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Pitas and Buns- A California Bistro, in 4S Ranch

May 5, 2011 Cathy Greek Food, Mediterranean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

The blog mmm-yoso!!! is not on vacation. Kirk and His Missus are on vacation. ed(from Yuma) is not on vacation. Cathy appears to be on vacation, but really her travels are all within San Diego County.

Hi. There is a new place West of the I-15 at Camino del Norte and Dove Canyon, right next to the Starbucks and in the same parking lot as the new Fresh and Easy in the 4S Ranch area.

"Fine Burgers, Tapas and Beer" it says on the sign…but Pitas and Buns has just opened and has not yet received its liquor license. I noticed inside on the large menu that P&B is "By Santorini", a local chain of four authentic Greek and Mediterranean restaurants which I have always found to be excellent, yet never posted about.
Since it just opened, and the liquor license is not in effect, P&B is offering several 'specials' (and pricing) to get you in to try their food. This gyros pita and salad combo was only $6. The salad, fresh, large and topped with cucumber, tomato, onions, pepperocini, olives and with wonderful Feta cheese and a fresh balsamic herb house dressing was excellent on its own. The gyros meat is *really* good. It is thick sliced, fresh tasting, thick cut and surrounded by the most *heavenly* light and chewy fresh baked bread. The "Greek yogurt sauce" is fresh, tangy and complimentary. A basic meal and just perfect.
This cup of "Leni's Chicken Soup" ($3.50) is divine! Creamy, eggy, lemony filled with vegetables (celery, onion, carrot) and chunks of chicken and fresh herbs. This is the home made soup that I strive to make. A bowl is $5 and from what I saw at another table, very much a meal…
The chopped house salad is $6 by itself. Topped with calamari, it was $8. Perfectly fried, tender calamari. Not greasy. A batter which is *so* right. A flavorful crispy tender blend of tastes. An excellent size portion.

The "Buns" part of the restaurant is for the hamburgers. All are 1/3 pound burgers and come with a choice of fries or Mediterranean coleslaw. Yes, we need to go back. The non-burger/Greek/Mediterranean food here is excellent and better than any other fast food place. The take out menu lists that "more burgers, salads, tapas, happy hours, beer and wine are coming soon". Pitas and Buns will become a destination for the people who live in this part of San Diego.

Pitas and Buns 16625 Dove Canyon Road, Suite 205 San Diego 92127 (858)485-6200

The Vine Cottage- A La Mesa Bistro

May 4, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Fine Dining, What Cathy Eats!

Hello and welcome (back) to mmm-yoso!!! Cathy is blogging today. Kirk is (still) on vacation and ed(from Yuma) is still busy with work.

If you are driving South on Lake Murray, just past the El Paso signal light on the West side of the street, you'll see this new facade on an old building. The Vine Cottage opened in January of this year. I have only heard good things about it, seen it being pretty crowded at various times of the day and decided The Mister and I should give it a try for one of our 'celebratory' dinners. (It does open at 11 a.m. daily and has excellent lunches also). You can't see much in this photo, but there are about 12 outdoor tables, which are filled in the evening and warmed by those six outdoor heat lamps. There are about 10 tables and a small bar area inside.
When you are seated, the one page menu and a bottle of chilled tap water is brought to your table. I've seen this way of water service at several bistros and finally remembered to take a photo. I've even started chilling water at home this way. This place is run like a fine Bistro in Paris would be run, it serves American, local fresh food, wine and beer.
Also a cone shaped vessel, filled with a fresh made cracker-like flatbread and fresh made hummus is brought out to the table. The hummus is excellent.

All of the waitpersons here are very professional and patient and will explain how each dish is prepared, all the ingredients in each dish and will answer all questions you have about the food, wine and beers served here.
As an appetizer, the lamb chops ($12) could be a meal. 'New Zealand lamb chops' it says on the menu, 'served with a Champagne-whole grain mustard sauce'. It didn't say three on the menu, we assumed there would only be two, since the listing was plural. We asked the chops to be cooked medium rare, and they were. This serving size, cooking and flavors were a wonderful surprising lead in as to the dinner which would follow.

For my meal, I chose a cup of the soup of the day ($4). It was vegetable soup. Excellent vegetable soup. Barely any broth, but what I did taste was rich flavored (it was a chicken broth and not vegetable) filled with squash, cabbage, carrot, potato, onion. Very hearty and excellent.
I wanted to try the Pizza Bianco, a white vegetable pizza ($12). A fresh thin bread which was infused with cheese and oil was topped with matchstick cut zuchini and yellow squash, topped with Havarti cheese. This was a very large pizza, easily shared (or reheated for breakfast the next morning). Oh, it tasted heavenly.
The Mister went with the "Sea and Garden" ($17) as his main course-garlic mashed potatoes, topped with grilled asparagus, topped with a (finely ground) nut crusted wahoo fillet, topped with fried leeks and accompanied by a chive oil. The potatoes were subtly flavored (I usually do not like garlic, or any flavor other than butter mashed potatoes), the asparagus was fresh and bright, the fish was firm, cooked just right to stay moist and tender, fresh and flavorful and the flavors of everything worked very well together.

The Vine Cottage is known for its wines and beers (8 on tap and 14 canned), but this evening we were too exhausted to try those. They serve meat and cheese platters, which pair well with both wine and the beers. There are also pastas and wonderful salads on the menu. Most of the items are also available at lunch time, for a bit lower price. Oh. There are desserts. Heavenly desserts. Next time. I'll post about those. Since the menu and ingredients are driven by what is in season, a lot of the menu changes. But that is a good thing. Fresh is always good.

Being in this strip mall as well as in La Mesa, you would not expect such a fancy yet not pretentious, affordable, well run, wonderful addition to the East County. Vine Cottage is fast becoming part of our 'rotation'.

Vine Cottage Bistro 6062 Lake Murray Boulevard La Mesa, CA 91942 (619) 465-0198 Website

Arigato Japanese Restaurant-La Mesa

April 20, 2011 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Hi again. Kirk is on vacation. mmm-yoso!!!, the blog, is not on vacation. Cathy and ed(from Yuma) will be temping in the interim.

Located in the corner of a strip mall at the NorthEast Corner of Baltimore at Lake Murray, is what used to be an eight table (with three chairs in front of the sushi bar), unassuming, local Japanese Restaurant, Arigato. Fast forward more than 20 years, and it has expanded into the next two storefront units, adding another 12 or so tables and a small private banquet room.

Not fancy. Excellent food.

When you are seated and start to look at your menu, your beverages and a small bowl of edamame are brought out. I've noticed different preparations and presentation of edamame lately and will try to document in the future. These were simply steamed and cooled fresh soybeans…no salt added, crisp and fresh in flavor. The green tea is complimentary also.
It was lunchtime and we ordered three items, and all were brought out at the same time. The kitchen staff is efficient.

The soft shell crab appetizer ($5.95). Perfectly fried, not at all greasy. Light batter. Served in this boat shaped platter with a light sauce which was not needed if you had already squeezed the lemon onto the crab. I did, however, dip some of the cabbage, which was a cushion under the crab, into the sauce and the flavor of the sauce went with the cabbage. This was a very good size crab and appetizer.
The Mister ordered "Pork Mayonnaise- thin slices of pork in a special sauce" ($8.25). This was a wonderful tasting dish. The pork was moist, not crispy and had a very rich flavor…no sauce on the plate, just somehow absorbed into the meat…we are looking to see if we can duplicate this dish at home.
The Mister's plate included the rice and a miso soup (good, with lots of tofu) and this extremely crisp salad. (Both were brought out before the three dishes from the kitchen, if you were reading along and not just looking at photos.) Unusually, remarkably fresh crispy tasty romaine lettuce topped with a gentle sesame-ginger dressing. I can't emphasize the freshness of this lettuce. The small grape, instead of a tomato was a colorful touch…

I wanted to try the Sunomono, described as "Variety of rawfish with cucumber, seaweed topped with special vinegar sauce" ($9.95). There was a small amount of lettuce, a lot of thinly sliced cucumber, an interesting, curly black seaweed, the radishes and burdock, as you see…that bit of octopus tentacle and a shrimp, some crab, hamachi, albacore, salmon and some bits of a cooked fish.
Here is a better photo of the unique seaweed. It was tasty and firm, not slimy. Different and the vinegar based dressing was excellent.

All in all, this was another excellent meal. I wondered why we stopped regularly eating here…the menu for lunch and dinner is the same – no price increase. I suppose because there are no lunch 'specials'…we had started going elsewhere. Now I realize we don't need 'specials'. The quality of food and service here are excellent, as always. Arigato is back on 'our rotation'.

Arigato Japanese Restaurant 5775 Baltimore Drive, Suite 110 La Mesa, CA 91942 (619) 469-3157 Open Mon-Sat 11:30-3:00 and 5:00-9:00

Stone Flats- flatbreads, salads and soups.

April 18, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Stone Flats has closed.

Hey there. You are reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog based in San Diego. The part usually played by Kirk is being played by Cathy.

In about November of last year, Stone Flats opened in the Mira Mesa area, in the same mall as the Trader Joe's (East of the I-15). I had been curious about it and had a chance to meet Mr. C (my partner in food adventures when The Mister isn't available) for a quick lunch and exchange of paperwork last month.

There is a menu above the counter or you can just start talking with the very helpful and informative workers behind the counter… just walk along…it is sort of like Subway in the way of ordering…

You first pick a flatbread (it is thin and crispy and fresh) in white or wheat and in regular ($5.50)or large size (large costs $2 more and is wider and a bit longer than the regular size)

Pick a meat : chicken, steak, pepperoni, sausage, bacon
Choose vegetables: tomatoes, red onions, bell peppers, sauteed mushrooms, basil, cilantro, scallions, pepperocinis, black olives, basil… (and pineapple)
Choose cheese: Goat cheese, Feta, Mozzarella (regular and low fat), smoked Gouda or Blue cheese.

You also can choose a sauce: marinara, roasted garlic or BBQ sauce. When I was here the first time, hummus was also a sauce, but now it seems to be off the menu.

Nothing costs extra, unless you want more meat. Really, the portion size is enough. If you eat light. The flat bread is just that: flat, more of a cracker crust, not pizza crust.

You pay, get a number and get your own beverage and have a seat. The interior (and exterior) is decorated with steel bar framed tables and chairs-modern. Considering how high the ceilings are, the noise level is low and you can have a conversation here.

The flats are placed into the oven (it is a gas oven…I don't know where the "stone" comes in) and heated so that the cheese is melty.

You can also choose a salad, to make it a combo($8.50) Pick a lettuce/green -I chose spinach in this case- topped only with grilled mushrooms and tomatoes, with a balsamic dressing (there are several dressings to choose from). This was a good size and fresh. A side salad by itself is $3.50.
You can also order a combo with soup. This is a cup of pulled chicken and rice soup. It is very good and not salty. It has a touch of a spicy 'kick' to it.

Soon enough, the flats are delivered to your table. My Flat- the regular size, wheat. I chose the hummus, grilled mushrooms, green peppers, tomatoes, red onions and olives, the goat cheese and steak. I didn't want any 'sauce' and the hummus was nice, the goat cheese tangy. The steak was good but not powerfully flavorful…it was enough.
Mr. C's Flat. The large size, also wheat. He chose a garlic olive oil for the base and topped it with grilled mushrooms, green peppers, olives, basil, Mozzarella and steak. The combination of basil and the garlic oil was an excellent choice. (The large size is wider and a bit longer, so it is more than just two more servings, as you see cut)
I returned with The Mister for another visit a few days ago. I chose a combo with a cup of tomato soup with basil on top.This was an excellent tomato soup.
The Mister's entree salad ($7.95) He chose the lettuces, toppings, goat cheese and grilled chicken as toppings. The regular size salad is a very good portion, the large looked crazy huge.
My (large) flat: whole wheat, with the garlic olive oil sauce, pulled chicken, Mozzarella, tomatoes, sauteed mushrooms, basil, arugula and black olives. Melted cheese is wonderful!

I really like the freshness and more healthy aspect of the food choices here. It is a great idea and fun to be able to sit down with a friend and share a meal and good conversation. I have overheard some people saying that the 'could make this at home' and I know you could…just as you can with any food item…if you have the ingredients and inclination.

Stone Flats 9844 Hibert Street San Diego 92131 858-444-2280 Open 11-9 daily Website

Fried Chicken Friday: Annie Belle’s Famous Wings and Greens

April 15, 2011 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Chicken Wings

**** Annie Belle's has closed

While driving to Bonnie Jean's I noticed a restaurant that looked rather new, it had popped up since my last visit to the area last year.

The next afternoon I had some time on my hands so I decided to check th e place out.

The dining area looked very nice and new….. nice booths, along with at least five televisions lining the wall so those with short attention spans have something to keep themselves busy I guess.

The menu was pretty large…. with almost every single "side" known to mankind…. wow, so many choices. I was looking for fried chicken. And while you can buy it by the piece, the name of the place is "Annie Belle's Famous Wings and Greens", so I went with the Wings and Greens House Special ($8.49), They call the wings they serve here "Granny Wings" and there are two served with this special. Two wings? That seemed a bit pricey, I hope they weren't what came off a "Granny Hen"….. and they weren't.

These were actually two whole good sized wings…. pretty much what other places would call four wings. And while the batter at Bonnie Jean's was light and crisp, this was thick and crunchy, almost hard. They obviously use a lot of leavening in their batter. The wings were moist, but I found the whole thing to be on the salty side, without anything else much going for it.

Along with the wings was a large portion of collard greens.

Again, this wasn't bad, it was a portioned very generously. But I prefer my greens a bit less mushy, these were a little too over done for my taste, closer to creamed spinach than the kind of greens I got used to eating in Georgia and other places down South. There was a ton of "liquor" which was again too salty for me, and lacking in the light smokey flavor I love in greens.

This came with two very moist, but bland cornbread muffins.

You'll be needing that butter for these.

I will say that I enjoyed the woman serving me. She was very nice…. after bring food out to another table she turned to me and said, "don't worry honey, you next…. and it's going to be gooood!"

Annie Belle's Famous Wings and Greens
1746 Euclid Ave
San Diego, CA 92102

Please read Mary's post on Annie Belle's here.

Mariscos Monday: Mariscos Godoy

April 11, 2011 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Seafood

**** Mariscos Godoy has closed

I guess it's about time I did a post on Mariscos Godoy. Among the places Masa Assassin recommended to us when we ran into him a couple years back was Mariscos Godoy. Still, until late last year, we'd pass Mariscos Godoy every so often, always say, "man, we gotta check that place out one of these days." Finally, last fall, the Missus was craving Pescado Zarandeado, so we decided to drop by Godoy…….

And haven't stopped……. It was always, "well, I'll do a post on this place on another day", until I just stopped taking photos because I had so many. And while not every meal was stellar, we've always enjoyed ourselves, in spite of mariachi band and the one time there was a real band, and we were on the table right in front……

The restaurant itself looks much larger than it is. You'll realize that when there's a live band playing.

We prefer coming for an early dinner, when the place is less hectic.

The menu itself is humongous…… it rivals some Chinese Restaurants in size and scope.

Everything here starts with Chips and Salsa.

On the occasions when the chips arrive hot, I really enjoy them. To the point that the Missus has to force me to stop…. but I can't eat just one. It is also served with a ceviche that seems to be made with bone scrapings. The Missus loves this.

And of course you can't forget the little cup of consomme.

The flavor fluctuates from day to day, but on most visits it just soothes me and puts me in a better place. Honestly, if you were a cheapskate and just wanted a taco, this could be a meal.

Anyway, in trying to organize all of this stuff, I realized that I could probably be typing 'til sometime next week. Not everything is been great, but there are a few things I noticed. For coctele's, ceviche, aguachile, and tacos, go somewhere else. For us, it's mostly the grilled and fried that keep us coming back. I'm going to try to be as concise as possible, so here goes.

First there was the Pescado Zarandeado, ordered by the pound. I have personally witnessed the Missus finish off a 2 pounder with a couple servings of corn tortillas solo…..

If you order this, go with the snapper if it's available. Nothing else is quite as good. Lightly marinated, then broiled under high heat, the snapper is moist, there some chile flavor, but you can still make out the flavor of the fish. Those grilled tortillas with frijoles are good when grilled right; but I've had a few that was like eating toasted cardboard.

This is what the end result usually is after the Missus has had at it.

When we bring friends to Godoy, we usually order the Langostinos Aji Ajillo, a chili-garlic-butter preparation.

I think the photos speak for themselves.

Grilled creatures they call Squat Lobsters. As with the fish, this is what things look like in the end.

It's not cheap at close to $25 bucks, but most folks who've we've taken to Godoy have this when the go back.

There was one dish I really wanted to order at Godoy. The Pulpo Zarandeado ($14.50), the grilled octopus. The Missus however, is not a big fan of pulpo, tako, or whatever you want to call it. This dish however, has changed Her mind.

She now craves this; and we have to make trips down to Chula Vista just for this. There have been occasions when the pulpo has been very tough, and once it wasn't cooked properly, the marinade still a bit pasty. But most times it's mildly smokey, salty, with a touch of sweetness and spice. The texture is toothsome without being tough. We ignore the sauce, which just over-powers the flavor of the pulpo.

One of my favorite dishes is a recommendation from FOY (Friend of yoso) Candice Woo. She told me that I just had to have the Toritos ($8.95).

Think of these as glorified jalapaneo "poppers" if you will. Yellow waxy peppers, not usually spicy, but you'll get a surprise once in a while, are stuffed with smoked fish (Marlyn), breaded, and deep fried. No need for the tartar sauce on this. Salty and smokey, a nice savory front, combined with the crunch of the breading…… man this is good.

So I found it odd that I didn't care too much for the Tacos de Marlyn…. the smoked fish taco.

It was too salty for me.

One day, the Missus decided to take advantage of the 99 cent taco Tuesday and order two tacos. The first, the fish taco wasn't very good.

The fish had a mealy and dry texture, and tasted fishy.

On the other hand, the other 99 cent taco was the Manta Ray Machaca.

Though on the salty side, there was a nice oceany-savory flavor that was very pleasant.

Thus, on our next visit, I ordered the Manta Ray Machaca plate ($11.95):

Though I'm not a big fan frioles refrito, refried beans, in this case a smear of the beans in a corn tortilla helped to smooth out the flavor of the I assume dried and re-hydrated manta ray. A squeeze of lime was the perfect cure to any saltiness. The flavor of the green peppers and a bit of tomato added nice layers of flavor to the dish. Still, I couldn't finish this dish…. and it tasted even better the next day!

We didn't care as much for the Pescado Frito. Think of it as Fish McNuggets if you will.

The batter on this version of "make your own fish tacos" was very crunchy, but there was a large amount of "dark" portions, and the fish tasted a bit muddy.

When we first visited Godoy, we were enamored with all the photos of aguachile.

But try as we might, we've never found a version we enjoy here. There's not enough heat, and not enough acid for my taste.

It's not like we never tried……

And I've had my share of Cocteles and Campechana, and found them to have too much clamato, and not enough acid for my taste.

I enjoyed the smoked fish stuffed potato more than those dishes.

And we've really only scratched the surface of the menu at Godoy.

One of the other reasons we keep coming back, is that even on the busiest days, the folks here are as nice as can be. I guess it's now on the rotation as I never know when the Missus will want some pulpo….

Mariscos Godoy
651 Palomar St
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Fried Chicken Friday: Bonnie Jean’s Soul Food Cafe

April 8, 2011 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Chicken Wings

Ever had one of those itches that you just had to scratch? A couple of months ago I was just itchin' for some fried chicken….and collard greens. Kinda weird, but I love good collard greens, smokey-salty-mildly bitter-and even perhaps a bit sweet. So first I headed down to…..

Bonnie Jean's Soul Food Cafe:

**** Bonnie Jean's has closed

Off of the Euclid exit, right where it turns into 54th street. I've been here a couple of times, but for some reason it's starting to look a bit older…..

This little place has a whole lot of personality………

As well as games and other stuff to keep you occupied…… because everything is made to order, which is mostly a good thing! Funny thing, I realized that I'd never had straight up fried chicken at Bonnie Jean's, I'd had it smothered, which I enjoyed (what's not to like), and with the Honey Pecan Glaze, which I recall not enjoying that much. What was even more interesting, was that on my last visit, not long after Canine Cologne's visit (please check it out here) which had me wanting my smothered chicken; I dropped by Bonnie Jean's…. and the place was full of Asian's!!!

Anyway, today I was after some straight up Southern Fried Chicken ($10.99). I went with just the dark meat, even though the menu says, ahem, "The Breasts Are Huge!!"

My chicken, greens, and mashed potatoes and gravy arrived after the usual wait, which gave me time to catch up on my reading. The chicken was as I remembered, the coating crisp and light, and the chicken adequately juicy. But without gravy, or a glaze, it tasted really bland, and I needed a good dose of the (not so) hot sauce on the table. I'll stick with the smothered chicken next time.

The mashed potatoes were decent.

The folks here were pretty heavy-handed with the black pepper today, but I had no complaints about the thick potatoes, and the even thicker gravy.

The one item that made this meal worthwhile were the collard greens, which looked on the dry side, but were the beat I've had in a long time.

I appreciated the fact that these weren't over done and mushy like creamed spinach. There were many bit of smoked meat, and after a goof look-over I'm pretty sure it was hamhock, not smoked turkey. They're pretty stingy with the "liquor" here, some I think they save it as the "mother liquid" for the next batch. The flavor is just about perfect for my taste.

I ended up buying a large order to go for the Missus, who scarfed it up in one sitting…… I'm sure to be back soon for more greens… and smothered chicken.

Bonnie Jean's Soul Food Cafe
1964 54th St
San Diego, CA 92105

By the way, if you think Bonnie Jean's has lots of character, check out Sister Peewee's if you haven't done so already. One of these days I'll do a post on the place.

As I was headed back to the 94, I noticed a new place had sprung up, named Annie Belle's…… I'll save that post for next Friday!

Best Taste of China…. or China Chef 2 revisted……

April 6, 2011 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** China Chef 2 has closed

I'd heard a while back, that China Chef 2 had changed management, and also retooled the menu. So after waiting a good long while, we finally decided to drop by one evening…..

Anyway, the place looks basically the same. One half does some kinda terrible looking Chinese fast-food, the other side is a restaurant that serves more traditional regional Chinese dishes.

Then of course, all the changes kicked in…… I noticed that on some of the menus it says China Chef, on others Best Taste of China. Then there are all the specials……

Late night specials, weekend special menu, weeknight evening specials…. and just for "Faye" all you can eat hot pot for $16.99!

According to this, they've hired another chef who specializes on more "Northern/Jiangsu" style dishes.

Geeez, everything from Sichuan Hot Pot and Wuxi Spareribs, to Niu Rou Chuan (only on the weekends), and even "Hunan" Style Chicken….sheesh. There ain't no way a restaurant could do all these items well.

Then of course, are the interesting English translations on the menu……

Ever had Yam with napkin? Lots of roughage there…..

Anyway, we ended up returning a couple of times, just for this dish which the Missus loves. It's called Fish Prepared with White Egg (I think they mean egg white – $9.95). A dish that is described as being "better then crab" on the menu. A Jiangsu styled preparation that the Missus loved.

Flavors associated with eating fresh crab; a good amount of thin sliced ginger along with a good amount of black vinegar, tends to bring out the sweetness of crab, gave this dish a nice one-two punch. The look of the dish was meant to mimick crab. The egg whites on two occasions were soft, almost like bean curd as was the fish. On one occasion it was fairly dry and under flavored. Overall a nice dish full of comfort flavors for the Missus.

The other dish that stood out in our visits was the Pork Intestines with Dry Red Pepper ($9.95).

I'd recommend this dish as good for a "intestine beginner" so long that you could take a little heat. In spite of the chilies this wasn't especially spicy. I was surprised at the nice "ma" (numbing) in this. One of the problems with the previous China Chef was the lack of Sichuan Peppercorns. The intestines were very well fried, crisp on the outside, a bit spongy in the interior. My only complaint would be that the dish was a bit too salty. I saved the remainder and had it later that evening with a cold one!

The Spicy Sichuan Hot Pot ($12.95) was ok.

This was a "good cop", "bad cop" dish. "Good cop" served up a good amount of intestine and tripe. "Bad cop" tried to bring the heat, which was very one dimensional, and lacked any real complex flavors from herbs or seasonings.

One evening the Missus ordered the Beijing Style Lamb Hot Pot ($12.95):

Frankly, in spite of a decent amount of fairly tender lamb, this would be nothing without the fermented bean curd dipping sauce. The Missus was wishing for some leek sauce. The plain water "broth" also got pretty scummy…..

The tripe was good, crunchy, yet not hard. The fish balls and surimi really didn't add much.

The worst dish we had, used to be our favorite at the old China Chef…. the Spicy Tea Smoked Duck ($12.95). Just compare this photo…..

With the one here…. Waxy, with a strange almost artificial taste, much like bad so-called "smoked meat" you'd buy at 99 Ranch Market, this wasn't very good at all.

The last two dishes are dinner "specials" that are quite cheap. You'll need to buy at least one dish at regular price to qualify. Every night there's a special; one Monday it's some very ghastly looking Lion's Head. On another day it's Salt and Pepper Prawns for $3.99. Which, in spite of being burned by discounted dishes before, we just had to try. We were surprised…..

This was pretty well prepared; the shrimp wasn't overcooked, but was soft and moist. The flavor was quite good. And did I mention nine good sized prawns for $3.99? I'd perhaps not order this at regular price; but for under four bucks, it's a deal.

The Missus enjoyed the Friday night special; the Fish Gluten, Shrimp, Squid, and Chicken for $4.99. This seemed like a regular sized portion.

Everything was cooked adequately, the vegetables crisp….. but this was much too salty for me.

Overall, whether the name of the place is still China Chef 2…. or Best Taste of China, or perhaps both, it seems to us, that there are at least a couple of good dishes on the menu which seems much too ambitious. Looking at what other folks were eating and the cold dishes, the Sichuan dishes seems to not be as good as before. Oh, and if you do order that Fish and Egg White Dish, don't order anything with Sichuan Peppercorn, talk about clashing flavors…. And then there are all the specials…. The service was decent, about average for this type of restaurant. There's one young lady who really gets a kick out of explaining the dishes, the other woman could care less if you choked to death on a fish bone; but isn't that how it always is?

China Chef 2 – Best Taste of China
9225 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

And Faye! They've got all you can eat Hot Pot for $16.99! he-he-he……

Mariscos El Toro Truck

March 3, 2011 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Seafood, Taco Shops

*** Update. This truck is gone…..

A bit over two weeks ago I mentioned seeing a Mariscos truck in the parking lot of the 76 on the corner of Convoy and Balboa. During a recent lunch, I had the sudden urge to "fill up my tank", and just so happened to stop by the 76 (how convenient, eh?). And yes indeed that very same truck was parked a few feet from the water and air station at the 76.

After filling up, I pulled my car to the front of the convenience store side of the gas pumps. There isn't much room here, so it's a wonder this truck can do any business at all. Just by coincidence there was a gentleman waiting for his order. The fellow in the truck bellowed a welcome, and seemed pretty busy. I struck up a conversation with the guy standing outside, and he told me, "they serve the best fish tacos I ever had here….." Then he grabbed his burrito and left…. well wait a minute…. if this place made the best fish tacos, why'd he order a burrito?

Oh well, I'd already placed my order, so I'd let the chips fall where they may…..

The very friendly guy came out of the truck to hand me the staple freebie of Mariscos establishments….. the cup of oceany consomme.

The consomme looked much too light and watery, but wasn't too bad…. nice shrimpy flavor, and scorching hot as it should be.

The usual creamy salsa usually provided for Mariscos was missing, but there was a habanero based salsa that looked like water….but was pretty spicy, as was the typical salsa roja, which had a very strong Chili de Arbol heat…. very upfront.

Soon enough my food was ready. Had there been more room, this would've been one of those "eating on the hood of my car" posts, but there really isn't much eating space. So I took my tacos with me back to the office.

Here's the line-up from left to right; Tacos de Pescado (Fish Taco), Camarones a la Diabla (spicy shrimp), and the Gobernador (of course).

These really seemed to pale in comparison to what other Mariscos trucks deliver.

The Fish Taco ($1.50), was just totally covered in Pico de Gallo……

The piece of fish was pretty small, and it lacked a decent crunch. I was wondering about the lack of crema, until I bit into it…… they had smeared the crema on the tortilla and placed the piece of fish on top of it.

It just can't compare with this from one of my favorite stops:

Which is also cheaper……

The Gobernador ($3.25) was also a bit disappointing.

Unlike the versions I enjoy from Mariscos German and El Pescador, this lacked the wonderful cheese melted on the tortilla, which protected the tortilla from falling to pieces. This made for a rather soggy experience. There was pretty much more onions than anything else, the veggies and the shrimp were on the over-cooked side, camarones tough and vegetables lacking crispness. No, this was not bad by any means, but not in the class of a good Gobernador. It was also fairly small for the price.

The best item I tried on this day was the Camarones a la Diabla ($3.25):

Even though this seemed a bit small for the price as well, the shrimp in this was done well, not perfect, but good enough. It also had a sneaky slightly smoky heat. I took a bite, then added the Habanero Salsa and Cebollas (pickled onions and habanero), and ended up breaking into a pretty good sweat.

To me, El Toro isn't quite in the same class of the good Mariscos Trucks, they are still pretty much the only show in this part of town. I'll probably drop by again if they make it past the next couple of months to see if the food gets better. We need more offerings of this type, and the gentleman running the truck is very friendly…..

Mariscos el Toro

Currently located at the corner of Convoy street and Balboa in the parking lot of the 76 station.

I was told their hours are Monday thru Friday from about 930 to 330.

Troy’s Family Restaurant- American (and Greek) food

February 16, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Diner, Greek Food, What Cathy Eats!

Hi, it's Cathy blogging for mmm-yoso!!! today. Kirk is under the weather and ed (from Yuma) is busy.

An ocean of time ago, The Mister and I moved to San Diego for the last time. Our apartment was within walking distance of Clairmont Square, and we used to eat at Troy's Family Restaurant. A lot. Until we bought our home, about 25 miles East of here.
It's been in the Clairmont area since 1973. The mall has expanded and been rebuilt a few times since then, but the owners and a lot of the employees are the same. We were in the area on this sunny day a few weeks ago and wanted to see if things, like the decor and food, were still the same.

The cool dishware is as I remembered. Curvy scratched water glasses and thick ceramic cups. I love old, thick coffee cups; they make coffee taste better. ($1.75). Served with real half and half in the container on each table.

The Ranch dressing on the salad is homemade and better than any bottled stuff I have ever had. The lettuce mix, with shredded carrots tomatoes and packaged croutons is standard crispy fresh.

The salad was part of the special of the day (Monday) – Tilapia ($7.95) which was dipped in an egg wash and then seasoned flour and lightly fried. A light crisp crust enhances the flavor of the fish. It is served with a vegetable of the day (no frozen vegetables here…these were fresh cooked, un-mushy carrots, hand sliced) and mashed potatoes-also fresh. The gravy is a standard brown gravy, smooth and not lumpy. There are at least three daily specials offered all seven days of the week.
Since the restaurant is named Troy's and the font on the outside indicates some air of 'Greek' to it, I wanted one of the Greek menu offerings… really, only two are available. Gyros in the form of a sandwich and in an omelete and souvlaki with breakfast or a sandwich. At this time, the souvlaki sandwich ($7.45) stood out on the menu. Marinated, skewered pork, cooked lightly (it was just pink on the inside, very moist and the char on the exterior of the pieces was just right) served on a piece of garlic toast, with cole slaw (instead of fries) and tossed salad (with Thousand Island dressing-again, made in house and excellent).

It was as we remembered it: Good, home made food made with care and flavor.

Troy's Family Restaurant 4827 Clairmont Shopping Center San Diego 92111 (619)276-7651

Mon-Sat 6:30-9:00, Sun 6:30-8:00