mmm-yoso!!!

Sunday Sandwiches: Porchetta times two - Ariccia Market and Roseville Cozinha

A couple of porky sandwiches for a Sunday. I tried to make this a trio, but could never get to Bencotto on a day when they had the layered and rolled swine. I'm hoping to try it in the near future. Still, I did have two nice sandwiches recently.

Ariccia Market:

Well, being named Ariccia, the "home" of porchetta gives it away....you pretty much better have said rolled swine. There's actually a Porchetta festival in the town of about 20,000 every year in September. I had visited the market a couple of times before trying out the porchetta, I like the brand of French Harissa they sell.

Finally, a couple of months back, I had a chance to try the Porchetta Sandwich ($9):

I really enjoyed the balance of the sandwich, the moist pork worked well with the sweetness of the caramelized onions and the acid of the balsamic based sauce. The peppery-bitterness of the arugula really cleared out the richness and the lightly yeasty, almost rustically crackly bread made this a joy to eat. Nothing fancy here, just a combination of ingredients prepared properly, used in perfect context and proportion. Very nice. Consumed at 9 in the morning, it's a heck of a way to start your Sunday, I'll say that much.

Ariccia Italian Market
7441 A Girard Ave
La Jolla, CA 92037

There's one other tidbit about Ariccia you might not know. Ariccia has the distinction of being one of the places whose mention is banned by Chowhound. From what I recalled, this very sandwich was mentioned in a Chowhound post and the owner posted to thank them...and boom, any mention of the the place is removed by the moderators. I know, it's hard to believe....though CH does have a policy - noted here. I think the one thing that bothered me about the whole deal is that there's another restaurant owner, who has replied to posts on Chowhound, using his own name, defending policies, etc..... So he goes totally free while other one gets life in solitary. If you're going to have such severe policies, at least be consistent with them. 'Nuff said. CH has a way of being quite vengeful and condescending....it once called Ed from Yuma "one of those idiots and miscreants" when he questioned why a post was deleted. So I'm wondering what'll happen to me the next time I try to post on CH?

Roseville Cozinha:

About a week after the porchetta from Ariccia, we dropped by Roseville so the Missus could get Her cioppino fix. I hadn't realized that they had a version of porchetta on their menu as well. So of course I had to order it ($10):

 In terms of heft and price, this was a nice deal. Even though the classic porchetta sandwich is a panini, I love the way Roseville simply salts, brushes with olive oil, then grills the wonderful breads from Con Pane. This ciabatta is no exception. The addition of fries made this a bit more than I could eat.

I can't say that the sandwich had the same harmonic balance as what Ariccia serves, but it sure did satisfy me.

Sadly, this was off the menu during our last visit....but hopefully they'll have it back on the menu periodically.

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

So there you go! Do let me know if you see more porchetta popping up elsewhere....so I can get my weekly dose of swine!

Recently Consumed

I haven't done one of these for almost a month.....so here's a post for a wet Friday here in San Diego.

I noticed how much was lost when we fried merguez from Whole Paycheck....so trying to get the most out of it, I first pan fried the lamb based sausages, then pan roasted potatoes in the rendered fat from the merguez. Man....this was really good.

Here's an interesting fun experiment.....pinenut crusted halibut.

Man, I wish our broiler worked....I'm sure we'd have gotten some better carmelization. As served, this was so moist....I think the Missus know understands that you can do some nice fish in the oven. The drizzle of black garlic olive oil I made was a nice touch.

Then during the middle of our coldest evenings....we had Oden.

You gotta love those portable butane stoves....I think every household should have one. If just as part of their "disaster kit".

Of course I made too much broth.....adding this to some major laziness means that I availed myself of whatever dried product I had on hand.

So wakame, dried mushroom went in.........there was some tofu in the fridge.....I poached some of the Missus' dandelion greens for some pungent bitterness. But this didn't become complete until I made an omelet with Chinese preserved radish.

I've been kinda lazy the last two nights.....so while I've made stuff the Missus wanted to eat for dinner, I've stuck with making sandwiches for me.

 So last night was beer braised veal bratwurst which I then wrapped in bacon and browned. This was really nice on some sauerkraut seasoned with some oregano over melted Swiss cheese and Dijon Mustard. Some sweet pickled red peppers completed the sandwich. The Missus had a bite and now wants me to have this during the weekend.

Tonight was a simple steak sandwich...after all, I need to use up those rolls.

It was the bed of peppers and onions sauteed with a touch of white balsamic that really made this tasty.

So what have you been made at home recently?

Sunday Sandwiches: Supernatural Sandwiches

Sometimes it can be strange......I'll get an email from and "friend of a friend of a friend".....inviting me to drop their restaurant/coffee shop/deli..... I try to avoid being put into that position by just not going. Our not doing freebies policy works in our favor as well. It helps us to be honest when no strings are attached. It keeps things simple...."we eat, then write about it."

However, on occasion something interesting comes down the pike. As is the case with "Anthony", who knows my good friends John and PeterL. He and his partners own a stand called Supernatural Sandwiches. Anthony has commented on a couple of posts and shot me an email, which I answered, getting a very....how should I say it, enthusiastic response. Bread from Bread and Cie, fish from Catalina Offshore, produce from Suzie's Farms...all of which sounded great. Even though I haven't posted on it yet, we've been dropping by the San Diego Public Market on just about a weekly basis....so I thought what the heck? Of course there was the issue of Anthony knowing the twins..... which put me into a bit of a position. John assured me that whatever I had to say....or write would not put him or his brother into a bad position with Anthony, and heck, they didn't like him anyway (Anthony, if you're reading this, that's a joke, ok?)!

So on my next trip down to SDPM, I drop by the stand, and a really, really, friendly young man greets me and takes my order. It's got to be Anthony of course. Very nice fellow and all that. Then of course, he asks me my name for the order ticket........ well, I'm not much of a liar, so I tell him "Kirk" and he doesn't blink an eye and writes my name down on my order. Great.....

The menu is a nice, tight, seven sandwiches....all of them named after mythical water creatures, kind of cute. So of course, all of the sandwiches are based on seafood.

On this day, we had two sandwiches:

And let me first say, I loved the bread, sort of a brioche toasted to perfection, not overly oily or buttery, with a hint of sweetness, and very light.

We started with the "Nessie" ($9), which at it's core is a white fish with a miso based glaze.

The sandwich itself was kind of wet, but the bread held up well. I wasn't too sure about this when I saw that it was halibut....we love halibut, but having made misoyaki style fish just about my entire life, I know that halibut was too dry to stand up to a miso glaze......

So what I had was a sopping sandwich with dry fish and a very mild miso based glaze at its core. It also looked like it could have spent a bit more time on the flat- top.

I'm sure other folks will like this.....I'd prefer something with a bit more oil and fat.....like black cod, which Catalina Offshore often has.

Our other sandwich was the "Hydra" ($9). This one is a blackened tuna (in this case albacore) with a spicy aioli and an acidic avocado based sauce.

 After the previous sandwich, I wasn't too sure about albacore, which can be a very dry fish. But in this case I was wrong. It was nicely seared, nice crust, I loved the seasonings, the aioli had a mild "zing" and the avocado sauce tempered the heat.

I really enjoyed this sandwich. It gave me a reason to return......

Last night, John joined us for dinner, and tells me right off, "hey, my friend Anthony told me you dropped by his sandwich stand a couple of weeks ago"....... And I had to crack up. Not too many Asians with a good Scottish name like Kirk I guess....

So earlier today, we're at SDPM, and I stop by Supernatural Sandwiches....of course Anthony is there and we chat a bit. Then one of the guys in the back asks me, "didn't I see you at Catalina Offshore yesterday?" Sheesh....these guys are everywhere!

This time around I ordered the "Siren" ($8), the garlic shrimp sandwich. I know this is made with Mexican White Shrimp from Catalina Offshore, so as long as it's not overcooked it'll probably be pretty good.

And it was. The shrimp were very moist, plump, and sweet. Even the Missus was impressed. The bread was the same, except this time it was expressed in the form of a lobster roll type bun, which was just perfect.

Everything went well, perhaps too much of a good thing with the garlic aioli, but I'm sure most folks will just love that. I'm thinking a bit more acid would help as well. But overall, no complaints.

I enjoyed this last sandwich, so I'll probably be back. And though I'm not one of those preaching "farm to table", I do appreciate the fresh and local ingredients. Sadly, as far as I know, you can only get these on Wednesdays and Sundays at the San Diego Public Market....for now....

Supernatural Sandwiches (In the San Diego Public Market)
1735 National Ave
San Diego, CA 92113

Wed and Sunday 9am - 2 pm

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...

 

PL Bagels-(Point Loma)

This is mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog.  Kirk and ed (from Yuma) are out and about running errands today. Cathy was out and about running errands and this place caught her attention. She is writing about it today.

A few years ago, I was working in the Point Loma area on an Election Day. When I had time to take a break, I stopped in this parking lot on Voltaire Street, anchored by this Stumps Family Marketplace, a 'fancier' Market.  The Mister and I now make regular trips here, mainly to purchase their various house made sausages, which are coarse ground and have just the right amount of spices.  

It's a very nice market, selling a good variety of items and I would shop here regularly if I lived closer. On the same block, but around the taco shop and in the next parking area East (closer to Point Loma High School) I discovered this humble looking bagel shop.

 

It's owned and run by a very nice Asian family who make what I think are the best bagels in the County.

Eight tables inside the building. A limited menu.  A limited number of bagels made daily- usually sold out before 1 p.m. (the store opens at 6:30 a.m. daily). Bialy (my favorite) are made on weekends only.  Mini bagels available for 35¢ each.  These are not huge, fluffy, chain store bagels; each one does have a hole in the middle. Handmade, with great chew yet soft and always fresh is what is served here. I have heard people say the bagels here are as close to New York Style as you can get on this coast.

Toasted and with butter is how I've always enjoyed a bagel.  You can see the size on these smaller (6 inch?) paper plates.  The Mister's (on the right) is his favorite- a salt bagel. Mine is a (wheat) everything (white everything is also available).  (I order an everything as a default because I am easily overwhelmed when  having to choose, and an everything has a bit of...everything... on it.)

What really sets these bagels apart from others is this- this is a photo of the bottom of each bagel.  The 'toppings' are really 'surroundings' of flavor.  Just perfect.

I hope everyone is have a good weekend!

PL Bagels 3704 Voltaire Street, Suite 107 San Diego 92106 (619)223-4788 Open daily 6:30-1:00

Oceanside: Panca Peruvian Rotisserie

You didn't think that I'd drive up to see my buddy JohnL and just grab a poke bowl, right? I needed to make use of John's appetite and ability to pace himself for another stop. I'd heard about a Pollo a la Brasa joint up in Oceanside and wanted to try it out. Now in Lima, it seems you can't even walk a block without running into one of those places. The most popular chain is named Pardo's, which was good, but I happen to love the papas fritas made with papa amarilla, a yellow potato with a flavor similar to yukon gold. Along with the wonderful aji aioli it was good stuff.

Located next to a laundromat on Coast Highway, it's easy to pass the rather small sign for Panca. The design and decor is very much "fast-casual" looking, simple with colors and various paintings....love the photo of Aji Amarillo on one of the walls.

Having John here was a blessing; since in addition to the Pollo ala Brasa, we could try several of the interesting sounding sandwiches.

We started with the Lomito ($7.95), which is basically Lomo Saltado minus the papas fritas on a bun.

The meat is fairly chewy, but not unpleasantly so....this is based on lomo saltado after all. I'd have loved a bit more onions and more tangy tomatoes, but I'm sure the place wants to please the meat eaters. Nice soy flavors, this seemed to missing that wonderful anise-mint flavor delivered from Huacatay, but I'm sure that's hard to get. A bit too much bread for me, but it stood up well to whatever juices came out of the meat. I must say that the Aji sauce was pretty one-dimensional, a bit of heat and not much else.

The "fresh-cut" fries were actually quite nice....good potato flavor. And there was a ton of it.....

As you can see with the Chicharron Sandwich ($6.95) we ordered:

Geeez Louise....do you think that's enough fries??? Luckily, they have a decent potato flavor, even if they don't stay crisp for very long.

Now just the word Chicharron, in the context of Peruvian food makes my mouth water. It brings back memories of a street called Pampas de Castillo in Cusco. This was where all the Chicharronerias were located. During lunch, the restaurants would wheel out the fryers to the sidewalk and start cooking up pork and chicken, the fragrance of swine frying could be caught all the way down to Plaza de Armas!

This version was fairly mild, like a tame pulled pork.

The sweet potato chips at the bottom of the sandwich, I'm sure was there to add some sweetness (which it didn't) and a textural contrast, which it slightly did. I could have done with a bit more of the sarza criolla, the onion relish, which also could have used some aji amarilla for some umph. The pork flavor was decent, but this was a bit dry and the large amount of bread did it no favors. Still, I think this is worth the price........

And finallywe tried the Quarter Chicken ($6.95), which also came with a huge amount of fries.

Now there are a couple of things I need to say first; the chicken was on the small side, but I'm fine with that. In many cases these smaller birds (like they'll use in Peru) have more flavor. Second, from the flavor, I don't think these were roasted over wood, so you can't even compare with Peru, or even LA.

The chicken was very moist, perhaps a bit heavy on the sodium, but with a decent overall flavor. I'm thinking perhaps a bit better than what Nazca Grill serves, who finishes their chicken over wood (or so I've been told), but I've got to get back there again to refresh my tastebuds. It's not something I'd go out of my way for, but I'm glad I tried it.

The service was good, they've got my favorite Peruvian Beer, Cristal, and I'd drop in every once in a while if I lived in the neighborhood. In terms of value, I'd say that it depends on what you order.

Panca Peruvian Rotisserie
1902 South Coast Hwy
Oceanside, CA 92054

Hours:
Tues - Thurs 11am - 9pm
Fri - Sat    11am - 10pm
Sunday       11am - 9pm
Closed on Mondays

 

Pasadena Road Trip-An early 2013 Rose Parade event and breakfast at Lucky Boy

Hi there, person reading the blog called mmm-yoso!!! Sometimes Kirk writes here about meals and events and sometimes ed (from Yuma) writes about meals and events.  Today, Cathy is writing about an event and a meal.

Well, it's been a hot and busy summer so far, probably for everyone.  There are events every weekend it seems.  Last weekend, San Diego was hosting both Comic-Con and Over the Line, the Orange County Fair opened and on Saturday, The Mister and I woke at 4:30 a.m., let the dogs out and back in the house, grabbed some snacks and coffee and jumped in the car and headed North, to Pasadena.  In less than two hours, we were greeted by this sign.

Our reason for the trip and being here before 7 a.m.. Some of the floats that will appear in the 2013 Tournament of Roses parade were going to be road tested! There are at least three road tests for each float before the parade.  This road test was mentioned on the Phoenix Decorating Company Facebook page and not on the website. The Rose Parade has fascinated both of us since we were children, watching it on television every New Year Day from our snow-bound homes back East and we are so happy to be able live here and be able to help decorate floats and also watch the progression of their creation every year. 

This will be the Trader Joe's entry.  You can see a few of the many kitchen gadgets (and cupcake holders) that will be part of the float.  There will be some animation and those parts seemed to be the ones tested.

This is the initial sketch of the float. You can see the photo is facing the opposite of this drawing. It will be interesting to see the final product, which I am sure will be great. 

Another float was being driven, with the Observer in front, directing the driver (who will be in an enclosed area in the middle of the float) down the street using headsets and microphones and then directing to a 180 degree turn at the end of the street to get back to the barn.

You can see the driver in this photo.

Other floats have the rebar skeletons covered and are almost ready to be marked for colors.  This is the Shriners Hospital float.  One bear depicts the Shriners Open Golf Tournament and the other bear depicts the Shriners Football Classic:

The rectangle cut into the belly of that bear will be where the Observer for this float will be looking out along the parade route.

Some of the floats are essentially ready for decorating, covered with foam and painted the colors where the various live and dried materials will be placed and glued.  This is the 'other side' of the Nurses' float-the side the television cameras won't show.

This is the side you will see when you watch the parade on television.  So beautiful.  

The Rotary International float is very animated- that screw knob in the back spins and so do all of the gears!  It was tested with nine riders. 

The City of Hope float looks like a Chemistry Laboratory, complete with a spiral bound notebook and microscope.

There were eleven floats in all, all in different levels of being finished and tested for safety.  It was fun to watch...and was all over before 9 a.m. There will be another road test on August 18. Dry decorating of the floats begins December 1.  Volunteers are always welcome, but you have to sign up.  Here are  three links about decorating opportunities.

So, it was breakfast time and The Mister and I walked half a block North and over the Metro Gold Line tracks (this is the Fillmore Station)

to Arroyo Parkway and took a left,

and stopped at about two blocks North, at Lucky Boy...which is right at the corner with
the *Original* Trader Joe's location (the logo under the main sign is "Your neighborhood grocery store").

Anyhow, Lucky Boy.  Walk up, order...

pay and wait for your number to be called...

A little peek inside the cooking area. The tortillas are cooked on a grill- and have grill marks.

This is a cross section of the famous Breakfast Burrito ($5.80).  It weighs about one pound.  Really. Hash browns, cheese, scrambled eggs and, in this case, ham-which was warm from the grill; nice.  The salsa which came with was tasty and unique, a tomatillo based with some green chili and also a red chili with some heat.   

We have been here before, but for lunch and dinner, and I usually order a pastrami something, but this time I decided to try a simple breakfast...

An egg sandwich, on rye toast. ($3.25)(not a typo).  Soft scrambled eggs with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise on a really nice rye bread.  

A perfect day.  We stopped at a few places and were home by noon.  The day had just begun!

Lucky Boy Drive In 640 S. Arroyo Parkway Pasadena, CA 91105 Website It is closed on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, otherwise it's open. 




 

 

 

K Sandwiches- more than sandwiches

mmm-yoso!!! is the Food Blog you have stumbled upon.  Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are not blogging today, for various reasons. Cathy has no reason to not be blogging.

If you go to the "Search" box at the top left column of this blog and put in "K Sandwiches", you'll get 2600 links to mentions of it on this blog.  Between all of us blogging here, we haven't even written 2000 posts yet.  Apparently we at mm-yoso!!! post about it, or places near it, using this former Bank Building on the intersection of Convoy where it turns into Linda Vista and Mesa College Drive where it turns into Aero Drive as a Point of Reference/Landmark as well as posting about the food here. 

The parking lot is not this empty very often; such emptiness is unusual. 

Inside, there is a small area with fresh baked breads, rolls and croissants.

As well as a "steam tray" area, with rice paper rolls and various other savory choices.

There is also a small area of fresh made dessert items(I don't have a photo, but there is Vietnamese yogurt here; it is different and very good).

Here is a view of the cash registers from a table against the wall. You order (the menu is just behind and above the cash register area-straight ahead when you walk in) and/or pay for items you have picked up.  The steam tray and all the other above photographed area is just on the other side of the registers.

This is Sandwich #25- tuna salad ($3.99).  The simple tuna and mayonnaise mix is spread on the fresh baked large croissant and filled with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and pickled jalapeños.

One day we picked up (from left) two shrimp cakes (50¢ each), a pate chaud ($1) the shrimp spring rolls ($2.50)and two eggrolls ($1).  All fresh, light and crispy and filled with the corresponding meats.

Our latest 'must get' is from the steam trays- the chicken curry ($4.99).  When you get it to 'eat here', it is served in this glass pie plate.  The chicken is tender, and the curry sauce is fascinating- coconut milk is definitely part of the base, along with those chilis you see in the photo...and it is served with a fresh, hot, crispy roll. Lately, we make sure we get here before noon, so the curry won't be gone for the day.

Then there is another current obsession.  Sandwich #7- the sardine banh mi ($2.85).  A fresh crispy roll. The sardines -in a tomato sauce- are heated, crushed and served on the sandwich with the standard accoutrement-pickled daikon, carrot, cucumber, fresh cilantro (still on the stem...a bit annoying, but expected here) and raw jalapeño. It is perfect. The flavors are complimented by the hot cafe ($1.75)-strong coffee- I added half and half to it...and new/not on the menu but taped near the registers- mung bean milk (iced or hot, $2.75).

Always an adventure ending in a great meal. I hope everyone is having a good start to Summer. 

K Sandwiches 7604 Linda Vista Road at Mesa College Drive San Diego 92111 (858)278-8961

Kneaders Bakery & Café: Yuma and Elsewhere

At this moment Kirk is eating somewhere in this world, Cathy is eating somewhere in San Diego, and ed (from Yuma) is still eating somewhere in Yuma. This post is from him. 

You know how sometimes you just don't get around to doing something. I have been eating at Kneaders Bakery and Café and taking pictures of the food now for over four years. Of course, I've wanted to do a post about the place, but I just haven't gotten around to it until today. I guess it's about time.

 The Kneaders restaurants in Yuma are part of a small chain centered in Utah (12 locations there and one in Idaho). They seem to specialize in small town locations desperately in need of good bread and sandwich shops – hence the chain’s only two Arizona locations in Yuma. The first one is in the southwest part of town on Avenue B and 28th St.:

The newer location is at the South West edge of Yuma Palms shopping center, close to the 16th St. exit off of I-8 (and close to Ninja Sushi):

Not only do both locations look pretty much the same, they also share a general layout. If you enter from the side door, you are immediately in a line that leads to the cash registers where you place your order. As you can see, there is often a line of customers:

While this line sometimes goes slowly, it has the advantage (for Kneaders, at least) of allowing everyone to salivate over the delicious looking desserts:

You also can choose a loaf of one of their European-style, natural breads baked in an Italian hearthstone oven:

The bread is what keeps me coming back. Although the baguettes ($2.59), French country sourdough ($4.99), and Paisano ($3.19) are perhaps not as good as at Bread et Cie, they are certainly better than other breads available in Yuma. In particular, I love the Rye bread ($4.79):

It is dark, rustic, and flavored nicely with caraway seeds:

The breads are also a key ingredient in the generally excellent sandwiches at Kneaders. The Chicken, Cheese and Ham on Ciabatta ($6.99) is very tasty:

Here you can see the ingredients, which include lettuce, tomatoes, red onions, Swiss cheese, ham, grilled chicken, and honey mustard sauce:

The roll has been lightly toasted and the cheese slightly melted.

 My favorite sandwich is called Turkey Bacon Avocado on Focaccia ($6.99):

I remember first ordering the sandwich and wondering if the sandwich had turkey bacon on it or if turkey and bacon were separate ingredients – as they are. Even with the confusing name, I order it often and have numerous pictures of it, such as this one:

As I was thinking about this post, I realized that I needed to talk about some sandwich that doesn't involve chicken or turkey, so I had an excellent excuse to try the French Dip on Baguette ($5.79):

As I feared, the beef was nothing special:

Clearly, this sandwich was also not a messy sloppy drippy decadent French dip, but it was actually pretty good. It had a nice beef flavor, and the barely melted Swiss cheese contributed a certain balance. And the baguette was perfect– very flavorful with a nice complex taste from the levain and a crusty crust that was not too hard and crunchy. The steaming hot jus came in a generous portion and was not one dimensional or too salty. It added to the taste; it didn't take over. All in all, a satisfying sandwich.

 Kneaders also has Panini, which are served with a dill pickle spear and extremely good, thick crunchy Parmesan chips. Here's what they call Chicken Pesto on French Country ($7.19):

The chips are really excellent. However, I find this sandwich a little underwhelming and rather ordinary. The menu says the sandwich has pesto sauce, but whenever we've had it, the pesto sauce consists of basil leaves:

A better Panini, to my palate at least, is the Turkey Artichoke on Focaccia ($7.19):

Kneaders’ focaccia bread is quite good and seems to match up with turkey nicely. As on all their turkey sandwiches, this is actual roasted turkey, not some reconfigured turkey breast product:

I also enjoy the interplay between the turkey and the marinated artichoke heart, but often I wish there was a little more of everything on the sandwich:

Sandwiches are also available on croissants, such as this turkey cranberry ($5.79):

As you can see, the croissant sandwiches are served with a small side salad. There is plenty of cranberry sauce as well as lettuce and Swiss cheese:

A range of other sandwiches (called Café sandwiches) are available as whole sandwiches or halves, such as this BLT:

You can also make various combo meals by adding chips or a side salad or soup:

Though I do not know about them personally, Kneaders serves breakfasts of various kinds from 7 AM until 11 and a range of "Gourmet Salads" at lunch:

As you can tell by this post, I focus on the sandwiches mostly. Well, okay, also on the often irresistible desserts. Look at these German chocolate brownies, for example:

And I love the tarts ($1.99), including the mixed fruit tart:

Or the lime tart:

Strawberry anyone?:

And my favorite – available only in season – the peach tart with cinnamon:
I don't remember what these chocolate, coconut,  nut and gooey cupcakes are called, but I think I gain a couple of pounds just looking at them:

Overall, Kneaders contributes significantly to the quality of eating in Yuma. In my mind, Kneaders is the best bakery in town. The breads, desserts, and sandwiches are generally good. They do catering for business get-togethers or parties. Unfortunately, no beer or wine is served (it is a chain out of Utah, after all), but sodas, coffee beverages, and tea are available.

Kneaders Bakery & Café, 2851 S. Ave. B #33 (928-726-9700), and 1651 E. Castle Dome Ave. (928-783-4099) – both in Yuma AZ. The location in Yuma Palms is open daily, the other location is closed on Sundays.

Current Obsession: Mango, Chamango, Mangoneada.

You are reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Kirk is busy (with things to do and eat in an exotic part of the world), ed (from Yuma) is busy (with things to do and eat in Yuma) and Cathy is busy (blogging about things she did and ate recently).

So.  I was cleaning up 'my' area of the kitchen today and noticed something about my current snacks. There is a commonality in all of these items.

I'm not a chocoholic; never was. Sugary sweets don't interest me.  I am currently a craver of a combination of tangy mango with salty-savory-pickled-sour with chile powder heat and occasionally the sweet of gooey tamarind candy. Every possible receptor cell taste bud being active in a single food item.  How did this happen?

In December I went on a Major Food Crawl with fellow Bloggers caninecologne (Pink Candles at Ridgemont High), Carol (CAB Cooks) and Dennis (A Radiused Corner)-no, I never wrote about the eight or so places we stopped at; I started to and the post got *huge*.  Instead, I have returned to each of the eateries we stopped at and have been enjoying the specialties enjoyed at each.  There will be more posts.

This is where the spicy and mango comes into play.  We stopped at Teresita's Fruiteria.

Teresita's is located in a mall anchored by a KFC and McDonald's on the Northwest corner of I-805 and Palm Avenue. Technically, it is in San Diego City, but it is way South. 

There is an extensive menu, however, not only was it late in the very long day for the four of us, but CC knew what Teresita's sold that nobody else does- Chamango.  We ordered four.

A frozen mango smoothie-with chunks of mango, swirled with chamoy  liquid and topped with bits of Chaca Chaca- a gooey tamarind candy.  The combination of sweet-tart mango with the pickled sour saltiness and chili heat of the chamoy and the gooey fruit candy bits of tamarind was delightful, refreshing and a combination of flavors I had never tasted (and those who know what I do around this time of year know that I have tasted a lot of bizarre stuff). I have returned many times to Teresita's, even though it is a long drive from home.

I really only want the Chamango (small is about $4) but also order a small pico de gallo ($3.50) (the long white pieces on tope are slices of fresh coconut) (really good) and, on this visit a grilled cheese sandwich ($2.50) so as to appear to be eating a healthy meal. The pico, topped with Tajin, or a Tajin-like mix of salt, red chile and lime is a wonderful combination of fruit, vegetable and heat. The grilled cheese is particularly addicting for me.  There is only one bread, no choice.  It is a *really* nice, chewy whole wheat that is crisped up and...filled (you can see) filled with an unusually high quality sliced processed American cheese. Really.  I *hate* Kraft slices and don't even want cheese on burgers, but this cheese, slightly melted with this bread...heaven. Creamy and salty and a great sandwich.

Teresita's Fruiteria 4370 Palm Ave, Suite 5 San Diego 92154 

 So.  I have posted about Tropical Fruit Paradise, a fruiteria right down Mission Gorge Road, closer to where The Mister and I live.  

I do enjoy fruiterias because the whole concept of a fruit shop is fascinating.  Growing up in colder climates, the idea of walking into a store and finding fresh fruit, much less having it prepared in various ways was never considered by either myself or The Mister.  

In addition to the torta sandwiches mentioned in my other post, wraps are offered here.  

The chicken wrap costs about 50¢ more than a turkey or ham wrap.  All are made with a spinach wrapper and simply filled with lettuce, tomato and Ranch dressing.  But the chicken is heated on the grill and tastes that much better.

As with most fruiterias, Tostilocos is (are?) available ($3.99). The version here uses regular cucumber as well as jicama and the hot sauce coating everything is quite spicy hot.  A bit different and very good. 

The mango-chamoy beverage here is a Mangoneada.  It is made with frozen mango chunks and orange juice.  The chamoy is nicely distributed as the beverage is poured in the cup.  BUT instead of being topped with tamarind pieces- the straw is coated in Chaca Chaca, the chewy, salty tamarind candy...

That's a small Fruit Salad Freeze ($3.75). Also very good -strawberries, peaches and banana.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend and satisfying current cravings. Thanks for introducing me to this one, caninecologne!

 

Tropical Fruit Paradise 10387 Friars Road San Diego 92120 (619) 584-4786