Closed – Page 60

Bargain City: Lee’s Deli

October 30, 2011 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Lee's Deli has closed

I was doing some shopping at Minh Huong Market recently, when I noticed that a new shop had opened up in that always packed to the gills strip mall across the street.

Curious, I crossed the street and walked into the tiny little take out place.

And I do mean little. There are three tiny tables in the place, that look like they could barely hold a cup of espresso.

The woman running the place was very friendly and chatty, telling me what were the best sellers on the menu in between the stream of take-out customers, almost all older men. When she handed me the menu I almost fell down…….

Three-fifty? For bun? For Beef Sate noodle soup? She told me that I could have regular or broken rice (which is ironically usually more expensive)for the same price. I just had to find out what a $3.50 Char-broiled pork with Com Tam would look like….. ready?

Here it is.

It was actually not bad. In terms of portion size, this looked like what I grew up eating…..some protein, lots of starch. The pork wasn't too bad either, good flavor, it was actually better than what I had recently had at the San Diego location of Com Tam Thuan Kieu. The rice was decent, not too dry, the nuoc mam cham wasn't watered down……a nice deal for $3.50. It's not going to win any James Beard awards, and I'll for the inevitable ridiculous comparison of "it's not as good as xxxx" which will be three times the price and supposedly specializes in Com Tam. You know what I mean, right? Talk about lack of perspective…..

Anyway, I think this was worth $3.50, what do you think?

Lee's Deli
4748 University Ave #B
San Diego, CA 92105

Open Daily 8am – 10pm

Asia Cafe- As good as ever

October 26, 2011 Cathy Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Chinese Restaurants, Lao Restaurants, Thai Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping in to look at mmm-yoso!!!, our food blog. Kirk is not blogging today, nor is ed(from Yuma). Cathy is sharing another meal she has enjoyed.

The first time I went to Asia Cafe, I met up with ed (from Yuma), who drove to San Diego for a visit. It was as wonderful as Kirk had described in his three posts in 2006 and I immediately understood why ed(from Yuma) would drive in (from Yuma) and make Asia Cafe one of his first stops here. Asia Cafe became part of the 'rotation' for me and The Mister. I realized the other day that that part of our rotation had somehow fallen away, probably because the wonderment which is Lao-Thai food showed up walking distance from our home in Santee, in the form of Sab-E-Lee.

Located in the corner of a small mall anchored by a Laundromat, on Market Street and 47th, Asia Cafe is easy to miss or just overlook; There's a car repair shop in the middle of that mall. However, business has always been booming, either

with most of the six tables with 28 chairs filled, or just with people picking up phoned in orders.

The menu, written in Thai and English, is only 3 pages long, has sections including Pho, Com and Bun as well as stir fried meats and fried rice dishes right next to a section of larbs, Lao-noodles, soups and curry dishes. I must say that each item I have had here is very well prepared and tasty.

So, we started this visit with deep fried spring rolls- (6 for $3.75). These were filled with pork, vegetables and clear noodles and did not have an excess of spring roll dough and were fried perfectly. Served with lettuce leaves, mint and cilantro-which complimented the Lao sweet and spicy sauce (fish sauce with a kick), these are better than average. I don't think any place else serves cilantro with fried spring rolls and the flavors seem so right together.

The other two dishes we ordered, both of which I craved, were (top part of photo) the Crying Tiger ($5.50). Beef larb, basically with at first a heat/spice level you may not have expected…but at some point the lemongrass, lemon juice, onions and fine powdery rice coating on the meat becomes so satisfying and you realize that you can taste all the flavors. This is addicting.

The bottom dish in the photo is chicken cashew nut ($5.50) A simple version of stir fried chicken, onions, straw mushrooms, scallions and cashews. The sauce is a bit sweet, but needs to be in this dish. Steamed rice is $1.50 and sticky rice is $2. One order is enough to share.

I'm so glad that Asia Cafe is still here and that the food, prices, owners and even the interior is unchanged. I do like consistency.

Asia Cafe 4710 Market Street San Diego 92102 (619) 527-1917

Closed Tuesdays. Open 10:30-6:30 M-W-Th-F, 11:00-6:30 S-S

Sunday Sandwiches: Mercury Grill

October 23, 2011 mmm-yoso Burgers, Hot Dogs, Sandwiches

*** Mercury Grill has closed

Here's another in my series on little sandwich shops. Mercury Grill is located in the same strip mall on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard that houses Aria Cafe and Pho Fusion among others. After passing the place several times, the bright red, white, and blue sign finally got me to check the place out.

The interior is full of checkered table cloths and the menu features everything from salads to chili to pizza.

One thing I noticed right away were the prices which seemed pretty reasonable.

One my first visit I went with the Horsy Roast Beef ($4.55) and added in a drink and some fries for $1.75 more.

This was a pretty decent sandwich, not over dressed. The basic horseradish mayo added a nice bit of "bite" to the whole deal. The roast beef was decent quality and the bread was fine. The fries were you standard issue SYSCO/US Foods stuff….

And this was a perfectly adequate lunch. I felt I got my money's worth and left satisfied.

The next week, I happened to be close by during lunch and deciding to move "up the food chain" as it were, I went for the Mercury Burger ($4.25 + $1.75 for fries and a drink).

Again, this wasn't anything fancy, a simple grilled patty topped with a very mild cheddar, tomato, shredded lettuce, and thousand island dressing. I've had much worse over the last couple of months……

The burger wasn't particularly large and this suffered a bit from TMB (Too much bread) syndrome, with the roll being a bit on the dry and crumbly side. On this visit, I noticed two of the guys who work at one of the car dealerships nearby had the Bacon Dog. So on my next visit that's what I decided to get.

The Bacon Dog (sans ketchup) costs $3.49 which seemed very reasonable. With fries and a drink it was about $5.50.

The first thing I noticed was that the cheese wasn't, or would never be melted. I enjoy the texture of melted cheese. This also told me that the temperature of this was going to be lukewarm at best. Second, I wondered where the bacon was…….this was when I noticed that the dog had been split to cook quicker on the griddle. As for the bacon? Well, as I took a closer look, I found pieces of crumpled bacon and not much of it. In fact, there was so little that it really didn't add anything to the hot dog. Also, a good part of the griddled onions were burnt which added an unpleasant bitterness to the hot dog. I removed as much of it as I could.

Well, I guess as Meafloaf says "two out of three ain't bad." Mercury Grill serves up reasonably priced basic sandwiches for the working crowd. The food is simple and unpretentious….though I'm not sure I'm going to order what they call a "pizza" here after I saw one. The breakfasts seemed priced right at $2.75 – $3.90. The hours are rather limited being open from 7am to 3pm Monday to Friday.

Mercury Grill
8046 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours: 7am-3pm Monday – Friday

El Faro- Mariscos (Sherman Heights/Logan Heights)

October 19, 2011 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

El Faro has closed.

Welcome back the the blog called mmm-yoso!!! Today, Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are researching places so they can write posts. Cathy is finished researching and this is the rough draft.

Hi. The other day, The Mister and I were (yes, again) taking a little "stay-cation" in San Diego, Balboa Park, to be precise. Here is the Sculpture Garden, near the Old Globe Theater.

The parking lot near the Aerospace Museum was pretty crowded, as were the restaurants in the park, so after about two miles, we drove on the side streets looking for a place to have lunch.

Somehow, we got to Imperial Avenue -looking for the Farmers Market Building (it's for sale)- and a block later we saw street signs welcoming us to both Sherman and Logan Heights…and then saw the word "Family" on this building. I stopped and parked.

El Faro, Spanish for "the lighthouse" . Of course, they serve seafood. Thing is, we saw a mariscos truck and a small mariscos restaurant on the same block…never considered this part of town to have mariscos. But what do we know…
Lunch Specials…

and for future reference, Happy Hour. We walked in.

Five booths, seven tables and the kitchen in the middle. Like eating in Mexico. I asked and found out these owners have been here 13 years, and before they bought this place, it was a seafood restaurant.

Lime wedges, fresh (light and very good) corn chips and a mildly hot salsa were brought to the table (after ordering, a group of appropriate hot sauces were brought out, however, I used this salsa for everything- no vinegar or sugar and a good heat to it).
We decided to try a fish ceviche tostada ($2.25) as an appetizer. Really, really nice. The fish was fresh, flaky, tasty and the lime juice, tomatoes, onion and cilantro were complimentary and not overwhelming. The tostada was placed on top of lettuce and that cucumber slice, so it didn't get soggy.

The Mister's meal came with this large cup filled with a seafood soup. Excellent, fresh, very nice amount of seafood in the not too tomato flavored broth (it was more of a seafood stock base) .
After a long discussion with myself, I had decided on the camarones (shrimp) salad because of the description. Plain (home made) mayonnaise was the dressing and it complimented the very large (in size and number-24) shrimp. Lettuce, shredded carrot and chopped cucumber were the only salad ingredients. The topping of avocado, two slices of cucumber and the tomato added enough variety so that I could enjoy those shrimp in the dressing. This was filling, refreshing and worth the lunch price ($8.95).
The Mister's Pescado Entero ($8.95). A whole fried tilapia. Very fresh, firm fleshed, not muddy, fried perfectly (I ate the fins; so crispy).

The Mister ate just about everything else…

El Faro Family Restaurant 2249 Imperial Avenue San Diego 92102 (619)2311388

Sammoon-Mediterranean Cuisine (El Cajon)

October 10, 2011 Cathy Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Sammoon is closed

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Kirk, ed(from Yuma) and Cathy mostly contribute and post/blog about places and foods they have had as a meal. Cathy is posting/blogging today.

Hi. If you've ever had Jury Duty in El Cajon (there are four court houses where Jurors perform their Civic Duty in this large County), you may have wandered out looking for a snack or lunch on one of your breaks. Or you will. Just across Magnolia is the Panda Express and the newly opened Sammoon. This is a view from the parking lot and not from the courthouse…it is close to where Magnolia intersects with Broadway, where the Starbucks and soon to be El Cajon Brewing Company (which would be a far more interesting lunch during a court case) is located…just a bit more North in that same block/parking lot.

There is a menu posted outside…

As well as above the cash register where you order. You can see the spits of chicken and beef schawarma.

The inside is neat and clean and quite large(this location used to be a Red Brick Pizza franchise-see the oven all the way against the wall to the center/left?) (there is an area selling frozen foods(kubbas, potato chop, borak, cheese and beef pies) and bakery items (baklava-pistachio and walnut, and klecha-pistachio, walnut and date) as well as the sandwich rolls (Sammoons, 3 for$1)at the front, next to the cash register and also where this photo doesn't take you.

The Mister ordered the $4.99 special- a beef schawarma sandwich with a salad (cabbage with some fennel 'feathers' and parsley and a light dressing), pickles and a beverage (the sandwich alone is $4.49). The bread, baked here, is excellent-soft thin crusted, a nice chewy interior. Kind of a big pita. The schawarma is completely wonderful- tender, flavorful beef, cut thin. The sandwich was filled with fresh vegetables (tomato, cucumber, onion, parsley, a fresh yogurt based sauce and a sprinkle of some sumac). This was a substantial sandwich.

I ordered the chicken schawarma salad ($6.99). There is even *more* meat on the salad than in the sandwich. Plus cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and olives. The plate is pretty deep and there was also a lot of lettuce. The $2 extra was well worth it. The chicken schawarma was also very flavorful, moist, tender. Seriously good. (It was served with a very tasty house made dressing, olive oil based and very herb-y).

The Mister also decided to order some falafel (49¢ each) and they were fresh made with the chickpea mix having the texture of a really good hushpuppy-airy and fluffy- and served with fresh tahini (sesame seed sauce (on the right)) and a tart-sweet mango pickle sauce (on the left). Light, fluffy, perfectly crisp and not oily. I've gotten pretty picky- and have cravings for good falafel and these are in my top five.

We decided to wait for next time to try a dessert.

Sammoon Bakery & Restaurant Mediterranean Cuisine 190 N. Magnolia El Cajon 92020 (619)441-2823

Sun-Thurs, 10am-10pm, Fri-Sat, 10am-midnight

Sunday Sandwiches: Bao’s Awesome Burgers and Sandwiches

October 2, 2011 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

**** Bao's has closed

The reach of food and travel television is quite long…..shows that glorify eating the equivalent of an aircraft carrier or where the host eats a live Scarabaeus viettei, then sneeringly tells you, "you know, I've eaten bugs all over the world, but this one…..". Though, I have eaten my share of interesting things so I guess I'm just as guilty! Both Primanti Brothers style sandwiches and the burger known as the Jucy Lucy are two of what would be cult/local favorites that have been plastered all over the airwaves. Well, if you want a facsimile of either of these you can just head up to Convoy and The B-Spot, ummm, well it used to be the "B" but now it's Bao's Awesome Burger's and Sandwiches…aka BABS.

Anyway, the first time I dropped by, it was the B-Spot, the next time it was Bao's (more on that at the end).

Food Network was going strong on the television, so it's pretty clear where this shop is getting its inspiration. The young man manning the front counter was very nice and friendly. I'm assuming he's one of the owners. There's a Dietz and Watson placard on the counter and the salesman happened to be there as well, so I'm assuming that's the brand of meat they are carrying. The young man suggested the sandwich they call "The Beast" ($7.99). It was indeed a pretty hefty looking sandwich:

And it is packed with a good amount of mixed meat, but since I usually cut my sandwiches in half I press it down slightly and there was quite a bit of "give" to this one. I did wish that they got better quality plastic cutlery as the first plastic knife bent and snapped in half as I tried to cut the sandwich. The meats were decent quality, they look to have been heated on a flat-top to add charred edges and such. I like the seasoning on the fries, there seems to almost be a mild five-spice flavor to them. The coleslaw was basically flavorless and much too watery.

Still, the amount of food is fairly generous and that young man was very friendly. So while the sandwiches really didn't warrant another visit I thought I'd drop by again.

This time there was a young woman working the front….who, well, was not quite as friendly, nor helpful. I asked her about the chicken wings, she looked at me and said, "it's chicken wings…..you know, chicken wings…." I thought about some snappy response like, "no, I haven't met them….could we be introduced." But I could tell she just wasn't in the mood for dealing with people. Which is unfortunate, because, well….I don't even need to explain that to you. Anyway, I ordered "The Rachel". Which is basically the same sandwich as the Beast, but with pastrami.

This experience was not quite as pleasant as the previous one. And wouldn't you know it, I broke that darned plastic knife while cutting my sandwich in half again. The pastrami was very tough and full of gristle. Several pieces had been burned as well. For some reason the tomatoes tasted a bit weird, but other than being severely under-ripe I couldn't detect anything wrong with them. The bread also seemed a bit stale and I had thoughts about asking the young woman at the counter….but based on the previous attitude and her stare as I walked to the counter to pick up my second flimsy plastic knife I decided to just suck it up and leave the premises ASAP.

Oh, and as you can tell, the sandwich is pretty darn greasy……

I'm not quite sure what's with the Jekyl and Hyde service, but perhaps it was just a bad day.

A few weeks back, I asked an acquaintance from "The Burgh" about BABS Primanti style sandwiches…..he refused to discuss it at length, but did refer me to this post. He also mentioned that the coleslaw at BABS doesn't have enough vinegar in it among other things…..and as a parting shot told me to check out this website as the reason for the sudden name change. I've never had a chance to visit Pittsburgh, so I've not had a Primanti's Brothers sandwich so I can only speak to my own personal preference. Overall, a bit too greasy for my tastes….

Bao's Awesome Burgers and Sandwiches
4646 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

And for those folks who really think this is a huge sandwich….you can travel a bit further East on the 8 and get something that looks like this….

It's not that great either….but it makes what BABS serve look like Lean Cuisine.

25 Forty Bistro and Bakehouse. Great Food In Old Town.

October 1, 2011 Cathy European Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

25Forty has closed and will be missed. It's said they will be relocating.

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. Thanks for dropping by. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) and Cathy share bloggings of food they have enjoyed . Today, Cathy is blogging.

Hi again. This blog post is about a French Bistro located in Old Town- an excellent place for food in an unexpected setting. The Mister and I are enjoying finding different places to take our daily walks and the other day, we decided Old Town would be some place different. We haven't been here for an ocean of time and it's kind of the same, yet different in that a lot of the buildings have been fixed up and are (free admission) museums where the public can experience the history of life in San Diego. It is one of many State Parks in our County.

Just East, beyond the official 'edge' of the Park is Immaculate Conception Church, which allows tourists to enter and look around. It is on the corner of San Diego Avenue and Twigg Street. We walked one block South, to Congress Street, and started walking East.

We saw this lovely house, converted into a Bistro and Bakehouse, at 2540 Congress Street. Then I remembered: Mr. & Mrs. P, good friends, had told me about how much they liked eating here -in March of this year. Well, we finally got around to remembering to stop by; should have dropped in here sooner.

The interior is decorated in a clean, black and white color palette with white butcher paper covering the tablecloth and crayons in the jars on each table, so you can add some color if you'd like. There are more tables on the front and side patios. Those are all cookbooks stacked on the shelf above the bar. Specials are written on the chalkboard painted wall…

In typical bistro fashion, cold water was brought to the table in a chilled bottle and glasses filled with ice accompanied while we looked at the simple menu of a daily soup, two salads, pasta, sandwiches and late breakfasts.

I ordered the Steak Salad ($8). Thin sliced, still warm tender fillet, cooked medium rare with thin sliced tomato on top of mixed greens, perfectly dressed with a nice balsamic vinaigrette. This was huge, tasty and so very fresh.

The Mister ordered a tuna melt sandwich ($8) which came with the mixed green salad. The bread- oh my. A fresh baked baguette with a crispy crust, chewy insides, topped with an excellent version of tuna salad, which had finely finely diced onion and carrot in it, I think maybe a touch of tarragon, seasoned to perfection (there is no salt or pepper on the tables and there does not need to be). The Mister asked for Swiss cheese instead of the Pepper Jack that was on the menu. This was excellent and quite large.

Because we felt like it, we asked for a dessert- There was an array of fresh pastries on the counter and the choice was overwhelming, plus I didn't really want a sweet pastry. We decided to try the small cheese tray ($7), which seemed 'healthy' and more of a French Bistro-type dessert… A fairly large piece of Cambozola cheese as well as a good size piece of Gouda, accompanied by walnuts and dried apricots and that sauce- a house made raspberry, heavenly sauce.

It came with the fresh baked baguette loaf and butter…and we ordered a small French Press coffee ($3).

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

We went back the next week. It was so good.

Forgive these photos, my cameraphone should have been on flash…

We ordered the house made lentil soup ($4). This was excellent, made with (I think) a chicken based stock and filled with a variety of lentils, finely diced onions and carrot and celery and in deceptively large container.

The Mister ordered a Croque-madame ($8).

A Croque-madame is a Croque-monsieur with a hat…an explanation I was told a long time ago. I suppose that goes in line with women wearing a hat in church and men not wearing a hat there. In any case, I go with it.

The Croque- a crunchy bread (grilled) is filled with (thinly sliced) Black Forest ham and cheese, topped with a wonderful, creamy, velvet-y Bechamel sauce and then topped again with a fried egg (the 'hat' that a monsieur does not have) and sprinkled with a fine layer of Parmesan. A 'fast food' snack served in cafes and bistros in France, the croque is a fancy food to us… and the version here – the fresh baked, thick sliced bread, the wondrous sauce, the crunch, the egg (which had a glorious orange yolk) and the very flavorful ham was excellent.

I was in the mood for a late breakfast (there is a brunch served here on weekends, no breakfast during the week) and ordered a cheese omelet($7). Instead of the 'regular' side salad, I asked if I could try the only other salad on the menu- a kale salad. I was curious about a salad made of raw kale. It is wonderful. Finely chopped kale marinated in a balsamic, oil and soy and mixed with sweetened cashews and raisins…a flavor combination I would not have considered…and now a craving for me.

The cheese omelet- perfect- like French toast- fluffy inside and crispy crust, the freshly ground black pepper complimented the egg. The cheese was three- Swiss, Cheddar and Cambozola. A very fancy cheese omelet.

It was time for dessert and we decided to not indulge in a pastry again. So we ordered the same as before…small cheese tray ($7) and small French Press($3). A perfect ending to a perfect meal.

We very much have enjoyed the ambiance, people working and quality of all the food we have tried here so far. We do look forward to going through the menu. 2540 is not a tourist trap; it is a wonderful restaurant which happens to be located on the edge of Old Town, about two blocks from the Trolley and is very much worth the stop.

25Forty Bistro and Bakehouse 2540 Congress Street San Diego 92110 (619)294-2540 (Closed Mondays) Website

Santee’s Pizza

September 29, 2011 Cathy Pizza, What Cathy Eats!

Santee's Pizza has closed. It will be missed.

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. For the most part, Kirk , ed(from Yuma) and Cathy share what they ate with you, the Reader of this blog. Today, Kirk is busy, as is ed, so Cathy is blogging.

Hello again. The other day, The Mister and I kept our "staycation" (and daily walk) close to home, at the Santee Lakes, a 194 acre preserve which is completely sustainable, with five miles of walking trails, and a campground which has a 300 hook up campsite as well as cabins you can rent and has identified 178 species of birds in the preserve area. There are six playgound areas, many picnic tables, grills and areas which can be reserved for larger parties and has paddleboats to rent. They sell permits for fishing (most places make you purchase a State permit to fish). The South end of the Lakes houses the Padre Dam Water District offices, where I can walk in and pay my water bill every two months.

As you can see, it was a beautiful, perfectly clear morning.

After a walk around five of the seven main lakes, we went to the Santee Library (three blocks from the South end of the Lakes, where we had parked in lieu of paying admission to drive a vehicle into the Lakes) and decided to try the "new" Pizza place in the same mall.

Simply named, and one of eight places where we can get pizza in this small city in East San Diego County, we were not expecting much and ordered "any two slices and a drink" for $5.50, also ordering one extra slice of just cheese pizza for $2. We took it all home.

This is a slice of White Pie: a no sauce pie, topped with Mozzarella, Ricotta, garlic and Parmesan.

Here is a photo of the Cheese pie slice and the Hills Trio- topped with pepperoni, sausage and Canadian bacon.

These were good. Really good. We made it a point to return.

The owner recognized us as the ones who had ordered a slice of Cheese pie. He asked how we were doing, how we liked it , was very friendly and interested. That is a rarity these days. We asked to order a whole Cheese Pie. 18 inches, $12.50. Only one size. {There are five tables inside and two tables out front, but we took the pizza 'to go'.}

Bottom of pie. Perfectly baked.

THIN, THIN crust. The sauce is home made, very tomato-y, with oregano and just the slightest touch of heat from red pepper. It is perfect.

In addition to six other pies/topping combinations, the menu also includes a House garden salad ($3 or $5; this is the large) with a choice of dressings…

and calzones. The basic calzone (filled with Ricotta, Parmesan and Mozzarella) is $6.50. Additional toppings are $1. You can see the calzone is half the size of a pie (same size box). The sauce is the same basic sauce, which, again, has just the right amount of red pepper heat and the oregano is the only spice the tomato needs…

Here is maybe a better photo of the calzone- and its thin, thin delicate crust…and cheese fillings.

To me, this is the best pizza I have had outside of Naples. High quality, hand made, Santee's Pizza has very friendly people working and makes an excellent product. We are lucky to live here.

Santee's Pizza 9225 Carlton Hills Boulevard (same mall as the Santee Library, at the corner of Carlton Hills and Carlton Oaks) Santee 92071 (619) 749-9949 Website

Que Huong revisted yet again…….

September 20, 2011 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Que Huong has closed

It had actually been a while since we've been here…… a couple of weeks ago I met PeterL and his lovely wife Ange for dinner at Que Huong. Strangely, Peter nor his brother John had ever heard of this place. We had a fine meal and there was something I noticed that evening at Que Huong. I've been coming here since 2005, when the current owners had just taken over the place. (Geeez….I've been doing this blog for waaay too long!) Because I'll usually visit in flurries, with long gaps between visits, I've started noticing something about Que Huong….a good thing. The place has slowly evolved from mainly a hot pot, drinking place, with karaoke and all that stuff, to a place where folks still come to drink a bit later on in the evening, but with more of a dinner crowd. I've seen birthdays and other events; one of the owners, a burly young man named Jay, told me he's even done a couple of weddings! Good for them. It's nice to see a place hitting its stride…there's no more "specials" haphazardly written on the mirrors.

You just have to take a dish like the Ốc len xào dừa, the snails braised in coconut milk. The presentation of the dish is not much…well, prettier.

It's now a totally different dish. less sweet, a bit more spicy, you're not overwhelmed with too much "coconut water". Because they serve mainly Vietnamese, the cook is not afraid to provide a nice amount of Rau Ram.

Jay told me that they went through several cooks before finding good matches who could make the dishes of the Central Vietnamese Coast the way he and his sister wanted.

On this evening we had both the Jackfruit salad…..

And the version with Wild Boar……

And a dish I used enjoy, but with some hesitation…the Catfish Clay Pot. You see, I love Nuoc Mau, Vietnamese Caramel sauce, one of "mother sauces" of Vietnamese cuisine. It is sweet-salty-savory-pungent….you name it. I also love the slices of pork belly used to line the clay pot and how it basically bubbles with joy as it arrives at your table.

What I didn't enjoy was the muddy flavor of the fish…….but on my last two visits there was nary a hint of muddy flavor. Yes, it's not a huge dish, quite small honestly, but there's a lot of stuff going on here, most of it good.

And of course there are those Fish Sauce Chicken Wings, as I've mentioned before, flavorwise, these are my favorite wings in San Diego hands down.

It doesn't matter who I bring here one taste of the wings and they're sold (right Dennis, Peter, Candice, Josh, etc, etc, etc……). I'm glad these haven't changed.

I guess because the place is tucked away behind Burger King on University, it just kinda slips my mind….it really shouldn't. My bad……..

Que Huong Restaurant
4134 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Postscript: A couple of weeks later, Peter took his brother John, to dinner. I received a text message that evening "Wow, fish sauce chicken wings….delicious!!!" He didn't even need to tell me where he was….

Pho Tay Do- a year later

August 31, 2011 Cathy Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Hi. You are reading mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. Cathy has a post today. Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are post-less at the moment.

Kirk wrote about Pho Tay Do last July and The Mister and I stopped in that following weekend. It is in the same 'parking lot area' as Vien Dong III (if you drive West within it and then head South to University). We really liked what we had ordered in the heat of the summer then, as well as in the cold wetness of 'winter' and this year have returned for our 'not wanting to cook at home' meals.

As you can see, there are pho "Happy Hours" here now. (It looks like you get a large bowl of certain flavors for $4.95 between 5-9 p.m., daily, but I am not certain of all the details)

The bamboo decorated interior is bright and clean…

Table condiments are pretty standard.

I feel I must comment on the sugar. Every time we have been here, I notice at least one person pouring sugar into his/her bowl of pho. I've never seen this anywhere else and don't quite understand it…

On this day, The Mister ordered the grilled pork chop, tan hu ky and shrimp broken rice plate ($7.50). (Tan hu ky is fried bean curd -stuffed with chopped shrimp; always a favorite). This plate is a filling meal and always done just right- the shrimp and pork chop are moist and grilled just right.

This warm day, I did want to order bun (pronounced 'boon') (cold noodles on top of salad), which comes with a variety of choices of toppings. I was going to order bun with cha gio, but not for the pork flavor as much as for the crunch. When I saw the many vegetarian options on the newer menu, I chose the tofu filled cha gio as my bun topping…($5.50)

You can see the finely minced tofu pieces inside the roll. It was very good. All the flavors in the bun were complimentary. The base of the bun here is more cucumbers and bean sprouts than lettuce, and I find that very refreshing. Mint, scallions and peanuts do round out the flavors. If you notice the sauce bowls in the photos, that darker colored one came with mine, the 'vegetarian sauce'. It has a wonderful deeper flavor. Another good choice in this part of town.

Pho Tay Do 5296 University Avenue San Diego 92105 (619)582-0603