mmm-yoso – Page 410 – 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.

Coffee, tea and sweets and snacks. A few photos.

May 13, 2011 Cathy Desserts, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a compilation of food. All sorts of food, whether prepared in the home or purchased outside the home. Cathy is COMC(Cleaning Out her Memory Card) today.

Hi. I just wanted to share some nice moments I have had by taking the time to sit down with friends and share snacks.
Open Face sandwiches (salami, Havarti, chopped liver all on whole grain) with hard boiled eggs and coffee. With Mrs. P, who is from Denmark.
Olive assortment, salami, a sheep's milk cheese with olive oil and crackers with Mr.& Mrs. D. There was wine involved.

A selection of baklava from Babi's Bakery, which had been in El Cajon but has closed. The Kanafa is on the left. The top is orange colored shredded filo topped with chopped pistachios. The filling…the heavenly filling… is a *very* soft sheep's milk cheese, Nabulsi. The cheese is mixed with or has a pour over of a simple syrup which is flavored with rose water. Subtle and heavenly. The wheels of pistachio filled baklava were excellent. Neither of these items was too sweet. Another bakery has taken Babi's place and I will be posting on it soon.

Mrs. B made me an assortment of cookies for us to have with tea, and extra for me to bring home to The Mister. The cookies were made with real butter as well as lemon peel and orange peel and almonds. Mrs. B knows I don't crave chocolate.
Mr. C and I met at Yogurtland in Mira Mesa. I like the tartness of the yogurts here. Bonus! the spoons are biodegradable.
Breakfast aebelskiver with Mrs. P. Similar to a small popover, this round pancake is simply topped with sugar. (This Mrs. P is from Copenhagen.)

I met up with Mr. S for a coffee and chat in person and not online. Starbucks has recently begun selling "Starbucks Petites". Very small servings of sweets, each less than 200 calories, each $1.50. This is the peanut butter mini cupcake, 180 calories. There seems to be a lot of frosting in proportion to cake. It's good and the size-two or three bites- is more than enough to satisfy any sugar cravings I may have.
Mr. and Mrs. P are French. This is a photo of the remnants of what was left after I stopped by for what I thought would be a brief visit. Always traditional, there was a salad, bread, stew, wine, coffee and sweets.
Caffe Vergnano 1882, an international Coffee Shop, has just opened their first stand alone shop in California, in Hillcrest, on the West side of 5th close to University. Most Caffe Vergnano locations are inside other stores and not stand alones. Walk inside, and you feel as if you are in Italy. There are small snacks and excellent coffee.
I met up with Mr. S a bit more than a week ago and he snapped this photo of a medium cappuccino with the stenciled logo (and the other cup is a double shot topped with a 'kiss' of milk foam, a macchiato). Just ordering a coffee here gets you one of the wrapped "biscoffee" cookies you see on the plate. A post about the varied snack selections available (pastry with Nutella, panino, fococcia) is being 'researched'.

Here is a Caprese salad The Mister made for us the other day. Burrata from Trader Joe's, tomatoes and basil from our yard, all topped with olive oil, salt and pepper and sided with some seedy buttered bread from Charlie's Best. Again, with some wine…as an afternoon snack.

In compiling the items for this post, I realized how fortunate I am and what a variety of friends I have. Of the above visits, only two people I shared a coffee and/or snack with were born in the United States. I am glad we know how important it is to stop and take the time to share time…an easy way to share is with food.

I hope everyone will have a really good weekend.

Yum Cha Cafe- Lunches in Linda Vista.

May 12, 2011 Cathy Dim Sum, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to the food blog called mmm-yoso!!! Kirk is -yes- still on vacation. I know he is eating well and will have some great posts when He and His Missus get back. ed (from Yuma)is -yes- working a lot right now. Cathy is -yes- blogging again about a meal.

Kirk has posted many times about Yum Cha Cafe. Part of a chain based in Los Angeles, Yum Cha Cafe serves small, individual portions of sweet and savory snacks, soups and BBQ meats. It is not 'traditional' Dim Sum in that you point and pay and get all the items on a tray to carry to a table. It also is not expensive.

It is located in the same parking lot as Thuan Phat grocery store and the corner of Linda Vista and Ulrich, which houses many restaurants and has a good parking area. The ability to have parking nearby restaurants anywhere seems to be a plus lately.

Some trays of hot foods-which are served up as a portion of either $1.39 or $1,79.
Steam baskets of Dim Sum.
BBQ duck, chicken and pig. These are sold either by the pound or by the half or the whole.
Pay and find a seat. Hot tea is in a pot next to the door. Three "B" choices. Each is $1.79. The fried chicken wings (7 pieces) have been fried, but are not crispy, from sitting on the steam tray too long. Still the flavor is good. The vegetable seafood dumplings (3) are pan fried and filled with crispy vegetables, shrimp and fake crab. The roll is mainly tofu, with a green leafy vegetable…here's a cross section view:
The outside of the roll is a bit crispy tofu and the rolled up insides are a good texture; not mushy. I like the flavor of this vegetarian savory item…

Below is pictured fish porridge ($3.99), dumpling soup ($1.99) . We almost always order the fish porridge. It is filled with a good amount of a fresh, firm white fish and is a meal in itself.

A close up cross section of one of the ten dumplings served in the broth which tasted very much like fish sauce on this visit. But, for $1.99, ten meaty dumplings and some Chinese broccoli is a nice meal. There are also some dumpling with noodle soups for $2.99. I have ordered that also and the broth was not as 'fish sauce' tasting.

If you are eating in, you'll get your items in the steam baskets it was cooked in. The shrimp shu mai, 4 pieces, are also $1.79.

Below, shrimp stuffed eggplant (3 pieces, also $1.79) are a nice way to get a vegetable and protein-and it can be a meal…I do like these.

There are items for $1.39, mostly desserts and non-tofu vegetarian. Apparently we didn't have any of those on this visit.

Here is a braised "Hainan Style" chicken, roast duck and char siu pork on rice with preserved vegetables underneath with to-go packets of Sriracha sauce which was less than $5. This was dinner, then breakfast, then lunch. The lemongrass chicken was the best of the three meats, but I did not find the other meats objectionable. Sometimes I just get 1/2 lb of the roast pork…as a snack.

Yum Cha Cafe 6933 Linda Vista Road San Diego 92111 open 8-8 daily. Website

Nicolosi’s for lunch

May 11, 2011 Cathy Italian Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog. Kirk is not blogging; he is on vacation. ed(from Yuma) is not blogging; he is working. Cathy is blogging; she has time.

Nicolosi's has been in San Diego since 1952, serving Sicilian Italian style food. Started by the man who was grandfather to the present owner brothers, Nicolosi's was originally located on Goldfinch in the Mission Hills area of town. The Third generation of the Nicolosi family is still serving the same family recipes perfected more than half a century ago. Then there are the servers. Five of them have worked for this Restaurant and with this family for more than 20 years. I remember when it was on El Cajon Boulevard and 40th, then it moved to Adobe Falls and Waring Road and last year it moved to Navajo Road at Jackson.

This location had most recently been The Fish Merchant and many other restaurants. This building and location are off the beaten path and has been patronized by neighborhood folk. On this lunchtime visit, Nicolosi's was crowded and there were people dining who had never been in this part of town before.

When you walk in, you are greeted by a montage of photographs of family.
Fresh baked bread (and butter) is brought out to your table while you order.

Everything is made fresh for you. The mural was brought over from the Adobe Falls Road location and has a prominent spot in the largest dining room. There are tablecloths, even at lunch time. Every person is treated as if they are a guest in a home. Nicolosi's feels cozy and friendly.

My dining companion chose a charbroiled chicken salad ($8) from the lunch menu. There was a good amount of chicken breast, freshly cooked, moist and good. As you can see, the salad (which had basil as well as mixed lettuces) was topped with walnuts and chunks of gorgonzola. He said the dressing was a very good oil and balsamic vinegar. That's the house dressing, which is sold here.

I had to have the eggplant parmesan sandwich ($7), which I was craving. The marinara sauce here is always fresh and has that sweetness which comes from fresh tomatoes. You can see the fresh baked bread is toasted just right.

In this photo, you can see the eggplant was breaded, fried crispy and then topped with Parmesan cheese, the sauce and more cheese. All of this was just made; you can taste it.

Oh yes, The Mister and I like the pizza here. The pizzas are hand made and the crust is just right; they will make a thin crust on request, but that is just wrong. Pizza toppings are fresh and good, especially the Italian sausage which is filled with fennel. The location may have changed, but the food quality, menu and some of the staff haven't. If you have been to the other locations, the menu is consistent, if you have never been here, you can experience fresh made food and tradition.

Nicolosi's Italian Restaurant 7005 Navajo Road (at Jackson) San Diego 92119 Website

Ami Sushi – El Cajon

May 10, 2011 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Yep, you found mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and His Missus are vacationing. ed(from Yuma) is working. Cathy is here today.

Hi again. Kirk and The Missus are safe and very much enjoying their vacation in two countries, one which has a name that is a homonym and the other which has a name that is a homophone.

A long time ago, when I first started participating on this blog, FOY (friend of Yoso) Trent commented to me that to find good restaurants, look for parked mail trucks. I have taken his advice and that is why you see so many 'hole in the wall' places which I post about.

Ami Sushi is in the same location which used to be named Tokyo, just one block West of Parkway Plaza. Tokyo was so disappointing that I posted how much I did not like it. I also titled my post about Tokyo Loha Sushi to distinguish it from this location called Tokyo. Tokyo silently went out of business.

One day about a month ago, I was driving and saw four or five El Cajon Police vehicles parked in front of Ami Sushi. Even though one part of me was telling myself that there may be some sort of Police Action going on and I should avoid the area, another part of me knew all of those Law Enforcement people may be enjoying a lunch break here…because I remembered Trent's wise advice.

Ami Sushi is family owned and operated. I think that may be why it is so efficiently run. The people working are happy, the food has always been fresh, the prices are very good. Consistency is good.

The Ami Bento ($6.50), above, is a large and filling Bento box. The salmon teriyaki and fried salmon are quite large pieces. The fish is fresh, the teriyaki tastes home made and the frying is done right, not greasy and a good deep fried crispy. The California roll is fresh, made with fake crab with tasty sushi rice. A nice touch is the slice of fish cake and tamago (sweet egg). The salad sides are very good.

I put this photograph of the Special Bento ($11.95) so you could compare the two. Again, the teriyaki salmon was a good size, fresh and cooked nicely. This piece also had crispy skin attached. I like that. This Bento comes with two pieces of fried shumai as well as a small piece of fried snapper and a fried shrimp…and the 5 pieces of sushi as well as the California maki, fish cake and tamago and the salads, rice and a very good miso soup.

Edamame ($2.50), is a good size portion, fresh beans steamed and salted and on the Appetizer section of the menu.
Also on the Appetizer part of the menu, the Sashimi Salad ($9.95) is a meal in itself. The 'greens' are mostly seaweed and cucumber, not lettuce. There is a lot of sashimi, in not terribly odd cuts interspersed on the plate. A very fresh sesame oil based dressing is slightly tossed in.

Ami stamina noodles ($6.50) Udon noodles with chicken, fish cake, vegetables and egg, served with two fried gyoza and a tempura shrimp. This also came with a small green salad. The fried items are done properly; you can taste what is inside and the frying of the exterior is there to add texture and not flavor. The udon have a nice 'tooth', the broth is not salty and slightly sweet, the gyoza are nice and meaty and does have some cabbage in the mix.

Though we have only been here twice, we have noticed most people ordering rolls. In fact, the table of ECPD only ordered rolls for their meals. There are daily specials of rolls as well as platters posted on white boards at both doors and the regular prices on the menu are very good.

Ami Sushi 755 Arnele Avenue El Cajon CA 92020 Mon-Sat 11-9:30, Sun 1 p.m.-8:30 p.m. (619)593-7691 Website

Negro Durazo- Mariscos in Lemon Grove

May 9, 2011 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is not on vacation. Kirk and his Missus are on vacation. ed (from Yuma) is not on vacation and also not blogging. Cathy feels like she is on vacation and is blogging.

Since I appear to be eating all over this large County, I need to include a few more cities in my postings.

Just South of the intersection of Highway 94 and College Avenue is Broadway and Federal Avenues and Sushi Time which Kirk posted about in 2007. This location of Negro Durazo is right next door.

There is another location of Negro Durazo in Chula Vista and I think both locations are related to the Tijuana location. Seafood and Sinaloan is the easiest way to describe the menu and food here. You can tell by the condiments on every table.
The decor is more difficult to describe. There is a bar area to the left when you walk in and the sit down area becomes a dance floor later into the evening. There is constant music from the juke box. Happy, dancing music.

…Fresh chips, fresh salsa and fresh sliced lemons are brought to your table along with the menu.

The Mister and I decided to share a pescado (fish) ceviche tostada ($2.95). This was fresh made. The fish was firm and the lime based marinade had not completely settled into the fish or tomatoes or onions or cilantro. The flavors of each ingredient were crisp and bright. The serving size was very large. We enjoyed this very much.

…

The Mister chose "Popeye Shrimp" from the menu($11.45). A gratin of shrimp, cheese, spinach and bacon. This came with tortillas, rice and The Mister substituted steamed vegetables for beans. This dish was excellent in its flavor melding, because this restaurant is Sinaloan..so the topping was not a thick cheese turned into a sauce, but a mix of aromatics and spices which compliment the shrimp -a flavorful sauce made with onions, garlic, poblano chili, sour cream and Monterey Jack cheese.

The menu Board at the door had Daily Specials and I chose #1- Two Marlyn tacos with rice, beans and beverage ($7.45). I know the beans look pale and the taco shell looks burned. The flavors were good. Really good.

The tacos were filled with smoked marlyn which had been sauteed with green peppers, onion and tomatoes and placed into corn tortillas which were cooked on the grill (not fried). The refried beans had excellent flavor.

The selections at Negro Durazo are plenty. All seafood based. All fresh. All made fresh. It is nice to have this location closer to the East County.

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

Fresh pea soup

May 7, 2011 Cathy Recipes, What Cathy Eats!

The blog, mmm-yoso!!! is about food. Kirk is off in the world, researching food while on vacation. ed(from Yuma) is in Yuma, researching food while carrying on with life. Cathy is posting about food today.

Of all vegetables, peas may be my favorite. There are many varieties of garden peas, as well as peas which grow in the wild. Some have shells you can eat raw or steamed or stir fried. Some have shells you can't eat, so the peas need to be 'de-shelled' and those spheres from inside the pod can then be eaten raw, by the handful or tossed onto salads or even mixed with other vegetables. Peas can be found frozen, canned and dried.

I especially enjoy raw English peas. A whole portion of my garden is devoted to English peas every year, but as of today they are not ready for picking (they need about 60 days before cultivation) . Costco is selling shelled English peas (from Guatemala) in a 1.5 pound bag for about $5 (in the walk in refrigerator). Here is a recipe I got from the back of the label. I follow recipes the first time, the modify to my own taste after that.

The ingredients are simple, as is the process. The receipe needs 3 cups of peas and the bag from Costco has about 5 cups. Cooking time is only about 15 minutes. You can cut the recipe in half.

Fresh Pea Soup

3 Tbs butter

2 shallots, chopped fine

2 C water

3C peas

3Tbs whipping cream (I used half and half)

1Tbs chopped basil

Melt butter in a sauce pan. Saute the shallots on medium heat about 3 minutes, add the water and peas. Bring to a boil then lower to a simmer and cover. Cook until peas are tender (15 minutes) puree in a blender then add back to the sauce pan with the half and half. Add basil, salt and pepper to taste and serve. This can be re-heated.

Fresh pea soup, tomatoes from the garden, cucumber, jicama and Kirkland frozen pizza (4 cheese pizzas for $10- really good frozen pizza). Lunch outside yesterday.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Pitas and Buns- A California Bistro, in 4S Ranch

May 5, 2011 Cathy Greek Food, Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

The blog mmm-yoso!!! is not on vacation. Kirk and His Missus are on vacation. ed(from Yuma) is not on vacation. Cathy appears to be on vacation, but really her travels are all within San Diego County.

Hi. There is a new place West of the I-15 at Camino del Norte and Dove Canyon, right next to the Starbucks and in the same parking lot as the new Fresh and Easy in the 4S Ranch area.

"Fine Burgers, Tapas and Beer" it says on the sign…but Pitas and Buns has just opened and has not yet received its liquor license. I noticed inside on the large menu that P&B is "By Santorini", a local chain of four authentic Greek and Mediterranean restaurants which I have always found to be excellent, yet never posted about.
Since it just opened, and the liquor license is not in effect, P&B is offering several 'specials' (and pricing) to get you in to try their food. This gyros pita and salad combo was only $6. The salad, fresh, large and topped with cucumber, tomato, onions, pepperocini, olives and with wonderful Feta cheese and a fresh balsamic herb house dressing was excellent on its own. The gyros meat is *really* good. It is thick sliced, fresh tasting, thick cut and surrounded by the most *heavenly* light and chewy fresh baked bread. The "Greek yogurt sauce" is fresh, tangy and complimentary. A basic meal and just perfect.
This cup of "Leni's Chicken Soup" ($3.50) is divine! Creamy, eggy, lemony filled with vegetables (celery, onion, carrot) and chunks of chicken and fresh herbs. This is the home made soup that I strive to make. A bowl is $5 and from what I saw at another table, very much a meal…
The chopped house salad is $6 by itself. Topped with calamari, it was $8. Perfectly fried, tender calamari. Not greasy. A batter which is *so* right. A flavorful crispy tender blend of tastes. An excellent size portion.

The "Buns" part of the restaurant is for the hamburgers. All are 1/3 pound burgers and come with a choice of fries or Mediterranean coleslaw. Yes, we need to go back. The non-burger/Greek/Mediterranean food here is excellent and better than any other fast food place. The take out menu lists that "more burgers, salads, tapas, happy hours, beer and wine are coming soon". Pitas and Buns will become a destination for the people who live in this part of San Diego.

Pitas and Buns 16625 Dove Canyon Road, Suite 205 San Diego 92127 (858)485-6200

The Vine Cottage- A La Mesa Bistro

May 4, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Fine Dining, What Cathy Eats!

Hello and welcome (back) to mmm-yoso!!! Cathy is blogging today. Kirk is (still) on vacation and ed(from Yuma) is still busy with work.

If you are driving South on Lake Murray, just past the El Paso signal light on the West side of the street, you'll see this new facade on an old building. The Vine Cottage opened in January of this year. I have only heard good things about it, seen it being pretty crowded at various times of the day and decided The Mister and I should give it a try for one of our 'celebratory' dinners. (It does open at 11 a.m. daily and has excellent lunches also). You can't see much in this photo, but there are about 12 outdoor tables, which are filled in the evening and warmed by those six outdoor heat lamps. There are about 10 tables and a small bar area inside.
When you are seated, the one page menu and a bottle of chilled tap water is brought to your table. I've seen this way of water service at several bistros and finally remembered to take a photo. I've even started chilling water at home this way. This place is run like a fine Bistro in Paris would be run, it serves American, local fresh food, wine and beer.
Also a cone shaped vessel, filled with a fresh made cracker-like flatbread and fresh made hummus is brought out to the table. The hummus is excellent.

All of the waitpersons here are very professional and patient and will explain how each dish is prepared, all the ingredients in each dish and will answer all questions you have about the food, wine and beers served here.
As an appetizer, the lamb chops ($12) could be a meal. 'New Zealand lamb chops' it says on the menu, 'served with a Champagne-whole grain mustard sauce'. It didn't say three on the menu, we assumed there would only be two, since the listing was plural. We asked the chops to be cooked medium rare, and they were. This serving size, cooking and flavors were a wonderful surprising lead in as to the dinner which would follow.

For my meal, I chose a cup of the soup of the day ($4). It was vegetable soup. Excellent vegetable soup. Barely any broth, but what I did taste was rich flavored (it was a chicken broth and not vegetable) filled with squash, cabbage, carrot, potato, onion. Very hearty and excellent.
I wanted to try the Pizza Bianco, a white vegetable pizza ($12). A fresh thin bread which was infused with cheese and oil was topped with matchstick cut zuchini and yellow squash, topped with Havarti cheese. This was a very large pizza, easily shared (or reheated for breakfast the next morning). Oh, it tasted heavenly.
The Mister went with the "Sea and Garden" ($17) as his main course-garlic mashed potatoes, topped with grilled asparagus, topped with a (finely ground) nut crusted wahoo fillet, topped with fried leeks and accompanied by a chive oil. The potatoes were subtly flavored (I usually do not like garlic, or any flavor other than butter mashed potatoes), the asparagus was fresh and bright, the fish was firm, cooked just right to stay moist and tender, fresh and flavorful and the flavors of everything worked very well together.

The Vine Cottage is known for its wines and beers (8 on tap and 14 canned), but this evening we were too exhausted to try those. They serve meat and cheese platters, which pair well with both wine and the beers. There are also pastas and wonderful salads on the menu. Most of the items are also available at lunch time, for a bit lower price. Oh. There are desserts. Heavenly desserts. Next time. I'll post about those. Since the menu and ingredients are driven by what is in season, a lot of the menu changes. But that is a good thing. Fresh is always good.

Being in this strip mall as well as in La Mesa, you would not expect such a fancy yet not pretentious, affordable, well run, wonderful addition to the East County. Vine Cottage is fast becoming part of our 'rotation'.

Vine Cottage Bistro 6062 Lake Murray Boulevard La Mesa, CA 91942 (619) 465-0198 Website

Gillespie Field Cafe- Breakfast and Lunch at the Airport in East County

May 2, 2011 Cathy Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Burgers, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food. Everybody has to eat. Kirk and His Missus are eating, safely, in another part of the world. ed(from Yuma) is eating mostly in Yuma. Cathy is writing about where she has eaten.

Some people have asked me how I 'find' the restaurants where I eat. Basically, it is drive and stop, looking for where somebody who lives or works nearby would chose for a convenient meal.

The County of San Diego is about 4200 square miles and is home to eight airports in addition to the three airports in San Diego City limits: Lindbergh Field, Brown Field and Montgomery Field.

In El Cajon, Gillespie Field is conveniently located between Highway 67 and a Trolley station. (it's the Northernmost station which has both green and orange lines). It is the oldest and largest of the eight county airports, and the land includes many airport related businesses (flight schools, aircraft storage, repair and maintenance shops, avionics and instrument shops) as well as two Business Parks. About 2000 people are employed nearby. People need to eat.

In the far corner of the automobile parking lot, conveniently located next to the airfield, where private plane owners can also park and walk …

right next to the Control Tower is the Gillespie Field Cafe. It serves breakfast and lunch on weekdays (and is applying for a liquor license and is open from 4 p.m. until about 9 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.)

It is open at 6:30 a.m., Monday thru Friday and 7 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The Cafe closes about 2 p.m. on weekdays. On March 1, 2011, Roxanne and Peter, took over the running of the cafe. Roxanne is the waitress, Peter is the chef. There are both an indoor and an outdoor eating area, with an unobstructed view of the airfield. They serve good, diner food. Not gimicky pseudo-diner food. This is the real thing.

I was fascinated by the description of '4-5 eggs' being used to make an omelet (in addition to the 'comes with two' part of the menu).

A "Build Your Own" Omelet ($9.75) made with 4-5 eggs, bacon,sausage, mushrooms and avocado. Fresh mushrooms, crispy bacon, really good breakfast sausage. Sides of cottage cheese
and a biscuit with gravy. Good biscuit- fluffy and soft, but almost underdone. I didn't mind not having a crispy crust, because I was mostly using the biscuit as a device to eat the gravy. Great gravy- smooth, with sausage bits and a nice, pleasant combination of Peter's special seasoning including black pepper.
Then there was Breakfast Combo #2 ($7.75) (not the weekday specials; the Breakfast menu is four pages, including waffles ). Six wedges ( 3 slices) of French toast, 2 eggs and two bacon. Properly cooked French Toast made with a thicker white bread. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Not quite creamy soft as an egg bread would be, but very good and egg soaked and cooked through. I did not need the syrup. The bacon was crispy and not thin but also not really thick. It had a good flavor and just enough saltiness.

Perfect poached eggs. Fresh eggs. Creamy eggs. My kind of breakfast.

Of course, Farmer John's coffee ($1.95)…always fresh and hot pot, since everyone here seems to order it.

One weekday, The Mister was home and we came here for lunch.

We had to have a side order of onion rings which are lightly battered and perfectly fried to go with our lunch selections, in this case, hamburger based.

All the burgers are 1/3 pound coarse ground beef, hand formed. The menu says Angus beef. The Patty Melt ($8.29), cooked medium (we were not asked the level of doneness) and topped with a lot of sliced fresh grilled, unburned onions and Swiss cheese, on a very good rye bread, which was not greasy, but lightly grilled. There were almost too many onions, even for me…but I managed. The side of potato salad I chose was good, made with skin on red potatoes, finely chopped carrots and celery. I think it was made with a 'Light" mayonnaise, which I don't crave.
The Mister ordered a chili burger on this visit ($9.29) The same 1/3 pound burger, topped with Cheddar and the Cafe Chili on a toasted sesame seeded bun. The chili, made with beans, is really good and I will order it as a meal on another cold day. The cole slaw was fresh and crispy and lightly dressed with a vinegary mayo mix. I added salt and pepper to it.

Even if you are seated indoors, there is a view of the airfield and runway.

Not fancy, not a large place. Good food and lots of "regulars" who eat here. A true diner.

Gillespie Field Cafe 2015 N. Marshall (at Bradley) El Cajon, 92020 (619) 448-0415

El Zarape: Chewing on Some of Don Chuy’s Chow in Yuma

April 30, 2011 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Kirk and the missus are off to somewhere, Cathy has been blogging up a storm in their absence, but today ed (from yuma) wants to help them out by telling you and the rest of the world about an NEW/old Mexican restaurant in Yuma that's really good.

Sadly, El Zarape is no longer operated by Don Chuy. It is now run by the Duron family who have some excellent asada, but, still, I miss this previous El Zarape

When I moved to Yuma over 10 years ago, I thought the best Mexican restaurant in town was El Zarape, which featured the cooking of Pepe Jimenez. Within a few years, Pepe had gone off to open Los Manjares and El Zarape fell on hard times. Two or three different owners couldn't make the somewhat inconspicuous restaurant on Eighth Street a success. Food quality went downhill. The restaurant finally closed after the Great Recession hit.

Recently, however, it has looked like the restaurant was open again, and finally in March, I stopped by to see what was going on there now:

What I discovered was that one of Pepe's chefs had decided to open his own place here, his daughters (who had been the best servers at Los Manjares) waiting the tables.

I also immediately discovered that El Zarape (officially named, El Zarape de "Don Chuy") is serving some great Mexican food at good prices.

For breakfasts – served all day – El Zarape has such standards as huevos rancheros ($5.50):

This was perfectly prepared. The two eggs over-easy fit on top of the crispy corn tortilla perfectly. The Ranchero sauce had just a hint of sour tang that played off the natural sweetness of the eggs beneath it. The frijoles were good as were the breakfast potatoes.

Don Chuy aims to please, and will do breakfast plates "al gusto" – as you like them ($5.50-$7.25). So one morning, Tina decided to combine carnitas, nopales (cactus pads), and egg. It looked like this:

Similarly, the restaurant will make breakfast burritos containing pretty much whatever you want for $3.50. Since the carnitas, cactus, and egg combination was so tasty, we had it in a burrito as well:
Another treat here are the quesadillas. To be honest, most quesadillas I've eaten in my life have been unimpressive, often greasy or soggy. Not here – the perfectly prepared quesadillas are grilled to perfection, the edges of the flour tortilla crispy and crunchy:
And you can get the quesadillas with meat and cheese fillings. This one has carne asada:

Great Asada, wonderful melty cheese, perfect flour tortilla.

A range of tortas ($4.50) are also available. Among other choices, you can get grilled chicken:

Or al pastor:
When you open them up, along with the meat, you will see guacamole, chopped tomato, chopped lettuce, chopped jalapenos, cilantro, and on the bottom bun, a thin smear of frijoles:
During the week, El Zarape also has daily specials ($5.50 at lunch) such as decent chicken mole:

A textbook example of carne en su jugo:

The beef was tender, the bacon flavorful, the beans beany, and the broth rich and complex.

One day, I had outstanding costillas de puerco en salsa chipotle:

Even better than the version at Pepe's. Big chunks of pork on rib bones in smoky and spicy chipotle sauce.

The regular dinner plates also offer some outstanding dishes. Tina has fallen in love with the carnitas ($8.99 – like all dinners, it includes beans, rice, and tortillas) Here is an order packed to go:

There's more meat underneath the pico de gallo. Zarape's carnitas tends to be rich and tender, more on the roast pork rather than crispy side on the carnitas scale.

El Zarape is also one of the few places in town that regularly has birria de chivo ($9.50). None of my pictures of the dish is worth the electrons it would take to post here, so to give you an idea of the birria, here is what a couple of the chunks of goat meat looked like in a little of the broth:
The chile rellenos ($8.99) are also good, as you can tell from this picture:
The camarones a la diabla ($10.99) is an excellent rendition of this classic dish. As Dave pointed out, the muy picante sauce was nearly pure ground dried red chile, wonderfully spicy and deeply flavorful. Mouth filling hotness that did not overwhelm the taste of the shrimp, but rather emphasized it:
The machaca ($7.99) is the best in town:

I was going to say that the full beefy flavor was in your face – but actually, it was in my mouth. Really good. The beef ranged from tender chewy to slightly charred, its meaty textures complemented by the green pepper, onion, and tomato pieces that were not overcooked.

As you can tell by all the photos I've taken, I like this place. While it does not have a menu quite as extensive as Mi Rancho or Los Manjares, there are plenty of choices for everyone. With the exception of the watery house salsa, I have enjoyed everything I have been served, and the prices are as good or better than anywhere else. On top of the constant great value, some items have been truly outstanding – the best in Yuma.

I also like the family aspect of the place. The family cares about the restaurant, the food, and the customers. On Sundays, when Don Chuy's granddaughter helps out, they even have the youngest assistant waitress in town (and she's good):

El Zarape de "Don Chuy," 1905 W. 8th St., Yuma, AZ 85364, (928) 782-7279. Open daily 6:30 AM to 9:00 PM.