mmm-yoso – Page 542 – 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.

Bay Park Fish Company

July 20, 2006 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Poke

I guess it's about time that I did a post on Bay Park Fish Company, since we live 2 miles from the place. BPFC, is a nice little neighborhood eatery that is a welcome addition to the area.

A portion of the area is utilized as a fish market, the rest as a Restaurant and Bar.

I would call the restaurant design as sort of "industrial-chic", with cinder block walls, corrugated metal siding, and high ceilings with an exposed duct system. Sportfishing photos, and "sea creatures" adorn the walls.

Recently, Bay Park Fish has started a Happy Hour, though the hours are quite early starting at 3pm, and ending at 5pm, the Happy Hour is offered 7 days a week. The Happy Hour covers menu starters(25% off), $2 Fish Tacos(mahi-mahi), and draft beer(5 types, quite pedestrian selection like Amstel Light, Widmer Hefeweizen).

The Missus was very happy to see Her favorite menu item the Smoked Fish Plate( $7 – $5.25 Happy Hour) being discounted for Happy Hour.

This fairly large portion of "fish salad" hits all the right notes for us. Lightly smoked fish, mixed with just tad of mayo, is neither fishy, nor gloppy. Minced jalapeno adds some heat and the kernals of corn add a bit of sweetness. Mix in the pico de gallo, and the avocado, scoop it with a tortilla chip, and it is delici-yoso!!!

The Missus has been having this twice a week during the recent hot weather.

On this day, being very hungry we ordered the Deep Fried Calamari($6 – $4.50 Happy Hour).

A very generous basket of Deep Fried Calamari was dropped off on our table. We enjoyed the panko crust, though the calamari was slightly on the tough side. The aioli, with a layer of olive oil really didn't bring much to the calamari. Just a squeeze of lime was fine, strangely, I like malt vinegar on these as well. I'll have these again.

I also ordered a "small" side order of Fries($2):

Actually a not-so-small basket of shoestring fries. I really enjoy the slightly crisp, nicely salted fries. They take me back to childhood; I used to love those canned shoestring potato snacks, though these are miles ahead.

But we weren't done yet. The Missus's intention was to take home most of the smoked fish salad, and have some fish tacos. Which is just what she did.

A trio of a Grilled Halibut Taco($4), Fried Shrimp Taco($3), and a Grilled Mahi Mahi Taco (Happy Hour – $2).

The Mahi Mahi Taco:

Too much white sauce killed the fish taco for us. The fish, which was a bit on the over-cooked side still had a nice flavor. The corn tortillas were moist and had the distinctive corn taste that decent corn tortillas should have.

The Grilled Halibut Taco:

This was one killer piece of perfectly grilled, moist and flaky piece of fish. While a bit pricey at $4 a pop, it was very good.

The Fried Shrimp Taco:

The three little pieces of fried shrimp, no matter how good were totally lost in the sauce, pico de gallo, and shredded cabbage. Also, we really didn't care for the "hot sauce" provided with the tacos.

Compare those with this Grilled Halibut Taco we had on a later visit:

With a squeeze of lime; perfect simplicity.

The menu at Bay Park Fish features a limited, but varied menu, along with specials of the day. The Specials usually include several different tortas, and other items.

Here's the Yellowtail Torta($8.95):

A nice slice of grilled Yellowtail, avocado, tomato(very good tomato), and lettuce, in large Bollilo type roll. Though the Yellowtail was a bit on the over-cooked side, it tasted very fresh, with the flavor of black pepper coming through. The coleslaw was a forgettable ramekin of vinegary mixed cabbage, though a large order of shoestrings were also provided.

There was an item on the appetizer specials that caught my attention.

It was the Ahi Poke Appetizer($12). 12 bucks for Poke seemed to be a bit much, but I decided to try it anyway.

A large goblet filled with cubed Ahi, garnished with green onions, sesame seeds, and wakame, lay on a layer of mixed greens, and topped with WonTon Chips. The flavor of the Poke was not my cup of tea, the fish was marinated with a oyster sauce-shoyu-sugar(could be mirin) mixture, which is fine for stir-frying, but the overly salty, sweet, and assertive oyster sauce flavor over-powered everything.

During the meal, I mentioned the flavoring to one of the Servers, a really funny, and nice guy named Jeff, who told me that several variations of Poke had been tried, and this was the most popular with the "regulars". So, I guess it's different strokes….

In our opinion, Bay Park Fish is at it's best when the fish or the other seafood is presented front and center, and simply prepared.

Here's the Smoked Fish Sandwich ($8):

Shared with the Missus, along with a Fish Taco, and 2 Ice Teas, a very generous meal. And still under $20.

The service at Bay Park Fish is very nice and friendly, though like many neighborhood eateries, there are occasional hiccups, like sauces forgotten, or sometimes mistakes in preparation(we ordered our taco without white sauce). Still, we are very happy to have Bay Park Fish close by in our neighborhood.

Bay Park Fish Company
4121 Ashton St
San Diego, CA 92110

Mid Week Mystery Market – It’s 97 Supermarket!

July 19, 2006 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

*** 97 Supermarket has closed

Over the last 14 months or so, I've collected quite a few photos. Most of them end up in the recycle bin, since I do "goof-up" alot. I try to be organized, but sometimes I find a collection of photos that leave me scratching my head. As in where the heck was this???? This is such a collection. I did find out which market it was; I had put the "street shot" in another folder, and it was left languishing.

So, I guess it's better late then never. But here's the deal; first 5 Emails I receive that guess the correct Market, I'll send you a cup of Peet's on me. The reason I chose Peet's, is because I can Email Peet's certificates.

Let's start the clues…..

1 – This is a Southeast Asian Supermarket, you know right away, since they stock everything from Betel Leaves:

To Boba:

2 – This San Diego Supermarket, has quite an interesting collection, some looking quite old:

And items that are quite new…at least to me.

3 – As with this type of market, there is the requisite Meat and Fish department. Though it is quite small.

4 – If you've ever been in this market, the produce department is a dead giveaway:

I think I've provided enough clues. But here are a few more photos…..

There is some interesting stuff here.

The Missus always tells me, that after a while, all of these markets look the same.

But I'm willing to bet that there at least 5 of you, who can figure this market out in no time flat.

And you will be much smarter than I, since it took me about 15 minutes to remember where the heck this was.

And though this market, was a bit worse for wear. It was still fun for me! And I'll drink to that, though probably not with Palm Juice.

Once I have enough guesses, I'll reveal the Market. One correct guess per IP address, please have a valid Email address.

Hope you enjoyed this little Mid Week quiz!

Thursday morning update – I probably made this too hard. Though I think if you ever set foot in this market you'd recognize the produce department. So here's some clues, that I've included in the response to comments:

– It's not any of the Viet Dong Markets, nor World Foods.

– It is not on El Cajon Boulevard.

Again, comment away – though I'd rather have email guesses – but since you all like to share….

Thursday noon update – Sheesh…… More clues. Let's see…..

– It is not on Mira Mesa Boulevard.

– It is not in the South Bay area.

– I haven't done a post on this market

– And this should clinch it. If you look real carefully at the photo of the seafood bin – you'll notice part of the market logo….just a small part, but if you've ever walked or driven pass this market you should know it. And possibly made fun of the name…..

My apologies…I must totally suck at giving out clues. Nobody figured it out! I'm totally devistated. The answer is:

97 Super Market
4679 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

I know, I'm terrible at giving out clues…..but tell me, would you want me to do this again? If I made it easier????

Song Huong Food to Go

July 18, 2006 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Bun Bo Hue, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Song Huong Food to Go is another little Mom-and-Pop hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese Diner/Snack Shop located on the corner of Menlo Avenue and El Cajon Boulevard.

This intersection of ECB, must feed a heck of alot of people. A Chau and Minh Ky, are right across the street, and Song Huong shares the strip mall with Thien Thanh Restaurant. Which is how we came to eat at Song Huong. After a recent visit to Thien Thanh, the Missus walked on over to Song Huong to order an Avocado Shake(which she thought was good, BTW). She noticed the Young Lady working there, who turned out to be the Owner’s Sister eating a pretty large bowl of Bun Rieu. So a few days later we dropped by for a quick meal.

The interior of Song Huong is small, and spartan, with a mere six tables, and boxes of supplies, and a cooler, along with the requisite high bar counter taking up most of the space.

The large middle table is usually occupied by family and friends, either reading, eating, or on one occasion participating in a very lively game of cards.

Song Huong also boasts an interesting variety of Banh Mi, all priced at $1.99:

I’m still waiting for Ed from Yuma’s opinion on the Sardine Banh Mi!

One quick look at the menu, and you’ll make an interesting observation. Most items are under $4.99!

In the mood for something spicy I ordered the Bun Bo Hue, the Spicy Noodle soup($4.50) without blood. A plate of "garnishes" soon arrived at the table.

The plate of herbs and veggies varies for Bun Bo Hue varies from restaurant to restaurant, and this version included mint, tiet to(purple perilla), shredded cabbage, bean sprouts, basil, and lettuce. Pretty much a little bit of everything.

A few minutes later the noodle soup arrived.

Like the garnishes, Bun Bo Hue varies from restaurant to restaurant. For example, many restaurants will serve the Bun Bo Hue, as an almost clear broth with chili oil added for heat, and a bowl of fermented shrimp paste and chili paste on the side. Pho Hoa Hiep, and Convoy Noodle House serve their Bun Bo Hue in this manner. I prefer having all the flavorings already added and mixed into the broth, like Pho Ca Dao does. This was the latter version. The broth for this Bun Bo Hue was very straightforward and to the point, nice and spicy, but not very complex. The shrimp paste flavor was also quite muted. In what I found to be a unique touch, Lean Pork Sausage(Gio Lua) was added to the various cuts of meat in the soup. The meats(Thick cut beef, tendon, and some inedible pork parts) were not the best, most were tough and dry, but there was a heck of alot of noodles. The Bun Bo Hue succeeded in filling me up, and then some.

The Missus ordered the Bun Cha Gio Tom Nuong(Vermicelli with Egg Rolls and Shrimp – $4.50):

Like the Bun Bo Hue, this dish accomplished what it should. It really filled you up. The Cha Gio were stuffed with alot of pork, and the Missus poured two little bowls of Nuoc Mam Cham over the generous portion of noodles, and chowed it down. And left quite satisfied. Not quite the level of the Bun at Thien Thanh, but $1.50 cheaper.

A few days later, I decided to grab a Banh Mi, so I headed over to Song Huong, looked at the photos and placed my order for the Dac Biet(special). Now this is where I ran into a little miscommunication. This is the Banh Mi I received.

The bread was nicely toasted and had a combination of a crusty exterior, combined with doughy bread. I didn’t care for the tough cilantro twigs, but there was a good balance of pickled vegetables and cucumber. Beware the stealthy jalapeno, just when you don’t expect it, you’ll munch on a huge piece of jalapeno, hot enough to stop your heart. Of course, if you’re like Ed from Yuma, and driving while eating your Banh Mi……

What I thought was strange were the meats, which basically consisted of Char Siu, though there two types of Char Siu in the sandwich, pieces that were fatty, and looked like pork belly, and slices that were lean. I loved the thick "smear" of pate’, but didn’t care for the amount of mayo on my sandwich. But still, for $1.99, who’s going to complain.

Also, the Gentleman who took my order was neither the person who I believe is the Owner, nor the tiny Young Lady who speaks perfect English. Or maybe it was just the "Dac Biet" du jour?

Undeterred, I arrived back at Song Huong a few days later, and ordered the Banh Mi Dac Biet again($1.99). And this is what I got on this occasion.

So it was basically the same sandwich as before, but without the mayo, and this time with Gio Lua? Damn good sandwich, whatever it is. One thing I did notice; you should eat these ASAP, the bread goes downhill very quickly. Also, these are not the super long K Sandwiches style Banh Mi, but I think they have much more flavor.

One last thing, when ordering, grab one of the plastic menus, you’ll find that the numbers on the display, do not correspond with the numbers on the menu. Recently, I ordered some Buon Cuon($4.99) to go, using the numbers off the board, when I got to my destination I was shocked to find Bun Thit Nuong(Vermicelli with BBQ Pork)! Sorry no camera, but it wasn’t too bad, just not what I intended to order.

Song Huong opens at 6am in the morning for coffee and drinks, but the kitchen doesn’t get going until 730 or so. I think I’ll drop by one morning for the Scrambled Egg Banh Mi.

The folks are quite nice, though as mentioned above the are some communication issues, and other "quirks". Of course, if you speak Vietnamese, you’ll have no trouble. Song Huong is a well priced, take-out joint, so if you’re a bit low on cash…….and in the area, you can always grab a Sardine Banh Mi for two bucks!

One quick note: As with many parking lots in the area; it can be hell! I’ve been blocked in twice in this particular lot, and had to go from shop to shop to find the driver of the car that blocked me in.

Song Huong Food to Go
4650 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Samba Grill

July 17, 2006 mmm-yoso Brazilian Restaurants, Buffets, Latin American Cuisine

*** Per the comment below, and the Samba Grill website; Samba Grill has closed.

I’m sure this post will quell all those who are seriously concerned about our red-meat intake. Samba Grill is a new Brazilian Steakhouse, or Churrascaria, the crowning jewel residing on the top floor of Horton Plaza Shopping Center in downtown San Diego.

If I remember correctly, this used to be FAO Schwartz. The Missus and I have fond memories of meals at Greenfields, Fogo De Chao, and Roda Viva in Los Angeles, but were a bit disappointed at the protein provided at Rei Do Gado, though we enjoy the salad bar and hot table items. To us, $35 per person is just too much to pay, for a good salad bar, and rodizio items that vary widely in taste and quality. What we decided to do at Samba Grill, was to grab lunch there, which is priced at a very reasonable $13.99($11 – salad bar only). This would help us determine if dishing out $35 for dinner would be worthwhile.

We arrived fairly early at 11am sharp, and were shown to a table in the very large dining area:

As with most Rodizio style buffets, there is a "red-green" item located on each table. Green means "bring on the meat", red means "no mais".

If you’ve never experienced a Rodizio style meal, I’d recommend trying it at least once. It’s a fun way to eat, and if done right, is a great way to pace yourself while getting your meat "fix".

To me, in addition to the "meat-fest", the buffet items hold an equal importance. At the Churrascarias I’ve been to, there usually is a very nice salad bar, with great items such as hearts of palm, marinated artichokes, and a variety of cold items. In addition, there are a few soups, and various hot dishes, and starches. This is sample of a few of items offered at Samba Grill:

Most of the items were very mediocre, and not even close to Rei Do Gado in flavor. The selection was rather small as well.

But let’s stay positive; I love fresh beets, and could eat them plain, with just a squeeze of citrus. So needless to say, I truly enjoyed the beets flavored with a nice vinaigrette. The "Feijoada", the beans and meat dish(in this case only sausage), though very simple, was the other hot table item that stood out. Other then that, and a well seasoned potato salad, the parade of flavorless mashed potatoes, pesto pasta salad, and other items were very uninspired. And no hearts of palm…bummer!

But of course, the meat-fest was just beginning. So for the uninitiated, think of a Rodzio as a reverse buffet. You sit, and the protein comes to you, courtesy of Servers carrying meat skewers, carving them right at your table.

Remember "green means go"!

The meats at Samba Grill run the gamut. From the fairly good – bacon wrapped turkey, pork ribs, and a very well seasoned, though dry Pork Tenderloin.

To the mediocre, which consisted of either over-salted, under salted, over cooked, or very, very dry. This includes the "coulda been a contenda’ garlic rubbed sirloin"(If you could just eat the caramelized outer portion of the sirloin, this would be a winna’), chicken wrapped in cheese, and really tame and dry sausage:

Then there was the plain bad, such as the tough and dry sirloin caps. As you can tell; most all the meats are served well done. This creates quite a challenge for tougher cuts.

And one really heinous, old and metallic flavored dish; the skirt steak. I seldom ever have a piece of meat I can’t swallow. But this was one of them.

We came to understand the cuts at Samba Grill, anything Sirloin was dead dry, as were many of the meat items. For example, the best part of the Filet Mignon were the onions.

But I will probably return to Samba Grill for lunch. Why? Well, there was a Young Man who served the Missus and I, who ranks among the "top 10" of any Servers that I have ever had. I’m not kidding. I really must apologize, because I don’t think I’m able to spell His name correctly. It’s something like Chiago, or Chiango. Anyway, here’s a photo:

He had a demeanor, that I’ll call "warmly professional, and genuine". Once he found out we were really interested in what we were eating, he described each item in detail. By the end of the meal, we had developed a very nice rapport with Him. Once we had finished, and turned our dial to red; He came up to our table and said "Sorry, but I didn’t see the sign. This just came off the grill, and it is good as you’ll get. So I’ll have to pretend I can’t see!" And proceeded to place a piece of perfect, sizzling, bacon wrapped turkey on our plates. And He was right, the best item of the day.

I would suggest that you try Samba Grill, but for lunch first. From what I understand, there are only 2-3 more meat items served for dinner(lamb and chicken hearts among them). If I were to make a comparison between Rei Do Gado, which is right across the street and Samba Grill, it would be even on the meat; but Rei Do Gado has it all over Samba Grill with regards to the Salad Bar and hot table items. But, I’ve had some very lousy service at Rei Do Gado, while the service at Samba Grill was very warm and friendly.

I will say that the charcoal spit roasting technique that Churrascarias use is probably more healthy than the pan-fried, crowned in butter style. Though having most everything well done is not showing the beef at it’s best.

Some notes: Remember you’ll get 4 hours of Horton Plaza parking validation when dining at Samba Grill. I also understand that Samba Grill is the San Diego extension of the Samba Grill in Salt Lake City, Utah.

If you’ve never been to a Rodizio style Churrascaria, I’d encourage a visit.

Samba Grill – located on the top floor of Horton Plaza
510 Fourth Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101

Lunch, $13.99 Salad Bar only $11
Dinner, $35. Salad bar only $20

I’ll be back tomorrow….

July 16, 2006 mmm-yoso Blog

With a new post…. I promise. To darn hot to think about food!

I needed something like this to cool me off! I believe it’s called the Carwash Fountain, located in Portland, Oregon.

For those wondering which restaurant I’ll be posting about, here are a few clues:

And no, it’s not Rei Do Gado, I’ve already done a post there.

Thanks for your patience!

Road Trip: Malan Noodles – Hacienda Heights(Los Angeles)

July 13, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

Set in another of the multitude of strip malls, on the corner of Haliburton Road and Hacienda Boulevard is Malan Noodles.

Malan Noodles is the Hacienda Heights outpost of a chain of fast food outlets based in Beijing. The claim to fame are the fresh hand pulled noodles, and the Lanzhou-style Beef Noodle soup. Lanzhou is the capital of the Gansu province, and located in Northwest China.

As we entered Malan Noodle we noticed that the high-ceiling, brightly colored interior, did feel somewhat fast-foodish.

The drill goes as follows, you either pick up an order sheet, or sit and someone will bring you an order sheet(we’ve seen the two distinct style of ordering here), and check off what you want. Then you either drop off the sheet at the counter OR, somebody will come and bring you some water and pick up your sheet.

They are very flexible here….

In case you have some noodle indecision, samples of noodle size are available for your review as well.

We placed our order, and soon enough, the young Hispanic Gentleman in the back pulled of a hunk of dough, and slammed it, kneaded it, separated it into two portions, and started pulling, eventually forming noodles for the dishes we ordered.

The Malan Cold Noodles($5.50):

First off, having eaten enough of this at home and with the In-Laws, I first wondered, where’s the cucumber, where’s the green onions…..but maybe it’s a different regional style. The peanut-sesame sauce was very one dimensional, and really salty. And pouring vinegar, and chili oil on it couldn’t save it. To me, it was missing a sweet component to balance out the flavor. The noodles, served in this manner, were just" ho-hum-bubble-gum", and lacking the slight amount of "chew" I desired.

The Malan Beef Soup(small – $5.00)

So, having no previous experience with supposed Lanzhou-style Beef Noodles, here’s what I thought. The broth was on the clear side, and not oily in the least bit. The flavor of the broth was mildly beefy, with a nice onion flavor provided by the green onions and yellow chives. I really couldn’t taste any additional flavor provided by the daikon, and strangely, even the taste of the cilantro was muted. Overall, a decent mild and clean tasting broth. The thin slices of beef(looked like brisket), had a good, strong beefy flavor, along with hints of……well, I’ll let the Missus take care of this, "enough with the cinnamon, and anise thing, OKAY! It’s five-spice. And not the junk stuff, real five-spice." Okay? I still thought the noodles were on the brittle side, and made up my mind to get small flat noodles the next time. And at five bucks a crack, you can try all the variations for under $40(I’ve included tax).

There are a few more interesting items on the menu, and most are very reasonable. And no, it’s not Niu Rou Mein, but worth a try, who knows this could be the future of Mickey D’s…..

Malan Noodles
2020 S. Hacienda Blvd
Hacienda Heights, CA 91745
Open daily 11 a.m.–9 p.m.

Midweek Miscellanea

July 12, 2006 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

I thought I’d do a post about a few items, that I’ve been waiting to mention. So here goes….

The Brunch Master hits the Big Time!

I enjoy Jim’s(aka The Brunch Master) site San Diego Sunday Brunch. Talk about dedication! Jim and His lovely Wife have been to 44 Buffet style Sunday Brunches, and have started in on Menu Brunches as well. Jim’s site is not a review site, but is dedicated to informing us about prices, food, and other useful information. I know that I’ve used His site when trying to figure out which Brunch spot to hit.

So it’s only appropriate that Jim’s hit the "Big Time". On Friday, July 14th, News10, the local ABC affiliate will run a spot featuring Jim and His Brunchmaster Site. After the spot runs, there will be a live in studio section as well. So don’t miss it. The spot is set to run during the 4pm News time slot.

That’s Jim and his Wife with the Guys from News 10.

Congratulations Jim!

Howie hits a Half Million!

600,000 actually. That’s how many recipes you can access on Howie’s Foodieview Recipe Search Engine. Geez and I thought 330 posts was alot.

Curry House Coming to San Diego.

If you haven’t read the post on Chowhound, here’s the info. About 2 weeks ago, I heard that Curry House was coming to San Diego. So to confirm, I sent an Email to House Foods Corporation, the parent company of Curry House.

Here’s the response:

"Thank you for contacting us.

Yes, it is true that we will be opening a Curry House in San Diego. It is planned for its grand opening sometime in the middle of September.

Furthermore, the address of the location is as follows:

-Sunrise Town Center

3860 Convoy St. #102

San Diego, CA 92111

If you have any further questions or need further assistance, please contact us back."

So good news for those Curry House fans in San Diego.

So where’s the food, you may ask?

Okay, just for the heck it:

It’s the Com Tam Nhu Y(i.e. Com Tam Dac Biet – Broken Rice special – $6.45) from where else, Nhu Y Restaurant. Not bad, the steamed egg was quite moist and good, though the slice was on the small side. The fried "tofu-cake" was crisp, though on the bland side. The BBQ Pork Chop was okay, moist, but very mild, and the shredded pork actually had some flavor, and was relatively moist.

Hope everyones week is going well.

Road Trip: Mei Long Village – San Gabriel(LA)

July 11, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Xiao Long Bao

We had to make a trip to Los Angeles this past weekend, and I just had to have some Xiao Long Bao(soup dumplings). Don't ask me why. I just had to have it. So we headed out to good old Valley Boulevard and Mei Long Village.

Mei Long Village is a Shanghainese Restaurant located on the boulevard of a thousand Chinese Restaurants(Valley Boulevard), and has survived. That says alot, since many restaurants, such as the next door "Homestyle Restaurant", serving Shenyang style cuisine is no longer there. We arrived at 2pm on this Saturday afternoon, and Mei Long Village was filled to the brim.

Not in the mood for for major entrees(like Pork Pump, or 3 Cup Chicken) we decided on some cold appetizers and Xiao Long Bao. We started off with the classic Smoked Fish($6.50):

This non-smoked, but marinated, than deep fried dish was really bad. Well, unless you consider a sweet aspic and mud flavored appetizer being good. Really very bad, I've had five versions of this dish, and this was the worst I've ever had.

The Wine Chicken($6.50):

Again a disappointment. A perfectly steamed/boiled chicken, with a flavorless, watery sauce poured over it. From what I know, true Wined Chicken should be have a slight cured flavor and texture. this was none of the above.

The Missus ordered the Radish Pan Cake($4.95):

These little flaky pastries contained moist strips of radish along with pieces of ham, which I enjoyed. The Missus thought they were too moist, and just ok.

Finally, the Crab and Pork Xiao Long Bao arrived ($5.95):

I thought these were really good, just the size of a soup spoon, with a wrapper just translucent enough to view the broth. Very nice!

The Xiao Long Bao(Shanghai Steamed Dumplings – $4.95):

For me, these were excellent. Let me explain. The wrapper was thin/thick enough to view the "soup", and yet retained the chewy, "al dente" texture that dumpling wrappers should have. In addition, the tops of the wrappers where the dumpling wrapper is turned upon itself is still tender, and not hard. The soup to meat ratio was also very good, with a very nice sweet-porky flavor. The Missus thought the XLB soup was too sweet for Her, but I enjoyed these XLB, with wrappers just right, thin enough to see the soup, and thick enough to stand up to the cooking process. And better yet, thick enough to be a part of dumpling, it's just not filling you are eating!

In the end, the Missus said She doesn't think she'll be back. So that means I'll have to sneak away for my Xiao Long Bao when I'm in LA…..

Mei Long Village
301 West Valley Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91776

Sun-Thurs 11am-930pm
Fri-Sat 1130am-10pm

Boo Cho – A Revisit Part II

July 10, 2006 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

*** Boo Cho has another set of new owners who have changed the name of the restaurant to Dae Jang Keum. An updated post can be found here.

A few days after my visit to Boo Cho, the Missus and I decided to drop by again, for a fairly late (9pm) dinner. As we walked in, we quickly noticed the place was packed.

We managed to snag the last available table, and watched the heads from the other tables bob up-and-down. Reminded me of that arcade game….you know the one, you hit the gophers(might be something else – not quite sure which rodent) with a mallet as they pop up and down from their burrows. The staff was running like crazy, with clean grills, banchan, and plates of meat flying past us. We managed to place our order, and soon after the banchan arrived.

As with my previous visit, the Baechu Kimchi was quite good. In fact, even the Missus, who’s not a fan of Baechu Kimchi enjoyed it.

The Oi(cucumber) Kimchi, fishcake, and Namul(marinated beansprouts) were quite good as well.

Even though it’s been quite hot, the Missus ordered Yookaejang(Spicy Beef Soup – $8.99):

The slightly clear beef broth sprinkled with chili powder, had a nice flavor, and the soup was full of Gosari(fernbrake), egg, green onions, and some melt in your mouth tender slices of beef.

Along with the usual bowl of rice, this was quite a meal.

I ordered the Bibim Naengmyun($8.99):

I’m a sucker for spicy cold noodle dishes, and this did not disappoint. The thin noodles were superbly elastic and chewy. We had what the Missus calls the "more you eat, the more there seems to be" syndrome, that never ending bowl of noodles. The garnishes were more of afterthoughts; the beef was flavorless, as were the slices of Asian Pear. But the sauce was so very "beany" in flavor, and the heat level was perfect.

In spite of how full the restaurant was, we had very good service. We were asked twice if we wanted our banchan refilled, of course we got more Napa Cabbage and Cucumber Kimchi. And in what we thought was a very nice touch, the Young Lady brought out even another plate of the Cucumber Kimchi, telling us "sorry, we didn’t give you enough the last time!"

I guess you could say Boo Cho is back on my list…… I’m hoping Boo Cho manages to keep the quality and service consistent over time.

Boo Cho Restaurant
7905 Engineer Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

Boo Cho – A Revisit Part I

July 9, 2006 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

*** Boo Cho is now Dae Jang Keum, and an updated post can be found here.

On a recent trip to Sammy’s next door, I noticed that Boo Cho had changed owners again. This would make the third set of owners in the last three years. Though it’s disheartening to see a revolving door of ownership for any restaurant location, a part of me was a bit happy. You see Boo Cho used to be one of our favorite Korean BBQ Restaurants in San Diego. But under the last set of Owners, I thought the food had gone steeply downhill. As fate would have it Ed from Yuma was making one of His trips down to San Diego. So we decided to give Boo Cho as shot. You can read Ed’s Chowhound post on Boo Cho here.

As we entered on this evening there were only two other occupied tables in the restaurant. But it was only 6pm, and with the recent hot weather, people are eating at a much later time.

We were seated and given our menus, which did reflect on a few slight changes. Soon enough we placed our order. We decided on the Special BBQ for 2($49.99). Now we understood that there were 3 different types of meat, I’ll try to remember what they are, but please forgive any inaccuracies, I usually don’t take notes. In a few moments our sauces arrived.

As did the rice paper wrappers, mesclun, and thinly sliced daikon radish, for creating your own dumplings with the BBQ.

Our brazier was prepared, by first placing a container of charcoal into the receptacle built into the table, then laying the cast iron grill on the top.

One thing I quickly noticed was the very large amount of flaming charcoal being used, a very good sign.

We also had our first "surprise" of the evening. It seems that the special for two comes with a bottle of Soju, that mind numbing alcoholic beverage that brings to mind vodka. For some reason, the evening really started "brightening up".

Soon enough the banchan arrived.

To be perfectly honest, banchan had never been Boo Cho’s strong suit, and I didn’t expect this visit to be much different. How wrong I was. Not that the banchan was outstanding, but it was pretty good. I really enjoyed the Baechu Kimchee(Napa Cabbage), I mean I really enjoyed it. Things were really looking up, when our meat arrived:

Now if I recall, the 3 types of meat provided were; San Galbi(unmarinated beef ribs), Chadolbaegee(a thinly sliced fatty beef), and a nicely marbled, lightly marinated beef, I believe it was Joo Mool Luck. And we got cooking……

About this time we got our next "surprise", a boiling casserole was delivered to our table. The special came with a vegetable "soup":

The broth was quite beefy in flavor, and the soup was full of tofu, daikon, and other veggies.

By this time all of the flavors started to blur, with the banchan, the soup, the various meats, and of course, the Soju. I did think that the meat was a step up from the previous Boo Cho, though still a step down from Buga Korean BBQ. Still, there’s nothing like the flavor of charcoal. At this point, the grill was soiled, and I was beginning to think that our next course would be the Fire Department.

Just then one of the Servers stepped in, and replaced our grill. Perfect timing!

In the end Ed and I devoured everything, and remarked how Boo Cho was back on our list. Ed enjoyed Himself so much, that He returned a few days later. Funny thing, the Missus and I returned a few days later as well. I’ll post that in Part 2.

Some Notes: The main thing to remember is to not wear anything that you DON’T want smelling like charcoal. As Boo Cho fills up, even the heavy duty ventilation system can’t quite keep up.

Part II tomorrow!

Boo Cho Restaurant
7905 Engineer Rd
San Diego, CA 92111