mmm-yoso – Page 96 – 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.

Takeout Lunches from Wa Dining Okan

August 14, 2022 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

In my most recent takeout post on EE Nami, "FOYs" Jason and Jessica mentioned that Okan's lunch specials were still priced right. Which made me wonder when I last did takeout from Okan. So I Okan TO Rev 01 did a quick lookback…and geez, it had been over 2 years!

Since I needed to pick up some groceries from Nijiya, getting takeout from Okan would be perfect!

I drove on over; parking is not so bad before 11am, walked on over to Okan, did the QR code thingy, and waited a few minutes until they opened. I was impressed to see that the prices for most of the base lunch specials were only $11.50, a bargain these days. Taking into consideration the drive home, when my chance to order arrived I went with the Buta Kakuni lunch set, which is what I also ordered during my last takeout visit.

I then went into Nijiya and did some quick shopping. I'm used to doing shopping at Nijiya at 9 in the morning….so the check-out line was a bit longer than I had expected. The young lady at Okan told me my order would be ready in ten minutes; but I took twenty at Nijiya. So, I quickly walked back over to Okan…..but to my relief, my order took another ten minutes anyway.

I drove on home and then opened up my Buta Kakuni Lunch Special ($11.50). It really didn't look too promising.

Okan TO Rev 02 Okan TO Rev 03 Sadly, the best thing about this lunch set was the okara salad of which there was a scant tablespoon and the miso soup, which was pretty good, as it always has been.

The rice was on the hard side and the boiled egg was a bit overcooked but fine, with no off flavors.

As for the buta kakuni, well, it looked very, very dark….as in black in color.

Okan TO Rev 04 Okan TO Rev 05 I bit into a piece, which was really salty; it had been sitting in the marinade too long and it was super dry and tough. In fact, the first thought that came into my mind was; "I ordered buta kakuni….not pork jerky".

I do understand that food costs are high these days, but this was really bad quality control. I guess they weren't kidding when they said things are "tough all over". Just look at that pork!

This meal really made me a bit sad, since I have a long history with Wa Dining Okan and also some great memories of meals shared with friends. So, I just had to give them another shot to see if that meal is the norm these days; or perhaps takeout just won't cut it at Okan.

Okan TO Rev 06

I was really craving the Tori Nanban here, but just knew it would not hold up….so, I decided to go with the Shogayaki. This was basically the same drill as the last time; told ten minutes, but actually took twenty-five.

Here's what I unpacked at home; the Shogayaki (Ginger Pork – $11.50). You can tell right away that this was a definite improvement from the buta kakuni.

Okan TO Rev 07

The miso soup was as good as on my previous visit; the rice much better this go-around.

The pork, while being a tad on the salty and chewy side was decent. In fact, it went well with the sliced cabbage which helped to cut the saltiness down. Now if they just sliced that cabbage finer….like, ahem…EE Nami??? This is stuff my Mom used to make, so of course I'm used to that flavor profile; more ginger, a bit sweeter…..but this is not bad and I'll readily have it again.

Okan TO Rev 09

I was somewhat relieved that my second meal was better than the first……though now the question arises; which is the norm here? I'm hoping it's more like my second meal. So perhaps soon, once I feel more comfortable dining al fresco here; I'll return for my Tori Nanban.

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Thanks to Jason and Jessica for reminding me about the lunch set menu at Okan!

San Miguel de Allende (2022) – Fabrica La Aurora and Mercado del Carmen

August 13, 2022 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Mexico, Peruvian Restaurants, San Miguel de Allende/Guanajuato, Travel

We had one last stop for the morning and we headed north of the Mercado de Artesanías. It was getting pretty warm and we took our time, checking out various sights along the way.

There seemed to be quite a bit of construction going on with new houses popping up. From what we'd seen; SMA seemed to be pretty popular with Ex-Pats.

After crossing Arroyo de Las Cachinches we arrived at Fabrica la Aurora.

Formerly a textile factory and one of the largest employers in SMA, the mill closed in 1991 after the markets were flooded with imports and the old factory was converted into a warehouse. After artists displayed interest in renting and converting various rooms into studios and work spaces the factory was converted and reopened in 2001.

There are still artifacts and photos from the textile factory.

And there are over 30 studio and shops on the premises. It was a fun time checking things out.

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As much as we enjoyed browsing, the highlight of our visit had nothing to do with all the arts and crafts.

The Missus and I decided to take a break, rather it happened when we decided to take a coffee break at the Café de la Aurora.

The Missus got some espresso and I a cold brew and we had a seat at a table.

While enjoying our break, I saw one of what I assume is an artist riding up the alleyway in his bike, along his side was his faithful pooch. The Missus had Her back to this so She didn't notice when the gentleman parked his bike and walked into his shop, his pooch decided to head into the café.

This mutt walked past us and up to one of the tables on the other side of the café. He politely sat and stared at the folks who were having lunch. He sat so perfectly, with total focus on the couple eating that the Missus thought he was their dog! After getting no response, he turned around, walked past us and went to the table behind us and did the same thing!

That's when I figured out his "game"! This little fellow only went to tables with food on it! He ignored folks just having drinks! After getting no response, he saw the Server coming out with food and followed her to the next table. Amazing! The Missus and I were cracking up! Much like I did with "Tripod", I gave him a name; Juan. And this time I remembered to take a photo of the smart little guy. Why "Juan" you may ask? Well, I told the Missus that this little fellow believes he is the "chosen Juan"! She cracked up. Eventually his owner peeked out of his shop and saw Juan doing his thing and came with a leash and it was game over for the little guy….for now. It's moments like these that really make our travels fun.

We took the fairly long walk back to our accommodation. We stopped at a few shops along the way, but the Missus really didn't see anything She was interested in. And it seemed like the prices here were quite high.

As we got back to our B&B, I mentioned being somewhat hungry to the Missus. Right around the corner from our accommodation was a food court/hall named Mercado del Carmen. We decided to pop in for a look.

There were a number of stands in the food hall, featuring Mexican, French, Burgers, Pizza, and even Korean/Japanese….

And Peruvian…..

The Missus was craving rice; so we got a Bi Bim Bap and I went with some Cebiche from the Peruvian stand.

The Cebiche wasn't very good, the leche de tigre was very mild, watery, and this didn't have enough flavor overall.

The Bi Bim Bap was not bad.

As expected, the rice wasn't very good; but the kimchi was surprisingly decent, the cho-jang was legit, and that egg was a perfect sunny-side up. We were pleasantly surprised and the Missus got Her "rice fix" which would hold Her for the rest of the trip.

Mercado Del Carmen
Calle Pila Seca 19
San Miguel de Allende, 37700, Mexico

After the meal it was a short stroll around the corner to our room and an escape from the afternoon heat.

Thanks for stopping by!

Roadtrip (2022) – Bob’s Well Bread and Lunch at Bells (Los Alamos)

August 12, 2022 mmm-yoso Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Croissants, French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

After an excellent dinner at Bell's, the Missus and I were looking forward to our return for lunch. But what to do in Los Alamos before lunch? We had pretty much seen the entire town the day before.

I thought that the Missus and I should ponder that over some caffeine and perhaps a croissant? And I had a place in mind.

At the Eastern edge of the (4 block) downtown area in a structure that was formerly a gas station resides Bob's Well Bread.

The business has quite a story. You can read it here. Bob's Well Bread has quite a following, mainly for the artisan, small batch bread made from all natural ingredients. I've heard the phrase "like European" artisan breads in several posts I saw. We wouldn't be grabbing a loaf on this trip; but since it said "Croissants" clearly in the window sign, how could I not try that?

We went in and ordered a Cortado for the Missus, a cold brew for me, and a croissant. The Missus also got several cookies as well.

We then went and had a seat sat one of the picnic tables outside.

I was expecting to have my name called, but the very nice young woman working actually brought us our coffee and croissant. How nice!

So, how did this croissant lineup? In terms of the looks department, it was beautiful; perfectly baked. It was crisp and flakey; the interior so moist and almost creamy in texture. Unfortunately it was really lacking in butteriness and since I love my croissants au buerre, this failed at the "third point". Bummer…..

The Missus did love the cookies we bought however, and I think if we're in the area we'll stop for those and perhaps a baguette.

Bob's Well Bread Bakery
550 Bell St.
Los Alamos, CA 93440

As for our plan? We decided to head on over to Solvang which is just 20 minutes away and get some cookies for the Missus's coworkers. We then took a stroll around Danish Disneyland and just chilled.

We then returned to Los Alamos, relaxed a bit, then checked out. I parked the car and we crossed the street to Bell's right at 11am.

We had requested to sit on the patio again. Same relaxed and friendly service. A lot of the Servers were wearing "Franch" t-shorts…..Bell's say they serve Fr(ench R)anch cuisine.

We looked over the tempting menu and placed an order for four dishes and then went one step father. There was a sandwich we wanted to order, but knew we wouldn't be able to finish, so we got a takeout order as well!

My two favorite dishes came out first.

The Steak Tartare ($25) was amazing. It is now my favorite version in the U.S. it was just so perfect.

Just the perfect cut, the beef was super tender, like the night before, all items were perfectly seasoned. Perfect amount of capers, and that egg yolk, oh my! This was just so clean tasting and refreshing.

I also loved the Country Pate ($18), it was tender and had just right amount of wine in it.

Nice amount of offal-ish flavor for me; the cherries didn't overwhelm anything, and the fried shallots in the pate was perfect. Was not a big fan of the baguette as it was typical hard and chewy American style. The frisee was a lovely addition to the dish.

I was shocked that the Missus ordered the Escargot ($16). While the Missus loved the Escargot in Burgundy, She had never found a version here in the States that She enjoyed.

Well, mark this as the first Escargot She liked outside of France….leave it to "Franch" to deliver. Good amount of garlic, nice balanced flavors. The menu noted that these were "wild snails" and they were much more tender than I expected. Still, that baguette……

I was also surprised that the Missus ordered the La Brujula Tinned Mussels in Escabeche ($20)!

These Spanish tinned mussels were quite good, nice and tender. We didn't care for butter and the ketchup like sauces, but the homemade saltines were wonderful.

This was wonderful meal, we actually enjoyed it more than our dinner. And we really want to do it again soon.

Bell's
406 Bell St.
Los Alamos, CA 93440
Current Hours:
Thurs – Mon 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 830pm
Closed on Tuesday – Wednesday

And as the postcript. On the lunch menu there was Braised Beef Cheek Sandwich that sounded so good. So, after consulting with our Server, we got it to go with the bearnaise aioli on the side.

It was still in fine shape after the five hour drive home. The bread, in this case a ficelle held up fine; the meat was so intensely beefy; I loved the pickled Basque peppers…..

I guess we'll need to return again soon!

Burma Place

August 11, 2022 mmm-yoso Burmese Food and Restaurants

It was quite nice to hear about Burma Place opening in San Diego. Burmese cuisine that hasn't been represented much in our fair city. So a couple of months after the shop opened, in spite of the crazy gas prices at the time, I made the 50 mile round trip and did a takeout visit.

The restaurant is located in RB, next to a place that I last visited nearly 13 years ago. And to be perfectly honest; that might have been the last time I was in this strip mall!

Burma Place 01

The woman working when I arrived is very friendly; you know the type, the one who calls you "sweetie", "honey", "dear"……. And my order was ready when I arrived.

Burma Place 02

I had ordered two salads which I immediately put in my cooler and another dish that I thought would hold up well on the drive home.

Of course I had to get the Laphet Thoke – the Tea Leaf Salad ($15.99).

Burma Place 03

I liked the fact that there was some cabbage present and since this salad really needs to be mixed well; I went and placed it in a salad bowl and proceeded to mix things.

Burma Place 04

For me; it's all about the amount of fermented tea leaves and how it's been treated. We prefer a more assertive fermented-slightly bitter-mildly astringent flavor and this was on the mild side; really coming thru more like a vinaigrette. I did appreciate the split roasted soybeans; the firm crunch is always appreciated. But overall, this was disappointing.

I also got the Rainbow Salad ($14.99), which has a boatload of ingredients and a fairly mild tamarind based dressing.

Burma Place 05

Four kinds of noodles in this, enjoyed the fried shallots and a bit of spice from the peppers. We both thought this was the better of the two salads.

For our hot item; I flashed back to the wonderful Kabocha Stew we had at Burma Cafe in Daly City and got the Pumpkin Stew Chicken ($15.99), which I thought would probably benefit from the extra time it took to get it home.

Burma Place 06

This was terrible. The chicken meat, which was breast was dry and tough. The kabocha wasn't ripe, was hard, and lacked flavor. The broth was watery and really bland.

Burma Place 07 Burma Place 08 Well, with how gas prices were at this time, and how mediocre the meal was….there was no way I'd be able to talk the Missus into either a takeout or dining in visit. Just when I was about to delete my photos Calvin wanted to get some lunch….guess where?

We decided to go at the earliest possible time and met at 11am.

The same really friendly woman was working and we were the only folks in the restaurant for a good part of our lunch. It was great to catch up on things.

Of course we started off with the Tea Leaf Salad. Our Server took almost five minutes mixing the ingredients together for us!

Burma Place 09

While still on the mild side in terms of flavor, this was much better than what I'd had as takeout. I would have preferred a bit more cabbage, but this was a definite improvement.

By far, the best dish of the day were the Garlic Noodles with Pork ($11.99).

Burma Place 10

The pork; in this case char siu was a nice match for the saltiness of the noodles. The noodles were perfectly coated with a tasty sauce. The sauce on the side was a straight-forward spicy, so just a drizzle on the noodles worked well.

We got the Spicy Shan Tofu. Shan Tofu is made with "besan", basically a Chickpea Flour. At it's best it's both light, yet creamy, and holds it's shape.

Burma Place 12

The texture of the tofu was not quite as what I'd recently had at The Dutchess, being a bit more gritty and not as pliable and tender. The sauce was tart and mildly spicy; this actually tasted better the next day, though the tofu didn't hold up well.

We also got the Kebat Lamb ($17.99).

Burma Place 11

A typical homestyle stir-fry with curry, tomato, onion, and cilantro, this was fairly mild in flavor. Calvin and I both felt it needed more "umph"; more tangy-acidity, pungency, spice, and yes, more cilantro. The lamb was rather chewy and very mild in flavor. If you'd ever want a lamb dish that didn't taste like lamb; well have at this one.

Overall, a decent meal, but not worth going out of your way for in my opinion. While I'm glad that San Diego's food horizons seem to be expanding; I'm not happy "just to have something". So, I hope things keep getting better!

Burma Place
16719 Bernardo Center Dr.
San Diego, CA 92128
Hours:
Daily 11am – 230pm, 430pm – 9pm

Roadtrip (2022) – A Stroll Around Town and Dinner at Bell’s (Los Alamos)

August 9, 2022 mmm-yoso Fine Dining, French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

After getting lunch in Los Olivos, we headed up to our main destination for the road trip, Los Alamos with a population of under 2,000. Why, you might ask? Well, when doing research for road trip destinations and Michelin restaurants, I came across a one-star restaurant in, of all places, Los Alamos! WTH? To make it even more enticing, the cuisine was French; or French influenced….in fact, we got a laugh when we saw that Bell's claimed they served "Franch" cuisine!

We've always enjoyed the Santa Ynez Valley, so we thought why not spend an evening in Los Alamos? We arrived a bit early at our accommodations, the Alamo Motel, which was basically right across the street from Bell's, though the main strip of the town is basically 4 blocks long! I notified the really efficient and friendly young lady in charge that we had arrived and she promised to text us when our room was ready.

And then we set off to take a look at Los Alamos.

There were two markets, well make that one market…..

And one convenience store….a couple of wine tasting shops, several restaurants, one really good looking bakery, which we would check out the next morning, and a couple of art/antique shops.

We did a bit of "window shopping" and folks here as would be expected were super warm and friendly.

We really enjoyed slowing things down and relaxing……

I had read that Los Alamos became popular as a stagecoach stop.

And there is undoubtedly a "old west" vibe to the town.

Check out the 1880 Union Hotel.

Apparently, the saloon here was a great place to grab a cocktail before Covid; but is now open for private events only. Bummer, it would have been fun comparing it to the Iron Door Saloon in Groveland.

Many of the buildings were repurposed, but kept signs and other indicators of the history visible.

We returned to the motel; our room wasn't quite ready yet, but there is a wine bar in front of the motel.

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Along with some nice shaded seating, quite important on a pretty warm day. The Missus and I had some sparkling water and just relaxed until our room was ready.

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Soon enough our room was ready, 2 hours earlier than scheduled. I walked over to the market next door, grabbed more sparkling water, and the Missus and I settled in and had a nice nap.

We awoke nice and refreshed. We took a short stroll before dinner. Yep, that's pretty much the town below.

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Loved this street sign!

With Covid still in our head, we had made 530 dinner reservations outdoors.

We were seated in the lovely back patio. The Service was so relaxed, very friendly, and we just enjoyed ourselves. Bell's is super dog friendly; in fact there were four pooches having dinner with their "hoomans"!

This one was especially charming!

Bell's does only a Pre Fixe menu for dinner, which at the time of our visit was just $75 per person. The husband and wife team (Daisy and Greg Ryan) behind the restaurant are alumni of Per Se and Daisy Ryan, who is the chef was named one of the Best New Chefs by Food & Wine Magazine….yes, in Los Alamos.

We placed our orders and during the evening, the Missus wasn't sure what wine to match with Her dishes….wouldn't you know, the great staff brought Her like 6 different whites to try? And they were like "half pours"!

We started with the Santa Barbara Sea Urchin and ordered it with the Caviar ($15 supplement). As you can see; the uni was pristine; just perfect.

It had a wonderful sweet-brininess, buttery texture….in fact, it didn't need the caviar which kind of over powered the dish. I was worried that the mille crepe would be on the sweet side; but it was quite neutral in flavor and basically was just a wonderful vehicle to get that uni to your mouth.

What we noticed with the quite simply dressed Salade of Finley Farms Lettuces was how perfectly each leaf was dressed.

In what would be a recurring theme; we enjoyed the wonderful balance of flavors and seasonings.

To us, the least impressive dish was the Santa Barbara Bluefin Crudo.

The bluefin was of good quality, but call us jaded, we thought the ojo blanco and the garlic oil really didn't stand up and uplevel the mild flavored fish.

We absolutely adored the Duck Confit.

The Missus told me; "this is what I want your duck confit to be"! Egads! This was wonderful, perfectly seasoned, not overly salty, perfect firm, but not hard texture, fairly moist. It went so well with the jus, lentils, and the sweet-acidic tomatoes! The sourdough croutons added a wonderful crisp-crunch to the dish.

At this point the Missus asked me if we could hang around a bit longer the next day (Monday) and get lunch here. I was able to make reservations for lunch! So we'd be returning the next day.

I had seen Ris de Veau on the menu online; but unfortunately, that had been replaced by the time we had our dinner; so I ordered the Bodega Bay King Salmon.

Man, those heirloom tomatoes were outstanding and the tarragon added a nice anise touch to this; something I would not usually put on salmon I make. The capers added that nice briny-salty component and the Hollandaise added a nice, balanced creaminess to things.

The Missus got the Capuchon de Chevre, basically a hood shaped pasta stuffed with chevre.

Loved the combination of the eggplant cream and the sweet corn; what a wonderful combo!

The Missus got the Almond Financier which was to Her taste (i.e., not too sweet).

Quite refreshing.

I got the Dark Chocolate Glacée.

Which, while being ice and cold….wonderful on a very warm day was a bit too sweet for me.

Overall, an excellent meal. The staff was so wonderful and we loved the fact that there was an automatic 20% service charge for the staff. It's great that Bell's really wants to make sure the staff who are from the area are paid well. And then I was told that our Servers comped two of the glasses of wine, so I made sure to leave a bit more.

Bell's
406 Bell St.
Los Alamos, CA 93440
Current Hours:
Thurs – Mon 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 830pm
Closed on Tuesday – Wednesday

We took another short stroll after dinner, it seemed like everything closed at 6 or 7 on Sundays. As we headed back to our room, the Missus and I noted how relaxed we both felt. I guess Los Alamos will do that to you!

The Missus and I were both looking forward to lunch the next day. And guess what? We enjoyed that even more!

Stay Tuned!

Phuong Nga Bakery and Café Revisited

August 8, 2022 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe is now Banh Mi Express

With the recent hot and relatively muggy weather, I'd been craving banh mi. Also, I had been wanting to revisit Phuong Nga Bakery and Café, but when I initially dropped by after work, I saw that Phuong Nga Bakery Rev 01 their hours were now only from 8am to 3pm Mondays to Fridays. I did pass by on a Saturday and I noticed activity in the place. And then it dawned on me…..all that bread you see Phuong Nga selling from their counter is baked here! Duh….. And so, I made it a point to actually drop by during the shop's business hours to grab a banh mi.

The young man working was very nice and did confirm that the bread at Phuong Nga is indeed baked here.

Phuong Nga Bakery Rev 02

I ordered the Banh Mi with Ham and Pate (Banh Mi Thịt Nguoi – $6.19, all sign are only in English) to go and my sandwich was ready in a few minutes.

Phuong Nga Bakery Rev 03 Phuong Nga Bakery Rev 04b The banh mi here have always been on the "hefty" side in my opinion and this was no different. First off, the bread was really crusty, I felt perhaps a bit too heavily baked? One bite resulted in crusty "shrapnel" flying in all directions. Still, this was much better than what I've recently had from Cali Baguette and Cali Banh Mi, both of which seemed to have "jumped the shark" a while back.

There was a nice smear of pate which I enjoyed and perhaps a bit too much Thịt Nguoi? But maybe that because of my own "PPP" (personal proportional preference)?

Phuong Nga Bakery Rev 04

The jalapeno was pretty mild and for some reason I felt the sandwich could have done with more cilantro and pickled veggies? Perhaps that's because of the larger amount of protein in this sandwich?

Phuong Nga Bakery Rev 05

Anyway, this did fill me up and I think is a decent option for banh mi. If that bread was just a little less baked, it would have brought it up a notch as it was nice and yeasty and the non-crust portions nice and tender. So, I'll probably check them out again soon.

Phuong Nga Bakery and Cafe
9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 8am – 3pm
Closed on Saturday and Sundays

Zion Market Moving in 2023?

August 7, 2022 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers

*** 01/25/2025 – The new location of Zion Market has finally opened, if you'd like to see my post on the new location you can find it here.

**** So, it's now 2024 and this move obviously didn't happen in 2023. So, it's now supposed to be 2024?

I was driving west on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard when these signs grabbed my attention.

Whoa……now this was news to me. So, I went into the parking lot and there was a good bit of demolition going on. But the "footprint" seemed a bit smaller than what I would expect for Zion.

I know that Kearny Mesa Bowl has closed, so perhaps that whole huge lot where Zion currently resides is going to be demolished/renovated?

If this is accurate; the move will happen in 2023….which is actually less than 6 months away. Man, just think, in the life of our humble little blog, Zion would have gone from Mercury Street and the terrible parking, to the huge lot on corner of Clairemont Mesa and Convoy, to this location, near Societe Brewing, which doesn't seem to have a whole lot of parking.

The address would be:

8330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Smokin’ Joe’s Soul Food Weekends at the Poseidon Project – A Quick Look

August 6, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, BBQ, yoso-silly

I had to make a quick run to Siesel's last week. At that time finding parking was just horrible and I managed to find a spot several blocks away from the shop. While walking back to the car I noticed a huge set-up in back of the Poseidon Project.

Smokin Joes 02 Smokin Joes 01 I went in and chatted with the nice folks at Poseidon and they told me that they were starting BBQ on weekends starting on the 5th of August, running from Fridays to Sundays.

Sure enough, I drove past the place yesterday and saw the signs up.

The BBQ is being done by the folks from Smokin' Joe's BBQ. If I recall, these were the folks doing BBQ in at Iowa Meat Farms a while back.

Since I'm all for more variety in our area, I decided to drop on in and get some takeout.

The drill is; you order from the friendly folks here, get a receipt, pay inside Poseidon, and return back with a ticket and pick up your order.

Before ordering, I asked what style of BBQ this was…especially since the menu had Pork Ribs, Beef Ribs, Tri-Tip, Sausage, and Brisket on it. Having worked and travelled thru some of the south during an earlier life, I was quickly educated on the BBQ of different regions. The guys working looked surprised when I asked, but quickly replied, "Mississippi style".

So, at least for me, unless it's Mississippi Smoked Pot Roast (it's really good, try it if you have a chance) it's basically pork products. I was tempted with pulled pork, but really was craving some ribs and rib tips, which is what I got. Speaking of what I got; the meal also gets you three sides…..aaah, the good 'ole "meat n' three" in spirit.

Smokin Joes 03

And also some (rather mediocre) corn bread.

Smokin Joes 04 Smokin Joes 05 The rib and tips both had a very nice, deep, distinctive smoke ring and a decent, almost "crisp" if uneven bark.

The amount of run used on the baby backs made it really salty, though strangely, the amount on the rib tips were perfect.

The rib tips were very tender, moist, with the porky flavor shining thru and was my favorite. If the baby backs weren't as salty; they would have been quite good as the meat came off the bone perfectly.

The sauce was on the sweeter side; though the spicy version had a good amount of spice. I really didn't use any of it for my ribs/tips.

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As for the sides. Well, I had wanted Black Eyed Peas but they were out.

My favorite item was usually one of my least favorite' the Breen Beans. Can you tell why?

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Yep, that's fatty pork parts in the beans. It added some good flavor. Also, as you can tell, unlike many versions the beans aren't overcooked and are tender, but still somewhat firm. I'm not a fan of mushy green beans….mushy peas maybe, but not green beans.

I thought the texture of the collard greens, usually one of my favorite items was good.

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But this was much too salty and acidic. I also like a nice touch of smokiness in my collards which this lacked; perhaps it was shrouded by all that salt?

The Mac and Cheese was like one giant lump and not my favorite.

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Still, not a bad start. And I'll try them out a again in a couple of weeks. It's a nice addition to the neighborhood and I hope they stick around. I enjoyed the BBQ from Joe's much more than other places that had opened (then closed in the area). It might be a good option if you're grabbing a cold one from Harland or Poseidon; or just looking for a picnic at Mission Bay across the freeway.

And sometimes, because I'm getting and such….these type of posts bring back blogging memories.

And also is a reminder that I need to start using the 'ol smoker again.

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Anyway, if you check out Smokin' Joe's, let me know what you think.

Smokin Joes 10

Smokin' Joe's Soul Food Weekends at The Poseidon Project
4126 Napier St
San Diego, CA 92110
Every other weekend (Fri – Sun) starting on August 5th

San Miguel de Allende (2022) – Lavanda Café, El Mirador, and Mercado de Artesanías

August 4, 2022 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Markets & Grocers, Mexico, San Miguel de Allende/Guanajuato, Travel

We had a bit of walking scheduled for our full day in San Miguel de Allende, so I thought getting a "good start" in terms of breakfast and caffeine was important. A few blocks from our accommodation was a place that I had read about named Lavanda Café. One of the key elements about this café was that they featured specialty coffees for the "coffee snob" in the household along with some good looking breakfasts for yours truly. I had also read that the place gets pretty busy with folks waiting in line. So, we made it a point to get there by 815, 15 minutes before opening time. There were two parties already in line when we arrived.

Soon enough the place opened up. The folks working here were very warm and accommodating. We requested and got a table upstairs which was nice and relaxing; which seemed miles away from the busy dining room below.

Looking at the coffee list the Missus immediately found something She wanted.

And at 50$ MX – about $2.50/US, this is the cheapest Geisha we've ever got.

And while She thought it to be on the "weaker side" with regards to Geisha, I thought it was still a bargain.

As for me….well, the Missus "strongly recommended" that I try the Café Lavanda, a lavender based pour over.

I just didn't enjoy the strong floral tones in this.

The Missus wasn't very hungry so we decided to share one dish and went with the Cazuela (148 $MX – about $7.25/US).

Snapseed This was quite lovely and came with bread and butter. The egg was nice and perfectly done; still oozing with goodness, the rustic bacon was also quite good. The roasted tomatoes adding acidity and tangy touches. The red chili based "sauce" was rich but not overly spicy and we enjoyed the earthy mushrooms in the dish.

We enjoyed the service so much that we decided to return the next morning.

Lavanda Café de Especialidad
Calle del Dr Ignacio Hernandez Macias 87, Zona Centro,
37700 San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

After breakfast we headed right uphill for about three-quarters of a mile. The view during the walk was quite stunning. We got up to Salida Real a Querétaro and to the lookout named El Mirador.

And while the view from El Mirador was quite nice, we actually enjoyed the view from the street on the way up more.

From here we headed north on Salida Real a Querétaro then took a left (downhill) at Capilla del Cavalio ("Calvary Chapel").

IMG_1761 (2)

Whenever we passed a building with the gates open, we'd take a peek at the courtyards; some of which were stunning.

It was a nice little walk to the Mercado de Artesanías.

This sprawling market is quite large with everything from jewelry to shawls to produce.

There seemed to be quite a few Ex-pats and tourists in the artisan portion. While the food, produce, and hot food areas seemed to have more locals.

We enjoyed our time visiting the market, but really didn't see anything that grabbed our attention. We also noticed that prices here were a bit higher than those in CDMX.

We weren't ready for our afternoon break yet and decided to make one more stop before getting some lunch……

Stay tuned!

Midweek Meanderings – Sunmerry, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, and Kitakata Ramen Coming to Kearny Mesa, Palomino’s #3 and Matador Mexican Grill “Under New Management”

August 3, 2022 mmm-yoso Bakery, Chains, Greek Food, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, Taco Shops

It's amazing what you can find during one short drive. Here's what I noticed when I went to get some groceries and lunch from Nijiya. I took the "long way"; which meant starting on Clairemont Mesa, then down Convoy, then all the way down Linda Vista to Morena.

Here's what I saw.

Sunmerry, The Great Greek, and Kitakata Ramen Coming to Kearny Mesa:

Even though I haven't done a post on Sunmerry; a bakery chain from Taiwan, it's a must stop on our road trips North and during visits to Bistro Na's. We'll also stop in at the Rowland Heights location as well. For some reason, this past week, I mentioned that Sunmerry was opening somewhere near Convoy to the Missus, so She'd be able to get Her Pineapple Cake fix locally. I was thus instructed to find out the location. Finding the location was simple using our friend……Google.

In the same strip mall as Costco Business and Target I saw three structures and this sign:

So, I got three for the price of one here.

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, a small chain out of Nevada and Sunmerry will occupy one building.

7951 Othello Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

And Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai which according to Eater, originated in Fukushima in another.

8001 Othello Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

Looks like I got a "three for one" here…..

Palomino's #3 "Under New Management":

I go to Nijiya so frequently that I usually just head on in and then back to my car without a glance; but today I noticed that the Taco Shop in the strip mall had a "Under New Management" sign. Which I believe means new ownership.

Cathy has done several posts on Palomino's #2, but not on this location. I last visited in the days BB ("before blogging").

3860 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

So maybe…..and no, I haven't tried Two Hands Corn Dog yet either…..

Matador Mexican Grill Reopening:

On my way back, heading down Linda Vista, I took a look at the spot that used to house Matador Mexican Grill which closed several months back and noticed they were reopening. Of course; it's under the ubiquitous "under new management".

I'd never been; though an ex-coworker of mine used to like the place.

5201 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92110

And under the you never know what you'll see label……

I noticed a bit of a crowd on the Convoy side of Jasmine as I stopped at the light. There were news teams and bit of a hubbub. While sitting at the light, I noticed someone holding a freeway sign. And then it became clear. I know that there was an effort to raise money for six "Convoy Asian Cultural District" signs and it looks like they've raised the money and the signs are done.

Good for them!

Hope everyone is having a great week!