mmm-yoso – Page 307 – 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.

P.L. Bagels (revisit) (Point Loma)

October 3, 2014 Cathy Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for finding mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, during your internet travels. Kirk is very busy, Ed (from Yuma) is really busy Cathy isn't too busy, so she's writing.

As I was beginning to write this post, noticing the other posts written about P.L. Bagels were also from October must mean it's just the time of year I get around to writing about a fairly regular weekend stop.Open at 6a.m. daily, P.L. Bagels is located at the corner of Voltaire at Palermo, just a block West of Point Loma High School. In a small, tight parking lot for the various businesses – a Donut Shop, Taco Shop, Pet Food store and Pizza Place- it's been there since at least the mid 90's, originally opened by a New Yorker, who wanted to bring 'proper' bagel making techniques and flavors to San Diego, eventually sold to a very nice family (who are the only ones working here) maintaining those recipes.The store opens at 6 a.m. daily and closes around 1 p.m., unless they run out of their daily made products sooner.The egg and cheese bagel with coffee is $3.99. This 'everything' bagel is a usual choice when unable to decide. The second photo shows both the top and bottom of the bagel- another thing I like about the bagels here- coated and not just topped with the toppings.

Saturday and Sunday are the days when bialy are made and sold. A rare, baked and not boiled first item only sometimes found in bagel shops, bialy here have the small indentation filled with cooked onion. You can see the texture is a bit more 'bubbled' and lighter than a bagel, and the bottom is has a fine rice powder coating. I prefer mine simply toasted and with butter ($1.25).Our habit, following the light breakfast, is to drive to the Point, stopping at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery for our daily walk with a view while paying respect.

P.L. Bagel 3704 Voltaire Street, Suite 107 San Diego 92107 (619) 223-4788 open daily 6a.m.-1 p.m.

Pieology (customized Pizza)

October 2, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Pizza, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for dropping by to read the blog, mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are both busy picking things up while Cathy is holding down the fort.

There seems to have been an inordinate amount of 'customized pizza' places popping up around Southern California within the past twelve months. I've only posted about one such business but have been to many iterations and here's a post about another using a similar business model. Perhaps you are wondering about the first San Diego location of 85C- it's on the far right of the above photo, right next door to Pieology on Balboa at Genessee.Neat, clean, industrial looking with the current decorating trend of communal tables in the center of the seating area, the drill is the same: order, watch your pies being customized while following them along the line…Watch your personalized dough being placed into a wood fired oven…Choose a beverage or salad and pay, have a seat and your order will be brought out to you. This is a large salad ($7.95) with chicken, Gorgonzola, local organic greens, candied walnuts and dried cranberries. It's very fresh and very good. These are the "herb butter strips" ($2.95)…the fresh dough topped with butter and olive oil and fresh herbs, baked just right-almost crispy yet still chewy. Unfortunately for you reading this (and all of these pop up 'customized' pizza places), The Mister and I are traditionalists and pretty much don't 'customize' and instead order basic items from the menu, in the case of Pieology, it's an order from the "Pizza Lab". Above, the Number 1: Classic cheese pie ($6). Olive oil, Mozzarella and red sauce. Quite nice, with a tasty crust, balance of flavors and simplicity that is difficult to properly achieve.Another day we ordered the Pizza Lab Number 2 item ($7.95): a pepperoni, sausage, meatball, Mozzarella, olive oil and red sauce pie…but (here's the where we went all crazy part) we also asked for mushrooms. This pie was excellent. There is no additional charge; most customized pies are $7.95; know that multiple items are distributed modestly which helps the pie crust bake in three minutes or less.

All in all, three very nice meals here. An interesting concept. We've now been to seven similar concept places and are thinking the $8 price point leads to a good ROI for each business. Other blogging viewpoints of Pieology: Here, here and here. Here too.

Pieology 5575 Balboa Avenue Suite 310 San Diego 92111 (858) 565-0600 (there two other San Diego locations) Website

Tip Top Meats- German Grocery, German Restaurant (revisit)

October 1, 2014 Cathy German Restaurants and Food, Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy write about food they ate and the circumstances surrounding the meal(s). Today, Cathy is writing.

The Mister and I had Friday birthdays this year and for our eight days of celebrating tried to choose restaurants that were (ideally) as old or older than us; it seems this is almost impossible given our age, but Connal's came close. This is another birthday week meal. (My other posts about Tip Top were also birthday meals, plus Vicky wrote a post about Tip Top in 2007).

Tip Top Meats opened in 1967, in Glendale, as a meat store with a small restaurant inside (as many ethnic grocery stores still have within their doors). The owner, "Big John" Haedrich, a Master Craftsman Butcher and Sausage maker, finally moved to Carlsbad in 1977, keeping the same business model. Walk in and to the left among the grocery aisles. There's a menu above (and more menu on the other side of that ceiling closer to the cash register). You order and pay before retrieving your own beverages and finding a table. Your food is brought out to you. We sat across from the cash register, around the corner of the seating area; there has been some remodeling and there is covered outdoor seating as well. This is a sausage sandwich($8.99). I had a choice of Polish, bratwurst or knackwurst and, of course, chose smoked Polish sausage. It came with a roll, but I asked for rye bread. I was asked if lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise was OK and said 'yes' and those were placed onto the bread for me…the side of German potato salad was excellent (I could have had fries…but why). Here's a close up of the spices and flavorings in the smoked sausage. It is excellent. The Mister ordered a "Steak -N-Stein". There is a choice of a 14-16 oz sirloin, 8-10 oz filet mignon or 12-14 oz New York steak, along with a choice of soup or salad (this is oxtail soup, which tasted like a wonderful gravy) and choice of frosty tap beer (He chose Tangerine Wheat).The Mister chose the sirloin, cooked medium rare. This also comes with a choice of potato, vegetable or kraut or red cabbage (you can see he chose half kraut, half red cabbage) and a roll. I think this was more than 16 ounces. It was wonderful, worth the price ($12.98). (The filet mignon or New York Steak are $14.98)
After our hearty meal, we perused the grocery and meat cases, choosing future meals, snacks and condiments.
The headcheese selection is amazing. The butcher meat case, smoked meat selection as well as frozen meat items made choices almost overwhelming. There were also beers, wines, aisles of candies and fresh pastries near the door which also tempted us. A great day in North County.

Tip Top Meats 6118 Paseo Norte Carlsbad, CA 92011 (760)438-2620 Open seven days 6 am-8 pm Website

Nolbu Mini Gastropub

September 30, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Chicken Wings, Gastropub, Korean Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub

**** Nolbu has closed and is now Yummy House

Well, since we did Common Theory yesterday. I guess Nolbu deserves equal time, right?

Hidden behind the Convoy institution that is Chopstix, this tiny little place is easy to miss. I'm really not the Min Sok Chon, Thang Thang, soju bomb kind of guy, but I got a few recommendations from folks I knew. Though I still had reservations because when I quizzed these folks on the food, the standard answer usually included big portions, and not remembering much because they were…shall we say…..taste deadened and mush minded from overindulging a bit?

It is a pretty small and somewhat cozy kind of place. There are only 5 beers on tap. The main drink of choice for most of the young people who go here are the flavors of soju…."white gummy bear"???

The bartender/server on both of my visits was a very nice and friendly young woman named Nancy…very calm, very chill.

The menu is full of what I call "Kogi-truckish" dishes…you know, bulgogi tacos, bulgogi quesadillas, bulgogi fries, stuff that's already kind of passe'

The dining area is set-up like one of those faux outdoor porch type of restaurants. A acquaintance of mine actually knew the Korean name of that style of set-up….but you know; old age and all that. I just can't seem to remember the term right now.

There's actually one reason I came to Nolbu…the Korean Spicy Wings ($8.99). Almost everyone I spoke to mentioned these wings, though none could not really tell me much about the flavor.

The wings are quite large, the flavor as you can imagine is based on kochujang and almost tastes like my Spicy Misoyaki without as much bean paste. It is indeed a basic sweet chili sauce…sticky, more sweet than spicy, perhaps in need of a bit more complexity. maybe a bit more sour/tart, or savory-garlic tones. The batter was nice at first, perhaps a bit too thick, but still crunchy, but it got really gummy in minutes. Not terrible….but definitely not… Kyochon by any stretch. In fact, this eerily reminded me of the stuff they used to serve at BBQ Chicken, though not nearly as crunchy.

I also decided to try the mandu ("Dumplings" on the menu – $6.99).

These weren't very good in my opinion, too much cabbage filler, the sauce also tasted watered down. The wrapper were decent, but I'd take a pass on these next time.

Overall, not bad and as always I thought a return visit should be done.

One funny thing; when I was waiting for my drink a guy walked in laden with bags….shopping for supplies I'd guess. All the plastic bags were from Zion Market! I guess that's where they do their shopping? I really think stuff like that should be done via the rear entrance.

This time I came with my friends YummyYummy and Candice. We had the spicy wings again, which were a bit better this time…less sickly sweet and the texture held up a bit better.

We also had the haemul pajeon – the seafood pancake ($12.99), a bit small for the price.

But with a pretty generous amount of well…..Zion Seafood probably….. I will say that in terms of texture it was less gummy and a bit lighter than what I'd had at Common Theory, though it was 2/3 the size.

I also wanted to try the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings ($8.99).

A bit light in flavor, these wings swere pretty straight-forward…basically naked, without a coating, but not bad….I'd have these again, as these were nicely fried.

The same five beers on tap; my favorite being the Stone Arbalest since I do enjoy tripels, quads, and Belgian strongs. this one was pretty good, light citrus-woody flavor with a mildly boozy-hoppy finish.

While waiting for my friends to meet me, the same young man walked in ladened with plastic bags….again from Zion Market.

Anyway, in terms of food, this place serves up a more Asian flavor than Common Theory. I was surprised that the food wasn't as salty as, say Min Sok Chon. They do have a decent bottle collection, but only five draft beers and the temps on my second visit seemed a bit off. As much as I like the folks working here, there's really no working knowledge of the beer they're serving…it's more of soju service. As in the version of an umbrella drink - soju served up in a half watermelon.

That said; I might drop in again for some wings and a beer…..if I feel like eating groceries from Zion….

Nolbu Mini Gastropub
4633 Convoy St. Suite 102
San Diego, CA 92111

Common Theory Public House

September 29, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Chicken Wings, Gastropub, Pubs and Pub Grub

Common Theory Public House, which opened and created some nice buzz a couple of months ago is one of those places that leaves me torn. There's so much about the place I really like.

I love the lay-out, the folks manning the bar are usually really nice…..especially "Dave" who has been there on most of our visits. Yep, we….this is the Missus' favorite place for Happy Hour, they've (usually) got a nice selection, though I wish they'd keep more up to date lists on Tap Hunter or their website. One of the partners, Cris is the nicest guy ever and they've got an awesome progressive happy hour which starts with three bucks off draft beers starting at 3pm.

Any issues I have with the place is based around their food….though admittedly, much of the bar grub in San Diego is pretty basic stuff. After trying some of the regular menu items, we decided to stick with Happy Hour. And while there are a few "Asian" influenced dishes on the menu; it is heavy on the fried stuff. Now all of the above is fine with me; it is reasonable and perhaps in the business sense, realistic. To us, and we've been here over a dozen times is that the same dish can vary wildly from visit to visit.

The Missus really only orders two things here, the first being the truffle-duck fat fries, which is a nice happy hour bargain at five bucks.

It can run the gamut; never terrible, but different every time. One the visit above, the fragrance of truffle was rich, the duck comfit moist, the fries limp, and it was way too salty.

The next time the confit was dry, it was barely salted and it seems that the truffle flavor was AWOL. Then there are times when they get it so close.

Doesn't that look like two different dishes….crisp fries, nice truflle flavor, the confit was on the dry side but fine….where was the salt?

The one item we sometimes get that has never let us down are the pickled eggs……

The eggs are fine; it's that pickled watermelon rind, with a anise flavor that just raises it.

The Missus favorite by far are the Truffle Duck Fat Chips, it is usually nice and crisp.

The one item on the dish that always seems different is the cotija-garlic bechamel like cream sauce. Once or twice it has been close to perfect. That's the one in the photo. At other times it has been too salty, or totally lacking in flavor, we could barely make out the garlic in the sauce.

I actually thought the white corn tamales were not bad…moist, nice pork flavor. Not bad at all.

I understand that Cris's Mom makes these.

So, as you can see, it's about the beer here for us…and who's going to complain when you can get a Liefmans Oud Bruin for four bucks? Or a Three Philosohper's?

On one evening, Cris told me his cousin runs Golden Chopsticks and an Uncle cooks at Mandarin Canton. So I just had to try the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings. Which came out looking a bit different from what I expected.

Still, these were pretty good, nice flavor, crisp, moist, it could have used a bit more garlic…and MSG…. Which I mentioned to Cris, who laughed and described to me the story of his cousin coming over and trying to teach the chef how to make these, handing him some MSG. The chef had never, ever used the stuff in his career and really didn't know what to do with it. I thought these were good enough to mentioned that this might be the best version North of the 94.

Until my next visit at lunchtime with a good friend of mine. The wings were greasy, flavorless, not very crisp. I recently tried them again with the Missus.

What we got was sort of a "tweener". Also, it was now 4 wings for 5 bucks which didn't seem like such a good deal. The batter was hard instead of crisp and like the Missus said, "it needed some zip".

There were a few weeks where it seemed that the usual selection of beers – up to 32 taps seemed a bit out of alignment. On one visit there were 5 Porters or Stouts, on another 10 IPA's…I know, this is San Diego, but man, a third of your taps? Recently things seemed to be balanced a bit better, but they are still a bit short with regards to sours…at least in the Missus's opinion.

Here are a few other menu items I tried.

This is the beast they call the Bourbon Bacon Wrapped "Corn" Dog.

Good God, who hired Chicken Charlie? This is basically a battered and deep fried smoked garlic sausage. For some reason the deep frying and the batter does this no favors as it just really muddles all the flavors.

I tried the Hellfire Wings, which weren't very spicy; pretty much kicked up Buffalo style wings.

Not bad, but not memorable either.

The Chorizo Scotch Quail Eggs were hard and dry.

Something that I don't think is on the menu anymore is the Korean Seafood Pancake – Haemul Pajeon.

It was a bit short on seafood and more gummy than I prefer, but that classic soy based dipping sauce just made you want to keep on eating the thing.

Like I said, there's a lot to like about Common Theory. It's a really nice spot run by super nice folks. Polling all my good friends we came to the same conclusion; this place could really be a special spot if they got their kitchen and menu in order.

I hope that day will come soon. Until then, we'll still be coming for Happy Hour, it's the Missus' favorite watering hole……she;s happy with a Monk's Cafe, Hitachino Nest, or the place's best seller, Avery White Rascal.

Common Theory Public House
4805 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Cheers! Kanpai! Ganbei! Yo! Gun bae!

Tsuke-mania; Tsukemen visits to RakiRaki, Yamadaya, and Taijma Ramen House

September 28, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

During our recent hot spell I was really craving some noodles. In recent years though, I've kind of lost my affection for cold "bun" type dishes and I've yet to come across a version of hiyashi chuka in San Diego that I enjoy. So I thought why not do a couple of servings of tsukemen which invented in the mid-1950's by Yamagishi Kazuo at his shop Taishoken Ramen. He is such a legendary personality that there's actually a documentary called God of Ramen, which is sort of a Jiro Dreams of Sushi style movie.

Anyway, I thought it would be good to compare a couple of bowls over consecutive days.

RakiRaki Ramen and Tsukemen:

A yes, the home of hype….. Though I'll honestly say, the service here has been efficient, and Tsukemen I've had here has gotten better over time. It's now less salty, there's a bit of an almost citrus effect with the flavor of the broth. It also seemed to have gained some viscosity this time around as it coated my noodles, which were perfectly prepared (firm with almost a crunch), nicely.

There was a bit more pork than I recalled in the broth, though it was a bit too cold in temperature for me; I thought this was the best version by far…..except for that egg, which I thought should have been soft boiled.

RakiRaki Ramen and Tsukemen
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Ramen Yamadaya:

**** Ramen Yamadaya has closed

I really didn't know what to expect from Yamadaya. I know what I usually get here; Kotteri Tonkotsu with Kakuni Pork and extra firm noodles. I really didn't like the Tsukemen when I had it back in 2012. But, since I started this thing…..

The broth is still to salty for my tastes, which makes it difficult to taste much else. In spite of the rich look of the broth, it doesn't coat the noodles well, which by the way, were done pretty good….I had expected it to be overdone. The chashu here is bland and dry, the egg was nicely done though.

Ramen Yamadaya
4706 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

So that was going to be it….just a head-to-head comparison. Until I mentioned this to someone and they told me I needed to include Tajima in the mix. Frankly, I thought after my last post, I'd be done for a while, but I guess not. So for due diligence here it is.

Tajima Ramen House:

Actually, the Tsukemen looked not bad.

That chashu was dry and tough, the noodles over-cooked, the egg was nicely done, good flavor, soft boiled…one out of three. The noodles are hard to forgive. That broth was weird, there a strange metallic aftertaste that I get from the broth at Tajima, also this had a slightly fishy tone to it; like it was based on niboshi dashi. Very thin, it did a lousy job of coating the noodles in fat and flavor. At least it was hot…..

Tajima Japanese Restaurant
4681 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

OK, so those were an interesting three days….. As I figured Raki Raki was my favorite and Tajima my least favorite. Still, it was a fun little comparison.

And as an added bonus – here's the trailer from God of Ramen:

Carne Knowledge: Carne Guisada

September 26, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

So why call this Carne Guisada? Well, I didn't quite know what else to call it…..

I could have named it "what to do with that block of Achiote seasoning in the cupboard", but that would be a bit too long. This is actually the Missus' idea….She basically requested that I come up with something. So far I've made it three times with prime sirlion, pork butt, and a combination of dark and white meat chicken. The amount of meat is the same, about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds. The process is the same…….brown the meat, then braise. The winner by far is the pork…..which is kind of a pain; trimming it down to size and keeping just the right amount of fat. It's typical browning, season with salt, pepper, ground cumin, and granulated garlic, then if it's beef or pork, drain the fat and start the aromatics. If it's chicken, keep most of the fat since it's much leaner. The fundamentals are the same; help to seal with parchment and braise in the oven. If you ever get the chance, check out Molly Stevens' book, All About Braising, it has some rally great fundamentals, I love the first 36 pages or so of the book. Beer really helps the flavor and I thought it would be a nice touch…..I realize that two cups is 16 ounces and two cans of Tecate, which is what I used is 24. I'm sure you'll, ahem, find some use for the other 8 ounces….

We have celery growing in the yard. The Missus isn't fond of celery, but I've convinced Her that using the leaves almost as a herb is wonderful and She has bought into it.

As always, you know your preferences….we should treat these type of recipes as a palette for your palate. I basically use what I have on hand. I like to garnish with cilantro, onions, and lime….topping it with an egg is very nice. The Missus doesn't eat much rice anymore and we have no tortillas in the house, but those do well….I'm thinking enchiladas would be really good as well. The Missus likes Hers with slices of avocado.

It seems like a lot of steps, but is really pretty simple.

Carne Guisada:

2 1/2 – 3 pounds of cubed chicken (a combination of white and dark meat), pork butt (trimmed of excess fat), or beef

1 Tb ground cumin

1 Tb granulated garlic

3 Tb Avocado Oil s

alt and fresh ground pepper to taste

The sauce:

1 3 1/2 ounce block of achiote seasoning

2 – 15 ounce cans of tomato sauce

5 Cloves of garlic

1/4 cup soy sauce (I used Aloha Shoyu)

1/4 cup Worchestershire Sauce

1-2 Habanero Chilies (optional)

3-4 Tb Agave Syrup

The rest:

1 medium onion sliced thin

1/4 cup celery leaves roughly chopped

1/2 tsp ground Cayenne Pepper (optional)

1/4 cup cilantro leaves roughly chopped

1 Tb Mexican Oregano

1 Tb Ground Cumin

1 Tb Granulated Garlic 4

bay leaves 2 cups beer (I used Tecate)

2 Tb Red Wine Vinegar

– Preheat oven to 325

– Combine sauce ingredients in a blender and blend into a sauce

– Combine Meat with 1 Tb ground cumin, granulated garlic, salt and pepper

– Heat pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil and brown meat in batches. Do not crowd. Remove meat to a large bowl or pan when browned.

– If using pork or beef drain excess oil from pot, keeping about 1-2 tablespoons. Add onions, celery leaves, cayenne pepper (if using) and saute until onions are translucent.

– Add oregano, ground cumin, granulated garlic, and bay leaves. Allow spices to "bloom". – When nice and fragrant, add beer to deglaze.

– When liquid is simmering, add sauce into the pot. Bring to a simmer add Red Wine Vinegar.

– Add meat. It should be in almost a single layer completely covered by the sauce. Add cilantro.

– Place a layer of parchment paper, just enough to touch the food and extending over the edges of the pot. – Cover and place in the oven.

– Check after 30 minutes. If the stew is simmering too vigorously lower the temp by 10-15 degrees or so. I also have a taste at this time and adjust my seasonings.

– Check every hour until your desired texture of the meat is reached. If you will not be eating on the same day, stop a bit earlier. Carry-over cooking will take care of the rest.

COMC: Revisits to Golden City and Carnitas Snack Shack

September 25, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Chinese Restaurants

What the heck? What’s the tie in with these two places? Well, read on and I think you’ll see. Mostly photos in this one….I’ve posted on these places before. So let’s C(lear) O(ut) the M(emory) C(ard) shall we?

Golden City for the billionth time:

**** Golden City has closed

I actually hadn’t been back to Golden City in a while. But after reading Lynn’s post, even though she ordered things that I would never have at Golden City. I thought it was time for a revisit and yet another post to see if they have gone severely downhill. I had thoughts of picking up on my Golden City Hot Pot project, but man, it’s been so hot. Anyway, the photos kind of speak for themselves.

My favorite – the Kwai Fei Ji. Also a favorite of Dennis.

Steamed Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetable.

Macau Roast Pork……on one visit, with my buddy Candice, it was too salty. On this visit, with my coworkers YZ and Lily, it was quite good…..

YZ, from Shanghai and Lily from Shanxi (“I’m from Taiyuan, not Taiwan, ok”) really know the questions to ask whenever we eat Chinese food…. where are the owners from and what is the style of food. I think of Golden City as basically a Guangdong (Cantonese to you) style restaurant that pulls ever so slightly toward Chaozhou (Eastern Guangdong), though many of the dishes that reflect that are no longer on the menu .

Like the Beef Stew (actually a braise) with Radish. I’ve had it when it was quite good. On this day, it wasn’t quite ready for prime time; the beef was nice, tender, moist, yet not falling to pieces, but the daikon was still too hard.

The food can sometimes be uneven. The Fish in Black Bean Sauce had me asking where the fish was during a lunch with Reza.

The textures and flavors were right, but the ratio of onions to everything else was off.

The dishes we order occaisionally draw stares from the gringo ordering customers, as I’ve mentioned before, I really don’t think ordering dishes from the Easternmost Regional Chinese Cuisine….. that would be ABCD (“American Born Chinese Dining”), is what they do best here. And I think folks like CAB, Dennis, and even Kirbie would agree. Nothing fancy, but decent grub.

Golden City Restaurant
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Carnitas Snack Shack:

**** This location of Carnitas’ Snack Shack has closed

The Missus had been fighting a cold during the super hot week we had recently. She doesn’t handle being sick very well. And the heat just made things that much worse. So, while on the road to recovery, the Missus told me She wanted to visit one of Her current favorite places, basically for this.

It didn’t look quite right, but the flavor, the sweet-porkiness was still right on. And the Missus just basically inhaled the thing.

Carnitas now has a second location in Del Mar, which Kirbie, Jinxi, and Faye have posted on…man, it’s Food Blogger Central! I was wondering if there was going to be a drop off at the original location, but no, things were good as ever. It’s really nice that things have really been fine tuned since my first visit back in 2011.

Carnitas’ Snack Shack
2632 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92104

So how’s this for a pork-a-licious COMC post?

Midweek Meanderings: Szechuan Taste opening in Clairemont Mesa and other hot stuff

September 24, 2014 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

Just a quick note for a beautiful Wednesday. Driving back from lunch at Golden City I saw this sign.

Hmmm….another Sichuan Restaurant, huh? It looks like construction had just begun. Sichuan restaurants in the SGV is having kind of a renaissance, with places like Chengdu Taste and Szechuan Impression opening up. I hope this place measures up…..

8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Check this out…..

Now being that red is nature's warning color, it's easy to under estimate these White Ghost Peppers. Until you cut them open. Not as hot as the Red Ghost Pepper, but plenty spicy.

The peppers that really surprised me were the Carribean Red Habaneros that I grew from seeds purchased from the New Mexico State University Chili Institute. These are very large and much more spicy than the fruit from the red habanero plant I bought earlier in the year.

It's also much more fruity, with a bite that lasts about 8-9 minutes. I'm thinking I'll purchase more seeds from the program next year, maybe even try to get some Carolina Reaper seeds. What do you think?

D.Z. Akins – lunch (revisit)

September 23, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Salads, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!! Cathy is writing a short post today, while Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are not writing and perhaps enjoying some cooler weather or something…

I wrote about D.Z. Akins in 2009 and had more or less forgotten about it until the other day until The Mister said he wanted a 'really good Reuben' as one of his birthday meals. This East County institution (since 1980) has been a regular place to get a quick breakfast and cup of coffee as well as some sort of sandwich to share on busy days.The restaurant has expanded five times since 1980 and the quality and home cooked flavors have never changed. This is consistent comfort food. The interior has murals and autographed photos on all the wall space
There is sweet hot mustard, catsup and salt and pepper on each table and in addition, there is a crock with half sour pickles on each table.This is The Mister's Reuben ($13.95), with pastrami (you can have corned beef or smoked turkey as meat choices…but why?) with his chosen side of potato salad (other choices are fries, slaw, macaroni salad, three bean salad or fresh fruit). The kraut, grilled fresh rye, quality (and quantity) of the meat is exceptional. Swiss cheese was included as part of this sandwich. Yes, there were leftovers.
Looking at the extensive (six page, large and detailed) menu, I spotted what would satisfy a craving – the chopped liver platter (small, $10.95). This is the small platter because there is 'only' one (very large, overflowing-see the carrots stuck into the excess of a scoop size?) scoop of chopped liver salad and 'only' three slices of fresh rye bread. Of course the gigantic scoop of cole slaw and all of those fresh vegetables completed the small feast I got eat there then take home to enjoy later that afternoon. (The 'large' platters of any of the salads (egg, tuna, whitefish, chicken as well as liver) are $5 more, have another (large) scoop of whatever salad, more bread, more vegetables and easily is a meal for two). The chopped liver salad is made of chicken liver, made fresh daily and *so* very good.

Hope your week is going well.

D.Z.Akins 6930 Alvarado Road San Diego 92120 (619)265-0218 Open at 7 a.m. daily website