mmm-yoso!!!

Our Best Wishes This Thanksgiving

Yes, I guess it would usually be one of those Happy Thanksgiving posts. But this year it's different.

No matter how we try to frame it; the pandemic has changed things.

We're keeping it simple this year; that's some Ham Hock and Bean soup; which turned out rather well.

While the Missus is working as usual this T-Day; I won't be having to cook for 80 people; because potlucks are (rightfully) not allowed at Her work.

So, I used my time to make some pozole.....I guess I need to get my act together and do a post on that...maybe this weekend.

Perhaps the best thing I can do is to extend our best wishes that everyone's good health on this Thanksgiving!

Be safe and take care, we'll get through this!

Takeout from Zen Curry

Even though I was born and raised in Honolulu, I really do enjoy cooler weather....of course this is SoCal, so take that "cooler" weather comment with a grain of salt. I enjoy the hearty soups and dishes that come with this season; though this year, with the fear that Covid-19 outbreaks will worsen (the current data since we got back from our road trip agrees with this theory), has really dampened my enthusiasm.

Still, I had been craving some Japanese Curry for lunch. Since Hinotez is only doing dinner these days and Coco Ichibanya's opening delayed until next year according to Eater and "FOY" Elle. I decided to check on Zen Curry, since it had had been a while since my last visit.

There was an item on the online menu that caught my eye; the "Ono Combo" ($15.50) which included a fried egg and the item I thought Zen did best; the Spam® Katsu. I ordered online and picked up my order; which was on a table inside the restaurant when I arrived....no human contact at all. 

Things came packed quite neatly.

I also ordered a side of Rakkyo (50 cents), since I thought correctly, that it would help to cut the spice and richness.

It took me less than 15 minutes to get home; everything was still hot; but I decided to heat up the curry a bit more, before combining things.

Things were pretty much the same in terms of flavors and how the items were prepped and served. The texture of the curry on the pasty side; what I now called "roux-inned"....pun intended. I got it at heat level five and it delivered. The curry was ever so lightly beefy. If not for the texture; this would be a decent curry.

The egg was sadly overcooked.

As with my previous experience with the tonkatsu; it was tasteless and tough. The Spam Katsu seemed a bit over fried, the breading a bit too hard, edging on bitter. Still, it was the best thing on the plate.

It's too bad....I had thought that perhaps Zen was still going thru their soft/grand opening period when I visited; but it looks like what I'd had before is the status quo.

Kind of a bummer, because I really want to support these small businesses. I'm sure I'll return some time in the future....just not for a while.

Zen Curry
7309 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Sun - Wed   11am - 8pm
Thurs - Sat 11am - 9pm

Sunday Stuffs: Ban Lao Cuisine Takes Over the Que Huong Space, if You've Ever Wondered What I Sound Like, and Other "stuffs"

Just some "stuffs" for Sunday.

Ban Lao Takes Over the Que Huong Spot:

After picking up lunch at Fredcels, since I hadn't been around City Heights since March, I decided to take a quick peek on University to see what was going on. I drove over the 15 freeway and to the corner of Marlborough and University; noticing that Cafe Dore had their doors open. I then took a quick look left and noticed that it seemed that Ban Lao's sign was gone. I was bummed.....I then took a turn into the parking lot and was even more shocked......you see Ban Lao had taken over the space where Que Huong used to be. Que Huong was gone! "CC" had told me that Que Huong had changed ownership a while back and that Jay and his sister no longer owned the place. But this was still quite sad since I'd been visiting here since 2005! Bummer......I'll miss my favorite fish sauce chicken wings and boneless chicken feet salad. After seeing this; I just decided to turn around and head back home.

RIP Que Huong.

Here's a link to something from 2012.

4134 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Speaking of sad - I've been looking at posts I did from my Portland Trips:

So, this all started when I read in Portland Food and Drink that Cheese Bar was closing. Wondering what all this collateral damage was from Covid-19, etc. I started looking at all the places we visited during trips to Portland and I was shocked at how many places were recently permanently closed or soon closing. Not including those places that are still temporarily closed.

All Pok Pok locations

Tasty N 'Alder - This one really hurts since it was a favorite of the Missus and even inspired a copycat version of the Missus's favorite dish there.

Bailey's Tap Room

Blue Star Donuts

Toro Bravo

Alma Chocolates

Ataula

You can find a list here.

Have you ever wondered what I "sound" like?:

Back at the beginning of October; I received an email from Kristy Totten at the UT:

"I host a podcast with Abby Hamblin about interesting people around San Diego and we were wondering if you'd come on our show this week or next."

Which caught me totally off guard. I'd always thought that I have done a pretty good job of flying under the radar. So naturally, the first thing I did was take a quick look at the Podcast; which is named Name Drop San Diego. I was and still am not quite certain why "FOY ChrisR" recommended me for the podcast. And after reading first the description:

"Name Drop San Diego is a weekly podcast from The San Diego Union-Tribune celebrating people who have shaped San Diego and been shaped by it. Join hosts Abby Hamblin and Kristy Totten each Tuesday as they get to know the people who make San Diego proud."

And looking at the line-up of folks who had already been on the podcast....frankly, I was thinking someone had made a mistake here.....

Still, I agreed to a phone call with Kristy and Abby, who were both so warm and friendly....setting me immediately at ease, I agreed.

Abby and Kristy made the whole process quite fun to be perfectly honest. I'm not sure how; but they worked some magic and made my rambling answers seem somewhat coherent. So kudos to them.

There were a couple of things that were somewhat funny. First, not being a big fan of my voice (though I will say; I got a great face for podcasting), I was surprised at how fast I speak. Second was a totally on the nose observation made by some of my close friends, each of whom said in a similar way that I'd totally fail the "lightning round" since there was just no way I could answer questions on food in a single word or sentence. I guess they know me well.

So, if after all this rambling you're still interested here's the link.

Kristy and Abby if you do read this post; thanks so much to the both of you for a wonderful experience. It was a pleasure.

And Chris, thanks....I think; for the recommendation.

And, I was also reminded of another one I did back in 2008 - here's the link from the wayback machine!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip (During Covid-19) - Cocktails from the Good Lion, Sama Sama, Handlebar Coffee (Santa Barbara), and Morro Bay

After dinner at the Black Sheep we headed down State Street all the way to the "Funk Zone" area. It was way too crowded, even on a Sunday night, so we decided to head back to the motel room.

About two blocks down; the Missus and I looked at each other...….we still wanted a "nightcap" (or two). I recalled the place right under "The Earth Without Art is Just EH" sign, a cocktail bar named the Good Lion. The outdoor tables were nicely separated and we decided to stop here. The Server was really friendly and reminded us that the current law required us to order some food. Right next door was a restaurant that was on the "list" I'd presented to the Missus before our trip, an Indonesian Restaurant named Sama Sama and they had partnered with the Good Lion to provide food. So we decided to order an item from the menu.

The Missus ordered a "Good Toddy" a warm cognac and spiced rum drink that She said warmed Her up nicely.

I got an Oaxacan Old Fashion.

The first one was kind of on the weak side....so of course I ordered another, which was a bit stiffer and I enjoyed more.

While sitting a very friendly pooch wearing a couple of LED lighted collars walked on up.....she was soooo sweet and friendly, just asking to be pet. Her name was Lexi, I wish I took a photo of her.

Meanwhile, our food from Sama Sama arrived. We had ordered the Crispy Rice Salad.

A bit like Nam Khao, except milder in flavor and the rice was very light and crisp. Not very spicy, the Missus enjoyed the fried egg....it was a nice "dessert" of sorts. Really balanced flavors; cilantro,  fish sauce, salty-savory sausage. Even though we would have enjoyed some pork skin in this, I'd gladly it again.

We enjoyed the service, our waters were constantly refilled, the servers really made an effort to keep folks happy. It was a nice way to end the evening.

The Good Lion
1212 State St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Sama Sama Kitchen
1208 State St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

We headed back to our room and fell asleep. Though the rooms were a bit dated and the walls thin; I could hear people talking and all of the street noise.

The next morning we woke and checked out at around 7 am and headed off....first stopping to refuel and grab some coffee from Handlebar Coffee

The Missus, the coffee snob, was disappointed that even though they roasted their own beans; that they didn't do pour over; so She got a double espresso, I got an Americano.

And then we were off to our next destination.

Handlebar Coffee Roasters
2720 De La Vina St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93105

We got on 154 West, then the 101 North, then the1, and made good time to our next destination. It was a place that I always wanted to check out....mainly for one thing.

It was still misty when we got to the village of Morro Bay. We easily found parking and started walking down Front Street. We decided to stop into this kinda touristy looking fish shack and shop.

And I saw something that I hadn't had since we visited Vancouver; salmon candy.

The really friendly young man provided samples and even though it was a bit more fishy than what I'd had before; I got some Salmon Candy. We always bring along a good sized ice chest on long road trips so we could purchase items like this.

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

From here we headed south and walked down the Embarcadero. There were many shops; but we didn't see any tourists; just a few locals walking their dogs or having coffee and also other "residents".

It was still quite foggy as we walked down the street window shopping. Though we could hear the barks and honks from seals.

There are quite a few memorials along the waterfront.....

I recall seeing this shop and telling the Missus, "I hope they don't get folks orders wrong....."

We ended up stopping and getting Frankie's "cousin" some treats.

We stopped at a couple shops that were open.

And walked all the way down to Tideland Park before turning around and heading back toward the car.

By now, the fog had started burning off; giving me a view of what I came here to see; Morro Rock.

The drifting fog gave the volcanic plug an air of mystery. We could also see the platform where all the sea lions were hanging out on.

Of course there's always that one fellow who has to do his own thing......

All while under the watchful eye of this one.

We'd enjoyed this stop; it was quite relaxing, the views were nice.....I'm not sure when the area is busy or if it's always this relaxed. Also not sure how the food is in the area; perhaps one day we'll spend a night.

For now it was time to head on out to our destination for the next couple of nights.

Thanks for stopping by!

Takeout from Greenhaus Vegetarian Eatery

Back in August while driving down Morena Boulevard, I noticed that the longtime Chinese Fast-Food place, Wok In Express was gone and being replaced by, gosh, of all things a vegetarian restaurant! The first thing that went through my mind was "wow, boy has Morena changed since we moved to San Diego"!

Nestled between JV's Taco Shop, the Donut Shop, and Waters Fine Foods in the cramped parking lot, I made a mental note of the place.

Then, returning from picking up lunch from another place on Linda Vista (yes ST, I'll get that post done soon), I noticed that Greenhaus had opened.

A week or so later, I decided to drop by at around eleven, before that tiny parking lot gets crazy.

The interior of the restaurant had been emptied with two small "two tops" set-up outside....the Covid thing, you know.

With a name like Greenhaus, other than being vegetarian....cause the sign said so; I wasn't sure what kind of cuisine was being served.

A quick look at the menu and menu card straightened things out quickly.

This was one of those "fast-casual" concepts, basically Indian....where you pick sauces, proteins, and a "style"......whether a wrap, salad, plate.....or even tacos(???). There's even a "snack" menu with samosas and such. The owner, whose name, please forgive me if I misspell it; is Gubi was so friendly and helpful. I wanted to figure out what the best combination of Sauce and Protein was for a plate. I was thinking Spiced Chickpeas and a Lentil Curry sauce. Gubi said that would be a good combination. I went with a carb two-fer; getting the garlic naan and basmati rice as my sides for the plate ($12). Gubi also said he put in a sample of the Masala sauce for me to try. I was shocked when I opened my bag.....man, this was a lot of food!

Geez Louise, look at all that rice and all that naan? The basmati rice was perfect in texture and mildly fragrant. The lentil sauce, was basically a milder, lighter, sauce version of green lentil daal. It wasn't super rich, had a nice nuttiness, a decent sauce. The chickpeas were nicely done, I believe they use dried chickpeas, because these weren't overly salty, nor were they mushy. It had a really nice exterior firmness that gave way to a pleasant creaminess. Again mild and not overly seasoned, but not bad. I saved half of this for the Missus who loved it and wiped it all out. So, I guess Greenhaus has a fan.

There was a generous portion of garlic naan provided. It was a bit thinner and less doughy than what I'm used to; but it went well with the tangy masala sauce. Again, this was a lighter, more tangy-acidic version of masala, without all the thick buttery-creamy textures and not very spicy, nor overly seasoned, which worked fine here.

Overall, I hesitate to call it Indian food, let's just stick with "Indian inspired"....a bit lighter, fast-casual in concept. While most of these type of places aren't my kind of thing, we were pleasantly surprised with our meal. It's also quite a good value as well.

I decided to return a week or so later. I wanted to try the "Veggie Meatballs" especially since they were made with garbanzos (chickpeas), knowing I'd have leftovers for the Missus who loves garbazos (see above). I asked Gubi what sauce to get and he recommended the Masala. So I got the Veggie Meatballs with Masala sauce, basmati rice, and a salad.

Again, quite a bit of food. The "meatballs" were very much a milder version chickpea kofta; though it was a bit on the dry and bland side for our taste. The masala this time was less tangy; though much thicker and richer....frankly, I preferred the previous version.

The salad was fresh, the greens sparkling, though the vinaigrette was quite routine and bland.

So, I think we'll stick with the spiced chickpeas....especially if the Missus has a say in things.

Overall, while I'm not a big fan of most fast-casual "concepts"......because frankly, most places just seem to quit at the "concept", with mainly revenue in mind, and let the cards (food) fall where they may. And honestly, I think most folks may have their favorite combinations at these fast-casual places...heck we still order one thing from "Da Poodle" a couple of times a year. I'd say that Greenhaus makes a good quality product and while the flavors may seem on the mild side; I don't think it's bland at all. A big plus is the owner, who is very friendly and helpful. This is more fusion than "con-fusion" and I can live with that. After all; someone's going to have to get the Missus Her chickpeas, right?

Greenhaus Vegetarian Eatery
1118 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours
Mon - Sat 11am - 9pm
Closed Sundays

Takeout Revisit to Chicago Fire Grill

I can tell that the pandemic is raging on, just by the fact that I've already done Covid-19 takeout posts on Chicago Fire Grill and SuperNatural Sandwiches......and now I'm circling back! Anyway, here goes.

Chicago Fire Grill:

I had ben wondering how George was doing; so I decided to get some takeout from Chicago Fire Grill. I tried calling in my order, but no one picked up. After trying a few times, I naturally thought the worst, so I headed on over.

Well, I shouldn't have worried.....the place was busier than before the pandemic. The two tables outside were full, there were three people waiting for takeout....and to tell you the truth; I'm really not used seeing this many people in one place these days and felt kind of weird. Everyone was well spaced and those not eating were wearing masks.

As for George, he was obviously too busy for any words of wisdom on this day. So, I just got my Chicago Dog and headed out. I think this is kind of bargain at 6 bucks.

Over the last couple of visits, I was glad that they were back using poppy seed rolls....a good Chicago Dog should always be enrobed in one. Didn't care for the unwieldy wedge of tomato; it should have been thinner sliced and longer to cover more of the dog. No other complaints about the dog, which had a decent snap, the radioactive green relish, a good amount of onions. Though when it comes to it; I could have used more celery salt this time around.

A pretty good deal for six bucks these days....I mean, you can barely get an order of siu mai for that price nowadays, right?

Chicago Fire Grill
8935 Towne Centre Dr.
San Diego, CA 92122
Phone number
(858) 622-0224
Open Daily 11am - 9pm

Road Trip (During Covid-19) - The Black Sheep (Santa Barbara)

I spent a good month planning our road trip....the dates; not only was the Missus and I burnt out from work, but also from all the toxic politics and hate being spewed. I knew it was going to boil over during election week. Since I had already voted by mail, we decided to leave on the Sunday right after Halloween. I had basically planned out all the dinners....we really don't eat lunch....just having croissants, fruits, nuts, and bars when travelling. We save our calories for dinner. I had decided to stop overnight in Santa Barbara, where we could pick-up wonderful looking bentos from our favorite restaurant on our previous visit to the city and eat on the patio of the motel we were staying in. Unfortunately, a week before our trip Yoichi's decided to stop take-out service and prepare to reopen for dining in and were going to be closed until further notice. I immediately did a bunch of research and picked out a couple of places and let the Missus decide. Which she did and I made reservations for an outdoor table at the earliest time available.

It was a wonderful morning when we left San Diego.

We got to Santa Barbara in record time and arrived early. Our motel was on State Street, but not on the portion to the South that was now a pedestrian only zone. I basically chose the place because of the location and this was the only stop where I actually went in and wiped down the room before we settled in.

Getting to SB early meant that we had time to kill, so we headed down State Street. The Trinity Episcopal Church was having services (this was a Sunday) when we passed.....outdoors.

And it was a pleasant walk as we passed very few people....everyone wearing a mask, along the way.

And State Street was closed from Sola Street to Haley Street, creating a pedestrian zone with outdoor dining areas created.

And with very few people, being able to walk in the street, really enabled one to distance.

I got a kick from the Earth without Art is just "EH" sign and also took note of the business below that sign.

After checking to see where we'd be eating that evening.....to also scope out the outdoor situation we headed back to the motel; we always include a medium sized ice chest when we do road trips and I grabbed some sparkling water, almonds, and an energy bar. We ate on the empty elevated patio of the motel and when we finished, our room was ready.

We freshened up and took a short nap.

We headed down to our dinner destination.

The place the Missus chose for dinner was the Black Sheep....She was fascinated by the rather eclectic menu and the cocktail list.

And got to chose our little table outside in the covered garage like area. Where we saw an amazing sunset......

Our Server was wonderful, very warm, friendly, gracious. While there were several "hiccups" with our meal, we really enjoyed our experience as a whole.

The menu had quite a collection of dishes; from Potato Tacos to Ramen to Duck Confit....I was quite surprised that the Missus had chosen this place.

We decided on what we were going to order and then took a look at the cocktail list....which, unfortunately only had 4-5 drinks on it. A far cry from the online cocktail menu. When we asked what was going on with this we were told that they just lost their mixologist....sad, there's nothing to be done about that, so we went off that list.

I decided on the Yuzu Margarita.

Which, while being a light on the Tequila and Triple-sec, was nice and refreshing. The Missus got the Black Sheep Manhattan which was passable, but could have used a large sized cocktail ice cube or two.

The first dish out was the Australian Wagyu Beef Carpaccio....we laughed when we were told it was "A7 Wagyu" and instantly knew it wasn't Japanese Wagyu.

The dish supposedly had uni and dashi; but we didn't see any on the plate. The beef was very good however; clean tasting, no hints of metallic-off flavors, the basil oil was wonderful and the Missus loved the potato puree

The Missus also really enjoyed the Bone Marrow Bruschetta.

This was wonderful play of textures, from the buttery, very beefy bone marrow, the panko, perfectly toasted baguette. The port sauce wasn't overly sweet....it was closer to a veal jus, the mustard greens added a pleasant bitterness, and the pear a pleasant tart-sweetness.

The potato tacos weren't bad either.

This version used a wonderfully dense, slightly sweeter-nutty purple potatoes, which was really highlited when combined with the pickled onions and tangy crema. Call it hipster tacos if you will; but this wasn't too bad.

While munching on the tacos and bruschetta, we asked the Server about the Uni and Dashi on the carpaccio.....he kindly asked us to hold on for a second while he checked with the kitchen.  About ten minutes later he came back out with the chef who had a bowl in hand. Apparently, they'd forgotten the uni and dashi on our carpaccio and decided to give us a special dish using the wagyu beef, uni, and dashi.

Along with the sweet-spice from the sliced chilies; this was really good. In fact, the Missus and I think that had the uni and dashi been used with the carpaccio; it might have just been too much, clashing flavors. Here there was a nice oceany-beefy cleanness to the dish. Kudos to the staff for making things right.

At this point the Server told us he'd bring us our check....but.....we had also ordered the Boqorones. Which they'd kind of let slip. A few minutes later; things were corrected.

Perhaps we had pushed our luck a bit on this one....having had Boquerones in Spain and Portugal...this was a bit too "fishy" for the Missus and the crostini was too hard.

Regardless, in spite of the hiccups, we really loved the service, and the folks here were very warm and kind.....perhaps it had been so long since we'd actually had a meal out (232 days)? But I think not. We really did enjoy our experience and the carpaccio (both ways!) and the bruschetta were delicious.

The Black Sheep
26 E Ortega St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 965-1113
Current Hours:
Wed - Sat 5pm - 10pm
Sunday 5pm - 9pm
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays

On an interesting note; this wouldn't be our last food (or drinks) on this evening.

Stay tuned for that one!

Grocery Market Steam Tray meals: Carnival, Sam Woo BBQ and Valley Foods

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a long running San Diego food blog.  Cathy is writing today while Kirk catches up with things.

At midnight, San Diego County is going back into the most strict lockdown phase (the purple tier, again).  (This time for at least three weeks).  Restaurants cannot be 'eat in'.  (Only outdoor dining will be allowed).  

The Mister and I have learned a lot during 2020. We have been cooking and baking more at home (another post) and initially would grab and go takeout from places that sort of specialize in take out items (Taco Shops; we have been to a lot of taco shops). I made a New Year Resolution more than 15 years ago that I would not use "drive through" windows anywhere and have stuck to that resolution to this day.  This resolution, which was meant to force me to park and walk inside businesses, has limited some access to food.

Anyhow, we also discovered a lot of restaurant food does not travel well and just doesn't taste the same at our table on our plates.  What we did realize is that grocery store Steam Tray food items DO travel well and make a good meal when we don't feel like cooking.

I wrote a post in 2012 about eating in at Carnival Market an we have had many meals to go from here over the years. The eat in area has been closed to the public since March. There is a good choice of meals and snacks in the steam tray area: fried and roasted chicken, many taco meats, various stews and fried fish. In particular, the fried whole fish plate (tilapia, rice, beans, tortillas ($7)) is a regular choice. There are a few daily choices of stews, sold by the pound (for an additional $2, you get tortillas, rice, beans, cilantro and onion).  The nice workers fill the container with meat, weigh and price it, then fill the rest with the juice.  This is beef birria (mutton is sometimes available).  

Carnival Supermarket 3560 Ashford Street San Diego 92111 (858) 277-1505 (Currently opens at 8 a.m. daily) 

I have written about eating in at Sam Woo, but not about the hundreds of quick meals we purchase at the Steam Tray area when first walking in.  Apparently I don't take many photos, either.   Choices of one, two and three items with rice or noodle usually has us ordering one all vegetable (eggplant) and a meat/vegetable choice.  Less than $7 and more than enough food to share.
 Except that we pretty much also ask for 1/2 pound of the BBQ pork or duck, because it is irresistible.

Sam Woo BBQ To Go 7330 Clairemont Mesa Blvd Ste 103 San Diego, CA 92111 (across the hall form 99Ranch Market) (currently opens at 9 a.m. daily) 

In East County, Valley Foods Mediterranean Market  has been around for more than ten years. The steam trays and grab and go areas have a great selection of choices.  Some things have changed. 

Now, if you would like a masgouf prepared fish, walk over to the fish counter and pick one out.  (currently, preparation including the fish is $3.99/pound) and the fish will be carried over to the steam try counter and you'll be asked if you want 'everything' (you do).  This fish was over three pounds ($14.33)(that's a regular size fork) and was two meals plus snacks for The Mister and myself. There are roasted tomatoes and onion in the pan. (Fun story about masgouf (the downfall of Saddam Hussein)).
 The fish is coated with oil and za'atar, a spice blend with thyme, oregano, savory and sumac as well as sesame seeds.  In the refrigerated area, we usually buy some baba ganoosh or hummus, the home made (cream top) yogurt and tabbouleh. There is an area next to the cash register with 'pizza', but really these are flatbreads, one topped with cheese, the other with za'atar ($1.50 each)   Next to the seafood counter, you'll see an open door (into the baking area) with signage above the door.  Breads made in stone ovens ($1.50 white, $1.75 wheat and $2 sesame topped).  I usually ask for the sesame topped bread and it's made fresh and handed to me in a paper bag, very hot. 

One day I was alone shopping and decided on something light. Beef or chicken kabob ($1.50 each). These are beef.  It is all I ordered.  I paid $3 plus tax.  Look at all the condiments!  Roasted tomato and onion, raw onion, pickles, pickled cabbage.  What a substantial meal. 

Valley Foods 1275 East Main Street El Cajon 92021 (619) 749-8355 Website

There are many choices for prepared foods in this time of COVID-19.