mmm-yoso!!!

Tip Top Meats (Breakfast and Lunch)(again)

Thanks for stopping to read this food blog, mmm-yoso!!!.  Cathy is writing today, while Kirk and His Missus are 'vacationing' and celebrating the long Labor Day weekend.   

The Mister and I drive to Carlsbad every so often just to enjoy a nice meal and pick up some German and/or European treats to enjoy at home.  OK, we stop here a lot.   This post, from two years ago, has links to my other five posts in the top paragraph. (Yes, seven posts in 13 years is a lot for one restaurant, but it is just so good). Breakfast can be glorious here.  The Big John (still $7.98) includes toast, herb-y home fried potatoes, three eggs (any style) and *all you can eat meat*.  Except bacon.  You can only order bacon once, at the first order.  People abused the privilege and now everyone must suffer. Pictured here is bacon and bratwurst.  There is a house made breakfast sausage, kielbasa and ham also available as part of your meat selection.  There are photos of Big John meats on the other posts; things here don't change.
The European Continental Breakfast ($8.99) is always interesting.  First, I crave the bread rolls (which you can purchase in the Deli section for 50¢ each), the Swiss cheese is thick sliced (creamy/buttery soft and a slight nutty flavor) then the meats which are on the plate are always varied. This day, there were two slices of six different lunchmeats (including braunschweiger(!), two salamis, a mild headcheese, veal bologna and thick slices of Black Forest ham). To me, this is a perfect breakfast. 

Eggs Benedict ($8.98) House made hollandaise (not very lemony at all) (compared to the hollandaise made at Costa's in West Covina).  Perfectly poached eggs on top of a quality (thicker than usual) toasted English muffin and served with the home fries (potatoes and herbs-nice).
 Meat Lovers Omelet ($8.99) Choice of two breakfast meats, three eggs. 
 Ham and bacon were the two chosen meats.  There was more of that than egg or cheese wrapped in the eggs.

On some weekdays, we drive up for lunch.  Smoked pork chops with both (sweet red and sour white) krauts, mashed potato and beef barley soup ($11.49). Thick, lean, smoked in-house chops.  When we left, we purchased more in the market for an at-home feast.  The soups here are, of course, house made; thick, flavorful and really wonderful.   Beef steak sandwich (from the hot sandwiches menu) on marble rye toast and a side of Cole slaw ($8.99). Oh my.  I've never ordered the Big John cheeseburger here; thought it would be 'average.  So wrong...this was a perfect medium rare cook of wonderful flavorful beef.  The other hot sandwiches as well as cold sandwiches are flavorful, fresh made, quite large and make a wonderful meal. 

I hope you are having (or had) a wonderful Labor Day celebration!

Tip Top Meats 6118 Paseo Del Norte Carlsbad, CA 92011 (760) 438-2620 Open daily 6 a.m.-8 p.m.

2020 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road test #2 and multiple food adventures: Porto's, Iron & Kin Coffee, Cafe 86 and Kra-Z Kai's Lao BBQ

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food and there is always a reason we find the food.  Over the weekend, Cathy and cc woke early to drive to Irwindale, photograph participate in the second float road test and then took many side roads to enjoy some great foods and beverages while heading home.

Link to Road Test #1

Link to Road Test #3

Link to Road Test #4

Link to Road Tests #5 and #6

First, the road testing for 2020 Rose Parade floats.  This early morning, multiple floats were being tested at Phoenix Decorating Company for mechanics and maneuverability, some with 'weight' on board.  The weight was humans, who will be riding on the floats during the Parade on January 1, 2020.  cc and I were asked if we would like to help by sitting on a float while it was driven a short way down the street, backed up, turned around and then participated in a fire drill, making sure that all the people (including the Driver and Spotter of the float) could disembark in 45 seconds. 

The 2020 Kiwanis International float, "Soaring with Hope" passed its road test (the open doors are from where the Spotter and Driver exited for the fire drill).  

The Rotary International 2020 Rose Parade entry, "Hope Connects the World" was painted in and road tested. (It wasn't yet painted in for the first Road Test).

This is the off camera side view of the Lutheran Hour Ministries float, "Anchored in Jesus".  It will appear as if underwater. 

"Hope for 2020",  the Lions Clubs International  float entry was also tested that morning. 

"First Responders Bring Hope", the 2020 entry by Oddfellows and Rebekahs was fully color coded for easy placement of natural materials during Decoration Days and also tested.  Behind it was the Mrs. Meyers Clean Day float, taking its first road test.  If you zoom in, you'll see a wheelbarrow with what looks like squash covered by an umbrella.  No artist rendering yet. 

It was fun and informative to be able to help with a road test. Use this link to the Rose Examiner to keep up to date with Tournament happenings. 

////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

It was the start of a day of food and adventure! cc was without Bert and I was without The Mister. 

Back to Portos! Only six miles and a few minutes away. My second visit ever.  Again, not very crowded (before 9 a.m.)

Sandwiches are available all Day. We decided to share a Pan con Lechon ($6.65) Slow roasted pork, mojo garlic sauce and pickled onion on Cuban bread (with plantain chips on the side). Wow. This was pretty much the best sandwich ever.
I was curious about the Tamal a Caballo ($4.75) as a breakfast item and it was another wow moment.  The masa, so very soft, had whole pieces of corn, the savory pork filling, a salsa verde and plantain strips.  

We purchased more than several items to take home.  I had a handwritten list from The Mister.   We also enjoyed beverages at the table.  The prices here are great, the freshness and quality are consistent. More menu items will be tried next month. 

Portos, many Los Angeles County locations. website

Soon it was off to our next planned stop for coffee.  cc had researched and found a coffee shop with an unusual caffeinated offerings in Pomona, sort of 'on the way home'.  Iron and Kin opened in May 2018 inside a restored downtown Hotel.  Half of the shop is a Craft Cocktail Bar, O'Donovan's Pub, open in evenings.  The other side is an efficient coffee bar.  cc had asked Josh, one of the owners of Iron and Kin, about the special "Affirmation Drinks" menu (she saw photos on Instagram).  We wanted to try each of the drinks, but knew we couldn't drink that much caffeine (or liquid).
 Josh was kind enough to prepare sample sizes of each of these unique beverages.  First, I must say the espresso, on its own, is of very high quality.  A smooth, strong, sweet yet not bitter/sour base to each beverage.  The unique Affirmation flavors were distinct, fresh and really wonderful: varying from chillies and cinnamon with cloves to turmeric with ginger, cardamom and honey with black pepper to figs with vanilla, brown sugar and black pepper to smoked salt with cream, brown sugar and Old Forester Bourbon as well as the iced matcha/gingerbeer/limeade/yuzu. Beverages not found in San Diego. Quality.

Iron and Kin 101 E. Third Street, Pomona, CA (951)808-7584 Website
We also made a quick stop at Cravings by 99 Ranch, but didn't snack there.  One block away is a Filipino Coffee and Tea Shop. Cafe 86 has been on Edison Avenue since 2014 and serves matcha, coconut, mango, hibiscus, ube and calamansi iced and hot beverages, ice cream and pastries in addition to coffees.   
  I think ube is the 'new' flavor of the year- even Trader Joe's is carrying an ube ice cream.  We only purchased the ube/coconut mini bundt cakes and iced Madelines. These were delicious with a cup of hot tea the next morning.

Cafe 86 4110 Edison Ave Chino, CA 91710 Website

 cc had one last planned stop- the only Lao BBQ restaurant in Southern California- Kra Z Kai's.  It's located in a large mall area anchored by a Sonic.  We each ended up purchasing food to go as well as some to eat in-all of the BBQ meats.  The distinct Southeast Asian flavors of garlic and lemongrass with the char grilled meats is just so perfect.  The house made sausage is coarse ground and has onion and leeks. Of course, sticky rice is the only proper rice to have with these items, even though steamed and fried rice are also offered.

Kra-z Kais 1218 Magnolia Ave #G110 Corona, CA 92881 (Southwest Corner of I-15 and Magnolia) Website

The end of an epic road trip.  There were other stops, because we avoided traffic. These were the highlights...plus my view while on the road test...

Sunday Sandwiches - Breakfasts from The WestBean Coffee Roasters (Morena)

I'm quite a creature of habit; I get into work at around the same time each day, I do things on specific days, like for instance, just about every Sunday, I head off to Costco to fill up my tank. The Missus finds it quite interesting that I've got all these habits and rituals; but it doesn't affect me when we travel.

Anyway, a couple of weeks back, I passed the rather newish location of West Bean Coffee Roasters. The sign mentioned "breakfast" and I recalled CC's post on the Banker Hill location from a couple of years ago. So, I decided to drop by for a cup of coffee and after reading the menu a breakfast sandwich.

The spot used to be Red Card Café which closed at the end of October back in 2017.

The seating area is spacious and the outdoor seating from the days of RCC is still in place.

I decided on the Breakfast Sandwich #2 on the menu and feeling a bit hungry added on the sausage patty. I did ask to see if they'd make the eggs easy over; but I guess it's just too much to ask a Barista to make runny eggs.

This was serviceable sandwich; I enjoyed the brioche roll as it wasn't too sweet and almost fluffy. The sausage patty was standard issue; for some reason the cheddar cheese seemed really mild. I really would have enjoyed a nice, runny egg on this.

Not terrible; somewhat corporate in appearance; but I'd rather spend my money here than at one of the chains in the area.

So, today was of course Sunday. And I headed off to fill up my tank.

On the way down South on Morena, headed to start all of my Sunday shopping, I felt in need of some caffeine and perhaps some breakfast. So, I stopped by West Bean again.

I went with the cold brew; which seemed a bit light and non-descript. I certainly prefer the cold brew from Birdrock.

This time I went with "Breakfast Sandwich #1". Without adding any other protein to the sandwich.

I actually enjoyed this.

The Chipotle mayo added a nice bit of "zip", the peppery and slightly bitter arugula did well with the mayo, the mild sweetness of the roll, and the acidity of the tomato. And yes; I'd prefer a runny egg.....but I didn't dwell on that too much.

Pretty good sandwich. Very nice folks. And while this won't become a "ritual"; I'll probably stop by again since I drive past the place every week.

The WestBean Coffee Roasters
4140 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Daily 7am - 2pm
Breakfast served 7am - 1pm

 

2020 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road test #1. Breakfast and snacks at Porto's.

mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food.  So many reasons to get to the food.  Cathy is writing today because the reason to drive North is again happening.

Link to Road test #2

Link to Road Test #3

Link to Road Test #4

Link to Road Tests #5 and #6

A few weeks after the 2019 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Showcase of Floats, on Sierra Madre Boulevard at the end of the Parade route, the President of the 2020 Parade (Laura Farber) was announced and the Theme of the 2020 Parade-  "The Power of Hope" was introduced. “With hope – anything, in fact, everything is possible.  Hope is more than simply the possibility of fulfillment. Hope is dignity and respect, joy and happiness, aspiration and achievement. Hope never, ever quits. Through hope, we can aspire to be our best and in turn inspire those around us to reach higher.”.  The float designs for the 130th Rose Parade use this as their design inspiration. 

Float designs were submitted to the Tournament and, once approved, construction began.  The first of a series of "Road Tests" (of manipulation, maneuverability and safety of the floats) of some of the 22 floats to be constructed by Phoenix Decorating Company, occurred on Saturday in Irwindale.  There will be about 44 floats total in the parade; Phoenix is one of three float building businesses, (six floats which are 'self constructed' also participate). This online newsletter will keep you up to date with Tournament happenings. Oddfellows Rebekahs float for 2020 is "First Responders Bring Hope".  This float will be applauded throughout the 5.5 mile parade route.
The little detail which might be missed in the Lions Clubs International "Hope for 20/20" float is that each character on board is wearing glasses- a nod to one of the Lion signature projects: vision.  
The 2020 Lutheran Hour Ministries float, "Anchored in Jesus"- a submerged anchor with three fish surrounding it, is the 70th entry for the only Christian themed Rose Parade float sponsored by the Lutheran Layman's League.
 Kiwanis International hasn't released an Artist rendition or title of their 2020 float; I'll add it.  So cute!

The above floats are marked with the colors to help with decoration (which begins the first Saturday in December).  The following two floats aren't quite as far along in construction.
 The 2020 Rose Parade float entered by Rotary International, "Hope Connects the World" is going to appear as if it is a balloon (like the San Diego Holiday Bowl parade) in the parade, with out walkers 'holding it down'.  It is in the 'cocoon' stage of construction.
 The City of Alhambra will enter this "Hope Keeps Us Going" float, still in the 'skeleton' phase of design. 

It looks like the morning of January 1, 2020 will be a great start to the year!

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

I know, you are here for the food portion of the blog.  There was a small newspaper article in 2017 about a new location of Porto's, a Cuban Bakery Cafe, in the Los Angeles County area since 1976,  opening a fifth location.  Finally, the West Covina location opened two months ago.   I was interested in Porto's because of postings by other blogs: cc has made multiple visits, as have Soo and Maggie, Faye, Kirbie and Mary.  In fact, we've been to Azucar and Los Pollos specifically to try Cuban delicacies without having to drive a few hours to a Porto's location.. 
This store, six miles South of Phoenix Decorating, on the same road (which changes names, but is a straight drive) is so close!
There's an open baking area, 
the ordering lines are organized.  
There is a Coffee bar just to the right as you walk in. We didn't know the 'system' (you can order beverages when you are ordering Bakery and/or Cafe items in any line) and I sent The Mister off to order beverages here. A mojito  ($3.39) and a Double Cortadito ($2.59). 
 
  The display cases are just that-displays.  They are always full. You order and the Porto's guy (or gal) turns and goes to the kitchen to box your items...which (at least around 8 a.m.) are freshly warm. 
A potato ball ($1.05), ham croquette (95¢) and, as I must always order, ham and cheese baked in a croissant ($2.35).
Cross sections- the mashed potato ball is filled with picadillo (I could taste the olives!) before being rolled in breadcrumbs and fried.  I could see eating a few of these as a meal.  The ham croquette is very rich- just ham chunks and a seasoned Bechamel (flour, butter and milk) sauce.  It looks small but is just enough.
Cross section of the Ham and Cheese baked in a bread.  A wonderful rendition. 
Rellenitos-$1.05 each.  Made to order. Listed in the 'Savory' section of the menu.
Mashed plantain filled with black beans, fried then rolled in sugar.  This is wonderful.

Since it was breakfast and we were here...Torrejas was ordered ($5.98).
 Cuban style French toast, made with croissant dough, served with a more or less tropical fruit salad (that is guava sauce and it's not sweetened) and whipped cream cheese. Decadent and kind of addictive. 

We will return-many times- to try out the whole menu.

Porto's West Covina 584 S. Sunset, West Covina, CA 91790 (626)214-3490 Open Mon-Th 6:30-8:30, Fri-Sat 6:30-9, Sun 7-8 Website

 

Emilia - Romagna: Breakfast in Ravenna and Returning to Bologna

Our visit to Ravenna had exceeded our expectations. I'm glad we had stayed the night; we enjoyed our dinner, and the relaxed, pleasant vibe of the city. We really enjoyed our suite at the Casa Masoli. It was so comfortable and spacious and took us back in time and waking up to this in the morning sure does make a statement!

Breakfast was included in our night's stay, so we packed and headed down to the quaint dining area.

Breakfast was basic but quite satisfying.

After breakfast; we freshened up a bit, stored our bags....our train back to Bologna wasn't until 1230, and decided to take one more walk around Ravenna.

It seems like many cities in Italy have their own "leaning tower". Ravenna is no exception. This is the Torre Comunale (Torre Civica) which leans slightly to the west.

As we made our way back to Casa Masoli, we walked thru what is considered Ravenna's Main Square; Piazza del Popolo. Things were quite lively as there seemed to be some kind of bicycle event for families. Folks smiled and waved at us, folks congregated and chatted, what I'm assuming is a Girl Scout Troop marched thru the square as older folks caught up on the latest news (and gossip). It made for a wonderful scene.

We grabbed our bags; thanked the woman who runs things, we'd had a lovely stay. Great sights, good food, wonderful people, what more could one ask?

The train ride back to Bologna was a quick 90 minutes and change. We walked to our apartment, dropped our bags and headed on out.

This being a Sunday, Bologna was buzzing. The streets full of students, visitors, and locals enjoying their Sunday. It seemed like everyone was out and about on this beautiful day.

Of course every visitor just "needed" that selfie of Asinelli Tower.

It was fun just wandering the streets and alleyways people and pooch watching.

We passed the Chiesa de San Martino.

And somehow found ourselves at Palazzo della Mercanzia.

This has been Bologna's center of trade and commerce since the 14th century!

And guess what? There was some "trade" happening on this day as well as right down the street on Piazza Santo Stefano, the monthly Antiques Market was happening.

It was fun browsing thru the different stands. Though our favorite by far was a particular used book seller...… whose "assistant" was hard at work!

All this walking and browsing made me want a snack.

So we headed off to the Quadrilatero and back to Af Tamburini. Which was quite busy as usual.

We just got a cheese sandwich and headed off to eat it at my favorite spot; on the stairs of San Petronio Basilica, where we could watch Bologna pass us by.

We love sitting on the stairs and just people watch.

Soon enough it was time to head back to the apartment for a nice nap.

This would be our last evening of this vacation and I had made a reservation at a well regarded restaurant for dinner.

You know, I hadn't read much about Emilia-Romagna over the years. A colleague of mine had mentioned his daughter going on an exchange program to Bologna, which is when, beyond all the food stuff, I started learning about the region.

From the warm and friendly people, the amazing food and ingredients (how can you beat Balsamic Vinegar, Parmesano Reggiano, Prosciutto de Parma, and of course culatello), to the history, I wonder why more people don't travel to this region.

Sunday Sandwiches - Barrio Donas (Best Donuts Bakery & Deli Rebooted)

Man, it seems like I've been going pretty much non-stop since getting back from our trip. Today is my first day off and after like twelve hours of sleep last night, a nice lunch (road trip style), and a afternoon nap, I'm finally starting to feel somewhat in-synch. There really hasn't been much eating out since we got back, but here's a place I stopped at a couple of times in the last week.

We got in late Saturday evening and I had to go in for a few hours on Sunday. I got up, got dressed and headed off to work, but was kind of hungry. I recalled seeing that Best Donuts had been going thru a facelift before we left on our vacation so decided to see if they had reopened. And they had; so I stopped and walked in.

Man, they've really done quite the job on the place.

Best Donuts had reshuffled the lay-out several times during my visits over the years. I don't think they'll be moving stuff around much after this renovation.

I recognized the young lady working the register, who told me that the ownership of the shop remains the same. One thing that has changed are the prices, the breakfast tortas are now in the $5.50 - $7.50 range and the regular tortas will run you from $8.50 - $9.50. Wow, I remember getting the A la Mexicana here for $4.99 on my last visit. Well, someone has to help pay for the freshinging up, right?

Instead of ordering my usual, the A la Mexicana; I went with the La Nortena ($6.50).

The bread was still nice and warm when I got to the office. It had held up well for the 15 minute drive. It was quite yeasty and just as good as ever. I had never been a fan of the machaca here; but this time it was beefy, moist, and rather tender. The sauce had a mild spice and smokiness to it and was delicious with the eggs. The pickled jalapenos added a nice zip; though I think using something like queso asadero or cotija would improve the sandwich. The mozzarella used is gooey, but in this framework you can't really taste the cheese.

Still, it seemed that the sandwiches here had taken a step up. So, I decided to drop by on my way to work a few days later. Which is when I found out the place doesn't open at 5-530 am anymore. Rather they open at 6 during the week. Luckily, the nice young lady quickly turned on the "Open" sign when she saw me....it was 558 am.

This time, I went with my usual at Best Donuts, the A la Mexicana ($6.50).

The bread was as before; warm, yeasty, and quite good. Not quite as much eggs or beans as I recall, but with the jalapenos and salsa, this is my kind of breakfast. In this case, the light milkiness of the cheese comes thru. Would have liked a bigger smear of beans though.

On one of my days back, I had meetings thru lunch. Barrio Donas starts serving their tortas at 10am, which meant I could stop by in between meetings to grab a torta. Man, they were pretty busy at 10, with a line and several customers waiting.

I went with the Chilanga ($9.50).

When I opened my sandwich back at the office; I was pleasantly surprised to see that the sandwich had been nicely pressed. Based on the melted cheese in the breakfast sandwiches; I figure that they do some kind of heating, but this really add a pleasant crustiness to the sandwich.

I really enjoyed the beans, chorizo, onions, jalapenos, and tomatoes, all of which added layers of savory, pungent, tangy, and piquant tones. There was a thin slice of ham....more protein I guess. The milanesa, pounded breaded beef was on the tough side for my taste.

Not bad, though I'm not sure it's worth almost ten bucks.

I think I'll stick with the breakfast offerings, which are quite satisfying. It's nice to see an old favorite rebooted and doing so well. The young lady who works mornings here is so friendly as well.

Barrio Donas
4714 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours
Mon - Sat 6am - 9pm
Sunday    7am - 6pm

 

The UPAC Neighborhood Cafe (City Heights)

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog primarily about food.  There are many ways we (all) encounter places to share a meal. Cathy is writing today, while Kirk and His Missus continue to enjoy their vacation.

As is our usual method, The Mister and I began driving with hunger but no destination in mind.  We saw this eye-catching signage "Now open at 8 a.m., Breakfast Specials".  Of course we had to stop.

I knew the location.  Kirk had written about it in 2010, then The Mister and I went to Pho Tay Do a year later. The 4600 square foot restaurant now has become a Social Enterprise Center run by the non-profit organization Union of Pan Asian Communities.

 A spacious area is now the Cafe, but that's only part of this Neighborhood Enterprise Center: Kitchen Creations, a Technology Hub, Product Design and Print Shop (hence, the signage) and The Community Gathering Place are each part of this building providing much needed resources and opportunities for both UPAC clients and the ethnically diverse residents and small business owners of City Heights. 

It was breakfast time when The Mister and I walked in and we didn't know what to expect. 

The Breakfast menu is next to the cash register. The Lunch and Global Menu as well as the Beverage menu are on the wall to the left. 

 The yogurt parfait ($2.50) was one choice.  Looks simple and basic.  Nope.  The fruit mixture (various fresh berries) is prepared in the kitchen, as are the granola toppings.  The yogurt is wonderful and thick.
 Overnight oats ($2.50) was another choice, made with oats, chia and almond milk with cinnamon, this was also served with the granola topping.  Wonderful mix of flavors and so good.   Will get again. 
 One menu item was 'Three Injera and large Tea" ($4). The Somali thin and spongy pancakes were made to order, topped with sesame oil and sugar.  We used our hands to tear and enjoy these warm and flavorful flatbreads.  

The tea choices were Chai or Somali tea (or assorted bags).  We were told that one had sugar and the other didn't.  This tea -a mix of spices- was also made with the individual ingredients here. Oh my, what a difference in being able to taste the cardamom, cinnamon, fresh ginger, cloves, black pepper!  This was a wonderful, refreshing accompaniment to our breakfast.

Of course we returned.    The turkey cranberry sandwich ($5.50) was served on a croissant (croissants and bagels are not made here) and was filled with fresh ingredients.  The house-made cranberry sauce was spread on both sides of the bread, the greens are spinach, the meat was of high quality. An excellent sandwich.  
 We also ordered a side salad ($3.50) which you can see, arrived with walnuts on top...a fancy touch.  Fresh ingredients.  Quality.  Of course the dressing is made here.
 We decided to order from the Global Menu and chose this month's Filipino offering-adobo chicken ($5.85). Wow.  An excellent version of this basic Filipino cooking and marinade method.  Vinegar, garlic, salt (or soy), black pepper and bay leaf are the flavors of adobo-prepared anything (I've had mushroom adobo and it's great). Even the rice was high quality. Let's go back to when we walked in and pay attention. All of the products sold on the shelves to the left are printed here.  The Product Design and Print Shop is equipped with all professional machinery.  The Youth who work here design and print the items (and are available to print items people order).  

Now, check out the glass case to the right of the cash register.  Fresh baked items daily.
  On top of the glass case there is a basket with bits of day old items to sample...so you'll know what to order next time. This was a berry turnover, which was still warm.  Again, the berry mixture made in house. So good.

A great addition to the neighborhood for many reasons. Wonderful food and worth the stop. 

The UPAC Neighborhood Cafe 5296 University Avenue #A  92105 619-255-7644 Mon-Fri 8-5 {Kitchen closes at 3, but sandwiches, beverages and the baked fresh daily items available from 3-5}

Union of Pan Asian Communities website

This is the current menu; the Global menu changes monthly.

Black Bear Diner (El Cajon)

mmm-yoso!!!, the food blog, has yet another post for you to peruse this day.  Kirk and His Missus are at the third of six stops on their Spring Vacation.  Cathy is holding down the fort.

Black Bear Diner opened in El Cajon in mid-April; it's a former Coco's location, familiar to locals.  The chain, founded in 1995 has 124 locations in 13 states.
The exterior and interior design is sort of 'rustic, appearing to be a local 'diner'.  There are wood carvings of bears, local-themed artwork, a large bar seating area.  
 The front page of the "Black Bear Gazette" menu is locally themed.

Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner menus each have choices of "Fit and Focused" meals as well as "Little Less" meals.  No need for a 'Senior' menu.  (Breakfast and Lunch are served all day, the Dinner menu starts at 4 p.m.).  How I wish calorie counts were not displayed... The Mister ordered a "Bear's Choice Combo" ($10.69) and chose a sweet cream waffle (that's a bear claw design in the center), eggs over easy and two (or one of each) - thick cut bacon and a sausage link. (A smoked ham slice is the other breakfast meat available).  The eggs were perfectly prepared, the sausage was quite large, juicy and had a nice skin, a slight black pepper flavor could be discerned.  The bacon was indeed thick cut and quite wonderful.  The cream waffle had a vanilla flavor and was a bit dry- needed butter and syrup.   
 I chose a "Classic Two Egg Combo" with chicken fried steak ($12.99), poached eggs (wonderfully prepared soft as requested), country red potatoes (red and green bell pepper as well as onions) were crispy on some edges (I wish each piece was crisped, but then I would have finished the quite large portion instead of taking home leftovers). The chicken fried steak- excellent.  The crust was so light and crispy, the meat portion large and juicy.  The gravy- a wonderful flavor and even though there is black pepper in it, the pepper was not overwhelming.  An excellent meal.   I asked for a biscuit as my bread and was disappointed.  It definitely was baked here and fresh, but quite dry.  I took more than half of it home and it was hard as a rock in a few hours.  Toast next time!

Java City Coffee, sustainable and hand roasted, is served here ($2.89) and it is very high quality.  I'm usually disappointed by most breakfast coffees and was pleasantly surprised. 

Service was excellent; we were checked on and asked about our likes as well as dislikes and enjoyed this meal.  We will return to try the lunch and dinner menu.  

 Black Bear Diner 1025 Fletcher Parkway El Cajon, CA 92020 Website Open daily 6 a.m.-10 p.m.

 

City Bistro (American and Mediterranean) (El Cajon)

Thanks for coming back to read mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food.   Kirk and His Missus are at their second spring vacation destination and Cathy is still blogging.

I couldn't figure it out.  Three clients called to make appointments and none of them would be available on a Monday morning, but all of them would be available on any other morning.  I later found out that they knew each other and met for breakfast every Monday, at this location (which had been Country Waffles for about 15 years) which was remodeled and turned into City Bistro in 2016. Across the street from Valley Foods Mediterranean Market  and about 1/2 mile from El Cajon Bistro, this location on East Main Street is another nice, neighborhood restaurant. 
There's a bar seating area along with plenty of tables.  A television is visible from every seat, each set to a different channel (and all on closed captioning). There is a white board with a daily special at the front door. 
 We ordered from the regular menu- the "Crepe Plate" ($11.99) (choice of fruit flavors; you can see this is strawberry) served with two eggs and either two bacon, two sausage or one of each. Each item was quite good, tasty, fresh.  Quality. 
 I ordered the "Pan Handle Scramble" ($10.99) with country potatoes.  The potatoes were nicely fried, randomly chopped and quite tasty.  The scramble-I asked for the meat to be a sausage patty (they make the sausage patties here). It wasn't served on the side.
 On the bottom of the panhandle serving plate was a large, fresh made biscuit, topped with the large Housemade sausage patty, topped with country gravy, topped with a scramble of eggs mixed with red and green bell peppers, onions and cheese and also topped with cheese.  Wow!  This was great, tasty and filling.  
     We returned for a lunch and tried the gyros plate ($11.99) (with a double order of salad instead of rice).  The house made tzatziki was really great as was the house made salad dressing.  The side of pita helped -there was a lot of gyros meat and I made a few little sandwiches in addition to making a gyros salad. 
 The Monte Cristo sandwich ($10.99) was a good choice.  Cheese on both slices of the French bread, plenty of turkey for the sandwich, all cooked in an egg batter: French Toast style.  The choice of sides (fries, fruit or onion rings) was easy.  Th rings were whole onions in a thin beer batter.  Crunchy, light and flavorful.  

A lot of good, fresh, 'from scratch' items here, friendly people working and regular, neighborhood clientele. There are plenty of Mediterranean items on the menu, including basturma at breakfast; we will be trying more in the future.

City Bistro 1248 East Main Street El Cajon, CA 92019 (619)442-4444 Open daily 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

 

Dunkin (donuts and sandwiches)

Here we are, reading mmm-yoso!!! on this rainy, chilly morning.  Cathy is trying to keep this food blog interesting, while Kirk and His Missus are vacationing.

There have been situations when I want to re-gift some gift cards received.  The thought that one of my friends or clients has gone to the trouble of purchasing a 'little something extra' stops me.  One client in particular, gave me a Dunkin' Donuts Gift card which I used in 2017, at both the Ramona And National City locations.  I had thanked him profusely and so, this year...another gift card.  
Now, there is a location closer to home in East County.  So, The Mister and I have had a few breakfasts. 
   Of course there are donuts, but there is much more offered (note that the name is merely "Dunkin" on the exterior of this new building.)
 Breakfast sandwiches are available all day. The egg, cheese, bacon (or sausage) on a croissant ($4.39) is substantial and tasty.  Black forest ham with egg and cheese on a toasted English muffin ($4.39) is also a good choice (less calories). Also on the menu is a bagel with the same fillings; but I haven't ordered it. 
 There are two "bowls" available, one with egg whites/spinach/roasted potatoes, cheddar and carmelized onions or this one, a 'sausage scramble' ($5.49)- eggs, sausage, Cheddar-Jack cheese, pepper and onions.  This was interesting once we figured out the difference between this and other 'scramble' (no potatoes). It is quite good. You could order a side of 'toasted hash browns'($1.09) and add those in if you really want some carbs.  It's nice to know there is this menu item available.     There is also a 'Wake Up Wrap' (egg and cheese only is $1.29, with meat (bacon, sausage, ham, turkey sausage) is $1.79).  Essentially the carbohydrate is a small flour tortilla.  There is a half egg, one slice of cheese and one slice of Black Forest ham and makes for a warm, tasty light meal. 

Now, a word about the donuts and coffee.  
First, the dark roast coffee is the only one I like here.  Hot or iced, it does not matter.  The other flavors are just not satisfying. Second, the cake donuts (and cake donut holes) taste good; the 'fried' items don't.  They just don't.  I've read that the donuts are delivered to the store frozen.  If true, it makes sense regarding the flavors.

Not terrible if you know what to order.  Helpful, friendly workers, amazingly fast service (they keep the drive thru moving!).  

Dunkin'  (over 8,500 locations in 41 states and 3,200 international restaurants in 36 countries) Website In San Diego, there are seven locations on military bases and five locations in other areas of the county. All of the franchises are owned by local military veterans.