mmm-yoso!!!

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 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

City Bistro (American and Mediterranean) (El Cajon)

Thanks for coming back to read mmm-yoso!!!, a blog about food.   Kirk and His Missus are at their second spring vacation destination and Cathy is still blogging.

I couldn't figure it out.  Three clients called to make appointments and none of them would be available on a Monday morning, but all of them would be available on any other morning.  I later found out that they knew each other and met for breakfast every Monday, at this location (which had been Country Waffles for about 15 years) which was remodeled and turned into City Bistro in 2016. Across the street from Valley Foods Mediterranean Market  and about 1/2 mile from El Cajon Bistro, this location on East Main Street is another nice, neighborhood restaurant. 
There's a bar seating area along with plenty of tables.  A television is visible from every seat, each set to a different channel (and all on closed captioning). There is a white board with a daily special at the front door. 
 We ordered from the regular menu- the "Crepe Plate" ($11.99) (choice of fruit flavors; you can see this is strawberry) served with two eggs and either two bacon, two sausage or one of each. Each item was quite good, tasty, fresh.  Quality. 
 I ordered the "Pan Handle Scramble" ($10.99) with country potatoes.  The potatoes were nicely fried, randomly chopped and quite tasty.  The scramble-I asked for the meat to be a sausage patty (they make the sausage patties here). It wasn't served on the side.
 On the bottom of the panhandle serving plate was a large, fresh made biscuit, topped with the large Housemade sausage patty, topped with country gravy, topped with a scramble of eggs mixed with red and green bell peppers, onions and cheese and also topped with cheese.  Wow!  This was great, tasty and filling.  
     We returned for a lunch and tried the gyros plate ($11.99) (with a double order of salad instead of rice).  The house made tzatziki was really great as was the house made salad dressing.  The side of pita helped -there was a lot of gyros meat and I made a few little sandwiches in addition to making a gyros salad. 
 The Monte Cristo sandwich ($10.99) was a good choice.  Cheese on both slices of the French bread, plenty of turkey for the sandwich, all cooked in an egg batter: French Toast style.  The choice of sides (fries, fruit or onion rings) was easy.  Th rings were whole onions in a thin beer batter.  Crunchy, light and flavorful.  

A lot of good, fresh, 'from scratch' items here, friendly people working and regular, neighborhood clientele. There are plenty of Mediterranean items on the menu, including basturma at breakfast; we will be trying more in the future.

City Bistro 1248 East Main Street El Cajon, CA 92019 (619)442-4444 Open daily 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

 

Mister Falafel Revisited

Another stop before our offices moved last year; trying to go through all those places one more time. This time it was Mister Falafel, which I thought was quite good when they forst opened in 2013, but just hasn't been as good during my most recent visits.

Still, the folks here are so sweet and gracious.

I got the Falafel Sandwich($6.75).

Everything here is made to order, which is a good thing. The wrap was still nice and warm when I got back to the office. It was however, just a shadow of its former self. Something has changed in the recipe for falafel here. This time it was on the mushy - gritty side, with not enough crunch, the flavor milder than I recalled. Luckily, I got some garlic paste this time around (no meetings on this afternoon), which kind of saved things. This version of garlic paste is nice and pungent and really helped the sandwich, since the tomatoes weren't ripe and there just wasn't very much parsley. Also, the tahini here is not my favorite as I find it on the bland side.

Still, I really like the folks who work here, so I wanted to make sure to drop by one more time before we moved offices.

Mister Falafel
4461 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday 1100am - 800pm

It's been a while week - Alforon

My really nice revisit to Fernandez Restaurant had me thinking about places that I hadn't been back to in a while. A few came immediately to mind....then a few days later, having some all too rare free time on my hands, I was updating "the big list" (I'm still behind 10 months....hopefully I'll catch up one of these days) which had me wondering about several more places. It's been almost four years since we last did an it's been a while week. So I think it's about time......

There were three places that immediately came to mind...that I had been wondering about. One of them was an old favorite which I've unfortunately ignored for over six years! Gladly, I knew based on other Blogger's posts and how busy the place seemed when I did drive past, that Alforon was doing just fine.

I dropped by on a Sunday afternoon, during a kind of weird hour. The place was quiet. The place has been changed a bit since my first visits back in 2010. I actually sat on one of the sofa looking thingies....the owner; a really friendly and funny woman...whose name is "Samia" if I recall, sat next to me, put her hand on my shoulder and told me to "lean back....relax....see it's comfortable....we just had this done last week and want people to enjoy it!" You gotta love it.....I'm glad she didn't recognize me since it's been a bunch of years....I woulda had some explainin' to do.

I ordered an old favorite, the Chicken Tawook.....so here's how long I haven't been back....when I last had this in 2011, it was $5.75; now it's $9.25..... But it's still damned good.

The real stars of this; in spite of the abundance of chicken is the garlic paste; not overly strong, at least you don't think so, until your tasting garlic for the rest of the day....but it's wonderful here, not overly pungent; savory, light, smooth. And the bread, just enough crispness on the edges; yet soft to the bite and nice combination. The pickles do a great job of cutting through the garlic paste; chicken, and bread. It was as good as I recalled!

Sitting there, stuffed.....my appetite ain't what it used to be either. I sat and thought about all the wonderful meals I've been able to share on our little blog. And even more, all the fantastic recommendations I've received over the years; I recall this one was from ChristinaC, who has made some great recommendations over the years. Thanks again Christina....all these years later!

Alforon
5965 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Revisits - Mister Falafel and Havana Grill

Here's a few revisits to places close to my office.

Mister Falafel:

My last visit was nothing to write home about, but a revisit was due. I really wanted to know if that visit was a fluke and the falafel was as good as my first few visits. The folks here are the nicest people, so I should really come more often. I think it's the location of the place, out of view from the street, that makes it slip from my mind. Not being very hungry, I went with the Falafel "Munchie" ($5.99).

And while this was much better than on my previous visit, it was still missing something. It's a bit more gritty these days, but not bad at all and truly quite filling. I like the flavor; not too much parsley. I'm wondering if they still use the same ratio of favas to garbanzos?

The tahini here is not my favorite version; kind of bland, the pita was fine, standard issue stuff.

As always, the folks working here are warm and wonderful. And yes, they make this stuff fresh so you'll have to wait a few minutes......which is the way things should be.

Mister Falafel
4461 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117
Hours:
Tuesday - Sunday 1100am - 800pm

Havana Grill:

Soo has already posted on the Rabo Encendido here (you can read my comment in the post). The version he had looked nice, though perhaps over done. I ordered it because it wasn't on the menu during my first visits to Havana Grill.

What I got was enormous; though obviously under done and on the tough and chewy side. In fact trying to cut it without holding with my mitts, it broke the plastic knife. The flavor was quite tangy and not quite the flavor I'd experience in other versions I've had; a bit of sweetness, somewhat beefy, and in some version a bit of clove/allspice, and definitely some garlic tones. This wasn't bad; just kind of one tone in taste.

The biggest disappointment were the black beans, which during my first visits back when they first opened was really nice; complex in flavor. This one was bitter, really watery, like the stuff was from the bottom of a pot that had been cooking too long.

The rice was dry, the plantains very tasty. The folks, nice as always. I'm probably going to stick with the Ropa Vieja and the El Cubano, which placed second in my Cubano comparison during future visits.

Havana Grill
5450 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Cafe Royale

So, my haircut guy has been on the move again; I've detailed some of his moves over the years at the end of this post. So, last March he moved over to Rolando, then back to Mission Valley....then in September, back to Rolando. Well, on the bright side, I tracked him down and having to get my haircut allows me to spend a bit of time exploring a neighborhood I might not usually check out.

Fairly close to the barber (he's actually on ECB) is a place someone mentioned to me in passing (along with Bourre, which is in the same strip mall) is Café Royale....the name which actually reminds me of a cognac-coffee drink I've had. But this place is supposedly Somali - Mediterranean.

The place looks rather fast-casual; where you order at the counter. The menu kind of threw me off; I'm used to seeing pasta in East African Restaurants; it's the Italian influence. But this place had everything from the expected goat and suqaar, to the unexpected Philly Cheesesteaks (?!?), jalapeno poppers, quesadillas, burritos, and tiramisu. Though the meat is Zabihah Halal. Usually, I'd avoid a place like this; but for some reason there was an odd attraction. Plus, I was told there was a second Café Royale in, of all places, Minneapolis, go figure.

The guy working the counter was quite nice....perhaps it was my fresh clean-cut look...probably not. I wanted the lamb shanks, but was told it wasn't ready yet; so I decided on the "Goat Feast Royale". Man, this was a load of food for $10.99.....

I love how places like this and say, Safari Grill make their rice. It's so fluffy and full of flavor. And that green hot sauce doesn't mess around either. I found the goat to be on the tough side, though the flavor; coriander came through, along with the sprinkle of sumac made sure this wasn't bland. A bit too much gnawing on tough bits though.

Still the price was very good and I wanted to try that lamb shank. So after my next haircut I dropped by and ordered the Lamb Shanks Royale ($14.99). I got it to go and noticed how heavy the plastic sack was. Something else I didn't notice....the menu said "shanks" not shank. Good lord, look how much food this is.

I can't imagine any one person finishing all of this. The Missus was in shock over the portion size. It was just too much food....almost three meals total. The Missus, like I enjoys the rice; nice and fluffy with good flavor...She also enjoys that green hot sauce a lot as well.

The lamb shanks were pretty meaty and cooked pretty well; not falling apart, but nice and fork tender. Decent salt, but fairly mild in that gamey lamb flavor we enjoy. Again, look at the size of this plate.

So, you obviously won't go hungry here and the portions reminded me of going to a friend's house where "Mom" wanted to make sure you left with a full belly. It was nice trying something a bit different. The guys working here are fairly polite and friendly, though I'm not sure what I'll order if I return.

Cafe Royale
6511 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92115

Balboa International Market- eating inside the store (revisits)

Here you are, checking out mmm-yoso!!! to see what sort of food in what part of town is featured today.  Kirk is having a busy time at work and Ed (from Yuma) is having a relaxing time (in Yuma) so Cathy is posting.  

Back in December, a dear, long time friend sent a message that she was going to be in town for a day, having a book signing at Mysterious Galaxy, one of a handful of Independent bookstores we have in San Diego County. 
 
Mysterious Galaxy shares the same parking lot with Balboa International Market, which I posted about in 2010 and again, in 2012. 

She and I had a good visit after her extended signing time (many San Diegans are fans of her book, which is nominated for a World Fantasy Award).  The Mister and I have gone back to this part of town quite a few times this year to have lunch after exploring Mysterious Galaxy.

I'll spare you photos of the store interior; it's about the same as in the prior posts. Fresh breads are available and the Produce prices are particularly good. 

Walking though the doors of the market, (if there aren't any grills cooking out in front), then to the left and back corner, you'll find a deli counter with many choices, and a menu over a cash register, where you can place your order.  
There is also a stack of paper menus. Order, pay, find a seat at the front of the store (you'll get a number and the plates will be brought to you).

 The salad plate with chicken is $8 and enough for a meal or a light bite to share. (Depending on my mood, I'll walk into the store and purchase a beverage while waiting) 

The a la carte kabob plate is $4.  This is a seasoned ground beef (koobideh) kabob served on top of store baked flatbread, with the onion, grilled tomato and basil; quite enough food.

 The vegetarian meza is $9 and includes dolma, fresh made falafel, a slice of  Kuku (spinach/egg/spiced pie), eggplant salad, cucumber salad, tzatziki, hummus and pita bread.

Always good, fresh, tasty. 

Balboa International Market 5907 Balboa Avenue San Diego 92111 (858) 277-3600 Website

 

 For $1 you can get a cup of tea, which comes with tiny sugar cubes.

Boulder, Colorado: Dushanbe Teahouse and The Med

While Ed (from Yuma) posts about eating on vacation today, Cathy and Kirk are busy. The world is like that.

You don't need a weatherman to know that July and August are good times for Yumans to go on vacation, so I flew to the Denver area to see an old friend and cool off for a few days. The focus of the visit was not gastronomy, but Jane wanted me to try some of her longtime favorites. Who was I to complain about that? And she let me bring my camera, hence this post.

Boulder Dushanbe Teahouse

This teahouse is one of the most unusual spots I've ever posted about. A gift from Dushanbe in Tajikistan to sister city Boulder, Colorado, it even has its own Wikipedia page.

The building was originally constructed in Tajikistan (with no power tools), disassembled, and sent to Boulder where it took about 10 years to find a proper location, secure funding, and reassemble it. The distinctive interior – walls, ceilings, columns –  all display wonderfully carved and painted wood surfaces:

Though they serve lunches, dinners, and even high tea (if ordered in advance), we just dropped in for a little pick me up. Jane enjoyed her chilled hibiscus tea:

and I had a pot of superior grade Dragonwell:

Loved the egg timer  tea timer:
We enjoyed the beverages and the ambience.

The Med

Later we headed over to The Med for dinner:

As Jane explained, The Med has become a very popular dining spot in Boulder and has expanded over the years so that it stretches from that corner all the way back to its entrance:

We were no sooner seated at our table when a basket of truly excellent bread arrived. I really enjoyed the sourdough – nice crust, nice crumb, nice flavor – but the olive bread was good as well:

We decided to focus on tapas. The menu offered around a dozen cold choices and 20 warm, generally priced around $5. We tried to order a variety, selecting three of each.

The Escabeche arrived first:

It was an interesting approach. The yellowfin had been combined with a lot of avocado, mild green chilies, and pico de gallo and some citrus and the combination placed atop a small tumulus of cucumber strips. While certainly okay, I thought it lacked pizzazz. I expected a more assertive citrus flavor, and the cucumber strips just didn't seem to work together with the rest of the dish.

The roasted beets arrived next:

This was a very attractive plate – the golden beets contrasted nicely with the pickled onions, chevre, micro greens, and fried capers. Overall, a pleasant beet salad. Beety.

The bruschetta was enjoyable:

The toasty slices of excellent bread were spread with a white bean paste and topped off with an artichoke tapenade. A nice range of flavors and textures. Very Mediterranean.

The pastillas were the first warm tapas served:

The pan fried flaky filo crust was wrapped around a curry flavored interior of chicken, vegetables, pinenuts, and raisins. Then the savory little pastries were dusted with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Cut into, a pastilla looked like this:

Different and distinctive flavor/texture range.

Our favorite item of the evening was the grilled polenta topped with a wild mushroom ragout:

The julienned vegetables – carrots, turnips, and scallions – provided nice contrast to the colors and textures of the polenta and mushroom sauce. Even though the shrooms look more domestic than wild, the ragout had overtones of porcini, and the polenta was crispy creamy.

Our last tapas were gambas, griddled shrimp:

This was a classic version. The shrimp were firm and flavorful. A squeeze of lemon and the parsley/scallion salsa provided accents. This was about the shrimp.

I had a glass or two of a pleasant Rioja rosé and Jane chose a Pinot Noir. The restaurant seemed lively with a lot of younger folks, and our server Henry was helpful and personable. We had a very good time.