mmm-yoso – Page 334 – 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.

Roadtrip: Burma Cafe (Daly City) and other stuff

January 25, 2014 mmm-yoso Burmese Food and Restaurants, Road Trip, San Francisco and Silicon Valley

Full and happy after lunch at the Firestone Grill, we headed northward. Hitting Gilroy we couldn't help but stop at one of these tourists traps…..

We also stopped at the Gilroy Outlets. The Missus doesn't shop much at outlets, it's not Her "thing" I guess. But She was interested to see what the lululemon shop had to offer. Of course She was wearing some limited edition jacket thingy which made all the sales girls go "that's so nice isn't it?" ick….. Then I came to find out that we didn't stop for Her…..we stopped here to get some stuff for me???? Anyway, two shirts later we left the place……me wearing lululemon, sigh. I feel somewhat emasculated for some reason. They are comfortable though.

We eventually got to our hotel. We were staying in San Bruno at the Villa Montes. It gave us lots of options and we kept joking that we were going to NorCal, but not into SF……

After a short rest we got back on the road a drove around a bit. We were still pretty full form lunch and decided on a fairly light dinner. I gave the Missus a couple of options and She chose the restaurant which was located in Daly City. So we drove to Daly City stopping here and there. When the Missus saw the 99 Ranch Market we decided to stop since we were still running a bit early. After stretching our legs a bit we headed to our dinner destination, Burma Cafe.

Burma Cafe is located in, what else, a strip mall. The mall looked a little run down, with most of the shops looking like this one right next to Burma Cafe.

Burma Cafe was without a doubt the nicest looking shop in the place.

****Burma Cafe has closed

They had just opened for dinner when we arrived, so it was pretty empty. The interior was on the dark side, yet it created a fairly nice intimate mood.

The really nice young lady seated us, we came to find out she is the owner's daughter.

The menu is concise, but full of dishes I wanted to try.

Of course we had to have the Lahpet Thoke, the Fermented Tea Leaf Salad, which is often called the Burmese National Dish.

I realize that the traditional version of this dish doesn't usually include lettuce, but in this case the crispness of the greens really made this a refreshing dish. The mildly bitter-astringent-pickled flavor of the fermented tea leaves, which looked a lot like pesto was really enjoyable for us. The addition of various nuts, beans, and seeds added textural contrast and flavor. The tomato gave the dish a bit of an acid kick as well. I'd have this weekly if we lived in the area.

A while back, I read that kabocha is used quite a bit in Burmese cooking. I thought the Missus would really enjoy the Kabocha Pork Stew.

The Missus, a big fan of kabocha loved this dish….even if it had pork in it. The pork was perfectly tender, soft, but not mushy. I really enjoyed the combination of spices used in this dish, complex, mildly spicy, but not overwhelming. I wasn't such a big fan of the kabocha, I felt it was a bit too starchy and undercooked….but hey, the Missus loved it.

We both enjoyed the ambiance. The young lady who served us was very nice and even chatted with us about how the food was prepared and the spices they use. I wish we had a place like this in San Diego.

Burma Cafe
63 St Francis Sq
Daly City, CA 94015

Rhodes: Lindos and (our first) Lunch at Mavrikos

January 24, 2014 mmm-yoso Greece, Greek Food, Rhodes, Travel

Much like we did in Crete, since Rhodes was a rather large island, we decided to rent a car. After manuevering the vehicle out of the Old Town we headed off Southeast. Our destination? The town of Lindos, birthplace of Charis who built the Colossus of Rhodes. I had read that Lindos was quite unique and it was easy to see why, even from a distance.

Remember the old joke about never being able to find a location whenever someone says "you can't miss it"…..well, in this case it's true. You really can't miss this place. Towering over the town of about 1,000 is the Acropolis of Lindos.

It becomes obvious, even at a glance, why Lindos was one of the most important cities on the island in ancient times. Both the Acropolis, built on a rock towering almost 400 feet over the village and the rather calm natural harbor, along with its location on the Eastern side of the island made it a perfect location for trade with people like the Phoenicians.

We decided to stop in Lindos and grab our first lunch. I found osme parking a bit outside of town and we walked into the village.

The village itself is tourist central. Lindos is the second most popular tourist destination on the island. While walking along the small streets and alleyways, past the white washed houses, you'll undoubtedly come across packs of donkeys ferrying tourists up to the Acropolis. I really felt sorry for the poor donkeys….I saw several carrying really large tourists up the hill.

I actually thought I'd soon be trudging up that hill. But no, much like what happened with saying "no to Knossos", the Missus decided that we'd seen enough……..

As we headed toward the central square, the bell tower of the Church of Assumption squarely in sight, the Missus pulled into a jewelry shop. Much like Chania, the Missus decided that She wanted some ear rings….I guess we were developing our own traditions.

So while the young man in the shop and I discussed recycling, Greece, and what was even more funny; the 80's music blaring through the shop (this kid was in his early 20's) "I love 80's, the best music, they don't make music like this anymore"…sounds like something I'd say, the Missus found a pair of ear rings She wanted.

Mission accomplished, a tradition lives on…..

Talking about 30 year old music really made me hungry so we asked directions to a restaurant that had been recommended to us; Mavrikos.

Located in the really busy bus and taxi stop, we were told that Mavrikos was once considered on of the best restaurants in Greece.

The place looked really nice, white tablecloths and all. The customers were undoubtedly tourists. The menu spanned everything from Spaghetti Bolognese to Tabbouli to more interesting stuff like youvesti with beef (a traditional beef stew).

I really felt for the staff here, customers wanting pizza and burgers, folks walking in the door using the restrooms….

We kept it simple and light, there were plans for a second lunch in the works.

The Missus, like She always does ordered the horta, one of Her favorite things in the world.

Which was cooked to death as it always is. The flavor was pretty good, almost like collards.

And a routine Greek Salad.

This version had capers which added a nice briney touch.

Pretty boring, eh? I was famished and decided to order the Slow Cooked Belly of Pork in Grape Syrup.

This was an interesting dish. You could tell that a lot of this had been prepped way ahead of time and quickly put together for service. The rice was really bad. If undercooked rice was a crime, the person who made this should get the death penalty. The pork belly, though it was only lukewarm, was decent, not overcooked and mushy, perhaps a bit under what I'd appreciate, but still full of pork flavor. The grape sauce made the dish, slightly sweet and fruity, with a touch of astringency and acid, it balanced out the fattiness of the pork. Of course, as with most places in Europe, a pig tastes like a pig. Definitely not cheap at almost 16 Euros, but better than just about everything I'd had in Rhodes so far.

We headed back to the car, the Missus smiling at Her bounty, me trying to remember what the car looked like………

I still remember that conversation with the young man in the shop……there were a few songs before this one, but following it, I had to comment on the 80's music. I remember being mesmerized by the video when it first came out. It's still a favorite of mine.

I know I'm old………but I still love this video. If you've ever wondered about the girl in the video, there's more here.

Corner Sandwich & Cafe (Mira Mesa)

January 23, 2014 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Corner Sandwich & cafe has closed.

mmm-yoso!!! strives to show the various styles, ethnicities, preparation and just food consumed by Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy, as well as a few other contributors to this food blog. Today, Cathy is showing and sharing another food adventure.

Driving through Mira Mesa one early morning, on the East end of the parking lot anchored by Seafood City, there is a McDonald's as well as this small storefront, which was open and buzzing before 9 a.m..

It has apparently been open for a few years and has a steady clientele, though an internet search shows only one blog post, ours, during a brief visit on a day of banh mi comparisons. ( The 2011 visit wasn't favorable)(New management began in 2012).

Not only will you notice the small-ish menu boards behind the cash register and along the adjacent wall (along with California Lottery Keno screens and a quite large Lotto Scratcher vending machine) but there is also a television (showing soccer games) as well as indoor and outdoor seating.

This additional set of menu addons, dated 2012, are still in effect.

Glasses filled halfway with hot tea were brought out to The Mister and I and the nice lady working brought a paper menu to the table. Everything was $5. Since I had no idea of the sizes of items, I asked for just one that we could share, pointing at the menu. She asked if we wanted a hot coffee or other beverage, but the tea was quite nice.

This was one of the best breakfast banh mi sandwiches I have ever had! The softly cooked, folded egg and warm pate-like meat, topped with fresh pickled radish, carrot, cucumber slices and cilantro, along with a few jalapeno slices, all on very fresh, soft warm and crunchy crusted bread was a perfect size and had wonderfully perfect, fresh flavors.

You can see some of the tea-filled glasses in this photo, along with some of the many people here, most of whom were sitting outside…

So glad we stopped here. Really a pretty unknown and wonderful place.

Corner Sandwich and Cafe 9005 Mira Mesa Blvd San Diego 92126 (858) 695-9566

Nate’s Garden Grill

January 22, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Pubs and Pub Grub

I'd heard about Nate's Garden Grill a while back and really wanted to check them out. I took my sweet old time and the place changed management, which turned out to be for the better. Part of the intrigue is the location, on the edge of City Heights, in the same lot as this place…..

It makes for interesting bedfellows….compost and craft beer……

And yet, the quirky location and atmosphere, down to "horse bike stand", all seem to belong here in some strange way.

The floors seem well worn, like some dusty old saloon from a vintage western……

Enter through the doors to place your order at the counter. The interior is on the dark side; like someone's living room. There's a small kitchen area with a nice (21) selection of craft beer on tap.

I prefer sitting in the bright and on this day, sunny patio area, which looked like a nice, well worn deck somewhere out in the wild west……of City Heights…..

The atmosphere, location, menu, and craft beer makes Nate's a fertile feeding ground for hipsters. On this morning, there was but one of the tribe of "hats and tats", and what was that Sir Hipster was holding in his hand, but that remnant of another age….a book! Though sadly, this hipster was too busy texting to open up the book. Perhaps he was channeling his "inner Petunia"?

I wasn't super hungry, so I went with I thought would be a smaller sized breakfast, the Biscuit Sandwich with Sausage Gravy ($7.50).

Like I said, I thought it was going to be a pretty light breakfast, sausage gravy and all, but this was pretty hefty. The eggs were decently scrambled, the biscuit dense but nothing like the hockey pucks you get at Hash House. Loved the gravy, which had a nice balance of the salt and the nicely spiced breakfast sausage.

I really enjoyed sitting and watching folks going to the nursery and loading up their vehicles with sod, compost, potting soil……

Plus, the folks here were very nice.

I figured that the Missus would enjoy Nate's so I brought Her here a couple of days later. The woman working the counter was so friendly and let the Missus taste almost everything on tap. She settled for a Duchesse de Bourgogne to go with Her Flat Iron Steak Cobb Salad ($16.50).

Considering that they have a pretty small space for a kitchen, they do a pretty good job with what they have. The beef here is grass fed and finished and was cooked perfectly. The portion size was generous, a nice variety of greens, organic, crisp and fresh. Pork belly took the place of the bacon here and the Missus sure didn't complain about that. I wasn't a fan of the sriracha ranch dressing, which came off as rather flat with a tinge of heat.

I got the Pulled Pork on a Pretzel Bun ($10.50) and a Craftsman Acorn Saison to quench my thirst.

I really didn't expect much, but this ended up being very good. The pork had a nice smoked flavor with a mild chew. I've eaten my share of mushy pulled pork. The pork flavor was also good; I was told that the pork here is from Duroc pigs. I thought the kale slaw was going to be a bit intrusive, but it went really well with the pork. To top things off, I really enjoyed the pretzel bun; the crust was….well, crusty, and while the bread was dense, it wasn't too chewy.

I enjoyed the pulled pork, so I decided to return for breakfast again and this time went, ahem, whole hog, and ordered the Pulled Pork Hash ($10.50).

The hash, more a like a stir fry, was topped by two lovely poached eggs. The grilled sourdough toast was meh. Despite having some reservations about this mass of sauteed vegetables, I was pleased with the flavor. It wasn't overly seasoned so you could get the sweetness of the carrots tempered by the bitterness of the arugula, all brought together by the smoked flavor of the pork. This was way too much for me and I ended up taking half the hash (which is actually served in a small cast iron frying pan)home. The Missus, who enjoys this type of dish went through the leftovers in a blink of an eye.

We've enjoyed our meals at Nate's and will probably return soon. It's very relaxed, the woman who works here is so nice and friendly, the food is good, 21 craft beers on tap, what's not to like?

Nate's Garden Grill
3120 Euclid Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

And then of course….if you have breakfast or lunch at Nate's you can walk over to City Farmers Nursery right next door.

It's a wonderful urban oasis of plants and even more surprising for me; chickens, goats, quail, and a pony or two. I met a very friendly Rottweiler who kept nudging my hand, wanting to be pet and a cat that wouldn't stop rubbing against me. The woman working here said that I really had a way with animals. I told her that it was probably the pulled pork…….

I'll try and take better photos of the place next time.

A couple more visits like this and Nate's will hold a nice spot on our rotation. I guess your produce better be pretty good if you share a lot with a nursery, right?

Not super fancy, but fresh food, decent quality product, nicely prepared, what's not to like?

Revisits: Fu An, 777 Noodle House, and Song Long (Westminster)

January 21, 2014 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

Here are a bunch of revisits for you…….

Fu An:

**** Fu An has closed

Since I first posted on this place right after their opening in September, I've been back a couple of times. I really hadn't bothered to take any photos until a recent visit with some friends. This visit clearly shows what I think the "state of Fu An's" is.

First, I've always gotten very friendly service, the folks here seem really nice. The food on the other hand has been uneven.

The batter on Shrimp with Exploding Pepper was on the soft and gummy side. It also strangely lacked spice.

The Fried Intestines with Dried Red Pepper, one of my favorite dishes here was nicely fried, but again, really lacked the "ma", the numbing hot that makes this dish so addictive.

As with previous visits; it's the Steamed Fish Filet with Green Onions and Chopped Chilies was the best item we had.

Though it too seemed a bit mild with regards to heat.

Strange, the diners who accompanied me were both Chinese, one of whom worked for a short while at Ba Ren and we had asked for spicy. But this came up a bit short. Kind of sad really. We have a good amount of Sichuan restaurants in San Diego, but none seems to take the lead with regards to the whole "suan–tian–ku-mala–xian" and top notch technique. I was hoping that Fu An would step up.

Fu An Garden
4768 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

777 Noodle House:

It's really hard to argue with the prices here. The food itself can be quite good.

The Missus' favorite here is still the Tod Mun Pla. It has a very distinct Kaffir Lime Leaf flavor.

She actually prefers the version here to what the Original Sab E Lee serves.

When not getting the Hu Tieu Nam Vang Kho or the Intestine Noodle Soup, I'll usually go with the Intestine with Preserved Vegetable.

I've noticed that they've started adding more sour vegetable over the years and making this a bit more spicy. I'm not complaining.

The place also makes a decent, old school, "count every grain" of fried rice.

I've found the beef to be tough and the chicken to be somewhat suspect, so we stick with the shrimp version.

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

Song Long (Westminster):

Last year, FOY (Friend of Yoso) Kha, recommended Song Long to us for Cha Ca. And he wasn't kidding. We were recently in the area again and on a whim decided to drop by.

We arrived pretty early, about a quarter past 9, which made the place look like some strange, kind of kitschy VN-american diner. We only ordered one thing, the Cha Ca Thang Long ($16.95).

Man, the mam nem here is pretty heady….it's delicious, the Missus can practically drink the stuff, but man, it really is the gift that keeps on giving, as that aftertaste will stay with you for a while.

In what was a funny little vignette, a couple minutes after the greens and bun arrived, I think the guy working realized we weren't Vietnamese and brought over a bowl of nouc mam cham….we had been "gringo'ed!"

When the Cha Ca arrived I sat in awe……this looked way better than what we had last time. It was also delicious.

From the wonderful sweet and savory sauteed shallots, to the wonderful dill, moving to the moist and flavorful fish….not to mention the wilted scallions, this was quite good.

Needless to say, we're thinking about returning again soon….I hope it's always this good!

Song Long Restaurant
9361 Bolsa Ave Suite 108
Westminster, CA 92683

Nostalgic Roadtrip: The Monday Special at Chicken Box (La Habra) 12 years later…..

January 20, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Orange County, Road Trip

We were driving on the 605 earlier today. We had an appointment in the City of Industry and were deciding on what to eat. Suddenly it came to me; "it's Monday, right? How about Chicken Box?" Not knowing if the place still had the "Monday Special", 10 pieces of broasted chicken and potatoes, the Missus found the number and called….and sure enough they did. After our appointment, I placed a call and we headed over to the Chicken Box.

Located in La Habra on Whittier Boulevard, next to the bowling alley, Monday nights often meant the "Monday Special" when we lived right over the hill. We both loved the broasted chicken. After moving to San Diego, I visited just about every broasted chicken joint and none even came close.

It was nice to see not much had changed….the simple take-out set-up, the food was still cooked to order so you had to tell them when you'd be picking things up. It was usually a 20-30 minute lead time. There was still the little kitschy display with chicken-country themed knick-knacks for sale…..

As much as I've lavished praise on the Chicken Box; for some strange contradictory reason, it has to be on a Monday…..perhaps it's nostalgia, or heck, maybe we're being cheap, but we'd always get it on a Monday.

We were surprised to see the Monday Special was only $11.89….you can get it on any day, but it'll cost you $16.99. You're limited to two specials per order. Broasted chicken, made by a patented and trademarked process of pressure frying chicken, ain't cheap stuff. From what I recall, the equipment is only available to food service, so you can only get this eating out. You can read more on the Broaster website.

They were doing a pretty steady business, folks coming in and picking up, one or two trays of the special. We finally got ours……we couldn't wait and headed over to one of the outdoor tables to see if the chicken had changed over the years. We were happy to note it had not; it was still as good as ever.

Man, this was good. These folks know how to use the Broaster. Nothing I've had in San Diego; even if they all use the same equipment and possibly the same marinade and process compares. The flavor of the coating was very simple and straight forward. This wasn't greasy in the least. The skin and coating was thin and crisp and much of the fat had rendered off. Also, each piece, regardless of size was cooked perfectly. It is claimed that broasted chicken is 44% more moist than fried chicken. It's easy to believe…..

The broasted potatoes weren't nearly as good as before; I think it used to be seasoned much more aggressively. But heck; this is the Chicken Box, not the Potato Shack.

This really made our day and brought back memories of our time in Rowland Heights. There aren't many of our old haunts that are still great after over a decade. We're glad the Chicken Box still is……it's also still better than Pittsburgh Chicken and Subs in Los Alamitos as well!

Chicken Box
330 E Whittier Blvd
La Habra, CA 90631

Recently Consumed: What’s in a name? Pétoncles fumés poêlés, sautes chou vert, pommes darfine – say what?

January 19, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, yoso-silly

Huh? Actually, just kind of playing around. This weekend I finally have some time to cook again and the Missus has me doing it with a vengeance. Her favorite dish for the weekend was this:

The fun with the name started when I decided to make Potato pancakes…….pommes darfine, hah! I really wanted a smoked infused scallop, but the problem being also getting a nice carmelization on it as well. So, like I did on a previous occasion with bluefin tuna, I got my stovetop smoker going full tilt and did a very hot smoke for 6 minutes. I then removed it from the smoker. Earlier I had rinsed, dried, and chopped collards (chou vert). Which I ended up chopping a bit thicker than a chiffonade. While the smoker was going I grated garlic and onions, squeezing out a good amount of the moisture. I then julienned the potato, seasoned, mixed together, formed and put aside. I then sauteed the collards, added grated garlic, and a dash of red win vinegar to give it that "pop". Potatoes were done next. While the potatoes were draining, I quickly seared the scallops over super high heat…….

The Missus loved it….though I'm thinking I need some sauce for this the next time….piquillo pepper based perhaps.

Anyway, I thought it would be funny to translate into French……so you could then call me "Fancy Pants prétentieux"

Pretentious Fancy Pants!

So what did you cook this weekend?

Coimbra: The Old Cathedral (Sé Velha), a quick look at the University, the Church of Santa Cruz (Igreja de Santa Cruz), and dinner at Ze Manel dos Ossos

January 18, 2014 mmm-yoso Coimbra, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Travel

*** This is a long one. I wouldn't mind at all if you just skipped to the food at the end of this post!

I was huffing and puffing up to "Old Town" like a wheezy old train when the Missus finally signaled a stop at this somewhat imposing Romanesque style building that looked like it a church….which, well, since it is Coimbra was one. This is the Cathedral of Coimbra, Sé Velha. The Cathedral is significant since it is the only Cathedral of the Romaneque style to have remained relatively unchanged from "Reconquista" times; the recapture of territory from the Muslims.

The structure is truly imposing, from the fortress like appearance to the battlement like notches on the roof. I'm guessing the folks around here still didn't feel completely safe from the Moors even after they had been chased out of the city.

The Main Chapel, dating from the late 15th century in the Gothic style is austere, but still quite grand in it's own way. Probably due to scale.

I actually found the side chapels to be more interesting. This one is the "Chapel of the Holy Sacrament" and was made by João de Ruão (Jean of Rouen) in 1566. It features statues of Jesus and his Apostles on the top ring and the Madonna on the bottom. I found it quite stunning and just loved the detail.

There are quite a few Tombs in the chapel as well. This one is of Jorge de Almeida who was Bishop of Coimbra in the 16th Century. Like I've said, here in the states, we talk generations and decades….in Europe it's about centuries….. And this one is from 480 years ago……

Queen Isabel (Elizabeth of Aragon) is beloved among the Portuguese.

This weathered painting alludes to one of the miracles that led to her canonization as Saint Elizabeth. According to the story; Elizabeth was devoted to the poor and sick, often feeding and helping providing for them. One day, the Queen returned home, and found to her surprise the King had also come home. The King did not approve of her actions with the poor. Depending on the version, Elizabeth was either holding bread or coins in her skirt. When the King asked what she was hiding; the Queen, who much like another character from later in American history, could not tell a lie, lower her skirt, and miraculously, whatever it was she was holding, be it bread or coins, turned into roses!

We soon headed back up the hill and eventually passed through this gate…..

And ended up in a courtyard where the extreme whites almost blinded us!

This is the grand courtyard of Coimbra University. All the most well known and important locales within the University ring this courtyard.

The lonely looking statue of King John III stands in the courtyard.

The reflection of the clear blue sky made everything seem so much brighter up here. We'd return the next day and I'll do a more detailed post later on.

Naturally, the views on such a bright, clear clear day were stunning.

We made our way across the campus to the area right above the Mercado (another future post), which you can see in the bottom of this photo.

There's an "elevador" down to Rua Olímpio Nicolau Rui Fernandes where the mercado is located. Unfortunately, it was closed for repairs…sigh….

This meant a fairly interesting steep walk downhill for me. Actually, walking down seemed harder on my legs than the walk up. Go figure….

Remember the young Chinese girl who looked at me puffing up the hill with amusement? Well, we ran into her as we descended. Naturally, curiosity got the better of all parties and we stopped to talk, well not me really, since they chatted in Mandarin. She was from Macao studying Portuguese in Coimbra for a year. Though missing her family, she was enjoying her time in Coimbra.

Eventually we made our way down to street level and back around to busy Praca 8 de Maio and probably the most well known church in Coimbra, the Church of Santa Cruz (Igreja de Santa Cruz). The facade is quite impressive and there's a very popular cafe attached to the church. It also helps that this is probably the busiest part of the pedestrian only shopping area in Coimbra……without a doubt the best place for people watching. You got everything from the women with over-sized designer sunglasses, to the guy with the accordion, to the young man giving his beloved mutt a drink at the fountain in the plaza that fronted of the church.

We spent some time in the church, but by now all I wanted was a short break and a shower…..

We found our way back via the alley-like side streets and freshened up. Soon enough, it was dinner time and there was one place I had in mind.

Located close to the Mondrego River and the Hotel Astoria……

Down a nondescript alleyway, you'll probably find a bunch of people lined up. For what you may ask? Well, it's for a restaurant that's so popular, even the young lady from Macao knew of it called Ze Manel dos Ossos. Don't be surprised if you see laundry hanging a couple of floors above where you're standing…..

If you're confused already, have a look at the menu that's hanging outside the place.

Ready to order yet? Yet never fear…….dos Ossos is here!

Luckily, I had found the place pretty easy….there was an 50 pound hardwood charcoal bag with trash for pick-up on the street and I thought the place had to be close by. We were second in line. The guy in back of us said that he drives to Porto form Lisbon every month and always stops here. He then uttered the two words were heard several more times during our meals here, "very tipico".

The restaurant itself is very small, you'll be sitting elbow to elbow. The walls are amazing with notes written in every language taped to them….this would be, without a doubt, a post-it wonderland.

It's all guys working here……like they decided one day, "hey, let's make a restaurant". Mario is the frontman, he speaks English, and in the wonderfully refreshing way, will tell you when you've ordered enough, as in "it is enough for you, no need to have more!"

When we had planned our trip to Portugal, we had thought of the food being hearty, rustic, and comforting, and places like Ze Manel and Quarta-Feira surely answered the call.

I mean, just look at the bread…..

So……as you can deduce by my post on Capela dos Ossos….Ossos means "bones". The name of the place is Ze Manel dos Ossos and all the locals are getting Ossos, well except for the German couple who insisted on "beefsteak". So of course we got Ossos.

A huge plate of simmered pork bones, simply seasoned, edging on salty, perfect with the house wine. This had us picking through every nook and cranny of the porky, slightly sticky (from the connective tissue), and wonderful pork bones. This was really good.

I ordered the Chanfana, a roasted/stewed goat dish that is from this region.

My response to the first bite was, "whoa", this was nicely gamey, it really tasted deliciously of the pasture with touches of garlic and onions. The meat was pretty tender. The sides were simple, I loved the simple potatoes with olive oil and hated the beans which were cooked to death, which the Missus loved!

It was interesting, most of the customers were Portuguese. The table next to us pointed to out food and said that often heard phrase here, "very tipico".

Ze Manel dos Ossos
Beco do Forno 12
Coimbra, Portugal

As I looked up at University of Coimbra from our hotel room, I found myself very happy that we chose Portugal as our destination for our vacation.

I know this post was very long, thanks for reading!

COMC: Blind Lady Ale House and Ballast Point Tasting Room and Kitchen (Little Italy)

January 17, 2014 mmm-yoso Beer, Gastropub, Pubs and Pub Grub

Just a real quick C(learing) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard) post on this very warm Friday…….couldn't you use a cold one to start off the weekend? Isn't it Happy Hour time yet?

As with all my COMC posts…keeping the verbiage to a minimum. Have a great weekend!

Blind Lady Ale House:

To make it short and sweet, we enjoy the food at Tiger! Tiger!, We prefer the beer selection at BLAH.

The folks at both places have always been great.

Our favorite item on the menu is the Charcuterie Plate……we're fond of the Country Style Pate's

Once one of the kitchen staff came out to talk about making sauerkraut with the Missus. They chatted for like 15 minutes about it! You gotta love that.

The Missus is now hooked on Craft Beer and it basically started here with a glass of Three Philosophers. Crazy…..

The Missus loves the vibe here so much, that She decided we should stop in on New Year's Eve. That says a lot, doesn't it?

The folks here know their beer, know how to pour it, and they seem to take really good care of it. Drop by and you'll see.

Blind Lady Ale House
3416 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116

Ballast Point Tasting Room and Kitchen:

Met my good buddy Candice here.

I was shocked at how busy the place was..on a weekday!

There's a good sized tasting area…where, well, you can taste of course!

Specialty Brewer Colby Chandler is here, so you'll always find something interesting.

When I visited, it was Brewpub area that was really busy.

The pretty straight-forward pub grub was pretty good.

As we were finishing up, Colby, who I know from our Beer Week dinners at Ba Ren and Sab E Lee Santee, came over and said someone wanted to meet us. This is where I get really uncomfortable….I like to keep a very, very, low profile. Anyway, that handsome dude manning the kitchen here is Travis Clifford, whom you might know from his blog Travis Like Food. No wonder we haven't had a post in forever! Like most of the food bloggers I've met, Travis is a very nice, down to earth guy, even though he likes those JIB stoner tacos! (JJK) So if you drop by, make sure you say hello. I gotta get back here again soon.

Ballast Point Tasting Room and Kitchen
2215 India St
San Diego, CA 92101

Tropifruit (Fruiteria and sandwiches) (El Cajon)

January 16, 2014 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Fruiterias, Mexican Restaurants, Salads, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog, with writings about random foods consumed at random places sometimes surrounding random events. No such events to speak of in this post, though, sorry. (Cathy is writing.)

Well here we are. A new year. Some of you may have made resolutions to 'eat healthier' or maybe to 'try new things'. Those aren't resolutions to me, since I try to do those already (I also don't use drive thrus, try to only purchase organic milk, make an effort to clean for 15 minutes straight once a day, spend 15 minutes a week rearranging one drawer or shelf…different, attainable goals). So to maybe give you an idea of 'healthy' and 'new', perhaps this post will be an impetus.

Just on the other (West) side of Johnson Avenue from Parkway Plaza Mall is a small strip mall with a tire store, bank and Burger King. There's a Taco shop, a Thai Restaurant some other businesses and Tropifruit.

It's a fruiteria, one of many in San Diego, has been in this East County location for years and was recently re-decorated. We are so lucky to live here, with fresh fruits and vegetables available all year and I really try to buy local and enjoy what we have. (Here are two posts I've written about other currently open fruiterias. This is a link to one that is closed, but just to give you an idea.)

The menu has stayed the same since the remodel; breakfasts, sandwiches, smoothies, juices, waters, ices (raspados), fruits and salads. All fresh and in season, all made to order.

Here is a meal The Mister and I shared. (The photo shows an odd perspective, but that torta roll/bolillo really is HUGE.)

This is a small pico de gallo($5.50)- bite size cut up fruits and vegetables, topped with a squeeze of lime and spicy salt. The fruits included grapes, mango, watermelon and papaya; vegetables were jicama and cucumber. Spicy salt is Tajin (or a similar item), just chiles, lime and salt. This is always refreshing.This was the "Special Torta" ($6.50) which included both pork loin (lomo) and ham as well as lettuce, tomatoes, avocadoes and jalapeño strips on a freshly toasted bolillo roll.

A recent breakfast we enjoyed included mollettes ($5.99), a toasted wheat bolillo roll topped with refried beans and melted cows milk cheese (I think this was Monterey Jack or white cheddar; it was very creamy). This is very much a 'comfort food' item for me…creamy, warm, toasty crunch. The accompanying (quite large) side of fresh chopped tomatoes, onions and jalapeño goes just perfectly.

We also shared a small fruit salad ($5.75) Apples, bananas, grapes, strawberries, pineapple topped with cottage cheese (or plain yogurt), sunflower seeds, raisins and granola accompanied with a side of honey is a good, sweet treat any time of day.

Tropifruit 100% Natural Juice Bar 762 N. Johnson Avenue Suite 103 El Cajon 92020 (619)588-0303 M-F 7 am-8pm; Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 10am-6pm