Closed – Page 57

25 Forty Bistro and Bakehouse (Old Town)-revisit for lunch

May 17, 2012 Cathy Bakery, Buffets, Desserts, European Restaurants, Los Angeles County, What Cathy Eats!

25Forty has closed. It will be missed

Well, you've found mmm-yoso!!! and we'd like to welcome you to our blog about food. Kirk usually blogs here and sometimes so does ed(from Yuma). Cathy usually chimes in about meals she has enjoyed when the guys are busy. Today, it's Cathy.

Hello again. I posted about a few lunches at 25Forty Bistro last year. 25Forty has changed since then; it's still open for Brunch and dinner on weekends, closed on Mondays and now is open for lunch on Thursday and Friday only. As part of that lunch offering, one of the menu choices is an all you can eat buffet at an affordable price of $8.

A few weeks ago, The Mister and I had some time and drove to Old Town for lunch here. The seating outside is the same, as are most of the tables inside, but along the back wall is a small buffet area.

We started lunch with iced tea and water. The water, as always, is brought out in glasses and with a large chilled bottle for refills at will. The iced tea is a good, strong brew.

The Mister ordered the All You can Eat buffet. As it was crowded, I did not want to get up to take a photo of the buffet area, but it is not large and on the tables looking like a nice buffet you'd have at a friend's home over the Holidays. This is a bit of everything available: cheeses, olives, pasta salad, salad with chicken, sliced ham, plain salad ) I do like the dressing here), rigatoni with meat sauce (very nice), roast pork (excellent) and mashed potatoes (perfect). The plate is very large and The Mister's second trip to the buffet area only brought back a bit more cheese and walnuts, which he said was his dessert…

I chose the $10 lunch combination, which includes a beverage, a baked dessert and either a salad or sandwich. As in my other post, I chose the steak salad, which I crave. The meat is so tender and perfectly seasoned and placed on top of balsamic dressed mixed greens. The heirloom tomato had wonderful flavor.

The selection of desserts was slightly overwhelming. I walked over to the counter and saw a selection of cupcakes as well as pastries. I noticed that people can order a coffee beverage to go (there were 'to go' cups stacked next to the espresso machine) as well as pastries and apparently lots of people do so. After a bit of time, I chose this Nutella® filled pastry.

As you can see, the pastry was fresh and flaky and filled with the chocolate-hazelnut spread. We shared this. It was a delightful end to this pleasant lunch. We walked around Old Town and "played tourist" before returning to the car. San Diego is a very nice place where we are fortunate to live.

25Forty Bistro and Bakery 2540 Congress Street San Diego 92110 (619)294-2540 Closed Monday. Website

Tea Station-revisit

May 16, 2012 Cathy Caffeine Fix, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome (back) to mmm-yoso!!! the food blog. Right now, Kirk is relaxing. As is ed(from Yuma). Cathy is blogging in a relaxed fashion.

Hello again. I blogged about Tea Station last year and it's a semi-regular stop for The Mister and I when we want to enjoy a relaxing talk along with a snack or light lunch. Wifi is available and some people are on computers, but for the most part, people are playing board games, card games or just talking and interacting at one of the numerous indoor and outdoor tables.

Tea Station is located in the mall across the street from 99Ranch Market.

This visit, we started out with Tea Eggs ($2.75) which are pretty simple to make at home, but I enjoy trying the the versions made by 'professionals'. Eggs are hard boiled then slightly cracked and placed back into the water which has had tea, soy and spices (like anise, cinnamon, black pepper or just five spice) placed and then simmered for about 20 minutes and then the eggs and tea mixture is placed in the refrigerator to steep for a day or so.

When the egg is finally peeled before eating, the tea mixture has seeped into the cracks,leaving a beautiful marble pattern. The whites of the egg usually take on the salty, savory flavor of the spices and the tea flavor seems to hit the yolk, or somehow enhances its flavor. Anyhow, I suppose I can do a post about making these at home. I enjoy the version here because the tea used is a fermented green, pu-erh tea, which I like. It looks like it is a black tea, but that's the color after fermenting. At home I use less expensive teas to make the tea eggs..and sometimes I don't even use tea- just spices and soy…I digress. I like the tea eggs here.

As on the last visit I blogged, we ordered the squid balls ($5.25). We did so again. These are a favorite…Squid somehow formed in a way that it doesn't fall apart and is solid. The lightly fried balls are rolled in a spicy salt blend (I think the green is seaweed). They are not greasy and don't have any breading. It's different and a really tasty snack.

The fried tofu ($5.25) is also a favorite of ours. Cubed soft tofu very lightly tossed in flour, fried and rolled in the same spicy salt mix. It's served with a thick teriyaki dipping sauce…which also compliments the squid.

Once again, we ordered a pot of the rose tea ($6.50), which was expertly steeped and wonderfully flavored with a marvelous rose aroma.

There are so many beverages you can order here, hot and cold, with or without milk, boba, combinations of flavors….and a good pot of tea is what they do and they do it so well.

I hope everyone had a nice day. Do take the time to sit and talk.

Tea Station 7315 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92111 (858) 268-8198 Website

Rocky Port Grill and Fish Market- El Cajon- a revisit

May 15, 2012 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome to mmm-yoso!!! The part usually played by Kirk or ed(from Yuma) will be played by Cathy for the next bit of time.

Hi. It seems that I disappeared for most of this year, but it's time to share some meals I've been saving up in the cameraphone. I posted about Rocky Port earlier this year, when I was beginning my whole-fish as a meal binge and it has become a regular stop even if we don't order a whole fish. The seafood here is always fresh, tasty, and tender.

On Tuesdays, all tacos are $1 off, so the fish tacos are $1.50 all day…(yes, it does open at 10 a.m. and closes at 9 p.m. week days, and 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday)

Always, when you sit down, corn chips (the corn tortillas here are really good -layered- and make flaky corn chips), really good fresh salsa, cut limes and a bit of fresh-fresh fish ceviche is brought to the table.

On this visit, I ordered the Campechana Cocktail ($13.50). Shrimp, squid, scallops, octopus, clams and oyster, cooked in the lime and tomato juice, with cucumber and avocado mixed in. Catsup, crackers and selection of hot sauces add to the flavors of this tasty, fresh, tender and delightful large bowl of a meal. I crave it.

You can see two spoons with the cocktail. The Mister and I shared it, as well as sharing two fish tacos and two Gobernador tacos.

The Gobernador taco, a tortilla first 'lined' with melted cheese is then filled with a buttery saute of shrimp, bell pepper, onion and tomato…always a craving and at the regular price of $3.50, worth it…even a better deal on Tuesdays…The fish taco is quite largeand, again, fresh and fried properly in a light batter.

If the windows on the building somehow look familiar to you…remember Pizza Hut? …I hope everyone is having a good week.

Rocky Port Grill and Seafood Market 1771 N. Second Street El Cajon 92021 (619) 593-0637 Website

Breakfast of Champions, old school revisit edition: Lucky’s Breakfast (Golden Phenix), Perry’s Cafe

May 13, 2012 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Diner

There's something about old school, simple, American style breakfasts that I love. None of that frou-frou stuff. Just eggs, meat, potatoes, and toast…… So here are two revisits or my breakfast files:

Lucky's Golden Phenix:

**** Sadly Lucky Wong passed away at the end of 2024

I've actually been back to Lucky's a couple of times since my post back in 2008. Lucky is quite a character, quick with the dry remark, don't even think about asking for decaf, Lucky told a gentleman, "why you decaf, it's full of chemicals, you're already looking like you have too much chemicals!"

I once asked for my toast "dry" and was told "are you a health nut? You gonna be old and look like me one day, do you want to stay that way forever?" Though I later asked him why he serves both white and wheat toast, "I have to do something for health nuts like you….just drink black coffee, that's the most healthy….no cream or sugar!" Aaaah, nutrition according to Lucky!

Though the place still looks like it has come of the set of Big Trouble in Little China, which I actually went to see at the old Cinerama Theatre. Sorry, I digress, having these old school breakfasts at places like Lucky's will do that to you.

I must have not been here in a bit since the interior has been cleaned up a bit…all the Arnold Schwarzenegger stuff is gone, perhaps Lucky was a bit unhappy with his role as the "Governator"? Things are less cluttered here now, but the really cheap prices look about the same as they were almost four years ago…..

Another thing that hasn't changed……it's still a one man show at Lucky's.

On this day, I had two eggs over easy, bacon, hash browns, white toast…….$3.60….yes three dollars and sixty cents.

Man, this was better than I remembered….especially the hashbrowns which were nice and crisp on the exterior….it might be SYSCO potatoes, but if you do it right…….

It's really hard to get negative on a breakfast that's under four bucks…especially when it's pretty good.

I do recall one other thing about Lucky's….one evening, the Missus wanted something from Heaven Sent Desserts. The only parking was on Grim right across from Lucky's. It was pretty late and Lucky's is only open from 7 to noon Monday thru Saturday. It was pretty late in the evening….as we walked past Lucky's the Missus said, "look at that lonely looking old man…." She pointed into Lucky's (this was before the curtains went up). And sure enough, there was Lucky, watching a little portable television in the corner of his place. I felt quite sad…..after all Lucky probably has a story, not sure what it is, behind that somewhat curmudgeonly exterior……

Lucky's Breakfast (Golden Phenix)
3804 Grim Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Open Monday – Saturday 7-12

Perry's Cafe:

**** Sadly Perry's has closed after 39 years

A coworker asked me if I've been back to Perry's since they reopened after the fire. I replied that I hadn't….I was then informed that they reopened back in April of '10! Seeeesh…..time sure does fly! I mean really? Two years???

Arriving in the parking lot, it looked like business as usual at Perry's. There was a line out the door waiting for a table. This being a solo breakfast, I easily snagged a seat at the counter….. Which is a pretty nice place to sit as you get to watch the Servers do their thing. You can count the plates the balance on one arm as they make their way to tables…on this day, the winner, a tall blond who looked like she was all business actually took nine plates out in one trip!

I really didn't feel like bacon or sausage, so on this day I went with two eggs, hamburger patty, hashbrowns, and toast($8):

For some reason, this just didn't do it for me. I can overlook the cooked in a ring, somewhat overdone easy over eggs, or the mass produced textured burger. But if you've read my earlier post on Perry's, you'd know that for me, it's all about the hashbrowns here. Cooked on a well seasoned flat top with liquid butter goodness……man, I'm so there! But this time around, it hadn't spent enough time on the griddle and I didn't enjoy it as much. Bummer…..maybe I needed to order some au jus to pour all over it????

Perry's Cafe
4620 Pacific Hwy
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 291-7121

Open Daily 6am-2pm

So there you go…..perhaps not as fascinating as Stadium Club (though it's hard to beat Lucky's)….but this is breakfast old school style. Where's your favorite "old school" breakfast joint?

Smashburger – Kearny Mesa

May 9, 2012 mmm-yoso Burgers, Hot Dogs

**** This location of Smashburger has closed

Wow, for a while there seemed to be a Smashburger opening every week in San Diego. Heck, I know that FOY (Friend of Yoso) and fellow food blogger Kirbie seemed to be going to a sneak peek event every week for a while. Cathy also did a nice post on the place. Me???? Well, I’m not one for media events and I kinda just take my sweet old time….being kinda slow and all that. For a while it seemed like Smashburger was into full court press marketing mode and they really seemed to do a good job at it. For some reason, the more hype, the less I’m inclined to really get excited about something…it’s not always true, but most of the time….. Now things have calmed down and I thought I’d really get an honest meal and see what Smashburger is all about. Hmmmm, is the bloom off the rose?

The Kearny Mesa location is fairly close, so I tohught I’d check them out.

The decor is what I now call classic “fast-casual”…it might have been the lighting, but the carpets here seemed to be kinda stained in a few places….not a bad thing. Heck, if it’s burger juice flowing on those carpets…I’m all for adding that element!

Smashburger claims 100% Angus Beef, which I think is great. They also claim to “smash” the beef onto the griddle which has been brushed with butter. Perhaps not the greatest thing, since you can squeeze the juices out of the burger. And yet, I recall the rather thin pressed patties from diners and bowling alleys of my youth which made up for that short coming with a nice crisp exterior.

I really wanted to taste the burger so I went with a Classic ($4.29). I also got some Smash Fries and a drink which totaled out at $8.80.

Now, I thought this looked kinda puny for a burger, but heck it’s Angus Beef, right? Never frozen, etc, etc, etc…. It’s great to fall in love with an idea and all. The burger didn’t really have a nice crust on it and was rather dry. The flavor was pretty weak for certified Angus. I did love the roll, which was moist, bready (in a good way), and somewhat buttery.

I also really enjoyed the fries which were still almost sizzling when the young man brought it to my table. These were seasoned with rosemary, garlic, and olive oil. I thought the flavor was nicely balanced…though I love tons of garlic, I appreciated the restrained hand of all the flavors. The crisp texture didn’t hurt either.

Love the fries….the burger, well, was ok…..

I ended up returning a couple of weeks later and wasn’t really paying attention when I ordered the Chicago Dog, which turned out to be the same price as my previous burger ($4.29)

In this case, the roll was much too bready for the dog, which had been split and griddled. Wrong relish, which also tasted wrong and lack of celery salt made this a Chicago Dog in name only. The dog was dense, it reminded me of a Bison Dog I had recently, though the flavor was very mild. At least the sport peppers were decent……

Since I love onions so much, I ordered the Haystack Onions ($1.99) which I might have really enjoyed if they weren’t cold, greasy, and slightly burnt, which made this bitter.

Well, one out of four, not that great for me. Maybe the burger just wasn’t right on my first visit…or maybe it does have to be buried in toppings? I dunno….

Smashburger – Kearny Mesa
3737 Murphy Canyon Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Revisits: Bun Mam from Thuan Kieu and Sab E Lee 2

May 7, 2012 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

Com Tam Thuan Kieu (San Diego):

The dry cleaner lady told me that Thuan Kieu had changed the recipe of the Bun Mam here, probably my favorite dish at this restaurant. It made me a bit worried as I actually enjoy it….but she did say it was even better now and the cooking was more polished. So I just had to see for myself.

It’s still priced well at $7.50. The portion size is fairly large………

First thing I noticed was that this wasn’t quite as funky and the previous version. It also was a tad sweeter and more tangy. The flavor is still a “umami bomb”. I think they’ve cut back on the fermented shrimp sauce and added a bit more tomato. It was also a bit more spicy than I recalled….or perhaps my tolerance is bottoming out?

I didn’t like the way they prepared the bun, it was “water-logged”, H2O still dripping off the noodles which were also over-cooked.

There were two thinner cross slices of fish, rather than one. And a whole lot more pork belly that I recalled. The eggplant was very tender, almost buttery. This was also a bit of a change since it was usually a bit undercooked.

And I guess that whole funkiness issue is relative as well. For the two women who stopped and sniffed the air and the one kid who actually whiffed his armpits when I walked past you at Nijiya after my meal. It was just me….’ol Mam Tom breath……….

Com Tam Thuan Kieu
4712 El Cajon Blvd Ste A
San Diego, CA 92115

Sab E Lee 2:

**** This location of Sab E Lee has closed

Man, I think it’s been almost two years since I’ve eaten here. The Missus has gone with Her friends, but I’ve just been too darn lazy…..terrible excuse, I know. The weather this past weekend just seemed right for Thai and the Missus was craving the Signature Fish.

Nice to see that not much has changed.

The Signature Fish was nice and crisp…..

Though it was smaller than I remember for $15.95 and a tad overcooked. Still, the Missus wasn’t complaining.

The Shrimp Plaa was nice and refreshing. Though thinking my heat tolerance had gone down a bit I only ordered a ‘7’ which was too mild. I’ll bump it up next time.

Of course, we had garlic rice as well.

Overall, this was a nice light meal….well, perhaps my breath wasn’t that great after chowing down that rice…..hey, I guess there is a tie in between these two meals, huh? Not that I’m especially proud of noticing it…….

Sab E Lee 2
9159 Mission Gorge Road
Santee, CA 92071

COMC: Gaijin Noodle + Sake House

April 22, 2012 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Japanese Restaurants

*** Gaijin has closed

Here are some photos that have been taking up space on my hard drive. I thought it would be good for a COMC (Clearing Out the Memory Card) post.

Gaijin is located in the former Cheese Shop location in the Gaslamp. The menu is interesting, featuring straight up yakitori grilled on binchotan by the former yakitori chef at Raku, along with fusion robata, noodle, and other Japanese – Italian dishes.

Coming from Hawaii, I've had my fair share of Asian Fusion that I'd term as "shibai" and after a couple of meals at Gaijin, I really think this place is trying to serve up some good stuff and do the right thing.

Like I mentioned, this place uses binchotan charcoal for the robatayaki, but during my visits, it seemed like the main yakitori guy was never making it, just usually prepping or doing other stuff. It did seem like the yakitori standards like the "momo" chicken thigh was very pale and lacking in salt.

On the other hand, the couple of times I had the tsukune, the chicken "meatball", they had allowed the "tare" to burn making it bitter. Also, they use quite a bit of ginger in the mix, which detracted from my enjoyment.

The gyutan, beef tongue is usually one of my favorites, but as with the momo, this version was under salted. For some reason they like to use a lot of black pepper here.

Same with the harami…..skirt steak.

The items I've enjoyed the best were usually wrapped in Nueske bacon, which I first tasted on one of my trips to Wisconsin or some of the more non-traditional items, like the portobello mushroom, basted with tare and finished with a touch of truffle oil.

The pork kimchi, a riff on buta-shiso also works well, as the kimchi is more of a Japanese, quick style kimchi, not overly fermented in flavor. It works well with the girlled pork, which was nicely moist.

I won't go into deep detail regarding the un-Hakata like Spicy Miso Chashu Hakata ramen($12). The flavor reminded me of kimchi base and the noodles were typical ramen noodles and over-cooked.

I really loved the flavor of the Uni Green Tea Soba Noodles ($11). Don't be shocked at the portion size as this is pretty rich stuff. The uni butter and other ingredients gives this a flavor like an oceany carbonara.

I love cha soba and the problem I had with this dish is that I'm of the school that soba should always be al dente and both times I had this the soba was mushy.

My favorite dish on the menu, is not on the menu. On a visit with my good FOY Candice, who knows the Chef, they sent out this wonderful dish called Bacon and Eggs, a combination of the wonderful soft boiled ajitsuke tamago, in ramen broth, with bacon bits.

It has three of my favorite "food groups"…… You can just order it and the folks in the kitchen will know what to make. I really like this and intend of having it again soon.

The prices aren't cheap, though that's understandable based on the location. I will say that while the yakitori here isn't up to Yakyudori, I believe that it is much better than what I last had a Koubou.

The place is fairly small, but the service was very friendly, especially earlier in the evening before the place got really busy.

Going against character, I enjoyed more of the fusion style dishes than the standards. I also found that you can order single skewers even though prices are based on two skewers. I guess we're in the midst of a bit of a ramen revolution in San Diego. What I found funny was that two of the Servers are from Hawaii and they pegged me as an ex-pat kama'aina from the moment I opened my mouth!

Gaijin Noodle + Sake House
627 4th Ave
San Diego, CA 92101

Viet Bakery and Pho

April 9, 2012 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Viet Bakery and Pho has closed

Viet Bakery and Pho opened pretty quickly, at least I thought they were open before they actually were. The Missus was in the mood for something new and She wanted to check this place out. Located in the same strip mall as Izakaya, Sakura, The Original Pancake House, Swabummm Shabu World, and Yokohama Yakitori Koubou, among others, this place is literally bursting at the seams and now has a parking problem to boot as the Missus and I parked on street a few yards away.

I really didn't know what the "bakery" portion of the name of the place meant….would it be a Banh Mi and Pho joint, or what? Well the bakery really does sell Vietnamese baked goods, though there are just four shelves lining part of the wall on the west side of the place.

To my surprise the menu was full of interesting items like Banh Cuon, Banh Bot Loc, and Banh Beo in addition to Pho. Unfortunately, they didn't have a couple of things on the menu, the nice young man serving us had to check to see if they had the items we ordered. I finally relented and took his advice for what I ordered. The folks looked confused and for a good amount of time were gathered around the cash register….I'm guessing trying to figure out how it worked I guess? They were constantly looking at the rather small menu, trying to remember dishes…..things that should have probably been worked out before actually opening to the public.

Luckily they had what the Missus wanted, the combination of appetizers – Banh Beo, Banh Duc, Banh Bot Loc, and Banh It ($5.99). When it arrived we were a bit puzzled by the look of some of the items.

We especially found the Banh Beo, something we've had many times, both in San Diego and in Little Saigon were just plain odd to us. Not enough dried shrimp for a nice savory flavor, the usually toothsome discs were gelatinous, like eating plain rice cake. The Banh It, which I haven't had in a while had a greasiness to it. The best of the lot was Banh Bot Loc the tapioca flour dumpling stuffed with shrimp, which was still on the bland side and missing the smokey, tea like flavor of being steamed in banana leaves. The best thing was the nuoc mam cham, which was surprisingly spicy with a nice fish sauce kick.

After going back and forth a couple of times I settled on the Com Goi Ga, the Rice with Chicken Salad – Com Goi Ga Xe Phai (Ga Xe Phay – $6.99). This came with some broth and supposedly garlic rice.

I say supposedly, because that has got to be some of the worse rice I've had in a while. I ended up pouring the broth over the hard and dry rice, then stealing the Missus's nuoc mam. The chicken tasted, well not to be insulting but the only thing I can really think of is…….dead, it really was bland and not very pleasant. On the good side, the salad was full of banana blossom that was fresh and shiny, likewise the rau ram and other herbs. It did have too much onion in it, the Missus kept telling me to eat breath mints the entire way home….but it was good.

In the end, I didn't think it was good to not visit again….we could possibly write this off to opening jitters; the young man who brought me my order was shaking so bad we thought he was going to drop everything……when I tried to pay with a twenty they suddenly found themselves without changet. I can only imagine how stressful it was….we saw customers coming back in with orders that were incorrect or missing items.

So I decided to return and this time got what I had wanted in the first place, the Banh Cuon Dac Biet ($6.75). This time, even though the place was pretty much full, things were moving much better, but alas, what I ordered was not.

Everything fried on the plate was dry, limp, and greasy, like it had been fried at the wrong temperature. The Cha Lua, defatted pork sausage was chewy, but had a decent flavor. The Banh Cuon were on the thick side and fairly dry. Unfortunately, I'd place Quoc Te and even Song Huong ahead of this. Heck even a middle of the pack Little Saigon joint like Banh Cuon Tay Ho is miles beyond this…to say nothing of what we had in Vietnam.

It's kind of sad, the young folks working here are really nice, ut they don't seem to have any restaurant experience or someone to train them. We really do need a place in San Diego that does the type of dishes we tried well. Hopefully, they'll get better…..

Lunch and dinner is now 30% off so you may want give them a shot and let me know what you think. After I sent a text to my good FOY "Xiang Jiao", she asked me if I tried the Pho. The only reply I could send to her was, "right now, I'm not brave enough……."

Viet Bakery & Pho
3904 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Niu Rou Mania Redux: This time it’s Savory Garden, Mr Dumpling, and Chin’s Convoy

March 26, 2012 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian

It's been almost four years since I did a round up post of places to add to my Niu Rou Mian collection. Personally, I feel things have been pretty depressing for NRM in recent years, but thought I'd give it a shot anyway. We've been going through waves of warm almost late spring-like weather followed by blustery storms passing through, so it was really hard to plan things out. But I managed to squeeze in three bowls recently.

Savory Garden:

*** Savory Garden has closed

This restaurant took the place of 168 Restaurant in the 99 Ranch Market shopping plaza.

As a whole, I usually avoid the place during rush hours, and even when I dropped by during an odd lunch or dinner time, I don't recall seeing people eating here. In fact, on my visit, during a late week dinner, I was the only customer during my entire meal!

It must get pretty boring for the folks here, that's probably why they were practicing their Karaoke skills on the television….of course they weren't using a microphone, just quietly singing along…..

So at least I had a bit of entertainment during my meal. Personally, I thought this was kind of cute in a way, though I would probably have a different opinion if they used microphones.

The House Special Beef Noodle Soup ($7.49), which is listed as this on the check-off menu:

Arrived steaming hot, a good sign, though I've got to say it was probably the darkest looking broth I've seen in a while:

I really missed the zha cai – pickled vegetable that 168 used to top off thier NRM with, and fragrance of the broth wasn't particularly beefy. The noodles were decent, not overcooked, the broth wasn't as sweet as others, but in spite of the dark color, really lacked any depth with regards to flavor.

The beef was fairly tender and had decent flavor, but there were only four real pieces and some crumbs…….

Man, that was some dark broth!

I know I still gotta meet "MrZ" here for lunch one day…… so I'll report back then with more. Though based on the lack of customers, I think I'd better get my act together because I'm not quite sure how long this place will be around.

Savory Garden
7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Mr Dumpling:

*** Mr Dumpling has closed

On my post on Liang's someone mentioned that Mr Dumpling made a pretty good NRM. I kinda hesitated in checking the place out, since the food on my previous visits had not been particularly stellar. Still, Niu Rou Mian? I really had to go and check the place out. The place was totally empty when I arrived……. I actually had to call out several times…Ni Hao…..

While waiting for signs of life, I noticed that they'd put pool tables in on the other side of the wall……I guess they need to bring in customers somehow. This just didn't strike me as a particularly good sign.

A couple of minutes later a live person appeared and I was seated. Of course I order the Niu Rou Mian and was surprised at what I got:

Well technically there's beef, noodle, and soup……but this ain't the Niu Rou Mian I know. It was terrible, the broth lacked nay flavor but salt and the beef was tough and dry. I keep thinking this was some horrible mistake.

While another part of me wonders, "what if it isn't a mistake and this is their version of Niu Rou Mian?" Egads!

Mr Dumpling
7250 Convoy Ct
San Diego, CA 92111

Chin's Convoy:

*** Chin's on Convoy has closed

I'm not sure why I decided on Niu Rou Mian at Chin's on Convoy, but that's what I ordered. It was the most expensive ($8.50) of the three. To my surprise it wasn't too bad.

While the broth could have been richer, it did have a mild beef and star anise flavor, along with a slight "kick". Based on previous experiences here, I expected the soup to be on the sweet side, but it wasn't. The meat could have been more tender, but it was by no means terrible. The noodles and there was a lot of noodles, weren't anything special, but at least they were al dente and nice and slippery.

Though I don't overly focus on price, if quality is good, I'm not quite sure this is worth $8.50.

Chin's
4433 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

I guess I'll have drive up to Temple City again soon and deal with the service at Dai Ho to get a decent bowl……

Bandeja Paisa from Tropicafe

March 19, 2012 mmm-yoso Colombian Food and Restaurants, Latin American Cuisine

**** Tropicafe has closed

I'd had a couple of requests to check out Tropicafe in Chula Vista, mostly from folks who I really didn't know. So a couple of weeks back, I spoke to a co-worker AF, who lived in Colombia from the age of 8 to 18. He'd been asking me if I knew of anywhere that had Colombian food on the menu…anyplace but Tropical Star. I told him I'd heard of a place in Chula Vista called Tropicafe, but hadn't tried it out…..AF told me he'd check it out and report back. Then I didn't see him for maybe a month or so. when I finally saw him, he told me, "the food is pretty much the real deal, but not everything is great. It's worth a try, just stay away from the Mexican food, which is on the menu because they need to make a living." Asked for a recommendation, I was told, "everyone needs to have the Bandeja Paisa the first time. There's better things on the menu, but that's the national dish."

So there I was, taking the Main Street off ramp in Chula Vista and driving into one of the "garage strip malls"……and right across from Juan's Auto Repair and the Mercedes Engine Exchange was this tiny shop.

The place opens at 930 am, and I'd arrived pretty early. The restaurant is pretty small, maybe five tables….I was thrown off by the chafing dishes when I entered, but it was part of a display advertising their catering business. The drill is simple, I walked to the counter and ordered, which I'm sure is not the way, or maybe the way, since half the folks coming after me sat and ordered when the menu arrived and half just sauntered to the counter like I did. The woman in the kitchen in the back smiled and gave me the "peace sign".

Naturally, since I'm very good at following instructions, I ordered the Baneja Paisa. After having a seat, the young man told me there was a problem in the kitchen and my order would take about 20 minutes. I was asked if I wanted something else. I had nothing really to do, so I told him I'd wait, which turned out rather well for me……

As I sat and checked my text messages and emails folks started filtering in. After about ten minutes, the young man delivered a fragrant cup of soup to my table. He apologized for the wait and said 'please try the Caldo de Costilla".

A nice hot, mildly thick soup, the flavor of beef and cumin really stood out. I later read that this is Beef Rib soup and popular breakfast item. The main starch item being potatoes. It was very hearty soup which I enjoyed.

About five minutes after finishing my bowl of soup, the young man came by and dropped off a little plastic basket telling me, "your food is almost ready, but here's one of our empanadas for you to try……"

The color of the empanadas was almost a bright yellow. The out crust was quite crisp, but there was still some heft to it. The main flavor in the filling was of seasoned potatoes, which was very good. The meat really didn't have much flavor and I believe it was chicken based on that. The Aji/Salsa had a nice kick to it. I'm thinking there was some habanero in it.

Soon enough my plate arrived. The name is derived from the people of the Paisa region of Colombia, thus it is the "Paisa Platter", I'm figuring the folks of this area had historically worked some major manual labor, because the Bandeja Paisa ($10.50), along with being Colombia's National Dish, is a major calorie bomb.

If God were Vegan, I'd have spontaneously combusted on the spot……. The look on my face got laughs from the folks on the other table as I stared down this amalgamation of fat and protein. I turned to them and said, "I'm going to need a nap after this…." Which drew some good natured laughs. As for the food….

My least favorite items were the beef which was really dry and had a texture like cardboard; and strangely, the chicharon, which was nice and crisp but without much flavor

The fried egg was nice, but I noticed that they food wasn't salted. I enjoyed the patacones (tostones), basically fried green plantains, very mild and not sweet, but also nice and crunchy. The Aji added a nice punch here. The chorizo reminded me of a spicy Longanisa, it had a nice sweetness, but a little punch as well.

The one item I really enjoyed was the beans, which were seasoned well, with a nice pork flavor and a mild sweetness.

I like that the beans weren't overcooked and went real well with the rice (hiding under the egg). The menu description also mentions an Arepa, which is sort of like a pupusa, but I think I'd have been near death after that. The other table was having a few, so I think I'll save that for next time.

Yes, there will be a next time. Probably some rib soup, arepa, beans and rice. Or maybe some other soup. I really enjoyed the friendly folks working here, if not everything in the Bandeja Paisa.

Tropicafe
2530 Main St
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Hours:
Wed – Sat 930am – 6pm
Sunday 930am – 5pm