mmm-yoso!!!

Eating on the hood of your car: The Mariscos Alex Truck

So there I was running low on petrol in City Heights. I decided to stop and fill up at the station on the corner of ECB and Fairmount and what do I see but a mariscos truck! I've passed this corner dozens, maybe hundreds of times and had never seen this truck before.

Since it was almost lunchtime and I was famished, this seemed like the perfect stop.....all the stars were aligned it seemed.

All the standard mariscos offerings were present on the menu posted at the rear of the vehicle. I did find it kind of strange that there were no prices posted, except for fish tacos which were a $1.25.

The woman manning the window looked familiar.....was this truck once one of the Mariscos German fleet? She always seemed a bit gruff before and this time was no different.

The consomme was decent, way too much celery for my liking, but not bad.

I ordered a fish taco and a gobernador, which came out to $6.25.

As fish tacos go, this was ok. All the usual suspects. The crema was mild and the tortilla routine. There was too much batter on the fish, which was on he gummy side. The fish tasted a bit off as well.

I hoped my Gobernador would be an improvement and while not as good as, say the original Mariscos German(no tomatoes), Beyer, or El Pescador, it was not bad.

The shrimp were plump and juicy, though the vegetables were undercooked for my taste. The cheese was perfectly melted and this was super hot, though it could have used more seasoning...oregano, salt, pepper.  Still it wasn't too bad.

So I returned the following weekend for another try. Same gruff woman, though she must have a heart of gold as she gave the homeless guy a fish taco......me on the other hand, I just a "yes" as she looked down at me. This time I ordered the tacos de camarones and a taco de marlyn, which cost $7.50 total.

Quite a bit of shrimp in my taco, though this confirmed that I'm not a big fan of the gummy and not especially crisp batter. The tomtoes were green and not very good. The rest was decent.

The taco de marlyn....smoked fish taco was the best item I've had here.

The fish had a nice smokiness to it and while the versions at many places teeters on salty, this one isn't.

Again the peppers, celery, and onions weren't stir-fried long enough, making it them and raw tasting.

It was also a decent sized portion though another customer ordered the same thing while I was leaving and was only charged $6.50. Shades of Vietnam!!!

I'm hoping the pricing was a mistake. I wouldn't want to think the place does random pricing based on customers. 

Overall, just ok, not quite in the same league as other trucks I've been too.

Mariscos Alex
In the parking lot of Qwik Corner Service Station
4357 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92105

Frog Legs and Snapper from Red Rooster Catfish

So there I was on a bright sunny Saturday afternoon, exploring the empty Jacob's Center off of Market.

There's absolutely nothing going on here on Saturday about 1130, so why the heck was I here? Well, I was searching for a rooster....not any rooster, but a Red Rooster, a place named the Red Rooster Catfish. I'd heard about this place from two different people. One of them gave me the address 404 Euclid, which looked real nice on the GPS. It's not until you look around a bit that you realize that 404 Euclid is actually the Jacob's Center, which is set a good distance away from Euclid, with the main entrance on Market.

Which left me wandering around the Jacob's Center with some major doubts about finding the Red Rooster. There was nothing that even looked close to a restaurant.

Until I turned a corner........

And saw this sign in the window......

And it still fooled me enough that I went around the corner thinking there'd be door to a restaurant or somethin'.

Which was not happening.

It's then I realized that this take-out window was the place and the two tables were it!

So I went back to my car and drove to this side of the parking lot. At about 1135 the place opened, two girls rushed out of nowhere and got to the window in a flash....I guess this was Red Rooster.

I had exactly what I wanted in terms of the mains in mind.......just about everything on the menu is fried. I just didn't know which side to get. The really friendly and tall gentleman named Joris recommended the spicy fried green beans. So of course that's what I ordered, the 3 sets of legs and fried snapper plate ($14). You should know that you don't rush things at places like this, so I had a fairly quick fifteen minute wait. During which I could contemplate things like....if this is "where mmm kisses aah", would "mmm-yoso" do the same?

I gotta say, these were fried very well. It wasn't 100% cornmeal, so while crunchy, the breading wasn't gritty. On the snapper it was perhaps a little too hard, but well seasoned and nothing to really complain about. The batter holds up rather well, I just can't put away all of that fried food like I used too, so over half of it came home for the Missus to try.

The spicy green beans were crunchy, nicely seasoned, slightly spicy, and went well with the mustard - aioli concoction called "mmm sauce".

The snapper just tasted like it had been frozen for a while, from the rather mushy texture to the fishy-slightly sour taste, it really wasn't my thing.

The frog legs on the other hand were really good. Crunchy, moist, and very mild in flavor. It lacked the rather off sourness of "old amphibian/reptile" and was very pleasant to eat. I saved a, ahem, "nice set" for the Missus who really enjoyed it. Loved the meaty parts where the legs, joined, the ah...well how to put it? I guess it's "where mmm-yoso kissed rump"? Something I'm sure many folks always wanted to see......

I'll be back to Red Rooster Catfish the next time I'm craving some good fried frog legs and perhaps try a good variety of the sides.....most of them fried. Joris is very hospitable and friendly. I hope this literal "hole in the wall" does well. I know they fry well......

Red Rooster Catfish
404 Euclid Suite 119
San Diego, CA 92114
Hours:
Tues - Sat 1130am - 7pm
Sunday    1130am - 5pm

Everything is fried to order. Call ahead at 619-795-8684 if you don't want to wait 20 minutes for your food.

 

Caguamanta - The Barbacoa & Frutas El Vaquero Truck

Until this past weekend, I hadn't been back down to Chula Vista in a while. On Saturday I made a trip to Hogetsu Bakery and since I had a bit of time took a drive around. I saw at least three trucks that I hadn't seen before. One of them was of particular interest, so I made some time to return the next day. In the lot of the liquor store where Third becomes Beyer and intersects Main was this truck.

Just the barbacoa sign would usually be enough to lure me in. I did enjoy the sign for some of the more "interesting" tacos and though fish tacos were priced at a dollar on the sign, they were going for 75 cents on this day!

So I placed my order and received a cup of consomme of the barbacoa type. Hot and soothing.

And of course I had to try the Barbacoa de Res Taco. It was worth the $1.75 as there was quite a bit of meat.

Loved the fact they brushed one side of the tortilla with consomme and put it on the griddle....I still haven't bought into having beans in these though. The salsa roja had some kick and the lime added some nice acid, but as a whole, the barbacoa was a bit too mild in flavor for me.

Still, I was really here because I saw this sign on the previous day:

In this case Caguamanta, a soup made with re-hydrated, dried manta ray. I love the intense, briney, ocean flavor of mantarraya, ever since I first had it while visiting Ed in Yuma back in 2005. It's not something very common; Mariscos Godoy sometimes serves Manta Ray Machaca, but other then that it's pretty slim pickings....

I ordered a "chica", the small size, not cheap at three bucks. I had it with cilantro and onions with crackers instead of tortillas. It arrived steaming hot.

The broth was pretty straight-forward and nothing fancy. I loved the addition of avocado which added an interesting creaminess to the whole deal. I was surprised at the amount of shredded mantarraya in this little cup! The flavor is not what you think; think of less salty bacalao meets less intense dried scallop. I've been told that mantarraya is a good substitute for sea turtle dishes.....though I can't really say from experience if that is true.  As Ed from Yuma says, there a "Manhattan Chowder-ry" flavor to this.

I ended up buying the large size....which was a bargain at six bucks for the Missus who loved it.

 The woman who took my order was quite nice as was the rather serious looking young man who replaced her. It seems like this is a family operation. It's good to have some variety amongst all the taco trucks in the area and I hope they keep the mantarraya on the menu.

 Barbacoa & Frutas El Vaquero Truck

On the corner of Main and Beyer.

Current hours are from "about" 830 to as late as 5pm. The nice woman told me that they are currently in this location daily, but are thinking of taking Sunday off.

Djerba (Tunisia): Restaurant de L'ile and it's Tunisia Night!

After watching the low keyed fish auction and having a cup of "Cafe Express", it was obviously time for lunch. I had a place in mind....down the streets of the Souk.....

We found Restaurant De L'ile. The place was immaculate...clean and bright in the very Mediterranean way. It was also totally empty for lunch.....perhaps the combination of of "all inclusive" resorts and Arab Spring was having an effect.

The menu had a ton of Tunisian "standards" and toruist dishes....but this was Houmt Souk, on the island of Djerba....we were having seafood.

Things started out with some "amuse/appetizers" to stimulate our appetite and tastebuds.

 Along with the standard bread and harissa was a carrot "puree" of sorts...the Missus was ready to hate the stuff, but really enjoyed the spices mixed with a touch of sweetness.

Along with this was a plate of "thon" (tuna) with braised potatoes which was very tasty.

First up was the "salade aux fruits de mer".....a seafood salad.

Nice, well prepared seafood, nothing fancy, but quite solid.

Then tuna with tomato sauce.....

The tomato sauce had a touch of spiciness and was very tangy. They cooked the fish to death.

 If you've read my previous posts on meals in Tunisia, you'd know how much I'd taken to brik, the wonderful deep fried pastry, filled with a fried egg and sometimes seafood. This was the "Brik aux fruits de mer"...the seafood filled brik.

This one wins the "runny egg award".....I was almost mesmerized by how runny the egg was.

The yolk was profoundly "eggy", reminding me of how eggs used to taste when I was a kid. It was a bit too much for the Missus, though I enjoyed it.

There is of course, the communication barrier, which displayed itself in the calamare....we ordered it "grille", but got it fried. The squid was very tender, thought the batter oily and mushy....oh what could have been.

We finished off with the Octopus in Tomato Sauce. I'm not sure why most of what we have here in the states is like tire rubber. This was quite tender, though not as good as our favorite.

 In the end, this was the best restaurant meal we'd had in Tunisia.

After lunch we found a taxi....on the way back to the resort, the Missus saw a pastry shop and had the cabbie stop.....to buy pastries! You know, this being Tunisia, he didn't bat an eye and the Missus bought him a box of confections for his trouble.

We had a nap in the afternoon, went for a walk, and as is our "MO" went to dinner early. After our previous dinner, with the themed "Italian Night", we were curious what "Tunisia Night" would be like.

We peeked out to the patio and saw that the really nice young man...the one who had gotten the Chef de Cuisine to get the Missus some mechouia the night before was working. He waved us over to the little two-top he was waiting on....there was no doubt that we wanted him to be our waiter tonight. We went out and grabbed our plates and when we returned he had created a little bouquet of sorts for our table. This was such a sweet touch.....

And while I felt bad for the folks who had to be "in character" for the dinner......

We also found a dish we really loved.....it was black and tarry looking and was in a container that looked like a flower pot. The flavor however was profound....rich, beefy with some heat, and a tongue coating texture that we found enjoyable. No one seemed to want to eat this stuff....in fact, the Chef de Cuisine came out to talk to us, just because he was happy to see folks enjoy this so much.

It was made with something we had never come across before Molokhia....of course we came home and found the stuff being sold in Nijiya, but at that time this was all new....still is, because we were told this preparation takes two days.

In the end, even though I'm not fond of these "all-inclusive" resorts, we did enjoy our time.

As our cab took us to the airport and back to Tunis, we reflected, not only on the Tunisian Cabbies dream....they all want Cadillacs and Lincoln Towncars....really! But also on how relaxed and kind folks we came across were.....

Djerba (Tunisia): The Houmt Souq Fish Auction and a cup of Cafe Express

After visiting El-Griba Synagogue and Borj El K'bir Fort we headed into the village of Houmt Souq, the largest town and the capital of the place Odysseus called "Land of the Lotus Eaters".

The little town is quite charming and the architecture quite unique. Most of the buildings in Houmt Souq have that Mediterranean whitewashed look, but are square and somewhat formidable looking. I was told that this was because of the location of Djerba there used to be a constant fear of attack.

The alleyways and distinct vibe made us wish that we had stayed here instead of on one of the resorts on the island.

Houmt Souq literally means "the marketplace" in Arabic....so of course that would be Marche Central (the Central Market).

By now, Ben understood that we were interested in the food and cuisine of Tunisia. He led us through a small portal and into a courtyard. At the end stood the fish market.

Here amongst the fish stands one can witness the daily fish auction.....no it's not the havoc and craziness of Tsukiji Fishmarket, but rather something on the other end of the spectrum....very relaxed, casual, and amazingly laidback.

As you milled amongst the booths you noticed that chairs were being hoisted up upon the very counters that held the fish....this happened in a very subtle way, without any fanfare. Older gentleman then climbed up, sometimes with a bit of help and sat at their mighty fish "throne". A person to the left would then "show" a string of fish, octopus, or other type of seafood, then hand it up to the person who is auctioning the fish off.

The folks who had been milling around then suddenly all come together......some I guess to bid, other maybe just to watch?

The process seemed fairly quiet and calm......

And after the highest bidder got his prize, the crowd would slightly disperse and the whole thing started over again.

In the case of something that there was something no one wanted, the crowd would simply thin out....folks losing interest.

Until the next "juicy" item came up for bid.......

There was something mesmerizing about the whole thing. We decided to stay and watch for a little while longer and let Ben off the hook. This was where we parted ways, we'd catch a cab back to the Green Palm.

After watching for a few more minutes we decided to move on.....we found a coffee shop in the middle of Marche Central and sat down to just take in the whole place with a cup of "cafe express" - espresso.

Aah.....now we were really doing things at our pace.....

Of course, there was the question of "what's for lunch?"

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

Retasting Bud's Louisiana Cafe - Six and a half years and three locations later

Man, here's another one that really dates us....... I first posted on Bud's, when it was Bud's Louisiana Food Shoppe on Kettner back in August of 2006. We then visited a couple of itmes after they moved to Tierrasanta in August of 2008. We thought the food had slipped a bit and before we knew it, Bud's was gone.......

Only to find out that Bud's Cafe had reopened on a small side street of Balboa Avenue in an area that looked like a business park.

After the move to Tierrasanta, the hours had gotten a bit different, and here it was Monday and Tuesday, breakfast and lunch, 7am to 3pm. Wednesday thru Friday 7am to 9pm, and Saturday 12 noon to 9pm. Since I'm fairly close to the location, I decided on grabbing some lunch to see how things were at Bud's.

It's the same paintings and furniture, but for some reason, I liked it in this setting more. There's also a nice outdoor area, for those non-rainy, winter months. The menu looked pretty much the same and I've always enjoyed the option of a cup of gumbo or bisque to pair with a sandwich. So I went with something I hadn't had in a while, a cup of Jambalaya ($4).

This was better than I recalled; a nice tang, decent seasoning.....the food at Bud's has never struck me as spicy, so I didn't expect that. It was a decent bowl, even overcoming my dislike for converted rice.

I paired that with the New Orleans BBQ Shrimp Po' Boy ($9).

The sandwich came with some "by the book" Cajun seasoned fries. The bread was crusty and the shrimp was just plain perfectly sauteed. I had forgotten that Bud's tends to drench stuff with tartar sauce......the BBQ sauce wasn't particularly spicy and this isn't a "super stuffed" sandwich, but I wasn't expecting that. Not bad.....

My server was excellent, friendly, but not too buddy-buddy, efficient and professional. I thought the service was actually a notch above the food.....

I returned a couple of days later and ordered a Spicy Andouille Po Boy ($10).

 The bread was again crusty, whole grain mustard went well with the sausage, which I was told was Comeaux's Andouille, a pretty well known brand out of Lafayette. The spices were nice, with a bit more ooomph then I expected. The only thing I didn't enjoy was the very tough casing of the sausage, which was really hard to bite through with pulling the whole darn thing out on your lap. Nitpicky perhaps, but overall a decent meal.....

I had mentioned having lunch at Bud's to the Missus. She was curious to see if the food had changed over the years......and I noticed that Bud's has a Happy Hour from Wednesdays through Fridays, from 3pm to 6pm. 15% off appetizers.....I thought some appetizers would be enough for a meal for me and since they also had the lunch/dinner menu, She went for the Crawfish Etouffe ($15).

This seemed a tad lighter (in a good way) then what we'd experienced at Bud's before, it was not as rich, but the great flavors of the shellfish base came through nicely. It was also devoid of the gummy textured, floury taste that sometimes came along with this pretty looking plate. The Missus thought the crawfish taste came through better as well.

I almost forgot about the Caesar Salad that came with the etouffe.......it was actually decent in size. But take a close look and you'll find that the romain lettuce is dripping wet. It hadn't been dried well after rinsing......watering things down.

The cup of Red Beans and Rice was a total fail for us. Other then the nice tasting Andouille, I really thought it second rate. First, there was a total lack of flavor in this....no beans, no spice, no smokiness. It was more watery then creamy, and the beans were tough..... I mean c'mon, this is something I make at home all the time. I know it can be done better.....

I was fascinated by the Creole Caviar, so of course I ordered it.

I loved the flavor of the "pate", a blend of shellfish base with shrimp, crawfish, the Cajun trinity....it was rich in a good way. The Missus didn't care for it at first, mostly because the "toasts" were a bit too buttery, taking the richness over the top for us, and making the dish a bit too salty. This would have been great with just plain bread ot toasts. It didn't seem like much, but sure filled us up. We'll have this again....though maybe order a baquette instead of the toasts.

Thinking that I hadn't had a fried item here, I ordered the Soft Shell Crab Appetizer, a simple floured and deep fried soft shell crab. First, I thought the tartar sauce in this case really helped the soft shell crab....the capers in the sauce did wonders, mainly because the flavor was pretty mild. We also didn't enjoy how this was fried....preferring light and crisp, over gummy and chewy. Sad, I'd always thought they did a good job of frying here....perhaps this is an aberration.

Dinner did seem a bit of a mixed bag, but we left in a positive state of mind. Service had been nice and professional, and though I've heard folks complain about the price to quantity ratio......I'd point to our $30 tab for two burgers we recently ordered at the bar, which was more expensive then this meal!

We'll probably be back in the near future....I still need to see if their gumbo and seafood bisque is still any good.

Bud's Louisiana Cafe
4320 Viewridge Ave
San Diego, CA 92123

 

Miramar Fish Market & Seafood Grill-Chula Vista

Well, you have stumbled upon mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog.  Kirk and ed(from Yuma) are just too busy to blog today, so Cathy is sharing a few virtual meals with you.

Well, I've found another place to satisfy my cravings.  It's kind of a drive from East County, yet only five or six signal lights from either freeway exit, and worth it. 

 

  

This rather plain façade in a newer mall on the East side of Broadway, one signal light South of Palomar in Chula Vista, may have been a place I would not necessarily stop.  However, friend and fellow blogger caninecologne was kind enough to send me a 'Get One Free' coupon in June and one day, when The Mister and I were going to be driving South, I grabbed the coupon...you know, just in case I would be hungry.

The clean interior and fresh smelling fish display was inviting.

As were the photos of some of the meal choices, in addition to the rather large menu which was handed to us when we sat down.

The variety of hot sauces on the table, as well as the jarred condiments(limes, pickled red onions, a mild, chunky salsa and a smooth, fresh made chili based hot sauce) brought out with fresh corn chips was just a peek into the flavors we would soon experience.

On our first visit, we decided to share a fish tostada ($2.50) and our waitress was kind enough to just bring the ceviche on the plate and we supplemented it with the corn chips. This ceviche is available in the fish counter, is very fresh and really good. 

The Mister ordered a "House Special",  Filete de la Casa ($10.95)- a grilled fish topped with large sauteed shrimp, grilled mushrooms and vegetables.  This was so fresh and perfectly flavored.  It was served with tortillas, rice, beans and salad.  

We were also served some seafood soup before our meals came out.  As you can see, filled with fish and shrimp and in a rich broth.

I had ordered the Cabrilla Sarandeado ($11.99) A whole sand bass, split, covered with a mayonnaise/salsa mix and grilled....served on this GIANT (larger than the 15 inch laptop I am writing on right now) foil covered tray, along with the same sides and additionally grilled onions and jalapeños.  So fresh and so very tasty. 

So, a few weeks later, it was my birthday day and I knew what I wanted.  This meal started with a pulpo (octopus) tostada ($3.50).  There is a whole section of the menu with just octopus dishes- always fresh, since they seem to go through it quickly.

This is the medium Botaña ($9.95)- seafood combination snack/appetizer, but I made it my main course. Because it is huge. Octopus, half  moon scallops, shrimp, sea snails.  Fresh, just 'cooked' in lime juice accompanied by cucumber, avocado and topped with a nice chile salt.

The Mister chose the Empanizado filete ($9.95).  Breaded and fried, this was a *very* large piece of fish, quite meaty and perfectly fried.  It was served with the usual sides and was really good, crispy and didn't get soggy.  Magic bread crumbs!

Just a few weeks ago, fellow bloggers and friends, Carol, caninecologne and I met up for a "C3 Bloggers Food Crawl" and our first stop was...yep...Miramar Fish Market. We each got a hearty cup of the seafood soup to start our meal.  I am pretty sure it is the Seven Seas Soup,  since this time there was octopus in the mix. I am going to order a bowl of this the next time; perfect in this chilly Autumn weather.

Here's an overhead of our meal selections, which we shared...the Culichi shrimp (at 1:00)($10.95)-I've been trying this cheese and poblano pepper sauce every time I get the chance.  The version here has a nice kcik of heat from the poblanos.  It's very satisfying...and the shrimp here are so large and not overcooked, providing a nice vessel for the sauce.  The item at 11:00 is another "House Special"- the Filete Relleño ($11.95) another good sized fillet, grilled and 'stuffed with seafood' as well as topped with shrimp and a wonderful creamy sauce (you could say it was a Mornay, but there was no cheese... so, a white sauce that was creamy and well flavored on its own).  

The third item, a large mixed seafood cocktail ($9.95) was so large and absolutely filled with shrimp and scallops in a wonderful tomato/lime sauce filled with onion/cilantro/cucumber and topped with a beautiful fanned avocado half.

Every meal here has been absolutely fresh and wonderful and enjoyed with either the Mister or friends and I want to eventually try the whole menu...

Miramar Fish Market & Seafood Grill 1655 Broadway Ave, Suite 12 Chula Vista 91911 (619)425-5504 Website

Eating on the hood of your car: Mariscos El Jefe Truck

I've been shopping at the Northgate Market on the corner of 54th and University quite a bit. The Missus bought a new juicer and has been some interesting concoctions, several of which use nopales. The most disturbing one was nopales and beets which looked like bloody snot....but I digress. One day, Instead of heading just getting back onto 54th and my way home, I took a right on University and saw a pretty busy taco truck.

The selling point seemed to be the 99 cent fish tacos...which is quite cheap since most trucks, including my favorite have raised prices north of a buck. The seating area is a very small - four chair and no table makeshift looking set-up. So you really will be eating on the hood of your car here! The folks here were very friendly. One of the women started chatting with me....talking about favorite taco trucks...hers being El Kiki, while lamenting the crazy price of gas. The menu is interesting, the top half is in Spanish, the bottom half is the English translation.

I went the cheap route, two Tacos de Pescado.

The batter was on the soft side, with a hint of sweetness, a bit too spongy for my taste. Not much fish in this at all, but what do you expect for 99 cents? The crema had no taste and the tortillas....eh...

So that was it, right? Well, maybe not. I went shopping again this past weekend and was just plain starving. I decided to try some of the other stuff at El Jefe.

By the way, if you're ever looking for the cebollas, limes, and salsas, they're behind the gobernador door!

Speaking of gobernador, I got one of those and one of the spicy shrimp tacos. These looked quite a bit more hefty.

 

Both of these had things in common, both had cheese melted on the base of the tortilla to prevent the tacos from disintegrating. Both had some kick, though the spicy shrimp was surprisingly spicy. Both were two tortilla jobs, you could tell much more care was taken with these. The gobernador was the better of the two, but nowhere as good as others. The shrimp in both tacos were on the overcooked side as well. The spicy shrimp taco was interesting....I wasn't fond of the very finely diced cabbage mixed with crema. Though it served to buffer the heat, it was like dumping coleslaw all over a taco.

The shrimp were spicy, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they use habaneros for this. The overall flavor was pretty one dimensional.

I'd say that El Jefe, wasn't quite "the boss" of Mariscos trucks in San Diego. Probably not in my top five. But like the woman said, "the price of gas now is so high, we have to find alternatives to driving to South Bay."

Mariscos el Jefe Truck
5599 University Ave

Oahu: Stuff from Young's Fish Market and Marujyu Market

I landed at HNL a bit past 2 in the afternoon and walked on over to the rental car counter.....getting out of the airport before 3pm. It was my objective to pick some stuff for dinner along the way. The first stop? Young;s Fish Market.

This was Reid's recommendation from my earlier visit. since it was pretty close to the airport, it was pretty much a no brainer for lau lau and kalua pork.

The fish counter was pretty slim pickins' and my usual stop on the way to the in-laws, Tanioka's would be near to closing time by the time I hit Waipahu.

So instead, I got out near Moanalua Road and stopped by Marujyu Market.

Funny, I'm old enough to remember when Marujyu opened in Palolo Valley. The empire then spread all ova' the place.......I remember them being in the location that is now a Korean Market in Waimalu Shopping Center, and now to this tiny shop in Newtown Business Park.

Anyway, I made it there, with a stop at Zippy's for some Chicken, rolling into Ewa Beach just after 5 pm. Dinner was a fun affair.......The D's were always such fun.....

Here's a rundown on the grinds:

 The pork lau lau from Young's was decent, pork moist, nice flavor overall, the best I've had in a while. The visitors enjoyed it. I gotta say, the chili pepper water Young's sells was quite good; I could almost drink the stuff.

The kalua pork was on the dry side and kind of bland. I'll be back to Young's for that lau lau......

Young's Fish Market
1286 Kalani St
Honolulu, HI 96817

The poke from Marujyu didn't impress me that much, the limu ahi was the best, but still on the salty side....and I like salty poke.

The "Ohana poke", had too much sesame oil and some pretty tough pieces of ahi......lots of "sugi" (tough tendon like connective tissue) in a couple of pieces.

The pulehu tako had some nice flavor, but our guests didn't like how tough it was. My FIL enjoyed it. By the way, what's up with tako prices? It seemed to have gone through the roof since my last visit. I saw pulehu tako selling for over $30 a pound in some places.....yikes!

Overall, I guess the D's weren't that thrilled with eating raw fish; plus, it seems that my FIL has stopped eating the stuff as well, telling me that he "doesn't trust raw fish anymore."

Marujyu Market Catering
98-820 Moanalua Rd
Aiea, HI 96701

Seems like things started a bit inauspiciously.....oh well, at least no one went hungry!