mmm-yoso – Page 484 – 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.

T & L Food Incorporated and Roasting Sichuan Peppercorns

March 7, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking, Markets & Grocers

A few years ago, FOYs CandiceW and Trent told me that T&L Food, a wholesaler on Engineer Road right off of Ruffner Street, did general sales to the public. The subject at that time was frozen dumplings. It's something I filed away, but had never had the chance to follow-up on. Late last year, the Missus and I were having dinner at Ba Ren. The subject of getting good Sichuan Peppercorns came up. The peppercorns we got from 99 Ranch Market were decent, but lost pungency quickly. The Missus asked Wendy, one of the Ba Ren's owners about Sichuan Peppercorns. And Wendy, always helpful, told the Missus to get the peppercorns from T&L Foods! We were told that they go through stock quickly, so the peppercorns are fresher.

Say no more…..

T&L is a food wholesaler and warehouse that does sale to the public.

If you need things in bulk, this might be an option.

And the variety of products is good….it reminded me a bit of TS Emporium in City of Industry.

A room in the back is stocked with woks and pots, cleansers, pots, pans, tea pots…you name it.

So just in case you need to add to your "generic Chinese Restaurant plate collection". This might be the place for you.

I didn't have much time to look around, but I'll be back. I want to check out the collection of pickled vegetables. You may want to check T&L out as well. There is no minimum purchase requirement, we just bought a bag of Sichuan Peppercorns. All the customers in front of us were buying stuff like rice, MSG, etc…..

T & L Food Incorporated
7373 Engineer Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

Roasting Sichuan Peppercorns:

This is for FOY Dave, who emailed me something folks have commented on a few times. It seems that the Sichuan Peppercorns that Dave had purchased really didn't have much of the "ma la" (numbing – spicy) effect that he appreciates. The flavor was more bitter, with lots of hard "bits and pieces". When I inquired as to how he roasts the peppercorns, the response was, "just like on television, I start with a cold pan, crank up the heat, and toast them…."

I'm far from a expert on this, but I think I know what the problem is. It's cranking the heat up when roasting the Sichuan Peppercorns. I've had the best results starting with a cold wok, and than slowly coax the fragrance out of this little pod of the fruit of a species of prickly ash. I take my time time roasting the peppercorns. I also only make a small amount, perhaps 4-6 tablespoons of peppercorns at a time, which will yield about half the amount of ground Sichuan Pepper. Burning the Sichuan Peppercorns will make them bitter.

So here goes…..

– In a cold wok, place 4-6 tablespoons of whole Sichuan Peppercorns.
– Heat wok over low heat, stir frying for 5-8 minutes until the lemony-anise fragrance fills the kitchen. The peppercorns may smoke, but should not be actively "popping" (a little is ok), like you see on television. Do not burn it will make the Sichuan Peppercorn bitter.
– When the peppercorns darken, remove from wok and let cool.
– Once cool you may grind them in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle. I tend to make a rough grind in the mortar, and sift twice to remove the unwanted branches and pieces. You'll end up with a 1/2 to 1/3 yield.
– Store in a airtight jar and use ASAP.

If I'm using it in dishes as "La zi ji" (Chicken with Chilies) or Ma Po Dofu, I like a rougher grind. If I'm using the Sichuan Peppercorn for Sichuan Pepper Salt, I'll further make a finer grind.

Oh, how were the Sichuan Peppercorns we bought at T & L? The brand was one that we regularly purchased, but these were much fresher. We did have to purchase a whole pound, which took us about 4 months to use up. It was very fragrant to the end…….

Luang Prabang: Across the Khan, across the Mekong, and Antique House Restaurant

March 6, 2009 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants, Laos, Luang Prabang, Travel

The Missus and I realize, that what we see on our travels is not reality for most residents. Many times, as tourists, we encounter the most polished facet of the gemstone. Growing up in a major tourist destination, I understand the importance of putting your best foot forward. It always leaves us curious as to what everyday life is, and where exactly do the "real people" live? In Luang Prabang, there's a charming wooden bridge that crosses the Khan River, on the other side of Mount Phousi, South of the center fo central Luang Prabang. It is a pedestrian, bicycle, and motorcycle only bridge.

For some unknown reason, I found the bridge fascinating, and charming…..

Pedestrians cross on either side of the bridge. Wooden planks have been nailed in place…sort of. Some of the slats move around rather too freely for my comfort, and you can see the river Khan flowing below your feet.

On the other side is a rather beaten road to the airport, with dirt roads branching off.

When we crossed back, we saw a group of Monks crossing on the other side of the bridge. It seems that Monks always look much more graceful….. Even just simply walking across a bridge.

On the morning of our third day in Luang Prabang it rained pretty hard. Of course the Monks are out rain or shine collecting their morning alms.

And of course, it was on this morning that the Missus decided that She wanted to see the "other side of the Mekong." Of course……

After 10 years of marriage, I've learned that there are just times that the Missus will not be denied. And this was one of those times. She led me along the road that parallels the Mekong, to some stairs leading down to the river.

I tried to tell Her that this wasn't the streets of New York. You just don't hail a boat like you'd flag down a cab. Lucky for me, before I opened my fat mouth, an empty slow boat pulled up!

I let the Missus bargain with the boatsman. And before you knew it we were motoring to the other side of the Mekong. We arrived at some stairs, and the gentleman steering the boat, pointed downriver, telling us to catch our return boat downstream.

Up the stairs, we arrived at Wat Long Khun (Temple of the Blessed Song).

I've read that during the days of the monarchy, newly crowned Kings would spend three days at the Wat before coronation to meditate. It certainly is peaceful.

And not a soul to be seen due to the rain.

There is also Wat Tham Xieng Maen built in a limestone cave Northwest of Wat Long Khun, but it was just too wet and muddy for us to check it out. We'll leave it for next time.

After walking along the trail for a bit, we came along some stairs. At the base of the stairs was a lean-to. I told the Missus to wait….and soon enough a young lady appeared, and we paid a small entrance fee, to climb up those stairs.

This was Wat Cham Phet, which was built by the Thai army in 1888. According to Lonely Planet, one of the Stupas here contain the bones of Chao Thong Di, the wife of King Sakkarin.

The Wat is very quiet and peaceful, and a bit overgrown.

Whatever the history may be, one thing is for sure. The views are wonderful, even on a rainy, overcast day like today.

After this, the main objective was to make it back across the Mekong.

After walking a bit on the dirt trails….the main subject of conversation was how they got construction materials here, and passing several well water hand pumps, we arrived at an long concrete "pad".

I'm guessing that this was Ban Xiengmane. Based on the stares, I'm guessing that the locals weren't expecting some rather soggy tourists to be walking through their village on a day like today. Just as I was thinknig this wasn't so bad, the "road" ended….and it was "mosh-pit" the rest of the way. Ankle (or more) deep mud, as you stepped into it, the suction threatened to suck your shoes right off.

Finally making our way to Ban Xieng Man, we worked our way down to the Mekong. No stairs this time, just a muddy slope, to hire a boat. One quick lesson for me….I was busy trying to take what ended up being this photo:

When I suddenly ended up flat on my back staring up at the lovely Lao sky…….and sliding my way down to the Mekong. Lucky for me, I stopped short of meeting the Mekong. And eventually we made our way back to our hotel. And after a quick hosing down, I was good as new. As the Missus and I say, "it ain't a vacation until I fall or get bad sunburn……"

Antique House Restaurant:

The Missus and I were intrigued by the restaurant right across the street from Somchan Restaurant. It always seemed busy. So one evening we decided to check it out. Big mistake; I should have noticed the clues. The first clue was the big "cheap" Beer Lao sign:

Unbelievable……..though the menu looked interesting….

Second clue. When we arrived, we noticed the place was staffed with a large group of young ladies….. Third clue, all the customers were male, and looked to be Thai.

In spite of this we moved forward, and placed our order……

Khai Pene.

The classic Luang Prabang fried dried river moss dish, which you can read about in other posts. This version was not fried at the right temperature, devoid of the crushed garlic and tomato, kinda soggy and oily. Just check out the pool of oil.

The Dried Beef:

Halfway between Pork Sung (Rousong) and Chinese Beef Jerky, and not bad with Beer Lao. This would turn out to be the best dish of the night. As the Cucumber Salad was not very good:

It should have been seeded, and the "dressing" was very, very, sweet…lacking the savory, pungent flavors we had become accustomed to.

And the Luang Prabang salad, (Nyam Salat), was just plain strange.

The dressing had no egg yolk in it, and it was much too sweet. And what to make of the peanuts…and ground pork?

Yes, we should have seen the clues…this was a Bar catering to Thai male tourists…… Oh well, live and learn. We would have been happy with this:

Quick Midweek Post

March 4, 2009 mmm-yoso Cooking

The Missus's parents are scheduled to visit in a few months. And just to tempt me, they emailed these photos to us.

Now, you all know I love my Mother In Law's Jiaozi. But being the great Mother In Law that She is…once She found out that we enjoy Shengjian Bao…. This was their first attempt at making it. Like I always tell the Missus, dough is Her "destiny." So we're now counting the days…… I guess the entire family takes food photos now!

Turning up the heat part 2 – A revisit to Si Chuan Garden Spicy City (Guo Qiao Yuan)

March 3, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

We had given "Spicy City" a break after watching customers exhibit some really terribl RevSpicyCity01 e behavior on our last visit to the "New" Spicy City. But recently, the Missus was craving the chicken feet, and I, the Chongqing La Chao La. This time we decided to visit right at 5pm when they started dinner service. And as you can see, not a creature was stirring…….and thankfully so.

The menu looked like it had been changed a bit since our last visit, which made us even more interested. Of course the Missus started with some cold appetizers.

And of course this included the Missus Pao Jiao (pickled pepper) flavored chicken feet. Tonight these were a bit on the chewy side, but this did not stop the Missus from gnawing away.

On this visit the Fuqi Feipian was still on the tough side, but had more Sichuan Peppercorn, which added to the overall flavor. The Bean Curd Skin Noodles were exactly the same as before…….dry and bland.

I wanted to see if the Fried Lamb with Cumin($9.99) had changed since the last time I had it, and indeed it did look different:

This time the meat was on the tough side and was lacking in Cumin. Also, the flavor of the lamb was so mild that it was almost beef like. On the good side, it wasn't the least bit greasy, and except for the lack of cumin, was perfectly seasoned. It was also a pretty large portion of lamb.

We also ordered one of my favorite dishes, the "Chongqing Saliva Chicken" (Cold Chopped Chicken w/Spicy Sauce – $9.99). We were surprised at the rather large portion size:

The first time we encountered this dish was at ChungKing Restaurant in Monterey Park, in what seems ages ago. I remember that the server told the Missus that, "the chicken looks and smells so good, that you can't stop drooling…." This version was pretty good, the minced topping included pickled vegetable, which came through clearly. The texture of the chicken was just the right combination of firm but moist. The dish was not as spicy as it looked, and lacked a real deep and complex flavor. Still, we enjoyed this.

Looking for something to order on the menu, we came up with the Fish Filet w/Szechwan Sauce (Actually, this is supposed to be fish fragrant fish filet – $10.99). Again the portion size was very "family style":

This was more like a sweet-sour fish dish, with the emphasis on the "sweet". The fish was fried well, moist, with a crisp, almost tempura type batter. The Missus enjoyed this much more than I did.

On our last visit, the dish I enjoyed the most was the Chongqing La Chao La, also called "Spicy & Spicy" on the menu($8.99). I had been craving this dish.

Even though the dish looked exactly the same as what we had last time, I knew when it hit the table that something was wrong. It was simply not fragrant. The dish was salty, but lacked the sour and spicy flavors. It was funky, and a bit "off tasting". I just ran to the fridge and a had a few spoonfuls of our leftovers, and it does taste a bit flat, lacking the sharp and direct pickled heat. It is pretty salty though!

And this being Spicy City, our meal just couldn't end without observing an "interesting" customer. While eating, a Middle Eastern Gentleman walks into the restaurant, and plants himself at a table. He opens the menu, and asks the ever patient server where the Black Bean Fish was. The server didn't quite understand him, but luckily another server just happened to arrive. This young lady had a better grasp of English, and figured out what the customer wanted. As she takes his order, he goes, "WAIT…WAIT, is spicy?" The young lady explains that this dish is not spicy. The guy looks flabbergasted, and goes, "I WANT SPICY, must be SPICEEEE!" Of course the young lady says they can make the dish spicy. At that point, the dude starts talking really loud on his cellphone. When the dish arrives, the guy, still talking real loud on the cellphone shouts at the server, "WAIT, WAIT, where's my FORK, where is it, I must have it!!!" So…..for those folks who get irritated when they visit a Asian Restaurant and get the "fork treatment", you know why…some folks "must have it!" What is it with the customers this restaurant attracts. The servers here are pretty nice, and yet they have to put up with stuff like this. Oh well…….

Anyway, my chicken feet and I wish you all a peaceful week!

Si Chuan Garden Spicy City
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Our previous posts on Spicy City can be found here and here.

Turning up the heat part 1 – Revisits to China Chef and Dede’s

March 2, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

*** Both China Chef and Dedes' has closed

It's supposed to get pretty cool by San Diego standards over the next few days, so I thought I'd do a Sichuan food post…and finally use some photos that have been sitting around.

Even though I grumble about lack of variety in "America's Finest City", I'm the first to say that San Diego has come a long way in the few years since we moved here. Now, you can get Mongolian Hot Pot one day, good Issan food the next, drop by an Izakaya on "hump day", get some good Bun Bo Hue on Thursday, and even finish off the week with two decent choices for Peruvian food to boot. Of course, I'll still grumble about the lack of a good Northern Vietnamese Restaurant, "real" Hunan food, and we do need better choices when it comes to Jiaozi, Xiao Long Bao, and the like. What is quite interesting is that there are four pretty good choices with regards to Sichuan food in San Diego. WellSpicy City is a Yunnan-Sichuan hybrid, which used to be a Beijing-Sichuan hybrid,but I'll let that slide. And like they say, "variety is the spice of life" in this case literally. So I thought I'd start with revisits to two Sichuan Restaurants…..

China Chef:

Our favorite dish at China Chef is the Spicy Tea Smoked Duck, which I think has made it on to the regular menu:

China Chef makes a good smokey, mildly salty, yet still soft tea smoked duck. And done in almost a "twice-cooked" technique, stir fried with chilies and Sichuan Peppercorn, this dish is a winner.

On this visit, the Missus ordered the Water Boiled Fish (Fish Boiled in Hot Sauce):

In spite of looks, we didn't find this to be very spicy. The fish was more flaky, than buttery-smooth which we prefer. The dish also needed a good dose of Sichuan Peppercorns. It was decent, but not great.

We finished things off with a stir fried lamb dish from the specials menu:

The lamb was cooked well, soft in texture. But it lacked the gamey flavor we enjoy. In other words, this could have been beef. It was not greasy, but could have used a bit more heat.

The food at China Chef is not bad….in fact, if I worked in the area, I'd drop by once in a while. We like the tea smoked duck here, it is prepared well.

China Chef Restaurant
9225 Mira Mesa Blvd #110
San Diego, CA 92126

Previous posts on China Chef can be found here and here.

Dede's Chinese Cuisine:

It was the first thing I noticed on the menus, it's no longer Dede's Teajuice City. The second thing were all the specials.

Another new touch, many Chinese Restaurants start with some pickles (or if you're Gringo-ized fried won ton strips), here at Dede's they started with a small sampling of cold appetizers.

And even though we found these to be fairly mediocre, it was a nice touch.

Going against our usual ordering pattern of not ordering a vegetable dish (because most of it I can make at home). The Missus ordered the Sour Chili Napa Cabbage ($7.99):

Growing up in Shandong province, without electricity, the vegetable that got families through winter was the humble Napa Cabbage. Stacked in a cool, but not an area exposed to too much frost, and covered with burlap, Napa Cabbage was it during the cold months. It's no wonder that the Missus never, ever asks me to make anything with Napa Cabbage. As to why She ordered this, who knows? It was much like a home style dish, nothing special, needing perhaps a bit more Chinkiang vinegar.

We also ordered the Dry Cooked Duck (Duck Dried Pot on the specials menu – $11.99):

This was a good sized plate of chopped tea smoked duck, stir fried with chilies, sliced garlic, red bell peppers, and onions. The duck was fine, but lacked the real smoked-cured flavor we love. This dish could have used a good dose of Sichuan Peppercorns. It was not bad, but the version at China Chef was much better.

I told the Missus I was craving La Chao La, which for me is minced preserved pork, smoked bean curd, and chilies….often called "Spicy-Spicy" on menus. The Missus ordered La Chao La, and the really nice lady serving us, ordered it, and came back to ask how spicy. The Missus said "very spicy" in Mandarin. I guess something was lost, because we got La Rou Chao La:

La Rou (wax meat) is smoked or preserved pork belly (think bacon), stir fried with chilies, in this case dried and jalapenos. For some reason, this wasn't that spicy. The pork was hard and lacked a good smoked flavor, maybe I'm spoiled because I've had good Hunan smoked pork belly. Merely, meh…..

Of course I had to order the Cumin Lamb ($9.50):

At Dede's they used cumin powder, so you''ll get a nice cumin flavor without the hard seeds. I love the salt to cumin to gamey flavor of this dish. It is not Sichuan, more Uyghur in origin, regardless, this is my favorite version in SanDiego. The meat is perhaps not as smooth and buttery as other places, but the flavor overcomes. The lady working told us that most people don't like this dish because of the strong flavor.

One other thing about Dede's; you'll find that the dishes use much less oil. So if that is a concern of yours, you may want to check this place out.

Dede's Teajuice City
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

You can find my previous posts on Dede's here and here.

So if you need to warm up over the next few days………

Road Trip: Wok and Noodle (I think) – Alhambra (Los Angeles)

March 1, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Xiao Long Bao

**** Wok and Noodle has closed

The reason I'm saying "I think", is that for the life of me, I couldn't find an English sign for the place. Googling the address 828 West Valley Blvd brought up a huge listing for a place named "Wok and Noodle", so that's the English name until someone tells me otherwise. We had finished our, not so great lunch at Kingburg Kitchen, and feeling unsatisfied, decided on a drive down the "old side" of Valley Boulevard. We hadn't been down here in a while. Right past the Boiling Crab, we noticed a large group of folks exiting what looked to be a restaurant. The Missus read the signage and told me, "this is a Shanghainese restaurant." Which sounded good to me….I swung around, and parked the car.

Upon entering, we noticed 2 things, many large families, and lots of older Chinese. This was a sure sign of "value pricing" and sure enough, looking over the menu, we found the prices to be very, very, reasonable. The 2 waiters here cracked us up….they were very nice, but just kinda did things at their own pace(S-L-O-W). One guy constantly hummed and sung while cracking what I thought were sunflower seeds. Every so often he'd spit the shells out into the tray holding the dirty dishes. The other guy just loved to whistle. You gotta love places like this.

Realizing that we had just eaten an hour earlier, the Missus and I decided on just a few cold dishes and some "bao".

So of course we ordered the Shanghai Smoked Fish ($4.25), one of the Missus's favorites.

This was a decent version, not too bony, not overly sweet, but maybe a bit too "wet" and mushy. But the Missus wasn't complaining, especially after having the really lousy version at Mr Dumpling recently, that was allwrong taste and texture-wise, over twice the price ($9.95!), and less than half the portion size.

I wanted the Salt Cured Duck($4.75):

Can you say "duck ham"? I really enjoyed this salty, duck-y(is there such a word), mildly salty cold dish. The meat had a semi-dense and ham like texture from the curing, though the Missus said the look of it kinda turned Her off.

Just seeing Xiao Long Bao on the menu means we have to order it($4.95):

This was not a particularly stellar version of XLB, the pork filling was decent, nice pork flavor and not overly sweet. The soup to meat ratio was a bit off, in my opinion, not enough soup. The wrappers were the weakest part, too thick and gummy. I probably won't be coming ordering Xiao Long Bao here next time.

And then of course, we had to have the Missus's latest obsession; Shengjian Bao (6 for $4.95):

The Missus said these rather rustic looking SJB, most closely resembled what She recalls eating in High School. Though the bottoms of these Bao were nice and crisp, the bun was more gummy than fluffy. The filling was a simple pork meatball that was on the bland side.

I think we'll be back for the cold dishes, and a few other items we saw being served at the other tables. After all, you can't beat the prices.

The service is pretty slow, though the staff is nice, it just seems like they're eternally day-dreaming. We saw one rather impatient older lady walk up to the service window and grab what I'm hoping was her dish and take it to the table herself! The restaurant is smaller than it looks, and full of large parties. Two can stuff themselves silly for under $20.

Wok and Noodle
828 W Valley Blvd
Alhambra, CA 91803

Saturday Stuffs: Some revisits to Sab E Lee and Hogetsu Bakery, I finally get some fro-yo at Yogurt Lounge…

February 28, 2009 mmm-yoso Desserts, Thai Restaurants, What Howie Eats - Where the Foodie from Foodieview Eats

Some revisits to a few places on our rotation.

Sab E Lee:

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

Sab E Lee, has been a weekly stop(or more) for us since they opened last August. Just when I think I've got the menu covered, I notice something new. The latest item I noticed was "Thai Fried Chicken." On our visit to Bangkok last November, the Missus andI loved the "TFC" (Thai Fried Chicken) so we were excited to see it on the menu. Unfortunately, much like the Koi Soi there was a short wait while the chef tried to source the "right chicken" for the dish. Finally, last week, when I dropped by to pick-up atake-out order, Koby smiled and said, "Kirk, we're marinating chicken, so you can come by and get chicken from tomorrow." We finally made it back this evening. Being aware that Sab E Lee had been reviewed in the Reader, we dropped by early, at about 430pm. Three tables were already full, and by the time we placed our order, there was a line of folks out the door, and a waiting list of folks! Call it the "Reader effect," I askedKoby about all these folks, and he told me, "these are all new customers, I've never seen any of them before!" So just be prepared if you intend to drop by for some Pad See Ew!

I've basically stopped taking photos at Sab E Lee, but decided to take one of the chicken:

This version was very moist, if a bit short in the spicy and sweet flavors of Thai street cart chicken. I've though of trying uber Food-Blogger Chez Pim's recipe, which looks so good, that I'm afraid if I made it, I'd never stop eating..…..

Of course we had some of the usual suspects like the bamboo shoot salad.

Issan Sausage.

And one of the Missus's favorite things, Salted Fish Fried Rice (not pictured). By this time the little shop had gotten so crowded, that we felt bad about taking up space so we packed up our leftovers and headed home.

We're so happy for Koby and the gang……hard work, and making great food pays off!

Sab-E-Lee Restaurant
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

Hogetsu Bakery:

In need of some "Omiyage", I headed off to Hogetsu Bakery, one of my favorite spots. When we arrived, the little shop was quiet as it usually is. But by the time our orders were ready,the place was getting crowded……..perhaps this is the Candice Woo effect? What I found slightly humorous was that a group of young folks were carrying cameras! he-he-he……. Personally, I think they need to lose the flash though…. As always, the Missus got Her dozen manju as well:

Being told by the lady that I've been coming here for about 10 years gave me pause, we've only been living in San Diego for almost 8 years. But she was right, I used to come here before heading home when I did consulting work in San Diego back in '99. Sharp memory……

Whatever the reason, I'm glad to see this wonderful family owned business doing well.

Hogetsu Bakery
1210 3rd Ave
Chula Vista, CA 91911

And finally, I do a Fro-yo post!

**** This location of Yogurt Lounge has closed

Yes, I've given in…….I'm doing a Frozen Yogurt post. And being the typical totally oblivious, and unhip person, I think I'm what, maybe only 3-4 years too late? When the Missus wanted some frozen yogurt one day….well, I didn't have a clue. Lucky for us, Howie, the brains behind The Foodieview, did all the work for us already. Over the course of a week, we tried some of the top entries in Howie's "Yogurt War." And as usual Howie, and his intrepid, non-lactose intolerant group of yogurt testers were right on. Our favorite was:

Yogurt Lounge on Clairemont Mesa. To us the yogurt here was not too sweet, not too milky, and not super tart. Our favorite is a combination of the Green Coconut and Plain. Can't eat too much of it, since my lactose intolerance will kick in. But it does a nice job of clearing the palate after a spicy or rich meal. I still find fro-yo to be overpriced….it seems no matter how small the cup or bowl is, you'll end up spending four to five bucks.

Yogurt Lounge
7317 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92101

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Pho Hiep and Grill

February 26, 2009 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I mentioned this place waaay back in November 2007, but was never able to eat there for one reason or another. I found myself in the area fairly early during the recent rainy weather, and a nice bowl of Pho sounded great. So why not?

The interior is relatively dark, sleek, and modern. You can read more about it on FOY, Caninecologne's blog, here.

On this day, I went with the large bowl of "Chin Nam Gau Gan Sach"…..let's just call it "Brisket, Flank, Fatty brisket, Tendon and Tripe" shall we? At $6.95 it was a bit on the expensive side, but still not as pricey as a bowl in La Jolla.

The garnishes arrived, fresh, bright, and shiny. The quantity provided was more than adequate.

As with Pho Hoa Hiep in Linda Vista, the broth in this bowl is clear, and low in oil,and fairly light. The flavor of beef comes through fairly well, as does a mild clove-ainse flavor. The broth is also a bit darker than it's namesake in Linda Vista.

PhoHiep&Grill04

The noodles were routine, if a bit hard and undercooked, which was remedied by a further steeping. Undercooked is preferred to overcooked and mushy in my book anytime.

The meat ranged from pretty good (fatty brisket), to decent (tendon), to mediocre (the tough and dry flank), to non-existent (one tiny strand of tripe).

All in all, a decent bowl. If I lived in the area, I'd drop by for a bowl of lighter, low oil Pho. I think the Pho Hoa Hiep on Linda Vista is better(and closer to us, and cheaper), but this is a decent facsimile.

Service was decent, if a bit "sleepy"…..the folks looked really tired on this weekend morning. By the time I left folks were starting to move with a bit more conviction, and even smiling. So if you're in the area and craving some Pho, Pho Hiep and Grill may be the remedy.

Pho Hiep and Grill
539 Telegraph Canyon Rd
Chula Vista, CA 91910

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Not Duckin’ the Subject: A Roast Duck Comparison – Sam Woo times 2, Jasmine Express, and Yum Cha Cafe

February 24, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

I don't know how many times I've been asked for a recommendation for the "best take-out roast duck in San Diego." And boy do I hemm and haw, and when I finally do make a recommendation, I preface everything with so much "fine print" that it ends up reading, or sounding like one of those automobile adds. The reason that I've become rather gun shy with regards to roast duck, Chinese BBQ, and even Dim Sum recommendations in San Diego, is that, well, if anything, these offerings have proven to be consistently…..inconsistent. Which is why a place like Yum Cha Cafe may do rather well here. If it's going to be inconsistent, it might as well be cheap…..….

If I'm going to do roast duck comparison, I might as well have a baseline. So I think this place is as good as any:

Yes, it is Sam Woo, but no it is not in San Diego. This location of Sam Woo Barbecue is in Alhambra, and in my opinion has one of the better, most consistent take-out Roast Duck in SoCal. Yes, there are several Sam Woo's, Irvine, San Gabriel, and the City of Industry/Rowland Heights location was fairly close to where we lived. But not all Sam Woo's are created equal. This older location has always been good.

But oh my have the prices gone up over the years. Half a duck here is $9.25!!! More expensive than anywhere in San Diego.

What makes the duck here so good? First, the skin is not overly tough. Second, the duck is neither too meaty and dry, nor just skin and bones and tough. Saltiness does not overwhelm the duck, even though "jus" is ladled over the duck. And it is not greasy in the least.

The Missus's typical response after the first bite is always, "what's the big deal….." But She'll always go back for more. The flavoring is subtle, with a very mild-sweet finish.

Sam Woo Barbeque
514 W Valley Boulevard
Alhambra, CA 91803

Sam Woo San Diego:

Compare this with Sam Woo(aka "Sam Woo the Killer Whale") in San Diego. Surprisngly, a half roast duck here in San Diego is cheaper than in Alhambra ($7.50). I had made up my mind to never get roast duck from here a while ago; but this place gets Ed from Yuma's stamp of approval, so I decided to give it another go.

The duck has a tendency to be bony and tough. The skin is hard, and the "jus" is really salty. I don't mind the rather brusque service, but there a real disregard for the customers here. It wasn't always that way, but I've noticed it getting worse every year. Take for example the simple take-out container housing the duck:

It was covered in a variety of Chinese BBQ sticky-oily drippings and hand prints…I made out a thumbprint on one side of the container, that belongs in one of those CSI shows, but the photo didn't come out. If this happened to some little ol' Chinese lady in Alhambra or San Gabriel, that duck neck would have ended up shoved up…..well you get the picture.

Sam Woo BBQ Restaurant
7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Ste 103
San Diego, CA 92111

Jasmine Express:

Is the place I usually recommend in San Diego, thoughitiswithafewreservationssinceI'vegottensomeprettylousyduckfromhereattimes. Jasmine's little take-out stall roast duck (which does not resemble the duck served in the restaurant) was surprisingly even cheaper than Sam Woo's ($7.25 – half duck).

You can just see the inconsistency of the roast duck, if you compare this rather good roast duck I purchased in November of last year.

Even though the chopping technique was on the sloppy side, the flavors were pretty good.

Compared to the duck I purchased for this post a few weeks back.

This one was a bit on the greasy side, and tasted rather bland. The duck served at Jasmine is usually more meaty than the version at Sam Woo SD.

Jasmine Express
4609 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Yum Cha Cafe:

**** Yum Cah Cafe has closed

Just for giggles, I thought I'd grab a half duck from the new Yum Cha Cafe, which turned out to be the most expensive of the three San Diego Roast Ducks ($8.25)!

The skin was tough, the meat on the dry side, and the rich duck flavor was lacking.

You may be better off having something else.

Yum Cha Cafe
6933 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111 JasExpress01

So there you go. Holding my feet to the fire, I'd usually recommend the roast duck from Jasmine Express, or even take-out from Golden City, but those recommendations are not without reservations. Since I've been doing this food blogging thing, I've posted on a bunch of places that do Chinese BBQ, but there's one place missing from my list. That place is Tom's Chinese BBQ on University. When we first moved to San Diego back in 2001, the roast duck was pretty good. But the quality and flavor got worse and worse, until it just wasn't worth the effort….so maybe, just maybe, one day soon after I recover……..

Road Trip: Saturday Indonesian Food Fair – Duarte (LA)

February 23, 2009 mmm-yoso Festivals & Events, Indonesian Restaurants & Food, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

Gravitational force is interesting….it can be defined in very simple physical terms as the force of mutual attraction which pulls two bodies together. Perhaps I'm stretching it a bit, maybe taking a bit too much "metaphoric license" per se…… but over the years, and in my travels, I've noticed another gravitational force of sorts. Cultural gravitation is what I called it. It is the invisible, undeniable force that our culture, whether by nature or nurture, has on us. It's much stronger for those of us who are far away from our original "home". And for many, there are those items which bring on that inner, nostalgic warmth that is at the center of this gravitational pull. And if you're like me, food is that source, it marks births, deaths, birthdays, reunions…..memories of friends and families. It is that center. Over the years, I've seen that gravitational force in action. What else could explain the folks waiting in the parking lot of a Chinese Restaurant on Buford Highway in Atlanta, some having driven from as far off as Birmingham, arriving at 7am in the morning, waiting for Dim Sum. Or seeing more Chinese on one Sunday, shopping and eating at a mall in Phoenix, than I knew lived in Arizona. There are celebrations and events that provide that "center" such as festivals. And, there are even regularly scheduled events, which provide the weekly comfort food fix, allowing one to face another week. The weekend Wat Thai Temple Food Court was one of those weekly events. And, the amazing, OC Food blogger supreme, Elmo mentioned another, the Indonesian Food Fair. That post was back in 2006, and I had added it to my list……but much like the Wat Thai Temple food court, much to my disappointment, the Indonesian Food Fair bit the dust. Whether, like the Wat Thai Temple, it was NIMBY-ism, or not, I don't recall. And if it was, I don't know if I blame them. We live on a nice quiet street.There's a Church right down the road, and a couple of times a year, they have events, which we don't mind, it's kind of cute and quaint. But if they had them every weekend……I'm not so sure.

But luckily for me, right before a recent solo trip back to LA, I went over to Chowhound's LA board and saw this. Like a Phoenix, the Indonesian Food Fair had risen from the ashes. (And if you're wondering, Wat Thai Temple's Food Court is back in action, though on Sunday's only.) Which is how I found myself parking my car in front of the Duarte Inn on a recent Saturday morning.

I had to crack up…… I had done some work in the area during the late 90's, and one of the guys I worked with just loved the El Pollo Loco which faces the street in front of the motel.

The food fair starts at 10am, and if today was a good example, it is pretty small and intimate. On this day, only 5 booths were present.

But let me tell you…….the fragrances were amazing. Unfortunately for me, it was not a Siren's song, but the wonderful scents that drew me close.

And it didn't help that everyone was so nice and patient with me……a total neophyte with regards to Indonesian Food.

Most everything is steam table goods….but don't let that dissuade you.

One of the ladies ordered like seven plates from this booth.

And the young lady working this booth was so very nice and patient. I just kinda stood in the background until the ladies were done, and the young lady explained all the dishes to me…. needless to say, I was impressed.

So what about the food? Let me first say, the colors are a feast for the eyes…and the smells are a feast for the nose. And overall, some of it like the "yellow rice" (Nasi Kuning) I couldn't get enough of.

And who doesn't love a boiled egg?

We found some of the offerings to be amazingly mild, in spite of the scents.

But this eggplant was killer:

And I felt like I should post the photo of this on my wall.

I found the Nasi Gudeg (simmered jackfruit) to be a bit too sweet….must be the palm sugar.

But the "spicy fish" was the best thing on the plate….which was not too spicy for us, in spite of looks.

Again, don't be like me and be seduced by all the smells, you should let Elmo be your guide….and the folks here are nice.

Indonesian Food Festival – Saturday 10am – 2pm
Duarte Inn
1200 Huntington Dr
Duarte, CA 91010

One last item, I'm dedicating this post to "Amy", who has moved to LA from San Diego. Amy emailed me recently, and mentioned that she's been reading for a few years, but had never had the chance to comment or email me. I'm sure Amy is a lot like most of you folks, and I just wanted to thank everyone for checking us out. Oh, and Amy, Los Angeles and Orange County has much to offer…….like the Indonesian Food Fair. Just let me know what good eats you find out there, ok?