mmm-yoso – Page 423 – 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.

Eating with Friends all over the place: Ba Ren, Chautara (Madison), Sea Harbour (Rosemead – Los Angeles)

November 3, 2010 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum, Los Angeles County, Madison, Wisconsin, Road Trip

I received an email from a FOY (Friend of Yoso) today who mentioned that my posts have recently been a bit long-winded. Actually, the term used was "verbose". Under certain circumstances, I'm pretty sure that I'd be somewhat…. well pick the verb; maybe offended might fit the bill…. and perhaps I'd even respond with a somewhat colorful adjective of my own. The humorous and jovial tone of the email erased all possibility of that, and was a reminder that many of you are perhaps more interested in seeing what I ate, rather than reading about it.

And I just happened to have a bunch of photos….. revisits all, of recent meals with friends. The locations are miles apart, but here goes……

*** Ba Ren has closed

Ba Ren:

Yet again. I usually don't even take my camera out any more. During a recent visit, Akira requested a meal at Ba Ren. I believe the main reason being that I remember what his favorite dishes are here. So here's what Akira, Mr S, and I had.

After all these years Ba Ren still delivers……

You can find links to my zillions of posts on Ba Ren on our rotation page.

Ba Ren
4957 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

*** Chautara has closed

Chautara – Madison (Wisconsin):

I made sure to return, since I enjoyed my meal there on my previous visit. This time around, the food seemed to fall short, the Lamb Palungo way tough, the beef over-cooked, my dish, the Khasi Ko Masu was the best of the lot, but was a bit too salty. At least the photos came out a lot better than on my previous visit. Oh, and those thingys that look like Xiao Long Bao? They're "momos" a Nepali/Tibetian type of dumpling. My eating companions on this evening were from Shandong and Taiwan respectively, and were surprised when that hit the table.

In case you're wondering what, or where Chautara is, you can find out here.

Chautara Restaurant
334 State St
Madison, WI 53703

Sea Harbour – Rosemead (Los Angeles):

Believe it or not, after my breakfast at Gardena Bowl, on my recent visit to LA, I still had lunch in store. I was meeting Akira, and good FOYs PeterL and Angela, who drove all the way from San Diego, for Dim Sum at Sea Harbour. Packed as always, it was a fun and mostly delicious meal.

I love this first photo…. of the Durian Pastry…. it looked so good that PeterL could not help himself and snatched one away as soon as it arrived!

Sea Harbour Seafood Restaurant
3939 Rosemead Blvd
Rosemead, CA 91770

So there you go…… more photos, less verbiage… sheesh, I feel like a laundry detergent ad, you know, more cleaning power, cheaper price!

Man, it's hot around here, I hope everyone is keeping cool!

Chicago: Hot Dog! Gene and Jude’s Red Hots and Peep’s

November 2, 2010 mmm-yoso Chicago, Hot Dogs, Travel

Last week, I went back to Madison for some training. Like the last time, I flew into Chicago and drove to Madison. This meant that I was able to stop a bite (or two… or three) on my way out of town. This time, I wanted to make sure to try a couple of places I'd never been to before…. and of course, it was only right that I have a sample of one of Chicago's iconic food items; the hot dog.

On previous visits, I'd had dogs from Superdawg and Weiner Circle. This time around Cathy's brother recommended that I give Gene and Jude's, a place that should rightfully and proudly be called a joint, a try. Gene and Jude's is located in the community of River Grove just a couple of miles from O'Hare, which made access pretty easy.

Established in 1946, Gene and Jude's longevity says that they must be doing something right. Later on, I mentioned this place in conversation. I was told that Gene and Jude's are always among the top sellers of Vienna Beef Hot Dogs in Chicago.

I was also told to always expect a line, but not to worry as the line moves very quickly. You just get in line behind this sign.

I stood in awe as the guy two places in line in front of me ordered 10 dogs and fries…. only to be topped by the woman in front of me who ordered two dozen! The guy taking the order didn't even blink an eye.

I felt positively unworthy ordering but a single dog (with everything) and fries. You order, then move over to the next spot and pay.

I grabbed my dog and fries and headed over to the counter to eat.

Yes, the place is a bit worn, and possibly in need of a good scrub-down, but that just seems to add character……

For $2.20, you get a dog covered with a handful of fries…..

The fries are hand-cut, natural, that is, skin on, made fresh from potatoes. These were greasy, but in a good way, and even though I'm not a fan of this type of fries(i.e. In-N-Out), these had good potato flavor.

Below the fries the Dog was a mess…..

The roll was pretty much a mushy mess. "Everything" on this dog consisted of sport peppers, piccalilli, onions, and mustard. No tomato, pickle spear, and no celery salt. In fact, the very same guy who seemed to know everything about hot dogs told me that this was the way Chicago Hot Dogs were originally served. Though this was a mess, I loved the snap of this dog…. it was the snappiest of the four I had on this trip.

In spite of the rapidly disintegrating roll, I thought this was a decent dog. And can you beat the price? The "Hot Dog Nazi" - dive atmosphere added to the (lack of) ambiance. Nothing fancy here, just a couple of things on the menu….. and don't even think about asking for ketchup on your dog!

While eating my dog and fries, I noticed this copy of an article on the wall…..

The article tells of Charlie Trotter's recommendations for best dogs in Chicago….. and Gene and Jude's is one of the three mentioned. The mental image of Charlie Trotter eating greasy fries on a messy dog elbows on the worn and in need of a good scrubbing counters cracked me up.

Gene & Jude's Red Hot Stand
2720 River Rd
River Grove, IL 60171

A few weeks before leaving on this trip, I sat next to a guy from Chicago at Sushi Yaro. When he mentioned where he was from, I told him I'd be flying to Chicagoland before driving to Madison, and staying one night upon my return. We got to talking about Chicago Hot Dogs, and the beauty of the neighborhood Hot Dog stand. His stand was a place called Peep's in Arlington Heights…. in his words, "not the best, but good, and a very typical neighborhood stand. There used to be one in every neighborhood." Since I was able to take my time driving to Madison, I decided to stop at Peep's. It was a bit of a detour from the freeway…….. but very easy to find on the corner of Rand and East Thomas Street.

**** Peep's has closed.

Basically not much more than a shack with a counter and a small dining area.

Here's the Dog with everything from Peep's……

Your standard issue Chicago Dog, nice sprinkling of celery salt, sport peppers, tomatoes that were kind of mushy, and the pickle didn't seemed, well pickled enough. The bun was a bit drier then I appreciate. Strangely, all the dogs I ate were of the same heritage; dogs from Vienna Beef, but they were all different. This one had less snap, though the flavor was right on.

I've had better dogs, and many much worse……

Peep's Hot Dogs
1600 N Rand Rd
Arlington Heights, IL 60004

Mignon Pho + Grill

November 1, 2010 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I thought I'd better hurry and do this post before temperatures hit the high eighties and low ninties that the weather folks said is coming up this week. Over time, I've stopped ordering Pho Tai…. rare steak, simply because everyone in San Diego uses a very low grade cut, and it really doesn't matter if you get the beef on the side, in the soup, or on top of your head for that matter, it all ends up being tough and tasteless. Filet Mignon Pho is a whole different story, and I've been waiting for a good long while for what I had at Pho Thanh Lich to make it's way to San Diego. So I was quite happy to see the sign for Mignon Pho go up at the end of August. And yet, there was that little seed of doubt that the name of the place was just a tease….. so of course I had to find out.

Mignon Pho + Grill's grand opening was this past weekend. There was a week long soft opening while I was away……..

The interior of Mignon is very clean and modern. High ceilings, wood panelings, and of course, two large plasma televisions complete things. I like the decor, but the high ceilings tend to make things echo, and the hardwood paneling reflect sound, making it a pretty loud dining area.

Pho prices here are on the high side, starting at $6.50 for a regular bowl with two proteins. A bowl of Filet Mignon Pho goes for $8 for a regular size and $9 for a large sized bowl. I went for something called a "trolley bowl", which would probably be called Dac Biet in other places….. a combination of meats. The regular bowl went for $7.95. When my bean sprouts and herbs arrived, I quickly noticed that this place goes for the modern "big plate" approach. Everything is served on, or in large plates and bowls. I will say that the herbs were extremely fresh, especially the Ngo Gai (Culantro/Saw Leaf Herb).

And of course I went for a side order of Filet Mignon on the side, which cost $1.75 more, for three slices of Filet.

The meat was super fresh, and cut to just the right thickness.

Soon enough, my bowl arrived.

I loved the look of the broth, medium dark and clear. The really nice young lady who served me said it was simmered for sixteen hours. I think a bit more oil/fat would make for a richer broth. In spite of the looks I found the broth to be very mild, and lacking in character. And even though I knew that this broth wouldn't have strong anise or clove accents based on a sniff of the soup, it was also a bit mild in the beef department as well. On the good side, I could tell instantly that this broth wasn't MSG laden. The one aspect that I thought could have instantly improved this was the temperature of the broth. The Filet Mignon is cut a bit thicker than the usual Rare Beef Eye of Round. It should be eaten just barely "colored", letting the beef sit in the broth will just cause it to seize and get more chewy than it should be. Warm broth makes you leave the meat in the broth too long causing it to cloud the soup and get tough. This was probably one of the smallest portions of noodles I've ever had, and it was a bit over-cooked edging on mushy.

The meats were pretty good, especially the tendon which was very soft and buttery. Unfortunately, there was much too little of it in the bowl.

The beef meatballs, usually not my favorite were also pretty good.

This bowl of Pho went over the ten dollar mark with tax….. on the high side for a fairly small bowl. I'll probably have this again, but I'm going for the brisket and tendon with a side filet.

One thing about this restaurant; all the young folks working on this day were very cheerful, polite, and just plain nice. In fact, the young lady who served me took some time to chat with me. She was very proud of the quality of the ingredients as well as how the food was prepared. I was told that I should come back and try the Com Tam, which she preferred over the Pho. And just based on her enthusiasm and attitude, I returned a day later for lunch and went with Broken Rice with Shredded Pork (Bi), Egg Meat Loaf (Cha) and Pork Chop ($7.50):

The rice was cooked perfectly, fairly soft and moist. Even though I think it could have been more fragrant, it's still the best I've had in San Diego.

The best item on the plate was the steamed egg, perhaps a bit on the dry side, but full of savory flavors. I was disappointed that it was only the size of a petit four. Notice the scale of the Cha and the spoon next to it.

The pork chop was fairly tender, and better then most versions in San Diego, though not quite on the level of Pho King. It wasn't very salty, and was perhaps a bit too mildly flavored. The Bi was too dry, and lacked the usual nutty-savory-porkiness that good versions have.

On this day, the service was again very friendly….. that may just bring me back again.

On both visits, I noticed quite a few older folks eating here…. I think they were just like me; curious to see how Mignon was going to be. It would be interesting to see if they return. Mignon Pho + Grill seems to be going for a bit higher quality food, served in a modern environment. Personally I don't think Mignon Pho has delivered food prepared at the level I expected, but they've just opened so hopefully things will improve over time.

Mignon Pho + Grill
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Where I’ve Been

October 31, 2010 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

If you've been wondering why I seemed to have fallen off the side of the Earth….. I had a short business trip, and have just returned. As always, I need to thank Cathy for taking the reigns while I was away. And though this was a business trip, I was able to squeeze a few meals in…. and you know I like to tease you all, so here are a couple of photos with what's coming up….. I'm sure that you'll be able to figure things out by the photos.

And since there was a strong craft brewing scene in one of the cities, I sent out a quick email to FOY Josh Sibelman, who provided me with some recommendations. And it just so happens that the store I went to for bottled water sold beer by the bottle, so each night I was able to purchase a bottle (or two) of local beers…..

On my last evening, I dropped by to buy some water, and decided to get one bottle for the road. This time, I asked the gentleman working there what he'd recommend….. he picked out Lake Louie Brewing Company's Tommy's Porter for me. A customer concurred telling me that an ex-girlfriend of his loved Lake Louie's brew so much that, and I quote, "got the Lake Louie emblem tattooed on her…" (fill in the blanks).

Speaking of Beer:

Well, we were speaking of beer, right? Man, time sure does fly…… it seems that San Diego Beer Week is upon us again. Josh, Andy, and Candice, organized a wonderful dinner at Ba Ren last year. This year, we selected Sab E Lee in Santee as the sight for the spicy Beer Week dinner.

Last I heard there were a few tickets still available. You can get more info, and purchase tickets here.

You can see the menu, and the beer paired with the food at that link. So don't be an ogre….or whatever it was that I took a photo of!

Smashburger. A few meals.

October 30, 2010 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, What Cathy Eats!

Cathy is penning today's issue of mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. She isn't busy. Kirk is busy. ed(from Yuma) is busy. Vicky is busy.

Hi, The other day, The Mister and I were driving along aimlessly and saw Smashburger, underneath Joe's Crab Shack. We decided to stop.

Smashburger is a nationwide franchise (but not that there is one owner per location, if you read the franchising criteria on the website) and has three locations in San Diego County- Mission Valley, La Jolla and Del Mar. Decor and motto are simple. "smash. sizzle. savor."

The menu is fairly small with choices of burgers, chicken, hot dogs and salads, which expand by size of burger (1/3 lb or 1/2 lb), grilled or crispy chicken, 4 choices of buns, multiple toppings, add ons and seven sides (which cost $1 less if ordered with a sandwich). You walk up, order, pay, get a number, fill a beverage container and find a table. Food is brought out in nifty metal baskets.
On our first visit, The Mister chose a 1/2 lb All American Smashburger ($5.99). This comes with American cheese, ketchup, mustard, onion (omitted) and pickles on an egg bun. We all (should) know that smashing down a cooking burger makes it lose juice, and therefore flavor. The meat (fresh, never frozen) here is smashed and seasoned as it goes onto the grill, not after it has cooked on one side. It is juicy. It is also Angus beef. Very flavorful.

I chose the Classic Smashchicken ($5.99) (crispy). Not greasy, not overly breaded. The chicken meat was very juicy and well flavored. This sandwich comes with lettuce, tomato, pickle and mayo on a multi-grain bun.
Here is a photo of the sandwich buns (multi-grain and egg). Both buns were lightly toasted and had flavor.
We shared a Smashside of Haystack Onions ($1.99, because we had ordered a sandwich-$2.99 if ordered alone). Lightly breaded. Lightly fried. Very tasty.

On the bottom of the receipt, there was a survey, which gave us a code for a free smashside on our next visit. I also signed up for the smashclub, which sent me an email for a free self serve float.
They only use Haagen-Daz ice cream here. Vanilla for the self serve fountain float, also chocolate or strawberry if you want a milkshake. There is no root beer at the fountain (you can purchase bottled root beer for $1 more).
Or try it with Coca Cola, which I haven't had in an ocean of time. This was really nice, especially in the frosted mug…
This visit, we tried the Sunset Smashsalad with grilled chicken (this is a large, ($6.99) the same bowl filled halfway with half as much chicken breast is $4.99). A full chicken breast, lightly grilled and very juicy on top of garden greens (there is spinach in there) with tomatoes, raisins, cranberries, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, blue cheese and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
OK. This is what it looks like under the chicken…oh that Smashside…
VeggieFrites ($3.99 or $2.99 with a sandwich order). Oh. My. Flash fried carrots, green beans and asparagus. Served with a ranch dipping sauce. So. Darn. Good. Maybe even healthy…
I decided to make a "Create Your Own" burger, (only 1/3 pound) ($4.99)(really) with my own choice of cheese (blue), toppings (lettuce, tomato, red onion, pickles, grilled onion)Smashsauce (ketchp/mustard/mayo/relish/lemon juice) on a choice of bun (torta)..PLUS
for an additional 99¢, I added on a fried egg. This burger was juicy, perfec…
Well, the torta bun was slightly torn. Yet toasted and soft and fresh. Fresh breads tear…

This is not just another burger joint. It isn't just fast food. They do serve beer and wine. The food is good. Really good. Smashfries (regular and sweet potato) are made with olive oil, garlic and rosemary. OH WAIT.
Fried pickles. Wonderful, salty, lightly crusted. A really nice side. A really fun, tasty, almost too much side… ($2.99 or $1.99 with a sandwich).

OK. If you are near a location try it. Really nice. Really good. A nice place for a lunch. Or a dinner date. Or a dinner without a date.

Smashburger 7610 Hazard Center Road San Diego 92115 (SE corner of Friars and 163) website

Balboa International Market. Lunch in the store.

October 28, 2010 Cathy Markets & Grocers, Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Hey there! You're reading a blog about food. It's called mmm-yoso!!! A few friends writing about what they ate out, or food they prepared and ate in. Today, Cathy is writing. Because Kirk and ed(from Yuma) have jobs.

There is a parking lot behind some buildings which have a parking lot in front. Hidden from the main Road, Balboa Avenue (at the SouthEast corner-ish from Genesee, behind the See's Candy Store). All new construction.

The Balboa International Market building was opened not too long ago. It is not too large inside (only one cart can fit in an aisle) with a good selection of boxed/canned items to purchase and a good vegetable and large wall refrigerated section. It is not as large as Vine Ripe, which is closer to where I live, but I can see myself stopping here if I am in the area.

There is a small deli area and a Hot Food Menu (one page, with beef, lamb, chicken fish and specialty rice plates along with a soup of the day and a stew of the day). The gyros sandwich is $5.99, rice plates are $8.99 and the most expensive item is a white fish kabob plate for $13.99.
The Mister and I have been wanting to take a road trip just to go to Wholesome Choice since December, but life seems to have interfered. One thing we wanted was hot fresh sangak (flatbread). The day we were at Balboa International Market, they were testing the new ovens and asked if we would like one of their 'practice' flatbreads. Oh yes!. We decided we needed to eat it immediately, in the store, just as we did at Wholesome Choice. So we ordered.
So. The loaf of bread was not formed perfectly. The sesame seeds were not evenly distributed. So? It was fresh, soft, still warm. Excellent. (Oh and it was free. Everyone leaving that day seemed to be carrying a loaf in their bags. I am unsure what the price will be and don't care. It is *so* good).
Lam Kabob ($12.99) marinated lamb, grilled vegetables (a whole tomato, a whole onion and about half a green pepper) served with Basmati rice (that is piece of rice crust on top) and a small salad. Excellent fresh lamb, very lightly marinated. Not overpowering salad dressing. One of the condiments on the table is a shaker of sumac, which went very well with everything. So fresh.
This was listed as a daily special ($7.99, regularly $8.99)- Zereshk Polo. Baked chicken (lightly marinated) and the Basmati rice with sour barberries and saffron. Excellent and fresh. The chicken was juicy and not at all dried out.

The hot tea is $1. They give you a cup and there is a pump pot of hot water and box of Sadaf teabags at the counter.

We asked the man in the bakery area if he knew about Wholesome Choice and he said "oh yes". For now, Balboa International Market is a great choice. Yes, that is a very large restaurant that is going to open next door. The parking lot will be filled. I hope they use the same chef and ingredients as the market…

Balboa International Market 5907 Balboa Avenue 92111 (858) 277-3600 Website

Red Lotus. Good Mandarin and Szechuan food. Santee.

October 27, 2010 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! – that's the name of this blog. It's just food that we have enjoyed. Kirk, ed(from Yuma) and Cathy are the main bloggers, although some others occasionally participate. Today, it's Cathy's turn.

Hi. There's a new Mandarin-Szechuan restaurant in the same location as a now closed Mandarin-Szechuan restaurant in Santee. I enjoyed Flaming Wok for many years, but it closed and Red Lotus took over.
Red Lotus is an ABCDE (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) because as soon as you sit down,
A bowl of fresh fried crunchy bits and plate of 'dipping sauce' are brought out to your table. But those are fresh fried crunchy bits and the sauce is somehow not too sweet and has some vinegar-y tartness and is quite pleasant.
The egg drop soup ($5.75), not salty, very deep flavored chicken stock and swirled with egg and not cornstarch thickener, is excellent.
A nice view from our table…while we were waiting.
Ma Po Tofu ($7.50). Very nice heat, very good pork and a good, fresh, firm tofu.
No. Not just a chicken dish.

Chicken egg foo young ($7.50). Crispy, moist, flavorful with crispy bean sprouts, onions topped with a great, not salty, un-gloppy gravy.
Of course, there are lunch combo specials, daily from 11:00-3:00.
These come with a cup of soup and the requisite fried crispies and nuclear red colored sweet thick yet somehow tasting made from scratch dipping sauce.
The spicy honey shrimp lunch special ($5.95) includes rice, egg roll, cheese wonton and this -light, crispy, fluffy batter- deep fried juicy large shrimp, glazed with a sweet-hot sauce. Really- see the shrimp to batter ratio? It's good.
The hot spicy chicken ($4.95-all shrimp dishes are $1 more) wasn't too spicy, the sauce is smooth and has plentiful white meat stir fried with a thin crisp crust which lets the chicken stay juicy yet have a pleasant light crunch of a crust. This was with fried rice.

All in all, this is a very good selection for Santee. There are many ABCDE dishes (shrimp with lobster sauce, Moo Goo Gai Pan, Double Happiness) which are all done very well. Fresh ingredients and quality cooking. I suppose it is more stereotypic Americanized Chinese, but it's really well done good food. A very short drive or long-ish walk with going uphill to get home for me.

A Plus!!! You get Fortune Cookies here, too. Really easy Chinese Word Fortune Cookies.

The Red Lotus Mandarin & Szechuan Cuisine 9888 Magnolia Avenue (At Mast, in the Albertsons Center) Santee 92071 (619)596-3749 Mon 4:30-9:30, Tues-Sun 11:00-9:30

A Cafe…um “A” Cafe…Hong Kong Style dining

October 26, 2010 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Cathy is blogging today. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are busy with other things.

The other day, I got a frantic SMS from Mr. C. who was at work and apparently was hungry and wanted to know if there was Hong Kong style food in San Diego. As if I am my own Google.

Of course, I immediately answered with
this photo. I appeared to be organized. "A" Cafe is on Convoy Street, and part of the parking lot from hell group of restaurants.
This is the sign on the building from the parking lot side.
There is a menu in the window at the door. Yes. It says "Hong Kong Style Specialize".
You are seated quickly and asked about beverages. There are many boba/juice/2 pages of beverages on the menu, but ordered hot tea ($1.75. Each.) It is small inside (8 tables) and there is a patio area. The tea apparently is brewed and put into a cup and them more water is added to the container using the same bag. It brews a nice second cup.
We ordered two dishes to share and a good size cup of a nice, not salty egg drop soup was brought out for each of us.
Chicken fried rice ($6.99). Not bad. Not great. Chicken fried rice.
Mixed seafood chow fun (rice noodle)(no gravy) ($8.99). Lots of seafood. Not bad. Not great. I liked the noodles and onions most. The shrimp was large and flavorful, pieces of fish good, squid was tender.

Turns out that Mr. C also had not found what he was craving, some sort of noodle dish…which he says can be found at Garden Cafe in Rowland Heights, off the 60 freeway at Colima and Fullerton. Road Trip!

We were still hungry, so walked through the parking lot, to Tapioca Express.

Mr. C. had not been here before, but he was the person who introduced me to boba drinks. He was fascinated with the 'snack food' aspect of this place. We decided on just a dessert, which took less time than choosing beverages…
We each got a coffee tea milk: mine hot, his cold with boba. We shared the fried baked donut dessert, which comes with dipping sauces of whipped cream and-yes, diluted frosting. (total was ~$11)

Not a bad lunch. But not great.

A Cafe 4646 Convoy San Diego 92111 (858)874-6989 Open 7 a.m.-midnight Sun-Th (until 1 a.m. Fri- Sat)

Tapioca Express 4646 Convoy San Diego 92111 (858) 636-7889 Open 11 a.m.-midnight Sun-Th (until 1 a.m. Fri-Sat) Website

La Mesa Bistro & Bakery. Breakfast.

October 24, 2010 Cathy Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

You are here. You are reading mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are working. Cathy apparently isn't, so she will blog about another meal she has enjoyed. You can enjoy vicariously.

If you follow the blog, you may have noticed a pattern. I like breakfast. I also live in East County. So, when I go out for breakfast, it's usually close to home. At Interstate 8 at the Grossmont Center Drive exit, you can go North to Grossmont Mall/Hospital, or South on La Mesa Boulevard, toward the downtown/"Village of La Mesa". Pass two signal lights when going south, and you'll see a small mall anchored by the USE Credit Union.
It's been here for years, does a brisk, local business and is located in the far back corner of the mall, you'll see cars parked from 6:00 a.m. until about 3:00 p.m., seven days a week.
Walk inside (after perusing the 'Specials' menu board outside) and you can grab a menu (which is titled with 'Old Fashioned Baking, Healthy and Nutritious Foods, Gourmet Coffees and Catering') and sit down. Then walk up to the cash register, order and pay. You'll get a number card to place on your table. You serve yourself beverages (there is a lemon-water dispenser near the door)and… See all those pump pots of coffee on the right? 'Gourmet coffees' are listed on the menu.You pick up a cup (paper or ceramic) and pick the one you'd like (only two of those coffees are flavored, the rest are beans from around the world; I picked the Sumatra for about 3/4 of the cup and added some French Roast for the rest and The Mister chose Costa Rica). There are also espresso drinks which can be made for you. Those are fresh made pastries in the display case straight ahead.
The Mister's granola waffle ($7.95) with two poached eggs and two slices of bacon, topped with fresh fruit (they make fresh fruit smoothies here and offer fruit bowls and sides, so garnish is easy). The granola waffle was a special this day. The waffle was not as 'fluffy' as the plain waffle, meaning not as tall…but the flavors and nutty-ness and cranberries was wonderful. The granola was evenly dispersed and not 'chunky' in the waffle. The eggs were poached perfectly and the bacon provided just the right bit of saltiness.

I kind of wanted lunch…or maybe salty, so ordered the Deli Omelette ($7.95), made with corned beef, pastrami, tomatoes, onions and Swiss cheese. It's made with three large eggs and *filled* with all those ingredients, and the melty Swiss just makes it luxuriously smooth. This was served with country potatoes (I could have chosen fruit-they give you a lot of fresh fruit) and choice of toasted potato bread, whole wheat, sourdough or English muffin. I *love* potato bread, buy it whenever I can find it (which is rarely) and this is made here. Oh and the sesame seed topping makes this just right when toasted. (The other breads baked here are also really good, especially for the lunch sandwiches).

La Mesa Bistro and Baker doesn't need any publicity and doesn't even have a website. If you can drop by for breakfast or lunch, you won't be disappointed.

La Mesa Bistro and Bakery 8697 La Mesa Boulevard La Mesa 91941 (619)589-0806 Open seven days 6:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Website

Pho-raging on Miramar Road: Vietnamese Cuisine and Seafood Island

October 22, 2010 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Both of these restaurants have closed

There's an unwritten "law of Pho" that I've heard more than a few times, "one should never have said bowl of beef noodle soup, in a restaurant without Pho in it's name." It's an edict that I've kinda bought into, but still there's that small grain of doubt, that perhaps the saying isn't true, and I could be missing out on a great bowl of Pho…. in a restaurant without Pho in it's name. Really now, I've had terrible bowls in restaurants with Pho clearly written in it's name and flashing in neon lights….

Well, this Urban, or perhaps un-urbane legend was put to the test over the last couple of weeks as I had had a couple of bowls at two shops without Pho in their name. Coincidentally, both shops were on the same street…. Miramar Road.

First, it's Vietnamese Cuisine:

Yes, really, that's the name of the place Vietnamese Cuisine.

For a place with a name that covers a lot of territory, Vietnam is 127,244 square miles, the menu, not surprisingly consists of the usual suspects; Pho, Bun, Spring Rolls… the rice dishes include the basic grilled pork, grilled chicken, etc, etc….

If anything, the interior is even more generic…. I'm sure this was some kind of steam table fast food joint in it's past.

As I walked up to the counter to order, the young lady sitting there was engrossed in that task which separates us from those like Sammy and Frankie, who have no thumbs…. she was busy texting. I managed to get her attention, and placed my order.

Which ended up being the Pho Dac Biet ($6.25).

The woman who brought out the very fresh bean sprouts and basil was very nice. I rarely order rare steak, mainly for the reason I didn't like it here. Tough, and basically dry. The other cuts of meat were pretty scarce as well. The noodles were in the standard issue clump, but weren't overcooked. The broth was pretty weak and cloudy…. no scent of anise, cloves, or even beef in this one.

In the end, I was glad I didn't order a large bowl.

Vietnamese Cuisine
6780 Miramar Rd #104
San Diego, CA 92121

Then it's Seafood Island:

Which I've posted on before. Recently though, a food FOY (Friend of Yoso) who shall go unnamed, said he really enjoyed the Pho at SI, and said I should try it. Which is how I ended up at the restaurant staring at the colorful "Lunch Specials "menu.

In my meals at Seafood Island after my post, I've just kinda decided that SI pretty much specializes in serving cheap food to the masses. And boy was I looking at some pretty low prices on this menu. Even though the young lady kept pushing the rare beef, I ended up with flank and brisket…. they didn't have tendon on this day.

The lunch special comes with two Cha Gio, egg rolls, which arrived very quickly.

The lettuce and other veggies were quite good, but the inside of the Cha Gio were barely room temperature.

This had been cooked up earlier and been lying around for a while.

Soon enough my bowl of Pho arrived, which gave me pause…..

It was darker than the Bun Mam I'd had recently! It was also very scummy, and quite cloudy. And there was an even larger problem…..

Notice my bowl sitting solo…….. is something(s) missing?

Did you figure it out? Well first, there was no plate with herbs, bean spouts, and lime. Second, where's my soup spoon? I felt like I was back in Hangzhou where they expected you to drink your soup from the bowl! The funny thing was, I thought that those items were going to arrive soon….. but I waited… and waited. Which gave me time to check out the flank, which had some really tough looking fat and gristle.

I gave it ten minutes, at which time I went into the kitchen looking for the young lady whom I could hear talking to the cooks, but was nowhere to be found on the floor. This is something I could understand if the place was totally smashed, but that wasn't quite the situation here.

When I asked for a spoon and my plate of herbs and veggies, the young lady gave me a look like I was asking for the moon which was very strange because everyone here has always been very nice.

Eventually my spoon and garnishes made it to the table.

In all honesty, I should have just cut my losses, paid my six bucks, and left…….

This is a case in where photos don't lie.

I really don't know where to start….. the noodles might have been perfect at one point; but having to sit while I mistakenly thought my spoon and garnishes would arrive at any time probably killed that. The broth was scummy and unpleasant…….

The fact is, I feel guilty about leaving food uneaten; and I've never left this much Pho before….

Just as I did with that bowl of soup, I'll step away from this post, and leave it as is…..

Seafood Island Restaurant
7580 Miramar Road
San Diego, CA 92126

I still don't truly believe in that "law of Pho", but this sure does support that argument, doesn't it?