mmm-yoso!!!

A Happy Hour Revisit to The Lion's Share

The Lion's Share is another one of those places where the starters and apps had always seem to outshine the entrees. Though I've only posted on the place once, I'd eaten there a couple of times since. The Missus had never been to the Lion's Share, so I thought it would be a nice place for an early happy hour. The place can be fairly pricey, but with $2 off draft beer and 20% off appetizers, I thought we could have an interesting meal. A wild cad in the whole situation was that this "gastro-lounge" had changed chefs a while back and I hadn't visited since.

Since there was no one else in the place, we sat in the well lit front area. The bar can be rather dark. There had been an art show during the previous weekend and the work of that artist, somewhat bizarre and dark was still up on the walls. I'm pretty sure it made for some interesting conversation......

We started with the Deviled Eggs ($8 - I'm listing all regular prices, I'm sure you can do 20% off, right?).

These seemed a bit dried out and the first one, with the piment d'Espelette was on the bitter side, like not so great smoked paprika. But it got better as we went down the line. The second is black tobiko caviar, briney, but not too salty, the truffle and prosciutto, the third deviled egg was ok. It was the Quail Confit devlied egg, the fourth one, that was the best.

I was glad that the Antelope Sliders ($14) were still on the menu.

 Cooked to a perfect past medium, these are still my favorite here, though on this visit it was a bit on the salty side.

We both enjoyed the mild gamey flavors, which melded well with the sweet caramelized red onions. Having cooked with antelope has given me a better appreciation for how they manage to keep this moist and fairly tender.

The Duck Meatballs ($14) were our least favorite dish of the evening.

First, the brown on brown, on brown color really didn't look appetizing. Second, though the meatballs were very tender and moist, it was very finely ground, which made it kind of mushy. Third, and the main reason we didn't enjoy this was the over-powering sweetness of the dish. We couldn't get past that.

Much like the deviled eggs, the Exotic Sausage board ($16), got better as you went down the line.

We both enjoyed the charred bread and the rather mellow whole grain mustard. The pheasant sausage (left) was our least favorite. It was very cumin heavy; this coming from someone who loves cumin! It smelled like armpit and sort of tasted like what I think armpit would taste like. The duck sausage (middle) was nice, mild sweetness, and I enjoyed the spices they used in it. The elk sausage was our favorite, slightly gamey, with an enjoyable savory-sweetness. I was told that a port wine reduction is used in making the sausage. Two out of three ain't bad.

Even at happy hour prices, a night of starts and apps at the Lion's Share ain't cheap. The food is on the rich side and on this occasion hit and miss. I'd still return for those antelope sliders and perhaps some kangaroo tartar, or maybe Lamb Tacos de Lengua. Our Server was mellow, friendly, though not overly so, and efficient, though we were the only people in the place.

The Lion's Share
629 Kettner Boulevard
San Diego, CA 92101

Hours:
Open daily 4 pm - 2 am

Is that Don or Dan...Diego that is: Next let's try Dan Diego's

Well, so much for Don Diego. Coincidentally, just a few months after "the Don" opened up, Dan joined the party. I was curious, especially after seeing the shamrock logo and then the sign that said "Euro Cafe & Pub"......

The first time I visited was on a rainy Friday. I was greeted with a friendly smile and hello. I saw they were full, so I told them I'd be back some other time....but the really nice young lady manning the front and the very friendly gentleman, who I was to later find out was Larry, the owner would have none of that. They had the staff set-up a little two top in the corner, which they did with a smile. Man, this was a very nice first impression.

To me, the menu really defines what Dan Diegos is, a neighborhood pub with grub. All appetizers ring in at five bucks or less and all entrees at $10. The beer list is rings in at over two pages and there are about ten beers on tap. I do wish they'd have more local stuff on tap. On my visits the only local representation on tap has been stuff from Societe. I mean, Ballast Point and Coronado are just down the street.

Back to the menu....it's basically Irish Based and on this evening I started with the Irish Beef Stew ($5).

Not my favorite version of Irish Stew, it tasted a bit too "raw" with regard to the Guinness which made the broth bitter. In my opinion, it was also a bit too loose and watery and could have used a few more layers of flavor, perhaps a bit more salt. Of course I was missing the lamb in this thing.....

I was also curious about the Open Faced Reuben ($10), which made kind of crack up when it arrived as the pickle was actually larger than the "Reuben".

It's basically some house made corned beef....kind of bland and waxy served on a ciabatta like slice of the house soda bread, which wasn't bad. The best thing was the horseradish "Russian" dressing. The fries were fried to perfection and the portion size of SYSCO spuds was quite large.

Usually, I'd kind of cut my losses here......but my Server, Shauna was so very nice, as was just about everyone else in the place. It also seemed like fried items were the way to go here. So I returned....ended up with the same table and Shauna to boot.

This time I went with the Fish and Chips ($10):

This wasn't bad. The fish was moist, it was nicely fried, though the tartar sauce was a bit too mayo heavy. The fries were to the SYSCO standard. For ten bucks I'll take it.

As before, the service was very warm and friendly.

About a week later, Candice, MrQ, and I met up to plan one of our "events". We started at the new Coronado tasting room and decided on checking out Dan Diego's. Along with the Fish and Chips we got the Irish Cheese Fries with Corned Beef ($7.50):

They lost their frying mojo on this one as the fries hit the table on the soggy side. Combine that with waxy-greasy corned beef and cheese sauce, this suddenly becomes stoner food.

Speaking of stoner food....let's hear it for a place willing to put something like "Crunchies" on the menu. Did you ever want to just eat fried batter? Well, here's your chance.

Dan Diego's seems like an okay neighborhood pub; Larry told me he lives in the neighborhood, which is nice to hear. It looks like a quieter place for folks who don't want the crowds or the scene at the High Dive, don't like the corporate feel of Offshore, or the crowd and over-priced food of Luce's. Larry told me the place is named in memory of his late son, so you got to want them to succeed. Hopefully, the food will improve and Dan Diego's can steer a steady course. Right now it's really not worth going out of your way for.

Dan Diegos
2415 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Meals with Friends: Mariscos Godoy, Luce, and Roseville Cozinha

As you can tell; I'm trying to get all these round-up type posts done before the end of the year. Of course, this is the time of year when folks get together and celebrate....here are a couple of "meals with friends" we've had recently.

Mariscos Godoy:

What better place for a festive time with a group right? Mariscos Godoy is a great place to just get together and grub with friends....unless of course, there's a major soccer game on...or when one of the bands are playing, which makes conversation impossible. On this night, we got both.....and the band even had a tuba player! yikes.....

Still, as you can see, we didn't leave hungry........

And I even forgot to take a photo of the pulpo.....

Mariscos Godoy
651 Palomar St
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Luce's (again):

My buddy JohnL has moved back into the neighborhood. We decided to grab some drinks and felt that Luce was close by. Plus, I was really unimpressed with the food on our last visit. Well, at least the charcuterie board was decent.....

The wings on the other hand were totally one note in flavor....sweet, with not much else going for it.

The fries were ok....a bit mushy and dry, but flavored decently.

I like the friendly service and the small, but good beer list (and a mule or two). But is Bay Park so starved for a place like this, that there would be lines waiting outside on a cold evening? Well, I probably just answered my own question.

Luce Bar & Kitchen
1959 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Roseville Cozinha:

One great thing about having a group gathered for a meal is that you get to try a bunch of things. We decided on a porcine party post mortem and Peter thought the newly opened Roseville Cozinha would be just the place.

There's a a beautiful wood fired oven in the place and I think they are still fine tuning and getting the hang of beast. My favorite items were the "local Salumi Plate" and the Salt Cod Fritters. Roseville tips its hat to the Portuguese and Italian fishing communities which formed the backbone of the Point Loma area. I benefited with some nice bacalao fritters.

Compare this salumi with what Luce's serves.....the price is pretty close as well. This wins hands down.

The wood oven roasted shrimp must have been good.....I never got a shot at it!

Ervilhas Stew.......good thing the Missus wasn't here....that egg would have never lasted 5 seconds on the table.

Of course you need some greens......

My favorite pizza was the "Chef's Special" a fresh clam pizza......

Fennel and sausage.....

Wild Mushroom.....

 What a meal.......what a great time with good friends!

Roseville Cozinha
2750 Dewey Rd Suite 104 (Liberty Station)
San Diego, CA 92106

A "New School", "Old School" Night Part 2: Old School - Baci Ristoranti and a surprise finish

After having drinks and appetizers at Luce, we headed next door to the "all grown up place", Baci. From the loud and boisterous, to the sedate and quite.....from stool around the bar to lounges, in what else, the small lounge. From tattooed staff to Servers in faux Tuxedos....

The friendly maitre'd....ok, when was the last time Ieven used the word maitre'd? The rather darkish lighting, the slightly formal but not stuffy service, the backlit sculpture of the torso of perhaps Venus de Milo in the background....there's some charm to this in our all Twitter...facebook...what's the latest fad/food truck/trend by the minute world we live in.

All of this calm was brought to you by the surroundings...and a Negroni or two....

The menu is full of old school Italian.... Linguine alle Vongole, check, Vitello Parmigiana...check, and of course Osso Bucco is a must, right?

And yet, there are some interesting items on the menu.......like the local sea urchin.

Hey, it's local uni and they didn't mess with it.......

I followed this up with the Braised Lamb Shank over Truffle Risotto ($28.95).

This was pretty much by-the-book, not heavily seasoned, the lamb wasn't over-cooked, nor tough, with that nice flavor of the pasture. The risotto had a decent texture, soft through and through. I do prefer my risotto a bit more "wet" and the "truffle" (really in quotations there) scent or flavor was really hard to make out.

Some of the other dishes I got to try. Candice's uni pasta was really garlic heavy, you really couldn't make out much of the uni taste, nor was it moist enough. Uni pasta is not my favorite thing, so take it for what it's worth. I thought the best item I tasted was JohnL's Pappardelle alla Tartuffo. The lamb ragu was full flavored and you could actually make out the flavor of truffles in this dish. The pasta was cooked perfectly as well.

While I still can't really recommend any place in San Diego for Italian cuisine, Baci was perfect for this evening with friends. It's an interesting look into what we considered fine dining when I was growing up and that doesn't get old as quickly as I am.

Baci Ristorante
1955 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

After dinner, Candice had one last surprise up her sleeve.....we went for drinks and the place we visited was packed. With folks over 60....who were just having a blast. The only seats available were at the piano bar.

Paintings of topless maidens from who knows when adorn the walls. There's a bit of a legend going around that these were paintings of actual Pan-Am Stewardesses from way back when....don't know about that, but it's a great story. I'd watch as a woman, probably in her late sixties would slowly walk up to the mic to sing at the piano bar...and my goodness, the voice! You could tell she/they were in their element as it would seem that years would slowly melt away and the clock would be turned back a bit. Friends and couples who knew each other for years, or perhaps minutes, would dance in the small area near the bar. All of this was happening while dinner service for what seemed to be tourists and visitors staying at the attached Travelodge was taking place inches away!

Then there was JohnL, who in spite of where we told him we were eating, decided to wear a v-neck t-shirt and jeans. Anyway, John is hunched over the piano bar, so naturally his shirt is hiked up...he's doing his best imitation of a plumber, if you know what I mean. So a sprightly octogenarian walks by, grabs his you-know-what, and tells him "your a$$ is sticking out!" We almost fell off our seats! Heck, JohnL could have had his hands full with...well, what's older than a Cougar? A sabretooth??? Whatever, we had a great time, it was wonderful seeing folks enjoying themselves. A bit later on in the evening, the hipsters start arriving and it gets a bit strange. Thanks to Candice, I got to see a part of San Diego I hadn't seen before. And it was a bit surprising because I've driven past here thousands of times.

This was the kind of place my Dad loved....and the kind of place where he met his third wife too....but that's a story for another day.

A "New School", "Old School" Night Part 1: New School - Luce Bar & Kitchen

There are a handful of truly "old school" places in San Diego, not faux old school, but old enough to recall....say the 70's? It's all relative I guess? For me that's barely old enough, though for myfriends who are in their 30's, this is more than old school, this is before they started school! What started as a "hey, how about this...." conversation started to take shape. And since there are a couple of places in our neighborhood...and I don't mean the Silver Spigot, which is in a class by itself, I had thoughts about going to Old Trieste. I was soon convinced not to go, based on a couple of "scary food" statements from some friends. So we we settled on Baci.....meanwhile, the folks at Baci  opened up a gastro-pub next door called Luce. The menu looked promising, I saw lines out to the sidewalk when driving by soon after the soft opening, and heck, Bay Park could really use a place like that. My good friend Candice told me an "new school - old school" night might be fun. We'd start at Luce for some drinks and appetizers and move on to Baci for dinner. So even though I usually don't post on these type of places, we had a fun and interesting night.....so why not break character for a post or two, right?

First, though the setting is fairly loud.....boisterous and fun is how your neighborhood tavern/pub should be, right? The decor is nice, the vibe is casual and neighborly, though the space is fairly small.

 The bottled beer list is decent and though not large, there's enough stuff on tap to keep me interested. I started with a Ballast Point Calico Amber, which was a great way to start a weekend. Unfortunately, it was the highlite of my experience at Luce.

The menu is full of fairly intriguing items, sorta-kinda hip, perhaps a bit behind the curve stuff, like Pork Belly tacos. But it still sounds fun......and heck, who am I to talk about what's hip?

We started with the Pork Drumsticks ($6), which are a riff on Monkey Paw's Drunken Monkey Bones, basically pork shank pieces cut to vaguely resemble chicken wings.

First the good; these were braised nicely, soft and tender. Not so good; the pork was smeared with a glaze when reheated that was sweet, but that's about it...very one tone, I was wishing for some simple salt and pepper to help these. It looked so good, but didn't deliver.

The Braised Lamb Tacos were also not very pleasing.

Well, just for a value check, guess the price of these two rather scrawny tacos. Would you guess eight bucks ($8)? The lamb was dry, the tortillas seemed very low quality, and were also dry, they just tore apart when you tried to pick them up. Again, these were very low on the flavor scale.

The last item we tried were the Escargot Mushrooms.

This was another dish that could have used more aggressive seasoning. Also, there seemed to be but the tiniest piece of escargot on each mushroom, which really didn't matter much since it was very hard and rubbery. The sauce could have used more garlic and was very watery....give 'em some umph and get 'em to drink another beer!

We had thoughts about ordering more, but decided to cut our losses and just head next door a bit early to see if they had a table ready. On the good side, though a bit overwhelmed, our Server was very sweet as can be. Perhaps I need to order other items, or return after the grand opening period, once things settle down. But if it's anything like the evening we were here; a line of at least a dozen waiting outside when we left, maybe there's no motivation.... so we'll see. 

Luce Bar & Kitchen
1959 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

So, would dinner at "Old School" Baci turn things around? Stay tuned!

Honolulu: Pau Hana Time at 8 Fat Fat 8

After lunch at Mitch's I was off on a mission for the Missus at Ala Moana Center. Man, when I was first back here after being gone for almost a decade I was totally....well, overwhelmed might be the word. Ala Moana had grown into a multi-level, multi-building, multi (terrible)-parking, monster. Now two visits later, I've kinda relaxed and grown easy with the place.

It being a beautiful, if a bit muggy day, made things a lot easier. Still, I couldn't believe how hard it was to find parking at 130 in the afternoon.

After picking up gifts and omiyagi, I still had a great deal of time on my hands, so I decided to take one of my favorite drives..... I'm a "townie" at heart and I've always had a fondness for Mount Tantalus and Round Top Drive. Of course, it's been maybe almost fifteen years since I've been here. I wondered what had changed....well some things have changed, like, I don't remember the viewing platform at Puu Ualakaa State Wayside. You still can't beat the views from here.

I could see some rain moving in from Manoa Valley to my left.......

If you look down to the grassy area in front of the platform.....you can still imagine scenes from a certain well known movie filmed in Hawaii.

I used come up here once in a while when I lived here......though many times during the later part of the evenings....ummmm.....to...well...look at the city lights...yeah, to look at the city lights.

The rest of the afternoon was spent driving around, just checking things out......until I went to meet my friends for Pau Hana time, at a place where I've spent many of my evenings for over a decade.

 I've kinda gone through this before, but from the day 8 Fat Fat 8 opened, we....I was a regular customer until I left Honolulu. In fact, even after I left, the Missus and I would return as the owner, Sy (RIP) adored the Missus. He knew the Missus as that quiet young lady who never understood what my friends and I were talking about (it's pidgin after all) but loved his black-bean ginger crab. In fact, I'd return there to meet friends and Sy would ask me, "when your wife come....tell me....I go buy crab!" So I'd tell him....the Missus and I would get there and have a seat at the table reserved by my friends. Sy would bring out this bucket and place a couple of live crab on the table! They'd be scuttling around....he'd tell the Missus, "which one you want....you pick!" Man, those were good times......much happened behind those seedy looking doors in the joint next to Midas on Beretania.

It was quite interesting....I hadn't been here since Sy passed away. There's a pool table now, fewer dart boards....still karaoke though. And to my joy, the place is still hopping, at least on a Friday night. Much has changed, different folks, different kinds of drinks, everybody texts, or tweets, or whatever....but pau hana time endures.

I ordered my usual drink.....which will make those craft beer lovers in San Diego cringe. But when I'm back home; it's "Bud light, bucket ice".....you don't buck tradition.

It was nice to know that Sy's daughter, I believe her name is Mary....I only remember Sy telling me when she was going to school in Beijing, is now running the place. It's been modernized a bit, business seems more formal, but it's still totally local.

And in my opinion, some of the best "stick to your ribs" local kind grindz are found at places like these. The best example would be Side Street Inn......

So here's what we had as pupus......I hadn't had Crispy Gau Gee, since before the millennium....

Crispy, salty, shrimpy, porky, dipped in a mildly spicy-shoyu sauce.....it took me back to my childhood when "Chinese Food" (notice the quotes) was something we had on special occasions.

"L" wanted the calamari, which, to me was over battered and gummy....though it was decent drinking food.

We ended by getting "Fat Fat Chicken", which was my favorite menu item here. It was the signature item that set 8 Fat Fat 8 apart when they first opened.

Basically salt and pepper chicken, flavored with five-spice, deep fried. This is still pretty good...crisp skin, nice flavor, great with beer, not as dry as I recalled.

Beyond the food; it was nice seeing my "old friends"....and we are getting older. I'm hoping we'll be meeting up again soon...... 2 Filipino's from Kalihi, 1 dude from Cleveland, and me....how we ever got to be life-long friends, I'll never know.....and that really doesn't matter, does it?

 8 Fat Fat 8 Bar & Grille
1327 S Beretania St
Honolulu, HI 96814

 Thanks for reading!

Da Boyz and Brewers in Yuma

 Ed (from Yuma), not Kirk and not Cathy, is posting at mmm-yoso!!! today. About 2 restaurants (in Yuma).

Da Boyz

More than 10 years ago, a pizzeria opened in Yuma Foothills called Da Boyz. At first, we all assumed that this was some new national chain since the decor and logos were very professional. In fact, there are two other locations, one in La Mesa and one in Rancho San Diego. I have no idea about either of them. Similarly, I haven't eaten in the Foothills branch of Da Boyz in five years or more. Why? Because Da Boyz took over and renovated a beautiful large location in old town Yuma on Main Street:

It has extremely high ceilings and a lot of space:

Separate rooms decorated with pictures of Marilyn Monroe or the rat pack or Elvis are available for groups and special occasions. Here are some pictures from the Elvis room:

I like Da Boyz. The service is professional and this location is extremely well-managed. While the beer selection is largely conventional, there are usually at least one or two seasonal brews available:

To my taste, this is the best eat-in pizza restaurant in town – not just because of the nice atmosphere – but because the pizzas are good:

The crusts are real bread crusts:

A wide variety of toppings are available:

And the cheese is flavorful and real:

In addition, the salads are huge:

A small salad can be a filling meal or provide side salads (as shown here) for 2 to 4 eaters:

 

Leaving just an empty bowl:

Even though the lettuces are nothing special, a garden salad will have pepperoncini, sliced olives, bell pepper, red onion, tomato, and cucumber. The Italian dressing is surprisingly tasty.

 Of course, there is more than just pizza and salad. While I find the pasta to be pretty ordinary with unremarkable sauce and overcooked noodles, some of their sandwiches make a nice lunch. Here's the meatball (or perhaps sausage?):

When I'm looking for something slightly healthier, the turkey and provolone is good (this is half a sandwich - I share sometimes):

Da Boyz is one of those restaurants that I should have posted about years ago because it is part of my standard rotation and is a local favorite, having been voted the best pizza in town in the most recent newspaper poll. OK, so I finally got around to it.

Brewers

A more recent addition to the Yuma dining scene is another large restaurant called Brewers:

The story of this restaurant – as I've been told by several different people – is that it is owned and operated by the individual who was once the husband of the owner of Da Boyz. While Brewers is another favorite of mine, it offers some very interesting contrasts to Da Boyz.

 The large interior space is more modern in ambience and has a definite sports bar feel to it:

Here is a different view of the interior:

Instead of pizzas, Brewers has a nice selection of flat breads – cheese and toppings on lavash bread. (Rumor has it that Brewers cannot serve pizza because of the divorce settlement – but since I have not read this on the Internet, I do not know it as a fact). In any case, this is the blue bacon flatbread:

This is halfandhalf flatbread - part Mediterranean (spinach, feta, pepperoncini, olive, and garlic) and part Margherita (fresh tomato, basil, and garlic):

Brewers also has sandwiches (each of which comes with a choice of french fries, onion rings, seasoned chips, sweet potato fries, or tater tots). Some of the sandwiches are pretty mediocre. Here is a gyro with onion rings:

The sandwich meat and pita bread were pretty meh, and the onion rings were equally mediocre. Similarly, I should have known better than try a pulled pork sandwich:

However, those tater tots are really excellent. Extremely crunchy outside, moist and flavorful within.

 The Santa Fe turkey sandwich was tasty although the roasted green chile did not have real New Mexico flavor. The sweet potato fries, even with this latticework design, lacked much crunch though they were flavorful:

The burgers are generally the best sandwich choices. Here is a basic burger, and you can see the well seasoned, handmade patty as well as the tomato, lettuce, onion, and pickle complements:

And to repeat myself, the tater tots are really good.

 Another favorite is the honey mustard chicken burger. Along with the standard toppings of pickle, onion, tomato, and lettuce, you get a large chicken breast filet, a couple of slices of smoky bacon, melted Swiss cheese, and a flavorful honey mustard sauce:

The french fries are just okay.

 Some other things here that Tina and I enjoy – recently, she tried the Cobb salad and it was a very good rendition of the standard favorite:

And I could not believe how excellent the fish tacos were:

Yuma is one of those rare places where one can get good Mexican food even at restaurants that are not primarily Mexican restaurants – probably because most of the cooks in Yuma restaurants are Mexicans or Mexican-Americans. Anyway, those fish tacos, while extremely simple, were outstanding. There was just enough white sauce, the cabbage added some vegetable crunch, the salsa was remarkably smoky and spicy, and the fish fillets (yes, each taco contained an entire pollock fillet) were perfectly fried, crunchy on the outside and moist and flavorful inside:

As good as some of the food options are at Brewers, this place has a major advantage over any other place in Yuma: 10-12 taps devoted to various craft brews, mostly from Arizona, California, and Colorado. This is the listing of beers available on May 28 (notice the cross outs and handwritten additions):

Look at the top of the tap list, not the Bud and Millers listed toward the bottom. Here is a very different taplist for June 14:

Oskar Blues Dale's Pale Ale, Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro, Ballast Point Sculpin Ale, Grand Canyon Shaggy Bock, Four Peaks Peach Ale, Arrogant Bastard, San Tan Brewing Negro Nitro, Four Peaks Sunbru Kolsch, Coronado Mermaid Red, Maui Brewing Coconut Porter, TapIt IPA, Stone IPA, and Sam Adams Summer Ale are just some of the specialty brews available on one or both of those two days. Finally, in Yuma, you can sit down with friends and have beers that look like this:

Or like this:

Wow!! Yuma has arrived in the 21st century. And those beers go really well with deep-fried zucchini:

Da Boyz and Brewers both make my life in Yuma better. If you visit them, they will probably improve your life (though perhaps not your waistline) as well.

Da Boyz Italian Cuisine 284 S Main, Yuma AZ 85364, (928) 783-8383

Brewers Restaurant and Sports Bar, 2331 S Ave B, Yuma AZ, 85364, (928) 783-0073.

KNB Wine Cellars-Lunch

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog.  You somehow have found it on your computer.  A few of us share the blogging duties: Kirk, who is globetrotting, ed (from Yuma) who is hanging around Yuma right now and Cathy, who has somehow found her way to the SDSU area of town.

Hi.  One block North of Interstate 8 at the College Avenue exit, is the signal light for Del Cerro Boulevard. Turn right, look to your left and you'll see  Windmill Farms, a Community Market and all around great grocery store close to San Diego State University. Some students shop here, but the location, in a University neighborhood, means the locals also shop at this wonderful market.  

Right next door, attached to the Windmill Farms building, is KNB Wine Cellars.  It takes up a small storefront.   The sign on the front clarifies the name- Keg and Bottle.  

When you step up to the doorway, you can see this space is deep.

 

Walk in and the selection of non-refrigerated beers is extensive. Opposite these shelves and around the back of the store is a wall of refrigerators.

The liquors, spirits and wine selection is also extensive. 

Within this maze is a Bistro. Yes. Not hidden, but maybe you wouldn't think  this was a place to stop for a meal, other that the other part of the outdoor signage "Fine Foods"... There are seats indoors and also on a patio out front.

I had a non-alcohol lunch here recently. I did notice the beer tap selection was quite large and the menu has a variety of not only wines but also Flights (a number of small samples of reds or whites) but also mentions monthly events. 

This lunch started with one order of Huevos Diablo ($1).

Deviled eggs.  The yolk is mixed with beer and then piped back into the whites and topped with a jalapeño. A few of these would be a perfect snack or small meal for me.

The West Coast Caprese Salad ($9.50) has a beautiful presentation.

Heirloom tomatoes, Cotija cheese and avocado, topped with cilantro and a *really* nice balsamic.  This combination has inspired me to experiment a bit more at home.  I never had considered Cotija cheese as much more than a garnish, since it doesn't melt.  It is salty and has more of a slight soft-to solid texture-like Feta.  This combination of flavors was just right. A creative take on a traditional Caprese salad.

My friend had a Buster Keaton Sandwich ($9). Roast beef, Gorgonzola, roasted red peppers, mayonnaise and spinach on a toasted ciabatta. A small spring mix salad was on the side. I am unsure what roast beef has to do with Buster Keaton, a silent film actor.  I had a bite of the sandwich and it was very good. 

All in all, the KNB Wine Cellars Bistro is a hidden gem. It's a very nice, local place with a very interesting menu.  The prices and selection of beers, wines and spirits is extensive.  I'll be returning with The Mister to try out more of the menu.

KNB Wine Cellars 6380 Del Cerro Boulevard San Diego 92120 (619) 286-0321 Website

Meals with Friends: The Lion's Share, Okan, Savory Garden, Santouka, and Izakaya Sakura

It seems that I've been having quite a few meals with great friends of mine recently, so here's a rundown:

The Lion's Share:

Ange, Peter, and John wanted to meet up for a bite and some cocktails....not really a specialty of mine, but I thought why the heck not. I got to choose and went with The Lion's Share and new Gastro- Craft Cocktail Lounge (Gastro-lounge???)  that features a good amount of wild game on the menu. It did help that the four month old restaurant/lounge stood right around the corner from the Orange Line's Seaport Village stop. No drinking and driving for me......

I actually took the photo of the building because of the fellow in the photo to the right. He's come out everytime a trolley would stop and watch the folks getting out of the trolley, head turning left and right, then walk back in....until the next trolley would arrive! Quite entertaining.....

I usually don't post on these type of meals in San Diego, there are more than enough coverage of most of them, but what the heck, I actually took my camera out for a change while John and I waited for Peter.....

I decided to try one of the cocktails....this one was called Fernet About It....featuring Scotch and Fernet Branca....fairly strong, but nice and relaxing. Soon enough John arrived and we just chatted for a while........ Peter was running on "Peter time", so we just kinda hung out at the bar.....

Finally, we just figured to order some food....we really didn't know if Ange and Peter were actually going to make it. I ordered two starters and an entree, figuring we'd be heading somewhere else after......

First to arrive were the Antelope Sliders ($12).

Even though sliders are now kind of cliche, I gotta say these were very good. Slightly gamey, cooked to a perfect medium, seasoned, but not too heavily, the sweetness of the red onion marmalade cut any strong gamey flavors. This was the best item of the night.

Strangely, the Buffalo Bolognase with Bone Marrow ($18) arrived next before our second starter......

 I should have given this better thought and chosen better.......this was very bland, except for the cheese which killed everything...the bone marrow gave the dish a strange greasiness that I didn't enjoy. It was rich in a rather unpleasant way for me.....

While we were digging, the Potato Puffs($7) arrived.

These were basically mashed potato croquettes....which were seasoned nicely, but not crisp enough for me. The malt vinegar aioli tasted like what you'd think a  mildly sour mayonnaise would.

By this time Ange and Peter arrived and they were able to sample the food as well...before we took of to our next destination to meet up with even more friends.

Overall, those sliders were very good, but if I ever return I'll pick a different entree. I did enjoy my drinks ($11) and the guys manning the bar were very friendly. The place is pretty dark and the space gets very loud very quickly.

The Lion's Share
629 Kettner Boulevard
San Diego, California 92101
Open daily 4 pm - 2 am

Lunch at Okan:

My Buddy Dennis has done a great job covering lunch at Okan and our very own Cathy has done a couple as well. I recently met Candice for lunch and we decided that Okan was the perfect spot. I ended up ordering the Buta Kakuni Lunch Combo ($9.50).

I had mentioned being somewhat disappointed in the Buta Kakuni in a previous post and wanting to try it again. Well, this just confirmed it.....a bit too tough and dry with regards to buta kakuni for my taste. It's also on the bland side. The boiled egg was also dry and the yolk way overdone.

It's time to move on to better things on the menu. The conversation was much better than the food and it was nice chatting to Candice before her upcoming trip to Paris.

Wa Dining Okan
3860 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Lunch at Savory Garden:

I got another chance to meet my good FOY (Friend of Yoso) "MrZ", the Zompus for lunch at Savory Garden. Since I'd only had the Niu Rou Mian here, I thought this would be a nice chance to try something else. I went with the Pork Chop Lunchbox ($7.49).

In terms of portion size, maybe a bit more pork would help. It was fried nicely and seasoned fairly well. The best thing on the plate were the vegetables, a nice sweet and sour. The topping on the rice tasted bitter and I could have done without that and the egg was overcooked and rubbery. There were two tables of customers during our visit, during peak lunch hour....I'm not sure if this place is going to survive.

Savory Garden
7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Lunch with Ed from Yuma at Santouka:

I've been here and posted on the place too many timesto even bother.........it's the same 'ol, same 'ol.

I don't think I've seen Ed from Yuma, in a while....the last time I recalled he basically sucked down a baklava from Sultan so fast I thought the plate was going to take off! It was nice seeing an old friend. What was really interesting, was to see that Ed has pretty much hit rockstar status.....when he's not taking writers from the Arizona Republic on Taco Truck tours he's meeting with his adoring public. There was a nice woman having ramen next to us....when she got up to leave she said, "excuse me for interrupting....but are you Ed from Yuma? I really enjoy reading your posts!" Pretty soon Ed will be beating them off with a stick! Seriously, it was nice meeting you Yoshiko (please correct me if I got your name wrong!) and thanks for reading!

Santouka Ramen
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd(In the Mitsuwa Marketplace)
San Diego, CA 92111

Dinner with my best friend at Izakaya Sakura:

Well, you can pretty much guess who that is, right? Yes, there are times when I feel She's my only friend, so who better to spend a nice mild evening with at Izakaya Sakura. In the mood for something I hadn't had from the menu I went with the Sara Udon, which Dennis posted on here.

I love most crispy noodles (except for those that are almost powdery) and this "bari men" thin pan fried noodles did the trick. The "gravy" was quite flavorful; in fact, the Missus kept poaching stuff of my plate. The shrimp and baby squid were cooked nicely. Kind of pricey at $12, but the portion size was fairly hefty.....I'm probably going back to Gyokai Natto Don (which is now on the menu) the next time, but this was a nice change of pace. And who better to spend the evening with, right?

I also got confirmation that they are taking over the space previously occupied by Chilies Thai for a Japanese-Italian Restaurant.

Izakaya Sakura
3904 Convoy St #121
San Diego, CA 92111

So there you go....some meals with friends...perhaps the food may not have been the best, but the company is always great. A nice way to end our Thursday and take us into Friday!

Madison - Sprecher's Restaurant and Pub

In an email before my trip to Madison, Cathy reminded me to be careful, since it seemed that there was always something happening on every other trip we've taken..... Earthquake before our trip to Peru, riots before our trip to Thailand, and of course, having to fly through an eerie Mexico City Airport on the way back from Guatemala right when the 2009 Swine Flu Pandemic broke. Between those trips we visited Vietnam/Cambodia, I travelled to Madison, and of course our trip to China. So I guess I was due........

It wasn't anything too bad, just the strongest storm ever recorded in the Midwest. The rain and 60-70mph winds discouraged me from driving, so we decided to stick close to the hotel. A couple of those restaurants on my list would just have to wait until next time. Still, I really didn't see myself going all the way to Madison and eating at Denny's. On my first evening in Madison, during my drive back to the hotel, I noticed a pretty busy looking restaurant/bar, and the folks exiting looked local, not like folks from all the hotels in the area. The name of the place was Sprecher's, which I later found out is the same as that of a very well known Milwaukee County Brewery of the same name. According to the story, Sprecher Brewery was founded by Randal Sprecher who is originally from..... California. Sprecher had a degree in oceanography, but was unable to pursue a career in that field due to a little problem...... he got seasick! Don't know if it's true, but it's a nice story.

After making our way from the freezing parking lot we entered the dining area which looked like a Bavarian themed Rock Bottom, or something of the sort. The menu really didn't thrill me much either with items like Thai Lettuce Wraps, Crab Cakes, Seared Tuna, and Cajun Pasta on the menu. Until I found a couple of items more befitting of a place called Sprecher's.

The beer list was a bit more interesting. And I noticed that "tasters" were offered at three for $4.50 and six for $9. So I thought I'd go for the six, after all, I had envisioned 2-3 ounce pours.... but what I received seemed to be much larger than that.

 

Our server, named Anna was a joy.... efficient and cheerful, I had her choose my six beers, which she had arranged for me, from light to dark. She had also taken the time to list each beer in order by hand. Anna told me that they used to have print-outs for folks ordering the sampler but stopped doing that a while ago, she thought I'd like to know and remember what I was drinking.

This is the El Rey, a very effervescent Mexican Ale. My favorite was the Abbey, slightly fruity, perhaps edging on the sweet, but I enjoyed it.

If you've read my previous posts on Madison, you'll have a pretty good idea of what I was having as a starter..... it's Deep Fried Cheese Curds ($7) of course!

 

  As Fried Cheese Curds go, these were just ok. Not even close in flavor or texture to those at the Old Fashioned, but serviceable. More gooey and stringy then other versions I've had.

And just because I'm so predictable, of course I had the Sprecher's Brat with Beer Cheese Potatoes ($9):

 

This was just ok, and really tasted like concept brew pub food, being very corporate in presentation and flavor. The brat really didn't catch my attention, and it was covered with a load of flavors....whole grain mustard and sauerkraut I can take, but the caramelized onions with what seemed to be bacon was a bit much. I really couldn't taste much beeriness in the beer cheese potatoes, in fact it was pretty bland as a whole.

Perhaps in the end, the corporate chain-like food didn't impress me very much; but the service was excellent, the prices not bad, and I really enjoyed the company. It sure beat being out in the wind and the rain.

Sprecher's Restaurant & Pub
1265 John Q Hammons Road
Madison, WI 53717