mmm-yoso – Page 485 – 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.

Midweek Meanderings

November 5, 2008 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Plate Lunch, yoso-silly

Just a few items to get you past "hump day".

Mr Dumpling:

A few weeks back, I received an email(Thanks MrC), than PedMa commented regarding Mr Dumpling. Located on Convoy Court, right behind 99 Ranch Market, I managed to take a drive past this weekend.

The sign says "Chinese Grill", and the name is "Mr Dumpling"…..so it gives you an inkling.

Le Chef Bakery:

During early morning Banh Mi runs, I've noticed packages of Baguettes being delivered with tags that read Le Chef Bakery. I was never really able to find out much. But look at what I drove past while taking a detour on Ruffner Street.

Looks like a wholesale bakery operation. Anyone know anything?

Mo's is Closed:

Back in September, 'CD' commented on Mo's, basically saying that the place has been closed by the Health Department. I wasn't able to drop by before our trip. So this past weekend, I dropped by, and yes Mo's is closed.

The only item of significance was a Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control suspension notice.

Which, if I recall, doesn't usually shut a restaurant down, it just suspends the establishment from serving alcohol. I'll do some further digging and see what I can find out. I've been told that Mo is only currently doing catering. I'll let you know what I find.

Beer Inquiry:

I recently received an email asking me if I knew where Asahi Kuronama could be found in San Diego. Unfortunately, I can't find the email. So I'm posting what I found here. I've seen Asahi Kuronama on the shelves at both Nijiya Market and 99 Ranch Market.

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

99 Ranch Market
7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Now if I can only find me some Beer Lao……….

And Finally:

Here's a nice piece of photoshop work from FOY (Friend of Yoso), and fellow Food Blogger Dennis who does A Radiused Corner. Dennis has a great sense of humor, and has called me the "Banh Mi Rover"…..and he backed it up with this:

You know……I can see the resemblance! Thanks Dennis!

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Thailand: One Night in Bangkok – Part 1

November 4, 2008 mmm-yoso Bangkok, Thailand, Travel

I've been waiting to use that line for almost 25 years! Not that I'm a fan of the song……

If you want to keep track of our various modes of transportation for this trip, you can start with a train. We decided to take Amtrak to Union Station, and skip the gas prices (still way over $3/gallon at the time) and stress. For $29 each we made it to Union Station, and caught the FlyAway Bus to LAX for $4 a piece. It was easy, no traffic, no increased blood pressure, no road rage. And being your typical Asian, we provisioned ourselves well(you never know when hunger may strike!!!)……we had a package of several bentos….just enough to keep our strength up for a arduous trip ahead.

We again flew EVA, and spent a bit extra for Elite Class, the leg room, and the mere tantalizing possibility of sleep on a 14 hour flight is justification enough. And so we start with a weird photo of airline food:

What made this interesting was that the chicken actually had peppers in it! Never thought I'd see the day that hot peppers would be used in standard airline food. It did have some zip! What do I do with the standard issue roll?

EVA does a good job of keeping you fed, but for some, it's just not enough….

It's always amusing to see an animated representation of your trip……..

Having ample time to discuss our plans for the next few days on the 14 hour flight to Taiwan, and the 3 1/2 hour leg to Bangkok, we decided that our best move would be to fly to Udon Thani. So we bought tickets on Air Asia at their booth in Suvarnabhumi Airport. Air Asia has some really low fares, the flight to Udon Thani cost only $30 a piece……taxes, however were about equal to the cost of the airfare, thus doubling the price!

Taxi note for Bangkok. You'll get mobbed by various "Limo Drivers" at baggage claim…bypass them and go to the taxi stand (50 Baht fee) streetside. Oh, and it doesn't end when you get into the taxi either. Insist that the driver use the meter. We were quoted a "real cheap" price of 800 Baht, "meter no good, going to cost you 900 Baht", which is totally bogus. The price via meter 280 Baht, going via the "highway all the way" (i.e. toll booths), another 70 Baht, plus, you'll get to your destination faster because the driver can't wait to get rid of you. Airport fee 50 Baht.

Not being familiar with Bangkok, I decided to stay in the Banglamphu area. It is pretty close to the sites we wanted to check out, and we'd only be staying overnight. The Guest House selected? One called Lamphu House. It is located off of Soi Rambutri, down an alleyway, and is relatively quiet, if a bit run down and no frills.

Of course, for 680 Baht (a tad over $20) it would do. The sheets were clean, the A/C worked well, and we had our own bathroom, even if the water was more cold than hot.

Add to that the fact we were totally bushed, and I had no qualms about staying here. Plus, the staff was very nice, they let us store our bags the next day after check-out, while we went to visit a few sights around Bangkok. Pretty easy going folks.

One thing is for certain….you'll never go hungry in Bangkok…never. The entire city smells of food!

All shapes and sizes….

One thing we noticed in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, was the amount of what I can only loosely call "sushi". This stuff was everywhere.

And also, a preoccupation with anything that resembled a sausage.

We were starting to get overwhelmed by the crowds and the pollution, so we ducked down a side alley in the Banglamphu Market area, and found a little food stall doing great business.

You basically ordered one of the 2 curry like noodle soups, and helped yourself to herbs and veggies. The Missus loved the pickled greens, and I found the bittermelon to be quite good. This was a nice little snack, and we felt refreshed enough to head back out onto the street.

And ran smack dab into the "TFC" stand…..that would be Thai Fried Chicken. It smelled heavenly! I have never been known to possess an iron will in the face of fried chicken, and this was no exception. Except, in this case, my compromise existed of only having this:

In an show of uncustomary restraint, I "only" got a bag of fried chicken skin. (10 Baht) Fried to crisp perfection, mildy spicy, with a hint of sweetness, these were wonderful. For some strange reason, I felt stuffed after finishing off the chicken skin.

And just for the heck of it, we took a stroll down that special area, the backpacker hell called Khao Son.

Noisy, crowded, with cheap Guest Houses lining the road, it was sensory overload……man did I ever need a shower…..

After that shower, and a short nap, we hit the streets again, just to get our bearings. And even though we weren't very hungry, we decided to stop by Roti-Mataba, a very well known Roti/Curry stop that gets mentioned by Lonely Planet, and other publications.

The first floor of Roti Mataba is stifling hot, and grease has splattered everywhere. But there's an upper level, that is powerfully air conditioned….I swear there was frost on the windows. We tried a few of the curries:

One beef, one chicken. I recall the Missus enjoying this much more than I. We both thought the Roti was much too sweet.

And on the way back to our room, the Missus spied something She could not resist.

Few things beat fried egg goodness………………the chicken with basil and chilies was quite good (salty and spicy) as well. Even though She was still full, the Missus somehow found room for this. (35 Baht – $1) It was a nice way to end the evening.

We crashed, only to arise wide awake at 4am. What to do? The Missus and I decided to reprise what we did at 430 am in Hanoi, and we headed out to see what we could find.

And wouldn't you know it, on one of the side streets there was some activity. Stands selling rice porridge.

And vendors making their way down the street, setting up for the morning trade.

Various stands were selling fruits and vegetables.

And than the Missus saw it….

The Kanom Krok vendor. Lovely, molten, tongue scorching discs of coconut goodness.

10 Baht for ten of these Kanom Krok, nice and crisp on the outside, with a searing pudding like center. The Missus considered these the third best She had on this trip.

The lady making these confections was very nice. She demonstrated how to make them, and let the Missus turn over the Kanom Krok. It's always a good time for a snack in Bangkok.

As we returned to our room, sans several layers of derma from our tongues, I noticed that the bars on Soi Rambutri were still open! I guess there's no last call in Banglamphu?

I also noticed a young man, a tall young man……when we arrived he was passed out on the sidewalk in front of the 7-11. In the afternoon he shuffled past us, blood shot eyes, smelling of the "cash crop". During our evening stroll, I spied him staggering down the avenue, playing bumper cars with the Pad Thai carts and taxis parked along the street. Here he was, 5am in the morning, having beers with a group of girls at one of the tables in the bar, the cycle starting all over again. What is this strange hold that Bangkok has on a person? I guess those lyrics from that familiar song never rang so true.

"One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the Devil walking next to me"

One Night in Bangkok (1984 – Murray Head)

Kien Giang

November 3, 2008 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Kien Giang has closed

OK, I'm still suffering from major jet lag…yesterday, I got up at 4am, did chores, blah, blah, blah…..had an early breakfast/lunch at 10am, and decided to take a "short" nap which didn't quite turn out that way……my watch alarm went off at 330 pm…it was still set for 530 am Lao time. Boy is my butt dragging…..I must be making slug trails all over the house! Well enough about my jet lag. Here's one that's been on the back-burner for a while…..

Kien Giang is a small shop tucked away in the back of the same strip mall on the corner of 54th street and University that houses Vien Dong Market and Van Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant among others. It's easy to miss….

I had made a previous aborted attempt to grab a Banh Mi here about a year ago, but was dissuaded by the somewhat dilapidated shape the shop was in, and the huge swarm of winged beasts who would have devoured my Banh Mi faster than I could. And then there was the story from a good FOY (friend of Yoso) who once bit into her Banh Mi, only to crunch into a staple. Now I believe that women do need more iron in their diet….just not quite in that manner.

And yet, I like to believe that I'm a pretty open-minded individual, and it wo KienGiang03 uldn't be right for me to just write off Kien Giang just because of its appearance. Which of course led me to Kien Giang one cool weekend morning.

I arrived shortly after opening, and the gentleman manning the counter was quite nice. After perusing the menu, I decided to go with the Banh Mi Dac Biet (special – $3) just to get a feel for the style of sandwich the place made.

My sandwich was wrapped, and when opened looked to be in fine shape.

I found the bread to be a bit on the stale and crumbly side. There was good amount of pickled veggies, but the Cha Lua was cut very thin, and the Pate was tasteless. The Jam Bon (ham) was on the dry side, but had good flavor. Overall a very mediocre sandwich……and yet, a few weeks later I decided to return.

And got a Xiu Mai Banh Mi (meatball – $3). Now I don't know why I keep trying Xiu Mai Banh Mi…perhaps it's to find one that I enjoy as the version at Saigon Sandwiches.

This however, was another one of those fish sauce – tomato sauce versions. Not among my favorite things. The bread was again on the dry, slightly aged, side, and this was again a fairly mediocre sandwich. Which had me wondering; with all of the competition in the area, this place has been here for a while. So they must do something right. Can anyone shed some light?

Giang Kien Sandwich & Deli
5296 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

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Luang Prabang Salad – Nyam Salat

November 2, 2008 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Yes, the Missus is missing some of the dishes She had in Luang Prabang already, especially the Luang Prabang Salad, a local specialty. The Missus could not have a lunch (and sometimes dinner) without it. One of the key ingredients of the salad is Phak Nam, the local watercress. The watercress that we were served in Luang Prabang was young and tender, looking almost like Kaiware, Daikon Sprouts. The flavor was very mild, faintly peppery, slightly bitter(they enjoy bitter flavors), with some sweet overtones. But what the Missus enjoyed most about the salad was the dressing, which seemed to have a European-Lao pedigree, that used both fish sauce and egg yolks, and as with many Lao recipes, was put together using a mortar and pestle.

Here's a photo of the Missus's favorite version of the salad:

From Soucham Restaurant, She had this salad 3 times during our stay in Luang Prabang.

Upon our return, the Missus was craving the salad. Fortunately, I purchased a little pamphelet called; Tamarind's Little Book of Salads during our visit to Tamarind Restaurant. Even though the little booklet is only 14 pages long one of the recipes included is for Luang Prabang Salad. I've taken several liberties with the recipe; replacing the lime juice with lemon juice, we were sure that the version the Missus enjoyed the best was made with lemon juice, I used a combination of palm sugar and granulated sugar, and we couldn't find a nice tender watercress, though Nijiya will carry something similar once in a while; so I used a combination of tender pea shoots and Romain lettuce hearts. It didn't turn out too bad.

I made the dressing a bit thicker than what is served in Luang Prabang, and will probably thin it out next time I make this; per the Missus' request.

So without further ado:

Luang Prabang Salad

3 Large Hard Boiled Eggs (do not over cook)
1 Clove Garlic – roasted
1/2 – 1 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt (aka "A Lao pinch of salt")
1 Tb Canola Oil
2 Tb Water
2-3 Tb Lemon Juice
1 Tb Palm Sugar
1/2 Tsp Sugar
Fish Sauce to taste

2 Cups Romain Lettuce Hearts Chopped
1 Handful tender Pea Shoots, or even better, tender watercress
2 Scallions – Green parts only, sliced thin
3 Tb cilantro chopped fine
3 Tb mint chopped fine (optional)
Cherry Tomatoes
Cucumber

1 – Slice eggs in half lengthwise, remove yolks, and slice whites thinly.
2 – Place eggs yolks, garlic, palm sugar, and salt in a mortar and pound into a paste.
3 – Add oil, lemon juice, water, and fish sauce (if desired) and combine. Tas LPSalad05 te, and adjust flavors, and thin out with additional water if desired.
4 – Combine pea shoots, cilantro, and scallions.
5 – Place Romain lettuce in a layer in the middle of serving plate; mound pea shoot mixture on top of lettuce. Arrange cucumber slices and tomato on plate.
6 – Pour dressing over salad before serving.

– To add a nice touch to the salad; top with crumbled pork rinds.

Enjoy……

We’re Back……..

November 1, 2008 mmm-yoso Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Laos, Luang Prabang, Nong Khai, Thailand, Thailand, Travel, Vientiane

Yep, we're back…..the Missus and I have just returned…tired, and yet exhilarated at the same time. So excuse me while I noodle around with our photos for a while. The wonderful noodles to the right was from a stand in Luang Prabang, where we stopped and ate breakfast every morning….along with a wonderful cup of Lao Coffee….after the first morning, we would just have a seat, and the Owner who smile at us, and ask "same-same"? And we'd nod yes….so we ended up calling the place (no English sign) "Same-Same". We did so much, ate so much, that I really am not sure how I'm going to do this yet.

But let me just give you a recap anyway.

We started in Bangkok, just an overnight stay…we had an idea, and just went with the flow. Of course, there's an unending supply of street food in Bangkok.

You really can't go wrong.

We also managed to catch some of the sights.

That afternoon it was off to the border town of Nong Khai. And much to our surprise, we arrived during the Naga Fireball Festival.

No mysterious orbs rising out of the Mekong, but lots of street food. We managed to snag a room in a Guest House overlooking the Mekong River.

We also had some interesting meals in Nong Khai. Have you ever had anything like this from a Hospital Food Court?

Or maybe Kanom Krok in a bus station?

One thing for sure….I'd never had this before.

It was delicious. As was the Kai Yaang (Roasted Chicken), and sticky rice we had.

In spite of all the interesting food and venues…the strangest thing we did in Nong Khai was visit Sala Keo Ku, a somewhat bizarre-nightmarish park of sculptures by mystic Boun Leua Surirat. Sculptures, some towering up to 80 feet tall, are a mixture of various Hindu and Buddhist deities that seem to come from some HR Giger-ish dreamworld.

We also took the "yellow bus" to Tha Bo, a market town…..I'll say this for sure….the "Yellow Bus" sure has a bunch of character! Tha Bo was also interesting since the population is 70-80% Vietnamese.

The next morning we crossed the Friendship Bridge into Laos, and a cab into the capital city of Vientiane. In contrast to crazed Bangkok, Vientiane is a sleepy city of 230,000.

We also met some of the nicest, kindest, and most gracious folks we've ever encountered. Depending on who you talk to, experienced travelers to Laos will tell you that Laos is what Thailand was like 20-30 years ago(or maybe more…depending who you're asking).

Our most memorable meal in Vientiane was from one of the many stalls lining the Mekong River.

There are few things better than having a cold Beer Lao, some freshly grilled seafood, all wrapped up in a sunset on the banks of the Mekong River.

There's more to the story of this dinner, but I'll save that for later. For now you'll just have to admire our salt crusted, lemongrass stuffed fish, that was swimming around a few minutes before.

We had planned on staying overnight, but stayed 2 nights in Vientiane. To save time we ended up flying to Luang Prabang.

Beautiful, scenic, Luang Prabang was by far our most favorite stop on this trip….or perhaps on any trip. If you think Vientiane is laid back, and do Luang Prabang right, your blood pressure is sure to drop several notches……There were times when I thought Luang Prabang was an island floating over the Mekong River….

We intended on 2 nights, and stayed 5….if I didn't need to work…I'd still be there.

Early every morning, the streets of Luang Prabang becomes a river of flowing orange as the Monks come to collect their Alms.

There's something about this time honored tradition that attracted the Missus and I, enough so, that we watched the procession every morning.

Silence….except for the padding of bare feet on the asphalt. The Missus and I felt honored to be able to give alms….

We stayed in a Hotel next to one of the Wats, and away from the main tourist drag, where this procession turns from a respectful, time honored tradition, into a depressing paparazzi moment.

What about the food you may ask? The Missus and I were able to sample many of the Luang Prabang specialties, such as Khai Pene, a dried, then fried river moss from the Mekong:

Like very good Nori, flavored with tomato, shallots, and garlic, and always served with Jaew Bong, a garlicky, mildly spicy, sweet, and savory "dip", studded with buffalo skin, considered a classic Luang Prabang dish.

Heaven on Earth with a cold Beer Lao…..

I had pretty much dismissed the Fresh Market right off the tourist track in Luang Prabang, as being too touristy…until we visited. Man was I wrong. Along with the usual suspects:

Were some quite unusual items……

And I was to find out that the "forest" and "mountain" people come here to sell their wares. And also noticed that the customers were almost all local early in the morning.

Fascinated with the cuisine(and staying in one place for more than a few days for the first time), I took a cooking class from Joy Ngueamboupha, Co-Owner of Tamarind Restaurant in Luang Prabang. Please read Joy's interesting short bio, here. The class and market tour were fantastic, and it did much to fill in the blanks regarding Lao food. There was no gas or electric stoves, we cooked over charcoal…I was surprised that my stuff actually turned out ok(pretty good actually).

We also had the chance to taste some items that are considered pretty exotic by US standards. Boy have I been missing out all these years……forget about french fries, where can I get my hands on more of this?

At the time I scheduled the cooking class, I also attempted to make reservations for the "Adventurous Lao Gourmet" dinner. The nice Young Lady hesitated and asked that I wait until after the cooking course to schedule. After the course was over, I walked back to the restaurant, and tried to schedule the dinner again. The young lady called Joy on his cell….and he gave us the green light……

The degustation menu was an amazing eye-opening experience…..

With items we've never experienced before, like Sa Thao, another classic Luang Prabang dish made with river algae.

And other items which really challenged the Missus and I. You'll just have to stay tuned……

We were sad to leave Luang Prabang behind, but Chiang Mai was calling to us. We enjoyed historic Chiang Mai, and the Sunday Market is not to be missed (though we'll pass on the Night Bazaar):

And along with street food, we enjoyed a few sit down dinners as well.

Time got away from us in the end, and we managed only one last night in Bangkok before returning home…..but the Missus still got in some "parting shots", in the city that smells of food.

I'm still wrestling with how, and what to post…..

With tons of photos of various Wats (Temples) in every city….

I wish I had a cold Beer Lao to help me figure things out right about now…..since I don't, any suggestions anyone?

Meanwhile, hang in there….I'll be right back!!

Happy Halloween

October 31, 2008 Cathy Recipes, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog about food, mostly written by Kirk (but he is still on vacation) and ed (from Yuma) (but he is in Yuma and working) and Cathy, who is here now and writing about one of her little secret cravings.

Hi. Snack 013

It is Halloween Day and soon the children in costumes will be at my door, begging for a treat, lest they give me a trick.

I am prepared.

Snack 005

Yes, I want the leftovers (if there are any) and do not crave chocolate. So, 50 vendor bags of each of three salty snacks have been purchased.

Snack 003

But, right now it is lunch time and I am hungry…but not just for a snack…

SO….Grab one of these.

Snack 004

Go to your kitchen and see if you have these two ingredients. (cheese and jarred or canned or boxed chili).

Heat up the chili.

Snack 006

Open the bag.

Snack 007

Ladle some of the hot chili right into the bag.

Snack 010

Top with some cheese.

Maybe some chopped onions.

Snack 012

Leave the spoon in the bag. Eat. Enjoy. Toss the bag and there is only the spoon to clean up.

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween and a good weekend. I'll have a more complex "recipe" next week.

Oishii – an excellent Thai and Japanese and Sushi restaurant in Santee

October 30, 2008 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, Thai Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog written by a bunch of friends. Cathy is still blogging about meals she has eaten.

Hi. I blogged Oishii about two years ago- as my last post before Kirk and His Missus came back from their Hawaiian vacation. It is a small restaurant that serves great, fresh sushi, wonderful Japanese food and Thai. Wonderful Thai food. Because all I keep reading in my email from Kirk is describing Thailand and Laos and the food he is eating there, I have been craving Thai almost daily…I suppose to be enjoying something vicariously.

Oishii is in a strip mall on Mast Boulevard (an exit off the 52) just before Magnolia, and seems nondescript. OiishiThai 002 (I will insert a photo of the restaurant soon but will post now).

It isn't very fancy but it is nice and clean. There are 10 chairs surrounding the sushi bar, 5 booths and 8 tables.

The menu does have a plethora of Special rolls listed which a lot of people seem to order. I didn't.

OiishiThai 001

I always get an oyster shooter ($3.50) and sometimes they give me two which always makes me happy.

There are at least two oysters in the shot glasses which are filled with the liqueur of the oyster and spicy sauce, topped with masago (herring roe) and served with a lime slice.

The Mister ordered the fried calamari appetizer ($5), which is listed on the Thai side of the menu, even though tempura is all over the Japanese side…

In amazingly light batter and very soft, tender squid. It is always done so well here.

Served with a sweet chili dipping sauce (which tastes like the stuff I usually buy off the shelf at 99Ranch, which is from Thailand).(The cap is yellow and "Pantai norasingh" is written on it-this is thicker than the sauce served with the calamari, but the flavor balance is the same).

I got the silver noodle salad ($7.95) made with bean threads, shrimp and chicken and covered with a spicy lime based dressing.

It is always fresh made and very filling.

OiishiThai 006

Not much spice for The Mister, still, so he got beef pad see ewe- flat noodles with red and green pepper, onion, black bean sauce and broccoli. ($9.95)

Fresh vegetables, beef and sauce as well as nicely fried noodles.

It is always good here. The Japanese and sushi is prepared as well and as much care as the Thai food. Always fresh.

Excellent lunch specials.

Oishii Japanese-Thai Cuisine and Sushi Bar 10251 Mast Boulevard Santee 92071 (619) 596-4852

Mon-Sat 11-9 closed Sunday

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Wednesday revelations

October 29, 2008 Cathy What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!!, the blog about food. Cathy is still talking, ed is still in Yuma and Kirk (and His Missus) are still in Thailand.

So anyhow, I was eating somewhere and was talking with my friend about different restaurants and what to order where and someone asked me if I was a food blogger, mentioned the word "yoso" and walked away-it was kind of creepy, in a stalker-like way. In that particular restaurant, I saw three people taking photos of their food anyhow. I didn't even have my camera with me. I haven't posted on the place and might not. But, if you are some sort of stalker type, there are clues if you watch how I eat or order… Baked potato 002

Say you are at Wendy's and see someone with a baked potato.

Seems OK, so far…but the potato is not cut open…the butter is on the outside. Baked potato 004

Hm. So is the sour cream.

OK. Now the clue. Baked potato 006

Never, ever, EVER would this be the part I would toss away from a baked potato-anywhere. Ever.

Baked potato 005

THIS is the part I don't bother with- the innards of a baked potato. Useless. I love potato skins. With butter. Real butter.

Mary's 008

OK. Here's another clue.

Say it is before the sun rises.

You are in Santee.

You see Mary's donuts and few cars parked outside. One of them is most likely mine.

Mary's 005

You see someone looking at all the hot fresh donuts, Mary's 009

eventually settling on no more than four. One maybe has chocolate.

Mary's 007

(Because The Mister will eventually wake up and somehow know I brought home donuts.) But one will *always* be a plain glazed French Cruller. That's mine.

Longhorn 004

A final tell about how I eat. Pretty much anywhere (this photo is from Longhorn), I will get a 1/3 to 1/2 lb, medium rare burger, no cheese…and if I can, put some mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles on it. But *never* cheese.

So, if you see someone eating and talking about food, it might be me and it might not. We are all just people. Blogging is a hobby for most of us…a kind of diversion. It does not define us. We are just happy to be sharing part of ourselves-kind of anonymously. Start a conversation about food and things that might be of interest to the other person. Don't worry if they blog or not.

Today is a busy day for me. Gotta run. I hope all of you are having a nice week so far.

Mary's Donuts SouthEast corner of Mission Gorge Road at the 125/52 exchange, Santee. Never closed.

Taco Tuesdays-inexpensive deals around town.

October 28, 2008 Cathy Chains, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!, yoso-silly

This is mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog where Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy contribute sometimes interesting and sometimes mindless posts about food they ate. You get to enjoy our creative writing exercises.

Hello again. Cathy here with a summary of an interesting phenomenon I have been noticing around town- really inexpensive fast food…Taco Tuesdays-deals on tacos at Del Taco and Rubio's and L&L Hawaiian- available only on Tuesdays. You can get a semi-decent meal (protein and vegetable anyhow) for little cash.

Del Taco three for $1.38 Hard shell or soft shell. The "filling"…about what you should expect for 45¢…yet quite tasty if you spread the meat around and add some hot sauce and three are enough to satisfy as a snack. The hard shells are very thin an delicate. You can get this three mini taco deal for 78¢ more any other day during the week.

The $1.25 fish tacos-Tuesday only-from Rubio's(with a 75¢side of guacamole and $1.38 side of beans.) The innards of a Rubio's fish taco… beer batter fried piece of flaky fresh white fish topped with shredded cabbage and a tangy white sauce and salsa.

Here is a better photo- Served on a corn tortilla (although you can get it on a flour tortilla, which would make it not a taco). Served with a slice of lime garnish to squeeze over everything.

Last week, we ordered a quesedilla ($4.49)-cheeses melted in a large flour tortilla garnished with guacamole and sour cream and served with fresh fried corn tortilla chips. It was not very good nor very filling. Stick with the taco special.

If you just have a craving for a fried shell, a sort of meat filling, topped with shredded lettuce and cheese all fried in that shell, Jack in the Box has two tacos for 99¢ 24 hours a day…you've had these. I know.

L&L 003

Then, last week, we went to L&L in Santee. There was a sign on the door-Tuesdays only- 99¢ tacos.

This is a photo of the Kalua Pork taco.

OMG! Soooo good. Very large. Cheese, lettuce and sauce. You can ask for no cheese. The price every other day is $2.19. Try this one…

There are other choices: shrimp, fish, BBQ beef and chicken. I am going there now and will finish this post later…

Rubio's website

Del Taco website

Jack in the Box website

L&L Hawaiian Barbecue website

L&L 011

L&L 008 Addendum: At L&L, the grilled fish is pretty good. The chicken is also very nice. The BBQ beef is kind of sweet. Kalua pork is the best.

L&L 009

Pete’s Meats- Italian Sandwiches on India Street

October 27, 2008 Cathy Italian Restaurants, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog. About food. Written mostly by Kirk with the help of ed (from Yuma) and Cathy. Kirk is in Thailand. Still. ed is in Yuma. Still. Read about Cathy's adventures.

Hi. Pete's Meats is -and has been- located in this nondescript storefront in Little Italy across from Filippi's. In this area of town with all the fancy Italian themed restaurants, Pete's is one of very few places I consider not pretentious and just good.

It used to be a butcher shop and a lot of the original shop paraphernalia is still inside-more to the back of the store.

There are usually two tables out in front.

Inside, pretty much as nondescript, as you can see from this view from one of the back tables.

The simple menu is right there-above the grill, in front of the barstools. Sandwiches- hot or mild sausage, meatball, steak, eggplant. Each $6.95. You can ask for half and half if you would like.

(There used to be a Spitini sandwich which is now covered over on the menu- veal and prosciutto, rolled around a mix of cheese, parsley, onions, tomatoes, pine nuts and currants: heaven. It always cost about $2 more than the other sandwiches, could not be gotten as a half sandwich and was wonderful…)

ANYHOW…This is a photo of half of an eggplant sandwich-grilled, thin sliced pieces of eggplant with grilled onions and peppers, some marinara and topped with Parmesan. Pete's Meats 002

This is a photo of half of a mild Italian sausage sandwich. The same fresh roll and toppings. The sausage is made in house and is *excellent* with the wonderful fennel that compliments the pork.

You can buy canned regular or diet Coke and bottled water as your beverage. That's it.

Limited menu. Done perfectly every time. A San Diego Institution.

Pete's Meats 1742 1/2 India Street San Diego 92101 (619)234-1684 Hours Mon-Sat 10-5, closed Sunday.

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