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 from Village Kitchen (Again)

March 20, 2023 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

I was recently referred to as a "Debbie downer" in the comments section of one of my posts. Which I actually thought was funny. So, perhaps for a change of pace, here's a more "positive" post!

The Missus hasn't really been wanting Chinese food since we got back from Paris. We found a Sichuan restaurant that served simple, but really enjoyable food. We liked it so much that we ate there three times in two weeks! Go figure. But, on one of our "date night" dinners at EE Nami, we passed Village Kitchen and the Missus stopped as said "maybe we should get takeout from here soon". Which is how I found myself ordering takeout one evening.

VK TO 01

The really nice woman who remembers me from when she used to be at Kangxi is Coming was working. She's always been so nice to us and was happy to see me.

I went and ordered three dishes, two oldies but goodies, and because a favorite of the Missus, the La Rou with Cucumber Skin in no longer on the menu, something a bit different that I saw. The woman told me it "was good to come and order" because of the extra fees involved with online ordering.

VK TO 02

In case you're keeping score, from left to right, the first two items are the Preserved Radish Skin with La Rou, the Eggplant and Green Chili with Preserved Egg, items which we've ordered many times before. On the right is the Baby Bamboo Shoots with Minced Pork.

The Preserved Radish Skin with Hunan Smoked Pork was quite good, perhaps the best rendition we'd had from VK to this date.

VK TO 03

Nice crunchy dried radish, with smoky and surprisingly tender La Rou, nicely stir fried, not greasy, decent spice. This was quite nice.

The Eggplant and Green Chili with Preserved Egg was my least favorite dish of the evening as I felt it was on the greasy side.

VK TO 04

The Missus enjoyed all the pidan hidden under the mashed eggplant.

The big surprise was the Baby Bamboo with Minced Pork.

VK TO 05

This dish also featured preserved vegetable, which added a nice sour-salty flavor to the dish. Great earthy-soy flavors with a mild spice, this is a new favorite of ours.

We were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed this takeout meal. We'd been doing takeout from Village Kitchen quite often in recent years and this might have been the best yet.

So, a week later, guess what the Missus wanted? It was indeed "rinse and repeat". And wouldn't you know it, we thought that this was even better than what we'd had previously.

VK TO 06

Take a look at the Baby Bamboo dish, man, it was nice and spicy this time around!

VK TO 07 VK TO 08 They sure didn't short us on the chilies did they? And more preserved vegetable which just lifted the dish in my opinion. Great smokiness to the dish, perfect amount of soy and sodium flavors.

The eggplant was better this time as well, less greasy, the mashed and melt-in-your mouth eggplant was quite good. There was definitely more spice in this as well. The Missus loved this.

And to top things off, the radish skin with la rou was better as well! There was much more smoked pork this time, the radish skin was so nice and crisp, this was quite enjoyable.

VK TO 09 VK TO 10 Not sure who was cooking on this day, but I'm hoping the person will always be there on my visits! And the dishes really brought some heat this time around….maybe it was a new delivery of chilies? The one a sat next to while waiting for my takeout?

We go back a way with Village Kitchen to when they first opened. It seemed like the place had hit a rut for a while and was inconsistent. But while there were differences in the dishes for these two meals, they were both good. Here's hoping that this is how things will be from here on out!

Village Kitchen
4720 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

VK TO 11

Road Trip – The Winslow Arts Trust (The La Posada Museum), More La Posada, and Dinner at the Turquoise Room

March 19, 2023 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Flagstaff/ Sedona/Winslow/Northern AZ, Mexican Restaurants, Road Trip, Travel

After taking a short break watching the trains go by, we walked over to the area next to the hotel that was once the railroad depot to visit the La Posada Museum, also known as the Winslow Arts Trust Museum.

The Museum goes thru much of the history of Winslow with regards to Route 66, the Railroad, and Native American history and heritage in the area.

We enjoyed our short visit. Especially the menus and items from various Harvey Hotels and restaurants; especially the menus.

How does Thanksgiving Dinner for $2 sound????

Of course travel by car spelled the demise of railroad traffic and the planning of the I-40 meant that Route 66 was going to be bypassed. This foretold the end of an era and the demise of the La Posada.

We enjoyed our little trip back in time and contemplated all these changes as we took one last lap around the grounds of La Posada before checking on our room.

I must admit that Allan Affeldt and his wife Tina Mion have done a wonderful job restoring the hotel, with classic Spanish and Mission Revival Architecture designed by Mary Colter (for those interested, I've been reading this Biography/Coffee Table book about Mary Colter) having gone as far as trying to track down the original furniture. And there are some artistic touches as well.

We really enjoyed exploring, even though some of the art of Tina Mion, which displayed everywhere is not quite to our taste.

By this time, our room was ready. All the rooms are named after different celebrities who have stayed at La Posada. The one we stayed in was the Roddy McDowell (you remember him, right?) room.

Of course while going to our room the Missus had a peek in this one which was being cleaned….

Guess where She wants to stay next time?

We also enjoyed all the historic photos in the hotel.

And of you want even more about the La Posada, here's a wonderful, albeit abridged (the long version can be found playing in the hotel lobby) video that features Allan Affeldt.

Once in our room, we rested up before heading to dinner at the Turquoise Room.

We had early reservations for dinner and were seated promptly. We had really enjoyed lunch at the Turquoise Room on our previous trip to the area and was quite excited to see what was on the menu.

Service was very professional and welcoming. Looking over the menu, the Missus was a bit sad to see that the Lamb Pozole She enjoyed so much for lunch wasn't available. Still, a version of the salad we had enjoyed last time was. We split the Arizona Grown Vegan Salad ($20).

Loved the variety of textures, from crisp kale "chips", to wonderful, almost sweet thinly sliced jicama, the perfectly cooked beans, sweetness from the carrots and green beans, earthy quinoa. We really enjoy this salad.

The Missus surprised me by ordering the Grilled Chicken Breast with Tomatillo Sauce and Tamale ($25)

This was a "airline" chicken breast; which means a boneless breast with the drumette attached. Except for katsu, we almost never order chicken breast when dining out, but this was a n excellent choice. The chicken was moist and tender. I'm thinking that it might have been quickly brined because of the texture of the flesh and the nice flavor which permeated the chicken. The black beans were ono!

I got the "Wild-Wild" Platter ($40). This was not cheap, but we really enjoyed it.

Man, that fried quail was so tasty as was the toothsome but nicely gamy Colorado Venison Medallion. The black current sauce really supported the flavor of the venison. The pork, venison, and bison chili that topped the tamale was quite good as well. Though the tamale itself was really dry and lacking in flavor.

We really enjoyed our meal and the service.

Turquoise Room (in the La Posada Hotel)
303 E 2nd St.
Winslow, AZ 86047

Man, our last three dinners at Joseph's Culinary Pub, Geronimo, and the Turquoise Room were all good. We were three for three!

After dinner, we decided to take a nice stroll around Winslow.

And of course we had to Stand on that Corner again!

We enjoyed our stroll. It was a nice way to end our little road trip. I'm hoping to return again soon!

Thanks for joining us on our little foray to Mesa Verde and Santa Fe, with our stops in Durango, Gallup, and Winslow!

Take it easy everyone!

Road Trip – Nochi Bakery (Gallup NM), a Story About Gallup N.M., and we Arrive at La Posada (Winslow, AZ)

March 17, 2023 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Flagstaff/ Sedona/Winslow/Northern AZ, New Mexico, Road Trip, Travel

We had a wonderful night of sleep after our dinner at Geronimo and woke refreshed. Sadly, we needed to leave on this morning. So we had a light breakfast at the hotel, drove to Whole Foods and bought up more of those Red and Green Chile Peanut Brittle and hit the road. Our next destination was a visit back to Winslow and this time we were actually staying the night at La Posada. We drove down the 25 thru Albuquerque and then west on the I-40. By the time we got to Gallup it was time for a break.

It was a pretty quiet Tuesday when we drove into town and parked. We walked around a bit stretching our legs after an almost 4 hour drive from Santa Fe and enjoyed all the public art.

While strolling along Route 66, we noticed a Filipino Bakery, in Gallup!

With a tight little menu of Siopao, Lumpia, and sandwiches….here in Gallup!

I decided to get something small to eat and ordered a Siopao, then some coffee at the next counter. We noticed what looked like a Filipino Market right next door….

And took a quick look while waiting for my steamed bun.

Which was ready when we walked back thru the doorway. We had a seat, and I had my light lunch.

The pork siopao was not bad.

The bread was fluffy, slightly moist, a bit on the sweet side but that's to be expected. The filling wasn't too sweet, nice savory tones. Overall, a bit heavy in the bread versus the filling, but this wasn't bad at all.

Heck, I've had worse in San Diego!

The really nice and friendly young lady working the register me their family is originally from LA….now in Gallup of all places.

Nochi Bakery
107 W Highway 66
Gallup, New Mexico 87301

We took our time strolling back to our car.

While driving over the train tracks back to the I-40 West, I crossed over on the Miyamura overpass. Of course, the name got my attention. So, when I got back home I did that Google thing and found that the overpass (and a school in Gallup) is named for Medal of Honor recipient Hiroshi Miyamura who was born in Gallup. His parents were Japanese immigrants. Something I read in the Wikipedia post led me down a rabbit hole. When FDR signed Executive Order 9066 all persons of Japanese ancestry on the west coast were to be placed in internment camps. Cities not on the coast were given the option to do this or not. Gallup's citizens with the strong support of the Sheriff, Michael Mollica did not detain their Japanese-American citizens, the only town in New Mexico to do this! Here's more in the words of Hiroshi Miyamura himself, who passed away in November of last year:

The Only Town in New Mexico – Hiroshi Miyamura from Autry Media on Vimeo.

And more here if you're interested.

Once on the 40 west, it was a nice two hour drive into Winslow. Having been to this little town of around 10,000 before made finding our destination a snap. We had enjoyed our lunch at the Turquoise Room and checking out the La Posada Hotel on previous visit so much, that we decided to stay here for the night. We arrived and our room wasn't quite ready yet, so we headed out to explore the grounds of this historic hotel.

The La Posada has quite a history, a product of the Fred Harvey Company which built hotels all along major rail lines, allowing for passengers to spend a night and relax, or partake of the food in the restaurants manned by the Harvey Girls. Another familiar name associated with the La Posada is Mary Colter, who also designed the Desert Watchtower and was one of the few female architects of her time. In many ways this was to be considered her crown jewel. Unfortunately, the hotel opened right at the start of the great depression and remained open for only 27 years.

The La Posada was gutted and all the furnishings sold off. The building then became the offices for the Satna Fe Railroad. Finally, in a state of disrepair, threatened with demolition, Allan Affeldt and his wife Tina Mion bought the property and set about restoring it to its former glory.

And it is something to see. We spent a good two hours just exploring the halls and the grounds of the hotel.

Along with all of the quite "interesting art" of Tina Mion.

Over the years many celebrities have stayed at the La Posada.

Though I'm still trying to figure out who "Needles the Wonder Dog" was.

We were enjoying wandering around the property. Trains go right past the back of the hotel grounds.

And if you'd like to relax and watch them go by….well, that's easy to do as well.

We were really enjoying our own little "tour" of La Posada and were only about half way done!

I'll get to the rest in my next post!

Thanks for stopping by!

HitH – Fast Times

March 15, 2023 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Loco Mocos, Pubs and Pub Grub

After my post on revisiting Farmer's Table, I decided to do more posts on places within walking distance of our home. So, I decided to do a H(angin') i(n) t(he) 'H(ood) revisit to Fast Times. I went and looked for my original post on Fast Times and I couldn't find one. What the heck? I did eat at Fast Times when they first replaced Coastal Crave in the neighborhood, but I guess I never did that post. I remember one old timer at FT told me that the classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High was based on Clairemont High School. And according to this Mental Floss post it was. In fact, you might find this article interesting as well. Anyway, I guess I never did that post. I recall coming up with the moniker "TGI Fast Times", as the food really reminded me of stuff you'd get one of those Chain Bars. Well since I never did that post, I'm thinking I'd better catch up here 6 years down the line.

HITH FT 01

It's kind of part sports bar, neighborhood hang out, upper level dive bar, with live music a couple nights a week. There seem to be a great many regulars here. Some very "interesting" folks!

There's a dozen brews on tap, nothing fancy or exotic mind you, but a solid selection ranging from, yep, Bud Light to stuff by Harland and Societe.

I had a .394 on this visit.

HITH FT 03

I recall that the one item I had actually thought was decent on my visits way back when were of all things, just simple Tater Tots, which by todays pricing is a bargain at 4 bucks.

HITH FT 04

Served with ketchup and ranch dressing; these were light and crisp outside with a creamy interior. Just the way they should be.

Another item I recalled from those visits of yore was the reason I called this place "TGI Fast Times" were the Potato Skins ($11). Sadly, this dish hasn't aged well.

HITH FT 06

The potatoes had been sliced down the center; I'm guessing to aid in the cooking, but it made the potatoes, which were now like large potato wedges quite dry and hard. In fact, this was really salty and dry.

I knew I should do at least one more visit, but wasn't quite sure what to get. One Saturday, I walked on over to Sprouts to do some quick shopping and noticed that Fast Times was open. The place opens at 11am on Saturdays and Sundays. I suddenly recalled seeing a certain dish on the menu for "brunch". Here it is….

HITH FT 07 HITH FT 08 Yep, it's a Loco Moco ($12)….well make that a "loco moco" with those quotation marks. First off, it's topped with bacon, which ain't a bad thing…since of course there are some good locos that have fried rice with stuffs like Portuguese Sausage…..the bacon was a tad overcooked, but heck, at least it was crisp. The item that really threw me off was the slices of toast. This was a new one for me. Which led me to send a Tweet -" Question. Is toast a legit Mac Salad replacement on a locomoco? Methinks not!" It was just kind of odd as there was already rice.

As for the rest? Well, the burger was very lean and dry, the gravy tasted like it came from a "bottle/can", though the egg while a bit overdone was acceptable. Though I'm still fixated on the toast.

HITH FT 09

Still, I'm thinking that the majority of folks aren't coming to Fast Times for a gourmet experience; they are doing what we call "pau hana time" back home, socializing, hanging out with friends, coming for the nights when there's live music. And to be perfectly honest, I much prefer Fast Times to Farmers Table, just for the unpretentious, neighborhood vibe and the prices which are quite reasonable at this local Watering Hole-Sports Bar-Neighborhood Hang Out. During my visits, it seems that the customer base skews a bit older, but perhaps it's because of when I've visited. There's also some interesting little things I've noticed during my visits. For instance, Fast Times has QR code coasters with menus on each table and on the bar, but they automatically give you a paper menu! I've never seen anyone (but me) who has actually used the QR codes!

You gotta love places like these!

Fast Times
3065 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 3pm – 9pm
Friday 3pm – 11pm
Saturday 11am – 11pm
Sunday 11am – 8pm

Mike’s Red Tacos (Clairemont)

March 14, 2023 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

I recently had to run some errands and was in the area near Genesee and Balboa. In need of some lunch I decided to give Mike's Red Tacos a try…or make that another try. You see, I paid several visits to the truck when it was parked on Morena and was rather unimpressed. The truck was super popular, especially since birria had taken the US by storm….one of those food fads. I was interested to see if the birria (and consomme) at the newish brick and mortar shop would be better.

Mikes Red 01

Mike's occupies the former location of Wings Republic which I visited once, but had such a lousy meal that I never returned, nor ever did a post.

Mikes Red 02

The young ladies working the front were very nice and cheerful. I ordered the #2 combo which came with chips and consomme. My order was ready fairly quickly and I made sure to grab some salsa from the salsa bar before heading home.

Mikes Red 03

Arriving home I opened things up and proceeded to dig in.

Mikes Red 04 Mikes Red 05 First thing I did was take a sip of the consomme. Which, sadly is the same as it was from the truck. Weak in flavor, greasy tongue feel, in my opinion only good for moistening your taco. The birria itself is a bit better than what I'd had on my visits to the truck. It is less stringy and more tender though still not quite as beefy as I enjoy.

Mikes Red 08

Strangely, my favorite item were the chips as they were crisp, had a nice maize-ness to them, and were well dusted with seasoning.

Mikes Red 06 Mikes Red 10 I did enjoy the salsa rojo which had a nice spice and a kick of citrus. The tortillas this time around did not hold up as well, they started to tear as I picked my tacos up. These tacos just aren't beefy-savory-spicy (without the salsas) enough with that flavor which dances with a hint of smokiness from dried chilies. Like I've said before, to me this is "birria not to offend".

Mikes Red 09

And before you say "look at Kirk, he's going to pull the Fernandez card again", let me just stay in the area and say I prefer the birria (and consomme) from El Viejon. And KennethB, I do wish Emily's was still open!

For now, I'm going to head further down to Convoy, if I'm not checking out Fernanadez or other places for birria. That said, Mike's seems to have improved a bit, but not enough to stop me from looking for other options in the area.

Mikes Red 12 Mikes Red 11 Please check out Soo's post on Mike's as well.

Mike's Red Tacos
4310 Genesee Ave. Suite 104
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Sun – Thurs 11am – 930pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 1030pm

Sunday Sandwiches – Siesel’s Old Fashioned Meats

March 12, 2023 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, Sandwiches

Siesel's is a fairly regular stop for me these days. Admittedly, I used to drop by every so often for ham hocks (I really like theirs – it's a key ingredient for my Portuguese Bean Soup) or some bit of higher quality red meat (usually not for Asian dishes), heck I've even bought stuff from what I call the "frozen protein zoo". But, ever since the Pandemic began I've been shopping there more often. I've found several specialty grocery items I used to get from the now closed Bristol Farms at Siesel's and on recent visits some of the produce looked quite good as well!

On a recent visit, I was a bit hungry and passed the Deli Counter. I then recalled Cathy's post from over a decade ago and realized that even though I've been to most of the sandwich places in the area, I had never given a sandwich from Siesel's a shot.

SS Seisels 01a I perused the menu where prices range from $7.99 to $10.99 for sandwiches. Siesel's sells Dietz and Watson products and that's what they use for their sandwiches as well. The gentleman behind the counter saw me checking out the menu, came over and apologized. Apparently, they had just raised prices of all sandwiches by a dollar that week

I had noticed the "specialty sandwich" was named after the Fire Company right across the street; Station 25. The folks working there are so nice, you always see them greeting people, giving dogs treats, oogling babies, and they are an integral part of the Bay Park community. So, I decided to order the Station 25 ($10.99). I also got a small bag of chips as well. I then went and got the grocery items I needed before circling back to the counter to pick up my sandwich which was ready.

It felt quite hefty.

SS Seisels 02

It was a large sandwich on a nicely toasted "French" Roll.

SS Seisels 03 SS Seisels 04 So, as you can see, there was a lot going on here! From the three meats, Hot Ham (Capicola), Turkey, and Bacon. The "Buffalo" Cheddar was actually a good match in this protein laden sandwich as it added a bit of spice. Loved the sprouts and avocado. The triple threat of sauces, chipotle mayo, mustard, and D&Ws oil-vinegar "hoagie sauce" was a bit too much. I'd probably go without the mustard next time.

This ended up being two meals for me. Gone are the days when I could polish off a large sandwich like this in one sitting.

SS Seisels 05

This was a decent sandwich and with pricing these days worth the price.

I had to do some shopping a few days later, so I decided to try another sandwich. I went with the Cuban ($9.99).

SS Seisels 06 SS Seisels 07 I definitely didn't expect anything like what I've had at other places, heck, this is served on the "French" Roll! Sadly, it seems that they forgot to toast the roll. This bread overloaded sandwich also had way too much of the mustard-mayo based sauce.

Unlike the Station25, this didn't seem like a good value.

SS Seisels 08

This past weekend, I stopped by and decided to grab yet another sandwich. This time I went with the "Rudy" ($9.99). Man, this was another hefty sandwich.

SS Seisels 09

I'm not a big fan of "deli chicken", because it usually doesn't have flavor and is dry. This version sports D&Ws "Buffalo Chicken" which actually has some flavor and was moist and tender. I loved the flavor of the sourdough, but it didn't hold up well on the short trip home. There's pepperjack cheese and peperocini which added some nice "zip". Avocado, lettuce, tomato, and mayo rounds out the sandwich. This was pretty good. I'll probably get this again without the mayo and eat it on the premises.

SS Seisels 10

Overall, I prefer the sandwiches here to the typical supermarket stuff. The prices, at least for these days aren't bad, and some of the sandwiches are quite generous in size. It's good to have yet another option in the area. And convenient for when I need to do some shopping at Siesel's. Not sure why I didn't do this earlier…..

Siesel's Old Fashioned Meats
4131 Ashton St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Mon – Sat 9am – 7pm
Sunday 9am – 6pm

Road Trip – Dinner at Geronimo (Santa Fe, NM)

March 11, 2023 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, European Restaurants, Fine Dining, New Mexico, Road Trip, Santa Fe/Taos, New Mexico, Travel

We took a short break after our day of hiking and exploring. Our room was very comfortable, I'm sure we'll stay here again next time.

For our "special" meal in Santa Fe, I had originally wanted Sazon, but due to the chef recently winning the James Beard Best Chef Southwest (2022), I just wasn't able to get reservations. So I searched around a bit and saw Geronimo mentioned on many lists. And I managed to make reservations with no problem.

And deciding to make the 20 minute walk up (and then down) artsy Canyon Road would turn out to be a lot of fun. The street is full of historic adobe houses, most of which have been turned into art galleries.

Canyon Road is made for strolling, exploring and enjoying all the art.

I'm glad we headed out early as we spent a good amount of time checking out various galleries and all the wonderful art!

My favorite by far is "Peace Offering" by the late Walt Horton, in which a squirrel offers up an acorn to a sweet looking and curious bear. It looks so wonderfully adorable. You can't help but smile when you see it!

Geronimo is located in a historic 250 year old building. The namesake of the restaurant is not who you think it would be, but rather it is named for Geronimo Lopez who was the house's original owner.

While many folks were seated on the veranda, we chose seats in the warm and classy dining room.

The service was excellent, the perfect mix of efficient professionalism without being snobby or intrusive. Things got off on the right foot with a glass of Champagne.

After perusing the menu; the Missus decided on the four course Vegetarian Tasting Menu ($80) with a wine pairing ($90). I decided to order two appetizers and a side for my meal.

The Missus's first course was a nice Endive Salad.

Nice peppery-bitterness from the endive, I thought the onion vinaigrette had a good pungent-sweet balance.

Up for me was the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio ($30).

Man, this was so good. The clean, almost sweet slices of Wagyu Beef went so well with the bitter-nutty arugula. The shreds of Parmesan added salty milkiness, while the classic addition of capers provided the right amount of a pickled sour and salt. The herb oil really wasn't needed, but the mustard horseradish sauce was just perfect on this.

Next up for the Missus was the Wild Mushroom and Sherry Bisque.

In what was a very classy move, I was brought out a cup of the bisque as well since I had to wait for my next course! Super cool! The bisque was decadently smooth and velvety, but the Missus said there wasn't enough earthy mushroom flavor for Her. Of course, She's become quite the mushroom soup snob.

Since I hadn't expected a course, I had ordered an Old Fashioned, which was quite delish.

Next up for me….why I ordered appetizers part 2, the Foie Gras ($30).

Perfectly seared , this wiggly slice of heaven was delici-yoso, with the duck demiglace adding another layer of rich-savory flavor. The "French Toast" teetered on the sweeter side, but the foie gras nicely brought it back to earth.

I also got a side of Broccolini ($10) which was nicely cooked, because….well, I needed something that actually looked healthy, you know what I mean?

The Missus's next dish was the Risotto.

Nice basil tones and that Parmesan infusion went so well with the peppery-citrusy flavored arborio rice. The artichokes and asparagus were delicious. But, as is often the case with risotto, some of the rice was still on the hard and chewy side. Still, great flavors overall.

The Missus enjoyed Her dessert, the Meyer Lemon Crepe.

This was a nice meal, with classy, yet warm and unstuffy service, and worth the price in our mind. The Missus enjoyed the wine pairing. It was a great way to end our time in Santa Fe.

Geronimo
724 Canyon Rd.
Santa Fe, NM 87501

We headed back down Canyon Road and ran into one of the two couples (the one without the pooch) we saw during our hike. They recognized us first and said hello. We all cracked up! They were headed to Geronimo and we told them that they'd enjoy there meal there. We hope they did.

Ambling back to the hotel, in the light of the "golden hour" (the sun doesn't set until after 7pm in September), admiring all the art, gave us time to reflect on how lucky we were to be able to dine at places like Geronimo and enjoy cities like Santa Fe.

And "Peace Offering" will always bring a smile to my face!

Road Trip – The Picacho Peak Trail, the De Vargas Street House, and San Miguel Chapel (Santa Fe, NM)

March 10, 2023 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, New Mexico, Road Trip, Santa Fe/Taos, New Mexico, Travel

**** Not much food in this one, but if you want to read about the supposedly "Oldest House" and "Oldest Church" in the US read on….

Breakfast was provided by our accommodation at the attached bar/restaurant named El Charro. The Inn of the Governor's also provided a drink voucher for the place. We had walked in the previous evening after dinner for a nightcap, but the two women working were really rude and unwelcoming, something that shocked us, because folks in Santa Fe and especially at the hotel were so nice. We decided not to deal with that so we left. Luckily, the breakfast crew was efficient if not especially friendly.

Breakfast was fine, more than enough to hold us for the day.

Of course the Missus wanted to make sure I made use of all those calories and wanted to do a hike. While doing a bit of research, I came across the Dale Ball trails. This network of 25 miles of trails is named after Dale Ball, the founder of the Santa Fe Conservation Trust. The Missus decided on the Picacho Peak Trail, which didn't seem to be too bad, less than four miles. What I failed to read was the 1200 foot elevation gain! Sigh…..

Anyway, we drove on out and found the main trailhead. A really nice local couple and their trailblazing Labradoodle ("we do this a couple of times a week and he already knows the way") helped to point out where the peak portion of the trail began.

It was a nice day and a good hike, though I was kinda huffing along at the top of the peak. Considering that Santa Fe is at 7,000 feet and adding another 1200, it's no wonder.

Regardless, the scenery was quite nice and I especially liked all of the rock formations near the entrance.

Other than the nice locals with the pooch we ran into only one other couple during the entire hike.

We also came across this…..

And this sign details what we were looking at.

This article from Audubon Society is quite interesting and goes into how climate change is affecting these communal irrigation systems.

After finishing our hike, we decided to head on over to the local Whole Foods and pick up salads for lunch. We also found an interesting snack that we ended up really liking.

Not overly sweet, great peanut brittle with just enough "zip"! We actually found one of the Senor Murphy shops in downtown Santa Fe, but it turned out that WF was cheaper! We'd drop by on our way out of Santa Fe and bought a couple more packages of this.

After lunch we returned to the hotel and decided to spend the rest of the afternoon (before "siesta time") doing a bit of exploring. Santa Fe was established in 1607, so there's a lot of history here. We parked at the hotel and took a short stroll down busy East Alameda Street, then turned south on the Old Santa Fe Trail. Taking a left on East De Vargas Street we came across this.

This is the De Vargas Street House which is one of the claimants of the oldest house in America, the west portion of the structure is said to have been built in 1646. And of course it must be haunted.

It's pretty small, half dominated by a gift shop. But there are some old drawing, photos, and a small museum.

Oldest House Museum
215 E De Vargas St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501

We were a bit underwhelmed, but right across the street is the San Miguel Mission.

Which claims to be…drum roll please….the oldest church in the Continental United States having been established around 1610. The two oldest church structures in the U.S. actually reside in Puerto Rico.

The date inscribed on the beam dates to 1710.

The Bell is said to date back to 1356 and was originally cast in Spain. It was installed in the 19th century.

There's quite a controversy about the actual date of when the bell was cast. In 1914 a Historian named Benjamin Read tracked down a Santa Fe native who remembers the bell being cast in 1856. So it is said that someone had come in and "modified" the date on the bell from 1856 to 1356. You can read more about it here.

Or perhaps even the sign in front of the bell. Which of course skews toward the 1356 date.

Many religious icons have been attached to the frame of the bell.

The Reredos (Altar Screen) is quite beautiful.

For even more controversy, the two paintings on each side of the Reredos was claimed to have been the work of Cimabue dating back to 1287. This was has been debunked.

You gotta love it! We enjoyed our visit here….especially all the "stories".

San Miguel Chapel
401 Old Santa Fe Trail
Santa Fe, NM 87501

From the miraculous staircase of the Lorreto Chapel to the oldest house, to San Miguel Chapel and controversy of the bell, we were enjoying the stories and the folks here!

Thanks for stopping by!

Dinners at EE Nami

March 8, 2023 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Memorable Meals

Recently, the Missus and I restarted our "date nights". It seems that the combination of gas and food prices, Covid, and our travels kind of waylaid something that we'd always enjoyed. After returning from our trip "home", we decided to go ahead and slowly start dining out. Of course, the question arose…."where"? I was missing Japanese food, but for some reason, just did not feel like Yakitori or hanging at a sushi bar. After all my takeout meals from EE Nami over the last couple of years, I really wanted a shot at their dinner Izakaya menu. But first, I had to convince the Missus. You see the Missus usually hates Tonkatsu on the mainland, She will get Chicken Katsu, but Her experiences with pork have not been good, too tough, too dry, lacking in flavor. I'd been telling Her about my takeout meals from EE Nami but She just wouldn't try it. Finally, after showing Her the Dinner menu online, I managed to talk Her into visiting for dinner. And guess what? We've now been several times! Over the last couple of weeks!

EE Nami D 01

I usually will make reservations; heck, I didn't even know EE Nami took reservations, for the 530 time slot, we'd eat early and get the heck out of dodge. The service has always been nice and friendly; there are touches that make us miss Japan.

Since we've made several visits and have pretty much reordered our favorite dishes over and over, I think I'll just do a listing of our picks and pans.

One thing to always take note of is the Specials menu.

EE Nami D 02

And this menu has our favorite item on it; the Miyazaki A5 Wagyu Nigiri.

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We ordered it on our initial visit and it was love at first bite; the unctuous, melt in your mouth tenderness of the beef, the rice cooked perfectly, the nice amount of pungency of the fresh grated wasabi. We ended up getting a second order! Since that time we always place two orders immediately. It will be a sad day when this isn't on the menu any longer!

Other Favorites:

Of course, the Missus ended up loving the Tonkatsu. And I noticed that the Fillet is much better dining in than doing takeout.

EE Nami D 06 EE Nami D 05 It's very tender, moist, with a pleasant porkiness, the panko breading crisp and perfect. To us, the fillet is better than the loin when dining in. We usually don't order any rice or soup with this. As we want to keep on going!

The Missus really enjoys a good Agedashi Tofu and She loves this version.

EE Nami D 07

This dish retains its light crispness for a good amount of time; the Missus enjoys the pretty strong dashi it's served in and also the addition of nori in the coating of the tofu. We noticed that many of the Izakaya dishes here have a larger portion size than what we're used to in Japan.

A favorite of mine is another item from the specials menu, the Ankimo with Smoked Takuan….actually, it's monk fish liver with smoked pickles on the menu.

EE Nami D 08 EE Nami D 09 I don't know who thought of this one, but to me it's a winnah! Love the creamy, rich, and mild liveriness of the Ankimo paired with the crunchy, smoky, pickled-sour daikon. And adding a bit of the shiso brought out even more complexity. As with the Wagyu Nigiri; I'll be sad when this is no longer on the specials menu.

Good Dishes:

The Gyu Tataki was pretty good.

EE Nami D 10

While a bit on the chewy side, this had a nice beefiness which went well with the ponzu sauce and onions. Overall, a fairly refreshing dish.

The Tori Nanban was pretty large and unwieldy, especially with the tartar sauce dripping about.

EE Nami D 11

This was another one of those dishes that we thought was kind of American-sized. The Missus, who is not usually a fan of Tori Nanban, thought this was pretty good. I on the other hand like tori nanban and though the batter was crisp, the pieces of chicken were too large with the biggest piece a bit on the dry side. The batter did stay crisp during the whole meal though and the chicken was well seasoned.

Plus/Minus:

The Buta Kakuni was a bit of an enigma.

EE Nami D 12

The sauce was very tasty, though perhaps on the sweet side. The tamago was nicely cooked, with a lovely orb of an orange yolk. The daikon was tender and perfectly cooked, having absorbed the flavor from the sauce. The problem was the pork, which was really tough and stringy, and for some reason had really not absorbed enough of the flavor from the sauce.

Pans:

I'm not sure if it was an off day or what, but the Roasted Beef Tongue was not to our liking.

EE Nami D 13

The tongue had a metallic flavor to it; the sauce was a strangely bland "onion sauce" when we think ponzu might have been a better match.

The worst dish we had was on our first visit. The Missus loves eggplant, so the Niku Miso Eggplant would seem like a good pick. It wasn't however.

EE Nami D 14

The ground pork was gritty and dry, with no flavor. The eggplant was undercooked and also lacked flavor. There was supposed to be some kind of chili sauce on this? But it was MIA. Even with a sauce, the textures, and cooking techniques used here would have not been to our liking.

With that said, the dishes we enjoy here, we thoroughly enjoy. There's something about the vibe and our favorites here which allow us to travel with our tastebuds. At least on the slower nights we pick for our dinners.

EE Nami D 03

Some good food, a nice vibe, all enjoyed with some craft, small production sake…….

EE Nami D 14b EE Nami D 16 And life is good! It seems we found a keeper for a casual date night spot.

EE Nami
4706 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours
Wed – Sun 1130am – 2pm, 530pm – 10pm

Thanks for stopping by!

A Revisit to Sue’s Korean Kitchen

March 6, 2023 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

Recently, my coworker "Richard" actually came into the office! I hadn't seen him in ages it seems and so I thought it would be nice to pick up some lunch. I gave him a couple of choices and he picked Sue's Korean Kitchen since he'd never had the food from there. I like getting to Sue's early; they open at 10 to avoid waits and crowds. He left it to me to do the ordering.

Sues Rev 01

I arrived right after the place opened. The woman working waved at me and said "I haven't seen you in a long time, maybe almost a year!" Checking back, I hadn't visited Sue's in almost a year, she was right! Wow, what a memory!

Sues Rev 02

Richard left it up to me to choose. I always get the Kimchi Fried Rice here, so I went and placed two orders. Richard is younger and is still a "growing boy" whereas my growth is more directed toward girth these days. So I knew he'd need more than Kimchi Fried Rice. So, I also ordered the bulgogi ($15). I did notice that the Kimchi Fried Rice has gone up a dollar to $10.99 since my last visit almost a year ago, which considering how other prices have risen didn't seem to bad to me.

Sues Rev 03

My favorite here is still the Kimchi Fried Rice.

Sues Rev 04

I get mine with Spam (of course) which adds a nice salty component to this fairly spicy version of KFR. The house made kimchi has a nice slightly fermented flavor and it seemed more intensely flavored then I recall. Richard loved this.

As for the Bulgogi. Well, I do like the panchan made inhouse….I've seen older Korean folks coming in to buy it in bulk from the fridge here.

Sues Rev 05 Sues Rev 06 The Bulgogi was quite tender, perhaps a shade sweeter than I prefer, but not bad at all. Richard enjoyed this as well, telling me that this was better than what had recently had at a Korean place on Convoy! Go figure.

Since we had KFR, I took the white rice home along with some of the panchan, which the Missus gobbled up. Looks like I need to drop by and get some one of these days.

Sues Rev 07

It was great having Richard in the office. Say what you will about the joys of remote work and perhaps I'm just an old fuddy-duddy, but I miss the social and collaborative spirit of working together in the same area. Sues Rev 08

Sue's really reminds me of the Korean BBQ places "back home" like Gina's, there's something soulful about these places. And just think, Sue's opened in spring of 2021, in the middle of the pandemic and they've survived! Maybe one day we'll learn their story.

For now….well, I think I'll need another kimchi fried rice fix soon!

Sue’s Korean Kitchen
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd.
Suite 109
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours:
Mon – Sat 10am – 9pm