Revisits: Alforon, Spicy House, Sultan Kebab, and Pho Hiep and Grill

Just a couple of revisits for a slow moving Sunday......

Alforon:

Man, during my last couple of visits, business sure was slammin'. It's good to see this little mom-and-pop joint. On this visit, I just had a Chicken Tawook ($5.75), which arrived looking just plain delish.

 

And some garlic paste and pickles to go of course!

Alforon
5965 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

My previous posts on Alforon can be found here and here.

Spicy House:

A friend and I dropped by Spicy House for lunch recently.

We had the Pork Intestines with Preserved Vegetable. This was pretty good.

 
Except the slices of preserved vegetable were really cut too large. Decent flavoring, the intestines had a nice musty-funky flavor without going over the top.

We also had the Crispy Fried Eel with Peppers.

 

Unfortunately, this dish was a mere shadow of what I had before. Too salty, soggy, and very greasy. It seems that Spicy House has hit a plateau.

Spicy House
3860 Convoy Street #105
San Diego, CA 92111

My previous posts on Spicy House can be found here and here.

Sultan Kebab and Baklava:

 I guess I've posted enough on Sultan already. But this is the Missus's latest favorite. We've been eating here quite often recently. So I'll just go with photos.

 

 

 

Sultan Kebab & Baklava
131 Jamacha Road
El Cajon, CA 92019

Pho Hiep and Grill - Linda Vista:

We never really had fog where I grew up, so it still has some fascination to me. On a recent foggy morning.....

 

I'm not sure when spring is going to start this year....... it's been pretty chilly. So, a bowl of Pho just seemed to be the perfect thing. I headed over to Pho Hiep and Grill for a bowl.

 

Maybe it was too early in the morning? The broth on this day was lighter than any I've had here before. The flavors just seemed diluted. The meat were fine, but I left somewhat unsatisfied......

Pho Hiep & Grill
6947 Linda Vista Road
San Diego, CA 92111

Comments

[kat]

wow fog! that is something we don't see too much of in Hawaii. I hope Spring comes for everyone soon.

[Faye]

I've been wanting so much to try ALFORON! They've gotten so many great reviews from others as well. I've read your Alforon posts a few times and the place sounds great. Do you know if they primary serve flatbreads? Do they have any kebab or protein dishes?

Lastly, I'm a huge fan of Baba Ghannouj - how 'smokey' was their version? I tried Taste of Lebanon once and their BG was terrible smokey (tasting) for me.

Beautiful pic of the fog too :)

[Farm Fresh San Diego]

The chicken tawook looks absolutely amazing!!

[Kirk]

Hi Kat - For some reason, I'm still fascinated by fog.....

Hi Faye - I like the Baba Ghanouj at Village Grill, it's been renamed Babylon Grill, but I've been told it's the same food and same folks.
http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2009/11/village-grill-el-cajon.html
Ali Baba was also good, but the protein items weren't. They still make my favorite Kubtz:

http://mmm-yoso.typepad.com/mmmyoso/2009/12/ali-baba-restaurant-el-cajon.html

Hi FFSD - It was very good!

[Roland]

Just went to Sultan Kebab and Baklava and the owner is at the Hillcrest Farmers Market on Sunday. Didn't know he opened up a place in El Cajon until I walked in the door and he recognized me. He offers so much more at the restaurant and can't wait to try the many more Kebabs.

[Kirk]

Hi Roland - The selection is wonderful; and not just the kebabs.

[Chris]

Hi Kirk I was wondering if you had any idea of how pho restaurants prepare tripe?

I have cooked tripe before and it has always involved long stewing to tenderize and a strong gamey aroma. It seems to me the tripe in pho is thin shaved with an almost crisp texture, yet lacking in that tripe smell. I would ask, but have no Vietnamese language skills.

If you have any idea or can point me in the right direction I would appreciate it :)

[Kirk]

Hi Chris - I only know about doing it the way you described. I'll email you some of my findings.