A revisit (yet again) to Ba Ren

*** Ba Ren has closed.

With this wonderful weather, I'm wondering, what the heck are you doing here???? I am glad to know you're reading though. The longer I do this blog, the harder it is to try new places. It is easy to settle into a routine of "wow, it's Thursday..... Ba Ren day." So here's yet another revisit to one of the places on our rotation.

Yes, it's Ba Ren again:

If you've got better things to do, I wouldn't blame you for moving on, and just doing other things.... contemplating your navel, perhaps? I'll try to have something new and fresh tomorrow! Meanwhile, here's some stuff on Ba Ren. We're slowly approaching 1400 posts, and I suppose some folks think that at least 700 hundred of them have been on what we've eaten at Ba Ren. Like I said; I wouldn't blame you.....

Shao Kao at Ba Ren:

If you've driven by, perhaps you've seen this sign:

 Or perhaps the sign to the right provides more info. Basically, Ba Ren is now doing Shao Kao, basically grilled (aka BBQ'd) items for a buck-fifty. The set-up is a bit odd, as the BBQ is ordered separately, and you pay the young man who does the grilling, as it is not part of your bill.

On one visit, I finally gave in and had the lamb..... ok, I love lamb, and couldn't wait to get my grubby mitts on that skewer....

Surprisingly, this skewer was more tender, and was better than what I had at Shao Kao 818 in San Gabriel. It was very moist and reasonably tender, with good salt. The skewer was short on the cumin, and frankly wasn't gamey enough for us.

The new seasonal menu:

Yep, there's a new seasonal menu at Ba Ren.  Of course it used to be that you'd be forced to have someone translate this, but now of course you can just turn it around, and you'll have the menu translated into English. The Missus joked that "no one will read your blog anymore since they've started to translate the menu." Of course I laughed.... ummm... you're still there, aren't you? Ummm.. hello....

 
Two of the items, the Lamb Ribs and the Dry Cooked Mushrooms are holdovers. I've been unsuccessful in getting the Missus to agree to order the Frog Legs.

There is one real winner on this menu. It's the Deep Fried Shrimp with Egg Yolk($12.99):

I'm not sure if you all remember the Sweet Corn with Pine Nuts, but if you do.... think of that dish made with shrimp. A nice egg yolk, lacquered, almost tempura batter coated shrimp. The dish is topped with panko coated with egg yolk, salt, and possibly that impossibly good three lettered flavoring ingredient.

 This was so filling I could only eat about three shrimp.... and a whole lot of the panko on rice, though I wanted more. Another thing; this is a good dish for those who can't handle the heat.

Speaking of not spicy:

I've been asked via email, about non-spicy dishes at Ba Ren. And I try to make recommendations, of course the rice crust and the "pot roast" (actually a pork shank and lion's head meatball in broth) immediately come to mind. But recently, the Missus decided to throw me a real Birthday party. I was really touched, I can remember only two other birthday parties I've had in my life, and this would be my third. Of course we knew that there would be folks who couldn't tolerate very spicy food. So we tried to balance the menu. And when working with Wendy on dishes, She recommended a dish we hadn't even thought of ordering. The Jing Jiang Rou Si...... why would we ever think of ordering Pork Strips in Peking Sauce at Ba Ren?

Man, this was good. Just the right ratio of salty and sweet, and a nice savory bean paste kick with perfectly wokked pork. So here's another dish for those who can't tolerate spicy.

I've also noticed that there's another group. Folks who can eat all the chilies in the world, but don't do too well with Sichuan Peppercorns. If you want perhaps the hottest dish at Ba Ren, order this:

The fish itself isn't really spicy, but when you get to the bean thread on the bottom......

I made sure to order this for the Beer Week Dinner, just so folks know that Ba Ren does indeed serve spicy food. 

And yes:

Ba Ren still serves all of those oldies but goodies.......

I think the folks who attended the B-Day thingy really enjoyed themselves.... of course it could have just been the beer.....

 

This post is for one of my favorite FOYs (Friend of Yoso), who once thought that you could only get this dish on your Birthday:

The Missus and I thought that was so cute......

Ba Ren
4957 Diane Ave
San Diego, CA 92117 

Comments

[Kirk]

Hi Sawyer - Thanks! I hope you get at least one more chance before going up to UCD.

[Cathy]

That was the best birthday party. Ever. Thanks for having one. I learned so much and got to try everything I had wanted to try, but was afraid to order.

[Kirk]

Hi Cathy - I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.... and thanks for the chips, they were delishi-yoso!

[San Diego Lawyer]

Happy Birthday!

I love your blog! I've passed by Ba Ren many times, it looks like quite a hole in the wall but after reading your blog posts I'll definitely check it out!

[Kirk]

Hi SDL - You should check out Ba Ren!

[GreensPlease]

Happy Belated birthday! My other half loves spicy. I don't eat meat of any kind (including broth) but love everything else. I would like to take us to Ba Ren before they close. How difficult would it be to specify vegetarian here? I don't want to be a disrespectful pain in the ass. Your photos are so enticing! Your blog is one of my favorites.

[Kirk]

Hi GP - It's possible nd would be even more simple if you consume seafood. I think most items will use some meat based substne except for the standard issue vegetables....though you'll get some interesting things like stir fried potato strings. You can tell them not to use pork in stuff like the dry cooked green beans and no pork in the Mapo doufu....but you'll have to be careful.