mmm-yoso – Page 545 – 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.

A Tale of Two Comals Part I: El Comal – Imperial Ave

June 8, 2006 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

*** This location of El Comal has closed.

On a recent afternoon I was rather surprised when I asked the Missus what she felt like eating. Her answer? "Hmmm, I’d like some Mexican food, maybe some soup would be good." Wow, first she went along for some Vietnamese, and now Mexican. But as with most similar opportunities in our household there was one catch. "But make sure it’s none of that, taco shop garbage, OHHKAYYY!" Yes, the Missus has an aversion to the tons of yellow cheese, gloppy refried beans, french fries in the burrito, greasy taco shop fare that is so abundant in San Diego. Bummer…… Luckily, I had a restaurant in mind, one entry in my little notebook that had been slowly fading away; El Comal. Now as fate would have it, over the course of two days we found ourselves not only breaking bread (or is it tortillas) at the Imperial Avenue location of El Comal, but the Chula Vista location as well. What really surprised us about the meals, was that even though the two El Comals share the same menus, and Owner, the food was quite different, maybe a more of a similar, but different? But then again, I’m always mentioning the differences in the quality of food between the various locations of Sam Woo BBQ, so why should this be any different?

As I understand it, a "Comal" is a clay, cast iron, or other metal skillet or griddle. So just as any well seasoned cast iron pan or wok would have it’s own distinctive flavor, no two "Comals" would be the same, right?

Enough with this, on to El Comal, located on Imperial Avenue.

We arrived on a weekend afternoon at about 2pm, and the clean and simply attired interior was fairly empty.

As we entered we were seated by the very nice and friendly Server, given menus, and had some chips and salsa delivered.

I perhaps enjoyed the crisp and grease free chips a bit too much. I plowed through them in no time. The salsas were nice and spicy.

We placed our order and in no time the food started arriving. We started with a Potato Empanada($2.75), and a Oaxaca style Chicken Tamale($2.00).

The exterior of the Empanada was nice and crisp, though the interior was a "cheese-fest" with very little potato.

The Tamale did not fare much better. Not having any experience with Oaxacan Tamales, we were surprised at the very thin tamale delivered. The interior of the tamale was a very thin and waxy looking masa and chicken filling.

After a taste the Missus couldn’t bring Herself to finish it. So I was left with that duty.

After this very inauspicious start, we started having some doubts about El Comal. That’s when our other dishes started arriving. First the Ensalada De Nopal($6.00):

I first had the pleasure of having a Cactus Salad a few years back. The Mother of a friend of the Missus had a party and we were invited. I had two servings of what I thought was a green bean salad. I was then told that the "green beans" were in actuality strips of the leaves of the prickly pear cactus(Nopal). Since then I’ve usually ordered a Nopal Salad whenever I have the chance. Most times, I’ve been very disappointed in the preparation of the cactus. When not prepared correctly, the cactus becomes very slimy, not unlike okra. Here’s a look at the nopal in this salad.

Very well prepared, and along with the tomato and cotija cheese, and very refreshing salad. The salad did need a good amount of lemon squeezed on it to bring out all of the flavors, but once that was done, it tasted pretty good.

I also ordered a Huaraches con Adobada, in this case a Huaraches with Spicy Steak($5.00):

Huarache literally translates to "sandal", and this popular Antojito(appetizer) is a slipper shaped piece of grilled masa, not unlike a thick corn tortilla or pupusa. A little "smear" of beans, a portion of well flavored, nicely caramelized, slightly spicy beef(yes, in this case the Adobada was beef!) is placed on the beans, and shredded lettuce and cotija cheese finishes everything off. It’s all about balance. The only thing that really wasn’t very satisfying about the Huaraches was that it was a bit on the gummy/soggy side. Other then that, this was a very well balanced, very tasty appetizer.

Yes, you heard right, appetizer. I also ordered a Torta con frijoles, nopales, hongos, lechuga y tomate. That would be a Vegetable Torta with beans, cactus, mushroom, lettuce, and tomato.($4.50)

I thoroughly enjoyed this sandwich. And in what was a very pleasant surprise; there was a layer of a mashed potato, with seasoned tomato sauce used as a "spread". The Missus loved the bollilo(roll).

The Missus got her soup, she adores Albondingas. The wonderfully helpful Server (Osiri???), suggested she get a "small" portion.($5.00)

I am not a big fan of Mexican Meatball Soup. In most cases, it’s either too watery, too oily, too salty, the meatballs are tough, or there’s some other problem with the soup. In fact, when I had asked the Missus’s friend about His favorite Albondingas, He mentioned a canned version. Even over his Mom’s!

This version came with rice, tortillas, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, and lemon on the side. Unfortunately half the tortillas where charred almost beyond recognition.

The soup itself was very good, the broth was neither too thick nor thin, and very nicely flavored, with a slight smoky spiciness courtesy of the chipotle pepper(smoked jalapeno). The broth contained not only the usual carrots and potatoes, but pieces of chayote(mango squash), and green beans. The meatballs were melt in your mouth tender, we wondered how they managed to stay intact. The mint in those meatballs added a nice finish.

Sounds like alot of food, huh? We did take home half the salad and Huaraches. The total bill including a refreshing glass of Nuez(Walnut Shake), and Horchata came to $32.

The Service was so amazingly nice, and the Young Lady whose name I tried to write above even stopped by and started making recommendations. As we left El Comal started filling up, most people were having soup. Driving away we started talking about returning in a few weeks. Little did we know that we’d be at El Comal, but at another location the very next day.

El Comal
2822 Imperial Ave
San Diego, CA 92102
(619) 239-7101

Part II – El Comal in Chula Vista coming up next week.

By Request, The Clairemont Hot Dog Battle: Woodies vs. Tommy’s – Will Heartburn Reign Supreme ?

June 7, 2006 mmm-yoso Hot Dogs

I don't quite remember who requested a comparison of the Chili Dogs at Woodies and Tommy's. But I'm pretty sure it's Diet Chili Cheese Fries, who probably wanted to see the word "Woodie" in print again. But since Tommy's and Woodies are just a few miles apart on the same street, I'm sure a comparison is due. So with Pepcid in hand, I headed out to try out the Chili Dogs at Woodies and Tommy's on a recent Saturday morning.

In This Corner: Tommy's

**** Tommy's has closed

If you live in SoCal you know Tommy's, so I think no introduction is necessary. But let me state clearly that my poison of choice here is the Tommy Burger. We used to live right up the street from a Tommy's, so I've had my share, but still I don't get to Tommy's very often.

I must say, that even though this location of Tommy's is so very "white-washed" and clean, the napkin dispensers make me feel like I'm eating in a bathroom.

Well back to the subject. Here's the Chili Dog at Tommy's ($2.40):

The Good? I like the chili at Tommy's, even though it's got the texture similar to that of refried beans, or a texture sort of like when you had some bread and milk and mashed it against your teeth in Elementary school to gross people out. There is a hint of pickled Jalapeno in the Chili that adds some zip, but overall the chili is very mild. Of course I love onions, so that goes without saying!

The Bad? I hated the slice of American Cheese thrown in on the bottom of a dry bun, a full one-third of the chili dog had no cheese. The Hot Dog is pretty mediocre, just like you can buy in any market. The slices of pickles and a whole slice of tomato is ponderous, unless you want to make a mess..

The Verdict? This Dog depends on the chili.

So some Diet 7-Up to clear my palate(we wouldn't want to one taste to corrupt the other….but what to do about burps?) and a few miles later……

In This Corner: Woodie's

*** Update, Woodies is now Waldos

A Hot Dog "stand" in the Clairemont Square Shopping Center.

Here's the "Woodie Dog" at Woodie's($2.50):

The Good? A good natural casing dog, with "snap". The shredded cheese that covers the entire dog, and partially melts is an improvement over Tommy's. I also like the care that is lavished upon my Woodie…..it is assembled well, and doesn't go falling all over the place. We all know the problems associated with walking with a "Woodie", so I won't go into those.

The Bad? Well, I think the Chili is a very generic, chili con carne-ish concoction.

The Verdict? A good dog that I enjoy dressed differently.

So which Dog reigns supreme? Well there's a reason they call it Tommy Burgers. I'll leave it at that. On a side note; I noticed a sign that said that the Clairemont Mesa Woodies was for sale, so if you're inclined, you can have a Woodie of your very own!

Original Tommy's
7415 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Woodies Chili Dogs
4250 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Thanks for humoring me! No heartburn to be had as well – I've only had heartburn once in my life, maybe one day I'll tell the story. Tomorrow it's back to Earth, San Diego to be specific…….

"Hey you want a Woodie?"

5 Days of Feasting Day 4 – Well, you know this place…..It’s Ba Ren (again)

June 6, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

How do you follow up on Peking Duck from China Max, excellent Karei Karaage from Izakaya Sakura, and some good sushi from Sushi Komasa? Well, if you're us, you go to your favorite restaurant, which left me in a bit of a quandary? You see, I've already posted on this restaurant here, and here, here, and even here. But the Missus's Birthday week celebration wouldn't be complete without a visit to our favorite restaurant. Yes, it Ba Ren, again…….

So if you're fed up with my Ba Ren posts, it's time to leave, quickly….. If you decide to stay, we've got a few "new" dishes for you. On our Huo Guo visit, we noticed a placard with new "special" dishes written in Chinese:

After being seated and a brief discussion about the dishes we placed our order. We started with a twist on a classic; "Three Cup Duck" (second item down on the placard – $12.99):

An interesting "take" on the Classic Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken dish. In this case the basil and scallions were replaced with leek, and I also think the sesame oil was replaced with sugar. To me, duck dishes were never a forte of Ba Ren's, but this dish was quite nice, in a "must have at least 3 bowls of rice way." The Bamboo shoots and mushrooms held up well to the soy-wine-sugar flavor, and the red chilies added a nice amount of heat. I'm still not convinced that Ba Ren does a really great duck, but this dish was nice.

Beef Tendon with Konnyaku (eighth item down – $12.99). Now I love tendon that has been cooked perfectly. That would be to the state where a slight resistance exists when you first bite into the tendon, followed with a texture that is almost a perfect gelatinous-buttery in nature. The tendon was pretty close to perfect in this dish, and I was in tendon heaven.

The sauce for the dish was very similar to the sour and spicy flavor of Sichuan "pickled pepper" type dishes. Lot's of garlic, ginger, and scallions gave the tendon some flavor. I was in tendon heaven.

The Missus was not so thrilled. She had thought that perhaps there would be some "meat" along with the tendon. She still doesn't understand why I enjoy well made tendon dishes. She did enjoy the Konnyaku and the sauce.

Between these two dishes we ordered one of my favorite "snack dishes", the Sichuan Cold Noodles (#552 – $5.99). I could probably eat this wonderful salty-sweet-sour-spicy noodle dish every day. What I think is funny for a third generation AJA(American of Japanese Ancestry) from Hawaii, is that beyond all of the Japanese dishes I love; I crave these noodles. Go figure…..

The last item we ordered were the Salt and Pepper Eel (Sixth Item on placard – $14.99). Of all the dishes we thought that this was the weakest:

It's not that this was a bad dish; but after all of the really powerful flavors of the previous dishes, this tasted really, really, mild. The thin slices of Eel were coated with almost a laquer, tempura style batter, and deep fried. We were expecting a peppery-spicy-sweet flavor like that of the wonderful Prawns with Chilies. On the positive side, the dish wasn't very oily, and wasn't especially spicy. It's almost tailor made for someone who hasn't had Eel before.

Still we left Ba Ren, with leftovers to last for at least two more meals, and full stomachs. Fully satisfied, until the next time………

It's pretty nice to know that our favorite restaurant is not staying "stagnant", and that new dishes are being developed. The only problem is that my list of "favorites" is getting longer and longer…..

Ba Ren
4957 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Nhu Y Restaurant

June 5, 2006 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Nhu Y is now Com Tam Thuan Kieu you can find an updated post here.

A few months back "Larry" commented on my post on Saigon Restaurant, and mentioned a few interesting dishes, one of which I've heard of, one which I'd never heard of, both of which I'd never tried. He mentioned eating these dishes at Nhu Y' Restaurant. On a recent quite warm afternoon, I asked the Missus what she'd like to eat. When she mentioned Vietnamese, I jumped on it! Mexican Food and Vietnamese Food are not among the Missus's favorites, so when She is in the mood for it, I really do try to take advantage of the opportunity.

Nhu Y' fronts the same very busy strip mall that contains Kim Chan Sandwich Shop. We had been to Nhu Y' a few times, but mainly for Durian or other drinks served there.

We'd always noticed that the clean but spartan dining room was never full, but that a few tables were always occupied. And this afternoon was no exception.

A serious Older Gentleman brought us our menus, which as is the norm, was quite large.

We started with the usual Cha Gio(Egg Rolls – $4.50):

These wonderfully crisp Cha Gio were served with the usual lettuce leaf, mint, and in this case Tiet To, the purple Perilla (Akajiso) minty flavored herb. The egg rolls were generously filled, though we thought the Nuoc Mam Cham was a bit on the sweet side. The Cha Gio were also fried very well, they were not oily in the slightest bit.

Due to the warm weather, the Missus decided on the Bun Chao Tom Cha Gio(Rice Vermicelli with Shrimp & Spring Rolls – $5.95):

Yes, more Egg Rolls! The Missus also was a bit disappointed with the shrimp. Instead of the "BBQ Shrimp" in the menu, she received "Shrimp Cake". Again, the Nuoc Mam Cham provided was a bit on the sweet side, and this dish tasted very routine, though the vermicelli had the perfect amount of pull and chew for our tastes.

I on the other hand was somewhat obsessed with the "Dac Biet" portion of the menu:

And there I saw it; "Bun Mam". Now I had heard about Bun Mam; someone had told me that it was a fermented fish or fermented shrimp based spicy broth. So when Larry mentioned Bun Mam at Nhu Y', I knew I had to try it. So of course I ordered it ($6.95). The first item to arrive was the mixed greens, much like I get for Bun Bo Hue. The one thing that kind of turned us off, was that some of the mint leaves were very brown and wilted. All the other garnishes were fine.

A dish of "Bun" also arrived. A thicker version of the Rice Vermicelli, also similar to the noodles in Bun Bo Hue. And soon enough the large bowl of soup, with a dark colored broth arrived.

One thing gave me pause; it was the cross cut slices of Catfish. Those that know me, understand that I rarely get catfish, I can't stand the muddy flavor of many fresh water fish. When I had ordered this, the Gentleman had told me there was Eggplant, pork, and "fishies", in the sauce. I had thought He was warning me about the fermented fish used in this dish, but I guess I was wrong. First off, the broth was rich, a touch sweet, salty, and slightly spicy. Yes, it was very "pungent", but I enjoyed it. The Missus didn't enjoy the broth on the first try. But a few minutes later she tried a sip again, and said, "it's pretty good, a little spicy, and rich." Amazingly, I enjoyed the catfish, no muddy flavor(probably due to the strong flavor of the broth), and very tender. Watch for those bones, though. The Eggplant was nice and tender; but my favorite part of the soup was this:

Yep, it a nice thin slice of fatty pork belly. Not "the other white meat" pork, but full flavored pork belly. Good stuff! Not quite knowing what to do, and seeing that the soup bowl was quite full, and that we were given two bowls(The serious Gentleman, was now smiling, I guess He enjoyed seeing that we really enjoyed ourselves), I put veggies in the bottom, some noodles, and then some broth, and ate it all up. Usually, I'd do the "dip" thing for the noodles, and pile the garnishes into the bowl; but it was ponderously filled. This was good stuff; highly recommended, if you don't mind a bit spicy, and slightly fishy. I told Ed from Yuma that He'd love this.

I recently revisited Nhu Y' alone. And the first thing the Gentleman asked me was, "Where is your pretty Lady?" I told Him She had to work, so it was just a solo visit. I asked Him for a recommendation, and he pointed to the Bun Cha Ha Noi($5.95). Such a coincidence, since this was the other dish that Larry recommended. It is also a favorite of Noodlepie. This quite large platter arrived:

Though the vegetable and herb garnishes are much different from the versions I've read about in Vietnam, and Nuoc Mam Cham is used instead of broth, this was a very flavorful and satisfying dish.

Two types of meat was provided; sliced BBQ Pork, and meatballs:

The BBQ pork was nice and tender, slightly charred, but a bit under flavored/marinated for my tastes, though the ground peanuts were a nice touch. The grilled meatball was good, meaty, not too tough, slightly charred, with a slightly peppery beefy flavor.

The drill started out with me grabbing a few leaves placing some Bun, garnishes, and meat; dipping in the Nuoc Mam, and so forth. It evolved to me making lettuce rolls, and eventually, finishing everything up mixed in a bowl.

Pretty darn good for about 6 bucks, eh? As I left, one of the Guys asked me "Are you sure, you don't need to get something for your wife?" Once you get past the serious and stoic front; pretty nice folks. Here's another post on Bun Cha.

Nhu Y Restaurant
4712 El Cajon Blvd Ste A
San Diego, CA 92115

Open 730am – 9pm, 7 Days a Week

Thanks for the recommendation Larry!

City Heights International Village Celebration

June 4, 2006 mmm-yoso Festivals & Events

Every year, for the last 14 years, the Community of City Heights and the City Heights Community Development Corporation have put on the City Heights International Village Celebration.

For those not familiar with the community of City Heights, it is considered one of, if not the most, racially diverse communities in the United States. It would not be unusual to hear ten or twenty different languages being spoken while walking down University Avenue. Along with the benefits of diversity comes problems. And the International Village Celebration attempts to address these problems. A large portion of the celebration is dedicated to a Health Fair, which offers free screenings, and much helpful information on various health care related subjects. And a Job Fair.

The fair takes place on University Avenue, and stretches all the way from Fairmount to Euclid, which can seem like forever on a hot Saturday afternoon. There are three stages, with entertainment ranging from various dance performances, to local Jazz and R & B groups performing throughout the day. And of course, there are those rides for the kids.

So where’s the food? Well we’ve kind of got that covered as well. There were many temptations, but we decided to minimize our calorie load….well somewhat. The Missus couldn’t resist an refreshing Agua de Sandia(Watermelon Drink) from this booth.

They also had Tijuana-Style Hot Dogs going at the same booth. But my nitrite-meter wouldn’t allow me to get them.

As I was passing by this booth, something caught my eye.

Here’s the close-up:

Let me tell you, it’s very hard to resist Al Pastor cut fresh from the Trompo. But, we kept walking….

Until we saw this:

Check out the custom made trailer, and the smoker in the back. As I was snapping a photo, "Ernie"(I’m assuming it was Ernie), waved us in:

For a closer look at his spotless cooking area, and His smoking "gear".

Now "Ernie" told me His style of BBQ is called Louisiana Style BBQ, which I’d never heard of previously. So based on Ernie’s hospitality, and basic curiosity, we had to give it a try.

The Missus ordered the Rib Sandwich($7.95):

This was generous plate of 5 smoked ribs, 2 slices of wheat(gads!) bread. Some BBQ sauce, and Potato Salad. The ribs had a mild smoky flavor, with a very light "rub", they were on the chewy side.

The "BBQ" sauce was kind of interesting:

It was a chunky tomato based sauce, with distinctive chunks of onions in it. It slightly tangy, but not very spicy. As a whole, we decided not to use the sauce. The potato salad had a generous amount of egg and herbs in it, and was rather light on the mayo. I liked the salad, but the Missus didn’t care for it.

I ordered the Brisket Sandwich($7.95):

Now this was pretty good eats. Nicely smoked(dig the "smoke ring"), tender slices of beef brisket in a roll. No need for sauce, dressing, or whatever. Not the best BBQ brisket I’ve ever eaten, but it’s good for "fair food".

After eating we made our way to the other end of the Fair, at Euclid, and walked back. (Had to burn off that brisket) All the while enjoying watching people of all races, ethnicity, sizes, and shapes, walking side by side. All the while talking about how the City Heights International Village Celebration seems to get better every year.

Did you happen to catch mmm-yoso….

June 4, 2006 mmm-yoso yoso-silly

I think this is a hoot. About 2 weeks ago, I started noticing referrals from FoodandWine.com, which I thought was kind of odd. Well after checking out the Food and Wine site, I noticed an entry under the "Blog Watch" portion, and there it was……….

A link to my bozo attempt at Seasoning my Wok of all things.

Don’t know how long the link will be there, but I thought it was pretty cool. And somewhat ironic, since Howie noted, that this was from the site of "the magazine that caused the whole cheese sandwich uproar."

I kinda mulled over whether to post this or not….but what the heck, I’m kind of tickled!

Of course if they really wanted some in depth info, they should’ve done a link to Barbara’s post in Tigers and Strawberries on Asian Kitchen Essentials.

Lamb Burgers with Garlic Sauce

June 3, 2006 mmm-yoso Cooking, Recipes

Sammy’s obviously telling me something:

I’m guessing he’s letting me know it’s time to start grilling again. To start out I thought I’d try something a bit different, so we came up with Lamb Burgers. Most recipes that I’ve read use a 50-50 mixture of lamb and ground beef, so that’s what I stuck with. First to North Park Produce for some ground lamb, then a quick trip to Iowa Meat Farms for some ground sirloin. Back home we got the charcoal going and made them patties.

Lamb Burgers
1 Lb Ground Lamb
1 Lb Ground Sirloin
1 Large Onion Diced
Salt
Pepper
Granulated Garlic

1 – Mix ingredients – do not over mix.
2 – Form into patties.
3 – Grill away

I wanted something a little different for the "spread" as well. So thought I’d attempt to make a "Lebanese – style", garlic paste/sauce. I just went for a straight forward sauce, and didn’t add any secret ingredients, like bread or potatoes, or what not.

Garlic Sauce
3 Whole Heads Garlic cloves peeled and separated
1/2 Cup Lemon Juice
2 Tsp Salt
1 1/2 Cups Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 – Combine garlic, lemon juice, and salt in a blender.
2 – Blend until a smooth "paste" is achieved
3 – While blender is running, slowly add olive oil into the blender in a thin stream until the mixture thickens.
4 – Refrigerate. The sauce will last up to a week in the refrigerator, though the "pungency" will weaken over time.

A quick note: I think next time, I’ll use canola oil. I didn’t really care for the taste olive oil gave to the dish. Olive oil also gave the sauce a slightly green tinge. I may add some mashed potato to thicken the sauce out a bit, and maybe cut down on the lemon juice as well. Still the sauce was pretty tasty.

We’ve also been infatuated with these chips:

They are Cassava Chips, and if I’m to believe the label; are lower in Cholesterol and fat than Potato Chips. The chips are slightly sweet, yet still crunchy.

Tropical Star

June 1, 2006 mmm-yoso Cuban Restaurants, Latin American Cuisine, Puerto Rican Restaurant

Tropical Star, another "strip mall treasure" is located right next to Noble Chef. This combination Market and Restaurant serves up a large variety of Latin American Cuisine. Over the years, I would usually just get a "Cuban" or "Bauru" (In this case Hot Ham and Cheese) sandwich($5.95). But recently we dropped by a few times and kind of "spread our wings" a bit.

This little market cafe serves up a large variety of food.

The Ropa Vieja(Cuban Braised Shredded Beef – $9.50):

The dish comes with Black Beans, sweet Fried Plantains, and Rice. The Ropa Vieja(shredded braised beef) was a bit on the "dryer" side then what I’m used to, though the flavors were very good. The plantains were nicely fried, both starchy and sweet, though not a cloyingly sweet as other versions I’ve had.

The Pastel Y Arroz Con Gandules($7.50):

These Puerto Rican style grated banana "tamale", is stuffed with pork, wrapped in a banana leaf and boiled. It is served with rice with "Gandules"(Pigeon Peas) and a green salad. The rice was nothing to write home about. The Missus loved the flavor of the pastel and was very happy to find out that you can order them at $3 a piece, or a dozen for $30.

The Bandeja Paisa($12.95), a carb and protein loaded plate in the style of the region of Paisa.

The plate consists of red beans(good – I sensed a slight "porky" flavor) come with a cornmeal cake(reminded me of a pupusa for some reason), sliced beef(terrible; tough, dry, bland), chicharron(thick cut, almost like pork belly – yum!), and sweet fried plantains.

And we mustn’t forget the fried egg on rice.

I ordered the "Picada" Colombiana (Columbian Combination – $13.99):

Okay, are you ready? Chorizo, Morcilla(blood sausage), Chicharron, Patacones(Twice fried green plantain patties – fairly bland), Fried Yucca(crisp on the outside, starchy on the inside – carb-o-licious), Cornmeal Griddle Cake, and Papas Criollas(roasted yellow potatoes – more heavenly carbs). Whew!

The morcilla was the more flavorful and moist of the two sausages. The Chorizo was rather dry, and not much better, or worse then any I’ve had.

And of course, the missus’s favorite. Tamal Colombiano($7.50):

A pork and chicken Colombian style tamale. Very moist, and full of flavor. You can watch the Missus dissect it for eating:

Interestingly enough, on the bottom of the tamale is a layer of those yellow potatoes, giving the tamale a nice starchy flavor and texture.

The Missus also discovered what looked and tasted like capers.

As you can tell, she really enjoyed this!

Notes on Tropical Star: This is a Mom and Pop operation, so there can be a wait for your food. The prices do seem to be a bit on the high side for a little market and take-out operation, but the food is pretty good. As with most restaurants that attempt a far ranging and diverse menu, not everything will be great. Overall, Tropical Star is worth a try.

Tropical Star
6163 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Open Monday – Saturday 11am – 9pm, Closed on Sundays.

Royal Spices Thai Cuisine

May 31, 2006 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants, What Howie Eats - Where the Foodie from Foodieview Eats

**** This location of Royal Spices has closed

A few weeks ago Howie from A Foodies Eye View sent me an email, telling me about a new Thai Restaurant that opened up on Sports Arena Boulevard, right next to the L & L Drive In. So a few weeks back, the Missus and I decided to drop in for lunch. In retrospect, this might have been a bad idea, since we had just returned from a nice meal at Yai Restaurant in Thai Town.

Though the exterior is rather plain, and the dining furniture pedestrian, much care has been taken with the restaurant decor.

We were seated, and a thought entered my head. I inquired if this restaurant was in any way affiliated with the other 3 "Spices Thai" restaurants in the San Diego area. I think this was a bad move; I got an immediate "No, we are not" response, along with a rather displeased frown. We did find out that the Royal Spices had only been opened for 2 weeks at the time of this visit.

We looked over the sizable menu, and quickly noticed that along with the run-of-the-mill, you pick the meat, you pick the sauce/preparation type dishes, there a few interesting items.

We placed our order and some soup arrived:

A thin broth with the faint flavors of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, and a few other items. No big deal really.

The Missus went with the "lunch special" of Red Curry with Battered Fish Fillet($9.95):

I did enjoy the 5 "mini-scoops" of rice, quite and interesting presentation. I won't go into the mediocre green salad, vegetable egg roll, or curry wonton. I'll just say, "why bother?" Now to the main course, there were two "half fillets" of battered white fish. Unfortunately, the fish had not been fried properly, it was dry, and the batter flaked off.

Having returned from Yai, where the medium heat was in your face, and pretty hot, we ordered the curry medium. It was probably the mildest medium heat I've ever tasted. The curry was disappointing, watery and runny, with an overly sweet taste. The julienned vegetables were cooked perfectly, though I wish that more then two little Thai Basil leaves were used for flavoring.

I ordered a dish from the "Chef's Special" portion of the menu; the Spices Thai Jerky(Beef – $12.95):

The presentation was again very "pretty". This dish came with slices of beef that had been lightly marinated, and though on the tough side, was fairly decent. It was nothing like previous versions of Thai Jerky that I've had; instead of the rich and pungent "jerky", this seemed almost like a "tweener", between Thai Jerky, and the Beef in Yum Nua. The beef could probably have used more assertive seasoning, and maybe a good amount of toasted rice powder to keep it interesting. The sauce provided, something called "Royal Sauce" was pretty good; a tart, tangy, and mildly sweet, chutney like preparation, it was the best item on the plate, and brought the beef up a level. The sticky rice was too moist. The dish also came with a Papaya Salad:

Though prepared well; the salad was in dire need of a "pungent" component. It was very, very mild, and too sweet and dry. More fish sauce, shredded dry shrimp, or some other fishy pungent flavor along with more "heat" would probably have made this a decent papaya salad.

The service on this visit, though a bit on the fawning side, was very friendly(after the initial Spices Thai faux pa). And I thought that perhaps the restaurant was still trying to find itself, and a few items had potential. So I recently dropped by for another lunch. And was seated immediately. Different crew this time, though still very nice. I decided to avoid any of the lunch specials and was in the mood for some noodles, so I decided on the Pad Woon Sen(glass noodles) with Roasted Duck($11.95). Ordering my Pad Woon Sen was quite interesting. I asked for the "Pad Woon Sen with Roasted Duck", now in the menu it's called "Jelly Noodles". So the Gal goes, "okay, jelly noodles with roasted duck". So I nod in agreement and go, "yes, the Pad Woon Sen, with roasted duck." So she responds with, "Got it, jelly noodles with roasted duck." I guess I'm not allowed to call it Pad Woon Sen……..

The ~~Pad Woon~~, ummm, Jelly Noodles arrived in a few minutes, piping hot. One the positive side, there was a pretty large amount of duck, probably the most I've had in a noodle dish, very tender and without bones. On the negative side, the duck was very mildly flavored. The dish was also on the oily side. Now I'm used to dishes where oil is used in generous amounts, but in most cases that dish doesn't taste oily; this did. I don't know if it was the large amount of duck, but there was alot of oil in the bottom of the plate.

The dish also featured a generous amount of vegetables, egg, and straw mushrooms. I wish this dish, along with the others eaten were more aggressively flavored. I was told that garlic was used in this dish, but couldn't taste it, nor much of any other "seasoning", including soy/fish sauce, or black pepper which is sometimes used to flavor this dish. But then again, that could be the difference between Pad Woon Sen and Jelly Noodles?

On this visit, service was again very nice, except I wasn't allowed to order Pad Woon Sen. Royal Spices Thai shows some promise, but I think they need to live up to the "spices" portion of their name. There are some interesting dishes on the menu like Royal Andaman Salad (Yum seafood). Prices range from $7.95 – $11.95 for lunch "specials", and from $8.95 to $14.95 for dinner entrees.

Royal Spices Thai Cuisine
3145 Sports Arena Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92110

Hours:
Sunday – Thursday 11am-10pm
Friday – Saturday 11am-11pm

5 Days of Feasting Day 3 – Road Trip, Sushi Komasa (LA)

May 30, 2006 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Sushi and Sashimi

**** Sushi Komasa has closed

After two pretty good meals at China Max and Izakaya Sakura, the Missus decided that she still wanted some sushi from Her favorite little restaurant in Little Tokyo, Sushi Komasa. My original post on Sushi Komasa was done way back on May 27th of last year. As a matter of fact, it was my second post. Since much is still the same, I'll try to spare you most of the details.

One of the really good things about Sushi Komasa is the late closing time of 11pm. A word of caution though, we've found that an 11pm closing time means an 11pm closing time. On many occasions the last seating will take place at about 1020pm or so, after which the closed sign will be posted, and "Komasa" will be "turned off".

We usually get the same ol', same ol' thing at Komasa, and are absolutely content. The Missus loves the Albacore, and usually gets the Albacore Sashimi($12):

Tonight the Albacore was among the best I've had here. So very moist, and meaty. Most delici-yoso!!! The Missus kept looking at the slices of Albacore going, "look at how juicy it is, look at how moist it is". Geeez, sometimes I just can't take Her anywhere!

Komasa also dishes up consistently good Ankimo, though not on the menu, it is usually available.

Tonight's version was oh so very rich and creamy, and the ponzu and cucumbers helped to cut the richness.

Of course we get a variety of Nigiri sushi(most priced around $3.80). Let's see, on this evening we had 4 orders Albacore(for who else???), 2 order Hamachi(yellowtail), 2 orders Maguro(tuna), 2 orders Hirame(flounder), and 1 order Tai(snapper). As we hand over our sushi order, we usually get, the "I think this is too much", comment. To which our response is, "don't worry, we're hungry"………. And we've never failed to finish everything, except the oshibori(the hot towel), of course.

The Hamachi at Komasa is usually very good, and tonight was no exception. The Tai was also very good. I'd say the Maguro was decent to good, though a little lower in grade then usual. The Hirame was a bit on the dry side. I usually enjoy my nigiri sushi with just the barest touch of soy sauce, so I can truly appreciate(or not) the texture and flavors. According to the Missus, the Albacore nigiri was every bit as good as the Sashimi. Why order more Albacore you may ask? The Missus enjoys the rice, grated ginger, and green onions on the nigiri, and heck it's (one of) Her night(s).

I'm not much of a "roll" person, but the Missus enjoys the Soft-Shell Crab roll at Komasa($8):

Quite filling and rich, and full of contrasting textures. I ate one piece and was stuffed.

We left Komasa satisfied, until our next visit, which will probably be quite soon. Komasa serves up good sushi at decent prices, we demolished everything, and our bill came out to about $70. Though I really love the Sashimi at Sushi Gen, I prefer the Nigiri Sushi at Komasa. Sushi Komasa also seems to be getting much more popular with Los Angeles Food Bloggers, recently Pam from Daily Gluttony also visited Sushi Komasa, as did Jeni from Oishii Eats, please check out their posts.

Sushi Komasa
352 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA
213-680-1792

Open Tuesday-Sunday 530pm – 11pm

Tomorrow it's back to San Diego!!