mmm-yoso!!!

Paris Sandwiches (Mira Mesa)

Back in June of last year, I noticed that a place named "Paris Sandwiches" was opening up next to LHK in Mira Mesa. When I did a quick check on the listed URL a familiar name came up. Yes, Paris Sandwiches is under the auspices of Paris Bakery, an old favorite of mine. Paris Bakery and wholesale Le Chef Bakery produces the bread for many Banh Mi shops in San Diego. So, I'd know exactly where they are getting their bread from, right? To digress, I actually had someone send me an email regarding a really "special" Banh Mi I made and posted on over 15 years ago! Read it if you dare. I guess nothing disappears on the Internet?

Anyway, the shop opened back in January and I finally got around to visiting in between recent trips.

It's a simple counter set-up with a couple of tables and chairs outside. On both of my visits, the young lady working was very nice.

And yes, this is 2023, thus I didn't expect a $3.50 Banh Mi like I used to get at the ECB location, but I was glad that none of the Banh Mi's were in the $9 range!

Since JeffP was in the office on this day, I decided to order two sandwiches, the Dac Biet ($7.25) and the Bi ($6.75).

I got back to the office and split things up for us.

    First off, the bread was as I recalled from the "old school" location, crusty and fairly dense, with some yeastiness.

The Bnh Mi was much more "stuffed" than the versions I've had from the ECB location. And man, the jalapenos in all the sandwiches were no joke. The folks making the sandwich tend to bunch them together, so I learned to do a quick check. The pickled veggies were crisp and the flavor quite "bright".

The proteins were good, I especially enjoyed the generous portion of the funky-offally pate.

In my opinion, this was the better of the two sandwiches.

 I did find the ratio of Bi (pork skin) to be kind of small compared to the amount of pickled veggies and even cilantro. And of course, I think that it's all about ratios when it comes to these sandwiches. Strangely, I found that the Bi had an almost sweet-sour flavor? Though those jalapenos did a good job of clearing my sinuses.

A couple of days later I had a chance to drop by and grab another sandwich. Even though it was a weekend, I arrived early and the place was empty.

I decided on the Banh Mi Ba Chi (Pork Belly - $6.75).

 Much like the Dac Biet, this version had quite a bit more meat than what I've had from Paris Bakery. In terms of consistency, Paris scored well as the bread was crusty and yeasty, those jalapenos nice and spicy, and the pickled veggies nice and refreshing.

I did find the pork belly, while porky with a hint of sweetness, to be on the waxy side. So perhaps next time I need to go with the nem nuong?

Overall, this was much better than the mediocre banh mi I last had which cost me $9. It's great to have another option. I'm thinking I need to compare Paris Sandwiches to Phuong Nga one of these days?

Paris Sandwiches
10606 Camino Ruiz
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri 8am - 630pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm
Closed on Sundays

Lee's Sandwiches (Rolando)

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog, usually has posts written by Kirk.  However, He and His Missus are enjoying each other and doing research for future posts.  Cathy is writing today.

The corner of University at 58th used to house a great little Chinese restaurant.  The Mister and I went there many times when we first moved out here in the early 1980's.  Its signage has been preserved and the area has expanded into University Square, a shopping area anchored by a Food 4 Less, 99 Cent Only store and Marshall's. On this corner to the right of this famous sign, is Lee's Sandwiches, which began in 1982 as a family venture with 500 food trucks in Northern California and currently is a franchise in four states with 60 Brick and Mortar locations.
 The Menu Board includes six inch breakfast sandwiches (on baguette or a croissant) served all day.
  Beverages and Korean Rice dogs are available; quite a variety.
 Asian Sandwiches, served on ten inch baguettes as well as 
 European Sandwiches ("American" fillings) served on a large croissant or baguette.
 There's also a hot food display case and some offerings on the counter.
The Pate Chaud ($2.75) is offered in chicken or pork and both fillings are excellent.  
 The herbs and flavoring in the ground chicken and also in the ground pork are fresh and flavorful.  The pastry is crispy-flaky and each bite is quite nice.  The egg rolls sold from this case (five for $6) also have the same fillings and are a crispy snack.
 As mentioned, the breakfasts served all day are smaller.  
 The #82, ham, bacon, egg and cheese on croissant ($5.49) was quite hearty and filling.  The six inch croissant appears to have been baked in the baguette tray, so it's the dough but not the shape of a croissant.  Everything on the sandwich is good. 
 The #90 ($5.49) sausage, egg and cheese on a baguette was also filling.  The bread/crust ratio is good, bread is fresh baked and the sausage was a better quality than I've had in other breakfast sandwiches.  

 We returned for lunch.  I've been choosing yogurt drinks lately and the mango yogurt ($6.25) was a great choice; just enough sweet from the mango chunks and tart from the yogurt.  Of course, we had to have a Lee's Cafe original (Cafe su da)($4.49).  The strong coffee and sweetened condensed milk over ice is indeed a perfected beverage.
 The #1-combination ($6.99) is made on a ten inch baguette and includes house pickled daikon and carrots, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, mayonnaise and soy sauce. 
 Jamon-Head Cheese-Pate are the meats.  

The cured ham is not smoky, the Head Cheese has a black pepper heat which is cooled by the Pate.  Each bite was a great combination of complimentary flavors. 
 The #35  Roast Beef European ($9.49) included lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and cheese (I was not asked which type of cheese I wanted, but the menu shows a choice of American, Swiss or Provolone).  Condiments are on the side (mustard, onion, pepperoni and pickle).  Plenty of roast beef on this fresh baked, soft crusted croissant.  Satisfying. 
 The matcha green tea ($5.99 large) is another favorite beverage; a nice strong matcha flavor and not very sweet.

A good place to stop if you are in the neighborhood.

Lee's Sandwiches 5801 University Ave Suite B1 San Diego 92115  Open daily 9-8 (619) 915-5562 Website

Brothers Family Restaurant (Grantville)

Today's mmm-yoso!!! blog post is being written by Cathy.  Thanks for stopping by to read about food.

Since the pandemic and Covid-19 restrictions, The Mister and I have had to get used to a 'new normal' with some of our favorite restaurants closing, menus and hours being pared down (so many Breakfast-Lunch only restaurants now) and prices rising.  There were so many places took for granted and I didn't even post about, thinking they would just always be there (RIP The Fancy Fish). Fortunately Brothers Family Restaurant has survived, since 1994. 
 When you walk in and see people seated at the lunch counter, know that it's a busy day and you may have to put your name on the Wait List for a table.

 From the breakfast menu, the Belgium waffle with fruit and whipped cream ($9.95) was ordered by The Mister for lunch one day (the Breakfast menu is available until 2 p.m.).  The light crispness of the waffle edges covering the puffy (not cake-like) filling is one of His cravings...plus we share our meal choices, so I was happy.   The cup of soup and half sandwich ($10.99).  I chose roast beef on rye toast and the Soup of the Day was vegetable beef.  Two different types of beef and each very flavorful- the large chunks of stew pieces with the still slightly crisp vegetables in a strong beefy broth really hit the spot.  The sandwich came with lettuce and tomato and mayonnaise and the meal was quite filling.
 The Half Tuna Salad ($11.99) was my choice another day.  The tuna salad is lightly seasoned with finely chopped celery, very little mayonnaise and some fresh herbs.  It is basically all tuna, which I like.  Served on lettuce with tomato and a sliced hard boiled egg, the house made Thousand Island dressing pulls every bite together with great flavors.  This 1/2 size is a good size meal.
 The French Dip ($14.99) is served with a choice of sides, so, of course, The Mister chose onion rings.  Nice, crisp batter surrounding whole onion ring slices (you know, made here and not frozen).  The thin slices of warm roast beef were served on a very soft, freshly toasted French roll.  The au jus is not salty and has some herbs for flavoring.  Quite nice. 
 On days when the Soup of the Day is clam chowder, a bowl is ordered ($5.99).  Thick, creamy, some chopped potatoes and plenty of clam meat as well as clam juice, this is a great choice.  Soup bowls are served with a half slice of that soft French Roll made into a crisp topped garlic bread; delightful.

Brothers Family Restaurant 5150 Waring Road San Diego 92120 Website open daily 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

 As you walk to the seating area, you'll pass the refrigerated dessert case.  Save some room.  (Yes, they make rhubarb berry from scratch!)

Kumo Japanese Sandos

The Missus has been a fan of Japanese Supermarket Sandos ever since our visits to Japan. Strangely, I don't have a post on the sandwiches we've gotten from Lawson over the years. Perhaps we just gobble them up too fast. And of course, the egg salad version has been quite hyped up; especially after this Tweet all those years ago.

The Missus's preference is the Katsu Sando of the pork variety and after trying out the Katsu Sando at EE Nami She was looking forward to what Kumo had to offer. I was just waiting for the place to finally open. Which they did, though on weekends only. I hopped on down and took a look at the menu and had to deliver the bad news to the Missus, they didn't do tonkatsu; only chicken katsu sandos. Which the Missus really didn't want. The line on that day was rather long so I decided to wait until after our trip to Taiwan when the shop would have more regular hours.

  When I finally had another opportunity, I arrived just as the very friendly young lady was folding up the blinds on the front door. And as during the soft opening, only one party is allowed inside the shop at once. I recall seeing chicken karaage on the menu when I did my aborted visit, but that was no longer offered. There are four sandwiches on the erase board menu; chicken katsu, menchi katsu, egg salad, and fruit and cream.

And since I had actually made it in the door, I decided to order the three savory sandwiches and split them with JeffP back in the office.

Like I said, the young lady working was very nice. I ordered and was told to wait outside for my sandwiches.

I was intrigued to know that the bread came from MamMoth Bakery. We've been to their location in Marukai (now Tokyo Central) in Gardena.

A few minutes later my sandwiches were ready and I headed back to the office.

You want to see what $40 of sandwiches looks like from Kumo? Have a gander.

So how were they? Well, let's go from "first to worst".

For me the best was the Egg Salad ($12).

 Compared to the Japanese version; this was chopped too coarse, there wasn't enough mayo. There was a bit too much black pepper and it edged on the sweeter side. Liked the visual of the quarter tamago. The bread was slightly moist, but a bit too firm and chewy for me. Like I said before, I prefer my shokupan fluffier and softer.

The breading was not good on the Menchi Katsu ($13) as it was peeling off and soggy. The patty was very thin and overly chewy. This threw the bread to protein ration off in my opinion.

    It was also quite dry. This did the bread no favors. There was some flavor though it was quite mild. I could have used with a bit more katsu sauce to added a nice savory-umami-sweetness to things. It's a sad day when I think that the shredded cabbage is the best part of the sandwich.

And yet, the Chicken Katsu Sando ($13) was our least favorite. I was thrilled to see that it was chicken thigh which would usually mean more flavor, but not in this case as it was rubbery and very bland. Look at the color of the breading.

   Which was soggy and peeling off the protein. Man, this was not good eats at all. It seems that the only thing I could taste was the katsu sauce. Again it was the cabbage that was the headliner of the sandwich, bummer!

I spoke to JeffP a bit later and got his thoughts.....not surprisingly, his first to worse was the same!

It's kind of sad, I was really looking forward to this place opening. I'm hoping that they do improve. But for now, I'm sticking with Sue's next door when I'm in the area.

Kumo
6755 Mira Mesa Blvd.
Suite 108
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours:
Tues - Sun 11am - 5pm

Bonita Farmers Market-smoked tri tip

mmm-yoso!!! welcomes you back.  This is another post written by Cathy (because Kirk is elsewhere, with His Missus, preparing/researching some postings).

Recently, a dear client mentioned a memorable sandwich he and his wife had for lunch from this local market.  It's located in the same parking lot as Hans and Harry's in Bonita.

   The Mister and I stopped in on a Saturday and walked through the store which is undergoing renovations.  Fresh, warm tortillas in an insulated box on the floor, as well as all sorts of beverages, a couple of grocery aisles and a small freezer as well as a meat counter with well-priced selections made this look like a convenient place in the neighborhood.  We ordered and paid at the check out counter.
 There are outdoor tables and on the weekends, the smoker is filled with meats (ready at around 2 p.m., if you want to purchase by the pound).
 Soon, our sandwich was brought out. ($11.99, includes a beverage from the cooler).
 It's already cut in half and ordered with 'everything'- mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato,  avocado, onion, pickled jalapeño and pickled carrots.  Sometimes we have to 'rearrange' the tri-tip on our sandwich. 
 The meat has an excellent flavor-smoky and meaty (with a thin smoke ring),even with the condiments.  The torta is soft and fresh.  The size is just right for sharing.

A wonderful sandwich and great neighborhood store.

Bonita Farmers Market 5080 Bonita Road Bonita, CA 91902 Website (619) 292-3115 Open Mon-Sat 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Sun 7:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

 You might notice the truck in the parking lot, as well as neighbors who stop by on weekends.

Sunday Sandwiches - Siesel's Old Fashioned Meats

Siesel's is a fairly regular stop for me these days. Admittedly, I used to drop by every so often for ham hocks (I really like theirs - it's a key ingredient for my Portuguese Bean Soup) or some bit of higher quality red meat (usually not for Asian dishes), heck I've even bought stuff from what I call the "frozen protein zoo". But, ever since the Pandemic began I've been shopping there more often. I've found several specialty grocery items I used to get from the now closed Bristol Farms at Siesel's and on recent visits some of the produce looked quite good as well!

On a recent visit, I was a bit hungry and passed the Deli Counter. I then recalled Cathy's post from over a decade ago and realized that even though I've been to most of the sandwich places in the area, I had never given a sandwich from Siesel's a shot.

   I perused the menu where prices range from $7.99 to $10.99 for sandwiches. Siesel's sells Dietz and Watson products and that's what they use for their sandwiches as well. The gentleman behind the counter saw me checking out the menu, came over and apologized. Apparently, they had just raised prices of all sandwiches by a dollar that week

I had noticed the "specialty sandwich" was named after the Fire Company right across the street; Station 25. The folks working there are so nice, you always see them greeting people, giving dogs treats, oogling babies, and they are an integral part of the Bay Park community. So, I decided to order the Station 25 ($10.99). I also got a small bag of chips as well. I then went and got the grocery items I needed before circling back to the counter to pick up my sandwich which was ready.

It felt quite hefty.

It was a large sandwich on a nicely toasted "French" Roll.

   So, as you can see, there was a lot going on here! From the three meats, Hot Ham (Capicola), Turkey, and Bacon. The "Buffalo" Cheddar was actually a good match in this protein laden sandwich as it added a bit of spice. Loved the sprouts and avocado. The triple threat of sauces, chipotle mayo, mustard, and D&Ws oil-vinegar "hoagie sauce" was a bit too much. I'd probably go without the mustard next time.

This ended up being two meals for me. Gone are the days when I could polish off a large sandwich like this in one sitting. 

This was a decent sandwich and with pricing these days worth the price.

I had to do some shopping a few days later, so I decided to try another sandwich. I went with the Cuban ($9.99).

  I definitely didn't expect anything like what I've had at other places, heck, this is served on the "French" Roll! Sadly, it seems that they forgot to toast the roll. This bread overloaded sandwich also had way too much of the mustard-mayo based sauce. 

Unlike the Station25, this didn't seem like a good value.

This past weekend, I stopped by and decided to grab yet another sandwich. This time I went with the "Rudy" ($9.99). Man, this was another hefty sandwich.

I'm not a big fan of "deli chicken", because it usually doesn't have flavor and is dry. This version sports D&Ws "Buffalo Chicken" which actually has some flavor and was moist and tender. I loved the flavor of the sourdough, but it didn't hold up well on the short trip home. There's pepperjack cheese and peperocini which added some nice "zip". Avocado, lettuce, tomato, and mayo rounds out the sandwich. This was pretty good. I'll probably get this again without the mayo and eat it on the premises.

Overall, I prefer the sandwiches here to the typical supermarket stuff. The prices, at least for these days aren't bad, and some of the sandwiches are quite generous in size. It's good to have yet another option in the area. And convenient for when I need to do some shopping at Siesel's. Not sure why I didn't do this earlier.....

Siesel's Old Fashioned Meats
4131 Ashton St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Mon - Sat 9am - 7pm
Sunday 9am - 6pm

 

Road Trip - Four Corners Monument, Lunch from Zuma Natural Foods (Mancos), and we Arrive at Mesa Verde

**** Not much food in this one. But, if you get enjoyment out of wonderful views, you might like to read on.

Before I get on with this post, I need to thank "FOY" Dereck who provided me with tons of information on Cortez, Mancos, Mesa Verde, and Durango! What would we do without all of our helpful "Friends of Yoso" out there! Thanks Dereck!

We headed out from Flagstaff fairly early. It seemed like the drive to our first stop would be around 4 hours, but it ended up closed to 5 1/2 because of road work. I had always wanted to check out the Four Corners Monument the only place where four states meet in the whole US. We finally made it and paid the entrance fee; $8 per person and parked. We walked to the monument and stood in line to get to the spot where the four states meet.

And then got our 10 minutes at the four corners spot.

Not much else to do here, so we headed out. 

We made reservations at a very comfortable motel/Inn that Dereck recommended named Retro Inn which even let us check in early. We then took a walk around downtown Cortez and went thru possibilities for lunch and dinner. Well, the Missus wasn't too keen on any of them. In the end we drove to nearby Mancos to check out Zuma Natural Foods a health food store.

And got a couple of sandwiches which they kindly toasted on the panini press for us.

And then headed upstairs to the outdoor dining area.

Both sandwiches were nicely toasted and the Hiker's Delight with the marinated mushrooms and roasted red pepper was a definite hit.

The gooey melted provolone and garlic aioli just added to the flavors.

The other sandwich was good; toasted to perfection, but it was weird having whole cashews in the sandwich.

The Missus enjoyed the sandwiches so much that we decided to just buy some salads and a mini watermelon and have that for dinner.

We always enjoy finding little markets during our road trips and thought that this was a nice little gem.

Zuma Natural Foods
299 North Main St.
Mancos, CO 81328

We headed back to the motel and relaxed a bit, then took another walk thru Cortez. Our dinner was those salads from Zuma. Love these type of set-ups; the car is parked right in front the door and there's a small table set-up where we could eat and share a couple of glasses of wine.

The next morning I grabbed a yogurt and some coffee from the free breakfast and we headed off. We had decided to stay the evening in Cortez so we could get an early start for our visit to Mesa Verde National Park. We entered and got to the Visitors Center just after they opened. 

We took a walk along the short trail that goes around the Visitors Center. Man, talk about a view!

I had already planned our hikes for this day. Though when I saw the destination for our first hike....well, I wasn't too sure. The Point Lookout Trail ends on the Mesa in the photo below.

We enjoyed our time in the Visitors Center. We've found National Park Rangers to be very friendly and patient. We got some maps and info on Mesa Verde, then headed off.

Our first stop, the Point Lookout Trail. This trail is close to the entrance to the park near Morefield Campground. We easily found parking. In fact, we were the only car in the parking lot! I guess that visiting mid-September might be a good time? 

There were a bunch of switchbacks and about a 400-500 foot elevation gain.

But the view at the end was wonderful!

And the Missus loved the fact that there was no one else on the trail when we visited.

In fact, in the photo below you can see our car parked as we headed down the trail. There was one other car in the lot at this time.

We then headed down a bit and did the Knife Edge Trail. According to what I read, this trail follows a portion of the Knife Edge Road which was used to access the park.

While this was a pretty easy trail...I wouldn't want to drive it!

And again the payoff were some great views.

And we had yet to see another human on these trails!

From here we decided to drive down to Wetherill Mesa and do a bit more exploring and hiking.

Stay tuned!

Oaxaca - Monte Alban and a Revisit to Boulenc

After having done a couple of tours in Oaxaca we decided to something on our own. We had wanted to visit Monte Alban and went to a tourist bus station and used the tourist bus system to get to Monte Alban.

Which took us to the large parking lot and main entrance to Monte Alban.

Monte Alban was an amazing site to visit. This UNESCO Heritage site has a history that goes back to 500BC. What is amazing is that this mountain was manually flattened. Yes, the top of Monte Alban was flattened and leveled by the Zapotec people over 2500 years ago!

It is estimated that Monte Alban had over 100,000 occupants at its peak. And then much like another wonderous site located on top of a mountain we visited; the city was abandoned. 

There's so much to see here. Right as you enter the impressive North Platform and Sunken Patio grab your attention.

And you can see the South Platform and its pyramids in the distance.

There are many distinctive structures to see.

 Along with several stela some of which were used as astronomical devices.

Near the South Platform is one of the more interesting and distinctive structures, a five-sided building that looks like an arrowhead. It is noted that based on the passageway, carvings, and orientation of the building that "Building J" was probably served a purpose as an "astronomical calendar".

 

And the views are quite dramatic as well.

One of the most popular and intriguing locations in Monte Alban is the Galeria de los Danzantes ("dancers"). There are stone carvings of "dancers".

While initially thought to be "dancers", later study and analysis have been inconclusive. It is theorized that the carvings are of the dead, possibly representing defeated enemies.

We went up the stairs of the South Platform, here's the view.

Yes, there's a lot to see here. So many structures, a ball court, more stela, all with "stories" and theories attached to them.

But as with most of these places, we hit our limit at around the 3 hour mark. We wanted to visit the museum, but it was still closed due to Covid policies at the time of our visit. We went ahead and had some coffee in the cafeteria, then headed to the parking lot where we got a ride back to Oaxava with one of the vans heading back into the city.

I think we'll return and do a private tour one day.

Back in Oaxaca, we were famished. The Missus had enjoyed Boulenc so much that we decided to return. The place wasn't very busy so we easily got a table.

The Missus got Her Aguacate y Cilantro. Sorry, no photo, as soon as the plate arrived at the table the Missus tucked right into it!

I was interested in something I'd seen on the menu during our earlier visit and decided to order it. Yep, it's what is called the "Banh Mi" ($121/MX - $6/US - with a fried egg). And while it did seem a bit expensive, this is what it looked like!

Of course less than five minutes after the sandwich arrived, this is what it looked like. That egg just vanished in the ether!

The bread was a crusty, yet light sourdough baguette, the roasted mushrooms earthy and delicious. The pate was made with cashew and mushroom and was really tasty. The pickled veggies were actually fermented and delicious.

This was very good!

We enjoyed Boulenc on this visit as well. And we'd return one more time before leaving Oaxaca.

Boulenc
Calle Porfirio Díaz 207
68000 Oaxaca de Juárez, Oaxaca, Mexico

We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around the picturesque city.

Before heading back to the hotel to relax before dinner.

Which would be another wonderful experience!

Thanks for stopping by!

SuperNatural Sandwiches (Miramar) Back in Business Under New Ownership

SuperNatural Sandwiches had been a fairly regular stop for me for ages. Since their beginnings at the now defunct San Diego Public Market. So, I was sad and in all honesty rather shocked at the somewhat sudden closure of their remaining shop on Miramar. I understand that all the changes in dining and rising costs have really affected businesses over the last two years. So many places with a long history in San Diego and many favorites that have closed in the last 1,010 days....you remember that day, right?

But I was just as surprised to get a text from "JeffP" while I was on vacation telling me that SuperNatural had reopened; albeit under new ownership! Thanks for letting me know Jeff!

So, one of the first places I went to check out when I returned was......

I arrived just at opening; 11 am and walked in and automatically headed right to the counter.....and whoops....

There is the set-up for a sushi bar in that area now. The area where the beer bar is located is where you place your orders these days. I also noticed that prices had gone up quite a bit (again) since my last visit in June.

My usual, the "Siren", is now $14.95 and adding a side of Garlic Fries is another $5.95. Back in June, two months before they closed it was $13.25 and $4.75 respectively. So a sandwich and fries, with tax was over $22 now!

I placed my order and the young lady working confirmed that the place would start serving sushi soon. Hmmm......not sure about that one.

Anyway, this how my sandwich looked when I got home.

   It looked pretty much the same and I'll say that the fries where just as good, slightly crisp, with a creamy interior as it used to be.

I took the sandwich out of the container; the bread looked the same and it was evenly toasted. I actually liked the fact that it had a bit less sauce than it used to.

 So I took a bite and...got all bread? What the heck. It seemed like about half the sandwich was all bread. Strange. I'm thinking either they are still getting used to cutting the bread in the correct manner or they are using less ingredients. Anyway, the shrimp didn't seem of the same quality and seemed overcooked and rubbery; it also looked smaller than before, see the photo below.  That's the cap from the little container of sauce for the fries.

There is a part of me that wonders if I'm just enhancing my memories of the "old" SuperNatural?

So perhaps some of you can set me straight. Let me know what you think if you visit the "new" SuperNatural? I know "FOY" Junichi mentioned the reopening in the comments of this post, so maybe he'll let me know what he thinks. Or maybe "FOY" Loren whom I know enjoyed this place.

For now, over $22 for a sandwich and fries means it'll take a while before I return.

SuperNatural Sandwiches
7094 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92121

Paris - Chez Alain Miam Miam and Église Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles de Paris

After returning from our last trip to Paris, we contemplated a longer trip, which ended up being a whole month in France. As usual, we started in Paris, flying out on BA thru LHR. Like I mentioned in my previous post; while the Business Class meals on BA has to us seem better when returning to San Diego from LHR, overall, the food had improved from our last post-Covid travels.

These days we have a routine when flying into Paris in the evening. We catch the RER Blue Line from CDG to Les Halles and stay in the area. This time, since we'd be staying at AirBnbs and VRBOs for most of the trip, we did a hotel right outside Les Halles. One benefit of flying Business Class are the lay flat beds, where we can (usually) get a decent amount of sleep and work on getting our internal clocks adjusted. By the time we got to our hotel it was after 9pm, so it was right off to bed.

The next morning; well we slipped right into our routine.

We strolled over to Rue Montorgueil and had our Café Allonge at Café du Centre just like we usually do.

And just enjoy people watching......

Café du Centre
57 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France

This was a pretty quiet Thursday morning.

And we felt so relaxed and at home at our corner seats.

As for our plans; well, we went to the Marais and did our due diligence lèche-vitrine ("window licking" - the French term for window shopping). We spent a good amount of time licking 'dem windows and when it was time for lunch, well, we decided on a place I'd had on my list for a while. A rather small shop on Rue Charlot right around the corner from Marche Les Enfants Rouge, named Chez Alain Miam Miam. In fact, this was our original destination during a previous visit to the area, but both shops (they have a shop and a stand in the marche) were packed, so we ended up eating at Chez Taeko. I had read so many superlatives about the place; Food & Wine says it's one of the best sandwich shops in Paris and this YouTube video calls it the "Best Sandwich in the World"that I wanted to check the place out. We decided on having an early lunch to avoid the crowds and got there at 10am. The shop is tiny; the owner, Alain Roussel was manning the counter and we ordered our sandwich and went to one of the shared tables.

Eventually, the beast was brought to us.

The bread was wonderfully toasted and a textural treat; the tomatoes had a wonderful sweet acidity, there's avocados, wonderful caramelized onions, a huge amount of milky-earthy Comte cheese, and ham. The only thing we thought was there wasn't enough of a salt component. But this was quite good and one sandwich was enough for both of us.

In Paris, there are processes. Here, after watching other folks, I noticed that once folks finished their sandwiches, the plates were returned (by non-tourists) to a window and so I took our now empty plate there and got a huge "thumbs up" from the crew!

As we were leaving at around 11 there was a line already forming outside the shop. Not a cheap sandwich at 17 Euros, but it was lunch for the both of us.

Chez Alain Miam Miam
26 Rue Charlot
75003 Paris, France

On Rue de Bretagne, we stopped at Jean-Paul Hevin for some confections and Comptoirs Richard for some tea for later in the trip and took our time walking back to the hotel. On Rue Saint-Denis, right across from Raviolis Chinois Nord Est is a church named Saint-Leu-Saint-Gilles de Paris which was built in 1235! On Rue Saint-Denis? I had wanted to check the place out on our last trip but it was closed the entire time. It must have been my lucky day because it was open!

There was one main reason for my visit. I'd read that the relics of Saint Helena were kept in the church. According to Atlas Obscura:

"As history tells it, in 840 a monk from Hautvillers, France returned from a trip to Rome with a surprising souvenir. He admitted he had broken into St. Helena’s tomb and stolen part of her body while he was there. Instead of ordering its return, the pope allowed the relic to stay in France since the item itself hadn’t protested the theft by miraculously stopping it (as other relics reportedly had)."

And in 1819 the relics were moved here. We found the stairs to the crypt were closed and only opened during certain hours. But again, fate intervened as a woman came by with the keys and went down the stairs and waved us down.

I'm guessing she is a regular worshipper here so they gave her the keys. She lit some candles, said a prayer, then left.

Apparently, parts of Saint Helena's body is wrapped and kept here.

It was an interesting stop.

From here we decided to extend our walk and visit some other familiar places before dinner.

It was a lovely day in Paris and we wanted to make the best of it.