Closed – Page 91

Niu Rou Main-nia: Jamillah Garden’s version

October 24, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Niu Rou Mian

*** Jamillah Garden has since closed.

I think most regular readers already know that I love a good bowl of Niu Rou Mein, the savory Chinese Beef Noodle soup. According to Wikipedia, Chinese Beef Noodle soup was created by the Hui, an Islamic Chinese people during the Tang Dynasty. According to the story, when the Koumintang fled to Taiwan they brought along Niu Rou Mein. And Taiwan has truly embraced Beef Noodle Soup, to the extent that Taipei now hosts an annual Taipei Beef Noodles Festival. Enough to make a "Noodle-Head" quiver in excitement, no?

So far, I’ve had a few bowls of Niu Rou Mein in San Diego, and my favorite by far is the version served by Shanghai City. But a few weeks ago, I decided to go to the "source", and finally have a bowl of Niu Rou Mein from the local Islamic Chinese restaurant, Jamillah Gardens. One item of interest is that as noted in my previous post on Jamillah Gardens, is the availability of Knife Cut Noodles, which are flat noodles cut from a rolled piece of dough. The noodles are of various width and length, and when done right has a mildly chewy and doughy texture.

Add a dollar to the regular price of the Niu Rou Mein($6.95 + noodles = $7.95), and you get the Niu Rou Mein with Knife Cut Noodles.

The broth had a good amount of oil, with a mild beef flavor, and was quite weak overall. Nice body….but no soul. Some of the pieces of beef were on the gristly-tough side, but had a decent amount of flavor. To me there needed to be a stronger beef and 5 spice flavor, along with a bit more sweetness.

The noodles this time around were on the gummy side, and were not as enjoyable as I’ve had on previous visits.

Which kind of shines a light on the various meals I’ve had at Jamillah Gardens; wildly fluctuating in flavor and quality.

But still, another Niu Rou Mein crossed off my list. And in order to keep track, I’ve decided to start a Niu Rou Mein category. I think there are still at least six or seven more Niu Rou Meins to try in San Diego……so I’ll keep on ca-noodling along.

Jamillah Garden Chinese Islamic Restaurant
4681 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

One last note: I’ve gotten a few Emails requesting that I add a few categories, and after going through all my old posts I can understand. So in addition to Niu Rou Mein, I’ve added these:

Hopefully, I’ve updated old posts accordingly. I aim to please…so whoever "ItsBasedonADare" is, hang in there. I’ll let you know if I find Haggis! LOL! BTW, IBAD(yoso-clever), I know what movie that came from.

Episode 13A/Week Two-Happy Chef, Happy, Happy!

October 14, 2006 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Greek Food, Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is on vacation. The part usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy in in the interim.

*** Update. The name has changed to Kayson’s. The people who work there all seem to be the same (even the husband and wife who I thought were owners) including Aurelio, the Chef. The walls don’t have photos of famous Channel 8 ex-personalities. The tables and chairs all match now. There is a wide screen TV and new flooring. The menu has the same foods, but the prices all went up by about $2 per item.

Update of the Update: Happy Chef and Kaysons are now closed.

Ahh, its a weekend and, well…there is this place The Mister and I have been going to since about 1984 and its still there, and I think the tables and chairs are still the same and, well, nobody has ever had a mention of it. YET, Kirk has mentioned Sammy Sushi as being his favorite place and here, Happy Chef is technically in the same building, sharing the same parking lot.

Its only open from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday thru Saturday and is busy most of that time. The sign says "Home Style Cooking" and if your home is American-Greek-Mexican, then yes, it is.

The menu has American, Greek and Mexican breakfasts and for lunch, Greek Food, Mexican Food, Charbroiled burgers, salads, sandwiches, two "Oriental Plates", seafood and combo plates. Note that there is gyros listed under "Mexican Food" and under "Old Favorites" in the breakfast section, the shrimp and mixed cheese omelet….I suppose I grew up deprived…

Here is a better photo of part of the lunch menu (the descriptions are difficult to read on the paper menu because its kind of grey ink on yellow paper) :

The Mister got himself the souvlaki and eggs breakfast with pita ($6.35) and I got my all time favorite- chilaquiles with shredded beef ($4.99). The souvlaki was excellent- tender and served on a kabob with a side of tzatziki. (Those are poached eggs in the cup on the plate). I do *love* the chilaquiles here, some places only make them vegetarian style but you have the option of getting them with shredded chicken or beef and the shredded beef is excellent. Chilaquiles are tortilla strips cooked in a sauce, kind of an enchilada sauce, and then mixed in are meat or eggs or vegetables.

For lunch one day, the Mister wanted the Fish and Chips, which came with 1/2 of the plate covered in salad, the other half with in store cut potatoes and three large pieces of fish, covered in a cornmeal batter. All very tasty. The tartar sauce is made here and is very chunky with jarred relish, kind of tart in taste. I opted for the gyros with onion rings, which were whole slices of onions covered in the same cornmeal batter. The gyros was way overfilled in the pita, nice and thick sliced and had chopped onions and chopped tomatoes in it. The tzatziki is a good one, made without dill.

Now the place is called Happy Chef and the clock on the wall has been there forever. …you know I don’t have photos of people in any of my posts. But when I saw how Aurelio was dressed on this day, I just *had* to ask permission. He did not want to have his photo taken and I told him it was for my mom to see. She will see it…(click onto the photo for it to enlarge and look at the clock). Doesn’t he look happy, just like the guy on the clock?

Anthony’s Happy Chef 7905 Engineer Road San Diego 92111 (across from Pacific Honda) (858)569-1582

Monday-Saturday 6 a.m.-3 p.m.

Episode 12/week two- Mrs. Rice’s Teriyaki Grill and Gourmet Wraps and Hawaiian BBQ

October 12, 2006 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Mrs. Rice is closed.

mmm-yoso is on vacation. The part usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy in the interim.

Oooh boy, did I have a tough time trying to put a category on this one…Mrs. Rice's…It's right there on the southeast corner of Clairmont Mesa and 163…in the same parking lot with Golden City. We first tried it because Golden City was so crowded one afternoon. The menu says it is "Teriyaki Chicken, Gourmet Wraps and Hawaiian BBQ"…"a unique quick serve restaurant that specializes in fresh, healthy and delicious rice bowls and gourmet wraps". The word "healthy" is always bothersome to me. Usually it means "flavorless". But not at Mrs. Rice's!

Click here to see the website.

So, the Mister works near the 163/Clairmont Mesa/Balboa area and in the lobby at work, he saw this coupon page, and remembered we had tried Mrs. Rice's when it first opened and were not overly thrilled with it, but it wasn't bad..and now there were coupons! (Oh, and the Mister is really getting into this whole blogging thing too, trying to help me with ideas of places I should talk about ).

So, this is the regular menu.

and this is the new Hawaiian BBQ menu.

I do think Kirk could give a better eval of whether or not the Hawaiian menu is good, and besides, the coupon wasn't for those items…

So… the regular menu:

We tried the #12 (sweet and sour chicken and BBQ pork) $4.99. Lots of good rice. The sweet and sour chicken is a bit too sweet I think. (All the chicken is skinless here, by the way… part of that "healthy" way of cooking). The BBQ pork was excellent, especially dipped in the sauce that came with and the vegetables were steamed and still a bit crispy. Quite good, quite filling.

Ah, but the #7 (teriyaki chicken and teriyaki steak) $5.49…oh that steak…nice and tender, thick enough and sooo tasty (they only use USDA choice steaks). The teriyaki sauce was nice and not overly sweet..it went well with the chicken and the steak. Same veggies, and lots of good rice.

Mrs. Rice's does serve healthy (no shortening, butter, lard or MSG) food, makes their own sauces and salsas fresh daily, and the food always is fresh. The veggies are not over-steamed or mushy..and if someone is a rice addict out there (Hello Kirk), well, this is a good fix.

As it says on the ads: Always fresh! Always Great!

Mrs. Rice's 5375 Kearney Villa Road, #101 San Diego 92123

(858)278-0618 fax: (858) 278-9801

Mon-Fri 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. (closed weekends…I bet that is when they do most of the catering)

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Just a reminder: The San Diego Asian Film Festival started tonight, and ChiliCheeseFries has his movie playing (Asian Stories Movie) this weekend. For more info: Click here.

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Episode 9-Week2- Italia Ristorante

October 9, 2006 Cathy Italian Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Italia has closed

mmm-yoso is on vacation. The part usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy in the interim.

Happy Columbus Day! In honor of all of my Italian friends, today we can all be a little Italian…and will go to one of our favorite places not in Little Italy, Italia Ristorante, in Santee.

I must confess, I have an ulterior motive, besides really liking this place. There is a *lot* of construction going on on Mission Gorge Road and the left turn lane onto Carlton Hills is closed until January at least. All of the businesses in this area have seen a tremendous drop in foot traffic since the street has been narrowed. I do not want Italia to close.

The Mister and I have been to Italy. We liked the food. We like quality Italian food wherever we go. Italia has it. This is the whole menu. Fairly simple, quite elegant. Quality ingredients prepared fresh for you. We started out with the traditional "first date" appetizer- fried calamari. Lightly breaded rings and tentacles served with a fresh, warm marinara that is mostly crushed tomatoes and basil. ($7.95)

Then we shared the medium antipasto salad ($7.95) which had mortadella, salami, provolone, olives, marinated cauliflower, celery, carrots and red peppers, pepperocini and romaine lettuce. The side of anchovies is for me. (something else besides onions the Mister will not touch)

We ordered only one main course, knowing it was a large portion, and that came with either soup or salad. We got the minestrone soup, made with large chunks of celery, carrots, zucchini and had kidney beans also, all in a rich tomato broth.

The main course arrived, freshly made for us. Tortellini carbonara. Cheese tortellini, ham and mushrooms in a creamy Parmesan sauce. This sauce has garlic in it..and butter…and cream and its just wonderful! I have tried to make the sauce at home but cannot emulate it…I don't keep heavy cream around the house…

Italia Ristorante 8918 Carlton Hills Blvd (next to Al's Sports Shop at Mission Gorge) Santee 92071 (619) 449-7960

Open seven days a week, 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

Its worth the U-turns….

and when you leave, take a right onto Mission Gorge and just past the first light, at Fanita, on your left is Mary's Donuts…I told you about them in Episode 7…open 24/7…you won't need dessert after you eat at Italia, but for breakfast tomorrow…

Cathy's Favorite pasta dish

Cut 1/4 lb bacon into little pieces and cook until clear in a stick of butter. Heat 1 cup milk in small saucepan and add bacon and butter. Add 2 Tbs wine vinegar. This will turn the milk to cheese. Simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce cooks smooth.

Boil your favorite pasta al dente (1 lb), drain (do not rinse) and return to pan. Immediately toss in two whipped eggs, the above sauce and 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, salt and pepper. Toss and serve.

Episode 8-Week 2 Carnitas Uruapan

October 8, 2006 Cathy Mexican Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

Carnitas Uruapan closed in September 2011. It will be missed. It has relocated and is being run by former employees at 4233 Spring Street, La Mesa 92042 Here's a post

mmm-yoso is on vacation. The part usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy in the interim.

When I started blogging, yea all of seven days ago, the first comment I received was from Ted, who asked if I might possibly review Mexican restaurants in the San Diego area. "Ha!" I thought. Mexican restaurants…what is out there? what is good?…

Then I was reading the chowhound website and recalled seeing a lot of inquiries this summer from people who were going to be staying in downtown San Diego for some sort of convention or another and they, too were asking about 'good Mexican restaurants'.

Invariably, someone always mentioned "Carnitas Uruapan" for great carnitas, yet I have never seen a review. (Carnitas is essentially orange juice marinated pork, simmered in boiling oil, then braised in the oven to get a crispy crust.). So, since I am not doing much of anything, I felt it was necessary to at least show some photographs to the few people who do not know about Carnitas Uruapan. It is in Lemon Grove…waaaay out in East county (maybe 12 minutes from downtown, because you get stuck at lights getting out of downtown).

Looks innocuous, eh? Its a lot nicer than the old location, which did not have air conditioning. That location was taken over by Eminent Domain about 15 years ago.

We went here today, a Sunday, at 1 p.m. We were the only non-Hispanics in the place. This is a good sign.

Here is the menu, all three pages. You can click onto any of them and they will enlarge.

This is the main dinner menu and then there is the lunch menu.

If you have paid attention, the name of the place is CARNITAS Uruapan. Get the carnitas.

Carnitas for two: $12.90…we wanted guacamole also, $3.50

Doesn't look like much, you say? That is a pound of carnitas meat. You get three corn tortillas each, or two flour tortillas each. Here is what we made, and what was leftover:

I made a taco and then just a plate of beans, carnitas, guacamole, cilantro, onion and tomato. I used lots of carnitas.

The Mister made himself smaller burrito like servings on the flour tortillas.

After we each had two pretty large servings, this amount of meat was still left over. We did manage to finish it all though…but I wasn't hungry for dinner…

The "Sampler Platter" is $15.95 and includes about 1/3 lb carnitas, tamale, chile relleño, enchilada, a sopa, taco, rice and beans…lots of side stuff. Its good. Its all good. The carnitas here are great. The salsa is hot, fresh, the chips are made in house, the tortillas are fresh and warm when they get to your table, the beans are made with lard (wonder where they get it?), the cilantro and onions are plentiful and fresh and it is all brought to your table quickly with a smile. The only thing I don't like- the iced tea is instant, not brewed.

Carnitas Uruapan 8035 Broadway, Lemon Grove 91945

(619) 462-0704

Episode Six. Week one-Tugboat Fish & Chips #18

October 6, 2006 Cathy Chains, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is on vacation. The part usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy in the interim.

So, the San Diego County Fair is over and you have been good for what, three months, now? No fried olives or avocadoes on a stick, or deep fried Twinkies, Snickers, or asparagus. No batter fried Australian potatoes, 10 pound loaves of bread, or plate of pesto pasta ( a favorite of the Mister). The cinnamon rolls were great, again this year, as were the giant pickles, BBQ chicken and cream puffs. The San Diego County Fair, 5th largest in the US, is history.

The Ginsu knives are also history, along with the jewelry cleaner, mink oil for your hands, the eyeglass cleaner. You can’t find either of your "Incredible Mops" (if you bought one, you got the other free). The Russian nesting dolls are getting dusty, the healing crystals don’t heal. That belt buckle is someplace-you’ll find it in time to use as a Christmas gift. Hopefully you are still using the Bamix and Vitamix machines, at least once a week, if not daily, and that sewing/embroidery serger machine has been put to good use also. The pickled garlic was nice to eat, the soup mixes are somewhere in the back of the cupboard and that prize winning strawberry jam was *really* good. (OK, the photos were taken before the Fair opened, but the look is the same as when they had to break it down).

So, that craving has returned. Deep fried something. Tugboat Fish & Chips fits the bill. The location, in Lemon Grove, has been there for at least three years now…and it is officially know as Tugboat Fish & Chips #18. There are at least 17 others around the state. None in SD County as far as I can tell. There is no main website for the company: its "under Construction".

Here is the menu. Look carefully. The only items not fried are the coleslaw and the beverages.

Oh…. yeah.

So, it being Friday and all, and me in my "just in case" way of living, well fish and chips are the way to go. Those of us who grew up in the Midwest fondly remember ‘fish fry friday’ and this is as close as I can find out here without driving to Point Loma Seafoods.

This is the two piece meal ($6.39). The fish is Pollock, in good sized pieces, not the pre-formed cod stuff. The batter is more "London" style, not all beer batter/fluffy and cakey. In fact, the malt vinegar made the flavor of the crust improved and there were references to London as part of the decor, along with Beatles music being played as part of the "ambiance". Lots of fries served with each plate: generic, but not greasy or bad per se.

These are condiments on the table. The tartar sauce served is smooth, not chunky and very good. The cocktail sauce is mild but has a nice horseradish flavor.

The side order of fried oysters was pretty good ($ 2.99), they were juicy, but I know made from either jarred oysters or were frozen and already battered . The batter is made of cornmeal. Still, when I have a craving….

This is the fish and clam plate ($6.99). Clam strips, one piece of fish. Lots of food.

The coleslaw dressing had a touch of vinegar taste to it, like the Marzettis from a jar.

We have had the shrimp platter, the vegetable platter, the seafood platter, the fried mushrooms (you get five) and the fried zucchini. The scallops were not that thrilling.

The family who works there are very friendly and honest. The food is not bad, not greasy. The iced tea is brewed, not instant.

You can phone in an order and pick it up. Tugboat fulfills many cravings.

Tugboat Fish & Chips 8047 Broadway, Lemon Grove 91945

(619) 465-7060 Mon-Sat 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., closed Sunday

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Just a reminder- Oktoberfest in the Village of La Mesa started today. The food, entertainment and street sales of crafts will be going on Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. and Sunday noon until 6 p.m. Admission is free. You can take the orange or green trolley line to get there.

episode four/Week one-La Basil Thai

October 4, 2006 Cathy Thai Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

***UPDATE*** La Basil at this location closed in June 2007. The La Jolla location is still open. Rumor is a new location in East County is in the works. Click onto website info at bottom of post for information.

mmm-yoso is on vacation. In the interim, the part usually played by Kirk will be played by Cathy.

Hi. So, the parting words to me from Kirk were "Oh- and make sure you do Basil Thai"…and I don't want to. I don't want everyone to know about this place. Its one of the really great hole-in-the-walls, run by a Thai family. The people who go there frequently know they have a gem…and anyone who goes to K Sandwiches has been right on top of it. (click onto the photo- you can see K Sandwiches on the left and right there, at the end of the parking lot, under the setting sun-those buildings right there…go ahead, walk on over)

There they are- my two best kept secrets, right on Mesa College Drive. We will go from left to right and I will talk about La Basil today.

Here is the menu, posted outside. Basically for the lunch specials, you choose your type of noodle, type of meat and type of sauce. If you get vegetarian, chicken or pork,its $5.99; beef or duck is $6.99, shrimp or calamari is $7.99, scallop is $8.99 and mixed seafood is $10.99.

Dinners have a similar style of ordering, with the most expensive entree on the menu being $12.95.

For dinner, there are appetizers, salads, noodles & rice, house curries, specialties and fish.

The thing is, there are 18 CHAIRS for 5 tables total inside and 10 CHAIRS for 4 tables outside, and really, if you were to sit at the tables using all of those chairs, there is no space for plates for all the people. Notice there are no condiments on the tables.

We ordered, had water placed and a basket of still sizzling shrimp chips were brought out to the table. Not oily, not too hot, but still sizzling with a nice shrimp flavor and oh so light and crispy.

Then the appetizer we ordered arrived, having been freshly made, Spring rolls ($4.95): rice paper stuffed with tofu, lettuce, bean sprouts, carrot, mint, cucumber, rice noodle served with a sweet/sour/hot sauce topped with chopped peanuts on the left and warmed, fresh made peanut sauce on the right. These were very fresh, with the right amount of crunch and the sauces complimented the flavors perfectly.

Then my most absolute favorite Thai dish arrived- Larb salad…made with beef! I have looked high and low for larb made with beef anywhere else in San Diego and have yet to find it. Seems its always made with chicken. Here, you get to choose: beef, chicken or pork. Larb is made with the minced meat, lime juice, chili, rice powder (gives it crunch) and mint and also served are cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, onions and shredded carrots. I asked for medium heat..not too much: I wanted to taste the flavors. It was just right. ($7.95)

We also got the chicken pad Thai this time. The pad Thai is kind of sweet tasting here and the noodles are fresh rice noodles, with a nice "bite" to them, but at lunchtime I like to get the pad see ew noodle, made with a thicker rice noodle, that seems to hold more of the sauce on it. (I also like the green curry on rice at lunch). Bean sprouts, scallion and egg along with chopped peanuts and the chicken and noodles. ($7.95)

This little placard was on the table, and we had ordered the rice with coconut ice cream once before, remembering it took about 10 minutes to come out, because they make it fresh, and it was busy. We ordered ahead of time. They were out of ice cream, so we asked for the custard.

Which was also made fresh. The rice is made with coconut milk, was still warm and wonderfully sticky. The custard was eggy and wonderfully fresh, with a skin just beginning to form on top. The price was $4.95.

All in all, the Mister and I really like La Basil. It does a brisk take out (but you don't call it in: i never have heard a phone ring when we were in there- you walk in, order and wait…they give you some shrimp chips to munch on… and enjoy the decor):

It is going to be Halloween soon, you know.

La Basil Thai Cuisine 7530 Mesa College Drive SD 92111

Mon-Fri 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.

Sat 12:00 p.m.-9:00p.m.

Did anyone notice the parsley on the dessert plate?

Addendum- October 12, 2006….I was reading the morning paper and saw a coupon for La Basil Thai in La Jolla. There was a website: La Basil dot com and I went to it, looked at the menu section and it is, apparently, a chain! The La Jolla prices are a dollar more than the prices at this location on Mesa College Drive. There is nothing on the menu here to indicate they had another location. …and I just don't hang around in La Jolla enough to know that there was a La Basil there. Sorry if anyone was confused.

Restaurant Yakata Part 2

September 28, 2006 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

This past Saturday, the Missus was in the mood for some sushi and Japanese food, but I was a bit too tired to drive all the way to LA to Sushi Komasa or Sushi Gen. We also just wanted a quiet evening, so having recalled what Makoto at Restaurant Yakata said on my visit, "Saturdays nights are my slowest…" We decided to see if this was true, and drove down to National City. Well Makoto-san was correct, it was 630pm, and only two tables were taken, and the sushi bar was empty.

Being absolutely ravenous, we decided to order some food from the menu, and also a 10 piece Nigiri combination. I told Makoto, not to worry about price, just give us a variety.

The Missus started with Tempura Soba($6.50):

Soba, Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura, in a light broth, the Missus really enjoyed this.

I ordered the Tempura-Teriyaki Chicken Combo ($7.25). The dinner came with a bowl of miso, that was salty, but strangely very weak in miso flavor, and a green salad with a ginger-sesame dressing that was pretty good.

The Chicken Teriyaki was very uninspired, the sauce too sweet and watery.

The Tempura on the other hand was very good.

Though not very large, the shrimp had the perfect amount of crunchy batter, and the shrimp was cooked perfectly, soft and moist. The vegetables included were a broccoli floret, a thin slice of Kabocha, and a thin slice of Eggplant. The Tentsuyu(tempura dipping sauce) was fine, though I would have enjoyed some Daikon Oroshi(grated daikon) for the sauce. Still, this was a good amount of food for the price.

While we were eating the Nigiri arrived:

The Missus went straight for the Unagi, which is always the safe choice for Her and She enjoyed it. The Maguro was okay, and the Hamachi not as good as my previous visit. I thought the Sake(salmon) was quite good, as was the Saba. I had the Missus try the Mirugai(Giant Clam/Geoduck), which She really enjoyed, and the Hokkaido Hotategai(scallop) which She adored. The Tako(Octopus) was fine, as was the Ika(Squid), and Hirame.

Having figured out what She enjoyed we went for another round:

More good Mirugai, and excellent Hotategai. Makoto even remembered how I enjoyed eating my Aji. Up to this point in time, the Missus had always refused to eat Aji, associating it with the sometimes very fishy Saba. But tonight, She decided to give it a shot. As She ate the piece of Nigiri, Her eyes opened wide….."Wow, this is really good, almost milky in flavor, the texture is awesome!" I guess we’ll be fighting over the Aji from now on.

All told, our fairly hefty dinner(no alcohol) came out to about $50, without tip. By no means cheap, but quite satisfying. As we left Yakata, the restaurant was totally empty. I guess Makoto is right about Saturday nights…..

So if you want to grab some pretty good sushi on a Saturday night, and not have to deal with noise, crowds, or traffic, Restaurant Yakata might be a good choice.

Restaurant Yakata
2424 Hoover Ave
National City, CA 91950

Mister Tiki Mai Tai Lounge

September 25, 2006 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Poke

*** Mr Tiki like most fad restaurants has faded away….

Last year I actually won something, man was I thrilled, mainly because I never win anything. On one hand I was really excited, it was two $50 gift cards…on the other hand, it was for a Cohn Restaurant Group restaurant. Most of our experiences at Cohn Restaurants have been of the "all style, no substance" variety. So here it's almost a year later, and we're thinking we better use these soon. So the Missus chose Mr. Tiki in the Gaslamp.

One thing you've got to give to the Cohn Group is that they are masters at the art of marketing and creating theme restaurants. Mr Tiki is a restaurant with a pseudo-Polynesian, Tiki Culture theme, serving Asian Fusion style dishes. Items like Kona Coconut Crabcakes, Miso Salmon Dumplings, Korean Style Smoked Ribs, along with a "Poke" and Sushi Bar on the premises. Now I really enjoy Pacific Rim style cuisine when done well, but in most cases it's a train wreck of mismatched flavors waiting to happen.

The Missus and Her Girlfriends have been to Mr Tiki several times, and had always enjoyed the experience. So I was all for giving it a try, especially with a $50 card, and a $10 off coupon, and arriving during Happy Hour to boot! The first thing the Missus noticed was that the menu had changed since Her last visit, and Her favorite dish, a Miso Salmon served on a pseudo Yaki Onigiri was no longer on the menu.

So the Missus decided to drown Her sorrows in a glass of Coconut Kiss($4 Happy Hour – $8 regular):

A coconut-pineapple-rum concoction with a hidden kick. She did enjoy it while it lasted.

The next thing the Missus noticed was that all the Fish Fillet, Whole Shrimp, and other dishes were now conspicuously missing from the menu.

We started with the Island "Poke" Platter ($18):

According to the menu, all these dishes are made for sharing. The Poke Platter had Lime Ceviche on one side, Poke on the Other, and Taro Chips scattered around the plate.

The Lime Ceviche, was indeed Lime Ceviche, that's all you could taste. The Ceviche was lip puckering sour, very one dimensional, though the fish had a nice firm texture, it was not particularly enjoyable.

The Poke was okay, much too salty, and the marinade was wet and runny. The fish was of decent quality. Though the portion looked to be fairly decent, the fish was served in a banana leaf cone which was empty.

The Taro Chips were good though!

By this time the Missus ordered something called a "Volcano" ($7 Happy Hour):

Think of it as being a bowl of slushy Mai Tai, with a little(luckily) bowl of lit 151 proof Rum in the center. We were given two looong straws, though I wasn't drinking on this evening. The Missus stayed with the Mai Tai portion, and enjoyed it. She managed to drink about a third.

The Missus ordered the Mini Ahi Sliders($13):

I clicked this photo, and realized, that I couldn't see the Ahi, so the Missus opened up one of the sliders.

My first reaction was "ugh, grey food…". The Missus thought these were pretty good, even though cooked "well done", the fish "cakes"(I don't know what to call them) were very juicy and moist. I thought these were much too sweet, and a strange sour flavor(I believe it was lemongrass) really didn't help much. The Sesame Aioli was so mild, that you couldn't taste it at all. The fries were excellent, and we enjoyed those.

I ordered the Sesame Grilled Lamb Chops($15):

First off, the Lamb Chops were very soft and moist, though all the "wildness" was taken out of the chops. The flavor was very mild, I really couldn't taste any marinade. On the other hand the flavor of the Pineapple-Mint Chutney tasted so very strange…almost like eating pieces of oregano and onion flavored pineapple. The Sweet Potato Cake, is a Mashed Sweet Potato Crouqette with just a touch of spice, otherwise not much going on here. Still the Lamb Chops were soft and moist…too bad that taste wise, it could've been chicken.

Still I thought this meal was worth the price we paid…it came to about 3 bucks and change after the gift card and coupon, without tip! We did tip really well, since we received very good service; friendly, efficient, without being obtrusive. But would we have spent $60 for this? I really don't think so.

In the end, nice theme, nice drinks(per the Missus), very good service, the food needs some work.

Mister Tiki Mai Tai Lounge
801 5th Ave
San Diego, CA 92101
Dinner Nightly from 530pm

Restaurant Yakata Part 1

September 24, 2006 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Sushi and Sashimi

Sometimes you get lucky, I had missed my exit on the I-5, and went over to the Mile of Cars exit to turn around. I turned into a strip mall and saw Yakata. And even though I just did a U-turn in the mall, Restaurant Yakata just kind of stuck with me. The final straw was reading through Jeni’s post on Sushi Zo – Off the Beaten Path, and Yakata quickly came to mind. I did a Yahoo search on Yakata, and came up with almost nothing……perfect!

I arrived at about 530pm on a Friday evening to find Yakata totally empty, and I thought that my instincts had turned on me.

Being alone I took a seat at the sushi bar and started looking over the fish. I started cautiously, with Maguro and Hamachi, just to get my bearings and determine the quality of he fish. I had also started a conversation with the Itamae; Makoto. Please pardon the photos, the lighting in Yakata is really tricky.

The Hamachi was quite good, the Maguro decent, but on the very cold side. The rice was a perfect temperature. Things were looking up. Makoto was just the opposite of the talkative and friendly Sam at Sammy’s, being on the reserved side. But since there were no customers in the restaurant, I was given am excellent opportunity. You see, part of what can make eating sushi a great experience is getting to know the Itamae(Sushi Chef), and giving the Itamae the chance to know my eating habits. Makoto also noticed that I didn’t use any "Wasabi"(da’ fake green stuff) with my fish, opting for just the most minute touch of soy.

So having started a conversation, I asked Makoto, "what is good tonight?" And after looking at me, and asking me a few questions, he came up with this:

The Hotategai(scallop) was excellent, sweet, with a buttery-velvety texture, among the best I’ve ever had. When I mentioned this to Makoto, he told me it was Hokkaido Hotategai. The Mirugai was also good, sweet and crunchy, obviously very fresh. I bought Makoto a Sapporo to thank him for such great sushi.

A short time later, Makoto asked me if there was anything I really didn’t care for, and why. I mentioned that I’m really not fond of Saba(Mackerel), as most times it overly fishy, and can be quite funky. So a minute later, a pair of Saba Nigiri appear in front of me, Makoto placing them on my plate with a grin.

The first thought that entered my head was, "how confident…." That said, the Saba was good, very good, just the right touch of the oily fishiness, enough to make you realize that this soft piece of fish was Saba. By now we had entered into a very nice conversation. It seems that Tuesdays through Thursdays are his busiest days. During the afternoon, it’s a combination of customers from local businesses as well as Japanese customers from the area, and those returning from Mexico. During the evenings it’s His regular customers, and Japanese returning from various businesses in Mexico.

Finally, I ordered some Aji(Spanish Mackerel). When asked my preference, I requested a thin slice of lemon in place of the usual minced ginger.

This was most excellent, the lemon added a slight citrus hint to the almost milky-rich flavor of the Aji.

By now several customers had made their way through the restaurant, most sitting at tables having tempura, teriyaki, and the such. And 2 elderly Japanese customers who went for Sashimi and Gohan(rice). I started asking Makoto about other items, and came to find that to balance both having the best product available for His customers, and getting the most out of His investment, Makoto will only have many of His specialty items "in season". That means Tai(snapper) usually only the spring, Ankimo(Monkfish Liver) during the winter, Aji and Amaebi(sweet shrimp) during the summer and fall. I had also found out that Makoto hails from Tokyo, though He has been in San Diego for 16 years, the first 14 in North County, opening Yakata 2 years ago.

This nice light dinner cost me a bit under $40(including 3 large Sapporo). I left satisfied, and with the knowledge that Saturday evenings were His slowest in the back of my mind….I knew where we were going on Saturday.

Stay tuned for Part 2 later on this week.

Restaurant Yakata
2424 Hoover Ave
National City, CA 91950