Harborside Thai & Sports Bar

A few doors down from the Filipino Food & Bakery joint was Harborside Thai and Sport Bar, which had, in my opinion, incongruous Art Deco font.

In the circle were the words, Thai, Lao and sushi...

It was right about lunch time and although we had a tiny bit of a snack with the hopia and the pan de ube, we ventured into the restaurant...

Filipino Food & Bakery

[Update - Closed as of mid-2016]

As we crossed the Coronado bridge, I looked at my Garmin to see if there was anything of interest to stop at on our way home.  A "new" location caught my eye and I asked Bert if we could go there.

There was a new Filipino place on Main on the outer edges of Barrio Logan near the naval base.

Giving Thanks...

Happy Thanksgiving...

Lunch once again was at my parents' house with everyone over...

Last look at Pies and Julian

Last time we went to Julian, we got our pie from this place...

because they had a little take out window and the line wasn't too long....

Not this time. We had other plans. It was already past noon and we wanted to get out of here and have lunch elsewhere...

San Diego skyline

Last weekend we did a quick trip to Coronado to take our holiday photo...

On the way there, we passed by Star Dust, the operative words being "passed by" since it was Sunday and the infamous donut shop was closed...

We were bound for the strand to try to get a few family shots for our Christmas card...

Farewell HotFudge...

Today was a very bitterweet day. We were saddened by the untimely loss of our dear friend, HotFudge whose funeral service was today.

Canada Day 9 - back to Ottawa: Kettleman's Bagels

We slept as well as we could knowing that we would have to get up early the next day to make the long drive back to the Island...but before that, C's friend's husband (whom I shall refer to as "J") took us on another quick tour of Ottawa...

in the neighborhood known as The Glebe and where we would also pick up some breakfast...

Project Pie, Chula Vista

Yesterday, on our way back home from la Moreliana, we took L.St. This particular stretch was near L and Nacion by the 805. You can see the 7-11 near the original Lolita's taco shop.

The looming storm clouds provided a formidable backdrop to the homes on the hillside. The lighting was actually quite spectacular. Everything looked crisp and clear against those dark clouds. Little did we know that it would storm heavily a few hours later.

We were on our way back to meet up with Bert so we could try out the newly opened pizza place at the Chula Vista mall...

More of La Moreliana

I swear I've been to Moreliana at least once a week for the past month or so...

Don't you just love this lazy shot taken through my front car window?

Yeah, there's a lot of those, ha ha. But back to the bakery where I went recently to get a few food gifts...

Return to Mexico Lindo and Gloria's

My obsession with Mexican bakeries continues...

Yes, I was back again...back for MORE of those palmiers, which are the best I've had...

Candied Apple Pastry Company

After our apple pie/ice cream/cookie fest at the Julian Pie Company, we thought we'd walk off our calories...but first, this!

I wanted to stop by and check it out while the girls remained outside enjoying the sunshine...

Panaderia Gonzalez, Otay Mesa

About a week after TC and I attempted to check out this bakery, I went once more...

and again marveled at all the changes that have occurred...

The Julian Pie Company in Julian

As you can see, the sun was now out but there was still a bit of a nippular (yes, that's a new word) feel in the air...

Luckily, it still was relatively quiet and peaceful here...

The girls, and of course, us, were craving some triangular crusty fruit filled goodness...

Neighbors Supermarket

Before we left this stripmall, I felt compelled to check out this local market...

I'd never heard of Neighbors before and wanted to give it a quick looksee before heading home with our drinks and tostilocos snack...

Julian Candy Mine @ the Julian Drug Store

All right, we had a bit of some sugar with those pie crust cookies at Apple Alley Bakery so now it was time to move on to meet up with the teens...

who wanted to buy some candy at one of two candy places here in Julian...

Takeout from Vietnamese Kitchen, Ottawa

My goal is to finish my Canada posts before the end of this year, haha!

Well, this was Day 8 of our epic road trip across the Eastern Half of Canada with C and her family.

From Montreal, we headed back west towards Ottawa and arrived there around 9:30 pm.

It was pretty late but we were all starved so we ordered some takeout from a local place...

El Mango Manila

As we traveled down Picador, we hung a right on Del Sol, then another left on Beyer. This was another place I hadn't driven to in decades. The bakery was supposed to be in this strip mall off of Dairy Mart Road...literally across the trolley tracks.

As we drove around the parking lot, we couldn't locate Panaderia Gonzalez, except for an empty storefront where it should have been. Well, that didn't deter us from making the most of our trip. Asides from the Neighbors Supermarket that anchors this lot, we thought we would stop by this juice place...

Return to the Holy Land Market

A few weekends ago TC and I went out in search of a few places. Bakeries specifically.

Our first stop was here, at a strip mall near Montgomery High School in Otay Mesa. This is the strip mall anchored by CVS (formerly Alpha Beta back in the 70's) and Bank of America. It's changed over the decades and I literally have not driven in this parking lot in at least 20 years!

Unfortunately, the bakery was closed on Sunday....

I was curious about this place because there are three similarly named bakeries in the South Bay.

Apple Alley Bakery

Wow, from a gorgeous start of the week to a dismal rainy day!  As I type this, it's raining pretty hard outside!

This is what Monday looked like heading out to the East County via the 8.

We were on our way to Julian, a place we visited exactly two years ago on Veteran's Day...

India Snacks & Groceries

Located not too far from Cream Pan was this Indian market that TC spied earlier.

She was attracted to the Thrifty Ice Cream sign so we made a mental note to drop by on our way out...

Pie and ice cream

It was time to take off and head back to Ottawa before returning to the Island. Before that, we made a quick stop at C's aunt's house on another island.

Heading north on St. Charles Blvd is the welcome sign to the community of Kirkland...

which is a suburb on the Island of Montreal, located in the southwesterly portion of Quebec.

Return to Bella & Ava Sweets Boutique

Shortly after my experience here a  few days ago, I thought I'd go again the very next day...

I wanted to use that punch card again and see what would happen if I bought more than one...

Cream Pan 3x

We didn't have to be at the baby shower until 1 pm and it was still technically the "late morning"...

Our next stop was in the Old Town Tustin area...

Bert hadn't been here since our anniversary two years ago but I was recently here earlier this summer with Cathy...It was time for another revisit!

Basilique Notre-Dame, Montreal

Can you believe I'm actually resuming my Canada posts?

It's about time too, eh!

Well now...to refresh your memory, it was a damn hot day that day we were in Montreal. We were with FarmerJohn seeing some of the sights and thought we'd see this famous basilica before leaving...

Wholesome Choice

After our breakfast bites at Bon Epi, I thought we could check out a nearby donut place located in this stripmall on Culver Drive...

In retrospect, I didn't even notice that it had "Wholesome Choice" an international grocery store I'd been meaning to check out....

We actually had to go to Rite Aid first for some dramamine so that TC wouldn't get car sick...

Thai Food Orange

[Thai Food Orange is now Krua Thai as of earlier this year]

A few days ago, I had a training on the west side of Chula Vista. After going to a couple of bakeries, I passed up this relatively new Thai place on Broadway between "I" and "J"...

I remembered reading about it in the paper and even cut out the coupon thinking we'd use it eventually.

Bella & Ava Sweets Boutique

A few days ago my sis posted a photo of some cupcakes on her fb page. I was curious because the cupcakes were from the Otay Ranch mall (really, the town center) and I wasn't even aware that this place was there...

It's not an actual storefront, but rather a stand alone kiosk located in the Food Pavilion...

Thai Fresh revisit

Yesterday, Mr TJ and I went out to lunch and he suggested the Thai place next to Rubio's...

I was secretly happy because I'd been wanting to go back there again after nearly a year since my last visit...

Their previously unwieldy name and signage had changed to a moniker that was shorter and easier to remember...

Chico's, Lambers Chinese Bakery and Moreliana

Man, this past week's I've gone to four bakeries. That's so bad of me, heh heh. First, it was the old Chinese Bakery, now called Mexico Lindo.

Then I went to three more, starting with Chico's since I had an errand to run in that area...

Mexico Lindo Bakery

I had a training in the area yesterday and before going home, I thought I'd revisit a bakery I hadn't been to in years...

When we were in younger, my siblings and I would  call this place the Chinese Mexican bakery because a Chinese man used to be the owner (not sure if he is still there) but he spoke Spanish to all of his workers...

This used to be our go to place for fruit topped cakes until Lamber's Chinese Bakery opened up close to home (back when I used to live down South) on Third and Orange.

I wondered if it had changed all that much....

Empanadas de Calabaza, barrel men, black velvet Michael Jackson, wierd flavored Pringles, and more...

This is one of my post with random odds and ends from the past couple of months...

Below, TC's carved pumpkin project for her English class (this was a fake pumpkin). She carved out the face of Norman, the main character of the movie, "Paranorman".

Other kids in her classes ended up painting their pumpkins (stuff like Mickey Mouse or Clifford the big red dog, and Iron Man). She was the only one who carved, or rather, chipped off a design. She was also the only one with an animated character from a movie.  This was before she added his stand-up hair, which she fashioned from wire and felt. It looked pretty cool...

Anyhow, here's a few more photos that didn't quite merit a separate post...

Breakfast at Bon Epi

This past Saturday we had to attend Bert's neice's baby shower. This is the same young lady whose elegant wedding reception we attended three years ago and whose son's 2nd bday party we attended earlier this spring. Now she (noticed I said "she", not that "we" crap since we all know the WOMAN carries the baby), is expecting again and the shower would also serve as a "gender reveal".

To me, this baby shower was as good an excuse as any to have a FOOD ROAD TRIP...

Our first stop of that morning would be here, in the Diamond Jamboree stripmall...the same one with 85C Bakery, some revolving sushi place, H-Mart and a slew of other Asian businesses and restaurants...

Pork Ribs Sinigang with Guavas

With the colder weather coming on, that means it's time for me to make Filipino comfort foods...

in the form of sinigang, a soup that usess souring agent like tamarind, lemons, starfruit (which is hard to find here), or in this case, guavas!

These lovely guavas, obtained for free at my godbro's house, were so fragrant and ripe and I was dying to use them in a soup...

Paris Baguette, Boba Bar & Cocohodo Walnut Pastry Cafe

If you couldn't tell by the title of the post, or by looking at the produce below,

we were in Zion Market, where napacabbage and giant white radishes are DIRT CHEAP! This is definitely not Ralph's or Albertson's yo!

TC, Bert and I had a fun time showing my sis around Zion; I quite liked seeing her fill up her basket with assorted goodies (she's a good cook)...

Party food part 1

One thing about my godbro, he has a twisted sense of humor!

But I love it!

Our families plus their relatives were there at his house relaxing and reminiscing about Ninang. My parents brought a gripload of food, enough to feed an army, but of course, that is typical Filipino hospitality. Enough of this, on with the food!

Happy Day of the Dead - Sugar skulls from Vallarta

Today was actually a pretty beautiful day...

It was quite fitting for my Ninang's sendoff as well as for the Day of the Dead (a Mexican tradition celebrated on October 31, November 1 and 2)...

The view from La Vista Cemetery atop the hill overlooking Plaza Bonita. As for the cross in the previous photo, you can see it from the 805 freeway.

After my Ninang's burial, my sister, TC and I headed out to look for sugar skulls while Bert went back to pick up food for the reception...