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Xi’an Kitchen Revisited

February 1, 2016 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Xi'an Kitchen has closed

Recently, I was looking at my post on Tong Sheng Xiang (同盛祥) during our trip to Xi'an. Which had me wondering how Xi'an Kitchen was doing. During my earlier visits, the service was borderline abysmal…..well, kind of like the norm for some of those places in the SGV. My coworker Calvin is game for everything. I know he loves lamb, but his wife just can't stand the smell….so I thought he'd like to join me.

While the service is still somewhat perfunctory, things have calmed down a bit here. The food came out quickly…perhaps a bit too quickly in the case of the Green Beans, which hadn't been cooked the way I prefer.

Undercooked, underflavored….mediocre.

When I mentioned Zhajiangmian to Calvin, he didn't know the dish originated in China…Beijing, he's only had Korean Jajangmyeon. This from a kid raised right around the block from 101 Noodle Express. So I had to order it.

Not impressed with the handmade noodles, it had some pull, but the texture just didn't do it for me. The noodles weren't drained well either. Hard to believe these were hand made. Not enough pork and bean paste sauce, but the flavor of the sauce provided was fine. It was served the classic way with shredded cucumber and bean sprouts.

Calvin loved the Yang Rou Pao Mo.

The bread is still all wrong; but the broth is quite tasty; gamey, with the flavor of the pasture I enjoy. Calvin absolutely loved this, he basically licked the bowl dry……he especially enjoyed the thickness and tongue feel of the broth and the gamey flavor. Now you see why he's always welcome to eat with me.

The Rou Jia Mo was too cold to enjoy.

There was a bit more filling than I recalled, though the pork….much like pulled pork was less fatty than I remembered. We split one, then took the other one back for "YZ"….who got a kick that I took Calvin to Xi'an Kitchen.

It's nice we're starting to get a better representation of regional Chinese cuisine than second rate Sichuan, Hot Pot, or lousy dim sum. I'm hoping that things keep getting better.

Xi’an Kitchen
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Liang’s Kitchen Revisited

** Liang's has closed

For some reason the beef noodle soup at Green China Grill had me thinking about Liang's. Not sure why, very different creatures, but, in spite of the very bad taste of bleach permeating my NRM the last time, I decided it had been a while, so why not?

I was a bit taken a back when I visited. It was 1130 and not a soul in the place. And it also looks like Liang's has not aged well; several of the light fixtures had no bulbs, perhaps to reduce costs, but the wires were hanging out. What I really noticed was the chipped paint everywhere.

The chairs I recalled had been replaced with very cheap banquet chairs. Kind of sad to see the state of the place in about five years of life.

Service was pretty much indifferent, so that part is consistent. I went with the Tendon and Beef Noodle Soup with the LaPian noodles. The bowl arrived hot and steaming.

First off, there were some decent things about this bowl….first and foremost no bleach flavor. Second, the broth was super hot. Third, that piece of tendon was excellent, holding shape but tender bordering on buttery. The broth had decent richness and the flavor of the preserved vegetable came through, but was pretty one dimensional in terms of overall flavor, low anise, lacking in beefiness, and way too much MSG. The beef was cold in the center and tasted a bit like it had been held in the fridge too long. I should have learned my lesson about the noodles and gone with the regular version. The Lapian noodles were hard and pretty much just tore to pieces when grabbing them with chopsticks.

I'm on the fence about this one. It's mediocre, not terrible, though I couldn't finish the broth because of all the MSG. Nothing really incites me to return….so maybe it'll be another 2 or 3 years, or maybe more….I do hope they spruce up the place a bit.

Liang’s Kitchen
4681 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Revisit: Song Huong – Mira Mesa

January 17, 2016 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** This location of Song Huong has been replaced by Saigon Corner

Time sure does fly, doesn't it? It's easy to forget about places you mean to revisit when they are tucked away from the main drag; such is the case with Song Huong almost hidden behind Vinh Hung Market. In fact, I'd totally forgotten about the place until someone mentioned that Chibugan, which had once occupied the Song Huong space; then moved next door had closed. It had me wondering about how Song Huong was doing. Then, as chance would have it, I heard someone recommending the Bun Bo Hue at Song Huong; I did recall it being decent, but nothing special. Still, you didn't have to remind me a third time…..

I had decided to go into the office on a recent weekend to catch up on things, so I decided to take a little detour to Song Huong.

Not sure if it was the strange set-up of the tables, which stretched from the booths…sticking out with four to six seats added. Or the sticky floors and tables. Or perhaps the overall mustiness of the place. It did seem that time has not been to good to Song Huong.

The women working here are very nice; though communication was a bit difficult at times. I did manage to order the Bun Bo Hue, now $7.

This was kind of an odd bowl of BBH. First off, no pork hock. The flank was super tough and the small slices if what looked like pounded beef tasted a bit off and was very tough. No cha lua, just some fish cake. The broth seemed to be dressed up pho broth, with mild hints of spice, but almost no lemongrass or even that quick fixer upper mam tom flavor. It was scalding hot though.

I'm not sure what to say about the noodles, which were different from the bun I'm used to having in BBH. This was hard and very, very slippery….more like undercooked wheat based noodles. The greens and herbs were plentiful, but starting to discolor and mostly comprised of lettuce.

I really don't know what to say about this bowl of soup. Maybe it was an off day? I gotta say, this was a rather strange bowl of Bun Bo Hue. It just seemed thrown together. It's been five years since I'd last visited….I don't think I'll be back anytime soon.

Song Huong
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

Ramen Yamadaya Finally Opens Downtown

December 20, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

**** Ramen Yamadaya has closed

Just like Cathy and The Mister recently did, I had to perform my civic obligation. That would be Jury Duty.

On the good side, I'd read that Ramen Yamadaya's Downtown location had finally opened. I'd first heard about this back in Spring of 2013. Over a year later, I noted that the sign had finally gone up. They must have run into some major problems…..over two years in the making! Even though my last couple of visits have been less than stellar, I wanted to check them out.

The area look a bit smaller than I thought it would be. There's a three table and four seat "bar" looking area near the entrance and a sunken area with tables and another bar; I didn't see any seats, but am pretty sure they'll be there soon.

Upon arriving, it took a bit to be noticed. I was told to sit anywhere I wanted. The service was friendly, if a bit on the slow side…..going thru those opening jitters.

I went with the Kotteri Tonkotsu, done "Yamadaya Style", which made my bowl $12.95. Wow, more expensive than places I'd been to in Japan like Nagi, Ippudo, and Rokurinsha!

So you're basically getting one extra piece of chashu, another half an egg, and a cube of kakuni pork for three bucks. The broth was actually a bit richer and more flavorful than what I'd had on my previous couple of visits to the Clairemont location. The flavor is still not quite "there" for me. It needs a bit more porkiness and oomph. I forgot to order the noodles "katame" and was punished with weak, soggy noodles. Historically, I've not been impressed with the chashu at Yamadaya. It is often cold, dry, and flavorless. This was actually decent, it was warm, and while still not great, at least it had some flavor. That piece of kakuni was terrible though. Hard and chewy, lacking in flavor. The egg was good, just making the cut in terms of doneness, had some flavor and was also warm, which added to the enjoyment.

In spite of all my criticisms, I believe in terms of broth, this bowl was much better than what I'd recently had at the Clairemont Mesa location. I recognized two of the staff working in the kitchen, though it did take a while to get to my table.

Will I return? Well, it seems that I have jury duty every year, so maybe……if I'm in the area, perhaps. Will I be making a special trip here? Not really…..though I'm sure it's a boon for folks who work and live downtown.

Ramen Yamadaya
531 Broadway San
San Diego, CA 92101

Saying Goodbye to Albie’s

December 18, 2015 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Pubs and Pub Grub

**** Sadly Albie's has never returned

I was among the many who were quite shocked at the announcement that Albie's was closing on December 23rd. Though I had my first visit to Albie's a scant three years ago, the unique atmosphere really made an impression on me. While not on my rotation; I managed to revisit about 8-9 times.

I had wanted to visit one last time and when Candice mentioned meeting up for a drink, I was in……

The place was packed….I'd never seen it this full. Word must have gotten around. Lots of love for this place. I heard the word "a San Diego institution" thrown around. We chatted with a couple. The gentleman's wife had been coming here for over 30 years……funny, she never told her husband about Albie's until about a decade ago! They'd moved out of San Diego, but drove down for one last visit.

Over the last couple of visits, I'd found my drink of choice here…..an Old Fashioned.

The piano man was in fine form. Folks were chatting and enjoying the place.

All the semi-nude maidens adorning the walls still looked down upon everyone, a snapshot in time…..kind of what Albie's is. We've all gotten older, but Albie's was Albie's.

So here's to you Albie's. I'm hoping you find a new home.

You can still drop by as Albie's will be open until December 23rd.

Albie’s Beef Inn
1201 Hotel Cir S
San Diego, CA 92108

You can read about my memorable first visit here.

You can also read Soo's post here.

Sunday Sandwiches: Baguette Bros

December 13, 2015 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Chicken Wings, Sandwiches

**** Baguette Bros has closed

Baguette Bros soft opened to a bit of hype a couple of weeks ago. Since it was fairly close to work, I managed to visit a couple of times.

Located in the same strip mall as China Max, Xi'an Kitchen, et al, the menu features twists on Banh Mi, chickens wings, versions VN coffee and drinks, and some Craft Beer (too IPA heavy – not my favorite match for Banh Mi). For some reason this seems to be a Food Truck menu in a brick and mortar shop……after all the NRA (no, not that NRA – the National Restaurant Association) says that the latest trend is from Food Truck to Brick and Mortar.

I like the nice, wide open set-up, very much the norm in places that want to attract the demographic that would want "Fusion Vietnamese Sandwiches"

I decided to go straight for the coronary artery and went with the Belly Flop ($8). The sandwich took a while, which didn't bother me. First this is the soft opening period and systems are still being put in place. Second, it means that my sandwich is being prepped fresh.

As the name indicates, this is a pork belly based Banh Mi. First off, the bread is standard issue. Probably from Le Chef. Because of how "stuffed" the sandwich is, it didn't hold up too on the short 10 minute trip back to the office, the bread had gotten gummy and for some reason, even though it was toasted, wasn't crusty enough.

The amount of pork belly was quite generous and along with the "sweet chili sauce", which seemed like a hoisin based sauce seemed the biggest deviation on what you'd consider something other than a super-stuffed banh mi. The classic cucumber, pickled veggies, and cilantro were nicely done. I loved the jalapenos which helped to cut the sweetness of the sauce.

One complaint would be the belly skin, which, if not fried properly is like eating plastic…..a rather unpleasant surprise.

Things come bundled with Shrimp Chips.

I thought my sandwich was pretty good so a couple of days later I returned with Calvin. I just can't put away food like I used to so having Calvin along would mean we could try a variety of items. Plus, MrC, who is originally from the SGV, his wife from Little Saigon, has had his share of Banh Mi.

My favorite sandwich of the three I had was the "Broguette" ($6). Loved the pate in this, wish they had put jalapenos on it and gone a bit easier on the Maggi, or whatever sauce they used as it was on the salty side. The head cheese was really mild but added texture, as did the Cha Lua, and the bread did well minus the travel time to my desk. As a whole, this was pretty much all about the pate.

We also ordered the "Grasshogger" ($6) – basically a Lemongrass Pork Banh Mi.

Calvin and I had the same reaction upon taking a bite of this; "whoa….too much salt…too much lemongrass". It needed something to balance out the flavors. The pork was actually fairly moist.

There was one other item I wanted to try. The Fish Sauce Chicken Wings.

Calvin liked the rather large sized wings, whereas I'm more about skin to meat ratio. We both agreed that the wings were fried perfectly, but that there was too much fish sauce in this…again, making it a bit too salty. The garlic was good, not too bitter, but this had me missing Que Huong.

I was rather pleased with what BB offered (i.e. the menu), though the execution and flavors were not quite there. I am looking forward to visiting again after the Grand Opening period. Nice folks, service a bit slow, but that's to be expected as they get their systems down.

So perhaps it's worth a visit from you…..though I think they'll be pretty busy now that Eater has declared them one of the 5 new restaurants to visit.

Baguette Bros
4698 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Please check out Kirbie's post as well!

Twiggs Bakery & Coffee House (University Heights)

December 4, 2015 Cathy Bakery, Caffeine Fix, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!! on this beautiful day. Kirk (and his Missus) still have a bit of jet lag and Ed (from Yuma) just wrote a really nice post, so it's Cathy's turn.

A San Diego institution, Twiggs has a long, zig-zagged history here, beginning in 1992. There are two locations and this one (on the North East corner of Adams at Idaho) is where The Mister and I have stopped for a few meals as well as baked goods.There is a food menu in the front window (as well as paper menus inside). It seems to be most crowded here for the Friday-Saturday-Sunday breakfast Specials menu.The beverage menus above the cash registers where you order and pay. Usually we stare at the menu and end up ordering a cup of coffee, because it is from Caffe Calabria, a local roaster we really like. Condiments are to the side of the ordering counter, as is more seating. Because the wifi is free, there are a lot of tables with only one person seated at certain times of the day. They all seem to be ordering something to drink and/or eat also, so that's cool. Asking what the quiche of the day choices were (A slice is $4.25; $7.50 with a salad), both mushroom and ham and cheese were available. This time I chose ham and cheese, an excellent choice. Because this location of Twiggs is also a bakery..well, the crust…it was heavenly. Flaky light, flavorful and a good crisp. The bottom stayed firm (sometimes quiche crusts are almost like raw dough) and the cheesy custard filling (a mix of cheeses) complimented the thick sliced chunks of a very flavorful, smoky ham. The mixed lettuce salad, with tomato, raw mushroom and green pepper comes with a side of raspberry vinaigrette, which I use sparingly…the salad veggies are flavorful on their own.The Mister has been curious about the tarragon chicken salad ($6.95) and this time it was his order. A large scoop (despite this photographic illusion) is served on top of the mixed salad (again, with raspberry vinaigrette on the side). Chopped almonds and tarragon complimented the chicken and mayonnaise; simplicity is all the flavoring needed. The lightly toasted (on a panini press) bread was just a perfect compliment for all the flavors. Never knowing if we will want a dessert, we waited until we were finished eating and walked over to the other side of the ordering counter, perusing the baked goods. (There is another refrigerated area with cakes and pies and their respective slices that I didn't photograph).Again, deciding simple would be best, we asked for one pecan sandy ($1) cookie to go and when we got home, were happy to see that there were two in the bag. There are bits of pecan in every bite of these lightly flaky buttery cookies.

Always a nice, neighborhood place to stop. You can pre-order some wonderful cakes, pies and cookies as well some very traditional Christmas items for the rest of the holidays coming up.

Twiggs Bakery & Coffee House 2804 Adams Avenue San Diego 92116 (619)296-4077 Website

Continental Delicatessen (Escondido)

December 1, 2015 Cathy German Restaurants and Food, Pizza, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this blog. Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy write about food. Right now, Kirk and Ed are relaxing and Cathy is writing.

The Mister and I have the habit of eating a meal before grocery shopping. We've been in Escondido quite a bit and had noticed that the kitchen used by Vinz Wine Bar shared the courtyard and kitchen within this small business. Continental Deli is just across the alley from Escogelato and has been there since about 2010.Walking inside, you are greeted with some glassed refrigerators holding pizza already sliced and waiting to be re-warmed. Walk by it, pass the meat and cheese refrigerator (Thumanns Natural brand meats as well as some German cold cuts), peruse the menu board, order and pay and your food will be brought to your table. which is always covered with a colorful tablecloth.Each day, a home made soup is available until sold out. This day it was mushroom soup ($3). The thickener was potato and it was wonderful.Two slices of pizza and a self serve soda ($6) make a nice meal. There were other pizzas with more interesting toppings available, but The Mister and I are simple folk when the pie is thin crusted.The #9 sandwich, Liverwurst and Butterkäse (butter cheese), on rye (and with onions, which aren't photographed because this is not my half) ($.6.95) is one of my favorite sandwiches in the world. I enjoy this version because of the quality and freshness-of the bread as well as the soft cheese and fresh, thick slices of liverwurst.

This past summer, we purchased one of each sausage (knackwurst (pork), bratwurst (pork) and bockwurst (veal)) for a total of $4.Cooking each on the grill brought out the multitude of flavors from each of the various herbs and spices used in the sausages.

Continental Deli is a great place for the people living in the Northern part of the county. We're glad we found it.

Continental Delicatessen 120 S. Kalmia Street 92025 (760) 745-8007 Open Mon-Thurs 9-8, Fri 9-9, Sat 10-8 Closed Sunday Deli menu is on the Vinz website

Harvest International Market- Eat in the store (Clairmont)

November 23, 2015 Cathy Markets & Grocers, Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy write most of the posts here. Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) are both busy this week before Thanksgiving and Cathy is not busy.

The building on the North East corner of Balboa at Clairmont Drive had finally opened in early 2013, as another location of North Park Produce. Then it closed. Harvest International Market opened in its place. There is another location of Harvest closer to home, in El Cajon, but it's smaller (used to be a 99 Cents Only store) and there is no eat in area, but a nice 'grab and go' selection. Harvest has some tables and chairs inside the store and out in front.When you walk in the door, to your right is the bakery, deli and kitchen. There is also a cash register there, so you can order and pay. The hot tea is always brewing next to the baklava area (to the left when you walk in).The by the pound area has a vast selection of premade salads, olives and cheeses, all sold by the pound. There's also a good variety of flatbreads and small loaves to choose from. That white stuff? It's a saltier version of Kirk's garlic sauce and quite heavenly. The other items are baba ganoge (eggplant dip) and shirazi salad (cucumber, tomato, onion, parsley and mint mixed with olive oil and lemon juice) all very fresh and very good with the flatbread seen beneath ($1).

I purchase the yogurt based beverages from the vast selection in the back corner store refrigerators.

There is also a good selection of daily soups; I've tried most by pointing at the selection behind the glass counter. Some are tomato based, others are cream based. The above one had spinach and garbanzo beans, was in a creamy chicken based broth and was topped with crispy onion. The bowl was $3.The beef shawarma plate ($7.99) comes with a salad and basmati rice. There is a lot of everything and any of the plates can be shared. On this visit, the shawarma tasted dry on its own and the tzatziki sauce was needed; I usually don't have to add any. It was very flavorfully seasoned and the next day, I heated the meat up and mixed it into scrambled eggs for breakfast and no additional seasoning was needed. There was a sign that beef or chicken kabobs were five for $10 and we asked and ordered just one of each at the $2 each price. Both kabobs were flavorful and very large. It was nice they gave us two roasted tomatoes on the plate…so much nicer than a sprig of parsley. Next to the shawarma spinning upright rotisseries is a third rotisserie with gyros meat. This platter was also $7.99 and when we asked if it came with pita bread, the lady told us to grab one out of the bread box near the front. It's a really good bread topped with sesame seeds. We also were given a choice of specialty rice, and asked for 'the green one', as there were eight different rices in view.

After some research, I found the rice choices are basmati with other primary ingredients: Zereshk Polo (barberry), Baghali Polo (Persian dill with lima beans), Shirin Polo (orange and carrots), Albaloo Polo (sour cherry), Adas Polo (lentils), Lubia Polo (green beans), Biryani (spices and meat mixed in) and Aloo Polo (dried plums).

All in all, we've enjoyed exploring the deli counter and trying various offerings before we go shopping in the store. It's a pretty standard Mediterranean Market with halal meats and some seafood and interesting cookies, sauces, teas and coffees as well as ice cream and snack offerings.

Harvest International Market 4220 Balboa Avenue San Diego 92111 (858) 810-8228 open 7 a.m.-9 p.m. daily Website

Turo Turo Tuesday: Manila Resto

October 27, 2015 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Filipino Restaurants

**** Manila Resto has closed

I was in National City recently looking for a specific ingredient…had no luck at Seafood City, but I noticed this new "turo-turo" (point-point) place had opened up.

So I decided to stop and grab some breakfast. Man, this restaurant is huge……

The woman working the counter was very friendly and the food looked decent….so I went with the Longanisa and Chicken Tocino….I had to stop her from piling on the garlic rice and still ended up with a load of carbs.

And the egg of course, which had been sitting in a steam tray. The garlic in the rice was burnt, thus making the whole deal quite bitter. The longanisa was as expected, a meaty-juicy pouch of loveliness. The chicken tocino was really tough, it had been cooked down too long. It was also more salty than sweet.

It was quite obvious, this was one of those quantity over quality places.

No big deal……I made a note to revisit one day…no rush.

Funny thing happened the following week. I saw an old coworker of mine. She dropped off lunch from this "new place" to try…..it was from Manila Resto.

She got me the Bicol Express and the Beef Kaldereta, two dishes I love. She even told me they went easy on the rice….it was still way to much for me.

Bicol Express combines wonderful savory (from the fermented shrimp paste- bagoong alamang), with spicy (from chili peppers). This one kind of weak.

This was really tough, lacked spice….I mean it was really whimpy, and though it was salty, it could have used more bagoong.

The Kaldereta was slightly better; though it was still on the bland side. I enjoy mine a bit tangy from the tomato with a beefy edge. The pieces of beef were huge and had to be cut into pieces before eating. It was also a bit too greasy for my taste.

You won't go hungry after this…..but it's obviously more about quantity than quality here.

Manila Resto
1420 E Plaza Blvd Suite D2
National City, CA 91950