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.
Man are we overdue for a vacation….. well a sort of vacation. Anyway, we're off in a couple of days.
We haven't made too many concrete plans. We're leaving that in other hands for some of this trip. I hope I'll have some yummy posts for you all.
As always, I'm leaving things in Cathy's care while we're gone.
Thanks for reading, and see you in a bit!
Here are a few other dishes from 777 Noodle House. We've found ourself in the area a few times recently, and it turns out the Missus thinks the food here is a good value, and pretty tasty as well. So here's the rundown:
"Yummy Yummy's" sister, "Little K" recommended the fried rice. And one day the Missus ordered the Thai Style Seafood Fried Rice ($6.77):
Other then the scalded chilies and a few leaves of Thai Basil, this would pass for good "old school" fried rice. There's a nice smoky char, and a decent amount of shrimp, and some beef, which were a surprise because there was no beef in the photo. The beef wasn't that great, but the Missus enjoyed the fried rice. The portion was large enough for the Missus to have the left-overs topped with fried egg the next day. A few visits later, the Missus ordered it again:
I'm thinking that they were out of a few items on our previous visit since there was some squid and fishballs, and even more shrimp this time around. A lot more scrambled egg in this as well.
There are of course the Leek Cakes ($2.97), worth another mention:
On one visit, I ordered the Hủ Tiếu Bò Kho (Beef Stew with Rice Noodles – $5.77):
The noodles in this was the wider rice noodles, rather than the Hủ Tiếu in the Hủ Tiếu Nam Vang. Instead of the usual reddish color of the photos, this was kind of an almost unappetizing brown. The broth was actually quite good, well seasoned, with lots of star anise flavor. The beef was just so-so, and the tendon was decent, but not outstanding.
I had initially asked the Missus if She wanted a taste, since She was still waiting for Her fried rice to arrive. She looked at the bowl, and turned Her head in disgust, but unfortunately I insisted…… and though the Missus didn;t care for the meat, She drank almost all the broth! Leaving me pretty much with a "Kho" (dry) dish. Then something surprising happened. One of the young women, seeing most of my broth was gone, asked me if I wanted more soup! Shocked I think I mumbled, "yes, just a little bit more…." When the young lady went back to the kitchen, the gentleman working the counter passed by, and also asked me if I wanted more soup! So I guess this is the usual MO….. man was this very different from other soup shops. And sure enough, about two minutes later, the smiling young woman delivered my "soup"…… and it wasn't quite "just a little bit", but an entire bowl. And they didn't even charge me for it!
In order to respect their generosity, I made sure to finish everything, making sure the bowl looked licked clean. I left fat and happy, soup making "glop-glop" noises in my belly as I rolled to my car. Just this one gesture ensured that we'd return.
Once the Missus had the Wonton Egg Noodles ($4.77):
Nothing to write home about. The broth was milder than it looked, the wontons not bad.
On one trip the Missus, for some reason ordered the Shrimp Thai Red Curry ($5.77):
Which wasn't half bad, perhaps better than many Thai Restaurants in San Diego. There was no coconut milk or sugar overload in this one. Total eight shrimps made it a good value. Even though it was ordered at "spicy", this was pretty mild. The curry was kinda weak in the complex melding of flavors I expect from a curry.
Here's the Shrimp with Stir Fried Bun Loc ($6.77):
This dish was made with a type of rice noodle also called "Banh Bot Loc" bearing no relation to the pork and shrimp filled tapioca flour dumpling looking stuff I get from places like Mien Trung. Another generous portion of shrimp, and scrambled egg intertwined with bean sprouts and a thick rice noodle which was slightly gooey, and I didn't much care for. The noodles was served with a small bowl of Nuoc Mam Cham, which I found kinda strange, as the sweet flavor seemed to kill all the smokiness in the dish.
One dish I found pleasant was the Pig Intestine with Sour Vegetable ($5.77):
I would have preferred that the preserved vegetable be more sour and pickled in flavor, but there was quite a bit of well prepared earthy flavor intestine. One item that made this a bit different from other versions I've had, was the addition of a bit of spice, there were two or three sliced Thai chilies in the dish that really livened things up for me. It wasn't very spicy, just enough to tingle my tongue.
Here's the Egg Noodle Soup with Duck Leg ($4.77):
The broth was different this time around, featuring almost a seafood flavor. There was quite bit of egg noodles in the bowl though it's not my favorite type of egg noodle. The duck leg was decently fried, and adequate, especially for the price. The duck came with a little bowl of sweet soy, almost like you'd pour over steamed fish. I actually poured some of it into my soup, which was a positive addition.
While we were eating, the Missus and I noticed a pretty large party eating at one of the tables next to us. Even though they spoke Cantonese, She understood some of it. They must be regulars because they all requested a refill of soup, which came out promptly. And near the end of the meal, one of the women, who I think is the owner came out from the kitchen. They chatted for a while in Cantonese, which ended in a nice laugh. When the woman walked away, the Missus cracked up and told me, they just requested some watermelon……. say what! The audacity…. But wouldn't you know it; as we're paying our bill, out comes one of the young women…. with a large plate of sliced watermelon. You gotta love this place…… it may not be the best, but it's a good value, and the folks here are very nice…. almost too nice. And some of the dishes are pretty good to boot.
After all, there aren't many places where you can get noodle soup for under five bucks nowadays……
777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105
Open Daily 8am – 9pm
Luong Hai Ky – Mira Mesa revisited:
While doing my Beef Sate Noodle Soup post, I decided to also include Luong Hai Ky.
The bad thing was I couldn't for the life of me find Beef Sate Noodle soup on the menu. So while the Server hovered over me in the typical LHK manner, I asked about Beef Sate Noodle soup. Totally ignoring me, the guy pointed to a photo on the menu and said, "this, this is what you want, it is good…." It was a photo of Hủ Tiếu Mỹ Tho. I said, "yes, but I'm looking for Beef sate Noodle Soup". In return he replied, "no, this is good, I guarantee it is good….." It was late, I was tired, and I knew this guy was just trying to get rid of me, so I relented.
And here's the bowl of Hủ Tiếu Mỹ Tho:
This was okay, the noodles were cooked well, and there was a decent amount of char siu and pork in the bowl, along with shrimp. I still think the broth here is not nearly as flavorful as what was served at the now defunct Convoy location.
At seven bucks, I really didn't think it was a good value either.
Luong Hai Ky Restaurant
10606 Camino Ruiz #2
San Diego, CA 92126
More from Noble Chef:
I also visited Noble Chef Chef for the Beef Sate Noodle Soup, but when I saw another customer having it, I decided to get the Seafood Sate Noodle Soup($5.55) instead.
This was a bit different when it comes to Sate Noodle soup. There wasn't a very spicy, nor pungent flavor…….the soup was slightly thick, but had an almost curry-like flavor So, if you like Curry Noodle soup….you might enjoy this. The egg noodles were a bit overcooked, and the fishcake and various meatballs were just passable.
We also recently had the Shrimp with XO Sauce Fried Rice, and it too tasted a bit odd, I'm wondering if the place has changed hands yet again. Here's another place that just hasn't been the same since Noble Chef changed hands.
The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111
A revisit to The Counter:
**** This location of The Counter has closed
The Missus wanted their Veggieburger, so I was most happy to oblige. And we headed up to Leucadia, and The Counter. This time the cheese was swiss and I had onion strings on my burger.
As much as I enjoyed the idea of putting onion strings on my burger in my previous post, I think it really detracted from the overall flavor of the burger. I think I'll go back to simple grilled onions next time. The burger was again a perfect medium, and I enjoyed it.
We also tried the Fried Dill Pickles:
The Missus thought these too salty, but I didn't think so. The pickles were nicely breaded and fried well. Personally, I'd enjoy thinner sliced pickles……. better crunch….
The Counter
1923 Calle Barcelona
Carlsbad CA 92009
One last thing……. I had the pleasure of spending a wonderful Saturday evening cooking. A few weeks back John, Peter, and Angela of Sandwich Emporium asked me if I'd like to help out with a Bentos and Sake dinner they were having as a benefit for the American Cancer Society. I was indeed flattered….. so last night, the twins, along with MrS, TammyC, and I spent an evening cooking and plating….
I was honored to be able to help put together the menu, and though my feet and back hurt like heck right now, it was a bunch of fun. It is a great cause, and it's nice to have friends who are willing to help out.
I had actually started a post called "Goodbye Alice"…. I had finally used up the last bottle of Park's Brand Kimchee Sauce, and made my last batch of Chicken Alice Fried Chicken. If you're wondering who Chicken Alice is, and what's the big deal about her fried chicken, you can read the Honolulu Star Bulletin article from 2005 here. And if you'd like to read about how much I enjoyed Chicken Alice's Fried Chicken my original post is here. Well enough of that….. this is part of what I thought my last batch of Chicken Alice's chicken looked like:
There's a certain crispy-sticky texture that the batter has. Courtesy of this:
And over the years, whenever I had visitors who asked me what I wanted…. I'd say Park's Brand Kim Chee Sauce…. boy did I get some really interesting responses……. of all the things I'd want from home, it was a second rate Kim Chee base. Needing refrigeration, I knew it was a hassle getting this for me, so I decided to stop asking…… and so I thought I'd made my last batch.
Until, on a recent visit to Marukai Gardena, I spied this:
I couldn't believe my eyes…… after making sure that I wasn't suffering from some sort of dementia, I bought three bottles. You see, I'd been less than pleased with my last couple of batches…. I still enjoyed the chicken, but it tasted a bit dated. Personally, I think people enjoy bolder flavors nowadays, and this recipe was starting to be a bit….. well, "Chicken Alice a la King"…. a recipe from another generation. Now that I had a decent stock on hand, I decided to experiment a bit. Recently. I've been updating my mochiko, and other chicken recipes replacing flour with rice flour, which creates a lighter, sweeter, a slightly more crisp batter. So my first shot was replacing the flour in the recipe with rice flour:
Based on the amount of water in the recipe, I should have known better…… the batter was too thin, and didn't adhere well to the chicken. I think I could have done some neato-Korean voodoo-Kyochon-double frying, and perhaps have gotten a better results, but I love the crunchy batter. In the end, the changes were minor. I added sugar, because I enjoy a tad more sweetness. I upped the garlic to one entire bulb. I added a teaspoon of Korean Red Chili powder for more heat, and the biggest change, to lighten up, and give me some good crispness, I added baking powder. Nothing like a bit more leavening to get things crisp and light.
Compare it to the first photo, and you'll notice a much more crunchy batter. One real serious
item…… adding sugar means that these babies will burn if not tended right. I did end up double frying. The Missus, who is suffering from PPTSS (Post Poultry Tramatic Stress Syndrome, as detailed in this post), ended up taking most of the chicken to work. And I heard it went over well.
Chicken Alice Fried Chicken revised
5 pounds chicken wings
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Batter:
1/2 cup Parks brand kim chee sauce
1 bulb galic minced
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons salt
2-1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 cups water
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Korean Red Pepper powder (optional)
Combine kim chee sauce, garlic, salt, sugar, baking powder, and flour. Add water gradually, enough 
to make a thick batter, about the consistency of pancake batter.
Add chicken pieces to batter, mix well and marinate in refrigerator overnight.
Heat oil to 350 degrees.Deep-fry chicken pieces until chicken rises to surface and is light brown. Remove and cool for five minutes return to oil and fry until coating is deep brown, and chicken pieces float.It's important to keep the oil at this temperature in order to assure the perfect crisp coating.
This is an easy one……
There are a couple of reasons why this place is our go-to take-out joint. First, we (obviously) love the food. Second, the prices of almost everything we order is below $7.25. Third, it's on one of the alternate routes home. Fourth, our favorite dishes there hold up well on the 15-20 minute drive home. The place is rather small, so sometimes doing take-out works out better as well. It does help that the place serves one of my "last request" dishes. Without further ado……
Yep, it's Sab E Lee of course. I guess now that Koby has sold the place to the staff, they've gone ahead and called themselves "The Original" Sab E Lee. And though I've been doing most of my recent postings on Sab E Lee in Santee, and god knows we adore Koby. I thought I'd just dig out a few take-out photos cluttering my folders.
If you're a regular reader, you know my "last meal" dish is the Koi Soi, the raw beef salad.
I love the texture of the raw beef. And though it is not as refined as the version at Lotus of Siam (which is $6.70 more expensive), I just love the melding of flavors, the biting heat, the nuttiness of the roasted rice powder, pungent onions, scallions, and raw garlic slices, and biting into an occasional Thai chili! I know…yada-yada-yada….. just make sure you give me a spoonful before you pull the plug.
That's not say that any of the other dishes take a back seat. Whether it's the mild sourness of the Issan Sausage, with bits of pork skin adding a nice chew. Wrapped in a slice of cabbage with a peanut or two, or perhaps a chili or slice of raw garlic, and you've got a symphony of flavors.
Or the somewhat stinky, but so savory Salted Fish Fried Rice:
The Missus recently took a bunch of folks She works with to Sab E Lee. The coworkers weren't really familiar with Thai Food aside from Tom Yum and Pad Thai. When this dish arrived, folks pulled away from the plate…. once they tasted this, you couldn't get them away from the plate.
Well 'nuff said…. I'm sure all the SEL regulars have their favorite dishes…… I know of one one Food Blogger who can't get enough of this.
While building links, I just realized that this is my seventh post on SEL….. so maybe I should back off a bit.
But man, do I have tons of SEL photos.
And not only take-out either…..
OK, enough of that……
Most importantly, I'd like to know what your "go to" take-out places are, and why. Is it convenience? Prices perhaps? I'd really like to know…….
And in case you like to check out my other posts on Sab E Lee, you can find links on our "Rotation Page".
*** Update: Honey Pig has closed and is now Old Village ***
So why have I posted a photo of Korean Meat Market, when my post is titled "Honey Pig?" Well, a couple of days ago, FOY "YY" informed me that the owner of KMM had taken over the Arirang House space, and opened a Korean BBQ. So of course, the Missus and I had to try it out.
It turns out that Frank, has renamed the place "Honey Pig", which I sorta recalled is the name of a Korean BBQ in Koreatown.
The interior looks pretty much the same; though the buffet area has been boarded up.
We walked in, and almost scared the daylights out of the nice young man busy waiting for food to come out of the kitchen. He regrouped quickly, and sat us at a table. As fast as lightning, even before ordering, dishes hit the table.
You could tell by what was brought out that this was a "Bossam" style Korean BBQ, as rice paper sheets and thin slices of radish, along with some really great tasting greens were quickly provided. In other words, you'll be wrapping your BBQ with rice paper and radish. Sesame Oil and Salt, along with raw garlic and sliced jalapenos were also provided.
There wasn't much panchan, only some great tasting tofu, and pretty bland radish.
A simple menu card was handed to me…….. just eleven meat items…..
Knowing that the owner runs a meat market, where I've purchased some pretty good quality beef before, I was expecting something good. And the menu clearly states that the beef here is "CAB", no not that CAB (and don't even think about Carne Asada Burrito), but Certified Angus Beef. As to whether he's able to make, or has hired someone who could do good Korean BBQ…. well that remained to be seen. The woman and two young men working the front of house were obviously a bit disorganized. After I placed my order with one of the young men, the other came over a few minutes later to take my order. After I explained to him that I'd placed my order, about two minutes later the woman came over to take our order. This made me a bit nervous….. but the young man who originally took my order assured me that my order had been placed. You can tell they were really trying hard, and need to work the kinks out.
First out was the CAB Chuck Flat Meat, something "YY" recommended ($11.99), which the woman brought out and immediately placed on the cast iron griddle.
Quite soft for chuck, just be sure not to overcook it….. rare is the way to go. On item that worked to our disadvantage was that the rice paper and daikon wrappers were placed in single bowls which meant much reaching over and passing around. Hopefully, in the future, they'll give each individual their own bowls of each. This was mildly beefy, and not bad.
We contemplated ordering the pork belly, but the Missus was just not in the mood for pork. So we went with the Bulgogi (portion for 2 – $15.99). All items on the menu are portioned to about .45 lbs. So three orders for two sound about right. Since the Bulgogi is a double portion things worked out right.
I think the marinade needs some tweaking as it is way too mild, but the meat was very tender.
As you can see, these aren't AYCE meatfests, but along with the greens, eating Bossam(wrapped in the rice paper and daikon) style, and the bowl of rice, we were pretty full. Total bill came out to about $30 for two.
Overall, I'd say a notch below Buga, but above places like Seoul BBQ, so it'll be interesting to see what happens. As we were eating, Frank happened by, and recognized me because I've shopped in his store a few times. I was told that they won't be doing a grand opening quite yet, since they are still working things out. He has minimized the panchan to keep prices low, though we were given refills, and were even offered more.
The meal was good enough that we'll return to see how things are progressing. Plus, since it's named Honey Pig, I'll have to try the pork…..
Honey Pig
4681 Convoy St Ste B
San Diego, CA 92111
*** Woodies is now Waldos
So…. we're sitting the car, deciding what the Missuswe want to eat. Sometimes it's tough…. I'll go thru five, ten, fifteen places…… and even though She'll say, "today's your day, pick what you want", every choice will be rejected. Finally, the Missus exclaimed, "I want a hot dog"….. WHAT….. and to top it off, "and maybe some chili-cheese fries." DOUBLE WHAT! The only thing I could come up with was tilting my head and asking the Missus, "hear that?" Of course She replied, "hear what?" "That…. I think hell's freezing over!" I don't recall the Missus wanting Chili-cheese fries since we lived in LA…. really. My first thought was our usual choice, Tommy's….. there was one a couple blocks from us in LA, and of course there's a location on Clairemont Mesa Blvd. A couple of problems, though… first, the San Diego location of Tommy's just doesn't taste right to me. Something seems to be missing. Secondly, just one whiff of the chili from Tommy's gives the Missus heartburn…..
So with some hesitance, I mentioned Woodies. It had been a while since I've been to Woodies. A long while. And in the past, the Missus hasn't really taken to the dogs, nor the fries…. But the Missus really seemed up for it. And I was interested as well, since I believe that Woodies has perhaps gone through at least one change of ownership since I last visited.
In terms of pricing, Woodies' prices have gone up maybe 25-50 cents in the last couple of years.
So the Missus decided to get….. A Jalapeno Dog, Chili-Cheese Fries, AND a Pastrami Sandwich! Yikes…. I decided to order a Diet Coke.
So without further ado. The Jalapeno Dog ($2.85):
Personally, I like the dog at Woodies, nice beefy flavor, and good "snap". The Jalapenos didn't really do well with this, a little bit too "green" tasting, and these weren't really pickled very well. We ended up discarding them. The bun is steamed, and fairly soft. The Missus was never a big fan of the dogs at Woodies, but I think time has changed Her opinion, as She really enjoyed this. Now if I can only stop Her from putting *gasp* ketchup on Her hot dogs……
Here's the Chili Cheese Fries ($4.95). I'd never had the CCFs at Woodies, so I was kinda surprised when I picked my order up.
Geeez, enough to get me to make an appointment with my cardiologist. They've changed how they season the fries here. It now has a bit more spice in the seasoning, which tastes pretty good. I like the thin cut fries…. heck, I like almost all fries. The chili, which I've always thought to be a bit generic on a dog, complemented the fries quite well. There was a bit too much cheese under that chili. We didn't finish this, but came close…….
And the final item the Missus ordered, the Pastrami Sandwich ($6):
I don't even know they bother with the bun on this one. I've never put the fing
er on why I kinda enjoy this. It's really fatty, but not greasy. And sliced thin. The Missus figured it out right away; She said the chewy texture, and the flavor was almost "bacon-ish" (Her words). I can't quite compare it to bacon, but it does have a good chew. We both hated that it had too much mustard….I think we'll order it without the mustard next time, and bring our own deli mustard.
I'm not quite sure when that next time will be….. could be another three years for all I know. What I do know, is that all I had for dinner was a couple of radishes…..
Here's the address if you want a "Woodie" of your very own. (You know I had to make one Woodie remark, right?)
Woodies Chili Dogs
4250 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117
I think it did the Missus good to get this outta Her system…
Of course, on Sunday, it was back to the "same old boring stuff…….."
When the Missus saw this recipe in Mastering the Art of Chinese Cooking
The Missus had eaten something like this before, but balked at the addition of peanuts, so I omitted them. In order to get a nutty flavor, I added sesame oil instead. So if you want to make the recipe as written in the book, you can add 2 tablespoons raw peanuts that you dry roast. The Missus thought zucchini would be pretty bland, so we bought what She called "water squash". I removed the seeds and just used the solid portions. It did add a nice mild sweetness. I also realized that this might be a tad bland so I added a bit of salt. I would also recommend that you follow the recipe's instructions and use peanut oil. Because of the rather delicate flavor, it will make a difference. Also, 1 1/2 cup of squash isn't much bulk, so I doubled the recipe, which made four decent size pancakes.
So without further ado…..
Chiu Chow Squash Pancakes
1 1/2 Cups Squash or zucchini sliced into 1/4" strips
3 Tb sliced scallion
1 large egg lightly beaten
1 1/2 Tb premium soy sauce
1 1/2 tsp Shaoxing (drinking quality please)
4 1/2 Tb All purpose flour
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp sesame oil
dash of white pepper and salt
3+ Tb peanut oil.
– In a bowl combine dry ingredients
– In another bowl lightly beat egg and add soy sauce, sesame oil, and Shaoxing
– Add sift dry ingredients into wet and combine into a batter.
– Add scallions and squash and mix until a batter forms.
– For about 30-40 seconds, heat a pan or wok over high heat.
– Add 3 Tb peanut oil, make sure the pan is fully coated.
– Using a large spoon or ladle, scoop up half the batter and pour into the pan.
– Using the spoon or ladle, gently spread the batter until a fairly thin textured circle is formed.
– Jiggle the pan and wok to ensure that the pancake is not sticking. Lower temperature to medium.
– When you can see the edges of the pancake is brown, flip the pancake over.
– Add more oil if necessary.
– When the pancake is browned, remove to a paper-towel lined plate.
Just some odds and ends for Saturday…..
Perry's has reopened:
I noticed this a day ago, and snapped a photo:
I know of a bunch of folks who have been waiting for Perry's to reopen.
Cali Cafe – not quite ready:
A few days ago, I just needed to get out of the office…. you know, one of those days. I decided to take a walk, and after reading that Cali Cafe had opened on SD Urban, I figured that a Banh Mi would be just the perfect lunch.
I recall receiving some marketing stuff in my in-box about a year ago, telling me how Cali Deli was going to revolutionize Banh Mi, etc…. So I was excited to see just what this was all about.
Unfortunately, even though the place has been open for a couple of weeks, the young man working told me that they just had coffee drinks….. no sandwiches. He called it a "soft opening". To be open, say three weeks with no sandwiches…. I think I'd call this a "soft" opening…..
I asked the young man a couple of questions, and was told that getting the bread "right" is the current problem. I dunno about you, but if I'm opening a sandwich shop, getting my "bread right" would be one of those things you try to do before opening. But hey, I'm no expert, so perhaps they will come up with something great, I hope so. Other than that, the very pleasant young man really didn't know much about Banh Mi, rice flour, what the term "Dac Biet" meant. But he did give me a handy-dandy menu….. I think the sandwiches and the prices speak louder than words.
Disappointed, I noticed that a Pho shop is opening across the street:
Unfortunately, they weren't open yet as well. I did get a look at the posted menu, which had the usual suspects; Pho, Bun, and Com (rice dishes). The Pho will run $6.25 for a regular, and $7.25 for a large. Even with the "Hillcrest surcharge", this ain't that bad.
I ended up getting a Gyro Sandwich at an old, and inexpensive standby Alexis….. $4.25…..
While eating I overheard talking about sushi…….. one of the women exclaimed loudly, "oh, oh… I looove Kinky Sushi!" The other exclaimed even louder, "yes, yes, kinky sushi is the bomb!" Choking on my tzatziki was not a pleasant experience…. let me tell you that much. This is what came immediately to mind. But I think…. or hope this is what they were talking about:
I think…..
I noticed one last thing. Chow Noodlehouse is now something called Bangkok Bistro….
That's it for now…….
Have a great weekend!
My first interaction with Spanish Tapas was in Atlanta, back in the late nineties. And I say interaction, because there is definitely action that occurs between one and the sometimes innumerable dishes that are sometimes offered. Sometimes just deciding becomes quite a feat within itself. I was fascinated with tapas that I bought two of Penelope Casas' books; The Food and Wines of Spain
A few weeks ago, we had some very pleasant weather (as was today), and the Missus was in the mood for some sangria, so we headed back to Costa Brava on Garnet in Pacific Beach.
Even though Costa Brava sits right on busy Garnet, they have tried to make the space a bit more intimate and quiet by putting up hedges as a border between the dining area and the street.
We've found the service to be good…. most of the Servers are kind of cautious and stand-offish initially, but once they figure you out, they are quite accommodating. There is one older gentleman who, once he got to know us, was quite friendly.
I've had some pretty good dishes, and some disappointments ( i.e. the gambas al ajillo). But I don't think I'd ever heard about happy hour, between 4 and 6pm during the week. There's a short list of tapas ranging from $2-$4, and a pitcher of sangria is $8.
I'll usually only have a glass, since I find sangria a bit too sweet for me. On one visit, it tasted very watered down, but on subsequent visits, it was fine…. and the Missus really enjoyed it.
There are about nineteen items on the Happy Hour menu, and I'll cover those we've tried in this post. I'll do the rest in a future post. I'm listing the items in the order of the Missus's preference. The prices listed will be the HH cost.
Her #1 is without a doubt, the Pescaito Frito (fried baby anchovies – $4):
I'm pretty sure the Missus could eat three of these by Herself. Crunchy, salty, and savory, the lemon adds a nice bit of acid to smooth out any very strong flavors. Call them french fries of the sea if you will….. the Missus loves these.
#2 Patatas a la Brava (spicy potatoes – $4).
I really don't know of too many people who don't like this. It was the item FOY Candice mentioned first when we were chatting about Costa Brava. Alice Q Foodie has this as one of her 100 Thing to Eat in San Diego. Potatoes + Allioli (mayo) + Spice = Very hard to wrong……
#3 Pulpo A la Vinegreta (Marinated Octopus – $3):
Tender Octopus, fairly balanced marinade, with a decent vinegar bite.
That's our top three of the Happy Hour items we ordered. Here's the rest:
Caracoles al Alioli (Escargot in Alioli Sauce $5):
Loved the alioli, which was fantastic on bread. The escargot was overdone, and tough as heck.
Speaking of bread….. Cesta de Pan con Alioli (basket of bread and alioli – $2):
The bread was decent, fairly light, almost like heat and eat stuff. Loved the large pieces of garlic in the alioli.
Aceitunas Alinadas (marinated olives – $2).
Yes, olives…. hard to go wrong with this.
Champinones al Ajillo (Sauteed Mushrooms in Garlic and Sherry – $4):
Much too sour for my tastes.
Croquetas de Queso (cheese crouquettes – $4):
Actually blue cheese croquettes….. very mild blue cheese croquettes. I still scratch my head as to why I ordered these. Add a couple of bucks and get the Croquetas de Bacalao instead.
So there you go……… a couple of Happy Hour items from Costa Brava that won't break the bank. In part two, we'll cover stuff like this.
Costa Brava
1653 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109
Open 11am – midnight daily
You can find TFH's post on Costa Brava here. Vicki's post on Costa Brava can be found here.