mmm-yoso!!!

BoujieMana

Ah yes, BoujieMana. Like would you actually go to a place with "Boujie" in the name? Not quite sure how I heard about the place, but what fascinated me the most was the location, off Aero Drive. You basically go to where there's massive construction happening on Aero Drive, then head on down Aero Court to where the street ends at a office park. The restaurant, is in what looks like a business complex, on the other side of the Mira Bella Apartments. Shades of Green Acre, but not in Torrey Pines/Sorrento Valley/East Village.

I had looked at the menu online and thought that it would make for an interesting lunch excursion.

It was quiet during our lunch visit on this day. It was before the heatwave and we decided to have a seat in the deck area.

The large restaurant serves lunch and dinner during the week and brunch during weekends. The menu has some variations for each dining option and we were told that there are monthly changes to the menu.

Being the nosy customers we are, we spied what the other two tables were getting and determined that the sandwiches and pizzas seemed a bit hefty. In keeping with how we like to dine these days; we find that appetizers sometimes give a better outlook into the restaurant as the chef can take more chances with food, we ended up ordering three starters and a salad.

The Missus saw Smoked Deviled Eggs ($9) and made sure to try that.

The Missus usually enjoys deviled eggs, but this wasn't a favorite of Hers. I think it's the sourish salsa verde which was intensified with the pickled jalapenos that took this over-the-top. Too many sour tones, which really seems unappetizing on eggs to us. 

The Roasted Octopus ($19) was interesting as it was "almost there" for us.

The octopus was pleasantly tender, the bean puree was nice and creamy, potent acidity.......it was just a bit too salty. I'm thinking that some bread would go really well with this; tempering the saltiness and complementing the savory-acidity well.

The portion size for Wild Chicory Caeser ($16) was quite large. Instead of bacon, this featured crisped prosciutto which added a nice layer of salty-savory sweetness.

We enjoyed the bitter tones and the fact that the salad wasn't over-dressed. In fact, the leftovers did well with dinner. The salty-cheesy parmesan added another layer of flavor to the salad.

We were both curious as to how a Mediterranean restaurant would interpret an Aguachile. So, we ordered the Shrimp and Scallop Aguachile ($21) and this turned out to be our favorite dish of the meal.

 As we figured, this wasn't an aguachile in conventional terms. It wasn't overly acidic, but quite mellow. Though I will say the seafood, especially the bay scallops were sweet and tender, so were the shrimp. Both of which weren't over-cooked and tough. The sweet and ripe avocado and the briny cucumber added another layer. But what clinched it all was the nicely toasted and salted sour dough, which was the perfect foil for the dish. Yes, it's not a conventional version of the dish, but we enjoyed it. We both wished that the octopus had that nicely toasted sour dough with it as well.

So, a few weeks later we decided to return; again for lunch.

This time, it was during the heatwave, so we sat in the large interior of the restaurant.

Of course we got the Aguachile.

This time it had a bit more acidity and "oomph". Still, the sweet and tender seafood was still present.

We decided to order the Mediterranean Pita ($19) as well. As with our experience with previous dishes, the portion size was quite large.

   The highlight of the dish for us was the pillowy and warm pita. After that, well, everything was way too sour. Man, that chicken might have been ok, but the puckery-tartness overwhelmed things. Same with the green salad. Yikes, the sharp sourness just took over. Kind of a bummer.

In the end, we really enjoy the not-so-aguachile here, while not a true Mexican version of the dish, it is quite pleasant and the quality of ingredients here seems good. Service is welcoming, though things do take time getting to your table. I'm sure the folks in the new developments in the area appreciate the place and with all that is going on in the locale that it will keep being "boujie". 

I need to return to try the chicken wings and the crispy squash blossoms.

Things have sure changed since my office was in the area way back when!

BoujieMana
3545 Aero Ct. Suite B
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Tues - Fri 11am - 9pm
Saturday   9am - 9pm
Sunday      9am - 2pm
Closed on Monday

Victor's Kafe (Poway)

You are reading mmm-yoso!!!, which is being written by Cathy while Kirk is busy and not writing.

A morning of driving through Business Parks in Poway and The Mister and I stumbled upon this area of multiple restaurants, anchored by a  bank and a Carl's, Jr., where everyone who works nearby must know about.  It was all new to us. 

 Choices of pizza, Asian fusion, poke, a taco shop and Greek/Mediterranean (as well as a massage parlor)...what a unique mall area with plenty of parking.
 We decided on Viktor's after checking out menus on the windows of all the businesses.
  Walk up, order and pay.  Grab your beverages. Your name is called out when everything is ready.
 For this initial visit, we chose to share an Ultimate Salad ($14.95).  A full serving of Gyros and a full serving of Victor's chicken on top of a Greek Salad.  Wow!  Plenty of food to share. A standard Greek salad-Romaine, bell peppers, onion, tomato, Feta and Greek olives, topped with a house made VK dressing.  The marinated chicken was moist and grilled with a nice char.  The beef and lamb gyros was shaved from the vertical rotisserie spit and very good. 

 I also ordered this "Feta Melt" from the starter menu ($6.25) and wow-this was great.  Feta, red onion,  bell peppers, tomatoes on a toasted pita. 

 A great bite of flavors and texture.  Even though served folded, as above, eating the pita 'open faced' seemed proper.

We'll return to try more of the menu here as well as some of the other restaurants.

Victor's Kafe 14057 Stowe Drive Suite 104 Poway, CA 92064 (858) 6681717 FAX: (858)6681788 Open Mon-Fri 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Closed Saturday and Sunday Website

Tappi's Cafe (Rancho San Diego)

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog.  Cathy has a post to write today while Kirk is just not able to write much about food.

So, this is another one of our "Oh, Look!"/unplanned finds.  The Mister and I were going to shop at the Ralphs in Rancho San Diego and, as always, looking for a place to get a light lunch so we would not walk in and make excessive food purchases.  Right across the parking lot... 
 The small signage with an interesting font was intriguing.  Tappi's opened in October 2022.  
 The menu, more intriguing.  There were South of the Border and Mediterranean categories and some items with Japanese names, along with a good breakfast menu, (which has Japanese souffle pancakes as well as German and Ube pancakes available).  Fusion? Con-fusion?  Simply good food?   
 We asked what the 'Soup of the Day' was.  The answer was both tomato and broccoli cheese. Yes! One of each, please.

One size ($5 each), quite large.  The tomato 'soup' was extremely thick, filled with seeds from tomatoes and flavors of bell peppers, onion, maybe cumin.  It did not need any additional seasoning.  At some point, we determined it must be the sauce used for the shakshuka from the menu and were very happy.  The broccoli cheese had great flavor.  It was a thin soup, definitely home made and filled with not-mushy, not-crisp/raw broccoli.  Also very good.   We decided to try the Khachapuri with kielbasa ($12).  Plenty of cheese. filling fresh made crusty chewy bread, thin slices of a garlic-y kielbasa.  A sizable meal (we took two slices home).  
 I had seen Kunafa  (crunchy, sweet, cheesy, creamy) at the bottom of the menu and knew I was going to order it.  Our nice waitress said they were 'trying something new' and offering the kunafa as a sandwich for $11 (the large piece of kunafa by itself is $10). Yes.  The 'bread' is a sweetbread- an eggy, cardamom flavored, sesame seed topped delight.  Separately or together, each bite was wonderful.   We did take half of this home, too, to have with coffee.

We will be trying more of the menu, soon.

Tappi's Cafe  12098 Fury Lane (at Jamacha) El Cajon 92019 Open daily 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Website

Panini Kabob Grill (Mission Valley)

mmm-yoso!!! welcomes you back to our little blog.  Cathy is writing todays post, while Kirk is enjoying the start to a three day weekend. 

As you know, I do not 'regift' any gifts received, including gift cards.  I have one particular client (who knows that I write on this blog) and the random gift cards received from him indicate places he would like to see me write about.  PKG is a Southern California chain advertising itself as a  "True Scratch Kitchen".  Established in 1997 in Corona Del Mar, this chain only recently (since Covid-19) has expanded into San Diego, with locations in Mission Valley, Carlsbad, Carmel Valley and soon, University City.  The location in Mission Valley, across the parking lot from the Trader Joe's (at the Northwest corner of Interstate 8 and  Mission Center Road), inside the former Fuddruckers, is closest to home, so we stopped here for lunch. 
 Clean and organized, with indoor and outdoor seating, it is spacious. Link to menu (I forgot to take photos)
 I decided to try a cup of the Green Lentil Soup ($3.99)-wow! Made with organic lentils, tomato, garlic, carrot, onion, parsley, mint and a vegetable broth, this was a *wonderful* version!  All flavors can be tasted, even the mint.  I definitely will get this again.
 I chose the Falafel Appetizer plate ($9.99) as my main dish.  Again-wow! The falafel are made with fresh ground garbanzo beans and various herbs, lightly fried so there is a crisp crust and flavorful fluffy interior.  It's served with hummus (also fresh made with garlic and lemon juice) and tzatziki (made with yogurt, cucumber, dill, parsley, mint and garlic) and grilled pieces of pita.  So fresh and filled with flavors, plenty for a meal or to share. 
 The Chicken Brie Panini comes with a choice of standard salads or soup for $13.99, but you can choose the strawberry date salad for an additional $1.99...and The Mister did just that. 
 The sandwich is on grilled artisan bread, made with chicken tenders, tomato, basil and Brie.  It is a large, tasty sandwich.
 The strawberry date salad is so very flavorful!  Mixed greens and strawberries are tossed with candied walnuts, chopped medjool dates and Gorgonzola.  This 'side' portion was more than enough for us to share and experience the flavors and freshness.

We will be back to try more of the menu.  The food here is is quality.

Soo has been here, too!

Panini Kabob Grill. 891 Camino De La Reina San Diego 92108 (619)299-9220 Open 10a.m.-9 p.m. daily Website

Monday Meanderings - Mister Falafel and Mi Pana Closes, Dinner with Friends at Kingfisher

Recently, I got some bad news from two of my "FOYs".

Mister Falafel Closes:

"ChrisR" sent me an email saying that Mister Falafel had closed! Whoa, now I hadn't heard about this one! Of course being that Mister Falafel is a bit hidden from the street and is mainly a warm weather location for garlic paste, I hadn't really dropped by in a while. So, on the way home from errands I decided to see what was going on. And sigh.....yes, the place has been gutted. It seems Mister Falafel is no longer.

The folks here were so nice!

First La Miche, now Mister Falafel. This is so sad. When will the bleeding stop?

4461 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Mi Pana Closes:

This one is from our good friend "Ale". She sent me a text directing me to Mi Pana's Instragram. And yes, there it was.....

I really enjoyed my meals at Mi Pana and probably should have revisited.

This seemed so sudden and even caught "Ale" by surprise as she had just been there recently.

2241 Highland Ave.
National City, CA 91950

Dinner at Kingfisher with Friends:

I know, you want a post and I don't blame you. Especially with all the accolades Kingfisher has gotten since they opened, the 50 Best New Restaurants by Bon Appetite listing, a Michelin New Discovery Listing, and with the chef being a James Beard Semifinalist. I'll say that the food was excellent and I'm sure to be back. But this dinner was more important than me doing a post.

You see, this dinner has been over four years in the making. There's a part of me that Covid had eaten away. The part that enjoyed spending time with my friends. Friends that have shared many fun times together, like bringing a whole roasted pig to Karaoke or celebrating Thanksgiving in August, or doing a trolley scavenger hunt. We've gone to dinner roadtrips and even a wedding in Ciudad Obregon! We've been thru births and weddings.

My good friend Candice had been trying to set something up for months and finally, we were all together! It had been so long! I didn't realize how much I missed them all (and you too TFD!).

And as often happens when good friends meet, the conversations, jokes, and laughter all came together seamlessly. It was if we had just seen each other yesterday.

And while the food was fabulous, catching up on things was more important on this day. I didn't even take photos of all the dishes, but here are a few.

Yes, it's as good as it looks, but I'll wait to return when I can spend more attention on the food before doing a real post.

So, here's to friendship and making up for lost time. Thanks for setting things up Candice!

Kingfisher
2469 Broadway
San Diego, CA 92102

Have a great Valentines Day everyone!

Gate of Damascus (revisit)

Thanks for returning to read mmm-yoso!!! Again, Cathy is writing while Kirk and His Missus are nearing the end of their vacation.

I wrote about this new El Cajon restaurant in February of 2022.  In that post, the meal was a small sampling of a breakfast item, a cheese flatbread (manakish) and appetizers.  Everything was wonderful and so fresh.   We've returned a few more times.
 You can order 'to go' or find a seat.  The 'to go' menu is on the wall to make it easy for the 'to go' people.

 The 'for here' menu; a bit larger.

 A cheese manakish ($4.99).  A small version of a herby cheese pizza with no sauce.  Excellent fresh bread: thin, slightly crisp, slightly chewy.
 Here's a zaatar manakish (3.99) add cheese ($1.50).  Zaatar is a spice mixture of thyme, oregano, sesame seeds, sumac and salt.  It's herby, nutty, salty, savory and tangy.  Sumac by itself has the 'tang' you get from lemon juice.  In any case, this combination of zaatar and cheese is really good.
 Six tweaks of falafel ($5.99).  A nice version.  Quite crunchy.  The tahini dip is so creamy!

 Kabab Plate ($13.99) Two very large beef kabobs with rice, grilled tomato and raw onion.  Easily shareable.

An order of baba ghannouj (6.99) arrived with pieces of hot-from-the-oven pita. The roasted eggplant based dip is smoky and smooth and has a sesame flavor from the tahini.  Olive oil and lemon juice as well as garlic round out the flavors.  The version here is just lovely.
 The Appetizers plate ($15.99). Choice of four.  Plan on taking some home; the serving platter is deceptively deep. Hommus, fattoush, baba ghannouj and in the center, tabboule.  All the salads are made here daily.  The hommus and baba ghanouj are excellent versions.  The fattoush is primarily a 'bread salad' with the pieces of fried pit toping lettuces, tomato, cucumber and other vegetables.  It's another craving I've had.  The tabboule is parsley, tomato, cucumber, mint, green onion and bulgur-crunchy.  Its dressing (lemon juice, paprika, salt and pepper with olive oil) really showcases an excellent quality olive oil.   
 A single beef kabab ($3) is sometimes quite enough for a nice snack/small meal.  (This kabob is smaller than the two beef kabobs served on the kabab plate).

Quality, fresh food.  Nice people.

Gate of Damascus 1142 East Main El Cajon 92021 (619) 312-0427  Open Monday: 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; Tues-Sun 8 a.m.-midnight website
 Free hot tea at the back; serve yourself. 

Tel Aviv (Before Covid) - HaBasta, Abu Hassan, and Falafel Ratzon

*** Here's a condensed post as I try to finish up all our pre-Covid trip reports.

Our flight from Paris to Tel Aviv on EL AL was on time and uneventful.

We were fed pretty well on the flight and arrived at Ben Gurion Airport right before 5pm. Getting a taxi to our hotel was also very easy and took about half an hour. Not quite sure about how long it would take, I made reservations at a restaurant I wanted to try, which was a nice walk from our hotel at 8pm. The restaurant is right next to the Carmel Market and I'd read a bit about the place.

On this Sunday evening, things were pretty quiet....and we really enjoyed the wonderful flavors and freshness of the food.

From the Cauliflower with Tahini....

To the Creamy-Smoky eggplant, to the slightly tangy-acidic Matbucha (a Arabic/Moroccan Roasted Tomato dish).

And the savory Cured Fish with Soft Egg.....

 This was a wonderful meal and a great way to start our visit to Israel. I wish we were a bit more hungry and were able to try more dishes, but we left quite satisfied.

HaBasta
HaShomer St. 4
Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

The next morning; our only full day in Tel Aviv, we headed out early. Taking a walk thru the very quiet (on this morning) Carmel Market.

The fragrance of spices floating thru the air.....

And then past Hassan Bek Mosque....

To Charles Clore Park, where we could see Old Jaffa ahead of us.

We walked along to the beach area, where we saw this cat.....

Who was undoubtedly checking out these pooches having a great day at the beach!

We took a quick detour to check out the the Clock Tower and Saraya House in the old town.

  There is so much much history here.

We took time to check out the Clock Tower which was built by the Ottoman's in 1901. 

That structure to the left of the clock tower is the Saraya House and was once the residence and offices of the Turkish Governor. It was blown up by the Lehi a militant group.

We walked along the street checking out various churches and folks just going thru daily life.

 There was quite a bit to take in here...... from the Monastery of St Nicholas to many other places which had no signs.......

There always seemed to be something that would catch your eye.

I was starting to get a bit hungry and really wanted to try a place that wasn't too far away so we headed up the stairs from Nemal Yafo Street connecting to HaShahaf Street....

To a place I'd a good deal about Hummus Abu Hassan, a very low keyed, but very busy little shop.

The folks here were very nice and even though the place was bustling we ordered and found a table. 

Even though it was not even 10am, the place was busy. Our order arrived in minutes and just look at this will ya'....it is by far the most delici-yoso hummus I've ever had.

The Masabacha was amazing. And one of the old timers even showed us the proper way to eat it. You take the wonderful pita and dip it in the peppery lemon sauce, then the hummus, then you eat it was some of the sinus clearing onion! It was sooooo good.

During our short "brunch" we saw two taxis stop in front of the restaurant and older women get out of the car, walk up to the counter and pick up their hummus! This place really lived up to what I had read. In fact, twice during our stay in Jerusalem we mentioned this place and kinda impressed the locals!

Hummus Abu Hassan
Ha-Dolfin St. 1
Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

We finished up and walked back to our hotel.

And wandered the streets along the way.

We had a nice cup of tea back at the hotel.....

And then it was nap time.

We awoke later that afternoon and went back out for a stroll...spending most of our time around the beach area, walking from one end to the other.

The people (and pooch) watching was fun.

This being near the end of November, the sun would set around 430pm, and we were treated to a beautiful one.

After the sun went down we wandered around a bit more; then decided on some dinner. We just wanted something quick and easy and another place; fairly close to our hotel came to mind; Falafel Razon.

I had wanted to try some falafel; so this was our chance....

 And whoa; much like the hummus, this was a game changer for us. I'd never had falafel that was so crisp outside, but almost creamy inside. 

Man we were eating well.

Falafel Razon
King George St. 17
Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

We really enjoyed Tel Aviv; it was laid back and the folks were nice. We had only one full day in the city, but it was fun.

Tomorrow would be a busy day; we'd headed to Masada, the Dead Sea, and then off to Jordan!

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) - Pacific Grove Walking Tour and Dinner at Jeninni Kitchen + Wine Bar

After our walk down Ocean View Boulevard, we returned to our accommodation and freshened up. The Missus still wanted to do a bit more.....and I had been captivated by the wonderful homes we had seen during our walks. So, while the Missus rehydrated, I did some searching online and found a self History and Architecture Walking Tour presented by the Chamber of Commerce. I thought this would be fun and so did the Missus! So, we headed on down to the Chamber of Commerce near Jewell Park. The CoC was closed to visitors due to Covid; but there was a phone number to call. I called and asked if I could get a copy of the walking tour map. The woman who answered was really friendly and told me to "come on down and give us a call and we'll slide you a map under the door!" I told her I was right outside....soon enough, I saw shadow and the walking tour map was slide under the door! And we were off.

Before we headed off, I took a quick glance at the intro to the walking tour. Apparently, Pacific Grove was started as a Methodist retreat in 1875, when the Pacific Land Improvement Company donated land for the retreat. Instead of plagiarizing the pamphlet, if you want to know more, please enlarge the photo below.

   We loved that the walking tour basically started less than a block away, down Forest Avenue.

The houses were chosen based on style. And there was one particular style of home I was particularly interested in after listening to an episode of 99% Invisible. Yes, I was kinda geeking out in a very strange way.

So my apologies in advance.......

The first home was in the American Foursquare design.

Known for the "boxy" shape, this design was deemed "transitional" during a period right before the Craftsman style came into vogue.

At this time (November 2020) there seemed to be some work going on at the home.

A few steps away was a very colorful Pueblo Revival style home.

 Seeing the homes and understanding the designs really gave me an appreciation of styles and design. As in a Victorian Beach Cottage (Victorian design with wood ornamentation around the porches) versus Folk Victorian design (photo to the right).

The next stop was my favorite; the one I mentioned earlier. 

It is a Kit House.

 
 These homes were sold by companies like Sears, Roebuck and Company and arrived by train, delivered to the site by wagon ready to be assembled. Legos, Lincoln Logs, and similar toys came to mind when I thought about these type of homes. The one distinguishing item is the fastening bolts on the corners of the structure. Can you imagine; ordering your home delivered ready to put together.....and we think Amazon is a revolutionary tech company!

At this point in time; we were just starting to enjoy the walk.....regardless of the architecture.

Th next home was of Gothic design....steep roofs, projecting wood work...porch trim.

Versus Gothic Revival.

 At about this time, I started thinking about the folks who live in these homes. Man, how would you feel about folks walking around gawking in front of your house????

And because we were paying so much attention to the homes, we started noticing other homes......some of which had interesting designs. 

Or those that had something interesting in the window as we passed.

Of course, soon enough we were "back on track" with the next home, which was in the Vernacular style......which can be described as respectful to other forms, but based on what is available, but based on "local needs"? Not sure about this one.

   The next one is a style I think we're familiar with; the Queen Anne style. With the towers and gables, it looks like something out of a movie set, doesn't it?

The next one was quite interesting as I thought that it was just "a barn".

This is called "Board and Batten" style and is noted for the vertical wood siding covered by more narrow boards called battens. This is Ketcham's Barn and is a meeting place for the Pacific Grove Heritage Society.

Our next stop was back on Lighthouse Avenue.

This structure, built in 1904- 1905 was built in the Romanesque style; which I think we're somewhat familiar with.

A bit further down you see colorful storefronts with large bay windows.

Those features and the ornamentation identify these as building in the Victorian Commercial style.

Our last stop was the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, which is in a Spanish - Mediterranean Revival style.

The last stop was perfect as we were staying right up Forest Avenue. We made one additional stop to do some shopping and get some gifts and then headed back.

Of course we did a check-in with the "Art Store Cats".

After a short nap break we headed out for dinner. I had made reservations at a place I'd read a bit about and where the menu seemed interesting; Jeninni, which was located right across those Victorian Commercial style buildings we passed earlier.

There was quite a large outdoor set-up. We asked to be seated in the corner away from other folks eating and drinking.

There was something quite fascinating about the menu; interesting combinations. While I would usually shy away from these type of dishes, I was intrigued. And from our first dish of the night, the Radish and Lardo Tartine ($13), I knew we would have a wonderful meal.

The decadent richness of the lardo combined with a wonderful light pungency of the local radishes was a great combination. The bread was fantastic; we were told it was baked locally. The fennel seeds added nice anise tones and the mustard flowers had a light mustardy pungency.....not a typical mustard kick per se.....more like a pat on the head if you will.

I'm not a fan of sweet items in my salad; but I must say, the sour-tangy-lightly sweet pickled raisins in the Kale Salad ($13) was a hit.

The Missus loves kale so this salad with the bitter kale, nutty pepitas, and milky-savory pecorino was perfect for Her.

Or favorite item on the night were the Eggplant Fries ($8)....it was so good that we had a second order.

Perfectly crisp outside with an amazingly moist and buttery interior, seasoned with a mildly sweet-smokey Urfa Pepper which just highlited the smoky-nuttiness of the eggplant. This was definitely delici-yoso!!!

The Crispy Lamb Shank ($32) was also delicious. Think of it as Lamb version of "Crispy Pata".

Like the other dishes, this was a wonderful combination of textures and flavors; crispy-crunchy lamb skin, moist and tender meat, wonderfully gamey in flavor. The broth was harissa based; but I tasted something quite familiar....I asked and it was confirmed it was kaffir lime leaves. The Missus loved te perfectly cooked chickpeas as well.

Service was friendly and professional. While it's hard to put your finger on precisely what type of food this is; I'll just call it delicious! This was a memorable meal and we can't wait to return!

Jeninni Kitchen + Wine Bar
542 Lighthouse Ave.
Pacific Grove, CA 93950

Simsim Outstanding Shawarma - bc (before Covid) and dc (during Covid)

**** Simsim has closed

Simsim opened at the Gateway at Kearny Mesa back in August of 2018, I first visited a couple of months later...….I then just waited a while before visiting again....then wanting just one more visit before posting took my 'ol sweet time revisiting.....I'd been kinda underwhelmed, not at the portions (at first), but the flavors and such. And then the Pandemic hit. I've actually got a bunch of photos from places that I'd meant to revisit or post on. Simsim was one of them. But with the Pandemic; well, I was just going to delete the photos and call it a day. But I'd already had three visits to the place; so, two weeks ago, I decided to just do one more takeout visit...thus the "bc" (before Covid) and "dc" (during Covid) in the title.

So, here goes.

Simsim is located in the same strip mall as one of Cathy's favorites Niban, Elijah's, and the now defunct Souplantation. Much like Tahini Street Food, the set-up is "fast-casual" (i.e. the Chipotle, which by the way is also in this strip mall) model. You order at the counter and pick up your order when ready.

On all my visits the crew here were very nice and friendly.

The menu consists of wraps, bowls, plates, and sides with names like "Authentic", "Simple", "Spicy", "Tasty", and "Pure"...you get it, right?

On my first visit, I decided to just get the Beef and Lamb (the "Authentic"), which at that time was $10, it's now $12. 

It comes with a side of standard issue thin fries, which I think could have been fried a bit longer as it got soggy quite quickly. It was nicely seasoned though.

The bread off the sajj was fairly brittle and lacking in a bit of stretch from other versions that I had enjoyed more. In fact, one of my Middle Eastern coworkers said that this is almost closer to a tortilla for a burrito. I also like a bit more slightly charred "crust" on my bread as well.

The amount of meat in this was quite generous, though it is obviously aimed as "food for the masses" (nothing wrong with that) and was quite mild in seasoning...it was also on the dry side and a bit ore chewy than I preferred. The tahini was also pretty mild in flavor as well.

Still, very nice folks.....so, after a couple of months, I decided to return.

I'm still looking for really good falafel in San Diego; so I decided to try the Falafel Wrap($9).

The fries were done a bit better this time around and the "bread" had been toasted a bit more and actually had some nice crisp spots on it.

The falafel was mushy and pasty, and fairly bland...….in retrospect it was a good thing I had this before our trip to Israel and Jordan; because now I dunno what I would say about this.

After this I just kinda forgot about Simsim. Until the beginning of the year. I was kinda craving chicken with garlic sauce, I'd already tried the version at Tahini Street Food and Alforon was much too far away. So, I thought I'd try the version at Simsim. I got the "Simple" - Chicken and Garlic ($10.50) to go.

I quickly noticed that his wrap was shaped differently. It looked even more like a burrito than before! Also, the one thing I was most concerned about was that the fries would not hold up on the 10-15 minute trip to the office. Which turned out to be true.

The wrap itself seemed much smaller than before as was the amount of meat. Though the chicken had a bit of seasoning it was quite dry. The garlic paste was quite mild in flavor and I could have used more of it.

That same coworker I mentioned earlier told me that they don't make the bread for their wraps inhouse....

So, what you read above would have never (or perhaps should have never) seen the light of day. But, looking at all the "bc" photos I was going to delete, and knowing that Simsim was doing takeout during this time, I decided to call in an order and pick it up on the way home to check on Frankie.

They've got outdoor seating set-up right now.

My order was ready on the counter when I arrived. I had decided against getting a wrap this time around and seeing that they had Muhammara as one of their sides; decided on the "Signature Side Plate" ($13). Which came with very standard issue (and obviously not made inhouse) pita.

Of the four items on the "plate" (Muhammarah, Babaganoush, Moutabel, and Hummus), I enjoyed the Babaganoush the most. It had a nice smoky hint to it, great flavor, decent texture. The Muhammarah was decent, slight sweet-sour tones, it could use a bit more nuttiness and garlic for my taste. Not in the same league as the version at La Miche, though not bad. The Moutabal was nice and creamy; though for some reason the eggplant and tahini flavors were quite mild. The Hummus as just plain bland.

This was by far my "favorite" item I've had at Simsim.

The food here, like Tahini Street Food is a fusion take on Middle Eastern Cuisine for the Western Palate. I think I prefer Tahini to Simsim, but you may want to try both on your own. The folks here have always been nice and friendly and Soo seemed to like the place, so perhaps you'd like to give them a try.

Simsim Outstanding Shawarma
7051 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 430-6717
Open Daily:
11am - 7pm

So, there you go......I've got a bunch of photos of one time visits....all from "bc" (before Covid), some from last year already. I'm fairly certain that if I do return to these places it'll be "ac" (after Covid). A few I probably won't return to. And if I do a post; I'll start from scratch and do a couple of visits. I'm not sure if it's worth posting mostly just photos from these visits.

So, what do you think?

Tahini Street Food (Clairemont Mesa Boulevard)

I recently had a meeting where the food was catered from Tahini. For some reason, I'd forgotten about the place after they were replacing Dudley's Kearny Mesa location, which is right next to Ramen Ryoma.

I enjoyed the Chicken Schwarma Bowl; while being a bit "tame" in terms of flavor; the garlic sauce wasn't too bad and I enjoyed the pickled vegetables, and the rice was nicely flavored and fluffy.

So, I decided to stop by a couple of weeks later.

I'd gotten there right after opening and the place was already doing some pretty good business.

The set-up is very much in the "fast-casual" vein....you order at the register, the stations on the "line" put things together. One both visits; the young man working the register was ultra polite and made sure to repeat everyone's orders to make sure they got things right.

The menu is very much in the Chipotle mold....or even say....Chi-poke mold; you choose your base, if you'd like it in a pita, bowl, or salad, you can add on snacks, be it versions of fries or hummus, etc......

I was feeling hungry on my first visit and got the Chicken Schwarma Bowl and I really wanted to try the Falafel, so I got a3 pieces of Falafel.

This was good as what I'd had in my meeting. The garlic paste; well actually the menu does say "sauce" and is not as pungently delicious as the versions at Harvest Market or Alforon. But it does the trick here. Loved the pickled vegetables which added a nice zip to the bowl. The chicken was decently moist and tender, though quite mild in flavor....yes; it's kind of food not to offend; but with that nicely flavored rice, it did the job quite.

On the other hand; I really didn't care for the falafel.

While the interior was nice and smooth; the exterior was really hard....not crunchy, hard, and in addition to being more salty than I enjoy, there was a strange bitterness that I detected. Plus, the Tahini tasted weak, runny, and watered down.

The pita though, was nice and warm, it was obviously made fairly fresh as I saw the handy-dandy pita bread oven on the side.

Because I enjoyed the pita; I headed back and tried the Steak Schwarma in a Pita.

And while the pita was lovely as before; the "steak" was very lean and chewy and it was very bland. I really should have gotten a different sauce than the standard Tahini that comes with the "steak"....but at least I know for sure that it's not my favorite version. There was a good amount of meat; fresh veggies; but overall, quite bland.

I also ordered a half order of the Tahini Fries (with no Tahini of course), with Garlic sauce.

This was quite nice; I like the way the garlic sauce complements the crisp fries and even don't mind the pepperoncini's or feta cheese; though I will probably ask for no olives the next time. Still, this was not bad.

Overall a mixed bag; nice folks working, it's fusiony food made for Western palates, not a bad thing necessarily, and that rice bowl is pretty good.

Tahini Street Food
9119 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92123
Hours:
Mon - Sat 11am - 9pm
Sunday    11am - 7pm