mmm-yoso!!!

Recently Consumed

Just a quick post for a very pleasant Friday evening....some of the stuff we've had recently.

The mother of a friend of the Missus makes her own XO Sauce and we were given some recently. I made some shrimp with XO sauce and it came out rather well.

I found the flavor interesting, very different from the bottled stuff......so this sounds like a new project for me.

They recently had King Clip at Catalina Offshore and I was lucky enough to be there. Made King Clip sauteed in Bacon Fat and Garlic Collard Greens,

We're working through our third batch of Suan Cai. The recent bit of rain we had gave us the perfect chance to make Suan Cai Yang Rou.

Other than that, it's just pretty routine stuff......

I hope everyone had a great week!

 

Coimbra: Across Ponte Santa Clara, Fado ao Centro, and a return to Ze Manel dos Ossos

The area down Rua Visconde da Luz which turns to Rua Ferreira Borges is a pedestrian only area, full of little shops, bakeries, and other businesses. Yes, it's touristy, but there are also a lot of students and locals milling about. We saw students walking along, on what appeared to be a architectural tour, stopping at various buildings taking notes.

Heading toward the Mondego River, Rua Ferreira Borges ends at a square named Largo da Portagem. Like most of Rua Ferreira Borges, it's a nice place to have a seat and people watch.

The statue in the square is of Joaquim António de Aguiar, three time Prime Minister of Portugal who was born in Coimbra. He's obviously much beloved, right? I mean there's a statue of him overlooking the Mondego River......well ask any local who's statue this is and they'll say it's  "Mata Frades", aka the "Friar Killer.” Apparently "Mata Frades" was the Minister of Justice during the reign of Peter IV and issued a law in 1834 which shut down all religious orders and took over their assets.

The views from across the Ponte Santa Clara are the things postcards are made of.

There are also sites to see on this side of the river as well.

After a short nap we headed back up Rua Ferreira Borges and through one of the many gateways of what was once the city walls. The most well known is the Arco de Almedina. See the square hole in the ceiling? This was used a part of the defense system; soldiers would pour hot oil through the holes on enemies who tried to breach the gate.

We headed up the hill to Fado ao Centro, which celebrates Coimbra's unique version of Fado, which I call the soul music of Portugal. Every evening there's a 50 minute show, which we loved. Each number and the history is presented in both Portuguese and English, there's about 40-50 seats, no food, it's about Fado. The folks are very laid back; they let some folks actually videotape the show!

In contrast to the Lisbon melancholic "saudade" Fado sung almost exclusively by women; Coimbra's version is sung by men and tell of social issues, college life, and the such......

The show is well worth it. Instead of grabbing some of the gratis wine after the performance we decided to get dinner. We didn't have anything in mind and just wandered around.....

And no, we didn't eat here....though it was super cheap. We found the specials sign entertaining, "Arroz Chau-Chau" anyone?

I know that diária means daily, but it sounds too much like another word to me.....

It's not surprising that we ended up back here.....

Yep, Ze Manel dos Ossos. We stood in line and waited for the place to open. The guy seated here had dinner here the night before as well.....not sure, but I think he might be a local. He also had the same thing the night before as well which is what we ended up with.

Of course, we started with the gnawingly wonderful "Ossos", simmered pork bones.

We had originally wanted the stew pork with mushrooms, but the had run out, so we went with the classic "Feijao", basically beans, in this case Stewed beans and rice....

Loved the beany flavor, didn't care much for the rice. A nice, hearty, soulful dish. This came with bread (of course) and pork cutlets that had been grilled over hardwood charcoal (I saw the bags of charcoal). I expected this to be tough, but though it was chewy, the flavor was just perfect, nice salt, good garlic flavor, smokiness form the charcoal, doused in olive oil. Simple, but so nice.

Ze Manel dos Ossos
Beco do Forno 12
Coimbra, Portugal

We slept well......

The next morning we arose, walked over to Pastelaria Palmeira and had some espresso and pastries.

We went back to the hotel, packed, checked out, walked the one block to Train Station A to catch the short train to Train Station B....what seemed a bit confusing two days ago made perfect sense now! While waiting for our train to Porto, we went and had a nice cup of espresso....standing up of course!

Soon enough we were ensconced in our seats and headed to our next stop....the land of Port Wine, Porto!

Thanks for reading!

In case you wanted a bit more Fado; the late Amália Rodrigues is known as the "Queen of Fado" - you can see why here:

 

Here's a short video with some performers of Fado ao Centro:

 

Midweek Meanderings: Pho Hut opening and some other silliness

Just a couple of quick and rather silly things for hump day.

Pho Hut and Grill Opening:

Actually, when I first saw the sign, I thought it said Pho' What...which might be a great name for some of the pho shops I've eaten at. But no, it's Pho Hut......

This is in the former Quizno's location near the corner of Balboa and Genesee.

Kind of neat in a way as it seems these businesses are now moving further away from Convoy.

I'm still not sold on the name....say "Pho Hut" five times real fast....what does it sound like????

5252 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Caption this photo:

"Luke, I am your mother...."

"You know, I always really wanted to be a welder...."

I'm sure you can come up with something funnier. I actually turned around and saw this woman....which startled me. What ever happened to good old sunglasses....tho' I guess she might have wanted protection from the sun. and sunscreen just didn't do it for her? After the inital shock, I just coudn't stop laughing....she actually did her shopping in 99 Ranch Market with the darn thing covering her face....indoors!

From the "why bother" files:

For some reason I find this amusing......

I mean, if you wanted a wheat flavored chip, why not make them out of wheat? Why would you make rice chips taste like wheat? Is it some kind of gluten thing? I dunno....it just seems a bit absurd to me.

I hope you're having a great week! 

Curry Rice Hinotez Opens

I'd been keeping an eye out since Cathy told me that Hinotez was opening another restaurant in the old La Playita location. While driving from a meeting I noticed a sign was up so I decided to take a quick peek.

I was surprised to see the "Open" sign as I drove up; it was 10am in the morning. I decided to return to grab a quick lunch.

About an hour later I returned. There a single table a counter with a mat blocking the view of the rest of the restaurant. The hand-written sign features but a single dish Pork Curry Rice ($5.50). It's also take-out and cash only as well.

Five-fifty? Why not, right? I placed my order....which sounds kind of strange since I had my choice on a single item and took a peek behind the mat. There were two women hard at work prepping stuff. So I had a chat with the nice young lady out front. Apparently they'll be doing a single dish a day, some kind of curry until they get their beer and wine license going....god knows that may be a while..... And the early hours will probably be in effect until then. Though when i asked her if they'd be expanding the take0out offerings, she just shrugged.....

A photo of my Pork Curry Rice:

This was decent, think of a mild curry flavored bolognese sauce made with ground pork. It could have stood to have a bit more of a kick and a more complex spice flavor, but it was more than fatty enough for me. Light pork flavor as well. At least it didn't taste like it came from a box.

Having a choice between a sandwich and this, I might choose this at least once a week or more.

The sign looks temporary, so I'm not sure what the final incarnation of this place might be. Those Yakyudori folks are full of surprises it seems. I really didn't think Hinotez would make it, but it seems like they are surviving. This seems like an interesting project in the making.

Curry Rice Hinotez
5185 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

 

You make me feel like some....Natural Style Chicken

I've been curious about this place for years and even more so after Cathy posted on it back in 2008. The name though, has always given me pause; as FOY Howie once said, "so, Natural Chicken, eh.....would that be versus, Unnatural Chicken?"

Still, when I recently passed by on my visit to Gaglione Brothers, the place was doing good business with the folks who know good cheap eats; postal workers and cops.

So when I had a chance to drop by a couple of days later I did. This time a large table was filled with city workers having lunch....always a good sign.

The place is dated, simple, and looks like it has seen better days.....but I do like the large brick rotisserie mounted in the front of the restaurant. It must get pretty hot in here when that thing is running....

If you look at the name, you might be surprised when you went to the counter and saw bulgogi on the menu. The place is Korean owned and on this day a really nice woman was manning the front counter.

The sign said "Best Teriyaki Chicken in San Diego" and while it isn't $4.49 anymore,  it's still a great deal at $6.19. I ordered it and the woman asked what kind of dressing, when I told her she just turned to the window and simply said "Ranch!" My next surprise happened when I turned to take a seat....well, by the time my butt hit the bench, my food was ready! The chicken as Cathy described is skinless rotisserie, moist and tender, the teriyaki sauce is a "tweener", not overly sweet like the bentos from Nijiya or Mitsuwa, nor too salty. If you prefer it either way, this might be considered bland, but I thought it decently balanced. The rice was good, no complaints there. The "salad" was chopped iceberg with watered down ranch, but what did I expect at this price point?

The food here is priced right and my blue collar roots appreciates places serving honest food at decent prices. If I were still driving a truck or working in frozen foods, or heck, still doing short order work, I'd be here quite often......

"Lookin' out on the morning rain I used to feel uninspired And when I knew I had to face another day Lord, it made me feel so tired

Before the day I ate you, life was so unkind But your flavor was the key to my peace of mind

'Cause you make me feel, you make me feel......"

Well maybe not.....but you know what I mean, right?

Natural Style Chicken
3944 W Point Loma Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Open Daily 11am - 9pm

Sunday Sandwich's, the "Say Cheese" Edition: Gaglione Brothers versus...Gaglione Brothers

Since I've been waving the Cheesesteak flag again, here's the next logical post of a series that I began in 2010. I had first gone to Gaglione Brothers in 2005 and had revisited several times over the years. I've always found their sandwiches to be decent, if not the best, though it could be the garlic fries were the main reason for my visits. Since then, Gaglione Brothers has expanded, opening another location in Mission Gorge.

One evening, I was in the area....and thought, "why not".....

Gaglione Brothers - Mission Gorge:

My how time flies, the last time I was here it was still Pisa's Chicago Deli, which didn't last very long. Now it's Gaglione Brothers second location....business must be good.

They were pretty busy when I arrived, though thing cleared out quickly. I went with my usual, the 8" Mushroom Steak.

This was kind of interesting. I've always thought the cheesesteaks at Gaglione's were moist with the provolone giving the whole mess a light milky, creaminess. It seemed to lack a sufficient amount of cheese. This was on the dry side and pretty salty. The roll was nice and warm, but I found some of the meat tough.

It's not quite what I expected from a Gaglione Brother's Cheesesteak.

Gaglione Brothers
10450 Friars Rd
San Diego, CA 92120

I was wondering if this was something to do with perhaps timing, or the location....or has GB changed the way they make their sandwiches? Which means that a couple of days later, after a couple of years, I finally revisited the Point Loma location.

Gaglione Brother's - Point Loma/Midway:

I've done a couple of posts on Gaglione Brother's over the years, though I've visited way more times. Still, it's been at least 2 years since I've ben here.

Not much has changed except the price.........

I ordered my mushroom steak and had a seat. While waiting for my sandwich I stared off into the parking lot; and quickly noticed that one could easily tell which folks were coming to have something from GB, versus who was heading to the fitness center next door.....just by physique! It was quite entertaining as I was 10 for 10 in guesses. Of course, if one were playing the same game and saw me exiting my vehicle, I'm thinking they'd be able to tell where I was headed to......

And this turned out to be the typical, lovely, "hot mess" that is a GB cheesesteak. Gooey, gloppy, with hot cheese napalm burning your lips...... The beef didn't seem as well incorporated into the cheese as on previous visits, but it was decent. Because of the milky mildness, onions are a must on this sandwich.... It is still a bit lacking in terms of beef flavor, but it does fine by me.

Gaglione Brothers
3944 West Point Loma Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

I did find it kind of strange that the two shops served up cheesesteaks that had very little in common....except for the name on the sign.....

Ciudad Obregon: Taquería Jiménez

I recently managed to catch up with Akira and his beautiful Missus on one of their trips down to San Diego; which reminded me, I had promised some follow-up posts after our quick trip to Ciudad Obregon, but never followed up....sigh...what a tease!

So here's quick post for a Saturday night.

So what happens after you attend an epic wedding in Ciudad Obregon which ends with shot of tequila watching the bride and Q-nito do Gagnam style in the middle of the street at 4am?

Well. you wake at 8am and have Akira and his now wife take you to get birria! Well at least Q-nito and I.......Samuelo was incommunicado, must have been tough challenging the band's singers to a dance-off, huh?

"D" drove us down a couple of streets to the just the perfect place for me. A streetside stand by the name of Taquería Jiménez. The specialty, birria de chivo. By now, "D" had concluded that we weren't after "gringo food", we wanted the real deal and this place was, without a doubt, just the perfect remedy after an epic evening.

You know, whether it's Sapa, Hanoi, Luang Prabang, Cusco, or heck, even Chula Vista, I've found some of the most soulful, hearty, and honest food at places like this. Taquería Jiménez was no exception.

Rich, belly coating, hearty food, with the right amount of carbs somehow revitalizes you....or at least just makes you right mentally.

I don't think I need to add much more.

Though I'll leave you with this little tidbit. I did a search looking for an address. I finally found it on one of the those "food sites"....well actually let's give it up for foursquare.

For some reason, I was interested in the comments on this place. I went and did a translation of the first one which said, ""Tacos to revive after a long night of partying"......how true!

Taquería Jiménez
California 720 (e/ Jesús García Corona y 6 de Abril)
Ciudad Obregón, Sonora 

COMC: A Chef's salute to Tommy Gomes

Yep, here's another one of those Clearing Out the Memory Card posts.....

I'm not one to go to these events, too many media types, PR folks, and the like, make me rather uncomfortable. Yet, a couple of weeks ago, Candice told me about an event at the Handlery, a Chef's Salute to Tommy Gomes, the face and official grumpy voice of Catalina Offshore. Just from a personal standpoint, I know we've been eating better at home because of what Tommy orders me to get Tommy's recommendations. I remember one of my first regular visits, I'd been going off and on for years, but in what has become a ritual, there I was on a Saturday morning....walking up to the fish display; this was before Bay Park Fish gave up selling fresh seafood and moved the cold case to Catalina. Walking to check out the fish I hear a gruff voice behind me:

"Hey, did you read the sign out front"
"Umm, no....."
I saw a slight smile form  on the mustachioed old salt bearing the baseball cap
"So, what are buying today"
"Whatever you tell me too......."

The rest, as they say, is history...so seventy-five bucks was a small price to pay to express my thanks for making me a better home cook.

There were food and drink tables set-up in one of the ballrooms. You knew this was important cause....man, Tommy shaved off his mustache! Good god!

As for the food, here's my top three:

Hans Carvin....from Carnitas' Snack Shack called this "pork wings", basically a perfectly textured (not overly mushy, not too chewy) pork rib, with a glaze that should be illegal. The quick "kimchi'd" vegetables added the acid and contrast.

Tommy Fraioli and the team from Beaumont's had a nice pork cheek, with what I believe was a carrot foam and pea puree. The pork was a bit tougher than I like, but there was something in here that really ramped up the flavor.

Small Bar's Crab Cake with Yuzu Gelee could have really been a winner, but it was placed on a cracker that didn't stand up real well and had a taste like it was on the stale side. loved the combination of flavors, though.....

The rest......

There were some decadent looking desserts too, but as you know, I don't have much of a sweet tooth.

Plus, I actually had dinner to go to that evening!

So I ducked out right after Sam Zien (aka Sam the Cooking Guy) made Tommy squirm a bit.....

Overall, it was a nice, fun event, and I couldn't think of anyone who deserves the accolades than Tommy!