mmm-yoso!!!

Modena - Cotechino from Bar Schiavoni

Our train for Bologna wasn't scheduled to leave until after 1pm, so the owner of our apartment was nice enough to let us check out a bit later than scheduled.

After relaxing for a bit we headed on out. There was still one item I wanted to try before we left Modena and the Missus wanted to do some (more) shopping. We headed on back to Mercato Albinelli. But stopped to check out the cathedral on the way.

There was a lot of restoration work going on in the cathedral, so we just had a quick look and headed down the street to the Mercato.

Which was very quiet on this morning.

Right out the doors of the Mercato is Bar Schiavoni.

This little coffee and sandwich "bar" was doing some pretty good take-out business. The seating is all streetside on foldable chairs and tables. I got us two espresso and ordered something else....

When I told my Italian coworkers and friends that I wanted to try Cotechino Modena, they looked at me oddly and wrinkled their noses. But since, I was in Modena, I wanted to make sure to try this IGP (Indication Geografic Protected) sausage made of minced pork "parts" in the pork rind. The look totally reminded me of Spam®....which of course has its own...ahem,,,,designation of authenticity! The Cotechino was quite porky, rich, with a clove-wine-nutty flavor; it's almost oily, but the nice crusty bread and the sauce which featured capers and vinegar really did a great job of cutting the richness.

I'd gladly have it again....perhaps next time alongside Cotechino's "son", Zampone. The Missus and I shared a sandwich which was more than enough for the both of us.

Bar Schiavoni
Via Luigi Albinelli 13
Modena, Italy

After our "breakfast" we headed over a few blocks to a leather shop we saw the day before.

While it was closed the last time we passed by; this time it was open.

The young lady working here was amazing. She went through all the products; showed us the process, told us the story of the business, which was founded by the previous owner in 1979.  She and a partner interned at the shop and when the owner was ready to retire; took over the business. She walked us outside and showed us where the canals used to run (where the street is now) for all the tanners on the street. It was an amazing story!

The Missus bought a bag....a wonderful hand made leather backpack...with a story.

Before we paid; the young lady asked us to follow her upstairs, to the workshop and showed us the ceiling. She told us that this was the original ceiling of the building; which goes back to the 15th century! Most places have it painted or covered over. But here was the original.

She told us; "when I first walked up the stairs and saw this for the first time, I knew it was the place for me!"

We loved this place and hope to return someday.

La Vacchetta Grassa
Corso Canalchiaro 42
Modena, Italy

Yes, we hope to return to Modena someday....with that backpack in tow, and perhaps some stories of where it has been!

Thanks for reading!

LouZiana Food

Here's a post that took it's sweet old time; photos ripening in one of my folders. I'd meant to post ages ago, but for some reason just kept on going back to try something else.

I'd actually seen the LouZiana Food Truck a couple of times, before seeing this brick-and-mortar shop which opened just a bit after our office moved to the UTC area.

The folks here are always quite welcoming and the menu; while priced on the high side for stuff served in Styrofoam, has all the standards from po-boys to gumbo. In terms of Creole versus Cajun; the restaurant clearly calls itself Cajun.

On my first visit; I decided to just go for something simple to take back to the office and ordered the Andouille Po-Boy (7" - $9.25) with a side of Cajun Fries ($2.75).

The fries were dusted with Cajun seasoning; paprika based, a good amount of black pepper. The fries hadn't held up real well during the 15 minute drive back to the office as they were on the dry side.

The Andouille had some heft, a decent chew, and was perfectly serviceable....as for taste...well, as you can see, they went super crazy with the remoulade, which kind of made this somewhat greasy in texture and really killed the flavor. The bread was saturated.

I needed a bit of time to recover from that mayo overload, so I waited awhile before my next visit. In the meantime, both Mary and Soo did posts (please check them out) on LouZiana. Both were positive; though were fried food based....I just can't put too much of that stuff away these days. Especially during a work day.

So; I went with the Cajun Combo; basically two 8 ounce cups of the "Cajun Classics" on the menu. I ordered the Gumbo and the Jambalaya, which came out to $14.

The baguette on this visit had seen better days and was dry and crumbly. The roux used for that Gumbo must have been really dark, totally a mahogany roux. It did strike me as being a bit on the bitter-greasy side, and other than the couple of pieces of sausage, the chicken had been reduced to stringy bits.

The Jambalaya fared better; the sausages were intact, and the dish was nicely flavored, quite balanced, not overly salty.

Another of couple of months pass and I decided to drop by again. This time I went with the Crawfish Étouffée and Red Beans & Rice, which came out to be $12.75.

The Étouffée was a bit on the thin side and had a rather strong "floral", herbaceous taste to it. There was a decent amount of crawfish in the Étouffée, along with a savory-oceany flavor that did not over-power the dish.

This wasn't too bad at all.

The Red Beans & Rice was my favorite of the two.

While I have my own version of this classic dish that I enjoy; this wasn't bad at all. A bit short on sausage and I prefer my RB&R a bit more smokey; but this had a nice creamy tongue feel, decent beaniness, and was rather pleasant to eat.

Which leaves us with my most recent visit. I decided to try another sandwich this time "Creole" style....basically with a different sauce. The upcharge from a regular shrimp po-boy is a bit over a buck fifty, making this $11.50.

The sandwich starred a dozen fried shrimp, fried up nicely, but kind of lacking in flavor. It still had a bit too much sauce on it; but at least this wasn't drowning in globs of a heavy mayo remoulade. I'm still not  big fan of the baguette here; it's too chewy and not crusty enough.

While I wouldn't consider the food here to be of a particularly good value; nor really great in the ingredients category....frankly, I prefer Bud's, which isn't much more expensive. It's still not a bad choice at all.

LouZiana Food
7128 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours:
Daily 11am - 8pm

Philippe the Original- a quick trip North for an apple (and some sandwiches)(again)

Thank you for stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!! during this busy holiday season.  Kirk is working some overtime and Cathy is writing.  

The Mister and I had a spur of the moment flash this morning (for a reason you'll see at the end) and drove North for a quick bite.  { Kirk posted back in 2007,  and I wrote a post in 2014 and another post in 2016}.

Philippe the Original has been a Los Angeles staple for 110 years.  It's been at this corner location since 1951.
The system is the same as it was in 1908; stand in line, order from the "carver" host ( who will prepare your meal while you stand there), pay (since 2015, they take credit cards!) and carry your tray filled with your order to whatever empty table space you can find.  There's part of the menu as well as a peek into the kitchen and a jar of pickled eggs.
Action shot of our Host/Carver (Henrietta) slicing a French roll.
Some of our order is ready...
This is a pretty good photo of most of the desserts offered-I was interested in what is in that tray at the 10:00 position in this photo...the red things next to the cookies. Our order, counterclockwise. Lemonade (90¢).  Single dip lamb sandwich ($9.85). Potato salad ($1.65). Double dip beef sandwich ($8.50). Pickled egg ($1.40). Baked apple ($3). Cup of chili ($3.25). 
Here's a cross section of the double dipped beef and 1/4 of the quickly consumed chunky single dipped lamb.  Each was wonderful in its own way.  We did use drops of the famous house made very hot French mustard, available on each table.  (I still contend that the recipe is partly hot Chinese mustard, since Chinatown is one block away)(the mustard has no horseradish). Either a pickle or a pickled egg is necessary with the meal.  I love beets as well as pickled anything and the eggs here are ridiculously good. It's that bit of salt/bitter that goes with everything.
Around the third week of January each year, Philippe has a 'free chili day' for the first 500 customers.  I've read about it but never tried the chili until today.  It is a wonderful, slightly spicy/ hot Dolores brick chili (no beans; proper), served with three crackers. There's nothing else on the menu to go with chili and I can see this comfort cup (or bowl) being a meal choice if we lived closer (and therefore visited Philippe daily). 

But really, the baked apple was the necessary purchase of the day.  You see, from October until May the baked apples are available daily until they run out.  During those other four months you can get a half grapefruit or a wonderful fruit cup.  But this simply made, large and delicious treat was a craving. 
 Apples are cooked in deep pan in the the oven with a slightly sweet cinnamon syrup.  Soft enough to be cut with a spoon (but you still have to hold the apple in place with a fork; it's not mushy), this baked fruit is just the perfect dessert to a hearty meal. 

Philippe the Original 1001 N. Alameda Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 (213) 628-3781 open 6 a.m.-10 p.m. daily Website 

Why did we decide to drive here today?  So we could share a meal "live" with my brother and his family in Michigan.  Philippe teamed up with Goldbelly in April and has has a six sandwich meal deal; a Christmas gift.  The FaceTime meal worked out quite well. 

Mastiff Food Truck and Mastiff Kitchen at North Park Beer Company

Here's a post that was going to "die"; that is, if the place is local, and I, or we, do only one visit and aren't inclined to return, I'll delete the photos after about a year. However, for some reason, I just decided to return to North Park Beer Company last weekend, so I now have enough for a post.

The Mastiff Food Truck was parked near our office earlier in the year and I was running between meetings, so one of my coworkers was nice enough to grab something from the Mastiff Food Truck while I finished up my conference call. Before my next call, I was able to quickly eat.

First up; the Bratwurst with the House Kraut ($9):

Though Mastiff's sausages are quite popular; I wasn't too impressed with this as a whole. The sausage wasn't hot and was sort of flaccid, it was very mild in flavor, there was little color on the sausage and the sauerkraut was also very mild, lacking in a nice slightly funky fermented flavor. I guess all of that sauerkraut in the Czech Republic and Charcroute in Alsace might have ruined us. The roll was on the chewy side for my taste. Granted; there was about a five minute wait from when this arrived on my desk and my call finishing; so it definitely wasn't sitting around.

I also got the Mastiff Fries ($4).

These potatoes were on the dry side and had lost any crunch. While the harissa mayo had a tiny (I wish it was more spicy) bit of zip, it did add to the flavor, making this rather rich. This was also on the salty side.

And that would have been about it; until a couple of months later; when the Missus had Her hair appointment in North Park. I'd usually wait for the Missus at Toronado and we'd hit up Tribute or Tiger Tiger. However, on this occasion I hung out an had a beer at North Park Brewing and the Missus met me there.

We just decided to have dinner.

We both really like the space; high ceilings, you hang out with the beer tanks. Mastiff Kitchen is located at the rear of the place. You order and pay for your food there; then head on over to the bar to order your beverages.

I'd warned the Missus about the sauerkraut, but really wanted to try the Bratwurst again; so we just got a sausage ($6).

Having been married over 20 years must have an effect.....the Missus's verdict? Pretty much the same as mine. Though this time the sausage was nicely browned and hot. Still, it was somewhat underwhelming overall.

What wasn't underwhelming, at least in terms of richness were the "Pig Fries" ($12).

The potatoes were more thinly sliced than what I'd had before; they were hot and crisp; if on the dry side. There was a bit too much cheese and sauce for our taste and this was too salty for us.

We did like the pork belly and the chicharrons, the carnitas were on the greasy side and the al pastor sausage was too mild to be enjoyed.

We really didn't enjoy the beer at NPBC and this was fairly soon returning from all that fried food in Alaska, that the Missus really couldn't see Herself returning anytime soon. So, I put this in my "to delete folder" and was fully expecting to delete the photos at the end of the year.

Instead, I found my self with an entire day off this past weekend, after having worked like 18 days in a row. The Missus however, had to work. So, after shopping, cleaning up things, doing some food prep for the Missus's meals at work, prepping Frankie's meals (we get the most use out of the Instapot making his food), then giving him an overdue bath, I found my self with some time on my hands. And it was only noon!

I figured most of the places I'd want to check out in KM were crowded and decided to head on up to North Park....where most of the places were also packed. But not NPBC.

So I decided to give them another try. Though they were serving a rather limited brunch menu.

I decided to do this by chance; removing the items I didn't think I'd like (I don't like sweets and decided against anything too "simple" for some reason), then removed the Benedicts, because I'd just pass out after that. By coin toss, the Hungry Man Hash ($13) won out. Looking back, had I stared at that menu enough, the hash would have seemed very close to the "pig fries" and I might not have chosen it. But I did.

Unlike the "fries" this wasn't over sauced and there wasn't too much cheese, just a touch of light spice and milkiness. The carnitas had a mild crunchiness to them and combined with the pork belly, made a nice, porky, "one-two" punch. The breakfast potatoes were typical, but at least weren't over-cooked or dry. The eggs were over done for my taste and the yolks were hard. I could barely finish the eggs and about half of the rest.

I brought the rest home and heated it up with two perfectly easy-over eggs and the Missus thought it was pretty good.

Also, the young lady working the counter on this day was a total joy; efficient, friendly, and just plain nice.

So, even though the food might edge on being a bit "too much"; the Missus and I might return and perhaps share a breakfast.

Mastiff Kitchen (at North Park Beer Company)
3038 University Ave
San Diego, CA 92104

O'Brien's Boulangerie Bakery and Cafe (Poway)

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! one more time.  During this busy holiday season, routines are changed and many errands which were simple are now a chore. That's how this post happened.  Cathy is writing today.   

There was a small article in one of the newspapers a few weeks ago about O'Brien's Boulangerie...a wholesale bread supplier to various restaurants, hotels, casinos and country clubs in San Diego, Orange and Riverside Counties which was established in 1989.  O'Brien's had just moved locations and opened a Cafe (there are 20 seats downstairs and more upstairs) and is getting so much wholesale business that they might have to move again.  This Poway location is on Stowe Drive just off of Community Road, a signal light North of Scripps Poway Parkway in a large office park area. I'm so glad we keep notes about places in odd locations.

 Once you find it, you'll think it was an easy drive. 
The bakery display case is tempting.
After you order and pay, you can gather your own coffee (although they have a great selection of barista prepared beverages), utensils, napkins, some water and find a seat. Your order will be brought to you. 
The eating area was filled when we got here so I only took a photo of these seats facing the door.  Quite a comfortable seating area.
 The classic tuna sandwich ($9.50) served on a fresh, soft ciabatta.  This was a substantial sandwich, which was shared.  Lettuce, tomato, onion and mayonnaise along with provolone topped a large portion of quality tuna salad.  (It was mostly tuna, not much filler at all).  Excellent sandwich.  
A bear claw ($3.50) was served warm.
 It was mostly marzipan...almond paste, toasted almond slices, a wonderful buttery, flaky pastry. 

If you somehow find yourself in this area, don't miss dropping in. 

O'Brien's Boulangerie 13615 Stowe Drive Poway, CA 92064 Website  Open Mon-Fri 7-4, Sat 7-3 Closed Sunday
The rye bread ($6.95)  A 1.5 lb loaf.  Excellent crust, nicely seeded, good texture.  Yes. We will be going back.  Soon. 

Mary's Donuts (Lakeside) more than donuts!

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog.  Kirk is funny; he thought that after working overtime on both weekend days, that His Monday would be easy..and short.  He was wrong.  Cathy is writing another post. 

I grew up with three bakeries within five blocks of my home in Detroit.   The Mister remembers three local bakeries he passed while walking to school in the Boston suburb where he grew up. There were local owned bakeries we found in Ann Arbor, Pensacola and Norfolk...and on our visits overseas.  But donut-centric shops are a Southern California phenomenon. Go ahead, type in "donut" in the search bar on the upper left of this page.  Over 1000 hits on this blog alone.  

So, we are back at Mary's.  The original location (photo at the bottom of this post) has closed (after 50 years there) and the new location in Santee is in the middle of a strip mall.  That location is within walking distance of home and I've been known to drop in at odd hours of the day for a quick snack.  However the 'new' (since October 2016) second location has a bit of an expanded menu.

 The donut cases are kept filled.  Along the top of the back wall, you'll see prices- the one on the right, a sort of menu, is most interesting.  There's a non-carb choice.Bowls are $5.99.  Scrambled eggs, choice of meat (bacon, sausage or ham) and choice of cheese (Swiss, Cheddar, Provolone).  This was with Cheddar and breakfast sausage and was great- tasty, large portion (three eggs) and so very fresh.  
 Sandwiches here are $6.99.  They come with a choice of bread (bagel, croissant and as of two weeks ago, fresh baked bread), meat (ham, turkey, bacon, sausage, egg), cheese(Swiss, Cheddar, Provolone) and toppings (lettuce, tomato, mayo, mustard). Avocado is an additional 85¢.  This Mary's location has just begun baking breads but not daily and I am eager to come back to try a sandwich on the rye.
The donuts.  Look at the top shelf. Why, that's a lot of fritters. Some of those are apple, but...
 Looks like a slice of peach on those on the right (next to the bacon maple bars)Lemon and blueberry.
Raspberry! 
The fritters here are one of the the most expensive donuts in the case...$1.90.  (Those bacon covered maple bars are also $1.90).
 You can see the layers of raspberry intertwined in this beautiful, crisp edged, perfectly fried and glazed fritter.  Of course we've tried the peach; it's excellent. 

If you are out this way, it's worth the stop. 

Mary's Donuts 10101 Maine Street Lakeside, CA 92040 (619)334-5272 ALWAYS OPEN

The Lunch Box (La Mesa)(Again)

mmm-yoso!!!  is a San Diego based food blog, writing about places to eat in the City, County, State, Nation and World. Today is Small Business Saturday ( the day following Black Friday and just before Cyber Monday) part of the holiday weekend which began with Thanksgiving Day.  Cathy is writing about a locally owned restaurant. 

Three and a half years ago, I posted about breakfast at The Lunch Box in La Mesa and said I'd write about lunch at The Lunch Box. Here we are. The $5.95 weekday special is now $6.75 because time marches on.  This family owned small business has been a staple on La Mesa Boulevard at Jackson since 2009.  Each time we stop in, neighborhood locals are enjoying breakfast and lunch.

 
  There were whiteboard specials out front this day and the raisin bread French toast with bacon was $8.50 (usually the toast by itself is $7.50 and adding two eggs and bacon is an additional $3.50).  As you may have noticed, I order raisin filled items whenever I can.  This is a regular order and is made so well; crispy exterior and fluffy interior...heavenly, proper French toast.  This breakfast sandwich ($7.50) was also a special noted at the front door (usually the sandwich does not come with spinach). Eggs, cheese (The Mister chose Swiss) and bacon with tomatoes and spinach on a toasted, buttery buttered croissant.  Wonderful.  

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Finally, I am posting about an actual LUNCH at The Lunch Box.  

The menu for lunch is basically sandwiches, wraps and salads.  

All sandwiches come with a bag of kettle chips and a fresh, warm (chocolate chip) cookie...because it is The Lunch Box.

A 'Basic 1/2 Sandwich Combo'-with soup (in this case chili) ($8.50) or pasta salad, potato salad or green salad.  That's the tuna salad on rye.  Yes, it is good. *Really*good- the tuna as well as the bread.
 The chili has beans and lentils and coarse burger and all sorts of great stuff.  Housemade and available each day, a bowl can be a meal on a cold day or on a warm day. The 'Specialty or Hot 1/2 Sandwich Combo' ($8.50), in this case 'The Big Guy' (this as a full sandwich is $10.50) on a torta has roast beef, turkey, ham, bacon, cheddar, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. Each meat is quality, the sandwich is overfilled, the torta is fresh (and recommended for this particular sandwich).
 the side green salad is very large.  This is a tasty, filling meal. 

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is enjoying this long weekend.  

cc was here in February, anyone else?

The Lunch Box Cafe & Deli 8751 La Mesa Blvd La Mesa 91941 (619)463-4013 Open Tue-Fri 7:30-2, Sat 7:30-1 Closed Sunday and Monday  Website

The Lunch Box Cafe & Deli 8751 La Mesa Blvd La Mesa 91941 (619)463-4013 Open Tue-Fri 7:30-2, Sat 7:30-1 Closed Sunday and Monday  Website

Boudin- Breakfast, Lunch, bread!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog.  Todays post is written by Cathy; Kirk  (and His Missus) are not in town.  Probably most of you are starting Thanksgiving early, too. 

I should just start out with the title of "gift card meal" because that's how I find out about some places. (Side note: I do not 'regift').  Boudin Bakery began in 1848 in San Francisco.  Known for its sourdough, the bread is baked fresh daily.  It is now a chain of casual bakery-restaurants with two San Diego County locations serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily.    As I mentioned, I first discovered Boudin by using a gift card.  The drill is similar to Panera and Corner Bakery Cafe- walk up, order, pay, get your own beverage and find a table.  Your food is brought to you.  All three of these businesses do *not* encourage tipping.  You don't have to clear off your own table. All have free wifi.
You can see the fresh loaves bread behind the cash register. A one pound loaf of sourdough is $4.14.  What I found out on our first visit is that we can join the Boudin "loyalty club" which gets you one free loaf of bread a month along with a few other perks. 
 Here are the past three months of free bread.  The middle one is a really great multigrain bread, which you can purchase using the $4.14 discount (I think it ended up being 49 cents).  The sourdough is wonderful.  So is everything else.
 The turkey and bacon scramble ($7.90) is quite large, comes with either fruit or potato and a choice of toast.  It's a great meal. 


 The ham and cheddar breakfast sandwich ($5.90) is also quite large.  It's served on sourdough and, as you can see, the cheese is grilled in and melted.  None of that slapped on slice of cold cheese here.  Quality for a reasonable price. The ham is applewood smoked and really good.I broke down and ordered the second avocado toast of my life; "The Purist" ($8.25).  It's good, very nice with the eggs and side of fruit...but does not compare to the first avocado toast I ever ordered (photos 4th and 5th from the bottom of the post); that one is the standard for me. 

The bacon red bell pepper scramble ($7.90) is also wonderful and again, quite large.  That multigrain bread is so very good. 

Then there is the rest of the menu...which needs more exploring...
  The 'Spring Salad' (small, $5.95, large $8.65, add chicken to either size $2.39) was a wonderful mix of flavors and textures.  Granny Smith apple slices, spiced walnuts, dried cranberries, feta, spring mix and balsamic. This was a large that we shared.  It will be ordered again, maybe as a small...

 Half Sandwich and bowl of soup ($9.35) is a good way to get to try more of the menu.  The broccoli-cheese soup was hearty, creamy and filled with broccoli.  The sandwich I chose was the turkey cranberry (on sliced sourdough; a good, chewy, old fashioned bread).  Turkey breast, cranberry sauce, red onion, lettuce, mayonnaise. Eager to try the 'famous' clam chowder served in a sourdough bread bowl ($7.49) (you can see that you get all  of the bread) this was an order one day.  The clam chowder is pretty close to perfect; not salty, very creamy and filled with clam pieces and bits.  The bread bowl and its filler piece was great with butter.
There are 'Seasonal Favorites' on the menu and the "millionaires bacon" was a curiosity that I succumbed to.  The 'Millionaires BLT' on toasted sourdough with iceberg, Roma tomatoes and mayonnaise was a perfect accompaniment to the thick cut, brown sugar caramelized bacon that had a black pepper and cayenne rub on the edges...a kick of spice in this wonderful sandwich that needed no other additions.  

I'm so grateful to my friends for the initial gift card and am very happy to have (finally) discovered the wonderful flavors of real sourdough. 

Go- start your Thanksgiving week!

 Boudin SF 5407 Balboa Ave, Ste 400 San Diego 92111 (858)737-6571 Website Open Mon-Sat 8-9, Sun 8-8

Bully's East Bistro Sports Bar

mmm-yoso!!! thanks you for dropping by (again).  Kirk and His Missus are out and about and Cathy is writing about a few meals.

Family owned since 1971, Bully's East is located on the Southeast corner of the I-8 at Texas Street (the street parallel to the interstate is Camino Del Rio South).  A fascinating history, known for their prime rib (not in this post) as well as quality, value and service, Bully's is a San Diego mainstay. 
There is plenty of parking, but you may have to drive around the building to find a spot. 
 The interior has several dining areas in addition to the Bar area.  There are sports memorabilia on the walls and a television can be seen from just about every seat in the building. There is a paper of specials outside the front door as well as on the bulletin board in the lobby when you walk in.  There are additional specials on the table.

We were here in early October and there was an Oktoberfest/sausage plate offered ($19).  Three different sausages, coarse ground (one was very spicy; another was garlic-y and one was smoked) each had a tight 'skin' and 'snap' when cut, grilled with sautéed onions and fresh cabbage and potato slices.  This was served with a salad with house made bleu cheese dressing.  It was good and won't be on the menu until next year.   
 One item always on the menu is French onion soup ($5.25).  It's made in house, is not too salty and is very beefy.  I'm pretty sure the leftover prime rib bones are used for this.  This is pretty much always a choice. 
  The Prime rib melt ($18.50) is a decadent choice for a lunch sandwich.  There is enough to be shared.  It's on thick cut, pan toasted sourdough and filled with caramelized onions and Provolone. There's some horseradish sauce and au jus is served on the side.  The French onion soup as well as the Potatoes Anna were my two (included) side choices.  The sandwich was large, the French onion soup is so very flavorful and those Anna potatoes were perfect!

    A Wednesday special noted on the wall,
grilled 12-oz. ribeye ($26). A perfect medium rare, wonderful char-such flavor.  The description is 'topped with a mushroom demi-glace and crispy onions'.  There were no onions and we mentioned it and received what I think are more than would normally be served...a nice snack, because the steak and mushrooms and sauce were perfect without needing any additions (not even salt).  This came with two sides and as you can see, the baked potato and a salad (this time, Thousand Island, also made from scratch) were the choices.
 This is the Bully Burger ($12.50).  It's on an onion roll, char grilled (to a nice medium rare, as requested), coarse ground chuck, at least 1/3 lb.. One of the best burgers ever. It doesn't need cheese.  The 'spread', lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle are also not needed, but are quite complimentary after eating about half of the burger 'plain'.  Two sides are included in the price and this time, it was the mac and cheese (great) and (again) the French onion soup (+$1.25).

Bully's has breakfast on weekends.  Another post.  We've done that.

Bully's East Prime Rib-Bistro-Sports Bar 2401 Camino Del Rio South San Diego, CA 92108 (619)291-2665 Website Open Mon-Fri 11 a.m.-midnight, Sat-Sun 9 a.m.-midnight

 You never know who you'll see here at lunchtime during the week. 

Copenhagen - Our Last Day and Restaurant Schønnemann

We got into Copenhagen from Paris at 930pm. Getting to Nørreport Station from the airport is a snap; our hotel was further down Vendersgade this time; around the corner from the last place was stayed at. The room was large, the floors creaky, and the bathroom; yet another "wet room", had the worst configuration I've had for a bathroom since probably that boat on Halong Bay. Everytime you showered, you had to make sure to remove all the T.P., close the seat, etc....

You'd think for $280/night they could come up with something better....like maybe shower curtains?

Oh well; at least breakfast was good, not as good as the Ibsens hotel, which we stayed at during the beginning of our trip. Still, breakfast was quite filling; more than enough to keep us most of the day.

After breakfast we headed out. We'd spend our last full day in Copenhagen just strolling around and exploring. The Peblinge Sø, one of the Three Lakes on the west end of Central Copenhagen was right across the street from the Hotel.

We walked along the lake and down Nørre Søgade until we came around to busy H.C. Andersens Boulevard and headed toward City Hall.

The skys were overcast, but it wasn't particularly cold, and it was a nice walk along the Boulevard.

We noticed a few things that we hadn't recalled seeing during our previous visit; like the Memorial of the First and Second Schleswig Wars, a conflict between the Danish and Germans as to who ran the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein. It was a very complex situation, called the "Schleswig-Holstein Question", so confusing was this issue that Lord Palmerston was quoted as saying, “The Schleswig-Holstein question is so complicated, only three men in Europe have ever understood it. One was Prince Albert, who is dead. The second was a German professor who became mad. I am the third and I have forgotten all about it.” 'nuff said.

They were a bunch of other events happening at City Hall Square, so we didn't dally very long before heading off.

That's the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek below, a famous art mesum.

We crossed on a bridge and walked along a canal.

We both cracked up when we saw a gentleman park his walker in front of this bar then walk inside for what I assume is his morning "hair of the dog"?

We found ourselves in the Christianshavn neighborhood.

I had recalled seeing a church on the map and we soon found Vor Frelsers Kirke (Church of Our Saviour) with its distinctive spire a little more than a block down the street.

From here we crossed back over and somehow ended up back in Nyhavn, where we enjoyed all the little Christmas booths set-up along the canal.

After walking for a few more minutes, the Missus decided She needed a caffeine fix. We were near the ILLUM Department Store, so we decided to stop by the Copenhagen location of Eataly.

For some coffee and a few snacks for the Missus.

Our late lunch stop was one of the oldest and most treasured purveyors of the Smørrebrød, the classic Danish open-faced sandwich since 1877, Restaurant Schønnemann. Restaurant Schønnemann is a lunch only place; with basically two seatings, one at 1130 and one at 230pm. Reservations are a must; you step inside the restaurant a few minutes before your designated time; check-in and then go back outside to wait in the ever expanding line. At right about 230pm, folks were being escorted to their table.

I had been forewarned about some rather brusque service; but the nice woman who served us was anything but that.

She was indeed very efficient; you don't survive the daily crowds here if you're not. But she was also quite warm and really tried to make our visit as enjoyable as possible.

Speaking of drinks.....folks having lunch here were really having a great time. we watched the older folks at the next able put away several glasses of drinks each, along with a couple of Aquavit.

As for the Aquavit, after having it at Arakataka in Oslo, it had to be the Aquavit Linie, which is aged in oak casks. "Linie" literally mean "line" and true to the name, Aquavit Linie are put onto boats and are sent around the world, from Norway to Australia, crossing the equator twice along the way! The woman suggested the Aquavit Linie Christmas Edition, which was excellent, with more caraway and anise tones. It was like drinking a wonderfully smokey bagel.

As for the smørrebrød, we started with the Marinated Herring; which was lovely.

The herring had an almost "buttery-meaty" texture; with a nice surprisingly clean finish to it. The egg was wonderful and the curry salad and pungent red onions really helped to cut and oiliness. The nutty rye bread was fantastic with this.

Speaking of oiliness; the Classic Spicy Pickled Herring was a bit much for the Missus.

This definitely had a funky cheesiness to it and had that typical high oil fish flavor.

We were fascinated by the "Greenland Shrimps" in a Pyramid. Man, this was quite a bit of shrimp.

Which were a tad over-cooked for our taste and on the bland side. The shrimp really didn't have the sweetness we were expecting and the white bread just didn't do it for us.

We finished with the Tenderloin Steak of Pork, which came in a larger than expected portion.

The crisp rind of the pork was amazing; crunchy, porky, just good stuff. The meat was toothsome, but not tough, and more moist than expected. And, it had that nice porcine flavor that has been bred out of the "other white meat" here in the States. It was pretty rich, just a few steps away from "meatsweatland", but we enjoyed this. And of course; that wonderful, nutty, rye bread.

And the Missus let me have another shot of Aquavit Linie Christmas Edition to boot! So it was a nice and fitting last meal in Copenhagen. Schønnemann was a fun place for that meal.

As for the Aquavit Linie Christmas Edition; I saw that they had it for sale at the Duty Free Shop in the airport, so I bought a couple of bottles.

Restaurant Schønnemann
Hauser Plads 16
Copenhagen, Denmark

Darkness was already falling as we left the restaurant at 4pm.

I knew we weren't going to be able to manage eating anything else this evening. And we'd be leaving before breakfast was served the next morning, but we weren't too worried since I think that pork would do a fine job of holding us.

As I usually do during our trips, I grabbed a beer on the way back to the hotel room, popping the bottle as we relaxed before bed. It gave me time to reflect on our trip; this one had been a long one, over three weeks, taking us from Copenhagen, then to Oslo via Overnight Cruise, from Oslo we flew to Tromso, where we "chased the Aurora" and experienced Polar Winter, then next we were off to Amsterdam, then to the Missus's favorite city, soon enough we were headed to Strasbourg, where we got to enjoy the sites of this UNESCO Heritage City and its wonderful Christmas Markets. Back in Paris, we enjoyed a fantastic meal at Restaurant Alliance and continued with our exploration of the city. And here we were. Early tomorrow morning we'd be flying back home. But there was one more interesting experience to come....so stay tuned!