A bunch of revisits... A Chau, Latin Chef, and Kayaba

I'm pretty sure many are(ahem, yours truly included) feeling the "Christmas Crunch" right about now. Of course there are those you, the uber-organized, who have this Christmas shopping thing down pat.....you know who you are, smug and relaxed during the Holidays, your Christmas blitz starts on December 28th....no never the 26th or 27th, on those days, the mall is crawling with unhappy campers returning unwanted gifts. But on the 28th, when all us shoppers are lying in exhaustion...tongues lolling from our gasping, foaming mouths, you're ready to gear up for NEXT CHRISTMAS! And you're usually done by the end of February, except for a few items, cherry-picked during the year. I salute you, super-shopper, well, it's a double salute of sorts, my right hand held flat and brought to my brow in respect, the other hand is raised...well, better to not go there.

Because of the time crunch, I find myself revisiting a bunch of places this time of year...here are a few:

A Chau

I haven't been to A Chau in a bit, and though I'm fully aware of the spiraling price increases of Banh Mi, it was still a shock when I paid $3 for my sandwich. I had ordered a simple BBQ Pork Banh Mi, but got this:

It was a meatball (Xiu Mai) Banh Mi, which would have been fine, except this was the type that uses a weak tomato sauce, that when combined with pickled vegetables, and fish sauce, is not a flavor that I'm fond of. The bread at A Chau remains the same as always, more on the doughy-chewy side, than the crusty baguette.

Still, I was, and am always pleased with the Cha Gio at A Chau. Made with rice paper, always crisp, and quite filling. The egg rolls are still 3 for a buck.

A Chau
4644 El Cajon Blvd Ste 111
San Diego, CA 92115

Latin Chef

Ed from Yuma rolled into town for a few days this week, and we managed to grab a few meals, one of which was at Latin Chef. It was nice to see Freddy, the Owner of Latin Chef, it was also nice to see that business has been good, and Latin Chef has been able to expand into the space next door. Still, even though the restaurant has doubled in size, it is still quite small.

Ed had the Cebiche, and I started with the Tiradito.

I found todays version to be really, really good, mildy tart and creamy, with some nice heat provided by the Aji Amarillo peppers. Freddy told me the spice was supplemented and raised with the help of ginger.

We also shared some Anticuchos:

And though this is a bit different from the grilled versions we got from street vendors in Cusco, it is still very good, with the flavor of cumin coming on strong. In fact, if you didn't know what it was........you'd be hard pressed to guess.

Latin Chef
1142 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

Kayaba

**** Kayaba has closed

During one of my shopping "blitzes", I was able to rest my weary butt at Kayaba. Desiring rice and something fried, I decided to order the Tonkatsu($7.50). In fact, I decided to retry the "Rosu" (pork loin) that I found to be very tough and dry on one of my previous visits.

And to my surprise it was nice and tender, if a bit on the dry side. And combined with a nice dose of tonaktsu sauce, the nice oniony potato salad, and rice, made for a rather nice meal.

Too bad the miso soup here is still terrible.

Kayaba
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd Ste 119
San Diego, CA 92111

Okay...back to shopping!!!!

Comments

[Reid]

Kirk,

Shopping? What's that? :0

Glad you found time to indulge in some eats while you were at it.

[Nikki]

Hey Kirk,
Are any of your fave places to eat near the San Diego airport. I'm flying in early next Wed. and will probably be looking for a place to eat!TIA

[Eileen]

Yum! I love Japanese pork cutlet!

[Kat]

These little sidetracks look and sound wonderful! Happy Holidays, Kirk!

[Ed]

Do you know where one can get those tonkatsu wire mesh baskets?

[Thess]

Kirk, Hi!
This is your terrible blog neighbor who hasn't been here for the longest time..sorry about that.

I would like to wish you and your family A Very Merry Christmas and lots of good blessings to come!

PS The Tonkatsu looks delish (^0^)

[mom2tbet]

A foodie, I am NOT! I thought the Ahi Amarillo was runny scrambled eggs with a side of bay scallops. My first thought was ' huh, weird combination. ' Until I actually read your post and learned of its true identity~

[Kirk]

Hi Reid - LOL! Shopping, you know...trying to buy stuff for other people, and ending spending it all on yourself???

Hi Nikki - Will you have a car? There isn't much near the airport, but a short way east is Little Italy, and you should be able find something nice to eat there.

Hi Eileen - Yes, tonkatsu is yummy!

Hi Kat - Happy Holidays to Satoshi and you as well!

Hi Ed - I saw them once at Marukai in Gardena, but not in San Diego....haven't seen them since.

Hi Thess - Merry Christmas! So nice to hear from you.

Hi mom2tbet - LOL! I'm not much of a "foodie" either, I just like to eat. Tiradito is good stuff.

[Chris]

Hey Kirk,

Do you know what the purple and yellow tubers that accompany the tiradito are? They taste like sweet potato, but I wasn't sure. I like them...they contrast well with the tiradito. I was at Latin Chef last weekend and had it, but didn't remember to ask Freddy.

Thanks.

[Kirk]

Hi Chris - They are both sweet potatoes - you can sometimes find the purple ones at Asian Groceries.