mmm-yoso – Page 516 – 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.

Indigo Cafe- a healthier alternative and tasty too!

September 13, 2007 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog, which never goes on vacation. Kirk however is on vacation. This is Cathy, blogging about what I ate.

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening. Hope you day is going well so far.

There is a place The Mister and I have been meaning to try- but they are only open until 5 p.m. and we are always in this mall after 6 p.m. and merely read the menu taped on the door. We got ourselves together and met for a late lunch the other day and really liked it.

Indigo Cafe and Catering. Near the Registrar of Voters office and in the same parking lot as Palominos and Giovanni's. It bills itself as a " healthier alternative" but makes no other claims. The menu items are not fried and have 'lite' dressings and sauces.

The Mister had the soup and half sandwich ($5.95). He chose the black bean tortilla soup: This is the small size and it was quite enough. A nice tomato base, rich and thick. Chunky not fully blended black beans. A nice spice-heat hit…and served with crackers..no tortilla strips.

He chose the half tuna salad sandwich ( you can choose any of the sandwiches from the menu). It is made with a dill mayonnaise that is very good and served with lettuce and tomato on a nice whole grain bread/roll. The bread was not chewy or heavy. Excellent flavors.

For the first time in my life, really, first time ever…I ordered a wrap. I never have had one before. I looked at menus before and just figured that it was sandwich stuff in a tortilla, a cold burrito and I never wanted to bother. This one was a chicken and Brie- marinated chicken, roasted cherry tomato salsa, fresh spinach and lite ranch in a sun dried tomato tortilla. It came with a side of Cesar salad ($5.75) and was wonderful. The Mister said as soon as he saw there was something with brie…and spinach… he knew I would order it. He was right. The chicken was juicy and tender, the Brie was warm and slightly melted and nutty flavored, the tomato salsa tasted deeply tomato flavored, there was a lot of spinach, nicely layered on the outside of everything, which protected the ranch dressing from leaking out or damaging the tortilla and the tortilla was soft and fresh and I could taste the tomato flavor in it. It was a good size portion and more than enough food. The Cesar salad was mostly romaine lettuce and Parmesan. The dressing was a Cesar, but I think a lite one. It had good flavor but was not overly rich or creamy.

We saw on the chalkboard as we were ordering an in house made dessert- pumpkin cheesecake with a bourbon-sour cream topping ($2.50) and ordered it with our meals, but the nice lady at the cash register said to let her know and she would bring it to us for dessert- that in the heat it would melt…very thoughtful. Not a huge piece, but we didn't need it. A nice cream cheese based pumpkin cheesecake- grainy pumpkin and a bottom layer only graham crust..and that Bourbon sour cream topping…was. It was light and complimented the pumpkin nicely.

Indigo Cafe does the simple things fresh and flavorful. They have a whole smoothie bar in the store and other baked goods for breakfast. I will be trying the home made banana nut bread ($1) very soon. This location is only open M-F, as I think they get a lot of catering jobs for the weekends. It has been around since 2000 and for a good reason. The downtown location is open 7 days and I would think serves a similar, fresh menu (on the website it has a sample menu, since ingredient inventory can change.) If you are in the area, you should try it.

Indigo Cafe and Catering 9353 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego 92111 (Phone) (858)565-2388 (Fax)(858)565-0070 M-F 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

1435 Sixth Avenue San Diego 92101 (ph) (619)702-6478 (fax)(619)702-6477 Hours: Mon 7-3, Tues-Fri 7-9, Sat 8-9, Sun 8-1

website

It’s that time again…….

September 12, 2007 mmm-yoso Blog

Yes, I’ve fallen behind on a few things at home, and we’re off on vacation in a few days as well. It’s during these times that I’m so grateful for Cathy, who will once again hold down the fort for a few weeks while we’re gone.

So where are we going? Here’s a really easy hint:

Yep, we’re almost packed. The Missus has been looking forward to this trip for a while. I’m hoping to get some good eats in as well.

And this gives it all away…..

Since this is a Food Blog….or at least is supposed to be one, I’ll throw in some food.

Here’s the fried Snapper I made for the Missus recently:

Dusted with flour, granulated garlic, fresh ground pepper, sea salt, cayenne, and some paprika. Fried in canola oil with some bacon grease (sssshhh, I didn’t tell the Missus about the secret flavoring ingredient). The Missus told me, "you may finally be learning how to fry…."

With some Blue Cheese Potato Salad with Bacon:

And just for the heck of it.

A Loco Moco…..

Thanks for putting up with me!

I’ll be checking in, as I’m able to…….

See you in a few weeks!!!

Saigon Sandwiches & Deli

September 10, 2007 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

Not to be confused with Saigon Restaurant, this little Snack Shop-Convenience Store-Sandwich Shop resides in the same strip mall as Cam Ky, and right next to, of all things Cafe Dore(which I need to update). So you have two shops serving Banh Mi, right next to each other….and both shops do a pretty brisk business.

This little shop also stocks various Vietnamese snack items, serves Boba and other drinks…and from what I noticed does a good business in Vietnamese Phone Cards and Vietnamese Cigarettes. Who needs 7-11????

A little old lady occupies the area behind the cash register, taking orders, and ringing up purchases. One dozen variations of Banh Mi are offered, any one of which would be a nice remedy for the heat.

On this day I ordered the Banh Mi Dac Biet($3.25):

Thin slices of Lean Pork Sausage and Vietnamese Ham on a medium sized (7-8") baguette. I thought the ratio of meats to pickled vegetables, cucumber, etc, was very good. The baguette had a nice bit of "crackle" but was a tad too doughy. Some richness was provided by the nice "smear" of Pate, which when I tasted had a very pronounced cinnamon flavor. The sliced jalapenos weren’t as searingly hot as what I’m used too. Even the cilantro consisted of more leaves than tough sinewy stems. This was pretty good.

The Banh Mi Thit Nuong (BBQ Pork – $2.75):

As with the Banh Mi Dac Biet, the ratio of ingredients was good. But the BBQ Pork, though very nicely caramelized, really fell short in flavor. Very bland.

Did you notice these sandwiches are nearly sliced in half? You can halve the sandwich with little effort. This gave me an idea….

One of the Guys in the office had never had Banh Mi, so one day, I asked him if he’d like to try some of these sandwiches. Which meant that I could purchase several different sandwiches, and half them with him. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?

The Banh Mi Xiu Mai (Meatball – $2.75):

This Banh Mi featured chopped, moist, "porky" meatballs. The crust of the bread was nice and crusty, if a bit on the dry side. I noticed that the Jalapenos in this bunch of Banh Mi were on the mild side as well.

Banh Mi Ba Chi (Pork Belly aka Vietnamese Bacon – $2.75):

Thin slices of roasted pork belly made this a a slightly chewy sandwich. I didn’t think that there was enough pork belly, the overall flavor was on the mild side.

Banh Mi Cha Lua (Lean Pork Sausage – $2.75):

I described this as being sort of like Bologna to my eating companion….he really didn’t care much for it. I think it was more of a texture thing. I thought the portion size of the sausage was too small to really make much of an impact on the sandwich. This was the one sandwich where the flavor of black pepper and mayo came through. Not bad, but I’ve had better.

I think the sandwiches at Saigon Sandwiches and Deli are pretty good. The bread is always crusty, and they are generous with their pickled vegetables. The prices seem high, but I’ve noticed that the prices for Banh Mi are rising in the area (A Chau’s Banh Mi now top $3). The Little old Lady gets more friendly as she gets to know you. On my last visit, as I was waiting for my order she handed me the shop’s business card, and told me, "next time call ahead, and you won’t have to wait". I’ve also noticed that the shop has a table right outside that is always full of people drinking coffee and other drinks having a good time. so next time you need some Vietnamese Phone Cards….or maybe some Vietnamese Cigarettes, give Saigon Sandwiches and Deli a try.

Saigon Sandwiches & Deli
4133 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Open Tues-Sun 7am – 5pm

Point Loma Seafoods- a relaxing lunch on the waterfront

September 9, 2007 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is never on vacation. Today, Cathy is blogging. Kirk is busy with work and doesn’t feel like it. Ed is in Yuma, ideally also busy with work. Why am I not busy now? Oh well.

Hi. The Mister and I were in one of those depressed moods on Saturday, again (please do not mention the words "state", "Appalachian" or "Oregon" together in any one sentence, for a while). We wanted seafood, and what better place to go than Point Loma Seafood for a nice lunch? It was after 4 p.m. and not crowded. We parked and enjoyed the view first.

We could see the downtown business buildings as well as some of North Island Naval Air Station. We also saw a cruise ship leaving. Most of the fishing boats had not returned from their long day of work yet.

We walked to the front door and saw the Specials Board out front. Fresh raw soft shell crabs were being sold for $5 each, but I know I could not fry them up at home the same way I could get them done here.

Whoo Hoo! Soft shell crabs are in season again. I was going to get my ‘usual’ the fish and chips platter, but, oh no. Having them cook it properly is worth the $12.02 price.

You walk in; it is a fish market. I did not take photos inside, but the menu is up on the wall in back, as well as here and on the website. (where there are some good photos inside the store). The men behind the counter will take your order, give you a number and you wait. When they call your number, you go to get your food and pay.

While waiting, I asked a nice Young Man for ‘about a pound’ of assorted smoked fish ($4.99/lb- in the corner of the refrigerator). I got this beautiful selection :

There was smoked shark, salmon, swordfish, wahoo, bonita and two pieces of salmon candy (belly). The total price for this was $6.74 and it was a snack with our late lunch, as well as being our lunch on Sunday.

Soon, our number was called, we paid and walked next door to the seating area, found and empty table and got ready to eat.

The ceviche cocktail ($4.16) is made with fish only ( no scallops and no shrimp)

along with an excellent ‘salsa’ of fresh, tasty tomatoes, sweet light flavored onions and cilantro, all marinated in fresh citrus juice. You can buy a pint in the counter for $10.90, but this was just the right size for us. (Our beverage here is always the iced coffee, by the way). They have a good selection of beers on tap and bottled as well as wines you can buy by the glass or by the bottle in the store.

The Mister had a craving for the squid sandwich ($7.38) that is made with strips of squid steak and served with tartar sauce on fresh sourdough bread. It is kind of sweet and fried to a proper crispness. I don’t care for sourdough in general and thought the bread flavor took a bit away from the squid flavor and ate a piece of squid with just the (in house made) tartar sauce.

My soft shell crab sandwich. One crab, breaded, fried, plump, flavorful, cut in half and served with the wonderful simple in house made cole slaw on a fresh soft white bread roll. Oh, it was perfectly fried; juicy and crispy and so fresh.

As I said, I usually either get the fish and chips plate, made with whatever fish is in abundance that day and served with skinny crispy fried potatoes and the fresh cole slaw for $9.23, or I will get the tuna salad sandwich ($7.38), made with fresh baked tuna steak and very simply/light dressed with mayonnaise and celery. Always fresh and wonderful.

We went walking around on the waterfront and saw they were getting ready for the fishing boats to come in with fish for processing and took note of the new charges they had for the Fishermen.

We have always enjoyed the simplicity and freshness of the food here and if you haven’t tried it, you should.

Point Loma Seafoods "The freshest thing in town" 2805 Emerson Street San Diego 92106 (619) 223-1109

Mon-Sat 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Sun 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Link to website

Saturday Stuffs

September 8, 2007 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Well it sure has cooled down a bit here in San Diego…….so nice we decided to do some grilling. Well make that the Missus decided I needed to do some grilling. And wanted, "something different, and good for a change….."

This is what I came up with:

I went for sort of a South American theme, Quinoa Pilaf, with grilled (cheapo) Lamb Loin Chops with Chimichurri and Salza Criolla, and grilled tomato. It came out much better than I thought it would, the Salsa Criolla, tasted exactly like the versions I’ve had in restaurants, and the Missus loved the Chimichurri as well.

Chimichurri

From what I understand, this popular South American sauce and marinade originated in Argentina, and in its most basic form consists of only 4 ingredients, parsley, garlic, olive oil, and salt, though you’ll find that no two recipes are alike. The version here is the base version with some adjustments adding ingredients we enjoy; garlic, onion, cilantro, and other stuff. As with most everything I cook, it is quite easy to make. Don’t be afraid of the amount of garlic…..really!

Chimichurri

1 Bunch Flat Leaf(Italian Parsley)
1 Bunch Cilantro
1 Bulb Garlic(yes, a whole bulb)
1-3 Jalapeno Peppers
1 Small Sweet Onion
1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Cup White Wine Vinegar
2 Tsp Dried Oregano
1 Tb Brown Sugar
Salt and Pepper to Taste.

Combine parsley, cilantro, garlic, onion, and jalapeno in a food processor, pulsing to chop fine.

Add oregano, brown sugar, and vinegar, and with processor going, add olive oil.

Taste and add salt and pepper.

Refrigerate for about an hour to allow flavors to meld. You can use as a sauce or marinade.

Peruvian Sarza(Salsa) Criolla

This is a wonderfully salty and tart onion salad, that the Missus loves. I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to make it, and it turned out to be very easy. As a base, I used the recipe from Copeland Marks cookbook, The Exotic Kitchens of Peru, and added an additional step(salt and rinse), and changed some of the amounts. One of the items that really makes this recipe tick, is the Aji Amarillo. Aji Amarillo, which means, "yellow chile pepper", is actually orange in color when ripe. It is the most used pepper in Peruvian cooking. The version that I obtained was previously par-boiled, and frozen, but still had a nice amount of heat….I guess if I was a better writer I’d call it "piquant"…….

Salsa Criolla

1 Red Onion, thinly sliced
2 Tsp Aji Amarillo, seeded, and deveined, chopped
1/4 Cup fresh squeezed lime juice(or to taste)
2 Tb Chopped Cilantro leaves
Salt to taste

Add 1/2 tsp Salt to red onion slices and let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Rinse onion and drain well.

Mix all ingredients. We enjoy our Salza Criolla nice and cold, so we refrigerate for a few minutes before serving.

So easy, huh?

Jamillah Garden closes

Last weekend we were driving up Convoy, and noticed that newspapers were taped over the windows at Jamillah Garden.

I drove into the parking lot and walked into the restaurant where tables were being disassembled. I asked the Young Man if Jamillah Garden was being renovated, or were they closing. His answer? "We are permanently closed." Too bad…..the food was somewhat inconsistent, but Jamillah Garden was the only Muslim Chinese Restaurant in San Diego.

Previous posts on Jamillah Garden here and here.

Nordstrom Cafe-It’s air conditioned-and good!

September 7, 2007 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog and Cathy is one of the bloggers. ( That would be me). There is Kirk and also Ed. They blog when they feel like it. Today, I feel like it. Here goes!

Hi, I’m back. We have had some record heat out here lately and I must admit that blogging has not been in the forefront of my ‘things to do’, but I have a lot of photos in the camera and want to share some meals with you before I forget about the details completely.

This past weekend (Labor Day and all the days preceding it) the weather was crazy. 108° in Santee, with 40% humidity making the heat index read 116°. The Mister and I headed downtown- closer to where the temperature was "only" about 95°.

We went to Horton Plaza, an outdoor shopping mall.

The top floor is crawling with outdoor eating places and there was a light breeze. Then I remembered where I go when it is "winter" out here {The definition of winter in San Diego consists of raining outdoors-rain that is measured in 1/100ths of an inch, by the way}.

Yes, when it is raining out, it is pretty much "soup weather" and Nordstrom’s not only has an indoor Cafe, but also the best tomato basil soup, ever. I crave it and treat myself to a bowl when I can. I just didn’t blog it this past January.

So, the Nordstrom Cafe menu: (click on it if you want to read it)

You walk up, order, pay and then find a seat at any of the lovely, cloth covered tables. Some with a view of the bay. So civilized. So air conditioned.

We were not too hungry in this heat and didn’t even want some of the good coffee they serve endlessly for $1.25, and were also so undecided, (except I knew I wanted the tomato basil soup) that we each got the soup-salad-1/2 sandwich combo($8.50)

First the soup: the tomato-basil is always available and the clam chowder was the soup of the day this day.

Each are served with the in-store-made Parmesan ‘crouton’ shown here. You get two of those lovely, crispy, toasty croutons with a bowl of soup. The tomato-basil is so thick it seems to have cheese as an ingredient, but I have asked and there isn’t any. It is just made with fresh tomatoes ground down to a fine grind/ever so slight lumpiness that is very rich and deep tomato flavor with a light basil undertone.

The clam chowder was not as thick, broth-wise and had celery and potatoes in it. The clam flavor was not overwhelming but the clam pieces were fairly large and juicy. Not the best bowl of clam chowder, but not the worst. Each of the soups had no salt and/or pepper added. A good option for those who are watching out for such additives.

I got the salad with balsamic dressing and a 1/2 tuna salad sandwich on marble bread.

The salad was mixed baby greens topped with julienned red and yellow bell peppers and carrots and, of course a cherry tomato, halved ( I hate biting into whole cherry tomatoes; they pop in your mouth, like eyeballs…)

The tuna salad is nice and made with mayonnaise and onions- but you taste the tuna more than the other ingredients. Lettuce and tomato slices are also on the sandwich. The bread is very fresh here, always. A nice hearty rye.

The Mister got the same salad with blue cheese dressing (a good one, He said) and the 1/2 turkey sandwich on multi grain roll. Even thought the bread itself was smaller than the slice I got, the amount of meat on the sandwich was plentiful and the same amount you would get on a 1/2 sandwich made with bread slices. The turkey had a very good roasted flavor; higher quality than you get in sandwich shops these days. The roll was soft and had a good chewiness to it, very fresh.

Our water glasses were continuously refilled and when we were done we were presented with two of those lovely dark chocolate mint filled sticks.

It used to be that all the stores offered fine dining options, but most of those stores (and their restaurants) are gone and missed, but Nordstrom’s is still here. Stop in. The food is excellent and not too expensive and the service is divine.

Nordstrom’s Cafe- inside all stores. There is also a coffee cart area outside all the stores. With snacks.

Monterey Peninsula: Sandbar and Grill

September 5, 2007 ed fromyuma American/New American Restaurants, Monterey/Carmel/Santa Cruz - Monterey Bay/Peninsula, Seafood, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

This is Kirk’s wonderful food blog, mmm-yoso!!! Every once in a while, he lets Cathy or me (ed from Yuma) do a post. Today, I want to write about eating like a tourist in Monterey.

One of us first meals that I can remember eating after I moved to Monterey many years ago was at a restaurant on Fishermen’s Wharf. Believe it or not, I never ate another dinner at the Wharf, one of Monterey’s major tourist attractions, for the rest of the time that I lived in the city. Why? Because no self-respecting local eats at Fishermen’s Wharf. All the locals know that the food in the Fishermen’s Wharf area is not especially innovative and will usually cost 25 to 50% more than the same meal purchased elsewhere.

However, as a regular on Chowhound, I have learned that not every person is as intrepid as Kirk, who we all know would happily ride public transportation in a strange city for an hour and a half just to sample an especially authentic version of papaya salad with salted blue crab. Many visitors to Monterey aren’t looking for the very best restaurant, if eating at that restaurant involves following complicated directions and driving through strange towns. Also, many visitors to the Monterey Peninsula are spending $250 a night for a motel room, just so that they can look at the beautiful bay instead of the cornfields or industrial landscape they live in and work in regularly. Therefore, they want to eat at one of the tourist restaurants with a nice view.

This past summer, as a public service, I decided it was my duty to try the two reportedly best restaurants in the Fishermen’s Wharf area. The first place that Steve, Helen, and I sampled is actually located on the commercial wharf, the far less touristy wharf located about 100 yards eastward from Fishermen’s Wharf

When we arrived at the restaurant, it looked like the restaurant had vanished, leaving just its sign:

In fact, this restaurant is slung down below the level of the wharf, providing diners with a unique sea level perspective on the yacht harbor, full of various boats bobbing and rocking from wind and waves. A few years ago, my friend Chris and I had stopped here for an afternoon cocktail, and we were very impressed with the view. Unfortunately, on this visit, the sun was shining brightly through the windows, so the restaurant lowered its blinds and whatever view we might have had through the slats was obscured by the glare (which is why there is no beautiful picture from inside the restaurant of the yacht harbor boats at anchor).

As soon as we were seated, the extremely friendly (perhaps even overly friendly), jocular, and down-home waitperson brought us menus, the wine list, and bread and butter:

While far from the best bread I was served on this visit, the sliced sourdough from Palermo bakery would provide a visitor with a nice introduction to Monterey sourdough, the slightly tangy crumb being surrounded by a decent, if not overly crunchy, crust. For locals, the bread was nothing special, but if I were visiting from Iowa, I would have been very impressed.

The next item that arrived at our table was a bottle of Esprit de Beaucastel ($36.50), one of my favorite California white Rhône style wines:

Although Steve was quick to note that the wine list had no vintage dates on it, I thought it was generally a good and inclusive list for a tourist restaurant. For example, a bottle of Vermentino was listed for only $24. While the wine list is not nearly as extensive nor as well priced as the one at Passionfish, prices were fair enough, and there were enough choices that I had trouble making up my mind.

That evening, the Sandbar and Grill had signs up advertising the availability of Dungeness crab. It seems that the harvest last summer had been poor, and the restaurant claimed to be one of the few places in town serving fresh crab at this time. As someone who grew up eating Dungeness crab, I had to start my meal with the crab cocktail ($11.50):

Even though that was a lot of money for an appetizer, I was not disappointed with the quality and quantity of the crab:

There were several large leg and claw chunks like this one in the cocktail. The crab meat was sweet and succulent. My only complaint, and it is a minor one, is that the cocktail sauce was pretty ordinary; I’m sure I could make a better one at home. If I were to order this dish again, I would request the sauce on the side.

The appetizer was followed by a cup of clam chowder ($4.95) and a Caesar salad ($4.95):

The salad was, in my mind, pretty sorry. While it was sprinkled with grated cheese, there was very little creamy dressing for the fresh romaine leaves. The chowder, on the other hand, was tasty — a much better chowder than the standard pasty glue pots full of salty clam base that are often called clam chowder and served in tourist restaurants. Clams, celery, and potatoes added textual variation to the flavorful and creamy broth. The use of bay leaves added an herbal dimension to the flavor. I was also extremely impressed by the coarse, spicy, and flavorful fresh black pepper our waitperson ground onto the surface of the soup. It seems strange to me to comment about the quality of the black pepper, but to be honest, this pepper was extraordinarily tasty and made a major contribution to the chowder.

Our main courses showed up next. Helen opted for the crab Louie ($18.95), and her salad was a beautiful thing, topped with a flavorful mass of impeccably fresh Dungeness:

Steve ordered the ahi salad ($16.95):

Both salads were accompanied by wedges of hard-boiled eggs and rather ordinary supermarket tomatoes. I was impressed, however, with the mixture of greens used. The base for both salads was chopped romaine, which provides body and crunch. But both salads also contained delicate Salinas Valley greens, which provide taste and color variations. Helen’s Louie dressing was a creamy version of this classic, with decided spice and tomato flavors. While Steve pronounced himself happy with the lightly dressed ahi salad and quickly gobbled it up, I thought the ahi itself was not as fresh and pristine as I would’ve liked. Not bad, mind you, but certainly not sushi quality fish.

For my entrée, I ordered a favorite specialty of the Monterey Bay area, sand dabs ($18.95):

Sand dabs are a tiny species of sole (or perhaps flounder) unique to the central and northern California coast. The version that the Sandbar and Grill was good if not outstanding. The seven or eight little filets were very fresh and had a light and sweet flavor. The light breading on them was okay, but not crunchy. Rather than being sauced, the dabs were served with a lemon wedge and an excellent homemade tartar sauce, its creamy mayonnaise smoothness studded with tangy capers and bits of chopped onion. The side dish, linguine with vegetables and a little touch of olive oil, was nothing special although it matched well with the fish.

I really wasn’t sure what I would find when I decided to go eat with the tourists. I have to admit that my experience at the Sandbar and Grill was better than I expected. Even without the view, and even with a couple of items that were not as good as they should have been, my overall experience was positive. This is certainly not the finest dining on the Monterey Peninsula, but the food was good and the service was attentive if a bit obtrusive. I guess it is somehow fitting for me to try a couple of tourist restaurants since, hard as it is for me to admit, ed from Yuma is now a tourist, not a local anymore, in Monterey.

Cam Ky Chinese BBQ

September 4, 2007 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Cam Ky has closed

On a recent Monday, in the mood for Banh Mi. I took a quick drive to the strip mall on the corner of Marlborough and University, the taste of Banh Mi on my lips…..only to find the place closed. And though Cafe Dore sounded good, I decided to try something new. The little Chinese BBQ restaurant in the mall, Cam Ky.

Check out "little neon piggy" sign, can you guess what Cam Ky does? The little restaurant has about nine tables, a Chinese BBQ counter, and that's about it.

I had a seat, and was given a menu by the serious and quiet lady. The menu wasn't very large, but I saw something that I wanted to try…..

In spite of the heat, I ordered the Goat Egg Noodle Soup($6.50):

A medium sized bowl of dark soup arrived in a few minutes, topped with some crisp fried Yuba, imitating fried goat skin, a nice touch. There was a large portion of stewed goat meat, which was very tender, if a bit short on flavor. Though the soup looked dark and rich, it was thin and also on the very mild side, with just the ever-so-mild essence of 5 spice. The egg noodles were still crunchy, and the addition of watercress gave the soup some life. Overall, this was not bad considering the generous portion of goat meat, but it's not something I'd order here again.

I figured this would be a "one and done", except something from the BBQ counter kept calling to me:

I know you can't really see it, but that side of roast pork looked sooooo good. I got a half pound ($3.75) to go.

I just had a few bites(3 pieces) and shared the rest of it with the people at work. From the texture standpoint this was very good, velvety fat, nice moist meat, very crisp, but not hard skin. The flavor was (again) on the mild side. Not perfect, but better than most.

Which meant that I'd be back……fast forward to a few days later. This time the lady was much more friendly. She asked me if I spoke Mandarin, I told her that I didn't. She had thought that I was Taiwanese….which is probably an insult to Taiwanese everywhere.

On this visit, I decided to go for the gusto, and ordered the 3 roast meats with rice($6.50). The meal started with a soup with stewed pork shank.

Man this was good. The broth had a good pork flavor, without being too salty. The meat, while not falling off the bone, was more than adequately soft. The photo speaks for itself……I wanted some rice!

After the broth, the rest of the meal was pretty anti-climatic.

This was quite a bit of food, I was ready for a major nap after eating all of this. Over a generous amount of rice was some BBQ Pork, which was just ok, the fatty pieces had some nice flavor, and was fairly tender, but the leaner pieces were tough, and lacked the sweet, rich flavor. The Roast Duck while nicely flavored with 5 spice, was on the lean side, and quite tough. The Roast Pork was the same as my previous visit, and for my money is the way to go here with regards to roast meats. Still, you get quite a bit of food here.

While eating, I noticed many men in "white T-shirts" and "paper hats" coming in to buy duck and pork. I'm guessing that several Mi Gia places get their roast meats from Cam Ky. By the time I left, the roast pork was gone.

The menu at Cam Ky ranges from Hu Tieu(Rice Noodle) and Mi(Egg Noodle) Soups, Fried Rice, and various items on rice. In keeping with the theme of the "neon pig" , while I was paying at the register I noticed a photo of a whole roast pig on the wall. cam Ky sells whole roast pig, ranging in price from $150-$190. Oink-oink…

Cam Ky Chinese BBQ
4141 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

Closed on Tuesdays

Sichuan Stir Fried Potato Strings

September 3, 2007 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

We decided to just hang around the house this weekend, I’m a bit tired, and it is just too hot…… We didn’t even feel like going to the market, so we decided to just eat what we had in the frig and lying around a la Charsiubao. Problem was, we didn’t have much………just some leftovers, and 1 lonely potato. So what to do with a potato?

I decided to make Sichuan Stir Fried Potato Strings. If you’re not familiar with this dish, it may seem a bit odd……potatoes and Chinese cuisine would seem to be a bit of a leap. I thought so myself when I first saw this on a menu several years back. It was on the menu in a Shenyang restaurant in the San Gabriel Valley. I ordered it, and the Missus thought I was nuts. She told me, "you know this is just poor people home style food, right?" Being the carb lover, I enjoyed the texture of crunchy stir fried potatoes and the flavor of the sour vinegar and spicy chilies. After that I started noticing the dish on the menu off most Sichuan restaurants in the area. In Sichuan restaurants, the potatoes are served and eaten as a stir fried vegetable….in other words, it is consumed with rice! You gotta love that!

So here’s the version I made tonight. I used Chinkiang Vinegar because I enjoy the flavor, but if you want the potatoes to be a bit more attractive you can use white vinegar. The taste will be a bit different. Also, many Sichuan restaurants will not use vinegar, but the Missus, being from Sandong, loves vinegar.

I love the numbing heat provided by the Sichuan Peppercorn, most restaurants will use whole peppercorn, but I enjoy using peppercorns that I’ve roasted and ground….it provides a nice numbing effect. Think of the dish as being a ma-la(numbing hot) version of Salt and Vinegar Shoestring Potatoes. As always, it is a pretty easy dish……I really don’t make anything too difficult.

Sichuan Stir Fried Potato Strings (qiang tu dou si)
1 Potato
3-6 Dried Red Chilies
1 tsp Sichuan Pepper (whole or roasted and ground)
1/2- 1 tsp Sugar
1 tsp Black Vinegar (Use white vinegar if you want a whiter color)
1 tsp Sesame Oil (optional)
Salt to taste
Oil for cooking

Peel potatoes and slice into "matchsticks", soak in lightly salted cold water(this will prevent the potato from turning brown as well as remove excess starch)

Heat wok over medium heat, drain potatoes well.

Add 2-3 Tb Oil to wok, and swirl around, add red chilies and if using whole Sichuan peppercorns add it as well.

Once you can smell the fragrance of the Sichuan peppercorns and chilies, add the potatoes.

Stir fry the potatoes for 3-4 minutes then add the sugar and vinegar.

When the potatoes are cooked and al dente in texture, taste and add salt if necessary, remove from heat and add sesame oil if desired.

A quick pickle:

I also had 3 large cucumbers, so I decided to do a really quick pickle.

3-4 Cucumbers
1 Tb Salt
1 Tb Sugar
3/4 Cup White vinegar
3/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Soy Sauce
4-6 Dried Red Chilies
1-2 Cloves Garlic Crushed
Sichuan Pepper salt

Peel cucumbers, and slice in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds using a spoon, and slice in thin "half-moons".

Place cucumber slices in a bowl, add salt and sugar, mix, and let stand for about 1 hour.

Combine vinegar, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, a dried red chilies is a small pot, and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Set aside and let cool.

Once liquid is cooled, drain slices of cucumber well, and add to liquid. Chill for at least 2 hours.

Serve with Sichuan Pepper-Salt. This pickle is best eaten the same day.

Sichuan Pepper-Salt:

In a dry pan, combine 1 Tb of Sichuan Peppercorns with 3 Tb Sea/Kosher Salt.(Think a 3 to one ratio)
Roast salt-peppercorn mixture over low flame until fragrant. I always know that my Sichuan Peppercorn are ready when they start to "pop".
Remove immediately from heat, and grind.

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend. We’ll be back with more restaurant posts tomorrow!

Thai Style Chicken Larb

September 2, 2007 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Whew….has it been hot enough for you in SoCal??? Talk about stewing in your own juices. It’s almost too hot to eat…almost……

Here’s a recipe for Thai Style Larb, that I’ve been making for about 8 or 9 years. I first saw it in a Food Magazine, I don’t remember which publication it was. I do remember that the recipe was provided by Bo Kline who Co-Owns, along with her husband, the Typhoon chain of Thai Restaurants in the Pacific Northwest. I also recall being quite excited when we found out that Typhoon had opened in Seattle. We couldn’t wait to try out the Chicken Larb. Unfortunately, we found the larb at Typhoon in Seattle to be under-flavored, dry, and severely lacking herbs, which is what makes this recipe tick. What a disappointment…..

We have found that using dark meat chicken(i.e. boneless-skinless thighs) makes for a more moist Larb. The Missus often eats this with rice, along with some Papaya Salad on the side.

Thai Style Chicken Larb

1/2 Cup Fresh Lime Juice
1/3-1/2 Cup Fish Sauce
1 Tb Palm Sugar

1/3 Cup Chicken Stock
1 1/2 Pounds Ground/Minced Dark Meat Chicken(We grind/mine our own)
1 Cup Thinly Sliced Green Onions
1/2 Cup Thinly Sliced Shallots
2-3 Tb Finely Minced Lemongrass
2-4 Thinly Sliced Thai Bird Chilies
1/2 Cup Chopped Cilantro Leaves
1/4 Cup Chopped Mint Leaves
Chili Paste
Salt if necessary.

Green Leaf, Boston, or Romain Lettuce leaves.

Whisk Lime Juice, Fish Sauce, and Lime Juice in a bowl until sugar is dissolved.

In a heavy skillet or wok, bring chicken stock to a simmer over medium heat.
Add lemongrass and simmer for about 1 minute.
Add chicken, breaking up the meat with a spoon and simmer until chicken is cooked, and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 8-10 minutes.
Add green onions, shallots, and chilies, and mix together until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
Add sauce and mix, until all items are incorporated.
Remove from heat and add Cilantro and Mint, and stir.
Taste and add Chili paste and salt if necessary.