mmm-yoso!!!

Frazier Farms (La Mesa) (Grab and Go)

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this food blog.  Kirk is very busy with work and Cathy is writing today.

Family owned Frazier Farms Market opened in 1971 in Escondido.  It expanded and contracted over the years and now has three San Diego County locations.  In September 2020 the La Mesa location on Fletcher Parkway at Jackson (in the former Circuit City building) made its debut. The grocery aisles have a variety of natural and organic products as well as standard selections with very good prices. However, it's the 'edge' of the store where we stop for a snack before shopping. (There are a good number of picnic tables at the shaded front of the building).  Yes, there is pizza by the slice.  Two for $6 (only on Tuesdays the slices are two for $5).
  The white slice is always good. The red sauce is not spicy; a good tomato sauce. The sausage is remarkably good. Vegetables are fresh and really kind of perfect.  The crust is not thick and is good meld of crispiness with chewiness. 
 There is a sandwich area. You can pick one of the standard choices (filling out a paper listing items you might not want). The Frazier Cubano is made with smoked pulled pork, ham, Swiss, pickles and mustard and butter as well as strawberry preserves and, of course, panini style. 
 The sweet saltiness as well as crisped bread and plenty of meat filling makes this sandwich enough to share.  The same with the Ranch Chicken sandwich, made with warm chicken breast, bacon, Meunster, tomato, onion, dill, lettuce and Ranch dressing served on white (ask for the bread to be toasted). 
 Those above sandwiches are $7.99 each, you can order a half sandwich for $3.99 and you can also 'Create Your Own" for $5.99 (adding cheese is another 50¢) and my only advice would be to ask for the bread to be toasted.  The rye here is a very good quality (flavor) and I really like the pickles.
 There is an area with sushi rolls and bowls being freshly made.  During the pandemic, a variety of sides could be found, pre-packed. There are also a good variety of salads in the deli counter. There is only one potato salad made here(there seem to be way too many varieties of potato salad in other deli counters) and it is really good; eggs as well as potatoes with just enough mayonnaise based sauce.

As of last week, a by-the-pound salad bar has opened. (You wear disposable gloves to handle the utensils).  There's a juice and coffee bar, offering organic coffees and smoothies and açaí bowls. It is located near the entrance next to the bakery area and also the refrigerated bakery area.
 The Ricotta filled cannoli ($2.50) is a perfect snack to go with a cup of coffee.
  The carrot cake ($3.99/slice) is kind of perfect.  Again, enough to share.
 There is also a gelato bar area.  The flavors are a good variety and a small is, again enough to share.  
 Not photogenic, but a good combination was the banana gelato along with butter pecan; a sort of fancy banana split in each bite. 

Family owned, quality products.  A great store.

Frazier Farms. 8401 Fletcher Parkway, La Mesa, CA 91942 (619) 309-4024 Open Daily 8 am-9 pm Website

 

Sunday Sandwiches - Barrio Donas Revisited

I was working from home one morning and had calls scheduled thru lunch until the early afternoon. It was 9am and I was already hungry. I had been wondering how Barrio Donas was doing since my last visits had been right before the pandemic started. I went to their website to check on the hours and found that they now do online ordering so I decided to go for it. I placed an order and headed right on over.

I arrived right at the indicated time; though I had to wait for a bit. It was obvious that this online ordering thing was kinda new to them. The configuration of the bakery had been changed a bit to accommodate social distancing.

I was kinda hungry so I ordered the Pierna ($9.50). The first thing I noticed when I opened up the container was that the bolillo roll seemed different.

 It was a lot lighter, both in color and heft than what I'd had here previously. But it was also much more yeasty than what I recall, though it hadn't handled the less than 15 minute drive home quite well.

But, this torta had twice the amount of filling than what I'd had before as well. The pork had been marinated and cooked well as it was so very tender. There was a slight heat and smokiness from what I assume is an adobo based sauce. I actually could have used more beans, onions, and tomato to balance things out....but I couldn't complain about the amount of filling in this sandwich.

About a week later, I was starving and had a break between calls; I decided to do the online ordering thing again and went with what has pretty much been my usual item at Barrio Donas; the A la Mexicana ($7.50). This time; maybe because it was 7am in the morning, my sandwich was waiting when I arrived.

   The bread was the same as on my previous visit. Like the pierna, this had a bit more filling than what I'd had previously, though it wasn't super stuffed. This time the bread handled the trip home. And the yeastiness, combined with the mild acidic heat from the salsa, slight milkiness from the cheese, and the smear of beans just went well with the scrambled eggs.

Barrio Donas was doing good business during my visits and I'm happy to know that. In thinking back from the days when it was Best Donuts, the renovation to a more modern, sort of hipster Barrio Donas, and now with online ordering! They've sure have come quite a way! Derek Ray, I'm wondering if you've visited recently and noticed that Barrio Donas is now a bit more generous in terms of portion?

Barrio Donas
4714 Clairemont Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours
Mon - Fri 6am - 6pm
Saturday 6am - 3pm
Sunday 7am - 3pm

Charlie's Best Breads (again)

mmm-yoso!!! a blog about food. Kirk and His Missus are enjoying some well deserved time off and Cathy is writing today.

There has been a another post about this Charlie's location, and The Mister and I were customers long before there was any walk-in/sit down area (Charlie's has been here since 1988).  We enjoy a good bakery, and the organic products used here are a plus.  Pre- and post-COVID-19, Charlie's has prevailed.  There are currently a few spaced indoor tables and a nice outdoor area.


 Since working from home, we have tried to make 'fancier' meals. To us, this means fresh/hot bread for sandwiches or as a side.   We've noticed a few places selling par-baked breads, but the rolls at Charlie's are our favorite. We pick up a bag at every visit ($4/dozen).  The Italian bread loaf (medium, $1.80) is topped with sesame seeds and satisfies cravings for a 'nice slice of bread with butter' at breakfast.   On top of the counter at the cash register, the smaller version of the Italian bread (a frenchette), simply filled with ham and Swiss ($1.99) is available as a 'grab and go' sandwich.  To me, it's perfect in size and flavors.
 The prosciutto with fig jam,  Manchego cheese and arugula on a sourdough seeded ficelle loaf  ($6.98) is easily shared and is a nice way to start the day. There are 'Toasts' on the menu and the Smoked Salmon ($9.98) on a slice of ciabatta (delicate crust; not chewy) with a Brie spread, onions, capers and a chipotle sauce (unnecessary) is also a good choice to share.  Also on the top of the counter when paying is a gluten-free seasonal choice- right now, it's an almond tart, which is sort of delicate, almost like whipped marzipan along with slivers of almonds.  (I don't know and don't care about the price; it is  great).

Always a nice stop with quality products. 

Charlie's Best Bread  1808 Garnet Avenue San Diego, CA 92109 Open daily 7-7 Website

 

Ramona Family Naturals Market- lunch

mmm-yoso!!! is the name of this food blog. Kirk has been doing most of the posting this year and is taking a break.  Cathy is able to help out with some posts. 

Long story short: after my most recent post (in January), there was an incident involving Urgent Care and Orthopedics.  The Mister turned into my chauffeur, took his responsibilities seriously and while waiting for me to return from meeting a client, used his (new) phone to do 'searches' for 'food' and when the pin dropped, he would then research menus.  That's how we found Ramona Family Naturals.    In 2009, Ramona Family Naturals was an online shop which eventually became a Brick and Mortar storefront.  Organic and natural foods, beverages and produce are sold within the market.  In the far corner is a small deli, which makes food to order.  Tables and chairs are outdoors, in front.   
 As you can see, we ordered a grilled turkey melt ($12.99) and a chicken tortilla soup ($5) to share. 
 The meal was brought outside to our table (we paid at the cash register and also purchased a bottled beverage). {There is a coffee  area inside the entrance (to the right) which also sells smoothies and fruit bowls}.
 Delving deeper into the soup bowl- wow!  Plenty of chicken, organic veggies and a rich broth.  Would definitely buy this again.
 The turkey sandwich- on 21 grain organic bread (really good) was layered with turkey, tomato and avocado, as well as hickory bacon, grilled onions, Havarti cheese and honey mustard. The best sandwich we have had in a long time. 

Excellent, quality, local.  Very happy The Mister discovered this gem. 

Ramona Family Naturals Market  325 Sixth Street Ramona CA 92065  (760) 787-5987 Website

Sunday Sandwiches - Sandwich Emporium (Bay Park) Revisited

A  few weeks back, on one of the days I was working from home I was wondering how Sandwich Emporium was doing. I had visited during the early days of the pandemic, but not since then. So, I went ahead and placed a phone order for my usual, the Spicy Julio. A few minutes later I drove on over. Well, I guess I shouldn't be worried how business is for SE these days, huh?

I'm glad I called in my order as I just walked on up to the counter and picked up my order. It was that easy.

As for the sandwich; well, as always it did just fine. Yeasty bread, creamy avocado, the roast beef this time around seemed better than usual, not over done and moist.......a bit of spice....which we all need in our life.

Seeing that Sandwich Emporium was one of the first posts I did back in May of 2005; it's good to know they are doing well....especially during these times. I credit SE with fueling my love of these little community sandwich shops that fuel us.

I actually should visit more often.

Sandwich Emporium
3054 1/2 Clairemont Drive
San Diego,CA
619-275-1351

Sunday Sandwiches - The Tri-Tiperia Revisited

For a couple of months there was so much road work happening on Mount Acadia Boulevard. On many days it was single lane traffic. I knew of many folks, including us, who were avoiding the area during the workday; it was just not worth the weight. One day, while working form home, I wondered how the the place was doing. I also knew that there was less work being done in the area so my chances of getting caught in single lane traffic was minimal.

   So I decided to take a chance and head on over. I lucked out; there was still some single lane traffic on the road; but it was further up the street. 

It had been a while since I last visited.....man, Covid has been going on so long now it seems! I was glad to see that they were open.

I waltzed up to the window and placed my order.......for the "usual"; the "O.G.". Was told it would be a ten minute wait; I walked to the side and kept tabs on work emails and such. Soon enough, there were  a couple of other folks who dropped by to place or pick-up orders.....which made me quite happy.

And of course this O(ld) G(uy), got his "O.G."

It looked exactly the same as before; packed with a cookie.

I always think the ciabatta could use a bit more toasting; but this was fine.

The tri-tip was more tender than I recalled; though I think it could still use a bit more smokiness. Nicely seasoned and a decent portion. I bit too much lemon-roasted garlic mayo this time around; though I like the way the acidity of the lemon in the mayo and the roma tomatoes puts "all the pieces together". The roasted garlic in the mayo comes thru nicely as well. The Gouda adds a nice mild milky-smoked layer to things as well.

I'm glad that even though we've gone thru 13 months in the pandemic they are still making a go of it. And the sandwich was quite a nice lunch for me.

The Tri Tiperia
3574 Mount Acadia Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mon - Fri 1130am - 6pm
Saturday 1130am - 2pm

Paris - Boulangerie Régis Colin and Maison de la Truffe (Since closed) in La Grande Epicerie de Paris

We slept well after our wonderful dinner at Pertinence. Though the Missus got me up at 630am......because, well, She needed you know what. Yes, this was the Paris moment I mentioned in my Gala Chicken/Zion Market post. Sigh.......well, I needed to head on out. I showered and got dressed, then headed out to find a Pharmacy.

Things were pretty quiet on Rue Montorgueil at 7 in the morning. Mostly just delivery trucks and such. I headed down, then back up the avenue checking out the Pharmacies; all of them closed. I later learned that most Pharmacies in Paris open between 800 - 900 in the morning. I passed Pharmacy after Pharmacy, all closed. Man, I was having a longer hitless streak than Chris Davis! Finally, in the Marais, I came across an open Pharmacy and walked in. I headed to the Fem Hygiene aisle.....and was kinda stumped; so I started taking photos and sending them via text message to the Missus. Soon enough, I heard a loud clearing of the throat behind me.....yes, I was busted by the Pharmacist.....a fairly serious looking woman.....with one eyebrow raised, checking out the Asian guy with a maxi-pad obsession. 

"Monsieur, what are you doing???"

"Ummmm, I need to buy pads for my wife."

"Hmmmm.....but why the photos Monsieur?" Yeah, like she really believed me.

Right then the Missus replied to my text instructing me on what to purchase. Relieved, I showed the woman the text, grabbed the package and we walked over to the register to pay. After ringing me up, she looked at me, warmly smiled, and said:

"Monsieur, you are a good man!" And handed me my package. Ah yes, more souvenirs from Paris.

On the way back to the apartment I decided to reward myself and grab a croissant. I'd seen a place on Rue Montmartre, which runs parallel to Rue Montorgueil that I wanted to try. By this time of the morning; folks were starting to get out and about.

The Boulangerie I was interested in was Régis Colin as I had seen the le Prix du Croissant sign near the doorway earlier.

So, I went in and got a croissant aux beurre. The system was interesting, you tell the nice saleswoman what you want; she bags it and enters it into the register; you then pay via a machine....so the staff never touches currency.....a hygiene thing I guess.

The croissant was delicious; nice balance of butter to salt; flakey, light and airy, moist........a definite winner!

Boulangerie Régis Colin
53 Rue Montmartre
75002 Paris, France
Hours:
Monday - Friday 630am - 8pm

After finishing up the croissant we headed out, but not very far for our morning "pick-up" at Café Montorgueil and people watched for a bit.

After getting our caffeine fix, we headed off......with not much in mind.

I had wanted to check out La Grande Epicerie de Paris, a fairly high-end ("haute") food/grocery store so we headed off to the 6th and 7th. I've stated that there always seems to be something interesting to see; no matter how many times you've been down a street. This time around, I noticed this impressive building on Rue du Renard.

Apparently, this is the Syndicat De L'épicerie Française, originally built in 1901, which used to (I believe they still have an office in the building) the grocer's union.

And off course a little more than a block away is the Hotel de Ville - that would be City Hall to us American folks.

Crossing over to Île de la Cité.

It was a beautiful day in Paris. Of course, we took another look at Notre Dame (this visit was at the end of May 2019). The tragic fire had just occurred about 6 weeks earlier.

It was such a sad sight to see.......

Crossing over the Seine to the Left Bank, down Rue Saint-Jacques, then taking a right turn on Boulevard Saint-Germain we came across a street market which kept us occupied for a bit.

From here we strolled down the street, then turned on Rue de Sèvres.....

Stopped for a short; ahem, break at the Hermes store.....luckily, the Missus didn't find anything She was interested in and my credit card lived to see another day. Finally, across the street from Le Bon Marche we got to the La Grande Epicerie de Paris. I probably should have taken more photos in the huge store; but was just plain distracted.

After all this walking....well, I was feeling a bit hungry. And just at that moment I saw Maison de la Truffe.......I looked at the menu...foie gras and truffle? Croque-Monsieur with truffle......smoked salmon with truffle? Are you kidding me? We decided to grab a "light" lunch here. 

Sadly, as I was getting some general info on Maison de la Truffe, I read that the place has closed.......so I'm just going to mainly post photos.

I will note that the young man waiting on us was a joy and the food was surprisingly good.....of course with things like truffle oil, truffle chips, and truffle salt.....

And the Croque-Monsieur with Truffled White Ham and Gouda.....and a few nice, fragrant shaved truffles for the heck of it.

   It's too bad this shop closed as we really enjoyed our shared meal. There are other locations around Paris and I hope to be able to check them out one day. On our second trip to Paris in 2019 we'd visit another similar shop in BHV Department Store which wasn't nearly as good as this one.

Oh well........I'm glad I got to try them out.

And also buy some fairly pricy food gifts for friends.

La Grande Epicerie de Paris
38 Rue de Sèvres
75007 Paris, France

Breakfasts and Brunch Sandwiches from Bay Park Coffee - and the "Uncle Kirk" Phenomenon

While I'm not the biggest fan of working from home (more on that in a future post); during the times that the Missus is working days it does allow me to watch Frankie. It also gives me an opportunity to support my favorite neighborhood places. Heading to the office around 5am had become quite a chore as the only places open for a cup o' joe during that time is the local Starbucks and 7/11....now if this was 7/11 in Japan that would be a different story. But, if I'm working from home, I can go ahead and grab some coffee from one of the various neighborhood places, Clairemont Coffee opens at 6 (I really need to do a post one of these days), Birdrock, which I save for the coffee snob, ummmm, the Missus and usually deliver Her pour over to work on weekends. And then there's Bay Park Coffee, which opens at 730 Mon- Sat and at 8 on Sundays.....which was kind of a bummer before; but these days; with so many people working from home....perhaps not so much.

And BPC has done a nice job with the outdoor set-up; which transitions to al fresco dining for Poseidon Project at night.

On a nice San Diego day, I'll see folks on their laptops doing work.....just like they used to do indoors before in the parklet.

My usual, as I noted before is the cold brew......I'll often drop by between meetings/calls for a "pick me up" and sometimes grab something simple to eat.

And of course, like I mentioned in a earlier post, there's "Bruddah Noel" who I've come to know.......he even introduced me to his wife who is from Japan. And all the wonderfully friendly and smiling faces of the folks who work there.

I will also sometimes avail myself of an item from the "kitchen" menu; though those items aren't served until after 8am. The items on the menu comes in handy when I have meetings around lunch and need to grab something to eat as BPC is a tad over five minutes away for me.

So here's a rundown of items I've tried during the pandemic.

I mentioned in my earlier post of not being a fan of the croissants; which are from Bread and Cie as it lacks the full butter-light saltiness and is more crisp than flakey....you know, the things we like in a croissant. Still, I have tried some of the items again. And even though the eggs and cheese will help camouflage the deficiencies, it's still leaves something to be desired in my opinion.

And my verdict stands....perhaps folks will like these, it's just not for me.

BPC also now offers "sides" of egg, potatoes, and cheese......so you can get a fairly filling breakfast; of say...avocado toast (BPC loves their avocados) with a side of scrambled eggs.

You may find the item I enjoy the most (to date) from BPC kind of strange......it's the Veggie Bagel Sandwich. I will get the plain bagel; which is from Nomad Donuts....I gotta check out their brick and mortar shop one of these days.

The bagel has a light heft to it; mild yeastiness, a slight saltiness, a mild hint of sweet; but it's just the texture I enjoy with the greens, pickled onions.......light acidity from the tomatoes, creaminess from the avocado and they usually have a nice restrained hand with the cream cheese.

I have tried other versions of the bagel sandwiches; Bruddah Noel had me try his "favorite".......

Which had ham, cheese, a huge portion of egg, pesto, and was just way too much......

I also tried the Lox version.

 

Which was not bad, though not something I'd have on a regular basis.

And then there's the "Uncle Kirk" thing. Noel started calling me "Uncle Kirk" early on....which cracks me up, it's a well known term of endearment back home..... though my good friends, who are quite a bit younger than me (and not from Hawaii) started calling me that years ago; so it doesn't bother me at all. Though I'm not sure what the motivating factor is? Perhaps I'm like the crazy uncle everyone needs in their lives? Of course, these same people would not dare call the Missus "Auntie"......

So, now even a couple of folks at BPC call me that as well.....and once in a while, I'll even get a "little surprise" like on the cup of cold brew to the right.

Once as Noel called out "Uncle Kirk" when my cold brew was ready, one of the women waiting for her order asked me; "is he your nephew?" To which I answered in a stage whisper, "ssshhh, he's illegitimate and twice removed....."

Well, if you'll indulge me one last story......my good friend "XJ" got married a couple of years back and requested that "Uncle Kirk" officiate their wedding. I was at first hesitant......quite terrified; but there was no way I could turn down such an honor. And things did turn out ok.

Though I've never told them; it's one of the high points of my life as I felt so privileged to participate.

Anyway, a couple of weeks later, I'm walking thru the parking lot at 99 Ranch Market when I hear, "Hi Uncle Kirk!!!!" and see a middle aged couple waving to me from an automobile. At first I didn't recognize the couple....then as I approached the vehicle...well, it was the Groom's Parents.......I had been introduced to them as "Uncle Kirk" and that's the way they knew me.

Life, ain't it amazing?

Bay Park Coffee
4130 Napier St
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 275-4000
Current Hours:
Mon - Sat 730am - 2pm
Sunday 8am - 2pm
Sandwiches served:
Mon - Thurs 8am - 1130am
Fri - Sun 8am - 1pm

Sunday Sandwiches - Gourmet Artisan, Tadian Cafe, and Rubicon Deli (UTC)

And suddenly, temperatures are in the 80's..........so, it's probably an apt time to do a bunch of sandwich revisits. These are fairly close to the office so are a good option for lunch, it's easy to either do online or call in an order and a couple of them also open early which makes it convenient while I coordinate picking up lunch between meetings.

Gourmet Artisan:

The place in this post that I actually visited in the days "BC" (that's "Before Covid"). On this day I placed my order online and just before I headed over I got a text telling me they had changed their hours which hadn't yet been updated on their website. So, I waited a bit before picking up my Ham and Brie Panini.

I used to enjoy the thin cut parmesan-garlic-truffle fries here back in the day. However, in the fall of 2019, it seemed they had stopped doing their fries that way And during my last visit in August of last year, it seemed like at least the garlic-parmesan was back in the game; though the fries were undercooked and soggy. So.......I was wondering where that wheel of "fries roulette" would stop on this day. Well, sadly, it looks like the thin cut fries were out, replaced by really soggy fries, but at least it had parmesan sprinkled on it.

The bread in the sandwich hadn't been toasted enough for my taste; though I do enjoy the milky-salty-porky combination of brie and ham. I also like the garlic aioli used on this sandwich and was happy that it was used with some restraint this time around.

As it stands though; things seem a bit inconsistent here and I'll probably give it a rest for a while.

Gourmet Artisan Fine Sandwiches
7094 Miramar Road
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 860-5814

Tadian Cafe:

I'd had some pretty decent sandwiches from Tadian Cafe last year and thought it was time for a revisit. Especially since I had meetings form 11 until 2 and Tadian opens at 9. Plus, their online ordering is straightforward and on each visit my order was waiting for me when I arrived. Like those previous visits everything went quite smoothly.

This time I ordered the "Peppered Roast Beef" ($8.50), which of course was waiting nicely wrapped when I arrived.

Interesting sandwich; I liked how well toasted the roll was.

It just had a bit too much sauce on it for my taste....especially compared to the amount of roast beef.

That tzatziki-ish sauce, combined with the avocado just made things much too mushy. Though I did enjoy the nice heat brought on by the jalapenos. If I order this again, I tell them to leave off the sauce.

Tadian Cafe
5955 Mira Mesa Blvd. Suite K
San Diego, CA 92121
(858) 453-5740
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri 9am - 3pm

Rubicon Deli:

Ever since my first couple of visits, Rubicon has become a favorite of mine. The problem being, the sandwiches are a bit too much for me.....also, if I'm ordering a sandwich to share with the Missus; She's got to have Her favorite. So......I just basically wait until those days when I'm really hungry; or will save half the sandwich for lunch the next day.

My favorite is the the "Super Mario" on Garlic Cheese Bread with Crispy Onions ($9.79 + .75 for crispy onions).

I really love the combination of textures and flavors this sandwich has; from the crunchy and cheesy bread, to the slightly sweet tones of red pepper tapenade, the sour-sweetness of the balsamic glaze, along with the peppery tones of the arugula. Asiago adds a nice nutty-milkiness to things. It's the sum of the ingredients in terms of taste and texture that I like about this sandwich.

And like Tadian; the online ordering process is a breeze.

I think of this as more of a treat as I usually am not able to finish it all. 

Rubicon Deli (UTC Location)
4130 La Jolla Village Drive - Suite 104
San Diego, CA 92037
(858) 877-9911
Current Hours
Open Daily - 10am - 730pm

Ok, so there you go. Hope everyone had a safe weekend! Take Care!

Kim's Deli

In previous posts I've mentioned the phrase "Google is your friend". Here's another example.....I went ahead and Googled "Teriyaki Beef Sandwich" and was surprised at one of the results. It was fairly close to the office, named Kim's Deli....which seemed like one of those little business park sandwich shops. Looking over the menu, I was fascinated and based on the name, well, it immediately reminded me of The Sandwich Place. I went ahead and drove on over finding the shop in (of course) a business park at the end of a cul-de-sac.

I entered and headed over to the social distancing marks....I was the only person in the place. Soon enough, a very nice Korean woman came over and I ordered the Teriyaki Beef sandwich, priced nicely at $7.

I went ahead and drove back to the office and opened my sandwich.

This was actually not bad for the price. The beef, while obviously reheated in a microwave was more tender than what I expected and while a bit on the sweeter side, nicely marinated and not overly salty. It's actually better than TSP's. The bread was standard issue a bit crumbly, but yeasty. I'm not sure about the provolone cheese on this, the jury's out.....I'll try it again and see. There was a bit too much mayo, but this was a decent sandwich....especially for seven bucks.

While waiting for my sandwich; I noticed that there were some poke bowls (sorry, not for me) and a Bulgogi Bowl ($9) available. The woman working told me it was available every day. So, a week later, I called in my order, which was ready for pick up when I arrived.

I was quite surprised at the heftiness of my package and when opened was surprised at the quantity of food.

I cracked up when I opened my "box" up....as this was bit more than a "bowl"; but beyond that, the plate totally reminded me of something I would get from a lunchwagon back in my hanabuddah days or if they added in some, say namul and kimchi, it would look like one of the "local kine" (I always say local style meat and three) Korean takeout places.

Nothing fancy here; the japchae was straightforward; on the salty side and mostly just noodles.

The Bulgogi was the same meat as the teriyaki; but more tender this time and fairly well marinated.

Again, no frills, straightforward.

I mean, really, what do you expect at this price point?

The green salad was fine, fresh, with a sesame dressing.

The extra sauce for the bulgogi tasted like Yoshida's.

The rice was plentiful, but on the dry side.

No complaints really; I felt I got what I paid for...….

After this visit; I decided that I needed to try a deli sandwich to just complete the set. I called in an order for the Green Chili Roast Beef ($7). Again I called in my order which was ready for pick-up when I arrived.

As you can see; the sandwich used a standard issue telera style roll; though it was a bit more substantial than some I've had.

This one fell a bit short for me; mainly because I wished for a bit less lettuce and more roast beef. The slice of green chili only covered half the sandwich as well. There was quit a bit of avocado in this though. It was on the bland side overall.

Kim's seems to be a good place for hard working folks to get decent food at a good price.

Folks who are regular readers of our little blog know that I have a definite affection for these family owned, mom-and-pop places. Nothing fancy here; just decent food at good prices and on many days....well, that just fits the bill.

Kim's Deli
8515 Arjons Drive
San Diego, CA 92126
(858) 566-0370
Hours:
Mon - Fri 7am - 2pm
Closed on Saturdays and Sundays