mmm-yoso – Page 386 – 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.

Maria’s Cocina: A New Restaurant from an Old Family in Yuma

May 24, 2012 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Right now Kirk is at a secret undisclosed location, Cathy is somewhere in San Diego, and ed (from Yuma) has just been eating in a new old Yuma Mexican restaurant.

Maria's unfortunately has closed and now there is a teriyaki restaurant in this location.

Last winter I noticed that the sign from the departed Taco Reyes restaurant in Palm Plaza between 22nd and 23rd on Avenue A was being painted over:

Of course, that meant that I had to sample something from this new eatery. The Taco Reyes signage is now completely gone, replaced by Maria’s Cocina:

The interior has a nice homey look and feel to it:

As is my custom, the first thing I ordered was a green chili dinner because the style of green chili stew in Yuma is often a key to the regional affinities of the cuisine:

It took one look and a couple of tastes to identify this green chili as a good version of old school Yuman green chili (see this previous post). Chunks of beef, pieces of green chile, bits of tomato, and no tomatillo anywhere, all very mildly spiced ($4.25).

On my next visit, I asked the owner if he was from Yuma, and he responded that he was not only from Yuma but that his family has also owned and operated Mexican restaurants in town for over 50 years. I probably looked puzzled until he stuck out his hand and introduced himself as Johnny Gutierrez. Oh yeah, more than 50 years.

I suspect that everyone who has grown up in Yuma (with the possible exception of strict vegetarians) and almost everyone of us who have moved here in adulthood have eaten at Mr. G's, The Chile Pepper (Mrs. G's), and/or Casa Gutierrez. The first two of these may be the most popular fast food restaurants in the city – around lunch or dinner there is a line of people waiting to order burritos or rolled tacos and another line of people waiting to pick up phone orders. The bean and cheese burritos, in particular, are legendary, the frijoles rich, smooth, creamy, and full of manteca.

A few years ago, I quit picking up food from the Chile Pepper, the closest location to my home, because of long waits, indifferent service, and steam tabled ingredients. Once I waited 20 minutes in line for an order I had called in 15 minutes previously, while huge orders were being filled a head of me and some regular customers were being waved to the front of the line. When I finally got my food, I realized that my order had been sitting bagged up in a warm moist holding area the entire time I was standing in line, so my burritos were a sorry soggy mess.

At Maria's Cocina, on the other hand, the dishes are prepared individually and the Gutierrez family recipes really shine.

So of course, the burritos are excellent and inexpensive. Breakfast burritos are generally $3, though this ranchero breakfast burrito is $3.75:

I appreciate a breakfast burrito with vegetable ingredients, green chilies, onions, and tomatoes – though I don't understand why it is more expensive than a burrito with chorizo, ham, or bacon.

My favorite standard burrito here is what is called the green mix with frijoles ($3):

Basically, a mix burrito has read chile or green chile (your choice) with either beans or rice (your choice) - personally, I love the creamy richness the frijoles add.

Like the green chile, the red chile is packaged for take out and equally savory. For some reason, the red chile at Chile Pepper always has tasted powdery or dusty to me, but Maria's Cocina prepares it so that it has deep rich full smooth dried chile flavors (red chile dinner, $4.25):

The restaurant is also good at deep-frying. The rolled taco dinner ($4.25) is a study in crunchiness, as the rolled tacos are served plain with no crema, guacamole, or diced tomatoes:

The folded taco dinner ($4.75) is equally crunchy:

The tacos themselves are filled with diced tomato, shredded lettuce, melty white cheese, and chewy shredded beef:

Really good, old school, tacos.

Cheese enchiladas (red or green sauce) are another favorite; this green enchilada sauce is primarily chunks of green Chile:

On Saturdays, menudo is available ($5.50):

You get everything on this tray, menudo itself, a small bowl of salsa, diced onions and cilantro, lemon wedges, grilled bolillo roll (or tortillas), dried red chili flakes, and oregano. The soup itself is deeply flavorful, muy rico, and full of tripe and nixtamal kernals:

None of the food at Maria's Cocina is cutting-edge or unusual. These are standard family recipes. The same stuff Yuma grandparents ate as kids. The food is, however, well prepared and extremely well priced. Those are both good things.

Maria's Cocina, 2241 S. Ave. A, Ste # 16, Yuma AZ, (928) 329-2988. Open mornings through evenings Monday-Saturday.

Sultan- a lunch or two

May 23, 2012 Cathy Turkish Food, What Cathy Eats!

Yes, this is mmm-yoso!!!, the blog o' food. Today, Cathy is playing the part usually played by Kirk, who is having a blissful time elsewhere. ed (from Yuma) is blissfully enjoying his downtime in Yuma.

Hi. Kirk usually posts about dinners at Sultan. (I've found at least five posts where he has mentioned meals there and that link is to the most recent meal.) As you have read, He and His Missus are elsewhere and since The Mister and I also eat here and I have photos of some light/lunch meals, here's another post.

I took this photo early one morning, as we were driving to Kaelin's Market for goodies. You'll never actually see the front parking places empty when the mall is open.

I don't think Kirk has posted a photo of the open kitchen. I snapped this when I had the chance. That photo montage above the window looks like it's from Kirk's posts about his Turkish vacation. Sultan is the only True Turkish Restaurant in San Diego County.

We always order a salad when we stop here. This is Koylu Salatasi salad (small, $4). Cucumber, tomato and parsley. The dressing is light : oil, vinegar and spices. This is refreshingly fresh.

We almost always also order Mercimek- ($3) made with red lentils, flour, butter and spices. This vegetarian soup is so darn good- deeply rich flavored. You would not think it is vegetarian.

This is the Veggie combo platter ($10). A bit of everything: Start from 11:00-Baba Ganouj (smoky), Hummus(garlicy and lemony), Patlican Salatasi(eggplant, onion, sweet pepper, tomato and parsley),Taze Fasulye (green beans, onions, carrots, sweet pepper and tomato), Tabuli (bulgur, parsley,tomato, onion, cucumber in a lemon-olive oil dressing), Haydari(yogurt, cucumber, dill and mint) and in the center to enjoy with everything if we didn't want to use bread, a roasted eggplant.

Falafel ($7). Made with fresh garbanzos, tomato, hot pepper, onion and served with the hummus/ baba ganouj/haydari from above. A very good version.

On another lunchtime visit…

As I mentioned, we almost always order the Mercimak ($3). It's that good.

This time, we chose the Tabuli salad (small, $4). It's also that good. Just enough bulgur wheat and always perfectly dressed.

Lahmacun ($3) The house made bread topped with a mix of ground beef, tomato, sweet pepper, tomato, parsley and spices. This is quite large, thin and very deeply flavored. The lemon, pickled onions, peppers and pickles are nice to add on, but tasting this as it hits the table, it's perfect.

Then there is this. From the appetizer menu. Simple. Peynirli Borek ($3) Feta, onion and spinach. Made fresh, on crispy still warm filo. This is a perfect food: taste, textures…

We always get tea at the end of every meal, even this meal of small appetizers.

Sultan Kebab and Baklava 131 Jamacha Road (At East Main and North Second), El Cajon 92019 Website (619)440-1901 Open 7 days 11 a.m.-10 p.m.

Where the heck are we?

May 22, 2012 mmm-yoso Istanbul, Travel, Turkey

Our vacation came up really quickly. So quickly that I didn't have a chance of letting folks know we were going. Anyway, we're on vacation yet again.

After a short exchange with Cathy, it was suggested that if I could ever get this iPad thingamajiggy working, perhaps I should do a "where the heck are we?" post.

So here are some photographic clues. I'm thinking this one will be easy.

Pretty nice sunset, huh?

No that's not a miniature version of the Washington Monument. The weather has been pretty nice over here so far.

And of course I do need a food shot, right? This dish was outstanding and changed the way we looked at a food item we had eaten before.

Anyway, that's it for now. I'm trying this blogging from location thing to see how it works. Not quite sure how wi-fi will be in the cities/countries we'll be visiting, so I thought I'd give it a try!

So……where the heck are we????

North East San Diego County Road Trip: Amerient-Country Cooking & Oriental Cuisine (Ramona) and a drive to Julian

May 21, 2012 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Chinese Restaurants, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

You are reading the blog named mmm-yoso!!! It’s about food. Not just a description of what, but also the where, sometimes the why and, occasionally how and who. Kirk usually takes care of those pronouns and sometimes ed(from Yuma) writes in a way outlining his posts using the interrogatives. Today, Cathy is using her grammar skills to share a day.

Hi. Last week, on a particularly foggy weekday morning, The Mister and I decided we’d like to take a drive North, to Julian. Originally we wanted to try Jeremy’s on The Hill, which ed (from Yuma) had posted about earlier this year, but on checking, realized it was not open for breakfast. However, figuring that people everywhere have to eat, we got in the car started the drive up Highway 67 and while on the lovely main street through Ramona, (cleverly named Main Street, just before it turns into Highway 78), I spotted this building, signage and decided this was where we should stop.

Perhaps you can’t read the signage on the building. I had heard of Amerient years ago but never had even noticed it when passing through town on my way to and from other errands.

We were greeted, seated and handed the leather bound combination menu. I noticed a lady in the corner booth rolling egg rolls and asked if I could order from the “oriental” part of the menu, even though it was barely 9 a.m., and was told that I could. (While we were there, several other people ordered other-than ‘country cooking’ items).

The wall decor and table condiments reflect both cuisines offered here.

The Mister decided on the Daily Special ($5.99, $2 off the regular menu price). On this day, it was Country Fried steak, which came with two eggs (poached), home fries (thin sliced and crispy fried)…

Here is a cross section view of the tender, lightly breaded, perfectly fried steak which was topped with a *very* nice, slightly peppery sausage gravy.

The Special also came with two GIANT pancakes, butter and heated maple syrup. On the right in the above photo, you can see a partial view basket of teas to select from($1.95)

My meal came with two fresh made egg rolls.

These were more meat than filler/no cabbage and really good; properly fried and not greasy. Actually, they were more like a good lumpia,now that I think about it. The neon red sweet-tart dipping sauce with a dot of hot mustard is something I rarely see or get to taste and it was a nice memory jog to my taste buds.

Here is a cross section of my order-Vegetable Egg Foo Young ($7.25). I crave mushrooms and was silly happy to get this giant platter of goodness, with the fresh, al dente cooked mushrooms, carrots, peas, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and -that patty- a fluffy, mostly cabbage, onion and egg delight. Actually a perfect breakfast (the gravy was not salty). Every restaurant makes egg foo young differently and this version was particularly memorable.

We plan to return, because the Saturday evening special is Ma La chicken. Spicy!

Amerient Country Cooking and Oriental Cuisine 668 Main Street, Ramona, CA 92065 (760)789-6855 website

We got in the car and continued on through the fog on the winding two lane road to Julian and were able to park on the main street, again having the clever name of Main Street. I so enjoy not having to think much. Parking on Main Street is something you can’t do during apple-picking time in Autumn. It was kind of strange to see the town, sidewalks and parking places in an uncrowded state. We walked and checked out every menu and determined that the price point for a meal started at $8, not including beverage. It’s also pretty consistent that a slice of pie with ice cream will cost $5. None of the businesses offer coupons in the local free paper nor is trying to underpricce a neighboring restaurant.

We drove just West, (Main Street turns into Farmer Road) to the cemetery, and walked around.

It was foggy and misty and peaceful.

We started to drive South, and passed Jeremy’s,which is about three miles from the center of Julian, then stopped four miles later, in the town of Santa Ysabel. Usually we stop at Dudley’s Bakery, but it’s only open Thursday-Sunday. There is a sign in the window that Dudley’s items are sold in the small IGA market next door, but since the bread would not be baked-that-day-fresh, we walked across the parking lot to the Julian Pie Company.

where a cute door handle greets you…

Choices of fresh pie slices, cookies, donuts, carmel apples and a freezer of take and bake pies and no crowds or waiting made the choice overwhelming.

So, we got one apple cider donut (75¢) and a coffee ($1.50) and a pie to go. The apple cider donut is unique in flavor…made with apple cider instead of water, it has a nice, fresh apple flavor and the light coating of cinnamon sugar was complimentary and not overwhelming. A good snack.

The pie?

The small size chicken pie. Made with the crust used for all the fruit pies. A good sized (one pound) meal for two. Baking fresh at home was perfect a few days later. The filling is almost all chicken, along with vegetables and the sauce.

San Diego County is large and every area/city/road has something interesting to do and places to eat. I hope everyone can have an adventure someday soon.

SO…yesterday, ed (from Yuma) wrote about his vacation and today I wrote about my “staycation”…whose turn is it now?

Julian Pie Company 21976 Highway 79 Santa Ysabel, CA 92070 (760)765-2400 website

Battle of the Bars: Kaito vs Shirahama Mano a Mano

May 20, 2012 ed fromyuma Sushi and Sashimi, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Usually, Kirk is at the helm of mmm-yoso; some days, Cathy steers the ship; today, ed (from Yuma) takes his turn at the tiller.

I don't make it to a city with excellent sushi as often as I would like. Last month I celebrated being in San Diego by having back-to-back sushi experiences at two of my favorite sushiyas.

Kaito

Since my first day in town was a Tuesday, and everyone knows that Tuesday is the best day to visit Kaito (fish delivery day with fewer customers), I rolled into the appropriate stripmall complex and drove around for a while before I finally located Kaito:

I sat at the far end of the bar, and Morito-san seemed to have some vague memory of my previous visits. My meal started off with a fancy sunomono, featuring thinly sliced cucumber, krab threads, and some cooked whitefish – all very tasty and refreshing:

After I let Morito-san know of my desire for things new, interesting, unusual, and good, he apologized because he said that he didn't have many items that were unusual. I got over my disappointment as soon as gari and wasabi showed up on a tray:

The pickled ginger is pretty good, but the wasabi is truly outstanding. This is not your standard horseradish paste with food coloring. If you look closely, you can see the little bits of actual real wasabi root. That alone is almost worth the trip to Encinitas.

The meal began with warm, freshly cooked East Coast razor clams, very simply prepared:

I'm of two minds about these clams. I had never had them before in a sushi bar, so I was pleased by something unusual. On the other hand, though they were redolent of wonderful clammy flavor, there was not a whole lot else going on. Simple and focused.

Needle fish followed. This was something else new, and I admired the presentation, the long thin fillets wrapped back upon themselves with a sprinkle of caviar in the concavity thus created:

My favorite item of the night then descended upon my plate, the hirame:

This item showed off the chef’s skill wonderfully. Both the sushi rice and the flatfish were impeccable. The green strip-wrappers were slices of shiso leaf. The lime colored pulpwas some sort of spicy green chile relish yuzu kosho (see comments) – spicy and sour. A light dusting of finely grated salt finished the pieces. Layers and layers of flavor here. A lot of taste notes playing some kind of complex culinary jazz.

The next item was also an unusual presentation. Two pieces of maguro (one of which mysteriously disappeared before I could take a picture of it) were marinated in soy sauce, topped with a crunchy thin slice of mountain yam and a few sprouts, all held in place by a strip of nori:

The marinated tuna is a regular item at Kaito, but I had never had it combined with a slice of mountain yam – in fact, I don't know that I'd ever had a slice of mountain yam before. Usually when I think of tuna and mountain yam, I picture the dark red chunks of fish covered with a thick white gooey slime, so this was a refreshing change.

Uni followed:

Those of us who eat sushi in Southern California are truly spoiled by the quality of the local sea urchin. This version was exceptionally moist, fresh, and custardy.

The chutoro was next:

Words alone cannot express how doggone good this was. More than just rich – it was wonderfully flavorful as well. I also appreciated the firmness of its texture.

In contrast, I can remember very little of the kampachi:

The meal closed with anago:

This was an excellent conclusion. Unlike the previous versions of anago that I have eaten at Kaito, this was served at a cool room temperature. Morito-san explained that it had been cooked that day, so he did not want to reheat it. I thought it was perfect – very moist and flavorful. The light brushing of sauce stayed in the background, letting the eel present the dominant flavor.

All of this generally wonderful sushi and a glass of moderately priced cold sake came to $77.22.

Shirahama

The next night I arrived at Shirahama thinking I’d be the only person in the small sushi bar not speaking Japanese. However, unlike what I had expected, English was the dominant language in the house that night. I sat down next to a very pleasant couple from Sinaloa, Mexico, who said that they visited Shirahama several times a year, as it was their favorite sushi bar anywhere. In addition to being friendly, they were working on a bottle of cold sake and soon offered me a glass of the wonderful stuff, which they kept refilling:

After I explained my desires to koji-san, he told me that he had such a wide selection this evening that he would be serving me individual items as opposed to the usual two pieces of each fish. Sounded great to me.

The meal began with (as the chef called them) fluke and bluefin:

The tuna was very good, the sushi rice excellent, but that hirame was outstanding – flavorful fish with a blast of wasabi.

Then came the kind of like scallop but not really scallop shell fish and a piece of sea bream:

The shellfish did resemble scallop in its tenderness and mild flavor. It complemented the mildly fishy sea bream perfectly. Sea bream? What sea bream, you may ask. Well, the sea bream that I ate before I remembered to take a picture. Oops! So later in the meal I requested another piece of sea bream which was paired with kohada:

It was a reminder to me that the organization of an omakase meal is not a random list. A good sushi chef will know which items to present early in the meal – and which to feature later. When I originally had the bream, it was excellent and the subtlety of its flavor matched the scallopy thing perfectly. Later in the meal, these two items were good, but out of place.

Following the sea bream/non-scallop, I was served yellowtail and real crab:

The kani was a solid piece of real crab. Not quite as spectacular as on my last visit, but still very very good. The yellowtail was rich, smooth, and full of flavor.

Then ama ebi and some kind of clam:

The shrimp was extremely good, shrimpy and tender, and the clam was well flavored, though it lacked the amazing texture of mirugai.

Amberjack and Spanish mackerel:

People who are used to farmed hamachi (which itself is a really good thing, in my opinion), are usually amazed tasting wild amberjack for the first time – I certainly was. Here the richness is balanced with fish flavor.

Similarly, the piece of aji was equally outstanding. Its flavor seemed especially concentrated and deep, and it made me wonder if perhaps the fish had been aged for a couple of days to intensify the flavors – which contrasted with the thin slices of green scallion inserted into it.

Next came toro and yellow jack:

Both were rich and creamy. The toro was not quite as good as the chutoro from Kaito, but the yellow jack may have been the best of the yellowtail/jacks of the evening.

The meal concluded with uni:

In contrast with the uni at Kaito, this uni was firmer and deeper in flavor intensity. Notice that it is presented on the rice ball with no surrounding border of seaweed. I asked if the uni came from Japan – since it was different than standard San Diego uni – but Koji-san said that local uni was better than anything from Japan. So clearly it is his treatment of the uni that makes it subtly more flavorful than what I am used to.

Two wonderful sushi meals in two days. Was one better than the other? Which cuisine reigns supreme (sorry about that)? I'm not sure that better/worse is applicable here. They both had wonderful ingredients that are well outside what I am used to. Both prepared the sushi extremely well. Morita-san may be more creative with a broader palette of flavor colors, much like modern art. Koji-san is the master of the traditional and old school and understated. Like a rock garden. Yes they were different, but they were very much the same in quality. And, oddly enough, almost the same in price. The dinner at Shirahama (where I drank OP’s sake for free) was $77.58. Overall difference 36 cents. Seems right to me.

Kaito, 130-A N. El Camino Real, Encinitas, CA 92024 (760) 634-2746;

Shirahama, 4212 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 92111 (858) 650-3578.

California’s Taco Shop (National City) Tostilocos!

May 19, 2012 Cathy Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

You have somehow found your way to mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) don’t have a post for today, but Cathy does.

Hi. Since January, friends have been casually telling me about where they like to eat and what I should try if I go there. Usually these places are either close to where they live or close to where they work and a number of those places are taco shops. I seem to have accumulated a plethora of Taco Shop posts, all of which have really good food. Here is one.

Located in a nondescript strip mall on Highland Avenue in National City, the signage for California’s Taco Shop should catch your eye.

The interior is neat and clean and has seven tables. The menu is a bit more than standard (there is a clearer photo coming up). After we ordered, I was more interested in the pinball machine over there to the right.

Yes, it’s a World Cup (Copa Mundial) machine, made in Spain and very fun to play.

There are even some cool prizes you can win if you get a high score. We played two games while our order was being prepared.

Two Del Mar enchiladas ($4.34) from the a la carte part of the menu. These were excellent. You can see one of the very large fresh shrimp on the top right. The green sauce is exceptional.

The plain quesedilla ($2.40) is GIGANTIC and filled with a lot of cheese. The house made hot sauce is unusually good.

Here is a bit of a better photo of the menu. The description on the sign of ingredients for Tostilocos is pretty accurate, except on this day there was no jicama in the mix.

Tostilocos has been a Tijuana street food for about about ten years now. Sometimes called a fruit-nut-nacho-lard salad, Tostilocos is a meal you can eat with a fork while walking, since it is self contained. Chips, garnished and sauced…loco. Open a bag of some sort of ‘base’ (you can see the choices of Churritos®, Ruffles®, Takis® and Dulces(an extruded masa snack in the shape of a wheel with spokes) in addition to the ‘traditional’ unlisted Tostitos®.

By ‘traditional’, I mean salsa verde Tostitos®, the flavor sold only in Mexico, not the USA. The bag is cut open and the ingredients added.

From the sign above- Cueritos are pickled pork skin (usually sold in kilo size jars; there is no fat and the flavor has a bit of vinegar, the consistency is soft chewy, like gummy candies-it’s those strips of white that look like onion on the left side of the bag in photo below)-Pepino is a fruit that is a cross between cucumber and melon -Chacahuate are peanuts coated in a soy powder (you can buy them at Mexican markets) -chaca-chaca is tamarind candy pieces –Chamoy is a liquid condiment-it is salty, sweet, sour and spiced with chiles and also chile and lime juice are added to the ingredient mix.

The first bite might be startling- all the flavors hit all of your taste buds at once. Then the textures of crunchy chips, gummy cueritos, soft tamarind candy, pepino/cucumber soft crunch and peanuts are amazing and awakening. The second and further bites are pleasant and cause cravings for the unusal combination of flavors. It’s an amazing snack-and really, a meal. I do like the version here.

If you look at the sign next to the Tostilocos description- it indicates that Sinaloa Style pozole, sopes, tacos and tostadas are only available after 6 pm Friday to Sunday. That’s another post. This is a great taco shop that is far from common.

California’s Taco Shop 51 N. Highland Avenue National City 91950 (619)263-3000

25 Forty Bistro and Bakehouse (Old Town)-revisit for lunch

May 17, 2012 Cathy Bakery, Buffets, Desserts, European Restaurants, Los Angeles County, What Cathy Eats!

25Forty has closed. It will be missed

Well, you've found mmm-yoso!!! and we'd like to welcome you to our blog about food. Kirk usually blogs here and sometimes so does ed(from Yuma). Cathy usually chimes in about meals she has enjoyed when the guys are busy. Today, it's Cathy.

Hello again. I posted about a few lunches at 25Forty Bistro last year. 25Forty has changed since then; it's still open for Brunch and dinner on weekends, closed on Mondays and now is open for lunch on Thursday and Friday only. As part of that lunch offering, one of the menu choices is an all you can eat buffet at an affordable price of $8.

A few weeks ago, The Mister and I had some time and drove to Old Town for lunch here. The seating outside is the same, as are most of the tables inside, but along the back wall is a small buffet area.

We started lunch with iced tea and water. The water, as always, is brought out in glasses and with a large chilled bottle for refills at will. The iced tea is a good, strong brew.

The Mister ordered the All You can Eat buffet. As it was crowded, I did not want to get up to take a photo of the buffet area, but it is not large and on the tables looking like a nice buffet you'd have at a friend's home over the Holidays. This is a bit of everything available: cheeses, olives, pasta salad, salad with chicken, sliced ham, plain salad ) I do like the dressing here), rigatoni with meat sauce (very nice), roast pork (excellent) and mashed potatoes (perfect). The plate is very large and The Mister's second trip to the buffet area only brought back a bit more cheese and walnuts, which he said was his dessert…

I chose the $10 lunch combination, which includes a beverage, a baked dessert and either a salad or sandwich. As in my other post, I chose the steak salad, which I crave. The meat is so tender and perfectly seasoned and placed on top of balsamic dressed mixed greens. The heirloom tomato had wonderful flavor.

The selection of desserts was slightly overwhelming. I walked over to the counter and saw a selection of cupcakes as well as pastries. I noticed that people can order a coffee beverage to go (there were 'to go' cups stacked next to the espresso machine) as well as pastries and apparently lots of people do so. After a bit of time, I chose this Nutella® filled pastry.

As you can see, the pastry was fresh and flaky and filled with the chocolate-hazelnut spread. We shared this. It was a delightful end to this pleasant lunch. We walked around Old Town and "played tourist" before returning to the car. San Diego is a very nice place where we are fortunate to live.

25Forty Bistro and Bakery 2540 Congress Street San Diego 92110 (619)294-2540 Closed Monday. Website

Tea Station-revisit

May 16, 2012 Cathy Caffeine Fix, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome (back) to mmm-yoso!!! the food blog. Right now, Kirk is relaxing. As is ed(from Yuma). Cathy is blogging in a relaxed fashion.

Hello again. I blogged about Tea Station last year and it's a semi-regular stop for The Mister and I when we want to enjoy a relaxing talk along with a snack or light lunch. Wifi is available and some people are on computers, but for the most part, people are playing board games, card games or just talking and interacting at one of the numerous indoor and outdoor tables.

Tea Station is located in the mall across the street from 99Ranch Market.

This visit, we started out with Tea Eggs ($2.75) which are pretty simple to make at home, but I enjoy trying the the versions made by 'professionals'. Eggs are hard boiled then slightly cracked and placed back into the water which has had tea, soy and spices (like anise, cinnamon, black pepper or just five spice) placed and then simmered for about 20 minutes and then the eggs and tea mixture is placed in the refrigerator to steep for a day or so.

When the egg is finally peeled before eating, the tea mixture has seeped into the cracks,leaving a beautiful marble pattern. The whites of the egg usually take on the salty, savory flavor of the spices and the tea flavor seems to hit the yolk, or somehow enhances its flavor. Anyhow, I suppose I can do a post about making these at home. I enjoy the version here because the tea used is a fermented green, pu-erh tea, which I like. It looks like it is a black tea, but that's the color after fermenting. At home I use less expensive teas to make the tea eggs..and sometimes I don't even use tea- just spices and soy…I digress. I like the tea eggs here.

As on the last visit I blogged, we ordered the squid balls ($5.25). We did so again. These are a favorite…Squid somehow formed in a way that it doesn't fall apart and is solid. The lightly fried balls are rolled in a spicy salt blend (I think the green is seaweed). They are not greasy and don't have any breading. It's different and a really tasty snack.

The fried tofu ($5.25) is also a favorite of ours. Cubed soft tofu very lightly tossed in flour, fried and rolled in the same spicy salt mix. It's served with a thick teriyaki dipping sauce…which also compliments the squid.

Once again, we ordered a pot of the rose tea ($6.50), which was expertly steeped and wonderfully flavored with a marvelous rose aroma.

There are so many beverages you can order here, hot and cold, with or without milk, boba, combinations of flavors….and a good pot of tea is what they do and they do it so well.

I hope everyone had a nice day. Do take the time to sit and talk.

Tea Station 7315 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92111 (858) 268-8198 Website

Rocky Port Grill and Fish Market- El Cajon- a revisit

May 15, 2012 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome to mmm-yoso!!! The part usually played by Kirk or ed(from Yuma) will be played by Cathy for the next bit of time.

Hi. It seems that I disappeared for most of this year, but it's time to share some meals I've been saving up in the cameraphone. I posted about Rocky Port earlier this year, when I was beginning my whole-fish as a meal binge and it has become a regular stop even if we don't order a whole fish. The seafood here is always fresh, tasty, and tender.

On Tuesdays, all tacos are $1 off, so the fish tacos are $1.50 all day…(yes, it does open at 10 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. week days, and 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday)

Always, when you sit down, corn chips (the corn tortillas here are really good -layered- and make flaky corn chips), really good fresh salsa, cut limes and a bit of fresh-fresh fish ceviche is brought to the table.

On this visit, I ordered the Campechana Cocktail ($13.50). Shrimp, squid, scallops, octopus, clams and oyster, cooked in the lime and tomato juice, with cucumber and avocado mixed in. Catsup, crackers and selection of hot sauces add to the flavors of this tasty, fresh, tender and delightful large bowl of a meal. I crave it.

You can see two spoons with the cocktail. The Mister and I shared it, as well as sharing two fish tacos and two Gobernador tacos.

The Gobernador taco, a tortilla first 'lined' with melted cheese is then filled with a buttery saute of shrimp, bell pepper, onion and tomato…always a craving and at the regular price of $3.50, worth it…even a better deal on Tuesdays…The fish taco is quite largeand, again, fresh and fried properly in a light batter.

If the windows on the building somehow look familiar to you…remember Pizza Hut? …I hope everyone is having a good week.

Rocky Port Grill and Seafood Market 1771 N. Second Street El Cajon 92021 (619) 593-0637 Website

Istanbul: Lunch, the Blue Mosque, Hippodrome, Dinner at Mozaik, and Hagia Sofia

May 14, 2012 mmm-yoso Istanbul, Travel, Turkey, Turkish Food

After a pretty mellow time in Antalya we arrived back in Istanbul, ready for the final leg of our trip. By now, we had the drill down pat. Catch the light rail from the airport, get off at the Zetinburnu stop….

Then catch the tram and get off at the Sultanahmet stop. There were times when the tram was packed….like sardines, but since we don't have much luggage; two backpacks, we did fine.

One thing we picked up on right away was to get your tokens when you have a chance, planning ahead one or two trips….this way you aren't at the mercy of crowds in front of the token dispensers while your tram arrives…then leaves without you. This will also prevent what happened to me once…we needed to catch the tram to the airport. While I was walking to the token machine I noticed our tram coming. I quickly inserted my coins into the dispenser hoping none would be rejected. Grabbed our tokens and ran full blast to the boarding station. I hadn't run so fast in years,; make that decades. The Missus was laughing so hard She almost fell over….luckily we made the tram.

We walked to the Hotel Djem, checked in, and decided to just walk the few blocks to Sultan Kosesi. The Missus wanted sahlep again and it was nice to run into our favorite Server.

The Missus combination vegetarian plate was much better than what I ordered…..

which was an Adana Kebab.

We were up and on the move fairly quickly.

The Missus wanted to check out the Blue Mosque and since it is a functioning Mosque, it would be best for us to visit between prayer times. We really didn't want to intrude……

We'd walked the courtyard early one morning, but had never gone inside.

Sultanahmet Mosque, was built by its namesake between 1609 and 1616. Sultan Ahmet's goal was to build a mosque greater than the Hagia Sofia right across the way. It's quite beautiful, especially the exterior at night. It's called the Blue Mosque because of all the blue tilework.

As we exited the Blue Mosque, I noticed a very tall fellow wearing a yellow cap. You can see him to the right in this photo.

It was Kareem Abdul Jabbar….I mean, you really can't miss him at over seven feet tall and surrounded by several bodyguards. I turned to the Missus and said, "I think the Lakers are out of the playoffs (this was last year)." She asked me, "how do you know." He wouldn't be here if they were still in it.

Anyway, a photo of the Blue Mosque.

The area right to the west of the Blue Mosque and Sultanahmet Park is the Hippodrome, yes, that kind of Hippodrome. Built when the city was still known as Byzantium, when Constatine the Great moved the capital to "Nova Roma" (New Rome), which became known as Constantinople heenlarged the seating area to hold over 100,000 people! Undergoing major renovation when we visited, it really didn't look that impressive. A large walkway, with several obelisks. The one to the right is what remians of the Serpent Column which was brought to Constantinople from Delphi. It was once the figure of three serpents intertwined supporting a golden basin.

Notice that the obelisk appears to be buried a bit? The original level of the Hippodrome is actually about 8 feet below the current pedestrian walkway, where the base of this obelisk is located.

The one to the right is called the Obelisk of Theodosius. Theodosius the Great brought this back from Egypt in 390A.D. It is carved from pink granite and is actually from the Temple of Karnak in Egypt and dates back to 1490 B.C. It was cut into three sections, the top section was mounted on a marble pedestal, just where it is now. It look good considering it's over 3500 years old!

This is called the German Fountain and was built and presented to Abdul Hamit II in 1901 to commemorate Kaiser Wilhelm's visit in 1898.

We explored the streets of Sultanahmet a bit more……..

And though the days were beginning to get longer, we decided to grab dinner, then head back to the hotel. Metin, from the Hotel Djem recommended a restaurant called Mozaik to us. Funny thing, we stayed right around the corner from the place on our first night in Istanbul.

Though the prices reflected the area….being high traffic tourist oreinted, the food was pretty good.

The Izagara Mantar Salatasi, a mixed green salad topped with grilled mushrooms was probably the weakest dish, bland, and nothing special.

The Missus enjoyed Her Patlican Musakka, tangy tomatoes, sweet roasted peppers, She told it was pretty good.

I really enjoyed my Cizz Bizz Kofte, cute name, huh? It actually means something like sizzling meatball.

I'm not quite sure about the sizzling part, but these were very well seasoned and melt in your mouth moist and tender. The simple stemed vegetables were an afterthought just to take up space on the plate.

The combination of lamb and beef was done well……it had just enough of that lamb flavor to keep you interested.

Turkey is a Muslim country, thus you won't find alcohol in every shop on every corner. Because our days seemed to be flying by, it really didn't look like we'd be able to visit a meyhane. So I decided to try some Turkish Raki, not to be confused with Cretan Raki, this was veyr much like Ouzo. In fact, when you added ice to the drink it turned milky white just like ouzo. I'm not a big fan of anise drinks, but I had to try at least one, right?

The drink set me up for a wonderful night. Right after the last call to prayer I was out. To wake up the next morning ready to go. We took our usual morning walk, then headed off to the Hagia Sofia….only to find a line already at 8am! I'll honestly say, that the Hagia Sofia doesn't really lok as dramatically impressive as the Blue Mosque from the outside.

But this structure was once considered the "Greatest Church in all of Christendom". So something fantastic must be in store. Right in front of us in line were four young people from Spain. One of the young ladies was obviously a dog lover and this one caught her attention. She called him "El Guapo" – the handsome one!

She actually went looking for something to give Mr Handsome to eat and came back with some simit, sesame bread and starting feeding him.

Unfortunately, there's just so much sesame bread a dog could eat! To which she apologized, "lo siento el guapo, nada de carne"……El Guapo seemed to understand an was just happy to be the subject of her affection.

Here's a hint if you're visiting the Hagia Sofia and have time the day before. Buy tickets for the next day the previous evening. There's another line for folks who already have tickets. Anyway, we made it in fairly quickly, before it really got clogged up.

And upon entering I could understand the words of Justinian who supposedly said upon viewing the rebuilt Hagia Sofia for the first time, "Glory to God that I have been judged worthy of such a work." It's just one of those places where photos do not do the subject justice.

Unlike the Blue Mosque, whose interior is somewhat marred by the large pillars used to brace its large domed ceiling, the gracefully beautiful Hagia Sofia is supported by ribs made of hollow bricks made in Rhodes from a special clay.

The Islamic caliphs remind you that in 1453 Sultan Mehmed II, laid seige and conquered the "Center of Christianity". Hagia Sofia became a mosque.

In Islam, images of humans are not allowed, thus all the beautiful mosiacs in the former church were covered in plaster.

In 1935, Turkey's "George Washington", the founder and first President of Turkey, Ataturk, declared Hagia Sofia a museum. And the mosiacs have been or are being restored….to see the light of day once again.

As it is, I've spent a good amount of time on the Hagia Sofia. I cuold probably spend a couple of thousand more words on it, but I'll spare you. I'll just say, that of all the places I've been, there's only one other place I want to revisit……Machu Picchu.

Light and shadows do add a great deal of atmosphere here as well. You'll be within the shadows of a hallway or stairway. perhaps under one of the beautiful stained glass windows, only to walk into the bright yellows of one of the galleries.

Ok, enough, I'll spare you. Just one more interesting thing. There's a column within the Hagia Sofia, called the "weeping column". It was supposedly brought from the Temple of Artemis.

We were told that water sometimes drips out of the column, thus it "weeps". There are supposedly miracles associated with this column. The Missus was told to stick Her thumb into the hole then spin completely around and if Her thumb comes out wet a miracle will happen.

Her thumb did come out moist, but I'm still here! So no miracle on this day! he-he-he…. also, the fact that a pagan column was being used in a Christian church just sounded a bit weird to me. But who am I to say?

Thanks for reading!