mmm-yoso – Page 461 – 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.

The “Real” Food Court at Plaza Bonita

August 14, 2009 mmm-yoso Chains, Filipino Restaurants

A couple of months ago, our good FOY, "MG" asked me if I had been to Plaza Bonita after the recent (sort of) renovation. I said that I'd been to Beard Papa (sadly now closed), and so I'd seen the new, and relocated food court, which looked a lot better than what I remembered. MG laughed and told me, "I don't think you've seen the REAL food court at Plaza Bonita". "Where's the real food court?" Her answer, "you need to go down the escalator…it's next to Target". I asked her what was comprised the "real" food court, but was just told that I needed to go check it out myself. So back in April, I found myself in the area, it was pretty early, 930 in the morning and I didn't think anything would be open, but I thought I'd just pop in a check it out………

And Plaza Bonita was indeed very quiet, until I walked down the escalator (it wasn't even turned on yet), and just plain cracked up.

It was the "terrible trio" of Filipino Chains in one place; Chowking, Jollibee, and Red Ribbon Bakery. Of course all are owned by JFC, Jollibee Foods Corporation. At this time in the morning, it was a haven for "mall walkers"…….

Admittedly, over the years, I've become less and less enamored of the food served at Jollibee and Chowking, but I must say, that the young lady working the counter at Jollibee was very pleasant, and of course they do table service, versus the lady at Chowking, who had somehow maneuvered a stool behind her perch behind the counter…she did love the microphone though, "thirty-four…..thirty seven…."

So you can get it all here…..from the fried chicken that cooked to order, and nice and moist.

Though I find the batter a bit too crumbly, on this visit it wasn't quite as greasy as I remembered. The gravy has that strange artificial flavor, but you just can't help pouring it over the rice…..

Speaking of artificiality, is there anything that looks more like plastic food than the Pancit Palabok from Chowking?

Unfortunately, according to the Missus, this tasted like plastic food, not the best of what Chowking has to offer.

The Missus did enjoy Her slice of Mango Cake from Red Ribbon bakery, though.

So, in case you need your Filipino Fast Food fix……the "real" food court at Plaza Bonita might fill the bill………

Evening Two at Artisan: Paso Robles

August 12, 2009 ed fromyuma American/New American Restaurants, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Almost everyone likes roadtrips. Cathy and Kirk both travel, but today ed (from Yuma) wants to tell you about a dinner he and Tina enjoyed on their roadtrip north.

Tina and I returned to Artisan on a Monday night after having thoroughly enjoyed our Sunday night dinner. In some ways, we might as well have come back a year later as most of the kitchen staff and waitstaff seemed different. Only the attentive manager and our hard working busser seemed familiar from the night before.

Even the bread that was placed in front of us was clearly different: While decent enough, these slices lacked the thick crunchy crust of the previous bread.

On this evening, we had decided to build a meal around a local red wine, a J Dusi Zinfandel ($40): The Dusi Vineyards have been growing some of the best Zinfandel grapes in the Paso Robles area for many years. These family Vineyards have supplied premium grapes for such outstanding wineries as Ridge. Today, Janell Dusi produces her own wines from the vineyards planted by her grandfather, Dante Dusi, over 60 years ago.

This bottle lived up to its pedigree, and both Tina and I thought it was superb — fruity, deeply flavorful, and incredibly smooth with spicy and earthy notes. It matched the meal well.

For her first course, Tina deecided to try a California Burrata ($13). This type of cheese, based upon Italian custom, is like a combination of fresh mozzarella and cream. It is rich and barely cheesy. In her appetizer, it had been drizzled with olive oil and dominated one side of her plate:
As you can see, it was accompanied by French bread toast, smoked almonds, microgreens, and fresh slices of both white and yellow peaches. Scrumptious and beautiful.

On the other side of her appetizer plate lay paperthin slices of salty old school prosciutto: Her appetizer touched all the bases. Creamy soft and crunchy. Sweet and salty. Rich and fruity.

I opted for the herbed meatballs ($12), which were served with ricotta gnocchi, heirloom tomato ragout, cooked nettles, and grated hard Italian cheese: This appetizer was more focused than Tina's. The herby meatballs were a delight, nicely complemented by the tomatoey ragout, the sautéed greens, and the mellow grated cheese. The gnocchi were light as cumulus clouds in a summer sky and matched perfectly with the other ingredients.

When it arrived, Tina's entrée, from one side, looked like a mushroom and vegetable stirfry: The chard, king trumpet mushrooms, and various pole beans contributed a range of flavors and textures. In particular, the beans were still crunchy and the trumpet mushrooms gave the palate a firm chewy mouth feel.

The main attraction on her plate, however, was the sliced Niman Ranch hanger steak ($26), cooked perfectly — seared but left rare in the center:
It was very tender and flavorful. The bordelaise sauce was a bit salty for my taste, but it was clearly a background note on her plate.

Her entrée was accompanied by a ramekin of what I would call scalloped potatoes, described on the menu as onoway potato gratin: As good as her entrée was, I liked mine even more: This was a pasture raised veal striploin lying on a bed of creamy rich asparagus risotto, topped with asparagus spears, hen of the woods mushrooms, Madeira sauce, gremolata (garlic/parsley oil), and pea shoots ($28) . This tasted so wonderful, that it deserves a second photo: The veal loin was, like Tina's steak, perfectly cooked. The exterior had been seared, but the flesh was still richly pink. The abundant Madeira sauce was sweeter and less salty than the bordelaise. I was blown away!

For dessert, we chose the three chocolate crèmes brûlées ($9): Under the crunchy caramelized skin, each brûlée featured a different flavor of chocolate. The one on the right was white chocolate, in the center Mexican chocolate with notes of cinnamon, and on the left deep dark rich chocolate. The last one was my favorite, but we used our spoons to scrape out every bit of creamy goodness from all of them.

Both Tina and I had thought that our second dinner could not possibly live up to the first. We were wrong.

Artisan, 1401 Park Street, Paso Robles, California 93446, 805-237-8084

COMC: Stockdale’s Fine Southern Cuisine

August 11, 2009 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cajun, Southern, and Soul Food

****Stockdale's has closed

You'll be able to tell, how long ago our visit was based on the photos, thus the "COMC" (Clearing Out the Memory Card) preface. We've been meaning to return but I don't forsee that happening in the near future, so I thought it was about time I posted. Actually, getting to Stockdale's was an interesting enough story. Stockdale's had been on my list for a while, and one day the Missus came to me asking about some of those restaurants. I mentioned Stockdale's, and told Her that the restaurant was located in the former location of Papa Doc's.The Missus told me that Stockdale's sounded like a great idea, and made plans for dinner….. without me! A couple of weeks after Her dinner with friends we made it to Stockdale's:

You can tell by the "decoration" about when this was, right? The interior didn't look like it had changed much since it was Papa Doc's.

Because the Missus had tried a bunch of things with Her friends, She was able to make some suggestions regarding the menu.

Based on Her previous visit, She had determined that the Fried Snapper was the best of the trio of fishes offered. and went with a Fried Snapper entree ($11.95):

The Missus was right, the snapper was moist, the breading well flavored, it was spot on. The Missus got Hushpuppies and Collard Greens as Her two "sides". The collard greens were bland and disappointing, and I thought the hushpuppies bland, and on the greasy side. The Missus, who has never met a hushpuppy She didn't like, thought they were fine.

I ordered the Fried Chicken ($11.95). I was told that the Chicken is cooked to order, even on buffet nights, so it would be a 20 minute wait. For piping hot fried chicken? No problem:

The chicken was delivered piping hot, and each piece was fried to a perfectly. I found the flavor to be on the bland side, and the batter to be very light, but not in an unpleasant way. I had also gotten the collard greens. I also ordered smothered red potatoes, which was pretty good. I wish the potatoes were a bit softer, as some pieces were hard. The gravy was also light, but had a nice flavor. In fact, I think smothered chicken might be the way to go.

Knowing that the Missus loves Fried Okra, I ordered some Okra as an extra side:

These were lightly battered and a bit short on the seasoning, but not bad.

We were the only customers in the place during our visit, and found the service to be very warm and welcoming….in a downhome way. Stockdale's claims to serve "Alabama style" Southern Cuisine, but I'm not quite sure what that is. The location is in the corner of a strip mall off of University with there's lots of parking. Stockdale's also offers "all you can eat" buffet nights – I believe 6-8pm Mondays is AYCE Fried Chicken and Fridays is AYCE Fried Catfish, you may want to call to verify. Overall, I thought the food ok, and perhaps we'll return, but I'm not sure when.

Stockdale's Fine Southern Cuisine
6523 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92115

(619) 265-1494

Hours: Mon, Wed-Thu 1100am – 800pm
Fri-Sat 1100am – 1000pm
Sun 1200pm – 800pm

Roadtrip: Northern Chinese Restaurant – Rosemead (Los Angeles)

August 10, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

**** Northern Chinese Restaurant has closed

On our last trip to the SGV (San Gabriel Valley) it was our intention to stop by Northern Chinese Restaurant first, since I read that they open at 1030 am. We'd grab some small eats and head to the next place on hour list. But things change quickly in the SGV, hours are rearranged constantly, and when we arrived at the strip mall that houses Northern Chinese Restaurant, Shin Sen Gumi Hakata Ramen, among others, we were told that Northern doesn't open until 11am (even though the menu lists their hours as 1030am – 10pm). Which is why we ended up doing a return trip to Hunan Chilli King, whose sign says they open at 11am, but were open and going full tilt at 1040 am…..go figure!

After building up a good sweat at HCK, we went through my ever shortening list of places to hit in the SGV, and decided to head back to Northern Chinese Restaurant. When we arrived, the restaurant was fairly empty, but had a table full of take-out orders. In fact, there was a steady stream of customers picking up their orders while we ate. We quickly looked over the menu, and made our selections, which came out extremely quickly….I mean really quickly!

First out of the kitchen, in a flash was the Stir Fried Mushroom ($8.88):

Maybe it was the curse of having Hunan food before returning to Northern Restaurant, but we both found this interesting stir fry of various wild mushrooms to be unsatisfying. There was an interesting combination of textures, but some of the flavors, especially the small, hard, somewhat astringent tasting mushrooms, were rather unpleasant.

Next up was the Suan Cai Yang Rou (Pickled Sour Napa Casserole with Lamb – $9.88):

First off the good; the lamb was prepared well, great texture, good gamey flavor, nie ratio of fat to meat. The wider cellophane noodles went well with this dish. The bad: there was too much cabbage, and not enough Suan Cai, a pickled cabbage much like sauerkraut. This made the broth terribly bland. There was also a large amount of ginger cut into triangles which were bothersome, unless you love biting into pieces of ginger every three bites or so. For my money, I prefer the version at Tianjin Bistro, though the lamb was prepared better here. I had leftovers a day later, and the broth was still much too bland……

For our last dish, the Missus ordered the Xun Rou Da Bing ("Smoke meat and Cake" on the menu – $4.95):

Here we have a winna! Unlike the Niu Rou Chuan (Beef roll), this came deconstructed. You smeared a good amount of the pork and bean paste on your slice of Da Bing, added the shredded scallions, and a slice of the mild, but savory pork. Roll it up, and you have at it! As much as I really, really, enjoyed the bean paste, it was the bread that did it for me. The Da Bing was prepared perfectly, at least for me. Usually, either too much, or not enough oil is used, making the flat bread greasy and soggy or too dry and unpalatable. In this case, it was crisp on the exterior, yet pliable, the thin middle layer was moist and almost flakey, and not greasy at all.

It appeared that we had gone through the menu rather hastily, because looking over my photos of the menu, there were a few items we missed:

We were impressed by the woman who waited on us, she answered all of the Missus's questions in detail (in Mandarin of course), and displayed a good knowledge of the food, to the point of describing the different mushrooms the stir fry, now lost to posterity. According to the Missus, the accents of staff were decidedly "very Northern, like Shenyang Northern", which makes sense. The restaurant is clean, and thankfully on the day we ate, had the A/C going at a nice level. I think we'll be back for the Da Bing…. and maybe some Shenyang Fake Dog Meat????

Northern Chinese Restaurant
8450 East Valley Blvd.
Rosemead, CA 91770

Sunday Stuffs: Eddels is now Chibugan, a Noble Chef revisit, and a couple of “stories”.

August 9, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Filipino Restaurants, yoso-silly

Just couple of things for Sunday……

Eddels is now Chibugan:

As reported by FOY Toshiko. Eddels is now Chibugan.

I was in the area this afternoon so I dropped by. Chibugan is indeed open, but looked to only have four or five offerings. I had already eaten lunch, so I'll grab a bite on another day.

Thanks for letting me know Toshiko!

Chibugan (In Vinh Hung Supermarket)

10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

A COMC post on Noble Chef:

Last week, another FOY (Friend of Yoso), RossC sent me a really nice email. Ross has relocated, and said, "I now have a much greater appreciation for what San Diego had to offer". One of the places Ross mentioned was Noble Chef. I realize that I've done a few posts on Noble Chef, but I had these photos saved for no reason in particular, so I thought I'd just do a quick COMC (Clearing Out the Memory Card) post. This one's for you Ross! The "old" Noble Chef was one of our favorite haunts for cheap eats. The older Gentleman who worked the wok sure knew his stuff. The Shrimp with XO Sauce Fried Rice was great, "wok hey", great garlic (and I'm sure MSG) flavor, a touch of spice! When the folks finally retired and the new owners took over there was something missing. The "breath of the wok" was gone, and the food seemed underseasoned. That's not to say that the food was terrible, it was still decent, but having eaten there quite frequently, I could tell the difference. On the other hand there were some changes that were for the good. The place had been freshened up, the prices were still reasonable, and I detected even more of the "good stuff" (i.e. shrimp) in some of the dishes. So now, every 8-9 months, I drop by to see how the food is progressing at Noble Chef.

I will always order the Shrimp with XO Sauce Fried Rice. For me this was the dish that put Noble Chef on our list. There was a ton of shrimp, at least ten in the fried rice. It was still priced at $7.55, very reasonable.

It still lacked the wok hey, spice, and garlicky goodness of the version the old Noble Chef version. It was not bad, just not as good.

I also ordered the Shrimp with Tomato Sauce Rice, which had gone up a buck to $7.55, but you really couldn't complain based on the portion size.

Now this was much improved over the version I had on my previous visit. It could've been that the tomatoes were of better quality since there was a nice "tang" to the sauce. I counted a whopping eleven shrimp in the dish. The shrimp were cooked with much more finesse, they were tender, not overcooked. The sauce was nice and velvety, and I even detected a bit of spice….nice…..

I hope the things just keep getting better. I'll keep checking back every couple of months. I'm waiting for the Shrimp with XO Sauce Fried Rice to get back to where it once was.

The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111
(858)278-8688

Thanks again for the wonderful email Ross!

A North Park Produce Story:

A couple of weeks ago, I dropped by North Park Produce to pick-up some Feta for the Missus. As I was being rung up at the register, I noticed that the previous customer had forgotten his milk. I handed the young lady some cash, and told her to hold my change while I go and find the gentleman who forgot his milk. I jogged out the back of NPP, and saw the gentleman turning the corner on El Cajon Boulevard. I yelled out, "hey, you forgot your milk"! At the sound of my voice the guy started off at a sprint down ECB!!! Caught up in the moment, I, for some reason gave chase! A few things you need to know…..the gentleman was almost a foot taller, and maybe twice the size of me. He was bigger than Captain Jack. So picture a little Asian Guy chasing a six foot five inch monster down El Cajon Boulevard waving a carton of milk……. Dude must be in some beeeeg trouble! About a block and a half later, dude suddenly realizes that I'm just trying to get him his milk. He stops. Totally out of breath, huffing and puffing, I hand him the carton of milk. Not only is he twice my size, but he is obviously in better shape as well………. Sweating profusely, I walked back to NPP to retrieve my feta cheese and my change…….

A Bronx Pizza Story:

The fellas at work love Bronx Pizza. So one day, we decided to order a whole pie from Bronx. The place is quite close to work, so I volunteer to call in the order and pick up the pie.

I place the order on the phone, and the final part of the conversation goes like this:

BG (Bronx Guy): Name?
Me: Kirk
BG: David??
Me: No Kirk, K-I-R-K…
BG: It'll be under David…
"click" He hangs up the phone……..

David? What the heck? Did I just walk into a Seinfeld episode??? So I go to pick-up the pie….

BG: Name?
Me: It'll be under Kirk or David…
BG: No pie for Kirk or David….what didya order?
Me: A Porko
BG: We got a porko here for xxx (I can't remember the name)…..

Now I know all about the Bronx attitude, and most of the time it's all fun and games, but come on. But I decide that two can play the same game, so as I leave:

Me: Hey
BG: What
Me: No wonder Lefty's and Luigi's is kicking your …!

Guess I won't be going back to Bronx for a while, huh?

I hope everyone had a great weekend!

Chiang Mai: Food on the side of the road – Durian, Durian Rice, Mango and Sticky Rice, our Favorite Fried Rice, and yes, more Kanom Krok

August 8, 2009 mmm-yoso Chiang Mai, Thai Restaurants, Thailand, Travel

I was once told, "you won't have to eat in a restaurant in Thailand, it's all on the side of the road". Never have words rung so true. Though the scents of food doesn't waft down every street and alley in Chiang Mai, there is more than enough to keep you stuffed.

Much like Luang Prabang we quickly developed a routine of sorts. Up early, after a small breakfast, which was free at the hotel. Unlike other folks we didn't load up on the free stuff, saving ourselves for later. We'd get on our way early. On our first morning, we headed off to the Chiang Mai Cultural Center. As we took the turn on Ratwithi an "escort" joined us:

As if he knew that we weren't from around these parts, this mutt walked alongside the Missus making sure we made our way to the Museum.

He guided us almost to the doors of the museum, and seeing that his duty was completed, he looked up at us, with almost a smile on his face, and went on his way. It was pretty remarkable…..

We enjoyed the Museum, and learned a lot, but forgot even more!

There was a good collection of interactive displays.

There was one display that was a bit too realistic. We noticed this display, and kept wondering what part the stuffed cat played in the display. Then the cat sat up and yawned! I almost jumped out of my shoes!!! It seems this cat has found the perfect spot to take a nap……after all, what better than the lap of a (semi-) human????

On the way back we passed a small booth on the side of the road.

It was obvious that they made the classic sticky rice with mango, but the Missus pointed to one of the pots and even though the couple didn't speak any English, they knew what the Missus was asking about. When the young man opened the pot, the fragrance instantly hit me…….

It was the making of Durian Rice! The Missus ordered some Sticky Rice with Mango and Durian and tapioca pearls with sticky rice.

Which we brought back to our room and devoured…….

After our "snack" and quick shower, we'd head off, and grab some lunch (we'll cover that later), and do something like head off and visit a few Wats. The Missus loved the Wats, and She'd take advantage of every opportunity to ~~accost~~ talk to the Monks.

After the Missus saw this sign on the grounds of Wat Chedi Luang:

We returned the next afternoon, and while the Missus ~~high-jacked~~ did Her hour and a half "Monk Chat" I walked the grounds.

A Buddhist University is located on the grounds so this was a great chance for students to practice their English, and the Missus to talk to the young men, starting with the inevitable "I thought Monks are vegetarians, and aren't supposed to eat meat, how come monks in Thailand eat meat?" Sigh……..

The restored Chedi (Stupa) at Wat Chedi Luang clocks in at about 200 feet and is a good landmark when walking within the "Inner Moat" part of Chiang Mai. It was originally built in 1441 and was restored by UNESCO and the Japanese government. The Chedi lacks a spire because no one is really sure what it looked like. Another interesting tidbit. There are six Elephant sculptures along the Chedi, five of them are restorations. Only the one with no ears and trunk is an original.

After returning to our room, we'd head off for something to eat, often stopping off at Pratu Chiang Mai, or something up the street at one of the other markets.

There's always food in sight, and you will run into something. One night while walking up the Moon Muang we ran smack into a market, and a couple of food carts. One of which featured meat on a stick….who can resist?

These looked a spooky white in color….

OK, all the red specks were the only pieces of meat in this sausage……… it also tasted kinda strange….sour, but a strange sour.

And of course……

We could not pass a Kanom Krok cart without stopping. This Guy was busy, and couldn't keep up with demand. The Konom Krok we got was overcooked and solid in the center……it tasted fine, but was hard through and through. No molten, lip melting center for us this time.

Every evening after dinner, we'd head back to our room. But we'd always end up waiting at this stand a block from our hotel:

I'm walk over to the 7-11 (there's one on every block in Chiang Mai and Thailand) for water and some, uh, liquid refreshment, while the Missus would wait for ~~Her~~ our 35 Baht ($1) Fried Rice.

For those who complain that Sab E Lee puts too much white pepper on their fried rice and Pad See Ew, check this out. This was soooooo good…..

And of course, there's always a Durian story…… On our second night we noticed a pick-up parked alongside the road, loaded with Durian.

The Missus couldn't resist! There was fresh Durian that had been cleaned sold on a folding table next to the pick-up. The Missus bought some, and declared it the best She's had to date. So of course we went back the next night and bought more.

While the Missus enjoyed the Durian, and the Montri did not have any "no Durian" signs posted, I felt bad for the folks cleaning our rooms. I tried to ease my guilt by leaving a bit of a larger tip everyday for the folks having to suffer through cleaning our rooms.

Chiang Mai was an interesting city. On one side quite the tourist town, with a bustling visitor industry. On the other, an ancient walled city…….. with a real spirituality that we saw over and over. It was a fascinating balance.

Roadtrip: A return to Hunan Chilli King – San Gabriel (Los Angeles)

August 7, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

I rarely post on revisits of places in the San Gabriel Valley. But I hope you don't mind if I do a return visit.

It seems that the Missus has been taken by Hunan food in the SGV. On a recent visit, we decided to return to Hunan Chilli King. On the last trip, I had been almost blown to bits by one of the dishes, but apparently I hadn'tlearned my lesson. The Missus had wanted to try several items She had noticed previously, and I had one particular preparation in mind as well.

In actuallity, our strategy was to hit another restaurant first, with food a bit milder, than grab a bite at Chilli King on our way home. Unfortunately, the restaurant we had in mind had changed their hours, and wasn't open when we arrived. So it was off to HCK.

This time, the Missus decided to not even bother with the menus, but to order items listed on the colorful strips of paper lining the entire restaurant. One thing I did notice; many of the items lining the walls, are also in the menu. Perhaps it's their way of letting us know everything is good? One thing about me and very spicy food….I will sweat profusely, to the point of embarrassment, and sometimes concern from the staff of a restaurant. But I almost never have lingering "complaints" from my GI system. The Missus, on the other hand, can tolerate incredibly spicy food with nary a drop of perspiration on Her brow. She has however, known the feeling of, how should I put it….. magma making it's way to the ocean…..

This being fairly early in the morning for spicy eats, I thought some Beijing style yogurt would be a nice proactive step.

It does help that I love this stuff…..

After having the Pork Intestines with Pickled Green Beans and Chilies at Xiang Wei Lou, I wondered how the dish would fare at Hunan Chilli King since we thought the pickled green beans and the chilies were much better here. So of course, we had to have the Suan Do Jiao Chao Fei Chang:

Having not learned our lesson on our previous visit, we ordered this "Big Spicy". For some reason, this didn't seem quite as hot. Notice, there weren't as many chili seeds this time around. That's not say this was very tame….

Just as before, we love the way HCK prepares their pickles. The intestines were fine, but I thought that Xiang Wei Lou does a better job of it. To me, the pork intestines from Xiang Wei Lou, cooked with these pickles and chilies, by the folks here would be the perfect combination.

The Missus saw a Dry-Cooked "small fish" dish posted on the wall, and we decided to order it.

A bowl of semi-dried fish that had been dry-fried with dried chilies, black beans, and leeks hit the table. The fish were chewy, and you ate them head and all. In spite of looks this wasn't a particularly piquant offering. It was very fishy and unpleasant…..

This coming from a guy who has had Prahok, Padek, and various other fermented fish and shrimp ingredients. Of course, for us there's a distinct difference between savory fermentation and rotten…. at least to us.

The Missus was intrigued by a dish that was simply called "steamed eggplant" on one of the placards. Inquiring didn't provide any clarification or demystification of what that dish was. At $10.99, it was pretty pricey as vegetables go in the SGV. For comparison sake, a whole steamed fish at Hunan Chilli King is priced at $7.99! In spite of the generic description, the Missus was assured that the dish was very good. So we ordered it…….

What arrived was a surprise. First was the preparation, which was almost exactly like Hunan Steamed Fish. Secondly, we counted a total of five whole eggplants were used to make this dish. The texture of most of the eggplant was excellent; I believe it was "oil blanched" before steaming. The flesh was creamy and wonderful, though we had to remove the skin because it was hard and basically inedible. The sauce was that wonderful soy sauce-oil concoction with fermented black beans and some chilies, when combined with rice is like crack! This was the best dish of the day.

We left with a ton of leftovers……. With our next stop on our minds.

Hunan Chilli King
524 East Valley Boulevard
San Gabriel, CA 91776

House of Orchid- Korean and Japanese Restaurant

August 6, 2009 Cathy Korean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is this. The Blog that you are reading. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are busy today, so Cathy is writing.

Hi. A new place opened just behind China Max about three weeks ago and The Mister and I decided to go there for dinner the other night.

It has only been open for about three weeks now and the staff is very enthusiastic and helpful. Pretty much at all times, at least two, and sometimes three people were at our table asking if we needed anything. The owner also came over to ask us how we liked everything. Twice. The interior is neat and clean, as is the fish tank, which housed a very large, flat, monkfish when we came in. (Whole fish prices range from $75-$150).

We were first served some iced barley (or maybe it was brown rice) tea, placed our orders.

Soon, we each were given these bowls of slightly spicy vegetables and "noodles" made of acorn powder mixed with agar. See those crinkle cut things at the bottom of the bowl? It was chilled and refreshing. A nice interlude.

Soon, The Mister's 8 plates of panchan arrived.

As did my bowl of miso soup (which had a good amount of excellent tasting tofu at the bottom of the bowl).

The Mister's beef bul go ki ($11.50) was tender, well flavored, plentiful and had many onions cooked with it (which all became my onions. Yay!)(I still think someday he will change and like onions, but am getting less hopeful as the decades of marriage roll by).

My Hwe Dup Bop (Korean Chirashi) ($15 at dinner, $11 at lunch) arrived at the same time.

Five types of raw fish and fish eggs on top of some fancy lettuces, on top of some iceberg, on top of warm rice, topped with some sliced seaweed. In a VERY large bowl.

After a while, tasting all of the seafood and lettuces with the sesame oil based dressing it came with, I added the spicy hot red sauce that was placed on the table and mixed up the ingredients for a variation on thesecond half of this bowl of goodness.

We each were given small bowls of warm sweet something which had pine nuts floating in the mix. It was very refreshing and a perfect, light ending to our meals.

Service was more than attentive, with at least two (young) waitpeople coming by to ask us how we were doing and the owner coming out from the kitchen twice always asking if they could help us with anything.

The "Japanese" part of the menu seems to be sushi and rolls are 50% off. There are daily lunch box specials to go for $5.99 and daily roll specials for $4.99.

It is nice and clean, the food is fresh and good. I would not hesitate to go back to try the rest of the menu which includes many stews of kim chee, soy bean, steamed black cod,monk fish and kalbi as well as flat noodles and ox bone soup and the whole fish.

House of Orchid 4698 Convoy, San Diego 92111 (858)776-9205 (858) 277-8949 Same parking lot as China Max, behind that building.

Nazca Grill Peruvian Restaurant

August 4, 2009 mmm-yoso Peruvian Restaurants

**** Nazca Grill has closed

Lately, the Missus and I have been fondly recalling our trip to Peru. And while it's been less than two years since we've been there, we're starting to speak of our trip in that faraway tone….. Funny thing is, as much as we marvel at visiting the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu, it is the moments we treasure like walking into a dirt floor shack and grabbing some Chicha de Jora, a frothy alcohol beverage made from maize. And yes, the the fermentation process is actually started by moistening the maize in the maker's mouth. And of course it was the food, from Cebiche at Pescados Captiales, a fantastic meal at Astrid y Gaston, to the meal that was the most memorable, sharing dinner of home made Cuy (guinea pig) with a warm and gracious family in Cusco. You could say we've developed quite a fondness for Peru. So of course we were thrilled when we saw the sign for Nazca Grill go up. And even more thrilled when I noticed that the place had opened.

Nazca Grill now occupies the spot that both Aji Seco and the attached Taco Shop stood. The interior has been freshened up a bit, and in the open kitchen(actually the jerry-rigged kitchen of Aji Seco) stands a rotisserie. This could only mean one thing….. Pollo a la Brasa! Peruvians love their rotisserie chicken. You can't walk a block in Lima without running into a Pollo a la Brasa shop.

And yes indeed, Pollo a la Brasa was featured on the menu, as were Peruvian standards that would make any Peruvian ex-pat's heart sing. Stuff like Papa a la Huacaina, and those "Chifa" (Peruvian Chinese dishes) like Chaufa, basically a fried rice dish, and Lomo Saltado, which is basically a beef stir fry, featuring the unique Peruvian touch by including Papas Fritas (basically french fries). What else would you expect from Peru, where potatoes originated .

Pollo a la Brasa sounded good, but I was in search of something to refresh and revive me from the heat. If this ain't Cebiche weather, I don't know what is! We started with the Ceviche de Pescado ($10.95):

The cancha (fried corn kernals) and choclo (peruvian corn) were perfect and spot on. We really would have preferred a proper Camote (sweet potato) prepared in the Peruvian way, or even some purple sweet potatoes. The fish looked, tasted, and had the mouth feel of what they call "Corvina" in Peru(white sea bass), and was prepared well, with just the right amount of "cooking" from the citrus. It was however, a bit weak in the flavor department, you could say that the "Leche de Tigre" ("Tiger's milk" – the marinade for the Cebiche) lacked claws. It was very bland, which made this much less satisfying than the version at Latin Chef.

The Missus ordered one of Her favorite dishes, Pescado a lo Macho ($10):

First off, I gotta say this place really makes some good rice. The fish was cooked well, but again this was a bit lacking in the flavor department. The Missus prefers a version with a bit more spice and tomato for a nice mildly spicy-tangy kick. It was good, but not great.

Not in the mood for anything hot, I excitedly ordered the Tiradito Nazca ($11.95). I've developed a love for this supposedly Japanese influenced Peruvian dish. Every version of Tiradito I've had has been different. So I've come to think that this dish is a great way of a Chef displaying his, or her individuality, rather than sticking to the basic rules of Cebiche. I've had some fantastic versions, and some versions that looked amazing, but were train-wrecks. But I've never been bored by a Tiradito….until now:

When the dish arrived, the first sentence out of the Missus's mouth was; "where's the rest of it"? This tasted like the Cebiche with a bit of equally bland "crema" on it. No zing, no personality…… I was excited seeing this on he menu, as on my last visit, I learned that Latin Chfe no longer makes Tiradito….bummer.

After dinner, driving home, the Missus texted Her Peruvian friend. When She inquired as to whether he had been to Nazca Grill, he replied "of course". The place had only been open a week! That Peruvian pipeline is mighty strong. When She asked what he thought about the food, he replied that we needed to try the Lomo Saltado and the Pollo a la Brasa. So of course I returned, but this time for take-out.

I started with the Causa Nazca ($4.50).

I often call Causa a "layered mashed potato cake". A layer of mashed potato is covered with a filling, the usual is a tuna-mayo filling, with another layer of mashed potatoes on the top. This was the chicken version, which was pretty good. The shredded chicken was not dressed with too much mayo, so you could still taste the chicken. And who doesn't love mashed potatoes…in cake form. It was topped with a Huacaina sauce, a mild cheese sauce, which added, but didn't subtract from the flavor. Potatoes in Peru have amazing flavor, so I didn't even try to add that to the equation. Looking at my photo, I guess you could always say that this is a mashed potato-chicken salad sandwich, with the mashed potato being the "bread". We enjoyed this.

And of course the Lomo Saltado ($10):

A few years ago, someone made fun of one of my photos of Lomo Saltado. Specifically, the papas fritas….to which I simply replied, "you've never had this before, have you?" 'Nuff said….

This version was good, the meat has a decent chew without being tough, but I thought the dish could have a bit more ooomph, perhaps a bit more tangy-sour flavor. The saltiness was perfect. Again, the rice was perfect.

And of course, I needed to get some Pollo a la Brasa. I ordered a Half Chicken ($11.95), which came with a green salad, papas fritas (of course), and some Aji Amarilla (yellow pepper sauce).

Now truth be told, this place doesn't hold a candle to the woodburning Pollo a la Brasa joints in LA, or even the Peruvian mega-chain Pardo's. And while the flavor is not quite up to the level of El Pollo Inka, it is still quite good. The meat is very moist, soft, but not mushy. The flavor is on the salty side, but in a good way. The Aji Amarilla is bland. The fries….well, who doesn't love french fries??? The salad is your basic iceberg lettuce mix.

I'd have that chicken again. Be it ever so humble, we've got Pollo A la Brasa in San Diego.

The Gentleman who runs this place is named Wilson, who is a very nice, gracious, and accommodating guy. The service is decent, in that casual Peruvian way, and the food gets to your table much faster than at Latin Chef. There are items such as Anticuchos (grilled beef heart) and Sudado, which I assume is Sudado de Pescado, a fish stew, on the menu. I hope they do well!

Nazca Grill
4310 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Hours: Mon-Fri 1130am-10pm
Saturday 830am-10pm
Closed Sunday

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Tender Greens- a chain concept that is not cookie cutter

August 3, 2009 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog, written by Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy. Whenever we feel like it. Today, Cathy feels like it.

Hi. If you have been to Liberty Station-( the old Naval Training Center- where part of Top Gun was filmed), you have probably seen the Trader Joe's, the very cool Vons (you enter in a courtyard/open roof area and then go inside to the left for more or less prepared foods and to the right for more or less groceries- with an extensive adult beverage area), the Starbucks, Sammy's, Panera, La Salsa, as well as The Rock Church and High Tech High.

If you go to the Southern side of the main complex, you'll see on the other side of the fountain,

The overhead sign, and then walking down a long corridor, you'll see

The smaller overhead sign and the entrance door around the corner.

Step inside, and there is a menu overhead, where you can peruse the offerings (including daily specials in the center bottom portion)

Basically, the mains are either $5 or $10, with and without protein and then there are a few variables (soup of the day, hot plates, sandwiches).

You order right there, as you see above, and then walk along the line, seeing orders being made…

Varieties of lettuces, dressings, toppings.

Fresh and grilled vegetables…

and flank steak, chicken and seared ahi tuna

Everything is assembled in front of you and at the end of the line, where you can order beverages (including wine) and a choice of desserts. You pay here.

Then you find a seat.

There is an interior area and an outside eating area. It is clean, modern and there are plenty of tables.

This is the $5 baby spinach salad, with goat cheese, hazelnuts and served with a cabernet vinaigrette.

This is the Grilled Chicken Cobb ($10). It is made with Romaine, Point Reyes blue cheese, Heritage bacon (thick, large cubes of the cooked smoked, deep flavored bacon), avocado, egg, tomato and the dressing is not very garlic-y.

The plates are given to you on these -jelly roll pans, and the water glasses are just so nice.

The Nicoise Tuna Salad ($10) is plentiful, with green beans, olives, capers, potato, tomatoes and the teensy egg you see there, topped with a sherry vinaigarette. The tuna is cooked rare and is tender and very, very good, the topping on the tuna is light and parsley-oil based.

The hot plate of flank steak, yukon gold mashed potatoes and side salad (this one Romaine with Caesar dressing) ($10) was perfectly seasoned and *really* good.

Yes, technically it is a chain -possibly franchised since the website shows different menu items (especially desserts are listed as being made by someone's mom and change daily). There are only three locations (here, Culver City and West Hollywood). The food is done extremely well. Maybe when we aren't full, dessert will be chosen and included in another post.

Tender Greens, Liberty Station Marketplace, 2400 Historic Decatur Road, San Diego 92106 (619)226-6254 Website