Closed – Page 15

Mr. Falafel (Clairemont)

August 29, 2019 Cathy Lebanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog for more than 14 years. Kirk is working a lot this short week before a holiday weekend, Cathy is blogging.

Kirk has written about Mr. Falafel a total of three times; it's closer to His workplace. However, I drive around a lot. There are several signs directing you to this small storefront, (a strip mall *behind* the Panda Country on Clairmont Mesa at Genesee (the Southwest corner)). It used to be a Mexican Bakery where we would stop after eating at the small Mexican restaurant, also in this strip mall. The signage used to indicate it was 'Mediterranean Cuisine' and now it is more specific- 'Lebanese Cuisine'. There are 8 tables (two outside), 18 chairs. The menu is simple. The owner is very friendly and takes your order, apologizes that you will have to wait while it is being prepared, brings the food out to your table and checks up on how you are doing. It is his place and you can tell he is proud of his quality. Did I mention he is friendly? He is also happy, sings with the music playing in the background while cleaning the tables. It's like you are guest in his home.
The entire menu. Of course, we had to try the falafel. Knowing this was Lebanese meant the falafel would have fava beans in addition to chickpeas (I mentioned falafel ingredient differences in this post). A 'Munchie' ($5.99) of falafel was ordered.

Crisp exterior, fluffy interior, onion, garlic, parsley mixed with the garbanzo and fava. Quite perfect. Made to order (of course) and served with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles and (a very mild) tahini. This could be a light meal.

So. Lebanese. Top center menu item, Lebanese chicken panini ($7.95). Chicken, pickles, garlic spread on a pressed French roll. This is a Lebanese restaurant…Alforon and chicken tawook came to mind. Could it be?
Oh yes!!! Freshly pulled roasted chicken (there was a small bone in one bite), a nice amount of pickles and the light, fluffy smooth, garlic paste on the nicely crisp yet fluffy pannini'd bread. All the flavors I crave. When you order the sandwich, you can also get a small size of any side item (hummus, tabbouleh, cucumber yogurt salad, potato salad fries or baba ganoosh) for 1/2 price. Ganoosh it was! Smoky, chunky, fresh-wonderful. The 'Munchie' part of the menu says a choice of either fresh pita or pita chips, and we were given some of each. The regular pita here are the nice, thin version (which is what the toasted pita are made from)- and I like thin pita rather than the fluffy, bread-y style.

A longtime (since 2011), local owned, friendly place serving wonderful, fresh food.

Mr. Falafel 4461 Clairmont Mesa Blvd (BEHIND Panda Country and the gas station) 92117 (858)490-0170 Closed Monday, 11-8 Tues-Sun Website

Speedy Falafel (El Cajon)

August 22, 2019 Cathy Lebanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Speedy Falafel has closed. It will be missed.

This, mmm-yoso!!!, is a food blog. Cathy is writing today.

We noticed this rather large building after visiting City Bistro earlier this year (it's one block West). There were notes made and finally, The Mister and I returned to the neighborhood. Order, pay, grab a beverage, find a seat; your food will be brought to the table. There is plenty of seating. Speedy Falafel has been in this El Cajon location for about ten months.
The menu is on the wall, where you order and pay, also HERE. (EDIT: there is a new chef and some menu items may be added or not available at all times; I'm pretty confident that the choices we made on these visits are 'standard') Falafel sandwich ($3.99). There is a choice of falafel types; this is Lebanese (made with garbanzo and fava beans, cilantro and spices).

Other falafel styles are Iraqi (garbanzos, onion, garlic and spices) and Syrian (garbanzos, cilantro and spices). You can get sandwiches made with either flatbread or samoon bread.

Here is a beef kabob sandwich ($5.99) on a samoon. Each sandwich came with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle. There was a small side of hummus, a small serving of fresh made fried potatoes and we each got a bowl of soup (I think because we were eating in). A very good vegetable soup this day; celery, mushrooms, carrot and onion. Hearty. The sandwiches were each fresh, flavorful, definite return-for items.

On another visit, we tried a Bureg (beef and vegetable stuffed in a baked, thicker egg roll wrap ($2). This was good, but one was enough.
We also shared a Za'tar topped flatbread ($4.99) Gosh, this was great. The fresh za'tar spices (oregano, sumac, sesame seed, salt, pepper) mixed with olive oil on this wonderful, fresh, slightly crisp flat bread was just a perfect treat.

We decided to share the Pompano Zubidi (fried fish) ($10.99). This came with two bowls of wonderful lentil soup. The perfectly fried fish had yellow basmati rice and tomatoes, onions, cucumber and pickles on the side. It was wonderful; tender, fresh, flavorful.
On the far end of the eating area is a small bakery with a few individually priced items and mostly different 'by the pound' baklava pieces. This mixed nut roll was $1.50 and really good- there were small hazelnuts, pistachios and walnut pieces. These baklava creations, one with shredded filo filled with nuts and fig and one triangle piece, a more nutty traditional baklava cost $2.86 (pricing of $10.99/lb). These are sugar syrup, not honey based, sweets. very fresh, crispy, nutty, deep flavored bits of just enough dessert.

Speedy Falafel 1142 E Main St. El Cajon, CA 92021 (619) 938-4455 Open daily 8-10 (yes, there is a breakfast menu; basturma, foul medammas and other traditional Armenian items are available)(again, there is a new chef and the menu may be changing) website

Lima Restaurant

August 19, 2019 mmm-yoso Peruvian Restaurants

**** Lima Restaurant has closed

Back in June, one of the folks in my office was headed to Jury Duty and asked me where to eat; of course I recommended Sultan. Which he really enjoyed. Though when he returned he asked me what I thought of the "new" Peruvian Restaurant which was across the street from Sultan. New Peruvian? Across the street from Sultan? So on the following weekend, I decided to head on down to see what he was referring to. And there on the corner of F and Fourth, with a rather discreet sign was "Lima Restaurant".

The fairly large, high ceiling restaurant was quite empty. Looking more like a sports bar than a restaurant.

The woman who waited on me was very friendly and warm. Turned out she was one of the owners.

I started with a Chicha Morada; which was perfect.

Very balanced sweet – cinnamon tones; quite refreshing.

And a little bowl of plantain chips and canchita, nice and warm arrived at the table.

I had ordered the Lomo Saltado, which arrived looking wonderfully vibrant. In a rather different presentation; the fries were served to the side. The nice lady told me that these days folks in Lima prefer Lomo Saltado served this way and I could mix it in as I desired…..or keep it separate to extend the crispness. Like I always say about Peru……the cuisine is always evolving.

The beef was surprisingly tender; there was a good ratio of tomato to onion…..providing a nice balance of acidity to pungency. I of course, like my papas fritas saturated in the sauce and my only complaint was that there wasn't enough of it. The sauce was more soy sauce forward; with less vinegar, but wasn't overly salty.

This was a nice version. Because the restaurant was fairly quiet; I had a nice conversation with the woman; who was indeed from Lima. We spoke about how the cuisine was ever changing, with everything from the new style "Leche de Tigre"; a creamy, cold soup like dish and how Tacu Tacu con Lomo Saltado has gotten popular. She also told me that Lima Restaurant was having a formal grand opening at the end of July. They were working on the installation and all of the licensing and approvals for a Pollo ala Brassa rostisserie.

I left quite satisfied. And waited to see if I'd hear anything about Lima Restaurant, but the only thing I saw was this; which, by the way, incorrectly attributes Lomo Saltado to the Japanese Diaspora. Being a Sansei myself; I'd love if that were true. The truth of the matter is; and this is from all of my Peruvian food books, and also everywhere online, Lomo Saltado is a Tusan (Chifa) dish. Sigh….

So finally, after not hearing anything for a while, I decided to head back down to the Gaslamp to see what was going on at Lima Restaurant.

The place was very quiet on this visit as well. The gentleman working was quite nice. Though the cancha this time around was cold and dry……not a good start in my book.

I started with the Causa. Which actually had real crab in it! It was perhaps a bit heavy handed in terms of mayo, though the potato was very moist and the seasoning spot on. The very gracious Server asked me if I wanted some "hot sauce" and I responded "some aji?" Which totally changed his friendly but reserved demeanor….."yes, we have four different aji!" So, I selected the Aji Rocoto and the nice Server actually brought me two. The Aji Rocoto and the Aji Panca. "The rocoto is very spicy, so I brought you the panca as well; which you might enjoy more." Great service. The Aji Rocoto was quite spicy, while the Panca had some heat and helped to cut the richness.

I also ordered the Cebiche Pescado, first asking what type of fish was being used.

I was quite thrilled to find out it was sole….making this truly a Cebiche Lenguado! Which was quite nice. The fish was nicely "marinated/cooked" in the Leche de Tigre, as it was still firm, but yielding and not mushy at all. The Leche de Tigre was surprisingly "picante"; quite spicy, but still refreshing. It was also ginger forward; not quite sure if I enjoyed that. At first I didn't think there was very much Leche de Tigre, but it was hidden underneath all that fish; along with quite a bit, perhaps too much, red onion.

I had actually saved my canchita not being sure they would serve more with the cebiche, but they did. It was on the dry side. The chocolo (corn) was too hard and tasteless; the camote had no flavor and was quite hard.

Still, I enjoyed the quality of the fish. I'd have this again just to see if the addition of all that chili was a mistake.

I had a nice conversation with the Server and mentioned the Pollo ala Brassa. He told me they were still working on completing all the inspections and will (hopefully) have it in by the end of August.

I enjoyed the quality of the main ingredients used and the folks working here. I wish it was in a more convenient location for me; though at least I now have another option when I get called for Jury Duty.

Lima Restaurant
409 F St.
San Diego, CA 92101
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 11am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 10pm
Sunday 11am – 8pm

Bann Korean Cuisine – Now in the H Mart Food Court

August 18, 2019 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

**** Bann has closed

Of all the places in the H Mart Food Court; the one that really interested me was Bann. While I considered Bann to be a decent option for lunch on Miramar Road; the food was prepared fresh, the flavors, while on the mild side, was decent, with the Kimchi Fried Rice the stand-out. Still, with a more discerning crowd, I was interested to see what changes, if any Bann had made since the move.

And so I headed down to H Mart at around 11am. The place is not nearly as crowded as when the place first opened. Good for me….not sure for all the businesses.

Bann is located to the right of Myungran Hot Dog.

The menu is tight and dishes no longer have the superflous green salads and mandu added to the menu items. Prices are about the same; even a few cents cheaper than before.

Though if you chose to have beef with your kimchi fried rice; it would be almost fourteen bucks!

I placed my order for the Kimchi Fried Rice with Spam (of course) and had a seat at one of the table.

Soon enough, I heard the mechanized "voice app" go off, it's the same voice for all the stands. It seems that each stand has a number sequence, so you'll deal with numbers in the thousands; "order five thousand – six hundred – seventy – three"……

First off; the portion size seemed to have increased quite a bit.

Secondly, it's way more spicy than it used to be….quite nice, though it might mute some of the other flavors. Couldn't really make out salty – savoriness of the Spam, which might be a good thing for some, but I really like the flavor of Spam.

Good amount of kimchi used; though it's not good fermented kimchi as it lacks the complex cheesy-sour-savory tones of a good baechu kimchi.

Thirdly, the egg was a nice sunny-side up.

Overall, a nice version of straight-up Kimchi Fried Rice. It won't win any awards, but is a decent version.

I really enjoyed the nice folks that used work the register at the Miramar location, but did not recognize the young lady working on this day. She was fine, but not nearly as pleasant. This was a decent lunch and Bann seems less fusiony these days. Nothing to go out of your way for; but perfectly fine if you're shopping at H Mart and need to load up on carbs.

Bann Korean Cuisine
7725 Balboa Ave. (In the H Mart Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111

Sunday Sandwiches – Banh Mi From Lena’s Sandwiches & Deli

August 11, 2019 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Lena's Sandwiches & Deli has closed

It seems that I just don't get up to City Heights as much as I used to. While driving on ECB a few months back, I noticed that Kim Chan Sandwich Shop, which was once upon a time a Banh Mi staple for me and an old favorite of Ed from Yuma, was gone. It had been replaced by Lena’s Sandwiches & Deli.

So, after returning from our trip, I decided to drop by. Parking in this lot is an adventure; especially in the mornings where all the "coffee guys" hang out at Nhu Y.

In addition, the parking spaces are very small here and on both visits there were vehicles taking up more than one space. Kind of a bummer for the businesses here.

The shop does look a bit like Kim Chan; with a fresh coat of paint and modern signs. The folks here are very kind and mellow.

As is my MO at Banh Mi shops; I started with the Dac Biet ($4.50), just to see how things are put together.

The longer type of "baguette" used here was fairly yeasty; though on this trip it was heading to past its prime as it was mealy and dry.

The pickled carrots aren't very heavily pickled, though the radish is and the jalapenos were no joke! The cucumbers were crisp though the amount of cilantro was rather sparse.

Liked the ratio of Thit Ngoi, the ham to the Cha was perfect, medium-thin slices. I really enjoyed the pate as there was a pretty good amount of it; nice earthy -rich flavors.

This was a pretty good sandwich, so I returned the following weekend.

This time around I ordered the Banh Mi Nem Nuong ($4.50). The older gentleman working was so nice when he mentioned that they griddle the sausage so it would be a few minutes. I tols him no worries since it was Sunday and I'd even managed to score a nice parking space!

This time around the bread was perfeect; it held up well, nice yeastiness, a crackly crust.

I really enjoyed the salty-porkiness of the nem nuong; it was browned nicely. And those jalapenos were pretty darn spicy.

My only issue was that the cilantro was starting to turn brown.

I rather enjoyed the sandwich. Especially after having recently eaten at all these Westernized shops around town. This old school Banh Mi shop was refreshing. And it was pleasure dealing with the folks here as well.

Maybe one of these days I'll do a Banh Mi Retrospective again. Come to think of it; I think the Banh Mi Ba Chi from Cafe Dore is calling me…..

Lena’s Sandwiches & Deli
4712 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92115
Hours:
Mon – Tues 8am – 8pm
Wed 8am – 2pm
Thurs – Sat 8am – 8pm
Sunday 8am – 6pm

TNT (Tortilla N Taco Factory) (El Cajon)

August 6, 2019 Cathy Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food. On this hot day, Kirk is staying late at work…because of the air conditioning, or is he overwhelmed with work? I suspect it's the latter. Cathy is writing this post.

The Mister and I were headed to no particular destination, driving on Main Street in El Cajon, got stopped at the signal light at Mollison. The Southwest corner had a sign "TNT". I turned.
We parked in a semi-large parking lot, which has a liquor store, Middle Eastern bakery and a few other businesses. It wasn't busy at the time, filled up considerably by the time we left.
This is the menu. It is current.
Three tacos, $2.60 each. The corn tortillas were pressed from fresh masa and toasted on the grill while we ordered. Words to describe: toasty corn sweet/fresh. The best I've ever had. Magical.

Why is there so much fresh masa?
Carne asada taco. Tender, well marinated, flavorful steak. There are beans on this-and it goes together. The guacamole is fresh, not overly seasoned-it tastes like avocado, not lime, not garlic, not heat. I like it that way. Cilantro and onion round out all the flavors.
Pork adobada./al pastor. Cut from the rotisserie and grilled so each side of the seasoned pork was a bit crisp, this was a very good version. Again, the guacamole, onion and cilantro were complimentary to the meaty/mildly spicy flavors.
The chile relleno was a wonderful version. The young guero chili pepper, still sweet (gueros get hotter as they mature) with a light yellow color, with a perfect taco size (about 4 inches by 2.5 inches in size) was just wonderful; crisp, flavorful and filled with Oaxaca which was mild and gooey, the batter was crisp, light, not oily. The toppings of a mild salsa roja, tomatoes, onion, cilantro and sprinkle of Cotija were just right.

Again, each taco was $2.60. What a nice little taco shop. Such quality. Why does the menu look familiar? The prices aren't; they are more than reasonable.
We could have stopped after threee tacos-it was a nice, light meal. But the menu…a quesadilla is $1.50. Had to. Fresh flour tortilla (could have had it on a corn tortilla, but, you know, for blogging purposes). Oaxaca cheese. Melty, crisped on the edges. Perfect.
Elote asado ($3.25) We figured it would come in a cup. We had to wait. It was boiled first, then grilled then topped with Cotija and Tajin. Such attention to detail. Fresh, sweet, crisp corn.
What the heck. Churros are on the menu.($2,75), fried to order, rolled in cinnamon sugar and topped with either name brand chocolate or name brand caramel or both or on the side. The toppings/dip weren't necessary; the churros are great with just the cinnamon sugar. Probably because, you know, fresh made.

We will return; the shrimp and fish tacos, another chile relleno…more of everything. Keep reading.

Tortilla N' Taco Factory 130 S Mollison Ave El Cajon, CA 92020 (619) 938-2211 Open daily 11 a.m.-4 p.m. website

Open daily 11-4. Five hours. One side of the building is blacked out; behind the open kitchen area. What happens after the restaurant closes? If you can enlarge and look at the t-shirt in the photo below…City Tacos. What?

Yes, this obscure location in El Cajon is the main kitchen for all the locations of City Tacos (which, I know has a love/hate relationship for a lot of people). Once the restaurant here closes, supplies are made and sent out or readied for pick up by the three (soon to be six) locations in the County.

El Jardin Changes Course

July 30, 2019 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

**** El Jardin has closed

Sometimes I wait too damn long to do a follow-up post. Such is the case with El Jardin. I just found out via Eater San Diego, that El Jardin will shutter and reopen as a….gasp "Cantina"! This is somewhat sad news as we enjoyed some pretty good meals at El Jardin.

We had returned several times since those visits…..

And yes, that is the $28 "Sonora Dogo" a wagyu beef dog, with chorizo and pork belly….

While not everything was to our taste, the Missus really enjoyed certain dishes; like the Pozole Verde.

And while the food was sometimes uneven and perhaps the service not what we'd say was at the level of the menu; still, it was warm and friendly, the food creative without going for a whole lot of glitz…..

From the Eater post; the chef is leaving, and El Jardin will reopen as a cantina…specializing in, wait for it….carne asada and Margaritas.

So, in spite of having a chef nominated for a James Beard award, making the Michelin Bib Gourmet list, and getting a positive review in the New York Times, El Jardin changes course.

Cheers El Jardin! We'll miss you…..

La Catrina Tapas & Cantina

July 24, 2019 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, Taco Shops

**** La Catrina has closed

La Catrina has been somewhat of an enigma for us. I first noticed this shop on the corner of University and Herman, in the former location of Tostada's while walking around the area when the Missus was getting Her hair done one day.

A few days later we dropped by for dinner and really enjoyed the tacos……

And the Missus loved the salsas as well; especially the version with chili de arbol and nuts. It was spicy and complex, really heightening the experience.

So, I was thinking we'd do a couple of more visits, then I'd do a post…..except, the menu kept changing, the Rib Eye and Bone Marrow tacos we'd enjoyed changed…..

Then the rock shrimp tacos; which were delicious on a previous visit, were suddenly not fried on one visit…..

On the next visit the shrimp were nicely battered and fried, but now came with fries…..

And then, to top things off, we went twice during hours posted on the place's website; only to find them closed. Sigh…..

So, after three actual visits and two aborted visits, I basically called it quits.

Until we recently got back from Mexico City. The Missus really wanted some tacos….actually She missed the great salsas we had. So, after checking out the hours on La Catrina's website, we returned. And so far so good.

There was one dish we've had at La Catrina on every visit. It's the Carnitas and Octopus Cazuela; a shareable portion of porky, rich carnitas, and nicely prepped octopus.

The flour tortillas served is a bit inconsistent at times; but when you get it slightly charred it just brings the flavors up to another level. I never thought the combination of carnitas and pulpo would work, it does in this case as the octopus adds a very nie texture. And yes, the Missus loves the salsas….

When things are right; there's a wonderful combination of textures, along with the richness of the pork, the acidity and slight pungency of the onions and pico de gallo, all brought together by the charred flour tortilla and picante salsas. And while it's not always been perfect, it's never been bad.

What we also did on our two recent visits is get whatever Happy Hour or special is going on.

There's usually the Rock Shrimp Tacos.

Which were 2 for $7 during our most recent visits. And the last time we had them; the layer of queso on the tortilla had been wonderfully griddled, forming the perfect, crisp, nutty-milky shield for the tortilla. The shrimp were crunchy, moist, and quite well, but not overly seasoned.

This last time the Fish Tacos were 3 for $8.

The Missus loved these. The fish was perfectly fried, crunchy exterior, the flesh moist, with a mild sweetness. It went well with the smooth and creamy guacamole and of course the salsas.

On our previous visit the Rib Eye Tacos were 2 for $7. While the portion of meat was quite generous, we didn't for these very much.

The meat was tender, but hadn't been seared properly and lacked color and the flavor a nice caramelization brings to meat. It was moist, but also seemed on the greasy side and hadn't been seasoned enough for our taste. The queso had not been griddled enough so it was soft and didn't protect the tortilla from all that juice and grease; causing the taco to lose its integrity and fall to pieces. Maybe you'll have better luck with this one.

Something we tried twice but didn't have much luck with at La Catrina is the Ceviche.

Both times we tried this; the fish had been chopped into fairly small pieces and had been overly "cooked" in the lime juice making it mushy. Also, we found the ceviche to be way to sour and salty both times. We haven't tried it on recent visits, so maybe……or maybe not.

We really enjoyed our last two visits to La Catrina; it seems we've found what works for us and what we enjoy. The staff here has always been friendly, welcoming, and quite nice. I'm hoping that all the inconsistencies we ran into are over. I'm also hoping the place survives. Perhaps it's because we eat at a rather early hour; but we've rarely seen more than one or two other tables filled during our visit. There's so much potential here.

La Catrina Tapas & Cantina
3139 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours (as of this past week):
Tues – Thurs 4pm – 10pm
Fri – Sat Noon – 1am
Sunday Noon – 9pm
Closed on Monday

Sunday Sandwiches – Waters Fine Foods

July 21, 2019 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

**** Waters Fine Foods has closed

The weekend after we got back from CDMX, I had to drop off lunch for the Missus. After picking up my dry cleaning, I was driving home on Morena Boulevard and for some reason Waters Fine Foods came to mind. Sheesh, the last time we'd had anything from Waters was back in the early 2000's at the original location on West Morena which I believe is now their catering location. The Missus and I really didn't care for the sandwiches we had on that visit and we kind of just filed it away.

Waters moved their café to the strip all next to JV's Mexican Food. So, now a good 16-17 years after that visit….well, it was time to check out Waters again.

The interior is set-up sort of like a café-deli-coffee shop…..it's a bit confusing as you order not at the register, but at the counter, pay, and either have a seat or cool your heels.

Though the employees are quite pleasant.

I ordered the Smoked turkey Panini ($10) which seemed a bit "light" as I carried it home. So when I opened it….

Having just returned from Mexico City, mind automatically did the mental calculation…..man, this was 200 $MXN. Still, like I've said about Banh Mi; it's all about proportion. So, there's was barely a sliver of smoked turkey; which would not have been bad if I could actually taste the turkey, which by the way, wasn't evenly spread through the sandwich. There was just way too much pesto in comparison to the meat, few strings of roasted red pepper, and cheese. I enjoy pesto and this version was quite "pine nut" forward if you know what I mean. But that was all there was, pesto and arugula, usually two of my favorite things just overwhelmed everything. Including the nicely crusty bread.

Again, I don't mind having a "Manini panini" mind you; but in a case of a sandwich like that balance and proportion is quite important.

So, this past weekend I decided to head on back. Folks that know me understand that when it comes to places in San Diego, I usually don't let things go after a single visit, and if I do, it's because we thought the meal wasn't very good and the additional investment really wasn't worth it (i.e. Trust, Pardon My French, Juniper & Ivy, etc…). Or the meal was so terrible that I'm not willing to go myself and I can't talk the Missus into returning (Officine Buona Forchetta comes to mind). Or perhaps I've dropped the ball and my last visit was way too long ago and I'll have to start the "meter" running all over again to do a post (Hachi Ramen), or worse of all, I suffer some particular "ailment"…..

But Waters is a café and in my 'hood, so no excuses, right?

Same really nice group of folks working.

This time I went with the Roast Beef ($9.25). And while not being particularly hefty, I enjoyed this sandwich much more.

I used the dinner fork to provide a bit of "scale" for the sandwich. While the baguette was a bit on the "dry" side; the roast beef was moist, tender, and best of all, I could taste it as the horseradish sauce and aioli were used with a nice restrained hand and complemented the meat. Nice crunch from the lettuce, I wish there were more crunchy onions as it would have added even more crispness and a sweet-pungency to this. The tomato added a slight acidity, but would have been had it been more ripe.

Not bad at all.

I'm glad I returned for that second visit. And while I saw some folks eating a pretty good looking salad; I'm not sure I'll return to Waters….at least for a while. It's not quite my style.

Oh and to that couple who were discussing and dissing all the customers in the place; from the colors and skirts the women were wearing to the tattoos on one of the customers…..try not to talk so loud as I and the guy sitting at the end of the table could hear everything you said. From the guy who you (the woman) said there were "too many of their kind in the neighborhood these days."

Waters Fine Foods
1122 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Mon – Fri 11am – 7pm
Sat 11am – 4pm

Smack’N Guamanian Grill

July 16, 2019 mmm-yoso Guamanian/Chamorro

**** Smack’N Guamanian Grill has closed

After a short for Smack ‘N to open and a couple misfires on when they were actually opening; I finally made it.

It’s a nice; tidy shop.

And the folks are very friendly.

I got a smile seeing cans of Your Lemon Powder, an ingredient I use to balance out flavors in my Kelaguen on the counter.

And the nice, what I assume are photos of the owner’s family. Really enjoyed that personal touch.

And, of course I ordered what I typically do when first visiting Guamanian restaurants. As I noted way back 2007; one of my coworkers, and sort of a drinking buddy was from Guam. We had a cookout at our friend’s house and his Mom was in town. She made Kelaguen and the rest is history……

Here it’s on many of the plates, but if you want it to be all Kelguen, you’ll find it on “Fan Fav” ($10.95). The Kelaguen is chopped to a medium texture; is quite lemon-forward if you will; not from the Yours Powder, but quite a bit of lemon juice. It was a bit short in the coconut and chili pepper department. In fact, it wasn’t spicy at all. I asked about Boonie Peppers and was given a blank look….so am not sure if they have that. It was moist, fairly tender, and perfectly edible. The finadene is less sour than other versions I’ve had; a bit more on the salty side, and also not very spicy.

The rice was perfect; just moist enough, and great when you hit it with some finadene.

The cabbage salad was basically coleslaw mix with findene on it.

This was not bad; the portion size; especially all the rice was quite generous.

So, Calvin and Daniel decided they wanted to try this stuff. So, I went back like a day later.

And got two plates.

Starting with what you could consider to be the “mix plate”; “Yona Rules”. Yes, $21.95 might seem a tad expensive; until you open it and see this.

The kelaguen was still decent, seems like they’ve got their consistency down. I especially enjoyed the Bunuelos Uhang; the shrimp and corn fritters; which was still hot and crispy when I got to the office. Nice sweetness from the corn; yes, it could use more shrimp, but this was seasoned nicely and was a winnah! The lumpia was crisp, though kind of greasy. The chicken and ribs were very much like what I’ve gotten at other Guamanian places; on the try side. The ribs were especially tough and lacked flavor. The chicken, while on the dry side, was decently seasoned, and with a dose of finadene was fine.

I also got BBQ Beef – “chebot”, they have two sizes of their basic plates at Smack’N; chebot means “fat”, while dikike means….well, you can figure it out “small”. Of course with three of us sharing I got the “chebot” ($15.95). It was a lot of beef.

The beef, while of the dry side was fairly tender. It did need a bunch of finadene to help it out as it was on the bland side.

Honestly; while the beef and the chicken weren’t great, it’s still better than what I’ve had at L&L. Those ribs….well, it would take me some convincing.

The folks here are quite friendly, the portions quite generous. On both visits, the really nice young man, I believe his name is Christian came out to chat with customers. I could see three older women and a man cooking in the kitchen. It’s nice to have a decent change of pace in the area. I’ll come back for the kelaguen (and the Bunuelos Uhang), I’ve got to try the empanadas; though it will take some convincing for me to try those ribs again.

Smack’N Guamanian Grill
9506 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours:
Tues – Thurs 11am – 8pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 10pm