mmm-yoso – Page 349 – 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.

Cream Pan (Japonaise Bakery)-Tustin road trip

August 7, 2013 Cathy Bakery, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog you are reading, is an online sharing of various adventures of Kirk, Ed (from Yuma), Cathy and a few others. We try to make each post have something to do with some sort of food in the form of a simple snack or full blown meal. Today, Cathy is writing.

The first time I went to Cream Pan, it was the fifth stop of the day when cc and I were driving to Pasadena to Vromans Book Store. The second time, The Mister and I were driving to Pasadena to see a 2014 Rose Parade Road Test. It's an easy exit off the 5 (take Red Hill, turn right but get to the center lane to take an immediate left onto El Camino Real) and easy to get back onto the 5 North(entrance is at the signal light at the end of the mall where Cream Pan is located). Cream Pan is a Japanese bakery. That day of "stop at a bakery until you get to the Book Store" road trip gave me an excellent comparison of baking styles, which I had never been discernible of prior. (85C is Taiwanese and Bon Epi is Korean).

As I understand it, the building formerly housed two bakeries, Cream Pan and Japonaise, with Cream Pan being in the back. (Ignore that website printed on the van; it does not exist).

Now, the whole building is Cream Pan, with the majority of it being the actual kitchen/baking area and maybe 25% is the walk in bakery.

On our first trip, CC and I arrived and there was a line formed inside the store. The refrigerated cases are the first ones you see…and those strawberry croissants are what everyone seems to want to purchase.

The eating area inside is simple and beautiful, with wood tables and chairs. There are outdoor tables and chairs along the sides of the building.

Fresh rolls are on display near the cash register and breads are along the wall as you walk in.

Here's a view of the eat in area at 6:15 on a Saturday morning…

The non-refrigerated pastry cases are full at 6 a.m.

Just behind the cash registers are additional freshly baked items, ready to refill the cases once the crowds descend.

When cc and I arrived that June Sunday, it was our fifth stop of the day and we each only made a single purchase. My strawberry croissant and cc's hot dog. Both items were for us to take home and not to eat there…Good thing we each brought thermal containers for transport! The custard cream filling of that croissant is *really* good…the crust is buttery, flaky and overall, it is small. It's excellent.

When I brought The Mister here for the first time, we were looking to grab a quick breakfast and purchased the hot dog ($1.80)(there is catsup on the top of the croissant 'bun') a ham and cheese croissant ($2.50)-smaller than other ham and cheese croissants, but absolutely the best ratio of ham:cheese:bread and combination of flavors than all others, and a strawberry croissant ($1.40) as well as a small cup of coffee ($1.50). There is an espresso machine here, which would make for a perfect sit down meal. There are also pre-made sandwiches and salads available.

Cream Pan 602 El Camino Real Tustin, CA 92780 (714)665-8239 Open 6 a.m.-4 p.m. seven days

Negro Durazo-Mariscos-Revisit (Lemon Grove)

August 6, 2013 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

Well, here you are again at mmm-yoso!!! a page probably bookmarked on your computer. Today's post is written by Cathy, because Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are just too busy enjoying Summer to stop and write.

Usually The Mister and I are driving elsewhere and stop and discover a new-to-us place to eat; rarely do we head out of the house with a destination in mind. Negro Durazo is one of those rare places. Mexican seafood, freshly prepared, served hot or cold, is unique in its flavor profiles and amazingly satisfying. I have posted about Negro Durazo on two other occasions yet could have written dozens of posts of meals enjoyed here.

The location of the store, on Broadway at College in Lemon Grove, just South of the 94 freeway, can look difficult to get to at first sight, but there are three entrances into the parking lot, so don't worry.

Once inside, you'll probably be seated in the cavernous area to your right, which has many speakers, a few television sets…

and a stage in the far back, which is used for live bands on weekends. Negro Durazo can be very busy (and loud) at times. We're usually here for breakfast and lunch though and either the juke box is playing happy music or there's some sort of Mexican sport event on TV.

After you place your order, thick, fresh chips and house salsa are brought out to your heavily condimented table. See the crackers and crispy tostadas behind the napkins?

This day, we could not decide from the hot or cold appetizer menu (which I encourage you to click onto and read; the names of some items are…interesting and the photos are fascinating) and decided what we really wanted to order was just the ample size/meant to be shared items. The Ceviche Mixto- three types of fresh made ceviche: shrimp, octopus and fish ($12.95). The bowl/plate it is served on is 10×10 inches square and about an inch deep: meant to be shared. There is a lot of fresh made, lime marinated seafood lightly mixed with cucumber, cilantro, tomato and onion. I pretty much have been ordering ceviche regularly this hot summer and this plate is satisfying.

The Mister decided on the queso fundido appetizer plate ($12.95). This medium-large oval plate is closer to two inches deep, is filled with a good quality mix of melted cheeses and topped with very large shrimp and served with fresh, hot tortillas.

I can see a group ordering these plates as appetizers and being very pleased anticipating the meal to arrive. We were full after eating all of this tasty fresh seafood and this was our order. We knew we'd be back.

Hope you are having a good week so far!

Negro Durazo 6954 Federal Boulevard at Broadway Lemon Grove CA 91945 (619)240-7148

Website

Bon Epi Patisserie and Café-(Irvine)-Road Trip

August 5, 2013 Cathy Bakery, Orange County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping and reading mmm-yoso!!!, the blog about food. Sometimes Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy write about local eating adventures and sometimes they drive to find a place to eat. This post is about two of Cathy's driving adventures, because after her first visit, she just had to bring The Mister here.

This post is a continuation of an eating adventure which began very early one Sunday across the parking lot. The first bakery we hit (85C) is Taiwanese and this bakery, Bon Epi, is Korean. CC and I were driving North with an ultimate purpose (to meet and hear Marvin Gapultos speak about his newly released The Adobo Road cookbook). It was so early, we were missing crowds and finding fresh baked goods at an interesting variety of ethnic bakeries in Irvine, Costa Mesa, Tustin and Pasadena.

Several posters (corner of which is in the bottom left of this photo above) advertising macarons, are all around this mall (Diamond Jamboree). This is going to be a post of the first of *many* macaron posts…after this visit, macarons have became a snack obsession.

I purchase pain d'epi, wheat stalk shaped bread, at Major Market in Escondido whenever I am there…being wheat stalk shaped means it can break apart into rolls and I find that convenient. I figured Bon Epi would sell many breads and compared to other bakeries, it does (that's a whole table of just breads to the left when you walk in).

There is a small eat in area inside and quite a few tables outside.

The baked pastry area is fairly small, but kept constantly filled with fresh choices.

The refrigerated cases to the other side of the cash register hold a beautiful array of colorful macarons as well as other refrigerated colorful sweets.

The macaron (not to be confused with a coconut macaroon) is delicate, small and packed with flavor. The 'gateaux sec' is the dry cake (and most colorful part you see). It's basically a meringue: egg white whipped with sugar and crushed almond/almond flour and usually that's all the flavor in it. It's a light and crispy crust with a softer interior cookie. The fillings of the macaron are varied in flavor and texture.

This was cc's purchase that first day. The box costs $1 or 50¢ extra, but is a nice keepsake and presentation as well as protectant for the delicate bites.

My purchase that first day here consisted of the pistachio and the white chocolate peach. The pistachio was very nicely nutty flavored, lightly whipped and went well with the almond 'cookie' exterior. The peach was basically peach colored and basically filled with thick white chocolate. It was very sweet and not what I like.

CC bought this peanut bread (topped with crushed peanuts; it looks so good) and almond Danish stick; I got the Biscuit Cream seen on the left; it was a very generous filled and delicate cake-like pastry.

When I came back with The Mister, we also exercised restraint, knowing we were on a bakery centric morning and got the ham and cheese croissant here (to compare with the one I had just purchased at 85C) and The Mister chose a salted caramel macaron…which was thickly filled with a heavy real salted caramel. It lasted a while because a tiny bite just filled your mouth with flavor and the chewiness of a soft caramel.

I breifly mentioned in another post that I am also currently infaturated with ham and cheese filled breads. I do think the ham and cheese croissant here is the best I've ever had…so far. Maybe because it was still warm, maybe it was the chunks of white cheese or maybe the thick and flavorful slice of ham…or the combination of all three. (See the macaron on the table? We each had a small bite of it and wanted to savor and stretch out that flavor…)

Bon Epi Patisserie and Café 2750 Alton Parkway, Suite 101 Irvine, CA 92606 (949) 251-0070

Open seven days 7 a.m.-midnight Website

Rhodes Town (Greece): Palace of the Grand Masters and a cup of espresso

August 4, 2013 mmm-yoso Greece, Greek Food, Rhodes, Seafood, Travel

*** Nothing but a cup of coffee in this one. We'll have a new post with more food tomorrow.

Compared to the busy and buzzing late mornings and afternoons, the walled Old Town of Rhodes seemed quite tranquil and relaxed in the morning. The Mediterranean sun shone brightly on the streets even at 7 am! Busy Ippokratous Square seemed downright tranquil.

The Kastellania Fountain is one of the Old Town's landmark as is the usually packed Kastellania Stairs, which date back to 1507, which used to lead up to, duh, Kastellania Palace.

Walking around Rhodes Town during this time of day you're able to see the usual tourist filled town in a new light (no pun intended).

Walking within the rather formidable walls of the old town, you start understanding the history and importance of this medieval city, once the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The commercial and strategic location of Rhodes means a long and colorful history as well as the island was in turn ruled by the Greeks, Roman, Isaurians, Arabs, Genoese, Ottoman, Italians, finally back to the Greeks. None of these captured my imagination more than the Knights of St John and no walk created more drama for me than an early morning wander up the Street of the Knights. This was where the Knights lived, you can find the "Inn of France", the "Inn of Italy" and so on. The Knights were divided into eight "tongues" – Aragon, Auvergne, Castile, England, France, Germany, Italy, and Provence. Each had their role and a "gate" of the city for which they held responsibility.

The road originally led up from the harbour to the Palace of the Grand Masters, an impressive structure. You can almost imagine knights on horseback galloping out the gates.

It is so large that I had a hard time trying to fit it in a single photo. This castle like structure was built in the 14th century on the site of an ancient temple to the god Helios. This was where the Grand Master of the order of the Knight Hospitaller lived. When the Ottomans defeated the Knights it became a prison and storage for ammunition. This lead to the event called the "Great Gunpowder Explosion of 1856", when lightning triggered an explosion which basically demolished the structure. When the Italians took over Rhodes, they rebuilt the palace, which became a vacation residence for Mussolini. There's actually a plaque near the entrance with Mussolini on it….sort of "Mussolini slept here" I guess. I took a photo but it didn't come out.

The photo that did come out was of the rather grand stairway in the palace.

I was told that most of what is located in the "museum" does not reflect the "Knights", rather the mosaics and art were taken from Kos and were brought here by the Italians as was the antique furniture.

Still, the place is quite an impressive site.

So what happened to the Knight of St John after their defeat at the hands of the Ottoman Turks? Well, the Knights, badly outnumbered made a spirited defense, so it is thought that Suleiman the Magnificent, allowed them to ransom themselves and leave Rhodes. Where did they go? Well, take a look to the right and I'm sure you'll figure it out. This simple display also served as inspiration for one of the stops in our most recent vacation.

We left the palace and just a short walk down the street you can see one of the remnants of the Ottoman occupation.

The Suleyman Mosque. This was also where we first saw this rather eccentric tourist. She was a very thin Taiwanese woman, who looked to be in her mid forties. She carried this really dinky looking mini-tripod with a camera attached. Every few steps she'd place the tripod on the ground and click a button and run up the steps do a "pose" just before the camera and flash went off. A couple yards later….she'd do the same thing. The Missus and I walked past her just cracking up. We just had to get out of there, so we ducked out St George's gate. As we exited the Old Town we walked over the area that must have been the former moat. It had been replaced by a nice green area.

We wandered around the "New Town" a bit. Through some of the shops and markets, just getting a feel for the area. Man, I was running low on gas, so the Missus suggested we get a cup of espresso.

Not as good as Tunisia, but it did the trick. I was ready to head on back out in the sun drenched streets of Rhodes Town.

Thanks for reading!

Feeling Lucky? Revisits to Lucky’s Golden Phenix and Pho Lucky

August 3, 2013 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I didn't even notice the connection until I sat down and tried to decide what to write about tonight. As you can probably tell, by all my grammatical errors I do things "stream of consciousness" style. Most of the time, I have no idea what keys I'm gonna hit on the keyboard. The photos of my meals drive the blog post…..and apparently this one is no different! So here goes….

Breakfast at Lucky's:

**** Sadly Lucky Wong passed away at the end of 2024

There's nothing really outstanding about the food at Lucky's. SYSCO sausages, rehydrated hashbrowns…..though he does know how to get the eggs right for me.

The key ingredient, other than the really low prices….everything under five bucks, is Lucky himself. If this were a play, it would be a one man show…..on most days, Lucky does it all himself, serving, cooking, busing, all the while leaving us pearls of wisdom, some of which I've noted in my previous posts on the place. Yet, if you visit enough times, you'll start to notice the humble person behind all of this. You'll also start noticing other things……my buddy Candice noticed that Lucky has a thing about waste…..leave one piece of toast uneaten and he'll make sure you finish it, or take it home with you. Very telling…. As the Chinese Philosopher Cheng Chan-Pao said, "Know you that your bowl of rice each grain from hardship comes?"

Lucky's Breakfast (Golden Phenix)
3804 Grim Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Pho Lucky:

I just recovered from a rather prolonged bout with laryngitis…I felt fine in the mornings, except for some major hoarseness, which kind of wore me down by the end of the day. All I really wanted was something salty, soup, and noodles. There were just so many times I could have ramen…..so one evening, the Missus told me She was craving Pho. It's strange, the Missus was never a big fan of Pho….but something changed this past year.

So we headed up to Pho Lucky and the Missus got Her bowl.

I was a bit torn, would it be Pho or my favorite Banh Mi Bo Kho. I really wanted the tendon, anise, and tomato tones of the beef stew, but I wanted noodles. The solution, Pho Bo Kho……

I'd always kind of avoided this because I thought it would be kind of a halfway, non-committal kind of dish. Which it was in a way….but on this evening, it was just what I wanted and needed.

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

So whaddya know. I got "Lucky" twice in a row!

Lisbon Day 3: Dinner at Santo Antonio de Alfama

August 2, 2013 mmm-yoso Lisbon, Portugal, Portuguese Food, Travel

It seemed that I had planned well. This was our third evening in Lisbon and we had pretty much seen and done all we wanted to do. We were itching to move on. We loved Lisbon's vibe, relaxed, yet a large city. we adored the history, the colors, the great mass transit system, but it was definitely time.

Our last evening was a Sunday and from what I had read, it can be rather slim pickins' on Sunday in the very Catholic city. So I had planned ahead. Hearing good things about a restaurant located in the tangled maze of streets that is historic Alfama, I made reservation for dinner at Santo Antonio de Alfama.

We'd already wandered through the winding, tangled streets of Alfama the day before, so we decided to leave early, just in case we unable to find our restaurant. Amazingly, I followed the graffiti and we found the place….waaaay too early. So we circled back and took the opportunity to visit the Sé, or Cathedral of Lisbon, which is a rather imposing structure originally built in 1150 on the site of a former Mosque. We arrived to late to visit the Gothic Cloister which lead to current excavations of Roman ruins. So we just walked around the large interior. I was really taken by the rose window on the west side of the cathedral.

After a short visit we decided to walk on back to the restaurant and just wait. The streets can indeed be confusing. The restaurant we had reservations at, Santo Antonio de Alfama is located at number 7 Beco de Sao Miguel. It's easy enough to confuse that with Restaurant San Miguel d'Alfama, which is also located at number 7 Rua de Sao Miguel. Yikes!

The restaurant is located right across from São Miguel Church, which was under going some construction at the time of our visit. We sat on the stairs leading down to the church and watched kids playing soccer in the streets. It was a nice relaxing moment in time.

The restaurant itself features a small and charming courtyard, though it was still a bit too cold to be eating outside.

At just before the opening time of 730pm….yes, this is Portugal, dinner starts at 730 or 8, we walked over and took a look at the menu and started to make a gameplan.

When the doors opened we entered. The interior is dark and warm, with pictures of actors, actresses, and other celebrities lining the walls. We were given an excellent table….well, for us it was perfect as it faced the window of the courtyard.

We were glad to have made reservations. Every table in view was reserved. We'd watch as folks walked up to the menu in the courtyard, then enter and try to get a table and were turned away. Even though the place was still half empty when we left, we found this typical of Portugal and even Rome. Folks are never rushed. Dinner is something to be enjoyed and savored.

As mentioned before, there's the selection of "appetizers" delivered. If you eat, you pay….and this being our last evening in Lisbon, we ate.

I'm not sure if you've noticed in my cooking posts, but the Missus minimizes gluten intake….I think it actually makes Her even more sensitive to it when She does have it, but whatever. On this evening She did enjoy the bread. Personally, I loved the fried potato skins. I'm not sure what they use as fertilizer for their spuds, and maybe I don't want to know, but these were really delicious…..yes, basically fried thick potato peels. A crunch on the exterior, meeting a moist potato interior, with just the right amount of salt. Sadly, this was second best item of the entire evening.

The best were the wimple roasted Padron Peppers.

Sweet, thin skinned, tender to the point of nearly melting in your mouth, with just the right amount of salt, this was very nice.

The Fried Runner Beans on the other hand were not so well prepared.

Greasy with mushy batter ruined the dish for us. This also lacked a proper amount of seasoning for our tastes.

The Missus did enjoy the Red and Yellow Pepper Soup with Prawn.

Which She said was lovely. The flavor of the yellow pepper puree and the red pepper puree were completely different, thus really keeper Her interest in the dish.

What didn't keep Her interest was the Pork Black Sausage with Sauteed Turnip Tops and Potatoes.

To me, the blood sausage was on the mushy side and veyr mild in terms of seasoning. It was also quite large, making for monotonous eating after a few bites. The turnip tops were ok, but really tasted like something I'd make at home. The potatoes were deep fried before being added to the greens and were delish.

I went with the Roasted Salt Cod with Roasted Potatoes and Sauteed Turnip Tops.

So, if you're keeping score, it's been four bacalhau dishes in three days, pretty good I think. The bacalhau was a bit too salty for me, the garlic almost burnt and bitter. The potatoes were good, though it could have done with a bit more olive oil and salt. The turnip tops were the same as the Missus.

The service was good, hitting a nice balance of being there at our table and leaving us alone to have a nice dinner. Figuring that dinner, with wine was over 70 Euros, I'm not sure this was really worth it. Still, it was Lisbon on a Sunday night.

Santo Antonio de Alfama
Beco de Sao Miguel 7
Lisbon, Portugal

Funny, as we walked back….yes, now tram for us, we walked to and from Alfama. The Missus and I talked about how much we really enjoyed Lisbon the city, but maybe not the food. By far, my favorite two meals was a simple Bifana and a beer for breakfast and roasted suckling pig and a beer, also for breakfast. All our other meals were decent to good, but nothing really great. Our eating fortunes would soon change as we were headed to Evora in the morning!

Thanks for reading!

Recently Comsumed

August 1, 2013 mmm-yoso Cooking, Seafood, yoso-silly

Haven't done one of these for almost a month, so I thought it was time to catch up. Here's some of the stuff that we made over the last couple of weeks.

There was some nice swordfish to be had at Catalina, so I ended up quickly doing a lime-garlic-agave syrup marinade, letting it go for a short while, so as not to "cook" the fish, then throwing on the grill along with some shrimp basted with some of the reserved marinade.

Just to make sure I get my veggies….here's something I keep making over and over, my Purple Cabbage Slaw with Sesame Dressing.

Collard Greens Sauteed in Bacon Fat….with more bacon of course……

Some Jeow Mak Keua – Lao Eggplant Dip, topped with crushed pork rinds……

The Missus wanted surf-and-turf, so this is what I came up with.

The surf was some grilled halibut with a chipotle salsa.

The turf was some grilled grass fed beef skirt steak.

The Missus told me that folks at work are getting jealous of Her "lunches"……..

I think it's the grilled plantains that drives them crazy.

So last weekend, I walk into Catalina Offshore and Tommy Gomes asks me, "what are you going to buy this week?" To which I answered, "whatever you tell me to…." Which I think was the right answer on this day as he directed me to this beauty.

I mean really….did I die and go to heaven?

There was a strip of akami attached which I made into a tuna tartar of sorts. The rest was pure bliss….

The Missus told me that it gets harder and harder for Her to go out and eat……

So what's this years thing in the mmm-yoso household? Well, I've always claimed to have the ultimate "black thumb". But this year, the Missus wanted to grow stuff. So we started with a couple of tomato plants for Her, and a few pepper plants, for me…..which has ended up with several raised bed plots with chard, kale, lettuce, cucumbers…….my goodness. Poor Frankie is left wondering what happened to all that powdery dirt he used to lie in.

It has gotten to the point where the Missus will tell Sammy, "let's go see your brother and sisters…." and he'll run to the back door! Yikes!

Anyway, here's a Bison Sirloin Sandwich.

And a garlic-basil shrimp sandwich……

The basil/lettuce/arugula etc, is from my "black thumb garden". Please don't tell Sammy we're eating his "brothers and sisters" ok?

I hope you're having a great week!

Cheesy Express-Gourmet Grilled Cheese (inside the GO Gasoline Mart)(Santee)

July 31, 2013 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

This location of Cheesy Express has closed, but there is a new location in Mission Beach we can all visit. Santee will miss you!

Thanks for finding mmm-yoso!!! a food blog which exists in the interwebs. Today, Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are taking a break and Cathy is blogging about food.

I've stated a few times that people have a favorite place close to home or work where they can pick up a quick meal…if hungry, you can find something to eat wherever you happen to be. Most fuel stations have mini marts; you can grab and go with some sort of refrigerated/frozen prepared food item which is rarely fresh made.

This GO Gas station replaced a Chevron station earlier this year. It's on the NorthEast corner of Mission Gorge at Carlton Hills in Santee.

Here's the mini mart. Look over on the side of the building…to the far right. "Cheesy Express Gourmet Grilled Cheese". Yes, I was curious…

In its prior incarnation, this food mart had a small sandwich shop inside. Now there is a sandwich shop

with three grills on the counter.

On my first visit, I chose a 'make your own': Cheddar cheese on brioche ($3.49) add hickory bacon (99¢). A perfect, gooey, yummy grilled cheese and bacon (good quality thick bacon) sandwich.

Next time I tried the "Italian Delight" ($5.25) Provolone, pepperoni, sundried tomatoes and fresh basil. Again, delightfully gooey, crunchy, tasty.

Each time I've gone in, I have been offered a sample of either the BBQ pork or Korean BBQ beef. I finally broke down and tried the BBQ& Mac sandwich ($6.75). Great BBQ pulled pork AND a scoop of very good, gooey macaroni and cheese AND a slice of sharp cheddar AND very very good grilled onions all on a hearty Italian white bread. This was a LOT of food and flavors.

Of course there are 'dessert' grilled sandwiches here also. The 'healthiest' choice (in my logic anyhow) is the grilled peanut butter with banana with chocolate chips on honey wheat bread ($4.75 + 50¢ for the special bread). The chocolate chips melted in with the peanut butter, making its own creamy goodness along with perfectly warming the bananas…the grilled bread was done right and I could taste the honey in it…

Just another great find that I happened to notice. When the weather gets cooler, I think a simple grilled cheese with tomato soup will be perfect.

Cheesy Express Gourmet Grilled Cheese 9312 Mission Gorge Road Santee 92071 (619) 436-4250 (inside GO Mart Fuel station Mission Gorge Road at Carleton Hills, Santee) Open 7 days M-F 8-6, Sat-Sun 9-4:30

Loco moco (and other stuffs) for brunch at Fathom Bistro

July 30, 2013 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Loco Mocos, Pubs and Pub Grub

About a week-and-a-half ago, I read that Fathom Bistro would start serving brunch, which usually wouldn't mean more than a glance. Except that I quickly noticed "loco moco" in that post for Eater San Diego. You know me; I'm always looking to add to my loco moco collection. I quickly sent Candice a message asking if having a loco moco here would be worth my while?

Which is how I ended up down on Shelter Island Drive on an overcast Sunday morning.

I think the location is really great, original, and quirky, as it's located on a pier, which on this morning was packed to the gills (no pun intended) with folks fishing.

Man, you really can't beat the view; which was really great even on an overcast morning.

There's an actual bait and tackle shop on one side of the building…..and it's a bit of a stretch to call this a building. The kitchen look as large as the dining area, which look like it somehow holds about 20. There are a couple of tables out front as well. I loved the collection of vintage National Geographics which took me back to elementary school.

Fathom has a nice variety of beers; but that's to be assumed with Dennis Borlek, formerly of Hamilton's and Monkey Paw in charge. The brunch menu is tight, basically five items, but it instantly earned my affection. In addition to a loco moco, they feature Eggs, Spam, and rice.

We started things with the Beignets.

It's fried dough, with powdered sugar, and chocolate sauce…….'nuff said.

We also got the Italian Sausage Biscuits and Gravy.

Truly, the best Country Gravy I've had in a while. The abundant chunks of house made Italian sausage added a nice mild spice and tons of flavor to the wonderful tongue (and belly) coating gravy. The only problem with this dish were the bisquits which were very hard hockey pucks. But hey, it's only the second day they've been open for brunch. Hopefully, they'll straighten this out. I instantly knew why I heard the word "hangover" bandied about in the dining room.

Well, since Candice knows everybody, Dennis came over to chat. Dennis is quite a character, very friendly, witty, funny, with a ton of stories to boot.

Which brings us to the loco moco. I originally ordered it with straight up and traditional beef brown gravy, but Dennis talked us into getting it "half-and-half" with half beef gravy, the other half Japanese Curry. At first I was kind of doubtful, but hey after having the Kaloko Moco who am I to criticize?

First off, the rice was perfect. The Japanese curry tasted like it should, though a bit runny. The beef gravy was totally by the book, solid in flavor and seasoning. The hamburger patty had a nice char , nicely seasoned, and was still moist. There was one problem with this for me. You can tell, can't you? The only way you'll get eggs here are scrambled…..and it's kind of painful calling this a loco moco without an easy over egg. Dennis told me that the eggs are pre-prepped to minimize stress on the kitchen. I'm hoping everything gets squared away and they start doing eggs to order.

Dennis mentioned adding Spam musubis to the menu. I mentioned Portuguese Sausage and he said it would be a logical progression since this was Point Loma and all. He also said it would be made inhouse. Now if that happens, I'll be sure to get there early! Because as time passed, more of those "hats and 'tats" folks started drifting in for their Sunday hangover remedy.

Next time you're fishing on the pier and get the munchies and perhaps a bit thirsty, Fathom is the perfect spot. Heck, the evening view of downtown San Diego must be pretty good as well.

Fathom Bistro Bait & Tackle
1776 Shelter Island Dr. (On the pier)
San Diego, CA 92106

Brunch served from 10am Saturday and Sunday only.

You know, it's kind of sad that I really never come down here and tend to associate the area with Humphries and tourists. There's quite a bit to see, like the Tunaman Memorial.

And other public art……

Now with Fathom, there's a better reason to explore the area.

Paris Baguette (again) and a Kronut!

July 29, 2013 Cathy Bakery, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog you have in front of you, has writings of a rotation of subjects which ultimately center on some sort of delicacy or general appetite satisfaction. Today, while Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) sit back and contemplate their latest form of nourishment, Cathy will write.

Hello again. Ever since the Paris Baguette franchise showed up in San Diego, I've been fascinated at the variety of baked goods offered in the small venue whenever The Mister and I stop in the local HMart.

Last weekend, on our most recent visit, this sign stood out:

Well, you know I had to…but of course, I wanted to appear in control of my purchase, so picked up a tray and paper liner and set out to buy a few items from this in store bakery…

As I rounded the back corner…

There IT was- the LAST Kronut on the tray. Nobody was around, there was no fighting for it: it was MINE!!!

My total purchase: Sausage bread ($1.80), Blackout bread($1.80), Ham and cheese croissant ($2.20) and Kronut ($3)…see? Three items with a protein and only one sweet…I appear to be disciplined in my bakery habits…

The Mister and I drove across the street, to the Starbucks. I waited in line for a coffee (brewed, bold, tall: discipline) while The Mister lined up the purchase so I could take a photo.

The ham and cheese croissant is a regular purchase of mine, everywhere. I may do an entire post of ham and cheese croissants one day. The crust here is sweet glazed, the crust/bread is wonderful: crispy and flaky, the ham is flavorful but sparse, as is the cheese.

I like the sausage bread here, because the sausage itself has good flavor, it's topped with quite a bit of cheese and the red and green pepper rings add that touch of flavor (and fiber )that rounds it all out…the bread is good too.

If you haven't figured it out, the "Black Out Bread" is colored with squid ink . The sausage/hot dog is split and the center filled with mustard. The ends sticking out of the bread are split again, so they curl when it bakes and looks kind of like a squid.

Finally. The Kronut (not to be confused with the Cronut™). The fried croissant dough, filled with a wonderful pastry cream, topped with a lemony/citrus pudding swirl.

I can count the number of times I've paid $3 for a donut on one hand. I have a post coming up about those other goodies; bakeries are a current obsession. This Kronut is worth it….so very worth it.

Paris Baguette (Inside H Mart) 9440 Mira Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92126 website