mmm-yoso – Page 54 – 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.

Pork Fat Rules at Taste of Hunan

May 19, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Sorry to say that the Pork Lard dish is no longer on the menu at Taste of Hunan. There are some newer good dishes though. You can find an updated post here.

So, the Missus's current favorite Chinese restaurant in San Diego is now Taste of Hunan. In fact, we've already gone twice since returning from Ecuador/Galapagos. Even though it's a bit of a drive, we've enjoyed our meals.

In addition to other items we enjoyed during our previous visits, the Missus likes the Tea Smoked Duck here.

Very smoky, edging on being too salty, with a nice "duckiness" to it.

I have also found a favorite, though I'm only going to order it on every other visit or so…..well, because it's listed on the menu as "Stir Fried Pork Lard with Green Pepper". Leave it to me to find the fattiest dish on the menu!

Yes, this is pork fat, more like cracklins' that I had when I worked in the South all those decades ago. It seems to have been lightly dusted and then stir fried so when served there's a bit of solidity when biting into this swiney piece of heaven. Because of the spice, the black beans, and a good acidity this seems less "sinfull". Though let me assure you, it's worth trying.

Like I said, perhaps once a month or so……I can treat myself.

Taste of Hunan
9880 Hibert St.
San Diego, CA 92131

So, please share with us your current "guilty pleasure"! Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Taiwan – Dongshan River Forest Park, National Center for Traditional Arts (Wujie), Bajia Fish Farm 八甲休閒魚場 (Yuanshan), and Kavalan Distillery

May 18, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Distilleries, Seafood, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

**** This is a pretty long post so I'm not going to spend too much time on food (and whiskey), so if you'd like to return tomorrow I wouldn't hold it against you. But, if you'd like to see more of Taiwan, read on….

Time was flying. It seemed like we had just arrived yesterday and here we were leaving in two days! Wanting to make the most of our remaining time in Taiwan, I went ahead and booked two private tours/drivers. On this day, I wanted to visit one of my favorite whiskey makers while exploring a part of the island we hadn't been to yet.

Our driver was right on time and while she spoke no English, the Missus's Mandarin came in handy. Our driver had an end destination and we left it up to her to make stops along the way.

The first stop was in Yilan. A rather newish "Ecopark", the Dongshan River Forest Park. Opened in 2016, it was a wonderful green space, with art installations along the way. And the railroad still passes thru the park as well.

We enjoyed wandering around and just taking in the art and the beautiful sunny day.

We had some coffee and then headed off to our next stop. Apparently, our driver just got a sort of "vibe" from the Missus for our next stop.

We stopped in Wujie Township at the National Center for Traditional Arts. This 60 acre "town" is devoted to preserving and accenting the heritage of Taiwan, be it crafts, arts, music, and so on.

The various structures represent various architectural styles of Taiwan as well.

There are even temples onsite.

And performance areas as well.

And of course art abounds.

While one could take in the art…..

Or perhaps take a boat ride in the lake…..

There was some serious shopping to be done here.

There ere workshops with artisans in residence actually doing their "thing"!

And you were free to watch.

The one shop were I wish the Missus actually bought something was the one dealing in Black Jade.

Some of the item were just plain stunning.

In the end, after being tempted so many times……

We found something we both liked.

This was fun. We actually spent almost 3 hours here!

And when we left; it was time for lunch. Our driver headed into Yuanshan. We parked and then were led past pools of fishes and other creatures being raised.

This was the restaurant of Bajia Fish Farm. As a whole, a tourist type restaurant.

The interesting thing being that the main product of this "fish farm" is Ayu, also know as "sweetfish". I was quite interested to see how it would taste.

I had read about the fish smelling like watermelon, being sweet and fruity and so on. Basically, this tasted like a milder version of sanma to me.

I was glad to have tried it here, but it wasn't anything special to me. Perhaps being farm raised changed things a bit?

Bajia Fish Farm 八甲休閒魚場 (Yuanshan)
No. 1之10號, Bajia Rd
Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, Taiwan 26444

After lunch we headed down the road a bit, soon arriving at the Kavalan Distillery.

When planning our trip to Taiwan, I had really wanted to visit Kavalan. I first had Kavalan in, of all places Paris at Arnaud Nicolas. The Missus and I really enjoyed it, when having it again at Seven Grand and found that Old Town Liquor carried Kavalan, though I really didn't get the expensive stuff. Over time, I found that I really enjoyed the Solist Amontillado Sherry Cask, but heck, I ain't spending $500 a bottle for it. Anyway, our driver dropped us at the front of the distillery. And we headed in.

Because of the amount of time we'd spent at the National Center for Traditional Arts, it was getting later in the day, and we decided not to do a tour. Instead, we went to the "main" tasting room.

And the Missus and I shared the "World Championship Series" tasting.

And with a touch of water to "open things up", the Amontillado Sherry Cask, with the rich, slightly smoky-nutty-stone fruity flavor was again our favorite.

We really enjoyed this stop!

Kavalan Distillery
No. 326, Section 2, Yuanshan Rd
Yuanshan Township, Yilan County, Taiwan 264

Soon after, it was time to head back to Taipei. It had been a fun day, but now the question was; "what's for dinner?"

Stay Tuned!

Revisits – HFS at Centerpark Labs, Sue’s Korean Kitchen, Ngon Ngon to Go, and Tenkatori

May 16, 2024 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Poke, Vietnamese Restaurants

So, I've noticed something about many of the places I head to during lunch. I get into the office rather early and start getting hungry at 10am or so. I also don't care much for crowds. Thus, I've developed a habit of heading to places that open a bit earlier than the usual 11am start time. Also, for these takeout visits, I usually don't stray too far afield.

Having done multiple posts on all of these places, I thought I'd just do a "COMC" (Clearing Out the Memory Card) post.

HFS at Centerpark Labs:

A regular stop on the rotation since my first visit back in August of 2020, HFS has since moved their retail location. It's still a stop when I want decent poke here in San Diego. And they've become quite popular. Heck, there were folks waiting at ten minutes before the opening time on this day.

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HFS TO 02

For lunch I'll usually get the medium poke bowl with brown rice ($19) and can usually get out quite quickly. I stay with the ahi choices here. Not a fan of the salmon and stuff.

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On this day it was the "Pearl Harbor", which had some good spice and the Shoyu Ahi which had a better quality of fish; quite tender and creamy.

It's still my first choice for poke in San Diego.

HFS at Centerpark Labs
6835 Flanders Dr.
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Thurs – Tues 10am – 8pm
Wednesday 10am – 6pm

Sue's Korean Kitchen:

I've done a number of posts on Sue's since I first visited back in 2021. I like that they open at 10am and basically stick with one item on the menu, the Kimchi Fried Rice ($12.99). Though I've encountered "shrunken portions" at times, on my last two visits, things seem back to normal.

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Sues TO 02

And though I've encountered "mushy rice syndrome" on a couple of visits, that was not the case this time around.

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Sues TO 04

A nice Spam-i-fied, mildly spicy, fermented, carb load. The woman here cracks me up as she seems to remember me and what I order!

Sue’s Korean Kitchen
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd. Suite 109
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 10am – 9pm

Ngon Ngon Food to Go:

Ngon Ngon might be as far as I would usually wander for lunch. They open at 9am, though are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays……need to remember that. I've kinda stuck to one item since my first set of visits when they opened a year ago, the Bo Luc Lac.

They've kinda rearranged things in the small space within Vinh Hung Market.

NgNg 01

I'll call in my order for #27, the "Cubed Beef Filet Mignon with Steamed Rice" ($16). Now while the though of comparing this to gourmet filet mignon might be a stretch, the beef is not bad. Slightly toothsome, edging on a bit too salty, with a touch of savory-sweetness.

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I'm not the biggest fan of the salad as at times the greens have been starting to brown, but this time it wasn't bad.

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NgNg 04 (2)

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Ngon Ngon To Go
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Wed – Sun 9am – 8pm
Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays

Tenkatori:

And finally, Tenkatori. Another regular stop since I first visited two years ago. The place opens at 1030 on weekdays, which is great since I hate that parking lot. There is one key thing when I do take out. I always call in my order when they open at 1030. The online ordering ordering, even though it says no service fee adds on $2-$3. For instance, I ordered the Mega Karaage Don on this day. I called in my order which was $17.30, using Uber Eats for Pick-up it's $22.80! Ordering Door Dash pick-up it's $22.50. For pick-up!

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Actually, I'm not sure why I ordered the Mega Don as it was way to much food….but what the heck; the chicken heats well in the air fryer.

Tenkatori TO 02

Tenkatori Miramar
6780 Miramar Rd Suite 104
San Diego, CA 92121
Phone – (858) 200-2016
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 1030am – 2pm, 4pm – 8pm
Sat – Sun 11am – 230pm, 4pm – 8pm

So there you go…my recent early takeout lunch habits. I'm going to do turo turo in a separate post.

In your opinion, am I missing out on anything? And what have you been getting for lunch recently?

Road Trip – Bar le Cote (Los Olivos)

May 15, 2024 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, European Restaurants, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Seafood, Travel

After spending the evening in Monterey Park and having dinner a Mandarin Noodle House we headed up to our destination. We'd be spending the night in Buellton with reservations for lunch the next day at one of our favorite restaurants in the area, Bell's. Of course we couldn't check in until 3pm, so we needed a a place to pass the time and also for some lunch.

We had always enjoyed Los Olivos; we had enjoyed our first lunch there back in 2018 at the now defunct The Bear and Star and had always enjoyed strolling and shopping the town. Even though our last meal there at Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe was just passable, we love the vibe of the town. We'd gladly stay there except that hotel and AirBnB prices there are way too expensive for us! Thus, we'd be staying in Buellton.

I had read that the owners of Bell's were now co-owners of a Seafood forward restaurant named Bar le Cote in Los Olivos and it seemed like a nice lunch and shopping stop for us. So, I made reservations for a nice Thursday lunch. The place opens at noon, and we got into town a bit early, which gave us some time to do a bit of shopping.

The Missus loved this shop.

It might have been this that drew Her in.

Avec Moi Decor
2906 Grand Ave.
Los Olivos, CA 93441

The shops kept us occupied until the clock struck noon and we walked over to the cottage which housed the self-described "Seafood Tavern".

We waited a bit to be noticed and when the rather abrupt hostess came over, we chose to eat al fresco since it was such a nice day.

The woman Serving us was very professional and nice.

We ordered a couple of dishes I'd read about and since I was a fan of the beef tartare at Bell's, we ordered that as well.

First up was the Peel & Eat Shrimp ($18).

We found the "BLC spice" a bit on the saltier side which nullified the flavor of the shrimp. The shrimp were also over-cooked and rubbery. In this case adding the cocktail sauce or the aioli just further distracted one from the shrimp.

The dry aged Yellowtail Crudo ($24) had a wonderful, firm, yet almost cheese like texture and the flavor was quite mild.

We enjoyed the acidity from the lemon vinaigrette as well.

Next up, the beef tartare ($28).

The fried oysters were an interesting touch, I guess it was there to replace the usual egg yolk, and of course BLC is a seafood based restaurant. but we didn't care for the fishiness it added to the beef which was almost mushy. The horseradish cream was excellent; adding the palate and nasal cleansing pungency to things. It seems like everything was minced too finely. The fries were crisp and lightly dusted with what seemed to be the "BLC Spice". In this instance it seemed to work fairly well.

Last up was the Crispy Skin Branzino ($34).

This was the best item of the day; the skin was very crisp, yet light, with a briny edge. The flesh of the fish was tender, moist, with a hint of oceany sweetness. The charred lemon added a smoky-citrusy-sweetness. The Romesco Sauce was fine, but not needed. The greens were crisp and fresh.

Overall, an inconsistent meal which ran over a hundred, plus an automatic 20% (which we have no problem with) was not quite what we expected. I don't think we'll return. Which is too bad since we'd enjoyed Bell's so much.

Bar Le Côte
2375 Alamo Pintado Ave.
Los Olivos, CA 93441

Then it was time to head on over to Buellton.

Thanks for stopping by!

Shanghai Alley (Clairemont) – Hidden in Plain Sight

May 13, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian, Xiao Long Bao

**** I understand that Shanghai Alley is no longer at King Bistro

I was driving along last week, minding my own business, when I noticed something. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but it looked like a folding restaurant sign, but not with the name of the place generally associated with the location.

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Shanghai Alley? Well, that was a new one to me. I believed that I had a pretty good idea of all the restaurants in the area, but I guess I was mistaken? Upon returning home, I went and did that "Google thing". And yes indeed, there was a new restaurant named Shanghai Alley. The interesting thing is, this version of the restaurant does lunches, while the "original" place takes over in the evening. Can you guess where?

Well……

Shanghai Alley 99

Yes, it's the location of King Bistro, which is in the location of what used to be our favorite restaurant in San Diego, Ba Ren. I'm not going to drone on about how we miss Ba Ren. And even though I had never visited King Bistro, Shanghai Alley had me interested. I noticed online that the place opens at 10am….and you know how I'm an "early lunch" kinda guy these days. So, I drove down and arrived the very next day right after 10am.

In the back of the sign is more info.

Shanghai Alley 97

I walked in and immediately noticed a chalkboard menu leaning up against the counter.

Shanghai Alley 01

The prices seemed very reasonable and the young lady working was very sweet and friendly. She told me that Shanghai Alley started business a month ago. She was going to hand me a paper menu, but I just went ahead and placed my order and had a seat.

Shanghai Alley 02

Looking around I quickly noticed how worn the place looks.

Shanghai Alley 03

The young woman quickly brought out black vinegar and chili oil for me.

Shanghai Alley 04

And soon in enough, my Pork and Cabbage Jiaozi ($13.99) and Niu Rou Mian ($14.99) arrived.

The jiaozi was super hot!

Shanghai Alley 05 Shanghai Alley 06 The wrappers were good when the dumplings were first delivered, fairly tender, but got brittle and chewier as the dumplings cooled off. The filling was tender, moist, nicely seasoned, and full of pork flavor. This was a pleasant surprise. The filling was more finely chopped than many versions I've had recently. I think this compares favorably with Ju Feng Yuan. And does have a definite "homestyle" edge to it.

I was not as fond of the Beef Noodle Soup.

Shanghai Alley 07 Shanghai Alley 08 The pieces of beef were decently tender and nicely flavored, good anise tones, with a hint of sweetness. The soup was of the clear variety and had some five spice and white pepper seasoning going for it, but it lacked beefiness and decent richness. At least it wasn't overly salty. The noodles were overcooked for my taste and lacked the springiness I enjoy.

Overall, a pretty good meal. There was one item I wanted to try before doing a post. So, I returned a couple of days later; again at a bit past ten. This time a gentleman was working. I went ahead and ordered the Xiao Long Bao ($9.99).

It did a take a while for the XLB to arrive, which was fine since I wasn't very hungry. I did notice on this visit that there were quite a few delivery orders being picked up during my meal.

Soon enough, the XLB arrived.

Shanghai Alley 09 Shanghai Alley 10 There were 8 dumplings in all, enough for a light lunch. One of the XLB, the one on the bottom had, ahem, an incontinence leakage problem and all the soup had leaked out. The rest were fine. The wrappers, while on the thicker side were again decent, perhaps even better than the ones on the jiaozi. There was an abundance of tasty "soup", the filling was tender, moist, full of swiney goodness. And like the jiaozi, it does have a homemade feel to it.

Shanghai Alley 11

I was pleasantly surprised with the XLB and the jiaozi here. The prices aren't bad. I'm hoping they'll expand their menu a bit. I'll definitely have the dumplings again and definitely try the intestine and pig feet noodle soups.

Just goes to show; you never know what's "hiding in plain sight".

Shanghai Alley (In King Bistro)
4957 Diane Ave.
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Wed – Mon 10am – 3pm

Revisits – Hola Paris and T.P. Banh Bao 3

May 12, 2024 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, French Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

You know, I will often complain about the lack of decent, diverse eating establishments here in San Diego. But then I'll look at my photos and realize while I believe there could be so much more to offer, I should be thankful for what we have here.

Case in point, having to catch up with things and recover from my jet lag, I made the two following breakfast stops this weekend. Yesterday, it was a savory crepe from Hola Paris in Old Town and for strange reason I was craving the "FBB" (fried banh bao) from T.P. Banh Bao 3. You really can't get more diverse than that, right?

Hola Paris:

**** Hola Paris has closed

On my way back from my typical Saturday morning "rounds", I decided to stop by the Old Town Urban Market to see what was going on since Tuetano moved out. Walking past Hola Paris, the owner Benjamin saw me.

Hola Paris Rev 01

He came out to say hello and mentioned that it had been a while since he last saw me! It's quite nice that he remembers me. He also mentioned that they've added a couple more options with regards to savory crepes. I guess he also remembers that I don't have much of a sweet tooth as well!

Hola Paris Rev 01b

After chatting a bit, I decided to order one of the savory crepes and went with the Milo.

Soon enough it arrived.

Hola Paris Rev 02

Well, this was quite good. I loved how the salty-savory Prosciutto and the earthy-milky-nutty Brie balances out the sweetness of the crepe. The tomatoes added a nice acidity and I wish there was more of that.

Hola Paris Rev 03

This was deceptively filling and rich. I enjoyed it and am glad I have a "go-to" here. I really enjoy chatting with Benjamin and will try to stop by more often.

Hola Paris
2548 Congress St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 9am – 4pm
Wednesday 9am – 2pm
Sat – Sun 9am – 6pm

T.P. Banh Bao 3:

While completing some shopping, I was strangely craving something……fried. Of course we didn't get any Asian food in Ecuador, but I'm not sure what brought on this sudden craving for a fried bao? Perhaps it's because it had been over three years since my last visit? Anyway, I decided to head on over.

TP Banh Bao Rev 01

I really didn't want to wait for them to fry up the version with the salted egg, so I just got two of the pork, sausage, and egg which they had in the display case. The woman working was a hoot. She placed several napkins in the bag telling me "just in case you can't resist and have to eat them while driving!" Lol!

I was able to resist temptation and waited until I got home to enjoy these brown orbs of artery clogging deliciousness.

TP Banh Bao Rev 02

The fried bao was still crunchy after the drive back home! There's an interesting combination of sweet-savory-porky-salty crunchiness with these. Oh, I could only finish one before needing a "timeout". I'll have the other one a bit later on.

TP Banh Bao Rev 03

This was a nice guilty pleasure. I'll probably wait awhile before having these again, since like "FOY" ChrisR mentioned to me in an email "I loved them, but I feel like they subtract weeks from my life expectancy."

T.P. Banh Bao 3
11271 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 8am – 7pm
Sat – Sun 730am – 6pm

So I guess I need to stop whining about the lack of choices in San Diego, right?

We'd like to wish a most wonderful Mother's Day to all Mom's out there!

Where in the world were we?

May 9, 2024 mmm-yoso Ecuador, Galapagos, Latin American Cuisine, Travel, yoso-silly

Whew, ever had a trip that was so amazing that time flew by and having done so much, when thinking an experience that happened just a few days ago it seemed like weeks ago? Well, we're back from that amazing trip. In spite of the combination of flight time and layovers taking 15 hours plus each way, this one was one of those once-in-a lifetime experiences, from the time we landed in the country's capital at 9300 feet we were entranced.

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From the UNESCO World Heritage Capital.

To the even higher surroundings.

The diversity is amazing. In fact, there are 4 different geographical regions in this fairly small country!

Another interesting fact, the Country is named for the imaginary line that separates the Northern and Southern Hemisphere and takes great pride in being called the "middle of the world".

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And yet, things really got even more incredible when we did our cruise. To an archipelago I had always dreamed of exploring. And now have a better understanding of how a famous Naturalist became enchanted and inspired by his visit here when still a young man. And whose most well-known publication is inextricably linked to the islands.

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Our 7-day cruise explored the Northern portion of the archipelago and in all we visited 7 islands. And amazingly, the terrain of each one was different.

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And the Captain even took us on a spur of the moment visit to see nature in action as well!

Even more impressive was the wildlife.

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And each island had unique variations of species.

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There are strict rules in place on the islands, thus many creatures displayed no fear of hoo-mans.

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Some were even quite curious.

And it was amazing to see these creatures in their natural habitat.

It was an enriching experience and we learned so much.

And yes, this is still a food blog…..so we have that covered as well.

So let me recover from jet lag and get back to posting!

Thanks for being "a pal"……

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And "dropping in".

Thanks for stopping by!

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The Barbecue Pit (El Cajon) (again)

May 6, 2024 Cathy BBQ, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, while Kirk is enjoying a vacation. Cathy eats, too and is here to share.

I wrote about the El Cajon location of The Barbecue Pit the first time in 2014, again in 2018, again in 2019 and once more in 2021. It's time for another post.

Not much has changed since the last time, or even from 1947, when The Barbecue Pit first opened in downtown San Diego.

Other than the prices and having a daily availability of brisket (used to only be on weekends).

Walk up, order, pay and you walk away with your tray of food. Efficient.
Find a seat.
Go back to the condiment bar and beverage station. Remember to grab utensils!
A bowl of Navy Bean Soup-filled with beans, carrots, celery and bits of ham. An excellent version almost always ordered (except when I really want the Pea Soup)..
This went well with a beef sandwich. (Soup and Sandwich, $11.99). This is Pit Barbecue-slow cooked over oak-not overly smoked (there is a smokey BBQ sauce available on the condiment bar). The sandwiches are 1/2 pound, the bread is lightly toasted. It all comes together in each bite.
The Mister ordered the chopped burnt ends plate ($10.99) which included two sides. The burnt ends are meaty, not fatty.
We decided to share a slice of pecan pie ($4.99) which had an excellent, flaky crust, not too sweet filling and still crisp pecans. A nice treat.

The Barbecue Pit 2388 Fletcher Parkway El Cajon 92020 (619) 462-5434 Open Mon-Thur 10:30-8, Fri-Sat 10:30-9 Closed Sunday Website

Johnny B’s (La Mesa)

May 5, 2024 Cathy Beer, Burgers, Salads, What Cathy Eats!

Yes, you're back at mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. Cathy is still writing because Kirk is still on vacation with His Missus. Here's a post about lunch (but they have breakfast on weekends).

I've never posted about Johnny B's, it's just "always" been there and a regular stop for lunch.

Since January 1, 1999, this La Mesa bar and restaurant, located downtown on La Mesa Blvd and 4th, has always had a lunch special of a 'Burger and Beer'. The building has expanded and the prices have, of course, increased. JB's has made it through Covid-19, keeping the food here very consistently wonderful.

The interior (there is outside seating) has 33 HDTV's, most showing local sports and at least one showing PAWS-a channel about animals. I could see 11 televisions from my chair and The Mister could see eight.

The two-sided menu mentions the weekday Lunch specials, as well as a Monday night special and Happy Hour. There's also a Tuesday night special of Sliders which flashed across one of the TV screens. The other side of the menu has weekend breakfast items.

The grilled chicken salad ($12.95) was topped with a still warm/freshly char-grilled chicken breast. The bowl is very large and we did take home some leftovers. The mixed lettuces had tomatoes, onions and shredded carrots and the ranch dressing was a better quality.

The cheeseburger Lunch Special ($14.75) includes your choice of soda, Bud Light, Coors Light or Amberbock. You also can choose the type of cheese and also get a choice of fries, chips or a salad. The burger is large (at least 1/4 lb) and also char-grilled, made with a coarse grind of beef, keeping the meat chunky and moist. The bun is toasted and those fries have a coating and seasoning, making them very crisp and tasty.

Johnny B's Burgers and Brew 8393 La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619) 464-2465 Open Mon-Th 11-9, Fri 11-10, Sat 930-10 Sun 9:30-9 Website

More than 20 beers on tap!

iHOP- The International House Of Pancakes

May 4, 2024 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is indeed a blog about food. Kirk is away and Cathy is writing these blog posts. This post is about food.

So, anyhow. I have always worked in professions in which tipping is not the norm. However, I have a few clients who sometimes give me gift cards. I've mentioned in a few posts that I do not regift. In this case, I believe I was the recipient of a re-gifted card.

Here is the breakfast menu from a few months ago. Lunch and dinner is also served here.

Well, look at this from the breakfast menu- avocado toast, which comes with two eggs any style and a side of fresh fruit (or hash browns) ($13.49). A good quality multigrain toast topped with freshly sliced avocado and roasted cherry tomatoes. This was a surprisingly tasty and filling breakfast.

The Mister chose a Waffle Combo ($16.49). A strawberry cheesecake topped Belgian waffle with two eggs (over easy), two sausage (or bacon) and hash browns. I liked the waffle (plain). The batter was crisp on the exterior and had a malt/vanilla flavored fluffy interior. The strawberries were very flavorful-see the pink (not white) inner part? The sausage was standard with a nicely crisped skin and the hash browns were not watery and also had a good crisp.

A couple of very nice breakfasts.

iHop, many locations website

Coffee is $3.99