Pieology (revisit)

Pieology has closed.  

Here you are, reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Once again, Cathy is writing while Kirk stays busy with other things.

I last wrote about Pieology, a customized pizza fast cooking (three minutes) in a wood burning stove establishment, in 2017.  We received a Gift Card and took advantage this day.

IMG_9754 Same location, same way of ordering, another success story of making it through Covid-19.
IMG_9728IMG_9728 Similar menu with higher prices.
IMG_9729IMG_9729IMG_9729 Choose your items by looking and pointing while walking along the order line.
IMG_9731 Watch your order go into the fire filled oven, pay and find a seat.  Soon items will be brought to your table. IMG_9736 I wanted to try the 'new' Folded dough garlic cheese bread ($5.95).  Garlic herb butter, Mozzarella and Romano on freshly made dough, folded over.  This was kind of a perfect bite for me.  Tasty and filling…very cheesy with the garlic butter making a perfect condiment. 
IMG_9736 The 3 Topping Signature Pizza ($11.35) on the original crust, house made red sauce, mild Italian sausage, pepperoni and mushrooms was our choice for a pizza.  I gave The Mister most of my pepperoni and sausage and enjoyed the cheese and mushrooms on the crisp, chewy yet fluffy light crust.
IMG_9740 Which was cooked perfectly in that stove. 

There's money left on the gift card for another meal.  Maybe I will be craving a salad soon-and can get all the vegetables I want.

Pieology Pizzeria 5575 Balboa Avenue, Suite 310 San Diego, 92111 (858) 565-0600 Open daily 9:30 a.m.-11:00 p.m. Website

IMG_9732

Ichiban Sando (Chula Vista)

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog, is being written by Cathy while Kirk is busy elsewhere with His Missus.  

In May, Kirk wrote about Kumo Japanese Sandos and in August, I wrote about Sandos from Grocers.  There's another stand-alone store in Chula Vista, open since April 2021.

IMG_2313 Ichiban Sando is on H Street just east of Broadway (across from the mall). 
IMG_2320 There are menu boards above and menu choices taped below the ordering window as well as a convenient pocket size menu. 
IMG_2314IMG_2314IMG_2314

IMG_2322 The Shrimp Katsu Sando ($11.50) is served on a choice of toasted homemade milk bread or brioche bun and with cubes of pickled radish.  Crispy breaded shrimp on the toasted bread- an excellent, large and filling sandwich. Kewpie mayonnaise on the bread as well as mixed with the cabbage gives all the flavor you need.
IMG_2328 The Pork Belly Bowl ($10.50) was another choice this day.  Steamed rice, pickled red cabbage and kimchee along with plenty of soft, tender pork belly topped with a Kewpie based sauce (slightly spicy;  maybe sriracha, which tastes sweet and hot).  Mixing the pickled vegetables with rice with bits of the fatty pork was quite a nice bite of textures and flavors.

IMG_2327 The Fruit Sando ($8 on the wall under the cash register but $8.50 on the paper menu) was wonderful- the soft, fresh home made milk bread, fresh and thick whipped cream and fragrantly ripe strawberries and kiwi made a perfect dessert snack.

We will stop by to try the various versions of egg sandos as well as other katsu flavors.  The beverage choices -coffees, teas, frappes and smoothies are intriguing.

Ichiban Sando 573 H Street Chula Vista 91910 (858) 294-4179 Open Daily: 10:30 a.m.- 8 p.m.

IMG_2317

Perry’s Cafe (Old Town)

Perrys Cafe closed in August 2024.  It is very much missed.


Thank you for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Today's post is being written by Cathy while Kirk enjoys some time off with His Missus.  

I think it's because I miss having fish as my breakfast protein, which started years ago at Smokey's (which unfortunately closed last month) and eventually was easily satisfied when I discovered fish on the breakfast menu at the El Cajon location of Perry's, which has, sadly, also closed.  Kirk first posted about this location of Perry's in 2007.

IMG_8645

IMG_3737IMG_3738 The Mister and I made the trek West, to Old Town, a few months ago, so that I could have the breakfast I was craving and He could fulfill His cravings.

IMG_8633IMG_8640 His order was F10- the Italian sausage frittata ($15.99).  A simple baked (in cast iron; thicker than an omelet) egg dish of Italian sausage, tomatoes and mixed cheese.  A nice, mild sausage, fresh tomatoes and plenty of cheese and eggs…filling and tasty.
IMG_8630 IMG_8641 Instead of toast, He chose biscuits and gravy- house made, fluffy inside with a crisp crust covered by a creamy, breakfast sausage filled gravy.
IMG_8635 Also part of the meal were hash browns.  Nice and crisp.

IMG_8639 Here's my Fish and egg meal ($16.99)-cod fish, lightly floured and pan fried, two (properly) poached eggs and crisp Home fries. The fish was served with the appropriate condiments of tartar sauce and lemon.  
IMG_8636 Instead of bread, I chose the muffin of the day (blueberry).  It's light and cake-like and filled with fresh, plump blueberries.

So happy this location made it through Covid-19.

Perry's Cafe 4610 Pacific Highway San Diego 92110 (619) 291-7121 Open daily 7 a.m.-1 p.m. Website

IMG_3739

Temari-Zushi (Midway District)

Thanks for stopping by mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food.  Kirk is busy elsewhere and Cathy is writing the post today. 

The Mister and I were in the Midway area of town and we pulled into the parking lot at the North East corner of Rosecrans and Midway (the mall anchored by Rubios).  A couple of places looked interesting, IMG_2388
IMG_5540 The Lunch Specials sign sealed the deal this day.

IMG_2383 IMG_2382

Decor here is predominantly round objects…explanation later.

IMG_5524IMG_5524IMG_5524IMG_5524IMG_5524IMG_5524IMG_5524IMG_5532IMG_5532IMG_5532IMG_5532IMG_5532
IMG_5532IMG_5532IMG_5532 The regular menu is very interesting, warranting a return visit.

IMG_2364 We each ordered a lunch special which includes miso and salad.  I also ordered a hot green tea ($2)-it was a wonderful genmaicha (green tea with roasted rice) loose tea tightly packed in a filter bag. 

IMG_2369 The Mister also wanted to try a California roll ($5.75).  Made with imitation crab and cucumber, this was very nice, quite large.  (Grated wasabi is $1.25; I neglected to take a photo.)

IMG_2371  Chicken yakisoba lunch ($13.50).  This had wonderful, thin noodles and was a flavorful stir fry of the chicken and vegetables (cabbage, carrot, onion and carrot).  The hand roll also had imitation crab along with cucumber.  

IMG_2374

{Explanation of the name of this establishment and the decor:  Temari  originally were leather balls used in a game similar to ‘hacky sack’ and now are soft, round, embroidered balls, a toy. viewed as art, covered in silk, accessories to kimonos and given as gifts, usually to girls on Girls' Day (Hinamatsuri).   Temari sushi are made to look decorative.  "Zushi" is one of Japanese grammar rules.  Japanese requires that certain consonants are changed when they are used as the first letter of a word attached to a prefix.  The “S” in “sushi”, for example, needs to be hardened into a “Z” in compound words, as is the name of this Restaurant.}

The Karaage/Temari/Edamame lunch ($13.50) was my order.  Beautiful, temari sushi-made with the slightly vinegared sushi rice-different rice than the rolls above- topped with salmon, ebi  (shrimp) and spicy tuna.  Great flavor and a bit different.  The chicken karaage was also round and had a light batter (which had a soggy (but not greasy) bottom by the time I got to the last piece).  Salted edamame was just enough vegetable to complete this meal. 

We were very happy to have stopped here and will return when in the area. 

 Temari Zushi 3555 Rosecrans Street San Diego 92110 Open Mon-Thurs 11 am-3 pm, 5 pm-9:30 pm Fri 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat 1 pm-9:30 pm Closed Sunday Website

IMG_2386

Taste of Hong Kong (Cathy’s visits)

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food and where you have found yourself stopping to spend some time reading on this lovely October day.  It's a day when Cathy is writing while Kirk is keeping busy, elsewhere.  

Kirk had been here initially in January and returned again a few weeks later with a different experience.  The Mister and I decided to try Taste of Hong Kong and see what we thought.

IMG_0624 Decades ago, this location was the first restaurant where The Mister and I had Dim Sum (carts and all).  The area at the front door had a window counter display case of roast ducks and roast pork; we would stop here for some roasted treats to take home if not going to Woo Chee Chong down the street.
IMG_0637 Fried squid appetizer ($8.99).  This came out last and was freshly fried to a nice, light crunch, not oily and was an excellent version, with garlic and peppers.  This could have been my meal, but we shared.
IMG_0637 House Special Pan Fried Rice Noodle ($17.95). Beef, pork, chicken, vegetables, egg, rice noodles all stir fried with a smoky wok hey comfort flavor.  A nice plate that we enjoyed.
IMG_0637 Combination Platter-Choice of Two roasted meats from the window display at the back of the eating area ($19.95).  Roast duck and roast pork belly.   Juicy, fatty, crisp skin with moist, flavorful, meaty goodness.  Enough left over for a nice dinner.  
IMG_0637 Prices are in line with other Cantonese style restaurants.  Quality is great.  Service is excellent.  We will try again.

Taste Of Hong Kong 4428 Convoy Suite 320 San Diego 92111 (858) 240-2728  Closed Tuesday.  Open 11:00-2:30, 4:30-9:00 
IMG_0630See-the hanging ducks and pork are back in the corner display case.

Elmisa Cafe (Rancho Bernardo)

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today; Kirk is busy.

So, The Mister and I started driving and looking for breakfast.  We had noticed this former Starbucks on Rancho Bernardo Road at West Bernardo Drive (just west of the 15 at RBRoad) had become sone sort of 'Cafe' in February 2020, but neither of us had stopped here.  Finally we did. 

IMG_5038

IMG_1861IMG_1860 The menu board has a good selection, with beverages, smoothies, fruit bowls, breakfasts (bowls and toasts), salads, sandwiches and flatbreads.
IMG_1867 The Healthy Bowl ($8.99) was a great choice- turkey, steamed eggs, spinach, tomatoes, arugula, mozzarella, avocado and a pesto topping.  The warm turkey and soft eggs were plentiful and complimented the (also warm) vegetables, cheese and pesto.  Flavors, textures and deliciousness. 
IMG_1870 The Elmisa Toast ($8.99) on an excellent 'artisan sourdough' was topped with avocado spread, hard boiled egg slices, Feta, tomato, cucumber, dry mint and extra virgin olive oil.  So many flavors, wonderfully combined in each bite!

71605121465__AC4C5E4F-17FE-4FC3-B4C8-B03C0A869149 A large (20 oz) cup of coffee ($3), by Lavazza was fresh and very good.

We will return to try more of the menu.  So glad we finally stopped here and that Elmisa made it while starting during Covid-19. 

Elmisa Cafe 11611 Rancho Bernardo Road San Diego 92127 Open daily 7 a.m.-3 p.m. (858) 432-4504 Website

IMG_1872

Ramen Nagi

Ramen Nagi created quite a buzz when they opened at UTC a few months back. Having eaten at the location in the Golden Gai, I was curious even though this location of Nagi didn't make the hardcore niboshi broth that the Tokyo location is famous for. I initially thought about going right away, but it was just too hot at that time. And then I started getting texts from FOYs like JeffP showing me the crazy lines and also hearing about folks waiting 90 minutes in line for their ramen. I'm sorry, I got work to do and just don't have the time nor fortitude to wait in lines during lunch hour. It's one thing to be in a line that just moves constantly like at you know where, it's a whole 'nother thing here in SoCal, I mean it seems even lines for baked goods move slowly.

Still, "FOY" Calvin really wanted to try Nagi after I mentioned the place to him while having ramen during a rather mediocre visit to Menya (post upcoming). So, we decided on a plan. It would be on a Monday; we'd arrive 15 minutes before opening and see how things are at that point in time

Nagi 01

As things turned out, we got to the shop at 10 before opening (11am) and were the second party in line. We were handed sheets to select how we wanted are ramen….the US's version of the Japanese ramen ticket machine I guess.

This being my first visit; I decided to go with the "Chef's recommendation" along with a tamago (of course). We were also told that karaage was available.

Nagi 01b

Once the place opened things moved fast. There already was water on the table along with all the condiments; we handed off our order sheets, mentioned that we wanted karaage, and it was off to the races.

Nagi 02

Nagi 03

Our ramen arrived within ten minutes.

Nagi 04 Nagi 05   At first blush I found the broth to have mildly porky – savory tones but was on the salty side; though it was fairly fatty – rich and nicely coated my tongue. I really couldn't make out any garlic flavor, probably because the broth was too salty.

The yolk of the well seasoned tamago was a lovely, tender orb and was warm! One of my pet peeves is having the yolk of my boiled egg served ice cold in my ramen.

The noodles were on the thinner side, slippery, with a decent "pull" to them.

Nagi 06  Nagi 07 As much as I enjoy spiciness, I didn't care for the "Nagi sauce" in this bowl of ramen as it really heightened the saltiness and distracted from the flavor of the tonkotsu style broth.

The chashu at Nagi is made from pork shoulder which can be on the tough side; but the slices here are thin and the meat has a decent tenderness along with a mild porky-soy sauce flavor.

Nagi 08

Calvin really liked the marinated moyashi.

Nagi 09

The Karaage took a bit of time to arrived, but was lip-melting hot!

Nagi 10 Nagi 11   These pieces were quite large; in fact Calvin and I could only finish one piece each and ended up taking the rest back to JeffP as a "consolation prize" since he couldn't make it. The batter was quite crunchy, almost edging on hard. The meat as on the chewy-dry side. It was covered in an overly sweet sauce. I don't think I'll order these again.

Both Calvin and I had enjoyed the ramen at Nagi. In my mind, I had already envisioned the "version" of the ramen I wanted on my next visit. And so, going with the same game plan I set off for "Nagi part II" on the following Monday, arriving at 10 minutes before opening. This time there were four parties in front of me. 

Nagi 13

I was handed my ordering slip which took me but a few seconds to complete.

Nagi 12

This being a solo visit, I was seated at the counter.

Nagi 14

Which gave me a front row seat to view the "line".

Nagi 15

Which was in constant motion….

Nagi 16

I could actually see my bowl being put together….it arrived in minutes.

Nagi 17  Nagi 18  The chashu this time around looked to have an almost "red" tinge to it; but was perfectly fine. I had ordered the broth to be "heavy" in terms of richness which it definitely was. So very rich, but not greasy, in fact the texture reminded me of the Seabura (backfat) ramen we had in Narita! Loved the thickness. Going for a lighter tare meant it was less salty and wouldn't you know, I could even make out the garlic!

Nagi 21 Nagi 19  The boiled egg was every bit as good as on the previous visit….good consistency displayed here.

I got the thicker noodles and being that I like them "katame" I ordered it "firm". I would even enjoy thicker noodles here. These had such a nice stretch and chew. I was really pleased with the noodles this way. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I found it enjoyable.

Nagi 20

To me, the adjustments I made on this visit worked out well. And even though I took time to savor things; I was out of Nagi in 20 minutes! Shades of Japan!

Well, it looks like I have a new favorite ramen shop in town. Now I gotta talk the Missus into trying them out.

Nagi 22

Ramen Nagi UTC
4301 La Jolla Village Dr. Suite 2033
San Diego, CA 92122
Current Hours:
Daily 11am – 230pm, 5pm – 9pm

Yuk Dae Jang

YukDaeJang 01

The Missus and I had heard about a location of Yuk Dae Jang opening on Clairemont Mesa, next to the currently (strangely) closed Zen Curry.

Yuk Dae Jang is quite popular in our old neighborhood of Rowland Heights/City of Industry so we were quite interested to try things out. I'd heard that the place gets kinda crowded, so the Missus and I planned on early dinner at did 4-430pm dinners on both visits and I got there at 5pm on my solo weekday visit.

YukDaeJang 02

And the restaurant was fairly empty when we arrived. The place is fairly spartan with a flexible 12-15 tables total. No wonder the place can get packed! The young folks employed here work really hard and are quite nice as well. There are menus already placed on the tables when you are seated and you are asked if you want barley tea or water on arrival.

YukDaeJang 03

The Missus, in cruising thru all those social media sights already knew what She wanted so ordering was easy, it was to be the Premium Bossam (small size $21.99) and the Galbi Jjim, which kinda turned my head; it was 76.99!

Soon enough the panchan arrived.

YukDaeJang 04

A baechu kimchi didn't have much fermented flavor, but was quite refreshing and crisp, we enjoyed it. The Missus is not a fan of Eomuk Bokkeum, the fishcake panchan, which was quite routine. The Buchu Muchim, chive panchan was quite pungent, but had a good backbone of soy and mild sweetness.

Soon enough our Bossam arrived.

YukDaeJang 05

Along with the typical panchan and sauces; bean paste and shrimp sauce. I was surprised at the few slices of napa cabbage and also the gul bossam. I had never seen bossam like this. The pork belly was quite velvety, with a very nice soy sauce-savory-mildly sweet flavor. We watched a couple of other tables and eventually figured out and made "bossam in a spoon", laying the pork belly then topping with what we enjoyed….the mul kimchi, garlic slices, etc….

YukDaeJang 06

Soon enough the Galbi Jjim arrived. We had a couple of bowls of rice, of which we devoured one.

YukDaeJang 07

The really sweet young lady saw me taking photos of the bossam and asked if I wanted to take a photo before they "prepared" the dish for us. Soon enough, she went to work slicing things with shears and in the end it looked like this.

YukDaeJang 08

It was placed on a burner. So, here's the hint if you ever get this; mix things well as the dish can be overly sweet and the ingredients bland. There's a good amount of thick cut galbi in this….again, on the sweet side; the kabocha just adds to that. We obviously had quite a bit of leftovers. It's a very photogenic dish, but at nearly eighty bucks….well, we don't think it's worth the price.

The service was quite nice and of course I needed to make multiple visits before doing a post. I decided to return to get the baseline YukGaeJang. On this evening the Missus was working and things weren't too busy when I dropped in at around 5pm.

YukDaeJang 09

I ordered the YukGaeJang ($17.99).

YukDaeJang 10

The panchan was the same as on the previous visit, though I detected that the baechu kimchi tasted a bit more fermented.

This time around I went with the purple rice, which was no big deal and on the mushy side.

YukDaeJang 11

As for the YukDaeJAng…..

YukDaeJang 12 YukDaeJang 13   The shredded beef was quite tasty. The broth had some nice spice, but was quite "flat" and one-dimensional in flavor. The glass noodles were too mushy. There was a rather greasy "mouth feel" to the dish and as a whole I felt it was quite mediocre.

YukDaeJang 14

Still, we had enjoyed the bossam so much that a return visit was in order. Plus, it was at that point in time when temperatures were rising in the county.

Things started off with the Premium Bossam in "Special Sauce" ($39.99).

YukDaeJang 15

This was basically the simmered pork belly in the sauce for Janggajji, the savory soy sauce based- mildly sweet-sour sauce used with pickled onions. I enjoyed the added onions and the favors with the pork belly. Granted, on this visit, some of the "rind" of the pork belly was on the tough side, but as a whole this was very tasty. It was bossam at a whole new level for San Diego.

YukDaeJang 16

We also got the Bi Bim Naegnmyun ($16.99).

YukDaeJang 19

While I appreciated the stretchy naegnmyun, the strands of beef were really chewy and the sauce was weak a watered down. This lacked the refreshing and bracing spice of the version we enjoy from Prime Grill. The flavor just tasted too diluted.

We also wanted to try the Mandu and the young lady who was our Server told us it would be no problem ordering a half pork and chive and kimchi and pork mandu ($11.99).

YukDaeJang 21  YukDaeJang 22 So, the wrappers were on the tough and brittle side. The filling for the pork and chive was bland and chewy, though the pork and kimchi had the advantage of some good savory-fermented flavor and was definitely the better of the two.

Our visits to Yuk Dae Jang left us at an impasse. We had enjoyed the bossam, which took the dish to a new level here in San Diego. We appreciated the service, which was efficient and attentive. But man can live on bossam alone….or can he? Time will tell. Let me know if you find a good "keeper" dish here at Yuk Dae Jang!

YukDaeJang 01a

Yuk Dae Jang
7307 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Wed – Mon 11am – 9pm
Closed on Tuesdays

Paris – Les Cocottes Four Years Later

There's one sort of tradition we have when visiting Paris. On every trip we make an effort to view the Eiffel Tower at night. So, after taking a break following our morning of walking around the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Arrondissements, we headed off to the seventh. On this day we hadn't made any plans for dinner. We were wondering how Les Cocottes was doing. Due to the location it was the scene of our first dinner in Paris and it had been four years since our last visit. The simple, unpretentious food at Les Cocottes had been satisfying and in 2021, the restaurant's namesake, Christian Constant retired. So new owners are in place. 

IMG_4205

The gentleman working the front of house was very professional and guided us to a table. While the 7th has always been quite popular with ex-pats, we've noticed even more over the last couple of visits. And on this visit we found that all the customers in Les Cocottes seemed to be tourists.

IMG_4204

We ordered two starters and noticed that the special for the evening was cassoulet, so we got that to share.

First up was the Creme de Champignon et Lard Paysan – a creme of mushroom soup with bacon. It was also crowned with a soft boiled egg.

IMG_4196

When this I arrived I told the Missus; "uh-oh….I must have Covid!"

She rocked back in Her seat and said "why?"

"Because, I must have lost my sense of smell….I can't smell any mushroom!"

The Missus cracked up! In all seriousness, this was very bland, boiled egg wasn't "soft", the bacon soggy, very little mushroom flavor.

Next up was the Foie Gras Terrine.

IMG_4199

Check out the "toast"…….did they lose their bread knife and have to tear this by hand? The bread was dry and mealy. The foie gras was fine, quite livery-offaly in flavor. The temperature was off as it was way too cold and hard.

And lastly, the Cassoulet. 

IMG_4202

Good lord, this was terrible! The pork was on the tough side and the tops were incinerated. This needed some help in terms of seasoning as well. The garlic sausage was undercooked and tough. Worse of all, the beans were also undercooked and hard. One of the worse versions of cassoulet we've had.

IMG_4203

This was very sad. Les Cocottes held a special place in our memories, but now….. And to think this is Christian Constant's legacy! Man, we thought our last visit to Arnaud Nicolas was bad!

Les Cocottes de Christian Constant
135 rue Saint-Dominique
Paris, 75007

We were feeling a bit down; but that was soon quelled as soon as we saw this.

IMG_4209

We strolled on over to the Tour Eiffel, the glowing beacon in the night, the iconic symbol of Paris, instantly recognizable by billions.

IMG_4216

We crossed the Seine on Pont d'Iéna and watched the tower sparkle at the top of the hour and then headed back to the apartment strolling along the Seine.

At at Place de l'Alma we took time to pause at the Flamme de la Liberté.

IMG_4218

Presented to the city in 1989 by the International Herald Tribune to mark the 100th anniversary of the English publication in Paris. In 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died in the tragic crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel and Flamme de la Liberté became a de facto memorial to the beloved Diana. The place officially became Place Diana in 2019.

IMG_4220

It reminds me of the lyrics to that Elton John song….the version he performed live only once in 1997.

"And it seems to me you lived your life
Like a candle in the wind
Never fading with the sunset
When the rain set in
And your footsteps will always fall here
Along England's greenest hills
Your candle's burned our long before
Your legend ever will…"

Elton John – Candle in the Wind 1997

IMG_4231

Paris – Les Artistes du Ravioli, Patrick Roger Chocolate, and other “Stuffs”.

On our fifth full day in Paris we decided to just go with the flow and just do whatever came to mind during the day. During the previous four days we'd had plans, but on this Saturday, we just wanted IMG_4157 to kick back and enjoy things. So, a visit to our favorite little spot on Rue Montorgueil, Café du Centre was in order. So, we strolled on over. It was fairly early on this Saturday, so the streets weren't quite as busy, though the shopping on Rue Montorgueil was in full swing.

So, we sat, had our Cafe Allonges and just watched the world go by for an hour or so.

IMG_4159

IMG_4162

So relaxing; it's a favorite pass time of ours.

From here we headed off to do some shopping in the 2nd; passing this art installment which we don't remember seeing before right in front of the Bourse de Commerce.

IMG_4171

Doing a bit of a search when I returned to the apartment, I found that this is called Cheval et Cavalier (" Horse and Rider") by American artist Charles Ray.

We strolled thru the lovely Galerie Vero Dodat which I've mentioned before.

IMG_4165

IMG_4167

We love walking thru the and exploring the covered passages of Paris

It was fun checking things out. There were some cute pooches as well……

IMG_4172

There's always something to draw your attention.

IMG_4173

After our required stops along the way, we headed on back. Stopping at Hôtel de Ville, City Hall for a bit. You see this was during the first week of December and the Christmas Markets were open. Hôtel de Ville has a Christmas Market of its own.

IMG_4176

While not as fun and those in the Alsace (we'd actually be taking a short trip soon) it was a fun little stop. And we saw this well behaved little one posing for a photo which stopped us in our tracks.

IMG_4178

My goodness……he looked like Frankie! The Missus and I looed at each other and smiled. Maybe Frankie was looking down at us at this moment! "We miss you everyday Frankie!"

We took busy Rue des Archives back in the direction of the apartment and the Missus saw a chocolate shop named Patrick Roger and we stopped in.

IMG_4179

Many of the chocolates seemed sculpted like pieces of art and the Missus decided to buy an assortment.

IMG_4180

IMG_4322

The Missus didn't enjoy these quite as much as Her favorite, but it was a fun stop.

Patrick Roger
43 Rue des Archives
75003 Paris, France

As we got to the apartment, we decided it was time for some lunch. The side streets close to where we were staying had quite a few Chinese restaurants, in the Haute Marais of all things. I mentioned the History of this in an earlier post. We saw this shop and decided some jiaozi might be nice on a winter day.

IMG_4190

The window was all fogged up because there were quite a few people in the place and there was a woman making jiaozi in the front as well. Customer base was a mix of Chinese and regular Parisians. 

IMG_4181

We got an order of Pork and Cabbage Jiaozi and an order of Baozi.

IMG_4182 IMG_4184  The wrapper was too thick and chewy, the filling tender but on the bland side. The black vinegar provided was really weak. These weren't very good.

The Baozi was better, but not by much.

IMG_4186 IMG_4188 The dough was too rubbery, though the pan fried portion was better. It was fairly yeasty in flavor and not overly sweet. The filling here was more tender and juicy, but still on the bland side, in need of a ton of the watery black vinegar.

Not quite sure in the dumpling "artiste" was inhouse on this day? But it was an inexpensive lunch.

Les Artistes du Ravioli
33 Rue au Maire
75003 Paris, France

And it was close to the apartment which was a good thing since I was ready for a nap!

Thanks for stopping by!