I was recently told that Pho Duyen Mai has changed ownership. From my understanding, one of the partners of Cross Street is the new owner. I wanted to check what was going on, but it was just too hot to think about a bowl of pho. Of course, the weather has suddenly changed course over the last couple of weeks…..I guess fall is now here? Anyway, I decided to see what was up.
Pho Duyen Mai:
I decided to visit right at opening time, which is 10 am.
And I'm glad I did. Even though I was the second party thru the doorway, the place filled up quickly.
I took a look around and quickly noticed a couple of things; I didn't recognize anyone working and the rib bones (Xí Quách Suon Bò) were no longer offered. I also noticed that there were quite a few more folks working then I recalled as well.
I went with the #28, the Rare Steak, Flank, Brisket, Tendon, and Tripe – small ($12). It was interesting to watch. By the time I placed my order, seven more tables were occupied! While the woman went around delivering menus and then taking orders, the young man who tended the register made a loop around the dining room dropping off water. After all the orders were taken, the woman taking the orders made a loop around the dining room delivering utensils and napkins. An older, smiling gentleman delivered my bowl of pho to the table.
I quickly noticed that some of the basil had gone south already and the portion of sprouts was even smaller than on my last visit.
Also of interest was the dearth of proteins. There were two thin slices of rare beef, which was rolled up, one slice of flank, one of brisket, one decent slice of beef tendon and the tripe was MIA. Everything but the tendon was sliced super thin.
The noodles were in the typical clump, but was decently cooked and still had a nice pull to them.
As for the broth……well, it was very thin and light, almost lacking in color, super salty, with that "San Diego sweet" tone, with just a hint of anise flavor. I had to make use of the slice of lime to help cut the saltiness. Needless to say, I was quite thirsty after this.
Wow, this was quite disappointing. And I used to think that Duyen Mai was the best pho in the area…..but with a change of ownership…shades of Pho Lucky.
Pho Duyen Mai
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123
This visit had me thinking about the other Pho shops along Clairemont Mesa Boulevard. So over the next couple of days I decided to do some revisits, MS (heebie) G(bies) be damned.
Next up was down the street.
Pho Fusion:
It had been a while since I'd been to Pho Fusion, so I was interested to see how things were.
As is my M.O. I arrived right at the 10am opening.
It was pretty quiet during my entire visit as only two parties arrived. The older gentleman was nice but seemed a bit distracted. I ordered the regular #14, Brisket, Flank, Tendon, and Tripe ($10.95). My bowl arrived very quickly.
I'm used to Pho Fusion being a bit miserly with the sprouts and basil and they lived up to that reputation; though at least it was of decent quality.
The soup was quite dark, though clear, overly salty with that "sweet" note, and lacking beef and enough anise tones.
There was a good amount of protein….though perhaps I was measuring this against what I'd previously had at Duyen Mai? This time around, the tripe and a nice crunch, and the flank, while being chewy had a nice amount of beefiness, which was missing in the broth.
The noodles were in the typical clump, but were not over-cooked. As mediocre as this bowl was, it was still better than what I'd had at Duyen Mai. Kinda sad….
Pho Fusion
8038 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111
Which left me with one last option on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard…..
PT Eatery:
In all honesty, I was not fond of the "Pho not to Offend" from PT Eatery. But that was in the days "BC" (Before Covid) when they had first opened at the end of 2019, beginning of 2020. A revisit was well overdue.
I had put PT into the category of "Fusion Phuong Trang lite". Though the fact that I consider Phuong Trang to be MOR pho…well, you can kind of figure out my expectations here.
I do like the decor and on my previous visits the folks working have always been friendly and professional. I was glad to see that things were still the same in this category.
I ordered the Small Combo ($12.95). Which arrived with a fork?????
I didn't know I was giving off those "silverware vibes"? Needless to say, I used the napkins, but the fork stayed in the basket.
At least the basil and sprouts were super fresh. This was also the largest portion of the three places I visited.
Whoa, this was by far the largest "small bowl" of the three places as well. The soup had a good amount of cilantro and onions.
Of the proteins, the best items were the flank, which was beefy and surprisingly tender and the tripe which had a nice crunch. The rare steak was a bit over cooked by the time the bowl hit the table and while there were several pieces of tendon provided it was a bit too hard for my taste.
Unlike on my previous visit, while the noodles were in a huge clump at the bottom of the bowl, it was decently cooked and not mushy.
When I tried the broth a strange flavor hit me. Was it actually? Well yes, there was a light beefiness that could actually be made out. It felt so foreign since this is what was sorely lacking in the previous two bowls. While still on the "sweeter" side for my taste, this wasn't too salty. The amount of onions and cilantro actually contributed a hint pungent-citrusy flavors to the soup as well.
Well gee wiz….who would have thunk? I preferred PT Eatery to Duyen Mai? Maybe I need to revisit Phuong Trang since it's been a good number of years? Well, let's not get too excited. It's more likely that I'll head to Linda Vista the next time I'm craving some pho.
PT Eatery
7351 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
There was quite a bit of interesting street art in the area. There was a place named Holybelly that was the subject of one of the 
Choices of pizza, Asian fusion, poke, a taco shop and Greek/Mediterranean (as well as a massage parlor)…what a unique mall area with plenty of parking.
We decided on Viktor's after checking out menus on the windows of all the businesses.
Walk up, order and pay. Grab your beverages. Your name is called out when everything is ready.
For this initial visit, we chose to share an Ultimate Salad ($14.95). A full serving of Gyros and a full serving of Victor's chicken on top of a Greek Salad. Wow! Plenty of food to share. A standard Greek salad-Romaine, bell peppers, onion, tomato, Feta and Greek olives, topped with a house made VK dressing. The marinated chicken was moist and grilled with a nice char. The beef and lamb gyros was shaved from the vertical rotisserie spit and very good. 
I also ordered this "Feta Melt" from the starter menu ($6.25) and wow-this was great. Feta, red onion, bell peppers, tomatoes on a toasted pita. 
A great bite of flavors and texture. Even though served folded, as above, eating the pita 'open faced' seemed proper.
Then again, the interior decor is unique and focused on types of 'money'.
Walk up, order and pay. You are given a number and find a seat. 
Here is a close up of the menu.
"The Mess" ($9.10) Eggs, cheese, hash browns, bell pepper, onion, ham, bacon, sausage and toast. Everything in every bite. A lot of food, a lot of flavor, a lot of texture. Should be enough for anyone.
Chili Cheese omelette ($8.90) Three eggs filled with house made chili (no beans) and topped with a slice of American cheese. A slab of crispy hash browns and toast. Again a lot of food. A bowl of chili will be a nice meal when the weather cools down. 
We decided to share a side and since it was our first time, a Combo Plate ($6) was ordered. Fries (not too many; a nice surprise), onion rings (whole onion, not diced), zucchini fingers and mushrooms. This large platter was served with two large cups of house made Ranch (you can order more for 50¢). Excellent, fresh, proper fry (even the potatoes were nice and crisp) and leftovers.
A "3 x 3" burger ($6.60) was one order. Three charred beefy patties, three slices of cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickle and onion on a toasted bun. Excellent, fresh and, of course, large.
The Chicken Breast Sandwich ($7.75) was a great choice. Served on a lightly toasted Squaw Roll, the grilled chicken breast has a slight char and is moist and flavorful. Lettuce and tomato is all that was needed to compliment this sandwich. 
We decided to share a banana milkshake ($4.50) and it was great! 
A remnant from the vault is now part of the decor.
Having 
Step inside, the sign in sheet is at the door, sushi bar is to your right. There is outdoor seating.
As always, we start with hot tea.
The paper menu is in English and Japanese. If you are early enough (and there are still some of the limited number of bento lunch specials available), you'll be given the daily Special Bento Box menu. You can also read the menus online. 
This Bento Special ($15) included Pot au feu, steamed chicken, fish miso, deep fried Spanish mackerel, deep fried meatloaf, spaghetti and rolled omelet (in addition to miso soup and salad). Pot au feu is steamed beef with vegetables; tender, rich flavored. The steamed chicken was also nicely flavored (no condiments/soy sauce is needed for any of this meal); every bite was well balanced.
Sara Udon ($18) is a crispy noodle based dish. Stir fried seafood (shrimp, fish, scallops) and vegetables with a smooth sauce surrounded by crisp, fried udon. Textures, flavors and comfort-food. 
Homemade gyoza ($7.50) are filled with a juicy pork mix,. The gyoza skins are thin with a light fry.
Chicken Katsu Bowl ($16). Served as a 'Set" (as are all the main dishes), the Katsu chicken on top of rice is light crisp-fried and juicy. 
Ebi Kakiage Udon ($14)- Shrimp with shredded vegetable. This tempura-type dish has the shrimp (ebi) coated with bits of seafood and vegetable fried into a sort of fritter. Pieces can be dipped in the udon, but the crispiness is what was craved this day.
Grouper Hot Pot ($15) (listed as 'Hataki Noko' instead of 'Nabe' on the handwritten receipt).
Arriving like this- with hidden fish and a luxurious topping of mixed vegetables and many types of mushroom in an excellent (not too salty) dashi based broth. Each component of this tray was filled with flavor. The fried grouper did manage to stay crisp for a good part of the meal.
One hot day, I ordered my favorite, Tempura Zaru Soba ($14). Chilled soba noodles with a tasty dipping sauce and tempura shrimp on the side. Soba does not affect my blood sugar levels, making this dish even more satisfying.
One day, we were seated at the back wall and were able to stop to read the display along that adjoining corner wall. Professional golfer, Xander Schauffele has a signed poster and other news items on this portion of the wall. 
That's what things looked like when I opened up the boxes back at the office. I did a quick taste of the tomato topping which was super bland, you couldn't even really taste tomato. The version of Mul Kimchi provided was weird as it had a real strong anise/clove flavor that wasn't very pleasant.
And not a hint of truffle flavor to be found.
The wings had held up better this time. I tried the sides first. The corn slaw was terrible, the "dressing" was really watery and this lacked flavor. Very little corn, you might as well just give me raw coleslaw mix.
The batter had peeled away from two of the pieces, which had been turned face down in the box. The sauce was not overly sweet, but I still would have preferred a bit more saltiness, this was much milder than the versions at other places. The chunks of chicken were on the dry and tough side.
I'm not going to beat a dead horse about that Mul Kimchi. I just don't care for the flavor.
Really friendly folks, a nice selection. I got the Missus a French Press and I got an Americano before we hit the road.
The Entry for Rotary International, "Clean Water, The Music of Life" was being tested with weight (people) onboard. You can see a rectangular slot at the front end of the 'keyboard'-that is where the 'Spotter' for the float will be watching for traffic and hazards during the parade. He or she will be communicating with the driver, who only looks down and follows the 'Rose Colored Line' painted on the street.
The entry by the City of Alhambra, "Celebrating the Year of the Dragon"was tested in its full open position. 
But every float has a maximum height and width it must be able to collapse down to so it can proceed along the Parade Route. The doorway of the decorating barn is that maximum size. 
"Chimes of Liberty Protecting Our Future" is the 2024 entry by the Fraternal Order of Elks, a Service Organization.
This detailed float will certainly be an eye catcher! You might notice the hands are missing from the Fife and Drum Corps- the faces as well as the hand flesh tones are being decorated with various spice blends/mixes by professionals (not us volunteers).
Lutheran Hour Ministries entry, "Make A Joyful Noise Unto The Lord" passed its third mechanics and maneuverability test and is ready to be decorated beginning on December 2. You can see the rectangular slot for the 'Spotter' in this photo.
Step inside, order and pay. We were directed to a table and soon enough, our orders were delivered. 
Pretty much a standard first time order for us: Har Gow ($3.99), Shumai ($3.99), Crescent dumplings ($3.59) and egg tarts ($3.59) were brought out first. Fresh and warm, great flavors.
The soup dumplings ($7.99) took a little longer and were steaming hot. (I took the photo before asking for a spoon, but there was no leakage) quite a bit of soup and a thin dumpling skin). Tasty.
There were utensils in the drawer under the tabletop-but no spoons. 
Tea was $1 each (so, one green and one oolong) and you could get more hot (as well as chilled) water at the counter.
Of course we're talking about good pork XLB. This was basically, meh…. The wrappers were too thick, there wasn't enough "soup" in the dumplings, and the pork filling was tough.
It was good. I liked the wrapper, which was tender, with a bit of heft, and a nice al dente pull to it. The filling was also nicely seasoned, more of a course chop with large pieces of tender, briny-sweet shrimp. There were perhaps a bit too much Chinese chives in this, but overall no complaints. I did not care for the dipping sauce that came with the jiaozi, it had sweet tones I didn't care for. I just ended up using the black vinegar provided on the table.
