Closed – Page 76

Safari Grill

February 16, 2009 mmm-yoso Somali Restaurants

**** Safari Grill has closed

According to The Somali Family Service, San Diego has the second largest Somali Population in the country! Reading various websites puts the population in San Diego somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000. And I've heard the little stretch of University Avenue from Fairmont to 54th Street called "Little Mogadishu" by several folks. I have been fascinated by one little restaurant which I've passed many, many times. And on this day, the Missus was in the mood for something different ("how about something good for a change"). So we headed off to this little strip mall (what else?),on the corner of 50th street. Right next to Mini Ha Ha Market, and a Vietnamese Jeweler is Safari Grill.

And for us, it doesn't get much more different than Somali Cuisine. And yes, the window does say Mediterranean Cuisine. After looking for the menu, which doesn't exist, we determined that all items are listed by photos on the wall, and several "new" items are printed on the paper stapled to the "Please Pay Here" sign, probably a total of 11 in all. Needless to say, we walked in, and drew a bit of attention……

In case you thought you'd be getting anything resembling Ethiopian Injera here, you'd be out of luck.... I think. Somali's have a version called Canjeero, which is served as a breakfast dish. Here, at least on the menu, it is your meat (and let's just ignore the Gyro's ok), and either rice or pasta, spaghetti which they call baasto. The young man manning the counter, took our order, and we had a seat. I'd say this place was pretty darn clean, and we watched the staff constantly washing their hands.

Soon enough, this arrived at our table:

The water was great…but the banana? When we asked, the young man told us that bananas are often eaten with stews and meats. Like I say you constantly learn new things all the time.

I ordered one of the new dishes, the Stewed Goat Shoulder.

I loved the salad, which was very fresh, and was studded with tons of onions. The goat was very mild and on the dry side. The sauce on the side, which I can only describe as a garlicky chutney was really good.

What caught me off guard was the amount of rice:

At first I thought it was for both the Missus and I. But about five seconds later, the Missus's own plate of rice arrived.

We enjoyed the fluffy basmati rice, which had just enough spices to add character, without masking the flavor of the rice.

The Missus had ordered the Stewed Lamb.

The lamb was excellent, moist, tender, with a decent gamey flavor. The spices heigthened the flavors. And though the meat portions look small we were only able to finish half our meat and rice. I'd gladly have this again, unless I get waylaid. As we left the little restaurant had filled up with Somali men (I'm wondering if women don't eat in restaurants, a cultural thing?), and one of them was eating stewed chicken legs on rice that looked really good. Oh yes, the price? A total of $20…..not bad at all….

The service was very nice, the restaurant clean, and the Missus said the bananas did help to cleanse Her palate a bit. And we were taken a bit out of our comfort zone for a bit. What's not to like?

Safari Grill
4990 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

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Yum Cha Cafe

February 9, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Dim Sum

**** Yum Cha Cafe has closed

*** More on Yum Cha Cafe's Roast Duck and Chinese BBQ here and here.

As promised in this post, I've gotten my act together and put together my jumbo-sized Yum Cha Cafe Post. Since Yum Cha Cafe opened, we've been back a few times, during different times of the day.

The set-up is fast, and the ladies behind the counter smile and quickly wave you up to the counters.

There's the Chinese BBQ station, with the requisite items hanging.

The fried Dim Sum station, with the various offerings radiating the glow of the heat lamps.

And of course, the steamed items.

And here is where we start running into some of the little quirks about this location of Dim Sum Cafe. First it is a free-for-all, unlike the San Gabriel location where you pull numbers.(*** An update for 02/09/09 – guess what I saw today on my visit? They now have a number dispenser. But of course everyone was just ingoring the thing and walking straight up to the counter to order!) So during prime time, get those shin guards and flak jackets on. As FOY "PaulL" noted in an email to me, "Not to be rude but what a fire drill." It is not a real big problem during slow times, but man, some of those older ladies "take no prisoners". Still, the women behind the counters (and there is an army of 'em) are very nice and helpful, which leads us to point two; depending on who you get, you may have some problems if you speak neither Cantonese or Vietnamese. So for many of us, it is a point to get what you want, which is not a big deal. OK, you got your steamed dumplings, and the fried stuff looks mighty good, so let's get some. This is point three, fried is fried, and steamed is steamed, and never the twain shall meet. In other words, this is another station, with another crew, and there may, or may not be a "hand-off". Same with the Chinese BBQ. Say you survive, you've got everything you wanted all piled on one of those bright orange trays. Point four, the cashier is a separate station! During certain times, there may be a bit of chaotic bottleneck of sorts. Even though there are three registers, only one may be open. Once, when only one register was open, a huge mass of humanity, was gathered in front of the harried, but still cheerful cashier, who, with orange trays lined from one end of the counter to the other, on both sides, started just holding trays up for folks to identify, step up, and pay! Sometime during the chaos, someone else purchased my chicken feet, et al. Another time, my Hainan Chicken Rice left the building without me, I'm assuming incognito, or perhaps under cover of darkness…… Still, more often than naught, you'll leave the building, or sit at one of the tables, which have already hit a level of "San Gabriel stickiness" in just a little over a week (they must bottle the stuff now), and munch away.

You may be asking yourself, if this is worth all the aggravation. Depending on your timing, and/or mind set, it can be kinda fun….in the "wow, that was somewhat invigorating, so long I don't have to it everyday" kind of way. One other key point, once you've experienced and understand the (fire) drill, you can get out of the place in a matter of minutes. Oh, and did I mentioned the prices? Dim Sum is broken into 2 price categories, category 'A' goes for $1.39, 'B' for $1.79. Put into those terms…..

OK, enough with all the details, let's have some Dim Sum. This version of Chaozou dumpling ($1.79), was bleh. Lousy wrappers, and tough pork. Though I can say, I've had worse at a few Dim Sum places in San Diego.

The "Pan Fried" Chicken Dumplings ($1.79), however…..

Were a bit of a surprise. These looked like really bad "buffet style" dumplings, and indeed the wrapper was a bit hard, but the filling was very tasty.

Chicken and Sticky Rice wrapped in Lotus Leaf ($1.79). Man this was quite a bit of food. Decent lotus leaf flavor, a bit on the dry side, but passable. One good thing about Yum Cha Cafe is that almost everything is quite hot when you get it.

This monstrosity is called the House Special Bun ($1.39).

It is pretty large, and is filled with several large pieces of Lap Cheong (Chinese sausage), and a slice of boiled egg. The Missus thought the bun was much too sweet, and the bottom of the steamed bun was a bit soggy.

The Missus likes the Chicken Feet ($1.39), I think it's Her favorite item from Yum Cha Cafe. On this occasion they were piping hot, plump, moist, with a decent flavor.

The Shrimp Siu Mai ($1.39), was pretty good on this occasion. Nice shrimp flavor, still hot, decent texture.

But on another occasion, the filling had a strong cornstarch flavor to it.

Steamed shrimp dumplings ($1.79). These were very good. I got them early on a Sunday morning. They were hot, and full of shrimp flavor.

I also bought some Shrimp and Chive steamed dumplings ($1.79).

And though I thought the wrapper to be a bit too chewy, the flavor was right on the button. As you can see by the photo to the right, there was a good amount of shrimp in these.

The Stuffed Tofu($1.79) was pretty blah.

The Steam Chicken Bun ($1.39).

Had but a smear of filling, which was on the bland side, and the bottom of the steamed bun was a soggy mess.

The Missus managed to snag some Cheong Fun with Dried Shrimp ($1.79). And it was surprisingly good.

As you can tell, it was missing the sauce. But here's another surprise, it's not soy sauce in those bottles, it's the sauce for the Cheong Fun! Nice surprise here…..

I had been hesitant to try any of the deep fried stuff….heat lamps, and sitting around does not make for great stuff. But I had been itching to try the "Golden Seaweed Roll" ($1.79).

And texture wise it was just as I thought, pretty limp and soggy. I did however, really like the shrimp filling, which was well flavored. If these come out of the fryer when you visit, it may be worth a try.

On another visit, I tried the Char Siu Bao ($1.39). And proving that timing is everything, this was perfectly steamed, no sogginess. Perhaps a bit short on the filling, and yes, the bun is maybe a tad too sweet. Still not bad.

I also tried the Pork Siu Mai ($1.39), which had just come out, and it was good. The Har Gow($1.39) suffered from wrappers that were too thick and chewy. Sorry, no photos, by this time my trigger finger was pretty fatigued.

Still have doubts about trying this place out? How about this. You can purchase all of the dim sum mentioned above, including the Siu Mai and Har Gow, for $24.05 without tax! That's fifteen servings of dim sum. I could make you really depressed and say it would cost you just $18.05 in San Gabriel, but why go there.

I realize this post is approaching the herniation point, but just a few more things.

There's a door to Thuan Phat Market conveniently located to one side of the restaurant. Nice, except that later in the afternoon, some of the more unpleasant fragrances makes its way into Yum Cha Cafe. It doesn't bother me much, but I thought I'd mention that. Also, I've found that the various dishes are much better in the mornings most of the time.

On one of my visits, I noticed a Caucasian Woman standing in the corner looking a bit distressed. She was a bit overwhelmed by the craziness (it was very busy that morning). Feeling bad for her, I stopped by and told her, to just "go for it, and get in there. You might have some fun." And so might you….

Yum Cha Cafe
6933 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Open Daily: 8am-8pm

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Yum Cha Cafe – A brief look…..

January 31, 2009 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

**** Yum Cha Cafe has closed

It seems that a whole bunch of FOYs (Friends of Yoso) have been on "Yum Cha Cafe watch". A few days back, FOY Trent email'd me saying that he saw equipment being moved into the space….and like a good YCC groupie, I was there that afternoon to take a photo.

Walking up to the window, I peered at the menu…..and felt funny. This was getting a bit out of hand. There's a fine line between groupie and stalker. So I backed a-waaay from the window, leaving behind the gathered condensation left by my nose and hands, walked away, and decided to tuck Yum Cha Cafe back into the far reaches of my mind.

Until……. I received an email from another FOY, Fred, who informed me that Yum Cha Cafe was open. A perfect storm had formed. I had gone in to work at 6am and been so busy that I skipped lunch, I was hungry, the Missus had also been "shopping" so She had skipped lunch. Yum Cha Cafe here we come…..

There are two ways of ordering…you can either fill in one of the order sheets and hand it to someone….or elbow your way in line and order from one of the ladies, who may hand you off to another lady, who in turn, will pass you off to the cashier. One other thing, Vietnamese is the language of choice for many of the employees at this location of Yum Cha Cafe.

Compared to the San Gabriel location, the prices here are about 40 cents to a dollar more here in San Diego.

And there was a full complement of Chinese BBQ, but no Rice Porridge today.

Yum Cha Cafe in San Gabriel serves up decent quality food at good prices, how would the new San Diego location hold up? Well…… we'd like to make a few more visits, so you'll have to wait for a bit. But that means that you be able to visit, and form your own opinions, right?

But just as a tease, here's some chicken feet ($1.39):

I'm showing these with the express purpose of tempting FOY and fellow food blogger CAB.

I think the Missus kinda enjoyed these…

Even though the prices here are 40% higher than LA, the Missus and I filled up for a total (including tax) of $8.78. And because great minds think alike, I think we saw Cathy's Husband (The Mister) walking into the place as we were driving out!

Yum Cha Cafe
6933 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Open Daily: 8am-8pm

Wandering Chopsticks writes about the San Gabriel location of Yum Cha Cafe in this post.

Ka Ti Thai Cuisine

January 28, 2009 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants

**** Ka Ti Thai has closed

I was driving past Montgomery Field on Aero Drive, when I noticed a tiny sign posted on the grass in front of one of those non-descript grey colored strip malls. Craning my head to read it, I almost drove right off the road! Sheesh, if you thought texting or cell phones were major driving hazards…… But there was a payoff for my pulled neck muscle. The sign read "Thai Food". I took a right on Glen Curtiss Road, and another right onto Gibbs Drive, which, along with running parallel to Aero, is the only way you'll get in to the parking lot of these strip malls.

And lo' and behold, what was once a pizza shop, was now a Thai Restaurant! In the oddest of locations. Unfortunately, the place was closed.

Luckily, I found myself in the area around lunchtime several days later. I parked and entered the tiny restaurant.

The first thing I noticed was the decor………wow, lot's of lace. It looked more like a Southern Tea Room than a Thai Restaurant.

I had spied a list of Lunch Specials ranging in price from $6.95 to $8.95 on the billboard outside.

I was greeted, and seated by a smiling Young Lady and was handed the menu. I was positively famished so I ordered a few items.

I started with the Som Tom (Papaya Salad – $7.95). In keeping with the S(tandard) O(perating) P(rocedure), I was asked for a "heat level". My reply of "Thai spicy please", was met with a gasp, an uncomfortable smile, and a "please, one moment". At which time the young lady, scurried to the kitchen. I could overhear a discussion, and there was some moving noises…perhaps preparing the defibrillator, and maybe the fire extinguisher? The Server returned, and obviously concerned with my survival, verified that I indeed wanted my Papaya Salad spicy. After reaffirming my commitment to chilies, she gladly placed my order.

The Som Tom arrived, nice, bright, and fresh. The young lady thoughtfully included some extra napkins for me, which came in very handy. As for the salad itself, it was very "HWOP", that would be "hot with out pungency". I enjoyed the sweat inducing spiciness, as well as the good amount of tart-sour lime in the dish, but there was a lack of fish sauce; and no other component (dry shrimp, salted crab) to add that umami bang to the dish.

I also ordered the Spicy Noodles with Chicken (lunch special price – $6.95). It arrived looking pretty good.

This was pretty much a drunken noodles type of dish. The chicken was moist and soft. The noodles sorely needed a bit of "wok hay" as it presented itself as flaccid edging on mushy. The dish was very tamarind heavy, making it too tart….. you know the phrase, "too much of a good thing….." The heat level was decent. I took my leftovers home, and the Missus had a taste of it, and responded with a "whoa……..puckery." Still, the service was very friendly, and I wanted to give this place another shot.

So, with the Missus occupied for the evening, I dropped by Ka Ti for take-out. I had wanted Nahm Tok, but they were out, so instead I went with the Marinated Pork Ribs ($12.95). Which, according to the menu, were pork ribs marinated in Coca-Cola. While waiting for my order, I heard the microwave pinging, not once, but three times, which did not bode well for my meal. When I arrived home and removed the plastic cover from my tray, this is what greeted me:

The ribs looked very pale, I had expected something with more caramelization. The flavor was very reminiscent of braised sweet-sour pork, and was not bad. The texture of the ribs were very soft, too soft, again much like something braised. My first thought was that they could have just used pork shoulder with a Coca-Cola braise and achieved something better than this for less. The veggies were very routine broccoli and carrots. I was provided with a good sized container of Jasmine Rice as well.

You know, I like the staff at Ka Ti, they are warm and pleasant folks from just outside Bangkok. I want them to do well, especially in this location. But I found the food to be mediocre Americanized Thai, though I've done much worse, and paid much more for Thai in San Diego. Still, this is the best, if not the only Thai for at least a mile, and adds more diversity to what is offered around Serra Mesa.

Ka Ti Thai Cuisine
8690 Aero Drive #114
San Diego, CA 92123

Open Mon – Fri – 9am – 7pm

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LV Sandwiches and Restaurant

January 22, 2009 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** LV sandwiches has closed and has been replaced by Toan Ky, you can find a post here.

While I was paying too much attention to the opening of Thuan Phat Market and the soon to open Yum Cha Cafe, LV Sandwiches opened right under my nose last week.

LV Sandwiches has opened in the spot formerly occupied by Le's.

We'd have never noticed except for the grand opening sign….

And buy 2 sandwiches, get 1 free is a great deal in my book!

Other than the sandwich menu, not much has changed.

And the restaurant has kept Le's Vietnamese-Chinese-Thai menu, along with the mediocre food, like this combination Com Tam. Underwhelming and overpriced at $7.95.

I had never been a big fan of Le's, and holding over the old menu items, which seem to number in the hundreds….

But of course we were here for the sandwiches! On our first visit, things were a bit disorganized, but the folks, and especially the woman who looked to be running the place were very nice. We had a seat, and ate our sandwiches inside the restaurant. Of course the Missus ordered the Banh Mi Bi (shredded pork – $2.75):

The Bi was mildly flavored, but on the dry side, I likened it to eating sawdust. The bread on the other hand was good, warm, crusty, but not hard, and airy. Instead of slicing the baguette in half, adding margarine, than toasting, creating what I call the "crouton effect" (I'm sure we all love croutons…but try chewing on a baguette sized crouton and attempt to preserve the skin lining your mouth), LV toasts the whole baguette. Also, as we were to find later, eating in, has its benefits.

Strangely, the Missus ordered the Banh Mi Chay (vegetarian – $2.75):

Turning over a new leaf for the New Year? hmmm… When our sandwiches arrived, they were cut in half for consumption……and I really couldn't figure out what this was. It tasted pretty darn good….with not a hint of the usual deep fried tofu, nor "plastic meat" in sight. There was some nice flavor, the addition of fried shallots and garlic gave the Banh Mi a nice kick. What was the most surprising, and impressive was the quality of the "faux" Cha Lua (defatted pork sausage – think bologna!!!). The texture was pretty good, and it didn't have an artificial flavor. When we inquired about this, we were told that they make their own "mock meat" in house. The Missus had found Her favorite at LV.

We took the Dac Biet (Special – $3.25) home with us.

I was surprised at the amount of meat in this sandwich. The Thịt Nguội (Ham – Jambon) was lean, and the Cha Lua had a mild smokiness to it. I believe they make this inhouse as well. The Pate had a strong livery "funkiness"to it, which ranks up there with BaLe on University, but went well in this sandwich. The bread had gotten chewy, and the crust hard by the time I arrived home. Still, we had gotten 3 sandwiches for a tad over $6. A great deal in these cash-strapped times.

A day later, the Missus wanted another Banh Mi Chay, so in addition to the Dac Biet, I got a Trung Lap Xuong (Egg and Lap Cheong – $3.25):

Not much in the egg front, but a lot of sliced sausage. The sweetness of the sausage, along with the pickled vegetables was a nice combination.

And soon enough, it was another day, another Banh Mi Chay for the Missus. This time we decided to have our sandwiches at the restaurant. And we verified that the sandwiches were much, much better eaten ASAP. The bread for each of the sandwiches were a bit different quality wise. The Missus's was a bit more mealy, close to getting stale.

While the bread for the Banh Mi Xiu Mai (meatball – $2.75), was a bit better, it seemed to have some mileage on it.

The ground pork was very rich, almost oily, and combined with the Pate sent the sandwich into pungent overdrive. It was a bit much for the Missus, and was too rich for me. Even the pickled vegetables, which are cut a bit on the thicker side, and tend toward the sour side of the spectrum, didn't cut the richness.

The bread for the Banh Mi Ba Chi (cured pork belly – $2.75), was about as good as it gets in San Diego. Light, and pulling almost to the flaky, instead of overly crusty, this was some good bread. We still miss the airy baguettes we had in Vietnam. For us, they seem more suited to the Banh Mi, than the dense and heavy baguettes we sometimes encounter.

I didn't enjoy the tough and stringy cilantro in this particular sandwich. T LVSandwich14 he pork belly was very mild in flavor, and it was almost all texture. The Missus though the texture was similar to eating raw bacon. And though I really enjoy some versions of this sandwich, I had to agree with Her.

So what's to like at LV? First off, they aren't heavy handed in the use of Mayo and margarine. Second, I like the Thịt Nguội and Cha Lua. Third, when the bread is right…it is right. Fourth, the folks here are really nice. Fifth, the sandwiches have much more flavor than their "Gringo-ized" brethren. Sixth:

Can you really beat buy 2 get one free?? And it's not like Paris Bakery where you have to get all Dac Biet. So check them out………

LV Sandwiches and Restaurant
6925 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Did you think we ate enough Banh Mi????

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A Burger Week Epilogue: Urban Solace

January 18, 2009 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Burgers

**** Urban Solace has closed

Urban Solace has become one of the Missus's favorite restaurants. So it's probably about time I did a post. You can get a pretty good feel for the restaurant from the many food blog posts out there, by Alice Q Foodie, Clayfu , Gil, and Beth. And though I've not been "wowed" by some of the items I've tasted in the past (such as a really greasy and salty pastrami), I've long coveted the burger. It just looks great arriving at the table. So burger week provided a great opportunity.

I like the dining area at US, the ceiling height, colors, and lighting strike a nice balance. The menu consists of what Urban Solace calls "New American Comfort Food", basically American food with a twist, like the "Duck-a-roni".

As much as I wanted to complete this post, it almost did not see the light of day. On this visit, we sat out in the courtyard, and the bright sunlight and the surroundings ended up giving all my photos an orange hue. But in the end, here I was all dressed up and nowhere to go…..

On this visit we started with a favorite of the Missus, an order of the Cheese Biscuits ($4.25):

Personally, I'd prefer a bit more cheese flavor, or any flavor, to my biscuits, as these are very mild in flavor. I like the texture of these, they are moist, and soft, without getting to close to foccacia, and also have a nice mildly crisp (though not very flaky) "crust" that does not head into "scone-land". My personal preference is for the salty over the sweet, so I'd have preferred a really nice and light butter, rather than the overly sweet and salty Orange Honey Butter that is provided, though I can understand that this would be a good compromise for some…….

So of course I had the burger, which, like many of the menu items are plain, downright reasonable in price ($9.25). I was asked how I wanted my burger, which was medium, and hey, for once, my burger arrived "medium". I had pretty much written off the perfunctory ritual of asking how you want your burger done, as just "shibai", so it was nice to have my faith restored.

As AliceQFoodie notes, the burger comes fully dressed, with a mild cheddar, thousand island dressing, and the produce. The bun had a mild and pleasant sweetness to it, but it was too large upsetting the meat to bun ratio. This burger had a bit too much dressing, which overpowered the flavor of the beef. And, because it seemed that the burger had either not been rested, or had been brushed with a ton of butter, the combination of the dressing and the "juices" just made the bottom bun turn into mush in addition to making the whole thing seem a bit too rich and oily….a bit more acid would help cut the richness. I scraped some of this off, so I could taste the burger, which had a pleasant beefy flavor.

As for the sweet potato fries, they are delicious, but arrive limp, wrinkled, and seemingly on the edge of rigor mortis, which makes eating them less pleasurable. The only semi-crisp sweet potato fries I've ever had or made, were baked, so I think Urban Solace would do just fine with regular fries, which I'm sure they'd pull off well.

The Missus ordered Her current favorite at Urban Solace, the Chicken and Dumplings, which at $15.95 was one of the more expensive items on the lunch menu.

I'm not a big fan of Chicken and Dumplings, so I'll just say, nice, tender and moist chicken, too much cream, and waaaay too much salt. And even though the Missus has been known to body slam a Moose to get to its salt lick, she ended up drinking 2 bottles of water on the way home. I'm sure She'll still order this again the next time.

The service at Urban Solace was very nice on this visit. Except for one strange thing. It seems like our Server has an interesting concept of "personal space". He really didn't want to get near us….to the point that I checked to make sure my 12 hour deodorant hadn't hit hour 13. He placed every dish on the opposite side of the table from us. So we had to stretch over the table to get our food. Nothing bad….just a bit odd.

As you'll notice from the menu on Urban Solace's Website, the prices a very reasonable.

Urban Solace Restaurant
3823 30th Street
San Diego, CA 92104

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The Better Half: Stressed Economy Special

December 21, 2008 ed fromyuma European Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Kirk and Cathy, as always, are eating and thinking about sharing their meals with you. Today, however, it is ed (from Yuma) discussing a recent meal he had in San Diego.

[The stressed economy wasn’t special for this place – sadly, it’s now closed.]

After a few days of eating Thai Vietnamese Korean sushi (no, not at the same time), I was looking for something different. I also had discovered that The Better Half was offering, between 5 and 7 p.m., a stressed economy special, three courses for $15.

The restaurant actually occupies two buildings linked by an outside patio, which is where the hostess greets customers. On the left side is the small kitchen, visible from the street, which offers a view of the chefs working hard on their preparations:

On the right is the two-room dining area:

It is modestly, but tastefully decorated, and the track lighting allows small lamps to focus on each table top:

As you can already tell, this tasteful lighting does not make for the best photographs, so let me apologize in advance for the quality of the pictures in this post.

I had another reason for this visit. I was in San Diego by myself this trip, and the thought of having dinner and a half bottle of wine (The Better Half specializes in 375 ml bottles) seemed inviting. In fact, I was very impressed with the wine list; I had no idea that such a wide variety of excellent wines were available in smaller bottles. Wines on the list ranged from $14-$91, with many choices between 15 and 25. I settled on a Pinot Noir from Paraiso Vineyards ($22), located in the Santa Lucia Highlands area in northern Monterey County, a winery that I was already familiar with from my days in Monterey:
I had already looked over the standard menu and was prepared to order the fruit stuffed quail, accompanied by a wild mushroom risotto, if nothing on the special menu was inviting. But the economy menu insert offered all sorts of tasty dishes, a choice of salad or wild mushroom soup as a first course, grilled mahi-mahi in cilantro sauce, wild game meat loaf with mashed potatoes, or Cornish game hand hen with rice pilaf for a second choice, and some tasty desserts for the third. I could have eaten any of the choices happily.

After I ordered, a large whole-wheat and fig dinner roll was brought to the table. I could smell its arrival as the aroma of warm bread filled my nostrils:

Accompanied by lightly herbed whipped unsalted butter, this was a perfect start:

Soon my wild mushroom soup arrived. Okay, to be more accurate, a soup plate arrived with a small pile of sliced sautéed wild mushrooms sitting by themselves on the bottom of the dish. For a moment I was puzzled — this was like no soup I had ever seen before — and then the friendly and helpful waitperson poured a dark grayish brown liquid from a metal teapot into the bowl. It looked like this, only much more inviting:

Perhaps the best mushroom soup I have ever eaten. The sautéed wild mushrooms added a bit of texture to the creamy broth. The primary flavors were Portobello and wild mushroom, accented perfectly by the flavor of sherry. The wine note served much like a squeeze of citrus into a rich soup, complexifying the savory breadth of the overall flavor.

Soon after I finished with the soup, the main course arrived. I had chosen the game hen with the pilaf:

The bird was roasted perfectly, still wonderfully moist and tinged slightly pink at its innermost joints. The flavor was straight forward without many herbs or any marinade. Good basic roast fowl.

The pilaf was the star of the plate. The flavor was rich and deep. I could taste both the wonderful stock in which the pilaf was cooked, as well as the flavors of the grains. The range of textures was amazing. The white rice and orzo (rice shaped pasta) were soft; the wild rice and wheat berries were chewy; and the sliced almonds added a perfect touch of crunchiness. Some chopped scallions added color:

The meal ended with a large scoop of excellent strawberry ice cream accompanied by mint leaves:

By the standards of a pho house this was an expensive dinner. But for fine dining, and this truly was fine dining by any standard, the meal was a bargain. And truth be told, I have spent far more than this at Sakura. Far more. Kirk will no doubt remind me that the meal would have been extremely cheap if I had drunk water instead of Pinot Noir (and The Better Half has a nice choice of bottled waters as well as tapwater). Oh well, if price were the only issue, I would be chomping down at McDonald’s Dollar menu. 🙂

The Better Half, 127 University Ave, San Diego, CA 92103, (619) 543-9340

Osaka Kitchen Returns

December 16, 2008 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

*** Sorry to say Osaka Kitchen has closed once again

I nearly caused a major pile-up on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard….. while heading East, I took a quick glance at the strip mall right before Shogun Kobe, which includes Suzuya, and had to do a double take!

Was Osaka Kitchen really back? Had the Sushi Deli empire been pushed back to Hillcrest and the Gaslamp? I made a U-turn, and saw for myself. First thought thru my cabeza, "wow, this is great!" Second thought, "you dork, why didn't you notice this before?"

That evening I coerced the Missus into grabbing a quick bite at Osaka Kitchen. I noticed that menu had changed a bit…. long gone were the Izakaya type dishes. This menu was much more abbreviated, though many of the better items like the Menchi Katsu, Omurice, Mayonnaise Shogayaki (Mayo Ginger Pork) were still on the menu.

For some reason, the Missus ordered stuff from the Sushi Menu…. and even though I warned Her, "I think these are items left over from the Sushi Deli menu……" She still ordered it. The Hamachi Hand Roll ($2.90) and the Salmon Skin Hand Roll ($2.50):

In a single word; yuck….. I'm still trying to erase this from my memory, as is the Missus.

I wasn't very hungry either, and went with the Beef Curry Udon ($7.75):

This was not bad….. a bit thinner than I remembered, and perhaps saltier. But there was still some nice heat, even with the curry flavor watered down a tad. The beef was tough. I always enjoyed the Udon noodles here, they always were cooked well….nice stretch, decent bite. And it did a decent job of hitting the spot on a cold night.

I had noticed the specials on the wall, Sujinegiyaki (beef -green onion okonomiyaki), and a few other items. So I returned for lunch. Apparently, I hadn't been paying much attention on my previous visit, as I found, that just like their previous incarnation, Osaka Kitchen is basically a Teriyaki – Rice Bowl kind of place for lunch. Still, I'd be happy with some Chicken Karaage. Until I was waylaid by the very nice and peppy Server, who put this in front of me:

And I'm not sure what happened, but I ordered the December special ($6.50):

Granted, this was a lot of food, and without a doubt worth $6.50. But mass produced gyoza! I've never been a fan of the heavy mayo salad dressing that Osaka Kitchen serves. And I couldn't remember the last time I had a California Roll….. The rice was on the dry side, and the vegetable tempura was terribly bland as was the tentsuyu (tempura dipping sauce), though it was served hot. The shrimp tempura was nice, and the flavor brought back memories of what Mom used to make. The batter was fine, a medium-heavy tempura batter.

The teriyaki pork was okay, a bit on the tough side, but edible. This teriyaki sauce is slightly heavier on the ginger, and not as sweet as many. Which is something I kind of enjoy. It does seem as if Osaka Kitchen was not quite the restaurant it used to be. But I was determined….. next time, it's Mayonnaise Shogayaki, or some similar fascimile or bust!!

Osaka Kitchen
5447 Kearny Villa Road
San Diego, CA 92123

Lunch:
Monday – Friday 11am – 2pm

Dinner:
Monday – Saturday 530pm – 10pm

Closed on Sundays

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El Sol Mexican Restaurant

December 11, 2008 mmm-yoso Burgers, Mexican Restaurants

**** El Sol has closed

Claims of the best burger in San Diego are spoken by the patrons of this little shop on University, just North of Park Boulevard.

The Owner, whose claim to fame is making burgers for former President Clinton at his former place of employment(Danny's Palm Bar), runs this little Mom and Pop shop with a menu full of variety. Serving everything from Chimichangas and Quesadillas, to Veggie Burgers.

The cozy interior is full of knick-knacks and memorabilia, much of which follows "the Sun" (El Sol) motif:

You can figure out what I ordered….. a burger of course. Hamburger with Cheese and Onion Rings($7.99). First up came some chips and salsa:

Nothing special, but for free so who's going to complain?

I ordered some Iced Tea, and for $2.50 expected a large glass……but got a full glass, and a pitcher.

And a Tecate six pack holder also arrived at the same time with the various dressings….mustard, mayo, salsa, etc… nice job of "recycling".

And soon enough my burger arrived.

The onion rings were a 100% pure Sysco-fied, and no big deal. The lettuce, tomato, and pickles are provided on the side, and just as with the iced tea, and dressings, you can add what you desire. Freedom of choice reigns supreme here.

The bun for the burger had been placed on the grill, and was a bit dried out. The cheese was also very mundane. The burger had an interesting taste….mildly peppery, and you could definitely taste the oregano. I found the burger to be dry, and on the mealy side…. I think it had been pressed pretty hard on the griddle, and much of the juices had escaped.

Maybe not the best burger in San Diego, but not too bad. What about Bill Clinton? Well, you gotta remember that 'ol Bubba loved his McDonalds burgers…… Still, not bad.

I returned a few weeks later, earlier in the day, and decided to grab some breakfast. This time I went with the Nopales and Eggs ($5.99). Nopalitos are the prepared pads of the prickly pear cactus.

This was, in essense, a Nopalito Scramble, and was quite a bit of food. From the salsa and pickled carrots and peppers, a bit too mild fo my taste. To the beans, of which a whole plate was provided…. lots of bulk, but a bit short on the salt end.

However, the eggs were not short on salt……

And though the Nopalitos were canned, and much of the mild tartness was gone, the flavor was very much like green beans. I like the way this was cooked, not too runny, and not dry. A perfect amount of salt was used. The corn tortillas were packaged mass produced, but I expected as much.

In the end, this was a lot of food, and bang-for-the-buck, this was well worth the $5.99.

While you may not experience any culinary epiphanies at El Sol, you get a pretty good value for your money. I consider it a pretty solid Mom-and-Pop eatery. I'm still trying to figure out what a "Nayarit Burger" is…….

El Sol Mexican Restaurant
2037 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Open 9am – 9pm Daily.

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Mr Dumpling

December 1, 2008 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

*** Mr Dumpling has closed

Ever since PedMa and MrC mentioned that a restaurant called Mr Dumpling was opening up, the Missus & I kept tabs on the place during our trips to 99 Ranch Market. We both found the location, on Convoy Court, away from Clairemont Mesa Boulevard to be a bit strange.

But the Owners have done a really nice job with the place, from the very clean and uncluttered interior, to the orchids adorning the patio. Mr Dumpling the restaurant, does not resemble what I'd imagine a "Mr Dumpling" to look like.

The tables are covered with crisp white tablecloths, and the earthy tones, are quite nice and relaxing. Of course, the Missus couldn't help but say, "of course it's nice, they just opened up….give it a couple of years."

The menu looked like a scattershot of various Mainland Chinese dishes, everything from Mapo Dofu and Hunan Dofu, to of course, Jiaozi. The array of offerings did cause some head-scratching, but we're pretty familiar with the Chinese clean-cafe-eatery, phenomenon in LA. Actually, this is not isolated to Chinese cuisine, FOYs, Beach, Chubbypanda, and I had discussed this with regards to Vietnamese Restaurants in Little Saigon as well. Even a brief discussion would take up several posts, so I'll pass on that subject this time around.

Back to Mr Dumpling. We were informed that the "Chef" is from Shandong, which helped to give the Missus and I bearings with regards to ordering. While perusing the menu, we encountered our first mildly disturbing "sign", our pot of tea was delivered….. with the tea bag label sticking out of the pot. That single teabag tag sticking out of the top of the teapot just seemed out of place, and in stark contrast with the surroundings.

We started with a dish that the Missus has been eating since a young child – The Shanghai style Smoked Fish (Su Shih Hsun Yuu ), the price ($9.95) was a bit startling, but it's a dish that we can't help but order everywhere we go. It is a Shanghainese dish, but one that is very popular in Shandong.

This was just wrong on so many levels; first, this was a very, very, small portion(for $10)….check out the tines of the fork for comparison. Second, there was none of that sweet-5 spice flavor that is the hallmark of his dish. Third, the type of fish was wrong….the texture was too meaty, and tasteless, like really bad albacore tuna. Click on any of the links above the photo, and you'll see what we were expecting. The Missus's maternal Grandmother was master of this dish, and Her Fifth Aunt, who is the best cook in the family, carries on the tradition. My Mother-In-Law believes the version at Chin's, is spot on. I dunno what this was, but it sure wasn't Shanghai Smoked Fish. We'd have been satisfied if this wasn't a classic rendition of the dish, and had some redeeming qualities, but this was plain bad.

The next dish to arrive was something whose very mention can cause the Missus's mouth to water; Dezhou Pa Ji – (Dezhou Style Braised Chicken, $6.99). Dezhou a city located in Northwest Shandong, is well known for their braised chicken. This dish evokes so many deep-seated memories, that the Missus wrote Her one and only post on it.

The dish arrived, steaming hot…..but the skin was dry…..microwaved perhaps? All the Missus's hopes were dashed after one bite. Again, this was bland, with just a hint of flavor, which was more like soy-sauce chicken than Dezhou Pa Ji.

Alas, this meal was not going very well from the food standpoint. The service however, was very attentive, our plates changed, and our water refilled. Soon a tray of vinegar and soy sauce was placed at our table.

This last dish we ordered, if good, would make the entire meal worthwhile. If there is just one item that immediately comes to mind when the very word Shandong is uttered, it would be Jiaozi. Over the years, I've come to understand what an important role Jiaozi plays in the Northern Chinese household.

We ordered "Mr Dumpling's Special Dumplings" ($6.99).

First off, these dumplings took 40 minutes to get to us. I really didn't mind, I had mental pictures of fresh dough being made, rolled out, and formed by hand to order, floating through my head. Well, this didn't quite deliver, the filling, a combination of pork-shrimp-chives, had decent flavor. But the dough was hard, noodle-like, tearing instead of having any pull. As the Missus says, "it's all about the wrapper". From that end, this was pretty mediocre. Again with the Missus: "this place makes Dumpling Inn seem more like Dumpling King." We had thoughts when initally looking over the menu, of seeing what the food was like, and than ordering more; a strategy that I'm glad we took.

For us, the food at Mr Dumpling didn't live up to the decor, service, and price. Driving home we were trying to figure out what was going on. Perhaps the Chef was new to the various ingredients sourced in the US? I'm going to give this place a long rest, I hope the food improves…..

Silver Lining Note: The Missus felt so bad for me after this meal. So She decided to come out of Her self-imposed Jiaozi "retirement". I had Shrimp and Chive dumplings the next day!!

Mr Dumpling
7250 Convoy Ct
San Diego, CA 92111

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