Yes, we're back! And yes, I'm waaaay behind on my travel posts….the ending of our two weeks in Paris, our Taiwan trip, our Prescott – Albuquerque – Santa Fe – Taos, The Big Island and Oahu in February, and even a recent road trip to Buellton/Los Alamos! And here I go again on another trip! I know most folks come here looking for San Diego – SoCal food posts, so I save my travel stuff for weekends. Hopefully, I'll catch up soon now that we're back in town.
We were actually in Italy for Halloween, which was kinda interesting.
And even had one of the best meals of our trip! Yes, it was Chinese cuisine…in Italy!
We really enjoyed our time here and can't wait to go back!
Speaking of "going back". Of course we had to spend at least a couple of days in our favorite city.
Mainly to shop…..
And of course visit our old favorites…..
And do our favorite activities here. One of which is just "people, and pooch watch".
The more we visit; the harder it is for us to squeeze meals at our favorites in a couple of days. Though this time we found a new favorite, which was in plain sight. It seemed to be and is a kinda touristy restaurant, but we found the traditional dishes there to be quite good! Heck, we'd pass this place sometimes 4 or five times a day during our stays and never even though of eating there!
That mistake has been rectified!
One thing that we'd never done in this city is a tour. One this trip, we booked a private tour of our favorite neighborhood, from one of my favorite podcasts. And man was it fun and informative.
There was so much hidden in plain sight….stuff we had walked by so many times and never noticed! The tour was well worth the time and cost!
And of course, you'll always see something new when you visit….like this rainbow!
And then we ended up where we started. We had just one full day; but I got to see an item on my "bucket list".
And to do a bit more exploring.
Things ended on a high note as our last two meals were quite good. A Sichuan restaurant whose menu was developed in consultation with on of my favorite authors.
And a wonderful meal at the favorite restaurant in this city, of a late chef, author, and travel personality.
I know I need to catch up with all my travel posts. I'm hoping to do so soon!
Thanks for stopping by!
CroBean has been here since November 2019. It's family owned.
There are menus on the wall, we wanted to try everything.
There were many choices of fresh bread. We ended up with a basic baguette and it was very good.
There were display cases and choices all looked good. We were overwhelmed this first visit.
So, we ended up with a ham and cheese croissant (you 
On the counter under a dome were these sort of cookie bars. The shortbread crust was made with oatmeal flour and butter…It was thick and salty and then turned delicate, crumbling when you bit it. The layer of raspberry jam was super flavorful and not sweet. The strudel topping was also buttery and sweet and really nice.
In any case, consistency of the quality and flavors is the biggest reason we stop here. We just know what we order will be the same as always.
Of course, the prices have increased. Credit cards are now accepted and you pay when you order, not when picking up the order. 
A bowl of White Clam Chowder ($6) is always our choice. Filled with diced potato, celery and plenty of fat, fresh clams, the creamy clam broth is perfect without additions…but those oyster crackers added in about halfway just make the chowder 'fancier'.
Smoked Fish Cocktail ($8.95) instead of buying random smoked fish by the pound (which we usually do) was a good choice. There were three types of fish-meaty, firm tuna, a smokey yet sweet halibut and delicately smoke flavored swordfish. Each tasted great on its own but the house made, light horseradish flavored cocktail sauce, each bite had an additional flavor hint. Smoked fish as well as smoked meat is proper; smoked cheese is wrong.
Fish and Chips ($19). The classic. Three very large, thick pieces of flaky Alaskan cod coated in a light, crunchy, non-oily batter with plenty of thin, crisp fries and a delightful cabbage-carrot-bell pepper slaw which is lightly dressed in mayonnaise. The house made tartar sauce is unique and great with the fish as well as the crispy fries. The serving portion was plenty to share.
or you can scan it from your table.
The spicy calamari appetizer ($7.95) was light and crisp and quite a good size for sharing (or it could be a meal with a salad) the spicy garlic sauce was not necessary.
Agedashi tofu ($6.95) is also lightly fried. The tofu itself has a nice soybean flavor and the 'cubes' are very large. Again, good for sharing.
This vegetable tempura roll ($9.95) is simply wonderful. Tempura battered asparagus, green beans, kobucha and sweet potato. There's also avocado inside. Since I don't eat meat on Fridays, this is a wonderful way to satisfy a bunch of cravings as part of a meal. 
Most of the meal sets here include miso and salad. Here's a generic photo. 
This is the Sesame Chicken plate ($13.95) Large pieces of dark meat chicken, coated in sesame seeds then bread crumbs and fried, properly. This was a very large meal and at some point turned into a salad with chicken topping.
The Beef Teriyaki Lunch Bento with shrimp and veggie tempura ($16). The teriyaki sauce is not very sweet nor is it sticky. The tentsuyu (sauce for dipping the tempura) was lightly salty and complimentary to the light, crispy fry. 
The Seafood Yakisoba ($16.95) was nicely done- noodles still chewy, a light sauce, carrots. broccoli. bell pepper, zucchini and cabbage along with shrimp, green mussels, fishcake, calamari and scallops. Again, a good size meal. 
`The vegetable teriyaki ($12.95) was a great tasty surprise. Lightly sautéed vegetables topped with the pleasant house made teriyaki topped with green onion and crunchy sesame seeds. An excellent bite of everything I was craving that day. 
Tonkatsu Curry ($14.95). A large piece of thin cut, breaded pork, deep fried and still moist. Served on top of rice with a delightful potato-carrot-onion curry sauce. Comfort food on a chilly day.
This. This is what I absolutely enjoy the most here. It's the Vegan Ramen ($13.50). Mushroom broth, spinach noodles, vegetables and tofu. It's been absolutely perfect each time I've ordered it. The broth is so good, the noodles have a nice spinach flavor. All of the vegetables. To me, it is a perfect bowl of goodness and warmth. 
The diner closes between lunch and dinner; the only way I was able to get a photo of empty tables. 
The handout menu is pretty extensive (this is not all of it). The weekend lunch specials are similar to those at Wa Dining Okan on weekdays.
There are plenty of additional suggestions taped to the wall .
Vegetable tempura ($10) is perfectly made here. Light fry with light breading. Flavors of everything are bright, even the dipping sauce.
Chicken Liver appetizer ($6.50). Broiled chicken liver in a sweet soy sauce. Excellent. I first had chicken livers with a summertime roommate from Indonesia. She sautéed those with broccoli and topped with sesame seeds. To this day, chicken livers prepared that way are a comfort food.
Yakko ($4). Cold tofu with ginger, green onion and topped with bonito flakes. An excellent tofu.
Tsukemono ($6). Assorted pickles. So fresh flavored and crisp! These were an excellent 'side' instead of an appetizer. 
Of course I ordered the Zaru Soba ($10.50) the quick chilled buckwheat noodles were tasty and chewy, the dipping sauce, wasabi and chopped green onions complimentary. Many flavors in each bite. 
This menu page caught our eye. 
White curry udon ($10) Add beef ($4).
Fat, fresh, chewy udon in a white curry soup topped with freshly whipped cream and a poached egg (sorry no photo of the beautiful orange yolk). The added beef was thin and nicely flavored but almost unnecessary. This as a wonderful unexpected meal.
Blue Crab Salad ($12) was a filling meal in itself. Mixed greens, tomato, avocado and blue crab with a mayonnaise based dressing. 
Carbonara Udon ($14.50). Bacon, mixed mushrooms, a four cheese Alfredo sauce…
and there's that poached egg with its colorful orange yolk.
Mushrooms! This was great; everything here was prepared and served in such a beautiful way. 
It turns out that this establishment is a recipe testing, preparation and catering kitchen to the family of New Zealand inspired restaurants in San Diego: Bareback Grill, Queenstown Public House, Dunedin North Park, Raglan Public House and Queenstown Bistro…none of which Kirk or I have visited (yet)
Walk in and there's the menu on the wall in front of you. Turn to the left, meet Mack, order, pay and find a seat. 
I noticed this "Mackstar" beverage ($2) described on the wall and decided to try it-an excellent blend of English Black tea and fresh (sweetened) lemonade. The liquids are different densities so when delivered to the table, we were able to try the excellent black tea separately from the lemonade; each is good on its own and when stirred, the combination is very nice-could still taste the tea.
The "Soup and Sammie" ($13) was my choice. Tomato basil soup with pine nuts and herbs, topped with sour cream-thick with chunks of tomato,so fresh, delightful. The bowl is low and deceptive. There is plenty. 
Two types of cheese on toasted sourdough with mayonnaise, avocado, lettuce and tomato. Excellent.
The Cobb Chop salad ($12.50) was really good; fresh (flavorful; I've been buying some bitter lettuces lately) Romaine topped with warm grilled herby chicken breast, chopped bacon, avocado, tomato, hard boiled egg and Blue cheese chunks.
The salad was served with fresh made Caesar dressing (delightful, non-burning garlic) or we could have tried the Pepper Ranch (next time). 
"Sounds of Success". presented by 
Unsure about this float, but the 'spotter' in front is easy to see, as is the 'driver' near the back (with the ToR safety evaluator seated next to him). You can see the slot where the Spotter looks out in the above float photo. 
Also unknown is this float, with an intricate 'skeleton' which may have some interesting mechanics attached.
Well. Of course we stopped. 
The walls and ceiling are covered with nostalgia. After ordering and paying, we got our beverages and found a nice, clean table. Our food was brought to us. 
The breakfast menu is pretty simple. The complete menu at the Drive Thru has me wanting to return.
Realizing I haven't had a breakfast sandwich in a very long time, I jumped at the chance to try a sausage breakfast sandwich on rye ($8.99). flat omelet style eggs on toasted, thick slices of rye with four skin-on breakfast sausages, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise…just a wonderful sandwich.
The Breakfast plate with a hamburger patty, three eggs (over easy) and real hash browns ($9.99) was The Mister's choice. Oh, we both really appreciate the char broiling of a patty and the seasoned grill here produces a wonderful flavored burger.. The eggs were perfectly over easy and the soft boiled potatoes, crisp fried on a flat top grill were just wonderful. Of course The Mister also chose rye toast-an excellent bread, filled with rye seeds.
What caught my eye, on the counter were these 
