mmm-yoso!!!

Lunches with JJ - The Crack Shack (Little Italy)

So, now that we have JJ I've been looking at places that are pooch friendly. I quickly noticed something; there are several places that I had actually visited years back, but really weren't too impressed. In those days I would always try make at least two visits before doing a post. These places were pretty much a "one-and-done". So those photos just ended up in the recycle bin. These days, with prices and such, I feel less tied to having to make multiple visits. Plus, with JJ in tow, it makes for additional points of interest, right? I did my one visit to the Crack Shack in Little Italy probably somewhere back in 2015, I recall the portions being large, but not being too impressed with what I'd had and not bothering to return (BTW, even Juniper and Ivy met that same fate as well).

But now, with JJ in tow, perhaps there's a new wrinkle to my priorities. And perhaps the food has improved? Plus, since I go to the Little Italy Mercato almost every Saturday, parking on Ivy Street, this location is in my view every week.

I liked the fact that the place opens at 10am daily, so I decided to see how it would be at 10 on a Sunday. I found parking on Kettner and was surprised how quite things seem. Perhaps folks were still recovering from New Year?

So, it was time to finally return to see how things were. I was greeted as I strolled up to the ordering window by a very cheerful young lady, who also smiled and greeted JJ when she saw him. She was very nice and friendly.

Looking at prices, I was pretty surprised that they hadn't gone up too much since my visit way back when. It looks like about a $2-$3 increase in like 9 years? 

In the end, just wanting an idea of the how the chicken sandwich is compared to what I recalled, I went with the Coop DeVille ($14) and the Fries in Schmaltz ($4.50), which I didn't order last time. JJ and I had a seat overlooking Kettner.

The gentleman who delivered our tray to the table was very nice and even said hello to JJ.....so this place is obviously dog friendly, at least it was on this day. JJ of course, just wanted to play with everyone!

  Man, those were quite a bit of fries! Unfortunately it was over fried and super salty...way too salty to enjoy. I love the richness of schmaltz, which also has a savory component to it; but this was just too salty. I couldn't finish the fries.....

As for the sandwich. Well, the brioche handled the mayo ridden slaw well; I do wish for a bit more acidity and the cabbage was chopped too thick for my taste. More pickles would have also been a nice touch. The batter did well and held up even with the generous amount of slaw.

 Now I understand that Jidori chicken is a bit chewier, but this was very tough and rather leathery. Also, having had my share of Jidori, which flavors differ from region to region, I expected some interesting poultry flavors. None were to be found.

It was a good size sandwich, priced reasonably, though I think the version I had back in 2015 was better! With locations in Las Vegas and the OC, has CS taken on the chain restaurant model?

Though JJ did enjoy the service! The staff was wonderful and it was a nice, sunny, San Diego winter day.

Still, unless my "FOYs" can come up with a recommendation of what to order....and please; no "Mexican Poutine" which is basically pollo asado fries and has no cheese curds! I think I need to find other options to check out.

The Crack Shack
2266 Kettner Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92101
Current Hours:
Sun - Thurs 10am - 10pm
Fri - Sat        10am - 11pm

Bica

Recently, the Missus mentioned a place in Normal Heights that was pet friendly and supposedly made good coffee, named Bica. JJ enjoys riding in the car; but gets major FOMO. He does enjoy the walks, so recently I headed on up to Normal Heights and easily found street parking a couple blocks away from Bica, which is basically across the street from White Rice Bodega.

Indoors there's a counter for ordering; the Barista working there on both visits was very friendly.

Prices aren't too bad either.

There's a small menu of "tartines" - open face toasts and sandwiches. It was different on both visits.

I went and ordered a Cold Brew and Mushroom Tartine ($12), paid and walked over to the patio area.

While the furnishings in the patio area were pretty packed in; it was not fully occupied and was quite nice and relaxing. 

The place just gave off a nice vibe and JJ did well, just hanging while I enjoyed my Cold Brew, which tasted lighter, but had a nice caffeine "kick".

As for my Tartine; well, it looked lovely.

Loved the bread. Wish there was more mushroom...more savory-earthiness would have been appreciated. A bit too much stracciatella cheese. A bit too much sour-acidity, but overall a decent breakfast.

JJ enjoyed his pre and post breakfast walk as well.

A few weeks later, the Missus decided to join us on another visit to Bica.

I told the Missus to just order me a Cold Brew and order a sandwich for us to split. JJ and I then just headed over to the patio.

The Missus had gotten Herself a Cortado which She loved.

As for the sandwich; well, I was surprised that She ordered a Cubano ($17)!

Once again, we loved the bread, which was perfectly toasted, crusty and crisp, sturdy enough to hold up thru our entire meal.

The pork was tasty, as were all the individual parts. Though when taken as a whole, there was a bit too much pork in this for us. Of course, I'm sure all the swine lovers must love this. For us, proportion matters and more acidity and pungency would helped to balance things out.

The Missus loved the pickled veggies.

We again enjoyed the vibe and walked JJ all the way to Kensington. Funny how people react differently when you have a pup in tow. Folks were wishing us a "good morning", several women stopped to pet JJ....and being the little ham that he is, we would roll on his back to get his tummy rubbed! 

Overall, we enjoyed Bica. Heck, if they were in our 'hood we'd be regulars. Plus, the Missus enjoyed Her Cortado and we actually returned just for that a week later.

I also noticed another place during our time in the neighborhood that we'd end up visiting and enjoying as well!

Stay tuned!

Bica
3569 Adams Ave.
San Diego, CA 92116
Current Hours:
Daily 630am - 4pm

Sunday Sandwiches - Lit'l Pepper Gourmet and Rose Canyon Deli Revisted

Here are a couple of revisits to some sandwich shops I hadn't been to in a while.

Rose Canyon Deli:

Man, hard to believe I haven't been back to Rose Canyon Deli in over four years! I was kinda hungry after a recent Costco run and after dealing with the mass of humanity there, I wasn't feeling like dealing with more pushy folks in line for a hot dog or pizza. So, I decided to head on over to Rose Canyon Deli to grab an early lunch. 

It had been over four years since my last visit! Sheesh. At that time the new owners had just taken over the place.

The gentleman was very nice and friendly. I got my "usual" the "Rocky" (now $9.99, was $7.69 on my last visit). This time they asked me if I wanted it "toasted", so I said yes. I guess they go ahead and put the bread in something like a panini press before making the sandwich?

 As before, a simple, straightforward sandwich, roast beef, milky swiss, creamy avocado....I could have used more of that. The tomatoes were decently ripened this time around adding some good fruity-acidity. The bacon added that smoky-salty-savory component and was crisp, but there wasn't enough in the sandwich.

A nice, family owned sandwich shop, selling reasonably priced sandwiches....yes ten bucks for a sandwich is considered reasonably priced these days...heck Banh Mi's are approaching or are even over the ten dollar mark these days. I also noticed that the place is now open on Saturdays as well.

Rose Canyon Deli
4901 Morena Blvd. Suite 301
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri  7am - 6pm
Saturdays 8am - 230pm
Closed on Sundays

Lit’l Pepper Gourmet:

Another place I haven't been to in a while.....like in over 7 years! Man, time sure does fly. It used to be a fairly convenient location when my office was fairly close by. 

Now while Rose Canyon Deli is a typical simple Neighborhood/Business Park sandwich shop; Lit'l Pepper Gourmet serves up more inventive-creative sandwiches, along with classics. The place has always seemed quite popular and there's this "seal of approval" on this day in the parking lot.

I've ordered the fancier, more creative sandwiches during my previous visits with mixed results. "FOY" Sandy did recommend that I try to get a classic-standard type sandwich, which is what she does. I've been having nostalgic moments thinking of the club sandwiches of my youth. We never had much money, so getting a club sandwich, from say, Aotani Fountain or Alakea Grill was a special treat. So, I went with the Club Sandwich ($14.25).

Man, this was a pretty hefty sandwich.

 Man, this was loaded with turkey, which did make it a bit on the dry side. A good amount of crisp, smoky bacon. Having mayo, mustard, avocado (which is a plus!), and Italian dressing is a bit of overkill and the sandwich was on the "wetter" side; thus the bread did not hold up for the entire meal. I enjoyed the mildly-milky cheddar cheese.

This was quite the two fisted sandwich, I could barely finish it. Good for when you're quite hungry.

I enjoyed the sandwich; though will probably be back to trying some of he more creative options next time!

Lit’l Pepper Gourmet
8911 Complex Dr
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri 6am - 2pm

Egglet (Regents Road/UTC)

While reading thru Eater's post on new restaurants in San Diego, I came across a mention of a Korean Egg Sandwich place that opened in the UTC area. So, I took a quick look online and man, unless I've been missing something it seems like Korean Egg Drop Sandwiches had finally made it to San Diego? Not that I'm really into those fads and such; but the location was quite convenient as were the hours, so I thought I'd drop by and check the place out for a "brunchy" kind of meal.

I find the location to be quite interesting, in the same strip mall off Regents that houses Leucadia Pizza, Von's, the "ABCDE" (American-Born-Chinese-Dining-Establishment) where I had ok Chicken Wings a zillion years ago. I really hadn't been to this mall in ages; the last time was when I needed some cash from the ATM probably before Covid. The name of the place sounded familiar....then it came to me; Egglettes are those silicon boiled egg cooking cups. Also, the location, wasn't this something like Yakimono Restaurant and then a ramen place and then a sushi restaurant in previous lives?

Taking a look at the interior, you can kinda see where a sushi bar used to be and a flat top in the back, all blocked by nicely lined up boxes.

There are a couple of smaller tables out front, some seating indoors, and what looks like an outdoor dining space.

The prices looked to be quite reasonable by today's standards. It's one of these modern you can use the QR code and they'll give you a buzzer for your food. I went with the Egg Double Cheese Egglet ($8) and was curious about the Truffle Hash Brown ($4.50). Soon enough the little bugger buzzer went off.

    Wasn't sure what to expect with the hash browns....there were three to an order, more than I could consume. This was typical Sysco quality, fast-foodish hash browns dusted with a truffle-Parmesan powder. It had a sweet tinge to it, I later found out that it is also dusted with black garlic. Not sure what hash browns are going for these days at your local fast-food joint, but I'm guessing that it's pretty reasonable for $4.50. Not that I would order it again though.

Speaking of not ordering again; the Egg Double Cheese Egglet was quite large for eight bucks; but the brioche, while decently toasted was way too sweet for my taste.

   Just having the mix of cheddar-mozzarella which made things nice and gooey and the under-seasoned egg was not enough to overcome the brioche toast. There was a lack of savory flavors to me. I'm sure that some folks might really take to this, but it was just not my kind of thing.

Still, at these prices, I was more than willing to give them another try. This time I went with something from the "sandwich" menu, rather than the egglet like I had earlier. I was told that the sandwich rolls are not as sweet as the toast by the really nice woman. I wasn't feeling like having a burger though, so I thought I'd "hedge my bets" by getting the Smoked Bacon Sandwich ($9.75) in hopes that the bun wouldn't be too sweet for my taste.

   This was a pretty messy sandwich. The bacon, which almost reminded me of "Canadian Bacon" hadn't been crisped up enough and was quite rubbery. Still, the savory-saltiness...it didn't seem smoky to me, really added balance to the sandwich.

Also, I'm thinking the roll, which was nicely toasted wasn't quite as sweet as the toast, though the caramelized onions, something I would usually enjoy on a savory sandwich/burger was a bit too much for this. Also, the egg was folded over to one corner of the sandwich. I had to open it up. The cheese, once again a mozzarella blend had a nice stringiness, but really lacked milky-savory-sharpness and other than texture, didn't bring much in terms of flavor to this.

In the end, Egglet is an interesting fast-casual concept, which I think a certain demographic (which I'm not part of) might enjoy. I also think the prices are good for the location, especially in this day and age. And the prices give you a chance to try them out yourself!

Egglet
7728 Regents Road Suite 501
San Diego, CA 92122
Current Hours:
Daily 7am - 2pm

London - Afternoon Tea at the Terrace at The Dilly, Westminster Abbey, and The Church of St Margaret

It was still fairly early when we crossed the Westminster Bridge. We had afternoon tea scheduled for 230pm, back at the hotel where we were staying.

I had always wanted to check out Westminster Abbey It was just before 10am. Because I wasn't sure what our schedule would be, I didn't purchase advanced tickets. It was just past 10, the line to get in didn't seem very long, so we decided to see if we could get tickets. Surprisingly, there were tickets available. I went ahead and got us tickets for 1030 entry into the Abbey. We decided to check out St. Margaret's Church which is on the grounds of the Abbey.

According to Britannica, there had been a church on this site since the mid-12th century. But that structure was demolished and this church was built between 1486 and 1523. It is the "official" church of the House of Commons (i.e. the Parliament), which happens to be right next door. In fact, Winston Churchill married Clementine Hozier in this church in 1908. They were married for 56 years, until Churchill's death in 1965.

The church is also known for it's windows. The famous East Window has quite a story.

It was also interesting to see who's been entombed here.

Speaking of entombed. Well, according to Wikipedia, there are over 3,300 people buried or commemorated in the Abbey, which was housing Benedictine Monks back in the 10th Century!

There's so much that has happened here; every coronation, since that of William the Conquerer in 1066 has taken place here; the High Altar is where those take place. This post could be many pages long; so I'm just going to keep it simple.

Of course, I was much more interested in who was buried here. It's a who's who of history.

There are a total of 17 monarchs entombed here. For instance, Elizabeth I and Mary I are buried next to each other.

There are familiar names everywhere and folks seemed to be entombed together in sections.

Poet's Corner features some familiar names.

Remember I used the term buried or "commemorated" above? Well, I found it even more interesting folks who have memorials or statues here, but are not buried at Westminster.

Like this rather well known fella'.......

I really appreciated some of the "pairings"....for instance, Stephen Hawking.

Is buried next to.....

And nearby resides....

From people I've read about in history class.

To those who future generations will read about in their history classes.

And even those whom I just remember for certain things; like the quote "Doctor Livingston I presume?"

I really enjoyed just wandering thru Westminster Abbey. There's an Audioguide available, but we just decided to "wing it".

I'm thinking we'll return and perhaps do a private or Verger tour. This was a lot of fun.

Exiting Westminster Abbey, we headed up Parliament Street.

Passing the Cenotaph, a memorial to those who died in the First and Second World Wars. Unfortunately, those photos didn't turn out.

My photo for the Monument to the Women of World War II did.

As did that of the Field Marshal Earl Haig Memorial.

Whitehall is indeed a street with so much too see.

At the intersection of Whitehall and Horse Guards Avenue is a very popular gate. This is where one of the ceremonial entrances to Saint James and Buckingham Palace is. This is also where the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment guards the gate. You can figure out what the draw here is, right?

Everyone wants a photo with the Equine Soldier, but like they say for the Tube, you need to "mind the gap" as some of the horses, like the one above enjoy their "personal space". It was quite a crowd.

This is also where the entry to the Household Cavalry Museum is located, along with the Horse Guards Parade. It had quite a line on this day.

We walked thru the passage to Horse Guards Avenue. And came upon the Guards Memorial.

Like I said. There's so much to see that it can be overwhelming. By this point we had seen so much that it was time to head back to the hotel and take a short break before Afternoon Tea.

I put my phone away and we took a nice stroll back to the Dilly.

I had made reservations for Afternoon Tea at the hotel's restaurant, the Terrace. One thing I did learn was the difference between High Tea and Afternoon Tea. Afternoon Tea is earlier with supposedly lighter fare....you'll see why I say "supposedly" soon. The Terrace is a lovely, somewhat stylish, very bright restaurant.

Since we wouldn't have time for dinner until later this evening; I thought 230 might be a good time for Afternoon Tea. The restaurant was busy, but not super crowded. We thought the prices were quite reasonable as well.

We really weren't prepared for how much food this was. That said, nothing was memorable; the sandwiches dull, the scones quite bland....

The "sweets" tasted like mass produced chocolate; though we thought the theme and presentation was charming.

The service was quite attentive; though we were underwhelmed at the quality and flavor of the food. Still, you were in London, you had to do Afternoon or High Tea, right?

Terrace at The Dilly
21 Piccadilly
London, United Kingdom

Farmer Boys (Again)

Thank you for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog sometimes with details of adventure of finding the foods blogged.  This isn't one of those posts; Kirk is the one having adventures while Cathy is here, blogging in between being busy.

I wrote about Farmer Boys the first time in 2015 and mentioned another meal in 2017 and just haven't blogged about all of our many visits over the years.  This family owned franchise of almost 100 locations in California and Nevada with the motto of "Farm Food Ain't Fast Food" purchases locally grown fresh ingredients and prepares a fresh cooked, made to order meal, serving delicious flavorful food. 

There are two locations in San Diego County, both in Escondido.

The Farmers Chopped Cobb salad ($ 14.99) includes greens, grilled chicken breast, diced Hass avocado, chopped tomato, hickory smoked bacon, that tiny hard boiled egg and cheddar cheese and is served with a chili ranch dressing (but you can ask for any of the available house made dressings).  The Mister really likes Cobb salads and says the one from Farmer Boys is his favorite, often asking me to bring one home when I am in the area.

The Sourdough Chicken Avocado Sandwich ($11.99) also includes grilled chicken breast, thick slices of bacon, a smashed Hass avocado, tomato, cheese, lettuce and mayonnaise on locally baked (Galasso's) sourdough bread.  The toasting of the bread and combination of ingredients is just so satisfying.  This is a very hefty sandwich and easily shared or half can be saved for a later meal. 

Four piece Fried Zucchini sticks ($6.49) was our choice as a side. Very large pieces, hand sliced and hand battered are served with some house made Ranch dressing and perfectly fried; the zucchini is cooked through and the cornmeal based batter is light, crispy and not greasy.  

Farmer Boys serves quality food all day (you can see breakfasts in my prior posts; the menu is pretty much the same as it was nine years ago). 

Farmer Boys  Website 

-1333 East Valley Parkway Escondido 92027 Open Mon-Sat 6-midnight, Sunday 7-midnight

-925  West Mission Center Escondido 92025 Mon-Fri 0530-10, Sat 6-10, Sun 7-10

Midweek Meanderings - Paragon Deli Closes, Pho Nom Coming to Convoy, and Wooltari Premium K-Food Coming to Clairemont Mesa

Just a couple of things for this "hump day".

Pho Nom Coming to Convoy:

I saw this when driving down Convoy, in the old Mr Moto Pizza location.

That drawing looked really familiar, so I asked one of my contacts, and sigh...yes, it's the Viet Nom - Formoosa - Steamy Piggy folks. I guess Convoy needs more over-priced, hipster-concept Vietnamese food, right? 

I wonder if they're going to do that "get a free dessert for a Yelp review" which you have to show your Server before getting your freebie stuff?

4646 Convoy St. Suite 114
San Diego, CA 92111

Wooltari Premium K-Food Coming to Clairemont Mesa:

Now this one has me a bit interested. I saw this sign when I had to get some hard wood charcoal at Barbecues Galore for a recent revisit to June Lake (more on that later)

I know folks who do online ordering from this company. They do a lot of prepared, frozen, gourmet type Korean products. It'll be interesting to check out.

According to Google, they are set to open on October 3rd.

7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92111

And Sadly, Paragon Deli Closes:

Man, this one caught me off guard. Cathy sent me a text with this screenshot. This seems to have happened rather suddenly?

I know it was a favorite of Cathy's and while I only did one post on the shop, I had gone back a couple more times. I was meaning to return and get another Francesinha, but sadly that will not happen now.

Man, we recently lost Perry's; Tip Top is closing at the end of the month, and now this..... Quite sad.

2724 Shelter Island Drive
San Diego, CA 92106

Odds and Ends - Cubano Kings (Little Italy Mercato), and Desserts by Clement Revisited

I hope everyone is enjoying the cooler weather here. Just a couple of things for a mellow Saturday.

Cubano Kings:

So, I was doing my regular Saturday shopping at the Little Italy Mercato. But on this morning, well, I was a bit hungry. So, since I didn't have too much to do on this day, I took a look at various stands and this one caught my attention.

It had been a while since I'd had a Cubano and this seemed like a nice option. A Cubano was priced at $12, which seemed pretty reasonable, so I ordered one and went for short "walk" before picking up my sandwich. Which was ready when I returned.

I could tell by weight that it was quite hefty. I found a nice peaceful place to have a seat.

Like I said, the sandwich seemed quite hefty.

    Which turned out to be true...at least for me. Man, look at all that pork! The pork was nicely seasoned; though, at least for me, I'm all about proportion and balance of flavor and frankly, this was just too much pork, and where's the jamon? And the bread was just not up to the task as it got really mushy plus all of the pork muted the pickles. And was there even mustard on this....I do like a good counter-point to the rich pork.  Still, if you want a very porky sandwich, here it is..... It's just not the kind of Cubano I enjoy.

Still, in terms of price, well for $12 you can't really complain.

Cubano Kings at the Little Italy Mercato
Saturday 8am - 2pm

And in my post on getting the Missus the Pistachio Spiral Croissant from Bonjour Patisserie I mentioned having to go back to.....

Desserts by Clement:

Which I did.

On a quiet weekend morning. I found that PB wakes up a bit later than most places.

And so the Missus got Her Pistachio Spiral Croissant. 

Which She enjoyed and said this is the best She has had in San Diego......

Now, with some hesitation, I need to ask, do you know of a better version?

Desserts by Clement
1380 Garnet Ave.
San Diego, CA 92109

Hope everyone is having a wonderful....and much cooler weekend!

Road Trip - Whoa Nellie Deli (Lee Vining), Gull Lake and June Lake Brewing (Again), June Lake, and Other "Stuffs"

On the way back from hiking the Gardisky Lake Trail, we decided to make a "pit stop" at the Tioga Gas Mart, which is at the intersection of Tioga Road and the 395 in Lee Vining. No, we didn't need gas, but really needed to "fuel up"....that would be getting some lunch. You see, one of the places that had been recommended to us was in the Tioga Gas Mart; the gas station, gift shop, is home to a stand named "Whoa Nellie Deli". Yep, for reals.....

The menu has quite a few options; everything from Wild Buffalo Meatloaf to Lobster Taquitos to Pizza. The Missus didn't feel like having meat, so She ordered the Grilled Veggie Sandwich ($17). I had heard good things about the "World Famous" Fish Tacos ($18), so I went against my instincts and got that. We got a number and sat at one of the tables outside.

Soon enough our number was called and went to the counter to grab our lunches.

The "veggies" on the Missus's Grilled Veggie Sandwich where barely grilled, that Hollandaise like sauce was gloppy and lacked flavor.

The eggplant was quite bitter. The bun was nicely toasted. The fries were the best item, crisp and well salted.

As for my "world famous" fish tacos......

  Good lord. The fish was supposedly mahi mahi, overfried, not seasoned, and dry as heck. The tortillas were like cardboard. The purple cabbage slaw was flavored with ginger and the other had mango "salsa" which really needed some spice. It was all accompanied by a pool of pasty black beans, which at least was seasoned adequately.

I know this place is kind of a cult favorite, but it wasn't our thing. It's interestng that the deli has it's own entry in Wikipedia which says "The Whoa Nellie Deli is a casual gourmet restaurant located in Lee Vining...."

Whoa Nellie Deli in the Tioga Gas Mart
22 Vista Point Rd.
Lee Vining, CA 93541

After our meal, we headed north on the 395 and took a quick side trip to the Mono Basin Visitors Center.

Where we got some nice views of Mono Basin and learned a bit about the history and geology of the basin.

Maybe next time we'll spend a bit more time here.

We headed back to our room and took a nice post lunch nap. Upon waking, the Missus wanted to head back down to Gull Lake, we took the car incase the Missus wanted to do more paddle boarding. We easily found parking, even though there were some festivities going on.

We took a stroll around the area.

As we walked past the Gull Lake Marina Shop, we saw this terrified pooch hiding by the small pond in front of the shop.

We were wondering what was going on? As we walked to the shop we saw the reason. Remember the "beware of cats they attack dogs" sign? Well guess what, I think that poor pooch found out that the sign was in fact true. Also, guess who was waiting by the sign to make a point?

The Missus decided to get one more session in, so I took a nice walk around the marina.

Since the Missus was going to be a while, I had told Her to go ahead and meet me back at the June Lake Brewery when She was done and I'd go ahead and make dinner.

This time around, since it as only myself, I had a seat at the bar in the enclosed area.

I got the Brown Ale which I really enjoyed. The young lady working the register remembered me from the night before! I also found out that the locals sit in this area and had some nice chats; including one with a gentleman from Maui! 

The Missus arrived a bit later and wanted a Japanese Lager. When I walked up to the counter and ordered, the young lady told me "you already left us a nice tip, so don't worry about it, ok?" Wow, that's a new one for me! Like I said, the folks in June Lake are so nice!

June Lake Brewing
131 S Crawford Ave.
June Lake, CA 93529

Once we were done, I made a quick trip to the General Store for a couple of items.

I then returned to the room and I put together a dinner for the both of us.

After dinner we took a short stroll on Boulder Drive, aka the June Lake Loop.

We really enjoyed our stay at the June Lake Villager.

The next morning we woke early. We'd be headed to Lake Tahoe on this day. But first, the Missus wanted to get one more session in, this time at June Lake. I had read that there are only 98 parking spaces at June Lake Beach and it fills up fast. I had also read that in April a $10 per car fee had been started, which isn't such a big deal to us. The folks at the motel had told us to go early in the morning, before the crowds descend.  So, what we ended up doing is to check out at right before 7am, then head on over to The Lift a coffee-tea-cafe-wine bar that opens at 7.

There was actually a line of people waiting for the place to open. We got in, got our coffees, I got a ham and cheese croissant for my breakfast and we headed off.

The Lift
2587 Hwy 158
June Lake, CA 93529

We then headed off to June Lake Beach. The entrance booth where you now pay to enter wasn't open, we had been told by the folks at the motel that it's ok, just go ahead and park. So, that's what I did. It was a lovely morning.

The Missus inflated Her paddle board and sailed off.

I went and enjoyed the view with my croissant, which was still warm. Not really a croissant per se, the crust was crisp and flaky, but it had cheese melted on it, which wasn't a bad thing.

The interior was kind of doughy, a bit too moist, but this did the trick, at least on this day since I wasn't really expecting a classic croissant aux beurre if you know what I mean.

After my breakfast, I decided to take a walk around the lake. I saw a ton of deer hanging around.

Folks were starting to arrive, many of them with their "furry friends".

This pup really didn't want to get on the paddle board, but was eventually coaxed. It was quite humorous.

I enjoyed walking along the west side of the lake which had wonderful views.

Until I smelled a very unique "fragrance" and saw four dudes enjoying the "cash crop" if you know what I mean?

So, I headed back to the beach and walked to the car. I noticed a ranger putting slips of paper on vehicles windshield. I thought this would mean we'd pay on the way out. But no, it was just a count of cars, so they would know how many cars were in when the booth opened and note vehicles as they left. Remember, there are only 98 spaces.

I returned to a table and opened a book, taking time to watch this happy pooch playing fetch.

It was so relaxing.

Eventually the Missus was done. We cleaned up, packed up, and headed to our next stop.....Lake Tahoe!

Sunday Sandwiches - Revisits to San Diego Bakery & Café and Banh Mi Express

A couple of recent sandwich revisits for a nice Sunday.

San Diego Bakery & Café:

"FOY" SomTommy recently mentioned that the prices for the formerly $5 Bolillo at San Diego Bakery & Café had gone up substantially over the last couple of months. It had been a while since I last visited, so I decided to drop by after doing my regular Saturday morning shopping.

I easily found parking and waltzed on into the rustic shop at around 845 and took a look at the chalkboard menu and yes, prices have indeed gone up!

The last time I'd had a breakfast bolillo here it was $5, it was now $6.50. Whoa, a 30% increase in the last five months! I know times are tough and there's all that inflation and stuff, but wow!

I decided to get the A la Mexicana.

Man, this had a good amount of jalapenos! It was quite spicy. The bolillo is nicely toasted and light, though up to the task of handling the eggs, beans, and stringy cheese. 

While there has been a 30% price increase, with Banh Mi now going for seven bucks and up, I guess this still falls into the "inexpensive" price range? What do you think?

San Diego Bakery & Café
6959 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111

Banh Mi Express:

Speaking of Banh Mi. Just a couple of weeks before, I was having coffee and breakfast at Finjan (I need to make another visit before I post), when it suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't been back to Banh Mi Express in a while. I was aware that the shop now opens at 8am on Saturday, it used to be 10am when they first opened. So, I decided to drop by.

Taking a quick look at the menu, I noticed that prices hadn't gone up since my last visit here.

I decided to get the Banh Mi Thit Nuong ($6.99). Interesting thing, while the prices remain unchanged, the bread looked totally different from when I last had a banh mi here.

  The bread looked like a rolled French Baguette. It was quite crusty, though a bit more dense then what I'd call a typical banh mi. The jalapenos were really mild. There was a thin sliver of cucumber....though I must say that cucumbers are MIA in many banh mi's these days. There was a good ration of pickled veggies to mayo to pork.

The only issue I had....and it's quite an issue was with the pork which was super dry and hard; like jerky.

I'm thinking I need to order a different banh mi next time. This would have been a good sandwich, if the protein had been better.

Banh Mi Express
9353 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92123