mmm-yoso – Page 343 – 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.

What’s going on with El Charco?

October 15, 2013 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** El Charco has closed

I don't always have the best timing…..more than few times I've sat on photos of meals, only to have places close, burn down, change owners before I even have a chance to do a post. Heck, I even did a post on one of these places. The Missus and I had gone to El Charco, the shop that opened in the place of Birrieria's la Guadalajara twice right after they opened. I decided to wait on doing a post until I went a few more times…..you know me, I often will wait until a few visits before doing a post. Anyway, guess what I saw on my last attempted visit.

Which I found kind of strange since they've been open less than a year….I hope they truly are closed for a remodel……though peeking through the glass revealed that everything looks the same.

Anyway, here's a very abbreviated post.

The place created some nice buzz, since Paco Perez, the owner of the very successful and popular Aqui es Texcoco was a partner in this venture with the owners of a small chain of taco shops in Mexico City.

Many of the items we tried were on the salty side. Our favorite item by far was the Al Pastor, which hit all the right salty-sweet-porky notes for us. It was right up our alley.

The other tacos we tried ranged from good…the Missus loved the chorizo….and the huitlacoche quesadilla was not bad.

The Villemelon was a salty mess…the chiccharon brought nothing to the taco. The chuleta ahumada; smoked pork chops was also way too salty, being almost bitter.

The Missus really did like the tortilla soup, though…..

The Chicharron de Queso looks quite dramatic and we enjoyed it at first. After a while, it became too much of a good thing.

The Alambres is also quite a bit….the Missus hardly put a dent in the one She ordered with Chorizo and Pastor.

We do hope they renovate and reopen as the place displayed some promise to us…….

El Charco Mexico City Style Tacos
1310 Third Ave
Chula Vista, CA 91911

On a clear day, you can see…… Pho-Ever

October 14, 2013 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

Pho cryin' out loud…….

So here I was again, up around the Oceanside area. My first instinct was to drop by Guahan again. But since this was going to be before 11am, I had my sights on another place I'd been wanting to check out. Unfortunately, that place was packed…..at 1015 no less! So I had to settle for a plan B. Pho is always a viable back-up and there was a place fairly close by that I'd been told about but had never really been motivated to try. I think it was due to a mental block…….created by the name of the place.

Pho-real….it's called Pho-Ever and while it doesn't even come close with as does the "mother lode" with regards to names of pho shops, it was really hard for me to take this one seriously. I a serious two-fer', the restaurant next door is called "Thai One On"….. really. Just add in another restaurant name and you have a conversation "Pho-Ever"? "Yes! Pingo", now let's "___-____ Thai One On".

Still, here I was in Vista, it was a clear day, and like Barbera Streisand sang, "I could see Pho-Ever".

I walked into the place, which seemed like a nice neighborhood Pho shop, there was a family seated up front, and the flat screen was set to some children's show for the kids, a nice touch. The folks working here knew everyone who came in except myself, all regulars it seemed, though none were Asian, it was still a nice sign.

As for what to order? I just went with good 'ol #1, the Dac Biet, the house special….extra large bowl ($7.25).

The bowl arrived…..well not as hot as I'd preferred, but ok. The broth was cloudy, though it had fairly good hue. The flavor was very mild, mostly salty, very light on the beefiness, and was very "pho not to offend". Nothing really stood out, no onions, beef, nothing really…..

The herb….it should probably be singular and not plural, well, 'nuff said. The bean sprouts were very fresh. I really didn't need the lime because at least this wasn't an MSG bomb.

The noodles, and there was a good quantity of them was fine, perhaps a bit softer than I like, but still not bad.

As for the protein, well as you can see, it was pretty sparse. The place says it only uses "filet"…..beef tenderloin, which is nice, but where's the supposed "rare steak" (Tai)? If you're serving "filet", I would like having it "rare" as stated. All the "well done" steak was fine. The flank was extra chewy, but that's nothing new, the lack of beef flavor in that cut and the brisket was. The tendon was fine, if a bit harder than I'd prefer. The tripe was nice, but also pretty sparse.

The folks here were nice and I enjoyed the neighborhood vibe. This seemed pretty much middle of the road, nothing wrong with that.

Pho what it's worth; I preferred the Pho I had at Pho Lena and Mr Pho. I know, I still haven't made it to Pho Lucky, Yummy Pho, or Pho San Marcos…..I haven't pho-gotten about it. Ok, that's it, no more pho-puns for a while…..

Pho-Ever
485 S Melrose Dr
Vista, CA 92081

Red Peppers Stuffed with Lamb and Rice

October 13, 2013 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

I had about 4-5 ounces of lamb and a some rice left after making my lamb loco moco. Not much really. I've been swamped at work and didn't want to make a special trip to the market, so what to do? I looked out into the garden and around the kitchen and decided to make some stuffed peppers….lamb, rice, herbs, onion….we had a bunch of red bell peppers lying around, why not?

It turned out pretty well……

I also made a Shakshuka like sauce which brought everything together for the dish, which is so easy it's criminal. The only thing was the wait which was 45 minutes in the oven, but gave me time to make the sauce.

I actually went ahead and measured everything out except the oil, salt, and pepper. This is for two, you can just multiply everything out for more peppers.

Red Peppers Stuffed with Lamb and Rice:

2 Red Bell Peppers
1/4 lb ground lamb
1 1/2 cup cooked jasmine rice
2 Tb minced mint
3 Tb minced cilantro
2 Tb thinly sliced scallions
2 Tb finely minced or grated garlic
1 tsp crumbled Turkish oregano
1 tsp Spanish paprika
1 Tb ground cumin
1 tsp ground chilies
1-2 Tb olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
water

– Preheat oven to 375
– Cut the tops off the peppers and level off the bottoms of the peppers. Remove the center, discard the seeds, and trim out the interior of the pepper.
– Combine the all the ingredients except the peppers and water in a bowl.
– Stuff the peppers
– Place the peppers in a pan, I used a small cast iron pan I have and add about 1/2 inch of water.
– Place tops back on the peppers and place in the oven for 30 minutes.
– After 30 minutes remove the tops of the peppers, these should already be pretty soft.
– Drizzle olive oil on the meat filling and put back in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

You may want to serve this with a salty tomato based sauce, or something similar….think of the flavor profile of lamb. This was fairly gamey and went real well with the sauce I made. I'll probably do this again soon.

Evora: Praça do Giraldo, Cafe Arcada and dinner at Taberna Tipica Quarta-Feira

October 11, 2013 mmm-yoso Memorable Meals, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Travel

We'd gotten into the habit of taking a break and having a snack and some espresso when we were feeling a bit confused or tired. We ended up calling this the "Lisbon Rule" and it was time for that rule to come into play. So we headed down the hill from the Roman Temple, thru Rua de Vasco da Gama…..

We stopped to admire #15 Rua de Vasco da Gama……why? Well, according to what we read, Vasco da Gama lived here after returning from his first voyage to India. So…..Vasco da Gama really "slept here"…

A short while later, we were on Praça do Giraldo, for all intents and purposes, Evora's main square. This is where you'll find the older men chatting, talking politics, young people hanging out, drinking coffee, tourists mingling among them.

The square is named after Giraldo (Gerald) the Fearless, who drove the Moors out of Evora in 1165. It is a nice open area with the Church of Santo Antao and a rather quaint fountain from the 16th century. All this sunny brightness belies the supposed 22,000 condemnations that occurred here during the Inquisition or that John II sanctioned, then watched his cousin Fernando II's decapitation here in 1483. No, nowadays it's a whole lotta sunshine…and snacks….

At Cafe Arcada……

This huge, cavernous shop had got some prime real estate. You walk on up to the counter; place your order, then find a place to sit.

We decided on sitting at one of the outside tables to people watch….

Cafe Arcada
Praca do Giraldo 10
Evora, Portugal

It was easy picking out the locals from the tourists, from the students…..probably just as easy to picking us out….

We noticed an interesting "gap" of sorts….there were many young people in their late teens and early twenties and an equal amount of folks older than 50. We figured that the university brought the young people here, but most all leave after their education, as does most of the young people.

Feeling refreshed, we headed west and outside the walls of the town for the first time…well not including the taxi from the train station.

We headed West and found a nice walking path around the perimeter of the walls of the town. Outside the walls, Evora seemed a different town…more modern, more traffic. Really, what should we have expected?

It was a bright sunny afternoon and we were enjoying ourselves.

As we turned the around the Southwest corner, we noticed a playground for children and also that the area on the inside of the city walls seemed to be level with the top of the structure.

Working our way back through into the town vis Rua da Republica we found ourselves in the Jardim Publico……the Public Garden. It was a nice place for a break, plus there was free WiFi in the gardens.

I noticed this bust of Flobela Espanca, poet, feminist, and all around tragic figure. I'm not sure why it's here.

After a nice rest we headed back to our little sanctuary called the Albergaria do Calvario. Did you notice that we didn't have lunch? Well there was a reason for that. After a short rest, we headed back out. In just our two evenings here, we noticed something interesting about life within the town walls. Most businesses closed at 7pm. At 730, the restaurants started opening. The rather busy streets are sedate and quiet at 715….

Perhaps it was too late for the older locals, all of the day-trippers are gone, and too early for the students, which were probably fortifying themselves with the Portuguese equivalent of instant ramen for a late night of partying….which probably didn't happen within the city walls anyway.

Praça do Giraldo at this time of day was literally a ghost town….

We walked on over to the old Moorish Quarter where Botequim da Mouraria is located. I had been looking forward to eating here from the time we finalized plans for our trip. The folks at Albergaria do Calvario were nice enough to get us reservations here.

No, this isn't some Michelin wannabe, though it only had ten or so tables.

There isn't a menu per se….you trust Zé Dias. This is just Evora's version of Omakase….. There's basically one sitting per evening. The meal is 25 Euros per person. You will have reservations. You eat what they serve you. You are not vegetarian. You love pork and rustic, local food. If you can answer "yes" to all of the above, you'll enjoy yourself.

Quarta-Feira serves a fixed menu, whatever they deem to be in the mood for on that day. It's a family run operation. The front man has his caricature on the bottle of wine they serve, Zé Dias. He was quick to gesture to us……not much english spoken here, by patting his belly that this is/was perhaps a flattering profile of the man.

You be the judge. The wine itself was not bad…it lent itself to the food we were served. It is also included in the meal and when Zé Dias noticed we had finished our bottle…the Missus really enjoyed this bottle, he brought us another, all included in the price.

It's imperative that you have reservations here. Four groups of folks came in during our meal, all were turned away because the one sitting they had was booked. Second big thing I noticed, it's probably a good idea to get there early. Some items are prepped ahead and you won't get the full enjoyment of the dish if you get there later. Look, there are those of us who believe that the customer (usually "I") is the "center of the universe", but sorry Charlie, this is a small operation……this is nothing like the "typical Roman service" of "you are blessed to eat here" that we encountered in Rome. By the way, those are quotes from a resident of Rome.

Things started out with bread….of course. And some Porco Preto. I've mentioned the Black Iberican Pig
before. So it's an obvious starting point for a meal in the Alentejo.

And some nice oven baked cheese……

This was where coming a bit early was to our benefit as this dish didn't look quite as good, gooey, and hot as later patrons arrived.

Along with this, we got some very tasty mushrooms with chives and olive oil. I'm thinking there was some garlic as well as these were packed with flavor.

At about this time a group of three gentlemen sat down on a table next to us. Two of them were locals with a visiting professor from the University. We'd find that a seal of approval during our trip would be the phrase "very typico, very typico" to indicate local cuisine and specialties from the residents. This was where they took folks to sample local cuisine….like I'd take folks to Ono Hawaiian Foods……

We were brought two small dishes. The fried item was intestine….which was totally delici-yoso. It was so amazingly savory, yet very clean in flavor. The roasted peppers were fine, but I was infatuated with the guts… I would have been happy with a plate of that.

The main course was roasted Black Pork.

Also at this time Zé Dias noticed that we had finished our bottle of wine, so he brought us another?

Anyway, this was local stewed pork shoulder. Having had so many doses of the "other white meat" this was amazing. I just loved the fact that pork in Portugal tasted….well….like pork! This was simply stewed, the flavor of swine coming through……pigs fed on acorns and pasture raised, this is the standard here. You don't need to mess around with it.

The pork was moist, tender, full of flavor, and not very oily.

Along with the potatoes, we were served two other dishes.

What was really funny is that we don't recall the flavor of one…which is to the right, and still think of the other, a version of esparregado, a spinach dip of sorts, as memorable, full of herbaceous flavor.

Dessert was served…….

Which the Missus really enjoyed.

And a bottle of Vinho Licoroso was placed on our table. A Digestif called Vinho Licoroso. we were specifically told, in one of the few English phrases of the night "no Porto….no Porto". But this really tasted like a nice port.

This was a nice way to end our time in Evora….in fact, the Missus was kind of angry that I didn't schedule more time for us here….but how was I to know?

I'm thinking we'll be back…..

Taberna Tipica Quarrta-Feira
Rua do Inverno 18
Evora, Portugal

Here's a panoramic photo of Evora from Largo da Porta de Mouro.

A Long Story, a Longer Line, and Dinner at Phil’s B-B-Q

October 10, 2013 ed fromyuma American/New American Restaurants, BBQ, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

It's old Ed (from Yuma) drinking some old wine and standing in a long SD line. Cathy and Kirk will be posting here again soon.

My old buddy Steve had a couple of days free in San Diego recently, so I drove over for some conversation and food . . . and wine. Steve had brought a bottle of 1992 Caparone Cabernet Sauvignon, Bien Nacido Vineyard. "It's 21 years old," I said, "old enough to drink.":

We had been out walking around Mission Beach and Mission Bay earlier on Sunday, but we wanted to watch the last half of the Chargers/Cowboys back at the motel. That way, we could relax and sample that well aged California Cabernet.

As it turned out, the wine was smooth and still flavorful, and the Chargers game was way better than expected, San Diego scoring 17 points in the 2nd half and winning 30-21. When the game was over, Steve and I were very hungry, but neither of us felt like driving around looking for dinner. Since we each had a room at what I call "The Exploding Motel", the 2 main restaurants within easy walking distance were a Red Lobster and Phil's BBQ, so we arrived at Phil’s around 5:30:

I assumed there would be no line – after all, we were dining early on a Sunday, but half of Qualcomm Stadium must have descended on Phil that late afternoon. Many in the line that extended from the entrance over to and around the corner and then along the side were wearing Cowboys or Chargers gear. Steve and I waited for almost 30 min. before we came up to the sign telling us we had only around 21 more minutes to wait. And all of that waiting only led to placing an order at the counter; at that point, we were given a plate with silverware, cleanup wipes, and a pager so that we could grab our food when it's ready:

After this nearly hour-long process, I hoped the food would be worth it.

I am not a barbecue purist or fanatic. I grew up in southern Oregon, not southern Tennessee, and I was an adult before I ever experienced slow cooked fully smoked pit barbecue. I’d heard enough about Phil’s to know that it’s ‘cue for the masses, not connoisseurs. I was okay with that, really.

The first taste I got was a slice of tri-tip from an El Toro sandwich ($6.95). The very tender chargrilled meat had a nice smoky flavor, there was a lot of it, and it was covered in Phil's sauce. In fact it's hard to see that this picture is a photo of a sandwich at all.:

Steve tells me that the onion rings in the photo were really tasty, and if the speed by which they disappeared is any indication, he was right. They were part of a "baby back rib tickler" – 3 ribs, two onion rings, coleslaw, and fresh cut fries ($6.95). Here is the rest of a tickler:

The sides I tried at Phil's BBQ were good. While the french fries were not especially crisp, they had a good clean fresh potato flavor. With a little malt vinegar and some ketchup – a bottle of each is on every table – they were quite tasty. The coleslaw was even better. It was not gooey, runny, sugary, or overdressed in any way. The cabbage and vegetables were crisp and the tangy dressing was a perfect match. Steve tells me that the corn on the cob was also good even though late September is not its prime season.

Unable to make up my mind, I had ordered the "baby back ribs and chicken dinner" ($12.95), pictured here with the large side of corn on the cob and a small extra side of coleslaw.:

I had no complaints about the chicken. It tasted as if it had been roasted over mesquite, and it had not been overcooked. The breast, while not the most flavorful meat, still was moist and slightly smoky. The skin on the chicken quarter was consistently flavorful.

Phil sez "The Sauce is the Boss," as the menu explains, so it covered both and chicken and the ribs. And it is excellent and spicy barbecue sauce. Its vinegar tang balances the sweet notes on the plate and cuts through the richness of the meat.

The ribs themselves, on the other hand, were disappointing. Certainly tender enough, the ribs were also moist with a slight smoky flavor. However, they exhibited the effects of parboiling – the background taste of boiled pork and a soft gray color lightly tanned and dotted with specks and splotches of black:

They looked nothing like the well browned and charred barbecued ribs on the flat screens in the restaurant or the pictures at Phil’s website.

I'm not saying that these ribs were terrible or inedible, but they were mass produced and not individually crafted. They needed the complex sauce to cover over their shortcomings.

I'm also not saying you should avoid Phil's – even considering the long lines, the friendly but minimalist service, and the mundane interior:

Going to Phil's BBQ has become an authentic San Diego experience. The chicken and the side dishes are generally good. The prices are truly excellent. I still marvel at 4 ribs, a quarter of a chicken, and two generous side dishes altogether for $12.95. Phil’s is fine, but seek out real ‘Que elsewhere.

Phil’s BBQ, 3750 Sports Arena Blvd., San Diego, CA 92110, 619-226-6333. Closed on Mondays. Locations also in San Marcos and Santee.

Roasted Ghost Pepper Louisiana Style Hot Sauce

October 9, 2013 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Well, it seems that "pepper season" is just about over for our impulse buy ghost pepper plant. The branches are full of peppers so I better get off my butt and figure out what to do with these. I've killed off all my friends already, so I gotta figure something out soon!

So far I've made some guacamole and BBQ Sauce, even infused vodka, I've even tried these in a stir fry…..talk about a butt burner. And yet, the initial flavor when you eat one of these is so good, flowery and fragrant…..

So I decided I better make some hot sauces. I thought I'd start with a basic Louisiana style hot sauce, since it's pretty easy to make and all. Plus, a couple of these style hot sauces are always in our kitchen. Plus, it's pretty easy to make a basic version. There were a couple of things to contemplate. Because of the heat factor, there ain't no way I'd be using more than a couple of these for a batch, so I had to figure some way to maintain that reddish-orange hue. I wanted to emphasize a bit of smokiness as well without losing the integrity of the flowery-heat. I decided to roast the peppers and only use 4, seeds and all…..why waste all that heat, right?

Anyway, I looked in the fridge tonight and this is all I have left, so I thought I'd better get posting…….

You can, of course add more, or less peppers, or even mix and match. I figure I'd be using about a pound of regular chilies to about 2 cups of vinegar. I don't have to mention using gloves when working with these peppers, right? Be careful after as well…..contact burns are not fun.

As for uses. Well, anywhere you'd use Tabasco, Crystal, or Frank's….. I used some on a Lamb Loco Moco I made.

It was really good. The hot sauce goes well with eggs…….

Roasted Ghost Pepper Louisiana Style Hot Sauce:

4 Roasted Ghost Peppers
1 Red Bell Pepper chopped coarsely
1 1/2 Cup Distilled White Vinegar
6 Cloves of roasted garlic smashed
1 tsp Liquid Smoke

– Put everything in a non-reactive saucepan and bring to a simmer.
– Hot your breath, otherwise you'll start sneezing like crazy
– Simmer until red bell peppers soften about 7-8 minutes
– Pour into a blender…be careful with this!
– Process until smooth
– Pour into a sterilized jar, let cool, then steep for 10-14 days
– Once everything settles, strain into sterilized bottles

I'm saving the last of this batch for some wings and I'll probably do this again. Next though, I'm going to try to make that other indispensable hot sauce/condiment, Sriracha.

Stay Tuned!

Noodling Around: Revisits to Ramen Yamadaya, Mien Trung, and Pho Convoy Noodle House

October 8, 2013 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Japanese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Well, it's finally starting to cool off a bit, which means I can start-up on noodle soup again. Here's a trio of revisits, with minimal verbiage.

Ramen Yamadaya:

**** Ramen Yamadaya has closed

Along with Santouka, one of my two favorite ramen shops in San Diego.

My usual M.O. is to order the Kotteri Ramen with Kakuni Pork, but that would have been pushing it a bit for lunch, so I just went with the Kotteri Ramen.

With noodles extra-firm of course.

The extra rich broth just gives you that "warm blanket on a cold day" comfort…makes me kinda look forward to winter.

Ramen Yamadaya
4706 Clairement Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Mien Trung:

For some reason I was kinda craving some Bun Bo Hue and the Missus was kind enough to humor me….even though it was almost 90 outside at the time. So I got my Bun Bo Hue and it was delici-yoso…….even through the perspiration running down my face.

The BBH here has sometimes been a tad off….but on this day it was just what I needed. As usual, the Missus got Her Banh Nam and we shared some Hen Xuc Banh Trang…..I just think an order of the Fish Sauce Wings from Que Huong, these spicy clams, and a couple of cold ones……aaaaaah….

Mien Trung Restaurant
7530 Mesa College Dr
San Diego, CA 92111

Pho Convoy Noodle House:

**** Convoy Noodle House has closed

No, I didn't want to push my luck and have the pho here, which had been not so great on my last two visits. I had a bunch of meetings and either needed to have lunch at 10am or have nothing at all until dinner. Since they open at 10, I decided to grab a bowl of noodle soup…..the Mi Dac Biet (House special egg noodle soup) to be exact.

It's gone up 30 cents to $7.25. On the good side, the shrimp are deveined, the fish cake is decent, and the portion of noodles was nice. On the not so great side, the noodles were over-cooked, the pork tasteless and dry. The broth had flavor, though it seemed like mostly MSG….it used to be much better here. I'm wondering what happened?

Maybe I should go back to Pho? But you know what I think about the Pho in the area, right?

Pho Convoy Noodle House
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Jus Wings

October 7, 2013 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings

***** Jus Wings has closed

Several months ago I was up in the Rolando area for an appointment. Feeling a bit peckish, I searched around a bit for something to eat. I noticed this place, which seemed to have just opened in the huge University Square Marketplace.

The interior looked clean and new……

The young lady at the counter was also very nice, there was no order board or formal menu. What was offered were a printed and handwritten sheet taped to the counter, which really took away from the decor. You can select from different combo's or jus(t) wings with a variety of sauces.

I decided to go with an 8 piece combo, $7.99, which includes a side and a drink, very reasonable in my mind. Of course I had to get some straight up Buffalo wings for half my order, but was curious about what to get for the other 4 wings. The nice young lady gave me some of the sweet chili sauce, which totally tasted like the bottled stuff and wasn't very spicy. She told me that the spiciest wings were the "Jerk" wings, so I went with that.

The wings were fried nicely, quite crisp, but that sauce was really more of a topping, and nothing like any "jerk" seasoning/sauce I'd ever seen. It was like some pseudo green chili salsa that wasn't particularly hot and very one dimensional.

The Buffalo wings were by the book and the sauce was that usual Louisiana Hot sauce – vinegar based sauce that everyone knows. The wings were on the smaller side, something which I kind of like; it increases the skin-to-meat ration. They were nicely fried; not overdone and dry, but decent. Wish they had some blue cheese dressing…..

Man, I could not believe how much fries they gave me…..

The place had a chain-like feel to it, the wings were cooked to order and took about 15 minutes. There looked to be only 4 fryers, so I could imagine if the place got busy.

I thought this would be a one-and-done, but I happened to be back in the area about a month later and decided to give the place another try.

Things looked the same, but the menu, though it was still "81/2" x "11", stained and curling around the edges, and taped to th counter had changed a bit. Specifically the sauces, the "jerk" was (thankfully) gone. This time around I was told that the garlic buffalo was nice and spicy, so I ordered that, along with the Chili-lime-pepper. It was a bit of a longer wait this time around, almost 25 minutes and they weren't even busy……

I went with the coleslaw this time around and it was very blah….bland.

The Chili-lime-pepper was also not to my liking. Too sour and artificial tasting, I a hard time getting past that. The wings were fried too long and were on the dry side as well.

In terms of flavor, the garlic Buffalo was much better.

The heat level on this was nice, it brought a nice sheen of sweat to my brow. The vinegar heightened the whole experience. Didn't taste much garlic as these also edged on the salty side. Still it was the better of the two.

After two visits, I think I'll make the effort to drive to Crispy Fried Chicken if I'm in the area. Nice folks and all that, but it's nothing I'd want to go out of my way for.

Jus Wings
5801 University Ave (in the University Square Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92115

Sunday Stuffs: Hinotez 2 replacing La Playita, Bristol Farms discounts, and what’s fermenting in our hallway

October 6, 2013 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

Just some odds and ends for an "atsui" Sunday.

Hinotez 2 to open in the former La Playita location:

Cathy originally noticed the sad news that La Playita had closed.

This week she followed that up by telling me that Hinotez 2 was opening in that location. So I went over and sure enough, that's what it says.

I kinda find this a bit odd…..I've been to Hinotez a good dozen times and the place has never been what I'd call busy, but maybe I'm going during the wrong time. It'll be interesting to see what this tiny shop will be doing…..perhaps take-out only?

5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Bristol Farms discount:

I know, it's already pricey, so what's 10% gonna do? Well, we do shop here about once a week, the Missus enjoys the sausages, and I like the meat department, especially when there are good sales, like baby back ribs for $3.99. So anyway, I saw this on my last trip and though some folks might be able to take advantage of the discount…it's for both students and faculty, which is nice.

Bristol Farms
8510 Genessee Ave
San Diego, CA 92122

What that fermenting in our hallway:

Well, the Missus decided She wanted to make Her own sauerkraut, go figure. So after doing some checking online She decided to go with the 10 liter Harsch Gairtropf Fermenting Crock Pot. So we've got a bunch of purple cabbage fermenting away……this type of crock uses a water seal, so every so often gas is released through the water with a fairly loud "blooop". It can throw you off a bit. You'll be sleeping then hear "blooop"……

As for the smell? I just blame that on Da' Boyz…..

Evora: Capela dos Ossos (Chapel of the Bones), The Public Market, and the University of Evora

October 4, 2013 mmm-yoso Desserts, Markets & Grocers, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Travel

Breakfast at Albergaria do Calvario is no joke.

It is locally sourced, organic, and most of all, well prepared. There's a nice variety of items available; they cram a lot into a tiny space.

You can also have eggs done any way you wish and even bacon if you desire. The Missus had Hers poached. We decided on getting a good sized breakfast since we had reservations for dinner that I was certain (it was) was going to be huge amount of food.

This was to be the day we'd just explore the walled city, stretch our legs, but do things at a relaxed pace. We always identify the one or two things we want to see and leave the rest to fate; it's not important to see everything, rather, we like to take in the atmosphere, people watch, and see how folks live. That's why we just can't do tours, get on the bus, get off the bus, take a bunch of photos just to prove you were there, get back on the bus, rinse…repeat….

There was one place I wanted to visit in Evora…..

Near the Southwest corner of the walled city lies the Igreja de São Francisco, the Church of St Francis.

Now the church is quite grand and beautiful…..

But what really drew me here is in a Chapel outside and to the right of the Church entrance and is probably one of the popular sights in Evora; though there was no one there when I visited. It's called Capela dos Ossos, the "Chapel of the Bones". Ok, I'll admit, inside of me is a adolescent just waiting to burst out and see stuff like this…..

The Missus had no interest in checking this out, so she went on Her way to explore a bit and I walked down the rather peaceful and sedate entrance into the Chapel of the Bones……

Paying and admission and walking under the inscription that reads "We bones that are here, we are waiting for your's", you walk into the rather dark…there are three small windows that let light in on the left side of the structure, kind of eerie, but not particularly spooky "chapel". From what I've read, the chapel was built, with over 5,000 skeleton's by monks who were worried about the deteriorating values of wealthy Evora in the 17th century. They wanted to make people meditate on how fleeting life was and contemplate ones mortality. Oh, and in case you're wondering, the monks who built this aren't included in the collection……

On one of the pillars hangs a poem by Father António da Ascenção:

"Where are you going in such a hurry traveler?
Stop … do not proceed;
You have no greater concern,
Than this one: that on which you focus your sight.

Recall how many have passed from this world,
Reflect on your similar end,
There is good reason to reflect
If only all did the same.

Ponder, you so influenced by fate,
Among the many concerns of the world,
So little do you reflect on death;

If by chance you glance at this place,
Stop … for the sake of your journey,
The more you pause, the further on your journey you will be."

I found this to be sobering and yet beautiful at the same time……

The Missus met me right down the stairs from the church. She had been exploring and told me we should take a walk through the Public Market…which She said was small and empty, yet charming in it's own way. The building that houses the market looks very modern.

It probably wasn't the best time of the day for the market, which was empty except for a few customers…..

After visiting the public markets in Lisbon, Coimbra, Porto (which seemed the busiest), we could only wonder…..had the busy supermarkets (which we also checked out) made these a thing of the past?

We hope not……..

Even after just a day, it's hard to get lost in Evora. We headed Northeast and easily found the University of Evora. So, what's up with visiting a University? Well, this one has a long history. It was a Jesuit university established by Don Henrique in 1559. It was one of the crown jewels of Evora's time as the city of artists and intellectuals. When the city lost favor and the Jesuits expelled in 1759, the University was closed. In 1973 it became a state run University again.

Still, it's a University, right? Well, you have to realize that both the Missus' parents taught in Universities….which I've covered in posts before. I think there's a part of the Missus who feels an affinity for College life…..it is part of who She is and what She is. So why not visit an historic campus founded in the 16th century.

What I remember the most about our visit here…..the place is just welcoming and wide open to visitors, are my first really up close encounter with Azulejos, the traditional Portuguese tilework.

Each scene told a story…….

Many of which I interpreted to be of Portugal's travels to Asia……

We peeked into a classroom and were delighted to find that the tilework in the roon reflected what was being taught.

It was well worth the visit.

We left and wandered around a bit….and guess what? Just as on previous walks we ended up at Templo Romano, the Roman Temple. We really got to see how it looked different during every part of the day.

I'm thinking that this is as good a place to stop for now as any.

As always, thanks for stopping by!