Its funny. This is the 'new' location. The old location was on National City Blvd. just before you get on I-5. I have a long long history with Keith's. We used to go there a lot when I was a kid. They were pretty good in the 70s. They'd even light the fireplace and stuff at night when It was cold. Over the decades since then I have seen Keith's go from good, to meh, to pretty bad, to dangerous. My last visit gave me food poisoning...and it was from the simple egg breakfast! This was a couple of years ago. So very sad! Interestingly, Keiths started out in the 50s as a drive-in and was heading in the McDonalds direction...they were famous for their fries, burgers, and chicken. Somebody missed the boat, me thinks. Now the original Keith's in NC has finally died and has become Aunt Emmas. Good riddance...it had become a sad reminder of where we've gone as a society.

Oh dear...I'm sorry that I couldn't warn you about this place before you went. Its been there for at least 40 years and was I believe it was a spin off of an Ancient ABCDE in National City called The Brown Bear that existed in the 50s. Me and my family would go here every now and then when our favorite Tea Pot Inn Chinese place in CV was closed. It was better in the 70s...though not great. It at least had better ABC/GF (American Born Chinese/Gringo food) than it does now. I last went here in the 90s after Tea Pot Inn closed and found it in this condition...I then despaired of ever finding good Chinese, Americanized or otherwise, in SD ever again. Royal Mandarin just didn't do it for me. Until you mentioned Ba Ren that is...many thanks!

Looks like Zorba's has improved since I was there last. They were rather rude to me because I would not eat all my olives....LOL. They also used to put too much vinegar in their stews...particularly their simmered lamb shanks. I shall have to try them again since they have a nice variety of Greek specialties that you don't find often at other places. The Kakavia (the fish soup you had) looks very nice as do the dolmathes, the grape leaves. So many places only serve you the veggie version of dolmathes with just seasoned rice, but I always prefer the meat version. I wonder if they can serve the full version of Kakavia which is supposed to have a lot of different fish and seafood in it. It is the mother of Bouillabaisse, so it can be served as a whole meal with bread and salad. It can have shrimp, scallops, octopus, mussels, and all kinds of different fish in it. The powdered sugar cookie is called Kourabia, it sometimes has almonds in the shortbread. I love it. The rolled pastries are probably a variety of Baklava or Paklava, it depends on what they were stuffed with. Walnuts are Baklava and Pistachios are Paklava. Happy New Year, Kirby!

i-ick! That kind of looks like the old open-faced blurkey sandwiches I used to get at the old K-Mart in Spring Valley for about 50¢ back in the day...edible only coz I used to like the corn they made and I was only 8. In any case...rip off. =(

Good, non-gritty Hummus, is increasingly hard to come by! That looks very nice and I'm glad they plated it in a traditionally beautiful design. The only thing I'd miss is garlic. My fav Hummus always has plenty of garlic, preferably toasted or roasted.

I honestly don't know what the problem is with store owners in the San Diego area...even the standard American Grocery Stores are pretty punk...with the possible exception of Bristol Farms...though their produce is way overpriced...

That's very cool seeing your explorations of El Cajon's burgeoning Chaldean Community. I love these people! They truly make me happy to be around them. The stories they tell! The suffering they endure, and yet they keep their faith! Not to mention the number of Grandmas that cook foods probably eaten by their families for literally thousands of years...its just an incredible experience being with them. If you are Christian and are interested, if you listen to the 'Arabic' they speak you will actually be listening to Aramaic...the language of Jesus himself! Their foods are wonderful. They really are a treasure in San Diego! Kirk, keep an eye peeled for the Food Festivals that the Caldeans put on in April/May at St. Michael's Chaldean church in El Cajon. They also have one at St. Peter's Chaldean Cathedral in Cottonwood, just south of El Cajon!

Wow! Dining at UCSD sure has changed since I went there. The best I could hope for in an Asian meal was the Panda Express style the ABCDE place they had in the commons. The soups look like much healthier and soothing meals, especially for the Fall and Winter quarters. I wonder if similar trends are going on at SDSU? When I went there it was basically Expresso Bars and Pizza. LOL.

That looks like real Greek Food! Not just the Greek/Turkish Middle Eastern combo that serves as Greek Fastfood ala Daphne's. When next in the PB area, I might look this up for the Veggie offerings. The Skordalia in particular looks very good. Other than the Fakee at Athens Market and the Athenian Chicken at the Greek Islands Cafe in Seaport Village (if its still there) I can only recommend Apollonia's in UTC for the unusual, but I feel the price and quality at Athens Cafe are better.

I have come to understand that the best way to go here is to hook up with a Southern Indian friend and have him/her order stuff from the kitchen. Though, when I went, I enjoyed the buffet I don't think it is the best representation of what this restaurant can offer. There are a number of biryani-like rice dishes and special curries that they make if you know what to ask for, apparently. According to some other blogs and things I've read, when ordered this way, this place makes a very authentic representation of Southern Indian Cuisine. Its too bad that the wheat pudding they make looks dried out in your photo. I had it a bit fresher and its very tasty...but I am partial to Cardamom which is the primary spice used in its preparation.

Ah yes...shades of another San Diego that existed in my childhood but is fading quickly now. Not been to Rudford's, but I've been to Keith's in NC and Perry's Cafe often enough. Many are gone now...so that makes Rudford's and its kind a rare and precious breed for us Lifers, Sysco Brown Vitamin B gravy and all! =P

That looks delicious, Kirk! Thank you about the tip with the Serranos. I find that I have trouble with the 'Green' taste too if I overcook them. I have this problem when I try to cook aloo gobi with them. Since I live in a heavily Hispanic area, they are pretty much the only medium hot chili I can get or I have to resort to Habeñeros...which work well with a lot of these types of dishes, if used sparingly. I'll need to find your preserved red chilis. Not too many Chinese Stores here in South Bay.

LOL! I think I've seen Primo around quite a lot 'Down Here' in the South Bay. We have a lot of 'Locals' down here now to the point where even our old Longs Drugs (Now CVS) has a big section for all those can't live without em Hawaiian Supplies. Primo was definitely one of those 'can't live without em kine' supplies. =P

I almost wanted to cry when I saw Tomasita's Enchiladas! Not that I have had enchiladas con verdolagas before, but that her sauce is just like what I used to get down here in my neck of the woods in the SD South Bay back in the day. The dimension of frijoles in the chili gravy adds such a richness to enchilada sauce, there's nothing else like it! I would definitely like these with verdolagas. If ever I get to Yuma, I would love to have lunch here with Danny. He cooks in the old fashioned southwestern ways I grew up on!

~pppphhphph (Derisive Laugh)~ I about died when I first saw this. It was like, WTH!? I usually stick with Hibiscus Grill upstairs when I eat at Plaza Burrito, but I found the Terrible Trio absolutely amusing. They do good business on the Weekends too! Sadly, there used to be a 'real' Filipino place at Plaza Bonita that served dinuguan and Kare Kare (maybe even balut out of the back for all I know). But it didn't survive the Great Transformation. It was just called 'Manila'.

Now...the eggplant, at least, looks like what I was after at Hunan in RB. It's a pity about the dry-cooked fish. It looks promising. Was it supposed to be dry-cooked preserved fish or did they just leave the fish out too long?

Oh...the next time you are in the area and are getting Tita's, don't forget to check out Valerio's Family Bake Shop next door! They have the absolute BEST Pan De Sal and other Filipino breads and goodies! Its absolutely addicting...even for a Haole like me!

=P I have never seen Sisig from Titas. It looks more like pork adobo! LOL. Anyways, Kirk is, as always, correct. Tita's doesn't specialize in the 'usual' Filipino suspects. Their pansit bihon is off and on again, I've not tried their lumpia, but I've not heard good things about it, and that Sisig...LOL! I've had their Beef Machado and their Chicken Apritada and those are very good. I also hear their Chicken & Pork Adobos are good. I know many like their Kaldereta Kambing (Filipino Goat Stew), but every time I go they either look at me funny or say 'no got'. So...I think they also have beef Kaldereta too if Boyfriend wants to try it if he is in a less than adventurous mood. I think the one thing that Tita's is known for is its Pork BBQ and I will say that it is very very tasty! Much better then the chicken which tends to get tough and dry.

Some interesting dishes. I've not yet explored Peruvian Cuisine so I'll have to investigate. I might not try this place, but one closer to my home. In Chula Vista, one block south of where Hogetsu Bakery is, there's a place called El Dorado. Yelpers have been scoring it pretty high and making comparisons with it and Latin Chef. Just another idea for lunch for you and the Misses the next time you go on a Mochi run. ;-) http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-dorado-chula-vista#hrid:HeaTR4k_PqUFgYU-SrlKig/src:search/query:latin%20chef

That looks kinda like how I make my Pad Thai, though mine has less grease because I don't use as much oil. The eggs look right though! =P I'll have to try cucumbers as a garnish..never thought of that before!

Fred $ Cel's lumpia is actually legendary in NC. Cel used to cook batches of it in her little kitchen and Fred would sell them out of his garage. LOL.

~chuckles~ Your Misses eats Zaru Soba like I do. I'm not happy unless my nose is running after eating it.

Oh goodie! This is one of my Go-To places while at work away from my home in South Bay (my daily commute is so much fun). Even though Tita's is within easy reach for me while in South Bay, I tend to save up and come here when i need my Filipino Fix. This and Amerasian in Poway are tasty and I don't have the parking troubles or 'tude problems I get at Titas. Both places have the nicest folks running things! I like their Talapia and Sisig here. They also do good Lechon Kawali (if its early and not been sitting too long) I tend to brighten the Sisig with some kalamansi juice that you can ask for. It brings up the flavors well. I am working up to trying their seafood 'Kare Kare' and their Adobo Pusit because they look very tasty!

:-) You've gone to a very special place from my childhood memories. Niederfrank's was the very first ice cream I ever had when I was a baby...a very long time ago. It was Pistachio and that has been my favorite ever since. I haven't been back in ages due to time, distance, and the fact that for a long time Niederfrank's was not as it was. When I was a child Mr. Niederfrank hand made all the ice cream and the flavors were vibrant. I remember in particular that they had the best Peach ice cream anywhere! It tasted like sunshine on a bright summer day. When he retired the parlor fell into less capable hands and the place languished for many years. I'm glad to see that it re-established itself and I find it interesting that they are using more tropical inspired flavors for the Filipino and Mexican clientele. Its a reason why Niederfrank's has been around for so long, they adapt and now look like they retain the quality that old Mr. Niederfrank put into his ice creams. Thanks for sharing and for allowing me to remember some happy memories!

LOL. I love your 'stepping into an alien green world' comment. Its similar to how I felt when I went to Hunan. I kind of looked around and thought 'What the H!'. I'd heard the soup was good there (particularly the Niu Rou Mein), but I wanted to see just how 'Hunan' this place was before coming again to have soup so I ordered their 'Hunan' Beef. My spice tolerance is fairly high as I live south of I-8, but I was expecting them to Gringo it down for me since I am white as a sheet. Even so, I've been to other places where they Gringo it down, but still leave a bit of a kick. Not this place! Unfortunately, what I got was not what I was expecting. I got a plate of fairly greasy beef chop suey...not the spicy fried beef strips with scallions, garlic, and chilies I was expecting. No chili oil either! Very blah and flavorless. I ate, left, and had a great deal of fun trying to back out and leave the place with the never ending Jack In The Box Drive-Through crowd behind me blocking my way out. Needless to say, I've not been back. So far, the best Chinese I've managed to come by in the RB, Carmel Ranch, Poway triad is a little place on Camino Del Norte and Pomerado Rd. called Chopsticks (but of course). Its basically another ABCDE, but if you get her 'house special' of the day, you might get something with quite a kick. She's obviously from Hunan or Szechuan Province. Her house specials are invariably a chili oil stir fry affair. Basically Kung Pao Something with variations. She even asks what level of spicy you want, no matter how Asian or not you look. She also calls you 'Her Friend' as her greeting to you upon entering. No Ba Ren, of course, but as good as I can find up here in the RB Burbs. Also, next door is this place: http://www.amerasiancuisine.com/. A Turo Turo joint in Poway! Not too bad either!