mmm-yoso – Page 216 – 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.

Bushfire Kitchen (Del Mar)

October 3, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

This is mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk is having technical difficulties today, so Cathy is writing this post.

Bushfire Grill is a family owned and operated restaurant with locations in La Costa, Temecula and Del Mar. There's an 'About Us' poster near the condiments: "Farm Fresh Food Made the Old Fashioned Way – affordable, top shelf ingredients, local and organic (when practical) cooked simply with bold flavors". The Del Mar location opened a year ago this month. The Mister and I dropped in for lunch on a weekday. The Northwest corner of Interstate 5 at Del Mar Heights road is the location of this obscure mall. Anchored by Vons, AAA and some other interesting (future posts) eateries, right next to a Starbucks. You are directed to walk along the food preparation area then order and pay. Menus (Breakfast and Lunch/Dinner) with prices are above the open area (and at the bottom of this post) Take a number, find a seat and your order is brought out.

When I saw that Zumbar coffee was sold here, I ordered a press pot ($4) and it was brought out first, with a pitcher of half and half. Zumba is my favorite local roast coffee and this was just so perfect. The Mister ordered the half chicken plate ($11) and it came with a house made peri peri sauce (crushed chillies, citrus rind, onion, salt, pepper, lemon juice, bay leaves, paprika, pimento, basil, oregano and tarragon). It was a bit spicy. The chicken had been coated in a very nice spice blend already…very moist and the addition of sauce 'interrupted' those flavors.

I decided to try an entree portion of mixed sides ($12.95) Clockwise from 12:00: Grandma's Mac & Cheese; quinoa, beet and wild arugula salad; Kaleslaw; baked sweet potato. Each of these sides were flavorful and unique. Of course the mac & cheese was the favorite…each item was so fresh and went with the chicken.

Other sides choices include: bacon & beans; butternut squash; seasonal grilled veggies; garlic mashed potatoes; potato chips; french fries; sweet potato fries; rustic greek salad; caesar salad; spinach & strawberry salad and mixed seasonal greens. Both the chicken and the sides entree came with a piece of house made focaccia-light, fluffy, soft, warm…with a side cup of champagne vinaigrette infused with chopped chives-unique and another burst of flavor.

Service was outstanding, even though it was getting busy. The food was really great. We are planning a follow up visit.

Who else has been here? Soo was here about six months ago, so was Faye, about ten months ago.

Bushfire Kitchen 2602 Del Mar Heights Road Del Mar 92014 (858) 461-0946 open daily 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Website

Chris’ Ono Grinds Island Grill (North Park)

October 2, 2017 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

After several years; I finally made it to Chris' Ono Grinds in North Park. I'd been meaning to ever since, sadly, a couple of years after visiting the Mission Gorge location, it was consumed by fire (here's a video). I'd actually been thinking of revisiting the Mission Gorge location about the time of the fire. I put the North Park location on my "list" and well, call it old age, promptly forgot about it. Until recently when one of the guys at work, "BigD from Georgia" told me how much he enjoys the place. Well, even though "BigD" wouldn't know a plate lunch from a slate lunch, I thought it was about time.

It was a nice weekend morning, about eleven-thirty-ish, when I parked and crossed the street into the tiny shop.

The folks here are quite friendly, very hospitable. It was close enough for breakfast for me to order the Loco Moco ($11).

Well, other than the perfect easy-over egg (it was overcooked last time), this was basically a replay. The burger had some nice beefiness, but was really tough and rubbery. The gravy had a sour-bitterness to it that I found rather unpleasant. The rice was fine.

That mac salad was the best thing about this meal. Edging on a bit too sour, it was served nicely chilled, the macaroni was perfectly cooked, the amount of mayo was hitting that top end, but was still within parameters.

Too bad about the gravy, because that egg was lovely.

A couple of weeks later, I was in the neighborhood, so I decided to drop by. This time I went with the Huli Huli Chicken – Teri Steak ($12). One thing you can't complain about is the portion sizes at Chris's.

Well, be it ever so humble, once again, that mac salad was my favorite thing about this meal.

I gotta give it to Chris's though, the beef, while cut thicker than usual for teri beef was fairly tender. I just wish it was better marinated and had less of the salty-heavy ginger glaze.

The Huli Huli Chicken was as before, too sticky sweet for my taste and this time it was really charred to death.

Nice portions, nice people, not my kind of loco moco or plate lunch. In thinking about things; Chris's has the potential to be something along the lines of Diamond Head Market and Grill. Man am I missing home right now.

Chris’ Ono Grinds Island Grill
4506 30th St
San Diego, CA 92116
Open Daily
1130am – 9pm

2018 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road testing, breakfast at Aroma Craft Coffee (Walnut)

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

mmm-yoso!!!is a blog about food. Todays post includes activities leading to consumption of food. Cathy is writing.

The Mister and I were on our way to Irwindale at 5 a.m. on Saturday, arriving at Phoenix Decorating Company after 7. Four floats were being road tested for the January 1, 2018 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade, which has the theme "Making a Difference".

The float sponsored by Western Asset, an investment company, with it's title "Oceans of Possibility" will have no riders and will appear to be underwater (see the concentric circles on the larger dolphin nose? There are also a few more at the tips of the taller pieces of seaweed, to depict breaking the water surface) (also, water reflections on the backs of the larger mammals).

"Armenian Roots", sponsored by The American Armenian Rose Float Association (click the link to see the artist rendition of this beautiful float) was in the second phase of testing. You can see the slotted out area where the float 'spotter' will be seated. (The driver looks down, at the rose colored line down the center of Colorado Boulevard; the spotter communicates with the driver with instructions and also has their own set of brakes in case of an emergency). "Transforming Lives with Hope" is sponsored by the City of Hope Hospital system and will be a beautiful with its florals hanging from above.

The United Sikh Mission will have its third entry in the Parade in 2018. (photos of the two previous floats are at this link).
Peeking in the float barn, we saw a bit of construction happening…and then were off to find breakfast.
Last month, after leaving BMC Pho (following float road testing), we stayed on the side roads and stopped at a Starbucks in Walnut before jumping on the 60 to drive home. After leaving the Starbucks, we drove through the parking lot and had noticed

Aroma Craft Coffee, made a mental note and remembered to stop in on Saturday.

The Diedrich coffee roaster in the front window had me intrigued; it was being used to roast fresh, green coffee beans by the time we were leaving.

Walk in, order and pay, find a seat and your beverages and food are brought out to you. A perfect espresso ($3), accompanied by sparking water, was brought out first. This is how an espresso should taste; the strength yet slight sweetness of the beans came through. The Mister ordered the Prosciutto Benedict ($12). The toasted english muffin had a layer of baby spinach 'protecting' it from not getting soggy, being topped with (a generous amount of ) thin sliced, quality prosciutto, topped by perfectly poached eggs, topped with a lemony fresh made Hollandaise sauce.

I saw this item being delivered to a table while waiting in line to order. Avocado Toast ($10). Since I've never ordered avocado toast before, I technically can't give a comparison of flavors. Since I know what I like, I can say this was absolutely wonderful. The toast: multigrain-I could taste rye- there were seeds and texture and flavor to the thick slice of toasted bread, which was protected by a layer of spinach and mixed lettuces and topped with a great portion of soft scrambled eggs, topped with sliced avocado, topped with a mild soy based sauce with fresh dill.

We weren't done:

There were several these Siphon Coffee makers at the ordering counter. We ordered a cup ($7) made with this week's special roasted bean, Columbian.

This turned out to be about three (proper, 6 ounce) cups of coffee. A small shot glass 'snifter' of the grounds was provided. This was a beautiful, clear smooth cup of coffee.

A wonderful meal on a beautiful day.

Aroma Craft Coffee 20265 Valley Boulevard, Suite Q Walnut, CA 91789 (909) 869-0001 Website Open Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Sat-Sun 9 a.m.-7 p.m.

Paris – A Walk Around the Left Bank, Eric Kayser, and Dinner at Terroir Parisien (Since Closed)

September 28, 2017 mmm-yoso Bakery, France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

While I was sad to leave Beaune and Burgundy behind, the Missus was excited about returning to Paris. We were staying in the Latin Quarter at the Hotel Monge which I ended up really enjoying. I really enjoyed the area around the hotel; Arrondissements 4 and 5. Did you know there's a Roman amphitheatre in Paris? The Arènes de Lutèce is in the 5th arrondissement and was one of the first places we saw after arriving since it was basically right behind the hotel.

The Arènes de Lutèce was constructed during the 1st Century and could hold as many as 17,000 spectators. It was sacked in 280 AD and even though the area was still called les Arènes, the location was lost to time. Until the 1860's when it was rediscovered while building Rue Monge.

It kind of looks like a simple park. More on Arènes de Lutèce here.

After checking in, the Missus was ready to explore. As mentioned earlier; I really enjoyed the vibe of this area. It just seemed a bit more "real" to me, while still being very French.

The Missus was feeling a bit puckish, so we headed up Rue Monge to the branch of Maison Eric Kayser right up Rue Monge.

The place was doing good business. The Missus went for the Almond Croissant and we both had espresso.

And while the croissant looked beautiful; it was a bit too sweet, and the texture of the croissant wasn't to the Missus's liking.

Eric Kayser
14 Rue Monge
75005 Paris, France

We actually enjoyed the croissants and especially the gougères from this nearby corner bakery more….sorry, no photos this time around….

Bolstered by the espresso we headed off; the Missus wanted to see the Pantheon, so we headed up Rue du Cardinal Lemoine, turning on Rue Clovis, passing Église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont.

And then hitting the crowds around the corner at the Panthéon.

Where many famous French citizens such as Victor Hugo, Marie Curie, and Voltaire are interred.

There are quite a few impressive structures nearby; like this one, the Mairie du 5e arrondissement de Paris.

Which is the town hall.

A few blocks away is Jardin du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Garden), the wonderful green space of Luxembourg Palace, where the French Senate meets. This being a laid back Sunday afternoon, it was a great place to relax for a bit and people watch.

Like I've said many times….folks in Europe really know how to relax and enjoy a leisure day……

From the Gardens, we headed toward the Seine, passing Église Saint-Sulpice.

The church's distinctive round towers reaching to the sky. It's interesting to note that the South Tower, the one on the right in the photo above is actually unfinished. I was told that the an event; one might have heard of, called the French Revolution interrupted the construction and the tower is left unfinished.

From here we wandered the back streets, passing places like Le Deux Magots (The Two Chinamen) Café.

Where folks like Hemingway, Camus, Picasso, and even Jim Morrison used to hang out.

There's quite a bit to see around here; the Hotel where Oscar Wilde died, places where George Sand and Richard Wagner lived…..and even a statue of Voltaire.

There's more than enough history to go around……

That's the view across the Seine from the Pont des Arts.

We decided to head on back to the Hotel Monge and take a short break before dinner. Place Saint Michel was bustling. There were quite a few soldiers patrolling the streets in this area, as crowds gathered around the Fontaine Saint Michel.

There was something happening on every corner it seemed.

After a nice break we headed out to dinner. The place I chose was Terroir Parisien which had been highly recommended.

Strangely, we fond the menu and preparation to be nothing special and very pedestrian. Also, the service was on the brusque side. Terroir Parisien was touted as being a chef driven locavorian (is there such a word?) bistro. For some reason, we weren't particularly drawn to the food here. Since Terroir Parisien has since closed, perhaps others shared our opinion?

Anyway, here's what we had.

Perhaps we'd been eating so well on this trip that we'd become jaded? I'm not quite sure, but everything except the oeufs au plat, lard de Paris (basically two eggs and bacon) was really underwhelming.

Terroir Parisien (Closed)
20 rue Saint Victor
75005 Paris, France

Still, we were enjoying the liveliness of Paris.

And tomorrow was going to be our last in the City of Lights. We intended to make the best of it!

Revisits – Mignon Pho + Grill and Red Moon Noodle House

September 27, 2017 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

So, our office was set to move after years in the Serra/Kearny Mesa area. We'd be heading a bit North. Thus, I decided to revisit a couple of places before we left.

Mignon Pho + Grill:

Or as Calvin's wife calls it; "pho for folks who don't like pho". I dunno, it had been a couple of years, so I decided to check them out again.

I went with the "Trolley Bowl" ($10).

The noodles were decent, though in clump, and the herbs and such were sparse though fresh. Still not sure why they serve ngo om (aka rice paddy herb), with its distinct flavor with the pho here.

The soup always seems to have kind of a bitter – tinny flavor to me. It's also quite weak and overly defatted. The proteins were tough and lacked flavor.

But, this place still seems to do good business. Perhaps it's the service which has always been friendly. Or perhaps it's the Lemongrass Fries, which is the best (only decent) thing I've had here.

Mignon Pho + Grill
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Red Moon Noodle House:

**** Red Moon has closed

Another place that I haven't been to in a while and haven't had great luck with. Though one of the folks that I used to work with really enjoyed the Singapore Noodle at Red Moon. So why not?

The really nice guy working brought me a fork to start? I had to ask for chopsticks? The dish, when it arrived, piping hot, looked quite impressive as it was topped with fried eggs.

Once you got past that though, it was a disappointment. The pork in this was really tough, almost hard.

There was way too much curry powder….it was definitely powder because it left a grainy, bitter residue on my tough. This was actually rather unpleasant to eat.

The noodles were too hard as well.

I took most of this home and had the Missus taste this……big mistake.

Folks have mentioned a "secret menu" (I've had the XLB, it's definitely bought frozen from somewhere else), but I've never received recommendations. So guess what? Singapore noodles….maybe that fork should have been a clue?

Really nice folks here too though….

Red Moon Noodle House
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

I really liked the folks working at both places; but man, the food really didn't and hasn't been my thing here.

Pho 7 Cow

September 26, 2017 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Guess I really don't get around that much anymore. I didn't see this shop until I dropped by Royal Mandarin to pick up some salt-and-pepper chicken wings for a pot luck.

It was close enough to lunch time like 10:15 or so and I was feeling a bit hungry.

In spite of the rather "old school" name and logo, this place is really nicely put together. Well spaced tables, none of which are sticky, brightly lit, clean….Servers smile and wave you to your tables.

The menu has all the usual suspects. And while I'd usually go for a bowl of pho during any maiden voyage, it was still really hot and unusually sticky. And I saw someone having the Bo Kho as I walked to my table, so I went with the Banh Mi Bo Kho.

This was not bad at all. While not quite as rich as I prefer; there was a hint of beefiness to the broth. Anise and black pepper tones were more pronounced. Likewise, more of a soup than a "stew". I'm thinking things were done to not offend as there was only one piece of tendon to be had, but it was decently tender. Lots of beef, some with rather chewy connective tissue, but still rather tender, moist, no off flavors.

The bread was standard issue, but prepared well, crusty, nicely hot and toasted.

So it comes down to the "little things"; the two pieces of carrot were basically raw; I could have used more onion, and the broth was a bit too thin. But overall, this was pretty good, better than most I'd say.

I made a note to return…well, because you know how I am, right? Though I waited until things cooled down.

And I went with good 'ol number 1……while I'm usually not a big fan of the rare steak served at most pho places in San Diego (even my favorites), I usually order this just to get a view of how all the various proteins are handled.

I was rather surprised when I noticed there was Ngo Gai along with the usual basil, spouts, jalapeno, and lime. It was also very fresh, crisp, and fragrant.

The broth was on the thin and light side, though it wasn't as sweet as many versions I've had recently. Very faint beefiness and like the bo kho, nice anise tones. No MS-heebie-geebies for me.

A decent, passable, albeit overly defatted broth.

As for the proteins; the rare steak was passable, not overly dry, but still without much flavor. The flank and brisket were good, nice beefy tones, not overly tough. The meatball was the standard issue squeaky orb.

There was but one piece of tendon, which was nicely prepared, adequately tender.

The tripe had that somewhat soapy flavor that I'm not very fond of. And like the tendon, there was but one (thankfully) strand of it in the bowl.

Catering to their customer base I guess.

The noodles were done perfectly; decent chew, not mushy, and not in a tight clump at the bottom of the bowl. Some folks don't understand, that yes, it does matter to me. And yes, I will write 200 words to describe that bowl of pho I just had….. Because it does matter to me.

And, I was pleasantly surprised. As this was a totally decent bowl of pho. Man, it does seem like pho in these parts is getting better.

Nice service, there quite a bit of staff to customers, so things seem to get done quickly. The folks are pleasant. They seem to cater to kids and families. There was a play area at the back of the restaurant.

I'd certainly come here every so often if I lived in the area.

Pho 7 Cow
1025 Highland Ave
National City, CA 91950
Hours:
Open Daily 10am – 9pm

Asia Cafe (new owners; same food)

September 25, 2017 Cathy Lao Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Thank you for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! We write about food. Today it is Cathy writing. This is uncharted territory; Ed has died, memories flow. Thanks to everyone for your kind messages about our dear friend.

I remember reading Kirk's two-part post, as well as a third visit, all in 2006, about Asia Cafe.

The first time I went to Asia Cafe, it was in July 2008- I met Ed (from Yuma) when He stopped here *before* checking into his Point Loma motel. He didn't have a mobile phone then and we had to coordinate the meeting time. Neither of us posted about the meal. {We did however, write this post about lunch the following day}.
Other than some new(er) tables and chairs, the exterior and interior haven't changed much. The owners have. The menu (at the bottom of this post) is similar, with the 'off menu' items now listed. Ordering hot tea ($1) gets a nice size mug delivered.
The Mister is back into his spicy cravings mode and ordered the papaya salad ($6) at a heat level of '3'(out of 5). Good thing he did; this was a just right amount of heat for him, while I was still able to taste the freshly shredded green papaya. The tomatoes added a bit of calming flavor as did the savory salty fish sauce in the base. I was here for the Nem Khao ($8) and it did not disappoint. The crispy rice with fried garlic and sour sausage dish was just about as I remembered, although the sausage was a bit more chopped up/in finer pieces than I remembered. The flavors (I could taste the lemongrass in the sour sausage) were all there. As our third dish, (we try to order one for each of us plus 'one for the table'), The Mister wanted to try the Phad See Ew with chicken ($6.50). Crisped pan fried wide noodles with egg, broccoli, carrots and mushrooms made this dish a flavorful combination of comfort.

Some good friend and good food memories recalled today.

Asia Cafe 4710 Market St San Diego, CA 92102

Yuma – Tacos Mi Rancho and Los Manjares de Pepe

September 24, 2017 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Mexican Restaurants, Road Trip, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

A few weeks back, I headed on over to Yuma, to visit my good friend and fellow mmm-yoso contributor, "Ed from Yuma". I'm sure, based on the previous post you know the reason. Sadly, it had been almost a dozen years since I'd visited Yuma. I never meant for it to be that way; after all, I had a great time during that all-too-short visit, which was capped off with a wonderful dinner. But time just seems to get away from us.

Since I've been doing a good bit of driving recently and the Missus was busy working, I decided to stay the evening. Strangely, it was drizzling during my entire drive east……scattered large drops of rain dribbling about…..I mean, summer didn't officially end in these parts until a few days ago.

While it was great seeing Tina and Ed, I could tell that he was getting very tired, it was time for me to take my leave.

I needed a place for dinner. I could have eaten at "that restaurant" across the parking lot…..

But this is Yuma…..

So, I decided to drive around a bit. I hadn't been around this part of Yuma on my last trip….it's basically the mall….though I had to send the Missus a photo of Dillard's. I haven't seen a Dillard's since I used to work in Arkansas and Georgia back in the 90's.

Tina had mentioned that a branch of Sprouts had recently opened, and there it was on 4th.

For dinner, I decided to head to a place Ed had recommended to me on my first visit to Yuma, Tacos Mi Rancho. Funny thing, Ed never did a post on the place until 2013, but it was obviously a favorite of his as well. On my previous visit, I had stayed right across the street from this reclaimed fast food stand. And there it stood; looking just the same twelve years later.

Just as on my previous visit; I sidled up to the counter. The very friendly young lady asked me if I wanted a table, but I told her he counter would do just fine.

The place was just as I recalled, basically two rooms, news and sports on the televisions…….colorful and cozy.

I went with three tacos; Al Pastor, Lengua, and Chicharon. But first, some chips.

To me, the big winner was the lengua; beefy, buttery, a squeeze of lime took the "edge off". The salsa here is on the milder side, but the tangy flavors helped to cut the richness.

The Chicharon had a nice smokey, spice, though it was a bit too chewy for my liking.

The Adobada kind of threw me off; it lacked the red achiote color; but was nicely flavored.

Overall, three nice tacos.

And very nice service.

Tacos Mi Rancho
188 S 4th Ave
Yuma, AZ 85364

I spent the evening studying for a couple of certifications I needed to renew.

I'm an early riser these days….I think what they say about needing less sleep as you get older might actually be true. I was ready to hit the road and head back to San Diego. It was 630 am and I got into the car and….decided to make one more stop. There was one place that Ed said I should try….he mentioned regretting not being able to take me there. I wanted to have no regrets floating in the air; so I headed off to Los Manjares de Pepe; which Ed has called "the best Mexican restaurant in town" and possibly the "best overall restaurant in town" in two posts over the years; Los Manjares de Pepe.

So I drove on over to West 8th Street and waited a bit in the parking lot of this converted residence until the open sign lit up.

The warm and friendly woman working quickly seated me; handed me a menu, and asked me if I wanted some coffee, which was exactly what I wanted. The morning was already fairly warm and the previous day's moisture had made things a bit muggy. The nice A/C swirling around me really stimulated my appetite.

There was one item from Ed (from Yuma)'s posts that had caught my attention all those years ago. The Pepe's special. Pork stewed in what is described as a tomatillo sauce on the menu.

Man; this was delici-yoso. The pork was moist and tender; that sauce, as Ed noted, wasn't very tangy, but had a nice balance of flavors. The smokiness from whatever pepper was used for it came through nicely. The salsa added a touch of heat, but was still mild, but really helped to cut any richness. The tortillas were excellent; I ate them all….and of course those runny eggs, adding another layer of velvety richness to the dish. The beans were good as were the breakfast potatoes. But it was all about that pork.

I saved that last tortilla to mop up all that sauce.

Ed my friend; I can only imagine how even more enjoyable this meal would have been with you!

Los Manjares De Pepe
2187 W 8th St
Yuma, AZ 85364
Open Daily – 7am – 9pm

For those who want to know a bit more about Ed's life; you can find that here. And a very nice post here. As to how Ed got the moniker "Ed from Yuma"? Well, I think only Ed and I know that one……

Saying Goodbye – In Memorium: Ed from Yuma

September 19, 2017 mmm-yoso What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

It is with a heavy heart that I pass along to our "Friends of Yoso", that Ed from Yuma passed away this past weekend.

If you have been nice enough to visit our humble little blog over the years, you have undoubtedly read one of Ed's posts.

Tina wanted me to pass this on to all of you:

"Please tell the readers at mmm-yoso how much he enjoyed blogging and conversing with them about the restaurants and the food."

We'll miss you Ed. Rest well my friend. Until I see you again, you'll be missed.

Nutmeg Bakery and Cafe (Scripps Ranch/Sabre Springs area)

September 18, 2017 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a San Diego based food blog, with posts usually written by Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy. Kirk is unusually busy with work and Ed (from Yuma) is busy with so much else. Cathy is writing.

I'd been hearing about Nutmeg Bakery and Cafe for years (it's fifth anniversary was this past Friday) and The Mister and I were in the area about two weeks ago, able to stop for a quick lunch. Located at the first signal light east from the Poway Road exit off the 15, in a generic mall anchored by AAA, between a Music Store and the San Diego Bloodbank, the spacious building has both indoor and outdoor seating. Walk up, order, pay and your food is brought out to your table indicated by cleverly recycled (numbers from an old cash register) utensil tin. Condiments and water are self serve. The above chalkboard menu is only Monday-Friday; weekends have a unique (seasonal) brunch menu (another post).
For this first visit, I decided to try the half soup half salad plate($9.50). The tomato-basil bisque was the soup of the day (there is only one soup each day) and that half bowl was quite a lot (sorry the photo is deceptive; it's a deep bowl). Fresh tomatoes and light (not heavy/cheesy or cream laden) basil flavors were just right on that hot day. The salad I chose was the Neptune: organic spinach, organic quinoa, wild albacore, olives, soft boiled egg with a balsamic dressing. A really great salad. The Mister decided to order a Bombay Sandwich ($9)-brûléed ham, curry-apple chutney, cream cheese, shredded sharp white cheddar and organic greens on a (wonderful, fresh, soft) French artisan roll. Served with some house made chips, this was a wonderful version of 'ham and cheese'.

Reading the menu, I noticed many house made or local made condiment 'spreads' (local honey, garlic spread, tomato spread, carmelized pineapple spread, Bleu spread, chipotle aioli, BBQ sauce, the curry-apple chutney and more). Even though we were both satisfied with our meals, The Mister decided to walk up and check out the baked goods on display. He sat down, told me we'd have to wait six minutes for the order to be warmed…this really great berry-apple-almond bread pudding ($4.95) was brought out, accompanied by a very nice vanilla flavored whipped topping (I don't think it was cream, because it didn't have that residual 'fat' coating…and many items are vegan).

A scratch bakery, organic and local sourced products, high quality and reasonable prices. We'll be back.

Nutmeg Bakery and Cafe 12640 Sabre Springs Parkway , Ste 107 San Diego, CA 92128 (858)486-8863 Open Mon-Fri 7:30-3, Sat-Sun 8-2 Website