mmm-yoso!!!

Oahu - Tanioka's (Waipahu), Tamashiro Market, and Char Hung Sut (Honolulu)

I think I need to start this post off with an apology..... to friends (especially you, Reid)  and relatives I hadn't seen in almost a decade. Due to time constraints, I wasn't able to see but one of my good friends. I'll make sure to correct this the next time I'm "home", I promise.

There was one thing that I promise the Missus on every trip home. Every morning (when possible) She'll get Her "swimming session". Arriving in Honolulu mid-morning, we first headed to Her parents new home in Ewa Beach. The Missus and I then made a beeline straight to Ko'olina". And got one swim session "paid in full".

 
The Missus used to enjoy the beaches Ko'olina, but on this trip She didn't enjoy swimming here as much.

Being a "townie", I'm not an expert on food on the "West side", but a few jobs I've had included servicing accounts in Waipahu and Waianae. I will say this much, Ewa Beach sure has changed..... I used to service the PX located on Iroquois Point, and a good friend of mine used to live in "Old Ewa Beach town"...... man, I barely recognized anything. And the first thing the Missus wanted to eat was, what else, Poke. At first, I thought we should check out Poke Stop. But decided on a place that's been around for a good 30 years..... and it did seem that on this trip, I went kinda "old school" with my choices.

 Tanioka's Seafood and Catering:

Tanioka's has always been pretty dependable, and this was no exception. The selection was good, the prices are a bit on the high side, but the quality is good.

The Missus told me on the flight over She "didn't want old fashioned Poke.....", so She was on the look-out for newer offerings. Being the old fuddy-duddy dude, I wanted stuff that was more traditional. So to compromise, we did a variety.....

Our favorite, by far was the "Dried Poke", made with dried fish. Due to yield, it was obviously the most expensive at $23.95/lb.

Savory and salty, with a nice chew, this was delicious.

Also a favorite of ours was the Pipikaula Poke. Pipikaula, for those that aren't familiar with it is seasoned and dry cured beef.

Mixed with onions and scallions which added some pungency, this was quite good.

I made sure to get some of that oldie, but goodie, Limu Poke.

Good quality fish, this could have used a bit more limu, but it was good.

Not quite at the same level was the Onion w/Limu Poke.

The quality of fish was not as good as the regular Limu Poke, and even the coating of shoyu (soy sauce) really couldn't help out.

The Missus got Her "new and different" Poke. This was called "Hot Alae Poke". And I really have to say it was pretty much none of the above. It wasn't very spicy, nor did it have a significant Alae (orange/red salt containing clay) saltiness.

It was very sweet though....... too sweet for our taste.

Three out of five was not bad, and Tanioka's pretty much delivered as usual.

Tanioka's Seafood and Catering
94-903 Farrington Hwy
Waipahu, HI 96797 

The following morning, the Missus decided that She's prefer Ala Moana Beach for Her morning swim.

She's always enjoyed Ala Moana Beach in the morning before the crowds, and was glad that not much had changed. The Missus always enjoyed swimming alongside all the old-timers..... From that point on, "Ala's" was Her choice.

We stopped in Chinatown on our drives back to Ewa, picking up vegetables and other stuff. And on this morning, the day before leaving for Beijing, I went with another old and dependable choice:

Tamashiro Market:

Tamashiro Market has been my choice for fish for as long as I can remember. On this day we went with three different Poke.

The best was the Limu Poke with Inamona (Kukui nut):

This had a good amount of inamona, which caught the Missus off guard. It really didn't taste right at first. After sitting in the fridge for an hour, it tasted much better. I think the Poke needed some time for the flavors to meld.

We didn't care much for the other two Poke. The spicy Poke tasted a bit off, and the quality of fish didn't seem to be very good.

The "Korean style Poke with scallops" was again too sweet, and the fish also tasted a bit off. The Missus enjoyed the scallops though.

There were two things that came out of our Poke sampling. Number one, the Missus realized that perhaps "traditional" when it came to Poke was not a bad thing. Number two, I've been making Poke with the best quality fish I can find. I usually will drive to Los Angeles or order from Catalina Offshore to get my sushi quality fish....sometimes paying $29 a pound for good maguro. There's no way that Poke selling for under $10 a pound will use the same quality fish. Of course, I can never get the same quality Limu in LA......  

Tamashiro Market
802 N King St
Honolulu, HI 96817

Speaking of "old school" and tried and true. Walking back to our car in Chinatown I told the Missus that I had one stop to make. As we walked up an almost empty North Pauahi Street, I stepped into the doorway below this sign.

Char Hung Sut:
The Missus had no clue...... I guess I'd never brought Her here. Puzzled, She stepped into the doorway, and "hit the brakes" with a look of surprise on Her face. Looking around at the folks kneading and folding dough, and doing other tasks, She asked me, "why did you enter through the kitchen?"  I told Her "this is the shop, welcome to Char Hung Sut." I'm pretty sure that many folks have had the same reaction the first time they visited Char Hung Sut. You basically enter right into the kitchen here......check out Reid's post for some good photos.

Growing up, there were basically "two schools" of Manapua (what we call Charsiu Bao). It was either Libby Manapua Shop or Char Hung Sut (baked manapua from Royal Kitchen came later) . My relatives on the neighbor islands preferred Char Hung Sut. 

I ordered a Charsiu Manapua, and two "pork hash" (what we call Siu Mai) for old time's sake.

The pork hash, though large, was very bland, tough, with some "hard bits".

A mere shadow of what I remembered.....

The Manapua was pretty much just as I recalled. The dough is not as sweet as other versions, and the filling, which is also not too sweet, was quite generous in portion size. It did seem that the pork filling was closer to a charsiu flavored, moist pork sung......

Due to leave for Beijing the next morning, I'd made up my mind that I would go with mostly golden oldies on my return to Oahu.....

Char Hung Sut
64 North Pauahi St
Honolulu, HI 96817

Where we've been.....

I've always wondered why the Missus had never wanted to "visit home" as it were, and visit Her hometown(s) (QingDao and Beijing). Whenever I'd mention visiting China, She'd usually reply, "I don't think you'd be able to deal with China.... the crowds, the people, and all that." But a funny thing happened a bit over a year ago; the Missus's Fifth Aunt visited, for just a short while; and after they left, you could just tell that something had changed. At that point, I think that the Missus started to miss Her large family, and began wondering how Beijing and QingDao had changed over the last, almost two decades. Over the last year, a couple of events occurred that led to our making plans for a tirp to China. First, one of the Missus's cousins was getting married. Second, the timing was perfect for a family reunion of sorts. Third, the home where my MIL was born, and where the Missus was raised was scheduled to be razed. Progress had caught up with the Missus's old neighborhood. Last, but not least, the Missus's parents had purchased a new home in Ewa Beach, and was itching to have us visit.

And so we started making plans, which started at two weeks, and eventually blossomed into a whole month. In the end we ended up with a itinerary that looked like this; Oahu - Beijing - QingDao - Jinan - Hangzhou - Suzhou - Nanjing - Xi'an - Chengdu - Beijing - Oahu. We flew to Honolulu, then to Beijing, caught trains from Beijing to QingDao, then from QingDao to Jinan. In QingDao, we decided to fly on trips that would take over six hours via bus or train for several reasons, which I'll detail later. So we flew from Jinan to Hangzhou, did buses from Hangzhou to Suzhou and then onward to Nanjing. We then flew to Xi'an, then to Chengdu, finally flying back to Beijing. What struck me as being interesting is that we caught different airlines on each leg of our trip in China. Shandong airlines to Hangzhou, Shenzen Airlines to Xi'an, where I took this photo from the bus to the terminal. The plane may be new, but the garbage collection vehicle has been around a while.

We flew to Chengdu on China Eastern Airlines, and back to Beijing on Sichuan Airlines. Airlines are pretty convenient in China, as trains and buses are still the most used methods of long distance travel. Folks still can, and do show up at the airport and buy tickets for the next flight out without problem.

Many of the airports are quite nice, as is true in the case of the airports in Beijing (obviously upgraded for the 2008 Olympics), and Jinan.

 
Level of service and attitudes in the airport vary greatly. The double security check at the airport in Beijing was very, ummmm, ahem thorough. You do end up on a podium of sorts and have a go over with a metal detector, and your pockets, hems, waistline, and other areas checked by hand. I will say that the folks I dealt with were very professional and even friendly. The person who ran my ticket through the scanner at the security check, pointed up at the little camera and told me in English, "smile for the camera please", again probably due to training from the 2008 Olympics. Whereas, in Xi'an, perhaps due to tourist burn-out, I was pushed around a bit, and even yanked off the security check podium by my beltline.

As you can imagine, airline food varied greatly. My favorite was probably the Bi Bim Bap provided on Korean Airlines on our flight to and from Seoul (we flew HNL-Seoul-Beijing).

The Missus really enjoyed the tubes of Gochujang! I swear She's brush Her teeth with the stuff if She could!

The oddest item we had was a version of Rou Jia Mo (肉夹馍), a meat sandwich of sorts which is a specialty of Shaanxi Province. Nothing really odd about a pita sandwich, right? Except, that in the traditional style of Rou Jia M0, the meat was heavily seasoned with cumin..... I mean a lot of cumin. The smell of the cumin was obviously recycled into the A/C system. It wasn't too bad that everyone on the flight shared in the same smell, which got into your clothes. But once you got off the flight, folks would kinda steer clear of you.... a rarity in a country where personal space is basically nil. Come to think of it, maybe it wasn't such a bad thing...... 

The nicest bus station was in Hanzhou.....

Even though the ticket window looked a lot like the betting window at the racetrack.

 The bus station in Suzhou was bit worn and old looking....

And let's not even talk about the restrooms....... though the woman selling toilet paper was doing good business. If traveling to China, remember to always have some TP in your pocket.

Being able to hold your breath for several minutes and being a good squatter is also a plus.

Speaking of squat, this woman, right after deciding to come to a complete stop to send a text message in the middle of a crosswalk at the airport for several minutes. Ignoring the honking horns of the drivers swerving around her, decided to just squat down and make herself comfortable right off the curb for about fifteen minutes.

I guess now's a good time for a photo of the Great Wall????

 
My apologies for not having much food in this post, but believe me when I say, there are a bunch coming up.

And maybe some interesting snacks as well......

Thanks for reading!

We're back.........but from where?

Whew, that was a long trip for us...... but it was well worth it.

I guess you're wondering where we went? Of course, you know I'm not just going to blurt things out.... so let's see if you can identify where in the world we visited. I'll give you clues..... and you let me know. As always you can click on the photos to enlarge.

1 - We started and ended our trip here.

You'll instantly know where just by this photo.

Of course this iconic view gives it all away......

2 - Speaking of icons, this city, where we started and ended our trip to our real destination is full of them. Here are a few.......

Both old.....

And new.....

And we couldn't leave without trying an iconic dish.

3 - Our third destination is perhaps a bit harder. Especially if we started with this photo.

I'm thinking this might help.....

 
The seafood here is great....

 
And if you've been reading our blog long enough; this will give it away.

4 - We both wish we spent a bit more time, longer than just one night at our next stop. It is pretty difficult to figure out, even with what we were told is a classic dish for the city:

With the help of that wonderful tool, the Internet, you'll be able to figure out where based on this.

5 - Our next stop is difficult to figure out by just scenic photos alone.

 
So here's a classic dish from the area.....

6 - Next on the agenda was a wonderful city. Known for their beautiful gardens, we'd like to visit again.

Still can't figure it out? Try this dish......

7 - I really didn't know what to expect on our next stop. We both ended up enjoying one of  the most tastefully done monuments on our trip.

We also enjoyed the South Gate here....

In spite of the rather conservative look, the city is not without color.....

Like many cities, this one is known for snacks and small dishes. Several restaurants have large "set" menus, where you can taste a good selection of items.

Here's one of the most well known dishes of this city.

 
8 - The next stop was a key hub on the Silk Road. And many of the dishes the city is known for reflects this. You take this bread.....

Break it into small pieces. It is covered in mutton, and mutton broth.....

Delici-yoso!!! The city also has a famed Muslim Quarter, where something is always cooking.....

Packed to the rafters during the evening, you can hit the street side stands, or restaurants like this....

For excellent Baozi....

Still can't figure it out? How about this?

This one makes it almost too easy.....

9 - You'll be able to figure out which province the next city is in just by the following two photos alone.

And this not so little fellow makes it obvious......

10 - I don't expect you folks to figure out our last unique destination. But thought I'd post a couple of photos, of this "smaller" (pop. 1,400,000) city for you.

So there you have it.......

I'd say that we didn't eat anything particularly exotic, but there were a few interesting items.

Amazingly, I ate like crazy (as you can see), but lost almost twelve pounds!

And as usual, the trip was not without some rather tense moments.

And I'm hoping that at least a few of my photos will look(I know, it's supposed to be smell - but I haven't figured out how to incorporate smell-o-vision yet) so good that "you'll want to get off your horse and eat".

 
I still need to regroup, so I'm hoping you'll be able to hang in there.....

For maybe a day or so? I'll provide all the answers then.......

Thanks so much for dropping by and reading!!!  

Sakura at the sushi bar.

This is mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Usually Kirk writes here about food he ate and adventures he had.  Cathy and ed (from Yuma) kind of intersperse with their own anecdotal meals, if there is such a thing.  Kirk is still 'vacationing' and Cathy is filling in so you will stay interested.  She is only a Temp.  

Hi.  I was cleaning out my memory card and enjoying again a meal I shared with ed (from Yuma) when he drove in (from Yuma) -a three hour drive- in March.   We who contribute to this blog think nothing strange of doing such a thing for food. It seems we who blog here all *really* like Sakura. So that was where he and I met up one evening.  Here's our meal. (Most of the photos are from ed-many thanks)
We ordered from the regular menu while waiting for our special/omakase (i.e., not on the menu) sashimi plate to be prepared by Kazu, the itamae (sushi chef), who recognized ed when we walked in.  From the "Hot" section: spinach with uni. I never had warm uni before.  This was wonderful: creamy, salty, rich. (OK, I'll get it out of the way: everything was wonderful.)
Shiokara: salty, slightly sweet, savory squid guts.  I've seen it on the menu, never had it before and will order it again.  Really good, chewy, not too salty, rich with a pleasant aftertaste. 

 
Agedashi tofu.  House made silken tofu,  deep fried.  I had a craving for this. Creamy and a little crunchy.  ed had never had this before. He liked it too. (The sauce on the bottom is sweet.)
 
Our special sashimi plate was finished by Kazu and proudly placed in front of us.    The "decorative" mackerel skeleton was to be used later, as were the shrimp heads. This was a selection of the freshest most flavorful items available.   So fresh that those shrimp -drunk with sake- were still alive and moving. Other items on there, tuna, octopus, abalone,squid, mackerel, yellowtail, salmon...   
Once we had consumed the shrimp, the heads were whisked away, lightly fried and brought back as part of a miso soup. 
We also had ordered some tempura vegetables, which were perfectly fried and not greasy. A nice crunch.   Plus we were eating vegetables in addition to the spinach uni...

 The Spanish mackerel skeleton was also whisked away with the shrimp heads, breaded, fried and brought back to our seats in this simple display. Yes, that's the head. With eyes.  The crunch of the bones and flavor of fried mackerel was a wondrous, perfect dish.   We squeezed lemon and dipped these cracker like pieces in the accompanying ponzu sauce. 

   
At some point, ed and I decided we needed some kind of carbohydrate and the crab fried rice looked interesting on the menu, because neither of us had ever had -or heard of- Japanese fried rice...then there was the crab factor.  Kazu grabbed the menu from us, looked at other things available and He also thought that might be a good way to end our meal.  So we ordered it.  This was wonderful!  Who would have thought of Japanese fried rice? You can see the corn, onion and carrots,  There was a lot of crab in here also.  Fresh and flavorful, a perfect ending to a wonderful meal. 

Neither of us had any Sake, although we both wanted it.  Hot tea and water were our beverages.  I know you are wondering, so here is a photo of the bill.     
 
 Izakaya Sakura 3904 Convoy Street 92111  It is in the parking lot with the Original Pancake House, all the way in the back, next to the Recruiting Depot.  The door way.  The Neon "Open" sign in the window.  No other signage.

Kodiak Seafood in Yuma Foothills

The word on the street and in the blogosphere is that Kirk is due back from somewhere overseas soon. Until then, it is Cathy (from San Diego) and, today, ed (from Yuma) posting at mmm-yoso. You are warned.

Most of Yuma (such as it is) stretches south from the Colorado River, spreading out from the streets that once funneled north/south and east/west traffic through town.  In 1967, a local entrepreneur started selling extremely cheap lots 12 miles east of the city.  At the time, many people thought he was a fool, but after his first million dollars, people's minds changed.  The Foothills (which is what his development is called) is now a thriving but largely unincorporated part of the city of Yuma.  Its population varies from 10,000 to 40,000 depending on the season, and housing out there ranges from shabby trailers that would seem to date from 1967 to some of the most exclusive residences in Yuma County.  Up until recently, The Foothills has been devoid of good and interesting restaurants, but over the last few years, more worthwhile eateries have begun to appear.

A wonderful example of this is Kodiak Seafoods, a tiny restaurant (about 10 small tables) located in the shopping center anchored by Fry's grocery store on Fortuna Blvd at the freeway:
It is a no-frills restaurant with a limited menu, and fishing paraphernalia and photos covering the walls (the family fishes commercially every summer in Alaska): 
We first heard of it as the "new" fish n' chips place. Indeed, the fish and chips there is excellent ($9):

The two perflectly fried filets of Alaskan cod sit atop crunchy sweet potato fries, which are (imho) the best side available at the restaurant.

On that same visit, we were able to get something not regularly available -- an order of crispy fried ocean perch ($10) (here pictured with the regular french fries): 
Even though this is a modest little restaurant where you order at the counter and wait for them to bring  your food and water or soft drinks, it is possible to enjoy some of the finest wines in the world here.  How is that? Well, you just have to bring the fine wine with you. Since this little place has no liquor license, one of the strange laws of the state of Arizona allows customers to bring their own beer or wine (and no, that is not the only strange law of the state of Arizona).  So on Tina's and my most recent visit to the restaurant, we brought in a set of stemless wineglasses:

and one of our favorite local wines so that we could complement our seafood dinner with an appropriate beverage:  
  
When I say local wine I don't mean to imply that anyone grows wine grapes in Yuma County.  Miraflores winery, located in the Sierra foothills, is owned by a local Yuma physician, Dr. Victor Alvarez.  While the winery is most known for its outstanding red wines (I love the Zinfandel and the Bordeaux style blend), the Pinot Grigio is quite good, with balanced pinot grigio flavors, mineral undertones, and a smooth and slightly creamy finish.

We almost always begin our dinners with a side salad ($1), which, as you can tell from the pictures below, consists of a generous helping of fresh baby greens, baby tomatoes, and some other fruit or vegetable accent:

 
 
Although the dressings are most likely store-bought, they are of good quality and complement the salads nicely.

In addition to the great wines available, the most important reason why Tina and I love to come out to this restaurant is the wonderful grilled fish.  Sometimes swordfish is available:

Often they have mahi-mahi: 

Just look at how moist and juicy that piece of fish is.  In fact it is the chef's ability to serve flame grilled fish at exactly the right degree of doneness that makes the all the fishes here so delightful.

For example, this piece of halibut certainly looks nice with the char marks from the grill:

But the tender and moist bites of the fish are even more succulent: 

The restaurant also allows the customer to choose from various seasonings (that are, I believe, crafted in house) including Caribbean jerk, Cajun, teriyaki, lemon pepper, Southwest, garlic and herb, and their favorite, Kodiak seasoning.  If you look carefully at this nicely grilled piece of salmon, you can see all of the herbs and spices that go into the Kodiak flavor: 

As with the halibut, you really appreciate the grill master's skill when you look at and taste each wonderful bite of the fish: 

That last picture brings me to another point about this place; Kodiak Seafood keeps trying to get better.  On our most recent visit, Tina and I were blown away by the new tartar sauce being served.  Unlike previous versions, the new tartar sauce is flavored with a large quantity of fresh dillweed, bits of old school dill pickle, and finely diced onion.  It was so good, I wish I had a picture of it for you.

The grilled fish options range between $10 and $13 and come with a starch or veggies. Chicken breast and ribeye steak are also on the menu -- but I have no idea how they taste.  In season, the restaurant is open Tuesday through Saturday usually for dinners only.  It is often closed in July and August while the family goes fishing. Call before driving all the way from downtown Yuma (or San Diego). Well worth the trip.

Kodiak Seafood Company, Foothill Fry's Shopping Center, 11274 South Fortuna Road, suite C-1, Yuma, 928-345-0433.

Nijiya Market- grab and go for a quick meal

You are reading mmm-yoso!!! the blog about food.  Cathy is blogging again today. Kirk is *still* on vacation, as is ed (from Yuma).

Hi.  The other day, The Mister and I had about an hour for lunch at the same time and we were in the same area, so we met at Nijiya Market.  The first time I had ever gone to Nijiya, I came home and googled it.  The first google item that came up was this blog.  I started following Kirk and this blog. Way back in 2005. . 
Located in the same mall as Sage French Cake, Okan,  Shanghai City  and Curry House , this Japanese  Market sells healthy (mostly all organic) and gourmet foods.  We walked to the wall opposite the entrance door, where prepared foods and sashimi are displayed. Yes.  I am doing another post about meals you eat where you shop.
I took a warm vegetable croquette (99¢)- mostly mashed potatoes with carrot and peas, rolled in panko and fried and also a shrimp vegetable tempura pancake ($1.99)- onions, green pepper, carrot, squash and small shrimp dipped in batter and fried until crispy. 
The mister grabbed a Saki Nori bento box($5.49) with warm smoked salmon, a piece of tempura shrimp with some karage style chicken all on top of laver  (a thick piece of seaweed which has a good mineral content) which was on top of  organic rice which had some sort of seasoning sauce (not soy) and bonito flakes on it. The rice ended up being very salty fishy tasting; The Mister likened it to anchovy-like saltiness, which he does not like. Of course, I thought it was wonderful. 
I chose the Kaisen Chirashi ($6.99)- organic sushi rice,(Clockwise from top) Squid with salmon roe, salmon, octopus, shrimp, scallop(under the shrimp), cooked egg, yellowtail and tuna. The packing includes organic soy sauce, wasabi and ginger packets. You get chopsticks when you are paying at the cash register.  To the far left of the grab and go counters, on top of the counter, is a hot refrigerator and the cans of green tea or coffee are very heated through and only $1.  A quick lunch we could eat our front at one the the five set up tables in front. 

Nijiya Market 3860 Convoy Street, Suite 109 San Diego 92111 (858)268-3821 Website

Centifonti's. La Mesa. Breakfast.

Welcome back to the food blog named mmm-yoso!!! Kirk is (still) on vacation, but not as  far away as he had been about a week ago. ed (from Yuma) is in Yuma, on his own vacation.  Cathy is here, now. She blogs when the others play.

Hello again.  I appear to be eating out a lot.  Such is the magic that is blogging.  Here is a meal I was particularly happy to enjoy with The Mister.  Centifonti's was 'just' a candy store in the Village of La Mesa for about 16 years. Handmade chocolates, fudge, gummy bears, peanut butter filled peanut shaped delights.  About six years ago, they moved down the street and opened a bar and restaurant.  All while keeping the candies. 

 
  

Added gelato.
Added daily fresh baked pastries. ...and a bar, television sets, serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and wines. It works.
Coffee. $1.75.  Good, fresh coffee.  It is brought out in the cups *and* you get the small thermal pot on your table. Half and half in the small pitcher.  This would be perfect with a slice of fresh pie ($3) or one of the bear claws ($2), a cookie ($1.50) or even one of the chocolate/caramel/nut/Oreo™/Reeses™/M&M™ covered apples ($5).
However, we were here at breakfast time. We had never been here for breakfast, a mistake we shan't make ever again. Excellent.  French Toast, one poached egg, skin on breakfast sausage-The French Toast Platter ($8.95).
Each slice of the French Toast is dipped in the egg mix and then sliced almonds before cooking.  A delightful surprise.  The sausages were very fresh, just a bit burned (which I like) and the poached egg was perfect.
Eggs Benedict Florentine ($9.99).  I had wanted spinach.  This was fresh spinach, definitely not the frozen stuff...fresh.  It got better.
This was a from scratch Hollandaise sauce. (Egg yolk, butter, just a bit of tang from the lemon juice-Wonderful). On top of perfectly poached eggs.  On top of Prosciutto. On top of a toasted English muffin.  Yes.  Prosciutto. Thick sliced, chewy, dry cured Italian ham. The "Centifonti potatoes" were slightly seasoned diced skin on red potatoes, lightly fried with red and green bell peppers.  Not the center of attention. 

The breakfast here was a great, wonderful, flavorful surprise for us.  If you are in La Mesa, this is a place to enjoy.

Centifonti's Bar and Restaurant 8365 La Mesa Blvd. La Mesa 91941 (619)461-4434 Website    

Las Herraduras: Lucky for Yuma

Kirk has been eating his way through some foreign country. Cathy has been eating a lot just to keep this blog current. And ed (from Yuma) has been eating and finally has the time to share a new Yuma restaurant with you guys.

It's got to be tough opening a Mexican restaurant in Yuma, the kind of city where almost everybody has two or three favorite Mexican restaurants already.  So when I heard that a new restaurant was going in the old Chile Verde location on 4th Ave between the post office and Fry's, I didn't give it much of a chance for long success:
On my first visit, the large main dining area was largely empty.  On the other hand, it was clear that the owners had enough capital to redecorate the restaurant, keeping the comfortable booths and adding  high backed wooden chairs marked with horseshoes (Herraduras) around  sturdy tables.

I was immediately impressed by the thin corn chips and outstanding salsa:
 The salsa is both spicy and full of chunky goodness:
That day the special was green chile.  Of course, I had to try it, and soon received a steaming bowl of wonderful old school, Yuma style green chile:
This was an excellent version served more like soup than a stew.  The broth was wonderfully beefy and flavored with both tomato and green chile.  The coarsely ground beef fit the rest of the dish perfectly. I was amazed by the lack of grease as well.

To my surprise, the next time I ordered green chile, the dish looked completely different:
This is what I consider standard green chile.  Chunks of tender pork swimming  in a mild and complex sauce with balanced flavors of green chilies, tomatillos, and fresh minced cilantro. The differences in this version let me know the range of flavors and dishes the kitchen could prepare.

At this point, our Friday Munch Lunch Bunch (MLB) agreed to get together and try some different items. Everyone loved the salsa (and what's not to love), but the cheese crisp lacked a certain complexity of flavors, though the tortilla itself was nicely crisp:

One of my friends had the fish taco special, which she proclaimed was very nicely done, with crisp batter and fresh flavored fish: 
Chip opted for the asada torta and was very happy with the flavorful beef, the crispy grilled bolillo roll, and the numerous toppings including numerous slices of avocado on the sandwich and the pickled jalapeno slices on the side:
Someone else ordered the caldo de res (beef soup), which tasted better than it looked, the clear stock being full of beef flavor:
But I think I ordered the best of all the meals, the albondigas: 

 
Here the rich beefy stock was thickened with tomatos, giving the whole bowl the flavors of an excellent beef stew.  The meatballs themselves were both full of flavor and soft and tender.  As good an albondigas as I've had in Yuma.

After the lunch, we compared notes, and every one was pleased with his or her dish, and considering the varied palates of the group, that rarely happens.

At this point, Tina and I started trying various other dishes.  Once, Tina had the hass burrito, a nice combination of carne asada, fresh green chile strips, and cheese:
 The beef was both tender and flavorful and Tina was impressed by how the cheese and the green chile slices contributed to the overall flavor.

Once I ordered a Lenten special, calabacitos:
The melty white cheese covered a stew of squash, fresh sweet corn, and fresh tomatoes:
Another common lenten dish in Yuma households is Chile rellenos.  The first time that I ordered the chile rellano lunch special at Herraduras, it was truly outstanding: 

 
The mild green chile was well fried in its egg batter, but the highlight of the dish was the tomatoey sauce that covered the chile.  That sauce combined perfectly with the vegetable flavors of the chile itself:
In the six months since Las Herraduras opened, I have only been disappointed in two dishes.  The chicken fajitas:

And the pollo asado burrito:
In both cases, part of my problem is the rather dry chicken breast meat.  The burrito would have been 100% better if it had contained a generous portion of guacamole -- of course, that preference probably reflects the two years I spent living in San Diego where the art of asada/asado burritos has been perfected. The chicken fajitas no doubt would've been better served on a hot platter in the restaurant, but the chicken breast just didn't have much flavor and the vegetables were not uniformly cooked.  Nonetheless, I can imagine that these chicken dishes might well be favorites of white meat chicken fans. 

Since I hate to end a post on a down note, I want to finish by talking about and showing you pictures of what I think is the best menudo in town, served with chopped cilantro and onion and a nice bolillo roll:
Lover of tendon that I am, I was delighted to find a slice of pata de res hiding in the bottom of the bowl:
 
The perfectly grilled, crispy crunchy bolillo roll matched perfectly with the tendon, the succulent and tender tripe, the chewy kernals of nixtamal, and the rich chili flavored broth:
It doesn't get much better than that.  And Mexican restaurants don't get much better than Las Herraduras. Let's hope these are lucky horseshoes. 

Las Herraduras, 2256 S. 4th Ave, Yuma AZ, 85364, 928-783-0559. Open daily 11am-9pm.

Zodiac. Neiman Marcus. Fine dining in Fashion Valley.

Yes, this is mmm-yoso!!! the food blog and really, Cathy isn't the only one who blogs here, it just seems that way.  Kirk is on vacation.  He will be back.  ed(from Yuma) is decompressing and he will blog again also. Cathy is upping it a notch today, just to keep you interested.

So anyhow, I have blogged about quite a few places which have an eating area inside a store where you shop for food...Foodland, Wholesome Choice, Bristol Farms and Harvest Ranch Market are grocery stores with small, eat in areas. Other stores where you shop for items other than food, like The Bass Pro Shop,  Ikea and Nordstrom also have very nice restaurants.

Possibly, like me, you haven't really shopped in this store.
It's right here in Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego, just across the door from Nordstrom at the North side of the mall. It's kind of fancy. OK-it's really high end.  Don't be afraid.  

Walk in, take the escalator to the third floor.  Admire the Art Installation of thousands of butterflies made of feathers, gold and silver paint and mirrors hanging from the roof to the main floor.  There are other Neiman Marcus Collection paintings and sculptures sprinkled throughout the store. It's a kind of art gallery sprinkled among the various Departments.  At the top of the escalator, walk straight ahead, a bit to your right.  There is an open doorway,  "Zodiac" is emblazoned above it. Step inside.  You'll be greeted promptly. If you are carrying bags, you'll be asked if you'd like to check them. Then you'll be seated and handed your menu.  

 
Almost immediately, an espresso size cup of perfect hot chicken consummè, sided by a fresh, small, soft cheese biscuit is placed before you.  If you're female, the cloth napkin wrapping your silverware will be shaken open for you.  Usually they try to match the color of the napkin with your clothing (dark or light).

You are at the Neiman Marcus restaurant.
Another clue you are at Neiman Marcus:  The man with the basket of still warm crispy flaky exterior, soft layered interior popovers (popovers!) and plate of strawberry butter stops at your table and places one on the plate which was on the table when you sat down. The butter is unsalted.  The strawberry -with strawberry seeds-  flavor is there, not too sweet, not overpowering. You know it is butter.  

Your order is taken when you are ready.  There is a wine list. There is champagne. There are bottled teas.
There is hot tea, the flavor and leaves which you choose from a box filled with many types- displayed in sort of test tubes- and then the tea is  prepared and brought out to you in a press pot.  $4. You can have more water added if you wish. You can pretty much have anything the way you wish.  Zodiac restaurant is service based, professional. 
Here is a surreptitious photo of The Mister's NM Cobb salad ($16).  Mixed spring greens, chicken, avocado, blue cheese, red cabbage, egg, tomato served already mixed with a warm bacon dressing. It was fresh and good,  but not extraordinary. He also ordered hot coffee ($3.50), refilled constantly.  It was very fresh, good and served with real cream.  Of course.
The Sampler Plate ($12.50) half a chicken salad (or tuna salad or turkey) sandwich on your choice of bread, toasted or not, served with a cup of soup (either white bean or the soup of the day- in this case chili soup), kettle chips...
and a small ramekin of fruit (in this case, melon and pineapple and topped with a raspberry, blackberry and  1/4 of a strawberry).  The sandwich- classic, simple chicken salad of fresh moist chicken breast and real mayonnaise, salt and white pepper. The bread is a hearty whole wheat with excellent flavor. The kettle chips are thick and crispy.  The chili soup had ground beef, finely chopped onion and celery and small black beans, was soup and not chili, topped with cheddar cheese that was melty stringy in every spoonful. The fruit was amazingly flavored and ripe.  Every piece.
This.  The "heart couture" lemon shrimp salad. $17.  Two hearts of Romaine, quinoa, Feta, asparagus and toasted almonds topped with a citrus vinaigrette, sided by two very flavorful tomatoes and accompanied by five large citrus marinated plump grilled flavorful shrimp.  No way would you think it was only 460 calories. No way would you think it was part of a 'healthy' menu. If everything labeled as being healthy tasted like this, I'd eat this way all the time.  Everything in this salad, including the quinoa, was wonderously flavored.

It is not inexpensive to eat here.  The food and service are high quality. Your bill comes after you are finished eating. The infamous  cookie  is $2.50.  I have not had one.  

Neiman Marcus 7027 Friars Road San Diego 92108 (Fashion Valley Mall) (619)542-4450 Website-Zodiac menu near top right

Boll Weevil. The real one.

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food.  Kirk usually writes, except he is on vacation. Sometimes, ed (from Yuma) writes, but he is kind of on a vacation right now. So Cathy is writing, just to keep you looking while you wait in anticipation for Kirk's return.  

Hi.  I'm still here.  I ate.  At one of the few remaining Boll Weevils in town. Most have closed, but are  in the same location, a darn good copycat has appeared  Kitty corner from the Registrar of Voters (in the same parking lot as Khan's Cave) is Boll Weevil. Kirk has posted on this location and He did not like it.    I knew what I crave and wanted to see if my 'usual' order tasted the same as I remembered.
  The interior of this location (NW corner of Clairmont Mesa and Ruffin) is quite large.  There are four televisions, two pool tables and an added on covered patio, seen in this photo, above.
The traditional tray o' condiments is the same.  A bit more of a selection -two mustards, tabasco-regular and smoked.
The container in front is a mix of mustard, mayonnaise and relish; something which goes perfectly with the burgers. At least I think so.

We perused the menu, noting the various possible selections. Toppings of  bacon, various cheeses, mushrooms, BBQ sauce...all sorts of variations of toppings for burgers, chicken patties, Reuben sandwiches, salads...Broasted ™ chicken , smoked ribs.  Then we ordered pretty much what we always do.
The 1/2 pound Steerburger, with cheese. Medium rare. ($5.39)
A small side of "Crings" curly fries and onion rings ($4.29). The onions are whole, battered in a mix which includes cornmeal; not those diced premade weird ones... The curly fries are OK, nothing to write about.
My 1/2 pound plain Steerburger,  rare ($4.99). The patty is not a frozen one.  It is shaped here from fresh, flavorful ground beef, lightly seasoned.
It was juicy.
Cooked rare.  Very rare...

The basic burger.  None of the fancy stuff.  None of the fancy toppings. No fancy sauce. Not even lettuce or tomatoes.  Happy Happy. Good Good. 

Boll Weevil 9330 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92123 (858)571-6225