mmm-yoso – Page 59 – 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.

Bann at Gourmet Artisan

March 6, 2024 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Online Food Suppliers

**** Gourmet Artisan has closed

Back in January I noted that Bann, located in the HMart Food Court had closed. I used to visit them once in a while when they were located on Miramar Road. Less so when they pulled up roots and moved to H Mart. Still, I was sad to see them close as I had enjoyed their kimchi fried rice.

Well, I’m not quite sure if you know this, but I do have an Instagram Account. I’m not tied to it much as I much prefer long form posts. I usually put up odds and ends, photos after I actually do a post and such. Anyway, I basically set-up my Instagram account so I could keep in touch with folks like Dennis of a Radiused Corner, or “CC”. But, once in a while I will learn something from Instagram; not necessarily from a post. For example, I know folks who are great “FOYs” who also do posts on that platform. One of them is Derric, who was nice enough to send me a screen shot of a text he recently got.

Bann at GA 1

Hmmmm, Bann at Gourmet Artisan? A place that I’ve posted on many times before? Hmmm……..

So, this past week, I wanted to see what was up with SuperNatural Sandwiches, I dropped by in January and the place was closed with a sign saying reopening mid-January, but it was already late January and…..well, more on that in a future post.

I decided to go ahead and see what was up with the Gourmet Artisan. Now, GA is one of the few places that I don’t mind doing online ordering from since there doesn’t seem to be an upcharge for that (so long it’s done from the website). So, I went to the web page and then to the “Order Pickup” and quickly noticed this:

Bann at GA 02 (2)

So, I scrolled down and found the “Pick-up Meal Deals”. You order these ahead for one of the designated pick-up times. Of course, I was disappointed to see that kimchi fried rice wasn’t available. But, the Bulgogi Bowl was $9.99! Man, in this day and age, that’s a reasonable price.

Bann at Gourmet Artisan

I placed my order and just like when ordering a sandwich from GA, was informed when my food was being worked on. I’m close enough to the shop to get there in ten minutes.

Bann at GA 02

And my order was being placed on the counter when I arrived. There were four other takeout orders on the counter as well.

Bann at GA 03

I guess Bann has some kind of pseudo “ghost kitchen” thing going at GA?

Anyway, I was interested in trying the bulgogi, since Bann always called their version of the dish “marinated beef”, not bulgogi.

Bann at GA 04

Well, the beef looked as I remembered it. Though this “bowl” had much less vegetable filler than what the former version of Bann sold. The veggies are really undercooked.

The portion size was quite good; the rice moist. But like the “old Bann” the marinade was really weak, you can tell by the color. It was in need of more…of well, everything, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic. On the good side; the beef was much more tender than I recalled. I’d say for $9.99 this might be worth the price.

Bann at GA 05

Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I’m glad to have tried this and will keep an eye out to see if anything else, that doesn’t have bulgogi (or salmon) in it will be offered. Or heck, I’ll get a sandwich from there on my “next round”.

The ghost kitchen stuff is getting interesting……

Bann at Gourmet Artisan – Bann items currently only available for online ordering and pick-up
7094 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121

Thanks for thinking of us Derric, I really appreciate it!

Xin Chao Eatery

March 5, 2024 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

I had been searching for some new pho places relatively close to work. Yes, I wanted to try something new. And Xin Chao appeared, in Del Mar Highlands Center. Hmmm……. So, I headed on over.

Xin Chao 01

A very nice modern space. Part Vietnamese restaurant, part gastropub….. for some reason Shank and Bone came to mind.

Xin Chao 02

And then when I took a look at the menu with regards to pho…well, no tendon, tripe and such. Though "dem bones", or should I say, a bone (Xí Quách Suon Bò) was available as well as an oxtail version. The folks working the front of house were quite mellow and friendly. I placed my order……

I saw chicken wings on the menu….with a fish sauce version. My instincts was to order the salt and pepper version, but I still miss the fish sauce wings from Que Huong, so I ordered that ($13).

Xin Chao 05 Xin Chao 06 Geez who'd have thought we would see prices at 2 bucks per chicken wings all those year ago! The wings were nicely battered, more crunchy than crisp, the texture was not bad at all. There was a sticky glaze, which was more toward the sweet than savory, though you could make out the fish sauce. The wings were on the larger side and was decently cared for with a minimum of bitter black portions around the bones. This was not bad at all and had me wishing I had ordered the salt and pepper version.

Looking at the menu, it hinted at "pho not to offend" since there were no options for tendon or tripe. Though thinking about the customer base what should I have expected? I ordered the House Special Pho which clocked in at $18. The key item for me was what I call "dem bones" (Xi Quach Suon Bo), though perhaps it should be called "that bone" since only a single rib was in this. I was soon presented with the basil and sprouts and the sriracha and hoisin.

Xin Chao 03

Let me just say that Xin Chao took the "silver medal" with regards to the smallest portion of herbs and sprouts….the second least amount I've experienced next to Mom's Pho and Grill in recent memory.

Xin Chao 04

Well, at least it was more than the 16 bean sprouts I counted there….I think.

My bowl soon arrived, blazing hot…..like so hot I had to wait ten minutes before really tucking in.

Xin Chao 07 Xin Chao 10 I was able to try the rib bone. The meat was on the chewier side but came off the bone nicely and was actually the beefiest cut provided. Because the broth was super hot, the rare steak was over cooked by the time of consumption. The rest of meats were bland and tasteless as well.

The waiting for the molten broth to cool down pause also meant that the noodles, which were in the typical clump were somewhat overcooked and headed toward mushy.

Xin Chao 09

The broth, while tending toward the overly "sweet" San Diego style was not bad……it was very clear and defatted thus on the thinner side and lacking in richness, but still had a hint of beefy-anise tones to it.

Xin Chao 08

This was not bad overall, a modern rendition that bordered on "hipster pho and pho not to offend", but was still pretty good. I really liked the folks working here.

So, I returned.

Xin Chao 11

This time to try the Crispy Salt and Pepper wings.

Xin Chao 13

These wings seemed not as crisp as what I'd had before. So, I'm not sure if they bread/batter the wings differently based on flavor. Still, the garlic-salt-pepper flavor came thru nicely, and the fried appendages were quite moist and tender.

This time I ordered the Oxtail Pho ($17), which came with the same shall we say

Xin Chao 12

As for the bowl, my goodness, it was even more scalding hot than the bowl before!

Xin Chao 14 Xin Chao 16 But at least I didn't have to worry about my rare steak being overcooked. Based on my last visit, I decided to time how long it took before I could safely partake of my pho. Cautiously taking sips things timed out at twelve minutes and seventeen seconds. As you can see; the soup was very clear, though it wasn't as sweet-salty this time around. It did have a nice beefy "nose" with hints of star anise.

There were three good sized oxtails, plus one "runt" provided. The oxtails were cooked perfectly, easy enough to take off the bone with chopsticks, but not falling to pieces to be lost in the soup.

I'm thinking the extra time I needed for the soup to cool enough really messed up the noodles as like on my previous visit it was on the mushy side.

Overall, a decent bowl.

Xin Chao 15

It seems like Xin Chao is trying to ride that line of pleasing non-"pho-natics", those hoping for a more modern rendition of pho, yet trying to keep the spirit of traditionality. The prices are in keeping with the location…that is, on the high side of things. I like the folks working here, they are quite nice. A far cry from "the fastest pho in the west", which the "pho-natic" in me enjoys. Ok, enough pho puns for a while…..

I'll try and revisit in a couple of months if the weather is cool enough and perhaps see how the bone marrow is as well.

Xin Chào Eatery
3545 Del Mar Heights Rd.
San Diego, CA 92130
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 9pm

Xin Chao 00

Taiwan – Taroko Gorge Part 2, Buluowan Suspension Bridge, Swallow Grotto, Eternal Spring Shrine, and the TR Bento

March 3, 2024 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Buffets, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

After our lunch and briefly walking along the Buluowan Upper Terrace we were guided to the Liwu River. There stood a impressive suspension bridge crossing over the gorge.

This is the Buluowan Suspension Bridge. A suspension bridge was first built on this site in 1914 during the Truku War. This is the fourth iteration of the bridge which was originally named the Shanyue Suspension Bridge and was opened to the public in August of 2020. It had a stunning view of the gorge and river below.

At the end of the bridge is a short trail to a wonderful viewing spot named Brawan Lookout. You really get a wonderful perspective of the bridge from here.

From here we headed back to the Upper Terrace and the car, taking time to stop at the Visitors Center and check out the Atayal Cultural Center displays.

And then we hit the road again, making a couple of stops along the way.

Until we came to a toll booth. Our driver pulled to the side and instructed the Missus to walk the trail overlooking the gorge and he would meet us at the end. This was the Yanzikou Trail overlooking the Swallow Grotto.

We ambled along thru tunnels cut out of rock with a view of the gorge and river below from ledges. We read that this was how the road used to be like for the entire gorge!

There were many places where you could look out over the river and marvel at the geological beauty.

The formations, river, and plant life made for an interesting walk.

And there was indeed some entertaining formations along the way. Can you make this one out?

While actually named the "Elder Stone" (太魯閣族長老石- 長老側臉) – this is what the sign said:

Our driver met us at the end of the short half kilometer trail and then we headed on back. There was one more stop on the way and it might be the most picturesque of them all. Stopping in the parking lot and walking to the lookout point, your eyes are immediately drawn to this.

This is Eternal Spring Shrine (Changchun Shrine).

The shrine was built in 1958 to commemorate those who died during the construction of the Central Cross-Island Highway. The shrine is built above a spring which empties into the Liwu River below.

There's a short trail to the temple which we decided to take.

As you make your way up the stairs you'll encounter a cave with statues of Guanyin, the Goddess of Compassion, Mercy, and Kindness.

It was great to stop here, because boy do we need more compassion, mercy, and kindness these days!

I think the water rushing out from under the shrine really adds photogenic drama to things.

We were then driven back to our hotel. Our driver was outstanding and so very pleasant, something we'd find is the norm in Taiwan.

The Missus made sure to hit up the hotels afternoon snack buffet.

We then took a short nap, before heading downstairs for a nice evening walk.

And then, yep the evening "snack" (aka dinner at the huge buffet).

Before hitting the hay…..

The next morning, our train back to Taipei was scheduled for 1253 and was right on time. We'd had a great time visiting the Taroko Gorge and highly recommend it.

We were taking the TR Taroko Express back to Taipei. We had stored our bags at the Sky 19 Hotel in Taipei so didn't have much to lug around.

I had noticed that on some routes/times folks are able to order a Train Bento for on board consumption. And on this route it was available. So, like the Missus said, on this trip ""you didn't meet a pork chop you didn't like." Well, guess what?

Of course I ordered some! And the prices were the same as if I'd bought them at a cart at the station; just about $2.50. Delivered to our seats.

The pork chop had hints of five spice, soy, garlic, ginger…..and was surprisingly, decently tenderized. I'm convinced that most pork outside the US tastes better! There's pickled veggies, and nicely flavored soy sauce eggs, great five spice tones, with a hint of sweetness….a Spam like mystery meat that increased my sodium level ten fold….this was just a fun meal.

Was it haute cuisine? For $2.50???? C'mon, this is food for every man/woman…..pork chop lover. For some history, here's a great post.

I love Taiwan!

Thanks for stopping by!

Taiwan – Taroko Gorge Part 1, Qingshui Cliff, Shakadang Trail, and Lunch at Taroko Village Hotel

March 2, 2024 mmm-yoso Buffets, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

We had a nice night of sleep after settling in at the Kindness Hotel. I had gone ahead and hired a driver to take us to and around Taroko National Park. But first came breakfast. And as I mentioned in my previous post on Hualien our hotel provided a breakfast buffet, which was quite varied and good.

Our driver arrived right on time. Though he didn't speak any English, the Missus enjoyed conversing with him in Mandarin. He was very friendly and, as we'd find out later quite thoughtful. The Taroko Gorge area is vast and we were only doing a day trip, just seeing the main sights and taking a couple of walks, so being English speaking wasn't necessary.

Hualien seemed quite spread out; based on where we were staying, which was in the area close to Hualien Station. The city is close to the ocean and we stopped for some photos (our driver really liked taking photos of us!) at Qixingtan Beach which was right past the airport.

There was no one in sight, so perhaps that's why the beach seemed vast and expansive?

I'm thinking that this was a Friday right after a major holiday week Qingming Jie (清明节 – "Tomb Sweeping Day"), so maybe that's why the place was deserted?

From here it was back onto the highway and eventually the the terrain changed dramatically. Rising up the side of mountains, it reminded me of the portion Kalanianaʻole Highway near Makapu'u back home. We made a first stop at a lookout. Man, was the view quite dramatic. This is the Qingshui Cliff area.

Beautiful rugged coast views on one side; imposing mountainside on the other.

From here we drove further up the coastline, the passing thru a tunnel, before parking at the Huide Rest Stop. From here, there an easy walk to the lookout. I actually saw the train tunnels below us as well took our walk.

We then headed off and into Taroko National Park proper. After driving thru a tunnel we arrived at a parking lot and a bridge. After a short conversation with our driver, the Missus told me this is the Shakadang Bridge and we headed down some stairs to the Shakadang Trail (also known as the Mysterious Valley Trail). It's more of a nice nature walk.

Once on the trail you get a nice view of the bridge.

The trail was nicely maintained and not very crowded when we visited. The Shakadang River is known for the crystal clear, emerald water that flows thru it.

I loved the jewel like marble boulders strewn along the riverside. The Missus took Her shoes off, sat, and soaked Her feet in the cool comforting water in front of this striking boulder.

About 1.5 kilometers down the trail there an actual snack shack-coffee stand! Yes indeed, this is Taiwan. It was interesting to see actual motorbikes and other vehicles using the trail!

After the snack stand we decided to head on back. When we got back to the car, we noticed our driver busy on his cell phone. We thought it was some kind of personal call, but would find out shortly what it was about. Our driver chatted with the Missus as we weaved our way to a large flat area with buildings and a hotel. This was Buluowan, the former sight of a village of the Truku people, the Indigenous inhabitants of the area. We found out that the reason our driver was on the phone was that in chatting with the Missus, he discovered we enjoyed food. So, he called the restaurant in the Taroko Village Hotel to make sure and reserve two of the lunches which featured a couple of traditional Truku dishes for us! Did I mention how much we loved Taiwan.

We led us to a table in the restaurant, so I did get many photos, but this is what lunch looked like.

Of course we loved the tender, grassy-mild sweetness of the fern shoot.

The cuts of boar and boar sausage provided interesting contrasts in flavors; porky-mild sweetness, familiar flavors.

But, I really enjoyed the sticky rice cooked in bamboo. The rice attained an almost creamy texture, the slightly floral flavor heightened with a pleasant mild sweetness!

This was a fun meal. And we made sure to have our driver join us and pay for his lunch as well!

Taroko Village Hotel
972, Taiwan, Hualien County, Xiulin Township, 231-1號

After lunch we walked around the grounds of the Buluowan Upper Terrace.

Before being walked over to the next site on our agenda!

Stay tuned and thanks for stopping by!

The Croissant Files – Patisserie Melanie

February 29, 2024 mmm-yoso Bakery, Croissants

**** Patisserie Melanie has closed

Man, has it been over 2 1/2 years since I’ve done a “Croissant Files” post for a place in San Diego? Yeesh. I will say however, that I thought the Croissant from Izola was pretty good. Sadly, Izola is currently closed, though it’s good news that they are updating their bakery!

Anyway, waaaay back in late July/early August of last year “FOY” Kenneth was nice enough to send me an email (thanks as always Kenneth!) mentioning that folks had recommended Patisserie Melanie to him. Now, why did that name sound familiar? Well, I checked and apparently, this is the same Melanie that was operating out of what seemed like a home kitchen on Park Boulevard way back in 2020. In fact, you’ll find mention of the place in the comments of this post if you’re interested. My good “FOY” and fellow blogger “CC” (I know you’re almost exclusively on Instagram these days CC – but we miss your posts!) mentioned that she wasn’t impressed and I then went and tried the croissant and wasn’t very impressed. But that was before the upgrade in location and what I assume is equipment as well. And since I’ve been missing croissants (yes, I have a category for them). Especially from my favorite boulangerie in Paris, I thought it would be a good time to check out Melanie.

Patisserie Melanie 01

The pink highlighted shop is located right on the corner 30th and Gunn, on the same block as Swami’s and Mabel’s Gone Fishing. I was really lucky on this morning, finding parking right on 30th across from the shop.

Patisserie Melanie 02

The shop is bright, with a view of the baking area. There are various coffee concoctions and Viennoiseries available in the morning (this was 8am) and I believe hot sandwiches/tartines/quiches during the day and even a dinner menu as well.

I was just looking for a croissant aux buerre and didn’t notice one in the pastry case…..

Patisserie Melanie 03

Until I looked carefully and noticed it was keeping a “low profile” behind the paparika and cheddar croissants. The young lady working behind the counter was smiling, friendly, and very fast when I ordered my croissant. I was out of the shop in less than 5 minutes!

I recall the croissants from the “original location” of Melanie were pretty small and these did fill the bill.

Patisserie Melanie 04

For perspective, the Croissant Aux Buerre was $5.50. Can you imagine paying over 5 Euros for a croissant in Paris? For a scale comparison, it seems my reading glasses are about the same length as the croissant.

Patisserie Melanie 05 Patisserie Melanie 06 So, how was this? It was more flaky then what I’d had before, though the texture is on the chewy side. Decent salt and mild sweetness, though it seemed to lack a nice yeasty nose and could have used more butter….at least for me. This was decent in terms of San Diego croissants; though I wish Izola was open for a comparison….maybe I need to head back to Wayfarer? And I’ve been promising to return to Asa Bakery and (hopefully)trying their croissant. Thanks again for the email Kenneth. I’m wondering if you had a chance to check out Patisserie Melanie?

Plus, if any of you have a recommendation for a good croissant aux buerre in San Diego, I’d love to hear it!

And you can check out Soo’s post on Patisserie Melanie here.

Patisserie Melanie
3750 30th St.
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Tuesday 8am – 2pm
Wed – Thurs 8am – 2pm, 5pm -9pm
Fri – Sat 8am – 2pm, 5pm – 10pm
Sundays 8am – 2pm, 5pm – 9pm
Closed Mondays

Valle (Oceanside)

February 27, 2024 mmm-yoso Fine Dining, Latin American Cuisine, Mexican Restaurants, Staycation

After our wonderful dinner at Jeune et Jolie we were looking forward to our meal the next evening in Oceanside at the Michelin starred Valle restaurant. The samples of the tasting menu we'd seen really enticed us, and the Missus really wanted to sample the wines of the Valle de Guadalupe. So, after heading to Garden Grove to have Lao food for lunch, we headed back to Oceanside and checked in at the Springhill Suites. Man, I hadn't been in this area for ages and it had changed a lot.

It was much more developed and commercial. We actually enjoyed staying in Carlsbad a lot more. Though, we did have a wonderful time at Frankie's, cause you know why!

We strolled down the Oceanside Pier and then walked on over to the location of Valle. It was quite a modern setting, it's all tasting menu here, we got the Tierra Y Mar (Land and Sea) which was $180 per person and shared a single wine pairing which was $150. The staff was friendly and professional, though not as knowledgeable and enthusiastic as the folks at JeJ.

Valle 01

Though the one cocktail that was recommended was outstanding; the "Maggie" ($20). Now, the Missus isn't a big fan of Margaritas, but She loved this.

Valle 02

It has so clean, so crisp, and yet had that hint of agave. I asked about this cocktail and was told it was made with Cristalino, which folks really disparaged when we visited Tequila and I can understand why. And yet, this was so good, it used the Milk punch method to clarify the components of the drink. It was lovely; we had two…. We got a single pairing with our meal, which was excellent.

Things started with the Botanas.

Valle 03

We loved the chicharron foam/broth, it was so porky, light, and comforting.

Valle 04

The little mini fish "tacos" were also quite tasty; nice maize flavor.

Valle 05

Then things really started out with the Charred Onion Tarte with Kaluga Hybrid Caviar.

Valle 06

As with many of the dishes, quite an interesting presentation…charred black. Good sweet-almost caramelized onion tones. The caviar seemed strangely muted as we expected more of salty-savory counterpoint. Great texture though.

The eye catching Betabel (beet) was next. It was interesting that both JeJ and Valle had beet dishes as components of the meal.

Valle 07

This dish featured Humboldt Fog, which, since you know how we enjoy cheese excited us. But the dish was overwhelmingly sweet, though we loved the anise-mint flavor of the shiso, the flavor of rosemary kind of overpowered things.

Next up was the Trucha, Nopal y Tuna. We love Nopal and this was described as an aguachile.

Valle 08

It lacked a nice citrusy acidity and the trout was really tough in texture.

The one saving grace was the Chardonnay paired with this dish was a favorite of the Missus.

Valle 08b

In fact, I've hunted this down once we returned.

The Chancla con corte de wagyu was good.

Valle 09

If I recall in my really horrible Spanish, "chancla" means slipper. This was an decadent slice of what I consider wagyu "lardo" topping….well who cares really…..

Valle 10

Good lord, the avocado crema….the earthy-maize chancla!!!

In total contrast, the Tetela de Birria was quite mild.

Valle 11

Perhaps it was because we were in Jalisco recently (I'll get those posts done soon!), but even the Missus said, "this doesn't taste like birria, where's the bold flavors!"

I enjoy Pescado Zarandeano, I even make a version at home. This was an interesting version as it featured, a tasty "pico de gallo terrine". Which actually tasted much better than the fish!

Valle 12

Which was dry and fairly bland.

At this point, there was an interesting move, the Missus got the Cornejo Alegre, the poached and roasted rabbit.

Valle 14

I thought the Missus would enjoy this. Remember how hard I worked to find that the Missus enjoyed Mole Segueza in Oaxaca. But for Her it was overly sweet and it seemed that the gamy tones of the rabbit was meant to be muted.

I did order the A5 Drunken Wagyu Strip which was an extra $50….let me tell you, this was amazing, even better than what we had at JeJ!

Valle 15

So beefy, with an amazing texture….that was at first firm, that gave way…..good lord, can I say I tasted the soul of beef? Perfectly cooked and seasoned. For me; this was a once in a lifetime kind of thing.

Valle 16

If I were to return…cause the "Maggie" calls to me; I'd sit at the bar and have a couple of dishes. Still, this was a fun experience, though we enjoyed JeJ much more.

Valle
222 N Pacific St.
Oceanside, CA 92054

And after dinner, well, the Oceanside Pier is right there…..

And if you're of my generation; this is called the "Top Gun House".

In case you want to check it out.

Valle 18

Thanks as always for stopping by!

Revisits – Spicy Lao Kitchen (Kearny Mesa) and Vientiane Lao Thai Restaurant (Garden Grove)

February 26, 2024 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants, Orange County, Road Trip, Thai Restaurants

A pair of revisits to Lao Restaurants for your Monday.

Spicy Lao Kitchen:

The Missus was craving the Moo Tod and Goong Nam Pla that we had on our last visit to Spicy Lao Kitchen. So we headed on over.

Spicy Lao vs 01

It was 1230 on a Tuesday, but the parking lot in the strip mall was pretty empty and the restaurant had only two tables of customers when we arrived.

Spicy Lao vs 02

I'm guessing that the soft opening crowds have now gone their way as the sign out front now says "Grand Opening". There was still one person working the front of house, but she did a good job and there wasn't as much of a wait as on our previous visits.

We ordered 4 dishes, three of our favorites here and one new item from the menu.

First to arrive was the Moo Tod thinly sliced pork belly, the crispness gives way to a nice almost creamy texture.

Spicy Lao vs 03

Nicely seasoned, good salt and savory components. For us, the rather salsa-ish Jeow Mak Len, pretty weak in heat and flavor is not needed. In fact, all the jeow we've had here has been pretty weak.

Next up was the Nem Khao.

Spicy Lao vs 04

While still one of our favorite versions in San Diego, this hasn't been as good as what we'd had here on our first visit. The rice was in hard chunks rather than being crisp, there wasn't enough sour sausage nor spice as well.

Of course we got the Goong Nam Pla; the naked shrimp.

Spicy Lao vs 05

This dish was a winnah; good spice, the shrimp tender, nice acidic tones. The shrimp had no off flavors and this was quite a refreshing dish.

We decided to try the Crying Tiger. We were asked how we wanted our beef cooked and said "medium rare". What arrived was definitely not that.

Spicy Lao vs 06

The beef was on the tough side. Though the spice was decent it definitely needed more fish sauce, acid, and more toasted rice powder for that nutty flavor. This was pretty weak.

Still, even though it's still one server manning the front of house, our orders were taken in a timely manner and there wasn't an overly long delay for our dishes as on previous visits.

Spicy Lao Kitchen
5375 Kearney Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Tues – Sat 11am – 9pm
Sunday 11am – 7pm
Closed on Mondays

Vientiane Lao Thai Restaurant:

During our last Staycation, I had made plans to visit a locale in Carlsbad on the morning after our dinner at Jeune Et Jolie. Those plans however fell thru and after having our morning coffee, we had to decide what to do before check in time in Oceanside. The Missus had the idea of heading up to Westminster to visit our current Cha Ca Thang Long place, but we had just been there three times over the last couple of weeks. Then, I had the idea of revisiting Vientiane Thai Lao in Garden Grove. It had been almost 4 1/2 years since our last visit. It would be interesting to compare the nem khao tod there to what we'd recently had at Spicy Lao.

Vientiane vs 01

So we headed on over and arrived at around 1130. The place was fairly busy and we got one of the two remaining available tables. Looking at photos from our first visit back in 2009, the interior looks like a total different restaurant.

Vientiane vs 02

We placed our order and soon enough dishes started arriving. First thing to arrive was a large plate of lettuce and cilantro.

Vientiane vs 03

Which came in real handy for the Nem Khao.

Vientiane vs 04

The rice was crisp-crunchy and not in giant chunks like Spicy Lao, there was an abundance of sour sausage, and even pork skin! A hint of spice, a touch of coconut, perhaps even better than I recalled.

We had never tried the Lao Sausage here, so we ordered that. This was interesting in that it was sliced, then deep fried. Still it was much better than the overly dry and chewy version we had at Spicy Lao Kitchen.

Vientiane vs 05

There were three things we really enjoyed about this sausage; the sausage casing and fried portions were crisp, without being hard or chewy. The rice in the sausage added a wonderful soft, tender texture. And the herbs really gave it some "life".

We also ordered the Lao Beef Jerky, which was on the harder side of the scale, but wasn't overly salty and had an interesting lemongrass-soy-fish sauce-sweet flavor.

Vientiane vs 06

We saved most of this and actually ate it for breakfast! It keeps really well. Of course we need to try the version at Spicy Lao.

The one item we ordered that Spicy Lao does better is the Goong Nam Pla. What arrived at our looked nothing like what we'd had here on previous visits.

Vientiane vs 07

First off, the shrimp were really chewy and gummy. It also had a muddy after taste to it. The sauce was provided on the side and though it had decent heat, lacked sufficient acidity, and the garlic tones we'd noted during our previous visits. Bummer.

Still it was great seeing that the nem khao here was still good after all these years! Funny thing, we thought we ordered a lot, but the couple on the table next to us ordered 6 dishes! Service was friendly and efficient. We need to return soon.

Vientiane Lao Thai Restauarant
10262 Westminster Ave.
Garden Grove, CA 92843
Current Hours:
Thurs – Tues 11am – 730pm
Closed on Wednesdays

Vientiane vs 08

So, even though Spicy Lao is improving, we think they've got a bit to go to catch up to Vientiane. Though the shrimp there was much better!

Road Trip – Pecos National Historical Park, Saint Francis Cathedral, and the Bell Tower Bar (Santa Fe)

February 25, 2024 mmm-yoso Chocolate, Cocktails, New Mexico, Road Trip, Santa Fe/Taos, New Mexico, Travel

**** No food in this one; but if you'd like to see photos of what was once considered one of the crossroads to the west, along with what is considered the oldest statue of the Virgin Mary in North America, read on.

After spending the evening in Prescott and visiting Montezuma Castle National Monument and having lunch at a favorite spot of ours, we headed off to our next destination. Taking the 40 East, then transitioning to the 25, we bypassed our next destination for the night, Santa Fe, and went to Pecos National Historic Park. Once upon a time, the Glorieta Pass was considered the most direct route to the west. Everyone from the ancient Pueblo Indians, to the Spanish, to the settlers head to the west used this pass. In fact lest you think that New Mexico was too far west, the decisive Battle of Glorieta Pass was fought here during the Civil War. The park is fairly large and sprawling, nearly 350 acres.

The main area I wanted to check out was Pecos Pueblo.

Here stand the ruins of the Pueblo, with the foreboding walls of the Mission Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles rising up from the area.

There actually a recreated Kiva. Which really stirred one's imagination of how things must have been.

The large eye-catching ruins are of the Pecos Mission Church.

The first church was completed on these grounds headed by the Franciscans who gained permission from the Spanish. Of course, the labor was provided by the Puebloans. To quote the NPS page:

"Construction of the Mission Church and the Convento were supervised by the Franciscans, but Pecos people provided the labor; the Pecos received no pay for their work, raising questions today about the nature of slavery in the Southwest."

In 1680 the Puebloans rejected the religion and rule in the Pueblo Revolt and the church and convent were razed.

In 1693, the Spanish retook the land and reestablished control and the current structure was built.

We had parked, seen the ruins and immediately headed on over. In retrospect, I'd recommend heading over to the visitors center first as it provided history and context.

And we loved this map as it added to what we had learned about trading of the native peoples during our visit to the Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City.

Pecos National Historical Park
Pecos, NM 87552

It was a mere half hour drive to Santa Fe from here.

The Missus wanted to make one stop on the way to our hotel at Kakawa Chocolate again.

Where She restocked on some of Her favorites from our previous visit.

Kakawa Chocolate House
1300 Rufina Circle A4
Santa Fe, NM 87507

As before, we stayed at the Inn of the Governors. And as on our previous visit, our room wasn't quite ready yet, but we were able to park and do some exploring.

On our previous trip to Santa Fe, there was a place I wanted to check out but it was closed during our stay; the Saint Francis Cathedral.

On my previous trip, I found the following statue to be fascinating, so I did a bit of research…..

This is a status of Kateri Tekakwitha, the First Native American Saint. If you're interested in a bit more, this entry might be of interest.

As we entered the church, I was struck by how brightly colored it was.

At the Northeast part of the Cathedral is a chapel that was once part of another church that stood on these grounds. It is the oldest part of the Cathedral.

In this chapel resides the oldest existing statue of the Virgin Mary in North America, often called "La Conquistadora".

You can read even more about that here.

We enjoyed our visit and then headed off to our next stop. I've mentioned the architect Mary Colter a couple of times in posts; she the Desert Watchtower and one of our favorite hotels, La Posada in Winslow. I had read that she had also designed the interior of the very popular La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe. So, we decided to head on over.

The restaurant looked lovely, but we had reservations at another place for dinner.

There is however, a bar on the rooftop of La Fonda, which is open from 3pm to Sunset during weekdays. The clock had just struck 3 so we headed up the elevator.

And then to the host stand. Luckily, we had gotten there right when the place opened.

There were people who had gotten in before we did! I guess they waited for the place to open?

The Missus got a Frozen Sangria and I got a Spicy Serrano Margarita.

And we relaxed and enjoyed the view.

Bell Tower Bar (in the La Fonda Hotel)
100 E San Francisco St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Open from May – late October
Hours:
Mon – Fri 3pm – Sunset
Sat – Sun 1pm – Sunset

Before strolling back to the hotel to check in. We were looking forward to our dinner!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Hour Revisits to Et Voila

February 22, 2024 mmm-yoso Cocktails, French Restaurants

During our last trip to Europe in November of last year, we managed to spend four nights in Paris. Instead of going for all the Michelin starred places, we just wanted to chill and enjoy; after all we've now been to the city eight times since 2016! Funny thing, the Missus ended up having Escargot four times during our stay! I clearly recalled how much She used to hate snails! My how times have changed! Back in January, we went and did a Happy Hour revisit to Et Voila, something that used to be rather routine for us in those days before Covid. We did manage one very nice HH revisit back in January of 2022, two years ago! We noticed some new dishes on the Happy Hour menu and decided to head on back for HH when we stayed at the Lafayette Hotel and headed on back for one more visit a few weeks back.

We did notice that some of the dishes and drinks had changed a bit and now have pegged our current favorites. I thought I'd go ahead and list our Happy Hour dishes.

Of course, I had always enjoyed the Huckleberry Bourbon (especially when it used to be $7 at HH), though on our last couple of visits it seemed a bit weaker. Still, habits die hard, and I had one on all three visits ($13 at HH).

Et Voila HH 00

On my last visit, I noticed a cocktail called the "Months of 'Ber" ($14) which had Mezcal and Aperol. I was curious and ordered it. I mentioned that I hadn't noticed this cocktail before and Ludo smiled and said "it's because you don't visit often enough these days…" Ah, so French!

Et Voila HH 02

This was nice, slight smoky, lightly sweet-citrusy, loved the hint of anise.

Of course if one is going to have escargot, a baguette is required. The half baguette aux buerre is now $6…..but it's absolutely necessary.

Et Voila HH 03

As for the dishes.

The good.

Well, the Missus does enjoy the Escargot ($11) and the Happy Hour price is reasonable.

Et Voila HH 04

It's a bit parsley heavy for my taste; but the escargot are tender enough. The Missus enjoys these and can easily polish it off in less than 10 minutes along with the baguette.

I've always enjoyed the house made Terrine de Porc ($13 HH) and for some reason, the two times I had it during our recent visits I really enjoyed the porky-winey-slightly sweet terrine.

Et Voila HH 05

I enjoy the pickled veggies which help to refresh the palate and the nasal clearing mustard.

On the fence:

We had the Beignet de Champignons ($10 HH) on every visit. On the first visit, it was quite nice, crisp, earthy, exactly what made the dish a Happy Hour staple over the years. Though on our last two visits, the mushrooms were over-fried, almost burnt, and extremely salty.

Et Voila HH 06

Still, I'm sure we'll keep ordering this.

The not-so-good.

On our first two visits we got another Happy Hour staple, the Raviolis aux Champignons ($15 during HH). Man, they sure foam it up these days, check out what it used to look like.

Et Voila HH 07

There was a tendency in the past for this dish to swing into the "too sweet" territory and on both visits this was even sweeter than before! You really couldn't taste the mushrooms and truffle. I think we're crossing this dish off our "list" on future visits.

We tried one new Happy Hour menu item, the Braised Lamb Belly stuffed with Merguez ($20 HH). We love merguez and harissa, so we were quite excited, but this was a let down.

Et Voila HH 09

I'm not sure where they get their merguez, but man, it was bland, lacking in the sweet-gamy-cumin flavors we love…same with the harissa as this really lacked spice. The lamb belly was overly chewy and bland as well. In fact, the only item that stood out were the raisins, of which there were too many for our taste.

Well, even though we didn't enjoy every dish at Et Voila, we still have our favorites. And I still think we enjoy the Happy Hour menu more than the dinner menu. And of course the Missus will need Her Escargot fix from time to time.

Et Voila HH 10

Et Voilà!
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116
Current Hours:
Sun- Mon 430pm – 830pm
Tues – Thurs 430pm – 9pm
Fri – Sat 430pm – 10pm
Happy Hour – Served at the Bar Only
Sun – Thurs 430pm – 730pm
Fri – Sat 430pm – 6pm

Midweek Meanderings – Krispy Krunchy Chicken (Clairemont) is Now Cluck n Sip, Moon Night Replacing Otori/O-to-San, and Hi Guest Replacing Khorasan

February 21, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

So, I go on a trip for a week and return to find so many changes in Kearny/Clairemont Mesa? While taking care of errands before I return to the office here's what I saw.

Krispy Krunchy Chicken (Clairemont) is Now Cluck n Sip:

While doing some shopping at 99 Ranch Market, I decided to take a look at the food court and oh my……this location of Krispy Krunchy Chicken is now Cluck n Sip.

Which has a very popular outlet in Hillcrest that I have on "my list".

The menu is different from KKC, but the staff looks the same. I'll make sure to check them out soon.

5950 Balboa Ave (In the 99 Ranch Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111

Moon Night Replacing Orori/O-to-San:

I was driving down Convoy when I noticed that Otori Yakitori is going to be something called Moon Night.

Man, talk about a revolving door of restaurants, I went when it was O-to-San and was not impressed. Never made it to Otori, though I really didn't make an effort to visit. Here's hoping this iteration is better.

4425 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Hi Guest Replacing Kroran/Khorasan:

I knew that Kroran had become Khorasan a while back but never had the time to visit. While driving down Genesee, I noticed a new sign, "High Guest Music BBQ", so I turned into the strip mall. And yes, looks like Khorasan is now Hi Guest.

As to what this concept is……could it be skewers and karaoke??? Your guest guess is as good as mine. Perhaps a FOY will let us know?

4310 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

So there you go….I leave for week and look what happens! Be back with another post tomorrow!