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.
Just to catch my breath….a little COMC (clearing out the memory card) post……. If you’re a regular reader, I’m sure you’ll know the places. Aaaaahh….
***(update 08/25) Ok folks are wondering where…so here goes
Wa Dining Okan:
Izakaya Sakura:
Sushi Yaro:
**** Sushi Yaro has closed
I feel so much better now that I’ve gotten this out of my “system”…..the week is looking better already.
Here’s two more “orphan photos” that’s been taking up space on my hard drive…..
My house (LOL!)
Happy Wednesday!
*** LHK on Convoy has closed again
Back in July I noted that Luong Hai Ky had returned to its former spot and had considered dropping by. But it was just too darned hot for Mi for me (no pun intended). I also figured that the fare would be about the same as the Mira Mesa location and the last few visits to the Convoy shop. If you are at all familiar with how the broth used to be before the original owner past away, you'd probably be as blase' as I was…..
Still it was only a matter of time before I visited……
There was a certain eeriness to entering the restaurant and seeing it looking exactly the way it was before……like nothing changed.
That may be comforting to some; but to me it was just kinda strange.
LHK had always been on the high side with regards to Mi Gia, so I was surprised to see $4.99 lunch specials on the menu.
So I decided to order the Won Ton and Dumpling Egg Noodle Soup ($4.99).
The broth at LHK has always been on the saltier side, but before there used to be a touch of savory, almost seafood flavor to it……which is no longer. Still, it doesn't lack for flavor….it's only that it is now mostly salty which is better than bland. The won ton and dumpling are the status quo for these type of shops, worked and hard, something I've grown used to over the years. I'm not going to go all (as my friend Peter says) "dumpling Nazi" over the stuff here. It's cheap eats….. and I'd say worth $4.99. The portion size did strike me as being a bit smaller than the usual…but then again, LHK was never known for huge portions.
A couple days later the weather had cooled even more, so I decided to drop by and try the Beef Sate noodle dry ($6.80).
I'd had the Beed Sate Noodle Soup at LHK before, an underwhelming experience, but felt that I should have it dry (Kho) just to see. This was an error on my part. Other than a mild spiciness the flavor fell flat…there was so little of that savory sate flavor going on, the meat was on the tough side….too much Thai basil killed everything else…. I ended up removing it. Some tomatoes and more onions replacing all that iceberg lettuce would have been nice as well.
A
nd at almost 7 bucks, I just didn't feel that this was a good value at all being on the small side portion wise.
I'll stick with the $4.99 lunch special for now……
Luong Hai Ky Restaurant
4633 Convoy St Ste 107
San Diego, CA 92111
You can read Kirbie's post here.
Heh…..maybe I'm getting a little too cute for my own good…… The Missus has been bugging me to make some smoked salmon since She had the smoked salmon sandwich at Kitchen 4140.She's applied a bit more pressure since returning there and having an uneven meal…different bread, standard tomatoes, etc, etc, etc….. So on the way this evening I stopped by Nijiya Market and picked up some Cherry Blossom white bread, medium cut, next stop the Fruit Stand on Morena for some tomatoes, and finally a little comparison between Bay Park Fish and Seisel's to see who had better salmon…… on this day, the Scottish Salmon from Seisel's won out. The rest of the stuff we had at home…..
Seasoned with some fresh ground pepper, sea salt, and some smoked salt, 20 minutes in the stove top smoker (can't believe I've had the thing for over six years now!) and that's it…… took about forty minutes total, not bad for a week night.
Actually, I cut the veggies……and most importantly made this while the fish was smoking:
The Missus is a closet mayo lover….. She keeps telling me how much She hates mayo…. but I guess a dill-caper mayonnaise is a different story, especially with salmon.
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2-3 Tb chopped dill
1-2 Tb chopped capers (you should rinse, but the Missus likes it briney)
lemon zest
Chill to let the flavors meld before serving….
That honking piece of salmon is perhaps a bit too much for a single sandwich….but if you want to take even further over the top; perhaps a couple of slices of crisp bacon might do it???
But heck then you could call this a SS-BLAT??? Or even B.S. SALT???
Happy Monday everybody!
The flight from Izmir to the large (1.2 million) city of Kayseri seemed to happen in a blink of an eye. The hour and a half ride from Kayseri to Goreme felt a lot longer, though the views were sometimes quite stunning. Goreme, a town of about 2,500 resides in Cappadocia an area renowned for "fairy chimneys, underground cities, and it's moon like terrain. The unique landscape was reason enough for us to include the area in our itinerary….who can resist the pull of fairy chimneys?
I chose the Arch Palace Hotel for our stay in the area.
No, it's not four star or even three star, nor located in a fairy chimney. The rooms were large and priced right at 50 Euros per night…no lift, but the best shower we encountered during our trip.
The main reason I booked our stay at the Arch Palace was the reputation of the owner, Mustafa Yelkalan. He is just about everything you'd ever want in an owner of this type of hotel. All the great reviews and recommendations you read online are correct, Mustafa makes wonderful recommendations and is a one man tour guide, concierge, you name it. More on that later……
When we arrived, Mustapaha met us on the terrace of the hotel, looking at the view of Goreme really gave you could not help but feel that you were in an exotic locale.
After getting squared away, Mustapha suggested that we head off to Goreme Open Air Museum, also known as Goreme National Park, a UNESCO Heritage Site. Mustapha told us that we should do it this afternoon since there was some major rain headed our way…. it was already pretty darn cold, temps in the fourties, so we could imagine what freezing rain would be like.
We headed off in the direction of Goreme Open Air Museum oohing and aaahing at the sites along the way…..
It was already getting pretty windy and chilly….. but that really didn't deter us. We headed through the gauntlet of tourist shops and hawkers in the parking lot…… the one that really made us laugh were the folks selling Turkish Ice Cream, dondurma. They screamed out what they were hawking at the top of their lungs in English……. but instead of "Ice Cream", they all seemed to inject a pause after the "I", and it sounded like "I SCREeeemmmmm, Iiii SCREeeeeemmmmm", the ironic absurdity of it all still makes the Missus and I crack up.
Goreme National Park is a monastic settlement carved into the eroded rock formations. This large complex of churches, chapels, refectories, and a convent is dotted with frescoes, many quite well preserved.
Our favorite was the Elmali (Apple) Church….. photos aren't allowed in most indoor areas, so you'll have to take my word on how beautiful and for me, quite haunting the whole experience was.
There is some climbing to be done here……
Many of the areas are lit only by natural light…. like the eating area within the refectory.
So when groups of tourists enter the place becomes almost pitch dark.
The sky was quickly turning dark and it started to drizzle, so we decided to hike down and head back to the hotel.
Of course the sky unloaded on us……
Then in a moment of what can only be called temporary insanity, he Missus stopped on at the sign for Zemi Valley and said, "let's check this out"! The trail was a river of water, it was raining cats and dogs, heck, it was raining lions and pitbulls….. After a couple of minutes, I convinced the Missus that we still had a couple of days left, and perhaps we would enjoy it a bit more if we didn't have to worry about swimming for our lives!
Returning to Arch Palace, I was ever so thankful for the wonderful hot shower. We dried off, rested for a couple off hours….night falls quite suddenly in Cappadocia, and we headed off to dinner. Getting dinner was one of those situation where Mustafa proved his worth. I told Mustafa that I really wanted to try a "real" Testi Kebab. A Testi Kebab is a stew, not a kebab, that is sealed in a pottery jar and cooked over an open fire. According to Mustafa, there are only a couple of places that do justice to the testi kebab. Earlier in the day he wrote down a list of five places…. I recognized the name of one of them; Dibek Restaurant. Mustafa immediately got on the phone and ordered a testi kebab for us for dinner…….an advance reservation is needed to get one of these at Dibek.
Later that evening we headed down the hill, dodging raindrops to the location of Dibek. You get a feeling that the restaurant actually envelops you as you enter, and the mild mustiness belies the age of the building, which is 475 years old. This floor of the building used to be stables and a wine storage area…..
We walked down the passageway to the front desk and eventually someone took notice of us.
The serious looking gentleman walked over and asked, "did you call…did you make reservations?" I started by saying "no….." and never got to "but", before I was told, "sorry, we are full…..we are full every night this week, maybe you write your name down and we can call and let you know if we have space." At this point I mentioned, "Mustapaha (who happened to be his cousin), called and reserved a testi kebab for us." Ah, instantly the clouds parted and the sun began to shine through. "Ah, Mustapha, lamb test kebab, right? Follow me this way….." We were lead past all the crowds to an area in the rear of the restaurant and to a sunken dining area.
The food started arriving soon after….starting with the standards, Coban Salatsi (Shephard's Salad), et al…..
Then a very friendly older gentleman arrived at the table carrying at ceramic container. He placed it on the table, left and brought back a plate with pickled cabbage and rice on it.
Holding the container firmly with one hand, he gave the pottery a good whack while turning around in a circle. Eventually, the top gave way…. we could literally smell the wonderful fragrances as he poured the stew onto a plate.
There was quite a large portion of the stew in that container, and it was very tasty.
A wonderful, almost smokey flavor had permeated everything in the piece of pottery. The lamb was still fairly chewy, but very tasty…you knew you were eating lamb. The vegetables literally melted in your mouth. This was one of the more memorable dishes we had during our trip.
I'm glad we took the time to make sure we ordered this; the rest of the dishes at Dibek were average at best….most of it sorely lacking in salt.
That testi kebab made up for any other shortcomings the meal may have had…… we could not stop dipping the bread (and since this was Turkey, there was a lot of it!) in that wonderful sauce! We left satisfied and ready to hit the sack.
Tomorrow was going to be a busy day!
A couple of weeks ago, my good FOY (friend of yoso) Candice forwarded an email to me…. lots of info there. One of the items that caught my eye was the announcement of a farmer's market in Linda Vista from 3pm to 7pm on Thursdays. A few weeks went by and I finally managed to drop by this past Thursday. This small farmer's market is located in the parking lot of the strip mall that houses Thuan Phat (Shun Fat) Market, Flavaful Yogurt, Pho Hiep, Pho Hoa Huong, et al….
And even though the market didn't look particularly packed at 430pm…..
The parking lot sure was. I ended up finding an open space down by the library.
Though were just a couple of produce booths, I ended up spending much of my time at two of them. The one Asian vegetable stand was predictably the busiest, with some major elbowing going on as women jostled for position.
Even though it was only 430, much of the choice greens and herbs were already gone.
I managed to sneak my way in and get some eggplant, getting out mostly unscathed.
There also was a organic vegetable stand, manned by some really friendly folks…….
After inquiring about some of the more interesting vegetables…. I picked up two types of kale and some pretty interesting cucumber.
There was also two stands selling Asian type fruits, rambutan, jujubies, and jackfruit. There was also a stand selling different varieties of heirloom tomatoes from Valley Center.
There were a couple of food stands present…..
But I had to be on my way home………
I'll have to leave the other stands for my next visit.
And I will be back. Even though the offerings seemed a bit limited at first, I appreciated the quality of what I did purchase…..some really good grapes, nice, fresh eggplant, these…..
Can you guess what they are???
They call them Lemon Cucumbers……
And of course the kale……
The Missus wanted them simply sauteed…… so that's what I did. Sauteed in bacon fat, with some red chile flakes, garlic. salt, pepper, and a dash of sherry vinegar…. the Missus loved them.
So I guess I'll be back for more kale……
Linda Vista Farmer's Market
In the parking lot of Thuan Phat Market
Thursdays from 3pm to 7pm.
Roasties has closed
You're here, mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. Kirk usually blogs, ed(from Yuma) sometimes blogs and today, Cathy is blogging.
The other morning, after our walk, The Mister and I drove West in hopes of finding less sun. We were thinking of breakfast at Wired Bistro and as we walked toward it, were looked at the closed and new (to us) places in the Renaissance Center (just Southeast of UTC mall).
Wired is to the left in this photo (the faded red umbrellas cover the tables in front) and by the green awnings to the right- 
we saw this blue awning with breakfast advertised. We looked at the menu in the window then decided to try the food here. 
There is plenty of outdoor seating (this location used to be a pretty busy crowded breakfast and lunch place called Le Peep). We decided to eat inside; it was a weekday morning and not crowded. The menu had some interesting choices and I went went the two eggs any style and chose seared ahi as the protein ($7.95) this comes with a choice of toast and potato choices or fruit. (I have chosen fish as a breakfast protein for another breakfast you know). 
Of course, the style of eggs I chose were poached (done nicely) and rye/pumpernickle toast was also a natural choice. I was being good and ordered fruit (since The Mister ordered the Roasties potatoes). The ahi was moist and flavorful without needing any additions. I guess the bonus piece was a just because or to make up weight, but the large piece was substantial. The toast was good when warm, with a nice rye flavor, but when it cooled it got to a weird light crispiness. Not complaining, just noticing. If the same bread is used as a choice for sandwiches, I'd ask it not be toasted. Oh, every piece of fruit (strawberries, cantaloupe, watermelon, grapes and melon) was wonderfully flavorful…all at their peak. {we asked for the Coffee Mate coffee lightener product instead of half and half for the morning coffee}
The Mister chose a make your own omelette/scramble ($6.95), opting for the omelette with chicken (the place is called Roasties, and there is rotisserie chicken on the menu), Feta and broccoli. It was the rotisserie'd chicken- there was some skin…great flavor. The Feta gave it all a nice saltiness and the broccoli was just steamed and a nice crunch. He also got the Roasties potatoes- roasted with herbs(there was Rosemary and definitely pepper in the mix) and squaw wheat toast, which suffered the same after-toasting cool down crispiness…however had a definite molasses flavor in the bread. It's a good bread which for some reason did not hold up to toasting…
A nice find. Roasties is open from 7-4, has rotissiere chicken, sandwiches, salads and smoothies and is advertised on its menu as a Locally Owned Family Restaurant. The owner is part of a California Restaurant Family and lives in La Jolla. There is online ordering and a cash register next to the serve yourself beverage area for pick ups.
Roasties 8915 University Center Drive 92122 (858) 412-0785 Website
Hi. You're back reading mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Today, Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are not posting. Cathy is sharing another of her 'vacationing around town' adventures.
The Mister and I decided to take our 'daily walk' on the Island City of Coronado the other day. We drove over the Bridge and took a right, then another right. There's a park, with a large parking lot and a view.
Again, we pretended we were tourists and walked West along the Bay.
Soon, we were at the Ferry Landing. People can board the San Diego-Coronado Ferry around Broadway downtown and cross the Bay to get to Coronado Island. There are several restaurants and bicycle rentals at the Coronado Ferry Landing site.
Of course we were hungry, and looked at a kiosk listing the various shops and I was, once again, craving gyros, despite my belief that no place in San Diego makes their own gyros and instead gets it all from one supplier:
(I saw this truck when we were in Pacific Beach, on another walk.)
So, when we saw this place:
"Spiro's Gyros", cute name, descriptive of the menu…we thought it might be OK and not be at the price point we saw on the menus of the two restaurants we had just passed.
The menu, just behind the cash register, looked better than average in selection and price. Horiatiki salad, as well as appetizers of Feta, hummus, giant beans, olives and pita, Pastitsio as well as chicken, lamb and fish dishes. Then again, the fish taco, quesedilla and pulled pork offerings were a bit out of line with the running theme…
Then we noticed Moussaka. 
The Mister and I have not had Moussaka for at least ten years. We've considered making it at home, but after the pages of recipe instructions, we have ended up merely roasted eggplant and eating it at room temperature with Ajvar, a red pepper based relish. Basically, Moussaka is an eggplant casserole using the eggplant between layers of seasoned meat and covering it all with a white/custard-y/Bechemel sauce. We have not seen moussaka on a menu anywhere…we had to. 
This version had a layer of potato on the bottom, a layer of seasoned (we could taste cinnamon and cardamom and pepper) ground lamb, a thin eggplant layer, another layer of seasoned meat mixed with tomato and chopped eggplant and topped with another layer of sliced eggplant and topped with the white sauce, baked. This was served with a very flavorful well made rice pilaf, Greek salad and fresh pita. ($8.75). The meat had tomato, green pepper and complimentary spices. This was a *wonderful* version of Moussaka.
I ordered the Gyros salad ($8.20) and was not expecting much. I was pleasantly surprised. This was not the 'standard' gyros. See the spices? There was definitely cumin, allspice, nutmeg, coriander and fennel. SO flavorful and the pieces thick cut and a bit crispy from the spit. A very good portion size on top of the lightly dressed lettuces topped with Feta, onions and Greek olives. This was served with tzatziki and more fresh pita.
Spiro's was a very good find for us and great midpoint of our walk and another 'touristy' adventure, right here in our own County.
Spiro's Gyros Coronado Ferry Landing (1201 First Street), Coronado 92118 (619)435-1225
**** Kitchen 4140 has closed
Last fall, I noticed a somewhat unusual site on the strip of Morena Boulevard just North of Balboa, amongst the various shops a place that seemed to be named Chef Kurt Kitchen was opening up.
I was curious and dropped in soon after they opened, and found out that the official name of the place is Kitchen 4140 Bistro and was the headquarters of Concept Catering. The restaurant was all organic and a look at the menu had me interested. This part of Morena was in dire need of a nice dining choice. Sadly, at that time the place was only open for weekday breakfast and lunch. The Missus and I did manage a visit during a monday holiday day….and were underwhelmed. The Kobe Beef Burger ordered medium was tough and overcooked. It was also on the greasy side, and really looked like the preformed "Wagyu" burgers one can buy at Seisel's…….
The Missus had the special, the lamb chops, also ordered medium…. also overcooked, and bland.
The fries were also greasy…..
The vegetables however, were perfect and the prices really weren't too bad. The young lady working here was so nice and cheerful…..so I stowed my photos and we placed Kitchen 4140 on our "try again" list. Easier said than done as we just couldn't find time to revisit. Until I found out that the place served brunch on Sunday from 9 til 2. The menu for Sunday brunch combines both breakfast and lunch menus giving one a a nice variety from which to choose.
I had the poached eggs with the sage-truffle buerre blanc, applewood smoked bacon, and breakfast potatoes ($11):
The eggs were perfect, the beurre blanc was light and mild. The bacon was tasty without being too salty or over-powering. It could have been a bit more crisp. Sopping up the drippy egg had me wishing for more of the wonderful toast. The potatoes were unremarkable and had me wishing for the fries on the Missus plate.
Speaking of the Missus, She picked a real winner, the Smoked Salmon Sandwich ($14):
This was a very nice dish; the avocado creme fraiche along with the capers added a nice rich-tangy edge to the sandwich, the heirloom tomatoes on the sandwich were very tasty. The arugula added a nice light bitterness. The salmon itself was very moist, perhaps a bit light with regards to a smoke flavor, the then I'm used to very aggressive smoked flavors.
These fries were totally different from what I've experienced on our previous visit. I couldn't get enough…..nice potato flavor!
We really enjoyed our meal….and the Missus is craving that salmon as I'm typing this post. So I guess we'll be revisiting on another Sunday in the near future.
Kitchen 4140
4140 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117
It was sunny for a few days there, wasn't it? Before this gloomy weather set in, I stopped into Flavaful Yogurt before doing a bit of shopping for a cookout the Missus was going to (I heard the Char Siu Chicken Wings did well). I'd seen the sign saying they were now serving Banh Mi back in June and feeling a bit peckish I decided to try out one of their Banh Mi.
I did kinda hesitate since the Dac Biet was priced at pretty hefty $3.95….sheesh four buck for a Banh Mi? PeterL had told me that the Banh Mi here were pretty good, but took a bit of time. Lord knows, the wait couldn't possibly be as long as I waited for a Banh Mi the last time I was in the area, right?
Actually, this took only five minutes….kinda helps that I was the only customer in the place. The sandwich was pretty hefty weight wise and landed with a thump on the little kiddy table out front.
You really can't tell how large this Banh Mi by my photos….
I'm thinking that maybe this is a better shot??
It just seemed like maybe a bit too much in terms of "stuff"……..but was very filling.
I'm not quite sure if I enjoyed the pungent onions in the sandwich…though I generally love onions. The pate was very nice and funky, and there a good bit of it. The cucumber played an important role….it helped to cleanse my palate. Gladly, this wasn't over-mayo'd, and even though it's third-party bread, it was toasted well…..not too hard, but just a bit of crunch.
If you enjoy hefty Banh Mi's this might be what you're looking for. It's not bad……
Flavaful Yogurt/Avian Fresh Drinking Water
6937 Linda Vista Rd
San Diego, CA 92111
mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk is usually blogging, but today he was busy and un-adventurous. ed(from Yuma) sometimes blogs but today was also busy and non-adventurous. Cathy is posting about her adventurous day around town.
The other day, The Mister and I decided to drive West and pretend we were tourists and took a walk around Mission Bay. (There's Sea World to the right across the water). It's very overcast in the morning.
After that, we drove about the area until we got to Mission Beach, where we stopped and walked along the Boardwalk. 
Where you can register to vote, in case you haven't gotten around to doing so in the usual manner. The sun was just starting to break through the clouds. 
When we got back to the other side of the Belmont Park Giant Dipper Coaster, it was close to lunch time. We checked out the restaurants, but there was nothing particularly exciting that we wanted to eat, so we headed out on West Mission Bay Drive, to Quivira Road (the first signal light) and turned right.
Just to the left is Sportsman's Seafoods. It's a restaurant and fish market and has been here at least 30 years. The Mister and I had been here once, many years ago, when attending a conference in the area. As always, locals have to, and do, eat close to where they work. It is not fancy. Look in the background in several of the food photos. The tables are yellowing resin, filled with abalone shells…a very popular decor about 40 years ago.
You order at the small window. 
There are specials listed to the left, the regular menu is above. 
\
Pick up your food at the large window to the left when your number is called.
The smoked fish salad (bottom right) ($5.10) was exactly what I had been craving. (Smoked fish inside the adjoining fish market is $16/lb.). There was quite a lot of fish in this salad. The Thousand Island dressing (and all the sauces) is made fresh here. Excellent flavor, creamy. The lettuce was very crispy, four black olives were in the mix and this was a very large salad- the container is quite deep.
The Cioppino (large, $4.70) was filled with smoked fish. This was a delightful surprise; more smoked fish! No other 'traditional' Cioppino ingredients (like shellfish or chunks of vegetables), so it wasn't the fish stew we had expected. The thick tomato based fish broth had an excellent spice mix. There was black and red pepper, but those were not dominant; just a good nice amount of heat to the mix. I could easily taste green bell pepper, some onion, garlic and oregano. The lightly toasted bread was very complimentary to the Cioppino. Different and hit the spot, since it was still chilly out.
The Fish and slaw plate( $8.25) had five very large pieces of (probably) fresh cod. You can see how flaky the fish is, yet so very moist and just right/lightly fried surrounded by that thin herbed batter. Perfectly fried, tasting just right with the crispy crust- the herbs were complimentary. The cole slaw, a very large portion, was a mix of finely shredded cabbages and carrots in just enough creamy sauce which was not overpowering.
The view of the marina from the restaurant, with the sailboats, houseboats, yachts and fuel station (which takes credit cards) was very relaxing. All of the outside tables were taken on this day, but we were here for the food and walked to see the view.
A nice day playing 'tourist' around town. Hope you are having a nice day too!
Sportsman's Seafoods 1617 Quivira Road San Diego 92109 (619) 224-3551
