mmm-yoso!!!

Where in the world were we?

Whew, ever had a trip that was so amazing that time flew by and having done so much, when thinking an experience that happened just a few days ago it seemed like weeks ago? Well, we're back from that amazing trip. In spite of the combination of flight time and layovers taking 15 hours plus each way, this one was one of those once-in-a lifetime experiences, from the time we landed in the country's capital at 9300 feet we were entranced.

From the UNESCO World Heritage Capital.

To the even higher surroundings.

The diversity is amazing. In fact, there are 4 different geographical regions in this fairly small country!

Another interesting fact, the Country is named for the imaginary line that separates the Northern and Southern Hemisphere and takes great pride in being called the "middle of the world".

And yet, things really got even more incredible when we did our cruise. To an archipelago I had always dreamed of exploring. And now have a better understanding of how a famous Naturalist became enchanted and inspired by his visit here when still a young man. And whose most well-known publication is inextricably linked to the islands.

Our 7-day cruise explored the Northern portion of the archipelago and in all we visited 7 islands. And amazingly, the terrain of each one was different.

And the Captain even took us on a spur of the moment visit to see nature in action as well!

Even more impressive was the wildlife.

And each island had unique variations of species.

There are strict rules in place on the islands, thus many creatures displayed no fear of hoo-mans.

Some were even quite curious.

And it was amazing to see these creatures in their natural habitat.

It was an enriching experience and we learned so much.

And yes, this is still a food blog.....so we have that covered as well.

So let me recover from jet lag and get back to posting!

Thanks for being "a pal"......

And "dropping in".

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip - Sazon (Santa Fe, NM)

One of the main reasons we headed back to Santa Fe for another road trip was to dine at Sazon. We had really wanted to have dinner at Sazon during our last stay (Sept 2022), but the Chef, Fernando Olea who hails from CDMX had recently won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest and reservations were impossible to come by. So, instead we ended having a nice meal at Geronimo. This time, I managed to get reservations for an early dinner. The restaurant located in one of those classic Santa Fe Adobes one block from our hotel.

The place was already buzzing when we were seated. The dining area is divided in different rooms, each adorned with colorful artwork.

The service was professional, but warm and not stuffy. There is a tasting menu available during two specific seatings, but we just wanted to try items we saw on the regular menu.

The Missus started with some Champagne, I was looking forward to our upcoming (at that time) trip to Tequila in the upcoming month and had a Tres Generaciones Anejo. We were also provided with a Mole sampler, some of which was too sweet for the Missus, so we were glad to have just gone with ordering off the menu. You'll also soon see why.....

As things started with the Tuetano - Bone Marrow. You know how much I like bone marrow, right?

The salsa rojo on the bone marrow had a nice kick and really blended well with the buttery richness of the marrow. It went so well with the maizey tortillas. This was a nice start.

Next up; the Higado de Ganzo - Foie Gras with a raspberry-coconut sauce on crostini.

The sweetness of the sauces and the resiny flavor of the pine nuts overwhelmed the small slices of foie gras in this dish. It was just a bit too much stuff, which made it a "foie faux" to us.

Next up were these.

The Xochimilco - Huitlacoche, with queso fresco was so delici-yoso.

Oh my, the earthy-mushroomy-sweet huitlacoche paired so well with the slightly milky queso fresco, which added a melty-buttery texture. The corn tortillas added heft and the salsa a bit of heat, with a mild sweetness. 

We also enjoyed the Oaxaquenos - Chapulines, which was served over mashed avocado. 

Just by themselves, the light and crunchy grasshoppers had a really nice savory-grassy-mild spice that was so nice. Our Server told us that it had been infused with garlic and olive oil and chili de arbol. The corn tortilla was a perfect match as was the avocado.

There was one last dish I really wanted to try; the Cholula, which is the Chef's take on the Chile en Nogada. this was served in a tower format, rather than the usual stuffed chile poblano.

Well, this had a lot going on; the meat here was a combination of ground lamb, pork, and beef; which was seriously overshadowed by a very tasty, not overly sweet and creamy-rich walnut sauce. The balsamic vinegar sauce added another level of sweet-acidity, with a touch of heat from jalapenos. We'd have enjoyed more of the bitter-sweetness provided by the pomegranate seeds. The poblanos added a nice mild green bell pepper flavor to things. That walnut sauce is what made the dish in our opinion.

Overall, this was a memorable meal, the service was excellent, the dishes interesting with such a range of flavors! I'm glad we were able to finally have dinner here!

Sazón
221 Shelby St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501

After dinner, we took a nice stroll. This is the Bell Tower Bar, where we had drinks earlier in the day.

We passed those places we visited on our last trip here.

The Loretto Chapel.

The San Miguel Chapel.

Santa Fe Plaza.

And all the enjoyable public art.

It made for a very relaxing time!

Thanks for stopping by!

Valle (Oceanside)

After our wonderful dinner at Jeune et Jolie we were looking forward to our meal the next evening in Oceanside at the Michelin starred Valle restaurant. The samples of the tasting menu we'd seen really enticed us, and the Missus really wanted to sample the wines of the Valle de Guadalupe. So, after heading to Garden Grove to have Lao food for lunch, we headed back to Oceanside and checked in at the Springhill Suites. Man, I hadn't been in this area for ages and it had changed a lot.

It was much more developed and commercial. We actually enjoyed staying in Carlsbad a lot more. Though, we did have a wonderful time at Frankie's, cause you know why!

We strolled down the Oceanside Pier and then walked on over to the location of Valle. It was quite a modern setting, it's all tasting menu here, we got the Tierra Y Mar (Land and Sea) which was $180 per person and shared a single wine pairing which was $150. The staff was friendly and professional, though not as knowledgeable and enthusiastic as the folks at JeJ.

Though the one cocktail that was recommended was outstanding; the "Maggie" ($20). Now, the Missus isn't a big fan of Margaritas, but She loved this.

It has so clean, so crisp, and yet had that hint of agave. I asked about this cocktail and was told it was made with Cristalino, which folks really disparaged when we visited Tequila and I can understand why. And yet, this was so good, it used the Milk punch method to clarify the components of the drink. It was lovely; we had two....  We got a single pairing with our meal, which was excellent.

Things started with the Botanas.

We loved the chicharron foam/broth, it was so porky, light, and comforting.

The little mini fish "tacos" were also quite tasty; nice maize flavor.

Then things really started out with the Charred Onion Tarte with Kaluga Hybrid Caviar.

As with many of the dishes, quite an interesting presentation...charred black. Good sweet-almost caramelized onion tones. The caviar seemed strangely muted as we expected more of salty-savory counterpoint. Great texture though.

The eye catching Betabel (beet) was next. It was interesting that both JeJ and Valle had beet dishes as components of the meal.

This dish featured Humboldt Fog, which, since you know how we enjoy cheese excited us. But the dish was overwhelmingly sweet, though we loved the anise-mint flavor of the shiso, the flavor of rosemary kind of overpowered things.

Next up was the Trucha, Nopal y Tuna. We love Nopal and this was described as an aguachile.

It lacked a nice citrusy acidity and the trout was really tough in texture. 

The one saving grace was the Chardonnay paired with this dish was a favorite of the Missus.

In fact, I've hunted this down once we returned.

The Chancla con corte de wagyu was good.

If I recall in my really horrible Spanish, "chancla" means slipper. This was an decadent slice of what I consider wagyu "lardo" topping....well who cares really.....

Good lord, the avocado crema....the earthy-maize chancla!!!

In total contrast, the Tetela de Birria was quite mild.

Perhaps it was because we were in Jalisco recently (I'll get those posts done soon!), but even the Missus said, "this doesn't taste like birria, where's the bold flavors!"

I enjoy Pescado Zarandeano, I even make a version at home. This was an interesting version as it featured, a tasty "pico de gallo terrine". Which actually tasted much better than the fish!

Which was dry and fairly bland.

At this point, there was an interesting move, the Missus got the Cornejo Alegre, the poached and roasted rabbit.

I thought the Missus would enjoy this. Remember how hard I worked to find that the Missus enjoyed Mole Segueza in Oaxaca. But for Her it was overly sweet and it seemed that the gamy tones of the rabbit was meant to be muted.

I did order the A5 Drunken Wagyu Strip which was an extra $50....let me tell you, this was amazing, even better than what we had at JeJ!

So beefy, with an amazing texture....that was at first firm, that gave way.....good lord, can I say I tasted the soul of beef? Perfectly cooked and seasoned. For me; this was a once in a lifetime kind of thing.

If I were to return...cause the "Maggie" calls to me; I'd sit at the bar and have a couple of dishes. Still, this was a fun experience, though we enjoyed JeJ much more.

Valle
222 N Pacific St.
Oceanside, CA 92054

And after dinner, well, the Oceanside Pier is right there.....

And if you're of my generation; this is called the "Top Gun House".

In case you want to check it out.

Thanks as always for stopping by!

Crudo Cevicheria & Oyster Bar

I had some business to attend to downtown during mid-August. Being that I absolutely dread parking downtown, I'm happy to have the trolley stops off Morena these days. Once business was attended to, the most important question of the day arose....."what's for lunch?" Just the week before I had read about Crudo opening in Little Italy in Eater. It was pretty "atsui desu ne", but I was happy to note that the Little Italy Trolley stop was just two blocks from the restaurant. Sold!

I got there right at opening time and the friendly hostess guided me to a table.

I appreciated the outdoor dining area, but it was just too hot on this day.

I like the sleek interior all dressed up in oceany aqua.

Looking over the menu I made my decision. Being that this was Little Italy, I expected small portions, so I ordered two items. Starting with the Fish Ceviche ($16). I was pleasantly surprised at the portion size and the three tostadas to start. The nice young lady came back twice asking me if I wanted more blue corn tostadas!

    The fish was perfectly marinated, with just the right amount of toothsomeness. The marinade was nicely balanced; with a good balance of sour to salt. Enjoyed the ripe avocado which added a slightly creamy texture and a mild buttery-nuttiness to the dish.

The chili de arbol salsa was indeed spicy, with smoky tones.

This was a wonderfully refreshing and restorative dish on a hot day.

I also ordered the Pulpo Carpaccio ($19).

Man, that octopus was perfectly cooked, so tender! Loved the amount of salt and mild acidity as well. I wasn't sure how Parmesan Cheese was going to work with this; but because it was shaved ultra-fine it added a wonderful milky-savory-saltiness to the dish which I found quite pleasant.

In typical Mariscos fashion a variety of hot sauces were presented, but I didn't need anything masking the wonderful flavors of the food!

I saw at least five people stop by during my meal asking if Crudo was open, what were the hours, etc.....

This was a very nice meal! And since my Buddy Candice had reported on it; during the heatwave this past month we decided to grab some lunch. And of course, Crudo seemed like just the remedy for the heat and humidity. Again I took the trolley and Candice met me a opening time. We sat on the same table as I did on my previous visit.

There was one item that caught my interest; the Tiradito Mixto ($25). You know me and tiradito, right?

No complaints about the prep and quality of the seafood. I didn't care for the marinade which was unusually sweet and detracted from the dish. The menu stated that this version of tiradito used XO Sauce, which is what fascinated me. Perhaps that's what threw this whole dish off?

The wonderful Aguachile en Salsa Verde ($19) made everything right again.

Man, the wonderful texture of the shrimp! A perfectly balanced salsa verde; decent spice, great acidity, nice pungent tones! This is probably my favorite item form our meals.

We also got the Coctel de Mariscos ($18). Loved the addition of the saltine crackers...which, no pun intended, "cracked me up".

All the seafood was wonderful; though this was a bit too "Tame" for my taste. I like a bit more clamato and good tanginess in my cocteles. Still, this was decent.

I really enjoyed chatting with Candice, it was great catching up on things. It seems that Covid has really put a damper on all my meals with friends. I'm hoping to remedy that soon.

And Crudo was a fine place to enjoy with friends on a hot, humid September day.

I guess I'm going to have to bring the Missus here soon....though She's not a fan of catching the trolley! We'll see how that goes.

Crudo Cevicheria & Oyster Bar
1608 India St.
San Diego, CA 92101
Hours:
Sun - Thurs 11am - 10pm
Fri - Sat 11am - Midnight

Andres Restaurant Closes After 40 Years

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sad news.

1235 Morena Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110 

Sunday Stuffs - Pelicana Chicken Replacing Urban Eats and Flama Llama Replacing Chef Chin's

Amazing the changes one can see during a quick trip to Nijiya! Here are two.....

Pelicana Chicken Replacing Urban Eats:

Well, if you're keeping score (and I may be missing a couple of places here), Urban Eats replaced Hi Street, which replaced Char House. 

Established in Daejeon, South Korea in 1982, this chain serves up.......well, you guessed it, Korean Fried Chicken! I'm wondering if Kearny Mesa is in the competition for most Korean Fried Chicken places per square mile in the US? I mean, at HMart you have Katzya, right around the corner and ahem right across the street you have Cross Street, which is nearly across the street from BB.Q Chicken, right in the next parking lot in the Hive is Knockout Chicken, north of Balboa you have Bonchon, and in Zion you have Gala Chicken! And there I was complaining about all the Hot Chicken places opening in San Diego!

7767 Balboa Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

Chef Chin's Being Replaced by a Flama Llama?:

I saw construction going on at the former location of Chef Chin on Convoy, so I took a left into the parking lot.

Looks like a place named Flama Llama? So, I did a quick search and found this which states that the owner of Steamy Piggy and Formoosa is opening a restaurant that "will bring a new take on Latin American cuisine." I dunno, how about just having some good Latin American cuisine period?

4433 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Roadtrip (During Covid) - Elote Cafe and the Devils Bridge Trail (Sedona)

After doing the Oak Creek Trail, the Missus and I picked up some stuffs from Whole Foods and had a simple lunch. By dinner time; well, I was ready for some "grindz". Luckily, our dinner destination was basically right around the corner from our accommodations. Even more lucky....I'd made reservations for dinner as there was already a line when we got to the place at 5pm! Our reservations were for 515! I pity the folks with no reservations.

We worked our way down the reservations line and got a nice table with some good distance from other folks. The service here was more friendly and things seemed much more laid back than dinner the night before.

The Missus really loved the chips here! In fact, She cleaned it out pretty quickly and our friendly Server quickly got us more!

After the days hike I was pretty darn hungry, so we actually ordered three apps and two mains!

And since this place is named "Elote" (corn)....well you know what our starters revolved around, right?

Things started with the Elote ($11).

There was a bit too much mayo in this, which nullified the sweet-smokiness of the fire roasted corn.

Next up the Huitlacoche Corn Soup (a small - $8).

You could really make out the corn here! Nice sweetness, the chili de arbol powder added some nice heat to the dish. Not enough huitlacoche to really make much of an impact in our opinion.

Sweet Corn Salad ($12).

We enjoyed the Chipotle Vinaigrette and this was nice and refreshing, but again it was kind of short in the elote department. But not bad overall.

We had explained that we'd like to dine "family style" and the folks here cheerfully accommodated us with separate plates and even plate changes! Great staff.

The Duck Carnitas ($29) was bit more chewy and fatty then I had anticipated.

Pasilla chilies, which have a nice fruitiness was a nice match and the guacamole really helped to refresh the palate cutting thru the richness of the dish.

The Smoked Pork Cheeks ($28) was my favorite dish of the evening.

The pork was indeed smoky and the texture was good, not falling apart but quite tender. And this part of the swine has a wonderful porkiness. I wasn't sure about the buttermilk-cumin drizzle, but it worked well in this framework, a bit of acidity, nice earthiness. I also enjoyed the cascabel chili sauce, a nice nutty-earthiness.

Overall this was an enjoyable meal, the service brought it up a notch.

Elote Cafe
350 Jordan Rd.
Sedona, AZ 86336

The next morning the Missus wanted to do one more hike on our way out of Sedona. She wanted to hike to the Devil's Bridge. During Her previous previous visit, the Devil's Bridge was packed with the "selfie crowd" and She never got to walk out onto it. And se we headed on over. Even though it was December, the parking lot was already filled when we arrived. A really nice guy in a brand new Corvette had parked....he saw us, waved and moved up to make room for us to park! What a nice guy!

The trail, other than the last portion up to the bridge is flat and easy to navigate. And you get really nice views of the Sedona "Red Rocks".

And when we arrived at the Devil's Bridge, there was only one couple ahead of us.

  And that couple was the folks from that new yellow Corvette. We were just going to take a stroll on the Devil's Bridge and maybe do a selfie. But the really nice guy told me; "I'm going to rest here a while, so why don't you walk on over and I'll take a picture of you!" And he didn't take just one photo, but an entire set! You know, people like him really do make travels just so much better!

And so, our time in Sedona was up.

But there was one more stop for us left!

Stay tuned!

Roadtrip (During Covid) - Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill and the West Fork of Oak Creek Trail (Sedona)

After leaving Winslow, we headed west on the 40 and then down the 89 to Sedona. The Missus had really enjoyed hiking in Sedona during Her roadtrip and wanted to torture me to enjoy some of those hikes. Wow was the place crowded with tourists! And there seemed to this interesting vibe...almost like Lahaina meets New Age, that I got from the place.

I did enjoy our accommodations which was close to everything downtown, our dinner destination for the next night was just steps away. And the location while being close to everything had convenient parking and was pretty quiet.

After checking in, we headed out to do some shopping in the Uptown area....man, there were a ton of tourist traps here. After passing shop after shop of "stuffs", we finally found one where we could find some good gifts.

We enjoyed shopping here and purchased gifts for folks back home. The staff was also quite knowledgeable. 

After which we headed back to the room to relax and refresh.

I had made dinner reservations at a place recommended to me by an acquaintance. It was located a bit over a mile down state highway 89A named Mariposa. Well, because the Missus thought that I hadn't had enough exercise, She decided that we needed to walk there. The walk wasn't bad, though we were the only folks actually walking. And after taking the right where 89A turns right and 179 goes straight it seemed like we were walking on the freeway. For a place that had been described to me as being "spiritual" they sure seemed to have a lot of large strip malls!

We found the restaurant, walked up past the parking lot and entered.

The place was quite busy and many parties looked like they were here to celebrate various occasions.

The menu featured "tapas" styled dishes, grilled red meat, interesting sounding Latin influenced mains, and a host of sides The service was a bit on the "cold" side, at least to us. Apparently he knew folks on his other tables and spent his time with them and barely uttered a complete sentence to us.

We chose a couple of "tapas", a main, and some side dishes for our "family style" meal.

First up was the Pulpo Parilla ($26).

We were a bit surprised at the prices, which seemed on the "high" end of things; but this was a good sized plate. The octopus was nicely cooked and hit a nice balanced texture, toothsome, but not overly chewy. In terms of flavor, it was again nicely balacned in terms of sodium. The garbanzo bean puree was nice and hearty and the shredded fennel added an interesting anise flavor to things. This was, by far, the best dish of the evening. We also enjoyed the Biquinho Peppers; which weren't overly hot, but it really brought a bit of spice to the dish.

The Gaucho Plate ($22) arrived next.

The chorizo was a bit too mild in terms of spices....it really could have used a bit more chili in it. The bread was a bit on the crumbly side for our taste. The best item on the plate were the butter beans which which had a nice, firm exterior, but were quite creamy inside.

The one main we ordered was the Veggie Nirvana ($28). After having those pretty hefty tapas, we cracked up when this arrived as it was actually smaller than the previous dishes.

This was a bit overdone in terms of having so many things going on; the Romesco Sauce, black beans, pepitas, and cheese overpowered any subtle smokiness from the roasted poblano. 

We also ordered the Wood Roasted Mushrooms ($12).

This was fine, if a bit on the bland side.

The most disappointing dish was the Roasted Cauliflower with Romesco ($10).

The cauliflower had been charred, but was still quite hard and for some reason, didn't seem to be seasoned. As I mentioned previously; not a fan of the Romesco sauce as it really didn't have that "zippy", garlic-smoky-mildly spicy and tangy flavors I enjoy.

Overall, well....this felt like a meal in a very "corporate" restaurant.....for some reason it reminded me of eating, in say, a Fleming's???

I had read about the wonderful view, but it was past sundown when we arrived so I can't comment on that.

Mariposa Latin Inspired Grill
700 West Hwy 89A
Sedona, AZ 86336

We had a quiet walk back to our room. I had started noticing random items on our walk back that sometimes looked a bit out of place. Like what is this Torii doing here?

Maybe I missed something in the darkness?

The next morning the Missus wanted to show me one of Her favorite hikes in the area. It's the West Fork of Oak Creek. We got there early and found parking and paid the $11 fee.

    It is a nice hike and I loved the rock formations. Now this is what I envision when I think of Sedona!

The hike was a bit over 6 1/2 miles round trip and wasn't too bad.

There were 13 river crossings though! But I managed to make it without falling into the river once....much to the Missus's disappointment. Just kidding.

Not too many people hiking on this morning; though it seemed like folks were arriving as we were leaving.

We passed some ruins as we were leaving the trail.

I was curious and walked over to the sign.

From 1926 to 1968 Mayhew Lodge stood here. The cabins saw visitors like Herbert Hoover, Jimmy Stewart, Walt Disney, and Clark Gable. You can read more about it here. In 1968 the Mayhew family sold the lodge to the U.S. Forest Service and in 1980 a fire consumed the buildings, leaving only the remains we can see today. It's interesting the things that you run across.....

As folks started arriving; we knew it was time for us to leave.......and time for me to have a break and maybe even a nap?

Thanks for stopping by!

COMC - Visits "BC" (Before Covid) Cueva Bar, Ma's House, Hachi Ramen, and Submarine Crab

Well, welcome to March 225th. Who'd have thought 2020 would be like this? For my posts; I usually do multiple visits to a place....after all, everyone can have an off day.....even though it goes against my "fool me once shame on you....fool me twice shame on me" rule, I'm willing to take full responsibility for my poor judgement....though there are many paces where; perhaps we've had absolutely terrible food/service; or the food has been lackluster and the prices quite high....or something in between that'll be just a "one and done". It's pretty obvious in many cases just by the absence of a post on those places.

To be perfectly fair; after a certain period of time; like 6-9 months or so, I'd just as soon start things up all over again. And Covid-19 has just changed things. So here are a bunch of places that I fully intend on visiting again once we're past all this craziness....and I'll just "start the meter" from the beginning with a clean slate, hours, staff, menus, could all have changed, right? But, I thought you'd like to see the photos anyway.

Cueva Bar:

**** Cueva Bar has closed

The Missus and I visited Cueva Bar last year and fully intended of returning in a couple of months, before the pandemic struck. We weren't particularly struck by the food; we enjoyed the Choripapas the most. The flatbread would have been pretty good, but there just wasn't enough Chorizo on the "Norteno" to really make an impact on our palate. I gotta say; really pretty presentations though.

I still need to try the Empanadas.

Cueva Bar Café
2123 Adams Ave.
San Diego, CA 92116
Current Hours
Thur - Sat 4pm - 9pm

Ma's House:

Ma's created a bit of buzz when they opened last fall. I went with Calvin back in November. Even though I know folks who were really excited about Ma's opening.....we'd been to Ma's Islamic in Anaheim and were really not impressed. Perhaps having all those meals at the now defunct Tung Lai Shun (in the SGV) and other places in China has set the bar too high.

Both Calvin and I were underwhelmed.

The cumin lamb was terrible and the deep fried crispy duck was super hard and bland.

The one item that was quite good was the sesame bread. In fact, we brought the leftover bread back to the office (remember those days? When folks worked in an office?) and gave it to "YZ" who loved it.

So, while that gave me a reason to return; I just feel I need to eat in the restaurant and I'm just not ready to do that here. The Missus who tasted the leftovers will probably not be my eating companion here as well, so....I need to wait I guess.

Ma's House
5537 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117

Hachi Ramen:

**** Hachi Ramen has closed

So....the curse of Hachi Ramen. I had visited a few times when the place was Artisan Bento. I actually used to have quite a few meetings up in the Hillcrest area. So in 2017 the place changed concepts and became Hachi Ramen. Like I mentioned in my Ramen Ryoma post, I'd had two aborted posts on Hachi (also mentioned in Waters Fine Foods post) , just because my visits were spaced a year apart.

So, in February, I decided to start over.....get things going.

And while the noodles were standard issue and the broth a bit on the overly salty side; this was not bad.

Then of course, we hit mid-March. And Hachi has been closed ever since.  Though I understand you can order some of the menu items from Azuki Sushi.

So, there are questions; will Hachi ever reopen....AND will the "fourth time be a charm"?

Hachi Ramen
2505 5th Ave.
San Diego, CA 92103
Currently Closed Due to Covid-19

Submarine Crab:

So, this is an interesting one. Back at the end of February, I made multiple visits to Lotus Garden in City Heights. The young man working there; I believe his name is "Tu" is from Little Saigon and we had a couple of nice chats about Vietnamese food in San Diego. Surprisingly, he told me that he and his girlfriend will often visit Submarine Crab for the Banh Canh.

So, at the beginning of March, I grabbed Calvin and we drove over to Submarine Crab.

After looking over the menu a few times; I figured out that the Banh Canh was called "Udon" on the menu.

It was quite a thick/gooey as I like; but this was not bad at all.

The Beef Stew - bo kho, as a bit on the thin side, but not bad either.

We also had the chicken wings.

I understand that the "Seafood Udon" is currently on the takeout menu; but the Beef Stew is only available eat in.

I definitely need to return; but will wait for a bit, and will start things fresh.

Submarine Crab
4647 Convoy St.
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 987-0333
Current (Covid-19) Hours:
Mon - Thurs 330pm - 9pm
Fri - Sun   12pm - 930pm

And lastly......I'm just adding these photos. We won't be returning here.

Hope everyone is safe and in good health! Have a great week!

Sunday Sandwiches - The "El Cubano" from Havana Grill

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

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

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

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

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