Closed – Page 53

Is that Don or Dan…Diego that is: First up let’s try Don Diego

March 18, 2013 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

*** Don Diego's is no more

A strange thing occurred round these parts over the last couple of months. Two restaurants with similar names opened up, Don Diego and Dan Diego. At first I thought they were possibly related, but they couldn't be more different….one is a "Taco Bar" and the other is a "Euro Cafe and Pub". Both of them have one thing in common…..a huge selection of beer. I believe each has over a hundred different bottled and a good amount on draft.

Actually, I really wasn't too motivated to try the place out. But the Missus was working one evening and gave me a list of stuff She needed me to pick up. The last stop was from Sprouts (formerly Henry's) on Genesee. It was kind of late and I was both tired and hungry, so I thought why not check out this place.

The place looks more like a sports bar than a taco shop. They've really brightened up the place. You might remember it as being Trattoria Firenze.

There were ten beers on tap and at least a hundred bottled, with a good selection of local beers. I decided to try the various proteins in mini taco form, each ran about $1.85… and got a Yellowtail.

They quickly ran me out a basket of chips, which were thin and crumbly, not really that great, but hey, it's gratis, right?

The salsas are pretty straight-forward. I also noticed that the folks who seem to be running this "Taco Bar" didn't seem to be Hispanic. Which factored a bit into my ordering.

I've developed a bit of a habit when it comes to tacos….I always taste the protein on it's own first, just to see how it tastes. And the Adobada wasn't a good start as the meat was mushy and the marinade very bland.

The carnitas followed the same bland profile.

The carne asada took things one step further and was not only very bland, but also tough as heck.

I think the folks running the place are Middle Eastern, though the guy manning the grill is Hispanic. With this in mind, I ordered the birria just out of curiosity since it was listed as lamb on the menu. This was more like an asado of mutton as it was pretty tough. It did have a surprisingly decent gamey flavor to it.

One out of three ain't a bad batting average for bland meats in store bought tortillas with what seemed like store bought chips. The guys working here were very nice however, they even offered me more chips (I passed). So I thought it only fair to visit one more time.

While the place was pretty busy on my previous visit, things were pretty quiet on this day. Same nice group of guys working though.

I did notice something curious about the salsa bar on this trip…notice the olives and sliced pepperoncini.

I decided just to go off the deep end and try a gyro taco (gasp!), along with the birria this time out.

It was some very dry gyro meat on cold tortillas, topped with a tasteless under ripe tomato slice, topped with a sorta-tzaziki sauce that was too thick. Man, this was just plain bad.

The birria tasted just like what I had before.

I also tried one of the TJ style bacon wrapped hot dogs….ketchup and all.

So let us take this apart, shall we? A mushy hot dog, wrapped with burnt bacon, looking like a certain charred body part in a dry, cold, hot dog bun. I'll go out on a limb here and say the ketchup and mustard were the best part of this…..

No mas……

I will again say how nice the guys here are and I was told that they were going to soon have 32 beers on tap. As for what I ate……well, you can figure that out, right?

Don Diego's Taco Bar
4421 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Daily 10am – 10pm

Falafel Friday: Mister Falafel

March 8, 2013 mmm-yoso Lebanese Restaurants, Mediterranean Restaurants

**** Mister Falafel has closed

"Way on the other side of the Hudson
Deep in the bosom of suburbia……"
What that Dean Friedman song has to do with this post, I dunno……but for some corny reason I love the song.

There's something bright and sunny about it…..

Sort of like the bright and sunny interior of this little shop in the strip mall on the corner of Genesee and Clairemont Mesa, hidden behind the gas station and Panda Country.

I recall this being a Mexican Bakery…..how long ago Mister Falafel took residence here I've no clue. This seems to be a family operation, an older couple and a younger gentleman run the shop….always gracious, always letting me know "it will be just a while for your food, we make it to order."

Since this place is called Mister Falafel, I just had to try the namesake of the shop, right? The menu is compact with salads, "sandwiches" (pita based of course), salads, plates, sidea, and smaller portions called "munchies". I ordered a Falafel Munchie ($3.50)

This was nice, I enjoyed it as a good change of pace from the usual gritty falafel. This version is smooth with a less pronounced parsley flavor. I was told that they use favas as well as garbanzo beans for their falafel. The tahini is more like mayo and doesn't have a real strong flavor.

You can have one side with your order andI chose the Hummus, which was fairly garlicky.

It came with seasoned fried pita chips which went nicely with the dish.

I had ordered the Beef Schwarma Sandwich, which turned out to be pretty large. I thought it was nicely priced at $6.50. As much as I enjoyed the sides, I really didn't care much for this. The meat was very tough, there was too much pita and tahini, you really couldn't taste much. It was pretty hefty though.

Two out of three ain't bad, so I returned a couple of days later. This time I ordered a falafel sandwich and some fries. I saw garlic paste, one of my favorite things on the menu….this leads me to believe the folks who own this little shop are Lebanese.

This was nice and full of garlic flavor, perhaps not as smooth and balanced (I know that sounds wrong when referring to garlic paste) as Alforon's, but much better than what Mama's makes.

Soon enough the sandwich and fried arrived. The fries were typical.

Perhaps I should have learned from my schwarma sandwich. This was just too much stuff and you really couldn't enjoy the rather mild flavored falafel. It was quite filling….you could say I was "fala-full" after eating this.

I think I'll stick with the "munchies" and a couple of sides the next time I visit.

And there will be a next time. The folks running this place couldn't be nicer and the prices are quite reasonable. That's enough to get me to come back.

Mister Falafel
4461 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Tuesday – Sunday 1100am – 800pm

B.H. Chung

March 4, 2013 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants

*** Update: BH Chung has closed and is now a location of Yu's Garden

I usually get into work at around 6 in the morning…..this means that I'm actually able to spend more time with the Missus and Da Boyz during the evenings and I get a ton of work done before other folks get into work. One drawback of going to work so early is that I can get pretty hungry by the time 1030 rolls around. So I'm always looking for places that open by 1030 or 11. A couple of years back, Cathy posted on BH Chung, I also know of a few people who enjoy the Katsu Curry here as well. An added bonus is that even though BH Chung is housed in the Convoy strip mall with the parking lot from hell, they, along with Tofu House open pretty early.

Frankly, I'm not a big fan of most of those Korean-Japanese "Hwe" type places, though it's really hard to screw up katsu too badly.

The older Korean woman who works here is very nice; always offering me seconds of panchan. The service is very mom-and-pop, though I've only eaten here before 11am.

On my first visit I ordered the Chicken Katsu Curry….not cheap at $9.99. Though you do get some standard panchan with your meal. And as I mentioned before, the nice woman working here has always asked me if I wanted more.

The curry itself was not exactly photogenic, brown gloppiness poured over some form of fried protein.

The chicken itself was on the dry side, though I noticed that the cooking and prep was done correctly since the breading wasn't peeling off the chicken. I prefer my katsu on the crisp and lighter side, this one was very hard and in my opinion a bit over-fried. The curry wasn't anything to write home about, though I've had worse….it was kind of lumpy though.

Still it was quite a bit of food. I later mentioned this meal to an acquaintance…who told me to try the Tonkatsu Curry instead. So a couple of weeks later….famished at 10am, I marched on over to BH Chung and had the pork version.

You gotta hand it to these folks, they seem to be pretty consistent. This was pretty much a replay of my previous meal, except the curry was a little bit less gloppy and had a more pronounced flavor.

With a sprig of parsley and slice of orange as garnish, there's something unabashedly "diner-like" in the presentation. So I thought, "well that's that….." and moved on. But a couple of days later, I had gone into work at around 530, by 1000 I was starving. I jumped in the car and headed to Convoy. I intended on grabbing a bite from Tofu House, but for some reason, I just ended up walking into BH Chung. On my previous visit, I noticed a young lady having the Dolsot Bi Bim Bap. It looked decent, so I decided to get that….. I guess you get five panchan with the Bi Bim Bap.

It looked pretty good overall, but after further investigation, this really didn't pass muster. Bi Bim Bap is a humble dish, so I don't expect a huge amount of meat, though the amount here was good. It was however, very bland bulgogi. So I quickly banished any thought of having that. For some reason, no matter how long I waited, the rice in this stone bowl just never really crusted up. The cho-gochujang tasted kind of weak and watered down as well. This just didn't do it for me.

Well, after three meals here, I think I'll give the place a rest. I'll resist temptation and just head over to Tofu House like I intended. Unless someone has a great recommendation????

BH Chung
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Sunday Sandwiches: Porchetta times two – Ariccia Market and Roseville Cozinha

February 24, 2013 mmm-yoso Italian Restaurants, Sandwiches

*** Update: Sadly, both of these places have closed.

A couple of porky sandwiches for a Sunday. I tried to make this a trio, but could never get to Bencotto on a day when they had the layered and rolled swine. I'm hoping to try it in the near future. Still, I did have two nice sandwiches recently.

Ariccia Market:

Well, being named Ariccia, the "home" of porchetta gives it away….you pretty much better have said rolled swine. There's actually a Porchetta festival in the town of about 20,000 every year in September. I had visited the market a couple of times before trying out the porchetta, I like the brand of French Harissa they sell.

Finally, a couple of months back, I had a chance to try the Porchetta Sandwich ($9):

I really enjoyed the balance of the sandwich, the moist pork worked well with the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the acid of the balsamic based sauce. The peppery-bitterness of the arugula really cleared out the richness and the lightly yeasty, almost rustically crackly bread made this a joy to eat. Nothing fancy here, just a combination of ingredients prepared properly, used in perfect context and proportion. Very nice. Consumed at 9 in the morning, it's a heck of a way to start your Sunday, I'll say that much.

Ariccia Italian Market
7441 A Girard Ave
La Jolla, CA 92037

There's one other tidbit about Ariccia you might not know. Ariccia has the distinction of being one of the places whose mention is banned by Chowhound. From what I recalled, this very sandwich was mentioned in a Chowhound post and the owner posted to thank them…and boom, any mention of the the place is removed by the moderators. I know, it's hard to believe….though CH does have a policy – noted here. I think the one thing that bothered me about the whole deal is that there's another restaurant owner, who has replied to posts on Chowhound, using his own name, defending policies, etc….. So he goes totally free while other one gets life in solitary. If you're going to have such severe policies, at least be consistent with them. 'Nuff said. CH has a way of being quite vengeful and condescending….it once called Ed from Yuma "one of those idiots and miscreants" when he questioned why a post was deleted. So I'm wondering what'll happen to me the next time I try to post on CH?

Roseville Cozinha:

About a week after the porchetta from Ariccia, we dropped by Roseville so the Missus could get Her cioppino fix. I hadn't realized that they had a version of porchetta on their menu as well. So of course I had to order it ($10):

In terms of heft and price, this was a nice deal. Even though the classic porchetta sandwich is a panini, I love the way Roseville simply salts, brushes with olive oil, then grills the wonderful breads from Con Pane. This ciabatta is no exception. The addition of fries made this a bit more than I could eat.

I can't say that the sandwich had the same harmonic balance as what Ariccia serves, but it sure did satisfy me.

Sadly, this was off the menu during our last visit….but hopefully they'll have it back on the menu periodically.

Roseville Cozinha
2750 Dewey Rd Suite 104 (Liberty Station)
San Diego, CA 92106

So there you go! Do let me know if you see more porchetta popping up elsewhere….so I can get my weekly dose of swine!

North Park Produce (finally) opens in Clairemont

February 21, 2013 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers

Like I earlier, it's almost like we've been stalking the place. But honestly, it seems like forever since I first noticed the coming soon sign back in September. So this afternoon, on my way home from work….I took my usual "stalker's glance" and saw folks walking into North Park Produce with shopping carts!

So the Missus and I stopped by on our way to dinner. I found out that they opened today, though their official "Grand Opening" is a couple of days away.

The shelves were full, but some of the produce bins are still empty and there's a section with a brick oven and kitchen area that's not ready yet. I'm thinking fresh baked breads and hopefully prepared food are soon to come.

Like every other location of NPP, this one seems to have it's own focus. I'll take a couple more visits to confirm. So here's the rest in photos.

And as usual….there's always something interesting that I had never noticed before.

They were quite busy, so I didn't have a chance to get their hours….I'll do that next time.

North Park Produce
4220 Balboa Ave.
San Diego, CA 92117

Revisits to Da Nang Food to Go and Pho Viet Cali almost seven years later….

February 18, 2013 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

It's quite easy to fall into a routine, going back to those places that have proven to be "tried and true" or convenient. This year, I'm trying to make it a point to revisit some of those places that had kind of slipped from my mind for one reason or another. Here are two places that I last visited in….are you ready? 2006……man, I've put a whole lot of miles on the odometer since then. What were you doing in 2006?

Da Nang Food to Go:

**** Da Nang Food to Go has closed

It's easy for this place to just kind of slip your mind. Located in a teeny spot next to a 7-11 and a jewelry store on El Cajon Boulevard, it's one of those blink and you'll be past it kind of places. Add to that the fact that there now only seem to be five parking stalls(down from 7) now available…….

The place looks just about the same as our visit back in 2006. Same wood siding, same tables, same chairs…..

Menu prices seem to have gone up about a buck….not bad really.

The food is based on Central Vietnamese specialities; Bun Bo Hue, Banh Beo, Banh Bot Loc, that kind of thing. Feeling kind of hungry I started with some Banh Bot Loc ($4); which I thought were pretty good all those years ago.

These were huge by Banh Bot Loc standards and the tapioca flour based wrappers were way too gummy for my taste. There was a nice piece of shrimp inside, but these dumplings were just too much wrapper.

Of course I had to try the Bun Bo Hue ($5.95), which arrived appropriately steaming hot.

Strange, but I noticed that the usual pork hock was MIA in this bowl. The noodles were pleasantly slippery and firm, and the herbs, sprouts, and vegetables were fresh, though it was mostly bean sprouts, lettuce, and cabbage.

The soup seemed a bit odd to me; it was very sweet and lacking in spice. The thick cut meats were in attendance, but there was nary a piece of tendon to be found…… I wonder if they "gringo-ized" this? I still enjoyed the Gio Lua here, the nice peppery flavor and meatyness makes it one of my favorite versions.

I do want to try other items on the menu, if I can remember to return. Funny thing, I mentioned this place to MrQ…..even though he grew up near by, he hadn't a clue this place existed. Da Nang Food to Go is funny in that way I guess.

Da Nang Food to Go (aka Quan an Da Nang)
4745 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Pho Viet Cali:

*** Pho Viet Cali has closed

Here's another place that I visited back in 2006. I really didn't care for the Pho, but I was on the West side of Mira Mesa Boulevard, so I thought why not?

Like Quan an Da Nang, this place looks just like it did in March of 2006.

Pho Viet Cali has remained in my memory because it was the first place where I saw Pho for over six bucks….a threshold that's long been passed by most places. So now a $6.95 bowl of pho doesn't faze me.

I got the #4 – Well Done Steak, Flank, Brisket, Tendon, and Tripe.

Man, other than the noodles….and the soup being hot, this was pretty bad. The soup was on the unpleasant side, bitter, and quickly gave me the MS heebie-geebies…..I've got a decent tolerance of the stuff, but this was too much. I recall the bowls having a good amount of meat, but things have apparently changed.

I guess the tripe and tendon were out sick on this day and the flank had that stale "ice-box" flavor that made it inedible.

Instead of going through this in excruciating detail….I think I'll stop here. I'm sure you get the picture, right?

Pho Viet Cali
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd. #113
San Diego, CA 92121

I'm hoping for better luck next time……

San Diego’s Ramen Renaissance Part 2: Tecchan Yakitori and Izakaya

February 13, 2013 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

*** Tecchan has closed

Here's one that slipped under my radar…..if it looks familiar, this is the former location of Yakyudori in Hillcrest. Man, yet another shop serving ramen……that's so surprising…..

It's a bit strange for me; I'm not sure if it's really Tec-chan, or is it Tecchan like the sign….well, whatever, I go with what the sign says. I hadn't been here since it was Yakyudori, though I passed by the place when it became Raku, but had never really been motivated.

So what brings me here now? Well my good FOY (Friend of Yoso), "YY" told me that they really enjoy the spicy miso ramen here. Personally, I've never really found a version that I've enjoyed, but if it's good enough for YY, it's well worth a try for me. But I just couldn't find the time to visit. Until Super Bowl Sunday….you see I really wasn't interested in halftime (which seems to get longer every year) and the Ravens seemed to be blowing out the 49ers. So I just jumped in the car to see what was up with this place….they say they open at 6, but were open a bit earlier on this day.

And I did get the Spicy Miso Ramen as instructed, with "thin noodles", which turned out to be your standard issue Hakata style noodles. The price wasn't bad at just over 8 bucks.

First the good; the noodles were done to the al dente, almost crunchy texture I enjoy and the egg was nicely cooked. The chashu pork was mild in flavor, but they had hit a nice balance in texture, not too firm and not falling to pieces….too bad it was ice cold, something that seems to be happening much too often nowadays.

And while this broth was indeed fairly spicy and not as salty as other versions….it really tasted like Japanese Kimchi base. You know, the stuff to make short cut kimchi? It wasn't really my cup of tea……

On the other hand….due to the immensely long halftime and the infamous "lights out", I actually made it back home in time to watch the last half of the 3rd quarter!

After thinking over things….yes, though I may not sprout the "Tao of ramen", or contemplate the meanings of the Hexagrams in I Ching, nor has anyone mistaken me for the "gangster of love" or ever called me "Maurice" (age check here!), I actually do think about what I eat….. I decided to just return and try the straight up tonkotsu ramen.

This time I went with the "flat noodles", which were just your standard issue ramen noodles, but were done up nicely.

The broth seemed a bit light to me. I prefer my tonkotsu a bit more rich. Also, there was a flavor that reminded me of burnt onions that I really didn't enjoy.

It wasn't terrible……but not something I'd go out of my way for.

The service was friendly, though one of the servers here has the kind of voice that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. But that's my problem, not hers. I also tried some of the other menu items……but that's for another day.

Tecchan Yakitori and Izakaya
3739 6th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

A Week of Sushi, the Traditionalist: The enigmatic Kaga Sushi

February 1, 2013 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Sushi and Sashimi

**** Kaga Sushi has closed

I first heard of Kaga Sushi what seems like a lifetime ago….probably around 2002. One day, while purchasing some wagashi at Hogetsu, I noticed the very non-descript sign on one of the buildings. Well….here was the Kaga Sushi that I'd heard so much about. Granted, a good part of that discussion included words like racist, sushi nazi, etc…… Also, I understand that one of the graduates of Kaga's mentorship is a pretty, well how should I say it, rather temperamental fellow himself. After seeing him treat customers badly on my two visits there, I don't think I'd return. In fact, the last time there, I was with a friend from Japan who made it a point after leaving to tell me, "I want to let you know….REAL Japanese are not like that!" 'nuff said. Another word that has been used in various discussions is exclusivity, which kind of rubs me the wrong way…..I'm just not like that. What really changed my mind about Kaga Sushi was a discussion with Mrs Takeda of Hogetsu-do. She basically told me that the couple who run the place want to only serve traditional sushi and don't speak very much English. They basically feel uncomfortable with people they don't know and can't communicate with…there would be an additional addition to this a bit later on. I did try to get past this door with the neon open sign twice back in 2005……

And just to make the story short; I looked the part, but couldn't recite the lines. And that was just the way it was going to be. Folks I knew who were Nihon didn't want to go there….folks who thought their Japanese wasn't good enough were afraid. Still, this past winter, I was having a nice Friday drink when "Xiang Jiao" came along. For some reason, I happened to mention Kaga Sushi, and my own "xiang jiao" (which means banana in Mandarin) difficulties. Now being young and all, XJ saw a challenge….she was fascinated. As a plus, her beau (MrT) is from Tokyo and works for one of the major Japanese companies in San Diego. She asked me if I'd be up for Kaga Sushi. Thinking that nothing would come of it I said sure. And during our porcine party, XJ came up to me and blurted out a date….huh? She then reminded me of our discussion….we had a date set for Kaga, which was postponed once, but there I was standing outside that door on a rather cold late December evening. We also had XJ's friend "Trang" and her boyfriend, Masa, who is also from Tokyo for back-up. We walked through that door…..

Now I'd like to say it was all dramatic and such, but the interior is quite humble and warm….much like what you think a neighborhood sushi place would be like in Japan.

The menu, written on very old-school style wooden slats were in Japanese. The couple who ran the place seemed to have aged quite a bit in the last 7 years and now looked like they were in their 70's. The woman who simply showed me a reserved sign and nodded "no" in 2005, now seemed like a doting grandmother….plus, she seemed a bit hard of hearing, which would make dealing with English speakers more difficult.

There was a Hispanic Couple in the place when we arrived, also with a Japanese couple….so this was not an "exclusive club" even though it seemed to cater to the Japanese Ex-Pat community. MrT, ordered, in what he later told me was in the "most respectful way" that it would be Omakase for us.

So after being presented with a wonderfully prepared tako appetizer which we all had to restrain from gulping down, the plate of sashimi arrived.

And let me just say, this was very, very good. Unadorned and traditionally straight forward, but very good…..

No fruit or vegetable carvings……no sauce "swooshed" on the plate, no neat little trinkets, no huge lump of yuzu kosho killing the hirame (my one really bad dish at Kaito)…..this was just plain no hiding, no holds, delici-yoso. MrT told me that in terms of just prep and quality, this was much better than Ota, Kaito, Shirahama, or anything else in San Diego. The o-toro did melt in your mouth, the Saba was perfectly cured, milky, but without venturing into "cheesiness", the texture was just perfect. The shoyu ikura was like the kiss of the ocean with ika that had an excellent chew. The akami was interesting, the cut included a bit of chu-toro, which made for a textural exchange.

I've never been a fan of the typical awabi (abalone) served in sushi bars, and am still not, though it does make a nice visual impact.

Next up was a short respite with a very well done broiled saba. Nice oil, balanced salt and sweet…..

Then came the nigiri.

The first thing that struck me was the amount of komezu (rice vinegar) in the sushi-meshi…..it reallycaught me off guard. MrT and Masa thought it was just lovely. For me, the nigiri was not as thrilling as the sashimi. The highlites….well the blue crab was just plain delicious, the kohada was cured well, nice and lightly milky…the mirugai was good. The Ebi, in this case wild Mexican Shrimp was delicious as well.

Based on what I'd already eaten, I had high hope for tamago. Though I've never really bought into the "you judge an Itamae by how they prepare the humble egg" school of thought, I do like a light, mildly sweet, melt in your mouth tamago just like everyone else.

This was not it. It was served ice cold which killed the flavor. The omelet was also too hard and not particularly pleasant to eat.

There's some irony to this whole meal. We'd had all this sashimi and sushi, but the one real talking point for us after the meal was the miso shiro….yep, the miso soup.

As we took the first sip of this rich, yet balanced simple miso shiro with daikon, the three guys looked up…… I'm not sure what it was, but there was that simple comforting feeling this soup gave the three Japanese "boys" in the group. Like a warm blanket wrapping around you on a cold day…. Nice ratio of miso to dashi, not too salty, the daikon cooked to very tender, but not melted away. This was so nice.

After our meal, the Itamae came and spoke to MrT….when he found our XJ wasn't Japanese, he was amazed that she wanted to eat sashimi and nigiri and not just rolls. Hopefully, that contributed to a stereotype being torn down. The folks here just seem to want to do their thing. Even though I still don't agree with the way they do it; having grandparents who never spoke English, I understand it. MrT told me that he had heard this building had been sold and was going to be torn down and the owners look like they are close to retirement. I'm hoping that Kaga Sushi will give a little in who they serve. Though I don't think I can get into the place without someone fluent in Japanese even after eating there……

Kaga-Sushi
1216 3rd Ave
Chula Vista, CA 91911

A Week of Sushi, Going New School: Akinori Sushi

January 29, 2013 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

**** Akinori Sushi has closed

From then end of summer last year through winter, I heard a lot of good things about the newly opened Akinori Sushi in Hillcrest. So near the end of the year, I called and made reservations for an "Omakase" meal to share with my good buddy Candice. Having eaten at Surfside Sushi a couple of times, in front of Akinori twice, I already knew of his friendly, accommodating, and laid back demeanor, so I was sure that this would, at the least, be a nice meal.

The interior of Akinori is spartan, but neat and comfortable looking. There's nothing stuffy about the place. In this way, it reflects Akinori's personality.

We had seats front and center….and Candice, ever the beer-maven, quickly noticed that Aki-san had brought in some local brews from Monkey Paw. I quickly noticed that the "heritage" of al the fish being served was listed on the chalkboard on the wall.

We happily chatted and munched on our amuse…..

And our first course of kazunoko and gobo…..

Of course, all attention went to Aki-san as he prepared our next course…….

You can't really make it out, but a lobster was being dispatched……

Not quite as fast as say…..Hiro-san, but quick enough.

It was interesting watching the head of lobster still bobbing around as our plates were being prepared…..

Which looked wonderful.

The hirame (halibut) was cut paper thin, something I really enjoy as cutting it in that manner really changes and heightens the texture. Of course the uni, being local, and "gold" grade was outstanding, that was to be expected. But what really surprised me the most was the Ise Ebi (lobster) sashimi. Personally, I'm not a big fan of lobster sashimi, for me it's sort of bland and rubbery…..even when having been prepared by Urasawa. This however was sweet and quite tender…..very nice local lobster.

Next up was the nouvelle course….the new style presentations.

This was an interesting mixed-bag. So much of the Itamae-customer relationship is based on multiple visits. It's tough trying to figure out a new customer who walks in the door saying "feed me". So some of what I got, like the by-the-books saikyo miso Chilean Sea Bass.

Was good, but really didn't wow me. I make this every couple of months for the Missus.

And I'm just not a big fan of the burnt pseudo-mayo-cream cheese "roll" thing called the roll with Tokyo Bam Bam aioli.

On the other hand…….uni and hotategai (scallop) is a classic pairing, so the Hotate with Uni paste was a fantastic take on a classic combination.

Sweet, sweet, ocean….would probably be a wonderful name for this!

And yet, it wasn't my favorite item on the plate…….which was the "uni tofu".

Think of this as a sort of whipped uni cake, almost like a decent tamago. Light, spongy, permeated with the ocean-custard flavor of uni. I could have easily have eaten a whole tray….then die with a smile on my face.

Next up was a wonderfully refreshing Kumamoto Oyster with ponzu paired with one of my favorite things; ankimo (steamed monkfish liver "pate").

It funny, both Candice and I took bites of our ankimo simultaneously….we both stopped and looked at each other. The texture of the ankimo was perfect, but there was a certain, almost cheesy pungency to it. Whoa…. it was pretty heady stuff!

All during the meal, Aki-san is conversing with us….and being the sharp Itamae, I think he picked up on my preferences with regards to fish along the way as the next item up was a wonderful, lightly sweet, chewy, piece of engawa (halibut dorsal fin muscle), the most treasured part of the fish.

Right up next was something I would never have thought of……

Yes, it was a really nice piece of hirame….but sprinkled on top was a really fragrant truffle salt! For some reason, I really took to the fragrance and flavor of this. I'm almost thinking of sneaking that jar of truffle salt I have in the cabinet and ordering hirame sashimi from Wal Mi Do. Now that would be pretty funny, huh?

And while the mebachi (Big Eye tuna) looked good, but was nothing special, I had time to appreciate how Aki-san put together his rice…….not too tight, which allows the rice to disperse easily upon eating.

The kohada (gizzard shad) was lightly brushed with a mild nikiri, which really helped since the flavor didn't have quite a pronounced milky flavor.

As good as the engawa and hirame was, nothing could compare with the Aji.

We watched as a huge layer of fat was trimmed from the fish….we already knew this was going to be good……. The texture was just plain decadent, something I never thought I'd say about aji. The fish almost melted away in my mouth and yet kept that wonderful lightly milky flavor of Spanish Mackerel. Best aji I've had, maybe forever……

Next item needs no description……

It was very good….but because of the timing, was only the second best miso shiro I had that week. (more on that later). Still lobster miso shiro….c'mon.

I wasn't a big fan of the anago, which felt kind greasy to me.

At this point, I was waving the white flag….so Aki-san told us, "just one more item". And it was some item.

Uni lovers of the world unite……uni risotto, topped with shoyu ikura, tororo (grated yamaimo), and uni. Nice uni flavor with hints of sesame oil. A excellent rice dish, perhaps not up to Raku's Kamameshi, but what is?

In the end, it was a very good meal. Because Akinori is not familiar with me, by no means did I expect a perfect meal. We'll save that for maybe two meals down the road….which based on the price; this was $70 without booze, is doable. Like I said, the relationship between the customer and Itamae is a sacred one….something folks forget. A while back I had a conversation with one of those "sushi snobs" who really had nothing good to say about any other sushi bars except his favorite…he's loyal, which is nice, but is also something that colors his judgement. There's no place that makes everything perfect, every time……now folks who know me realize that I'm a very boring, pragmatic, person…so I ask the guy a simple question- "how many time did you give these places a try?" His answer? "Just once, they never lived up to how good xxxx is." "So how many times have you been to xxxx?" "Well, we go sometimes two times a week, xxxx-san knows me there and know what I like!""So you give these places one try and say they don't know you like xxxx-san, then hold it against them….what do you do?" "I'm a barber…." "So what if I came into your shop and had you cut my hair and told you….it's not as good as my regular barber I go to every month? What would you say…." Well…..he just cursed at me and moved a few seats down at the counter of one of those one-and-done sushi bars that-would-never- be-as-good-as-his-favorite.

Give Akinori a try….or two….or three….. oh, and if you plan of having the Omakase, call ahead.

Akinori Sushi
1417 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92103

Oh and if you ever wonder why I don't read that four lettered review site; when I mentioned visiting Akinori to a friend of mine, he pointed me to this. Good grief!

A Week of Sushi, Starting with the “Old School”: Sushi Bar Kazumi

January 28, 2013 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

**** Sushi Bar Kazumi is no longer

For some reason, I'd accumulated a small collection of photos from visits for sushi over the last couple of months. Each place had it's own personality. I thought it would probably be appropriate to start with my visit to what I call "transplanted Kazumi", now located in Moby Dick Fishmarket. Before there was Sakura, Kaito, or Shirahama, there was Sushi Bar Kazumi. Kazumi was actually the first sushi bar I ate at back in the late 90's. My clients were located in the Hillcrest area and Kazumi was within walking distance. And to take things even farther back, from what I've been told, the current location of Sushi Yaro, was the original location of Sushi Bar Kazumi, before it was Ishikawa. After moving to San Diego proper, I always found parking to be a hassle in the area, so I didn't return until about early 2005. By then Kazumi had started looking a bit run down and the sushi I had that evening kind of reflected that. Eventually he closed down……Zo-san, who I seem to run into all over the place told me that Kazumi was looking to reopen in the Convoy area. But I never expected him to reopen in Moby Dick Fishmarket and Grill. The concept seemed a weird marraige of fishmarket, pseudo fast-food, combined with sushi bar in the evening. Still, I was delighted when reading Kirbie's post on Kazumi, it seemed he had returned to form. Nothing nouvelle about it, but good, solid, old-school sushi.

I had made reservations and I arrived finding the sushi bar empty, but groups of patrons, "roll-a-holics" all on the tables in the restaurant. I took my seat and saw Kazumi moving at the speed of light, a one man show, with a single Server, efficient, and just friendly enough.

He had a pile of fish sliced in front of him when I arrived and I just told him that I'd take whatever he thought was good, and not to worry and rush. To my surprise, he immediately started making nigiri of the fish in front of him, stopping only to cut two pieces of engawa, and within minutes things were started with a rather shabby looking eight pieces of nigiri.

When I asked, I was told that the tuna was Bigeye, aka Ahi, and what my relatives called "mebachi". That explained the rather lean chu-toro….which still looked like it had part of the dark blood line it in, making it look rather unappetizing. The akami was dry and had broken into pieces before being placed on the rice. The hamachi was dry and stringy…..not a good start at all. Though the engawa, the dorsal fin muscle of the halibut was very good, very mildly sweet, with a nice chew, it was also cut in a rather haphazardly way.

To me, this just seemed like "neta ( the topping of nigiri) fail" and just kind of sad overall. Yet Kazumi was working like a madman putting together roll after roll, even handing me a negi-toro (fatty tuna-green onion) temaki.

The chu-toro in this handroll was actually better than what was on the nigiri…..I love negi-toro and negi-hama, so this pleased me. I was once told that temakiwas actually invented in the United States! I also noticed that Kazumi's sushi-meshi was not quite as strong in the vinegar department; though time could be a factor here.

After a few minutes, the dust had settled and things had slowed down a bit. Kazumi then got down to work……opening and cleaning a Hotategai(scallop) and creating a combination of scallop nigiri and hotate-uni gunkanmaki.

The gunkanmaki seemed a bit sloppy and the uni was not of the highest quality, but it was not bad. Kazumi had not put any wasabi on the hotate nigiri, which was an excellent choice, as the wonderful sweet and mildly briney flavor came through quite well. That was quite a treat. Kazumi had wound down a bit and started making conversation with me as well……I still enjoyed his wit and sense of humor.

I enjoyed the saba-kazunoko (fish roe) temaki.

Great combination of textures.

I love shiromi, white meat fish, but the hirame (halibut) I was served was dry and on the gummy side.

Amazingly, only 40 minutes had passed at this point…….but I was just about totally gassed, so I gave the sign for "just one more"……which ended up being pretty good. This was a cured-"smoked" salmon, which I really enjoyed.

This was something that all the "old school" places used to serve ages ago, but I don't see much nowadays. I asked Kazumi about this prep……..he mentioned salt and hickory, but not smoking. Then I realized, this is cured in a combination of salt and liquid smoke! Man, I got to figure this one out.

Dinner ended on a high note, and I'm sure that he'd do a good job if not inundated by orders for 6 California Rolls and 5 crunchy rolls at a time. Also, this dinner ended up being the most expensive of the four at over $80, so I'm not sure I'll return, especially in this format/ locale.

Sushi Bar Kazumi (Inside of Moby Dick Fish Market & Grill)
4805 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
(619) 988-6522