mmm-yoso – Page 413 – 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.

Saturday Stuffs

May 21, 2011 mmm-yoso Blog

Just a couple of things I noticed……..

Koon Thai Kitchen:

Is opening in the old Curry House spot:

Insert joke about yet another Thai restaurant here…… Seriously, San Diego can always use another "good" Thai Restaurant. I don't think we need another Americanized, dumbed down, Thai restaurant. I'm wondering what this will be?

Imperial Mandarin moves…. sort of:

Right before leaving for Turkey and Greece, I noticed the sign for Imperial Mandarin was taken down. I thought that perhaps the long time Convoy restaurant had closed down. After returning from vacation, I took a drive down Convoy and noticed that Imperial Mandarin had simply given up the space for the larger half of the restaurant and is still around.

I've never been a big fan of Imperial Mandarin, but I'll admit a twinge of sadness when I believed the place had closed.

An interesting coincidence (I think):

Driving past Halmouny, I noticed that the location that was the original location and became the catering/panchan outlet when the restaurant moved next door had become something called…..

Sushi, Roll Depot. Depot? Doesn't depot mean something along the lines of a storage facility or transit station? I'm not sure about you, but I'm not really keen on eating sushi from a depot. Turns out that the folks involved with Halmouny is trying to get into the sushi business.

And just by coincidenceI drove up to Plaza del Sol to see what was going on with Nam An (it's still not open),, and noticed that Dokdo; a "Hwe", Korean sushi/sashimi restaurant (one day I'll do a post on the Hwe Dop Bop), was now advertising…..

"Convoy Tofu"…… So Grandmother's Tofu is serving sushi and Dokdo Sushi is serving Soon Doufu? Hmmmm…..

Istanbul: Our arrival and Cennet Gozleme

May 19, 2011 mmm-yoso Istanbul, Travel, Turkey, Turkish Food

I recently mentioned how we made it to Istanbul to a friend…. early in the morning we walked a couple of blocks and caught the bus, transferred to the trolley in Old Town, caught the Surfliner to Union Station in LA. At Union Station we caught the Flyaway Bus to LAX and caught the new (since March) non-stop flight to Istanbul. Twelve hours and change later we landed in Istanbul and followed the signs to the Metro, where one of the locals taught me how to use the token machine. Travelling on the metro, buses, and tram is really cheap in Istanbul. The fare across the board is 1.75 TRY (Turkish Lira – about 1.15 US). Counting stops we got off at the Zeytinburnu stop somewhat disoriented. Another really nice gentleman ("nice" is basically how we found everyone to be in Turkey), pointed to the right Tram when I asked Sulthanmet. I bought two more tokens and in a couple of minutes we caught the tram headed toward Kabatas. The tram ride took about 45 minutes; we got off at Sultanahmet Park snd stood and stared……

A few meters away stood the Blue Mosque.

A crowd of people milled around us, shoe shine boys trying to get our attention, "Konnichiwa", "Ni Hao", "Annyeonghaseyo", "where you from?" It all felt so alive, so vibrant, the tulips in bloom.

Most folks associate tulips with Holland. From what I was told, tulips were brought to Turkey from the Steppes and were cultivated in Turkey from as far back as 1,000 AD. It was Flemish Botanist Carolus Clusius who introduced the tulip to Europe in the late 16th century.

The Missus and I searched for our hotel. We could find the street on our map; but to paraphrase that little sentence on your rearview mirror: "streets appear much larger than they are." Another really nice gentleman saw us wandering around, and using his cell phone actually called the hotel and got us instructions. The street was actually a tiny alley. We walked down the cobblestone street and checked in. The gentleman manning the desk suggested that we walk up to the terrace and take a look around. I walked up the stairs, stumbling on that last uneven stair and took my first real look at Istanbul….. and the Hagia Sofia……

That's when we first heard it; beautiful and haunting, the call to prayer which occurs five times a day. We could hear a phrase, then what sounded like a prolonged echo; it was the call to prayer from another Mosque close by. It seemed that they took turns, singing a line, then giving the other Muezzin a chance. You can get a taste of it here. During our time in Turkey, I awoke to it in the morning, and set off to sleep to it late in the evening. There are still evenings when I almost expect to hear it…..

After freshening up, we headed off to explore Divan Yolu Caddesi, the main drag in the Old Town. There seemed to be a Baklava and Kebab shop on every corner. Everything seemed very touristy, as were the prices.

Much like my previous statement, things seemed quite close. It was faster to walk down to the Grand Bazaar then to catch the now packed as sardines Tram. After walking and exploring a bit, we were getting a bit hungry, but where to eat.

The Missus saw a woman rolling and making a crepe like item…….

Called Gozleme. We decided that this would be the place. We entered the restaurant and was seated. After we were seated we noticed something that we should have noticed earlier. The woman was making gozleme fresh alright. She was also stacking them in a pile, then reheating them when an order was placed. Hmmmm

We ordered a late of mezes, which was pretty low on flavor.

The lavas that came with it was really tough, almost hard, and not very good. It reminded me of a really bad tortilla.

The Missus ordered a spinach gozleme, the amount of oil on it was a bit alarming, but the filling had a nice spinach flavor.

I ordered the mixed meat gozleme. The filling was sparse, but with a nice gamey flavor.

But it was just really hard and brittle, not very good eats.

For me the nest thing was the Ayran, which was a standards issue grocery store brand. Later on the trip I'd have Ayran, a mixture of strained yogurt, water, and salt, that was pretty darn good.

The prices were pretty high for this type of meal; 25 TRY. In the end, much like our first meal in Beijing, I wrote this off to being in a new place and a bit tired.

One thing was for sure…… Istanbul sure was beautiful……

The Blue Mosque at dusk…..

The Living Room-Point Loma, after a San Diego ‘vacation day’ in the rain

May 18, 2011 Cathy Caffeine Fix, Sandwiches, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! has a post about food almost every day. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) just can't post right now. Cathy is able to post now.

"May gray leads to June gloom" is a fairly common San Diego weather report. We had a bit more than gray yesterday.

It was Tuesday and The Mister and I planned to take advantage of "Residents Free Tuesdays" at the usually Admission Fee charging museums at Balboa Park.

As we got off the 163, it was really raining.

The gray clouds made the blooming flowers seem even brighter in color.

The Koi at the Japanese Friendship Garden were especially friendly.
The other Museums open yesterday were the Museum of Man, Museum of Art, Art Institute and Mingei International Museum.
The Mingei has quite a few interesting shows going on right now.
We had planned to have a light lunch at the Tea Pavilion at the Japanese Friendship Garden and making that a post. However, there are only two inside tables and the rain was not letting up. We walked through the museums then drove toward Little Italy and somehow ended up in Point Loma and stopped here.

There are five locations of Living Room Cafe and Bistro. This one is an entire repurposed Victorian house, on the West end of Rosecrans. There is seating inside (upstairs as well as downstairs) as well as on the front porch and side and back porches. There is free wifi. Comfy couches, tables and chairs are everywhere and a simple menu:

Since it was so cold and wet and I had planned on tea, I ordered a teapot for two ($3.75)
Choosing organic green sencha, the loose tea was measured and put into two bags and brewed in the pot…(as a reference, the amount of water filled both of those giant cups almost three times)
Oh. That "Pony" marker was to put on the table for identification when the order is brought out.
Soup, salad, fruit and bread($6.25). No photo of bread. Nice salad, fresh fruit. (As further reference, the soup bowl is as large as the giant tea cups)
Excellent soup. Three bean vegetarian. Thick, hearty, wonderful flavored. Just right on this chilly day.

This was a great find for us. Perfect on this rainy day. I imagine it gets pretty crowded with all the seating available. There are pastries, breakfast items, cold and panini and wrapped sandwiches and apparently some pretty good coffee and cold beverages also.

Living Room Cafe and Bistro 1018 Rosecrans San Diego 92106 (619)222-6852 Open 6 am-midnight daily. Website

Perry’s Cafe- The one in El Cajon

May 17, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, What Cathy Eats!

Hi. This is mmm-yoso!!!. Kirk is adjusting from his vacation in Turkey and Greece watching his work load increase, ed (from Yuma) is in Yuma, adjusting to increasing heat levels and waiting for his workload to decrease and Cathy is in San Diego's East County, steadily blogging about food.

Hi. When Kirk and His Missus left on vacation, I posted on the East County location of Panda Country restaurant. Kirk has blogged about "his" Perry's central county location. There may be theme starting. There is an East County location of Perry's Cafe.

Located at the intersection of Magnolia at Madison, near downtown El Cajon (about three blocks North from the courthouse, if you have ever had Jury Duty), this Perry's is under the same ownership as the Pacific Highway location. It can get very crowded here, especially on weekends, with lines extending into the parking lot.

There is some seating under the awning by the door.

Always, a White Board with daily specials is on display. This Perry's serves breakfast and lunch and is open from 6 a.m. until 2 p.m., same as the Pacific Highway location.

The interior is typical naugahyde coffee shop, as are the tabletop condiments.

A salad which accompanied a White Board Special #2 one day. Chilled iceberg lettuce and a standard Thousand Island dressing.

Grilled cod, served with the vegetable of the day, corn and cottage cheese instead of fries. $6.95
The pale colored fish plate was very fresh with the lightly grilled cod being a standout. The corn was typical frozen and crispy as well as sweet tasting and the cottage cheese was full fat, not that weird low fat kind.
I ordered 2 egg breakfast with Italian sausage ($7.25). Of course, I chose poached eggs and rye toast.
I also asked for a side of gravy to go with my hash browns. Since it was a breakfast, I got the peppery sausage breakfast gravy.
I enjoy seeing the classic shorthand on order tickets.

On another visit, the soup of the day was lentil and it was an excellent soup. Thick with beef, celery, carrot and lentils.
The soup was part of the Turkey salad lunch ($7.50). Yes, the old fashioned turkey salad; no dried fruits, no nuts, just leftover turkey, shredded and not in chunks mixed with mayonnaise. A generous scoop placed on top of mixed lettuces and shredded cabbage, tomatoes, avocado, olives, pickles and hard boiled egg halves. A dressing (your choice of standard salad dressings) is served on the side.
My standby favorite here. Hot turkey sandwich ($7.50). Just turkey breast slices on top of white bread with mashed potatoes and gravy over all. Comfort.

So. A 'chain' of Diners in San Diego county. The county is 4200 square miles and there is someplace everywhere to find a good meal.

Perry's Cafe 475 North Magnolia El Cajon 92020 (619)440-5724

We’re Baaack…..

May 16, 2011 mmm-yoso Greece, Greek Food, Turkey, Turkish Food

Right after returning from China last year, the Missus had me planning our next trip. She wanted a trip to Greece. I thought that if we were going to be gone for a month, that it would be interesting to add another Country. The thought of visiting Turkey had been on my mind for a while. As soon as the year turned and we headed into February, I started making plans. It ended up being quite a full itinerary, just the main trips and hotel info alone took up over three pages. I emailed copies of that basic itinerary to FOY (Friend of Yoso) MG, who replied that after reading the first page she felt exhausted. Cathy told me that it read like an outline for the amazing race……. With all of the planning, work, and other stuff, I wasn't able to do as much research on places to eat as I would normally do; and we depended a lot on recommendations from folks, and our explorations. The main hubs for our trips were Istanbul and Athens…….

So anyway, here's a little run down. As always, you can click on the photos to enlarge.

Istanbul:

Was our main hub for Turkey was Istanbul. To say that we were enchanted with the city is an understatement. The sincerely kind and friendly folks really made us sad to leave. As for the the locale…… let's just put it this way. This was the first photo I snapped upon my arrival in Istanbul.

That's the Hagia Sofia. We managed to visit many of the main attractions during our stays. Here's a photo of the Bosphorus from Topkapi Palace.

And a required photo of the Blue Mosque.

And of course, there's the craziness of both the Grand Bazaar and the Spice Market.

We also managed a short cruise of the Bosphorus on a drizzly day, which just seemed to add even more mystery and drama to everything.

We had heard so much about Hagia Sofia, and we saved it for the tail end of our trip. By that time we wondered if it would live up to our expectations…… And let me just say, our expectations were exceeded. It's one of the few places, along with Machu Picchu that we want to revisit.

I also really enjoyed the mysterious Basilica Cistern.

Along the way, we met a fish called "Hamsi".

And a dish called Sac Tava.

Selcuk – Ephesus:

Did you know that the ancient Greek and Roman city of Ephesus is located in Turkey?

Our accommodations in Selcuk were located right across the street from the Basilica of St John.

Where the Aposotle John is believed to be buried.

There's a lot of history in this area.

Goreme – Cappadocia:

Yes, thoughts of fairy chimney's and cave houses dance in our heads when Cappadocia is mentioned.

Among the hiking, visits to the underground city, valleys, and such. The most memorable thing we did was an early morning balloon ride.

Quietly floating amongst the clouds, over exotic looking terrain, this was simply unforgettable……

I also enjoyed the visit to Selime Monastery.

Climbing up into the monastery cut into the rocks led to a view that was amazing. I also took one of my favorite photos of the trip, which almost looked like the cover of a science fiction book.

Athens:

Athens was our hub for Greece. So of course there was the required visit to the Acropolis.

And the Central Market.

Delphi – Meteora:

The Missus wanted to visit Meteora, and the only way I could figure to keep that visit within two days was to take a tour, which included a stop in Delphi.

The cloudy and drizzly morning added an air of mystery to Meteora…….

And when the sun peeked out, the views were dramatic…..

Iraklios (Heraklios):

Next up was the city of Iraklios on the island of Crete.

We had two of our favorite meals in Iraklios, thanks to the recommendations of our hotel staff. The first featured twists on Crete cuisine, which worked very well.

The second featured more straightforward Cretan specialties.

On our second day in Iraklios, instead of visiting Knossos, the Missus requested that we rent a car and drive to some of the small villages. So that's what we did……

70% of the wine in Crete comes from this area.

Cretans also consume about 31 liters of Olive Oil per capita. We both cracked up when we requested a taste of various olive oils and the woman behind the counter almost poured us dixie cup sized portions of each! Good thing we stopped her, and told her we just wanted a taste. She replied, "this is a taste!"

This area is beautiful…….

Hania (Chania):

It's almost impossible to take a bad photo of Hania.

The Missus got an early Birthday present…..

And as a bonus; the really nice young man working at the shop gave a few recommendations, and the Missus found the octopus of Her dreams…..

Hania was the perfect place for us to take a "day off" from "activities" and just kick back and enjoy.

The next day was damp and drizzly as we took the bus up to Omalos through the fog and rain… and sheep….

For our hike down the Samaria Gorge, which, depending what you read is either 18, 16, or 14 kilometers. Regardless of the distance, the "Iron Gates", where the space between the sides of the gorge get to about 3 meters wide is quite dramatic. Looking up the almost straight sides towering at over 1,100 meters is simply awesome.

All of this ends at the ocean in the village of Agia Romelli, accessible only by sea.

You can see why we were sad to leave Hania.

Antalya:

Our last unique stop was Antalya, the largest Mediterranean city on the Southwest coast of Turkey. We stayed in the area called Kaleici, the old town. Here's a photo of the ruins that was located right out the window of our room.

Our initial plan was to use our one full day to visit Termessos, but the Missus had seen enough ruins by then, so we used the day to walk around the city.

So there you go………….

It's good to be home, and hopefully, after a few days to regroup, I'll have a couple of posts ready!

Thanks for reading!

Oishii- the other Thai restaurant in Santee

May 15, 2011 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Thai Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome (back) to the blog called mmm-yoso!!!. Sometimes Kirk relates a story about His food adventures. Sometimes ed(from Yuma) composes a short story about his food adventures. Today, Cathy is putting a pen to paper, so to speak, and sharing another meal.

Hi. I've written about Oishii two other times . Oishii is right down the street from my home and equidistant (for me) to Sab E Lee, the other Thai restaurant in Santee. Oiishi is a bit different in that it serves Japanese as well as Thai food.

Occupying a small space, Oishii has been in this same location since 2003. Some of the interior decor is a holdover from when the space was named Victoria's and had its own eclectic menu as well as decor. I have noticed bamboo here and there, trying to bring an Asian look to the restaurant.

Ignore the menu; Oishii is not open on Sunday. Hot tea is $1 per person. There is a sushi bar, which I have never posted about. It is a very good sushi bar.
On this visit, we ordered the mixed tempura ($6.50). Two shrimp, onion, bell pepper, sweet potato, zucchini all perfectly fried and not greasy.
The Mister ordered the Green Curry ($7.95) cooked with chicken, bamboo shots, bell peppers, basil and coconut milk. A sort of comfort food and always good.
I chose the Yum Talay ($12). A salad of chilled mixed seafood with lime juice, chili, cucumber and cilantro…with a bit of lettuce underneath it all. It was made to the proper heat level I requested (3/5) and I could taste all the ingredients.

Oiishi serves a good selection of Thai curries and noodle dishes as well as really good Japanese and sushi. I am so glad I have a choice out here in East County.

Oishii Japanese and Thai 10251 Mast Boulevard, Santee, CA 92071 (619)596-4872 Website

Niban- a quick Lunch

May 14, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Hello. You are reading mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Kirk is still on vacation. ed(from Yuma) is still working. Cathy is here, sharing with you a meal she and The Mister shared with each other.

I've posted about Niban two times. It is conveniently located on Clairmont Mesa Boulevard at the SouthEast corner of 805, in the parking lot with the Starbucks, McDonald's and Souplantation. This is another place The Mister and I grab a quick lunch or dinner when neither of us wants to cook. There are large menus taped in the front windows and also a display case of the specials for that day at the doorway.

You walk in, order, pay then have a seat. Soon, someone comes by and grabs the numbered receipt you were handed and asks what your beverage choice is. Hot tea is always free. There are two lunch specials on the back wall, behind the cashier.

This is the lunch Bento ($5.25). It is served on a divided round dish. Fried calamari, a fried shrimp and a piece of fried fish (tasted like cod that day), rice and tartar sauce. Six pieces of California roll (made with krab), a piece of nigiri. At the 5 o'clock position, a sort of crabmeat fish cucumber salad…no place else on the menu and enticingly good.

The other lunch special, gyoza ($5.25). You are asked if you would like your dumplings fried or steamed. This time, we chose steamed. Very thin dough, filled with ground pork and vegetables. As you can see, miso soup, salad and rice accompany the dumplings, as well as a vinegar-soy sauce.

Above, the fried calamari appetizer ($4.25). We almost always order this, with lunch or with dinner…or for lunch or fo dinner… Five pieces of breaded, crispy fried calamari steak accompanied by some lettuce and sauce. Hot spicy sauce. *Not* Thousand Island dressing, even though that is how the sauce appears. I think the sauce has sriracha as a base. I used to think it was jalapeño, but since becoming more familiar with sriracha, it seems pretty evident that those peppers are what is in this sauce. It compliments the fried calamari steak quite well.

Good daily specials, good food, nice people.

Niban 7081 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92111 (858) 268-0465

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