mmm-yoso!!!

Boss Bird Kitchen - B(efore)C(ovid), D(uring)C(ovid), D(uring)R(eopening)

Here's a post that was 17 months in the making. Chicken Sandwiches.....especially Nashville Hot Chicken has become (yet another) fad in recent years. And back in February of 2020 Boss Bird Kitchen took over the spot that seems to be a revolving door of restaurants; being Capetown Bar & Grill, then Sarap, and finally Gaya Gaya before Boss Bird took over the spot. My first visit was in February 2020. I then did a takeout visit early in 2021. At that time, I wasn't even sure I'd be doing a post....until I decided to return last week. You can think of this as happening during three distinct phases in time, pre-Covid, during lockdown, and during reopening. It does seem to be much longer of a timespan then that as well.

The place looked essentially the same as Gaya Gaya, minus the interesting artwork.

I thought about trying the "Hot Mess" Chicken "Burger", but decided to just get the "Standard". Basically, buttermilk fried chicken breast sandwich. The size of the chicken breast filet was quite generous.

 I did like the roll it was served on, which had a mild hint of yeasty sweetness and held up quite well to the sorta "secret sauce" (Thousand Island dressingish). The chicken was underseasoned for my taste and while it was quite a hunk of chicken it hadn't been evenly fried and also suffered from "chicken breast syndrome"......as it was on the dry side.

The portion of fries was also very generous; nicely seasoned, though it was also on the dry side and got rather soft quickly. Still for under ten bucks (at that time), this was a bargain.

Even though the price was right and the young lady working was so friendly, I didn't really have any intention of returning. Then came the lockdown and I was still working from the office quite a bit....I'd be driving past Boss Bird every so often and while they were open, it seemed totally dead. So, I decided to go ahead and place an online order. I didn't think the chicken sandwich and especially the fries would hold up real well on the drive back to the office, so I ordered the "Nickle Box" ($9) of wings. While driving over, I realized that it had been over a year since my initial visit.

Man, had the pandemic changed things! Things had been moved around and when I spoke (even with my mask muffling my voice) there seemed to be an echo!

My order was ready when I finally found a live human being......seems like everyone was in the boss bird "kitchen", so I cooled my heels for about 10 minutes. But all was well once the nice gentleman saw me waiting.

I wasn't overly hungry and this five piece box of wings, which came with 2 biscuits (I gave one away) was more than enough for my lunch on this day. I actually enjoyed the pickles the best.

I had ordered the Wings with Garlic Parmesan, but I think there was a "malfunction" somewhere as the wings seemed to just be plainly seasoned. Like my previous experience the chicken was unevenly fried and some of the pieces had rubbery skin and were on the dry side.

I wasn't a big fan of the biscuits which was too crumbly and not buttery enough for my taste. The person I shared the biscuit with said he could barely finish half of it......so I guess it wasn't just me.

And well, two visits in I guess I needed to get a post done, right? And on June 15th, San Diego was fully reopened, though I waited a while to return to Boss Bird. When I finally decided to return, it was just as the restaurant opened, early in the week. I had the whole place to myself.

The only other customers I saw during my stay were two customers doing takeout. And since I wasn't doing takeout; I decided to go with the "Hot Mess" ($11).

 

 I enjoyed the chicken sandwich. This was by far the best item I've had at Boss Bird; a decent spicy rub, you can tell that this time around the chicken had been nicely fried. While it was still on the drier side, it was moist and tender enough for me. Like I said before; there's something about the pickles here I enjoy and the slaw, while quite plain really helped balance out the sandwich.

The fries were a bit thinner this time around and still nicely seasoned; though it's still on the dry and soft side for my taste.

Still, I'd have this again....one of these days.

So there you go. A post 17 months in the making.

For another view on Boss Bird, please check out Lynn's post.

Boss Bird Kitchen
7580 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon - Sat 11am - 8pm
Sunday 11am - 4pm

 

Saturday Stuffs - BBQ Chicken Returning to San Diego, Dogs & Aguas Coming to Linda Vista, and Other "Stuffs"

Just a couple of things for another warm Saturday.

BBQ Chicken Returning to San Diego - In the Former Ichiro Spot:

I saw a sign over the former location of Ichiro's which closed at the end of January after over 35 years. I drove on in and was somewhat surprised.......

Looks like BBQ Chicken is returning to San Diego. I'm sure some folks will be happy.....I hope they've improved the recipe a bit as I was not a big fan of the chicken; at least when they were open in San Diego.

4344 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Dogs & Aguas Coming to Linda Vista:

I saw this sign as I was driving past Linda Liquor the other day.

 Looks like something called "Dogs & Aguas" is coming soon. I'm assuming in the Linda Liquor shop?

I know our "FOY" Junichi lives in the area.....so perhaps he might know more?

6950 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111

And to my surprise:

Early in the week I made one of my regular visits to Nijiya. Walking toward the market, I stopped dead in my tracks. You see; this is what the storefront looked like.

Anything look out of place to you? I'm not sure why; but not having the "line-up" area, the distancing spots, the attendant, and all the other "Covid set-up" kind of threw me for a loop. Shows how much I'd gotten used to all the precautions. It felt kind of surreal in a way as I'd gotten used to that set-up....was this actually happening, or was it perhaps a mistake???

This is how it was.......

I will say, that most folks are still wearing masks when shopping and there still social distancing when going to the cashiers.

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

It's been pretty warm out there and frankly, I'm kinda tired of cooking, so we've been keeping things pretty simple around here......

We hope everyone is doing well and having a wonderful weekend!

Midweek Meanderings - Da Kine's Landing in La Mesa, Golden Chopsticks Opening in Mira Mesa, Romeo and Julieta Sold, and Panda Country (Clairemont Mesa) Closes

Here are a bunch of updates for this Wednesday.

Da Kine's Reopening in La Mesa:

I gotta hand it to all the wonderful F(riends) O(f) Y(oso) out there, you are all an amazing bunch.

I noted that Da Kine's had cleaned out their Linda Vista location back at the beginning of March.

I instantly received a couple of emails.....when I went to Bay Park Coffee that weekend Noel came out and asked if I knew about Da Kine's moving..... Man, that "coconut wireless" sure works pretty fast, huh? Noel told me he had a feeling that Nelson would move his shop closer to home...he lives in La Mesa.

Move the calendar forward a month and "FOY" DerekR emails me with the screen shot to the right.

Not five minutes later I receive another email; this one from "FOY" Kerri  who sent me an excerpt from Da Kine's Facebook page:

"Aloha Da Kine's Ohana! It's been a month since we've closed. We wanted to share an update with you.
Da Kine's has a new home! Our new location is off University Ave. in La Mesa. We're currently in the process of building the inside of the restaurant. Our expected opening will be mid to late summer 2021."

So, with Derek and Kerri already doing my work for me.....well, it's only right that I go check things out, right?

So, this past weekend I went to pick up some food for the Missus; She had something specific in mind for dinner after She got home from work.

I decided to Google some of those businesses on the sign and I headed off. Once arriving at the strip mall in question, I went ahead and opened up Da Kine's website to see if there were any clues.....and they made it easy for me with the new address.

And based on what I read....it seems that's going to be the new location.

I'm sad that they are leaving the neighborhood; but happy that they will keep the business going.

Call me a stalker or whateva', but I thought folks would be interested.

Awesome work Derek and Kerri!

Romeo and Julieta is sold:

The Missus and I were thinking about various Happy Hours we would like to go to once we're over the pandemic and Romeo and Julieta Wine Bar came to mind. I decided to check out the website and was sad to see that they had just closed, last day of business was April 11th, and the business has been sold.

Sad to see them go; but best wishes on their future endeavors.

4715 Monroe Ave
San Diego, CA 92115

Panda Country (Clairemont) Closes:

I stopped by Mister Falafel for the Missus a couple of weeks back. While waiting for my order I decided to take a stroll. I quickly noticed that the ABCDE Panda Country looked closed, so I walked over.

And sadly, the note on the door confirmed that they have closed....after 41 years. And while, like Troy's Family Restaurant down the street, Panda Country wasn't my cup of tea, it's sad to see a place that has been part of the neighborhood for so long close down. Much like the neighborhood diner, the local Chinese restaurant has always been part of the foundation of a neighborhood.

4455 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

And Finally, Yes Golden Chopsticks is Coming to Mira Mesa:

And just to end this post on a high note.

After "FOYs" Elle and Sandy mentioned seeing the sign for "Golden Chopsticks" in the comment section of a recent post, well I had to go check it out. So, I dropped by during lunch yesterday.

And yes, right were I believe Payless Shoes used to be; in the mall that holds Target, Menya Ultra, Sandwich Emporium, and a host of others, was the Golden Chopsticks sign.

And soon enough, Eater San Diego confirmed that this is "that" Golden Chopsticks. So it looks like we'll finally be getting some decent Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings north of the "94". And while I'm solidly in the Royal Mandarin camp; I'll gladly partake of Salt and Pepper Chickens Wings from Golden Chopsticks.

8155 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126

Thanks for the heads up Elle and Sandy!

And just for old times sake, remember this blast from the past?

Have a great week everyone!

The Lunch Special To Go from Bonchon (Convoy)

A few weeks back, I was craving some chicken wings; so I thought why not grab some K(orean) F(ried) C(hicken). It was lunch time and I decided to see if and how Bonchon was doing and was happy to see that they still did the lunch special for wings (8 Pieces + side, $10.95) and haven't raised the price, even during the pandemic.

I was quite impressed with the whole online process. I placed my order, got a text message letting me know when it would be ready. Right when I got to the parking lot, I got another text asking me to respond when I arrive. I responded and when I walking into the restaurant, the young man asked me my name and my order was right there. Really efficient.

I initially was just going to order the Soy Garlic Wings; but decided to give the Spicy one more try and got half and half.

I didn't order the Soy Garlic easy on the sauce; but it wasn't too over-sauced and sticky, nicely lacquered, moist, and retained a good crisp crunch without being too hard. Not overly sweet....though I could always go for more garlic, these are definitely my favorite at Bonchon.

I'm kinda giving up on the spicy....unlike on previous visits, the Spicy wings were actually spicy! However, I could not detect the savory, almost beany flavor that was present on past visits. These too retained a good measure of crispy-crunchiness and were moist. They seem to take really good care of the wings here.

I do miss the wing tips though; as it seems those aren't included on the wings anymore. I get great pleasure munching on those. It seems the drumettes are getting a bit larger....I prefer them a bit smaller to enhance the skin to meat ratio, but these were fine.

I got my usual accompaniment to these wings; the pickled radish, which was decent this time around, nice and crisp, though still a bit too sweet for me. It still does a decent job of restoring my palate after all the fry-o-lated goodness.

I was really tempted to do what FOY Junichi recommends when having these wings......go for a cold one; but I was still on the clock. Maybe next time!

The lunch specials are available from 1145am - 245 pm Tuesdays to Friday.

Bonchon
4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 836-1287
Current Hours:
Mon - Thurs 1145am - 930pm
Fri - Sat   1145am - 10pm
Sunday      515pm - 930pm

Kanazawa Curry Rice and Nagoya Teba To Go From Yakyudori

Over the last couple of months I've found that depending on the context and situation, certain words will bring on a sort of nostalgia....taking me back to certain places and times. I had been wanting to get dinner from Hinotez while it was open for takeout. But after outdoor dining shut down, Hinotez went into hibernation. One evening, when the Missus was working; doing a night shift to help out in the South Bay, I just went over to Yakyudori's website and found that they were doing takeout. And then I saw it...….Kanazawa, a city we enjoyed visiting, and of course Nagoya.....bringing back memories of having yakitori at the original Yakyudori and also Hinotez 2 there.

Well, I just had to place an order.

I placed an order for the "Kanazawa" Curry Rice and recalling how much I enjoyed the karaage curry version at Hinotez, got it that way. And also an order of Nagoya Teba as well. Things were ready when I arrived....I had been kinda leery of Yakyudori when they put the "tent" up for outside dining as it was closed on three sides, which for me is bad for ventilation. Now with outdoor dining shut down it was totally removed.

I unpacked upon reaching home and set about to devour dinner immediately.

This was quite promising as the curry was still hot and the karaage….well, I just had to try one, was crisp with decent savory tones....well marinated. It perfectly mirrored what I had when I did my Yakuyudori versus Taisho posts years ago.

I eagerly poured the very thick curry over the karaage and rice.

The curry was thick and beefy (a hallmark of Kanazawa style curry from what I understand), like a good ragu of sorts. While it could do with having a bit more spice for my taste, it was just like a wonderful hearty, beefy, curry gravy for the crunchy, salty-savory karaage. Every bit as good as what I had enjoyed at Hinotez in the past...perhaps even better; darker, richer....nearly teetering on "too much of a good thing" but I enjoyed it, especially after what I recently got from Zen Curry.

Sadly, the Nagoya Teba did not meet expectations. Even though it had held up pretty well on he drive home.

It was more crunchy than crisp; but was missing the distinct taste of black pepper, not enough sesame seeds, way too sweet; even with regards to Nagoya Teba.

But I really didn't mind, the curry was a winnah! And while we didn't have curry when we visited Kanazawa, we will be sure to try some when we get back there. And while those wings didn't deliver; heck, I was happy just to remember our trips to Nagoya and Kanazawa and all the great memories. And perhaps, for a moment, when dreaming of being able to travel again....there was a slight glimmer of light at the end of the pandemic tunnel.....one that I hope will be shining brightly soon.

Yakyudori
4898 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 268-2888
Current Hours:
Daily 1130am - 2pm, 430pm - 8pm

It's Fry-Day - Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings From Royal Mandarin

Folks who've read this blog for a while know of my affection for Royal Mandarin's Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings. I don't have them very often, but it's a true guilty pleasure for me. And just the thought of not having access to it of plays that "mental" game with you.....yes, it's all in your head....but I recall having the same feeling when fire shut down Royal Mandarin at the end of 2009 (has it really been that long?) and having to wait six months until they finally reopened.....honestly, I've had longer periods of time between visits, but just the fact that you can't get something drives you crazy. Now I know that I could have gotten out of "my bubble" at anytime and driven down there....but for 8 months, even though we did takeout we limited our area. But finally, after both FOYs ("Friends of Yoso") Sandy and Junichi mentioned in comments how good those wings were and after returning from our roadtrip, where the Missus and I dined outdoors, I finally decided to get my fix.

RM opens at 9am....so at 9am, after finishing things up at the office, I called in for an order of S&P wings to go (for some reason I have the phone number memorized) and headed right down to the restaurant. Getting there right at 920, thinking that no one in their right mind would be doing ABCDE takeout at that time right? Wrong....

There were four parties ahead of me, each standing at the red tape "marker". Six people were waiting outside, well distanced, all had masks on. RM is currently only doing takeout. They had 4 people manning the elongated "counter" area and it actually took less than ten minutes for me to get my order!

Soon enough my entire car smelled of fried goodness....something that I would usually not enjoy, but in this case, it had been so long......

After plating, I sat on the back steps, Frankie wandering around somewhat aimlessly and had them wings.

It was just as good as I remembered. There are differences I did note. The batter these days isn't as thick, there's a bit more lightness to them, but the crispy crunch might be even better now. There seems to be less of the "secret ingredient", so no more "MS - heebie - geebies", but it doesn't seem to hurt the flavor. A bit more spice these days, but still pretty mild, good salt, and yes, there's still MSG, but I think it's used more judiciously these days. Of course, it could just be a case of "time makes the heart grow fonder".

And so, even though I still haven't had a sit down meal at a restaurant in San Diego since the middle of March; I did expand my range (I'm retiring that map). And so, thanks Sandy and Junichi, for reminding me how food can really bring comfort during these trying times!

Royal Mandarin Restaurant
1132 E. Plaza Blvd
National City, CA 91950
(619) 477-4151
Open Daily 9am - 10pm

Chef China (Spring Valley) Take away

mmm-yoso!!! , the food blog, is sometimes written by Cathy and usually written by Kirk.  Today it is Cathy's turn. 

Even in the era of COVID-19, The Mister and I have kept up our habit of just driving and stopping when we see interesting signage.   This storefront, just a block East of Grecian Cafe, across from Rana's and in the same mall as Fruity Loco  (as well as kitty corner from the former Butler's, (which now has plainer signage of "Coffee Shop) has been located in this same space since at least 2006.  Seeing that it was open (for take out only) and knowing that we were hungry..we parked and walked up.  

 There's a table at the doorway and you can order and pay, (although it did seem that most people were calling in orders).  We were told it would be about 20 minutes, so we walked to Fruity Loco for a (tamarind) raspado while we waited.

   Deciding to try an appetizer, nothing in that section of the menu looked interesting, but at the "Salt and Pepper" section of the menu were Salt and Pepper Chicken wings (six for $6.50, 12 for $10.60).  What a great choice!  Easily a meal, these large, meaty, garlic spiced properly fried (and still crispy after the drive home) wings were wonderful.  The rice wasn't necessary, but used for a future meal. 
 My usual 'first time' choice at Chinese restaurants is the (Shrimp) Egg Foo Young ($10.90). There were three large patties, nicely crisped, filled with fresh bean sprouts and onion, cabbage and carrot.  Apologies for no cross section photo.  The gravy for the Egg Foo Young was unique and delicious.  The sauce had large, juicy shrimp,  celery and chunks of water chestnuts, making the whole dish filled with texture as well as flavor.   Going for texture worked out well with the Shrimp Fried Noodles ($10.10).  Packaging for take out is important and keeping the noodles crispy is necessary.  The sauce had a different flavor than the one that went with the egg foo young.  The broccoli, sugar peas and carrots were crisp and fresh (canned mushrooms and bamboo shoots, of course) and each flavor was distinguishable. 

 Plating at home with a bit of everything.  We will be returning to this longstanding local restaurant.  

Chef China 9726 Campo Road Spring Valley 91977 Closed Monday Open Tues-Sat 11-9, Sun 3-9 (619) 460-7286

I Finally Get the Chicken Wings from Nanay's Best BBQ

So, one of the folks I know who I know loves Nanay's Best BBQ sent me a text telling they had the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings available. It was just after 10am and I had meetings coming up at 11. So, instead of heading to what would be my usual choice and headed a bit further down the road back to Nanay's.

I did notice they had a tray of Chicken Wings out; which were a lot darker than typical S&P Chicken Wings.....no spicy pork this time ("today is chicken....tomorrow we have pork" so I guess they alternate).

Frankly, I think I enjoy the spicy chicken more than the pseudo-sisig spicy pork. The chicken was more moist and tender. It also did better with the rather mild spice. I do enjoy the atcharang sili (pickled peppers) which really "wakes the dish up". Other than that; it's a basic turo-turo dish.

As for the chicken wings; well the three wings provided were still a bit crunchy; not crisp, more like crunchy. The meat was a bit on the dry side and there definitely wasn't that "magical crack-like savory-saltiness" of decent salt and pepper chicken wings, no hints of garlic either. I guess these were passable for steam table wings; but I doubt I'll have them again.

I guess I'm going to have to "bust out" of my Covid-19 range and head on down to Royal Mandarin.

Nanay's Best BBQ
6715 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri 10am - 5pm

Sunday Stuffs - Ghost Pepper Wings from Popeyes, the "Weekender" from Bird Rock Coffee, Harvest Market (Balboa) is Closed, and Stuffs from D'Artagnan

Here are a couple more odds and ends for yet another day where it seems like the wheels on the year 2020 are coming off...….

Ghost Pepper Wings from Popeyes:

I had a few folks ask me about the ghost pepper wings from Popeyes, I guess since even though we haven't grown anything in a couple of years, I'm kinda fond of making stuffs out of ghost peppers. So, Bob and "ST", here goes.

Frankly, even though Popeyes was once upon a time a "guilty pleasure"; it seemed like the quality (and the size) of the chicken started diminishing over the years. Finally, I just tired of it all and I hadn't been to a location of Popeyes in at least 10 years! So, when folks started asking me what I thought about the "ghost pepper wings".....well, I wasn't sure. So, on a day where I had some time; I decided to try them out.....just to kinda see. I was surprised at the price; though they really push combos; you can get 6 pieces of wings only (they did include a biscuit) for $4.99. Just make sure to bust out that magnifying glass.....as you can see on the right, the drumette was basically the size of a soy sauce packet.

The batter on the wings were really crunchy...in fact it was mostly batter, very little meat, and quite dry......I know I always say that those jumbo sized wings really mess up skin to meat ratio; but microscopic wings that are mostly batter screw up the ratio as well.

As for the spice? Well, this ain't no Quaker Steak and Lube Triple Atomic Wings that's for sure. In fact, this barely registered in the heat department for me.....it was mostly salty, with a hint of spice, lacking in the fruity-fieriness that is the hallmark of good Ghost Peppers. Pass......

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
Locations throughout San Diego

The "Weekend" from Bird Rock Coffee:

I had started ordering several cups of cold brew from Bird Rock on Morena, with no ice, a few times a week.

When the really friendly guy working there; the one whose been there for quite a while asked me what was up; I told him that we usually can't finish a whole coldbrew in one sitting so by having it with no ice; we'd just store it in the fridge. This is when he recommended getting something they call the "Weekender"; think of it as a growler of sorts. They cost $20 for 64 ounces so you basically get 5 1/3 portions for the price of less than 4. It's a good deal for us. We've been going thru about 1 every other week; though I'll still drop by in between those visits to get the Missus Her pour over fix. Though in this hot weather; we've been mostly sticking with coldbrew. I am a bit worried about all this plastic; so we're trying to find ways to reuse these when possible.

And I recommended Zgara to the guy...I believe his wife's family is from Greece as payback.

Bird Rock Coffee Roasters
1270 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

Harvest Market on Balboa is Closed:

I had some merguez in my latest order from D'Artagnan and the Missus was eager to have me sauté them with lemon and wanted some pickled veggies, garlic paste, and flatbread from Harvest Market. So we jumped in the car and took the quick drive over and were rather shocked to find them closed:

That "closed due to Coronavirus" sign was really worrisome.

I asked around a bit and one of sources who works with the local government told me that he understands that Harvest Market has probably closed permanently due to lack of business, not an infection. This is quite tragic and I hope they decide to reopen.

Harvest International Market - Balboa
4220 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92117 

And Speaking of D'Artagnan:

I recently realized that I'd placed my third rather large order from D'Artagnan. It seems that several items have become household staples. I recall mentioning the duck prosciutto in my Ume Dressing post....but we've been enjoying the charcuterie/pates/etc during the recent heatwaves that have swept through San Diego over the last couple of months.

There's always one king of promotion; though I always look for the free shipping deals. Things are packed well and everything arrives chilled.

So far, our staples are the Duck Prosciutto, Duck Rillettes (the Missus loves making a hash with duck fat potatoes/eggs/rillette) which freeze well.

We've enjoyed the Wild Boar Saucisson Sec and will probably order the duck version next time as well.

The Torchon of Foie Gras and the Mousses of Foie Gras are favorites and I enjoy the Pâté de Campagne.

Not a big fan of the Medallions of Foie Gras and Truffle; the texture is very crumbly and the overall flavor is a bit too much; even for us.

We also didn't care much for some of the pates as well.

And of course, we do need a "bit of cheese" to balance things out, right?

Which we get from Venissimo after all; we need to support local as well, right?

It's easy enough to Google D'Artagnan. I don't do sponsors, freebies, and such and really don't want to be bothered with non-edible Spam, so I won't do a link. I'm sure you can find them easily. When ordering; you may want to set a farther out delivery date to save on shipping; if you're not getting it free.

Anyway, I just kinda always wanted to start a post with Chicken Wings and end with Foie Gras....so, at least that wish has come true!

Hope everyone has a safe and productive week!

Monday Meanderings - A Requiem for Tiger! Tiger!

Last week Thursday, I got a text from my good "FOY" Candice....it's always great to hear from her....but this time she was the bearer of bad news. She knows how much the Missus and I enjoy Tiger! Tiger! She knew that the Missus and I loved "TT" and we were actually "stalking" the place...…..we'd drive by to see if they had reopened, only to have our hopes dashed when we saw that they were still closed.

She wanted to make sure to let me know that Tiger Tiger would not be reopening; before I read the news...….that's what good friends do. And based on the emails I've gotten (thanks KarenM/Bob/ST) once the story broke in Eater (please read the Eater post), I guess a lot of folks were going to miss the place too.

As much as I was sad that Toronado closed; I kinda saw that one coming. This one however, really kinda sucks as you probably can tell by all my posts on the place. I'm surprised by how many of those posts has "back to the routine" in it. And of course the place is inextricably tied to Sammy.

I think this says quite a bit.

We're sad to see you go Tiger! Tiger!; you were an big part of our rotation in San Diego. I wish we had a chance to thank the folks for all the wonderful meals and beer we've had there over the years.

I actually made a special trip to take that first photo above on Saturday to pay my respects.

3025 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92104 

Just when I thought that 2020 couldn't get any worse...……….