mizducky sez "hello--here's a little about what I eat"

Hi, folks--mizducky here, a longtime FOY (Friend of Yoso) and regular commenter on this blog. Some time back, I asked Kirk, our fearless leader, if I might become a contributing blogger. He graciously said yes ... and then my life got hectic for awhile!

But here I am finally, doing my inaugural post as a contributor to mmm-yoso. And by way of introduction I'll list a few of my favorite place and things, foodwise. (You'll notice that at least a few of my favorites are also mmm-yoso favorites--there's a reason I like this blog!)

Saigon has been my go-to Vietnamese joint for some time now. They have a huge menu and do lots of things pretty darn well, and they're a nice easy cruise from my place. Most of the time I go on my own, and have one of their soups, like this bun rieu oc. But once in a blue moon I go with a bunch of people to share a bunch of dishes--last time I did that, I discovered and fell in love with this deep-fried boneless duck. Not something I could get away with eating every day, but my was it yummy. (Yep, mizducky likes to eat her namesake critter.)

Saigon does a respectable bun bo Hue, too, with a nice rich (if not very spicy) broth, but I agree with Cathy and Kirk that the place with the best bun bo Hue in town is Mien Trumg. Though they have recently developed this frustrating habit of being closed for vacation or something whenever I go out of my way to visit. At least there are plenty of other choices right nearby to console myself with.

I have a confession to make here: even though I'm supposedly way into healthy eating and weight management and all that, one of my guilty pleasures are big ol' Asian buffets. The one I'm currently fascinated with is Crazy Seafood Buffet up on Miramar Road. I haven't yet figured out what makes them think they're so crazy, but they do have an interesting variety of seafood, and while the quality sometimes varies, I can usually put together a fun meal here. (Okay, one crazy thing about them--their website says they serve pizza, and I've yet to see that there.)

In some ways I enjoy markets even more than restaurants--lots more stuff to look at and play with! The newest addition to my market rotation is Northgate Market down in Southcrest. I kind of think of it as the Disneyland of Mexican markets--it's huge, beautiful, and bursting with bazillions of food finds.  Other markets I hit on a regular basis include North Park Produce, 99 Ranch Market, and various of the Vien Dong Markets.

And of course I enjoy cooking with the stuff I drag home from these markets. Here's a shot from a big dinner I did a couple of months ago featuring dishes from a variety of Asian cuisines--pictured are Vietnamese-style steamed whole tilapia and Chinese-style red-cooked pork belly. (I could have plated the fish a whole lot more elegantly than that, but it tasted great if I do say so myself.)

Anyway, there's a little sampling of the kind of food stuff that turns me on. Looking forward to sharing more of my food turn-ons in future posts. Thanks for reading! And thanks again, Kirk, for letting me play in your house.

Comments

[Omar]

Hi Mizducky,

Thanks for adding your experience and perspective to this klatsch.

Like you, I was welcomed to yoso by Kirk and Cathy (and eventually by a whole bunch of other people; it's apparently about the conversation as well as the food). Like you, I got busy and distracted. I actually "owe" parts Two and Three of a New Orleans road report ... from Christmas! Kirk has been very generous and understanding.

Hey, I like what you eat! That duck is new to me, and it looks like, well, today's lunch.

I agree that Crazy Buffet is extensive, but not all that outrageous. Frankly,however, I'm getting a little bored with Asian buffets; the offerings seem much the same, and either they're using more oil and MSG or I'm becoming more sensitive to it in my dotage.

Anyway, I'm glad to see you posting, and I look forward to your next contribution.

Best,

[PortaRickin Rick]

Hey there,

I appreciate the post as Saigon is a favorite with my wife and me and I don't see nearly enough about it on here. They have such a large and varied menu and so much good stuff to offer. I usually go there for things I can't get elsewhere like curry goat or frog legs, but have tried their Bun Bo Hue and agree that it is delicious, but not as spicy and authentic as Mien Trung.

I do have to say though that I was somewhat disappointed by the duck. I prefer roast duck like down the street at Quoc Te (just about all they do well). Last night we took our family to Saigon and, in addition to some delicous Char Siu Pork noodle soups, we ordered the large seagood hotpot. Full of delicious, fresh vegetables and seafood. It was great!

I also look forward to hearing more about this "crazy" buffet. My guilty pleasure is the seafood buffet at O-Nami, but it's too expensive most of the time. I love their seared tuna though and for the price...Anyhow, I look forward to hearing more.

[mizducky]

Hi Omar--you're very welcome! Yeah, I have to watch out I don't indulge in Asian buffets too often--it's the excessive sodium content that does me in--but like they say: everything in moderation, including moderation. :-)

Hi Rick--glad to find another fan of Saigon. Even if that deepfried duck dish wasn't to your liking, goodness knows they have more than enough other things on their menu to keep everyone happy.

[joey]

Hi, mizducky!

It's good to see you posting here. I agree about the BBH at Mien Trung, and about being closed at inopportune times.

I love Saigon as well. I think my favorite there are the shrimp tossed with garlic and butter - the ones that are like salt pepper prawns fried with the shell-on. Yum!

[Sandy]

At Saigon, we usually have one of the family dinners (from what the Cantonese would call "wah choy" menu). Even if we have 10 people and get the dinner that serves 10, there's lots of leftovers.

My husband likes the catfish soup, my daughter likes the braised catfish, and I'm thinking that we need to try some new dishes, like the shrimp with garlic & butter!

[Candice]

Ellen! Hey girl - we're due for Filipino food in National City. Soon?

[mizducky]

Hi joey--yep, those garlic butter shrimp are mighty fine too!

Hi Sandy--gee, I seem to have flushed out all the Saigon fans, huh? Yeah, they do great things with catfish too, don't they?

Hi Candice--yep, we're overdue! Check your email ... :-)

[cathy]

Welcome, Miz D! Thanks for contributing. We went to Crazy Buffet when it first opened and it was good. I suppose the "crazy" part is the combination of Japanese/Chinese/American. So nice to see how they had cleaned up the old place. It is always hopping: I see it when I go to that Starbucks right in the same parking lot. We like Saigon also, but for the rice dishes mostly-not the pho- and we shop at Northgate regularly (I had asked if I could take photos at Northgate when it opened and they would not let me so I never posted on it) . Glad to see you finally had time to post. -C

[mizducky]

Hi Cathy--thanks for the welcome! Re: Northgate and photos--I confess to not asking permission before I snapped a bunch of photos on a few different visits. I'm very discreet about it--no flash, just find a quiet spot, take the shot quick and whisk the camera back into my purse before anyone notices. Which is my excuse for why some of my photos are a little wonky. I do intend to do a whole post on Northgate with some of the less-wonky photos I took this way ... hopefully sooner than I got around to this post.