mmm-yoso – Page 425 – 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.

Midweek Meanderings

January 5, 2011 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Chinese Restaurants

Just a couple of quick items I keep forgetting to post:

Cali Baguette Express Opening on Convoy:

In the old Boll Weevil spot, across the parking lot from Chin's. This will be their third location. Actually, I prefer the bread at Cali Baguette to what is served at K Sandwich. We'll finally be getting a Banh Mi shop on Convoy proper.

Ba Ren is now closed on Tuesdays:

I keep forgetting to mention this one.

I've been told that this is only temporary, and will only be for a couple of months. Apparently, hte assistant chef is back in China for a few months.

Well, that's it….. I told you it was going to be short and sweet! Be back with more tomorrow!

Dumpling Inn

January 4, 2011 ed fromyuma Chinese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Xiao Long Bao

Welcome to Mmm-yoso, a food blog. Kirk writes most of the posts. He wrote about Dumpling Inn way back in 2005. Cathy also blogs here alot. But today ed (from Yuma) is posting about Dumpling Inn. Way back in 2010.

In December, Tina and I were driving up Convoy Street heading for a couple bowls of ramen at Yakyudori when I asked her to look for someplace she'd like to lunch the next day. Almost instantly, she said, "Hey, Dumpling Inn, I'd love some dumplings."

So the next day we got lucky and found a parking place in the crowded lot, arriving at the tiny restaurant around 11:30:

By then, Tina had already heard my stories about Dumpling Inn. How the same space used to be occupied by a restaurant named MRSHO's. I never figured it out — Mr. Sho's or Mrs. Ho's? Or how I once came in and ordered fish dumplings. The waitress asked if I wanted spicy soup with it for a dollar extra, and I said yes. Only when the dumplings showed up, did I realize that the mild-flavored fish dumplings would be swimming in spicy soup. Another time I craved Xiao Long Bao (also called soup dumplings) that I had been reading about at Chowhound, but found nothing by either of those names anywhere on the menu.

Okay, maybe I had some past issues with this restaurant, but when Tina suggested going there, I realized that I hadn't been in Dumpling Inn in at least five years. Overdue for a visit.

After we received a complimentary pot of tea, the next thing that arrived on our table was an order of potstickers:

They certainly looked right. But I found them slightly disappointing. The mild filling was okay, certainly, but the flavor was not memorable in any way. The moderately thick wrappers seemed slightly understeamed and gummy on the top half and slightly overdone and cardboardy on the bottom. Not terrible, but far from the best potstickers I have eaten.

The available condiments were adequate:

Chile oil, white vinegar, soy sauce, and sesame oil. No black vinegar, however. I also wished that each set of dumplings had come with separate little mixing plates or small bowls. The way it was, our little plates ended up with a mix of flavors — as if we wanted all of the dumplings with the same background tastes.

On the other hand, we had no complaints whatsoever about the jellyfish salad:

The portion size was excellent. The sweet, tangy, and salty dressing was perfect for the salad. Both Tina and I loved the contrast in textures between the generally crunchy julienne of daikon, celery, and carrot and the unique chewy crunch of the long strips of jellyfish:

The fish and chive dumplings showed up next:

The fillings had a mild fishy flavor, generally pleasant. The wrappers seemed about right, not too thick or chewy. Well steamed. I would have preferred a better filling-to-dumpling ratio. These were certainly not overly stuffed dumplings.

Then came the XLBs. These days, customers can easily find them on the menu without knowing the secret code words. The large dumplings were steaming and had a few long shreds of ginger across them:

Tina and I warned each other not to pop a scalding hot, soup-filled dumpling into our mouths. But of course, I tried to eat one too soon and then spent a minute or so shoving the dumpling around in my mouth to keep from hurting any one part of it too much. Nicely, Tina didn't laugh at me. Too much.

Once the dumplings had cooled to the proper temperature, we dug in and enjoyed the rest of them. While the wrappers were fairly thick, we felt they contained plenty of filling. The soup/meatball balance also seemed about right. None of the dumplings looked ruptured, and every one I ate (even counting the one I harpooned with a chopstick) contained some soup. Perhaps the flavors in the dumplings are not traditional enough to satisfy an XLB connoisseur like Kirk, but they were certainly good enough for Tina and I.

Overall, except for burning my mouth, I enjoyed the lunch. I'd happily return. And next time, probably try more than just dumplings. And remember to let the XLBs cool down.

Dumpling Inn, 4619 Convoy (in strip mall with Korean Mkt), San Diego, (858) 268-9638

Oden

January 3, 2011 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

This year, the Missus wanted Oden (おでん) a hot pot/stew that usually features a variety of fish cakes. The recipe for the broth is quite simple, and is basically exactly as described in Shizuo Tsuji's Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art , one of my favorite cookbooks. Other than the fact I use only dashi (Tsuji uses a combination of chicken stock and dashi), I think the real difference, if any was all in the preparation and serving.

As with many Japanese dishes; everything starts (and ends with) the Dashi. Instead of beginning the heating of the kombu right away; I'll actually first score 5-6" squares of wiped kombu, then soak in cold water overnight basically making Kombu Dashi. The next day I'll bring the liquid up to temp, heating to just the point where bubbles appear in the water, then I'll remove the kombu. The center part of the kombu should be soft…… you should be able to press your fingernail into the kombu. After the kelp has been removed, I'll increase the heat of the liquid until it just about reaches a boil, remove it from heat, then add the Katsuobushi (bonito flakes). I'll then very gently stir once; then wait until all the katsuobushi sinks to the bottom of the pot before straining through a cheesecloth.

Once I put together the broth, I'll place the longer cooking stewing items, like daikon, kombu, shiitake mushroom, and konnyaku into the broth to simmer. As for the other items, when I'm ready to serve the Oden, I'll ladle out the amount of broth and stewed items into a smaller pot; add in the Missus's favorite fish cakes and boiled eggs and bring to a simmer and heat through. Simmering fried fishcakes can give your broth a oily sheen, makes the cakes soggy and bland, and basically look quite unattractive. I'll pour boiling water over Abura-age (Fried tofu) to remove the excess oil, cut into triangles, and place into the bowl, along with some kamaboko. you'll notice that there's a scarcity of chikuwa (broiled fish cake)….. it seems that the Missus prefers more expensive stuff.

I also added a few items that the Missus enjoys like Satoimo (taro). The Missus also loves Inoki Mushrooms, but when added to a stew all the stalks break apart and go every which way. So this time, I soaked some Kanpyo (dried calabash shavings), and used them to tie the bundles of Inoki Mushroom together. Here's a pretty good list of items that you can add to your Oden. I'm just including the recipe for the broth.

Oden Broth:
8 Cups Ichiban Dashi
1/2 Cup neutral flavored soy sauce – Aloha or Yamasa
1/4 Cup Whole Bean Kikkoman (just using Kikkoman tends to overwhelm the other subtle flavors for me)
3/4 Cup Mirin
1 Tsp Sea Salt

– Bring the dashi to a simmer, add soy sauce and mirin. Simmer to burn off some of the alcohol
– Taste and adjust flavors. Add salt to taste.
– Add daikon, konnyaku, etc first. Remember that every ingredient will add its own flavor to the broth, that's the magic of the dish.

I'll usually serve this with hot mustard.

Consume on one of the coldest days of the year……..

Unusual food items found around town. (COMC)

January 2, 2011 Cathy Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog. Just an online diary. Today Cathy is tying up loose ends. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are being constructive. Elsewhere.

Hi. I was Cleaning Out my Memory Card (COMC) as one of my Resolutions and decided to put together a post of things I thought I would someday mention. That day is here.

One day, The Mister and I decided to go to Food 4 Less, (a bag-it-yourself grocery store, same company as Ralphs and Krogers). Within the cold cuts/hot dog section of the store (I am always looking for skin-on wieners) was this:
A one pound package of bacon wrapped hot dogs, as seen served from many taco trucks. The package was marked down to $1.98, and had an expiration date in ten days. I took this photo in the store and sent it to Kirk. Immediately. He said it was a post waiting to happen.

Five of those hot dogs were a pound. Most of the 'better' hot dogs are packaged seven to a pound. We needed large bread to hold these dogs. Costco. Less than $2.50 for 12 gourmet buns. (We used the extra ones for sandwiches and turned some into garlic bread). I just cooked the hot dogs in a large teflon coated pan on the stove top, turning until the bacon was crisp.

These are giant dogs (five filled that 12 inch pan) and needed that larger than normal Costco roll.
Topped with mustard and pickles, one was filling and two were too much to eat. Our good dogs (and cats) got some treats that day.

I could not figure how to make a whole post about this machine.
We saw it at Parkway Plaza, on the edge of the Food Court, near the Sbarro. I do sometimes crave spun sugar…
You put in $2 in coins, a stick slides over, then down…
The machine spins the candy floss around the stick.

Viola! A fresh made cotton candy treat!
This machine disperses heated almonds and peanuts. It was located in the Paddock Bar at the Del Mar Race Track. I saw it when we were taking a lunch break at the Del Mar Fair. Really brings out the flavor. Now I heat up nuts in the fry pan before we eat them at home.
This past summer, San Diego was a "Test Market" for two Starbucks iced beverages. Each was made with green coffee- raw- beans. Caffeine was in each beverage, which was juice based, but no taste of coffee (and no tea flavor). The one on the left was made with lime juice and had fresh mint in it, the one on the right had fresh blackberries and was made with pomegranate juice. They were refreshing and different and really good on hot days. I hope the testing went well and we can see these beverages as a regular item in the stores in the future.

Here is a photo of our Christmas Dessert plate…International this year. From 6:00: The apple strudel (German) was an experiment which turned out well. The espresso (Italian) was just perfect that day and the pink item is called Vatkattu Marjapuuro. It is Finnish. I call it cranberry whip. Made with fresh cranberries and farina. It could be a dessert or breakfast. It ended up being both. Again, it just wasn't enough to do a whole post.

The Costco on Morena Avenue. Only. Gelato.

Made daily. $1.50 for three scoops- mixed berry, pistachio and stracciatella (torn apart/ less chunky chocolate chips in plain (not vanilla flavored) ice cream). Gelato is more dense than ice cream, is lower in sugar and lower in butterfat. It is made at this Costco location daily and a quart for $5 is a wonderful deal. I like the pistachio the best…fresh crispy nuts.
The Vons at Liberty Station (not the standard footprint Vons)(when you walk in the center/cart area, go to the building on your left) has a 'make your own nut butter' bar. Between $5 and $7 a pound, these bins were just about to be refilled with fresh nuts. You turn the crank and fill the containers provided. Right next to it were fill your own honey containers, two types of honey.

So there. I got another thing off of my "To Do" list! I hope everyone is taking some time to tie loose ends.

Happy New Year!

January 1, 2011 mmm-yoso Cooking

I hope everyone had a festive and safe New Year's eve!

This year, I made Oden for New Year, along with a couple of other dishes.

The Missus also wanted a couple of other items…. and since I made 12 quarts of Dashi I made Kiriboshi Daikon and Hijiki Nimono.

And topped things off with a small store bought Osechi.

And had just enough Dashi left to make a pseudo-Ozoni.

And of course, things were topped off with…….

Manju from Hogetsu Bakery…….. of course.

I hope everyone ate well!

We'd like to wish you all a very happy and prosperous New Year!

Tonight’s Dinner – Fried Chicken Skin and Sisig from Conching’s Cafe

December 30, 2010 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt

*** Conching is now Erlinda's Filipino Cuisine & Ice Cream Parlor

"It's the most unhealthiest time of the year……"

Or something like that. At least that's the tune going through my head while crunching away on the deep fried chicken skin portion of my dinner from Conching's Cafe:

I ended up getting dinner here after spotting Sisig……. which isn't always available from the steam table at Conching.

Strangely, after looking through my posts I noticed that I've never done a post on Conching's……… even though we've been there a number of times. The only thing I found was a post which included the sisig which I've always thought was among the best. This wasn't quite as good….falling a bit short on the vinegar. It's still better than most…..

Still…… fried chicken skin and sisig…… I think I'll be eating a bunch of salads after the New Year.

Oh, and when you visit Conching's, you can't forget the ice cream…… Ube and Avocado used to be the Missus's favorite (I like Jackfruit)…… but those have been replaced by……

Corn and Cheese…. yep, corn and cheese. Well, cheddar cheese is what they told the Missus. It's not what you think. It's not too sweet, but rich and creamy…. and no, there really isn't a big cheese flavor….perhaps something closer to a light cream cheese?

While waiting for Her Corn and Cheese ice cream, a Young Lady was asking a boy, possibly her son what flavor he wanted. Standing tippy toe, the boy exclaimed, "I want chocolate!" The woman smiled and looked down at the child and told him, "you can have chocolate anywhere, but when you're here you need to try something new and different!" Amen, lady, amen……

Conching's Cafe
3400 E 8th St.Ste 115
National City, CA 91950

Song Huong – Mira Mesa

December 28, 2010 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** This location of Song Huong has been replaced by Saigon Corner

I've been kinda hesitating "pulling the trigger" on this post. Based on comments and emails I've gotten, it seems that opinions of Song Huong are somewhat polarized……. But after a recent third visit to Song Huong I decided it was time for a post….. and I still waited and visted one more time….just to make sure….. When my good FOY (friend of yoso) "Yummy Yummy" told me that there was going to be a second Song Huong opening in Vinh Hung Market, I had mixed feelings. We've had a couple of decent meals at Song Huong on El Cajon Boulevard, but it just seems that the same dish was never the same twice…. perhaps some would find the somewhat whimsical preparations an interesting surprise. For us it was just plain maddening.

And then they opened….. and folks started emailing and commenting. On one side, "Yummy Yummy" and "Janfrederick" were thumbs down. On the other hand "Joe" (you can read his comments on this post) enjoyed it. "Melanie" (thanks for the emails!) was more on the positive side. By the time I finally visited I already had some recommendations……and some dishes to avoid as well!

If this doorway looks familiar, this is where Chibugan used to be (more on Chibugan at the end of the post).

Looking at my photos of Chibugan; it seems that the folks removed a good amount of the interior clutter and opened the place up a bit…… I never realized how high the ceilings here were!

The place does end up being on the cold side, and things tend to echo.

Like the ECB location; this place seels all manner of shakes and drinks, one thing which the Missus always enjoys at the ECB shop.

I pretty much knew what I wanted to order…… Melanie and Joe recommended the Banh Cuon. So I went with the Banh Cuon Dac Biet ($6.50):

As things go; this was decent by San Diego standards. The rolls used Banh Cuon Uot, and the pork was fairly bland and dry. The Nem Chua was pretty good, I like mine a bit more sour, and there was only one slice of it.

The Banh Cuon were a bit drier than I enjoy as well. The Nuoc Mam Cham also tasted watered down. The Cha Lua – lean defatted pork sausage were decent. Overall, I thought this was better than the version at Tan Ky Mi Gia, but not even close to say, Banh Cuon Tay Ho. Of course nothing beats having it made fresh in the morning. To be honest, I returned at a later date and had this again, this time it was much better(though they gotta bump up that Nuoc Mam Cham)……. so I guess YMMV??

I sitll wasn't quite sure about this place, so I returned and got the very thing I was told NOT TO get….. the Pho. "Joe" did mentioned that the place had changed Pho cooks, so perhaps my bowl of Pho Tai, Chin, Nam, Gau, Gan, Sach….. heck just call it #6 ($5.75) would be ok.

I swear, this could be the twin of the bowl I had at Vietnamese Cuisine on Miramar Road. It was cloudy and lacked any distinctive character…. it was far from terrible, but maybe a "C-". The garnishes were fairly scarce. The noodles however, were prepared perfectly.

Where this bowl fell really short was in the protein department…..

For some reason all the cuts of meat were very dry, none more than the flank which was tough as well. The worse was the tripe which had that unpleasant soapiness to it.

Still, I returned…… And when I ordered my Banh Cuon the second time, I was starving so I decided to try the Thit Nuong Cuon (grilled pork spring rolls – $3.75):

Aside from being a bit too wet, and the bun being on the mushy side this was ok. I also thought these were on the skimpy side, and would have appreciated more herbs to cut the saltiness (in a good way) of the thin slices of the pork.

Being on the wetter side, these started falling apart pretty quickly.

I guess I'm a glutton for punishment because I returned to Song Huong one more time…… this time for the Bun Bo Hue ($5.50):

All thoughts that this was going to be a "bland bowl" went away as the bowl arrived, and the funky fragrance of Mam Tom, fermented shrimp paste hit me before the bowl arrived. For me, the over-riding smell sends mixed signals, as what passes for Bun Bo Hue in most Pho shops is a basic clear broth with Mam Tom and chilies, something which totally misses the mark. And unfortunately this was, well, that. I liken it to having a trio play something designed for a quintet…… all the music is there, but certain parts aren't played. The plate of finely shredded cabbage and bean sprouts, though on the small side did fine. I could have used a bit more mint to add a herbaceous flavor to the bowl. The lime came to good use…. it helped me cut through the strong shrimp paste flavor.

There was a tiny speck of meat on the pork hock, and the thick slices of beef were tough and dry…. and to think folks complain about the meat at Mien Trung, which along with Hoai Hue is in a total different league.

On the good side; the broth was scorching hot; as must for this type of soup, and the noodles were cooked properly.

In the end, the food here is not terrible; but when it comes to everything other than the Banh Cuon, in my opinion there are other much better options in the area. I do really like the young lady who I believe runs the place…. she is quiet, but very nice…..they've never charged me for tea, and "round down " my check. As to whether I'll return? Maybe after a fairly long break….

Song Huong
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

Postscript:

So what happened to Chibugan? Well, they moved over to a smaller space one door over:

One thing I've always liked about Chibugan is that they serve vertically challenged folks like me! Hah, just kidding…. but that's the first thing that went through my mind when I read "We make short orders!!!" Got a crispy pata for shorty over here?

Jector’s Breakfast Burritos in Yuma

December 27, 2010 ed fromyuma Breakfast/Brunch, Mexican Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Today Kirk and Cathy are busy and eating. Sometimes ed (from Yuma) needs a quick breakfast, and maybe the next time you're in Yuma you'll need one too.

I think breakfast burritos are one of the most important contributions of Southwestern cuisine to everyday American eating. A complete breakfast (minus fruit juice of course) rolled inside a warm flour tortilla.

A new restaurant in Yuma, Jector's Breakfast Burritos, specializes in this culinary classic:
Whether you get them to go or to eat at one of the eight or nine small tables on the premises, your burrito will come tightly wrapped with a napkin in paper:
The burritos are $3.50. This one is ham and egg, and I asked for the optional pico de gallo (chopped fresh tomatoes, jalapenos, and onions) to be added:

All the burritos come with a picante salsa that has a pronounced sour tang. Its flavor plays off nicely against the sweetness of the egg.

I've liked every burrito that I have purchased from this place. Their chorizo is spicy but not greasy:

Machaca and egg is a classic taste combination and very meaty:
The sausage, potato, and egg is one of Tina's favorites:
The asada and egg here is made with real skirt steak:
And the asada can also be ordered as a regular — that is no egg – burrito:

The beef flavor is excellent, but I like more guacamole with my asada burritos.

My overall favorite is probably what they call the supreme:

I love the perfectly cooked thick sliced bacon that lends a nice smokiness to the eggs, potatoes, beans, and melty cheese.

The people here are friendly, they take phone orders competently, and they have your burritos ready on time — though as they have gotten busier, orders sometimes take longer than they used to. The restaurant is open daily from 6 am at least through lunch.

Jector's Burritos, 1473 S. 4th Ave, Yuma AZ, (928) 329-0035.

Merry Christmas

December 25, 2010 mmm-yoso Cooking

Every year, we take a drive around the area, just like I’m sure many do; to check out how folks have decorated their homes….. it puts us in the Holiday spirit. In spite of the deluge SoCal has had to endure over the last week……things cleared up just in time for Christmas Eve.

I’m wondering how much this homes electric bill was? Still we really enjoyed stopping…..

This year the Missus wanted Sukiyaki as Her Christmas day meal (my recipe here), so of course that’s what we had.

And now it’s time for another post Christmas tradition……. our post meal nap.

I just wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a Most Merry Christmas from the mmm-yoso gang!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Guess where this is?

December 23, 2010 mmm-yoso Chicago, Markets & Grocers

Just something short for tonight…. I'm guessing most folks have more pressing matters at hand…. like finishing up all that Xmas shopping!

Of course most will know just by the facade……

Yes, it's Mitsuwa Marketplace of course! But where?

I realized when I walked through this Mitsuwa how important design is….. this one is set-up basically the same. It is much larger than the Mitsuwa in San Diego. And so is the the food court, with a variety of restaurants…

And of course there's a Santouka Ramen…….

But also a Chinese Fast Food shop and at least one Korean influenced food stop to go with some other interesting offerings.

First off; the name makes me think that the burgers here are pork. Having already had an R Burger, whose ahem, buns are fortified with collagen (you know, I should just have someone provide me with the best collagen bun line…. there must be thousands), a teriyaki wasabi burger doesn't sound that strange. The fries here do sound interesting as you can choose various options like curry and cheese flavored or corn soup flavored fries…… I almost gave in…. well, maybe next time.

There are several more restaurants in this rather large food court.

I noticed that the market itself had quite a few Korean products…. more on that later. There were also local products…… and you just know that there are folks out there who can't go a day without Phil's Fertile Eggs, right?

Can you imagine the untapped marketing potential for Phil's Fertile Eggs!!!

There are of course more conventional Japanese items.

Ok….enough with the guessing game thing….. this Mitsuwa is located in Arlington Heights, about 25 miles outside of downtown Chicago. When my Admin Assistant was nice enough to book my overnight accommodations, she told me that I'd be staying in Arlington Heights….. I had no idea where Arlington Heights was….and neither did she. So I obviously saw the irony in the fact that there was a Mitsuwa almost right across the street from my hotel. Of all the places in the greater Chicago area….

It did look like business was pretty slow. After waking from my post Hot Doug's nap, it was already 6pm on a Friday, but the place was pretty dead. And there were several of these in the Marketplace.

I do hope they make it. I'm thinking I'll stay in this area if I'm in these parts again. As I drove down East Algonquin Road into Mount Prospect, i couldn't help but noticing all the Korean Restaurants….. there was even a restaurant named Dae Jung Keum……sound familiar???

Mitsuwa Marketplace
100 E Algonquin Rd
Arlington Heights, IL 60005