest of any of the stands in the food court!
The prices look pretty much in line with places like Woomiok, Yuk Dae Jang, and Prime Grill….like $32 for bulgogi!
I got the Soondubu with Beef Short Rib ($21.99), the Missus was craving some Samgyetang, the Chicken Ginseng Soup ($23.99). I placed our order then we grabbed a seat. The eating area filled up pretty quickly.
After a short wait, the buzzer thingy went off and we went to get our trays.
The Samgyetang was a whole small chicken. The panchan was not good; the baechu kimchi was more pickled than fermented, the cucumber kimchi was definitely of the quick-pickle variety and was on the sweet side. There was a generous portion of rice, which was on the mushy side. The best item was the little portion of pajun…the fried pancake.
As for the Samgyetang…..well, I warned the Missus that I don’t think this would be close to what we had in Seoul….but to be honest; this was not even in the same ballpark. First off, the chicken was super tough and chewy, totally lacking in flavor.
The broth was very thin and bland, lacking in the savory-herbal-chicken flavor. This really needed the salt and pepper that was provided….but it still wasn’t enough. Where was the earthy-herbaceous-bitterness of ginseng?
The best thing about the dish was the glutinous rice that was stuffed in the chicken.
It seemed to have leeched at the poultry flavor from the dish.
As for my Soondubu….well…pretty much the same result.
That fried fish was gummy, it needed some crispness.
Two nice beef ribs; which seemed to have had all the beefiness sucked out of it, so bland! On the chewy side as well. The tofu was very soft and “buttery”, but lacking in the nice “beaniness” we enjoy in dubu.
The soup….I dare not call this thin – watery broth a “stew”, was truly lacking in rich-savory tones. I got it spicy; but that was on the mild side as well.
The egg was a travesty…..boiled to death and seemed like it had been “smushed”.
I’ll quit there…… for fifty bucks without tip…this was very disappointing.
Chodang was founded in the US (in Cerritos – though I recall seeing one of the stands in Irvine), and is rapidly expanding across the US, so it must be pretty popular, but this was not a meal the Missus and I enjoyed. Needless to say; I don’t see us returning.
Chodang Tofu & BBQ (in the Hmart Food Court) 7725 Balboa Ave. San Diego, CA 92111 Current Hours: Daily 1030am – 8pm
I haven’t done one of these in a while….so, here we go….just a couple of “stuffs” we’ve been eating.
There’s a thing we used to do when I worked in a restaurant like over 4 decades ago. We used to boil potatoes, smash them, then fry. The exterior would be crisp; the interior creamy…so ono! So, what I’ve been doing the last couple of years is to get those baby potatoes from the market. I then score and put into the microwave. Once soft, I smash and brush with olive oil, smoked salt, fresh ground pepper, and granulated garlic, then put into the air fryer.
I did manage to take a photo of when I did this recently, using mini baby potatoes. The Missus loves them with eggs.
Roasted broccolini and roasted honeynut squash made for a nice lunch.
It’s getting to be Pozole time in our household. I should post my recipe one of these days….
With prices being so crazy, I’ve started making ramen at home these days. We like the Sun Noodle brand. I also liven it up with some truffle soy sauce and even add in some shiitake mushrooms. And….I always make sure my tamago is at least warm!
And on warmer days….I venture into “neba-neba” land.
Love that combo of tororo and natto…..
I really don’t take much photos of the food I make these days….but for some reason here’s some beans-collards-pancetta.
Which tasted really good on toast with microplaned Parmesan Reggiano.
And lastly….some lamb chops, with beans and Cous Cous…..
I know, I just did a post on Fish With You like three months ago! But the recent rainy and cooler weather had the Missus craving the Signature Suan Cai. The Missus simply told me She wanted “The Fish”. Which caught me off guard. You see, whenever the phrase “The Fish” was uttered by Her it meant HFS at Centerpark. So, I said “it’s kinda cold and wet….you want poke?” She looked at me in disbelief and said, “no, that’s DA FISH….I want THE FISH!” Sigh…..
So, we headed on over to “The Fish” and ordered our usual, the Signature Suancai & Fish. Which at $26.95. rice is still free; kind of a rarity these days. A good amount of numbing peppercorn this time around. Nice ma-la. The fish was tender with no off flavors.
There’s that that suan-tian-ku-la-xian thing going on.
And of course, there’s leftovers. Now, in previous posts I noted to take out all the chilies before packing for takeout. Unless you wanted it really spicy. The longer the formerly dried chilies sit, the more impact it will have. On our recent visits, there’s another change. We’ve noticed that the snakehead changes texture when eaten later on….so now, just to add another layer…..we consume all the snakehead.
And add soft tofu to the leftovers….
Which turns out to be a good way to eat the leftovers.
With prices these days; getting the most for your money is quite important to us, but we still want to enjoy those meals as well. And at $26.95 for two meals (with the addition of the tofu)…well, that almost seems like a bargain these days, right?
Fish With You 3904 Convoy St. #101 San Diego, CA 92111 Current Hours: Daily 1130am – 10pm
What have you been eating with the recent influx of rain and cooler weather?
After lunch we set about walking around Mendocino. From what I was told; the history of the area starts with the Pomo People, who lived here for over a millennium. The redwoods brought the lumber industry in the 1850’s and Mendocino Village was established in 1852. Many of the workers were from New England, which explains the Victorian stylings and Saltbox Cottages we saw. The town itself is quite charming, though folks I know warned me of how expensive they though things were…..they called the place “Spendocino”…..to us, it wasn’t as pricy as the Bay area.
Right off Main Street in Mendocino are two really easy trails. While waiting for our room, we strolled along the Mendocino Headlands Trail. The views were lovely.
Quite peaceful and relaxing, not another soul in sight.
Hard to believe that right across the road is Main Street!
We walked to the area overlooking Big River Beach.
And then up to Church Street where there’s well, a church of course.
And made our way back to our accommodations in a roundabout way. When visiting this charming village one quickly notices how many water towers there are.
In fact, our accommodations even had a Water Tower Suite….good ol’ number 13. According to this post, the water table is the area is close to the surface, thus the area was lacking with regards to in ground water storage. Most of the water towers were built at the end of the 19th century. That water tower above also has a history, which you can read about here.
Walking on Albion Street we noticed this Chinese Temple.
The Missus and I were immediately interested in how this got to be built in Mendocino. Apparently, the Chinese came to the area in the 1850’s to work in logging camps. It is said the the temple either dates back to1854 or 1867, depending on the source. Interesting, huh?
A block down Albion was our accommodation; the MacCallum House Inn which dates back to 1882.
This lovely inn features a variety of accommodations. We stayed in one of the suites in the “North Barn” building.
Which was lovely and had a private patio and even a hot tub, which was nice, even though we never used it.
The main building features a rather popular restaurant with patio seating, which was perfect for JJ. This was where we had breakfast, which was included with our stay. We decided to have an early dinner on this evening. The friendly Server told us that most of the ingredients were locally sourced.
Things started out with some really delicious bread.
The butter was decently whipped and light.
The Missus had Her sights on getting Her veggie fixes, so that was the focus of the meal; starting with the Field Lettuces.
Nice variety of greens, great crisp texture, loved the beets. The avocado was under ripe, hard, and lacking in flavor. The vinaigrette was quite simple, like something I’d make at home. That avocado and sourdough was a $7 upcharge.
The Grilled Asparagus and Proscuitto was fine; though the asparagus was overcooked and mushy, not quite how the Missus enjoys it.
The proscuitto was super fatty, almost like lardo. The egg was perfectly cooked and the cheese was nice and sharp in flavor.
The Olive Oil Roasted Cauliflower was simple, which was actually a good thing. Though the price for this dish was $32!
The Missus loves Her cauliflower and this was lightly sweet – earth – nutty, She loved it. The Kale might have been better served in smaller pieces. The quinoa was fine. That sauce had an interesting sweetness to it. I later found out it was pea “jus”.
I did see something on the “side dishes” menu that interested me. The Collard Greens, Ham Hocks, and Black Eyed Peas.
While the ham hocks were on the crisp side like lardons; we both loved the flavors – so savory and smoky, the beans were cooked perfectly, slightly firm and tender. This was very good.
Overall, a nice meal, the service was very friendly and we appreciated that most of the produce was sourced locally. Not a cheap meal coming in at over $120 not including tip….but heck, we were in “Spendo-cino” right?
MacCallum House 45020 Albion St. Mendocino, CA 95460
We took a nice stroll after dinner. There’s a Health Food Store; with the interesting name of Corners of the Mouth Health Food Store right next to the back entrance of MacCallum House. Looks like it could have possibly been a church in a previous life?
We got some snacks and I got a couple of beers for the next two nights.
Corners of the Mouth, Health Food Store 45015 Ukiah St. Mendocino, CA 95460
It was obvious that we wouldn’t be starving in Mendocino…….
Our next stop after Bodega Bay was the town of Mendocino. I’d heard some really nice things about the town and was excited to visit. The actual drive was set to be less than 3 hours, so I had some detours in mind.
Our first stop was right before the Russian River. I took a turn off Highway 1 onto Goat Rock Road making several stops at places like Blind Beach.
A then drove south finding some parking to the trail to the summit of Peaked Hill. Needless to say, the views were beautiful.
Loved the views of the shoreline.
I like to mix in interesting places when we travel and there happened to be a place I read about in Sea Ranch. Right off Highway 1 is a sign directing one to the Sea Ranch Chapel.
A non-denominational chapel dedicated to the memory of local artist Kirk Ditzler, it is designed to be a “serene refuge” for meditation and prayer. There were several people inside the building, so I didn’t want to bother them.
We made a short fuel stop in Gualala and then the Missus went to check out this lovely little book store.
Right at the Rollerville Junction, we once again did a detour off the Shoreline Highway. This time up Lighthouse Road. We took a quick look at the Point Arena Lighthouse.
We only went until we could view the shore and rocks before heading on our way.
JJ did have time to stop and smell the flowers though.
From there it was just an hour to the town of Mendocino. We were instantly charmed by the village.
The Victorian style houses instantly took us to the East Coast.
In need of lunch, we stopped by a little shop steps away from where we were staying. You know why we “had” to stop here, right?
Yep, that’s right, it’s Frankie’s! Frankie’s is mainly a pizza and ice cream shop; but they also have salads and falafel…and even piadina.
There’s some patio seating, which was great on a nice sunny day.
The Missus and I really weren’t feeling like pizza, so we got Frankie’s Falafel and the Mediterranean Piadina.
The portion size for the Falafel Salad was quite generous.
This dish is actually Vegan. The exterior of the falafel wasn’t crisp enough, nor was the interior nice and creamy. We did both love the Tahini Dressing though. Nice and earthy, with a good acidic kick. The hummus was passable.
Both the Missus and I enjoyed the Piadina, which, while not being close to what we’d had in Malta, was quite refreshing.
The pita was crisp; the Tahini, like the salad was very refreshing; the Parmesan Cheese adding that salty-milky component. Crisp spinach, with olives and sun dried tomatoes as “hidden” surprises.
