mmm-yoso!!!

Recently Consumed

I haven't done one of these in a while, so here goes.

It always amazes me that the Missus can eat the same dish over and over again for weeks on end. For Christmas; along with cooking for Her potlucks the Missus wanted my oxtail soup. So I obliged Her. She requested that I add some daikon this time around. Man, She ate it for 5 meals in three days! As much as I love oxtail soup my enthusiasm was really waning at the tail end. So I bought some Sun Noodles and made this for me.

And had for two of those meals.

Heat the bowl......add the greens....

In go the noodles......

Top with da' good stuffs.....

It seems the Missus just didn't get enough beans when, by request I made kind of Cassoulet. The weekend after New Year, She wanted Red Beans and Rice. I've adjusted my recipe a tad, perhaps one day I'll update....anyway, this was good for another 5 meals.

Currently, the Missus is a bit obsessed with a sauce I through together after grilling some lamb. Duck Fat, Avocado Oil, Harissa, Cumin, Cayenne, Ghost Pepper Salt, Salt, Pepper, Black Vinegar and most importantly Sichuan Peppercorn. It's that suan-tian-ku-la-Xian with a nice dose of "ma". So we've been eating a lot of lamb; in the form of merguez patties and lamb meatballs....that sort of thing.

That sauce goes great with lamb and I went through an entire tube of harissa having to make this four times.......

One of these days I'll post recipes for Balsamic Brussel Sprouts that I sometimes make four times a week for the Missus's lunches that I often alternate with Kelaguen and Finedene......

Green China Grill

Back in September, I noticed some activity in Plaza del Sol, a place named "Green China Grill" was opening up. I asked the Missus to translate the Chinese and was told it really didn't give a clue regarding what regional type of food the place might be serving. The in the middle of December Eater indicated that Langzhou Hand Pulled Noodles aka "Lamian" (牛大碗) was going to be the specialty. My sources indicated that the place had opened up only serving two versions of Beef Noodle Soup and Kirbie's post indicated that was true. Still, when Candice and I decided to meet up for lunch, we decided on checking the place out.

Boy was the interior of the place bright!

And yes, there was basically two beef noodle soups on the menu. From what little I know about Gansu cuisine; other than wishing I could try some "Silk Road Camel Hoof" and the various mutton dishes, it's the clear soup version of beef noodle soup that the region is known for. However, with only two items; other than cold dishes on the menu, we had to try both right?

One more thing. After my initial lunch with Candice, I mentioned the place to Lily, who is from Shanxi and loves her noodles....well, twist my arm and all that. So I ended up going twice in the space of a week. Though I really didn't take too many photos during my second visit. In terms of service; well, it's still a bit unorganized, but the folks are very nice.

So first, on my visit with Candice, there was some Liang Cai available. Very mild in flavor, the best item was probably the cucumbers. Still, nice and refreshing.

The Clear Soup version also had the thinner noodle. During my first visit, the broth was rich, but very mild in flavor.

The noodles? Well, from what I recall, hand pulled noodles usually have a good amount of gluten worked out of it, so having that perfect texture is a real skill. On the first visit, the broth was a bit weak and the noodles on the mushy side.

On my second visit, the broth was much darker.

Perhaps missing that richness from my previous visit, but the flavor was much more assertive, more anise, a nice "ma" (numbing) sensation, though perhaps a bit heavy on the MSG. The noodles were also much better. Not too impressed with the beef which doesn't seemed to be braised in anything flavorful therefore lacking that nice taste. It was also a bit too tough for my taste on both visits.

I do prefer the "brisket" (aka braised beef) which uses noodles which are bit thicker. On my first visit it was much too doughy, but had vastly improved by the second visit.

I enjoy a bit of pull with my noodles and on the second visit it had improved. The broth was decent; while not especially beefy there was nice anise, again slightly numbing, but also a bit too much MSG. There was a light touch of sour which brought things together well. It is not remarkable, but still good by San Diego standards. The beef in this version was much better, more beefy, nice and tender.

So now we wait and see....what else will Green China Grill have to offer. 

Also, it seems that the dough is kneaded by machine and then worked through a noodle rolling machine. Then it looks like it's folded and stretched and pulled a few times. Hopefully I'm wrong? Say it isn't so? I'll check more carefully next time. And that overuse of MSG? I hope they cure that....

Green China Grill
4688 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
Open Daily - 11am - MN

PDX MISC: Pho Oregon, Saturday Market, Queen of Sheba

Ed (from Yuma) wants to thank Kirk and Cathy for keeping mmm-yoso!!! going year after year and letting him post today some stuff about Tina and his adventures in Portland OR.

Pho Oregon

We flew in on a Saturday and just wanted a simple inexpensive meal. The cool weather and light rain made soup inviting. So after taking the wrong freeway exit and driving around a bit, we arrived at Pho Oregon:

In a previous life, it had probably been a large Chinese restaurant and still had a lot of space and tables:

Tina suggested that we start with Tau hu ky:

It was really good. Crunchy fried tofu skin, mild dipping sauce, and seafoody interior:

And we both liked our soups. I had Pho Dac Biet:

The broth was mildly beefy, slightly sweet, and pleasant. But not great. The noodles, however, were plentiful and not all clumped up, and the meats were quite good:

The rare steak was flavorful, the fatty brisket and flank fall apart tender and rich, the soft chewy tendon abundant, and the meatballs nicely seasoned and not rubbery. Just a tiny amount of tripe, but I couldn't complain.

Tina is fond of Hu Tieu Dac Biet, here served with a pleasant light and porky broth and plenty of perfect noodles:

While the shrimp were slightly overcooked, the fish balls were very tasty. I don't recall the pork liver (Tina wolfed it down), but the sliced pork was chewy and dry.

What made both of the soups even better were the abundant herbs and vegetables:
Look at all of the sawtooth and cilantro. Jalapeño and basil hiding somewhere on the plate but not in the picture.

So a week later, on another rainy evening, we returned. First, Banh Xeo – which certainly looked good flanked by all those herbs:

Opened up, however, not as impressive:

Yeh, plenty of bean sprouts, but few shrimp and they were sliced in half lengthwise. The two half slices of pork chewy and flavorless. Not great.

Tina decided to play safe and have the Pho Dac Biet. It was as good as previously. I decided to test the kitchen by ordering Bun Mam:

The bowl looked pretty good, but it lacked the strong pungent fragrance of good Bun Mam. I could imagine Kirk taking one whiff, looking sad, and shaking his head. The broth tasted mostly of fish sauce, somewhat thin and slightly acrid, and there was no shrimp paste among the condiments to funkify it.

On the positive side, look at the abundant rau thom; that's a huge portion of herbs and vegetables, all fresh and tasty:

And the soup was packed with good noodles, vegetables, and proteins. Everything, except for the pork, was really first rate. The shrimp were not overcooked, the catfish had no hint of muddiness and tasted especially fresh, and the eggplant couldn't have been better. All stirred together, the Bun Mam looked like this:

Saturday Market

Many years ago, a freeway ran along the western bank of the Willamette River in Portland. Unbelievably, they tore down that freeway and replaced it with a long green park that stretches for over a mile, separating and uniting downtown Portland and the river:

Called the Governor Tom McCall Waterfront Park to honor the visionary environmentalist who helped convert the Willamette from polluted sewer into the beautiful river that it is today (picture looking upstream from Willamette Falls):

McCall Park is a great place for sitting on benches, walking around,

or racing Segways:

Speaking of segues, at the north end of the park, adjacent to the Burnside Bridge,

on Saturdays (and Sundays too) for most of the year, you can find the Saturday Market:

In large part, the market is much like it was when Kirk visited nearly10 years ago.

There is still a small bandstand

and all sorts of handcrafts and art. For some reason or another I didn't photograph any of the beautiful and interesting artworks, but I did take some pictures of a few locally made T-shirts. Some of the shirts have typical funny slogans,

others are unique to Portland,

and some are perfect for a foodblog:

All this looking around and walking made us hungry, so we went to the food court area:

Numerous choices of all kinds of cuisines, but the Beirut Catering booth seemed to be doing a good business, and Tina and I were in the mood:

I ordered a shawarma and Tina the falafel sandwich. The pita bread for each of the sandwiches was warmed separately on a flat top:

The shawarma showed up first:

It was really good. The lamb had some gamy flavor, a bit of char, and just enough tenderness.

As we were tasting it, the man (it was a one-man show) scooped out two greenish balls of chickpea mush, and dropped them into bubbling hot oil:

When the falafel sandwich showed up, it looked magnificent:

And it tasted great. The exterior was dark and crunchy, the interior nicely balanced between smooth and coarse. The pita, falafel, tahini, tabouli, and veggies made memorable food music together. Outstanding! 

We found a table nearby, sat down, had some conversations with other folks (people still talk to strangers in Portland), and watched the procession of beautiful well-trained dogs that strolled through and alongside the market. It was like a dog show. Of course, Tina and I forgot to take any pictures of the dogs. So, to make up for that, here is a picture of a local out walking his goat:

Portland is weird, and we had a great time.

The Queen of Sheba

My first experience of Ethiopian food took place well over 30 years ago in Portland at Jarra’s, which I believe was the first Ethiopian restaurant in the area. All I remember was a warm and gracious owner/manager/waiter who served us a fall apart tender and fiery hot lamb shank. OMG good.

Anyway, Tina and I were in the mood for Ethiopian, and our friend Joanie told us that her family has been enjoying the Queen of Sheba for years. As you can see, the restaurant is in the fuzzy part of Portland:

The menu offered a page of vegetarian choices,

and a page of meat options:

I really wish that we had been able to visit this restaurant several times and try some entrées that I don't recall seeing in San Diego Ethiopian restaurants, like fish stew, chickpea cracker stew, lentils and okra, etc.

Especially interesting to us were the numerous mushroom options, so we ordered chicken and mushrooms in the milder alicha sauce and a combination of vegetarian sides.

As expected, the meal arrived covering a large thin injera pancake, which had a pleasant touch of sour tang.

We loved the chicken and mushrooms; a nice balance of textures, and the sauce was complex and interesting, giving the mushrooms, which soaked it up, an extra boost of flavor:

The yellow split peas were earthy and creamy:

The mustard greens, perfectly stewed, had a slight vegetal bitterness:

The golden brown shiro was a little soupy, but otherwise smooth and tasty.

The rather ordinary looking combination vegetables were well seasoned and presented a combination of textures and colors:

And the ordinary lettuce salad was fresh and lightly dressed

We left the Queen of Sheba full and happy, wishing we could return.

So I guess that's just one more reason why Tina and I have to get back to Oregon again (and again?).

Revisit: Song Huong - Mira Mesa

Time sure does fly, doesn't it? It's easy to forget about places you mean to revisit when they are tucked away from the main drag; such is the case with Song Huong almost hidden behind Vinh Hung Market. In fact, I'd totally forgotten about the place until someone mentioned that Chibugan, which had once occupied the Song Huong space; then moved next door had closed. It had me wondering about how Song Huong was doing. Then, as chance would have it, I heard someone recommending the Bun Bo Hue at Song Huong; I did recall it being decent, but nothing special. Still, you didn't have to remind me a third time.....

I had decided to go into the office on a recent weekend to catch up on things, so I decided to take a little detour to Song Huong.

Not sure if it was the strange set-up of the tables, which stretched from the booths...sticking out with four to six seats added. Or the sticky floors and tables. Or perhaps the overall mustiness of the place. It did seem that time has not been to good to Song Huong.

The women working here are very nice; though communication was a bit difficult at times. I did manage to order the Bun Bo Hue, now $7.

This was kind of an odd bowl of BBH. First off, no pork hock. The flank was super tough and the small slices if what looked like pounded beef tasted a bit off and was very tough. No cha lua, just some fish cake. The broth seemed to be dressed up pho broth, with mild hints of spice, but almost no lemongrass or even that quick fixer upper mam tom flavor. It was scalding hot though.

I'm not sure what to say about the noodles, which were different from the bun I'm used to having in BBH. This was hard and very, very slippery....more like undercooked wheat based noodles. The greens and herbs were plentiful, but starting to discolor and mostly comprised of  lettuce.

I really don't know what to say about this bowl of soup. Maybe it was an off day? I gotta say, this was a rather strange bowl of Bun Bo Hue. It just seemed thrown together. It's been five years since I'd last visited....I don't think I'll be back anytime soon.

Song Huong
10550 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126

San Sebastian: Monte Urgull and Bar Bergara (Gros)

After a nice self catered lunch and a short nap, the Missus decided we needed to "do something".

Not quite sure what "something" was, we headed out. The streets had definitely gotten much more lively with both tourists and locals. As we arrived at the port, the Missus looked up, pointed, and said, "this is where we're going".....

She had pointed at the Statue of Christ at the top of Monte Urgull.

So we headed off......

There's a church located at the port and there was a wedding taking place. And you know....the (amateur) paparazzi just love a wedding.

Especially when, whom I think is the Flower Girl, looks so adorable.....

Even the washroom attendants have to watch!

I really enjoyed the port area......even though there are touristy restaurants, the aquarium and all that, there's still a "lived in" feeling to the place.

The walk up the Mount Urgull was nice....there weren't too many people to be found.....except small groups of young folks partaking of the...ahem....."cash crop".

For some reason, I really like cannons....don't ask me why. Even when they seem to be pointed in the wrong direction. These were aimed back at the city.

We really enjoyed the views.....

I love this view....the Isla de Santa Clara (Santa Clara Island) which lies right in Concha Bay.

The view at the top is rather anti-climatic, though it's a nice little walk and the views are quite nice. I'm sure on a clear day, it's quite stunning. We'd always look to find the Cathedral, which rises quite distinctly above the San Sebastian skyline.

There was this pair of street kids.....ahem musicians we kept seeing; first earlier in the day at the bandstand; then outside Brexta Market asking for money. We saw them up here having a nice "smoke" as well. The Missus told me, "you know, when we start seeing the same people over and over, it's time to go, right?"

But, there were more cannons to see!

We headed back down on one of the trails which actually led back to Old Town.

And so we ended up back in Old Town. The Missus however, wanted to see more. So I told Her, why not head on over then Urumea River to Gros; which kind of looks like San Diego with a decidedly Spanish vibe. I was told this is San Sebastian's version of Surf City. My bad for not taking photos of the beach....which...well, being from Hawaii and living in San Diego...you know...

Gros was interesting. It seemed more local. I had a recommendation which I followed up with some research of a tapas shop that had won a bunch of awards named Bar Bergara.

So, I really thought it would not be right if I left San Sebastian without trying just regular tapas, the stuff from the counter.

And there's no denying, the stuff here looked very pretty.

As a whole it was a mixed bag, for me, the bread really did not stand up well. Especially with the Piquillo Peppers and the Anchovy. The flavors though, were quite good.

The Foie Gras was very tasty; but again, the bread had suffered from sitting around.

The one item that really did well was the "De Pato al Calvados", basically duck in a apple brandy in puff pastry. The pastry held up quite well, the pine nuts really added to this this.

Overall, a very inexpensive meal, though I'm not sold on the counter top tapas. Very nice folks, the place has the feel of a fast casual restaurant. And while I'm still not sold on the stuff lying along the bar....the presentation at Bergara is quite stunning.

Bar Bergara
General Artetxe Kalea 8
San Sebastian, Spain

As we walked back....of to try more tapas; it became quite clear. There's unfinished business here; we'd arrived on the wrong days, there was much more to see and eat, we'd have to return some day soon. And all of this before our last stop of the day!

San Sebastian: Brexta Market, Aitor Lasa, and Galpasoro

We love exploring public markets whenever we travel. We were just a block away from Brexta Public Market, so we were obviously going to pay them a visit. Along the side of the two large market buildings have been turned into a shopping center......

There's a nice produce "market" set-up alongside the buildings.

And heading down below the shopping center.....

You'll find a wonderful meat and fish market, with tons of stalls. The selection is quite amazing, especially the various charcuterie, cheese, and cuts of meat. You could literally spend and hour or more just wandering around. There are prepared food stalls and vendors selling all sorts of Basque food items.

We soon left the market however, as the Missus wanted to check out places out side of the Old Town. So we headed out. Past the statue of the Drummer and the Plaque with the lyrics to La Marcha de San Sebastian, which I was told is San Sebastian's City Anthem. Each January 20th marks Tamboradda in the city. From midnight on the 19th to midnight on the 20th drums pound constantly and there's....well, a party of course, which lasts (gasp) 24 hours! It must be quite and event.

   As we expected; San Sebastian Centro is different from the Old Town. But, there was still an old world charm; just with more coffee shops, and some nice, upscale, shopping.  We enjoyed just meandering up Calle de Urbieta, first taking a short break for a cup of coffee.  Before arriving at the impressive Catedral del Buen Pastor de San Sebastián (Cathedral of the Good Shepherd). The Basilica of Santa Maria del Coro lies almost directly across from the Cathedral. It is said that you can even see the doors of the Cathedral from the stairs of the Basilica.

We took a walk inside the massive cathedral which was rather austere. It was very quiet in contrast to the busy traffic on the street outside.

Leaving the cathedral, we headed back to the Old Town. Of course the subject of lunch came out. We were getting hungry and it was still early. So we decided to self cater. I'd read about a market named Aitor Lasa right across the street from Brexta Market.

The rather tiny little market stocked a nice variety of cheese and charcuterie.

And we ended up purchasing some cheese, head cheese, eggs, and chorizo.

While paying for our groceries, we noticed some beautiful mushrooms. One especially caught my eye since I'd never seen it before.

The mushrooms are displayed in the top right of the photo above. I was told they were "cepes"......fresh porcinis! How could I not get a few? With all of this, bread was a must, so we asked the woman working the produce. At first she tried to sell us the bread stocked at the store. But soon enough, she wrote down the name of a place and drew a dot on my nap.

We loved the folks working here.

Aitor Lasa
Aldamar Kalea 12
San Sebastian, Spain

Next we decided to head back down the stairs of Brexta Market and head for a stand that had caught our attention during our earlier visit.

The gentleman behind the counter was so friendly, handing out samples to everyone. We had decided to taste some of the olive oils for sale and decided to get a very nice Arbequina Olive Oil; mildly grassy with a nice pepperiness to it. We also got some olives; sin sel....light on the salt. The olive was perfect; we finished the last of it in Bordeaux right before flying back to Madrid.

We also headed off to the fish market portion of the market which we had skipped earlier.

We loved the displays....some of them seemed artistic and somewhat whimsical to us. What do you think?

We then headed back upstairs and off to getting some bread.

The shop was located right on Calle Mayor. We'd passed it a couple of times, but never even noticed it. There was no missing it on this morning. Check out the line!

So we stood in line and eventually got our bread. It was quite good; perhaps not on the level of what we had in Bordeaux, but it sure did well for lunch.

Galparsoro Okindegia
Calle Mayor 6
San Sebastian, Spain

And while the kitchen wasn't too well stocked; luckily I had the olive oil. There was salt, pepper, and also some red wine vinegar. Still, this was so good! The Missus still mentions the earthy, yet mellow flavor of these. It turned out to be a nice, simple spread. Quick with minimal prep and clean-up.

After I cleaned up, it was time for a short nap......

What's the Missus Craving? Tamales from El Salvador Pupuseria y Restaurante

The Missus has a weakness for tamales. And even though She'd consumed quite a bit over the Xmas holiday.....it was just not enough. She rolled out of bed one morning and told me She "needed"; yes "needed" some tamales. Specifically tamales from El Salvador Pupuseria y Restaurante. Now, based on my last visit to the place, I really wasn't into it. But there was no denying the Missus. So I figured, no pupusas for me

  As with my previous visits, the women working here are quite friendly....so I just ignored the terrible curtido and the slightly stale chips this time around. And the Missus started things off with some Plantano Frito.

Nicely fried; just sweet enough, not greasy. That crema was nice and mild and paired well with the plantains. The frijoles however, were gummy and bland, not a great combination for me when it comes to beans. The Missus got one chicken and one pork tamale....She actually prefers Salvadoran Tamales; wrapped in banana leaf, or even Guatemalan Chuchitos, to the standard issue Mexican style tamales. The Missus really enjoyed the pork tamales and had me order four more to go....for later. So it must have fixed the craving!

I ordered the Yuca Frita con Chicharron. Fried yucca...fried pork....fried.....

That fried yucca was a work of art. It was just perfectly fried; crisp exterior, nice moist interior. Totally delici-yoso! The pork was not so great. It was quite lean making the meat quite dry and tough. It was also too salty. The faux curtido and the veggies really didn't do much else for the dish. Still, that yucca made me happy enough.....

If we're coming back again the next time the Missus gets a tamale itch; it'll have to be yucca frita and something else.

El Salvador Pupuseria y Restaurante
3824 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92105

Midweek Meanderings: (Blue) Korea House Becoming Prime Grill, Another 99 Ranch Market Opening in Kearny Mesa, and Mama's Grill Closes

Some openings and closings for hump day.

(Blue) Korea House is Becoming Prime Grill:

At least that's what the posted piece of paper says. You really couldn't miss seeing the façade for Korea House was gone. So we'll see about this one...here's hoping for some stellar Korean BBQ - I'll ping my sources to get more info. With this parking lot, it'll take some really good food to draw people in...here's hoping for the best.

4620 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

The Former Albertsons (and Haggen) is Becoming 99 Ranch Market:

I really couldn't put Haggen there, because it was only open for such a short time. According to Eater San Diego, it's now going to be 99 Ranch Market! So we'll have two locations within a couple of miles?

Actually, I'd love a Gelson's; but figured the area would be the wrong demographic. And BTW "CC", there's supposed to be a 99 Ranch Market coming to 505 Telegraph Canyon Road as well. I'm sure welcomed news for our friends in the South Bay.

5950 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Mama's Grill has closed:

I was planning on doing a sandwich follow-up on a couple of places in Clairemont/Kearny Mesa, so I dropped by Mama's Grill and found the place stripped down and closed.

I thought they made a decent sandwich, but I guess they couldn't keep up with all the other fast and not-so-fast food places in the strip mall.

7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Thanks for reading!

Zen Peninsula (Millbrae) and Chocolates from Rue Du Thé/Leland Tea Company (Burlingame)

**** Zen Peninsula has closed

We had really enjoyed our time visiting Petaluma and hitting the Cheese Trail, which was a great time. But, all things must come to an end, and it was time head back to SFO. But not before the really friendly cat came by to bid us farewell.

I'd planned a single stop on the way to the airport and we decided to getting Dim Sum at Zen Peninsula which had been recommended to us. A big plus was it was basically on the way to the airport. The small parking lot is quite odd here, since the dining room is one of those cavernous dim sum places.

We were hungry and ended up ordering way too much food....well, it didn't seem to be a lot when we ordered, but the portion sizes seemed quite large.

We were also quite surprised at how slowly this place filled up....a slow trickle of people. The place wasn't even full when we left at 1145. Anyway, on to the food.

The Missus enjoyed the Chicken Feet.

This was decently flavored, good soy, fermented black bean, but nothing special. Still, it was toe-sucking goodness to the Missus.

The Gailan was under-cooked; very crunchy, lacking in flavor.

The flavor of the Pork Neck was nice; sweet and savory.

But the Missus didn't care for the almost crunchy texture of it.

The portion size of the Soy Sauce Noodles was quite large.

This was ok if a bit too salty.

The Missus saw Turnip Cake with XO Sauce and automatically thought it would be like Sea Harbour.

No such luck Chuck. The flavor was on the milder side and the radish cake a bit too mushy for our taste. Still, not bad. One funny thing; we didn't want to waste food so ended up taking this on our flight.......nothing like the smell of XO sauce on Virgin America!

I saw the Mustard Steamed Pork Intestine and decided I needed to try it. It was very fragrant, and the "sauce" tasted good, though I wasn't a big fan of all the scum.

And while there were some bits that looked like part of the Piggy's last meal floating around; the pungency of the dish masked all of that. This also added to the pungency of our carry-on....I really felt bad. In fact, I made sure not to buy any washed rind cheeses so as to not bother other passengers.....and here I was bringing pork intestine along for the flight. Luckily, no one sat around us and the flight was relatively empty. I didn't see anyone sniffing around wondering "what the heck is that smell"......

One last item I wanted to try was the Duck Liver Sausage Bun. Think ducky lapcheong.

While I felt the steamed bun could have been a bit lighter....it seemed to be getting gummy pretty quickly; I liked the flavor. The Missus's Shandong roots betrayed Her as She declared this way too sweet.

In spite of what you might think upon reading to this point; this was a decent dim sum meal; nothing spectacular, but still better, and cheaper than San Diego. Of course the Missus wanted to head to the SGV as soon as we got home.

Zen Peninsula
1180 El Camino Real
Millbrae, CA 94030

We finished lunch a bit earlier than expected, so I decided to head over to Burlingame. I'd heard that one of the Tea Shops also made tea infused chocolates. After finding a parking spot, which was a lot more difficult than I anticipated, then wandering around a bit....the shop isn't the easiest place to find....we got to Rue Du Thé , which I believe is also named Leland Tea Company.

Really friendly folks. And while not on the same level....according to the Missus as Wine Country Chocolates, She did enjoy what She selected. Especially the chili infused chocolates.

Rue Du Thé
1223 Donnelly Ave
Burlingame, CA 94010

We really enjoyed our short trip to the Bay Area. In fact, the Missus is already planning a return....for more cheese!

Thanks for reading!

Havana Grill - Some First Impressions

Boy, did Havana Grill take their sweet old time opening. I'm not sure what the roadblocks were, but I'd mentioned seeing their signage back in June. Still, I was intrigued to finally see them open about a month ago.

The shop is one of those "fast-casual" type places; you order at the counter, take number and have a seat. The restaurant was still in it's soft-opening phase when I visited, so I can understand the rather slow delivery of some of my orders and that some of the items; specifically the mojo was a bit different on my visits. I will say this; the staff is very friendly.

My adventures started with the Ropa Vieja - "old clothes", the classic Cuban shredded beef dish. Not cheap at $13.

This was probably the best version of this dish I've had in San Diego. The beef was perfectly toothsome, but not tough and overly stringy. The flavor was mellow, but the brininess of the capers and olives lifted the dish. The beef flavor was present and the sodium level low. Of all the items I had, it was the black beans that made an impression; sweet-salty-beany, cumin lurking in the background; the texture of the beans was nice, and it was neither too runny or too mushy. The really nice guy named Alex, told me that their recipe uses 17 ingredients. I bought a side order for the Missus who really enjoyed it.

The mojo had a bit too much oil and not enough citrus or garlic flavor for me.

The plantains....were plantains...... just being their sweet ol' selves.

During my meal, Alex told me that Havana Grill baked their own bread. So you know what I had to try, right?

On my next visit, I went with the El Cubano ($10), the hot pressed Cubano Sandwich. I was surprised at the amount of nicely fried plantain chips when I opened my container.

I actually enjoyed this sandwich....and the plantain chips.

The weak link to most Cubanos for me is the roast pork, which tends to be dry and tasteless....the "other white meat". The pork here had decent pork flavor. And combined with ham (salty-savory), the Swiss cheese (milky goodness), the pickles (crunch and a slight sweet-brine), and the mustard, this was pretty darn good. The bread didn't look like much, but actually had some nice flavor and held up fairly well after being pressed.

I had asked for a recommendation for my next visit when I ordered my sandwich and was told to try either the Bistec or the Havana Chicken Sandwich. I ended up getting both during my next two visits.

The Bistec ($14) is basically shredded beef and could have used a bit more of a sear to enhance the texture, it was also cold in the middle.

It was also quite mild in flavor, I'm used to Bistec Encebollado and expect some bold flavors; garlic, lime, black pepper...on pounded beef. This seemed the same cut as the ropa vieja.

The black beans were as good as on my previous visits. This time around; the mojo had some punchy garlic and perhaps a bit too much salt, but not enough citrus for my taste. Still it was needed to add some oomph to the beef.

On my most recent visit I tried the Havana Chicken Sandwich ($9).

On the good side; this wasn't a shrinking violet when it came to flavor, lots of garlic-citrus tomes and perhaps teetering on the edge of being too salty. The onions did quite well, but the sandwich also seemed a bit greasy. Also, the pounded chicken breast was a bit on the dry side. The menu said that the sandwich was dressed with watercress, but I found none. I think the crunch and slight bitter-peppery flavor would have been a nice addition to the sandwich. I like the roll, which seems simple, but reminds me of a good solid French style roll which is great for "dipping".

I enjoyed my visits to Havana Grill, the folks are very friendly, and the place seems like a work in progress. It seems that homestyle recipes are being adapted for restaurant use and systems are still being put in place. The fact that Havana Grill is close to work means that I'll keep visiting on those days when I need a change of pace. I hope they keep up the nice service and get their recipes and systems in line. There also seems to be items on the menu; the empanadas come to mind that really won't do well being cooked ahead and placed under heat lamps. Hopefully all of that will shake out in time. Oh, and I hope they dial in the mojo......

Havana Grill
5450 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117
Open Daily 11am - 9pm