mmm-yoso – Page 209 – 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.

Where in the World Are We – Part Trois

December 14, 2017 mmm-yoso Alsace, France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

As you read this, we should be home and dry.

The last part of our trip was enjoying the Missus's favorite city.

And while we did visit some of our favorite areas, we decided to really eschew the Museum visits this time around and visit some of the other neighborhoods.

Where we got to see a bit more……

We also spent a few nights in the proclaimed "Capital of Christmas".

Where we had a great time.

That featured what is claimed to be the largest Christmas Market in Europe. We sure had a great time.

And of course we ate very well.

And even managed to get in some "comfort food" at the end of our trip.

And of course, there are many photos of our four-legged friends.

So, let me regroup for a bit.

And thanks for stopping by!

Outback Steak House (Revisits to a place never posted)

December 13, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, Chains, What Cathy Eats!

Here you are, at mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk isn't writing today, you know why. Cathy is trying to write an interesting post. Here it goes.

Long story short: I was given a lot of restaurant gift cards this past year. I don't regift. The people who give me cards ask specifics about the meals and what we enjoyed, so I take photos. The Mister and I have been pleasantly surprised so far.

Outback is an Australian inspired steakhouse, founded in 1988 in Tampa Florida by four friends. It is now a Company of restaurants which include Bonefish Grill, Carrabbas Italian Grill and Flemings Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Outback's decor is rugged yet minimal. There is an electronic device on each table. You can order and pay for adult beverages, appetizers and even (for $2) play trivia games. You can also pay your final bill without waiting or flagging down your server.When first seated, as the menus are dropped off, a warm loaf of honey wheat bread and unsalted whipped butter is brought out. The bread is 'stabbed' with a serrated steak knife, which is needed to slice the whole (small) loaf.

All of these items are from the Lunch menu, thumbnail at the bottom of this post.
With almost each lunch entree, you have a choice of soup or salad. There is a chicken tortilla Soup (not pictured), or this baked potato soup (wonderfully decadent)or for $1 more, french onion soup (even more decadent). You can either have a Caesar or this, a House salad, with dressing on the side. I was pleasantly surprised with the fresh vegetables, including cucumber on this salad. The House Ranch dressing is very good. The Classic Cheeseburger Combo ($9.49) was cooked to a perfect medium rare, had a nice char to the exterior, served on a wonderful fresh egg bun, had a choice of cheese and of course, lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle. This was an *excellent* burger.
Six Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp Combo ($9.49) I used to order an appetizer plate of these as my meal…but six, along with either soup or salad is a 'healthier' meal. You can see the plump shrimp, light breading and tender coconut. The two two chicken taco combo ($8.99) (substitute steak instead of chicken, add $1). I splurged. This was really good. Different than a taco shop; not carne aside marinade; kind of fancy.
An Aussie Cobb Salad ($9.99) Fresh mixed greens, chopped hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, bacon, Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese and freshly made croutons. The Bleu Cheese dressing on the side was quite wonderful. An Outback Burger, ($8.99) with fries…again, wonderful, cooked to a medium rare…and look at that bun. I ordered the 6 ounce center cut sirloin ($14.99) with a baked potato and asparagus (fresh vegetable of the day). It was cooked to a perfect medium rare, had some sort of (tasty) marinade (didn't need any condiments added). The baked potato was so very good; I haven't had a baked potato in forever and all of those flavors triggered good memories. The asparagus was oven roasted and crispy tender with a bit of salt on top-again, needing no additions.

But, this is Outback- what about the famous Blooming Onion? Well, it is $8.49, very large (really, it is a meal) and I just couldn't bring myself to order one, even to share.

Until it was free.

I was listening to NASCAR one Sunday and heard that Outback sponsors a Racer -Kevin Harvick- and if he finishes in the Top Ten in a weekly Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, you just have to go into Outback the following Monday and say "Bloomin' Monday" and your table gets a free Blooming Onion appetizer for free. Here's a link.

So we did have one Blooming Onion. The crust was crispy, spicy and large. The onion was tender and sweet. We took home leftovers after eating it before and during one of the above meals. I used to be able to eat this much food along with adult beverages and not go into a food coma. Things change.

Overall, the meals at Outback were great.

Outback Steakhouse. Nationwide locations. Website

Swami’s Cafe (La Mesa) (revisit)

December 12, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk usually writes, but He and His Missus are on vacation. Cathy is writing today.

It's been about two years since I first posted about Swami's. There are nine locations of this family owned in San Diego County and La Mesa is closest to our home. Since it opens at 7 a.m. daily, we can get in and out without having to pay the parking meters which surround this location.
There are specials noted on almost every wall, but a 'normal' menu is also available (it has more items). You can read that at your leisure, instead of staring up at the chalkboards. Walk up, order, pay, get a number…
walk back near the front door and grab a cup and a beverage and condiments. Find a table, inside or out in front. Your food will be brought to you.

We were here on a Friday (when I don't eat meat) and the simple Egg Muffin ($5.95) was my order: One egg, mock bacon (or real bacon or real ham), mayo, tomato and mixed cheddar cheese. The mock bacon is smoky and has the right flavor, but isn't crispy. The toasted English muffin was really tasty; the sandwich, with its combination flavors, was *very* good.

The Green Omelette ($9.49)- asparagus, spinach, avocado, green onions, bell peppers, zucchini and feta cheese. This thick, overfilled omelette is really satisfying, flavored with fresh vegetables and the salty Feta, it's just good; you don't need added condiments (or meat). Those potatoes are amazing; no hash browns here.
My order on another Friday was the Veggie Hash($9.95): Sun Dried tomatoes, spinach, red onions, feta, potatoes, with (my choice) over easy eggs on top. This was very, very good. Fresh and so very flavorful; no condiments need to be added.

The pancakes here are craveable (especially the banana walnut) and the bacon is of a better quality-thick and smoky. I have several blurred photos of each.

The week is half gone, I hope yours is going well!

Swami's Cafe 8824 La Mesa Boulevard La Mesa 91942 (619) 668-9030 Open Mon-Sat 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Sun 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Website

Spice House Café (Kearny Mesa)

December 11, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, Food blog. Cathy is writing today; Kirk and His Missus are enjoying themselves away from electronics.

If you've ever driven on Claremont Mesa Boulevard, perhaps looking for the San Diego Superior Court or maybe the old Registrar of Voters building (now a new Kaiser Hospital), you've probably seen this signage and building.

It looks like it may have been a Coco's, Carrows, Bakers Square or maybe even a Big Boy, in its first iteration; some sort of family restaurant. Owned by two brothers, Spice House has been here since 1993. It's only open until 2:30 daily, serving breakfast (all day) and lunch. (Ignore that 'Dinner' portion of the sign.)

Kirk wrote a post about Spice House Café in 2005 and again in 2015.The Mister and I have been here many times, never posted.
We dropped in the other day because we were in the area and had different cravings. The interior had just been decorated for Christmas.
The soup of the day choice was either broccoli cream or vegetable- all the vegetables except broccoli, I think. There was cauliflower, potato, cabbage, green pepper, carrot, onion and celery. The broth had a deep flavor (either beef or chicken based), did not need salt or pepper or anything added. This was a *great* home made soup.
The soup was my side choice for my order of a Chicken Pita ($9.95)- grilled chicken (not gyros spiced or sliced; plainer), tomatoes, onions, fresh (house made) tzatziki in a warm, fresh pita. This was also really good, quite large. The accompanying pickle was a good quality.
The Mister really had a craving for Biscuits and Gravy (large, $3.75). Four from scratch, good quality biscuits topped with a (link) sausage gravy. The gravy itself is slightly sweet; not peppery. Definitely all from scratch and, again, really good.
He also ordered a side order of a beef patty ($3.15). It's the hand formed half pound patty that's in all of the 'Burger Specials', listed on the tabletop card (below). Grill top cooked to just barely medium, this was a quality burger.

Just good food. Another local place that has been around forever.

Spice House Cafe 9035 Clairemont Mesa Blvd San Diego, CA 92123 Hours: Mon – Fri 6:00am – 2:30pm Sat – Sun 7:00am – 2:30pm Website

Sam Woo-more breakfasts

December 10, 2017 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! This blog is about food, sometimes with stories surrounding the consumption of the food. Not today. Kirk is still on his vacation and Cathy is writing.

I've written about Sam Woo for breakfast in 2007, 2009, and in 2011. Kirk even mentioned an item from the breakfast menu (at the bottom of this page) in a 2016 post. Not much has changed except the prices; each of the 31 items now cost a whopping $4.50.

{Other Sam Woo posts: Soo, wrote one earlier this year, cc met The Mister and I for breakfast last year and she went back a month later with a friend for his birthday breakfast, Faye was here in 2013 and Jinxie (who has since moved from San Diego, was here in 2012)}.
Hot tea (a pot is usually brought to the table) or hot coffee (served with condensed milk) is 30¢. We usually order one bowl of something to share. Porridge here is always good. I think the fish porridge (#8) is the best. (If you want to add some crunchy fried Chinese donut to your porridge, you have to walk across the hall to the steam tray section of 99 Ranch and purchase a package there).
The roast duck lo mein (#23) is a favorite order. The duck is so good, the lo mein are not mushy, the soup broth on the side is perfectly spiced and there are usually two or three pieces of bok choy, so you can also have your vegetables and a balanced meal. Wonton noodle soup (#9) and Shrimp dumpling noodle soup (#10) are interchangeable. The dumplings are tender and filled with good flavored pork (plus a half of a plump shrimp if you order #10). The broth sometimes is weak (sometimes is rich) but I tend to add the chili paste which is on the table tray of condiments, along with soy sauce and white pepper
about halfway through the meal. We usually order a third item, either #1 (seen another posts) or #2 or #3…this is #2- pan fried rice noodle with bean sprouts, onion and soy sauce. There is a good, smoky flavor/'wok hei' to these wide rice noodles which I sometimes crave.
Alternately, #3, crispy fried noodles with bean sprouts, onions and soy sauce are an indulgence and oh so very good.

An easy, filling breakfast or early lunch choice, right across the hall from 99 Ranch Market.

Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant 7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Ste 103 San Diego, CA 92111 Breakfast Mon-Fri 9-11, Sat-Sun 8:30-11

2018 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float decorating. Meals from THH, Kolache Factory(Tustin) and Johnny’s Shrimp Boat (West Covina)

December 9, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for once again stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog which sometimes (like today) shows the events surrounding the acquisition of meals. Kirk (and His Missus) are still on vacation and Cathy is writing.

Less than a month before the Tournament of Roses and float decoration has begun. The Mister and I were awake early last Saturday and got to the Phoenix Decorating Company barn in Irwindale before 8:30. So did a few hundred other people. We were there to do 'dry' decorating (fresh flowers and other fresh products start after Christmas).

I've been showing you road tests of the 2018 floats for the past few months (prior road tests linked at the top of that post), so you know in general what you are going to see. You can see artist renditions of these floats at this link.

If you'd like to read more about the Tournament and all its activities, this link to The Rose Examiner, is an excellent resource.

The Opening Unit, displaying the banner of the Theme of the 2018 parade- "Making A Difference" will be the first float you see.
The statice, in three colors, was ready for cutting. (In the background is the End Unit; last float you'll see in the parade). The statice petals (as well as other materials) are then blended in one of these BlendTec blenders and the powder is glued on parts of the float-makes the product be used efficiently. All visible parts of every float must be covered with natural materials. The scaffolds weren't set up and people were working at the lower levels on the City of Alhambra's float, "Story Time"
This material is 'paper bark'- it is prepared using stainless steel scrubbers, to be smooth- the product in the boxes in back is ready for application on the float.
Even rice is put in those blenders. The powder covers much more on a surface.An excellent example of rice powder- the inner ceiling of this three-part Honda float,which looks like this… The powdered rice is applied to the backs of the 'clouds' on the bottom the float; if it is visible, it has natural materials.

Palm bark is also used for decorating. The useable product is in the small box on top of the table.
The design on the back of the "Armenian Roots" float is similar to the Armenian Orphan rug, woven by Armenian genocide victims as a gift to President Coolidge – the tassels are raffia grass.

If you can enlarge, the black parts of the butterfly are black beans. The edge of the hearts are covered with red straw flower petals, which were not powdered: texture.Enlarging this photo shows the orange parts of this unique butterfly are lentils.
These yellow with orange edged roses are being covered with powdered yellow straw flowers. There will be about 30 of these flowers on the City of Hope Medical Center float, "Transforming Lives with Hope".
Rotary International's float, "Sowing the Seeds of Service" was being decorated from the climbing scaffolding- the hat is covered with Pac-Pac, a braided straw (you can see some Pac-Pac on the top step).
Here is the front of "Armenian Roots", depicting Mother Armenia and pomegranates, a symbolic fruit of Armenia.
Shriners Hospitals, "Caring for Kids Around the World" will be filled with details.
Lions Clubs International, "Preserving Our Environment" has multiple details, like these cattails, partly covered in dried parsnip. The Oddfellows and Rebbekahs float, "Sacrifice to Serve" has pictographs on both sides of the float. Much detail work will be completed over the next few weeks.
Kiwanis, "Racing to Serve Children" is so cute!
These are the red straw flowers, mentioned above.
The Lutheran Layman's League float, "Bringing Christ to the Nations". The Mister and I volunteer with their group, the Petal Pushers and are assigned to assist on whichever float needs assistance; our volunteering helps pay for this float, the only Christian themed float in the parade, now for the 68th year.
Detail for the Western Asset float, "Oceans of Possibility".
The United Sikh Mission float, "Serving Kindness" depicts the Sikh Langar, the worlds largest free kitchen, which serves over 100,000 meals a day and is in line with the theme of this parade "Making a Difference"
This is a 'tag along' to the Trader Joe's float,
which was still undergoing some mechanical corrections last week…the title, "Hats Off"…you'll see.

On to the food portion of this blog.

Tustin, the same parking lot and indecision for breakfast. The Mister went to the business on the left, Kolache Factory and I went to the business on the right, THH Sandwiches. An apricot and a bacon-cheese kolache from The Factory. A chicken and a pork pate chaud from THH. Enough protein to sustain and some nice carbs to enjoy.

Kolache Factory 14091 Newport Avenue Tustin 92780 (714) 730-2253 Website

THH 14081 Newport Ave Tustin, CA (714)731-1366 Open Mon-Sat 5 a.m.-7:30 p.m., Sun 7 am-4 pm website

We brought lunch, enjoyed in the industrial park area surrounding the decorating barn, consisting of sandwiches brought from home…

Worked until about 5 p.m. and started driving South on Vincent, one signal light East. The street name changed at some point to Glendora and we were in West Covina. We had passed here a few times this year, but Johnny's Shrimp Boat doesn't open until 9:30 a.m.. Look at it. We had to stop.
The menu is simple- there are specials for $6.95, $7.95 and $8.95. All have the option of a side consisting of rice with beans, gravy, chili or fries (or just fries) (and pretty much any combination of those items). Menu items consist of shrimp, fish, hamburger steak, pork chop, short ribs and teriyaki (beef, chicken or shrimp).
You order, pay, have a seat. There's no tipping jar. The young man out in front as well as the chef are very nice and know the 'regulars'. Your food is handed to you over the counter.
We tried the two fish, four shrimp combo with rice and beans ($7.95). The beans were plain and needed to have hot sauce added (there were condiments on the counter).

Both the fish and the shrimp were a good size, and perfectly batter fried.

There was a window sign for a $5 shrimp cocktail. It had five large, plump shrimp, was in a nicely spiced sauce with cucumber, onion, tomato and avocado…a great deal.

Good food, nice people, a great find. (Trivia: A scene from Cobra, a Stallone film, was filmed inside the Los Angeles location of Johnny's Shrimp Boat)
Johnny's Shrimp Boat 803 S. Glendora West Covina, 91790 (626) 813-3818 Open daily 9:30-9

Thanks for reading!

Where in the world are we – Part Twee

December 7, 2017 mmm-yoso Amsterdam, Dutch Food and Restaurants, European Restaurants, Netherlands, Travel

The Missus and I each had objectives for our next stop.

And we managed to do both.

We enjoyed our couple of days in the land of canals…..

Very friendly folks…..the scent of the “cash crop” in the air.

We had some decent meals as well.

Not to get overly cheesy, but we really had fun…..the city had an interesting vibe.

So, of course it was time to move on.

Next up, the Missus’s favorite city.

Mémo’s Bagel Cafe (Rancho San Diego)

December 6, 2017 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog you are reading, is a compilation of varied meal experiences. Today, while Kirk (and His Missus) are vacationing in another part of the world, Cathy is writing about a local place where She and Her Mister had a quick breakfast.

In late 2014, I told cc about a place with an intriguing name. It was a busy time of the year for me, but she went to the small storefront, next to a 7-11 named Pistachios, in Rancho San Diego and posted about it three times. When I had the time, late in the Summer/early Autumn of 2015, Pistachios was a monthly stop. When finally ready to post about it, I went for a final visit (to confirm current prices), it was closed.

I had heard it "was moving just across the street", but when I had the time to look, there never was a 'Pistachios' storefront anywhere. Fast forward to last week when The Mister and I were driving around with no plan except to find breakfast. We stopped here- Memo's Bagel Cafe.
The bagel display looked the same as Pistachios had.
So did the items being sold from the inside refrigerated section(although Pistachios had some of those items, notably the Middle Eastern flat breads, sold fresh and warm). There were pre-packed boxes of baklava next to the cash register- with the Pistachios label! We found it. The storefront is smaller, but one of the main draws for me-housemade bagels-were back.
Egg, cheese, sausage on an everything bagel ($4.75) was great- a good, thick, quality sausage, Swiss cheese, fluffy egg and the fresh, toasty bagel. It was perfect and as I remembered it.
"The Works" ($5.75)- egg, cheese, bacon, turkey and ham on a spinach parmesan bagel. So good, so tasty, so much (quality) meat. You can see the bagel itself has a green tinge from the spinach. By itself, this bagel is tasty.

The similarities between here and my favorite bagel place, PL Bagel are that both are family owned, the bagels are not overly large and the whole bagel is covered-
with the toppings- the bottoms aren't 'plain'.

Mémo's is a lot closer than Point Loma…so there will be further exploration of the menu.

Mémo's Bagel Cafe 2650 Jamacha Road, Suite 163 El Cajon, CA 92019 (619)660-1300 Mon-Sat 6-4, Sun 7-3

EaThai Bistro (San Diego/Rolando)

December 5, 2017 Cathy Thai Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the name of the food blog you are reading. Now that you know why Kirk hasn't been posting much…He and His Missus are on a well deserved vacation…Cathy is holding down the fort and posting about another San Diego restaurant.

Maybe you remember when Kirk posted about Chinese Kitchen, the first time a two part post in 2006 and a follow up in 2009. It was the place with the literal 'hole in the wall' for ordering…had been there since the 1980's (when The Mister and I frequented the inexpensive take out establishment), which closed about five months ago.
You don't have to order at the window any more, there are 14 seats with tabletops as well as an area to wait if you order or are picking up 'to go'.
We were given complimentary Thai iced tea, since they are still in their opening phase (regular $2.50). It was not too sweet, and the tea portion had a pleasant, spiced flavor.
We also were given small cups of vegetable tom kha soup, which was very good. I might just order a bowl on one of our wintery-cool days.
The Thai sausages appetizer ($7.95) was wonderful! The coarse grind pork sausages are made here, have a skin with a snap and has the wonderful bit of sour taste. They are different than other house made Thai sausage (the ones made at Supanne House of Thai which are herb filled), yet delicious on their own, served with ginger, cabbage, cucumber and peanuts.
Thai Style papaya salad ($7.95) was fresh made (I heard shredding in the kitchen), at a level of "2", which was just enough chili pepper/heat to still be able to taste the green beans, tomatoes, garlic and dried shrimp along with the peanuts. It was really good. I am eager to try the Lao style of this salad on my next visit- made with fish sauce and the 50 cent optional addition of salted crab. The larb ($8.95, chicken) wasn't quite what we are used to- there were no crunchy (roasted rice) bits, so the texture was not as interesting; thinking it was forgotten. The lime juice, onions, cilantro and mint were all very good and fresh.

All in all, a good choice of food for this part of town.

cc has been here, too!

EaThai Bistro 6160 University (North side, just East of College Avenue) San Diego 92115 Open Monday-Saturday 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Closed Sunday (619)583-8888

Where in the world are we – Part 1

December 2, 2017 mmm-yoso Denmark, Nordic/Scandanvian Food and Restaurants, Norway, Travel

After all the long hours of work, the Missus and I finally took off for a break.

There were two main objectives on this trip.

I can say that we accomplished the first.

And visited some great places along the way.

And also checked out some of the usual tourist sights as well.

And of course, there was the food.

And learned some new things along the way. About stuff like “Polar Night”….

Which gets pretty darn cold.

We’re now in a warmer (it’s all relative) locale and enjoying the early winter weather.

So that’s it for now…..please don’t “Scream” at me.

And don’t be offended…..

Let’s strike up the band and celebrate the season!

Cathy will be back with another new post soon!

Thanks for stopping by.