mmm-yoso – Page 256 – 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.

Bordeaux: Marche des Capucins, Fournil des Capucins, Église Sainte-Croix, and Jardin Public

April 2, 2016 mmm-yoso Bakery, Bordeaux, Cheese, France, Markets & Grocers, Travel

The sun rose early and brightly on our first full day in Bordeaux. Even though we had arrived mid-morning we had still put in quite a few kilometers before deciding to call it a day. We would end up putting in some mileage on this day as well.

I had a destination in mind and we decided to just meander our way to our objective; one of the benefits of independent travel. The sun was shining brightly on Place de la Bourse as we headed off into the district known as Saint-Pierre, considered the birthplace of the city. The narrow streets are lined with structures from the 18th century and lead, one way or another into a square. We quickly walked onto the cobblestone lined Place du Parlement, once the location of the Royal Market.

The centerpiece is a beautiful Neo-Rococo fountain.

Walking to Place Saint Pierre, one can't help but notice the haunting, Gothic styled, Eglise Saint-Pierre (Church of St. Peter), which dates back to the 14th and 15th century.

It really stands out as the square and street is lined with restaurants and cafes, the name of one of them made us laugh……everyone does need a "Plan B", right? Place du Plais leads right up to the Porte Cailhau.

According to what I later read; there was actually a palace located here, the Palais de l'Ombriere the residence of the Dukes of Aquitaine and later housed the Parliament of Bordeaux. I really loved the relief-map sculpture of Bordeaux located right behind the Porte Cailhau. I did a little research and found a blog post about François Didier who created this work.

Near the Porte Cailhau, I noticed this plaque, which started with a few questions before telling us the story of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Bordeaux claims (along with two other cities) to be the birthplace of Eleanor, who would become one of the most powerful women in the Europe and after getting her marriage to Louis VII annulled would marry the Duke of Normandy, eleven years her junior….Henry, the Duke of Normandy would become Henry II.

A bit further down the way, past the Pont de Pierre we came across the Basilique Saint Michel.

It took two centuries to build this Basilica; starting in 1350 and finishing sometime in the 16th century. Possibly even more impressive is the bell tower which, like Pey-Berland Tower which stands next to the Cathedral of Saint Andre, stands apart from the church. And in case you're wondering who has bragging rights; Fleche Saint Michel is the tallest tower in Sothern France, standing at 114 meters, Pey-Berland Tower is 50 meters tall. On this bright morning there was a lively flea market going on in the square next to the tower.

A few blocks away, we found another church; the Église Sainte-Croix (Church of the Holy Cross).

This used to be a Benedictine monastery and was built between the late 11th and 12th centuries.

One of the most well known features of this church is the Organ built by famous organ maker and Benedictine Monk, Dom Bédos de Celles, finished in 1748.

This was a major landmark for me, as I knew we had to take a left here and swing around to get to our destination, Marche des Capuchins.

I'd read much about this market before we arrived in Bordeaux, it seemed to be a favorite with locals, and you know how much we love visiting markets when we travel!

The market was established on October 2nd, 1749 at the urging of Marquis de Tourny. If you like to see some old photos and read (a translated) history of the market, you can do that here.

We had a gameplan of sorts, but all revolved around bread. I'd noticed a bakery right across the street from the market.

I could actually smell the wonderful scent of bread baking. I followed my nose and ended up at the back of the bakery. The bakers looked at us, smiled and waved us in…….so our first experience at Fournil des Capucins was walking past the ovens and bakers baking bread to the front of the shop.

This would end up being our favorite bakery……I later found out the place is open 24 hours a day! With a steady stream of fresh baguette. How could we not get a baguette and a couple of croissants?

The smell of good fresh baguette is intoxicating….we'd seen folks walking along carrying bread with a chunk off the end missing. Well, I guess it's instinctive, because as soon as we walked out of the bakery, the Missus just bit a chunk off the end of the bread! It is that good…..

Fournil des Capucins
62 Cours de la Marne
Bordeaux, France

The smell of bread had overcome us….we needed something to eat and perhaps some espresso. Right across the back of the bakery, in front of the main entrance to the market is this stand.

Which made a decent cup of espresso that went nicely with our croissant.

Then we ducked back into the market and bought some cheese. We found the farmers and vendors in Marche des Capuchins quite friendly, even though we stood out from the usual crowd. They seemed to go out of their way to help us. We ended up at this cheese stand.

And got some cheese….

Marché des Capucins
Place des Capucins
Bordeaux, France

We had fully intended to do a nice picnic and headed back to the apartment after doing a bit of window shopping on Cours de l’Intendance. Where we saw the ultimate way of entertaining a pup while his "dad" did some shopping in the store.

Just get him some rope and cord to keep him occupied!

We cut through Rue Voltaire and stopped at the Carrefour Market in Place des Grand Hommes. The Missus, laden down with bread and cheese gave me a simple directive…."get us some white wine" which was simple enough. What I wasn't ready for was the whole wall of white wines! Like over 50 different bottles…vintages…blends….I went with something rather local, with some reservation since it was 4,9€ – five bucks and change. The Missus was cracking up when I got out of the market….she'd seen the look on my face when I got to the wine department….analysis paralysis.

We headed up to Jardin Public, the large public garden and green space that was two blocks from our apartment. It's quite a lush and welcoming park.

The park was founded in 1746 in style of a French Garden. Napoleon III turned it into more of an English style park during his reign. There's a nice large pond, the Natural History Museum is located here, and there's even a Puppet Theatre.

Nice, but it was getting a bit too hot for us…so we headed back to the apartment and had a really nice "indoor picnic"……with the A/C on…..doesn't get much better than that!

With our cheese, bread, strawberries, and of course the wine….which was excellent, crisp, light, with a touch of sweet, and a balanced acidity…..

In fact, the Missus would have me go back for this very bottle of wine a couple more times during our stay in Bordeaux.

It's not always about eating out when we're travelling……when in Bordeaux, it was the cheese and wine….oh, and don't forget that baguette!

Bordeaux: Basilique Saint-Seurin, Baud et Millet, Porte Cailhau, Miroir d’eau, and a Return to Bar a Vin

April 1, 2016 mmm-yoso Bordeaux, Cheese, France, French Restaurants, Travel, Wine Bars/Wineries

It was a strange thing. We never got a great restaurant meal during our time in Bordeaux. But what we did get was, fabulous cheese, great wine, and a city with a wonderfully relaxed vibe….in some ways it was what I'd always thought France would be….folks polite and to the point, very honest, the wonderfully perfect posture of women, young and old riding bicycles, almost taken out of some movie set somewhere….. All wrapped up with the shopping and such.

We had headed down Cours de l’Intendance, the major upscale shopping street, taking time out to stop at the Church of Notre Dame (Eglise Notre-Dame). We ended up at the Basilique Saint-Seurin, which dates back to the Sixth Century. The current structure dates back to the Eleventh Century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This is Bordeaux's oldest church.

There's a necropolis below the church which dates back to the Eleventh Century. The place is quite haunting…..

From here we decided to head back to Place des Quinconces. Along the way, there was a place I had marked for a lunch stop; Baud et Millet.

This little restaurant did basically one…make that two things; cheese and wine.

The décor is quite simple; a few tables on one side; crates of wine on the other. The menu is also simple various pairings, from the simple cheese and appetizer combinations; all the way up to all the cheese you want from the cellar for 32 Euros.

We took a simple combination of three cheese each paired with a glass of wine. The highlight of this was being able to go down into "la cave", the cheese room.

Where we got to see our cheese cut…..it did smell like they cut the cheese here…..

And yes, it smelt like we were lying at "the feet of angels……"

After this, lunch was sort of anti-climatic……..though we did have some memorable cheeses…..

The Selles sur Cher; the cheese coated with ash on the left; was so distinctively nutty and creamy…..

The Pithiviers au Foin, a very creamy raw cow's milk cheese (which I believe is not legal in the US) coated with hay was so earthy with strong mushroom tones. Also, you'll never taste brie in the US (because it's made from unpasteurized milk is also illegal to import) like the real deal in France. Bummer for us. This was served with a huge basket of bread and a bowl of simply dressed greens.

The young lady who served us was very sweet.

It was a nice introduction to French cheeses and was a good, light lunch. I'm not sure I'd do it again; especially if I'm staying in Bordeaux for more than a day or two and have a fridge. We did enjoy it though….

Baud et Millet
19 rue Huguerie
Bordeaux, France

Instead of continuing back to our apartment after lunch; the Missus decided to do some (thankfully only) window shopping on Cours de l’Intendance.

Right down the street, where the tram turns is the Cathedral of Saint Andre – Bordeaux Cathedral, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Right next to the Cathedral was something we found even more impressive – Pey-Berland Tower. There's an interesting story about this bell tower. It was built separate from the church (in the 15th century) so that the vibrations from the bells ringing would not harm or disturb the church. Unfortunately, after building such a grand tower, the church ran out of money….so no bells were installed in the tower….until 1851!

There are always mysterious statues in our travels. I often take statues photos without even knowing who the subject of the statue is….until I get home.

Jacques Chaban-Delmas was a former Prime Minister of France and served 8 terms as the Mayor of Bordeaux.

We walked onward toward the Garonne River, ending up at the Porte Cailhau, also known as the Palace Gate. From what I read, this used to be the main entrance to the city of Bordeaux.

As you can tell by the dates I've been throwing out; Bordeaux has been around since Roman times, when it was known as Burdigala….so there's more than a little history to go around. There are two other medieval gates in the city….which the Missus just had to see. Those will be in upcoming posts.

Right up the street is Place de la Bourse, commissioned by Louis XIV as the Royal Square, it might be the most well known landmark in Bordeaux. For us however, it's what is right across from the square that got our attention.

Miroir d'eau is the largest reflecting pool in the world and a wonderful place to people watch….the folks running across the shallow pool seem to running on the water instead of in it. People seem drawn to this place.

On this day, we watched a young man take his dog into the pool….the dog looked a bit terrified at first. But obediently followed his master. Soon enough, the young man was first pouring water on the pooch's legs, then splashing the dog….he was teaching the dog about water! It was a lovely sight.

In some ways, this was much more fun than checking out cathedrals……just hanging out on the river's edge……

Watching the joggers on the bridge……

Checking out all the historical sights, it's easy to forget that yes, real people live here and their daily life goes on….much like ours does back home.

By now the sun was slowly sinking in the West. We decided it was time to head back and just relax for the evening. But first, we decided to make one more stop. Back to Bar a Vins, for a glass of wine (or two). This time around, it was much more busy, with what looked like more of a local crowd. Folks relaxing and unwinding…socializing over a glass of wine.

We really loved this place….it was perhaps our favorite in Bordeaux.

In the end, I decided to go for the gusto and got a glass of the Saint Emillion Gran Cru, which was the most expensive wine on the list (6 Euros), it was lovely. If you'd like to read about the craziness of just classifications of Saint Emillion wine, read this.

Bar a Vin
3 Cours du 30 Juillet
Bordeaux, France

It was a lovely day….with visits to Bar a Vin as bookends.

What’s My Craving: Banh Mi Bo Kho from Pho Lucky

March 31, 2016 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

I look forward to those "San Diego chilly" days; you know, what we here consider cold, the low 50's, a nice chill in the air…..and weekends are even better. The Missus sleeping in, I set out, "honey-do" list in hand, and this time decide to make a short detour….to Pho Lucky, for the Banh Mi Bo Kho.

And while I have been disappointed on occasion with the beef stew here, it will hit the spot more often than not. As it did on this day….perhaps not quite as thick as I prefer, but full of tangy, beefy, slightly anise flavors. The tendon with just the right amount of toothsome versus buttery. The bread is standard issue, but is warmed and who cares after you dip….nay, drench it in the "gravy". The onions add a bit of acidic pungency teaming with the cilantro to cut the richness and revive your palate a bit.

Need to cut the salt and richness even more? Add a squeeze of lime. For me, this has become comfort food. The only sad thing is, I still had all my major shopping to do after this……

Pho Lucky
9326 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126

Midweek Meanderings: Lemon House Opens, Great Wow (or perhaps Wall?) Replacing Goldfish World, and Other “Stuffs”.

March 30, 2016 mmm-yoso Blog

A few things for this rather chilly Wednesday.

Lemon House Vietnamese Cuisine:

Didn't notice this until last week. In the former location of Maru.

I thought it was a rather odd that instead of Vietnamese; the sign was also written in Chinese. So I asked the Missus who confirmed that the Chinese does in fact include "Vietnamese" in it. Quite odd though.

4681 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92123

Great Wow (???) Restaurant Replacing Goldfish World:

I dropped by Nijiya to grab a bento on the way back from a meeting and I noticed a sign on the former location of Goldfish World. It said "Great Wow Restaurant"…… Now for some reason that struck me as odd. Perhaps it might be "Great Wall"? The reason I'm really not sure that it really is named "Great Wow", is the part of the sign that says "Comming Soon"….. Go figure….wow…..

3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

RakiRaki Taking Over the BABs Location:

RR's slow annexation of that strip mall continues. As Pokirrito looks almost ready to open. I noticed that they've laid claim to the now defunct BABs location.

With RR's owner's talent for self-promotion and hype; I'm sure we'll find out soon enough if they are just expanding the shops space, or if this is going to be another "concept"…..

4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

And speaking of suckers…..

You know, I've got my weaknesses. I drop by Nijiya at least once a week; sometimes even more often to grab something quick for lunch. And I have to say, I'll always try their seasonal offerings.

Man, you know I love stuff like sake kasu, to make amazake (I'll get the recipe up one of these days), and you know my love of using Shio Koji. So when I saw the pork mirin kasu, I had to get it. Man, that pork was leathery and dry as heck. Not much flavor as well. Bummer, because the takenoko gohan was really tasty.

Win some, lose some.

Hope you have more winners than losers this week!

Boiling Passion

March 29, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants

**** Boiling Passsion has closed

Less than a week ago, I mentioned a new hot pot place…..Boiling Passion. It just so happened that one of our coworkers; "Lily" was transferring departments, so we wanted to take her to lunch. And BP seemed just the place.

I like what they've done to the interior; brick and wood paneling…nice job considering how quickly the place got turned around from Pho Paradise's closing.

A quick look at the menu revealed that yes, this is indeed what Eater describes as a "take off" on the very popular Boiling Point. Hot pot for lunch? $12.99, for dinner, $13.99. You can add extras for an additional charge, but I found the portion size to be quite generous.

We each got a different version of hot pot; "PL" got the "House Special Hot Pot", basically stinky tofu.

While the amount of protein in the hot pot isn't substantial; the overall portion size is. In addition, we were asked several times if we wanted our broth topped off. In spite of this being "stinky tofu", this wasn't very pungent, the flavor quite mild overall. But at least it wasn't too salty.

Three sauces are provided, the bean curd based sauce is the best overall.

"YZ" got the Korean Style Hot Pot.

One interesting thing to note…..the heating gel used is pretty potent and very hard to control. "YZ" broth kept bubbling up and she had to hold up a napkin to avoid getting splashed.

I got the Lamb Hot Pot, which, according to Lily should have had suan cai. The stuff in my hot pot tasted like plain napa cabbage, lacking in any fermented flavor and not even close to the suan cai we make at home.

The lamb was very tasty and gamey, the mung bean noodle, which I chose instead of rice wet quite well in this along with the enoki mushrooms and tofu. I'm not a fan of blood cake, but I really like the version served here, nice texture, ever so slightly sweet without a strong metallic flavor. I do wish the broth had a bit more flavor though. Along with one fill up of broth; this was more than I could finish.

So what about Lily? Well, the point of this lunch was to chat and enjoy so I took only one shot of every hot pot. As you can tell, it came out much too blurry. Lily ordered the winner of the bunch the Ma-la Hot Pot, which had a nice spice; not super spicy, but quite flavorful. She gave me a nice taste in one of the bowls provided.

Kind of a bummer that the photo of the best item of the day didn't turn out.

Luckily, John and Candice had some time to grab dinner and with the weather unseasonably cold, hot pot sounded like just the thing.

We started with "Golden Dumplings" – fried bread. I really haven't had a good version of this since we last ate at Kingswood in Rowland Heights nearly a decade ago. This was served with condensed milk.

This was very light and lacking in the nice mild sweetness I enjoy.

Candice ordered the Curry Hot Pot which was decent and John the Sate….which must have been good, because he basically destroyed it. I was having such a great time chatting that I forgot to take a photo of the Ma-la Hop Pot, 'doh, lightning strikes twice. So you'll have to settle for this photo and basically take my word or it that this is pretty much the way to go here.

As an extra bonus, I noticed that this came with some intestine….something I really enjoy. Heck, even the fish balls tasted pretty good here. Wish they had a bit more bean curd skin though.

Well, I'm just going to have to drop by again…probably soon if the weather holds its course. As of this writing, I probably enjoy the hot pot, well at least the hot and spicy version (the rest are on the bland side) here more than QT Pot, though I need to revisit them soon. The folks here are nice and since it's grand opening trying real hard. Candice recognized one of the owners as previously working at Noble Chef. I hope they do well….check them out and let me know what you think!

Boiling Passion
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Tacos El Zamy – Yuma

March 28, 2016 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Kirk and Cathy are really busy today, so another post by Ed (from Yuma).

When the long defunct Indian restaurant on 4th Ave. was transformed into a taco shop, the change was instantly apparent:

So of course I had to drop in and see what was going on. On my first visit, if memory serves, they were serving only quesadillas, or pastor, asada, or cabeza tacos, so I ordered three tacos. I was pleasantly surprised when a wheel of condiments showed up on my table:

The guacamole sauce was pretty standard, as was the salsa, cabbage, onion/cilantro, and lime wedges. I enjoyed the thick slices of cucumber which I dipped in the guacamole sauce and topped with a little salsa. My taco shop appetizer.

Looking around, I could tell that the new owners had painted the inside as well as the outside, cleaned the place up, and put in new furniture:

The tacos were decent, if nothing really special:

All the meats, even the very red pastor, were lightly seasoned – the basic flavors coming through.

On my next few visits, it was clear that the restaurant was thriving with customers in the front, back, and side room:

No longer was the young son of the family wandering around amazed at the restaurant and the customers. Many more choices were written on a whiteboard:

Wow, a vampira – gotta try one of those:

Crunchy, meaty, cheesy. Yep.

Covered with fresh chopped lettuce and tomato and sprinkled with crumbly cotija cheese, a beef and frijoles sope was tasty as well:

The beefy rolled tacos (topped with cabbage) had plenty of crunch:

And I could wash everything down with real Mexican Coca-Cola:

Since this is an independent family restaurant, there is some variation from visit to visit. For example, most of the time the chicken taco looks like this:

But one day, the chicken had lingered longer on the grill and had a more interesting crispy texture:

On that same visit, the cabeza was really outstanding, muy rico:

And of course, all of these things came with that same condiment wheel.

And Tacos El Zamy continues to get better. The whiteboard has been replaced by this electronic menu:

And the wheel of condiments comes with an extra spicy salsa on the side:

One thing that hasn't changed is the friendly and personal service. I have always been well treated. For example, when I recently ordered three tacos, my friendly server reminded me that at El Zamy 4 tacos are only $5. I couldn't resist what was basically a $.50 taco, so this platter soon showed up at my table:

The cabeza, chicken, and pastor were pretty much the same as before, but the birria (de res) was wonderful – rich and savory.

I couldn't quit thinking about that birria, so on my most recent visit I ordered the birria plate (after all, this post wouldn't be complete without trying one of the plates, right?):

The wheel of condiments and the warm corn tortillas on the side were fine. And even though the rice was subpar and the beans a bit runny, the birria was really great. I left happy and satisfied.

In many ways, El Zamy is like a taco truck in a building, featuring many of the basic taco truck favorites done well. Unlike a taco truck, the restaurant offers protection from wind and weather. The ambience – such as it is – makes this the kind of place where a Yuman could give Cousin Fred and his wife Nancy from Nebraska a good quality authentic Yuma taco experience without subjecting them to plastic chairs, a dirt parking lot, and inclement weather. And the food is good and prepared with love.

Tacos El Zamy, 2071 S. 4th Ave, (928) 366-3269 or (928) 817-2461

Sunday Sandwiches: Arely French Bakery Cafe

March 27, 2016 mmm-yoso Bakery, Sandwiches

Cathy has posted on Arely Bakery several times over the years; the most recent being about a year and a half ago. A few months back I noticed that the tiny shop had expanded, taking over the shop next door…..I'm trying to recall what it was….beauty supplies perhaps?

In need of an early lunch, I decided to drop by and grab a sandwich before a series of conference calls that would take up a good chunk of the day.

You can see the expanded dining room next door as you enter.

Back in 2007, Cathy ordered the "Le Parisien", it was a mere $4.50 back then; now it's $7.95, though now it looks a bit larger.

The baguette, baked on the premises, was decent, it could have been a bit more crusty and was, in typical San Diego style, a bit more chewy than I prefer. The Black Forest Ham was decent; but the real star of the sandwich was the brie, rind and all, which made this sandwich quite good, earthy tones, very mild pungency (nothing even close to real French Brie, which I believe is still illegal in the US), and very nice in this sandwich. In terms of proportion, I would have enjoyed a bit more tomato and less lettuce.

With the work scenario a couple of weeks later, I decided to call and pick-up the Prosciutto Panini ($8.60), which was wonderfully toasted.

Man, the toasting job on this baby was just about perfect. Didn't care for the prosciutto they used however, as it was extremely salty and paired with a very mild mozzarella it was the dominating flavor through out my eating experience as everything else; the basil and the tomato were just nullified. Too bad, because in terms of texture, this was really good.

Thinking that I had to try a panini again, I went with the Caprese Panini ($8.50).

Bad call on my part as went too far in the other direction with this one. While the tomatoes tasted quite good, the whole thing was a rather bland mess. The bread wasn't as well pressed this time; I'm thinking the cheese didn't hold up real well. In fact, when I separated the two halves there was a giant glob of melted mozzarella.

Last week I decided to drop by one more time. This time ordering the Le Lyonnais ($7.95).

And while I'd prefer lardon/bacon to salami on this, I really enjoyed the sandwich. Nice smear of fairly tasty egg salad, nice crisp greens, acid from the tomatoes and pickles. Very nice overall. I'm still of the same opinion of the bread and even think that a light toasting might make everything that much more enjoyable.

The two young ladies who have run the counter on the days I visited were very nice and friendly; especially with some of the rather "cranky" older customers. One of these days I'll stop by for breakfast, or even perhaps lunch. For now, it's nice to have another sandwich option fairly close by.

Arely French Bakery Cafe
4961 Clairemont Drive, Suite A
San Diego, CA 92117

Granada: A Revisit to Saint Germain and Dinner at Alacena de las Monjas

March 26, 2016 mmm-yoso Granada, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

We'd had a pretty busy day, starting the morning with a visit to The Alhambra, then getting some train ticketing straightened out and taking a walk around the Old Town. We were bushed when we got back to the apartment and had a well deserved siesta. There's something to be said about an afternoon nap. We awoke refreshed, ready to take on…….well, dinner, of course! This being Spain, dinner really doesn't start until 9pm or thereabouts, so we decided on taking a nice little walk along Paseo de los Tristes (Walk of the Dead Ones), the street that runs parallel to the Darro River, just past Plaza Nueva.

It's a wonderful stretch of road and the views of the Alhambra form here, especially at night are wonderful.

On one side you have the Darro River and the Alhambra; on the other tiny alleyways leading up to the Albayzin, the Moorish Quarter.

The walk was short, but enough to stimulate our appetites. Thinking (wrongly), that we might tire of tapas in Granada, we booked dinner at Alacena de las Monjas, when we passed by on our first day in Granada. They didn't start dinner service until 9pm, it was 745….what to do? Well, head back to Saint Germain of course!

It was about a 15 minute walk to Saint Germain, which was just opening when we arrived.

There was something about this place that we really loved. The selection of wines suited the Missus, who found that She really enjoyed the house Blanco-Seco. I really loved Encaste, a nice very balanced Cabernet Savignon from Dona Felica Winery in Ronda.

We also wondered if we'd get a repeat of a tapa from our first visit. Well, we didn't! This time around it was a nice brie, brushed with honey and a fruit compote on bread…..love the way they toast the baguettes here.

Without a doubt, our favorite wine bar in Granada.

Saint Germain
Calle Postigo Velutti 4
Granada, Spain

We then headed off to Plaza del Padre Suarez….pocket wifi is wonderful, we initially used it on our first trip to Japan and it was invaluable, especially with Japan's crazy address system. For Spain we used Wifivox which I highly recommend. It was delivered to our hotel in Madrid and we used it without incident. Nothing like being to use Google Maps and other apps while roaming around unfamiliar territory.

Alacena de las Monjas was an interesting experience to say the least. The atmosphere is somewhat romantic and the prices not cheap….for Granada standards. It's not quite fine dining; the staff is young, very nice, they work hard, but really aren't very polished. We really didn't need reservation as we were the only table for most of our meal and there were only two other tables occupied when we left. I did love our table which was located in the cellar.

The young staff really wasn't able to help us in wine selection so I chose something randomly…..

The amuse arrived…..

It was kind of funny….just sliding around the plate. For some reason, the presentation bothered the Missus. So I went ahead and plated it the way I thought it should be presented.

Much better, eh?

We started with the "Traditional" Salmorejo (9 Euros).

This classic Andalucian cold soup is a favorite of mine. While gazpacho, the more well known cold soup is seasonal, salmorejo is consumed year 'round. This version was very smooth and creamy, though according to the Missus, it needed more olive oil and "where was the hard boiled egg garnish?"

I got the Anchovies with Iberian Tomato and Beet Carpaccio (18 Euros).

The flavor of the anchovy was too strong for the Missus. Meanwhile, I loved the savory-brininess. Lovely peppery-grassy flavors from the olive oil, the tomatoes added a mild acid component, though I could have used more acid and perhaps some additional pungency. The flavor of the beets were very mild, I expected a bit more sweetness.

The Missus got the "Charcoal Smoked Octopus" (18 Euros). Isn't that simply called "grilled"?

While the "smoked" flavor was almost non-existent, I think the octopus had been sous-vide first, then grilled. The texture was outstanding, crisp exterior, almost melt in your mouth. I'd have appreciated a bit more seasoning as I felt more salt was needed.

I got the "Suckling Lamb Shoulder Cooked at Low Temperature" (24 Euros). Man, this was a huge portion, we ended up taking most of this back to the apartment.

Again, this dish could have used more seasoning and perhaps some time in a pan to crisp up the skin which was gummy. Still, this was obviously sous-vide and the wonderful gamey flavor made up for any shortcomings. The lamb melted in your mouth…the potatoes were basic, but quite tasty as well.

As a whole, I don't think I'd return here if/when we're back in Granada. The service was very nice, though rough around the edges, and I expected better execution at this price point. Not a terrible meal, but not memorable.

Alacena de las Monjas
Plaza del Padre Suarez 5
Granada, Spain

Granada: Cafe Bar Mercado

March 25, 2016 mmm-yoso Granada, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

After having some nice Bocadillos at Cafe Opera 5, we made our way back to the train station. You see, I went to check our tickets for the rest of our trip and noticed that one set was missing! Luckily, I had my receipt. Along the way we finally found a supermarket and stopped to get a few items.

Along the way we pass the Monastery of San Jeronimo.

We walked parallel to Gran Via, then LAC, actually walking through the University. Making it to the train station and the Renfe Desk, I was told that since I'd purchased our tickets at El Cortes Ingles, I'd have to go to their travel office. He was nice enough to point out; grabbing a map, the closest office of their travel agency, even drawing out the path we should take! All of this with his minimal English and my inability to speak much Spanish! We managed to find the nearby office and the woman who worked their was amazingly nice….even though it took about an hour, she straightened everything out for us and we left tickets in hand.

The office was right next to Plaza del Triunfo, so we took a nice little stroll through the plaza.

That's the Triumph of the Virgin Column above. Though there's not much out there on this plaza that's not in Spanish; I've read some interesting stories about this location. There originally was a Basilica at this location, but it was destroyed and replaced by a Muslim Cemetery. When the Christians took Granada, a hospital was built here. When the forces of Napoleon took Granada, this was the site of public executions. Mariana Pineda heroine of the famous play (with the set and costumes by Dali) and an opera was executed here in 1831.

Business taken care of; the Missus broke out the Rick Steve's book and we set off on one of the walks. We started off at the Corral del Carbón (Coal House) which was built in the 14th century by the Moors. Like the Ungelt Courtyard in Prague and even more so, the "Hans" in the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, this was a place for merchants to spend the evening, their camels and pack animals resting on the ground floor; a caravanserai.

Across the street is a rather colorful alleyway; the Alcaceria. This was once the location of the silk market. The street between these two locations used to be a river and a bridge connected the Corral del Carbon and the Alcaiceria. Now it's a long alleyway full of tourist shops.

We headed down the lanes and ended up in a plaza we'd walked through the night before….Granada was already starting to get smaller; full of cafes and shops named Plaza de Bib Rambla and the fountain with Neptune on top called "Fuente de los Gigantones" (Fountain of the Giants).

Right around the corner is the Cathedral, which looks quite impressive.

I think being tucked in between other buildings just makes it look that much more impressive. As with other churches and cathedrals we saw during this trip, this is built on the former site of a mosque.

I really enjoyed the view of the rest of the square, Plaza de las Pasiegas, from the Cathedral steps.

We went around the side street of the Cathedral past a building that for some reason was one of my favorites in Granada.

And back out to Gran Via. By now, the Missus was getting a bit hungry. We decided to head back toward Mercado Agustin. We'd seen a Café/Bar/Restaurant when leaving Café Opera, with signs posted with a really nicely priced menu del dia – basically daily lunch specials.

The place was very comfortable, a section with little tables below and a larger bar area up above. They did offer a rather inexpensive menu del dia; like 8 Euros and also full and half servings (media raciones) of dishes. The missus took the menu del dia; Sopa de Calabaza, Pumpkin Soup to start, Calamares de Granada, and a glass of wine.

I went with a Cerveza……

And a media racione of the Morcilla con Pinones; blood sausage with pine nuts.

Good thing I got a half order. This was quite good; blood sausage, more like a nice earthy, slightly sweet, blood pudding, studded with pine nuts which provided a nice contrast in flavor and texture. The Missus really enjoyed this as well…it went so well with bread.

The Missus enjoyed the pumpkin soup.

The "Granada style calamari" turned out to be basically fried squid rings……

The flavor was quite nice, but the squid was on the tough side.

The Missus got an Americano for dessert and our Server was nice enough to bring me one as well. This was a nice relaxed lunch. The service was very friendly and the prices were more than reasonable.

Cafe Bar Mercado
Calle Alvaro de Bazan
Granada, Spain

Funny thing, we left the restaurant by the back door and walked into a courtyard. There were tables filled with folks having wine and tapas. The Missus said, "hey, this looks good!" I had to laugh, it was the outdoor tables of Saint Germain! We'd come full circle it seems. It was time to head on back for a nice afternoon siesta…….

COMC: Brunch at Tiger Tiger, Chef Chin, and Carnitas’ Snack Shack

March 24, 2016 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Chinese Restaurants, Gastropub

**** All of these places have closed

Some photos that have been languishing around for a while….it's time to C(lear) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard).

Brunch at Tiger! Tiger!:

We'd kind of avoided brunch here as the menu seemed uninspiring. After returning from our last trip, we'd been working hard, so decided to just relax and see how the brunch was here. We were pleasantly surprised. Especially by the wood fired potatoes with the guajillo aioli.

Tiger! Tiger!
3025 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104

Chef Chin:

"YZ" had completed a big project, so we decided to go out and grab lunch. We hadn't been to Chef Chin in a while. It was an ok lunch. The best item by far was the Xun Yu, the Jellyfish Head with Chicken the worst.

Chef Chin
4433 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Carnitas' Snack Shack:

It had been over a year since we last visited and the Missus wanted a snack…..and this is Carnitas' Snack Shack, right? We shared the pulled pork hash, which was delish….the fries were much too salty though.

Carnitas' Snack Shack
2632 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92104

Aaaah, there you go….my memory card is a bit lighter now!