Marukai

A few days ago, TC and I went to check out this new Japanese $1.50 store, Marukai.
It's on the corner of Balboa and Mercury, right off the163 exit aaaaand, just a few seconds away from Mitsuwa

There are going to be two other Marukai/Daiso stores, one for groceries and one for home furnishings. We went at 11 am so there was parking, but the lot is sooo small. Good luck going there when everyone and their mom is there. I didn't take any pictures inside because I felt too self conscious, plus the clerks were watching everyone like hawks. The floors are kind of fkd up. They put in this laminate flooring which has a raised seam in some areas. Feels wierd walking on it. Almost everything there is $1.50, unless marked otherwise.

So, if you like to get cheap ass shit like knick knacks, home items, toiletries, plastic wares, doo dads and cheap toys, this is the place. I bought two lipliner pencils, plus some unintentially hilarious Japanese stationary with "Engrish" . For example, I bought a packet that had a little girl and a red dog on it which proclaimed, "We love park of the day of rain" and in big letters, "Rainy Strolling". WTF!!!! But it was so cute, I had to have it. Another packet had the envelopes depicting a fuzzy toy bear climbing a tree. Those said "It is a coming here" and "Bear is Life - May the fortunate occurrence start to you" and if that weren't enough,also had this nugget of advice, "Happiness is waiting at the point. You will take a trip fortunate together with me."!!!!!

Pei Wei revisited

[Update - Closed and is now a bank]

This past Saturday, we met Bert's mom and his brother for lunch. Bert just came in from his haircut, while his bro and mom were in the area doing errands and such. It was my second time and Bert's first there. Here's the self serve area.

We ordered three different dishes. We ended up getting two wrong dishes and got one whole new dish as well as a $10 giftcard for their fkup. The first dish was the lemon and black pepper chicken with white rice. I didn't really like this. I don't like eating chicken in restaurants. Always too salty. This dish wasn't really memorable for me because it was so generic tasting.
This was SUPPOSED to be the Ginger Garlic Beef with Broccoli and brown rice. Instead, they gave us the Mongolian Beef which has neither broccoli nor ginger in it. This was the first mistake I noticed. We ended up liking the Mongolian beef but asked them to just give us the broccoli on the side. That took forever and we only got five pieces. I hope they weren't like the chefs in the movie "Waiting"...

This was the third dish and the second mistake. We ordered the Honey Glazed Shrimp. When I first saw this, I thought, "Damn, that's some pretty big and chunky shrimp." Yeah, shrimp on steroids. It was actually chicken. We checked the receipt which clearly said "shrimp". So Bert pointed this out to the flustered waitress (and there was only one), who then got the manager. He apologized, got us a new order and gave our table a $10 giftcard.

Prior to our table's order mixup, we heard and saw another family at a table meet the same fate. They too got a wrong dish and complained about it. The manager had to go out to kiss their ass too and give them a gift card. Suffice it to say, I don't really want to go here again. Their food is dumbed down Chinese food just like PF Changs. And just to let you know, we weren't a-holes about this. It was puzzling since the restaurant wasn't packed. There were only 2 or 3 other tables filled when we got there. I know this is a new place, give them a break, yadda yadda. But two mixups when it was clearly ordered? The cooks must have been asleep or on auto pilot.

This is the shrimp now...

Wait a minute, maybe those pictures are reversed! Either way, they both looked the same. The shrimp was better tasting than the chicken and that was polished off quickly. Pei Wei again? No way!

Evil Charlie Brown

Here's Bert (I'm cropped out) at the Bday/Halloween costume party last night.
Poor Bert - he came all decked out in his glow-in-the dark scary skull mask and gloves, and almost made the birthday girl's little sister cry. One of TC's classmate's had a bday/costume party which was hosted by her grandparents who live a few streets up from us. Man, did they have their whole house (inside and out) decked out for this party! Anyhow, Bert's hooded robe was closed (so you couldn't see his Charlie Brown shirt) and he came in with a skulking stance and the little girl was kind of freaking out, so he took off his mask so she wouldn't be as scared. Wrong costume for the wrong crowd! He was going to wear all black, but I thought it would be funny if he wore his Charlie Brown shirt with shorts. A few years ago, he wore this black mullet wig I bought for him and went as a trashy rocker dude. One teenaged kid asked him if he was "Uncle Jesse" - we had to let that sink in for a minute before it registered in our old farty minds. The kid was referring to "Uncle Jesse" which is John Stamos' character in "Full House" (hated that show!). Well, it wasn't this Uncle Jesse from the Dukes of Hazzard!
The costumes included one pirate, one girl mummy, one Mulan, one witch (TC), one Shar Pei (from "High School Musical" - hey, dont' ask me, I don't watch or listen to that shit), one Ariel the Mermaid, and two girls wearing a 50's style outfit. The birthday girl was wearing a red cheongsam and had chopsticks in her hair. Her parents were Fred and Wilma Flintstone. The grandpa was a "tacky American tourist" complete with a loud Hawaiian shirt with nekkid chicks on it and the grandma (the mastermind of the party) was a bum. She had on a loose shirt and her "britches" were literally help up by rope. Her hair was all messy and sticking up in different directions. She really did look like she would have been at home sleeping on sidewalk in the East Village.
I came as a witch, my standard outfit for the past five years, except for last year when I went as Joe Elliott from Def Leppard, circa the "Photograph" video (I still loooove that song!). Bits and pieces of my outfit for this year are still arriving in the mail. I originally wanted to go as Angus Young of AC/DC but I procrastinated and I may have to do that one next year instead. I don't have enough time to go out and shop for boy's suits and then alter them to fit me. Plus, I'd have to buy a matching cap and tie and get an AC/DC patch. Too much work. This year, I'll be a member of the House of Slytherin (the "bad" house in Hogwarts, from the Harry Potter series).

Rally's and Asia Cafe

Yesterday was a busy day.

TC had her CCD class then afterward we had a quick bite to eat at Rally Burgers in Imperial Beach before heading off to her troupe's dance performance near the 32nd St. Navy base. It was for a Filipino organization's celebration for the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

Back to Rally's on Palm Avenue in IB. Yeah, yeah, it's fast food! Gasp! You know, we just had a hankering for these burgers. Before we went to NYC this summer, we thought these were pretty good. What the hell were we thinking? Compared to Shake Shack's, these puppies suck big ole gorilla balls with a raging case of elephantitis! We're never going here again. But then again, we know full well that we shouldn't expect gourmet quality when the burgers are only 99 cents, eh!

This was my "plain" hamburger which wasn't plain at all, despite Bert's request. It had pickles and mustard. Ugh. But I picked 'em out and we were in a hurry to get to her practice and performance on time so I didn't care that much.
Bert's chicken sandwich...standard. TC's Cheeseburger. Same as mine was but with cheese. She takes after me - she doesn't like pickles either.
We got to her practice on time and went to her performance at a park near the naval base. Looked like everyone was having a great time time - kids playing games and winning prizes and the old people sitting in the shade eating bbq and Filipino food. Luckily TC only had to do one dance. She and another girl were supposed to do two, but it was simplified to one. After the kids' performances, TC was hungry. We decided to have Laotian food, so we took the long way to Asia Cafe. We warily drove from park back onto Main Street and onto National Blvd...

Oops, this was actually on our way to Asia Cafe after leaving TC's performance (out of order shot!). You can see this place from the 5 freeway in National City. I've always wondered what it's like to have your palm read, but I'm always afraid to find out.

We ended up taking Division to 47th and onto the corner of 47th and Market where Asia Cafe is located. Bert had the iced coffee and I tried the Coconut Juice. That's part of TC's mug having a taste. I ended up giving her the coconut meat (3 big pieces) that were in my drink.

We had two orders of fresh spring rolls (they're not on the menu). One is missing from the plate. There's the Nem Khao (Laotian fried rice) with the lettuce leaves and cilantro.

The BBQ chicken appetizer which, unfortunately, was a bit burnt. I knew we weren't going to finish this - it was meant to take home and enjoy the next day. Check out that chicken spine. That skin was soo good!

Here's a closer look at that Nem Khao. What is the cook's secret? How does she get it so nice and crunchy without burning it? It tastes so good with tiny bits of peanuts, thinly sliced green onions, cilantro and that stringy sour sausage.

We (mostly I, ha ha) polished off the fried rice and took home our sticky rice and BBQ Laotian style chicken to go. Before we left, I also bought a bag of their crunchy fried pork rinds ($2.00) and their fried bananas ($5.00). I plan to make a sugar syrup to drizzle on the bananas.

On our way home, Bert reminded me that we still had a Bday/Halloween costume party to attend! Sheeyit - I had forgotten about that. No rest and relaxation for me today despite being ill.

The Answer to Greenbox #4

Congrats to Thor who got the answer right!
Well, he got the street right. This greenbox is on Coronado Avenue in Nestor. It's on the corner of Coronado Avenue and Hollister Avenue right by the 5 freeway off ramp and next to a gas station. I figured Thor would get this since he probably has ridden by this on his bike during his long rides.

Pei Wei

[Update - Closed and is now a bank]

After watching "The Seeker - The Dark is Rising" and doing errands, TC and I were hungry! So I decided to make use of a coupon I got in the mail for Pei Wei Asian Diner which opened just a couple of weeks ago in the new Village Walk shopping center in Eastlake (behind Target).
The coupon was for "One free chicken lettuce wraps with the purchase of one of their Signature dishes". I figured it was worth a try since I drive by this place everytime I go to Henry's or Trader Joe's (in the same shopping area). I knew it was some sort of a chain and later found out it is the sister restaurant of P.F. Chang's. That explained the similarities between their menus. The difference here is that you look at the menu while in line, then order and pay, then get seated. You get your own drinks, silverware (or chopsticks), to go boxes, etc...When TC and I went, it was pretty dead. It wasn't even 5 pm yet. The look is Asian (or at least wanna be Asian) contemporary, lots of dark wood and red everywhere. There is also an open kitchen where you can (if you want) watch the cooks make your grub. This was the view from our booth.
Here's their version of the Chicken Lettuce Wraps. It's worth $6.75, but with my coupon it was free. It tastes just like P.F. Chang's "Soothing (that cracks me up) Lettuce Wraps" which has minced chicken, scallions, shiitake mushrooms and water chestnuts drenched in a salty soy marinade that lays on top of fried rice noodles . They gave us four lettuce pieces. The oval platter, while cute, was so small that when you served yourself, the fried noodles would inevitably fall off the platter, creating a mess. Here it is before I made the mess.

Sorry, it's dark here. We saved some of this for Bert later. One of the servers (a former student, but not under my alpha) recognized me and gave me extra lettuce in a ziplock to go (6 pieces!). The service overall was very good. The cashier was friendly, the servers attentive and very helpful. The general manager was also out going from table to table and asking everyone how everything was. Well, since it's brand new, I'm sure they're out in full force making sure that their customers are satisfied. After a few months, they probably won't care anymore.

Here's the Mongolian Shrimp ($9.00). You can pick your own protein for the dishes here. So, instead of beef or chicken (which would have cost less), I chose Shrimp and instead of steamed white rice, I opted for brown. My total was $9.70 (with tax) and since I got a free item, it averaged to $4.85 for the two dishes. No drinks. We made ghetto lemonade with the free lemon (ooh, and orange too!) slices with the fake sugar packets. Ha ha.

Not bad, but it tasted like something I could make with a bottled sauce on my own. This place is quicker and faster than P.F. Chang's but more upscale than, let's say, a steam table 99 cent Chinese food joint. Everything is made fresh to order which is a good thing of course. But since it's a chain, it's still soul less food for the masses.

The Dark is Rising

TC and I just watched The Seeker - The Dark is Rising (PG), which is based on the second book of The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper. It's been suggested that these books were one of the many influences for J.K. Rowling to write her Harry Potter series. As a young kid, I read and enjoyed this series, but over time, put them on the backburner of my mind and was excited again once I heard a movie was coming out. Well, the movie is totally not like the book - so many changes were made which I won't go into here. My daughter liked the movie but was a little freaked out by some scenes where two mallcops turn into rooks. The movie earned a favorable review in the Union Tribune on Friday, but I thought it was a bit predictable.

Now I feel compelled to reread the entire series to refresh my memory. I only have two of the five. The first book is actually "Over Sea, Under Stone" which I don't have, along with "The Green Witch" and "Silver on the Tree". Perhaps I can find it cheaper at a used bookstore. Getting brand new versions at the big bookstore chains isn't as fulfilling. Okay, sometimes I will "cheat" and buy a used book online but I still feel I'm supporting a mom & pop used bookstore since nowadays most do their business online.

Kalamansi

Mmmm...Kalamansi

I bought these at Seafood City (Chula Vista location) several days ago. They were only $2 + for a small tray. I ended up cutting them in half and squeezing the juice into an empty ice cube tray. The seeds were removed of course. After I freeze the cubes, I put them in a ziplock bag and use them whenever I need to use a splash of citrus in recipes. I've used a bit of this in adobo before and also in my sinigang. I've also used it for a snack recipe, "Adobo Flavored Pecans" (that stuff is good, I tell you!). Ironically, the link to my recipe post shows photos of limes being used instead of kalamansi because I couldn't find any at Seafood City in December.

My parents have a tree in their back yard but it didn't bear a lot of fruit this year. We also have a tree which seems to be in arrested development - there were only 5 or 6 fruits this summer. It's not often that I can find these fruits in the store. Too bad I don't know anyone else (other than my parents) with this fruit tree and I could get it for free! I could hit up all my friend's parents' backyards though!...."Excuse me Uncle (or Auntie), but can I have some of your kalamansi? Oh yeah, while you're at it, can I also have some kamote, ampalaya, eggplant and sili leaves?"

Update - While looking up the Kalamansi entry on Wikipedia, I also looked up related links and saw this recipe for pie using the Kalamansi juice. Here's the recipe here. The author's blog has lots of healthy recipes, as she is a vegan. I need to start eating more healthy! Now, I have an excuse to use that freshly squeezed kalamansi juice.

Chicks rock!

Currently listening to the new Iron Maidens CD, Route 666 which I finally got in the mail today. It comes with a DVD of one of their live performances but I'll probably watch that tomorrow (Here's more on the band) .

Check out the demo here from their website. One of my favorite Iron Maiden songs, "Die With Your Boots On" is covered! This version is just as good. Aja Kim's voice is amazing. She can go from a growl to a soaring scream just as well as Bruce Dickinson. The Maidens' version of "The Trooper" (from their first tribute album, which also kicks major ass) is also a great rendition of a Maiden classic. From the ferociously wicked twin guitar attacks to the trademark galloping bass to the grandiose lyrics (c'mon, what other rockin' song about the Crimean War are you going to hear?) - they are spot on!

FYI for your music and art nerds out there - the covers of both albums were both designed by Derek Riggs, illustrator for all of the Iron Maiden album covers such as their first two albums, the self titled debut Iron Maiden, Killers, The Number of the Beast, and Piece of Mind, along with more from the late 80s to early 90s. The difference is that the Maidens have "Edwina" instead of Eddie .

In my car cd player -

Joe Bataan - "Afrofilipino"
The Pretenders - "Greatest Hits"

King's Fish House

[Closed as of 2012 and is now a Buffalo Wild Wings as of 2014]

Okay folks...I went to a chain (hangs head in shame)...It wasn't my choice, but rather Bert's mom wanted to take us out for lunch on Saturday so Bert picked the restaurant which was King's Fish House . This is fairly new and is located at the Otay Ranch Town Center (I call it the Otay Ranch Mall, even though the development doesn't call it a 'mall'). It's right by Barnes and Noble, on the eastern edge. There are a few restaurants out there - Cheesecake Factory (ugh), Panda Express, the soon to be finished AMC theatres and this place.
It was just us plus my mother in law and Bert's bro.

It was pretty empty for lunch time but it filled up by the time we left. The leather booths (or were they vinyl?) were quite comfortable and roomy. The decor was a lot of dark wood with retro print posters of fish and various sea-related festivals plus fake mounted fish hung up on the walls near the ceilings.

The lobster tank was right behind us and behind the tank was the kitchen. To the left of this photo was the oyster bar. No, not the Blue Oyster Bar! Ha ha, great tango scene. Beats "Scent of a Woman" and the Governator with Tia Carrere in "True Lies".

Our sour dough bread, which was really good by the way. Nice and soft interior. It was warm too. Loved the crust!

They had a series of hokey napkins with lame jokes (see sample below):

The waitress said their menu was printed up twice a day and their prices fluctuate too (WTF) to reflect changes in the market value of certain fish. Hmmm, if I want to eat something, I want the prices to be consistent, but oh well!

Bert's dish - Blackened catfish with a choice of two sides (mashed potatoes plus your standard steamed vegetable medley). I tried a bit of it and did not like it. The catfish had a muddy taste and the blackened spices weren't really spicy.

This was my dish - the Linguine with manila clams. The sauce was butter, white wine and fresh herbs. I have to say that this was actually very good. Either that or I was pretty hungry since I didn't eat a lot for breakfast on purpose! But really, the clams (there were about 10 in there - they should have just made it a dozen dammit) were not shrivelled nor tiny. They were plump and meaty and had no grit in them (thank God!). The sauce was perfect - very light and fresh.

TC's kid's meal - Fried Shrimp with a side of steamed vegetables. I had to request the vegetables because I didn't want her eating french fries with fried shrimp. I hate that kids' meals at restaurants dumb down their food and think that all kids want to eat are fkn fried chicken tenders, hamburgers, hot dogs, fried whatnot served with more fried crap. That's why there are so many fat ass kids nowadays because of all the junk their parents feed them.

Points however to King's Fish House for having a really really nice Kids Activity Booklet. That day's lunch was a treat (on my mother in law) so we let her choose from the kids' menu. Normally she eats what we eat wheather we're at a Vietnamese, Laotian, Italian, or whatever joint.

My mother in law's salad - basic Spring mix with croutons and a side of some sort of light vinaigrette.

She had the Chilean farm raised salmon with a side of steamed vegetables.

My brother in law's dish was the same as Bert's except instead of blackened catfish it was yellowtail. Everyone seemed to like their food. I'm not much for seafood. The portions were not so huge which was good. I thought the price range was average for this part of town ($11 and up). But I'd rather eat at tons of other hole in the wall places.

Loved this silver bowl for the empty shells...

Having been there once, I'd go again just to have that linguine...Otherwise, eh.

Greenbox #4

Can anyone guess where this greenbox is located?
Answer to be posted next week...