Closed – Page 46

Curry Rice Hinotez Opens

March 4, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

*** Curry Rice Hinotez is now Yakitori Taisho

I'd been keeping an eye out since Cathy told me that Hinotez was opening another restaurant in the old La Playita location. While driving from a meeting I noticed a sign was up so I decided to take a quick peek.

I was surprised to see the "Open" sign as I drove up; it was 10am in the morning. I decided to return to grab a quick lunch.

About an hour later I returned. There a single table a counter with a mat blocking the view of the rest of the restaurant. The hand-written sign features but a single dish Pork Curry Rice ($5.50). It's also take-out and cash only as well.

Five-fifty? Why not, right? I placed my order….which sounds kind of strange since I had my choice on a single item and took a peek behind the mat. There were two women hard at work prepping stuff. So I had a chat with the nice young lady out front. Apparently they'll be doing a single dish a day, some kind of curry until they get their beer and wine license going….god knows that may be a while….. And the early hours will probably be in effect until then. Though when i asked her if they'd be expanding the take0out offerings, she just shrugged…..

A photo of my Pork Curry Rice:

This was decent, think of a mild curry flavored bolognese sauce made with ground pork. It could have stood to have a bit more of a kick and a more complex spice flavor, but it was more than fatty enough for me. Light pork flavor as well. At least it didn't taste like it came from a box.

Having a choice between a sandwich and this, I might choose this at least once a week or more.

The sign looks temporary, so I'm not sure what the final incarnation of this place might be. Those Yakyudori folks are full of surprises it seems. I really didn't think Hinotez would make it, but it seems like they are surviving. This seems like an interesting project in the making.

Curry Rice Hinotez
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Brabant

** Brabant has closed

A strange thing happened over the last year or so……it seems that the Missus has been sucked into the Craft Beer movement….well, maybe not San Diego craft beer per se, She loves Belgian style Ales, Dubbels, and such. She's even gotten into sours after enjoying what I call the "gateway sour", Monk's Cafe. Strange, after all these years I have a beer buddy….and it's my wife!

During one evening at work, one of Her coworkers highly recommended Brabant in South Park. I contacted my buddy Candice, who also gave her seal of approval, so it was off to South Park and Brabant, housed in what used to be Vagabond.

For some reason, I've taken to the warm tones of the place.

There are 15-16 brews on tap and an absolutely huge bottle list. I quickly took to….well, I really consider him quite a bit more than "barman", perhaps "tenancière de bar", heck, let's just call him Adam, who is gregarious and enthusiastic about….well, just about everything! He is a gregarious embassador of Brabant, who happens to really know his beer.

The beer list is a literal binder, with tasting notes for various bottles all written in house, no plagiarism here I'm told. There's a pairing list for the various dishes, all wonderfully set-up for us, folks who are just starting to enjoy Duvel's, Rochefort's, et al….just in case you were wondering what to pair with Rabbit Saddle….I just know you were.

While sitting and enjoying our first beer, I got word from Candice that she'd be joining us, how nice….better to enjoy a variety of dishes.

We went ahead and ordered a couple of dishes while waiting for Candice. First up were the Mussels with Duck and Frites. The mussels were of the smaller type, which I tend to prefer because of the more intense flavor. In this case the mussels were over done and tough, sad because the white wine, cream sauce was balanced enough not to over power the mussels. The duck "rillette" was much too salty, though we loved the crisp duck skin, something that I love and is easy to make as a by product of rendering duck fat.

It was the other "part" of the dish that got me hooked, as I really took to the frites here.

We all have different preferences, this one pushed the right buttons for me. The outside fairly, but not overly crisp, the interior fluffy, there's a richness, that goes to the brink of being greasy, but never crosses that line.

The Missus really enjoyed the Bratwurst(which, like everything else is made in house) with Stoemp. She enjoys a rustic style sausage and being that there are perhaps a hundred or so variations of Bratwurst, the coarse, toothsome cut of the meat reminded me of the Franconian/Bavarian style Brat I had many years ago. The seasoning was spot on, the Missus loved the greens and caramelized onions, I the mashed potato (stoemp).

Things didn't fare so well with the "Pork Pudding", which was basically a pork aspic (gelee). This really lacked a nice texture, it was like eating pork jello on bread, which for us was a much too sweet brioche. We'd have preferred something more rustic and substantial like a rillette, more savory that sweet.

Candice went full speed ahead and ordered the Briased Rabbit. In my experience, rabbit can be a mixed bag, it can be really, really gamey and dry, or well balanced in flavor, keeping the flavor of the pasture, with a toothsome texture. I'm actually all for barding this type of meat.

What really saved the rabbit for us was the stuffing which was moist and fairly rich. I'm not the biggest fan of offal, but on our trip to Malta this past year we had a seared rabbit liver salad which was delicious. I could taste that wonderful, grassy flavor in the stuffing.

We had a wonderful time as great company elevates the meal. The Missus added Bacchus to Her "beers that I enjoy" list. Adam was a fantastic host and I was craving those frites a couple of days later.

So I returned. Adam remembered me and exactly what I drank…scarey. When I asked him for a recommendation, he told me to try the Klokke Roeland, nothing to mess with at 11%. I loved it, to me I could make out orange-clove-molasses-honey, but it wasn't too sweet. Man, this was good, but no more than one…..

All I really wanted were frites, but man does not live on spuds along so I got the Pulled Rabbit Sandwich.

I have to say, the Levain (wild yeast) bread really didn't thrill me and the Mr Cottontail was on the tough side. I did enjoy the acid of the tomatoes, and of course the frites……always the frites….

I enjoyed the place so much that when my Birthday came around….a very low keyed day, my good friends and I enjoyed a rich, but nice meal at Brabant….. Mr Q even had a cocktail with Absinthe!

We got to the bottle list…..

And had a great time. Thanks for sharing the moment with me!

The food is on the "rich" side, but those frites call to me. I enjoy the folks here, they make me feel comfortable. South Park is a wonderful walking neighborhood, you can sit back and watch folks walking or driving by.

So there you go…….at heart, I'm still a "Pau Hana time Bud Light bucket ice kinda guy". But I've learned to spread my wings a bit. And Brabant is where that happens.

Brabant Bar & Cafe
2310 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours:
Mon-Thurs    3pm – 10pm
Friday       3pm – Midnight
Saturday     10am – Midnight
Sunday       10am – 9pm

Howard’s Lemon Grove Deli & Grill (Breakfast)

February 20, 2014 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog you are reading, is being posted today by Cathy. Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are really, really busy-too busy to write.

Lately, The Mister and I have had to make time to share meals out. One day, we wanted to return to Howards, a Lemon Grove Diner, which has been here for decades. Our fondness for this place began on our first visit, after the San Diego County Fires of 2003, when we were driving around looking for a place to eat and find some normalcy in our ash filled world.

Located on Broadway (the main drag) on the West side of the street along the feeder road just a block North from the Lemon Grove Trolley stop, it's convenient. From this view of the front, you may notice the doorway is a bit stepped back- there are about eight tables outside, which are covered and in front of the door to the inside eating area.

You can see the deli/sandwich/grill menu on the wall back there. Many people call in orders to go, or walk in and wait for to go orders at lunchtime. But we were here for breakfast.

This is the breakfast menu, although there are about five items listed on the wall above the door inside.

I ordered the carne asada plate with over easy eggs ($9.25). This came with corn tortillas, rice, beans, salsa, avocado and chopped tomatoes. The eggs were perfectly cooked and the steak was plentiful and seasoned well and just plain good.

The Mister ordered the chicken fried steak plate($9.25). The coating was crunchy and not the least bit greasy and the meat was thick and juicy. This came with a from scratch country gravy, which was delicious. The Mister chose home fried potatoes as his side.

Poached eggs also came with this plate. As did rye toast.

All in all, this is a great local place that has withstood the test of time. I hope all of you have such a gem in your part of town.

Howards Lemon Grove Deli & Grill 7860 Broadway Lemon Grove, CA 91945 (619)464-2928 Mon-Sat 7-4, Sun 7-2

isa.bella

February 17, 2014 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Pizza, Pubs and Pub Grub

**** isa.bella, which moved to Clairemont Square has closed

Back in June of last year, I noticed that the old and kind of worn Bollweevil was being put out to pasture. Taking its place was something called isa.bella – artisan pizza & craft beer garden, yes…all lower case. I kind of hesitated in visiting mainly because even though I've enjoyed watching new places pop-up arpund the neighborhood, I really haven't had much luck when I've checked these places out. Honestly, I'm not expecting North Park caliber places, but would like a nice standby that serves better than average food…..

A couple of weeks ago, JohnL agreed to join me for a couple of beers, we wanted to stay around the neighborhood and thought that it was time to check out isa.bella.

I liked what they've done to the patio area and decided to sit outside. Candice sent me a text saying she'd be able to join us….nice!

I was seated at one of hte tables outside, I've got to say, as much as I liked the colors and such; the tables were pretty high for me and when John and Candice arrived, we realized just how large the tables was. Still, this will be a nice place to have a beer and relax when spring and summer arrive.

I looked over the beer selection, which was decent, nothing like the High Dive of course, but with 15 on tap, it was fine with me. I think having a couple of bottles might be great as well.

I went simple with an Hoegaarden to start while I just kind of got into relaxation mode.

Soon enough Candice, then JohnL arrived and we started looking over the menu in earnest.

In the end we decided on two apps and two pizzas.

Things started off with the meatball trio ($7):

The meatballs were served with a "trio" of sauces; a white, almost bechamel type of sauce that was kind of gritty, a decent think red sauce, and pesto. The flavor of the meatballs were decent, though these were on the hard and tough side.

Seeing the Garlic Wings on the menu ($7), I just had to check them out.

Though the menu calls these spicy, I found them more sweet than anything else. Decently crunchy, sticky and messy, with a mild garlic flavor, this was the best thing we had all evening.

The pizzas started with the Eggplant Parmesan ($13.50).

Now, considering that I was told that isa.bella served Neopolitan style pizza, something along the lines of Pizzeria Bruno came to mind. This didn't quite make it up there, especially in the crust department for me as it was hard and cracker like. This was also on the bland side as the eggplant needed a lot more help. The cheese was not strong enough to carry the dish and there didn't seem to be enough marinara sauce on this as well.

The Margherita ($12.50) fared better.

I'm still not fond of the crust, but the acid of the roma tomatoes combined with basil is a wonderful thing. The pizza was still a bit short on sauce for my taste.

Overall, the prices weren't bad, I wasn't very fond of the pizzas, but the staff was nice, and I felt comfortable here, so I figured I'd drop by for just a beer and something simple one evening.

I got the Leffe Brown, I like browns which balance out the sweet and bitter, and this did the trick.

The Parmesan Fries were nice, hot and crisp, perhaps a bit too salty, but nothing to complain about at a Happy Hour price of $3.

I'm guessing this place will be just that for me; a place to drop in for a beer and something small to eat every once in a while. I like the staff, they're friendly, but not overly so, and I can have a beer and decompress….. though I may stop by for lunch someday.

isa.bella artisan pizzeria & craft beer garden
4011 Avati Dr
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Tues – Thurs 11am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 11am – 10pm
Sunday 11am – 9pm

Sunday Sandwiches, the “Say Cheese” Edition: Alex’s Brown Bag (now in PB) and Jin’s Grill

February 16, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cheesesteaks, Sandwiches

So what were you doing on July 14th, 2010? Well, I'm not sure of a lot of things, but I do know I was typing up my first "say cheese" Cheesesteak Round-up, comparison post. Man 3/1/2 years. Recently, I reader asked me why I hadn't done one in a while, the last one being almost exactly two years ago. You know, I'm not quite sure, but as I mentioned before, just the thought of a cheesesteak can send me off into a frenzy of Amaroso bunned binging……

A couple of things, I like mine "wit", onions that is, and wit-out "wiz", which was introduced to the sandwich sometime in the 1950's. And unlike that "owner" who didn't care for my opinion of his mediocre sandwich, claiming he knew what a cheesesteak was all about because he read about Pat And Geno's on the internet; I have actually been to Pat's and Geno's, which wasn't nearly as good as the cheesesteak I had from a shop in the Reading Terminal Market called Rick's Original Philly Steaks, which has been closed for a number of years. I did read that he's opened shop in Kennett Square.

Of course all that time means some changes; Olde City Grille has closed, Gaglione Brothers opened their second location, and for some reason the Philadelphia Cheesesteak Company keeps rolling along. One place did drop off the map and had me wondering "whatever happened to……"

Alex's Brown Bag at Latitiude 32:

**** Alex's has totally closed

When I worked in the Hillcrest area, we used to order from Alex's all the time…until it seemed that there was some degradation in their sandwiches which were coming up dry and tough. During that last visit in 2010, it just didn't seem like the same cheesesteak I had been eating over the years.

A couple of years ago, Alex's pulled up stakes and moved to PB. After my cheesesteak trigger had been pulled, Alex's came to mind so I decided to find out exactly where they were located…..which turned out to be inside the pub called Latitude 32. Cheesesteak in a Pub? Shades of Monkey Paw.

The drill here is, you can peruse the menu at the bar, but have to go to the back of the pub to place and pay for your order near the kitchen.

The guys here were very friendly; I recalled the folks when I visited 5th avenue were on the surly side. I got a 12" with provolone, which was probably more sandwich than I should have ordered.

This was a nice sandwich ($8.96), much better than the last one I had from Alex's. The Amoroso roll was nice and warm, with that mild, almost imperceptible crustiness to it, along with the gritty cornmeal. The beef was a bit more chewy than I recalled, but the sandwich was nice and moist with a milky edge brought on by the cheese. This was nicely seasoned, edging on almost garlic-salty, but was nice as most 'steaks are on the milder side.

This was better than I remembered, I'm sure to be back soon.

Alex's Brown Bag (Inside Latitude 32 Pub)
5019 Cass St
San Diego, CA

Jin's Grill:

*** Jin's Grill has closed and is now a location of Homestyle Hawaiian

So I see a sign announcing "Best Cheesesteak in San Diego" in the same stripmall as Pho Little Saigon. A couple of days later I return to find the shop behind the sign, which turns out to be a little shop called Jin's Grill.

The place only has various renditions of "Philly's" i.e. sandwiches on the menu.

I was told that the beef for the cheesesteak was angus, which I thought was nice since the sandwich was south of $7, though I did add mushroom for about a buck more.

The sandwich did look nice….especially the strings of cheese stretching across the wrapper.

The was a plus/minus sandwich. The roll was cold and really detracted from the sandwich. This wasn't highly seasoned, which meant I could really make out the beefy flavor. It wasn't as oily as other versions, but then again, this meant that it was also a bit too dry and lacking in that oozy-richness that makes cheesesteaks so good.

Sort of a tweener, but well priced.

Jin’s Grill
3445 Midway Dr
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Mon – Sat 1030am – 9pm
Sunday 11am – 8pm

Now that this has started…..who knows where it'll end. I do need to visit Philly Frank's, Monkey Paw, and perhaps Eddie's, and of course Gaglione Brothers…..

Ramen Izakaya Ouan

February 12, 2014 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

**** Ramen Izakaya Ouan has closed

A few months ago, Yu Mei Ya's outpost in Hillcrest closed. I had been there only once and wasn't too impressed, it seemed a far cry from its namesake in Encinitas.

Izakaya Ouan soon rose in its place. Coming on the heels of the closing of Tecchan, Ouan seems to have some good timing. Seeing that my last few meals at Izakaya Masa was far from satisfying, I thought I'd give Ouan a cautious try, so I headed over for lunch.

The place was empty for the entire duration of my visit. The folks here are somewhat distant, but professional. I saw something on my menu that I enjoy, Vegetable Kakiage, basically mixed vegetable strips in tempura batter, when made well, like the version at Izakaya Sakura, is light and satisfying, a textural delight. So I got the Vegetable Kakiage Don ($7.50) plus some Ebi (shrimp $3.00).

First off, the miso soup was watered down quite a bit. The rice was on the dry side, but the vegetable was very nice, light, well fried, great crunch, though the tsuyu was a bit too salty. The shrimp was ok, the batter a little too gummy and shrimp kind of small for my taste. At over $10, this was nowhere near as good as Sakura's $8.50 Ebi Kakiage Soba/Udon……but hey, we're paying the Hillcrest premium for this, right?

Still, this was good enough for me to want to check them out for dinner…..and my good buddy Candice was nice enough to join me.

We started with the Tako Wasabi with Lemon Zest ($4.50).

Even though this seemed like Nishimoto Trading type Tako Wasabi, the lemon zest really helped to add a nice dimension to the dish, it really raised the flavor. This unfortunately was the best item of the night.

Things didn't go that badly downhill with the Fried Skate Wing…..a simple basic deep fried engawa seasoned with salt and togarashi.

This was fine, though a couple of the pieces were on the gummy side with regards to the batter….seems like temperatures weren't quite under control.

Since I love chicken wings, I ordered the Spicy Miso Marinated Wings ($6.50).

This wasn't very spicy, the flavor of the aka miso wasn't tempered making this salty. Also the wings were tough. After the first one, I stopped paying attention and was having a great time chatting with Candice….until I looked down and noticed that the last wing I ate was bloody red…….ick. I know, I have eaten chicken sashimi, but that was by my own choosing…….

The Shio Koji Lamb Chop ($14) was tragic, rubbery and tough, lacking in the umami I expected.

Koji, Aspergillus Oryzae, a mold formed by fermentation and used in making soy sauce and sake is supposed to be an umami enhancer. In this case all it left was a mild sour taste on the tough lamb.

The final item we ordered was called Spacey Ramen ($12.95) on the menu. Apparently, it had pork, chicken, wood ear, truffle, etc, etc……

This is a good example of fusion gone bad…….the "sauce" had the texture of a very greasy bolognese sauce, drenched with a rather unpleasant amount of truffle oil. The noodles were fine, but the whole greasiness of the dish and the over-powering faux truffle fragrance just killed the dish for us. We could barely get past a couple of bites……

In the end, I felt really bad for inviting Candice to dinner, only to experience this. It would be one thing if the place was super busy, but they were only half full. Sadly, it seemed like they were jusy going through the motions. Just take a look at the menu….it says they serve their ramen with "tonkatsu" not tonkotsu, chicken based broth. Oh the power of the single letter………

Still, being the glutton for punishment that I am; I had a hard time believing that a place that had more than few people recommending it to me would be so bad. So I made one final "safe" lunchtime visit and got the Ouan Black Ramen ($9.25) with a poached egg ($1.50).

The standard issue noodles were perfect, the broth fine (no it's not black garlic oil like Yamadaya, just some oil with black sesame), if a bit too "thin" for my tastes….though it could be because it's, ahem, "tonkatsu" style!?!?!?! The chasu was ice cold and the "poached egg" apparently an attempt as something sort of like onsen tamago, was overcooked as the yolk was fully cooked and solid. Again, that bugaboo about not attending to details, which seems to be sort of the theme here. Overall, not too bad, but at almost $11, I'll take Toroniku at Santouka or Yamadaya anytime at that price point.

Ouan actually makes Izakaya Masa seem great, even though my fellow food blogger Dennis (hope you're back posting soon, we miss ya') calls them the "Sandra Lee" of Izakayas.

Ramen Izakaya Ouan
3882 4th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

Pangea Bakery Café-revisit (more than just a bakery!)

February 6, 2014 Cathy Bakery, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

Pangea has closed

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of the blog. It's about food. Writers here are usually Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy. Today, it's Cathy's post.

I started writing this post in November. Then things happened and even though The Mister and I have been to Pangea Bakery Cafe regularly, there have been some 'technical difficulties' regarding phones, cameras, computers, hinges and various other mechanical things and the final photos are recent. You'll have to take my word for it that there have been visits in the interim.

The weekend before Thanksgiving. Here we were. And what is that man doing on the front patio? With a grill next to him no less!

Notice the poster under the cash register…grilled items.

Notice signage in the store…

This was the menu in November. It has changed, but let me show you what we enjoyed that day.

The nice Young Man cooking held open the foil for moment as I snapped a photo. You'll see what this was…skewerS-that's a clue.

There were other items available- that's a Chinese sausage.

Condiments used for the various grilled items.

Yes! Grilled whole squid: the same as was being served at the First San Diego Night Market until it sold out within the first few hours…

This was HUGE (it cost $8) and tender, brushed lightly with a sweet teriyaki-like sauce before and while grilling. We took a good portion home and used it for dinner.

Of course we also bought some baked goods…

Here it was, leftover squid with the ham and cheese bread and squash. Ah, the balanced diet of the Holiday Season…

Here are some bakery items we've purchased- that's a ham and cheese baked in a bread and a cream filled almond pastry.

Here's the most recent menu…ever evolving and probably more refined(although on some of these chilly days, I'd like to have some soup).

The Thai peanut and lime chicken plate ($3.99 that day, regular $6.99 – and worth it at that price) is quite large. Fresh veggies stir fried with some of the rice, the bright flavors along with some crisped rice and cucumber and pickled onion… and the sauce had a nice kick…could taste coconut milk in the sauce-it was almost a curry…lemongrass more than lime flavors and a touch of heat that would creep up on you. This was very good.

We also shared the appetizer popcorn chicken ($3.99) which is served with the pretty cup of sriracha/teriyaki topped with black sesame seeds. Fresh, crispy and moist good size chicken pieces.

You can see this bowl was quite large and lined with baby lettuce, which could have absorbed any grease…but there wasn't any and so a mini salad was enjoyed at the end of this meal.

We've also enjoyed some day old pastries (half off; there's a small red mark on the packaging) and good cup of coffee for easy breakfasts here. That's the raisin walnut bread and a cherry filling in a soft Danish pastry.

It's going to be Valentine's Day soon!

Drop in and see what the menu will be on your visit…

Pangea Bakery Cafe 4689 Convoy Street, Suite 100 San Diego 92111 (858)560-0688 website

Super Bowl Sunday at Carnitas’ Snack Shack

February 3, 2014 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Hot Dogs, Pubs and Pub Grub

**** This location of Carnitas' Snack Shake has closed

I'm not big on Super Bowl parties, to many people, crowds, etc, etc….. I guess nowadays I'm just not too big on the Superbowl period. Though I haven't quite gone the route of "FOY" Reid who Tweeted asking when kick-off was so he could hit Costco! You gotta love that one!

Still, the Missus was working and my good buddy Candice asked me if I'd like to meet her at Carnitas' Snack Shack. What a great idea! I hadn't been back here since they first opened and while I thought the place a bit over-hyped, I really enjoyed the atmosphere, and thought the food had promise.

Over the last couple of years, they've added a back bar and grill ("The Pig Pen") area. The place looks very relaxed and inviting. There was a large screen with the game on…….

The main reason I met Candice….other than the wonderful company of course, was for this:

I've had my share of lousy TJ Style Hot Dogs, but this is not one of them. Yes, Carnitas' thrives on serving fairly over-the-top eats, but I gotta say, I really loved this. The dog was large, but still had some snap, it was well flavored. The bacon could have been more crisp, but I loved the flavor….the mustard was delish, the bun didn't hold up, but was nice and fluffy. What really caught my attention was how the guacamole on this dog just sang in perfect harmony with the "meat-stick". I like hot dogs, but I'm usually fine after just one, but much like my favorites, I left wanting another…..

Personally, I'm not a big fan of grilled wings, but these were also pretty good.

Mainly because the flavors worked real well together. The nice sweetness balanced out by a sneaky, spicy, finish. Courtesy of habanero I'm told. Much like grilled wings, this was a bit chewy, but not bad at all. In fact, I had two left that I brought home, which the Missus really enjoyed.

It seems that Carnitas' has really found their niche. Perhaps the dishes area bit over-the-top, but I really can't say anything I've had here was bland. Now that they serve beer and have really expanded their dining area, maybe it's time I brought the Missus.

Carnitas' Snack Shack
2632 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92104

The strangest Doner Sandwich at Istanbul Kabob/Miramar Pizza

January 28, 2014 mmm-yoso Sandwiches, yoso-silly

**** Istanbul Kabob has closed

After eating at Motor City Deli, I noticed this place while walking to my car.

I walked up to the window which said "Istanbul Kebob"…..really? There was lamachun and pide on the menu….really? Really? How could I not know about this place?

The location did seem kind of strange, but curiosity had already gotten the better of me, I just had to check this place out. A couple of days later I dropped by.

Entering the well worn interior of the place, I looked up at the menu and didn't see any Turkish dishes at all. Until I looked ot my left and saw this.

I had more than enough time to check out the menu, because there was no one out at the counter to take my order. The young guys in the back were cracking up and having a good old time it seems.

By the time someone came out to take my order, I had lost my nerve and decided to go the conservative route and ordered the Doner Sandwich ($8.49), something simple that anyplace should be able to make. I also asked the guy if the owners were Turkish and he told me that the former owners were and when the business was sold they were taught all the Turkish dishes and decided to keep it on the menu. Not a very comforting answer, but hey, I've had some good meals under stranger circumstances and in odder places.

So I get my Doner (gyro) sandwich which is wrapped in foil and walk to the table where I unwrapped it and "holy …." (fill in the blanks) "…(more blankety-blank) is this?"

This wasn't a flat bread wrapped product….it was a burrito…the darn thing was wrapped in a tortilla. Still, my criticism of such an adulteration would be minimized if it was any good….which it was not. Basically, 50% tortilla, 35% dry gyro meat (at least it was heated up), 15% veg, all served with a insipid, runny yogurt sauce…..for real? I know this is SoCal, where, as Kazumi once told me "anything goes with food", but this just wasn't good. I have a special place in my heart for Turkey, especially Istanbul, and this just seemed wrong.

On the bright side….well, the fries were hot and crisp.

And I guess I've finally had a "Turkxican" Burrito(Doner-rito?)….my first, and hopefully last. And yet, in my twisted mind, I can only imagine what the foreboding sounding "Black Sea Pide" is going to be like?

Istanbul Kebab/Miramar Pizza
7094 Miramar Rd Suite 110
San Diego, CA 92121

Corner Sandwich & Cafe (Mira Mesa)

January 23, 2014 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Corner Sandwich & cafe has closed.

mmm-yoso!!! strives to show the various styles, ethnicities, preparation and just food consumed by Kirk, Ed(from Yuma) and Cathy, as well as a few other contributors to this food blog. Today, Cathy is showing and sharing another food adventure.

Driving through Mira Mesa one early morning, on the East end of the parking lot anchored by Seafood City, there is a McDonald's as well as this small storefront, which was open and buzzing before 9 a.m..

It has apparently been open for a few years and has a steady clientele, though an internet search shows only one blog post, ours, during a brief visit on a day of banh mi comparisons. ( The 2011 visit wasn't favorable)(New management began in 2012).

Not only will you notice the small-ish menu boards behind the cash register and along the adjacent wall (along with California Lottery Keno screens and a quite large Lotto Scratcher vending machine) but there is also a television (showing soccer games) as well as indoor and outdoor seating.

This additional set of menu addons, dated 2012, are still in effect.

Glasses filled halfway with hot tea were brought out to The Mister and I and the nice lady working brought a paper menu to the table. Everything was $5. Since I had no idea of the sizes of items, I asked for just one that we could share, pointing at the menu. She asked if we wanted a hot coffee or other beverage, but the tea was quite nice.

This was one of the best breakfast banh mi sandwiches I have ever had! The softly cooked, folded egg and warm pate-like meat, topped with fresh pickled radish, carrot, cucumber slices and cilantro, along with a few jalapeno slices, all on very fresh, soft warm and crunchy crusted bread was a perfect size and had wonderfully perfect, fresh flavors.

You can see some of the tea-filled glasses in this photo, along with some of the many people here, most of whom were sitting outside…

So glad we stopped here. Really a pretty unknown and wonderful place.

Corner Sandwich and Cafe 9005 Mira Mesa Blvd San Diego 92126 (858) 695-9566