mmm-yoso – Page 490 – 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.

Wa Dining Okan – Part 1

September 4, 2008 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

Everyone likes a good story, one full of intrigue, right? So how about a story of riches, a far away land, some mystery, and with Mom’s love thrown in to tie it all together? Well, let’s give it a whirl, shall we?

There I was, minding my own business…..I know, I know, you’ve heard that one before. But really, there I was minding my own business on a recent Saturday night. As I left Nijiya Market, groceries in tow…..yes, such is the glamorous life I lead, grocery shopping on a Saturday night. Leaving Nijiya, I noticed that the space previously occupied by Yakitori K-1, was lit up, and as I peered through the window, the place was packed.

There was not much to identify the place, except for a sign of "specials", and several laminated photos with wording in Japanese. I was immediately hooked, but I really wanted to do a bit of research before stepping through that door. Questions danced through my head; "what kind of place would open up, flying way below the radar?" "No signs in English, what would that mean?" "Why haven’t I heard of this place before?" Hence the mystery……put in simple terms, what the heck was this place? I needed to know more….so what would a good Private Eye do? Well, I started interviewing people. From 2 different cashiers at Nijiya, I learned a bit. They weren’t quite sure how to explain the type of restaurant in English. Until it hit home; when I mentioned the term "Kozara Ryori", I was met with approving nods. Both of the women had never been to the restaurant, and one of them said; "I think it might be the most expensive in San Diego!" And then She whispered to me, "when you go, come back and tell me about it." For those who have never heard of Kozara Ryori dining, the term "Kozara" refers to the little plates that are used. So the term Kozara Ryori, is used for restaurants that serve "little plates"…..sort of Tapas, Japanese style. (No, Izakaya is NOT a term used for Japanese little dishes). And from another source, I was told that the Owner was a rich (the riches) Japanese Businessman, who was unhappy with the Japanese food in San Diego, and decided to find and hire a Chef from Japan (the far away land). Wanting this restaurant to be his own little semi-private dining club, but also needing to make enough to keep it afloat, the place opened with no fanfare, and the sign still read "Yakitori K-1". I’m not sure if this is all true, but it makes for a heck of a story…..

Having a better understanding of the task in front of me, I knew I was out of my depth. I needed some help, an individual with deep pockets, and an even deeper stomach. There was only one man for the job, my Urasawa Partner in Crime. The man, the myth, the appetite, Captain Jack. Jack, as always, was up for anything, and met me for dinner, at the restaurant whose sign still read "Yakitori K-1"

We arrived right at opening, 530pm, so that we could deal with possible complications. Places are less crowded at that hour. As we approached, I really took a detailed look at the sign of specials.

No, I don’t read Japanese; but I quickly noticed the prices….hmmmm….everything under $5.25. Looks like it won’t be too bad. I’ll have to tell the lady at Nijiya……

The restaurant is elegant, in the simple, and what Captain Jack calls "austere", Japanese way. As we sat at the "bar", we quickly noticed the specials are lined up around the bar in large bowls.

And there is an English version of the menu….even though there are several other specials in Japanese, you’ll have no problem maneuvering here. The restaurant itself is quite small, and the fairly large menu consists of appetizers, salads, side dishes, grilled items, and the inevitable "closing dishes" (i.e. soup, soba, and udon). The prices are quite in line with other places…..

As I looked over the bowls of specials, a smile appeared on my face. Most of the items were homestyle dishes, many of which I grew up eating, and still make from time to time in my own mediocre way. And so I started ordering, and really appreciated the wonderful service that Nanase provided….She actually put up with my very bad Sansei pronunciations of the dishes.

We started with some simmered Satoimo Nimono (simmered Japanese taro):

Oh man, memories of my childhood. Nicely simmered to a perfect moist-starchiness, in a mild dashi-based broth. This was, at least for me, quite nice.

Kabocha Nimono, simmered "winter squash" also known as "Kabocha Squash" and "Japanese Pumpkin".

I dare not even attempt to cook my Kabocha to this level…it would never hold shape. Melt in your mouth, but maybe a bit too soft for me. Wonderful flavor, the mild sweetness accented by the balanced dashi.

The Daikon and Tuna Salad:

The only real clunker of the night…ugh….canned tuna…mayo…belongs at the buffet line at Todai.

Having tasted the Kabocha and Satoimo, something told me that the Miso Nasubi(Eggplant) might be pretty good.

I really enjoyed this. The miso was used with a very restrained hand, there was the hint of miso in every bite, but you could still taste the eggplant. The eggplant was simmered to perfection, just enough melt in your mouth goodness, without a hint of bitterness. A very nice home-style dish, and my favorite of the "specials".

For our salad; we ordered this:

It’s the Gobo Salad ($5.25). I was a bit surprised at the portion size. The Gobo (burdock root) had been shaved and deep fried. The Gobo and the Mizuna was tied together with a Sesame-Vinaigrette, which added a nice tart-sweetness, and the wonderful earthiness of the Gobo was balanced out with the mild bitterness of the Mizuna. This was possibly my favorite dish of the night.

Would you believe that we had just gotten started? I’m bushed, so you’ll have to wait for part 2 of this…..

Oh…yes, what about "Mom"?

Just read the little page to the right. There are little signs around the place, signed, "Yours Sincerely, Mom." And who doesn’t love Mom? So how about adding this to the little story. A rich Japanese Businessman, misses his Mom’s home cooking, and the comfort food of home. He hires a Chef from Japan to recreate those seasonal dishes he loves, and quietly opens a restaurant……. Could it be true??? I dunno……..

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Hours:
Mon – Wed 530-11pm
Thurs – Sat 530pm – 12am
Sun 430pm – 9pm

Part 2 can be found here.

Sieu Sieu BBQ

September 2, 2008 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

I try my best to go into any new eating establishment with a "good" attitude, a blank slate, always hoping for the best meal possible given the price, food, and service. That doesn’t mean that I’m always successful. Sieu Sieu BBQ is such a case. When we first relocated to San Diego, Sieu Sieu BBQ occupied a small space on Linda Vista Road. Being curious about the Chinese BBQ offered at the tiny shop, I sampled the Roast Duck, Salted Chicken, and Roast Pork, and found all three to be severely lacking…in flavor. I had never had bland Chinese BBQ before, until that day. Needless to say, I never returned. While driving down Linda Vista Road last year, I noticed that Sieu Sieu BBQ was gone……and I felt bad, perhaps a bit of guilt. I really never gave them that "third chance", that I could have.

And then, one recent morning, I drove by one of the multitude of strip malls on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. And there it was; Sieu Sieu BBQ, back from the dead!

The first thing that went through my mind, was "nice sign, but couldn’t you afford some paint?" As you can tell, this is the location of the now defunct Maui Maui Hawaiian BBQ. At that point, the "two little men on my shoulder went into action". The "good Kirk" whispered, "hope springs eternal" in one ear, while the "bad Kirk" murmured "see…bad pennies always show up." Good Kirk, "the third time is a charm". Bad Kirk: "Three strikes and you’re out." What to do? My solution? I opened the window and let the breeze blow the two "Kirks" out the window…my way of taking my mental "Etch a Sketch", shaking it, and clearing off all of the haphazard mental drawings. In essence, starting with a clear slate.

One of the things I noticed about this version of Sieu Sieu BBQ, was the new dining area. Tables, many of them large and communal, all lined up. And on the morning I passed by, there were several older couples eating in the restaurant. All "good signs". In spite of this, I started slowly. On the first day, I ordered something from the menu. A simple Wonton Egg Noodles Soup ($4.95):

The noodle and soup menu is quite reasonable; all the dishes are under $7. And for under 5 bucks this was a pretty good "deal". In the exact opposite of what is usually done in restaurants, the bowl looked quite small, but there was a good amount of egg noodles in the "just about average" (at least not too salty) broth. The wontons were also just okay, there were 6 of them in the soup. Not much soup, but a ton of noodles. To me, worth the 5 bucks.

And this was good enough for me. Good enough for what you may ask…..good enough for a "meat-fest"! First, let’s go to the Roast Duck (1/2 Duck $7.99):

Dry and bland…this was the Sieu Sieu BBQ I remembered. It did not bode well, but I also ordered other stuff.

The BBQ Duck (1/2 Duck $7.99). You can tell the BBQ duck from the Roast Duck, because it is cooked split and hung in a "spatchcock" position. You can easily tell the difference.

We had never tried this at the "old" Sieu Sieu. It is much more meaty, moist, and tender, than the Roast Duck. On the other side of the coin, this duck was suffering from "bean paste overload", as the beany flavor overwhelmed all else except for one thing; it was very salty.

The Roast Pork ($8.25/lb):

You’ll find something interesting at Sieu Sieu; it’s the 2 ladies who chop and handle the meat. They are both really nice, and after checking out the pork, have some decent "chops"(pun fully intended) as well. Each piece had just a little sliver of bone. Again, the meat was moist, though the fat was a bit "hard"…it had not been cooked enough. The "skin" was on the hard side, though Da’ Boyz didn’t complain very much.

The BBQ Pork (aka Char Siu $6.55/lb !!!):

Hmmm, that’s a bad photo…..it looks sort of radioactive. How about this one?

The Char Siu wasn’t bad. The pork was moist, had a decent amount of fat, and was fairly tender. Unfortunately, just as the BBQ Duck, it suffered from bean paste over-load, and the flavor was too salty, lacking in a balancing sweetness.

Lest you think it was just a (BBQ) meat-fest, here are a few more dishes:

The Beef Stew on Rice ($5.25):

Man, there was a ton of rice (not a bad thing) provided. The beef was just mediocre, though the piece of tendon had that wonderful buttery texture.

I’m thinking that my assessment rally wasn’t 100% accurate during this meal. I saw something that I hadn’t seen since we moved from LA. In the San Gabriel Valley, it is, or at least was, quite common to see someone eating, say chicken feet, and upon completion of eating, spit out the bones and inedible parts right onto the table. The thing I’ve always found humorous about the whole thing was, that after spitting and dumping all the bones on the table, that the person in question would grab a toothpick in one hand, and cover his mouth(it was usually men) with the other, in what was almost a gesture of modesty. Not good, not bad, just ironic in a twisted way. And yes, I was sitting across from a "spitter", who ended up "depositing" a bunch of duck bones on the table. The nice woman, who a minute ago was chopping this very bird, now came up to clean up. She looked at me, and simply smiled and shrugged. And though I’ve seen this many times, I’m still not used to it.

The Home Style Rice Vermicelli Noodle ($6.95):

This was very much "Home Style", quite simple in flavor (soy sauce), and though not bland, a bit like this:

The Rice Vermicelli was a bit over-cooked, though there were 5 shrimp in the dish. I did feel like I could have made this at home. Still, for $6.95 it wasn’t too bad. More than enough food for 1 meal. But wouldn’t you know, I sat across from another "spitter"…..just my luck. This time it was Salted Chicken…I guess I can’t complain about variety!

As a whole, the Chinese BBQ at Sieu Sieu is better than what I remembered, though not top notch. The folks working here are very, very nice. The menu dishes are inexpensive, and perhaps a good diversion from Sam Woo, at least you won’t have the "attitude and parking" problems.

I did find that on every visit, I dealt with an "older" crowd.

As a last note; FOY "Fred" emailed me and told me the Sieu Sieu Chow Mein was well worth the $6.95 you pay for it. And knowing Fred, it’s a good recommendation. And for the "real" cultural experience, maybe you’ll sit across from one of the same gentlemen I did!

Sieu Sieu BBQ
7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

9am – 9pm Daily

Sab-E-Lee – Beef Salad or the Nahm Tok Nuea?

September 1, 2008 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

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

That has been the question that has been driving the Missus crazy recently when ordering from Sab-E-Lee. Do I get the Beef Salad? Or do I get the Nahm Tok – Beef? Which is resolved with a simple question, "which do you prefer?" Which inevitably drives the Missus into a bout of crazed indecision….it's almost like asking if she'd prefer Sammy to Frankie, or visa versa. And from my emails, She's not the only one that's a bit confused. Yes, there is a "Beef Salad" on the menu (Yum Nuea), it's located under salads, #22. And there is Nahm Tok Nuea (basically "water-fall beef"), under "Specialties". In two of the emails I received, said individual(s) ordered the Beef Salad, and expected the Nahm Tok(I knew right away when I read, "there was no rice powder in my salad"). Not that they didn't enjoy the Beef Salad, but they had expected the Nahm Tok. This point was driven home recently, when the Missus and I had dinner at Sab-E-Lee. We met 2 really nice young men; Justin and Mark, and in the confines of the tiny restaurant, we chatted. In the course of the discussion, we were asked what the difference between the 2 salads were.

So here we go; just a short post tonight. But I'll try to describe the differences between Sab-E-Lee's version of the two dishes.

The Beef Salad($6.95):

Don't let the rather innocuous dish fool you. This is plenty spicy. The Yum Nuea utilizes heat from a good amount of fresh Thai Chilies, which is a very upfront and to the point heat. The fish sauce flavor is not as strong, and the simplicity of the salad allows for the citrus tones to come through. What I really enjoy about the salad are the slices of garlic, which seem to be slightly pickled (I could be wrong), which taste almost sweet. In this case the carrots have been mixed into the salad, along with sliced red onion and scallions. The salad is topped with a generous amount of cilantro.

The Nahm Tok Nuea($6.95):

This dish has the benefit of mint leaves and roasted rice powder, which adds a mild nuttiness to the dish. In addition, chili paste is used instead of the chopped chilies, which, at least for me, creates a slower "burn", that can sneak up on you. I find this dish to be a bit more pungent than the Beef Salad, and prefer it over the Beef Salad(don't tell that to the Missus though). I think of it as a more hearty dish, and love to eat this with sticky rice. Shredded carrot and purple cabbage, as well as the standard wedge of cabbage is also provided.

So there you go…..2 dishes that seem to be one in the same, but are quite different. So which does the Missus prefer? Well, recently, it's been dish #3…….this:

It took me a while to get Her to try it….but when She did….well, I'm kinda sorry I did. Now the Missus and I fight it out. What is it? I'll cover that in a future post!

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

My previous posts on Sab-E-Lee can be found here and here.

I hope everyone had a great long weekend!

By Request: Kimlan’s “Chinese Spaghetti Sauce”

August 31, 2008 mmm-yoso Cooking, yoso-silly

You all are always full of surprises, that’s probably why we love you all so much. On any given post, I never know what might catch the fancy of the wonderful folks who read mmm-yoso!!! This little bottle to my right is a good example. I happened to have mentioned it in one of my shopping posts, and was asked several times if I bought it. Of course this aroused my curiosity. After all, just what is "Chinese Spaghetti Sauce?"

And so I bought a bottle on one of my trips to 99 Ranch Market. I wasn’t paying attention, and didn’t realize that it was $3.09 a bottle!

I was surprised at the Missus’s reaction when I returned home and displayed the bottle. Instead of the expected "what are you wasting money on now", I received a "hey, you might like this". I guess you all aren’t the only ones full of surprises.

Speaking of surprises….about a week later I decided to finally try out the sauce. And when I grabbed the bottle it was almost empty!! The Missus had been using it to top Her jook, and as a topping for rice. Realizing that my window of opportunity had suddenly gotten much smaller, I dug through our cabinets looking for some pasta…and found some capellini. Which I cooked up, and topped with a conservative amount of the sauce (I heeded a warning from the Missus, "a little will go a long way….") along with some green onions and cilantro.

From the first bite I understood why the Missus enjoyed this. The flavor was 5 spice and bean paste heavy, and most of all, S-A-L-T-Y. The mystery meat consisted of five spice tofu and "Kaufu", which is wheat gluten. The flavor is very Chinese, and you’d never mistake his for your good old bottle of Ragu. A little does go a long way…….

I thought it was okay…..but I think a little phrase the Missus uttered to me the other day is much more telling. "Don’t forget to buy a bottle of the Chinese Spaghetti Sauce the next time you go to 99 Ranch Market!"

Take that, Ragu!

Lightning Jack’s BBQ – Clairemont

August 30, 2008 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, BBQ, Cajun, Southern, and Soul Food

**** Lightning Jack's has closed

I'm sure you've felt this way…..totally pooped, half-way wiped out, hungry, and looking for something close to home. Which is why I ended up at Lightning Jack's, in the "food court" area of Clairemont Town Square.

I'm not quite sure why I decided to pick up dinner here…in the words of Captain Jack when I told him I bought BBQ from Lightning Jack's; "what the hell were you thinking?" Yeah, what was I thinking? I walked into the tiny restaurant, looked around, and almost decided to turn around…..but something kept me there.

And the gentleman running the place was very friendly…so I made a decision to just go for it. Looking over the menu, I noticed that the ribs were "St Louis Style", which made me understand that the type of ribs used were Spareribs. But I wondered if the sauce was St Louis style, a basic spicy-sweet tomato based sauce….sort of like what Phil's uses(more of that in a future post). A friend once gave me a bottle of Maull's which is supposed to represent that style of sauce. So I asked the Gentleman behind the counter what style of BBQ Lightning Jack's serves. His response? "Ummm…uhhh(blank look), we use a lot of liquid smoke!" Not very promising, but I ordered a half-rack($10.49), which came with a roll, and a side. I chose Baked Beans, which the Missus loves.

The ribs were dry and tough, and the only smoke I could detect was from the super liquid smoked sauce(the Guy wasn't kidding).

My eyesight is getting pretty bad, but I couldn't detect a "smoke ring". Which kinda goes against what the menu says:

I think I need to see the "pit smoker" if I ever eat there again.

The Missus enjoyed the beans, which I thought was very bland. I also ordered some Steak Cut Fries ($1.80), which was a very generous portion of thick cut fries which was probably the best thing about the meal.

I also ordered the Pulled Pork Sandwich ($5.99), which came with 1 side. I asked the Guy if I could just get some Hushpuppies with it, and being the amicable Gentleman, he said, "no problem".

Before the big sandwich reveal, let's read what the menu says:

For me that says a Hickory Smoked Pork Butt……. I haven't had North Carolina BBQ in North Carolina, but have had said style at Mike and Ed's and Country's in Columbus, Georgia, and Dusty's in Decatur, Georgia (near Emory University – Brunswick Stew….). And I can honestly tell you, this wasn't it. The pork was on the tough side, and you really could only taste the sauce……same sauce as the ribs. And no "pile of coleslaw"……

The Missus thought the Hushpuppies were okay. Since the Gentleman was nice enough to give us this instead of some other side, I'll give it a pass. I will say that I'm glad I still have my teeth after eating them.

In retrospect, perhaps I'm being a bit too harsh. But I try to be consistent….if you say you make Sichuan food, I'll expect Sichuan Peppercorns or at least something that is representative of the basic 23 flavors of Sichuan cuisine. Likewise, if you say something is North Carolina style BBQ….. If I didn't know better, perhaps my opinion would be very different.

I really don't even qualify as a novice when it comes to BBQ, and I've only eaten in 1 of those hallowed BBQ havens. I had lunch at Arthur Bryant's in Kansas City in 1997. I did have decent BBQ at a couple of places in Fort Smith, Arkansas (the only one whose name I can remember is Jerry Neel's), a couple places in Atlanta (i.e Dusty's and Fat Matt's Rib Shack), Columbus, Georgia, and one really good shack in Fayetteville, Arkansas. So take my opinion with a grain of salt. Still, I think I've come far from the kid who only had Tony Roma's while growing up in Hawaii.

As for Lightning Jack's, the service was nice and friendly, and the prices are relatively reasonable.

Lightning Jack's BBQ
4705 Clairemont Drive (In the Clairemont Town Center)
San Diego, CA 92117

Another Inexpensive Meal-London Broil

August 29, 2008 Cathy Cooking, Recipes, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food written by Kirk and friends. Today, Cathy is writing about cooking at home with stuff she bought on sale this week. Again.

Hi. Back again, showing you a meal (actually two meals )I made for two for $5, buying stuff that is on sale this week in San Diego.

London Broil. That is how it is labeled at Henry's this week. $2.59/lb. A tough cut of meat that is sometimes labeled that way- how it should be cooked. Actually, the cut of meat is more often (correctly) labeled flank or top or round steak. It has muscle fibers that run through the entire cut and needs to be massaged or pounded and NEVER scored or stabbed or otherwise mutilated-the few juices in the meat will run out. It is best when marinated and then…broiled… as the way of cooking it. Then you cut against the grain and the meat is tender and juicy when hot or cold. Simple.

The marinade I usually make for roasts and red meat is pretty simple: Olive oil, red wine, garlic, basil, oregano, parsley, black pepper. You really can't put in too much of any of the ingredients, except maybe the black pepper. Just make sure everything is coated and let it marinate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight, in the refrigerator.

I saw this cool hanging planter thing at the County Fair last year and found it on line and, as you can see, I have a lot of fresh herbs (mostly different basils) at my fingertips. (They sell something similar to this at Home Depot now)

Broil about 3 minutes on each side. No more than that, unless the meat is more than 1.5 inches thick. (broil about two minutes per side if the meat is an inch thick or less)

WHEN YOU TAKE THE MEAT FROM THE BROILER, LET IT REST FOR ABOUT TEN MINUTES. If you cut it right away, the juices run out and the meat will get tough when it cools down.

When you slice it-against the grain- it will slice thin easily and be pink in the center.

I served it hot with some noodles with a simple cheesy cream sauce.

and the next day we each had the chilled meat on top of a salad, made with red and green peppers, slices of mushrooms and radishes and some celery on some mixed lettuces. (Along with some tomatoes from my garden.)

I do buy the 'by the pound' lettuce and mushrooms from Henry's and find those to be more economical -less waste-. A large bag filled with enough mixed lettuces for two salads was 80¢. A large handful of mushrooms was 92¢. All the other veggies were on sale this week at Henry's.

Cathy's London Broil Marinade

For one lb meat: 1 C Olive oil, 1 C red wine, 1/2C chopped garlic, 1/4 C each chopped fresh basil, oregano and parsley. Black pepper to taste.

If you are using dried instead of fresh herbs, use less-the flavor is way more concentrated in the dry stuff.

Cathy's Cheesy Cream Sauce for pasta

melt 1 stick butter

Heat 1 C milk in sauce pan. Add melted butter.

Add 2 Tbs wine vinegar-(this will turn the milk to cheese)

Simmer for about 15 min until the sauce cooks smooth.

Cook pasta to al dente. Drain and immediately toss in two whipped eggs, the above sauce and 1/3 C fresh grated Parmesan or Romano, salt and pepper. Toss and serve.

(if you cook 1/4 lb bacon (cut in little cubes) until clear with the butter in the above recipe and then pour the bacon with the melted butter/bacon fat mix into the milk, then follow the rest of the recipe, that *is* pasta carbonara)

Cathy's Salad Dressing

1/2 C oil, 1/4 C vinegar, dash Tabasco, salt and pepper

Lately…….

August 27, 2008 mmm-yoso Chains, Cusco and the Sacred Valley, Lima, Peru, Siem Reap, Travel

"I have had the strangest feeling….." Not to imitate the style of one of my favorite bloggers Penny, who often finds just the right lyric or quote for her various posts….

But lately I've been finding myself fading away at certain times, just "wool gathering". I'll be doing a post….you really can't call what I do writing or composing….it's really just "doing". And my mind just sort of wanders. Maybe off to the cobblestone streets of Cusco. Perhaps I've just been working too hard. But I'm starting to get that feeling again. I think we need to head off, to where, I'm not quite sure yet….

It's a funny thing, some of the nicest, most memorable meals we've had on trips, have ended up on the "PWTSDS" ("putdz" – Places Where the Sun Don't Shine) list. That would be the mmm-yoso photo scrap heap. And yet, these were meals we really enjoyed. So without further ado, I think maybe it's time for those "ugly duckling" photos to shine…..so if you'd just put up with me!

Anticuchos in Cusco (Peru):

I believe this was right after our dinner at the Chicharroneria. We were walking down Avenida del Sol, when we spied a crowd on the corner of Avenida del Sol and Ayacucho. A woman was making Anticuchos, and if the crowd was any indication, it was very good Anticuchos indeed!

Seeing the crowd, and breathing in the scent of grilling meat restimulated our appetites, and suddenly we just had to have some Anticuchos. But how to deal with the mass of humanity? Just as in all of our travels, whether in a confused state in a train station in Hanoi, or getting Anticuchos, we met our Guardian Angel. This time, an older gentleman saw the Missus trying to edge Her way forward. He immediately took control of the situation, and waved the Missus next to him. He quickly yelled out for some Anticuchos for the Missus, and even looked them over…..just to make sure.

The Missus said these were the best Anticuchos She ever tasted, and at Un Sol (about 33 cents), it was more than a bargain.

I'm sure the kindness of the Gentleman made them taste even better!

Pardo's – Miraflores (Peru):

As we noted, we stayed at the huge Marriott in Miraflores before returning home. Right across the street is a mall, Larcomar, which is built into the cliffs overlooking the ocean. And in the mall is a location of Pardo's Chicken, the largest Pollo a la Brasa (rotisserie chicken) chain in Peru. There seemed to be a Pollo a la Brasa shop on every street corner in Lima. People here are crazy about it.

We were headed home the next day, and were bushed, and Pardo's seemed to fit the bill. As good as the chicken was….

It was the Papas Fritas (French Fries) which we enjoyed the best. The potatoes were a nice yellow in color (Papas Amarillas – like Yukon Gold), which tasted like the soul of a potato. I can still taste them…….

And with a dip in the Aji Sauce…sort of like an Aji Aioli….man was this good. There's something to be said for having just the right food, at the right time.

Which takes us to Siem Reap and…

Maharajah Royal Indian Cuisine (Siem Reap):

After a day of hiking among ruins, and tired of Fish Amok, we wanted something different. An acquaintance of mine had mentioned that the Indian Food in Siem Reap is not half bad. And we just stumbled into Maharajah.

Gotta love the "spicy scale" provided on the menu….

The unfortunate thing about the restaurant was the lighting, it was a horrible "bug killer green", which made everything look pretty unappetizing.

The Missus enjoyed Her Special Vegetarian Thali (meal set – $3/US), which was an absolute bargain!

I got the most expensive item on the menu; the Mutton Thali ($6/US). And yes, it was indeed mutton, very gamy, and pretty tough. But the Dal was very good.

It was just the right meal at the right time. In fact, the Missus wanted Indian the following night as well.

It's funny how these meals stuck in our mind. Just the right thing, at the right time. Our memories of these places are quite varied as well. For all of the photos of Inca Treasures….

And the magnificent temples of Angkor…..

It's the photos of things like this dog "scratching an itch" in the fresh grass in Calca,

or the children learning traditional dances at school in Cusco,

And the children in Siem Reap…..

With smiles that are priceless….. that we remember the most.

Funny thing, it's the people, and our experiences with those people that the Missus and I discuss the most. The kindnesses of strangers, the stories of the folks we encounter, the understanding that we are all more alike than different.

Yes, I think soon it'll be time to get on a plane and go somewhere….not quite sure where yet, but we'll be sure to let you know. And hopefully I'll finish all those Cambodia posts before I head off on another vacation.

You know, my week has suddenly gotten better. I hope you have a great one! If you've hang around till the end I thank you.

Junz Teriyaki & BBQ

August 26, 2008 mmm-yoso Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

**** Junz has closed

This one is for TanyaS who is always nice enough to let me know when She sees something "new".

It looks like North Park now has a plate lunch shop. Junz Teriyaki & BBQ opened in the beginning of July, and all it took was the mention of the word "Loco Moco" courtesy of an email from Tanya to get me in the front door of Junz.

If I recall, this was a Gyros & Fried Chicken Shop. But man, it's sure been "prettied up"(is there such a phrase?).

And, if you really need it, you can still get a Gyros or Falafel Sandwich…with a side order of Spam Musubi.

So what did I get? Well, being the consistent (a nice way of saying predictable) guy I am, I got the Loco Moco ($5.95). On the menu it's the "Loco Moco Hawaiian" which I think is kinda, well insulting…perhaps it should be the Hawaiian Style Loco Moco? This was the first of many signs that perhaps this was just another attempt at cashing in on "Hawaiian BBQ". The next indicator was when the Loco Moco arrived:

What the heck? I had not read the part that said, "Gravy Teriyaki Sauce"…..actually it was just teriyaki sauce. I did enjoy the egg, which was a very Bi-Bim-Bap-ish perfect, and for the price expected the preformed hamburger patty, which was unexpectedly cut into 4 pieces. But the rest of this was a train wreck. From the teriyaki sauce to the mixed peas, corn, and carrots mixed into the rice…to the soggy iceberg lettuce, to the mushy rice, this wasn't very good.

At least the Teriyaki Sauce wasn't overly sweet. This was just a bit strange. Just one more thing, on the menu it says "Hamburger Patties" and "Eggs". Last time I checked, those are plurals, as in "more than one".

Not that I need to do any additional damage to my cholesterol level……but perhaps this should be fixed in future editions of the menu? I'm still trying to figure out which "Island" this "Style" of Loco Moco is from. And here I thought that the Loco Moco that Kat posted about was a bit odd!

Still, that egg was mighty good, and in some very strange way I really wanted to like this place. I liked the decor, and the ladies are very nice. So I decided to give it another go. This time, because of the that egg, I thought perhaps there was some Korean roots to the food, and thought that perhaps the Spicy Chicken Teriyaki($6.95) would be a good item to try. I mean, a nice Dak Bulgogi style chicken with Kochujang for a tad of heat.

It was not to be, it was just "spiked" teriyaki sauce, on top of fast-foodish, food courtish, chicken. The 1 scoop of rice, was cooked perfectly this time, and the macaroni salad was a bit too runny, but tasted fine.

There was very little to separate this stuff from what you'd get at generic shopping mall food court…you know, the "same chicken, different sauce" syndrome. Perhaps I should have had a Spam Onigiri (Falafel Sandwich?).

It's kind of a bummer. Like I said, the ladies working here are really nice, and the place is sparkling clean and bright. As I looked at the take-out menu, I noticed that this place is run by the folks who own North Park Sushi & Grill across the street, and Hanaoka Japanese Restaurant, which I understand has been in National City forever. The menu has items like Saimin, Gyoza, Hummus(!), and Teriyaki in several forms. Maybe someone can tell me what I need to order from Junz!

Junz Teriyaki & BBQ
3010 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Hours: Mon-Sat 11am – 9pm

Thanks for letting me know when you see something you think I'd be interested in Tanya!

Roadtrip: Be Thui from Cho Ben Thanh Market – Westminster (Orange County)

August 24, 2008 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

A funny thing has happened since I’ve started this little ol’ food blog. Among the emails I receive, there’s always bound to be one naming some dish I’ve never heard of before. And it usually goes something like this: "Kirk, have you ever tried xxxxxx? I don’t eat it myself, but my (fill in the blank – Father, Mother, Uncle, Grandfather) just loves the stuff." I guess it’s just a sign of old age, I’m getting lumped in with what "Dad" eats. However, this one came from a good "FOY" (friend of yoso!!!), TammyC. The basic gist of the email was that her Dad loves what she called "almost raw baby cow meat dip" from Cho Ben Thanh Market in Westminster. Not quite the most appetizing of descriptions, but TammyC knows my "tastes" pretty well, and recommended I try it out. I understood that I was a bit out of my depth here, and perhaps needed a bit of help. This, of course, was a job for the man we simply call "Beach"! Of course he knew exactly what I was describing. Always generous with his time, Beach agreed to meet me, and in fact took me on a whirlwind little tour of some of Little Saigon’s little shops and eateries. It was a wonderful 2 hours, and will be the subject of a future post.

Our fourth (yes fourth) stop on the tour was Cho Ben Thanh Market…..and a plastic vat of pinkish meat covered with a powdery substance….. Be Thui. Beach explained that this version is roasted veal, dusted with rice powder, and is eaten with a ginger based dipping sauce and basil. The market itself is fairly busy, and the shoppers (mostly women) are pretty aggressive.

You haven’t lived until you’ve seen an anxious group of women with tongs (not thongs) attack a steaming vat of intestines. The gentleman manning the register seemed to grow 2 extra pairs of arms as he deftly handled all of the transactions coming at him. Beach made sure I got what I came for, the gentleman covered his hand with a plastic bag, grabbed a handful of the meat, folded the bag over, and that was it. I paid, and fearful of what damage ladies with tongs could do, beat a hasty retreat.

After I arrived home, I opened up my little package and checked out my Be Thui.

Slices of very pink meat along with fat and skin, coated in rice powder and sesame seeds. I tried some straight out of the bag, and the meat had a chewy texture almost like that of cured meat. Being veal, the flavor was very mild, and though the fragrance had a bit of a "metallic" edge to it, it was not reflected in the meat, as the rice powder had absorbed much of the moisture of the meat, and provided a bit of a nutty flavor to the whole thing. The pieces of skin were on the crunchy side.

And so I made myself a plate.

The real star of the show was the dipping sauce, made with what Beach said was Tuong Cu Da, a fermented bean sauce. According to Wikipedia the sauce is made in a town in the Hà Tây Province, which as of 2008 is now a part of Hanoi. It was the ginger in the fairly salty sauce that really shown through. Though the Missus wouldn’t touch the Be Thui, she kept tasting the sauce. The combination of the dipping sauce and the basil gave the dish a very clean and refreshing flavor.

As Beach pointed out, this would be pretty good with a "cold one". Should you want to brave the "women with tongs" you can get Be Thui, and a whole range of Offal at Cho Ben Thanh Market.

Cho Ben Thanh Market
9172 Bolsa Avenue
Westminster, CA 92683

I’d never had thought to try this without that wonderful email from TammyC, and Beach’s(who should do food tours of Little Saigon) help. So thanks again to both of you!

Saturday Stuffs: No Moa Da’ Kine’s National City, What’s this about Drive-thru Banh Mi, A Surprise at Sammy’s, and other “stuffs”

August 23, 2008 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Plate Lunch, Sushi and Sashimi, Vietnamese Restaurants

Just some Miscellanea for the weekend:

No Moa Da Kine’s National City, La Dat:

I’ve been thinking about doing another plate lunch week, and it seems that I always do at least one post on Da’ Kine’s. After all, they’ve been around over a decade. So, back in July I had a plate lunch at Da’ Kine’s, and decided to drop by one more time a few weeks ago. And to my surprise, this facade:

Was replaced with this:

Wow, so this is the third Da Kine’s to close. Only the new Liberty Station location is still open. Oh, I did have lunch here, but you’ll have to wait for that post. This is what I had at Da’ Kine’s in July:

I’m still contemplating plate lunch week….but all the Teriyaki – Hawaiian BBQ, blah, blah, blah, gets to be the same after a while. Maybe I should just intermingle them…..what do you think?

Nani Moku Hawaiian BBQ
1635 Sweetwater Road
National City, CA 91950

What’s this about drive-thru Banh Mi?:

A few weeks ago, "22cards" (thanks for letting me know), reported that Cali Baguette Express’s long awaited Banh Mi Drive-thru was open. And not only that, but they were now open 24 hours a day! So that very Friday, the Missus and I headed out to Cali Baguette Express, at about 930pm, and found the place completely dark, totally closed, not a creature was stirring. We were so disappointed, we headed straight to Golden City and had Peking Duck…talk about depressed.

Determined to get to the bottom of the "drive-thru" mystery, I took a serious detour, and hit up CBE at 630 am a recent morning. and indeed all the "signs" were in full display. It does say Open 24 Hours, looks like the Drive-thru is from 9pm to 6am, which would have been right in the ballpark. So I ordered a Banh Mi Trung ($2.59), and asked the young lady about the drive-thru. I had a bit of a problem understanding, but I believe the gist of it was, the store closes at 9pm, with only drive-thru service from 9-midnight Sunday-Thursday, and 9pm thru 6am Fridays and Saturdays…..I think. Maybe someone else will have more info.

As for the Banh Mi, the bread was better on this occasion than my previous visits. Warm, decently crusty, with some chew. The egg wasn’t dredged in Maggi, which is what I’ve gotten at a few places. It was not bad….of course it could have just been that I love Banh Mi Trung…especially when I’m starving.

Sure beats one of those egg mc-something’s any day of the week.

Cali Baguette Express
5215 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego CA 92115

A Sammy Surprise:

I haven’t been to Sammy’s in a while, but on my last visit, not being too hungry, I just had a few pieces of Nigiri.

No big deal, right? Except for one thing; knowing that I don’t really use the usual rehydrated-dry-wasabi-powder-that-is-Coleman’s-mustard-in-disguise, Sam told me to try what he placed on my plate. It was real wasabi…..actually wasabi paste, probably from Pacific Farms. It’s still not as good as fresh ground wasabi…but it’s much better than the "other stuff". I’m not sure if Sam was just trying it out, or if he’s going to carry it from now on…….so it’ll be interesting to see.

Sieu Sieu BBQ Reopens:

I dropped by Barbecue’s Galore, and noticed that Sieu Sieu BBQ had opened in the former Maui Maui Hawaiian BBQ location on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. I’m not quite sure if this is something to be very happy about. When we first moved to San Diego, we visited Sieu Sieu at it’s old location on Linda Vista Road a few times…..and had some of the worst Chinese BBQ I’ve ever experienced.

Dry roast pork and Char Siu, and some of the most bland Roast Duck I’ve ever had. But as I was walking past the place, I noticed how busy they were…..full of Chinese! It could be that they were all just checking things out. But maybe we should be too!

Sieu Sieu BBQ
7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

I hope everyone’s having a great weekend!