mmm-yoso!!!

Tumeric Thai Kitchen

A few months back I was at my favorite watering hole chatting about.....well, food of course, when I was told of a place that made "good papaya salad and pad see ew". I thought I'd definitely know or know of the place being referenced, but was quite surprised when the name "Tumeric Thai" was mentioned. And even a bit more surprised when I was told the restaurant was located on Mount Soledad! Of course I immediately did a search when I got home....and was fascinated enough to head on over the first chance I got.

I drove out and up Mount Soledad....from where PB becomes La Jolla. And right before the gated community of Windemere La Jolla is a small strip mall.

And there you'll find a discreet sign that says Tumeric Thai Kitchen. I walked down the hallway and noticed a restaurant dining room to my right and a nice, bright al fresco area, where a group of Thai folks were having a good old time.

I was told to sit wherever I wanted to....I didn't want to take up too much space so I chose the corner two-top....which remained my table on all three visits.

When it came time to order; I decided on just getting the Pad See Ew with Beef ($13). I'll often order Pad See Ew when trying to see how a kitchen stir-fries. There are few ingredients, you have to know how to use them judiciously; it's easy to over-cook and you still want that "breath of the wok" to add the smokiness and caramelization.  

This was an interesting mixed bag. The stir fry was done well; the noodles still firm, with some "wok hay" going on. I didn't care for the fact that the noodles all seemed to chopped/torn into little pieces. Good soy and sugar balance....strangely, this was spicy......I ordered Pad See Ew not Pad Kee Mao.

The gailan was nicely cooked, not too raw, not soft and mushy.

The slices of beef were rather large and ponderous and were pretty tough.

The service was friendly and the of course it warranted another visit. This time I ordered the "good" papaya salad (spicy) and the Thai Beef Jerky ($8), which was my favorite of the two dishes.

Decent toothsomeness, perhaps a bit on the salty side, but that's kind of to be expected. Not a fan of that sauce; too much lime, not spicy enough. Still, not bad...I've had worse.

The Papaya Salad ($9) was definitely "Ameri-Thai".

While nice and crisp, this lacked spice, was too sour, lacking in savory tones, and was just kinda wimpy as a whole. The tomatoes lacked ripeness, the green beans too hard and raw. Just kind of weak overall.

But you know me.....I decided to visit one more time. so I headed back to Tumeric Thai.

And being quite hungry, ordered two items......

Starting with the Chicken Wings ($7), which were some fairly hefty wings.

Served hot and moist; though for some reason, kind of mild in flavor....there's some garlic and what I believe is lemongrass. Initially fairly crisp, the wings got soft fairly quickly and are a bit on the greasy side....so if you get these, eat them right away. Not a fan of the afore mentioned chili lime sauce; nor the overly sweet chili sauce.

I also ordered the Crying Tiger ($15) medium......what arrived was a bit beyond that.

Not sure if it was done intentionally, but all none of pieces were sliced all the way through....so you'd pick up a piece and end up with two other pieces attached. The meat lacked a good char and there was a bit of meat scum as well. It was also really salty; lacking in any sweetness.....the meat also had a slight metallic taste that I'm not fond of. I'd have appreciated a really nice jaew to help cut through the saltiness, but it was that chili-lime sauce that I'm not a fan of. I'm used to having this dish being a bit on the chewy side so that didn't bother me at all.

That sticky rice was done perfectly....too bad the Crying Tiger wasn't to my taste.

So, what to say about Tumeric Thai? It's not overly Americanized, though it seems that your mileage may vary. It's not a bad option if you're visiting the Mount Soledad Veteran's Memorial. I was told that this is the only real restaurant on Mount Soledad. Prices are reasonable, the folks working were quite nice.

Turmeric Thai Kitchen
6435 Caminito Blythefield
La Jolla, CA 92037
Hours:
Tues - Fri 11am - 2pm, 4pm - 9pm
Sat        12pm - 9pm
Sun        4pm - 9pm
Closed on Monday

Noodling Around City Heights - 777 Noodle House

It was 730am....Sunday. I was getting hungry and wanted some noodles.....it seemed the perfect time to head to my next stop on my "Noodling Around City Heights" tour. Since the next stop on University would be 777 Noodle House. Man, hard to believe the place has been open nearly 10 years now. I arrived a tad after 8am and was surprised to see several tables already occupied.

And the one woman who works here always remembers me; even though I don't drop by quite as often these days. She smiled and told me "Happy New Year" as I sat and was handed the menu. And while I do on occasion order different items.....well, this is a "Noodling Around" post; so I stuck with my usual, the Hu Tieu Nam Vang ("Phnom Penh Noodles") Kho ("Dry"). I know; I did a comparison post just a few months back. Still, I was quite interested in how the Hu Tieu Nam Vang was going to be; while it was pretty good on my last two visits, I'd had a not so great version there several visits back.

Glad to say that this was closer to the last two positive visits.

While the noodles were a tad over-cooked this time around; it had more sauce on it than usual; which was a good thing. The blanched bean sprouts are always appreciated. The broth with the hunk of pork in it wasn't too salty and the pork was adequately tender. Loved the minced, fried garlic which wasn't overly bitter. This bowl still has the cheapest, most rustic ingredients...….though it's nice to finish by pouring what's left of the broth into the bowl and scarfing it up. Plus, this is still $7.50......pretty much a bargain these days.

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105

San Francisco - China Live Revisited and the Chinese New Year Flower Market Fair

The Missus and I decided to take a short trip during the long weekend. The Missus had really enjoyed our last trip to San Francisco; so we decided to head back for two nights.

Our flight over was quite pleasant; except for the arrogant and condescending young man who marched back and forth at the TSA security check-point telling people, "you can get it right...any idiot can do it.....it's not hard!" I understand that perhaps working for the TSA is not a pleasant job; but there's no need to be insulting....it's always the one that brings down the other ninety-nine. As my experience with the TSA has been that folks are at least somewhat professional. Or perhaps by "any idiot can do it" he meant himself? I heard the guy behind me mumble to his companion, "he's definitely a candidate for a colonoscopy without anesthesia".

We arrived fairly early; our room at the Marriott wasn't ready yet which wasn't a problem. We needed a place for a rather "early-ish" lunch....the Missus had really enjoyed the duck from China Live....yes, it was pricey, but we were on vacation, right?

Since Chinatown was basically right up the street, and China Live opens at 1030 we headed up Stockton. We quickly found that there were booths lining the usually busy sidewalks making things even more crowded with folks shopping and browsing.

We eventually got up to Broadway and China Live had just opened.

And in spite of the crowds and lines outside (the line at Good Mongkok went down and around the block!!!!), the place was empty.

We were tempted, and should have just had tea and the duck and called it a nice snack and head off....but we felt kinda guilty for just ordering the duck (albiet it being $27 - it had gone up a buck since September). We also didn't really enjoy anything else on our last visit. We just went ahead and ordered the Suckling Pig.

The Suckling Pig looked pretty nice.....

And it was decent; not the best I've had, but the meat was moist, the skin was a bit too thick and hard instead of crisp. It also lacked a good porkiness. So, not too bad, until you factor in the price....$34! That's over four bucks a wafer thin slice! I wouldn't complain if this was excellent; but it was not.

We did enjoy the duck ($27)

Which, like the last time didn't look particularly inspiring, but had a nice, thin, crisp skin....the subcutaneous fat perfectly rendered. Nice mild gaminess...moist meat. Like the last time; the "sesame buns" were dry and were just used for scallion-cucumber-hoisin sandwiches for us.

Looking at dishes on other tables....well, the rice and noodle dishes looked pretty mediocre. The total damage with tea was over seventy bucks......as we left the Missus told me, "I think we're done here...." I concurred....we'll try to find the best roast duck next time and just eat it in Portsmouth Square or something.

China Live
644 Broadway
San Francisco, CA 94133

We headed down Broadway and took a turn at Grant and oh my......the horde....the mass....the huge crowd.

But the Missus, who is usually not fond of crowds (neither am I), just smiled and headed off.

Grant was closed off....there were booths lining the street. I came to find out this was the Chinese New Year Flower Market Fair, which happens on the weekend before the Lunar New Year and everyone and their brother seemed to be checking it out.

To be perfectly honest; even I enjoyed myself.

The Missus found herself checking out many of the booths. "You know there's a problem with this, right?" She said. Not quite following Her logic I asked "Why?" She cracked up and said "No samples!"

Regardless, the Missus really had a fun time, She told me a few times, "this really reminds me of growing up in China!"

People watching was fun....checking out the folks in costume. I sent the photo to the right to my coworker "YZ" who is from Shanghai and she quickly pointed out to me that the fella' wasn't totally in character; "if he was really dedicated....he wouldn't be wearing Nike's!" You gotta love it!

Did I mention the crowds?

It was fun watching the kids having a good time with all the various characters. Call me out of touch but I wonder what the character "Fragrance" represents? And fragrance of what? Remember, this is Chinatown! The fragrance of roast duck...pork....fish, herbs, steamed buns, and other more "earthy" smells permeate the air. And that character looks like an egg?

I'd go crazy facing crowds like this everyday. But for one fine sunny morning in San Francisco, it was just perfect!

Happy Lunar New Year!

Mexico City - Morning Coffee at Delirio Mónica Patiño, Breakfast at Los Tamales de la Roma, Walking Paseo de la Reforma, and Caffeine with a View at Don Porfirio Caffe

Our second full day in CDMX was another; surprise, fairly walking intense day. The morning in Condesa was quite lovely.

On this day, the Missus wanted to check out Centro Histórico….getting there by foot of course. So I devised a plan...we'd start in Roma, have a breakfast of sorts, then head down Paseo de la Reforma, Alameda Central, before arriving in the Historical Center of Mexico City.

So we headed out, past Parque España, taking a right onto Álvaro Obregón, crossing Insurgentes Sur we came upon a place I had to have a bit of caffeine; a gourmet shop owned by Chef and Television Personality Monica Patiño, named Delirio. I had kept the option open to grab something from this shop, but the Missus just wasn't inspired, so we just sat outside had a nice cup of coffee.

Delirio Mónica Patiño
Monterrey 116
Roma Norte, 06700 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico

So, for a bite to eat, I went with plan B. The Missus really wanted to have some tamales during this trip, so two blocks away we took a left and arrived at one of the many places I had on my "list". A little shop named Los Tamales de la Roma.

We were greeted by the nicest, sweetest, young man, and we had a seat outside....it was such a nice morning!

When the young man brought over the menus, he explained that they did "two style of tamales.....the typical maiz, and those that use plantanos", he told us to please ask any questions we have; "I want you to have the best time possible"! My goodness...… So we had him recommend something.....after chatting with the Missus a bit, he recommended the "Ratatouille", which he said was done in Plantain leaves and had good vegetables and is so healthy. I ordered the Chicharron en Salsa Verde.

The tamal de chicharron was delicious, porky, great corn flavor, a hint of smokiness, nice tangy acidity from the salsa verde.

The Ratatouille was less so for us; fairly bland, in need of more flavor....but very moist.

You know, based on the service, it's very hard to complain about 2 tamales and bottled water that came out to less than $3/US!

This was more than enough for a light breakfast.

Los Tamales de la Roma
Jalapa 99
Roma Norte, 06700 Ciudad de Mexico, CDMX, Mexico

The Missus really wants to check out Tamales Doña Emi next we visit.

From Jalapa, it was pretty much a straight shot to Glorieta Insurgentes, right before the roundabout, we saw a nice church and decided to duck in for a quick look. This was Parroquia de la Sagrada Familia (Parish of Sagrada Familia).

A few blocks later we were standing on the wide and bright Paseo de la Reforma, staring at the Angel of Independence.

This iconic landmark was built to commemorate Mexico's independence from Spain and was completed in time to celebrate Mexico's 100th anniversary of it's independence in 1910. One interesting fact about the structure is that it contains a mausoleum at its base where heroes of the fight for independence are interred, including Leona Vicario.

The avenue is wide and there's much to see in terms of art pieces; like the kind of whimsical, slightly strange Cocodrilo by artist Leonora Carrington.

More on Cocodrilo here.

To the more serious and dignified, like the Monumento a Cuauhtémoc.

And of course, people (and pooch) watch.

That's El Caballito above.

At this point, we took a right turn at the fountain.....

Onto Avenida Juarez and headed to Alameda Central, which was established in 1592; making it the oldest park in the Americas.

We enjoyed the lovely paths.....

Statues....

And fountains., like the "Fountain of Virgin".

There was of course, way more than one could see while walking through the area.

There's even a Barrio Chino on Dolores Street.

The most popular attraction in the area is undoubtedly the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts) with its distinctive dome.

And, the Missus had read that if you'd like to get a really great view of the Palacio de Bellas Artes, you can get it from the Sears across the street.

Well, actually from the Don Porfirio Café on the 8th floor of Sears. You'll need to first wait behind a rope if no seat are available...we had no problem since it was rather early and there were seats with great views. And of course, you need to order some coffee, tea, or other beverage as well.

But that view...….well, we think it's worth it.

For at least once...….

Don't you think?

Don Porfirio Caffe
Avenida Juarez 14 (On the 8th Floor of Sears)
Mexico City, Mexico

On our way down the elevator, and older gentleman, who I believe is perhaps one of the Sears managers smiled and said "Buenos Dias"....then asked us where we were from. We told him "San Diego"; and he told us "it is a beautiful city.....there is Sea World. Welcome to our city....it is pretty beautiful too, no?"

Yes, it is quite beautiful too......

Thanks for stopping by!

 

Recently Consumed and my Balsamic Brussels Recipe

F(riend) o(f) Y(oso) "Som Tommy" emailed me recently asking me why I don't do many cooking or recipe posts these days. It was a good question; it seems that most of what I make these days is fairly straight-forward. The Missus loves Her veggie type dishes and I've taken queues from places we've travelled to.

The vegetable dishes in Israel were stunning and I've been making stuff like a simple roasted butternut squash and onion with tahini.

And after having a good Shakshuka in Mahane Yehuda Market, the Missus told me that I needed to step up my Shakshuka game.

The Missus wanted Matzo Ball soup of all things during the New Year.....so I trucked up to Wing Lee Poultry, got an old hen, and the Missus got Her soup.

Not all inspiration come from far away....we recently had a nice brunch at Tribute Pizza (post is coming up) and the Missus wanted me to make something in the same vein. Which ended up being Kale and Chard with Lardons in Pesto....with lots of sauce for bread.

Here's a random Linguica Frittata.

And finally....a recipe; like for real.

Waaaay back in January of 2016; I mentioned my Balsamic Brussels recipe and Lynnea asked for it. When I posted this photo in my Flickr account someone also asked for the recipe.

Man, I've been making this for like five years now. I use Costco's Balsamic Vinegar, I save the good stuff we bought in Mondena for other uses. What I noticed after trying out other brands of Balsamic is that I don't need to add any sugar to what Costco sells for sweetness; it works fine as a reduction and with the amount I use for one recipe of this......well, it's easier on the wallet

Anyway; after 3 years or so....I'm posting another recipe.

Balsamic Brussels

1/3 lb bacon
2 Tb white wine
1 shallot diced
2/3 cup Balsamic Vinegar (a store bought brand) reduced by half
3 Tb Red Wine Vinegar
1 1/2 lbs Brussel Sprouts, trimmed and sliced in half
1 tsp Smoked Parika
Salt and Pepper to taste

Slice bacon into lardons - cook over medium heat to render out the fat. I add in the white wine to help the saute along
Remove bacon to a rack once cooked
Saute shallots in fat
Add Brussel Sprouts and turn up heat to high, turn occasionally
Deglaze with red wine vinegar
When cooked as desired (The Missus doesn't like mushy/over cooked Brussel Sprouts) turn heat to low and glaze with Balsamic Reduction
Season to taste
I've on occasion used stuff like red pepper flakes, Ghost Pepper Salt, Harissa and other items for some variety.

Have Fun!

Bonny's Cafe (El Cajon) revisits (Breakfast and Lunch)

Kirk is busy at work and mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today.

I wrote about Bonny's Cafe in 2018. This Mom and Pop East County Diner which serves breakfast and lunch has been around now for more than 25 years.   The interior is quite large with tables, booths and a sizable counter/bar stool area.There are white boards with Specials listed at both doors (there is a large parking lot next door (opposite the Veterinary Hospital side) with a back entrance next to the Tatoo Parlor).  This was the order of banana walnut pancakes ($6.95) add bacon and eggs ($3.25). The fluffy with crisp-edged, buttermilk cakes were wonderfully flavored-and even better topped with the fresh bananas and walnuts.  The eggs were perfectly poached and the bacon added a good salty bite.  Yes, that's some 'would you also like some whipped cream?' in the soup cup.
The Breakfast sausage croissant with a side of cottage cheese ($10.95) is large, hearty and very tasty. There were leftovers to take home. 
   Dropping in for lunch, I couldn't decide and ordered that way- Soup, salad and a half sandwich ($10.50). That's really the charge for a half sandwich and a choice of two sides.  Side choices are (in addition to the soup and salad): slaw, steak fries, waffle fries, Cajun fries, onion rings, cottage cheese and potato salad. There were several soups available and I chose Navy Bean; a wonderful version is made here. The Mister and I each had a house salad, His with Blue Cheese and mine with Thousand Island.  
The tuna salad sandwich is made on grilled sourdough bread with American Cheese and a tomato.  The tuna salad itself is simple and made with sweet relish.  The dill pickle along with the sour, crispy, buttery grilled bread added the right amount of salty to the meal. 
This is why we are here for lunch.  A proper Monte Cristo.  ($11.95)  The three slices of bread, with the center slice separating Ham and Swiss from the Turkey with Swiss, quartered, battered and flash fried then sprinkled with powdered sugar and served with strawberry preserves is the way a Monte Cristo should be prepared; not half battered and fried then cut-less area to soak up the custard, leaving the bread a bit dry.  This is an absolutely wonderful, memory inducing sandwich.

Always a great stop with friendly servers and great food, Diner Style.

Bonny's Cafe 596 Broadway El Cajon 92021 CLOSED TUESDAYS, otherwise Open Wed-Mon 7 a.m.-2 p.m. (619)579-3464

El Huevo Estrellado (Chula Vista)

Here's another mmm-yoso!!! post about food, written by Cathy while Kirk and His Missus are enjoying a little vacation elsewhere. 

As The Mister and I tend to do, driving and stopping and not researching ahead of time lead us to this lovely Taco Shop down the street from the bakery where we ordered our Rosca de Reyes for 2020 (photo of the Rosca at the bottom of this post).  We were at the corner of Broadway and Naples and stopped at the signal light, saw the signage and turned into the parking lot.
 Stepping inside the storefront at the far end, we noticed a second room of tables was available (the 'addition' is new and can accommodate about 30 people) and were told to 'sit anywhere'.  A two sided menu was brought over.
Fresh chips and a good, house made, medium heat salsa was also brought out.
 The Mister immediately honed in on #23, Chile Relleño with shrimp on top ($14.50). (We asked and the menu is served all day).  A wonderful Oaxaca cheese filled mild poblano, dipped in egg white then fried is under the plump, large shrimp and topped with a wonderful garlic-y green salsa. Every bite of this plate was wonderful.
  Since the name of this Taco Shop has 'huevos' in it, I felt the need to try an egg/breakfast dish.  Chilaquiles ($10.99) just sounded right.  There was an option of red, green or mole sauce with the chips and I opted for the red because The Mister had ordered green sauce.  

This was a "proper" plate of chilaquiles- tortillas fried then placed in the sauce (not tortilla chips, which are thin and already fried) with the eggs on the side.  So very good.  The beans and rice were just so much better here than elsewhere.  

We are already planning what we want to order on our next visit. Mary and Jake were here in 2017!

El Huevo Estrellado  1096 Broadway (at Naples) Chula Vista 91911 (619)498-1286 Open Daily 7:30 a.m.-9 p.m.

Our Rosca for 2020 was purchased at Sweet bakery Mexico Lindo 
 The Rosca was filled with a wonderful custard/cream and much more interesting to eat this while taking down the Christmas decor on the 12th Night following the holiday.

Sweet Bakery Mexico Lindo 212 Broadway (at E Street) Chula Vista 91911 Open Sun-Thurs 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Fri-Sat 8-8 

Hungry Lu's- Italian Deli & Goodies (Ocean Beach)

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today; Kirk and His Missus are enjoying a few days off.

Hungry Lu's is located in the midst of homes and a few businesses on Voltaire Street, three blocks East of the Pacific Ocean.  The Ocean Beach community has been able to enjoy this Bakery and Deli since 1973. Walk in, order and pay.  There are some tables out front and your order is brought out to you.  
 Of course, you can just order some meats, cheeses and (wonderful fresh baked) rolls to make your own sandwiches at home.

 We were here in early January and Christmas Cookies were still being baked; a nice way to continue the holiday treats a bit longer (and to ignore a silly resolution)
 There is a menu on the front window as well as on the wall and taped to the counter inside.  It's simple and has just enough choices, especially if you are walking to or from the beach. The "personal size" pizza is quite large, cut into six slices and has a wonderful crust!  All pizzas are priced the same, $6.49.  This, the 'Meat Lovers', includes pepperoni, sausage, salami and mozzarella.  The sauce is a good tomato flavored unadorned deliciousness. 
The Baked eggplant sandwich, listed under 'Favorite Subs' ($8.99) is simple with eggplant baked in olive oil, mozzarella and the simple yet flavorful tomato marinara.  The sandwich/bread baked here is quite large and half of a sandwich (on the wonderfully tasty toasted bread) is filling. There appeared to be some ricotta on the sandwich also...which made it even better.   
 There is one item not even listed on the menu, but everyone orders it.  The cannoli shells ( a delicious fried pasty) are near where you place your order at the counter and are filled when you order. The filling is a smooth ricotta with citrus (lemon) and the ends are topped with tiny chocolate chips (optional; as if I'd say no).  The cost was around $3.  

A nice, long time, local sandwich place.

Hungry Lu's 4920 Voltaire Street, San Diego, 92016 (619)223-4722 Open Mon-Fri 10:30-4:30, Sat 10:30-5:30 Closed Sunday.