mmm-yoso!!!

GyroGrill Revisited

I was recently told that GyroGrill had won some kind of "Best Greek Food in San Diego" award. Whoa, that was a bit of a shock. It had been a while since I last visited, so I decided to head on over for lunch.

The good thing about GyroGrill is that they open at 10am as I'm not a fan of the "squishy" parking situation in the lot here. When that lot gets full, it's a pretty tight squeeze.

 And to be perfectly honest, I was interested to see what the price of the Gyro Combo was these days. And the sign said the combo was now $15. In case you're keeping score, in October 2020 it was $7.99 by January of 2022 it was $12.99. During my last visit, in April of 2022 it was $14. Well, now a year later it's $15. I guess I should be happy that it's "only" gone up a buck since last year, right?

And both the A-frame chalk sign and a page posted near the counter said something like "Awarded San Diego's Best Greek Food 2022".

By something called "the San Diego Award Program"? Well, talk about a generic sounding name. But seeing that GG is on the ballot again this year, I followed the link from the business website and it leads to this page on a UT website.. I quickly noticed an omission, can you figure it out?

Anyway, I ordered my usual, the Pork Gyro Combo. The really nice guy  from my previous visits was working and I took my order back to the office.

 Upon opening up the Gyro, I quickly noticed that things had changed. This was no longer marinated pork cut from a spit into thin slices. This was more like chunks of marinated grilled pork shoulder. Along with being chunks of pork, the meat was a lot darker in color than what I'd had previously. It was also tough and dry. In terms of flavor, this was on the salty side.

Lest you think I'm having a "senior moment", this is what it looked like on my previous visit.

I actually have enjoyed the cross-cut, chip like, fries even more than the Gyros at GG, crisp outside, creamy inside. These had changed  as well.

These were cut lengthwise and much thinner. They didn't stay crisp as long and were on the drier end of things.

Man, I miss the way those potatoes used to be......here's a photo.

Bummer.

Now, I know that there's more to Greek Food than Gyros, after all, we've had some nice meals in Greece. But still.......

GyroGrill
6780 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121

Petrino's Greek Restaurant (La Mesa)

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog.  Cathy is writing while Kirk is vacationing.

The Mister and I were sort of craving some Russian/Ukranian/Polish food (soup and beets, really) and headed back to the closest place we knew, which is now closed and is the current home of Petrino's Greek Restaurant, which had been located around the corner (next to the Liquor Store, same parking lot) since 2013, but moved here, next to the 7-11, in about February of 2022.  It is another family owned restaurant which survived Covid-19. Greek sounded good for lunch, too.
There's a menu above the cash register and on the wall to the right. Order and pay and your food is brought out in disposable/"To Go" containers.
 The walls from the former restaurant are still here; the furniture is new.
 Lentil soup with pita ($4.50) was an excellent Mediterranean version.  Cumin and turmeric flavors were primary and the broth not too thick with lentils or potato or carrot as other versions, but very deep with flavor.  I did not taste onion and salt/pepper were not needed. 
  A side of four pieces of falafel ($2.50) was a good choice.  The thin, crisp edges were perfect, leaving the inside fluffy.  The side of tzatziki sauce was refreshing with its yogurt and garlic base.
  Greek Mix Plate ($14.99).  1/2 chicken shawarma, 1/2 lamb gyro on top of yellow rice and pita along with a good sized side salad (served with a herb-infused vinegar dressing) was quite a lot of food to share.  The shawarma was not shaved, but instead chopped and grilled.   It had great flavor.  Indeed, it was lamb gyro and shaved, leaving each piece with a crisp side.  The rice, pita and salad made this a good size meal, enough to share. 
 Lemon and mint lemonade ($2.99) was excellent- fresh lemon juice, not too much sugar and dried mint gave this beverage two 'thumbs up' from us.  We'll be back to try more of the menu.

Petrino's Greek Restaurant 8302 Parkway Drive La Mesa 91942 (619) 741-7721 website Open Mon-Sat 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Closed Sunday

 The stamped floor with animal footprints remains.

Grecian Cafe (again)

mmm-yoso!!! continues to be written by Cathy while Kirk and His Missus continue to enjoy their well earned vacation.

I wrote about Grecian Cafe in January 2019, without mentioning the reason we first stopped here was because of our regular bread run just down the street at Frank's Bakery.  The update to that post is the the corner anchor restaurant here is no longer Pizza Hut Round Table Pizza, but is Pho and Grill International. The other update is that this family owned and run restaurant has been here for more than 30 years.
 Walk in, order and pay.  There is a menu board above the ordering space in the wall.  Your food is brought out by one of the family members.  

 As always, we order onion rings ($4.49).  Thick slices of sweet onions, sweet batter, properly crisp fried and not greasy.  This is served with ranch dressing.
   A small Greek chicken salad ($9.49) holds a lot of tasty, moist roasted chicken and comes with pita bread and tzatziki.  The salad part is the same size as the side salad which comes with the meal below and includes cucumber, tomato and onion and a red wine vinegar based dressing.
   The Moussaka and Gyros combination plate ($15.99) was ordered on this day...because we wanted leftovers.  Plenty of fluffy rice with some peas and carrots topped with slices of gyros and, of course, the Moussaka- the bottom layer is baked potato, then a nice layer of eggplant, the sweet (cinnamon and oregano) spiced ground meat filling topped with a layer of thick béchamel and covered in a subtle seasoned (garlic, thyme, parsley, basil) tomato sauce. 

Another long time family owned, quality restaurant which survived Covid-19. 

Grecian Cafe 9676 Campo Road Spring Valley 91977 (619) 464-0385 Open Mon-Sat 11-8, Sun 1-7 

 You can see the Santa Sophia Roman Catholic Church tower just East out the side window of the restaurant.  The Greek title, "Santa Sophia" (Holy Wisdom) is popular in Greek Orthodox churches and is rare for Catholic churches.

Eating to Beat the Heat - The Market at HFS, Zgara Greek Grill, and an Odd Craving

Man, was it hot this weekend or what? And even worse was the humidity!

It actually hit 96 in Bay Park! Crazy.....

So, I've been mainly surviving on cold tofu and salads! But of course this weather was perfect for some Poke. So, after hitting up the Little Italy Mercado, then Nijiya, I drove up to the Market at HFS to pick up some poke. I got there 15 minutes before opening and was the sixth person in line! I'm thinking that a lot of folks had the same idea.

I got the Shoyu Ahi and the Kimchi Ahi, also a Medium Bowl with brown rice, fish in a separate container. I'd be packing the Missus Her lunch and dropping it off at work for Her......and She has some specific requirements for the bowl.

All the Ahi products are now $25.99 a pound.

Anyway, here's what I got.

    The quality of the ahi wasn't quite as good as what I'd had on previous visits; with more "sugi" (connective tissue) than usual.

For some reason, I enjoyed the kimchi ahi...perhaps it was the spice and savory components, which was pretty good. It was quite refreshing served ice cold.

The Missus enjoyed Her "yoso-Eats" lunch delivery.

I'm guessing we'll be hitting up HFS a lot more during this heatwave.

The Market at HFS
6491 Weathers Place
San Diego, CA 92121

I'm so happy that Zgara Greek Grill reopened just over 2 years ago (as did the Market at HFS). It's fairly close by and a convenient stop. Eric looked happy and said business was good. 

  And I was happy, because my Pork Gyro was as good as ever.

It really hit the spot. Love the crisp edges on the hand made pork gyros.

Zgara Greek Grill
1229 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

While I was waiting for my pork gyro I got the weirdest craving....so I walked over to Andres Latin Market......

And bought me an Inca Cola.......I mean really, I don't drink soda these days, and I'll have Inca Cola when we're in Peru. Not sure why I "just needed it" on this day!

But along with the pork gyro; that "bubble-gummy" sweetness really hit the spot.

Can you say "aaaahhhhhh"?

Andrés Latin Market
1249 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

I hope everyone manages to keep cool and comfortable during this heatwave!

Elsa's Kitchen (again)(Greek and burgers)(SDSU area)

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy while Kirk and His Missus are catching up on missed vacationing. 

Yes, I wrote about Elsa's Kitchen in 2007 and again in 2011, The Mister and I have been there many times since and here's another post.  Elsa's survived Covid-19.  Located in a nondescript strip mall with a nice sized parking lot at the NorthEast corner of El Cajon and 73rd, next to the gas station,
 Elsa's Kitchen has been here since at least 2009.

You order and pay at the hole in the wall and soon your order will be ready.  

 The pastrami burger ($6.99)is hand shaped and char-broiled.  I *love* the char broiled flavor.  It's topped with a quality pastrami (not the pepper coated one; a regular smoked corned beef; the Liquor Store next door sells Boars Head deli meats and I think they get the pastrami there) and the usual toppings.  Hefty and very, very good.
 The bun is toasted, both on the top and inside, making for a non-soggy sandwich.
 The large greek salad ($10.99) is a great meal.  Plenty of gyros and very fresh  traditional Greek salad- romaine, tomato, onion, cucumber and Feta, served with a really nice dressing and tzatziki. 
 As always, a large order of onion rings ($3.99) was ordered.  I have mentioned before that all Greek restaurants make wonderful, from scratch, thick cut rings from sweet onions.  No exception here. 

Elsa's Kitchen Greek and American Food 7022 El Cajon Blvd (619) 464-6711 Mon-Sat 9-9, Sun 9-8. (on our last visit, there was a window sign that it would be closed on Saturday and Sunday, so maybe call to check)

Midweek Meanderings - Sunmerry, The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, and Kitakata Ramen Coming to Kearny Mesa, Palomino's #3 and Matador Mexican Grill "Under New Management"

It's amazing what you can find during one short drive. Here's what I noticed when I went to get some groceries and lunch from Nijiya. I took the "long way"; which meant starting on Clairemont Mesa, then down Convoy, then all the way down Linda Vista to Morena.

Here's what I saw.

Sunmerry, The Great Greek, and Kitakata Ramen Coming to Kearny Mesa:

Even though I haven't done a post on Sunmerry; a bakery chain from Taiwan, it's a must stop on our road trips North and during visits to Bistro Na's. We'll also stop in at the Rowland Heights location as well. For some reason, this past week, I mentioned that Sunmerry was opening somewhere near Convoy to the Missus, so She'd be able to get Her Pineapple Cake fix locally. I was thus instructed to find out the location. Finding the location was simple using our friend......Google. 

In the same strip mall as Costco Business and Target I saw three structures and this sign:

So, I got three for the price of one here.

The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, a small chain out of Nevada and Sunmerry will occupy one building.

7951 Othello Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

And Kitakata Ramen Ban Nai which according to Eater, originated in Fukushima in another.

8001 Othello Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

Looks like I got a "three for one" here.....

Palomino's #3 "Under New Management":

I go to Nijiya so frequently that I usually just head on in and then back to my car without a glance; but today I noticed that the Taco Shop in the strip mall had a "Under New Management" sign. Which I believe means new ownership.

Cathy has done several posts on Palomino's #2, but not on this location. I last visited in the days BB ("before blogging").

3860 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111

So maybe.....and no, I haven't tried Two Hands Corn Dog yet either.....

Matador Mexican Grill Reopening:

On my way back, heading down Linda Vista, I took a look at the spot that used to house Matador Mexican Grill which closed several months back and noticed they were reopening. Of course; it's under the ubiquitous "under new management".

I'd never been; though an ex-coworker of mine used to like the place.

5201 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92110

And under the you never know what you'll see label......

I noticed a bit of a crowd on the Convoy side of Jasmine as I stopped at the light. There were news teams and bit of a hubbub. While sitting at the light, I noticed someone holding a freeway sign. And then it became clear. I know that there was an effort to raise money for six "Convoy Asian Cultural District" signs and it looks like they've raised the money and the signs are done.

Good for them!

Hope everyone is having a great week!

A GyroGrill Price Check

Since "FOY" ST asked about this visit in the comments of my previous post; I thought I'd just go ahead and do this.

I'm sure that everyone who reading this blog in the US have noticed the rise in prices over the last two years.....it's hard not to notice. My dollar and I'm sure your dollar does not go as far these days as it used to, though in some cases (definitely not gas prices) the change might seem more subtle. Though in other cases it's quite obvious and perhaps a bit disturbing as well. As I mentioned in my previous post on GyroGrill, I was a bit shocked at how prices had risen since they opened back in October of 2020. 

Now, I'm not doing this post as a condemnation, nor am I in anyway angry at GG. I believe that they are trying, as many other businesses are to survive. But, for some reason the prices at GG just seem to be an indicator of rising prices for me. I'm sure we all have that "internal price gauge" for certain thigs.

So, just last week I headed over to see how things were at GyroGrill and to see if the sign for Tenkatori, which is opening in the same strip mall had gone up (it hasn't). I walked into GyroGrill to place my usual order for the Gyro Combo - this is the current price.

Whoa, it's now $14! To think that when GG opened in October of 2020, a mere nineteen months ago, the combo was a mere $7.99 To be perfectly honest, perhaps it was under priced. In August of 2021 it was $8.99, still a bargain in my mind. It October of 2021, a year after they opened, it was $10.99, a 27% increase in a year. When I visited in January of this year, it was $12.99 a 15% increase in three months. And now, less than three months later it's $14.......

The food; well it's pretty much the same.

   A bit less potatoes and I noticed no tzatziki included anymore; though that might have just been overlooked. The gyros were even drier, gummy, and lacking in seasoning than I recalled on my last visit. It was also barely warmed through.....as it had been pre-sliced and set out in a hotel pan. At least the potatoes were still crisp and crunchy and the pita was quite full of pork; albeit dry and kinda tough pork.

 Now, if the gyros here were as good as Zgara (I think their lunch Gyro special still hovers around ten bucks - but you gotta figure how location affects prices) I might be ok with that. But in my opinion it's not.

Like I said in the beginning, this is not a condemnation of GG; they are doing what they need to do to survive. It is, at least to me, an illustration of inflation and the economy. The Consumer Price Index for February rose by 7.9% over the last 12 months, the largest increase since January of 1982. I'm hoping the effects of all the disruptions and inflation start tailing down soon. 

And then it'll be interesting to see if places start actually lowering their prices.

Gyrogrill
6780 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121

Tell me, has the increase in prices affected your eating/grocery shopping habits yet? And what is your "internal price gauge" item?

Zgara Greek Grill Revisited

I was so thrilled when Zgara Grill Grill reopened and in my neighborhood too! It quickly became part of our takeout rotation. And then I returned to the office and those weekly visits to Zgara stopped. Recently, I had a WFH day and decided to grab lunch from Zgara.

The Owner, Eric was so happy to see me and I was glad to see a smile on his face. He told me business has been good, even better now that they have their beer and wine license.

They've also spiffed things up a bit.

The one thing that hasn't changed is the pork gyros, it's as good as ever, nice crisp edges to the meat, great savory-light citrus tones, lovely porkiness. Enrobed in a warm pita, the light pungecy of the onions, the creamy-lemony tzatziki.......well, you get the idea, right?

Of all the terrible things that have and are happening in the world......at least there are a few bright spots and I think Zgara reopening is one of them. And with the way things are....I'll take what I can get.....

Zgara Greek Grill
1229 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

So, tell me, what places have you found during the pandemic that you've added to your rotation?

And have a great week!

Revisits - Chicago Fire Grill and Gyrogrill

A couple of quick revisits.....

Chicago Fire Grill:

It had been a while since I last visited Chicago Fire Grill and I was wondering how the owner, George was doing. So, I decided to head on over.

Things weren't quite ready for "prime time" when I arrived and George was by himself.

I'm guessing those pandemic staffing issues have hit home here as well. On this day, I had time to wait........George had to get everything  started; but eventually I got my order....George wanted to give it to me...but heck no.......the Chicago Dog is a bargain these days at 8 bucks. Plus, I want to make sure he stays in business.

 Things weren't much different from my previous visits. Except that the fries were nice and crisp, which I really enjoyed.

While the price for this has gone up $2 over the last year....in terms of these days....well, what can you still get for $8 nowadays? I hope George hangs in there.

Chicago Fire Grill
8935 Towne Centre Dr.
San Diego, CA 92122
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri 11am - 9pm
Sat - Sun 12pm - 9pm

GyroGrill:

I had meetings scheduled thru the normal lunch hour; I was hungry and decided to head on over to GyroGrill which opens at 10am.

When I arrived a quick glance at the sign gave me pause:

The Gyro meal is now $12.99; back when they opened in October of 2020, it was $7.99, which honestly was a bargain. On my last visit, in October of 2021, it was $10.99, which I thought was reasonable. But now, three months later it was $12.99....wow, guess it's just a sign of the times.

I had though about heading back to the car and going somewhere else....but I needed to get back to the office, so I stuck it out. The fellow working was....and has always been very nice.

 If anything, like I've mentioned before, I do like the hand cut potatoes which are fried to order and are so crisp and crunchy.

As for the pork gyros....while I don't expect this to be on the level of Zgara, on this morning it was very disappointing. Even after being heated on the flat top, it was barely lukewarm, lacking moisture, bland, gummy in texture. I seemed to have been sitting in the hotel pan too long....but the place had just opened a few minutes before I arrived.

I do love those potatoes; so perhaps I need to change things up a bit here....though I'm not sure what prices will be like when I return.

Gyrogrill
6780 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri 10am - 630pm
Sat 10am - 530pm
Closed Sunday

Zizikis Street Food (Sky Deck, Del Mar Highlands)

mmm-yoso!!! is happy to have you visit and read another post.  Cathy is writing while Kirk and His Missus are taking a vacation from both blogging and California. 

At the Southern end of the parking lot of Del Mar Highlands Town Center, which is at the South East corner of El Camino Real and Del Mar Heights Road, I saw the Sky Deck being built earlier this year and wrote it on a piece of paper. so I could remember to check it out once it opened.  

Just found the piece of paper.

 Decorated for the holidays, it's easy to spot. The upper deck is a 'restaurant collective', with nine curated culinary destinations, each with its own exclusive dining area and a cocktail bar in the center.  It's not a 'Food Court", even though there are no walls.    The glass ceiling above the second floor is why it's called the 'Sky Deck'. Beautiful light in daytime.  The 'Brewers Deck' currently houses three of San Diego's top craft beer and kombucha brands.  There's a nautical theme in decor.
 When we arrived around noon during Thanksgiving week, only three restaurants were open.  We checked out menus and decided on Zizikis Street Food. This third generation, family owned and run, Greek (not Middle Eastern; there's no falafel on the menu) take on the "modern-classic" recipes and "fine-casual" dining has a focused menu of Shareables, Salads, Sandwiches and Sides (as well as an extensive choice of adult beverages).  The same chef-owner (and shared kitchen) is the restaurant "J", next door.  Ordered items are walked over.

 Zizikis cheese bread ($7) was one of our choices.  Fresh, fluffy, warm pita topped with a mix of cheese and Greek spices (oregano, parsley, basil and dill..?) with a side of the house tzatziki sauce.  (Flavorful and the reason for the name 'Zazikis'). 
 We also decided on the Hummus Pita ($8). More fresh, toasty pita along with a wonderful artichoke based hummus.  
 The salad we immediately agreed we both wanted to try was lamb ($15).  Grass fed lamb, grilled perfectly (still moist and tender) topping mixed greens, tomato, cucumber, onion and Feta had wonderful flavors.  Tzaziki is the salad dressing here and it really is a great sauce that goes with everything.

We will be trying more of the menu. Soo was here in April, when Sky Deck first opened.

 Not noticing there was a small, two item dessert menu, the central restaurant, Le Parfait Paris, was where we ordered a Nutella crepe ($8) for a nice end to our meal. 

Zizikis 12841 El Camino Real, Ste 206 San Diego 92130 (858) 925-7595 Open Sun-Th 11:30-9, Fri-Sat 11:30-10   Website