mmm-yoso!!!

Bann at Gourmet Artisan

Back in January I noted that Bann, located in the HMart Food Court had closed. I used to visit them once in a while when they were located on Miramar Road. Less so when they pulled up roots and moved to H Mart. Still, I was sad to see them close as I had enjoyed their kimchi fried rice.

Well, I'm not quite sure if you know this, but I do have an Instagram Account. I'm not tied to it much as I much prefer long form posts. I usually put up odds and ends, photos after I actually do a post and such. Anyway, I basically set-up my Instagram account so I could keep in touch with folks like Dennis of a Radiused Corner, or "CC". But, once in a while I will learn something from Instagram; not necessarily from a post. For example, I know folks who are great "FOYs" who also do posts on that platform. One of them is Derric, who was nice enough to send me a screen shot of a text he recently got.

Hmmmm, Bann at Gourmet Artisan? A place that I've posted on many times before? Hmmm........

So, this past week, I wanted to see what was up with SuperNatural Sandwiches, I dropped by in January and the place was closed with a sign saying reopening mid-January, but it was already late January and.....well, more on that in a future post.

I decided to go ahead and see what was up with the Gourmet Artisan. Now, GA is one of the few places that I don't mind doing online ordering from since there doesn't seem to be an upcharge for that (so long it's done from the website). So, I went to the web page and then to the "Order Pickup" and quickly noticed this:

So, I scrolled down and found the "Pick-up Meal Deals". You order these ahead for one of the designated pick-up times. Of course, I was disappointed to see that kimchi fried rice wasn't available. But, the Bulgogi Bowl was $9.99! Man, in this day and age, that's a reasonable price. 

I placed my order and just like when ordering a sandwich from GA, was informed when my food was being worked on. I'm close enough to the shop to get there in ten minutes.

And my order was being placed on the counter when I arrived. There were four other takeout orders on the counter as well.

 I guess Bann has some kind of pseudo "ghost kitchen" thing going at GA?

Anyway, I was interested in trying the bulgogi, since Bann always called their version of the dish "marinated beef", not bulgogi. 

Well, the beef looked as I remembered it. Though this "bowl" had much less vegetable filler than what the former version of Bann sold. The veggies are really undercooked. 

The portion size was quite good; the rice moist. But like the "old Bann" the marinade was really weak, you can tell by the color. It was in need of more...of well, everything, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, garlic. On the good side; the beef was much more tender than I recalled. I'd say for $9.99 this might be worth the price.

Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained. I'm glad to have tried this and will keep an eye out to see if anything else, that doesn't have bulgogi (or salmon) in it will be offered. Or heck, I'll get a sandwich from there on my "next round".

The ghost kitchen stuff is getting interesting......

Bann at Gourmet Artisan - Bann items currently only available for online ordering and pick-up
7094 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121

Thanks for thinking of us Derric, I really appreciate it!

Recently Consumed - The Online Ordering Edition: Cheese from Stepladder Creamery and Salumi from Salumi Chicago

One thing I'll say about our current situation is that I've finally started ordering foodstuff online....and no, I don't mean those food delivery apps..... What I'm referring to is going thru various lists and references to fill our larder and our stomachs......if you're reading our little blog; you know I'm already sold on the quality of Rancho Gordo's beans and nixtamalized corn. It's amazing how quickly the dried beans cook, the flavors are amazing, and it's definitely worth the price.

Having dipped my feet in the water and with the recent almost record setting heat, I went and ordered from two other producers, with success.

Stepladder Creamery:

Well, you know how the Missus and I enjoy a cheese board when the weather gets warmer....and yes, I do keep a Cheese Journal. We've done the Sonoma-Marin Cheese Trail and cheese has become a large part of our travels; we even did a fun cheese tasting in Paris.....I'll get to that post soon.

So, why not order cheese directly from the cheesemaker? I saw this fantastic post on Madame Fromage's Blog and noticed that one of the cheesemakers mentioned was Stepladder Creamery, which is located in Cambria. So, I placed an order for the Small Cheese Plate Bundle - $50. Free shipping with orders over $50. It was shipped overnight (they ship on Mondays) and arrived in beautiful shape.

Wasn't sure about how we'd enjoy the Fromage Blanc, but the spicy fromage blanc is quite good smeared on bread! Nice and smoky.

The interesting this was; we probably got too excited when this first arrived and set it out right away, with only a 15-20 minute time to bring to temp. It was still a bit too chilled and we weren't too impressed.

But, on our second meal; it was warmer and the cheese came up to temp nicely and we really enjoyed the cheese.

I took to the Paso Vino, which had a nice richness, along with an almost stone-fruit/"pruniness". Loved the texture once it reaches room temp. The Missus really enjoyed the Big Sur, which was smooth, rich, with a nutty finish.

Stepladder Creamery Website

Salumi Chicago:

I first read about Greg Laketek and Salumi Chicago in this wonderful post on Fooditor. It's a great story, quote the Chicago Salumi website; "Greg Laketek quit his day job and booked a one-way ticket to Parma, Italy, the home of Prosciutto, seeking to train under the best salumiere in the world." Awesome. Parma? Oh man......memories of eating Ciccioli and Culatello di Zibello in the steps of San Petronio Basilica! Anyway, there was a free shipping with orders over $50 on the Salumi Chicago website. I placed an order....and waited until our package arrived. These products are shelf stable, so it handles the priority shipping well.

We bought an extra Salami Tartufo for Frankie's auntie "Alle"...who, being half Italian, loves all the good stuff from the "old country". We also got Chorizo for the Missus who loves the stuff and a Soppressata (all uncured).

All three were wonderful! The soppressata was a nice surprise as it had a good "kick" from the Calabrian peppers. Nicely balanced pork-salt-fat, great texture....perhaps the best I've had outside of Italy! Only heritage hogs are used, these are really delicious high quality products and we'll keep ordering. Can't wait to try the 'Nduja!

Salumi Chicago Website

So, a hundred bucks later, I felt both purchases were well worth the money....you got excellent product from the producers. Shipping was free and this was totally worth the money.

Have you been ordering food/products online directly from the producers?

I'd like to know how that's working out for you.

As always, any recommendations are much welcomed!