Closed – mmm-yoso

168 Restaurant

*** 168 Restaurant has closed

168 Restaurant, located in the shadow of the 99 Ranch Market sign, is a popular and inexpensive Taiwanese restaurant in the area.

The bare bones atmosphere, and "sticky" tables, along with the faint smell of vinegar in the air take me back to many of the Chinese "coffee shops" in the San Gabriel Valley. 168 specializes in homestyle Chinese and Taiwanese "grub" at very reasonable prices. Forget about atmosphere though, it doesn't exist at 168. We also ate with our "elbows up" and off of the sticky-tacky tables.

Many of the people during our visits were eating Fried Rice, Noodle Soup, or some other noodle dish.

We decided to try some menu items that we hadn't ordered before. Starting with the Smoked Chicken($3.75):

I really enjoyed this cold chicken dish, it had a mild smokey flavor, the meat had a slightly "cured" texture, and though it teetered on the edge of being too salty it was very satisfying on this very hot day.

Pan Fried Egg with Dried Radish($4.25):

This homestyle omelet had strips of dried radish in it. It is really nothing different from what I make at home. The eggs were very salty, though the radish added a nice crunch to the dish

Glutinous Rice in Bowl($3.25):

I enjoyed the gooey glutinous rice that surrounded a "filling" of chunks of pork and dried radish. Here's a look:

Slightly sweet, slightly salty, with a sauce with hints of……well, as the Missus put's it, "It's Five-Spice, okay, F-I-V-E Spice. None of this hints of anise stuff, it tastes like five spice". Okay??? This was not bad, I'd have it again.

I really don't know why I ordered the Xiao Long Bao($5.75), big mistake:

Really big mistake, the wrappers were a bit freezer burnt, and only two or three of the dumplings actually had "soup" in them.

A few weeks later, we found ourselves at 168 again. And in keeping with our previous meal, we decided to try items we'd never had here before.

Since we enjoyed the cold Smoked Chicken on our previous visit, we ordered the Wined Chicken($3.75):

The chicken tasted much better than it looked. The flavor of the chicken was neither too strong, nor totally bland like the version at Mei Long Village. The texture of the chicken was slightly dense and cured, with a slight salty-winey flavor. Not as strong in flavor as the version at Shanghai City, but still quite good.

Of course some Stinky Tofu(Cho Dofu – $5.25):

The Missus has a basic "rule" when it comes to Cho Dofu. If I can smell it, than eat it, it's probably not good. The usual foul, what I call a dark-deep-damp-acrid odor of decomposition was very tame and mild. In addition, the sauce was very mild and weak. I had 3 pieces of the Cho Dofu, which really tasted like fried tofu, with a slight acrid odor. So this brined than fermented tofu dish was not very good.

Goose Meat w/Bean Thread($5.25):

A light clear poultry based broth, had a nice quantity of slightly chewy bean thread. The broth was mild, and the julienned ginger added a very nice clean flavor to what would be a fairly weak soup. The "Goose Meat" tasted strangely like Duck Leg, it just wasn't as rich and gamey as goose is. We thought this was just okay.

Oyster w/"Thin Noodles" Soup($4.75):

This thickened soup was a strange mish-mash of conflicting flavors, and the lack of decent quality ingredients didn't help it in the least. I really like the slightly gooey soup, it had a nice assertive vinegar and white pepper flavor. The Missus thought it was too sour. I really enjoyed the chewy brown wheat based thin Taiwanese style noodles. There were 2 items that ruined the dish. First, the Oysters tasted very bad, like they had been starting to "break-down" with a fishy-bitter flavor. I fished all of them out of the bowl, no sense in spending the night sleeping the bathroom, if you know what I mean. The bamboo shoots had a metallic-sour flavor to them. I'm pretty sure that the bamboo shoots were old, and that when they were removed from the can, the shoots were not drained or rinsed. Too bad, I thought this soup had potential.

The menu at 168 is quite extensive, with everything from Squid Potage and 3 Cup Chicken(posted on he wall) to Fried Rice and Kung Pao Chicken. What 168 does best are Chinese Coffee shop and snack dishes. And those are still a "mixed bag" and quite inconsistent. The service is basic Chinese restaurant in style and quality, you usually need to ask for anything you need. Of course being open till almost midnight is a big plus.

168 Restaurant
7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Open 11am-1130pm Daily

Pho T Cali

August 6, 2006 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** An updated post on Pho T Cali can be found here.

*** Pho T Cali has closed

One thing I really enjoy about doing this food blog are the emails, most of the emails I receive are very nice, kind, fun, interesting, and sometimes quite entertaining. Of course I get my share of Spam, Shills, and other unsavory Emails; but I'd say 90% of them are at least fun. A recent email surely belonged in the "entertaining" category. Someone named "Pho-grrrl" sent me an email, that was really a single run-on sentence…."Hey, you have to eat at Pho T Cali, it's the best! Pho T Cali rocks!!! They make the best Pho, SO YOU HAVE TO GO THERE SOON! Pho T Cali ROCKS, woo-hoo!" For some reason, I started laughing, I was feeling a bit under the weather, but this email still cracked me up. I knew right away that this wasn't a "shill" message. I mean, I've only seen 1 Woman working at Pho T Cali, who I really wouldn't think of being a Grrrl, nor could I imagine Her using the term "rocks", nor ending a sentence with "woo-hoo".

But, since Pho-grrrl brightened my day, and since I was feeling a bit under the weather, and a bowl of Pho would be a nice tonic, I drove over to Pho T Cali.

Pho T Cali was formerly known as Pho Hoa Cali, and as far as I could tell the menu and staff are basically the same. The food had changed slightly, and the prices had gone up a bit since the change. I've always found the food at Pho T Cali to be quite middle of the road, in fact, I had considered doing Pho T Cali instead of Phuong Trang for my retrospective, as the example of MOR(Middle of the Road) Pho. Being MOR has it's benefits, Pho T Cali is very popular with a wide range of people.

Today I chose the Pho Dac Biet Xe Lua(Special – Extra Large bowl – $5.50). The garnishes are the basic basil-bean sprouts-jalapeno-lime quartet.

The very large bowl of Pho arrived soon after:

In keeping with the MOR theme, the broth was on the lighter side, with a very mild beef flavor, though a tad on the salty side. There was no outstanding flavor element, and the oil level was low. That is not to say it was bland, the green onions, onions, and all of the garnishes(including the jalapenos) gave the broth life. The portion of thinly sliced rare beef was pretty good, not tough at all, but a bit on the dry side. The brisket and flank were very tasty, though a bit on the fatty side. In keeping with safe theme, the portion of tripe was really small, and tendon was nearly non-existent.

There was a humongous clump of noodles at the bottom of the bowl.

The noodles weren't cooked enough and were tough, but they are usually fine. Overall, the Pho was as expected.

Don't get me wrong, Pho T Cali has the formula down, decent food, good prices, and is fairly consistent. When people ask me about trying Pho for the first time, I sometimes recommend Pho T Cali. The service is efficient, and the "appetizer sin", where the Pho, or other main course arrives before the Cha Gio or Goi Cuon has never happened to me here. Most of the dishes(except for the Bun Bo Hue, which is lousy), are done fairly well. Here's to you Pho-grrrl. Woo-Hoo! Or maybe Hoo-Woo…….

Pho T Cali
7351 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Hours – Sun-Thurs 830am-9pm
Fri-Sat 830am-930pm

Teriyaki Cowboy….Rides into the Sunset

August 2, 2006 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

Feeling much better, I decided to drive a few blocks to pick up a bento from Teriyaki Cowboy for lunch today. Only to find the place closed, with this note posted on the door:

Bummer! TC, had been a semi-regular stop for inexpensive bentos.

This little Mom and Pop hole-in-the-wall, had a quaint, comfortable atmosphere. Though the food wasn’t great by any means, it was good to fair, and the prices right. Too bad I never got around to posting. So here’s a posthumous Teriyaki Cowboy pictorial.

I’ll miss sitting under my favorite print.

Rest in peace Cowboy, you’ll be missed.

Guess the Dim Sum Restaurant – It’s Silver Ark

July 27, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum

The Missus and I recently had some Dim Sum, and of course I automatically took some photos. But we arrived right at the end of Dim Sum service, and so we decided that perhaps we'd just delete these photos. Not that the Dim Sum was "tired", well some of it was……..

But then it came to me! It seems that everyone had fun with the Mid Week Mystery Market; so how about guessing the Dim Sum Restaurant? Same rules, first 7 Emails I receive that guess the correct Restaurant, I'll send you a cup of Peet's on me!

So let's get rolling, shall we?

The Jook was excellent, really rich, with lot's of preserved egg, and strips of pork instead of the usual ground pork.

But of course it could be that the porridge had been simmering away all day, gaining flavor. And all of the good stuff had sunk to the bottom. Which is what we got. But really good anyway.

The rest was average to mediocre. Except for one other dish that I'll reveal tomorrow.

I just realized that this one may be waaaay too easy, so I'll stop here.

My one clue? The restaurant is in San Diego County.

The rules are same as usual; one correct guess per IP address. First seven wins.

I'll finish the post, and have a few more photos, along with revealing the restaurant tomorrow evening!

Friday Morning Clues – You know, I've had some good guesses, along with some really excellent observations that I will add as clues. These will help those that have had Dim Sum in San Diego, and still are not quite sure which restaurant it is.

1 – Notice the Taro Gok, if you look toward the upper right you'll see some interesting clues.

2 – Same photo, notice how the fried taro balls are served. A certain Dim Sum house in San Diego serves it up differently, immediately removing that restaurant from contention.

3 – Notice how the tripe is cut; very thick. Also, some Dim Sum restaurants top the tripe with a red chili, removing that restaurant from contention.

4 – The best observation was made by Liver Bomb who noticed the mustard/chili dish. Talk about attention to detail!

So has anyone guessed correctly yet? Sorry, can't say…..

Friday Afternoon Clues – Just a photo of the Pan Fried Noodles with Seafood and some prices.

Pan Fried Noodle with Seafood($9.50):

Dim Sum Prices :

Small – $2.10

Medium – $3.20

Large – $4.20

Super – $6.50

Good Luck!

The Restaurant is…… Silver Ark, a restaurant that recently opened on Mira Mesa Boulevard.

Since we arrived at the end of Dim Sum service, we've decided to revisit when we have a chance. Our overall impression, is that the restaurant is a step below China Max, Emerald, and Jasmine. The Pan Fried noodles were pretty good, lot's of noodles, the scallops were good, though the shrimp was not of the highest quality.

But we'll definitely try Silver Ark again, and do a "real" post.

Silver Ark
8993 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126

So how many correct answers?

One. Congrats Green Turtle!

Pho Tu Do

July 25, 2006 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Pho Tu Do has closed, and will reopen as a Sushi-Teriyaki Restaurant.

A few months ago; the "Twins" from Sandwich Emporium mentioned Pho Tu Do, and specifically, the various "Khai Vi"(appetizers) on the menu. Peter(or was it John) mentioned that the appetizers on the menu at Pho Tu Do are pretty hard to find in San Diego. Then, a few weeks later Howie of a A Foodie View, and His friend Codergirl also mentioned the unique(for San Diego) appetizers at Pho Tu Do. So last week, I finally made it to Pho Tu Do.

As I parked my car, I realized that I had eaten here several years earlier, and had a very mediocre bowl of Pho. But this time I was in search of something other than Pho.

Unlike many other Vietnamese Restaurants, the menu at Pho Tu Do is short; about 8 appetizers, 20 soup and Com Tam(broken rice) items, 13 beverages, and 4 desserts. It sure makes ordering easy – no "Vietnamese Menu Overload" here!

On this visit I started with Banh It-Banh Ram($3.75):

Two sticky, glutinous rice balls, with a mochi like texture is filled with shrimp and diced pork, lay on top of a fried croquette also filled with shrimp and pork. All topped off with green onions, that seem to be partially cooked, and ground shrimp. Served with a little bowl of Nuoc Mam Cham.

Though these appetizers were a bit on the heavy and oily side, the contrasting textures; the gooey glutinous sweet rice ball, against the slightly crunchy deep fried crouquette, were interesting. It was also a challenge to eat, being very hard to cut and quite hot. The shrimp tasted quite interesting, having a flavor that edged toward that of re hydrated dried shrimp, though not quite as intense. The shrimp also looked like it had been cooked in annatto oil, or some other annatto based product. Overall a very interesting appetizer.

Having also heard that the Owners of Pho Tu Do(don’t know if it’s true or not) where from Central Vietnam, I decided to try the Bun Bo Hue (small – $5). The garnishes that arrived were on the skimpy side.

Though the bowl of Bun Bo Hue was quite large for a "small" bowl:

For me, this was a very disappointing bowl of Bun Bo Hue. First off the broth was cloudy and weak, and not very spicy at all(first time I’ve ever had to add slices of jalapeno to my Bun Bo Hue). The thick cut beef was very tough, though the slice of Pork Leg had some tasty edible meat on it. The noodles were overcooked and on the mushy side as well.

Still, I saw two other items on the menu that interested me. So, a few days later, I managed to talk the Missus into having dinner at Pho Tu Do. This time I ordered the Appetizer Sample Plate($6.00):

The tray arrived with 1 piece of the afore mentioned Banh It and 5 little plates of Banh Beo, each plate contained a little round rice cake, topped with fried pork, green onions, and ground shrimp. Topped with a touch of Nuoc Mam, I thought these were quite enjoyable.

But our hands down favorite item were the two pieces of Banh Bot Loc.

Two sticky "dumplings" made of tapioca flour is stuffed with shrimp and pork, and topped with ground shrimp and green onions. The ratio of filling to tapioca "cake" was perfect, as all of the flavors melded together in harmony. You could also still make out the flavor of the shrimp and the fatty pork, which kind of got lost in the huge glutinous Banh It. I think this would make a wonderful snack…..

We also got an order of Spring Rolls (Goi Cuon – $3.75).

These were okay, full of too much Bun, and not enough herbage to give it flavor. We both noticed that the Sot Dau Phong(peanut sauce) served with the spring rolls was very good.

The Missus ordered Her favorite hot weather dish Bun Cha Gio(vermicelli with Egg Rolls – $5.75):

This was a very large bowl of Bun. The Egg Rolls were very good, crisp and full of shrimp and pork flavor. The noodles were terrible, almost hot, and cut into small pieces, and over cooked. The only greens served with the Bun was a chiffonade of lettuce on the bottom of the bowl. Most puzzling was the Nuoc Mam Cham, on this visit, we both noticed that it was very weak in flavor, it tasted almost watered down, and even getting another bowl of the sauce didn’t help this dish, it just made it more watery. In the end, a very unrefreshing dish.

Still, every time we pass Pho Tu Do, we talk about stopping for a couple of orders of Banh Bot Loc…

The service at Pho Tu Do is quiet and efficient, and the clientele seemed to be mostly Vietnamese, in direct contrast to most other Vietnamese Restaurants in the area. Pho Tu Do almost always seems empty when viewed from the street, though when I’ve visited, there always seems to be a few people eating there.

Pho Tu Do
5430 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Samba Grill

July 17, 2006 mmm-yoso Brazilian Restaurants, Buffets, Latin American Cuisine

*** Per the comment below, and the Samba Grill website; Samba Grill has closed.

I’m sure this post will quell all those who are seriously concerned about our red-meat intake. Samba Grill is a new Brazilian Steakhouse, or Churrascaria, the crowning jewel residing on the top floor of Horton Plaza Shopping Center in downtown San Diego.

If I remember correctly, this used to be FAO Schwartz. The Missus and I have fond memories of meals at Greenfields, Fogo De Chao, and Roda Viva in Los Angeles, but were a bit disappointed at the protein provided at Rei Do Gado, though we enjoy the salad bar and hot table items. To us, $35 per person is just too much to pay, for a good salad bar, and rodizio items that vary widely in taste and quality. What we decided to do at Samba Grill, was to grab lunch there, which is priced at a very reasonable $13.99($11 – salad bar only). This would help us determine if dishing out $35 for dinner would be worthwhile.

We arrived fairly early at 11am sharp, and were shown to a table in the very large dining area:

As with most Rodizio style buffets, there is a "red-green" item located on each table. Green means "bring on the meat", red means "no mais".

If you’ve never experienced a Rodizio style meal, I’d recommend trying it at least once. It’s a fun way to eat, and if done right, is a great way to pace yourself while getting your meat "fix".

To me, in addition to the "meat-fest", the buffet items hold an equal importance. At the Churrascarias I’ve been to, there usually is a very nice salad bar, with great items such as hearts of palm, marinated artichokes, and a variety of cold items. In addition, there are a few soups, and various hot dishes, and starches. This is sample of a few of items offered at Samba Grill:

Most of the items were very mediocre, and not even close to Rei Do Gado in flavor. The selection was rather small as well.

But let’s stay positive; I love fresh beets, and could eat them plain, with just a squeeze of citrus. So needless to say, I truly enjoyed the beets flavored with a nice vinaigrette. The "Feijoada", the beans and meat dish(in this case only sausage), though very simple, was the other hot table item that stood out. Other then that, and a well seasoned potato salad, the parade of flavorless mashed potatoes, pesto pasta salad, and other items were very uninspired. And no hearts of palm…bummer!

But of course, the meat-fest was just beginning. So for the uninitiated, think of a Rodzio as a reverse buffet. You sit, and the protein comes to you, courtesy of Servers carrying meat skewers, carving them right at your table.

Remember "green means go"!

The meats at Samba Grill run the gamut. From the fairly good – bacon wrapped turkey, pork ribs, and a very well seasoned, though dry Pork Tenderloin.

To the mediocre, which consisted of either over-salted, under salted, over cooked, or very, very dry. This includes the "coulda been a contenda’ garlic rubbed sirloin"(If you could just eat the caramelized outer portion of the sirloin, this would be a winna’), chicken wrapped in cheese, and really tame and dry sausage:

Then there was the plain bad, such as the tough and dry sirloin caps. As you can tell; most all the meats are served well done. This creates quite a challenge for tougher cuts.

And one really heinous, old and metallic flavored dish; the skirt steak. I seldom ever have a piece of meat I can’t swallow. But this was one of them.

We came to understand the cuts at Samba Grill, anything Sirloin was dead dry, as were many of the meat items. For example, the best part of the Filet Mignon were the onions.

But I will probably return to Samba Grill for lunch. Why? Well, there was a Young Man who served the Missus and I, who ranks among the "top 10" of any Servers that I have ever had. I’m not kidding. I really must apologize, because I don’t think I’m able to spell His name correctly. It’s something like Chiago, or Chiango. Anyway, here’s a photo:

He had a demeanor, that I’ll call "warmly professional, and genuine". Once he found out we were really interested in what we were eating, he described each item in detail. By the end of the meal, we had developed a very nice rapport with Him. Once we had finished, and turned our dial to red; He came up to our table and said "Sorry, but I didn’t see the sign. This just came off the grill, and it is good as you’ll get. So I’ll have to pretend I can’t see!" And proceeded to place a piece of perfect, sizzling, bacon wrapped turkey on our plates. And He was right, the best item of the day.

I would suggest that you try Samba Grill, but for lunch first. From what I understand, there are only 2-3 more meat items served for dinner(lamb and chicken hearts among them). If I were to make a comparison between Rei Do Gado, which is right across the street and Samba Grill, it would be even on the meat; but Rei Do Gado has it all over Samba Grill with regards to the Salad Bar and hot table items. But, I’ve had some very lousy service at Rei Do Gado, while the service at Samba Grill was very warm and friendly.

I will say that the charcoal spit roasting technique that Churrascarias use is probably more healthy than the pan-fried, crowned in butter style. Though having most everything well done is not showing the beef at it’s best.

Some notes: Remember you’ll get 4 hours of Horton Plaza parking validation when dining at Samba Grill. I also understand that Samba Grill is the San Diego extension of the Samba Grill in Salt Lake City, Utah.

If you’ve never been to a Rodizio style Churrascaria, I’d encourage a visit.

Samba Grill – located on the top floor of Horton Plaza
510 Fourth Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101

Lunch, $13.99 Salad Bar only $11
Dinner, $35. Salad bar only $20

Boo Cho – A Revisit Part II

July 10, 2006 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

*** Boo Cho has another set of new owners who have changed the name of the restaurant to Dae Jang Keum. An updated post can be found here.

A few days after my visit to Boo Cho, the Missus and I decided to drop by again, for a fairly late (9pm) dinner. As we walked in, we quickly noticed the place was packed.

We managed to snag the last available table, and watched the heads from the other tables bob up-and-down. Reminded me of that arcade game….you know the one, you hit the gophers(might be something else – not quite sure which rodent) with a mallet as they pop up and down from their burrows. The staff was running like crazy, with clean grills, banchan, and plates of meat flying past us. We managed to place our order, and soon after the banchan arrived.

As with my previous visit, the Baechu Kimchi was quite good. In fact, even the Missus, who’s not a fan of Baechu Kimchi enjoyed it.

The Oi(cucumber) Kimchi, fishcake, and Namul(marinated beansprouts) were quite good as well.

Even though it’s been quite hot, the Missus ordered Yookaejang(Spicy Beef Soup – $8.99):

The slightly clear beef broth sprinkled with chili powder, had a nice flavor, and the soup was full of Gosari(fernbrake), egg, green onions, and some melt in your mouth tender slices of beef.

Along with the usual bowl of rice, this was quite a meal.

I ordered the Bibim Naengmyun($8.99):

I’m a sucker for spicy cold noodle dishes, and this did not disappoint. The thin noodles were superbly elastic and chewy. We had what the Missus calls the "more you eat, the more there seems to be" syndrome, that never ending bowl of noodles. The garnishes were more of afterthoughts; the beef was flavorless, as were the slices of Asian Pear. But the sauce was so very "beany" in flavor, and the heat level was perfect.

In spite of how full the restaurant was, we had very good service. We were asked twice if we wanted our banchan refilled, of course we got more Napa Cabbage and Cucumber Kimchi. And in what we thought was a very nice touch, the Young Lady brought out even another plate of the Cucumber Kimchi, telling us "sorry, we didn’t give you enough the last time!"

I guess you could say Boo Cho is back on my list…… I’m hoping Boo Cho manages to keep the quality and service consistent over time.

Boo Cho Restaurant
7905 Engineer Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

Boo Cho – A Revisit Part I

July 9, 2006 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

*** Boo Cho is now Dae Jang Keum, and an updated post can be found here.

On a recent trip to Sammy’s next door, I noticed that Boo Cho had changed owners again. This would make the third set of owners in the last three years. Though it’s disheartening to see a revolving door of ownership for any restaurant location, a part of me was a bit happy. You see Boo Cho used to be one of our favorite Korean BBQ Restaurants in San Diego. But under the last set of Owners, I thought the food had gone steeply downhill. As fate would have it Ed from Yuma was making one of His trips down to San Diego. So we decided to give Boo Cho as shot. You can read Ed’s Chowhound post on Boo Cho here.

As we entered on this evening there were only two other occupied tables in the restaurant. But it was only 6pm, and with the recent hot weather, people are eating at a much later time.

We were seated and given our menus, which did reflect on a few slight changes. Soon enough we placed our order. We decided on the Special BBQ for 2($49.99). Now we understood that there were 3 different types of meat, I’ll try to remember what they are, but please forgive any inaccuracies, I usually don’t take notes. In a few moments our sauces arrived.

As did the rice paper wrappers, mesclun, and thinly sliced daikon radish, for creating your own dumplings with the BBQ.

Our brazier was prepared, by first placing a container of charcoal into the receptacle built into the table, then laying the cast iron grill on the top.

One thing I quickly noticed was the very large amount of flaming charcoal being used, a very good sign.

We also had our first "surprise" of the evening. It seems that the special for two comes with a bottle of Soju, that mind numbing alcoholic beverage that brings to mind vodka. For some reason, the evening really started "brightening up".

Soon enough the banchan arrived.

To be perfectly honest, banchan had never been Boo Cho’s strong suit, and I didn’t expect this visit to be much different. How wrong I was. Not that the banchan was outstanding, but it was pretty good. I really enjoyed the Baechu Kimchee(Napa Cabbage), I mean I really enjoyed it. Things were really looking up, when our meat arrived:

Now if I recall, the 3 types of meat provided were; San Galbi(unmarinated beef ribs), Chadolbaegee(a thinly sliced fatty beef), and a nicely marbled, lightly marinated beef, I believe it was Joo Mool Luck. And we got cooking……

About this time we got our next "surprise", a boiling casserole was delivered to our table. The special came with a vegetable "soup":

The broth was quite beefy in flavor, and the soup was full of tofu, daikon, and other veggies.

By this time all of the flavors started to blur, with the banchan, the soup, the various meats, and of course, the Soju. I did think that the meat was a step up from the previous Boo Cho, though still a step down from Buga Korean BBQ. Still, there’s nothing like the flavor of charcoal. At this point, the grill was soiled, and I was beginning to think that our next course would be the Fire Department.

Just then one of the Servers stepped in, and replaced our grill. Perfect timing!

In the end Ed and I devoured everything, and remarked how Boo Cho was back on our list. Ed enjoyed Himself so much, that He returned a few days later. Funny thing, the Missus and I returned a few days later as well. I’ll post that in Part 2.

Some Notes: The main thing to remember is to not wear anything that you DON’T want smelling like charcoal. As Boo Cho fills up, even the heavy duty ventilation system can’t quite keep up.

Part II tomorrow!

Boo Cho Restaurant
7905 Engineer Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

Huffman’s Bar-B-Que

July 6, 2006 mmm-yoso American Restaurants

*** Huffman's has closed

Huffman's BBQ is a Logan Heights institution, established in 1967, Huffman's has been around for nearly forty years! So they must be doing something right.

Though I've been told by a few former and current residents of the area that the food at Huffman's is not quite as good as it used to be, we still decided to drop by.

On this day, the Missus had been craving some homestyle "soul food". Don't ask me to explain how a Girl from Qingdao can crave Fried Okra and Hush puppies, after all this Guy from Hawaii loves good collard greens…..

The interior of Huffman's is always clean, though very spare. Drive-In style furniture is placed around the dining area, along with signed photos of various celebrities.

The Missus, in a state of full soul food frenzy, walked up to the counter and started ordering: "Can I get the Gumbo, a half dozen hush puppies, an order of fried okra, a Red Snapper sandwich, and 1 dozen chicken gizzards….and a Diet Coke!"

The Lady behind the counter: "This'll be to go?"

The Missus: "No I'LL be eating this here"

The Lady: "Okay your total will be…"

Me: "Oh, ummm, excuse me, but that's just for Her…..I'll take a Center Cut Pork Rib Dinner, for here, and 3 pieces of Fried Chicken to go"

The Lady: "I see……." I guess she did understand; you never mess with someone in the midst of a soul food frenzy.

We knew there would be a short wait for our food, since Huffman's is a real Mom-and-Pop type operation. Soon enough our order was ready(except for the Fried Chicken which takes 20 minutes). The "Creole Gumbo" ($8.55):

A generous portion of gumbo, with lots of shrimp, and a good amount of crab, real crab! I thought the flavoring was a bit on the mild side, and the gumbo was slightly watery, but the Missus enjoyed it.

1/2 Dozen Hush Puppies($1.95):

For some reason I thought the Hush Puppies looked like Falafel. These were on the small side, and not as moist as I would have enjoyed them to be. But again, the Missus loved them, so they must be pretty good.

An order of Fried Okra($2.15):

The Fried Okra was excellent, nicely breaded, and perfectly fried. Great texture, good okra flavor, not over seasoned…..good Okra!

The Red Snapper portion of the Red Snapper Sandwich(with 4 slices white bread and stuff – $5.95:

We both agreed that the snapper was borderline terrible; dry and fishy. I'm thinking the fish was on the old side. The Missus, bless Her heart tried everything to make it edible. She even used some Tartar Sauce, which She hates. Nothing worked.

Worth the trip! Some of the best Chicken Gizzards(1 dozen – $5.25):

The chicken gizzards were worth the trip to Huffman's. Battered and fried, chewy but not hard, these were delici-yoso!!! Not only did the batter taste great, but the large sized gizzards had a good amount of flavor as well. (Do they marinate them?)

The BBQ Pork Ribs Dinner (Center Cut – $11.55):

The ribs were a bit of a disappointment, a bit on the tough side, not a hint of any smokey flavor, and a very uninspired tasting ketchup based sauce.

I did enjoy the Collard Greens which had just the right amount of bitter, along with a slight spicy "kick".

The Candied Yams, were not so candied, they were blander than orange colored mashed potatoes.

We also ordered 3 pieces of Fried Chicken($4.90 – chicken only) while we ate(yes, this was one meal), because there's a 20 minute wait.

I enjoyed the Fried Chicken, which had what seemed to be a corn meal based coating. It is worth the wait. And it never did see the next morning, as we had them as a snack.

I had thought about a Hot Link Sandwich as well, but we needed to show some restraint…..

We'll be returning to Huffman's in the near future; the Missus is already craving for those Gizzards, and looking forward to possibly some fried oysters. I feel another soul food frenzy coming on…….

Some Notes: Like I mentioned, there is the very strong possibility that you will have a bit of a wait. So if you're in a rush, I think it'll be wise to phone in your order. Remember, the Fried Chicken takes 20 minutes.(whaddaya mean Huffman's isn't on speed-dial???) Parking is very limited as well. We've always experienced pretty good service, and the other customers always crack up to see 2 Asians chowing down all this food. The menu is not large, but we're certain that you will find something you enjoy.

Huffman's Barbeque
5039 Imperial Ave
San Diego, CA 92113

Kealani’s

July 2, 2006 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Plate Lunch

*** Kealani's has closed

It's been a while since I did a plate lunch post, and even longer since I've had a decent plate lunch. On a recent Monday that I had taken off, I decided to drive on up to Encinitas and have some grindz at Kealani's. Kealani's is pretty easy to find; once you hit the Encinitas sign you turn West on D Street.

And tucked away on West D Street is Kealani's.

We had visited Kealani's when we first moved to San Diego in 2001, and really didn't enjoy our plate lunches, and hadn't returned since. But several people have mentioned how much they enjoy Kealani's, so I decided to make an effort and return.

When you enter Kealani's you'll notice a little shop to your left, among the knick-knacks you'll find Kauai Kookie and Lion Coffee.

The menu is full of "local" favorites, like Chicken Long Rice, Kalua Pig, Pipi Kaula, and others…

I decided to go with the 2 item combination called the "Mt Ka'ala"($7.50). Now why can't they just call it Mixed Plate, like back home? Today, I decided on the Sweet n' Sour Spareribs and Chicken Katsu as my meats.

The plate came with the requisite "two scoops, rice, one scoop mac salad". I thought the macaroni salad was pretty good, just enough mayo, and some celery, for texture and flavor. It also was NOT the usual bland mac salad that I've come across, with nice amount of pepper in the salad.

The Sweet n' Sour Spareribs, were not the usual spareribs per se' since they were boneless, so there's no mess here! The pork had a nice soy-sugar flavor, much like Okinawan Roast Pork(Think sweet adobo). There was almost no sour flavor, which really didn't hurt the dish very much. The pork could have been more tender, but I still enjoyed it.

The Chicken Katsu was lightly coated with panko, and the chicken was nice and moist. A decent version. The sauce was the ketchup based, "local-style" katsu sauce which I enjoyed.

I also ordered a Mini Teriyaki Chicken($4.50)"all-rice", to go, for the Missus:

The Missus's critique? "Pre-cooked, then dipped in sauce. Tasted ok, but the chicken was dry."

Kealani's serves a pretty decent plate lunch, better then most of those Hawaiian BBQ places popping up everywhere. The service was fine when I managed to get some. I'd return if I were in the area. Well, I need to, I still haven't had the Loco Moco here.

Kealani's
137 W D St
Encinitas, CA 92024
(760) 94-ALOHA

Mon-Tue 11:00AM- 8:00PM
Wed 11:00AM- 6:00PM
Thu-Sat 11:00AM- 8:00PM
Closed Sunday

also at

207 N Coast Hwy
Oceanside, CA 92054