mmm-yoso – Page 325 – 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.

Sunday Sandwiches – the Condiment Edition: Balsamic – Mirin Onion Jam

March 23, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes, Sandwiches

Nothing takes a sandwich beyond the level of being just something between two slices of bread, then a nice complimentary condiment…..mustard, ketchup……"secret sauce", sweet onions……

Or perhaps something like this…..

Recently, I had to smoked some chicken for the Missus to take to work.

After the chicken was done, I decided to take advantage of the smoke and try some of these really cheap thin cut shoulder chops….

In what seems a lifetime ago…well, at least the mid-90's would be for some of the folks who read the blog, I was in Atlanta, off and on, for over a year. I usually stayed near Emory University and right up the street, past the CDC was a place called Dusty's BBQ (which sadly closed down in 1999 after 27 years). I remember having lunch there one day and striking up a conversation with a very nice gentleman who it turned out was a professor at Emory. The one thing I recall him saying was, "it's amazing what smoke can do to the cheapest, simplest, cuts of meat." So I decided to smoke the cheapest ($1.09/lb) cut of meat I could find.

I also wanted to raise things a bit….not by adding BBQ sauce or anything, but just by adding one thing…..I love making Mirin Caramelized Onions, so I went for Balsamic Onion Jam.

I used some of my pork rub to tie the flavors together…….I don't use much salt in my rub, so that's why I will adjust the salt at the end. Don't use the good balsamic for this, the cheap stuff you get from Trader Joe's will do…… I do something kind of different, I start in the dry pan….yes, you do lose liquid this, but you also get more of a stronger flavor. It does seem like a lot of sweet stuff, but it really tastes great with, say, pulled pork? But what doesn't taste great with pulled pork?

Balsamic – Mirin Onion Jam:

2 large onions sliced thin
2-3 Tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tb pork rub (optional – you can use a combination of smoked paprika, oregano, granulated garlic, etc)
2 Tb turbinado sugar
1/4 cup mirin
2 Tb grated or minced garlic
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

– Head a thick bottom pan over medium heat.

– Add the onions, let caramelize for 20-30 seconds, stir and let sit for another 10-2o seconds. Stir once more.

– Added olive oil, turbinado sugar and seasonings (pork rub), lower the heat and stir occasionally until the onions start to color.

– Add the mirin and garlic. Keep stirring periodically until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the onions or burnt off.

– Add the balsamic vinegar and repeat.

– One reduced, taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Will keep for a least a week stored in an air-tight container in the fridge……

Porto: Sé do Porto and meeting a “Little Frenchie” (Francesinha) at Cafe Santiago

March 22, 2014 mmm-yoso Porto, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Sandwiches, Travel, yoso-silly

After lunch at A Grade, the Missus decided that we should take a walk along the Ribeira, the scenic waterfront….though She didn't quite have the usual walk in mind.

I really loved the vibe that Porto gave off……

There was a no nonsense feel to things, a wholesomeness, hard working, honest, "from the gut", in that way, it strangely reminded me of QingDao.

Anyway, instead of the usual walk along the waterfront, the Missus decided we should head up to the the Porto Cathedral….but not in the usual manner….nooooo. Instead, we headed to the end of Rua Infante Dom Henrique and through the tunnel…

Ending up under the iconic Dom Luís Bridge.

Here the Missus ordered me up stairs…..after marching up and down the hills of Coimbra, my walking legs had gotten into shape. Still, I had on idea where we were exactly, but we kept heading up those steps, under windows with hanging laundry and some buildings that had been….well…modified to accommodate the bridge.

I'm wondering when this "modification" was done since the bridge opened in 1886……surely when the brisge was perhaps retrofitted?

Eventually….after "heading to the light" we made it top side, and found our way to the Porto Cathedral.

Much like the Cathedrals (Sé) in Lisbon and Coimbra, the Cathedral of Porto was an imposing Romanesque structure, almost fortress like in appearance. Like its counterpart in Lisbon, construction of the structure began in the 12th century and features the classic "Rose Window".

As intimidating as this building might be, for some reason I really took to it…perhaps because there was a wedding ceremony taking place at the time of our visit. I really wanted to leave….because who wants their wedding ceremony viewed by a bunch of uninvited tourists?

We quickly made for the ticket station, paid, and headed to the cloister. Like much of Porto, there's so much wonderful Azulejo work. I was told that much of it depicted the "Song of Solomon".

This is worth the price of admission.

In many ways. the medium is binary….blue and white. and yet, the textures, the shading, the expression, never ceases to amaze me.

The Sacristy was a sudden shift to what seemed an almost baroque theme, but no less impressive.

If you needed any other reason for heading to the Sé in Porto, how about the view?

And then there was the wedding….I'm not sure how I'd feel about having my vows done in front of an audience of perhaps a hundred tourists, but this couple didn't seem to mind.

And the Missus took these adorable shots…….

As we walked away from the Cathedral, I saw São Bento Station and suddenly realized….Porto was now getting a bit smaller for us.

Within the area Northeast of São Bento Station is Rua Catarina, the main shopping area in Porto…pedestrian only streets; with iconic locales like Cafe Majestic.

Fairly close to this area was the shop that João told us would make a good Francesinha, the local specialty sandwich. It seemed to me that Portugal was full of these wonderful "sandes" from the Bifana in Lisbon to the Leitao Sandes it just seemed that there was a knack for pork based sandwiches.

So we ended up at this shop called Cafe Santiago….which looked more like some fast-casual restaurant. The place was empty except for a couple of "old-timers" having espresso in the corner, watching the television.

I'd read a bit about the history of the Francesinha; which is based on the Croque-monsieur. There are three versions at Cafe Santiago; I went with the basic version.

Not much more to say……until you see what this thing looks like.

It almost looks artificial……I was told that many people judge the sandwich on the sauce, which in this case was a light, thin, tomato-beer based, with mild spice. I thought it tasted like tomato soup….the Missus hated it.

Cutting the samdwich in half reveals the true evil that is the Francesinha, in the meat department; salsicha fresca – a hot dog like sausage, linguica, bife – sliced roasted beef, mortadela, and fiambre – ham.Two types of cheese were used , melted inside and melted over the thing.

I kinda liked it in a "calorie-bomb" kind of way. The Missus was totally disgusted, She wouldn't let me have another during out time in Porto…even though I wanted one. I should have ordered the "Francesinha a Santiago", which had fries and was topped with an easy-over egg!

The service was kind of gruff, but the place was clean, and I don't recall ever having a sandwich quite like this….this is definitely not a Croque-monsieur!

Cafe Santiago
Rua Passos Manuel 226
Porto, Portugal

Well, here's another dish to cross off my list!

Fermentation Nation: Doing the Sriracha-cha-cha

March 20, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Ah yes, Sriracha. I know folks who even dip into their Pho without adding it….though I've always wondered how they intuitively knew how much of the stuff to dump in their broth having not even tasted it! Ditto Hoisin sauce.

Sriracha has been everywhere over the last couple of years, you could say it's become a staple. Most of us are most familiar with the ubiquitous Huy Fong Foods brand…..aka "Rooster" brand. Though most don't even know that Sriracha is named after the town of Si Racha in Thailand. The Sriracha that Huy Fong Food produces has the kind of branding folks dream of; it has been ingrained in the eating consciousness of many folks I know. When the Sriracha factory in Irwindale was shut down…..Google sriracha crises and see all the links that pop up…..Huffington Post? Washington Post? The Boston Globe? You could actually read about the possible shutdown on your favorite news site, right under "Dow gains 500 points"? Ok, enough of that, but if you're still interested and have an extra five bucks you can download Sriracha, the Movie, here.

I was actually toying with making my own Sriracha, since the Rooster brand was originally made with serranos, and we were growing some in the back yard. Unfortunately, I could never get the quantity that I wanted, about 500 grams, at one time. A week ago, I saw red jalapenos on sale at Zion Market…..3 pounds for 99 cents! I understand that Huy Fong Foods made a switch over to red jalapenos a while back…so why not….for 35 cents or so????

I wanted to use what I had at home, while still sticking to the five ingredients in classic Sriracha – peppers, garlic, salt, sugar, and vinegar. There were two basic different ways I'd read about with regards to making the sauce; the fresh, and the fermented methods. Well, you know which one I picked, right? I put the jar of the stuff right alongside our next batch of Suan Cai fermenting in the hallway. Overall, the ingredients for this small batch of Sriracha costs less than a buck….really!

Sriracha:

450-500 grams red jalapenos
20 grams turbinado sugar
4 grams Kosher salt
20 grams garlic
1/3 cup White Distilled Vinegar

– Stem the peppers, slice in half and remove seeds.

– Place peppers, sugar, salt, and garlic in a food processor and process until very finely chopped.

– Pour into a sterilized jar and cover, but not too tightly. Sit in a dark area at room temperature.

– You'll notice that the solids will separate from he liquids daily….you'll also notice the wonderful smell of garlic dancing around the area you ferment the chilies. Don't worry, it's worth it.

– Open the jar daily and mix well with a sterilized spoon. You'll quickly notice the fermentation process is taking place. I tasted it daily.

– I believe you can leave out for a week, stirring daily, but after four days, it seemed that the sauce had started developing some nice flavors and was actually starting to mellow. The fermentation also provided a nice mild pickled flavor.

– I know we lose the benefit of fermentation when we cook something, but I poured into a pan, added the vinegar, and reduced over medium high heat for about 5-6 minutes. At this point, you can taste and adjust salt and even sugar.

– I poured the contents into a blender and buzzed it for about 3-4 minutes.

– Strain the contents, there will be a tablespoon or two of pulp that just won't make it. You can discard it…or even better reserve and use it for a stir fry!

That's the last of my Ghost Pepper Louisiana Style Hot Sauce on the left; the Sriracha on the right. Some of the folks I gave the hot sauce to last year are asking for more….it'll probably be a couple of months at least.

As for the Sriracha, I thought I added a good amount of garlic, as it teeters on the edge for me. The Missus thinks it needs more. We'll see when I fry up some chicken this weekend!

Roadtrip: Koi Palace (Daly City) 17 years later

March 19, 2014 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum, Road Trip, San Francisco and Silicon Valley

In 1996 I had a meal that changed my view of dim sum. I had grown up eating the typical, run of the mill stuff back home in Honolulu, siu mai, char siu bao, blah, blah, blah…..I was in San Francisco, had a car, and decided to visit this new (at that time) Chinese Restaurant that was supposed to be "possibly" the best in the country. Hyperbole? Perhaps. But I'll say this much, that visit to Koi Palace changed the way I looked at dim sum, in terms of quality, flavor, and how things were put together. I'd longed to return. In fact, I once mentioned Koi Palace to a supposed "foodie", who looked at me, laughed, and said, you're "the only person I know who wants to go to Daly City and eat"….such was the depth and breath of much of San Diego when I arrived here in 2001. Gladly, much has changed since then…..and so have I. So when we made plans for this little road trip, I really wanted to see Koi Palace circa 2013. I also wanted to share that experience with the Missus.

We arrived just before opening. Folks were already milling around just inside the door. When they started seating, all the "Popo's" pushed to the front of the crowd….it was chaos; though controlled chaos, as the host had kept track of who was in line and ignored the folks who cut in front of the line.

17, almost 18 years, is a lot of water under the bridge, and I have to say the place really shows its age; dark, somewhat dank, scuffed tables…well, I felt right at home. The Missus on the other hand, "the best dim sum in the states, huh?"

We started things off with the Steamed Shrimp Dumpling with XO Sauce:

In many ways this was just perfect; the shrimp plump, full of flavor, steamed to perfection, the XO sauce added that wonderful, deep savory flavor….the much over-used "umami". My biggest problem with this were the wrappers, too thick, too sticky, and falling to pieces when you picked it up with chopsticks….the juices leaked onto the table….of course, this is Koi Palace, so they just placed the next dish right on the oil slick.

I have a rule, "never order Xiao Long Bao at a Cantonese Dim Sum chop", but I broke that rule after seeing Crab Roe Xiao Long Bao on the menu. And I'm glad I did.

This was very good. The dough was just chewy enough, the filling had a wonderful balance of sweetness, which wasn'y cloying, along with pork tones. There was enough "soup" to keep me happy. And yes, you definitely could taste the crab in this. I'm glad we ordered it.

We also ordered the Seafood Pan Fried Noodles, which was good, but not great.

The cooking technique of the seafood was excellent….down to the the oft mishandled squid which was very tender. The sauce/gravy was really bland and there was too little of it and some parts of the noodles were hard instead of crisp.

The Turnip Cakes were average.

The texture was too gummy, like too much flour was used. Not much flavor; I think we make better at home, though that XO sauce that came with it was killer……

The other dish that was "killer", though not in a good way was the Cheong Fun with Fried Fish Filet. It sounded like a good idea, but was a mistake in retrospect.

I've noticed this fad recently, especially at Sichuan Restaurants where fish filets are being coated with a sweet flour, that reminds me of artificially sweet cake mix. It's not a pleasant flavor to us and this was no exception. I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed that. The sauce(balanced salty and sweet) and the rice flour roll(thin and of perfect texture) were excellent, but that fish and the batter was just not our thing.

Things ended on a high note though, as you can see.

This wonderful example of porky beauty is the Koi Palace Suckling Pig. It ain't cheap at $18, but I'd pay that much just for the skin, which was just spot on, perfect in texture….light, crisp, swiney deliciousness. The meat itself was on the chewy side, but the pork flavor was just so good. I hadn't eaten swine so good since we got back from Pork-u-all, ummm Portugal. This is the real deal…..

I think the place needs to be freshened up a bit, that carpet looks like it hasn't been cleaned since 1996. Perhaps more effort goes into their other location(s).The service was pretty good, efficient, non-intrusive……

As to what the Missus thought about Koi Palace, "I expected more, I think Sea Harbour in Rosemead is better…." I read some time ago that Jonathan Gold was of the opinion that Koi Palace was the best "Hong Kong style restaurant in the US"…..or something like that. Personally, I'm not so sure…..but that suckling pig was really good….

But in response to the person who made that remark about Daly City all those years ago, "yes, Daly City is a great spot to find good eats; just ask the hundreds of thousands who've been to Koi Palace."

Koi Palace
365 Gellert Blvd
Daly City, CA 94015

Revisits – Keeping Cool While Turning Up the Heat: Spicy City and Buga

March 18, 2014 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

I've been fighting this head cold for the last couple of days…….my head aches, I keep coughing, I sound like Barry White; though a phlegmy, very unromantic version….. Soup seems like the most obvious remedy, but man, it's been pretty warm. For some reason, I wanted something with a bit of spice, so……..

Spicy City:

I've been back a couple of time since my last post and it seems like gone to a change of ownership a couple of times too???? Or is it that they just can't hang on to a chef?

Still, it had been a while, maybe two years or so since I last stepped through those doors and laid my arms on those sticky table covers.

Having a cold hasn't dampened my appetite, though the coughing fits have.

I started with a nice variety of Liang Cai – cold dishes:

the pig ears were the best item; you don't have to worry too much about the flavoring; it's about prepping and cutting it at the right thickness. This was nice a crunchy. The flavoring for the cucumbers was kind of weak and listless and the Fu Qui Fei Pian was cut too thickly, lacking Sichuan peppercorn, and was really weak in the flavor department.

I just wanted something to wake up my tastebuds and went with one of my "comfort dishes" – Sichuan Liang Mian – Sichuan Cold Noodles.

First the good, nice heat, the texture of the noodles was decent. Now, the not so good; the sauce was really thin and runny, lacking in the "good stuff", (i.e. sesame paste, black vinegar). There was a ton of peanuts though…… Just mediocre overall.

Spicy City Chinese Restaurant
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Buga:

I was just trying to get my sinuses cleared up and though some Bibim Naengmyun might do the job, so it was off to Buga.

I gotta say, even though the panchan isn't even close to what it was during Buga's heyday, it was still much better than it was during our last visit.

The Missus, as is Her habit, ordered the Yukwe Bi Bim Bap, which now comes with rice on the side. Do you notice another change?

Compare it with the photo here and tell me if you notice a difference? Yep, no more raw egg…I'm wondering if the DOH came down on them or what?

My Naengmyun was flavored well…….

Decent spice, savory, sweet, sour….but those darned noodles were way under prepared…..I'm used to the nice stretchy starch noodles, but man, this was like trying to eat rubber-bands….nicely flavored rubber-bands….but still.

Anyway, the Missus enjoyed Her dish, me, well, I've had better here. But I left with my sinuses a bit less congested, for a short while.

Buga Korean Restaurant
5580 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Speaking of Barry White….well, we were speaking of Barry White weren't we?

After all, it's always a good time for a little Barry White, right?

Mariscos Monday: The Mariscos Nine Seas Truck

March 17, 2014 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Seafood

**** The Mariscos Nine Seas Truck is no longer

I'd been wanting to try out the Mariscos Truck in Hipster Land for a while……that would be Mariscos Nine Seas which is located in the parking lot of Gala Foods and across the street from South Park Abbey.

I really like the "seating area", chairs to sit and stools for tables…..kind of neat.

I also quickly noticed that the menu was basically in English, amking it very gringo friendly. No pretense at the customer base it seems. That Baja Trio seemed like a decent way of tasting a decent range of items, the shrimp, fish taco, and the smoked fish, so I decided on that. It did take me a while to order….for some reason, even when I tried calling into the window; the woman working didn't hear me. It wasn't until one of the guys walked out the door and noticed me that I got my order taken.

Anyway, I had my seat until my tacos were ready. I did notice that the guys who came after me were given consomme; but I wasn't, kind of strange. I'm sure I could have asked for it, but since I had three tacos coming, if they were good, I'd be back……

I wasn't a big fan of the tortillas which were crumbly and bland. The best of the bunch was the shrimp; which were plump and juicy and handled the simple batter quite well. The flavoring was simple, though bland. The fish taco was decently flavored, the batter a bit too light, and the fish kind of slimy, what's with all the watery crema nowadays. Also, even tohugh it was 11am nad they open at 930, they seemed ill prepared….I had to ask for napkins, salsa, there was no cebollas, no limes…….

Tacos de Marlyn is one of my favorites….I love the combination of smoke, saltiness, and the flavor of the fish. This however, was probably the worst version I've ever had….it lacked a decent smoke flavor and was terribly fishy….I'm no shrinking violet; I've eaten fish curd and what they call "fish poo", but this just didn't taste right. I went back to the truck and asked for a "salsa picante" something spicy to see if that would fix tihngs….it didn't…I dumped it.

I'm guessing a lot of folks love this truck…..I'll pass.

The Mariscos Nine Seas Truck
3030 Grape St
San Diego, CA 92102

Oaks Bar and Grill (Carlton Oaks Golf Course, Santee)

March 16, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this food blog. Kirk, Ed(fromYuma) and Cathy take turns writing about food and related adventures. Today, it's Cathy's turn.

Just down the street from home is the only public Pete Dye Designed golf course in our large County. Open from dawn until dusk, the Carlton Oaks Golf Course, as well as the accompanying restaurant (Oaks Bar & Grill), is a very nice, local place.

When you walk from this parking lot, down some stairs and straight through the building, you see these views. Yes, this is Santee, a small City just East of San Diego City.

The parking lot view just doesn't do it justice.

The bar at the West end of the indoor eating area is large.

There is a chalkboard listing daily specials.

There are televisions everywhere, showing various sports. That doorway leads out to the exclusive swimming pool.

Which you can peek at when walking in from the parking lot.

There is a 'regular' as well as a 'Meat' menu given to you when you sit down.

On this day, we chose from the 'regular' menu. The half spinach salad (which is made with glazed toasted pecans, a (more solid) cow's milk Feta and a choice of Granny Smith apples or strawberries) ($6) was something I wanted. The house made vinaigrette on the side is very complimentary.

I also ordered a cup of the "Firehouse chili" ($4), (because I seem to be ordering some everywhere lately). It came with onions on the side, Vermont made (really good) oyster crackers and was topped with cheese. The beef, pinto and kidney beans and fresh spices were a tasty combination. {As an aside, I was asked if I wanted the salad or chili first; a nice, professional touch.}

The Mister ordered a Club Sandwich on wheat ($10) which included a choice of tots, salad or onion rings. You can see what he chose. This sandwich was really good, with crispy lettuce and fresh tomatoes, the toasted bread was very good and the plethora of bacon, turkey and cheese was very complimentary. Those onion rings were wonderful; freshly made, crispy and a very sweet onion.

All in all, a nice lunch on a beautiful day.

Oaks Bar and Grill 9200 Inwood Drive (at Carlton Oaks Boulevard) Santee 92071 (619) 448-4242 menu

Amazing Camarones (shrimp) in Paredoncito (Benito Juarez, Sonora)

March 15, 2014 mmm-yoso Mexico, Seafood, Sonora, Mexico, Travel

After a recuperative breakfast at Taquería Jiménez, we headed out with "D" and did some errands…..like hit the mall and stuff. By the time we returned to the hotel, Samuelo had recovered, and soon enough "D" Dad picked us up and we headed to the family compound in an small fishing village named Paredoncito, located at an estuary on the Gulf of California.

Walk to the back of the compound and this is what you see…..an amazing sight.

Horse drawn carts were ferrying people and shellfish back and forth from the boats. I think they must have a clam factory next door…… Mainly because I was literally standing on a mountain of clam shells!

And this had just been brought over……

Those had actually been prepped for one of the dishes.

The first thing that came out was this…….

This has got to be some of the best shrimp I've ever had! Samuelo was totally in heaven…..Sweet, so tender, so full of flavor.

They also wanted us to try the local chile peppers which were piquins….these tiny peppers are hot, but not unbearable.

The aguachile that came out next was just plain amazing….

They really didn't mess around with this, it was simple, lime juice, salt, onion, and some hot sauce……man this was good. Probably the best I've ever had. I'll never look at aguachile the same again.

After stuffing our selves silly with shrimp, tostadas, etc, etc…..

I headed out back.

There was something mesmerizing about watching the boats come in and go back out….then things slowed down as the sun began to set. It was very beautiful in its own way.

Soon enough, "D"'s Dad said the magic words…"vamos"!

It was time for us to pack up and head back to Ciudad Obregon……

For….would you believe it….dinner????

Roadtrip: Shopping Edition – Crystal Springs Produce and The Gourmet Corner – San Mateo

March 13, 2014 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Road Trip, San Francisco and Silicon Valley

One thing I really enjoyed about our post Thanksgiving Roadtrip was the theme….it really wasn't planned, but much of it revolved around food in one way or another……we ended up in San Bruno for two nights. San Mateo is close enough and we ended up going market-hopping. There are places where I didn't really take the time out to take photos; Nijiya and Whole Paycheck in San Mateo, but here's a couple of other places we stopped at while just checking things out:

Crystal Springs Produce:

I had read about tis place and thought it might be a nice stop. I didn't quite know where it was and the irony of the location and where we were was to evident in our selection for dinner, which was basically right across the street, though we didn't know it at the time.

The shop is not very big and you can't really do all your shopping here, but this is one of those places that every neighborhood should have; a nice selection of local, organic, with a nice selection of European products.

The Missus was especially interested in the Sardines and tinned Seafood, having been to Portugal earlier in the year.

The Missus was obsessed with apples at this time; She hoarded them, Jazz Apples, Crimson Gold, Blakc Arkansas……we added to the collection here…..

Remember those" I went to xxxx and all I got to show for it was this t-shirt", well, I went to NorCal and all I got to show for it was a bunch of apples…..

This was a nice shop, every neighborhood should have one of this quality; though I gotta say, the young man manning the counter treated me like he was doing me a favor by ringing me up……

Crystal Springs Produce
770 Polhemus Rd
San Mateo, CA 94402

The Gourmet Corner:

I'd actually heard about this shop a while back.

When we entered, it looked like what I'd call a "box wine shop"…..

With a nice selection of canard products. I mean, I really wish I had room for a six pack of duck confit!

Things really didn't click for us until one of the guys working here said, "we've got lots of other stuff in the back" and opened the door……

While there wasn't anything amazing…..think of this as the "Smart and Final" of French ingredients.

I was tempted to ask "Pardon me, would you have any Grey Poupon?"

Some of it was quite good……

Some of it was meh……

Still, I'd really love a shop like this in San Diego….though I'm not sure we could support it. The gentleman at the front counter told me that a good majority of the duck products went to Canada and I later saw some of it a Surfas. I was also told that I "should have come here before the foie gras ban"