mmm-yoso!!!

The Tri Tiperia (Sweet and Savory Gourmet)

On a recent drive up Mount Acadia, I noticed a new sign in the strip mall on the corner of Mt Acadia and Acworth. So, I took a quick left turn into the parking lot.

The sign read "The Tri Tiperia", which really got my attention. As I got closer I saw "Sweet and Savory Gourmet" in smaller lettering. So, I guessed that Sweet and Savory Gourmet had done a bit of rebranding for their take-out business.

I took a quick look at the hours and saw Monday to Friday noon to four pm. This was a weekend, so they weren't open. Still, I took a quick look at the posted menu and noticed that the Tri-Tip sandwich I'd had before was now called the "OG" and had three other versions available. Along with the four sandwiches, there were three salads on the menu and that was it. The tri-tip I'd had here before had been decent, so I made a mental note to return.

I had a Doctor's appointment near noon recently, so I dropped by once I was done. And heck, after all the poking and prodding; well, I definitely wanted some meat.

These days you no longer walk into the shop. Rather, you walk up to the window and place your order. With seven items on the menu, it's not hard at all to decide. The sandwich is made to order; things are heated in the small kitchen, wrapped and ready to go. The sandwich comes with a cookie that was confiscated as I walked into the office.

In many ways; this was a better sandwich. I had ordered the "Fuego" and in retrospect I should have gone with the "OG" to really compare. But, the standard issue ciabatta had been heated on the griddle and was still warm as I opened the sandwich at my desk. As was the meat. There seemed to be more tri-tip on this sandwich than on the previous version I had. It was moist and very tender. It was hard making out the seasoning on the beef since all the peppers and the chipotle mayo; which had a bit of kick really over-powered the sandwich.

Still, this was a nice sandwich for eight bucks....it didn't look like much, but I was quite full afterwards.

I'll definitely return and report back what I find. No, I'm not expecting anything like I make at home, but this was quite nice. I love little shops like these, totally a one man operation and hope they do well. We need more little mom-and-pop places that make decent food.

The Tri Tiperia (Sweet and Savory Gourmet)
3574 Mount Acadia Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Mon - Fri 12pm - 4pm

 

Charlie's Best Breads (Pacific Beach)

mmm-yoso!!! is a food blog with posts about random eating places in and around San Diego and the world.  Today's post is in San Diego.  It's written by Cathy.  

On one of those rainy days earlier this year, a client and I decided to meet at Charlie's Best Bread (instead of the usual Starbucks) in Pacific Beach.  I hadn't been here since the 'expansion'.  In 2011, I had posted about a second Charlie's Best Bread location in Point Loma, which has since closed and is currently Point Loma Fish Shop.This is the same location in the mall on Garnet between Lamont and Kendall as has been for more than 30 years...but it used to just be a small walk up joint where you could get a sample, order and pay and go.  



Now, you can walk in, see displays, still get samples AND you can have a seat, some artisan (Cafe Moto) coffee and...
order one of the sandwiches or toasts, displayed behind the glass there and enjoy yourself and a quick meeting with a friend.
On this visit I did grab a loaf of raisin cHalla to go (it's Challah; a 1.8 lb loaf ($8)).  This Jewish egg bread is always a favorite for The Mister and I at home; just with butter, sometimes toasted and occasionally made into French toast. 

One  of the sandwiches this day was turkey, on a (fresh baked) ciabatta loaf ($6.75). A good quality turkey, Swiss, arugula, tomato, avocado and spicy aioli was just the right size and combination of flavors to satisfy.
 I brought half home for The Mister and we will be going back soon.

Charlie's Best Bread  1808 Garnet Avenue San Diego, CA 92109 Open Mon-Sat 7-7, Sun 8-7 Website

Steak n Fries

In my post on Al Calozzi's Cheesesteaks I mentioned having "two" recommendations for Cheesesteaks in PB. I decided to wait until the weather got a bit warmer to try the second shop, by the name of Steak N Fries. What got my attention was the "Amoroso Bread" signed stenciled on the window.

Entering this tiny little shop, it's basically one tiny two top, a counter with five stools, and two small two tops outside, I was warmly greeted by a gentleman who I assume is the owner, "Angel". He came out from behind the counter, shook my hand, and went over the menu. In short, you got cheesesteaks, and what they call Steak N Fries.....fries topped with the beef used for the sandwiches and a rather lonely grilled cheese. On the good side; along with your choice of cheese, you can request peppers, onions, mushrooms, and the like at no extra charge.

I went with the Cheesesteak with provolone, onions, mushrooms, and peppers ($11)...for a dollar more you can even get fries....

The roll was definitely an Amoroso; it had that nice softness and yeastiness, but unfortunately was cold, which dampened the experience. Especially since the meat to bread ratio left a bit to be desired. I did really enjoy the flavor of the beef. Here's it's sliced in thin strips; reminds me of Geno's in Philly.....I gotta get back there one day, though like I've said several times in my Cheesesteak posts; I've had better at other locales in the city. The beef is tender, with a nice pepperiness, the onions and mushrooms were griddled nicely; though the peppers could have used a few more minutes on the flat top. I'd have liked a bit more milky provolone as well.

Still; if they'd heat that roll, I'd take this over the drier, unseasoned meat at Calozzi's.

As always, I returned for another visit. But with the limited menu, what to get? Well, I decided on the namesake "Steak n Fries" ($7) with onions, peppers, and mushrooms. And took a seat and looked out onto Garnet and "PB Oriental"?

The box with the fork in it looked fairly compact; but this ended up being a lot, at least for me.

The rib eye was tender, though there weren't too much onions, mushrooms, and peppers. I enjoyed the nicely fried, potato-ey fries, which were super hot. I'm thinking you gotta eat this hot. The top layer was nice, not too much "Whiz" and the fries still had some crispness to it. But "crunch time" diminished as you worked you way to the bottom....man they sure use a lot of "Whiz". I just couldn't finish this as it got too salty near the end and I was stuffed.

Still, had I been in my mid-twenties, after a night of imbibing some liquid refreshment or "ahem" other stuffs. This might have done it for me.

In fact, when Angel came over as I was finishing, I asked him how many of these he sells after 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays (they are open until 2). He laughed and said, "oh, enough......enough".

Steak N Fries
1039 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109
Hours
Sun - Thurs 11am - Midnight
Fri - Sat   11am - 2am

Sunday Sandwiches - Banh Mi Boulevard

I'm not quite sure who mentioned that Banh Mi Boulevard had replaced the short lived Banh Mi Baguette Café, which had replaced the even shorter lived Bale Sandwich & Deli, which had replaced Corner Sandwich & Café. Yikes. Anyway if you were the one who notified me of the change, thanks so much!

Well, with the rather quick turnaround in weather, I decided to finally head on over to Banh Mi Boulevard to check them out.

My first impression upon entering was....how there was so much stuff!

I finally managed to focused on the menu. BMB seemed to be kind of a fusion banh mi shop; with just a couple of traditional Vietnamese options and items like Longanisa, Surf and Turf, Alaskan Cod, tacos, and fries on the menu. Though they also have Banh Mi Bo Kho.

Of course I went with the "Blvd Special" aka the Dac Biet, priced right at $4.50. This was a good sized banh mi...then upon leaving I noticed the sign outside saying the bread is made from Cali Baguette Express a place that I thought was solid, until my last visit to the Mira Mesa location. Where the bread was horrible. Still, I had hoped that the bread on the visit was an aberration. Unfortunately I was wrong.

Pale, doughy, dry, and lacking in the flakey-crustiness that I love in a good banh mi. It didn't help that no one took the time to heat up the bread. The cilantro was mostly stems, but the pate was nice and earthy; a generous amount slathered onto the bread. Well proportion slices of Thit Nguoi and decently pickled daikon and veggies did well in the sandwich. The two slices of cucumber were too short to get in each bite and for some reason those jalapenos weren't spicy at all.

One of the good things about places like Banh Mi Boulevard are the hours; the place opens at 830, so when I have meetings during lunchtime, I can go and pick up an early meal. So, I decided to head on over and grab something at around 10am. I wasn't too hungry and didn't feel alike another Banh Mi, so this caught my attention.

You know; I'm not much of a newster-hipster-trendy, bulgogi taco eating kind of guy. But what the heck; I went with a BBQ Pork and a Filipino Longanisa Taco.

First, the good news; I really enjoyed how the Longanisa tasted with the cilantro and pickled vegetables, sweet-salty, pleasantly toothsome. I didn't care much for the mayo; it just kinda clashed with all the other flavors. The BBQ Pork was too salty and....yes, this is rare for me, could have been a tad sweeter. It was also on the tough side. Though the portion size was good. The less I say about the cardboardish white corn tortillas the better.

And so....that would usually be "a rap", but I was curious about how that longanisa would taste in a banh mi. And because of meetings, I had to grab an early lunch. So I decided to head on over and give BMB another try.

I walked up to the counter and noticed something called the "Kirby's Special" ($6.75), which not only had Longanisa, but two of my other favorite food groups involved; Spam® and eggs! Though they wouldn't make my eggs easy over (op la).

The bread was a bit better this time; a bit more color and slightly crusty. It's still falls short though. There were two slices of Spam®, so you went "spam-less" for several bites of the sandwich. Not very much longanisa as well; which does a nice job with the pickled carrots and daikon which adds a nice acidity to cut the sweetness and saltiness. The jalapenos on this visit was still on the mild side; though there were two nice and juicy slices of cucumber. The stems on the cilantro weren't too thick and fibrous this time which made the experience much better.

So, what to say? I'd say with regards to fusion banh mi; I preferred Banh Mi Boulevard to what I had at Cali Banh Mi. But, like pho, i'm just not sure what the current state of Banh Mi is in San Diego these days....

Banh Mi Blvd
9005 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours:
Open Daily 830am - 830pm

Ravenna - The Basilica of San Vitale, Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, Lunch at Al Cairoli, and Dante's Tomb

We'd had such a great time in Emiligia-Romagna, from the Castles, to the "Devil's Bridge", to our amazing food tour, there were so many memorable experiences. And even though we had but two more nights left in the region, I had one more ace up my sleeve. Our Airbnb was very inexpensive, so I decided to book an overnight stay in Ravenna, a short hour train ride from Bologna. I'd read a bit about the city, which was once the capital of Western Roman Empire. When Theodosius I died; he split the Roman Empire into to halves, one of his sons, Honorius and he moved the Imperial Court and Administrative offices there in 401 because it was easily defended.

Well, enough of the history lesson, no?

The train station in Ravenna is but a short walk into the heart of the city. The vibe is relaxed and friendly; the city is pedestrian friendly and there's obviously a lot going as we passed this while walking past one of the many piazzas on the way to our hotel.

Our hotel; the Casa Masoli was close to everything we wanted to see; the woman running the place was warm and friendly and even made dinner reservations for us at a place she highly recommended. The prices were quite affordable; we got the Teodora e Giustiniano Suite for like a hundred Euros. The building has long history and our suite was amazing! And quite unique; it's like we entered a time machine and travelled into the past. From the Venetian four post beds and antiques lining the room....

To the huge bathroom with a marble bath tub!

To the rather dramatic sitting area.

The woman pointed to a part of the high ceiling and told us...."this is where a bomb landed during World War I"!

We had also arrived early and expected to drop off our bags; but our room was ready!

And so were we. The first order of business was head on out to the bookstore located at Via Giuliano Argentario 22 and purchase a combined ticket for five of the sites. And, it right down the street from our first site; the Basilica of San Vitale.

Commissioned by Bishop Ecclesius in 527; the church was still unfinished when Ravenna fell to Justinian I in 1540. It was then that the mosaics were done and the church completed in 1547. From the exterior, the building really looks rather staid and simple, but the octagonal plan and the use of terra-cotta bricks was revolutionary in those times.

It's upon entering the interior where you really understand the importance of this structure......

The amazing Byzantine Mosiacs are second to none and just amazing to see. It is rumored that San Vitale was used as the model for the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul. And even though we've been to the Hagia Sofia, twice this really made an impression on us.

It is undoubtedly, one of the most beautiful places I've ever visited.

I'm wondering what the dome would have been like had the intended mosaic design been carried out. The painting on the dome is from the 18th century.

I mean, the mosaic on the ceiling of the presbytery is dramatic enough.

There's actually a tape that goes "ssshhhssshhh" when folks start talking too loud in the place. We actually loved it!

For a wonderful article on the history and mosaics, check out this site.

Across the courtyard is the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, named after the daughter of Theodosius I. There are three sarcophagi in the structure; it is said that these are of Galla Placidia, who is said to have been placed in sitting position, Galla's son, Valentinian III is to her right, and to her left is that of Emporer Constantius III, her husband. Though because of study and dating, it is no longer thought to be so.

Some say the mosaics here outshine those in the Basilica and I can see why.

It was an amazing visit; something I wish everyone could see.

From here we headed to the next thing I wanted to see. While on one of the many wonderful pedestrian side streets, we decided to stop for lunch here.

It was a quaint shop; the upstairs was a dining area and the bottom floor like a very comfortable café.

the main reason we stopped is because the place served a small menu for lunch that featured Piadine. We'd been wanting to try an Italian version since having on Malta and I knew that this flatbread is traditionally from this region.

The Missus thoroughly enjoyed her Verdure Gratinate Squacquerone (a nice lightly acidic fresh cheese) - basically roasted vegetables in a nice, warm flatbread.

I had the Prosciutto (of course) Arugula Squacquerone version. Which was just enough for a light lunch.

This, along with two espressos was perfect since we still had a bunch of places to visit and didn't want to get filled up. It was also a nice change from all of the rather hearty food we'd been having over the last couple of days.

Nicely priced as well.

Al Cairoli
Via Benedetto Cairoli 16
48121, Ravenna, Italy

We headed straight down the street. Past all of the locals chatting, having espresso, eating lunch......

Via Benedetto Cairoli had become Via Corrado Ricci and we had arrived at this piazza. This is the Piazza San Francesco.

We'd gone a street too far. We would return here to visit the Basilica di San Francesco later on....there's something really cool in the church. But for now, I was focused on this place right around the corner in an area called "Zona del Silenzio" (Area of Silence).  Remember when we visited the Basilica di Santa Croce in Florence? I noted that Dante's tomb "monument" was located in the church, but he wasn't interred there? Well, here he is.

On January 27th 1302, Dante was exiled from his home in Florence. He ended up in Ravenna in 1318 and wrote Paradiso, the third and last part of his Divine Comedy. When Dante died in 1321, he was entombed and hidden in what is now named the Basilica di San Francesco not to be found until 1865. Thus began what some say is a 700 year "battle" over the remains of Dante, which is quite a story in itself.

So many stories...….

And it was barely past noon!

Yes, there's more to come.

Thanks for stopping by!

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.