mmm-yoso – Page 549 – 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.

Road Trip: Kingswood Teppan Steak House – Rowland Heights(Los Angeles)

April 18, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

***** Kingswood has closed

Since it was pouring rain, and fairly cool, we thought a nice Hot Pot (Huo Guo) dinner would "hit the spot". We thought about the really popular Little Sheep Restaurant on the corner of Azusa and Colima, but opted for the tried and true Kingswood Restaurant on Gale Avenue.

Kingswood is one of those restaurants that seemed to have been in the same location forever, and is really popular with families. Half of the restaurant is set-up for "Teppan-yaki" style cooking, while the other half of the restaurant specializes in Hot Pot. On this evening we got a rather late start, and there was a crowd of people waiting for tables at Kingswood; but instead of finding a less crowded surrounding, we decided to wait for a table. We were told that there was a 20 minute wait, which turned into 30 minutes, which eventually ended up being about 45 minutes. I think it's the combination of wonderful smells and the very nice and apologetic service that made us "stay put."

Finally, our table was ready, and we were seated and handed the menu.

The premise is simple, you order your broth; in this case we went for the Yuan Yang Guo, where the pot is separated into two parts. One half is usually a "plain" broth, that usually has herbs, stock, and other flavorings. The other half contains a spicy and numbing broth. You then order a variety of meats and vegetables for dipping and cooking in the broth. You are usually provided some dipping sauce, in this case there was only one; a "Sate" sauce, that was very disappointing in flavor, and really didn't go well with the food cooked in the broth.

Items we ordered included frozen tofu:

Freezing, then thawing tofu gives it a spongy texture. Making it that much better for absorbing flavor.

Fish:

The fish was very dry, and would flake to pieces in seconds when placed in the broth. Just plain lousy fish.

Golden (Enoki) Mushrooms and Spinach:

We had 2 orders of lamb:

The lamb was pretty good, though not of the highest quality.

"Special" (Prime) Beef:

Though twice the price of "regular" beef, it was worth it. Melt in your mouth tender; an excellent cut.

The item we probably enjoyed the most wasn't dipped into the hot pot. It was the Fried Bread:

A dense, but still light and slightly sweet bread that is first steamed, then fried. Delici-yoso!!!

The meats and vegetables are really only half the story in a Hot Pot Restaurant. The other half is the broth. In this case the "plain" broth, was just that, very, very, plain. The broth really did nothing to enhance the meal, even though there were fishcake, fishballs, and other items in the broth, it was very bland.

The spicy broth, was just that…..

Just spicy hot, but not numbing, and also lacking in the slightly "herbal" taste that I enjoy with this type of broth.

Overall, we were slightly disappointed in our meal.

But were not disappointed in the price. All of the "stuff" we ate, came out to a shade over forty dollars, which I thought was very reasonable, no wonder there were so many large groups. And to be fair, the service was outstanding, very kind and apologetic, and the Servers took time to help and explain, even amid the chaotic crowds. As we were leaving(about 9pm), Kingswood started emptying out, and things were starting to settle down. I think next time we'll be having Huo Guo at Little Sheep.

Kingswood Teppan Steak House
18900 E Gale Ave #B
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Road Trip: Dumpling 10053 – El Monte(Los Angeles)

April 17, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

After a satisfying lunch at Manie’s Restaurant, we drove around the neighborhood, and decided to drive down to Pasadena, where the Missus managed to scratch Her shopping itch at Anthropologie. As we headed back to the car it started pouring, so instead of dealing with the parking lot that is the 210 Freeway, we decided to take Colorado Boulevard, made a right turn on San Gabriel, and a left on Valley(of course). All the while ogling all the restaurants we passed.

As we passed through El Monte my stomach started rumbling so we decided to make a stop at Dumpling 10053 for a "small snack".

Now, the Missus who is from Shandong province would never, ever have Jiaozhi at a restaurant, since She can whip up a few dozen on short notice, or perhaps if She’s in the mood. Plus my Mother In Law makes really great dumplings. But once in a while the Missus will humor me. Dumpling 10053 is one of several Chinese dumpling/noodle houses that gets regular mention on Chowhound.

Even though it was 230pm on a rainy afternoon Dumpling 10053 was nearly half full.

Not being very hungry, I "just" had two orders of boiled Jiaozhi.

I had an order of the "3 meat dumplings"; Pork, Crab, and Sea Cucumber boiled dumplings (10 pieces – $5.95):

I thought the thickness of the wrapper was perfect. I’m not into really thin wrappers, for me, the wrappers are a good 50% of the dumplings, adding texture, and helping to "temper" the flavor of the filling. The texture of these wrappers were a different story, I felt they didn’t have enough "chew and pull", being a bit on the brittle side, and too easy to tear.

The plump dumplings’ filling was excellent. The pork and crab melded together to add a rich, sweet and salty flavor. The use of Chinese celery in the dumpling also added a nice texture and flavor; something we made note of, I think we’ll try to use them in a future batch of dumplings. Simply dipped into a vinegar – soy sauce mixture, the dumplings were very good. I’d be happy to have them again!

The Rock Cod boiled dumplings ($6.95 – 10 pieces):

I was pretty excited about trying these since I’ve read about them for a while. The wrappers were the same as the previous order of dumplings. But I really didn’t care for the taste, which I liken to a pretty lousy fish ball, and with a mushy, grainy texture. The Missus couldn’t finish one. I tried one using the standard vinegar soy sauce "dip", which made it taste like a sour fish ball. The Missus finally told me to sprinkle the dumpling with white pepper, then dip them into soy sauce, which made them more palatable. I still only finished 3 of them; and if/when I return, I think I’ll avoid these.

If I make a return visit, I think I’ll try the steamed beef and pork dumplings. We watched an old Gentleman scarf down 4 orders of these dumplings while we ate ours.

The service at Dumpling 10053 was typical San Gabriel Valley, detached and perfunctory, but not rude, nor were we rushed. I walked back out into the rain satisfied from eating those "3 meat dumplings".

Dumpling 10053
10053 Valley Blvd.
El Monte, CA 91731

Road Trip: Manie’s Restaurant – Rowland Heights(Los Angeles)

April 16, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip

**** Manie's has closed

Disclaimer: Those who are depressed about prices in San Diego should probably NOT read this post.

During our last trip to our old neighborhood we spent a good amount of time around Hong Kong Plaza. We used to live right up the block and would walk on over to Hong Kong Plaza almost daily. During our last trip we passed one of the restaurants that had been there for a long while but for some reason we had never taken the opportunity to eat in. What really caught our attention was the signage:

The large crowd on that evening was pretty impressive, the prices caught my eye, and when the Missus told me it was a Sichuan Restaurant, and started naming the dishes on the poster, I was sold. So this past Friday, I took a day off, and we drove up to Rowland Heights and got to the restaurant just as they opened at 11 am.

After looking over the menu I noticed something and asked the Missus, who checked with the Server, who mentioned that the Chef was from Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan. I had never had Chengdu style Sichuan which I heard was a bit different from Chongqing style Sichuan, so needless to say I was very excited.

We placed our order and was served some clear soup with a pork bone in it. Not great, but pretty good and mild.

Smoked Duck with Chilies ($5.95 – all prices are lunch prices):

This take-off on the classic Sichuan Chili with Chicken, was probably the best rendition of any type of this dish I've ever had. The wonderful, crisp, sweet-salty-smokey duck was stir fried quickly with dried red chilies, green bell peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and garlic, creating a very flavorful dish with great textures. As hot as this dish may seem, we found it to be more "numbing", then burning hot. There was alot of Sichuan peppercorn in the dish, creating that wonderfully addictive numbing sensation. Very delici-yoso!!!!

Pork Meatballs with Cellophane Noodles($4.95):

The Missus selected this dish off of the specials listed on the wall. I've had this type of pork meatballs with a brown sauce, where it has been silken and rich, and have felt almost decadent when eating these simple meatballs. These were not like those however. The meat was dry and grainy, and I thought the sauce was very bland. The Missus enjoyed the noodles though.

Fuqi Feipein – the famous "Husband and Wives" dish ($5.95), of course I could not go without trying one of my "baseline" Sichuan dishes:

This was another disappointment, very bland. This version was all beef brisket, no Sichuan peppercorns, no peanuts, no tendon, no tripe, no Chinese celery, nothing to help give the beef any flavor. Probably the worse version of this dish I ever had, just having chili oil alone on not very high quality beef made the dish feel greasy.

Chicken with Three Chilies($4.95):

Almost the same dish as the Smoked Duck dish, with some green onion and onion. Much milder then the duck, but very tasty. Watch out for those bones though. Again, not overly spicy, but nice and numbing.

Chung-Do (Chengdu) Cold Noodle($3.95):

I really love Sichuan Cold Noodle dishes. Chungking Restaurant in Monterey Park and Ba Ren make my favorite versions of the dish. Finding this dish on the menu also clued me in as to the origins of the Chef, as it was on the menu as "Chung-Do" style. I really didn't enjoy the noodles dish at first, I thought that it wasn't spicy enough, and used too much vinegar. But after eating a bite of the duck and chicken, then having a bite of the noodle, I discovered how refreshing and palate cleansing this dish was. When eaten in that context, this was very good.

But wait; we weren't finished yet! The Missus ordered the Sticky Rice Cake($3.95):

Called something along the lines of "Liang Chi Ba", this was very, very good! I'm not big on desserts, but this combination of peanut and sesame paste over gooey sticky rice has changed me. What a great way to end a meal.

So what's the damage for a six course lunch with tea and rice(which we never touched)? Thirty-two bucks! With leftovers for at least one or two more meals!

You can tell by the photo what we cleaned up, and what we took home!

Overall, we did find that the dishes at Manie's used more Sichuan Pepper then Chili Peppers, and was more numbing then "hot". This goes along the lines of what I've heard about Sichuan cuisine. Chongqing style is much more spicy and hotter then Chengdu style, which is milder, but more numbing. The other variable that comes into play is, that though the Chefs come from Chengdu, Marnie's (something like Luong Chau Shou in Chinese) is Taiwanese owned, which could change the food. Nevertheless, the food was a bargain, and some of the dishes were excellent.

Manie's Restaurant
18438 Colima Road #106 (In Hong Kong Plaza)
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Yoso-Silly – LA Roadtrip: Hong Kong Fishball House and a Very Special Dish

April 15, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, yoso-silly

*** You know……tastes change; and I now find this stuff kinda bland, who'd have thunk???

We just got back from LA, so I thought I'd do a short post. Elmo from Monster Munching mentioned a very special dish during the course of a comment on my post last Saturday.

The special place that sells this dish is the Hong Kong Fishball House, and is covered in detail on Monster Munching.

HK Fishball House specializes in very, very, reasonably priced(usually under 3 bucks) soups and other snacks. But there was a special snack that the Missus just had to try…….

How could you resist the temptation of Fried Pork Rectum, and only $2.25! So while I waited for my frozen Xiao Long Bao from Yi-Mei Deli, the Missus waited for Her Fried Rectum from the Fishball House – why does that sound so wrong? It didn't help any, when the Gentleman frying what is actually Pork Large Intestine told the Missus, "Oooh, this smells so good!!!"

So what did it look like?

Nicely fried and seasoned with salt and green onions.

So how did it taste?

I think it's an appropriately named dish…….after all the large intestine is attached to the?????

The initial taste was a fairly pleasant sweet and salty flavor, with a crisp and "spongy" texture. But as you kept chewing the hard to describe, very earthy and strong "intestine" flavor came through, along with a slightly unpleasant aftertaste that lasts for a pretty long time. The intestine also left my mouth with what felt like a slimy film. Definitely an acquired taste, and I don't think I've been exposed enough to similar flavors to appreciate it. I'll stick with the fried calamari!

Hong Kong Fishball House
18414 Colima Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

Trieu Chau – The Meal

April 13, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

In Part I of this post, we made our way to Trieu Chau, and sat, only to open the menu, and discover that most of it was not in English (there was a handwritten section with stuff like pork fried rice). So as the Missus tried to decipher the Chinese portion of the menu, and little plate of Youtiao(Fried Dough, "Crullers") found it’s way to our table.

These were cold and dense, not crunchy and light; a very inauspicious start. At this point, the Missus had gotten through much of the menu, but still could not figure out what some of the dishes were. This is when our intrepid "guide" Kathy appeared. She patiently explained that the dishes we were having problems with were dishes with specific types of noodles. She started in English, went to Cantonese, and finally was able to explain some of the dishes to the Missus in Mandarin. At one point, she thought that the Missus was Laotian, so she started speaking in what I think was Lao. Talk about a humbling experience, I barely speak one language well (that would be English), and Kathy just jumps from language to language without hesitation. Needless to say, we were impressed. Finally, the Missus decided to go the "small plates" route, instead of ordering noodle soup and ordered a few dishes that She had already picked out, and Kathy helped fill out the menu.

First up was the Missus selected the Beef Stew:

The Missus picked this out, because she knew how much I enjoy a good Beef Stew. This was almost a hybrid Chinese – Vietnamese style Beef Stew. Beef colored by annatto oil, nice hints of anise, cinnamon, and garlic. The meat was pretty tender, and the fat content was pretty low. What I really enjoyed about this dish, was the large amount of buttery, melt in your mouth tendon, cooked to perfection. Also, the usual layer of oil coating the top of the sauce, was minimized. An average dish, brought up to good by the delici-yoso tendon.

The Missus also selected the Soy Sauce Duck:

Nice, meaty and tender, soy sauce flavored duck leg, served with pickled vegetables. What made this dish work was that the salty duck was tempered by the pickled vegetables and pickle "juice."

Kathy had selected the rice noodle with seafood for us:

I could smell the fragrance of this dish as it was cooking; thinking to myself; "that must be for us…." Wide rice noodles, egg, bok choy, and seafood, in a brown sauce. First off the shrimp were over-cooked and tough, and the squid was like rubber. The sauce though a tad on the sweet side had quite a bit of garlic which balanced it out a bit. The interesting thing was that I could taste a hint of a slightly smokey flavor in the noodles; I think there was a bit of Wok-hey going on.

Strangely, Kathy also ordered Lup Cheong(Chinese Sausage) and Shrimp Fried Rice for us. I think she was hedging her bets a little, just in case we didn’t care for anything else we ordered.

This was the weakest dish of the meal. Again the shrimp were over-cooked, and some of the Lup Cheong were charred, and nothing about the dish stood out. As we were eating, the Missus, said "didn’t you make this last night." I had indeed made fried rice with leftovers the night before, and this was no better then what I had thrown together at home. But still, nothing terrible about the dish.

All told the "damage" was $20, for 4 dishes(we had the leftovers for dinner) and tea, not bad at all! The service was very efficient, and Kathy was very patient and helpful. While the Missus went to the Ladies Room, I chatted briefly with Kathy, who recommended the Lemongrass Chicken, and a few other dishes for our next visit. Though I’m sorely tempted to try some of the Beef Stew Noodle Soups……

Trieu Chau Restaurant
4653 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Trieu Chau – The Teaser

April 12, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

While sitting here realizing it’s pretty darn late, and that I’ll never finish this post before I just plain "crash out", something popped into my "head" (that in itself is a fairly unique event). You see Diet Chili Cheese Fries just sent me something he calls a "teaser" for His movie Asian Stories (Book III). Which led me to wonder if you all would buy into a "teaser" post????? So here goes…..

Recently we had heard of a Cambodian-Vietnamese-Chinese Restaurant on University called Trieu Chau, and finally managed to get there.

Since there was no available parking in the lot, we parked on a a side street and noticed that the restaurant was pretty full. Though the exterior and interior of the restaurant was a bit worse for wear, there were wonderful smells all through the dining area. This was probably due to the configuration of the restaurant, a small "L-shape" with the kitchen separated by a "bar-counter" from the dining area. As we were seated, I noticed the usual condiment tray:

Thing were looking up…..until I opened the menu:

There was nothing in English!!! Talk about cutting this Third – generation (Sansei), only English speaking(I can cuss in several languages), American of Asian ancestry down to size. All items in everything from Sanskrit to Chinese, but not English……wait a minute, there’s the Chinese portion of the menu whew! Until, the Missus(born and raised in China) said; "You know, some of this stuff, I can even read, but it doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t know what it’s saying!" Oh-uh……..

Talk about feeling a bit nervous………

So now for the tease. Would our intrepid eaters fail? Would they get kicked out on their butts onto University Avenue? Would they die of starvation? Would they at least get a spot of tea? Would the Missus have a sudden revelation and decipher the menu? Would my facade of Banana-Asianism be revealed? Would the Missus please call Her Mom for some GUIDANCE!!!!!

Stay tuned tomorrow……..And RONW, this menu’s for you. Can you help us decipher it?

Manila Fast Food and Desserts

April 11, 2006 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Sisig

*** Manila Fast Food has changed owners. An updated post can be found here.

The Missus had heard of Manila Fast Food from one of Her co-workers, who told Her that the food there was pretty good, and worth a try. So on a recent weekend morning we headed over to Mira Mesa. Manila Fast Food is located in the same strip mall as the Mira Mesa location of Seafood City.

For some reason I recall another restaurant being in this location.

When we entered the restaurant, there was quite a crowd of people waiting for the "turo-turo"(point-point) type dishes, even though it was 10 in the morning. And they looked really hungry.

We decided on each ordering a single entree plate with rice which goes for $3.49 (Two choices is $4.99), and "something else". On this morning I felt like some Sisig:

As with most of "turo-turo" joints in San Diego, Sisig is usually left over Lechon(roast pork), stir fried with onions, lime or vinegar, and chili pepper or other flavoring. Not to get off the subject, but many Jazz Musicians use something called the "Real Book", which is actually a "Fake Book"(a story for another day), now the "Real Book" consists of a large collection of "standards" that every Jazz Musician should know, usually consisting of only a "lead sheet"(the melody) and the chord changes. After that, it's up to the Musician(s) to decided how to make Autumn Leaves, Alone Together, or Days of Wine and Roses interesting. Likewise, it can be a real challenge creating a tasty dish from what is essentially "left-overs"(a standard). Like any good "number" performed by a trio or quartet, harmony is important, as is the support(rhythm section), not only is it important that the "lead instrument"(in this case the lechon) be very clear, but the rhythm needs to keep everything in time preventing the whole creation from becoming a "train wreck". The rhythm section should never become the lead except for perhaps a "solo", not only is it important to know what to play, but also what NOT to play. If this Sisig were a Jazz Quartet playing a standard, I'd say that the rhythm section is driving a bit too hard, too much sour and sweet. And the Lechon(the lead) too passive, on the soft and soggy side, I'd prefer the pork to have a bit more "chew" with hints of crunchy "goodies". I did enjoy the spiciness, though I'd say that even that over-shadowed the pork. One the positive side, this version of Sisig was not very greasy.

The Missus decided on Beef Sinigang(Sour Soup):

Though not as oily as versions I've had before, I thought that other then a vinegar "sour"(I prefer more tamarind – tangy) flavor, there wasn't much going on. There was quite a bit of fairly tender meat though.

Of course we weren't through. The Missus also ordered a Crispy Pata ($9.99 + a 15 minute wait). Well, if the Sisig was the Jazz Quartet, this should be the entire "Big Band"!

We got it sizzling hot just out of the fryer and brought it over to our table. The skin was nice and crisp, though there was not very gelatin, nor dark meat. I think this "Baboy"(pig), might have been on a bit of a diet. The flavor was very mild, and the richness somewhat muted. Like all of the dishes we ate, the Pata was not very greasy at all.

In the end, nothing outstanding. No amazing Pat Martino single line guitar solos or Jim Hall harmonic solos. More like a good garage band playing Louie-Louie, but hey, that's a "standard" too, right?

Manila Fast Food and Desserts
8979 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Sorry for all the silly analogies…..I don't know what came over me! In case you're wondering if some music was driving me over the edge; yesterday I was listening to Corrinne May, and today Tal Farlow and Lenny Breau, strange how music can affect your posts!

Han Bat Restaurant

April 10, 2006 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

**** Han Bat has closed

A while back, knowing how much the Missus enjoys Korean Black Goat Casserole, Calvin told me about Han Bat. Calvin said he noticed signage in the front of the restaurant mentioning Black Goat Soup. So we made a trip to Plaza Del Sol, and Han Bat.

Han Bat is a fairly small, Mom and Pop type operation, with a brightly colored and well lit interior. In what was a ominous sign, Han Bat was also totally empty, on a Friday evening!

The limited menu had about 20 items, all of them some type of soup or casserole. We saw several Black Goat soups and casseroles, and attempted to order, but was told that they were out of goat. When I asked when they’d have goat again, I got a shrug of the shoulders. So no goat. In one instant, twenty percent of the items on the menu weren’t available. We did find something interesting, and placed our order.

The Lady dropped of our panchan, which consisted of only 4 little plates of very routine panchan. Nothing earth-shattering, and a little on the chintzy side.

Since they were out of Goat, we ordered the Duck Casserole for two ($26.50):

A portable stove was placed on the table and a smallish sized cast iron pot of broth and vegetables was heated. First off the broth had a very high oil content, as you can clearly see by the distinct yellow color. Strangely enough, as rich as the broth was, it was lacking in flavor, and spice. The Missus kept adding sea salt from the little jar on the table to Her broth. The duck meat resembled tough slices of beef with gristly, tough, fat. The Missus couldn’t bring Herself to eat it, but it was fine to me, though really lacking in flavor. I ended up using all the dipping sauce for the duck and vegetables.

Though we got charged $2.00 for tea, served in a small beer glasses, we never got refills. Even when we asked….

It really did seem that Han Bat was in full cost-cutting mode. Maybe someone else can tell me how good their Black Goat is, I don’t think we’ll be back. We’ll stick with Ko Hayang Jip.

I actually went home and made tacos.

Han Bat Restaurant
4690 Convoy St Ste 108
San Diego, CA 92111

PWTSDS: Umenoya – And other Sunday Silliness

April 9, 2006 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

After some thought, I’ve started a new category of posts. I’ll call the these PWTSDS (sounds like putdz). There are just some eating establishments where I’m unable to take photos, usually from lack of adequate light. So I’ve come to call them my "Posts Where the Sun Don’t Shine" or PWTSDS. There have been many potential posts that have been discarded due to terrible photos – Parallel 33 and Balboa Tofu House come to mind. But I thought I’d do the ones that are somewhat salvageable. Please understand that the real PWTSDS is me, for being unable to take even remotely decent photos, and do not reflect upon the quality of food and service of the restaurants I’m eating at.

Most of my PWTSDS photos have long been discarded. But for some reason I still had a couple of photos from Ume No Ya Japanese Restaurant on Miramar Road. I don’t really know how this place manages to survive, it’s pretty difficult to find, blink your eyes and you’ve passed it. The location is kind of strange as well; next to a Truck Accessories shop and in the same strip mall as a ~~stri~~, ummm "gentleman’s club". The interior of Ume Mo Ya is quite dark, with Japanese posters, and other "stuff" adoring the walls, and a small television always tuned to the eternal infomercial channel. But the wonderful smell of shoyu and mirin is always floating in the air.

The food at Ume No Ya is strictly homestyle Japanese. If you’re looking for sushi and other items you’ll be best off trying elsewhere. The only Server I’ve seen here is a Little Old Lady, so if there are several patrons, the service might be a bit on the slow side. I’ve never had dinner at Ume No Ya, but I’ve had lunch there a few times, and the dishes can be hit and miss, but are very reasonably priced, usually between five to seven dollars(US). All lunches come with the "de riguer" green salad, and miso soup which often a bit on the salty side. I’ll usually get the Katsudon ($5.00):

Simply done; a deep fried pork cutlet and egg over a bowl of rice, with some dashi-soy sauce-mirin type broth poured over it. Nothing fancy; I’ve had it on days when the broth was much too sweet, or too salty, but it’s never been terrible. The portion size is decent, and Ume No Ya can be a nice change of pace from the other restaurants in the area.

The one thing that always gets me when I have lunch at Ume No Ya, is when exiting, from the dark dining area, you open the door, and "Wham!!!"

The bright sunshine always blinds me…..and I have to stumble around, luckily, the parking lot only holds about 10 cars.

Umenoya Japanese Restaurant
8650 Miramar Rd Ste B
San Diego, CA 92126

Some Sunday "stuffs":

Doesn’t "Poulet Sel et Poivre" sound so very refined? What is it? Ha, you’ll love this, it’s Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings! This goes to prove what I’ve always believed; it always sounds better in French. Lately, one of my favorite Food Blogs has been Emily K’s "What’s For Lunch" emanating from Paris. There you’ll find some very interesting "lunches" and even the Poulet Sel et Poivre. I just love the Chinese Restaurant named, "Delices Celestes". I’m telling you, it always seems to sound better in French. I wonder what would happen if I dropped by Royal Mandarin and asked for some Poulet Sel et Poivre?

Amanda, on Her Food Blog Too Many Caesar Salads recently featured a few pages from vintage recipe booklets and cookbooks. My favorite is something called Spork. Seems that one man’s Spam, is another’s Spork……..

I’d also like to congratulate Robwonton on the birth of his daughter Maya.

I recently had the pleasure of some wonderful company for dinner, Ed from Yuma, Howie from A Foodie’s View, mizducky who often posts on eGullet, Gayla who often posts on eGullet, as well as Chowhound, Calvin who often gives me great restaurant rec’s, and his friend Diane, all sat down and broke bread (more like shells) at Saigon Restaurant. I must say, the food on this occasion took a back seat to the fun and lively conversation. Thanks for a great time everyone. What a great group of people!

Finally to get your work week underway – here’s an interesting bit of "Engrish" from Nijiya Market:

Don’t ask me what part of the pig this came from……

North Park Produce – Fixing a Feta Fixation

April 8, 2006 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers

"So whaddaya feel like for dinner tonight?"
"Some feta cheese would be nice."
"Okay, feta and….."
"Feta"
"Feta and Feta?"
"Maybe some bread would be nice…."

This called for a visit to North Park Produce:

Located on the corner of El Cajon Boulevard and Wilson Street, North Park Produce is quite unique, even when ethnic markets are the subject. North Park Produce is sort of a combination Middle Eastern – Mexican Market, and covers alot of ground in between.

Along with the reasonably priced and great variety of produce:

There is a small but good meat department.

All the meat at North Park Produce is prepared using the standards of the House of Halal. North Park Produce is also on of the few Markets that constantly provides fresh ground lamb, as well as other "fresh" lamb cuts.

A look at the variety of "breads" available at NPP also clearly illustrates the diversity of products.

The tortillas are located on the shelf right above the lavosh.

You can imagine the great variety of snacks and confections.

The great wall of olive oil.

After wandering around the market a bit, I headed to the Deli counter to see what the Missus was up to.

The Missus was still waiting for Her feta, so I got to check out the nice variety of olives, as well as the 11 different varieties of feta cheese.

In a few minutes I was handed 6 small bags of feta cheese. The Missus had ordered a variety of feta cheeses! When I asked Her which 6 She chose, she told me, "The six on the right. Next time I’m getting the five on the left!" You gotta love it!

So the Missus had a feta tasting dinner this evening. From left to right; Romanian, Akhcvi(not quite sure of the spelling), and Bulgarian.

From right to left; Deli Feta, Sandek, and Classic Feta.

All of this along with some Lavosh, snacks, and produce? $12, not bad! In what was a very interesting occurrence, both the Missus and I enjoyed the Romanian feta the most (nice slightly creamy taste and texture, good salt, with a slightly tangy finish), with the Bulgarian coming in second.

For dessert the Missus had some prickly pears:

So next time you’re in the area, you might consider dropping by North Park Produce. Who knows, you may end up getting some good feta(or six).

North Park Produce
3551 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104
Store Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-7pm
Sun 9am-5pm

12342 Poway Rd.
Poway, CA 92064
Store Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-8pm
Sun 9am-6pm