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Hot, Cold, Wet & Hungry- Shrimp Cocktail and Birria de Chivo at Palominos

April 22, 2010 Cathy Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for visiting the mmm-yoso!!! food blog. The part usually played by Kirk is being played by Cathy today. Because Kirk and His Missus are on vacation. In a faraway land.

Hi. Boy, have we had an odd weather year. Here it is April and we had cold winds and rain intersperse with some sun all day yesterday. The Mister was going to be working late, I was hungry and didn't want to cook, so we met at Palominos. Again.
Of course we could not decide on what to eat and while perusing the menu, saw a new addition in the soup category- Birria de Chivo- Goat … soup. Usually, this is more of a stew, but the goat factor was there, so I ordered it.
Soon, the fairly large bowl of meat and broth (I could taste ancho chilis, oregano, cumin, thyme and cinnamon) was brought out, with the appropriate sides of corn tortillas as well as onion, cilantro, lime wedges and red pepper flakes.
It looked like a lot of meat in the bowl of broth…and this is how much broth was in the bowl.
The rest was meat. A nice, gamey, fatty, flavorful goat. Which had been simmered for a long while, with meat falling off the bones. A rich, deep broth and rich, flavorful meat. For $6.49, one of the heartiest and heart warming soups we have had here.
When ordering, I decided to contrast the warm and meat with cool and seafood, so a shrimp coctele ($9.99) was in order. There were 30 shrimp in this large serving glass, with lime and tomato juice, cucumber and some onion. The fresh flavors of this 'broth' as well as the pretty large flavorful shrimp were a nice contrast and compliment to the fatty rich soup broth. It was a nice break for both of us. But I had to drive home in this…
and figured the traffic on the freeway would be backed up, so drove around the corners to Starbucks, pulled the old computer out of my car
and had a grande chai latte, no water, with The Mister before he headed back to work and I headed home. I hope everyone had a warm evening and safe driving.

Palominos #2. 9353 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard, Suite I San Diego 92123 (858) 292-8470

Honey Pig – A first look

April 13, 2010 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants

*** Update: Honey Pig has closed and is now Old Village ***

So why have I posted a photo of Korean Meat Market, when my post is titled "Honey Pig?" Well, a couple of days ago, FOY "YY" informed me that the owner of KMM had taken over the Arirang House space, and opened a Korean BBQ. So of course, the Missus and I had to try it out.

It turns out that Frank, has renamed the place "Honey Pig", which I sorta recalled is the name of a Korean BBQ in Koreatown.

The interior looks pretty much the same; though the buffet area has been boarded up.

We walked in, and almost scared the daylights out of the nice young man busy waiting for food to come out of the kitchen. He regrouped quickly, and sat us at a table. As fast as lightning, even before ordering, dishes hit the table.

You could tell by what was brought out that this was a "Bossam" style Korean BBQ, as rice paper sheets and thin slices of radish, along with some really great tasting greens were quickly provided. In other words, you'll be wrapping your BBQ with rice paper and radish. Sesame Oil and Salt, along with raw garlic and sliced jalapenos were also provided.

There wasn't much panchan, only some great tasting tofu, and pretty bland radish.

A simple menu card was handed to me…….. just eleven meat items…..

Knowing that the owner runs a meat market, where I've purchased some pretty good quality beef before, I was expecting something good. And the menu clearly states that the beef here is "CAB", no not that CAB (and don't even think about Carne Asada Burrito), but Certified Angus Beef. As to whether he's able to make, or has hired someone who could do good Korean BBQ…. well that remained to be seen. The woman and two young men working the front of house were obviously a bit disorganized. After I placed my order with one of the young men, the other came over a few minutes later to take my order. After I explained to him that I'd placed my order, about two minutes later the woman came over to take our order. This made me a bit nervous….. but the young man who originally took my order assured me that my order had been placed. You can tell they were really trying hard, and need to work the kinks out.

First out was the CAB Chuck Flat Meat, something "YY" recommended ($11.99), which the woman brought out and immediately placed on the cast iron griddle.

Quite soft for chuck, just be sure not to overcook it….. rare is the way to go. On item that worked to our disadvantage was that the rice paper and daikon wrappers were placed in single bowls which meant much reaching over and passing around. Hopefully, in the future, they'll give each individual their own bowls of each. This was mildly beefy, and not bad.

We contemplated ordering the pork belly, but the Missus was just not in the mood for pork. So we went with the Bulgogi (portion for 2 – $15.99). All items on the menu are portioned to about .45 lbs. So three orders for two sound about right. Since the Bulgogi is a double portion things worked out right.

I think the marinade needs some tweaking as it is way too mild, but the meat was very tender.

As you can see, these aren't AYCE meatfests, but along with the greens, eating Bossam(wrapped in the rice paper and daikon) style, and the bowl of rice, we were pretty full. Total bill came out to about $30 for two.

Overall, I'd say a notch below Buga, but above places like Seoul BBQ, so it'll be interesting to see what happens. As we were eating, Frank happened by, and recognized me because I've shopped in his store a few times. I was told that they won't be doing a grand opening quite yet, since they are still working things out. He has minimized the panchan to keep prices low, though we were given refills, and were even offered more.

The meal was good enough that we'll return to see how things are progressing. Plus, since it's named Honey Pig, I'll have to try the pork…..

Honey Pig
4681 Convoy St Ste B
San Diego, CA 92111

Woodies, a revisit

April 12, 2010 mmm-yoso Hot Dogs, Sandwiches

*** Woodies is now Waldos

So…. we're sitting the car, deciding what the Missuswe want to eat. Sometimes it's tough…. I'll go thru five, ten, fifteen places…… and even though She'll say, "today's your day, pick what you want", every choice will be rejected. Finally, the Missus exclaimed, "I want a hot dog"….. WHAT….. and to top it off, "and maybe some chili-cheese fries." DOUBLE WHAT! The only thing I could come up with was tilting my head and asking the Missus, "hear that?" Of course She replied, "hear what?" "That…. I think hell's freezing over!" I don't recall the Missus wanting Chili-cheese fries since we lived in LA…. really. My first thought was our usual choice, Tommy's….. there was one a couple blocks from us in LA, and of course there's a location on Clairemont Mesa Blvd. A couple of problems, though… first, the San Diego location of Tommy's just doesn't taste right to me. Something seems to be missing. Secondly, just one whiff of the chili from Tommy's gives the Missus heartburn…..

So with some hesitance, I mentioned Woodies. It had been a while since I've been to Woodies. A long while. And in the past, the Missus hasn't really taken to the dogs, nor the fries…. But the Missus really seemed up for it. And I was interested as well, since I believe that Woodies has perhaps gone through at least one change of ownership since I last visited.

In terms of pricing, Woodies' prices have gone up maybe 25-50 cents in the last couple of years.

So the Missus decided to get….. A Jalapeno Dog, Chili-Cheese Fries, AND a Pastrami Sandwich! Yikes…. I decided to order a Diet Coke.

So without further ado. The Jalapeno Dog ($2.85):

Personally, I like the dog at Woodies, nice beefy flavor, and good "snap". The Jalapenos didn't really do well with this, a little bit too "green" tasting, and these weren't really pickled very well. We ended up discarding them. The bun is steamed, and fairly soft. The Missus was never a big fan of the dogs at Woodies, but I think time has changed Her opinion, as She really enjoyed this. Now if I can only stop Her from putting *gasp* ketchup on Her hot dogs……

Here's the Chili Cheese Fries ($4.95). I'd never had the CCFs at Woodies, so I was kinda surprised when I picked my order up.

Geeez, enough to get me to make an appointment with my cardiologist. They've changed how they season the fries here. It now has a bit more spice in the seasoning, which tastes pretty good. I like the thin cut fries…. heck, I like almost all fries. The chili, which I've always thought to be a bit generic on a dog, complemented the fries quite well. There was a bit too much cheese under that chili. We didn't finish this, but came close…….

And the final item the Missus ordered, the Pastrami Sandwich ($6):

I don't even know they bother with the bun on this one. I've never put the fing WoodiesR06 er on why I kinda enjoy this. It's really fatty, but not greasy. And sliced thin. The Missus figured it out right away; She said the chewy texture, and the flavor was almost "bacon-ish" (Her words). I can't quite compare it to bacon, but it does have a good chew. We both hated that it had too much mustard….I think we'll order it without the mustard next time, and bring our own deli mustard.

I'm not quite sure when that next time will be….. could be another three years for all I know. What I do know, is that all I had for dinner was a couple of radishes…..

Here's the address if you want a "Woodie" of your very own. (You know I had to make one Woodie remark, right?)

Woodies Chili Dogs
4250 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

I think it did the Missus good to get this outta Her system…

Of course, on Sunday, it was back to the "same old boring stuff…….."

A revisit (yet again) to Ba Ren

March 29, 2010 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

*** Ba Ren has closed.

With this wonderful weather, I'm wondering, what the heck are you doing here???? I am glad to know you're reading though. The longer I do this blog, the harder it is to try new places. It is easy to settle into a routine of "wow, it's Thursday….. Ba Ren day." So here's yet another revisit to one of the places on our rotation.

Yes, it's Ba Ren again:

If you've got better things to do, I wouldn't blame you for moving on, and just doing other things…. contemplating your navel, perhaps? I'll try to have something new and fresh tomorrow! Meanwhile, here's some stuff on Ba Ren. We're slowly approaching 1400 posts, and I suppose some folks think that at least 700 hundred of them have been on what we've eaten at Ba Ren. Like I said; I wouldn't blame you…..

Shao Kao at Ba Ren:

If you've driven by, perhaps you've seen this sign:

Or perhaps the sign to the right provides more info. Basically, Ba Ren is now doing Shao Kao, basically grilled (aka BBQ'd) items for a buck-fifty. The set-up is a bit odd, as the BBQ is ordered separately, and you pay the young man who does the grilling, as it is not part of your bill.

On one visit, I finally gave in and had the lamb….. ok, I love lamb, and couldn't wait to get my grubby mitts on that skewer….

Surprisingly, this skewer was more tender, and was better than what I had at Shao Kao 818 in San Gabriel. It was very moist and reasonably tender, with good salt. The skewer was short on the cumin, and frankly wasn't gamey enough for us.

The new seasonal menu:

Yep, there's a new seasonal menu at Ba Ren. Of course it used to be that you'd be forced to have someone translate this, but now of course you can just turn it around, and you'll have the menu translated into English. The Missus joked that "no one will read your blog anymore since they've started to translate the menu." Of course I laughed…. ummm… you're still there, aren't you? Ummm.. hello….

Two of the items, the Lamb Ribs and the Dry Cooked Mushrooms are holdovers. I've been unsuccessful in getting the Missus to agree to order the Frog Legs.

There is one real winner on this menu. It's the Deep Fried Shrimp with Egg Yolk($12.99):

I'm not sure if you all remember the Sweet Corn with Pine Nuts, but if you do…. think of that dish made with shrimp. A nice egg yolk, lacquered, almost tempura batter coated shrimp. The dish is topped with panko coated with egg yolk, salt, and possibly that impossibly good three lettered flavoring ingredient.

This was so filling I could only eat about three shrimp…. and a whole lot of the panko on rice, though I wanted more. Another thing; this is a good dish for those who can't handle the heat.

Speaking of not spicy:

I've been asked via email, about non-spicy dishes at Ba Ren. And I try to make recommendations, of course the rice crust and the "pot roast" (actually a pork shank and lion's head meatball in broth) immediately come to mind. But recently, the Missus decided to throw me a real Birthday party. I was really touched, I can remember only two other birthday parties I've had in my life, and this would be my third. Of course we knew that there would be folks who couldn't tolerate very spicy food. So we tried to balance the menu. And when working with Wendy on dishes, She recommended a dish we hadn't even thought of ordering. The Jing Jiang Rou Si…… why would we ever think of ordering Pork Strips in Peking Sauce at Ba Ren?

Man, this was good. Just the right ratio of salty and sweet, and a nice savory bean paste kick with perfectly wokked pork. So here's another dish for those who can't tolerate spicy.

I've also noticed that there's another group. Folks who can eat all the chilies in the world, but don't do too well with Sichuan Peppercorns. If you want perhaps the hottest dish at Ba Ren, order this:

The fish itself isn't really spicy, but when you get to the bean thread on the bottom……

I made sure to order this for the Beer Week Dinner, just so folks know that Ba Ren does indeed serve spicy food.

And yes:

Ba Ren still serves all of those oldies but goodies…….

I think the folks who attended the B-Day thingy really enjoyed themselves…. of course it could have just been the beer…..

This post is for one of my favorite FOYs (Friend of Yoso), who once thought that you could only get this dish on your Birthday:

The Missus and I thought that was so cute……

Ba Ren
4957 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Toan Ky Restaurant – A (quick) first look

March 25, 2010 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Toan Ky has closed ***

A couple of weeks ago, Toan Ky Restaurant officially opened. Replacing LV sandwiches, and before that Le's, from the name and the look, I thought this would be one of those "Mi" shops a la Minh Ky and Tan Ky. Linda Vista could use a good noodle soup shop, since Mi Ngoc So 1 folded its tent, and was replaced by Thai by Tara, and then (thankfully) Sab E Lee.

The main renovation has been done to the entrance area, where the "bar" has been removed, and a smaller counter with the ever present cash register resides.

The menu, fortunately or unfortunately still has some Thai dishes on it, but Banh Mi is still available; and yes, all the standard Hu Tieu and Mi soups are available. The prices at first glance are about in line with other shops of this type….. but hold on for more…..

The Missus went with Dumpling Egg Noodle Soup ($5.50). When the bowl arrived, I noticed something right away.

The portion sizes were pretty small compared to other shops. This was about the size between a small and medium Santouka Ramen. There were only three dumplings in the soup, but it was supplemented with a shrimp, a fish ball, meat ball, and slice of fish cake. The Missus thought the dumplings were passable, and gave me a taste, which I thought was bland, but much softer than the typical hard packed meatballs of these type of shops. The Missus declared the broth tasty, but light, and believed that only a minimum of MSG was used.

I ordered the Duck Leg Egg Noodle Soup ($6.75):

The broth of this soup was dark, I'm assuming fortified with the drippings of the duck. I usually pour in some of the drippings when I get duck egg noodle soup served with the duck on the side. This duck was braised, and frankly, quite bland, lacking in the richness of say, a roast, or barbecued duck. The soup was fairly good, with mostly a soy sauce flavor. I would have preferred something like what you see here, which is cheaper than this, and twice the size. There were about three to four bites of egg noodles. This was gone pretty quickly.

Our first impressions are mixed. The food is decent, but the soups seem to be snack-sized, and in fact most other tables ordered an additional item with their soups. The Missus has a saying about most of these type of soups…. "the more I eat, the more there is", which wasn't true in this case, as She had almost finished by the time my soup arrived, a mere five minutes. I believe that much of the reason places like Minh Ky and Tan Ky are successful is because of value, this is a bit different. The service was efficient, but indifferent, pretty much what we expected. I dunno……. I'm sure we'll check in again, so stay tuned…..

Toan Ky Restaurant
6925 B Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Open 8 – 8 daily

Mr Dumpling revisited

March 16, 2010 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Xiao Long Bao

**** Mr Dumpling has closed

Recently, while on my way to 99 Ranch Market, I passed Mr Dumpling and noticed a huge banner.

What really caught my eye was the phrase "Grand Opening Feb 28". I was very interested…. what could this grand opening sign mean. It doesn't say "under new management" and the name is still Mr Dumpling. We'd only visited Mr Dumpling once before and was very disappointed in the dishes which were not prepared well, and over-priced. But now…..

I quickly got ahold of a good "FOY", and inquired. The response was, she wasn't sure, but she had heard that the Xiao Long Bao were the best in San Diego. 'Nuff said, I was there ASAP. I met my good eating buddy, and hit up Mr Dumpling.

I've always liked the interior of Mr Dumpling, warm colors and tastefully decorated gives the place much more style than other Chinese Restaurants in San Diego.

We inquired as to a possible ownership change, and was told, it was the same owner, but a different menu. The lunch menu is more Shanghai influenced, so perhaps it was a change in chef? You can order many small bites as the dumplings are served in orders of four or five, and many snack items are available.

Of course we started with the Xiao Long Bao (four – $2.99):

This could've been pretty good. The wrappers were decent, perhaps the best in San Diego. Not too thick or thin, with a decent pull. There were several problems with the XLB. First, there wasn't enough soup in the XLB. Second, there flavor was off, and I never thought I'd say this, but the soup and the meat weren't sweet or savory enough. Much like the XLB at Dumpling Inn, these tasted like regular dumpling filling. Also, there's black vinegar on the table, but you have to request sliced ginger for your XLB.

We also ordered the Special Five Variety Dumpling (5 – $3.99) and Lamb Meat Dumplings (4 – $2.99). I'm putting these two together.

As you notice these dumplings are steamed, and the wrappers are different as well. Tough, gummy, and somewhat brittle, I believe that these are "hot water wrappers" made with boiling water. It's a totally different kind of wrapper, as boiling water really develops the gluten much differently. I guess I'm not a big fan of this type of wrappers…. they remind me of cheaply made Gyoza wrappers.

The fillings were too finely minced causing a fairly dense and dry "meatball". So naturally, the celery, and the egg dumplings fared better, but were bland. The flavor of the lamb dumplings was pretty bland.

The best item of the day was probably the Leek Pie ($2.25):

My dining partner indicated that this could have been a bit more crisp on the exterior. The flavor was very homestyle, and could have used a bit more salt.

Nothing to rave about, but passable.

The "Pancake of Beef" (Niu Rou Chuan $5.99) looked really good.

The "pancake" looked almost like Jiang Bing, since it obviously had egg involved. The beef was just the right texture, a nice semi-cured tender without being mushy and falling to pieces, but it seriously lacked flavor…. any flavor. There's usually an additional flavor component, a smear of bean paste, or a hoisin like concoction. This lacked that, which meant that the pungency of the scallions took over.

I think this place tries hard, and perhaps over-reaches, as each dish fell short, or flat in one way or another. The service was friendly and adequate. Like I mentioned earlier, I like the set-up, but in my opinion, the food leaves something to be desired. I'm likely to make at least one more visit though. The hot pot menu looks promising, and the folks having hot pot looked like they were enjoying their meal. The prices are also right….. and are also 30% off right now.

I will have a challenge on my hands though…. trying to convince the Missus to give this place another shot.

Mr Dumpling
7250 Convoy Ct
San Diego, CA 92111

Sunday “Italian” Sandwiches: Jersey Mike’s Subs, Grab & Go, and Philly Grill

March 14, 2010 mmm-yoso Sandwiches

Boy, was it nice out there today…… I’m figuring that you really don’t feel like reading about a hot steaming pot of Suan Cai Yang Rou (preserved vegetable w/lamb hot pot), so I thought I’d dig up a few photos, and put together a sandwich post. This time, it’s a couple of local “Italian Subs”, which, depending where you live can be called a “Grinder, Torpedo, Hoagie, or Bomber” among other names, depending on where you live. Here’s an interesting threesome, 1 from a National Chain, one from a Local Chain, and one from a local independently owned shop. So without further ado:

Jersey Mike’s Subs – Rosecrans:

As far as I know, there are three locations of this New Jersey based chain in San Diego proper. The actual history of Jersey Mike’s is interesting. Yet, it’s still a franchised chain.

The interior is full on national sandwich shop generic…..

I will say one thing about this shop; the two times I’ve been here, the young ladies are always cleaning like crazy……. whomever runs this shop must put an emphasis on this.

I usually will go for one of the combinations featuring Italian cold cuts.

On both my visits, the sandwich was lettuce heavy, and you really couldn’t taste the meats. The dressing is a good amount of red wine vinegar, olive oil, and a good amount of an oregano spice mix, which is the key to flavor for this sandwich. It’s still not the basic “salad on a roll” that is a sandwich from Subway, and they do slice your meat to order.

The one thing I enjoy at Jersey Mike’s is the bread, which is slightly crusty and airy, and has a almost cracker-like flavor.

Jersey Mike’s Subs
3670 Rosecrans Street
San Diego, CA 92110

Grab & Go Subs – Mission Gorge Rd:

**** This location of Grab & Go has closed

A local “chain” with seven locations, I’ve posted on Grab & Go before. A couple of months ago, I dropped by the Mission Gorge shop since I happened to be in the area.

As I mentioned before, my sandwich of choice at Grab & Go is the Spicy Cappocolla, which is toasted, spice added by pickled jalapenos. Toasting the sandwich releases the oil and flavors from the cappocolla, melts the cheese, and makes the roll crusty…. all good things for me.

A couple of weeks later, I found myself at Grab & Go again, and ordered my other favorite, the Italian Village Special, a cappocolla, salami, and pepperoni sub.

On previous occasions, this sandwich had been toasted when I’ve ordered it. This time it wasn’t, and it was truly lacking. Too doughy, lacking in a good contrast of textures. And ice cold……..

Goes to show me that I need to make sure my sandwiches are toasted in the future.

Grab & Go Subs
6435 Mission Gorge Rd.
San Diego, CA 92120

A quick word on shredded lettuce on Italian Subs…… this is the usual way they are made in San Diego……

The Philly Grill:

**** The Philly Grill has closed

Nestled next to El Sol, Philly Grill is a nice little shop that specializes in Cheesesteaks, which I’ll go into in a later post.

Personally, I don’t think the best item on the menu are the cheesesteaks, which are on the skimpy side, and the bread, a very important item when dealing with cheesesteaks just doesn’t cut it. For me, the best thing I’ve had here is also one of the most inexpensive, the Italian Hoagie.

The owner, Suzanne also adds color, with her unbridled enthusiasm, straight forward approach, and sincere concern for what I ate. I’m sure that you, like myself are often asked “how is everything and what do you think” during your meal. I will guarantee you, that 99% of the time, it is just part of going thru the motions. The person asking really doesn’t want you to answer this. In the beginning, I thought that folks really wanted to know “how everything was”, and replied with my opinion. After instances of rapid blinking, “why did you answer”, “did you just slap me in the face” looks, I’ve just stopped. Stupid me, in the beginning I thought that they really wanted to know what I thought. Somehow, when Suzanne asked me “whaddya think”, I just felt she meant it…… so I think she now knows me as the “bread guy”…… And we did have a nice conversation about her bread, her customers, and such. And Suzanne really did really want to know what I thought.

Back to the sandwich. Suzanne asked me how I wanted my sandwich, and I told her, make it the way you like it, but lose the shredded lettuce. What I ended up with was freshly sliced sliced salami and cappacolla heated on the griddle, prosciutto, and provolone, topped with onions, and great pickled peppers.

The balsamic dressing and oregano spice mix added to the sandwich. At this point, it could have been on shoe leather and this would have been great! I do think that thinner slices, with more surface area would add to the sandwich, but I enjoyed this. I was also pretty stuffed…..

This really illustrates the superiority of independently owned and run businesses (and I’m talking about those folks who are hands on). I’m sure if I walked into Philly Grill tomorrow, Suzanne will remember what my preferences were. And in some way, that beats out a five dollar foot long anytime.

Dennis has a post on Philly Grill which you can find here.

Philly Grill
2041 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Quick note: the hours are sometimes a bit flaky.

Today was a wonderful San Diego day. Yes, the Northwest winds still had a bit of chill to them, but it was a nice sunny day. The Missus wanted to sleep in, so I took Da’ Boyz to Tecolote Natural Park and Nature Center.

The Tecolote Canyon Natural Park is a series of trails, a twelve mile round trip, which stretches throughout the Clairemont area.

Of course we just kinda meandered around for maybe a half mile or so, just far enough so Sammy could smell every bush….

We turned just a bit after passing the back of USD.

The wild flowers are quite pretty after the recent rains…..

Da’ Boyz and I hope you had a great weekend!

Chin’s on Convoy – A first quick look.

March 3, 2010 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Xiao Long Bao

**** This location of Chin's has closed

As I noted previously, we managed to drop by the new Chin's this past weekend for a quick bite. Lucky for me, FOY Candice managed to get word out to me, because just looking at the place, I really couldn't tell they were open.

We arrived at just about 11am, and the place was empty except for one table. I thought the interior was pretty nice, just hitting the edge of tasteful Chinese restaurant decor. The dining area is small, but the tables are spread out pretty well. There is a bar area, with plasma televisions as well.

A very cheerful, and undoubtedly proud young lady sat us, and handed us the menus…. which looked like a combination of the typical ABCDE Chin's menu, along with items on the Miramar Chin's menu. This was interesting since I know there's something going on between the two Chin's. On our last couple of visits to the Miramar location, the folks there seemed to distance themselves from this location, saying they have nothing in common with this Chin's, other than the name…… We were a bit disappointed since after reading the coming soon banners, I had been under the impression that this place would be serving "Chinese breakfast" much like the Miramar Chin's. The young lady informed us that such a menu is in the works, and will be implemented after things in the kitchen gets straightened out, in about a month. Of course, knowing how long it took this place to open, that may be two, or perhaps three months.

We really had wanted maybe a few small dishes, so we stayed the course and ordered just a couple of items. For some reason, the Missus wanted Zha Jiang Mian, which is not my favorite dish in the world. What's even more funny, is that several Korean friends and acquaintances of mine, don't even know that Zha Jiang Mian, or as they know it Ja Jang Myeon is Chinese in origin. I've even been called a liar to my face! Such has this noodle dish been culturally etched in their society.

This version was different from any I've had before. First off was the soy beans, something which I've never experienced. Second, the "meat sauce" lacked the strong savory presence of bean paste. It also wasn't as salty, or greasy as many version I've had were. This was fairly bland, the noodles were decently prepared, the boiled egg was inhaled by the Missus, who dismissed this as "terribly bland".

We also ordered the Five Spiced Beef, one of my favorite dishes at the Miramar Chin's.

On the good side, the beef had a nice texture, neither too soft, nor too tough and sinewy. The flavor really fell short though. There was a serious lack of five spice flavor, and the sauce, instead of being that classic Shanghainese sweet-soy, was watery and tasteless. Too bad, this dish has potential.

The last item we ordered were the Xiao Long Bao. Now Candice had mentioned something interesting to me. I was told that the Chef was the original chef of Mandarin Garden in Mira Mesa. And when the XLB arrived, I was suddenly reminded of Mandarin Garden.

You see, the two times I had XLB at Mandarin Garden, all the "soup" had leaked out of the bao. Guess what….. like Yogi Berra said: "It's like deja vu all over again." In addition to lacking soup, the skins were too thick for me, and the fold on the tops were really tough.

While we were eating, the young lady approached our table, and dropped this off, telling us, "this one is for you, free, so you can try." I'm not sure why we got the dish, whether all the customers that day were getting something free, or maybe it was all the questions, or perhaps she spotted my camera (I've gotten pretty good at being discreet over the years. I've actually had meals with folks who didn't notice I took photos). But we got a plate of Cold Roasted Duck:

And you know what….. this was the best dish of the day! The duck was nothing to write home about, but the sauce was a pot on rendition of the typical sweet-soy reduction typical of these type of cold dishes. The presence of soy was tasted, but the saltiness deferred to the sweetness, which was nicely restrained from sending the dish into "candyland". Now this dish displayed enough for me to return.

Meanwhile, a small army of Servers poured in the door, and the place had become fully staffed. The young women asked all the customers as they were leaving if they wanted to see the room in the back.

The banquet area is about 2/3 the size of the main dining area, and could probably hold up to perhaps 60 or so people. It's a short hallway down from the main dining area, and has two plasma televisions, and the young woman even pointed to a machine and said "Karaoke"……

I'm pretty sure we'll be checking this place out again once they start serving breakfast. The chef at tis Chin's has a good deal of experience so It'll be interesting to see how they match up with Shanghai City down the street.

Chin's
4433 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Com Tam 75

March 1, 2010 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Com Tam 75 has closed

I always appreciate all the recommendations and notifications I receive from all the wonderful FOYs (Friends of Yoso) out there. It sometimes seems that the moment a new place opens, there'll be an email in my inbox awaiting me. Com Tam 75 is no exception. Back in November, I received an email from TammyC letting me know about this new shop. About the same time, I received an email from someone with the handle "ComTamMan" recommending Com Tam 75. Com Tam Man? Hmmm…. The strangest thing was, that even though this place was named Com Tam 75, it wasn't the namesake dish that was recommended. CTM told me to check out the Korean BBQ Ribs, the Teriyaki, and the Philly Cheesesteak! Huh? You know I had to check this place out now…..

Much like Hal Mu Ni, Com Tam 75 used to be an outlet of Rice King, and you can see the remains of the steam table on one side of the restaurant. The interior has been brightened up a bit, the chairs have wheels on them in case you want to channel your inner seven year old. From the various posters, and the channels playing on the television, as well as the application for liquor license notification on the front door, this looks like a sports bar ready to happen.

The menu is humongous, with everything from Banh Mi (including a Philly Cheesesteak Banh Mi), Bo Kho (Beef Stew), Bun Mang Vit, Bun Bo Hue, Chao (rice porridge), and Bun Rieu. It was almost a relief to see no Pho on the menu….. until I looked at the greaseboard.

Yep, there it was Pho, right above the Beef Tamales and Chicken Teriyaki (???).

The young man who waited on me was quiet, but very nice, and waited patiently for me to figure out what to order. I decided that since this was Com Tam 75, not Beef Tamale 75, nor Banh Mi75, that I should go with a Com Tam dish.

I went with the Com Tam Bi Cha Tau Hu Ky ($7.75):

The plate that arrived was a bit on the small side. Let's just use what I got at Com Tam Thuan Kieu for $6.25 as a point of comparison:

Now I realize this is San Diego and all……….. but pictures sometimes speak louder than words. Still, if the items on the plate were top notch, I'd forget about the price. Alas, it was not.

Some of the Com Tam was hard and dry. The Bi (shredded pork) lacked the ground rice powder that adds a wonderful nuttiness, and was just plain bland. The Nuoc Mam Cham (fish sauce dip) was on the watered down side. The Cha (steamed egg) was moist and soft, but had a weird camphor like after taste that I found a bit strange. The Tan Hu Ky (shrimp paste in bean curd skin) was probably the best item on the plate, though it was on the greasy end, and the bean curd skin was more flaky than crisp. This wasn't inedible, but it just wasn't very good.

And yet, the folks here were so nice, and the young man kept refilling my water….. I wanted to find something I'd enjoy on the menu, and I think I saw just the item. A few weeks later, I found myself in the area. It was pretty early, about 830 am or so. Com Tam 75 opens at 8, so I though I'd drop in, and order…….. Spam, Eggs, and Rice ($4.95):

Spam…. how could this go wrong? It didn't, the Spam was sliced thin and fried crisp. There was also five slices of it on the plate, which is probably like getting 6-7 slices of bacon. The rice portion was on the smaller side, but perfect for me as I've been cutting down on my rice intake. The eggs were slightly crisp on the edges, and nice and runny. I placed them on the rice, added a dash of fish sauce…….

So perhaps Com Tam 75 does make a killer Philly Cheesesteak Banh Mi or Buffalo Wings. Maybe the Teriyaki Chicken was kept on the menu to appease all the former Rice King customers…. I've no answer for the Beef Tamales or Tacos though? I think I'll let you tell me if the Korean BBQ Ribs or the Cheesesteak is worth a visit.

Until then……… I'll wait it out.

Com Tam 75
5420 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

As a side note, I do appreciate the efforts of places that attempt to make their food more accessible. I do think the line between accessible and dumbed down is a fine one, and it's usually the latter that is achieved. You don't do any dish a favor by removing its soul……

It’s Burger Week (Again) Weevil Burger- in La Mesa

February 21, 2010 Cathy Burgers, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog you are reading and this time it's Cathy posting about a wonderful burger she enjoys regularly.

Hi. If you've been around San Diego for a while, you remember Boll Weevil, the burger/bar place where pool tables abounded. Most of the locations closed a few years ago (the Boll Weevil location on Clairmont Mesa is still there). We've always loved the burgers at Boll Weevil, because they would grill them medium rare. Weevil Burger does that also.
This reincarnation is in the same spot as a previous Boll Weevil, in the La Mesa Fletcher Parkway strip mall which houses 'the' Michaels and 'the' Souplantation, closer to Shizuoka which is near Dallas Street.
The interior is essentially the same, just cleaned up a bit (the original menu with prices is printed on that endangered species green sea turtle shell on the wall) with 4 flat screen televisions.

After you place your order, the Traditional Tray of Condiments is brought to your table. -pickles, onions, relish, sweet peppers, catsup, mustard, mustardrelish blend, tobasco, salt and pepper. You still have to remember to ask for mayonnaise.

The half pound Weevil burger, medium rare. ($4.59). It's $1.50 more to add cheese, lettuce and tomato and really, I don't want that on this burger. The meat is coarse ground and flavorful all by itself.
I did add pickles, onion and mustard. The bun is toasted. Nothing else is needed to make this perfect for me.

The pool tables and video game area was busy the night we were here.
The Mister ordered the 1/2 pound Mushroom-Swiss burger with a side salad ($8.99). Also medium rare. as a combo (with fries (straight or curly), onion rings or salad) it's $8.99 and quite a meal. He likes the fresh sauteed mushrooms and the taste of the Swiss cheese on his burger.

The croutons are made in house, from rye bread, which they use here for their patty melt… Just plain white lettuce and a slice of tomato, but on its own, the salad is $3.50, so the combos are less expensive than ordering individual items here.
This particular location is doing very well and has a variety of menu items, including gyros sandwiches and varieties of chicken, all of which are fried properly. Sometimes I do order the 2 piece fried chicken meal, because it is so good. Usually, though it's the 1/2 pound Weevil Burger. That's all I need.

Weevil Burger 9104 Fletcher Parkway (at Dallas) La Mesa 91942 (619)644-1010