mmm-yoso!!!

Post #3951 - It's Back to the Beginning: China Max, Sandwich Emporium, Bay Park Fish, and Another One.....

Recently I was asked via email if I'd hit 5,000 posts yet.....well, I knew I wasn't even close since I've only been around since May 26, 2005, which, if we count forward until today would be a total of 4898 days. Of course there's no way we'd be doing more than one post a day. But, I was kind of interested in counting our posts and saw we were getting close to 4,000. But, I didn't want to burden myself with keeping track so I chose to do something; well today.

I had noticed something interesting; all of the places listing in my first five posts are still in business! What are the chances? So, I decided to revisit four of those places; the other Sushi Komasa is still going strong, at least as far as I know.

I think we've been to a good number of places over the years. I once had a page I called the "Big List" which listed places, included those which had closed, only in San Diego, with a few photos I'd never published....well, the page got too big for Typepad to handle and it wouldn't load anymore. So, it's back to the drawing board with that one.

Anyway, I'm not going to go too much into detail, after all, I've probably posted on these places a few times before.

Post #1 May 26, 2005; China Max:

Which I visited with the Late, Great, Ed from Yuma; I miss you my friend! The Missus humored me and was actually wanting some Gai lan….and I was craving the Seafood Pan Fried Noodles. The drill is that the Missus gets all the seafood, except for the squid which is usually on the chewy side, and most of the noodles and "gravy" is mine. I usually want this about every year or so.

Time sure does fly; this is now $20.99; man can you believe this used to be (with more noodles) $14.99 ? Anyway, having grown up eating what we call "cake noodle" (sam see mian) - "Mr Z" if you read this; Kin Wah used to make a nice version! Anyway, the shrimp was nicely cooked, at least that's what the Missus said. I just loved the always evolving texture of the saturated crunchy noodles.

The Missus got Her gailan.

We also ordered some dimsum.

We got two items that had usually been fairly dependable here; but you can easily see the holes in the wrappers of the Pan Fried Chive Dumplings:

The Chazhou Dumpling's wrappers were really sticky and tore when we removed them from the tin.

Still the flavor of the fillings for both were fine.

For what it's worth China Max still might be the best dim sum in the area. Which pretty much tells the story of dim sum in San Diego.

China Max
4698 Convoy Street #C101
San Diego, CA 92111

Post #3 May 28, 2005 Sandwich Emporium:

I've long mentioned my affection for those mom-and-pop sandwich shops. Though SE has pretty well for themselves over the years with locations in Rancho Penasquitos, Escondido, and Mira Mesa. Though I don't drop by nearly as much as I used to; it's still my neighborhood sandwich shop.

And "say hello to my little friend".....

This one is called the "Spicy Julio". I believe one of the "twins"; John told me they make the roast beef inhouse these days? Anyway; a toasted roll, a sauce with pickled jalapenos, guac….this was quite nice on an especially warm fall day.

Sandwich Emporium
3054 1/2 Clairemont Drive
San Diego,CA

Post #5 May 30, 2005 Bay Park Fish:

Though I really only bought some seafood on that day. This was way back when Bay Park Fish used to sell seafood.....interesting story; that seafood case eventually ended up at Catalina Offshore.

It had been quite a while since I last visited; for some reason, the Missus and I just aren't thrilled by the menu, prices, etc....

I recently dropped by for a beer and the one item I enjoy here; the smoked fish, though there seems to be a bit more "filling" than on previous visits.

Still this wasn't too bad.

And with a nice cold .394 I was full.

Perhaps one of these days; I'll drop by and start retrying other items on the menu.

Bay Park Fish Company
4121 Ashton St
San Diego, CA 92110

There is one place conspicuously missing; it's from Post #4 May 29, 2005. So here's the deal. I actually drove up to the College area on a recent weekend for a revisit. It had been about three years since my last visit and a decade since my last visit before that.

So, I actually dropped by......

I walked in and there was....shall we say a "fragrance"...….it was pretty tough, even for someone who has had some interesting and wonderful things over the years, and some unknowingly disturbing items as well. I mean, it was bad...….even worse than what you'd think trout smoked over...well, you know what. I had to leave....sorry, just couldn't do it.

Regardless; I'd like to thank everyone who have visited over the years. We're flattered that you'd even take the time to visit. It's been an honor to sit and do my "stream of consciousness" posts. Frankly, I didn't think I'd last a year. So, thank you once again!

Point Loma Seafoods (again)

Welcome back to reading mmm--yoso!!! a food blog.  Kirk is enjoying work so much that he just isn't bothering to go out to eat or write posts, so Cathy is writing again today.  

The Mister was born on a Thursday and I was born the following Thursday many, many, many years ago.  Our habit has been to go out for a meal each day from his birthday until mine.  This year we chose local spots.  Point Loma Seafoods, was, of course, a joint choice.

 The day began as overcast, which was such a relief after the horrid summer heat we had just a few weeks prior.  

You walk up, order from the overhead menu and/or the black board, pay and wait for your number to be called.
There are several seat yourself areas, all with nice views. 

  The fried clam plate ($22) was ordered and the order-taker guy immediately grabbed a container of fresh belly clams from the counter and handed it to the kitchen.  Perfectly breaded, lightly fried, wonderful, fresh belly clams.  The fries are thin and crispy and just the crunch needed and the slaw here has some bell pepper in it, which is so refreshing. A craving fulfilled.  

For some reason, I was feeling like we should share a light/not fried meal and chose a smoked fish salad ($14).  The photo is deceptive and there was a lot of lettuce as well as a variety of house smoked fish; hamachi/yellowtail, (albacore) tuna, swordfish and salmon.  As always, I chose the traditional, house made Louie dressing, because it is just the perfect accompaniment for the lettuce.

A nice day for lunch and walk along the docks .  

Point Loma Seafoods 2805 Emerson Street San Diego 92106 (619) 223-1109 Open Mon-Sat 9 a.m-7 p.m. Sun 10 a.m.-7 p.m. (hot foods served after 10:30 daily)website (NOTE: closing is at 6 p.m. once Daylight Saving time change occurs)

Mariscos Monday - The Mariscos on Miramar Truck

I've often said that things around these parts would not be as delici-yoso without all the recommendations and tips I receive. About three weeks ago; "MichaelW" was nice enough to drop me an email letting me know about a Mariscos Truck that had started doing business in back of the strip mall at 6904 Miramar Road....you know; the one that houses Jersey Mike's, Denny's, Pho Ha Noi, and the Philadelphia Sandwich Company, among others. I was able to run out to check the place out the following week. And yes, there it was.....

The truck has the back corner of the strip mall parking lot, there are signs on the road, and if take the turn north onto Commerce Avenue, you can't miss the signs. Funny, I guess I haven't been to the Sandwich A'Fare in a while. The truck is in the same side of the mall as that shop. There are also three parking spots against the building designated for the truck....I think they've got a nice deal.

It was pretty busy even at 11am when I arrived. A lot of the local guys were lined up waiting to order or waiting for their order.

The menu is nicely varied; from the usual Mariscos Truck suspects; the Gobernador, Fish Tacos, Camarones a la Plancha, Tostadas, Cocteles, and Botanas.

Ordering was pretty easy for me; as Michael had made a recommendation and I went with my usual; the Gobernador. The woman working the window is very nice, though the salsas are limited and things take a while....not necessarily a bad thing as it means items are really made to order. Though one should keep that in mind.

 

I was handed a consommé while waiting. Strong celery and pepper tones; on my first visit it was quite mild, on my second visit, much stronger in the celery/seafood department.

My order took about 20 minutes or so, but it was worth the wait. While the Gobernador wasn't among the best I've had; not enough peppers and onions; the tortilla was nicely coated with cheese then griddled, thus protecting the tortilla from breakage. The shrimp was plump and tender; this was a bit light in the seasoning department; but not bad at all.

Michael had recommended the Taco de Costa Azul, a nice combination of shrimp, bacon, and some slightly smokey, but not fishy smoked tuna....this trucks version of the usual smoked "marlyn". This was quite good as the crunchy bacon, complemented the shrimp and smoked tuna, which wasn't overly salty. The avocado and squeeze of lime, along with the standard seafood salsa just worked together in harmony. The tortilla; though quite standard held together well with the light coating of melted cheese protecting the integrity of the taco.

I was pleasantly surprised. I also bought two extra tacos for the guys in the office to taste. They all enjoyed them.

In fact, the following week, I returned with Calvin and also ordered some tacos for JeffP to try.

It was right before 11 when we arrived and there were already people there.

I got a bit greedy and ordered tres tacos for me this time.

The best of the bunch was the Machin; shrimp, octopus, and smoked tuna....though it wasn't quite as good as the Costa Azul. The pulpo al ajillo was the weakest of the bunch....not much octopus; what it contained was tender, but quite bland. The camarones al ajillo was decent; the shrimp again decently prepped and cooked, though I expected a bit more of a garlic "punch". The tortillas were left on the griddle too long this time around....though while the crunch was nice; it just tore to pieces when biting into them.

Still, this was better than many other trucks I've eaten at over the years.

Like I mentioned; I really like the woman who works the window here. No nonsense, but also quite nice. It's not a bad choice for lunch in the area....though like I mentioned; you might want to give yourself some time for the folks to prep your food. You can use the time tasting the consommé.

Notice the "Mariscos Rolex" tag on the truck.

Mariscos On Miramar Truck
6904 Miramar Rd - in the back parking lot
San Diego, CA 92121
Hours
Mon - Fri  1030am - 8pm
Saturday   11am - 6pm
Closed on Sundays

Thanks for the recommendation Michael! I owe you some tacos!

Sunday Sandwiches - Revisits to SuperNatural Sandwiches and Embargo Grill

A couple of sandwiches for a humid Sunday.

Supernatural Sandwiches:

My buddy JasonV asked me if I'd ever been to this sandwich place.....he told me it was "awesome" and showed me a photo of Supernatural. I cracked up and said I'd been a customer since they had a stand at the now defunct San Diego Public Market. And I did tell him that they do make some good sandwiches. A few days later; Deanna told me she had gone to Supernatural Sandwiches after work and loved it. I'd taken her there a few years back. So I got the hint; it had been nearly six months since my last visit.

Needless to say; the place was doing some major business when I arrived. Love the folks who work here; they always have a smile for me.

I went with my usual; the Siren....I realize I need to start ordering other stuff on the menu. But the folks here have this totally down.

From the lightly garlicky-spicy mayo; to the moist and plump shrimp, to go with the buttery-slightly sweet brioche. I'm thinking that it could use a bit more acidity to cut the richness; but that would be splitting hairs.

It's one of my "guilty pleasure" sandwiches.

It's also nice to see a place that's doing so well expanding. With locations now in Santa Ana and Tijuana, and two other locations in PB (they are going to make a killing) and Little Italy opening soon, it's going to be a "SuperNatural Kingdom". Good for them!

SuperNatural Sandwiches
7094 Miramar Rd. #122
San Diego, CA 92121

Embargo Grill:

Speaking of guilty pleasure sandwiches.....

I was over in Point Loma a few weekends ago and was a bit hungry.  It was a bit too hot for other options so I decided to stop by Embargo Grill. It had been nearly two years since my last visit.

I went with basically the same thing as on previous visits.

The Yuca Frita; which was disappointing.

This was too dense, dry, almost hard, and not crisp enough for me. It was also still barely lukewarm in the center. The mojo was very nice though. Garicky with nice citrus tones; not sour, but with a nice acidity.

The Medianoche the "midnight sandwich" was very good.

From the nicely pressed, crunchy, yet light bread, to the moist and tasty pulled pork, to the milky cheese, the ham, and yes, the all important pickle, which cuts through all that high-caloric goodness. This place also seems to have sandwich down.

I could only finish half the sandwich. I took half home and the Missus polished it off in no time flat. I guess She liked it......even cold.....midnight or not.

Embargo Grill
3960 W Point Loma Blvd
San Diego, CA 92110

Anthony's Fish Grotto (La Mesa) -revisits

Thank you for stopping by to read this food blog, mmm-yoso!!! Kirk is still very busy with work and Cathy is writing another post.

The Mister and I have had a vacationing relative with us for a few months and we've enjoyed showing her around.  She's not very food-adventurous, but does enjoy simple meals.  I showed her my first,  second, third and fourth Anthony's posts and she wanted to try lunch here. We've now been here twice. 

 There's a tall sign you can see from the interstate, but the parking lot dips down to the magnificent entrance of Anthony's. 
 Walking to the front door, you sort of feel as though you are under water.
Once seated inside, the feeling remains. 

 There's a small Fish Market area to the left of the entrance door, where you can pick up items to take home and cook, or even order "To Go" from the menu.  It's open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. 

 There's also outdoor seating along the man-made lake (dogs are welcome).


 We ordered from the lunch menu (bottom of this post) and soft, warm roll and garlic butter was brought out.  These are wonderful. 
The simple Quick Catch Fish and Chips ($12.50) was quite large and  perfectly fried, fresh and tasty. 
The Quick Catch Shrimp and Fish (with slaw) ($12.75) was just as perfectly fried; the fish and the shrimp were large, meaty pieces. The dressing is on top of the slaw and you can mix it in or not.
  The Wedge Salad with Bay Shrimp ($11.95)  was surprisingly large and the Bay shrimp were quite meaty.  The Louis dressing brought all the flavors (there were hard boiled eggs, chopped tomatoes, avocado and bread crumb 'croutons') together. 
 The Cobb Salad ($15.25) was (of course) seafood based: Bay Shrimp, albacore and salmon were the proteins on this.  The usual 'Cobb" ingredients (tomatoes, carrots (multi colored), cheddar, bacon and avocado) were present and the choice of Blue cheese dressing (made in house) was just excellent.  We did enjoy the flavors. 
 The chilled Tuna Salad sandwich ($10.25), served on a large (soft) French Country roll with lettuce and tomato.  The tuna salad is made with albacore and is mildly flavored and unique. It ended up being disassembled after the first half was consumed; a bit large in the bread department. 
The Quick Catch Chowder Combo ($10.95) was a wonderful surprise.  I wanted the famous clam chowder (of course)(and it was great; creamy, clam filled with diced potatoes). There was a choice of a chilled tuna salad sandwich or a petite tuna salad.  Since we had ordered the sandwich, I chose the salad.  It was just that- a salad: lettuce tomatoes, carrots, cabbage and a lot of shredded fresh albacore tuna.  This was probably my favorite 'Soup and Salad' combo I've had all year.  

Another few great, memorable meals. 

Anthony's Fish Grotto 9530 Murray Drive La Mesa, CA 91942 (619)463-0368  Website Sun-Thurs 11:00 a.m.-8:30 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-9 p.m.

 

Seward - Seward Brewing Company and Dinner at The Cookery

We loved the town of Seward. Tucked in the Kenai Peninsula; this town of about 3,000 had character and charm. Instead of staying at one of the hotels near the boat harbor; we decided to stay at a B&B in the historic downtown area. And driving down Ballaine Boulevard to the B&B indicated I'd made the right decision.

This was the view across the street from our unit.

When we checked-in we found that there were some severe storms at sea and our whole day wildlife tour was cancelled. After travelling for a while you understand that no one controls Mother Nature and you have to go with the flow. We were given some Resurrection Bay alternatives. Major Marine was given as the company to use. We decided to wait until the next morning to book our tour. And headed off to explore Seward.

We were steps from the Alaska Sealife Center, but our schedule didn't allow us time to visit. Though there were some musicians and this really interesting vendor there as we walked past.

Now there must be a story here...….

Downtown Seward had the feel of a touristy-kitschy-artsy-"wild frontier" kind of vibe. It is also "framed" by some wonderful views.

Things were quite mellow when we arrived. We were told that the first cruise ship of the season had just left, so things were quiet until the next one came in.

It was still too early to head to the spot I wanted for dinner, so we wandered around a bit.

It was a bit too early for our dinner destination; so we decided to grab a drink at the Seward Brewing Company.

We enjoyed the vibe of the bar area. The Missus had a white while I had a red ale. Folks here just start talking to you...….

Our bartender was from...….San Diego! Encinitas if I recall. She was here for the summer, working, like many folks we ran into, several jobs during the busy season. Her other job? Well, working at Major Marine. Go figure......

We really enjoyed the Seward Brewing Company and returned the following evening.

Seward Brewing Company
139 4th Ave
Seward, AK 99664

Our dinner reservations was at a place called The Cookery. I'd looked over their menu online, and the small plates seemed like just the thing we'd enjoy.

First off, this place gets really busy, really fast. The crew is quite nice, though they seemed a bit harried. We enjoyed the menu....perhaps a bit hipster, but quite interesting and perfect for folks who don't want to stuff their face.

The Amuse was a ceviche of sorts.

This was quite nice. A good acidity; meaty fish......

I love my oysters so we started with a half dozen.

The Halibut Cove were really briny reminding me of Atlantic/French oysters. The Jakalof Bay oysters were still a bit too briny for my taste, but had an interesting, almost sweet finish. It had been too long since I'd had good oysters, so I really enjoyed these.

The fish of the day was Halibut Cheeks...….how could we not order this?

I actually enjoyed what the light curry sauce and the mango added to the dish. The Halibut Cheeks would have been amazing, except it was over-cooked, therefore losing that rich fattiness that would take this to the "delici-yoso" level.

The Roasted Brussel Sprouts had been cooked well, as in not mushy, still crunchy.

The Missus, who loves Brussel Sprouts simply said; "not savory enough and not enough flavor" in Her assessment.

The "Wild & Tame Mushroom Toast" was a nice dish; nice earthiness, but a bit too sweet for our palate.

I told the Missus to order dessert......but knowing how much I missed oysters...….

We enjoyed our meal at the Cookery. In fact, if hey had not been closed on the following evening, we'd have eaten there.

As is; this was the second best meal we had during our trip to Alaska.

The Cookery
209 5th Ave
Seward, AK 99664

Hours
Tues - Sun 5pm - 10pm

Kanazawa - Dinner at Iwashigumi, the Sardine Specialist

While planning our visit to Kanazawa I cam across an interesting restaurant named Iwashigumi. I first saw photos on Tabelog and was quite intrigued. So I had a friend make reservations for us. We took a nice long stroll down to the Katamachi district, a popular shopping and nightlife area. Iwashigumi is discreetly located fairly close to the main street.

The style is rustic, old school izakaya. I believe you can purchase a red lantern for the wall if you want.

As the name indicates; this place is all about iwashi......sardines. Yep, a restaurant specializing in sardines, everything from iwashi honesenbei to iwashi croquette. The Missus loves sardines (remember Tito 2 in Matoshinos), so She quickly agreed.

The set-up is like a sushi bar, with a few tables to the side. There's a certain charm to this place.....

When you order sake, they bring you a selection of ochoko (sake cups), some of which are rather interesting.

The Missus had sake and I started with some "nama-beeru"....

So, based on some of my previous posts on this trip, you can kind of figure that I just couldn't get enough of honsenbei, fried fish bone ("crackers"). The Missus was totally over it, but humored me ("for one last time").

Crunchy-savory goodness!

First up was the Iwashi-sashimi. You'd think this would be on the "oily" side, but this was very clean tasting.

There was a slight chew; the flavor and texture was reminiscent of Aji (Spanish Mackeral).

The Iwashi Tataki was another refreshing dish.

Nice crunchy vegetables to add contrast to the toothsome fish. Funny, we really didn't need the ginger for both of these dishes.

When we placed our order, we made sure to first request the grilled sardine which takes about 20-30 minutes.

Good salt and crisp skin. This was quite rich and oily, a bit too strong in flavor for the Missus. I did need the oroshi and lemon, to help cut the richness.

The Missus had no such problem with the Iwashi no Mentaiko.

This was our favorite dish of the night. The rich, grilled sardine, met straight up with the briny and spicy cod roe. Salty, but in a good way, this one made our night.

At this point, I needed to help the Missus with Her sake, so I choose the goofiest cup I could find.

Of course one needs rice to complete a meal; so we ordered the Iwashi Oshizushi, which filled us up.

We really enjoyed our meal. The service was friendly and efficient. One of the young ladies spoke pretty good English as well. Along with Kuroyuri, Morimori Sushi, and our breakfasts, Iwashigumi made our trip to Kanazawa a delicious one.

Iwashigumi
1-7-13 Katamachi
Kanazawa, Japan

Side note: While looking for the address, I noticed that Iwashigumi is on Michelin's Bib Gourmand list. Good for them!

We'd done quite a bit on this day, so we caught the bus back to Kanazawa Station and our hotel. I had some time to relax, catch up on emails, and work on a post.

For some reason, I found the taxi queue, and the patterns for determining which cab was up next mesmerizing......

You could say the same about Kanazawa......

Tromsø - Dinner at Mathallen

We'd had a fun day exploring Tromsø. It was so different from San Diego. Polar night is fascinating and a bit disorienting as noon seems like dusk and by 2pm it looks like had fallen. We really only had time for one dinner in Tromsø since the previous evening we'd been "Chasing the Aurora". We had decided to stay close to the apartment, just kind of chill and relax, and had made dinner reservations at the highly regarded Mathallen. Locally sourced ingredients and they had something on the menu I wanted to try....and no, it's not reindeer.

We had early reservations, which really didn't matter, since it already was so dark it felt like 9pm.

The menu was really small, with only four starters and three mains.

And like almost every other restaurant we had dinner at in Norway, they had an open kitchen.

We love the bread in Scandanavia and Mathallen was no exception. Also, I had wanted to visit Mack Brewery, founded in 1877, it is the northernmost brewery in the world. But we had run out of time, so I settled for a Mack Pilsner at Mathallen. Not very distinctive in flavor; very light and easy to drink.

The Missus started with the King Crab Soup (185 NOK - about $22/US). Yes, that's right, this bowl of soup was over twenty bucks.

Not too much crab, but the soup was nice and rich and obviously made with a very good seafood stock. Loved the texture which coated the tongue quite nicely.

We just couldn't seem to get enough pickled herring, so I ordered the Christmas Herring (155 NOK - $18.50/US).

This was delici-yoso!!! Just a couple of bites, but man, the herring melted in your mouth. It wasn't fishy in the least; very savory, and I'm thinking the Aquavit really added a nice touch of sweetness.

The Missus went with the "Catch of the Day", Cod (320 NOK - about $39/US).

She enjoyed it and said it was nicely cooked.

Since we were in Norway, I really wanted to try Lutefisk, which is made by air-drying fish, usually cod. A few weeks (yes weeks) before serving it is soaked in water for a week, then in lye (!!!) for two days. At which time it's pretty much poisonous. It is then soaked in water for another ten days to make edible.

I ordered the Lutefisk (575 NOK - $70/US). Yep, about seventy bucks US.....yikes!

The process gives the fish a jelly like texture, which was a bit odd. At least you can't complain about dry fish here, eh? Apparently, during the last set of soaking, the fish becomes so hydrated that you don't need to add any liquid to "boil" the fish! It also has a fairly strong smell; but not too bad. The flavor is fairly mild, on the briny salty side. It definitely needed the lardons and mustard sauce for flavor. Those brown shavings are Brunost, a brown "cheese" that is made from milk, cream, and whey. It has a very interesting slightly sweet and yeasty flavor. The mashed peas were very bland, the potatoes, simply done were delicious.

It was an interesting meal, the service was fine, not as friendly as at other places in Scandanavia. And heck, I'm not opposed to having lutefisk again.......

Mathallen
Grønnegata 58-60
Tromsø, Norway
Hours:
Tues - Sat 1130am - 11pm

We took the short walk back to the apartment and relaxed. I just sat at the window and watched the snow flurries come in.

Our flight from Tromsø was scheduled for 1030 am. We got up, packed and walked over to the stop for the airport bus.

It was 8am in the morning......

And it looked like midnight. We watched these guys working on the roof of a building across from the stop. Man, I sure wouldn't want to be doing that during the winter.

The airport in Tromsø is fairly small.

But SAS actually has a small lounge.

Where we were able to grab breakfast.

While staring off into the snow......

I'm not sure we'll ever be back in Tromsø, but we really enjoyed our time here. It was a great experience, but we were now looking ahead.

Next stop.....Amsterdam.

Sunday Sandwiches - Revisits to SuperNatural and Crossroads Deli

There are quite a few sandwich places fairly close to our offices. Here are revisits to a couple of them.

Supernatural Sandwiches:

I'm kind of bummed that they don't do the early hours and breakfasts anymore. I actually went once thinking they'd be open at 10 and it's back to normal hours for now.

I returned a couple of days later right at eleven and there was no line. They've usually got something going on; some new twist, but I didn't detect anything on this visit.

I got my usual, the Siren. Taking it to go.

It's still a favorite of mine. The plump shrimp, the buttery-slightly sweet brioche like lobster roll. A hint of garlicness..... There's a bit of spice as well. Kind of on the messy-rich side; but a nice guilty pleasure for me during a tough week.

SuperNatural Sandwiches
7094 Miramar Rd. #122
San Diego, CA 92121

Crossroads Deli:

On one of my first days at our new offices I took a wrong left turn.....then made things worse with a wrong right turn. Which sent me under La Jolla Village Drive. Where things looked a bit familiar. It sent me right up to the condo complex where Crossroads Deli is located.

I was supposed to meet a couple of guys for lunch....but just decided to stop here instead.

I hadn't planned on having a sandwich for lunch. I went ahead and ordered the "Italian Torpedo". Which was quite a hefty sandwich.

Ham, Mortadella, Salami, Provolone, shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, mayo, mustard, and a rather vinegary type sauce.

No real complaints about the portion size here. Except there was just too much bread in that roll. I could have done without the ham as well. But that's just me. I'm glad this wasn't "over-dressed".....but it was "over-carbed".

Crossroads Deli
9085 Judicial Dr, Ste 100 (Inside the La Jolla Crossroads Apartment Complex)
San Diego, CA 92122

Circling Back to The Mariscos el Pescador Truck

I needed to get my New Year Wagashi from Hogetsu Bakery. So I headed down to Chula Vista. As I went past the H Street offramp on the I-5, I had a sudden craving for tacos from the Mariscos el Pescador truck. I got off at L street and headed on over. Man, had it really been a year-and-a-half since I last visited?

It was just a few ticks after 10am so there were no crowds. I noticed two semi's parked in the lot. Both drivers were eating in their rigs.

Since I hadn't been back in a while; I decided to see how my old standbys here  were. I ordered a Tacos Gobernador and Marlyn. It actually looked even better than what I had on my last visit. Though I was offered no consommé.....I guess I could have asked, but I figured what I ordered would be enough.

  The Gobernador was better than what I had here on my last visit. Nice balance of peppers to onions and the shrimp was moist, tasty, and plump. The one detail that I noticed was that there wasn't much cheese melted on the tortilla. The melted cheese, along with adding milky goodness to the taco acts like a "barrier", allowing the tortilla to stay whole during the eating process. The taco fell apart after two bites. I also noticed the tortillas aren't as good as they were as well. Don't get me wrong. This is still good; but not great.

The smoked fish taco was really nice; smoky, the essence of the sea, and more moist than I recalled. Lime really helps to cut the oiliness of the fish. This was very good.

I really need to return more often.

Mariscos El Pescador (In the parking lot of Toys R Us)
1008 Industrial Blvd
Chula Vista, CA 91911