mmm-yoso!!!

Uncle Tetsu Japanese Cheesecake

So yes, I'm actually doing a "dessert" type post. Long time readers of our blog know that I don't have much of a sweet tooth and some are a bit surprised when I do a post on sweets. It's kind of a saving grace for me at times. And while no, enjoying desserts isn't a New Year resolution, I've got to come to enjoy the concept of Le Goûter (French afternoon tea), and we've always appreciated a good Japanese style Cheesecake. During our first trip to Tokyo back in 2014, we met up with our friend Reiko for dinner and though I didn't mention it in my post, Reiko gave us a Japanese Cheesecake as an omiyage. We recall having it back at the apartment; it was light, "jiggly", just mildly sweet, with a hint of an almost lemony-citrus flavor. Since then, we've tried different versions of that style of cheesecake when we go to LA. In fact, our good friend "Alle" enjoys the version from Sunmerry, so when the Missus drops by one of the locations in LA for Her pineapple cake we pick a cheesecake for her. She is quite happy to know that it looks like Sunmerry is opening here in San Diego.

When we were in Paris last month, the Missus was craving some Japanese Cheesecake and I found a place named Takumi. The cheesecake was not bad. So, of course after returning I mentioned that we had at least 3 cheesecake places opening in Kearny Mesa and that Uncle Tetsu, which I had noticed back in October had opened. So, the Missus and I drove on over to try out the cheesecake.

This is of course one of those infamous parking lots on Convoy, but it was right at 11am and we found parking. The small shop is located between Kura and Mochinuts. 

There are currently four different flavors currently available; original, pandan coconut, ube, and strawberry which costs $13. Service was friendly and quick.

As I mentioned in my previous post Uncle Tetsu originated in Hakata, Japan and according to Eater the Panda Restaurant Group (know them, right?) is managing the brand.

We've currently made two visits where we tried the "original". The cheesecake was consistent.

   It's light and fluffy, but not "jiggly" like the Missus prefers. I pick up stronger cream cheese tones and strangely, I thought it could be a bit sweeter! It's also missing the slight almost citrus tanginess that we like. It is quite delicate. The Missus prefers this version slightly refrigerated.

On our second visit we bought one for "Alle" who sent me a text saying: "I like the packaging, it's so fluffy and delicate. Yes, it doesn't jiggle but it's delish."

So there you go.

Now of course, the Missus is waiting for YikoYiko and Sunmerry to open. 

If you check out Uncle Tetsu, let me know what you think!

Uncle Tetsu
4609 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 11am - 7pm

Paris - Au Petit Versailles du Marais Revisited and Dinner at Granite

We were really enjoying our day in Paris and decided to just keep on strolling to Tuileries Garden.

Familiarity had changed our perception of distance in Paris. Places that used to seem quite far now seemed relatively close.

And we got to Tuileries Garden in what seemed to be no time at all. The Tuileries Christmas Market was being set-up and we could see that the Ferris wheel was already in place.

It would be in full swing when we returned to Paris.

Even though it was fairly chilly, the sun was out, so you could count on Parisians and a tourist or two (i.e. us) taking time to enjoy the day at the fountain and pond known as the Grand Bassin Rond.

It made for a relaxing afternoon.....

I'm not quite sure if it was the weather, something in the water, perhaps the air, or the environment, but we would readily adopt, the French equivalent of "Afternoon Tea", known as Le Goûter. We just seemed to flow into it. And it started on this day as the Missus decided She wanted something sweet and a spot of tea from that place She had come across when I took my baguette class on our last visit. So we headed back to the Marais and Au Petit Versailles du Marais.

After ogling the dessert collection.....

We headed over to the tea salon, grabbed an outside table, ordered the Missus's selected pastry, tea for Her, and coffee for me.

The woman working here is a hoot....she works real hard at wooing folks in who look at the menu sign and always says "best choice...best choice...." when you select one of the pastries.

I gotta say, I even enjoyed the Royal Caramel as it wasn't overly sweet.

Au Petit Versailles du Marais
1 Rue Tiron
75004 Paris, France

After our snack we headed back to the hotel and took a break.

I had made reservations for dinner with a restaurant I'd had my eye on since reading about it in Alexander Lobrano's blog named Granite. It helped that the restaurant was less than a 10 minute walk from our hotel.

Located on Rue Bailleul, Granite does modern French, and the chef Tom Meyer worked under Anne-Sophie Pic at the 3 Michelin starred Maison Pic.

The place looks quite modern.

The service was quite warm and yet professional and we got the 7 course tasting menu with a single wine pairing which the Missus enjoyed.

Things started out with an oyster course.

The brininess of the oyster was balanced out with a bit of sour tartness from green apple and the celery like flavor of lovage. The menu stated that kimchi was used in this dish but I couldn't detect that. Very clean and refreshing overall.

We both loved the Cepe; porcini mushroom which was wonderfully earthy.

The mushroom was seared perfectly with almost a buttery texture, though the other items on the plate added a bit too much sweetness for us.

Like the mushroom, the scallop was seared perfectly, the interior was perfectly rare and sweet.

Though there was a bitter component in the dish that distracted from our total enjoyment.

The Artic Char was wonderful.

Tender and buttery in texture; the lentils were wonderful and almost nutty, and there was a light sweet earthiness to the dish which elevated the flavors. The sauces really enhanced this dish.

Of all the items presented for this meal, we enjoyed the Pigeon Course the most.

 We were instructed to start with the "naan", basically a buttery cube of flatbread with wonderfully flavored fowl in it. The skewered liver was wonderfully gamy and delicious. 

But the real "winnah" was the seared pigeon breast which was quite tender, wonderfully gamy, the sauce featured chocolate which was more savory than sweet. There was so much complexity in the flavors. This was amazing!

The rose foam was a perfect palate cleanser.

I enjoyed the Pomelo Meringue as it wasn't overly sweet.

The Missus loved the chocolate; which was very decadent, without being overly sweet. The Earl Grey sorbet was wonderful as it added a grounding, almost lemon-orange flavor which went so well with the chocolate.

We enjoyed the service and pacing. And while I don't think we'll be returning; there are just too many options in Paris, this was a pleasant meal.

Granite
6 Rue Bailleul
75001 Paris, France

 

Riding the San Diego Trolley and a Visit to UTC

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog written mostly by Kirk.  But since He and His Missus are on a month-long vacation, Cathy is helping out.  All of our posts are about food, either directly or indirectly.  Today is another indirect post. 

In September, I received the dreaded notice in the mail-Jury Duty.  This notice was not like the others received during Covid-19 times (call a phone number after 5 p.m. starting on a specific Thursday until the following Wednesday or upon being called in to the Court).  No, this notice gave me a date to show up-Downtown.  Since I hadn't been on the Trolley in years, knew it had expanded to University Town Center in November 2021 and was curious after seeing the 'new' extension being built over the years, then seeing some banners advertising a "Ride the Trolley Free Day" happening in a few days, The Mister and I decided to make a day of it to get me re-acclimated to this mode of transportation. We started at the top right corner of this map (Green Line), changed to the Orange Line and after getting downtown, changed again to the Blue Line going North, ending up at the top left of this map. (Going home, we changed from the Blue to the Green Line)
 It was sunny leaving Santee.
 Then it got a bit cloudy when we hit downtown.
 Many people left the Trolley at this stop, since it was closest to the Ballpark and the Padres had a playoff game.
 By the time we were headed on the 'new' line, alongside Interstate 5, there was full fog.
 We stayed on until the last stop, followed signage (and the other people who exited) to the Mall (through the parking lot) and eventually got to the Food Court, which overlooks the Ice Rink.
 After checking all of the Food Court offerings, we decide on a meal and went off to order.  The Mister stopped here, at Craft Pizza.
He ordered a Calzone with ham, sausage and mushrooms; an item going back to our dating days.  This was excellent.
 I went over to Kebab Grill and ordered a 'Lunch Special' advertised behind the cash register to the left in this photo.
 Salad and
 Lentil soup.  Each was really good and made for a filling and complete meal. Then we started walking around the mall. 
   The Mall has remained about the same, with new stores taking the place of old ones.  There were some interesting vending machines.
 Then we saw this.  Had to stop.
 A great selection of cookies, cupcakes, pastries and ice cream as well as hot and cold beverages.  
 We shared a cup of coffee and a Jesuite pastry (Napoleon/flaky pastry filled with an almond custard, topped with almonds) (Triangle shaped  like a Jesuit Priest hat).

Then we headed home, enjoying a different route.  
 It was still overcast changing from the Blue Line to Green Line in Old Town. Passing the new Snapdragon Stadium and back to sunshine by the time we got home.

Jury Duty was at the new Courthouse, which has scaffolding and canopies all around because windows have been mysteriously shattering.  It's very nice; has a good cafeteria. I wasn't called, so expect another notice in the mail next year.  

Soo rode the trolley, too!

Paris (2022) - Musée d'Histoire de la Médecine, Au Petit Versailles du Marais, Dinner at Pirouette, and Some Revisits

After enjoying our croissant at Square Samuel-Paty, I took a look at the time. It was perfect; the museum we wanted to visit, The Musée d'Histoire de la Médecine would be opening in five minutes. We headed on over the two blocks to Paris Descartes University and was instantly confused. I quickly stepped into the local tabac shop and the really nice gentleman pointed me in the right direction. The museum is located on the second floor of the College of Surgery.

The first floor features statues of well known practitioners of medicine. In fact, if you look at this painting.....

And then the accompanying "guide", you might recognize some names.

The building itself is quite impressive. It was  build between 1769 and 1775 by Architect Jacques Gondouin and was the original location of the Medical School which was founded in 1803.

For us, the main focus was the collection of medical instruments. The museum is famous for having the bag and tools of François Carlo Antommarchi which was used for the autopsy of Napoleon Bonaparte. 

I think I'll leave the verbiage here; you'll be able to figure out what all these medical instruments tools were used for. Some are fairly cringe worthy.

And while not quite as enjoyable as the Surgeons' Hall Museums in Edinburgh, this was an interesting stop.

And was well worth the 4 Euro entrance fee.

Musée de l'Histoire de la Médecine
12 Rue de l'École de Médecine
75006 Paris, France

This was back in May and it was a beautiful day.

On the way back to our accommodation, the Missus wanted to stop by what She called a "nice café" that She had enjoyed the previous day when I was taking the baguette class, so we headed on over to Au Petit Versailles du Marais. I cracked up when I saw the sign....

The Missus didn't understand why I cracked up. I told Het look at the sign, it says "Christian Vabret, Meilleur Ouvrier de France". She said "So....." And I had to explain "think of it this way, it's competition for the best in France in different categories." Once you win you hold the title for life. So you found the Boulangerie of a "master". And all by accident.

The Missus then told me; "I was wondering why all these tour groups were stopping by this place while I was enjoying my pastry and coffee.....it was so annoying!"

You gotta love it.

It's a lovely little shop with many temptations.

The Missus made Her selection and we both got coffee.....

And the Missus really enjoyed Her treat!

Au Petit Versailles du Marais
1 Rue Tiron
75004 Paris, France

We then headed back to the apartment for a nice little break. We decided to have dinner nearby. I had read some good reviews on Restaurant Pirouette which was basically a block from where we were staying, so we decided to see if we would be able to grab an early dinner there. Since it was fairly early, there were outdoor tables available.

We ordered 1 entree (appetizer) and 2 plats, starting with the Langoustine "Tempura" (18 €).

Notice the quotation marks around "tempura". This wasn't deep fried. It was also overcooked, chewy, and under-seasoned. The fennel did add a nice anise-crunch and textural contrast. The pesto rosso; sun dried tomato pesto, was pretty much sun dried tomato oil. Not very good.

The Missus got Razor Clams and Cockles (25€).

The white wine sauce was nicely done, it had a nice, pleasant acidity. Unfortunately, there was a good amount of "grit" in this dish which made eating a bit unpleasant. The potatoes were really dry, though the razor clams were tender and sweet.

I got the Lamb Shank, Chard, and Thyme Jus (28€).

The lamb was super tough and there just wasn't enough of the thyme sauce to go around. The leaves of chard were basically uncooked.

Service was a mixed bag; the young lady working was wonderful, but it seemed that the gentleman working just wanted us out of the way.

This was the most disappointing meal of the trip.

Restaurant Pirouette
5 Rue Mondétour
75001 Paris, France

After dinner we took a short stroll, then headed back to the apartment to watch the sunset. We relaxed, caught up on emails and then decided to head on out for a nightcap. We had enjoyed our previous visits to Jefrey's on Rue Grenata. So, we headed there.

I don't know if Covid had really affected things, but the drinks tasted watered down and the service was not as welcoming as on our previous visits.

Jefrey's
14 Rue Saint Sauveur
75002 Paris France

Man, it was kinda sad, we were "oh-fer-two" on favorites of ours during this trip. We headed down Rue Tiquetonne on the way back to the apartment and came across a familiar site.

The Golden Promise Whisky Bar. When waiting for our table at ERH, we'd had a drink here. Hmmmm.....well, we decided to givre it a shot and this time, instead of drinking at the bar on street level, we headed downstairs to the bar. Which had almost a speakeasy like feel to it.

Not wanting to mess around with another cocktail, I just had a Yamazaki Single Malt, which was a nice end to the evening before calling it a night.

It was quite interesting as the other folks at the bar seemed like regulars.

Golden Promise Whisky Bar
11 Rue Tiquetonne
75002 Paris, France

Arriving back at the flat, we decided to get to sleep fairly early. But not before enjoying the sites from the window.

Meet Fresh- Treats (Mira Mesa)

mmm-yoso!!! welcomes you back.  Once again, Cathy is writing because, once again, Kirk and His Missus are vacationing.

There are two locations of Meet Fresh, a Taiwanese dessert chain,  in San Diego.  One is in the HMart parking lot in Mira Mesa.  The other is in the strip mall on the SouthEast corner of Clairmont Mesa at the 805 (where there was a Souplantation and still has Niban, a McDonalds and Starbucks).  The menus are the same, the air conditioning is wonderful, the hours are different.  Each location is equidistant from home; we've been to both.
 Walk in, order and pay.  There is a menu above the register and another full menu on the wall.  There's also a laminated one at the register.
 Soon your number is called and/or displayed when your order is ready. 

 Q-mochi set with almond pudding and red beans ($6.75) was presented in this cute dessert bento box/serving tray with tiny cutlery.  The two types of mochi were slightly different in flavor, topped with a light Carmel sauce and toasted coconut.  The sweet red beans were (and always are) a tasty treat and the almond pudding, when tasted before everything else, had an excellent flavor; the texture remained perfect and never got watery. 

 This was a hot fresh milk tea with boba ($6.25)which was ordered out of curiosity.  I liked it. This is a medium shaved ice ($11.75) alongside an iced lemon black tea ($4.50)
 There are a few choices of shaved ices along with three sizes (the prices are $9.75, $10.75 and $11.75).  Topping combinations are varied and all sound good.  I pointed at one on the laminated menu at the register.  The cylinder shaped Q-mochi, potato balls (sweet potato/taro), jelly and mini mochi balls surrounding the ice cream topped fluffy milk soaked shaved ice made each bite unique.  We ended up taking a lot home.

A nice place for a relaxing treat. 

Meet Fresh 9420 G Mira Mesa Blvd 92126 (619) 877-8818 open daily noon-10

7051 Clairmont Mesa Blvd #303 San Diego 92111(858) 740-3789 Open 4-10 Thurs-Sun   Website

Guanajuato (2022) - Estacion Gelato and Dinner at Mestizo

Our Uber picked us up right on time in SME and we headed off to Guanajuato. Our driver was fantastic and the hour-and-a-half drive came out to around $30/US! Our hotel, the Casona de Don Lucas was located on Plaza de la Paz and our room, which had two floors also had a small balcony with a view of the Plaza.

Our room was ready when we arrived so we quickly dropped off our bags and headed out to do some exploring. We quickly took to Guanajuato as it was less touristy than SME. We loved the everyday hustle and bustle, the city seemed just a colorful and vibrant.

The first thing we did was head off to the Mercado Hidalgo. Much of Guanajuato is not car friendly; in fact, the main arteries are located underground in tunnels. There are many alleyways, no grid pattern, we were told that much of the city center was built along the walls of the canyons which surround the city. So, we'd often be walking down an alleyway, which would then open up onto a plaza!

The Mercado is located in a huge building. According to legend, it is said that the structure was initially designed to be a train depot. We just took a quick look since we'd be exploring a bit further the following day when we had a private tour scheduled.

After our short visit, we decided to check out some possibilities for dinner and also walk past the University before settling in for a short break. We ended up walking down one of the many winding and narrow streets.

 At the curve in the alleyway stood a little gelato shop. The Missus and I decided to take a short break here.

It turned out to be a good choice. The service was very friendly, the gelato refreshing, and the Missus and I enjoyed sitting on the small balcony.

Estación Gelato
Cantaritos 29
Zona Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Mexico

Once refreshed and relaxed, we strolled over to Positos and looked over the menus of two places I had on my "list". We'd end up eating a both of them on this short trip, but we'd end up returning to one for a second meal!

We strolled on over and took a quick peek at the University of Guanajuato. The University has over 30,000 students......which is why I kind of consider Guanajuato to be sort of a college town....with a ton of history.

We then headed back to the hotel for a short break before heading out for an early dinner. Since we didn't have reservations; we decided on an early dinner and got to Mestizo at 430pm and easily got a table.

The chef at Mestizo is the son of a well known ceramic artist, so the decor of the restaurant is quite lovely.

While perusing the menu, the Missus had the house version of Sangria, while I had an Old Fashioned.

First thing we noticed was how inexpensive items were versus San Miguel. And as is our MO, we found items on the Entrada menu the most interesting and ended up ordering 5 starters for our meal.

Things started out rather auspiciously with the Tostada de Pato ($180/MX)

While the presentation was very nice. The duck was bland, stringy, and dry.

The Ceviche de Robalo ($280/MX) was a slight improvement .

The marinade was bursting with wonderful citrus flavor, the overall seasoning was nice and complex. The fish however had not been marinated long enough and was overly chewy. Still, this was not bad.

Things turned around in a big way when the Chinchulines con Guacamole ($170/MX) arrived.

Perfectly fried and crisp pork intestines; wonderful porky-mild offal flavors, offset with a creamy-mildly sweet guacamole, with pungent onions and cilantro. Not only was this texturally wonderful, the melding of tastes were fantastic. Why haven't I seen this on menus everywhere?

Next to arrive was the dramatic looking Tartar de Atun en Chile Viejo ($200/MX). 

A nice tuna tartare nestled in a smoky, mildly spicy toasted dried chile, this was quite good. The tuna, was of decent quality, nice and meaty with no off flavors, the flavors counterbalanced with clean and briny cucumber and pungent onions, the nutty-sweet pistachios added a nice layer of flavor as well.

And then the show stopper arrived; the Tuetanos Mestizo ($190/MX).

Good lord, this was so delici-yoso, perfectly roasted, the bones were bursting with buttery-beefy marrow, which just melted in your mouth. A perfect amount of salt and the herbs added layers  of flavor. This was so darn good, that we immediately made reservations to return on our last night in Guanajuato.

We really enjoyed most of the meal. Service was friendly and professional and the prices were quite reasonable. The tortillas were decent and up to the task of handling the food.

Mestizo
Positos 69
Zona Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Mexico

We strolled back to our room, feeling quite satisfied. As we got to De Paz, we decided to grab a nightcap before heading off into dreamland. We saw this doorway and headed down the stairway from the sidewalk.

And walked into almost a speakeasy like bar bathed in greenish light.

The super friendly young woman manning the bar spoke perfect English. There seemed to be an interesting mix of older folks and students having drinks. So the Missus and I each had a nightcap.....

Along with some gratis chips, before heading back across the street to the hotel. I'm still not quite sure what the name of his place is....I'm thinking it was Don Beni Taberna, but am not certain.

Regardless, we really enjoyed our afternoon and evening in Guanajuato. And of course I had bone marrow dancing in my dreams.....

Monnani Kkwabaegi-Korean Twisted Donuts (Zion Food Court)

Monnani Kkwabaegi has closed. It will be missed.

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy (again).  Kirk and His Missus are enjoying a vacation which you will soon enjoy, vicariously. Located at the 'corner' of the Zion Food Court in the former location of Wok Bar and before that, Spotted Cow, Monnani Kkwabaegi recently opened.  (Soo wrote a post last month). 
 Walk up, order, pay and wait about five minutes.  All items are made fresh.
 One day, I had ordered my meal at another Food Court business and decided that my 'side dish' should be a cheddar-mozzarella ($4.45).  This is probably now my favorite item here; quite large and wrapped in the delicious, slightly sweet fried dough.  The condiments of 'cheddar cheese' and 'cheese mustard' are tasty additions to add a variety to each bite (I add condiments on the second half of most menu items, enjoying the intended flavors on the first bites).
 One day I decided to try the Sausage Kkwabaegi ($3.25).  Not very large, a good sausage surrounded by the same light, sweet dough.  This was a nice snack. 

Other fried dough items I haven't tried yet are the sweet potato and the red bean kkwabaegi.  
 Of course, the traditional Kkwabagi (two for $4.49) are what most people order.  The Mister chose matcha and ube flavors, saying he thought they were 'photographable'.  Very true and very nice flavors.  The matcha mixed with sugar had a nice 'background' flavor of green tea/tannin and the ube was lightly flavored but still the starch of ube was discernible.  The light crunchy exterior and chewy interior of these yeasty, twisted doughnuts is enhanced because they are still warm when served. 

Other flavors available on the twisted doughnut are sugar, cinnamon, cheddar cheese and Oreo. 

A nice snack, before or after your Zion Market shopping.  

Monnani Kkwabaegi - Zion Food Court, 7655 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego 92111 Open daily 10:30-7

Mahalo Shave Ice Company (inside Zion)

mmm-yoso!!! is (again) being written by Cathy today, while Kirk and His Missus are vacationing. 

In January, Mahalo Shave Ice opened, taking the place of Cocohodo, (which truly is missed) in the Zion Market Food Court. 

 In 2016, Mahalo began as a shave ice food truck.  It expanded into an Arizona franchise in 2020, along with catering events.  The  Zion Market storefront is the first brick and mortar location for this (now two location) locally owned  business "inspired by the beauty of the Hawaiian people". 
 The menu is simple; Five items.
 The choice of flavors can be not as simple, depending on your cravings.

 For this shave ice plate ($6), I chose li hing mui guava (li hing is the flavor of dried, salty plums) and tigers blood (strawberry, watermelon and coconut) flavors; not very photogenic but very tasty.  Adding ice cream ($1) rounded out the plate.

Friendly people working here, serving great, shareable treats. 

Mahalo Shave Ice 7655 Clairmont Mesa Blvd San Diego 92111 (Zion Market Food Court) Website Open Wed-Sun 11-7, closed Mon-Tue

You may have noticed above the menu board "Proudly and lovingly crafted with cane sugar & ocean friendly utensils".  The 'plate/bowl' is a quality compostable type of material, the little straw is made of bamboo and the spoon (printed with the logo) is fascinating, eco-friendly-and works.  We had never seen a spoon like that before and within a week of our visit here, had seen similar spoons at several places.

Blossom de Cafe (Poway)

Blossom de Cafe has closed.  It will be missed.

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, is being written by Cathy today.  Kirk is busy.

The Mister and I were driving on Poway Road, looking for a breakfast spot.  Across the street from the North Park Produce location, we saw this signage and stopped.  Formerly a Bank, the large interior with what looks like former offices with doors and windows removed has open rooms and areas which could be set up for a small, private party as well as a playroom for children.  The interior space is efficiently used and (since the building had been a bank) there is a drive through window. 

After we were home, I did some research.  Blossom de Cafe is locally owned, family run and opened in February 2020.  This is another survivor of Covid.

 There are menus outside, inside and behind the counter.  We were here at breakfast time.  The mention of "Croffle" had us curious.  We ordered two.
 An almond croffle ($5.80) A croissant toasted in a waffle maker topped with sliced almonds!  Why hadn't I thought of this?!! Simple, delightful and a refreshing change.  The maple croffle ($4.80).  Simply toasted with maple syrup.  A great breakfast idea. 
 We also ordered a bacon omelet sandwich (8.99).  A better quality, thick white bread filled with a cheesy omelet/scramble and plenty of bacon made this an easily shareable sandwich.
 There are coffees, teas, boba drinks, lattes, a great selection of beverages along with (Bingsu) desserts. Bowls and other lunch choices are also available-we will be trying out more of the menu.  Soon. 

Blossom de Cafe 12305 Poway Road Poway, CA 92064 (858) 842-2211 Open  M,W,Th 7 a.m.-6 p.m.  Fri and Sat 7-7  Tuesday 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Sunday 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Website  

mmm...cakes (Chula Vista)

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today; Kirk has no internet access.  

The Mister and I were driving  the other day and a bakery on the SouthWest corner of  Third at F Street in Chula Vista caught our eye.  We parked in the Parking Garage behind this central location (it's still free) and walked over.
 Decorated for the Christmas holidays right now, this space is a good size for being able to sit and have a dessert and coffee.  There are several tables outside also.

After we left, I went to the website and found out the whole story.  Chula Vista native Jose Barajas had participated in several television baking competitions following his 2013 start as a home based cake and dessert business and this shop is the natural progression where he can meet his full creative potential. 
 The pastry display caught our eye first.  
 The basic cheese danish ($4.50) was exquisite,with a delightful filling (not the standard cream cheese chunk as from other places; lighter) with a multi-layered (but not laminated) Danish pastry that was crisp-fresh, buttery and sweet. It was brought out warmed.  Yes, this is how it was served for eat in.  Special. 
 The almond danish  (a bear claw) ($5) was equally wonderful and, as you can see, presented beautifully after warming.  The filling is light and very almond flavored and that dough...wow.  
The separate cake display case.  The choices.  The reason for the name.  Of course we ordered cake. 
 A slice of Hummingbird cake, ($8.50) which is what I consider a 'standard' for upscale cakes was our choice.  The spice cake base, pineapple, banana and finely chopped pecans each had discernible flavor in this multi-layered, buttercream frosted seasonally decorated slice. (It is *not* fondant which is designed for cakes that do not need  refrigeration; you can see the cakes are all refrigerated). Can't wait to try other flavors.

Beverages offered here are hot and cold-a good variety of coffees and teas and smoothies. Weekend pastry offerings include a rotating selection of seasonal flavors!  Happy to have found this family owned, friendly, quality shop. 

mmm...cakes 310 Third Avenue Chula Vista 91910 (619) 500-5162 website Open Mon 7-10 a.m. Tues-Wed-Th 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Fri 7 a.m.-5 p.m., Sat 8 a.m.-5p.m. CLOSED SUNDAY