mmm-yoso – Page 430 – 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.

Taste of Italy- Rancho San Diego. A Sicilian influenced and excellent lunch.

July 27, 2010 Cathy Italian Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog you are reading. Cathy is writing because the guys (Kirk and ed(fromYuma)) are busy doing stuff, like researching future posts.

Tucked in a shopping mall near Cuyamaca College, next to the Starbucks, in Rancho San Diego, is this. Taste of Italy, kind of a local chain of "A Taste of Italy" restaurants (another location is on University in Hillcrest, on Carmel Mountain Road in Del Mar and also Vesuvio and Etna are owned by the same group; the primary menu items are all Sicilian (a more complex Italian) based). We like the Rancho San Diego because it is open late (midnight M-Th and 2 a.m. on Fri and Sat), it has a bar, televisions in the bar (we watched a World Cup game here one Saturday) and really really good, house made food.

Inside, there are a selection of wines, or you can bring your own and store the bottles, in a locked area with a personalized plaque, as you might on the island of Sicily.

We were here for lunch one day. We could have also ordered brunch (they just started offering brunch on weekends in June, possibly to coincide with the above mentioned World Cup Games.)

Artichoke soup. Made from scratch. Not heavy (no cream layer stuck to your tongue). Lemony and with a bit of heat (jalapeño juice maybe was in it). Excellent and made in house. There is always a great minestrone, I do like trying the soups. The island of Sicily has a subtropical climate and artichokes and eggplant and citrus are easily grown. Most Sicilian dishes are vegetable and seafood based).

A few pieces of garlic bread were brought out- The garlic was complimentary to the soup taste.

I ordered the Classic Antipasto for my meal. Red and green lettuces, fresh pickled mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, olives and rolled mortadella, salami and provolone. This was just the right amount of food for me at lunch. The house made olive oil, balsamic and herb salad dressing (also with a bit of peppery heat) is just right.

The Mister could not decide, but knew he wanted a baked pasta dish and chose the half ravioli half cheese manicotti with the marinara sauce ($14.99). The pastas were tender, house made. The manicotti were very much like crepes and filled with a combination of mozarella, ricotta and romano cheeses. The ravioli were large and overfilled. The marinara sauce, also house made, was very rich in tomato flavor and had just a touch of red pepper heat in it.

You need reservations on Friday and Saturday nights to eat here. It gets very crowded. Because it is good. There are plenty of Italian Restaurants in this part of El Cajon. This is one of the best.

Taste of Italy 2515 Jamacha Road El Cajon 92019 (Rancho San Diego-in the Ralphs/Michael's mall, across from the mall with the movie theaters) (619)660-6300 Website

Pho Tay Do

July 26, 2010 mmm-yoso Pho

*** Pho Tay Do is now Pho DaKao and Grill

Weather sure has been a roller coaster ride the last couple of weeks. Roasting hot one weekend, gloomy the next, and even a day when it sprinkled, in July! Mornings have been on the chilly side, then the sun will break through the marine layer, and we'll have bright sunshine during the afternoons. On a recent weekend morning it was cool enough for me to consider having some Pho. I'd recently received an email from "DavidL" who mentioned that Pho Thanh, right before 54th and University was under "new management". Now, I don't recall ever getting emails from DavidL, so of course I wondered if he was part of the "new management"? However, it was a very nice, email, short, sweet, and to the point, so I figured, why not…….

Other then the sign, the place look basically the same. And I was greeted immediately as I entered. I was given a menu, and water was immediately delivered to my table. I recalled that Pho Thanh had pretty decent service with regards to Pho restaurants, and so far it was going fairly well.

I had my sights set on Pho, but was waylaid on the way to my table by a gentleman digging into a decent looking bowl of Bun Mang Vit – Duck and Bamboo Shoot Noodle Soup ($7.45), and I decided to go with that.

This was a fairly nice looking Bun Mang Vit……

The soup itself was fairly mild, not enough bamboo to add that nice earthiness to the soup I enjoy. It had a decent amount of saltiness. There was a mild duck flavor to the soup, and later I fished out two pieces of chopped duck wing from the broth, which explains that.

I did enjoy the noodles which had just the right amount of "pull" and weren't over-cooked or too "sticky".

The duck was decently prepared, perhaps a bit on the dry side. Here they try to give you more meat, and less bony parts.

i'd say the portion of duck was about right for Bun Mang Vit in San Diego. Under the duck was a pile of mostly thinly sliced cabbage, topped with fried shallots and peanuts. There wasn't enough Rau Ram (Vietnamese Coriander) for my tastes, but then again, I enjoy the flavor of Rau Ram.

The sauce here is the same as what I recalled Pho Thanh served, sweet-salty-garlic, with a more pronounced ginger flavor than other places.

In what was a really nice touch, the young lady working brought me another bowl of sauce halfway through my meal. Not quite in the league of Chinese Kitchen, but good enough for second place…. which is kinda where Pho Thanh was.

It may not be the best, but I did enjoy my meal, so I decided to return and check out the Pho. On my previous visit, I glanced at what other folks were eating, and determined that the rare steak here is the usual very lean, and very dry top round. I'm still waiting for Filet Mignon Pho to arrive in San Diego! So I ordered the large (since it is just 50 cents more than the small), Pho with well done brisket, flank, tendon, and tripe ($6):

The garnishes were on the skimpy side, though nowadays I'm a bit more spartan. I'm not looking to create a salad in my soup. I had just enough Ngo Gai (culantro) to add some pepperiness, and basil to add a touch of the almost anise flavor that I prefer. This was pretty straight forward, low oil, mildly beefy broth. In my old age, I've noticed that saltiness affects me a bit more, so I've come to depend on the trusty lime to add a bit of acid to temper the saltiness of the broth. If there was anything that stood out about this broth, it would be the distinct flavor of charred scallions and shallots.

The noodles were in the classic "clump in the bottom of the bowl", and were overcooked and mushy.

As for the meats, the flank cuts were abundant, and pretty good, not to dry, nor were the fatty portions too tough. The brisket was in shreds and were hard to fish out, and a piece of tripe was a rare thing indeed. The tendon was too hard… though strangely, I'm ok with tendon served this way in my Bun Bo Hue, but expect more in my Pho.

Again the service was pretty good, they refilled my water without asking…..

I'm not so sure that there been much of a change from Pho Thanh, though that may not be a bad thing. The Pho was passable, and the Bun Mang Vit pretty good.

Pho Tay Do
5296 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Open Daily 8am – 9pm

Chretin’s in Yuma

July 25, 2010 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

The blog is mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and Cathy will blog for you again soon. Today ed (from Yuma) has a really long post about Yuma's original Mexican restaurant.

March 2011 update: shortly after this was published, Chretin's was purchased by new owners. While the lunch buffet is still da bomb, the menu is considerably different, and some of the old-school Yuma dishes are gone or prepared differently.

I need to go back and try Chretin's again. My last couple of visits weren't very good and the buffet seemed sparse and overpriced back in the summer of 2013. That was my last visit, but I will try to update when and if I get bck.

My favorite experiences blogging for Kirk are those moments when I can share an unlikely but incredible experience at some out-of-the-way taco stand or a tiny restaurant hidden in a blind alley. My task today is more unusual and more difficult, presenting a restaurant that almost every online poster seems to hate – Chretin's Mexican Restaurant in Yuma:

At Yelp, somebody from New Jersey called the food "Crappy Mexican. Like east coast crappy." At Yahoo, a poster who "came up on mexican food in denver co and sandiego cal" reports "fake mexican food that was just sick we did not eat or food nor ask them to re-make it or refund it." Many others agreed.

For me, on the other hand, Chretin's is like an old friend — maybe no longer your favorite person — but someone you are comfortable with, someone whose good qualities (and shortcomings) you know very well.

My first Mexican meal in Yuma was 25 years ago at Chretin's original location in a ramshackle building in the middle of an old residential district. All I remember is that I enjoyed it. Many times after that first visit, I would come to Chretin's with Mary Emma and her late husband Don, who loved the old school food, atmosphere, and waitstaff. Years later, I still eat at Chretin's occasionally, and I usually enjoy it.

These days, Chretin's occupies a fancy new building at a major intersection (Arizona and 16th St.), and perhaps customers expect the food to be the standard Mexican food that can be found at "nice" Mexican restaurants throughout most of the United States. The Mexican equivalent of ABCDE restaurants. Instead, Chretin's is a Yuma standard, serving some of the same dishes that introduced Anglos in southwest Arizona to "Mexican food" two or three generations ago. Is it authentic Mexican? Ehh, probably not. But it is authentic Yuman.

The new building is both a blessing and a curse. Centrally located, with a huge parking lot, the restaurant with its main room, side rooms, and bar has plenty of space for customers:

At the same time, 2007 was not a good year to relocate a business. And the restaurant was overwhelmed initially. Everyone in town wanted to try the new location, and numerous passers-by and freeway refugees stumbled onto the place and added to the chaos. While I have never had poor service (though I do adjust my standards to Yuma norms), I'm sure some online posters were not well treated.

But the real big whammy for the new location is the seemingly endless widening and repair of 16th St, so that Chretin's seems to be located in a war zone in some third world country:

So amid all that could go wrong, how do I have a good meal at Chretin's? Sometimes, I start with a Mexican beer (Pacifico and Bohemia are my favorites) or the first-rate margaritas turned out by the bar:

Some people like the sweeter flavored margaritas (such as the strawberry one in this picture), but my favorite is on the rocks without salt:

I also savor the thin corn chips and the decent salsa:

Though certainly not the spiciest in town, the salsa here has all the right flavor notes: tomato, chile pepper, onion, with a touch of black pepper and a slight sour tang. The guacamole is also the real thing. The puréed avocado is enhanced with touches of spice and citrus :

A truly great appetizer is the incredible Sonoran cheese crisp (called the toasted cheese tortilla here):

Even my friend Charles knows of none better, in fact, none even close. The flour tortilla is truly crisp and crunchy. The amount of cheese is absolutely perfect, enough to cover but not overwhelm the tortilla. And the balance between the mild creamy white cheese and the sharper yellow is perfect. Top with some salsa and it's heaven.

Another reason to like the restaurant are the lunch choices; you can take advantage of several excellent specials, order items à la carte, or choose the reasonably priced buffet on week days (currently $5.99).

The buffet usually has a salad section, condiments choices, a tostadas area (with ground beef and refried frijoles), mass-produced tamales and enchiladas, decent chicken fajita-style, and ample giant flour tortillas.

Just to illustrate, my friend Dave put together the following concoctions on a recent visit there:

I'm usually content to roll up a couple chicken fajitas burritos with or without extra condiments:

Other lunchtime favorites are bowls of green chile, chili con carne ($5.25), or albondigas, tender meatballs in a rich vegetable based stock ($4.99):

You can also get a lunch size taco salad – beef or chicken:

My only complaint about the taco salads is that there is not enough true salad. Both of the meat choices, beef or chicken, are flavorful, the guacamole and sour cream are abundant, the beans and cheese add their richness, but I have to give up eating when things get too gloppy:

One of my very favorite lunch specials is a single chile rellano, fried perfectly crisp, with rice and beans:

Most of the time, that chile rellano will be the best you've ever had, a fresh green chile amply stuffed with a flavorful blend of white and yellow melty cheeses, wrapped in a thin egg batter, and fried to brown crunchiness. Inside it looks like this:

Another luncheon favorite of mine is the Chile Verde burrito, enchilada style:

I have already written about Chretin's unique version of green chile stew (mutant green chilies in Yuma), but I can't resist showing you another close-up of the insides of a Chile Verde burrito:

This dish also illustrates the unique nature of some things at Chretin's. One specialty of this restaurant is serving burritos and chimichangas enchilada style — covered in sauce and cheese, making them clearly knife and fork food. Of course, I can't claim that this is an invention by this restaurant. Perhaps Chretin's version simply reflects the culinary traditions of the old time Sonoran families in Yuma. But in any case, this style of "wet" or "saddle" burrito is very common around here, but I honestly don't know why that is.

What I do know, however, is that Chretin's serves the only green sauce that tastes a lot like Thanksgiving turkey gravy with merely a hint of green chile flavor. Is this use of flour in the sauce a family secret that goes back to a 19th-century Abuela? Or does it reflect what an entrepreneurial Mexican-American family in the 1940s and 50s believed would sell to Anglo residents and servicemen? Not sure. I can understand how some people could hate this mild chile flavored gravy sauce, but for myself, I love its taste and uniquity.

Other folks are passionate about Chretin's chili con carne, tender bits of beef stewed in an old-school dried red chili sauce:

A bowl of this chili was always Don's favorite lunch, and for good reason. It always reminds me of the best aspects of the canned chili that I ate growing up. I mean that as a compliment — no chili in cans was ever this good, rich and flavorful.

The chicken machaca is a dish not common in Yuma. The chicken (boiled? Or maybe roasted) is stirfried with vegetables and it's full of poultry goodness:

The carne Asada here is also different — a thin, juicy, steak, topped with the roasted fresh green chile — a flavor combination common in Sonoran cuisine. The steak itself is tender, moist, and beefy, touched with a bit of Worcestershire marinade:

I like the carnitas plate even more. This guy could be the poster boy for carnitas. The pork ranges from crispy crunchy to moist and tender. All of it tasting of the pig. And the condiments it comes with — chopped cabbage and pico de gallo — are just perfect. The meat rolls up into two good-sized burritos with plenty of leftovers:

Also outstanding is the chile rellano dinner, pictured here, enchilada style, covered with green chili gravy:

This time made with a very spicy dark poblano:

Anyway, a person can have excellent meals at Chretin's. This is not standard Americanized Mexican food, not always what you expect, and some old time Yumans will tell you that it was better in the old location — but for me, Chretin's is a perfect embodiment of an old-style independent restaurant, a place that sticks to its traditions. I hope they are around to serve future generations this unique version of frontier Sonoran/Arizonan food.

In memory of Don Berkey. Thanks, Don. And we still miss ya!

Chretin's, 505 E. 16th St., Yuma AZ 85364, 928-782-2224

Anthony’s Grotto-La Mesa; “Afternoon For Two” Lunch.

July 24, 2010 Cathy Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

You are reading mmm-yoso!!! and Cathy is blogging. Kirk is working and ed (from Yuma) is in Yuma, rehabilitating. Ideally, they are also eating.

Anthony's is a San Diego institution of Italian inspired fresh fish and seafood items. The Ghio family has owned and operated several versions in the San Diego area for 60 years. There are still a few locations in existence (The Star of the Sea, downtown on the Bay was the "fancy" location; years ago, men could not enter without wearing a suitcoat; now there is a Fishette in the same area and Grottos in three other locations). I have posted a few other times about meals here. The La Mesa 'Grotto' location has a waterfall and cave-like entry.

A surreal decor.
And a lunch special for two for $25.95. It's called "Afternoon for Two". You can start by each getting a cup of red or white clam chowder (the best I've had in San Diego)…
or chose to share the artichoke shrimp dip.
Of course fresh ciabatta rolls and sun dried tomato butter is brought out (the soft, warm bread tastes better with the dip than the dried bread slices shown).

As my main, I chose the baked halibut with a house made milanese sauce-fresh tomatoes dominated, but the onion, garlic and white wine, along with the chopped basil mixed in made it a compliment for the moist pieces of fresh fish. I asked for the house made coleslaw with creamy pineapple dressing as my side-I crave this slaw.

The Mister ordered a plate with broiled salmon and shrimp (there are three *very* large ones kind of on top of each other), topped with a garlic butter. As you can see, he chose rice pilaf as his side.
We did also order beverages. Iced tea-fresh and constantly refilled was $2.50 and a glass of house white wine was $3. The house wine is very good.
Dessert could have been a shared strawberry shortcake or, this. We each got a cup of the best spumoni ice cream I have ever had. Our waitress told us that Dreyers makes it exclusively for Anthony's. Mostly pistachio ice cream, with whole pistachios and vanilla whipped cream…oh there were some cherries and no chocolate. This was *so* good and refreshing. Our table was by the window and had this lovely view of the lake. We had a very nice afternoon.

Anthony's La Mesa I-8 at Severin (619)463-0368 website

QingDao – Donkey and Brain Tofu (Doufu Nao) for breakfast at Pi Chai Yuan

July 22, 2010 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, QingDao, Travel

We had time to explore QingDaoon our fifth day in the city. Many of the Missus's cousins had to travel back to Shanghai and Shenyang for the upcoming work week. The Missus and I wandered around a bit, checking out the European influenced architecture……

And some of the older buildings which still stand amongst the tall business buildings of downtown QingDao.

That is not to say we didn't have a goal in mind.

I had wanted to check out Pi Chai Yuan food street yet again. There was something specific I was after here, but on our previous visits, the place was always closed.

What was so special about this place? Just take a gander at the sign….. you won't have to understand Chinese to know what they serve here. I really enjoyed the Lu Rou Huo Shao I had in Beijing, and had been looking forward to an opportunity to try it again.

And on this day, the place was open!

The first thing we noticed was that this place really, really, loves signs……. there are signs everywhere.

There was a good variety of donkey dishes. All these restaurants have similar pictures of docile and peaceful looking donkeys on the signs and menus…… it almost makes me feel bad about eating them…. almost.

The Missus placed our order, and one of the little dishes from this table made its way to us.

What I remember the best were the slices of green daikon radish….. very crisp and a bit sweeter than ripe radish.

A bowl of good bean paste was placed on the table as well.

Along with bowls of a clear broth, which I'm assuming was donkey soup. It was fairly bland.

And my very own plate of Equus africanus asinus…….

Along with some "pancakes" for wrapping…. a la duck style……

There's a famous saying; "tian shang long rou, di shang lu rou" (天上龙肉，地上驴肉上), translated as "dragon meat in heaven, donkey meat on earth." And as far as I'm concerned, you can have your dragon meat….. I'll take the slightly sweet, vermilion colored donkey meat. The meat can be pretty tough, and in this case it was a tad drier than what I had in Beijing, but I loved the flavor. The tendon also has a unique flavor, slightly more gamey then beef tendon.

The Missus went with a already wrapped version….

Think of it as a donkey burrito…… or perhaps an a$$ burrito??? It sure didn't taste like, ummm….. well, you know.

While walking back to Zhongshan Lu, we passed this tiny place which was doing some brisk business.

The Missus was intrigued, and walked up to the window in the back of the dining area.

This little shop specialized in Doufu Nao – Brain Tofu. This traditional dish uses a silken tofu, that sorts of looks like grey matter, with a creamy texture like brains as well.

This was really bland……. the Missus had never really liked Doufu Nao, but thought that perhaps time had changed Her opinion. It hadn't….. it's really not to our taste.

The stuffed fried bread, though, was another story……

Stuffed with pickled daikon and scallions, the crust was light and crisp, and it had a decent amount of salt as well.

It was very good. And even though we didn't care for the tofu, the overall price of the Doufu Nao and the bread was 7 yuan…… a tad over a buck.

We left satisfied, and ready for the rest of the day…… and it was to be another pretty busy day!

Wa Okan- for lunch

July 21, 2010 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. This is a post about a lunch Cathy and The Mister enjoyed, while Kirk was working and ed (from Yuma) was recovering (from his broken arm) (in Yuma).

This weekend was another scorcher and apparently filled with events around town. Every establishment that had air conditioning was crowded. The Mister and I had heard that Okan was now serving lunch and we decided we would try to get in there, and if we couldn't, we could always get something at Nijiya, right next door.

Kirk has posted about Okan a few times, even with a post of mostly photos and this is one of a handful of places where Kirk, ed and I have had a meal together.

The entire lunch menu is posted on the Sandwich board out front, but is also on the hand written menu you get when you sit down and are automatically served a cup of cold tea (no ice, just chilled strong brewed tea).
You can order just a "set" for $6.50 This consists of three "tapas"/appetizers (from left, cold Kambucha squash, a silk tofu based spinach carrot salad and a chiled cooked white sweet potato), light pickled vegetables in the center and brown rice with seaweed and a miso soup
Which has a nice amount of chopped vegetables in it.
For an additional $3.50, The Mister chose "ginger pork", which, as you can see, is pork belly, which was cooked in a light ginger sauce and served with the sliced cabbage topped with a kind of ponzu sauce.
For $4, I chose the broiled salmon (which was served with an edge of crispy skin) on a vegetable ragout of sauteed red and yellow peppers, onion and tomatoes.

There was one other possible 'add in' for $4 this day, fried flounder in a ponzu sauce. The menu at lunch is limited, as it would be at home. Cash only at lunch time.

An excellent, tasty and pretty darn healthy lunch in the small ( 16 chairs at tables and 15 chairs at the bar) Homestyle Japanese restaurant in the corner of the mall.

Wa Dining OKAN 3860 Convoy Street, Suite 110, San Diego 92111 (858)279-0941

Lunch M-Sat 11:30-2:30(last order 2:00 p.m.)

Dinner starts 5:30 p.m. and ends 11:00 p.m. M-T-W, 12:00 a.m. Th-F-Sat and 10:00 p.m. Sun (last orders 30 minutes before closing all days).

Website

Royal Mandarin reopens and Honey Pig revisited.

July 20, 2010 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

Royal Mandarin reopens:

I thought it would be fun to do an ABCDE (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) post, in the midst of my posts on China. And the reopening of Royal Mandarin would do just fine. I first posted on Royal Mandarin waaay back in 2005. Most folks who have been in San Diego for a good number of years tell me that Royal Mandarin was the first place to sell the very popular version of Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings in San Diego. These wings have become a staple at Filipino (and other) parties across the South Bay. Of course popularity breeds imitation, and now there are many imitators. By the time I held a Salt and Pepper Chicken Wing comparison in June of 2009, Royal Mandarin’s rings had seemed ot have lost some luster. Then, on December 30th, “Johari” left a comment, and a link which detailed that Royal Mandarin had burned down. I dropped by during the beginning of January, and the sign posted said that Royal Mandarin had not given up the ghost, and was to reopen in March. On April 3rd, I dropped by and found that while the place was being worked on, the sign now said the place would reopen sometime late in April. Of course I was gone from late April through the end of May, and since returning, the last thing I really wanted was ABCDE food…. Then on June 21st, FOY “Sandy” commented telling us that Royal Mandarin had reopened. So about a week later, the Missus and I decided to drive down and see how, or if things had changed at Royal Mandarin.

The front counter looks the same, and they’ve even rebuilt the divider/waiting area that blocks the view to the dining area. For some reason the interior, though it has been brightened up, with new tile, and some strange paintings of fruits and vegetables (c’mon, when you think of Royal Mandarin, do you really think about fruits and vegetables?), it still looks like Royal Mandarin. It is, without a doubt, a good example of “lipstick on a pig”.

The Missus had some concerns about the food. You see after Mandarin Canton reopened following the tragic murder of the owner. The Missus took some friends to eat there, and was disappointed. The one strong point of many of these restaurants are the fried items, and everything seemed very pale, and underflavored. After mulling theories, the Missus came up with the possible reason the food lacked color and flavor. She told me, “they must’ve changed their cooking oil!” In Her mind, there’s a vat of well seasoned cooking oil that has seen batches of shrimp and chicken wings, and like a good wok, it had become well seasoned. Actually, if you think about it…… that would be kind of scary. But since that day, we’ve called examples such as that “changed oil syndrome.” We both truly hoped that Royal Mandarin didn’t suffer from changed oil syndrome.

Frankly, there’s only one thing I really like at Royal Mandarin….. and you know what that is, right? The Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings:

I was very pleased, these were even better then the last few orders of wings I’d gotten before the fire. It’s like crack I tell ya’……… it was also crisp and fairly light. And yes, the full pleasures of salt and MSG is brought to it’s ultimate glory…..

The Missus ordered the upside down pan fried noodles which I found disappointing.

It suffered from too little “gravy”, and the noodles had a strange, almost powderiness to them. They were also too tough and chewy, and the afore mentioned lack of sauce meant that the noodles never got softer. I also can’t recommend anything with chicken that’s not fried. The Missus in total contrast to me, liked this.

One of the Missus’s favorites here, the Salt and Pepper Shrimp with Shell, was much lighter than I recalled.

The flavor of the shrimp came through, and it was cooked well, still soft and tender, and not overcooked.

So there you have it…… Royal Mandarin…. you can still get your ABCDE Fry-o-rama on here.

Royal Mandarin Restaurant
1132 E. Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950

Honey Pig revisited:

*** Update: Honey Pig has closed and is now Old Village ***

Recently, the Missus wanted some Korean BBQ. And She really didn’t want to spend fifty bucks, which seems to be the usual lay-out at Buga. We both thought that it would be a great time to revisit Honey Pig.

Not too much to say that I didn’t cover in my previous visit. The portions are about 1/2lb, Honey Pig serves Certified Angus Beef, prices run from $8.99 to $15.99 – which is for the bulgogi which is a double portion.

There’s a bit more in terms of panchan served, and the service has gotten better. All the items for “bossam” are delivered on time, and seconds are brought out on request.

The bulgogi here is decent, fairly tender, not overmarinated.

By San Diego standards this was pretty good…. not too sweet.

The one surprise was what FOY “YY” recommended. On the menu it is called “Natural CAB Finger Meat”, and reminds me, in flavor of Tsuruhashi’s Prime Skirt, a usually tough cut. In this case, it dies have a good chew, but has a nice beefy flavor to it.

The food is perhaps a step (or two) behind LA standards, but is a good alternative to the higher priced Korean BBQs in town. And it seems to be getting better everytime we visit.

Honey Pig
4681 Convoy St Ste B
San Diego, CA 92111

Wa Sushi. Small place. Excellent food.

July 19, 2010 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog which is never on vacation. ed (from Yuma) is resting. Kirk is also resting. Cathy ate and doesn't rest. She is blogging today.

Wa Sushi used to be Haru-Ya. It's in the same mall with Khan's Cave and Boll Weevil, kitty corner from the Registrar of Voters. A few weeks ago, The Mister and I met to have dinner here and it was so very crowded. We would have to wait. So we walked over to Boll Weevil and had some burgers. The other day I was really craving 'food you can eat with chopsticks" and called TheMister and asked me to try meeting here again. We were lucky: there were empty tables. We noticed the sign out front "All sushi and rolls 40% off". We ordered from the regular menu. The Mister's meal came with an excellent -not salty- miso soup.
We ordered the Japanese cucumber salad($3). Crunchy cucumber, marinated with sweet (sugar) and a light vinegar, this was

excellent. I ordered the Assorted fish salad ($13). This is essentially chirashi, but sliced. Usually chirashi pieces seemto be leftovers and chunks of fish. A large amount of *very fresh* sliced tuna, albacore, salmon, yellowtail on top of mosty iceberg lettuce with a light, soy-ginger dressing. Those 'crunchies' on top are fried pumpkin and very tasty.
The Mister ordered the KinTara Misoyaki ($14). Sea bass, marinated in miso, cooked until the skin was crispy but the fish stayed beautifully moist and flavored delicately with miso. The spring rolls were vegetable filled and fried properly, a light crisp, the California roll was made with real crab. The rice, salad and pickles were all fresh and tasty.

We were almost done and still had the menu on the table and the "40% off all rolls and sushi" sign still had us thinking. So we ordered the "veggie roll" ($7 regular price). Asparagus, avocado, cucumber, cabbage, carrot, fried tofu skin, surrounded with rice and wrapped with soy paper instead of seaweed. An excellent dessert for us. Total bill was $40.55 ($1.50 each for hot green tea, refilled constantly.)

Wa Sushi 9340 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard, Suite 8, San Diego 92123 (858) 569-9595

QingDao: Dinner at Sixth Aunt’s

July 18, 2010 mmm-yoso China, Cooking, Memorable Meals, QingDao, Travel

Our day which started with breakfast at Pi Chai Yuan, the Wedding Banquet for lunch, was not quite done. After a visit at Fourth Aunt's son, the only boy cousin's very nice home, we arrived at Sixth Aunt's for dinner. While some of the younger members of the family got a well deserved break.

Sixth Uncle, the artistic one, gave us a "tour" of sorts of his collection of various works. One of his many talents is woodworking, which is displayed through out the condo.

All of the ornamental lattice work, paneling, and doors had been created by his hands.

Barely having the ability to draw "stick figures" I admire hand crafted work of any kind. Sixth Uncle also has an eye for form and function, as he displayed with a rock he found and polished.

His keen eye discerned the resemblance to a traditional drinking vessel, so he carved a base, and mounted the stone. and there's the stone that looked like a drinking bottle……

Along with the article he helped research on the evolution of Chinese writing, those were two of the most impressive items I recalled.

It's no wonder that their daughter teaches art…….

One quick thing about hospitality in China. When you visit a home, there's always a good amount of food brought out to snack on. This is true everywhere……. even after a large dinner; if you were to visit a home, snacks would suddenly appear out of nowhere. It's just the proper thing to do……

By now the entire family understood my interest in food…… there are folks here in the states who find my interests strange. But here, it was accepted….. good local food is appreciated. There were more then a few times when the Missus was told that, "we feel bad that 柯克 cannot get good food like this in America!". Of course I snuck into the kitchen to see what was on the menu….

The razor clams really got my attention……

Soon enough, dinner started, and we gathered around the table.

One real change the Missus has noticed, is the amount of raw vegetables eaten nowadays. This was a nice plate of Daikon Sprouts with a nice black vinegar and sugar "dressing", which does well to complement the pungent sprouts.

Here's something interesting. We first had this at the Pig's Feet Banquet. I really enjoyed the herbaceous flavor, but had never figured out what it was.

I thought it was some kind of purslane, but before doing this post, I the Missus sent out an email to Her Mom and Dad, and pretty soon the answers came pouring in. From Fifth Aunt, and Sixth Aunt's Daughter, I found out this is Tian Qi(田七)or Shan Qi(三七), also called Pseudo-Ginseng or Notoginseng. It is supposed to be an amazing blood remedy. In fact, while I was doing a bit of research, read that during the Vietnam War, Vietnamese Soldiers carried the powder of this herb with them as a field treatment for gunshot wounds until they got real medical care. I'm not sure if that's true or not, but it does make for a great story.

It was also during this meal where we first encountered bittermelon that had been shaved. The bittermelon in China already seemed to be sweeter and less bitter than what we have in the states, and this was even less bitter. Here they served it with honey for dipping. But to be honest, I just loved it raw and plain.

The Missus had always claimed that the crab She grew up eating in QingDao were the sweetest She's ever had…..

You know, I have to agree…. The Missus, and cousin Long Hui were just in crab nirvana. The one I ate was especially good…. it was the only female with eggs….. which Sixth Aunt picked for me. Man, this was good….. good crab doesn't need anything else added to it, no sauces or condiments……. it's so sweet and delicate.

The one dish that really got to me, was the simple braised fish. It was just a basic soy sauce and ginger braise, but it really tugged at me. The reason being, it tasted like how my Mother made fish….so it took me home. And personally, I loved this more than any fish I had during any banquet in QingDao. This was comfort food to me……

Speaking of comfort food. Next up was a plate of perfect Xiang Chung Ya (salted shoots of the Chinese Toon Tree).

The Missus had two bowls of Green Bean and Rice Porridge, and most of two plates of the Xiang Chung Ya. For Her, this is real comfort food…..

Razor Clams….so sweet, so delicious…..

There was one last big surprise. At the end of the meal, a bottle of Laoshan Cola was broken out. This Missus let out an "ooohh", She had forgotten about Laoshan Cola. I had a taste, and well a bit more…. it was really good. Great flavor, much better than the NFCS Coke here in the states. In fact, made with mineral water with additional herbs, it was really good stuff, like a good boutique cola. Of course, with the packaging, I heard that there's an ongoing trademark dispute going on with Coca-Cola.

We rolled out after dinner, and caught a cab back to our hotel…. full and happy. There's nothing like family and food…….

Say Cheese……steaks. A comparison of cheesesteaks in San Diego – Gaglione Bros., Alex’s Brown Bag, Eddie’s Philadelphia Steaks, Hoagies, and Burgers, Pop’s Jersey Style Cheese Steaks, Olde City Grill, Giorgino’s, and The Philadelphia Sandwich Company

July 14, 2010 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cheesesteaks, Sandwiches, yoso-silly

***You can find some additional Cheesesteak Shops in this post. And part 3 can be found here.

Whew…. talk about some major calories….. so maybe we should start at the beginning. At the end of last year, I was having my usual, at my… usual. That would be an 8" Mushroom Cheesesteak at Gaglione Bros in Point Loma.

I was sitting, enjoying a typical San Diego winter day…… 70 and sunny, eating on the patio, and feeling empathy with this guy.

Whom I believe belongs to one of the managers or owners of the place. Can you imagine, being a carnivore, and having to endure the glorious smell of animal flesh charring??? It must be pure torture, so I hope he/she gets some nice "samples" once in a while. The lab looked down at me, and with a tilt of the head seemed to tell me "you think you like this so much, why don't you do a post comparing cheesesteaks?" Now before you think that I'm headed toward wrapping "mi cabeza" in aluminum foil to prevent Aliens from outer space…. or other food bloggers from reading my thoughts, and am headed with a "ho ho hee hee ha ha to the funny farm." (Though I heard life there is beautiful all the time) Perhaps the lab didn't speak to me, maybe the idea just popped into my head…. but I thought it was a pretty good idea.

Thinking this over a bit, I decided to try to order my usual, and let's be clear, this ain't a "Philly Cheesesteak" comparison… it's basically a Mushroom Steak comparison. It's not that I haven't had the "real thing" though. Over a decade ago, the major vendor of the company I was with was headquartered in Philly. I managed to attend conferences there twice. I had made a few friends, and one of them took me down to the intersection of 9th Street and Passyunk, home of the cheesesteak icons, Pat's who claims to have invented the Philly Cheesesteak in 1933, and Geno's. My favorite cheesesteak of the trip was not from either iconic shop, but from a shop in the Reading Terminal Market called Rick's Original Philly Steaks. Unfortunately, Rick's Steaks' lease was not renewed, which caused quite a flap, and Rick left the market, but has opened elsewhere. By the way, "Rick" is the Grandson of "Pat" Pasquale Olivieri. It is the grandson of Harry Pasquale, Pat's brother who owns Pat's. And then there was the lawsuit… man, the stories themselves are more juicy than the steaks at either Pat's or Geno's. Let's not go into the Cheesesteak I had in another place in Downtown Philly, yuck. Oh, and I actually enjoyed the Roast Pork sandwich from DiNic's more than any of the cheesesteaks…. go figure.

Next question would probably be, "where's the Whiz?" Strangely enough, the faux cheese "whiz" was not invented until 1953. Before that, it was probably American cheeseor provolone. And personally, I'm not a big fan of Whiz…. and prefer the mild milkiness and texture of melted provolone. So onward to the cheesesteaks…..

The Best Cheesesteak I had: Olde City Grill

**** Olde City Grill has closed

I first read about Olde City Grill's Cheesesteaks in Captain Jack's post……

The first thing that struck me about Olde City was how the place looked really sports bar-ish, or just plain Pacific Beach bar-ish.

For some reason I didn't find this very promising with regards to a cheesesteak. But, knowing Captain Jack, whose large heart is only exceeded by his appetite, this place had to be good. You can build your own steak, but I chose the 6" "Aristocrat ($6.99). It's a mushroom steak with sharp provolone and onions…. and oh, the beef is supposed to be "American" Kobe, which is, I suppose Wagyu? Anyway on to the steak:

The roll was a true Amoroso, which has truly become a "marketing" thing. You see, Amoroso now sells their bread through such "boutique" purveyors as SYSCO and US Foods…. so much like how a somewhat unscrupulous Itamae can charge a Gaijin a super high price for sushi telling them the fish "came from Japan" (I've seen this done….in fact twice from a specific Itamae) when indeed that most "farm raised" Hamachi and other fish comes from Japan, it's exactly what all the other upper-mid, and high end sushi bars are selling. Back to the cheesesteak… at first I was a bit hesitant about all the "brown bits" on the sandwich, but I gotta say, it was delicious. The beef actually melted in, or was it just plain melted my mouth. I also didn't notice any cheese at first, until I bit into the sandwich and almost melted my tongue off. I do think that a bit more cheese wouldn't hurt this sandwich, and the roll could be a tad better toasted/heated, but you can't beat the earthy flavors of mushrooms, the beef, and onions that have been grilled to the "sweet zone". Captain Jack mentioned that perhaps the sandwich was not quite as messy as a true Philly, but this oozed onto my hands, causing the loss of several layers of derma….. This 6" was enough for me……

Olde City Grill
967 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

The King is Dead: Alex's Brown Bag

**** Alex's Brown Bag is no longer

We've been ordering from what many of the "old guard" believe is the best Cheesesteak in San Diego, Alex's Brown Bag for years. We've cut down on our orders over the years, because even though they deliver, we've noticed some deterioration in portion size, and I've gotten more than a few dry steaks over the last two years. In fact, I've started ordering the Pizzaiola – a cheesesteak sandwich with pepperoni, but more importantly, marinara sauce (which we get on the side) which helps moisten everything. Heresy perhaps, but a guy's gotta do, what a guy's gotta do to avoid a dry cheesesteak. I did tell myself that the cheesesteak lost something (that would be moisture) in transport, and I had to eat at the shop to actually see, which is what I did.

Finding the brick and mortar Alex's can be a bit confusing……it is located in the well known Mr. A building on Banker's Hill.

Here I went with the "Philadelphia Cheesesteak"($7.75), which automatically comes with mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, and mozzarella. I'm sure you can get it with Whiz if you really wanted it.

The best part of the sandwich was that the Amoroso Roll was perfectly toasted, not too hard, not too soft. It could also be that the juices didn't saturate the bread because, well, frankly, it was pretty darn dry. The cheese was too mild for the sandwich, though it added a nice gooey stringy texture to everything.

It's sad to see King's lose their luster, though the sandwich still had a well flavored beefy "soul", for me this was like seeing a mid-seventies Elvis, fat, drug addicted, over-gorged on Peanut Butter-Banana-Bacon sandwiches trying to strut his stuff. It's hard to settle for less from the "King".

Alex's Brown Bag
2550 5TH Ave, Suite 171
San Diego, CA 92103

Long live the King: Pop's Jersey Style Steaks

**** Pop's has closed

I've often spoken to folks about the difference between the "best", and our "favorite". We have our favorites because of a combination of factors, and on the visits I did over the course of eight months, my visit to Pop's was my favorite.

And it's all because of family…. you see, on the day I visited "Junior" was running the counter, and seemed to know every customer. His brother(Tony) and "Pop" were manning the flat-top, "Mom" was in the back. I ordered my steak with mushrooms, and had a seat. Junior brought the food out to me, and asked me how I heard about Pop's… and of course, it was through another of Captain Jack's posts. Let me tell you CJ, if you still read this blog…. you're a celebrity here. Once I told him I knew you, Junior insisted on bring out Pop to talk to me. Which is how I found out that this family, the Guadagni's used to own Alex's Brown Bag!

As for the cheesesteak itself…..

There are fliers tacked up around the restaurant telling us they now use Amoroso's. I like the crust, but the bread portion was toasted a bit too hard for me. Pop had told me that he doesn't do gooey and messy steaks anymore because this is "California, and we should be healthy, and why not have the steak evolve…. like the burrito!" He produced old photos from his time at Alex's…. can you tell that I just loved this guy?

The beef here is the most highly seasoned, great pepper flavor. Pop's was worried because some folks think the steak is a bit too highly seasoned, and Pop's gets his beef shipped in from New Jersey.

Which leads me to a photo on CJ's post. I was wondering about the beef that Pop brings in, and CJ happens to have a photo of the box…… I had to laugh. Among the ingredients is Autolyzed Yeast and Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein….. great umami, which of course, we call something else. I'll still keep coming back because the beef does taste really good…. and of course there's the family!

Pop's Jersey Style Cheese Steaks
1730 Garnet Ave.
San Diego, CA 92109

My standby: Gaglione Brothers

**** This location of Gaglione Brothers has closed

There are a few changes since my original post in 2005.

There's a hot and sweet pepper bar which allows you to pep up your sandwich if you so desire.

I still usually get the 8" mushroom cheesesteak($6.95) with provolone. It's not out of this world, but satisfies my cravings. Prices have gone up a bit, but my capability to eat has gone down with regards to quantity.

It seems to me that the bread is not an Amoroso, but a reasonable facsimile. I could be wrong, but it doesn't have as much "bread" as a typical Amoroso. It is essentially moist, gooey, and beefy for me. The provolone cheese is always totally melted, and gives a faint milkiness to the entire sandwich.

And yet, feet to the fire…. it could be that the real reason I eat at Gaglione Brothers are the garlic fries….. I've never eaten here without ordering garlic fries.

The Missus actually asked to have garlic and parsley added to a sandwich here…. and they did it! Which made Her very happy……

Plus, you never know I'll run into that dog who telepathically "talks" to me!

Gaglione Brothers
3944 West Point Loma Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

A worthy contender: Giorgino's

I had been waiting to check out Giorgino's for a while. After all they claim to make the "Best Cheesesteak in Town".

On my visit, I ordered the Mush Steak ($6.90), which came with White American Cheese, mushrooms, and onions.

To me, perhaps the best bang-for-the-buck. They use Amoroso rolls. But what really made this sandwich stand out was the pronounced garlic flavor, which I enjoyed. when the young man asked me how I liked my sandwich, I mentioned the wonderful flavor of garlic, and asked him if they use "garlic powder" which seemed to irritate him, and he replied snippily, "no… we use only fresh ingredients, it's fresh garlic." Ooops…. though it did make me wonder, if they use only fresh ingredients, it sure seemed like canned mushrooms…. but perhaps they were "fresh" canned mushrooms?

For me, the one "best" that Giorgino's has is the relaxing seating outdoors during a nice day in South Park.

It makes everything taste better…..

Giorgino's
1237 28th St
San Diego, CA 92102

It's not the Cheesesteaks that bring me back: The Philly Grill

**** The Philly Grill has closed

It's Suzanne, the Owner, who has loads of character, and can always bring a smile to my face.

Like I mentioned in this post, the reason I would return to The Philly Grill are not the Cheesesteaks, but Suzanne, and the Italian Sandwiches, which she douses with a mildly bracing balsamic dressing.

The Cheesesteaks here just don't do it for me.

The beef is decent quality, and pretty freshly cut, but there's not enough of it. The bread on my visits was from Gibaldi's and there was too much of it, too doughy, and the crust was not up to the task. The one saving grace was the addition of pickled peppers, much like Giardiniera with added some flavor to the proceedings.

The Philly Grill
2041 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

It could have been better: Eddie's Philadelphia Steaks, Hoagies, and Burgers

**** Eddie's has closed

I like the location on 30th street of this place. My good FOY (Friend of Yoso) Howie told me that even though he prefers Giogino's, Eddie's has slowly gotten better over time.

This converted house has a porch, and different rooms where you can have your meal. The menu itself is pretty large with everything from (of course) Cheesesteaks to Prime Choice (what is prime choice???…. is it the prime cut of choice grade meat, or a choice cut of prime grade meat) Rib Eye…. you can see it on the menu yourself here. Of course, it says "Angus Beef" which is a branded beef, but not "Certified Angus Beef" which is a special industry designation. Enough of that, I was here for a Mushroom Steak & Onions with Cheese ($7.75). I of course, ordered mine with provolone.

There were a couple of things that held this cheesesteak back in my opinion. First, the roll was ice cold and flaccid, it could have used a bit of heat or mild toasting. Second, there wasn't enough cheese to create a nice gooey texture, and not much of the milky flavor I want from provolone. The portion size was good, the beefy flavor rather mild. mushrooms sparce, but at least they weren't canned.

Eddie's Philadelphia Steaks, Hoagies, and Burgers
3501 30th Street
San Diego, CA 92104

And there was one: The Philadelphia Sandwich Company

What can I say other than I dreaded coming here. I've never gotten anything better than Tasty Kakes from here. And yet, this place has been around since 1979.

I ordered a 6" Mushroom Steak with Provolone ($5.84). And to be honest it was the most inexpensive of the cheesesteaks I ordered. That's all I'm going to say. The photos speak for themselves.

You can come to your own conclusions.

Philadelphia Sandwich Company
3904 Convoy St. Ste 112
San Diego, CA 92111

I hope you enjoyed this post on various cheesesteaks joints in San Diego. And perhaps you have a few that I missed. It did take me eight months to make these visits…..

Beyond the narrative, which are, as always based on personal preferences, perhaps you'll get out there and try a few of these places!

I hope everyone is having a great week!