Closed – Page 74

Pisa’s Chicago Deli

June 15, 2009 mmm-yoso Hot Dogs, Sandwiches

*** Pisa's has closed.

Recently some business found me in the Mission Gorge area around lunch time. I saw a storefront I hadn't noticed before. I think this used to be a location of Submarina or something like that.

And since I just can't seem to pass up a chance at a Chicago Dog, I just had to stop.

The interior does seem to scream "sandwich chain", but the menu is bit different.

And so I ordered….what else, a Chicago Dog ($3.49):

The good? The standard Chicago Dog roll-call indicated all the usual suspects were present; the dog is Vienna Beef, the roll is poppy seed, the sport peppers were nice and spicy, the neon green relish was in attendance, as was the celery salt and tomato slices.

The bad? The dog was "blanched" and flavorless, the poppy seed bun was heated in the microwave and gummy, and it didn't have enough celery salt. Barely passable at best……

A few weeks later, I found myself back in the area, and decided to give Pisa's another try. This time I went for the Chicago Style Italian Beef Sandwich ($6.49), which I requested "hot dipped":

Even though the beef was basically your standard roast beef, it was sliced fresh. The roll was a standard French Roll, which did fine. The young man working the counter even included a cup of the "broth", which tasted pretty much like the stuff you'd serve with a roast beef dip. I once had a version so full of oregano and garlic flavor…..this wasn't it, but neither was it terrible. The giardiniera was the appropriate "sport pepper" version, which I enjoy.

And though I don't really consider this a "real" Chicago Beef sandwich, it sure was a lot of food:

I also enjoyed the potato salad which was cold, with a nice vinegar flavor.

All in all, that beef sandwich sure was pretty hefty. The menu is different from the usual Subway and Quizno's, and the guys that work here were nice and friendly. So if you're in the area, and really need a Chicago Dog……..

Pisa's Chicago Deli
10450 Friar's Road
San Diego, CA 92120

A & D Hawaiian BBQ – National City

June 7, 2009 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Loco Mocos, Plate Lunch

**** A&D has closed

Well, there I was in Grove Plaza Center with the intent of grabbing a bite at Karihan. Unfortunately, there was no Kare-Kare on this morning, and for some reason, all of the food looked like it had been "sitting around" for quite a while….at 11am in the morning. So I decided to head next door to A&D Hawaiian BBQ.

I've been kinda down on the whole Hawaiian BBQ thing………most of it seems to be a bunch of folks who could care less about what they plop on a plate, who are just looking to make some $$$ (replacing Spam with Treet – heresy I say!). And frankly, after looking over the menu at A&D, full of the usual suspects, I wasn't particularly moved. But it had been so long since I've had even a borderline terrible Lau Lau, that I was willing to sell my soul, and drop my standards. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, there was no Lau Lau, only Kalua Pork available.

So I made an adjustment, and placed my order, and waited. Meanwhile, I gazed upon the borderline neon green walls. During my wait, the very nice Woman manning the counter was constantly cleaning. Now A&D isn't the most visually pleasing little place, the tables have various names, initials, and other verbiage carved into them, and it does look a bit aged for a place that's only been in this location for a year, but man this woman was really cleaning……

Unable to make a decision, I had ordered the ubiquitous "BBQ Mix" ($7.29). The nice lady brought the styrofoam container over to my table, and when I grabbed it, it felt like it must've weighed two pounds…..

And everything was hot…so hot that it steamed up my camera lens, and I had to wait for a minute or two to take photos. As with all these BBQ Mix plates, all the regulars were in attendance. The BBQ Short Ribs…please don't call them Kalbi….they are about as close to Kalbi as I am to Brad Pitt. That said, these were not bad, not as tough as the usual cross cut short ribs are, the marinade is not as sweet as many, which is fine with me.

The BBQ Beef was well marinated, pulling toward more of a ginger-shoyu flavor. It was also fairly tender, and without the usual "sugi", which is what we call nylon fishing line back home, the usual tough, and inedible tendon that is usually found.

The BBQ chicken looked on the light side, but was pretty tender. The norm would be chicken that had been marinated, pre-cooked, dumped back into a steam tray with marinade, and reheated before serving, making it really tough. I really got the feeling, based on the wait time, and how hot everything was, that these folks cook their stuff to order.

I really liked the Mac Salad, it was nice and cold, with a perfect amount of mayo, and some salt for a change. The rice was a bit hard and dry, though.

There was one more item that I had to order. On the door is a sign. That sign says "6 Piece Chicken Wing Special – $1.99". Yes, it seems that A&D is in the Salt and Pepper Chicken wing business.

The batter on these is light, and crisp, and the chicken is juicy, but it does not hold up well, and lacks the "crack-like" addictive flavor.

This way too much food for me, so I took half of it home. What I thought was interesting, was that the Missus had pretty much the same opinion. And I didn't even tell Her what I thought of the food. They say after you've been married for a while……….

A few weeks later, I was in the area, and decided to drop by A&D again. This time I paid a bit more heed to the menu, and had to chuckle at the "Healthy Meals" portion. since when is Chicken Katsu or Crispy Shrimp, considered healthy? Perhaps they mean a "healthy appetite"?

Being the predictable person I am, I of course ordered:

Yes, a Loco Moco ($6.99). I readily admit that I have a thing about the two easy over eggs, hamburger patties, gravy, over rice. It is something that I long for on a visceral level. So how does this rate on the modified "Rubio Scale", created by James Rubio of Big Island Grinds. For those not familiar with the scale, you can check out my post from waaaaay back in 2005. And in case you're wondering, why the Big Island? It is believed that the Loco Moco was created on the Big Island circa 1949. Sorry to say that I wasn't able to sample the Loco from the Lincoln Grill, but the Missus and I have had more than our share from Cafe100.

So moving right along…….

#1 – The Burger – Pure and simple pre-formed. Tough. – 2.0 points

#2 Eggs – A bite overcooked for me. But worse of all, they didn't clean the griddle before frying the eggs. Too many black, "mystery bits". – 1.0 points

#3 Rice – Perfectly cooked this time. – 3.0 points

#4 Gravy – Wow, really salty….really, really, salty. I've hardly ever left gravy to sit and congeal, but had to this time. – 1.0 points.

#5 Stuffs – In this case the Macaroni Salad, which wasn't as good as my previous visit, but still pretty good. – 3.0 points.

For a total of 13.0 points, which ranks it as being fairly mediocre, even by Hawaiian BBQ standards.

Overall, A&D serves up standard Hawaiian BBQ fare. I felt that with regards to the BBQ, you get a pretty hefty size portion of food, which was pretty good. There are also $4.99 specials such as Chicken Katsu. The service was, at least for me, a notch above the standard indifferent service at most of these places.

A&D Hawaiian BBQ
Grove Plaza Center
2220 Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950

Open Daily – 11am – 9pm

Fat Tony’s Pizza

May 31, 2009 mmm-yoso Pizza

**** Fat Tony's is now Tony's

At the end of March I received an email telling me about a new pizza shop opening in Clairemont. I glaced through it, but didn't really take note, for two reasons; first, I didn't know the sender, second the sender's "name" was "Tony", and the name of the shop was Fat Tony's. Just the way the email went, and the fact that I never got a response from the sender, sent instant S-H-I-L-L alarms. Those folks who have blogs will understand what I mean. In this case however, I was mistaken. After returning home from Guatemala, during my bi-weekly check of Chowhound, I read this thread, which instantly got my attention. Maybe "Tony" knew a thing or two.

In fact, I really had no reason not to check out Fat Tony's. The location on Diane Avenue, is right next to Ba Ren!

I love this sign…….you know who the gang at Fat Tony's is taking a shot at, don't you?

The interior is spotless, though pretty generic, with two plasma televisions going.

There's a refrigerator with the usual suspects, and four beers on tap.

From what I read on the CH post, it sounded like the thinner crust option was the way to go. So I went with the Tomato Garlic with Fresh Mozzarella ($18.00). I noticed that this pizza was cooked in a pan. Anthony, the really friendly namesake of the place, was nice and friendly, and apologized for the "pizza taking a bit longer because of the way we make it". Which really didn't seem that long!

Here's a view of the pizza that hit the table at home:

I enjoyed this pizza a bit more than the Missus, who thought it bland, and saying that the crust was indeed thin, but too much like a brittle cracker. The mozzarella added a nice mild semi-milky flavor to the pie, though I thought that more flavor could have been extracted from the tomato by roasting a bit longer. Of course, I'm not the pizza pro, and doing that may have been detrimental to the rest of the pie. Being a garlic head, I could have used a bit more garlic.

At this point, I realized I had it all wrong. I needed to start at the beginning, with the basics, just like I usually do with NY style pizza.

I returned recently, and decided to just get two cheese slices and a soda, which is priced right at 5 bucks. When my slices arrived, I took a good look at it. The first thing I noticed was that these weren't quite as greasy as those from Bronx. And though a friend of mine from "Jersey" tells me, "it ain't New Yauk style unless the oil is dripping down your arms", I thought this a good thing.

The pizza was well cheesed, which didn't overpower the pie.

I did find this crust to still be a bit too brittle. It snapped in half when I attempted "the fold". Personally, I enjoy a bit of pull (not sog, there's a difference) in my crust.

I found the sauce to be very mild. I enjoy a bit of tang, though the oregano flavor came through, it was the only thing that made this sauce distinctive. I tend toward the sauce at Luigi's…..mild spice, tanginess, and some sweetness.

Overall, I thought it to be a decent pie. It was nothing I'd really go out of my way for, but it is a great addition to the area.

I was recently having a conversation with a good FOY, when the subject of Fat Tony's came up. This FOY thought the pizza to be okay, but really didn't care for the crust, which made sense since he was a fan of Hoboken Pizza in Pacific Beach. However, when I asked the question, "name one pizza shop in the area that's better" he couldn't come up with a single one (though I used to like La Trattoria Firenze's sauce). Which in the end makes a great point. The sign in the front of Fat Tony's say "Your Neighborhood Pizzeria", which it does very well!

Fat Tony's Pizza
4973 Diane Avenue
San Diego, CA 92117
858-268-7700

Open 11am – 930 pm Daily

For more pizza insanity, please read Howie's San Diego NY Style Pizza Showdown!

From the wouldn't you know it department. On my post on Big Fish Sea Grill, I mentioned how things around the intersection of Diane Avenue and Clairemont Mesa Boulevard are looking up. Wouldn't you know that the very next day, I read about this happening at that very intersection! Geeez…… Even more funny, when I mentioned this to Cathy, her response was, "at least they weren't using guns!" Huh? So I go home, and mention this to the Missus. Her response? "Hey, could be worse, they could have guns!" Okay……I guess I really don't get it.
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Big Fish Sea Grill

May 27, 2009 mmm-yoso Seafood

**** Big Fish has closed

One day while driving past Diane Village Shopping Center, on the way back from one of my many trips to Ba Ren for take-out, I noticed a sign that said "Big Fish". Big Fish……"what kind of big fish"? was the first thing that went through my head. So the next day I set out to hook myself a "Big Fish".

If I recall, this was a sushi bar of some sort in a previous life.

The menu is what I'll call classic "SoCal Fish joint"; grilled fish dishes, fried seafood, sandwiches, fish n' chips, with ceviche and fish tacos thrown in.

I didn't realize what a huge patio area this place had.

On my first visit, I decided to try out the fish n' chips. According to the menu, you can get them two ways, beer battered or panko crusted. I ordered the beer battered option, but for some reason, it wasn't available, maybe due to the fact that the place hadn't even been open for a week? So I went with the Panko Crusted Fish n Chips. According to the menu, the fish used for the fish n' chips was Cod, not Haddock or Pollock.

As I had a seat, the rather large gentleman dropped off some chips and salsa:

And soon enough my plate of Panko Crusted Fish n' Chips ($8.75), arrived. For some reason "panko crusted", and "fish n' chips" really doesn't click in my head. Undoubtedly a personal issue.

The pieces of fish were a good 3 inches in circumference, and looked bigger in real life than in photos. The panko had soaked up a bit of oil, so I'm thinking that the cooking temperature was a bit off. The flesh had a nice opaque look, and if not super moist, was decent. With regards to being able to tell the difference between cod and haddock, for me, it's mostly an appearance issue. Cod, in my opinion is much more dense, whiter in color when cooked, as this was, and has a bit more of that "fish flavor". Haddock, in my mind is a bit more delicate and perhaps a bit sweeter, with smaller flakes. I'm sure someone out there is an expert in such matters and can perhaps educate me a bit further. The quality of the fish was prefectly acceptable.

Lacking a great batter, this was fairly bland. The saving grace was the malt vinegar.

The waffle cut fries looked really pale, but stood up for the entire meal. The coleslaw was tasteless.

Overall, not great, not bad…..

A few days later, I was pretty tired, and wanted some Ceviche to perk me up. But for some reason, La Playita was closed. I decided to give the ceviche($8.95) at Big Fish a whirl.

This version came with those multi-colored mass produced tortilla chips instead of the usual crackers or tostadas. The bowl was pretty hefty in weight, but man this was bland. The shrimp seemed like they were blanched in water, and the pieces of fish though well "cooked" in texture and color, had very little flavor. As you can see, it was also pretty dry…… This was obviously no La Playita.

For some reason, a week later I found myself back at the counter of Big Fish wondering what I was doing here. I decided to march forward and ordered the fish tacos($8.75):

Geeez, it had everything but the kitchen sink on it. Again the panko crust was a bit greasy, but one thing for sure, with panko you can't hide a little pinkie sized sliver of fish in batter. The "creamy chipotle sauce" was more like a slightly, very slightly spicy, thousand island dressing, and the usual cabbage was replaced by salsa fresca. I used up the two limes and ended up going through two little cups of the salsa. Again the waffle cut fries seemed a bit pale, but held up rather well.

In the end, Big Fish provides on several levels; it is "gringo safe", un-offending food. Perhaps a bit bland to my palate, but may be perfectly fine for yours. The seafood seems to be of decent quality, and the portion sizes and prices are good. The service is unabashedly male, and ranged from friendly, to grunts and nods.

Big Fish Sea Grill
4706 Clairemont Mesa Boulevard (In the Diane Village Shopping Center)
San Diego, CA 92117

Open 10am to 9pm daily
858-490-2205

Postscript: It seems like the Clairemont Mesa, Diane Avenue area, has a few new additions:

A post is coming soon…….

Ba Ren’s Yie-Shi (Night Market) Special

May 25, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Ba Ren has closed

I realize you all are probably pretty tired of my posts on Ba Ren, but I thought this one was interesting. For the Missus's "second" Birthday dinner, She, of course, chose Ba Ren. When we arrived, Wendy spoke to the Missus, and told Her of their latest special (it seems that they always have some new wrinkle), the "Yie-Shi" (night market special).

This latest special features ordering a "ma-la" base, which comes in three heat levels, the "spicy" is a bit thicker, spicier, and more vicious than Ba Ren's Huo Guo. Once you order this, you can than choose some noodles and snacks off the special menu for between $2.99 – $4.99. Tsingtao Beer is $1.50 a bottle, soda is 50 cents. You can only take advantage of this menu by ordering the hot pot.

The best, and most fun part is that after getting your hot pot($3/per person), you're given a basket, and access to the large refrigerator, and pick out skewers at your choosing. Each skewer is 25 cents a piece, you also grab your own soda and beer. At the end of the evening, they count your bottles, cans, and skewers, add your noodles, and tally your bill.

So if you ever wanted to raid a restaurant's fridge….here's your chance.

Our favorites were the beef, intestine, quail egg, mushroom, and potato. We ordered 3 noodle bowls, which are about two-third of the usual portion, and some Crossing the Bridge Won Tons. We ended up taking two of the noodle dishes home, since we ended up eating forty five skewers! When I asked "Roy" how we did, he said, "this is about average, and big eater will eat forty, fifty skewers. In Qingdao, I personally eat over fifty skewers, some noodles, and a few beers." Yikes! So you can eat your noodles while waiting for your skewers to cook in the hot pot.

Well, since I've done a zillion posts on Ba Ren already, I'll keep the rest of the narrative to the minimum.

The Hot Stuff….

The sesame oil-garlic dipping sauce….really"smooths out" the heat.

The remainder of our Cold Sichuan Noodles ($2.99). Sorry, but I was still deciding whether I should take photos.

Spicy Sour Bean Thread ($3.99):

My favorite, the Pork with Preserved Vegetable Noodle Soup ($3.99):

The Crossing the Bridge Won Tons, personally, I enjoy the Hot Sauce Won Tons more.

And of course, there's the "hot stuff"!

All topped off with Sesame Balls in Fermented Sweet Rice Soup:

Sheesh…….we were stuffed! The tab came out just over thirty bucks with beer.

Some details: The menu says served only between 8pm and midnight, but we had this at 6pm, so you may want to ask. To take advantage of the special noodle and snack prices, you're entire table will need to go the "Yie-Shi" route, though you can still order off the regular menu to supplement.

Ba Ren
4957 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Not to worry, it's not rerun season, I'll have a post on a "new" restaurant tomorrow!

Just for the Hal-i-but (sort of): The Live Halibut Dinner at Wal Mi Do in photos

May 20, 2009 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Seafood, Sushi and Sashimi

**** Wal Mi Do has closed

I was a bit surprised when I asked the Missus what She wanted for Her Birthday dinner….She told me She wanted the Live Halibut Sashimi dinner from Wal Mi Do! We've had this a few times already, usually with friends so I've stowed the camera. There are several "sizes" of Halibut Sashimi, this one is the "small" and is "recommended for two people". Tell me what you think……..

So without further ado, it's just photos from this point on. I don't think you'll need much narrative on this one. Yes, we finished just about everything.

I just realized I forgot to take photos of one item, the rice! But I think you get the picture. FOYs (Friends of Yoso) Ed from Yuma, Howie, and Candice have shared this meal with us in the past, so maybe they'll be able to "fill" you in. Naturally some items (on this day the Abalone Rice Porridge, and the Missus loved the snails) are better than the others (I could only manage a small nibble of the deep fried sushi roll)……… And the halibut was wonderful as always. It would've taken me the better part of a week to do a post, so I hoped you enjoyed the photos.

I really do need a nap right now.

Wal Mi Do
4367 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

I hope everyone's having a great week!

Chinese Kitchen (Chi Tu Thanh Nha Hang) – A revisit

May 18, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Chinese Kitchen has closed

When someone mentions "hole in the wall", the first place that comes to mind is Chinese Kitchen on University Avenue near College.

When I first did a post on this little shop back in 2006, it was literally that, the ordering was done at a "hole in the wall". Here's a photo from back then.

Having a food blog, is sometimes my stomach's worst enemy…..it seems that I'm always distracted by those "shiny things". New places, new recipes, and new dishes, and places that I enjoy like Chinese Kitchen fall to the wayside. So I recently made an effort to drop by the restaurant.

And my has the place been spiffed up……some new paint, and actual fixtures that look like they belong in a restaurant! Though I'll miss ordering at the hole-in-the-wall, which has been replaced by a counter. The menu, or should I say "menus" look the same, with the huge selection of Chinese Fast-food, which I've never had a chance, nor desire to sample.

In spite of the name, I instead pay attention to what I call the "real menu" of Vietnamese Dishes.

And even beyond that, there's only one item I order here…the Bun Mang Vit (Duck and Bamboo Shoot Soup), and I'm rather surprised it's still five bucks. I've found that I prefer to take my Bun Mang Vit to go…..for a reason I'll explain later.

Take out comes in three parts, the duck, which is made inhouse(I remember being told it was acquired "very fresh"), shredded cabbage, shredded banana blossom, Rau Ram (Vietnamese Coriander), and bun comes in one tidy container. Another contains the sweet, and slightly spicy Nuoc Mam Cham, which also contains minced garlic. And the soup, in which a good amount of bamboo shoots lay rehydrating.

And though it didn't look like that much, it felt pretty hefty, and if you start placing items in plates and bowls you realize that this is a pretty good amount of food.

The reason I usually do my Bun Mang Vit to go, is simple…..I want the bamboo shoots to "steep" in the light broth, which adds a nice earthy-woodsy flavor. I will place the soup in a pot and heat slowly on the stove. After placing the Bun in a bowl, and pouring on the broth, you realize that this is a pretty good sized meal.

I almost miscalculated, which would have led to an overflow. The soup is a good as always, the duck tender and full of flavor, the banana blossom added a very mild bitterness, but not the soupy-astringent flavor that banana blossom can have, to the dish.

Just as good as always, so I guess you can just read my original post, though I think there was much more bamboo shoots this time around. And still five bucks. I still haven't deviated from this, so maybe you can make some additional recommendations for Chinese Kitchen. Though I'm more than happy sticking with my Bun Man Vit.

Chinese Kitchen
6160 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92115

619-286-8778

The “food court” Inside Zion Marketplace- Happy Family and Tonkatsu

April 30, 2009 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is just a blog, written by people who eat. Today, Cathy is writing, while Kirk (and His Missus) are vacationing and ed (from Yuma) is doing other stuff.

I needed to go shopping for some produce the other day and I know Zion always has some good deals. It was close to dinner time and so I called The Mister and asked him to meet me there.

You can park on three sides of the building (or across the street) and walk in one of those doors to get to the grocery aisles.

Closer to the South end are two restaurants and a small beverage (add boba for 50 cents) place.

Tonkatsu is what The Mister chose.

I went to Happy Family, which used to be Happy Meal, but apparently was sold. Or sued. Dunno. The menu has changed a bit from when Kirk blogged.

(According to FOY (Friend of Yoso) Serena, it is Korean-Chinese food at Happy Family, and the spicy noodle dishes are very good. I have that mental note ready for next time)

The Mister chose the Crunchy roll for $5.95, because he thought it would be smaller (not a Chernobyl sized) roll overfilled with fried shrimp and avocado and basically a full meal, served with miso soup.

It wasn't bad and I liked the avocado. The shrimp did not have much flavor, but did have much crunch.

It was topped with both a sweet and a spicy sauce.

He also ordered the chicken Tonkatsu plate ($7.95) A good sized piece of lightly breaded and fried flattened chicken breast, which came with a house made tonkatsu sauce (which had pieces of mushroom and meat textured bits in it), a cabbage salad with a house made dressing, two stir fried dumplings, miso soup, rice, edamame and some kimchi.

I ordered the galbi plate at Happy Family.

Tender marinated sliced beef short ribs, served with rice, a small salad with a mayonnaise based dressing, (kind of Ranch in flavor), two deep fried dumplings (I liked the other ones better; not as crispy) and the traditional side dishes of preserved radish, dried spicy silverfish, kimchi and fried (not just dried) seaweed. The miso soup here was far better, not made with a paste and was rich in flavor with many slices of tofu in it.

Eat first and then you can go shopping!

Happy Meal and Tonkatsu (inside Zion Marketplace) 4611 Mercury Street San Diego 92111

Too hot to cook, almost too hot to eat. A quick meal at Palomino’s.

April 22, 2009 Cathy Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog. About food. Kirk, ed (from Yuma), Cathy and a few others just write about what we eat. Today, Cathy is is writing. Primarily because Kirk is on his way to Guatemala and ed (from Yuma) is…well, in Yuma.

Hi. It really hit 100 degrees in the East County on Monday. Dry, dry heat. It was exhausting to be outside, dangerous to touch anything inside the car and kind of miserable.

I didn't want to cook and was not that hungry.

OK. I lie. I am pretty much always hungry. But, well, not as much as usual. I needed something refreshing. As soon as it kind of sort of started too cool down, I headed West, toward the 15 and then one exit South, to Clairmont Mesa, took a left at the second light, Ruffin Road, by the Registrar of Voters and a right into the parking lot. Palominos #2. I've posted about this place before (when it was cold out, and I wanted something to warm me). It is a great taco shop. Satisfies many cravings as well as weather related meals…

I ordered, grabbed stuff from the "salad bar" area…which is really a salsa bar area, (but there are neon signs above it with "salad" above it) .

Then waited for our meals to be ready.

The Mister got a shrimp salad ($6.35).

Lots of lettuce, tomato and cucumber, 12 fresh cooked, fresh chilled, sweet, large shrimp, a whole avocado, some shredded cheese. Served with the white dressing and sauces shown. I always need to mix the sauces and some of the "Palomino" salsa from the bar to get the flavor I want. Everything tastes good on its own, though.

I ordered the campechana coctele ($10.50). More than 16 whole, fresh cooked and chilled shrimp, a good portion of fresh cooked and chilled, tender octopus and at least one, maybe two chopped avocados in a wonderful tomato based sauce with cucumber. I tasted all the ingredients individually and only added hot sauce (and salsa) to the last half of the large, pretty solidly filled coctele bowl. Just for a variation.

This was a very refreshing meal. Hope you are getting through this heat wave.

Palomino's #2 9353 Clairmont Mesa Blvd., Suite I, 91911 (858)292-8470

Turning up the Heat Part 3 – Ba Ren

April 14, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Ba Ren has closed

Well finally….I guess it's about time I get around to this. In part 1, I posted on revisits to China Chef and Dede's. In part 2, it was a revists to Si Chuan Garden Spicy City, complete with the requisite drama. But what is there to say that I haven't covered in one of my many posts? To make things worse, after a while you kinda get in the habit of ordering the same thing on every visit.

I mean how many posts on Cold Chicken in Spicy Sauce, aka "Saliva Chicken" can one write?

Over the last few visits we've broken away, and ordered a couple of items we hadn't ordered before, or had ordered on previous visits and had not particularly cared for. Of course, after so many visits, I really don't break out the camera much anymore. But here are a few we took photos of.

Lamb with Green Pepper:

If you think this is bell peppers, you're in for a bit of a surprise. It's not super spicy, but the peppers are also a bit sweet, and have that familiar "green" flavor of bell pepper. The lamb was melt in your mouth tender, with a nice soy flavor.

On one of our recent visits, Wendy, the wonderful woman who runs the front of house, remembered I was Japanese. She told the Missus, that the several regular Japanese customers love this dish, Stir Fried Beef with Pickled Mustard Greens:

And I can see why, if you love Zha Cai, you'll love these….in fact, if you love Tsukemono, and the slightly bitter flavor of mustard greens, you'll love this. It is just mildly spicy, but full of savory flavor. One of these days we'll ask Wendy if they can make a version of this with lamb.

Like any restaurant, anywhere, not everything at Ba Ren is a home run for us. I recall one really nasty Bamboo Pith Fungus dish I had several years back….. And this Dried Fish with Eggplant dish will not make our rotation.

The eggplant was done perfectly, but the chewy slices of what I imagine is reconstituted fish was just salty, and not much more. The dish was flat, and lacked depth.

And I guess if there's any reason to do a post on Ba Ren, it's for the seasonal menu. We haven't had the chance to check out much of it yet, but heck….maybe another post after I do?

On this visit we had the first item on the menu, the cumin lamb ribs. Not much meat on this, but man the flavor! If you love gnawing on bones….and maybe having a Tsingtao or two.

And there's a new menu of hot pot dishes as well.

We ended up ordering the lamb hot pot…which was a pretty massive cauldron.

This was pretty spicy, and had a good amount of Sichuan Peppercorns and herbs….just like Huo Guo. There's more than enough to start a major "heat-buzz", but not enough to melt your stomach lining.

Within the writhing red liquid were large pieces of lamb(the braising portions), bean sprouts, shiitake mushrooms, and other stuff.

Some Napa Cabbage leaves, and vermicelli noodles were also provided to add even more "bulk" to the hot pot.

This was way too much food for the Missus and I.

A dipping sauce of minced garlic, sesame oil, and scallions was also provided. The drill was that you'd add a spoonful of the hot pot broth to the bowl, and utilize that as a dipping sauce.

One more important note……on our last visit, we noticed that Ba Ren had dropped the prices on most of their dishes by $1-$2! When we asked Wendy about the price drop, she told us, "it is because taxes have gone up, and the economy is tough.

Also on our last visit we realized something….. we've been coming here for about six years! It just seems like yesterday when I made that u-turn on Diane Avenue, and noticed that a new Chinese Restaurant had opened up. Time sure does fly!

Ba Ren
4957 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117