Closed – Page 20

Tea Station (again)

November 15, 2018 Cathy Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Kirk and His Missus are enjoying a break from blogging; Cathy is writing another post.

Ever since our first visit to Tea Station, and posts here on mmm-yoso!!! beginning in 2007 until 2016, (Links to Prior posts: 2007, 2011, 2012, 2013) The Mister and I enjoy stopping at the Clairmont Mesa location for quick snacks when we can meet up for lunch or early dinner.

Originally, Tea Station was only the building you see on the left, but expanded out and is a nice space to be able to enjoy a quiet meal. This is important, now that there are several other businesses in this same strip mall.

Again, I did not know which beverage to order and chose hot coffee-tea-milk ($4.50/pot) (no boba). Each flavor was distinct in each sip. A fresh coffee, a bold, dark tea and warm milk. So satisfying.
On the white board, we noticed a "Fresh Lemon Green Tea"($3.99) and had to order it. The Mister has been obsessed with fresh lemon items this summer. This was a great beverage and unique in flavor (ordered with no sweet; you could taste the tannins of the green tea along with the sour but fresh squeeze of lemon).
Tea flavored meals are why we stop here. We shared this tea flavored marinated chicken plate ($11.75), which is a favorite. The marinade has tea (of course) and the lightly breaded dark and white meat pieces of chicken are quite large, juicy and flavorful. You don't need any condiments. The side plate of three is ever changing and on this day the cold noodles had some meat, the corn tasted fresh and was crispy and the cabbage was lightly dressed and still crunchy. The rice, of course, was a flavorful sticky accompaniment.

The tea flavor dumplings ($9.25) (on the 'noodle' menu) are the reason we stop here; The Mister has cravings for them. The fillings are the same; porky with a slight tea undertone. The skins are on the edge of being too thick sometimes, but on this visit were just right. There is also a slight tea flavor to the dumpling dough.

All in all, a nice place to stop, sip, have a nice meal and catch up.

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

Tako Factory (San Diego near La Mesa) OMG (Original Mexican Gourmet)

November 13, 2018 Cathy Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Tako Factory has closed. It will be missed.

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Today, Cathy is writing; Kirk is enjoying some time off from work and from blogging.

El Cajon Blvd at 73rd. The signal light. SouthWest corner. Since 2013. Not your average Taco Shop. A bit fancier of a menu. Much more quality. A lot of people told me about it. I should have visited sooner.

Walk up, order, pay, find a seat and your food will be brought out to your table, inside or outside.
You'll get some fresh, crispy, thin, salted chips along with three salsas in a cut bag. The green salsa- mild and lime/tomatillo based. The center is a hot salsa-a habanero finish. The salsa on the right is this traditional recipe I saw on Pati's Mexican Kitchen; Chipotle (smoked jalapeño) with sesame seeds and peanuts. Yes, the salsas-each unique, each fresh made, each wonderful.
Our shared light lunch.
The shrimp tako ($4) is very good. Four large grilled shrimp along with grilled bell pepper and onion and topped with cheese and sour cream on a fresh, warm corn tortilla.
The adovada tako ($4) is served with onions, cilantro, tomato and topped with roasted jalapeño sour cream. The marinated pork is lightly grilled and has crispy bits. The marinade has garlic in it as well as a great red chile. The flavor is a new craving.
The asada tako ($4) is served with guacamole and pico on two tortillas. Quite a lot of food. The meat is wonderful- moist with a great marinade.
All day Tuesday, the chicken, asada and adobada takos are $2 each. The chicken is grilled white meat (moist and flavorful) with onions, bell peppers, topped with cheese, pico and sour cream. {These same three choices are available during 'Happy Hour' (3-5) each weekday, also $2 each. This isn't advertised anywhere.}
The asada alambre ($10) traditionally skewered meat and vegetables (alambre means 'wire'), this version is grilled asada, bacon, green peppers and onions…along with cheese and is served with four corn tortillas. Sort of a fajita (with bacon!), sort of just wonderful, quite enough food to share for another light meal.

Way above average; quality and service.

Tako Factory 7287 El Cajon Blvd San Diego 92115 (619)741-4502 Website Open Daily 10 a.m.- 9 p.m., Closed Sunday

Spicy Hut

November 4, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Spicy Hut has closed

Back in May; Faye left a comment on my Shan Xi Magic Kitchen post, in which she overheard customers asking if the staff from Spicy King were now working at the restaurant they were eating at. That would be Spicy Hut, you can read Faye's post here. I filed that away for a while. Then a few weeks back; I happened to mention this to "YZ", who lives fairly close by. One morning, while her kids were attending some kind of event she checked the place out. Interesting story; "YZ" actually worked at Ba Ren over one summer while in college, so she probably waited on us during our visits to Ba Ren! small world. Anyway, "YZ" walked on in; it was before opening and asked if "Shifu Hu" was there….and he was! She brought me a menu….

So, I decided to check them out a few days later.

This is in the former location of Golden State Seafood….man, the last time I was here must be over a dozen years ago!

The interior is clean, there's the de-rigueur cold case with the liang cai; cold dishes.

Chef Hu's wife, whom I met while shopping at 99 Ranch Market and on that final visit to Spicy King was working the front of house and quickly called Chef Hu out. He looked to be in good health and we quickly shook hands…..my Mandarin is non-existent and his English is limited, so we mostly smiled and had a short conversation.

So, of course I was anxious to try some of the dishes. During both visits, I went with more or less the Sichuan dishes I long for and miss.

But first, some Liang Cai.

The Fu Qi Fei Pian ("husband and wife lung pieces", lung = offal or tendon in most cases)was nicely cut; though not spicy enough, and can you tell what's missing? Yep, the tendon. It's sort of like the "husband" decided to leave the "wife" and try to make it on his own. I missed the textural contrast of not having something other than brisket in this. The pig ears were nice and crunchy, with a good amount of sesame oil, but could have used a bit more spice. The pickled long beans were good, nice and briny.

Of course I had to have the Sichuan Liang Mian; I haven't had a good version since Ba Ren closed.

The actual noodles, were passable, not over-cooked, not hard and brittle, but still lacking that nice al dente pull I like. This had a ton of garlic and vinegar, it was a bit too sour for me. The amount of soy and saltiness was perfect, but this needed that savory punch from sesame paste and more spiciness. Still, not a bad version.

Another go-to dish; Ko Shui Ji ("saliva/mouthwatering" chicken). So was this "drool worth"?

This was the best version I've had in a while! The chicken was prepared well; it had a nice toothsomeness, without being tough. The sauce had some nice heat; with decent ginger tones, a touch of sweetness, and some spice! I would have enjoyed a little "ma" (numbing) tones as this was a bit short in the Sichuan Peppercorn department.

My least favorite dish was the Ma Po Doufu.

While the texture of the tofu was excellent; this dish was sorely lacking with regards to several key ingredients; chili bean paste, Sichuan Peppercorns, not enough fermented black beans. It was, to put things mildly very one-dimensional; truly missing that "suan-tian-ku-la-xian", the sour-sweet-bitter-spicy-salty metaphor for a flavorful, yet balanced dish the Chinese use. I brought most of it home and the Missus thought it wasn't very good either.

A few days later; Calvin and "Daniel from Georgia" wanted to grab something to eat. We actually had time for lunch! I mentioned Spicy Hut and Daniel had never had traditional Sichuan food before; so it was a go. They decided that I should do the ordering. So lunch commenced as such.

Liang Cai. The duck gizzards in chili and sesame oil were pretty good, nice and crunchy.

The Shui Zhu Yu (the classic "Water Boiled Fish") dish, which Faye really enjoyed, was quite good, if a bit short in the Sichuan Peppercorn and Doubian Jian department.

The texture of the fish was good, tender, moist, with no muddy flavors. Daniel just loved this and told he'd never had anything like this before!

The Shrimp with Dried Red Chilies was next.

The batter was light and crunchy; though I prefer it more lacquered and not as "thick". It also could have used more Sichuan Peppercorns as this wasn't particularly spicy in spite of all those red chilies. I don't think the fried shrimp was finished correctly with the chilies.

I wanted to temper the spice with one dish and we got the Rice Crust with Three Delicacies.

While a bit on the milder side; the texture of the sauce was good, not too thin and not too gloppy. The fish was prepared well; but the shrimp was a bit on the over-cooked side. Still as this got more and more gooey, it became quite comforting.

Overall, the food was pretty good, better, at least for now than other Sichuan options in San Diego. It's also better than what I'd previously had from Chef Hu at Fu An Garden and Spicy King. I'm hoping they can hold the course. And perhaps it's about time for me to "make the rounds" of the Sichuan shops in San Diego.

Spicy Hut
9460 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours
Mon – Fri 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 930pm
Sat – Sun 11am – 9pm

Sunday Sandwiches – Al Calozzi’s Cheesesteaks

October 28, 2018 mmm-yoso Cheesesteaks, Sandwiches

**** Calozzi's Cheesesteaks has closed

After my last couple of Cheesesteak posts; I got a couple of recommendations. Strangely, both of them are in PB. I thought I'd try out Calozzi's first.

Calozzi's is a tiny little shop squeezed in right next to Latin Chef. There's basically two sets of counters with chairs; inside you can watch your cheesesteaks being made.

Or you can dine outside and watch PB roll on by…..

The menu is simple and straightforward; a handful of cheesesteaks, in Philly style they come "wit" or "witout" (fried onions). The folks working here; especially the young lady are very friendly.

Of course I just went with "The Cheesesteak" ($10.75). Man, this was totally a meat-bomb.

When I broke apart the two pieces; "meat-shrapnel" flew in all directions. Of course, much of the meat was piled on the top. The White American Cheese provided just enough of the volcanic creamy-gooey texture to provide enough lip searing moisture and milkiness to the sandwich. There was a decent beefiness; with little seasoning, which was just fine in my book. Since I had this "wit"; I quickly noticed that the onions were really stringy, not a big deal, but still noticeable.

For me; it was that bread, there was just too much of it, that took away from this sandwich. I'm fond of the crusty, with gritty textured Italian Hoagy bread of places like Amaroso, which have a nice yeasty flavor, and stand up to all the meat juice and gooey cheese.

In the end; just too much bread.

Still, not a bad sandwich. And you'll need to familiarize yourself with the "condiment" rack….not necessarily for the peppers and such; but that's where the napkins and forks (should you need them) are assembled.

After this meat-bomb; I needed a month to recover. So, I recently revisted and had myself the "Donnie"; Calozzi's version of a Mushroom Cheesesteak.

This version; with provolone was much drier; the meat much more caramelized. It was a bit too dry for my taste as there was so much bread. The mushrooms were chopped in large pieces; I'd have preferred a more finer chop and more integrated into the cheesesteak. It was again; a huge amount of beef, so I'm sure it'll impress those who love this portion size.

For me, Calozzi's, which also has a location in Seattle, is more about quantity….you will get your money's worth here. If you want that "meat-bomb" this might be the place.

It's not necessarily my favorite cheesesteak as proportion and the right "roll" matters; at least for me.

I will say; I don't think you'd go hungry here.

Recently; I went searching for photos form that long ago trip to Philly; waaay back in the nineties; when we still used a thing called "film" for photos. Hopefully, I'll find those one of these days. I'll surely scan them and perhaps do a post.

Al Calozzi's Cheesesteaks
1146 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109
Open Daily:
11am – 9pm

Popcorn Chicken

October 22, 2018 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants

**** Popcorn Chicken has closed

Interesting how things go. One day I noticed this place had opened in the same strip mall as Lolita's and Katsu Café.

The sign said "Taste of Taiwan", so I was somewhat intrigued. I did a brief search online and figured out that this is a Taiwanese "snack/street" food chain with two other locations; one in LA and the other in the OC. So, I decided to walk in and check them out.

They seemed to be doing some decent business; also looked like sort of a Taiwanese Fast-Casual place in the same vein as any number of Tea/Boba shops that are scattered around San Diego. It seemed even more strange that Tea Station was just a few doors over.

The menu consisted of various Taiwanese snack type dishes; chicken wings, sausages, a whole slew of fried stuffs, and basically many of the same dishes with rice and veggies, called "bento boxes".

The prices of the bento boxes seemed quite inexpensive, like six bucks, so I ordered the namesake Popcorn Chicken Medium Spicy Bento Box along with the Chicken Wings Spicy ($5). This is what I picked up when my number was called.

That little bag held the popcorn chicken, fried a bit too hard, more crunchy than crisp, unevenly breaded and seasoned. I actually enjoyed the fried basil the best, the crisp, with anise tones. The seasoning was quite simple and the spice level was decent. Very straightforward.

In that plastic "box" was a very generous portion of rice, with a drizzle of a soy sauce – pork – mildly sweet sauce. And a few small pieces of meat.

The boiled egg was on the over-cooked side for my taste, the yolk was d-r-y, but it was mildly seasoned and not terrible. The veggies were simple steamed zucchini, corn, and a green bean and carrot mixture….the corn and the carrots seemed fairly straight from the frozen food isle.

I was looking forward to trying the chicken wings which was decently fried, but on the dry side.

I really didn't care for the powdery, bitter, seasoning….it was fairly one-dimensional, just adding spice to the chicken and not much else.

Still, I thought this was well worth the price; six bucks for the popcorn chicken and five for the wings (well, maybe not the wings).

I happened to mention this to a few of my coworkers…..they love fried food, donuts, Chik-fil-a, you get it. So, they wanted to check the place out and I said ok.

By this time the Bento Boxes had gone up by $2 and was now eight bucks. I got the fried pork chop.

I noticed that the zucchini and corn had been replaced by sautéed cabbage. The boiled egg was much better this time around and there seemed to be even more rice.

That breading on the pork chop would have been fine if most of it hadn't peeled off the meat when placed in the bag. The seasoning on this was decent, enough salt and pepper, and probably a good amount of MSG. The pork chop was a bit on the chewy side but not bad.

The folks from work, especially "Pam" really enjoyed the place. We returned a few weeks later.

I tried the Popcorn Chicken Bento again.

The chicken was even drier than before though I preferred this to the spicy versions as you could actually taste the chicken. The breading was more crisp and lighter than before, though there was less fried basil than before. Notice that it's just a drizzle of pork based broth on the rice now; no hint of meat or anything else. The rice was moist and there was a lot of it. The egg, while decent on the previous visit, was back to being over-cooked.

Still, my coworkers……

I figured I'd had enough, but with things cooling down a bit here in San Diego, I was in the area at around 1130 on a recent weekend, so I decided to try the Niu Rou Mian….which they didn't have on this day. So, I went with the Braised Beef with Rice ($9). Man, did they give me a lot of meat.

Which was barely lukewarm, bland, and on the drier side. At least it wasn't tough, but could have really been braised in a more flavorful liquid. The egg was really nice this time around, while hard boiled, it wasn't dry and didn't have that ugly purple ring. The rice was moist, fluffy, and the best I've had here. And guess what? Zucchini was back in style; at least for today.

The most surprising item was the broth….well stew or more appropriate "gravy" as it was quite thick and almost gluey; not the most pleasurable texture, but it had a nice peppery tanginess; with a hint of spice, and was hot. It edged on being too salty (with a mild sweetness – MSG?), but that actually helped all the beef which I plopped into the stew. The carrots were a bit undercooked, but not terrible.

After this visit; I think I'm done with Popcorn Chicken for a while. I'm sure Kirbie is laughing about these visits as I'm probably the wrong demographic. I will say this; yes, it's basically fast/snack food and in spite of the uneven cooking, seasoning, serving, and the ever changing portions, if you're more about quantity over quality, this place might do it for you. And to be perfectly honest; I'd take this over food from one of the corporate mega-chains any day of the week…..just not for a while……

Popcorn Chicken
7309 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Open Daily 1130am – 930pm

Fools and Kings

October 16, 2018 mmm-yoso European Restaurants, North African Food, Peruvian Restaurants

**** Fools and Kings has closed

One evening a few months back, I was looking for a place to grab an early dinner with the Missus. She wanted something different. I returned to the menu at Fools and Kings, a fairly eclectic collection of small plates….with dishes from some of our favorite places; Spain, Peru, and heck even North Africa. Over the next month or so we visited this quaint and rather discreet little eatery in Mission Hills.

Come to think of it; we've always had a table on the little patio out front….I don't think we've stepped into the dining room!

The menu is a fairly tight one, not too many dishes, but the range, at least in geographic terms is vast. The menu is broken up into five sections; Salads, Bocaditos (appetizers), Crudo, Flat Breads, and A la Carte items. All items are meant to be shared.

Funny thing; I'm not much of a Sangria person, but I did enjoy the White Sangria, especially during the hot spell we had a few months back. While it edged toward the sweeter side; I think the lychee and cinnamon gave it a nice refreshing and "clean" taste.

On our three visits, we were basically the only people eating at Fools and Kings, of course it was early in the week and for dinner; like 430-5pm or so.

Each meal started with some Canchita, which always made us smile as it reminded us of our favorite little place in Miraflores.

Anyway, just like other posts of the same ilk. Here are our picks and pans.

Our favorite here is the Stuffed Piquillo Peppers ($10).

The peppers are stuffed with crab and goat cheese, a nice, rich combination….creamy, savory, sweet, milky, a tad of mild heat from the peppers. Served on a toasted and pressed, yeasty and light bread, it was very much a "Montedito". This was by far our favorite dish and we had it on every visit. The simply dressed greens added a nice bitterness and "green" flavor to temper things a bit. In fact, we thought the greens in most of the dishes were nice and simple.

We both also enjoyed the Lamb Sausage ($14).

This reminded us of Merguez, a bit more meatier, but it still had those nice spices that reminded us a bit of what we had during almost every meal in Tunisia.

The Missus enjoyed the Lentil and Burrata Salad ($8).

Of course, She loves puy lentils and corn…and Balsamic Vinegar. The burrata had a light milkiness, a mild acidity, and was very soft, but not runny. I actually enjoyed the yeasty bread, as I thought this salad was like something I make at home.

I really didn't care much for the Sauteed Wild Mushroom with Burrata ($10).

For some reason, I didn't care for the milky-acidity of the burrata, along with the texture of the cheese combined with the earth flavors of the mushrooms. It was a bit to much with the truffle oil; even for me a truffle oil lover. I mainly enjoyed the greens and the bread.

Sadly, our two "pans" were both of the Crudo we had.

We gladly waited the 20 minutes or so for the Cebiche ($14), you know how much the Missus loves Her cebiche. And this would have been pretty good; that leche de tigre was nice and bright in flavor, great acidity, I even asked for another spoon to eat my canchita in the leche de tigre.

The problem was that the fish was still partially frozen; we bit into ice crystals with every bite. It had also spent a bit too long in the leche de tigre. The camote, sweet potato had very little flavor was quite mushy.

On our next visit we tried the Tuna Carpaccio ($15). I dunno about combining Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Soy Sauce….like that Yellowtail with Olive Oil and Soy Sauce in in my previous post on Sushi Noguchi; I find the flavors really clash.

The fish was decent quality, but also on the mushy side….I believe they mix duck pate in with this? It was just a strange mish-mash of flavors and textures for us.

Overall the service was friendly and relaxed. Our dishes did take a while, but we were in no rush. Prices aren't bad….but this might sound a bit strange based on the wide geographic swath of the various dishes. But the menu just seems a bit limiting for us; there isn't that two or three dishes we want to return for. At least not for a while. Maybe when the weather turns warmer that White Sangria will call to me. Until then I might just "wander very far, Very far, over land and sea….." Yeah, go ahead and call me Nature Boy:

"And then one day
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return"

Fools and Kings
4015 Goldfinch St
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours:
Tues – Fri 430pm – 10pm
Sat – Sun 10am – 2pm, 430pm – 10pm

Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman Oceanside

October 9, 2018 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

**** Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman Oceanside has closed

Now here's a ramen spot with origins in Japan that I had read about several years back. Ikebukuro's Basso Drill-Man ramen is fairly well known by ramen junkies, mainly for the Tsukemen and Abura Soba; basically "oil noodles" in which thick and hefty noodles are coated in "oil" in many cases rendered pork fat with various seasonings. I was quite happy that another ramen shop with a true ramen background was opening up. The catch; Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman was opening in Oceanside. Oceanside!

So, when Eater announced the opening of the shop in June; I just knew I had to check it out. It was just a matter of having the time and making the 30-plus mile drive up to Oceanside.

I find the location interesting, it's not quite Convoy or even Mira Mesa as the restaurant, which has a rather spartan interior is basically across the street from Swami's.

I arrived just as the open sign was turned on and lead over to the bar area. I recall being told that this used to be an Americanized sushi bar. The two women working were quite nice and friendly.

Ordering for me was a no-brainer; being a lover of Sichuan Liang Mian and still make my version of "Oil Noodles"; I just had to try the Abura Soba, which they call Aburasso here. I ordered the "deluxe" version, not cheap at $15.75.

I'm glad I also got the Chicken Karaage, which at $4.25 for four pieces was not cheap. But let me tell you; this is the best karaage I've had in a while. And I got five pieces instead of four.

The coating was so crisp and lightly crunchy, and the dark meat chicken was so moist that it basically exploded when I bit into it…..it was more juicy than the recent XLB I had at Din Tai Fung. It had been marinating for a while as there was a deep soy flavor; perhaps edging on being too salty, with a definite lightly acidic tone, I'm fairly certain they use shio koji or something similar. There was a slight hint of ginger as well. This was quite good.

The Aburasso was soon passed to the Server who brought it over to me. I had seen the medium-thick noodles being mixed with the oil base. I had also seen one of the egg yolks fall out of the white and the poor fellow wrestle with getting it back into place.

The noodles were topped with the afore mentioned egg; nicely flavored, and for once, not served cold as it was nice and warm. The chashu had a very nice soy-slightly sweet flavor and while nice and fatty was on the more chewy side. Not sure about the blanched cabbage, as it brought nothing to the dish.

The flavored oil was on the bland side, with a hint of spice and smokiness. I was looking for a more intense, maybe porky essence. But this wasn't bad at all and several levels above the Abura Soba at hipsterish Nozaru Ramen.

It did a great job of coating the noodles though. And those noodles….you'll either love them or hate them. I enjoyed the wonderful toothsome chewiness….these were noodles with heft and would obviously be great if they were also used in the Tsukemen. Very nice noodles, it looks like you won't have to worry about the noodles being mushy here!

As much as I was looking forward to he ramen here, it was the karaage that fueled my return the following weekend.

The karaage this time around was even better than on my previous visit. A bit lighter, less salty, but still with a deep soy flavor.

So crunchy and moist, it was a joy to eat.

I had thought of going with the Tsukemen, but in the end, I chose the Deluxe Shoyu Ramen ($14.75). And while my main motivation was to see how the broth was at Menma, I regretted not getting the Tsukemen as this was less than satisfying.

While the egg and chashu was better this time around, both in terms of texture and flavor, I'm not a fan of the thinner noodles here as it lacks the springiness and toothsomeness of the thicker noodles.

The broth was very one-dimensional, it just seemed dashi heavy and salty, lacking any real savory tones. And while it appeared rich enough it strangely lacked that wonderful tongue coating "aaah" appeal.

My favorite component was strangely the menma, the bamboo shoots were initially crunchy, with an almost meaty finish, making it very satisfying to eat.

The two women working on both visits were very pleasant. And man, that karaage. But all of this comes with an investment for someone living within San Diego. Think of it as being about thirty-five bucks if you include gas and tip. And I was eating solo.

And yet, that karaage beckons me…….and perhaps that tsukemen…….just to see how it compares to Rokurinsha.

Ramen Menma – Basso Drillman Oceanside
509 Mission Ave
Oceanside, CA 92054
Hours:
Tues – Sun 1130am – 230pm, 5pm – 9pm

Al Pastor Authentic Mexican Grill Revisited

October 8, 2018 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

**** Al Pastor has changed back to Aqui es Texcoco

When I did my original post on Al Pastor back in June I mentioned waiting a couple of months before checking in with "Al Pastor". It just so happens that a month or so ago, the Missus wanted breakfast from Talavera Azul. we were running late and by the time we drove down to Chula Vista there was a long line outside the restaurant. It was just before 10am so I suggested checking out Al Pastor. The Missus enjoyed Her meal and we've returned a few times since. The menu at the restaurant is humongous, like generic Vietnamese Restaurant menu sized. We've tried a few items on the menu and here's the rundown.

The Missus loves the simplicity of the Guacamole here. There is always a glowing freshness to it.

It's a nice base, a palette of sorts to which the Missus can add various salsas, cilantro, onions, and a squeeze of lime to suit Her taste and mood for the day.

It also goes nicely when a little dollop is added to the Al Pastor Alambres……you have your choice of meat, but it's the savory-sweet flavor of the Al Pastor that goes well with this riff of the traditional grilled beef-bacon-green peppers dish. She usually forgoes the queso.

And of course there's the Al Pastor, pork of course. Here I tried the Chuleta Ahumada, smoked pork chop, which didn't bring much flavor to the table.

Love the mixture of thin slices of pork and the caramelized "crispy bits" of Al Pastor, the pineapple adds a nice fruity-acidic touch. I'm usually not a big fan of fruit in savory dishes, but it works here. I didn't care much for the texture of the Chuleta Ahumada as it was weirdly "mushy" and it just didn't have enough smokiness, richness, nor pork flavor to make it really shine in a taco.

As much as we enjoy the Al Pastor; there have been occasions when it's been cut too thick, the spices have been pasty and gummy, and perhaps, thinking we're not worthy gringos, there were no nice, crisp pieces added to our tacos. When that happens, like below, the Al Pastor tacos really don't stand out from what I can get elsewhere.

The Chorizo Tacos are a nice "plan B", except we really didn't enjoy the radioactive looking Chorizo Verde – green chorizo. We actually didn't order that Green Chorizo…more on that later.

Usually made with green chilies; beyond the shock of the color…..green and meat (ecxept in a stew) are not something I think humans gravitate towards, the chorizo had a weird texture and while it is traditionally made with Serrano and Poblano Chilies; there was basically no spice in this, just that green-chlorophyllic flavor. The regular chorizo has that combination of spice-saltiness-slight smokiness that folks would be familiar with.

Some other items. On a whim I ordered the Nopales Asados….because we both love Nopales. We received a plate of stir fried nopales and cebollas.

Which very plain…….you'll need tortillas for these. Those aren't provided.

Ditto the Frijoles Charros, which was too salty, and was quite thin while still having a greasy mouthfeel. And yet; if it were thicker and you were provided tortillas, this would maybe be passable.

Still, when the Al Pastor is on….or anytime the Missus is craving those Alambres, the time on the griddle brings out the best in the Al Pastor, we'll be headed back over to Al Pastor. Service has always been friendly, though sometimes a bit…well, spacey? We had ordered Alambres, with Chorizo, but somehow got the Chorizo Verde taco, go figure?

Al Pastor Authentic Mexican Grill
520 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91910
Hours:
Sun – Thurs 10am – 1am
Fri – Sat 10am – 2am

Breakfast of Champions – Lucky’s Golden Phenix

October 7, 2018 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Diner

**** Sadly Lucky Wong passed away at the end of 2024

After a particularly brutal week, I recently revisited a place that holds a special place in my heart. It had been a few years since I'd eaten and even longer since I last posted on Lucky's, that little former Chinese restaurant, cum diner, cum greasy spoon, to me a steady, dependable beacon in the ever changing North Park scene.

Once you enter; you know….this ain't hipster central.

From the rather tacky, now considered "retro" Chinese restaurant décor, to various bits and pieces of the history of Lucky's, which in turn is probably the history of North Park, the place has grown on me.

Just sitting for a breakfast on this morning; the customers were like characters from central casting….a young couple, a hipster in his 'hat with 'tats", two older guys grumbling about how the bus is always late. Like I said in my first post a decade ago, "I'm sure thousands of stories have echoed off the walls" of Lucky's.

And the prices? Yes, this is North Park, where you can get a $17 bowl of pho a few blocks away. And yes, this is 2018.

Four bucks for two eggs with bacon, hashbrowns, and toast. Don't forget to finish your toast….Lucky doesn't like waste. Lucky sees everything. If he sees that you've finished your toast, he'll ask if you want more.

The coffee….well, it's "authentic"……100% Folgers. Still under a buck.

This is a one man show, Lucky has no wasted motion, he moves with deceptive efficiency and my breakfast is on the table within minutes.

The eggs are a perfect easy over, the toast is great for sopping up all the drippy egg yolk……the hash browns are SYSCO heavenly and the bacon crisp. This cost me $4.10 mind you. Also notice the bottle of Tabasco. I recently went to Island Style Café and just like Leilani's Café they didn't have Tabasco. Except that instead of telling me they didn't have Tabasco, when I asked for it, they just silently dropped off a bottle of Sriracha.

I mentioned having Tabasco to Lucky, who told me that even though he could get a gallon of Tapatio for the same price of a couple of bottles of Tabasco, things just wouldn't be right without it. I like that; it just "wouldn't be right".

Eating at Lucky's always remind me of the places Mom took me to, we didn't have much money and didn't eat out much. It was always a treat. To me, eating at Lucky's is a treat.

And then there are always Lucky's "words of wisdom"….not too much on this day; though he did encourage the young lady to butter her toast since butter was "good for your complexion".

And to file under the "Lucky sees more than you realize". After I paid my bill; Lucky always rounds things off, he told me "you haven't been here in a while" and handed me this.

World Peace & Happiness…….in recent months, I've heard, folks at work, and even some friends of mine surprisingly spout some of the most hateful and resentful rhetoric. We could use some peace and happiness….as usual Lucky has hit it on the nose.

As for the fortune cookie?

I hope so……

Lucky’s Golden Phenix
3804 Grim Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours:
Mon – Sat 730am – Noon

You can read a wonderful post on Lucky in Eater.

Happy Sunday!

El Jardin

September 25, 2018 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

**** El Jardin has closed

We were a bit fascinated when El Jardin opened in Liberty Station a few months back. The Missus is starting to enjoy Mezcal, so that was a draw. The menu seemed quite diverse; El Jardin literally means "the garden", which seemed interesting. In the various posts in Eater San Diego, there's one thing that caught my attention, the Chef's definition of the menu as "Grandma Chic". The product of travel through seven regions of Mexico with locally sourced products and ingredients.

Well, we decided to visit, and to this day, El Jardin is basically a monthly treat for us.

And while the dining area is perfectly fine; we've only eaten inside once.

We prefer the al fresco, outdoor area….even with the recent cooler weather. The only major issue is the darn planes flying over every 20-30 minutes, which drowns out all conversation.

We will often go early; the bar area opens at 430. We get on the list for a table, usually sitting outside; often in our favorite Server's area. His name is Ille and is the friendliest, gracious, Server you could ever want. He also got on the Missus's good side on our first visit by recommending the Bozal Ensamble, a wonderfully smokey Mezcal which was served in a pretty Copita. On a revisit with my good friends, MrQ really took to this as well. Like my post on Soi 30th; I'm not going to reference that visit, since it was just about good times.

One of the main reasons we visit El Jardin are for the cocktails. They make a mean Mezcal Old Fashioned. The Missus loves the Mazateca Swizzle (to the right) with a nice smokey Mezcal instead of the Rum. The folks manning the bar are usually very good and the drinks aren't too sweet or watered down. They're priced competitively at $11-13.

They've also made me a pretty good Mezcal Negroni a few times as well; which I prefer to the traditional Negroni. Yes, even more than a Negroni in Florence where the drink was created.

I also enjoy the Plaza Sesamo; which uses Toki Japanese Whiskey, Black Sesame, Mole Bitters, as a base.

When it was a zillion degrees out….like this past summer; I'd often just get a nice Michelada.

The menu at El Jardin is constantly changing, which is a mixed blessing because once in a while you'll find a dish you love and then it'll vanish, never to be seen again. El Jardin is also not cheap; we never get out for less than eighty bucks or so, but of course we'd rather spend it here for an interesting dinner with cocktails to our taste than, say Cloak & Petal.

So here's a run down of dishes; from our favorites, to stuff we really didn't care for.

But first, a few words about the supporting cast. Of all the salsas, we enjoy the smokey and spicy salsa made with chili de arbol. It seems to have peanuts or something like that in it that just ups everything. The tortillas a decent, but we've definitely had better. The tostadas are amazing, light and crisp, with a texture like a perfect chicharron…..

Da' Winnahs:

Octopus Tikin Chic ($28) - Yes octopus. Holy smoke, this was fork tender, and the seasoning, an amazing recado rojo, slightly sweet ("like char siu" said the Missus), citrusy, with a nice touch of spice.

The soul of the flavor took me back to a certain dinner we had in Flores, Guatemala. The, what seemed to be something like an almost cheesy celriac puree was great at tempering the flavors of the octopus. Yes, this octopus might even be better than our favorite restaurant in Chania.

The Yucatan Style Castacan ($29) was another winnah!

Nice pork belly; crisp outside, tender and moist inside. The Sikil Pak, pumpkin seed salsa was delicious, nutty, with a nice kick. Ille told us that they use some habanero in this version. The green beans were super firm and crisp, with a nice "green" flavor and a mild sweet finish. Unfortunately, we only saw this once on the menu.

Another item that we came across only once; albeit as a appetizer special was the fried smelt.

If you read our blog regularly, you know the Missus loves Her shishamo. This was so crisp, clean, and light; which just a touch of rich brininess; like we were eating the crisp soul of the smelt. We actually had two orders of this.

A regular on the menu; the Res en Salsa Verde ($23), pairs a confit of beef belly, with confit of beef tongue….talk about a combination of beefy flavors!

The salsa verde isn't too sour and bracing. And the Missus really enjoys the very firm, frijoles de olla….very beany.

Dependable Standbys:

Jalisco Style Pozole Rojo ($17).

The bowl with the beans, pork, corn, radish, avocado, et al; is served first, then the broth is poured over at the table. This is hearty and all the various textures come through.

Carne Apache ($17); rib eye tartare.

I didn't care for the sloppy pile of raw meat on the plate….and I love beef tartare! I missed the silken textures of an egg or something similar. This was fine; the beef a bit too chewy, the ancho mayo distracted from a nice, clean, finish.

The Missus loves the Albondigas de Chipotle ($26).

The meatballs are slightly smokey and very tender. Those things that look like mushrooms are actually chochoyotes, wonderful dumplings of masa, so full of corn flavor. My main issue with this dish is that the two times we've had it; it arrived at the table less than lukewarm. It didn't stop the Missus from scarfing it all down.

Another nice appetizer; Totopos Emmolados ($10); basically tortilla chips, in this case super crunchy, freshly fried, thick tortilla chips topped with a mole negro.

I loved the fact that the mole wasn't overly sweet; it just had a nice balance of sweet-salty-mild spice. That cheese was interesting; it was mild in flavor, with a texture of yogurt. we were told it was Cashew Cheese. This was actually a pretty large portion size.

Not Our Favorites (perhaps we'll try them again):

Carne en su Jugo ($26). The brisket was a bit too fatty and that "beef dashi" was kinda watery, with a strange flavor.

Not Having Again:

The Cazuela de Chilorio ($26) featured dry and stringy pork shoulder in a Chili Colorado sauce that was on the cold side making it greasy.

The beans were also on the colder side as well. Pass.

The Vuelve a la Vida ($19) is also something we won't have again.

First off; this was a really tiny portion. Second, the trout roe was too salty, third the uni tasted a bit "off", and unlike the other octopus dish, in this it was quite tough.

And our least favorite dish; which seems like a regular item on the menu. The impressive looking Barbacoa Lamb Shank ($26).

This was just unpleasantly sweet for us…….to the point that you really couldn't taste the beans, nor enjoy the lamb shank.

In case you're wondering; there is a "garden" at El Jardin.

So for us; the strategy is simple.

Go early, grab a cocktail (or two), get a table outside…explore the garden a bit while waiting on your food. Enjoy the amiable, yet professional service. Pause your conversation between planes flying over.

Just enjoy….life is too short.

El Jardin
2885 Perry Rd
San Diego, CA 92106
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 5pm – 9pm
Fri – Sun 1030am – 3pm, 5pm – 10pm