mmm-yoso – Page 387 – 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.

Niu Rou Mania Redux: This time it’s Savory Garden, Mr Dumpling, and Chin’s Convoy

March 26, 2012 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian

It's been almost four years since I did a round up post of places to add to my Niu Rou Mian collection. Personally, I feel things have been pretty depressing for NRM in recent years, but thought I'd give it a shot anyway. We've been going through waves of warm almost late spring-like weather followed by blustery storms passing through, so it was really hard to plan things out. But I managed to squeeze in three bowls recently.

Savory Garden:

*** Savory Garden has closed

This restaurant took the place of 168 Restaurant in the 99 Ranch Market shopping plaza.

As a whole, I usually avoid the place during rush hours, and even when I dropped by during an odd lunch or dinner time, I don't recall seeing people eating here. In fact, on my visit, during a late week dinner, I was the only customer during my entire meal!

It must get pretty boring for the folks here, that's probably why they were practicing their Karaoke skills on the television….of course they weren't using a microphone, just quietly singing along…..

So at least I had a bit of entertainment during my meal. Personally, I thought this was kind of cute in a way, though I would probably have a different opinion if they used microphones.

The House Special Beef Noodle Soup ($7.49), which is listed as this on the check-off menu:

Arrived steaming hot, a good sign, though I've got to say it was probably the darkest looking broth I've seen in a while:

I really missed the zha cai – pickled vegetable that 168 used to top off thier NRM with, and fragrance of the broth wasn't particularly beefy. The noodles were decent, not overcooked, the broth wasn't as sweet as others, but in spite of the dark color, really lacked any depth with regards to flavor.

The beef was fairly tender and had decent flavor, but there were only four real pieces and some crumbs…….

Man, that was some dark broth!

I know I still gotta meet "MrZ" here for lunch one day…… so I'll report back then with more. Though based on the lack of customers, I think I'd better get my act together because I'm not quite sure how long this place will be around.

Savory Garden
7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Mr Dumpling:

*** Mr Dumpling has closed

On my post on Liang's someone mentioned that Mr Dumpling made a pretty good NRM. I kinda hesitated in checking the place out, since the food on my previous visits had not been particularly stellar. Still, Niu Rou Mian? I really had to go and check the place out. The place was totally empty when I arrived……. I actually had to call out several times…Ni Hao…..

While waiting for signs of life, I noticed that they'd put pool tables in on the other side of the wall……I guess they need to bring in customers somehow. This just didn't strike me as a particularly good sign.

A couple of minutes later a live person appeared and I was seated. Of course I order the Niu Rou Mian and was surprised at what I got:

Well technically there's beef, noodle, and soup……but this ain't the Niu Rou Mian I know. It was terrible, the broth lacked nay flavor but salt and the beef was tough and dry. I keep thinking this was some horrible mistake.

While another part of me wonders, "what if it isn't a mistake and this is their version of Niu Rou Mian?" Egads!

Mr Dumpling
7250 Convoy Ct
San Diego, CA 92111

Chin's Convoy:

*** Chin's on Convoy has closed

I'm not sure why I decided on Niu Rou Mian at Chin's on Convoy, but that's what I ordered. It was the most expensive ($8.50) of the three. To my surprise it wasn't too bad.

While the broth could have been richer, it did have a mild beef and star anise flavor, along with a slight "kick". Based on previous experiences here, I expected the soup to be on the sweet side, but it wasn't. The meat could have been more tender, but it was by no means terrible. The noodles and there was a lot of noodles, weren't anything special, but at least they were al dente and nice and slippery.

Though I don't overly focus on price, if quality is good, I'm not quite sure this is worth $8.50.

Chin's
4433 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

I guess I'll have drive up to Temple City again soon and deal with the service at Dai Ho to get a decent bowl……

Sunday Stuffs: Sakura opening another restaurant and revisits to Pho Lucky and Pizzeria Bruno

Well, it was pretty nice there for a couple of days. Anyway, here's something short for a wet Sunday in San Diego.

Owners of Izakaya Sakura opening a new restaurant:

I was quite surprised when I heard this. But according to my sources, the owners of Sakura are taking over the Chilies Thai location for a new restaurant.

Folks might be wondering what gives since it's in the same strip mall as Izakaya Sakura. Well this place is going to be Italian-Japanese. Probably something similar to Spoon House and Akane Chaya in the Gardena area. Not my favorite style and i'm wondering if there's a market for it here, heck even Curry house couldn't cut it. When I asked Dennis for his opinion, he had his doubts too. Time will tell. One more thing I heard is that Kazu will cut down his sushi bar time to oversee this new place…….don't think that's a great idea either.

3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Banh Mi Bo Kho at Pho Lucky:

After a terrible version of Vietnamese style Beef Stew at Pho Mignon, the sudden change in weather, and feeling a bit under the weather I decided to grab some Banh Mi Bo Kho from Pho Lucky. Funny thing is, Cathy mentioned that I've only done one post on the place. I swear I've done more than that. I did find a couple of posts including one on the Banh Mi Bo Kho. I think my Google search is doing weird things…..

The flavor was spot on as is the norm, but the stew was on the thin and soupy side. Lot's of nice tendon hiding on the bottom, though. What's up with the thin stews I've been getting recently? At least this one tasted good.

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

Pizzeria Bruno Napoletano:

*** Pizzeria Bruno has closed

Man, it was almost like spring for a couple of days there, wasn't it? And the weather put the Missus in the mood for sitting outside and having a pizza from Bruno. Over time, the Missus has settles on the Marinera ($9) being Her favorite:

She usually orders it with extra olive oil…….

I got my favorite, the Diavolo ($15), with soppressata replacing the pepperoni.

The goat peppers add some nice spice and mild sweetness to balance out the salt from the salami-ish soppressata. Great char on the crust and I've gotten used to eating this with a knife and fork…..

Can't wait until we get more consistent warm weather, we'll be enjoying this more often.

Pizzeria Bruno
4207 Park Blvd
San Diego, CA 92103

My previous post on Bruno can be found here.

Peperonata

March 24, 2012 mmm-yoso Cookbooks, Cooking, Recipes

I don't recall seeing peppers priced quite as cheap as in the last few weeks. The abundance of peppers gave me a chance to make another recipe from Molly Stevens All About Braising. Unlike the Lamb Shanks Braised with Lentils and Curry, this one is quite easy. Peperonata is an Italian stewed pepper dish that tastes great on bruschetta or as an antipasto. While we ate most of it on toasted baguette, the only photos I took were as a relish for a simple pan sauteed chicken breast.

As always I did ad a couple of things to the recipe, in this case some garlic and dried oregano. Since the amount of peppers I had was closer to the three pound mark, I ended up using 1/2 of olive oil. The anchovies in the recipe add a deep savory and salty background flavor and I loved the addition of balsamic vinegar instead of the usual white wine or red wine vinegar.

Anyway……here's what I did.

Pepperonata:

1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 pounds various sweet peppers (do not use green bell peppers) cut into 1/3" strips
1 large onion also cut into strips
2 coves of garlic minced
4 anchovies minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp dry oregano crushed
2 tb balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

– Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat and add red epper flakes.
– Add onions and garlic, stir ocasionally until softened. About five minutes or so.
– Stir in the anchovies, oregano, black pepper and a large pinch of salt.
– Add the peppers and combine. Lower the heat to low and braise.
– Check and stir every 10 – 15 minutes. Lower the heat if the peppers are sticking or getting mushy.
– The peppers should be tender after about 45 minutes or so.
– Remove from heat, add balsamic vinegar and taste. Adjust salt and pepper.
– Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Easy huh?

I'm thinking that you could find numerous uses for this. Add some fresh herbs to serve with antipasto, use it with meats…….

Athens: A little self catering

March 23, 2012 mmm-yoso Athens, Greece, Greek Food, Markets & Grocers, Travel

We headed back to our room after a pretty long day, starting with the Acropolis, down to the Ancient Angora, up to the Central Market, back to Syntagma Square and the changing of the guard. It was time to head back. We did take a short break at Hadrian's Arch, built by the Emperor Hadrian in 131 AD. It is said that the arch marked the dividing line between the old city and the new city of Athens. Just a handful of yards away stands the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Work on the temple was started in the 6th century BC, but not completed until the reign of Hadrian. It was built to be the greatest temple Greece, but was pillaged by the Romans in the 3rd century AD. Eventually, much of the temple was removed to be used for construction elsewhere.

By this time, I'd pretty much had my fill of ruins and temples. Walking back up the hill to our hotel, we ran smack dab into the farmer's market that was just getting started when we left in the morning.

This was how it looked in the morning…….

Right now it was going full blast……..

It had been a pretty long day and we didn't feel like heading off into the mass of humanity that is the Plaka, so we decided to self cater. Hotel Tony had a small kitchenette stocked with plates and utensils. We first headed down a couple blocks and went to the market. We bought some cheese and a bottle of wine.

While the really nice fellow behind the counter fed the Missus samples, I had a look around. I even noticed Soy Sauce being sold. Having picked out what we needed we headed back up to the now dwindling mass of humanity and started browsing.

Of course olives were on our list and this stand had a great selection.

We went through all the booths of tomatoes and found some really ripe ones and some great cucumber as well. No stove so their wouldn't be any cooking going on, though that's not to say I wasn't sorely tempted…..

While the Missus freshened up, I popped open the bottle of wine and set the table. You see, the other thing great about this room at Hotel Tony was the little balcony.

Dinner was perfect for relaxing at the end of a somewhat busy day. It gave the Missus and I time to reflect on our day and plan what was coming up next.

As I watched folks going about their daily routine, getting home form work or taking the dog out for a walk, I was reminded of something that I always mention to folks…… we are more alike than different.

I also reflected on the fact that here I was…in Athens…..over 2000 miles from my home in San Diego, sipping wine on a balcony watching a young woman walking a dog. How did some poor kid from Hawaii ever manage to get here? I have really been lucky……

Of course, I didn't have too much time to dwell on the subject…..I was dog tired.

We'd be having a long day again tomorrow….maybe not physically…..we were headed to Delphi and Meteora in the morning.

Thanks for reading!

Breakfast of Champions: Lana’i Edition Part 2 – Blue Ginger Restaurant, Manele Bay Resort, Hulopo’e Beach, and the Puupehe Rock

March 22, 2012 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Lanai, Travel

The Missus must have felt really comfortable at the Hotel Lana'i. As usual I got up pretty early….She was still counting, sheep, or maybe opihi…. I decided to walk down and grab a bite to eat. Having another meal at Canoe's sounded tempting, but I decided to walk a few more feet, right next door actually and grab a bite at Blue Ginger. There were a lot of old timers hanging out in front drinking coffee. I went to the counter and ordered a "regular breakfast" which consists of your choice of protein (Portuguese Sausage of course), two eggs (over easy), fried rice, and toast. I grabbed a cup of coffee (serve yourself) took a seat at one of the tables adorned with blue vinyl checkerboard tablecloths, and took a look around. I recall someone telling me this used to be the dry cleaners and looking at the pipe fittings hanging from ceiling, I'm thinking they were right.

I quickly figured out why this place was popular with the old-timers. The coffee was serve yourself, the cups were quite large, and you can just keep your caffeine buzz going….

My breakfast was not quite as good as what I had the previous morning. The sausage and eggs were good, but the fried rice was a bit too mushy for me and the toast was loaded with margarine.

As I walked back to our cottage I noticed an interesting vehicle in the parking lot.

Hmmmmm…..

I hung out and watched the TV until the Missus woke. She, of course, instantly wanted to head back to Hulopo'e Beach…of course. But first She needed Her caffeine fix, so we headed down the hill and got a cup of coffee for Her. Wouldn't you know it….as we headed back up Seventh Street, we saw one of the shuttles driving up to the front of Hotel Lana'i. The Missus determined not to miss a single moment of beach time decided to run up the hill to the shuttle. Of course, She first handed me Her scalding hot cup of coffee yelling at me to hurry up as She took off up the hill. Somehow, my stumbling attracted a dog who decided it would be great fun chasing me nipping at my heels. So there I was looking like some pupule (crazy) tourist being chased up the hill by a dog spilling hot coffee all over himself….only to find that the shuttle we were chasing was the one to the airport. The other folks waiting around for the shuttle to Manele were treated to a bit of morning slap-stick courtesy of your truly and his first degree burns.

Now the last time I was in Lana'i the resort at Manele Bay wasn't open yet. So I was interested to see what it looked like. The shuttle drops you off right in front of the hotel and you walk through the lobby and down the trail to the beach. Unlike many other resorts, you're not bothered much at all…in fact the staff was giving us water and even asked us if we needed towels? Well, there are only the two big resorts and the Hotel Lana'i on the island, so I guess they figure you must be staying at one of them……

The lobby of the hotel is beautiful with a strong Asian theme.

There's a sense of quiet and exclusivity on mst of the hotel grounds. The Manale Bay Resport only has 236 rooms so things really don't seem very crowded.

I'm wondering what the staff to customer ratio is……as there seemed to be quite a few people working.

Here's a view of the pool area and Hulopo'e Bay below…….

To get to the beach, you simply walk past the pool and head down the trail past the foundations of a old fishing village…..

I tell folks I know who are going to Lana'i to "look out for all the turkeys." They think I'm joking, but there are folks of wild Rio Grande Turkeys flourishing on Lana'i. I've heard they have to be brined before cooking because they've learned to catch and eat crab and other crustaceans and there's no real above ground freshwater source on Lana'i so they drink brackish water making the meat fairly funky. Sorry to say I've never had it….though I did taste wild venison from Lana'i years ago. Still, it's quite a sight seeing flocks of wild turkey roaming the golf courses…more on that later.

As I mentioned before, the beach here is lovely and the Missus loved it.

After swimming I took Her past the camping area to the tide pools, which are great fun. There's even a stairway built going down to the tide pools.

Hike a bit further up the dirt path and you'll see one of Lana'i's landmarks, the Puupehe rock, also known as the Sweetheart Rock and the Tomb of Puupehe.

Several variations of the story exist, but the gist of it is the same. A young warrior from Lana'i fell in love with a beautiful girl from Maui. He was so jealous and afraid he would lose her that he hid her away in a sea cave near the rock. One day, the weather turned bad, he rushed back to the cave to find she had drowned. He managed to retrieve her body, and with the help of the gods scaled the rock carrying the body of the woman. When he reached the summit, he buried her on top of the rock.

There is an actual rock structure on the top of the rock! The late Archaeologist and Anthropologist Kenneth Emory actually scaled the rock and investigated the platform. He concluded that this wasn't a tomb, but more likely a altar. Nice story though!

Anny’s Fine Burger – Kearny Mesa: A first look

March 20, 2012 mmm-yoso Burgers

I really didn't think I'd be doing yet another burger post this soon. I also thought San Diego was pretty much saturated when it came to burgers. But looking back, I guess I was wrong. After mentioning that Anny's Fine Burger was coming to Kearny Mesa, I was surprise at the response. A couple of folks mentioned the need for a decent burger spot in this area…..and you know what, they're probably right. Still, I hadn't planned on visiting Anny's until they had a couple of weeks. But FOY (friend of yoso) "Green Turtle" seemed pretty excited about the prospect of the place opening and "GT" wasn't alone as I got three emails asking me when I planned on trying the place out. So of course I had to go, even if the signs weren't completely up yet.

First off a couple of things to temper what I'm going to write….the place has just opened, they looked like they were trying to find their footing. The folks working were polite, but tense looking. All understandable.

The menu at Anny's is huge with 30 different burger variations and sandwiches, all of which are posted alongside the wall. Everything from your basic burger, bacon cheese burger, to pastrami burgers and something called the Monster burger with "baked pastrami", turkey, and bacon. And in case that wouldn't be enough, you can add a fried egg and even another 1/2 half pound patty! According to "the wall" all 1/2 pound patties are made with Angus Beef.

When I arrived the place was maybe 1/3 full….the place was packed when I left.

If you've been reading long enough, you know that I'll always try a basic burger first, which is why I ordered the Classic Burger ($5.50). A half pound burger, with lettuce, tomato, pickle, red onion and thousand island dressing.

Oh, yes, notice the fries? Well on this day, because of the grand opening and so forth you can get either fries or a soft drink free with your burger. So this may be enough to get you down there. As for my opinion of the fries? Well, I'll go the "don't look a gift horse in the mouth route" and save that for a later time.

Did you notice something about the burger? Take a closer look……

Looks like a double burger….but I only ordered a single. Well that's because it was actually in three pieces. Once I removed that skewer it fell out of the bun onto the plate. Well, at least I got a taste of just the burger. It was on the tough side, though moist. I'm thinking that maybe this is probably more along the lines of 85-15? The burger could use some salt, but it had a bit of beefiness and there seemed to be an onion flavor. The thousand island dressing was very mild which is not a bad thing. There was a bit of lettuce overload going on as well. The bun was toasted but not hard and dry. There's potential for a pretty good burger here and based on Cathy's post on the Santee location, I'm thinking that they can do better. I'm sure they will once they get all the kinks worked out. Funny thing is….I still think it's better than Five Guys.

I'll give them another shot in a couple of weeks.

Anny's Fune Burger
5375 Kearny Villa Road
San Diego, CA 92123

Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 9pm
Sunday 1130am-8pm

So there you go folks…I hope you go and get your free drink or fries!

Bandeja Paisa from Tropicafe

March 19, 2012 mmm-yoso Colombian Food and Restaurants, Latin American Cuisine

**** Tropicafe has closed

I'd had a couple of requests to check out Tropicafe in Chula Vista, mostly from folks who I really didn't know. So a couple of weeks back, I spoke to a co-worker AF, who lived in Colombia from the age of 8 to 18. He'd been asking me if I knew of anywhere that had Colombian food on the menu…anyplace but Tropical Star. I told him I'd heard of a place in Chula Vista called Tropicafe, but hadn't tried it out…..AF told me he'd check it out and report back. Then I didn't see him for maybe a month or so. when I finally saw him, he told me, "the food is pretty much the real deal, but not everything is great. It's worth a try, just stay away from the Mexican food, which is on the menu because they need to make a living." Asked for a recommendation, I was told, "everyone needs to have the Bandeja Paisa the first time. There's better things on the menu, but that's the national dish."

So there I was, taking the Main Street off ramp in Chula Vista and driving into one of the "garage strip malls"……and right across from Juan's Auto Repair and the Mercedes Engine Exchange was this tiny shop.

The place opens at 930 am, and I'd arrived pretty early. The restaurant is pretty small, maybe five tables….I was thrown off by the chafing dishes when I entered, but it was part of a display advertising their catering business. The drill is simple, I walked to the counter and ordered, which I'm sure is not the way, or maybe the way, since half the folks coming after me sat and ordered when the menu arrived and half just sauntered to the counter like I did. The woman in the kitchen in the back smiled and gave me the "peace sign".

Naturally, since I'm very good at following instructions, I ordered the Baneja Paisa. After having a seat, the young man told me there was a problem in the kitchen and my order would take about 20 minutes. I was asked if I wanted something else. I had nothing really to do, so I told him I'd wait, which turned out rather well for me……

As I sat and checked my text messages and emails folks started filtering in. After about ten minutes, the young man delivered a fragrant cup of soup to my table. He apologized for the wait and said 'please try the Caldo de Costilla".

A nice hot, mildly thick soup, the flavor of beef and cumin really stood out. I later read that this is Beef Rib soup and popular breakfast item. The main starch item being potatoes. It was very hearty soup which I enjoyed.

About five minutes after finishing my bowl of soup, the young man came by and dropped off a little plastic basket telling me, "your food is almost ready, but here's one of our empanadas for you to try……"

The color of the empanadas was almost a bright yellow. The out crust was quite crisp, but there was still some heft to it. The main flavor in the filling was of seasoned potatoes, which was very good. The meat really didn't have much flavor and I believe it was chicken based on that. The Aji/Salsa had a nice kick to it. I'm thinking there was some habanero in it.

Soon enough my plate arrived. The name is derived from the people of the Paisa region of Colombia, thus it is the "Paisa Platter", I'm figuring the folks of this area had historically worked some major manual labor, because the Bandeja Paisa ($10.50), along with being Colombia's National Dish, is a major calorie bomb.

If God were Vegan, I'd have spontaneously combusted on the spot……. The look on my face got laughs from the folks on the other table as I stared down this amalgamation of fat and protein. I turned to them and said, "I'm going to need a nap after this…." Which drew some good natured laughs. As for the food….

My least favorite items were the beef which was really dry and had a texture like cardboard; and strangely, the chicharon, which was nice and crisp but without much flavor

The fried egg was nice, but I noticed that they food wasn't salted. I enjoyed the patacones (tostones), basically fried green plantains, very mild and not sweet, but also nice and crunchy. The Aji added a nice punch here. The chorizo reminded me of a spicy Longanisa, it had a nice sweetness, but a little punch as well.

The one item I really enjoyed was the beans, which were seasoned well, with a nice pork flavor and a mild sweetness.

I like that the beans weren't overcooked and went real well with the rice (hiding under the egg). The menu description also mentions an Arepa, which is sort of like a pupusa, but I think I'd have been near death after that. The other table was having a few, so I think I'll save that for next time.

Yes, there will be a next time. Probably some rib soup, arepa, beans and rice. Or maybe some other soup. I really enjoyed the friendly folks working here, if not everything in the Bandeja Paisa.

Tropicafe
2530 Main St
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Hours:
Wed – Sat 930am – 6pm
Sunday 930am – 5pm

Sunday Sandwiches: Grab & Go – Convoy Court

March 18, 2012 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

A few weeks ago, I was driving down Convoy Court, the street that parallels Clairemont Mesa, on my way from a meeting. I wanted something fast to eat back at the office. I'd usually go for a bento from Nijiya or Mitsuwa. On this day, I noticed there was a Grab & Go shop on Convoy Court. I couldn't recall seeing the place….how long had it been there? I guess I don't take use this route very often. I think Grab & Go makes a pretty decent Italian sub, I've posted on other locations before.

So I decided to stop and grab a Spicy Cappocolla ($6.49). This location also seems to serve personal size pizzas too? I'm not quite sure about that one. I will say that my sandwich was put together and available very quickly. The guy running the front counter is very efficient. I got back to my office and opened the thing up……

And it almost fell all over the place…..the tomatoes fell out, there was so much Italian dressing making the sandwich soggy. It seemed to be slapped together, though it tasted ok. I do enjoy the cappocolla which had been heated up a bit to render some of the wonderful tasting oil combined with pickled jalapenos.

Still, I had mixed feeling about the place. The sandwich was a mess and they seemed more about getting you something ASAP, then any quality control. I thought perhaps this was a fluke and decided to check them out again since once again I was driving from a meeting in the same area.

This time I went with the Sicilian ($6.99).

This time I got a drink as well and noticed that I could actually see the two guys putting together the sandwich. They seemed to be having a good 'ol time joking and laughing, not a big deal, so long that the product you're putting together turns out. The guy did drop my sandwich on the counter twice after he wrapped it and they had a couple of good laughs. I really didn't know what it was going to look like when I got back to my desk. But all was well. Nice combination of meats (Cappocolla, Genoa Salami, Mortadella), you couldn't really make out the cheese, since the peperocinis and olive spread really owned the sandwich. One thing was certain, this sandwich wasn't short on flavor. The bread was nice and crusty as well.

Funny thing was, they were pretty busy this time around. But I recall that when we used to get slammed, you'd focus a bit more, it's the slow periods when you make mistakes; you get distracted, you get silly……. So maybe that's what happened? Not quite sure what I'll get next time around….

Grab & Go
7701 Convoy Ct
San Diego, CA 92111

Athens: Diporto and the Changing of the Guard

March 17, 2012 mmm-yoso Athens, Greece, Greek Food, Travel

By the time we'd finished walking through the Central Market we were pretty hungry. Luckily, we happened to be right outside the fruit and vegetable section of the market. Here, on the corner of Theatrou and Sokratous, down these stairs and past these doors was a place I first read about on Matt Barrett's wonderful Athen's Survival Guide.

Matt calls this place the "Secret Underground Taverna", but later on, when one of the customers, a very friendly young woman originally from Athens, but now living in London, who was quite surprised seeing us eating here, told us the name of the place is Diporto. Yes, "double doors", those very doors you walk through when you enter.

There is indeed a sense of mystery as you walk down the stairs and enter what looks like a wine cellar…..

In the corner was an older gentleman moving at a steady pace preparing the various offerings for the day. This basement taverna has no menu, the two men working that day didn't speak any English. They smiled and invited the Missus over to the pots so She could choose our lunch for us.

Based on our experience, you'll get a tin of wine and some glasses delivered to your table regardless if you request it or not.

This tasted pretty astringent. Later when that young lady started talking to us, we were told that next time we should order a Sprite to mix with the wine.

In good order our food arrived, the food was simple, but like many of these types of places, very comforting. The Missus favorite of the two soups was the Revithosoupa, a simple but well seasoned Garbanzo Bean Soup.

I enjoyed the Black Eyed Bean soup, which was very hearty.

The Greek Salad seasoned with sea salt and oregano, was quite delicious. The tomatoes were so perfectly ripe…….

The stewed lamb shank actually had more flavor than what we'd had at Strofi the night before.

In retrospect, this was my favorite meal in Athens. As we ate our meal, we watched the locals, mostly older gentlemen come in and get their lunch. Overall, a relaxing and enjoyable experience.

After lunch, we walked on over to Syntagma Square. The Missus really wanted me to see something. She led me to the gathering of tourists in front of the Parliament Building.

I really didn't know what the heck was going on until I saw some soldiers dressed in ceremonial uniforms march up.

This was the changing of the Presidential Guard in front of the Parliament Building, which I understand occurs every hour….24 hours a day.

The uniforms are based on those worn by the Klephts, the mountain people of Greece who fought the Ottomans.

I'm sure the ceremony itself is full of symbolism…….

And is full of synchronized high and kick like steps along with arm movements.

I think you'll have a better understanding after watching this Youtube video…..

The Habit Burger Grill – Mission Valley

March 15, 2012 mmm-yoso Burgers

I'm the first to admit; I believe we're past critical mass when it comes to burgers in San Diego….I mean, so we really need another one? In fact, I'm pretty sure we won't be doing a Burger Week this year. It seems like not a week goes by where my junk email box doesn't see some press release or freebie offer for some new burger place. Since I don't do freebies or press "events" (since when am I the "press") I just ignore or delete them….that doesn't make the amount of this stuff less irritating though.

I'd heard mixed messages when it came to The Habit, ranging from it being the lowest on the SYSCO food chain, to totally delicious, char grilled heaven. From being bland, and tasteless, to being a great bargain. Recently, I needed a rather quick lunch in the Mission Valley area, a place long on chains and rather short on what I enjoy eating. An area the ever eloquent Ed from Yuma once called one of the Nine Circles of Food Hell. My first thought was to just drive through In N Out, but man that line is always so long….so I decided to head to The Habit Burger Grill. As I arrived I tried to remember what used to be here…..wasn't it Baja Fresh???

And yes, The Habit too is a chain….of 50 restaurants and growing. What really surprised me were the prices which really weren't bad. The burgers start at $2.95, for a single stripped down burger with no cheese. I ordered a Double Charburger with no cheese($3.95) and decided to make it a meal with fries and a regular drink ($6.95). Just like Fuddruckers they give you that vibrating coaster thing that goes off when you're order's ready if you're eating in. The service was friendly, but not super quick……….

Eventually my coaster vibrated itself right off my table and my order was ready.

At first I thought the burger looked kinda puny compared to the tray cooked-by-the-numbers fries. But at least the right buttons were pressed on the fry station and these were crisp, salty, and hot.

Actually, the burger wasn't quite as small as it looked. Though a single might by barely snack worthy for many folks.

This was by no means terrible and a mixed bag overall. The burger avoided the problems encountered with many char-grilled burgers as it was fairly moist, even kinda greasy to some extent. It did lack a nice char-grilled flavor though. The bun was toasted, crumbly, dry and on it's way to becoming croutons. On the good side, there wasn't mayo overkill. I really couldn't taste the caramelized onions and in fact, much like the burger, when I found a piece I tasted it alone…it was pretty much the same as the burger….bland. Still, all of this for under seven bucks ain't bad.

It's better than one of the "big four" (McDonald's, etc…) burgers (though when did I last have one of those), though I still prefer In N Out. I won't go out of my way for this, but I've had worse burgers and paid much more for it. Honestly, I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not….. As much as I detest the phrase, I'm tempted to say, "it is what it is…." blech, oh well, Que sera, sera……..

The Habit Burger Grill
845 Camino de La Reina
San Diego, CA 92108