Closed – Page 71

GIO. Breakfast. La Mesa.

May 16, 2010 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

GIO has closed.

This is mmm-yoso!!, the food blog. Kirk isn't writing, because he is on vacation. Really. He is on another continent, visiting, photographing and eating in an exotic and beautiful country. ed(from Yuma) is in Yuma, working diligently. Cathy is in San Diego's East County, eating and blogging about it.

Hi.  The original Drew Ford was on the triangle shaped block in the Village of La Mesa, at the end of La Mesa Boulevard and Allison Street.  It has moved a few miles away, closer to the I-8 location most of you know and is now Drew Auto Center . This original building was preserved, windows and all. It has gone through many incarnations of restaurants, one I remember fondly was called "The Black Forest", which had a weeknight prime rib special (like two for $12) which was very popular and that restaurant eventually moved to the Mission Hills area of San Diego and closed.
When GIO, more or less an Wine Bar and Bistro, is open so are the windows. All of that courtyard you see in the photo is filled with tables and fountains, and makes a comfortable outdoor eating area.
When you walk in, to your left is the bar area. You can see the open window and original industrial wall that used to be part of the Drew Ford Auto Dealership…
  Just behind the counter is the espresso machine. There are about 6 indoor booths and tables to you right and then the majority of the seating is outdoors.

We were here early (9:15) on a Saturday morning a few weekends ago and were seated quickly. It took a while to have our order taken, but once that happened, coffee ($2.75. Each.) was brought out.
It was an excellent French Roast coffee. Both of our cups were refilled, twice, before our food was ready.

When the food came out, it was prepared properly and was hot. I got the "Eye Opener" ($7) . Three poached eggs, rye toast, homestyle potatoes- shredded potatoes sauteed with onions and bell peppers- not plain hash browns- and 3 slices of wonderful thick sliced applewood smoked bacon. This was served with a side of catsup and strawberry jam- a nice touch instead of tossing bottles on the table as condiments.

Here is a good cross section photo of my poached egg. All three eggs were done properly, were placed in the cup with no excess water draining and I was very pleased with my meal.

The Mister ordered a  Breakfast combo plate ($ 11 ). Three eggs, over easy, with homestyle potatoes, two very nice, skin on link sausages and… a golden Belgium waffle, served with loads of butter and warm maple syrup. The waffle batter was very nice and sweet all by itself, without the need to add the condiments.

GIO is more or less a leisurely lunch and 'date night' dinner place, offering wine tastings, happy hour prices for appetizers and good food. Service is spotty- and has been every time I have been here. It is like they don't have enough staff slated to come in at opening time.  The basic meal I ordered was a good value, but I don't think the waffle was worth the extra $4 in lieu of two slices of toast… and in general I don't usually order a beverage with meals, but in the morning I have to have coffee. It seemed kind of expensive…

GIO 8384 La Mesa Boulevard (at Allison, between 3rd and 4th) La Mesa 91941 (619) 462-9100

Website

San Diego Desserts- quick snack

May 15, 2010 Cathy Desserts, What Cathy Eats!

San Diego Desserts has changed ownership as well as its name (it is now Bistro Sixty).

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!!. This is an online diary. About food. Kirk is still on vacation, ed (from Yuma) is in Yuma and Cathy is here now.

Hi again. Just a quick post. The other evening, I met some friends for dinner which did not include dessert. Driving home, we decided to stop here.
No. Not the pawn shop. San Diego Desserts. ( The outdoor/added on patio area used to be a drive through dry cleaner; an era long gone). I saw the name on the building and remembered I had had a slice of cake at a party earlier this year and was told the cake was made here. I remember the cake was pretty good. That was enough reason to stop; otherwise I don't crave sweet…
However, this almond croissant was delicately flaky and filled with a nice marzipan layer, topped with sliced almonds and very good.
I got the pistachio baklava roll, which was filled with pistachios and not much honey or sugar syrup. It was not soggy and crispy flaky. I liked it.
One of us got a latte and the other a cappuccino. The cappuccino tasted less of milk and more of coffee. Each of these cups was at least 16 ounces and pretty much a soup bowl of beverage.

Total cost was $10.25. It was good and a nice stop. Just enough.

San Diego Desserts has a Sunday bunch and serves lunch and dinner here, in addition there is a wine bar. I didn't know this and will have to come back…

San Diego Desserts 5987 El Cajon Blvd (one block SW of College Ave) San Diego 92115 (619)287-8186

Website

B.H. Chung- Korean and Japanese (Icy Cold Hiyashi)

May 11, 2010 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

BH Chung has closed.

mmm-yoso!!! a food blog with photos, descriptions and observations about meals, condiments and other things a few of us want to write about. Feel free to read about our adventures. Today, Cathy is writing. Kirk is on vacation. If you want to know where He and His Missus are, here's a clue: Since April 21, I have not done any post with cuisine from the country they are visiting.

Hi again. A few weeks ago, I found a parking spot in the Crab Hut /Crepe World /Shabu Shabu House / Yogurt World/Tapioca Express/Tofu House /O'Brien's parking lot and was happy. This mostly food mall area may be referred to as 'The Parking Lot From Hell' by most of you, since more than 75% of the businesses here are restaurants(8 I can think of) with seating capacities for at least 20 inside each. I had to decide what I wanted to eat.
B.H. Chung's won. A Korean BBQ and Japanese restaurant, I have found the food here always to be very well made, tasty and filling. In addition, it could fulfill two cravings at one meal.
So we ordered. Japanese items. Still, we were served panchan.
the mildest, shredded daikon in front. The bean sprouts in back had a nice red pepper kick. The bamboo on the right had jalapeño/green hot chiles. (The far left is the dipping sauce for our tempura appetizer).
Vegetable Tempura ($7.99). Lightly breaded, crispy fried and drained vegetables- onions, squash, carrots, green and red pepper and broccoli.
The Mister ordered the Katsu Fish plate ($8.99). The pieces of fish were standard cuts from frozen, again lightly breaded and fried-the fish itself was a nice flavor and flaky. The rice was good and the salad dressing was house made. The tempura dipping sauce was not sweet and may have been house made. It was not disappointing, but not a "wow". However…
I wanted cold noodles. Hiyashi. I ordered Hiyashi Soba ($8.99). This is what I got. Fresh cooked, really good soba. In broth. Cold broth. See the ice cube?

This was *really* good and nothing like I had ever had before. The broth was rich, did not taste watered down, the noodles were excellent. Just the carrots, onions and bean sprouts, as you can see. Sesame oil definitely in the broth…the half hard boiled egg, no meat. Wonderfully unexpected and really good and filling.

Everything was unexpected and good, if not great.

B.H. Chung 4646 Convoy, Suite 110 San Diego 92111 (858) 495-0059 Website

Breakfast at Bristol Farms

May 5, 2010 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Markets & Grocers, What Cathy Eats!

Welcome back to mmm-yoso!!! the food blog written by a few friends who like to eat and write about their respective meals. Kirk usually writes, but he is on vacation (nobody has guessed where yet). ed (from Yuma) is busy with work. VickyL and a few others are apparently merely eating and not writing and so today, Cathy is sharing a nice breakfast with you.

Hi. The other morning, The Mister and I decided to drive to La Jolla to look for breakfast. We ended up at Bristol Farms, just West of the UTC Mall.
Bristol is a High End grocery store. Very close to La Jolla. Albertsons is its parent company, but nothing in here is like your local Albertsons Store. There is a wide selection of prime and dry aged meats, seafoods, deli meats and cheeses, breads, wines, produce and even the regular grocery aisles have some quite fancy items, as well as everyday groceries. The prices here for the higher end items are not bargain basement, but are fair for the quality of the item. The everyday item prices are similar to what you pay at your regular grocery.

Each location has a cafe. There are some steam trays, a by the pound salad bar, pizza, roasted chicken and in the morning breakfast burritos already made to grab and go. You can have plates or sandwiches made, pay and take them to go, or you can sit down and get a menu and have a nice meal.
Starting with a good coffee ($1.65). You can see there are daily breakfast -and lunch- specials. Those specials are about $4 off of the regular price. There are also wine tastings on some evenings. High end, but accessible. Everyone here is very helpful and explains the foods they sell- in the store and in the Cafe.
The Mister got a bacon, avocado and cheddar omelet ($9.49) with seeded rye toast and a fresh fruit cup. The omelet made of two fresh tasting eggs, a very nice, sharp cheddar cheese and the bacon- those 1/2 slices, crispy and maple flavored…really, really good. Topped with ripe, fresh avocado and a side of a fresh roasted tomato salsa. The toast was a thin sliced seeded rye, also very fresh and good. The fresh fruit cup was only cantaloupe and grapes, but both fruits were very ripe and nice flavored.
I got the smoked salmon scramble ($9.99). Again two eggs mixed with a lot of high quality cold smoked salmon, capers and onions. This was accompanied with a toasted "everything" bagel and whipped cream cheese and those…up there on the top right. I like to call those "Bristol Tots"…cubes of potatoes, deep fried so there is an outer crust and the inside is light and fluffy and lightly seasoned. Heavenly little cubes. Maybe because I have not had French Fries in a very long time, or maybe because of the type of potato used, but those little cubes of goodness are addictive.

A special breakfast inside a special grocery store.

Bristol Farms 8510 Genesee Avenue, San Diego 92122 (858) 558-4180 Website

Opera Patisseries Fines-part one, breakfast

April 30, 2010 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

Part Two can be found here

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog. The writings are contributed by Kirk, ed (from Yuma), Cathy, Vicky L and a few others. We just take photos of what we eat and then write about it…an unusual hobby. Today, Cathy is writing. Everyone else is eating…Kirk is eating the most interesting food of all. He is on vacation. In a foreign country. Where they eat animals we would not consider eating. Prepared in a manner we would consider using.

The other Saturday morning The Mister and I found ourselves in the Sorrento Valley area, hungry.
Opera is in a food court mall, with about 6 other restaurants. This area is way crowded during the week, since people working at the surrounding offices apparently like to eat. Especially at the lunch hour. It is on Scranton Road, just off Mira Mesa Boulevard, East of the 805.
You walk in, order and pay, find a seat, put your number in that metal number holder thingy and soon, your coffee ($1.65) (if you ordered coffee-there are a variety of espresso drinks and teas as well as a soda fountain available) is delivered to your table.
Since it was early and breakfast time, The Mister chose the French Toast ($7.50).
Two slices of a *wonderful* brioche, dipped in a vanilla egg batter and fried perfectly lightly, placed on a raspberry sauce and served with warm maple syrup. Just a lightly crisp exterior, soft, not mushy bread interior. The serving size of two thick slices is quite large.
Trying to appear to be healthy (Hello Dr. B!), I ordered an egg white omelette ($8.95) which comes with a choice of three fillings (I chose mushrooms, tomatoes and asparagus) (other items to choose from are ham, Cheddar, Swiss, bacon, onion and peppers) and is served with a choice of a fruit cup or salad and also the Yukon Gold potatoes seen here.
I must confess, I did not expect much at all, but this was the *most* wonderful egg white omelet, perfectly made. Crispy exterior and fluffly light interior. Just like the French Toast. The vegetables had been sauteed and were so fresh and flavorful. The fruit salad was all ripe, good fruit. The potatoes were thick sliced sauteed to a light crispiness and yet were still soft. The Yukon Gold flavor was there.

Opera is known best for its pastries and sweets and baking as well as the crepes, quiches, croissant sandwiches and salads which are made to order and which make each meal an event.

Breakfast is served Mon-Fri from 7:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and again from 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m. and all day on Saturday. The lunch post is coming soon. Featuring pastries!

Opera Patissieres Fines 9254 Scranton Road San Diego 92121 (858) 458-9050 Mon-Fri 7:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m., closed Sunday Website

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