Closed – Page 80

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*** LV sandwiches has closed and has been replaced by Toan Ky, you can find a post here.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

View Larger Map

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

View Larger Map

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

View Larger Map

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.

View Larger Map

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

View Larger Map

Wal Mi Do Part 1 – Say hello to Sannakji

November 16, 2008 mmm-yoso Korean Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, yoso-silly

*** Wal Mi Do has closed

*** Part 2 of this post can be found here.

I noted in my brief post on Sam's reappearance at Walmido, that Sam had told me to drop by for dinner and he'd have a "surprise" for me. So recently, I did just that. It turned out to be an interesting night. My previous experience with Hwe (Hoe – raw) type dishes has been Hwe Dop Bop, and the occasional Kimbap (a roll). During my previous lunch time visit, I had a fairly quick meal of Hwe Dop Bop, chatted with Sam and hit the road……

But early on this evening, I arrived, in a much more relaxed state. I took in the rather small sushi bar (7 seats), and the large tank of live seafood residing right next to it.

As I took a seat, Sam and I exchanged pleasantries….and our usual share of jokes and insults….questions about family…conversation built up over years of patronage….

A few minutes later, a green salad, some edamame, and miso soup arrived. Sam clapped his hands together and said; "ok Kirk-san, are you ready?" At which point Sam walked out the side of the sushi bar, and back around the kitchen area, only to appear behind tank.

I started to say something about not bothering with the live abalone, it's not one of my favorite things, when I noticed it…. Sam, cracking up, said;" look Kirk-san, they know I'm coming, they're running away…" I made some feeble remark how quickly I'd get "out of Dodge" if I saw Sam's face peering at me through a piece of glass as well. Sam brought a little Octopus out of the tank, seething and wriggling out of the tank. After extricating it…or more appropriately removing his hands from the suckers of the baby Octopus, Sam placed in on a plate.

Sam told me, "I'll make it just the way I like it….salt and sesame oil." Ohhhhkay…..

You know, unlike the very talented and ever intrepid Eddie Lin(man, I love his writing), I don't seek this stuff out. But put it front of me, and I'll likely, with a few exceptions, eat it. It's a matter of respect and appreciation. Plus, Mom always said, "you have to try it once….if you don't like it, ok, but you must try it once….." Words of wisdom, if I've ever heard any. (Though I've paid sorely a few times over the years….)

Plus, Sam rambled on about his love for Sannakji, so you know I had to try it! I guess you could say, I've been "sucked in?"

And so here I was, beyond all the bad puns, peering at writhing segments of suction cups on a plate. The sesame seeds just made things look much more peculiar; pulsating, shiny, smelling of sesame oil…….

The flavor is very mild, and most of it came from the sesame oil and sea salt. Knowing the love that Korean's have for various textures, from the stretchy Naengmyun to the crust developed on a Dolsot (stone bowl), I can understand why they love this. It is the ultimate in a meaty-chewy texture, and it moves around in your mouth of it's own, semi-free will to boot! And if you thought peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth was problematic…….

It is a strange sensation…..you're trying to chew and swallow dinner, while dinner is fighting back in desperation…..it's the ultimate, "You kill me, I kill you right back" moment.

I did clean my plate……and only had to pull the little suckers off my teeth or the roof of my mouth a few times. I had a harder time separating the wriggling, pulsating segments. Not something I'll crave, but not terrible.

So, if you decide to have some Sannakji, tell Sam to make sure to get a "lively one"…and chew like heck! It is probably worth trying, and who knows, you may end up loving it. You'll never know unless you try it. And, I'm pretty sure that you can't get this anywhere else in San Diego.

If you thought this was interesting, stay tuned for part two, in which I learn a bit more about the differences between a Japanese Sushi bar, and a Hwe Restaurant. And we delve a bit deeper into the Korean love affair with chewy and crunchy textures.

Wal Mi Do
4367 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

View Larger Map

Kien Giang

November 3, 2008 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Kien Giang has closed

OK, I'm still suffering from major jet lag…yesterday, I got up at 4am, did chores, blah, blah, blah…..had an early breakfast/lunch at 10am, and decided to take a "short" nap which didn't quite turn out that way……my watch alarm went off at 330 pm…it was still set for 530 am Lao time. Boy is my butt dragging…..I must be making slug trails all over the house! Well enough about my jet lag. Here's one that's been on the back-burner for a while…..

Kien Giang is a small shop tucked away in the back of the same strip mall on the corner of 54th street and University that houses Vien Dong Market and Van Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant among others. It's easy to miss….

I had made a previous aborted attempt to grab a Banh Mi here about a year ago, but was dissuaded by the somewhat dilapidated shape the shop was in, and the huge swarm of winged beasts who would have devoured my Banh Mi faster than I could. And then there was the story from a good FOY (friend of Yoso) who once bit into her Banh Mi, only to crunch into a staple. Now I believe that women do need more iron in their diet….just not quite in that manner.

And yet, I like to believe that I'm a pretty open-minded individual, and it wo KienGiang03 uldn't be right for me to just write off Kien Giang just because of its appearance. Which of course led me to Kien Giang one cool weekend morning.

I arrived shortly after opening, and the gentleman manning the counter was quite nice. After perusing the menu, I decided to go with the Banh Mi Dac Biet (special – $3) just to get a feel for the style of sandwich the place made.

My sandwich was wrapped, and when opened looked to be in fine shape.

I found the bread to be a bit on the stale and crumbly side. There was good amount of pickled veggies, but the Cha Lua was cut very thin, and the Pate was tasteless. The Jam Bon (ham) was on the dry side, but had good flavor. Overall a very mediocre sandwich……and yet, a few weeks later I decided to return.

And got a Xiu Mai Banh Mi (meatball – $3). Now I don't know why I keep trying Xiu Mai Banh Mi…perhaps it's to find one that I enjoy as the version at Saigon Sandwiches.

This however, was another one of those fish sauce – tomato sauce versions. Not among my favorite things. The bread was again on the dry, slightly aged, side, and this was again a fairly mediocre sandwich. Which had me wondering; with all of the competition in the area, this place has been here for a while. So they must do something right. Can anyone shed some light?

Giang Kien Sandwich & Deli
5296 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

View Larger Map

Pete’s Meats- Italian Sandwiches on India Street

October 27, 2008 Cathy Italian Restaurants, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog. About food. Written mostly by Kirk with the help of ed (from Yuma) and Cathy. Kirk is in Thailand. Still. ed is in Yuma. Still. Read about Cathy's adventures.

Hi. Pete's Meats is -and has been- located in this nondescript storefront in Little Italy across from Filippi's. In this area of town with all the fancy Italian themed restaurants, Pete's is one of very few places I consider not pretentious and just good.

It used to be a butcher shop and a lot of the original shop paraphernalia is still inside-more to the back of the store.

There are usually two tables out in front.

Inside, pretty much as nondescript, as you can see from this view from one of the back tables.

The simple menu is right there-above the grill, in front of the barstools. Sandwiches- hot or mild sausage, meatball, steak, eggplant. Each $6.95. You can ask for half and half if you would like.

(There used to be a Spitini sandwich which is now covered over on the menu- veal and prosciutto, rolled around a mix of cheese, parsley, onions, tomatoes, pine nuts and currants: heaven. It always cost about $2 more than the other sandwiches, could not be gotten as a half sandwich and was wonderful…)

ANYHOW…This is a photo of half of an eggplant sandwich-grilled, thin sliced pieces of eggplant with grilled onions and peppers, some marinara and topped with Parmesan. Pete's Meats 002

This is a photo of half of a mild Italian sausage sandwich. The same fresh roll and toppings. The sausage is made in house and is *excellent* with the wonderful fennel that compliments the pork.

You can buy canned regular or diet Coke and bottled water as your beverage. That's it.

Limited menu. Done perfectly every time. A San Diego Institution.

Pete's Meats 1742 1/2 India Street San Diego 92101 (619)234-1684 Hours Mon-Sat 10-5, closed Sunday.

View Larger Map

Thai Style- In Santee

October 26, 2008 Cathy Thai Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Thai Style has closed, but remains a Thai Restaurant, the location of Sab-E-Lee, East

Welcome to mmm-yoso!!!, the blog about food. There have been some issues with Typepad (the blogging tool) this weekend and I apologize if things do not look the same. I am still blogging about things I have eaten.

Hi again. Cathy here. Kirk is still in Thailand and e-mailing me almost daily and I must admit I am not only envious, but *craving* Thai-spiced foods daily (when I am not craving Italian or Mexican spiced foods, anyhow). Thai Style I know people are critical of Thai food in San Diego and I am now reiterating that I blog about the taste of the food and if I like it or not.

Thai Style has been in Santee for about a year now, having moved from its El Cajon Boulevard at 70th location, where it had been a mainstay for many years. This makes it the second Thai restaurant in this East County city. Run by a very nice family- Joe, the husband (from the Lanna area of Northern Thailand) and His wife, Kham (from Laos), striving to make good quality Thai foods available for East county residents. Thai Style 009

The interior of this location is much larger than the old place, with seating for at least 46 people.

The interior is nicely decorated and there are two televisions inside, neither of which have been on when I have come here to eat in or take out.

Of course I always get hot tea to drink and here it is bagged jasmine.

We started out this dinner with Som Tum -papaya salad made with tomatoes, garlic, chili and lime juice, topped with peanuts. ($7.95). Of course you are asked what spice level you would like (1-5) and The Mister is having some issues with peppers of late and we asked for a "2" and it was still too hot for him and right on the edge of not being able to taste all of the ingredients for me.

I ordered the chicken larb (also at a level 2) ($8.95) and this was excellent, made with green and red onion, cilantro, mint, rice powder, chili and lime juice and served with a small cabbage wedge.

The Mister played it safe for himself and ordered the Rad Nah with beef ($8.95) -pan fried rice noodles with carrots, broccoli, garlic and a black bean based gravy.

The wide rice noodles were just a touch pan fried and slightly crispy and very nice. The sauce was excellent and complimented the beef.

I had to get the panang curry, because I really like it here.

A very rich, slightly sweet and spicy coconut based curry sauce with green beans, carrots, red and green bell peppers and basil.

Served with rice, of course.

There is a lunch menu, Mon-Fri served from 11a.m.-3 p.m. which are served with soup, a fried vegetable wonton, salad and rice (or noodles when appropriate) with prices from $7.95-$10.95

Thai Style Restaurant 9159 Mission Gorge Road Santee 92071 (619)328-1568

Lunch M-F 11-3, Dinner Mon-Fri 5-9 Sat Noon-9 closed Sunday website

View Larger Map