Closed – Page 99

Kealani’s

July 2, 2006 mmm-yoso Local Kine Stuffs in San Diego, Plate Lunch

*** Kealani's has closed

It's been a while since I did a plate lunch post, and even longer since I've had a decent plate lunch. On a recent Monday that I had taken off, I decided to drive on up to Encinitas and have some grindz at Kealani's. Kealani's is pretty easy to find; once you hit the Encinitas sign you turn West on D Street.

And tucked away on West D Street is Kealani's.

We had visited Kealani's when we first moved to San Diego in 2001, and really didn't enjoy our plate lunches, and hadn't returned since. But several people have mentioned how much they enjoy Kealani's, so I decided to make an effort and return.

When you enter Kealani's you'll notice a little shop to your left, among the knick-knacks you'll find Kauai Kookie and Lion Coffee.

The menu is full of "local" favorites, like Chicken Long Rice, Kalua Pig, Pipi Kaula, and others…

I decided to go with the 2 item combination called the "Mt Ka'ala"($7.50). Now why can't they just call it Mixed Plate, like back home? Today, I decided on the Sweet n' Sour Spareribs and Chicken Katsu as my meats.

The plate came with the requisite "two scoops, rice, one scoop mac salad". I thought the macaroni salad was pretty good, just enough mayo, and some celery, for texture and flavor. It also was NOT the usual bland mac salad that I've come across, with nice amount of pepper in the salad.

The Sweet n' Sour Spareribs, were not the usual spareribs per se' since they were boneless, so there's no mess here! The pork had a nice soy-sugar flavor, much like Okinawan Roast Pork(Think sweet adobo). There was almost no sour flavor, which really didn't hurt the dish very much. The pork could have been more tender, but I still enjoyed it.

The Chicken Katsu was lightly coated with panko, and the chicken was nice and moist. A decent version. The sauce was the ketchup based, "local-style" katsu sauce which I enjoyed.

I also ordered a Mini Teriyaki Chicken($4.50)"all-rice", to go, for the Missus:

The Missus's critique? "Pre-cooked, then dipped in sauce. Tasted ok, but the chicken was dry."

Kealani's serves a pretty decent plate lunch, better then most of those Hawaiian BBQ places popping up everywhere. The service was fine when I managed to get some. I'd return if I were in the area. Well, I need to, I still haven't had the Loco Moco here.

Kealani's
137 W D St
Encinitas, CA 92024
(760) 94-ALOHA

Mon-Tue 11:00AM- 8:00PM
Wed 11:00AM- 6:00PM
Thu-Sat 11:00AM- 8:00PM
Closed Sunday

also at

207 N Coast Hwy
Oceanside, CA 92054

Point Point Joint Restaurant

June 29, 2006 mmm-yoso Filipino Restaurants

** Point Point Joint has closed

Yes, that's the name of this Turo-Turo( literally "point-point" in Tagalog) "joint" in National City. Why "point-point"? Well these type of restaurants, serve up steam-table fare, and you can order by just pointing at what you want.

On this afternoon, I happen to be in National City, and my stomach was rumbling away. I also hadn't had rice for almost 10 days!!! I thought about driving up to Tita's Kitchenette, but since it was already past 2pm, and I was just a few blocks away; Point-Point was an easy choice. The spartan, dark, and simple interior of the restaurant was quite crowded, and the television eternally tuned to TFC(The Filipino Channel), was playing some Karaoke All-Star program.

I simply walked up to the counter, did my "point-point" duty, and got my usual 2 item combination($5.50). Lechon Kawali and BBQ Chicken:

For those who don't know what Lechon Kawali is; it's pork belly that has been boiled in water and seasonings, then drained and dried. And finally deep fried until the skin (Chicharon) becomes golden and crisp. When done to perfection, each bite of lechon kawali is an amazing combination of textures; crisp cracklins', rich gelatinous fat, and moist meat flavored by the seasonings and the two-step cooking process. Needless to say, it should be eaten soon after cooking. When I had mentioned the food at Point-Point to my Buddy Jack; he was quick to point out that, "with Point-Point, you either have to get there early; or luck out and be there when fresh batches of food comes out." A perfect assessment of Point-Point timing. On this visit, some of the pieces of lechon were excellent, while other were not very good. A few pieces were extremely hard, and the meat had become very dry. I enjoy the BBQ Chicken at Point-Point, it is very different from it's counter-part at Tita's, it has a sweeter flavor, more reminiscent of Teriyaki. Today the chicken skewers were very good; still hot, moist, and with nice "charry" bits.

I finished my meal(except for a few pieces of lechon that were too dried out) while watching the Karaoke All-Stars, and before leaving, got some take-out for the Missus. 2 BBQ Chicken skewers($1.50/each), and a "medium" Chicken Sinigang (Chicken Sour Soup – $2.50). The portion of soup turned to be quite generous as it filled one of our soup bowls.

The Missus enjoyed Her bowl of soup, which She found to be refreshingly sour and tangy, and though a bit on the salty side, not oily in the least bit. There was a generous amount of chicken and eggplant in the soup as well.

Though the portions at Point-Point are not as massive as those at Tita's, I sometimes enjoy the nicer Staff at Point-Point. I also usually never have to deal with the psycho parking lot, crazy Plaza Boulevard, and the mass of Humanity at Tita's. Point-Point serves up all the usual suspects, Tapa, Dinuguan, Adobo, and other favorites, all you have to do is point….point.

Here's a photo of another recent take-out from Point-Point. On this occasion the lechon was very good.

Point-point Restaurant
916 E 8TH St Ste 1
National City, CA 91950

Thien Thanh

June 25, 2006 mmm-yoso Vietnamese Restaurants

*** Update Thien Thanh has since closed, sigh…..

I've still got 2 more posts on Portland, but I thought I'd take a short break and return "home" to San Diego. I've passed Thien Thanh Vietnamese Restaurant on El Cajon Boulevard hundreds of times. I thought it would be a good idea to finally have a meal there.

I don't ever recall hearing anything on Thien Thanh, so I thought it would be at the least an interesting visit. Thien Thanh is located in a strip mall on the corner of El Cajon Blvd and Menlo Avenue, just East and across the street from the strip mall that houses A Chau and Minh Ky.

The interior of Thien Thanh is quite clean, and bright. The menu is quite varied, and even has a section titled Dac Biet(Specials) which was almost all in Vietnamese(except the Steak & French Fries!!!):

Not quite sure what most of these are, I'm pretty sure the first 5 items are salads, but does anyone see anything interesting…..except the sashimi.

We started off with the Banh Xeo($6.00 – Vietnamese Crepe). A plate of very fresh lettuce, mint, and Tiet To(Purple Perilla), along with two small bowls of Nuoc Mam Cham.

Honestly, some of the freshest garnishes I've ever encountered in a Vietnamese Restaurant.

The very rich looking crepe arrived soon after. The Missus took a lettuce leaf, some garnishes, a large piece of the crepe, dipped her "bite" into the nuoc mam, bit into it, and made a face……. "What, is that taste….too rich!" I put together my crepe, and took a bite. It was very clear, to me. "There's alot of coconut milk in this."

Those that enjoy the taste of coconut milk will love this. I thought the strong coconut flavor detracted from the excellent ingredients. In the crepe were large plump shrimp, strips of pork(instead of the usual ground pork), and the crepe was fried to perfection.

The Missus ordered her remedy to the hot weather; Bun Cha Gio(Vermicelli with Egg Rolls – $5.95):

The Missus declared this Her favorite version of this dish. What set this apart, was the generous amount of Mint and Tiet To cut into a chiffonade. The Nuoc Mama Cham also went well with the dish, as it wasn't too sweet. Sounds like we'll be having a few more of these in the future.

I ordered the Com Tam Dac Biet(Special Broken Rice – $6.50):

As with the Dac Biet Com Tam dishes, a mixed bag. The Grilled Pork was tasteless and dry, and the Fried Bean Curd Skin with Shrimp was fried perfectly but bland. The Shredded Pork, which on a bad day can be like chewing on rubberbands, except rubberbands have more flavor, was surprisingly moist, and there was a little surprise, little pieces of garlic gave the pork flavor. I still haven't met a Steamed Egg(except one) that I didn't like.

And this was no exception. The broken rice was very moist as well. A pretty good dish on the whole.

I think we'll be making another visit to Thien Thanh in the near future. The service was very nice, and there are other interesting dish on the menu, like Bun Bo Hue, Bun Rieu(Northern style crab flavored broth with vermicelli), Bun Rieu Oc(the above with snails), Curry Lamb, and other items from the Vietnamese Menu. I found prices to be on the high side, but the quality and freshness of the ingredients explain why. No Pho Bo' on the menu, though Pho Ga' (Chicken Noodle Soup) is.

Thien Thanh Vietnamese Restaurant
4658 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Sun-Thurs 8am-9pm
Fri-Sat 8am-10pm

5 Days of Feasting Day 5 – Asia Cafe

June 12, 2006 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants, What Ed Eats -You too can be like Ed!

Asia Cafe has slowly made it’s way onto our "rotation". Apparently it has become a favorite of Ed from Yuma as well. You can read about His latest experience on Chowhound. On my previous posts on Asia Cafe, I noted the location, and ambiance.

Asia Cafe is really about good Laotian Home Cooking, and for Her fifth day of feasting, after the visits to China Max, Izakaya Sakura, Sushi Komasa in Los Angeles, and Ba Ren, the Missus was in the mood for some good home cooking.

We started with the Missus’s favorite, the Nem Khao.

With this wonderful rice crust – sour sausage dish, you experience the best of both worlds. When wrapped in a lettuce leaf, and garnished with cilantro and mint, you have wonderful flavors along with a crunchy texture.

The Missus also went with the Yum Asia.

This seafood "salad", is served with a refreshing sweet, fish sauce based dressing. We always order ours with "clear noodles". Yum is right…..

Asia Cafe also makes very good sticky rice. One order is usually enough for the both of us.

One of my favorite dishes at Asia Cafe is the See Nam Tok:

A very simple sirloin or similar cut of beef, marinated, and pan fried, and served with a fish sauce based dipping sauce.

Today we ordered something a bit different. We asked about the whole fried fish we had seen on a previous visit. Though like the Nem Khao, it’s not on the menu, the Fried Fish was available today.

Simply salted and deep fried to crisp perfection, the item that made this dish was the dipping sauce, consisting of (what else!) fish sauce, garlic, some chilies, and green onions. Very nice!

When we entered, the "Chef", the Wife of the Husband and wife team that along with their two sons make Asia Cafe "tick", greeted me with a "Hi, I haven’t seen you in a while!" And while we were eating, Johnny, one of the sons brought a plate of noodles over, and said "We’re doing some catering tonight, so my Mom wanted make sure you tasted some of this."

He called it Mee Lao, very tasty simple noodles stir fried with soy sauce and bean sprouts and topped with fried egg.

The damage? All of the dishes above with a pot of tea(Jasmine) for $27. Needless to say, we had a ton of leftovers.

I once asked a friend of a friend why there weren’t more Laotian Restaurants, and he told me that everyone believed that their Mother made the best Laotian food, so why eat out? Well, since I can’t call on a Laotian Mom to make great home cooked dishes for me, I’ll have to rely on Asia Cafe, my little gem of a restaurant on the corner of 47th street and Market street for great home style cooking.

Asia Cafe
4710 Market St
San Diego, CA 92102

Habana Restaurant & Bar

June 11, 2006 mmm-yoso Cuban Restaurants

I'd recently heard about a new Cuban Restaurant that recently opened in La Mesa, from reader and frequent commenter Reynila and My good friend and frequent contributor to Chowhound, Gayla. During a quick call to Habana I found out that during Happy Hour(between 4-6 pm) all appetizers are half price, and specialty drinks are $2 off! A good deal. Needless to say, we had a bunch of appetizers. All appetizer prices in the post, are the "menu" prices. To calculate Happy Hour prices, divide by '2'.

We arrived at approximately 430pm, and found Habana empty. The large dining area goes for a tropical feel.

After looking over the "Tropical" drink menu……

The Missus tried a Habanatini($7 – $5 Happy Hour). Kind of on the weak side, but ok overall.

We looked over the menu and started ordering. We decided on 5 appetizers, and ordered one entree to share.

The first appetizer to arrive were the Chicken Croquetas($3.95):

The croquettes were moist and fairly light, though I really could not taste any chicken. As a whole fairly unremarkable.

Beef Empanada ($3.95).

The empananda was quite large, and the exterior was nicely fried and crisp. The filling was pretty dry and the flavor was on the mild side.

The Maduros (Fried Plantains – $4.25), fried well, with a nice sweetness that wasn't cloying. Overall, quite nicely done.

Yuca Frita (Fried yuca), served with a "mojo" ($4.50). The Yuca was crisp on the outside, and moist on the inside. There was a mild sweet flavor to go with the slightly dense stachy interior. The "mojo" was a flavorful concoction. The menu said the yuca was served with a garlic sauce, but we were sure that there was some meat in the sauce. Our suspicions were confirmed when we asked what was in the sauce, and the word "pork" was mentioned. No wonder it was so tasty!

The Yuca con Mojo – the best dish of the night ($3.95). The boiled Yuca was served with a lemon-olive oil-garlic sauce that bordered on addictive. The sauteed onions added an almost sweet flavor to the dish.

We also ordered one entree to share. The classic Cuban Dish, Ropa Vieja($11.50), we ordered Arroz Morro and Papa Dulce Roja(Yams) as our "sides".

The dish was a disappointment. The Arroz Morro, supposedly black beans and rice simmered in wine was flavorless. The black beans were also very hard. The yams were nothing special either. The Ropa Vieja was dry and tough, and very mild in flavor. Of the four version of Ropa Vieja I've had so far, this is ranked at a solid "number 4".

Would I recommend Habana? I'd say if you want to go for Happy Hour, I would say that the food is a fairly good value. How can you argue with $2 appetizers? We probably be back to Habana for the Yuca con Mojo, and maybe try another Entree. Out total bill for the evening, for 5 appetizers, two specialty drinks, and one entree was $37. Habana also offers a Sunday Brunch:

I forwarded the photos of the menu to Jim the Brunchmaster.

One last item, our Server, Amy, was excellent. So nice and efficient.

Habana Restaurant & Bar
7777 University Ave.
La Mesa, CA 91941
619-713-2011

A Tale of Two Comals Part I: El Comal – Imperial Ave

June 8, 2006 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants

*** This location of El Comal has closed.

On a recent afternoon I was rather surprised when I asked the Missus what she felt like eating. Her answer? "Hmmm, I’d like some Mexican food, maybe some soup would be good." Wow, first she went along for some Vietnamese, and now Mexican. But as with most similar opportunities in our household there was one catch. "But make sure it’s none of that, taco shop garbage, OHHKAYYY!" Yes, the Missus has an aversion to the tons of yellow cheese, gloppy refried beans, french fries in the burrito, greasy taco shop fare that is so abundant in San Diego. Bummer…… Luckily, I had a restaurant in mind, one entry in my little notebook that had been slowly fading away; El Comal. Now as fate would have it, over the course of two days we found ourselves not only breaking bread (or is it tortillas) at the Imperial Avenue location of El Comal, but the Chula Vista location as well. What really surprised us about the meals, was that even though the two El Comals share the same menus, and Owner, the food was quite different, maybe a more of a similar, but different? But then again, I’m always mentioning the differences in the quality of food between the various locations of Sam Woo BBQ, so why should this be any different?

As I understand it, a "Comal" is a clay, cast iron, or other metal skillet or griddle. So just as any well seasoned cast iron pan or wok would have it’s own distinctive flavor, no two "Comals" would be the same, right?

Enough with this, on to El Comal, located on Imperial Avenue.

We arrived on a weekend afternoon at about 2pm, and the clean and simply attired interior was fairly empty.

As we entered we were seated by the very nice and friendly Server, given menus, and had some chips and salsa delivered.

I perhaps enjoyed the crisp and grease free chips a bit too much. I plowed through them in no time. The salsas were nice and spicy.

We placed our order and in no time the food started arriving. We started with a Potato Empanada($2.75), and a Oaxaca style Chicken Tamale($2.00).

The exterior of the Empanada was nice and crisp, though the interior was a "cheese-fest" with very little potato.

The Tamale did not fare much better. Not having any experience with Oaxacan Tamales, we were surprised at the very thin tamale delivered. The interior of the tamale was a very thin and waxy looking masa and chicken filling.

After a taste the Missus couldn’t bring Herself to finish it. So I was left with that duty.

After this very inauspicious start, we started having some doubts about El Comal. That’s when our other dishes started arriving. First the Ensalada De Nopal($6.00):

I first had the pleasure of having a Cactus Salad a few years back. The Mother of a friend of the Missus had a party and we were invited. I had two servings of what I thought was a green bean salad. I was then told that the "green beans" were in actuality strips of the leaves of the prickly pear cactus(Nopal). Since then I’ve usually ordered a Nopal Salad whenever I have the chance. Most times, I’ve been very disappointed in the preparation of the cactus. When not prepared correctly, the cactus becomes very slimy, not unlike okra. Here’s a look at the nopal in this salad.

Very well prepared, and along with the tomato and cotija cheese, and very refreshing salad. The salad did need a good amount of lemon squeezed on it to bring out all of the flavors, but once that was done, it tasted pretty good.

I also ordered a Huaraches con Adobada, in this case a Huaraches with Spicy Steak($5.00):

Huarache literally translates to "sandal", and this popular Antojito(appetizer) is a slipper shaped piece of grilled masa, not unlike a thick corn tortilla or pupusa. A little "smear" of beans, a portion of well flavored, nicely caramelized, slightly spicy beef(yes, in this case the Adobada was beef!) is placed on the beans, and shredded lettuce and cotija cheese finishes everything off. It’s all about balance. The only thing that really wasn’t very satisfying about the Huaraches was that it was a bit on the gummy/soggy side. Other then that, this was a very well balanced, very tasty appetizer.

Yes, you heard right, appetizer. I also ordered a Torta con frijoles, nopales, hongos, lechuga y tomate. That would be a Vegetable Torta with beans, cactus, mushroom, lettuce, and tomato.($4.50)

I thoroughly enjoyed this sandwich. And in what was a very pleasant surprise; there was a layer of a mashed potato, with seasoned tomato sauce used as a "spread". The Missus loved the bollilo(roll).

The Missus got her soup, she adores Albondingas. The wonderfully helpful Server (Osiri???), suggested she get a "small" portion.($5.00)

I am not a big fan of Mexican Meatball Soup. In most cases, it’s either too watery, too oily, too salty, the meatballs are tough, or there’s some other problem with the soup. In fact, when I had asked the Missus’s friend about His favorite Albondingas, He mentioned a canned version. Even over his Mom’s!

This version came with rice, tortillas, cilantro, jalapeno peppers, and lemon on the side. Unfortunately half the tortillas where charred almost beyond recognition.

The soup itself was very good, the broth was neither too thick nor thin, and very nicely flavored, with a slight smoky spiciness courtesy of the chipotle pepper(smoked jalapeno). The broth contained not only the usual carrots and potatoes, but pieces of chayote(mango squash), and green beans. The meatballs were melt in your mouth tender, we wondered how they managed to stay intact. The mint in those meatballs added a nice finish.

Sounds like alot of food, huh? We did take home half the salad and Huaraches. The total bill including a refreshing glass of Nuez(Walnut Shake), and Horchata came to $32.

The Service was so amazingly nice, and the Young Lady whose name I tried to write above even stopped by and started making recommendations. As we left El Comal started filling up, most people were having soup. Driving away we started talking about returning in a few weeks. Little did we know that we’d be at El Comal, but at another location the very next day.

El Comal
2822 Imperial Ave
San Diego, CA 92102
(619) 239-7101

Part II – El Comal in Chula Vista coming up next week.

By Request, The Clairemont Hot Dog Battle: Woodies vs. Tommy’s – Will Heartburn Reign Supreme ?

June 7, 2006 mmm-yoso Hot Dogs

I don't quite remember who requested a comparison of the Chili Dogs at Woodies and Tommy's. But I'm pretty sure it's Diet Chili Cheese Fries, who probably wanted to see the word "Woodie" in print again. But since Tommy's and Woodies are just a few miles apart on the same street, I'm sure a comparison is due. So with Pepcid in hand, I headed out to try out the Chili Dogs at Woodies and Tommy's on a recent Saturday morning.

In This Corner: Tommy's

**** Tommy's has closed

If you live in SoCal you know Tommy's, so I think no introduction is necessary. But let me state clearly that my poison of choice here is the Tommy Burger. We used to live right up the street from a Tommy's, so I've had my share, but still I don't get to Tommy's very often.

I must say, that even though this location of Tommy's is so very "white-washed" and clean, the napkin dispensers make me feel like I'm eating in a bathroom.

Well back to the subject. Here's the Chili Dog at Tommy's ($2.40):

The Good? I like the chili at Tommy's, even though it's got the texture similar to that of refried beans, or a texture sort of like when you had some bread and milk and mashed it against your teeth in Elementary school to gross people out. There is a hint of pickled Jalapeno in the Chili that adds some zip, but overall the chili is very mild. Of course I love onions, so that goes without saying!

The Bad? I hated the slice of American Cheese thrown in on the bottom of a dry bun, a full one-third of the chili dog had no cheese. The Hot Dog is pretty mediocre, just like you can buy in any market. The slices of pickles and a whole slice of tomato is ponderous, unless you want to make a mess..

The Verdict? This Dog depends on the chili.

So some Diet 7-Up to clear my palate(we wouldn't want to one taste to corrupt the other….but what to do about burps?) and a few miles later……

In This Corner: Woodie's

*** Update, Woodies is now Waldos

A Hot Dog "stand" in the Clairemont Square Shopping Center.

Here's the "Woodie Dog" at Woodie's($2.50):

The Good? A good natural casing dog, with "snap". The shredded cheese that covers the entire dog, and partially melts is an improvement over Tommy's. I also like the care that is lavished upon my Woodie…..it is assembled well, and doesn't go falling all over the place. We all know the problems associated with walking with a "Woodie", so I won't go into those.

The Bad? Well, I think the Chili is a very generic, chili con carne-ish concoction.

The Verdict? A good dog that I enjoy dressed differently.

So which Dog reigns supreme? Well there's a reason they call it Tommy Burgers. I'll leave it at that. On a side note; I noticed a sign that said that the Clairemont Mesa Woodies was for sale, so if you're inclined, you can have a Woodie of your very own!

Original Tommy's
7415 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Woodies Chili Dogs
4250 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Thanks for humoring me! No heartburn to be had as well – I've only had heartburn once in my life, maybe one day I'll tell the story. Tomorrow it's back to Earth, San Diego to be specific…….

"Hey you want a Woodie?"

5 Days of Feasting Day 4 – Well, you know this place…..It’s Ba Ren (again)

June 6, 2006 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants

How do you follow up on Peking Duck from China Max, excellent Karei Karaage from Izakaya Sakura, and some good sushi from Sushi Komasa? Well, if you're us, you go to your favorite restaurant, which left me in a bit of a quandary? You see, I've already posted on this restaurant here, and here, here, and even here. But the Missus's Birthday week celebration wouldn't be complete without a visit to our favorite restaurant. Yes, it Ba Ren, again…….

So if you're fed up with my Ba Ren posts, it's time to leave, quickly….. If you decide to stay, we've got a few "new" dishes for you. On our Huo Guo visit, we noticed a placard with new "special" dishes written in Chinese:

After being seated and a brief discussion about the dishes we placed our order. We started with a twist on a classic; "Three Cup Duck" (second item down on the placard – $12.99):

An interesting "take" on the Classic Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken dish. In this case the basil and scallions were replaced with leek, and I also think the sesame oil was replaced with sugar. To me, duck dishes were never a forte of Ba Ren's, but this dish was quite nice, in a "must have at least 3 bowls of rice way." The Bamboo shoots and mushrooms held up well to the soy-wine-sugar flavor, and the red chilies added a nice amount of heat. I'm still not convinced that Ba Ren does a really great duck, but this dish was nice.

Beef Tendon with Konnyaku (eighth item down – $12.99). Now I love tendon that has been cooked perfectly. That would be to the state where a slight resistance exists when you first bite into the tendon, followed with a texture that is almost a perfect gelatinous-buttery in nature. The tendon was pretty close to perfect in this dish, and I was in tendon heaven.

The sauce for the dish was very similar to the sour and spicy flavor of Sichuan "pickled pepper" type dishes. Lot's of garlic, ginger, and scallions gave the tendon some flavor. I was in tendon heaven.

The Missus was not so thrilled. She had thought that perhaps there would be some "meat" along with the tendon. She still doesn't understand why I enjoy well made tendon dishes. She did enjoy the Konnyaku and the sauce.

Between these two dishes we ordered one of my favorite "snack dishes", the Sichuan Cold Noodles (#552 – $5.99). I could probably eat this wonderful salty-sweet-sour-spicy noodle dish every day. What I think is funny for a third generation AJA(American of Japanese Ancestry) from Hawaii, is that beyond all of the Japanese dishes I love; I crave these noodles. Go figure…..

The last item we ordered were the Salt and Pepper Eel (Sixth Item on placard – $14.99). Of all the dishes we thought that this was the weakest:

It's not that this was a bad dish; but after all of the really powerful flavors of the previous dishes, this tasted really, really, mild. The thin slices of Eel were coated with almost a laquer, tempura style batter, and deep fried. We were expecting a peppery-spicy-sweet flavor like that of the wonderful Prawns with Chilies. On the positive side, the dish wasn't very oily, and wasn't especially spicy. It's almost tailor made for someone who hasn't had Eel before.

Still we left Ba Ren, with leftovers to last for at least two more meals, and full stomachs. Fully satisfied, until the next time………

It's pretty nice to know that our favorite restaurant is not staying "stagnant", and that new dishes are being developed. The only problem is that my list of "favorites" is getting longer and longer…..

Ba Ren
4957 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Royal Spices Thai Cuisine

May 31, 2006 mmm-yoso Thai Restaurants, What Howie Eats - Where the Foodie from Foodieview Eats

**** This location of Royal Spices has closed

A few weeks ago Howie from A Foodies Eye View sent me an email, telling me about a new Thai Restaurant that opened up on Sports Arena Boulevard, right next to the L & L Drive In. So a few weeks back, the Missus and I decided to drop in for lunch. In retrospect, this might have been a bad idea, since we had just returned from a nice meal at Yai Restaurant in Thai Town.

Though the exterior is rather plain, and the dining furniture pedestrian, much care has been taken with the restaurant decor.

We were seated, and a thought entered my head. I inquired if this restaurant was in any way affiliated with the other 3 "Spices Thai" restaurants in the San Diego area. I think this was a bad move; I got an immediate "No, we are not" response, along with a rather displeased frown. We did find out that the Royal Spices had only been opened for 2 weeks at the time of this visit.

We looked over the sizable menu, and quickly noticed that along with the run-of-the-mill, you pick the meat, you pick the sauce/preparation type dishes, there a few interesting items.

We placed our order and some soup arrived:

A thin broth with the faint flavors of lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, and a few other items. No big deal really.

The Missus went with the "lunch special" of Red Curry with Battered Fish Fillet($9.95):

I did enjoy the 5 "mini-scoops" of rice, quite and interesting presentation. I won't go into the mediocre green salad, vegetable egg roll, or curry wonton. I'll just say, "why bother?" Now to the main course, there were two "half fillets" of battered white fish. Unfortunately, the fish had not been fried properly, it was dry, and the batter flaked off.

Having returned from Yai, where the medium heat was in your face, and pretty hot, we ordered the curry medium. It was probably the mildest medium heat I've ever tasted. The curry was disappointing, watery and runny, with an overly sweet taste. The julienned vegetables were cooked perfectly, though I wish that more then two little Thai Basil leaves were used for flavoring.

I ordered a dish from the "Chef's Special" portion of the menu; the Spices Thai Jerky(Beef – $12.95):

The presentation was again very "pretty". This dish came with slices of beef that had been lightly marinated, and though on the tough side, was fairly decent. It was nothing like previous versions of Thai Jerky that I've had; instead of the rich and pungent "jerky", this seemed almost like a "tweener", between Thai Jerky, and the Beef in Yum Nua. The beef could probably have used more assertive seasoning, and maybe a good amount of toasted rice powder to keep it interesting. The sauce provided, something called "Royal Sauce" was pretty good; a tart, tangy, and mildly sweet, chutney like preparation, it was the best item on the plate, and brought the beef up a level. The sticky rice was too moist. The dish also came with a Papaya Salad:

Though prepared well; the salad was in dire need of a "pungent" component. It was very, very mild, and too sweet and dry. More fish sauce, shredded dry shrimp, or some other fishy pungent flavor along with more "heat" would probably have made this a decent papaya salad.

The service on this visit, though a bit on the fawning side, was very friendly(after the initial Spices Thai faux pa). And I thought that perhaps the restaurant was still trying to find itself, and a few items had potential. So I recently dropped by for another lunch. And was seated immediately. Different crew this time, though still very nice. I decided to avoid any of the lunch specials and was in the mood for some noodles, so I decided on the Pad Woon Sen(glass noodles) with Roasted Duck($11.95). Ordering my Pad Woon Sen was quite interesting. I asked for the "Pad Woon Sen with Roasted Duck", now in the menu it's called "Jelly Noodles". So the Gal goes, "okay, jelly noodles with roasted duck". So I nod in agreement and go, "yes, the Pad Woon Sen, with roasted duck." So she responds with, "Got it, jelly noodles with roasted duck." I guess I'm not allowed to call it Pad Woon Sen……..

The ~~Pad Woon~~, ummm, Jelly Noodles arrived in a few minutes, piping hot. One the positive side, there was a pretty large amount of duck, probably the most I've had in a noodle dish, very tender and without bones. On the negative side, the duck was very mildly flavored. The dish was also on the oily side. Now I'm used to dishes where oil is used in generous amounts, but in most cases that dish doesn't taste oily; this did. I don't know if it was the large amount of duck, but there was alot of oil in the bottom of the plate.

The dish also featured a generous amount of vegetables, egg, and straw mushrooms. I wish this dish, along with the others eaten were more aggressively flavored. I was told that garlic was used in this dish, but couldn't taste it, nor much of any other "seasoning", including soy/fish sauce, or black pepper which is sometimes used to flavor this dish. But then again, that could be the difference between Pad Woon Sen and Jelly Noodles?

On this visit, service was again very nice, except I wasn't allowed to order Pad Woon Sen. Royal Spices Thai shows some promise, but I think they need to live up to the "spices" portion of their name. There are some interesting dishes on the menu like Royal Andaman Salad (Yum seafood). Prices range from $7.95 – $11.95 for lunch "specials", and from $8.95 to $14.95 for dinner entrees.

Royal Spices Thai Cuisine
3145 Sports Arena Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92110

Hours:
Sunday – Thursday 11am-10pm
Friday – Saturday 11am-11pm

5 Days of Feasting Day 3 – Road Trip, Sushi Komasa (LA)

May 30, 2006 mmm-yoso Japanese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Sushi and Sashimi

**** Sushi Komasa has closed

After two pretty good meals at China Max and Izakaya Sakura, the Missus decided that she still wanted some sushi from Her favorite little restaurant in Little Tokyo, Sushi Komasa. My original post on Sushi Komasa was done way back on May 27th of last year. As a matter of fact, it was my second post. Since much is still the same, I'll try to spare you most of the details.

One of the really good things about Sushi Komasa is the late closing time of 11pm. A word of caution though, we've found that an 11pm closing time means an 11pm closing time. On many occasions the last seating will take place at about 1020pm or so, after which the closed sign will be posted, and "Komasa" will be "turned off".

We usually get the same ol', same ol' thing at Komasa, and are absolutely content. The Missus loves the Albacore, and usually gets the Albacore Sashimi($12):

Tonight the Albacore was among the best I've had here. So very moist, and meaty. Most delici-yoso!!! The Missus kept looking at the slices of Albacore going, "look at how juicy it is, look at how moist it is". Geeez, sometimes I just can't take Her anywhere!

Komasa also dishes up consistently good Ankimo, though not on the menu, it is usually available.

Tonight's version was oh so very rich and creamy, and the ponzu and cucumbers helped to cut the richness.

Of course we get a variety of Nigiri sushi(most priced around $3.80). Let's see, on this evening we had 4 orders Albacore(for who else???), 2 order Hamachi(yellowtail), 2 orders Maguro(tuna), 2 orders Hirame(flounder), and 1 order Tai(snapper). As we hand over our sushi order, we usually get, the "I think this is too much", comment. To which our response is, "don't worry, we're hungry"………. And we've never failed to finish everything, except the oshibori(the hot towel), of course.

The Hamachi at Komasa is usually very good, and tonight was no exception. The Tai was also very good. I'd say the Maguro was decent to good, though a little lower in grade then usual. The Hirame was a bit on the dry side. I usually enjoy my nigiri sushi with just the barest touch of soy sauce, so I can truly appreciate(or not) the texture and flavors. According to the Missus, the Albacore nigiri was every bit as good as the Sashimi. Why order more Albacore you may ask? The Missus enjoys the rice, grated ginger, and green onions on the nigiri, and heck it's (one of) Her night(s).

I'm not much of a "roll" person, but the Missus enjoys the Soft-Shell Crab roll at Komasa($8):

Quite filling and rich, and full of contrasting textures. I ate one piece and was stuffed.

We left Komasa satisfied, until our next visit, which will probably be quite soon. Komasa serves up good sushi at decent prices, we demolished everything, and our bill came out to about $70. Though I really love the Sashimi at Sushi Gen, I prefer the Nigiri Sushi at Komasa. Sushi Komasa also seems to be getting much more popular with Los Angeles Food Bloggers, recently Pam from Daily Gluttony also visited Sushi Komasa, as did Jeni from Oishii Eats, please check out their posts.

Sushi Komasa
352 E 2nd St
Los Angeles, CA
213-680-1792

Open Tuesday-Sunday 530pm – 11pm

Tomorrow it's back to San Diego!!