mmm-yoso – Page 241 – 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.

River City Grill – A Dinner in Yuma

November 26, 2016 ed fromyuma American/New American Restaurants, Fine Dining, Yuma

mmm-yoso!!! is Kirk's blog with his amazing posts from San Diego and around the world. Cathy posts here too, about San Diego County and beyond. But today, it’s Ed (from Yuma) writing about somewhere in Yuma.

I had a birthday coming up, and Tina offered me a dinner – my choice of restaurants. It was an easy decision; over the years, I have celebrated more birthdays and special times at River City Grill than any other place in town. About the same time I moved to Yuma, over a decade and a half ago, Nan and Tony Bain opened River City Grill (website) in a nondescript building at the corner of 3rd Street and 6th Avenue:

It soon became my favorite restaurant in town. Its eclectic menu might include curries, pestos, hummus, or spring rolls. There were always vegetarian and vegan dishes, a wide range of seafood entrées, and more. While the food was not consistently great, it was usually pretty good, generally adventuresome, and occasionally outstanding; the service always professional and friendly.

The seating in the inside dining room is pretty standard:

But the room has always featured at least one hip and edgy mural:

Even the restrooms have unusual decor:

So why have I never posted about this restaurant before? Well, laziness explains a lot, but also River City seemed like a comfortable old friend by the time I started blogging. But River City really deserved a post, and my birthday dinner offered a perfect opportunity.

We arrived in the early evening, and enjoying the mild weather, chose to eat outside on the adjacent patio:

We were each given a chunk of baguette accompanied with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping:

Tina usually likes to begin with a martini from the cocktail list – this evening a lemon drop martini ($7):

Made with citrus vodka, triple sec, and lemon juice shaken together and served in a sugar rimmed glass, it was tasty.

While we were figuring out entrées, I looked over the wine list, and since it was my birthday, I decided on a bottle of Cakebread Chardonnay ($68):

It was (IMHO) an excellent wine, full-bodied with good balance, nice structure, and pleasant flavors and aromas of pear and melon and other fruits. River City has always maintained a well-chosen, if limited, wine list with reasonable markups (double retail or less). That's been one of the reasons I've kept coming back.

As an appetizer we ordered the Thai curried mussels ($10), something we'd enjoyed previously. The mussels arrived looking like this:

At first I thought the kitchen was using some type of green curry, but it didn't taste like curry. "Pesto," Tina said, "that's basil pesto flavoring." I tasted again, and yeah, that's what was going on.

We mentioned it to our server, who looked kind of puzzled, but when he checked with the kitchen that's what it was. I should say the mussels themselves were excellent, but the basil/coconut milk combo seemed weird.

The entrées at River City always come with a choice of soup or salad. Tina wanted the roasted tomato and red pepper bisque, which arrived looking beautiful:

I've never quite understood why they call this soup a bisque since it doesn't seem to have any cream in it, but it is an excellent soup, full of the flavor of roasted red peppers, their sweetness balanced by just a hint of vinegar tang.

I opted for the Mediterranean salad:

While smaller than it used to be, this has always been my favorite salad choice. The fresh greens, chopped marinated tomatoes, roasted yellow peppers, Mediterranean black olives, feta cheese and balsamic dressing work well together.

Tina's entrée, mustard crusted tofu with spinach ravioli in Alfredo sauce ($18) arrived at the table:

This was quite good. Tina was delighted with the tofu because it was not thick and dense, but almost fluffy with a perfect light crunchy crust. The ravioli and sauce were flavorful and rich. The olive tapenade provided a bridge between the Asian/Mediterranean flavors. The mixed vegetables were . . . mixed vegetables.

I ordered the tequila snapper with black beans and rice ($20):

The two small fillets were lightly breaded, spicy and moist, and laid across a generous portion of black beans and basmati rice. Overall, the entrée had a nice spicy kick accented by the pico de gallo and roasted pepper/corn topping. Really good. And there were mixed vegetables.

For dessert, we shared a cinnamon apple bread pudding ($6), drizzled with caramel and served with whipped cream and a small scoop of vanilla:

It was soft, almost creamy, and very satisfying. And you gotta love the birthday candle.

While River City in 2016 is no longer cutting-edge and its menu does not change much any more, Tina and I will gladly return. The dishes are generally good, the kitchen prepares seafood very well, the decor is enjoyable, the servers are well trained, and the prices are extremely reasonable. In fact, the bottle of birthday wine cost more than all the rest of the meal – heck yes, we'll be back!

River City Grill, 600 W 3rd St, Yuma AZ 85364, (928) 782 – 7988.

Tokyo – Otakou Honten and a Visit to the Hitachino Brewing Lab

November 25, 2016 mmm-yoso Beer, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

It was getting close to lunch hour by the time we finished our nice walk around the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace and we were ready for something to eat. It was drizzly and a bit chilly. I'd heard about a Oden place with a fairly long history (opened in 1923). So after a bit of searching we found Otakou Honten. We'd actually walked pass here on our first night, but the line was so long that ended up having ramen instead.

There wasn't a line when we arrived and we were lead upstairs, where things did look rather busy. We got the last booth in the place and placed our orders.

It's quite simple; there were two Oden sets available for lunch, each about 680 yen and we ordered one of each.

Boy did this hit the spot.

That simmered daikon had really absorbed the flavor of the broth and was perfectly tender; not falling apart, but so easily cut with a chopstick. Our favorite item was the Toumeshi; indeed this is called the toumeshi set and I can see why. That tofu had absorbed the savory-sweet-dashi based flavor so well and rice was also a great vehicle for passing all of that. Simple, but just wonderful.

The Missus ordered the other Oden set which was quite good as well.

This was just the perfect thing for day like this. Then a kind of interesting thing happened….I'm guessing it's fairly common given the crowded nature of Tokyo.

The Missus and I were sitting across from each other in the booth. Two salarymen came in and sat down right next to us in the booth!

So now we were kinda trapped! The Missus and I looked at each other and cracked up. And we couldn't help but text each other our observations; especially when a couple of pieces of rice got stuck on one of the men's face….it kept moving around while he ate, but wouldn't fall off, and was quite mesmerizing!

Actually they were quite nice. When they noticed we were finished, they both stood up and waved us through. So, I guess this is fairly standard eating in Tokyo!

There was a line of people waiting outside in the rain as we left. I walked across the street to take a photo, and wouldn't you know; that line extended across the street!

It's easy to understand why folks would wait in the rain for this place. Good, comforting food at an inexpensive price. And it sure did hit the spot on a day like this.

Otakou Honten
2-2-3 Nihonbashi
Chuo, Tokyo

Feeling nice and warm, our bellies full, we headed off in the drizzle to our next destination. I really enjoy the beer that Hitachino produces and had read that they had opened a beer bar in the Akihabara. I recommended going on the Yamanote Line from Tokyo Station, it's like a 4-5 minute ride. But of course this is the Missus; so we walked.

It turned out to be about a 30 minute walk. The Brewing Lab is located right on the Kanda River.

It's a nice cozy little place and very quiet during this time of the day as there was only one customer the whole time we were there.

There were 8 pulls on this day and we ended up getting 4 beers; even Session IPA. We ended up with the Masters Selection, Nipponia, Weizen and the Nest Lager.

The Lager was my favorite; while the Missus enjoyed the Weizen. Man, Hitachino makes some really good stuff. If you're in the area; this might be a good stop.

Hitachino Brewing Lab
1-25-4 Kandasudacho
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Soon enough, it was time to go. And this time the Missus relented and we caught the train back to Nihonbashi. We had some time to do a little shopping; then head back to the apartment for a short nap before meeting Reiko for dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 24, 2016 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

Man, yet another Thanksgiving. I took Da Boyz for a typical car ride this morning.

It's hard to believe it'll soon be December……man; weather in the mid-70's.

Though I heard that rain is on the way.

After a busy day; work and then making food for the Missus's work, I decided to reward myself.

Hope you've had a safe and delici-yoso Thanksgiving from all of us!

Midweek Meanderings – Village North Quietly Opens, Char House Becoming Tradewinds Taverns, and Pacific Time Closes

November 23, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

It's usually pretty quiet around here during the holiday season. But it's surely not around Kearny Mesa and Linda Vista.

Village North Quietly Opens:

I mean really quietly. This place used to be some AYCE sushi place, I think owned by the folks who run Manna….the awning still says "Asian Fusion". The only reason I saw the place was because I went to see what was going on with the now closed Char House.

Anyway, here's the scoop, I've been here once, it's the place's soft opening, the hours are flakey……they told me open at 11am, but I once went at noon and they were closed. The head chef is from Dongbei…a cuisine that's near and dear to my (and the Missus's heart), featuring ingredients we hold dear. Strangely, there's a bunch of Sichuan dishes and a bar and grilled items. I've visited once and a post will be upcoming. You know; I usually like multiple visits, but I thought this one is pretty unique for regional Chinese in San Diego.

Village North Restaurant
4428 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

And Speaking of Char House:

It's becoming something named Tradewinds Tavern. Looks like an Asian themed Gastro-pub. I guess Common Theory has opened up a market for this. Good for us.

And BTW, they are hiring…..just in case you're interested.

7765 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Pacific Time Closes:

This one I first about heard from Cathy, then Junichi mentioned it in a recent post. I'd actually gone down there and taken a photo. Too bad, I really liked the concept, though I hadn't visited much recently.

Too bad, perhaps Linda Vista and the USD area was the wrong venue. I'm hoping they reopen in the future.

I think there's a place in San Diego for a concept like Pacific Time.

5277 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92110

HoM Korean Kitchen

November 22, 2016 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

**** This location of HoM Korean Kitchen has closed

I was up in the Hillcrest area for a couple of days of meetings recently. I don't get up here very much these days and most times, when I do, parking is kinda horrible. Not bad in the way of, say the worst parking lots on ECB or Convoy (you all know those ones, right?), but its either meter or pay lot (though I think they validate) and sometimes there's nothing on the street.

Anyway, I saw this place, which used to be Which Wich, named HoM Korean Kitchen. It seemed interesting, so I walked in.

Very nice set-up; basically using the "bones" of the old shop.

Looking at the "menu" it became quite clear that this was a "fast casual" shop; the Chipotle model, or if you prefer, like one-of-a-zillion-until-critical-mass-hits-and-business-normalizes poke shops. Basically, design your own rice bowl concept. 1 protein, starch or salad, and three "sides", in this case "panchan" (heavy on the air quotes).

I've always thought that rice bowls would be a great food truck concept…..kind of had a fantasy to do a Korean inspired rice bowl truck and name it the "Bap-Mobile". Maybe it's because then I'd be "Bap-man", but I digress.

The guy working the front counter was quite nice and even asked me if I wanted some samples.

I simply went with the "Korean Steak" ($9.25).

The portion size for the price was pretty good….though a fountain drink is two bucks for a 12 ounce cup.

The beef was decent; chewy, but not overly so, a few pieces of gristle here and there, but better than I've had in, say a carne asada burrito. Speaking of carne asada; I'd say the flavor steers more toward that then Korean Barbecue. There's some soy sauce notes and this is far from bland, but it's fairly neutral.

The rice was fragrant, but there were quite a few hard pieces.

The panchan, is that in name only. The cucumbers and daikon seem to be quick pickled and really lacks spice, sour tones, and any sign of even slight fermentation. Hey, I thought this place as supposed to be healthy…..isn't fermentation supposed to have many health benefits? But I guess it's more about fast. The mushrooms were decent; well seasoned with some garlic tones.

This was not bad at all. Because the set-up and food screamed out "chain", I did a bit of research and found that there's another location in San Jose, but that's it for now. I also decided to return after my meetings ended the next day.

Same nice guy working. This time I went with the Braised Beef ($8.50) with Toasted Rice ($1.25).

Not a big fan of the toasted rice….it's more like a bland baked fried rice with a lot of hard bits. Not high on the "braised" beef either; it was shredded into mush, and was much too salty and In my opinion needed to be tempered with some sweet-pungent tones. The faux baechu kimchi is just that; basically a bland quick kimchi; the namul was worse. The spinach was my favorite item; like the mushrooms on my previous visit, it had a nice garlicky kick.

So, was it "HoM sweet HoM"? Well, I'm not so much of a "HoM-boy". I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here, but I think it's more Korean than Chipotle is Mexican. The ingredients are good, while some of the execution and seasoning may not be to my taste. Also, I do prefer that the Korean food I eat, well, would kind of remind me Korea. I would encourage you give the place a try though….who knows, you might find that there's "no place like HoM" (last one, I promise).

HoM Korean Kitchen
3825 Fifth Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

Driving across the USA (in our Chevrolet)Part 4- The drive home and some American restaurants

November 21, 2016 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, food blog. Kirk is working some heavy overtime hours while Ed(from Yuma) is busy planning a Thanksgiving feast, so Cathy is writing about food and things today.

Link to Part One

Link to Part Two

Link to Part Three

It is only a few days before Thanksgiving. I read that 43.9 million people will drive more than 50 miles from home for the holiday (defined as between Wednesday and Sunday this week). In light of that, I think it's a good time for this conclusion post of our Summer of 2016 Road Trip from San Diego to Detroit and back.

We left home and took the exit to Ann Arbor, where The Mister and I met decades ago. Pizza Bob's was a favorite place for us. We enjoyed the unique Chipati, invented when we were students.
West on the 94, we stopped in Jackson to drive through a former Hot 'n Now building which is currently a nice, local owned coffee shop, Jackson Coffee Company. No indoor seating, no wifi, just coffee (they roast their own), beverage concoctions, some sandwiches and hot pretzels.

Chicagoland is about five hours from Detroit. An easy drive.
Kirk wrote about Buona Beef, a Chicago area Italian Beef joint which some people like and other people avoid. A simple sandwich here is sort of like an Arby's roast beef and is tasty on the fresh French roll.

Buona Beef Restaurant 1170 N Arlington Heights Road Itasca, IL 60143 Website
Kirk did enjoy his dog from Gene and Jude's back in 2010 and not much has changed (the price has gone up 61¢). It's good.

Gene & Jude's Red Hot Stand 2720 River Rd River Grove, IL 60171 website

After a while, we were in the Quad Cities area and stopped at the Moline, Illinois Maid Rite location.

As a side note, all restaurants and businesses in the Midwest have a small vestibule area-a double doorway where you can step inside and stomp snow off your boots, shake off/take off your coat or close your umbrella before walking inside a main building. Even Costcos have vestibules. We sat at the counter at this location, because we could.The 'traditional' toppings for this lightly seasoned loose meat burger are mustard, onion and pickle. Ketchup is available, but it's for the fries. The burgers are all served with a small teaspoon as your only cutlery…so you can scoop up any meat that falls out when you lift the soft bun. Maid Rite is a true midwest tradition.

Maid-Rite Quad Cities website

We stopped for fuel and looked for a place to eat in Richfield, Utah.

The signage on Main Street brought us in.

Clean, simple, family run and very good.
Light bites and ice cream, unphotographed. This was a great find.

Ideal Dairy 490 S Main Street Richfield, UT 84701 (435) 896-5061

There were unplanned/non-food stops along the way.

A tourist trap.

The original Pony Express station, in the middle of a park in a residential neighborhood.
The birthplace of President Gerald Ford.

Themed rest areas (this one was windmills-old and new blades).
A giant Golden Spike…but this one is in Omaha, Nebraska. It is where President Abraham Lincoln declared the joining of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads *should*occur, but it didn't happen here (Promontory, Utah is the 'official' location). This is where the largest train yard in the USA is, so if you are in North Platte, Nebraska, stop here.

If you are driving across the USA this holiday season (or anytime), do enjoy our wonderfully organized highway system as well as the National Park System signage and stop to enjoy the local people and places. Safe travels!

2017 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road testing and breakfasts: Chuck Wagon (Corona); Rod’s Grill (Arcadia); Silver Dollar Pancake House (Corona)(revisit)

November 20, 2016 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Ontario/Riverside/San Bernadino, CA, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this food blog. Kirk is not writing today, neither is Ed(from Yuma). This is just another Cathy posting.

Chuck Wagon has closed. In February 2023, Rod's Grill closed but will open under new management. Both are sadly missed.

This year has been different. In addition to having a tremendous amount of friends and neighbors die (I stopped counting in mid February, after there had been 23), I tried to keep things more or less normal, writing a post about the first Float Road Test for the 2017 Rose Parade. The Mister and I drove to subsequent monthly road tests (and afterwards, breakfast) and took photos. This post is a summary of what we ate and some of what you will see on television on January 2, 2017 (there's never a parade on Sunday).

Trader Joe's will have another three part float in the 2017 parade, (parade theme is Echoes of Success), titled 'All Aboard! 50 Years of Serving the Best'. The American Armenian Rose Float Association road test in August showcased a magnificent looking float. The road test two months later showed the color outlined (coloring outlines are there to help decorators as well as help if there are any problems with decorations during the actual parade: you'll still see color) fully expanded float, titled "Field of Dreams", depicting the 'Echoes of Success' of the American Armenian diaspora success story.

I'll take some breaks from floats and road tests, interspersing breakfasts enjoyed driving home.

Because we got stuck in traffic (again), we stopped at a place we have been passing for several years. The old fashioned sign (which must look very cool at night) is a friendly welcome to the naugahyde, paneled, not recently updated interior; half of the building is a 'bar' area, open in morning hours. The breakfast menu is served all day. Let me preface this by saying that we took home a lot of leftovers. The 'Chuck Wagon Country Breakfast' ($11.95) was absolutely wonderful in quality and flavors! Three eggs (poached, of course), two (large, flavorful) link sausages, two thick pieces of smoked meaty bacon and a slice of country style ham with a side of thinly sliced, crispy home fries topped with green pepper and onions. There was also a choice of toast or pancakes with this plate. Ever since the summer road trip and meals across the USA with either my brother or nephew, pancakes have become a slight obsession. The ones at Chuck Wagon are notably good; from scratch flavors, slightly sweet, fluffy with a delicate crust .
The perfectly prepared, real cube steak chicken fried steak was lightly breaded and fried perfectly ($11.50). The flavors were fresh, the country gravy (again, from scratch: there were flour lumps) and even the crispy hash browns were wonderful. The fresh made from scratch biscuit-flaky layers with the golden, crispy crust- was great.

Another really great Corona restaurant.

Chuck Wagon Cafe 1070 6th Street Corona, CA 92879 (951)737-7162 open daily 6:30a.m.-10 p.m.

Returning to some float road tests… Rotary International's float, 'Doing Good in the World' is just so cute even without the coloring outlines added! Shriners Hospitals for children, 'Anything is Possible', is adorable! From the artist rendition(see end of post for a link), it looks like the mascot, Fezzy Bear, will be riding on the float in January. Union Bank has again teamed up with the American Heart Association for the float 'Keep the Beat Alive'. Last month, we didn't even bother going on the freeway to get home, took side roads parallel to the 210 and noticed Rod's, a corner coffee shop that's been in Arcadia since 1957. Taking seats at the counter, because all the aqua naugahyde booths were full, we took note of some posted daily specials (even on weekends!)

The 'pork sausage w/ fresh apples- cheese omelet' ($9.95) was most unexpected (and in keeping with my penchant for fresh apples). Yes, breakfast sausages and sautéed fresh apples filled this large eggy-cheesy breakfast omelet! There were some great home fries and toast which accompanied this surprising menu special. These banana walnut crepes which came with two eggs and sausage ($8.95) were filled with a fluffy cream cheese-cottage cheese mix and topped with toasted nuts and nicely ripe banana slices; not crazy sweet at all. These are not delicate flat crepes, but also not thick pancakes…more of a Swedish pancake.

So glad we stopped here! Rod's Grill 41 W Huntington Drive Arcadia, CA 91007 (626) 447-7515 open 6 am-9 pm daily

United Sikh Mission USA has another beautiful float, 'Together We Rise', which I think will be a prize winner not only for its beauty, but also for the message. Western Asset (an investment group) is sponsoring this float, 'Prosperity in the Wild' which won't have any riders, but instead much animation. This rather simple looking float from Farmers Insurance has a 'reflection' of the parade route in the front 'window' (including the rose colored line that is in the center of Colorado Boulevard, a guide for float drivers, who drive 'blind' while speaking to the 'spotter' who each has a small window in front to observe the activities in front of the float). The title of 'We Came, We Saw, We Covered' is a slight clue as to the 'surprise' you will see on January 2. (see the bottom of this post)

One last breakfast, a repeat visit.

If we find ourselves in Corona and notice there is no line waiting for seating, we stop at Silver Dollar. This day, it was convenient to sit at the counter instead of waiting for a table to be available.
This is the two egg, two pancake deal (the second egg was brought over later)($5.49, additional .69 to substitute sausage patty for links-worth it!) was particularly good. The 2 bacon, 2 egg (and biscuits with gravy instead of toast) ($8.59) was enjoyed by The Mister. The country gravy and fresh flaky not too large biscuits were just right with the perfect over easy eggs and bacon.

Silver Dollar Pancake House 710 East Sixth Corona, CA 92879 (951) 737-5977 Open Mon-Sat 5 a.m.-4 p.m., Sun 6 a.m.-4 p.m.

Rose Parade preparations. Diners for breakfast. America.

See artist renditions of some 2017 floats here.

What's going on under that Farmers Insurance float? Here's a sneak peek:

COMC – Village Kitchen, Sizzling Pot King, and Thai Papaya

November 17, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

So what have we been eating since we've return from vacation? A whole lot of take out. So let's C(lear) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard).

Village Kitchen:

As I mentioned in my post from earlier this year; VK has been a favorite for take-out for us. Though I think they took the sour and spicy chicken gizzards off the menu.

There's still the Eggplant and Century Egg.

The Pork Intestines with Bamboo Flavor is pretty good as well.

Village Kitchen
4720 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Sizzling Pot King:

**** Sizzling Pot King is now Zhang Liang Malatang

Nice take out spot for us. It's usually enough for 2-3 meals. The tendon has been kind of lousy the last two times; so it's been replaced by the pork intestine…..we still like the tripe here.

Sizzling Pot King
8058 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Thai Papaya:

**** Thai Papaya has closed

Can you tell we missed Asian food? Of course we got the Som Tom Khai Kem; but the Missus dug into that before I had chance to take a photo.

And of course the Spicy Thousand Year Old Eggs.

And got some Duck Larb to boot.

Every once in a while the Missus craves this stuff.

Thai Papaya by Sab E Lee
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

I've also been craving noodles; but I'll save those for another day.

What have you been craving?

Midweek Meanderings – Menya Ultra Ramen Replacing Do Re Mi House, Dumpling Hut Changes Course, and Great Wow Coming to Hillcrest?

November 16, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

I'm finally catching up on things. A few recent observations.

More Ramen Coming to Kearny Mesa ?:

At least if the ABC notice is correct. Something named Menya Ultra. Some quick slapping on my keyboard yielded a clue…. and a bit more. I'm pretty sure that the folks at Nishiki Ramen can't be happy at the company name. But another Hokkaido ramen chain in San Diego? Well, I think there's room for that.

In the old Do Re Mi House location.

8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Ste M
San Diego, CA 92111

Looks like Dumpling Hut has changed course:

At least if you read the Chinese sign…..both the Missus and Xiāngjiāo said it says "Clay Pot". I see no change of ownership notification, so a wondering if it's the same owners.

Dumpling Hut
8046 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Is it (un) Great Wow…..sort of ?:

I was in Hillcrest for meetings a couple of days this week. so I managed to grab some lunch. I walked pass the "old" supposedly "closed" Trinitea location and saw a sign that got my attention.

Notice what's after the "Trinitea &"…..

Could it be? It does look like the "Wow" in Great Wow, right? I guess time will tell…..

3865 5th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

Well, there you go.

Hope you're having a great week!

Paris – Les Cocottes and of course…….

November 15, 2016 mmm-yoso France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

Paris had been "on the list" for quite a while. The Missus had been wanting to see Paris and one of Her bucket list items was seeing the Eiffel Tower at night. I'd been kind of putting things off. You see, during my younger days, I knew folks who visited Paris and had a terrible time…..somewhat clichéd, but the stories were similar. This dampened my motivation to visit Paris and kind of stuck with me. However, in recent years, folks whom I knew enjoyed their visits….I think things have changed. Plus, this just seemed like a bucket list year for the Missus….perhaps She's thinking I'll be "kicking it" soon?

We flew from Seattle, with a mere one hour layover at Keflavik Airport. It turned out to be more than enough time to exit our plane (in the freezing rain on the tarmac), get through immigration (Iceland is part of the Schengen Area) amazingly efficient and quick, and then to our gate (sort of a cattle call type situation) in less than 30 minutes. Our flight from Keflavik was to Orly Airport, not Charles de Gaulle. We exited our plane and found the Le Bus Direct stop; paid our Euros and headed off. We were to exit at Rue Jean Rey, near the Tour Eiffel…the Missus was thrilled. When got off the bus at the stop and it looked like an ordinary city stop. The Missus was a bit disappointed, "there's really nothing here…." Until we turned the corner and there it was……

I gotta say; I was ready to be disappointed, but even on an overcast day; the Eiffel Tower is pretty darn impressive.

Having just smaller carry-on, Tom Bihn bags, made the walk to our hotel; the Hotel la Bourdonnais a snap. Located near the Ecole Militaire, this turned out to be a great location for the Missus, who just wanted to stare at that tower.

Our room was small; but comfortable, we could enjoy the street scene below and at night you could even see the Eiffel Tower peeking through the trees. We rested a bit…..took a short nap which we badly needed, then walked around. I, scoping out potential stops like Fromager Marie-Anne Cantin (amazing cheese) and Les Gourmandises d'Eiffel (baguettes). Unfortunately, we had an amazing time and sadly never partook of their products. Next time…..

After spending so much time in airports and on planes we really weren't in the mood for anything heavy, so with my trusty list and my Google Map (God bless pocket wifi…or weefee as they say here) we ended up on charming Rue Saint Dominique. The Missus loved all the little shops in this area. Near Le Fountaine de Mars……

**** Christian Constant, the original owner for Les Cocottes has retired. You can find an updated post on Les Cocottes here.

Is Les Cocottes de Christian Constant. I'd read about the place taking no reservations and photos of the dishes looked like just what we'd want after a long flight. The place was quite empty when we arrived.

It was just before 6pm……the sun had already set; but the place was devoid of customers. I asked the nice young man who seated us if we were eating early by French standards. He smiled and said, in what we'd find is a typical French understated manner, "oh, just a bit". The young woman who waited upon us was a total joy….cheerful, ever so pleasant…….English so perfect it made us nervous that we were in the wrong place. She had a great sense of humor and I even tried out my very, very poor French. Though even I knew when to stop; unlike the Korean family who came in a few minutes later. The middle aged gentleman insisted on trying to speak French, even though no one could ever understand him. I gotta give him credit though….

We started with the very rustic and very delicious Country Style Pate.

We both loved this; a nice balance of earthy flavors with nice texture…..there's quite a bit of filler, but it's not wasted. I love dishes like this; it shows that one could really make an great version of a humble pate, one that doesn't use expensive ingredients, but rather sticks to its peasant roots.

The Missus enjoyed the Foie Gras.

After the pate; this was rather nondescript….something like I've had many times. Weird, I know, but it really didn't stand out. Still, it is foie gras, but it really didn't have enough of that earthy, slightly offal flavor that I enjoy. Strange because I'm not a big fan of liver; but I do like a touch of it, minus the metallic flavors in my foie gras. The Missus enjoyed this.

A cocotte is a traditional small cast iron pot. And our favorite item of the night, while nothing braised or stewed came in one. We really enjoyed the Poached Egg with Bacon and Rocket Salad.

There was of course, the very nice poached egg, of which the Missus approved. We also really loved the lardons; the bacon had a slight crunch then a nice silky finish, it was coated in a sweet and slightly salted dressing. The crisp, crunchy, peppery arugula was perfect with the runny egg and bacon. We both loved that the salad was simply dressed, letting the flavors of all the parts speak for themselves.

We also quickly noticed that nothing was particularly salty and the flavors were nicely balanced, something we'd find at almost all the places we ate at.

Of course we had to order the Potatoes Stuffed with Pig's Feet.

Strangely, we thought this dish was all about the potatoes, which was nicely caramelized and had also absorbed the better part of the pork flavor. Actually, we both didn't enjoy the texture of the pork too much; finding it mushy with a greasy feel. And yes; these are basically fancy potato skins, right? As with the other dishes; we loved the greens.

So here's where it gets kind of odd….we noticed that about 80 percent of the customers in the place were Korean. So I basically asked our Server, "why all the Korean customers?" She just cracked up and in a slight whisper told me; "it's the next wave……three years ago; it was so many Japanese….now…it's the Koreans!" I figured the place must be on some Korean food show or something. So while doing my search; I came to find out that Anthony Bourdain ate here on one of his shows….now how the heck did I miss that?

Regardless; we loved the service, the food was just what we needed after a long trip over, and the prices were not too bad. I know, not the traditional bistro meal….we'd kind of avoid that in Paris and save it for Burgundy. Not haute cuisine, but just what we wanted.

Les Cocottes de Christian Constant
135 rue Saint-Dominique
Paris, 75007

After dinner we strolled around Rue Cler, then Champ de Mars…..the Missus was soaking it all in; we were indeed in Paris.

That's the Monument des Droits de l'Homme, a human rights monument finished in 1989, but it looks much older. It is said to have been designed to resemble an Egyptian Temple, but with many Masonic features.

And then of course; there was this, which needs no introduction.

Cross another one off the Missus's bucket list…….

Which quickly answered the question with a question of why we came here……"Why not Paris?"

There was a small grocery right next to our hotel. While walking through the place, I noticed a rather odd looking beer and decided to buy a can.

Man, this was pretty bad….."Rum Flavoured Beer", what was I thinking? Man, this was really sweet and artificial tasting! Luckily, this was probably the one bad move I made during our time in Paris.

We both crashed early. Tomorrow was going to be a shopping day for the Missus and I needed to rest up my credit card for the beating it would take!

Thanks for reading!