mmm-yoso – Page 285 – 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.

Petaluma: Central Market

October 16, 2015 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Travel

After lunch in Sonoma we drove over to Petaluma and the apartment we'd be staying in. So glad it had A/C as it was pretty hot out.

We loved the location, about a mile and a half from downtown Petaluma, we would get some exercise walking to and from dinner. A big plus were the lovely Victorian homes that lined the streets on our walk to and from dinner.

Even those homes that were sort of ranch or adobe style had their own unique touches……I loved this front yard.

We really enjoyed walking down "D" and "B" streets.

Petaluma's historic downtown is quite charming. The city was once called the "Egg Capitol of the World" and this is where Lyman Byce perfected the Egg Incubator. It was also the agricultural crossroads for Marin and Sonoma counties. The downtown area still has a stately, but also a "cow town/agricultural" kind of feel. And it's home to two other important "names"; Mesa Boogie and Leo Laporte.

When deciding on dinner; the name "Central Market" kept coming up. Even by Leo Laporte! After reading about the "farm to table", made from scratch philosophy, this seemed like a perfect fit for dinner in what was once the agricultural center of the area.

Loved the space with its high ceilings. The place was fairly empty when we arrived but filled up quickly. Our Server, Ashley was the perfect balance between polished, professional, and friendly. The feel was up-market, yet

casual, with folks in everything from jackets to shorts and sandals. I believe they call their style "Cali-terranean" or something like that.

Now call me a terrible Food Blogger for not photographing the wine….we had the Sauvignon Blanc from Six Sigma Vineyards with our starters and salads and the Cuvee, and really nice red blend with our main.

And then there were the Pork Cracklins ($6.50).

Very light and crisp, not overly salted, with enough paprika to give it a wonderful smokiness.

We liked the Fresh Burrata with Beefsteak Tomatoes with Capers and Anchovy Dressing ($12.50)

As one would expect, the tomatoes were quite meaty, but we'd probably have enjoyed them having a bit more flavor and acid. The combination of Burrata Cheese, the deeply savory anchovy, added with restraint, and the peppery and grassy olive oil was quite a hit.

The Farm Chicory Salad ($11) was nice.

While it was bit too "lukewarm" for our tastes; the fennel and the olives, lifted this from being just another ho-hum salad.

The Missus loves Her Beets, so the Red Beets – Cherry Tomato – Cucumber Salad ($9.50) was a must have.

This was a well put together dish, the cucumbers and arugula made it for me. I thought the pesto clashed with the Greek yogurt dressing, but there were no complaints from the Missus.

Without a doubt; the best single dish we had on this trip was the special for the day; the Pork Confit.

The pork was just simple perfection, crisp on the exterior, moist and just firm enough, not falling to pieces interior. It was also so very "porcine" in flavor and went really well with the refried beans, in lieu of the what would normally probably be mashed potatoes, was a very pleasant surprise as I'd never have thought of that combination. Which tasted really great with the pork. The demi-glace was also very good, not overly salty. The Missus was smitten with how light and crunchy those onion rings were.

Dessert? Well, the Missus has a new favorite, as She loved the Affogato.

Call it fire and ice; espresso poured over ice cream. The Missus just loved this, the best of both worlds as it were.

Me, I was still feeling the heat and wanted some liquid refreshment for the walk back to our apartment. I decided to get something light and refreshing and the Scrimshaw Pilsner from North Coast Brewing Company (Ft Bragg) filled the bill.

We really enjoyed our meal at Central Market. All the dishes were at the least "solid", prepared well, and the service was the best we had on our trip. The space is very warm and welcoming and we'd gladly eat here again. And that pork was just amazingly perfect.

Plus, I loved this sign above the men's urinals…..

Central Market
42 Petaluma Blvd N
Petaluma, CA 94952

We were really enjoying the vibe here……

We walked back to the apartment and headed off to bed. Tomorrow was going to be a fairly long day….lots to do. There was that Cheese Trail thing after all…..

Thanks for reading!

Sonoma: OSO Restaurant, Wine Country Chocolates, and Vella Cheese Company

October 15, 2015 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cheese, Chocolate, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Travel

I thought it quite a coincidence, Ed from Yuma told me he and Tina had just returned from Sonoma and had a post ready. I mentioned that we headed in that direction in just a couple weeks. Ed and Tina both enjoy nice wines, so a trip to Sonoma made perfect sense. So what were we after? Well, cheese of course! We'd been enjoying various Northern California Cheeses for a while and while doing a bit of research, I came across the Sonoma Cheese Trail and soon enough I was looking for flights and accommodations. In the end, we flew Virgin America, and really enjoyed the service….and ended up staying at an AirBnB in Petaluma. The drive up from SFO was nice, the Missus always gets a kick driving on the Golden Gate Bridge. Since we couldn't check in until later in the day, we headed straight away to Sonoma……man, it was pretty darn hot when we arrived.

Things went off the rails a bit when we found that the place we had planned on having lunch at; the Epicurean Connection had closed and we had to find a Plan B. Which turned out to be right on Sonoma Square named OSO. The name hit home since "Oso" in Spanish means "bear" and for some reason this brought me back to our recent trip to Madrid and El Oso y el Madroño, The Bear and the Strawberry Tree, Madrid's Coat of Arms.

The place had a very relaxed vibe, our Server, who asked us to forgive any small errors because she was in training was perfect. The menu featured some small plates, salads, a burger, salmon, and the like.

The Missus enjoyed Her Cucumber Gimlet, which was very clean tasting and refreshing. I had a Orange Mule, the ginger beer did the same for me.

We started with the Little Gem Salad ($8).

Simply dressed, very petite, the Missus loved the beets. I thought the pistachios were a nice touch.

Without a doubt, the best item we had were the Deviled Eggs ($10).

The filling was perfect, light, with just the right amount of curry to enhance and lift the flavor of the yolks. The paprika added a touch of smokiness….and the crown jewel was the sweet crab that topped the eggs. The Missus loves Her eggs….and She really enjoyed this.

The Mole Braised Pork Shoulder Tacos ($14), left something to be desired.

The mole negro was very bland and mild, something that a mole should not be. The pork was dry and the centers cold. The tortillas rapidly fell apart.

Overall, a decent start to our couple of days in the area. We enjoyed the vibe, casual, relaxed, and the friendly service.

OSO Sonoma
9 E Napa St
Sonoma, CA 95476

Our next stop was right up the street. Tucked into a small shopping arcade. Blink and you might miss the sign.

Belgium really made the Missus into a chocolate lover, so this was a nice stop for us.

The place was doing some great business.

The Missus had a few tastes and made Her selections. I saw Her having one the other day and She told me they are quite enjoyable. I believe the chocolates are actually made in Glen Ellen.

Wine Country Chocolates
414 1st St E
Sonoma, CA 95476

We headed away from Sonoma Plaza, a few blocks North and found the actual reason we decided to stop in Sonoma; Vella Cheese Company.

Located in the old Sonoma Brewing Company Building which was built in 1904. When prohibition hit, Gaetano Vella took over the building to make cheese in 1931.

Vella Cheese is known for their "dry jack" a Monterey Jack styled cheese that is aged for 7-10 months. We ended up having a nice round of tastings and decided that it was the Mezzo Secco that we enjoyed the best.

"Mezzo Secco" means "half dry" and this version of Jack cheese is aged from 4-7 months. It's nicely neutral with nicely balanced nutty-grassy-milky flavors. It tastes great solo. It's also fairly hardy and would make the trip back to San Diego with no problem.

Vella Cheese Company
315 2nd St E
Sonoma, CA 95476

On the way back to the car we ran into this rather friendly guy….

In spite of the little "hiccup" at the beginning; things were turning out well. We were happy to get back to the car though…..the temp in the car read 97 and we were happy for some AC. Next up…we were off to Petaluma.

Thanks for reading!

What’s My Craving? Mien Trung

October 14, 2015 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Restaurants

Talk about the post that never wanted to be….I was working on this post last week when my PC, which was all of over a decade old decided to finally kick the bucket. When things were up and running again, the weather got so hot and muggy that I felt guilty about even doing a post on Mien Trung.

Mien Trung has been a favorite of ours over the years, though the Missus doesn't get the Bun Rieu anymore because they stopped using the correct thinner noodles and I've been noticing some inconsistency, as "Mom", the older woman who owns the place gets older. So a couple of weeks back, when the heat turned for a bit the Missus and I decided to visit Mien Trung. Strangely, we didn't recognize any of the folks working….we've been coming here for years mind you.

The service was odd, we got the wrong order, and my bowl of Bun Bo Hue was waiting….sitting on our table because they forgot to bring the greens. And my Bun Bo Hue looked wrong and even smelled a bit different as well.

It was missing the cilantro and onions. The noodles were soft and mushy. The broth was very spicy and was really salty, and where was the red hue from the annatto oil? This was bad. The first thing I did was text my good friend "YummyYummy" asking if Mien trung had been sold or if "Mom" had retired. No one knew……

At least the Missus's Hen Xuc Com – spicy baby clams over rice was spot on. Very peppery a bit spicy, with nice savory tones.

Regardless, I was a bit worried…….Mien Trung had been a staple of ours for years.

I decided to return, but the weather once again got too hot. I did receive a text from "YY" telling me they had dropped by MT and "mom" was there. Still, I decided that I needed to drop by and check things out for myself.

And yes indeed "Mom" was in the house.

And while this was much better; it was still not quite the same. While the nice bracing flavor of lemongrass was back, and things were now the status quo, there was something missing….the flavors just seemed dulled, the dish lacked the vibrancy that made MT a stop on our rotation. It's easy to see the difference in this vintage shot of the Bun Bo Hue.

Sadly, Mom might be winding things down and passing the torch. Time does pass….it used to be that when Mom wasn't around MT would close. I do hope that the next time I visit I'll see that bright bowl of BBH and have those wonderful fragrances wafting through the air….but if it is not to be, Mien Trung had a great run.

Mien Trung Restaurant
7530 Mesa College Dr
San Diego, CA 92111

Urbn St Brewing Co (El Cajon)

October 13, 2015 Cathy Beer, Pizza, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to see what mmm-yoso!!! is writing about today. Kirk is under the weather and Ed (from Yuma) is otherwise occupied (in Yuma) so Cathy is writing this short post.

There are five different locations of URBN and the one closest to home is this one, URBN St Brewing Co, in El Cajon.This is the building from the parking lot. The front door is on Magnolia at Main (the North West corner, next to the Starbucks).The 'windows' are the roll up garage door kind, so everything is exposed. You can see the bar area has plenty of taps. The side televisions are beer menus.Once inside, the industrial hipster brewery look is obvious.The Mister was here to try some of the house beers ($7 for an URBN flight) (of four): Saison (bright and light in flavor), Unite (a red Belgian rye, brewed in collaboration with Twisted Manzanita Brewery (located in Santee)), Brown (graham cracker with chocolate undertones) and Triple Brown (strong coffee notes). Each beer was unique and fresh in taste. We enjoyed all of our choices.

The menu at dinner is straightforward, with pizza and salad being the primary choices along with four appetizers and desserts.The URBN salad (small, $7). A nice mix of greens topped with gorgonzola, pears, a walnut brittle and a light vinaigrette. This could be a meal for one (the bowl is deep), but we shared. It was very fresh and flavorful.None of the preselected ingredient pies appealed to us, so we chose to 'Craft Your Own'. We chose a Small, White with parmesan/garlic/evoo ($10) then added Ricotta ($2) and artichokes ($2).

That small pizza is on a regular size cookie sheet (half sheet cake size)! More than enough.

The flavor combination was just right, with the garlic and olive oil complimenting -and not overpowering- the Ricotta or artichoke hearts. The crust was more cracker-like than the edges, which I don't normally like, especially when cold..but this pizza never got to the point of being leftover…

URBN St. Brewing Co. 110 N. Magnolia (at Main) El Cajon 92020 (619) 328-6922 Website Open Sun-Thurs 11:30-10, Fri-Sat 11:30-midnight

AppeThai

October 12, 2015 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** AppeThai has closed

Back in the end of September, I mentioned that what looked to be a Thai Restaurant, named AppeThai was replacing Yes! Pingo. To my surprise, just a few days later I saw the "Now Open" sign posted.

The place looked open one morning at a bit after 10am. With my scheduled booked through the normal lunch hour, I was headed to Nijiya, but decided to stop here instead.

The menu seemed very "street-foodish" with a variety of noodles and curry, you know, the pick your protein thing. The setting wide-open and fast casual, much like J&T. You order and pay at the counter and such. I really like the setting and seating arrangement.

I ended up ordering something I will usually order when faced with a typical noodle menu to check the kitchen's stir fry skill and something I hadn't seen in a while.

If you've been reading this blog for a while you know that my test of a Thai cooks stir fry skills is the simple Pad See Ew. At it's most simplest, rice noodles, soy sauce (light and dark), egg, Chinese Broccoli, garlic, and perhaps palm sugar. All the same ingredients. It's up to the cook to make it right. So how was this?

In terms of flavor, this was pretty good. A bit more garlic than I'm used to and not as sweet, but you couldn't say it was bland. Shrimp was also prepped decently and quite moist and tender. The wok skills weren't quite what I consider top-notch as the noodles were too mushy and some of the pieces of the gailan were too hard while other pieces were too mushy. It was, however, far from being bland. The rest of the "stuff" was just filler….the really bad pre-frozen bulk gyoza and the totally insipid soup.

The item I really enjoyed, maybe because I haven't had it in years….I just don't recall seeing it on menus is the Tod Man KhaoPod – Fried Corn Fritters. Talk about Thai Street Food…… Not cheap at $3 a pop, but I really enjoyed these.

The sweet corn, the batter, crunch and slightly doughy, with a mild sweetness….I believe the classic recipe uses rice flour. While not quite as savory….versions I've had seemed to have garlic, perhaps scallions, and sometimes even a bit of curry. This was simple, but I enjoyed it. And it displayed the kitchen's ability to fry….. I found the sauce provided a bit too sweet for my taste and pretty one-dimensional.

So, of course I returned, with my co-worker CF in tow for an early quick lunch….we were headed to a meeting that would span the normal lunch hour. On my way out the door on my previous visit, I asked the really friendly young lady for some recommendations. Which I ordered on this visit….along with those corn fritters.

Spicy Noodles with Chicken.

While the stir-fry job was much better this time around, I gotta say this was pretty bland. It lacked sweetness, spice, and the chicken….breast of course was dry as heck.

The corn fritters were nice as before and I also got the Larb Moo Tod…basically deep fried larb. It' seems to be a problematic dish, as when I've had it before, the meatballs, let's not kid ourselves, really just tasted like deep fried meatballs, without the wonderful flavors one would associate with larb.

Now these little orbs were $4….for basically 4 rather small meatballs. And unlike the Tod Man Kha0 Pod, this needed a sauce as other than a nice lemongrass flavor, I found it lacking. I thought it really needed a citrus-sweet-spicy "punch".

The Nam Tok was also just ok.

I was happy when they didn't ask us for a "heat level". not so happy when we got "gringo'd" Not enough of that nutty rice powder, not enough citrus, too sweet, the beef was a bit too tough, no pungency from garlic, and kind of bland (really lacking in fish sauce) overall. I guess ok as a basic "salad" but not even close to what I make at home…..not that I'm expecting that.

Not sure what CF really thought, though he did bring his wife there for those corn fritters and a taste of Beer Lao which they serve. I'm thinking it might be a nice snacking option when visiting Common Theory next door. On my way out the door, the very warm and friendly young lady told me the cook is from Bangkok, so I'll probably revisit in the future….to see if any of their other fried items are as good as the corn fritters.

Appethai
4813 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Ono’s Cafe

October 11, 2015 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Plate Lunch

**** Ono's Cafe has closed

Waaay back in May of 2006, I had the "malasadas" At Ono's Café. I'm always meant to return someday, especially after reading CC's post back in 2008. Now, I'm not much of a "rolls" kind of guy, but some of the other items on the menu were just the kind of "grindz" I enjoy.

Man, they've really spruced up the place since I'd last been here. When I visited the place did mainly snacks and smoothies. Now it's a proper restaurant……

Let me first say that the folks here are wonderful. I had really nice Servers on all my visits, very friendly, efficient, just great kids.

An acquaintance of mine recommended the Kalua Pork, something I grew up eating, and of course I make a version for parties and friends. And so, I ordered it.

So let's start with the good….the rice was nice. The salad with the Maguro was a nice touch, even though it was "saku" fish and the whole salad was quite large, larger than the portion of pork. The dressing was way too mild.

I didn't care for the kalua pork prep. That teriyaki sauce was cloyingly sweet and just masked any flavor from the pork. I did taste the pork and felt it was under seasoned and a bit too greasy.

Still, the folks were so very nice that I decided to come back during happy hour.

Looking over the happy hour menu; one item was a no-brainer….the Spam Musubi, which was actually some kind of Spam Roll.

Much like the kalua pork, this was a bit too much. I would have been fine without the sauce which kind of blurred the entire dish. I thought the spam could have been seared a bit, which would have added that nice crisp texture. The rice was a bit too mushy for my tastes.

Sadly, the Chicken Karaage was even worse. Just look at the color!

The temp of the oil obviously wasn't hot enough; the batter was gummy and this wasn't very pleasant to eat. Unlike the other items I had, this was also very mild in flavor. Not good eats.

And yet, the service was so very nice….so I decided to give them another try. This time I ordered a favorite of mine; Chicken Katsu.

This came with some miso soup, which didn't have enough miso in it. It was quite weak and watery.

When the chicken katsu arrived, I noticed a problem right off. A pet peeve of mine….the breading was peeling off.

And while this can happen to the best of them, there really is no excuse for it. Also, I quickly noticed how thin the chicken had been pounded. Too bad because the breading was nice and crunchy, the Asian slaw went well with the dish, and the rice was cooked nicely.

So, what to say….I love the folks who work here, but the food? Well, call me picky, but each dish on my visits seemed to have one, or more issues. Too bad, because I really like the staff and the vibe of the place.

Ono’s Cafe
4154 Bonita Rd
Bonita, CA 91902

Portland – Like Deja vu All Over Again: A Morning Walk, Blue Star Donuts, and Tasty n Alder

October 10, 2015 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts, Portland, Oregon, Travel

If this post seems familiar, well, it should. Call me a creature of habit….or perhaps as the Missus puts it; "boring". On our second morning I got up before the Missus and went for a walk. Not far mind you. My joints were creaking from the day before.

I didn't realize it at the time, but the stops we made on this morning eerily mirrored what I did on our previous visit to Portland.

I could tell that it was going to be a hot one as the sun rose quite brightly over Pioneer Courtyard Square. Though I've walked through this square quite a few times, I realized that I had never taken a decent photo of that iconic Bronze Sculpture named Allow Me, by Seward Johnson. So I finally got a fairly decent shot…..

I then headed up (down?) SW Washington and back to Blue Star Donuts.

Things weren't quite as busy as they were the last time around.

Since our breakfast destination didn't open until 9am, I decided to pick up (only) 2 donuts for the Missus and I to sample. I got the Missus the Chocolate Ganache…She loved the chocolate topping, but apparently is not a big fan on the brioche style dough used for the donuts.

Me…the one without a sweet tooth, really enjoyed the Orange – Olive Oil donut. It was totally an "grown up" flavored treat….not too sweet.

Just something to keep us until breakfast…..

Blue Star Donuts
1237 SW Washington St
Portland, OR 97205

***Tasty N Alder has closed

One of the main reasons the Missus wanted to return to Portland was Tasty n Alder…… this might just be one of the Missus's favorite places…..to the extent that we visited twice on our previous trip to Portland.

Our Server was the same one we had last time….of course she didn't remember us…but that doesn't really matter because she is a joy.

And of course we had to get that Radicchio Salad, the one the Missus has me make a derived copycat version of.

As good as ever.

It might sound a bit strange, but we both enjoy veggies/salads for breakfast, so the "Simple Greens" was really nice….especially since it was already getting pretty hot outside.

Crisp,. nicely chilled vegetables…..very refreshing with a simple dressing.

I believed we needed something more substantial, so we went with Aaron's Northwest Migas.

Sort of like a Chilaquiles meets Tex-Mex version of Migas….this was fine. The corn and the green chilies made the dish. It was hearty without being too filling. Not sure if I would have this again….for us, it seems that TnA does veggies the best, but it was quite filling as we'd end up walking a lot more (duh) than I'd anticipated.

Tasty n Alder
580 SW 12th Ave
Portland, OR 97205

After breakfast….we were off on a chocolate hunt for the Missus….stay tuned!

Original Pancake House (revisit)

October 9, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food. Cathy is writing today's post, because Kirk can't and Ed (from Yuma) doesn't feel like writing.

I first wrote about the Original Pancake House in 2009 and again in 2013. The Mister and I tend to stop here for breakfast on special occasions. This time, it was The Mister's birthday choice. The below photo is of the parking lot when we were leaving at 8:10 in the morning on a Sunday; OPH gets crowded early.OPH is a nationwide chain, with four locations in San Diego County. The food is consistent and high quality. The menu is lengthy.That morning, I was not in a mood for anything sweet, so I chose the chicken crepe ($10.25) One large, eggy crepe topped with chunks of white meat chicken, sliced olives, green chili, red pimento and a simple gravy. This was very good for breakfast. I had a choice of sides and chose the potato pancakes (because they are wonderful),which were served with sour cream and applesauce. The Mister's condiments were warm maple syrup and a pitcher of warm blueberries cooked in a sauce…which He proceeded to pour over His Blueberry waffle ($8.75) which had a lot of fresh blueberries baked into the batter (I took photos of the bottom and a cross section, but both were blurred). The batter for the pancakes as well as the waffles is a special blend. Each is unique and sweet in its own way.

We enjoyed this start to the day. Stay cool this weekend!

Original Pancake House 3906 Convoy San Diego 92111 858-565-1740 Website open daily 7 a.m.-3 p.m.

Krist Liquor & Market (Birria and Carnitas and more)

October 8, 2015 Cathy Markets & Grocers, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a blog. This week has been hectic for Kirk; he's multitasking, with some sort of new surprise popping up hourly. Ed (from Yuma) has had a more or less relaxing sort of week (in Yuma) with routines guiding his day. Cathy's week has been filled with added surprises, necessitating periodic concentration; writing this blog post is a way for her to wind down.

You've seen it and drove right past if you ever were South on Linda Vista Road, going toward the new location of Sab E Lee (which shares the same parking lot with Thuan Phat supermarket and Yum Cha Cafe), or maybe the original Sab E Lee location, which is now Thai Papaya (which Kirk may or may not like).

On the West Side of Linda Vista Road, next to the Jack In The Box (at Fulton Street)…Note the signage on the building to your left …rotisserie chicken, birria, carnitas. There is a menu on both of those open doors. Just walk inside.Sure, there's a whole wall of liquor as well as a refrigerator of cold beer and plenty of non-alcoholic beverages. There's also a small display case of Mexican baked sweets, as well as fruits and vegetables, a meat counter and a few aisles of various sundries. All the way in the back, you'll see-The menus up high.The steam trays in front of you.Condiments, sides and the stove (for warming tortillas) along the side.

Order and watch your meal being prepared. Grab a beverage or two. You'll pay at the cash register at the door. There is *no* seating.Usually, I'll get a quart of birria to go, but on this day, I asked for it as a combination plate ($6.49). I think it's the best birria, stewed until the beef is tender and with spicy, deep and complex flavors. The chef is always proud when I tell him it is my favorite.Here's a carnitas plate ($6.49) with no rice and all the sides that come with it. There is plenty here (you get six corn tortillas and there's always more meat than small tacos I make with the ingredients).The chicharrones guisados (stewed fried pork rinds in green sauce) made here is also one of the best. I asked for it to be made into two tacos. It's not listed on the menu, but I was only charged $3 for these.Here's another plate of carnitas from Krist. Different cooks, different results. All good.

Krist Liquor & Market 7152 Linda Vista Road San Diego 92111 (858)292-7986 Open Mon-Tue-Wed-Th & Sat 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri 8 a.m.-11 p.m., Sun 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Since there is no seating at Krist, we either have to drive home to eat or head toward Mission Bay, where there is plenty of seating and a view of Fiesta Island.

I hope your week is going well!

Szechuan Chef

October 7, 2015 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. The technical difficulties Kirk has been experiencing have increased exponentially. Ed (from Yuma) is enjoying his lack of technological complications (in Yuma). Cathy has had some posts accumulating because her technology level consists of downloading photos almost immediately after a meal. She's posting.

Long story short, in November there was an incident involving the necessity for The Mister to begin using a variety of prescription pharmaceuticals, the side effects of which are His having periodic cravings for certain foods; a majority of them spicy. After *much* trial and error, He whittled his favorites down (His favorite being Mr. Spicy). Szechuan Chef (Kirk was here in 2013; didn't like it) is in the Top Ten, primarily for one dish.Can't place it? Right next door to Myung In Dumplings, which Kirk wrote about earlier this year. The line at Myung In is sometimes out the door… The other anchor in this parking lot is Boba Time.The eating area is pretty spacious and always clean.Near the kitchen is an area of cold dishes. We have ordered, by pointing, not knowing how they will taste or what all of the ingredients might be. All have been pleasantly fresh and none have been too spicy-hot.We have turned into those typical touristy 'white people' and have ordered by pointing at photos on the menu. The above photo has been the most accurate one.The House Special Shrimp ($12.99) with a side of rice ($1) The shrimp are plump, juicy, nicely cooked. There is a bit of heat flavor and the slices of cucumber are a nice interlude.However it is not as spicy as you would think, considering all of these peppers…The won ton in chili sauce ($5.99) was nice. The chili sauce was fresh tasting and packed a back-of-the- tongue heat. The won tons were thin, quite filled with pork and tasted good without the sauce and nicer with it. This was different from Kirk's experience (linked above) where the word 'insipid' was used.Choosing to order a scallion pancake ($2.50) was a good idea on my part. Dipping it in the sauce helped me to taste the sauce in a more 'plain' way and enjoy the freshly made pancake a bit more. The twice cooked rockfish ($10.99) is always ordered (it's the 'craving' one that The Mister must have), because of the good fry methods used as well as the strong turmeric and light chili flavors. The cooked, chopped thin Chinese celery as well as onion and a few red bell pepper slices add more texture and flavor.The shrimp wonton tofu ($8.99) was a more of any typical Chinese restaurant meal. No heat, plump shrimp, soft tofu and the ever present peas and carrots. It didn't give me any sort of MSG reaction, so that is good. Nothing special; nothing bad.The Braised Fish Garlic Bowl ($10.99) is also a typical flavor mix, has nice spice of garlic without Szechuan heat and is quite large; all fish in that bowl along with roast garlic and scallion.

Anything here is large enough to be shared. We always end up taking home leftovers, as have more than 90% of the tables every time we've stopped in for lunch.

Szechuan Chef Cuisine 4344 Convoy Street, Suite F San Diego 92111 (858) 279-8881

No hours posted, but it's open by 11:30 every morning; maybe sooner.

I hope your week is going well, without interruptions by technology.