Closed – Page 86

Birrias Chivos & Cheves

November 12, 2007 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

**** Birrias Chivos & Cheves has closed

Several months ago I noticed little shop while driving on Highland avenue in National City.

With a name like Birrias….I knew the Missus would want to check the place out.

The walls of this little shop feature reproductions of vintage photos of Tijuana. The menu is written in Spanish, but there's a English translation on the reverse side of the laminated menu.

Even though the menu features items like Sopes, Huaraches, and Tacos, with a name like Birrias, was there any doubt as to what we'd be ordering? We placed our orders, a "complete order" of Birria de Chivo(goat) and one of Birria de Res(Beef – $8.95/ea).

All "complete" orders (half orders are $6.95) include Tortillas, salsa, onions, lime, cilantro and consomme.

We found the salsas to be nice and lively, the tortillas had an excellent corn flavor, but was very brittle, tearing and falling apart.

The consomme looked very rich, but was really mild, and served lukewarm. More oily, than flavorful.

The Birria De Chivo:

The meat was slightly tender, but like the consomme, it lacked spiciness and much flavor. The Missus added a hefty amount of salt, garnishes, and salsa. The meat was very mild, and lacked the "wild" flavor the Missus enjoys.

The Birria De Res was much better.

The very tender meat had a good beefiness to it. The Missus agreed, and thought this to be quite good. I'd have this again if in the area. How two almost exact dishes could vary….you got me.

The service was very nice and friendly. Though Birrias won't divert us from La Nortenita, it wasn't too bad. The young man told me that Birrias will be opening a Imperial avenue location in the near future.

Birrias Chivos & Cheves
2401 Highland Avenue
National City, CA 91950

Hours 8am-8pm Daily

Perry’s Cafe

November 8, 2007 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner

**** Sadly after 39 years Perry's has closed

Located below where the I-5 and I-8 freeways intersect, at the point where Taylor Street crosses Pacific Coast Highway, and become Rosecrans. Kitty corner from the Old Town Transit stop, is the place we call the "truck stop". You can call it the "greasy spoon" or the diner, or by any other name, that would be still be Perry's Cafe:

Early in the morning it's not unusual to see Big Rigs parked in the over sized parking lot, later in the morning the lines will usually be out the door. The people who eat at Perry's come from all walks, from working stiffs to people who looked like they've just awakened. And they probably have….this stretch of Pacific Highway is a favorite mooring spot for RVs. Being at the intersection of the 5 and 8 freeways has its hazards as well.

My favorite time to eat at Perry's is at about 11-1130 am, you won't have to deal with the crowds, and I think breakfast for lunch is sometimes nice. Plus, Perry's is just close enough for me to grab a quick bite, and just far enough so I can escape… As you can tell by the facade, Perry's is happily stuck in the 60's and 70's time warp, down to the faux wood grained plywood!

Though the menu is pretty extensive, I come to Perry's for one thing……

The Hashbrowns (a side order $2.25). When you think about it, it is "just" hashbrowns, nothing fancy, probably frozen. But they just do it right at Perry's. Golden brown on the exterior, soft and piping hot in the interior. I call it perfect Sysco-fied goodness.

Everything I order has those hashbrowns on it. And I've learned to keep it simple at Perry's. I've never enjoyed the frittatas, "Mexican" breakfasts, or other items I've ordered. But have always been satisfied with something simple, like the Corned Beef Hash and Eggs ($6.95):

Nothing fancy, corned beef hash(undoubtedly canned), brown and crisp on the outside, 2 eggs, usually either scrambled, or over-easy(better for mopping up with toast), hashbrowns, and whole wheat toast(I find the muffins really greasy….). Whole generations have been raised on this stuff.

If I'm not feeling like eggs, I'll order a basic diner standard, like the French Dip($7.50):

Nothing particularly exciting about the French Dip, the meat was on the tough and dry side…this wasn't going to make anyone forget Phillipe's anytime soon. But there was one thing that made this quite good….

I got hashbrowns instead of fries, and poured the jus all over them……mmm-yoso!!! The waitress told me, "that's a stroke of genius, honey, its going to taste pretty darn good." Yes, Perry's is the kind of place where the waitresses call you "honey", balance 4-5 plates on their arm, and are very efficient.

Funny thing, I started a post on Perry's over 2 years ago, but for some reason never finished it. Other than that first photo of the hashbrowns, the only other thing I kept, was a photo of a waffle. So long ago, I don't even remember it.

But I am sure of one thing….. I had hashbrowns with it.

Perry's Cafe
4620 Pacific Hwy
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 291-7121

Open Daily 6am-2pm

Van Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant Part 1

November 6, 2007 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches, Vietnamese Restaurants

**** Van Hoa has closed

Were you the same kind of kid I was? My Mom would have fits trying to wake me on most school mornings. I should have trademarked the phrase "just 5 more minutes" since I used it so much…..our alarm clocks didn't have "snooze buttons" in those days, otherwise I'd have worn that out. Once up, I'd dilly-dally, even volunteering to do chores (gasp), in order to avoid school. Finally, worn down by the irresistible force that most Mothers are, I'd be on my way. Lucky for me, I lived only a half-block from my Elementary school….

Unfortunately, there's still some residual "dilly dailiness" left in me. Some mornings, I'll be up very early, but am not very motivated at the prospect of work. I'm trudging around, trying not to wake the Missus up, wondering how I can justify taking my own sweet time (make te-de te-de…). Reluctantly dragging my procrastinating self out of the house and to the car, I eventually find myself on the freeway. But wait, I don't need the freeway to get to work! Taken over by some other-worldly force, I get out on El Cajon Boulevard, and end up at a destination like Van Hoa Restaurant.

There are a few Vietnamese restaurants like Van Hoa, which resides in the shopping complex on the corner of 54th and University, that open early…I mean early, as in 6am early. At 630 am the sometimes psychotic parking lot of the shopping center(which houses a location of Vien Dong Market) is empty, and you need not worry about having to park next to the last demolition derby Ford Fairmont in existence in North America. At 635 in the morning, I'm not sure you can get Pho at Van Hoa, but as you enter the restaurant, everyone is hard at work, making Goi Cuon(Spring Rolls) and various packaged snacks that you see at places like 99 Ranch Market. There are sacks labeled with "La Chef Bakery" lining the tables, and I place my order for the Egg McMuffin of the Banh Mi world, the Banh Mi Trung(scrambled egg banh mi – $2.75):

For some reason the bread feels more crusty in the morning, and the scrambled egg is lightly doused with a soy sauce concoction, that is both salty and sweet. I readily admit, that for some, the combination of pickled veggies, cilantro, and scrambled egg is a bit odd, but I enjoy it. I sometimes just have the sandwich in the car, at the risk of strewing crumbs everywhere…..

But there is one thing that never changes, sustenance puts me in a much better mood, and the world is a much nicer place. I also feel guilty for not being fired up for work after watching everyone in the restaurant working so hard. Maybe I'll be able to face the world today…………

A word of caution; like all other versions of Banh Mi, this one has Jalapenos, so if you do not tolerate hot peppers for breakfast, or not at all, please proceed at a careful cadence.

Van Hoa Vietnamese Restaurant
4016 54th Street
San Diego, CA

Open at 6am Mon-Sat
Open at 7am on Sundays

In part 2, we'll check out the Pho at Van Hoa, along with several of the other Banh Mi.

Sushi Diner-Japanese food in Linda Vista- Very Very Good (but we didn’t order much sushi…)

October 30, 2007 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! , the blog, is not on vacation. Neither is Kirk…he is merely indisposed and Cathy is a-bloggin away, in between cleaning, changing air filters, dusting and more cleaning after the fires…

Hi. The location of this place should be fairly familiar to you, if you read this blog. It is right next door to Mein Trung, and worth a visit when you are in this area/parking lot and not craving other Vietnamese meals or sandwiches.

Sushi Diner is on and facing Mesa College Drive, just a bit from the corner of Linda Vista Road. If you park in the K-Sandwiches parking lot, you can walk over.

The menu (you can click and enlarge) is fairly simple, a good sign, and there are some lunch Bentos that are excellent and less than $7. This is a dinner we had not too long ago.

We started out with some hot tea (no charge) which was brought out in thermoses, a very nice touch.

We also ordered a "small plate" of edamame ($2.00) which were freshly boiled and had kosher salt sprinkled on the exterior pods and so the interior soybeans had a very pure and fresh flavor, enhanced by your salty fingertips. A very nice way to eat these.

We did get one order of yellow tail nigiri sushi($1.80) and one order of albacore ($1.60). Both cut larger than I expected and both fresh and with a good clean taste and the ability to almost melt in your mouth.

The Special Fried Tofu Roll ($4.50) was tofu pockets filled with crab and topped with fried crunchies. I was very good an fresh. The tofu pocket had that sweet taste and I needed to dip the pocket in soy to make the sweetness even out. Different and good.

The miso soup that came with our combination meal was excellent. Not instant, made with yellow miso paste and deeply richly flavorful. The soft tofu bits were very tasty also.

The combination plate also came with a choice of sushi rolls, and I opted for the spicy tuna roll- very, very nice soft, buttery tuna with a spicy sauce that complimented the flavor of the tuna and did not overwhelm it. The rice and seaweed were very fresh tasting.

The fried calamari combo plate ($6.50) (which came with the above noted miso soup and spicy tuna rolls). The calamari was in a cornmeal batter, and the seafood within was not too tender-a little chewy. Still it was good, but when the owner/chef came out and asked us what we liked, we told him about this and he said he would try to make the calamari in a tempura batter, or for us to just ask that the calamari be made with tempura batter next time. The side of tartar sauce seemed to be house made, or was just a very good brand and the side salad , which was topped with a rice noodle salad that was made with cucumbers, carrots, ginger, garlic and mayonnaise was addictive.

I also ordered a small dish of two vegetable croquettes ($2.75) which were light crusted and the only vegetables were soy beans, carrots and corn…in a mashed potato base…and the flavor was really good. These were served with a "Bulldog" (thick, sweet, on the edge of BBQ) sauce.

Finally, we also had ordered the mixed tempura small plate ($5.50) which included two shrimp, a calamari ring, broccoli, squash, mushroom…all really good, very flavorful in a very light crispy tempura batter. The calamari ring really did melt in your mouth and this is the way I have requested calamari be made when I have gone on a return visit. The side of teriyaki sauce was warmed and good.

All in all, the price to food quality ratio is excellent here. You should try it.

Sushi Diner 7530 Mesa College Drive San Diego 92111 (858)565-1179 Lunch:Mon-Fri 11-3, Dinner: Mon-Th 5-9, Fri 5-10 Sat 4-10

Pacific Beach Bar and Grill. Weekend/College Football Saturday foods.

October 28, 2007 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Buffets, Pubs and Pub Grub, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is a blog about food. Cathy is blogging today, instead of cleaning up after the fires. There will be more ash out there tomorrow anyhow.

Hi. Here is pretty much what The Mister and I do on Saturday mornings or afternoons, while looking at a bunch of television sets in Pacific Beach. For those of you who don't know, "Football Saturday" is a tradition followed by students and Alumni of most of the colleges here in the States. When you are a student, you usually attend the games (or sell the tickets to get some quick cash, since current students have a priority to buy tickets) and after you graduate, move far away, you try to get together with other Alums to sort of re-live that excitement and have some diversion, all without having to go to the Library to study once the game ends.

The Pacific Beach Bar and Grill has been around ..well…forever it seems. The restaurant has daily specials, outlined on their website, however, since The Mister and I have been married, for like, forever, we aren't much into the weeknight bar scene, although I would like to try the food and probably will eventually. For now, here is a typical Saturday with food we eat, while watching the University of Michigan play their games. You can see the area we sit is is merely a covered patio.

If a game is starting at 9 a.m. (noon back East), the bar is open and there is an all you can eat brunch for only $6.95. (This is on Saturday- brunch costs more on Sunday). Coffee is $1.50 and there is a monthly beer for $2.50 (Sam Adams Oktoberfest right now) and all other pints on tap are $3. Yes, beer at 9 a.m. College Life all over again.

The brunch area was full so I did not take photos of the individual hot trays, but here are photos of a sampling of what we selected.

There are three different sausages, bacon, at least two different scrambled egg combinations, home fries and hash browns, crepes (this particular weekend had chicken and avocado crepes, but there are beef and sometimes crab crepes in the steam trays), fresh fruit and cookies and muffins, all made from scratch and quite delicious.

Then there is a separate cooking station, where you can have an omelet, crepes, waffles, pancakes or a quesadilla made for you.

I chose to have an omelet made with cheese, spinach, mushrooms and red peppers. The veggies were sauteed in butter first then the egg added and just before being put onto the serving plate, the shredded cheese was added and the egg and contents folded over it, causing the cheese to melt. I topped it with some slices of avocado from the area where you choose the fillings.

The Mister got a strawberry waffle made for himself. With whipped cream. There were fresh strawberries on top,, and the waffle is made fresh and hot with a nice batter that cooked up to a nice crispy shell.

If a football game starts at noon here (3 p.m. East Coast time) then there are some lunch specials- $3 off of appetizers with a coupon from the Reader, a free magazine out here and, of course the beer specials. If we are coming for a noon game and hungry, we try to get to the Grill early and get a couple of brunch plates and quesadillas made for us.

On this visit, though, we opted for the Brie appetizer ($8.50 ). (OK, every time it is an afternoon game out here, I want the Brie appetizer…)

A toasted and sweetened hazelnut crusted wedge of a warmed, good quality Brie cheese served on top of a peach chutney (red pepper spicy) with chunks of mango and served with some olive oil toasted baguette pieces… it is soooo good-creamy, warm, salty, spicy and sweet ..

We tried the Ichiban Kabobs ($ 8.95 ), served with "firecracker rice", which was too spicy hot/filled with chili flakes to be appreciated as rice. The ahi was marinated in a ginger soy sauce, yet overcooked, so kind of dry and not as good as I would have liked it to be. It was served with some pickled ginger and ancho chili sauce, which just overwhelmed the flavors.

Of course, our beverages of choice are as diverse as The Mister and I are…

The Guinness on draft is mine and the Pear Cider is his…

If there is an evening football game, starting at 4 or 5 p.m., well you don't need a coupon and actually seven days a week, all appetizers are $3 off from 4-8 p.m…so, last weekend, when U of M was playing the Fighting Illini at 7 p.m. (their time, in Illinois), we went crazy for food.

The Seafood Martini ($9.95) is a large martini shaped glass, filled with lobster, shrimp, real crab, cucumber, celery and a spicy cocktail sauce with a little Absolut Peppar (vodka) added. It was quite filling and very fresh.

The Mediterranean hummus ($7.25) is made fresh, with garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice and garlic and served with that ramekin of feta, hot pita wedges and a mixed green salad topped with a raspberry vinaigrette. Excellent. Fresh. All of it.

This past Saturday, it was another game that started about 12:30 San Diego time, so no discounts, except for beer and if you remembered to find the coupon…so we just got the

Hot Crab Dip ($8.95)- fresh blue crab, cream cheese, bell peppers and some spices, topped with green onion and served with warm, thin tortilla chips. This was excellent, also, with lots of crab. More than I expected.

We also got a basket of onion rings ($3.95). Made with whole onions and fried in a cornmeal based batter, giving the rings a good crunch. I did ask the nice bartender (we ended up sitting at the bar since it was so crowded) for some Chulula sauce to dip the rings in after a while, since the basket was quite large and ketchup, salt and pepper wasn't doing it for me…

The Pacific Beach Bar and Grill has generously donated a portion of all the income received from the University of Michigan Alumni during these Saturday games to the San Diego Scholarship fund all the years we have been meeting here, and this year we have already raised over $10,000 dollars. It is nice for a local merchant to be so generous to our little group.

Pacific Beach Bar and Grill 860 Garnet Avenue San Diego 92109 phone: (858)2PB.Grill

Pinoy Fiesta

October 16, 2007 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants, Sisig

**** Pinoy Fiesta has closed

Pinoy Fiesta is a tiny "Turo-Turo"(point-point, aka steam table) joint, that sits rather quietly in the strip mall on the corner of 8th Street and E Avenue.

It does seem like much more attention is lavished on Villa Manila, which shares the strip mall, and Zarlitos right across the street. In fact, I never even knew it was there, until it was recommended by a friend last year. She had told me that the food at Pinoy Fiesta was good, and a bit "less oily" than many other Turo-Turo places in the vicinity. So a few months back, I was in the area……..

The exterior of Pinoy Fiesta may lean toward the low keyed side….but the interior is quite, ummm….sunny(?) and bright. For those who always complain to me about the somewhat worn and gritty interiors of some of our ethnic eateries, this one is quite clean.

On this visit, I noticed that though the restaurant doesn't appear very busy, there is a steady stream of customers, and quite a few catering orders being filled. Usually, when people recommend a Turo-Turo joint, I ask what the "signature" dishes are at the place. But in this case, I'm not sure if I didn't ask, or if I asked and couldn't remember. Could this be the beginning of many "senior moments" perhaps? Lucky for me, ordering on this visit was very easy. I went with the 2 items + rice($5.25):

As I entered a tray of Lechon Kawali was brought out, you knew it was coming by the chopping noises emanating from the kitchen…man did it look good! This lechon delivered as promised, it was still warm when I ate it, the fat was silken, but not greasy, the skin was light and crisp. This version of lechon was much "lighter" and not as chewy as many I've had. I thought it to be quite good. I was not a fan of the Lechon sauce, it was gummy and pretty weak in flavor…but this needed no sauce.

I'm usually not a big fan of Filipino Menudo, but in this case it looked so good, I ordered it.

The thick stew had a nice mild tomato flavor. I find the addition of raisins in menudo is sometimes too heavy handed for me making the dish much too fruity and sweet, distracting my tastebuds, and I'm not a fan of it. But here, the raisins added only a nice faint sweetness, complementing the rest if the dish, and I enjoyed it. No tripe in this version, but lots of pork. The plate comes with 3 scoops of rice, and I ate it all, in 2 installments.

On this past weekend, I had another opportunity to grab some food at Pinoy Fiesta. One of the great things about these restaurants is that you can enter, grab some food to go, and depending on how busy it is, you can make it back to your car in a blink….sometimes as quickly as 5 minutes, like I did. This weekend we've been checking out the San Diego Asian Film Festival like we do every year. On this day, the Missus was tied up, so I was left on my own. I decided to make the extra trip and grab a plate at Pinoy Fiesta(there are just so many hot dogs a person can consume). Again I went with a 2 item combination:

Unfortunately, the family in front of me grabbed all of the lechon…each of the 4 plates were piled high with the moist, crisp, pork. So I went with the Chicken BBQ:

This was not bad, the skewered chicken was dark meat(yay…flavor!), and quite tender. The sauce tasted a bit on the sweeter side like bottled teriyaki, and overall this was fine…not great, not good, but okay.

And though, I wasn't able to get any Lechon, I noticed that on this visit there was a pan full of Sisig, one of my weaknesses.

As good as the lechon was, the Sisig was disappointing. Gummy and greasy are the two words that come to mind. Flavor wise, I enjoy my Sisig to be a bit more assertive. I prefer a bit more sour and spicy notes. I did enjoy the nice onion flavor, but had a hard time getting over the grease.

Though not as popular as Tita's Kitchenette, the service at Pinoy Fiesta was much, much, nicer. The young man behind the counter is very pleasant. Service is pretty fast and the prices and portion sizes are good.

Pinoy Fiesta
550 E 8th St
National City, CA 91950
Phone: (619) 434-6255

Open 530am(!!!) – 730pm Daily

Mr. Wasabi- been seeing the sign for years. Finally stopped to eat.

October 14, 2007 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Mr. Wasabi has closed.

mmm-yoso is the blog. It never goes on vacation. Cathy is talking today while Kirk does other stuff.

Hey there. I've had a few meals that I haven't talked about because Kirk has been talking about his wonderful Peruvian vacation. I love his prose and photos and ..um…his courage to drink spit and eat deep fried rodent like creatures as well as everything else that has kept those Peruvians going for thousands of years. I kind of play it safe, although have eaten everything that has ever been presented to me…by safe I mean staying out of foreign situations for the most part.

So, anyhow. If you have driven on Mira Mesa Boulevard near Interstate 15, ever, you've seen this sign on the south side of the street. If you click and enlarge it, you will see the unlighted portion at the bottom-$1 sushi and $1 sake. Those prices are for a single piece of the 'regular' sushi- salmon, tuna, shrimp, etc. The sake is from a box but I think you can get it hot or cold…not a bad deal if you are in the area for Happy Hour- 5-6 p.m. Tues-Fri (Mr. Wasabi is closed on Mondays).

So, we decided, after years, that we would have to go here for a meal to see if it was any good.

Oh, it is. There is a reason it has been here for kind of forever.

A simple menu, fresh food, attentive service.

We decided to start with the calamari salad ($6.25)- this easily could have been a meal and if I added a miso soup, definitely filling. Good thing The Mister and I were sharing.

Wonderfully light tempura coated perfectly fried large pieces of fresh squid on top of a lot of salad lettuces and shredded cabbage, served with a side of house dressing, which definitely had onion in it and I thought needed a touch of soy added, but was otherwise so absolutely perfect.

Both of our meals came with miso soup and salad (same dressing) . The miso was very good, rich and not salty and had large pieces of seaweed and small cubes of a good, firm tofu in it. We each ended up putting the extra lettuce from the calamari salad into the salad bowls since there was a bit too much dressing on those individual salads. It worked out.

I saw the Chirashi Sushi on the menu as a main course ($13.25) and had to try it. Assorted sashimi served over vinegared rice… maguro (tuna), sake (salmon), shiro maguro (albacore), hamachi (yellowtail), amebi (sweet shrimp), the fake krab stuff (which tasted good), ikura (salmon roe) and tamago (sweet egg cake) with wasabi, pickled ginger, cucumber and shredded daikon radish on top of the wonderful vinegared rice. So fresh, so delicate and a wonderful portion of sushi. Well worth the price.

The Mister ordered the #13, Teriyaki and Tonkatsu meal ($10.95 plus $1 for the beef rather than chicken teriyaki). Extremely high quality tender beef topped with a wonderful teriyaki sauce that was not salty nor too sweet. The tonkatsu (lightly breaded deep fried pork) was tender and moist and topped with a more strong ponzu sauce, kind of on the edge of being too vinegary, but not quite. These were served on a bed of lettuce (which went well with each sauce) and the rest of the plate filled with edamame (boiled soybeans) and a bowl of rice on the side.

Excellent quality food in quite large portion sizes. They don't charge for tea and it is a better quality loose green tea. Don't drive by, drive in.

Mr. Wasabi 9379 Mira Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92126 (858)530-2546 Lunch 11:30-2:30 Tues-Sat, Dinner 5-9:30 Tues-Sun

Southern Style Kitchen

October 7, 2007 mmm-yoso Cajun, Southern, and Soul Food

*** Southern Style Kitchen has closed.

A few weeks ago, we had what is now a pretty common discussion….."I'd like something different to eat, anyplace new?" I recalled seeing a restaurant with an interesting name,"California Style Chicken" on the 6900 block of University. I remember being curious as to what was "California Style Chicken"….for some reason those silly commercials with the "Foster Imposters" came to mind. I managed to convince the Missus to take a drive out to "Cathy country" out in La Mesa. And lo' and behold, no more California Chicken. It is now Southern Style Kitchen! So it was time to ditch the Chicken, and start with the Kitchen. BTW, I think that "New… New… New!" sign looks pretty, um, well, old.

The sign mentioning items like Okra, Chicken Gizzards, and "Cajun Giant"(versus just plain Cajun) Catfish looked promising.

We walked in, and other than two guys eating at one table no one else was around….

Than suddenly, this little whirlwind of a Vietnamese Lady pops up…."WHAT.YOU.WANT?" She kinda caught me off guard, so she repeated herself "whatyouwant…" And the pressure began. After all, she looked like she wouldn't hesitate to slap me across the head if I screwed up. So we started ordering, and found out something interesting; there are two types of sides, "regular ones" like green beans and mac and cheese, that you can order with combo meals, and "Special sides" like sweet potato fries, that you have to order ala carte. I had made a mistake…but no slap across the head, ruler cross my knuckles, nor was I made to go to the back of the line….of course there was no line, so that was a moot point, you see, even if she wanted me too….um lets get on with the story.

I ordered a 3 piece Fried Chicken combo ($6.29):

Yes, there are 3 pieces of chicken here…a wing is hiding behind the dry croissant. As fried chicken goes, I wasn't too impressed, it was hot, the coating was decently crisp, and the meat was slightly moist. But I thought the chicken had no flavor, both the coating and the chicken, was under seasoned for my taste. The Missus thought the flavor was okay, but I just wasn't too happy with it.

Now, if I thought the chicken was flavorless, the Cole Slaw was even worse.

This tasted like package cabbage mix with really thinned out mayo-water, with a few drops of vinegar thrown in.

The Missus ordered the 2 piece Cajun Catfish($8.39).

The only thing remotely "Giant" about this was the price, over 8 bucks. I will say that the fish was well seasoned, though not spicy in the least bit. The corn meal coating was excellent, and the fish tasted moist and fresh. Back to the lady….when I asked her for some hot sauce, she stuck her arm out at a perpendicular angle, pointing to the rear of the restaurant. At first, I thought she was kicking me out of the restaurant. But I went in the direction she pointed and found a red squirt bottle of hot sauce on top of the trash receptacle. There was a young Vietnamese guy standing at the counter when I asked for the hot sauce, all he could do was shake his head and give me a bemused grin. By this point though, I couldn't help but laugh, this lady was the caricature of every surly, grumpy, impatient, terminally annoyed, Asian restaurant waitress.

We didn't laugh at the side of green beans:

Gluey, tasteless gravy, poured on over cooked preprocessed green beans.

On the other hand, the Deep Fried Okra($2.29) was very good:

The Okra had been fried to perfection, the interior soft and almost creamy, the exterior golden brown, nicely seasoned, and crisp. For me, this was the best item we ordered.

In the end, I can't see myself returning. I felt the prices were a bit on the high side for the quality and quantity of food. The service was curt to the point of laughter….I'm still shaking my head as I type this.

Southern Style Kitchen
6990 University Ave
La Mesa, CA 91941

Rickshaw Corner in Tierrasanta.

September 27, 2007 Cathy Chicken Wings, Chinese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is the blog that never goes on vacation, even though Kirk does. Cathy is still here, talking about yet another meal she ate.

So, long story short. The Mister was stuck in some major traffic on 52 last night. He finally got to the Santo Road exit, took it and was looking for a pay phone (keeping it short, don't ask about a mobile phone right now) and eventually ended up at the Vons at Santo Road and Clairmont Mesa, where there is a pay phone in front of a Laundromat.

He told me there was a Chinese Restaurant on the end of the mall and it looked really busy with lots of people doing take out. I should have asked him to see what they were ordering, but it is too late for that now.

It turns out the menu is two sided, Chinese and Japanese. Taking the 50-50 chance, we chose Chinese…because…well

I grew up with this>

as my definition of Chinese food and so, nothing could be that bad…and- AND- and the Japanese Bento meals were being served on -Honest To God- sectioned cafeteria food trays.

Plus, well, if you read the menu, you get 8 Pot Stickers on the Chinese menu for $4.95-(62¢ each), versus the 5 Gyoza for $3.25 (65¢ each) on the Japanese menu.

Chinese it was.

The 10 piece fried chicken wing appetizer ($4.95). Nicely fried, plump and juicy but absolutely needed the Plum Sauce served with them. Soy Sauce also helped.

The pot stickers. Absolutely wonderful.

Plump, meaty, great pork with some water chestnut filling. Just right thickness skins stir fried to a perfect crispiness.

We decided to try the 3 Flavor Sizzling Rice Soup. ($4.95). It was brought out in two bowls, the rice was not sizzling, but was cooked. The broth was cabbage and white pepper based, not at all chicken flavored, even though there was a layer of oil on top and I thought that was an indication it was a chicken broth. The cabbage and peas were fresh and crispy, not canned. The shrimp had good flavor but the chicken pieces tasted old and maybe freezer burned. The beef just had no flavor. It was not good. If I had a cold, I might want it just to get hydration and something into me, but … no. Not really.

We decided to try the vegetable Egg Foo Young ($6.95). I have never seen egg foo young prepared this way. Two pancakes topped with stir fried vegetables and sauce. The vegetables were good and fresh and the sauce was nice and the pancakes were… pancakes, with canned or frozen peas and carrots-no bean sprouts- in them. Kind of thin, kind of tough. Strange.

As were our fortunes. The Mister's says "Great! You're ready for a party." and mine says "You are primed to come up with a creative solution."

Whatever. It was a meal. I am curious as to what they can to do to Japanese food now. The people working are all family, very friendly and nice, knowing the regulars who are coming in to pick up meals …I just wish I knew what they all ordered.

Rickshaw Corner 10428 Clairmont Mesa Blvd (at Santo Road) (Tierrasanta) San Diego 92124 (858)541-1998 (858)541-0877 Mon-Sat 11:30-9:30 Sun 3-9 (Closed M-F 3-4 p.m.)

Curry House-a ch-ch-ch-chain…and, no rules- we didn’t order curry!

September 26, 2007 Cathy Japanese Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Curry House has closed.

mmm-yoso!!!, the blog. About food. Cathy still blogging about food eaten around San Diego. Ed eating but not documenting in Yuma. Kirk eating and eventually documenting from Peru.

Hi. Cathy here with maybe some better photos of this meal. Lunch at Curry House. It says 'Curry and spaghetti' on the front signage.

There are plastic bowls of plastic food in the front window, and menus displayed.

There has been a coupon in the papers lately- buy one and two beverages and get the other menu item free. With a week of meals eaten out, as well as trying to have something interesting to blog about, a coupon was a nice deal. We got a hot tea, which came with a just right size pot of water to make three cups and high quality Japanese green tea bag and a coffee, which happened to be fresh brewed since The Mister apparently was the only person drinking coffee in a Japanese restaurant, and it was served with a little pitcher of real cream (each $1.75).

Then we got the menu and I wanted to try all the other items on the menu and not the curries, mainly because Kirk has already blogged (and so has Guest Commenter Vicky, who blogged a bit and moved North earlier this year) about Curry House and they must do that well, right? The restaurant is owned and run by House Foods, a major supplier of all kinds of goodies, from curries and sauces to tofu 'noodles'. So, the menu items are kind of all made from Asian Grocery Store staples, and are a selling point for the restaurant…but wow: excellent.

So, we decided to try out a bowl of corn potage($2.60)

…this is not corn chowder, but corn soup. Excellent corn soup. Whole corn niblets are in it and it is …oh…more like corn pudding in richness of flavor, but not too thick.

Then there was a hand out that came with the regular menu- a single page with new stuff on it-and photos-…

So anyhow, Seafood with yam noodles. ($9.50)

Sort of in an Alfredo sauce- but not. Thinner sauce, hint of curry heat under, but white. Excellent rich flavor. The yam 'noodles' were wide- we have had skinnier yam 'noodles' that fell apart, but these 'noodles' held up. There were squid rings, fish, mussels, shrimp and broccoli and onions in this *large* bowl. Excellent flavor, unexpected high quality of seafood. I don't know why we thought it would be not great, but this was *really* good. Not Italian seafood fettuccine, but a nice Japanese version and the menu said lower in calories that regular pasta (550 calories versus 900). Like I care about calories. It is flavor I care about.

I decided to splurge and get the crab and shrimp salad($12.75).

We had to wait a bit because they were cooking and peeling the crab and shrimp to put on top of this salad. Yes, they were warm (and sweet/fresh tasting) on top of the mixed greens, cabbage, tomatoes and radish sprouts served on the icy cold plate. While we waited, we noticed the advertising set on the table and the House salad dressing was available for sale for $3.50 and the sign said "no preservatives". We asked and the waitress said it lasts only abut 10 days. Fresh made…oh my. It was rich soy sauce, garlic and ginger flavored, deep and wonderful. I am definitely going to buy some when I hit one of my "daily must eat greens" phases, which happens every few months. The combination of flavors was really good.

I saw some side dishes that you could order, ostensibly with a curry dish, on the menu and asked if I could get a potato croquette($1.50). I usually get fresh made croquettes at Nijiya Market, in the same parking lot, but I wanted to try this one. It was a nice, plump, moist potato, lightly breaded with panko and with a light fry- delicate, yet crusty. Kind of a nice side to go with the salad, although I could have added on a cup of potage and bread for $1.50.

Also, even though Red Berry is in the same parking lot, it was dessert time and, since it was still a week-o-birthday meal,

we shared a red bean ice cream ($2.95-which was comped by the Manager once He knew it was our birthdays, via an inadvertent mention to our waitress; unexpectedly nice).

All in all, excellent non-curry food. I didn't follow my own rules to 'order what the name of the restaurant is about' and was not at all disappointed. Very pleasantly surprised. They make tasty food. There are daily lunch specials noted at the front of the building and lunch prices range from $7-$14. Not bad at all for the quality and attentive service.

Curry House San Diego 3860 Convoy (in Nijiya Center) San Diego 92111 (858)278-2454 M-F 11:30-2:30, 5:30-9:00 S-S 11:30-9:00