Closed – Page 100

Mandarin Garden

May 29, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Xiao Long Bao

**** Mandarin Garden has closed

Right off of Mira Mesa Boulevard, and hidden away in a strip mall, is Mandarin Garden. Located in the interior of the mall, you'll never find it unless you're looking for it, or stumble across it while eating at maybe L&L Drive In.

In this location, and if doing a very cursory review of the menu, you'd think that Mandarin Garden is just a run-of-the-mill American-Chinese restaurant, with items like Egg Foo Young, Beef and Broccoli, and Chicken Chop Suey on the extensive 200+ item menu. The beyond the red doors lies a few surprises. Mandarin Garden has more then a few special Shanghainese specialties, and also features a special Saturday and Sunday lunch menu. So after putting our frozen Xiao Long Bao from SDCCI on ice, we decided to drop in on Mandarin Garden for "brunch", from 1130am to 230pm.

Now I understand Mandarin Garden has only been in this location for three years; but the decor screams 70's Chinese, so I'm thinking this must've been another Chinese restaurant before then, right? The lighting in Mandarin Garden is pretty dim, so please excuse the PWTSDS(Posts Where The Sun Don't Shine) quality photos.

We started off with a classic Shanghainese appetizer off the regular menu; Smoked Fish($6.95):

For those who've never had this; the fish isn't really smoked; it's first marinated, then deep fried, then marinated again, for a smokey color. The seasonings also give the fish a slightly smokey flavor. This example was fine, perhaps a bit heavy on the sugar and five spice which over-powered any soy or ginger flavor. The Missus also thought that the type of fish chosen was too "boney"; which left you so busy picking bones out, that distracted you from the flavor of the fish. Still at most Shanghainese restaurants it's either Smoked Fish or Wine Chicken to start.

Off of the weekend menu we chose Boiled Wonton in Hot Sauce($4.95):

Well what to say……The Wontons were fine, except the skin were on the "gummy" side. The sauce was really sad, too sweet, and not spicy in the least.

We also ordered the Niu Rou(stewed beef) Shao-Bing, one of the items written in Chinese(eighth item written only in Chinese – $4.95), I apologize for the photos, I just couldn't get it right:

There was nothing wrong with the taste of the Shao Bing(a toasted layered bread), it was crisp, and had a nice flavor; nor the marinated and shredded beef, which had a sweet, soy and five spice flavor. The only problem was with proportion; too much bread for too little meat. The bread overshadowed the meat filling.

Of course what would a visit be without Xiao Long Bao($5.45):

As the ginger-black vinegar sauce was placed at the table, I could hardly contain myself. But I must say, I was very disappointed. If you look at the photo above you'll notice, all the soup had leaked out of the "soup" dumplings during cooking, leaving just the meatball behind. So I had soupless, soup dumplings. This says that our dumplings were done very haphazardly, and with very little concern for us, the customer! I mean, I made my frozen Xiao Long Bao, and none of them burst……….

The last item we got was the Flakey Turnip Strip "Cake"($2.95), off of the Chinese only menu (fifth item down):

After the massacred Xiao Long Bao, I really was ready for a major let-down. But these little pastries made the visit worthwhile. Crisp and flaky pastry, crunchy strips of turnip, with strips of onion-ny, sweet-bitter-salty filling, made these most delici-yoso!

To think, the cheapest item we ordered was the best!

Even though our meal was a "mixed-bag", I wouldn't give up on Mandarin Garden. Among the Kung Pao Chicken, and Beef Chop Suey, are items like Lion's Head, and according to Candice Woo, the Smoked Duck is divine. Stephanie, who recommended the frozen Xiao Long Bao from SDCCI, also enjoys Mandarin Garden. I don't think we'll make a special trip to Mira Mesa, since we have Shanghai City, but I wouldn't discount Mandarin Garden.

Mandarin Garden
8242 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126
858-566-4720

Chef Tony

May 24, 2006 mmm-yoso Greek Food, Lebanese Restaurants, Mediterranean Restaurants

*** Update – thanks to StR, who commented below, Chef Tony is currently closed, and will reopen in a months in a different location. A brief update can be found here, at the bottom of the post.

Way back in August of last year I received an email from Christina recommending Chef Tony Mediterranean and Lebanese Cuisine, so I added Chef Tony to my "list". But for one reason or another we just never quite made it to Chef Tony. Then last week "Keith" left a comment also recommending Chef Tony, so this time I really had to make sure to pay the restaurant a visit. An opportunity arose this past Tuesday. We were headed out to Viejas for a concert, and thought a nice detour to the College area, and a visit to Chef Tony was in order.

Chef Tony is located next to an AM/PM, and fronting a mostly unoccupied strip mall on El Cajon Boulevard. It seems that Chef Tony had been perhaps a pizza joint in a previous life. We were greeted by the dignified, though perhaps vertically challenged fellow at the door. Chef Tony, perhaps?

We arrived at about 530pm, and the restaurant was empty except for a family finishing up dinner.

After a brief wait we placed our order.

The Missus ordered the Lamb Kabob Plate($10.95):

Two skewers of Lamb,on a bed of nondescript rice, some nicely flavored hummus, and a fresh Greek salad with the typical vinaigrette dressing. Nothing really outstanding, except the lamb. The lamb was not just fork tender, but "plastic fork" tender:

And though the lamb was just mildly marinated and seasoned, it was grilled to perfection, with just the right amount of charring. We could have done with a bit more "muttony" flavor, but still, the texture and tenderness was right on.

I opted for the Shawarma Combo Plate($9.95):

Strips of marinated and nicely charbroiled beef and chicken, we both thought the beef had more flavor then the chicken. Though I enjoyed the hummus, and everything else that came with the plate, it’s the "white stuff" that made the dish. That "white stuff" is delici-yoso garlic paste, very garlicky, and yet without the bitter bite of garlic. It’s as if the "soul" of garlic had been captured. You do understand that I love garlic, right?

Two large warm pitas were also provided for sandwiching our meats and slathering with garlic paste.

We also ordered a half dozen Falafel($3.75):

These were only garbanzo bean falafel, with no fava beans. You can tell by the color, and flavor. Made fresh and brought sizzling to the table. I thought these falafel were fair, since they were small in size, I thought there was too much "crust", and the interior wasn’t quite as smooth as I enjoy. The falafel were also a bit on the oily side, and when we finished there was a small pool of oil at the bottom of the bowl.

In a nutshell, if you enjoy the gritty crust of the falafel, you’ll enjoy these. Personally, I enjoy the balance the crunchy exterior, along with sufficient amount of slightly creamy "filling". Still not bad for the price, and you know these haven’t been lying around or put into some drawer stored for later.

We enjoyed Chef Tony, and I think we’ll be in whenever we’re in the neighborhood. As we were leaving, the place started to fill up, and the smell of Shawarma(and garlic) filled the air.

Notes on Chef Tony: This is a small Family operation, so one thing it’s not, is "fast food". Think of it as very casual, leisurely dining if you eat in. The menu consists of a good variety from appetizers like Dolma($3.95) and Falafel (1/2 dozen $3.75-1 dozen $6.75), to salads (small greek salad $2.95-large$4.95), reasonable priced sandwiches from $3.75(Lebni) to $4.95 (Beef Shawarma), to various entrees ($6.50 – $10.95). Oh, and you can buy a "large" order of Garlic Paste(Toum) for $3.50.

Thanks for the recommendation Christina and Keith!

Chef Tony
6311 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Here’s where I show my "age". Guess what concert we went to? I’m allowed one "old-fogey" concert a year and this year it was Blondie(good – Debra Harry’s voice sounded really good), and The "New" Cars(bleh, except for Elliot Easton). As great a musician and songwriter Todd Rundgren is, he’s no replacement for Ric Ocasek. And though Kasim Sultan and Prairie Prince sound like a great rhythm section, they sounded a bit out of synch…..I kept waiting for a "train wreck" especially on Shake It Up, where the tempo would constantly speed up, and Elliot Easton would have to "reign it in".

Of course we kept singing "One way, or another, I’m going to get you, I’m going to get you, get you, get you…." All the way home.

Tan Ky Mi Gia – Mira Mesa

May 22, 2006 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Tan Ky Mi Gia has closed

While on a recent shopping excursion to Lucky Seafood Supermarket, I decided to have a bite at Tan Ky Mi Gia, a Vietnamese-Chinese noodle and soup restaurant that had opened recently.

The generic, and simple interior was well lit and clean. Even though it was a bit on the early side(930 am), the restaurant was fairly busy.

As soon as I sat a middle aged Gentleman handed me a menu, and stood there, and waited, and waited…..making me feel rather uncomfortable. A quick thought went through my mind. Maybe I shouldn't even open the menu, I should just place my hand on top of it, roll my eyes back, and make moaning noises, "ommmm, ommmm", and then order something I'm sure a restaurant like this would have. But looking at the Gentleman's stoic stare, I just had the feeling he really wouldn't find anything funny with the "psychic ordering" routine. So after a moment I ordered the Won Ton Egg Noodle Soup($5.00). My soup arrived within 5 minutes.

The broth was light, halfway between the very clear broth at Minh Ky, and the darker richer broth at Luong Hai Ky. It was quite salty, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was MSG in it. There was a good amount of green onion floating around, and a few thin slices of dry and tasteless Char Siu. Also in the soup were six won tons, of the dense meatball with a slice of shrimp variety. The won tons were on the bland side, though it could be that the broth was so salty, most other tastes were cancelled out.

There was a good amount of perfectly crunchy, al' dente egg noodles in the soup.

Other then the noodles there wasn't much to make me return. I'd rather have the "loaded" Won Ton soup at Minh Ky, though the broth there is too light. Or the rich, darker broth, at Luong Hai Ky, though I understand that the Owner has passed on, and the restaurant is under new ownership. Since the area has quite a few restaurants, I think I'll let someone else make the next visit.

Notes: The prices at Tan Ky MI Gia range from about $4.75 for Wonton Soup, to $7.00 for Shrimp Chow Fun/Chow Mein. Most dishes are under $6, and the service, while not very friendly is efficient.

Tan Ky Mi Gia
9330 Mira Mesa Blvd #A
San Diego, CA 92126

Reyberto’s Taco Shop

May 17, 2006 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

*** Reyberto's has closed.

This version of a "something – Berto's" taco shop is sort of an old crime scene to me. A crime against my palate! When we first moved to the area several years back we tried some carne asada and other items here and were totally grossed out! It was terrible(ever had sour carne asada), and I vowed never to return. But along comes this food blogging thing, and a few recommendations that included Reyberto's, and here I am again.

So a few weeks ago, I decided to give Reyberto's another shot. After all there are two other Taco Shops within a block of Reyberto's; an outpost of Roberto's, and a location of Cotijas, and yet Reyberto's survives. In case you can't find Reyberto's, just look for the large "Gyros" poster! Yep, you can't miss it. Say what!!!!!

Not being in the mood for carne asada, nor brave enough to try the "Mexican-Gyros", I ordered the Al Pastor Burrito($4.25):

Honestly, not too bad. A bit on the mild side as Al Pastor goes, and too much tortilla, or maybe it's too little filling for such a large tortilla. But the decent creamy guacamole, and pico de gallo, went well with the Al Pastor. A vast improvement over my last (and I swore it would be my last) visit.

So after a recent shopping stop at the market in the mall, I stopped by Reyberto's again and ordered the 5 "mini" Al Pastor Tacos($5.25):

Funny thing; as I was waiting for my order and grabbing some salsa and carrots at the salsa bar:

There it was again! Another Gyros poster! Man, they're really pushing that stuff…… By the way, did you know???? Actually, I'm surprised it's not four out of four people.

So I manage to get my tacos, and myself(sans Gyros, thank-you-very-much) home:

This time around the Al Pastor were on the tough side, and still mild in flavor. The tacos were a bit larger then what I would call "mini", and the size of basic "street-tacos". This was quite a bit of food. Not great, not good, but not bad.

And strangely enough, I found myself at Reyberto's again recently after a long day at work, and a grocery shopping excursion to the market.

And was again assaulted with the Gyros advertising. Now who can resist "Authentic" Gyros? Especially "authentic" Gyros from a taco shop? So I gave in and ordered a Gyros Sandwich (you won't tell on me, will you?). When I watched them prepare the Gyros, it all came to me…duh!!!

Gyros are served to maximize the use of the Trompo(vertical spit). So when it's not in use for Al Pastor, it's in use for Gyros meat.

So at long last here it is the Gyros Sandwich($3.95):

I didn't quite know what to expect. Perhaps gyros meat laid upon a tortilla? What I got was a good amount of typical gyros meat on a store bought pita. The sandwich was quite large and filled the entire Styrofoam container. Along with the meat were a few slices of crappy tomato, and a good amount of onion. So no guacamole, salsa, jalapenos, or anything that would have made this sandwich interesting. The Pseudo-Tzatziki was a bit strange. First of all, there was way too much of it, the sandwich was practically floating in it. But the tzatziki had more of a sour cream flavor then the usual yogurt flavor. hmmmmm….

As a whole Reyberto's serves up average taco shop fare, at a decent price. No more, no less. But then again if your having a bad day, perhaps Carne Asada fries will help make your day a bit better. Or at least put you into a food coma……

In case you think I'm really serious, I hope you understand the irony(I know that Kronos is the largest supplier of "food court" gyros meat), and slight sarcasm of this post. Reyberto's serves average to mediocre taco shop fare. But then again, there are those Gyros………

Reyberto's Taco Shop
3017 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

Rannoosh

May 11, 2006 mmm-yoso Lebanese Restaurants, Mediterranean Restaurants

*** Rannoosh has closed

It's seems like the Hillcrest area restaurant scene has gone through quite a flurry of changes recently, with everything from plate lunches(an L&L opened recently) to Vietnamese eateries opening in the area. Even the long standing Jimmy Wong's Golden Dragon is now Golden Dragon Asian Bistro, featuring Asian influenced dishes. Rannoosh is one of those recently opened restaurants featuring Lebanese and Mediterranean cuisine.

The interior of Rannoosh has been done up with rich looking fabrics and drapes adorning the plush but dark interior. If you look carefully you can see the Hookah Pipes on the counter.

You get a little bowl of what I was told were pickled beets and olives delivered to your table. As JS clarified in the comments these are actually turnips, with beets added for color. I'd seen these at North Park Produce sold in jars, and the label said they were turnips, but the Young Lady insisted that they were beets. The pickles were on the bitter and sour end of the flavor spectrum:

There are a few olives hidden under those pickles.

On a recent lunchtime visit the Missus ordered the Lamb Kabob Sandwich($8.95):

The sandwich comes with your choice of green or potato salad. Here's a better look at the sandwich.

There were only four small cubes of lamb in the sandwich, along with a mild garlic spread, pickles, lettuce, and tomatoes. The lamb was very mild in flavor, and was completely obscured by everything else. The green salad had a simple vinaigrette, dotted with sumac and other herbs. The pita is unremarkable, seemed to be store-bought.

I ordered the Chicken Shawarma Sandwich($6.95):

There was a large portion of moist and tender dark meat chicken, though somewhat mild in flavor, was still quite good. I swear I tasted fenulgreek, but can't be sure. This was a very nice and satisfying sandwich, though one couldn't help but compare it to the Garlic Chicken sandwich at Mama's. If I were to do a comparison, I'd say the flavors(especially the Garlic Paste) at Mama's are much stronger, but I'd rather have the Chicken at Rannoosh. I wish something along the line of the bread at Mama's(made to order on the Sajj) were used at Rannoosh. If you order a sandwich for lunch I'd say that the creamy and tasty potato salad is the way to go.

Needing to get out of the office on a recent lunch hour I walked over to Rannoosh for lunch. This time around I ordered The Basterma (cured, air dried beef) Sandwich($6.95):

The First time I ordered this, the Young Lady wanted to make sure that I knew that the beef is not cooked, just air dried. The slices of cured beef; think between pastrami and beef jerky, is placed in a pita, with tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumber. I've had the Armenian version of Basterma, which seemed to be cut alot thinner. This version was cut maybe a bit too thick. On each bite you risked pulling the entire slice of beef out of the sandwich.

If you enjoy the salty, more intense flavor of cured meat you may enjoy this, though the meat can be tough. I asked what the beef was cured with and was told, mainly salt and paprika, and a few other seasonings. You can even see the "cure-ring" on the slices of meat:

Last but not least an appetizer portion of Falafel($5.95). Because these are formed and made to order, they always arrive after my sandwich, but let me tell you, they are worth it:

Having had Falafel ranging from teeth cracking hard, to so gritty and dry it felt like you were eating a handful of sand, let me just say these were Delici-yoso!!! The exterior were a perfect crunchy, and the interior of the Falafel were, dare I say, almost creamy with just a touch of "grit". The Falafel had a perfect amount of "zing", though the tahini based dip was very weak. Who cares, I didn't need it anyway. I could eat these often. In fact the Lady working noticed how much I was enjoying these and told me to try the "Stuffed" (with onions and pine nuts) Falafel next time around.

I'll be back to Rannoosh, maybe for dinner, definitely for falafel. Entrees range from $9.95 to 25.95. Rannoosh seems to do more dinner business then lunch, and the turn around for lunch may be on the long side, so plan accordingly.

Rannoosh
3890 5th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

Bolsaa Vietnamese Restaurant

May 10, 2006 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Update, Bolsaa has since closed. And is now the Crab Hut.

Yep, you read that right; it’s Bolsaa with 2 "aa’s" at the end. Not to be confused with Bolsa on Mira Mesa Boulevard, though I’ve been told that there is a connection. This Bolsaa is located in a strip mall along with several other restaurants on Convoy St.

About a year and a half ago, I had a decent bowl of Pho’ Ga (Chicken Rice Noodle Soup) at Bolsaa, and then had forgotten all about the place. Recently, on a trip to Balboa Tofu House I saw the Bolsaa sign and made a mental note to revisit Bolsaa. And so here I was……

The interior of Bolsaa is alot larger then the tiny storefront would indicate, and is quite clean. There’s also the requisite bar area, that almost all Vietnamese Restaurants seem to have for the express purpose of hiding the cash register.

The restaurant also never seems to be full, no matter what time of day I’ve visited.

On this trip I ordered the typical Pho’ Bo(Beef Noodles Soup) Combination(Rare Steak, Brisket, Flank, Tendon, and Tripe) Extra Large($5.75), compared to the Combination Large($5.25), or just the Combination ($4.75), for some reason I see some humor in this, though I can’t quite understand why. As is the norm, the garnishes arrived first:

I thought the amount of Basil was perfect for my tastes, though the bean sprouts were lacking. What to do about the lemon wedge??????

The large bowl of Pho’ arrived steaming hot to the table.

The rare steak was perfect, thinly sliced, and soft. The rest of the meat items didn’t fare so well, most were dry and tough, and the amount of tripe was negligible. The noodles weren’t in a solid clump on the bottom and were about as good as they could possibly be, not mushy, and not too chewy. The broth was on the light side, and very generic. The oil level was low, and the only very distinctive trait I could really get a handle on was how "salty" it was. It got to the point where I finished the noodles, but couldn’t bring myself to finish up the broth. Who knows, could be a glitch, but man was it salty.

On a recent morning I did manage to make another visit to Bolsaa, and this time decided on a change of pace and ordered the Chicken with Lemon Grass and Hot Pepper($6.95). The dish was delivered on two plates, first, a really "healthy"(or depending how you view carbs, unhealthy) portion of rice:

Then the good size portion of chicken:

The dark meat chicken had been cut into cubes then stir fried with onions. The sauce had a slight sweet-soy/fish sauce taste. There was almost no spiciness or heat, and the dish was on the oily side (even for me….). I honestly felt that I could do better at home. Pass on this one…..

I’ll probably visit Bolsaa again in the (maybe not so near) future. Though I’ll probably have the Pho’ Ga, or check out the Pho’ Bo, just to see if the bowl I had was a glitch.

Some Notes: I’ve been to Bolsaa four times over the years, and it’s always been a pretty quiet, not too crowded restaurant. With current construction in the mall, the parking spaces are always being reconfigured, and during certain hours parking is at a premium. The menu at Bolsaa in not as large as other Vietnamese restaurants; of course it’s all relative if you consider 120+ items to be a smaller selection. So at least Vietnamese Menu Paralysis won’t take over!

Bolsaa Vietnamese Cuisine
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Open Daily 9am – 10pm

If I can get my "act" together, I’ll probably do my Pho’ Retrospective post some time next week.

La Posta Taco Shop – And a Quesadilla with an Identity Crisis

May 7, 2006 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** La Posta has closed

In my line of work, I sometimes have to work some odd hours. They usually include the words "weekend", "midnight", "Four AM", or something similar. A recent Sunday morning was no exception. Totally buzzed on caffeine, and starving at 530 am I sorely needed some sustenance. But where to go at 530 Am on a Sunday morning in Hillcrest? Well, without question, it's La Posta for some greasy Carne Asada. Just eating a Carne Asada or California Burrito here will make you feel alive….or dead.

I would say that if you lived, worked, or frequented the area within the last 20 years or so, you'd recognize the sign immediately.

I believe the La Posta sign is as significant a local landmark, as say, the Hillcrest sign, or the sign for Jimmy Wong's Golden Dragon. A key phrase in the signage is "Open 24 Hours". Those who live in San Diego know, that though things are getting better, late night eating(somehow I can't bring myself to use the word dining, and La Posta in the same sentence)options are very limited. The best time to grab a bite at La Posta, is undoubtedly between 1 AM and 5 AM on a Saturday or Sunday morning. You'll get the full effect of the "ambiance" and the interesting cast of characters, many of whom you never thought lived in San Diego, or Earth for that matter. On a recent Sunday morning, I just missed the "late-early" crowd at La Posta, which left me feeling disappointed; sort of like arriving at the Opera after the Fat Lady has sung.

Bummer! I'd missed the free entertainment. A person once described the after midnight crowd at La Posta in a single rambling sentence that included, "Goth's, Grungees, Gays, Gargoyles, and the bar scene from Star Wars!" Not this morning though, all that was left was the eye stinging light, and a really tired looking guy cleaning behind the counter.

If there one dish, other then the standard San Diego taco shop fare, that is interesting, it's the "Special" Quesadilla($5.59). So what's so interesting about it? Well, it starts out like a jumbo quesadilla with two large flour tortillas, that is heated on the griddle, along with some Carne Asada. Here's a peek into the world of La Posta:

A layer of cheese is placed between the two tortillas. Sounds like a normal quesadilla, right? Well that's where we take a sudden left turn. The "quesadilla" is then moved to the counter where the large serving of Carne Asada, lettuce, guacamole, and Salsa is placed on the tortilla, and it is folded up like a burrito! I think it it weighs somewhere in the range of 2 pounds. It's pretty large, in fact, I've often thought it's as big as my shoe, so I thought I'd do a comparison.

Not quite there but pretty close. On this morning the carne asada was too salty, and had a bit of a "stale" taste. Probably because it had been sitting for a while, and the kitchen was kind of winding down. I couldn't finish but half of the quesadilla turned burrito. I also don't care for the watery hot sauce that La Posta serves up.

Overall La Posta serves up the type of food that really "tastes better when your drunk, tired, starved", or otherwise craving a greasy calorie-bomb. And we all have those moments. One thing for sure, you won't say the food at La Posta is bland. When the carne asada is fresh and not too heavily salted it is pretty darn good as well.

During a recent lunch hour I was waiting in line for a Carne Asada burrito, when a Young Man in scrubs turned to me and said, "You know, the food here is okay, but it sure tastes better at 4 am!"

Amen, brother!

La Posta De Acapulco #8
3980 3rd Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

Saturday Snack – Ono’s Cafe

May 6, 2006 mmm-yoso Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Desserts, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego

*** Ono's has closed

A while back I heard of a small coffee/tea/dessert shop in the Bonita area called Ono's (love the name) that supposedly served Malasadas. Yep, Malasada's.

Now nothing can make an Ex-Pat Kama'aina as homesick as the thought of hot and fluffy Malasadas from Leonard's Bakery in Honolulu. For those who don't know what a Malasada is; think of it as a Donut without a hole, fried to a nice golden brown crisp on the outside, with a light and fluffy interior. Served piping hot, there is nothing that quite compares to it in my book. Though Portuguese in origin, Malasadas has long been an Island favorite. So naturally, this made Ono's a "must-try".

Ono's is tucked away behind a branch of Well Fargo on Bonita Road. Though hidden from the street, once in the parking lot, you can't miss the "statue".

The decor is a tasteful Asian-influenced tropical, with "New Age" Asian instrumental music piped in. On this day the Cafe was quite full, with people having tea or coffee, and various desserts like Kahlua Cheesecake.

I did find a sign for Malasadas, 9 for $3.50! Now that is very, very inexpensive. I placed my order, and was told that it would be an 8 to 10 minute wait. Soon enough, a small white package was delivered to me. I opened it as soon as I got to the car.

Though the donuts were golden brown, and smelled heavenly, these looked more like donut holes then Malasadas. I guess that explains the price. As I took a bite, I noticed that the interior of this small donut was cake-like and pretty dense. Overall these tasted pretty good, since they were served hot and fresh.

The texture was somewhere between a Malasada and Andagi, the dense Okinawan "donut". These really weren't Malasadas in my book.

Even though I was expecting Malasadas, and these didn't fit the bill, they still tasted good when "hot". Though I wouldn't go out of my way to visit Ono's in the future, I'd probably drop by for a cup of coffee or some dessert if I'm in the neighborhood.

Notes: Service was friendly and efficient. There are a number of desserts, smoothies, and other drinks available.

Ono's
4154 Bonita Rd
Bonita, CA 91902

Shaka Hawaiian BBQ – A Rice-aholic Relapse

May 3, 2006 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Plate Lunch

*** Shaka Hawaiian BBQ is now called "Mahina’s"

Now I must admit that I’ve finally fallen off the wagon…..you see we’ve been trying to cut down on our rice consumption. First we cut down our portion sizes, which all led to our going several meals without rice. Now for the Missus, this was not a substantial change. She hails from Northern China, where dough is king. But for yours truly, born and raised on white rice, it was a very significant change. On a normal day, it wouldn’t have been unusual for me to have rice three times a day…..but that has all changed. Call it "Chinese mind control" if you will( courtesy of the Missus), but whatever the reason it has worked. Until now…….

It all started with a record 6 days without rice. We began on our last day in Rowland Heights, and Dim Sum at Happy Harbor, followed by several days of salads(yep you heard right) for lunch and sandwiches for dinner, followed by a couple of days of steamed buns and Xiao Long Bao. By about the fourth day I felt a bit odd, as if a piece of "me" was missing (it was probably the "mi fan"). On the fifth day I was just craving rice, but doing my best to fight it off. Until on the sixth day, some steamed buns in the microwave, I was going over my old Emails. Now one of the really great things about having this little ol’ food blog is that I get recommendations all the time. So I reread an Email about a new "Hawaiian BBQ" in Pacific Beach sent a few months back by Campy, followed by one by Mizducky. A few Emails past that is one from Howie mentioning the same Hawaiian BBQ. Aargh! What’s a rice starved "local boy" to do?

So I drove with a severe sense of urgency down Garnet avenue. All the while thinking of Rice! Rice Hash! Rice Gravy! Rice A La King! Gallons of Rice Soup!(guess where I stole this from) And arrived at the corner Garnet and Fanuel. You really can’t miss the sign:

Nor the very bright storefront. Is orange the new "in" color, or is it because manufacturers are overstocked? It seems that every other restaurant I’ve been in recently has been orange.

Now nothing against the colors, but if I had used these during finger painting class, I would’ve gotten an ‘F’. That said, the small interior of the restaurant was very clean, and ORANGE……

By the time I made it to the counter, my mouth practically foaming, I almost fainted…..the first thing I saw were the "Atkin’s Low Carb Plates"!($4.99 mini/$6.99regular) By this time I was so starved for rice that I felt any protein served on my plate would be like a garnish(think parsley sprigs) for my RIIICE! So I asked the very nice Young Man at the counter about something called a "Shaka Pac" and a "Shaka Bento", and he proceeded to go over the contents, but he left out one thing. "Does it have RICE, man! Lot’s of RICE!" "Ummm, yes, of course, unless you don’t want…" "NOOOO, NO, I’ll take it!"

I got the Shaka Pac($7.99):

So how was it? Well the rice was delicious! Oh, the other stuff? Well this "bento-like" plate had two pieces of butterflied pieces of shrimp coated with panko then deep-fried and lightly salted. Very good, not oily, light, and crunchy. Alas, the BBQ Chicken, was much the same as most of these Hawaiian BBQ joints make them nowadays. That would be under marinated, tough, and relatively bland. Where’s the marinade, bruddah??? The BBQ Ribs, were surprisingly soft and tender, though again not marinated enough. Sufficient food for the price, though it sure won’t make me forget about a Zip Pac or a Surf Pac.

I also ordered a Mini Chicken Cutlet($4.99):

First off, I thought the portion of rice was kinda small – though it could’ve been my rice withdrawals "speaking". Totally routine breaded chicken, with "insta-gravy", though the gravy did have enough salt and pepper in it. The macaroni salad tasted almost exactly like the version I had at Hawaiian Express BBQ except with a bit more mayo. Terrible, too much pickle juice, not enough mayo, just not enough. I did think the portion size was on the small side.

Shaka Hawaiian BBQ along with Lau Lau, Kalua Pork, Chili with Rice, and Loco Moco, also serves up a few other interesting items; such as a "Shaka Moco", basically a Loco Moco with Spam and Portuguese Sausage and Pineapple Chicken (I’ll pass).

One last note on the service. Kudo’s to the Young Man working the counter, he’s fantastic. He would follow up with every table to make sure that they enjoyed their food. I’m sure it made everything taste better. When he thought I’d been waiting too long for my take-out, he came on up to me with a cup and asked me if I wanted something to drink. Just think if I were to add caffeine to my already severely carb depleted state? (He even asked if I wanted a Hawaiian Sun drink)But I thought it was a nice gesture, what a great Kid!

So, I guess I’ve fallen off the wagon…and staying there. Though I did once go something like 4 weeks in Columbus, Georgia without rice(I finally went to a bad Chinese Restaurant, and they served Uncle Ben’s…….), I don’t plan too many riceless days.

Hey, pssssst:

Anyone?

Shaka Hawaiian BBQ
1315 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

also

Grossmont Shopping Center Food Court
5500 Grossmont Center Drive
La Mesa, CA 91942

El Borrego Restaurant

May 1, 2006 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

**** As of 12/28/2025 El Borrego has sadly closed

A few months ago we noticed a new restaurant opening on El Cajon Boulevard. You really couldn’t miss the colorful paint and signs. And finally this past weekend we made our way to El Borrego Restaurant.

And the clean and bright interior was just as colorful as the exterior.

As were brought our menus, a smiling (and very tall) Young Lady came over to our table, and welcomed us. She also asked us “Do you like lamb?” When we answered with a very positive “yes”, she said, “Then I think you’ll like us!” She then proceeded to go over the one page menu, that featured, what else? Lamb! The Young Lady whose name was Rodnia explained that Borrego style Barbacoa was the specialty of the house. She explained that the standard Barbacoa was lamb steamed in a “vaporera”. We placed our orders and soon enough our Tamarindo and Horchata arrived along with the “condiments” for our order:

The condiments were accompanied by a salsa verde, and a red salsa. Rodnia also gave us a taste of the Lamb Broth:

A nice and hearty dark brown broth, full of flavor. Strips of Barbacoa, garbanzo beans, and rice dotted the consomme’. With a squeeze of lime this was very tasty, and really made us look forward to our food which arrived in a few minutes.

First to arrive was the Mixiote($10).

This seemed to be a seasoned Lamb Leg wrapped in a parchment like paper (papel de mixiote?). We stripped off pieces of lamb and proceeded to make tacos with the fresh tortillas and condiments.

First off, we noticed that every table used the salt shaker provided and took this to be the “norm”. The salt was needed because, though the lamb was rubbed with seasoning, the meat didn’t seem to have been salted. As good as the Mixiote looked, we both thought that the “rub” took away all the “wildness” from the lamb. I also found out that the salsa verde had quite a bit of “zip” to it.

We also ordered a half pound of Barbacoa($9).

Now with a touch of salt, these made wonderful tacos. The combination of flavors and textures that the onion, cilantro, tortilla, and lamb provided made for a very rich and tasty taco. I showed extreme restraint by only eating 6 of these.

We enjoyed our meal enough to ensure that we’ll be back. The only item we really didn’t care much for were the tortillas, very mushy and bland, but at least they were fresh.

The people at El Borrego were very nice and friendly, they seemed intent on making sure that we enjoyed meal, and obviously took great pride in the food they served, shown by the amount of time they took in explaining each dish in detail(Of course we kind of stood out). In this day and age when it seems that many restaurants just want to serve you food, really not caring how you enjoyed it, and then get you out the door, the amount of pride that Rodnia and the others at El Borrego have in what they serve was refreshing. I think I’ll have a large bowl of the Lamb Soup($3.75), and a Nopal Salad($1.50) next time, along with the barbacoa of course.

El Borrego Restaurant
4280 El Cajon Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92115