Closed – Page 102

Golden City Restaurant Part 1 of 3 – Lunch

October 23, 2005 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Golden City has closed

*** As of July, 2006 Golden City is under new Ownership – posts on the “New” Golden City, can be found here and here.

When we initially moved to San Diego, one of our favorite “budget” Chinese Restaurants was Golden City. They had pretty decent food and a great lunch and late “supper” menu, with great prices. We were a bit sad when they closed down, though we were told that they would probably re-open in the future. So back in July I was very happy to see that Golden City was set to re-open in a new location. On Sept 26th, Golden City re-opened, at it just so happened that I was on vacation that Monday, so it was pretty much a no-brainer!

As I entered the Restaurant at 1110am, I noticed how large and bright the restaurant was, a big change from it’s former incarnation, which was kind of “divey”. I also noticed that I was probably the first customer! I was handed two menus, a “regular” menu, and a “lunch specials” menu. Going through the lunch menu, I noticed that many of the items we used to enjoy like Kwai Fei Chicken and Roast Duck were no longer offered as lunch specials, and that the Beef Chow Fun was now a whopping 7 bucks on the lunch special menu. The one item that was still on the lunch menu was the Pork Chop with Spicy Salt ($5.95); so this is what I ordered.

The lunch came with a choice of Hot & Sour or Egg Drop Soup. I chose the Hot & Sour soup:

This was a good start. I’d always enjoyed the Hot & Sour Soup at Golden City, this version is a nicely balanced salty, sour, and “pepper” hot.

My Pork Chop arrived soon after. I had a slight laugh as it was put in front of me. I guess Golden City is now using the “large plate illusion.” That is, food is delivered on a very large platter, with the food spread out making it look like a huge amount. The lunch came with an Egg Roll(lousy), and a small salad with an Asian Dressing (forgettable).

As for the Pork Chop:

I guess you pay the price for bring the “first” customer. Though the pork chop looked a nice brown, and there was some garlic and scallions on the pork chop. The meat was not cooked at a hot enough temperature, causing the coating to be soggy and the meat tough. The batter was also falling off the pork chop and the garlic was burnt, not exactly an auspicious start. It also took me about 15 minutes to get my check, no one could figure out what my table number was, but it’s not like there were tons of customers in the place, go figure!

At this point in time Golden City really needed to get it’s act together, so I decided to visit again in a few weeks to see how they progressed, though not at lunch. The lunch menu is targeted at the “local” businesses with items like Orange Chicken, Egg Foo Young, and such. Which is probably for the best, in it’s former life Golden City seemed to have no real identity, first serving Dim Sum, then doing Chinese BBQ and Special Menus, finally ending up with a terrible lunch buffet.

Some notes on Golden City; I’ve always had good service here, and many of the same Employees have been retained. There is a “supper” menu that is served from 9pm to midnight, and has many of our “familiar” dishes.

So can Golden City put it together? Find out in Parts 2 and 3, coming soon!

Golden City Restaurant
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Open Daily 11am – Midnight

Teri Cafe – You Coulda’ Been a Contenda’…

October 19, 2005 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

*** Update – This location of Teri Cafe is closed, it is now Katsu Cafe

….For my rotation, if not for food shortcomings. Located in a strip mall on Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Teri Cafe serves up Ramen, Yakisoba, and other standard Japanese fare like Teriyaki(of course!!!).

The decor of Teri Cafe goes for a "surfer – Hawaiian" flavor; with surfboards mounted on the walls, surf videos playing on the two plasma televisions with "Jahwaiian" (Reggae flavored music from Hawaii) music playing in the background, there's a definite tropical influence in the decor. The menu is quite extensive with over 50 items, from Teriyaki and Udon, to Soba.

But what drew me here were the locally made noodles, sold from the Teri Cafes Owners other business, a company called Nihon Seimen. Sounds pretty close to saimin, huh? So I decided to order the Chicken Teriyaki and Yakisoba ($5.70):

The dish consisted of a good portion of noodles, stir fried vegetables, and a small piece of chopped grilled chicken with "teriyaki sauce" on it. The noodles were as advertised, thin, slightly chewy, with a nice pull to it. The problem starts with everything else. The noodles were way over-dressed, making the noodles, cabbage, carrots, et al, very, very, sweet and salty. So salty that I finished my bottle of water with my meal, drank another in the car, and had two glasses when I arrived home. Some of the sauce's personality should have been saved for the chicken, though nicely grilled was basically tasteless, and the teriyaki sauce was the smokey/mild type, that lacked any sweetness or saltiness, in a word; bland.

But those noodles were great! So I thought I'd give Teri Cafe another shot; and this time I ordered the Banzai Ramen ($5.45):

This was a bowl of noodles with "Tonkotsu" style broth – basically deeply and fiercely boiled pork bones, but in this case I'm pretty sure it was made from a "base". Topped with stir fried vegetables and chicken, some Kamabuko (fish cake), and bean sprouts. The noodles again delivered, and if anything was even better suited for Ramen than the Yakisoba. Everything else again was a bit of a let-down. The broth was just plain salty, and not the rich, almost creamy Tonkotsu broth. The stir fry was bland and also some of it was burned; you can see the black specks in the soup. So again I was left with basically mixed feeling regarding this dish.

There's alot to like about Teri Cafe, the facility is clean, well-lit, and I kind of enjoy the atmosphere. The prices are good, and the service is excellent; even though you just place your order, pay, and the food is delivered to your table; there are little things that makes Teri Cafe a bit different. If you purchase fountain drinks, the "Girls" refill them for you for free; they also check on every table at least once during the meal. And of course I think the noodles are very good, even though it's not Saimin noodles, so good that I'm thinking of just purchasing the noodles. Unfortunately, the rest of the food does not live up to the quality of the noodles.

Teri Cafe
7305B Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Mon-Sat 1030am-9pm
Closed Sunday

Chicago On A Bun

October 10, 2005 mmm-yoso Hot Dogs

*** This location of Chicago on a Bun is no longer

This past Saturday, I was up in the UTC area around lunch, so I decided to grab a "Dog" at Chicago on a Bun in the Renaissance Towne Center.

Now, I'm not a real "Hot Dog" kind of guy, but I do enjoy a good Chicago Dog. In case you really don't know what a "Chicago Dog" is; it's a Beef Hot Dog in a Poppy Seed Bun, with Mustard, Onion, Relish, Tomato, Sport or Hot Peppers (no jalapeno's need apply), Dill Pickle, and most importantly Celery Salt. No kraut please!

Chicago on a Bun is a Mom and Pop business specializing in Chicago Style Hot Dogs, Sandwiches, and Ribs. It's a little shop crammed full of memorabilia, with a large menu:

So what did I order? A Regular Dog ($3.65), and a drink ($1.35). I placed my order with a sweet and funny older Lady, and had a seat. In few minutes my Dog was ready and I had a seat outside.

Dig that relish will ya'! The dog was a good beef dog, a little on the smaller size, but it could be that I'm affected by the Costco-sizing of the world. I wish the relish was a bit sweeter, and that I had a bit more onions. The peppers were a little spicy, though more pickled than hot. I enjoyed the steamed bun, nice and a bit eggy!

One thing about eating this dog; it's almost impossible to eat it in a neat manner.

You see, in order to maximize the experience, you should get a bit of everything in each bite. Which is nearly impossible, since physics dictates that masses of different sizes and textures will escape through the path of least resistance. In other words, stuff is falling everywhere!

All in all, a nice Chicago Dog, though a bit pricey at almost 4 bucks.

Chicago on a Bun
8935 Towne Center Drive
San Diego, CA 92122
Open Daily – Mon-Sat 11-8, Sun 11-5

Renaissance Towne Center is an interesting place, done to look Old World/East Coast like. Parking is really limited, though there are a quite a few eating places in the mall, it seems like the mall was designed to mainly feed the neighborhood. I really like the Clock Tower:

If you only knew, that at the base of the Tower is a Pizza Hut!

Oh, and by the way; if you're the obnoxious, chubby Chinese Girl stage whispering to your 98 pound weakling of a Boyfriend, "He's so gross", while looking at me eating my Hot Dog. Please take to heart what I said to you; "You want to see gross, try the mirror first!" Try a few servings of class, instead of whatever it is you're stuffing your face with next time, OK?

Do Re Mi House

October 6, 2005 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Korean Restaurants

*** Do Re Mi House has closed

***An update on De Re Mi House can be found here.

Yes, I know it's a strange name. Can you guess what kind of food Do Re Mi House serves? Let me give you some help:

Do Re Mi House serves Korean BBQ and basic Korean dishes in a small dining area, that almost feels "homey", or even like a little countryside Inn perhaps. I've never seen this place reviewed or mentioned anywhere, and the only reason I really know about it, is that a Gal at one of those "mailbox" places once told me that she takes Her Family there because it's affordable, and the food is good. So I've been dropping by off and on for the last few years.

The best bargains are the lunch specials, ranging from $5.99 – $7.99(Kalbi). For lunch this past week I had the Daeji Bulgogi ($5.99):

This "box/bento" style lunch consists of a small portion of BBQ spicy pork, rice, a green salad, 2 pieces of mandoo, and some panchan. The pork was flavored well, it's simply pork bulgogi with gochujang, and was moist, tender, slightly sweet, mildly spicy, and well flavored. The panchan is routine,except for the marinated potatoes, which I love. And the mandoo is terrible, a wrapper like thin cardboard, and not worth my time, neither was the green salad.

What sets Do Re Mi House apart was the service. Alot of places have a low-margin lunches going, basically inexpensive lunches in hopes of attracting volume. Many of these places do what I call the "dump and duck". That is once your order is placed, everything is "dumped" at your table, and the server "ducks" out, never to be seen until your check comes. During this lunch, for instance, the Young Lady saw that I plowed through the panchan, so she came by with two more bowls, saying, "you like kim chee, here's some more". Noticing my rice was running low she asked if I needed more, and brought me a bowl, as well as filling my water 3 times. So by the time I left, what started as a small lunch ended up being a little larger.

One evening I stopped by and ordered the Dak Bulgogi ($10.99):

There was a good variety of panchan, all totally routine, except the potatoes which I enjoyed. The portion size of the chicken seemed deceptively small, I say deceptively because I couldn't finish. The chicken had a bit of a sweeter taste then I'm used to, but was perfectly fine. I enjoyed the carmelization and the onions on the bottom. The chicken was also well marinated, I've had many instances where the chicken is quickly marinated than cooked, with sauce added at the end, leaving the chicken somewhat bland. As I was eating the Waitress came by and said, you liked the potatoes, right? And brought me another little bowl of the potatoes:

Do Re Mi House fills a niche right below Boo Cho and Buga, in price and quality. I've seen groups of students and families coming in for dinner. The BBQ is not done at the table. Lunch is much more inexpensive, though the portions may be a little on the small side, I've always left satisfied, if not stuffed. Service has always been good.

One short funny story. One night I was just having the Chicken Wings ($6.99), which were fine, but they had changed the recipe since I last had them. They used to be battered and spicy, and now they were just deep fried:

I was having this with some rice and panchan, when an older Lady sitting and eating at the front table, watching Korean Soap Opera, would get up every so often. She would grab a fly swatter and start killing flies in the front area with extreme accuracy. She would eat a few bites while watching the television, get up, and "whap-whap" get a few flies, clean up, and go back to eating and watching her show. I'm assuming she worked there, but am not quite sure…… So I guess there's free entertainment on certain nights? BTW, the flies never really made it into the restaurant with her around; she was deadly accurate!

DO Re Mi House
8199 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Ste M
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 565-2085

San Tong Palace

October 5, 2005 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian

**** San Tong Palace has closed

San Tong Palace is a little Sino-Chinese Restaurant located in Plaza Del Sol on Convoy St. This Korean-Chinese Restaurant specializes in Shandong style Chinese Food; that is, Northern Chinese cuisine. I've also seen Northern Chinese style Korean owned restaurants back home in Hawaii as well. I really don't have an explanation as to why this is, other than Korea is located right across the coast of the Shandong Province. Maybe someone will have a historical explanation.

The Missus is originally from Qingdao(Tsing Tao) a major coastal port in Shandong, so naturally when we moved to San Diego a few years back we were excited when we found this restaurant. The food, however was not very good, so we hadn't bothered to go back. Recently, I was told that San Tong Palace made a good Niu Rou Mein (Beef Noodle Soup). So one evening, when the Missus was working I decided to pay San Tong Palace another visit.

As I entered the restaurant, the employees were speaking in Korean. But they greeted me in Mandarin; unfortunately I speak neither. I was delivered a pot of tea, unfortunately it was lukewarm, so I had them get me another pot, still lukewarm, so I just decided to forget about the tea, not a good start. A plate of Kim Chee was delivered, along with the sauce for the dumplings I ordered:

Actually, it was a cross between kim chee and Shandong style pickled cabbage. Spicy like kim chee, but with a hint of the vinegary sweetness of pickles. This would turn out to be the best dish of the night!

The Niu Rou Mein was delivered ($5.95):

Looks ok doesn't it? Well, looks are deceiving. If you look a little closer, you'll notice that the beef is sliced sirlion, that along with green onions and onions, had been stir-fried and then dumped in a flavorless broth. These tough pieces of "beef" had no business in this soup, the beef also had that slightly "metallic" taste of old meat. Now I've had Niu Rou Mein with sliced brisket ala' pho', but this was no brisket, it was more like two dollar steak from the nearest market. I've had better tasting beef broth from an envelope. The noodles were ok, though. But this "soup" was nothing like the decent bowl of Niu Rou Mein from Shanghai City. Well at least it was piping hot!

I had also ordered the Fish Dumplings ($6.95):

There were 10 handmade dumplings filled with minced white fish, chives, and green onions. The fillings were ok, moist, and so mildly flavored that it could've been chicken or pork. The wrappers, though handmade, really didn't have the "home-made" texture. The wrappers didn't have the slight "resistance" and elasticity that I look for in Chinese dumplings, these broke up too easily. The sauce was pretty weak, so I just made my own with soy sauce, vinegar, and chili paste.

Well, I really don't think I'll be going back, no matter who recommends San Tong Palace. If you do visit San Tong Palace, stay away from that bogus Niu Rou Mein!

Some notes on San Tong Palace; most signs are in Chinese, including the Restroom signs, so it'll be best if you know what the Chinese symbols are if you're looking for the restroom. The dining room is well lit, and the service is efficient.

San Tong Palace
4690 Convoy St Ste 105
San Diego, CA 92111

(858) 571-6837

Shanghai City Restaurant

October 2, 2005 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian, Xiao Long Bao

*** Update: Shanghai City has closed.

*** Updated posts on Shanghai City can be found here and here.

When I mention to people that I enjoy eating at Shanghai City, I get some weird stares. I guess it's because most think of the American Chinese Food on the menu, or the $5.99 Lunch Buffet. Not necessarily great Chinese Food, though I do enjoy the Buffet once in a while.

There are some "hidden treasures" on the menu, but the days to go to Shanghai City are between 10am and 3pm on weekends, where there's a menu with Chinese "specials" available:

Today we decided to order the Wine Marinated Chicken ($3.75):

In the most basic form, this cold dish is prepared by rubbing a chicken with salt and letting stand and drain for 6 hours or so. The chicken is then steamed, and cooled, and cut into large pieces which are marinated in a combination of chicken stock and Shao-sing wine overnight. This gives the meat a dense, brined texture, with a taste reminiscent of ham. Because of the wine, the first bite of this mild looking dish can really catch you off guard, but you'll soon be munching away at piece after piece of this dish.

The main reason we visit Shanghai City is the Niu Rou Mein ($4.25):

I'm positively addicted to Chinese Beef Noodle soup, there are several versions, but my favorite is the numbing-spicy Sichuan style soup. Unlike pho' this is a dark, beef broth, flavored with star anise, soy sauce, sugar, wine, chili pepper, garlic, among other things. The meat is usually a stewing cut like beef shank with some tendon and fat. When cooked well, the meat is tender and holds it's flavor. The soup is usually garnished with cilantro, green onions, and a green vegetable, in this case bok choy, though I use spinach in my homemade version. The broth here at Shanghai City can vary wildly, but the noodles are superb. The noodles have a great "handmade" texture, doughy with elasticity. A large portion of noodles is always included at Shanghai City. Today, the soup was good, not great, but mildly rich and beefy, really spicy, but the noodles were great as always. On a great day this dish is really delici-yoso!!!

We also usually order the Xiao Long Bao ($5.95), those ever popular "soup-dumplings".

Shanghai City is one of the few places where you can get XLB in San Diego. These dumplings are filled with a pork based filling, along with alot of "juice", thus the name soup dumplings. The way to eat them are to place some sauce in the spoon, then place the dumpling in the spoon (do not break the dumpling) and eat in one perfect bite. Today the wrappers on these were a bit on the "dry" side, though filled with delish slightly sweet, salty, "soup".

Shanghai City does a decent rendition of many dishes, like Smoked Fish (Su Shih Hsun Yuu – $4.75), not really smoked, but actually a fried than marinated dish, that gives the fish a smoked look, The Tea Smoked Duck here has also been good on occaision ($7.95). Most dishes are are between $4.75 to $8.95, so the prices here are not too bad.

Shanghai City
3860 Convoy St
San Diego,CA 92111
619-278-5883

Closed Tuesdays

We've done a revisit post on Shanghai City on 12/17/06, it can be found here.

Da Kine’s

September 25, 2005 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Plate Lunch

**** The La Mesa location has closed and Nelson is currently only doing catering

*** As of June 2022, Da Kine's has reopened in La Mesa – you can find a post here

*** Update – Da Kine's in Pacific Beach has closed, you can find a short update here, near the bottom of the page. The Mira Mesa and National City locations are still open, and a new location in Point Loma is coming soon.

Warning: Pidgin English has Been Liberally Used in the Creation of this Post

When I first started coming to San Diego on a regular basis back in the late 90's, Da Kine's was pretty much the "only show in town". Partially because of that reason, Nelson Ishii has carved himself a pretty loyal customer base. In addition, I've found that DaKines' plate lunches are a bit lighter, with items such as Grilled Fish and the Teriyaki Chicken here is skinless. I visit DaKine's usually only the Autumn and Winter months because of the crowds and traffic in Pacific Beach.

DaKines has their own share of detractors, especially from some of the Ex-Pat Kama'ainas' that I know. A recent phone conversation went like this:

"Eh, you wanna go Dakines"
"Dakines, nah, laita's"
"Why not?"
"First, too many make-pretend, wanna be surfa's, two, they are tight with the portions, and three, they dip the chicken"
"They dip the chicken?"
"Yeah, they precook the chicken, put em' in a pan, and when there's an order they put the chicken on a plate and squirt sauce over it!"
"Oooh-kay, next time then?"

One of the things I do like about DaKines is that they have some "classic" plate lunches that the plethora of Hawaiian BBQ places in San Diego don't(and no it's not the grilled Mahi), like Beef Stew. Also, many of the employees at DaKines speak pidgin, and I'm almost sure of a "pidgin" conversation there.

Two items on the menu at DaKines gives me a problem; it's the attempt at humor in using pidgin for the "mixed plates" there. The 2 item(2 entree) plate is called "Da Bugga" and the 3 item plate is called "Wop Yo Jaws". Which can lead you to interesting little exchanges like:

"What you like?"
"I like Wop Ya Jaws"
and
"Can I help you"
"Yeah, I like Da Buggah"

For those interested in a translation you can go here: to a Pidgin English Dictionary.

Today; looking over the menu, I noticed that the Beef Stew had been covered over; the Counter Person told me that it was due to lack of demand. Bumma! So I ended up ordering a " Two item Mixed Plate" (sorry still can't make myself say "I want Da Buggah"). With Chicken Katsu and Grilled Teriyaki Chicken ($7.00):

While waiting, I noticed that I was the only customer in the whole restaurant wearing slacks; everybody else were wearing shorts! Took my plate lunch home and got ready to eat. A couple of first impressions, the portions are on the smaller side, but this didn't bother me. All this meant was no "Kanak-attack" (food coma) after eating. The chicken katsu was very good, nice and crunchy and not oily, and best of all, good old Hawaiian style Katsu sauce was provided – ketchup based, not a watery sweet sour icky L&L sauce. Though not even close to say, Grace's in portion size and taste, this was good. The Teriyaki chicken consisted of two skinless pieces; one small thigh, and one smaller thigh, or knee, or maybe ankle – it was a really small piece of chicken! Though the chicken was obviously grilled, it was very bland, and flavorless. DaKines has a bad habit of serving mushy rice, though this time it was fine. Even though the macaroni salad had celery, carrots, the one item it needed was some "umph", it was very boring.

On my last visit, I just got the Chicken Katsu plate($5.75):

This time the Katsu was okay though a bit burnt, with some bitter pieces. The rice was cooked with too much water and mushy, and the macaroni salad was still bland. I think I'll wait a while before my next visit!

Some notes on DaKine's. There are two locations of DaKine's, one in the Promenade Mall located in Pacific Beach, right above Tony Roma's. There is validated underground parking. The other location is on Sweetwater Road in National City. Everybody at DaKine's is very nice and friendly. The PB location has a nice "patio" where you can have a plate lunch and check out the beach. There are daily specials; Laulau is served on Sunday. The usual suspects like, Kalua Pork and Cabbage, Saimin, and Spam Musubi, are on the menu.

DaKine's
4120 Mission Blvd. #208
San Diego, CA 92108
858-274-8494

Jin Patisserie

September 24, 2005 mmm-yoso Chocolate, Desserts

On Friday afternoon I received a call:

"Hello"
"Oh my God"
"Hello"
"Oh my God"
"Whats wrong?"
"It’s so beautiful!"

It turned out the Missus had gotten this in the mail:

A pretty silk box. So what was in it?

I had heard of Jin Patisserie from Kristy’s wonderful blog Best of LA, and in this case she’s right! I had ordered the 15 pieces of Chocolate in a Silk Box, but received 20, and I’m not complaining!

My photo’s really don’t do these chocolates justice, they really are works of art:

The flavors included in this box are: Lemon Grass, Sea Salt Caramel, Jasmine, Black Roasted Sesame, Lychee, Earl Grey Feuilletine, Mango Kalamansi, Passionfruit, The des Concubine, Red Caramel Clove, Mango Basil, Cinnamon, The du Hammum, Lavender, and Ginger.

The price? $42, not cheap, but oh, so beautiful to look at!

I think I’d better let the Missus eat her candy now. It’ll take a while, she’s just a nibbler with these types of candies, and really knows how to appreciate them.

So if you want your own little 1×1 piece of heavenly rich and subtly flavored chocolate; you can order from the Jin Patisserie website, or visit them at:

Jin Patisserie
1202 Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Venice, Ca. 90291

Ain’t it amazing what we learn from Blogs?

Thanks Kristy!

La Torta – And the Quest for a Carne Asada Torta

September 21, 2005 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Sandwiches

**** La Torta has closed

Since I've been living in San Diego, I've developed a taste for Mexican style Torta's, basically a Bolillo (Mexican Roll) cut in half and stuffed with some kind of meat, say Carne Asada, Pollo Asado, and such. One very popular local chain is La Torta:

La Torta specializes in what else, Torta's, and feature about 35 different Torta's on the menu, many of them very "Americanized", like the "Hawaiiana" that features, Ham and Pineapple. Not my cup of tea, but apparently someone must order it! The problem with having too many items on the menu is that it leads to major bouts of indecision; which happens to me quite often at La Torta. I've got my mind set on say, Carne Asada, and end up with say a Mole Torta ($6.75):

Though smaller in circumference than the "usual" torta, it makes up for it in height! To date this has been the best Torta that I've had at La Torta. Filled with moist shredded chicken in a mild chili based sauce; slightly spicy, very moist, and seasoned well. The roll which is baked in-house, was a bit on the dry side and the "Home Fries" tasted of stale oil. Pay attention to them "fries…."

On the following Saturday I arrived at the College location right outside of San Diego State University, just as the "rolls" were finished, and got a fresh one, with my ~~Carne Asada~~, ummm ooops, Chipotle Chicken Torta($6.75):

Again the menu got the better of me and I ordered this. Notice the "home fries" this time; guess they got them from a different home. They're totally different from the ones on my previous visit! The roll was nice and hot, toasted and crusty on the outside, and soft and doughy on the inside. The chicken was, bleh, tasted like shredded chicken with hot sauce, sure didn't have any "chipotle"(smokey jalapeno) taste. I did have alot of avocado on this sandwich which really tasted nice and creamy.

Now that SDSU is back in session, I don't dare go back to the College location and "parking hell". So now that summer is over, I switch to the suddenly laid back Pacific Beach location, this time with the Missus in tow:

As soon as she saw the menu she told me "I don't liiike it, too many choices!" "But they have pictures!" "Really now, how many different kind of tortas can there be?" Yes, too many choices are a bit of a problem, you should see her in Vietnamese Restaurants…"how 'bout number 190, please…."

She finally settled on the Jalapeno Chicken torta with no cheese ($6.75):

This basically was a grilled chicken sandwich with chopped jalapenos, no biggy really! Needless to say the Missus was not impressed. She did like the warm and toasted roll. She also enjoyed the potatoes, though we found that you better eat them fast, they got soggy real fast. But as a whole, no big deal. So what did I get? Well I finally got that Carne Asada Torta ($6.95):

The "Carne Asada" here tasted like thin sliced rib eye or a similiar cut, lightly seasoned, on a nicely toasted roll. I enjoyed the sandwich except for the cheddar cheese; I'd appreciated some other more creamy cheese, maybe provolone or something similiar. Hey a Philly Cheesesteak Torta sounds might good!

Some notes on La Torta; most Torta's come with "The Works", that would be lettuce, tomato, and onion. Most also have a pretty generous amount of avocado. The food can vary wildly and are pretty pricey as Torta's are concerned, from $6.50 to $7.75. But at least they come with some type of "fries". So if you've got a hankering for some almost Gringo style Torta's, give La Torta a try!

La Torta
5854 Montezuma Road
San Diego, CA 92115

4864 Cass St
San Diego, CA 92109

Road Trip: The Boat – Rowland Heights

September 12, 2005 mmm-yoso Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Thai Restaurants

**** The Boat has closed

In need of a “quick” lunch I decided to drop by The Boat in Diamond Plaza off of Fullerton Road. We used to live relatively close to The Boat, and ate here quite often. So I kinda just wanted to see if perhaps my tastes had changed since I last ate there.

It was 10 til 11 and Diamond Plaza was absolutely packed! Unbelievable! I managed to find a parking spot at the far end of the mall, dodged the crazy drivers honking at each other and cutting each other off, and made my way to The Boat, which was very quiet:

I was quickly seated and my order was efficiently taken. The first item I ordered was the Pad Kee Mao ($5.25):

As you can clearly see; the Pad Kee Mao doesn’t even look like it’s been cooked in a wok! Though I enjoyed the chilies and the amount of basil, that’s all I could taste. There was really no other flavor at all. Also, the chicken was dry and tough. This dish was a disappointment, I’d never order it again. I took most of it home, where the Missus asked me, “where’s the flavor?” I gave her a bottle of Soy Sauce, and said “here’s the flavor…”

I also ordered the Papaya Salad ($4.95):

This was an okay dish. Nice flavor, good spice, and the shrimp added a nice salty, briny taste along with a good texture counter-point. The sauce needed, a bit more fish sauce, there was a bit too much lime juice in this dish. But decent overall.

In comparison to our meal at Krua Thai this was a very mediocre meal.

Some notes on The Boat. The service is fast and efficient, though friendly is not in the vocabulary. Most of the clientele are Chinese, but the people working looked to be Thai. I don’t think I’ll be coming back again, I left wondering what is was about The Boat that I enjoyed so much in the past?????

A little side note. This is the Restaurant that people were literally running each other over to get into; New Capitol Seafood. When we lived here it used to be Ruby Palace (?), or something like that. Maybe Elmo or Mealcentric can tell me what the deal is with this restaurant? There was a line all the way down the stairs! At 10 til 11 in the morning!

The Boat
1390 Fullerton Rd
Rowland Heights, CA 91748
11:00 A.M. – 12:00 A.M. Sunday to Thursday
11:00 A.M. – 1:00 A.M. Friday and Saturday