K Sandwiches, San Diego, California

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K Sandwiches

7604 Linda Vista Boulevard

San Diego, CA 92111

(858) 278-8961

Ok, this is the final California post for now. It's been a whirlwind of a Thanksgiving break for me this year, with all of the new places we've tried. En route to San Diego Intl Airport, I had to make a pit stop to my favorite sandwich place, K Sandwiches. It is a stand-alone building with a sputnik lights atop it. In another strip mall. Best of all, it's open 24 hours.

K Sandwiches specializes in banh mi, the Vietnamese sandwiches that come with various meats and pickles.

This is where you place your order. (To get a better look, click on the picture.) The sandwiches witht he green background are their bahn mi, and the ones with the blue background are their regular sandwiches.After you pay, you receive a number that is announced when your food is ready. I like how the little video screen anounces your order in Vietnamese.

Fresh baked goods. THeir baguettes for the banh mi are made in-house. I have not tried their croissants, but they sure look light and flaky.

Cold drinks. There are a lot of fruit juices.

This section is usually filled with other goodies like rice cakes and little snacks, also made in-house. They usually have other prepared dishes like goi cuon and noodles. It was only 6am when I stopped by, so they have not laid them out yet.

Bubble teas.

For the flight home, I picked one sardine and one vegetarian banh mi. I also got a grilled pork and a shredded pork banh mi for the furs back home.

Sardine banh mi.

Sardine banh mi, opened. It includes canned sardines in tomato sauce, pickles, cilantro, green peppe slices. The bread was very light and crusty. This sandwich was very peppery, and so satisfying.

I started eating this vegetarian banh mi before I remembered to take a picture. I'm not sure what the crispy veggies on the top half of the bread were, but it was sweet. Also comes with pickles, green pepper, cilantro.

This is DJKung's grilled pork banh mi. He said it tasted like pho in a sandwich. Chibby had some, and ate everything--- bread, pickles and all.

I was not able to take a picture of the shredded pork banh mi, which Chibby had the next day. DJKung said that it does not keep well overnight, but Chibby had no complaints.

Other dishes I've tried here: goi cuon and fresh waffles. Next time I come back, I'll try some of their coffee too! I wish there was a K Sandwich joint here in NJ!

Toro Restaurant, San Diego, California

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Toro Restaurant

6171 Mission Gorge Road, #103

San Diego, CA 92120

(619) 280-8551

My folks in San Diego really dig this sushi joint (yet in another strip mall). I can see why---the fish is fresh and the portions are huge. Even though we went on a Monday night, this tiny place was packed full of locals. From looking at the dishes coming out of the kitchen/sushi bar, it appears that the rolls are the most popular. Indeed, one order of a sushi roll is a meal in itself.

Iceberg salad. This came with the sashimi platter that I ordered.

Fried calamari. This one really stuck out as something that did not fit the menu. The squid was tender, but bland.

Sashimi platter. Yum yum. In foreground is the cloudy sake (Sho Chiku Bai).

Bento box. It sure looks like a bastardization of your typical bento. Counterclockise, from top left: cucumber rolls, iceberg salad, orange wedge, rice, beef and broccoli.

Another bento box, this one with teriyaki chicken.

Mixed tempura.

We also ordered some edamame and their fried yellowtail collar (both unpictured). The yellowtail collar is quite big, and of course fresh.

The best bets here are the sushi and the sashimi. I wish I ordered one of their specialty rolls, but their sashimi platter is quite filling by itself. I was here with a big group, with quite a few oldsters, and everyone was very satisfied with the food.

Chow down at Chowking, National City, California

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Chowking




2220 E. Plaza Boulevard




National City, California 91950




(619) 472-5580




(other CA locations available)




http://www.chowking.com/









No visit to San Diego is complete without a pit stop at Chow King. For the uninitated, this Filipino fast food chain specializes in noodles and dimsum. I particularly like their breakfast items.









This being California, the location was in yet another strip mall.

Chowking, National City.




This chain has yet to open a branch in the East Coast, so the menu was not completely familiar to us. It was hard to pick among their offerings. Close-ups of the menu follow.

Brother D got this soup, I forgot what it's called. Looks yummy!

Moms got the mixed plate (salu-salo). Counterclockwise from top left: tilapia teriyaki, white rice, pancit.

I got the fried bangus with white rice. This is a white fleshed fish marinated in soy sauce and garlic, then fried. You can make this easily at home, but the frying gets messy and does leave a very fishy smell. The fish was salty and nicely marinated; should've gotten it with some fried egg too.

Brother D got the taho. This is a soy custard and syrup, and is usually a snack. He said it was pretty good.

DJKung does not understand my fascination with the Chowking franchise. For a fast food franchise, it has a pretty good interpretation of Filipino food. Nice and salty, and on the whole, not as greasy as in other restaurants I have tried. (I must confess that I have not strayed beyond the pancit and the bangus dishes).

Ritz-Carlton Sunday Brunch, San Francisco, California

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Ritz-Carlton Hotel
San Francisco, California

Thanksgiving weekend was also special because it was my niece's first birthday. Happy birthday !!!

Brunch at the Ritz was actually a very festive affair. The dining area and the service is a bit formal, but it does add a nice luxurious touch to the occasion. The brunch is part buffet, but you also get to order your main dish.

Brunch menu.

The buffet section includes bacon and sausage, home fries (very good---light and crispy), an omelette station, some fresh fruits, and pasty/sweets. All arranged very temptingly. The brunch comes with a complimentary glass of champagne, mimosa or kir royale. I had the kir-- nothing like it to start your Sunday!

Brother D's pickin's from the buffet station: omelet, sausage and bacon, croissant. Fresh squeezed oj was available too.


Brother D ordered pancakes with fruit.

Lobster omelette with American caviar (paddlefish?) and home fries. The lobster was sweet and tender. Their home fries are crisp all over, and very light and perfectly seasoned. I did not like the caviar too much; it tasted like murky pondwater.

Brother F got the corned beef hash.

The buffet selection was well-edited, and not as overflowing as with most other brunch buffets. Then again, there was quite some overlap with the menu selections. They were out of the smoked salmon when I checked, although it was replenished when I returned.

One of the dessert selections.

Happy birthday, B!

Pho Hoa Ty, Hayward, California

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Pho Hoa Ty
Hayward, California

After a long day at Napa, we made the trek back to our hotel in Hayward. We were feeling hungry and agreed that soup was the way to go. As I had mentioned somewhere earlier, Asian food is ubiquitous in California, so it was not too hard to find a place for pho.

Goi cuon. It was made fresh and did not disappoint.

Fried chicken wings. Although we ordered this as an app, it did not come until we were well in the middle of our entrees, so we did not finish it. Pops felt that it was a tad salty.

Mixed seafood soup. This came with a bunch of fish cakes, fake crab meat, shrimp and squid. The squid tasted off.

Rice platter with grilled shrimp and a pork chop. Brother D scarfed this all up, so I think he liked it.

Rice platter with grilled pork chops. Brother F likewise scarfed his meal up.

Moms did say that she liked the house pho, which she shared with Pops. That night, we all went to bed with full bellies.

V. Sattui Winery, Napa, California

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V. Sattui Winery
1111 White Lane (off Highway 29)
St. Helena, California 94574
(707) 963-7774
www.vsattui.com


After visiting the Robert Mondavi winery, we headed a few miles down to St. Helena to visit V. Sattui. This winery is highly recommended by our friends in the West Coast area, and is a great place to bring your family to. The grounds are beautifully landscaped, with a lot of rose vines and bushes.

The winery has an on-site deli and cheese/cured meats shop. On weekends, they also have hot grilled ribs, sandwiches and pizzas for sale. [There's also a Dean and Delucca across the highway, although you're not supposed to bring outside food.] The grounds are open for picnickers, so bring your blanket!

Superfatty's super friends and family enjoying the awesome grounds. I was unable to take picutres of the food---we were all so hungry! The outdoor grilled food was pretty good; we had the pizza margherita, roast beef sandwich, grilled chicken and bbq ribs. Moms picked up some very chewy bread and a salad from the store. We all loved the food.



View from the parking lot. Like a lot of the big wineries in the area, it was packed with tourists and daytrippers last Thanksgiving weekend.

V. Sattui's tasting room was much bigger and more well-equipped to handle the hordes of people; I counted at least six tasting stations, in addition to a reserve station in a separate area. The staff were also very friendly and helpful, with none of that snooty oneophile attitude.

I picked the "premier" wines, which allows you to sample six out of nine wines. One of us tried the "regular" sampler,which allows you the same number of tastings for their lesser wines.

Brother D (left) and Brother F (right) liked the lighter wines in the list. The wines were, on the whole, very pleasant and quaffable. The atmosphere was very convivial and relaxed, and we had a great time. We all settled on the Madeira, which reminded me of a light port. Tasted like raisins and spice.

BBQ time! The lines, though long, move fast.

We had a very lovely time here. I think that the crowds and the tourists are just inevitable in Napa. V. Sattui smartly decided not to fight it, and instead decided that everybody---novices and wine lovers alike--- should enjoy their winery experience.

Update: DJKung and I cracked open the Madeira. I am pleased to say that it tasted how I had remembered it. I recall that I really liked this because it reminded me of a very good (potent) Portugese port that we brought home from Spain... Pops finished the bottle before I even barely had a taste. The V. Sattui maderia was a lighter version of this.

Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa, California

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Robert Mondavi Winery
Napa, California

I must confess that I was hoping for a Sideways-type experience when we went to Napa. Driving through Sonoma County, with its rolling hillsides dotted with grape vines and its quaint downtown section, felt like the movie. But today, we were headed to Napa. THe Robert Mondavi winery was our first stop.

The winery is indeed pretty. As we entered, there was a nice profusion of rose bushes. Their front courtyard had a big fountain. The building itself was low-slung, whitewashed and looked like something from an old hacienda. It appeared that most of the building was off-limits to visitors.

Their tasting room was small (considering the large number of tourists) and only had three tasting stations. One was for their reserve wines, another for their regular wines, and the free tasting for their muscadet. The staff looked clearly overwhelmed by the sheer number of people walking in and out. The room had a very musty smell. These, and the $15 fee for tasting three wines (the tasting glass is yours to keep), were sufficient disincentives to partake.

Grape vines. Because it is already late in the season, the vines are already becoming dormant. Their "CS" vines (cab sauvignon) are forty years old.

Outdoor courtyard. Lots of picture-taking went on here.

The private function room. The place had a bit of a funereal feel to it.

Pasta Pomodoro (San Ramon, California)

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Pasta Pomodoro


Various locations in California

I was immediately struck by two things upon visiting California: (1) strip malls and shopping malls are ubiquitous, and (2) Asian cuisine is standard fare, whereas European/Middle Eastern cuisine is "exotic." Pasta Pomodoro well-exemplifies these two observations. This is a chain Italian restaurant that serves semi-Italian fare. By that, I mean that their kitchen had an idealized vision of what Italian food is, but I find that it does not translate too well on your tastebuds. With that said, however, their prices are about half that you would find at a NJ/NY family restarurant.

For apps, we ordered a caprese salad and bruschetta (both unpictured). The caprese's mozarella was not as milky and creamy as the buffalo mozarella that you can get at our NJ /NY groceries. I was surprised that their tomatoes were the watery kind that you usually see at the supermarket during the middle of winter. The bruschetta was ok.

I ordered their butternut squash ravioli (for their apps selection) as my main dish.

Butternut squash ravioli with crispy sage leaves. The filling was rather sweet but bland. I liked how the sage complemented the squash.




Chicken parmesan, ordered by Superfatty's brother. He found it a bit bland, too.

On the whole, the food here is ok, albeit generic. It's too bad because their menu does such a great job describing their dishes. They have a decent selection of drinkable wines by the glass.