mmm-yoso – Page 274 – 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.

Lunch Revisits: Pho Paradise and Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori

November 2, 2015 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Japanese Restaurants, Pho, Ramen, Vietnamese Restaurants

After having the hottest October on record, we've kind of settled into milder weather. Which means pho and ramen can be shoe horned back into lunch.

Pho Paradise:

** Note: Pho Paradise has closed

When Pho Paradise first opened, I thought it had some potential, even thinking that we'd finally get some decent Pho on Convoy. Even though my follow-up visit wasn't quite as good, I still believed they might have been the best pho in the area. So now, over six months later, I was wondering how things would be.

I started with the chicken wings, which looked very pale.

This wasn't too bad, the wings were fairly light and crisp, though sogginess set in rather quickly. A bit too much MSG for my taste, with that strange very salty edging on sweet taste and tongue sensation.

The pho was a disappointing.

This reminded me of the stuff Pho T Cali puts out. Barely any flavors other than being very salty with a very mild hint in the background. It was much too low in fat, the noodles, of which there was a healthy amount of, were over cooked, the proteins had no flavor and the tendon was too hard.

Well, at least the basil and bean sprouts were fresh, right?

In case you have doubts. Here's a bowl from Pho Paradise back in February.

Sad, huh?

Pho Paradise
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori:

I needed a break from the office one Friday and ran over to Yakyudori for an early lunch before the place got too crowded and the Servers too surly. It had been a while since I'd had lunch here and I went with the Friday combo. Chashu Gohan with a Shoyu Ramen.

The pork and rice came in a medium sized miso soup bowl….lots of rice in this though the chashu was good in comparison to what I'd had recently at Okan during lunch. It was tender, had some flavor, and was lukewarm rather than cold. The corn and bean sprouts added texture….but this was mostly a whole lot of rice.

I hadn't had lunch here in a while so I was surprised at the size of the "mini-ramen"….it was more mini that I recalled.

Not that I needed more carbs, but there were maybe three bites of noodles and I really wanted more soup. Overall, this was a decent bowl, just edging on too salty, but quite satisfying and the noodles were prepped well. I should have just gotten the ramen instead of the lunch special.

Since I did it with Pho Paradise, it's only right I do this here too. Here's what the mini ramen used to look like.

No wonder they give you so much rice now. They need to fill you up somehow.

At least they were a bit nicer here than on my previous visits.

Yakyudori Ramen and Yakitori
4898 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

To the Oregon Coast and Back – Wayfarer and Urban Masala

November 1, 2015 ed fromyuma Indian Restaurants, Portland, Oregon, Seafood, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Kirk and Cathy have real jobs, and today they're either working on them or relaxing. So this mmm-yoso!!! blogpost, about a day trip to the Oregon coast, is by Ed (from Oregon originally).

During the middle of October, Tina and I spent more than a week in Northwestern Oregon (including PDX). Tina, who owns a real camera, brought it along, so most of the good pics in my Oregon posts will come from her, especially the outdoor shots – all I can photograph is food, it seems.

As well as getting together with relatives and friends in the area, some days we were on our own. When we woke up in Hillsboro Oregon on Monday morning, even the Hampton Inn parking lot was beautiful in the fog:

Soon we left the fog behind as we headed west on Highway 26, enjoying the colors of the season:

Though the fog was still visible in the distance when we stopped at a viewpoint in the coastal range:

In less than an hour and a half, we arrived at Cannon Beach, just south of the intersection of 26 with Highway 101, famous for its large beach and iconic Haystack Rock:

Our friend, part-time Oregon resident, gourmet cook and witty blogger, Joanie, texted Tina and said we had to eat at the Wayfarer:

The dining space was attractive and the windows looked out at the beach and Haystack Rock – look real carefully out the window:

Wanting to drink local, Tina and I had a glass of Archery Summit Pinot Gris and one of Domaine Drouhin Chardonnay:

Both were good, but the Chardonnay amazed me since most Oregon Chardonnays that I drank way back when seemed thin and acidic. This one was a classic refined focused Chardonnay.

The lunch itself started with some tasty warm bread and attractive chilled butter:

We were on the coast, so a cup of clam chowder was necessary:

Quite impressive. Full of tender pieces of clam and bits of potato, covered with a luscious, rich, creamy, savory broth. A classic version of the soup.

Joanie had advised Tina to have the Dungeness crab sandwich with garlic fries, so that's what she ordered. The garlic fries came with ketchup and a tangy aioli, and they were crispy and reasonably garlicky:

On first inspection, the sandwich looked like mostly baguette and melted cheese:

But it was packed full of flavorful moist Dungeness crab:

I chose a different local favorite, razor clams:

This variety of bivalve got its common name because it looked like the old school straight razor case into which the sharp blade was folded when not in use – kind of like an elongated sunglasses case. Nowadays the razor clams on beaches in Oregon and Washington cannot be commercially harvested so the pan fried clams on my plate, flavorful, a little crunchy, and tender chewy, probably came from Alaska. Still, a real treat for me.

I also loved the sides. The jalapeño jelly was sweet and tasty with the clams, but I preferred the old school dill flavored tartar sauce. The herbed rice contained a lot of wild rice as well as perfectly al dente green and yellow split peas. Nice flavor/texture combo. The fresh green beans, toothsomely prepared, were lightly flecked with garlic.

A very pleasing lunch. Thanks for the tip, Joanie!

After we paid our tab,:

we strolled down to the beach past one of the ubiquitous tsunami warning signs. Every time I see one, I think, "I'm betting on the wave.":

The road south from Cannon beach is often quite striking and occasionally sublime. For a while, it clings to the side of Neahkahnie Mountain hundreds of feet above the Pacific:

Then it comes back down close to sea level and sloughs and estuaries appear:

Here's Tillamook Bay, the picture taken from close to Garibaldi:

The road back to Portland area from Tillamook is easy driving and about as quick as the trip out on Highway 26. Nonetheless, after a day driving around, Tina and I decided to have a simple meal in Hillsboro.

We were staying in Hillsboro for a few days because of its proximity to friends and relatives, the Oregon wine country, and the coast, but most people who live in the area are connected to the tech industry, particularly Intel. So we figured there had to be a decent Indian restaurant nearby. A brief search on Tina's iPad led us to Urban Masala, which had just opened a couple of months earlier:

We enjoyed the Indian music in the background, but the decor and ambience were otherwise unremarkable:

The food, however, was pretty good, beginning with the complimentary papadum:

The chana masala was simple, spicy, and pretty straightforward:

The baigan bharta was far better than my photo of it:

The impressive khoormani ghosht, apricot lamb, showed off the tender gamy lamb with the sweetness of the fruit and abundant spice:

Equally outstanding was the wonderful garlic naan:

Light, puffy, crunchy flatbread, hot from the oven, as good as I've ever had.

Dinner tab less than half of lunch:

All in all, it was a good day. Gorgeous weather and scenery. Good food. Tina. Can't really ask for more.

A Daytrip to Nara and Lunch at Kuromon Ichiba (Osaka)

October 30, 2015 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Japan, Markets & Grocers, Osaka, Travel

I don't think a trip to Kyoto/Osaka would be complete without a short detour to Nara, once the capital of Japan.

It was a quick 45 minute train ride to JR Nara Station. From there, we decided to take a leisurely walk to Todai-ji.

It was a quiet and rather relaxing walk…… we passed an interesting looking "local-kine place" along the way.

We saw a branch of Ko Hi Kan Coffee along the way, so we decided to stop and get our caffeine fix for the morning. Pour-over of course…..per the Missus.

The women working here were very friendly.

It was a nice cup(s) of coffee, which energized our rather tired bones for the walk.

It was just a short walk to the Nara Park area.

We ended up spending the most of our time in a couple of areas; the first being Kofuku-ji, once the temple of the Fujiwara-shi, once one of the most powerful families in Japan.

The Pagoda here was undergoing repairs when we visited; but the grounds were really quite beautiful….in a stark and spartan way.

We soon entered the heart of Nara Park; famous for their temples…and of course the aggressive deer. Actually, I found the deer here to be much more mellow than the super aggressive deer in Miyajima. Though you might have a different opinion if you've ever read Lynnea's post on Nara. That last photo in that post is still a favorite of mine.

Just in case you hadn't been informed of the risks of screwing around with the rather cute four-legged friends….there are signs that explain the possible hazards of messing around with them.

I believed that the biggest draw to Nara would be Tōdai-ji.

Based on the crowds that lines the Main Gate, I'd say that my statement is pretty much correct.

The Daibutsu-den, which houses the world's largest bronze rendering of Buddha is quite impressive.

The bronze Buddha which is also quite impressive at 49 feet tall and 92 feet across at the shoulders! This is a image of Dainichi Buddha, the "Celestial Buddha", the source from which all other Buddha's emanate.

There's a lot to see here. There are other statues, like the rather mencing and imposing looking Komokuten; Buddha's Guard who is stepping upon a demon, yet brandishing a scroll and brush, symbolizing both the power and wisdom of the Sutras over ignorance.

To the right of the Buddha sits Nyoirin Kannon.

In contrast to the rather scary and imposing Komokuten, the Nyoirin Kannon represents compassion and boundless love for all.

And, for those who want enlightenment…..you can try to pass through a hole in one of the pillars deemed Buddha's Nostril. Passing through the hole means that you be granted enlightenment….though I believe it doesn't happen until your next life. Plus, I read that it's only about 20 inches wide….the size of Buddha's nostrils…….better leave this to the one of the school kids; many of whom still struggled to get through.

It was fun watching all the school kids trying to pass through the hole….each one had a photo taken…proof that enlightenment will be bestowed upon them. Personally, I did gain a bit of enlightenment….but it happened in the form of the restroom sign. I learned the power of a single space…where Gentleman….became "Gentle Man". Now that's powerful, right?

Kids of all ages came to visit Tōdai-ji. This group of really young ones seemed so cute and charming. They were so little, that a few of them needed help going down the stairs.

And of course, they sell "senbei"…..crackers for the deer…which means every group of school kids became a feeding frenzy.

It was starting to get really crowded. Which meant it was time to "hele".

It definitely is a must see if you're in Kyoto or Osaka.

Initially, the plan was to have lunch in Nara, but we decided to head back to Osaka. Just a few blocks from the busy arcades of Dotonburi resides Kuromon Market.

Along with the numerous shops were countless food stalls, selling everything from live blowfish to Kobe Beef. And there was even a good sized supermarket in the middle of it all.

It was quite a variety. We then decided to just buy a couple of items and have lunch in the market.

It also wasn't easy deciding on what to get. We actually did a walkthrough of the entire market area before making our selections. It was hard resisting all the Kobe beef….especially since you could "burn your meat after ordering"….

In the end I chose some really nice toro from one of the market stalls. The woman sliced everything quite nicely and provided me with wasabi and shoyu.

The Missus chose a selection of nimono and ohitashi for a nice meal from the very friendly folks at another stand.

It made for a very nice lunch.

After finishing up, we headed to the market to grab some beverages and snacks for the evening. At first I was just going to grab 2-3 items, but ended up with quite a load. While walking the aisles I felt a tap on the shoulder. I turned to find a kind looking, elderly gentleman smiling at me. He had two shopping baskets in hand….and passed one of them to me. Such a thoughtful gesture. You gotta love Osaka.

The Missus and I were having a great time.

Kuromon Ichiba
2-4-1 Nippombashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka

2016 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Float Road Test #6, breakfast at Sandwiches by Connal

October 29, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. There are always reasons about how we (Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy) get around to the food. Today, Cathy is writing about one of her monthly road trips to Pasadena.

Late October and yet floats are being constructed and necessarily being tested for safety and maneuverability prior to their participation in the 127th Tournament of Roses Rose Parade, which will occur on January 1, 2016. The Theme of the parade this year is "Find Your Adventure" and will be held in conjunction with the National Park Service, which will be celebrating its 100th year since being entrusted with the care of over 400 locations of the National Parks of the United States.

The day starts early for road tests. We have to be on the road by 5 a.m., to be at the Phoenix Decorating Company barn by 7 a.m.. There is another company which constructs floats along with six floats which are self made and all have different road testing days. Since The Mister and I have decorated floats with the Petal Pushers, who assist with many of the floats made by Phoenix Decorating since before I began writing on this blog, we usually only drive up to see the Phoenix floats being road tested. The American Armenian Rose Float Association will have its second float, "Discover Armenia" in the parade in January, and it is again very detailed, showing 17 different Armenian architectural symbols.Back in August, this very long float was road tested. (You can see the Driver to the right in a red shirt and the Spotter of the float to the left, with the yellow chair).Knowing that base showed nothing of the float design, I waited for more details of this steampunk design titled "Fearless Flyer". Once the colors are marked for the live and dry materials, this Trader Joe's float will really take shape. It collapses down on that accordion pleated central area…and yes, there will be steam coming from various parts of the float as it drives down Colorado Boulevard. This will be one of the more magnificent floats in the parade.The Destination Irvine float, "Innovation Rocks" has been outlined and colored and now looks like the artist rendition. It is ready for decoration, which will begin on December 5.

You can see the artist renditions of all the floats I've shown you so far this year at this link.Peeking into the barn before leaving, we saw this small boat with an outboard motor…and I know Honda (the parade sponsor) makes outboard motors…so I'm thinking this is part of the first float you'll see as the parade starts. {I was wrong: the above outboard motor is part of the Farmers Insurance "Along for the Ride" float. Additional artist renditions of the floats were added to the above link after this post was published.}

We were off to breakfast and decided to stop at Sandwiches by Connal, which has been in Pasadena since 1958 (and which I wrote about last year, after another road test).Not much has changed since September 2014. The prices are for 'to go' items and it costs a bit less because we eat in. We've been here more than once, so here's a compendium of breakfast items. The bacon breakfast burrito ($4.99) is made with three eggs and hash browns and bacon. The sausage croissant ($3.99) is similarly prepared. As always: hearty, fresh and excellent. The bacon breakfast sandwich (on wheat) ($4.59) is made with folded (not shredded) lettuce leaves, tomato, egg and bacon. Always a favorite. The chorizo burrito ($5.29) weighs more than a pound (because, again, three eggs and hash browns as well as a lot of chorizo) and comes with red or green sauce added for you.The Ribeye steak and eggs ($7.99). Three eggs, hash browns, toast and a good size piece of tender meat…a nice way to begin the rest of the day.

I hope your week is going well!

Sandwiches by Connal 1505 East Washington Pasadena, CA 91104 (626)794-5018 Website (the menu website links have old prices, the wall prices in the photo above are 'to go' prices, it's about 50¢ less per item when you eat in).

Recently Consumed: Fresh Chanterelles Back at Nijiya, a Fish called Louvar, and other stuffs

October 28, 2015 mmm-yoso Cooking, Markets & Grocers

I might be a bit late with this, but as I'm typing this I know that Nijiya has fresh chanterelles back in stock.

It's been in stock much longer than in the previous 3 years. This year the Missus is enjoying Her chanterelles in a frittata.

I start the mushroom the usual way.

Then add 4 eggs at the end……

The Missus can eat this in one sitting! Amazing…..

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

So I was over at Catalina Offshore a couple of weeks back…..giving Tommy a hard time as usual. Anyway……while waiting for my salmon, Tommy pointed at some rather fragile looking, almost translucent pieces of fish and told me, "this is louvar….get it….you won't be sorry….." It seems that Louvar is a prized, but very rare catch, youfind it doing a Google search on "Cadillac of Fish". The fish just seemed like it was going to fall apart, but Tommy assured me that it firms up well when cooking. I decided to do a simple straight up saute……let sit in ginger and Shaoxing, simple season, dust with potato starch, then into the cast iron. It browned up really well….it was super moist, mildly sweet in flavor, super tender, so moist….sorry…..it as just so moist.

I should have taken more photos, but there's only one.

As with the King Clip and White Salmon Tommy comes through again!

Catalina Offshore Products
5202 Lovelock St
San Diego, CA 92110

Fall just might be my favorite time of the year…..the kale is growing like crazy and is less bitter…..

And garnished with some…ahem, Duck Confit and an easy over egg….man, this really is the "Breakfast of Champions".

I hope you're having a great week.

Thanks for reading!

Turo Turo Tuesday: Manila Resto

October 27, 2015 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Filipino Restaurants

**** Manila Resto has closed

I was in National City recently looking for a specific ingredient…had no luck at Seafood City, but I noticed this new "turo-turo" (point-point) place had opened up.

So I decided to stop and grab some breakfast. Man, this restaurant is huge……

The woman working the counter was very friendly and the food looked decent….so I went with the Longanisa and Chicken Tocino….I had to stop her from piling on the garlic rice and still ended up with a load of carbs.

And the egg of course, which had been sitting in a steam tray. The garlic in the rice was burnt, thus making the whole deal quite bitter. The longanisa was as expected, a meaty-juicy pouch of loveliness. The chicken tocino was really tough, it had been cooked down too long. It was also more salty than sweet.

It was quite obvious, this was one of those quantity over quality places.

No big deal……I made a note to revisit one day…no rush.

Funny thing happened the following week. I saw an old coworker of mine. She dropped off lunch from this "new place" to try…..it was from Manila Resto.

She got me the Bicol Express and the Beef Kaldereta, two dishes I love. She even told me they went easy on the rice….it was still way to much for me.

Bicol Express combines wonderful savory (from the fermented shrimp paste- bagoong alamang), with spicy (from chili peppers). This one kind of weak.

This was really tough, lacked spice….I mean it was really whimpy, and though it was salty, it could have used more bagoong.

The Kaldereta was slightly better; though it was still on the bland side. I enjoy mine a bit tangy from the tomato with a beefy edge. The pieces of beef were huge and had to be cut into pieces before eating. It was also a bit too greasy for my taste.

You won't go hungry after this…..but it's obviously more about quantity than quality here.

Manila Resto
1420 E Plaza Blvd Suite D2
National City, CA 91950

Going Loco – A Revisit to L&L Hawaiian Barbecue – College Area a Decade Later

October 26, 2015 mmm-yoso Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

**** This location of L&L has closed

When I started putting together The Big List, there were quite a few instances where I wondered what was going on with places that were still around all these years later. I first posted on L&L in the College area back in May of 2005 and a second with the "Are You Loco" comparison that September. So I thought, ten years is a good long time….and even though L&L is not my first choice for Plate Lunch (let's not go into that Hawaiian BBQ versus Plate Lunch stuff….plate lunch came first….Hawaiian Barbecue is a branding/marketing strategy), I thought it was about time. Also for this one, I broke out the "Rubio Scale", created by James Rubio of Big Island Grinds, who measures each item on the loco moco and assigns an aggregate based on this….so no, this won't be like one of those ramen things on that "Four lettered site" that says, "the noodles were fantastic, but the soup was just okay so I give it one star…." Which will always lead to the question; "does that mean if the broth was fantastic and the noodles fantastic, the best this place could do is two stars on a four star scale?"

So, it's been over a decade. Can you imagine how many starving students this location of L&L has served? On the downside; can you imagine how many folks think that this is the best that Hawaii has to offer on a plate?

If my recent visit is any indication, they'll be serving many more classes of SDSU students.

The tables are a bit more sticky than I recalled and as to be expected, the folks here….both in the front and the kitchen can't really pronounce the dishes correctly….stuff like musubi and katsu sounds kind of odd…and to be honest, a bit painful.

But lets get down to the Loco Moco – which is now $8.99, over 9 bucks with tax. Yikes, that's over 40% more than what it used to be. It has now reached the level of, "this better be good".

And let's get it on with the Rubio scale shall we?

#1 – Burger:

Good lord, preformed and cooked to death. Lacking in seasoning. Like eating gritty bits of shoe leather….still, it was barely edible. Thank god for the gravy…well, maybe not.

1.0

Not a good sign.

#2 Eggs:

This actually saved the loco as it was easy-over. I know, everyone is afraid of eating eggs out nowadays. But this one was right. There could have been crisp edges and some browning, but this was ok.

2.5

#3 Rice:

Seems like it was undercooked and sitting for a while. Average.

2.5

#4 Gravy:

Good lord, we sent Old Betsy to the glue factory. The texture was not to my liking…too gooey/gluey, no beefy flavor, glue like texture. It was nothing without Tabasco…..

1.0

#5 Stuffs:

Of course we have to attend to the Mac Salad. This one was put together fine….all the minimum requirements and it was nice and cold. Lack of salt was an issue, but it was ok.

3.0

So we have a 10 out of 25….perhaps this is the state of Hawaiian Barbecue loco mocos these days. After all, I think they "jumped the shark" years ago.

Still, it had been quite a few years and I had to find out for myself.

A small part of me wonders how the location in Puente Hills Mall fares. It was the first location on the mainland and was just a couple of miles from where we lived way back when. It was pretty good…they brought in a bunch of cooks from HNL to get them started and the folks there were really nice…….maybe it's better that I not know…..

L&L's Hawaiian BBQ
Campus Plaza 6083 El Cajon Boulevard, Suite 5B-1
San Diego, CA 92115

What My Craving? Minh Ky

October 25, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Love the cooler temps in the morning. It means I can grab a nice bowl of noodles for breakfast. I'd been wanting some Sate Beef Egg Noodle "Dry", so I headed over to Minh Ky. It has been a good 7-8 months since my last visit and it never fails to amaze me how this place can pack it in at 815 on a Sunday morning….for noodle soup.

The tables turn over quickly and there were twice as many take-out orders….

My usual here; the Beef sate Egg Noodle Soup "dry" – soup on the side. Still nicely priced at $6.45.

A nice portion size, the beef relatively tender. I always say the sate could use a bit more "oomph", but those places that are a bit more spicy tend to not have that nutty-pungent-onion-y flavor. The egg noodles were a bit past perfect this time around, but nice and hot. The soup on the side was slightly porky – I can say this since it was much less salty than usual. So was the sate as well.

For under seven bucks….I'll take it.

Minh Ky Restaurant

4644 El Cajon Boulevard

San Diego, CA 92115

Open at 8am

The Cheese Trail: Nicasio Valley Cheese Company, The Marin French Cheese Co, and Matos Cheese Factory

October 24, 2015 mmm-yoso Cheese, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Travel

After Point Reyes Station we headed out on the next stop on the Sonoma – Marin Cheese Trail.We were running a bit early so we stopped at Nicasio Reservoir. Very calm and picturesque in the morning.

We arrived at the modest roadside factory/shop of Nicasio Valley Cheese a bit before they opened.

We were able to pass the fifteen minutes or so before the shop opened by wandering though the Pumpkin Patch……yes, it's that time of the year. Watching the kids take to the hay made us realize that this lifestyle is a million miles away from what we're used to.

When the shop opened we walked on over. The space is rather small, the staff enthusiastic, if not particularly well versed on the cheese. Nicasio makes cow milk cheeses. I had read that the style of cheese here is based on the traditional cheeses of the Lafranchi families Swiss heritage.

They so a nice job of lining the samples from the mildest to the semi-soft and flavored versions.

The Foggy Morning, was probably our favorite, very soft and mild, buttery, with a slight tang like a mellow sour cream. It also won first place in the Fromage Blanc, Fromage Frais, and Quark category in the American Cheese Society's Annual Competition. We could tell however, that this would not travel well.

Instead, we went with our second favorite. The wonderfully textured, mild salty-tangy flavored San Geronimo. The fragrance is rather strong, but the flavor is quite tame. A nice everyday cheese.

Folks are quite friendly, it's a nice little stop.

Nicasio Valley Cheese Company
5300 Nicasio Valley Rd
Nicasio, CA 94946

A short drive away is a place that's much more of a destination; the Marin French Cheese Company. It's also the oldest continuously operating creamery in the United States; established in 1865.

They don't mess around with samples here….you open the top and slice your own.

The Missus enjoyed the shop….there's a stand selling sandwiches and coffee; the cooler is stocked with beverages; wine, sparkling wine, etc….

The young lady manning the counter was quite knowledgeable. We enjoyed a few of the samples , but thought they'd never make it back home in good shape. She told us that all the bries and camemberts will easily last 24 hours without refrigeration.

We ended buying a little insulated bag for cheese and picked up the truffle brie, not a big fan of flavored cheeses, but the Missus loves Her truffle. Plus, we were putting together a collection for Missus' work….She was going to do a cheese tasting upon returning. We both really took to the "Petit Breakfast", a wonderfully mild, but particularly creamy cheese. It's currently labeled as the "1865" in commemoration of Marin Cheese's 150th anniversary.

If you're in the area; this might be a nice stop for a short break or lunch…..

The Marin French Cheese Company
7510 Pt Reyes Petaluma Rd
Petaluma, CA 94952

We, on the other hand, had to be off to our next stop, which was about 40 minutes away on the outskirts of Santa Rosa.

Down, off the beaten path outside Santa Rosa you'll find this sign alongside a single lane unpaved road. This is not one of those impulse stop kind of places you see while driving by. It was also our favorite stop on this day…….there's a real charm to this place which was founded by Joe and Mary Matos who relocated from the Azores in the 70's. Joe Matos is a fifth generation cheesemaker who brought his family's recipe with him.

At the end of the gravel road you basically come to a barn and what looks like the back of a house…..

As I parked in front of the "office" a young lady working in the barn area came over and opened the door to the office for us. Upon entering the wonderful fragrance of cheese met us.

Matos Cheese makes one cheese; a nice simple firm cheese called St George. It's much like everything you see around you; simple at first blush, but it rises above, a good, honest, everyday cheese, lighly milky, slightly acidic, not too sharp…that well; I'd eat everyday if I could.

The friendly young lady let me check out the drying room….I loved it! I asked about the cows we had passed…and yes, these were all of their cows. At peak they produce about 10-15 wheels in a day. The young lady said Joe Matos is happy with doing things this way. And really isn't interested in expanding or being famous.

And we got hang out with truly "happy cows"…..

I wonder how many wheels, this not-so-little lady will put out?

Matos Cheese Factory
3669 Llano Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95407

I know I haven't mentioned this before….but the prices are quite inexpensive…like 40-60% less than what you'd pay for the same product here in San Diego.

So, we were in Santa Rosa and had two places on our list. Unfortunately, we went oh fer two. The first stop, a Chocolatier named Recherche Du Plaisir was closed for the day because they were at some fair. The second was the Russian River Brewing tasting room……but when we drove by, the line was all the way down the street….this was not going to do.

So we ended up going to the local Whole Foods, grabbing some salad, bread, and a beer and headed back to Petaluma. We ended up having a very nice lunch….that's the St George, which we almost polished off.

So if you're in the Marin – Sonoma area and want a break from your wine tasting….why not visit a couple of stops on the cheese trail. You can find up to date info here.

We had a blast.

It was now time for a nice afternoon nap…then off to dinner!

Della Frattoria (Petaluma), Point Reyes Farmer’s Market, and Tomales Bay Foods (Cowgirl Creamery)

October 23, 2015 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Cheese, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Travel

Our one full day in Marin – Sonoma County was going to be a rather busy. Instead of doing what most folks here would do (wineries), we went after some cheese.

But first, breakfast. We headed to Old Town Petaluma, which looked quite sleepy…..

And headed to a place our good friend Candice recommended for breakfast named Della Frattoria. Part bakery, coffee shop, and brunch stop, we enjoyed the atmosphere, and the folks here are quite friendly.

The coffee was decent and the brunch menu was nice, lots of bread (duh) based items. While there were many tempting options, the Missus and I aren't keen on huge breakfasts. Especially if we have a busy day ahead of us. I did see something I thought we'd both enjoy, which I hadn't seen since we were on Malta, a sandwich made with an Italian style flatbread called a piadina. The sandwich seemed like more than enough for the two of us and we were willing to pay the split plate charge of three bucks, but the really nice young man said, "why don't you just order the sandwich and I'll bring you an extra plate….it's already cut in half. that way you won't have to waste three bucks." Nice folks, eh?

It was all the great breakfast suspects plus the addition of arugula which balanced things out. It's that bread that really made this sandwich…..closer to a "fry bread", than a piadina, it was really nice and crisp, and really good. Just enough for the both of us.

Della Fattoria
141 Petaluma Blvd N
Petaluma, CA 94952
Hours:
Open Daily 7am – 3pm

We then headed off to our first stop for the day, over to Point Reyes Station, parking our car on the street. The town is very quaint and seemed like a favorite stop of bicycle folks, who were taking a carb break along the street.

On Saturday mornings, Toby's Feed Barn turns into the Point Reyes Farmer's Market.

It's a cute little Farmer's Market, with a quaint small town feel. I love the vibe.

The main reason we drove here was because one of our favorite domestic cheesemakers; Cowgirl Creamery is located here. We started at the booth at the Farmer's Market…….where the woman working seemed quite uninterested in talking about the cheese and just really wanted to give out samples. Perhaps she hadn't gotten her morning coffee yet…..

We did enjoy Toby's Feed Barn though….which actually is a feed barn…..

But these days also a really cool store and art gallery……

Point Reyes Farmer’s Market at Toby’s Feed Barn
11250 Hwy 1
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956
Hours:
Saturday 9am – 1pm

Not having had great luck at the Farmer's Market, we headed down the street to Tomales Bay Food where Cowgirl Creamery's Shop is located.

Unfortunately, even though the sign said open (920 am Saturday morning)….no one wanted to acknowledge my existence……

Since I really didn't think I should have to hail the young lady standing behind the counter considering I was the only person in the place as well as standing in front of the cheese case a few feet from her….yes, I did have questions….and yes, I wanted to learn something about that Red Hawk we enjoy so much. But it was not to be.

Tomales Bay Foods
80 4th St
Point Reyes Station, CA 94956

Point Reyes Station is a cute little town and Cowgirl Creamery makes some of our favorite cheese…..however……well, I'll just leave that be. We were off to have more cheese.

Thanks for reading!