mmm-yoso – Page 300 – 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.

Seattle: Intrigue Chocolates, Sitka & Spruce, Starbuck’s Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room , and some Figgy Pudding

December 14, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, Chains, Chocolate, Desserts, Fine Dining, Seattle, Washington, Travel

The Missus felt refreshed after Her nap and I felt good after taking a walk around the Pioneer Square area.

Before heading off to Sitka & Spruce for dinner, the Missus needed a couple of gifts. Chocolate is always appreciated. I looked up a couple of places and found a listing for Intrigue Chocolate who specializes in truffles.

The kitchen, cum shop is located….well, I'll quote the website:

"The shop, which is also our industrial-style kitchen, can be a little tricky to find because we are not on the street level. Easiest way to find us is to find the entrance to Sake Nomi (Sake bar) and continue up the stairs. Then it's just down the hall which turns to the left, and we are the clearly marked brown door, third on the left."

The two guys running the place were so enthusiastic, they'd let us try everything if we'd been able to stay longer! They also make a nice cold brew concentrate as well!

Our favorites were the Juniper Berry and the Nutmeg & Chipotle.

We loved the place, they just seem to enjoy what they do…..and even though they currently use, high quality Belcolade chocolate, we were given a taste of a work in progress, the chocolate they are developing on their own. It was nice talking coffee and Belgian chocolate. We'll be back.

Intrigue Chocolate
76 S Washington St. Suite 104
Seattle, WA 98104

We headed back to our room, dropped off the truffles, and headed off to….

Sitka & Spruce:

**** Sitka & Spruce has closed

The walk was a tad over a mile, though the hills…..sheesh…anyway we did pretty good time, about 20 minutes to Melrose Market in the popular and trendy Capitol Hill neighborhood. We loved the setting; Sitka & Spruce is located in back of the brick building, understated, in that warm, yet somewhat industrial style, high ceilings, a large communal table, and open kitchen…..

The restaurant itself is not large; just a few tables, counter, and communal table seating. As is our MO, we try to eat early, before the rush and crowds. We usually get a better experience and the restaurant is able to do "it's thing".

My main reason for selecting S&S was the menu, which is nice and tight, focusing on seasonal Northwest products. We both thought the tapas-type dishes were much more interesting and we prefer having a tasting style meal. Our diet has changed quite a bit over the last couple of years and the small dishes at S&S seemed right up our alley. A variety of great local produce with interesting combinations of texture and flavors. So we were quite excited to try this establishment of the Matt Dillon empire.

There was one interesting thing about the beverage selection…..based on our dinner the previous night at The Walrus and the Carpenter and now Sitka & Spruce, it seems that Wine and Cocktails are still king for meals in Seattle. Which I thought strange since I usually see Seattle ranked in the top 10 beer cities in the US. Here it's nothing on tap, five choices Hilliard from a can or Rainier?

Whatever….I guess we'd just go and find the Stumbling Monk, or another place after dinner.

We started with the Charcuterie ($25)

While the air dried ham (aka prosciutto, though they can't call it that) was "meh", really bland and lacking in the deep cured flavor we love, there were some real winner here. The chicken liver, basically a a light, spreadable pate really caught me off guard, sweet molasses at first, giving away to savory, with that chicken liver finish. I'm not a big fan of metallic chicken liver flavors, though I love my pate's. This gave me a wonderful ride. The duck rillette had a tremendous almost condensed duck flavor. The head cheese was nice and balanced and the pork terrine was also very tasty. Loved the variety of flavors present here.

Next up Delicata Squash, Haloumi, and Pumpkin Seeds ($15).

We started seeing Delicata Squash on menus last fall. The Missus loves them; moderately sweet, with a nice texture, and an edible peel….heck, even I enjoy them. So it goes without saying the Missus loved this. I really enjoyed the combination of flavors, the nuttiness of the pumpkin seeds, the light subtle milkiness of the haloumi cheese. I thought the amount of nuttiness and milky flavors went beyond just the haloumi and pumpkin seeds. When I mentioned this to our Server, she also noted that the sauce was made of whey and argan oil. The mint also added another dimension of flavor…….

My least favorite dish of the night was the Charred Celeriac, Braised Quince, Ambrosia Apple and Bread Crisps ($15).

I really didn't care for the amount of almost tart-tannic flavors. The celeriac was lost in the dish. Tongue numbing and not in a good way.

The Smoked Potato, Pickled Seaweed, Anchovy, and Egg Yolk ($16), took me to that edge…..I loved the smoky flavor, the seaweed added a nice oceany brine, the anchovies were teetering on the edge of too salty, but that egg yolk somehow seemed to temper the salt.

I loved the smoked potatoes….why hadn't I tried that before? Smashed potatoes also seemed to be "the thing" in Seattle. The Missus said She'd have preferred bacon, but I told Her, "that would be so TGI Friday's". Loved the crisp skin on the potatoes as well. you can tell by the meal I made the day after we returned, that this dish made an imprint.

By far, the best single dish we had on this trip was the Hen of the Woods Mushroom, Guanciale, Oyster Cream, and Cider ($18).

My goodness, the earthy-savory aroma, meaty texture of the Hen of the Woods mushroom, more familiar to me as Maitake, was just superb. The sage along with the cider added an citrus tone, along with a hint of sweetness. The oysters in the sauce just took the flavors to another level. I'm not sure of the purpose of the guanciale as I couldn't make out any pork flavors. But who cares. In terms of an outstanding dish; this has our votes.

I realize that the dishes we chose and enjoyed at S&S might not be for everyone; especially the hardcore carnivore. There are 3-4 entrees on the menu any given night….this time it was chicken, black cod, and rabbit. I just chose dishes that best reflected the foraging background of Matt Dillon. I believed that this would be the strongpoint of the restaurant and it seemed that way to us. Our check came in at a bit over a hundred and it was worth every penny.

Sitka & Spruce
1531 Melrose Ave
Seattle, WA 98101

We were a bit too full and decided against finding a pub. But, as we headed back toward Pike Street we noticed a crowd of people being let into a building. We walked up Pike a bit, then headed back down. When we passed the building again, the Missus couldn't help it…..we had to go and check it out.

The place seemed buzzing….hip…..totally perfect for the Missus….totally wrong for me.

Arriving at the door, we asked the gentleman inside what was going on. "This is the grand opening of the Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room, please come in……" Wow, it seemed like a big deal.

Just looking at the equipment, it looks like Starbucks is experimenting with going more high end.

I'm not the biggest fan of Starbucks….but kudos to them for seeming to ride the Third Wave.

This place looks fantastic and smells wonderful. Roasters were on hand to explain the different processes and equipment.

These guys really know how to market…….

Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room
1124 Pike St
Seattle, WA 98101

Heading down Pike, we ran into the inevitable shopping crowds…..heck, Christmas is around the corner.

But the crowd seemed extra dense and we heard music in the air……and my goodness…Sugarplum Elves?

Well, it turns out we ran into the Great Figgy Pudding Caroling Competition near Westlake Center. Man, this was cute and fun.

This was the 28th annual contest and it was such fun. The proceeds goes to the Pike Market Senior Center and Food Bank. I'm guessing this is a good cause and event since even the Ferguson protesters we'd seen the night before decided to cancel their demonstration on this evening.

It's a fun event……all ages participate.

It's all these things that makes Seattle special for us….there's always an interesting surprise.

We talked about this as walked back to Whole Foods……the Missus wanted me to get in as much exercise as I could. This was the reason I was thinking of moving here before I met the Missus.

And while I don't think we could live here; it's a bit too cold, there's not enough Asian food within a 2 hour drive, and there's not enough sunshine. The city holds a special place in our hearts. So I guess we'll have to keep coming back.

COMC: The Smoking Goat and Romesco

December 13, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, European Restaurants, French Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants

I usually don't take photos in these type of restaurants. I hate bothering other customers and feel strange with a ton of people around me (i.e. Juniper and Ivy). These have been lying around for a while so I thought I'd just do a photos post.

Very different in terms of cuisine; but some common ties. The service at both places was good. And I thought the salads were the best dish. Strangely uneven and somewhat underwhelmed overall.

The Smoking Goat:

The cassoulet was probably the meal in a microcosm, some of it was excellent, the andouille melted in your mouth, almost etheral, the lamb was just amazing. However, the duck confit was dry and too salty, and the "stewed" flageolot beans, I love the usual firmness giving away to a nice creamy testure, were in this case undercooked and hard, not tough, hard….loved the breadcrumb crust. A hundred bucks later, we left scratching our heads…..

The Smoking Goat
3408 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104

Romesco:

For some reason, I really took to the tableside Caesar Salad, it just had the right balance of flavors for me.

Other than that, I can't really say I was impressed…..

Romesco Mexiterranean Bistro
4346 Bonita Rd
Bonita, CA 91902

Seattle: Breakfast at Lola, Pike Place Market and Piroshky Piroshky, a visit to Tom Bihn, and other familiar places

December 12, 2014 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Markets & Grocers, Seattle, Washington, Travel

After putting in the miles the previous day, we awoke to what I consider a rather typical Seattle morning.

It always makes me want to jump right back in bed…… We usually wake very early when travelling. Getting up at 4 or 5 am is the norm, whether in Hanoi, Prague, Antigua, or Istanbul. When in Seattle though, we usually get a great, long, night of sleep. And usually awake famished……

The Missus picked the spot for breakfast; Lola in Belltown. I was interested as well, since this is part of the Tom Douglas empire. In spite of all my visits to Seattle, I'd only eaten in one Tom Douglas restaurant; Dahlia Lounge back in 1994, when he won the James Beard award for Best Chef: Northwest.

It was 8am on a Friday morning and the place was packed!

The Missus ordered the "Lola Breakfast" ($15)…..and for some reason ordered Her eggs boiled…6 minute eggs. One of the eggs that arrived had cracked and the albumen was oozing out sloppily. She asked about it and the Server grumpily removed the plate and it was brought back very quickly….so we knew they had just scrapped off the egg whites and dropped the plate back on the table…. the eggs, were also way past 6 minute territory.

Other than that, the smashed garlic potatoes were wonderful….I enjoyed the fingerling the best. We had potatoes this way twice in Seattle, something that I had done at home a while back, but now I've been inspired to do potatoes this way again. The bacon was very nice, great flavors, crisp around the edges, chewy in the center.

I ordered Tom's Favorite Breakfast ($19). I had read that Lola is Greek inspired and this "hash" of sorts featured octopus, which did not disappoint.

The octopus was among the best I've had in ages, perfectly tender, yet slight crisp from the griddle. The winter squash added a wonderful, mild sweetness to the dish, the bacon, salty-smoky flavors, and let's not forget the leek, which brought the entire dish together.

The poached egg was adequate, though I'm not a fan of the sourdough toast here….they are still into hard and chewy breads here.

We both enjoyed the coffee and instead of feeling weighed down by breakfast, both thought this hit the right balance in terms of portion size.

Lola
2000 4th Ave
Seattle, WA 98121

We then headed off to this Seattle landmark and truly one of my favorite places in the world.

No matter how many times I've visited Seattle; I've never gotten tired of checking out Pike Place Market.

We have our favorite places; the Missus never gets tired of watching donuts being made at the Daily Dozen Doughnut Company and I enjoy checking out Beecher's Cheese.

And then of course, as I mentioned back in 2007, Piroshky Piroshky is a must stop……

Well, make that "used to be" a must stop. I got a Sauerkraut, Cabbage, and Carrot ($4.20) which seemed to be a shadow of its former self….did they change the recipe somewhere in the recent past? First, the filling was pretty cold and strangely bland, second, the pastry lacked the buttery-yeasty flavor that we both recall.

Kind of sad since this used to be a tradition for us…….

Piroshky Piroshky
1908 Pike Pl
Seattle, WA 98101

Still, it's always grest to visit Pike Place Market and to check out places that weren't around the last time we visited……I did want to taste the shot of the brine at Britt's Pickles, but no one was around….so we'll just have to go next time.

We then started off to our next stop when it started to come down a bit. So we ducked into Seattle Coffee Works…the Missus had Her V60 pour over and I had some iced coffee.

When things settled down a bit we caught the route 131 bus down to SODO. Now, I might joke about the Missus and Her love for Chanel bags and such……but I've got a bit of a bag fetish as well. You see, I'd been searching for the perfect carry-on bag for years. We only do carry-on when we're travelling, unless we'll be bringing stuff back….we have a foldable duffle for that. A few years back, I got a Tom Bihn Tri Star, basically a European sized carry-on and I loved it. The Missus complained about spending so much for luggage, ya-da, ya-da, ya-da…..Until the Aeronaut 30 came out and I got Her one…..now She's a Tom Bihn-nite as well.

Anyway, Tom Bihn's factory and only showroom is located on Ohio Ave South. So we caught the bus, got out at the South Dawson Street stop and walked to the showroom.

The showroom is basically a partitioned off section in front of the factory floor. But…. I was in travel bag geek heaven! Anyway, the Missus determined that I should get an Aeronaut 45, which can actually hold a lot more than I believed. So yes, another bag for me…….

Tom Bihn

4750A Ohio Ave S
Seattle, WA 98134

We caught the bus back to Pioneer Square. By now we were getting a bit hungry. So we stopped by this fast casual shop named Sprout, ordered a Cobb Salad and went back to the room and shared it. By now it was nap time for the Missus and usually, I'd be joining Her. But, for some reason, I was still a bit jazzed. I guess that 10 hours of sleep I got he night before really did me good….except for my legs of course….

It had dried out a bit, so I decided to take a walk around the area….to some of those places I hadn't been to in a while.

Man, the last time I actually visited the Waterfall Garden was back in the 90's.

And though the area is still kind of gritty…..kind of like the Tenderloin in SF, things look a lot better than I remembered. It looks like folks are starting to move into lofts, we saw folks walking their dogs…..

I had a destination in mind…..funny, how you get into a pattern of things. By habit, I went to the "old" location of Uwajimaya…..and then remembered it had moved over a block back in 2000!

Picked up some bottled tea and water and walked back to where we were staying. I was kind of suprised to smell so much reefer in the air as I walked around Seattle. I don't ever recall that before!

I'd been gone over an hour, so the Missus had a nice nap. It looked like it was going to be a nice evening…..

And we had reservations at Sitka & Spruce for dinner…..

Two Al Fresco Taco Stands: Yuma

December 11, 2014 ed fromyuma Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

I really have no idea what Cathy and Kirk are doing today, but they are not posting at mmm-yoso, because Ed (from Yuma) has a post here instead. But before the actual post begins, Ed wants to give a shout out to the fabulous Tamale Festival in Somerton (just a few miles S of Yuma on Hwy 95) which this year will take place on Saturday, Dec 20, 2014. Over 40 different tamale vendors – real artisan tamales, some of the very best I have ever eaten. Come Go!

This is the prime season for dining out – out-of-doors, actually – in Yuma. Here are two places well worth a visit.

El Buen Taquito

Some things change – some things stay the same. El Buen Taquito has been part of the Yuma dining scene for a long time, well before my first post about it. Now EBT has relocated to 8th Street almost across from Food City, and it is only partially a taco truck these days:

As you can see, there is now a semi-enclosed space as well as restrooms; the cooking is done in the separate truck.

Currently, there is no identifier on the building because the signage for the new location is a small billboard facing west at the edge of the lot:

On the other hand, the menu is basically the same:

You go up to the window, place your order, get a number, and sit at one of the tables inside or out. Your food will arrive shortly.

Tina and I started with the consommé:

As previously, this was really good. Both of us appreciated that this broth was more complex than we anticipated – with herbal and citrusy notes that enhanced its beefiness.

Tina ordered two flautas, a taco dorado, and a tostada:

I received two sopes:

and five flautas:

EBT is the king of crunch. The simple potato rolled tacos were magnificent, perfectly deep-fried (who knows in what?). The mild shredded beef flavored the crispy folded taco and the tostada. My sopes lacked the crackle of the other items, but the corn cakes had a nice chew. I found the whole meal to be filling and satisfying. EBT doesn't do a lot, but what it does, it does well.

El Buen Taquiyo seems open from before lunch into the later evening every day, and it always seems to have customers.

Mariscos El Delfin

This is the second year for this small restaurant that occupies the space that previously contained the El Navegante truck (1019 Ave B):

Seafood is not just the specialty here, it is just about the only thing served. The truck seems to be a one-woman operation, and her English is not fluent, but this modest seafood stand with two plastic tables is doing a good job.

Recently I stopped in for her combination coctele – containing pulpo and Camaron (octopus and shrimp) ($10):

The sundae glass nearly overflowing with seafood. The octopus was perfectly prepared, not gooey nor leathery, just fresh and chewy tasting:

The shrimp fresh and perfectly cooked:

As well as sauces sitting on the table, Delfin has a first-rate HOT house salsa that can perk up anything:
While the seafood was perfectly prepared, the cocktail liquid was dominated by lime flavors and a bit one-dimensional. I also prefer a wider range of ingredients such as the campechanas at Juanita's or Mariscos Mar Azul.

On the other hand, right now Mariscos El Delfin is making my favorite fish tacos in town:

The fish filets are fresh and hot and flavorful. While the breading could be crunchier, the taco is otherwise wonderful and perfectly balanced.

The shrimp tacos likewise:

Tina and I were also amazed by the ceviche:

While not containing a lot of pescado, the freshness of all of the ingredients impressed. The balance between the citric tang and the crisp sweetness of the veggies was the perfect backdrop for the fish. No way overpowering, but just about right in every way.

Mariscos El Delfin is open 10 AM to 5 PM every day of the week except Monday.

Doing the two-step…..cooking that is. Shio Koji smoked chicken three ways, smoked cauliflower with a white balsamic-mint sauce, topped with fried shaved brussel sprouts, smoked, smashed potatoes with creme fraiche, bacon, and scallions

December 10, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, yoso-silly

We got back from Seattle fairly late in the evening. I had the following day off, but the Missus had to work some pretty long hours early the next morning. I'm the one that usually goes straight back to work…..we got home after midnight from Japan and I was off to sleep at 3am, then at the office at 6. So I guess I shouldn't have felt as bad for the Missus as I did….She did get a whole night's sleep and all; yet I still felt guilt to have the day off. The Missus had requested, "something good to eat for a change…." She wanted Smoked Shio Koji Chicken, just not wings. She also wanted me to try it prepped three different ways.

While out grocery shopping I had an idea; since the chicken would be a two step process; smoking then deep frying; why not start everything in the smoker, then prep/cook them in different ways….I had all afternoon……

Of course everything started off with the chicken, marinated for in my Shio Koji Marinade for three and a half hours; then smoked for 1 1/2 hours over cherry wood.

While the chicken was going, I sauteed some hickory smoked bacon lardons…removing the crisp bacon and setting my trusty cast iron pan aside. A half hour before the chicken was done, I started some baby white potatoes in a pot. These were done in about 15-20 minutes and immediately plunged into ice water for 5 then drained. I then used a skewer to prick several holes in each potato and set aside.

I removed the smoked chicken from the smoker; recharged some of the charcoal, added one piece of hickroy; I wanted a more assertive smoke flavor for what was up next.

It would be potatoes and cauliflower….. The cauliflower was simply seasoned with coarse Maldon Sea Salt, fresh ground pepper, and a squeeze of lemon.

These I smoked at a pretty high temp for an hour and a half. Meanwhile, I had some brussel sprouts on hand so I sliced a good number of them in half and finely shaved a couple.

I then divided the chicken into three "groups", the first got dredged in some potato starch.

I then removed the potatoes and cauliflower from the smoker….man, it really took on a nice smoky taste. I took a small piece and tried to match it with some flavors….I settled on mint and white balsamic….so I made a sauce.

I threw the sliced brussel sprouts into the smoker, I figured the Missus could use them in salads or other dishes.

I started the oil on my Big Kahuna, almost ten years old and a little worse for wear, but still going strong. First, I fried up the shaved brussel sprouts, it takes a few seconds; then the plain chicken, then the potato starch chicken. The last set was just plain.

I then removed the wok with the oil and put my cast iron pan on the fire to heat up that bacon grease. We'd just had some delicious smashed smoked potatoes at Sitka & Spruce and I wanted to get something close. I put a couple of potatoes in the pan, smashed them down and got both sides nice and crisp.

The rest was just plating. Chicken three ways, smoked cauliflower with a white balsamic-mint sauce, topped with fried shaved brussel sprouts, smoked, smashed potatoes with creme fraiche, bacon, and scallions. And a couple of smoked brussel sprouts and some Japanese pickles.

The Missus just loved the cauliflower and potatoes……

Fun, huh?

La Casa Blanca-revisit (La Mesa)

December 9, 2014 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Hello again and thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are busy with things. Cathy has no things happening, so she is blogging.

I wrote about La Casa Blanca more than a year ago and The Mister and I eat here pretty regularly, but the photos never make it out of my camera. Here are a few reasons why The Mister and I love this little place. Though the small twinkling lights are up(as they were in May of 2013), the main room wasn't fully decorated for the holidays..or was it? We should ask that most interesting man standing in the corner…When we drop by for lunch, there is usually a lady making fresh corn tortillas in an area near the bar. This day, it wasn't busy and she brought two to our table, with butter, just after the fresh made salsa and chips were brought over…what a way to whet the appetite.The Mister ordered a Jalisco Plate ($12.95) this day- carne asada seasoned just right along with the usual accoutrements, all good and fresh.One of the appetizers we enjoy is the Queso Fundido (con rajas) ($8.95). Queso Fundido can be ordered plain (it's quite a deep dish of melted cheese), with the roasted pepper (as seen) or with chorizo (as seen in the prior post) and this day we were trying to be 'healthy' eaters, with some vegetable…Then there is the reason I wanted to come here: the house made Ranchero Pinto Bean soup ($4.95). A very large bowl of this comforting multi bean, sausage, chorizo and bacon along with some onion, bell peppers, poblanos and topped with a dry cheese is just the thing I want on some days. It's filling and flavorful and just right.

I hope your week is going well.

La Casa Blanca 9570 Murray Drive La Mesa, CA 92042 (619) 466-2912 Website

Opposite Sides of the Street: Native Foods and Chicken Charlie’s FryBQ

December 8, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Chains, Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants

**** Both Native Foods and this location of Chicken Charlie's have closed

I'm still a bit disappointed that all of that development on the corner of Genesee and Balboa has given birth to a slew of chain and chain like restaurants. Still, something did catch my attention which triggered off this Jungian inspired conversation from Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket:

Pogue Colonel: You write "Born to Kill" on your helmet and you wear a peace button. What's that supposed to be, some kind of sick joke?
Private Joker: No, sir.
Pogue Colonel: You'd better get your head and your a$$ wired together, or I will take a giant $^!t on you.
Private Joker: Yes, sir.
Pogue Colonel: Now answer my question or you'll be standing tall before the man.
Private Joker: I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man, sir.
Pogue Colonel: The what?
Private Joker: The duality of man. The Jungian thing, sir.
Pogue Colonel: Whose side are you on, son?
Private Joker: Our side, sir.

Two restaurants, polar opposites, one trying to place a large, wet, vegan stamp on the fast casual restaurant business, the other, a favorite among fair goers for frying just about everything, seemed to be wanting to place that stamp in our arteries.

You really couldn't find to more contradictory paths with the same goal….feeding the masses, it seemed quite appropriate that the businesses were across the street from one another. Since both were on the way to and from work and meetings, I thought I should give them a try. And you know me, it meant eating at both places multiple times. So here goes…..

On the North side of Balboa, Native Foods:

To tell you the truth, I'd been curious about Native Foods since I read Elmo's post on the chain over four years ago. Though, to be just as honest, I really wasn't excited enough to drive to Point Loma to try them out.

The set-up is totally fast casual…remove the tree hugger bright colors and this could be Tender Greens or Smashburger…..or any number of fast casual shops.

On this visit, things seemed a bit disorganized….the cashier was busy talking to her customer and going over things while two other girls just kind of milled around. It looked a bit strange to me….

Like I mentioned earlier, I'd been intrigued by what Elmo and his pals had from Native Foods, so I ordered the Native Nachos ($6.95) and the Native Chicken Wings – in Buffalo Sauce ($5.95).

The nachos really didn't have any mystery flavors, it was fairly straight forward. My complaints would be that the chips were stale and the "native taco meat" was like eating pieces of organic grit, being hard and dry. Everything else was fine if a bit bland.

The "chicken" was a bit too spongy for my taste, though the "Buffalo"….strange because even though it's the name of a city….it's also a name of a pretty tasty four legged critter…anyway the sauce had a mild kick, the batter was decent, but that "Ranch Dressing" was very runny and tasted watered down.

Not a great meal by any means, but not terrible either, so I returned a few days later. I feel kind of like I cheated here since I ordered a salad…..I mean, a place like this should make a decent salad, right?

What kind of drove me nuts this time around was that I saw my salad come up in the window. There were no other customers and I got it to go. The two guys; one of them obviously the manager were just shooting the breeze, so I decided to use a stop watch after watching this go on for a few minutes.

So, it took over 7 minutes for that guy to reach up and grab my salad which had been sitting in the window. Sheesh, with a manager like that, no wonder folks seem pretty lax here.

I had ordered the Mexican Cobb ($8.95) and I thought it to be a decent salad. The Native Chicken sliced thin with an "Ancho" BBQ sauce, which pretty much tasted like a regular BBQ sauce, no deep smokey-sweet chili flavors, though this was not bad at all. I guess thin slices of the stuff works best. The dressing did have a nice little kick. This was nicely put together, from the jicama to the corn, to the black beans. I'd have no problem ordering this again.

And yet, I kind of felt like I needed to try something a bit different. On my next visit, I again hit an interesting delay. Three girls at the front counter, none of them had access to the register. Common sense dictates that perhaps one should just take my order until they can find the person with the blessed access….but no, I just cool my heels.

At least there was no unecessary waiting for what I ordered, the Native Chili (cup – $3.95) and something the cashier recommended sinceI was just stumped, a thing called the Chicken Run Ranch Burger ($9.95).

Eating chili glue with a flavor that seemed watered down and bland is not my favorite experience. I'm passing on this from now on.

If you see this sandwich approaching you; run, don't walk away from it. Imagine biting into a mushy sponge with dry buns, and liquid that looks like it leaked out of coleslaw oozing out. This was severely bland and I didn't enjoy the textural experience either.

For me, it's the salads here……

Native Foods Cafe
5604 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

On the South side of Balboa, Chicken Charlie's FryBQ:

I thoguht this a fairly interesting gamble for "Charlie". It's one thing to create fatty, over-the-top Fair Food. It's another taking that "fry everything gimmick" and having a brick and mortar shop.

I first went just a few days after opening at a bit of an offf hour so the place wasn't overly busy.

In a rather interesting coincidence, I ordered almost the same items as Kirbie did for her post. The Fried Avocados and a side of Fried Chicken.

I had fried several times here, so I'll just go over it once; these are very low quality bulk fries, lacking in potato flavor and kind of dry. The avocados were the favorite item I had here…….crunchy exterior, creamy avocado goodness….like eating crusted fat. Lovely.

The fried chicken were terrible.

These came out very quickly, so I think they were laying around under some heat source. The coating was soggy, grey, sloughing off like dead skin. The meat was cold to the touch and greasy in texture. It was also strangely under-seasoned for my taste.

The next time around I ordered the FryBQ Ribs, which was probably a mistake on my part.

These were hard as rock and the sauce was much to tangy and "dry", with a bit too much spice. You really couldn't taste any smoke or the ribs for that matter. Perhaps that was by design, but these were not my favorite.

Since I was working within the rule of three, I needed to revisit one more time. So I ordered an item that I enjy when done well, the Frog Legs. Frog Legs are a tricky thing, they go dry quickly if over-cooked. If not fresh, they turn a bit sour with a kind of mushy-sliminess to them.

I believe the photo to the right is pretty much my reaction to the frog legs. The fry job on these weren't good as the batter was soft and just fell of the beast. I'm glad the legs weren't dry, but the flavor seemed a bit off. Not even close to what I had at Red Rooster Catfish (which I believe has a new location).

And while I really didn't care for much of what I had here; I have to say the service was efficient. I saw Mr Boghosian follow up with customers who seemed ot waiting too long for their orders several times, which was a nice touch.

In the end, for a place that hangs its hat on frying, I thought the deep fry jobs were very uneven. Perhaps Chicken Charlie's forte are the fried sweets like oreoes and Klondike bars. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so I'll leave that for others.

Chicken Charlie’s FryBQ
5407 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Seattle: Lunch at Salumi Artisan Cured Meats and walking to The Walrus and Carpenter

December 7, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Italian Restaurants, Seafood, Seattle, Washington, Travel

The Missus and I have always said that Seattle is one of our favorite cities. I had even considered moving here before I met the Missus. We’ve always enjoyed the personality and vibe of the city; the unpretentious, tolerant, down-to-earth, polite, though perhaps a bit introverted folks….. We used to visit every year and our best visits were during the holiday season, so shame on us for not visiting since 2007. And double shame on us for not visiting during the end of fall/beginning of winter in 10 years!

There have been alot of changes in the 7 years since we visited, the very inexpensive Link Light Rail route from SeaTac to Downtown Seattle didn’t even exist back then. Now it’s an inexpensive $2.75 from the airport. I’d have never even considered staying near Pioneer Square when I first started visiting in 1993, yet here we were dropping off our luggage at the Courtyard Pioneer Square. It was easy making eating plans for this trip. Included in those plans was a visit to the Walrus and the Carpenter. The Missus jumped at the plan, since most of our past trips have kind of revolved around oysters. Of course She had Her own little twist on things. I’ve long mentioned various “death marches” the Missus had taken me on. Well, this time the Missus had an urban version planned.

She wanted to walk from Pioneer Square to the Walrus and the Carpenter. A walk of approximately 5.72 miles. In Seattle, in winter, yikes!

Just for kicks, I posted the question of this walk on the Chowhound Seattle Board. Unlike some of the other CH boards, the folks here seemed quite helpful. I didn’t expect 20+ answers….such varied opinions, from being a terrible (read: a nice way of saying certifiably insane) idea, about 50%, to being an urban adventure. As a joke, I mentioned the comment about going to Fremont, since the Missus had never seen The Fremont Troll. Well, She was all in….which made the walk over 7 miles long! Double sigh…..

Still, we were to start at Salumi. We’d never had a chance to check out this very popular shop, so I was more than happy to start here.

I was told that there’s always a line at this shop run by the Batali family….yes, that Batali family. It’s an interesting story that you can read here. So, of course there was a line, which moved very quickly, with folks replacing those in line at about the same pace.

I’ve read rave reviews about the pochetta and all that stuff, but this is a salumi shop. Plus, the Missus doesn’t eat much bread these days, so the salumi plate ($13) was an obvious choice. Man, this was good, nice, distinct, yet balanced flavors to all the salumi. And only $13??? Boy, does what we had at S&M recently seem highly over-priced. My favorites? I loved the addition of a hint of curry to the traditional fennel salame, the Finnocchiona Salame. The flavors of the Agrumi Salame, hints of citrus, also was fantastic.

The beef tongue is not sold by weight, so we ordered a sandwich ($10). The tongue was very nicely flavored, beefy, not too salty, nice seasonings, fantastic tender texture. It’s a bit too much bread for my taste and I felt bad about not eating it all….but I just couldn’t do it; especially after the Missus ate all of the meat of one half the sandwich. A bit too much olive spread for me as well. The ratio is kind of off….but oh man, that beef tongue…..

On a whim, the Missus ordered a single meatball ($2.50) and it was love at first bite.

I loved the sauce, it had just about the right balance for my tastes…..simple, tangy, lightly sweet, that flavor of sunshine…..

The woman managing the orders was very nice. The place is super packed, so she told us to sit at the “front table”, which is basically the front display window. Kind of odd and cool at the same time. You feel like some kind of window display and yet, it’s interesting to people watch.

We really enjoyed our meal and we look forward to returning next time. More meatballs for the Missus.

Salumi Artisan Cured Meats
309 3rd Ave S
Seattle, WA 98104
Hours:
Tues – Fri 11am – 330pm

After this, the death march ensued. We basically headed straight down 2nd, past all those familiar places. Up Pine, past Westlake Center and one of the places we used to stay at; the Westin, swinging around back and down Westlake Avenue which used to look a bit more industrial, but now there quite a bit of construction going on. And I swear, the Space Needle used to seem a lot farther away than this……

And when did Whole Foods get here? Must be after 2003 which was the last time around these parts.

This can only mean one thing…..this part of the Denny Triangle is obviously doing well. I was told all the construction going on in the distance were buildings for Amazon in Belltown….

As for the three fairly odd statues right outside, they are works by ceramic sculptor, Akio Takamori, named “Young Woman, Girl, Mother and Child”.

From here we passed a ton of newer buildings, intertwined with more industrial businesses like a Firestone Autocare, before arriving at Lake Union…..

And all those houseboats…..

It started drizzling a bit more…..though temperatures weren’t too bad….in the mid-high 40’s. We hastened our pace a bit, before finally coming to the Fremont Bridge and that sign I love…..

Of course, after crossing we’d have to climb up to visit The Fremont Troll under the Aurora Bridge which is on North 36th Street.

After crossing the Fremont Bridge, I was a bit wet and somewhat sweaty….it was time for a break. We stopped at Milstead & Co, the Missus had a coffee and I some iced jasmine tea, which really did the job.

We then hikes up the hill, to visit the troll, who seemed to have a mesmerized fan.

The young woman in a blue coat, who looked Japanese, just sat very still and quiet, like she was trying to communicate with the beast crushing a VW. She moved not an inch….she was quietly sitting in place when we left. For all I know, she might still be sitting there, meditating in front of a troll.

Down 36th Street is another of Fremont’s “(in)famous” art pieces…..

Yep, that’s a statue of Lenin (not Lennon), as in Vladimir, wishing you Merry Christmas. The story of how this statue made it from Poprad, Czechoslovakia (now Slovakia) to its current resting place is quite interesting. It’s funny how you find little threads if you travel enough, this statue which was in front of Poprad’s Lenin Sqaure was removed during the Velvet Revolution, which I mentioned in a previous post about Prague.

It was just about 310……and so it was time to head off to our dinner destination…..which was a “mere” 1.9 miles away! Lovely…..

And so we walked on, past the Bev Mo and and the Fred Meyers….and all those industrial areas in between. I’d never been to the Ballard area before….but knew that as long as we saw the #40 bus, we’d be ok. Walking along Ballard Avenue NW, I knew to look for the sign… The Missus walked right pass, but I knew what to look for.

You then had to go down a hallway and at the end you hit paydirt.

It was 345, we’d done pretty good time, about 35 minutes. We were the third party in line(no reservations at this small place)…not bad. I went down the stairs to the restroom, following one of the guys who exiting the restaurant. I was a bit wet and somewhat sweaty from the walk and the drizzle. The guy asked looked at me and said, “drizzling down a bit out there?” I told him that it was a combination of things since we walked here from Pioneer Square, via Fremont. “You what? “I heard that this was where we needed to come for oysters….” “Ok, then, you’ll be happy, we got some good oysters tonight.” Nice guy! I got myself a bit more presentable and headed back upstairs.

We were asked where we’d like to sit and requested a seat at the bar, which turned out to be a great decision. Remember the guy in the restroom? Well, he was the one working the raw bar….. I just knew this was going to be a nice meal. After all, we were here for the oysters, all local, no middle men, no brokers……..

The restaurant itself is tiny, cramped, but warm and inviting and without pretense….like I guess what your little secret neighborhood spot serving world class seafood would be like…..

As for the oysters…..well, I asked for recommendations, describing that I enjoy the finish that’s interesting and more on what I call the “nutty, rare beef side”, though I appreciate that cucumbery flavor as well. David, our master shucker, chose us, “the oysters he would choose on the menu today.”

The first dozen were composed of Treasure Cove, Blue Pool, and Baywater Sweet. The Missus immediately took to the Treasure Cove, which took real well to the mignonette. When it comes to good oysters, I just do a drop or two of lemon, it does just enough to balance out the salinity for me. I just took to the finish on the Blue Pool, it was sort of funky, slightly nutty, with a deep and long lasting finish….. it was just what I’d been wanting.

Meanwhile, our first garde manger dish arrived; the Duck Breast, rockwell beans, masutake mushrooms, sea wolf croutons, and tarragon.

In terms of what we had, this was the weakest dish; but by no means was it terrible, it’s just that the duck breat was dry and lacking in the duck flavor we enjoy. The masutake mushroom and especially the beans were the stars of the dish for us. Loved the use of tarragon as well.

The beef tartare was very nice.

Buttery, with a clean, refreshing finish. This went very well with the rye toast and is osmething I’d have weekly if I could.

Our second dozen oysters; Nordic Knute, North Bay, and a repeat of Blue Pool.

I still loved the Blue Pool…..

The Missus demanded equal time, so we got another dozen with Her favorite, the Treasure Cove, plus the Hove Cove and one of my old favorites the Hama Hama.

The Hama Hama had that almost acid like citrus flavor I recall, but the Treasure Cove were still the favorite of the Missus.

Meanwhile, we got to chatting a bit with the master of the raw bar between plates. He was super fast and shucked with amazing ease. Anyway, “David” is David Leck a champion shucker. If you’d like to see him doing his thing, check this out.

We had a great time…… we loved the oysters, the vibe, the folks working here…..they have a great cocktail program and a nice wine list….but I wish they’d do a bit more with the beer program.

Still, when in Seattle, we’ll be back. David made it a great night for us.

The Walrus and the Carpenter
4743 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107

**** The Noble Fir has closed

Speaking of beer. A bit further up the street is a beer bar named The Noble Fir. We stopped by….because; well, I wanted a beer. Luckily they were having a nice progressive. Which I enjoyed while the Missus went meandering around the local shops.

Anyway, the big name in the progressive was the Bourbon County Imperial Stout, boozy, with coffee-caramel-molasses tones, and a boozy hit. It was a bit too much for me, but the Missus really liked it. She also had a Blueberry Ale from Cascade brewing.

Funny, the thing I enjoyed most about the place was the great 80’s music they played!

The Noble Fir
5316 Ballard Ave NW
Seattle, WA 98107

After our liquid refreshment, we walked over to the bus stop and caught the 40 back to downtown Seattle. The Missus, still believing we needed “more exercise”, decided that we should get off at 3rd and Virginia. Which was kind of nice, since we’d get to enjoy the walk through downtown and those sights we’d gotten used too…..

Years ago, we flew into Seattle right after Thanksgiving and ran into a Holiday Parade. At the end, the star at Bon Marche was lit. So even though it’s now Macy’s, it’s still the Bon Marche star to us.

You never know what you’ll run into in downtown. On this night it was a Ferguson protest…..

We skirted the protest, which seemed very peaceful and headed down 2nd……past some very familiar sights.

And some that weren’t around the last time we visited.

Making back to our hotel. It had been what seemed to be a long day, but it was barely 8pm! I dunno…..maybe old age is settling in, but all that walking….perhaps 9 miles or so really wiped me out!

Still, it was nice to be back in Seattle and we were eating well!

I realize this was a supr long post. Thanks for reading!

Peterson’s Donut Corner- snacks (Escondido)

December 6, 2014 Cathy Desserts, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for (once again) searching and finding us at mmm-yoso!!! food blog. Today, Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are just having a great weekend and don't want to bother writing posts. Cathy having her own version of a great weekend and does want to write. So, here's a post from her.

Looking back, I've only made slight mentions of Peterson's Donut Corner (in the middle the Ham and Cheese baked in a bread compendium post and in the Elephant in the Room post), a San Diego County Institution since about 1942. So, here's a solo post. (Here's a link to cc's post, Mary's post, Kirbie's visit and Darlene's posting)The Southwest corner of Escondido Boulevard at Ninth is where you will find Peterson's. All outdoors-you can see a menu with prices near the cement picnic tables, which are across from more giant hand chairs. You're going to walk up to one of the three windows, order and pay (cash only).First, you'll want to walk along all the glassed windows…For an idea of what is available before you stand in line to order… I've been on an orange donut quest for a good part of the year. The Mister and I had had donuts with the dough interspersed with orange peel in Italy, decades ago and orange has been a familiar, comforting flavor for me. The orange peel is only in the frosting on top of a cake donut, and very good, but not what I'm seeking.The gigantic peanut covered bear claw is a good choice for sharing.Sometimes, you just want a filled donut and deciding between the jelly or Vienna Kreme is tough…so we get one of each. Beacuse each is so good in its own way…Then there's that one in the back, a new favorite…

It's not just cinnamon, but cinnamon with raisins (look at the menu, bottom of left column: ten cents more for the raisin filled one-so worth it).

Peterson's is open 24/7, but does close from Christmas Eve and opens late on New Year Day each year. Cash only.

I hope everyone's having a great weekend!

Peterson's Donut Corner 903 S. Escondido Blvd (at Ninth) Escondido 92025 (760)745-7774

Mariscos El Camaron-lunch (Chula Vista)

December 5, 2014 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this food blog. Usually Kirk writes the posts and sometimes Ed (from Yuma) contributes. Right now, the guys are busy and Cathy, who occasionally writes here is using this day to write about one of her occasions.

When The Mister and I had our eight days of birthday celebrating, we were looking for (another) place for lunch and just North and East of E Street at Broadway, this yellow building caught our eyes. We returned a few months later…Even after reading cc's post because we figured it would be quiet and clean…Even the parking lot was decorated with an ocean theme.The interior is festive, has at least six televisions and is quite large. It turns out that this is the place to go in the evenings on Friday and Saturday, when live Banda is the overwhelming music background.When we were seated, the tabletop condiments as well as the freshly made tomato based salsa were noted.Since I could not decide, a fish ceviche tostada ($4.50) ended up as our 'appetizer' and a mixta tostada ($7.95) was my 'main'. Both were freshly made when ordered and the simple fish ceviche was wonderful as well as plentiful (it could have been a light meal) and the mixta, with fish, shrimp, octopus and scallops was 'cooked' with not only lime juice but also a bit of red/chile pepper and had different flavor points; completely different ceviches and each excellent.The pescado frito huachinango ($14.95) was wonderful! A whole snapper, fried with garlic, topped with fresh salsa and accompanied by beans, rice and a salad was a wonderful meal. The fish was fresh, meaty and fried perfectly with a crispy skin, fins and tail (all of which I happily crunched as a snack while The Mister was cleaning the meat off the skeleton).

Even though it's been here since about 2009, Mariscos El Camaron is new to us and was another great find. I hope you have a great weekend!

Mariscos El Camaron 193 Broadway Chula Vista 91910 (619)425-5835 Open Mon-Wed 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Th 11 a.m.-11:30 p.m., Fri 11 a.m.-2 a.m., Sat 10 a.m.-2 a.m., Sun 10 a.m., 12:30 a.m.