mmm-yoso!!!

Gillespie Field Cafe (El Cajon) (again)

mmm-yoso!!! thanks you for stopping by.  Kirk and His Missus are busy with JJ and another vacation which will be an interesting read.  Cathy is writing today.

I wrote about a visit to Gillespie Field Cafe in 2011 and a lot has happened since then (new owners, Covid and just the passage of time).

The restaurant is next to the Control Tower.

It essentially looks the same, with outdoor

as well as indoor seating, both with views of the airfield.

The menu is simpler and the adult beverage choices are listed next to the counter. 

My brother was going to be driving home (to Las Vegas) and we stopped here for a quick breakfast.

Without divulging any details, I ordered the 1/2 Biscuits and Gravy from the "Senior Aviator's Menu" ($11.95), which included one egg (poached perfectly) and country potatoes.  The biscuit crust had a crumbly/flaky texture, the flavorful sausage filled gravy was absorbed by the soft chewy interior.  The crisped potato cubes with bell pepper and onion and were really good. 

My brother chose the Golden French Toast Breakfast ($15.75) with two eggs (scrambled), hash browns and two strips of bacon.  He said the French toast was really good; fluffy inside, slightly crisp exterior and the bacon was a good thickness and nicely crisp.  The eggs were a smooth soft scramble and the hash browns were a nice crisp quality.  

Good coffee here!

Gillespie Field Cafe 2015 North Marshall Avenue El Cajon, CA 92020 Open daily 7 a.m.-2 p.m. (Early Bird specials weekdays 7-9) Website

Pho Leo & Grill

At the beginning of June I noticed a new Vietnamese restaurant was opening in Loma Square named Pho Leo & Grill while driving to Con Pane to pick up some sourdough. A week later the place seemed opened so I checked online and noticed a 930 opening time, which fit into my plans for the area during visits. So, I went and dropped by on my way back from Liberty Station. The place is just about a half block from Pho Point Loma.

The parking lot is fairly expansive, especially earlier in the morning, even on a weekend. 

The interior is fairly expansive, quite modern looking; especially when thinking in terms of what a traditional pho shop looks like. There's a large "grill" section as well. 

The young folks working were very friendly. Looking over the menu and the name of the place, I decided to take it in parts. First the pho. I noticed that there's an option for fresh noodles, which interested me. So, I got the "P3", the "Pho Special" ($15.50) with fresh noodles and included all proteins except the now ubiquitous beef ribs that permeate all newish pho places these days.

In spite of the modern-westernized vibes I initially got; I was pleased to see ngo gai; somewhat of a rarity these days were provided along with the typical bean sprouts, basil, and lime.

And unlike what I'd recently received with recent bowls of pho I've had; everything was quite fresh.

And soon enough, my quite generous bowl arrived.

 Of course, the first thing I went for were the noodles; which somewhat reminded me of kway chap at first glance. Sadly, the noodles were cut into short pieces and were mushy in texture.

As for the broth, well, it lacked beefiness, and definitely was "San Diego sweet" in flavor. Which seems to be the status quo in our lovely city these days

  Where "Leo" seems to excel is with the proteins. While the rare steak was not as bright red as I prefer, it was quite tender; a definite outlier these days. The tendon, while crosscut slices were used was quite tender as well. The tripe was crunchy, and the flank, toothsome as is the norm had a pleasant beefiness to it. The beefiness extended to the brisket as well, though it was on the tougher side.

As things stood, pretty much an average bowl of pho at these modernish Vietnamese places, as is the price of fifteen bucks.

Of course I returned for part 2......to try out the "Grill" portion. 

Same really nice service. I went with what would probably be designated as the Com Tam Dac Biet ($17) which comes with cha, tan hu ky, bi, and a choice of "meat" of thit nuong, pork chop, spare rib, or chicken. I went with the pork chop.

It was a pretty generous plate to be sure.

 The nuoc mam was overly sweet for my taste, but the accompanying broth, which I assume is the pho broth, was much better than what I'd had during my previous visit. Yes, it was lighter...but it wasn't as sweet, with nice savory tones....I'm thinking that this was more like Pho Ga...chicken rather than beef. Doesn't it look like Pho Ga? Frankly, I should have asked.

    The nice young man also kindly provided a portion of chili sauce for me as well.

As for the dish itself; well, the broken rice was on the harder, chewier side. The highlights for me was the bi, which was sliced quite thin, had a nice chewiness, a decent amount of roasted rice powder, and some porky slices of meat to go with it. And the pork chop...there were two pieces, which were sliced thin, toothsome as expected, nicely grilled and quite smoky, along with a savory fish sauce-garlic seasoning with hints of sweetness.

 
 The fried bean curd with shrimp paste/cake wasn't fried enough and somewhat soggy, super rubbery, and quite bland.

The "cha", the steamed egg-pork "loaf" was cold, lacking in flavor, and on the chewier side as well. I like a lighter; porkier version. These two items seemed like versions you'd get at a Vietnamese Grocery store.

I brought one of the pork chops and the leftover rice home for the Missus, who really enjoyed that pork chop. So perhaps we'll need to do another Com-Tam-Plation type visit here? No, it's definitely not "old school" Com Tam like Nhu Y, but the Missus enjoyed that pork chop.

Though I'll note that Soo did not enjoy that pork chop quite as much. You can read his post here.

Yes, Pho Leo & Grill is modernized Vietnamese, but at least it didn't seem overly dumbed down to me.

Pho Leo & Grill
2855 Midway Dr.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Daily 930am - 930pm

Ba Le French Sandwich Shop (City Heights) 17 Years Later

As has happens several times over the last few years, a conversation I overheard keyed a revisit to a place I hadn't been to in years. In this case the discussion was on "Vietnamese Sandwiches" and wondering how those sandwiches were at "Bail".....yes, that's the way they pronounced it "Bail". Which had me wondering where this was....and all of a sudden it hit me...no, the spirit of the late "King" Stahlman wasn't resurrected in the form of a sandwich shop (are you humming "that tune" now?)...nope, I'm certain they were talking about Ba Le. And in retrospect, it had been a while since I'd been to Ba Le, especially the "OG" City Heights location....17 years! Yikes!

So, 17 years later I set out to finally revisit the University Avenue location of Ba Le and the horrendous parking....well, it's not really a "lot", but a couple of designated, very tight spaces. I actually parked on Winona and walked over. 

Upon entering, I noticed that not much has changed over the years....it does look quite worse for wear, but the "double sign" with the available banh mi in Vietnamese on one side and the English translation on the other is still in place. Along with the prices written in black marker.

The Banh Mi Pate Cha is now $7.25, it was $2.75 the last time I visited. The older gentleman took my order, I paid (it's cash only) and I headed on back to my car and then homeward.

    The bread was much better than I recalled, crusty, though still a bit under toasted and on the chewy side. It used to be a lot worse before. 

Two crosswise slices of cucumber...well, at least there was cucumber in this, two long strands of cilantro, and some pickled carrots and daikon. And yes, the pickled veggies are still on the sweeter side for my taste. 

A bit too much mayo for my taste, thin slices of cha lua. But one of the main reasons for my returning was that the pate here was super earthy-funky-sweet. I recall "FOY" TFD telling me that it was made inhouse. Not sure if that's still true....but there was a certain bass line playing in my head after taking a few bites. I'm sure "FOY" and fellow food blogger/musician Denver would be most happy to translate it for you!

This was a pretty good Banh Mi overall...perhaps time and many Banh Mi has given me a bit more appreciation for it. Another thing is that Ba Le, the location that opened in Honolulu back in the early 80's in Chinatown was the first place I remember having a Banh Mi, so there's some history. I recall getting Banh Mi from the ever moving Ba Le locations in Linda Vista over the years, until they finally left for good. Though I've never had much luck at the Mira Mesa locations.

Don't know if it would be my first choice for banh mi these days; but it was a nice little blast from the past!

Ba Le French Sandwich Shop
4879 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92105
Current Hours:
Daily 8am - 5pm

Happy Monday everyone!

Sunday Stuffs - L&L Coming to Clairemont Town Square and Lucky Lane in North Park

Just a couple of things for a relaxing Sunday.

L&L Coming to Clairemont Town Square:

So, I had to get something from Ace Hardware in Clairemont Town Square when I noticed a familiar sign.....

I had to crack up. I sent a text to "FOY" Jack who quickly noted that this was the former location of  The Butcher N Cheese. The reason I found this somewhat interesting is that, at least to me....much like Beard Papa coming to Convoy, this is like 15 years late?

The only other place I can recall in the area would be when Maui Maui Hawaiian BBQ was in the location where Sieu Sieu BBQ is now.

4705 Clairemont Dr.
San Diego, CA 92117

And Yes, It Is Lucky Lane in North Park:

This has been on the news and stuff. But, thanks to Matt the owner of Tribute Pizza and others, the 3800 block of Grim Avenue has been renamed "Lucky Lane" to honor the one and only Lucky Wong who passed on December 30th. I did miss the unveiling of the street sign and celebration which took place on June 28th, but recently had a chance to drive on over and take a look.

I parked and walked over. I noticed the "available" sign in the window of Lucky's. Sigh...if the entity that takes over the property can bring just a fraction of the kindness and joy to the folks of the neighborhood has Lucky did.....

Here's the sign.

Lucky; I'm sure you're bringing joy and laughs to folks wherever you may be.......making sure that the older women aren't drinking too much coffee because "You too young for coffee, it will stunt your growth!" And ensuring we get butter on our toast because  "you need to butter your toast, it's good for your complexion!"

We miss you! Rest well sir!

Road Trip - Silver Lake, Silver Lake Resort Cafe, and Hiking the Reversed Peak Loop (June Lake)

Since I've posted on these places before, I'll just mostly do photos for this one.

After a pretty busy evening, we both slept well. The next morning the Missus was ready to get Her paddleboard out. I had suggested Silver Lake, which always looked quite nice in the morning...plus, well, I knew I could get a decent breakfast nearby while She was out on the lake.

After getting our caffeine fix at The Lift, we headed on out. This time we parked in the Silver Lake parking near the boat ramp and the Missus headed on out. It was as usual during our visits, a lovely day.

Once the Missus was out on the water, I headed across the street to the Silver Lake Resort, which is the oldest "resort" in the Easter Sierra's; formerly known as Carson's Camp it was established in 1916. It's basically a bunch of cabins and RV parking, but it has a shop and most importantly, Silver Lake Resort Cafe, all of which I've posted on before.

Quaint and charming, it's a great place for an old school breakfast.

A bit busy on this morning, I found a spot at the counter. Deciding what to get was easy......

Nice, hearty breakfast...and heck, that slice of watermelon helps suppress the guilt from enjoying that sausage gravy.

Looking at this photo makes me miss Perry's. I guess I need to get back to Rudford's one of the days!

Silver Lake Resort Cafe
6957 Hwy 158
June Lake, CA 93529

After my filling breakfast I sidled back to the boat ramp to see what was up with the Missus. Lot's of folks fishing and pooches splashing!

I could see the Missus make a turn and head back to shore.

While I waited for the Missus a boat was being winched up the ramp. One of the guys was really friendly and he'd done quite well fishing, don't you think?

Once the Missus got to shore, we stowed Her paddleboard and headed back to our room where we freshened up, before heading right back out to our next stop; the Reversed Peak Loop Trail and 4 Lakes Loop.

The beginning was pretty steep with a 600 foot climb, but things flatten out after that.

You do see a couple of lakes/ponds.

Though some had already dried up.

I enjoyed the rock formations and the view of the mountains.

And I learned a new term on this trip. I've been fascinated with the dead trees I've seen on hikes, I found out that they are called "Snags".

The hike was a bit over 3 1/2 miles, with an 800 foot elevation gain. We finished in about 2 hours, not bad. But at this altitude the sun does get to you and there's no shade on the trail.

I'm glad I had my hearty breakfast. And the Missus had gone paddleboarding, plus we'd gone on a hike....and it wasn't even lunch time yet!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip - Alabama Hills Cafe & Bakery (Lone Pine) and Returning to June Lake

Just a couple of weeks after returning from June Lake and Tahoma, the Missus had me back on the road again with a return trip to June Lake. This time the Missus wanted me to cook for Her coworkers who regularly camp at June Lake. Yeeesh, talk about having to do a bunch of prep and then organize and pack!

So, off we were again. We decided to make a lunch stop in Lone Pine again, though not at Lone Star Bistro. Instead, I'd read that Alabama Hills Cafe seemed like a good stop, with diner-ish breakfasts and sandwiches. It's located right off the 395 and on this September early afternoon, the weather wasn't scalding hot yet.

So we walked in and looked over the menu.....

Placed our order and took a seat outside. We had a lovely view of Mount Whitney from our table.

And things started with some ice tea for the both of us.

The sandwiches looked huge, so we decided to share a California Club. And yes, that sandwich was quite large.

We subbed onion rings instead of fries which was a $2 upcharge. The onion rings were incinerated which kinda killed the flavor.

I've mentioned my nostalgic love for club sandwiches in various posts over the years. It brings back memories of having lunch with my mom....you know a "clubhouse sandwich". Anyway, this one was pretty good. The sourdough bread was fine and the Missus enjoyed the addition of some creamy avocado.

I know folks that balk at the addition of cheese on a clubhouse, but the provolone added a nice milkiness, and this was overly slathered in mayo. The turkey was standard issue stuff and there wasn't enough smoky-salty bacon for the Missus so She poached all of mine. I think we'll order extra bacon if we get this again.

Anyway, no muss, no fuss...we'd end up back here for breakfast on the way back from June Lake.

Alabama Hills Cafe & Bakery
111 West Post St.
Lone Pine, CA 93545

From here, it was a 2 hour drive to June Lake. And as before we stayed at the June Lake Villager. Our room had a full kitchen which made my prep for dinner easy.

After prepping for the campsite dinner, we took a stroll down to Gull Lake.

On this day the June Lake Jam Fest was going on! Even so, it wasn't overly crowded.

And the attack cats, remember them, where busy patrolling the grounds.

We took a look at relaxing and serene Gull Lake.

Then headed back to the room...packed up and drove to the campsite where I made dinner for everyone; which they enjoyed! Whew....

Spicy Lao Kitchen Revisited

The recent warm spell had the Missus and I craving some Lao and Thai food. So, we decided to head on back to what had become our favorite Lao Restaurant in the area, Spicy Lao Kitchen. I had heard that there had been some changes in terms of the management and kitchen, so I was interested to see if our favorite dishes still held out.

The one young man working the front of house was so very nice. Strangely, there was only one other table during our entire meal.

And sadly, the food didn't measure up. We actually ordered three of our favorite dishes! Which had enjoyed back in February. 

Since these were dishes we'd had several times during our visits over the last couple of years, and that we had ordered the same three dishes during our last visit, I thought it would be interesting to post first, the dish from this visit; than a photo of what the dish looked like during our February visit.

Things came out of the kitchen fairly quickly; starting with the Moo Tod, the "usually" crispy pork belly.

First off, this more thickly sliced and unevenly fried; some parts really hard, not crisp, other parts barely fried. It was on the bland side and missing the dusting of chili powder it used to have....like back in February.

Never was the difference more evident than in the Goong Nam Pla, which had been a favorite dish of ours since our first visit.

The shrimp itself was fine; but was sorely lacking in spice....we ordered medium spice like we always do and this was just plain overly sour. Also missing was that herbaceous-spicy-savory - fish sauce forward topping and sauce which I swear....I could dip my rubba' slippahs in and enjoy.

Less than five months ago, this is what it looked like. Look at the mint and other herbs on this version. All of this was MIA!

And of course the Nem Khao. Whenever that Missus and I would get a decent version of Nem Khao, we'd always talk about that wonderful meal we had on the banks of the Mekong all those years ago. Food can do that, spur memories, feelings, return you to a special time and place. And then to have it taken away.....

The charred rice wasn't crisp enough and on the chewy side. The dish lacked a sufficient amount of sour sausage, though it was super sour. It lacked seasoning and spice. This was truly a disappointing dish.

Especially compared to what we'd had in February.

I'm not sure what happened here. I know that business had been up for sale, but I thought it had been resolved. Though I've heard from sources that one of the owners is no longer involved and has moved out of state.

This was so disappointing, since Spicy Lao had become our favorite Lao restaurant in San Diego. I guess it's time to get back out there trying other Lao style places. 

Spicy Lao Kitchen
5375 Kearney Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

I know that "FOY" Junichi has also been a regular at Spicy Lao; I'm wondering if he's visited recently and if so, what his experience was like?

 

Tasty House Opens on Clairemont Mesa - Three Grand Opening Visits

Back in April, I noticed that a restaurant named Tasty House was replacing Tealightful Cafe in that strip mall on Clairemont Mesa Boulevard that houses EE Nami and Village Kitchen among others. I was interesting in what they would be serving. One day, while driving past, I noticed that the open sign was lit. It was around lunch time, so I decided to dive on in and visit.

The place was completely empty when I visited.

There was a really nice woman working. She pointed me to a seat and brought me a menu.

The nice lady didn't speak much English, but I saw the older woman behind the counter making jiaozi. Looking at the menu, it seemed like Northern style cuisine. There are even suan cai ("Sauerkraut") dishes on the menu. 

The prices seemed quite reasonable, so I ordered three items. I think there was a communication mix-up, as to my surprise I was brought a takeout order! Perhaps because I ordered so many items she thought it was to go? I had ordered three dishes so I could take the leftovers home to have the Missus sample. I just had to crack up and took my order to go.

The Red Oil Pig ears were cut too thick, making it hard rather than crunchy. It was also served hot....which was a bit strange as I thought it would be a cold dish.

It wasn't particularly spicy and cold have used more seasoning.

Of course I got some jiaozi. I had pointed to the menu and asked in my terrible Mandarin "jiaozi???" and the woman laughed and said "SanXian" (三鲜 - three delicacies). 

    It came with some chili oil and the appropriate (for the region) black vinegar.

The wrappers on several of the dumplings were broken, thus H2O had leaked in during the boiling process nullifying a lot of flavor.

The wrappers were too thick (I still think Dongbei style jiaozi has thicker wrappers) and on the hard side.

   As was the filling. Really chewy and tough. 

I saved two for the Missus, who took one bite and said "you can have it....."

The best item was the Suan Cai with Glass Noodles. Which also came with pork.

The main feature of this was the very sour-fermented tones of the suan cai. This was definitely not a "shrinking violet"! The glass noodles were overcooked and mushy and the pork on the chewy side. But man, that sourness....whoa! 

Well, this was interesting. The Missus was even a bit interested....so much so, that while driving past the place She determined that we should stop in, take a look at the menu and perhaps order some takeout.

By this time, the Grand Opening sign was in place.

While talking to the very nice woman, the Missus determined that their from Dongbei and She proceeded to order two very typical Dongbei Cai dishes that are quite hard to find on menus here in San Diego.

First was the Dōngběi Luàn Dùn which is on the menu as One Pot Out of the Farm ($15.90). It's basically whatever veggies you have stewed with pork.

A large portion size, very home style, potatoes as the base........quite a bit of pork.

This was kinda bland...versions I've had before also used Doubanjiang or something similar to add a nice savory component, this was very plain. A very generous portion though.

The other dish was Páigǔ Dùn Dòujia on the menu as Pork Ribs Stewed with Beans ($15.90).

Man, as if things couldn't get more bland......

Very much simple country cuisine. The beans were still crisp; the pork tender, but the dish was really in need of flavor.

All in all very much like home cooked, simple, country dishes.

The Missus was done with the place...and I was kinda not impressed. But, I thought the folks working here was so nice, that I decided to do one more visit and to actually try to dine in.

It was quite charming; the woman saw me parking my car and actually waved at me....you know I had to give the place one more try, right?

On my previous visit, I saw this sign. A quick Google translate and it said "noodles".....

Which, along with the dumplings, they make inhouse.

So, okay.......this time, I did have a seat and actually dined in.

I really enjoy Zi Ran Yang Rou - Cumin Lamb, so I decided to try the version here. I noticed that the price on the menu had been reduced by a dollar.

This was by far, my favorite dish that I've had here.

While on the salty side; the lamb was decently tender, there was a good amount of earthy-savory cumin. This was by far my favorite dish.

And of course I wanted to try a noodle dish and saw this.

No, it's not the savsage, ahem, probably sausage noodle....but what the heck was Spam Fried Noodle? Well, I was really interested to find out!

Well, this was another "interesting" dish. The noodles were a bit too mushy for my taste. The simple seasoning, soy sauce based, was just like home cooking. As for the "Spam"...well, it was this.

It was beef! I sent the Missus a photo of the menu and She said it said beef in Chinese.....I'm guessing that whatever translation tool was used for the menu....like the "savsage", was perhaps a bit off? The beef was on the chewy side and could have been a bit more "velveted". It lacked the wok hay that I expect with restaurant level food.

In the end; well, to repeat things once again, this is like home cooking and lacks the attributes that separates what one makes at home with what one expects when dining out. It's kind of a bummer since the folks that work here are so nice and the prices are quite reasonable...but really, I'm not going to spend that amount for something I can make at home!

Tasty House
4726 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Wed - Mon 11am - 930pm
Closed on Tuesday