mmm-yoso!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

JJ would like to wish everyone the most lovely Valentine's Day! Of course, I was wishing to get a decent photo of JJ with the cute shirt his Auntie "Alle" got him, but sometimes....well, that's not going to happen.

So, I'll just have to take what I can get!

We just got back from Santa Barbara...yep, JJ has already done two road trips.... and saw this cute "VD" display.

Though JJ was more interested in getting some royalties for use of his name!

Anyway, we'd like to wish everyone a most "delici-yoso" Valentine's Day!

Turo Turo Thursday - Fiesta Pinoy

Recently, I had pick up some of those "crack wings" for a potluck the Missus was attending at work. On the way back to the freeway, I decided to grab an early lunch and not having visited Fiesta Pinoy since back in 2019, I thought I'd drop by and get my turo-turo fix.

Looking at the sign had me wondering. Anyone know why they switched around their name from Pinoy Fiesta? Anyway, the place was totally empty during my visit.

I was totally in a Sisig kind of mood so I walked on over to that area, where there were two strangely similar looking items. I could identify the sisig, but I asked what the other dish was and the woman told me it was Dinakdakan. Oh my! I don't think I've had Dinakdakan since I lived in HNL! In fact, the first time I had sisig on the mainland, I thought it was Dinakdakan. Of course, my friends were Ilocanos, so that kinda made sense.

I thought this would be an interesting comparison so I got both "hybrids" since Dinakdakan, like Sisig was traditionally made with pig head, but had more creaminess from mayo, which my friends family used instead of mashed pig brain, and also a ton of ginger. But the versions at all these turo-turo shops uses lechon kawale.

  If you're keeping score, that's the sisig with the rice and the dinakdakan in the container. Both were somewhat similar. The dinakdakan was mushier, lacking in sour tones, with quite a bit of liquid on the bottom of the container. It didn't have the creaminess I enjoy and the lechon had become rubbery. It seemed to be on the blander side of the scale.

The rice was on the drier side, but ok.

I have noted before that I should just give up on the sisig here, but this was better than what I'd had on previous visits. The lechon was on the waxy side, but the skin pieces were fairly crisp. It was quite sour, but after tasting the dinakdakan, I rather enjoyed it. They go a bit too easy on the chilies here, I could use a bit more heat. And it wasn't ice cold like I've had it several times before. I guess the bar was set pretty low, huh?

Still, it was good trying out a dish I hadn't even heard mentioned for decades and hadn't seen at turo-turo places. Though I just may not have been paying enough attention. Of course my "FOYs" will let me know if that's the case.

Fiesta Pinoy
550 E 8th St
National City, CA 91950
Current Hours:
Mon - Sat 6am - 645pm
Sundays   6am - 4pm

Mom Kitchen

Back in September, I got word that a new Cantonese Restaurant opened in the spot that formerly housed Mama Cinia Rice & Noodles. Some quick checks noted that the placed supposedly served Cha chaan teng, classic Hong Kong style Cafe Cuisine. Which includes touches of various Western and other regional style cuisines, along with (usually) serving inexpensive food. Some of the classics we've had when we lived in the SGV include variations on pork chops, off course egg tarts, lots of won ton, and even macaroni soup, jook, pineapple buns, and of course milk tea.

My friends warned me about the lines when the placed initially opened and FOY "CY" also mentioned that he and "T" were not impressed and also, believing this was a classic HK Cafe, were shocked at the prices. Though it seemed like Soo enjoyed his visits there.

Recently, the Missus and I decided to head on over for lunch arriving right when the place opened at 11am.

There were three groups ahead of us when we arrived, but things didn't get too busy other than a steady flow of food delivery folks picking stuff up.

The menu was an interesting mix of Cantonese specialties....no jook or Spam items though and the prices were not cheap. I know CY complained about spending $25 for half a duck. We looked over the menu and settled on three dishes. 

Also, unlike a typical Hong Kong Cafe, it took a while for food to arrive. The three older women next to us, ordered before us, but their dishes didn't start arriving until after we got our three dishes.

We started with the Geely Fried Pork Chop ($14). ?We had always enjoyed Hong Kong style pork chops, whether they be marinated and fried or served with spicy salt, but this was different.

Take a look; with the shredded cabbage and breading; doesn't this almost look like tonkatsu? The pork had been pounded quite thin and was chewy, the breading separating from the meat. This was on the bland side and very dry.

We also ordered the Shrimp in XO Sauce Noodle ($17), which was served with Silver Needle (aka "Mouse Tail") Noodles, something you don't commonly see in San Diego.

There were quite a few shrimp in this; which were nice and tender. The noodles; if you've never had silver needle noodles, it's sort of like noodles made with wheat and tapioca starch, much like har gow skin. This was on the mushy side, lacking in the nice, slight, "stretch" that we enjoy with this type of noodle. The XO sauce was lacking and this was rather bland overall.

And of course, we needed to try the Roast Duck (half - $25).

I'd seen several photos of the roast duck from Mom Kitchen and this looked a bit different. Especially from the version that Soo had. The fat had not been rendered enough, thus leaving a rubbery sub-layer, the skin was on the rubbery side. The meat of the duck was moist and had a pleasant "fowlness" to it. It was sorely lacking in anise based flavors and the sauce was on the sweet side instead of being the duck fat based wonderfulness we enjoy.

Well, as you can guess, the Missus was not very happy with this meal. I did want to return to try something else on the menu, but knew it would be a solo trip.

So finally, a few weeks after our initial visit, I returned. I wasn't quite sure what to order; but decided on an item that I've not found a good version of in San Diego; Hainan Chicken. 

I ordered the Hainanese Chicken Rice Combo ($17). After ordering, I wondered if I was subconsciously setting Mom up to fail by ordering something that I've not found a good rendition of?

  Well, in terms of the chicken and sauce this was a pleasant surprise! The chicken had been nicely sliced, only two pieces with bones were on the plate; one wing and one part of a leg. The chicken was so moist and tender. But the highlight was definitely the sauce. It's usually too watered down; but this one had a good amount of ginger, but was both aromatic and not over-powering. It had a good amount of seasoning, but the star was the ginger. The chili sauce was way too sweet for me.

   As for the other parts. Well, just by looking at that boiled egg you can see the greyish tone to the yolks which means it had been boiled too long. So yes, there was a bitter-sulfuric tinge to the dry and crumbly yolk. If you look closely, you'll see a piece of white-grey matter in the yolk. I took that out and didn't eat it.

As for the rice...well, usually with this dish I'd get the rice moistened with the chicken soup stock or sauce. This one had a mere drizzling of the ginger based sauce on it, which was easy to remedy by using a couple of spoon of the dipping sauce. The rice was also over-cooked and super hard.

On the positive side, this was a decent Hainan Chicken (without the rice). I'll probably order that as takeout. I think "FOY" Red Devil might enjoy this version, which is much better than what the short lived Rooster Rice & Noodles served.

Overall, one out of four dishes isn't that great. But there are some other items I'd like to try....perhaps in the future.

Mom Kitchen
9178 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Tues - Thurs 11am - 230pm, 430pm - 830pm
Fri - Sun        11am - 230pm, 430pm - 9pm
Closed on Mondays

Dos Palmas Cafe

During our visits to Bica, we noticed this rather low-keyed shop across the street.

It seemed to be doing some rather steady business. So, after our coffee and sandwich, we took JJ on a walk all the way to Kensington and then back over to this shop.

We took a look at the menu and a gentleman was walking out with a package. We had noticed that folks in this area and Kensington seemed to be rather friendly, greeting us as we passed, some coming over to pet JJ. The gentleman said "you'll like this place; I drop by four or five times a week!"

So, we took a look at the menu.

Which we put in the category of a neighborhood coffee and sandwich shop. And there seemed to be a cute little patio in the back.

We also noted that the place opens at 7am, so we made a note to return when we took JJ "exploring" which was a few days later.

Dos Palmas Cafe is a cozy little shop, there was only one woman working when we arrived. The Missus ordered a Pour Over, I got an Americano and we also got two sandwiches and proceeded to take JJ to the quaint back patio.

I expected things to take a while since it was just one person working but our Avocado Toast ($10.75) with Bacon (+$2) and Truffle Grilled Cheese ($11.50) was ready fairly quickly.

There was a generous amount of tender, buttery avocado on the nicely toasted bread.

The bacon, which added that salty component could have been a bit more crisp, but was fine.

My Truffle Grilled Cheese was nicely toasted.

  Though I really couldn't make out truffle. This was bit too much for me in terms of cheese....yes, I know, it's a grilled cheese, but this really needed more than rich-milkiness. The tomatoes weren't ripe enough to add the sweet acidity to help cut the richness and there wasn't enough onion to add pungency. If you just want gooey cheese-land, this might work for you.

The Missus didn't care for Her pour-over, but I thought my Americano was fine. We did like the patio, the woman working was so nice, and of course, JJ enjoyed himself.

So, we decided to return. We'd take JJ for a nice walk in the neighborhood, do some shopping at Stehly Farms, the Missus would pick up a Cortado from Bica and I'd get my coffee and order a sandwich from Dos Palmas.

This time I went with the Turkey Pesto ($12.75).

  This was a pretty good sandwich; nothing fancy mind you, the turkey was totally Sysco stuff; but the bread was nicely toasted and held out well. The herbaceous-savory-nutty pesto, the sweetness of the roasted red peppers, the bitterness of the greens, the creamy, slightly sweet avocado all worked well together. And this was enough for both the Missus and I for a light brunch. I think we'll go ahead and add the bacon for an upcharge next time.

I've mentioned "threads in the fabric of a neighborhood" in previous posts; you know, the corner bakery, coffee shop, and yes, the neighborhood sandwich purveyor. I think we just found this area's "sandwich - coffee shop". 

Decent prices, decent food.....

And it seems that JJ was "praying" for more treats here.....

Dos Palmas Cafe
3562 Adams Ave.
San Diego, CA 92116
Current Hours:
Daily 7am - 2pm

The Shed and Sidecar Bar

I'm sure you've noticed that we've been taking JJ everywhere.....looking for places the little ball of energy would be able to hang. I'd been wanting to check out the latest food stand that's opened next to Sidecar Bar, a favorite of the Missus, which we hadn't been back to in a while. It's called The Shed and took over the "shed" next to the bar back in the middle of 2023 if I recall.

It's basically a burger stand, but I'd been told that the tri-tip sandwich was quite good. So, with JJ in tow, we thought it was time for him to hang at Sidecar.

The menu is brief; but covers burgers, chicken sandwiches, fries, and such.

To order, you basically press that little button, right under "Anthony Bourdain's Middle Finger Salute" and the friendly guy will come out to take your order.

And for a modern touch, you're given one of the buzzer/beeper contraptions.

And you go to the counter and press that "button" again. I think it would just be perfect if the button would be on a plastic "half-peace sign salute" thing. It would just make the experience complete, right?

I ordered the "Just the Tip" ($17.70) and an order of Garlic Parmesan Fries with Chimichurri ($8.30). The portion of fries was generous.

This was a bit disappointing for us as the fries were gummy and dry and for some reason, the savory-saltiness of the Parmesan was quite muted. We'll pass on this in the future.

The tri-tip sandwich on the other hand.....

Was pretty good! The trip-tip, though not smoked, was very tender, beefy, nicely seasoned. The brioche bun had a touch of sweetness that complemented things nicely. The fried onion rings...well, that's always a great touch. The chimichurri sauce was fine, though both the Missus and I noted that something a bit more pungent, like perhaps a horseradish based sauce might be really good with this. Still, we'd gladly have this again.

And of course, the Missus loves Sidecar.....

And since we needed to...ahem, work on our "immune system", well, we thought some Penicillin would do the trick. Prices have gone up $2 since our last visit and this cocktail is now $12.

I like the combination of Scotch, Mezcal, and Ginger in this. And also the fact that it isn't overly sweet.

Now that Sidecar has the Shed to provide some eats, I think the three of us will be dropping by a bit more often.

Sidecar Bar
1310 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

The Shed
1312 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

Saturday Stuffs - Mikami Sushi and Take the Bait Seafood Bar Closes and Mission Valley Farmers Market at Civita Park

Just a couple of quick things for a relaxing pre Super Bowl Saturday

Mikami Sushi and Take the Bait Seafood Bar Closes:

During my takeout visit from Curry Club I had to park a bit further down the parking lot than I usually do. Glancing over at Mikami Sushi, I noticed the brown paper taped to the windows and doors, so I decided to walk on over to take a look.

And yes, Mikami, which Cathy posted on twice and the attached Take the Bait Seafood Bar has closed.

Strange, I didn't even hear a peep about the place closing.

7319 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Mission Valley Farmers Market at Civita Park:

We finished up our Saturday Little Italy shopping and other errands quite early this morning and wanted to take JJ somewhere, but we really couldn't decide on where. Then I thought it might be fun taking JJ to Civita Park which I had done a brief walk thru during my visit to La Clochette Cafe & Bakery. We'd go ahead and get some breakfast croissants and then take JJ to the park to explore. Sadly, La Clochette doesn't have any pastries in stock until after 9am; so we just got some coffee and relaxed. Driving into the development, we had noticed signs for a Saturday Farmers Market. The clock was just striking 9am when we finished our coffees so we decided to take a quick look.

It was quite mellow on this day. Not sure if it was because the Farmers Market had just opened, or perhaps the season, but the busiest businesses were all the food stands at the east end.

We enjoyed the laid back atmosphere and all the vendors were very friendly.

The Missus loved the stuff She bought from the Aglo Oils booth. The woman manning the booth, whom I believe is the business owner was so helpful.

There are only 2-3 produce stands and 4 bread and pastry ones.

Not sure if it was because we had just come from the bustling Little Italy Mercato, but this just seemed so relaxed.

I should have taken more photos, but JJ was having a blast exploring the paved trails, sniffing all the plants, and he especially enjoyed going up and down the stairs???? Go figure. I'm sure we'll return so I'll get more photos then.

We did mange to get a couple of photos of the little monster though!

He loved all the attention he got from folks as well......

Ah yes, a puppy's life.....

Mission Valley Farmers Market at Civita Park
7960 Civita Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92108
Current Hours:
Saturdays 9am - 1pm

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Road Trip - La Parisienne (Morro Bay) and Luna Coffee Bar (Cayucos)

We had a decent night's sleep at our hotel, the Harbor House Inn, which was super dog friendly. Of course JJ was still a really young pupper and had to go potty at 3am, but the hotel has a designated green space for that.

After waking and feeding the pup breakfast, we gave him time to "settle" then headed on out for a morning walk before checking out. On our last visit, we had spent time at the shops and such. This time around, we walked north toward the "rock". We had noticed a bakery of sorts during our last visit right off the Embarcadero and Front Street. In need of something for a light breakfast, this time we headed on in to the shop, named La Parisienne.

After looking over the rather large selection; I decided on getting a quiche and ended up choosing the Bacon and Caramelized Onion Quiche. I ordered a coffee for the Missus who was waiting with JJ at the table outside.

The really nice woman working heated up the quiche and even delivered it to our table outside.

  She even provided two forks without me asking! This was pretty good, sweet-savory, nice crisp top, creamy-rich interior. Well worth the $5.75 to me!

Not bad at all!

La Parisienne
1140 Front St.
Morro Bay, CA 93442

On our last visit to the area we didn't take the time to check out "the rock", so we decided to walk on over.

Though JJ seemed to prefer the Ice Plants.....

In Coleman Park is this Plaque. Morro Bay is where the first Filipinos landed in the United States on October 18, 1587!

Well, didn't the Pilgrim's land in 1620???? So....maybe we should be having Adobo for Thanksgiving? Hmmm......

Based on how many folks we'd seen the night before, we were surprised to find the park around Morro Rock to be quite quiet and peaceful.

The views of the coast were also quite nice.

The Missus asked me what that town was in the distance. I told Her it's Cayucos. I also mentioned that there's a pier with some nice views, so we decided that should be our next stop. So, we walked back to the hotel, packed up, and checked out and drove the short distance to Cayucos.

It was fairly busy, but we still found parking on North Ocean Avenue and made the stroll down the pier.

I admired those surfers, cause the water looked fah-reezing!

We then took a stroll down Ocean Avenue with JJ. I had thoughts about having brunch at The Hidden Kitchen, but the line was crazy long, so we looked for a coffee place instead and saw this sign.

And went down the little passage way to this coffeehouse.

Which had a quaint patio.

And JJ and I had a seat, while the Missus went in and ordered a Latte for Her and a Cold Brew for myself. The breakfasts looked quite large, so we decided to just get our caffeine fix.

The Cold Brew was fine, it did the job; the Missus thought Her latte was on the weaker end of the spectrum, but we enjoyed the vibe here.

Luna Coffee Bar
84 North Ocean Ave.
Cayucos, CA 93430

As a bonus, right next door to the coffee shop is a location of the Brown Butter Cookie Company. We had been to the Paso Robles location, so we knew it was a nice place to grab a few omiyagi for folks.

Brown Butter Cookie Company
98 North Ocean Ave.
Cayucos, CA 93430

We enjoyed the beach town vibe of Cayucos and will think about staying here or perhaps at Avila Beach in the future. 

So folks, between Cayucos, Avila Beach, or Pismo Beach, which so you prefer?

JJ would like to know!

Morro Bay - Giovanni's Fish Market And Galley

JJ seemed to be enjoying Morro Bay. After taking a short break, we decided to head out for dinner.

Like I mentioned in previous post, I had forgotten that it was MLK Day, but during our pre-dinner walk, things didn't seem to busy. Well, when we set out for dinner it was a whole 'nother story. Places were packed; we stopped by the Galley which didn't take reservations hoping that because it was winter folks wouldn't be sitting on the patio...well there was an hour wait for a table! We went down my list and the story was the same.....man, it was busy!

In the end, we decided to check out the place we'd stopped by before Giovanni's Fish Market And Galley, which I recalled had an outdoor dining area to see what was going on.

So, the Missus went to take a look at the market, while went to the walk up window.

And while still waiting in line, the Missus returned with Her bounty. I ordered to supplement what She had bought.

She had gotten the smoked fish, which was mild in flavor.

 It was very moist; though it had a ton of bones. Still it was not bad.

She also got the smoked mussels, which had some "grit" and was on the chewy side, but still retained the oceany-sweetness and a touch of smokiness. Also not bad.

Of course, the important accompaniment was the Pitcher of Modelo.

Our favorite item of the meal were the Garlic Fries, which had been dusted, thus making it quite crisp.

They weren't shy about the amount of garlic or cheese, which made this quite enjoyable.

I also got a Dozen Oysters.

They also strangely gave me some packets of Tapatio....and after tasting the oysters I knew why. I'm always a fan of the "finish" when having oysters; these were on the chewier side and really mild in flavor. The Missus lamented the lack of a Mignonette, which cracked me up....as this was just a food stand of sorts.

It wasn't quite the dinner we had in mind.

Giovanni's Fish Market And Galley
1001 Front St.
Morro Bay, CA 93442

Though JJ wasn't complaining about things.

In fact, I think he offered to catch dinner for us; but I quickly pointed out the "No Fishing" sign......

And our after dinner walk was quite lovely!

Thanks for stopping by!