mmm-yoso!!!

COMC: Gaijin Noodle + Sake House

Here are some photos that have been taking up space on my hard drive. I thought it would be good for a COMC (Clearing Out the Memory Card) post.

Gaijin is located in the former Cheese Shop location in the Gaslamp. The menu is interesting, featuring straight up yakitori grilled on binchotan by the former yakitori chef at Raku, along with fusion robata, noodle, and other Japanese - Italian dishes.

Coming from Hawaii, I've had my fair share of Asian Fusion that I'd term as "shibai" and after a couple of meals at Gaijin, I really think this place is trying to serve up some good stuff and do the right thing.

Like I mentioned, this place uses binchotan charcoal for the robatayaki, but during my visits, it seemed like the main yakitori guy was never making it, just usually prepping or doing other stuff. It did seem like the yakitori standards like the "momo" chicken thigh was very pale and lacking in salt.

On the other hand, the couple of times I had the tsukune, the chicken "meatball", they had allowed the "tare" to burn making it bitter. Also, they use quite a bit of ginger in the mix, which detracted from my enjoyment.

The gyutan, beef tongue is usually one of my favorites, but as with the momo, this version was under salted. For some reason they like to use a lot of black pepper here.

Same with the harami.....skirt steak.

The items I've enjoyed the best were usually wrapped in Nueske bacon, which I first tasted on one of my trips to Wisconsin or some of the more non-traditional items, like the portobello mushroom, basted with tare and finished with a touch of truffle oil.

The pork kimchi, a riff on buta-shiso also works well, as the kimchi is more of a Japanese, quick style kimchi, not overly fermented in flavor. It works well with the girlled pork, which was nicely moist.

I won't go into deep detail regarding the un-Hakata like Spicy Miso Chashu Hakata ramen($12). The flavor reminded me of kimchi base and the noodles were typical ramen noodles and over-cooked.

I really loved the flavor of the Uni Green Tea Soba Noodles ($11). Don't be shocked at the portion size as this is pretty rich stuff. The uni butter and other ingredients gives this a flavor like an oceany carbonara.

I love cha soba and the problem I had with this dish is that I'm of the school that soba should always be al dente and both times I had this the soba was mushy.

My favorite dish on the menu, is not on the menu. On a visit with my good FOY Candice, who knows the Chef, they sent out this wonderful dish called Bacon and Eggs, a combination of the wonderful soft boiled ajitsuke tamago, in ramen broth, with bacon bits.

It has three of my favorite "food groups"...... You can just order it and the folks in the kitchen will know what to make. I really like this and intend of having it again soon.

The prices aren't cheap, though that's understandable based on the location. I will say that while the yakitori here isn't up to Yakyudori, I believe that it is much better than what I last had a Koubou.

The place is fairly small, but the service was very friendly, especially earlier in the evening before the place got really busy.

Going against character, I enjoyed more of the fusion style dishes than the standards. I also found that you can order single skewers even though prices are based on two skewers. I guess we're in the midst of a bit of a ramen revolution in San Diego. What I found funny was that two of the Servers are from Hawaii and they pegged me as an ex-pat kama'aina from the moment I opened my mouth!

Gaijin Noodle + Sake House
627 4th Ave
San Diego, CA 92101

Lana'i: Lana'i City Grille and the Lana'i Heritage and Cultural Center

Because we were staying at the Hotel Lana'i, it only made sense that we had dinner at the Lana'i City Grille, since it's located in the Hotel Lana'i.

 After all, the restaurant's menu is designed by Beverly Gannon, one of the 12 original members of the Hawaii Regional Cuisine Movement. I'd missed out eating at the Haliimaile General Store a couple of years ago, so this was about as close as I'd get for a while......

The dining area has a nice relaxed and warm feel...

Sorry to say, that photo was taken the next morning......the following photos just don't do the food justice, mainly because it was so darned dark in the room during dinner. Also, I'm pretty discrete, in other words no giant DSLR and especially no flash. I really don't like the attention.....

Anyway, the dishes seemed a bit heavy, so we went with just entrees, which turned out to be a good move. The Missus went with the Pecan Crusted Catch of the Day ($34) which was Ono, served with chorizo mashed potatoes and a chipotle honey butter sauce.

The fish was dry and overcooked, the pecan crust under seasoned and bland. We really enjoyed the mashed potatoes, which were smooth, but not too creamy. The spices of the chorizo came through as the the sauce balanced out the spiciness with a touch of sweetness.

I ordered the Pan Roasted Venison Loin ($38).

The venison was cooked perfectly, it was a loin cut which meant that we were talking about a lean cut of already lean venison. Yet this was toothsome, but not tough. Loved the venison flavor as did the Missus. We were worried that the fruit compote would kill the dish with sweetness, but unlike that now defunct San Diego restaurant that used to dump so much fruit on protein it looked like a fruit cocktail, the stewed fruit appropriately complemented the gamey venison. The mushroom risotto had more than a few hard grains, it was obviously cooked ahead and heated to order. The flavor was very mild and the Missus didn't care for it. Of course, before we left on the trip, I'd been making mushroom risotto just about every week at home. In other words, there wasn't any porcini in this......

Overall, this was a good meal, but nothing particularly outstanding. Our favorite part of the evening was when we got around to chatting with our server, who had a distinct Eastern European accent. We found out that she was from Poland! So how did a young woman from Poland end up working at the Lana'i City Grille? It turns out she came to visit some friends working at the resorts...and ended up staying! As often happens, the food is important, but it's the people and their stories that make the moment. We talked about the very small town/small island life, which is not for everyone, to which she lent insight..."we usually go camping or hiking on our day off....and there's the ferry to Maui. You would not believe how fantastic Costco sounds when you've been here for a while!" She actually made our night.......

Lana'i City Grille located in the Hotel Lana'i
Open Wed - Sun 5pm - 9pm

One morning, while the Missus was taking a nap, I walked over to the old Dole Administration Building. The Lana'i Cultural and Heritage Center is now located in the building.

There's no entrance fee, but donations are welcome. The little two room display area show photos and artifacts in a timeline fashion form the days of the original inhabitants to now. The young woman here was very friendly and took time out to chat with me....she also knew my family as well.

I'm old enough to remember using some of the items in displays....which I guess makes me sort of an artifact as well?

I found this aerial photo of Lana'i taken in 1929 to be very fascinating. Even though the now tall pine trees look like, and were tiny plants, you can still make out what today's Lana'i City still looks like.

What was even more funny is that I saw a photo of my Aunt and Uncle posted on one wall!

Love this sign........actually I believe it used to be posted on the way to Lana'i City from the airport.

Oahu: Let's do lunch, Pineapple Room, Nico's Pier 38, Poke Stop, and The Alley

Waaay back when, I started making a list of places I wanted to try when I got back "home".....as years went by, there just never seemed to be the opportunity to take a trip...and when, after nearly ten years we got back to Oahu it was on the way to and from China and there were family things as well. In fact, I just plain adding to the list since it had pretty much gotten outta control. Happily, the Missus and I managed to hit a couple of places on our last trip...here's a round-up of lunches.

The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong:

One of my favorite places to eat is the Chef's table at Alan Wong's. I'm not sure how I first heard of Alan Wong's restaurant in Macy's Ala Moana Center, perhaps it was Kathy or perhaps Reid. Either way, the Missus and Her cousins wanted to go to Ala Moana on Black Friday...yikes! I've never been there on Black Friday, I will usually sneak to Ala's the back way run in to grab my omiyagi stuff (Honolulu Cookie Company or whateva's) and get the heck out of the place ASAP. Since it was going to be a major pain, I decided to get something out of it and made reservations for the Pineapple Room. Man, it took us about 45 minutes just to get into the mall! Luckily, I found a free valet parking on Black Friday coupon online...otherwise I'd probably still be circling around looking for parking.....

Surprisingly, the Pineapple Room was just half full when we arrived. Folks were just too busy wrestling each other for deals I guess. Having been to several of those Nordstrom/Macy's/etc restaurants, I found the service here to be top notch, from the timing of the dishes to the knowledge of the servers, it was quite impressive.

On to the food......

The unanimous best dish of the day was the Pan Seared Monchong (Pomfret) on Sea Asparagus with Pesto:

The Missus loved the Sea Asparagus, it was fairly tender, with a ice clean oceany flavor. The monchong was cooked perfectly; it flaked, but was very moist, mild in flavor, the pesto added a nice bit of richness and a savory touch. By the look and flavor (it was light and lacked that strong "green" - pinenut backbone flavor) it seemed more of a coulis.

The Kalua Pig BLT was probably second; mainly because cousin Long Hui absolutely loved her first taste of kalua pork.

The onion roll was nothing special as was the Caesar Salad.

I was really looking forward to the Loco Moco.......

For me, the veal demi glace made this dish, as the fried rice was very "local style" and not very impressive. Loved the eggs which had nice flavor, but that all natural beef patty was tremendously dry and grainy, even though it was cooked medium-well. I've had more than my share of grass fed beef in my time, but this was exceptionally dry, without the flavor I'd been expecting.

Our least favorite dish was the Steamed Chinese-style Onaga:

Personally, I love onaga (long tailed red snapper), the "Fish of Kings". This one was starting to taste "sour", which to me means it's going south, its not spoiled, just not very fresh. It was also overcooked and a bit dry as well. The sweet soy with sesame oil tasted fine, but the fish did in the dish.

Again, the service was excellent and perhaps I expected too much since the place had Alan Wong's name attached to it. But for over a hundred bucks for lunch, I think the dishes could have been better.

The Pineapple Room by Alan Wong
Macy's Ala Moana
1450 Ala Moana Blvd
Honolulu, HI 96814

Nico's Pier 38:

This was another place that folks raved about, so the Missus and I headed over on one of the days we had free. I love the location on pier 38...plus it's right next to a fish wholesaler, you can't get much closer to your purveyor than that.

This place is pretty busy for lunch and at it's heart, it is a plate lunch joint...though the offerings seem decidedly more upscale. It also works on the buzzer system...you know, after you pay for your order they give you one of those coaster looking thingamajigs that scares the daylights out of you when it goes off......

The Missus loves the rather recent "brown rice revolution" in Hawaii.....at meny places you can now get brown rice as an option along with mixed greens. I hadn't had Aku Belly ($9.80) in ages so I ordered that, and though I'm not a big fan of brown rice, I ordered it as well to keep the Missus happy.

Loved how the Aku Belly was fried, the texture was perfect, the oils from the belly gave a nice, almost luxurious texture to the belly. The salsa was on the bland side, it had a touch of heat, but not much else. For some reason the tomatoes didn't give the dish as much acid to cut the richness of the belly, which was seriously under-seasoned as well. Some S&P would have gone a long way here. The brown rice seemed like a mix of brown and white here and was too mushy for me.

We also ordered the Ahi Poke Salad ($8.15):

The greens were wonderfully fresh, but I didn't care for the plum dressing which wasn't that great. The Ahi was seared nicely, the fish still raw in the center, but much like the aku belly, there was some serious seasoning shortage here as well.

Prices are great, food was a bit under seasoned and lacking in flavor for us.

Nico's Pier 38
1133 N Nimitz Hwy
Honolulu, HI 96817

Poke Stop:

We ordered a trio (Furikaki Mahi Mahi, Coconut Shrimp, Seared Ahi) along with our poke:

This was pretty good overall, the ahi and mahi mahi were on the salty side, but the Missus loved both fish. She's not a fan of coconut shrimp so I had those, which were nice and hot, and not fried to death. The brown rice here was super hard, but the Missus wasn't complaining as She scarfed up all of the fish. On this visit, the cooked food was much better than the poke.

Poke Stop
94 -050 Farrington Hwy, E4
Waipahu, HI 96797

The Alley Restaurant Bar & Grill:

This was one I really wanted to hit up ever since I read about it on Kat's blog a couple of years ago. Now a bowling alley doesn't seem like a great place for a stellar meal, but Oxtail soup has a long history in bowling alley's though Kapiolani Coffee Shop has moved to Waimalu since Kam Bowl closed down. This little restaurant is actually located in Aie'a Bowl, one of the few bowling alleys still left on Oahu. If you doubt that, you can just check out what's going on from your table.....

The folks waiting on us here were very friendly and efficient. There was so much on the menu that I wanted to try, but I had but one stomach to give for my lunch! The Missus made me a deal, She'd order a combination with the furikake ahi and tasty chicken (I wanted to find out how tasty that chicken was) if I shared my oxtail soup with Her. Of course She knew I really wanted the oxtail soup and that chicken ( remember no chicken and turkey for the Missus).

I gotta say, the brown rice here was made  just (the only way) I like it..... Loved the portion control with the rice as it left room to attack the okazu. The Missus was less than pleased with the ahi which was more sesame seeds than furikake, for some reason the Missus is not particularly fond of dishes with too much sesame seeds or sesame oil. The quality of the fish was not quite as good as the other places we had visited as well. As for the chicken....well, I scarfed it without taking a breath. The batter was light, like an airy karaage, even though it was sauced after frying with a nice sweet and very mildly spicy sauce it held texture quite well. I thought the flavor was assertive without being too strong........I really want this again.

My oxtail soup ($13.75) was delivered disguised as the leaning tower of "china". So what was in those bowls? One held rice, another ponzu sauce (which we thought really didn't go with the soup), and one was empty for your eating pleasure. There was the requisite grated ginger and green onions as well.

I really couldn't believe the amount of oxtail in this bowl. The oxtails were also prepared well, they held form and the cooking was timed well as they were tender without being mushy. The soup here is not the "clear style" but like what I make at home "shoyu style".

The broth had good oil and star anise flavor, with peanuts strewn throughout. The Missus would have a couple of bites of Her fish then tell me "switch" and grab my bowl of soup!

This was by far, my favorite meal of the trip. It was also quite filling as I couldn't eat dinner that night........ We're coming back here.....

The Alley Restaurant Bar & Grill
in Aiea Bowl
99-115 Aiea Heights Dr, Ste 310
Aiea, HI 96701

Man, this has been a long one; thanks so much for reading....let me leave you with a photo of a landmark that I remember from "small kid time".

 

Bellying up to the Belly of the Beast at Underbelly

Say that fast five times! I recently had the pleasure of grabbing lunch with one of my favorite people, Candice. And as always, I had a great time as she told me about her recent travels. Of course, eventually the conversation got around to food. During that conversation Candice asked me if I'd been to Underbelly yet. Underbelly? When she explained that it was basically a ramen bar that opened in Little Italy a few bells went off. I'd heard that the owners of Craft and Commerce were opening up a ramen bar in Little Italy, but had not heard that it had opened. A part of me wasn't really excited or thrilled as I had visions of what "hipster ramen" would look like dancing through my head....which is patently wrong. I think we sometimes suffer from reverse discrimination when it comes to food, thinking that non-Asians are not capable of pulling off Chinese, Japanese, or Vietnamese dishes. And then we go home and make our lasagne, risotto, or BBQ claiming it to be darned good, the match of anything a good cook anywhere would create. I do have problems when something is dumbed down for the sake of revenue, the product is bad, or when something lacks soul and is not true to the dish it is named after. Sliced processed turkey in a baguette is not a banh mi, even if it is in fresh baked bread. There is a place that does that....it's called Subway, ok? Enough....time to put away the soapbox. what really caught my attention was when Candice told me of something called the "Belly of the Beast".......and I really couldn't get that out of my mind.

So, of course I just had to check the place out. The shop seats maybe 30-35 people and is located on the corner of West Fir and Kettner.

The restaurant has a very slick design. The glass windows open and fold over to become counter tops for the restaurant.

There was a line when I arrived at opening, I don't think I've stood in line for lunch since my visit to Hot Dougs.

Often times, great form has functional pitfalls. If you happen to sit on the street side of the counter be careful as the counter will tilt if you lean on it....like what happened to the poor guy sitting a couple of feet from me who almost fell off his seat as the counter tilted....he did save the glass of flowers and his dignity though. I'm hoping that the folks here will find a way to secure those dual purpose panes of glass before someone has a few too many local craft brews and upends an entire counter of hot ramen on customers.

The drill here, at least for lunch is much like Santouka, you stand in line, look over the menu, order at the bar, and end up with a metal numeric placard to identify you. The menu is focused, not a mishmash of mixed parts which I like. The topiary of Chairman Mao is not focused and I'm wondering what part it really plays in the theme of the restaurant. I thought it kind of bizarre....

This uber al fresco theme is a mixed plate as well. It's going to be great eating here during the fall and early spring when the weather is still cool and crisp enough. It was kind of breezy where I was sitting, and though I enjoyed it, the folks sitting facing Kettner quickly retreated. I hope the place has some plans for when it rains....

OK, enough about all that stuff, how was the ramen. I got the Belly of the Beast ($13) with the additional of Pork Belly Chashu ($3).....$16, or about three usual lunches for ramen. It's served in a large white bowl, but only comes up about 3/5 way up the bowl. In other words, this place ain't for the Santouka price and portion haters.

First things first, for me the broth was super oily, even beyond that bowl of Kotteri broth I had a Daikokuya years ago that seemed to wrap around my tongue and not let go. This one is for those who think they can drink straight nuoc beo (beef tallow), as it is indeed rich. If you think regular tonkotsu broth is over the top, this is on another planet. In spite of how rich it was, the broth was pretty mellow and really seemed low on the sodium scale. The noodles would be fine for many, but was a bit overcooked for my taste. I'm glad I ordered the pork belly chashu, in my opinion it was much better flavored than the two beef cuts....I couldn't taste any smoke on the smoked beef brisket(though it was super tender), nor could I make out any savory beany sweetness from the hoisin glazed short rib. The pork belly was cooked well, not falling to pieces, but still velvety enough to melt in my mouth. Oxtail dumplings sound like a great idea, but just like when I tried kalua pork won tons (these were pretty much won tons), lack of a contrasting texture made these kinda mushy.

 

The boiled egg was excellent, the yolk a golden orb that called to me. It could have been more aggressively soaked in a stronger flavored sauce, but perhaps not, as I could make out the wonderful flavor of the yolk as a ate it.

In the end that broth did me in as I couldn't bring myself to finish it. I'm thinking that perhaps having the kimchi version might do better as perhaps a bit of acidity or pungency might help cut the oil in the soup.

In the end, I appreciated the effort. Even though they are kind of off target for me (remember, I'm more hip-replacement than hip), I don't think they're doing anything that resembles something from the "springroll of the month club". Perhaps time will tell, heck, I didn't enjoy Santouka when they first opened, they needed to iron out a couple of things to bring it up to snuff. So maybe in a couple months.....if I can find a seat.....

UnderBelly
750 W. Fir St
San Diego, CA 92101

Asia Cafe- As good as ever

Thanks for stopping in to look at mmm-yoso!!!, our food blog.  Kirk is not blogging today, nor is ed(from Yuma).  Cathy is sharing another meal she has enjoyed.

The first time I went to Asia Cafe, I met up with ed (from Yuma), who drove to San Diego for a visit.  It was as wonderful as Kirk had described in his three  posts in 2006 and I immediately understood why ed(from Yuma) would drive in (from Yuma) and make Asia Cafe one of his first stops here. Asia Cafe became part of the 'rotation' for me and The Mister.  I realized the other day that that part of our rotation had somehow fallen away, probably because the wonderment which is Lao-Thai food showed up walking distance from our home in Santee, in the form of Sab-E-Lee.

Located in the corner of a small mall anchored by a Laundromat, on Market Street and 47th,  Asia Cafe is easy to miss or just overlook; There's a car repair shop in the middle of that mall.  However, business has always been booming, either

 

with most of the six tables with 28 chairs filled, or just with people picking up phoned in orders. 

The menu, written in Thai and English, is only 3 pages long, has sections including Pho, Com and Bun as well as stir fried meats and fried rice dishes right next to a section of larbs, Lao-noodles, soups and curry dishes.  I must say that each item I have had here is very well prepared and tasty.

So, we started this visit with deep fried spring rolls- (6 for $3.75).  These were filled with pork, vegetables and clear noodles and did not have an excess of spring roll dough and were fried perfectly. Served with lettuce leaves, mint and cilantro-which complimented the Lao sweet and spicy sauce (fish sauce with a kick), these are better than average. I don't think any place else serves cilantro with fried spring rolls and the flavors seem so right together.

The other two dishes we ordered, both of which I craved, were (top part of photo) the Crying Tiger ($5.50).  Beef larb, basically with at first a heat/spice level you may not have expected...but at some point the lemongrass, lemon juice, onions and fine powdery rice coating on the meat becomes so satisfying and you realize that you can taste all the flavors.  This is addicting.

The bottom dish in the photo is chicken cashew nut ($5.50) A simple version of stir fried chicken, onions, straw mushrooms, scallions and cashews.  The sauce is a bit sweet, but needs to be in this dish.  Steamed rice is $1.50 and sticky rice is $2.  One order is enough to share.  

I'm so glad that Asia Cafe is still here and that the food, prices, owners and even the interior is unchanged.  I do like consistency. 

Asia Cafe 4710 Market Street San Diego 92102 (619) 527-1917   

Closed Tuesdays.  Open 10:30-6:30 M-W-Th-F, 11:00-6:30 S-S

 

Happy Hour at The Dragon's Den

I've been "wrassling" with my my thoughts about the Dragon's Den since going there for "happy hour" last week.

 

Ever since I heard that the owner of the now closed Shanghai City was opening a restaurant downtown with Dumpling Inn as one of the partners, I've been quite.... well, curious might be the right word. I wondered what the menu would look like since the word "fusion" was bandied about. Once the place opened, I checked out the menu, and yes, there was stuff that would make PF Chang's proud like Lemon Chicken and Lettuce Wraps, the inevitable seared Ahi... and even...a sushi bar! But still, the menu's soul looked very Chinese, with English translations of course...jiaozi were of course dumplings, Niu Rou Chuan was Beef Brisket and Hoisin Green Onion Wrap, and Xiao Long Bao...... were Xiao Long Bao! Looking at the menu online, I decided that perhaps happy hour might be my best bet. So, I recruited two of my favorite FOYs (friends of yoso), PeterL and his lovely wife Angela, both have been on road trips to the SGV, and and Peter just can't seem to get enough Niu Rou Chuan. There were just two conditions. Based on the location, there was no way I was going when the Padres were playing at home.... and I sure as heck wasn't having no sushi!

The location of the restaurant is fantastic....literally right across from Petco Park.

 

The Padres were out of town on this day, so the bar area was open when I arrived, and the bartender, a very friendly and pleasant young lady told me to just sit where ever I wanted.

 

There are about six beers on tap and San Diego microbrews aren't really represented, other then Karl Strauss.

I had some time to check out the menus while waiting for Peter and Angela...... so here you can see what I saw.

 

The Happy Hour menu is pretty sushi heavy. Pardon the jailhouse look, but based on our meal I found it somehow appropriate.

 

I think I need to apologize to Pete and Angela because I'd pretty much picked out what we were eating before they arrived.

I have a hard time resisting Salt and Pepper Chicken ($6 happy hour priced):

 

I can understand using white meat chicken..... I suppose there's a thought that the general public prefers white meat to dark. But I don't think that, if someone is going to order something battered and deep fried that they'd want a gummy coating that seemed to have been fried at a temperature too low. The seasoning, while restrained would have been passable had the chicken been fried properly.

The Xiao Long Bao ($6 - not happy hour priced) proved to be somewhat (unintentionally I believe) humorous.

 

These actually looked like the XLB from Shanghai City.... while the wrapper was always too thick, and the fold at the top was too hard, I always preferred them to the version at Dumpling Inn.... such is the sad state of XLB in San Diego. Don't even mention Chin's which I believe gets their XLB frozen from LA! What was really funny is that we were provided with forks and knives..... really..... I'm going to eat a Bao with soup in it with a fork and knife??? That, combined with the obvious lack of soup in the XLB (at least they weren't broken), made me wonder what folks who hadn't had XLB before would think upon eating this? No wonder they thought Dumpling Inn was so good! I asked for spoons, and after an odd look, got regular spoons. Actually, the flavor of the filling wasn't bad, slightly sweet, but there was almost no soup.... I guess maybe we didn't need spoons after all?

Next was the Shrimp and Chive dumplings ($6 - not happy hour priced). Over the years, my "enthusiasm" for jiaozi has been subject for some funny emails and comments.... I've been called the "dumpling Nazi" and parodied in some comments.....which I think are quite funny. But this time, I think the photos speak for themselves.

 

It's quite telling that we each had only one jiaozi a piece. I had thoughts of just posting photos.... but I think quotes from others will do just fine. Peter, "man, this is pretty bad, it's really gummy..." We took the rest with us when we left and met TammyC and YY, letting them each have a taste. TammyC said it best; "what is this, fish? The stuff in the package with the panda on it is better than this!" 'nuff said.....

The one item that looked really good was the Beef Brisket Green Onion Wrap (Niu Rou Chuan $5 - happy hour price). I can understand the less oily dan bing. it was indeed thinner and more crisp.

 

It was not bad overall. If I had to go with one item, this would be it. Too much hoisin, not enough bite, beef a bit too dry.....but not bad overall.

I realize that places like Dragon's Den are perhaps not designed for me. But I really don't think I ask for much and I also believe that when one is doing fusion, it doesn't mean safe and dumbed down; there are places that already do that. To me it means taking something to that next level... being creative and moving things forward. To paraphrase a very popular tune, "perhaps I'm more Atari, and this is X box", but I think it's more Commodore 64.

And yet, in the end, I do have a nice recollection of my time in the Dragon's Den. You remember that young lady with the short blond hair who was bartending? She made time to talk to everyone since it wasn't too busy, and she seem to know the regulars. But what impressed me was when she saw two dogs passing by who looked like they were overheating, she called to the woman walking them and brought the two dogs a bowl of water..... in my mind that almost made up for the jiaozi.... almost.

The Dragon's Den
315 10th Avenue
San Diego, CA 92101

Asian Star in Yuma: The Rest of the Story

 mmm-yoso is a food blog usually written by Kirk, sometimes written by Cathy, but today written by ed (from Yuma). 

Except for chain restaurants, I am usually willing to try any dining establishment at least once. But I do have a certain skepticism about restaurants that try to do too many things. I've never been tempted, for example, to stop into the Mexican Greek restaurant I see somewhere on the east side of San Diego County. Places that promise "oriental" or "Asian" food always make me want to ask if the chef is from somewhere close to the capital of Asia. In any case, that's my excuse for not going to Asian Star the first month or two that it was open. Better late than never.

I've already posted about the Chinese food at the restaurant, so this post is going to look at the other stuff available, such as this lunch sized order of pad thai ($6.55):

Overall, pretty boring. The sauce reminiscent of a sweet and sour sauce. The noodles and chicken also nothing special. Not nearly as good as the same dish at Highway 95 Café.

On the other hand, the Thai basil chicken is okay (dinner, $8.95):

Mildly spicy, the dish has a true Thai basil flavor. The vegetables add crunch and variety. I would happily order it again.

And recently for lunch, I tried the Thai curried chicken ($5.95):

It is really good. For one thing, look at all the chicken. This isn't curried vegetables with chicken; the focus is on the numerous tender  slices of chicken. At the same time, strips of onion add flavor and crunch. Just enough peapods, carrots, and mushrooms in the background. The curry sauce is excellent – balanced spicy creamy flavors. And just enough sauce to flavor the entire dish without becoming soupy or goupy.

The Japanese food here can also be quite good. My favorite cup of soup is the miso(free with lunch special):

The broth usually has a good flavor with some depth and I am always impressed by the number of tofu cubes, seaweed pieces, and green onions slices. I have been served much worse in San Diego.

The baby squid salad ($3.95) looks nothing like I thought it would:

Though the mini mollusks have little flavor in themselves, their slightly chewy texture is nice and the tangy sauce  is also pleasant. It just gives me a good feeling that I can order something this weird in Yuma.

On another occasion, we ordered poki ($7.95) and were served this:

The cynic in me noticed that a huge plate was being used to present the amount of poki that a Hawaiian would put in a small bowl. And a lot of daikon and slivered cucumber for the amount of tuna. But once I started eating, my cynicism melted away. The tuna was absolutely fresh. This was not the sashimi from three or four days earlier that had been marinating in the refrigerator. The ponzu sauce was nicely balanced. Tina and I loved the appetizer down to the last thin thread of radish.

Fresh raw fish is also my favorite part of the sashimi bento boxes ($7.95):

While the California roll is decent, many of the other items in the box are pretty ordinary. I really do not like the lettuce with the flavorless gloppy dressing. The deep-fried shu mai are meh and the eggroll contributes little beyond crunch.

But the sashimi itself has been good every time:

On this occasion, the salmon and tuna were perfectly adequate, and the tilapia was very fresh. By the standards of Yuma, Arizona, this was good raw fish, particularly for a bento box.

On another occasion, the same bento box came with only tuna and salmon as sashimi:

I was impressed. The sake was rich and flavorful, and the tuna tasted like decent sushi bar maguro.

On another visit, I decided to put Asian Star to a real test. Without looking at the raw fish case, I ordered some random items from the sushi menu. The few times that I have ordered sushi by the piece at other restaurants in Yuma – from fancy fine dining locations to Japanese chain restaurants – the results have been pretty disastrous.

However, at Asian Star the squid and eel were perfectly fine ($3.95 for each pair):

The unagi wasn't drenched in sticky sauce, and the ika was tender and mild. I had also ordered mackerel ($3.50) and hamachi ($3.95). We were served these:

The mackerel was quite good; better than I expected. The pale pinkfleshed fish was also very tasty, perfectly fresh and clean flavored. It was not, however, hamachi – at least not like any hamachi I had ever eaten before. Instead, it looked and tasted like light tuna (shiro maguro). My guess is that the sushi chef simply made a substitution without telling anyone. I suppose I could've gotten upset, but the fish was quite good, and it was being served to me in Yuma.

The shrimp tempura ($12.95) is also worth ordering:

It is not greasy and the portion is adequate. On the other hand, notice that the shrimp have a different coating, more like a panko, from the vegetables. Overall, though, a pleasant enough dish.

Similarly, the seafood yaki udon ($12.95) is okay as well:

The broth is very light in flavor, but the noodles are perfectly cooked and wonderfully juicy. The soup also contains shrimp, fish, and bay scallops, along with the noodles, fake crab, and poached egg.

And to my surprise, they even have togarashi seasoning:

This udon is very far from the best I've ever had, but it is the best I've had in Yuma.

The menu specials also include something called "Amazing Veal Chops, Korean Style" ($15.95). That puzzled me because I have never seen veal listed on any Asian menu before. Usually, veal dishes are native to countries with a strong dairy tradition – like Holland, Italy, Switzerland, and Austria. Not Korea. So I had to order it, of course:

This is dang good. The chop is large enough to be a beefsteak, more substantial than any vealchop I've ever seen in a local supermarket. Although this picture does not show it, it is cooked to a perfect medium rare – with a nice pinkish interior. The Korean barbecue sauce and the sliced peppers and onions add flavor. I can't imagine a steak loving carnivore not enjoying it. And in Yuma, most families  include at least one steak loving carnivore.

Overall, I understand why Asian Star has become a very popular restaurant in Yuma. The prices are fair. The chefs tackle a wide range of Asian dishes and don't embarrass themselves. Some things, in fact, are quite good. Many are the best you can find locally. If you're in San Diego, don't hop in the car and drive over for this food. But if you are living in Yuma, like me, this is a restaurant you will enjoy.

Asian Star Oriental Cuisine, 276 W. 32nd St, Suite 1, Yuma AZ 85364, 928-317-9888, Open daily 11 am - 9:30 pm

Tabe times two.... Tabe Grill and the Tabe BBQ truck

I'll be the first to admit that I've mixed feelings about the proliferation of "mobile cuisine". Part of me loves the concept, after all I grew up eating from "lunch wagons", many of which served up good grinds for cheap. And of course, there are the various taco trucks around San Diego that I enjoy. On the other hand I'm not sure that I share the sometimes cult like hyperbole surrounding mobile cuisine. Over a year ago, I made a trek out to the "OC", stood in line for two hours, for two tacos with barely any meat, drenched in sauce that destroyed some already lousy tortillas. It could be that kalbi and bulgogi tacos weren't new to me.... I recall Alan Wong serving up the stuff years ago, and I've been making bulgogi and teriyaki tacos at home. It could be that fact that I just don't have the patience, nor intestinal fortitude to stand in line for any reason, and being forced to do so just made me expect more and more. I do love the concept, and truly admire Kogi's innovative use of social media to create excitement and demand. But for me it was a case where the "Emperor had no clothes". Unfortunately, my camera at that time really didn't take anything worthwhile, so I never did a post. Leap forward a year and a half, and a group of food trucks.... of course they call themselves purveyors of  "mobile gourmet cuisine", have now popped up. Along with the various emails in my inbox, there is, the by now standard arsenal of tweets, facebook pages, and so forth. I did manage to try both Tabe and Kalbiq one the same day. Unfortunately, later that day I received the dreaded "card read error" when trying to upload my photos, I had used the cheapo 4GB SD card I got free with my camera, instead of my usual SD cards and paid for it. Maybe posts on food trucks just weren't in the cards for me. I didn't find the food particularly great at the Tabe or the Kalbiq truck.... actually, I thought the food from the Kalbiq truck was just not very good. Plus, there were already a large number of posts from Dennis and Kirbie on these trucks, and I really didn't think I had much more to offer.

Then a funny thing happened.... I decided to take my car for a carwash. 

 
Now I wouldn't blame you if you started scratching your head asking yourself what a carwash has to do with Tabe. I went to pay for my carwash, went to walk out to wait for my car, when I saw this.

 

Call me gobsmacked......

I walked up to the window, and spoke to the nice young man, whose name is Todd, and asked if this was the same "Tabe".... to which he replied "yes". By now I figured it must be fate..... some other power was telling me that I needed to give Tabe's tacos another shot. I ordered the same two tacos I had eaten at the truck, and an order of fries, which I had never tried.

 
First up, the BBQ Beef (aka Kalbi-ish) taco.

 
When I had these before, they were tough, and over sauced with a way too sweet glaze. These were not bad. The meat was fairly tender, and it wasn't drenched in sauce.The "salsa" worked well with this, and I thought the addition of tsukemono as one of the toppings was a plus.

The Spicy Pork, which in my opinion isn't very spicy, was way too sweet for my taste.

One real quick note....... I'm not a big fan of topping savory dishes with fruit, it might be your thing, but it's just something I'm not fond of. I found the pork to be a bit too mushy, and there was so much going on here, like a con-fusion-ny Daeji Bulgogi, that I ended up not enjoying this too much.

All of those taste notes are just personal preferences. But I don't think you can get away from the lousy tortillas, which are cardboard like, and end up falling to pieces. I've eaten at taco trucks selling fish tacos for a buck, and their tortillas are superior to these. Maybe the crew at Tabe believes the tortilla doesn't really matter; but I think at $2.76 a taco they can do better.

The last item I had ordered were the Five Spice Fries ($1.38). I really didn't know how these fries would taste...... after all, I thought they were really going to use five-spice on the fries. But at first whiff, I (happily) knew they didn't.

 
I really enjoyed these, they were crisp, with a nice black pepper flavor, and even a hint of sweetness(?). But most of all, these were touched with one of my favorite spices..... cumin, which really tasted good. Go figure....

Overall, that BBQ Beef taco was pretty good, and I really enjoyed those fries. Plus my car was nice and clean...... so I did leave Happy Car Wash, fairly happy, or at the least content.

About a week later, I was in the Little Italy area, and lo' and behold, it was the Tabe BBQ truck. After my last visit, I decided to stop and grab some tacos.

I passed on the pork this time around, and went with the BBQ Beef and a Fish Taco.

Egads, fruit again, this time topping the fish taco. It is easy enough to remove.......

Like Dennis, I found the fish portion to be on the small side. It was pretty much lost in all the produce. I pulled out a piece of the fish and ate it.... tastewise it was pretty good. Just too little fish for too much taco.....

I wanted to try the beef yet again.

I found these to be decently tender, but like my first visit, the glaze just made it too sweet for my taste. I think next time, I'll tell them to forgo that extra shot of sauce I believe they add at the end.

Yes, you heard it right.... they'll be a next time. Mainly because of this:

When I walked up to the truck, "Todd" recognized me. We chatted briefly, and I mentioned that I really enjoyed his fries. My two tacos strangely arrived in a large styrofoam container, instead of those little "boats".... Todd had included some fries for me.... because I enjoyed them so much. I've often said that I understand the difference between "favorite" and "best". Your favorite (fill in the blanks) may not be the one you consider to be the best, and I respect that. There are other factors that make your favorite burger joint/bar/sushi bar/pizza palace, that number one place on your list. And right now, I can easily say Tabe is my favorite Gourmet Taco Truck.

Tabe Grill
3690 Murphy Canyon Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Tabe BBQ Truck - various locations

Com Tam 75

I always appreciate all the recommendations and notifications I receive from all the wonderful FOYs (Friends of Yoso) out there. It sometimes seems that the moment a new place opens, there'll be an email in my inbox awaiting me. Com Tam 75 is no exception. Back in November, I received an email from TammyC letting me know about this new shop. About the same time, I received an email from someone with the handle "ComTamMan" recommending Com Tam 75. Com Tam Man? Hmmm.... The strangest thing was, that even though this place was named Com Tam 75, it wasn't the namesake dish that was recommended. CTM told me to check out the Korean BBQ Ribs, the Teriyaki, and the Philly Cheesesteak! Huh? You know I had to check this place out now.....

Much like Hal Mu Ni, Com Tam 75 used to be an outlet of Rice King, and you can see the remains of the steam table on one side of the restaurant. The interior has been brightened up a bit, the chairs have wheels on them in case you want to channel your inner seven year old. From the various posters, and the channels playing on the television, as well as the application for liquor license notification on the front door, this looks like a sports bar ready to happen.

 The menu is humongous, with everything from Banh Mi (including a Philly Cheesesteak Banh Mi), Bo Kho (Beef Stew), Bun Mang Vit, Bun Bo Hue, Chao (rice porridge), and Bun Rieu. It was almost a relief to see no Pho on the menu..... until I looked at the greaseboard.

 
Yep, there it was Pho, right above the Beef Tamales and Chicken Teriyaki (???).

The young man who waited on me was quiet, but very nice, and waited patiently for me to figure out what to order. I decided that since this was Com Tam 75, not Beef Tamale 75, nor Banh Mi75, that I should go with a Com Tam dish.

I went with the Com Tam Bi Cha Tau Hu Ky ($7.75):

 
The plate that arrived was a bit on the small side. Let's just use what I got at Com Tam Thuan Kieu for $6.25 as a point of comparison:

Now I realize this is San Diego and all........... but pictures sometimes speak louder than words. Still, if the items on the plate were top notch, I'd forget about the price. Alas, it was not.

Some of the Com Tam was hard and dry. The Bi (shredded pork) lacked the ground rice powder that adds a wonderful nuttiness, and was just plain bland. The Nuoc Mam Cham (fish sauce dip) was on the watered down side. The Cha (steamed egg) was moist and soft, but had a weird camphor like after taste that I found a bit strange. The Tan Hu Ky (shrimp paste in bean curd skin) was probably the best item on the plate, though it was on the greasy end, and the bean curd skin was more flaky than crisp. This wasn't inedible, but it just wasn't very good.

And yet, the folks here were so nice, and the young man kept refilling my water..... I wanted to find something I'd enjoy on the menu, and I think I saw just the item. A few weeks later, I found myself in the area. It was pretty early, about 830 am or so. Com Tam 75 opens at 8, so I though I'd drop in, and order........ Spam, Eggs, and Rice ($4.95):

Spam.... how could this go wrong? It didn't, the Spam was sliced thin and fried crisp. There was also five slices of it on the plate, which is probably like getting 6-7 slices of bacon. The rice portion was on the smaller side, but perfect for me as I've been cutting down on my rice intake. The eggs were slightly crisp on the edges, and nice and runny. I placed them on the rice, added a dash of fish sauce.......

 
So perhaps Com Tam 75 does make a killer Philly Cheesesteak Banh Mi or Buffalo Wings. Maybe the Teriyaki Chicken was kept on the menu to appease all the former Rice King customers.... I've no answer for the Beef Tamales or Tacos though? I think I'll let you tell me if the Korean BBQ Ribs or the Cheesesteak is worth a visit.

Until then......... I'll wait it out.

Com Tam 75
5420 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

As a side note, I do appreciate the efforts of places that attempt to make their food more accessible. I do think the line between accessible and dumbed down is a fine one, and it's usually the latter that is achieved. You don't do any dish a favor by removing its soul......

Tao Vietnamese and Japanese Cuisine - A first look

Among the emails I received early this week was one that started "Hey yoso-Dude....." Dude??? Well, I'll take that over other four letter words that I've been called or other various utterances starting with the letter 'D', often ending in "bag' or a word commonly used to describe any animal of the genus Equus.......

Anyway, this email went on to tell me that he really enjoys Dao Son, and first heard about the place through one of our posts. To return the favor, he thought he'd let me know that on his last visit to Dao Son he was told that they opened a new, more upscale restaurant on Adams Avenue called Tao. Tao also made their own tofu in-house.....we were so there!

  

After scouting about for a bit I found some parking, and we walked over a half block, and entered the world of Tao.

 

The interior is nicely adorned without going over the top. The menu is a mixture of Japanese, Vietnamese, and fusion dishes. We noticed a few familiar "Dao Son" items. We also noted that the prices reflected the upgrade in decor being about $2 more than Dao Son.

 

As with Dao Son, we steered clear of the straight Japanese and Vietnamese dishes. We were disappointed to find the Fried Catfish with Eggplant not on the menu, but pleased to see the Red Chicken. The offerings seem on the lighter side, with fewer fried dishes.

After placing our order, we were brought a free "salad", a nice touch.

 

This was more of a "herb salad" and will wake up taste buds if you aren't familiar with the flavors of Rau Ram(Vietnamese Cilantro), Ngo Om (Rice Paddy Herb - you'll swear there's cumin in the salad), Tiet To (Perilla), and I swear there was Diep Ca in this as well. It also featured a few small cubes of the handmade tofu, which was of the firm variety, and mildly "beany" in flavor.

Wanting to check out the homemade tofu, I ordered the Handmade Tofu with Oyster Mushrooms in sizzling Basil Black Bean Sauce ($12.95). Can you tell that Tao is really into oversized plates? The plates took up large real estate on the tables. Also, the pinwheel arrangement was a far cry from Dao Son.

 

I enjoyed the whole cloves of garlic, and the rice, a half red and jasmine rice was a nice touch, even though the rice wasn't particularly fragrant. The oyster mushrooms were ok, but nothing special. The tofu was too mild for this dish. For me good home made tofu should go off on one of two tangents. The first would be a wonderful silken tofu, that would be textural heaven. The second would be a firmer tofu that would have a pronounced "soy-beany" flavor. This had neither, and though the sauce, which tasted like basic black bean sauce, wasn't too salty, the tofu was lost in the sauce. For my taste, the tofu would be better served in dishes like the salad as it is very mild. This was not bad, but not outstanding.

The Missus, wanting to compare with Dao Son, ordered the Tasty Red Chicken($8.28):

 

I enjoyed this much more than the Missus. At Dao Son, the Red Chicken is sometimes served with strips of white meat chicken which can be dry as heck. These were wok seared dark meat chicken which I enjoyed. The "red sauce" here is more like a glaze than a sauce, and seems to be missing something. The heat is provided by dollops of Sriracha-like hot sauce, which tasted out of place. As you can tell, the Missus and I had switched plates. I think we'll have to go back to Dao Son soon to refresh our taste memory with regards to this dish.

The young lady serving us instantly charmed us when she smiled and told us, "I'm sorry in advance, I've just started working here....." She did a good job, and in fact was a bit over-attentive but I'm sure she'll do well. It didn't hurt that she brought us some free "dessert" while we waited for our check.

  Overall, we enjoyed the experience, and we'll return to Tao in a few months. As you can tell, the decor is much more refined than the "divey" Dao Son. The folks are very nice, and the menu large. Parking can be a pain. We're glad that Dao Son has done so well, that the "Hot Chef" could open up a place like Tao. Open less than a week at the time of this meal, I think they did pretty well.

Tao
3332 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116

Lunch: Mon -Fri 11am - 2pm
Dinner: Daily 5pm - 10pm
619-281-6888

As for the FOY who emailed me, when I wrote that I'd like to mention him in my post, he requested anonymity. So let's just call him 'Mr X'! So, thanks Mr X!