mmm-yoso!!!

The Original Pancake House - breakfast. Huge Huge breakfast.

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog where Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy write about food they ate.  Today it is Cathy writing.

Hi.  I've been under the weather for a while now, as Kirk has, and just didn't post.  This morning The Mister and I were awake early and decided to have breakfast at the Original Pancake House.  It is a National chain, but no matter which location we have gone to, the food is always excellent. Fresh and of high quality.    
The restaurant opens at 7 a.m., and by 8:15, there is a waiting list to be seated. All of the locations are decorated in this traditional decor.

 

Right down to real, heavy, quality, matched silverware on the tables.

  The tables all have appropriate condiments. 

The coffee (Boyd's brand) is served with *real* cream.  Of course.

 However,  additional condiments, appropriate to your order, are also brought out.

 

Yes.  The Mister ordered the German Pancake ($9.90), A larger version of the Dutch Baby, an oven baked delight that can be accompanied with fresh lemon juice, powdered sugar and, of course, real butter.

The pancake is eggy (it is baked, rises and falls; that's why it looks that way-a collapsed souffle) and thin, crepe-like and the plate it is served on (the one you can't see) is 12 inches in diameter. Huge. 

I love the bacon, link sausage and patty sausage are wonderful here-the bacon is thick and smoky and cooked to just the right amount of crispiness, while remaining chewy, sausages are lightly but properly seasoned...but today I wanted an omelet.  Not a too traditional omelet.  The omelets here are prepared properly- hugely (as in about 2 inches thick) fluffy and soft on the interior but the crust is a touch crispy...like French Toast...  

 

The corned beef omelet ($10.56) - house made corned beef...finely diced, flavorful corned beef, mixed with finely diced potatoes and finely diced onion. Mixed with both Swiss and Cheddar cheeses. All inside this fluffy omelet. Served on that 12 inch plate also.  A the 12 o'clock position of the plate is a slice of The Mister's German pancake.  We share.

Then again, this is the Original Pancake House. The omelets come with 3 buttermilk pancakes. Which are really good and filling, all by themselves. The syrup is *real* maple syrup, and is served warm (on that condiment plate with the lemons/butter/powdered sugar).

Sometimes, I am so disappointed in myself.  Like when I can't finish all the food on my plate...

Original Pancake House 3906 Convoy San Diego 92111 858-565-1740

Website

Rudford's Restaurant

Rudford's has always had a strange pull on the Missus, as light does a moth. I'm not quite sure what it is about the place......

Rudford's does have one thing going for it, in a town where most everything except chain restaurants close by 10 pm, Rudford's stays open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

And having been around for sixty years does say something about staying power, though I must say that many of the customers(and smells) eating at Rudford's seem like they've been coming here since 1949.

If you look up the definition of the word "Diner" in the American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, you'd read: "A small, usually inexpensive restaurant with a long counter.....

and booths......."

Say what you will, being around so long says something about staying power...... We found the staff to be mostly really nice folks, patient with the wide range of customers, from cranky old folks, to people obviously fighting psychological demons, to drunk, post nightclub kids. We found the younger Servers to be much more flexible than the two older women, with chain smoker complexions, who called everyone "honey" in a raspy voice....... tough birds both of them. Half the fun is the atmosphere.

The food ranges from good honest fare, to stuff that harkens flashbacks to the stuff I ate in my Junior High and High School Cafeteria. As I often say, "it's a fine line between comfort and really bad food".

So for better or worse, here's a rundown of a couple of dishes we've had at Rudford's.....

The Hot Roast Beef Sandwich ($9.25):

When I requested Fries with Gravy instead of mashed potato, the young man told me "no problem", and that's what I got. Perfectly fried steak style fries smothered in brown gravy....Sysco heaven! Ever since I visited Canada back in the 90's, I've loved Poutine. The roast beef was tender, but stringy, and reminded me of cafeteria fare, but it was not inedible. There's something about old fashioned white bread soaked in gravy that I enjoy as well....

 

The Missus ordered the Chicken Fried Steak and Eggs:

Though the pounded beef was very tender, it was super bland. The country gravy was like eating paste. The Missus did enjoy the O'Brien potatoes, and of course She rarely meets an egg She doesn't like.

One quick thing....what is it with these places and toast? They all seem to do toast right, dry but not crumbly, a good tool for sopping up egg, or other stuff.....

On another visit, I wasn't too happy with my Turkey Club Sandwich ($7.95).... funny thing, to the day She passed on, my Mom always called this a "Clubhouse Sandwich", never a Club Sandwich:

I appreciated the perfect smear of mayo. It's a funny thing, I eschew mayo on most sandwiches, but must have it on my Club(house). I wasn't too happy with the processed turkey and for some reason the American Cheese threw the entire sandwich off.

Lucky for me, I requested and received this for my fries (crinkle cut Sysco-fied this time):

Yes.....brown gravy. Given to me, no charge... a meal saver.....

The Missus got the Monday thru Friday 2 Eggs, Potatoes, and Toast special ($3.79):

No complaints from the Missus......

On Sunday there are two dinner/lunch specials. Like all of these type meals it starts with soup. In this case a pretty decent chicken noodle soup. Noodles kinda mushy, but okay.....

The Missus ordered the Chicken and Dumplings.

Let's just say that for us, this was an example of the worst that restaurants of this ilk put out. Bland, poorly prepared, purely created for the "dead tastebud society". Ick.........

I had the Turkey Dinner, which did look kinda cafeteria-like, down to the little thingy of cranberry sauce:

But the turkey was decent, moist and tender enough. I didn't care for the stuffing, which was very mushy. And of course, I got you-know-what-with-you-know-what. Do you see a common thread????

Stay away from the cooked vegetables if you can though, unless you just had dental surgery, or perhaps forgot your dentures. The veggies were also artificially sweet.....

Remember the peas you squished between your teeth with your tongue to gross people out???? Perfect candidates here.....

On one occasion, I tried the Chili and Scrambled Eggs with potatoes and toast ($7.95):

It turned out that the Missus really enjoyed the chili..... so She ordered it on a return visit, and got a bit of "chili revenge"...... She still wants more though......

At the end of the day, the food may ride the mediocre line, but the characters(on both sides of the counter) and attitude can't be beat. I think there's a place for Rudford's, a place where you don't concern yourself with words and phrases like "non commodity", "organic", "sustainable", "free-range", or "fair trade", and for some reason I find that kinda well, refreshing...... in a retro kinda way. I'll concern myself with those other issues on another day.

To quote one of the Server's when asked for Honey-Mustard Dressing; "I can give you honey, and I can give you mustard darlin', but we can't do honey-mustard.... we're old school!"

Rudford's Restaurant
2900 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA

Open 24 hours everyday

Mimi's Café: Meals at the Faux Château (Yuma)

Kirk eats at chains; Cathy eats at chains; today ed (from Yuma) will let you know that he sometimes eats at chains too.

After Mimi's Café opened a branch here in Yuma, I kept getting reports from friends who liked the food.  So about a year ago, Tina and I descended on the restaurant to try a dinner.

From the outside, the place looks like a rustic châteaux (containing one or two small warehouses) plucked from the banks of the Loire and dropped into the middle of a large asphalt parking lot:

Inside, this same cultural/architectural mishmash rules.  You have the parque ceiling (I believe this is the correct term) like a 19th-century French bistro in the main room: you have open beamed ceilings and a fake balcony (not shown) in the New Orleans room (a New Orleans room?): and then you have a Romanesque barrel vaulted area that would bring to mind a medieval monastery with electric lighting, if of course the bricks were real:
 Nonetheless, some things about our first meal were very good.  Along with rather ordinary French bread, we received two slices of savory whole-wheat nut bread: Tina's Mediterranean Chicken Fettuccine, though containing numerous ingredients, was focused and tasty:
 The creamy asiago sauce, though a bit greasy, was not as heavy and rich as an Alfredo and didn't overwhelm the other flavors.  There were just enough chunks of chicken, and the pasta, while not aldente, was not overcooked.  Spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and marinated artichoke hearts added complexity to the flavor and color to the presentation.  A few chopped fresh tomatoes cubes and shreds of domestic Parmesan lay across the top of the noodles.

My chicken piccata was an attractive plate: As you can see, the two slices of chicken breast, showing grill marks, and four well prepared grilled and moist asparagus spears were the culinary stars of this dish.  What this picture barely shows, however, is that the poultry and the veggies lay atop a large mound of mashed potatoes.  Now I love mashed potatoes as much as the next person, but I really couldn't understand combining spuds with an Italian style main course.  In addition, while the flavors of everything worked fine, this entrée seemed to me to be as much a product of an accountant as a chef.  The mushroom was very thinly sliced,  only three capers dotted the meat, and the amount of lemony piccata sauce was slightly less than would be needed to flavor the two chicken slices.  No sauce for the potatoes -- though to be honest, they had a nice buttery flavor.

The side salad with ranch dressing was also decent.  The nice lettuce mix had shredded carrot, a couple of cucumber slices, a few bits of diced fresh tomato, and three large mass-produced croutons.  The amount of dressing seemed calculated to moisten the greens and veggies with nothing left over: I selected a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from the minimalist wine list and was pleased to see that the restaurant had figured out the glass-of-wine conundrum: What I mean is that serving a single glass of wine presents a restaurant with a problem.  If it uses small glasses, the wine must be filled up to the brim, which all of us winos know robs the wine of fragrance.  On the other hand, large stemware is much more expensive, and some customers feel cheated if the wine doesn't fill the glass.  Here the wine was served in a small carafe so that no one would feel cheated, the restaurant could use inexpensive stemware, and a customer could swirl the wine around in the glass.

The service on this (and every subsequent visit) was competent, professional, and friendly--clearly the staff is well trained.

As you can probably tell by the tone of this report so far, I was both amused and impressed by the ambiance, the businesslike way that Mimi's was managed, and by the generally competent cuisine.

On subsequent occasions, we have visited the restaurant for breakfast, mostly because my favorite local breakfast place has gone out of business (RIP Arnie's).  In general, our breakfast experiences at Mimi's have been hit and miss.  A good illustration of this was my recent order of waffles with sausage and egg: The two sausages were large and good, with standard breakfast sausage spicing and a firm meaty texture -- no greasy mouth feel at all.  The waffles, while nice looking, lacked any crispness and were dense and heavy. The over-easy eggs were well past easy: However, their fried eggs here usually have a nice crispy edge to them: On the other hand, some of the items on the breakfast menu are truly mediocre.  The orange juice is generic at best, the latte substandard, and while the blueberry muffin looks good: It is a reminder that at Mimi's sometimes looks are deceiving: The bran muffin, on the other hand, was outstanding (bran must be cheaper than blueberries): When Tina ordered the Cajun sausage with scrambled eggs and potato, the whole dish didn't quite reach okay.  The sausage had a peculiar taste (to my mind at least) and the home fries were flavorless and crunchless: My Monterey Omelette (with which I had "fresh fruit" instead of the potatoes) looked very pretty, but was pretty disappointing: Instead of being light and fluffy, the eggs were two dense slabs separated by a slice of flavorless jack cheese dotted with bits of real bacon. The visible part of the omelette was covered with more of the mediocre cheese, the only slice of avocado on the plate, and an additional strip of bacon (which looked better than it tasted).  The best part about this breakfast was the outstanding roasted tomato salsa.

Even the attractive fruit left something to be desired: The pineapple was still in its rind, and a couple of the almost hidden grapes were rotten instead of fresh.

On the other hand, some of our breakfast experiences have been more positive.  The eggs ranchero bowl, though containing some of the mediocre potatoes, has been a really a nice take on Huevos Rancheros: The beans are black beans, the tortilla is crunchy, and the two salsas (one chipotle and one tomatillo) add two good flavors.

My favorite breakfast item has been the cinnamon raisin French toast: While the toast is not especially eggy, its whole-wheat raisin bread with cinnamon is very good.  Unfortunately, on my last visit, this great item was missing from the menu. Who knows why.

Obviously, if this restaurant were truly bad, I wouldn't continue to try it again. I find the ambience and the decorations to be amusing and am impressed by the consistently good service.  Occasionally the ambience, which seems like what you would find in an independent eatery, is almost enough to make me forget I'm eating in a chain: And then I remember that the wine advertised on the poster is not available at the restaurant and the homey photos on the wall are just stock pictures. All is as real as the bronze fiddler. At Mimi's, there often is less than meets the eye. More surface than depth. This is a restaurant run by illusionists and bean counters -- but it must be said, very competent ones.

Mimi's Cafe Yuma, 1690 South Pacific Drive, 928-783-2680

Sam Woo for breakfast

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog.  You are reading it.  Cathy happens to be writing today.  This is because Kirk and His Missus are (still) on vacation and ed(from Yuma) is (still) working.

Hi.  Quick post about what The Mister and I eat when we go out on weekends.  I've posted about Sam Woo in 2007  and not much has changed, except the breakfast choices are now $3.50  each and coffee and hot tea are 30 cents each. 

We are always torn between the #1 or the last one on the menu.  This is #1: rice noodle with luncheon meat, egg and onion.  (The last one on the menu is rice instead of the noodles with the same ingredients; it is #33 or some number close to that.  The only two menu items with egg and luncheon meat(which is a euphemism for fake Spam, by the way)).

 

We always get a noodle and dumpling soup, either the won tons (5) -pork and a half shrimp inside each one, or the shrimp dumplings (5) with a whole shrimp in each one.  There is cabbage, egg noodles and the broth is always rich and deeply flavored.

Then I usually want some sort of BBQ'd meat with noodles.  This day it was BBQ duck.  Tender duck, crispy skin with a layer of fat.  The broth for dipping is the same deep broth as used for the soup, but the noodles and meat are topped with an anise flavored juice/broth.

You can see the sweetened condensed milk container that comes with the concentrated drip coffee in the background. ( really, it is 30 cents a cup at breakfast).

and, my token photo of the condiments on the table:  I end up using the chili oil when I am almost finished, just for a kick to the noodles.

All of this food, two coffees and two teas for $12.35, including tax.

Go out for breakfast this weekend.  Anywhere. Enjoy your life.

Sam Woo BBQ, inside 99Ranch complex. 7330 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego 92111

DZAikens - for breakfast...and other meals...and snacks

Welcome to mmm-yoso!!! The food blog.  Written by some friends who just like to talk about what, when, why, where and sometimes how they ate a meal.  Enjoy yourself.

I am apologizing ahead of time for the appearance of this post.  For some reason at midpoint some sort of underlining function kicked in and I can't seem to get rid of it. 

Hi.  I hope everyone is feeling OK.  There seems to be some sort of virus going around and a lot of people I know are coughing.  If you are, please stay away from me.  I don't have time for that.  

The other day, The Mister was home from work.  We had just acquired a little money by participating in a game of chance and decided to go out for breakfast.   

DZ Aikins is an East County San Diego tradition. It is as close to a good Jewish Deli as we can get.       The menu is 6 LARGE pages, listing every possible combination of meats and cheese for hot and cold sandwiches, salads, appetizers, soups and traditional meals as well desserts and beverages.  

Of course, we got coffee and bagels  with our breakfast.  That was the easy part (The Mister got poppy seed and I got rye)  (But we shared).

The Mister got the house made corned beef hash (you know, made with left over corned beef) with two poached eggs and home fried potatoes.

I got the chicken liver and onion omelette ($9.95) with tomatoes instead of home fries.   I was being good. 

Then I went back tonight, got a corned beef reuben with potato salad on the side ($12.95 and enough for two people)

 

 

 

 

and a cream puff ($4.50).  My hands are small, I know.  But still...

D.Z.Aikins restaurant, delicatessen, bakery and fountain 6930 Alvarado Road San Diego 92120

(619) 265-0218

website

K Sandwich- Breakfast goodies.

mmm-yoso!!! is here, a blog about stuff we eat.  Kirk is in Thailand and ed is galavanting in Yuma...and both are preparing to blog about more of their meals.  Today, it's Cathy talking about something she ate.

Hi.  Here I am again and there you are, reading and thinking about what you want to eat today or tomorrow.  Kirk has blogged about K Sandwich numerous times,  mostly in posts about various banh mi. 

This post is just about breakfast items at K. There is a steam tray area and some prepared items to grab and go also...which I will talk about in another post.

Fresh squeezed Orange juice ($1.95). Very sweet (in a good way) and pulpy; the way I like it.  Coffee with milk (sweetened condensed milk) $1.95.  You can get the coffee hot or cold.

The bacon and egg croissant ($2.25). The croissant is lightly toasted, the eggs are whipped and slightly scrambled, the bacon is thin and not overly flavorful. There are two strips on the sandwich. An "inside view' of the ham and egg croissant ($2.25). Same, fresh croissant with the same two lightly scrambled eggs and two slices of ham.

The pate chaud are always on display in the glass case next to the register, keeping warm. Only $1 and *so* worth it. I hope this cross section view (taken after a bite or two) (sorry it isn't a clear photo) portrays the light airiness of the pate/pastry and the ground pork filling. You can see it isn't greasy, or the bottom would be soaked and falling out; it never is.

If you really can't decide, you can get a Super Breakfast Sandwich, on a croissant or baguette -a baguette as long as an old iBook computer- for only $3.35.  Two slightly scrambled, fresh cooked eggs, ham, bacon and cheese in a fresh, warmed baguette.

Near the back of the store, the fresh bread is available for $1.25 or three smaller sandwich size rolls for $1 and croissants are also $1 for the plain and the filled (chocolate, chocolate with cream cheese, strawberry with cream cheese, pineapple with cream cheese and sometimes blueberry with cream cheese).

The ham and cheese baked croissant, also sold in the bakery area, ($1.25) looks like this on cross section.  An excellent, fresh and flaky grab and go snack.

There you go.  Breakfast. Have a good week.

K Sandwich corner of Convoy/Linda Vista at Mesa College Drive Open at 6 a.m. Mon-Sat, 8 a.m. Sunday.

Lucky's Golden Phenix

One day, while stopped at the traffic light at the intersection of Grim and University, I happened to glance at down Grim and saw a sign.

And did a double take......did I really see what I thought I did? I made a turn down 30th and back up North Park Way....and ok....."Phenix", not the word I thought it was, which kinda sounds like Phenix(not Phoenix), but is a part of the male anatomy. I noticed the shop was closed, the sign said the hours were 715 to Noon, but it was only 11am! So I figured that this was one of those wonderful little hole-in-the-wall places like Ray's Cafe, which used to be on the corner of Smith and Beretania in Honolulu. They used to have a wonderful butcher paper sign on the door, on which was written, "when the door open we open, when the door closed we closed". Simplicity, practicality, and common sense all wrapped up in one phrase.

Looking at the menu, filled with straight-forward breakfast items, I was struck by the prices. The most expensive offering was $4.30! The Denver Omelette with Cheese. How could this place exist? I knew I had to check it out. So on a recent morning, I arrived to find the place open, and entered through the red door.....and down the rabbit hole.

And entered what looked like something that was part diner meets Big Trouble in Little China. Some back alley Chinatown diner.

A strange mix of "stuff" that for me, was a charming, just North of tacky, kitschy collection of almost every type of stereotypical, campy, 1960's-1970's Chinese decoration and faux art. A somewhat bizarre collection of thingamajiggies, whatchamacallits, with some whosamawhatsits thrown in.

Which along with the singing bass, the "songbirds of America" clocks, and the photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger from his bodybuilding days, made me wonder what evil genius put together this collection.

Which leads us to Lucky, the one man show who runs the place. Lucky does everything, takes your order, cooks your food, runs the register, and buses the counter. Lucky also gives out free health tips, as only a curmudgeonly, Chinese grandfather could. Like when I asked about my toast without butter; "are you a health nut? You gonna be old and look like me one day, do you want to stay that way forever?"

So of course I got my toast "buttered"(or margerined). When a pair of older ladies came in, Lucky asked them if they wanted some coffee. When one of the women declined, Lucky said; "yes, you too young for coffee, it will stunt your growth!" Lucky for me, the toast was not as dry as his wit.

I ordered a simple 2 eggs over easy, and a hamburger patty($3.60), which came with the afore mentioned toast, and some perfectly griddled hash browns:

Everything was done just as you would expect a veteran of so many years of cooking(I was told since the mid-70's) would do. Eggs were nice and runny, the preformed burger had a nice crust, and it was no crime if you wanted to throw some ketchup, or a shake of salt and pepper on your food.

Just don't complain about that little sheen of oil that lies on the bottom of your plate. "Oil, we use canola oil. It is good for you, help you digest. Your body is like your car, no oil, it won't run!" The coffee is 100% Folgers(85 cents - 10 cents for refills), and the clientele is 100% North Park, a mix of working stiffs, the elderly, and other regulars who need a good, but inexpensive breakfast. A group right out of central casting, I'm sure thousands of stories have echoed off the walls at Golden Phenix. Lucky moves at a steady pace while briefly chatting with every customer, that he wears all of the hats in this joint is pretty impressive. One thing I did notice about Lucky was, he doesn't like to make change. I asked Lucky what I owed him(in addition to my breakfast I had some coffee and 1 refill), and he said, "just give me 4 dollars".

And the coup de grace? After you're done with your meal.....

I know mine said, "it's your lucky day!"

One of the regulars, told me that Golden Phenix was indeed a Chinese Restaurant. You can tell that the "Chinese" portion was buffed out of the sign. They sure don't make 'em like Lucky's Golden Phenix anymore.

Lucky's Golden Phenix
3804 Grim Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

Fast Food Breakfasts-without regard to calorie count, of course..

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog and Cathy is today's writer of her recent adventures in eating.  Kirk will be back soon.

Hi again.  Just a post showing what I eat/have eaten lately for breakfast, mostly while driving (yet never using a drive though window)-(that was my New Years Resolution a few years ago: I park my car and walk INTO fast food places...to save on fuel and get that little bit of exercise in my day) around town, apparently aimlessly... Anyhow...

It looks like this, wrapped.
Yes, the ubiquitous Chick Fil A breakfast biscuit and side of tater-tot-ish potato nuggets(about $4). A light, tender, crispy edged biscuit with a lightly crispy batter fried 1/3 chicken breast that is nice and tender. The potato nuggets are fried correctly: crispy and kind of cooked through in a good way on the inside. This is the only chicken breast biscuit breakfast I like (McDonald's has tried one and so has Hardee's back East; it isn't the same) Chick Fil A only cooks...um...chicken fillets, and they do it right.
By far, my most favorite fast food breakfast...
Because you get all the flavors in every bite...and it is all good. For $3.22, including tax, you get a 1/4 lb burger, topped with cheese-and bacon-and a fried egg-and on the bottom there are Tater Tots-and ketchup.

I crave this sandwich. I just do.

I don't care about calorie count (obviously).   I do care about the taste, and this has *every* flavor and texture I want for breakfast.

Then there is the ever popular

McDonald's Sausage McMuffin (2 for $3)- The Mister craves these: I don't. They are OK and not bad, just not a craving...and those hash browns, I do admit I ..um...do crave. However, pretty much any potato I think is good with me...

McDonald's has a new item- the McSkillet Burrito (less than $3 everywhere) and I was curious. Looks kind of plain...
But, as you can see, it is the only item McDonald's sells that has *real* chunks of potatoes in it, along with a whole sausage patty and eggs and cheese and salsa. A nice little meal in one bite. The salsa is not mild, ot too hot-just enogh of a bite-and I like how the flavors blend.

There are more places where I eat when I am having busy days (as have been happening lately) and I do enjoy a a bit of variety sometimes. I hope you do, too.

www.chickfila.com

www.carlsjr.com

www.mcdonalds.com

Dublin Square - Breakfast

I wish I could remember the name of the person who told me that Dublin Square, one of several Irish Pubs in the Downtown/Gaslamp area serves Irish Breakfast. So first off, my sincere apologies for not remembering, I went through my old emails trying to find the rec, but couldn't find it. And it was an interesting series of emails, the first making a recommendation, and a week later a follow-up, letting me know that the food and service on the second visit was not up to par, and expressing some reservations about the recommendation. I had to give the emailer credit; She really took Her recommendations seriously!

So a few months ago, I decided to have breakfast at Dublin Square.

As I've noted in previous posts, I enjoy walking around the Gaslamp on weekend mornings. The  contrast between the hectic workday crowds and tourist/nightclub scene is quite drastic. Beyond the lysol, and other "post-nightclub" smells, things are fairly mellow.

I arrived at Dublin Square at about 715am.... I was the first customer(surprise !) on this Sunday morning. The sleepy hostess walked me to a table, where a much too cheerful(for 7am on a Sunday) and smiling Server handed me a menu, and a drink list the size of a good sized book. As much as I tried, even using the "it's noon somewhere in the world" rationalization, I couldn't bring myself to order a drink.

After placing my order, I had a good chance to look over the interior.

Much like The Field one block away, from the panelings and decor, Dublin Square aims for a "genuine Irish Pub" look. At least in the minds of many, what a genuine Irish Pub should look like.

After perusing the menu, it didn't take me very long to figure out what I was going to order........It was going to be the Irish Breakfast($12.95), of course, enough food to last me a whole weekend.

From the eggs to the white and black sausage, this was, beyond any doubt a major cholesterol and fat fest.

So lets see, where to start....well the basic "full breakfast" is basically bacon and eggs. In this case, the eggs, ordered easy over were fine, though I enjoy mine with a bit more "color" around the edges.

The "bacon" was according to the menu Irish Bacon from Ireland:

And this was indeed lean pork loin, much like what we know as "Canadian Bacon" or back bacon. The flavor of this was very mild, and not overly salty, it was quite tough and chewy.

The baked beans were full on canned....it had Heinz written all over it.

  The "Banger" or sausage, was very meaty, and moist, but tasted very much "Jimmy Dean-ish", and was nothing special. I'm a big fan of good Black Pudding, which this was really not. No richness, no nice flavor of herbs and seasonings. It was much better than I thought it would be though.

I'd never had White Pudding before, this one tasted mildly of oatmeal, and was quite "grainy".

The fried bread was crumbly and greasy....funny thing, all of the sausages were not greasy at all, which I thought was rather nice, but that fried bread was a bit too oily for me. I'd preferred soda bread.

The roasted potatoes were okay, nothing special, but I haven't met too many potatoes that I didn't like. In case you were feeling a bit of guilt over the food, some fried tomatoes may help sooth your mind....or maybe the one piece of lettuce garnish?

Since I was the only customer until just before I left, my coffee cup was always filled, and I was checked on several times. In the end, I really couldn't complain at the amount of food for the price(especially for the location). It wasn't quite what I expected....but what did I really expect? I did return home and entered into a very deep hibernation. So the next time you're up to, or need your entire weekend's fat and cholesterol in one meal, you may want to check out the Irish Breakfast at Dublin Square.....I think it is enough for two.

Dublin Square Irish Pub & Restaurant
554 4th Ave
San Diego, CA 92101

Serving Breakfast M-F: 7am - 2pm 
    Sat-Sun 7am - 3pm

Las Vegas Road Trip...Green Valley Ranch Resort breakfasts and National Finals Rodeo

mmm-yoso!!! is the blog about food...and stuff.  I get to follow the soon to be infamous delightfully titled (and photographed) post by ed from Yuma.  Here is more of a "stuff" post, with some food thrown in.

Hello, again. So...last weekend, Ms. T and I drove to Las Vegas and (again) stayed at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson, just Southeast of the Strip. It is my annual "Two days away from home when I get to take a bath and watch rodeo cowboy athletes"-seriously. That tub is wonderfully huge and the room is luxurious.  The bed has high thread count sheets and a down duvet
topped and bottomed with sheets, creating a wonderfully warm thermal effect...and the room is solid, safe and silent, and, this time, had a view of  not only the "beach" and pool areas, but also the sunrise against the hills to the West of town. (Click onto the smaller photo, look at top left- the edge of the pool is a gradual entrance of sand)

Since Ms. T drove the whole way there, she was very tired the first night and stayed in her room to wind down and I was on my own, so just walked over to "The District" next to the Hotel and looked at the Christmas decorations, window shopped and then went back to the casino and gambled a bit .
When I went to my room, I was hungry, having only eaten breakfast with The Mister before we left and then the snacks I had packed for the drive over...but it would be time for breakfast soon enough and Ms. T. and I had no plans to meet until 9 a.m., so I ordered Room Service to be delivered at 6 a.m.
"The European Breakfast, for one"...The top left napkin had a wonderful fresh, light, buttery, crispy croissant inside of it...There were assorted dried meats (roast beef, salami and Prosciutto) two large chunks of Brie, Greek olives, assorted fresh fruits (melon, grapefruit, blueberries, strawberries) the pot of coffee (that ended up being four cups) with real cream, fresh grapefruit juice, the butter pats in the bottom left corner and grape jam and strawberry preserves. It was wonderful and with a room service charge and non-optional 20% gratuity, set me back $33. There was a lot of food I saved for my later afternoon snack...a lot. This was a tray for one. It was way more than enough.
So, Ms. T and I went shopping at the Cowboy Christmas and then to lunch and then back to the hotel and met later to drive to the Rodeo.
The opening ceremonies, where all the participants, line up and 'salute' the audience with a tip of their hats is always a good memory.  The National Finals Rodeo is a ten day event, and the participants are the top 15 of each competition from the past year.  The competitions (Bareback riding, cattle roping, saddle broncs, team roping,  women's barrel racing and bull riding) are held between those top 15 people daily and on the tenth day, after the cumulative scores are counted, then "Best of the Best" are  awarded the National Championship (and a corresponding large belt buckle).

All in all, a very nice Day 5 of the NFR .

The next morning, we heard it was raining in San Diego and did not want to drive too early, to avoid any possible "black ice" on the road in the Cajon Pass, so we went to the Breakfast Buffet at "Feast" inside the Green Valley Ranch Resort Casino Hotel.
Ms. T. got an assortment of the exotic offerings- a breakfast burrito and quesedilla, eggs, chorizo and stew.

And I was still in that "European" mode and chose an onion bagel, cream cheese, smoked fish, smoked salmon, onions, tomatoes, some assorted cheese slices, pickles...oh, and that pear.
Then I went back for more "traditional" stuff- scrambled eggs (with my selection of toppings from the salad and salsa bar), bacon, sausage, ham, and a biscuit with sausage gravy.
Ms. T. went back and tried a blintz, a crepe and a slice of cheesecake.
All of the food here is excellent and fresh. The all you can eat breakfast is $7 and includes beverage.

Then we started our drive back to San Diego, stopping in Baker...
But, not here...
I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

Oh, I did eat when we were at the Rodeo, just a snack of chicken fingers(nice and crispy and slightly spicy crust not needing the dip, but the hot sauce was nice after a while) and garlic fries ($6) (Fried potato-not quite crispy enough- with a dollop of fresh garlic and parsley on top....needed to be dipped in the ranch dressing)and this horrible $6 glass of Budweiser...