mmm-yoso!!!

Happy New Year!

Well, it's another one in the books!

Another New Year's eve, another morning trip to Mitsuwa, Nijiya, and Marukai to check out the Osechi. While the selections have dwindled, I basically do the same thing I've done my first New Year post.

This year, Mitsuwa seemed to have the best and most interesting selection, though these days, there's a lot of preordering going on.

Mitsuwa
4240 Kearny Mesa Rd
San Diego, CA 92111

Nijiya has always taken top spot for Osechi, until this year. The selection was less diverse and I actually heard two older couples actually pick something up and then put it back saying that it was too expensive and not worth the price.

Nijiya Market
3860 Convoy St Ste 109
San Diego, CA 92111

Marukai hardly had anything.

Still, it was nice seeing this sign in front of some products of Hogetsu Bakery.

If memory serves me right, this is Hogetsu's 42nd year of business. Hmm....back in 2011, the Takeda's told me that they didn't even own a computer, I wonder if they have one now. I need to get back down there and check.

Marukai Market
8151 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

This New Year, the Missus requested that I restock our duck confit. Instead of Nishime She wants Cassoulet. So it's making a batch of duck confit tonight, the cassoulet tomorrow. Of course I'm having my traditional soba tonight and since there were some great prices on items when I went shopping this morning, I'll do a couple of nimono items as well.

As we turn the page on another year, the gang here at mmm-yoso would like to wish everyone a safe, healthy, prosperous, and happy New Year!

 

Swami's (La Mesa)

mmm-yoso!!! is a regularly posting blog about food (for the most part).  Kirk, Ed (from Yuma) and Cathy are the usual writers here, sharing some sort of food memory, along with random factoids. Today is a meal from Cathy.  

The Mister and I don't usually stop at the Swami's in downtown La Mesa unless we are there before the parking meters are enforced.  But most of the summer, there had been much street construction on and around La Mesa Boulevard and parking has been free.  The street did just re-open before Christmas, with new bench seating and just a nicer, cleaner 'Village" feel.There are six (and soon to be seven) locations of Swami's in the County, the first opened on Highway 101 in Encinitas in 2005.  There are also two other East County restaurants ( La Mesa Bistro and Bakery and ECB (El Cajon Bistro) which are also owned by the same family and follow the same business model (walk up, order and pay and your food is brought out to you), similar menu (in choices and chalkboard presentation) and local wall mural decoration in the eating area. The consistency and extensive menu choices between all locations is comforting.  

Family and friends who come to visit are usually from another time zone and at 6 a.m. here, their internal clocks are telling them it is 9 a.m. and they are ready for breakfast (all locations open at 7 a.m.), so one of the Swami or Bistro locations is a usual spot of us when we don't want to cook at home.  But, in the case of free parking, we did stop at the La Mesa location for breakfast a few weeks ago.

The Mister has been having waffle cravings for the past few months and the Granola Multigrain Belgian waffle ($9.95) with strawberries was his (predictable, to me) choice one morning.  The whole grain batter and added crunchiness is a little sweet and a sort of blend of healthiness (that Coca Cola bottle is holding warm maple syrup, for people who want even more sweetness). He added two eggs and bacon for $3, making this quite a large meal.The breakfast (ABC) quesadilla ($9.95) comes with a choice of fruit or potato, and my choice was predictable as well.  The avocado, bacon, cheese and egg on the wheat tortilla is filling and tasty.  Again, it's a good start to the day.  

Another local, family owned business.

Swami's  8284 La Mesa Boulevard La Mesa 91941 (619) 668-9030  Mon-Sat 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Sun 7 a.m.-3 p.m. (all locations) Website 

 

Bruges: Rock Fort

We really only had one full day in Bruges. And in the end it worked out well for us. The place was beautiful in the morning and later evening, when day-trippers left, but it was still rather crowded, and like I mentioned in a earlier post, you pretty much needed reservations for the better dinner locales. Luckily, the wonderful owner of our B&B managed to get us reservations at one of the restaurants that she said were among her favorites in Bruges. A place named Rock Fort. The reservations were for two bar seats which was fine with us. We were just happy to find a place to have a nice dinner.

We headed out early, happy to meander along the side streets, watching the ducks waddling along the sidewalks.

We soon found ourselves back at the City Hall Building. And decided to take a rest as the slow drizzle had petered out.

I noticed something a bit odd and pointed out these four young ladies in various costumes standing in the square.

I wasn't quite sure what this was all about, but we just had to stay and watch. Out popped another young lady with a video recorder and they did several takes of the four of them doing sort of a choreographed strut toward the camera. After finally getting it right, they celebrated with a group hug! What the objective was, who knows.....perhaps only they do? I won't even try to explain this one. Sometimes you see the oddest things.

Rock Fort is located not quite in the center of things, but just across one of the canals; where Hoogstrat turns into Langenstraat.

The façade is subdued and unassuming.

But the interior looks quite hip and very bright white. We entered and the very nice host said that since we were the first customers of the evening, if we thought we'd be done in 2 hours, they'd like to give us a table. Very gracious, the servers hit that balance between not being too stiff, yet professional and amiable.

As the evening passed, we saw quite a few "beautiful people, on several tables there were college aged young men with older women......a middle aged gentleman, dressed to the nines arrived with an entourage, sans reservations, one of the chefs came out to greet them. Apparently they had no reservations. After a short discussion, or should I say negotiation, they ended up sitting at the bar.

As we often will do when confronted with Tasting Menus; we'd work with the staff to get both menu items and the tasting menu, which was no problem here. The Missus had some wine, while I went for a beer....as I went down the menu, looking for something suitable, the cheerful young lady would nod a slight "no"....apparently she did not approve! Finally, I asked "La Chouffe".....she smiled brightly and said; "good choice". I loved this place!

I did think the buttery popcorn that came along with the cheese and bread was fun and different.

Instead of going thru the entire dinner. I'll go over the highlights. It was actually two choices from the menu that were really outstanding.

The Entrecote of Flemish Beef - wet aged for a month, cured for a month, then dry aged for a month was outstanding.

Topped with pine nuts; this aged rib eye served raw was amazingly flavored, a deep, yet clean beef flavor. The pine nuts added a nutty and slightly sweet flavor to the dish.

The Beef Tartar was also outstanding.

Loved the scallions in this, which added just the right pungency as did the roasted garlic, balancing the wonderful clean flavors. The watercress gave just the right amount of bitterness.

The Chef's menu was no slouch...I mean; there's foie gras, well prepared seafood, and pork belly.

And yes, touches of molecular gastronomy; foams, powders, and such, but nothing got in the way.

The presentation was nice....but nothing could top the two dishes ordered off the menu.

It was by far the best meal we had in Belgium.

Rock Fort
Langestraat 15
Bruges, Belgium

As we took a stroll after dinner, we noticed groups of people making their way up one of the streets.

There was some kind of fair taking place.

After wandering about for a bit; we headed back to the warmth of our room at the B&B.

Our time in Bruges was coming to a close. While I'm not sure if we'll ever return; I can say that B&B B Guest was one of our favorite B&B's we've stayed at; just two rooms, close to everything, but with enough privacy, and a nice breakfast. We took away another thing from our trip. It seemed that just about every place we stayed at had a Nespresso machine. It was nice having a little pick-me-up in the morning or afternoon. We ended up buying one when we got home. Yes, the Missus is a coffee snob, but sometimes She just needs a nice shot of espresso.

We headed off to sleep rather early. The next day, we'd be headed back to Brussels.

Thanks for reading!

Whats My Craving? Bun Mam from Com Tam Nhu Y

I'd been craving Bun Mam from Com Tam Nhu Y for a while. I finally got a chance last week. Funny thing, Calvin had never heard of Bun Mam, neither had his wife who grew up in Westminster! He had to ask his mother-in-law.... So I made sure to invite him to try some Bun Mam. 

It seems that Bun Mam here is evolving. This version was sweeter than what I had last time, rich, lots of shallot and garlic tones, definitely not as spicy, nor nearly as pungent as what I had at the original incarnation of Nhu Y. Still, the flavors are complex, there's a ton of greens and herbs and bun. It's quite a savory concoction......you want to make sure that you don't spill any of it on your clothes. Sammy will often follow me around the house after I eat this....must smell great to him!

Not a fan of the catfish, it was way too bony and muddy this time. The eggplant was fine, the portion size generous, and like mentioned above, it's not nearly as potent as it used to be, but you can't say it's bland. Not a huge fan of the tough pork and shrimp as well.......but, that's not why I order this. It's that broth that keeps me coming back.

Calvin finished all his bun and soup....I guess he liked it! I have a feeling he'll be back, as will I, when I get that itch....

Com Tam Nhu Y
4712 El Cajon Blvd Ste A
San Diego, CA 92115

2016 Rose Parade Float Decorating and other year end activities

Thanks for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, primarily a food blog.  Now that Christmas is over, Kirk and Ed(from Yuma) are relaxing.  Cathy is switching into overdrive, because she's been following traditions which continue until the 12th Night after Christmas Day.  

On the drive home after The Mister and I had another non-traditional Thanksgiving meal, we talked about our next drive to Pasadena which was almost a monthly road trip this year.  I had signed us up to volunteer to decorate Rose Parade floats back in June, choosing a Saturday in early December.   When we arrived to check in, fellow blogger, Dennis, was also at the Rose Palace decorating barn of Phoenix Decorating Company, fulfilling one of many items on his "Bucket List".  The view from the floor when we walked in is amazing.

There were two floats still under construction ( sponsored by United Sikh Mission, to the right in the above photo)... and this one, sponsored by Farmers Insurance.  This float, mentioned/pictured in my October Road Test post will be following behind the main part of the Farmers Insurance float.

It was a day of preparation of dried flowers (so they could be pulverized in blenders and then the powder glued onto the floats), 'beaning' and 'seeding' and various jobs involving glue.  More soothing and meditative, not the frenzy of fresh flower preparation (including the filling of thousands of vials with water) which begins today and continues until judging on the 31st.  Taking a break, Dennis and I climbed to the catwalk (where the general public can also walk, for a fee) to take some photos...

The parade will be on television, kicking off at 8 a.m. on January 1.  If you'd like to follow along and know the Order of the March, this link to the Pasadena Examiner lists each participant in order. There is also an app (it's free), mentioned on the the Tournament web site of the 2016 Parade Program. Beginning on page 39, there is a short paragraph explaining each participant and a photo of the band, equestrian unit, or the artist rendition of the float as it will appear in the parade.  The Theme of "Find Your Adventure" combined with the co-sponsorship with the National Park Service (and the beginning of the NPS 100th year) is sure to make this parade one to remember!

Since this is a food blog...our meals that day...since we didn't have to leave the house at our usual 5 a.m., we had some breakfast at home then stopped in Tustin  for cheesy delights; my most favorite version of ham and cheese baked into a bread and, on the left...a sort of cracker-cheese with a bit of flour; just the right amounts of each for a lightly salty, crispy pastry. Once again, we didn't purchase the delicious strawberry confections that Cream Pan is famous for.  Cream Pan Bakery website

We did bring our own lunch, some sandwiches, and had those with coffee at the nearby Starbucks.  

On the way home, there was one stop and then we saw horrible traffic, so ended up taking side roads to try to avoid, eventually stopping at the Etiwanda Avenue (in Mira Loma) location of Farmer Boys
Where I ordered my 'usual' breakfast sandwich (this time with bacon) and The Mister tried some sort of chicken/cheese/avocado/bacon sandwich... I have no description, except it was good as always; we were exhausted.  Farmer Boys Website

Leaving the decorating barn, we had stopped at Orchard Supply Hardware in Pasadena to pick up the first of 2016 business giveaway calendars.Orchard Supply always has a train themed calendar and this year is the first time (in 85 years of calendars) when an artist's work has been featured two years in a row.  The artist, Ken Muramoto, is extremely talented (and the youngest artist who has contributed to the tradition of OSH calendars). You can read about him HERE.

I enjoy the Vallarta Market calendar, because it lists the Days of the Saints in a format I can look at randomly.  The Nijiya calendar is always beautiful.   The Vietnamese Market Thuan Phat's calendar is HUGE and beautiful.   The calendar from Lucky Seafood was...um...interesting this year.  I know there are alway several designs chosen for the printing.  This one we received  well...I just never thought of a cartoony Asian man taking a selfie...but this calendar will be in my kitchen and I am sure it will make me smile every single morning in 2016.

The Mister and I also went to Fort Rosecrans, just after the annual volunteers from Wreaths Across America had finished placing wreaths in memoriam of our fallen military.   Not every grave was covered, but each year a different section is completely filled. Volunteers will be needed for cleanup the second to last Saturday in January.
Once again, before our trek to the Cemetery, we stopped at P.L. Bagels for a buttered, toasted (available on weekends only) bialy and a (similarly prepared and available every day) everything bagel.  Reasonable size, fresh made daily, seeds on the top AND bottom and sold until they run out.  This family owned and run San Diego institution is great.  P.L. Bagels 3704 Voltaire Street, Suite 107 San Diego 92107 (619) 223-4788 open daily 6a.m.-1 p.m.
Finally, one last local institution (more than 50 years in the same location) is closing and moving, because the land on that corner is more valuable than whatever rent the owner can get from the gas station, car wash and Mary's Donuts, combined.  I've briefly  mentioned Mary's in only two posts over all these years, but it is walking distance from home and since it is open 24/7...it is very much part of our 'rotation'.  The new location is even a bit closer for us, but the ambiance just won't be the same...I hope the donuts are.

Mary's Donuts 9031 Mission Gorge Road Santee 92071 (619) 448-4800 

I hope you are having a wonderful Season.

Beery, um, Merry Christmas

Well, it seems that another year is just zooming by. So quickly that I really can't keep up with our travel posts. So I thought I'd sneak photos from Seoul and Nagoya into this post.

Folks are usually really busy and preoccupied during this time of the year, so I thought I'd give it a rest, relax, and have a beer. This one is a very nice seasonal, Belgian style Brown.

Nice caramel, slightly bourbon boozy.... Thanks Candice!

Before settling in with my brew, we went on our yearly drive to check out the Christmas lights.

And of course the gang here at mmm-yoso, Ed from Yuma, Cathy, Myself, and even "Sammy-Claus" would like to extend our best Christmas wishes to all of you.

 

Oh yes, we can't forget Frankie, can we? Where is Frankie?

Oh well.....

 Thanks so much for reading and Happy holidays!

The High Dive Revisited

While having our drinks at Albie's, it became quite clear that there was no way we'd be getting a table. But we did need to get something to eat. I recalled that the High Dive, always a favorite for beer, never for food, had a new chef, and had elevated their menu a bit. I say a bit because this is my 'hood, be it ever so humble, Bay Park, and tastes around here run rather pedestrian. Still, why not give the High Dive another try?

The menu did indeed have some different things and Candice and I tried a few. Starting with the Chicken Chiccharon ($7).

This was crisp and light, though some pieces were over-seasoned and salty, overall a nice starter.

The item I enjoyed the most were the Chorizo Croquettes; called "Chorizo Potato Ballz" on the menu ($8) - I wonder why they just don't call them croquettes? Are they afraid folks won't know what they are?

Light and crisp breading, creamy and light filling, this was pretty good. The chorizo had a nice smokiness and almost came across with a nice almost beefy flavor. It wasn't too rich, nor was it over-seasoned. Now, if only they'd "86" the runny ranch dressing and replace it with maybe a garlic aioli?

The Naked Spicy Garlic Wings ($10) looked the part, but didn't deliver.

Other than the flavor of bitter garlic; this was very, very bland....as in we had to ask for a bottle of hot sauce to actually eat these. Also, the skin was slightly more gummy than I'd like and it didn't have any spice at all. 

The Smoked Pork Tacos ($9) also fell short.

The tortillas, while generic were prepped well, the toppings, the pickled onions, cilantro, cotija cheese were spot on. The pork however, was too dry and had a texture of cardboard, to the point that I really couldn't tell the difference in texture between the pork and tortilla. It was also a bit low in the flavor department; much too mild (I even tasted just the meat), overshadowed by all the other flavors.

So it was pretty much a 50-50 thing. And yet, I felt quite happy with what I had. The High Dive seems to be making strides and with some additional menu upgrades I heard about, may one day really be a place for more than just having a beer and hitting the road for us.

And heck, deciding that I needed to do something different as well, I asked the bartender, who happened to be Mixologist Ryan Andrews to make me a cocktail. He brought me something called the "Mariner's Revenge".....man, it was great! Great guy....great drink!

Hope springs eternal.....

High Dive Bar and Grill
1801 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

San Sebastian: Bar La Cepa

To be perfectly honest, I should have planned our arrival in san Sebastian a bit better. All but one of the places on my were closed during our stay which spanned from a Sunday, leaving on a Tuesday morning. But like the Missus said, "we had a direction and a plan of where we needed to be when and you can't just skip Sunday and Monday!"

We caught the best from the Bilbao Bus Station....basically a big parking lot and ended up at the Amara "Bus Station", basically another big parking lot. From there we caught the local bus to the "Boulevard" and rather quickly found the street we were staying at on, Calle de Fermin Calbeton. Our apartment was basically right at the edge of things; a great location.

 

So even though the apartment was rather old the location couldn't be beat.

I guess May is still the low season, the places I thought were only closed on Sundays, were also closed on Mondays and visa versa. So we had a bit of a scramble on our hand when we went looking for a place to have bite for lunch. On De Agosto Kalea we came across a place that was doing some decent business. The bar was covered with pintxos (tapas), but as I mentioned in my post on La Vina del Ensanche in Bilbao, I really never took to those.....they looked pretty, but it just wasn't my thing.

Instead we usually went for pintxos caliente or like this meal, some charcuterie. In this case, the lomo iberico de Bellota, cured pork loin sausage.

he portion was quite generous and this combined with the bread made this more than enough for a light lunch. The sausage was very tasty, paprika forward, with a light garlic and herbal touch. Not overly salty, tender and not too waxy.

The Missus also wanted to try Txakoli, a very dry, acidic, "fresh" wine that is a specialty of Basque Country.

It is traditionally poured from about a two meter height. I was told this is to aerate the wine, creating bubbles, and reducing the carbon dioxide. Our bartender was all to happy to demonstrate..... he was really a friendly and funny guy.

The Missus really took to this and I'd try; with mixed success, to try to pour it from a decent height without spilling stuff all over the place. I guess that's best left to the professionals. and while I've read that special pourers are available to help with the process, this guy didn't need that.

La Cepa was a relaxed, fun place to have lunch and a couple of glasses of Txakoli.

Bar La Cepa
31 de Agosto Kalea
Donostia / San Sebastián, Spain

After our meal we needed to "burn off the meal" and headed off; around Monte Urgull. That's Playa de Zurriola and Gros in the background.

On the other side of the Mountain is Isla de Santa Clara and Concha Bay.

 The Basilica of Santa Maria del Coro is quite striking, sitting at the base of Mount Urgull. Completed in 1774 it looks impressive when viewed down Calle Mayor. I'll have a bit more on this place in a future post.

We ended our walk at Plaza de la Constitución.

Established in 1723, this version was rebuilt in 1817 after being destroyed by fire. The apartments ringing the plaza have large and distinctive numbers. You see, these apartment used to be boxes from which to watch bullfights that used to take place in the plaza.

On this day, the entertainment was perhaps a bit less exciting......

At this point, the Missus decided we should take a nice afternoon nap, then head out for some evening tapas. Sounded like a good idea to me!

Thanks for reading!

Ramen Yamadaya Finally Opens Downtown

**** Ramen Yamadaya has closed

Just like Cathy and The Mister recently did, I had to perform my civic obligation. That would be Jury Duty.

On the good side, I'd read that Ramen Yamadaya's Downtown location had finally opened. I'd first heard about this back in Spring of 2013. Over a year later, I noted that the sign had finally gone up. They must have run into some major problems.....over two years in the making! Even though my last couple of visits have been less than stellar, I wanted to check them out.

The area look a bit smaller than I thought it would be. There's a three table and four seat "bar" looking area near the entrance and a sunken area with tables and another bar; I didn't see any seats, but am pretty sure they'll be there soon.

Upon arriving, it took a bit to be noticed. I was told to sit anywhere I wanted. The service was friendly, if a bit on the slow side.....going thru those opening jitters.

I went with the Kotteri Tonkotsu, done "Yamadaya Style", which made my bowl $12.95. Wow, more expensive than places I'd been to in Japan like Nagi, Ippudo, and Rokurinsha!

So you're basically getting one extra piece of chashu, another half an egg, and a cube of kakuni pork for three bucks. The broth was actually a bit richer and more flavorful than what I'd had on my previous couple of visits to the Clairemont location. The flavor is still not quite "there" for me. It needs a bit more porkiness and oomph. I forgot to order the noodles "katame" and was punished with weak, soggy noodles. Historically, I've not been impressed with the chashu at Yamadaya. It is often cold, dry, and flavorless. This was actually decent, it was warm, and while still not great, at least it had some flavor. That piece of kakuni was terrible though. Hard and chewy, lacking in flavor. The egg was good, just making the cut in terms of doneness, had some flavor and was also warm, which added to the enjoyment.

In spite of all my criticisms, I believe in terms of broth, this bowl was much better than what I'd recently had at the Clairemont Mesa location. I recognized two of the staff working in the kitchen, though it did take a while to get to my table.

Will I return? Well, it seems that I have jury duty every year, so maybe......if I'm in the area, perhaps. Will I be making a special trip here? Not really.....though I'm sure it's a boon for folks who work and live downtown.

Ramen Yamadaya
531 Broadway San
San Diego, CA 92101

Saying Goodbye to Albie's

**** Sadly Albie's has never returned

I was among the many who were quite shocked at the announcement that Albie's was closing on December 23rd. Though I had my first visit to Albie's a scant three years ago, the unique atmosphere really made an impression on me. While not on my rotation; I managed to revisit about 8-9 times.

I had wanted to visit one last time and when Candice mentioned meeting up for a drink, I was in......

The place was packed....I'd never seen it this full. Word must have gotten around. Lots of love for this place. I heard the word "a San Diego institution" thrown around. We chatted with a couple. The gentleman's wife had been coming here for over 30 years......funny, she never told her husband about Albie's until about a decade ago! They'd moved out of San Diego, but drove down for one last visit.

Over the last couple of visits, I'd found my drink of choice here.....an Old Fashioned.

The piano man was in fine form. Folks were chatting and enjoying the place.

 

All the semi-nude maidens adorning the walls still looked down upon everyone, a snapshot in time.....kind of what Albie's is. We've all gotten older, but Albie's was Albie's.

So here's to you Albie's. I'm hoping you find a new home.

You can still drop by as Albie's will be open until December 23rd.

Albie’s Beef Inn
1201 Hotel Cir S
San Diego, CA 92108

You can read about my memorable first visit here.

You can also read Soo's post here.