Closed – Page 64

Mission Gorge Cafe-Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner: Greek, American, Mexican

January 27, 2011 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, Greek Food, Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Mission Gorge Cafe has closed.

Welcome (back) to mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog. A written record of food eaten, prepared and enjoyed by some friends. Kirk and ed (from Yuma) aren't writing any records today. Cathy is writing and recording.

Hi. A few weeks ago (as you can see by the rain soaked parking lot in this photo), The Mister and I were out and about and saw that Taste of India had changed ownership. In fact, it seems the the people who had worked here before it became Taste of India were back. (It used to be Frank's Happy Chef, which I hadn't posted on despite eating there a lot…). This location is on Mission Gorge, very close and between to the two Kaiser Hospitals, in the same mall as Souplantation.

The interior tables, chairs, and other inventory is the same (although the walls are no longer painted to match the fuchsia pink of the chairs). As always, a fresh rose on every table…

The Mister ordered the "Mighty Swiss Alps" fritatta ($7.95) Eggs, mixed with ham, mushrooms, Swiss cheese, tomatoes baked in the pan and topped with sour cream (sort of looks like snow on Swiss alps…) and chives. It was a really good blend of flavors, served with the country fried potatoes (nice and crisp) and the English muffin.

I wanted something more "Greek" and since it was still breakfast time, I ordered the gyros omelette (7.95). Gyros meat and tomatoes mixed with the egg and topped with Feta cheese and served with the tomatoes, lettuce, more Feta, tzatziki sauce and pita bread. Excellent flavors, satisfying my cravings.

A few days later, we were again in the area at lunch time and The Mister ordered the chicken and gyros Greek salad ($9.45). More than enough for two, served with hot pita bread…

The Greek salad was made of mixed greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers,onions, olives, Feta Cheese and a home made Greek dressing which did not overwhelm the flavors of anything. The gyros and chicken were fresh grilled, still warm and very complimentary.

A few days later we were again back in the area and it was lunchtime. Something Mexican was in order, and since it was still raining, a bowl of the tortilla soup sounded good. ($3.45). An excellent portion, filled with chicken and vegetables and very definitely home made. The vegetables (carrots, celery, onions, potatoes and rice) were plentiful and chopped in random shapes. The chicken had flavor on its own and the tortilla strips were fresh made and crispy.

I decided to try the 1/2 pound gyro burger ($6.95) and pulled out the gyros meat for this photo. The addition of hand breaded onion rings was $2.95 and worth it. Excellent frying technique.

The burger is a 1/2 lb steak burger ($5.95)and was char grilled ( we were not asked how we wanted it grilled, but it was just right). Good flavor, moist and went well with the soft sesame roll, topped with standard burger toppings. The amount of gyros was significant (only $1 more than the 1/2 lb steak burger) and the tzatziki sauce went with everything-together or eaten on the side).

I'm very happy Mission Gorge Cafe is here. I guess I could say it's back…it has the same owners as Miramar Cafe ,who started their business when Frank's closed. Both places are good.

Mission Gorge Cafe 6171 Mission Gorge Road San Diego 92120 (619)283-2887 Mon-Sat 7 am-9pm, Sun 7 am-8 pm

Fruitland & Deli- A fruiteria in El Cajon.

January 21, 2011 Cathy Fruiterias, Sandwiches, Seafood, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

Fruitland & Deli has closed.

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog you are perusing. Cathy is writing today, because Kirk is busy perusing things and ed (from Yuma) is busier perusing even more things.

Hi again. In the last two years, a friend has taken me to Jamba Juice. Twice. I was overwhelmed both times, having to order from the huge menu board with many choices and derivations. I always have gone to Fruiterias around town and could not understand how JJ had peaches in February… and finally asked my friend who looked at me and slowly said "it's frozen fruit"…Oh. OH. I tried to explain my not understanding.

Then, I realized I have never even posted about Fruiterias on this blog. So, here is a post about one in East County. {A fruiteria is basically a fruit shop where fresh fruit is served in various ways and other items, usually sandwiches and chilled seafood, are offered so as to make small meals. A neighborhood Mexican Bistro Cafe -no tacos or burritos or salsa bar.}

Fruitland and Deli has been on this corner where Second turns into Jamacha at Main Street in El Cajon for about three years now. It is in the same parking lot as Dubai (now Sultan)is located.
Clean and not too small (seating for about 25) inside, it offers items all Fruiterias offer…
with a menu in English above the ordering area.

Happy colors decorate the interior. A selection of hot sauces are on every table.

Ices(raspados), smoothies, milk drinks(licuados), all juice-juices, 'diet' juices (not with artificial ingredients, but with vegetables as well as fruit…(you drink for the diet effects)), iced coffee drinks, fruit bowls-large in size, even the 'small' for $6.50-(plain, topped with yogurt or cottage cheese, crema or condensed milk and granola), paletas(ice cream on a stick..wonderful flavors), sandwiches, seafood, tostilocos (another post), tamales and salads.
#1 Licuado (milk shake) (small) ($3.60)There is powdered milk in this one, made with papaya, banana, cantaloupe, banana and strawberries.
Medium camarones coctele (shrimp cocktail)($9.60) We counted 23 good sized, plump and flavorful shrimp in this one. The broth was mostly lime juice, not overly tomato. However the cucumber, avocado and cilantro made this quite delightful and very flavored. It's refreshing.

We decided to share a pork torta (#1)($6.50), especially after the Young Man behind the counter told us the bread was made fresh daily in the store.
This sandwich, made with a good portion of sliced, moist and flavorful pork roast and a bit of mayonnaise, was topped with lettuce, tomato, onion, jalapeno and avocado and is definitely a meal in itself. The bread was indeed fresh, with a nice crispy crust and it was toasted.

Everything here is fresh, seasonal and takes a short while to be brought out, because it is all made to order. This is how I enjoy eating.

Fruitland & Deli 109 Jamacha (between Main and 2nd) El Cajon 92019

Sushi Yaro-Lunch

January 13, 2011 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog. A few friends share blogging "duty". We pretend it is a difficult task, but it's just fun. Today, Kirk has been elsewhere, having fun. ed(from Yuma) is in Yuma, having fun. Cathy is here and having fun.

Hi. Remember the other day last year, when Kirk mentioned Sushi Yaro was having $3 lunch specials? If not, link to it here.

The Mister and I decided to (finally) try it for lunch the other day. The parking lot wasn't full

because we were the first ones there that day. We checked out the 'White Board' near the kitchen as we walked in.

and ordered the $3 vegetable curry special (could have also had stir fried beef, pork, chicken or yakisoba also for $3). It came with a cabbage based salad (in the photo below) and the good serving of fresh rice and an excellent amount of a good curry with potatoes, onion and carrots and a bit of beef in the curry sauce.
I had a craving for poke that day and ordered it off the regular menu ($9.50) It came with the miso soup (very good), salad, side of rice and was presented on the plate this way…with a carrot petaled flower centered with radish and bunny ears of burdock in the poke…
which was an extremely fresh ahi tuna. Marinated in soy sauce, sea salt, sesame oil, onion, garlic, seaweed and some furikake.
One item on the White Board this day was 'stir fried giant clam' for $3.99. It is on the regular menu for $8, but Sam was working that day and he made it …so very tender, almost melt in your mouth like chicken liver or uni melt in your mouth texture. The vegetables were stir fried just enough…crispy and fresh and if I had known the wonder that this item was, I'd have ordered two and had both for myself…

Excellent deals on the $3 lunch and everything excellent at Sushi Yaro. Day or night. Fun.

Sushi Yaro 7905 Engineer Road San Diego 92111

Baguette Up

January 9, 2011 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Baguette Up has closed

A couple months back FOY (Friend of Yoso) Pheth mentioned a new Banh Mi shop opening in the same strip mall as Vinh Hung Market, Luong Hai Ky, et al in Mira Mesa….. I had to chuckle when she mentioned that the name of the place was Baguette Up. How…. umm, well cute isn't the right word, neither is quaint…. witty perhaps? About a week later "Melanie" mentioned this shop in her email about Song Huong. So it was only a matter of time it was "batter up" for Baguette Up (I guess I can almost be as pun-ny).

Baguette Up has its' own doorway, but seems to share space with the Boba shop named Bobalicious (of course…). Actually, the space for the Boba (sorry, I have a limit on how many times I'm willing to type out out Boba-licious) is twice as large.

For some reason I'm reminded of an ice cream shop whenever I walk in. Even though the menu says, "deliciously different"….. funny, but I don't see anything really different about the fourteen Banh Mi, several of which are "gringo specials" from other Banh Mi shops.

As for the prices; well they're pretty much in line with the other Banh Mi shops in the area as well.

So of course I went with the #1, the "special" (aka Banh Mi Dac Biet – $3.50) just to see what their Dac Biet consisted of. There's nary a word in Vietnamese as far as I could see; so it just seemed that this place was trying to distance itself. The sandwich itself seemed pretty small when I got it.

The bread itself was very fresh on this visit…. it had that light flakiness of a decent Vietnamese Baguette. Opening up the sandwich I was also pleasantly surprised to see pate, albeit a very mild pate, but I was glad to see that this little shop was actually trying to make a proper Banh Mi.

The overall portions of meat in the sandwich was on the small side; think Express Deli with lower quality protein. Also the pickled carrot, there was hardly any daikon, was not pickled enough, and hardly had any flavor.

The one interesting thing was the jalapenos. The jalapenos in this sandwich had some kick, which just about killed off everything in the sandwich. On the good side, it was just cilantro leaves, and not all the tough stems, which was nice for a change.

In the end, I thought this sandwich was not a very good value. And usually that would be it for me. Except for two things; first, the young lady manning the counter has got to be one of the nicest, friendliest, and attentive persons I've had the pleasure of coming across in a while.

Second, before walking out to the car to consume my sandwich, I noticed something which I could perhaps call "deliciously different"…. it was lucky #8:

After all, I always say "everything tastes better ina Banh Mi" right? (And I do mean everything.) So I returned for a SPAM® and Egg Sandwich ($3). There was a different young lady this time; but with the same sunny disposition:

I mean really, there are few things in my world better than SPAM® and eggs, and those would be SPAM® musubis, and perhaps Spam® Katsu Curry? This time, the bread wasn't so fresh, but there were two eggs in my Banh Mi, and with two slices of SPAM® this was fairly filling.

And if I wanted to get nit-picky, the eggs were cooked a bit more than I'd prefer, the pickled vegetables were still terrible, and all Banh Mi Trung (egg Banh Mi) should always have a sprinkling of Maggi. Still, this was a decent sandwich. But don't think it was a huge sandwich……

Because it was not….. but it would be a good breakfast. Which gets me to my next point; there are three egg sandwiches on the menu, but the place doesn't open until 11am.

So what can I say? That SPAM® and Egg was okay, the special less so. Service was great, prices are in line, not sure if I'll return, but it's always fun checking out a new place!

Baguette Up
8155 Mia Mesa Blvd. Suite #3
San Diego, CA 92126

Thanks for pointing this place out to me Pheth and Melanie, I'd have never found it otherwise!

Tonight’s Dinner – Fried Chicken Skin and Sisig from Conching’s Cafe

December 30, 2010 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt

*** Conching is now Erlinda's Filipino Cuisine & Ice Cream Parlor

"It's the most unhealthiest time of the year……"

Or something like that. At least that's the tune going through my head while crunching away on the deep fried chicken skin portion of my dinner from Conching's Cafe:

I ended up getting dinner here after spotting Sisig……. which isn't always available from the steam table at Conching.

Strangely, after looking through my posts I noticed that I've never done a post on Conching's……… even though we've been there a number of times. The only thing I found was a post which included the sisig which I've always thought was among the best. This wasn't quite as good….falling a bit short on the vinegar. It's still better than most…..

Still…… fried chicken skin and sisig…… I think I'll be eating a bunch of salads after the New Year.

Oh, and when you visit Conching's, you can't forget the ice cream…… Ube and Avocado used to be the Missus's favorite (I like Jackfruit)…… but those have been replaced by……

Corn and Cheese…. yep, corn and cheese. Well, cheddar cheese is what they told the Missus. It's not what you think. It's not too sweet, but rich and creamy…. and no, there really isn't a big cheese flavor….perhaps something closer to a light cream cheese?

While waiting for Her Corn and Cheese ice cream, a Young Lady was asking a boy, possibly her son what flavor he wanted. Standing tippy toe, the boy exclaimed, "I want chocolate!" The woman smiled and looked down at the child and told him, "you can have chocolate anywhere, but when you're here you need to try something new and different!" Amen, lady, amen……

Conching's Cafe
3400 E 8th St.Ste 115
National City, CA 91950

Song Huong – Mira Mesa

December 28, 2010 mmm-yoso Bun Bo Hue, Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** This location of Song Huong has been replaced by Saigon Corner

I've been kinda hesitating "pulling the trigger" on this post. Based on comments and emails I've gotten, it seems that opinions of Song Huong are somewhat polarized……. But after a recent third visit to Song Huong I decided it was time for a post….. and I still waited and visted one more time….just to make sure….. When my good FOY (friend of yoso) "Yummy Yummy" told me that there was going to be a second Song Huong opening in Vinh Hung Market, I had mixed feelings. We've had a couple of decent meals at Song Huong on El Cajon Boulevard, but it just seems that the same dish was never the same twice…. perhaps some would find the somewhat whimsical preparations an interesting surprise. For us it was just plain maddening.

And then they opened….. and folks started emailing and commenting. On one side, "Yummy Yummy" and "Janfrederick" were thumbs down. On the other hand "Joe" (you can read his comments on this post) enjoyed it. "Melanie" (thanks for the emails!) was more on the positive side. By the time I finally visited I already had some recommendations……and some dishes to avoid as well!

If this doorway looks familiar, this is where Chibugan used to be (more on Chibugan at the end of the post).

Looking at my photos of Chibugan; it seems that the folks removed a good amount of the interior clutter and opened the place up a bit…… I never realized how high the ceilings here were!

The place does end up being on the cold side, and things tend to echo.

Like the ECB location; this place seels all manner of shakes and drinks, one thing which the Missus always enjoys at the ECB shop.

I pretty much knew what I wanted to order…… Melanie and Joe recommended the Banh Cuon. So I went with the Banh Cuon Dac Biet ($6.50):

As things go; this was decent by San Diego standards. The rolls used Banh Cuon Uot, and the pork was fairly bland and dry. The Nem Chua was pretty good, I like mine a bit more sour, and there was only one slice of it.

The Banh Cuon were a bit drier than I enjoy as well. The Nuoc Mam Cham also tasted watered down. The Cha Lua – lean defatted pork sausage were decent. Overall, I thought this was better than the version at Tan Ky Mi Gia, but not even close to say, Banh Cuon Tay Ho. Of course nothing beats having it made fresh in the morning. To be honest, I returned at a later date and had this again, this time it was much better(though they gotta bump up that Nuoc Mam Cham)……. so I guess YMMV??

I sitll wasn't quite sure about this place, so I returned and got the very thing I was told NOT TO get….. the Pho. "Joe" did mentioned that the place had changed Pho cooks, so perhaps my bowl of Pho Tai, Chin, Nam, Gau, Gan, Sach….. heck just call it #6 ($5.75) would be ok.

I swear, this could be the twin of the bowl I had at Vietnamese Cuisine on Miramar Road. It was cloudy and lacked any distinctive character…. it was far from terrible, but maybe a "C-". The garnishes were fairly scarce. The noodles however, were prepared perfectly.

Where this bowl fell really short was in the protein department…..

For some reason all the cuts of meat were very dry, none more than the flank which was tough as well. The worse was the tripe which had that unpleasant soapiness to it.

Still, I returned…… And when I ordered my Banh Cuon the second time, I was starving so I decided to try the Thit Nuong Cuon (grilled pork spring rolls – $3.75):

Aside from being a bit too wet, and the bun being on the mushy side this was ok. I also thought these were on the skimpy side, and would have appreciated more herbs to cut the saltiness (in a good way) of the thin slices of the pork.

Being on the wetter side, these started falling apart pretty quickly.

I guess I'm a glutton for punishment because I returned to Song Huong one more time…… this time for the Bun Bo Hue ($5.50):

All thoughts that this was going to be a "bland bowl" went away as the bowl arrived, and the funky fragrance of Mam Tom, fermented shrimp paste hit me before the bowl arrived. For me, the over-riding smell sends mixed signals, as what passes for Bun Bo Hue in most Pho shops is a basic clear broth with Mam Tom and chilies, something which totally misses the mark. And unfortunately this was, well, that. I liken it to having a trio play something designed for a quintet…… all the music is there, but certain parts aren't played. The plate of finely shredded cabbage and bean sprouts, though on the small side did fine. I could have used a bit more mint to add a herbaceous flavor to the bowl. The lime came to good use…. it helped me cut through the strong shrimp paste flavor.

There was a tiny speck of meat on the pork hock, and the thick slices of beef were tough and dry…. and to think folks complain about the meat at Mien Trung, which along with Hoai Hue is in a total different league.

On the good side; the broth was scorching hot; as must for this type of soup, and the noodles were cooked properly.

In the end, the food here is not terrible; but when it comes to everything other than the Banh Cuon, in my opinion there are other much better options in the area. I do really like the young lady who I believe runs the place…. she is quiet, but very nice…..they've never charged me for tea, and "round down " my check. As to whether I'll return? Maybe after a fairly long break….

Song Huong
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

Postscript:

So what happened to Chibugan? Well, they moved over to a smaller space one door over:

One thing I've always liked about Chibugan is that they serve vertically challenged folks like me! Hah, just kidding…. but that's the first thing that went through my mind when I read "We make short orders!!!" Got a crispy pata for shorty over here?

Pho Santee. Yes.

December 17, 2010 Cathy Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog you are reading and enjoying vicariously. Today, Cathy is blogging because Kirk is waaay busy and ed(from Yuma) is busier than Kirk.

It is going to be a cold, rainy weekend. Some sort of soup is going to be craved. East County. Santee. I live here. We have Costco, Lowes and Home Depot, Target and WalMart, many chain restaurants, a steak house and now have two Thai restaurants, three places which serve sushi, eight Italian eateries (but more than half of those are pretty much pizza places) , seven taco shops and now, two Vietnamese restaurants. Yes. In Santee. The American home of Comedian Dat Phan. This post is about the unimaginatively named Vietnamese restaurant.

Pho Santee is in an nondescript shopping mall, just across from the Santee Sheriff Station. It used to be Royal Szecheuan/Sushi, neither of which was done very well. The menu at Pho Santee is Vietnamese -and Chinese- both are done quite well. Good enough that I come here for lunch when I have a craving instead of driving the 15-20 minutes to Convoy Street or 20 minutes Mira Mesa Boulevard. The interior here is clean and shiny (also a contrast to the old place). Two televisions, but usually only one is on.
With a little Christmas decor at this time of year…

Table settings are standard.

Pho Santee serves pho and other standard Vietnamese items (bun, broken rice, steamed rice) and some more or less Chinese items (fried rice, stir fried noodles, stir fried vegetables). .
No sawtooth. Pretty basic add ins.
Pho Ga-large ($6.65). We asked for added shrimp ($3) to go with the chicken broth (The Mister was starting to have a cough/cold/crud). The (hot!) broth was not greasy and had a good chicken stock. The noodles were not mushy and only slightly clumpy. The shrimp were quite large, as was the portion of chicken for this bowl.
BunThit Nuong-grilled pork ($6.95). Only lettuce, no fancy greens under the chilled rice noodles. The grilled pork was not crispy. It was nicely flavored and not fatty. The add in sauce was just the right amount of fishy vinaigarette (no fish sauce on the table condiments).

I like that you can order Cha Gio (fried egg rolls) either 3 ($3.99) or 6 ($5.99)…these were nicely fried, filled with ground pork and shrimp, egg, fungus and cellophane noodles. Served with lettuce and mint.

The Goi Cuon (spring rolls, we chose tofu as the filling- [all fillings (chicken, shrimp, pork or tofu) are the same price: two for $3.99-these are cut in half] filled with vermicelli noodles, mint and lettuce, these were very fresh and good. The spicy peanut sauce for dipping was very good.

Dac Biet (small)($5.85) was filled with meat, various onions, the same good and almost not clumped noodles. The broth was rich, not greasy and not overly flavored (other than beef…not much anise).
In fact, if you just want meat and noodles, this is the place. The pieces of tendon, brisket, tripe and rare beef were plentiful.
The lunch special chicken chow mein ($6)[most expensive lunch combination is $7] comes with..um.. egg flower soup (tasted beefy), egg roll (the same Cha Gio but without lettuce, mint or dipping sauce) and fried rice. The chow mein…well..excellent flavored chicken, water chestnuts and pea/carrot mix. No MSG overload and very fresh.

Pho Santee is maybe not as authentic as some of the places in San Diego. It is good, not pretentious and very good to have in East County. The people who work here are very friendly and all of them help you. We have had at least four different individuals assist with refills, questions, etc. at our table each visit.

Pho Santee 8790 Cuyamaca, Suite K Santee 92071 (619)562-5151. Sun-Th 9-9, Fri/Sat 9-10

Pho Cali & Grill

November 30, 2010 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Pho Cali & Grill

Man was it cold enough for you last night? Geez, I almost wish we had another mutt, because it surely was a Three Dog Night if I ever felt one…. I know us West Coasters are wimps…….

Way back in June, I noticed one of those coming soon signs in the same strip mall that houses Golden City. As the months past, there never seemed to be any progress as the place seemed frozen in time. In fact, Mignon Pho + Grill started up in August and opened at the end of October. So it was a bit of surprise to see that the place had finally opened.

As I entered, I noticed a certain "look" to the place…..then it clicked, and when I asked the gentleman serving me confirmed that this was owned by the same folks who own Pho Cali in Mission Valley. You know that you've been in too many of these places when you recognize differences in generic decor, sigh…. I always try to reserve judgement, but I couldn't help being a bit disappointed as I really didn't think much of the Pho there.

So I just went ahead and ordered the Dac Biet (Special – $6.59) to just cut my losses, eat and get back to work. The portion size of the garnishes is the same rather skimpy sized portion as the Mission Valley counterpart….. though I can tell you, that after recent experiences, I was rather happy to see some Ngo Gai (rather one leaf) on the plate.

My bowl of Pho arrived……

And I was rather surprised; the broth was fairly clear, the fragrance mildly beefy, little droplets of oil floating on top…. this looked pretty good. The flavor really didn't deliver; it was really salty….. way too salty. The noodles were of course, in the ever present clump on the bottom, but weren't still cold in the center as I've experienced twice at the Mission Valley location.

The rare steak was just as bad as everywhere else….though I've had even worse since (coming up in a future post). The brisket, though perhaps a little too close to disintegrating, was probably the best item.

The tendon is a touch too hard for my tastes, but is still better then many places I've been. Overall, this wasn't too bad…. in fact, I need to revisit the Mission Valley location, just to see, you know…..

This past weekend, FOY (Friend of Yoso) Fred, sent me an email (it's always great to hear from you…. and best wishes to the Missus). Part of the last sentence of his email cracked me up, " it doesn't seem especially different than any other Pho place." I can see where one can think that. I do believe that this place is better than Pho T Cali, though, and the service, set-up, and much of everything else does fit that generic Pho shop look. I think folks will like that the place is new, and thus looks pretty clean.

Pho Cali and Grill
5375 Kearny Villa Rd
San Diego, CA 92123

$3 Lunch Special at Sushi Yaro

November 27, 2010 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

**** Sushi Yaro has closed

Does this photo tickle your memory?

Well, it's not quite the same rumpled "Abe" of my Convoy Sushi and Fish Market post. If you recall that post, it went over the $5 lunch specials at that now defunct restaurant. I decided to take another photo of Abe because in a bit of irony; Sushi Yaro, which is now in that location has a $3 lunch special.

To be perfectly honest, when Sam told the Missus and I that he'd be starting a three dollar lunch experiment, we had our doubts…… in this day and age what can you really serve customer for three bucks, and why would you do that? I guess the experiment has worked out pretty well, since on my last visit, Sam told me that the three dollar lunch will be served until further notice…. or as Sam told me, "until I'm broke!" Sam also told me that I should drop by during lunch and try it out for myself. So there I was…… and there it was; the $3 lunch.

I've had Sam's spicy pork, a version of Daeji Bulgogi. I was somewhat surprised that a bowl of miso soup was provided….. even though miso shiro is served with just about every lunch special; it's usually these "side dishes" that are part of the first cut when doing bargain basement specials.

So here's what my three bucks bought:

Scoop of rice, scoop of spicy pork, green salad; about the equivalent of a plate lunch stand's "mini plate"…. which I believe is closer to four buck nowadays…….

While eating, I got to thinking what I could get for three bucks lunch wise…… Banh Mi maybe? But even most of those are over three bucks…. a 6" from Subway…. basically a salad in a roll…. I'm sure there are many fast-food answers to that three-buck question. You could get one and two thirds of a taco at Tacos El Poblano or El Gordo, two fish tacos (with some change left over) at Mariscos El Pescador, and for the big bargain 3 tacos Al Pastor from Internacional 2000. In fact, for six bucks you could get two lunch specials, which will still be about the price of a sandwich at many places.

And while I have reservations with regards to Sam's sanity…….. it's nice to know that I can either this:

Or this…..

Depending on how big that hole in my pocket is…….

So what's the catch? Not much really; the three dollar special is available between 1130 and 230 seven days a week. Yes, even weekends. How long will this last? I don't know…. and I don't think Sam does either. So if you're a bit cash-strapped this holiday season, this might be something you could try. After all three bucks doesn't buy much of a lunch nowadays……

Sushi Yaro
7905 Engineer Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Aria Kabob Cafe

November 22, 2010 mmm-yoso Afghan, Hot Dogs

*** Aria Kabob Cafe is now Chaba Thai

We really haven't had any Afghan style food since Kabul Market closed a year or so ago. So I was fascinated when I noticed that an Afghan Restaurant called Aria Kabob Cafe was opening in the same strip mall as Pho Fusion. It took quite a few months for Aria Kabob Cafe to open, but a couple of weeks back it finally did.

I noticed the $3.99 breakfast and $4.95 lunch signs, wondering what the heck was going on. And was even more puzzled when I walked in and read the menu…….

Bagels? Eggs? Smoothies……. Hot Dogs?

For $4.95, you'd get a plate of rice and two items from a not so promising looking steam table (the Missus would later prove me wrong).

Looking a bit closer at the menu I noticed the type of dishes I was looking for.

I had a seat at one of the tables in the small dining area and placed my order…. and waited…and waited…. and waited. About thirty minutes later my Lamb Tika Kabob Plate ($8.99) arrived.

Looking at my plate…. well, I was a bit underwhelmed. The salad was totally mass produced packaged stuff, as was the pita. Digging in changed my opinion…… I loved the brown basmati rice…. in fact I texted the Missus telling Her that I was actually eating brown rice and enjoying it. The rice was fluffy, fragrant, and was prepared well. The tangy spicy "chatney" was good…. though I really enjoyed the yogurt based dressing on my cubes of lamb. There wasn't a ton of lamb, but it was very good. I was amazed at how well it was prepared and cooked, soft and tender, but not mushy, and seasoned with a restrained hand. The juices of the lamb had soaked into the pita which made it even more delicious. You knew you were eating lamb, but was not overwhelmed with the "flavor of the pasture" (though I do love gamey lamb). This was a very pleasant surprise……though everyone else was ordering the $4.95 lunch, salads, and the such. On my way out, the gentleman working apologized for the wait, and asked me how I enjoyed my meal. My response? "It was good, well worth the wait." Though think I'll be calling ahead during a work week lunch.

The Missus, shocked that I had actually eaten brown rice (something I've been cooking for Her for months), just had to check this place out. On our visit I told Her, "this may take a while, but you'll enjoy the food." She had the Lamb Tika Kabob and really enjoyed it. I tried one of my favorites, the Chapli Kabob, here it's very well seasoned ground beef patties ($6.99):

The patties had a nice char on the exterior, with some nice cumin-coriander hints. While eating this I noticed something…….. I wasn't using any sumac. Neither was the Missus. I guess that we both thought the seasoning was just right for our tastes…. I did use a liberal amount of the "dressing", and the Missus loved the Chatney. In spite of the wait (35 minutes this time), we both enjoyed the meal….. so we returned a couple of nights later.

The Missus started with the Borani Bonjan ($3.49), roasted eggplant in a tomato based sauce, topped with drizzles of tangy yogurt.

There was a noticeable, though subdued amount of spice, and even with all these very strong flavors you could still taste the eggplant.

The Missus noticed that the steam table was still up and running, even though it was dinner time, and went for the "two plus rice"……. Two items from the steam table.

This came with a plate of the brown basmati rice….. the Missus loved the cauliflower… a lot…..

By this time, for some reason, I became curious about the Fried Hot Dog….. it just seemed so out of place on the menu. Because of that, there seemed to be some sort of reverse-exotic mystery to it. And even though the young man replied, "well, it's a hot dog….. that's fried" when I asked about it, I still ordered it. I told the young man I'd take the Fried Hot Dog, with three toppings ( the way he'd eat it). And what I got was this……

It really was a hot dog (all beef) that had been deep fried…… in this case topped with mayo-mustard-relish, in a sesame seed roll. Yes, just a hot dog…..really.

Though the other dish I ordered was quite good, the Pakawra ($2.95):

These well spiced potato fritters were the hottest item I tried here….. they are also quite addictive if a bit on the heavy side. I enjoyed these, as the layers of flavors along with the spice kept me interested.. This time, our meal arrived pretty quickly……

A couple of days later, the Missus wanted the brown rice and cauliflower from Aria. I dropped by to see if they still had some on the steam table. Unfortunately, they weren't serving that on this day. But the gentleman working here, by the name of Mike, had a solution for me. By this time he recognized me, and told me "if you can come back in 45 minutes, we'll make it fresh for your wife." How's that for service? So I went and did some shopping, returned after 45 minutes, and the Missus got Her food.

And loved it……

You know, Mike could have just said "we don't have that today" and be done with it, but he went the extra mile for us. That along with the food, both priced right and delicious will keep us coming back.

Aria Kabob Cafe
8010 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111