Closed – Page 40

Sang Deuan Thai & Lao Kitchen

March 16, 2015 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

**** Mekong Cuisine Lao and Thai has replaced Sang Deuan

Back around Thanksgiving, I saw that a new "Thai and Lao" restaurant was opening in the place of The Philadelphia Sandwich Company. The one thing that caught me eye was the Thai and Lao Kitchen portion of the sign. Lao cuisine is a favorite of mine, I really enjoyed many of the meals I had in Laos. So needless to say, I was somewhat excited. Then I heard that this was going to be the sister (brother?) restaurant to Sang Dao, which made things even more interesting. I've eaten at Sang Dao quite a few times; dating back to their old location on National Avenue back in 2005! Ed from Yuma, Howie, Candice, and I had an interesting meal at Sang Dao back in 2009.

So I visited soon after they opened. The place look fairly nice. The interior somewhat "bistro-ish". The young lady who served me during all three visits was quite efficient and reasonably amiable.

I did notice just a handful of what I'd call Lao dishes on the menu; Khao Piak, Papaya Salad, that sort of thing. Nothing like what Sang Dao has. So, I decided to use this visit to see how some of the usual suspects were done

My favorite dish that gauges the stir fry skills is Pad Se Ew. I went with the shrimp version.

This didn't turn out very well. The noodles were mushy and lacking in flavor. As you can tell, there's no "wok hay" no scent, essence, caramelization, nor personality of the use of a hot wok skillfully. The shrimp were dry and the dish really lacked flavor and came across as being kind of greasy.

I also ordered the Nham Tok. Not being asked for a "heat range" can be a mixed blessing. At places like Vientiane Thai Laos in Garden Grove it's great because you'll get served it as spicy as they think appropriate. On the other hand, there's always a chance this happens.

I got "gringo'd"….this was maybe below a 1? The meat was fairly chewy, at least they used roasted rice powder, but the overall flavor was kind of weak.

Man, this wasn't quite the start I thought I'd have here. Before leaving, I asked the nice young lady about some other Lao dishes that weren't on the menu. Apparently, there's a whole world of items that are "off-menu". Among them is my personal favorite Nem Khao, the crispy rice dish made with Lao fermented sausage. So…..in spite of this shaky start, I just had to return.

Unfortunately, when I did return, they had no Lao Sausage, and I was told they "weren't ready to serve nem"…….so what to do?

I went with the Salted fish Fried Rice.

This was pretty good. The salted fish was very finely minced so it wasn't as "in your face" fermented-savory as the version at The Original Sab E Lee, nor was it as salty. It was closer to the milder version at Sab E Lee Santee. It was adequately stir fried, you could count every grain of rice. Decent flavors; not bad at all.

Still, I hadn't gotten what I came for. This only meant that I had to return and give it one more try. This time they had Nem Khao.

Accompanied by a plate of sparkling fresh lettuce and herbs my rice dish arrived at the table. This was a nice dish, less sour and not quite as crisp as my favorite versions, but it had some nice spice and a decent flavor overall. Not bad, I'd have it again.

What I won't have again is the Crispy Pork with Chinese Broccoli. I had optimistically hoping for something like what we get at Yai Restaurant. What I got was this.

While the flavor was decent, that familiar soy-garlic-etc, the gailan was overcooked and the pork was hard, not tough, definitely not crisp, but hard. I'm thinking that the two pieces I managed to swallow are probably still floating around in my GI tract somewhere….well hopefully not.

That said, service was nice, the salted fish fried rice and the nem khao was good…..I'm thinking that they must make the green bean salad that I always enjoyed at Sang Dao……so I guess I'll be back.

Sang Deuan
3904 Convoy St. Suite 112
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Tues – Thurs 10am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 10am – 10pm
Sunday 10am – 9pm
Closed on Mondays

Mariscos Monday: The El Puerto Mariscos Truck

March 9, 2015 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, Taco Shops

I noticed a "new" Mariscos Truck while driving down Convoy two weeks ago name El Puerto. I felt it was a bit too cold for tacos at that time, but what a difference a week makes. Looks like winter has made its way out of San Diego. Bright and sunny days are perfect for "lonchera lunching"…..

So I parked the car…..the truck is located in the small space between Convoy Liquors (4383 Convoy Street) and Wienerschnitzel (4393 Convoy St)….you can't miss it. I walked up and took a look at the menu; much like Mariscos Nine Seas, things looked quite gringo friendly, which sends off alarms bells. Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? Pretty straight forward stuff. I ordered a Fried Fish Taco ($1.50), A Fried Shrimp Taco ($2.50), and was overjoyed to see a Gobernador ($4.25) on the menu as well. It was a nice day, so I did as I would usually do….I ate on the hood of my car. Based on how things looked, I expected no consommé and got none.

The fish taco wasn't my favorite….a rather small piece of fish; the batter was on the greasy side and it did not hold up well. It was adequately moist, but tasted a bit more fishy than I like. The fried shrimp was the best of the bunch, the batter, while still on the greasy side held up well, the shrimp were mist and plump.

I've got to say, this was the strangest gobenador I've ever had, also the smallest. You can check out other versions on some of our older posts.

At least the tortillas….not great quality as they all fell apart, had a layer of melted cheese. Basically some stir fried shrimp and a few slices of green pepper (no onions, no tomatoes???) and a couple of slices of avocado. And here I thought the version at the Mariscos Tijuana Jr Truck was different.

The salsas were by the book, decent. The folks running the truck were very nice. Because my order was taking a bit long, they offered me my choice of beverage on the house.

Still, I'd rather drive down South for my Mariscos Fix.

El Puerto Mariscos Truck

Currently parked between 4383 and 4393 Convoy.

Hours:

Monday – Saturday 10am - 4pm

Pho Paradise

February 23, 2015 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho Paradise has closed

I was thinking of doing my post on Sang Deuan tonight, but the weather just seemed right for a post on the recently opened Pho Paradise, which is located in the same strip mall. I first noticed the change of business back at the end of the year. I really haven't had a good bowl of Pho in Kearny Mesa/Convoy is ages. So I was curious to see how this place would be.

As I said before; that logo looks a bit familiar, but I just can't place it.

In addition to the décor; the menu is typical of your neighborhood pho shop…pho, bun, rice……

I went with #3, rare steak, brisket, tendon, and tripe ($6.75). Man, when did pho hit the seven dollar mark? The Dac Biet here is like $7.75. Regardless, I liked the look of my bowl when it arrived.

Kind of sparse on the sprouts and herbs….but is that Ngo Gai I see? A rarity on the Mesa…..

The broth looked dark and rich, flecks of oil dotted the surface….the fragrance was quite "onion-ny". Nice first impression. The broth was mildly beefy, faint anise, onion-forward, though, as is the norm in San Diego, a bit heavy handed on the MSG. It was also super scalding hot.

The noodles were over-done and on the mushy side.

As for the proteins; the tendon was good, decent texture; the rare steak was cut too thick and dried out quickly in the broth. This was the most tripe I've seen in a bowl on the Mesa since forever.

The flank and brisket were unremarkable, both flavorless and on the dry side.

Still, it seems that these folks aren't just going thru the motions and are really trying to put out a good product.

A few days later I returned and tried the Banh Mi Bo Kho ($6.75). Man was this super dark.

This was too salty for my taste, it was also very thin, lacking in anise tones and any vestige of tomato flavor. The meat was on the tough and dry side.

I'd probably stick with the pho.

The young man and young lady who served me were very nice. I know I've been around a long time when I recognized Her from Van Hoa and K Sandwich…sheesh. The service here seemed a level above your typical pho shop. I like the hours, since my schedule often calls for an early lunch. This location seems to have some bad juju; in the course of two years it has been Viet Bakery and Pho, then V Bakery. I hope the place can break that spell. I also hope the pho is just as good, or heck, let's shoot for the moon, maybe even better next time around. You see, I'm not looking for a "pho paradise" here; just a decent bowl.

Pho Paradise
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mon – Sat 9am – 10pm
Sunday 10am – 9pm

Taqueria Revolucion

February 18, 2015 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

**** This location became Tacos Frontera which has closed

Man, when was the last time I had honest to goodness tacos…….work has kept me busy, so trips outside my usual "range" had been put on hold. I'd heard about Taqueria Revolucion a few months back, but was too busy to check them out. I mentioned them to my coworker Karina who went to check them out the next weekend. She came back and told me the place was worth a visit.

Recently, I was craving some tacos….and of course Tacos el Gordo comes to mind, as did Fernandez Catering and a couple of others. But I thought why not take the time to drive a bit further to San Ysidro and check out the revolutionary taqueria?

The place is fairly nondescript, I almost passed it….

The interior is unassuming and quite plain, the menu simple, but solid and the young lady working quite hard to take orders, work the register, then deliver the goods to each table….and man, the burritos looked titanic.

But I'm a taco kind of guy and I ordered three along with some Consomme de Birria ($1.25).

I gotta say, this was my favorite item of the day. It was fairly thick, beefy, mildly spiced, with just enough salt and lime to keep me happy. Quite good.

I also ordered tres tacos.

The Adobada was decent, loved the way they did the tortillas, dipping them in the drippings. I prefer mine a bit sweeter, but he texture was nice, and it was satisfying.

I had originally wanted a Nopal Queso Taco, but they were out. So I quickly replaced it with Carne Asada. Which was better than I thought it would be.

It was stuffed with finely chopped beef, which had a pleasant chew. The flavor was nice….I swear, there's some soy sauce/maggi or something like that in here. Not too salty, light citrus tones; much better than I expected.

The Birria Quesataco was good. Though the birria was on the milder side, which played up to the queso, adding a nice milky component to the whole thing. The birria, though mild needed no salt and just a touch of lime from me.

I enjoyed the tortillas, perhaps a bit harder than preferred, but I believe they are made inhouse.

I enjoyed my meal and will probably be back if I'm in the area, especially for some of that consomme. I'd been craving some decent tacos for a while and this hit the spot. The owner, whose name is Emilio I believe, came out and stopped by to chat with all his customers…….mostly regulars it seems, but a few newbies as well. Very friendly guy.

After waiting for a few months, I finally got my taco fix…..

Taqueria Revolucion
362 E San Ysidro Blvd
San Diego, CA 92173

Chef Zhu revisited

February 16, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Chef Zhu is now a location of Chin's

With the Lunar New Year quickly approaching, my coworker "YZ" decided that we should go out and grab some lunch. I knew she had been missing dishes from her hometown of Shanghai, so I suggested Chef Zhu, since it had been a while since I last visited. Since YZ has been in san Diego for a while, she had also eaten at the owner's previous restaurant, Shanghai City, and was curious as to how the dishes would compare.

As I mentioned before, the previous "ABCDE" (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) menu is in place and folks come in calling the place "Double Happiness", so it's an interesting crowd.

"YZ" let me do the ordering, just like when we were in Madison for business.

We ended up ordering three dishes, all of which I've had before and thought were the three strongest on the menu. They did not disappoint.

Starting with the Yin Doo Xin, which is my favorite item on the menu.

A deceptively simple pork + (preserved) pork based broth. Clean, just salty enough, satisfying.

With the New Year on the way, I thought we should order the Chao Nian Gao.

Nicely texture, not too chewy or soft. I thought it could have a bit more saltiness….but YZ and SJP who joined us for lunch sure enjoyed it. SJP who is Korean seemed surprised to see that nian gao was essentially "dduk"….or perhaps visa versa.

We needed a bit of meat……well, just because. I went with the steamed pork with preserved vegetable which was better than I recalled.

Not too salty, balanced sweetness which cut the richness of the pork, this was pretty good overall.

In the end, we all had a nice meal, and even better conversation. I wish our busy work schedules allowed for more lunches like this..

Chef Zhu
1011 Camino Del Mar
Del Mar, CA 92014

84 Degrees in February – Getting my Liang Mian and Liang Cai fix from Fu An

February 12, 2015 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Fu An has closed

I get to work pretty early in the morning. It's still dark out. The day had been busy and I didn't step outside my little molehill/bunker/office until 1pm. Holy smokes! I check the temperature and good lord it's 84 degrees! Like what is this, Yuma? Just kidding Ed!

It's strange, but for whatever reason, I crave Sichuan Liang Mian and Liang Cai (cold dishes) when it starts getting warm. Were this before February of 2012, the choice would be easy; it would be Ba Ren. And while the assistant chef from Ba Ren now resides at Fu An, things have been inconsistent to say the least.

Still, I needed my fix, so that's where I headed.

The cold dishes weren't bad…..but there's still something missing…the amount of spice, the amount of vinegar, the slight touches that make all the difference. Still, it's not terrible.

Same can be said of the Sichuan Liang Mian. The flavor is almost there….there's even a bit of that Sichuan Peppercorn tingle….but it too is missing those last pieces of the puzzle. And the noodles are hard, stiff, almost like they needed to be cooked ever so slightly more.

However, we beggar's can't be choosers. I got my fix in…….

Fu An Garden
4768 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Looking at that temp…..I wonder, if it was another degree hotter, would I have thought of going here?

Artisan Bento

February 10, 2015 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

**** Artisan Bento is now Hachi Ramen

*** Update: Artisan Bento now opens at 11am. A short update here.

Before things got real crazy at work; we were having dinner with my good friend Candice. Usually the conversation goes from travel, to our friends, and of course to food. Somehow the conversation went to those places we had wished did well, but just seemed to miss the mark. The now defunct Bentowich immediately came up. Candice quickly mentioned Artisan Bento which was opening in Banker's Hill….Banker's Hill? She explained that this was a project of Shihomi Borillo, one of the managing partners of Azuki Sushi and the the ingredients will be mostly local and sustainable….. It sounded interesting, but I wasn't quite sure what the concept was going to translate into.

One evening when the Missus was working, I decided to drop by. There was just a minimal challenge in finding parking. At least it was after 6pm….no feeding the meter on the street. The shop is fairly small, the a couple of tables tucked into one corner, counter seating, and a few tables outside. The place looked more like your friendly neighborhood coffee shop. The glass case gives things away though……very well presented menu items, it would look perfectly fine in one of those basement depachikas, like we visited in Ginza and Kyoto, though the guys behind the counter looked more like your friendly neighborhood barista's than someone working in the bento shop……even a hipster bento shop. The guys working behind the counter on all my visits were really friendly, service oriented, and very nice.

There are of course bento's, a "bento box" with one main and one "side salad" for $9.95 and the delux ($13.95), with one main, two side salads, and even dessert, which is what I got. I ordered the Ginger Pork – basically Shogayaki, something my Mom used to make. Of course what we had at home looked nothing like this.

And yes, this might not look like much, but it was enough to fill me up. I really didn't know what to expect, but was very pleasantly surprised with the pork….it isn't super tender, but the texture is right. So is the flavor, not too sweet, some ginger, perhaps a bit too salty, but it was definitely that bento lunch special pork shogayaki alright. The lotus root was perfect in texture, but weak in flavor….the spinach on the other hand was perhaps my favorite item. Just enough flavor, with the sesame paste coming through without overwhelming the flavor of he spinach. The miso soup was very good in terms of what is usually a throw-away side, much better than many places I've eaten at. Perhaps the item I was most surprised at was the multigrain rice onigiri….I had visions of mushy versions I've had in the past, but the proportion of grains to rice was perfect and somehow, the onigiri itself just seemed fluffy and light. I really enjoyed it….and didn't feel like I needed to take up macrame or tie-dying after having this.

I even enjoyed the yogurt panna cotta, which was light and not too sweet. As to whether this was worth $15 (with tax), well, I'll leave that up to you.

A few night later I decided to drop by and check out some other items on the menu. Starting with "Mama's Pork" Bao Bun ($5.75). Somehow, I envisioned a nice steamed bun filled with rich and fatty pork. What I got was this.

The pork was basically the shogayaki, which I can understand. Not much in the way of kitchen facilities here, they've got to maximize product. It's that bread, which by the way was sliced, even though it looked folded…very ponderous, which reminded me of something like a very bad Da Bing/Laobing. The best part of this were the vegetables and the dressing which had some nice sweet and mint components.

I'm not sure why, but I also went for the Albacore Tataki ($7.50).

Which was pretty much by the book, on the dry and tough side, and unremarkable.

I should have tried the "Cold Ramen Bowl" like I had planned too. Oh well, lesson learned. There's one more lesson I learned as well. I had seen the hours as being Monday – Saturday 10 am to 9pm. When I'm between meetings, one of my favorite things to do is drop by Nijiya, Mitsuwa, or Marukai, and pick up a bento for lunch to take back to the office. So between meetings one day, I dropped by, found parking three blocks away, fed the meter, and walked on over to get a bento. It was 1015……no dice, unfortunately, food is not served until 11am….which I didn't see noted anywhere. I have menu open in front of me and it doesn't say a thing about that either.

Still, I wanted to give the place another shot…..so, working on a recent weekend I dropped by and ordered the Bento Delux with Chicken Skewers. It was put into a box, looking quite neat and all. Dessert separated from the hot items.

Things held together quite well, though this won't win any awards for looking like something from an Ekiben stand. There was some seepage as sauce from the chicken, which was basically tsukune, formed meat, onto the onigiri.

The chicken was kind of dry……I'll stick with the pork, or try something else next time. The other items, the onigiri, spinach, and miso soup all delivered.

I like the concept, the foundation of the menu items are solid, it's not hipster bento….not too sold on the artisan part though, more like boutique bento. There were quite a few questions I had to ask myself about this place. I work in Kearny Mesa which has several Japanese places that I like better and are a better value than AB….like Izakaya Sakura or even Yakuyudori, or Kayaba…. In terms of straight up bento, I could get 2 bento from Nijiya…or maybe three bowls from Marukai for the price of the Delux…. is what AB creates that much better? Was this place worth going out of my way for? I'm hoping they find a niche for themselves in the area. Perhaps the location will be a plus. Like say, grabbing a bento before or after hitting Balboa Park. And while I've had surly service at Yakyudori and even Sakura, the folks here are very nice.

As for the Bentowich comparison…this place is on a different level…and just like that place, I hope they do well. Time will tell and I'll probably be back, just to see……..

Artisan Bento
2505 5th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours:
Monday – Saturday 10am – 9pm

Lavang Restaurant

February 2, 2015 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Lavang has closed

Funny, I always almost say "lavage" when I read the sign….not the most appetizing word. A couple of weeks ago FOY "Janfrederick" mentioned that Pho Viet Cali was no more in the comments of this post. I had always thought Viet Cali really made a mediocre and over priced bowl of pho. One day I had meetings fairly close by so I decided to drop by.

I forgot how large the restaurant was.

I liked the menu; which seemed to have quite a few dishes that I enjoy. On this visit, though, I decided just to go with the pho. As I usually do, I just went with the dac biet since it gives me a nice picture into how the various proteins are prepped. At $6.95 for a small bowl, it ain't cheap. It was even smaller than Viet Cali's seven dollar pho. The herbs were really skimpy and the lime had brown spots as did the basil. Also take a look at the size of the bowl of pho in comparison to the little plate of garnishes.

All comparisons to Viet Cali stopped at the price. This was a pretty good bowl. The broth was fairly dark, yet clear. It had decent fat/oil and a very light anise flavor, with a more pronounced onion thing going on. Not quite as good as Pho Lucky on a good day, but ok.

The meats were fine, one piece of the rare steak had a metallic taste to it. Most of it was unremarkable and there wasn't much of it either.

The one thing that was a pleasant surprise were how the noodles were prepped. This wasn't your usual clump of mushy, over cooked noodles. No, the noodles had been separated and were just perfect in texture.

Also, the folks who run this place; I'm thinking it's a family of four are really, very, very, nice. It made me want to return in spite of the rather low value level. So I dropped by the next chance I had and tried a couple of the appetizers I'd seen.

The Lavang Fried Chicken Wings ($8.95). It was a pretty little plate.

The sautéed peppers and onions brought very little to the dish in terms of flavor. The wings were he small type; which I actually kind of like since it makes for the perfect bite; a combination of crisp batter/skin/meat. This was adequately fried, but the sauce was way too sweet for me, without a nice savory punch that I would expect.

I also tried the Nem Nuong Cuon ($3.95). Much like some other places in the area, this place is trying to take a page out of the Brodard playbook.

Wrapped too tight and hard, too much filler, the nem nuong was very bland and lost in everything. Could have used more herbs….oh and that sauce was watery and bland as well.

One evening a week or so later, I decided to drop by. The special that evening was one of my favorite dishes; Banh Mi Bo Kho ($7.95).

In some ways this was a pretty good version; lots of meat, the baguette nice and warm, the carrots perfect, not overcooked and mushy. I would have enjoyed a bit more anise tones and tanginess, but I know folks who don't. A good amount of black pepper in this and the broth was on the thin side….again, personal preferences at work. Like I said, tons of meat, cooked well, but not enough tendon for my taste. It is perhaps a bit more refined than the thick, rustic version I prefer.

But heck, this isn't bad by any means.

The owner told me to come back and try the Bo Luc Lac, so of course one evening, when the Missus was working, I dropped by to try it ($11.95).

Like some of the other dishes; the ingredients are done fairly well, the beef was adequately tender, but this fell short in the flavor category. I prefer mine with a more assertive sweet-savory flavor and this was really mild. Strangely, the rice was terrible…very hard.

The best part of the whole meal was the broth, which had such nice depth of flavor.

Just enough salt…this had that aaaah appeal. I guess I better return for other soups in the future.

I did return one more time for the Grilled Beef spicy Mango Salad ($9.95).

Again, nice try, but no cigar. The beef was tender, but on the mild side……the flavor of sesame oil was a bit too strong. The salad portion was nice, but again too much sesame flavor. I'd have enjoyed something with a stronger fish sauce flavor.

Like I said, the folks here are very, very, nice. I can see that they are trying for a more refined product, and while it shows in some of the prep, things just seem to miss the mark. I did notice that the two customers on the table in back of me were whining about how "greasy" the pho looked (meanwhile the Vietnamese on the table next to them just laughed – gringos wanting gringo pho)….I guess folks are really getting used to the MSG loaded, totally defatted, mediocre pho like they serve on Convoy. And while I admire the effort, the place just kind of falls short……

Lavang Restaurant
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours:
Mon – Fri 10am – 9pm
Saturday 10am – 10pm
Closed Sunday

La Miche Kabobgee

January 27, 2015 mmm-yoso Lebanese Restaurants

**** Sadly, La Miche has closed

It's funny what a u-turn can do for you. Back in 2003, we turned into Diane Street to make a "semi u-turn" when we first saw Ba Ren. This past November, I was making a u-turn on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard when I spotted a sign I hadn't seen before.

Man, this was a new one for me! A few days later I dropped by during lunch to investigate. The gentleman, whose name if I could ever get it right is Nabih was very friendly, mellow, and had a great sense of humor as well.

The space was nice and wide open, nothing fancy mind you, but very clean. Loved the wood fired oven and when I saw embers rising from the grill, Nabih told me, "it's the mesquite we use for grilling." Well ok, sign me up!

The lunch was a collection of the usual suspects kafta, shawarma, even a burger. I really liked the Combo Sandwich ($8.50), which gave you one each of a Beef Shawarma, Falafel, and Chicken Shawarma. It was a neat plate which looked like mini tacos.

The beef was decent, mild for my taste, but it had a nice texture. The falafel much too hard and gritty; I prefer a crisp exterior with a more cream interior. The one surprise for me was how much I enjoyed the chicken….something about the combination of flavors; the perfectly flavored pickles and that excellent garlic paste, with the nicely grilled chicken, enrobed in a house made warm pita that did it for me. This was probably the best garlic paste I've had in San Diego. Yes, better than Alforon. It was creamy, with just the mildest bite.

The salad was fresh and crisp.

So, it was a good lunch. And that would have been that; until I had a look at the rest of the menu. Oh my, there was so much more to this place it seemed. And it also had something I really hadn't seen on a menu in years……Kibbeh Nayyeh – Kibbeh Nayee ($11) on the menu. Think of it as a Lebanese beef tartare if you will. It is basically minced raw beef combined with bulgur and seasoned with various spices. The Missus had to work, so I decided to drop by and check this out.

Nabih mentioned in his genial and friendly way that it take about 20 minutes to prepare this as he was the only one who makes the dish and it has to be made fresh and eaten quickly. Hey, I was in no rush. A bottle of Almaza Beer, brewed by Brasserie Almaza; Beirut, Lebanon was suggested. Of course I was going to try that.

Some pita, hummus, and garlic paste (yes!) was also provided. I enjoyed the hummus as well; it's very, and has just the right amount of tahini for my taste. Most places just put either too much, or not enough of the stuff.

The garlic paste was quite good. It arrived looking very light and whipped. You'll notice if you are able to restrain yourself from eating the whole thing that it starts to ever so slightly change in texture as time goes by. I was told that only four ingedients are used in this; oil, garlic, salt, and just a touch of lemon juice. Nabih also shared some other parts of the process, which I think I'll let him tell you if you visit.

The Kibbeh Nayyeh truly delivered, it's refreshing, love the flavors of the spices, cinnamon, and other flavors come through quite well. It's refreshing, yet rich, and the bulgur makes this quite filling. I really had to work to finish it off. Nabih had made it a bit spicy for me which was nice; the crunch and pungency of the onions really did the trick, and the fruity touch of the olive oil brought it all together. The Missus and I actually had this a few weeks later and we could barely finish.

Somehow, I just knew I could trust Nabih with making me a raw beef dish. There's something about his character that justs seems so solid and trustworthy. So the following week I brought the Missus, and over time we've found the rotation of dishes we enjoy. You might be surprised; not a kabob in sight. Personally, we love snacking on the mezza and salads. Here are our favorites.

Muhamarah:

This wonderfully complex combination of red bell pepper, walnut, pomegranite sauce, lemon juice, olive oil, cayenne….thickened with bread just hits the spot.

It has that combination of nutty-sweet-spicy-tangy flavors I just love.

The Shaankleesh, made from the well known mold ripened cheese, mixed with tomato, onion, zaatar, and olive oil, makes for the utlimate bread food. It is savory, funky (in a good way), with the wonderful flavor of a mildly ripe cheese.

Two items you'll know if you've had Lebanese food in San Diego, but nicely prepared as mezza.

Makanek:

These little sausages are very moist, the spices combined with the rather bracing lemon juice nad pungent black pepper will keep you interested.

The Soujouk was interesting:

Nabih suggested a different preparation form what was on the menu. Rather than cooked with eggs; he told us we'd enjoy it with a nice tomato sauce.

The nicely spiced dry sausage, did really well with the acid and tanginess of the light tomato sauce. This is the Missus's current favorite dish. I like it with an Almaza beer….it's one of those dishes that was just made for beer.

And of course there's the garlic paste and hummus.

And yes, we've tried other dishes on the menu……

The wings are pretty good…..you'll have to love garlic and lemon juice to enjoy this one.

Here's a dish Nabih said you'll either take to, or immediately hate. The Batata Hama – a bit too much lemon in this one for us.

The quail was tender, but man, that pomengranite saice almost blew me out of my socks!

You'll notice…not kabob in sight…I guess we're enjoying the mezza so much that we haven't made it that far yet. And where's all those other standards? Ditto……I guess straying away from the usual suspects paid off for us. And there's also sfiha on the menu, which is sort of like the Turkish Lahmacun and Manakish….though the Missus isn't doing bread right now.

Nabih is one of the nicest fellows around. He remembers his customers and always has time for a conversation….he also has a sly sense of humor as well. His wife, I believe her name is Lynn is so very nice as well. They seem to treat their regulars like family. We've been dropping by almost every week.

The last quarter of 2014 has been good to us, we've found two places we enjoy having our "date night" at; Yakitori Taisho and La Miche.

While lunch here is good, it's the variety and flavors available at dinner, not to mention the relaxed and friendly staff, that makes this place something special for us

La Miche Kabobgee
9350 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123
Hours:
Mon – Fri 11am – 9pm
Saturday 3pm – 9pm
Sunday – Closed

E & Drink: preserved vegetables (revisit)

January 26, 2015 Cathy Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

E & Drink has closed

Hello and welcome to the food blog, mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and Ed (from Yuma) have both been extremely busy and Cathy is not yet at the point of extremely busy, so she is writing today's post.

As I had mentioned, The Mister has been having unusual cravings lately, primarily in wanting certain spices, heat levels or flavors…not a particular food. He had been mentioning 'Hot Pot but not the same as Little Sheep, that was very peppery' and since we needed to get some groceries after this lunch (it's located inside the 99Ranch complex), E & Drink seemed the perfect place to stop. Usually, we discuss our menu choices and decide what to share. This was the first time in almost forever when we didn't. He opened the menu, saw what he wanted and closed the menu, saying 'ready'. I noticed this placard on the table… and assumed The Mister was ordering hot pot and so the bottom combination of a Hot Pot plus an item listed as 'Lunch Special' seemed an option. Unusual 'appetizers' were brought out with our respective utensils. Turns out that The Mister had ordered the 'Lamb with pickled cabbage' hot pot, which arrived bubbling and ended up with much flavor. The Mister had asked for noodle on the side (instead of rice) and that was a change up and, I think a better choice. This was a hot pot of flavors we had never tried before and it was excellent. A meaty bubbling broth, the vegetables and hot pot fillers (pickled cabbage, meat ball, tofu, corn, kamaboko, fish cake, tempura, egg, napa cabbage, carrot, radish, vermicelli) were really good, still crisp and the lamb was tender and had a good flavor that we both enjoyed. Sometimes we order 'add ins' from the menu and, as you can see, the pot is full and it was very flavorful without needing anything added in.

I mentioned that we did not discuss our meal choices, merely ordering by number from the menu…Coincidentally, I ordered a meat with preserved vegetable also. "Pork with preserved vegetable" the menu stated… it was preserved rather than pickled (which is indeed a type of preserving) vegetable (an addictive saute of something from the cabbage family, but a dark green and it was not salty nor vinegared) with sides of chilled fried eggplant, broccoli and a wonderful pickled radish. As you might see, the serving of pork is very much pork belly. It was perfect. The fatty goodness and charred edges went so well with the vegetables and rice. Definitely ordering this again.

There are an array of drinks, desserts, appetizers and snacks available here. I hope your week has started out well.

E and Drink 7330 Clairmont Mesa Blvd, A110 San Diego 92111 (858) 560-9888 open 10:30- midnight daily.