Closed – Page 104

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

Pho Convoy Noodle House

September 11, 2005 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

*** This location of Pho Convoy Noodle House has closed

*** You can find updates on Pho Convoy Noodle House here, here, and here.

Ed from Yuma had told me about Convoy Noodle House awhile back. He’d had a good bowl of Pho’ there. So since it’s now getting a bit cooler I thought I’d give it a shot.

Convoy Noodle House is located in another strip mall on Convoy Street. The only business I’ve ever gone to here is Dede’s a Sichuan Restaurant/Tea Place. The restaurant is spare and seems alot larger than it actually is.

The other great thing about the restaurant, was that there was spot lighting above each table, almost as if they knew I was coming, and would need some light for my photos’!

I had made my mind up before hand that I’ll be ordering Pho’ – so I chose the Large #1($5.25) – basically Dac Biet, with everything.

Within 5 minutes a nice sized bowl of Pho’ was delivered. The broth was very dark and rich, and I could make out the distinct taste of cloves. I really enjoyed the brisket and the generous amount of tripe. The rare steak tasted fine. There was two types of “tendon” in this; the first nice, jellied, fatty tendon – delici-yoso. The second were thin slices of tendon that almost looked like they’d been fried, they were really tough and inedible. My only other gripe was the really chintzy amount of “garnishes” provided. I had to ask for more basil, and I wish there was a bit more variety; maybe some ngo gai. But I thought the broth was excellent, very full bodied and the bun pho’ were done well, though the noodles were a bit on the thinner side than I’m used too.

A few days later I was in the mood for some Chinese-style Egg Noodle soup, but since I was close by I decided just to eat here instead. And ordered the “House Special” egg noodle soup $5.25:

This dish had a strictly routine chicken based broth, though there was a generous amount of egg noodles along with Lettuce, green onions, BBQ Pork, Fish Balls, Fish Cake, and very over cooked shrimp. The fried garlic and shallots added a nice flavor, and the noodles were perfect. Strangely, I’ve never had “garnishes” delivered for egg noodle soup in a Vietnamese Restaurant before, but here they are! Again, the portion was very small.

So having enjoyed my previous experiences, I’d finally decided to try the Bun Bo Hue ($5.25). I’ve had some really horrible Bun Bo Hue, and will usually check out how other dishes are before trying. So today as I walked in; I noticed the Lady usually manning the cash register (The Owner?) was eating a bowl, so I though I’d give it a whirl:

As the soup was being delivered I noticed a distinct “fishy” smell. It just so happened that along with the garnishes (lettuce, mint, bean sprouts, chilies, and lime), a little bowl of shrimp paste and chili oil delivered. The bowl was steaming hot, and the broth was pretty routine, almost like the broth I’d had with the egg noodles, except with chili oil added. There was a good amount of the spaghetti like bun, and the dish was topped with onions, green onions, and cilantro. I also noticed that the brisket used in this dish was cut alot thicker than what I’m used too, this was very tasty and enjoyable. There was also alot of fat and tendon from the brisket – delici-yoso!!! After doing an initial taste of the broth I added a squeeze of lime, some of the shrimp paste, and the bean sprouts, and proceeded to dig in. Then I stopped, there was something missing! It’s not the “blood”, I’d ordered it without blood, call me a wuss, but I really don’t enjoy the taste. Where was the pig’s feet or pork shank that’s standard for this dish. After some “fishing” I found it, the pork leg was alot smaller than I’ve usually had, somewhat disappointing. I also took to dipping the brisket into the shrimp paste, and the blend of the salty, the spiciness, beefiness, and the texture of the meat was great. Overall a nice dish, that I’ll be having alot over the winter. Unless I find a better Bun Bo Hue.

Some notes on Convoy Pho’ House. Service is very fast, I can usually get out in under 30 minutes. The “appetizer sin” is also committed here; I’ve seen soup some out before the Cha Gio several times. Most of the customers are Asian, and there were alot of Vietnamese on the days I visited.

I guess I have one for my current rotation. Today I saw the Com Tam 7 Mon being brought out, and it looked pretty good, so I’ll be having that on a day that I’m really hungry.

Pho Convoy Noodle House
4647 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Sammy Sushi – Every Neighborhood should have one

September 1, 2005 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

*** On October 11th 2008, Sammy Sushi called it a day.

HAI! IR-RAI-SHAI KIRK-SAN!!! Booms through the tiny restaurant as I enter. It's the typical greeting from Sam, owner and Sushi Chef at Sammy Sushi.

It can be kinda unnerving, as the guy greeting you is holding a pretty sizable sharp knife. It's his Marine Corps training that gives Sam that booming voice. Sammy Sushi is the kind of Sushi "joint" that every neighborhood should have; pretty good fish, good sake and beer, and a good understanding of what his "regulars" enjoy.

I've known Sam for a few years now, originally from his days at Katzra, and when he opened his own Restaurant on Engineer Road, I followed. He's even got his own wall of photo's. As is the norm for these neighborhood Sushi Bars, Sam's customers range from Japanese Nationals to "working stiffs". And the menu is comprised of whatever roll you want, be it a Caterpillar, Rainbow, or even a "One Night Stand Roll"(he won't remember how to make it again!), I'm not much of a "roll guy" but those are very popular; but Sam will also make Maguro Yamakake, even Oshi-zushi. One late evening, after closing I showed him how to make poke, and it's been on his menu ever since.

Sam's fish is usually decent to excellent, and if you ask he'll gladly let you know what is "good" at the moment. I've always found his hamachi, smoked salmon, and kaki (oysters) to be excellent. He has Live Uni in season (I'll post on it at a later time), and sometimes has Aji (Spanish Mackerel).

There's a real benefit in developing relationships with the people who make your food. It's especially evident in a intimate environment as a Sushi Bar. For instance, Sam knows I love Hirame Senbei (fried bones), and tonight he has especially good ones, so they were brought out without asking. On some nights he'll bring me Hamachi Kama(Yellowtail collar) or Ankimo(Monkfish liver pate), or some other dish he knows I like.

Fried crisp with a touch of salt and dipped into Ponzu, these "crackers" were delici-yoso! What I usually do is place an initial order, and do most of the rest "omakase" style. Tonight after reading Pam's post on Sashimi on Daily Gluttony, I had a sudden hankering for a bit of sashimi, so I ordered some:

Tonight the Hirame was excellent; probably why the senbei was so good!

So if you're a regular customer at a Sushi Bar; develop a rapport with the Sushi Chef. This in turn will become trust, in fact I never ask for prices at Sammy's, he knows what I want and how much I want, or he'll just ask with a "Kirk-san Daijobu(are you ok)?" And sometimes you'll get some really good surprises.

Funny thing, I've been having a really hard time taking pictures in Sammy's, probably a combination of the lighting and composition of materials. Or maybe I really don't want to post about this place, and just keep it to myself.

Some notes on Sammy's. This is a one Man operation, with one in the kitchen, and usually one or two wait help. Along with the 12-18 seat sushi bar, there are 4 tables, but when crowded, the wait may be somewhat long. Because of all the regulars, there's a real neighborly atmosphere, sometimes borderline raucous(it's the beer, sake, and sochu). Everyone is very friendly and helpful. There is a full food menu with Teriyaki, Tempura, Tonkatsu, and even a few Okinawan dishes. Beer and a few Sakes, including Otokoyama(yummm) and Kurosawa. There are Happy Hour specials. Sam was raised in Hawaii, it's probably one of the reasons we get along so well, even though he's from Aiea, I don't hold it against him! Sam is of Korean heritage, but speaks fluent Japanese along with Korean, and originally cut his teeth at Yanagi Sushi in Honolulu, you'll also be able to order Kalbi and other dishes here as well.

Tell Sam Kirk-san sent you!

Sammy Sushi
7905 Engineer Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Que Huong – Completing the Summer Grand Slam

August 29, 2005 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

*** Que Huong has closed

*** Updated posts can be found here, here, and here.

I'd heard about Que Huong a while back. It was described as "not a pho' restaurant; more of a white tablecloth place." So one Sunday morning we decided to give Que Huong a try.

Tucked in the back corner of yet another generic strip mall on University Avenue(on the corner of Marlborough Ave and University), Que Huong looks somewhat intimidating with the iron bars and grease board menu with specials written only in Vietnamese. You notice an immediate difference upon entrance:

The interior of the restaurant was dark with swap meet artwork on the walls and a definite "pastel" look. How very retro 80's! We opened the menu, and yep, no pho', instead there were many items that I've really never seen on a Vietnamese menu in San Diego; like Jack Fruit Salad, and a whole list of fish listed only in Vietnamese. We placed our order and a "basket" of utensils, napkins, and "wipes" were delivered to our table – a nice change from the usual chopstick and spoons on a plastic holder that we're used too:

We started with the Cha Gio ($4.95), the standard Egg Rolls:

These were among the best I've ever had! They were crisp, not oily, with tasty filling. The garnishes delivered were also outstanding; along with the usual lettuce and mint, were Perilla leaves, tasting almost like shiso, these added a nice flavor. The Nuoc Mam Cam was also outstanding with pieces of garlic, and chilies added for additional flavor.

We also ordered the Duck Banana Salad ($12.95):

A large plate piled high with Basil and other herbs, julienned banana blossom, onion, fried shallots and garlic, this made a refreshing dish. Except for the duck, which was a chopped bland duck leg, with bits of bone everywhere. this made for ponderous dish, after cracking your teeth on a few bone chips, you got downright paranoid about eating this. Also, some of the banana blossom had a distinct soapy taste. At the same time a large soup bowl was delivered. At first I said "we didn't order this", but after some explanation we finally figured out that the soup came with the salad. This turned out to be a wonderful rice porridge. There was a nice salty, somewhat garlicky taste. The flavor of the fried garlic, black pepper, and cilantro stood out, with only a hint of fish sauce.

I ordered the Com Tam 7 Mon – the broken rice with 7 meats($8.95):

This beautiful looking dish was a mixed bag. The julienned pork, not among my favorite things, was very moist and flavorful, the BBQ pork was outstanding, the egg roll was great (of course), the shrimp cake with bean curd was also excellent. However, the steamed egg (my favorite) was dry and separating, the fish cake was tasteless, the pork cake was also dry, and worst of all the Com Tam (broken rice) was very dry and hard, like it had been sitting for a long time.

Que Huong had caught my interest though, and when Ed from Yuma emailed and said he was coming my way for a quick trip, Que Huong immediately came to mind. I thought it would complete our restaurant summer "Grand Slam" that started with China Max in May, and Sakura in July, and earlier this month Buga Korean BBQ made an appearance.

We met and entered the Restaurant and were seated as before. This time though the lighting was very bad – so please excuse the poor photo's. Communication was also a problem this time, as you soon see.

I ordered the Egg Rolls that we loved so much:

But as you see, these were really different(also charge $7.95 this time). But oh what a wonderful mistake this was. It was like the Egg Rolls except with an entire shrimp inside, and the wrappers were much more delicate. I'm printing a picture of this, because I want to make sure I get this next time! Same garnishes along with the excellent Nuoc Mam. Delici-yoso!!!

We also had Roasted Quail ($9.95):

This dish was good, but nothing we hadn't had before.

I had heard the Banh Xeo (crepe) here was excellent, so we made sure we got it ($5.95)

The crepe sure didn't disappoint, nice a crunchy exterior, moist interior with whole shrimp, ground pork, and lot's of bean sprouts. This was the best Banh Xeo I've had in San Diego. Not oily at all – simply delisi-yoso!

Finally the main dish, the Fried Catfish($25.00):

This was a major production and took three people to deliver. A plate of rice paper wrappers, a bowl of warm water, garnishes including banana blossom, pickled vegetables, perilla, pickled onion, bean sprouts, lettuce, mint, and I'm sure I left something out. A plate of bun (vermicelli), and Mr Catfish(medium sized), on a bed of lettuce, covered with cilantro. This dish was a "make your own spring roll" thing. That is, you grab a wrapper, dip it in the warm water and start building your spring roll with the garnishes. Than once completed, dip the roll into a little bowl of shrimp paste mixed with garlic and shallots. Sounds great right? Well not really; the catfish in my opinion tasted extremely "muddy" which spoiled the dish for me. Ed seemed to make the best of it though, being the good sport that he is. The damage a little over 50 bucks. Too bad, we could gotten away with half as much, and had a better meal! But overall a really fun experience.

Some notes; the restaurant was empty, not a good sign on a Friday. I hope this place stays around, there are some very good dishes, and I haven't even started on the soups yet. Communication may be a problem, as in my experience with the Egg Rolls. Parking is very limited as the Mall shares spaces with a Burger King and other businesses.

Que Huong Restaurant
4134 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Open 10am to Midnight Daily

Fusion Food & Boba Cafe

August 23, 2005 mmm-yoso Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Fusion Food and Boba Cafe has closed.

I guess I'm a bit con-"fused" about Fusion Food & Boba Cafe. A reader of this blog and Chowhound lurker Renee, sent me an Email (Thanks Renee!) about Fusion. She specifically noted that the Banh Mi at Fusion was very good. With this info I made a trip to Fusion. What I found was a "hip" Cafe, doing a brisk business in Boba and other snacks. It reminded me of all those "tea" places that I saw young Asians going to in Los Angeles.

Like I mentioned Fusion was doing a brisk business, people playing board games, watching the plasma television, or just hanging out at the outside tables; eating steamed buns or "banana rolls" , which looked like a take-off on turon (banana lumpia) with ice cream, all drinking various slushies and coffee drinks. The posted menu also said that Fusion offers free wireless internet access with a purchase. So automatically this place was totally what I was not; young and hip. Also, I couldn't find "Banh Mi" on the menu. What there was is something called "Fusion Sandwiches". I figured that this must be it. The prices of the sandwiches ranged from $2.50 (one item) to $3.50(two meat combo), to $4.50 for a Chesseburger Deluxe and Fries(?). Because my Banh Mi "standard" is based on the "Dac Biet" , I thought that I'd order the special with Ham and Pork Loaf, though at $3.50 it would be the most expensive Banh Mi type sandwich I'd ever have ordered.

Sure looks like a Banh Mi, doesn't it? The good; the carrot and radish pickles were tasty and the amount of veggies was generous and I enjoyed the jalapeno. The bad I'm afraid, outnumbered the good. The bread wasn't toasted, the meats were tasteless and disappointing. I pulled out the ham and it looked and tasted no different from the cheapie packaged 79 cent ham I'd buy at the market. The strange? It really looked like this was french roll, but not a baguette, but a french dip roll! Very strange indeed, though it never said anywhere that this was a Vietnamese Banh Mi, did it? At this point I thought that I'd cut my losses and let Fusion fade into the back ground.

What changed my mind was an Email from Renee, and she included a photo! And darn if the photo of the Veggie Sandwich didn't look like a Banh Mi! So I found myself back at Fusion, and this time I ordered a simple BBQ Pork Sandwich ($2.50):

This was a bit more like it! The roll was toasted, though still not a baguette, in my opinion. The pork was tasty and as before the veggies were good and there was a nice piece of jalapeno. Overall a decent sandwich. I especially liked that there was more cilantro leaves than stems, makes for an easier eating sandwich. There was mayo on this version as well, this actually added to the taste. Not bad at all. Unfortunately I ordered the Popcorn Chicken ($2.49):

On the menu it says "spicy & crispy". I can tell you in this case it was neither of those. The crispy I can understand, I live 15 minutes away. But even if the what looked like the corn starch based batter couldn't stand up to a 15 minute drive, all would still be okay if the chicken tasted great. Unfortunately, it wasn't even mediocre. The chicken was really bland with hardly any seasoning. I was hoping for something, give me the slight sweetness of mochiko, maybe some salt, maybe some herbs, chili pepper, anything….. I hate to say this, but KFC is better than this. The aioli included is a must, just to give this some taste. I think something was lost in trying to please all palates on this one.

So what's the verdict? Seems that certain sandwiches here are pretty good, and the snacks seem to be what to get. There are some dishes that are "dumbed down" to make them somewhat con-"fused". The menu is very extensive, everything from vegetarian items, to curry, to noodle soups. It's a really difficult to manage a menu like this. All the drinks here seem to be really popular. The service is really friendly and helpful. Maybe someone has an idea what I should order here?

Fusion Food & Boba Cafe
8038 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

P.S. Thank You for the recommendation Renee!

B & B Catering and Deli

August 19, 2005 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Diner

I’ve passed this place many, many, times. I guess it fascinates me, because of the scope of dishes and cuisines that are covered on the windows:

If you read the windows they make Curry, Teriyaki, Roast Turkey, Country Fried Steak, Chorizo, Machaca, and on and on. At least it doesn’t say “authentic” anywhere. The other thing is that this place is only open from 7am to 3 pm from Monday to Friday, and closed on weekends. Best way to get me into a restaurant? Locate it in an obscure spot, and never be open during the hours I’ll be able to eat! Can you spell S-U-C-K-E-R! The one thing that keeps me going is that for every 5-10 borderline places there’s a “Ray’s Cafe”. So this little place is located on the road leading into Montgomery Field, a small community air field located in the Kearny Mesa area. Today I noticed a police car and several other vehicles in the front of B&B. A good sign!

As I walked up to the door there was a little board with the daily specials. There on the top was Bulgogi(???), along with Pepper Steak, Veal & Spaghetti, Polish Sausage, and Mushroom Burger! Now my curiosity had hit a peak! I had to go in. As I walked in, all became clear. This was a cafeteria type operation.

There were lot’s of hot table items and sandwiches. The people running the operation were Korean, as a matter of fact, the first question when I went up to the counter was “are you Korean?” I told them I wasn’t, but of course I ordered the Bulgogi ($5.99).

This item was actually made in the kitchen and brought out to me. Actually it wasn’t half bad. Sort of a pseudo teriyaki stir fry with sesame oil, a bit too much on the sweet side. Was it Bulgogi, uh, no. But it wasn’t bad. The meat was tender, the veggies not over cooked, not too bad.

So with this under my belt and being in the neighborhood, I decided to stop by for another lunch. As I walk up to the cafeteria line, there’s a huge hunk of meat lying on a board. It’s the roast beef ($5.95). Of course I can’t resist a huge hunk of meat! I order the roast beef to go:

So I watched the roast beef carved, and there must’ve been something “wrong” with how and what I ordered. When the same person I dealt with before asked me what kind of salad I wanted, I asked what kind do you have, he said “look it’s over there”! Ohhh-kay…. So after getting home and opening the dish, here are my observations. First thing I noticed is (“it’s over there look”) is that they served me the scalded rice, the ugly brown scald on the rice portion, looks like someone took the rice and wiped, ooops, don’t go there, yuck. The roast was tough, though it looked good on the board, it was singularly tasteless even with the au jus, the green beans canned, the roll inedible, and the salad had a ton of apple in it, or maybe that’s all I could taste. Then it came to me, this must be the Montgomery Field cafeteria, and I’ve voluntarily eaten here! And by the way, the police car I saw was for the RSVP (Retired Senior Volunteer Police), say no more. You’d think I’d have learned by now!

B & B DELI & CATERING
8690 Aero Drive #120
San Diego, CA 92123

Open 7 am to 3 pm Monday thru Friday

Papa Doc’s Restaurant

August 17, 2005 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cajun, Southern, and Soul Food

*** Papa Doc’s has closed.

So the phone rings, and I answer. The voice on the other side goes "you know it’s addictive, right", who else could it be? I asked "so, you want to go to Magnolia’s again"?, "No, of course not. I want you to find another place". Well it seems that the Missus is going through a slight "Soul Food" addiction. Which left me to try and find another Southern Food restaurant. I remembered hearing about a place on University Ave, East of College, called Papa Doc’s. So I thought we’d give it a try. We found Papa Doc’s in a little strip mall in East San Diego.

As we entered the interior of Papa Doc’s we gasped, the restaurant was beautifully adorned, in stark contrast to the generic, dusty, strip mall it occupies. The entrance was bordered by two large fish tanks, and there was a lovely mural on the rear wall. There were videos of gospel programs that they have on premises playing on the flat screen televisions.

The menu was full of favorites like baby back ribs, fried halibut, fried catfish, and one tempting dish called "Slap Yo Mamma Meat Loaf" ($13.50). I decided to order the Fried Chicken Dinner ($13.25); I was told that they make it to order and it’ll take about 18 minutes. No problem. I thought the Missus would order the Fried Catfish ($11.25), but instead asked the server, who ended up being the Co-Owner Diane, about something called The Trout Platter ($21.25), she asked if this dish is fried and received an affirmative response, to which she replied "I’ll have that." There’s a little note on the bottom of the menu which states, "Sorry, no calorie or carb watchers here." Sounds like my kind of place.

We were immediately served some piping hot corn bread muffins:

These were moist and very buttery, it’s good that these were served hot, they would not have been as good cold. We scarfed these up in no time. About 10 minutes later my Fried Chicken was brought to the table:

I had ordered Corn Bread Dressing and Collard Greens (what else?) as my sides. The greens were a bit of a disappointment, very dry, with almost a fishy taste, though there were pieces of ham hock, the flavor seemed off. The corn bread dressing was a 180 degree turn, it was moist, with a nice richness and a bit of spice, and a slight grainy texture, with onions, delici-yoso! The 4 pieces of chicken were still sizzling when it reached the table, and stayed hot for the entire duration of the meal. The batter was simple, yet very good, with good amounts of salt and pepper. I handed a piece of the batter to my wife who tasted it, and said, "better than pork rinds!" Which is a complement of the highest order in this household. I’m also glad that the four pieces were all "dark", 1 drum, 2 wings (lot’s of batter, yummm), and 1 thigh.

By this time the "Trout Platter" arrived:

The one thing about this "trout platter" was that there was no "trout" on it. On this plate were 3 halibut fillets, 3 snapper fillets, 3 catfish fillets, and 3 very large shrimp, on a bed of fries. All fried, of course. The shrimp were excellent, large, moist, tasty, and fresh; the best thing on the plate. I ate them tail and all, if they had "heads" I woulda’ ate them too. The catfish was also excellent, nicely seasoned, very moist and tender. The Snapper was good, a bit thicker, but still tasty. The Halibut was a bit too thick for this type of frying, and ended up being dry, and bland. All of this was served with a nice tartar sauce, lemon and hot sauce. Again there were the totally routine fries, though these were better than those we had at Magnolia’s last night. Next time we’ll have catfish, shrimp, and fried chicken.

So how does Papa Doc compare to Magnolia’s? The food at Magnolia’s is alot more refined and lighter. Papa Doc’s will "stick to your ribs" and you’ll need to take a nap after. Papa Doc’s was more like "home cooking". They’re both good and worth a try.

Some Notes: Papa Doc’s serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The service is very nice and friendly! "Papa Doc", David Cannon came out and made sure to stop at every table and say hello, he also had to come out and see who was eating the "Trout Platter".

Time to give my arteries a rest…..

Papa Doc’s Restaurant

6523 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92115

619-583-3627

Magnolia’s Authentic Southern Dining and Cocktails

August 16, 2005 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cajun, Southern, and Soul Food

*** Magnolia’s has closed

I’d been waiting a long while to visit Magnolia’s. Located in a strip mall anchored by a Food For Less Supermarket, Magnolia’s is a little gem, on the Euclid Trolley stop. What hastened our trip was that Magnolia’s had been featured on a local news cast, so I had to move it up to the top of my list. We also had our dinner a bit earlier than usual, so there would be no crowds.

The first thing you notice about Magnolia’s are the raised ceilings and warm wood seating. The seating in the booths are all cloth lined, giving the place a very warm feel. There are several tables out front and a large outdoor eating “patio” out back. We were greeted with smiles and requested a table outside, it was a really nice, almost fall like day; perfect setting for Southern Cookin’. Looking through the menu with all the Southern favorites we made our decisions. We ordered fried oysters to start ($8.50).

We were served 6 large and very juicy, briny oysters, coated with a thin layer of cornmeal, and not a bit of grease! The cornmeal was nice and grainy, combined with the juicy oysters, this was a real treat. Just a squeeze of lemon and a touch of cocktail sauce and I was in oyster heaven! Next up was the smothered chicken ($12.50), this came with two sides; and I chose, mashed potatoes and collard greens.

Smothered chicken is just good, simple old fashioned family style Southern cooking, and this was no exception. The gravy was creamy and nicely complemented the dark meat, however the white meat was a bit tasteless and dry. This was a half chicken, maybe I coulda’ gotten all dark meat? The mashed potatoes were the “natural smashed” type and were good. The star of the dish were the Collard Greens; man I haven’t had greens this good since I worked in Atlanta for almost a year a while back. At first bite sweet, the middle of your tongue tastes the “green” (like luau leaf!), and there’s a slight bitter aftertaste, and the “likker” was wonderful, delici-yoso!!!

Here’s a picture of the Crawfish Ettouffe($15.00).

The ettouffe had a nice level of spiciness, but was not as thick and as flavorful as those I’ve had in the past. Maybe the purpose was to feature the taste of the generous amount of crawfish (there was alot!) in the dish. Very nice though not the best I’ve had.

Here’s the Fried Catfish($12.00).

As with the oysters before, the catfish was wonderfully breaded, moist, not greasy, and just fantastic with the homemade tartar sauce; which is fairly surprising as we both hate tartar sauce. This was catfish heaven! The hushpuppy’s were a bit dense for my taste, but the Missus loved them. The fries were no big deal, just routine, and the cole slaw was much too sweet.

I also ordered a side of fried okra ($2.50), that were not bad, but not “wow”. We were also served cornbread muffins, moist, and really nice and gritty, though not sweet enough for my tastes, again the Missus loved them!

No room for dessert today, though the menu features such comfort favorites as sweet potato pie and peach cobbler (all $5.00).

The verdict, stay with the heavenly “fried” foods, get a double (or triple) of collards. Sides (lagniappes) such as red beans, candied yams, or black eyed peas are also on the menu. The orange line stops right across the street, so it’s really “trolley convenient”. The service is warm and friendly. We’ll definitely be back!

Magnolia’s
342 Euclid Ave (Market Creek Square)
San Diego, CA 92114
(619) 262-6005