mmm-yoso!!!

Yang Rou Pao Mo to go from Shann Xi Magic Kitchen

My apologies for the lack of posts. The last two weeks have been super busy for me. After finishing up work, I'd just be so fried that the last thing I really wanted to do was sit down at the PC (again, after having it in front of me the whole day). I finally actually had some time to rest this weekend....so hopefully, things will start getting better in the upcoming weeks.

Though getting this text yesterday morning did put me in that "good lord, what next" kinda mood.

Anyway, I was doing some shopping at 99 Ranch Market; the Missus was working and I decided to get something for dinner at the food court to take home with me for dinner. After taking a quick look; I decided to trying some Yang Rou Pao Mo from Shann Xi Magic Kitchen. After all, I hadn't visited since before the pandemic. Plus, after a couple of days of unseasonal warm weather - we hadn't had temps in the 70's since November, things had cooled off and we even got some drizzles....so it was good weather for some soup.

As always, the young ladies working seem to not really want to be here, but I guess I expected that. The menu now seems skewed to Sichuan dishes rather than Shanxi (Jin) dishes...hmmm..... Still I went and ordered the Yang Rou Pao Mo ($12.99) and went shopping. When I returned, I waited and asked a couple of times; before finding out that my order had been lying on the counter for a while.....

I unpacked the container upon arriving home; the soup was still nice and hot. And so I poured everything into a bowl.

 And to be honest, this was better than what what I'd had before. I'm not going to beat that "too bad the pao mo here in San Diego is nothing like how it's supposed to be" dead horse anymore. If I ignore that; then I can easily say the lamb was super tender and gamey; there was nice amount of frozen tofu and bamboo shoots and best of all; the broth wasn't overly salty and had just the right amount of white pepper and muttony flavors. This might be the best version I've had in San Diego...perhaps I need to try the version from Green China Grill again?

What was interesting is that; even with the crazy price increases; the Yang Rou Pao Mo was just a dollar more than what I last paid for it in 2019......though now they charge you 50 cents for takeout containers.

Shann Xi Magic Kitchen
5950 Balboa Ave (In the 99 Ranch Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111

Thanks for visiting; I've missed you all and it felt great doing a post again! Have a great week!

More Takeout from Golden Island

During the fall, I received news that the kitchen staff at Golden Island had experienced some turnover.....the interesting news was that the "new" folks were from China Max...which BTW, still looks quite far from any construction, even though they said they would be reopening this year (2022). 

I decided to place a takeout order and headed on over.

There were actually people dining in and it just seemed quite "normal"......

For whatever that would mean. One of the reasons I keep returning is the manager, Michael is such a nice guy. I asked him about the staff change and he confirmed that yes, the kitchen staff had changed over.

So, I went ahead and ordered what I believe is one of the two items they do well; the Shrimp Siu Mai.

This was actually better than what I'd had here before; moist, tender, and just toothsome enough. Good shrimp flavor without "muddiness", the wrapper wasn't as dry and tough as before, though it's now $7.45!

I also went ahead and ordered something that was recommended to me, the Baked BBQ Pork Bun ($4.99).

   Not a big fan of these; though the bun is nice and fluffy, it's quite dry and bland. The cubes of char siu are really tough and the "sauce" also seemed quite bland as well. Even though it's one of the most inexpensive items on the menu, there's a bit of a shortage of filling as well.

Well, it seems like there was some improvement; so I waited a few weeks and did a revisit. This time I ordered  an item I wasn't very happy with before, the Har Gow and a recommendation, the Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf.

The Har Gow ($7.45) was a bit better.

 The wrapper was a bit more pliable, the shrimp was still on the drier side, but this had a nice "shrimpiness", with no off or muddy flavors. Nice large pieces of shrimp, but I bit more chewy than I like.

Still this was definitely better than what I'd had before.

I also got the Sticky Rice in Lotus Leaf ($8.69).

This just wasn't very good.

You can easily see the issue I had with this, right? First off, the seasoning hadn't permeated the sticky rice.....plus there were some undercooked rice in this; really hard and not good eats. There was a whole shrimp, which was on the hard and chewy side. And there was just not enough filling to give this much flavor. I brought one home for the Missus. After heating; She opened it...there was no real fragrance, She took a look at the fillings and gave me a look, telling me; "well, this one is for you....."

Sooo.......I decided to return in November. I had been craving Kwai Fei Chicken and the version I'd had from here on an earlier visit was one of the two items I enjoyed. 

I also got the Soy Sauce Noodle ($12.99)....because you know....I needed some carbs to balance out that chicken.

This was pretty good, though I would have preferred a bit more soy sauce. Still, all the noodles were firm to crisp and well coated. The bean sprouts were also still crisp; but the dish could have used a bit more "wok hay" as well.

As for the Kwai Fei Ji ($17.99).

 What the heck happened here? This was so disappointing. The chicken had all these weird and somewhat bitter "brown spots" and was very dry, the overall flavor was a bit off. The "sauce" tasted a bit off and lacked assertive ginger tones. This is basically why I ended up trying the Kwai Fei Chicken from Eastern Dynasty.

Needless to say, I was quite disappointed. 

It's too bad about the inconsistency as I really like the manager here; though not quite sure on the service as I always arrived at my assigned time and always had to wait for my order. 

Though they do have "Jazz Night" if you're into that sort of thing.

Golden Island
10660 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

2022 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade floats and a few meals

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today.  She's the one who does these Rose Parade posts. Kirk is taking a break.

So, it's 2022!  Happy New Year.  A time to start anew, change habits.  For starters, most of the photos in this post were taken on December 31, unlike when The Mister and I attended the Showcase of Floats-following the Rose Parade in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019  and 2020.  

With Covid-19, not many people were volunteering to decorate the floats and we had been receiving daily emails and noticing all of the float builders asking for volunteers.  We had helped decorate floats in early December, and were wide awake around 1 a.m. on December 31, saw a live video of the float barn and how much help was needed, especially since final judging is around 10 a.m. on the 31st.  We got in the car and drove to Irwindale.  

Here are some photos of floats and details at the Phoenix Decorating Company barn.  

 Trader Joe's, "You're Invited"
 Kiwanis International, "Dream To Achieve"Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day, "Seeding Tomorrow"

Lutheran Hour Ministries, "Jesus Teaches"
 Oddfellows and Rebekahs, "Arctic Adventure"
 The Century anniversary of Shriners Hospitals for Children, "Celebrating 100 Years of Believing in Dreams". This float depicts a young girl with scars from Spina Bifida repair, spinning in a looking glass, dreaming of being the spinning ballerina in a jewelry box.  There were three color florographs on this float, celebrating the providing of care to children with complex medical conditions regardless of their ability to pay.

 "Wild Kingdom" by RFD-TV and Mutual of Omaha. 
The Closing float, reminding people of the Rose Bowl Game.
Rotary International, "Changing Lives Through Education"

Lions Clubs International, "Quest For Kindness"


Best wishes to you and yours. Dream, Believe, Achieve.

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It was after 11 a.m. and The Mister and I still had not had breakfast so we left and began driving to a favorite stop, The Peppertree Cafe. Another Covid-19 survivor.

 Since it was a Friday, the regular menu (and specials) were available.  We were so tired and overwhelmed.  The Soup, Salad Half Sandwich ($9) was great- clam chowder, ranch dressing, turkey sandwich. There was a half order hot beef sandwich available ($9) so I tried it.  Just enough food.  A very long day. Peppertree Cafe website

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In November, we finally made it back to Porto's, where we had not been since October, 2019. So happy it survived Covid.

 The menu (bakery and meals) is limited,  dine in capacity is at 50% (tables removed), most cold beverages are bottled but the food items are consistent.
 Torrejas (Cuban French toast) was just perfect-crisp exterior, fluffy interior. 
 Pan con Lechon- slow roasted pork with pickled onion and a green garlic mojo sauce on the fresh Cuban bread was a nice, salty contrast for breakfast. Portos Bakery Website

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Also in November, The Mister was craving a good pastrami sandwich, so we drove up the 15 to The Hat, which also survived Covid-19. 

  Things are about the same, other than you have to ask for condiments.

 The sides are still enough to share-a large serving.  The pastrami is still kind of perfect. The Hat website
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Niku Dofu

Since I wanted to start the New Year on the right foot......FOY "Som Tommy" mentioned wanting the recipe for Niku Dofu in my NYE post....he also mentioned that I really hadn't done a true recipe post in ages which is kinda true. These days, most of my cooking is pretty much by "feel"; though I will try to do a couple of recipes of items where I need to measure stuff out and such. Anyway, here goes one of those now rare recipe posts!

A couple of notes before I get started. The Missus is all about the tofu, daikon, and boiled eggs in this recipe....and of flavor. I've found that using the Kurobuta Pork Belly from Nijiya works the best for Her tastes. I have even snuck in fried shrimp to add another dimension to things. As always, please adjust the recipe to your taste.

Also, feel free to substitute veggies - you know shiitake mushrooms, that kind of stuff. Because, to be perfectly honest, I started making this as a low(er) maintenance way of keeping the Missus happy when She wanted Sukiyaki.

As for the tofu, I do one block at a time. I add the second block the next day. I found that soft tofu will start breaking down and the Missus prefers intact squares that are still super soft and moist.

I do put in one chili de arbol, which actually does make a difference in flavor and adds a bit of heat to the dish.

Also, I found that She prefers the straight forward "heat" from white pepper.

Anyway, here goes....

Niku Dofu:

1 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce - a neutral flavor like Aloha or Yamasa
1 1/2 Cup Mirin
1 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
3 Cups Water
1/2 Cup Sake
3/4 tsp Dashi No Moto(optional)
2 cloves garlic either grated or ground into a fine paste (optional)
1 Chili de Arbol (optional)

12 Ounces thin cut pork belly (you can substitute beef) - sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 - 2 Pounds Daikon peeled, cut into 1/2 - 2/3 inch rounds, edges rounded off
1 Medium Onion Sliced into thin strips
2 Packages Shirataki(Yam Noodles), open packages and place in a colander. Pour boiling water over Shirataki to remove the "smell".
2 Blocks Soft Tofu (see note below)
6 Soft Boiled Eggs
2-3 TB Avocado or a neutral cooking oil
White Pepper to taste

• Open one block of tofu, drain, place a clean dish cloth, cheesecloth, or paper towels around and then a plate on top to remove moisture.
  - In a pot heat the oil until it starts to shimmer add chili de arbol if using to flavor the oil
  - Add pork belly and saute until the pork just starts to cook through - season with white pepper if using
  - Add onions and garlic cook until onions are soft and translucent
  - Add mirin and sake and bring to a boil and stir occasionally to burn off alcohol
  - Add soy sauce and sugar, stir well and return to a boil. The miasma should be quite fragrant right now. If you have a taste; it will be very salty and sweet....thus
  - Add water and return to a boil. Let simmer for a few minutes and lower the temperature.
  - Add Dashi no Moto if using; stir well
  - Add slices of daikon and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the daikon start absorbing the sauce and soften. Use a skewer to check doneness. If you have a drop lid you might want to use it now. Or place parchment paper to make sure the daikon is completely submerged.
  - Add shirataki and combine
  - Once daikon reaches desired tenderness; cube the tofu and gently add.
  - Let simmer
  - A few minutes before serving; add the boiled eggs

So there you go....kinda easy. "Niku" basically means meat, so feel free to sub your favorite....I mean really; this is "meat and tofu".....

Hope you enjoy ST!

Happy New Year!

Or is it really? Well, it been a pretty rough two years.......unlike last New Year when I kept away and did my Osechi search on the 30th....this time, like I'd done every year since it seems forever, I decided to head on over to Nijiya today at 9am. Somehow, I must have missed the memo and found the place packed when I arrived at 5 to 9.....apparently, they decided to open at 8am!

Needless to say; it was a zoo around the osechi and I gave up taking photos after taking a few of the seafood....

I quickly grabbed some Osechi for a good friend whose mom and dad is visiting from Italy and went to look to make something for the Missus.....but go figure; they were out of daikon and tofu??? What the heck. Oh well, I guess it just kinda fits into the pattern of the last two years?

I headed on over to Marukai....which, just like Nijiya, decided to open at 8am as well....they've recently renovated, probably due to being acquired by Don Quijote, and changed the whole layout....but no decent Osechi, but I did get tofu and daikon.

And so, the Missus got some humble Niku Dofu for dinner....which She had been craving anyway. And like usual we plan a quiet New Year anyway.....

Anyway, we'd like to wish everyone a safe New Year...with our best wishes and hopes that you are all safe and in good health.

COMC - Those Times Before Covid, Song Hak and Tanuki

Periodically, I clean out photos.....since, at least in San Diego, I try to do more than one visit to a place....if things were so bad I had never, nor do I intend to return, after a period of time, they go to the recycle bin. Covid had just made things more difficult....I've been deleting a ton of photos over the last almost 2 years. I kind of  held on to my photos of Song Hak and Tanuki; because we had visited three times each. But after almost two years and with things the way they are, I just didn't see holding on to these......

But; I thought why the heck don't I just do a C(learing) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard) post.....just to kind of create some nostalgia of how things used to and will hopefully be once again soon. Luckily, both places are still open......though it'll probably be a while before we return.

So here goes....just mostly photos.

Song Hak:

We enjoyed Song Hak which specializes in Gopchang, basically small intestine, but also have typical Korean BBQ proteins and also Dae Chang (large intestine), Mak Chang  (abomasum), etc.

A wide variety of side dishes provided.....

 Before I move forward, I need to tell a pretty funny story. There was a family who sat next to use during our first visit. The Missus and I were so impressed that the two young girls went thru everything without blinking and eye. Especially since gopchang has this kind of mushy - pasty material inside the intestine. It puts the "gop" in Gopchang. It does look a lot like well.........we just cracked up when the younger girl asked her dad really loud, "Did I just eat POOP.....it really looked like POOP!"

You gotta love it....

The Missus especially loved the fried rice as a finishing touch.

Last visited in January, 2020

Song Hak
4681 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Tanuki:

It was Xiāngjiāo that initially recommended this place to check-out. And while we didn't enjoy some items on the menu (the sushi/sashimi), we had a couple of items we liked.

We enjoyed the vibe....picking out your sake glass of choice reminded us of a dinner in Kanazawa.

I actually first visited for lunch back in May of 2019 and found something I knew the Missus would enjoy.

The Kakiage.

This just reminded me of Japan.

And so, while nothing quite hits the heights of the kakiage, other items are not bad.

Including the Shiokara.

And there are some items we'll probably not have again though.....

I also tried some nigiri which I didn't care for....but still; there's something we really enjoyed.

Last visited February 2020.

Tanuki
4191 Adams Ave.
San Diego, CA 92116

Hopefully, one day in 2022!

Are there places you first visited and enjoyed right before the pandemic that you are waiting to return to?

Sushi Yaro's Last Day of Business is December 30th

On December 20th I received some sad news......first from FOY "YummyYummy" who told me that Sam was calling it quits as of December 30th. Soon enough I received a couple of emails and then FOY Denver posted a comment on my last Sushi Yaro post from back at the end of March letting me know as well. So, I think I've only dined in for one dinner and perhaps one or two lunches in San Diego since I made that visit to Yaro back in March.....but.....like I've mentioned in an earlier post; I've known Sam for over 20 years. So, ok....I decided to head on over on Christmas day, right at 530, thinking that the place would be empty and it was when I got there.

I ordered some sashimi and chatted with Sam a bit.

 Sam is still feeling the residual effects from his stroke and finding dependable staff and supplies and all of the things that go along with the pandemic.....well, he feels he needs an extended break. And after talking to him, I feel he needs time to take care of himself. 

On this evening, it was a one man show....and in spite of it being Christmas Day, the phone kept ringing and by the time I left there were 9 more customers in the place. I asked Sam if I could wash dishes or bus tables, but he cracked up for the first time on this evening and said, "I don't have time to train you Kirk-san......"

And so, I'm hoping that Sam will take the time off to take care of himself....I've always said that the relationship from the Itamae to the regular customer is a special one. Especially since I've known him since the days at Katzra, to Sammy Sushi, to Wal Mi Do, and of course Sushi Yaro. And heck, I've even run into FOY Lynnea at Sushi Yaro!

So, if you'd like to visit before he closes his doors on the 30th, unless you go right at opening time, it might be good to call - 858-560-1782.

Yaro will be open from the 28th to the 30th of December. Posted hours are 530pm - 10; but Sam told me he closes early if things are slow.

Sushi Yaro
7905 Engineer Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Good Luck Sam and take care of yourself!

The Congress Cafe - Venezuelan Food in Old Town!

A few months back our good friend "Alle" and I were chatting about food and Mi Pana came up in the conversation. For some reason, I was craving some arepas....and Alle who is part Venezuelan mentioned that Congress Cafe in Old Town does Venezuelan dishes and that perhaps I should give them a try. It did take a few months.....it's Old Town after all......but I first visited on a weekend morning, they open at 8am and are right across from Old Town Parking Lot A.

I crossed the street and was really warmly greeted. I walked into the bar area and placed a take out order; man, the folks here are so friendly. I then paid and decided to walk around a pretty quiet (at this time of the morning) Old Town.

I ordered the Arepa Pabellon ($13.95). Man, this was quite hefty, if a bit messy.

   Man, check out that huge piece of fried plantain! The arepas were decent; though I do prefer my arepas "frita" these were decently griddled. I wish there was a bit more balance to the arepa as the black bean-beef-plantain ratio seemed a bit off as was how the items were arranged. I ended up chopping up some of the plantain and spreading it more evenly over the arepa, same with finding the beef . This was a hefty breakfast....at least for me. 

While I don't think it's quite a good as the version at Mi Pana; I'd have this again.

I mentioned having tried the arepas at Congress Cafe to Alle and told her that I was interested in trying the Tequenos. Alle also told me that the empanadas were quite good, especially the fish version....something that I probably would have not ordered.

So, the following weekend morning on the way back from shopping at the Little Italy Mercato, I dropped by Congress Cafe and this time ordered the combination plate named the "Latin Lover" ($16). The folks were just a friendly as before and I took a stroll around Old Town while waiting for my takeout order....which was quite a bit of food.

   And like Alle said; those fish empanadas were quite good; savory, balanced in flavor. She told me that these empanadas reminded her of Venezuela. 

Unfortunately, I didn't care for the tequenos, which were really mushy and just had too much cheese for my taste. Cachapas weren't my "thing" at Mi Pana, but I thought I'd give it a whirl here.....with the same results. It's just too sweet for my taste and the version here didn't have enough cheese to balance out the sweetness. Glad I tried it though.

The totstones; fried plantains, while it didn't do overly well in transit, losing some crispness, was a wonderful combination of just enough sweet and saltiness from the cheese.

I think eating this at the restaurant is probably the best strategy.

Overall, I really like the folks here, so warm and friendly, there are other items on the menu I want to try. And yes, this is basically a breakfast/lunch kinda place and they do have croissant sandwiches, burgers, scrambled eggs, huevos rancheros....but I think I'll stick with the Venezuelan menu items for now.

The Congress Cafe
3941 Mason St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Mon - Fri 8am - 2pm
Sat - Sun 8am - 5pm

Man, with Congress Cafe and the new Tuetano Taqueria (post upcoming) the next block over, things are looking up for Old Town!

Which is great......

Like I mentioned earlier in the post, I'd take a nice stroll while waiting for my order, which is when I took my photos the grave site medallions of the folks buried under San Diego Avenue.

And of course there are many historical structures here.

The Mason Street Schoolhouse - the first public school in San Diego County. Built in 1865.

The San Diego Union Building - Original home of the San Diego Union newspaper - established in 1868.

The Cosmopolitan Hotel, completed in 1829.

And tons of public art......

And at this time of the morning; some of the other "residents" are out and about.....

It was great finding a place that I enjoy in what was very touristy, cliched, Old Town.

Hope you're having a great week!