mmm-yoso – Page 81 – As in, yoso-silly, yoso-hungry, yoso-full, or best of all; mmm-delici-yoso!!!!! A San Diego based food and travel blog. An Ex-Pat Kama'aina and Friends explore food, restaurants, and travel from San Diego and points beyond.

Road Trip – Four Corners Monument, Lunch from Zuma Natural Foods (Mancos), and we Arrive at Mesa Verde

February 10, 2023 mmm-yoso Colorado, Flagstaff/ Sedona/Winslow/Northern AZ, Markets & Grocers, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Travel

**** Not much food in this one. But, if you get enjoyment out of wonderful views, you might like to read on.

Before I get on with this post, I need to thank "FOY" Dereck who provided me with tons of information on Cortez, Mancos, Mesa Verde, and Durango! What would we do without all of our helpful "Friends of Yoso" out there! Thanks Dereck!

We headed out from Flagstaff fairly early. It seemed like the drive to our first stop would be around 4 hours, but it ended up closed to 5 1/2 because of road work. I had always wanted to check out the Four Corners Monument the only place where four states meet in the whole US. We finally made it and paid the entrance fee; $8 per person and parked. We walked to the monument and stood in line to get to the spot where the four states meet.

And then got our 10 minutes at the four corners spot.

Not much else to do here, so we headed out.

We made reservations at a very comfortable motel/Inn that Dereck recommended named Retro Inn which even let us check in early. We then took a walk around downtown Cortez and went thru possibilities for lunch and dinner. Well, the Missus wasn't too keen on any of them. In the end we drove to nearby Mancos to check out Zuma Natural Foods a health food store.

And got a couple of sandwiches which they kindly toasted on the panini press for us.

And then headed upstairs to the outdoor dining area.

Both sandwiches were nicely toasted and the Hiker's Delight with the marinated mushrooms and roasted red pepper was a definite hit.

The gooey melted provolone and garlic aioli just added to the flavors.

The other sandwich was good; toasted to perfection, but it was weird having whole cashews in the sandwich.

The Missus enjoyed the sandwiches so much that we decided to just buy some salads and a mini watermelon and have that for dinner.

We always enjoy finding little markets during our road trips and thought that this was a nice little gem.

Zuma Natural Foods
299 North Main St.
Mancos, CO 81328

We headed back to the motel and relaxed a bit, then took another walk thru Cortez. Our dinner was those salads from Zuma. Love these type of set-ups; the car is parked right in front the door and there's a small table set-up where we could eat and share a couple of glasses of wine.

The next morning I grabbed a yogurt and some coffee from the free breakfast and we headed off. We had decided to stay the evening in Cortez so we could get an early start for our visit to Mesa Verde National Park. We entered and got to the Visitors Center just after they opened.

We took a walk along the short trail that goes around the Visitors Center. Man, talk about a view!

I had already planned our hikes for this day. Though when I saw the destination for our first hike….well, I wasn't too sure. The Point Lookout Trail ends on the Mesa in the photo below.

We enjoyed our time in the Visitors Center. We've found National Park Rangers to be very friendly and patient. We got some maps and info on Mesa Verde, then headed off.

Our first stop, the Point Lookout Trail. This trail is close to the entrance to the park near Morefield Campground. We easily found parking. In fact, we were the only car in the parking lot! I guess that visiting mid-September might be a good time?

There were a bunch of switchbacks and about a 400-500 foot elevation gain.

But the view at the end was wonderful!

And the Missus loved the fact that there was no one else on the trail when we visited.

In fact, in the photo below you can see our car parked as we headed down the trail. There was one other car in the lot at this time.

We then headed down a bit and did the Knife Edge Trail. According to what I read, this trail follows a portion of the Knife Edge Road which was used to access the park.

While this was a pretty easy trail…I wouldn't want to drive it!

And again the payoff were some great views.

And we had yet to see another human on these trails!

From here we decided to drive down to Wetherill Mesa and do a bit more exploring and hiking.

Stay tuned!

Bun Bo Hue From Da Nang Corner

February 9, 2023 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Da Nang Corner has closed

The Missus wanted me to do an Uncle Tetsu run. So, I decided to grab some lunch to go in the process. I recalled thinking the Bun Bo Hue from Da Nang Corner wasn’t too bad when I last had it….oh my, a year ago! So, I parked on a side street, walked over to Da Nang Corner and placed my takeout order, then went over to grab the Missus’s cheesecake.

Danang Corner 01

My order was ready when I returned and I headed home.

I immediately unpacked things when I got home.

Danang Corner 02 Danang Corner 03 I set about reheating the broth and moving the noodles and proteins to a proper bowl. One thing I noticed was that the broth really didn’t have that wonderful lemongrass-beefy fragrance of typical bun bo hue broth. Though I was prepared for the lack of banana blossom and such this time.

Danang Corner 04

Once things were ready, I had lunch.

Danang Corner 05 Danang Corner 07 Well, that decent bowl of Bun Bo Hue I got from here might have been a fluke as this broth had no lemongrass flavor…..in fact, other than being terribly salty, it really lacked spice and beefiness. I used the whole container of mam tom and it was still bland.

I wish there were more veggies as the portion size seemed quite small.

The meatballs were tender and the rustic cut beef was fine, the beef shank was just bone and the tendon was way too rubbery this time around.

The Noodles had been cooked too much and were mushy. I only pour boiling water quickly over noodles to revive so I don’t think it was that action making the noodles mushy.

Danang Corner 06

Bummer. Maybe I hit the lottery the last time as I thought the BBH was not bad. Or maybe that’s the norm and this was a “one-off”. I guess we’ll need to add possible consistency issues to the list as well.

Danang Corner 08

The state of Vietnamese food in the area has really nose dived the last couple of years.

Da Nang Corner
4428 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Crazy Duck

February 7, 2023 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian

**** Crazy Duck has closed and is now Little Kitchen

Back at the end of May, I read about a new "fast-casual" concept restaurant specializing in Roast Duck opening in Poway named Crazy Duck. We really enjoy roast duck, but Poway, man, that's over 20 miles away and with gas prices and such….. Well, I wasn't sure. But then I read Soo's post on the place and decided to check them out. So, back in July I made the 45 minute drive to the mall in Poway. Nestled between the combo of Jamba Juice-Chipotle and Pizza Studio-Starbucks-Baskin Robbins is Crazy Duck.

Crazy Duck 01

I saw several roast duck hanging in the typical case as I walked in.

Crazy Duck 02

The place is very clean and spacious, during my visits it was a cashless process. It does look very "fast-casual".

Crazy Duck 04

Though the prices for the roast duck were not. It was $19.99 for a half duck in July of last year which is what I got.

Crazy Duck 03

I made the 45 minute drive home and the Missus and I set about to sample the duck immediately.

Crazy Duck 05

Sadly, this was a bust. The skin was rubbery and measures to "resuscitate" said epidermis failed. The meat was dry and tasteless and there was no "jus" to help support things. After the drive, the gas, and time…well, to say I was disappointed is an understatement.

And there was no way the Missus wanted to make an effort to actually drive to Crazy Duck and dine in. And so the photos sat……..there were several moments where I was just going to delete the photos, but somehow I didn't. This is one of those situations where I felt a second visit was necessary if I was going to actually do a post. And so, I basically just sat on those photos. Then, at the beginning of December, Calvin wanted to meet for lunch. And even though he'd also had rather mediocre duck from CD, he was a good enough sport to agree to have lunch there. The one condition? "Let's have some duck, but not order a whole or half."

Crazy Duck 06

As of this visit, a half duck was now $20.99.

Crazy Duck 06b

And the menu had been really expanded with a some noodle dishes, dumplings, including xiao long bao, and other items.

Crazy Duck 08

We were told that the noodles were hand made, so we decided to order a couple of noodle soups and some sides. And because we were dining in, we were told to help ourselves to the "soup bar".

Crazy Duck 07

We both got hot and sour soup, which was quite salty, gloppy, and too much white pepper, though it hit it on the head in terms of "fast food hot and sour soup".

Crazy Duck 09

Calvin and I got some extra bowls and split the noodle soups. The Spicy Beef Noodle Soup, while not being spicy was the better of the two.

Crazy Duck 10

While the beef was on the tough side, the broth had some good beefiness, soy, anise, and other spices. Plus, the sodium was under control here. It was a heck of a lot better than what I'd last had at Formoosa. The noodles were a bit on the brittle side, but was not bad. In this case, the broth is what made this NRM.

The Duck Noodle Soup was interesting.

Crazy Duck 11 Crazy Duck 12 The noodles were the same as the NRM. The duck was much better this time around; you can tell by the color, there as much more five spice flavor and the meat, while on the tough side had taste. The skin was still a bit rubbery for my taste, but the fat had been rendered nicely. This was a definite improvement.

The broth was almost a watery tonkotsu-like bone broth that really lacked flavor or richness. It was a bit of a "head scratcher" for the both of us.

Crazy Duck 13

We also got the version of Smacked Cucumbers.

Crazy Duck 14

Which had a good amount of garlic and a nice crunch, but was pretty mild overall.

We also got the Spicy Won Tons.

Crazy Duck 15

We both enjoyed the won tons, the wrappers had that nice balance of "pull" and tenderness and the pork filling was well seasoned. The "sauce" was on the "gravyish" side, not very spicy, but super salty. Those won tons were good though!

So, overall it seems that the duck is getting better, though the food is mixed bag. I do like this ownerships other restaurant Taste of Hunan, but it's a totally different style of Chinese cuisine. Perhaps if/when gas prices come down, I'll make the trek out to Poway again. Crazy Duck 16

Crazy Duck
13487 Poway Rd.
Poway, CA 92064
Current Hours:
Sun – Tues, Thurs 11am – 8pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 9pm
Closed on Wednesday

You can read Soo's post here.

The “O” from Daddy’s Hot Dogs

February 6, 2023 mmm-yoso Hot Dogs

I recently had an appointment in the Hillcrest area; a place that I haven't been to very often since "BC". I actually had thoughts about revisiting HiroNori as I'd last had takeout from the place at the end of 2020! Man, time is flying by! However, my appointment finished quite early and HiroNori doesn't open until 1130. I still needed to get some stuffs form Penzy's, so I headed on over. I spent a good amount of time there, but still finished up at 1030 I was kinda done and not super hungry. To I strolled around a bit and just headed across the street to Daddy's Hot Dogs. I thought I'd just bask in the nice winter sun, grab a dog and head home. I also noticed that the place was already open at 1045!

Daddies 01 Daddies 02 I ended up ordering The "O", like I did on my previous visit. It's now $7, a buck more than on my last visit, which ain't too bad considering I've seen banh mi approaching nine bucks these days.

Soon enough, my dog was ready.

I moved over to one of the two portable tables, laid my elbows down, and set off to have the "O". And O-boy….this might have been the best dog I've had here.

This time the smoky salty bacon came thru quite well.

Daddies 03 Daddies 04 The acidity of the tomato and the mild spice from the jalapeno, along with the creamy Russian Dressing supported the wonderful "meat in tubular form" that had been seared nicely. The bun was nice and fluffy.

And like I said on my previous post on Daddy's:

"I ate standing at one of the two outdoor tables, no one around me, elbows on the table, sun shining brightly down on me."

And yes, it might "just be a hot dog", but on this day:

"And for a moment, all seemed right in the world."

Daddy's Hot Dogs
1281 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103

Road Trip – Wupatki National Monument, Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, Dinner at Atria, and Single Speed Coffee Roasters (Flagstaff)

February 4, 2023 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, Flagstaff/ Sedona/Winslow/Northern AZ, Road Trip, Travel

I had read a bit more about the Flagstaff area after our last visit and came across entries for Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument which caught my attention. I had never heard of these places before and was quite interested. Also, the two National Monuments are basically linked together on the same stretch of road so we could do both on the same trip. The visitors center at Sunset Crater was still closed at the time of our visit, so we headed up Highway 89 and turned off on Forest Road 545. We then headed to the Wupatki National Monument Visitors Center to pay our entrance fee.

As you exit the rear of the visitor's center you come across the paved trail for the Wupatki Pueblo. Wupatki means "long cut house" in Hopi. And the view is quite impressive.

You'll also see what is described as a round "ball court" and what is said to be a "community room or amphitheater".

We headed on down the trail. The main structure is said to have consisted of 104 rooms!

All of this built by Ancestral Puebloans. This place also ties into nearby Sunset Crater. It is said that the population of the area grew after the eruption of Sunset Crater as the ash improved the quality of the soil.

We read that this spot was used for gatherings.

While this one was a ball court.

Right next to the Ball Court is a blowhole.

There are supposedly several of them in the area.

Of course coming from Hawaii, I'm quite familiar with Blowholes, so I found this fascinating. More interesting info here.

The longer you stay, the more you start noticing things.

We spent a bit over an hour here. It was an interesting place to visit.

We then got back on FR-545 and meandered our way over the 19 miles or so, stopping at a few places along the way. The terrain suddenly changed as the road was lined with trees.

We stopped at the Cinder Hills overlook. And here you can see Sunset Crater.

Sunset crater is the youngest of the volcanoes that form the San Francisco Volcanic Field having erupted between 1064 – 1085.

We drove over to the Lava Flow Trail area. Some of it is paved and we enjoyed the unpaved portion more.

I liked getting up close to see an actual spatter cone!

And being a kid from Hawaii, I was surprised to see an A’a Trail. In case you don't know, A’a is a Hawaiian word for a specific kind of lava!

I think that having been to Volcanoes National Park at least a half dozen times gave me a really deep appreciation for this place. I know the Hopi had legends about Sunset Crater and will probably get a book one day…..I hope Madame Pele doesn't get jealous!

From here we headed back into Flagstaff and had a light lunch at Whole Foods then headed back to the hotel. After parking we decided to take a stroll and do some lèche-vitrine (window shopping).

We also took a stroll by the very distinctive gothic looking Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Chapel.

Then heading back to rest up before dinner.

For dinner I had selected a place that seemed to have interesting appetizers. As I've mentioned before, we've often found that the most enjoyable dishes in the starters section of the menu. It seems that chefs will often provide more tasty interesting dishes as appetizers as thy don't have to stick to the "big protein" formula of mains. The menu at Atria, a block from our accommodations opened in the winter of 2021 and the menu seemed to be a good fit for our appetite.

Atria claims to serve "Modern American" and farm to table cuisine. Our Server, I wish I could remember his name, was outstanding, efficient, friendly, and a lot of fun.

The place was fairly quiet when we arrived but quickly filled up by the time we left. The Missus thought the wine selection at Brix was better, but still found a couple of glasses She liked.

I had a cocktail called "Beyond the Pines – Notes of Flagstaff in a Glass" which I enjoyed.

Things started off with the Smoked Trout Salad.

This was such an interesting amalgamation of tastes, the anise of the fennel, bitter from the arugula, the salty-briney olives, the cucumbers. We also enjoyed the pistachio "hummus". The Missus didn't enjoy the smoked trout too much, nor did She like the oranges in the salad. I was fine with this.

The Bone Marrow was quite the show stopper. The dish arrived on its own portable grill.

Man, that buttery, smoky bone marrow on tasty toasted bread! The slices of mushroom might have been overkill, but it worked fine here. This was so good. And then our Server arrived with a shot of Bourbon. When I asked what that was for, he smiled and said, "for your luge of course!" Now how did he know? So, I did the luge, it was delici-yoso! And when I noticed the shot wasn't on the bill, I was told "it's on me"!

Now Flagstaff in nowhere near the ocean and we would never think of ordering mussels here, but the Missus was interested in the Steamed Mussels.

The mussels were cooked perfectly, plump, moist, and tender. We didn't much care for the "banh mi" toast, which had a strangely flavored pate on it. "Mopping duty" would have been perfectly fine with the toasts that accompanied the bone marrow.

We enjoyed the gamey flavor of the lamb in the Malloreddus.

The gnocchetti was perfectly cooked, slightly fluffy, with a mild chew. The green peas were quite sweet and the watercress added a pleasant peppery-bitterness. The Castelmagno cheese was a nice touch, really good in small doses on this dish.

Since there was a beef tartare on the menu; well, I had to order it. I was shocked to see that it came with quite a large portion of rather ordinary crinkle-cut fries.

I initially thought the beef was cut a bit too large, but it was very tender. The "garlic cloud" added some decent savoriness, but would have loved a bit more briney-citrusy tones to cut thru the richness. Still, this was a pretty good version.

While some of the dishes were a bit over-the-top we enjoyed this meal, the service was wonderful. We had a fun time here and would gladly return.

Atria
103 N Leroux St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001

The next morning we got up bright and early. It was a four hour drive to our next destination so we weren't in a rush. After grabbing breakfast at the hotel we made one last stop in Flagstaff at a little coffee shop somewhat disguised as a bike shop named Single Speed Coffee Roasters.

This place roasts their own beans and coffee nerds will have fun here.

While waiting for the Missus's Pour Over, I went up the stairs and had a look at the cozy seating area.

We got our coffee to go as we wanted to "hit the road".

The Missus thought Her pour over was ok, but I really liked the cold brew.

Nice place, friendly staff.

Single Speed Coffee Roasters
1000 E Butler Ave.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Next stop, Cortez Colorado!

Road Trip – Brix Restaurant and Firecreek Coffee Company (Flagstaff)

February 3, 2023 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, Fine Dining, Flagstaff/ Sedona/Winslow/Northern AZ, Road Trip, Travel

Back in September of last year the Missus and I took a wonderful road trip. For our first stop, it was between Phoenix, Sedona, or Flagstaff. While the Missus enjoyed the hiking in Sedona, we didn't care for the restaurant scene that much. And we'd do a bunch of hiking during this road trip and there was one stop I was interested in close to Flagstaff; so FLG it was. The drive was pretty long, it took us over 8 hours. We did stop for a quick lunch in Phoenix at Flower Child and headed back on the road. We got in just after 430pm and checked into the Residence Inn. We liked this location when we were last in Flagstaff and our dining destination for the two evenings here were in walking distance.

We had dinner reservations for 6pm and headed out a bit early just to stroll around the historic downtown area.

Just a couple of blocks from downtown, in a former carriage house that was built in 1909 was our dinner destination; Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar.

While the service was a bit slow, the staff was very friendly and this was far from being a stuffy fine dining destination. The Missus enjoyed the wine list and I started with a nice cocktail.

We started with the Elk Tartare and the Wood Roasted Mushrooms.

The Elk Tartare was nicely chilled, though it was on the mushy side in terms of texture.

Those yellow dots were an egg yolk emulsion…I would have preferred a drippy egg yolk as the emulsion really didn't add much to the dish, the horseradish was also strangely mild in flavor. The celery leaves did add a nice boost of palate restoring flavor. Perhaps if they chopped it a bit smaller you could get more than three bites.

The Wood Roasted Mushrooms was another dish that suffered from having a bit too much going on.

The local mushrooms were so earthy, with a mild sweetness and had been nicely roasted which created a layer of smokiness. The miso black garlic puree was so salty and just overwhelmed the wonderful mushrooms.

The bread soon arrived. Like many other places, Brix is now charging for bread and butter. It was $5 at the time of our visit.

I had ordered the Cavatelli.

The pasta, which is similar to shells was pretty thick and overcooked, making it quite mushy. I could have used more basil in the pesto and more pine nut flavor. The preserved lemon was quite strong in flavor and as with the mushrooms, it over powered the dish. The fava beans were wonderful, adding a nice nutty flavor to the dish.

The Market Fish was cooked to perfection.

Crisp skin, moist flesh, and that watercress added a wonderful crisp bitterness. The cannellini beans were undercooked and hard…and you know how the Missus us about Her beans, right? The tomato consomme was salty, but added nothing else to the dish. It was kind of sad since the fish was done so nicely.

In the end, the friendly folks working outshone the food. Yes, service was a bit slow, but the staff were so nice. I just wish the dishes were more to our taste.

Brix Restaurant & Wine Bar
413 N San Francisco St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001

On the way back to our room I wanted to take a look at the Hotel Monte Vista.

Why you might ask? Well, the Hotel Monte Vista has been named the most haunted spot in Arizona (check out the stories on that website)! There are supposedly several, ahem, "guests" who have never checked out. There's a "phantom bellboy" that knocks on the door to room 210…in fact, John Wayne is said to have reported this ghost to the staff several times. You can even read about some of those "ghosts" on the hotel's website. And also on this website as well. You know me and stuff like this, right?

Why didn't we stay here? Well, having already having spent a couple of nights at one of the most haunted hotels in the US, without any disturbances, I really didn't feel like pushing my luck. Plus, I was pretty tired after all that driving and wanted a good night's sleep, which is what I got.

In the morning we woke and I went downstairs to the breakfast buffet and took some stuffs back to the room. I then headed out to grab us some coffee. I had a place located just two blocks away named Firecreek Coffee Company on my list so I headed on over.

The gentleman working was quite nice and friendly. I got the Missus and Ethiopian Pour Over which She said was ok and I enjoyed my Cold Brew.

I'd gladly return here.

Firecreek Coffee Company
22 Historic Route 66
Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Having had a light breakfast and bolstered by caffeine we were ready to head on out.

Cabeza en su Jugo from De Cabeza/El Único

February 1, 2023 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

It seems that we just don't get out much anymore. I'm sure that gas prices and inflation as a whole, not to mention Covid has had an affect on us? Yes, we do dine-in when travelling, but the special circumstances and self testing and such make it worth the opportunity cost to us I guess?

That's not to say that we don't miss certain dishes. Recently, the Missus had an appointment in Chula Vista and wanted me to drop Her off and wait. We came up with idea of trying some new places….but in the end; the (relatively) cold weather made us crave an old favorite of ours (and Las Ahumaderas hasn't opened yet). The Cabeza en su Jugo from De Cabeza/El Único. So, I dropped the Missus off for Her appointment and headed on over to de Cabeza. It was around 230pm on a Sunday and I thought the place wouldn't be too busy, but I was wrong!

De Cabeza Rev 01

Boy was I wrong! The place was packed. I didn't want the Missus waiting for me to pick Her up, so I was thinking about doing an "about face" when Jesus, the wonderful manager of De Cabeza saw me, smiled and waved me in. I asked how long it would take for two orders of the Cabeza en su Jugo and he told me with a smile; "for you my friend, no longer than fifteen minutes". And he went to make my order immediately. What service! And I wasn't late picking up the Missus.

It was chilly and rainy this past Sunday night, so the soup, once heated, was so comforting.

De Cabeza Rev 02 De Cabeza Rev 04 For some reason; perhaps we're missing good Mexican food, the tortillas seemed even better than before….such wonderful maize flavor! And perfect for dunking or enfolding around the luscious, rich, and tender beef head. The soup was quite rich and viscous, had a nice "zing" of heat, and a squeeze of lime just took the edge off the richness.

This totally had that "aaah" affect.

I realize that this might not be everyone's cup of tea; there is a real beefiness to this soup that might freak folks who have been attuned into eating very lean cuts. Yes, there's real fat in this, good collagen, and it all adds to the texture and flavors.

De Cabeza Rev 03

As I left Jesus shook my hand and told me; "tell your wife I said hello and hope to see you both soon"!

I guess I need to make more of an effort to get out and about.

De Cabeza Rev 05

De Cabeza/El Único
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Hilo – Poke Market and Hilo Farmer’s Market

January 30, 2023 mmm-yoso Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Hawai'i - The Big Island, Poke, Travel

The Missus and I were so excited about heading to the Big Island. We both love the amazing environmental diversity, the warmth of the people, and just the relaxed vibe on the Big Island. I had good friends who had resided in Hilo for almost a decade and another good friend whose family used to own property in Kamuela that we'd check on, so we had visited many times in the pre-blogging days. So when the Missus asked me when was the last time we were on the Big Island, I gasped; it had been a decade! Even though we had only a couple of nights, we felt comfortable with the Big Island and had seen much of it before, so we'd spend our time focused on a couple of things and just enjoy ourselves.

It was interesting flying First Class on HAL, the Premier Lounge is quite comfortable, but only has coffee, tea, soft drinks, and those little bag of snacks they give you on flights.

Still, things were quite mellow here and it was right next to the gate for our flight to Hilo. The first place the Missus wanted to hit when we landed in Hilo was Suisan. Sadly, this was a Wednesday and I had to break the news to Her that Suisan is closed on Wednesdays. Which led to the question, "where are we going to get poke?" Luckily, I had a back up plan. I'd read about a little shop on Waianuenue Avenue simply called the Poke Market. We lucked out and found parking in the lot on the corner of Waianuenue and Keawe Street. The place was across the street. Ordering was done at a simple window and your food brought out from the door.

There was one young lady waiting to order at the window when we arrived and one rather disheveled old timer standing with his bike by the door. The young man running the place came out and handed the gentleman a poke bowl and simply told him, "you come back later and pay, okay?" I'm guessing this guy had no money and the owner of this place was really displaying true "Aloha".

Anyway, two of the six featured poke were sold out by the time we ordered. Because we had a rather substantial breakfast, we decided to just get three 1/4 pound portions of poke. The Hawaiian Style, Ginger Sesame Soy, and one that I would usually never order, the Shiitake Salmon. I'm not a big fan of salmon in poke.

We then walked down Waianuenue and then onto Kamehameha and sat on the stone wall in front of the Tsunami Museum, which looked like it was closed and had our poke.

The Hawaiian was our favorite, though it was on the salty side. The fish was tender and of good quality. Could have used more ogo, but this as much better than what we'd had the day before.

The Ginger Sesame Soy also had good quality fish.

We were surprised at the Shiitake Salmon, the salmon was tender, it had a nice savoriness and umami. I'm still not a fan of mayo on my poke though. I think it detracts form the texture of the fish….but since this was salmon…..

This was a nice start to our stay on the Big Island. And the Missus was to even get Her "Suisan fix" over the following days as well.

Poke Market
41 Waianuenue Ave.
Hilo, HI 96720

We decided to head on over to the Hilo Farmers, a place that we both love.

It was good to see that the place hasn't changed much. The Missus got some rambutan which She enjoyed over the next couple of days.

It was comforting to see that things haven't changed much since our last visit.

Hilo Farmer's Market
Corner of Kamehameha Ave. and Mamo St.
Hilo, HI 96720

We dropped by a couple of shops as we wandered back to the car.

As we sauntered over to the vehicle, the Missus and I looked at each other and laughed. It was so good to be back on the Big Island. All the craziness of life on the mainland had been paused and we had settled into "island time" quite quickly. Something that usually takes a couple of days. It was a great feeling.

We smiled and looked forward to our next stop. Volcano Village and Volcanoes National Park!

Oaxaca – Barrio Xochimilco and Chepiche Cafe

January 29, 2023 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Mexico, Oaxaca, Travel

We had enjoyed exploring Jalatlaco so much, that we decided the morning of our last full day in Oaxaca checking out the oldest neighborhood Xochimilco, which was founded in 1486. We started at the Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán area and headed North.

Passing what had now become some pretty familiar sites like Xochimilco Aqueduct. From here we headed North on Rufino Tamayo.

To say that the street art was amazing is an understatement.

Things were very relaxed and quiet; even more so after we crossed the highway and the street became Calle José López Alavez . But things were no less colorful.

It was non-stop colors and textures…

By now we were getting a bit hungry. I had a place on my list close by called Chepiche Cafe. Tucked away on a side street, with an unassuming street facing storefront, you head thru a gate and then down some stairs and get to the lively, lovely courtyard dining area.

We were seated, the place had a definite modern, almost hipster vibe to it. Service was friendly and professional.

The Missus got some hot chocolate, which was kind of weak and watered down.

Our meals at Boulenc had gotten the Missus to focus in on Avocado Toast, which is what She ordered ($75/MX – $3.90/US).

This was fine though nowhere as refined and tasty as the version at Boulenc. You can't beat the creamy, almost sweet avocados in Mexico. The toast was a bit on the burnt side and the Missus needed more salt for this, but it did the job.

Still being fixated on Hoya Santa, I ordered the La Santa ($105/MX – $5.50/US). Man, this was much more food than I expected.

In some ways this really represented the neighborhood, bright colors and varying textures. The poached eggs were cooked to perfection, just wonderfully runny, with no off flavors. I really got to appreciate the peppery-minty-anise tones of hoya santa. The hoya santa rellena was filled with mildly milky and sharp queso menonita and even more tasty beans. Didn't care much for the "salsa" which was watery and weak. The plantains was an interesting addition, though perhaps it made things a bit too sweet for me.

Overall a decent brunch and no complaints about the portions or prices.

Chepiche Cafe
Genaro Vásquez 6 A
Barrio de Xochimilco, 68040 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico

We enjoyed the splashes of color as we headed back to Centro.

For some reason, on the way to the hotel we decided to drop back in at a ceramic shop we'd visited earlier. As I mentioned in an earlier post, they didn't have anything the Missus wanted. All the items She saw was awaiting sale to businesses. When we returned however, the young lady remembered us and took us into a room. Apparently when they create works for various restaurants and such, they make extras, and the Missus found some cups She liked for hot chocolate.

Such thoughtful service!

Tierra Quemada
Labastida 115
Centro, 68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico

From here we walked back to the hotel to escape from the afternoon heat.

It seems that even the street dogs are mellow and follow their own "code of conduct" here.

We stopped by the location of Mayordomo to get some chocolate to take home before relaxing back in our room.

There was something special about Oaxaca….the food, the colors, the sounds, and most of all the wonderful people.

Oahu – Fresh Catch (Pearl City)

January 27, 2023 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Oahu, Poke, Seafood, Travel

We were finally visiting "home", the four years away seemed like forty. And it wasn't without some apprehension on my part. I wondered if Covid had changed the Hawaii that I knew. How were things going to be, what had changed, had I changed?

It was drizzling as we left San Diego.

The remnants of the "atmospheric river" that pounded San Diego for over a week. On the other hand, back home, rain is seen as a blessing…..

We flew Hawaiian Airlines and while the food wasn't stellar, unlike most domestic first class, HAL seats will lay flat, so you can actually take a nap if you want to.

But I shouldn't have worried…once we landed, it felt like "home". And like the Missus says, "once you get here you walk different and talk different". Some things never change.

Of course as soon as we landed poke was on our minds. Unfortunately, due to our schedule, we weren't able to visit two of our favorites as Tanioka's was closed the day we arrived and Ono Seafood was closed on the day we went into "town".

Still, we wanted our poke fix, so I did some searching and found that Fresh Catch had opened a location in Pearl City at the end of 2020. So, we decided to head on over to grab some poke for an afternoon "snack" of sorts.

The young man working was really friendly. While looking at the offerings, the Missus pointed at the Oio Lomi, the scraped bonefish that's really an acquired taste. She wanted to try it….well, the Missus had really enjoyed aged poi, so I thought "why not" and got a quarter pound of it.

Unfortunately, She found it much too gooey and "fishy" for Her taste.

I, on the other hand had eaten my share of this growing up and thought this was a decent version. I enjoyed he tongue coating texture…yes, it does "taste like fish". It was a bit on the salty side as was everything else we got from here.

The "Hawaiian Blend", basically Ahi Limu was really salty and the fish was on the more "chewy" side.

Too much salt, too much shoyu. Some really tough pieces with too much "tsuji" – connective tissue.

The Ahi Wasabi was a bit better.

Though again, we thought the quality of the fish wasn't quite up to what we enjoy. Still a bit overly salty which muddled the heat from wasabi, a bit too overly sauced as well.

Kind of a bummer overall as we'd enjoyed our visits to the Kaimuki location on previous visits.

Fresh Catch
98-371 Kamehameha Hwy.
Pearl City, HI 96782

Of course, we had jiaozi for dinner. We had really missed my MIL's handmade jiaozi! Over the years it's become comfort food for me. I basically ate this whole plate. In fact, when my MIL asked us what we wanted for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it was jiaozi! We can't get anything close to this in San Diego.

And then we had baozi for breakfast!

With some potstickers!

Before we headed off to the Big Island.

It was so good to be "home"!

Thanks for stopping by!