mmm-yoso!!!

Golden Chopsticks - Mira Mesa

So, while I was between trip Golden Chopsticks finally opened in Mira Mesa....well, I'm thinking they took long enough. Upon returning from our last trip, I read Soo's post on GC's soft opening. I know by buddy Calvin was waiting for his shot at Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings and not having to drive down to National City for his fix. We quickly arranged for an all important, ahem, "lunch meeting".

We both arrived just before 11 and they actually waved us in early! The place filled up quickly. The service was the typical "all business" menu down, what's your order kinda thing.

The dining room is of pretty good size and still filled up quickly.

Of course man does not live by salt and pepper chicken wings alone.....well maybe you could, but in this case we needed to order a couple of other items for lunch as well.

The menu is full of "ABCDE" (ab-cee-dee, American Born Chinese Dining Establishment something I coined back in 2005) classics. Which, when done well can be quite enjoyable.

So, it ended up that I selected what I recalled was a decent dish from my visits way back when, along with what our dining companion in absentia "LeahA" recommended to go with our wings.

I recalled that the Sizzling Shrimp/Beef/Chicken combo was pretty good on former visits.

Now this had enough flavor; the beef was surprisingly tender, as was the chicken. Nice soy sauce tones, not overly sweet or gooey, crisp veggies...perhaps the broccoli was a tad undercooked; but not bad at all. This was the best dish of the meal and I'll gladly order it again.

And then came the dish we were waiting for.

 Now, the batter on the wings from GC back in the day was on the lighter side and was also quite thin and the wings got soggy quickly. In this case it was the opposite; the batter was almost hard; not crunchy...hard. Also, I'm not sure if I'm rubbing off on Calvin (good lord, I hope not), but after our first bite we both said "where's the salt and pepper"? Barely any garlic, pepper was MIA, a few slices of scallions. I mean, this was bland, and while the wings were moist, there was just too much batter. The wings were large...but heck, I could have used some "salt" on my Salt-and-Pepper Wings........

If you're wondering what the wings used to look like - here's a photo from "the vault".

Our starch came out last "LeahA" told Calvin to order the Shrimp "Chow Mein", which I remember being pretty decent.

 The noodles were nicely cooked and coated. But we both noticed something right away when biting into the shrimp. You can tell by the color. It seems the shrimp were blanched and just dumped into the dish. It had absolutely no flavor. 

Perhaps it's the soft opening blues......maybe we'll try again in the future; though Calvin did say that the wings at QT Pot were better than these. He is Cantonese, but his Missus is not, there was no way the Missus would eat the leftovers, so I told him to take it home.

One might say that at least the less salty wings means less MSG....well, I don't know about that....I ended up drinking like five glasses of H2O immediately after lunch. On the bright side, Calvin's Missus enjoyed the noodles and sizzling plate (the wings she said tasted like cardboard). I guess it measured up with her favorite "Chinese food"......she loves Panda Express.

Golden Chopsticks
8155 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours:
Daily 11am - 9pm

Sandy, I know you were looking forward to Golden Chopsticks opening, I hope your visit was more like Soo's than mine.

Hitting One of the "Three C's" - Noble Chef and Sizzling Pot King

I've posted on both of these places many times; but I'm going to focus on something I noticed. When we decide on an "unplanned" meal; that is something eating out or doing take out at sort of the last minute, there are three immediate things that come into play. I call them the "Three C's" - Craving, Convenience, and Curiosity. There is a fourth "C" that I'll get into later.

The first one, "Craving" comes into play quite a lot, I mean I've done a ton of these craving posts over the years. 

I'm not sure you noticed, but we just returned from two separate "trips" in the last couple of weeks; the first was to Mexico City and Oaxaca, the second was hitting up the Southwest United States again. 

When in CDMX and Oaxaca we aren't really searching out Asian food; though in CDMX that seems to be changing; there's a ton of Korean Restaurants in Zona Rosa, and we've noticed quite a few Chinese/Japanese restaurants during our trips. And FLG - Southwest Colorado - Santa Fe, our other trip, well we had mostly planned out our meals ahead of time.

So, when we got back......well, after Mexico, the first thing the Missus wanted was Her Salted Fish and Chicken with Eggplant from Noble Chef. Which is what we got on the first day back in town.

Funny thing; I was craving some noodles....so the Soy Sauce Chow Mien fit the bill.

The guy working knew my order when I walked in the door.....

The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111

Note - "FOY" KennethB has said that Eastern Dynasty has improved; so I gotta get back there soon! Thanks Kenneth!

After driving the 8 1/2 hours from Winslow to home, we were both starving. The Missus wanted something with a "little zip" and decided on takeout from Sizzling Pot King. Talking about the guy working knowing my usual order! This fine young man even added; "I haven't seen you in a while....."

The dry pot, ma-la, medium spicy, with tripe, intestine, and frozen tofu is the way we go.

But here's the kicker; remember I mentioned the "Fourth C"? That's kind of the wildcard......."cost". Our order from SPK is now around $45! Now after a 530 mile drive forty-five bucks was perfectly fine. But on a normal day? Even though this is a "meal-and-a-half" for us...back in December of 2020 this was $32.99. And while it used to be two meals for us; the portion size has gotten even smaller. 

It might give me pause in the future.

Sizzling Pot King
8058 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

So, let's have some fun!

Here's my question for you:

Did you notice; or do you follow a regular "decision tree" or protocol when doing these unplanned takeout or dine in meals? Inquiring minds want to know!

Thanks for indulging me and have a great weekend!

Beijing Express (Chinese Fast Food)

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Cathy is writing today while Kirk and His Missus are out and about, vacationing and researching some wonderful meals for you to vicariously enjoy in the future. 

Whenever I'm driving on Spring Street (where it intersects with Broadway and Campo Road, at the mall anchored by iHop), it seems the words "Chinese Fast Food" jump out.  A mental note is made to stop and check it out.  The other day, The Mister and I stopped.  
Because Beijing Express is located in a mall close to a laundromat, we knew it must be good. 
 There is no seating; there is no soup; there is a "Cash Only" sign.  There are 12 steam trays and each item is $2.39.  (You can choose rice or lo mein or half and half for the $2.39).
 So, we chose and paid and drove home.  
 The styrofoam containers are the 'small' size, but are packed full.  This one included 1/2 lo mein and 1/2 rice, chicken and vegetables and orange chicken. 
 This box was all rice (leftover for breakfast), pork with vegetables and ginger chicken. Total price with tax $15.68.
 Here's my plate: the pork with vegetables (onion, bell pepper, celery and peanuts)(not spicy); rice; lo mein; ginger chicken; orange chicken; chicken with zucchini and onions.  Everything was very fresh; no mushy vegetables (the line was constant and the steam trays were kept full). 

Definitely will be stopping here instead of just driving past. The BBQ pork, fried whole shrimp and several other vegetable dishes will be ordered.

Beijing Express 8741 Broadway La Mesa 91941 (619) 462-1908 Open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily

What's the Missus Craving? The Salted Fish and Chicken with Eggplant from Noble Chef

Yes, yet another Noble Chef post. But man, since our dine in visit last month, She has been wanting the Salted Fish and Chicken with Eggplant sometimes twice a week!

For some reason, the last couple of visits, the dish has been spot on.....compare this with older photos.

Of course, I only get a taste; but the funky-salty tones, along with the buttery eggplant....well that's a match made in heaven. At least for the Missus.

The two guys who work here already know my order as I walk in the front door!

The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111

One quick note - as of August 1st, the Noble Chef will be closing on Tuesdays.

And in case you (might) want a laugh on this Wednesday: 

Every once in a while I'll overhear something funny or just see something unfolding. I usually use the self checkout, but on this day I had a bunch of produce and doing that can be a pain in the self check-out so I went to the regular cashier line.

The creepy young man in the front of me kept trying to pick-up the cashier who was obviously not interested.

Finally, after paying he went for the "Hail Mary" and told the young lady: "You know, when I look in the mirror...I see a 10....a ten-point-oh.....a perfect ten!"

Yikes, what a creep. The young lady just ignored him and he went on his way.

After having my stuff ringed up and bagging my groceries...well, I just couldn't help myself and said: "You know that what the dude is seeing in the mirror is actually a reflection of 0.01, right?"

The young lady cracked up.

Hope you're having a great week!

And....just 'cuz I'm interested, have you been craving anything recently?

China Bros (Escondido)

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today; Kirk is busy elsewhere.

On Centre City Parkway, about a mile off the 15 on the west side is the Escondido Trader Joe's and Major Market.  When you drive into the parking lot, pretty much in front of you (between those two stores) is China Bros.  I've stopped here a few times during the year, taking home some meals.  One day, The Mister and I drove up so we could eat in before doing some shopping. Bros, not 'Brothers', Bros.  Waiting inside to pick up 'to-go' orders, you'll hear the phone answered 'China Bros'. 
 There's a menu on the wall.  If you are eating in, there are wipeable, one page menus handed out.  I do appreciate attention to cleanliness.
As usual, I ordered hot tea ($2.25) which was kept refilled.  Egg drop soup (with corn) was brought out for both of us.  A very eggy version made with a rich flavored (not salty) chicken broth.
 The Shrimp Egg Foo Young ($12.95), of course, had to be ordered for our first eat-in meal.  What a lovely version!  
 Fluffy eggs, light top and bottom crusts, plenty of plump, juicy shrimp.  Served with rice and a good brown (again, not salty) gravy, this is an excellent meal with plenty of leftovers which reheated well. 
 Lunch Specials (until 4 p.m. daily) are served with steamed rice, fried rice or chow mein or half and half of your choice, as well as the corn egg drop soup.  This was L-19, "Fish filet with black bean sauce" ($9.95).  The pieces of fish were lightly breaded and fried to a light crisp, which remained crispy even under the slightly thick, garlic-y, salty black bean sauce.  The vegetables were very fresh and also remained crisp.  The chow mein seems to be requested a lot here and has a slight smoky 'wok hei'.  

The blend of flavors are well thought out in each dish I've had, portions are large, quality is excellent.  As mentioned, a very busy take out business, but also very accommodating if you choose to eat in. 

China Bros 1875 S. Centre City Parkway Suite D Escondido 92025 open daily 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m.Website

Dining In at Golden City

Calvin recently told me that he wanted to grab some lunch....not meet outdoors for a lunch to go; but actually dine in. Of course we'd take precautions; masks, tests, and eat during the middle of the week at 11am. As for what he wanted? He was craving Golden City, which used to be a pretty regular stop for us when our offices were located in Kearney Mesa. It was interesting.......even though I've done takeout from Golden City during the pandemic, the last time I actually ate in the restaurant was with Calvin at the beginning of 2019! Over 3 1/2 years ago! 

So, I arrived and waited a minute or so before Calvin got there. We were the first and other than one other group that arrived about 20 minutes into our meal, the only folks dining. There was a steady flow of takeout business though.

Based on my last takeout post on Golden City a month ago, you might be asking if I'm just a glutton for punishment. Still, I did want to see if the Kwai Fei Chicken was goin to be better then what I'd last gotten for takeout.

So, of course we ordered that, plus two items from the lunch specials menu. 

Since we had ordered the two lunch specials soup was included. Both Calvin and I got the hot and sour soup.

Which was really bad. Look at that color; it was so thick like glue, you could smell the vinegar smell from a distance. Both Calvin and I took one sip and were done.

This did not bode well for the meal; but things turned around quickly once the Kwai Fei Chicken arrived.

   Take a look at the color of the ginger-scallion sauce to the right and compare it to what I had gotten on my last takeout visit. This had the perfect amount of ginger, tasted crisp, and was perfect. Versus the browning, rancid flavored stuff I'd had last time.

The chicken, while still not as flavorful as it was when I used to get it at the old Convoy location; this was super moist and tender. Which made me wonder; Kwai Fei Ji should travel well, its served at room temperature or colder so I don't think this would be a takeout versus dining in issue. Perhaps the "B" team was on during my last visit?

Speaking of "B" team, look at the rice we were served.

Can you see the hard clump? And the uneven cooking?

I had forgotten that Calvin doesn't care for eggplant, so we ended up getting the Salted Fish and Chicken with Tofu instead of eggplant. 

In spite of needing some "color" other than greyish-white....the presentation looked awful, this was decent if not quite up to the versions at Noble Chef in terms of funky-salty tones from the salted fish. The tofu was soft and tender as were the pieces of chicken, the dish wasn't over salty.

Calvin enjoys eating with me because he can get dishes that his Missus won't eat....or even allow in the house for that matter! We got the Crispy Pork Intestines.

This had a decent offal-ly flavor if a bit on the sweet side. The sweetness nullified any of the salty-earthiness that the fermented black bean would contribute. The intestines were hard and chewy instead of crisp and the "sauce" was a bit too "gloppy" and clumpy.

Still, the Kwai Fei Chicken was better than any version I've had in recent memory. Which, on this day was good enough for me.

Golden City Restaurant
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Sunday Stuffs, Is It Getting Hot Around Here Edition - Mike's Red Tacos Brick and Mortar Coming to Clairemont, Yin Tang Hot Pot Replacing A-Bowl, and Jomaru Korean Hot Pot Coming to Kearny Mesa.

Is it getting "hot" around here or what? I went and did my morning shopping this past weekend and decided to take a bit more time to see what was up in the Clairemont and Kearny Mesa area. And by coincidence all three places I noticed have a bit of "heat or spice" to them......

Mike's Red Tacos Brick and Mortar Coming to Clairemont:

I noticed the sign while driving up Genesee, so I took a short detour into the parking lot where Kroran is located.

This is where I believe Wings Republic was located. Even though I wasn't the biggest fan of the food truck, I'll probably check out the brick and mortar location when they open. I have a feeling they'll be pretty busy.

4310 Genesee Ave
San Diego, CA 92117

Driving down Convoy, I went into the parking lot of Convoy Pointe Plaza to see what was up with the rebuilding of China Max (actually not much). And saw this......

Yin Tang Hot Pot Replacing A-Bowl:

In the former location of A-Bowl.

Bummer.....

4690 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Jomaru Korean Hot Pot Coming to Kearny Mesa:

Drove past the strip mall that houses Tajima, Song Hak, and Steamy Piggy. I noticed a sign saying "Jomaru Korean Hot Pot". 

The name sounded familiar....and reading this post jogged my memory. We saw Jomaru Gamjatang locations in Seoul. Never got to try them though.

4681 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Stay safe!

Dining in at Noble Chef

About a week after returning from Paris and Scotland the Missus was ready.....to finally dine in at Noble Chef, which had been a regular takeout spot for us during the pandemic. Of course having been thru the last 2+ years we didn't throw all caution to the wind. We got to Noble Chef at 430.......there are times when Noble Chef will only do BBQ from 230-430pm, so we wanted to be able to get all the dishes the Missus (and I) wanted.

Of course we got some Roast Duck. Actually, the first plate we got was terrible, the duck was room temperature and seemed rubbery, there was no sauce, and the skin was missing on some of the slices. We spoke to our Server, who took one look at the plate and replaced it.

This was much better; though I think the Missus has gotten used to eating roast duck using my toaster oven hack to crisp up the skin and heat up the flesh. The Missus thought this was just ok.

We both appreciated that the Gailan, in the Chinese Broccoli with Garlic was peeled and very tender.

The portion size was quite generous, though this was under seasoned. Still, peeling the gailan eliminated any fibrous textures from the dish.

The one dish I had been looking forward to eating when "dining in" was the Salt and Pepper Pork Chop. This dish just doesn't hold up real well for takeout.

While much better then when doing takeout, it was still not as crisp as I remember. The flavor was also on the milder side....though maybe it's a good thing not to have as much MSG??? Though to be perfectly honest, I would have loved to have it the way I remembered.

The Missus's favorite dish of the evening was the Salted Fish and Chicken with Eggplant.

While a bit short in the chicken department; the eggplant had held shape, but was so buttery in texture when consuming. Most of the salted fish was on the bottom of the dish, so a good mixing was necessary to enjoy that funky-porky-salty flavor.

And the Missus was enjoying things so much that I let Her have both of our desserts.

We really enjoyed just sitting and dining in at Noble Chef. Much like my good friend Candice recommended several years ago, the food at Noble Chef is better when dining in for dinner. As we were finishing up folks started arriving for their dinner....it was time for us to scoot. We're still a bit leery with regards to crowds and such, but this seemed so nice, almost normal....or perhaps the "new normal".

The Noble Chef
6159 Balboa Avenue
San Diego, CA 92111

Circling Back to Main Chick Hot Chicken (Clairemont) and Golden City

I often say that I would not still be posting if not for all the folks who comment of our posts. The same can be said for all the great emails and recommendations I get. There's a whole group of folks who don't comment on our posts, but are thoughtful enough to send me emails with recommendations, observations, and really great comments. One of these folks is "ChrisR" who often has some pretty interesting and sometimes funny observations and recommendations. I look forward to his emails.

Hailing from the Big Island, Chris will often have the most interesting "Subject Lines" to his emails. Here are two of them and my subsequent revisits to those places.

"The last pretty good food bargain in San Diego?"

Actually, ChrisR was the reason that I visited Main Chick in the first place....I'm not one to follow fads and at that time it seemed that all these Hot Chicken shops were popping up everywhere. Having had some good Hot Chicken in Nashville during my consulting days; all of these shops fell short. Main Chick was no exception.

But, moving away from the Hot Chicken Sandwich; Chris had this to say about Main Chick:

"But there is still one bargain left: The leg-thigh quarter at Main Chick"

"Very juicy. Comes with the same spicy aioli as the dark meat sandwich. Gotten it several times in recent months."

Well, this location of Hot Chicken is less than three miles from our house, so why not try it out, right?

The young lady working was a joy and I liked that they have outdoor seating. I ordered it "Spicy" this time, instead of "Supreme" like I did last time. My heat tolerance has gone down in my old age.....

I was asked if I needed a "fork and knife"? Huh? This is still chicken, right? And I raised up my left hand and said "fork"; then my right saying "knife". The young lady cracked up. I did pay a small price for this as I will note later on.

I sat outside and opened my container and I have to say; in contrast to what I'd had before; chicken with burnt spots on it and such, this looked quite nice.

   Turning things over was a different story as it was pretty greasy. The meat was very moist, tender, and it had that flavor of dark meat chicken that I prefer. The batter was quite crunchy but the seasoning dust is pretty gritty, though quite spicy; but there's a lack of other flavors....at Hatties, I remember the chicken being very spicy, but it still had some smokiness, most likely from Paprika and even a hint of garlic tones.

Maybe I just need to order this with no spice next time? Though I recall the "naked version" being quite bland.

But, at least it was moist and tender. And at $5.75, Chris is right, these days it's a bargain.

And the chicken had the last laugh as I had a nice thrill when I removed my contact lenses that evening.

Main Chick Hot Chicken (In Clairemont Town Square)
4705 Clairemont Dr.
San Diego, CA 92117

Subject: Did Golden City hire a chef from Royal Mandarin?

Whoa, let's talk about how to get my attention!

"While I waited, a waitress (one who in the good old days automatically brought me a fork for years despite my never using it) brought out salt-and-pepper chicken wings twice that looked crisp and dry and had a good portion size for $13.

So the next weekend, I got the wings. I have had them two more times since.

As good as the Royal Mandarin, IMO".

Okay! Sold!

I went and did a takeout order from Golden City. To cover myself, I also ordered the Kwai Fei Chicken, which has been a favorite of mine for years. 

It did smell quite good in the car, better than a "new car fragrance" for sure. And I made the fifteen minute drive back to the office wondering if the wings would be looking like this:

Opening things up, the wings looked like this.

    Unfortunately, the batter of the wings didn't hold up well, much of it getting a bit mushy and flaking off. So, if you're ordering this, it's probably in your best interest to eat them ASAP....maybe even in the parking lot! Lot's of burnt garlic which was on the bitter side, though I enjoyed the spice. The flesh of the wings were nice and moist.

And to be perfectly honest; these were light years better than what I'd had from Golden City years back. So it does look like the wings have improved over time.

On a sad note; it seems like the Kwai Fei Chicken has gone downhill as well.

 The chicken really just tasted boiled lacking in the mild hints of anise-wine and devoid of any salt or mild ginger tones....just plain bland. The sauce provided had brown specks in it and tasted a bit rancid and off. The chicken while cooked nicely, just didn't taste right.

Man, what a bummer......where do I get my Kwai Fei Chicken from now? Maybe I need to revisit Eastern Dynasty?

Golden City Restaurant
5375 Kearny Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Regardless of my opinions, I want to make it clear that I really enjoy and treasure these emails. It gets me "out there" checking things out and keeps it "fresh". It's always fun hearing from all of you and I'm flattered that you would think of me when you have an interesting or enjoyable meal.

Thanks again ChrisR!

Arizona Chinese Restaurant (Chula Vista)

mmm-yoso!!! continues as a food blog.  Cathy is writing this post while Kirk continues with a busy work week.  

Since 1982, this family owned and operated restaurant has been in the same location, offering a Cantonese menu.  It is not an ABCDE (American Born Chinese Dining Establishment) type of restaurant, even though no chopsticks are offered and hot tea is not free.

 You may have noticed the signage and just kept driving.
 The simple menu includes a page of lunch specials.
 Lunch specials include this home made soup, filled with chicken and lo mein noodles.  The broth is very rich and deep flavored- and not in a 'MSG' way.  Every table receives a plate of fried noodles after ordering.  You can ask for some sweet and sour sauce (made here) as well as Chinese hot mustard.
 Chicken Chop Suey (when have you seen that on a restaurant menu?) ($9.75) is simply delicious!  Fresh sautéed sprouts and snow peas in a tasty white sauce with canned water chestnuts and a lot of chicken is quite a meal.  You can have white rice or cantonese pork fried rice with lunch.  The pork fried rice is a meal in itself, with plenty of flavorful bits of chopped barbecue pork...notice, no egg, no pea and carrot mix with the rice. The Sweet and Sour Chicken lunch special ($10.75) emphasizes the frying expertise of the chef.  Light, crispy, crunchy batter covered in an in-house prepared orange sauce which has a honey consistency. So good.
 From the regular menu: Pork Lo Mein ($14.75).  The wok hei- a cornerstone of Cantonese cooking- and my latest craving.  The smoky/charred aroma-flavor, is perfected here in all the lo mein menu choices.  The BBQ pork pieces are sweet, tender and plentiful in this dish.  
 Of course, I must mention the Egg Foo Young (chicken, $12.75).  The patties are topped with the gravy and meat choice.
 The eggy patty does contain sprouts but no onion.  Crispy edges and the light center add texture to each bite with the meat.  Quite a nice version.

In summary: no chopsticks, no egg drop soup, no egg or pea and carrot mix stretching out the fried rice, no MSG, no free hot tea; only quality without shortcuts.  Also, there are Fortune cookies, but no photo. 

Arizona Chinese Restaurant 2650 Main Street Chula Vista, CA 91910 (619)575-1513 Open Tue-Sat 11-9, Sun 12-9  Closed Monday Website