mmm-yoso!!!

Saturday Stuffs: Goodbye Shanghai City? And updates on Baihe (Lily Bulb) and Guai Wei Can Dou (strange flavor broad beans 怪味蚕豆)

Goodbye Shanghai City?

On a recent visit to Nijiya, I noticed that the lettering had been taken off of Shanghai City. This grabbed my attention so I walked on over to find this sign.

 
 It says they are closed for "renovation"....... so maybe it's just a freshening up, which Shanghai City has needed for a while. Of course they'll be opening on 8/8....

Then I saw the Application for Ownership Change.

 

It seems that the place will be under new ownership. It made me a bit sad, at the least I should have gotten one last bowl of Niu Rou Mein.  

3860 Convoy St
San Diego,CA 92111

An update on Guai Wei Can Dou (strange flavor broad beans 怪味蚕豆):

I first wrote about Guai Wei Can Dou in this post. The Missus and I love the stuff, and had been allowing ourselves a ration of two to three pieces a day from the stash we brought back from China. Of course it was just a matter of time before we'd munch on our last Guai Wei Can Dou, which happened all too soon. I soon set out looking for these broad beans around San Diego. I found one brand in Thuan Phat Market, but it looked plain wrong. There was one place that I thought we'd find this snack, and we made sure to drop by on a recent trip to our old neighborhood of Rowland Heights....... T S Emporium.

Emporium is a good name for this large shop which sells just about every kind of bottled and canned food item, snacks, and what they are really well known for, the herbs. It used to be that the smell of Chinese Herbal Medicine would hit you smack in the face when you entered. Nowadays the smells are bit more muted, and the apothecary is gone.

There are still endless aisles of goods, though.

And wouldn't you know they had two different brands of Guai Wei Can Dou.

Including one of the brands we brought back from China.

The strange thing about these "strange flavor" broad beans was they weren't nearly as "Ma" (numbing) as what we brought back from China. We noticed that Sichuan Peppercorn items aren't nearly as numbing as they are in China. I'm wondering if the irradiating of Sichuan Peppercorn affects the numbing aspect. And perhaps they irradiate this as well.... or perhaps it's just a bit of a different formula??? That's ok.... I'll take what I can get until we return to China.

T S Emporium
1457 Nogales St
Rowland Heights, CA 91748

An update on Baihe (Lily Bulb):

The gentleman at Beijing Restaurant in San Gabriel had told the Missus where to get Baihe. He laso gave us some specific instructions for rinsing and soaking to get rid of the sulphides, how to select lily bulb, and to only purchase ones that are labeled to come from Lanzhou. We purchased some from 168 Market in San Gabriel. We also saw the Xiang Chung Ya (salted shoots of the Chinese Toon Tree) that I believe the restaurant uses. It looked terrible, no wonder we weren't impressed......

 The funny thing was, the very next morning "Tenjo" mentioned that we could find Baihe at 99 Ranch Market here in San Diego! I thought that I pretty much knew where everything was at 99 Ranch Market........ but I was wrong. We found the Baihe stacked above the bean sprouts in the produce section.

I trim a little off the top....mostly the brown and discolored stuff, and just enough off the bottom so I can peel the petals of the bulb. I rinse three times, then soak in water for about 5-6 minutes, followed by another good rinse to remove the sulphides used to prevent discoloration. Many of the brown spots are just superficial, and can be rinsed or rubbed off.

If you've noticed a dearth of cooking posts recently; it's because I've been making this five or six times a week.

 

Don't forget some ginko nuts while you're at it...... 

Thanks again Tenjo!

QingDao: The Children's Park (Chu Shui Shan) and going shopping

After our breakfast visit to Pi Chai Yuan and a stop at Beer Street, we headed back to the hotel. We had some good 'ol H2O and a bottle of LaoShan Cola in tow. I gotta say, it seems that folks don't drink much water in QingDao. But with fresh beer everywhere, and LaoShan Cola, I can see why. I believe cane sugar is used for LaoShan cola, as it has the same sweetness as Mexican Coca-Cola. There's also a great complex mix of flavors from a variety of herbs and spices. Good stuff.....

After a short break, we headed off to Fifth Aunt's, to visit with the Missus's Mom's cousin and other stuff. Dinner was to take place at the original family home, and Fifth Aunt had mentioned that there was some chicken sold in the market along the way to the family home that somewhat resembled Dezhou Pa Ji (Dezhou Braised Chicken -  德州扒鸡). This was a no-brainer.... we'd pick up some chicken on our walk to the family home.

Fifth Aunt's street ends at the Children's Park (Chu Shui Shan), a place that the Missus had spent many moments at during her youth.

Though the park had changed during the years, there was still the 108 steps up to the walking paths lining the hill.

We meandered around the park a bit........

We had been told that in this day and age, because of the amount of labor available, Fifty had become the "unofficial" retirement age. Here in the states, it would be a stagnating death sentence for many people. But China is such a social country that activities keep folks busy, like the "Grandmother Drum Teams" that play at weddings. And this group of women were having a great time........

The Missus cracked up and told me they were "singing really old Communist songs...."

The men occupy themselves as well.

There's an intense card game taking place on every table.

There was one thing the Missus wanted to see. Firmly etched in Her memory is a grand lake, so we walked around searching for it. The best we could find was this pond......

Such is what the eyes of youth sees...... everything seems so much bigger and grander.

We walked down the path, and made our way across the street.....

Something caught the Missus's eye.......

It was something she "just had to have"...... and these weren't named Jimmy Choo or Chanel. They were roasted yams from a cart that very well could have been around when the Missus was a child.

The older gentleman let the Missus pick the one She wanted, weighing it on an old fashioned hand scale.

I forget how much it cost... it was some minuscule amount. To the Missus this was a priceless taste of Her youth.

This street used to be the "open market" when the Missus was a child. And though there are still many vendors along the street......

It seems the city has done its best to move the vendors that could afford a stall indoors.

The walkway is lined with various vendors.....

And in typical savvy marketing fashion, at each entry is a well stocked stand full of snacks. We ended up spending a good deal of time here as the Missus sampled, and eventually bought some goodies. The peanut snacks to the right was a winner, and the Missus bought some Haw Flakes.... which were the best I've ever tasted.

A bit further down the way was the stand selling roasted chickens.....

Unfortunately, the Missus didn't see the kind of chicken She wanted. After talking to the woman who seemed to own the stand, a cloth was lifted on a pan behind the counter.... and there it was!

After purchasing the chicken, the Missus asked if I could go behind the counter to take a photograph of the chicken. At first the woman was a bit suspicious, thinking that we perhaps a government or new agency. But after telling her I was from America...... well, I got my photo.

The woman happily exclaimed, "oh, good! It's free advertising!" And even moved the chickens so they would look more attractive.

And she even asked me to take a photo of her! You gotta love these folks......

When you visit most of the stands like this one that features different breads (sorry "AZ", still no rice!), you watch the folks working hard in the back of the shop making their goods.

Isn't that how it should be????

 
Like most fresh and open markets (i.e. Mercado Central in Cuzco or Hang Be Market in Hanoi)  , the stands are organized together in sections. For instance the sauces and vinegar section.

And of course, this is QingDao, so there's a large seafood section as well.

As we made our way out the door, we ran into Fifth Aunt and the Missus's Mom on the way to the house.

Here are just a few more photos!

Seeing this reminded me that I still hadn't had "Qsingtao in a bag", which Fifth Uncle told the Missus is quite good.

Not to worry... the Missus had that covered!

I'm aware that this was pretty long post. So thanks so much for reading!

Taste of Italy- Rancho San Diego. A Sicilian influenced and excellent lunch.

mmm-yoso!!! is the food blog you are reading.  Cathy is writing because the guys (Kirk and ed(fromYuma)) are busy doing stuff, like researching future posts.

Tucked in a shopping mall near Cuyamaca College, next to the Starbucks, in Rancho San Diego, is this.  Taste of Italy, kind of a local chain of "A Taste of Italy" restaurants (another location is on University in Hillcrest, on Carmel Mountain Road in Del Mar and also Vesuvio and Etna are owned by the same group; the primary menu items are all Sicilian (a more complex Italian) based). We like the Rancho San Diego because it is open late (midnight M-Th and 2 a.m. on Fri and Sat), it has a bar, televisions in the bar (we watched a World Cup game here one Saturday) and really really good, house made food. 

Inside, there are a selection of wines, or you can bring your own and store the bottles, in a locked area with a personalized plaque, as you might on the island of Sicily.

 

We were here for lunch one day.  We could have also ordered brunch (they just started offering brunch on weekends in June, possibly to coincide with the above mentioned World Cup Games.)

Artichoke soup. Made from scratch.  Not heavy (no cream layer stuck to your tongue). Lemony and with a bit of heat (jalapeño juice maybe was in it). Excellent and made in house.  There is always a great minestrone,  I do like trying the soups. The island of Sicily has a subtropical climate and artichokes and eggplant and citrus are easily grown.  Most Sicilian dishes are vegetable and seafood based).
A few pieces of garlic bread were brought out- The garlic was complimentary to the soup taste. 

 

 
 I ordered the Classic Antipasto for my meal.  Red and green lettuces, fresh pickled mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, olives and rolled mortadella, salami and provolone.  This was just the right amount of food for me at lunch. The house made olive oil, balsamic and herb salad dressing (also with a bit of peppery heat) is just right. 

The Mister could not decide, but knew he wanted a baked pasta dish and chose the half ravioli half cheese manicotti with the marinara sauce ($14.99).  The pastas were tender, house made.  The manicotti were very much like crepes and filled with a combination of mozarella, ricotta and romano cheeses.  The ravioli were large and overfilled.  The marinara sauce, also house made, was very rich in tomato flavor and had just a touch of red pepper heat in it.

 

You need reservations on Friday and Saturday nights to eat here.  It gets very crowded.  Because it is good.  There are plenty of Italian Restaurants in this part of El Cajon.  This is one of the best.

 

Taste of Italy 2515 Jamacha Road El Cajon 92019 (Rancho San Diego-in the Ralphs/Michael's mall, across from the mall with the movie theaters) (619)660-6300 Website

Pho Tay Do

Weather sure has been a roller coaster ride the last couple of weeks. Roasting hot one weekend, gloomy the next, and even a day when it sprinkled, in July! Mornings have been on the chilly side, then the sun will break through the marine layer, and we'll have bright sunshine during the afternoons. On a recent weekend morning it was cool enough for me to consider having some Pho. I'd recently received an email from "DavidL" who mentioned that Pho Thanh, right before 54th and University was under "new management". Now, I don't recall ever getting emails from DavidL, so of course I wondered if he was part of the "new management"? However, it was a very nice, email, short, sweet, and to the point, so I figured, why not.......

 Other then the sign, the place look basically the same. And I was greeted immediately as I entered. I was given a menu, and water was immediately delivered to my table. I recalled that Pho Thanh had pretty decent service with regards to Pho restaurants, and so far it was going fairly well.

I had my sights set on Pho, but was waylaid on the way to my table by a gentleman digging into a decent looking bowl of Bun Mang Vit - Duck and Bamboo Shoot Noodle Soup ($7.45), and I decided to go with that.

This was a fairly nice looking Bun Mang Vit......

The soup itself was fairly mild, not enough bamboo to add that nice earthiness to the soup I enjoy. It had a decent amount of saltiness. There was a mild duck flavor to the soup, and later I fished out two pieces of chopped duck wing from the broth, which explains that.

I did enjoy the noodles which had just the right amount of "pull" and weren't over-cooked or too "sticky".

The duck was decently prepared, perhaps a bit on the dry side. Here they try to give you more meat, and less bony parts.

i'd say the portion of duck was about right for Bun Mang Vit in San Diego. Under the duck was a pile of mostly thinly sliced cabbage, topped with fried shallots and peanuts. There wasn't enough Rau Ram (Vietnamese Coriander) for my tastes, but then again, I enjoy the flavor of Rau Ram.

The sauce here is the same as what I recalled Pho Thanh served, sweet-salty-garlic, with a more pronounced ginger flavor than other places.

In what was a really nice touch, the young lady working brought me another bowl of sauce halfway through my meal. Not quite in the league of Chinese Kitchen, but good enough for second place.... which is kinda where Pho Thanh was. 

It may not be the best, but I did enjoy my meal, so I decided to return and check out the Pho. On my previous visit, I glanced at what other folks were eating, and determined that the rare steak here is the usual very lean, and very dry top round. I'm still waiting for Filet Mignon Pho to arrive in San Diego! So I ordered the large (since it is just 50 cents more than the small), Pho with well done brisket, flank, tendon, and tripe ($6):

The garnishes were on the skimpy side, though nowadays I'm a bit more spartan. I'm not looking to create a salad in my soup. I had just enough Ngo Gai (culantro) to add some pepperiness, and basil to add a touch of the almost anise flavor that I prefer. This was pretty straight forward, low oil, mildly beefy broth. In my old age, I've noticed that saltiness affects me a bit more, so I've come to depend on the trusty lime to add a bit of acid to temper the saltiness of the broth. If there was anything that stood out about this broth, it would be the distinct flavor of charred scallions and shallots.

 The noodles were in the classic "clump in the bottom of the bowl", and were overcooked and mushy.

As for the meats, the flank cuts were abundant, and pretty good, not to dry, nor were the fatty portions too tough. The brisket was in shreds and were hard to fish out, and a piece of tripe was a rare thing indeed. The tendon was too hard... though strangely, I'm ok with tendon served this way in my Bun Bo Hue, but expect more in my Pho.

Again the service was pretty good, they refilled my water without asking.....

I'm not so sure that there been much of a change from Pho Thanh, though that may not be a bad thing. The Pho was passable, and the Bun Mang Vit pretty good.

Pho Tay Do
5296 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Open Daily 8am - 9pm

Chretin's in Yuma

The blog is mmm-yoso!!! Kirk and Cathy will blog for you again soon.  Today ed (from Yuma) has a really long post about Yuma's original Mexican restaurant.

March 2011 update: shortly after this was published, Chretin's was purchased by new owners. While the lunch buffet is still da bomb, the menu is considerably different, and some of the old-school Yuma dishes are gone or prepared differently.

My favorite experiences blogging for Kirk are those moments when I can share an unlikely but incredible experience at some out-of-the-way taco stand or a tiny restaurant hidden in a blind alley. My task today is more unusual and more difficult,  presenting a restaurant that almost every online poster seems to hate -- Chretin's Mexican Restaurant in Yuma:

At Yelp, somebody from New Jersey called the food "Crappy Mexican.  Like east coast crappy." At Yahoo, a poster who "came up on mexican food in denver co and sandiego cal" reports "fake mexican food that was just sick we did not eat or food nor ask them to re-make it or refund it."  Many others agreed.

For me, on the other hand, Chretin's is like an old friend -- maybe no longer your favorite person -- but someone you are comfortable with, someone whose good qualities (and shortcomings) you know very well.

My first Mexican meal in Yuma was 25 years ago  at Chretin's original location in a ramshackle building in the middle of an old residential district.  All I remember is that I enjoyed it.  Many times after that first visit, I would come to Chretin's with Mary Emma and her late husband Don, who loved the old school food, atmosphere, and waitstaff. Years later, I still eat at Chretin's occasionally, and I usually enjoy it.

These days, Chretin's occupies a fancy new building at a major intersection (Arizona and 16th St.), and perhaps customers expect the food to be the standard Mexican food that can be found at "nice" Mexican restaurants throughout most of the United States.  The Mexican equivalent of ABCDE restaurants. Instead, Chretin's is a Yuma standard, serving some of the same dishes that introduced Anglos in southwest Arizona to "Mexican food" two or three generations ago.  Is it authentic Mexican?  Ehh, probably not.  But it is authentic Yuman. 

The new building is both a blessing and a curse.  Centrally located, with a huge parking lot, the restaurant with its main room, side rooms, and bar has plenty of space for customers:

At the same time, 2007 was not a good year to relocate a business.  And the restaurant was overwhelmed initially.  Everyone in town wanted to try the new location, and numerous passers-by and  freeway refugees stumbled onto the place and added to the chaos. While I have never had poor service (though I do adjust my standards to Yuma norms), I'm sure some online posters were not well treated.

But the real big whammy for the new location is the seemingly endless widening and repair of 16th St, so that Chretin's seems to be located in a war zone in some third world country:

So amid all that could go wrong,  how do I have a good meal at Chretin's?  Sometimes, I start with a Mexican beer (Pacifico and Bohemia are my favorites)  or the first-rate margaritas turned out by the bar:

Some people like the sweeter flavored margaritas (such as the strawberry one in this picture), but my favorite is on the rocks without salt:

 I also savor the thin corn chips and the decent salsa: 

Though certainly not the spiciest in town, the salsa here has all the right flavor notes:  tomato, chile pepper, onion, with a touch of black pepper and a slight sour tang.  The guacamole is also the real thing.  The puréed avocado is enhanced with  touches of spice and citrus :

A truly great appetizer is the incredible Sonoran cheese crisp (called the toasted cheese tortilla here):

Even my friend Charles knows of none better, in fact, none even close.  The flour tortilla is truly crisp and crunchy. The amount of cheese is absolutely perfect, enough to cover but not overwhelm the tortilla.  And the balance between the mild creamy white cheese and the sharper yellow is perfect. Top with some salsa and it's heaven.
 

Another reason to like the restaurant are the lunch choices; you can take advantage of several excellent specials, order items à la carte, or choose the reasonably priced buffet on week days (currently $5.99).

The buffet usually has a salad section, condiments choices, a tostadas area (with ground beef and refried frijoles), mass-produced tamales and enchiladas, decent chicken fajita-style, and ample giant flour tortillas.

Just to illustrate, my friend Dave put together the following concoctions on a recent visit there:

I'm usually content to roll up a couple chicken fajitas burritos with or without extra condiments:

Other lunchtime favorites are bowls of green chile, chili con carne ($5.25), or albondigas, tender meatballs in a rich vegetable based stock ($4.99):

You can also get a lunch size taco salad --  beef  or chicken:

  

My only complaint about the taco salads is that there is not enough true salad.  Both of the meat choices, beef or chicken, are flavorful, the guacamole and sour cream are abundant, the beans and cheese add their richness, but I have to give up eating when things get too gloppy:

One of my very favorite lunch specials is a single chile rellano, fried perfectly crisp, with rice and beans:

 Most of the time, that chile rellano will be the best you've ever had, a fresh green chile amply stuffed with a flavorful blend of white and yellow melty cheeses, wrapped in a thin egg batter, and fried to brown crunchiness.  Inside it looks like this:

Another luncheon favorite of mine is the Chile Verde burrito, enchilada style:
 
I have already written about Chretin's unique version of green chile stew (mutant green chilies in Yuma), but I can't resist showing you another close-up of the insides of a Chile Verde burrito:

This dish also illustrates the unique nature of some things at Chretin's.  One specialty of this restaurant is serving burritos and chimichangas enchilada style -- covered in sauce and cheese, making them clearly knife and fork food. Of course, I can't claim that this is an invention by this restaurant. Perhaps Chretin's version simply reflects the culinary traditions of the old time Sonoran families in Yuma.   But in any case,  this style of "wet" or "saddle" burrito is very common around here, but I honestly don't know why that is.

What I do know, however, is that Chretin's serves the only green sauce that tastes a lot like Thanksgiving turkey gravy with merely a hint of green chile flavor.  Is this use of flour in the sauce  a family secret that goes back to a 19th-century Abuela? Or does it reflect what an entrepreneurial Mexican-American family in the 1940s and 50s believed would sell to Anglo residents and servicemen? Not sure. I can understand how some people could hate this mild chile flavored gravy sauce, but for myself, I love its taste and uniquity.

Other folks are passionate about Chretin's chili con carne, tender bits of beef stewed in an old-school dried red chili sauce:

 A bowl of this chili was always Don's favorite lunch, and for good reason. It always reminds me of the best aspects of the canned chili that I ate growing up.  I mean that as a compliment -- no chili in cans was ever this good, rich and flavorful.

The chicken machaca is a dish not common in Yuma.  The chicken (boiled?  Or maybe roasted) is stirfried with vegetables and it's full of poultry goodness:

 The carne Asada here is also different -- a thin, juicy, steak, topped with the roasted fresh green chile -- a flavor combination common in Sonoran cuisine.  The steak itself is tender, moist, and beefy, touched with a bit of Worcestershire marinade:
 
I like the carnitas plate even more.  This guy could be the poster boy for carnitas.  The pork ranges from crispy crunchy to moist and tender.  All of it tasting of the pig.  And the condiments it comes with -- chopped cabbage and pico de gallo -- are just perfect.  The meat rolls up into two good-sized burritos with plenty of leftovers:

Also outstanding is the chile rellano dinner, pictured here, enchilada style, covered with green chili gravy:

This time made with a very spicy dark poblano:

Anyway, a person can have excellent meals at Chretin's.  This is not standard Americanized Mexican food, not always what you expect, and some old time Yumans will tell you that it was better in the old location -- but for me, Chretin's is a perfect embodiment of an old-style independent restaurant, a place that sticks to its traditions. I hope they are around to serve future generations this unique version of frontier Sonoran/Arizonan food.

In memory of Don Berkey. Thanks, Don. And we still miss ya!

Chretin's, 505 E. 16th St., Yuma AZ 85364, 928-782-2224   

Anthony's Grotto-La Mesa; "Afternoon For Two" Lunch.

You are reading mmm-yoso!!! and Cathy is blogging.  Kirk is working and ed (from Yuma) is in Yuma, rehabilitating.  Ideally, they are also eating. 

Anthony's is a San Diego institution of Italian inspired fresh fish and seafood items. The Ghio family has owned and operated several versions in the San Diego area for 60 years. There are still a few locations in existence (The Star of the Sea, downtown on the Bay was the "fancy" location; years ago, men could not enter without wearing a suitcoat; now there is a Fishette in the same area and Grottos in three other locations).  I have posted a few other times about meals here.   The La Mesa 'Grotto' location has a waterfall and cave-like entry. 
 

A surreal decor.
And a lunch special for two for $25.95. It's called "Afternoon for Two". You can start by each getting a cup of red or white clam chowder (the best I've had in San Diego)...
or chose to share the artichoke shrimp dip.
Of course fresh ciabatta rolls and sun dried tomato butter is brought out (the soft, warm bread tastes better with the dip than the dried bread slices shown).

 
As my main, I chose the baked halibut with a house made milanese sauce-fresh tomatoes dominated, but the onion, garlic and white wine, along with the chopped basil mixed in made it a  compliment for the moist pieces of fresh fish.  I asked for the house made coleslaw with creamy pineapple dressing as my side-I crave this slaw.

The Mister ordered a plate with broiled salmon and shrimp (there are three *very* large ones kind of on top of each other), topped with a garlic butter. As you can see, he chose rice pilaf as his side.
We did also order beverages.  Iced tea-fresh and constantly refilled was $2.50 and a glass of  house white wine was $3. The house wine is very good.
Dessert could have been a shared strawberry shortcake or, this.  We each got a cup of the best spumoni ice cream I have ever had.  Our waitress told us that Dreyers makes it exclusively for Anthony's.  Mostly pistachio ice cream, with whole pistachios and vanilla whipped cream...oh there were some cherries and no chocolate.  This was *so* good and refreshing. Our table was by the window and had this lovely view of the lake.  We had a very nice afternoon.

Anthony's La Mesa I-8 at Severin (619)463-0368 website

QingDao - Donkey and Brain Tofu (Doufu Nao) for breakfast at Pi Chai Yuan

We had time to explore QingDaoon our fifth day in the city. Many of the Missus's cousins had to travel back to Shanghai and Shenyang for the upcoming work week. The Missus and I wandered around a bit, checking out the European influenced architecture......

 


And some of the older buildings which still stand amongst the tall business buildings of downtown QingDao.

That is not to say we didn't have a goal in mind.

I had wanted to check out Pi Chai Yuan food street yet again. There was something specific I was after here, but on our previous visits, the place was always closed.

What was so special about this place? Just take a gander at the sign..... you won't have to understand Chinese to know what they serve here. I really enjoyed the Lu Rou Huo Shao I had in Beijing, and had been looking forward to an opportunity to try it again. 

And on this day, the place was open!

 
The first thing we noticed was that this place really, really, loves signs....... there are signs everywhere.

There was a good variety of donkey dishes. All these restaurants have similar pictures of docile and peaceful looking donkeys on the signs and menus...... it almost makes me feel bad about eating them.... almost.

The Missus placed our order, and one of the little dishes from this table made its way to us.

What I remember the best were the slices of green daikon radish..... very crisp and a bit sweeter than ripe radish.

A bowl of good bean paste was placed on the table as well.

Along with bowls of a clear broth, which I'm assuming was donkey soup. It was fairly bland.

And my very own plate of Equus africanus asinus.......

Along with some "pancakes" for wrapping.... a la duck style......

There's a famous saying; "tian shang long rou, di shang lu rou" (天上龙肉，地上驴肉上), translated as "dragon meat in heaven, donkey meat on earth." And as far as I'm concerned, you can have your dragon meat..... I'll take the slightly sweet, vermilion colored donkey meat. The meat can be pretty tough, and in this case it was a tad drier than what I had in Beijing, but I loved the flavor. The tendon also has a unique flavor, slightly more gamey then beef tendon.

The Missus went with a already wrapped version....

Think of it as a donkey burrito...... or perhaps an a$$ burrito??? It sure didn't taste like, ummm..... well, you know.

While walking back to Zhongshan Lu, we passed this tiny place which was doing some brisk business.

The Missus was intrigued, and walked up to the window in the back of the dining area.

This little shop specialized in Doufu Nao - Brain Tofu. This traditional dish uses a silken tofu, that sorts of looks like grey matter, with a creamy texture like brains as well.

This was really bland....... the Missus had never really liked Doufu Nao, but thought that perhaps time had changed Her opinion. It hadn't..... it's really not to our taste.

The stuffed fried bread, though, was another story......

Stuffed with pickled daikon and scallions, the crust was light and crisp, and it had a decent amount of salt as well.

It was very good. And even though we didn't care for the tofu, the overall price of the Doufu Nao and the bread was 7 yuan...... a tad over a buck.

We left satisfied, and ready for the rest of the day...... and it was to be another pretty busy day!

Wa Okan- for lunch

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog.  This is a post about a lunch Cathy and The Mister enjoyed, while Kirk was working and ed (from Yuma) was recovering (from his broken arm) (in Yuma).

This weekend was another scorcher and apparently filled with events around town.  Every establishment that had air conditioning was crowded. The Mister and I had heard that Okan was now serving lunch and we decided we would try to get in there, and if we couldn't, we could always get something at Nijiya, right next door. 

Kirk has posted about Okan  a few times, even with a post of mostly photos and this is one of a handful of places where Kirk, ed and I have had a meal together. 

 The entire lunch menu is posted on the Sandwich board out front, but is also on the hand written menu you get when you sit down and are automatically served a cup of cold tea (no ice, just chilled strong brewed tea).
You can order just a "set" for $6.50  This consists of three "tapas"/appetizers (from left, cold Kambucha squash, a silk tofu based spinach carrot salad and a chiled cooked white sweet potato), light pickled vegetables in the center and brown rice with seaweed and a miso soup   
Which has a nice amount of chopped vegetables in it. 
For an additional $3.50, The Mister chose "ginger pork", which, as you can see, is pork belly, which was cooked in a light ginger sauce and served with the sliced cabbage topped with a kind of ponzu sauce.
 For $4, I chose the broiled salmon (which was served with an edge of crispy skin) on a vegetable ragout of sauteed red and yellow peppers, onion and tomatoes.

There was one other possible 'add in' for $4 this day, fried flounder in a ponzu sauce.  The menu at lunch is limited, as it would be at home. Cash only at lunch time. 

An excellent, tasty and pretty darn healthy lunch in the small ( 16 chairs at tables and 15 chairs at the bar) Homestyle Japanese restaurant in the corner of the mall.

Wa Dining OKAN 3860 Convoy Street, Suite 110, San Diego 92111 (858)279-0941 

Lunch M-Sat 11:30-2:30(last order 2:00 p.m.) 

Dinner starts 5:30 p.m. and ends 11:00 p.m. M-T-W, 12:00 a.m. Th-F-Sat and 10:00 p.m. Sun (last orders 30 minutes before closing all days). 

Website

   

Royal Mandarin reopens and Honey Pig revisited.

Royal Mandarin reopens:

I thought it would be fun to do an ABCDE (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) post, in the midst of my posts on China. And the reopening of Royal Mandarin would do just fine. I first posted on Royal Mandarin waaay back in 2005. Most folks who have been in San Diego for a good number of years tell me that Royal Mandarin was the first place to sell the very popular version of Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings in San Diego. These wings have become a staple at Filipino (and other) parties across the South Bay. Of course popularity breeds imitation, and now there are many imitators. By the time I held a Salt and Pepper Chicken Wing comparison in June of 2009, Royal Mandarin's rings had seemed ot have lost some luster. Then, on December 30th, "Johari" left a comment, and a link which detailed that Royal Mandarin had burned down. I dropped by during the beginning of January, and the sign posted said that Royal Mandarin had not given up the ghost, and was to reopen in March. On April 3rd, I dropped by and found that while the place was being worked on, the sign now said the place would reopen sometime late in April. Of course I was gone from late April through the end of May, and since returning, the last thing I really wanted was ABCDE food.... Then on June 21st, FOY "Sandy" commented telling us that Royal Mandarin had reopened. So about a week later, the Missus and I decided to drive down and see how, or if things had changed at Royal Mandarin.

 

The front counter looks the same, and they've even rebuilt the divider/waiting area that blocks the view to the dining area. For some reason the interior, though it has been brightened up, with new tile, and some strange paintings of fruits and vegetables (c'mon, when you think of Royal Mandarin, do you really think about fruits and vegetables?), it still looks like Royal Mandarin. It is, without a doubt, a good example of "lipstick on a pig".

The Missus had some concerns about the food. You see after Mandarin Canton reopened following the tragic murder of the owner. The Missus took some friends to eat there, and was disappointed. The one strong point of many of these restaurants are the fried items, and everything seemed very pale, and underflavored. After mulling theories, the Missus came up with the possible reason the food lacked color and flavor. She told me, "they must've changed their cooking oil!" In Her mind, there's a vat of well seasoned cooking oil that has seen batches of shrimp and chicken wings, and like a good wok, it had become well seasoned. Actually, if you think about it...... that would be kind of scary. But since that day, we've called examples such as that "changed oil syndrome." We both truly hoped that Royal Mandarin didn't suffer from changed oil syndrome.

Frankly, there's only one thing I really like at Royal Mandarin..... and you know what that is, right? The Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings:

I was very pleased, these were even better then the last few orders of wings I'd gotten before the fire. It's like crack I tell ya'......... it was also crisp and fairly light. And yes, the full pleasures of salt and MSG is brought to it's ultimate glory.....

The Missus ordered the upside down pan fried noodles which I found disappointing.

It suffered from too little "gravy", and the noodles had a strange, almost powderiness to them. They were also too tough and chewy, and the afore mentioned lack of sauce meant that the noodles never got softer. I also can't recommend anything with chicken that's not fried. The Missus in total contrast to me, liked this.

One of the Missus's favorites here, the Salt and Pepper Shrimp with Shell, was much lighter than I recalled.

The flavor of the shrimp came through, and it was cooked well, still soft and tender, and not overcooked.

So there you have it...... Royal Mandarin.... you can still get your ABCDE Fry-o-rama on here.

Royal Mandarin Restaurant
1132 E. Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950

Honey Pig revisited:

*** Update: Honey Pig has clsoed and is now Old Village ***

Recently, the Missus wanted some Korean BBQ. And She really didn't want to spend fifty bucks, which seems to be the usual lay-out at Buga. We both thought that it would be a great time to revisit Honey Pig.

Not too much to say that I didn't cover in my previous visit. The portions are about 1/2lb, Honey Pig serves Certified Angus Beef, prices run from $8.99 to $15.99 - which is for the bulgogi which is a double portion.

There's a bit more in terms of panchan served, and the service has gotten better. All the items for "bossam" are delivered on time, and seconds are brought out on request.

 
The bulgogi here is decent, fairly tender, not overmarinated.

By San Diego standards this was pretty good.... not too sweet.

The one surprise was what FOY "YY" recommended. On the menu it is called "Natural CAB Finger Meat", and reminds me, in flavor of Tsuruhashi's Prime Skirt, a usually tough cut. In this case, it dies have a good chew, but has a nice beefy flavor to it.

The food is perhaps a step (or two) behind LA standards, but is a good alternative to the higher priced Korean BBQs in town. And it seems to be getting better everytime we visit.

Honey Pig
4681 Convoy St Ste B
San Diego, CA 92111

Wa Sushi. Small place. Excellent food.

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog which is never on vacation.  ed (from Yuma) is resting.  Kirk is also resting. Cathy ate and doesn't rest. She is blogging today.

 
Wa Sushi used to be Haru-Ya. It's in the same mall with Khan's Cave  and Boll Weevil, kitty corner from the Registrar of Voters.  A few weeks ago, The Mister and I met to have dinner here and it was so very crowded. We would have to wait.  So we walked over to Boll Weevil and had some burgers.  The other day I was really craving 'food you can eat with chopsticks" and called TheMister and asked me to try meeting here again. We were lucky: there were empty tables.  We noticed the sign out front "All sushi and rolls 40% off".  We ordered from the regular menu.   The Mister's meal came with an excellent -not salty- miso soup.
We ordered the Japanese cucumber salad($3).  Crunchy cucumber, marinated with sweet (sugar) and a light vinegar, this was  
 
excellent.  I ordered the Assorted fish salad ($13). This is essentially chirashi, but sliced.  Usually chirashi pieces seemto be leftovers and chunks of fish. A large amount of *very fresh* sliced tuna, albacore, salmon, yellowtail on top of  mosty iceberg lettuce with a light, soy-ginger dressing.  Those 'crunchies' on top are fried pumpkin and very tasty. 
The Mister ordered the KinTara Misoyaki ($14).   Sea bass, marinated in miso, cooked until the skin was crispy but the fish stayed beautifully moist and flavored delicately with miso. The spring rolls were vegetable filled and fried properly, a light crisp, the California roll was made with real crab. The rice, salad and pickles were all fresh and tasty.

We were almost done and still had the menu on the table and the "40% off all rolls and sushi" sign still had us thinking.  So we ordered the "veggie roll" ($7 regular price).  Asparagus, avocado, cucumber, cabbage, carrot, fried tofu skin, surrounded with rice and wrapped with soy paper instead of seaweed.  An excellent dessert for us.  Total bill was $40.55 ($1.50 each for hot green tea, refilled constantly.)

Wa Sushi 9340 Clairmont Mesa Boulevard, Suite 8, San Diego 92123 (858) 569-9595