mmm-yoso!!!

2023 Rose Parade Floatfest and Portos for lunch

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog.  Sometimes the post explains why we got to the food.  Today is one of those days; Cathy is writing.

 The 2023 Tournament of Roses with the theme "Turning The Corner" has concluded.  The Rose Parade was held on January 2 (the Parade is never on a Sunday; the first parades in the 1800s had floats that were horses pulling carriages and horses were needed for church on Sunday; the tradition stands).  Following the Parade, the floats line up at the end of the five mile Parade route, end to end, and are displayed after the Parade and the next day.  This year, I drove up with my friend, cc (The Mister had to stay home).  It had rained overnight.

 The Sweepstakes Award, for the most beautiful entry encompassing float design, floral presentation and entertainment, went to the float sponsored by Donate Life, "Lifting Each Other Up".   A spectacular asian street dragon is the centerpiece of the float.  There were 44 memorial floragraphs representing those who had given the gift of life.  Those were removed before the rain, so the families could have a memory. 
 You can see the empty circles, where the floragraphs had been, in this photo.  

   Trader Joe's entry, "Onward" won the Wrigley Legacy Award for most outstanding display of floral presentation, float design and entertainment. The three piece float was magnificent and whimsical. 

 Walking along the floats: an alligator, a shark and crested birds were some of the many details not seen during the television broadcast. 
 The Kiwanis entry, "Catching the Wave of Service" was so beautiful.
 The City of Alhambra entry, "Together We Rise" received the Tournament Volunteer award.  
 Elks U.S.A entered "Elks Investing in Our Communities"- a magnificent float. 
 More details- hummingbirds, snails and bees might have gone unnoticed during the quick TV viewing.  Yet so much work was put into the design and decoration of each and every one of the 39 floats in the 2023 Parade.  (I have photos of all the floats if you want any specific pictures).

Now, it is time to start planning for 2024.  Yesterday, the President of the 2024 Parade, Alex Aghajanian, was introduced and he introduced the Theme and logo of the 2024 Rose Parade:

 "Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language".   The float designs are being submitted and construction will begin.  As an aside, each float always has recorded music while it drives down the Parade Route.  This theme will have the floats designed and coordinated with the music.  It should be fun. 

If you would like to see the 2023 Rose Parade Float Road Tests, This Post links to all.

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 cc was looking forward to going to Portos after our morning of walking. 
 She and I needed lunch.  A cubano sandwich, cuban style black bean soup, turkey and cheese croissant and (to go, for The Mister) a rustic chopped chicken salad (which includes house candied bacon-yum!).  There were, of course a few bakery items.  However, we were here on January 3-just before Epiphany, the 12th night after Christmas and the 'end' of the holiday season. 

 Traditional celebratory sweets to celebrate Three Kings Day were for sale; however the Rosca de Reyes was already sold out.  We each purchased a Galette des Rois.
 Puff pastry filled with a layer of almond frangipane cream as well as a touch of guava jam (for a Cuban twist).  The 'baby' could be hidden into a slice by us (if there were more than two of us sharing this tart) and whoever found it could wear the crown.  The Mister and I shared wearing the crown. 
 There were no Roscas, but the seasonal Rosquitas, a sweet bread topped with dried, candied fruits made some nice bites for us this year. 

Portos Bakery, multiple locations in Los Angeles County. Website

 Honda is a Sponsor of the Tournament and their float is not judged; that's why it is not completely covered in organic materials.

Sunday Stuffs: O-To-San Kushiyaki & Ramen Replacing DduriBa and it Looks Like Andres is Reopening (Under New Ownership)

Here are a couple of items I noticed as I did my shopping errands this past weekend:

O-To-San Kushiyaki & Ramen Replacing DduriBa:

**** You can find a post on O-To-San here

In the old location of DduriBa I noticed a sign for  O-To-San Kushiyaki and Ramen - I guess it would be just like what "dad" would make.

Interesting location. I also noticed the "ZZ", so am wondering if this place will be owned by the ZZ:An folks?

4425 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

Looks Like Andres is Reopening (Under New Ownership):

I went to grab some coffee from Bird Rock, when I noticed the yellow application for ownership change notice in the window so I walked over.

And yep, it looks like an LLC named Morena Ventures is taking over the spot; which is named Andres Patio Restaurant.

I know a lot of folks were quite sad when Andres closed after 40 years in business. I'm hoping for the best here......

Stay tuned!

1235 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110 

Have a great week folks!

Andres Restaurant Closes After 40 Years

**** Update 12/18/2022. It looks like Andres will be opening under new ownership. You can find that post here.

About two weeks ago "ST" sent me an email, which I didn't get to for a while. In the email ST mentioned that Andres Restaurant was planning to close. Because of all our travels, I didn't get to that email for a while. Then yesterday, our good friend "Alle" sent me a text saying that this was Andres last dinner service and they were closing as of the 24th. I checked Andres website which confirmed that Andres was closing after 40 years in business.

Earlier this morning, I drove on over to Bird Rock on Morena for some coffee and then crossed the street to check out what was up with Andres.

 Things looked pretty much the same with no large notices or signs. Until I took a look at the note on the door.

It looks like the restaurant is closing, while the market will remain open. It's a bit strange that I last visited Andres Market three weeks ago, but hadn't a clue about what was going on.

Both ST and Alle mentioned some family tragedy that prompted this rather sudden decision.

Regardless, I know of many folks who enjoy Andres; and many who grew up eating there. It's sad that over the last couple of years we've lost some much beloved eateries that had served their respective neighborhoods for years. I first posted on Andres in 2005!

Sad news.

1235 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110 

2022 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade floats and a few meals

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today.  She's the one who does these Rose Parade posts. Kirk is taking a break.

So, it's 2022!  Happy New Year.  A time to start anew, change habits.  For starters, most of the photos in this post were taken on December 31, unlike when The Mister and I attended the Showcase of Floats-following the Rose Parade in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019  and 2020.  

With Covid-19, not many people were volunteering to decorate the floats and we had been receiving daily emails and noticing all of the float builders asking for volunteers.  We had helped decorate floats in early December, and were wide awake around 1 a.m. on December 31, saw a live video of the float barn and how much help was needed, especially since final judging is around 10 a.m. on the 31st.  We got in the car and drove to Irwindale.  

Here are some photos of floats and details at the Phoenix Decorating Company barn.  

 Trader Joe's, "You're Invited"
 Kiwanis International, "Dream To Achieve"Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day, "Seeding Tomorrow"

Lutheran Hour Ministries, "Jesus Teaches"
 Oddfellows and Rebekahs, "Arctic Adventure"
 The Century anniversary of Shriners Hospitals for Children, "Celebrating 100 Years of Believing in Dreams". This float depicts a young girl with scars from Spina Bifida repair, spinning in a looking glass, dreaming of being the spinning ballerina in a jewelry box.  There were three color florographs on this float, celebrating the providing of care to children with complex medical conditions regardless of their ability to pay.

 "Wild Kingdom" by RFD-TV and Mutual of Omaha. 
The Closing float, reminding people of the Rose Bowl Game.
Rotary International, "Changing Lives Through Education"

Lions Clubs International, "Quest For Kindness"


Best wishes to you and yours. Dream, Believe, Achieve.

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It was after 11 a.m. and The Mister and I still had not had breakfast so we left and began driving to a favorite stop, The Peppertree Cafe. Another Covid-19 survivor.

 Since it was a Friday, the regular menu (and specials) were available.  We were so tired and overwhelmed.  The Soup, Salad Half Sandwich ($9) was great- clam chowder, ranch dressing, turkey sandwich. There was a half order hot beef sandwich available ($9) so I tried it.  Just enough food.  A very long day. Peppertree Cafe website

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In November, we finally made it back to Porto's, where we had not been since October, 2019. So happy it survived Covid.

 The menu (bakery and meals) is limited,  dine in capacity is at 50% (tables removed), most cold beverages are bottled but the food items are consistent.
 Torrejas (Cuban French toast) was just perfect-crisp exterior, fluffy interior. 
 Pan con Lechon- slow roasted pork with pickled onion and a green garlic mojo sauce on the fresh Cuban bread was a nice, salty contrast for breakfast. Portos Bakery Website

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Also in November, The Mister was craving a good pastrami sandwich, so we drove up the 15 to The Hat, which also survived Covid-19. 

  Things are about the same, other than you have to ask for condiments.

 The sides are still enough to share-a large serving.  The pastrami is still kind of perfect. The Hat website
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Sunday Sandwiches - The "El Cubano" from Havana Grill

I'd seen the "we're open" sign for Havana Grill while running some errands a couple of weeks back. Which reminded me that it had been a while since I'd visited. So, before heading home to check on Frankie; I called in an order for the "El Cubano" ($13), which was my second favorite when I did a "Cubano" comparison a couple of years back.

Upon arriving I noticed a curbside pick-up option, a couple of outdoor tables, a roped off area with limited dining and well marked spacing for ordering. My Cubano was ready to go when I arrived and it was a very fast and efficient process. And, as usual the young man working was very friendly.

The sandwich held up well after the drive home and the bread was still fairly crisp. And the plantain chips were still crisp when I got home. There seemed to be a bit less ham this time in comparison to previous visits, which kind of lessened the rather balanced salty-pungent(mustard)-sour (pickles)-milky (from the Swiss Cheese) flavors I previously enjoyed. Still, this was not bad at all.

I'll definitely be back....I need to retry items I had enjoyed before like the Ropa Vieja. Nice folks working here; I was happy to note that when I asked how business was doing, the immediate answer was "it's picking up, more sales every day". Good to hear.

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

Sunday Sandwiches - Revisits to SuperNatural Sandwiches and Embargo Grill

A couple of sandwiches for a humid Sunday.

Supernatural Sandwiches:

My buddy JasonV asked me if I'd ever been to this sandwich place.....he told me it was "awesome" and showed me a photo of Supernatural. I cracked up and said I'd been a customer since they had a stand at the now defunct San Diego Public Market. And I did tell him that they do make some good sandwiches. A few days later; Deanna told me she had gone to Supernatural Sandwiches after work and loved it. I'd taken her there a few years back. So I got the hint; it had been nearly six months since my last visit.

Needless to say; the place was doing some major business when I arrived. Love the folks who work here; they always have a smile for me.

I went with my usual; the Siren....I realize I need to start ordering other stuff on the menu. But the folks here have this totally down.

From the lightly garlicky-spicy mayo; to the moist and plump shrimp, to go with the buttery-slightly sweet brioche. I'm thinking that it could use a bit more acidity to cut the richness; but that would be splitting hairs.

It's one of my "guilty pleasure" sandwiches.

It's also nice to see a place that's doing so well expanding. With locations now in Santa Ana and Tijuana, and two other locations in PB (they are going to make a killing) and Little Italy opening soon, it's going to be a "SuperNatural Kingdom". Good for them!

SuperNatural Sandwiches
7094 Miramar Rd. #122
San Diego, CA 92121

Embargo Grill:

**** Embargo Grill has closed

Speaking of guilty pleasure sandwiches.....

I was over in Point Loma a few weekends ago and was a bit hungry.  It was a bit too hot for other options so I decided to stop by Embargo Grill. It had been nearly two years since my last visit.

I went with basically the same thing as on previous visits.

The Yuca Frita; which was disappointing.

This was too dense, dry, almost hard, and not crisp enough for me. It was also still barely lukewarm in the center. The mojo was very nice though. Garicky with nice citrus tones; not sour, but with a nice acidity.

The Medianoche the "midnight sandwich" was very good.

From the nicely pressed, crunchy, yet light bread, to the moist and tasty pulled pork, to the milky cheese, the ham, and yes, the all important pickle, which cuts through all that high-caloric goodness. This place also seems to have sandwich down.

I could only finish half the sandwich. I took half home and the Missus polished it off in no time flat. I guess She liked it......even cold.....midnight or not.

Embargo Grill
3960 W Point Loma Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Los Pollos Cuban Bakery (Chula Vista)

Thanks for returning to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Kirk is very busy at work this week, Ed (from Yuma) is busy learning the ins and outs of his new computer and that means Cathy is writing today's post...she isn't as busy as she had been.

I've been in Chula Vista a lot this year, always noticing this small storefront in a far corner of a mall anchored by a CVS and Grocery Outlet.Finally having time to drive South without needing to rush, The Mister and I stopped here for a light lunch.
  Small, with only two tables inside and four tables out in front, the limited menu looked interesting.      There are two display counters.  The one on the left has heated items (typical Cuban bakery items) while the one on the right is refrigerated.  The refrigerated items were what I would call 'eclectic international desserts'- European fruit topped custard pie, coconut macaroons, French macaron, Italian cannoli,  custard, rice pudding and flan.. 
 Even though the first items of the menu listings indicate a relationship to the name of 'Los Pollos' as the specialty here, the rotisserie chicken wasn't ready and so we ordered a couple of items from the warm display,    a chicken empanada ($1.79) and a meat pastry ($1.65). The chicken empanada was baked (not fried). The wonderful simple flavors of rotisserie chicken mixed with garlic and tomato wrapped in the fresh pastry was delicious.  About the size of my palm, the whole empanada had quite enough filling; its ratio with the amount of pastry was just right.

The filling for the meat pastry was a very nice picadillo -ground beef mixed with vegetables. The delightful, crispy puff pastry was perfect. This serving was quite large and very good.   
We ordered a Cuban sandwich ($6.50) and were surprised to see it was served with plantain chips as a side.  Those fried snacks, unsalted, are just a perfect compliment to the pressed sandwich, filled with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese as well as a salty pickle and mustard. Of course, the bread was wonderful.  
Since we had ordered a small cup of Americano coffee to share, well, there was this cheese pastry ($1) in the warm counter that I really wanted to try.  It, too, was wonderful.  Just a bit of a sort of cream cheese/ricotta like cheese mix, surrounded by a sugared puff pastry.  

We will return for the chicken...soon. 

Here is a link to cc's visit, which I read and immediately forgot; should've stopped here sooner.

Los Pollos Cuban Bakery 1372 Third Avenue Chula Vista 91911 (619) 870-1225 Mon-Sat 10 A.M.- 8 P.M., Sun 9 A.M.-5 P.M.
 

Revisits - Mister Falafel and Havana Grill

Here's a few revisits to places close to my office.

Mister Falafel:

**** Mister Falafel has closed

My last visit was nothing to write home about, but a revisit was due. I really wanted to know if that visit was a fluke and the falafel was as good as my first few visits. The folks here are the nicest people, so I should really come more often. I think it's the location of the place, out of view from the street, that makes it slip from my mind. Not being very hungry, I went with the Falafel "Munchie" ($5.99).

And while this was much better than on my previous visit, it was still missing something. It's a bit more gritty these days, but not bad at all and truly quite filling. I like the flavor; not too much parsley. I'm wondering if they still use the same ratio of favas to garbanzos?

The tahini here is not my favorite version; kind of bland, the pita was fine, standard issue stuff.

As always, the folks working here are warm and wonderful. And yes, they make this stuff fresh so you'll have to wait a few minutes......which is the way things should be.

Mister Falafel
4461 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday 1100am - 800pm

Havana Grill:

Soo has already posted on the Rabo Encendido here (you can read my comment in the post). The version he had looked nice, though perhaps over done. I ordered it because it wasn't on the menu during my first visits to Havana Grill.

What I got was enormous; though obviously under done and on the tough and chewy side. In fact trying to cut it without holding with my mitts, it broke the plastic knife. The flavor was quite tangy and not quite the flavor I'd experience in other versions I've had; a bit of sweetness, somewhat beefy, and in some version a bit of clove/allspice, and definitely some garlic tones. This wasn't bad; just kind of one tone in taste.

The biggest disappointment were the black beans, which during my first visits back when they first opened was really nice; complex in flavor. This one was bitter, really watery, like the stuff was from the bottom of a pot that had been cooking too long.

The rice was dry, the plantains very tasty. The folks, nice as always. I'm probably going to stick with the Ropa Vieja and the El Cubano, which placed second in my Cubano comparison during future visits.

Havana Grill
5450 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Sunday Sandwiches, the Cubano Edition - Embargo Grill, Havana Grill, Andres, and Tropical Star

I set out on a bit of a mission the last couple of weeks. A couple of months ago, I was asked what I thought the best "Cubano type" sandwich in the area was. I quickly said Embargo Grill. Then then quickly thought that I'd hadn't been to other places in the area in quite a while. So I decided to head off in a quest of sorts and managed to hit up four places before I'd seen enough pork, ham, cheese, and pickles for a while.

And while Embargo Grill still came in on top; here's the places in order.....favorite to least.

Embargo Grill:

**** Embargo Grill has Closed

I think the Medianoche at Embargo Grill has gotten better over time. 

The pork here, sort of a "pulled pork", was nice and moist and wasn't too salty this time around. That porky flavor combined with the slightly milky cheese and just the right amount of pickles did it for me. The bread was nicely crisp, toasted well, and the bread was nice and light, not too chewy. The one component I really couldn't make out was the ham.

The Yuca Frita was nicely fried. When done the way I like it; the smaller pieces have a light, airiness to them, while the larger pieces, are denser. The mojo was better than on previous visits.

Embargo Grill
3960 W Point Loma Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Havana Grill:

It's been about 6 months since I last visited and the menu has changed a bit; though the "El Cubano" is still there.

At first I thought this would be much too bready and not toasted enough, though it was done adequately. Here the flavor of the ham comes through quite well; teaming with the mustard and pickles. The plantain chips were cold this time around and not very crisp. The sandwich was a bit on the dry side but this is a very solid #2 pick for me.

Havana Grill
5450 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Andre's Cuban Restaurant:

**** Andres has closed

Good lord; could it actually be almost 11 years since I last visited!

My goodness; stepping in here is like talking a walk back in time. Plus, this was the only true "restaurant" of the places I visited.

The Cubano here was fairly mediocre.

The bread to filling ratio stood a bit too far on the "bread side" for my taste. The pork was rather dry and tasteless; though the nicely melted cheese shone through quite nicely, but it all came through as rather bland. Luckily, I ordered the Yuca Frita....I ended up pouring a good bit of the mojo on my sandwich. For some reason, like Tropical Star below; this was just too much for me to finish.

The Yuca Frita was decent; loved the smaller pieces which were crisp and creamy. The larger slices got cold pretty quickly and became quite hard. I do like the mojo here; while it could perhaps use more citrus; it is very garlicky and it looks like there's bacon or ham in it.

If you've ever walked to the back or the side banquet room at Andre's, you'll realize just how large the place is. The small façade belies that. This place is in my 'hood, I really should get here more often.

Andre's Cuban Restaurant
1235 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Tropical Star:

Here's another place I haven't visited in a while.

I had noticed that over the last couple of years; TS had expanded, then retracted back to what it once was. A charming little Latin Grocery that served rather inexpensive Latin American food. I thought it right that I should have the Cubano here.

This was totally by the book; slice of pork, check, thin slices of ham...check....cheese on both sides, check...pickles, yes indeed. It was indeed pressed; though the bread had seen better days. Overall, quite filling....partially because of all the fries; nice and hot, but lacking salt...but I only finished half.

I don't recall seeing Diet Inka Cola before........even in Peru!

So not quite stellar, especially when compared to the others....but it was the most inexpensive. Plus, I like the older gentleman behind the counter. I always bus my own table and he seems to appreciate that.

Tropical Star
6163 Balboa Ave
San Diego, CA 92111

Sunday Sandwiches: Revisits to SuperNatural Sandwiches, Zgara Grill, Best Donuts, Havana Grill, and Cali Baguette Express

Here's a round-up of sandwiches I had in the weeks leading up tour trip. I just realized I really circled the globe on this one.

SuperNatural Sandwiches:

It had been a couple of months so I thought I'd drop by after a meeting close by. I had the Siren of course.

These guys sure have the consistency down; the buttery brioche roll, nice plump shrimp, creamy aioli, a little kick of heat. My colleague from the Midwest still mentions the sandwiches during our conversations. Must have made an impression.

SuperNatural Sandwiches
7094 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92121

Zgara Grill:

**** Update Zgara Greek Grill has reopened on Morena Boulevard

Another favorite that I hadn't been to in a while. They've now got a lunch special, a sandwich with fries and a drink.....don't quite remember the price as I was enjoying talking to the owner.

Crisp pork gyro.....just like Greece! Well seasoned, crisp, enrobed in a nice warm pita. The owner also gave me a little cup of a nice sauce which went well with the fries. I need to come here more often....it's cheaper than a flight to Athens.

Zgara Greek Grill
1730 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109

Best Donuts Bakery & Deli:

Heading to work early (530 am) with no time for lunch on my schedule. The solution? A stop at Best Donuts for the A la Mexicana.

Warm and fluffy bolillo, eggs, a smear of beans, gooey melted cheese, salsa, jalapenos (to wake me up), and tomato. What's not to like? I'm sure there are little shops like this everywhere....it's just a matter of finding them.

Best Donuts Bakery & Deli
4714 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Havana Grill:

The nice folks here have put up their "Grand Opening" sign so I thought I'd drop by. There seems to have been a few changes to the menu from my previous visits, but the place looks like it's doing well. Nice change of pace for the area and heck, Faye seems to like the place. Not having much time, I took my El Cubano to go.

The sandwich seems to have a bit less meat than before, but in terms of proportion things went well together. The pork still has flavor and isn't "the other white meat", the Swiss cheese adds a nice milky flavor......and those pickles, well they add the acid and tartness to the sandwich. I do enjoy the plantain chips, which are sliced very thin, thus making it crisp. I need to head back to Embargo Grill for the Medianoche and compare.

Havana Grill
5450 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Cali Baguette Express - Convoy:

Banh Mi Trung is probably one of my favorite breakfast items....though perhaps I'd take a good noodle soup or natto gohan with egg ahead of it. Cali Express is an easy choice, they bake their own bread (though I think Paris makes a better baguette) and who can deny the wonderfulness of a fried egg sandwich with Maggi on it?

And don't forget about the sneaky jalapeno....now that'll wake you up, right? Again, it's about ratios and proportion to me......the pickled veggies, the fried egg, the light and airy bread, cilantro....you get the point, right?

Cali Baguette Express
4425 Convoy Street
San Diego, CA 92111