mmm-yoso – Page 493 – 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.

Que Huong Revisited…many times Part 2 – How about some Cha Ca?

July 24, 2008 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Que Huong has closed

I know you're wondering….why so many "short" posts. Work has been quite hectic, and though I meant to do these as a single long post, I just haven't been able to make the time. So my apologies…

After my Chicken Feet Salad visit, I mentioned that Que Huong had a new menu to the Missus. The menu was wide and varied, and it was obvious that not everything would "work", but at least the 2 dishes I had tried had flavor. The Missus had little use for boneless chicken feet, "what's the use? You take away the most fun part of eating chicken feet…the gnawing and sucking." But when I told Her they had Bun Rieu, She decided that She needed to check it out.

We arrived to an empty restaurant, and had a seat at one of the tables. The Missus noted that the place looks a bit more worn than when we first visited. Of course She got the Bun Rieu($5.95)

I thought the Bun Rieu broth to be very clear and mild, and the ground "seafood" had a pretty strong flavor. The noodles were fine, if a bit on the soft side. The Missus told me, this isn't too bad, in fact, this almost tastes like what we had in Hanoi. The Missus really enjoyed the fresh and sparkling herbs, and there was a generous portion of banana blossom.

Though nowhere as good as the Bun Rieu at Mien Trung, the Missus thought this to be a passable version.

Why did I want to return to Que Huong? One of the reasons was that they had Cha Ca Thang Long($12.95) on the menu. It wasn't cheap, but because I enjoy this dish so much, I wanted to give it a try. Cha Ca Thang Long is a turmeric-flavored fried fish dish, that uses what some consider to be some atypical ingredients when it comes ti Vietnamese Cuisine. That would be turmeric and dill.

Much like the version at Ha Noi Restaurant in Westminster, this was served on a sizzling plate, with dill, onions, and green onions scattered on top. One thing we noticed, was that, the version we had at Cha Ca Thang Long in Hanoi used the dill as a vegetable, and it was used in great quantity, at Ha Noi Restaurant, and here at Que Huong, it is treated like a garnish of sorts. This version used snapper as the fish, which added a bit more chew, and made it less moist, but flavor wise it was pretty close to other versions we've eaten. Another difference was that much less oil was used for this, which for me took away some of the richness and moistness from the dish. There was a huge amount of fresh herbs, bean sprouts, sliced cucumber, pickled vegetables(nice and tangy), but the amount of Bun (rice vermicelli) was a bit lacking. And what to do with the huge leaves of lettuce? This isn't Banh Xeo! The SOP sesame crackers and peanuts were made available, as was a bowl of Mam Tom(Fermented Shrimp Paste) mixed with sugar and chilies which was so good, the Missus asked for another bowl.

If you've never had it before, this isn't a bad introduction. Not the best, but much less oily than other versions……

By this time, we'd become a bit of an oddity here, and had gotten to know one of the young men who ran the place. He brought us a sample of the Ốc len xào dừa. Snails braised in coconut milk.

He also gave us a quick demo on how to suck the snails out of the shell. I must say, these were fresh and tender. Forget about the rubbery Ốc we usually get with Bun Rieu. The coconut milk based broth had a little bit of a chili kick to it.

As we drove out of the parking lot, the Missus looked at me and said…"man that fermented shrimp paste tastes so good when you're eating it, but the after taste is hell!" She then turned to me and said; "we're coming back in a few days."

Stay tuned for part 3!

El Portal Fresh Mexican Grill

July 23, 2008 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is this. The blog about food. It is just Kirk and some friends writing a sort of diary about meals. Really. We tell you what we like and don’t like. That’s it. You get to vicariously enjoy it. Or not.

Hi again. It’s still Cathy writing. I happened to be on Genesse and Balboa Avenues not too long ago and remember Kirk posted on El Portal and liked it…I just didn’t remember what He liked, or when I had read the post. So, anyhow, I walked in, ordered some "to go" stuff and came home and read the blog.

Kirk really likes the salads. I didn’t order a salad.

Then again, He posted about this place, like waaay back in November 2005…so this is pretty much a whole new post!

Anyhow, it was crowded, considering it was after 7 p.m. on a Wednesday night.

The menu looks interesting, but they had no paper menus nor a website- so you can look at it as I did…

I noticed that carnitas was listed as a "new" item, so decided to get a plate. ($8.45)

The plate comes with refried beans, rice and a small corn cake on top of the rice along with a choice of corn or flour tortillas.

You can see the serving of pork is quite large and the meat is cut in large chunks and not shredded, as some servings of carnitas happen to be served. The food here is more healthily prepared than I have had at taco shops, and the carnitas tasted dry and did not have much flavor to me.

I also decided to try the spinach enchiladas, one of the many vegetarian choices on the menu. (2 for $4.55). These were excellent. Fresh spinach, melted cotija cheese and a simple salsa (chopped tomatoes, onions and cilantro) filled the corn tortillas, which were topped with a very good, slightly garlicy tomatillo (green) sauce.

I have to go back -soon- and try a salad. El Portal has been in that location forever, and must be making money.

El Portal Fresh Mexican Grill 4104 Genesse Ave San Diego 92101 (858)571-7771 Fax (858)974-1448

Que Huong Revisited…many times Part 1 – Boneless Chicken Feet Salad Anyone?

July 22, 2008 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Que Huong has closed

In case your wondering where we've been the last couple of months, it's been at Que Huong on the corner of Malborough avenue. I'd posted on Que Huong before, way back in August of 2005. Our meals were pretty mixed, and so I kinda left it alone for a while. But recently, thanks to some comments about the food at Que Huong (thanks Y-Y!), and the various dishes offered at Que Huong, I found myself back in front of the restaurant behind Burger King.

The first thing I noticed was a chalkboard menu of specials, I recognized a few of them – Ốc len xào dừa, snails braised in coconut milk, but as a whole, I understood much less than I knew. As I entered the empty restaurant, it looked like it had been in a time warp for the last 3 years.

Except for a few things…..

Have you ever written on a greaseboard with the "wrong" type of pens, and the darn thing wouldn't erase? For some reason, several specials were written on the mirrors lining the walls of the restaurant.

The other dramatic change was the menu. It had been pretty long and diverse before, with stuff like Crocodile.

But now I noticed many more dishes…..and an entire sheet with various noodle soups like Bun Mam, and Rice Porridge(Chao – which has always been popular here). Much of it was probably due to my increased exposure to Vietnamese cuisine over the last few years.

So what to eat? There were 2 dishes that were mentioned to me. The first was mentioned by several persons, and I thought it was just a "natural". Fish Sauce Chicken Wings($9.95):

I'd been warned that these sometimes edged on being "too salty", and that it was a "weird" combination. But I found these to be pretty good, perhaps a tad too salty, with a mild sweet flavor. And these were nice and crisp. The nice young man running the place on this day told me to eat these hot since they don't stay crisped for very long, and he was right. I didn't finish them, and by the time I got home they were starting to get a bit chewy. I'd have them again, though I think they are a bit on the pricey side. When he packed them for me, he told me to make sure the lid stayed "open". There are several types of chicken wings on the menu, including Chickens Wings in Tamarind, which I was told is a sweet-sour wing. The small order is $9.95, the large order $12.95.

The other dish, mentioned to me by FOY "Y-Y" was Gỏi Chân gà rút xương – Boneless chicken feet salad($9.95)! How could I resist?

The photo is kind of deceptive, this was a pretty large salad. First off, the Chicken feet are boned, (how'd you like that job? ) so you really can't tell it's chicken feet. In fact, if you wanted to "punk" someone, you could tell them this was…say tripe…but well, most people I know who wouldn't eat chicken feet, wouldn't eat tripe either, and visa versa. The chicken feet had no taste, and seemed to just be here to add some crunch to the dish. The overall flavor of the salad was nice, sour-salty-mildly spicy. The Nuoc mam based "dressing" had a ton of ginger in it, and every bite had its own flavor and texture. Every so often you'd run into some Rau Ram, and the powerful peppery-spicy flavor would hit you. There was quite a bit going on here, and though it wasn't a "homerun", it kept me interested. At least interested enough to want to return. The only thing is….

How would I convince the Missus? Stay tuned…………

Siem Reap: Khmer Noodles

July 21, 2008 mmm-yoso Cambodia, Siem Reap, Travel

Even though the previous day had been pretty full, from sunrise until our afternoon trip to Lake Tonle Sap, we were ready to go the next morning. I was especially rarin’ to go, since Narin had told me we’d stop at his favorite noodle stand on the way to our first stop Kbal Spean, which was a bit out of Siem Reap.

We stopped at a crossroads village outside of Siem Reap. The place was colorful and bustling, dusty and yet somehow alluring. And tons of tourists and visitors in sight….except these were mostly from Phnom Penh. There were several mini-buses parked alongside the road, along with SUVs, and motorbikes.

This place was doing some major business.

Narin ever so concerned with our welfare, first stepped out and checked the well water….

This is the noodle dish that arrived:

A very nice and mild coconut milk based fish noodle soup. The noodles provided were rice noodles, which looked just like the "Bun" we had in Vietnam.

Along with the noodle soup several garnishes arrived. At the bottom of this bowl are some of the most amazing long beans we’ve ever tasted. So very sweet.

A bowl covered with a plate arrived at our table. On top lime and chilies.

Underneath was a brown fragrant sauce, that at first glance I mistook for some tamarind based sauce. Until I tasted it, a strong and complex sweet flavor, with pungent, savory undertones. I was told it is called Tik Pha Em, and is a basic sweet fish sauce.

I also had Narin write down the name of the noodle dish, he called it Num Banh Chok. The only real reference I could find to it was a recipe found here. Apparently, what makes this dish unique to Siem Reap is they way it is served, with the sweet sauce, and with all of the herbs, many of which I hadn’t tasted before. No it’s not table decoration, it belongs in your Rice Noodle Soup!

It was a staggering variety of herbs, some tasting peppery like cilantro, some had a celery like saltiness to it. The most amazing were the green leaves, which tasted almost like curry leaf:

I asked Narin to write the name of it down for me. Poor guy, he must think I’m a nut! He spelled it Kantrop. I found several citations of it, in English it’s called Wampee, or Chinese clausena. It is the leaf of a certain type of citrus fruit tree. In Vietnam it’s called Hồng bì, I had never had anything like it before. We even saw the trees growing on the trail up Kbal Spean.

All of the herbs like the Lily Stems added an amazing flavor to the dish, making it unforgettable.

We were also told that dish was famous in Khmer legend. After searching a bit, I found a post, here. The story of Thun N’chey and the Chinese Emperor. Who’d have thunk, revolutionary noodles, in a little village outside of Siem Reap.

Narin insisted on paying for the meal, telling us that, if we paid, they would overcharge, and would not take reimbursement. I was determined to make up for this later.

Meanwhile, the Missus had wandered away……I just knew She was up to no good!

Lucky’s Golden Phenix

July 20, 2008 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch

**** Sadly Lucky Wong passed away at the end of 2024

One day, while stopped at the traffic light at the intersection of Grim and University, I happened to glance at down Grim and saw a sign.

And did a double take……did I really see what I thought I did? I made a turn down 30th and back up North Park Way….and ok….."Phenix", not the word I thought it was, which kinda sounds like Phenix(not Phoenix), but is a part of the male anatomy. I noticed the shop was closed, the sign said the hours were 715 to Noon, but it was only 11am! So I figured that this was one of those wonderful little hole-in-the-wall places like Ray's Cafe, which used to be on the corner of Smith and Beretania in Honolulu. They used to have a wonderful butcher paper sign on the door, on which was written, "when the door open we open, when the door closed we closed". Simplicity, practicality, and common sense all wrapped up in one phrase.

Looking at the menu, filled with straight-forward breakfast items, I was struck by the prices. The most expensive offering was $4.30! The Denver Omelette with Cheese. How could this place exist? I knew I had to check it out. So on a recent morning, I arrived to find the place open, and entered through the red door…..and down the rabbit hole.

And entered what looked like something that was part diner meets Big Trouble in Little China. Some back alley Chinatown diner.

A strange mix of "stuff" that for me, was a charming, just North of tacky, kitschy collection of almost every type of stereotypical, campy, 1960's-1970's Chinese decoration and faux art. A somewhat bizarre collection of thingamajiggies, whatchamacallits, with some whosamawhatsits thrown in.

Which along with the singing bass, the "songbirds of America" clocks, and the photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger from his bodybuilding days, made me wonder what evil genius put together this collection.

Which leads us to Lucky, the one man show who runs the place. Lucky does everything, takes your order, cooks your food, runs the register, and buses the counter. Lucky also gives out free health tips, as only a curmudgeonly, Chinese grandfather could. Like when I asked about my toast without butter; "are you a health nut? You gonna be old and look like me one day, do you want to stay that way forever?"

So of course I got my toast "buttered"(or margerined). When a pair of older ladies came in, Lucky asked them if they wanted some coffee. When one of the women declined, Lucky said; "yes, you too young for coffee, it will stunt your growth!" Lucky for me, the toast was not as dry as his wit.

I ordered a simple 2 eggs over easy, and a hamburger patty($3.60), which came with the afore mentioned toast, and some perfectly griddled hash browns:

Everything was done just as you would expect a veteran of so many years of cooking(I was told since the mid-70's) would do. Eggs were nice and runny, the preformed burger had a nice crust, and it was no crime if you wanted to throw some ketchup, or a shake of salt and pepper on your food.

Just don't complain about that little sheen of oil that lies on the bottom of your plate. "Oil, we use canola oil. It is good for you, help you digest. Your body is like your car, no oil, it won't run!" The coffee is 100% Folgers(85 cents – 10 cents for refills), and the clientele is 100% North Park, a mix of working stiffs, the elderly, and other regulars who need a good, but inexpensive breakfast. A group right out of central casting, I'm sure thousands of stories have echoed off the walls at Golden Phenix. Lucky moves at a steady pace while briefly chatting with every customer, that he wears all of the hats in this joint is pretty impressive. One thing I did notice about Lucky was, he doesn't like to make change. I asked Lucky what I owed him(in addition to my breakfast I had some coffee and 1 refill), and he said, "just give me 4 dollars".

And the coup de grace? After you're done with your meal…..

I know mine said, "it's your lucky day!"

One of the regulars, told me that Golden Phenix was indeed a Chinese Restaurant. You can tell that the "Chinese" portion was buffed out of the sign. They sure don't make 'em like Lucky's Golden Phenix anymore.

Lucky's Golden Phenix
3804 Grim Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Beard Papa – Plaza Bonita

July 19, 2008 mmm-yoso Desserts

**** This location of Beard Papa has closed

What would I do without all of my FOYs(Friends of Yoso), the minute Beard Papa opens in San Diego, I get 3 emails letting me know! So thank you, thank you, EdL(a longtime FOY), Sam, and Ricki. Ever since, I first read about Beard Papa in a post by Reid, I've been fascinated by the phenomenon. Though unlike Kathy, I don't have much of a sweet tooth, which I think is my saving grace, we really didn't hunt Beard Papa down during our road trips to LA….well, I didn't need to. Before you knew it, a Beard Papa opened in the food court at Marukai Gardena. The Missus and I shared a single vanilla cream puff:

And in spite of my lack of a sweet tooth, it was quite good. The shell(Choux) was thin, light, and crisp, and filling was not too sweet, but still rich.

And that would be it, for the next time we went to Marukai Gardena, Beard Papa was gone, and a "post for a rainy day" went down the tubes. And even though I ran into Beard Papa in other places, like San Gabriel and in Costa Mesa, I never really had the urge to visit. I'm just surprised that I hadn't deleted these photos.

So being in the vicinity of National City recently, I dropped by Plaza Bonita, and headed to where I thought the most likely location of Beard Papa would be. And there was no Food Court…at least where I thought it would be! It had been a few years since I'd been here, and the entire food court had been moved. They sure are trying to pretty the place up.

The set-up looked kind of haphazard, but there it was the signature Beard Papa yellow. The prices, were $2.50 a cream puff, a bit more expensive than I remembered. I did purchase 6 cream puffs($10.50 for 6), 3 vanilla, and 3 of the other flavor of the day, chocolate.

When I arrived home, I opened my little yellow box, and checked out the cream puffs all snuggled in.

I had one vanilla, and noticed something; either my tastes have changed, or the filling is a bit sweeter than I recalled. It was not quite as rich as well.

It was also a bit more "lumpy" than I remembered. The shell had not traveled well, it was soggy, and the bottom hard like a pie crust.

The chocolate was too sweet for my taste.

Though I found the shape of this cream puff to be a bit amusing.

I'm not quite sure if it was just grand opening inconsistencies, or if Beard Papa has lowered the quality control standards, but these were not as good as I remembered.

EdL mentioned in his email, the interesting choice of locations for the first Beard Papa in San Diego. EdL thought, like I did, that Beard Papa would open up somewhere around the Kearny Mesa/Clairemont area. But at least you can now get your Beard Papa fix locally if you need it.

Beard Papa, in the Plaza Bonita Food Court
3030 Plaza Bonita Rd
National City, CA 91950

Siem Reap: Tonle Sap Lake, and being “Happy, Happy Everyday”

July 17, 2008 mmm-yoso Cambodia, Memorable Meals, Siem Reap, Travel

We didn’t quite know what to expect as we headed off to Lake Tonle Sap, we had read about it in various guidebooks, and knew it was a UNESCO Biosphere, and that it was Cambodia’s "larder", providing up to 60 percent of Cambodia’s protein. We had also read that "there isn’t much to see", and it was "an over-rated tourist trap". But Narin really wanted us to visit Tonle Sap, and we had learned over the course of the morning that he would not steer us wrong. And we did enjoy the ride down to the Lake.

And it was during this ride, that the Missus snapped what is one of my favorite photos.

It got quite dusty as we approached Tonle Sap. Approaching the boat docks, we saw huts lining the side of the roads.

A bit flimsy you say? We arrived in the midst of the dry season when the lake occupies about 2500 square kilometers. During the rainy season the lake expands to 16,000 square kilometers. When the water rises, all of these huts are disassembled, and the village is moved to higher, dry ground.

As we approached the lake, this hut drew our attention.

A generator was running full blast and car batteries were being charged up. It seemed a bit strange to us, but we’d understand soon enough.

As we approached the boat dock and causeway, the heady stench hit us, a combination of rotting organic matter and gas fumes. A sudden thought went through my mind….."this is where all the fish we’re eating comes from?"

As our boat was steered backwards using a combination of the motor, pushing, and strategic bumping of the other boats, we had a chance to look at the surroundings.

Seeing how people live here was a humbling experience. And tourism is a mixed blessing for these folks; on one hand it brings in much needed income. On the other, the pollution, invasion of space, and noise create problems of there own. Life here is hard, and you can’t help but wonder what effect you’re having……………..

Right now, it’s the rainy season, and all of this is now underwater……quite an interesting thought.

Here’s a large fish trap.

We saw 3 schools on our way to the floating village. One sponsored by Koreans, one by the Japanese, and one by the French. The most interesting thing was the enclosed basketball court.

As we motored out to Chong Khneas floating village, we passed many boats delivering various goods and necessities. These blue jugs which contain drinking water.

And there’s no minimum working age here….

As we approached Chong Khneas we could see floating houses dotting the great brown "plain" of water.

I’d heard and read of people being mobbed by children in buckets asking for money, but we were never bothered. We ended up docking at one of the Fish Farms, and Narin took us around to check out what was being raised.

You don’t want to slip and fall into this pen! Many homes have large "pens" built along the bottom of their home/boat. And it looks like the rest of Tonle Sap….brown water. But throw in some "chum", and you’ll be startled. There are thousands of fishes in these pens. Fish is the lifeblood of Cambodia, in fact Cambodia’s currency, the Riel is named after a fish.

As we strolled around the floating fish farm/convenience store/restaurant, we noticed shrimp being dried everywhere.

Stepping gingerly up a ladder to the roof, we had a nice view of the surroundings.

Droves of Korean tourists were being boated out to places like this.

It’s a floating Korean Restaurant!

Fish pens…..

After a half hour or so, we re-boarded our boat, and Narin gave the young man steering some instructions. We headed off into the heart of Chong Khneas.

The population of Tonle Sap is interesting, 60% Vietnamese, 20% Cambodian, 20% Cham. And seeing such squalid conditions can be a bit disheartening.

But something interesting happened after a few minutes. We started really noticing those little touches that make the place you live "home". Whether it’s your own little flower garden.

Or the herbs and greens you’re growing, under the wood pile.

And then there’s the neighborhood electronics store:

Remember the car batteries being charged? Narin joked that the one thing people in Cambodia cannot do without is television. Even on Tonle Sap Lake…every houseboat, no matter how small, had a television.

We were constantly reminded of the strength and resourcefulness of the people living on Tonle Sap. Check out the pigs.

I guess some people just can’t do without their pork!

And instead of people trying to sell us stuff, they were throwing kisses our way.

In some strange way we were deeply touched. And on a more practical level, I can imagine how many boatloads of tourists pass through here. Now I don’t know about you, but if truckloads of tourists came driving up and down my street, taking photos, putting my daily life under a magnifying glass, I’m not sure I’d be waving and throwing kisses at them.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not over-romanticizing life on Tonle Sap Lake; it is a very, very, hard life. But there’s something to be said about people who live in such challenging conditions who can still manage a smile and wave at the end of the day.

We were pretty quiet on the ride back to Siem Reap. Once we got into the city we started discussing options for the next day. Narin had also started to understand, "my peculiarities" by this time. As we were dropped off, he promised to take us to his favorite noodle stand for breakfast. We were told that the stand served some very special Khmer Noodles. Alright…no more Fish Amok!

Well, at least that’s what I thought. After a quick shower, we took a stroll down to the Old Market (Psar Chas) area. We had intentions on checking out one of the typical Khmer eateries surrounding the market. But while walking through "Pub Street" we were charmed by a young lady into stopping for a meal at Khmer Family Restaurant. The menu was pretty much typical tourist Khmer fare, but that was fine. The young lady who served us was named Akin, who as quick with a smile, very warm, and quite funny. She kept having problems remembering where we were from, so we kept quizzing her; "now Akin, where aaarrrre we from?" At which time she’d go down her mental list, "ummm, no, can’t be Australian….."

Most of the dishes at Khmer Family restaurant are about $3, and there are special 3 item "sets" for $8, which would save you a dollar. We didn’t want the "set" items, even though Akin seemed dead set on saving us that buck. We managed to order what we wanted. After taking our order, Akin charmed another couple into the restaurant. This couple was from Sweden, and were very nice, and fun. We usually don’t socialize much with other tourists when on vacation, but this couple we simply fantastic; mellow, well traveled(the husband had been to San Diego!), and they had a great sense of humor. During one of our conversations about our homes, they asked us what we new about Sweden, which was less than zero. If I were a bit faster, and perhaps wittier, I could have come up with, maybe ABBA…or Ikea? But the Missus beat me to the punch with; "oh, MEATBALLS!" Which sent the couple roaring with laughter. Yes, the two rubes from the States, the only thing they new about Sweden were Swedish Meatballs.

The meal was somewhat forgettable, the Missus got, duh…..Fish Amok!

Actually this was probably the best version we had during the entire trip, it had a good quantity of fish in it(probably from Tonle Sap Lake), and the flavors were more balanced.

We also had a Khmer Curry:

The vegetables were severely undercooked.

The most interesting dish of the evening was Somloo Caco (Samla Kako):

Very much like a mild green fish curry, it had a nice mild salty savory flavor. The dish supposedly had Prahok in it, but it didn’t have a particularly strong fishy flavor.

During dinner we got to know a bit more about Akin, she’s 19, and goes to school during the day. When we asked her if she’s from Siem Reap, she told us she came to Siem Reap 10 years ago to work! As it dawned on the Missus and I that 19 minus 10 equals 9, we looked at Akin, and asked her what her parents thought about this. To which she replied, "no, no mother or father, grandmother, or grandfather." Oh my, Akin was an orphan. What do you say? "Akin, we’re so sorry…." And her reply stays with me, and I repeat it almost everyday, "no worries, no worries, I’m Happy-Happy every day!" The sincerity of the way Akin said that short phrase melted every little snarky, sarcastic bone in my body. We got another surprise when we got our bill, she only charged us $8 instead of $9…she really wanted to save us that buck! As for our $2 tip? She chortled, "oh, for me, thank you, thank you." The Missus had Akin write down her name in both English and Cambodian:

It reminds me of that simple, but noble goal, to try to be "Happy-Happy every day".

Read about Wandering Chopsticks experience at Tonle Sap Lake here.

Punjabi Tandoor

July 15, 2008 mmm-yoso Indian Restaurants

A quick warning, this post is quite long, so you may want to check out moowiesqrd’s more concise post on Punjabi Tandoor, found here.

I’ll say this upfront, we know almost nothing about Indian Food. In fact, it used to be that the Missus had to be in a particular "mood" to eat Indian Food in San Diego. She’d often find the offerings to be; "butter intense", "too cheesy", "too fatty", and basically "too rich". But after eating Indian Food in Siem Reap, the Missus found Herself craving it upon Her return home. And one of the places mentioned in Chowhound, among other places, was Punjabi Tandoor. In several of the posts and comments I was quick to pick up phrases such as "my Indian friend says", which along with statements like, "I’m Chinese so I should know" always raises more questions than answers with regards to diverse cuisines. But an acquaintance of mine(who has since moved on) who is from the State of Haryana, MrR, told me that the food at Punjabi Tandoor was "humble, but quite good". Which I thought was a nice recommendation, just one of many; until I checked a map and found that Haryana is the State directly to the South of Punjab, and from what I remember reading, was originally carved out of the state of Punjab. Unfortunately, MrR moved on to, hopefully, greener pastures before I could get some specific recommendations, so we were left to our own machinations.

Punjabi Tandoor is not found in San Diego’s "Little India" on Black Mountain Road, but a bit further down the street and to your left on Activity Road. The location is a bit odd residing amongst the generic prefab offices and buildings in the area.

The restaurant is a mostly take-out joint, no frills, and the food served in, or on Styrofoam. The heady herby fragrances are everywhere once you enter the tiny restaurant.

The menu is quite large, and can be a puzzle if you haven’t much experience with Indian food, but the staff has always been nice and helpful….somewhat helpful.

There are also different "specials" listed on a greaseboard alongside the cash register.

So here’s a brief rundown of various dishes we’ve tried at Punjabi Tandoor.

Onion Bhaji($2.95):

If you’re thinking "Onion Rings", you wouldn’t be far off. These were fried to perfection, in a nicely seasoned, lacquer-like batter. Served with the standard green and red chutney, we polished this off in no time at all. What we enjoyed most of all, was that you could make out the sweet flavor of the onion.

Kadai Bakra ($8.95):

This was one of the "greaseboard" specials. Once I found out that Bakra (bakara) means goat, we were all over this dish. On the each of the 3 occasions we had this dish, the meat was very tender and moist. It could stand to be a bit more gamey in flavor, but it was fine. The depth and breath of flavors was excellent…..tangy, salty, with a slow building spiciness that was very pleasant.

There was a nice layer of fat on the top, but the result was a definite "fei ur bu ni", "rich without being greasy".

The Channa Masala ($3.95):

This was nice, not too wet and mildly spicy. At most steam-table joints, the chickpeas will be overcooked and mushy. In this case it was the opposite, the chickpeas were almost too hard.

The Bengan Bharta (Baingan Bharta – $4.95):

Eggplant that is first baked, mashed, than cooked with various herbs, onions, and tomato. This had a nice, rich, velvety texture, and good spice. It also stayed molten hot for quite a long time. Great with Nan.

Dal Makhani ($3.95). We had this twice, the first time, it had a nice smoky flavor, was mildly thick, and was very nice.

The second time, the dish had a thick "skin", which was nice, but it was very thick, and tasted too "milky".

Bhindi Masala($4.95):

The Okra was cooked to perfection, but the flavor was out of balance….just plain spicy, and not much else. It did taste better the next day.

Alu Gobi($4.95):

The Missus loved this dish. The Cauliflower and Potatoes were cooked perfectly. I barely had a shot at this one. Per the Missus, "there’s a lot going on here….."

The Garlic Nan($1.95) was not very good on the day we tried it.

It was incinerated and bitter.

On another day, the Nan($1.49):

This was a serviceable Nan….nothing out of the ordinary.

Chicken Vindalu(Vindaloo $4.95):

This was a bit puzzling to me. I’ve had Vindaloo before, and it usually has a tangy-vinegary flavor, along with a good amount of spice. This had a "cheesy-sour" flavor, and wasn’t spicy in the least. The dark meat chicken was excellent though, I could cut it with my plastic spoon.

On the left Nav Rattan Korma (mixed vegetable curry $3.95), on the right the Malai Kofta ($3.95):

The Korma was mediocre, almost bland. The Malai Kofta "sauce" was very creamy, both in texture and taste. The Kofta, fried cheese-vegetable balls, had a nice flavor, but were on the dry side.

So there you have it, a nice sampling of dishes from Punjabi Tandoor. Punjabi Tandoor may not fit the bill as a place for and "evening out", but most of the food is well flavored, and balanced, and the prices can’t be beat.

Punjabi Tandoor
9235 Activity Road
San Diego, CA 92126

Red Beans and Rice Monday

July 14, 2008 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

"Honeeeyyyy……Honeeeyyyy!" So sayeth, or screameth, the Missus one evening while I was right in the middle of one of my posts. I already know that nothing particularly good can come out of this. But the Missus is not to be denied. So what prompted the "3 alarm" call? Well, the Missus is watching some show on the Food Network, I’m not quite sure which. I’ve kind of stopped watching Food Network since reality shows have taken over. The Missus is pointing to the screen, and tells me, "I want that." So just what is "that"? Seared Foie Gras? Wagyu beef Ishiyaki(don’t laugh…I’ve been thinking about it)? No, it was Red Beans and Rice! Huh? Talk about a "Latkes moment".

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, even though I haven’t been to New Orleans(yet) in the late 90’s, I spent a year and a half working in places like Atlanta, Columbus(Georgia), Fort Smith(Arkansas), Lawton(Oklahoma), and such. And I really enjoyed the food, though I never developed a taste for Chitlins. Still, I’ve never tried to make Red Beans and Rice. And of course, knowing the Missus, there were certain ~~requests~~ demands to be followed, "ummm, no bacon fat, and I don’t want it to be too fatty." Talk about spoiling all of my fun. Luckily, this request came during the July 4th weekend, and I was already set on going to Iowa Meat Farms. I really like the Ham Hocks they sell, they have a decent amount of meat, and are really nice and smokey.

So what’s with the Red Beans and Rice on Monday thing? From what I’ve read, Monday was traditionally wash day. So using the left over ham bone from Sunday supper, and slow cooking it with beans would be meal that could be left simmering, while you were busy doing the wash.

So this is what I came up with…it is probably different from any of other 1 million or so versions of Red Beans and Rice, but the Missus enjoyed it.

Red Beans and Rice

1 lb Red Beans, picked over, rinsed, and soaked overnight
1 good sized ham hock – or large meaty ham bone
Water
2 (about 1/2lb) Andouille Sausage
1 onion chopped fine
1 bell pepper chopped fine
1/2 Cup celery chopped fine
3-4 garlic cloves minced
2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried Oregano
1/2 tsp Cayenne
2 Bay leaves
2 Roma tomatoes seeded and chopped
3-4 Tb(or more) Hot Sauce – I used Crystal Hot Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Chopped scallions for garnish

1 – Drain beans, and place into a pot with the Ham Hock, and bring to a boil. Skim off foam. Reduce to a simmer and cover.

2 – Prick the andouille sausage, and cook over medium heat in a skillet. Turn and brown, and allow for the fat to be released from the sausage(no bacon fat, eh? Thanks for the tip Mark Bittman!). When the sausage is browned remove from pan, and cut into chunks(it doesn’t have to be fully cooked).

3 – Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper in the pan, and cook in the sausage fat. When the trinity starts getting translucent, add chunks of sausage back into the pan, along with the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes break down.

4 – When the ham hock is tender(this was about 2 hours) remove the ham hock, strip off all the meat, chop, and return to pot. Add all the spices and garlic, simmer for 15 minutes, taste, and adjust salt and pepper.

5 – Add the sausage and vegetable mixture, and cook until the texture of the beans are to your preference.

6 – Just before finishing, I removed bout 1/4 of the beans with a slotted spoon and mashed them up to thicken the mixture.

7 – Garnish with chopped scallions, and add hot sauce to taste.

A couple of things; remember to crush the dry herbs before adding them. The andouille sausage from Iowa Meat Farms tasted a bit different from what I was used to, more like linguica, but I don’t think it affected the dish much.

What about the other ham hock?

Well, the Missus also wanted some collard greens, so that’s what ended up happening. Lots of rinsing, trimming’ and slicing.

There were a couple of problems with this…..the Missus decided to start in on the collard greens before I thought they were ready. And She finished all of them….I used 3 bunches of collard greens. I don’t think I’ll include a recipe, since it’s really not much at all. But I will add a little equation for you:

Red Beans + Collard Greens = you get the picture, right?

Sammy, you better stay upwind from Momma tonight!

Pupuseria Cabañas 3: Odd Bits and Bites in Yuma

July 13, 2008 ed fromyuma Latin American Cuisine, Salvadoran Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!, Yuma

Kirk and the rest of the mmm-yoso crew are no doubt out scouring San Diego and the rest of the world looking for good food to share with you. Today, it's just ed (from Yuma) with more food and photos from his favorite dining destination.

*** I am saddened to write that Pupuseria Cabanas is no more. One of the few cases of a restaurant doomed by its success. At least as I have heard it, the landlord was getting complaints from the towing/repair shop next door that there was no place to park during the day because the pupuseria had too many customers. Lucia was not allowed to be open weekdays, and then on Nov. 1, the restaurant was empty with no sign about another location etc. I will update if (I hope, when) she has relocated *** :-(

While San Diego has a much richer dining scene than poor old Yuma stuck out in the middle of the desert, Yuma does have one benefit for me. With such limited options, I can fully explore the range of dishes offered by my favorite places. Case in point, I have probably eaten at Pupuseria Cabañas every week since my first visit. In the over two months since my last post on this place, I have tasted many different things and learned more about this tiny and wonderful restaurant. Certainly enough stuff for another post.

Soups

My favorite soup is still probably sopa de pata, whether the hoof is hiding under the tripe:

Or completely visible:

I have even found out what cow toes taste like (the covering skin is very beefy – almost gamey – in flavor):

No matter what cut of hoof or type of tripe, there is always a lot of tasty tendon to chew on:

For something completely different, they offered albondigas one day:

I have no idea if this is authentic Salvadoran or just a Mexican soup that they felt like cooking, but in either case it was very tasty – as good an albondigas as I've had in town.

And the meatballs were especially rich:

One weekday night, my friend Dave suggested having dinner at Pupuseria Cabañas – since he had already been there and tried one of their outstanding soups. That night, the available soup was bean:

The beans were tender and flavorful as were the pieces of soft pork scattered throughout the incredibly rich thick broth. Then, almost simultaneously, Dave and I discovered something weird in our soups. They looked like this:

Oh my god! What were these? What do you think these skin covered, bony, finger-length things were? Hint: a pig has only one of them.

No, not that! These were pigtails. Yeh, I thought they'd be curly also. Clearly, the skin, bones, and richness of these appendages contributed to the wonderful succulence of the dish. It may be the best single bowl of bean soup I've ever eaten.

Other Dishes

In addition to always having pupusas and a soup, I have found that other tasty items are sometimes available at the restaurant. For example, one day they had a Salvadoran version of a torta, the flavorful chicken touched with Salvadoran coleslaw and something like a barbecue sauce:

For breakfast, one can get fried bananas served with black beans,queso blanco, and crema:

The pureed black beans were flavorful, and the tangy sour dairy items complemented the slightly sweet bananas.

On another occasion, the special was fried yuca and what they call chicharrones (here pork, not skin):

The pork was the essence of deep fried piginess, and the yuca (note – this is not yucca) was a revelation. I have had fried yuca elsewhere and had always been disappointed with the limp greasy results. Here it was absolutely perfect; the outside of the vegetable was crunchy with no hint of grease and the inside was light, fluffy, and starchy.

Over time, I have grown more fond of the rich chicken tamales (even though I have learned that no banana leaves are killed in their preparation):

Mystery Veggie

In a previous post on this restaurant, I mentioned that my favorite type of pupusa had cheese and some sort of green veggie in it. I have since learned that this vegetable is called loroco, and basically, it is a flower bulb. A bunch of them look like this:

Loroco gives pupusas a distinct herby almost flowery aroma that I find very pleasant. Mixed with cheese inside a pupusa, this is how they look:

Other Notes

The variety and quality of the aguas frescas at Pupuseria Cabañas continues to be remarkable. I have had various fruit drinks ensalada – topped with fresh chopped fruits – often apple and mango:

Other fruits are also served regular agua fresca style, and at times, I have had melon, strawberry, watermelon, and at least one slightly sour Salvadoran fruit whose name I've forgotten.

At least on their business cards, the restaurant is now officially known as Pupuseria Cabañas – no mention of tacos. The name derives from the inland state of Cabañas in El Salvador (where the family is from). Before coming to the desert, they lived in Hawthorne, California.

I know many of you are eager to jump in your car or hop on an airplane just to come to Yuma and eat at this restaurant. Therefore, it is my duty to let you know that our current temperatures are usually over 110°. Also, the restaurant will be closed from July 21-August 8. But do come visit in the fall; the wonderful food at this restaurant is worth the cost of gas (at least from San Diego or Phoenix. From London or Tokyo, your results might differ.)

One last note: I have learned that the restaurant actually has a phone number, (928) 782-1874, so visitors may call ahead to find out what dishes are available.

Pupuseria Cabañas, 3405 8th St, Yuma AZ, (928) 782-1874