mmm-yoso – Page 329 – 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: Crossroads Deli

February 9, 2014 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

I've been having meetings in the UTC/La Jolla area quite regularly for the past couple of months. The meetings usually finish around noon-ish. At the end of one of my meetings I asked for a recommendation for grabbing a quick bite and Crossraods Deli was mentioned. I had already heard of the place via an email from "Rob", so I decided to check them out.

Finding the place was interesting. It's located in the La Jolla Crossroads Apartment complex off Judicial Drive. I would have never thought of checking this place out…..mainly because I'd never driven past here before. Anyway, there's visitor parking, you'll find the place behind the Boar's Head umbrellas.

The place was pretty busy and the menu is pretty routine, except for a couple of specialty sandwiches and daily specials. This was Falafel Friday, so of course……

I got the falafel sandwich ($7.50). Which I thought would be a great idea, since, well, Boar's Head is Boar's Head, you know what I mean? This is a real Mom-and-Pop place, really…..it's like Mom is working the register and Pop is making the sandwiches. Nice folks one and all.

This was a pretty hefty sandwich, perhaps a bit too heavy handed on the shredded lettuce and tahini sauce as it seems the falafel were a bit overwhelmed by everything else. The pita was nice and warm and the falafel, which were hot and fresh, had a nice texture, not too gritty, just moist enough, with a pleasant flavor. Needless to say, I didn't leave hungry.

I can see why this place is popular, the portion-price point is good. The falafel aren't on the level of Mister Falafel, but I'd have this again.

Two weeks later I dropped by again. The place was just as packed as before. This time I ordered "Al's Famous Club" ($7.50):

This was a pretty good sandwich. I loved that the turkey was thinly shaved, that the bacon were more like Bacon Bits, though there was a good amount of it, not so much. What seemed like a vinaigrette was very nice, the side that was over-dressed with mayo was a bit much. Loved the avocado and the swiss added a nice milkiness to the sandwich. I ordered this on sourdough, which went well with the sandwich. Not bad overall.

As I've mentioned before, I have a great deal of appreciation for these homegrown, neighborhood sandwich shops, I've been going to our neighborhood shop for over a decade. I'm glad we have one in our neighborhood and I'm sure the folks who live and work in the general vicinity of Crossroads Deli is as well.

Crossroads Deli

9085 Judicial Dr, Ste 100 (Inside the La Jolla Crossroads Apartment Complex)

San Diego, CA 92122

Hours: Mon-Fri 8am – 7pm Saturday 8am – 4pm

Coimbra: Breakfast at Pastelaria Palmeira and Mercado Municipal Dom Pedro V

February 7, 2014 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Coimbra, Desserts, Markets & Grocers, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Travel

After a fairly restless night of Ossos induced sleep, we woke early, veyr typical for us when on vacation. As with Lisbon, we notcied that folks wake a bit later in Coimbra. The Missus was just raring to go, so we headed off…..

We took a short stop on Praca de Maio taking time to admire the Church of Santa Cruz,which looked so peaceful and regal in the morning. As we approached we could hear a buzzing noise in the silence of the morning. Apparently, the building has electrified wires running around it to keep birds away.

A few blocks away, on Rua de Sofia, we found a little bakery that was doing a brisk business with locals.

The name of the place is Pastelaria Palmeira, so of course I had one…..

I had really gotten used to having that cup of espresso and a pastry for breakfast, that it just the right thing to do.

We enjoyed this place and actually returned the next morning before heading out of Coimbra.

Pastelaria Palmeira
Rua da Sofia 13
Coimbra, Portugal

Right up the street on Rua Olímpio Nicolau Rui Fernandes is the local Mercado – Mercado Municipal Dom Pedro V.

Much like the markets in Lisbon and Evora, business seemed slow. It seems that places like this are starting to fade away with younger folks shopping at chain supermarkets.

The place is a multi-level affair, full of little kiosks, the seafood area separated from the other stands.

As you can see, nary a customer in sight. I'm wondering if it was just a timing thing?

I'm hoping it is, since it would be very sad to see a way of life change…….

Mercado Municipal Dom Pedro V
Rua Olímpio Nicolau Rui Fernandes3000-303
Coimbra, Portugal

I did take my sweet old time here because I knew there was a steep hill in my future…..

Pangea Bakery Café-revisit (more than just a bakery!)

February 6, 2014 Cathy Bakery, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

Pangea has closed

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of the blog. It's about food. Writers here are usually Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy. Today, it's Cathy's post.

I started writing this post in November. Then things happened and even though The Mister and I have been to Pangea Bakery Cafe regularly, there have been some 'technical difficulties' regarding phones, cameras, computers, hinges and various other mechanical things and the final photos are recent. You'll have to take my word for it that there have been visits in the interim.

The weekend before Thanksgiving. Here we were. And what is that man doing on the front patio? With a grill next to him no less!

Notice the poster under the cash register…grilled items.

Notice signage in the store…

This was the menu in November. It has changed, but let me show you what we enjoyed that day.

The nice Young Man cooking held open the foil for moment as I snapped a photo. You'll see what this was…skewerS-that's a clue.

There were other items available- that's a Chinese sausage.

Condiments used for the various grilled items.

Yes! Grilled whole squid: the same as was being served at the First San Diego Night Market until it sold out within the first few hours…

This was HUGE (it cost $8) and tender, brushed lightly with a sweet teriyaki-like sauce before and while grilling. We took a good portion home and used it for dinner.

Of course we also bought some baked goods…

Here it was, leftover squid with the ham and cheese bread and squash. Ah, the balanced diet of the Holiday Season…

Here are some bakery items we've purchased- that's a ham and cheese baked in a bread and a cream filled almond pastry.

Here's the most recent menu…ever evolving and probably more refined(although on some of these chilly days, I'd like to have some soup).

The Thai peanut and lime chicken plate ($3.99 that day, regular $6.99 – and worth it at that price) is quite large. Fresh veggies stir fried with some of the rice, the bright flavors along with some crisped rice and cucumber and pickled onion… and the sauce had a nice kick…could taste coconut milk in the sauce-it was almost a curry…lemongrass more than lime flavors and a touch of heat that would creep up on you. This was very good.

We also shared the appetizer popcorn chicken ($3.99) which is served with the pretty cup of sriracha/teriyaki topped with black sesame seeds. Fresh, crispy and moist good size chicken pieces.

You can see this bowl was quite large and lined with baby lettuce, which could have absorbed any grease…but there wasn't any and so a mini salad was enjoyed at the end of this meal.

We've also enjoyed some day old pastries (half off; there's a small red mark on the packaging) and good cup of coffee for easy breakfasts here. That's the raisin walnut bread and a cherry filling in a soft Danish pastry.

It's going to be Valentine's Day soon!

Drop in and see what the menu will be on your visit…

Pangea Bakery Cafe 4689 Convoy Street, Suite 100 San Diego 92111 (858)560-0688 website

Midweek Meanderings: Jin’s Pot opens and Happy Family returns

February 5, 2014 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

Jin's Pot opens in Plaza del Sol:

Aka in back of China Max and a few doors down from Spicy City.

I read this in Eater San Diego and was passing by during lunch so I took a quick swing past the shop.

My sources and the menu does indicate Yunnan….even though Jin's Karaoke is right next door…I'm thinking that must be a coincidence?

The prices seem kind of steep, though they have lunch specials.

They also have a 10% off grand opening special…..might not be for long, the "sign" is in marker…..

They weren't open yet on this day, so I'll just drop by later. A funny thought crossed my mind, if this was anywhere else but Convoy, a shop with the name Jin's Pot would have a total different connotation.

Jin's Pot
4690 Convoy St. Suite B109
San Diego, CA 92111

Happy Family reopens in UMart:

Well, I've been kind of keeping tabs one what's going on in the gigantic space inside UMart. There are a couple of non-food shops in the old Zion Market food court area. Happy Family, whom Cathy posted on has made a return, joining Big Joy Bakery.

Things have been moving kind of slowly here, I hope business and businesses pick-up.

Happy Family (Inside UMart)
4611 Mercury Street
San Diego, CA 92111

Kamayan Night at Villa Manila

February 4, 2014 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants

A couple of weeks ago, our good friend "MG" whom I hadn't seen in a while told me that Villa Manila was doing a "Kamayan Night". For those who haven't heard that term before, kamayan literally refers to eating with your hands. In short, for the Filipino's I know, it also refers to a fairly festive occasion where family and friends get together and eat like crazy!

MG had great timing as my good friends, the twins, Pete and John's Birthday was rapidly approaching. Ange was nice enough to coordinate and since the four of us had been here together before, Ange knew everyone's preferences….in other words, pork, pork, and more pork. Since there would be 8 of us, Ange ordered the "Fiesta" and we supplemented with two (small) orders of Crispy Pata and Chicharon Bulaklak.

As you can gather, it's imperative that you make reservations in advance, unless you want to wait for a couple of hours for food. You can then supplement again if the need arises. Also, note the fine print that adds charges if you have excess people and don't supplement.

Also, those bowls don't hold soup, ok? It's water and lemon for your hands….you'll be needing them, since you'll be eating with 'em. So don't drink that!

Anyway, having made reservations, our banana leaf draped table was ready when we arrived. And they quickly got our first supplement, the bulaklak, fried pork intestines, out to the table. Love the version here and can't get enough of it.

Soon enough, our Server, whom I shall call "Iron Hands" because he didn't even flinch when placing our steaming rice on the banana leaves.

"Iron Hands" also displayed his overall strength when he brought the proteins out to be served.

Here's the progress……so in case you're keeping score, you can see the the Inihaw na Baboy and the Halabos na Hipop (steamed shrimp), along with the Adobo….

Fried Chicken (supplement), bicol express, crispy pata (supplement), etc, etc…..

On a funny note, Xiāng Jiāo couldf not get enough of the Crispy Pata and Lechon Kawale…..she even got a pork "high" feeling a bit light headed near the end of the meal.

In case you were worried about our vegetable intake, dinner came with Inihaw na Talong (grilled eggplant) and the green stuff at the end of the table….though I think it was mostly a garnish. Those preserved eggs were pretty heady, but was nice combined with the mango and the atchara.

You can kind of tell what everyone was missing here right? Crispy Pata, bulaklak, lechon kawale, bicol express, adobo, and inihaw na baboy…it sure wan;t pork…..

This stuff is obviously great pulutan….beer food. Unfortunately, Villla Manila does not serve alcohol, nor allow BYOB. I was told it was because of the church across the street.

Initially, we thought we'd get a "mega" halo-halo, but there just wasn't much room after the cake.

Happy Birthday guys! We should do this again soon!

Villa Manila

500 East 8th Street

National City, CA 91950

619-477-8512

Kamayan Night only on Thursday – I suggest calling and making reservations.

Because everyone was itching for a nightcap. Candice, who has a deep affection for old-school and dive bars, suggested La Maze. Remember, this was the group who hit up Albie's. It was a nice old-school ending to a wonderful evening.

Super Bowl Sunday at Carnitas’ Snack Shack

February 3, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Hot Dogs, Pubs and Pub Grub

**** This location of Carnitas' Snack Shake has closed

I'm not big on Super Bowl parties, to many people, crowds, etc, etc….. I guess nowadays I'm just not too big on the Superbowl period. Though I haven't quite gone the route of "FOY" Reid who Tweeted asking when kick-off was so he could hit Costco! You gotta love that one!

Still, the Missus was working and my good buddy Candice asked me if I'd like to meet her at Carnitas' Snack Shack. What a great idea! I hadn't been back here since they first opened and while I thought the place a bit over-hyped, I really enjoyed the atmosphere, and thought the food had promise.

Over the last couple of years, they've added a back bar and grill ("The Pig Pen") area. The place looks very relaxed and inviting. There was a large screen with the game on…….

The main reason I met Candice….other than the wonderful company of course, was for this:

I've had my share of lousy TJ Style Hot Dogs, but this is not one of them. Yes, Carnitas' thrives on serving fairly over-the-top eats, but I gotta say, I really loved this. The dog was large, but still had some snap, it was well flavored. The bacon could have been more crisp, but I loved the flavor….the mustard was delish, the bun didn't hold up, but was nice and fluffy. What really caught my attention was how the guacamole on this dog just sang in perfect harmony with the "meat-stick". I like hot dogs, but I'm usually fine after just one, but much like my favorites, I left wanting another…..

Personally, I'm not a big fan of grilled wings, but these were also pretty good.

Mainly because the flavors worked real well together. The nice sweetness balanced out by a sneaky, spicy, finish. Courtesy of habanero I'm told. Much like grilled wings, this was a bit chewy, but not bad at all. In fact, I had two left that I brought home, which the Missus really enjoyed.

It seems that Carnitas' has really found their niche. Perhaps the dishes area bit over-the-top, but I really can't say anything I've had here was bland. Now that they serve beer and have really expanded their dining area, maybe it's time I brought the Missus.

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

A revisit to Pho Lucky

February 2, 2014 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

It's been a wonderfully fun and busy weekend for me, here some stuff that I've had queued up while I catch up on things.

Pho Lucky:

Yes, yet another post, among perhaps a half dozen or so done by myself and Cathy over the years. This little shop ajoining Lucky Seafood has been our go to shop. So naturally, when the Missus wanted some pho recently, this was where we headed to.

Notice the jalapenos that the Missus adds to Her version…….not something I enjoy, but at least She doesn't dump in a boatload of hoisin or sririacha….

My intent was to have pho as well; but while walking from our car the fragrance of grilling pork permeated the parking lot. So I order the house special broken rice.

And while the rice wasn't as fragrant as I prefer, the pork chop was well flavored and fairly tender, the "bi" had been tossed with rice powder and was also good….the Missus poached the shrimp, which She enjoyed. We probably had good timing on this one…….and I'm not complaining.

What good stuffs did you have to eat recently?

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

Recently Consumed

February 1, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking

Here's a quick post of stuff recently consumed in the mmm-yoso household! I hope you're having a great Lunar New Year weekend!

Mahi Mahi with a spicy red pepper and tomato sauce.

Robalo Seared in Duck Fat with a Bacon-Sweet Potato Hash and Arugula:

The warm weather has me using my smoker quite a bit.

I always smoked a couple of chicken legs, whic makes great sandwiches or BBQ Chicken Salad.

I noticed I've been eating a lot of salads recently……

I'm waiting for another cold snap so I can make chili again….

Cheese plates are always welcomed in our household…..

The Missus is not fond of hard cheeses, but I really enjoyed this Vento D'Estate, which is aged under a blanket of hay.

Anyway, that's it for now….I'll be back tomorrow with stuff I didn't make at home.

Here's Frankie greeting the day……

Whole Foods- Made to Order Poke Bowl

January 30, 2014 Cathy Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog, is just that-a documentation of good, bad and ugly experiences, all eventually centering in on the central subject of food. Cathy is continuing this week of mediocrity with one of her recent experiences while Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are out and about seeking something to write about. This is a short post.

The closest Whole Foods Market is 11 miles one way from home. The Mister and I don't shop there regularly, but stop in when we are in the area and do enjoy almost everything purchased there, because we buy things we can't find elsewhere and it's an interesting place.

We especially enjoy meals at the Whole Foods in store restaurants, usually before we go shopping. (I have a few more posts about those).

One day a few weeks ago, the signage in the seafood section of the store caught my eye. "Made -To-Order Poke Bowl $7.99" salmon or tuna. I had to.

Since the sliced fish was $20/lb, I knew the portion I'd be getting would be small. No problem- a snack for when we got home. You'll notice the display fish is plain/not in a marinade…

I placed my order and the nice lady working proceeded to fill a bowl with rice from a rice cooker behind the counter. She then scooped out three scoops of the tuna (a good portion), squeezed out a marinade on top of the tuna and rice and sprinkled it all with black sesame seeds, sealed and labeled the bowl and handed it to me.

It was quite heavy (and warm; fresh rice)…since the marinade/sauce had just been placed, we decided to wait until we got home to share this bowl as a snack.

Well. The poke flavorings/marinade never really stuck to the fish and it dripped straight to the rice, so the rice was seasoned with the sweet/tangy/sesame oil flavors and good on its own. The fish didn't pick up much of any flavors at all. It was fresh and good (and pretty plentiful), but the next time we were shopping, I just bought a handful size amount of the sliced fish, brought it home and made my favorite recipe. Lesson learned.

I hope your week has been better than mediocre.

Teri Cafe is now Katsu Cafe

January 29, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

I've never been the biggest fan of Teri Cafe, which I've always thought served low second tier Americanized, Japanese food with sort, kinda, maybe, a plate lunch-ish touch. There were however, folks who really felt that I was totally wrong and they've let me know that over the years. So, I finally decided to circle back to Teri Cafe and give them a serious shot, just no "rolls" or ramen for me. I was in for quite a surprise.

So, first things first. The miso woup here was heinously bad, watered down, lukewarm and without flavor.

Second, my yakisoba was delivered and I was given a fork and spoon….no chopsticks, which I had to go and get.

The noodles were decent, but overall this wasn't nearly as good as what I had here before, which wasn't all that great anyway. The flavor was on the bland side, I like my yakisoba to have hints of worcestershire and the flavor here was faint. It also lacked any of the typical garnishes like pickled ginger. I was content with the chicken, which could have been cooked a bit more to give it a bit of crust, but it was fairly moist. I was glad the teriyaki sauce was on the side as the version here tastes a bit too heavy in soy and is pretty salty.

As I was leaving I was surprised to see the change of ownership notification……

And a few days later, Teri Cafe became Katsu Cafe. So why not check it out, right?

It was exactly the same restaurant, menu, decor……

Ironically, "Katsu" isn't on the menu per se; it's still listed as Chicken Cutlet and Pork Cutlet on the menu. I recall being corrected once when I ordered the Chicken Katsu, "you mean, the chicken cutlet…."

Well, to check on the namesake, sort of, I ordered the Chicken Katsu Cutlet ($8.65). It was nice to see that I was provided chopsticks by the really friendly….extra friendly, like everyone suddenly took happy pills friendly, girls here.

And guess what, they brought me chopsticks without having to ask for them!

You really can't fault the portion size, though that green salad is much too large and the dressing too thin and sour. The potato-mac salad on the other hand is decent, but seems to have a bit of a citrus taste to it that I really don't care for.

The chicken could have been fried a while longer, it was too light in color and soft. Much of it peeled away from the chicken, meaning the product was probably too cold when breaded. The sauce tasted like by-the-book bottled katsu sauce, which is not a bad thing. All-in-all, it was sustenance.

One big improvement; the miso soup, while still not great, at least had more flavor and was served hot.

This was certainly not a bad lunch; so I decided to return.

Tonkatsu, ummmm Pork Cutlet ($8.65):

Basically the same production as the previous visit with the miso soup and salads. This time however, they had done a nice fry job on the pork. The panko was crisp and sported a nice color. Just based on the portion size and price point, I didn't expect this to be say; Kayaba, and it was not, as the pork was on the dry side, though it was adequately tender.

So where does Katsu Cafe rank? Well kinda in the Chopstix category for me. It's not bad, the portions are fairly large, the staff seemed a lot more friendly…the owner was bouncing around contantly talking on his phone rather loudly, checking the television, the doors, everything but the customers on both visits; kind of like he didn't feel comfortable talking to them….. Personally, based on these two visits, I think it's a bit better than it was, perhaps new blood has provided a bit of fire. Plus, I overheard the owner talking loudly on the phone that he was replacing Pepsi with Coke.

So perhaps I'll drop in every once in a while to see if they start calling their Cutlet, Katsu…….

Katsu Cafe
7305B Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111