mmm-yoso – Page 342 – 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: Motor City Deli

January 12, 2014 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

**** Motor City Deli has closed

After returning from our roadtrip, I was still thinking about the tri-tip from Firestone Grill. And though I didn't think I'd find anything even close here in San Diego (I mean really, the place would be more packed than Phil's), I did recall someone telling me about a place I once passed on my now all-too-infrequent drives around San Diego.

In the strip mall located at 7094 Miramar, I recall seeing…well squinting to see "Motor City Deli" right next to the Churchill's Cigar and Wine Bar. For some reason, this fascinated me, so I went home and checked out the menu….which didn't seem like a big deal. A couple of months later someone mentioned that this place mentioned that they smoked their own tri-tip and brisket for sandwiches. After Firestone Grill, I was here in an instant!

Walking in, I was very surprised at how large this place was. The small front area; it looked like it used to be, maybe a pizza or Italian joint, opened up to a fairly large dining area, with a back bar, several local beers on tap as well.

The prices seemed very inexpensive, the advertising for the deli meats were Boar's Head, decent, but nothing special. I noticed the back posters which featured the tri-tip and brisket. I asked the very nice young man behind the counter and he confirmed that they did indeed smoke their own tri-tip and brisket. So I ordered a tri-tip, on a roll, the young man recommended the mushrooms and onions and horseradish sauce.

It was a nice portion for $7.99, but there were several problems with the sandwich. First the meat was pre-cut then placed into a large steam table hotel pan in beef "broth/jus" which basically leached all the beef flavor out of the meat, leaving behind a somewhat artificial-saltiness. I really couldn't make out the smoked flavor and the meat was starting to seize. The onions and mushrooms along with the horseradish sauce actually saved the sandwich, so good call by the young man, as was the time spent placing the sandwich in the toaster oven.

You get one side with the sandwich and I chose the coleslaw….which was a mistake.

There seemed to be no seasoning, sauce, or anything on this….it tasted like eating coleslaw mix plain……..

Don't get me wrong, other than the "faux-slaw", the sandwich wasn't bad, just that it wasn't elevated to the level it could be. I decided to return and this time get the brisket ($6.99).

Just by understanding the differences in smoking time for a tri-tip versus a brisket, I believed the smoke flavor of the brisket would be much more pronounced, which it was, though the brisket was much tougher, in terms of flavor it handled the "jus soak" much better. You could even see a mild smoke ring around the slices. I had the sandwiched dressed exactly as before by the very friendly woman working on this day.

After my coleslaw experience, I decided to let the friendly woman choose my side. She selected the pasta salad which was just made. This was a better choice, very by-the-book, but decent.

Overall, I liked the people here, very low keyed, but nice. This seems like a decent neighborhood sandwich place…I'd visit every so often if I worked or lived nearby. Heck, I'd even drop by for a beer and sandwich for dinner when the Missus is working. Is it worth an special trip to visit? Probably not.

I'm not sure what the "Motor City" in the name of the place is referring to….is it the owners? Or maybe our own Cathy who hails from the area might know?

One interesting note is that SuperNatural Sandwiches is opening a few doors down.

Motor City Deli
7094 Miramar Road Suite 114
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours
Mon-Sat 10am – 9pm

Roadtrip: Firestone Grill – San Luis Obispo

January 11, 2014 mmm-yoso Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Salads, Sandwiches

**** I have an updated post on Firestone Grill here

The was a reason we dawdled around Solvang for a while. I'd really been wanting to have a tri-tip sandwich for a while. Calculating driving times and such, it was either Firestone Grill or bypassing Solvang and hoping to make it to Salinas. We decided on stopping in San Luis Obispo, driving through the downtown streets of this quaint looking college town, finding parking across the street from Firestone Grill.

Having never been here before; I really didn't know what to expect…..the place is large a cavernous, looking like part College hang-out – Sport's Bar – Chain Restaurant. You order at the counter and wait to be called.

The menu is simple; burgers, salads, pulled pork, hot dogs….smoked grilled, slapped between bread. The food, though simple, is not slapped together. The portions looked huge; which is not always a good sign…..

The Missus was ravenous and had me order the Steak Cobb Salad (Large $9.49), which is served in what looks like on of those metal mixing bowls.

The greens and vegetables were sparkling fresh….the truth of the matter is that the generous amount of bacon and blue cheese made this salad. We didn't use any dressing (on the side) at all. Basically, a solid salad.

Of course I ordered the Tri-tip Sandwich ($8.69).

I was sold after the first bite. I've never had tri-tip this moist and tender ….I still have a hard time believing it actually is a tri-tip, the bottom sirloin. The beefy flavor however, was definitely there along with a pleasant, light smokiness. The meat was tender without being mushy. The roll toasted lightly with garlic butter just heightened the experience. I took a bite and told the Missus, "you're going to love this….." Which She did. She's still talking about this sandwich. It was probably the most pleasant surprise on our road trip. I'm glad I requested the BBQ Sauce on the side. It was way too sweet and would have totally over-powered the flavor of the beef. This was probably the best sandwich I had all year.

Firestone Grill
1001 Higuera St
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

I'm guessing there are those who have issues with Firestone Grill – after Tweeting about this sandwich; FOY – MrZ, the Zompus actually mentioned that the sandwich was too tender for his taste! Go figure! Perhaps MrZ had one too many of these in his life and has become jaded? (I do miss the both of you BTW)

Melissa Good Taste, however agrees with me.

After lunch we walked around a bit and ended up getting some stuff from here.

All in all a successful stop…….

Stuffed Collard Greens

January 9, 2014 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

I don't often watch "food television", as much of it has become an extension of Reality TV, which doesn't relate to any "reality" I know of; could be because I don't get out much, or perhaps I'm not hip….but I have a problem watching shows that seem to reward bad and outrageous behavior…..much of what's on is either heavily character based; or competition television. For me, when I'm able to, which is not often enough, I'd rather turn on PBS during a lazy Saturday…..though some of those shows don't really inspire or keep my attention either. There are exceptions; like the one Sunday I flipped stations to PBS and watched a show called A Chef's Life. I'd never heard of this program, and even though I enjoyed the back story, it was the subject that I loved……collard greens. I called the Missus over and having some wonderful, fresh collards in the fridge, She was fascinated as well….especially the part on collard kraut. Then came the segment on making collard green dolmades and we were sold. Though not quite in the manner of the show, we were inspired to make something akin to Turkish Dolmars. Dolmar mean literally to "stuff"…..in fact, the tiny buses around Cappadocia are called "Dolmars", because of how you stuff folks into them. We teamed the stuffed collards with a tangy tomato based sauce, halfway between shakshuka and marinara.

You might find it interesting to note that our favorite way of eating collards is not the typical Southern style long simmered variety, but a hot saute of the greens with a nice, flavorful fat…..bacon or duck will do, though guess what we did with all that Grieben Schmalz? It's something we first had years ago at Jayne's, which I just didn't feel like posting on.

Anyway, all you need to make a batch of these are four or five large, fresh(still pliable), leaves. You remove the spine, blanch for a minute or so, remove to an ice bath, and then let dry. You then use the leaves to roll your meat mixture….you can make 4-6 with each leaf, depending on the size….of both the filling and the leaf.

Other things to take into consideration. I grate my onion on a box grater then squeeze out about half the liquid, this gives the filling a better flavor and texture. I grate my garlic on a ginger grater. I use full fat Greek Yogurt which I don't drain. You can adjust the salt based on your sauce, I'm not going to tell you what kind of sauce to use….I think you'll figure something out. The Smoked Spanish Paprika, which we get from Penzy's added a nice mild smoky flavor to the dish. As for the meat……go for it, but consider tenderness, moisture, and of course flavor. This will make at least 12-15 medium sized one's……

Stuffed Collard Greens:

5-6 Large, fresh, collard green leaves, blanched, iced, and drained

1/3 lb ground lamb

1/3 lb ground veal

1 1/2 Tb ground cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1/2 cup grated, then partially drained onion

2 Tb grated or finely minced garlic

1 Tb granulated garlic

1 Tb Turkish Oregano, rub to break apart and release the oil when adding to meat

1/2 tsp Thyme (see above)

1/2 tsp Smoked Spanish Paprika

1/4 tsp dried mustard

2 Tb full fat Greek yogurt

– Combine all ingredients except collard leaves.

– portion out into oblong meatballs as desired.

– Wrap in collard leaves.

– Steam for 10-15 minutes.

– Drain excess liquid and serve with sauce of your choice.

A pretty simple recipe, thanks to some inspiration from a show I'll try to watch when I can……

Pho Pasteur Anh Hong (revisits)

January 8, 2014 Cathy What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! Food blog. Today's writer of meals is Cathy. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are consuming meals so as to have something to write about.

What a strange Holiday Season we've had. Every day has seemed like a weekend starting from about Friday December 20 until this past Monday January 6, because of the Wednesday legal holidays and corresponding Tuesday celebratory Eves. Between attempts to run errands quickly and unobtrusively while avoiding crowds, we are both tired of cooking at home. A favorite place which I've posted about previously is Pho Pasteur Anh Hong. (It's located in the same parking lot as K Sandwiches). Sort of off the beaten path (and not in a mall with any grocery stores), service is always efficient and the food is always tasty. The extensive (197 item) menu is always a challenge.

The decor hasn't changed in all these years, although the cash register location has moved since my 2009 post. I enjoy the pink tablecloths on all the tables, making it feel a bit more upscale.

The shrimp and pork roll appetizer ($3.49) is always a favorite. The peanut dipping sauce is complimentary and delicious.

Stir fried chicken and vegetables on wide rice noodle ($7.99) is a favorite. The noodles are slightly fried and a bit crispy in places, which is refreshing.

I always have to search the extensive menu for the above favorite of mine: bean thread (not noodles) chicken soup ($6.99). The broth is wonderful and the bean threads are just as satisfying as noodle, without being carbohydrate laden.

After reading Kirk's early December post of Bun Mang Vit, The Mister was wanting duck and ordered Mi Vit Tim ($7.99) egg noodle duck leg soup, dry (which didn't happen, as you can see in the top photo) but He managed after pulling out the wonderfully flavored duck leg.

I was mostly wanting egg noodles and ordered Mi Xao Chay ($7.99) Egg noodle topped with fried tofu and stir fried vegetables. This was a very nice plate with combination of a tasty nicely fried tofu mixed with very fresh tasting vegetables all on top of some perfect egg noodles.

We've always liked the food and atmosphere here. There always is some sort of table celebration going on, with families surrounding whole fish centerpieces and enjoying their traditions.

Pho Pasteur Ahn Hong 7612 Linda Vista road San Diego 92111 (858) 569-7515

Rosca de Reyes-Traditions

January 7, 2014 Cathy Markets & Grocers, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for coming back to read mmm-yoso!!! Today, Cathy is writing a short post. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) will read it, as you are doing right now. You may or may not comment on it.

Well, it is a New Year and officially the Holidays are over. I was raised Catholic, The Mister is Lutheran and we have a few traditions which begin before Christmas Eve (when we decorate the house and tree and open cards and gifts) (that's a tradition). Another tradition that I have had since I was a child growing up in Detroit, is acquiring free advertising calendars -which are posted in just about every room as well as the garage work space in our home- from various merchants around town.

These are just five, I'll show you more in another post. The Mister and I have been under the weather and good friend and fellow blogger, caninecologne, of Pink Candles at Ridgemont High has been kind enough to pick up other calendars for me.

Another tradition, which is part of the Christian celebration of the arrival of Three Kings on the 12th Night following Christmas, January 6, (the first day of Epiphany, which celebrates the revelation that God's son is Jesus Christ) is celebrated in various ways with food.

In many countries, a King Cake is a popular food from Christmas until Epiphany. In the United States, King Cake can be acquired easily in the SouthWest areas along the Mississippi Gulf Coast from Epiphany until Fat Tuesday, the day before Lent begins.

In Portugal, a Bolo Rei is the traditional dessert (it's sold in several Portuguese bakeries in the Point Loma part of town) and looks like a small jeweled crown, topped with glaceed fruits and nuts. It's more cake-like.

In other countries (Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Peru and Malta), a panettone is the traditional food consumed before Christmas until Epiphany. It's a sweet bread shaped like a cupola and filled with various candied fruits and raisins.

In Spain, a Tortell is the common bread, also round shaped, marzipan filled and topped with jewel colored glazed fruit, with a paper crown in the center.

In Mexico, a Rosca de Reyes, their common food, is more of an egg bread dough interspersed with citrus peel and decorated with dried and candied fruit to resemble a beautiful jeweled ring. This day is also traditionally when children in Mexico receive their Christmas gifts. Mexico also has another seasonal, religious holiday based traditional bread, which I have posted about. There's also more to this tradition, which I'll show you at the end of this post.

Since we live close to Mexico, Rosca de Reyes (Literally "Ring of Kings") are seen in many grocers and Mexican bakeries before Christmas Day. Various packaging and decorating abounds, yet it's ubiquitous.

The Roscas come in various sizes and prices.

The in store bakeries are very busy, baking many, many roscas for rapid turnover in sales.

Northgate Gonzalez Market this year advertised various flavors of Roscas and had them for sale on tables throughout the market.

I ended up with the traditional flavors.

The Northgate Gonzalez was a heavier bread topped with a variety of dried and candied fruit. Dates!The morning of the 6th, I walked into Kaelin's Mi Pueblo (my favorite East County Mexican Market for both groceries and a quick meal) and the Roscas were hot from the oven.

You can see it's a light, fluffy eggy bread with some bits of citrus peel interspersed…but the surprise interspersion:

A small plastic baby Jesus is baked in the bread. There are actually three of these trinkets in the small breads and more within the larger breads. The meaning of the hidden baby is of the Holy Family's flight from King Herod's plan to kill all male babies who could possibly be the Messiah. Tradition is that each person cuts a slice of the bread themself, symbolizing the danger the baby is encountering. The people who get the figurine in their slice are in charge of throwing a party on February 2 (Candelamas Day) and provide tamales and atole (a hot corn-based beverage) to all the guests.

Last night, The Mister and I cleared up our Christmas decorations and enjoyed some hot cocoa with our Rosca de Reyes and rearranging all those calendars. I hope all of you are enjoying the year so far.

Here is a LINK to CC's current post about her Rosca from Pancho Villa Market. There are links to her prior posts at the bottom and also a short video about the making of the Rosca.

Markets in this post: Northgate Gonzalez, Vallarta Supermarket, El Super .

Antojitos Colombianos revisted

January 6, 2014 mmm-yoso Colombian Food and Restaurants, Latin American Cuisine

I had been wondering how Antojitos Colombianos was doing. It had been a while; over a year since I last visited the place. It could be that the relatively heavy, hearty, and let's just put it straight "gut-busting" Colombian food served here is not something one eats alone. In fact, on my last visit, over a year ago, I had the good fortune of having Kirbie and DH helping me out.

Still, I was wondering how they were doing, so I managed to talk my good friends, Candice and JohnL into joining me for dinner the week before Christmas.

It was nice to see the familiar faces of the folks working here….it was even more gratifying to see that they had a steady flow of customers. The place looks a bit more spic n' span, but is still that collection of poster and other "stuffs" that first endeared the place to me.

We started with the empanadas, which were nice and light.

I do prefer them fried to a bit more of a crisp texture. The beef filling was fine, but it's all about balance for me and having it just that much more crunchy would have done it for me…..

Of course I had to order the softball sized Papa Rellena.

Stuffed with saffron rice and chicken, along with a boiled egg…I love the crisp exterior and the potato….though I need to remind myself to ask for something picante to have with it the next time.

The Lengua en Salsa is still the best item here in my opinion.

The deep beef flavor along with the tangy-acidic flavors just make this a wonderful dish. I forgot to request yucca frita instead of the stewed yucca….won't forget next time. Still, this dish is still a winner.

I also decided to order the Picada…….a fried pork and carb lover's dream…..or perhaps nightmare.

So the score on this one is four to three….four types of proteins….most of it deep fried; chorizo (Mexican), carne, chicharron, and the best item costilla….deep fried pork ribs. Three types of carbs; arepa (griddled corn cake), french fries (papas), and patacones; deep fried green plantains. In this case the green you see is really for presenation only and that tomato was carefully placed to distract you from thinking about all that other stuff.

Since JohnL got here late, I had the pleasure of ordering for him……since he's a growing boy, though these days more horizontal than vertical, I ordered the gut busting Bandeja Paisa. "Don't worry" the young lady told JohnL when he looked upon this….."we're open for two more hours, so you have lots of time" as she laughed and walked away……

I got no complaints from him…… The chorizo on this plate is the one usually served with the arepa and was really tasty.

We ended with a flan……..

As we headed toward the finish line, the owner Javier came out front and thanked us for coming, shaking our hands. It's these touches that makes me want to return….I'll make sure it's sooner than a year this time.

Antojitos Colombianos
2851 Imperial Ave
San Diego, CA 92102
Open Daily 11am – 7pm

Sunday Sandwiches: Embargo Grill

January 5, 2014 mmm-yoso Cuban Restaurants, Latin American Cuisine, Sandwiches

**** Embargo Grill has closed

I was shopping at Baron's in Point Loma a few weeks ago and noticed this shop across the street.

I thought the name to be kind of strange until I looked over the menu.

From looking over the menu and the interior, it became quite clear that this was a "fast-casual" concept with a strong Cuban-Puerto Rican – Latin American slant….thus the reference to El Bloquero, which I did find somewhat strange in a way.

The prices are pretty much in line with Chipotle and other similar places; but of course the menu seemed a hundred times more interesting.

Service was kind of lax, but the woman who took my order and brought my food out to me was very nice and friendly. I went with the Cubano ($5.95), which wasn't actually a Cubano, but really a Medianoche, literally "midnight sandwich", obviously a reference to post bar/nightclub calorie bomb, late night eats.

The big difference between Cubano's that I've had and this sandwich is the use of pulled pork, in this case quite dry, served ice cold, and bland. I did love the bread, which was crisp, light, somewhat yeasty and nicely pressed. The ham and Swiss cheese really tasted good….like well, ham and cheese! The sandwich wasn't very large, though I did save half for the Missus who enjoyed it much more than I did. What I realy found amusing was that lump of pork piled on the side like a…well, not to mock it, but it really looked like a turd garnish.

The reason I was so full was due to the side dish I ordered; the Yuca Frita ($2.75).

As you know, I just can't resist this stuff. This one however, I will resist in the future. I love the crisp, yet light as air texture of well fried yucca….this one was kind of dense and not very crisp. I think it was fried at too low a temperature. The mojo criollo lacked balance, more oil than anything, lacking the citrus acid component making this seem greasy. There was enough garlic, but this seemed very appropriate for a "medianoche meal"……totally a grease bomb.

I thought my previous meal was worth another visit, so a couple of days later I returned. Same really friendly woman at the counter. I looked over the menu a bit more and noticed the variations of salads and create your own bowls. Still, I really enjoyed the bread the last time, so I decided on one of the most expensive items on the menu; the Churrasco Steak Sandwich, on a pan medianoche ($8.95).

This was a pretty decent sandwich. The steak, which appears to be flank had obviously been prepared ahead and was on the tough side. The flavoring was decent; I personally enjoy stronger flavors, but the combination of the chimichurri and the creamy aioli was satisfying if created "not to offend". I really like the rolls here for some reason. The portion of protein was not large, but this was fine by me.

While the portion sizes aren't for big eaters, I thought this was right for me. The service, though a bit slow, was very nice and friendly. It's not a place I'd go out of my way for; but if I worked or lived in the area I'd drop by every now and then. I'll probably visit again in the future if I'm nearby….give it a shot, it's a nice change of pace from Chipotle, Baja Fresh, etc, etc, etc…..

Embargo Grill
3960 W Point Loma Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Mon-Thurs11am – 9pm
Fri-Sat 11am – 10pm
Sunday 11am – 9pm

Saturday Stuffs: Mr Fish and Chips reopens, the brick and mortar location of Supernatural Sandwiches, and the sign at Tecchan

January 4, 2014 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

So here are a couple of items to end our week.

Mr Fish and Chips reopens:

I'm certain that frequent commenter "Soo" is happy about this one. He is the one who told me that a fire closed the place down. Then of course, was the wholesale construction going on in this strip mall. So we can now answer what was going with Mr Fish and Chips. It's been a while since I've been here. I guess I need to check them out soon.

Mister Fish & Chips
5647 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

SuperNatural Sandwiches brick and mortar location:

Funny, I do recall reading about SuperNatural Sandwiches opening a shop in Miramar. But for some reason forgot all about that. So I was a bit surprised when I saw the sign. Looks like a lot of work still has to be completed….but soon enough, I won't have to wait until Farmer's Market days to get my "Siren".

7094 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92121

What the sign says at Tecchan:

A couple of weeks back, FOY "PedMa" told me that Tecchan was closing.

I was in the area so I thought I'd drop by and see what was going on. It look like stuff has been removed and moved around quite a bit inside the place. And of course there was that typical, cryptic, sign……"Closed for Maintenance". Much like the "closed for remodeling" sign, this usually means the place has closed down.

Why can't they just get to the point….like this place in Antalya, Turkey, and just tell us they've closed down?

Tecchan Yakitori and Izakaya
3739 6th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

A Dinner at Giang Nan in Monterey Park: Road Trip

January 3, 2014 ed fromyuma Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Xiao Long Bao

This post isn't about a Kirk Road Trip or one by Cathy. This post is about a meal Ed (from Yuma) and Tina had on a road trip exploring a little of the culture and cuisines in the LA area.

Tina and I were staying in Montebello, just south of Monterey Park. Saturday night was going to be our last dinner in the area. Of course, we would eat Chinese food, but Tina insisted “no seafood.” We were looking for something reasonable, no frills, no stress. Thanks to some posts by Kirk, we decided to try a Shanghai style dinner at Giang Nan – if we could find the small restaurant at the backend of a small anonymous strip mall at 306 N. Garfield. Luckily for us, it was all lit up for the holidays:

We were fairly early, so there were few other customers in the small restaurant when we arrived, and the place was not full even later when we left:

The restaurant seemed clean and nicely if sparingly decorated. The service was also friendly and knowledgeable – our young female waitperson was very helpful and pleasant. The menu was extensive and offered us a lot of choices, so we found some dishes we knew we wanted, but we just guessed about others.

We began with chicken in wine sauce ($4.95):

This cold chicken appetizer tasted fresh and clean with a light background flavor of the wine sauce. Very enjoyable.

The duck in supreme sauce ($5.95) was also pleasant. The thick sauce had a pronounced 5 spice flavor and complemented the chilled leg and thigh of roast duck. Sweet spice and savory flavors matching the cool rich duck flesh:

We felt we got lucky with our order of shredded pork and bamboo shoots ($5.95). Really enjoyed the textures of the pork, bamboo shoots, and green onions. The dish was lightly sauced so that each ingredient was present and accounted for. Of course, I am a huge fan of bamboo shoots since I just love their earthy woodsy flavor and unique texture, but it is hard to imagine anyone not relishing this dish:

We wanted a purely vegetable dish and braised green beans and shredded potato sounded different and interesting:

The dish arrived at our table still steaming hot. The green beans were perfectly cooked and the sauce, dark as it looked, was not too salty or overwhelming. Only the potato strips, which tasted too soft, like they came from a package of frozen french fries, were somewhat disappointing. Still they provided a bland and soft contrast to the crispier green flavored beans.

Our helpful waitperson had suggested that we have some rice with the meal, and when I asked her to recommend a particular rice dish, she eagerly pointed to the salted pork and vegetable rice ($5.95):

Her recommendation was spot on. In some ways, this was the most impressive thing we tasted all evening. The greens, the slightly salty pork belly chunks, and the hot, almost creamy rice were well balanced and the layered flavors of the dish all worked together. We thanked her a couple of different times for the recommendation.

The last item to arrive was an order of pork xiao long bao ($4.95):

These were really good. Although a couple of them had lost some soup, every one was wonderfully juicy:

The pork flavors of the dumplings were excellent, and the wrappers neither too thick nor too tough. We also appreciated their somewhat small size. Once they cooled just a little bit, they were perfect one-bite treats. It seemed odd to receive them at the end of the meal, but we had no trouble gobbling them all up. Just like a desert, I guess.

Not only was this a very reasonably priced dinner,:

but we received so much food that it was also our Sunday brunch as well, and we still felt bad throwing some leftovers away. Giang Nan is certainly not a fancy restaurant, but we will happily return for rustic Shanghai cuisine the next time we are in the area.

Giang Nan, 306 N Garfield Ave, Monterey Park, CA 91754, (626) 573-3421; Open 11 am – 3pm, and 5pm – 10 pm daily

Yu’s Garden – A first look

January 2, 2014 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants

**** Yu's Garden has closed

Just a few months ago, "YummyYummy" mentioned that a new "Chinese Restaurant" was going into the former B H Chung location. When I asked around, no one knew much….though the term "Fast Food" was bandied about, much to my disappointment. Finally, the sign went up, the place was given a name….Yu's Garden, whose location in Irvine Kirbie posted on back in 2009. Looking at her post, I could see that the term "fast foodish" didn't appear to be to far from the truth. A couple of weeks ago, the menu went up, and Yu's Garden, San Diego quietly opened.

After checking around a bit, I kind of knew what to expect. We've got some young folks I know who love the place. Of course these kids aren't too far removed from college and still talk about how much they love Nongshim (though the Missus likes it too) instant noodles, which kind of puts things into perspective.

Over the course of the last couple of weeks, I managed to visit twice; once with my good friend Candice, who had met me for an awful lunch at Yes! Pingo. I was hoping that this would be an improvement. One good thing about Yu's is that they open early, remember, this is possibly the worst parking lot in San Diego, at 10am Monday thru Thursdays, 8am Friday to Sunday….although according to the sign, they must have some special calendar with two Sundays on it……having two Sundays a week, wouldn't that be grand?

The use of the plastic sheet sleeve also makes me wonder what on earth they need to protect this piece of 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of paper from? It's pretty far from the tables in a remote corner. One can only wonder?

As for the interior….well, much like the Irvine location, this place is ready with the quick steam and cold table stuff. Much of which looks rather greasy. So on my visits, I stuck to ordering from the menu. The hot and cold foods were really close together, which didn't quite look up to food handling standards.

This place also wins the award for making a new business look like it's been around for years. There are already stains on the walls, if you take a good look at the steam table, you can quickly see that the plywood paneling looks like it's been hacked, or at least badly cut, perhaps with a steak knife as the edges of the wood are jagged and not flush to the floor. The panel on the left is of a different make as it doesn't really match the rest. also, it has been mounted onto the steam table with a plain untreated piece of plywood that looks totally different. Which makes me think that it's only a matter of time before the tables get that nice "San Gabriel stickiness" to them.

In addition to the ton of prepared items, the menu is huge with a 139 items (I counted) on it, not counting specials. The prices are also inexpensive, with $8.99 being the priciest dish.

I know you've been wanting me to get to the point, so here's what was eaten…….

Sauteed Intestine w/Sour Vegetable ($7.99). I just can't help ordering this……

In terms of cooking technique, this was done well. If you don't enjoy the offal flavor of intestine, you might like this. If you don't enjoy your pickled mustard greens to have any flavor this might be enjoyable. If you love dishes that have way too much sesame oil on them, you will positively adore this. Still, I have no qualms with how this was cooked.

I had a synaptic short circuit and ordered the Pan Fried Pork and Napa Dumplings ($5.99). I should know better…..I mean, I have been indoctrinated…you don't pan fry jiaozi….in guotie, the dough is worked differently. If it's on the menu doing double duty, you should probably not get it……

You know that pretty yellow bag on stuff they sell at Costco with the cute panda on the front? Personally, I'd take that over this….cardboard like wrappers and mushy tasteless filling.

What would a meal here be without Chou Doufu (stinky tofu – $5.99).

You know what the Missus says, right? If I can eat it; it's not any good. This was pretty mild and bland. Nothing even close to, say Dynasty Plaza or even Shau Mei, and thankfully not even remotely close to the stuff I had in Hangzhou which I could barely swallow. I took the leftovers of this home….the Missus thought the version of smacked cucumbers was good, but of course said that the tofu was terribly bland and the sauce lacked any depth and that touch of sweetness She enjoys.

I had to have the Beef Stew Noodle Soup. Which really didn't look like much when it hit the table. In terms of presentation it looked rather plain….no pickled vegetable….

Overall, based on price, $5.99, I'd say this wasn't bad. I wish it was a bit richer, but the beef and anise flavor was there, though things were a bit heavy-handed in terms of MSG. The noodles were routine, which I expected for the price, but at least the beef was tender and flavorful. Plus this was steaming hot.

The best dish I've had at Yu's so far would be the Chicken w/Basil, aka three cup chicken. ($6.99).

Even though this looks like gloppy Chinese "faux-food", I really enjoyed it. The chicken was fried before the stir fry, keeping the skin (yes…skin on, joy of joys) crisp. Sweet, edging on too salty, I really enjoyed this. Candice summed things up when she asked me what time the place closed…….thoughts of having this after a couple of beers at O'Brien's did sound like a good thing. It was a nice parting shot to the meal……which motivated me to return a couple of days later.

I thought I'd try one of the most expensive items on the menu, the Sauteed Lamb with Scallion ($8.99).

This was a fair to middlin' dish. Nice char from the wok, the lamb was very mild in flavor, the dish was a bit too salty overall. For some reason, having the ends of the scallions, roots and all lind of bugged me, not sure why, but it just seemed wrong.

The Eggplant in Garlic Sauce ($6.99) was just a few notches down from being good. The eggplant was nice; crisp on the exterior, but molten and creamy inside.

It just lacked the amount of flavor I'd enjoy on a dish like this. Plus that pool of oil on the bottom of the bowl was a good half inch deep. I also found a piece of chicken mixed in with my eggplant….a bonus????

A note about the starch……get the rice. The free porridge is an absolutely pasty, badly prepared, mess devoid of any flavor at all.

Overall, Yu's wasn't bad, you get what you pay for……I will say, with a bit of humor that the place is the best Chinese food in this strip mall taking into consideration the places I call the the "Bland Brothers". It's great student food….so those Nongshim lover's did have a point. No pretense here, no gimmicks, or catchy name.

The young ladies serving us were polite and pleasant, though still obviously learning the ropes.

So will I return? Honestly, the person working the wok here shows more skill than the folks at say….Dumpling Inn and things aren't gringo-ized. It does have MSG, it can be salty, it can also be bland, it can be greasy, it will be interesting to see how some of the other dishes are…..

Yu's Garden
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111