mmm-yoso – Page 189 – 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 Francisco – China Live

September 5, 2018 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Travel

It was funny how we ended up staying in San Francisco over the Labor Day weekend. Both the Missus and I had been working pretty hard and there was no trip in sight for a couple more months. It was a brutal Sunday here with record temps in the high 90's. For some reason, I decided to check to see what the weather was like in San Francisco…..61?!?!? I basically told the Missus "the heck (using a more colorful verb) with this….let's go to San Francisco." And She agreed. It had been quite a while since we visited the city; in recent years we'd stuck to visiting places to the North and the South of San Francisco. And I couldn't remember when we last visited……so I dug into my photo archives and holy smokes! Check out the date on this photo!

We last visited nearly sixteen years ago! It was when the Missus and I took Her parents to visit. A trip was way overdue. So, I booked our flight, hotel, and a couple of restaurants….two had been on my "list" and one was a recommendation of my good friend Candice. Instead of the usual suspects; like Gary Danko, et al….we were going a bit different this time around.

We arrived, caught BART, and managed to check into the Marriott Marquis early, at 10am! Things were looking up. We freshened up and just headed on out. I figured a lot had changed over the last sixteen years…..but of course, some things stay the same.

There's a certain nostalgia to walking through Chinatown, a mixture of old school, somewhat traditional businesses, it was almost comforting seeing Golden Gate Bakery and ducking into various food shops. Along with all the cheesy souvenir stores….good lord' where there always that many here?

One thing the Missus and I quickly noticed….Chinatown seems much cleaner and tidy than when we used to visit in the late 90's and early 'oughts.

I had been fascinated with the opening of China Live. We'd been to a couple of branches of Eataly in Europe….in Florence, Bologna, and Copenhagen. And when China Live was touted as being the "Chinatown" version, well, I just wanted to check it out. I'd also heard that the food; while priced on the high side was pretty good.

There a small shop with a variety of items; some really interesting looking tea and other stuffs. And a rather "hipsterish" looking dining area….you know; all that wood.

I kinda knew what I wanted to order; Sheng Jian Baozi, the "Peking" Duck, and the Pork Belly. They were out of the pork belly, so I went with plan B….which they were out of as well. So, we just decided to try the wings.

Meanwhile, the Missus ordered some tea; not cheap at $13.95….but man; it was really floral and helped to cut through all the richness of the food.

First up; the Sheng Jian Bao ($12)….yep twelve bucks for 4.

The filling was juicy, light, and had a nice porky flavor with just the right amount of ginger to balance things out. The dough was terrible; it wasn't cooked correctly making the dough on the top really gummy, the sides mushy….and the bottom was way too thick. I mean, I really didn't expect anything like we get in China or even what my MIL makes….but that wrapper was a total fail. Still, the filling was really good.

When our duck ($26) arrived, the Missus and I looked at each other, rather disappointed. The color didn't seem right……but we were oh so wrong…..

The skin was oh so thin and crisp; the fat had been rendered….it seems into the flesh of the duck which was supremely moist. The sesame buns were hard and dry and the duck delicately flavored, so we ended up just making cucumber (which was very good quality), scallion, and hoisin sandwiches and just enjoyed the duck on its own. This is the best duck I've had in a very long time. Like I mentioned earlier, the seasoning on this was quite mild as was the duck which wasn't very gamey. This might be the best item we had on the entire short trip.

Based on the previous two dishes we were quite surprised when the "Chicken of the Sea" Crispy Wings ($14) arrived. There were ten wings in this dish.

I bit into one and cracked up…….growing up in Hawaii, one of the must have Chinese Restaurant dishes is Ong Choi with what we call "harm ha" (Shrimp Paste). The wings had been battered with that….it was a bit of overkill and seemed really salty. Though, unlike the usual MSG laden wings we often get; this one didn't bring on thirst……still it was waaaay too salty. The quality of the wings was excellent, no broken bones, no blackening of the flesh….the skin was thin and perfectly fried….the flesh moist, the size optimum for that skin to meat ratio……we'd have really loved this if it wasn't such a sodium bomb.

The service was professional, the meal, not cheap at seventy bucks. The place did fill up quite quickly, a mixture of younger Chinese who seemed well off, Chinese tourists, hipster looking folk, and some families. We enjoyed our meal here…..and will likely return for that duck.

China Live
644 Broadway
San Francisco, CA 94133
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 1130am – 10pm
Friday      1130am – 11pm
Saturday    1030am – 11pm
Sunday      1030am – 10pm

Leaving China Live; we headed to Stockton and started weaving our way past the markets and dim sum shops. Near Washington Street, I could here drums and percussion going….there was a Lion Dance happening somewhere…..

We found it happening in this street.

We got there just as the fireworks were going off.

The Missus and I laughed and basked in the noise, smoke, and shower of red paper……

It had been too long since we'd been in this wonderful city.

Lunch Revisits – Okan Diner and Hinotez

September 4, 2018 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

Here are a couple of revisits for a post-holiday Tuesday.

Okan Diner:

I was headed back to the office from a meeting and decided to grab some lunch. It had been a while since I last visited Okan Diner. Since the restaurant is right off the 805, I decided to stop in. I was fairly surprised to see the place completely empty and it stayed that way during my entire meal!

I went with what I usually have for lunch here, the Katsuni ($11.50). When it arrived; I quickly noticed that the tonkatsu had gotten smaller since my last visit.

There's also less side dishes; more rice, and the miso soup was a lot more watered down.

The pork cutlet was a bit over cooked and dry, the breading too hard. There wasn't enough of the sweet-salty sauce and the eggs were over cooked as well. At least it was hot, right?

There was one thing that kinda bothered me even more than the mediocre food.

Unfortunately, the kitchen was in my direct line of sight and I kept seeing one of the prep cooks constantly stopping and checking his phone. Notice that he's cutting meat. He'd slice some meat, stop, pick up his phone and start texting; put the phone away, do additional prep, grab his phone and start texting, grab some other product, and so forth……without gloves. I just should have sat somewhere else……

I think I'll just go get me my usual lunch at Okan next time.

Okan Diner
5430 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Hinotez:

I've mentioned dropping by Hinotez for a quiet lunch. It's usually fairly empty for an early lunch. And this day was no exception.

The problem being; I didn't know what to order….it was way to hot for ramen on this day. I looked over then menu and even though it was a zillion degrees outside, I went with the Curry Combo……for some reason, I thought back to the time when Taisho was Curry Rice Hinotez. I just went for it and had the Curry Rice ($8) with Tonkatsu ($4) and an Onsen Tamago ($1). It ended up being a pretty hefty meal.

The curry was really thick and full of meat. It was a bit on the mild side so I added raiyu to add some zip. It was very meaty. As you can tell, it seems that the frying oil for the pork was off since the breading was super hard and dark. The actual meat was fairly moist and tender though. That runny egg sure didn't hurt things.

I was stuffed after this meal and had to grab a double espresso on the way back to the office.

Still, it wasn't bad meal. The woman working on this day was very efficient and nice. And I got a quiet and relaxed meal….just what I needed.

Hinotez
7947 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Marie Callender’s (revisits)

September 3, 2018 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Bakery, Desserts, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog since 2005. Sort of an old fashioned way of communicating about meals enjoyed with people nowadays posting photos instantly on other forms of social media. Usually there's a story involved with meals, sometimes, there isn't. Cathy is writing while Kirk is enjoying another day off.

In the 1930's, Marie Callender began a pie business, delivering to restaurants in Orange County. In 1964, she opened her own pie and coffee shop and in 1969, a full service restaurant. Today there are over 50 restaurants in the USA and Mexico and some products are sold in grocery stores. We are fortunate to have a nearby restaurant.

I posted about a birthday meal here two years ago. Comfort foods with a slice of pie for dessert.

Every meal begins with a large piece of fresh baked, still warm cornbread and butter brought to the table.
This golden bread is sweet and tender and unique. I've tried various 'copycat' recipes, but in the end, purchase the mix sold in grocery stores.
There is a "Pair and Share" special for $25 or $30. It includes an appetizer; we chose the cheesy artichoke dip-decadent and wonderful. Good thing they included a spoon, so there would be no leftovers or dirty fingers…
Two entrees are part of the P&S meal. This is the 'Traditional Frisco'- a 1/3 lb burger served on sourdough grilled with Parmesan.
This is the "Traditional French Dip" (the bread wasn't as soft as I'd like; needed to be dipped). Both came with fries and were part of a nice meal.
The meal includes two slices of pie. This is the French Apple, with a cinnamon crumble topping.
This is the German chocolate: chocolate cream, coconut, chopped pecans over a layer of chocolate on the crust.

We returned recently with a vacationing visitor. The cornbread was brought to the table.

Vegetable soup was chosen instead of an appetizer for both of our "Pair and Share" $30 meal. It was a great soup, filled with non-mushy vegetables.
A Hot Turkey Sandwich was one choice-Thanksgiving in the summer! Just right.
The other choice was a Meatloaf Dinner; again, great comfort food done well.
The mini pot pie ($11.99) was a perfect serving size and included a salad and dessert.
We had to get the slices of pie 'to go'. Double cream blueberry (vanilla custard and sour cream), coconut cream and double cream lemon (lemon custard and sour cream).

Marie Callender's 6950 Alvarado Road San Diego, CA 92120 (619)465-1910 Mon-Sat 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Website

Rice Noodle King (Hunan) (Kearny Mesa)

September 2, 2018 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog with almost daily posts. While Kirk is enjoying a three day weekend, Cathy is writing.

I lightly glossed over a factoid about The Mister a while ago. He's been undergoing some medical issues since 2014 and periodically receives adjustments or changes in medications. For some reason, the primary side effect on Him is a craving for spicy food. One day we were headed for (another) lunch at Little Sheep and passed this (new to us) signage, so popped a U turn and stopped to read the menu. (It has been open since March).

A simple menu, reasonable prices and the same owners as Sizzling Pot King, which I posted about in April.
Clean, a refrigerator of appetizers, pitcher of water on every table. Condiments on each table are chili oil, white pepper and black vinegar.
We decided to go simple for a first visit and ordered the cucumber salad ($4.99). This looked terrible and I (who never sends anything back) was prepared to, because of the slimy appearance. Looks are deceiving. Apparently this is what "Smacked Cucumbers" means to the chef here (not to be confused with Kirk's extremely meticulous (and spicy) recipe). The crispy, garlic-y, seedless, wonderfully random cut cucumbers were addictive in flavor and complimented our meal. The serving/bowl is deep and quite large.
We ordered the first soup on the menu (it only has one chili amount of heat)- Beef Stew Noodle (large, $10.99) with flat noodles. This was an excellent choice. There isn't much soup broth, the amount of heat is enough to keep the flavors of the (considerable amount, tender, deep flavored) beef, bok choy and noodles interesting. Would order again.
The fried pot stickers ($5.99) were also a good addition to the meal.
A nice, thin skin, lightly crispy and with a plentiful (flavorful) pork and cabbage filling.

This was a great find for a random stop and we will return to try more of the menu.

Rice Noodle King 8046 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego 92111 (858)598-5182 Open daily 11 am-3 pm and 5 pm-9:45 pm

Sage Cafe (Barona Casino) -Cathy’s way of beating the heat (again)

September 1, 2018 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

Well, here you are on your device looking at mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Perhaps you are looking for ideas of places to eat. Today Cathy is writing because Kirk is enjoying this Labor Day weekend by not using a device.

Like many of you, I lurk more than I comment on other blogs, websites and Facebook pages. With the hot and humid weather (the longest heat wave in 34 years), people were asking 'what restaurant has good air conditioning?' and having online conversations, looking for a place to cool down. I had two immediate answers-bowling alleys and casinos. This is the casino post.

Yes, I did write about Sage Cafe, inside Barona Casino, just a few months ago. The food here is very good. The air conditioning is wonderful.

Sage Cafe is the restaurant at the Hotel entrance to the casino. which has a view of the Golf Course. The menu is available 24/7. Breakfast choices are simple.

Coffee and orange juice along with fresh fruit and a chocolate croissant and banana nut muffin, is the Continental Breakfast here ($7.95) The banana nut muffin was really good; tall, banana fresh flavor and crispy pecans on top.
The chocolate croissant was meh too sweet, not really flaky. Still, a really good, easy breakfast. The Ilpay Eggs Benedict ($9.95) Wonderfully perfect poached eggs, Canadian bacon, a lemony house-made hollandaise sauce on top of a toasted English muffin. This was served with some really well made hash browns. All in all, a great breakfast.
We returned for lunch about a week later (gosh it was so nice to be in air conditioned comfort). Fresh rolls (sourdough and wheat) were brought out before we ordered. Fluffy with a crisp crust; didn't really need butter.

One of the choices of soup that day was turkey chili. Just enough heat and plenty of turkey and beans. Would order again…in the bowl size, as a meal.
The chili was the side chosen with the fish and chips($11.95). Lightly battered, the two large pieces of solid cod were amazing in flavor. The skin on fries were plentiful and expertly fried.
French onion soup ($4.95) was one of the best I've ever had.
I combined this with a wedge salad ($5.95) and receiveda $2.50 discount on the soup; so that worked out and I had all the flavors and textures craved. Another great experience at a casino.

Sage Cafe at Barona Resort and Casino 1932 Wildcat Canyon Road Lakeside Ca 92040 1-888-7BARONA open 24 hours website

JoYee’s (Chinese breakfast, Jian Bing and cafe) (inside original 99Ranch complex)

August 30, 2018 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Cathy is writing today; Kirk is starting a long weekend of relaxing; He's earned it.

A few months ago, E and Drink, located inside the Original 99Ranch complex, closed. Finally new signage came up and The Mister and I were curious.

We read the menu one morning, but decided to go across the hall to Sam Woo for breakfast. When we left there was a line of people ordering and waiting for 'to go' orders and tables. (Click and enlarge this photo to read the menu)
We returned on a weekday morning. You order, pay, get a buzzer and find a seat. For a first visit, we decided to try a soybean milk (no sugar)(warm) ($1.69) and a donut ($1.99). I really liked the soybean milk, the donut was fresh made, very hot and it was oily. Nevertheless, I liked it and tore pieces to put into the soybean milk as well as some of our other breakfast selections.

It was around 10 a.m. and we figured a tea egg ($0.99) would be a nice snack. The egg was hot when brought to the table, but it was pitiful; no tea markings or flavor…a hard boiled egg.

We also decided to try the millet porridge ($2.69) which desperately needed some flavor, although it was not to mushy and quite tasty in a fresh millet sort of way. Fortunately the tabletop condiments helped.

Also on the breakfast menu, a Laver and Egg Soup ($2.69) was ordered and this needed no additions. After we were finished we noticed wontons on the breakfast menu and made a mental note to try those next time…with the mung bean and rice porridge, thereby completing the breakfast menu.

We returned a few days later. The cucumber salad appetizer ($2.99) was a natural choice. It was great to have alone and with the rest of our order as a 'palate cleanser'.
We also ordered the Noodle with Wood Ear and Pork ($8.99) from the far right side of the menu. This was a large serving with some pretty good, stretchy (but clumped) noodles topped with wood ear mushrooms, pork, tofu, carrots and cucumber. The flavor combination was excellent. Near the end, we added soy and chili sauce, just to jazz up the flavors.

When you first see the menu, the far left column is Jian Bing ($5.49, the base price). A savory egg crepe, Jian Bing is usually a breakfast item, but served all day here.
There is a nice lady in the back making the crepes for all to watch (the rest of the kitchen is behind).
The crepe is made with two eggs, green onion, sesame seeds, a 'biscuit' and a homemade chili sauce (I asked for light chili; the chili sauce on the table is different than the sauce inside the Jian Bing. )

The 'biscuit' is that crispy wonton skin. The combination of flavors and textures in this snack was wonderful. You can add on to the Jian Bing: dry meat, spicy beef, lunch meat and/or a Chinese donut. I don't think any of the add ons were necessary, but many people around us did have a big ol' Chinese donut stuffed into their order. You might have noticed on the menu board that the beverages are Buy One Get One during the Grand Opening period. We ordered Liji Matcha with Cheese Foam ($4.75). I've read about cheese foam drinks and wanted to try this. The matcha milk tea was a good quality matcha (I asked for low sugar) with some tannin notes. The cheese foam top was a treat in itself-like light whipped cream cheese topped with matcha powder. The cups are reusable, with interesting lids which I've not seen elsewhere (if you read the article, one Instagrammer (sp?) recommended to not use a straw and let the foam of the cheese blend with the tea.)

All in all, quite nice. We will go back to try more of the menu.

Who else has been here? Kirbie was here in early August (she didn't like the Jian Bing, but I don't know any better and thought it was tasty).

JoYee's 7330 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego 92111 (858) 302-9394 Open Daily 9 a.m.-3 p.m., 5 p.m.-9 p.m.

2019 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Float Road Test #3 (meals at Kolache Factory (Tustin) and Douglas Burgers #23 (Lake Elsinore))

August 29, 2018 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Ontario/Riverside/San Bernadino, CA, Orange County, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, this is a food blog. The first part of today's post will be about the events centered around food. Cathy is writing; Kirk is on a break.

For your convenience: here are links to Road Tests #1/2 Road Tests #4/5 and Road Test #6

Another road test of mechanics and maneuverability for floats participating in the 130th Tournament of Roses Rose Parade, which will roll down the streets of Pasadena (and on your television) on January 1, 2019 occurred last Saturday at Phoenix Decorating Company in Irwindale. (There are three other float builders as well as six 'self built' floats participating in the Parade).

There's a surreal quality to each float, and the Lions Clubs International entry for this parade is just so cute. "Rocking' The Vest" is a fun "rap" video title from 2011-the inspiration for this float (Lions wear a distinctive yellow vest when volunteering). A Boom Box is on the back seat of the Cadillac, part of having a 'musical instrument' on each float- in accordance with the theme-
The Melody of Life.

"Home Tweet Home is the entry from the City of Alhambra. The large bird outside of the birdhouse moves her head.

Shriners Clubs International features their mascot, Fezzy, on their float, "Fezzy's Garden of Hope and Healing". The butterfly on top of Fezzy's hat (a Fez), flutters.
United Sikh Mission has a float in the Rose Parade for a fifth year. It features a Rabab, a stringed instrument played by the founder (in 1500) of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak. The float title is "A Divine Melody Resonates In All". The message of peace, compassion and one loving God, the foundation of Sikh belief, will be featured in a unique song, "Eternal Cosmic Symphony" by Ghat Ghat Vaaje Naad.

Other floats were tested, in the shell stage; I'll be showing progress next month.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Here's the food portion of this post.

We leave at 5 a.m., get to Tustin by 6:15 and stop somewhere within the vicinity of Red Hill Avenue. The Kolache Factory is a good choice for a quick snack.
Three kolaches were more than filling for the two of us. The most 'traditional' is the cherry topped sweet dough ($1.75), our 'breakfast dessert'.
The smaller kolache is a bacon-cheese filled delight ($2.45) which is a wonderful, savory, slightly sweet white dough.
The sausage, egg & cheese kolache in wheat dough (there's a choice) ($3.45) is larger, heavier and a filling meal for one; ideal if shared.

Kolache Factory #070 14091 Newport Avenue Tustin, CA 92780 (714) 730-2253 website

Those kolaches were filling! We weren't hungry after float viewing and drove over to the 15 freeway when hunger pangs started to set in. The Mister looked for 'breakfast' on his phone and the next exit (Central Avenue) in Lake Elsinore showed two places of interest. We stopped at the first one.

Douglas Burgers, #23. A few mentions (on Yelp) go back to 2009, saying it has been here 'forever', before the housing build up.

The long kitchen (under the menu board) has six flat top grills and an employee at each one. The drive through seems to move fast.

The Pancake Combo ($6.75) includes two (large) pancakes, three eggs (any style) and two sausage (or bacon). The pancakes are excellent; sweet and light with a thin crisp exterior. The sausage was good (skin on). Eggs perfectly cooked over easy.

There was a lot of bacon inside this breakfast sandwich ($6.25), even a piece on the exterior. Egg, cheese, lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise: each bite perfect.

Douglas Burgers #23 18461 Dexter Avenue Lake Elsinore, CA 92532 (951)245-5441 Open Mon-Sat 6 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun 7 a.m.-10 p.m.

Karami Ramen

August 27, 2018 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

It's a bit strange; I've heard so much about Ramen Ryoma's opening, but not so much about Karami which opened around the same time. Last week the weather had started cooling off and due to the fact that a lot of folks were on vacation, well……many of my meetings were cancelled, so I decided to head on down to the plaza that houses Nijiya, Spicy House, and Pho Mignon.

I arrived at 1130 and there were only two parties in the place during my entire visit. The lay-out of this tiny restaurant is somewhat neat; in a slightly cheesy kind of way….but it does remind me of some of the ramen places I've eaten at in Japan.

My Server was super friendly, with a great sense of humor.

As you can tell by the name; Karami specializes in spicy ramen. I wasn't too sure about having that on my first visit, so I just went with the Miso Tonkotsu and Chicken Karaage.

The Chicken Karaage wasn't too bad; in fact, I think it was better than what I'd had at Ryoma.

It lightly crisp; the dark meat chicken was slightly marinated….too little for my taste; but it was moist and had flavor. Of course, I had to listen to the know-it-all young lady on the next table tell her dining companion that it was all wrong….it should be white meat instead of dark meat. Methinks she got her katsu and karaage all mixed up. It didn't help that she ordered the "tonkatsu ramen"……

Meanwhile; my Miso-Tonkotsu was disappointing.

The noodles were standard issue JFC stuff and overcooked for my taste. The egg was cooked nicely, but ice cold. The chashu had a nice band of fat, but was on the dry side.

The broth was way too salty and very thin for a tonkotsu style broth; totally lacking in the balanced tongue coating richness I enjoy. There was a hint of garlic; but not much else beyond the sodium. It was truly lacking in complexity. You know I'm reaching when I thought to myself; "hey, this menma is pretty good".

You can tell what I thought about the broth……

On the bright side; the server was really nice and that karaage wasn't the worst that I've had recently.

Anyway, Calvin just returned from vacation, and guess where he wanted to eat?

And you know what? I was ready to actually try one of these……

We both ordered some extras. Calvin went with the curry-rice, non-spicy.

It actually had a mild kick, was slightly beefy; but the meat was tough and dry. Not too bad.

I ordered the spicy chicken wings; which was "all show and no go".

It's got to be the blandest; spicy looking chicken wings I've ever had…..hardly spicy at all; it lacked in any nuance of flavor, no sweetness, it seemed to be using something like kimchi base, or something similar mixed into a paste like texture. The batter got gummy quite quickly. At least the wings were moist.

I order the Triple Super Spicy Chashu Shio Ramen…….

Well, this was also underwhelming. Our server, the same friendly young lady as on my previous visit, looked surprised that we ordered this. She warned us several times about how spicy this was……it wasn't. It just wasn't very spicy; and what heat there was lacked nuance. I did think it was better than the thin, salty broth I'd had last time; but I was just surprised that this wasn't very spicy.

The noodles were still cooked more than I prefer; but was better than on my last visit. As you can see; the chashu was on the dry side; and cold to boot, as was the tamago.

The young lady seemed genuinely shocked that we were unfazed by the triple spicy ramen. She said she was worried we'd get sick from the spice. But she really won me over when I told her, "would you like me to call tomorrow to let you know I haven't died?" Her reply was awesome, "ok, but no screaming on the phone…."

Now that witty answer might be worth another visit….maybe…..

Karami Ramen
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 1130am – 230pm, 530pm – 10pm
Friday      1130am – 230pm, 530pm – 1030pm
Saturday    12pm – 3pm, 530pm – 1030pm
Sunday      12pm – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm

Eli’s Peruvian Kitchen Revisited

August 26, 2018 mmm-yoso Peruvian Restaurants

After working on a recent Sunday; I decided to revisit Eli's Peruvian. It's not easy coordinating visits since they have limited hours only open from 11am to 5pm Wednesdays thru Satruday, and 10am to 4pm on Sundays. I'd arrived on Sunday, forgetting that the Sunday Breakfast menu was being served. So no cebiche for me this time around.

I ended up ordering the Adobo de Chancho Arequipeño which was a special on this day.

Adobo de Chancho Arequipeño is a hearty pork stew that originates from the Arequipa (duh) area of Peru. The stew is usually beer – vinegar based; with paprika to add smokiness. With garlic and onions to add pungency.

The pork in this dish was well seasoned and very tender. The stew had a nice tangy-salty-mildly sweet-earthy balance which I enjoyed. It was definitely hearty and the portion size was much larger than it looked. Tons of pork in the bowl.

The bread was a standard issue banh mi that was toasted but was already going flaccid.

I enjoy the chica morada at Eli's; for some reason, it doesn't strike me as being too sweet. It did a good job of cutting the richness of the stew.

I was asked my opinion of the adobo and said that it was quite good. They told me they're thinking about adding it as a regular item on the menu. I think it would do fine.

Seems like the food here is improving. And the service is always nice……even if the area is a bit on the shady side.

Eli's Peruvian Kitchen
4979 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115
Hours:
Thurs -Sat 11am – 5pm
Sunday 10am – 4pm

Paris – The Pantheon and a Revisit to Arnaud Nicolas

August 25, 2018 mmm-yoso France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

After finishing up shopping and eating near Saint Germain; the Missus and I decided to just wander around a bit and ended up at the Pantheon.

Though we'd visited the area before, we decided to actually enter and check the place out. There was one thing I really wanted to see……in February of 1851, physicist Léon Foucault, assembled scientists at the Paris Observatory and using a simple pendulum and his newly derived sine law to prove the earth rotates. A month later; Napoleon III requested that he repeat the demonstration in the Pantheon in the central dome.

The Pantheon was originally built to be a church to dedicated to the Patron Saint of Paris; St Genevieve, who is said to have saved Paris from the armies of Attila the Hun in 1451. The church was completed in 1790, which coincided with the beginning of the French Revolution. In 1791, the National Assembly determined that the structure be turned into a mausoleum.

Internment can only be presented by the President and approved by parliamentary act.

On the day we visited there was a special exhibit of the works and career of Marie Curie.

Who was the first woman enshrined in the Pantheon in 1995, over 200 years after the first internment. I was especially interested since one of my Mom's favorite movies was Madame Curie.

We decided to check out the crypt and walk among the remains of France's "National Heroes".

We then walked back to the 7th and took a nice break (nap) at the apartment. It was dark when we awoke. We headed off to dinner…..we had enjoyed our meal at Arnaud Nicolas the previous evening so much that we booked a return visit.

You can read my previous post on Arnaud Nicolas….. Let me just say that it was just as delicious on this visit as well.

It's the charcuterie that's the star here. And the service was just as friendly and gracious as the night before.

Arnaud Nicolas
46 Avenue de la Bourdonnais
75007 Paris, France

Our train to Strasbourg wasn't leaving until the next day at 2pm; as is the norm when on vacation, we woke rather early. With no plans we decided to pack, then just start walking.

We ended up strolling down Rue du Commerce in the 15th Arrondissement. It was a less touristy and quite diverse section of the city.