mmm-yoso!!!

2020 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road test #2 and multiple food adventures: Porto's, Iron & Kin Coffee, Cafe 86 and Kra-Z Kai's Lao BBQ

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food and there is always a reason we find the food.  Over the weekend, Cathy and cc woke early to drive to Irwindale, photograph participate in the second float road test and then took many side roads to enjoy some great foods and beverages while heading home.

Link to Road Test #1

First, the road testing for 2020 Rose Parade floats.  This early morning, multiple floats were being tested at Phoenix Decorating Company for mechanics and maneuverability, some with 'weight' on board.  The weight was humans, who will be riding on the floats during the Parade on January 1, 2020.  cc and I were asked if we would like to help by sitting on a float while it was driven a short way down the street, backed up, turned around and then participated in a fire drill, making sure that all the people (including the Driver and Spotter of the float) could disembark in 45 seconds. 

The 2020 Kiwanis International float, "Soaring with Hope" passed its road test (the open doors are from where the Spotter and Driver exited for the fire drill).  

The Rotary International 2020 Rose Parade entry, "Hope Connects the World" was painted in and road tested. (It wasn't yet painted in for the first Road Test).

This is the off camera side view of the Lutheran Hour Ministries float, "Anchored in Jesus".  It will appear as if underwater. 

"Hope for 2020",  the Lions Clubs International  float entry was also tested that morning. 

"First Responders Bring Hope", the 2020 entry by Oddfellows and Rebekahs was fully color coded for easy placement of natural materials during Decoration Days and also tested.  Behind it was the Mrs. Meyers Clean Day float, taking its first road test.  If you zoom in, you'll see a wheelbarrow with what looks like squash covered by an umbrella.  No artist rendering yet. 

It was fun and informative to be able to help with a road test.  

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It was the start of a day of food and adventure! cc was without Bert and I was without The Mister. 

Back to Portos! Only six miles and a few minutes away. My second visit ever.  Again, not very crowded (before 9 a.m.)

Sandwiches are available all Day. We decided to share a Pan con Lechon ($6.65) Slow roasted pork, mojo garlic sauce and pickled onion on Cuban bread (with plantain chips on the side). Wow. This was pretty much the best sandwich ever.
I was curious about the Tamal a Caballo ($4.75) as a breakfast item and it was another wow moment.  The masa, so very soft, had whole pieces of corn, the savory pork filling, a salsa verde and plantain strips.  

We purchased more than several items to take home.  I had a handwritten list from The Mister.   We also enjoyed beverages at the table.  The prices here are great, the freshness and quality are consistent. More menu items will be tried next month. 

Portos, many Los Angeles County locations. website

Soon it was off to our next planned stop for coffee.  cc had researched and found a coffee shop with an unusual caffeinated offerings in Pomona, sort of 'on the way home'.  Iron and Kin opened in May 2018 inside a restored downtown Hotel.  Half of the shop is a Craft Cocktail Bar, O'Donovan's Pub, open in evenings.  The other side is an efficient coffee bar.  cc had asked Josh, one of the owners of Iron and Kin, about the special "Affirmation Drinks" menu (she saw photos on Instagram).  We wanted to try each of the drinks, but knew we couldn't drink that much caffeine (or liquid).
 Josh was kind enough to prepare sample sizes of each of these unique beverages.  First, I must say the espresso, on its own, is of very high quality.  A smooth, strong, sweet yet not bitter/sour base to each beverage.  The unique Affirmation flavors were distinct, fresh and really wonderful: varying from chillies and cinnamon with cloves to turmeric with ginger, cardamom and honey with black pepper to figs with vanilla, brown sugar and black pepper to smoked salt with cream, brown sugar and Old Forester Bourbon as well as the iced matcha/gingerbeer/limeade/yuzu. Beverages not found in San Diego. Quality.

Iron and Kin 101 E. Third Street, Pomona, CA (951)808-7584 Website
We also made a quick stop at Cravings by 99 Ranch, but didn't snack there.  One block away is a Filipino Coffee and Tea Shop. Cafe 86 has been on Edison Avenue since 2014 and serves matcha, coconut, mango, hibiscus, ube and calamansi iced and hot beverages, ice cream and pastries in addition to coffees.   
  I think ube is the 'new' flavor of the year- even Trader Joe's is carrying an ube ice cream.  We only purchased the ube/coconut mini bundt cakes and iced Madelines. These were delicious with a cup of hot tea the next morning.

Cafe 86 4110 Edison Ave Chino, CA 91710 Website

 cc had one last planned stop- the only Lao BBQ restaurant in Southern California- Kra Z Kai's.  It's located in a large mall area anchored by a Sonic.  We each ended up purchasing food to go as well as some to eat in-all of the BBQ meats.  The distinct Southeast Asian flavors of garlic and lemongrass with the char grilled meats is just so perfect.  The house made sausage is coarse ground and has onion and leeks. Of course, sticky rice is the only proper rice to have with these items, even though steamed and fried rice are also offered.

Kra-z Kais 1218 Magnolia Ave #G110 Corona, CA 92881 (Southwest Corner of I-15 and Magnolia) Website

The end of an epic road trip.  There were other stops, because we avoided traffic. These were the highlights...plus my view while on the road test...

2020 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road test #1. Breakfast and snacks at Porto's.

mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food.  So many reasons to get to the food.  Cathy is writing today because the reason to drive North is again happening.

A few weeks after the 2019 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Showcase of Floats, on Sierra Madre Boulevard at the end of the Parade route, the President of the 2020 Parade (Laura Farber) was announced and the Theme of the 2020 Parade-  "The Power of Hope" was introduced. “With hope – anything, in fact, everything is possible.  Hope is more than simply the possibility of fulfillment. Hope is dignity and respect, joy and happiness, aspiration and achievement. Hope never, ever quits. Through hope, we can aspire to be our best and in turn inspire those around us to reach higher.”.  The float designs for the 130th Rose Parade use this as their design inspiration. 

Float designs were submitted to the Tournament and, once approved, construction began.  The first of a series of "Road Tests" (of manipulation, maneuverability and safety of the floats) of some of the 22 floats to be constructed by Phoenix Decorating Company, occurred on Saturday in Irwindale.  There will be about 44 floats total in the parade; Phoenix is one of three float building businesses, (six floats which are 'self constructed' also participate). Oddfellows Rebekahs float for 2020 is "First Responders Bring Hope".  This float will be applauded throughout the 5.5 mile parade route.
The little detail which might be missed in the Lions Clubs International "Hope for 20/20" float is that each character on board is wearing glasses- a nod to one of the Lion signature projects: vision.  
The 2020 Lutheran Hour Ministries float, "Anchored in Jesus"- a submerged anchor with three fish surrounding it, is the 70th entry for the only Christian themed Rose Parade float sponsored by the Lutheran Layman's League.
 Kiwanis International hasn't released an Artist rendition or title of their 2020 float; I'll add it.  So cute!

The above floats are marked with the colors to help with decoration (which begins the first Saturday in December).  The following two floats aren't quite as far along in construction.
 The 2020 Rose Parade float entered by Rotary International, "Hope Connects the World" is going to appear as if it is a balloon (like the San Diego Holiday Bowl parade) in the parade, with out walkers 'holding it down'.  It is in the 'cocoon' stage of construction.
 The City of Alhambra will enter this "Hope Keeps Us Going" float, still in the 'skeleton' phase of design. 

It looks like the morning of January 1, 2020 will be a great start to the year!

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I know, you are here for the food portion of the blog.  There was a small newspaper article in 2017 about a new location of Porto's, a Cuban Bakery Cafe, in the Los Angeles County area since 1976,  opening a fifth location.  Finally, the West Covina location opened two months ago.   I was interested in Porto's because of postings by other blogs: cc has made multiple visits, as have Soo and Maggie, Faye, Kirbie and Mary.  In fact, we've been to Azucar and Los Pollos specifically to try Cuban delicacies without having to drive a few hours to a Porto's location.. 
This store, six miles South of Phoenix Decorating, on the same road (which changes names, but is a straight drive) is so close!
There's an open baking area, 
the ordering lines are organized.  
There is a Coffee bar just to the right as you walk in. We didn't know the 'system' (you can order beverages when you are ordering Bakery and/or Cafe items in any line) and I sent The Mister off to order beverages here. A mojito  ($3.39) and a Double Cortadito ($2.59). 
 
  The display cases are just that-displays.  They are always full. You order and the Porto's guy (or gal) turns and goes to the kitchen to box your items...which (at least around 8 a.m.) are freshly warm. 
A potato ball ($1.05), ham croquette (95¢) and, as I must always order, ham and cheese baked in a croissant ($2.35).
Cross sections- the mashed potato ball is filled with picadillo (I could taste the olives!) before being rolled in breadcrumbs and fried.  I could see eating a few of these as a meal.  The ham croquette is very rich- just ham chunks and a seasoned Bechamel (flour, butter and milk) sauce.  It looks small but is just enough.
Cross section of the Ham and Cheese baked in a bread.  A wonderful rendition. 
Rellenitos-$1.05 each.  Made to order. Listed in the 'Savory' section of the menu.
Mashed plantain filled with black beans, fried then rolled in sugar.  This is wonderful.

Since it was breakfast and we were here...Torrejas was ordered ($5.98).
 Cuban style French toast, made with croissant dough, served with a more or less tropical fruit salad (that is guava sauce and it's not sweetened) and whipped cream cheese. Decadent and kind of addictive. 

We will return-many times- to try out the whole menu.

Porto's West Covina 584 S. Sunset, West Covina, CA 91790 (626)214-3490 Open Mon-Th 6:30-8:30, Fri-Sat 6:30-9, Sun 7-8 Website

 

2019 San Diego County Fair- OzSome! (Part 2)

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Kirk and (sometimes) Cathy write about food and sometimes add in little tidbits about how and where the food was attained.  This is one of those posts, written by Cathy.

The 2019 San Diego County Fair, the largest attended County Fair in the USA (and fifth largest Fair of any kind), has been open since May 31 and will have its final day on July 4.  I wrote a short post before the Fair opened and hope that many of you have already had a chance to attend.  The Mister and I have visited the Fairgrounds a few times and this short post is just a small taste of some of the Fair foods we have had, and some of what we have seen.  There will be a 'Part Three' wrap up post, after the closing. Soo and Maggie have attended.

The theme of the 2019 Fair, "OzSome" focuses on the L. Frank Baum original book series, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" (and not the movie-musical which most of us have seen on television).  There are far more details in the 13 volume book series.  

 From 1947-1984, Spanish actor Tommy Hernandez portrayed Don Diego as the Official Ambassador to the Fair.  After the death of Hernandez, instead of having another actor portray Don Diego Alvarado, whose family had a large land grant in the Del Mar area during the late 1800s, a 16 foot tall bronze statue stands at the entrance to the Fairgrounds, appropriately dressed for the Theme. 
 Once you walk inside, there are characters greeting and walking around, ready to pose with families for photos.  Each of the various Exhibit areas is decorate in the Fair theme.  
As are many of the entries and displays.

  The tornado ravaged home, crushing the Wicked Witch (look to the bottom left in this photo), is quite an original display in Home and Hobby.  As are the entries in so many divisions.  

I know, you are here for the food.  Here's a bit of what is available.  
Inside Bing Crosby Hall, the old Dixie's Mini Donuts stand has been sold, name changed to Lillie B's Donuts and reversed (you pay first then walk along and watch your order prepared).  Still hot and fresh and a traditional treat. 
As always, a sandwich from the Roxy's fair booth is a given for us.  This year it was the artichoke sandwich ($13, because we added avocado).  This sandwich is just wonderful, yet we never order a sandwich at the restaurant.

Another regular 'Fair food' for us comes from the Fresh Cream Puff booth.  This year there was an offering of a 'Neapolitan' puff- with chocolate, vanilla and strawberry cream...but the strawberry wasn't ready yet, so we asked if we could just have a chocolate and vanilla combo...($4) the shell was fresh made as were the real whipped creams. An indulgence we can't find 'on the outside'.  

The Mister always must order 'something pesto' from Pignotti's.  This year is was the tortellini.  Cheese filled and slathered in the wonderful basil-garlic-olive oil sauce...a comfort food. 
  There's a 'new' booth on the Midway this year (it had been closer to the animal barns in previous years) selling cheese curds ($7).  These were served on a bed of garlic-parsley-coarse salted fries, which were also quite good, although the squeaky cheese was just a perfect bite.  There are a few 'themed' items, like this "Wicked Witch" Sriracha ceviche. As well as a duo of "Good Witch" and "Wicked Witch" toasts...and everything else on the menu at the Emerald Eatery inside the Paul Ecke Garden Show area (This restaurant/booth changes annually with Fair Themed, 'healthier' choices).

There will be plenty more activities to show in the third post of this series.  There's a week to go: the Junior Livestock Auction is tomorrow, fireworks the evening of the 4th of July, and so much more to enjoy until then (Woodworking, Gems and Minerals, Concerts, Flower Show, Photography and Art, Creative Youth, the Farm in Family Funville, the Theme Exhibit, rides, carnival games, Petting Zoo, Camels, Pig Races and a few daily contests (watermelon spitting, pie eating and more) and events.  Since the admission is $20 per person, you could still buy a "Best Pass Ever" for $32-it's a season pass, and gets you in every day of the Fair (so you feel no pressure to do everything at once)) at Vons or Albertsons.

San Diego County Fair Website Open daily at 11 (10 a.m. on July 4).  Free parking this year only at Torrey Pines High School and Miracosta College (with a free shuttle) $5 parking at Horse Park and $17 parking at the Fairgrounds

It's OzSome!

2019 San Diego County Fair-OZSome (Part One-before it opens)

mmm-yoso!!!, the blog about food has no food photos today...so you can skip if that's why you are here.  There are a few suggestions contained within and in a couple of weeks a 'Part Two' will reveal some tasty treats enjoyed.  Cathy is writing; Kirk is (still) on vacation.

Here is a link to Part Two

The San Diego County Fair officially opens at 4 p.m. today.  The Theme this year is "OZsome"... Reflected in the Front Gate design which includes a Yellow Brick Road and the Emerald City, along with poppy and corn fields.  The inspiration for the Fair is L. Frank Baum's classic children's novel,  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which The Library of Congress declared "America's greatest and best-loved homegrown fairytale." Its groundbreaking success and the success of the Broadway musical adapted from the novel led Baum to write thirteen additional Oz books that serve as official sequels to the first story.  (The 1939 musical film adaptation starring Judy Garland, which we see on TV every year is not at all as detailed as the original Children's novels).

The view down the Midway (with the Ferris wheel at the West end) is amazing without the crowds.  The corncob inflatable is a bit more realistic this year, with roasted corn kernels and three dimensional husk.  Next to that booth is the Mediterranean gyros booth, which I mentioned in my (only) 2018 County Fair post, where we purchased a wonderful food offering of bacon baklava.


Home and Hobby, the 'Heart' of the Fair has had entries already judged.
Table Settings will be displayed together on one of the outdoor patios. 
 Collections have so many unique entries this year.


 Crafts.  There are many hand made crafting Divisions.


 Quilting has a Fair Theme display.

Preserved foods, 

baked goods, candies,
and decorated cakes were judged yesterday.
The various Guilds will be represented, giving daily demonstrations. 

The Gingerbread Shop is advertising two Oz-centric treats.  Here's a link to the various food offerings at the 2019 Fair.

Map of food stands.
 The 2019 San Diego County Fair is going to be Awesome OZsome!

2019 San Diego County Fair Website Open May 31-July 4.  Closed Mondays and Tuesdays in June. Free Parking at Torrey Pines High School at noon on weekdays and weekends, MiraCosta College on weekends.  (Horse Park parking is now $5) Discount admission tickets sold at Vons and Albertsons

 

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

2019 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float decorating, dinner at Costa's Family Restaurant (Covina)

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog which sometimes includes stories about attainment of the food.  Today, Cathy is writing while Kirk is busy at work. 

This past Saturday, the 'Dry Decoration Days' for the 130th Tournament of Roses Rose Parade at Phoenix Decorating Company began.   Here are some photos of materials and details of what happened.  (sentence descriptions are in order of  thumbprints)  The various colors of statice need to be cut from the stems (after drying a bit).  There are crushed peas, yellow straw flowers, some leftover straw flowers from last year.  You can see black beans which were tediously placed on some signage (those beans have white 'eyes' which need to be placed away from being seen).  There are branches and lunaria ('money plant'-those opaque white circles) and pine cones.  The beans use 'oasis glue' to stick to the foam backing. Green pea halves are glued on the 'Service Rocks' signage. The watermelons have the light stripes covered in crushed green peas and the dark stripes are covered in crushed dry parsley.  More pine cones are taken apart and the individual acicular shaped leaves (sometimes called needles) are individually placed on the edge of a small 'birdhouse'.  Dry materials are stored in large airtight trash cans.
Here's a look at the 'Glue Station' where each type of glue (white and oasis) are picked up (and where unused glue is returned).

Here are some of the 19 floats being decorated here (some floats are still under construction).
The Banner float- first one you will see in the parade. it introduces the theme of "The Melody of Life".  Each float will have some sort of way of showcasing music and/or musical instruments. The Grand Marshal of the Parade is Chaka Kahn.
"Service Rocks" sponsored by Rotary International.  See...the crocodile...and the title includes 'rocks'...I'm guessing 'Crocodile Rock' is the song for this float. 
 "Fezzy's garden of Hope and Healing", sponsored by Shriners Hospitals for Children. It's cute, pretty and will be fun to watch. "Rockin the Vest" sponsored by Lions Clubs International. If you recall, I posted a link to the 2011 Lions Club video (titled 'Rockin' the Vest') which was used to recruit new members.  Lions Club is the world's largest volunteer organization and members wear distinctive yellow vests when performing community service. The United Sikh Mission is sponsoring "A Divine Melody Resonates in All", featuring a Rabab, a stringed instrument from around AD 900. 
 "Garden Fresh" has such a cute float design for a new sponsor this year, Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day."Yellow Submarine", sponsored by Western Asset will be. joy to watch as well as hear.  Many interesting materials will be used on this float. 
"Helping Kids Rock Their Future", sponsored by Kiwanis International is a giant 'jukebox'(the underside of those records are covered with either poppy seeds or black onion seeds).
The American Legion, a Veteran association, is sponsoring "Still Serving America" this year.  (All floats have to be able to fit along the parade route in certain areas and so that's why you see 'collapsed' parts, like the eagle head).
The Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs, a service organization, is celebrating "200 years of Harmony" with this delightful calliope featuring flags of some of the countries where they serve.
The American Armenian Rose Float Association is sponsoring another history laden float, "Chanting Stones, Karahunj" and will feature two men dancing atop the 'Singing Stones' of Sisian. The City of Hope is sponsoring "Harmony of Hope", which will be another beautiful float reminding us of The Miracle of Science with Soul. You'll see some DNA strands and other details when the float passes. 
 "Joy to the World, the Lord is Come" is presented by the Lutheran Hour Ministries and will not only have bells and horns on the float, but also a choir! (we volunteer with the Petal Pushers to decorate floats which helps defray the cost of this, the only Christian themed float, in the Parade for the 69th year). 
The entry from Trader Joe's, "Ride, Captain, Ride" has a secret you'll see on January 1. Even without the surprise, it's an attractive float.
The final float in the parade will advertise what's coming up later that day, the 105th Rose Bowl football game. The float is a replica of the bowl and has a replica of the trophy given to the winning team.  
The City of Alhambra's float, "Home Tweet Home"is just so very distinguished and cute.  

I have had posts showing road tests of most of these floats (Road tests #1 and #2...Road test #3...Road tests #4 and #5...and Road Test #6. 2018 has been long and the parade will be here on January 1, 2019 to kick off a new beginning.  

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This is why (most of) you are here...the food portion of this post.  

The Mister and I were exhausted and left the float barn at about 4:30.  We did have lunch and a light breakfast (at the Kolache Factory) and were ready for a relaxing (seated on real chairs) dinner.  We headed back to a spot here we enjoyed breakfasts two weeks in a row-Costa's  Family Restaurant in Covina, a few exits east of our Irwindale entrance back onto the 210.The back room had a few Christmas decorations. 
 My meal came with a salad and I was asked if beets would be OK...of course beets are OK, beets are wonderful!
The Mister had a choice of soups and chicken and dumplings it was...made from scratch.  A great soup. 
The dinner rolls were, of course, home made. 
The Mister ordered the Trout Dinner ($10.49).  Lightly pan fried, skin on trout filet served with a house made tartar sauce, tomato-onion green beans and (real) rice pilaf. This food- all of it was wonderful. 
I decided on a menu dinner special, Prime Rib ($13.49). Got it with the same green beans and a baked potato.   Wonderful, satisfying, most of everything from scratch...what more could we want?
Dessert- included (!) This is a from scratch tapioca pudding.  Vanilla...very vanilla.
Bread pudding...caramel bread pudding.  

If we lived in Covina, Costa's would be a daily stop.  

Costa's Family Restaurant 851 E. San Bernadino Road Covina, CA 91723 Open Daily 5:30a.m. - 9 p.m.

2019 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Road Test #6; Breakfast at Bravo Burgers (Chino)

mmm-yoso!!! is primarily a blog about food.  There are so many reasons we discover the food.  Cathy is writing today's post, because she did this drive and saw this stuff and discovered another restaurant on the way home.  Kirk isn't in town.

Yesterday was the sixth 'official' road test for floats participating in the 2019 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade built by Phoenix Decorating Company. { Here are links to road tests #1 and #2, road test #3 and here is road test #4 and #5} (There are three other decorating companies and six floats are 'self built'; we volunteer with the Petal Pushers when we decorate floats.  You can, too!).     
The first float you will see in the parade, "Theme Float" will have the theme banner right there on the front (where the rectangle is cut out for the float 'spotter' to look out onto the parade route (each float has a 'driver', who basically looks down onto the rose colored line drawn on the street to know he/she is driving along the center of the route and a 'spotter' who communicates to the driver via a headset if the pace needs to be slowed, stopped or sped up)(look for other 'spotter' rectangles in the next two float photos)). The theme of "The Melody of Life" is reflected on that swoop going up behind the float- see the small music notes?
 The closing float this year will remind viewers of what is to come- the Tournament of Roses Rose Bowl Game.  The float is designed like the Rose Bowl Stadium and a larger than life replica of the winners trophy is prominent. 
 Western Asset's entry is simply titled "Yellow Submarine"..and we can all guess which song we will hear when it passes on the television screen (or in front of you if you are fortunate enough to have a seat on Colorado Boulevard on January 1). 

The American Armenian Rose Float Association's entry of "Chanting Stones" Is proving to be again, another educational entry: KARAHUNJ “Armenia’s singing stones full of noises, sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and simplicity.”
Located on a mountain plateau in Sisian in the Syunik province, also called Zorats Karer in Armenian which literally translates to Army Stones, Karahundj (meaning Speaking Stones probably related to the fact that on a windy day the stones make whistling sounds because of holes in the stones. According to the scientist’s findings, a temple consisting of 40 stones built in honor of the Armenians’ main God, Ari, meaning the Sun, is situated in the central part. It also had a large observatory and a university. In total 223 stones or so were registered.
These basalt stones range from 0.5 to 3 m high and weigh up to 10 tons.
It is even suggested based on findings that it predates the Stonehenge by 3500 years.
Honda- the sponsor of the parade had a road test of "Celebration of Dreams".  The main float is way up front, followed by five 'satellite' floats. Here is a link to artist renditions of the Phoenix Decorating Company floats for the 2019 parade.

 

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We now move to the food portion of this post.  Long story short, last Saturday we arrived before Cravings by 99 Ranch opened (at 10 a.m.) and drove around looking for a non-chain breakfast place.  We ate here then and again the following Saturday.
  Under the 71 and turning down the parallel road, we saw this.  Turns out there are four locations of Bravo Burgers, none in San Diego. 

The menu is there on the wall behind the cash registers, along with some supplemental menu specials on the counter.  


The ham and egg sandwich ($6.29) is quite large, with a large piece ham steak, plenty of eggs and lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise.  What a breakfast!
On the countertop Specials board, the waffle with two eggs and two sausage ($7.79) looked interesting.  The waffle was sweet, crispy, fluffy with perfect over easy eggs and wonderful  skin on breakfast sausages. Coarse grind and great flavor. 
The bacon egg burrito ($6.29) is hefty.  Eggs, bacon, cheese and hash browns (see next photo).  This was a good choice. 
Steak and eggs ($11.15) came with more of those crispy hash browns.  The eggs, again cooked perfectly and the steak a definite medium rare.  Plenty of food and I think the first item (the ham and egg sandwich) was enough for a meal.  We'll try more menu items next time...maybe even a Bravo Burger. 

Bravo Burgers 14698 Pipeline Avenue Chino Hills, CA (909)393-5595 website Open 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily 
 
 There's a salsa bar set up all day next to the beverage machine. Great salsas, great chips.

2019 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road tests 4/5. Breakfasts at Costa's (Covina)

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog.  This particular post is about food discovered while checking out another Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road test.  Kirk is taking a break from blogging and Cathy is writing.

For your convenience, here are links to 2019 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float road Tests #1/2, Road Test #3, and Road Test #6

I'll start this post out with the food. The Rose Parade float road testing at the end of September was a "closed set" and no photos were allowed.  Of course we didn't know and drove the two hours that Saturday morning anticipating photos and a meal as a post.  Since we saw what we could and left kind of soon, we were barely hungry, so drove East on the 210 and randomly took the Grand Avenue exit, driving South.  At the signal light at San Bernadino Road, we saw this and decided to stop in.  

 Costa's was opened in 1991 and has quite a few dining areas- inside and outside.  The decor is home spun and eclectic. The menu shows breakfast and lunch/dinner specials Monday -Friday and different specials on weekends.  The prices are more than reasonable.  
  The chicken fried steak ($8.99-from the regular, not weekend special menu) comes with three eggs and your choice of toast (raisin in this case) was wonderful!  Lightly breaded, fried crisp, this large piece of cube steak was way more food than expected.  The country fried potatoes were vegetable heavy (in a good way)  and those three eggs were cooked to a perfect over easy; runny with crisped whites. Oh, the gravy is from scratch and is great without the addition of the sausage, which brings it to another level.

  


 The breakfast special of Eggs Benedict ($9.29) came with a peach half or I could have substituted a few other items, but I decided to go with the chef's vision.  I think the presentation was pretty.  Also, I haven't had canned peaches in forever and this one was not 'heavy syrup' sweetness. The hollandaise sauce was from scratch and very lemony- a good thing.  The perfectly poached eggs on top of the triangle cut ham steak slices on top of toasted English muffin halves was just heaven in every bite.  

When the October road test was happening, we got to take photos and decided to stop at Costa's again.  This time, the waffle breakfast ($7.99) with over easy eggs and sausage links.  This was quite wonderful; a sweet, malted flavor to the waffle, perfect over easy eggs and the sausage seemed nicer than normal, with a 'skin' and good flavors. 
 The most expensive weekend special breakfast is $9.99 and we went for it.  Steak and eggs. Rye toast, the wonderful home fries and perfectly poached eggs.  The steak was surprisingly large and perfectly cooked to a medium-rare and wonderfully flavored.  

We may stop here again after the November road test, or after decorating floats in December; it's a great place...all locals. 

 Costa's Family Restaurant 851 E. San Bernadino Road Covina, CA 91723 Open Daily 5:30a.m. - 9 p.m.

Float road tests Number one and two, the third road testing had been completed and we were looking forward to the one in late September.  This was the only photo I was able to snap before being told that no photos would be allowed that day.  The second float there (behind the Theme Float you see in front) is Trader Joe's.  Apparently there is a part of the mechanics that they want to remain a surprise.  The design is cute.    In June, I took this photo at the road test; you can see it's sort of an eagle's head and the float looks like a pirate ship (indeed, the the title of the float is "Ride, Captain, Ride", in keeping with the Rose Parade theme of "The Melody of Life", which will have each float with some sort of musical instrument on board) At the October road test, I snapped this photo of the colored in float in the back of the barn.  You can see the front of the pirate ship with the eagle head and a sort of hot air balloon in the middle of the float.  That's where the 'surprise' will be on January first.    At the August road test, we saw this beautiful basic float being driven , testing for maneuverability and mechanics. 
At the end of October, the 'cocoon' was covering the float and it was being tested for safety, with people onboard, who had to be able to exit the float in 45 seconds- in case of a fire.  The float is by the American Legion - a first time in the parade. 
The closing float for the parade in 2019 is a new one and is showing the rest of the Tournament of Roses- the football game.  It's a replica of the Rose Bowl and inside, is 
a replica of the prize winning trophy.   A nice tie into a magnificent New Year Day.  

I got a peek of this float being screened in.  It's from Western Asset and has a sort of spaceship appearance.  There will be another road test later this month and quit a few floats still have to be tested.  Decorating (details and dry decorating) begins the first of December and continues for each Saturday then Decorating Week (using live flowers) from December 26-31. 

Thanks for reading.

Strasbourg - Market Day and More Eating at the Christmas Market (Place Broglie)

We awoke fairly early on our last day  in Strasbourg. Our short trip here just went by in a flash.

Since our train wouldn't be leaving until around 130; we asked the folks who managed the apartment if we could pack and leave our luggage there until it was time to head off to the train station at around noon. As with most folks who run these properties, it was no problem.

Even though we had managed to walk around much of the Grande Île and even did a boat tour, there's a lot that we missed. Like the Église protestante Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune, which was basically two blocks from where we were staying.

These places would just have to wait until next time......

On this brisk morning; there was a produce market going on....so we stopped by to check things out.

So, in addition to all the ornament and other stands; many of which were already open at 9am.....

There were folks pulling along wheeled shopping baskets......

We did one more "tour" of Grande Île, walking through Petit France, and taking time to take photos in front of the Christmas Tree at Place Kléber. Which apparently was the thing to do....

This is a statue of Jean-Baptiste Kléber ,the square's namesake; a Military General and Architect who was born in Strasbourg.

A lot of the fun was just wandering around and watching the folks out and about on this morning.

Soon enough; it was time to grab a bite to eat before grabbing our bags and heading back to Paris. You know what the Missus wanted, right?

So we got back to Place Broglie.....

And while the Missus went off in search of more Choucroute Garnie; I found this rather enticing sausage stand.

The guy working here was a hoot. After a good bonjour.....basically using up all the French I knew. I pointed to the great looking sausages with caramelized onions in the tray. He smile and asked me where I was from. I told him "America"; he then said, "good, you want zee hot dog?" He cracked me up! I ordered one; and he actually went ahead and made one up for me fresh. really nice. Before he handed the foot long sausage in a baguette to me he asked: "you want zee ket-chup?" I laughed and said "non merci monsieur - my friends from Chicago would kill me if I put ketchup on my hotdog!" He laughed and said; "so monsieur....you are purist?" And we both cracked up.....the sausage guy....and yours truly; the hot dog "purist"!

By the way; this was delicious; the forcemeat style sausage had an amazing snap, was perfectly seasoned. The mustard added a mild pungency and those onions were really sweet.

But the most amazing thing about this was the baguette; light, crusty, yeasty....oh man; even the Missus, who ate half of this by the way, in addition to what She got, enjoyed "zee hot dog!"

Of course She got more sausages and sauerkraut. Man, I can't believe how much of this stuff She can put away. Oh well, at least She was having a blast.

We finished up our early lunch, picked up our bags from the apartment, and headed off to Strasbourg Station.

We had really enjoyed our stay in joyous, colorful Strasbourg. I'm hoping to return one day.

Strasbourg - Experiencing the Christmas Market and Dinner at Chez Yvonne

It was a rather quick hour and forty-five minute train ride from Gare l'Est to Strasbourg Station. From there we walked to the apartment we were staying at which was right across the river on the Grande Île, the "island" which is the center of the city which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were a bit shocked to find bag checks and road blocks manned by soldiers for folks crossing over to the Grande Île. I didn't know it at the time; but Strasbourg, along with being famous for having one of the best Christmas Markets in Europe is also the home of the European Parliament, the European Court of Human Rights, and the Eurocorps.

We settled into our apartment; which was huge......three bedrooms....crazy. And we loved the views across the river from the front door and the unit.

Here you can see the bridge we crossed and the security detail in place.

Like I mentioned above; the apartment we stayed in was large and so comfortable. And the details were kind of...well, interesting.

We took a nice short nap and awoke refreshed. We decided to head out and explore before finding the restaurant where we had dinner reservations.

During the Christmas Season (from November 24th this year, 2018) Strasbourg has an amazing Christmas Market.

Actually the term "Christmas Market" is incorrect, as there are if I recall correctly, 11 different markets (called "Christkindelsmärik") that occupy different areas of the island. The Grande Île is quite walkable, so we just started at the one closest to us at Place Broglie, which is also the oldest Christmas Market in the city, having been established in 1570!

Once the sun sets and the lights are turned on the city is transformed.

It's really hard to not get into the spirit of things with all of this joy, bright lights, the atmosphere is quite magical. Yes, I'm sure at its core there are commercial concerns, but man, you'd have to be a major scrooge to not get into the spirit of things.

The basic center of things is the giant Christmas Tree in Place Kléber. The market surrounding the tree is called the "Village of Sharing" and we were told that the stalls here sell their goods and food for charity.

Strasbourg is called the Capitale de Noël (the Capital of Christmas) and it's easy to see why.

Don't forget to look up.....there's something to see on almost every building.

Strasbourg Cathedral is quite grand as it rises above the city. The spire rises to 466 feet. The Cathedral, built in the Gothic style was, for over 200 years (227 to be exact) the tallest building in the world! Because of surrounding buildings and the size of the square, it's actually somewhat of a challenge getting the whole structure into a single frame. We'd spend some time visiting the Cathedral (for one main reason) the next day.

After wandering the stalls around the square we had to head off to find our destination for dinner.

I had wanted to try the traditional food of Alsace so I made dinner reservations at a Winstub. Strasbourg and Alsace as a whole sits on the Eastern border of France. In fact, the eastern border of Strasbourg sits on the Rhine. Across the river is Germany and the city of Kehl.

Over the last 350 years of so, control of Strasbourg has gone back and forth between France and Germany, so you can imagine the influences of the cuisine of the area.

We found our destination Chez Yvonne under another wonderfully decorated window, down a side street, close to the Cathedral.

A restaurant has stood in this location since 1870; and Chez Yvonne dates back to the 1950's.

We were seated upstairs. We enjoyed the Service which was friendly and the Missus enjoys Alsatian wines.

We started with the Goose Liver Foie Gras.

The was wonderfully creamy, though a bit too cold in terms of temperature. The flavor was on the milder side for Foie Gras....and that sea salt perfectly enhanced the flavor.

The Missus got the Veal Tongue which was super tender and quite mild in flavor.

As you can tell, this is hearty, meat and potatoes fare. Still, very nicely prepared, straight forward food. There was a mild vinaigrette dressing the tongue.

If you've read this blog long enough, you know the Missus loves fermented and pickled items. Thus I ordered the Choucroute Garnie….yes choucroute is what we know here in the states as Sauerkraut....and I'm truly aware that "Garnie" means "throw every kind of protein you can on the plate".

The Missus loved the cabbage; it was much more tender than what passes as sauerkraut here. I enjoyed the knack (the long snappy sausage) and the rinderwurst (the smoked sausage) the most. The pork and the liver dumplings were on the bland side. From this point on; the Missus and I decided to just hit all the sausage and choucroute stands.

All in all, this was a fun meal. The service was very nice and we got a taste of the rather heavy traditional cuisine of Alsace. Luckily, the only thing we'd had the whole day were croissants, so we were able to put away all this meat with no problem.

Chez Yvonne
10 Rue du Sanglier
67000 Strasbourg, France

Nice and warm, with full bellies we decided to take the long way back to the apartment.

The lights, the lively hustle and bustle, it just put us in the right frame of mind.

Yes, it's wonderful Strasbourg......

Capitale de Noël indeed!

Thanks for stopping by!