Closed – Page 22

Mariscos Monday – The Mariscos on Miramar Truck

July 16, 2018 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Seafood

I've often said that things around these parts would not be as delici-yoso without all the recommendations and tips I receive. About three weeks ago; "MichaelW" was nice enough to drop me an email letting me know about a Mariscos Truck that had started doing business in back of the strip mall at 6904 Miramar Road….you know; the one that houses Jersey Mike's, Denny's, Pho Ha Noi, and the Philadelphia Sandwich Company, among others. I was able to run out to check the place out the following week. And yes, there it was…..

The truck has the back corner of the strip mall parking lot, there are signs on the road, and if take the turn north onto Commerce Avenue, you can't miss the signs. Funny, I guess I haven't been to the Sandwich A'Fare in a while. The truck is in the same side of the mall as that shop. There are also three parking spots against the building designated for the truck….I think they've got a nice deal.

It was pretty busy even at 11am when I arrived. A lot of the local guys were lined up waiting to order or waiting for their order.

The menu is nicely varied; from the usual Mariscos Truck suspects; the Gobernador, Fish Tacos, Camarones a la Plancha, Tostadas, Cocteles, and Botanas.

Ordering was pretty easy for me; as Michael had made a recommendation and I went with my usual; the Gobernador. The woman working the window is very nice, though the salsas are limited and things take a while….not necessarily a bad thing as it means items are really made to order. Though one should keep that in mind.

I was handed a consommé while waiting. Strong celery and pepper tones; on my first visit it was quite mild, on my second visit, much stronger in the celery/seafood department.

My order took about 20 minutes or so, but it was worth the wait. While the Gobernador wasn't among the best I've had; not enough peppers and onions; the tortilla was nicely coated with cheese then griddled, thus protecting the tortilla from breakage. The shrimp was plump and tender; this was a bit light in the seasoning department; but not bad at all.

Michael had recommended the Taco de Costa Azul, a nice combination of shrimp, bacon, and some slightly smokey, but not fishy smoked tuna….this trucks version of the usual smoked "marlyn". This was quite good as the crunchy bacon, complemented the shrimp and smoked tuna, which wasn't overly salty. The avocado and squeeze of lime, along with the standard seafood salsa just worked together in harmony. The tortilla; though quite standard held together well with the light coating of melted cheese protecting the integrity of the taco.

I was pleasantly surprised. I also bought two extra tacos for the guys in the office to taste. They all enjoyed them.

In fact, the following week, I returned with Calvin and also ordered some tacos for JeffP to try.

It was right before 11 when we arrived and there were already people there.

I got a bit greedy and ordered tres tacos for me this time.

The best of the bunch was the Machin; shrimp, octopus, and smoked tuna….though it wasn't quite as good as the Costa Azul. The pulpo al ajillo was the weakest of the bunch….not much octopus; what it contained was tender, but quite bland. The camarones al ajillo was decent; the shrimp again decently prepped and cooked, though I expected a bit more of a garlic "punch". The tortillas were left on the griddle too long this time around….though while the crunch was nice; it just tore to pieces when biting into them.

Still, this was better than many other trucks I've eaten at over the years.

Like I mentioned; I really like the woman who works the window here. No nonsense, but also quite nice. It's not a bad choice for lunch in the area….though like I mentioned; you might want to give yourself some time for the folks to prep your food. You can use the time tasting the consommé.

Notice the "Mariscos Rolex" tag on the truck.

Mariscos On Miramar Truck
6904 Miramar Rd – in the back parking lot
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours
Mon – Fri 1030am – 8pm
Saturday 11am – 6pm
Closed on Sundays

Thanks for the recommendation Michael! I owe you some tacos!

Sunday Sandwiches – Revisits to SuperNatural Sandwiches and Embargo Grill

July 15, 2018 mmm-yoso Cuban Restaurants, Sandwiches, Seafood

A couple of sandwiches for a humid Sunday.

Supernatural Sandwiches:

**** SuperNatural Sandwiches has closed

My buddy JasonV asked me if I'd ever been to this sandwich place…..he told me it was "awesome" and showed me a photo of Supernatural. I cracked up and said I'd been a customer since they had a stand at the now defunct San Diego Public Market. And I did tell him that they do make some good sandwiches. A few days later; Deanna told me she had gone to Supernatural Sandwiches after work and loved it. I'd taken her there a few years back. So I got the hint; it had been nearly six months since my last visit.

Needless to say; the place was doing some major business when I arrived. Love the folks who work here; they always have a smile for me.

I went with my usual; the Siren….I realize I need to start ordering other stuff on the menu. But the folks here have this totally down.

From the lightly garlicky-spicy mayo; to the moist and plump shrimp, to go with the buttery-slightly sweet brioche. I'm thinking that it could use a bit more acidity to cut the richness; but that would be splitting hairs.

It's one of my "guilty pleasure" sandwiches.

It's also nice to see a place that's doing so well expanding. With locations now in Santa Ana and Tijuana, and two other locations in PB (they are going to make a killing) and Little Italy opening soon, it's going to be a "SuperNatural Kingdom". Good for them!

SuperNatural Sandwiches
7094 Miramar Rd. #122
San Diego, CA 92121

Embargo Grill:

**** Embargo Grill has closed

Speaking of guilty pleasure sandwiches…..

I was over in Point Loma a few weekends ago and was a bit hungry. It was a bit too hot for other options so I decided to stop by Embargo Grill. It had been nearly two years since my last visit.

I went with basically the same thing as on previous visits.

The Yuca Frita; which was disappointing.

This was too dense, dry, almost hard, and not crisp enough for me. It was also still barely lukewarm in the center. The mojo was very nice though. Garicky with nice citrus tones; not sour, but with a nice acidity.

The Medianoche the "midnight sandwich" was very good.

From the nicely pressed, crunchy, yet light bread, to the moist and tasty pulled pork, to the milky cheese, the ham, and yes, the all important pickle, which cuts through all that high-caloric goodness. This place also seems to have sandwich down.

I could only finish half the sandwich. I took half home and the Missus polished it off in no time flat. I guess She liked it……even cold…..midnight or not.

Embargo Grill
3960 W Point Loma Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Smokey’s Lake Wohlford Cafe (a revisit)

July 10, 2018 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this food blog. Cathy is writing today while Kirk is busy at His job.

It's been almost eight years since I wrote about Smokey's, yet not much has changed.

Oh sure, there's some updated signage.

Stepping inside, the small store to the left, bar and tables in front of you and general atmosphere, with friendly waitresses, is comforting and familiar. The menu (at the bottom of this post) is pretty much the same (there's still catfish as a breakfast meat choice). We were here in the afternoon, so chose from the lunch menu.
The cheeseburger, ($8) 1/3 lb angus on a toasted sesame seeded bun with lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle with crinkle cut fries was a wonderful quality and size. Excellent flavor.
The soup and Sandwich ($7) was a great choice. I wanted a tuna sandwich and was asked if I'd like it to be a tuna melt. There was no upcharge and the flavors of the Swiss cheese and tuna salad on the random sliced toasted rye were so very comfortingly perfect.
The soup of the day was Vegetable Beef and it was so good! Hamburger, tomato, onion, celery, green pepper and those macaroni noodles. It tasted so much better than when I toss similar leftovers in a pot.
Of course, since we were here, we had to have catfish and the two piece meal ($10.50) was just enough food to hit the spot. The light cornmeal dusting on the perfectly fried fish along with cole slaw and
delicately fried herb filled hush puppies were just perfect textures and flavors for a lunch at this long time (since 1947) classic diner.

Smokey's Lake Wohlford Cafe 25484 Lake Wohlford Road Escondido 92027 (760) 749-6585 Website Open 6 a.m. daily

What we eat to beat the heat – Thai Papaya by Sab-E-Lee

July 6, 2018 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** Thai Papaya has closed

Man was it hot today in San Diego? Man; it was hitting the high 90's over here in Bay Park! And as always with temperatures this high; the specter of fire danger hovers overs us. We hope everyone, their families, pets, and homes are safe.

I've mentioned in previous posts, that's it's not Sab-E-Lee weather for us until it starts getting into the high-70's or 80's. And well; today it surely surpassed that. It had been a while since I'd dropped by. The Missus was going to get home after me today; so I dropped by Thai Papaya for take-out.

Maylee was in the kitchen and came out to greet me with a smile…..things are just better when she's there.

Of course I got the Missus's favorite; the Som Tom Khai Kem, papaya salad with salted egg. Savory-salty, with the acid balancing things out. The duck larb was outstanding on this visit, great mildly-gamey, almost beefy with sweet tones; just enough acid, great with the wedges of cabbage.

And yes; there are several places that make a better Thai Sausage than what SeL sells; but we still order it; it's very consistent and along with sticky rice fills out the meal.

Thai Papaya has changed up their hours a bit. Now closed on Tuesdays and open from noon to eight pm the rest of the week.

Thai Papaya by Sab E Lee
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

Yes, it's just a short post today…….it's probably too hot to be sitting around reading a post. And I'm sure you really didn't want to read about my most recent bowl of pho, right?

Brunch at Urban Solace (and the “secret menu” item)

July 5, 2018 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Cajun, Southern, and Soul Food

**** Urban Solace has closed

It's kind of strange; I thought I'd done a large post on Urban Solace before, but all I could find was a "burger week" post from back in 2009. Kind of strange since US was a favorite of the Missus for a couple of years. Regardless, the Missus had never had brunch at Urban Solace. And with us both having a nice leisure weekend day for a change, it felt like the right time to reacquaint ourselves.

We found parking rather quickly on Ray Street and stopped a couple of times as we made our way around the block to Urban Solace; which was pretty empty on this weekend morning.

I have to say; the service on this visit was outstanding, genial, professional, and the staff just seemed to have perfect timing.

Of course we started with the biscuits, which we just about perfect this time around.

Moist with a nicely balanced texture, hitting that sweet spot between fluffy and dense. It had a mild cheese flavor, which didn't over-power the biscuit, and we didn't even need the Orange-Honey Butter or Smoked Tomato Jam.

Since it was going to be noon-soon….we decided on some cocktails. The Missus picked something off the cocktail list; while I asked what the "Dealers Choice", basically the bartender's special was. And was rewarded with a refreshing, smokey, slightly herbal Mezcal-Chamomile Spritz. This was super good and not too sweet….in fact, the Missus ended up ordering one as well. Once She finished what She was drinking.

The Shrimp and Grits have always been a favorite of ours here; and this did not disappoint.

While the grits are perhaps…well, too refined (creamy) for my taste, it is still quite good. The shrimp….and there were five good sized ones in that little cast iron skillet were cooked and seasoned perfectly. Overall a very nice dish.

We also ordered the Beef Cheek Hash, which was probably our least favorite dish of the meal.

The beef cheeks were shredded finely, nice beefiness, but there wasn't very much of it. The eggs were cold. The potatoes were nice; but man, we're used to food being too salty these days; but this was a rarity as it really needed some salt! We ended up taking almost all of this home (except for the eggs). I fried up some lardons and added it to the leftovers for lunch the next day. And it still needed more salt!

Our wonderful Server asked us if we were interested in the daily special or per their definition the "secret menu"? As soon as she said "torchon de foie gras", we both answered "yes" at the same time. This was a huge portion and pretty good.

The torchon had a perfect texture; creamy, but with substance. It was a touch too sweet, but asked for some salt which brought the flavor back into balance. The toasts were nice; but for some strange reason; I loved having the foie gras with the biscuits. This is definitely a must order when we return….if they have it.

Here's the deal; when the torchon is available they only have enough product for five orders. I was told to call on the day of our visit to see if they had this or any other "secret menu" items. She also mentioned that for some reason; it's not very popular. Strange…..though I'm hoping it isn't popular the next time we visit!

Excellent service, nice cocktails that aren't overly sweet, and foie gras. Now that's a fairly successful brunch, don't you think?

Urban Solace Restaurant
3823 30th Street
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 1130am – 930pm
Saturday 1030am – 1030pm
Sunday 930am – 230pm, 5pm – 9pm
Brunch on Saturdays and Sundays

Bann Cutlet & Teriyaki

July 2, 2018 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

**** Bann in the H Mart Food Court has closed

**** Bann has moved to the H Mart Food Court

I saw this place during one of revisits to Pho 46 (I'll get to that one of these days). It was before eleven am, so I peered at the menu and was intrigued.

So, a couple of days later I returned. The young lady who manned the front counter was very sweet. She told me that everything here is cooked to order.

I decided to order the Kimchi Fried Rice ($9.95).

Which came with some tiny, yet nicely stuffed fried mandu. Closer to the stuff you'd buy in bags at the market, but with much more filling, and a decent pork taste to it.

I enjoyed the fresh green salad; the croutons and edamame were my favorite components. The dressing seemed based on red wine vinegar.

The amount of fried rice was fairly generous. It was scalding hot, topped with a sunny side up egg; crisp around the edges. A good amount of decent quality kimchi; not much fermented flavor, but lots of it. The rice was coated well, though the flavor was pretty one-dimensional.

Still, not bad at all.

On the way from meetings, I did the Spicy Pork ($8.95), a riff on daeji bulgogi.

Man, this was a lot of food. The steamed rice was just perfect……fragrant, fluffy. The pork had been stir-fried with onions and peppers, but it was fairly tender and had a nice savory-mildly spicy kick to it, which kept my interest while eating it. Of course I couldn't finish this, so I shared it with one of the guys in the office.

Totally worth the price.

Since I hadn't tried any of the namesake items….that would be the cutlet or teriyaki; I ordered the Chicken Cutlet Plate ($9.95) on my next visit.

This was an interesting "mixed bag". The rice this time was horrid, dry, with hard pieces.

Cooked to order, this took a while but the chicken cutlet was fried perfectly. Even though it was white meat; it was moist and tender. The breading stuck onto the chicken and didn't peel off, adding that nice crunchiness to things. This was; I daresay, a bit lighter than other versions of katsu I have. On the other side of the coin; those two sauces were terrible; from the runny, what seemed mayo based (hana battah) sauce, to the other, mildly salty, runny sauce….it just didn't stand up to the fried food. I think I just might tell them to forgo the sauces the next time and bring my own katsu sauce.

By this time; the young lady had remembered me, and she recommended I try either the Spicy Chicken or the Marinated Beef Plate. I went with the Marinated Beef Plate ($9.95).

As you can tell by the photo; this pseudo "bulgogi cum teriyaki" was really bland. It had too much vegetables; which really watered down any soy-sweet-savory flavors. The beef was also on the tough side. This really tasted like Bann tried to add to the portion size by cutting it with veggies…..

Pass.

If you consider Bann to be "fast-casual" food; I'd say it's pretty good. The price point isn't too bad, the ingredients are decent, and that green salad quite good. Items are cooked to order and the young lady who works here is very nice.

Also, if you visit, take notice of the certificates from Le Cordon Bleu which got my attention. Yep, it's from Le Cordon Bleu alright…..Seoul. First time I've seen certificates from the Seoul campus. And it's for pastry and boulangerie…maybe why I like those croutons so much and my friend likes the biscotti they sell on the front counter.

For me; coming from a plate lunch and what I call "Korean meat-and-three" background, this isn't too bad.

Bann Cutlet & Teriyaki
9506 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 9pm

Al Pastor Authentic Mexican Grill

June 18, 2018 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

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

I happened to notice this shop in one of those empty strip malls on the corner of H Street and Broadway on our way to breakfast at Talavera Azul.

I’m usually not swayed by the myriad of “Mexican Grills” and truly not by most places who use the word “authentic” in their name. Call me a cynic…..guilty as charged. But for some reason, this place hung around in my “grey matter” as we ate breakfast. I’m not sure what it was; the strange location, my love for al pastor, or whatever.

So later the same day, I headed back down to Chula Vista to see if the place was even open. And they were. Rather empty at 11 am on a Saturday, but still open.

Al Pastor Grill 02

The two women working were very friendly. The menu huge! With everything from Alambres to Tortas. And there was a strange familiar ring to several of the items on the menu.

That’s when I saw him; the owner of Aqui es Texcoco in the kitchen talking to staff. Strange. So I sent my good buddy Candice a text asking if he had opened up a new restaurant. The answer? Yes. I then asked the Server who smiled and said “yes”. Apparently, the place had just opened.

Still rather full from breakfast, I decided to get a couple of tacos which are all priced between $2.50 and $2.75.

The salsas are similar to what is served at Aqui es Texcoco; straight forward and nice and spicy.

My tres tacos.

Let’s go from right to left. The Costilla (rib meat) was fairly chewy, but not bad, but in need of a bit more seasoning. The arrachera; skirt steak, was fairly tough, but had been seasoned simply and perfectly with a nice grilled-smokey flavor. The winner was without a doubt the al pastor as it had the wonderful slightly sweet flavor along with a nice porkiness that reminds me of Char Siu. Nice crispy bits along with meatier bits were provided. I thought the toritllas were just average; they held up okay, but for some reason lacked the nice corn fragrance and flavor.

A mixed bag overall, but that al pastor was pretty good. I returned the following weekend.

I had seen a couple of items I was interested in on the menu. I started with the Huitlacoche Quesadilla and the Taco de Al Pastor (of course).

The al pastor was a bit tougher than on my previous visit; but the flavors were still good. I didn’t care too much for the quesadilla; it was quiet fragrant; the wild mushroom smell tickled my nose, but it was quite bland. But it wasn’t griddled right and the tortillas were really hard to cut and I still think it was missing something.

I also ordered the Tostada de pata de res (cow foot tostada)

This was an interesting mixed bag. The tendon had been diced quite finely….I’d have preferred a larger dice so I could enjoy and appreciate the texture a bit more. It was also a bit too acidic and sour for my taste. The beans were lovely; nutty and rich. Loved what the cotija cheese brought to the dish; a light salty-milkiness. A bit too much lettuce for my taste though. Lot’s of crisp, crunchy textures, had me wishing for something a bit more toothsome.

As I mentioned a few paragraphs up. A mixed bag, nice service, priced reasonably. I did enjoy the al pastor.

The menu is huge and I’m looking forward to trying other items like the Caldo Tlapeno or Chuleda Ahumada (smoked pork) tacos….or perhaps even Cazuelitas (sopes) Chicharron en Salsa Verde.

I’ll give them a bit of time to get settled in before revisiting though.

Al Pastor Authentic Mexican Grill
520 Broadway
Chula Vista, CA 91910

Ban Lao Cuisine Revisited

June 14, 2018 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants

**** Ban Lao has closed

The last couple of week; since we've gotten back from our trip have been nice. At least in terms of work for me. No more long days and weekends. The recent muggy weather has also changed my eating strategy a bit as well. I was craving Lao food. I decided to head back to Ban Lao to see how things have changed since my first visits there.

The place looks basically the same; except for the strategically placed ATM. The menu though, has evolved a bit, with some new dishes.

I was really thinking about getting the Sien Savanh (beef jerky) which I really enjoyed on one of my previous visit. I saw "fried pork belly" on the menu and really couldn't make up my mind. I finally asked the really nice young lady working here. She basically said she enjoys both, but because I'd had the beef jerky before, why not try the pork belly…..such good sales, huh?

This was ok. The pork belly was nicely fried; though there were some tough bits and without that wonderful fish sauce-chili-citrus dipping sauce it would have not been very good. The seasoning was too mild and it was rather plain.

I really wanted some Nem Khao, which turned out being better than what I'd had here before.

Nice crunchy-crispy bits, good amount of herbs, nice amount of pork skin, I think it could have used a bit more sour sausage, but texturally, this was quite nice. The portion size was a lot larger than on previous visits. And while it didn't look like it; there was a good amount of lettuce for wrapping up the nem khao. It's still not quite there in terms of the sour sausage-pork skin-herbs ratio, but it's better than what I've had here before.

A big plus is how nice the staff has always been in this tiny shop. And it seems things are getting better…….

We gotta get back to Laos one of these days.

Ban Lao Cuisine
4126 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Hunan Kitchen a.k.a. Noodle Hut a.k.a. Tǔjiā Xiāng Cài (土家湘菜)

June 12, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Hunan Kitchen has closed

I was driving around Convoy a few weeks back and noticed something about this sign.

And looking at the photos posted told me this wasn't the Noodle Hut I knew.

And then the electric sign scrolled down…….

Revealing "Hunan Kitchen". I took the photo home and the Missus translated it to Tǔjiā Xiāng Cài, basically Tujia Hunan Cuisine. Still, the addition of "Kitchen" to the name made me wonder……

And so, having some time for an actual lunch a few days later, Calvin and I hit up Hunan Kitchen a.k.a. Noodle Hut.

We were the first folks in the place. The same wood paneling and tables as the old Noodle Hut, but with signs of various dishes on the menu and of course, some chili pepper décor.

I instantly thought of Village Kitchen when I saw this on the menu.

This was going to be an interesting meal…….

First to arrive was the La Rou, Hunan Smoked Pork with Dried Radish.

The La Rou was a bit tougher, less smokey, but definitely spicier than VK's version. The dried radish was crunchy, but not hard and the dish wasn't too salty. I thought this was better than the version at VK.

And then, this.

So, think about the signature eggplant, preserved egg, and green chili dish at VK. Without the eggplant. The peppers were fairly tender and there was a large amount of pidan in this. It was also pretty darn spicy. The portion size of this dish was also deceptively large. We enjoyed it and it was the best dish of the day by far, but man, there was no way we could keep on eating this. I think my Hunan Chilli King days are behind me. Even the Missus thought this was quite spicy….though She had it the next day, when it was even hotter.

The Cumin Lamb was so-so.

Calvin's wife can't stand lamb so just about the only time he gets to eat it is with me. Too little cumin, in need of more onion and cilantro, though the lamb was tender enough. And strangely, for once, I wished the dish was more salty. I'd have loved a bit more color on the lamb as well.

Calvin was fascinated by the Baby Cuttlefish with Four Chilies.

This was quite one-dimensional in flavor. Yes, it was fairly spicy, but other than that, not much else to say. The cuttlefish was very rubbery and had no flavor. This was bean sprout city…..

The service was typical and we ended up with a bunch of leftovers.

A few weeks later we were both craving that century egg and green chili dish. So we returned. This time; I did all the ordering.

Starting with a favorite of the Missus; the Steamed Preserved Meat.

Usually, it's smoked pork, duck, and fish. Here it was pork, duck, and chicken, which made me wonder how dry this was going to be. It was however, quite good, very smoky, nice textures, chewy, but not tough. While not among the best version of this I've had, it was a notch above decent. The Missus loved the leftovers.

Of course, there was one basic reason we returned to Hunan Kitchen. The Pounded green Chilies and Century Egg. If anything, this was even better than on our previous visit.

It was even more tender and buttery, with more pidan.

Oh, and perhaps even more spicy. Man, I had the leftovers two days later and it was pretty darn hot.

Still, I think this dish is a winner, spicy, yes, but the texture of the preserved egg, the dish was nicely seasoned both times we had it. Typing this out makes me want it again. You get that nice endorphin high. Like I said….my tolerance must be pretty low these days.

We finished with the Mao Style Pork in Brown Sauce.

This was a decent, but not outstanding dish. This version of Hong Shao Rou was a bit lacking in complexity of flavor (no anise) and the pork was bit tough. It also lacked that nice glistening color I love in other versions of this dish. While I though it wasn't too spicy, eating the leftovers two days later had increased the intensity of the heat.

While not everything at Hunan Kitchen was a "keeper"; I actually enjoy the more rustic preparations and flavors here more than VK. As does the Missus….whose Father is from Hunan province and really enjoys more traditional, earthy preparations of Xiāng Cài. Still, while I'm thinking we need to head on back to the SGV for our Hunan fix; we'll be dropping by whatever the name of this place is once in a while.

Hunan Kitchen a.k.a. Noodle Hut a.k.a. Tǔjiā Xiāng Cài (土家湘菜)
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

And, if you're keeping score; back in 2011 this was Nam An, in 2014 Yunnan food was served at Jin's Pot, in 2015 Xi'an Kitchen, then in 2017 Noodle Hut, and now this place. Let's see if they have a bit more staying power.

Banh Mi Baguette Cafe

June 11, 2018 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches

**** Banh Mi Baguette Café has closed

Last fall, "MichealW" sent me an email telling me that Bale Sandwich & Deli had closed after a very short run and was now "Baguette Café". Then of course came the crazy fall and winter….and spring……so I wasn't able to visit until recently.

I'm not sure if the name is Baguette Café or Banh Mi Baguette Café…..and then there's the sign that says "by Cali Express". Hmmmm……

And the menu looks strikingly familiar.

I'm not sure if Cali Baguette Express runs this shop, or is it a "franchise" kind of thing….. But the young man working here was really nice and friendly.

I just went with the Dac Biet….good 'ol number 1. Still a bargain at $3.75.

As I walked out of the place, I gave the banh mi a little squeeze……and nothing…..it just kinda gave way. Not a good sign. I had visions of my last to the Mira Mesa Cali Baguette Express. And upon setting the banh mi free….well, I had verification. A pale, cold, doughy banh mi.

The sandwich was the signature 10" and there were thin slices of pork and cha lua.

What was just as annoying as the bread was how it was sliced. Just the top piece….so you either had to find a knife or take you chances tearing it apart. And when the cilantro and veggies aren't sliced, you get this.

Enjoyed the sneaky jalapeno and everything else was status quo…… But what happened to the crusty, light, and yeasty banh mi?

As I've been doing recently, here's what it used to be……back in 2015 at the Convoy location.

I've got to head back to the City Heights location of Cali Baguette Express to find out if the bread I've gotten on my last two visits are now the status quo. It's what used to make them stand above the rest. Hopefully it won't be "strike three".

Banh Mi Baguette Cafe
9005 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

Thanks for the heads up Micheal!