Closed – Page 72

Revisiting the Rotation: Sab E Lee, plus more info on Sab E Lee 2

November 1, 2009 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** This location of Sab E Leee has closed

Yes, yet another post on Sab E Lee, though I'll keep it mainly to photos. Sab E Lee has only been open maybe 15 months, but has become a regular stop for us. As the weather gets cooler, I notice that we've started to transition from the various Larb and Beef Salads to more hearty dishes, like the Chicken with Spicy Mint Leaves:

And other stuff……

Though there are some dishes that I just won't give up, like the Spicy Raw Beef (Koi Soi):

Since we've been eating at Sab E Lee, I've never had to declare a "heat level". Kobe always knew how spicy we wanted our food to be. In the case where I was having lunch or dinner with friends, I'd always ask for things "less spicy", or in one rare case, "Lao Spicy"……. When having dinner with FOY JohnL, who told me that he could eat spicy, I ordered everything "less spicy" except for the Koi Soi, which I asked to be "the way I like it". Poor John could only eat one spoon of the Koi Soi….. Which got me wondering what level of heat was being ordered for the Missus and I. Also, since Kobe was soon to be manning Sab E Lee 2, I'll be having to tell the folks here how spicy I want my food. On one of our last visits, we asked Kobe what heat level he assigns to our dishes. The answer was surprising, most dishes are a 7, except for the Koi Soi, which is a 9!

And of course, the intimacy of Sab E Lee always means there's an interesting conversation floating through the air around you…… In this case, an over-dressed (for Sab E Lee) middle aged WASP couple, sampling some Pad Thai, Tom Yum, and Panang Curry (sigh…..Candice, Howie, and I have had conversations about this trinity). Female in a stage whisper; "this tastes really different…." Male: "yes, something's wrong, this doesn't taste anything like Taste of Thai and Thai House."

I really wanted to scream, "Amen brother, and I hope it never does……"

Sab-E-Lee Restaurant
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

More info on Sab E Lee 2:

Since I was in the area this morning, I decided to drop by and check out the new second location of Sab E Lee, which I posted about here.

The first thing I noticed was the size of the parking lot……..it looks like they won't be short of parking! So I snap my photo, and I hear a friendly little honk from a car to the rear of me….. and it's Kobe and his crew. I am so busted…… Kobe's all smiles, though he does look a bit tired. So I get a nice little tour of the restaurant, which is medium sized, but not large by any means. There's room for more tables and growth. Kobe told me that everything is on track, and they will opening for lunch at 11am tomorrow.

I also got a look at the menu, which is pretty hefty, with about three times the amount of dishes that Sab E Lee has. Luckily, many of our favorite dishes are on the menu (click to enlarge photos):

It does seem that some of the dishes from the Thai Restaurant at this location was kept, and the menu has a strong Bangkok Thai influence.

"Superwild Shrimp" sounds interesting, and there's Miang Kum and Kra Thong Tong.

To me, Sab E Lee is a wonderful success story. From a tiny hole-in-the-wall, to a second restaurant in fifteen months is quite an accomplishment. When we first moved to San Diego, the lack of the type Thai Food we enjoyed (non American-Thai) was a bit, well, depressing. We found a couple of places, that served a few dishes that we enjoyed. I distinctly remember a conversation with the owner of one of these restaurants. They had a few good dishes, and when I asked about some of our favorite Thai dishes using ingredients that I was used to eating in Thai Town I was told, "we could never have that on the menu. People in San Diego would never eat that, and it is economical suicide. There's no way a restaurant in San Diego could serve those dishes with Thai ingredients and survive." In a way, he is an excellent business man, as his restaurant empire has now expanded to several restaurants. But Kobe and crew has also proven him wrong…..you can get good un-Americanized Thai Food in San Diego. And I hope this is only the beginning…….

Some other info on Sab E Lee 2 – Grand opening date is Monday, November 2. Kobe also told me that during the first week, there will be a 15% discount on most dishes. So there you go…..

Sab E Lee 2
9159 Mission Gorge Road
Santee, CA 92071

Open Daily 1030 am – 930 pm

619-328-1568

Revisiting the Rotation: The Seasonal menu at Ba Ren and a Beer Week Dinner

October 28, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

As I slowly recover from a terrible cold, I thought a nice way to get back into the swing would be a post on one of our two favorite restaurants in San Diego; Ba Ren. I know you all must be tired of my Ba Ren posts, but I promise a coupla new wrinkles, so if you'd like to come along…..

The Current Seasonal Menu at Ba Ren:

Over the years, I've tried to do posts on the changing seasonal menus at Ba Ren. I used to attempt to translate what some of the better dishes on the menu were, but no longer will have to do so.

Why? Well, turn the placard around……

And you now have English translations! But in case you're interested, we've had the chance to sample a few of the dishes……

#1 Ba Ren Fish Soup:

Though the fish was prepared to a perfect buttery soft texture, we found the broth to be a bit flat, tasting basically like Huo Guo (hot pot) broth. This was good, but not great.

#2 the Fried Spicy Lamb Ribs is a carryover and a photo can be found here.

Knowing the Missus's love of steamed eggplant; item #4 Steamed Eggplant with Chopped Red Chili was a no brainer:

The chilies on this dish are pretty potent, and different from the usual fresh chilies used in most dishes at Ba Ren. These chilies are pretty spicy, enough to turn your skin a bright red to the touch, as in a mild first degree burn. I enjoyed the garlic, soy, and the mild sweetness in the dish. The eggplant had been peeled before what I believe is a mild steaming, cooking the eggplant, but allowing for the flesh to keep its firmness. The Missus had expected something akin to the steamed eggplant I make at home, and was a bit taken aback by the dish.

#7 Dry Cooked Mixed Mushroom:

What seemed to be a great idea, fell a bit short, as we both felt it lacked "heft", and could have been a bit more savory for our tastes.

#8 Steamed Fish Filet with Green Onions and Red Chili:

This dish was a winner, and a new favorite of the Missus. The fish, as usual was prepared with skill, but those chilies, the same as on the eggplant dish was lip-burning hot. Of course, we always go for "spicy" at Ba Ren, and this one left a bright red ring around the Missus's lips. The dish wasn't just blasting hot, but also had a nice mildly sweet, soy based sauce. As a matter of fact, I really enjoyed the bean thread lying in wait, drenching up the the sauce (along with the heat from the chilies), on the bottom of the dish.

And of course, there are the old favorites………

Yes, Ba Ren is still on our rotation.

4957 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Beer Week at Ba Ren?

A few weeks back, Josh Silberman contacted Candice and myself. Josh mentioned San Diego Beer Week, and an idea he had for doing a Beer Week "event" at Ba Ren, which he thought would be a nice change of pace amongst all the other multitude of events. First I had to find out what San Diego Beer Week was…… and after reading the "What is San Diego Beer Week?" page on the Website, you'll be pretty well informed. In a nutshell, it is 10 days of events showcasing San Diego's craft beers and breweries.

We met at Ba Ren, and went through a good number of dishes and beers, and Josh and Andy Waer matched up the favorites with various local craft brews, and we were off!

Now I'm pretty much a neophyte when it comes to local craft beer….. I mean, I enjoy a nice Ballast Point, Stone, or Alesmith brew on occasion, but hanging with these guys is a view into another world….

Andy Waer is a certified "Cicerone", which is basically beers' equivalent of a Sommelier. Which means he lives, breaths, and thinks….beer! So in case you're interested in attending, you can find more information, such as the beer and food selection here.

Tuesday, November 10th.

Of all the selections that impressed me, I think it was Andy and Josh's ability to pair a beer with the Eight Treasure Rice Pudding that surprised me the most! Beer, with dessert??? Shows you how little I know……

Eating on the Hood of Your Car: El Gallito Tortas Ahogadas

October 19, 2009 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants

**** El Gallito Tortas Ahogadas is no longer

On my second visit to the Mariscos El Pescador truck, I noticed a second truck, right past the entrance to the RTA and Toys R Us parking lot off L Street in Chula Vista. One side of the truck was painted a bright red, and claimed Tortas Ahogadas. Curious, I did a quick search on “Tortas Ahogadas” and I think Wikipedia’s entry was short and sweet. Tortas Ahogada is a specialty of Guadalajara, and the best way to describe it would be as a “dipped” sandwich…..or perhaps more appropriately a “drowned” sandwich that had been submerged in a brew which features chilies as a main ingredient! Talk about right down my alley…….

So instead of the Mariscos truck, I decided to give the Torta a try on my next visit.

I parked my car and walked up to the truck. The first interaction was interesting, a brown hair “gringo” walked up to me, and started asking me questions, all of which led to the same question, “did you read about the truck in the Union-Tribune”? After telling the guy that I decided to check out the truck after seeing it while eating from the Mariscos Truck forty yards away, I was given a disapproving nod and told, “you must have read the article in the U-T”. Unfortunately, I guess I’m just not that “plugged-in” to the food scene…. Anyway, here’s what I found in the ‘Street Blog’, and the guy also pointed to a “hard copy” pasted onto the side of the truck. He was so adamant in his belief that I could not have found this without the help of the U-T……. it was strange, perhaps he was the person who wrote the article???

There are two versions of Torta Ahogada served at this truck, and of course I chose the “original” version. And I chose it spicy as well. I was quickly warned off by the very friendly woman at the window, telling me “most people can’t eat the spicy version, are you sure”? I said, I’d like to try the spicy version…. the woman replied, “it’ll grow hair on your chest”. I pulled out the front of my t-shirt and looked down at my hairless Asian chest, and said, “well perhaps this will help me out, because I could use a bit of hair on my chest……”

And so it came to pass that I received a spicy Torta Ahogada…….

Which looked a resplendent bright red as I arrived at the hood of my car…… First the good, the bread was wonderful, almost amazing I’d say, the crusty Bolillo stood up perfectly when drenched with sauce. It was the best part of the sandwich, as the pork and everything else was totally over-shadowed by a singularly “one-note” chili arbol based hot sauce.

For me it was just a singular lip and front of mouth heat, that lacked nuance and over whelmed everything else. I like to think that I’m not a shrinking shrinking violet when it comes to spicy food. I just felt as if something was missing…….

A few weeks later, when Captain Jack and I did our Taco Crawl, I encouraged him to check out the Torta Ahogada truck, which by then had moved to a closer position right in front of Toys R Us. CJ, told me without prompting, “man the texture bread is good, but all I can taste is the spice, like drinking hot sauce… something is missing”.

I’d still encourage you to check out the truck, and maybe just order the non-spicy version drizzled with what looks like a mayo-mustard kinda sauce, because that bread is really good.

El Gallito Tortas Ahogadas
1008 Industrial Blvd
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Revisiting the Rotation: Chinese Breakfast at Chin’s Miramar

October 12, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** This location of Chin's is no longer.

I usually update our "rotation page" a couple of times a year, and thought this would be a good chance to do so. So over the course of this week, I'll post a few revisits and come up with a revised page at the end of the week.

I thought I'd start with"Chinese breakfast" at Chin's, since there are a couple of changes. First, service now starts at 930 am on Saturdays and Sundays, something I posted on here. Secondly, there's the English translation of the menu, which has been in place for a while. It does seem that the menu is missing a few items though…… oh, and prices have gone up a bit, 20 to 50 cents per dish. We are, of course waiting for Chin's on Convoy to open up…..

And yes, the interior still looks like it was once a Marie Callendar, or some other corporate restaurant:

The "backbone" of our order does seem to revolve around the same items, like the Suzhou Smoked Fish, which my MIL tells me tastes just like China:

The Shao Bing with Five Spice Beef, a dish of which FOY "YY" tells me, "I would eat breakfast more often if I could have this all the time….":

And one of my other favorites, the Steamed Bun with Pickled Mustard Greens and Mushroom:

It's not always steamed perfectly, but when it's on, it's quite good. Hot and fluffy, the filling a melange of sweet, savory, and a pleasant mild bitterness that just hits all the right spots for me.

Enough of the reruns, here's the third newish thing about this location of Chin's; a seasonal specials menu:

I'm not sure about the seven bucks for shaved ice, but we did order the Da Bing with Smoked Meat ($6.25 – the first item on the menu):

I probably would have enjoyed this much more if I hadn't had a wonderful version of this at Northern Restaurant in Rosemead. The smoked meat was very mild, and somewhat artificial in flavor, almost like the stuff you'd buy at 99 Ranch Market, and instead of a hearty and savory pork and fermented bean dipping sauce, this was straight up hoisin. The Da Bing was good, if a bit on the oily side, but it was actually the best part of the dish. I did consume all of it, because, well, I'm a sucker for these type of dishes. Overall, decent and I'll take that in a pinch.

A bit later while talking about this meal, the Missus told me that the second item on the specials menu was Tea Smoked Chicken Leg. Of course I exclaimed, "why didn't you tell me?" To which She replied, "I really didn't like you much at breakfast!" She had a point, getting paged at 1am in the morning will do that to me…. But to add insult to injury, instead of Tea Smoked Chicken, I got Kaufu (wheat gluten)!

How does that saying go; "there hath no fury like a woman scorned….."

Chin's Seafood & Grill
9355 Kearny Mesa Rd
San Diego, CA 92126

Chinese breakfast served 930 am to 2pm Saturdays and Sundays.

Haru Ya Sushi and Sake…we didn’t, because there are no rules

October 9, 2009 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog you are looking at, probably because you bookmarked it, or googled it or something. Kirk, ed(from Yuma), Cathy and a few others share in writing here. About meals they have had. Today, Cathy is blogging.

Hi. It was one of those "neutral" days between birthdays. The Mister and I are seven days apart, but really it is eight days we celebrate by going out to eat-The Mister gets the first three days of where and what to eat (Saturday, Sunday and Monday) and I get the last three (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) and on Tuesday and Wednesday, we both have to agree on where to go. So we did one of our 'date night' meals at Haru Ya- which used to be Haru, which used to be Takeya…you know in the mall with Khan's Cave Grill and Tavern and Boll Weevil, kitty corner from the Registrar of Voters. Date nights are when you seem to agree on everything…

It's been re-decorated, with an emphasis on the Sake/bar area and there are daily Happy Hour Specials.

We wanted none of that and proceeded to confuse our waitress with our order.

First, the seaweed sashimi salad ($12). Assorted, randomly cut sashimi pieces – a lot-, seaweed salad, baby lettuces, shredded daikon topped with a lemony/sesame oil/slight wasabi flavor dressing. There was a lot of sashimi-tuna, yellowtail, salmon, red snapper and albacore and a lot of lettuce. We started and ended our meal with this salad…

because everything else we ordered was fried- and an appetizer. On the left is the fried calamari ($4.95) it came with the dipping sauce above it-light and soy based. The calamari was very tender and lightly breaded and crispy fried, not greasy at all.

On the right, the mixed tempura vegetables (one each of onion, broccoli, squash, sweet potato, carrot and green bean)($3.95)- it was listed as vegetable pancakes on the menu and was shredded in that photo, but this was fresh vegetables and again, lightly battered and fried properly…not greasy. It was served with the homemade mayonnaise dipping sauce in front. Light and lemony.

We also ordered the 4 piece shrimp tempura ($4.95). Lightly battered, crispy, flavorful moist shrimp.

The agedashi tofu ($3.95)- lightly fried and served on a tempura sauce- was my favorite.

Of course we had hot tea and miso soup…

and a nice mid-birthday week dinner of exactly what we wanted.

Haru Ya 9340-B Clairmont Mesa Boulevard 92123 858.569.9595

Banh Mi…. from Cafe Chloe ???

October 7, 2009 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, European Restaurants, Sandwiches

**** Cafe Chloe has closed

I usually don't post on these type of restaurants (there are great food blogs, publications, and of course Chowhound to keep you abreast). But on our last visit to Cafe Chloe, I wasn't able to resist ordering something from the menu that I was itching to for a while…..

Located in East Village, this little Bistro has become a favorite of the Missus, and especially of Her "ladies who do lunch crowd").

And other than some rather normal blips in service(when you spend at least $50/60+ for lunch or$70+ for dinner for two, you tend to be a bit more picky), we have always had nice meals at Cafe Chloe. Most of the offerings seem both rich, and yet light at the same time. And of all the gratines, tartines, and amandines (yes, I know it's just a topping of almonds, but it just sounded right), the Missus adores the Meatloaf when it is offered as a daily special. Sorry to say, no meatloaf today.

Call us predictable, but we always start with basically the same two appetizers, well kinda, sorta, as you'll see. We always get the Charcuterie Du Jour – today it was a wonderfully rich, yet balanced Pork Rillette, a wonderful pork spread, appropriately sealed with a layer of fat on the top.

The mustards and pickles help to cut the richness. We're talking serious good here. No it won't assault your tastebuds with a ton of different flavors going everywhere, but it will make you go "mmmmm".

The Missus enjoys the Tarte Flambe, a classic flatbread, topped with a smear of crème fraîche, caramelized onions, and bacon…….. Need I say more????

Though I find the bread a bit on the thick side for a tarte, this is a nicely balanced offering. The bacon, thick sliced, is a far cry from the sodium loaded stuff you buy in packages. If anything, it was bit too mild for my tastes, but the Missus loves this, and orders it everytime. and of course, there are the mixed greens that seems to be on almost every plate…..

The Missus went with the Tartine du Jour – the open faced sandwich of the day. In this case it was a Curried Chicken Tartine:

Before grabbing a bite of this, I really didn't have my hopes up. It was however, very good, it looked over-dressed in mayo, but was not. A great combination of flavors and textures. And I really thought the bread was perfect for this, slightly nutty, with a mild hint of sweetness. I believe that Cafe Chloe gets their bread from Sadie RoseBaking Company, whose products I love. The pasta salad was dressed with a nice balsamic vinegar based concoction, but the pasta was hard and brittle. I guess I just expected a bit more.

So why am I doing a post on Cafe Chloe? Well there's something on the menu that I've been wanting to try……

Banh Mi??? In a French inspired Bistro….why not? I mean Banh Mi is undoubtedly French inspired, so why not…. it'll be like going "Back to the Future"!!! I love Banh Mi, and have probably eaten my share of them. And at least for me; it's a far cry from a French Baguette Sandwich to a Banh Mi, though I do think most things would taste better in a Banh Mi, even uni….umm oursins.

This was a case of the sum not being equal to its parts, and has probably been the only item I've been totally disappointed with at Cafe Chloe. Each item taken individually was good; I loved the crusty baguette, but it was too hard for a Banh Mi, in which the bread stars by being light, airy, and more flakey than crusty. The pate was nice, but very mild, and was totally lost in the sandwich. The Do Chua, the pickled vegetables which adds a crunch along with a palate cleansing flavor were replaced by a variety of greens. There were too many veggies in this, and the watercress and other greens were too bitter, and with the radishes, overwhelmed the entire sandwich, I couldn't even taste the aioli. There is always a nice savory component to a good Banh Mi which was missing here.

As if to really tell me to order something else next time, the Gaufrettes were burnt and bitter……

There's alot on the menu to enjoy at Cafe Chloe, steak frites, duck confit, the meatloaf the Missus will kill for. I'm sure we'll be back soon; the Missus would eat here a couple of times a week if She could. I won't be ordering the Banh Mi again, though……

Cafe Chloe
721 Ninth Ave
San Diego CA 92101

Tacos El Poblano, and a South Bay Taco Crawl with Captain Jack

October 4, 2009 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops, yoso-silly

**** This location of Tacos El Poblano has closed

Here's the last of my series of South Bay Taco Shops. I was taking a one of my weekend "drives" a couple of weeks back. And while driving through "Downtown" Chula Vista, I noticed a new restaurant.

It would have been "just another taco shop" except for the sign that said "Los Authenticos De Tijuana Ahora en CA". Which got my attention. I decided to stop, even though I had just finished two tacos from Tacos Yaqui. The fairly modest storefront, hides a pretty large, somewhat cavernous restaurant.

As I walked up to the counter, I could see flames rising from the grill next ot the cashier. So ordering was pretty simple, it had to be Carne Asada, and "something"……

That something was a Birria Taco($1.75):

El Poblano serves you tacos the way they think it should be served. There's no salsa bar, though the pickled peppers and carrots (escabeche) is fabulous, refreshing, and almost sweet. The birria was very mild, as I enjoy a bit more spice and "wildness".

A minute later my two Carne Asada tacos made its way to my table.

I loved the crisp but still pliable grilled tortillas, which added a nice bit of smokiness to the equation. The simple, but effective guacamole added richness. The salsa was nice and spicy, but the carne asada brought this down. As you can tell by the grey pallor, this was not the carne asada I just witnessed being grilled. It was tasteless and rubbery, not good eats. Everything about this taco was spot on, except the carne asada. And I'd usually visit another time before doing a post. So check out the rest of the post below, because on my next visit, it was just perfect, smokey, with nice caramelization.

Tacos El Poblano
217 3rd Avenue
Chula Vista, CA 91910

The South Bay Taco Crawl……

I guess this was inevitable. I'd been hitting multiple taco shops in the South Bay in recent weeks. And after receiving an email from "Grace" who was visiting San Diego, and wanted some recommendations on doing a "taco crawl" I thought, "why not do this yourself". I tried this once with a good FOY, a small but mighty eater. Unfortunately, we never made it past two shops…….

This meant I needed to bring in the "heavy artillery". There was only one person that I know of, who could handle this…… and I wasn't even sure that I'd be able to keep up. That person was….. "the man, the myth, the stomach….." my Urasawa eating buddy, Captain Jack. And of course, he was up for anything. So things started off this morning with CJ in my car, making our way down to the border…..

I had everything planned; we'd start off with Tacos Yaqui. Unfortunately, when we arrived in San Ysidro, we found that even though the sign said they open at 9am, and it was 930, they weren't open. It was time for "plan B". I headed up the I-5 and ended up in the now-all-too familiar RTA/Toys R' Us parking lot, and Mariscos El Pescador.

I figured we'd grab a Gobernador and a Tacos de Pescado (fish taco) and we'd be on our way. Pretty filling, but delicious, and we'd still be able to go on. But after the consomme and two tacos, the Owner, Cruz Vazquez, who we chatted with before the crowds, decided that we just had to have the "Tacos de Mariscanos", a mixto (mixed) taco. The size of which was daunting…..

This was like an over-stuffed mixed seafood version of the Gobernador, with sauteed fish, scallops, pulpo (octopus), along with the wonderful shrimp. With some of the spicy pickled onions, this was excellent. If the Gobernador, is "the Governor", this is "El Presidente"……

As an exclamation point, Captain Jack had a torta from the Torta Ahogadas truck across the parking lot. (A eating on the hood of your car post is coming up soon) I abstained, because this was a taco crawl, right? Talking about wiggling out of a tight situation.

After which, we headed off to Internacional 2000 for some Al Pastor, only to find that they weren't ready….. which led me to "plan C", and a visit to El Poblano. We grabbed a Adobaba Taco and a Carne Asada Taco. This time around, the Carne Asada was excellent, nicely caramelized, with a wonderful smokey flavor. Good stuff. I of course, kinda did the "four corners" here, engaging CJ in small talk. I also found that I eat pretty fast, so the delay gave me time to digest and adjust. After about fifteen minutes of small talk, CJ said the faithful words, "we're not done yet, are we?"

Which meant it was time to move on, and return to Tacos Yaqui, where we put down a Perrones Taco each, and some chips. Comparing the carne asada from Yaqui to El Poblano is like apples to oranges. Yaqui's carne asada is like eating steak, it is beefy, but milder in flavor, and served on a grilled flour tortilla with melted cheese, El Poblano's carne asada is smokey, and crisp.

Again, I finished several minutes ahead of CJ, and had time to digest.

We ended (taco) things at Internacional 2000 Taco Shop and had two Al Pastor tacos each. A nice, tasty, greasy end to our "taco tour". Funny thing, at the end, we both weren't full, but we were satisfied. I had an inkling to make a stop at Tacos El Gordo, but decided that I'd had enough. CJ on the other hand, decided otherwise, and we made a last stop a Panchita's for some sweets……

This "taco tour" was pretty easy, at no time did I feel uncomfortable. I'm not sure if it qualifies as a Food Marathon, but I'll tell you that I didn't have any dinner tonight…….

Pho Pasteur Ahn Hong- Another meal from the eight days of feasting

October 3, 2009 Cathy Vietnamese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is this. A blog about meals. A few of us blog, individually and occasionally together. Today, Cathy ate. So she is blogging.

Hi. The Mister and I have birthdays seven days apart, so our tradition is to let Him chose what he wants to eat the first three days, we agree on the middle two days and I get to choose the last three days of meals. Here is one of “my” meals.

I have posted on Pho Pasteur. It is another of our “regular rotation”, and I realized I have not posted in a while anyhow, so this time I took photos.

It is in the same parking lot as K-Sandwich, a place Kirk and I have posted on *a lot*. Also, it is basically a walk inthe parking lot from Mein Trung, another place three of us have posted about *many* times. Right on the corner of Mesa College drive and Linda Vista Road.

Since this was one of “my” birthday days, and a Friday-when I don’t eat meat “just in case”- I got to choose the meal and I did. It was simple.

We ordered and waited. The decor has pretty much stayed the same here over all the years.

Especially the pretty pink tablecloths.

The fresh grilled tofu vegetable filled summer rolls ($2.95) arrived. Warm tofu, grilled slightly crispy on the edges and filled with sprouts, carrot, lettuce and rice noodles. Served with the hoisin-peanut sauce.

Soon, a large plate of lettuce, mint, sprouts, cucumber, marinated lily buds, carrot and daikon arrived.

After about 20 minutes, our meal, a whole steamed catfish (medium, $36) arrived. It was served flat and open on the platter. It had been steamed in basically with ginger-soy and topped with three types of onions (regular white sauteed and green onions as well as fried onions), cilantro and carrots with a black pepper touch, for some heat. Served with those rice noodles you see on the left in this photo.

017

As well as the rice paper “tortillas” on top of a bowl of hot water (you dip the sheet of rice paper in the water for a few seconds and then it is softened).

You basically fill the rice paper with the noodles, sprouts, mint, marinated veggies, cucumber and fish, wrap all of it ina piece of lettuce, dip in sauce and eat.

I never got around to taking any photos of our little “wraps”. We were too busy eating.

I guess we were hungry…

Pho Pasteur Ahn Hong 7612 Linda Vista road San Diego 92111 (858) 569-7515

El Titanic Seafood – One meal from the Eight Days of Feasting

October 2, 2009 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

El Titanic has closed.

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about meals where Kirk, ed (from Yuma), Cathy and a few others record memories. You are reading the blog. Today, it's Cathy doing the writing (or talking if you'd like to think of it that way).

Hi. If you didn't already know it, The Mister and I have birthdays exactly seven days apart. It is our tradition to have Him choose what and/or where to eat the first three days (and I can't say "no") and then we have to mutually agree on the middle two days and then I get to choose the last three days. This year, our birthdays fell on Saturday. Difficult to go out to dinner that night of the week. So we did lunch.

As you can see, a sunny day. Indoors.

The Mister ordered a Modelo Negro ($3.50) and we were served the standard chips, bowl of limes and fresh salsa.

Oh, this is El Titanic, I know I just posted on it not long ago. It is part of our "rotation" and The Mister wanted lobster…

And he got it- half a grilled Mexican spiny lobster, filled with shrimp sauce and served with three breaded (standard, from the freezer, butterflied) shrimp, rice, beans and salad ($16).

The lobster was a bit overcooked and dry, but still had flavor. Butter would have helped. The shrimp in the buttery sauce were excellent as were the rice and beans.

We shared the fish ceviche tostada ($3.50) We really like the fish ceviche rather than shrimp. It tastes so fresh. Topped with fresh slices of avocado. Just perfect.

I got exactly what I craved- the marlin chile relleños plate ($9). Yes, they are this large. I apologize for the photos which do not show the abundance of this fish. Two anaheim chiles stuffed with wonderful, flaky, smoked marlin then egg batter dipped and fried and topped with cheese, served with rice, beans and salad. Excellent. Perfect. Wonderful.

An extremely nice birthday feast.

037

El Titanic Mariscos

1771 N 2nd El Cajon 92021 (619)593-0637

Tacos Yaqui – San Ysidro

September 30, 2009 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, Taco Shops

*** Tacos Yaqui has closed

During a recent lunch with FOY Candice, she mentioned a Taco shop in San Ysidro named after a very well known Taco Shop in Rosarito Beach called Tacos El Yaqui. Curious, I inquired as to the location, and was told San Ysidro. After coming home and doing a bit of research, I found that Tacos Yaqui specialized in Sonoran style Carne Asada.

So on a recent weekend morning, I made my way down the I-5, and took the second to the last exit before the border, at Via de San Ysidro. A couple of blocks later, I spied Tacos Yaqui…….

As I entered the restaurant, I noticed how busy they were….even at 9am in the morning, there was a steady flow of customers, all Hispanic, ordering at the counter. The picture menu had 8 basic tacos, and by the hand written sign behind the cashier, I noticed that Tortas, Mulitas, and Breakfast Norteno were also available.

No one seemed to speak English, but ordering was no problem. I took a two taco combo for $5.99, and a Diet Coke. I was given a number, and in a few minutes some very hot chips made its way to my table. I grabbed some salsa from the little bar, and crunched away at the thick tortilla chips.

There are few things that stimulate your appetite than the smell of animal flesh charring on the grill; and this little restaurant had it going on all cylinders.

By the time my tacos hit the table, I was ready to chew my arm off. Determining a "must eat" taco didn't take the use of much brain power. I had to try the Sonoran style Carne Asada, in this case it's called a "Taco Perrones". Perhaps a FOY (Friend of Yoso) like Masa Assassin can tell me the history of the name….because ummmm, "Perro" means "dog".

If you're like me, and used to TJ style carne asada tacos, you'll be surprised…. and it's a pretty pleasant surprise at that. First off, the tortilla is flour, though very thin and griddled. Cheese has been melted on the bottom of the taco, making a nice stringy-mildly milky bed for the carne asada. In this case, soft and tender grilled flank steak, which was mildly flavored, letting the beefy flavor of the cut take the lead. The beans threw me off, but for some reason did really well in this taco adding a nice earthy flavor. Along with the pico de gallo and guacamole, this was a pretty damn good taco. The word balance comes to mind. I had gotten a few various salsas, but ended up not using them. Instead, I just enjoyed my taco.

My second taco was something called the "Monster":

This one came with doubled flour tortillas prepared much in the manner as the other taco. It was chocked full of nice, plump shrimp, prepared in a mild tomato based sauce. As good as the shrimp were, it was the stuff on the bottom that made this taco…… it was chiccharon, pork that had been deep fried to a crisp. Very nice…..

Overall this was nice meal, the tacos were good sized, not the small TJ style versions. It was quite a hefty meal. I'll definitely be back! Maybe I'll see you there….. I'll be the one inhaling the fumes from the grilling meat!

Tacos Yaqui
111 W Olive Dr
San Ysidro, CA 92173

Thanks for the tip Candice!