mmm-yoso – Page 431 – 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.

Road Trip: Beijing Restaurant – San Gabriel (Los Angeles)

July 13, 2010 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

**** Beijing Restaurant has closed

A couple of days after my post on Huguosi Snack Bar in Beijing, I received an email telling me about the recently opened "Beijing Restaurant" in San Gabriel. The person made note of Chao Ge Da (炒疙瘩) and Ge Da Soup on the menu. Personally, after having both dishes in Beijing, I wasn't really going to Beijing Restaurant for the Ge Da(flour knots), but to check out what else they had on the menu. Beijing Restaurant on the second floor of the strip mall that houses Green Village Restaurant on where else? Valley Boulevard……

The interior looks like a hundred other restaurants in the area, but the menu itself has some interesting items, such as the afore mentioned Ge Da. Some of the dishes on the menu, and the style of the menu looked suspiciously familiar, which I'll get into later on.

There were also a couple of what seemed to be Moslem/Shaanxi style lamb/mutton dishes. A couple of which we had in Xi'an, like Rou jia mo(meat sandwich). The Missus was pleased that there was the classic Xiang Chun (shoots of the Chinese Mahogany tree) with Bean Curd dish ($4.99):

This was prepared decently, but the Xiang Chun Ya was very old, and the usually profound flavor was sorely muted. It's kinda sad, but if you were to have Xiang Chun Ya for the first time here, you'd wonder what the heck was so special about it. We noticed that several tables of folks coming in after us were ordering this, so I figure it's not very common in the area.

As soon as I saw Lily Bulb (Baihe) on the menu, I had to have it. In this dish it was Celery with Lily Bulb ($3.99):

As I expected, lots of celery, and the sum of one bulb of Baihe in petals. We both didn't care for the cut of the celery which was too large and didn't look right for the dish. The Baihe was delicious, though, as I mention before it was rather scarce. Flavoring was simple, salt and sesame oil. On the plus side, the Missus engaged the gentleman who seems to run the place in conversation, and he told us where to get the Baihe, right down the street (an update on getting Baihe in San Diego is coming up soon).

Earlier I mentioned that there was something familiar about many of the dishes on the menu. It really looked as if many of the dishes were lifted straight off the menu at Tianjin Bistro (which I've posted on twice). One of my favorite dishes at Tianjin Bistro is the Yang Rou Suan Cai – Mutton Soup with pickled vegetables, and since it's almost always better the next day( I even had it on Christmas Day) , we decided to order it, have a good taste, and take the rest home.

After tasting this, I'm certain that Tianjin Bistro and Beijing Restaurant are somehow connected. This was quite good, very nice balanced sour flavor. The Suan Cai has a taste profile similar to Sauerkraut, and works well with the fattier pieces of mutton in the soup. Good, gamey mutton flavor without overpowering the dish. Frozen tofu acts like a flavor sponge and soaks up the wonderful flavor as well.

There was one dish in Xi'an that I wished we ate more than once; Yang Rou Pao Mo. Out of curiosity more than anything we decided to order it. When this arrived at the table, both the Missus and I laughed.

We wondered how many folks had ordered this, and sat puzzled when the ice cold, hard unleavened bread was plopped on the table. Basically Yang Rou Pao Mo is a mutton soup dish. A few "Cakes" of unleavened bread is delivered to your table. You then break (crumble would be inappropriate because the bread is pretty tough) the bread into bite sized pieces in your bowl.

Once you've broken up the bread, the bowl is whisked away, and returns covered in a slightly thick and rich mutton broth. It is topped with a few pieces of mutton, you add some cilantro, top with chili paste, and perhaps munch on a couple of cloves of pickled garlic as well. The bread in Xi'an has a nice, almost Naan like flavor. This one tasted like really bad, stale hardtack.

Here's what we had in Xi'an:

A rich and hearty, almost soulful bowl.

This is the Yang Rou Pao Mo ($6.99) here:

It was not bad by any means, but the bread was lousy, and stayed hard for the entire meal. The broth is basically the same as the Yang Rou Suan Cai, but without the sour vegetable flavor. So we basically had two almost exact soups…. which was our fault for ordering, but as a whole it was a disappointing dish.

The bread didn't soften until the next day!

The service was somewhat scatter-brained, and the younger kids who work here really aren't into it, and could probably care less about serving you. The prices are quite cheap, and the menu very interesting, so we'll probably return.

Beijing Restaurant
250 West Valley Blvd. #B2
San Gabriel, CA 91776

Open 11am – 10pm Daily

Kiki Sato’s Teriyaki and Burgers – Oceanside

July 11, 2010 mmm-yoso Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

*** Kiki Sato's has closed.

Like many I know, when I first moved to the mainland, I really missed my "local kine grindz". So finding April Hiraki-Morris's Southern California Plate Lunch Connection back in 1998 was a godsend for me. On occasion, April will send out one of "update" style emails, it's good to know that "One Scoop Mac, Two Scoop Rice" is still going strong…. for ova' ten years now! I recently received an email from April announcing that a new place called Kiki Sato's had opened up in Oceanside. I read it, but still, it was up in Oceanside. A few days later I received an email telling me I needed to check this place out. It was a "one-off" email from someone I hadn't received anything from before. This would usually set off the "shill alarms"….. and depending on interest, I'd usually just ignore. But there was one thing in the email that made me think that it wasn't a shill. The person kept misspelling the name, typing "Kinky Sato's" instead of Kiki Sato! A few days later, April forwarded an email from someone who ate at Kiki Sato's, and extolled the virtues of the Loco Moco. That triggered off something in my head….. after all, how long has it been since I'd had a Loco Moco? Which is why I set off on the 35+ mile journey to Ocean Ranch Plaza, and Kiki Sato's…. so new, that a banner still announces that you've arrived.

The interior suits the mall, which houses a Roberto's next door. It is of course, brand new, and quite colorful, and fast-foodish in character.

The menu is fairly small, which can be a good thing, and as you can tell by the "Teriyaki" in the name of the restaurant, there's a definite Japanese slant to the menu. I'm thinking FOY Dennis, being the big time Mapo Tofu fan might be interested in the Mapo Tofu and Pork.

There was a moment of levity when the very nice young lady asked me if I wanted brown rice instead of white rice with my Loco Moco. Laughing, I replied, "brown rice would kinda defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?" Which made her crack-up as well.

All plate lunches comes with Miso Soup…. a pretty large bowl of miso soup.

Which tasted pretty much like an after thought. Not that I expected anything more.

Here's the Loco Moco ($7.49), which I chose with a hamburger (you can have it with Spam if desired):

So how did this measure up? The portion size is on the smallish side, again, based on the artery clogging potential of the Loco Moco, this ain't necessarily bad. The rest I'll leave up to the "Modified Rubio" scale, which I first described here. So here goes:

BURGER: Hand formed, pressed really tight which made it tougher than it needed to be. The grind is really fine, and there's a strong black pepper component to the flavor. Still, this heads above the typical "Hawaiian BBQ" mass produced burger – 4.5

EGGS: Or should I say egg? It was just ok…. I'd prefer a softer, more runny yolk, and some salt on the egg. 2.5

RICE: Excellent, you could count every grain if you wanted to. – 4.5

GRAVY: It's a onion brown gravy, as with much of the dish, a bit lower in the sodium department . There was not enough of it to cover all my rice, and even more strange, it seemed that the rice was placed in the gravy, instead of being poured over the rice. I know, leave it to me to complain about gravy placement. Still, it does matter. 3.0

STUFFS: Plate lunches here come with both Mac Salad and a choice of a green salad or a spicy edamame salad. I got the edamame which was ok, not very spicy, but at least the edamame wasn't cooked to death. I thought the Mac Salad was very good; nicely chilled, not over-mayo'd. It could have used a bit more of a savory presence, but it was quite good. 3.5

TOTAL: 18 which is pretty good. Way above all the Hawaiian BBQ places, but still below, say the Kaloko Moco.

The service is very friendly, and I'd surely try other dishes on the menu if I lived, perhaps 10-15 miles away. As it stands, I may drop by again if I'm in the area, after all…. I want to see what the Wasabi Burger is all about….

Kiki Sato's Teriyaki & Burgers
3617 Ocean Ranch Blvd.#105
Oceanside, CA 92056

QingDao: Beer Street and the Tsingtao Brewery

July 10, 2010 mmm-yoso China, QingDao, Travel

*** I'm doing this post kinda out of chronological order. I hope you don't mind.

I've hit the same point in my conversations numerous times over the last week. When talking about our vacation, I'll mention QingDao, and get blank stares…… until I say the little phrase, "you know, QingDao, where the beer comes from." Which will, without fail, illicit an immediate look of recognition, "oooooh, yes, the beer, Tsingtao beer!" Without a doubt, the city of QingDao and it's beer are inseparable. So it's only natural, that along with "Wine Street" and "Cultural Street", there should be "Beer Street".

And yes, Beer Street is touristy, full of pubs and shops…. and of course the inevitable"public square".

Which I thought was kinda neat…….. and I really want one of these benches for my backyard. Why not the front? Well, I wouldn't want to give the neighbors the wrong image of me……. you understand, right?

I figure this place must be hopping in August, when QingDao hosts it's International Beer Festival, the largest of it's kind in Asia.

Beyond all the pubs beckoning you in, there actually is a location of Tsingtao Brewery on Beer Street.

I love the mural on the wall of the brewery which outlines the beer making process.

If you are so inclined, you can visit the Beer Museum (50 yuan), and get free beer at the end of your visit. You can find all things Tsingtao here….

I was really only after two things….. one of them was swag for my friends back home.

The other could be found in the cavernous beer garden.

After getting some "authentic" Tsingtao gear, from the source, I wanted to try the Tsingtao Dark Lager. The Missus and I shared a mug, it was fairly frothy, light-bodied for a dark beer, with mild coffee-chocolate hints.

This beer garden is also where the tours of the beer museum terminate, and you can get your free brew. And of course, folks are going to make sure they get their money's worth! I'd heard that there's no minimum drinking age in China, and this was confirmation…..

And that young lady sipping the brew looked all of 11-12 years old! You gotta love China…….

Revisits: The Original Sab E Lee and Sab E Lee Santee

July 8, 2010 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

There wasn’t too much we missed in the way of food while in China. We did miss Ba Ren, which I’ll explain in a later post, but as a whole, there was nothing we really craved until back on Oahu….. which is about when we started mentioning Sab E Lee (now called The Original Sab E Lee), and Sab E Lee 2 (aka just plain Sab E Lee, or Sab E Lee Santee).

The Original Sab E Lee:

**** This location of Sab-E-Lee has closed

Unfortunately, for folks looking for some really great new stuff….. we’ve been here so many times that we tend to stick with our favorites. One of mine, is the Spicy Raw Beef Salad, aka Koi Soi or Koi Nua. Since Kobe sold the place off, some of the newer folks will ask me how spicy I want things, which is usually an ‘8’ or ‘9’ on the heat scale. One strange thing, not eating here in 6 weeks or so must’ve thrown off my tolerance. Man did this get me sweating…..

The Missus’s favorite is the Salted Fish Fried Rice.

I was once asked by someone to describe the smell of the salted preserved fish…… the only thing that came to mind was having the person imagine what “fish cheese” would smell like. A briney, pungent, savory scent, which really gets our (maybe not you) stomach rumbling. Along with the scent of wok’d rice, it may not be appropriate for work, but it sure tastes darn good, if perhaps on the salty side.

Ok, I said mostly photos……

The Grilled Duck Larb:

The Bamboo Shoot Salad:

The Issan Sausage:

All of which I’ve covered in many posts from back in August of 2008 until now. You can find all the links on our “rotation” page.

Here’s something that I haven’t posted on before; the Beef Tendon Soup.

This is one of those cases where citrus enhances the heat, pegging it up a few notches. The soup is chocked full of tendon and meat cuts, with some tripe and other offal thrown in for good measure. I’d recommending sharing this with a few people as it can get rather tedious eating the whole darn bowl yourself. A small bowl or two is just perfect.

The Original Sab E Lee
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

Sab E Lee 2:

**** This location of Sab E Lee has closed

I gotta say, even though we don’t get ’round these parts very often, Kobe always treats us like friends. Many of the dishes are closer to Bangkok style Thai, but the Issan dishes still pack enough of a punch.

So here are the photos, starting with the Plaa Shrimp, a quickly seared shrimp salad, with a familiar, bracing, yet refreshing fish sauce based dressing. Just as good as the first time we had it.

Here’s the Spicy Raw Beef salad for comparison.

Even at a ‘9’ level, not nearly as spicy as the Linda Vista location. Much more roasted rice powder is used, adding a nice level of nuttiness. I believe this dish has gotten better over time. So which do I enjoy more…. it like asking me to pick my favorite “mutt”…. Sammy or Frankie…. I love them both, but differently.

Speaking of better over time….. on this visit, the Garlic Rice was positively addicting.

The Thai Basil is more finely chopped, which means the flavor is spread throughout the rice. More pepper is used, and even more garlic……

Sab E Lee has consolidated the Pinecone Fish (seen here) and the Three Flavor Fish (seen here), into one dish featuring both sauces on the side, which I think was an excellent decision.

Light and crunchy panko crusted exterior, gives way to moist and tender white meat. It has been perfectly fried every time we’ve had this style of fish at SEL. This was the dish the Missus was missing. We really need to get out here more often!

Sab E Lee 2
9159 Mission Gorge Road
Santee, CA 92071

Our previous posts on SEL2 can be found here and here. And some chicken here.

Cathy’s post can be found here.

QingDao: The Wedding Banquet

July 6, 2010 mmm-yoso China, QingDao

Man was the traffic bad on May Day in QingDao! Arriving in the "New City" area, amongst the huge hotels, it seemed as if everyone was attempting to get married on the same day. There were at least three weddings going on simultaneously in the hotel where our banquet took place. In actuality Third Aunt's Daughter had gotten married earlier in the year, but the families planned a banquet to celebrate the marriage, and bring both Third Aunt and Third Uncle's families together. The Missus explained this to me when I noted how calm and laid back Her cousin and her husband were.

There was a big "to-do" happening in the parking lot when we arrived….. it must have been big… because, there was Mickey, and Minnie, and other strange creatures dancing to "It's a Small World", with confetti flying in the air….. welcome to my nightmare……

M & M met a couple as their limo drove up to the front of the hotel…….

Needless to say, it was quite surreal…….

And then the Drum Team starting pounding away! A day before, we saw a group of middle-aged women, most looking like they were in their mid-fifties dressed up in bright red uniforms. We both had no idea what this was…. I jokingly asked Her if it was a "sewing circle". Turns out it was one of these drum teams. A Senior Citizen Drum Team, Mickey and Minnie and "friends" dancing the parking lot to "It's a Small World". Now I've seen it all…….

I turned and walked into the relative peace and serenity of the banquet area. This was a very nice and tasteful set-up.

I enjoyed that every setting had a different dessert….

It made for some interesting bartering and collecting of desserts.

This bottle said "white wine", but it was fire-water.

All bases were covered, even if no one in the family smoked……

I mentioned at the end of the post on the last banquet, that the Missus and Long Hui went shopping. The scheming dual decided to buy each Aunt a jacket, and before the festivities started, each was presented with them. It was a fun moment as each Aunt tried on their jackets. I thought the choice of the jacket for the Missus's Fourth Aunt fit, and looked great. Fourth Aunt was the one who coordinated the making of my suit so when I first arrived, I made sure to show her how well it fit, along with the dress shirt she picked for me. She looked, and in English said: "beautiful….." which made both of us start laughing. So now it was my turn, swooping up behind her as she tried on here jacket, I couldn't resist telling her, "beautiful!"

Of course everyone wants to see the food, right? By this time, my penchant for taking photos of food was pretty well known. Even the bride and groom pointed out the dishes I missed! You have to love this family……

The salt cured duck was quite good.

This version of cold stewed chicken was like Dezhou Pa Ji, and it was also moist and tasty.

This sea cucumber in broth was very tender.

Yes, it's whole abalone, sweet and tender…. and those strands? That's shark fin……

The Missus loves ginko nuts, so this was one of her favorite dishes.

This is a pretty well known Jiaodong Ban Dau dish – Four Joy Lion's Head.

Crabmeat with broccoli…..

And as crescendo, not one……

but two whole fish…….

And yes, there was rice, fried rice, and mantou. But it was strangely served with condensed milk, like it was a dessert of sorts.

Third Aunt's daughter, and her new husband are just the nicest couple. Both calm and very laidback, they really seem to know what the concept of family was all about. When the Missus left China this cousin was only nine years old, so She was proud and happy to see that's she has become such a grounded and accomplished individual. Most of all, they are good people. The Missus told me a story about how hard-working Third Aunt's daughter is. When she was younger, she was an accomplished ping-pong player, good enough to compete internationally. She would practice so hard and long that she couldn't make it up the stairs at night. That says a lot about character. And her husband is a great guy as well. Even at a banquet thrown for them, he is right there, helping out, he just seems to effortlessly fit right in with the family.

Tabe times two…. Tabe Grill and the Tabe BBQ truck

July 5, 2010 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Food Trucks

**** Tabe is no longer in business.

I'll be the first to admit that I've mixed feelings about the proliferation of "mobile cuisine". Part of me loves the concept, after all I grew up eating from "lunch wagons", many of which served up good grinds for cheap. And of course, there are the various taco trucks around San Diego that I enjoy. On the other hand I'm not sure that I share the sometimes cult like hyperbole surrounding mobile cuisine. Over a year ago, I made a trek out to the "OC", stood in line for two hours, for two tacos with barely any meat, drenched in sauce that destroyed some already lousy tortillas. It could be that kalbi and bulgogi tacos weren't new to me…. I recall Alan Wong serving up the stuff years ago, and I've been making bulgogi and teriyaki tacos at home. It could be that fact that I just don't have the patience, nor intestinal fortitude to stand in line for any reason, and being forced to do so just made me expect more and more. I do love the concept, and truly admire Kogi's innovative use of social media to create excitement and demand. But for me it was a case where the "Emperor had no clothes". Unfortunately, my camera at that time really didn't take anything worthwhile, so I never did a post. Leap forward a year and a half, and a group of food trucks…. of course they call themselves purveyors of "mobile gourmet cuisine", have now popped up. Along with the various emails in my inbox, there is, the by now standard arsenal of tweets, facebook pages, and so forth. I did manage to try both Tabe and Kalbiq one the same day. Unfortunately, later that day I received the dreaded "card read error" when trying to upload my photos, I had used the cheapo 4GB SD card I got free with my camera, instead of my usual SD cards and paid for it. Maybe posts on food trucks just weren't in the cards for me. I didn't find the food particularly great at the Tabe or the Kalbiq truck…. actually, I thought the food from the Kalbiq truck was just not very good. Plus, there were already a large number of posts from Dennis and Kirbie on these trucks, and I really didn't think I had much more to offer.

Then a funny thing happened…. I decided to take my car for a carwash.

Now I wouldn't blame you if you started scratching your head asking yourself what a carwash has to do with Tabe. I went to pay for my carwash, went to walk out to wait for my car, when I saw this.

Call me gobsmacked……

I walked up to the window, and spoke to the nice young man, whose name is Todd, and asked if this was the same "Tabe"…. to which he replied "yes". By now I figured it must be fate….. some other power was telling me that I needed to give Tabe's tacos another shot. I ordered the same two tacos I had eaten at the truck, and an order of fries, which I had never tried.

First up, the BBQ Beef (aka Kalbi-ish) taco.

When I had these before, they were tough, and over sauced with a way too sweet glaze. These were not bad. The meat was fairly tender, and it wasn't drenched in sauce.The "salsa" worked well with this, and I thought the addition of tsukemono as one of the toppings was a plus.

The Spicy Pork, which in my opinion isn't very spicy, was way too sweet for my taste.

One real quick note……. I'm not a big fan of topping savory dishes with fruit, it might be your thing, but it's just something I'm not fond of. I found the pork to be a bit too mushy, and there was so much going on here, like a con-fusion-ny Daeji Bulgogi, that I ended up not enjoying this too much.

All of those taste notes are just personal preferences. But I don't think you can get away from the lousy tortillas, which are cardboard like, and end up falling to pieces. I've eaten at taco trucks selling fish tacos for a buck, and their tortillas are superior to these. Maybe the crew at Tabe believes the tortilla doesn't really matter; but I think at $2.76 a taco they can do better.

The last item I had ordered were the Five Spice Fries ($1.38). I really didn't know how these fries would taste…… after all, I thought they were really going to use five-spice on the fries. But at first whiff, I (happily) knew they didn't.

I really enjoyed these, they were crisp, with a nice black pepper flavor, and even a hint of sweetness(?). But most of all, these were touched with one of my favorite spices….. cumin, which really tasted good. Go figure….

Overall, that BBQ Beef taco was pretty good, and I really enjoyed those fries. Plus my car was nice and clean…… so I did leave Happy Car Wash, fairly happy, or at the least content.

About a week later, I was in the Little Italy area, and lo' and behold, it was the Tabe BBQ truck. After my last visit, I decided to stop and grab some tacos.

I passed on the pork this time around, and went with the BBQ Beef and a Fish Taco.

Egads, fruit again, this time topping the fish taco. It is easy enough to remove…….

Like Dennis, I found the fish portion to be on the small side. It was pretty much lost in all the produce. I pulled out a piece of the fish and ate it…. tastewise it was pretty good. Just too little fish for too much taco…..

I wanted to try the beef yet again.

I found these to be decently tender, but like my first visit, the glaze just made it too sweet for my taste. I think next time, I'll tell them to forgo that extra shot of sauce I believe they add at the end.

Yes, you heard it right…. they'll be a next time. Mainly because of this:

When I walked up to the truck, "Todd" recognized me. We chatted briefly, and I mentioned that I really enjoyed his fries. My two tacos strangely arrived in a large styrofoam container, instead of those little "boats"…. Todd had included some fries for me…. because I enjoyed them so much. I've often said that I understand the difference between "favorite" and "best". Your favorite (fill in the blanks) may not be the one you consider to be the best, and I respect that. There are other factors that make your favorite burger joint/bar/sushi bar/pizza palace, that number one place on your list. And right now, I can easily say Tabe is my favorite Gourmet Taco Truck.

Tabe Grill
3690 Murphy Canyon Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Tabe BBQ Truck – various locations

QingDao: An abundance of seafood

July 4, 2010 mmm-yoso China, Markets & Grocers, QingDao, Seafood, Travel

I was looking through my QingDao photos, and noticed just how many of them were of tanks of seafood.

Walking around QingDao you just can't avoid the tanks and buckets of seafood. This one is at one end of Pi Chai Yuan, downtown QingDao's food street:

Every large restaurant has tanks of live fish and seafood. Some of which are very large.

The smaller restaurants, like those near to QingDao Bay have tubs of seafood out for potential customers to check out.

There's quite a variety…. want razor clams? No problem.

The Missus did tell me that it's not quite like when She was growing up. She has told me stories of mantis shrimp being sold from giant piles on the street. I was told that there's a greater variety available nowadays.

Locals are very discerning, which is why, for example, you'll always see the crab displayed this way where the locals shop.

The females are much more desirable, since there's the possibility that they'll be carrying eggs. The odds become better during the fall, though there are those who can tell by just one look.

I had wanted to call this post "水果海" but the Missus told me that no one would understand the term "fruits of the sea" in Mandarin. I will say that the waters around QingDao is without a doubt fruitful, it is shellfish heaven. Which takes me back to a quote in my first post on our visit to QingDao, where I was told "Oh, man, you're going to love the seafood…. you're going to looooove the seafood!"

That's all for today………

I hope everyone is having a great Fourth of July long weekend!

Los Manjares de Pepe in Yuma: World Famous in Arizona

July 2, 2010 ed fromyuma Mexican Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Like you folks, I look forward to Kirk and Cathy's food-driven forays around SD, and I await Kirk's next travel post. Today, though, it's just me, ed (from Yuma) writing.

Three years ago, I first posted about Yuma's best Mexican (oh heck, best overall) restaurant for readers here at ymm-yoso, so why another post about Pepe's? It's certainly not because the restaurant has moved to some new fancy location. It's still in an old house on 8th St:

It's not because the food has gotten any worse — or better. The pozole is still righteous:

The guacamole is still first-rate:

And the consistently spicy salsa is still one of the best in town:

In fact, Los Manjares was recently named one of Arizona's 10 best Mexican restaurants by the travel section of the Arizona Republic, and Arizona Highways Magazine said it was one of the 25 best restaurants in the entire state. Of course, all you yosoers knew how good it was already. The title of this post reflects this recognition — and because I was reminded of a sign I saw years ago: "World Famous on the Oregon Coast."

So I am doing this post because I keep eating at los Manjares and taking pictures of the food. I just can't help myself.

As before, some of the best things at the restaurant are specials, which are available only on certain days or when Pepe feels like cooking them. For example, the chicken soup is rich and full of vegetables:

And you always get at least two pieces of chicken on the bone:

Another winner is the traditional Jaliscan dish, carne en su jugo (meat in its broth):

Served in a bowl, the tender chunks of beef, the flavorful pieces of bacon, and the pinto beans all contribute to make this yo-so good. The flavor is enhanced by the condiments:

Sometimes I eat it like a soup, but other times I combine goodies from the bowl and make a taco:

While Yuma is not known for moles, even the chicken mole is better than any other that I have had in a restaurant in town:

Yet Los Manjares is more than just the daily specials. Numerous great dishes are featured regularly on the menu. The potato tacos, mashed potatoes rolled in corn tortillas and deep-fried are done very well here:

I was even more surprised that time I ordered sopes, a dish I rarely like. At Pepe's this order of griddled corn cakes tastes as good as it looks:

Each of the patties is topped with grilled chicken, lettuce, chopped tomato, guacamole sauce, crema, and cheese. Add a little of the great house salsa and the taste is heavenly and the textures are complex and satisfying.

The kitchen's technique also raises some mundane dishes to new heights. For example, look at the char on this machaca:

Similarly, this order of chicken fajitas has been singed, charred, and even slightly burnt:

In fact, that particular plate may have been too aggressively grilled even for my tastes.

In general, I have liked almost everything I have ever been served at this restaurant. Two of my favorites deserve special mention. Pork in tomatillo sauce (also called Pepe's special) is a dish I have encountered no where else and is a consistent winner at Pepe's:

The stewed pork is tender, rich, and oh so flavorful. The tomatillos do not make the dish sour in any way, but add a deep savory balance to the pork flesh. Flakes of red chile do a picante dance in the background. People have been known to take a spoon and eat up any savory sauce left after all the meat is gone (okay, I am one of those people).

Another consistent winner is Pollo Sinaloa:

The largely boneless half chicken is flattened, expertly seasoned, and grilled perfectly. It is served covered with a fresh pico de gallo dice. Many versions of this dish are overcooked (which is better, I must admit, to bloody raw). At Los Manjares, on the other hand, the chicken is always perfectly done and still juicy:

In addition to all of the dishes shown in these posts, there are several other things that the kitchen does very well, but I don't always bring my camera with me and my pictures don't always turn out the way I'd like. Also, I have to remember what my friend Chip keeps saying — "stop telling people about Pepe's. It's getting too damned busy." Okay, I'll stop right now, but somebody else has to tell Arizona Highways and the Arizona Republic to cease and desist.

Los Manjares de Pepe, 2187 West 8th St., Yuma AZ. (928) 782-2366

QingDao: Pi Chai Yuan again…. and it’s May Day…..

June 30, 2010 mmm-yoso China, Chinese Restaurants, QingDao, Travel

The Missus had noticed that cousin Long Hui's son really, really enjoyed the Guotie (pot stickers) at the previous nights' banquet. At that moment, the Missus decided that we needed to take him to Pi Chai Yuan Food Street for breakfast…. even though we had the wedding banquet for lunch, and dinner at Sixth Aunt's scheduled. When we had visited Pi Chai Yuan, we noticed that the Guotie shop was doing some major business. Since we needed to pick up my suit, which Fourth Aunt had gotten made for me, we decided to meet Long Hui at their hotel. It was a good walk, which made us feel better about the amount of food we knew we'd be consuming that day. As is typical for this family, Fourth Aunt had thought ahead, and realized that I'd probably need a decent dress shirt for the suit and got me one. Like I said before….. I love this family!

After picking up the suit, we headed to Pi Chai Yuan, which was on the way back to our hotel. Being fairly early in the morning, it wasn't as crowded as our previous visit.

But the pot sticker shop was doing some pretty good business.

We did manage to find one table, and the Missus ran into the shop to order for us….. Meanwhile Long Hui took off…… only to return with four bowls of Liang Fen.

I really enjoyed this, a bit of chili, a nice bracing sourness……. as I was putting the second bite into my mouth, Long Hui scampered off….. And returned a minute later with these!

Yes, it is what you think….. a potato sliced on a rotating peeler which is skewered and deep fried. Potato chips on a stick… the coup de grâce is a line of ketchup strategically squirted…. not a single chip is missed. Long Hui's son hated the Liang Fen, but loved these. It seems like the younger generations enjoy more westernized flavors, potato chips, ice cream, and chocolate comes to mind. The Liang Fen didn't go to waste though, as Long Hui said She hadn't had that in perhaps two decades…….

The Missus returned to the table with a plate of Guotie with two different fillings. If I recall, a pork version, and a three treasures version. I've read articles online which have mentioned QingDao Guotie as one of the premier snacks in the city.

Do you think Long Hui's son enjoyed them????

Yes, even the skin dissolving heat didn't deter the young man! The Missus had also gotten bowls of porridge for us.

This was rice with a small amount of red bean for color and added flavor. The Missus placed the bowl on the table and went to order some Lu Baozi from a shop down the alley. This of course, prompted Long Hui to stand up, and walk on over to the stand across from us…..

And grab us some grilled chicken necks…….

I thought the necks were delicious. Salty, mildly spicy, with a hint of sweet and cumin, gnawing on these were almost therapeutic…… it made you forget about everything, and let your mind wander, happily munching your way through meat, connective tissue, and cartilage. You know, I often joke about the Missus's love of sunflower seeds and chicken feet, and how the "return on investment" is really low. But I think I get it now.

Meanwhile, the Missus had returned, looked at us, and shook Her head. Long Hui told the Missus something which made Her start laughing….. it was a phrase I'd heard before. This time I asked the Missus what Her cousin had said. And the very non-poetic translation is something like this; "aaaah, we're middle aged, we should resign ourselves to our fate and enjoy ourselves."

Meanwhile, the Missus had finished Her bowl of porridge, and while I was distracted by my chicken neck (that does sound wrong, doesn't it?), finished mine as well. It seems that one of the dishes the Missus really reconnected with during our trip were the various porridges. She enjoyed these so much, She stood up and decided to order another for Her. I grabbed Her arm, and whispered, "please be quick, who knows what your cousin will get when you're gone…. I'm expecting the whole roasted pig any minute now!" And of course LH got up, and soon arrived with something that I found surprising……

These looked just like Takoyaki……. and were even topped with Katsuobushi (bonito flakes), and the mayonnaise was even Kewpie, or a very similar facsimile. It was, however, not very good, very gummy….. and like I expected, contained no Tako.

Long Hui and her son had also discovered the Haw vendor right next to us by this time, and ordered a couple of Haw drinks, and some Haw Jelly, which the young man thought was delicious.

By now the Missus had returned for Her porridge, and was wandering what happened to Her Lu Bao…… She had ordered it from a place down the alley, and wasn't sure that we'd ever get it. As She stood up, a young man met Her with the plate of Lu Bao.

These are sort of Shandong's version of Shengjian Bao. I really liked the crisp bottom, and the filling of the one I had…. pork and vegetable was very good. But by this time we'd extended ourselves beyond our limit.

There was something I picked up on during this meal…. it was how happy both the Missus and Her cousin were with how the young man took to the Guotie and Haw Jelly. The Missus summed it up for me later: "most of the generation after us do not enjoy the traditional foods, so it was very rewarding to see that he enjoyed them. It gives me hope that items like the haw jelly won't disappear and become a thing of the past." On the topic of things of the past. While doing a bit of research, or should I say trying to track down what little there is in English on Pi Chai Yuan, I found out that QingDao's old food street (i.e. Pi Chai Yuan) had been condemned and was set for demolition, when it was saved due to public outcry. If you want to see what it looked like before renovation, there's a photo here.

I didn't mention this earlier in the post, but today was May first, the May Day Holiday. And as we arrived back at out hotel, I recalled something I'd been told earlier…… if you want affirmation that China is the most populous country in the world, visit any large city during a holiday. I was astounded at the mass of humanity we walked into…….

If you were to click on the photo above to enlarge, in the background you'll see the long line of folks walking on Zhan Qiao Pier. I've read that the population of China is 1.3 billion +…. I think that "+" was walking down Zhan Qiao Pier on this morning!

What seemed even more strange…. and perhaps a bit funny to me were the folks walking down the stairway and on the walkway around Number 6 Bathing Beach….

Many of them seemed to just follow the person in front of them, with nary a look to the ocean, they'd make a loop and walk right back up the stairs…..

I didn't have too much time to contemplate this, as a a few minutes after I took this photo, a mini-van weaved through traffic, and picked us up for the "wedding banquet"……..

Stir Fried Bittermelon first with Lily Bulb (Baihe), then with Ginko Nuts (Bai Guo)

June 29, 2010 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

I've never been a big fan of bittermelon. Our neighbors growing up were Okinawan, so every so often there would be Goya Chanpuru, basically an egg – tofu – bittermelon, and pork (and sometimes Spam) stir fry of sorts. I still had never developed a taste for it. Same with the Missus……

But a funny thing happened on this trip, we had bittermelon several times, and kind of enjoyed it. I'll pass on dipping it in honey, though. So naturally, after arriving back home, we've been cooking with it.

This post is more about my bittermelon education, rather than a bunch of recipes. As you see in the photo above, in my first few attempts, I did the usual cross slicing of the bittermelon, and using a spoon removed the pith, where most of the bitterness is retained. I used to two different tricks to remove excess bitterness….. the first was salting the bittermelon, then letting it sit for 20 minutes or so before rinsing and stir-frying. The second was the blanch method, which is what Ba Ren uses, as you can tell by this photo of their stir-fried bittermelon (which is pretty good, BTW).

It was still a bit too bitter for us, however. That's when the Missus decided that we should "shave" the bittermelon. Doing so would minimize the amount of pith and for our tastes, gave us the right amount of bitterness.

I found that you really didn't need to salt the bittermelon for very long when shaving. Just ten minutes or so, enough time for me to prep my other ingredients (save one). Not to delve too deeply into the "Qi" of food, but bittermelon is considered cooling, thus folks are advised to eat it during the summer. I thought I'd balance things out a bit by adding a few "warm" and "hot" ingredients to the dish. Namely Red Bell Peppers, onion, and blanched garlic. For me this was a natural combination, the sweetness of the red bell peppers and blanched garlic offset the bitterness. There were a couple of items we had in China that seemed to complement bittermelon for our tastes. One of them was Baihe – Lily Bulb. After tasting the sweet-oniony-mildly starchy flavor of fresh Baihe, we ordered it whenever we saw it on the menu. I also loved the onion like flavor that finished with a good bit of starchiness…… onion flavored potatoes…. talk about my dream vegetable.

Unfortunately, fresh lily bulb is hard to come by in these parts. I did find dried lily bulbs (i.e. dragon teeth), which I've had in soups, and wondered how these would fare in a stir-fry.

I made sure to rinse these well, three or four times, I then poured mildly boiling water over the bulbs and covered with a plate for about 10-15 minutes until the bulbs had softened. Getting back to the Qi of food, Lily Bulbs are also considered a major "Yin" food. It is also often used to clear up dry cough, sore throat, insomnia, and restlessness.

A quick stir-fry in the Big Kahuna, with a simple seasoning of good quality sea salt resulted in this:

The bittermelon combined with red bell pepper and blanched garlic was fabulous. It's too bad that the dried lily bulb just didn't work out too well. It is not nearly as full-flavored as the fresh stuff, and the texture is too starchy, lacking that bit of onion-like crunch.

Another item we had with bittermelon were ginko nuts. I won't go into the supposed h StirFriedBittermelon09 ealth benefits of ginko nuts in this post, as they range from asthma and skin ailments to gonorrhea….. And like the lily bulbs, fresh ginko nuts are hard to come by. And when available (Nijiya and Mitsuwa has them once in a while), they are quite expensive. So we decided to go with the canned stuff…. which also needs a quick rinse, since the smell can be pretty off-putting. We also thought the addition of sweet onion would add another nice layer of flavor, along with some "Yang" to balance the "Yin".

A quick, and I mean quick stir-fry over 55,000 BTU's produced this:

Which is what I've been making, sometimes three times a week.

Along with that dish in the background (a recipe is forthcoming), this was one of the several dishes we had in China that we "brought back" with us. I guess I've changed my opinion of bittermelon!

I realize I forgot to list the health benefits of bittermelon, which is a pretty long list. Bittermelon is supposed to help digestion, constipation, promote liver health, and more recently some studies have indicated that bittermelon may be helpful in treating HIV. There are debates as to whether it is quinine that makes bittermelon bitter. Many cultures do use bittermelon both prophylactically, and to treat malaria.

I'm not sure about all that…. so can I just say that I(now) like eating the stuff?