mmm-yoso – Page 53 – 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.

Leilanis Attic

March 25, 2024 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

So recently, I wanted, nay needed some Chili Peppah Wata for some kalua pork. Now, in the past my usual stop would be Marukai. But since Don Quijote bought Marukai, the stores and what they carry seemed to have changed. There are certain local kine items I know I can get reliably at Marukai, like Aloha Shoyu, but since the change, there are items that are not always available. So, this time around I just decided to hele on over to Leilani's Attic which opened in March of last year. They had Parks Chili Water in stock, the folks working are always friendly, and I like supporting these local businesses anyway. Anyway, I went looking for my post on Leilanis and there wasn't one! What the heck….senior moment creeping in.

So, I decided to drop by at the tail end of my usual Saturday shopping errands (Leilanis opens at 10), just browse a bit (and get some taro chips), and sneak in a few photos. The shop is located in the strip mall that contains Sipz, Di Chan, and Ma's House.

Leilanis Attic 01

And in case you're wondering, this is the shop that was next to Leilani's in PB. They also have an outlet in Vegas now as well. It's a small, but well organized shop, food one side, all the other "stuffs" like Local Motion, Hilo Hatties, one another side.

Leilanis Attic 02

To be honest, I don't really spend much time in this area.

I'm looking for grocery stuff when I come here. What I've noticed during recent visits is that the crack seed displays, while still yielding a decent variety are kind of depleted.

Leilanis Attic 03

Leilanis Attic 04

Of course there are all the standards….

Leilanis Attic 05

And if you need to Noh, this is wea' you can go!

Leilanis Attic 09

The one thing I really enjoy about L's Attic is that there are always things that "take me back"; that bring on that warm nostalgic feeling. Just looking at the cold and freezer case for instance.

Leilanis Attic 06

Would have me smiling thinking about debates my friends and I would have; "are you team Purity, or team Redondo's"? As I've noted before, I'm totally "team Purity". As for Gouviea, well that was for special occasions, since we could never depend on getting that during small kid time.

Check out this shelf.

Leilanis Attic 07

It's amazing what little thing can bring on all those feelings. Like the time I saw that Leilanis carries Good News.

Leilanis Attic 08 Leilanis Attic 10 In case you haven't heard of this, Good News was created back in the 70's. I believe that Good News is mainly sold back in the Islands these days. This was my late Mom's favorite guilty pleasure. She would get me to walk to Kaimuki Sundries or Lau Market to get one for her every once in a while. Every time I see it within the confines of a small neighborhood store or market, I can't help but think of my walks (she never did learn to drive and we had no car) around the corner to get one for her.

Enough of that. Yes, there are places where you can get local kine stuffs these days. For some reason, I enjoy the shopping experience at Leilanis. Also, the nice guy working told me he can order Parks Brand Kim Chee Sauce for me. You don't get that kind of service at large markets. I haven't been able to get that here or in OC for a while. So perhaps it's time for me to make my Chicken Alice Fried Chicken, which I call the "OG KFC" soon.

I'm glad to have a place like Leilanis in a more convenient location for me!

Leilanis Attic
5505 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Open Daily 10am – 7pm

Road Trip – Railyard Artisan Market (Santa Fe) and El Santuario de Chimayo (Chimayo)

March 24, 2024 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, New Mexico, Road Trip, Santa Fe/Taos, New Mexico, Travel

**** Not much food in this one; but if you're interested in one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the United States, read on.

On our last morning in Santa Fe, we woke and partook of the breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. I really enjoyed the red sauce, smoky, slightly spicy, that smothered my eggs.

We then checked out and since this was a Sunday made one stop on the way out of Santa Fe. We had always wanted to check out the Railyard Artisan Market, so we headed on over to the artsy Railyard District.

The crafts portion of the market is contained in a large hangar like building. Santa Fe has a reputation as an artistic haven. We got a taste of it while walking along Canyon Road on our way to dinner at Geronimo.

The artisans were very welcoming and seemed to really enjoy chatting and talking about their products.

We ended up making a few purchases and had a fun time.

We'll be sure to return when we're back in Santa Fe.

Railyard Artisan Market
1607 Paseo De Peralta
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Sunday 10am – 3pm

Our next destination was Taos. But there was one stop I wanted to make on the way. There are two basic routes to Taos, the shorter "Low Road" or the scenic "High Road". On the way to Taos we decided on the taking the High Road for one simple reason. I wanted to visit El Santuario de Chimayo. Now, I don't know of many folks who have heard of Santuario de Chimayo, which is kind of strange since it is considered one of the largest pilgrimage sites in the United States. Each year, on Good Friday, up to 300,000 Pilgrims make their way to the church. Where it is said that the "Holy Dirt" of the church can perform miracles.

It is said that this area has been sacred ground since the times of the Pueblo Indians in the 12th Century. After the Spanish gained control of the area; there was an influx of Spanish and Mexican settlers in the Potrero area. According to one of the stories, in 1810, a member of the Penitentes, Don Bernardo Abeyta, saw a light emanating from a hillside. Upon finding the source of the light he began digging with his bare hands and found a crucifix, which was dubbed the crucifix of Our Lord of Esquipulas. According to the legend, the cross was moved to Santa Cruz, but the icon would then disappear, then reappear where it was unearthed. After the third instance of this happening, the cross was left at the site and a church was built there. It is said that the earth from that original pit performs miracles.

In fact, one of the rooms of the chapels is filled with crutches, canes, braces with photos and letters testifying to the miracles.

One of the other rooms contains the pit with the miracle producing soil. It was Sunday and quite busy, so I decided to not take any photos inside the chapels out of respect for those visiting.

But for us, one of the most fascinating things we saw was this……

Our Lady of Lavang? This was something new to me. I had never heard of this. I quickly sent texts to some of my "FOYs"; which led me to this – site. Apparently, when those of Catholic faith were prosecuted and outlawed in Vietnam, some escaped and sought refuge in the forests around Lavang. Whereupon, on one night, the vision of Mary came upon them. Whoa, like you can't make this stuff up!

It's quite a story. The woman who cuts my hair these days is Vietnamese-Catholic and I mentioned this to her, she went ahead and told me the story. When I told her about visiting El Santuario de Chimayo, I was told that it is an "important place" that she has visited several times!

It was an interesting bit of history that I never knew about.

Look, for a good part of my childhood I was raised in what I consider a "cult". It is neither here nor there, but I find belief, faith, and how it drives history fascinating. And coming from Hawai'i I think here's something innate that has us respect different beliefs and cultures.

Our last stop was this shop.

Where we picked up some beans and ground chili that I use to "liven up" dishes.

Taipei – Chia Te and the Taipei 101 Food Court

March 22, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Desserts, Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

So, now that we were back in Taipei, it as time to resume our hunt for Pineapple Cake for my MIL. We had a specific target on our schedule; but first….well, the Missus needed Her tea and I wanted a cup of coffee. Que in Wilbeck, a shop right around the block from where we were staying.

A decent Americano for $50NT – $1.25/US and the Missus got some tea as well.

Interesting place…..

And then we were off…..we had started collecting Pineapple Cake in Taichung at Dawncake and a couple of other places in the city, then at another place in Chiayi. But the one place the Missus was looking forward to getting pineapple cake from was this one.

Google best Pineapple Cake in Taiwan and Chia Te will just about always be on the list. Established in 1975, Chia Te has won best Pineapple Cake at the first Taipei Pineapple Cake Festival in 2006 and from what I gathered four more times after that. Add to things that Chia Te has only one shop, located in Taipei (though I understand you can order delivery and get boxes at the airport), you can understand this:

Yes, a line of course. We had arrived at around 815, Chia Te opens at 830, but the line already stretched all the way down the block and around the corner. Unlike typical lines in Taiwan; this one didn't move quickly. It took us nearly two hours to get into the shop.

They kept posting signs listing items they were out of.

The actual shop is tiny, we got our act together and ended up getting all of this.

I will say, that I really enjoyed this. I wish I got more than one small box.

You can get Chia Te in the states; but it is $$$. Though I'm not sure I'll want to stand in that line again when we return to Taipei.

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Chia Te Bakery
No. 88, Section 5, Nanjing E Rd.
Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan

By the time we finished it was time for lunch. Being on this side of the city, Taipei 101 was a 30 minute walk away. I thought it would be fun to check to grab lunch at the food court there. Yes, I said food court. I know most folks would head to Din Tai Fung here, but we'd already been to the original location of DTF in Xinyi and as tempting as that was; I'd read about a Chinese BBQ Hawker with a Michelin Star having an stand in the food court. So, we headed to the basement of Taipei 101.

It was just past 11am when we arrived, so the place wasn't overly busy, though that changed quickly. And we quickly found the shop I was looking for.

And the Missus ordered some Roast Duck and Char Siu.

We saw this stand.

And we'd been wanting to try an oyster omelet, so we walked over and ordered that; along with another item….

We had no problem finding a table. We were lucky because in what seemed like a few minutes later, the place was packed.

First up; the Oyster Omelet and of course a pork chop.

We enjoyed the oyster omelet, even the sweet-sourish gooey sauce which added a nice acidity. The eggs were nicely tender, the small oysters meaty-briney; there were some nice greens mixed in. Overall, really savory and good.

And of course, the pork chop.

Nicely pounded, salty-peppery-porky; some mild garlic tones, mild crispness. Yes, I know, "I didn't meet a pork chop I hated in Taiwan".

On that note; the duck and char siu were diappointing.

The duck was dry, lacking in fattiness, the skin hard, not crisp, without enough five-spice flavor. That pork was tough as leather the edges strangely bitter, and also lacking in flavor.

Well, you can't win 'em all. Though about that Michelin Star thing……

No.45 City Hall Rd.
Xinyi District, Taipei City 110, Taiwan

All was not lost though as we saw this on our way out.

And yes, more pineapple cake to carry back with us.

I'm sure we'll be back to the area. We need to check out the observatory at Taipei 101.

From Taipei 101, it was a 30 minute metro ride back to the hotel.

We had time to rest and relax. And wonder….we had reservations at a Michelin starred restaurant for dinner. How would that fare?

Taipei – Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice

March 21, 2024 mmm-yoso Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

After returning to Taipei from the Taroko Gorge we relaxed a bit at our hotel. The location of Sky 19 Hotel might seem a bit odd, occupying only the 19th floor of an large business building, but the location, right out the exit from Taipei Main Station was great. All the stores and shops in the area didn't hurt things either. Of course the subject of dinner came up. The Missus was wanting to get Lu Rou Fan, a classic braised pork on rice dish. I had a couple of places on my "list" and one of them had come up in the Missus's discussions with various drivers; Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice. The shop was located about 2 kilometers from our accommodations and after having my TR Pork Chop Bento on the train back from the Taroko Gorge, I thought a nice walk might help me burn off the pork.

We arrived at the busy corner where Jin Feng stood in about 25 minutes or so.

Good thing the Missus reads Chinese and speaks Mandarin as there are two queues; one for takeout orders and one for dining in.

Like just about everywhere in Taipei, the lines move quickly. There's no dallying, we got a table, which could be easily divided by plexiglass for single diners in less than ten minutes.

The menu has quite a bit of choices.

But we were after one thing; the Lu Rou Fan, braised pork on rice.

My goodness, where have you been all my life. The rice was cooked nicely and fragrant; that sauce was rich, porky-soy sauce deliciousness. A nice collection of tender meaty pieces, along with rich, fattier pieces that basically melted in your mouth. And for a medium bowl at $40 NT; that's about a buck-twenty-five…. you get the picture, right?

We also got the pork belly; which came out looking dark and somewhat foreboding.

This was quite silkenly tender; surprisingly so. It wasn't overly salty, with hints of anise, and a touch of sweetness.

And of course, after punishing our arteries; we needed some veggies. We had enjoyed all variations of Bamboo Shoots during our time in Taiwan and this version was no different.

Crunchy and earthy with a touch of sweetness, the preserved vegetable added a bit of oomph to things.

The Ong Choi was also crisp and fresh.

A touch of soy and garlic, to bring out the chlorophyllic – nutty notes.

This was a nice, comforting meal, and if I recall, came out to around $4.50/US! No wonder we've been grumbling about the prices here in the US recently. In some places five bucks would get you little more than a cup of coffee here!

Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice (金峰魯肉飯)
No. 10, Section 1, Roosevelt Rd.
Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan

After dinner we took a different way back to the hotel, exploring the area a bit more.

We had started to learn some interesting things to note about everyday life here. You'd hear some music, it was always the same song emanating from a truck. Well, this was the signal to folks that trash pick-up was occurring. We'd see folks rushing to the curb to deliver their trash for pick-up.

Further up the street we walked past the Judicial Building.

Where this little "soldier" was hard at work doing drills led by his Mom….who seemed to be filming from her phone. Perhaps for Taiwan's version of Tik Tok?

There was a kind of lively, yet orderly sense to things here.

And of course, every time the Missus saw a line She needed to investigate.

We were really enjoying our time in Taipei!

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Thanks for stopping by!

Midweek Meanderings – Mama Lin’s Replacing Saigon 5, it’s now Ujin Ramen instead of Hanyuzu Ramen, Honeyjam Chicken Looks ready to open? And the new sign for Golden City

March 20, 2024 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, Vietnamese Restaurants

So, here's some "stuffs" I found while driving around. Actually, this is just a couple of places, there's much more, but the title of the post was getting too long!

Mama Lin's Replacing Saigon 5:

So, on a previous visit to 99 Ranch Market on Balboa, I noticed that Sip n' Cluck was replacing Krispy Krunchy Chicken. Imagine my surprise on my last trip to 99 Ranch when I went to the restroom and saw that a stand named Mama Lin's was replacing Saigon 5!

Mamam Lin

Makes me wonder if business in this food court is not particularly busy. The place never seems busy…..

5950 Balboa Ave (Inside 99 Ranch Market)
San Diego, CA 92111

It's now Ujin Ramen instead of Hanyuzu Ramen:

**** You can find my post on Ujin here.

So, I've been avoiding Renaissance Towne Center because of all the crazy road work. Heck, I have to deal with the ever changing traffic patterns on Clairemont Drive; why would I want to expose myself to more of the same? Still, after 7 months or so of avoiding the area, I decided to to head on over to Chicago Fire Grill to see what's going on. In the end, I ended up trying a new place that opened up there (post upcoming) and got to see what was going on.

Ujin 01 Ujin 02 Since I arrived before 11, I took a stroll around the strip mall. It was quite interesting. Back in August of 2022 it seemed like a shop named Ramen Hanyuzu was coming to this mall. In June of 2023, ditto. But now, in March of 2024, it looks like Ujin Ramen is coming to this spot?

My goodness……

8935 Towne Centre Drive #113
San Diego, CA 92122

And what about Honeyjam Chicken?:

Good question. I mean way back in 2021, this spot was going to be JJ Chicken. Then, in October of 2022, "FOY" Patty and Rena alerted me to changes. Apparently, the place was now going to Honeyjam Chicken. Of course, it's now March of 2024.

Honeyjam opening 01

Well, there seems to be some work going on here. Still, not sure if or when they will open. It must be so frustrating for folks in the area who are looking forward to these businesses open. But can you imagine; that we're hiring sign has been up since I first saw the place in October of 2022. I mean, really, you want staff…….do they think folks will wait a year-and-a-half for work? It's quite sad….

8895 Towne Centre Dr.
San Diego, CA 92122

The new sign for Golden City:

This is an interesting one. I saw a change of signs occurring for Golden City earlier in the week. Then "FOY" Derric sent me a message asking what was going on.

GC New Sign

When I first saw the sign, I drove into the parking lot and peeked into the restaurant…..the guy working and the decor looked the same. My one source said it was still the same with a change in the Chinese name of the place. The Missus said that in Chinese the name is now something along the lines of "Prosperity Palace". So we'll see…..

5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

And there's more; but I'll save that for a future post. Hope you're having a wonderful week!

Spicy Noodle (Kearny Mesa)

March 19, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian

I really wasn't too interested in checking out Spicy Noodle when I first noticed the place back in September. The restaurant had been Sunny Noodle for what seemed to be a blink of an eye. I had thoughts that perhaps the place had just changed names and redirected the "ship" to another destination of sorts. But, while looking at some info on the place a few months back, I noticed that the place opened at 1030 am, which for me, not being too interested in crowds, seemed like a good time of the day. So, I decided to head on over to Mercury Village Shopping Center to check the place out.

Spicy Noodle 01

It was a rainy day here in San Diego, so I thought it would be a perfect time to get some Niu Rou Mian.

Spicy Noodle 02

The interior looks basically the same as when the shop was Sunny Noodle, except for the pictures of various dishes and the menu and ordering process is still QR code based. The woman working is quite friendly, at least to me.

I ordered my Beef Noodle Soup ($15). Soon enough it was delivered to my table.

Spicy Noodle 03 Spicy Noodle 04 This was a fairly straight-forward bowl. The broth had a decent beefiness, hints of five spice, and was not as spicy as it looked. The broth was not very rich either.

There were five "chunks" of beef in the bowl, the beef was mildly flavored, though it was more tender than it looked. It could have used more flavoring and been simmered longer.

The big difference between what I'd had at Sunny Noodle and Spicy Noodle was…well, the noodles. These were thicker, with a decent "spring" and pull to them if a bit on the doughy side. Much better than what I'd had at "Sunny".

Spicy Noodle 05

This was fine, if not outstanding. Of course I needed to return, but wasn't quite sure what I would order. Then the Missus and I drove past and I pointed to the shop. The Missus told me the name in Chinese is "Chongqing Spicy Noodle", so perhaps I needed to try that on my next visit. Of course, the Missus wasn't going to join me for that visit!

Spicy Noodle 06

The woman remembered me from my previous visit and seemed happy to see me. I decided to try an appetizer as well as the Chongqing Xiao Mian. I was tempted to order the cucumber or kou shui ji, but those are more like "summertime" dishes for me. I decided to try the Spicy Crispy Pork ($9).

Spicy Noodle 07 Spicy Noodle 08 Man, this as a mistake. The pork, which seemed like strips of super lean, pounded pork chop were really tough, almost hard and dry. The batter was on the chewy side as well. The strips were lightly seasoned and not particularly spicy. I ended up using the dried chilies and a big splash of chili oil to help me consume this. I had a ton of it left over.

I also got the Chongqing Spicy Noodle ($12) and added an egg ($2).

Spicy Noodle 09 Spicy Noodle 10 In retrospect, the egg was also a mistake, it was ice cold, the yolk severely overcooked and dry.

On the interesting end of things; I'm thinking that the pork sent some kind of telepathic message to this bowl of noodles as it was serious spicy! Not much in the "ma" (numbing) end of things, but definitely "la" (hot and spicy). Being that Chongqing Xiao Mian differs form the usual dan dan mian in having a broth, this got me sweating in no time. The woman working saw this and cracked up, bringing me an entire pitcher of H2O.

Not a fan of the ground pork mixture as it was mealy and kind of bland….in total contrast to the broth!

Spicy Noodle 11

The noodles were the same as on the previous visit and did a great job of picking up the broth; to the detriment of my sweat glands!

Well, at this point I thought having two visits meant I'd get a post done. However, I noticed a dish ordered on the only other table occupied during my visit. It seemed like something I'd enjoy. So, a couple of weeks later I returned.

The Server, remembering my previous perspiration filled visit smiled and instantly brought me an entire pitcher of water! I guess I must now have a reputation, eh? I had actually brought a handkerchief this time and showed it to her which cracked her up.

Spicy Noodle 12

On the previous visit, the bowl I had seen is called the Fat Intestine Noodle ($15), which is what I ordered.

Spicy Noodle 13 Spicy Noodle 14 I don't know if they went easy on me, but this wasn't particularly spicy…I mean, it did have some heat, I actually enjoyed the funk induced broth, which was lightly permeated with the flavor of the "fat intestine". The broth edged on the salty side but was by far my favorite of the three visits. I enjoyed the offal-ly, funky, earthy pork bung. Yes, it was a bit chewy, but in a pleasant way.

The noodles seemed a bit different on this visit.

Spicy Noodle 15

Thinner a straighter, lacking in the nice broth lifting springiness that I enjoyed. It was cooked adequately, but I would prefer something with a bit more pull and heft. I'm hoping if I order this again, I'll have the other noodles.

Yes, I said order this again. I'll probably return when the weather turns warmer to get some of the liang cai and perhaps a bowl of bung noodles…… I think Spicy Noodle is a definite improvement over Sunny Noodle.

Spicy Noodle 00

Spicy Noodle
8046 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 1030am – 230pm, 5pm – 9pm

Sovereign Thai Cuisine Revisited

March 18, 2024 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

I guess the weather's warming up a bit since the Missus said She was craving Sovereign. It had been a while since my last post and though the Missus refused to catch the trolley there, we thought we'd check to see if we could find some decent parking. Which, for the Missus meant north of K Street and West of 15th Street. I will say that it looks like things have been cleaned up a bit in the area since my last visit and after finding parking on Island, between 13th and 14th we weren't accosted by folks like on my previous visits to the area.

We arrived at Sovereign and the place was doing some decent business at 330pm on a Sunday. We were given a nice table and looked over the menu. Our old favorites were there as well as a couple of items that caught our attention. Two of the items we'd had on previous takeout visits; which I hadn't posted on; the grilled chicken tail and the sour Lao sausage, both of which we enjoy weren't available.

We started things off with the Crispy Pork Belly ($14). We had enjoyed the spicy pork belly on our previous visit, though the rest of the dish wasn't to out liking. We thought just having that pork belly might work out well.

Sovereign Rev 01

And man, were we right! It doesn't look like much, but the thick slices of pork belly was wonderful. The skin crisp and crunchy, the fat melted away to a wonderful, rich velvetiness on your tongue. The sauce, which wasn't overly sweet or spicy helped to cut all the swine-a-licious goodness adding some balance to each bite. Though I don't think it would reduce your Cardiologists bill. Talk about a guilty pleasure.

The other new dish didn't fare as well, the Crispy Chive Cake ($14). I really didn't know what to expect.

Sovereign Rev 03

The coating was more hard than crisp. The filling was what seemed like a combination of overly gummy-glutinous, sticky rice and chives, of which more was needed for flavor. This was really bland, even with the sweet-savory sauce provided. Man was it chewy…..this reminded me of pan fried mochi. It really needed a savory boost in flavor.

From here it was our usual go-to dishes.

The Hat Yai Fried Chicken ($24).

Sovereign Rev 02

Crisp skin, tender flesh, the shallots add a nice pungent-sweet-crunchy layer to the dish. Nice mildly sweet-savory flavors from soy sauce-fish sauce-sugar. Always a favorite.

The Missus's favorite vegetable dish is the Stir Fried Eggplant with Basil ($14).

Sovereign Rev 04

Tender eggplant, I think more Thai Basil was needed this time around; but the dish has always been a favorite of the Missus.

And of course, the Thai Sausage ($13).

Sovereign Rev 05

Still our favorite in San Diego, crisp casing, tender pork filling, studded with herbs, with a slight spicy "kick" to things.

As you can tell, we enjoyed this meal. And while Sovereign doesn't provide that spicy "Issan" or Lao heat we enjoy, we have dishes here that are favorites of ours. And while there's still some environmental grittiness to the area around the restaurant, it seems like things might be changing for the better in the area.

And we found a new "favorite" dish to add to our typical order at Sovereign as well.

Sovereign Rev 06

Sovereign Thai Cuisine
1460 J Street
San Diego, CA 92101

Witch Creek Winery, Sleeping Tiger Coffees, and Carlsbad (Danish) Bakery (Carlsbad)

March 17, 2024 mmm-yoso Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Staycation, Wine Bars/Wineries

We enjoyed strolling back to our hotel after dinner at Jeune et Jolie. We had gotten some coffee at the shop on the corner of Carlsbad Boulevard and Grand Avenue on our last staycation in the area. I had forgotten to take photos during that visit. The coffee stand was actually in Witch Creek Winery. We decided to pop in and take a look. There were folks enjoying themselves, though the place wasn’t overly crowded.

The musician was plating Guantanamera which was a favorite of my late mom. We decided to finish off the evening with a nice glass of wine.

We got a glass of the Chardonnay and a glass of the White Blend.

The Missus really enjoyed the White Blend. We finished things off by sharing a glass of the Sparkling Wine, which I enjoyed. Fairly light, fruity, but not overly sweet.

We took the 3 block walk back to the hotel. It was a brisk, but pleasant night. We slept well. The next morning we woke and relaxed a bit. I went to get some coffee provided in the hotel’s recreation room and we sat on our porch and enjoyed ourselves.

We then took a nice stroll along the Carlsbad State Beach walkway.

After our morning walk, we decided to check out. The nice gentleman manning the front desk told us it would perfectly fine to leave our car in the lot until one or so. So we loaded up the car, then headed on out. The Missus wanted to check out some of the shop in the area, most of which didn’t open until 10. So we ambled up State Street and then Roosevelt.

I was getting a bit hungry and recalled seeing a fairly popular bakery during our last stay in the area. So we headed on over.

The name of the place is simply Carlsbad Bakery. It used to be named Carlsbad Danish Bakery.

The very nice woman working seemed to have a Danish accent, which made me smile as I hadn’t heard that in quite a while. I had thoughts about just getting a croissant, but decided on the Brie-Mushroom-Spinach pastry. The Missus got some flourless chocolate cake that She saved for later and enjoyed.

Pastry in hand we started walking back to the hotel.

As we walked past Witch Creek Winery, we decided to grab some coffee. And headed on in.

We’d been here on our last visit, so we knew what we wanted. The Missus got the Tanzania pour-over and I got a cold brew. We placed our orders and took a stroll around the shop.

The place was empty so it was nice to wander around.

There’s quite a bit of “stuffs” for sale in the shop and on the patio. Some of it was quite cute and charming.

Once our coffees were ready we took a seat outside and enjoyed watching the parade of pooches up and down the street. The Missus enjoyed Her pour over and the cold brew was great fuel for the drive ahead.

There’s a Starbucks next door which does some major business; but Sleeping Tiger was fairly quiet. I dunno, we much rather support a local business.

I had my pastry, which was much larger than it looked on the counter.

This was not bad; enjoyed the creamy brie which also had some nice earthiness, which the mushrooms further enhanced. The croissant dough was lightly buttery; though it lacked the flakiness that I enjoy; this was not bad. I guess I’ll need to try the croissants next time.

You can read about Soo’s visit to Carlsbad Bakery here.

I’m guessing we’ll be returning to these two stops when visiting Carlsbad.

Carlsbad (Danish) Bakery
2805 Roosevelt St.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Tues – Sat 7am – 3pm
Sunday 7am – 1pm
Closed on Monday

Witch Creek Winery
2906 Carlsbad Blvd.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Current Hours:
Sun – Thurs Noon – 7pm
Friday Noon – 8pm
Saturday Noon – 9pm

**** Sleeping Tiger Coffee is no longer

Sleeping Tiger Coffees (In Witch Creek Winery)
2906 Carlsbad Blvd.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Current Hours:
Thurs – Mon 7am – 5pm
Tues – Wed 7am – 3pm

We had enjoyed Carlsbad; but now it was time to head on over to our next stop…..

Le Menu du Bar at Jeune et Jolie (Carlsbad)

March 14, 2024 mmm-yoso French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Road Trip, Staycation

Like I mentioned in my previous post, the Missus requested a Road Trip to a specific location. This also gave us an opportunity to revisit Jeune et Jolie and spend a night in Carlsbad before heading off. After our last meal at JeJ my friends "B&G" had seen my photos and taken it upon themselves to head on over and have dinner. Though they didn't make reservations. Instead, they dined at the bar, which has its own menu and doesn't take reservations. They had no problem getting seats at the bar arriving right before 5pm on a Friday. The bar menu had several items that looked enticing, so we thought we'd try our luck on a Friday no less!

This time around we stayed at the Tamarack Resort, which we enjoyed. The location was right across from Carlsbad State Beach and had ample underground parking; at least when we arrived.

We checked in and relaxed until it was time to head out to try our luck.

We enjoyed the short stroll over to the restaurant and arrived 5 before 5. There were several parties ahead of us; but most had reservations for dining in. We easily got a place at the bar; which filled up quickly and was totally full in minutes!

Service was friendly and relaxed, yet still quite efficient. The Missus started with a Chardonnay and I had the House Old Fashioned which was no joke!

We placed our orders, we had eaten a fairly big lunch before heading out, so the smaller bites on the menu suited us perfectly. There are offerings of oysters, prawns, a plat du fruits du mer, but we had other things in mind.

"B" had stated that the Croque Monsieur ($44) was his favorite item of his meal, so we started with that. We didn't know what to expect and this is what arrived.

If there was ever a dish to be named "death by truffle" this might be a contender. So the earthy-sweet truffle and brioche really dominated these bites. We really couldn't make out the jamon iberico. Don't get me wrong; you know how much we love truffle, but this was just a bit too sweet and out of balance for me.

Seeing one of my favorites from the tasting menu available, I made sure to order the Veal Tartare ($23).

This was every bit as good as what I'd had before. Tender veal, chopped to my preferred size, nice touch of pungency, the flavor of white soy added a nice savory-saltiness, the crunchy-peppery radish was a nice foil, and the nori powder added another nice layer of flavor.

One item that I really enjoy when in France are Gourgeres, though it's getting a bit more difficult to find light puffs of savory pastry and cheese these days. Even in Paris, where it used to be sold be weight. So, when I saw Gourgere ($16) on the menu I had to get it. Even though it was filled with mornay.

My goodness, we loved these! The crisp and light choux was filled with a savory-pleasantly cheesy Mornay, which even had a nice touch of garlic. That wonderful nutty-earthy-savory-mushroomy flavor of the black truffle came thru clearly as well. We could taste all the components which made this dish delici-yoso! In fact, we had a second order of these!

You know, we enjoy Carlsbad in spite of the lack of Asian food offerings in the area. I hate to think how much damage to my wallet we'd do if we lived in walking distance of Jeune et Jolie!

Jeune Et Jolie – Le Menu du Bar only served at the bar and small "lounge" area. No reservations, first come first served.
2659 State St.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Current Hours:
Wed – Sun 5pm – 10pm

After dinner we took a nice stroll.

Where we passed several venues with folks having a great time!

Very relaxed, laid-back……fun!

On the way back to the hotel, the Missus and I decided to get a glass of wine at a place we'd had coffee at on our previous visit.

Where on the road were we?

March 13, 2024 mmm-yoso Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Travel, yoso-silly

Well, in case you didn't notice; things were a bit quiet here over the last couple of days. Cathy has been super busy and as for us; well, we had us a little road trip. Where you might inquire? I'm glad you asked.

We started fairly locally and did almost a repeat staycation from last month.

And enjoyed another meal at what is now a favorite of the Missus.

We enjoy the vibe here…..

Our next stop was for dinner at a new Chinese restaurant that I understand spent 3 million dollars on renovations before recently opening.

Well, to say the decor was impressive is an understatement.

Our next stop was a city in Northern LA County. A charming and friendly city, with a lovely "main street".

The Missus wanted to go hiking in the area to see if the poppies were in bloom. Which was just starting up, so we didn't see much.

Regardless, we really enjoyed the nice 5 1/2 mile hike, which was quite easy. It was so peaceful, we just loved the sounds of the birds chirping and singing…..