mmm-yoso – Page 214 – 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.

And now for a short break in the action…..

August 6, 2017 mmm-yoso Cooking, yoso-silly

It's been a busy year for me and I haven't been able to see my dear friends much this year. At least not all together. But this being "C's" Birthday….well, I just couldn't say no.

And it was such a beautiful day. So, while I still put in some hours at work today, I met them afterwards for dinner. Plus, these are the folks who take whoel roasted pigs to Karaoke and hold Thanksgiving in August, who roasts whole pigs in their parent's backyard. I think "C" wanted seafood……so here's the spread.

So where's the seafood? Ummm, here…..

Happy Birthday C! Here's to many more!

Thanks for indulging me folks!

Saturday Stuffs – How About a “Poke-silog” for Breakfast (Zarlitos), The Fire Spot Coming to Convoy, and Other “Stuffs”

August 5, 2017 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Filipino Restaurants, Poke

**** Sorry, no moa' poke at Zarlitos

Pokesilog?:

So the Missus wanted a nice, early weekend breakfast at one of Her favorite spots. We were met by the same very sweet and pleasant young lady, that usually works on the weekends.

We were seated and handed the usual brown, sticky, well-worn menus. I was going to get "the usual", a Chicksilog. But as we sat, the young lady handed us this additional menu. "Zarlitos Family Restaurant Secret Poke Menu" it says.

Along with the poke on one side, it also lists….good lord….Poke Fries? Shades of Pokiritto; Poke Burritos? Even more hilarious, something called "Hashbrown Thing". Hashbrowns topped with spicy tuna, Spam, and an egg? I think this takes the poke on everything fad a bit too far…..

Somehow, the Missus talked me into ordering the Pokesilog ($9).

Ok, so the Missus got the egg, which She enjoyed, the rice was hard and not so good. You know what I think about the so-called "Seaweed Salad", but the Missus had no qualms about that and the Tuna Scrape; you know, the stuff they put into that spicy tuna roll you get at those gringo sushi shops; probably from True World Foods, was nice and spicy. That was a large batch of surimi…all fine. I chose the Spicy Garlic Poke, which was perhaps a bit too sweet, but I couldn't complain about the quality of the fish on this visit. And only nine bucks…..take that "Chi-poke" shop!

The menu is currently only available from 8am to 2pm during weekends.

And, if you actually do try that "Hashbrown Thing", tell me about it, ok? I'm probably going back to my Chicksilog next time.

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

The Fire Spot Coming to Convoy:

I noticed that some work was going on at one of the shops in that strip mall with the worst parking on Convoy. So I took a quick look and found that something called "The Fire Spot" was taking the Print Shop's place.

Couldn't find much online.

So your guess is as good as mine……hot pot? Sichuan? Meat Skewers?

I guess we'll find out soon enough.

4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

My favorite license plate frame of the week….or maybe year:

Obviously a very proud mom!

Is the 'C' supposed to be a 'G' or am I supposed to add an 'R':

I noticed this sign while waiting at the traffic light on the corner of Convoy and Clairemont Mesa.

I never noticed this sign before, but am pretty sure it's been here for a while. You'd think they'd fix it, right?

It did have me thinking what the correct spelling should be….'Massage' or add an 'r' and it becomes 'Massacre'…..

And then I got this texted to me:

Wow, who knew…..

Though I did ask the question; shouldn't it be 2 eggs and 1 wiener?

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Beaune – Dinner at Maison du Colombier

August 4, 2017 mmm-yoso Burgundy, France, French Restaurants, Travel

We'd had a great time at the Saturday market and had been charmed by the countryside. It was like we opened a book on France and walked into one of the pages. After consuming part of the bounty we got at the market, we….of course, took a nice short nap. We awoke right before dusk and took a short walk around. It was Saturday night and things were still rather lively at this hour.

The Missus really wanted to take one last drive and I needed to refuel the car before returning it; so we headed out. Just a short way. To the outskirts of Beaune. Up one of the side roads. To just take it all in.

Man this place is beautiful.

And while I'm sure that we couldn't live here; I'm fairly certain we could visit quite often.

We filled the gas tank, headed back to the apartment, freshened up and off we went to dinner.

Our last dinner in Beaune and Burgundy for that matter, was a bit different. The menu was far form the stick-to-the-ribs cuisine of Burgundy. The restaurant we selected was in a structure dating back to 1574, sharing the building with five vacation apartments which were in the tower.

Maison du Colombier bills itself as a "Gastro Bar". The chef, Roland Chanliaud, was once the chef of one of the local Michelin star restaurants. The set-up is interesting; the ground floor (I keep forgetting, in Europe it's level '0'), features a wine bar, charcuterie from Spain, with a service that resembles tapas. There are also tables down in the "cave" in the lower level. We decided on making reservations for the small dining area on the second floor.

Which, as you can see, is quite eclectic and well, groovy. The menu is written on a chalkboard with very non-traditional Bourgogne items such as polenta, chorizo, and shiitake mushrooms.

The Missus availed Herself of the wine by the glass list which features 5 white, 5 red, and 3 sparkling…these were of course, all local.

We started with an interesting salad; Cod, Broccoli, and Tomatoes.

Dressed perfectly, the cod resembling scallops, the broccoli actually a puree, the tomatoes seemed confit, the flavor intense.

There was of course, the foie gras dish.

A perfectly workable version; earthy, with the fig chutney providing the sweetness necessary to cut the offal richness.

The next two dishes blew us away.

The first; 63 Degree Eggs with Burgundy Truffles. Good lord, look at all the truffles!

Beautifully cooked, probably sous vide eggs, rich and creamy, with what seemed like a touch of butter and cream….and look at all those truffles. While not as fragrant as what we ran into in Dordogne; these added a wonderful earthy decadence to the dish. You could have at least a slice of truffle in every bite.

Next up the Cepes, Rosemary, Black Olives, and Polenta.

While the Missus is not particularly fond of rosemary, it really help to raise the savory level of dish. And yes, those are super fragrant, earthy, savory porcini mushrooms. The polenta was creamy and gave the dish some bulk. This was so good.

Man were we going to miss Beaune!

Maison du Colombier
1 Place General Leclerc
Beaune, France

Things had quieted down by the time we finished dinner and headed back to the apartment.

Where we organized ourselves and packed. Then finished the last of the wine in the fridge.

The next morning. before we headed out to return the car and head to the train station, there was one more small errand.

Back to the boulangerie I'd gone to on our first morning in Beaune.

This time for a baguette. And while we thought croissants here were just average; the baguette was good.

We enjoyed the leftovers from the Saturday Market and enjoyed the train ride from Beaune to Dijon….then back to Paris.

Thanks for reading!

Wine tasting in Southern Oregon

August 3, 2017 ed fromyuma American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

mmm-yoso!!! is Kirk’s fascinating food and travel blog out of San Diego. Sometimes he lets Cathy or me, Ed (from Yuma), blog here too. Thanks!!!

I wish I could share with folks the great natural beauty and wonderful hospitality Tina and I experienced in Central Oregon. But I am uncomfortable writing about wonderful meals prepared by friends and family, and Tina and I both failed to take photos of the Cascade peaks and rugged scenery we witnessed our way down to Jackson County in Southern Oregon.

We arrived on a scorching (108°+) afternoon in the Rogue Valley too early for our motel room, so we sought the house where I grew up and the nearby house of my grandparents. Pulling into the driveway there, we were greeted by the current owner, who was happy to learn about the history of the house and happy to share some details about living in Medford these days. After he learned that we were interested in wine tasting, he insisted that we drive a short way to 2Hawk winery, nearby on N. Phoenix Rd.

Located about 2 ½ miles from where I grew up, the brand-new winery was built with old wood:

Amazing to see vineyards where there were once empty fields or cow pastures at the edge of town:

The tasting room was modern and attractive, the servers were very friendly and helpful, and some of the folks at the winery seemed like locals who drop by in the afternoons:

2Hawk offered a couple of different tasting flights, but their lineup was limited but good:

In fact, limited supply seems to be plaguing many of the new Southern Oregon wineries. One place we stopped was out of wine to sell, and when I came back two days later to 2Hawk to pick up a bottle of their excellent reserve Tempranillo, which they had kindly let me sample, they had none.

2335 N. Phoenix Road | Medford, OR 97504
541.779.WINE (9463)

http://www.2hawk.wine/

The Rogue Valley with nearly 30 wineries is the center of the Southern Oregon Vineyard industry but I wanted to take Tina over to the Applegate Valley, just to the west, because it is much more rural, very beautiful, and offers some distinctive wines.

But folks gotta eat; so we stopped in at the C St. Bistro in Jacksonville. Jacksonville, now is a very small town, has a historic district that goes back to the 1850s, when Jackson County was founded. It’s in a nice location up off the Valley floor some, but it would’ve been inconvenient for the railroads, so they went down to the heart of the Valley and created Medford.

The C St. Bistro is a small home style lunch and dinner spot in Jacksonville:

http://www.cstbistro.com/

It has a pleasant patio though it was getting awfully hot by the end of lunch:

I had a nice fresh lemonade that I failed to photograph. I opted for the turkey BLT, made with toasted homemade focaccia:

Real roasted turkey – an abundant portion – was the highlight of the sandwich. Being lactose intolerant, I ordered the tomato soup with no sour cream. It was full of red ripe tomato flavors, but the acidity might have been better balanced with the sour cream as Tina’s was:

But the real highlight of her lunch was the magnificent wild mushroom and melted cheese cibatta:

Here’s a detailed photo:

The bill was reasonable:

We headed out of town on the Jacksonville/Ruch highway, which crosses a low spur of the mighty Siskiyou mountains and descends into the beautiful Applegate Valley:

We stopped at only two wineries; the Schmidt family winery (the funnest in the Applegate Valley) seems to have a party going on constantly:

330 Kubli Road Grants Pass, OR 97527

541-846-9985

https://sfvineyards.com/

I’m sure the wines were very good, we enjoyed the tasting for sure, but the emphasis at the winery seem to be on the beautiful grounds and picnic areas:

Our last stop in the Applegate Valley was at Cowhorn vineyards a few miles south off the main road at the edge of the forest and the Valley, one of the most innovative and progressive vineyards in the Southern Oregon wine region:

The entire winery has no carbon footprint. All employees have 52-week a year employment and healthcare. Though the winery is very new, some of their best wines Syrah, Grenache, and Tempranillo are some of the most sought after and expensive in the Valley and (in my humble opinion) some of the best tasting.

The vineyards are spread out from the winery:

1665 Eastside Road
Jacksonville, OR 97530
(541) 899-6876

http://cowhornwine.com/

Tina and I thoroughly enjoyed the wine tasting and scenery. What makes Southern Oregon wineries unique is a variety of microclimates, most cooler than many regions in California, all more elevated than most other regions in Oregon or in California, and producing varietals not usually well represented in West Coast wineries such as Tempranillo, Grenache, Viogner, Roussanne.

If you’re in the area, you should definitely stop in and check out the one top 10 Vineyard area in the United States that you had probably never heard of before.

Steamy Piggy – A First Look(s)

August 2, 2017 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

While driving by last week, I noticed that Steamy Piggy, whose signage I saw back in January, was finally going through a "soft opening". Since that "helluva" (the one with Tajima/Liang's/Josun) parking lot was empty at 11am, I turned around and decided to give the place a try.

Even though the "open" sign was displayed, they didn't seem quite ready for prime time when I arrived…..which I'm sure they'll straighten out.

So I was seated outside. Pretty nice space, though there was water everywhere….I think they had hosed down the patio right before opening and the tables already felt a bit "sticky".

I was presented with an abbreviated menu. Since the specialty here is supposed to be dumplings, ordering that was a must. Unfortunately, they only had the Pork and Cabbage and the Pork and Shrimp versions and only pan fried. No problem, I wanted to see what the skill set of the cooks were, so simpler the better and I went with the Pork and Cabbage.

Needing another dish form the abbreviated menu; I went with the "Steamy Piggy Noodles" ($13.50), which was supposed to have Pork Ribs, Pork Belly, and Chicken.

Man, this was a load of carbs…..I mean a load….I barely finished half the bowl. The pork ribs were "MIA", the pork belly was a bit on chewy side for me, but the flavoring had nice hint of anise and soy flavor. There was a plethora of chicken. The noodles were overcooked and on the mushy side, but most of all, there was a certain greasy-blandness to this dish. Like something you'd make at home. I did like the "Steamy Piggy Sauce", a soy-chili oil concoction that was quite nice. I ended pouring almost a quarter of the bottle on the noodles to give it some flavor.

The filling for the pork and cabbage pan fried dumplings ($8)….I dare not call it guotie, were decent. Moist, not too salty, pleasant texture. I thought the wrappers were too thick and it wasn't panfried long enough or the temp was off as the bottoms weren't crisp enough and as a whole the wrapper was gummy. I'm not sure that this is worth eight bucks……

The young man who waited on me was awesome, friendly, gracious, and very nice. Sooooo…..I decided I needed to return.

This time I tried the shrimp and pork pan fried dumplings….called "Pimp Shrimp" ($9) on the menu. Sometimes I feel so old and out of touch….

In terms of cooking; these were better as the bottoms were more crisp. Other than that; the dumpling skins were the same, on the thick and gummy side. The filling on these were seasoned nicely with a definitive shrimp flavor.

And yet, I enjoyed the chili oil based sauce the best again.

Because the pork belly I had in my noodle dish seemed to have potential; I ordered the Red Cooked Braised Pork Belly ($8.50).

So, where to start? Too tough, salty, no sweet tones, and greasy to boot. Kind of sad, since I enjoy red cooked items. This was mediocre at best.

I could only manage 2 bites or so of what was in the tiny pot. I took the rest back to the office, "YZ" only had one bite; which was basically the consensus across the board.

I gotta say; while it looked like there were some service hiccups with other guests……the place filled up fast and I heard no less than three tables mention they read about the place on Eater. I had the same Server who was great….I think his name is Ivan.

Since this is still the soft opening period; I'm going to give this place a pass for now. I'll return in a few months to hopefully improved food and a more diverse menu.

Also, I'm vastly aware that the target audience for this place; much like Facing East is the younger crowd. Perhaps looking for well prepared, executed, and tasty food is not what it's about anymore. Perhaps style now matters more than substance…perhaps (I hope) I'm wrong. We'll see in a few months.

For a different look at Steamy Piggy, check out Kirbie's post.

Steamy Piggy
4681 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Open Daily 11am – 11pm

2018 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road test, Breakfast at Penny’s Family Restaurant (West Covina), Snack at Kolache Factory (Tustin)

August 1, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! a blog about food, and events leading up to acquiring said food. Cathy is writing today; Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are staying away from warm things (like computers and the outdoors).

Yes, it is that time of year again. Posts about Rose parade float road tests, float decorating and the Showcase of floats will be on the blog about once a month until January of next year. The related food/meal posts, will be changing quite a bit. The Phoenix Decorating Company, which constructs the floats where The Mister and I volunteer to decorate in December, has moved its barn about 20 miles East of Pasadena, to Irwindale. The drive there from here is a bit quicker, but we still left at 5 on Saturday morning, to see the floats lined up at 7 for their mechanical and maneuverability testing.

The Theme of the 2018 Rose Parade is "Making A Difference" and each float entry has its own interpretation of those words. Here are some previews of floats that were tested. We will get to the food in a moment.

The Shriners Hospitals for Children 2018 Parade float, "Caring for Kids Around the World", depicts their mascot, Fezzy Bear, in a space suit surrounded by planets and satellites.

Kiwanis International has a tiger driving a race car on its "Racing to Serve Children" titled float.

"Planting the Seeds of Service" is the theme of the Rotary International 2018 Rose Parade float entry.

The Odd Fellows and Rebekahs float, "Sacrifice To Serve" has another patriotic float entered in the Rose Parade, the title is in line with the 'Making a Difference' Theme. Western Asset is going to have at least a whale and turtle on their 2018 float entry.
The Lutheran Hour Ministries 68th entry into the parade is titled "Bringing Christ to the Nations".

There were two other floats (Armenian and Lions) which were in the 'rebar' stage of assembly which were also tested that morning.

Phoenix Decorating Company 5400 Irwindale Avenue Irwindale, CA 91706

Now, on to the food section of this post.

The first stop of the day (at about 6:05 a.m.) was at the Red Hill exit, to get to the Kolache Factory, mentioned in this post
We enjoyed the ham, egg and cheese stuffed dough ($3.19) and the simple, wonderful bacon and cheese stuffed treat ($2.26). The modern version of an Eastern European pastry roll was enough to keep us satisfied before arriving in Irwindale.

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

When we left Irwindale, we took side roads South, looking for a place to get breakfast and also scoping out possibilities for dinner after we decorate floats in December… We saw a variety of Mexican restaurants and taco shops, several 'Diner Type' places and then somehow got to this "HK2" mall. Kirk wrote about visits there 12 years ago. (Krua Thai is still there).

Because we were here before 9 a.m., only workers were showing up for early morning openings of the shops (I counted at least 20 restaurants, of so many ethnic varieties-Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese, Japanese, Mexican and…the only one that was open when we were there- the American place, Penny's.

Signage, Specials, Services offered, Penny's has it all, especially good food.

The weekday breakfast specials are 40¢ more on weekends. I went with a "Mini Breakfast" ($6.95 plus 40¢), two eggs (over easy-perfectly cooked) 2 sausage (or bacon) and home fries (also rye toast). This was great, really good; I love those sliced fried potatoes. The sausage was a good quality.
The Mister chose the corned beef hash and eggs plate ($8.59). Very flavorful corned beef, with diced potato and crispy grill top fried. Those perfect over easy eggs and more of those delightful home fries.
He chose a biscuit and gravy as the side. Great gravy, a really nice baking powder biscuit.
Now that we (sort of) know this mall is here, we will be back a bit later in the morning to try some of the other restaurants when they are open.

Penny's Family Restaurant 969 S. Glendora Avenue West Covina, CA 91790 Open 7-2, daily

I hope your week is good so far!

Rowland Heights – Chengdu Taste and a Walk Around Hong Kong Plaza

July 31, 2017 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

It was that time of the year again; time to head up to City of Industry. This time, like the previous, was a solo trip. Last time, I went and checked out the "West Colima – Azusa – Haceinda Heights side of things. I did this because there was a line outside of the one restaurant I wanted to try; Chengdu Taste. when Chendgdu Taste opened it really created a buzz; some said it to be "the best Sichuan restaurant in America", so forth and so on. Soon enough, it became it's own empire with locations in Rosemead, Houston, Las Vegas, and even Honolulu to go with the original shop in Alhambra. So here I was over a year later and guess what?

No line! So in I went…..

The place sure is a step up from restaurants we used to eat when we lived a few blocks away!

I ended up getting a small variety of dishes; starting with the "Pork with Garlic Sauce". Which came in a very nice presentation.

While I thought the pork more tender and flavorful in the version at Shufeng Garden across the street; I think the basic chili oil-garlic-soy-sugar here was superior. The pork was very fatty and a bit more chewy than I prefer; but man, that flavor was good.

If you've read our little blog for a while; you know I love Zi Ran Yang Rou; cumin lamb. I often make this at home, it's not hard, and yet it seems really hard to get a good rendition at most restaurants that serve the dish. So I had to order the signature and now much copied "Toothpick Lamb".

So, let me just say…I'm not a big fan of toothpicks in my food. As for everything else? Well, for once there was a nice amount of cumin in the dish….I could have done with more, but this is fine. There's a touch of heat from the chilies, but not too much. There's some Sichuan Peppercorns in this version, something I do with lamb loin chops, skirt steak, and even chicken at home. The meat was toothsome but not tough. This was very good. I do think onions and more cilantro would add to the dish.

Feeling a bit guilty, I felt I needed to order a vegetable dish; I ordered the Garlic Eggplant, which was the only mediocre dish of the set.

While it was cooked very well; the interior of the eggplant slices were creamy and molten, I felt the flavors fell short. Too sweet, not enough pungency, in spite of it being called a "garlic" dish, not enough spiciness, just kind of weak on the flavors.

I've been missing a couple of simple Sichuan "snack" dishes….the versions here in San Diego are not very good. So I ordered the Won Tons with Hot Sauce.

While the won tons were totally routine; not quite having that "kou gan" (口感 – mouthfeel) which makes for an excellent won ton. Thought it was not hard and tough, it's when you mix things up…..

And while I could have done with a bit more spice; this hit the spot. It's not quite like what I enjoyed in Chengdu or even what I had at No. 1 Noodle House years ago (my sources tell me it's not close to being the same these days), but I finished the whole bowl.

Leftovers to boot. Surprisingly good service, even friendly. Make me want to head on out to Alhambra to try…Szechuan Impression! Which my friends tell me is even better. Hopefully, I won't have to wait another year to get some decent Sichuan Food. Sorry to say; San Diego does not measure up.

Chengdu Taste
18406 E Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

After lunch I took a walk around Hong Kong Plaza.

I've done posts on this place going back to 2006, we used to live just a few blocks away. Things have changed quite a bit over the years. And new businesses always seem to be opening.

There are places that are still there from back in the late 90's when this was our neighborhood.

Places that I've done posts on over the years.

I even offered to get the Chou Doufu from the place She used to get it from weekly; Shau Mei. The sign has been freshened up and it had me wondering if the Missus would still enjoy the stinky tofu from here.

Was never a fan of RH Garden; but it still stands.

And those buses still pick folks up in the parking lot; whisking them away to Vegas and other places.

And of course; there are shops that cater to….well, the luxuries that come with having money these days.

It was nice to see that those older businesses seemed to be doing well.

But this is Rowland Heights and there's always change. Man, Shun Fat Market is becoming GW Supermarket.

We always say that we need to get up here more often; but work and life get in the way.

I hope we'll be back soon.

Revisits – Donburi Kitchen and Okan Diner

July 30, 2017 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

Donburi Kitchen:

**** Donburi Kitchen has closed

I was driving back from a meeting and wanted to grab some lunch. That really horrible katsudon from Minato 3 had me wondering how Donburi Kitchen whom I visited when they first opened last year was doing.

I was hoping that they'd added a couple of more traditional, standard donburi to the menu other than the Unadon. In fact, I recall the nice young man telling me during my visit last year that they would be expanding the menu in the near future.

Well, fast forward nearly a year; and other than now having a ton of sushi roll on the chalkboard; the menu was the same.

So, what to order. I wasn't a big fan of the ramen last time and really wanted some rice. I had seen the Unagi Bowl and was not going to order that. So I went with two items that I thought were pretty good before.

I'd thought the Agedashi Tofu; while not being perfectly dusted/battered was decent; so I ordered that rice bowl ($7.50), along with the Chashu Ponzu ($5.50), which I enjoyed on my previous visit.

The tofu displayed the same pluses; nice molten texture and the same weaknesses, the batter/coating didn't hold up well, and the sauce was really watered down and weak. I'm not a big fan of radioactive green seaweed salad that looks like it's full of artificial coloring. Again, the Vietnamese styled pickled vegetables, and some really good quick pickled, almost "smacked" cucumbers.

The green salad that accompanied the meal was nicely dressed, the veggies crisp and fresh.

This time around, the Chashu Ponzu was disappointing.

Lacking in the previous soy-mirin flavor and without enough ponzu to lift things; this came off as being rather bland. Unlike the previous time I had this; the pork was also dry with some very hard bits.

So, with tax almost fifteen bucks. I was disappointed; at that price point, I could have eaten near my office at Okan Diner. So, to me, as the saying goes, Donburi Kitchen "is what it is". "San Diego" style Japanese food for the masses. Nothing wrong with that; but not my kind of thing.

Donburi Kitchen
6030 Santo Rd
San Diego, CA 92124

Okan Diner:

Speaking of Okan Diner. I returned a few days after my Donburi Kitchen revisit to see if they had expanded the menu a bit. No such luck. But it was a pretty hot day so I went with the Zaru Udon ($8) and added the Katsuni Don ($2.50), which is actually a mini katsudon.

I did enjoy the noodles, which were prepared perfectly….nice toothsomeness. Everything was as it should be; the tsuyu not too salty, not watered down, a touch of wasabi. Still; eight bucks for this? that's kind of on the high side.

The katsuni was three pieces of tonkatsu, but it had held up well, with some parts still crisp. The pork was decently tender; nothing like Japan mind you, but still pretty good. The onions were a bit too raw for a good katsudon in my opinion and there was a lot of rice; but the sauce had permeated everything.

I'd say the service here is still spotty and not up to the level of the food. But it is a "diner" after all, right?

Okan Diner
5430 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Beaune – The Saturday Market

July 29, 2017 mmm-yoso Burgundy, France, Markets & Grocers, Travel

We awoke from a wonderful night of sleep, showered, had our caffeine fix and excited headed out. Why? Well, it was Saturday, and I'd heard so much about the Saturday Market in Beaune. And it really delivered.

Stretching from Les Halles outward, it is a wonderful sprawling maze of deliciousness. Such colors, such fragrances….

With items that made me wish we were spending another few days here.

And it's not only food items….

And while we saw a few tourists; there was a distinctive "local" vibe to the place. From folks catching up on things while buying some produce…..

To one of the local pooches working his way around a walnut.

After taking a quick loop, we decided on the vendors we wanted to hit up. We bought a baguette; possible the best of the trip from the gentleman right outside the Halles.

Right inside the market hall, is a booth full of….loveliness…..of the foie gras variety.

He was REALLY generous with samples. So after doing our rounds we returned and he greeted us with a laugh and a smile. We'd definitely take some foie gras; but also really loved something else he carried.

Yes, that is a smoked duck breast stuffed with foie gras! Problem was, there was no way we'd be able to finish a whole one. The solution? The gentleman joyfully sold us the display!

There was a wonderful charcuterie stand at the back of the market.

We stood in line patiently with the rest of the customers and after working with the really friendly staff had our picks wrapped and ready.

This is my favorite market in France. In the afternoon it turns into a Antiques Market.

Saturdays 9am to 1pm.

It was still not even 10am, so we headed back to the apartment to stow away our bounty. And head back out to breath in the beautiful countryside.

We headed out of Beaune and into the village of Pernand-Vergelesses; to the small streets above the village. There we found the site of the oratory of Notre-Dame de Bonne Espérance (Our Lady of Good Hope). Right in front of the statue is quite a view.

That looks like it comes straight out of a postcard…..

We wandered about a bit more……sometimes taking little side streets…..

Then headed back for an early lunch.

This was a wonderful meal. We'd have enough for lunch on the train back to Paris the next morning.

As I sat back; glass of wine in hand and had "that moment". The one where I realize that this is the payoff for all the long hours and hard work the Missus and I put in. This is why we do it!

Thanks for reading!

Midweek Meanderings – The Wait at Menya Ultra is About to Get Longer, Thai House Under New Ownership, and Is H Mart Coming to Balboa?

July 26, 2017 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Ramen, Thai Restaurants

I haven't done one of these in a while; so here goes.

The Wait at Menya Ultra is About to Get Longer:

So, for those that don't follow Eater San Diego (you probably should). Some "personality" was in town filming a new show. Among he places he hit? Menya Ultra. So, it's probably going to be on the new show….especially when you have that person Tweet that it "might be the best ramen in America". In spite of the pet peeve mine in the Tweet….calling it "tonkatsu" ramen instead of "tonkotsu"….I'll let that go as a 140 characters or less fail. The bottom line is; you'll probably have to wait a lot longer for this in the near future.

Our current strategy is to drive by and if there aren't too many people in line; stop. Otherwise always have a plan B.

Menya Ultra Ramen
8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Thai House Under New Ownership:

**** Thai House has closed

I've got some great readers. Most of whom don't comment on the blog. No less than three people sent me emails telling me that Thai House was under new ownership.

And while I haven't had the chance to drop by for a meal recently; I did a quick turnaround in the parking lot. And yes, it seems there's an ownership change….just a few months after my last post on the place. I've been told that the offerings have taken a change for the good.

Thai House
4225 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Is H Mart Coming to Balboa Ave?:

So, "FOY" Sandy in a comment in this post, mentioned that H Mart was coming to Balboa Avenue in the old Sports Authority location. SJP and one other person also mentioned this to me. So I drove over and took a look. No sign of anything yet.

This sounds much like the info I got about Zion Market's new location back in 2012, so I thought I'd include it in this post. Speaking of Zion Market; I've got kinda tired of quality being lowered over time, customer service being zip, surly customers (remember the "Please Do Not Throw Fruits & Vegetables" sign), that this might be a welcomed addition. Plus, I've heard a bunch of stories about how Zion went out of their way to put Hana Mart out of business.

So, we'll see if karma strikes….

7725 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111