Izakaya Sakura-lunch

Well.  You have found yourself at mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog.  Kirk is busy with work, recovering after a long vacation.  ed (from Yuma) is busy with all sorts of things yet enjoying an early Summer day (within Yuma).  Cathy is busy writing short posts for the blog.

It seems none of us has done any posting about Izakaya Sakura in about a year, yet if you go to the "search" box just at the upper left of this page, you will find that there are 959 mentions of "Sakura" on this blog.  It's time to blog a more current mention of this favorite 'hidden' spot. IMG_6277

I say 'hidden' because Izakaya Sakura has no signage-on the street or the building in this mall, anchored by The Original Pancake House.  Those three yellow awnings in the center cover the windows of Izakaya Sakura, which is next to the Armed Forces Recruiting Center. IMG_6264

There was a fire in one of the adjoining buildings a few months ago and Sakura had some remodeling done which included adding some window seating as well as putting the alcohol refrigerator slightly out of view of everyone. However the menu, food preparation and prices have remained about the same. IMG_6267

As always, a wet towel is brought out before the meal, along with chopsticks a napkin and my beverage of choice, hot tea. IMG_6269

There are always two lunch menus brought out; the regular one with many choices and the menu with a description of the Bento of the day written in English on one side and Japanese on the other.  Only ten of these are available at the price of $12.  Not only does it include miso soup, salad, a dipping sauce and preserved vegetable, but various preparations of beef, chicken, fish, shrimp and egg as well as the noodles with roe, pickles, warm radish with a pork sauce and rice.
IMG_6275

I chose the "fish with mushroom" for my meal ($9). As you can see, it is accompanied by the miso, salad, rice noodle salad, pickles and rice.  I had never ordered this before and was very pleased to see the quite large piece of fish was fried -in a very unique way- so that the crust stayed crispy crunchy for the whole meal even though it was covered by the very tasty three mushroom-spinach-egg sauce. As always, all of the food was excellent.

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend.

Izakaya Sakura 3904 Convoy Street San Diego 92111

 
  

Istanbul: The Grand Bazaar, Kara Mehmet Kebab, Haci Bekir, Hafiz Mustafa 1864, and Rami Restaurant

That title long enough for you? I considered not finishing the Istanbul posts of our 2011 trip, but thought I should probably do them because they influenced our most recent trip. Of course, probably the most serious omission in our posts was not mentioning the Grand Bazaar, spread over nine acres, with over 60 streets, and over 550 years old, of course we had to check it out, if only for a couple of hours. We decided to enter through the main gate of the Bazaar……

Vacation 2011 02 975

Depending on what your source is, it is said that there are somewhere between 3Vacation 2011 D60 02 299,000 to 4,000 shops in the Grand Bazaar. That's a lot of stuff……stuff that was also more expensive than elsewhere. I guess the overhead must be pretty high here. since we travel pretty light there wasn't much room for "stuff". So of course we were here in search of something to eat! I'd read a post on Istanbul Eats about a kebab shop in the Bazaar area. The Bazaar itself contains many "Hans", which used to be inns which is where travelers would stay. If you're interested in more about the Grand Bazaar as well as a walking tour, you might want to get this book. And while walking navigating the bazaar might seem a bit of a task, we had little trouble finding CebiciHan….you walk through a short, low ceilinged, passageway and find yourself there……just a few yards in distance, but seemingly a universe away from the bustle of the Grand Bazaar.

Vacation 2011 02 1000

In a tranquil courtyard, next to a tea shop with a large group of older men were socializing and playing cards was the shop I was looking for called Kara Mehmet Kebab.

Vacation 2011 02 999

Vacation 2011 02 998

It was a peaceful and relaxing place, the guys running the show were friendly….and quite mischievous. When the borek vendor came by, hands filled with a pile of borek above his head, they started tickling him and slapping his behind….trying to get him to drop all his profits. Funny thing, we later saw a photo of the borek guy in the book I mentioned above!

I started with a refreshing glass of Ayran.

Vacation 2011 02 983

Vacation 2011 02 985The Missus wanted some tea, which was brought from the tea shop next door.

Ordering for me was pretty easy….I just went with the Karisik Izgara…the mixed grill. The Missus wanted to try the Adana Kebab. Things started off with a nice Coban Salatasi, shepherd's salad, which was quite good as it was dressed with what tasted like balsamic vinegar.

Vacation 2011 02 988

The Missus enjoyed Her Adana Kebab. Though it was milder than She expected, it was very moist and tender……..which is where many of the kebab places here in the states fall short.

Vacation 2011 02 992

My mixed grill turned out to be quite a bit of food (duh!).

Vacation 2011 02 995

Vacation 2011 02 997Strangely….well, knowing me, maybe not…..I really enjoyed the grilled chicken wings which were moist and full of flavor…smokey, salty, sweet, and mildly spicy. The skin was even fairly crisp.

This turned out to be the best meal of our time in Istanbul.

Kara Mehmet Kebap Salonuu
Iç Cebeci Han No: 92
Grand Bazaar, Old City, Istanbul

It was also a lot of fun watching the old men argue over a game of cards……one gentleman slammed his cards down and started to walk away in a huff while all the other guys tried to get him back. Some things are universal and we couldn't help but laugh. The other men were cracking up and pointed at us saying something in Turkish……the guy sheepishly smiled, waved at us, and went back to the table where his smiled disappeared, pointing to another gentleman, the one who probably beat his rear end off, and the game resumed.

Soon enough it was time to hit the bustling streets of Istanbul again.

Vacation 2011 02 1002

We still needed to pick up some small gifts to bring back to us. One of the guys back at the hotel told us to get Turkish Delight from Ali Muhiddin Haci Bekir.

Vacation 2011 02 1007

According to the story, back in 1777 Bekir Effendi created Turkish Delight and this shop has been in existence since then. We were told that it was the oldest continuously run business in Istanbul at over 230 years. I'm not a big fan of lokum, but heck, if you're going to get it, it might as well be from the originators, right?

By the time we were headed back to our hotel the heat and crowds were starting to wear us down. The Missus noticed a shop with a second floor dining area and decided that it would be a great time for a break.

06072012 110

Vacation 2011 02 1009We ordered a snack and some tea downstairs then walked up the narrow stairwell (the norm for Istanbul) to what turned out to be a very nice dining area.

It turns out that the name of the place was Hafiz Mustafa 1864….I guess for when it was established. This was the perfect little break we needed.

Vacation 2011 02 1013

While looking at the photo of the street below, I recalled how crowded and busy things seemed.

Vacation 2011 02 1011

And yet, when we returned home, we missed the lively, vibrant, and very social environment……much like we missed China when we got back from our trip there.

Of course, right at that moment, I could more clearly empathize with this fellow we passed on the way back to our hotel room.

Vacation 2011 02 1020

Vacation 2011 02 1022

 This was nothing a nice shower and a short nap couldn't cure and I was ready to go. The front desk folks had recommended at restaurant called Rami to us earlier. It was called very nice and classy…well, we had been travelling with just backpacks and really weren't in the position of visiting anyplace too fancy. We were assured that we'd have no problems with the restaurant which is located in a charming little house a few blocks away.

Well, the house may be charming, but the gentleman who seated us was far from that. The pace was empty, but he was quick to tell us where we couldn't sit….nothing on the second floor, no tables with a view….all reserved, even though the place was totally empty and would remain so during our entire meal.

Vacation 2011 02 1037

It did seemed like the spacing of tables were a bit cramped, but of course that didn't bother us since no one else was there.

Our Server promptly dealt us our menus and proceeded to disappear for a good long time. No water, no nothing……. When he returned, I think we made our second "mistake"……..we'd had a good amount of food for lunch. To us, it seemed that just have a combination of starters for dinner would just be the perfect thing. His response, "humph……."

We went with the cold starters combination (TRY 29 – about $18 at the time).

Vacation 2011 02 1039

All I remember after tasting this was how bland and ice cold this stuff was. It was like cafeteria food.

We also ordered the "Hot" Starters Plate (also TRY 29)……hot was just being used in the broadest of terms I suppose as most of this was also cold and somewhat greasy.

Vacation 2011 02 1042

That lahmacun was plain nasty and we quit after one bite each.

Believe me when I say it was far from what as written on the menu.

Vacation 2011 02 1029

Vacation 2011 02 1044As we were almost(thankfully) through our meal the Server plunked down some bread at our table……I mean really, if you're going to get all stuffy and pretentious on us, at least show me that you know how to time things and do your job. After all the great experiences we had in Istanbul, this was a rather sad way to end our trip.

Vacation 2011 02 1048

As I sat at the window of our hotel room and listened to the last call to prayer for the evening I realized something. I usually work a little harder when researching places to eat when we travel. All the sites and history of Istanbul had taken over and we had stayed with places close to the Old City. I would have to fix that next time we were here. And based on how much we loved Istanbul, there would be a next time.

Sammoon-another visit

Sammoon has closed.

This is mmm-yoso!!!  It's a food blog.  Kirk is still adjusting to the time zone and not blogging. ed (from Yuma) is adjusting to not having to be at work early each day and is not blogging.  Cathy appears to be adjusted and this is a short blog post. 

It does seem that my blog posts are about return visits to a bunch of places.  This is because when The Mister and I go to eat out, we like to patronize local businesses close to home which are relatively inexpensive and serve really good food.  When I first posted about Sammoon, it was after only a few visits. The business is run by recent Iraqi immigrants who make really good food and Sammoon is part of our "regular rotation". 

IMG_5496

Sammoon is located within walking distance from the El Cajon Courthouse as well as the new El Cajon Police Headquarters and ends up being quite crowded around lunchtime on days when court is in session. However, on Fridays and weekends, business is steadier without the 'rush' and that's when we like to go out for lunch. The owner, takes great pride in putting out a good product and there is a wait for most food orders, because items are prepared fresh. 

IMG_5484

The oven over there along the wall is where the Sammoon bread and all the sweets are made, daily. You can see the two rotating upright spits of schawarma (beef and chicken) along the other wall. Sammoon bread is shaped in its unique way and is a heartier type of bread, almost the texture of Ciabatta. 

IMG_5492

The oven is also where this wonderous cheese bread is made.  Listed on the wall menu by the cash register, this is only $1.  You can see how much cheese is on the fresh baked bread by looking at the cross section with a bite taken out…Fresh baked bread, still hot.  The cheese, mixed with parsley does not melt much, but browns. It is firmer than Mozzarella and it has a good flavor- like Feta in texture, but less salty.  We've never asked what kind, just ordered.   

IMG_5487

This is the chicken schawarma salad ($7.99).  Yes, it is large.  There is lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, onion and Feta and a nice oil and vinegar dressing on the side to pour over all of that freshly cooked thinly sliced chicken.  The salads are served with fresh Sammoon bread.

IMG_5494

Here is a better photo of the Sammoon bread with my blackened salmon salad ($8.99). The salmon is rubbed in Za'atr- a mix of finely ground oregano and sesame seeds and the flavor is amazing.  This is not as much protein as on the chicken salad, but just as satisfying.

Anyhow, glad I could share another meal.  Hope everyone is having a good week.

Sammoon 190 Magnolia Avenue, Suite 103 El Cajon 92020 (619) 441-2823 Open 10-10 Sun-Thurs and 10-midnight on Friday & Saturday

 

COMC: Stuff we ate before our trip: The Waterfront Bar & Grill, Bay Park Fish Company, and lunch at Chin’s Convoy

Man, I'm still kinda feeling it, but didn't want to leave you high and dry. Here's a round-up of stuff we had before our vacation….the Missus, after spending too much time talking to folks on our trip now uses the term "holiday"……sigh. Anyway, just another COMC (Clearing out the memory card) post.

The Waterfront Bar & Grill:

Of course I needed to have a burger before we left, so why not The Waterfront early on a quiet weekday?

04182011 001

Just a burger for me…..no big deal………it did the trick.

04182011 005

04182011 006Of course the Missus just had to order the veggie burger….. I couldn't bring myself to take a photo of it.

The Waterfront Bar and Grill
2044 Kettner Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101

Bay Park Fish Company:

We hadn't been here in a while and the prices here seem to have gone up. But it's still not bad for what the Missus enjoys here the most. The smoked fish plate.

07022011 034

I actually went for the crab cakes this time around.

07022011 038

07022011 042These actually had a good amount of crab in them but had been "worked" a bit too much for me. I prefer chunks of crab rather than something that looked like it had been mixed to death.

Bay Park Fish Company
4121 Ashton St
San Diego, CA 92110

Chin's Convoy:

**** This location of Chin's has closed

Seems like I'd been eating here a bit more often recently. Though I really can't tell of anything I especially enjoy. Here's the Wuxi Spareribs which were fairly tender, but possibly too sweet if you're not used to what is often called "Jiangnan" style food…..that would be the cuisine of areas to the immediate south of the Yangtze river.

12042010 008

12042010 005

 Not bad, but the sweetness just got kind of tiring after a while….like a piano hitting the same key over and over again. I should have ordered two dishes and dealt with leftovers for dinner.

Chin's
4433 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111 

Pho Hiep & Grill (revisit)

Well, you've found mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog.  Kirk is busy recovering from the last leg of his vacation, ed (from Yuma) is busy recovering from events occurred in Yuma and Cathy, recovering from a sunburn, is able to blog a short post today.  

 Hi. The other day, it  was chilly and The Mister and I both wanted noodles and broth.  We could not agree on the type of broth, nor on which the animal we wanted to eat.  It occurred to me that we hadn't had any Vietnamese food lately and so we headed to Linda Vista and Pho Hiep & Grill, which I've posted about, and so has Kirk.  This location has been here more than 20 years (it originally was Pho Hoa Hiep and the first place The Mister and I ever ordered pho). It is our favorite place, with Pho Lucky Seafood being a very close second. 

IMG_5695

Not much has changed in all these years.

IMG_5689
The condiments on the table are standard. The tables are highly laquered. There are two televisions and on this day, both were playing a black and white Mexican (not translated) Cowboy movie. 

IMG_5694

The Mister's Dac Biet  (small, $5.50)- a rich beef broth, noodles, onion, herbs and thin cut rare lean beef, rare brisket, fatty brisket, flank, tendon and tripe.   

IMG_5693

The pho add-ins at the top, which includes sawtooth. The Mister and I shared that plate. The ginger sauce is to add into my to my Pho Ga ($5.50) -a very rich chicken broth, noodles, onion, fresh herbs and -my reason for eating here- you are asked if you want only chicken breast meat, or "all of it".  Of course, since The Mister got just about every part of the cow, asked for every part of the chicken. As you can see, there was chicken liver and also heart with dark as well as white meat from the bird.  

A favorite place where each of us can get exactly what we want, when we want everything. I hope everyone is having a good weekend and will have a nice week. 

Pho Hiep and Grill 6947 Linda Vista Road (at Ulrich) San Diego 92111 (619) 268-8406 

open 7 days, 7:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.

This location has no website, but the other two locations in Chula Vista share This Website

St. Spyridon’s Greek Festival 2012

GreekFestival 2012 01

Man, I'm a bit fried after a 30 hour plus return trip….the main problems being a delay at Heathrow and my inability to sleep on flights in spite of flying in World Traveller Plus class. Well at least the Missus and I caught up on a bunch of movies.

This morning I woke up, still in a bit of a haze and remembered that St. Spyridon's Greek Festival was this weekend. It used to be that we'd go every year. But for whatever reason, there was a gap of several years until I went last year. So I thought, "jet lag be damned, why not just go…." I'd usually go on the first day, but that wasn't going to happen this year.

It just so happened that admission is free between 11am and 1pm today and tomorrow (Sunday), so this would not cost me anything at all. One quick tidbit. This year the parking is at the San Diego Unified School District offices up on Park. There's a shuttle, but I decided to take the rather long walk to jar my senses back.

GreekFestival 2012 03

Things look about the same as last year……though I did notice that even at 1115am things looked ready to go, you didn't have to wait for the lamb or other items at the Taverna booth.

GreekFestival 2012 05

As usual, the Taverna, Dining Room, and the Pastries drew the most attention.

GreekFestival 2012 02

GreekFestival 2012 04

GreekFestival 2012 06Of course there are other choices as well, saganaki, gyros, and a wine bar come to mind. I did end up grabbing some olive oil from the grocery booth and just had to get some lamb and loukaniko (which was pretty good) to go from the taverna, which made for a pretty hefty lunch for me. It's pretty decent fair food.

GreekFestival 2012 08

Anyway, go check it out if you have time. You can still get in free from 11 to 1pm tomorrow. More information on the event's website. Yamas!

GreekFestival 2012 09

St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church's Greek Festival
3655 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92103

Friday Festival Hours:   5PM-10PM  •  FREE ADMISSION 5PM – 10PM
Saturday Festival Hours: 11AM-10PM  •  FREE ADMISSION 11AM – 1PM
Sunday Festival Hours:   11AM-8PM  •  FREE ADMISSION 11AM – 1PM

 

 

 

Where the heck we are…..home stretch edition

I hope you've enjoyed this series of posts. We're headed into the home stretch of our vacation, so this will be the last for a while.

From Tunisia, after a day layover, we headed to our next stop. The main attraction, other than the beaches is a fairly large walled city. The town itself really stirs the imagination. The terms Knights, Grand Master, and the location of one of the ancient wonders of the world really grabs the attention of a person who read about the Crusades and knights as a young boy.

 

To give things perspective. We're staying in a converted house that is over 700 years old!

While most of the folks I know talk in years, here they talk in centuries..

 

Of course we had to eat……

 

 

 

We also visited a village with an ancient acropolis towering over it. Very impressive..again it stirs the imagination. There was also some alternate transportation available for those interested….we actually felt sorry for the poor animals…..

 

We also visited a village with one of the most beautiful harbors I've ever seen……

 

 

This dish was a nice surprise for us.

 

We spent a night in a nearby village. The hotel seemed like a converted geriatric hospital. But I gotta say the view from our table during dinner was priceless.

 

So that's it for now. Next time you hear from me, I'll hopefully be home. Let me know if you enjoyed these posts and maybe I'll try to do them the next time we take a trip.

As always….Thanks for reading!

 

Carnival Supermarket-Lunch in the Store

Well.  You've found yourself at the mmm-yoso!!! food blog again. Kirk is vacationing in a colorful part of the world, ed (from Yuma) is having fun in Yuma, a colorful part of the United States and Cathy has ventured to a colorful part of San Diego.

Hello again. If you've ever been on Convoy street at Mesa College Drive, in the parking lot where K Sandwiches and Anh Hong are, or maybe parked in that parking lot and walked over to Mien Trung or Sushi Diner and then left the parking lot on the side street (onto Mesa College Drive), you have to turn right and at the signal light, which is Ashford Street,  make a U-Turn to get back to Convoy, (or you can turn right into that parking lot, where Homestyle Hawaiian is located).  

If you make a right on Ashford, about a half mile through that neighborhood of houses is a signal light (which is Beagle Street and Stalmer Street) and Carnival Market is about 100 feet further, on the West side of Ashford. 

IMG_6104

Carnival is a local, neighborhood Supermarket.  It is small. When you walk in the main door, you are in the Produce Department. To your left are the check out counters.

IMG_6085

To your right are the Ready to Eat counters.

IMG_6058

IMG_6062

Yes.  Lamb shanks- this is not just a Mexican Market; several Middle Eastern items are made and sold here, but not flatbreads. The Chicharron in Salsa Verde is a specialty that not many markets or restaurants sell; it is really good.  

IMG_6065

Whole roasted chickens, various pork preparations…

IMG_6064
We'll be back to this counter  for lunch after a short tour.

There is a bakery section, which makes all sorts of desserts.

IMG_6086

Five floor-to-taller-than-me doors of small baked goods. (Made without preservatives or lard).IMG_6093

IMG_6090

The small (10 for $1.10) and large (4 for $1) bolillos are made fresh several times a day.

IMG_6091

As are the tortillas, which I always purchase.

IMG_6095

IMG_6100

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The seafood counter is small, but has good choices.

 

 

As does the meat counter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IMG_6089and the cheese counter.  

Just enough selection and variety  and good prices to get me to visit here regularly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then there is the Eat In Area. A visit here isn't complete without a ready to eat item or three…

IMG_6081

The tables are next to the Taqueria and there is a salsa bar available.  IMG_6080

There are several house made salsas (which you can purchase in the cases) and other condiments available. You get your hot foods and pay at the front cash registers then walk back here to the tables to eat. 

IMG_6068

The Guisado of the day was $5.99 a pound.  This much was $5.27.  It was Beef Birria -essentially pot roast- definitely made with garlic, cumin, cloves, cinnamon and I am sure many other spices as well as several types of chilies.  The meat was very tender, the sauce very rich and deep flavored. IMG_6070

This is about 1/2 pound of shrimp and octopus cocktail ($4.27). Fresh, fresh made.   Fresh, plump, large shrimp. The sauce is very mild and salsa and hot sauce were added while I was eating.IMG_6076

I'm sure you noticed above that the fried tilapia, whole or fillets, was $2.99.  Add rice, beans and four hot, fresh tortillas and this plate was…$3.99.  You know I had to.  The lady behind the counter was surprised I wanted the whole fish and went to some trouble to select one of the larger, meatier ones for me.  IMG_6084

Once again, I finished it all.

Carnival Market isn't large, but it has everything you might want or need. And then some. 

Carnival Supermarket 3560 Ashford Street San Diego 92111 (858) 277-1505 Open 7 am-10 pm, seven days

Los Palmitos Taco Shop-Salads, Soup and Fish

Yes, you're reading mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog.  Kirk is enjoying a vacation and doesn't have the bandwidth to blog. ed (from Yuma) is doing lots of things (in Yuma) and blogging isn't one of them. Cathy is the blogger for today.

Hello. I blogged about Los Palmitos in 2008 and thought the food was really good, but the taco shop did not become part of the "regular rotation" for The Mister or me, since it is not near home or work for either of us.  However, I do have friends who give me recommendations about their favorite places and items to try and so when driving around town, I have stopped here on a more regular basis have found some standout selections for the times when I don't want a taco or burrito.  

IMG_5907

You can tell by the architecture of the building that Los Palmitos used to be a Taco Bell. The kitchen is intact and used as a kitchen. There are no other similarities.

IMG_5389

This is the poster in the side window, if you need a reason or want an excuse to stop here.  Yes, beer.  At a Taco Shop.

IMG_5381

The salsa bar, which has rules, is filled with four fresh made salsas and other condiments.

IMG_5899

The brown-ish salsa is habañero.  It is *very* good; there is heat but the other flavors come through.  The next hottest is the green salsa, which has a touch of garlic in the flavor. The darker red one is my favorite: it is a chipotle- a roasted jalapeño- and tastes 'full' and rich, almost creamy to me.  The lightest red one is very mild; almost like just tomato sauce with a bit of onion, especially after you taste the stronger flavors and then go back to this mildest salsa. Fresh chips come with all orders. 

IMG_5386

Ground Beef Tostada ($6.10)- simple meal that isn't a burrito. Beans on the bottom, ground beef, cheese, sour cream, guacamole and salsa fresca (chopped tomato/onion/cilantro) all inside an edible flour tortilla bowl. This is very good. However, for a few pennies more- 

IMG_5387

The Carne Asada Salad ($6.25) is beautifully presented. It isn't in a flour tortilla bowl and there are no beans (less carbohydrates!). It is flavorful and quite large and filling. Lettuce topped with a mild, creamy house dressing, cucumbers, carne asada, cheese and shredded tortilla strips.  This is a healthy, filling choice for a meal here. 

IMG_5901

Caldo de Res ($6.99) Beef soup, with add ins.  Rich beefy broth, corn,carrots, squash and a lot of tender pieces of beef.  I usually eat half the soup 'as is' and then add in the lime, onions and cilantro and rice…it's like having two different main courses.  

IMG_5903
Whole fish, fried ($10.05). Usually listed on menus as mojarra frita, this traditional Mexican tilapia preparation is perfectly done at Los Palmitos. The cleaned fish is slit (so it won't curl when being fried) and then rubbed with a marinade of lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper.  Then the fish is pan fried in olive oil.  The fish is served with rice, beans (the beans are really good here), tomatoes, salsa fresca, cucumbers, pickled onions, sour cream, guacamole and tortillas.  

The day I ordered this fish, the chef from the kitchen brought it out to me. I think he was proud of this presentation, and the fact that someone had ordered something other than burritos. Usually the nice lady working the cash register will hand the fish to me over the counter.  This fish was large and the meat was moist and had a good fresh flavor.

IMG_5906
Once again, I ate every last bit.

I think Los Palmitos is a hidden gem.

Los Palmitos Taco Shop 5145 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard (between Limerick and Longford) San Diego 92117

(858)974-1946 Open 8 a.m.-midnight, daily Website

Where the heck we’ve been. But where are we headed next?

FOY Michaela got it right. We're in Tunisia, though by the time you read this we've hopefully moved on to our next destination. Following a two day stop in Tunis, we did a quick six day road trip through much of the country. From Roman ruins, through the Fourth most holiest city in Islam….

To desert oasis….

Spending a night in the part of the Sahara called the Grand Erg Oriental then finally the Island of Djerba.

We're now relaxing, well, relaxing as much as is possible with the Missus in the laid back town of Sidi Bou Said. I really didn't know what to expect when we left on this trip and I have to say that the food here has taken me on a sometimes strange ride.

Yet, it's all been interesting and we've had a couple of great meals the last few nights.

 

Our favorite little town in Tunisia is La Marsa. The folks we've run into there have been some of the friendliest and kindest.

I can only hope that the rest of our trip will be the same.

Thanks for reading!