mmm-yoso!!!

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

Sunday Sandwiches - Bay Hill Tavern and Sandwich Emporium

Man, was it warm enough for you today? I was going to do another noodle soup post, but decided to spare you the torture. So, I'll just do one of these sandwiches posts, of places close to home...consider it a H(anging) i(n) t(he) 'H(ood) version if you will.

Bay Hill Tavern:

In my last post on BHT, I mentioned how friendly the bar staff is, and how gladly they'll share their favorite versions of items on the menu. Recently, BHT put a version of a Philly Cheesesteak, called the BHT Philly on the menu.

Now granted, I have a whole category for cheesesteaks, and as expected this really isn't what I would describe as one.

 

 The roll is too bready, but I do enjoy the caramelized onions, mushrooms, and peppers. The beef, which they told me is shaved rib eye is a bit on the chewy side, but nice and beefy. For me, this sandwich was much too dry, and the provolone-mozzarella mix lacked a nice cheesy punch and there was not enough of it. It's a bit on the bland side overall.

Now, the folks that I know at BHT like that I'm honest about the food when I try it. So, when I was asked about this, I told them what I wrote above.

Cue in Janeli, who bartends and also manages the place on occasion. She told me to try the cheesesteak with a side of the beer cheese, which is what they put on the Dirty Fries. I was a bit skeptical, but I guess I take direction well. On my next visit, I got the Philly, no fries (the sandwich is enough for me, plus not a fan of the quick to be soggy fries, or paying an upcharge for garlic fries. Guess I only like the dirty fries?), with a side of Beer Cheese.

   Knowing what kind of mess I'd be making, they kindly provided a knife to slice the sandwich and a ton of napkins. I truly had my doubts, thinking the flavor of the fonduey cheese mixed with beer and other seasonings might interfere with the sandwich. But, it actually made it better, adding more savory tones, and a pleasant creaminess to things.

No, it's not what I call a proper cheesesteak, but pretty good overall. Thanks to the folks like Adam and Janeli at BHT!

Bay Hill Tavern
3010 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117

Sandwich Emporium:

I took my car to Victor's for a good car wash. When I do this, I'd usually head on across the street and get a haircut, but on this day, since it was later in the morning and I was feeling a bit peckish, I decided to get a sandwich at Sandwich Emporium. I didn't realize that it had been a year and a half since my last visit!

I walked on in; the owners, the twins weren't in on this day....in fact, I haven't seen them in a couple of years.

I ordered my usual, the Spicy Julio. I took a seat outside and when my sandwich was ready, just ate it on the spot.

This sandwich has changed over the last two times I've had it. It much more mayo heavy, there less roast beef in it....food costs I guess, the avocado is a really mashed, and the sandwich is a bit of a mess. It's also not as spicy as before.

I really enjoyed it as used to be. Kind of sad actually.

Perhaps I need to change my habits and try something else next time.

Sandwich Emporium
3054 1/2 Clairemont Dr
San Diego, CA 92117

Sunday Sandwiches - Grab & Go Subs (Mission Gorge)

I recently had to take my vehicle in for scheduled service. I will usually get an early appointment time and wait at the dealership. I've been impressed at how quickly everything is completed these days. In at 8 out by 930! On the other hand, I had been planning to check out some places for lunch, but I won't complain about a quick turnaround.

Thus, I needed to grab something for an early....very early lunch. As I drove North on Mission Gorge Road, I saw Grab & Go! Well, it had been ages since I'd been to this location of G&G. The Convoy Court location used to be a regular stop for me when we had offices close by; but heck I hadn't been to that location in over 7 years as well!

I guess it was time for a revisit.

I walked on in; the place looks almost the same as those days "BC" (before Covid).

Of course the prices are not. 

My favorite at G&G the Hot Spicy Capocolla is now $13.49. I believe the last time I had that sandwich it was under seven bucks!

I decided to eat al fresco and found a nice quiet spot at Heritage Park.

 Opening the sandwich up, the first thing I noticed was how much shredded lettuce there was. So much iceberg that it could have sunk the Titanic. Also, I remember Grab & Go as having some of the messiest, sloppiest sandwiches and this definitely lived up to that rep. One of the reasons I enjoy this sandwich is that it's toasted, the bread was yeasty-crackley-crusty goodness. Also appreciated that the Provolone was melted. The jalapenos added some heat though not a huge amount. The oil and vinegar dressing is perfect for this sandwich; mayo would be overkill in my opinion.

While the huge amount of lettuce kinda threw the flavors off; it was just too much, this was quite a hefty sandwich. I guess I'll need to return again soon.

Grab & Go Subs
6435 Mission Gorge Rd.
San Diego, CA 92120
Current Hours:
Mon - Sat 8am - 3pm
Closed on Sundays

Saturday Stuffs - The Burger Joint Replacing SuperNatural Sandwiches and Zhengxin Chicken Steak Coming to Convoy

Just a couple of things for a typical San Diego "June gloom" Saturday.

The Burger Joint Replacing SuperNatural Sandwiches:

While heading back to the office after picking up lunch yesterday, I noticed new signage was up on the now former location of SuperNatural Sandwiches, so I took a quick detour into the parking lot.

 Well, so that gentleman I ran into while checking out what was going on here back in April was right. The location is turning into a burger and beer shop. I cracked up when I noticed "smashburgers" on the sign. I guess smashburgers are this year's birria or K(orean) f(ried) c(hicken)?

As I was leaving the parking lot I noticed the signage on the side of the shop. Both for the Burger Joint and also the Pizza Joint, which is also in this mall. I'm guessing the folks from the Pizza Joint is taking over this space?

Sad to see SuperNatural's run come to an end; after all, I'd been a customer from the days in the San Diego Public Market, but things were not quite the same, at least to me, after new ownership took over. So perhaps this change is for the best.

7094 Miramar Rd. #122
San Diego, CA 92121

Zhengxin Chicken Steak Coming to Convoy:

While driving back from Nijiya this past Sunday, I noticed new signage in the former location of Mochinut on Convoy, so I turned into the parking lot and took a look and a photo.

I made a mental note to check things out online, but didn't need to after reading this on Eater San Diego. According to the post, Zhengxin Chicken Steak has more than 20,000 outlets!

I'm surprised this didn't open at UTC!

4609 Convoy St. #C
San Diego, CA 92111

Hope everyone is having a great Saturday!

Revisits - Philadelphia Sandwich Company and Tadian Cafe

Just another "Sunday Sandwiches" post.

Philadelphia Sandwich Company:

In my last cheesesteak post on the Wise Ox and Evan's Deli & Brew FOY "ST" mentioned that the Philadelphia Sandwich Company had changed ownership. So, a couple of weeks back, I decided to head on over.

The place looked a bit more "spiffed up" then I recalled. The women working here have always been nice and friendly to me. So, I did pose a question regarding ownership. Apparently, Joe Creszenzo the long time owner of PSC sold the place early last year to the folks that run Abbey's BBQ next door. Wow, so I guess I hadn't been back here in nearly 4 years!

Anyway, I went with the usual, the Joe's Special with Provolone (regular size, now $12.50). Back at the office I opened it up and my goodness, it looked totally different from what I'd had here before. There was a lot more meat in this.

First off, there wasn't enough cheese on this, thus it was lacking that nice milkiness I enjoy. The meat was a lot darker and carmelized but really chewy and salty. The roll was really bready and soaked, falling apart, I think they've changed bread and no longer use Amoroso rolls. Not enough onions in relationship to the meat. As with a good banh mi, proportion of ingredients do matter.

Now granted PSC has never been a favorite of mine, but I don't think this is an improvement at all.

The Philadelphia Sandwich Company
6904 Miramar Rd. Suite 207
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon - Sat 10am - 8pm
Closed on Sundays

Tadian Cafe:

I was wondering how Tadian Cafe was doing. It had been about 10 months since my last visit. Being that Tadian does not do an upcharge for online ordering, I took a look at the menu and was pleasantly surprised to see that a favorite of mine was back on the menu. So, I went right ahead and placed an order. Another good thing about Tadian is that they open at 9am, so it's a good option for picking up an early lunch.

So, I drove on over and as always, my sandwich was waiting on the counter when I arrived.

So, what did I get?

   Well, my favorite sandwich here is the Chinese Sausage Sandwich ($9.99), I get it with a fried egg ($1.50), easy on the mayo, extra toasted. While it's on the "bready" side, getting the roll extra toasted enhances the crustiness and diminishes the potential for sogginess as Tadian, even when I ask for easy on the mayo will have too much of it. I enjoy the meaty lup cheong, which has a nice salty-porky-sweetness. The egg adds more savory tones and the avocado tempers things down. To me, the onions add a good pungency and is necessary, as is the mild sweet acidity of the tomato. Everything has a part to play here.

I do wish they had an option for cucumber, but I did enjoy this sandwich. I need to drop by more often.

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

Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Revisits - Avian Sandwiches and Paris Sandwiches

Well, I'm going thru a bit of sticker shock.....I recently paid $23 for a bowl of ramen, yikes! And then I dined at a kind of hipster sushi place for lunch and the menu prices really got my attention; though I did eventually get the sashimi lunch combo which was priced at......yep $23, same as the ramen? What is going on here?

To calm down, I decided to get a Banh Mi wondering what prices were going to be like. Here's what I found.

Avian Sandwiches:

During my shopping rounds I wanted some breakfast and strangely enough there's a real shortage of places that open early in the Kearny Mesa area, though I understand that Banh Mi Express now opens at 8am. Still, it had been a while since I last visited Avian Sandwiches (remember when they were just a water and fro-yo shop?) I stopped by on my way to Nijiya which opens at 9, getting there around 845 on a Saturday.

There seems to be several groups of "coffee old-timers" who hang out in this strip mall; the group who hang in front of Avian and those who do Pho Hoa Huong. Anyway, the interior of the shop still seems packed to the gills with snacks, lottery stuffs, water, and various knick-knacks.

I decided on the Banh Mi Nem Nuong ($7.95). I believe this has gone up $1 since my last visit. I found a corner to hide in while I waited for my sandwich which was ready quite quickly.

Once at home, I opened up my sandwich.

This seemed fairly hefty.

Splitting the halves, I was shocked at the amount of pickled veggies!

Also, the position of the nem nuong...perhaps my mouth isn't big enough, but it was impossible to get everything in one bite at the middle of the sandwich, you'd get the pickled veggies and the really potent jalapeno, but no pork. Things got better as you worked your way to the ends. Glad to actually have cucumber in my banh mi which seems to be a rarity these days. 

The bread was on the dry and crusty side, but better than what I'd had last time. Too many stems from the cilantro, I prefer mostly leaves. A bit heavy handed on the aioli, but at least it was spread evenly and helped when getting a mouth of pickled veggies, cucumber, and jalapeno. The nem nuong seemed to have been seared, enhancing the sweet-porkiness.

To me a certain proportion of protein to veggies to bread is important and this was a bit off.

Avian Sandwiches & Fresh Drinking Water
6937 Linda Vista Rd.
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Daily 8am - 7pm

This sandwich had me kind of wondering what was going on in terms of banh mi, so I decided to head on over to one of my newer favorites, Paris Sandwiches, which just opened in Mira Mesa a little over a year ago. So, I decided to head on over and grab a Banh Mi Nem Nuong here as well.

Paris Sandwiches:

Like Avian, there are a bunch of guys hanging out on the tables to the side of the shop.

The Banh Mi Nem Nuong is now $7.05, it was $6.75 last July. I walked up to the counter and placed my order, then retreated to the counter to wait.

On a funny note, the gal who brought the sandwich to the counter called out my number....in Vietnamese! After trying a couple of times, she called out "39", I cracked up and walked on over to pick my sandwich up. She also had a nice laugh as well. As did the woman standing next to me, who laughingly said; "no, you don't look Vietnamese!"

I know where the bread is baked, thus know what to expect in that category.

The bread this time around was really light and crackly....like so flakey it exploded upon my first bite! I actually found "baguette shrapnel" in the pocket of my shirt later that evening!

This sandwich was more balanced in terms of ingredients, though I missed the cucumber and the jalapeno was not nearly as hot as Avian's version. It was also put together so you could get all of the ingredients in each bite,

I did like the nem nuong from Avian better and the cucumber, but in terms of bread and proportion of ingredients, I though Paris won out.

Paris Sandwiches
10606 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri  730am - 630pm
Saturday   730am - 6pm
Closed on Sundays

This was fun little comparison. I should do them a bit more often. This brought back some fond memories if doing a Mira Mesa banh mi comparison over a decade ago and that when I did my very first Banh Mi post back in 2005, the Banh Mi Thit Nuong cost $2.50! Yikes.....

Pepper Farm Deli (Santee)

Here you are, stopping by to read mmm-yoso!!!  Kirk, who writes the majority of posts, is wandering around the world with His Missus, while Cathy is 'holding down the fort' and writing about food.

A wonderful addition to Santee opened in 2020 into a prior taco shop storefront in the mall anchored by Home Depot.   Pepper Farm Deli sells more than hot and cold sandwiches.   Salads, flatbreads, wraps, burgers, plates, smoothies, breakfast and more are on the menu.  Soups and sauces are made from scratch.  Organic vegetables and fruits, Boar's Head meats, antibiotic free chicken.  Bread is delivered daily.  I could go on, but here, just look. 

 Step inside, order, pay and your name will be called.  There are 18 seats inside and tables out in front. The Monte Cristo Breakfast sandwich ($14.99) is served with warm syrup and a side of fruit. 
 Made with Boar's Head oven roasted ham, Havarti cheese, mustard and mayo on egg-dipped white bread which is pan fried, this hefty sandwich is enough to share.  

 There are four soups available daily, all home made: tomato basil, chicken noodle, clam chowder and chili  (Cup $5.49-5.99, Bowl $7.49-7.99).  The clam chowder is my favorite, although all are wonderfully flavored.
 The cheesy flatbread ($11.99) is a meal in itself.  A thin, made in-house crust topped with roasted garlic tomato sauce, provolone and mozzarella.  Simple and good.

 The garlic-cilantro jumbo shrimp plate ($16.99) includes a cup of soup or small salad, sautéed broccoli and asparagus and ten jumbo shrimp which are marinated in the house garlic and pepper sauce and lightly cooked (still meaty and firm).

 On the bottom of the wall menu there is a section "Pepper Farm Special" ($7.99).  A choice of four cold half sandwiches, chips and a fountain drink. (for $11.99, you can get a choice of four hot half sandwiches, chips and a drink).  This is the Bovine: roast beef, havarti cheese, garlic aioli, mustard, red onion, tomatoes, banana peppers and spring mix on a hoagie roll.  It's a large half sandwich. 

Quality at fair prices.  We are regulars.

Pepper Farm Deli 235 Town Center Parkway, Suite H Santee 92071 (619) 201-8129 Open Mon-Sat 8-8, Sun 8-5 Website

 There are desserts, too.

Sunday Sandwiches - Deli Mart (Miramar)

While I was on my way to Sunrise Deli to pick up a sandwich for lunch, I noticed a shop on Dowdy Drive, which is a pretty busy road off of Miramar. The name of the place was Deli Mart. Now why hadn't I seen this place before? I did a Google thing and found the hours and some other info and was happy to note that the shop opens quite early (730am) on weekdays.

The shop is located on the street facing side of a round-about driveway on Dowdy Drive. All the other businesses along the driveway seem to be auto or cabinet repair shops. The shop has several dedicated parking stalls on each side of the building.

The shop is a bit larger than it looks from the front with a few simple table and chairs indoors and out front.

The shop has a large variety of chips and snacks, along with a selection of beer as well. On all three of my visits, the same two gentlemen were working. The younger one makes the sandwiches and the older handles the counter and phone. 

The prices are quite reasonable for this day and age; sandwiches range from $7.95 to $11.95, with breakfasts even cheaper. All three of my sandwiches were priced at $9.95.

I wanted to start with something simple and went with the Torpedo.

 All sandwiches come with a pickle wedge. This was a straight forward, no-nonsense 3 meat (Salami-Mortadella-Cappicola) on a French Roll. There provolone, with Italian Dressing and mayo. I enjoyed that the sandwich wasn't over-dressed. It was a bit too much bread to "stuffs" ratio. I prefer the almost same version of the sandwich is better at Creative Deli. This really gave me The Sandwich A'Fare (now closed) vibes. Still for the price these days....

I returned a week later and went with a more "interesting" sandwich choice, the Stoner's Delight.

    Not sure about the how or why the name of the sandwich was earned. But this was a turkey and mortadella on sourdough. I enjoyed the heat brought on by the jalapenos, but it was over-dressed, with too much "chipotle" (only in spirit) aioli. Again, the amount of protein was decent in proportion, though folks wanting a super stuffed sandwich would not be satisfied....but really, would you get one for under ten bucks these days?

On my last visit, I decided to try a "hot sandwich" and went with the Reuben.

 So, the rye bread was nicely toasted which held up to the generous amount of Thousand Island dressing. In keeping with the previous sandwiches; this was quite simple. Corned Beef, mild Sauerkraut, Swiss on Rye. It's a sandwich that one might think is on the smallish side, but it was enough for me. The proportion of savory, salty, earthy, worked fine. The toasty bread held up fine and this did the trick as a light lunch.

There are so many of these little shops that keep us fed and I'm always interested to see what is offered. It isn't fancy, but it's what keeps us going, right?

Deli Mart
9210 Dowdy Drive
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon - Tues 730am - 5pm
Wed - Fri 730am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 3pm
Closed on Sunday

Road Trip - Devisadero Peak Trail, Lunch at Manzanita Market, and Strolling Around Taos

After our meal at Doc Martin's we took a typical after dinner stroll. Downtown Taos was indeed quite charming.

While most of the shops were already closed, the relaxed, tranquil vibe gave us time to appreciate the town. We loved the public art.

And as the sun headed down, the adobe buildings just came alive. It was indeed the "golden hour"!

With nary a person in sight, it was a wonderful stroll.

We slept well, woke early, and headed off to the do some hiking. I gave the Missus a couple of choices and She picked the Devasidero Peak loop trail. It was a quick 5 minute drive to the trailhead. The trail started off a bit steep, but the views were lovely on this morning in early May.

And while we didn't run into any other folks on the trail, there were indications of folks who had come before us.

And the signage on the trail was pretty good.

The Missus is all business when hiking; She wants to get it done ASAP.

I on the other hand, like to enjoy the views and on this hike, the little splashes of color provided by the wild flowers.

We enjoyed the hike and finished in a shade over two hours.

We headed back to the hotel, parked, and decided to grab an early lunch. We had walked past a little sandwich/juice bar/health food shop the previous evening called Manzanita Market and decided to pop in.

It was a cute little shop with a hipster-hippy-ish vibe. The staff was very friendly.

We placed our order and the Missus had a seat, while I took a look at some of the local items available for sale.

I loved the name of this hot sauce brand, Taos Hum. 

In case you hadn't heard of the Taos Hum, it's a low frequency humming/buzzing noise that certain residents of Taos have heard since the 1990's. There have been studies into the hum over the years, but it still remains a mystery, and has been reported in other places around the world. And this Taos Hum Hot Sauce would remain a mystery to me as well as I ended up not getting a bottle. I can and may order it online; or perhaps wait until we next visit Taos.

The Missus had ordered the Mediterranean Vegan, which came from Sage Bakehouse (Santa Fe) Sourdough.

The sourdough was quite good. This was bit on the blander side in terms of flavor in spite of the pickled onions and lime-garlic spread. The textures were very nice; the creamy tahini, crisp veggies and bread. The greens had a pleasant bitterness to them as well. So very healthy!

I got the Naples which also came on that good sourdough bread.

This was a pressed sandwich and was served hot. The bread was a nice crisp-crunchy and I loved the milky-gooey carneros cheese and the nicely spiced-salty sopressata. The mildly assertive feta-garlic sauce and the surprisingly good tomato jam really made this sandwich a winner!

Such a nice place for a light lunch!

Manzanita Market
103 N Plaza
Taos, NM 87571

In retrospect, we should have spent at least another day in Taos, but we'd try to make the best of our last evening!