mmm-yoso – Page 302 – 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.

2015 Rose Parade float road test #7 with a quick breakfast at The Original Tops

November 23, 2014 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Los Angeles County

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog with primary musings about food. To get to that central subject, secondary and tertiary subjects are broached by three of us writing here (Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy). Today Cathy is centering in on the food in a roundabout way.

Yes, another weekend, another road test. There have only been six tests announced in previous years, but I checked the Phoenix Decorating Company home page earlier in the week and saw the announcement, so on Saturday morning (at 4:45), The Mister and I were in the car and driving North. We had encountered construction near the I-5 border checkpoint the previous two weeks and wanted to be sure to allot enough time to go North.
Just after 6 a.m., we arrived at Cream Pan, my favorite bakery ever. We purchased a ham and cheese croissant and a raisin pastry (which had yellow raisins overfilling the interior) as well as one strawberry croissant and ate while driving, where we incurred more traffic backups…
Most notably near the Citadel Outlets, which are already being decorated for Christmas. When we finally got to Raymond Street, around 7:20, only two floats were in sight. The Banner float (first one you will see on television), which isn't outlined for the decorators yet and… The Farmers Insurance 2015 entry -"Dream Big: World of Possibility". I did sneak over to the barn and took a photo of work being done.
Then The Mister and I were off, looking for things happening around town, while heading East… Eventually we were in the 3800 block of Colorado Boulevard (far from the end of the parade route) and saw Tops, which I hadn't posted about since my preview of the 2007 Rose Parade. This is a newer, different location than that other post, and is decorated with vignettes of local sights. Along with having the Tops traditional serve yourself condiment choices…how I love condiments! Being a creature of habit, my order of a Classic Egg Sandwich on rye ($3.89) is to be expected. One note, the eggs here are organic Free Range eggs…it says so on the menu. Anyhow, wonderful fresh flavor and standard ingredients of lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. The Mister ordered a pastrami omelette ($7.49)…three of those organic free range eggs, loads of pastrami three cheeses as well as a slice of American cheese on top, along with toast and homestyle potatoes.

Here's a close up of the potatoes- which are the kind I had forgotten mom and dad making for my brother and I…thinly (mandoline)sliced potatoes stacked and cooked with a crunchy top.

All in all a short day trip (we were home by 11:00) and new things to see and places to go. Hope your week is safe and not too hectic!

The Original Tops 3838 East Colorado Boulevard Pasadena (626)449-4412 Website open daily 6:30 a.m.-11:00 p.m., later on Friday and Saturday.

2015 Tournament of Roses road tests: #1 Test #2 Test #3 Test #4 Test #5 Test #6

Fermentation Nation: Smoked Shio Koji Chicken Wings

November 22, 2014 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Cooking, Recipes

A few night back, I met my good friend Candice for dinner….she had been wanting to check out Iron Pig Alehouse in PB. It was a decent meal, hopefully I'll get around to doing a post, but in case you're wondering, Kirbie pretty much hit it on the head in her post, the wings were our favorite item. I brought some home for the Missus who thought they were good….however, She also said, "I think you can do better…." So guess what I did this afternoon? Anyway, I tried three versions of smoked wings, one with a simple seasoning, the other with my "chicken rub", and for the last….well, I decided to go outside the normal playbook a bit and used my Shio Koji Chicken marinade.

Guess which one won out?

It was a pretty simple and quick smoke in my WSM. I used a combo of cherry with a bit of pecan. When the wings were done, they looked quite similar, but the shio koji wings had a very pronounced savory fragrance, think miso-wine.

I decided to give the wings a quick deep-fry….for the shio koji wings, it was about 90 seconds….the sugars cause it to turn black fairly quickly. I'm going to try to figure out how to get these a bit more crisp without burning…..

In the meantime……

The Missus said this was maybe some of the best wings She's ever had. The shio koji adds that amazing savory flavor, a touch of salty-winey-miso like flavors, and also sealed in the juices. It's also got me motivated to start cooking new stuff……..thinking a bit, trying different things again.

The best compliment….."I'd pay money to eat this….ummm, not from you of course, but I would….."

Shio Koji Marinade:

1/3 cup shio koji

1 Tb grated garlic

1 Tb ginger juice

3 Tb mirin

1 Tb hoisin

– Marinate 4-5 hours

– Remove from marinade and smoke at 250-275 for 1 1/2 – 2 hours

– Remove from smoker and deep fry in 350 degree oil for 1 1/2 minutes

Grab a couple of cold one's….this is great beer food!

Pinnacle Peak Steakhouse- goodbye Santee, hello Lakeside!

November 21, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Steakhouse, What Cathy Eats!

After 45 years in San Diego, Pinnacle Peak has closed.

This is mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are taking the day off, because they can. Cathy is writing, because she can.

Even though it was only three miles away and a regular stop (from the day we purchased our California home*), I had only posted one time about Pinnacle Peak.The Mission Gorge location in Santee has been here more than 30 years, cow on the roof, open only in the evenings…Walls and rafters lined with the cut off neckties labeled with dates and names of patrons who come in 'dressed up' for the famous steak dinners and are subject to the clanging of a triangle and giant shears in a ceremonial removal of such formalities.Steaks are cooked behind glass near the front door, the first 'open kitchen' concept I had ever seen.These photos were taken on a Tuesday in June. My brother and nephew had been on their cross country drive from Michigan, driving and stopping at the same places as he and Dad had done about 25 years earlier. Pinnacle Peak was on the list.

The usual plastic checkerboard tablecloths were not on the tables. It seemed so empty. So we asked.

This location was going to be closing that Friday…soon to be relocating in Lakeside. Perfect timing to be able to share a similar memory. Each meal now came with unlimited warm corn bread and beans (instead of the original 'buttons and bows'-white bread and beans)…and with a simple iceberg with cucumber and onion salad. There were four of us, but we ordered two of each of the same items: the 6 ounce filet mignon ($21.99) with a side of baked potato ($3.25)And two orders of the 15 ounce ounce "Cowgirl" t-bone ($21.99). We shared stories with the nephew about family visits with meals here, showed him around the now almost empty building and enjoyed ourselves. Soon enough the new location, on Maine Avenue in Lakeside, opened. The cow had moved with everything (the cut off neckties) else (and is really difficult to photograph at night). My brother was visiting a few weeks ago and, of course, he wanted dinner at Pinnacle Peak. Some cut neckties are up in the bar area and a lot of the ties are stacked around the waiting areas, still waiting to be placed everywhere. It was quite crowded and we were seated in the last open area (when we left there was a line waiting to be seated). The tables are new and it isn't as dark or 'rustic' anymore.Cornbread and beans are still unlimited (I took one very blurry photo of the bowl of beans; use your imagination). The salad is now made with a spring mix and includes a tomato slice (no onion or cucumber) along with a choice of three dressings: the House (a lemon vinaigrette), Bleu Cheese and Ranch. This time, The Mister chose the 10 ounce Prime Rib ($18.99) medium rare…The filet of tenderloin is now 7 ounces ($23.99). Large baked potato ($3.25). Naturally, I again ordered the 15 ounce Cowgirl (also medium rare).

It was crowded and I try not to take photos of people, didn't see an open cooking area, but will be back soon enough and take more photos. The menu is much larger (two pages instead of one side of the paper leftovers bag) with many choices including entree salads and many appetizers. The quality and service and taste is the same…just a bit more of a drive for us.

Pinnacle Peak 9927 Maine Avenue Lakeside, CA 92040 (619) 448-8882

(*We closed on our home (a VA reposession) on the day before Thanksgiving in the late evening. On Thanksgiving Day, we drove into Santee, keys in hand, to check out the previously unseen interior, and noticed a person dressed as a clown waving in front of this Pinnacle Peak place. He held a sign 'Churches of Santee' … 'free Thanksgiving meal'. We checked out the house (knew we'd have to clean a lot before moving in) and when driving back to our apartment, saw the now sort of sad looking clown waving to us, had no plans for a meal anyhow and drove up, went inside. There were people milling about and five turkeys, sides and a rather large buffet line of food. All of the Pinnacle Peak furniture (picnic tables topped with plastic checkerboard tablecloths) was set up and we had the nicest meal, meeting new neighbors…and not knowing what the deal was with the cut up neckties or even that this was a restaurant. It was a great introduction to our new neighborhood.)

Places we’ve posted on too many times: Tsuruhashi, Aqui es Texcoco, and Koon Thai

November 20, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Mexican Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

Yep, we've done a ton of posts on these places, so here are mostly photos.

Tsuruhashi:

We've been coming since they first opened, though I haven't posted on the place in a couple of years. Forgot to take a photo of the Yukke, but here's the rest….oh, and we had two orders of the "harami" – prime skirt steak.

Service recently has been really nice…….so we've been enjoying ourselves here.

Tsuruhashi Japanese BBQ
3904 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Aqui es Texcoco:

The only one of the the Missus's three favorites back in March to survive until winter. Except I was the one who was craving the mixiote.

I never noticed the Plato Azteca on previous visits…basically nopales (cactus) stir fried with two selections….I choose huitlacoche(of course) and flor de calabaza (squash blossom).

delici-oso!!!

Aqui Es Texcoco
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911

As a bonus, I ran into none other than Sawyer at Hogetsu! Great seeing you man!

Koon Thai:

Rather close to the office, there are a couple of dishes I think they do well.

The fried spareribs is not one of them.

The Khao Karr Moo – the simmered pork leg, takes me back to Thailand…..getting off a water taxi, you're inundated by the fragrances coming off the various food stands…..

The Pla Sahm Rod presentation looked sloppy, but it had a decent flavor and the fish was fried well.

Not as good as my previous visit, the rice was terrible, some of it hard as rock, the other hald mushy. Still, we didn't come here for the rice. Service was friendly, even though the place was totally slammed at lunch. Much better than the sometimes surly service I'd gotten here at times in the past.

Koon Thai Kitchen
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Oahu: Kahumana Cafe (Waianae)

November 19, 2014 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Oahu, Travel

We decided to head back "home" to Oahu before heading to Japan. The Missus needed to visit Her parents….and I needed to recharge. I love seeing my in-laws, they truly treat me as if I'm their son. The one problem being, and no offense here, I'm a "townie" by nature….for me finding the kind of places and grindz I like is kind of hard in Ewa Beach and West Oahu…..things are getting better…but for the most part, it's trips to Tanioka's for us. And yet, I wanted something different and special for us….the family, to go out and enjoy. Somehow, I'm still not entirely sure, I came across Kahumana Farms and their Cafe, which serves lunch and….great for us, dinner from 6pm – 8pm Tuesday to Saturday.

Over the last 10 years we've been doing the blog, things have changed, we eat less, still enjoy food, but temper things with more healthy choices. Plus, there's just a sort of "hippie" side to the Missus that has come out the last couple of years……let's put that "high maintenance hippie", have you seen the prices of dried mulberries? Yikes. However, there was just something about this place that seemed right.

The whole Kahumana Farms thing was established by Father Phillip Harmon back in 1974. The farm and cafe reside "out there" down the unpaved roads of Lualualei Homestead Road. The land is fruitful, I've been told that there are more than few archaeological sites in this valley. And the Kahumana Organization supports transitional housing and programs for those with disabilities. A big plus, you're getting "stuffs" grown right on the farm. You can read more about this here at their website and other articles.

I called and made reservations……

Like they say, getting there was half the fun. From what I recall, a lot of the area is Hawaiian Homestead land. I haven't really been down to Waianae in almost 30 years or so…..once upon a time, I drove here weekly for work, but it had been almost forever….ok, let's just say a lifetime. We arrived and walked in the door, past the shop area……the place was doing some decent business. Finding that we had reservations….we got a table in the covered lanai area.

The staff here is very friendly….not polished mind you, but they make up for things with their warmth and friendliness. The menu is written on a chalkboard, one of which is delivered to your table. It's an interesting aggregation of dishes…hummus, Pacific Rim, Indian influences…..

We started with some Kabocha Soup.

The Missus loves Kabocha, so choosing this was a no-brainer. Smooth and comforting, a slight heat, herbaceous, perhaps a little too sweet for our taste, this was still quite nice.

The dish we enjoyed the least was the chicken stir fry, which, in spite of the wonderful flavors of the vegetables, had severely over-cooked the chicken.

The Chicken Masala on Brown Rice (yes, brown rice) and stir fried vegetables was very good.

No, I wasn't expecting Punjabi Tandoor, but this was quite good….can I go on about the greens? The "masala inspired" sauce had a bit of zip and nice balanced spice profile….good enough that I actually ate a good bit of brown rice! The chicken was nice and moist on this one.

The Macadamia Nut Pesto with Mahi Mahi was solid.

Call it the "Shandong" influence, but I was not a fan of the noodles, which were kind of brittle and lacking in texture. The "pesto" was very nice, nutty, with a good herb flavor. I'm kind of leary about Mahi Mahi, having worked with it quite a bit in one of my former lives. You need to get it really fresh…it attains a "sour" flavor when at less than optimal freshness. Plus, too many folks just cook it to death….and this one looked unimpressive….until I had a taste…nicely seasoned, moist…..very good! A nice piece of fresh fish prepared simply, but well.

I think it might be hard for folks to understand how a simple salad could be the best dish……

It is, after all, a plate of vegetables…..but let me say, the Missus and I enjoyed this the most. The cucumbers sparkled, crisp, with the flavor of melon…the greens, bitter, herbaceous, taste each separately. The tomatoes were good….but you have to understand, my Mom was from Maui….I still have the flavor of ripe, Kula tomatoes on the brain. The flavor that really got our attention were of the shaved beets, so sweet, so much flavor, I had to ask if they marinated it in any way……the answer? No…….

The Lilikoi Cheesecake….well, I don't do desserts, so you'll have to ask.

As I was waiting for everyone to finish "potty duty" after dinner….a gentleman walked up to me and struck up a conversation. He introduced himself as "Robert"…so in retrospect, I assume he is Robert Zuckerman, the Manager/Chef of Kahumana Cafe. He asked us where we hail from…..it was quite obvious, there are the regular customers, and then there were us. It was a wonderful 15 minutes; we had seen kids….well, teenagers eating in the dining room. We were worried these were homeless kids, but no….kids on a 10 day program learning about farming. The young folks we saw gathering a bit later on were the workers, some of which were Woofers, basically a program by which food and housing is provided in exchange for work on the farm. I thoroughly njoyed our conversation and promised to return.

I hope to keep that promise……..I'm looking forward to my next salad!

Kahumana Cafe
86-660 Lualualei Homestead Rd
Waianae, Hi 96792

Qi Wei Kitchen

November 18, 2014 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Qi Wei in San Diego has closed

Qi Wei Kitchen kinda quietly opened just when we got back from our trip. I asked some coworkers and other folks who are tuned into Weibo and other social media and was warned off. Low quality products, off flavors, long waits (like over an hour), really made me hesitate. In retrospect, I should have done what I usually do, just plow in full speed ahead. The other thing being, it seems that only Sichuan and Hot Pot restaurants are interested in opening in San Diego. Also, unlike how things used to be, it seems to be all about portion sizes now(as in Szechuan Chef)….quantity is in, quality be damned. About 2 weeks ago, "YZ" gave me the all clear on Qi Wei and along with Lily, we headed down the street to Clairemont Mesa Boulevard.

Qi Wewi specializes in one thing; what they call Mala Xiang Guo – Numbing-Hot "dry" fragrant (Hot) Pot, which looks a lot like some of the dry cooked dishes I'm familiar with.

The drill is basically ordering a size of "dry pot"….the $10.99 version is only available for lunch from Monday – Thursday. You then choose the type…well ma-la of course; spice level. The $30.99 special gives you a choice of two protein based items (except for stuff like lobster and fish) to add to the base pot, which has four items….which I thought would be bad luck; but whose counting. Those four items, cauliflower, potato, bean sprouts, and celery. You can add proteins for $10.99 and vegetables and such run form 99 cents to $2.99. I think you get the picture, it can get pretty pricey, pretty quickly.

Anyway, we went with the Combo. Strong flavored and offal type items are a natural for this style, so ordered the duck gizzards and the ox tripe.

This was mostly mushy french fries and cauliflower. What gizzard and tripe existed was very salty. Not very……no numbing Sichuan Peppercorn, very blah. Plus, it took almost 30 minutes to arrive. Not terrible, but quite mediocre.

As it stood, most folks would say "meh" and never return. But you know me…..I just needed to verify. So I returned a while later, solo, since I didn't want to put anyone else through what we'd had before

The woman on this visit was very nice. I ordered the $10.99 deal, medium spicy, with mutton, a favorite of mine. Sadly, what I got was beef……the server was very apologetic and told me, "the beef is very good….my favorite". I'm sure she was embellishing things, but I have to say, the beef, though on the chewy side had some pretty decent flavor….the beefiness and five spice came though nicely. As you can clearly see, it looks much better than on the previous visit.

The celery, which was MIA on our previous visit was here…..the amount of beef was adequate….there was even a some decent heat, though still not enough of the Sichuan Peppercorn numbingness I adore. It wasn't as salty and had some decent flavor. I couldn't finish all that cauliflower and french fries so I took it home. The Missus thought it was decent.

Overall, not a great value, but if you're looking to fill up on potatoes and rice, I guess this might fit the bill. I might try to return for mutton or even better, intestine, though to be perfectly honest, I'd rather have some dry cooked lamb, intestine, or beef from Fu An or even Spicy City…..boy do I miss Ba Ren.

They also have a location in our old neck of the woods; Rowland Heights as well.

Qi Wei Kitchen
8058 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

2015 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Road Test #6-plus. Breakfast at Lucky Boy(Pasadena), Lunch at Tom’s Farms (Corona)

November 17, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! This food blog has been around a while now and most posts are written by Kirk, who is taking a bit of a rest today. Ed (from Yuma) also shares food-based musings here and he is also resting. Cathy is all rested up and so she is writing this post.

Two weekends ago, yet another safety and maneuverability road test of 2015 Tournament of Roses rose parade floats occurred at Phoenix Decorating Company. Only three floats were being tested that day.The Princess Cruise Line float is now completely colored in and those sort of 'tiki' faces (one on each side of the ship) will have small 'waterfalls' within.This super long float (see the viewer way in the back, above the float (second photo up) as well as the one in the front looking out (above photo)?) It's by Honda and the first one you will see after the Banner float on January 1, 2015.You can see the seated Spotter and Driver in the United Sikh Mission float, above.

Here's the 'plus' part: my brother was in town on business last week and I asked him to delay his flight departure so he could see the float barn and a bit of Pasadena.
Welders were assembling rebar, floats were being taped off for coloring and foam additions and we got to see a bit more of the real work on the float building process. Then we all went for breakfast. Yes, a simple breakfast it was… The simple egg sandwich (now $3.50) on rye toast… Along with the slightly more complicated egg sandwich with bacon ($5.55) and cheese (40¢) on wheat. There was a *lot* of bacon on that sandwich; enough to share.

Lucky Boy 640 Arroyo Parkway Pasadena 91105 (626)793-0120 website

We drove and saw things around town (Rose Bowl Stadium, the street markings for the float drivers to follow along the entire parade route, bleachers being set up for the parade (those need to be tested for safety before January 1 too) and the Farmers Market, then started the drive back toward San Diego.
Taking the long way, along Route 66. Then we got to the 15 and headed South, stopping at the ever curious signage for Tom's Farms. (which I wrote about for 2009 Burger Week).
Coincidentally, we ordered similarly to that 2009 post, and inflation has barely batted an eyelash here. The 1/3 lb Tom's Burger is now $3.99 (it was $3.95) and the 1/3 lb chili size is now $5.99 (it was $4.95) The whole onion lightly breaded perfectly fried onion rings are $3.99 ($3.69 back then). The food was as good and fresh as ever (the buns are made here; vegetables same as the ones sold here and the meat was cooked to a nice medium-rare) and the small vacation was fun.

Tom's Burgers 23900 Temescal Canyon Road Corona 92883 (951)277-4103 website

It finally feels like fall – revisits to Hoai Hue Restaurant, Pho Lucky, and Pho Cow Cali

November 16, 2014 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Pho

Well, fall in San Diego, which means temps for us in the 60's….cool enough for me to go grab some soup. So here's a little round-up.

Hoai Hue Vietnamese Restaurant:

Actually, my first impulse was to head back to Mien Trung, but I'd been there a couple of times over the last couple of months. So, since it had been a while, I thought I'd head back to Hoai Hue.

Geez Louise, it wasn't even 11 and the place was packed…mostly older folks….a category I probably qualify for now.

I went with the Bun Tam Hoai Hue ($8.45), their special version of Bun Bo Hue, that's even more special than their Dac Biet ("special") which is also on the menu. I guess it's their special, that's more special than their special….or something like that.

As with previous visits; this has been quite consistent; not very spicy, not enough lemongrass, lack of any kind of dark savory tones. On the other hand, the proteins are done better than Mien Trung and the crab cake, a staple of Bun Rieu is a nice addition. This was a decent bowl of soup; though as Bun Bo Hue…..well, I'm not so certain, it's much too tame.

Hoai Hue Vietnamese Restaurant
4660 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Pho Lucky:

The Missus had to work and I wanted something a bit richer than pho, so I headed up to Pho Lucky for my favorite version of Banh Mi Bo Kho.

I'd had a bowl recently that was too salty, but this one hit the spot. Rich, beefy-anise tones, not watered down like most places. Tons of tendon…..it just hit the spot. The baguette looked kind of weird, but was nice and warm if a bit too crumbly….almost like something from K Sandwich.

I just noticed something….over the years, I've never mentioned the nice supporting role the pungency of the onions, the cilantro, and how a tiny squeeze of lime just lifts the flavor of the beef stew.

As an added bonus, a refugee from Tan Ky Mi Gia now works here. Folks who used to go there know who I'm referring to. It was nice seeing him…….all was right in the world at that moment!

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

Pho Cow Cali:

Well, the guy who has been cutting my hair for 12 years sure does get around; from Mission Valley to Serra Mesa to El Cajon to College to his uncles house (during a bad spell he was pretty much homeless) to Rolando, to Oceanside, and now (though I'm sure I've missed as couple of locations) to Mira Mesa. He is the one person with whom I can trust cutting my hair…..not a big deal I guess, but I have a very loyal streak in me. He is also a great guy……. A nice bonus is that he's now located in Mira Mesa, which gives me another reason to head up there.

Since I'd already had something from Pho Lucky earlier in the week, I decided to drop by Pho Cow Cali since it had been a while.

In terms of pho I think this way; Lucky for the broth, "Da Cow" for the beef……

And I wasn't disappointed. I'm not a big fan of "Tai" (rare steak) in San Diego. It's usually (well always) really low quality top round with no fat which ends up being quite tough even with the slightest sunk into the hot broth. The proteins on this day; though tripe and tendon seemed to be at premium, was fine as always. Now Ralph Waldo Emerson might have said "consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds" but he was referring to a "foolish consistency", of which PCC usually does not participate….at least in terms of meat.

The broth, on the other hand can sometimes be MSG overload….though that was not the case on this day. I will say, that it was a bit more defatted than I would have preferred. Maybe I should be like my fellow blogger Dennis and just automatically do the Nuoc Beo thing (BTW, we miss your posts Dennis – hope you are doing well).

The noodles were also a bit softer than I prefer, but overall, not a bad bowl….better than almost everything else in San Diego.

One thing I never noticed before….the, umm, well, is it the logo, which for some reason I found kind of strange since it looked more like a goat than a cow……and for some reason found strangely familiar….like "do I know you? Have we met before?" I can't put my finger on it right now……

Pho Cow Cali
9170 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Leaving Tokyo…….impressions, observations, and a pretty good Tori Teriyaki Jyu Ekiben

November 15, 2014 mmm-yoso Japan, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

We got up early as is the norm when we travel. We had made reservations for the early train out of Tokyo Station. So we caught the 5:04 train from Yotsuya Sanchome.

We had mixed feelings about leaving Tokyo. We'd had such a great time and loved the vibe and very distinctive personalities of the various districts we were able to visit. We both felt a tinge of sadness….you could live here for decades and still only scratch the surface. It is both crazily busy, but with an order to things. Everyone goes left on the escalators, no one talks above the barest whispers on the trains and subways……"never trust a person who eats while walking". You stop and eat. The cleanliness, for a city this size…..

We had spoken to several folks; Reiko and the couple while having coffee near Tsukiji. They mentioned missing the "last train" out of Tokyo and having to stay up in a coffee shop to catch the first train out in the morning. And the young ladies here seemed to be a prime example of that.

We were amazed to find that folks would just nod off upon sitting…..this is the other side of life here, it can be hard and tiring. Just as quickly as they'd doze off, they'd snap to attention right before their stop!

Man, Tokyo Station was buzzing, even this early in the morning. The Missus went to grab some drinks and this was the check out line.

I was intrugued by the Ekiben stands. Man, the plastic food looked just delicious. The Missus decided we should get one; just to see if the bento actually looked like the plastic food.

You know what….it pretty much delivered….

And did bear an almost eerie resemblance to the plastic version.

I tried to, but couldn't really fit in an overnight trip to Hakone. Next time I told the Missus. She was disappointed in not getting to see Mount Fuji. But guess what……

She got Her photo from the Shinkansen.

Kyoto was up next…..

Returning to Prague: Lunch at U Tri Ruzi and all those familiar places

November 14, 2014 mmm-yoso Czech Food and Restaurants, Czech Republic, Prague

Returning to Prague of the Student Bus, we felt, well, like we were coming home. Returning to a city while on vacation always feels that way. We were staying at the same apartment, we knew where to get what we needed, it just seemed so familiar. After dropping our stuff off, we headed to some of those, by now, familiar places.

Starting at the Powder Tower and the Municipal House, one thing was definitely nicer….the weather!

Things were overcast and drizzly when we arrived, but now everything seemed so bright and shiny.

It's really hard trying to get everything in one photo here. By this time, we decided to start things off the next morning with a nice long walk….starting here. So on this day; we'd just, well, according to the Missus, "take it easy".

It was nice to just kind of relax and loaf around. We got a chance to take our time and notice things we missed before; like the House of the Black Madonna, an example of Cubist Architecture. As I mentioned before, each building has it's own personality, and yet, just blends in seamlessly into the city. The building is named after the statue of the Black Madonna mounted it.

Walking down the street and passing behind the Tyn Church, you come to a courtyard. This reminded me of the Hans within the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

It's all pretty unassuming, until you learn that this is the Ungelt Courtyard, originally built in the 12th century. This fortified area once housed visiting merchants and their good which would be put on sale at the Old Town Square. Having only two entrances meant things were secure.

Out the other end of the courtyard and you come to the Church if Saint James….which looks rather unassuming on the outside, but the interior is quite stunning.

It's quite a sight. This church is home to the Madonna Pietatis. The Madonna "piety" full of jewels. We never saw it; but according to what I read, there's a mummified arm hanging near the door……it's the limb of a thief who tried to steal the jewels from the statue. His arm instantly froze as soon as he touched the Madonna Pietatis….they had to amputate his arm in order to free him. The arm hangs as a warning to anyone with similar thoughts!

One thing we noticed during our travels, whether it's Hawaii, Greece, or wherever, are the Japanese wedding photos. And why should Prague be any different?

As we left the church, the Missus told me to "hurry up….it's almost time." For what you may ask? Well along with the Charles Bridge and Wenceslas Square, the Missus has a thing about the Astronomical Clock. It was almost noon….the time for the best viewing of the best viewing time. Not of the clock per se….just watching folks, watching the clock.

First the crowd gathers……

So thick that even the folks having their wedding photo taken can't make it past in their limo…..

It's kind of festive…….i'm not the biggest fan of crowds, but I kind of enjoy this.

"Oh look….it's starting!"

"It's the grand finale….ok everyone, all together now….ready….aim….shoot!"

It's quite amusing…..though I hoped no one got their pockets picked….with everyone looking up and all. Then of course, you need to deal with the crowd dispersing.

It was now past noon and we hadn't had anything to eat since leaving Brno in the morning. I'd heard of a place close by; a microbrewery and pub, which supposedly had decent food by the name of U Tri Ruzi.

It's a multi-story restaurant….we never made it beyond the first floor…..we both got a kick out of the wall art.

We both loved the fact that there were several microbrews to choose from; a nice switch from the standard pilsner, light or dark, or half and half. My favorite was the Vienna Red; nice malty-sweetness, it goes down easy, but has some body. The semi-dark bock that the Missus ordered was a bit too boozy for Her. Tons of maltiness in this one, good tongue-feel, thick, bitter finish.

We decided to go light….but not really light….it was the encased meats and meat paste route for us. Starting with the duck pate.

Nice, creamy, not too "livery", good duck flavor….rich. Quite good!

The duck rillette was super……fantastic "duckiness", nice texture, with substance.

This was really good stuff.

The lamb sausages were ok, basically a mild facsimile of merguez. Don't ask me about the cabbage….I never got a shot at those…..

I finished things off with a Dark Lager. Quite a bit of carbonation on this. A bit too bitter for my liking, but not too heavy. At least it had some character.

So let's talk about price….I know I've said that everything in Prague is at least 30% more expensive (usually more) than other places in the Czech Republic. But….it's all relative. I wrote down the price of all we had, 560 CZK. Sounds like a lot, huh? Well, it was about $25 US for this. Not bad at all……try and get those prices in North Park!

U Tri Ruzi
Husova 10
Prague, Czech Republic

Belly full of food and beer, I was ready for a nap….but oh no, the Missus wasn't having any of that. She wanted to check out Her other favorite place; the Charles Bridge.

Another hour had passed while we were having lunch. It seemed like we had to fight tooth and nail to get past the maddening crowd.

Strangely enough, the Charles Bridge seemed strangely sedate. A good amount of people, but not the mob we expected. And the Statue of John of Nepomuk seemed to revel in the sunshine.

It was such a bright, but still mild day, our best in terms of weather thus far in Prague. Everything looked just so much better….

Since we were in the Little Quarter, why not visit one of my favorite places…..the Lennon Wall.

Though there were quite a few people here taking photos and selfies on the wall; I was still touched by this symbol of freedon, love, and peace.

Perhaps it's true; "all you need is love……."

Man, Prague on a day like this…….

On the way back to the apartment, we made the decision to self cater dinner. In Brno, we came across Sklizeno Foodie Market and I recalled seeing that in Prague as well. And what do you know…..I'm not (that) senile yet.

The conversation, or should I say, attempted conversation here was hilarious……we all tried so hard and at the end of the day it was mission accomplished. Yes the nap was also accomplished as well.

The Missus wanted to complete the trifecta of Her favorite places before dinner. So we headed out to Wenceslas Sqaure.

We headed out in a bit of a different direction, down some different streets. I have to say, some of the businesses were a bit interesting. I'm still wondering about Erotic City Supermarket……supermarket? One can only imagine what the produce and, ahem, meat aisles would be like. This one is a bit too easy…..so I'll let it go at that.

Wenceslas Square remains one of the Missus's favorite areas and I can understand why. The architecture, the vibrancy….there's such life to everything.

We'd been here several times already, so it was easy enough to take a seat and people watch. Or in this case doggie watch. This little pooch decided that he didn't want to walk anymore. His long suffering owner looked at us, said something in Czech, smiled, shrugged her shoulders, then picked the little spoiled guy up…….I'm thinking this is probably the norm for this pampered pooch.

Before heading back, we stopped at Tesco and got some pickled cheese and the makings for a salad.

We had the last of the charcuterie from the "Mediterranean Festival" in Brno, plus some pate.

The beer we got; we enjoyed the Kocour Weizenbock we had earlier, but the Kubik and the Saurus just weren;t to our taste.

Still, we enjoyed trying things that weren't Pilsners…..

And yes, I needed to try the Paprika Lays…..

Not so piquant, but slightly smokey…..

I sat at the window looking down at the side street below, somewhat worried about the thin woman who looked slightly od'd. Someone came by and got a cab for her…..

As folks poured out of the pub in the basement of the building I was staying in, I thought of the quirky sense of humor we'd encountered here. Not in the daily interactions, but in the stories and….i'm not sure if I should call it public art. Stories that had what I call the "Czech twist"…… There seemed to be a sense of irony and dark absurdity to things. One can't help but get involved…..so, if you're inclined, click on the photo to the right……. It's my contribution….

Thanks for reading!