mmm-yoso!!!

2019 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Showcase of Floats, a meal at Mr. D.'s Diner (Pomona)

mmm-yoso!!! is primarily a blog about food.  There's always some reason we get to try the food that is blogged about.  Today is a post of a New Year tradition (which I've shared for a few years) and a meal at a 'new-to-us' place.

The day began with an early wake up and drive North to Pasadena, where the 130th Tournament of Roses Rose Parade showcase of floats were lined up end-to-end on Sierra Madre Avenue, at the end of the five mile parade route. The walk along the floats is 2.5 miles and it's not all flat. There were 45 floats, along with Equestrian Units and Marching bands, for a total of 91 Units in the Parade.  (I do have photos of each of the floats, many photos.  If there is one you would like to see, I can put it at the end of this post).  For now, here are some details of some of the floats which you might have missed as they ran across your television screen in less than 30 seconds. "Books Keep Us on Our Toes", by The UPS Store featured this ostrich in her ballet shoes and won the Sweepstakes Trophy for most beautiful entry encompassing float design, floral presentation and entertainment. 
"Garden Fresh" by Mrs. Meyers Clean Day featured the trademark outline of Mrs. Meyer watering a bathing (see the loofah?) sunflower.
 Easter Seals is observing its 100th year and in addition to a cake and gifts, there was a cupcake or two on the float.  The Lions Clubs International float, "Rockin' the Vest" (an ode to this 2011 'Rap' video used for recruiting new, younger members) had the Lion tail swinging along with the music. Also note the various materials used on the body of the Cadillac-nothing is one dimensional when decorating.

Cal Poly and "Far Out Frequencies" incorporated a guitar, accordion, tamborine and french horn in the design. 
Carnival Cruise Lines had some SCUBA divers "underwater".
The backside of the drumming "Taiwan The Heart of Asia" entry from China Airlines (which won the International Trophy for Most Outstanding float from outside the United States) is beautifully detailed. 
When the Stella Rosa "Taste the Magic" float first appeared, there was a great display of confetti and streamers, but even in the stationary position, there is a sort of motion seen in the design.  
If you are from Southern California and listen to the radio, when Trader Joe's ads are finished, the announcer always says 'Thanks for Listening'...and the abbreviated license plate on their float (THX4LSN) is an ode to that detail. 
The Big Bear "Play-Rest-Repeat" float entry showed many of the various activities available all four seasons in this community a few hours North of San Diego. Not only skiing and snowboarding,  but also boating and fishing.

The Northwestern Mutual float, showed an elephant family on vacation, taking 'selfies'.  This view (of the camera screen taking the selfie) was of the 'off camera' side; every part of each float is detailed.

 There was a small fire on board the longest float entry this year (Link to story), disrupting the end of the parade.  The float was saved because of good preparation (you know, all of those Road Tests I post about have one of the tests the ability for the entire float to clear off and out in 45 seconds).  This entry from the Chinese American Heritage Foundation, "Harmony Through Union", depicting the final nail joining the Transcontinental Railroads (the "Golden Spike") was on display at the Showcase   as was the tow truck that brought the float to this location. 

Here are details of some other floats.

When we left the Showcase viewing area and started driving, we had to stop at Arsen's House of Cookies first (for cookies, boureks and a calendar) then headed East...somehow getting to Foothill Boulevard while passing many 'possible' lunch spots.  We had seen another location of Mr. D's Diner but kept driving, until we saw this location and stopped.

The building looked like it had been a Coco's or some similar type of 'family' restaurant.  The 'Specials' list outside the door showed us the pricing was reasonable.  

The decor, 50's (this is part of "Route 66" after all).  The menu had nine pages. The "To Go" menu only has seven pages.
We hadn't had much of a breakfast, so the Pancake Combo ($8.49) was a choice. Really nice, sweet, fluffy pancakes, perfect over easy eggs, skin on sausage and crispy flavorful bacon.  Just right. 
 As with many of these family type diners, Greek choices are on the menu.  The "Traditional Greek Salad" ($10.79)(add chicken $2.99) has on the menu in bold lettering "Lettuce Upon Request".  "Traditional" means you get this- tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, bell peppers feta and greek olives tossed in Greek olive oil and herbs. The (very large) bowl was topped with toasted pita. With the (plentiful amount of) grilled chicken, this was a hearty, tasty, perfect meal. It didn't need lettuce.

Glad we stopped and hope to stop here again.

Mr. D's Diner 401 E. Foothill Blvd. Pomona, CA (909)938-4222 Open daily 6 a.m.-10 p.m. website

Breakfast of Champions - Lucky's Golden Phenix

After a particularly brutal week, I recently revisited a place that holds a special place in my heart. It had been a few years since I'd eaten and even longer since I last posted on Lucky's, that little former Chinese restaurant, cum diner, cum greasy spoon, to me a steady, dependable beacon in the ever changing North Park scene.

Once you enter; you know....this ain't hipster central.

From the rather tacky, now considered "retro" Chinese restaurant décor, to various bits and pieces of the history of Lucky's, which in turn is probably the history of North Park, the place has grown on me.

Just sitting for a breakfast on this morning; the customers were like characters from central casting....a young couple, a hipster in his 'hat with 'tats", two older guys grumbling about how the bus is always late. Like I said in my first post a decade ago, "I'm sure thousands of stories have echoed off the walls" of Lucky's.

And the prices? Yes, this is North Park, where you can get a $17 bowl of pho a few blocks away. And yes, this is 2018.

Four bucks for two eggs with bacon, hashbrowns, and toast. Don't forget to finish your toast....Lucky doesn't like waste. Lucky sees everything. If he sees that you've finished your toast, he'll ask if you want more.

The coffee....well, it's "authentic"......100% Folgers. Still under a buck.

This is a one man show, Lucky has no wasted motion, he moves with deceptive efficiency and my breakfast is on the table within minutes.

  The eggs are a perfect easy over, the toast is great for sopping up all the drippy egg yolk......the hash browns are SYSCO heavenly and the bacon crisp. This cost me $4.10 mind you. Also notice the bottle of Tabasco. I recently went to Island Style Café and just like Leilani's Café they didn't have Tabasco. Except that instead of telling me they didn't have Tabasco, when I asked for it, they just silently dropped off a bottle of Sriracha.

I mentioned having Tabasco to Lucky, who told me that even though he could get a gallon of Tapatio for the same price of a couple of bottles of Tabasco, things just wouldn't be right without it. I like that; it just "wouldn't be right".

Eating at Lucky's always remind me of the places Mom took me to, we didn't have much money and didn't eat out much. It was always a treat. To me, eating at Lucky's is a treat.

And then there are always Lucky's "words of wisdom"....not too much on this day; though he did encourage the young lady to butter her toast since butter was "good for your complexion".

And to file under the "Lucky sees more than you realize". After I paid my bill; Lucky always rounds things off, he told me "you haven't been here in a while" and handed me this.

World Peace & Happiness...….in recent months, I've heard, folks at work, and even some friends of mine surprisingly spout some of the most hateful and resentful rhetoric. We could use some peace and happiness....as usual Lucky has hit it on the nose.

As for the fortune cookie?

I hope so...…

Lucky’s Golden Phenix
3804 Grim Ave
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours:
Mon - Sat 730am - Noon

You can read a wonderful post on Lucky in Eater.

Happy Sunday! 

Tobey's 19th Hole Cafe (revisit)

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog, covering meals consumed near and far.  Kirk is busy with meetings all day, so Cathy is writing a short post.

 The Mister and I tend to take guests out to 'local' rather than 'trendy' places. The other day was no exception.  I've written about this San Diego City golf course (since 1934) restaurant only a few other times in the past years, yet it is a regular stop, usually for a breakfast meal and the view. 

The parking lot nearest the main building is sometimes crowded, but there are nearby 'overflow' lots. 

Stepping inside the Clubhouse, the restaurant is to your left, the view is straight ahead. There's a bar area as well as tables and booths.
 Have a seat by the window and notice how the menu cover reflects your view.
 Breakfast is served all day here.  You can get a one egg, one pancake two bacon (or sausage) meal for $7 or two eggs, two pancakes and two bacon (or sausage) for $9.25.  The (extraordinarily large) pancakes are light and fluffy and really tasty (sweet without needing syrup).  The eggs were perfectly over easy and the bacon was very good.  All in all, a very large breakfast if you order the 'two' instead of 'one'.  Coffee here is $3 and is constantly kept filled. 
The menu board out front has breakfast and lunch specials and on this day, a choice of a hot roast beef or hot meatloaf sandwich ($10.25) were the lunch specials.  I did order the hot beef, but received this hot meatloaf sandwich.  Instead of returning it, I decided to try it.  Good choice.  A very nicely seasoned (chunks of tomato mixed in with a light breadcrumb) meatloaf on (my choice) wheat bread with gravy and mashed potatoes.  A quite large serving and flavor filled. 
The Mister ordered a Chili Size ($13.50), onions on the side (for me) and tots as his side dish choice. This is a wonderful meal.  The bread is on the side; knowing it gets soggy, it's served this way.  Kind of perfect.  The chili, as always, is meaty, lightly spicy, has beans.  Tots are the best choice of side here, unless you are craving a salad (or regular french fries or potato salad).  

Another great meal with a great view in a San Diego neighborhood. 

Tobey's 19th Hole 2600 Golf Course Dr. San Diego, CA 92102 (619) 234-5921 Open daily 6-6 

Talkeetna - Lunch at Talkeetna Roadhouse

We left Seward fairly early in the morning. We had a two hundred-fifty or so mile drive up to Talkeetna where the next part of our trip was taking place. An acquaintance who has been to Alaska several times advised me to be ready for a fairly time consuming drive because of roadwork. And indeed there were two stretches along the way; the first right past Girdwood; where road work created a single lane along the highway almost 7 miles long. And on the Parks Highway, right before Talkeetna Spur Road, where the entire road was....well, gone. Vehicles would escort a line of cars over the dirt and gravel while the road was being rebuilt.

Still, we arrived at Talkeetna too early for check-in. We found some parking along the rustic roadside. Talkeetna is quite quirky. Part frontier town, part an outdoor-artsy haven, part tourist destination, with a definite "hippy" vibe. One thing that was universal (except for the young lady working at our lodge) was that everyone seemed so friendly.....happy even.

Half the fun is people watching.

People were so nice; we didn't mind spending some time (and money) in the arts and gift shops that line the one main street that is Talkeetna.

I'm not sure how many times we were asked where we were from...….and how many times those same folks mentioned visiting San Diego; being last year or several decades ago. From what I gathered, many shops close down during the winter, hence the reason we found people working several jobs during the high season.

After killing a good hour-and-a-half, we headed over to our accommodations. We were still early, so we parked our car and walked up the half mile or so to the mile 13 marker turnoff. We were told the view here is amazing. And yes it was.....

While enjoying the view we heard "hi...….". It turned out to be the two young ladies who sat next to us at Seward Brewing Company the night before! They were here enjoying the view....and chatting up the nice looking young man sitting on the bench. More on these two in a later post.

Let's just enjoy the view, shall we?

 

We then walked back into Talkeetna....yes, I was definitely getting my exercise, even with the car!

We decided to get something to eat. We figured that we'd grab a late dinner....remember; the sun wasn't setting until 11 pm during this time. And Talkeetna Roadhouse seemed like just the right place. Part "Roadhouse", thus the shared rooms and bathrooms, with a large dining room, this place oozes charm.

It still functions as a "roadhouse" with shared rooms and bathrooms....

Though these days, it probably caters more to tourists like us.

We went simply with the Hungarian Mushroom Soup and the Reindeer Chili.

The mushroom soup was nice and hearty, with a good, earthy flavor of mushrooms....but it was barely past lukewarm.

The reindeer chili was quite bland.

And almost room temp....not very pleasant. It needed some heat and seasoning.

What we were really impressed by was the bread; which was warm, yeasty, and so comforting.

This was so good......to the point that we understood what we needed to do in terms of pastries while in Talkeetna.

Talkeetna Roadhouse
13550 E Main St
Talkeetna, AK 99676

Talkeetna is such an interesting and "colorful" town...…….

After lunch we walked back to the lodge which was located on the Susitna River. It was a beautiful location.

And Alaska was turning out to be even more beautiful than we imagined...……..

Tommy's Restaurant (San Clemente) after a visit to the Mission San Juan Capistrano

Thanks for reading this food blog named mmm-yoso!!! Kirk has been away for a few days, resting and Cathy has been taking some 'staycation' time and is writing today.

Having an out of town guest is always a reason to also do something out of the ordinary.  We want to show friends how and where we live and not do too many typical touristy things.  The Spanish Missions in California are a strong part of our history and always fascinating as well as educational.  We thought a short drive up the coast would be fun. Mission San Juan Capistrano, the "loveliest of the Franciscan ruins",provided us with insight as to how the missionaries and indigenous natives lived  and built their self sufficient compound, with gardens for food,  vineyards (for wine used during mass), a baking area, stables and all in all a small city
with a church next to the cemetery.  (This is the second church built on the grounds,   the original 'Great Stone Church' with its Greco-Roman style architecture was felled by an earthquake on December 8, 1812). 

A great day of walking, listening to a well recorded self guided tour and learning so much.  

Mission San Juan Capistrano Website

We left just after 1 p.m. and although hungry, didn't want to stay in town, instead driving a few exits south to the signage we had seen so many times over the years.Yep.  Tommy's Restaurant.  We had always been curious but usually were 'almost home' so had never stopped.  
The view from the parking lot is of the ocean. 
Inside...well..look for yourself...


A 50's diner with beautiful upholstered booths and a fresh flower on each table.  We had just missed the 'lunch rush'.
The menu accommodated each of us.  The "2x2x2" breakfast ($8.99) had some really great, sweet fluffy and tender pancakes along with perfectly over easy eggs and two slices of quality, thick meaty bacon.
The Monte Cristo ($9.99 plus $1.50 for substitution of onion rings) was really well made, with plenty of ham and turkey (and melted Swiss) on a nicely fried eggy french toast.  The rings were surprisingly good; whole onion slices in the crispy corn batter.  
  The 1/2 sandwich (with soup or salad, $7.99) was a wonderful choice.  The clam chowder (soup of the day) was definitely made from scratch, had a clam juice based broth, filled with clam pieces as well as finely minced (yet still crispy) celery and with several (but not too many pieces of) skin on diced potato.  Tuna salad on marble rye bread with lettuce, tomato and pickle was a great sandwich. It wasn't a 'solid' tuna, which meant it accommodated the various ingredients and had more flavor.    

We will definitely stop here again.

Tommy's Diner 1409 El Camino Real San Clemente, CA 92672 (949)498-7000 Open Daily 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Website

Bonny's Cafe-Breakfast in El Cajon

Here you are, back reading mmm-yoso!!!, wondering where Kirk has been.  Well, he's at work.  Cathy is writing this post.  

Lately, the days have been busy and going out to breakfast seems the easiest; not too crowded, everyone can order what they want, the day is off to a good start.  Of course, local standbys are most interesting (Perry's, Izzy's) compared to chains (although I have a few posts about chain breakfasts, too).  I realized that I had never posted about Bonny's Cafe, even though we've been here many times 

 In this location for about 24 years, Bonny's is a breakfast-lunch diner with a bit of a decoration 'theme'.

 Primarily 1950's America.  This is but a small glimpse; the dining area was packed at 8 a.m. on a Wednesday.

 A short stack ($6.50), add bacon and two eggs (scrambled) ($2.95) is quite enough breakfast.  The from scratch pancakes are slightly sweet, fluffy, large and cause cravings.  The bacon is thick and meaty.

 The chicken fried steak meal ($10.75) comes with a choice of toast or biscuit and gravy...oh and the gravy here is magical- smooth, not salty, containing a lot of house made sausage bits and just enough black pepper.  More gravy on the house made fresh, fluffy biscuit was a bonus.  The chicken fried steak here is *wonderful*- a crispy, lightly seasoned coating on very tender cube steak, cooked just so perfectly.  The hash browns were crispy on the top but fairly raw/plain in the center; only the edges were consumed. 
 French toast, thick slice of a good quality sausage patty, and eggs over hard ($7.95)  Why eggs that way?
  The salsa.  I've never asked if it is house made or a certain brand, but gosh is it good!  With the hard cooked eggs, it's quite a burst of great flavors.  I sometimes crave a bit of sweet (the French toast) with a generally savory meal.  This combination is just right.

Bonny's is a great, local, fun place.  Look at those plates!

Bonny's Cafe 596 Broadway, El Cajon 92021 (619) 579-3464 Open Wed-Mon 6 a.m.-2 p.m. CLOSED ON TUESDAYS

 

Montreal - Jean-Talon Market and Schwartz's Deli

I knew we needed some exercise after our zillion calorie meal at Au Pied de Cochon. So I had planned on hoofing it up to Jean Talon Market but it was drizzling so we decided to catch the metro instead. When we arrived the place was pretty much deserted.

It was pretty quiet and we weren't going to be doing any self-catering during our last evening in Montreal, so we just kind of wandered around.

Nothing caught our fancy, so we decided to head on back to Mount Royal area.

Jean-Talon Market
7070 Henri Julien Ave.
Montreal, QC H2S 3S3, Canada

It was a pretty good walk.

There are some pretty interesting buildings in the area, like this one.

I couldn't figure out what it was, so when we returned I looked up the address and it's named Musée des pompiers de Montréal. It's the firefighters museum; which is only open on Sundays from 130pm to 4pm.

It was still a bit early for our lunch destination, so we decided to grab a cup of coffee and relax. We found this very modern-hipsterish looking shop named Dispatch Coffee.

I got some espresso and they served it up right....with sparkling water.

Dispatch Coffee
4021 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montreal, QC H2W 1Y4, Canada

By this time our early lunch destination was ready for business.

I'd heard countless times that you "need" to go to Schwartz's when in Montreal. It's an iconic purveyor of Montreal smoked meat....don't be calling it pastrami in MTL. While similar in in terms of being seasoned, cured, and smoked, classic pastrami is made with beef navel, the front or "ventral" part of the beef plate. Montreal smoked meat like corned beef is made with the brisket. You can read more about the differences at a load of sites; some of them humorously opinionated. I was here to eat.

One quick thing about Schwartz's. You'll see the opening hours listed as 8am; you can get stuff next door to go at that time. But if you want "hot meat", you'll have to wait until 1030.

We got in right at 1030 and sat at the counter. The young man who served us was great; friendly, helpful, in that truly Canadian way.

The place filled up pretty quickly.

The young man pointed out that the "classic" Schwartz's combo was a Smoked Meat Medium Fat, Fries, Dill Pickle, and a Cherry Soda......we got fifty percent of that, the dill pickled, crisp, nicely balanced in flavor and the Smoked Meat Sandwich Medium Fat (9.75 CAD - about $7.40/US !!!). We watched with anxious anticipation as the meat for our sandwich was hand cut.

Man, this was good!

It's not very often that a place delivers on all the hype and expectations. Schwatrz's did this and more. From the surprisingly tender and moist texture, to the balanced seasoning, not too salty, but with more "umph" than most pastrami sandwiches I've had, the wonderful savory tones really shone. The bread was soft, but stood up well to the pastrami with the flavor of caraway, that malty-nutty-spiciness, bringing things together. The mustard added just enough acidic-pungency to cut any richness.

The Missus is still talking about this sandwich.

There was a line forming outside the deli as we left. I can see why.....

Schwartz’s Deli
3895 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montreal, QC H2W 1X9, Canada

A while not everyone would agree, I'd say Schwartz's really delivered. We left, satisfied and not stuffed, just perfectly happy.

Elijah's (breakfast)

This is mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Kirk is taking a break from blogging to concentrate on his job, which is crazy busy this time of the year.  Cathy is writing.

A few weeks ago, Kirk wrote about sandwiches at Elijah's after mentioning breakfast here a few months earlier. The Mister and I were curious, in the area one weekend morning, so dropped in for breakfast.  As Kirk Mentioned, it's the former Players Sports Bar, located just next to Niban, mentioned in the middle of this post  (in that post, there are links to three other Niban posts).  Even though we are in this area a lot, we've never tried Elijah's.

 There's an additional dining area behind the main area, for parties, meetings or large crowds. Neat, clean with friendly and efficient people working.  Coffee ($2.25) and water were kept filled the whole time we were here. 

  Deli Scrambled eggs ($9.95) (with corned beef in this case; pastrami or turkey were other meat choices) was filled with meat mixed in with the large amount of eggs, served with that square of hash browns (or home fries if you chose) and a toasted bagel (a variety were offered) with butter and cream cheese.
 I ordered the Smoked White Fish Platter ($16.95), because I had a craving for it, recalling the Smoked White Fish Platter that I had in August at D.Z. Akins.  You might notice some fine bones in the smoked fish; that was my only complaint. The lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives and capers as well as the rye toast were all fresh, complimentary and so tasty with the nicely smoked white fish.  

Elijah’s Restaurant & Delicatessen  7061 Clairemont Mesa Blvd  San Diego, CA 92111 Website Open Daily, 8 a.m.-9 p.m.

2017 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road testing and breakfasts: Chuck Wagon (Corona); Rod's Grill (Arcadia); Silver Dollar Pancake House (Corona)(revisit)

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this food blog.  Kirk is not writing today, neither is Ed(from Yuma).  This is just another Cathy posting.

This year has been different.  In addition to having a tremendous amount of friends and neighbors die (I stopped counting in mid February, after there had been 23), I tried to keep things more or less normal, writing a post about the first Float Road Test for the 2017 Rose Parade. The Mister and I drove to subsequent monthly road tests (and afterwards, breakfast) and took photos.  This post is a summary of what we ate and some of what you will see on television on January 2, 2017 (there's never a parade on Sunday).

Trader Joe's will have another three part float in the 2017 parade, (parade theme is Echoes of Success), titled 'All Aboard! 50 Years of Serving the Best'.   The American Armenian Rose Float Association road test in August showcased a magnificent looking float.   The road test two months later showed the color outlined (coloring outlines are there to help decorators as well as help if there are any problems with decorations during the actual parade: you'll still see color) fully expanded float, titled "Field of Dreams", depicting the 'Echoes of Success' of the American Armenian diaspora success story. 

I'll take some breaks from floats and road tests, interspersing breakfasts enjoyed driving home.

  Because we got stuck in traffic (again), we stopped at a place we have been passing for several years. The old fashioned sign (which must look very cool at night) is a friendly welcome to the naugahyde, paneled, not recently updated interior; half of the building is a 'bar' area, open in morning hours. The breakfast menu is served all day.  Let me preface this by saying that we took home a lot of leftovers. The 'Chuck Wagon Country Breakfast' ($11.95) was absolutely wonderful in quality and flavors!  Three eggs (poached, of course), two (large, flavorful) link sausages, two thick pieces of smoked meaty bacon and a slice of country style ham with a side of thinly sliced, crispy home fries topped with green pepper and onions. There was also a choice of toast or pancakes with this plate.  Ever since the summer road trip and meals across the USA with either my brother or nephew, pancakes have become a slight obsession.  The ones at Chuck Wagon are notably good; from scratch flavors, slightly sweet, fluffy with a delicate crust .     
   The perfectly prepared, real cube steak chicken fried steak was lightly breaded and fried perfectly ($11.50).  The flavors were fresh, the country gravy (again, from scratch: there were flour lumps) and even the crispy hash browns were wonderful.  The fresh made from scratch biscuit-flaky layers with the golden, crispy crust- was great.  

Another really great Corona restaurant.  

Chuck Wagon Cafe 1070 6th Street Corona, CA 92879 (951)737-7162 open daily 6:30a.m.-10 p.m. 

Returning to some float road tests... Rotary International's float, 'Doing Good in the World'  is just so cute even without the coloring outlines added! Shriners Hospitals for children, 'Anything is Possible', is adorable!  From the artist rendition(see end of post for a link), it looks like the mascot, Fezzy Bear, will be riding on the float in January.  Union Bank has again teamed up with the American Heart Association for the float 'Keep the Beat Alive'. Last month, we didn't even bother going on the freeway to get home, took side roads parallel to the 210 and noticed Rod's, a corner coffee shop that's been in Arcadia since 1957. Taking seats at the counter, because all the aqua naugahyde booths were full, we took note of some posted daily specials (even on weekends!)


   

The 'pork sausage w/ fresh apples- cheese omelet' ($9.95) was most unexpected (and in keeping with my penchant for fresh apples).  Yes, breakfast sausages and sautéed fresh apples filled this large eggy-cheesy breakfast omelet! There were some great home fries and toast which accompanied this surprising menu special.  These banana walnut crepes which came with two eggs and sausage ($8.95) were filled with a fluffy cream cheese-cottage cheese mix and topped with toasted nuts and nicely ripe banana slices; not crazy sweet at all. These are not delicate flat crepes, but also not thick pancakes...more of a Swedish pancake. 

So glad we stopped here! Rod's Grill 41 W Huntington Drive Arcadia, CA 91007 (626) 447-7515 open 6 am-9 pm daily

United Sikh Mission USA has another beautiful float, 'Together We Rise', which I think will be a prize winner not only for its beauty, but also for the message.  Western Asset (an investment group) is sponsoring this float, 'Prosperity in the Wild' which won't have any riders, but instead much animation.   This rather simple looking float from Farmers Insurance has a 'reflection' of the parade route in the front 'window' (including the rose colored line that is in the center of Colorado Boulevard, a guide for float drivers, who drive 'blind' while speaking to the 'spotter' who each has a small window in front to observe the activities in front of the float). The title of 'We Came, We Saw, We Covered' is a slight clue as to the 'surprise' you will see on January 2.  (see the bottom of this post)

One last breakfast, a repeat visit.
 
 If we find ourselves in Corona and notice there is no line waiting for seating, we stop at Silver Dollar.  This day, it was convenient to sit at the counter instead of waiting for a table to be available. 
  This is the two egg, two pancake deal (the second egg was brought over later)($5.49, additional .69 to substitute sausage patty for links-worth it!) was particularly good. The 2 bacon, 2 egg (and biscuits with gravy instead of toast) ($8.59) was enjoyed by The Mister. The country gravy and fresh flaky not too large biscuits were just right with the perfect over easy eggs and bacon.

Silver Dollar Pancake House 710 East Sixth Corona, CA 92879 (951) 737-5977 Open Mon-Sat 5 a.m.-4 p.m., Sun 6 a.m.-4 p.m. 

Rose Parade preparations. Diners for breakfast.  America.

 See artist renditions of some 2017 floats here.

What's going on under that Farmers Insurance float? Here's a sneak peek:

Mary Etta's Cafe (Flinn Springs/El Cajon)

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food.  Kirk is traveling today, Ed (from Yuma) is currently relaxing and Cathy is thinking about her future vacation while writing a short post.

A few weeks ago, The Mister and I were in East County and took the exit on Lake Jennings Park Road, driving past the abandoned amusement park, Marshal Scotty's (sometimes referred to as the East County Disneyland).  Staying along the interstate on Olde Highway 80, passing Flinn Springs County Park, we spotted parking in front of Mary Etta's Cafe, which has been in this location since about 1935.  

The small Cafe has both a high and low counter seating as well as five booths. The clientele is mostly locals. 

There are specials on the white board on the far wall and the menu is uncomplicated.  A cup of coffee is $2.35 and constantly refilled. 

The chicken fried steak plate ($9.50) is a good choice.  The breading on the meat is crispy, the sausage gravy is great.  Those potatoes are so good; thinly mandolin sliced and crispy fried; not a hash brown nor a home fry. 

 You can order one, two or three eggs with a choice of meats with potato and toast.  This two egg with a (house made!) sausage patty was my choice ($8.50).  The eggs were a perfect over easy (runny orange yolks; the eggs are from a local ranch), that sausage is simply wonderful; proper spices, thick corse ground pork and fried to a light crust...and the potatoes: those are the same my mom and dad would make for us on the weekend (and also the same type as I had at the Original Tops in November 2014).

The choice of toast is only white or wheat, Mary Etta's isn't hipster; its a local, long time favorite.  Hidden treasure.

 Mary Etta's Cafe 14809 Olde Highway 80 El Cajon 92021 (619) 390-1973 Open 7 a.m.-2 p.m. daily 

 What remains of Marshal Scotty's Amusement Park