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.

Dinner in Hiroshima at Izakaya Sairai

February 1, 2015 mmm-yoso Hiroshima, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub, Travel

After lunch at Kazuchan in Okonomimura we walked back to our hotel, the Granvia in Hiroshima Station. We took our time meandering through various streets and shopping arcades.

Fairly close to Hiroshima Station I noticed a photo menu….which looked quite interesting…..it had dishes both the Missus and I love. We headed down the alleyway. The place was closed, but we managed to speak, well that's not true either as the really nice young man spoke no English. Somehow, we got to understand that the place opened during the evening and yes, they served what we saw on the menu.

We took our much needed afternoon nap. When we awoke it was dusk. Time to find our little alleyway restaurant. The Missus had Her doubts, but I have a decent sense of direction and we found the place.

We found the place and headed down the alleyway. We entered the restaurant, but through sign language and my really bad Japanese came to find out that the place was booked solid. The woman then lead us the 2 yards across the alleyway and found the one young man who actually spoke a bit of English….about as much English as I spoke Japanese. Anyway, we could eat here, same menu, same drinks.

It was also mentioned that there were "appetizers" served with an automatic charge of 500 yen…..ah yes, tsukidashi…so this was an honest to goodness izakaya.

They seemed very concerned and wanted to make sure that we knew how the drill goes. It was of course, no problem. I actually think of it as a charge in lieu of a tip…since tipping is not done in Japan.

We were both quite happy to find a place like this….it was homey and comfortable, the staff was very nice…..the head bartender spoke a few words of English, not much, but enough. And of course there was a liquid refreshment. I went with a Miyajima Draft…..the Missus wanted something sort of local, so She had some sake from Saijo, which was really nice….clean, slightly sweet, easy to drink.

And then the fun really began. The Missus could make out some items since She could read Kanji. And I spoke really, really bad Japanese….except for some food.

Some of this was easy…..but some of it was plain hilarious…the bartender seemed to have fun….the Missus would point to something and he'd point to a part of his body, or the Missus would say, I think this is tendon and I'd say "suji"? And we'd get a grin and a nod and end up with a really tasty dish like this.

It was the photo of this dish that got us to come in. Classically flavored, sweet-soy, tender beef tendon and meat…….who could ask for more.

This was the spiciest thing I had in Japan, pickled chilies that brought some nice heat.

The Missus pointed to an item and said, I think these are onions….so I asked "Rakyo"? Which they were….

The Missus pointed to an item and the guy pointed to his abdomen……I asked "horumon?"

Nicely grilled intestine, chewy, well flavored….good stuff…..

Meanwhile, the Missus had another sake and was just beginning to hit Her stride it seems…..

Because when She pointed to the next item on the wall, the young man grabbed his ear! The Missus and I looked at each other and instantly knew we had to have this.

Now, I've had my share of pig ear, and while this isn't the most photogenic, I have to say it's among the best I've had. The pig ear had been simmered to where the external tissue was soft and sticky, it literally melted away on your tongue. The internal base piece was still slightly crunchy making for a fantastic textural contrast. The seasoning was plain, just a dip in salt and pepper, but it just perfect….especially with alcoholic beverages.

By now, the little ten seat bar was full….they actually had 6 reserved seats. So the anatomic charades were up. We had the bartender order something for us.

Which turned out to be a typical yakiniku, bulgogi like beef dish.

I was glad we arrived early. We would have not been comfortable taking up the bartender's time once things got busy.

It seemed like everyone at the bar was ordering the chicken wings; so I had to try the "teba".

A bit over battered and under seasoned and definitely not as good as the ears and guts……

The Missus and I had a blast here…it's our kind of place. I only wish I knew the name and address.

Update: Our FOY and fellow Food Blogger Kat did some sleuthing for us and seems to have found the place:

Izakaya Sairai

5-16 Enkobashi-cho

Minami-ku, Hiroshima

Thanks Kat!

After dinner the Missus and I decided to take the tram to….well, wherever. We got off at random spot to have a bit of a post-dinner walk.

Things were lite up brightly as we walked through the various shopping street we passed earlier in the day.

Along the way we found a Don Quijote. I enjoyed walking around and looking at prices. The Missus had to use the restroom which was in the basement.

This area was were all the arcade games were……while the Missus "did Her thing", I took a walk around and looked at some of the "games". I thought the claw crane games the oddest….one had plastic food as the prize, another instant noodles. It just seemed so odd to me…..

We walked past the bright lights of Nagarekawa.

Getting back to our room; the Missus fell asleep almost instantly. I on the other hand put some music on my iPhone and looked off into the bright lights of Hiroshima Station.

I was having the time of my life here….Japan had drawn me in….I was hooked.

Maitake – Porcini Sauce

January 31, 2015 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

I recently mentioned being able to take time for a proper lunch on weekends again. Some of this means doing "component cooking", which is creating parts of dishes that can be put together in different combinations…….stuff that I used to do in a previous life a zillion years ago. Anyway, this is based on another recipe, used to create a sauce that keeps for a week or so and can be used in different ways. The one thing I've learned is to start this in a cold pan, versus dumping all the stuff with butter into a hotel pan over a couple of burners, which is what used to take place way back then. Maitake….or Hen of the woods mushrooms and shimeji mushrooms keep their shape and earthy flavor throughout the process, so this is a good sauce for composing dishes….like say….a Pan seared monchong, smoked potato-brussel sprout saute, maitake – porcini sauce, kinda thing….

Like I learned in my "hannabudda days" of cooking….it's all about prep, though I didn't realize it at the time.

Maitake – Porcini Sauce:

1 head of Maitake (Hen of the Woods) Mushroom, cleaned, trimmed, and separated
1 head of Shimeji Mushroom, cleaned, trimmed, and separated
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushroom
2 cups warm water 2-3 tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 tb minced shallot
1 tb grated garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme salt(truffle salt?) and pepper to taste
3 tb Creme Fraiche

– Steep porcini in the warm water for 20 minutes
– Place maitake and shimeji mushrooms into a cold pan
– Turn heat to medium high
– Allow the mushrooms to carmelize for 3-4 minutes mixing occasionally
– Remove porcini mushrooms from soaking liquid
– Strain porcini liquid
– Add Olive Oil and shallots to pan
– As mushrooms soften, add porcini, garlic, oregano, thyme
– Once fragrant, add 1 1/2 cup of the porcini soaking liquid
– Lower the heat and reduce by at least one-third
– Taste and add salt and pepper
– Remove from heat and thicken with creme fraiche

Local Kine Teriyaki (Barbecue) Chicken

January 29, 2015 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

No, I'm not calling it "dat kine" Barbecue, because a certain company has trademarked that name. But, much like my Teri Beef recipe, most folks back home have their own version of this.

Over the years, I've come up with a certain formula for this; one-third cup sugar, one-third cup sweet alcohol, one-third cup of a syrup type liquid to one cup of Aloha Shoyu. Oh yes, there's one-third cup of water….grated garlic and ginger juice. The water prevents the product from getting too salty….I've left chicken to marinate in this for up to 36 hours.

Each of the "sweetening" component will add its own little imprint on the dish. Currently, I'm enjoying things a bit sweeter, going with Dark Brown Sugar, Mirin, and Agave Syrup. There's even more you can do with this "base" – like adding guava jelly (perhaps a future post), fish sauce (delici-yoso)…..

You get the picture, right?

Local Kine Teriyaki (Barbecue) Chicken:

1 1/2 – 2 1/2 pounds chicken. I prefer boneless legs/thighs. Note that you can double-triple, the amount of sauce. I've done as much as 12 pounds of boneless skinless thighs with four times the marinade. Think in terms of volume rather than weight. You want to make everything is covered by the marinade.

1 Cup Aloha Shoyu

1/3 Cup Sugar – Dark Brown/Light Brown/Turbinado/Palm/White

1/3 Cup Mirin/Vermouth/Dry Sherry/Bourbon

1/3 Cup Agave Syrup/Honey/Mulyeot (Korean Malt/Corn Syrup)/Maple Syrup

1/3 Cup Water

1-2 Tb Grated Garlic 1Tb Ginger Juice

Other Stuffs: 1 Tb Good Quality Sesame Oil, 1-2 Tb Sake ,1/4 Cup Fish Sauce, Scallions

– Combine All ingredients except the water and chicken

– Remove 1/3 cup of the combined sauce

– Add water – Add chicken

– Marinate 6-12 hours

– Grill or saute

– Use the 1/3 cup removed earlier to baste/drizzle on/or to put on rice.

Have fun!

JT’s Pub & Grill (Stadium area)(Grantville)

January 28, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, Chicken Wings, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

Look at you, right back here at mmm-yoso!!! probably looking for food blogging. Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are each busy with 'research' for future posts and Cathy is writing today, with 'results'.

Mission Gorge Road, just North of Interstate 8 is a mish-mash of businesses. Bookended by Starbucks, surrounding new and used car dealerships, banks, drug stores, numerous fast food drive thru lanes, a pizza parlor, sit down restaurants, a great vegan donut shop, as well as a Kaiser Hospital and Clinic. There are also more than several Purveyors of adult beverages which also sell food in this area of town.JT's is located closest to the Interstate, on the East side, just across from Rose Toyota and a few blocks South of Iowa Meat farms (sister of Seisel's Meats). The plain exterior is not a signal of things to come. The bar area has seemingly endless adult beverage choices, numerous televisions, seating and there are pool and ping pong tables in the back. There are several chalkboards mentioning beer specials, or you can ask. Menus are on tables. You walk up to the bar to order. Always on the lookout for specials, the back of the menu is usually what I read first.However, the bottom of the front page caught my eye on our first visit- beef from Iowa Meat Farms. Ground fresh daily.Here are the center pages, if you are interested. Don't pay too much attention though…the menu is going to be changing up soon. The same talented people who make the wonderful food I'm about to show you will be working on a new menu with all fresh (as in nothing frozen) items. Currently, the potstickers and fries and tots are frozen items. Basic Burger (cooked to a perfect medium rare, as I had ordered) ($8). Served on a fresh, toasted bun with crispy lettuce, tomato and onion, this is one of the best I've had in a while. It's 1/2 pound before cooking.Since it was a Monday, the $3 wings were calling. Medium Buffalo and Teriyaki were our chosen flavors this visit. The wings were meaty, fried crispy and the flavors not overwhelming (the Teriyaki was not sweet, a plus in my book).Another visit, on a Friday, had The Mister ordering a 16 ounce Cream Ale from (local) Mother Earth Brewing ($5).Friday Fish Sandwich ($6.25) was quite large, with the cheese melted into the bun, a nice touch. The fish was moist and the batter light, almost fluffy crispy. The cole slaw here is excellent, by the way.Sides can be fries, tots, slaw or a side salad. You can see fresh mushrooms on the salad, since they use fresh mushrooms for the beer battered mushroom basket. This visit, The Mister ordered the bacon and Bleu burger ($9.25). Again, the cheese melted into the bun-toasty bleu cheese…so good. You can see the bacon and now can imagine how good it was. It was, it was.

Breakfast on Sunday is a whole other post…

JT's Pub & Grill 5821 Mission Gorge Road 92120 (619)280-4698 Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-2 a.m, Sunday 9 a.m.-2 a.m. Website

La Miche Kabobgee

January 27, 2015 mmm-yoso Lebanese Restaurants

**** Sadly, La Miche has closed

It's funny what a u-turn can do for you. Back in 2003, we turned into Diane Street to make a "semi u-turn" when we first saw Ba Ren. This past November, I was making a u-turn on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard when I spotted a sign I hadn't seen before.

Man, this was a new one for me! A few days later I dropped by during lunch to investigate. The gentleman, whose name if I could ever get it right is Nabih was very friendly, mellow, and had a great sense of humor as well.

The space was nice and wide open, nothing fancy mind you, but very clean. Loved the wood fired oven and when I saw embers rising from the grill, Nabih told me, "it's the mesquite we use for grilling." Well ok, sign me up!

The lunch was a collection of the usual suspects kafta, shawarma, even a burger. I really liked the Combo Sandwich ($8.50), which gave you one each of a Beef Shawarma, Falafel, and Chicken Shawarma. It was a neat plate which looked like mini tacos.

The beef was decent, mild for my taste, but it had a nice texture. The falafel much too hard and gritty; I prefer a crisp exterior with a more cream interior. The one surprise for me was how much I enjoyed the chicken….something about the combination of flavors; the perfectly flavored pickles and that excellent garlic paste, with the nicely grilled chicken, enrobed in a house made warm pita that did it for me. This was probably the best garlic paste I've had in San Diego. Yes, better than Alforon. It was creamy, with just the mildest bite.

The salad was fresh and crisp.

So, it was a good lunch. And that would have been that; until I had a look at the rest of the menu. Oh my, there was so much more to this place it seemed. And it also had something I really hadn't seen on a menu in years……Kibbeh Nayyeh – Kibbeh Nayee ($11) on the menu. Think of it as a Lebanese beef tartare if you will. It is basically minced raw beef combined with bulgur and seasoned with various spices. The Missus had to work, so I decided to drop by and check this out.

Nabih mentioned in his genial and friendly way that it take about 20 minutes to prepare this as he was the only one who makes the dish and it has to be made fresh and eaten quickly. Hey, I was in no rush. A bottle of Almaza Beer, brewed by Brasserie Almaza; Beirut, Lebanon was suggested. Of course I was going to try that.

Some pita, hummus, and garlic paste (yes!) was also provided. I enjoyed the hummus as well; it's very, and has just the right amount of tahini for my taste. Most places just put either too much, or not enough of the stuff.

The garlic paste was quite good. It arrived looking very light and whipped. You'll notice if you are able to restrain yourself from eating the whole thing that it starts to ever so slightly change in texture as time goes by. I was told that only four ingedients are used in this; oil, garlic, salt, and just a touch of lemon juice. Nabih also shared some other parts of the process, which I think I'll let him tell you if you visit.

The Kibbeh Nayyeh truly delivered, it's refreshing, love the flavors of the spices, cinnamon, and other flavors come through quite well. It's refreshing, yet rich, and the bulgur makes this quite filling. I really had to work to finish it off. Nabih had made it a bit spicy for me which was nice; the crunch and pungency of the onions really did the trick, and the fruity touch of the olive oil brought it all together. The Missus and I actually had this a few weeks later and we could barely finish.

Somehow, I just knew I could trust Nabih with making me a raw beef dish. There's something about his character that justs seems so solid and trustworthy. So the following week I brought the Missus, and over time we've found the rotation of dishes we enjoy. You might be surprised; not a kabob in sight. Personally, we love snacking on the mezza and salads. Here are our favorites.

Muhamarah:

This wonderfully complex combination of red bell pepper, walnut, pomegranite sauce, lemon juice, olive oil, cayenne….thickened with bread just hits the spot.

It has that combination of nutty-sweet-spicy-tangy flavors I just love.

The Shaankleesh, made from the well known mold ripened cheese, mixed with tomato, onion, zaatar, and olive oil, makes for the utlimate bread food. It is savory, funky (in a good way), with the wonderful flavor of a mildly ripe cheese.

Two items you'll know if you've had Lebanese food in San Diego, but nicely prepared as mezza.

Makanek:

These little sausages are very moist, the spices combined with the rather bracing lemon juice nad pungent black pepper will keep you interested.

The Soujouk was interesting:

Nabih suggested a different preparation form what was on the menu. Rather than cooked with eggs; he told us we'd enjoy it with a nice tomato sauce.

The nicely spiced dry sausage, did really well with the acid and tanginess of the light tomato sauce. This is the Missus's current favorite dish. I like it with an Almaza beer….it's one of those dishes that was just made for beer.

And of course there's the garlic paste and hummus.

And yes, we've tried other dishes on the menu……

The wings are pretty good…..you'll have to love garlic and lemon juice to enjoy this one.

Here's a dish Nabih said you'll either take to, or immediately hate. The Batata Hama – a bit too much lemon in this one for us.

The quail was tender, but man, that pomengranite saice almost blew me out of my socks!

You'll notice…not kabob in sight…I guess we're enjoying the mezza so much that we haven't made it that far yet. And where's all those other standards? Ditto……I guess straying away from the usual suspects paid off for us. And there's also sfiha on the menu, which is sort of like the Turkish Lahmacun and Manakish….though the Missus isn't doing bread right now.

Nabih is one of the nicest fellows around. He remembers his customers and always has time for a conversation….he also has a sly sense of humor as well. His wife, I believe her name is Lynn is so very nice as well. They seem to treat their regulars like family. We've been dropping by almost every week.

The last quarter of 2014 has been good to us, we've found two places we enjoy having our "date night" at; Yakitori Taisho and La Miche.

While lunch here is good, it's the variety and flavors available at dinner, not to mention the relaxed and friendly staff, that makes this place something special for us

La Miche Kabobgee
9350 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123
Hours:
Mon – Fri 11am – 9pm
Saturday 3pm – 9pm
Sunday – Closed

E & Drink: preserved vegetables (revisit)

January 26, 2015 Cathy Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

E & Drink has closed

Hello and welcome to the food blog, mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) have both been extremely busy and Cathy is not yet at the point of extremely busy, so she is writing today's post.

As I had mentioned, The Mister has been having unusual cravings lately, primarily in wanting certain spices, heat levels or flavors…not a particular food. He had been mentioning 'Hot Pot but not the same as Little Sheep, that was very peppery' and since we needed to get some groceries after this lunch (it's located inside the 99Ranch complex), E & Drink seemed the perfect place to stop. Usually, we discuss our menu choices and decide what to share. This was the first time in almost forever when we didn't. He opened the menu, saw what he wanted and closed the menu, saying 'ready'. I noticed this placard on the table… and assumed The Mister was ordering hot pot and so the bottom combination of a Hot Pot plus an item listed as 'Lunch Special' seemed an option. Unusual 'appetizers' were brought out with our respective utensils. Turns out that The Mister had ordered the 'Lamb with pickled cabbage' hot pot, which arrived bubbling and ended up with much flavor. The Mister had asked for noodle on the side (instead of rice) and that was a change up and, I think a better choice. This was a hot pot of flavors we had never tried before and it was excellent. A meaty bubbling broth, the vegetables and hot pot fillers (pickled cabbage, meat ball, tofu, corn, kamaboko, fish cake, tempura, egg, napa cabbage, carrot, radish, vermicelli) were really good, still crisp and the lamb was tender and had a good flavor that we both enjoyed. Sometimes we order 'add ins' from the menu and, as you can see, the pot is full and it was very flavorful without needing anything added in.

I mentioned that we did not discuss our meal choices, merely ordering by number from the menu…Coincidentally, I ordered a meat with preserved vegetable also. "Pork with preserved vegetable" the menu stated… it was preserved rather than pickled (which is indeed a type of preserving) vegetable (an addictive saute of something from the cabbage family, but a dark green and it was not salty nor vinegared) with sides of chilled fried eggplant, broccoli and a wonderful pickled radish. As you might see, the serving of pork is very much pork belly. It was perfect. The fatty goodness and charred edges went so well with the vegetables and rice. Definitely ordering this again.

There are an array of drinks, desserts, appetizers and snacks available here. I hope your week has started out well.

E and Drink 7330 Clairmont Mesa Blvd, A110 San Diego 92111 (858) 560-9888 open 10:30- midnight daily.

ecb (El Cajon Bistro)

January 25, 2015 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

Hello again from mmm-yoso!!! a food blog. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are a bit busy today and Cathy is writing a quick post.

After posting about El Cajon Bistro and Bakery in 2013, it became a regular spot to drop in for a quick snack before grocery shopping at either Kaelins (which has been upgraded in a great way), or Valley Foods when we didn't want to eat at the hot food area in either of those stores. (ecb is equidistant from each of those grocers).The name has slightly changed, removing the 'Bakery' portion and dinner is now offered here. This location is in the same parking lot as Saray and Sultan Bakalava, which are also regular stops for snacks. The ordering area is the same, as is the dining area with an emphasis on juices and fresh fruit along with the still tremendous coffee offerings.This day we decided to have breakfast and The Mister ordered his favorite item- the berry pancakes with bacon and over easy eggs ($8). The fresh berries baked into the house made pancake batter is just a perfect flavor combination and always satisfying.The chalkboard at my eye level on the counter had me curious. I asked what the difference was between this and the 'regular' eggs benedict was and the answer was 'green Hollandaise sauce'. For some reason, I have been asking for the 'green' sauced items at quite a few places this year (tomatillo, suizas, culichi, chimichurri and pesto easily come to mind) now this was a choice. Had to! Well, this was just wonderful! The eggs were poached hard and the sauce was great, with that bit of difference than plain Hollandaise as well as a good amount of fresh veggies making this an excellent breakfast treat.

Similar to its sister location (La Mesa Bistro and Bakery), the lines are out the door on weekends, unless you get here early.

ecb 109 Jamacha El Cajon 92019 (619)590-0278 Website Open 7 a.m. daily (closes 4 p.m. Sun-Mon, 8 pm other days)

Hiroshima: The Peace Memorial Park and lunch at Kazuchan (Okonomimura)

January 23, 2015 mmm-yoso Hiroshima, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Travel

We left Miyajima before the hoards of tourists arrived and took the tram to Hiroshima Station. We were staying at the Hotel Granvia in the station. We dropped off our bags and got back on the tram for the Peace Memorial Park.

The one enduring symbol from the park is this….

The Atomic Bomb Dome. Situated nearly right below the point of the atomic bomb's explosion at 815 am on the morning of August 6th, 1945, this UNESCO World Heritage site, has remained pretty much unchanged since that date. It was once the Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall, designed by Czech Architect Jan Letzel.

It is a sober reminder of the destructive potential of mankind…..

As we wandered the grounds of the park, we could hear the sounds of children singing. This lead us to the Children's Peace Monument, which commemorates the young victims of the bomb. Growing up in Hawaii, I had heard the story of Sadaki Sasaki and the story of "A Thousand Cranes" many times. Her life, death, and story was the impetus for the creation of this monument.

We watched as various "classes" came up to pay their respects and drop off their folded cranes; accompanied by a speach and a song.

It was quite touching……

We can debate justification and all that stuff all day and all night long……but the collateral damage was without a doubt horrible.

There's quite a lot to be seen here. You could easily spend the whole day in the park. The chest in the Centograph stores the name of every known victim of the bomb. As each Hibakusha passes on, their name is added to the list. On the opposite side of the pond resides the Flame of Peace which was lite from the eternal flame in the Reikado on Mt Misen.

We decided to walk our way back to Hiroshima Station, winding our way through shopping arcades, stopping to browse and window shop along the way.

In the back and across the street from Parco Shopping Center is a four story structure which holds Okonomi-mura, basically "okonomiyaki village". There are no less than 27 okonomiyaki stands in this building. I was told that each vendor has a different riff on Hiroshima okonomiyaki and all the stands use a special sauce made especially for businesses in the "village".

The big questions was….which one to choose? While a handful of stands were fairly busy, most were empty at this time of the day. We started on the top floor and startedworking our way down…..

Eahc one seemed to have a theme as well….. I liked the "classic rock and roll" theme of the stand called Kazu-chan, after the owner who is a big rock and roll fan. I loved the photo of the Ventures on the wall and all the old Japanese rock and roll album covers.

And so the lunch process began…. I ordered the pork and shrimp; the Missus natto…..

Hiroshima style okomiyaki is notes for the use of noodles…… it's quite a pile of food.

It did kind of bother me that parts of my okonomiyaki were pre-made…some of the crepe like portions were already prepped. The Missus's natto version was made form scratch though.

Nice of moist and fresh shrimp though and the base protion was made fresh…..

I thought the Missus natto version was much better, but both were surprisingly lighter than versions I've had in the states which weem much more doughy. They do like their scallions on these….and all those noodles, man, what a carb bomb. We would later have Osaka style okonomiyaki which were just plain amazing….perhaps we should have worked a bit harder to find a place….but hey, who can refuse four stories of okonomiyaki? You gotta try it….at least once.

Okonomimura
5-13 Shintenchi
Hiroshima 730-0034

Farmhouse Bistro – New in Yuma

January 22, 2015 ed fromyuma American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, Fine Dining, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

After a short run, Farmhouse closed. Krouse's Flattop Grill is in the space now in 2016 and doing very well.

If you have visited here before, you know mmm-yoso is KirkK's foodblog, mostly featuring his wonderful reports on dining in San Diego and worldwide. Cathy helps keep the blog going and has an encyclopedic knowledge of San Diego eateries, particularly those that the rest of us might miss. Some days, Ed (from Yuma) will post about eating on his travels and especially about dining in Yuma. Today is one of those days; you have been warned.

The most exciting new addition to the Yuma dining scene is The Farmhouse Bistro:

Its location – set back from the street with limited signage and lighting – makes this a tough location and many eateries have occupied this site for brief periods since I moved to town, including Mi Playita, TJ's Marisquero, Viejo Loco, Small Fries, Rusty Spoon, and most recently Spanky's Chophouse. But long time Yumans know the location as "where Hensley's Beef, Beans, and Beer used to be," a steakhouse that thrived here for 20 years, 1979-1999.

The interior is small and simple. Of course, there are a couple flatscreen TVs and a bar area that can't yet sell alcohol:

But most of the dining area is filled with about 10 tables of various sizes, and the rustic painted walls are reminiscent of a rural farmhouse (and when packed at lunch, the room almost sounds like the mess hall at a ranch):

While the decor is nothing to speak of, the menu looked interesting right from the start.

On my first visit, my friend and former colleague, Dawn, wanted the lamb burger ($12), so I went conventional and had the basic burger ($14). Hers looked like this:

She said the flavor of the ground meat had a distinct lamb flavor, and she loved the brie cheese topping. My farmhouse burger looked similar and different:

I was happy. I loved the char from the grill, the medium rare doneness of the patty, and the beefy taste of the meat. The restaurant tries to source all of their meats and produce locally – if possible. Maybe that’s part of why it tasted so good.

We were both delighted by the french fries (and surprised as the menu had not mentioned that they came with the burgers). While not crispy crunchy, they were full of real potato flavor – clearly none of them had ever seen the interior of a freezer. People with more perceptive tastebuds may have detected the touch of truffle oil on the potatoes, but I was just happy to get real honest french fries.

On my next visit, I had to try the pork belly tacos ($12) –who could pass up Korean style pork belly tacos? There were 4 well filled tacos:

This close-up gives you a better idea of what is going on:

The thick chunks of pork belly were simply prepared; I could detect no Korean marinade or seasoning, but I was delighted by the smoky char of some pieces. The coleslaw with red and regular cabbage was lightly dressed and definitely not sweet or goopy. As far as I could tell, the only "Korean" seasoning was the ground red chili powder sprinkled over the slaw.

Nonetheless, I had no complaints. The flavor of the pork belly was excellent, and the preparation of the tacos emphasized the chewy, porky, chargrilled flavor of the meat. I would have this again.

Currently The Farmhouse has no liquor license, which is a bad thing for the restaurant I am sure, but it can be a good thing for customers because diners can bring bottles of wine (and maybe beer?) with them to enjoy – and pay no restaurant markup on the beverage. I'm not sure when they will get a liquor license, but let me suggest that my wino friends come try the bistro now when you can save money.

For those not interested in alcoholic beverages, The Farmhouse offers your standard choices plus this amazing beverage ($3):

What you are looking at is a glass of kale lemonade (no I'm not making that up). It is complex and refreshing and probably even healthy for you. Welcome to 2015.

Since two lunches had been a success, Tina and I decided to come by for dinner. We started our meal (after the kale lemonades) with the most unusual sounding item on the menu, fried pickle ($7):

The restaurant brines a range of vegetables – this night included green beans, zucchini slices, small cauliflower florets, sweet potato chunks, and onion strips – dips them in tempura batter, fries them, and serves them with their house sauce, a spicy teriyaki mayo.

Eating the fried pickles was a treat for the palate. Sour, salty, and crunchy/greasy all at once. These were definitely addictive, if a bit repetitive, and we ate every piece.

The main courses continued to challenge our taste buds and our expectations. Tina chose the diver scallops ($26), which were perfectly cooked – charred at each end and rare in the middle. But look at how they were served:

What a treat for the eye. The scallops were perched atop a mound of beet risotto. The little white puffs are goat cheese quenelles, and the mound is surrounded by a buerre blanc sauce.

And what a treat for the mouth. The riced red beets with rice balanced the scallops nicely and contrasted with the goat cheese much like the old school borscht/sour cream combination. Tina (with a little of my help) happily ate everything on her plate.

I chose the duck breast ($28):

The breast, topped with garlic lemon purée, was served on a bed of lemon risotto, accompanied by three superb giant fresh local asparagus spears. I love asparagus and it doesn't get any better than those three spears. Moist crunchy tender flavorful.

The duck breast was cooked a perfect medium rare:

I enjoyed how the chef used the garlic and lemon flavors to contrast the richness of the duck breast. Certainly the best duck I have ever had in Yuma. The risotto was perfectly prepared, the rice being both creamy and al dente. If I had any quibble, it would be that the lemon risotto flavors were monochromatic. While the risotto was a perfect match to the duck breast, it was less interesting by itself.

For dessert, we had wanted to try the grilled peach, but of course, peaches aren’t in season (even in Yuma) so we opted for the banana crema ($9):

The small mason jar is a nice farmly touch. The banana crema itself was the bottom half of the desert. A layer of crunchy banana flavored cookie crumbs separated it from the raspberry/banana flavored crema at the top. The desert was certainly rich and unusual. It was also nice to see cheese courses on the dessert menu.

For me, The Farmhouse has exceeded expectations. The menu is certainly the most varied and interesting in town. The kitchen can turn out a wide range of dishes skillfully. Farm-to-table ingredients – witness that incredible asparagus – should be a perfect fit for Yuma, at least in the winter. In addition, the place is well staffed, and the service on each visit has been professional and personable. Of course, The Farmhouse is in a tough location, and the menu with lunches or salads between $9 and $14 and entrées from $25 up may intimidate some folks, but the restaurant has been busy and I hope that Yuma will support creative quality cuisine.

The Farmhouse Bistro, 2855 S. 4th Ave., Yuma AZ 85364, (928) 276-9735; open11- 2, and 5-11 Tuesday through Saturday, Sunday brunch 9-1. Closed Mondays.

Recently Consumed

January 21, 2015 mmm-yoso Cooking

I think I've mentioned that things have been pretty busy recently. After our trip to Seattle, I took only Christmas Day, New Year's, and one Sunday off. This means, either eat out (I even worked almost a full day when we did the 30th Street stumble), or make simple things at home….because, well, I'm kinda fried on certain days. Which means that if I do cook, I just want it to be a simple prep and go……

On the Sunday I took off, I was a smoking/grilling fool. I actually bought a six-and-a-half pound turkey breast, brined it and smoked it.

It took a good long time and I thought it was going to be dry as heck, but man, it turned out really well with just doing an overnight brine in water, kosher salt, brown sugar, and some of my rib rub. I used my standard poultry rub on it, mopped it with apple juice, finished with a combo apple juice and agave syrup.

We actually finished the whole darn thing in a week!

I also smoked some sausages I bought, tomatoes (yummy), potatoes, chicken liver for Da' Boyz…..you name it, I just made sure to use every single bit of those coals up.

Strangely, the Missus's favorite thing was to mix cubed smoked turkey with avocado, extra virgin olive oil, Maldon smoked and sea salt, black pepper, some cayenne and smoked paprika. She could just eat the stuff by itself or on a salad. I tried it one night…..you can tell it's mine since the Missus doesn't eat bread at home…..or even out these days.

I used the turkey in dishes that actually looked like breakfast……..like this pseudo hash using the smoked potatoes, Kale and Chard form our yard…and eggs of course.

Sometimes it seems that doing these hash-scramble type dishes for dinner really works out well.

Having everything on hand makes things easy and I'm pretty fast at prep. To the right is a smoked merguez, smoked tomato, smoked potatoes, and onion scramble.

One thing I have missed, is not being to stop by Catalina Offshore. But finally, this Saturday, the Missus requested some fish….so I went to Catalina before heading off to work.

Oh, do you notice the Missus's current favorite veg? Right now, She's wanting Romanesco at least once a week. Coated with sea salt and olive oil and grilled with a drizzle of lemon juice. Stir fried….whatever. It's all about this broccoli that costs a mint. Well, at least we're eating our vegetables, right?

So tell me…..

What have you been eating?