mmm-yoso!!!

The Baked Bear - and a good memory

Here you are reading the blog mmm-yoso!!! It's where Kirk, ed(from Yuma) and Cathy (as well as a few others) share posts with an underlying subject of food. Today, Cathy is sharing.

One afternoon last week, The Mister and I drove West and found a place to park near The Crystal Pier, a public pier (where you can fish) as well as a hotel at the end of Garnet Avenue, in the Pacific Ocean.

It's quite a walk down and back the 872 foot long wooden pier, quiet and beautiful.

We left the pier, walked straight ahead, past a few restaurants, took a left on Mission Boulevard and saw this building and sign next to the Fatburger.

Well, I had never heard of this place...and we had just had a nice walk, justifying an ice cream sandwich. Had to...

{It turns out The Baked Bear opened just last week, Kirbie has already posted on it}

Spacious, clean and not crowded. A nice young lady at the counter asked us if we had been there before. She then told us a common ordering method-pick a cookie flavor or two different ones, then pick an ice cream flavor...and I started to read the flavor choices on the menu board-

The first and second main sandwich choices: Cookies, brownies OR waffles!!!

When I was growing up in Detroit, one special treat my brother and I would sometimes get was a waffle ice cream sandwich at the counter at Kresge's, a Five and Dime store.  (Here's a photo). Oh, I knew what I wanted. 

The cookies were freshly baked, and the waffles (under the cover to the right of the cones) were already made...but...well, you'll see.  Cones and cups were also available...for people who are here for the ice cream and not a sandwich.

The selection of 12 ice cream flavors.  Premium ice creams, from different companies; a very nice detail.  We chose butter pecan.

The soft, fresh waffle had one side already crispy toasted. That side had the ice cream placed on it and then the waffle was folded over the ice cream, then it was placed on the flat toaster (above; like a panini maker without the ridges), to get the exterior of the waffle warm and a bit crispy...and perfect.

I know people are buying the cookie sandwiches -the cookie selection was tempting- but the waffle is absolutely my idea of an ice cream sandwich.

The waffle was just enough crispy to not turn soggy and the ice cream was a very good quality of butter pecan- salty and not too sweet with crispy pecans.  The waffle stayed intact and we were able to share the sandwich without a sticky meltdown.  It really was perfect.

Fond memory #2: I sent my brother the above photo attached to a text message...with no words... and he immediately texted back "Kresge's!!!" Yes, he also remembered our special snack outings.  

The Baked Bear 4516 Mission Blvd San Diego 92109 (858) 886-7433 website

The rest of the story (3rd memory)-

I call Mom daily. When I told her about The Baked Bear ice cream waffle, she immediately relayed a story about the horse drawn waffle cart that used to show up on Fridays in the Detroit neighborhood where she, my dad and my brother and I grew up. She told me the man would yell from the cart "Rzecz naleśnik", which is "pancakes" in Polish. She said the cart also had ice cream.

After some research, I found This Blog Post with a photo of a New York horse drawn waffle cart.  It was a memory she hadn't ever shared before. I realized Food carts are not a new invention, nor are waffle ice cream sandwiches.

Happy Mother's Day.

Up2Yoü Cafe-time for a snack

mmm-yoso!!!, the blog about food, is the website you have selected to read.  Kirk, ed(from Yuma) and Cathy share food experiences here.  Cathy is writing today because the guys are busy with appointments galore.

The other day, I was craving something sweet and The Mister figured how to use the maps app on my iPhone. While I was driving, he did a search for 'desserts', saw the pin drops and told me to take a right from Convoy onto Vickers Street. Lo and behold, I found a place to park along this street of mostly Commercial/Wholesale/Maintenance businesses. 

Up2Yoü Cafe is closer to Convoy on the North side of the street; you may pass it at first, but since Vickers is a Court, you'll see it  when driving back...

When you walk in, you'll notice random, eclectic decor throughout (yes, those are black and white photos of Beatles)...

We happened to walk in when a large group was leaving and had a choice of seats in this 29 person capacity space (which oddly has about 36 seating spaces). That's the cash register, with card and board games on the counter. Pay attention to that pink and blue signage on the back wall; I'll get to it at the end...

The menu is simple and easily changeable, each section hanging by "S" hooks.

Quite a few beverage combinations are available. I selected the sweet orange tea($2.75)- it was freshly, perfectly brewed.  (It's not sweetened, just the flavor is 'sweet orange', and it was very pleasant.)

Served in a *huge* cup, along with our order of a crepe ($3.50), filled with Nutella®($50¢), banana ($1) and topped with vanilla ice cream ($1),

Here's a blurry photo of a cross section.  You can see that whipped cream was also inside the crépe. 

The crépe was very good on its own, quite overfilled and the whipped cream was *fresh*.  The vessels for conveying the various toppings are honey toast (which The Mister and I estimated to be 4x4x2 inches in size) and waffles.  There are also banana splits and something called a fried banana cheesecake: nothing savory here.  It was very good and we will be returning to try other items in various combinations. 

(After I wrote this, I saw that Kirbie's Cravings had done a post in October last year; she has a great photo of the honey toast and a link to Erin's post on Serious Eats. It looks like snow ice is either gone or just one of the easy changes from the menu board. )

Up2Yoü Cafe 7770 Vickers Street San Diego 92111 (619)663-6388 Closed Mondays. T-Th 12:30-11, Fri-Sat 12:30-midnight  Sun 12:30-10

Oh. The pink and blue signage on the back wall?   

Restrooms.

Coffee, Bagels &Crépes - Alpine

Welcome (back) to mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog about eating experiences. Today, Kirk is busy, ed (from Yuma) is busy and so Cathy is writing.

In early April, I had to be in Alpine a couple of times and noticed this small, new place had opened, right next to Alpine Liquor on Alpine Boulevard. I stopped once, enjoyed a fresh bagel snack with coffee and made a note that The Mister needed to be with me the next time I was driving out there.

Early one morning, we drove out here again and I had the time to pay attention to details.

The 'front desk' is an old coffee cart.  I say old, because it has inspection stickers on it dating back to 2005.

There is a menu you can see from the front of the cart when ordering, it has prices.  This is the side of the building with a handicap access ramp and the priceless menu.  Turns out that Coffee, Bagels & Crépes opened on April 1.  

There is a selection of coffees in pump pots and this morning I asked for the boldest one. The coffee here is good.  The Mister ordered a breakfast crépe ($5.50) and before even taking our money, the friendly owner turned around and began measuring and mixing crépe batter for us.  What service.

What freshness!  See those orange egg yolks?  There was crispy, nicely flavored bacon and cheese inside this light, slightly sweet fresh crépe batter.  The topping was a ribbon of basil sauce.  This was quite large and so very fresh.

When we saw that the owner was making a batch of crépe batter, it seemed natural to order a second crépe. 

Yes.  Why not a Nutella® and banana crépe?  It was breakfast after all...

The cross section- the banans inside the crépe were warm and the ones on the outside were still cold; a nice contrast.  A nice breakfast outside in Alpine.  We will be returning for lunch. Soon.

Coffee, Bagels & Crépes 2250 Alpine Blvd (next to Alpine Liquor, at Marshall Road) Alpine, CA 92101 

Tunisia: The Bakery, What's behind the "door", and Carthage

the benefit of spending a couple of days in a single location is that you're able to get into a routine. In Sidi Bou Said the daily routine included a stop at this little neighborhood bakery in a cul-de-sac right downstairs from busy Habib Bourguiba.

At places like this, you select your snacks and pay by weight. The very mild-mannered, soft spoken gentleman running the place got used to seeing us, greeting us with smile on our visits.

On our last evening in Sidi Bou Said, the Missus was relaxing, doing stuff on the iPad. I went to the grocery, then stopped by the bakery. I was asked where my wife was....they had gotten used to seeing us together. I told him She was "resting". I placed the pastries the Missus wanted on a tray and carried it for weighing. I told the gentleman we were leaving in the morning and thanked him for being so nice. He placed everything gently in the box, weighed it, then went back to the pastry case and placed a good half dozen more pastries in the box, turned to me, placed his hand over his heart and said, "this is from me....thank you." Folks like this gentleman and Sophie really made our stay in Tunisia just that much special.

The other regular stop was the grocer on Habib Bourguiba. On our first visit, we noticed the "door".....a door that usually had a line of men waiting.

Of course the Missus couldn't help herself. She kept wondering what was behind this door. Everytime we dropped by to purchase water or whatnot, the Missus would see the line and be beside Herself. We just didn't feel comfortable standing in line for the unknown.....

On my last trip to the market, I found the door open......opportunity knocked!

So what was behind the door?

In Islam, alcohol is forbidden, so I guess to be sensitive to Muslims, all the booze is kept in a separate room.

When we first decided to visit Tunisia, the first place that came to mind was Carthage. I mean really, Carthage. You'd be surprised at how many people I've met who have no idea that Carthage is actually in Tunisia. Then of course, there's how I first heard of Carthage when I was a child. There's the story of how Hannibal crossed the Alps with his army which included elephants!

Carthage itself is just a a couple of kilometers from where we were staying, so on one rather bright morning we headed off down Avenue Habib Bourguiba....to Carthage. The first thing that was obvious when we arrived was that Carthage was a pretty upscale neighborhood. Think of having several ancient ruins in, well, La Jolla......it was pretty strange overall. The signage was kind of ambivalent as well. After the drama of El Djem, Sbeitla, and Ksar Ghilane, this was pretty tame. Anyway, the site we enjoyed the most was the Antonine Baths, the third largest Roman bath complex in the world. According to what I've read, bath houses were very important in Roman Society and this seaside setting surely reflects that.

Most of what remains is the foundation and what I'm assuming are the underground network used to heat and move water.

I gotta say, the Roman really understood "location, location, location....."

The other locations we visited were somewhat non-descript. Some had trash strewn about.  We decided to that a visit to the Byrsa Hill and the Musee de Carthage would be in order. It was really interesting trying to find the museum. Eventually, we found a sign and scrambled up this hill to the museum.

That building to the left is the beautiful Saint Louis Cathedral.

Which was not open to the public.

The view from the hill is dramatic. You can easily understand the importance of this location....

The museum itself, less so, as it seemed unorganized and haphazard. For me, the best display was of these two sarcophagus dating back to Punic times.

For some reason, even though it was still morning, the heat was getting to me......sort of like this mutt.

We headed down the hill to the TGM station and caught the light rail to La Marsa. After all, it was just about lunch time.......

Thanks for reading!

Starting 2013: Pasadena. Rose Parade float viewing, House of Basturma and Carmela Ice Cream

Thanks for reading mmm-yoso!!! the food blog.  Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are doing some research for blog posts. Cathy is doing some blogging today.

Well, the first day of the New Year has come and gone and the holidays are almost over (we take down our decorations on the 12th Night after Christmas). The Mister and I had an interesting Day One of 2013 and here's a bit of it. 

We woke early, had a nice breakfast and watched the Rose Parade on television and as the parade ended (10 a.m.) got in the car and started the drive North.  We got to Pasadena, found a place to park just North of Sierra Madre Boulevard and then headed to the mile long fenced in area, where the 42 floats that participated in the parade were lined up end to end.

There were already about 100,000 other people there. 

Here's part of the HGTV float, which won the Grand Marshal Trophy (for excellence in creative concept and design). 

The Trader Joe's entry won the Extrordinaire Trophy (most spectacular float).

Here's some detail of the back end, with the electric beater making a 'meringue' out of egg whites (see the half 'eggshell' with yellow 'yolk'?).  Every inch of every float you see is covered with something that is or was alive- the 'rope' is made of white onions and the 'toothpick frills' are orchids.

The Department of Defense entry, commemorating the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, won the National Trophy (best depiction of life in the USA, past, present or future) was replicating parts of the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., using silverleaf to mimic the bronze of the original sculpture. This float was impressive.

Here's part of the Shriners Hospitals float, which won the Judges Special Trophy (most spectacular in showmanship and dramatic impact). The teddy bear looks soft and cuddly, even though his body is made of dried straw flowers and the bottom of his feet are dried artichoke bottoms. You can see the louver in his belly, where the 'viewer' sits and communicates with the driver of the float, who is in the back of the float in the dark. 

After more than two hours of braving the crowds, The Mister and I began walking the streets just North of Sierra Madre Boulevard and saw this.  The sign under the 'Chef" is the name of the restaurant- House of Basturma.

Stepping inside, there is a small deli counter and grocery shelving to the left, the area where you order is at the cash register and so is the grill and open kitchen area. There is indoor seating to the right and straight ahead is the outdoor seating and hookah area.

We looked at the small menu, determined the food was Armenian/Turkish/Lebanese, and then ordered and paid.  Soon the chef came out, made our food and brought it to our table.

I wanted to try the babaganouj ($4.50) and we wanted to share a Basturma sandwich ($4.99). The babaganouj was quite a large serving, fresh, not too smokey and not too garlicy-really nice and creamy and just really good. 

Basturma- an Armenian Lebanese pastrami-ish air dried beef.  It's coated in a paste of spices, including cumin, garlic, fenugreek and hot paprika. Sliced thin and then placed on this wonderful plain toasted semolina bread with just sliced tomatoes and pickles was absolutely wonderful.  The bread was crunchy on the edges and soft and flavorful and the Basturma was so darn good. A simple, savory meal to start the year.

When we walked out of the House of Basturma, we turned left and on the same block, saw this signage. We had to stop.

When you walk in, you are there; it's tiny.  The water vessel is in front of you and the available flavors are on the chalkboard to your left.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to try two scoops ($4.50) of contrasting flavors and textures: cranberry orange thyme sorbet and the fresh mint with cacao nib ice cream.

Wow.  Distinctive flavors: fresh mint, fresh thyme, fresh cranberry and orange and then biting into the crunchy cacao nibs... delicious and a contrast of creamy, smooth and those nibs.  Simply nice, pleasant and popping.  Really a great find.

Carmela Ice Cream 2495 E. Washington Boulevard Pasadena CA 91104 (626) 797-1405 Website

I hope everyone is having a good year.

The Elephant in the Room-Donut Shops

You are reading mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food.  Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are busy with things right now and Cathy is blogging today because she is caught up with things.

You know how when you are told not to do or think something, it turns out the only thing you want to do is dwell about that something-the elephant in the room? Well, almost two years ago, everyone around me seemed to become overly aware of their glucose levels, carbohydrate intake and 'eating healthy'. Ever since then, I went from eating one donut a year to stopping at any place with "Donut" and/or "Bakery" in its signage at least once a week.  This post is a compendium of some of my favorite Donut shops in different parts of San Diego County. 

Let's start in the center - Mira Mesa.

This is the only 'generic' strip mall Donut Shop where I go out of my way to stop - If you've been to Lucky Seafood at the NE corner of Mira Mesa Boulevard at Black Mountain Road, that's where you've seen Donut Stop. It's open from 4:30 a.m. until 10 p.m., in case you have a craving. 

What I really like from here are the whipped cream filled donut holes: Little light puffs of angel breath. They call them 'cream puffs' but the dough is soft, not crispy and they are topped with just a dusting of powdered sugar. The raised glazed donut is an automatic purchase and always nice.  Simple, not crazy sweet and perfect.

Donut Stop 9330 Mira Mesa Blvd San Diego 92126 (858)271-8751

When we head to West to Pacific Beach, Linda's Donuts, on the NW corner of Grand at Lamont, doesn't look very fancy...

It's small inside, but just like Donut Stop, the donuts are constantly being made and there is something ready to eat- even at 10 p.m..

The Boston Creme and French Cruller.  Both here are made perfectly. They are 'normal' sized donuts and the Bavarian is quite heavy with filling.  If I lived closer, the cruller, with its soft layered interior and crispy light exterior, would be my morning ritual.

Linda's Donuts 1888 Grand Avenue San Diego 92109 (619) 274-4004

 Now, heading South-  

All the way in Imperial Beach, at the spot where Palm Avenue turns into Highway 75 (the Silver Strand) at 7th Street.  In your mind's eye, you can see the signage here used to be "Stardust Donuts" "Fresh"... My friend, "caninecologne" introduced me to Stardust -or at least she tried to; they were closed that one day and have random hours, but now when I am in the area, I make an effort to stop here, in case they are open.

The thing to get here is a cinnamon roll.  Again- a 'normal size' with light glaze, not "County Fair" huge with dripping frosting- and a buttermilk stick cake donut are perfect to satisfy your sweet tooth.  

Stardust Donut Shop 698 Hwy 75 Imperial Beach 91932 (619) 424-6200

Heading North on the 15, to Escondido, take the Centre City exit then jump onto Escondido Boulevard to the South West corner of Ninth...

Peterson's Donut Corner.  Open 24/7 (except it's closed from Christmas Day until January 3rd).  Form three lines and you can see the selection walking on the outside of the building, through all the windows... 

 

  

There is outdoor seating and pretty much always a line of people ordering, even in the heat of Summer.

On this day, we got the maple frosted Vienna Kreme, another Cruller and an apple spice cake donut (the flavored cake donuts are different each day).  The Vienna Kreme donut is HUGE as are all the filled donuts here.  There is always a great variety (blueberry...just get something blueberry) and I don't think the kitchen ever closes.

Peterson's Donut Corner 903 S. Escondido Boulevard, Escondido 92025 (760) 745-7774 

 Then there is "my" Donut Shop- the one I can walk to (although walking home is uphill)- also open 24/7 (including Christmas Day).  

Mary's, on the South West block of Mission Gorge Road at Fanita, one block East of the 125...if you've been to Santee, you've seen it.

 There's a small eat in area, the walls are plastered with photos of patrons.

The filled donut holes here are covered in powdered sugar and need coffee to cut the sweetness.  The French Cruller is just light and crispy with an eggy interior and ...perfect. It really is one of my cravings.

Mary's Donuts 9031 Mission Gorge Road Santee 92071 (619) 448-4800

I hope everyone is having a good weekend.  Take some time to enjoy a treat before those New Year Resolutions kick in!

 

 

Caffé Calabria (North Park, San Diego)

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog.  It's a food blog.  We (Kirk, ed (from Yuma) and Cathy, in a varying rotation) write about the who, what, when, where, why and how (in varying combinations) with a central focus on food. Cathy is writing today.

A few weeks ago, fellow blogger, cc and I met for lunch, which needed to be rearranged  (here is a link to her post; my post will appear soon enough) and after a very nice lunch, we drove on 30th, to just North of University to Caffé Calabria for refreshing beverages.

You'll probably notice this fabric signage first.  We walked in, noticed the wood fired pizza oven

which only bakes thin crust/Neapolitan style pizza (and calzones) after 5 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday.

You can select from a variety of available sandwiches, made on baguettes, foccacia or small rolls, 

which will be heated for you if you'd like.

You can see one panino press to the right on the back counter; there are three total.

This is the view of the barista area from our table, 

which was right in front of the coffee roaster, which was not roasting coffee when we were here.   I would like to experience the smell of fresh-fresh roasted coffee.  Many San Diego restaurants serve Caffé Calabria coffees, which I have always enjoyed. 

Our order- a large iced mocha and a doppio macchiatto.  The mocha -chocolate and espresso- was good and had enough caffiene to make cc hyper for most of the evening. The double shot of espresso topped with a 'kiss' of milk foam was deep flavored yet I could detect a sweetness to the steam pressured coffee without having to add any sugar.

Obsessing about what cc and I had experienced, I brought The Mister back for a quick snack the other day.

He ordered a "Hammerhead"- regular coffee with a shot of espresso ($2.50)- and I ordered another doppio macchiato ($2.60).

We also decided on two items available in the counter, which I asked to have warmed.

The Prosciutto Cotto ($3.25)-rosemary ham topped with Fontina cheese and black pepper.  This was so good! There was quite a lot of ham, just enough cheese and the warming on the press made the fresh bread crust crispy on the outside, but the crust is thin and the bread was warm and soft on the inside. This was a perfect size for the two of us to share...

because The Mister had ordered this-a dolce-sweet. Nuttela con nocciola ($1.50)-chocolate hazelnut spread topped with chopped hazelnuts.  As you can see, it was served on a small roll (with the same thin crust as the baguette) topped with powdered sugar.  The nicest antithesis of a donut, ever.

I am sure we will be returning to Caffé Calabria to try the pizza and other available sandwich items. There are several other places in this old San Diego neighborhood which we found by simply walking around the block. I want to explore.

I hope everyone is having a good week!

Caffé Calabria 3933 30th Street San DIego 92104  (619) 291-1759 Website

Paris Baguette (inside H Mart)

You have navigated your way to mmm-yoso!!!, the blog about food.  Today, Kirk as well as ed(from Yuma) are each doing something that requires focus.  Cathy is multitasking, so here's a blog post.

I think we all know that the San Diego location of H Mart opened on November 17 -less than two weeks ago. In case anyone didn't know, I will do just about anything to avoid crowds.  Therefore The Mister and I decided to wait until things slowed down to shop and check out offerings. The day after Thanksgiving was that perfect day.

Yes, there were empty parking spots at 10 a.m..

H Mart,  a Korean Market, has great deals on fruits, vegetables, panchan, kim chee, meats and fish. Everything is fresh and clean. We were very happy walking around while being able to push our shopping cart and not having to navigate around and between shoppers and their carts.  When we got to the far end of the store, next to the exit door, we saw the signage- 

Similar to other H Marts and Korean Markets in general, you can observe the workers behind glass.

In typical Korean bakery fashion, grab a tray, top it with a paper liner, grab tongs and select your choices from behind and on top of glassed doored cases, stand in line, order beverages and pay.  

On this visit, we picked out a good snack of sweets selection. 

The round 'donut' ($1) was a very large rice ball/mochi, filled with smooth pumpkin and deep fried. It collapsed when we cut it, but biting into it can give you a cross section view.  It was really good and quite large. The almond pastry - basically a croissant ($1.90)- was so light and flaky with crispy almond slices and had a good amount of almond paste filling. The other pastry (listed as a 'one bite' on the receipt, for $1, but on the display had $1.25 as the price) was essentially a puff pastry cup filled with delicious custard and topped with an apricot half.  So good-each flavor distinguishable and the various textures made this a perfect snack item.

So, after we got home, there were daily discussions of which items at Paris Baguette  we wanted to try and when we we went at around 2 p.m. on a weekday, there was zero parking in the lot in front of H Mart and only a few spaces in the back parking lot.  However, hunger and curiosity won out and there were new sales inside the store and a few cart navigation incidents, but once I got to the far side of the store, Paris Baguette wasn't overly busy and I chose a good variety of items for a late lunch. The 4 box of baby chox ($2) was a perfect, soft version of choux pastry filled with real whipped cream which managed to make its way home.

The ham and cheese croissant ($2.25) was a perfect light and flaky pastry filled with just enough ham and cheese to make this sandwich an easy choice in the future. The other item in the above photo is a canele ($1.80) which I haven't seen around here.  There was a nice story board on the counter telling that canele was first made in Bordeaux, where the wines are clarified with egg white, leaving yolks behind...

which are used to make the custard filling of this small, dense, caramelized cake. It is unique and wonderful.

The "Crunch Sandwich" ($5.95) which we found in the refrigerator section was very interesting.  The package was heavy and ingredients listed are chicken salad, green leaf lettuce, honey mustard  and pan croissant. The chicken salad was very nice, made with onion, walnuts and dried cranberries and wrapped in the 'pan croissant' which was a surprisingly nice, dense and chewy flat bread/flat croissant.

We've liked the food and service here and my only criticism is that the line where you wait to pay is along the the coffee, condiment/supplies and trash bins, which makes it awkward to get to the half and half/napkins/forks and knives or to clean your table when you leave. 

Paris Baguette is a franchise and another location will be opening inside the new location of Zion Market on Clairmont Mesa and Convoy, when Zion opens (probably in January).

Paris Baguette (Inside H Mart) 9440 Mira Mesa Boulevard San Diego 92126 website

The hot beverage cups are cardboard covered in foam and don't need a cardboard 'sleeve'.  I've brought both home and am going to use them for something...just pretty...

 

Tunisia: Market day in Tataouine

We left Ksar Ghilane early in them morning. We were headed to the final stop on our private tour, the island of Djerba. There would be a couple of stops along the way. We were headed to the town of Tataouine....yes, for those Star Wars fans, there really is a city name Tataouine. We traveled through some pretty inhospitable areas.....and yet, people have been living here for centuries. We passed by several ruins of Roman fortifications along the way.

Outside of Tataouine are several Berber hill villages. The most popular is called Chenini....yep, there's the Star Wars connection again. The village is known for it's distinctive white Mosque up on the hill.

We took about an hour to walk around the village. Many of the older homes built into the hillside had been abandoned and turned into storage.

Soon enough we made our way back to our transport and headed off to Tataouine. Since it was market day, the place was hopping.

Ben walked us to this little bakery.

Like Kairouan and Makroud, Tataouine also has it's special pastry called Corne de Gazelle, the gazelle's horn.

The pastry is in the shape of a gazelle's horn. I thought this was very nicely flavored, almonds and sesame seeds gave the confection a nice nuttiness. Like almost all classic Tunisian desserts the pastry was doused with a nice bit of honey. The Missus didn't care for it....I'm thinking it was the sesame seeds.

While Ben had a seat at one of the coffee shops, the Missus and I started walking around the market area. Here are some photos.

You know what this shop sells, right?

I was really enjoying the coffee culture in Tunisia and we decided to take a break at one of the coffee houses....it was a nice stop and gave us some time to take in the environment and people watch. They call espresso "cafe express" in Tunisia.

 It was pretty calm driving from here on out, as we made our way to the island of Djerba. Soon we were driving over the causeway to Djerba which was the last leg of our tour. It had been a pretty hectic couple of days, but I was glad we did this.....there's just so much history in Tunisia.

Oahu: Leonard's and Oxtail Soup from Kapiolani Coffee Shop

During my visits home, mornings are "my" time. I'll take a drive, fill gas, pick up stuff for lunch/dinner, find a wi-fi connection, and basically just drive around........at 5-6am. I really wanted the D's to enjoy some of the "local" food I grew up eating. Of course, being raised in the Kaimuki/Kapahulu area, Leonard's is on that list. I'm still quite flabbergasted when I see tour buses and even a limo pull up to the very non-descript bakery that is Leonard's and the lines we experienced on our last trip home were just not fun. I'm sure you can go later in the evening.....but for me, malasadas were made to be eaten early in the day. The Missus and I tried the malasadas from the Leonard's wagon in Waikele and really didn't care for what they sold....cold, greasy, somewhat gummy. So it had to be a trip to Kapahulu. I didn't expect to encounter too many lines at 530 in the morning.......

There was a line, but only four folks in front of me. It seems that Leonard's is popular with the military as two groups of men in fatigues dropped in while I waited in line. There's something about the heavenly smells when I walk  into Leonard's that just takes me back to "small kid time".

Over the years, Leonard's has expanded their line of malasadas to include filled versions. Being the old fuddy-duddy that I am, I still go for the original plain sugared version. Though I also bought a half dozen haupia filled as well.

Man, these always take me back...... MrD enjoyed having his with soy milk for breakfast, telling me it was like a sweet youtiao! You know, I never thought of that.....

Leonard's is one of those iconic places that you should check out at least once if you're ever in or around Honolulu. Here's a neat little trivia thingy, Leonard's is celebrating their 60th anniversary this year. Did you know that the original location that Leonard Rego opened his bakery is actually in the building where Ono Hawaiian Food (another iconic eating establishment) is located?

Leonard's Bakery
933 Kapahulu Ave
Honolulu, HI 96816

The trip for the day was Dole Plantation. Maggie seemed to really enjoy the maze......

This is the Ohia tree and the blossoms are called Lehua. I stopped Maggie from picking these, by telling her the legend of Pele and Ohia.

The story goes that Pele (the Godess of fire) fell in love with a handsome man named Ohia whom she wanted to marry. Ohia, however told Pele that he was in love with a maiden named Lehua and turned her down. Well, as you imagine, this didn't sit well with Madam Pele....she turned Ohia into the twisted looking Ohia tree. Lehua became heartbroken and the gods took pity on her by turning her into the Lehua blossom, so that she and Ohia would be inseparable. To this day, it is said that picking the Lehua blossom will cause rain.....tears falling because Ohia and Lehua cannot bear to be separated.

The late afternoon meant another shopping trip and my in-laws took the D's to a luau. I dropped them off and went to pick-up dinner. I had been wanting to check out Kapiolani Coffee Shop for their oxtail soup a long time favorite since reading about it on Reid's blog back in 2004. Never let it be said that I'm not a patient person.....since that time, Kam bowl has closed down and the shop is now located in Waimalu Shopping Center.

 Based on the menu, I'm pretty sure that this is one of the originals when it comes to oxtail soup.....

Funny thing is, I remember having my first bowl of oxtail soup at a restaurant on Kapiolani, next to where Aloha Motors was......could it be? I couldn't find any information on that.

The restaurant is quite small and very, very, old school.

The oxtail soup ain't cheap, almost $14 for a bowl, which comes with two scoops of rice....oh, as old school at KCS is, they did ask me if I wanted brown rice! Man, my soup arrived at my table in like two minutes.....

The standard condiment is some grated ginger and shoyu(soy sauce). I thought the broth was a bit too salty, even for me, very mild anise tones, and frankly, I prefer a bit more "fat" in my broth. This one was very clear. Lots of cilantro and green onions.....

The oxtails were excellent....not falling to pieces, but just tender enough. Personally, I prefer some nice fatty bits and gelatinous goodness, these had been prepped to remove a good amount of that stuff.

I still prefer the oxtail soup I had at The Alley to this and the portion to price ratio seemed a bit on the small side. Still it was good to be able to finally get that oxtail soup off my "list". Plus, I enjoyed the old school feel of the place.

Hey.....is that waitress calling me an Ox?

Kapiolani Coffee Shop
98-020 Kamehameha Hwy
Aiea, HI 96701