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!
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.
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.
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/El Único
1043 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91911
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.
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.
Walk up and you can read the menu in the front window. The weekly specials are on the White Board at the bottom; each is $1 less than the menu price. Walk in, order, pay and find a seat. Beverages will be brought to your table. 
Bento A ($13.50)-Baked salmon, chicken teriyaki, fried seafood, California roll. Rice, salad and
this really wonderful miso soup are included. (You can order a bowl for $1.75 if it's not included with your meal; worth it) 
The Ginger Seafood Bento ($11.25). One salmon piece, one squid piece, two fish
and two shrimp. All cooked well and coated in a really refreshing ginger sauce. Edamame, chilled noodles, rice and salad are included.
I have found myself ordering the Vegetable Delight Bento ($11.50) quite often. Eight pieces of tempura, eight pieces of Garden Roll, edamame, salad and rice. Of course, everything is properly fried and so very fresh.
Hot tea ($1) is a good quality green and the cup is kept refilled. 
The chicken katsu salad ($8.50) can be a meal. The chicken is plump and juicy with a crunchy-light fried coating.
The fried calamari ($7.50) serving is now only four pieces, but each is quite large. Again, expertly fried crunch batter and the squid is so tender.
The vegetable tempura appetizer (or side order, as the case may be) ($7.50) has eight pieces and light, non-greasy fry.
I can't believe we had never tried the mix yakisoba ($10.50) until 2022! Shrimp, chicken, beef, veggies and quality eggy noodles. This is served with rice or salad. A really nice meal. 
Walking the door, the area to the left is where you order To-Go; the original 'footprint' of Lucky. The restaurant expanded to having Sit-Down in 2014.
Wonton crisps along with house-made sweet and sour sauce are brought out while you peruse the menu. A pot of hot tea (choice of jasmine, oolong or green) is $4.50.
The one item we always ordered to-go are these lettuce cups ($10.79). Minced chicken, water chestnuts, carrot, white and green onion, toasted almonds served with a half head of lettuce, hot mustard and hoisin sauce. This appetizer can stay in the refrigerator and still tastes good later in the day. It was our Covid-19 staple.
The wonton soup ($9.99) has a rich, deep flavored, chicken-pork broth and is filled with chicken, shrimp, vegetables and large pork filled wontons. As you can see, more fillings than broth- a meal all by itself.
Spicy pork ($14.79). The pork is stir-fried with bell pepper, bamboo shoots, zucchini, carrot, celery and onions in a house-made Kung Pao sauce. The pork is tender, the vegetables are still crisp; this is such a perfect melding of flavors and texture. (Entrees are served with a choice of steamed rice, brown rice, chow mein or (as above) Singapore noodle).
Sesame chicken ($15.79) is properly fried so the batter remains light and crisp even on the bottom pieces of the serving dish. The sweet and spicy sauce has a bit of heat (not too much; you can taste the batter as well as the chicken with each bite).
The 2023 Tournament of Roses with the theme "Turning The Corner" has concluded. The Rose Parade was held on January 2 (the Parade is never on a Sunday; the first parades in the 1800s had floats that were horses pulling carriages and horses were needed for church on Sunday; the tradition stands). Following the Parade, the floats line up at the end of the five mile Parade route, end to end, and are displayed after the Parade and the next day. This year, I drove up with my friend, 
The Sweepstakes Award, for the most beautiful entry encompassing float design, floral presentation and entertainment, went to the float sponsored by Donate Life, "Lifting Each Other Up". A spectacular asian street dragon is the centerpiece of the float. There were 44 memorial floragraphs representing those who had given the gift of life. Those were removed before the rain, so the families could have a memory. 
You can see the empty circles, where the floragraphs had been, in this photo. 
Trader Joe's entry, "Onward" won the Wrigley Legacy Award for most outstanding display of floral presentation, float design and entertainment. The three piece float was magnificent and whimsical. 
Walking along the floats: an alligator, a shark and crested birds were some of the many details not seen during the television broadcast. 
The Kiwanis entry, "Catching the Wave of Service" was so beautiful.
The City of Alhambra entry, "Together We Rise" received the Tournament Volunteer award. 
Elks U.S.A entered "Elks Investing in Our Communities"- a magnificent float. 
More details- hummingbirds, snails and bees might have gone unnoticed during the quick TV viewing. Yet so much work was put into the design and decoration of each and every one of the 39 floats in the 2023 Parade. (I have photos of all the floats if you want any specific pictures).
"Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language". The float designs are being submitted and construction will begin. As an aside, each float always has recorded music while it drives down the Parade Route. This theme will have the floats designed and coordinated with the music. It should be fun. 
cc was looking forward to going to Portos after our morning of walking. 
She and I needed lunch. A cubano sandwich, cuban style black bean soup, turkey and cheese croissant and (to go, for The Mister) a rustic chopped chicken salad (which includes house candied bacon-yum!). There were, of course a few bakery items. However, we were here on January 3-just before Epiphany, the 12th night after Christmas and the 'end' of the holiday season. 
Traditional celebratory sweets to celebrate Three Kings Day were for sale; however the Rosca de Reyes was already sold out. We each purchased a Galette des Rois.
Puff pastry filled with a layer of almond frangipane cream as well as a touch of guava jam (for a Cuban twist). The 'baby' could be hidden into a slice by us (if there were more than two of us sharing this tart) and whoever found it could wear the crown. The Mister and I shared wearing the crown. 
There were no Roscas, but the seasonal Rosquitas, a sweet bread topped with dried, candied fruits made some nice bites for us this year. 
Honda is a Sponsor of the Tournament and their float is not judged; that's why it is not completely covered in organic materials.
The former movie theater, now a Vietnamese Market, with the Cantonese restaurant in the former lobby has survived Covid-19. 
From the small Dim Sum menu, we ordered XLB-soup dumplings ($6.38). A nice bite and, as you can see, not quite perfect, but no soup was actually lost because of the creative steaming system.
From the 'appetizer' portion of the menu, we ordered the 'Double Delicacy' ($19.95) because we couldn't decide on roasted pork or roasted duck and this was a way to get both (there were leftovers) (both of these meats are really good; tender meat, crisp skin, not too salty.).
Lately, Chow Fun fulfills the craving I've been having for noodles. The wide, flat, rice noodles, stir fried to get that smoky 'wok hei' flavor always seems perfect. (This order was shredded pork with preserved vegetable chow fun ($14.95). I enjoy the briny 'pickle-ness' of preserved vegetables in any dish and combined with the smoked noodles, each bite was delightful).
Hot tea is always free. We did have to ask for chopsticks.