mmm-yoso!!!

La Abejita

The area East of 7th street on "C" is not the most picturesque part of Downtown San Diego. Sure enough, there are abandoned buildings, and the trolley line goes right down C. Certain parts of the area do define the term "gritty". I found myself in the area a few months back, just kinda looking around, when I saw what looked like a trio of restaurants. to the right was Rolando's Taco Shop, a ubiquitous San Diego taco shop, many of which end in 'berto's. To the left was "Lui's Restaurant" which advertised five dollar specials, gyro's, and other fairly honest fare. For some reason, I looked into the tiny shop in the middle, a clean, and colorful shop which advertised "Fresh and Healthy Food", a sign that would usually have me walking in the opposite direction. But for some reason, the shop seemed to welcome me in.

The menu is simple, a couple of sandwiches, some salads, and a ton of juices and smoothies. There was one item that caught my attention, it was the Super Torta, which is what I ordered.

After a short wait my "Super Torta" ($6.49) arrived:

The sandwich itself, is as long as my forearm, and contains two shaved slices of ham, lettuce, tomato, onion, what tasted like mild Jack Cheese, pickled jalapenos, avocado, and thin slices of "Lomo" (Roast Pork). It was dressed with a light smear of mayo. The star of the entire production was the Birote (bolillo), which was toasted to a nice crustiness, I admit that I enjoy certain toasted sandwiches. The roll was also light and airy, and heck if I didn't have flashbacks of Banh Mi in Vietnam; it was that light.

If I would have this again, I'd tell them to put the jalapenos on the side. I love pickled jalapenos, but in this sandwich they overpowered all the mild ingredients. I'd prefer to use the jalapenos as my "pickles on the side" in this instance. In this world of over-stuffed sandwiches, I found this light, crusty sandwich to be just what I needed on this day........

I guess in the future, I'll pay more heed to those places that say they serve "Fresh and Healthy" food. And I need to finds out where they get their Birote.......

La Abejita
817 C Street
San Diego, CA 92101

Open: Mon -Fri 8am - 3pm

Sab E Lee 2 - A first look

Often times, a bit of information or a recommendation will allow me to order to the strength of a restaurant. When I first visited Sab E Lee, I was taken by the gentleman who ran the tiny restaurant. He eagerly provided me with the information I needed to order by telling me that the cooks were from "Issan" (Northeastern Thailand), and I ended up ordering to the restaurant's strength. That was a whole fifteen months, and maybe over a hundred visits ago. Since then, I've gotten to know Kobe pretty well, and now with the opening of Sab E Lee 2 in Santee, it'll be more of the same, right? Well, not so fast pilgrim......... During the past weekend when I went to check out Sab E Lee 2 and ran into Kobe, he shared the new menu with me, and information about the chef at this location. This Chef is more experienced in fine dining, having worked at several four star hotels.... I believe The Sukothai Bangkok was one of the hotels named. After looking through the menu, the Missus and I headed over, East on the 52, off at Mission Gorge, and arrived at Sab E Lee. As I mentioned in my previous post, the restaurant is maybe four times the size of the Linda Vista location, Kobe also showed me the kitchen which is about the same size as the dining area!

After we were greeted by Kobe, and several of the familiar faces, we got under way. First off, please forgive the pinkish tinged photos as the reflection of pink everywhere makes everything.... well, pink.

Kobe told me to try the Kra Thong Tong ($7.95):

You see, from what Kobe told me about the Chef, I figured that one of the strengths here would be what I tend to call "Royal Thai" cuisine, with it's more intricate presentations, lighter fare, featuring many Chinese and Mon influences. And these wonderful, light, rice flour based pasty cups filled with minced prawns and chicken surely fill the bill. Royal Thai doesn't mean dumbed down, but it presents itself with a wonderfully balanced flavors and textures. In this case a mild curry background, brought up with a cucumber relish that seems to use palm syrup. And yet, it is not overly sweet, but a very complex dish.

 
The Plaa Shrimp($8.95) was a good second choice:

 
Butterflied shrimp are quickly charred, and left in a "rare" state. The bracing and spicy lime sauce finishes off the "cooking" process. We quickly noticed that this chef uses a good bit more lemongrass and kaffir lime leaves in his dishes. The spice level was excellent, courtesy of Thai Bird Chilies, and with the slices of raw garlic and Thai Eggplant, this is a dish that would be right at home at Sab E Lee on Linda Vista.

The third dish we ordered was the Pine Cone Fish (Halibut - $16.95):

I'm sorry to say that my photos don't do this dish justice. It is a good-sized Halibut, de-boned, crusted with panko and placed into the shape of a pine cone. The fish was fried to perfection, soft and tender. The line-chili-fish sauce dip was good if a bit salty. Kobe brought out a little dish of tangy tamarind based sauce which the Missus loved. Kobe told us that it was the sauce used for Three Flavored Fish, which is what we'll be ordering in the future.

Overall, this was a wonderful meal....lovely presentations, well prepared food, and the prices weren't too bad. And yes, there's Koi Soi, Catfish Larb, and many of my other favorites on the menu. But I thought it would be good to play to the Chef's strengths, and I think he did a great job. I'll do my Koi Soi comparison on another day.....

Sab E Lee 2
9159 Mission Gorge Road
Santee, CA 92071

Eating on the Hood of Your Car: Mariscos German Truck on the corner of Clairemont Drive and Balboa

While driving down Clairemont Drive last week, I noticed another taco truck in the old service station at the corner of Clairemont Drive and Balboa:

As I drove up to the intersection, I thought I could read "Mariscos German", not believing what I saw I rubbed my eyes, almost sending me over the median. No way, it couldn't be...... not in this neck of the woods. But as I made the u-turn and drove into the parking lot, I could read the bold blue lettering.....

 
I still wasn't sold...... I know MG has a couple of trucks, but here???

The menu sure did look promising, and the print and address on the front panel looked legit. I sauntered up to the window and asked the magic question, "is this the Mariscos German, with the truck on 35th and University??" To which the young lady replied, "we recently sold that, and another truck, but yes..."

Which means I had to get a Gobernador:

 
Mariscos German makes my favorite version of this pseudo-stir-fried shrimp, celery, bell peppers, onion, and tomato taco. The shrimp was cooked perfectly, and the flavor came through clearly. The tomato added some nice acidity to the taco. Everything was enrobed in a corn tortilla protected from the juices of the filling by a layer of melted cheese. Very nice......

I also had a Marlyn Taco, basically a smoked fish taco:

This one was a bit different from the versions I've had at other MG locations. First off, the fish was less greasy, and also didn't have as strong a smokey flavor. Second, it was much more fishy than what I recalled. This was ok, but not as good as what I had previously eaten at MG, and probably not what Ed from Yuma had. Perhaps it was just an off day.....

And just because it was only 99 cents, I had a fish taco:

 I'm kinda on the fence about the Tacos de Pescado. There's something about the batter that I'm not too fond of, and I find the crema to ba a bit too "mayonnais-sy" if you know what I mean. Though at 99 cents, it may be worth your while to try it, because it could float your boat.

I ate all of this under the canopy set-up next to the truck. Two tables, and some chairs are available for your eating convenience. On the way to the car I picked up the Caldo de Pescado, fish soup, for the Missus. Even though I told Her that I was not a big fan of the consomme, it was short on tomato, and was very heavy handed with the celery, the Missus wanted to try the Caldo.

The soup was chock full of plump and tender fish, but the broth was really short on any flavor but that of....you guessed it, celery. It really needed a lot of help in the form of lime, oregano, and salt.

I had still not had one of my favorite items at MG, the Aguachile Tostada. Of course, this meant another visit.

Raw shrimp is "cooked" in lime and chile concoction, giving the shrimp a toothsome, but pleasant chew. I think that MG's version is nicely balanced for my tastes, spicy enough to bring a sheen of sweat to my brow, but not blasting hot. The sliced red onions adds a pleasant pungent-sweetness. The lime refreshes without washing everything out.

The amount of lime isn't as balanced in the "Cocteles".

The tomato water concoction will wake up your tastebuds, that's for sure. It is perhaps a bit heavy-handed with regards to the lime. I had originally wanted a Mexican Black Clam Coctele, but since they were out, I settled for regular clams. The generous amount of clam was meaty and sweet, which helped balance out the citrus. Not bad, but I've had better.

The lot is shared with a Smog Check, and on certain evening with the La Princesita Taco Truck, but there is fairly ample parking. Along with the La Princesita Taco truck, this little corner is starting to liven up. Being a mere mile and a half from home, I'm sure I'll be hitting up this truck quite often.

Mariscos German Truck

Located on the corner of Balboa and Clairemont Drive. Open daily from 8-9 am (the sign says 8am, but the young lady told me its "more like 9am") until dusk (the sign says 730pm, but the young lady told me 6 or 7)

Revisiting the Rotation: Sab E Lee, plus more info on Sab E Lee 2

Yes, yet another post on Sab E Lee, though I'll keep it mainly to photos. Sab E Lee has only been open maybe 15 months, but has become a regular stop for us.  As the weather gets cooler, I notice that we've started to transition from the various Larb and Beef Salads to more hearty dishes, like the Chicken with Spicy Mint Leaves:

And other stuff......

 

Though there are some dishes that I just won't give up, like the Spicy Raw Beef (Koi Soi):

 
Since we've been eating at Sab E Lee, I've never had to declare a "heat level". Kobe always knew how spicy we wanted our food to be. In the case where I was having lunch or dinner with friends, I'd always ask for things "less spicy", or in one rare case, "Lao Spicy"....... When having dinner with FOY JohnL, who told me that he could eat spicy, I ordered everything "less spicy" except for the Koi Soi, which I asked to be "the way I like it". Poor John could only eat one spoon of the Koi Soi..... Which got me wondering what level of heat was being ordered for the Missus and I. Also, since Kobe was soon to be manning Sab E Lee 2, I'll be having to tell the folks here how spicy I want my food.  On one of our last visits, we asked Kobe what heat level he assigns to our dishes. The answer was surprising, most dishes are a 7, except for the Koi Soi, which is a 9!

 
And of course, the intimacy of Sab E Lee always means there's an interesting conversation floating through the air around you...... In this case, an over-dressed (for Sab E Lee) middle aged WASP couple, sampling some Pad Thai, Tom Yum, and Panang Curry (sigh.....Candice, Howie, and I have had conversations about this trinity). Female in a stage whisper; "this tastes really different...." Male: "yes, something's wrong, this doesn't taste anything like Taste of Thai and Thai House."

I really wanted to scream, "Amen brother, and I hope it never does......"

Sab-E-Lee Restaurant
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

More info on Sab E Lee 2:

Since I was in the area this morning, I decided to drop by and check out the new second location of Sab E Lee, which I posted about here.  

The first thing I noticed was the size of the parking lot........it looks like they won't be short of parking! So I snap my photo, and I hear a friendly little honk from a car to the rear of me..... and it's Kobe and his crew. I am so busted...... Kobe's all smiles, though he does look a bit tired. So I get a nice little tour of the restaurant, which is medium sized, but not large by any means. There's room for more tables and growth. Kobe told me that everything is on track, and they will opening for lunch at 11am tomorrow.

I also got a look at the menu, which is pretty hefty, with about three times the amount of dishes that Sab E Lee has. Luckily, many of our favorite dishes are on the menu (click to enlarge photos):

 

It does seem that some of the dishes from the Thai Restaurant at this location was kept, and the menu has a strong Bangkok Thai influence.

"Superwild Shrimp" sounds interesting, and there's Miang Kum and Kra Thong Tong.

To me, Sab E Lee is a wonderful success story. From a tiny hole-in-the-wall, to a second restaurant in fifteen months is quite an accomplishment. When we first moved to San Diego, the lack of the type Thai Food we enjoyed (non American-Thai) was a bit, well, depressing. We found a couple of places, that served a few dishes that we enjoyed. I distinctly remember a conversation with the owner of one of these restaurants. They had a few good dishes, and when I asked about some of our favorite Thai dishes using ingredients that I was used to eating in Thai Town I was told, "we could never have that on the menu. People in San Diego would never eat that, and it is economical suicide. There's no way a restaurant in San Diego could serve those dishes with Thai ingredients and survive." In a way, he is an excellent business man, as his restaurant empire has now expanded to several restaurants. But Kobe and crew has also proven him wrong.....you can get good un-Americanized Thai Food in San Diego. And I hope this is only the beginning.......

Some other info on Sab E Lee 2 - Grand opening date is Monday, November 2. Kobe also told me that during the first week, there will be a 15% discount on most dishes. So there you go.....

Sab E Lee 2
9159 Mission Gorge Road
Santee, CA 92071

Open Daily 1030 am - 930 pm

619-328-1568

Fish Sauce Glazed Grilled Chicken Wings

This recipe was born when FOY (Friend of Yoso) and regular commenter "Billy" mentioned that he makes his Nuoc Mam Cham on the stovetop, using heat to help dissolve the sugar. I thought about using that method to create a glaze for chicken wings, and this recipe was born.

What you see is the second try at the making these wings. The first time I tried making these, I was on call, and just as I placed the wings on the grill, I was paged and had to leave my wings. I turned everything over to the Missus, who is unfamiliar with two tiered grilling.... setting up the grill for direct and indirect heat. She left the wings on direct heat, basting with a sugar based sauce! By the time I resolved the problem, the Missus had the black as coal wings on a plate on the dining table. I gotta leave it to the Missus, She really accomplished something special here...... creating something on the grill that was charred black on the outside, and still totally raw on the inside! I was so grossed out that I decided to not try to make this again. Until.........

A couple of weeks ago, the Missus told me that She wanted some grilled Tamarind Shrimp. While buying shrimp, I saw some chicken wings, and bought a couple of pounds. I returned home with nothing particular in mind. After a bit I decided to give Fish Sauce Wings another shot. A couple of things; I use the two tiered grilling method; half of the grill is set-up for direct heat, the other half for indirect heat. The sugar and fat will mean that the wings will burn really quickly (as in the previous try), so I crisp up the chicken over direct heat, and baste with the sauce when I move the wings to indirect heat.

I grilled using a combination of half Kiawe Charcoal, half hardwood charcoal. If you were to taste the glaze, you'd think I was crazy, it seems too salty(no water in this one), and sweet. But because it's a glaze, it works out quite well. And yes, it is yet another super simple recipe........ and of course, please make adjustments to taste....

Fish Sauce Glazed Grilled Chicken Wings:

2 1/2 - 3 lbs of chicken wings
2 Tb Sea Salt
2 Tb Fish Sauce
1/4 cup canola oil
Fish Sauce Glaze (see below)

- Set up grill for two tiered grilling - half the grill set-up for direct heat, the other for indirect heat.
- Combine chicken wings, salt, fish sauce, and canola oil in a large bowl. Mix wings to coat well.
- Grill wings over direct heat for one turn to brown and crisp up the skin.
- Move wings to indirect heat portion of the grill and baste several times.
- Baste one last time before removing from the grill.

Fish Sauce Glaze:

1/2 Cup Fish Sauce
1/2 Cup white sugar
2-3 Thai Chilies sliced
4-5 cloves garlic finely minced
Lime juice to taste

- Combine fish sauce and sugar in a small pot.
- Heat over medium heat until sugar is dissolved
- Add garlic and chilies
- Bring to a light simmer and remove from heat

Revisiting the Rotation: The Seasonal menu at Ba Ren and a Beer Week Dinner

As I slowly recover from a terrible cold, I thought a nice way to get back into the swing would be a post on one of our two favorite restaurants in San Diego; Ba Ren. I know you all must be tired of my Ba Ren posts, but I promise a coupla new wrinkles, so if you'd like to come along.....

The Current Seasonal Menu at Ba Ren:

Over the years, I've tried to do posts on the changing seasonal menus at Ba Ren. I used to attempt to translate what some of the better dishes on the menu were, but no longer will have to do so.

Why? Well, turn the placard around......

And you now have English translations! But in case you're interested, we've had the chance to sample a few of the dishes......

#1 Ba Ren Fish Soup:

Though the fish was prepared to a perfect buttery soft texture, we found the broth to be a bit flat, tasting basically like Huo Guo (hot pot) broth. This was good, but not great.

#2 the Fried Spicy Lamb Ribs is a carryover and a photo can be found here.
 

Knowing the Missus's love of steamed eggplant; item #4 Steamed Eggplant with Chopped Red Chili was a no brainer:

The chilies on this dish are pretty potent, and different from the usual fresh chilies used in most dishes at Ba Ren. These chilies are pretty spicy, enough to turn your skin a bright red to the touch, as in a mild first degree burn. I enjoyed the garlic, soy, and the mild sweetness in the dish. The eggplant had been peeled before what I believe is a mild steaming, cooking the eggplant, but allowing for the flesh to keep its firmness. The Missus had expected something akin to the steamed eggplant I make at home, and was a bit taken aback by the dish.

#7 Dry Cooked Mixed Mushroom:

 What seemed to be a great idea, fell a bit short, as we both felt it lacked "heft", and could have been a bit more savory for our tastes.

#8 Steamed Fish Filet with Green Onions and Red Chili:

This dish was a winner, and a new favorite of the Missus. The fish, as usual was prepared with skill, but those chilies, the same as on the eggplant dish was lip-burning hot. Of course, we always go for "spicy" at Ba Ren, and this one left a bright red ring around the Missus's lips. The dish wasn't just blasting hot, but also had a nice mildly sweet, soy based sauce. As a matter of fact, I really enjoyed the bean thread lying in wait, drenching up the the sauce (along with the heat from the chilies), on the bottom of the dish.

And of  course, there are the old favorites.........

Yes, Ba Ren is still on our rotation.

4957 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Beer Week at Ba Ren?

A few weeks back, Josh Silberman contacted Candice and myself. Josh mentioned San Diego Beer Week, and an idea he had for doing a Beer Week "event" at Ba Ren, which he thought would be a nice change of pace amongst all the other multitude of events. First I had to find out what San Diego Beer Week was...... and after reading the "What is San Diego Beer Week?" page on the Website, you'll be pretty well informed. In a nutshell, it is 10 days of events showcasing San Diego's craft beers and breweries.

We met at Ba Ren, and went through a good number of dishes and beers, and Josh and Andy Waer matched up the favorites with various local craft brews, and we were off!

Now I'm pretty much a neophyte when it comes to local craft beer..... I mean, I enjoy a nice Ballast Point, Stone, or Alesmith brew on occasion, but hanging with these guys is a view into another world....

Andy Waer is a certified "Cicerone", which is basically beers' equivalent of a Sommelier. Which means he lives, breaths, and thinks....beer! So in case you're interested in attending, you can find more information, such as the beer and food selection here.

 Tuesday, November 10th.

Of all the selections that impressed me, I think it was Andy and Josh's ability to pair a beer with the Eight Treasure Rice Pudding that surprised me the most! Beer, with dessert??? Shows you how little I know......

Stromboli vs. Calzone- A Brooklyn Pizzeria Revisit

Welcome to the blog named mmm-yoso!!! It is written by Kirk, ed(from Yuma), Cathy and a few others who occasionally join in.  We just write about stuff we eat.  Today, Cathy ate.  Then she wrote.

Hi.  I hope all of you are healthy or at least not sick with some sort of virus.  

A few days ago, The Mister and I were talking about food and each of us wanted 'something Italian', but we could not decide.  So we drove down Mission Gorge Road and stopped at one of our favorite places, A Brooklyn Pizzeria.  I did a post about this place, on Mission Gorge Road, within walking distance of the Kaiser Hospitals,  more than two years ago, so it is time for an update. 

  We usually eat in, and the menu above the counter is the current one, not the website and not the paper menu. 

As you know, I grew up in Detroit.  What you did not know, is that my parents got engaged in a restaurant there which was named Stromboli's.  

Who or what is a stromboli?  Well, you all probably know what a pizza is. You may or may not know a calzone is pretty much a folded pizza, usually filled with ricotta cheese.  A stromboli is a rolled pizza, mostly meat and some cheese... After much discussion in the car on the way, we could not decide, so ordered one of each. The Stromboli.
A cross section view.

 The meaty insides. Ham, salami, pepperoni and mozzarella cheese.  $6.50. Worth it.
  The (happy) Calzone.  ($6.50) 
 The cross section- showing the melted mozzarella and ricotta blend.

Oh. Both were served with a nice, fresh, mild marinara.  We did add oregano and some parmesan.

We still don't know which one we like better. Both are done very well here. The dough is so flavorful and the fillings are plentiful and fresh. I guess it depends on whether the craving is for meat or cheese.  Along with a thicker or thinner (rolled) crust. 
{editing note: The stromboli shown here isn't quite a traditional one; this one just had less dough and more filling. It wasn't rolled. No complaints, but not completely authentic.  The flavors of the fillings make up for it.}

A Brooklyn Pizzeria 6171 Mission Gorge Road San Diego 92120 (619)584-9000

401 C at 4th San Diego 92101 (619)232-1900

2358 University San Diego 92103 (619)692-4100

website

 
 
   

Dim Sum Lunch inside Vinh Hung Supermarket

Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy, as well as a few others write on this blog, mmm-yoso!!!  Today, Cathy is talking about another interesting lunch she had. You can enjoy it, too.  Vicariously at least.

Hi.  A few weeks ago, Mr. C sent me an email asking if we could meet for lunch.  Of course I could. So we did. Kirk blogged about his lunch here about 2.5 years ago so I figure I can talk about my experience here.
You enter the supermarket (formerly movie theater-Mr. C said he could not believe this was where he saw "The Matrix" so many years ago)and walk to the right- past the steam trays.  We were told to "sit by the window" and so we did. This was our view of the steam trays (which *obviously* used to be the movie theater snack area).

They serve Hong Kong style Dim Sum here.  Mr. C knew what he wanted to order and so I let him.  (You order from a menu here, no steam carts.  Items range from $1.80 to $3.20 for the most part)  I only told him I did not want chicken feet.   

 

Top left- Har Gao- Shrimp dumpling, in a delicate thin wrapper (moist, good flavor) Top right- Siu Mai (pork and mushroom in egg wrapper).  Front  - Haam sui gok-sometimes called a salty pastry...wonderful oval shaped rice flour items filled with pieces of pork and a thick 'gravy', crispy fried on the outside and sticky/rice like on the inside.   

The roast pork (it was almost $10 per pound, kind of high compared to other places; we shared 1/2 lb).  It was *really* good. The skin was crispy but not tough, the layer of fat was just right and melted in my mouth.   Oh.  The pork meat had a very rich flavor also.

The baked cha siu bao (buns filled with BBQ pork) were very fresh, light and the sweetness of the pork balanced with the saltiness of the bun.  Of course we had to have egg tart as dessert. Even though everything was excellent, my most favorite item was the Congee (porridge) with roast duck. Deeply rich with chopped pieces of duck with still crispy skin and that luscious layer of fat.

Mr. C said that this is one of few places that serve the porridge with duck.  He also said it was the best he has ever had. I never looked before, but I
will now...you know, so I can compare... 

Forgot my token condiment photo and to mention the rice in lotus leaf...  

Hong Kong Style Dim Sum, inside Vinh Hung Supermarket 10550 Camino Ruiz (SW corner at Mira Mesa Blvd) San Diego 92126 Opens at 9 am 7 days