Closed – Page 13

Ordering From (the shrinking) Guatemalan Menu at Casa Castillo

January 13, 2020 mmm-yoso Guatemalan Food

**** Casa Castillo has closed

While driving back from Liberty Station after checking out a place for an upcoming "croissant files" post, I noticed that the restaurant attached to the Howard Johnson's on Rosecrans had changed (yet again). I had always meant to visit this somewhat oddly located restaurant when it was the pseudo Guamanian-Mexican place named Tio Chino. Then for a blink of an eye it was New York Restaurant….now it was something called Casa Castillo, which I took to be yet another Mexican joint….until I looked a bit closer and the signage read "Mexican and Guatemalan Dining"! Which really got my attention. So when I had a chance I decided to drop by for lunch.

I must admit that my hopes were elevated when I saw the Santa Catalina Arch rendered in the logo of the restaurant. I had really enjoyed Guatemala….and man, has it been 10 years since we visited! Walking into the doorway and then up the rather oddly located stairs, I had visions of Ensalda Remolacha, Pepian, Hilachas, and Estofado de Cordero dancing in my head.

I walked into the restaurant which was completely empty…..on a weekend, during lunch. There's a nice patio area with a view of Rosecrans and the interior dining room; which had a fairly generic Mexican Restaurant-Sports Bar kind of look.

A very friendly young lady came out of the kitchen area and warmly greeted me. I had a seat and took a look at the menu….unfortunately, there were no Guatemalan Stews on the breakfast and lunch menu. They did however; have Guatemalan Enchiladas and Pupusas. I ordered one of each.

A basket of chips and salsa made its way to my table.

It may seem confusing; in Guatemala, the enchiladas are made on tostadas and classically have remolacha, a wonderful beet salad, ground or chopped beef, boiled eggs, and sprinkling of queso. I was wondering what would be arriving at my table and was pleased with what I got.

From the lettuce, to the sweet with a hint of citrus ensalada remolacha (beet salad), to what I called the typical "mystery meat" ground beef topping, boiled eggs, and cheese, this had all the hallmarks of a Guatemalan Enchilada (tostada). The tostada was a bit thinner than what I had enjoyed in Guatemala, the boiled eggs over-cooked, but this did the job. Not bad at all.

I approached the pupusa with caution; I hadn't enjoyed the version I had in Antigua. But this was a fairly good Pupusa de Chicharron.

These were a bit more doughy than Salvodorean pupusas; though the chicharron had a very nice texture and were quite porky. I love encurtido of all types and this one, while not the typical bright red version I was used to; had a nice crunch, the bright sour flavors cut the richness of the chicharron.

This wasn't a bad lunch, it cost me $7.75, and I left satisfied. I was even more happy when I was told that the dishes I was looking for was on the dinner menu…..and dinner was served from 3pm! So, the following weekend; the Missus was working late and I headed to Casa Castillo…arriving around 430pm. Again, the place was empty.

I was greeted by a wonderful smiling young lady….I believe Hannah is her name. And was given a menu. And wouldn't you know it…….they did have Pepian and Hilachas on the menu.

Pepian is probably the national dish of Guatemala; a wonderful recados (stew), made with dried chilies, pumpkin seeds, a slew of veggies, and meat. It is complex, almost like a mole. Hilachas is a shredded beef stew.

When Hannah returned, I ordered the Pepian and was told, "I'm so sorry, the chef just revised the menu and pepian is no longer on the menu." So I went with the Hilachas and was told that was also no longer on the menu. I mean, I didn't expect Subanik or Kac-Ik, but to not have Pepian….man, that was a bummer. Hannah recommended the Jocon – Pollo en Jocon a green chicken stew. So I ordered it.

The bowl of green stew came with some rather dry rice, avocado, and perfectly serviceable corn tortillas.

From what I read in my Guatemalan Cookbooks, chicken is first simmered in water and the cooking liquid is set aside to make the stew. Once the tomatillo and cilantro is pureed, the chicken cooking liquid is readded to the mixture, it is thickened with pumpkin seeds, and the chicken is returned to cook until tender. I think the last step was missed since the chicken was barely lukewarm, dry, tasteless, and tough.

The red potatoes weren't tender enough for me….I think everything had been par cooked, set aside and then put into the broth when ordered. I enjoyed the texture of the tomatillo "stew", it was just thick enough and coated my tongue nicely. I do think it was quite mild….especially for something that uses tomatillos and cilantro as a base.

Sometimes, when having a dish, a meal, I'm transported to a place or time….sorry to say, that wasn't the case with this meal. This is where I wish it took me….

I do understand it's a business….this is a Hotel/Motel restaurant; this is Midway, locals and I would think many visitors know the Mexican dishes, perhaps they just want some crane asada fries, beer, or maybe a margarita, and watch the game at the bar….and have no idea or care what Hilachas is. This doesn't make me any less disappointed though.

I was told that the owners are Guatemalan, but the kitchen staff is Mexican, perhaps that has something to do with things as well. I must say, the two young ladies who waited upon me were fantastic; the prices are quite reasonable, but there were no customers to be found on either visit. I'm hoping whatever changes they put into place work out and they do well. And perhaps; if business picks up, I'll be able to get my Pepian or Hilachas here one day.

Casa Castillo
3334 Rosecrans St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Sun – Thurs 8am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 8am – 10pm

Circling Back to Sab E Lee (Santee)

January 5, 2020 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** This location of Sab E Lee has closed

We’ve just torn the last page out of the 2019 calendar….it’s 2020. 2020……man, can you believe that if we’re still posting in May of this year; it will make 15 years? Sheesh….. I was recently wool gathering and looking at some older posts and I realize that there are tons of places that I haven’t revisited in years.

Some of them used to be favorites of ours…….Sab E Lee was one of them right from they opened in 2008. Over the years, they’ve opened a location in PQ, moved the original shop to a larger location down the street, and opened another, more Thai comfort food based restaurant in the old location. And of course, there’s the Sab E Lee location in Santee, which I used to call SEL2. The original owner of TOSEL sold the place to the cooks and opened up a location in Santee back in 2009. The food wasn’t truly Issan like TOSEL, but some of the dishes were quite good. I looked at my post from 2012 and realized I hadn’t been back there in over 7 years! Also, the Missus has been wanting Salted Fish Fried Rice; something that TOSEL and Thai Papaya took off their menu a few years back. Looking at the online menu for the place; I noticed that they still had it on the menu…..in Santee! I hoped.

So, this past weekend, I made the drive out to Santee to see what was going on at that location of SEL.

The place looks pretty much the same as I recalled…..though for some reason, it just seemed much darker inside.

Two really nice young ladies were working…so friendly. And yes, there it was….the salted fish fried rice on he menu. When I ordered it; the nice young lady made sure to let me know that they use fermented fish….not “fresh” fish, which made me laugh…..I’m guessing perhaps there have been some folks surprised when they actually caught a whiff of that fried rice?

Anyway; it was the first dish to arrive.

Nicely stir-fried; some wok hay going on….not as much salted fish as I recalled…the dish was not very pungent. Enjoyed the texture and this wasn’t overly salty. Most of went home for the Missus who said it was “kind of bland”……She’d expected something much more pungent. Still, not bad.

I also ordered the Duck Larb…..and was shocked when it arrived at the table hot.

The temperature really dulled the sharp flavors and the dish tasted better after spending some time in the fridge. At heat level 7, this was quite wimpy……..just not enough heat…..the duck was pretty gamey though. This was just mediocre, not made with any real finesse.

I also ordered the Khai Jeaw; a classic Thai street food dish. Basically eggs with ground pork and fish sauce.

The eggs were pretty well done; nice and fluffy, savory, and while not quite as good as what I’d had here in the past; this was my favorite dish. This did better with Nam Pla Prik – the savory fish sauce with chilies than the Sriracha that was served with the dish. Still, I missed the version they used to make here.

For your reference….from back in 2009, when SEL2 really tried stepping up their game.

I understand the economics of things….the prices here are very reasonable and I’m fairly certain that concessions have to be made for the area. This did seem like a totally different restaurant than the version of Sab E Lee I ate at in 2012. And I can’t help but wonder what Kobey; the former owner of SEL would think if he shared this meal with me.

Sab E Lee
9159 Mission Gorge Road
Santee, CA 92071

FireBirds Chicken

December 26, 2019 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches

**** Firebirds Chicken has closed.

Almost a quarter century ago….though it seems even longer than that; I was in Nashville. I'd heard about Hot Chicken and on my first of two nights in the city, I sought it out. I was told that the place to try was Prince's Hot Chicken Shack, so with map in hand (Smartphones wouldn't be around for another almost another decade), I headed out and found Prince's, braved the line, got a leg quarter XHot….which was more than enough, served on a slice of white bread, which soaked up all of that lardy goodness that dripped off the chicken, and soothed my pain with coleslaw and potato salad. It was surprisingly crisp, moist, with some straight forward burning heat, slightly smokey, the dark meat had great flavor……it was without a doubt memorable. So when Dennis mentioned he was going to Nashville a few years back, I told he had to try some hot chicken, preferably from Prince's. You can read his post here (man, it's been eight years! Dennis, we miss you!).

So, when read that a Nashville Hot Chicken place was opening, I was intrigued. But, after looking at the photos….which, by the way, didn't look like Nashville Hot Chicken to me, I decided to wait until I got back from my trip before making my way to FireBirds.

If the location looks a bit familiar, it's because this is where Asmara was for many years and where Pho Saigon Alley was for a blink of an eye.

I arrived at right about 11am…..the place was empty. The set-up looks rather temporary and sparse.

The system is like most fast-casual/fast-foodish places; you order and pay at the counter, take a number….though since I was the only customer in the place, they didn't need to give me one. Service was pleasant. There's one big difference with regards to the "fast" casual concept though…..there's nothing really "fast" about the place; at least on my visits. Wait time for my food was at over 25 minutes during each visit. At least everything is supposed to be made fresh.

I ordered the Big 'ol Chicken, with a single piece ($9.99). Not quite sure how the spice was, I went with medium.

Which was a mistake since this wasn't the least bit spicy….at…all. The fries were more spicy than the chicken. At Prince's I really enjoyed the fact that there was a dark meat option….even the quarter breast had the wing attached. And since it wasn't a "sandwich" per se….you got slices of white bread to sop up all the goodness oozing from the chicken. Here it looked like a typical Sysco fairly dry, boneless chicken breast. The batter was mushy and bland, the sandwich had coleslaw which added texture to the chicken breast. The mayo based sauce really detracted from any flavor the chicken would have. Pickles are always a nice touch for spicy food; but since this wasn't spicy……heck; I think even KFC's (no not that kind of KFC)Hot Chicken is spicier, crisp, and has more flavor than this.

The roll had a mild brioche sweetness to it; but was definitely not what I'd call a "Hawaiian Roll".

Like I mentioned earlier; the fries were spicier than the chicken; the dusting of cayenne assured that. Sadly, it either not fried at the right temp, or not long enough as it lacked crispness and was really dry.

And since it didn't seem to be salted at all; I had to add salt form the shakers on the table.

Well, that was that……it wasn't Nashville Hot Chicken as I recalled….though even if it wasn't close, if the flavors, prep, and cooking had been good, I'd be all for it.

Still I left wondering how spicy the "Hot" would be so I decided to return and this time went with the "sliders" ($10.99). These came with four "sliders" each with a good sized half tender in them.

I actually enjoyed this a bit more…..it was spicier; though still not even a Nashville Hot Chicken "mild" in my mind. While the tenders were on the dry side; at least the batter was a bit more crisp; though I think there's just way too much mayo on these. Just having coleslaw should do it……. The mild sweetness of the rolls helped.

The fries were more crisp; though still needed salt added at the table to balance things out.

On this visit the place was two-thirds full and folks seemed to be enjoying Instagramming their food, if not thoroughly enjoying their meal. Such is the current state of things. To quote Billy Crystal quoting Fernando Lamas:

“It's more important to look good than to feel good."

As a whole, okay prices, lower level fast-casual prep, quality, and flavor. As for being happy that we have something that is at least Hot Chicken……sorry; I just can't call it Nashville Hot Chicken….. You know how it goes with me. I'm not happy to "just to have something" available……

FireBirds Chicken
4155 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105
Hours:
Tues – Thurs 1030am – 930pm
Fri – Sun 1030am – 1030pm
Closed on Mondays

Noodling Around City Heights – Tan Ky Mi Gia

December 22, 2019 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Tan Ky Mi Gia has closed

For my next "noodling around" post, I decided to start on ECB and move West from 54th. The first place from there is the discreetly located Tan Ky Mi Gia; which used to be Hinh Ky Mi Gia, which used to be Tan Ky Mi Gia….if you're keeping score. The menu still says Hinh Ky Mi Gia……

I mentioned during the post on my last visit, that it seemed the placed hadn't aged too well.

During this visit, I noticed that the light for half the restaurant weren't even turned on.

Instead of ordering what I usually would here; I recalled that the Missus actually enjoyed the duck when this place was still Hinh Ky and I promised to try the duck again during my previous visit, so I went with the Egg Noodle with Flavor Duck; which is steamed rather than roasted. To be perfectly honest; that duck looked pretty spooky; due to the almost totally black color when it arrived.

But it was not bad; I expected really salty, but it had a strong anise-five spice flavor and was tender. It did a fairly strong offal-gamey flavor.

The simple broth was better than what I'd had previously; not so much MSG this time, decent richness, with a mild savory-seafood finish.

The rather generous portion of noodles were firm, with a slight "crunch" to them.

During my visit there were no less than five take-out orders and some guys from the, ahem, "coffee shop" next door came in for soup as I was leaving, so I'm guessing they are doing ok business. The owner; is same from my visits over a decade ago; so it seems they just keep rolling along.

Tan Ky Mi Gia
5237 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Golden City (yes, more visits)

December 11, 2019 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is still blogging about food. Today, Cathy is back at Golden City, a favorite (and underrated) Chinese restaurant located at the SouthEast Corner of the 163 and Clairmont Mesa Boulevard. Kirk is adjusting to the time zone.

Kirk's latest post about this wonderful restaurant was in January, where he linked back to his first post in 2005. My latest post was in May of 2018, so it's about time for an update. Here are two lunch visits. {The Lunch menu is available from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. and again after 9 p.m.} {The Late Night menu does not include soup or rice with the meal; rice is $1 per bowl at that time}

Same location, some of the interior has been updated since 2005. Consistency. Always fresh tablecloths. Always friendly service.
Seafood Noodle Soup ($9.50)
Filled with shrimp, squid and fish as well as bok choy, carrots and plenty of eggy noodles, this chicken-broth-based soup is satisfying on many levels. Of course the flavors as well as textures and freshness make this a very satisfying meal on its own.
Fish Filet with Black Bean Sauce ($9.95). Plenty of fish, fresh and moist. Large pieces of sweet onion and a variety of bell peppers along with the saltiness of black bean sauce make this one of my cravings. The lunch meals (not the soup bowls) include egg rolls and a choice of egg drop or hot and sour soup as well as those magical 'crunchies' and plum sauce. Rice is included and hot tea is still free here; I like that it is made with loose tea leaves.
The egg rolls are cooked fresh and vegetable filled.
Fish with Lemongrass ($9.95) Breaded and properly fried, this is an indulgence. The lemony sauce, mixed with basil and spicy peppers make a great flavor combination.
Kung Pao Three ingredients ($10.95) is not too spicy. There are chilis and onion stir fried with the beef, chicken and shrimp. The peanuts mixed in help 'neutralize' any real spiciness you might encounter. Again, a mix of flavors (you can taste each ingredient) and textures and just a satisfying meal.

Golden City Chinese Cuisine 5375 Kearny Villa Road San Diego, CA 92123 (858) 565-6682 open Mon-Th 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Fri-Sat-Sun 11 a.m.-midnight

Sichuan City (Mira Mesa)

December 2, 2019 Cathy Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! welcomes you back after the long Thanksgiving weekend. Kirk and His Missus are still enjoying their country hopping vacation and Cathy is holding down the fort here in San Diego.

In the first San Diego H-Mart location, the north end of the parking lot has been home to three restaurants; one has changed names a few times recently. It had been Golden State Seafood (where Faye used to go with family) for more than 20 years and then in early 2018 the owners sold and it changed to Spicy Hut, which abruptly changed the name in May of 2018 to Sichuan City (it's the same owner).

As with all Szechuan restaurants, there's an area of Cold Dishes to choose from, located in the dining area. A plate is $7 with up to three choices.
On this visit, we chose only two- the smoked chicken and smacked cucumbers. We munched on the flavorful smoked chicken and tried a few cucumbers while waiting for our order. The garlic-y crisp cucumbers were saved to accompany the meal.
On another visit, we shared an onion pancake ($3.99) with our meal. Wonderfully layered and light crispiness complimented that meal and the onion flavor was not overpowering. Juicy Dumplings ($8.99) were fresh made and did have a thin skin, with only one losing it's soup filling when I accidentally tore it when lifting from the papered steam basket. The soup filling itself was flavorful and the pork filling was meaty; a good sized bite. The single cooked noodle soup (rice noodle) ($7.99) was a good choice one chilly day. Ground pork, pickled vegetables, fresh cilantro and green onion along with a rich flavorful broth rounded out the bowl, complimented by the round and thick chewy noodles.
The fish filet in garlic brown sauce ($12.99) included tofu and mushrooms as well as carrot and onion. A filling plate of garlic goodness. We did order a side of rice ($1.50) to go with this (well, to go with the sauce) and the plate was a meal in itself.
Shredded pork with pickled vegetable ($10.99) was not quite what we expected, but it was good. (I had expected pickled vegetables like those on top of the noodle soup, above). The pork, by itself…I could taste the flavors, including ginger, and it was a good stir fry of pork. Those fresh chilis…good (and sweet/spicy) on their own, but when combined with a bite of pork, overwhelmed all other flavors. Not really a complaint (the menu did show two chilis indicating heat) but the fresh chilis were a surprise. We did take home leftovers and separated the chilis from the pork and the heat level was just right for a second meal.

We will be back to try more of the menu Faye's post includes photos of the whole menu, linked here

Sichuan City 9460 E8 Mira Mesa Blvd San Diego 92126 (in the HMart parking lot). (858) 578-8818 Mon-Fri 11-3, 5-9:30 Sat-Sun 11-9:30

Eat A Pita (El Cajon)

November 26, 2019 Cathy Greek Food, What Cathy Eats!

The writer of mmm-yoso!!! today is Cathy, because Kirk (and His Missus) are on vacation, gathering photos and memories of lovely meals.

In August, a new restaurant opened in the Vons-anchored mall on Avocado at Chase in El Cajon. The Mister and I found ourselves at Eat A Pita a few weeks ago and decided to drop in for lunch.

Walk in, order, pay, get your own beverage, find a seat. Food is brought to you. The interior is spacious, with many seating areas.
A cup of lentil soup ($3.50) was an automatic choice. The flavor with herbs and spices and the well cooked lentils, was fresh and just a wonderful soup.
On another visit, I tried a cup of the lemon rice soup, which was even nicer, with the fresh lemon 'zip'. Each bowl included a fresh, warm pita half, which went well with each soup.
A side order of falafel with tzatziki ($3.99) was also an automatic order for me, and another great choice. Lightly crisp exterior and fluffy, herby interior of mashed garbanzos along with the house made yogurt-cucumber dip, was just a perfect addition to one of the meals.
The Mezza Trio ($6.99). I chose the classic hummus, tabouleh and baba ghanoush. This was a nice way to try a few items on the menu without ordering full sizes. Each item was definitely fresh made and bright with flavor. The classic hummus was very fresh; the Greek olive oil is unique and the tahini with its sesame stood on its own, with the garlic not being overpowering. The olive oil and lemon dressing on the tabbouleh made the parsley, tomatoes and finely chopped cucumber flavors jump while the crunch from the cracked wheat bits rounded out the texture. The ghanoush had a great smoky flavor, great tahini/sesame flavor and smooth texture. I was eating it with a spoon and not using the accompanying pita bread.
The Mediterranean salad ($6.25-make it a large, add $2.54=$8.79), add on gyros ($2.50) made a large, satisfying meal (the bowl is deep). The salad has chickpeas, olives, cucumber and a large topping of tabbouleh along with crispy pita chips. The addition of gyros filled out the bowl. Everything, again, was so very fresh.
We were here on a Saturday, when the Pita of the Day was Chicken Souvlaki ($6) (you can see the daily pitas above and in front of the menu which is on the wall in the second photo above). Moist, flavorful nicely grilled chicken pieces; a great souvlaki. It was topped with a mild tahini. We did ask for a sample of the garlic sauce,
which was also complimentary to the flavors, but I think unnecessary overall.

We'll be stopping here to try more of the menu.

Eat a Pita 1255 Avocado Avenue (at Chase)(SE corner) El Cajon 92020 (619)447-1500 Website Mon-Tue-Wed-Fri-Sat 11-10, Thursday 11-6, Sunday 11-11

Andell’s Bakery and Kitchen (Rancho Penasquitos)-Filipino and Vietnamese (and cake)

November 23, 2019 Cathy Bakery, Filipino Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! on this busy weekend before Thanksgiving. Kirk is taking a break (with His Missus) and Cathy is writing for a few days.

Another day of driving without a plan. The Mister and I took the 56 to Rancho Penasquitos Boulevard and drove straight on Carmel Mountain Road to the first light and into the mall on the North. There were few lunch choices: a coffee shop, a taco shop and this 'bakery'.

There were some signs in the window and a sandwich board out front. Of course we walked in.
Menu boards behind the ordering area,
also on the wall…a few tables and counter eating spaces inside. We found a great variety of choices for lunch.
The Daily Specials (only on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday) listed Kang Kai Kole (a South Thai chicken curry) ($8.99) this day. Southern Thai food is essentially mild and Kang Kai is a simple curry paste, made with fresh ingredients (not a packet of paste)- Here is a recipe. This curry from Andell's was thick and very fresh tasting (there were bits of ground coriander in the curry paste along with cumin, cinnamon and turmeric along with the salty shrimp paste and a bit of tamarind and some sweet from palm sugar). There was a whole chicken thigh, carrots, onion and potato over a nice amount of (a better quality) rice. This curry is a new favorite.

Since it was Friday (when I don't eat meat) and also because it looked good, a Pandesal with sardines and olives ($4.50) was my order. The bread is baked fresh here. It was perfect, toasted and filled with the mashed mix of sardine with olives. Just large enough for a meal without leftovers.
There is signage everywhere for The Original Londres Sponge Cake, so I ordered a slice ($3.75). The flavors available were durian and pandan. We do like coconut. This sponge cake, filled with a fresh Bavarian Cream was very large (we took half home) and very flavorful, with a perfect sponge and a perfect cream.

Definitely will stop to try other flavors of Londres, along with other menu items. This family owned (and open since 2007) bakery and kitchen is a gem of a neighborhood find.

Andell's Bakery and Kitchen 9926 Carmel Mountain Road San Diego, CA 92129 (858)538-8308 Website Open Wed-Sun 7 am-2 pm, Closed Monday and Tuesday

Tea Station-another post

November 21, 2019 Cathy Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!. Kirk has been posting a lot lately and is taking a break from blogging to catch up with things. Cathy is writing today.

There have been a few posts here about Tea Station: briefly mentioned in 2007 then I finally wrote a post in 2011, 2012, third post in 2013, and most recently in 2016, a 'regular' stop for The Mister and myself when we are in the area.

You can walk in and order 'to go', or step to the right, find a table and seat yourself. Menus are delivered quickly.
We always order a pot of tea which is brewed to order. This visit, it was Pu-Erh (a smoky black tea with camomile) ($6.25). Brisk, refreshing and so very good.
There are several menu choices which you can order as a "Set" (rice plus a trio of sides of the day) for an additional $5. This day, the order was the Garlic Wing Set ($11.75). The wings-crispy and garlic-y skin, meaty and moist wings. As always, a quality steamed rice. The Set was a wonderful potato salad, a toothsome cooked cabbage sort-of-slaw and a meaty curry with tofu. Quite a lot of food.

The beef dumpling soup ($13.75) was served in a deep bowl, topped with preserved vegetables.
The soup was also filled with vegetables and the dumplings (ten) had a definite tea infusion/flavor.

Always tasty and satisfying food and tea here, with a wide variety of menu selections.

Tea Station 7315 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego, CA 92111 (858) 268-8198 Open 11:30-midnight daily Website

40N Pho & Grille

November 18, 2019 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** 40N Pho & Grille has closed

A few weeks back, Calvin told me about a new Vietnamese/Pho shop that had opened in his neighborhood. He said that he was taking the family there on a regular basis. It was located in a strip mall in Scripps Ranch? Scripps Ranch? I had to go and check the place out.

40N is located off of Scripps Ranch Boulevard, in the same Strip Mall as Vons and Starbucks. I have to say; I didn't even know this strip mall existed; even though it's but a few miles from Miramar Road and the 15 Freeway.

I was the first customer on this weekend morning; there was a nice, friendly Asian woman working….she seemed to know all the customers who came in after me. She was wonderful, though this was the only time I saw her on during my three visits.

By the looks of the restaurant; I could tell this used to be a Sushi bar as the sushi case was still in place.

Since Calvin had told me the Pho here was quite good; I ordered the House Special (Dac Biet – small $8.50).

This was actually not too bad. The rare steak was still rare when the bowl arrived. The noodles were nicely done, it still had a bit of chew and wasn't mushy. The broth, while cloudy, wasn't overly sweet as is the norm in San Diego these days. It had a mild beefiness, light saltiness, though it lacked complexity was a bit on the bland side and was overly defatted for my taste.

The other cuts in the broth were fine; though the flank was tasteless, the brisket had some beefiness, and the tendon was adequately tender, if not buttery in texture.

The basil was starting to brown and the amount of bean sprouts was rather sparse as is the case in many more "westernized" Pho shops.

So, overall not horrible.

During my visit, it seemed that every table ordered the Cha Gio. So, I decided to return and try it out.

I got the 3 roll ($4.50).

I knew I was in trouble when these came out in less than 3 minutes. It had obviously been reheated. The wrappers were really chewy and this lacked any crispness. The nuoc mam cham was watered down and way too sweet. The filling was fine, but was totally ruined by how bad the wrapper was. Well, at least the lettuce was fresh, right?

Well, the meal wasn't over yet. I ordered the Banh Mi Bo Kho ($10). It actually says "Beef Stew" on the menu….what arrived wasn't no "stew".

Lukewarm, doctored pho broth, made really salty by whatever seasoning was used to make it seem like Bo Kho. The meat was too chewy and some pieces were still slightly cold. The best part of this were the carrots; which looked unwieldy, but was fairly tender.

The banh mi was standard issue, no complaints as it was light, yeasty, and had been heated up.

This was just not a very good meal at all.

And yet, there were two more items on the menu I wanted to try; so I decided to head on back.

I'd seen Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings on the menu. So I ordered the 6 piece ($7) version.

While looking a bit greasy, these were actually fairly crisp, with a good amount of seasoning….edging perhaps on the salty side, but not spicy at all. All the pieces were moist, the wings were actually quite good. The huge drumettes on the other hand, while crisp and moist, had a bitter, slightly freezer burnt flavor to them. Too bad, because this might have been pretty good overall. I ate all the wings….and said goodbye to the drumettes.

I also ordered Banh Xeo ($10). Sadly, this was not very good.

The crepe lacked crispness and was very spongy, the bottom a soggy mess. It was also very bland and the watered down, overly sweet nuoc mam cham did it no favors. The pork and shrimp were tough and dry; the bean and mung bean sprouts under-cooked. This really looked like it was slapped together. All that wonderfully fresh lettuce and mint deserved a better version of banh xeo.

So, while the pho and the chicken wings weren't bad, I didn't care for anything else as it just seemed a bit dumbed down. I'm sure folks in the neighborhood appreciate the place; but for me, I don't think it's worth going out of my way for….after all Mira Mesa is just right up the I-15.

40N Pho & Grille
9978 Scripps Ranch Blvd
San Diego, CA 92131
Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 9pm
Closed on Sunday