Closed – Page 86

Indigo Cafe- a healthier alternative and tasty too!

September 13, 2007 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog, which never goes on vacation. Kirk however is on vacation. This is Cathy, blogging about what I ate.

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening. Hope you day is going well so far.

There is a place The Mister and I have been meaning to try- but they are only open until 5 p.m. and we are always in this mall after 6 p.m. and merely read the menu taped on the door. We got ourselves together and met for a late lunch the other day and really liked it.

Indigo Cafe and Catering. Near the Registrar of Voters office and in the same parking lot as Palominos and Giovanni's. It bills itself as a " healthier alternative" but makes no other claims. The menu items are not fried and have 'lite' dressings and sauces.

The Mister had the soup and half sandwich ($5.95). He chose the black bean tortilla soup: This is the small size and it was quite enough. A nice tomato base, rich and thick. Chunky not fully blended black beans. A nice spice-heat hit…and served with crackers..no tortilla strips.

He chose the half tuna salad sandwich ( you can choose any of the sandwiches from the menu). It is made with a dill mayonnaise that is very good and served with lettuce and tomato on a nice whole grain bread/roll. The bread was not chewy or heavy. Excellent flavors.

For the first time in my life, really, first time ever…I ordered a wrap. I never have had one before. I looked at menus before and just figured that it was sandwich stuff in a tortilla, a cold burrito and I never wanted to bother. This one was a chicken and Brie- marinated chicken, roasted cherry tomato salsa, fresh spinach and lite ranch in a sun dried tomato tortilla. It came with a side of Cesar salad ($5.75) and was wonderful. The Mister said as soon as he saw there was something with brie…and spinach… he knew I would order it. He was right. The chicken was juicy and tender, the Brie was warm and slightly melted and nutty flavored, the tomato salsa tasted deeply tomato flavored, there was a lot of spinach, nicely layered on the outside of everything, which protected the ranch dressing from leaking out or damaging the tortilla and the tortilla was soft and fresh and I could taste the tomato flavor in it. It was a good size portion and more than enough food. The Cesar salad was mostly romaine lettuce and Parmesan. The dressing was a Cesar, but I think a lite one. It had good flavor but was not overly rich or creamy.

We saw on the chalkboard as we were ordering an in house made dessert- pumpkin cheesecake with a bourbon-sour cream topping ($2.50) and ordered it with our meals, but the nice lady at the cash register said to let her know and she would bring it to us for dessert- that in the heat it would melt…very thoughtful. Not a huge piece, but we didn't need it. A nice cream cheese based pumpkin cheesecake- grainy pumpkin and a bottom layer only graham crust..and that Bourbon sour cream topping…was. It was light and complimented the pumpkin nicely.

Indigo Cafe does the simple things fresh and flavorful. They have a whole smoothie bar in the store and other baked goods for breakfast. I will be trying the home made banana nut bread ($1) very soon. This location is only open M-F, as I think they get a lot of catering jobs for the weekends. It has been around since 2000 and for a good reason. The downtown location is open 7 days and I would think serves a similar, fresh menu (on the website it has a sample menu, since ingredient inventory can change.) If you are in the area, you should try it.

Indigo Cafe and Catering 9353 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego 92111 (Phone) (858)565-2388 (Fax)(858)565-0070 M-F 7 a.m.-5 p.m.

1435 Sixth Avenue San Diego 92101 (ph) (619)702-6478 (fax)(619)702-6477 Hours: Mon 7-3, Tues-Fri 7-9, Sat 8-9, Sun 8-1

website

Cam Ky Chinese BBQ

September 4, 2007 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Cam Ky has closed

On a recent Monday, in the mood for Banh Mi. I took a quick drive to the strip mall on the corner of Marlborough and University, the taste of Banh Mi on my lips…..only to find the place closed. And though Cafe Dore sounded good, I decided to try something new. The little Chinese BBQ restaurant in the mall, Cam Ky.

Check out "little neon piggy" sign, can you guess what Cam Ky does? The little restaurant has about nine tables, a Chinese BBQ counter, and that's about it.

I had a seat, and was given a menu by the serious and quiet lady. The menu wasn't very large, but I saw something that I wanted to try…..

In spite of the heat, I ordered the Goat Egg Noodle Soup($6.50):

A medium sized bowl of dark soup arrived in a few minutes, topped with some crisp fried Yuba, imitating fried goat skin, a nice touch. There was a large portion of stewed goat meat, which was very tender, if a bit short on flavor. Though the soup looked dark and rich, it was thin and also on the very mild side, with just the ever-so-mild essence of 5 spice. The egg noodles were still crunchy, and the addition of watercress gave the soup some life. Overall, this was not bad considering the generous portion of goat meat, but it's not something I'd order here again.

I figured this would be a "one and done", except something from the BBQ counter kept calling to me:

I know you can't really see it, but that side of roast pork looked sooooo good. I got a half pound ($3.75) to go.

I just had a few bites(3 pieces) and shared the rest of it with the people at work. From the texture standpoint this was very good, velvety fat, nice moist meat, very crisp, but not hard skin. The flavor was (again) on the mild side. Not perfect, but better than most.

Which meant that I'd be back……fast forward to a few days later. This time the lady was much more friendly. She asked me if I spoke Mandarin, I told her that I didn't. She had thought that I was Taiwanese….which is probably an insult to Taiwanese everywhere.

On this visit, I decided to go for the gusto, and ordered the 3 roast meats with rice($6.50). The meal started with a soup with stewed pork shank.

Man this was good. The broth had a good pork flavor, without being too salty. The meat, while not falling off the bone, was more than adequately soft. The photo speaks for itself……I wanted some rice!

After the broth, the rest of the meal was pretty anti-climatic.

This was quite a bit of food, I was ready for a major nap after eating all of this. Over a generous amount of rice was some BBQ Pork, which was just ok, the fatty pieces had some nice flavor, and was fairly tender, but the leaner pieces were tough, and lacked the sweet, rich flavor. The Roast Duck while nicely flavored with 5 spice, was on the lean side, and quite tough. The Roast Pork was the same as my previous visit, and for my money is the way to go here with regards to roast meats. Still, you get quite a bit of food here.

While eating, I noticed many men in "white T-shirts" and "paper hats" coming in to buy duck and pork. I'm guessing that several Mi Gia places get their roast meats from Cam Ky. By the time I left, the roast pork was gone.

The menu at Cam Ky ranges from Hu Tieu(Rice Noodle) and Mi(Egg Noodle) Soups, Fried Rice, and various items on rice. In keeping with the theme of the "neon pig" , while I was paying at the register I noticed a photo of a whole roast pig on the wall. cam Ky sells whole roast pig, ranging in price from $150-$190. Oink-oink…

Cam Ky Chinese BBQ
4141 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

Closed on Tuesdays

Red Berry-Frozen Yogurt on Convoy Street

August 17, 2007 Cathy Desserts, Stuff, What Cathy Eats!

Red Berry has closed.

Cathy is blogging for mmm-yoso today. Kirk is probably still at work. Ed is, you know, in Yuma. It's a short one.

Frozen yogurt. It is everywhere. Sold by the ounce. With and without toppings. Sometimes sold by the cup. Crazy flavors. Cool interiors of stores. Crowds of people.

Eh, I don't crave sweets, you know this. But I have tried quite a few of these places. They are almost outnumbering Boba places. But I haven't seen any with free wi-fi. I do eat yogurt, the 79¢ cream top incarnation from Trader Joe's and the Cream Top from Brown Cow when it is on sale.

I have gone to the very busy new Frozen Yogurt place next to Tapioca Express and Tofu House on Convoy street. Once. They sell it by the ounce there. I got one swirl of peach and one swirl of plain. No toppings. It cost $1.64. It was good, it was frozen yogurt, I remember Heidi's Frogen Yozurt. It was a trend in the 70's and 80's. Meh. I have no cravings.

Here is the latest incarnation: Red Berry.

It is in the mall with Nijiya Market, Shanghai City, some other places, and Curry House. You know where.

If you enlarge the photo you can see the signs on the door-free samples! Whoo hoo! We were there.

The interior is kind of really neat- cool tables, cool chairs, really cool lighting and a neat effect on the stainless steel walls.

Here is a peek at the menu. $3 for a small (plain) yogurt, $4 for a small with toppings- as much as you want- you can top it one time only- The topping bar was pretty extensive- lots of fresh fruits and some dry stuff ( I did not see Mochi, but did not look for long).*** I was just informed that there are indeed mochi available as a topping, but they look like marshmallows and are easily passed over***

We sampled the blueberry (nice, smooth and tart and richly flavored), the green tea (not much tea flavor- tasted almost like the plain – and did not try the strawberry or mango and ordered a small cup 1/2 peach and 1/2 plain. $3.

Pretty darn large. (that is The Mister's big ole' hand holding the cup). Pretty darn good-plain was nice and tart and the peach had a real/not artificial sweet peach flavor- slightly tart. I liked that it was more creamy and not 'gritty' as some frozen yogurt I have tried. Enough for the two of us to share before we walked into Nijiya.

Oddly, there was no tip jar. We asked. Nice young man working there. He chatted with us. The one time I wish there was a tip jar.

Red Berry, Inc. Frozen Yogurt 3860 Convoy Street, #106 San Diego 92111 (858)571-7947

There is another location in Newbury Park. It's a chain!

Islander Grill

August 16, 2007 mmm-yoso Guamanian/Chamorro

** Islander Grill has closed

So there I was, minding my own business, waiting for my Kelaguen bowl to arrive, when I decided to take some photos. I don't know why, but I had been under the impression that I'd already posted on Islander Grill. WRONG! I did a search, I found that to my surprise…….no post on Islander Grill. Now how did that happen? After digging a bit deeper, I found a few older photos….and here we go….

To say that Islander Grill is in an "interesting" location would be an understatement. The little restaurant is located in the Embassy Hotel on Park Boulevard.

I wonder how many people have done double takes, walking down this street lined with apartments, and St. Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church, home of the Greek Festival, when they run into this:

Yes, that is a large barrel grill right on Park Boulevard……..

The interior of Islander Grill is full of Guamanian knick-knacks, and presents itself as sort of a tropical-kitsch.

On this day, the restaurant was pretty well organized, with everything, including the Guamanian magazines and pamplets were in place. The service at Islander Grill has always been nice and friendly, and though things move at a careful cadence, I've always felt very relaxed here.

I'll usually just order one item at Islander Grill, the Kelaguen Bowl with White Rice($6.95):

Don't let the picture fool you, this is a lot of food. The Styrofoam bowl is stuffed to the gills with Kelaguen Mannok, packed on top of a generous portion of rice. I was first introduced to this dish featuring chopped grilled chicken, green onions, lemon juice, and red pepper by a Guamanian co-worker back home. During one of our "cook-outs", his visiting Mom brought over a tray of Kelaguen. This version really doesn't hold a candle to "Mom's", or even Santos's wonderful looking version you can find here. The Kelaguen at Islander Grill is also missing a key component….that would be grated coconut. What makes this Kelaguen tick, is the Finadene, the salty-slightly spicy-tart-sour sauce that brings life to the Kelaguen, or almost anything else for that matter.

As you keep digging away at your Kelguen, you'll start noticing a few things. First, you'll realize after a few large spoonfuls, that you've hardly even put a "dent" in your dish. Second, you'll notice that the heat will slowly get to you, until your brow is in need of some attention from some napkins. The Kelaguen at Islander Grill is served either cold or pretty close to room temperature, and with the hot rice, and Finadene, it is a winning combination.

Here are a few photos that were in "storage". This is the Combination #1($8.95):

A choice of 2 proteins, either BBQ Beef, BBQ Chicken, BBQ Short Ribs, and Pork Ribs, a scoop of Kelaguen, either Macaroni or Cabbage Salad, and either White or Chamorro Red Rice. Whew, that's a lot of food! Guamanian BBQ is on the mild side, and the meat tens to be dry….so much better for the finadene. This was so long ago, that I don't remember much about the macaroni salad, other than it was a bit too "pickly" for me. The red rice was fine….basically calrose rice colored with achiote, no onions or anything else to impart much flavor other than salt.

If you though this looked like a massive plate lunch, you wouldn't be too far off. Talk about needing a nap!

I recall that when Islander Grill first opened up, there were a few more items on the menu….various stews and such. But over time, the menu has been pared down to salads, fried items (i.e. Lumpia and Empanadas), BBQ, Pancit, and of course, Kelaguen. I've also found that even though the hours posted says they open at 11 am, on some days they don't open until noon. You'll need to find parking on Park Boulevard, which is not problem during week day lunch hours, but evenings and weekends can be a challenge. Still, if you need your Kelaguen, you know where to get you fix.

Islander Grill
3645 Park Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92103

La Playita-Mexican Seafood. Excellent.

August 13, 2007 Cathy Seafood, Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

La Playita has closed

Other posts on La Playita can be found here, here, here and here

mmm-yoso never goes on vacation. It is a blog, you know. A blog about food. Today, Cathy is talking about what she ate. The other blogger guys are merely reading and enjoying vicariously.

Hello again. I am back and oh so happy. The Mister and I just had the most wonderful meal. In April, Mr. P. told me this place was great when I asked him about it and I merely stored that tidbit of information.

I could kick myself for not going to La Playita sooner. It is right up the street from Ba Ren, in the same parking lot as the Smart N Final on Clairmont Mesa Boulevard, in the back corner of the parking lot Lp_003 , closer to Limerick Street.

This is pretty much what it looks like inside-3 small tables and 7 stools at the counter…and lots of references to Pancho Villa, I am unsure why. You order and they start assembling and cooking. Basically, it is all seafood except for the corn tortilla quesedilla for $2.50, mentioned on a piece of paper taped on the wall.

We decided to be the token Caucasians and order in that way this first time, so the fish(0r shrimp) taco ($2.50) (also mentioned only on a piece of paper taped to the window and on the wall), was ordered. They had to fry it- an unusual sound – using the pan fryer and all. These two are the only fried items you can order.Correction- when it is hot weather out, those are the only two fried items you can order. When it is of a better temperature outdoors, there are several 'specials' on the wall listed that are pan fried and delicious!

Lightly corn meal battered slices of fresh red snapper (which is otherwise used in the ceviche) served on a single tortilla with tomatoes, cilantro, onion and some spicy, creamy orange colored sauce which is also made in store. Served with a home made hot sauce which is very good.

This is the menu on the wall. No take out menu and the website isn't quite working. (Click to enlarge.)

The medium Shrimp Cocktail ($7). We did not count how many large, juicy, sweet tasting shrimp were in here, but at least a dozen. They were barely cooked (i.e., not mushy) and nicely chilled. So sweet and quite large. The nice lady at the counter (mom?) put some what we thought were onions and shrimp juice on the bottom, then the shrimp, then more sauce, which was made of fresh tomatoes and their juice, cucumber slices-not onions!-, cilantro and lime juice. Perfectly simple and wonderfully refreshing. (The Mister does not like onions at all.)

Then, the reason I came- ceviche. This is the small ($5) tostada of "House" ceviche- Three sizes available, 4 types to choose from(could have gotten shrimp, imitation krab or the large ($10) size of ceviche tostada called "Super Crazy") and the House one is made with scallops. Scallops that are raw and only start cooking in the lime juice when you order and the ceviche is assembled. Fresh. For you. When you order. This small size is more expensive than other ceviche tostadas around town, but is definitely double the amount of seafood and tomatoes, cucumber and cilantro than you usually get elsewhere. No Jalapeño or onions, just fresh, crisp wonderful fresh flavors. By far the best I have had.

If you are craving Mexican Seafood, this is the place to try.

La Playita Seafood 5185 Clairmont Mesa Blvd, San Diego 92117 (858) 874-6484 . No hours listed. Website

A Brooklyn Pizzeria- on Mission Gorge Road; NY Style Pizza without the attitude

August 10, 2007 Cathy Pizza, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso, the blog, is back with Cathy talking today. Kirk and Ed are merely eating somewhere -one of them in California, the other in Arizona- so they, too, can blog soon. This is a fun hobby we have.

Hi. So, anyhow, The Mister and I were out last Sunday, looking for something cold to drink in the humidity that is "summer" (for all of two weeks) to those of us who now live in San Diego and were on Mission Gorge Road. We saw "yetanotherStarbucks" and stopped. A few doors down, this placard caught my eye:

This storefront was a Republican Party Headquarters for the 2004 election, and I never paid attention to it once "Frank’s Happy Chef" closed in the mall ( We really liked Franks- Greek and wonderfully fresh; it is now an Indian Buffet). There is a Souplantation in there, but the parking situation is kind of horrid since there are quite a few places to eat and it is within waking distance from two Kaiser Hospitals.

I stepped back and saw the signage with the not too original name (or so I thought)…"Pizzeria, Etc."

We ventured in and grabbed a menu.

I saw the name and website address "A Brooklyn Pizzeria". Hmmm. Other NY Style pizzerias sometime have "an attitude" with us. No names shall be mentioned here. You know where I mean, and I do like their pizzas.

It is not air conditioned inside, but we did not want to take a whole Cheese Pie home…and, they had salads on the menu (unlike my prior Favorite Pizza Joint in San Diego). We said we would eat in, ordered a small antipasto salad ($5.50) and a Cheese Pie ($11.00- $1 less than where we usually go) Of course all pies are the same 18 inch size and made in the NY style. There is a case of ready made pies, where you can order a slice or two at the front door, just like at that place with an attitude.

Nunzio prepared our small salad in two bowls for us- which was nice.

Not much lettuce (which I did not want anyhow but suspect we would have gotten more of if we got the salad "to go") but a provolone/capicola roll, some cut up mortadella and Genoa salami along with gardiniera, fresh tomato, cucumber, olive pieces, onion and a pepperocini, all tossed with a nice Italian dressing and topped with shredded mozzarella. Brought out to our table- nice.

The cheese pie. Again, brought out to our table, (unlike being set in a window with merely the toppings of the pie yelled out, so you can go and pick it up yourself, like at that other place). Nice, thin crust, good, salty, fresh tasting mozzarella with a very good, rich, tomato-y sauce. We did add oregano which was on the table.

When we finished, we went up to ask about dessert with the leftover pizza on the pan and Nunzio boxed it up for us.

This place serves excellent Pizza. (There is a daily special of 2 slices and a drink for $6) and somehow I suspect the sandwiches are great also. They also sometimes have Zeppoli (2 for $1), although not the day we were there. I *love* Zeppoli and can find it on occasion only at Solunto Bakery in Little Italy. The people who work here are all very nice and friendly and efficient. Try to stop by. You will like it and won’t get yelled at.

A Brooklyn Pizzeria 6171 Mission Gorge Road San Diego 92120 phone (619) 584-9000(fax) (619) 584-9004 Sun-Thurs 11a.m.-9 p.m, Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-10 p.m. website

Palominos #2-yet another (good) Mexican and Seafood Shop

August 9, 2007 Cathy Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is a blog. Today Cathy is doing the talking, because this is where she ate. Kirk and Ed are taking a break.

Hello again. The Mister and I have been sick, yet still eating, just not taking photos and therefore nothing to blog about. However, the camera went with us today when we met up at one of our easy dinner meeting places- Palominos #2 -located across Ruffin Road from the Registrar of Voters Office.

A simple menu with some outstanding food (click to enlarge).

You order, pay and then can load up at the Chips and Salsa Bar.

I kind of like all of the salsas for one use or another, either just to eat with the chips while waiting, or as a compliment to the various meats or seafood.

No real preference. All are outstanding. Fresh made daily.

We started out with an Al Pastor taco ($2.40)- one of the best al pastors I have had.

The pork has been in a deep rich marinade that has a little heat from the red chiles and I detect oregano and cumin in the moist with crispy edged pieces of meat and sweetness from pineapple. It is an excellent example of Al Pastor.

Since it was Tuesday, we got the Special for the day- chile relleños (or cheese tamales), rice and beans ($4.75-reg $5.99).

The chiles are fresh, not canned, the cheese is a very fresh tangy jack and the sauce has a subtle bite to it. They are made in house, fried to order and the batter part that is not covered with sauce is oh so crispy and fresh.

Sometimes I am in a mood for a crispy chilled taco and the shredded beef ones are what I choose($2.05 each). There is something about the shredded beef- must be the grease- that I so crave. Inside the freshly fried shell with some lettuce and cheese and some hot sauce…oh I sometimes *have* to have that crunch.

What I *always* get here, no matter what else we order, is the ceviche tostada ($2.99). Made fresh daily with more tasty fresh rock shrimp (rather than small unflavorful shrimp), fresh tomatoes, cilantro and onions (barely any jalapeño as some other taco shops use)…it is perfect. Almost always I am not the only one ordering this treat no matter the day of the week or the time of day. It is served with a bottle of Tapatio Hot Sauce on the side and a sliver of avocado…just wonderfully refreshing. Quality Food. Plenty of indoor seating and three outdoor tables.

Palominos #2 Mexican and Seafood Restaurant 9353 Clairmont Mesa Blvd Suite I San Diego 92123 (858) 292-8470 (Behind the Carl’s Jr.) Mon-Fri 6:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m., Saturday 6:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. Sunday 6:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.

Seattle: Seven Stars Pepper Szechuan Restaurant

August 6, 2007 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Seattle, Washington, Travel

**** Seven Stars Pepper Szechuan Restaurant has closed

You can call me late to the party….I know that Seven Stars Pepper is under new Ownership, but since we were here, I thought what the heck. Also, I'd been told that one of the not-to-miss dishes (still) was the Sichuan Crab at Seven Stars. The restaurant is located on the second floor of a strip mall on the corner of 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street that would not look out of place in Monterey Park or Alhambra.

In fact from the graffiti to the dried out pieces of gum on the sidewalk, to the loud and slow elevator that took us to the second floor….this almost had San Gabriel Valley written all over it.

The interior consisted of faux laminated plywood siding and weaved mats, going for the Asian feel. I had even considered the possibility that the tables would be a "San Gabriel Sticky", but they were in fact spotless glass topped tables.

While my Father In Law and the Missus chatted with the nice Server in Mandarin, I looked over the menu board…and there it was Sichuan Crab. Unfortunately, they were out of crab, so we made due.

We started with the Fuqi Feipian($4.75):

Instead of the usual cold appetizer table, everything here was off the menu. Fuqi Feipian, the "Husband and Wife" dish is probably my favorite Sichuan appetizer, usually a combination of thinly sliced brisket or shank, and tendon or tripe drizzled with chili oil, sichuan peppercorns, crushed peanuts, chinese celery, scallions, and sesame seeds, or a combination thereof. This version left me less than satisfied; first off the lack of peppercorns eliminated the wonderfully addictive numbing heat. This version used too much vinegar, which my Father In Law and I didn't care for. The Missus and Her Mother enjoyed the flavor, since it was pretty close to the Beijing-style Sichuan flavors they enjoy.

The Chong Gin Hot Chicken (Chongqing La Zi Ji – $10.75):

Another go to dish that I usually enjoy. In this version, the cubes of chicken were deep fried to a perfect crunchiness. Again I lamented the lack of Sichuan Peppercorns, making the heat(which wasn't very hot) one dimensional. In addition, the "hot sauce" used had an interesting vinegar kick, that the Missus and I kept trying to put our finger on……until it came to me. It almost tasted like Frank's Louisiana Hot Sauce! In other words like Chongqing style buffalo chicken cubes with chilies……. It sure was a long way from Chung King in Monterey Park.

Cumin Lamb($10.50):

Not really a Sichuan dish, but I really enjoy the combination of lamb and cumin. I've been told that this is originally a Xinjiang style dish. The Missus has told me of street vendors selling skewers of grilled lamb with cumin in Qingdao where She grew up. I enjoyed this dish, though not quite as much as the Dry Fried Cumin Lamb from Dede's back in San Diego, as it was a bit on the oily side. Still, the nutty cumin flavor, along with a slight chili kick provided by the dried chilies, along with wild flavor of the lamb was nice. One thing I noticed is that the Chef doesn't "scald" his dried chilies, which would make the dishes much more fragrant and release much more of the chili flavor.

The Sichuan Prawns ($12.95):

Much like the chicken, these nice sized prawns were cooked perfectly… the meat moist, with a nice firm texture, the shells crisp, with a nice dusting of corn starch, but not hard. Again, these were not particularly spicy, but this allowed the sweet flavor flavor of the prawns to come through.

Overall, a decent, but not exceptional meal at Seven Stars Pepper. Too bad about the lack of crab. The service was very nice and accommodating, if a bit on the slow side. Perhaps on our next trip, we'll be able to check out Szechuan Chef, the restaurant run by the former owners of Seven Stars Pepper in Bellevue, or another restaurant recommended by one of the bellmen at the hotel, Yea's Wok.

Seven Stars Pepper Szechuan Restaurant
1207 S. Jackson St. Suite 211
Seattle, WA 98144

Open Daily: 11am – 1030pm
206-568-6446

Oh yes, special thanks to Tohta for a nice list of recommendations for our next trip up to PNW!

Green Papaya Vietnamese Pho & Grill

August 5, 2007 mmm-yoso Pho, Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Green Papaya is closed and has been renamed.

A couple of weeks ago FOY(Friend of Yoso) and Uber Food Blogger Captain Jack, told me about a new Vietnamese Restaurant in Pacific Beach. He mentioned the name of the place was Green Papaya. So that week, I drove down to PB to check out the restaurant.

The interior of the restaurant was very nice, clean, well lit, and tastefully appointed. The restaurant was totally empty when I entered, and after waiting a few minutes, I walked into the kitchen, and surprised a pleasant young man who led me to a seat and dropped off a menu.

With a name like Green Papaya, I had hopes that the menu would contain a few different and interesting dishes. But even though the "namesake" Papaya Salad (Goi Du Du) was on the menu, most of the dishes were standard Pho, Bun, Mi, etc. In addition the prices reflected the "Pacific Beach premium".

After looking over the menu, I just went with the usual. I started with Cha Gio(Egg Rolls – $5.50). The Cha Gio arrived within a minute! On the positive side, at least the "appetizer sin" where appetizers arrive after the main course wouldn't happen here.

On the bad side, when these arrived in a minute, the first thought that went through my head was, "these gotta be reheated". And eating these did nothing to dissuade me. As you can see, one of the Cha Gio is burnt and two of them were soft and greasy.

The Nuoc Mam Cham is described as "a light fish sauce." And they sure weren't kidding, it was a bit under flavored and more on the sweet side. So if you're not into fish sauce, this might be for you.

I also went for the Pho Dac Biet Extra Large (Special Combination – $6.75):

The garnishes were the usual suspects, and were very fresh. I had expected this Pho to be very mild, and generic….boy was I wrong. Though the broth was very low in oil content and light, the strong flavors of anise and clove came through. The noodles were the usual clump on the bottom of the bowl, okay in texture, though the portion size was a bit skimpy for an "xlg" bowl.

The 5 slices of rare steak were very dry and tough and there was but a scant strip of tripe.

In keeping with the clientele there was only one piece of brisket, and a small piece of tendon. It's too bad, because the brisket had excellent flavor, and the tendon was a buttery soft. If I were to ever eat here again, I'd go with something with mostly tendon and brisket.

Overall, the service was very nice, as is the decor, but I prefer the Pho and Cha Gio at Pho Sao Bien up the street. I did ask what the specialty of the house was, and the young man answered with the question, "you don't like our Pho?" He recommended the Bun (Vermicelli dishes), but the thought of the watered down Nuoc Cham…….

Green Papaya Vietnamese Pho & Grill
1820 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

Hours: Mon-Sun 10am-9pm
858-273-1664

Birrieria Y Pasteleria La Nortenita

July 31, 2007 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

**** Birrieria Y Pasteleria La Nortenita has closed

I readily admit that at I will over strategize at times. If I'm not sure that the Missus will enjoy a particular restaurant, I'll usually try it out first. But at times, this approach just doesn't work out. La Nortenita is a good example of that. I first drove by La Nortenita earlier this year, and made a note to check it out. The problem was that each time I tried to stop by, the place was either packed, or no parking could be found. Finally, I just told the Missus about the place, and early one weekend morning we made a drive down to La Nortenita.

As you can see this little restaurant is partially hidden by trees, and if you're driving down Imperial avenue at a fast clip, you might just blink and miss it.

But if you slow down a bit, you won't miss this:

So let's all rub our greedy little hands together, and go "mmmm Barbacoa"!

The little restaurant has a "homey" feel to it, except for the "window" which looks a bit out of place. And the wonderful aromas floating in the air!

Though the menu is written in Spanish, it is pretty easy to understand. The Missus and I have a little joke, even though I won't be able to ask for the restroom in Mexico, I sure won't starve……..

The menu is broken down into tacos, gorditas, sopes, and tortas on one page, and the "combination plates" and guisados on the other. First the condiments were delivered to the table:

Since this is a barbacoa/birria restaurant, ordering was pretty easy. I started with 1 Birria de Chivo and 2 Barbacoa de Borrego(in this case slow cooked lamb) tacos($2.14/ea):

Three large size tacos with a generous amount of meat, wrapped in rustic, steaming hot tortillas that were made to order arrived at the table.

The Birria de Chivo taco consisted of shredded roasted meat, that had been dunked into a chili infused broth, which delivered a nice rich chili "punch".

With just a touch of onions and cilantro, I needed nothing else to enjoy this taco.

The Barbacoa de Borrego consisted of shredded lamb that had been mixed with a bit of the lamb broth/consomme.

Adding a tiny squeeze of lime to balance out the richness, and onion and cilantro to act as a counterpoint to the wonderful mildly wild and gamey flavor of the meat. A touch of salsa roja added a nice bit of smokey heat to the taco, making it mucho delici-yoso…….

The Missus was torn, She couldn't decided whether to get the Birria de Chivo or the Barbacoa….so She got both! Luckily, there were medium sized (mediana) portions available.

The Birria de Chivo was the first to arrive (mediana – $4.95):

Along with the good sized bowl of soup, a warmer with about a half dozen thick and steaming tortillas arrived…so hot you could barely hold them! The actual broth was not as spicy as it looks, and had more of a peppery-spicy flavor, with just a tiny hint of sweetness. The broth was hearty, though not too rich.

There was an abundance of meat in the bowl as well.

The Missus also ordered the Barbacoa de Borrego(mediana-$4.95):

A plate arrived with fragrant barbacoa topped with a steaming tortilla. As was our previous experience with the barbacoa at El Borrego a bowl of lamb broth/consomme arrived as well. The consomme was a light broth flavored with lamb drippings, with small shreds of lamb and garbanzo beans. The flavor was not a pronounced as the version at El Borrego, and a small squeeze of lime added some brightness to the dish. The barbacoa had been flavored with the broth as well.

Here's a better look:

The meat was moist, with a nice and rich lamb flavor. As with barbacoa, there's a salt shaker on the table for flavoring…..which I think is unnecessary. As the Missus started to dig in Josefina Ramos delivered 5 more steaming hot tortillas to the table. Man this was good! The Missus, who believes, but doesn't follow the "Yin-Yang" philosophy of eating (i.e. "hot foods" balanced by "cold foods"), told me that even though She almost finished both dishes, there was no feeling of being stuffed silly, probably due to lamb being "hot" food, thus giving Her invigorating energy! Until we went home and She proceeded to go into a food coma…….

A week to the day later, the Missus had a craving for lamb, and so we drove back down to Imperial, and La Nortenita. We arrived at a bit before 10am so the restaurant was empty, and Josefina greeted us with a large warm smile. I think she recalled the Missus's appetite! Not wanting to stuff ourselves silly, the Missus ordered the Birria de Chivo "grande"(sorry, no photo!), and I ordered the Barbacoa (grande – $7.63):

This time a larger plate! Along with the steaming hot tortillas and consomme. On this day, I thought the barbacoa was even better than on our previous visit. Still moist and flavorful, but this time the meat to fat ratio made this an almost decadent dish. The Missus who thought the birria was better, changed Her mind after tasting the barbacoa.

This was very satisfying, and too much for me to finish. Luckily, the Missus was on hand. By this time the little restaurant was completely filled. And through some restaurant ESP, it seemed that everyone knew that the barbacoa was excellent today since almost everyone had plates of barbacoa in front of them. It was interesting watching the different techniques for eating the lamb. Some made little tacos and dipped them into the broth, some poured the broth over the meat and made little tacos, and those dubbed the "efficient eaters" added the cilantro and onions to the plate, and mixed in the broth, and went to town! The Missus kept telling me…just think if we had some rice! So I'm guessing a rather large take out order is in our future.

For us, the experience of eating at La Nortenita is like eating in your favorite Aunt's home. The service warm and friendly, and if they know you love their food….. As an example, while waiting for our food, the Missus was checking out the various cakes, and other confections. Josefina seems to be quite an accomplished cake maker. As we were finishing, the nice young lady working on this day, brought us both a little sample for dessert, now that deserves an exclamation point! The restaurant can be on the hot side, and the ventilation is not the best, so when this tiny restaurant gets full…. The barbacoa is not as refined as El Borrego, but I prefer the rustic flavors and richness of the lamb at La Nortenita. Though I think the broth at El Borrego is much richer in flavor.

Birrieria Y Pasteleria La Nortenita
2455 Imperial Ave
San Diego, CA