Closed – Page 90

Island Town…inside First Korean Market

January 31, 2007 Cathy Korean Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is not on vacation. Cathy feels like blogging and Kirk doesn't. Thanks for reading my meal adventures.

Hi. Cold again…. If you lived in San Diego forever ago, you remember Woo Chee Chong. It was the first Asian market I ever went to. There were three locations and all of them had a small deli/hot food area where you could buy Peking Duck on Fridays and hot food to go, usually sold by the pound all week long. I remember we would buy the 5 spice BBQ pork for $3.99 a pound…

So, anyhow, they all closed in 1993 and the one on Convoy Street remained a market. Its in the same parking lot as Dumpling Inn and technically the same one as Jasmine Seafood. First Korean Market. I have no idea what the "Orient Bowl" sign is about. It is not as large as Zion, but it has a good variety of foods, fresh meats, fish and vegetables.

On the far Northernmost wall there is a large refrigerator section filled only with Kim Chee.

…and the area where the deli counter used to be is just inside to the right of the front door. There is a menu above it, with photos and also this take home one The Mister brought home for me to look at.

So, you know, I had to go.

There are six (6) CHAIRS total in front of two tabletops configured at a 90° angle from each other at that front door area.

The people working there are all family. They take great pride in making each meal, with mom bringing it around the corner and placing it in front of you, even though they could hand it to you over the counter.

So, I me The Mister here after work one evening and I had to try # 19, the shrimp tempura udon ($6.99)

Three tempura'd shrimp, nice and crispy, topped with the dried seaweed powder. A nice, rich broth and very chewy udon that remained chewy through the whole bowl. The Mister tried the #4, Galbi combo ($8.99).

A nice portion of galbi marinated beef ribs, rice, miso, 4 California rolls and 3 pieces of sashimi. The beef was excellent, and so was the rice. The miso was OK, not too watery and the California roll was with real (not fake) crab. The tuna sashimi was sliced thin and good and the shrimp was not bad. There was a lot of food. We also got hot tea from the hot pot next to the cash register.

On another day, I asked The Mister to bring home something for dinner…and, of course he did. I had a craving for # 24, the spicy tuna and vegetable bowl (Chirashi) ($7.99).

The Veggies(and there were a lot; its heavy and I imagine would be served in a large bowl, as Chirashi is at Happy Meal and Nozomi) are mostly cabbages with some sliced green onions and then it is topped with fish roe and also some tempura crunchies. Rice is sent separately in the "to go" box and there were two servings of what is probably Sriracha, although I did not see any Sriracha at the restaurant. The tuna was fresh, tasty and plentiful, and all at the bottom of the cabbage. I uncovered a bit so you could see, but there was a lot. Like pretty much the whole bottom of the box a lot…which was also part of the weight of it all.

The Mister wanted to try 9, the Shrimp Tempura Roll ($5.50) .

There were two tempura'd shrimp in here, real crab meat and lots of crunchies on the outside . It was refreshing and not as expensive at other places.

The Mister also wanted to try the Cutlet Combo (#13) ($8.99) and it came in two packages. They knew it was a 'to go' and clipped the corners on the Styrofoam box transporting the fish, shrimp and pork cutlet that were fried, so they arrived home still crispy. (If you recall, both Kirk and I complained about the soggy tempura on the "To Go" meals from Chopstix Too….this is the solution). The fried fish was excellent, as was the shrimp and the pork cutlet was juicy and had a good flavor. The combo box also came with four pieces of California Roll (real crab; not bad), shredded cabbage, rice and plenty of the various sauces necessary for a good meal.

Island Town does a lot of catering/makes trays to go. We saw some people picking up a tray of 110 California Rolls ($30) on a Friday night . (I counted: 14 by 7, plus 12 on top: I have no idea how they cut the original rolls).

As I said, its family run, and its inside the grocery store, so they kind of have access to the foods that may be either on sale or close to being thrown away anyhow. There are no lobster dishes on the menu, but they were being cooked on the grill when we walked in…

Island Town, inside First Korean Market 4625 Convoy Street, San Diego 92111 (858)571-7183

Closed Sundays. No credit cards, no checks!

Vacation Interruptus, Sushi, and some other updates

January 28, 2007 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi, Travel, yoso-silly

“ok Kirk give it up.. you’re not going to Washington” – from Andy The ABC.

I had to chuckle when I read that comment on my impending vacation post. Little did I know how close to the truth Andy was…so he can either see into the future, or he put some double voodoo hex on us.

To give just a summary of events:

First off our cab was 40 minutes late, I had to call the cab company twice. Maybe we should have just pulled the plug right then.

We manage to get to the airport, check in, and get to the gate just as our 820 Flight to Seattle is set to board. Great timing, or so we thought!

We board, and our flight never leaves….all power to the aircraft is turned off. Soon comes the announcement that there is a problem with the aircraft’s hydraulic system. First thought in my mind is, “I’m glad they caught it now”. So we sit for 45 minutes in an aircraft with no A/C, lights, etc, while technicians checked out the problem. Several minutes later we are asked to exit the aircraft, and the plane is whisked away…never to be seen again. We are asked to wait in the boarding area.

We wait……at about 10 am there is an announcement that the plane is being checked on further. At 1030, we are told that there will be an additional update at about noon, so please return to the gate then. At 1130, we are told that a part is being flown in, and it may just be a case of replacing that part….BUT, just in case, a top notch repair crew from LA is driving in!??!! We are given $6 meal vouchers…funny, but at sandwich costs $7.99, but hey the gate crew is very nice and apologetic.We check and all afternoon and early evening flights are “overbooked”, and I mean overbooked….and of course the standby list is growing. Poor folks who have connecting flights…. At 1230, we are told the part has arrived, a big cheer goes off in the boarding area. Lady next to us is calling around on her cellphone trying to find some other airline that has available seats…to no avail. I hear someone talking about driving to LAX to attempt to make the 5pm flight. It is getting surreal. At a little after 2pm, we are told the flight has been canceled, that we need to return to the ticket counter, to rebook….the mad stampede starts. In line at the ticket counter, one of the agents tells us to first go to baggage claim to pick up our luggage. The Missus and I both go “no way”…we’ll get ticketed first, if possible, than claim our luggage, which I’m pretty sure hasn’t been delivered to baggage claim yet, and return to check in. At a bit after 3pm we finally get to the counter, and the very apologetic agent tells us that the only flight available will be the 845pm flight, it will arrive in Seattle at 1130pm. I do a quick calculation…we’ll be cooped up at the Airport for another 5 hours. Get into Seattle, claim our luggage, by the time we catch the shuttle it’s be at least 1230am, get to the hotel and check in, by then it’ll be at least 130am….which means we’ll be dead tired and settled at maybe 3am…..no thanks. We’d have lost almost half of our vacation, be dead tired, and not enjoy ourselves. So we canceled. I went and waited for our luggage, which at this point still had not been delivered to baggage claim. The Missus started making phone calls, first She called Sammy and Frankie’s trainer, with whom we board Da’ Boyz. She then called the airline’s “Customer Care”, who gave Her a claim number, and basically told us, because we used an online service to book our vacation, we need to contact them. I know who’s going to get an interesting letter about things like contingency, planning, and a word called proactive…..I mean everyone is nice and apologetic, but how many times can you hear “I’m so sorry”, it starts to ring hollow after a while. We catch a cab back home, during which we make calls and manage to get refunds on the airfare and hotel. I also call the restaurants and cancel our reservations. Still, we lost out on cab fare, boarding costs, and other miscellaneous items. Not including the 8 hours of vacation I’ll never get back, at the end of the day we paid about a $100 or so for the pleasure of sitting in, and milling around Lindbergh Field for over 8 hours. Not quite the vacation I though of.

I’m just glad we didn’t need to be in Seattle. If this were a business trip, I would have just sucked it up, and soldiered along. I have done consulting work that required extensive travel in the past and have had my share of delays(it once took me 36 hours to get home), but I have never really written down a blow by blow account like this.

We picked up Da Boyz, and had to decide on dinner(this is a food blog after all, so you know I have to do something about food). After milling about with the mass of humanity, we really didn’t want to go to anywhere very crowded. The Missus wanted sushi…so we decided on Restaurant Yakata down in National City. In my previous posts on Yakata, I noted how the Itamae, Makoto told me that Friday and Saturday evenings are His slowest. So we arrived, and indeed, there was only one patron at the sushi bar, and one table occupied.

As usual, it was Omakase all the way here. We started with a nice combination sushi:

Just a quick rundown. As before the Hotategai(scallop) was fabulous, in fact the Missus requested another order. The real winner was the Albacore Belly.

So soft and rich, I thought it was Hamachi Toro. The Hamachi was good, I thought the Maguro to be on the dry and tough side.

I thought the Uni was good, but the Missus thought it was excellent, “sweet and creamy”.

The Missus and I shared a tempura appetizer(not pictured), and along with the second order of Hotategai(Makoto gave us the last of the Albacore Belly), Makoto made us this interesting gunkanmaki.

Uni and Tobiko(Flying fish roe) were put into a bowl, and mixed to a creamy consistency. Ika (squid) was sliced and combined with the Uni/Tobiko mixture. Whoa, good stuff, great combination of texture(crunchy tobiko, slightly chewy ika) and taste(sweet from the Uni, a slight briny flavor from the tobiko, some mild heat from the restrained use of wasabi).

Makoto than brought out a spring roll wrapper, moistened it, and created this:

Toro was then scraped and instead of mixing with Negi(green onion), it was combined with minced Jalapeno. Cucumber and Lettuce were added for texture, and to help “cool things down”. The sauce was a combination of Ponzu and Sriracha…a “Spicy Ponzu”. It was good, perhaps a bit too much going on, the flavor and texture of toro was kinda lost. Lot’s of flavor though. I asked Makoto what the name of this was…and he just shrugged…so we called it the “Makoto Burrito”…..

The last item was this:

In the middle of all of this was a shrimp tempura. The Missus didn’t like the combination of cool fish, with the still hot tempura. I thought the textures were interesting, but the flavor of the fish was a bit lost.

Overall, a very nice, relaxing meal. All told, which is what you see, plus the extra Hotategai, Tempura appetizer, and 2 large Sapporos was about $65.

**** Yakata has closed

Restaurant Yakata
2424 Hoover Ave
National City, CA 91950

A few updates:

Da’ Kine’s

I’d been told that Da’ Kines in Pacific Beach had closed, so I dropped by to check it out myself. And yes, they have closed:

And yes, they are closed. As I was walking away, I ran into a nice young man wearing a Da’ Kines sweater, and we struck up a short conversation. According to Daniel(I’m hoping I remembered His name correctly), Da’ Kines in National City and Mira Mesa are still open, and a new location at Liberty Station in Point Loma will be opening in the near future.

Chef Tony

“StR” left a comment on my post on Chef Tony, here’s the info:

“I just spoke with the owner on the phone. They have been closed for ~3 months (the building is going to be torn down), but they are planning to reopen at a new place (to be decided) within 1-2 months.”

I drove by ealier this afternoon, and yes, the entire mall is empty, including Chef Tony.

I’m hoping they have a successful reopening soon!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Its on Convoy and not pho…Rosa’s Pizza…but, don’t get the pizza

January 23, 2007 Cathy Pizza, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is not on vacation. Kirk is not blogging, Cathy is.

Click here to see my re-visit to Rosa’s

Hi. You’ve seen this place, and so have I. There was a coupon, The Mister was leaving work, I was hungry, blah, blah, blah. If you go to Nijiya then walk to Sakura…well they are in adjoining malls, and this place is right between them…behind the Mexican place that is in the Nijiya/Curry House parking lot and also next to the Wings and Things in the Sakura/Original Pancake House parking lot…directly facing Convoy.

Since we have been to Italy, The Mister and I are always looking for the “correct” flavors and smells that remind us of those fun times we had (well, I had a fun time, The Mister was attached to the USS. John F. Kennedy and technically working while we were there, but at least there was only one airfare to be paid)… so far, as close as we can get is the Filippi’s on India Street, with the grocery store in front…still.

So, the menu here at Rosa’s is a sort of everything Italian deli place: pizza, hot and cold sandwiches, pasta…oh and buffalo wings.

So, this being the first time, The Mister ordered a one topping pizza and chose mushrooms ($9.99 regular price). Pretty much cheese pie is what we usually get. Its hard to mess up…but boy, if I had only bought myself a Lottery ticket that night… odds are I would not have hit a jackpot, not even one number! It looks like a good pizza, right?

Lots of cheese, a hand tossed crust with the edges tightly rolled, fresh sliced mushrooms…and no salt, no herbs, no olive oil flavor, no flavor at all…the sauce was more or less salt free tomato sauce. The cheese was real- it was stringy, but no flavor. The mushrooms were fresh, not canned. The crust was not too thin and not thick, not chewy and…no flavor. It was odd. I ended up putting anchovies, garlic salt and Parmesan on the plate, just to rub chunks of the pizza in to get some kind of flavor. When I had a leftover slice reheated in the toaster oven the next morning…still nothing. Rosas_002 ..and the crust was way crispy and cracker-like.

But, the saving grace was the buffalo wings The Mister had the sense to also buy. One dozen for $6. HOT wing sauce….and a good size portion of a blue cheese/ranch dressing dip. Meaty wings, not too fried or crispy and coated with a lot of the hot sauce. I could have eaten a few dozen of these. The best wings I have ever had were from Foggy’s Notion, across from Kobey’s Swap Meet, but Foggy’s is long gone. The ones here were darn good.

To be fair, I have to go back and try the sandwiches, you can get two 16 inch sandwiches for $12.75, but I really don’t want the pizza again.

Rosa’s Pizza 3860 Convoy Street, #100 San Diego 92111 (858) 278-1223

Suzuya Japanese BBQ

January 22, 2007 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

*** Suzuya has closed.

Suzuya Japanese BBQ opened quietly a few months back, with barely a whisper. Suzuya specializes in Yakiniku, a style of cooking very similar to Korean BBQ. In fact, it is thought that Yakiniku evolved from Korean BBQ.

You can tell it's a Yakiniku restaurant by the heavy duty ventilation systems.

Right before Christmas our very own Cathy and I met for lunch. We even found parking in the much too small lot on Kearny Villa Road that Suzuya shares with Osaka Kitchen, and several other restaurants. I found the interior of the restaurant is adorned in a very simple tasteful manner.

The lunch menu consists of about 15 items, and we selected the lunch size portion of the Beef Yakiniku ($7.95), and the Pork Bulgogi ($7.50). All lunch items came with a very generic salad, an adequate serving of rice, and the usual weak miso soup.

The Beef Yakiniku was marinated in a slightly sweet sauce, and tasted pretty much like Bulgogi, Korean BBQ'd beef.

The meat was very moist and tender, and the meat was pretty well marbled. The portion size was a fairly good value for the price.

The Pork Bulgogi, was a version of Daeji Bulgogi. I thought the spice level to be fairly mild, and though the pork had a nice flavor, it was a bit on the dry side.

The ventilation system for the gas grills was excellent, I left without smelling like I'd been grilled. For what it's worth, there were only 3 other grills going at the time, so I don't know how bad it would get if the restaurant was going full tilt.

Unlike Korean BBQ, there is no panchan served, though you can purchase side orders of Kimchi for $2.50. Still the lunch menu seemed overwhelmingly Korean, with items like Dolsot Bibimbap.

So here's the juicy inside info, I don't know if it's 100% true….so for what it's worth, I've been told that one of the Owners is Ichiro…as in Ichiro's Restaurant. Apparently, he and his wife divorced, and she got Ichiro's. He on the other hand met and married a Korean lady….the very nice woman who runs the front of house during lunch, and viola! Suzuya Japanese BBQ.

I recently returned again for lunch, and because I was badly in need of carbs, decided to check out the Kimchi Fried Rice($6.50):

Don't be fooled, it's more food than you think! In this case a decent sized portion of rice was stir fried with Baechu(Napa Cabbage) Kimchi and the Pork Bulgogi, and topped off with a nice runny, easy over egg. The dish was milder, and hence a lot less salty and spicy(lack of spam would lower the sodium level alot). What pork there was in the dish was very soft and tender. Overall, an okay dish….though give me Spam and Kimchi fried rice any day!

I did manage a peek at the dinner menu, and noticed that there were many more conventional Yakiniku type offerings….various cuts of meat, unmarinated, and served with different Yakiniku Tare (dipping sauces). I noticed that some of the prices were pretty inexpensive and was told that most portions are about 4 ounces, so you can get a good variety. Shabu Shabu is also served, and costs $18.95 per person. We'll probably drop by one night for dinner…and I'll make sure to post further information.

As mentioned, the parking lot can be crazy during lunch hours. The service has always been very nice and accommodating.

Suzuya Japanese BBQ
5447 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123
(858) 505-0611

Lunch – Mon-Fri 1130am – 230pm
Dinner – Daily 5pm to 11pm

From the when it rains it pours department:

So I'm driving this past weekend when I see a sign that catches my attention. I pull into the strip mall that houses Izakaya Sakura, and wouldn't you know it. We suddenly go from no Yakiniku restaurants in the area…to two, in 8 months!

They are not yet open, but I'm wondering if it's an expansion of Tsuruhashi restaurant in OC? BTW, Tsuruhashi District in Osaka is well known for their Yakiniku, so things are getting more interesting………

Everyday Hero Deli-Great food and helping the community too!

January 21, 2007 Cathy Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

Sadly, Everyday Hero is now closed.

mmm-yoso is the blog's name. Cathy is talking about what she ate today. Kirk will talk about his munchings on another day.

Hi. If you've read and remembered everything I've written, you know I try to hit a fruit/vegetable market around town a couple of times a week. Sometimes its just Henry's but then there is Vine Ripe, which I blogged about in October (since there is a restaurant attached to the market) and there are a few others around town. This one, which was named without any imagination or thought whatsoever, is on Santo Road, at the 52, about one mile (its the first exit) east of I-15; so it isn't far away for most of you. Right inside the market area of The Market there has always been a deli/sandwich place, and it was owned by the The Market's owners (heh heh, I love saying that out loud, the The…) and was Mediterranean and good food, some hot plates, lots of different feta's, etc. But it closed and finally, last July, a wall went up and this new place opened…Everyday Hero…. and I figured, eh, Hero sandwiches…no big deal; probably not very good…and I never went in. BIG MISTAKE. HUGE.

The other day The Mister was off from work and we were going to get veggies and stuff from the The Market and it was lunchtime…and I had my camera, and I am now in the habit of documenting all of my eating habits (my physician will love me when I tell her to come to the blog to see how I eat, especially all those fried foods….) so I figured since its still opened after six months, it might be OK and I wasn't that hungry anyhow.

Its nice and clean inside. Casual. Photographs on the walls…of Firemen, Rescue guys, Lifeguards…oh…Everyday Heroes…hmmm.

There is a menu on the wall to the right when you walk in, which photographed badly.

So here is the paper menu, wherein you can read the prices.

and there were some daily specials on the wall also, and everything looked good.

The Mister decided on the Daily Special sandwich, a Pastrami panini, which came with the chips and soda at no extra cost, this being the Special ($7.45). I decided on the "My Big Greek Panini" ($5.95) which cost the same as the "My Big Greek Wrap" and I was interested in how the panini-ized pita would taste. We both were fascinated with the description of the Soup of the Day- White Bean Shrimp Stew, so we got the large size of that also ($3 I think).

When we ordered we were asked if we had ever been there before; we said 'no' and the nice girl at the counter explained that the Deli has partnered with some of the organizations in San Diego, with the goal of assisting them with their "Wish Lists" and that a portion of the profits go to those organizations, and we could choose which organization we wanted our potion of the profits to go to..Fire and Rescue, Lifeguards or a few others. I immediately said "Fire" for many reasons, but maybe will choose a different organization the next time (ah those Lifeguards….<sigh>).

SO ANYHOW, um…let me get my bearings back. While waiting, I was reading some of the stuff on the walls….it seems the three owners were all in the Hospitality Industry; two of them being Professional Hotel Chefs….one of whom teaches at a Culinary institute….and I started thinking…and then the soup/stew arrived.

Tomato based. Hunks of tomatoes. Tomatoes with seeds. Fresh tasting…a little bit of bite (was described on the wall as fra diablo, but wasn't too hot) …white beans that were not mushy. Good sized large pieces of shrimp that were not mushy but still firm and …sweet…fresh…Oh. My. God.

This was a GREAT stew. I mean *really* good. This was made by chefs, from scratch, not from a can. This was wonderful.

Then my panini came out. Hummus, tomato, provolone, cucumber, caramelized onion, roasted red peppers, feta, a spicy cucumber based sauce on a panini-ized pita. Wonderful! Fresh, crispy veggies and the grilled ones were great also. The sauce was a nice spicy heat and this was one of the best "veggie" sandwiches I have had…ever. The side of pickles and peppers was a nice touch and they were good ones.

Also, the sandwich was presented this way, cut and stacked. A nice little attention to detail. I usually have to 'primp' the food for the photographs I post.

The Mister's Grilled Pastrami Panini came out, in this presentation. Beef pastrami, horseradish cheddar, roasted peppers, sun dried tomato pesto, fresh spinach and chopped pickles.

Yes, it was great. The heat from the horseradish cheddar made it unique. The pastrami was not fatty at all, the grilling was just right in that the bread was not overly crispy.

The food here is made *extremely*, unexpectedly good. I could kick myself for walking by here so many times last summer. The whole story, menu and descriptions are on the website along with catering information. If you are on Interstate 15 at 52, just take the exit East; it is the first exit and inside that shopping area to your right, before the first light (you can go to that light and pull into the parking lot there; it is closer to that end anyhow) , but do give it a try. You'll leave happy after a great dining experience and will also have helped "Strengthen the Community One Sandwich at a Time".

Everyday Hero Deli 5950 Santo Road, Suite K San Diego 92124 (858)694-0741

Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

When we were leaving, The Mister and I went to the counter to ask about and compliment that home made stew and we were told we could get on the e-mail list for the daily specials for the coming week. On Saturday afternoon I got the email for this week and I am totally wanting to go back and try the asparagus crab soup on Thursday and the meatloaf hero and…well, everything. You can send them an email and ask to be put on the list: everydayherodeli@sbcglobal.net

Addendum: Went back and got the Tuscan Chicken Hero sandwich…OMG…oh yes…warm chicken breast, tomatoes, olives, capers..and you get a choice of white, wheat or sesame bread for the sandwich. Fresh and, again, wonderful. Totally gourmet. Oh, and the pea soup was awsome…with lots of chopped ham in it.

Extreme Pita- Ch Ch Chain/Franchise and good and healthy!

January 19, 2007 Cathy Chains, Greek Food, What Cathy Eats!

Unfortunately, Extreme Pita has closed

mmm-yoso is not on vacation, and Cathy is blogging while Kirk is not feeling like doing anything today…except maybe recovering from something exciting at his job.

Hello again. Sometimes I have urges for something semi-healthy and also fast. I also like a good cup of coffee. So, I ran into Starbucks the other day, and there wasn’t even a place to sit down. Next door, I saw this new place- Extreme Pita. I *had* to try it, you know.

It is a newer franchise, started in Ontario, Canada and this location on Convoy, in the parking lot of Dixieline, is the first one in San Diego, there is one in Mira Mesa and more are coming. The menu should be the same at all of them, and I suppose prices may vary a little, since it is a franchise.

The larger, color menu has descriptions and these are the price listings.

Basically, its like Subway in that you walk up and order a pita and then they will be grilling some of what you ordered, asking what vegetables(mushrooms, onions and green peppers) you would like grilled with your meat (or falafel) or not and then what cold veggies you would like, and then what sauces you would like (Tzatziki, hummus, light mayo, light Caesar, light Italian, light Ranch, Greek Feta Dressing, Chipotle-Mayo, BBQ, hot sauce, Hot Cajun BBQ, Honey Mustard, Bistro Sauce, Guacamole). The the pita is tightly wrapped and put into an ingenious double paper/plastic wrapper that will tear off at a perforation IF YOU READ IT the first time, as I didn’t… anyhow, so this is an opened small falafel pita ($4.69) with all the grilled veggies, all the available cold veggies, hummus and tzatziki sauce. Small is 6 inches, regular is 9 inches.

It tasted great and was sloppy. The falafel(s) were the small nugget kind and had been cooked on the grill with the vegetables. I liked it. I read the packaging after I was done eating..

OK, went back with The Mister for lunch and got the small turkey pita (reg $4.99 but on Wednesdays its $3.99…there are daily specials posted at the back of the store; the best day to go is Friday when it is $3.99 for any small pita and a cup of soup).

It looks like this wrapped: and then when you tear at the clearly marked perforation, half of the pita is exposed and you can cut it in half..and viola! Turkey that was sauteed with all the veggies, and I had lettuce, tomato, olives, pickle and light mayo added. It was large enough, juicy, not overly turkey tasting but not weird chemical-ly tasting either. The pita was warm and very, very good. It was a good sandwich.

The Mister decided on an Extreme Classic Flat Baked Pita (its pizza style pretty much, with a pita as a crust)… ($5.29) It’s the larger pita(9 inch), topped with a tomato-y (not spicy) sauce and cheese, then the toppings (4 slices of cooked bacon, pepperoni, mushrooms) are put on top and then more cheese. Then its warmed /melted/nicely crisped in a salamander type broiler. As you can see, its quite large…the mushrooms were good in that they were cooked from raw and not pre-cooked, the sauce was good. It was a very nice and more or less healthy (532 calories, according to the Nutritional Info Guide available at the counter).

This is a newer Franchise in San Diego/the US (many in Canada) and there is another one at 8250 Mira Mesa Boulevard more are planned in San Diego.

I like that you can order online or by fax and that their mission is a healthy alternative.

It isn’t authentic Greek by any means, although they do have gyros (its not on a spit, so its that frozen pre-sliced stuff that is sold in the Mediterranean markets around town..but it is pretty darn good)..and for the most part you can say the ingredients are mostly Mediterranian. Its a unique product that can be extremely healthy. If you think of it as food, it’s good tasting and healthy food and a little bit of something different on Convoy Street. Try it. You will like it.

Website for this location is here.(if you want to order online). The link on that website seems to not have the Nutrition Information link working. The Corporate Link does have the nutritional info working.

Extreme Pita 4898 Convoy Street San Diego 92111 (in the Dixieline parking lot, next to Starbucks) Phone (858) 560-0142 Fax (858) 560-0563

International Market and Grill-Persian Kebabs

January 15, 2007 Cathy Persian Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is being played by Cathy today. Kirk is elsewhere.

Hi. I met a friend for lunch the other day, we talked a lot and I did not take my camera. She knew I liked trying different types of food and She likes it here. Its close to UCSD, was great Persian food, in a small mall area, run by a husband and wife. So, I went back with The Mister on Saturday.

International Market and Grill. There is that one table out front; there are two more inside and a bar seating area also with a total of 6 bar stools. They seem to do a brisk phone in – take out business on weekdays, and actually on the weekend also.

The menu is fairly simple. You can get a kebab in a lavash bread sandwich, or on a plate or with a salad.

There are 4 types of kebabs: Chicken, Beef Filet (marinated top sirloin), Fish and House (seasoned ground sirloin, ground fresh daily). There is a Garden, Greek or Caesar salad. The plates come with basmati rice and salad. For $1 more you can get herbed rice, which I like a bit better, but was not available on this Saturday’s visit. I got the vegetarian plate (salad and rice and a pita). ($5.45).

The basmati rice is so aromatic and light, with a dollop of olive oil on top. The salad is mostly romaine, with onions, tomatoes, cabbage, feta and two Bar-B-Qued tomato wedges. It has an olive oil/vinegar/herb dressing and is also served with Must-O-Khair (yogurt, cucumber and herb dip; I tasted mint more than any other herb, it was quite refreshing).

The Mister got the Greek Salad ($5.95) with a House kebab for an additional $2.75. The salad is the same, but larger, with no grilled tomatoes but has more fresh tomatoes, feta and onions and also olives. The kebab, with the ground sirloin and grilled, is very moist and flavorful with herbs.

If you look at the menu there are daily specials Monday through Friday for $9.95 each. They are not ready for purchase until about 1 p.m. each day and are limited in quantity. My friend says she will come here for lunch and then order a plate of the special “to go” and they are excellent. I want to try all five, actually. I will, you know….

I also ordered two glasses of hot tea ($1.50), freshly brewed and nice and strong. The owner said we could have a free refill.

Afterward, The Mister saw this storefront, two doors down, and walked inside while I went to the car.

Well, with a name like “Tiramisu”… you know, they had to have something sweet.

It’s just a fresh made cream puff shell with fresh made custard and fresh made whipped cream…and the nice lady even put a fork in there. All for $2.50 and well worth it.

International Market and Grill 3211 Holiday Court, Suite 100 La Jolla 92037

(858)535-9700 M-F 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Sat 11 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Its cold- we want soup- and not Pho! Los Michoacaños

January 13, 2007 Cathy Taco Shops, What Cathy Eats!

Los Michocanos has closed.

mmm-yoso is not on vacation. Kirk is taking a day off and Cathy is blogging. Its been brought to our attention that we are in a rut, as far as blogging about Pho goes, so here's some variety in your day.

Hi. It's so cold today, isn't it? I love this kind of weather, but I need to keep warm also. It is, what we call back East, "soup weather".

You know the main soup/meal Kirk and I blog about, Pho…and I do love the variations we can get around town, with the various ingredients as well as such varying broths and so many variations of add-ins….buuut, today, I'm just not in a Pho mood. I am sort of in a Mexican/taco shop mood…but still I want soup. hmmmm….

Los Michoacaños is on Mission Gorge Road, a block away from where Trattoria Di IV used to be located. They are a taco joint (and a good one; the Mailman and the UPS guy eat there) but they also have a special menu:

with daily soup specials. Perfect! Similar prices to other meal in a bowl places, the soup includes a can of pop along with corn or flour tortillas.

The Mister got the Caldo de Pollo (Chicken soup) and flour tortillas. There were hunks of dark meat chicken (leg (chopped into two pieces), thigh and wing), along with chayote squash, potatoes, carrots, corn cob chunks and onions. The broth was particularly rich. It is also served with a side of rice and lime wedges.

I *had* to try the chile relleño soup. The stock is vegetable based and was rich and definitely NOT the same stock as The Mister had, although I also had potatoes, chayote , onions, carrots, corn cob pieces and tomato chunks. The chile relleños (2) were home made…I took them out of the bowl and cut them up so I could eat with the broth.

Mild California chiles, slit open, filled with a soft Cotija-like Mexican cheese and then dipped in egg batter and fried. There is just a bit of heat in the chilis, making the flavors just right.

The next time you feel the urge for soup, try a taco shop. You might *really* like it.

Los Michoacaños 8001 Mission Gorge Road Santee 92071 (619)449-9032

Kayaba

January 11, 2007 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants

** Kayaba is now Musashiya

As much as I thought Takara served an ok-in-a-pinch ramen, and was rather sad to suddenly see it gone on one of my shopping trips to Mitsuwa Marketplace, I was over joyed to see that Kayaba was taking it's place. If you've ever eaten at the Mitsuwa's Torrance Food Court you'd know what I mean. It's a food court almost only in name……most all the food is served on real plates, bowls, and trays, giving the experience a more refined feeling…..

If you're a connoisseur of plastic food, you'll love the shiny new display of plastic food at Kayaba…it hasn't been around long enough for the dust to settle on them yet. By the way, did you know that the district of Kappabashi is known for being the mecca of plastic food?

The menu at Kayaba is quite simple and easy, but can be a bit complicated if you haven't dealt with the Udon/Soba/Teishoku(set meal) style of eating. Most meals settle around either soba or udon, donburi(rice bowls topped with savory food) and tonkatsu…and a number of combinations of the previously mentioned items with additional items such as tempura, curry, and so forth. It might be better to check out the plastic food and know which "number" you'd like to order…..the sign behind the cash register lists all the items, but for some reason, I have a problem reading it….it's old age kicking in. You pay for your meal and have a seat. You'll be called when your order is ready.

The Missus's favorite at Kayaba? It's quite easy, it's the simple Zaru Soba(Cold Soba $4.00):

The Missus enjoys this so much, that She had it three times when I was on my short trip to LA! I think the draw for Her is the soba, the noodles are a fine al dente, with a nice chew and pull. The broth is light and not too salty, and the addition of Tamago (egg omelette) gives you a shot of protein, with the Shiba Zuke(pickled cucumbers) adding a nice pickled palate cleansing.

I enjoy the way that Kayaba does their Tonkatsu( Pork Cutlet $7.50), though it is still a bit "chewy", it is still better than most of the Tonkatsu I've had:

But not all Tonkatsu is created equal at Kayaba. There are two different Tonkatsu cuts offered, either the Tenderloin or the "Rosu" (Pork Loin). To my surprise the tenderloin turned out to be very moist with a pleasant flavor, while the "Rosu" was tough and tasteless, in spite of the higher amount of fat. Go figure! The breading on the Tonkatsu has always been done well, nice, light, and crisp, and the cutlet is served on it's own little platform to allow oil to drain off.

The Tonkatsu is served with the traditional shredded cabbage, pickles, rice, a potato salad that I love…lot's of onions, so beware…..the one component of this meal that I didn't care for was the miso soup:

Very watery and bland…

Here's the Shrimp Tempura with Hot Soba($6.50):

Again the soba was pretty darn good, the broth tasted like a simple heated shiro…just like the zaru shiro heated, but it was fine. The shrimp tempura was fried well, and had a good shrimp flavor.

On this trip I decided to try out the Curry Katsu($7.50):

I enjoyed the Tonkatsu as always, but I didn't care for the curry, it lacked any depth of flavor, was very runny, and had a "powdery" feel. I ate all the pork trying to wipe off all the curry, and left the curry alone.

Here's a photo of some Sansai Soba($5.80):

Never got a taste, but it's the hot soba topped with various "mountain vegetables", like warabi(fern shoots) and bamboo shoots.

Some notes on Kayaba: All noodle dishes are available with either Udon or Soba. Kayaba does not do take out, in fact there were several people before me who asked. Soon after, a "No take-out" sign appeared on the cash register. But here's a trick, you can ask for containers for your food, and take your tray of food to a table and empty them into styrofoam containers. I saw this done twice. When it get's busy, there might be a bit of a wait to order, in addition to a pretty long wait for your food. Oh, and don't get there right at closing time….they will close exactly at 7pm!

Kayaba
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd Ste 119 – In the Mitsuwa Marketplace
San Diego, CA 92111

Open Daily 11am-7pm

The heck with your New Year’s Resolution!-Anthony’s Sea Grill

January 9, 2007 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Chains, Seafood, What Cathy Eats!

Unfortunately Anthony's Sea Grill has closed.

mmm-yoso is not on vacation. Cathy is blogging and Kirk is apparently traipsing about, probably researching someplace new and different.

Hi. There should be a "seafood" or "fish" category for me to select from, but there isn't…and Anthony's is technically a San Diego chain, so I categorized it that way…but, well, if you've lived here for any length of time, you know Anthony's. The Star of The Sea Room downtown..fancy schmancy…they used to require all men wear a jacket or suit coat to eat there…can you imagine? Its good seafood. The Ghio family has had restaurants in San Diego since 1946..Anthony's Fish Grotto. The three Grotto's are less expensive and still have great seafood. Then a few years ago, Anthony's Fishette's opened…and one remains. Now, to meet the needs of today's guests, Anthony's Grill has opened. Its in the mall at the SE corner of 805 and Clairmont Mesa Boulevard, next to Niban.

So, there are healthy, grilled items on the menu and quite a variety. You order, pay and they bring the food to your table.

There is a take out counter near the door, with "Grab and Go" wraps and salads and a few Anthony's products (the basting butters, spreads, dips, seafood salad, and smoked fish).

The 'old' Fishette that used to be in this location had an appetizer of smoked fish which The Mister and I used to always get. This time, we had to buy a vacuum sealed, 4.5 ounce hunk of smoked albacore for $3.79. Of course, we have a bowl of New England style clam chowder also ($2.95). There is a "sauce bar" with a variety of sides…tartar, cocktail, pesto salad dressing, louie dressing, catsup, lemons…everything you could possibly need to add to your meal.

The clam chowder is made with real cream…a skin forms on top . The flavor of the broth is nice and with clam juice and there are many larger pieces of chopped clam, some celery and small diced potato. Its excellent clam chowder, as always, served with oyster crackers.

The smoked fish was excellent. There is an expiration date n the back of the package. Its smoked fresh here in San Diego. The Mister got the Fish and shrimp plate with fries ($8.95) and a side of cole slaw ($1.75). I love the cole slaw here. Not too much dressing and a tiny bit tangy with the cabbage chopped finely. There are five large shrimp, lightly breaded and fried perfectly…juicy and sweet. The piece of cod is light, flaky, fresh and classic. The fries are not bad. Crispy and light. Not greasy.

I got the fried calamari salad ($7.50)

Mostly iceberg with some romaine lettuces, tomatoes, avocado slices, cucumber slices, onion, homemade croutons and a slice of garlic ciabatta bread (which is used for the sandwiches here) . Oh yes, and the fried calamari. Light, slight seasoning and perfect. There is quite a bit of food here.

Oh, the grilled stuff…we haven't tried it. We like the "original" Anthony's flavors.

Anthony's Sea Grill 781 Clairmont Mesa Blvd. San Diego 92111 (858)244-0228

Click here for website