We headed over to Point Loma crossing over the PCH and seeing what looked like construction going on at Lindbergh Field (new parking structures perhaps?)...
There was a new'ish fusion restaurant that I heard of from a mutual friend and we were curious to check it out...
Located at the site of the old Mexican restaurant Tio Carlos, the place iss now known as Tio Chino's. It is connected to the Howard Johnson hotel in Point Loma right off Rosecrans.
The logo on the side of the building had a Daruma doll with a sombrero in an obvious nod of the mixture of cuisines. The doll is a Japanese symbol of perseverance and good luck. The dolls are sold with "blank eyes" and you fill one in after set your goal. The other eye is filled in once your wish(es) are granted or your goal is achieved. The actual dolls are weighted and the bottom and when tipped over, will always right itself, like those "weeble wobble" toys from the 70's.
When looking at the website, they had several menus - Mexican, Japanese and a mixture of Mexican and Chamorro (Guamanian), which they called Pac Mex. I didn't get why "Chino" was in the name because to me, "chino" means "Chinese" in Spanish. There was no Chinese food offered at all. Maybe it was easier to paint over Tio Carlo's with Tio Chino's? Who knows...
As you enter, you have to go up a flight of stairs...
There is a foyer filled with Chamorro artworks, books, and artifacts and an outside (but covered) seating area...
along with the upstairs dining area.
Our waiter was a very nice young man, but seemed a little too distracted that day. He had to be reminded a few times for our waters, condiments, and even one of our side orders.
We got a few of their "fusion" (confusion?) items like the Coconut Chicken Corn Chowder...
along with a Chicken Kelaguen burrito (for TC) and Picoso tacos (for me)...
along with a Tio Chino burger for Bert which came with a side of red rice and furikake fries (which sounded promising).
The soup was pretty good, but I can probably replicate this at home by heating up creamy chicken and corn chowder and drizzling coconut milk on top.
I don't remember getting any pieces of chicken in here though. I thought the coconut milk would be flavored throughout, but there was only a tiny dollop.
A flyer we saw advertising the upcoming, and as of today, current Chamorro Cultural Festival at the Jacobs Center.
Our lunch:
TC's burrito filled with red rice (flavored and colored by achiote, or annatto seeds) and chicken kelaguen. It was served warm which was a nice change since kelaguen is meant to be served cold. There was also a side of finadene sauce (soy sauce with lemon, green onions and peppers).
Here was my set of four Picoso tacos made with carna asada meat, but called 'estufao' by the Chamorros. The marinade was teriyaki, garlic, and lemon so it definitely had that Islander flavor going on. The taste was on the sweeter side. I did not like the Mexican cheese on top of these tacos.
The corn tortillas also did not hold up very well under all the meat and toppings. I finished just half and had the rest the next day.
The best few bites I had that day was Bert's Tio Chino burger with came with a fried over easy egg, bacon, and cheese and the so-called furikake fries.
When I saw 'furikake' fries on the menu, I guess I was expecting more. Whoever thought of this didn't think that the furikake itself would not stick to the fries. There was only a tiny smattering of the seaweed (it wasn't the nori strips either or else you would have seen it) with the majority of the sesame seeds hidden at the bottom. We had to ask the waiter if we actually got furikake fries. I think maybe the fries would need something on them, like a batter (double fried, ha) coated with furikake. Anyhow, these fries were a big fat FAIL.
Another fail was the red rice. I mean, c'mon, this was a Chamorro restaurant. They should have at least gotten the red rice down correctly.
What was wrong with this?
The red rice in some parts was partially cooked, as in raw and hard. Not good at all. I could make better red rice than this (and I have)!
Bert's really enjoyed his burger, despite the poorly executed fries.
If you like Jawaiian reggae music, then you would love the musical ambiance here. As for me, I absolutely loathe that type of music but will tolerate it as background noise. Yes, I'm opinionated like that. So, the vibe here is pretty chill but maybe too chill. They do have some interesting items on their menu. I would skip on the Mexican stuff since you can get that pretty much anywhere. The fusiony items weren't all that great. Would I return? Probably not, but we wanted to give this place a try since there are hardly any Chamorro restaurants in San Diego. Since they're fairly new, perhaps the spotty service can be chalked up to inexperience.
Tio Chino's
3334 Rosecrans St.
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 223-2100
tiochino.com and their fb page
Unfortunately, I didn't think much of the food and the service, although our server was nice, he was just a bit too absent minded. Before heading home, we stopped by Barrio Logan at yet another coffee spot which wasn't as "hipster" as Cafe Moto or Cafe Virtuoso but held in high regard by many coffee aficionados in San Diego...
2 comments:
Too bad the fusion items didn't quite seem to make it... the idea sounds interesting at least. Maybe they just need time to work it out, or maybe they're half-assing it a little too much. Mexican cheese does NOT sound like it would go good with teriyaki or sweeter sauces!
Sometimes it's better to NOT do fusion. I thought fusion went by the wayside in the late 90's, haha! Yeah, Mexican cheese should remain on Mexican food!
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