2011 Jan 22 - Manjo's Lunch

2011 Jan 22 - Lunch at Kaita's Japanese Restaurant
San Jose, CA

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Today is a very small Lunch Bunch contingent, just me. I am off to San Jose to have lunch with my motorcycling friend Manjo from Sudbury, MA. He is in San Jose to babysit his 4 1/2 month old newest grandson. And we are meeting up with my long time golfing friend's whose second home shares a gate with my home in Stockton. But their primary residence has been in San Jose for a real long time. We will be going to their favorite Japanese Restaurant in Japantown, San Jose - Kaita's.

I first stop at Manjo's son and daughter-in-law's home to drive him to Hal and Jean's, my golfing friend's home.
Manjo's son and grandson


We drive the 3 miles to Hal's and get into Hal's car to ride the 15 minutes into old San Jose.
Jackson Street in Japantown

Here we are entering the restaurant, but I have Jean turn around so I don't just get a picture of the back of her head.
Looks like we are leaving but we are just heading in


We get there well before Noon as the place is very small and there was quite a waiting list by the time we left.


The Daily Specials are posted on a white board in the window.


But it turns out that everyone decides to order things off the menu.
Here is Hal's Bento Plate - some sashimi, pork tonkatsu (breaded cutlet), a bit of California roll and a dab of potato salad. His bowl of rice is off to the side.

Bento used to the Bento Box lunch. The Japanese equivalent of the Lunch Pail or Lunch Bucket.
Workers would take their lunches eaten cold in neat containers that had various small amounts of food and rice balls.

But restaurants have expanded on this ancient theme and now serve a hot Bento with a variety of items in a divided plate.


Hal putting tonkatsu sauce on his meat.

I forgot to take a photo of the salad before we finished them. So I took this photo of the salad from a neighboring table.


Jean orders something not on the menu. It is a traditional donburi (rice bowl) with various veggies and sashimi.


I stick to a menu donburi. This is unagi - broiled eel.


Manjo has the Bento Plate but with grilled saba - mackerel.


Carrying on a nice luncheon conversation.


Another shot of lunching.


The neighboring table whose salad I used for the photo volunteers to take a picture of me eating my eel.


After lunch the Manju-ya is right next door. So we stop and buy some to take home.
Manju is a popular Japanese Confection usually with an exterior of pounded rice and a filling of a sweetened bean paste.


A photo of Hal's front yard garden.


Then it is time to take Manjo back to his son and daughter-in-law's home. I visit with them and have some tea and manju .
Grace, Annika (sp), Eli and Willem

Then it is time for me to hit the road back home.


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2011 Jan 09 - St Marks Crab Feed

2011 Jan 09 - St Marks Crab Feed
Stockton, CA

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Tonight there are three of us, Gobo, Sandra and me, headed to a Fund Raiser at the local St Mark's United Methodist Church in Stockton which has a largely Chinese-American congregation.
Gordon, an old time friend from childhood days, Sandra and Gobo


It is already quite crowded inside


Another view

Gordon is a part-time entertainer who now resides in Fresno but his family has strong ties to the church. His sister is one of the people running the event and his mother is here helping out also.
Gordon did not even eat he provided background music for the entire dinner.
Gordon's daughter sings a duet with her father

The salad being set out for the servers.


People have taken their assigned seats and are readying to eat.


Gobo eating his salad using the disposable chop sticks that we brought from home.


The noodles.


Our server bringing out the first pan full of crab.


The crab and a few of the dipping sauces.


Our table mates starting in on the crab.


Also a big bowl of steamed rice to eat along with the crab.


Gobo won the table prize a bag of Ghirardelli Chocolate Squares which we would have for our dessert.


Oranges and fortune cookies were the dessert for the Crab Feed.


Gordon's sister Judy talking to someone. As the Raffle winners are being announced.


It is still only about 7:30 PM as the crowd leaves, but it is really dark outside.


Some of our table mates with their raffle winnings going home.


Sandra and Gobo heading for the car.

Another meal comes to an end.


~end
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2011 Jan 05 - SunsHins Chinese

2011 Jan 05 - SunsHins Chinese
Stockton, CA

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Today we are not venturing far from home as we are trying out a neighborhood Chinese restaurant in Stockton, the SunsHins. There were suppose to be six (6) of us but here is a late email from one of the Lunch Bunch who will remain nameless:

OK, OK, I messed up! I can't make it to the lunch tomorrow - since
Wednesday is my weekly fishing day, I'm going fishing tomorrow for probably
the last time this season, so "me for sure" is out. I was really looking
forward to it too. Sounds like a good place.

The SunsHins Restaurant is located in the Victory Park neighborhood and in fact the building once housed the Victory Soda Fountain which was a 1950's and 1960's jukebox playing old time teen hang out.
The tule fog is still hanging around here after 11:00 AM


Ken and Patti arriving at the restaurant


Elsa arriving with a B-Day cake since both Patti and I have January birthdays

We take the only table that seats more than four in this small restaurant which does as much Take-Out business as sit down, perhaps even more Take-Out.
This is their biggest table and will seat six

Gobo is the last to arrive and has brought Patti a purse, which she had requested, from his trip to Hawaii back in October.
In the background you can see all but three of the tables inside this place


Patti is opening her new purse

This is the Menu for their Lunch Specials.
You will need to click on the image in order to read it

I actually forgot to take photos as the dishes were being served and missed the delicious bowl of Won Ton soup that is included with the Lunch Specials. So the food photos may be missing some items. :-)

I have the number 5 - Orange Chicken with fried rice a $0.50 extra charge.
This is actually my leftovers that I took home

Ken had the Combination Plate #6 - the Walnut Shrimp is all eaten already.


Patti and Gobo actually had an item not listed. They had Tofu with BBQ Pork. Patti also had broccoli and less pork than Gobo.
Patti holding the Cheese Puff which also comes with the lunch

Elsa had the number 11 - Beef with Broccoli and she opted for the fried rice.


Elsa was nice enough to have stopped on her way to lunch to pick up a Birthday Cake. Not a traditional one but one that was very, very good. That is a vanilla mousse topping and filling topped with fresh berries.

Here is Elsa cutting up the cake.

This is the check for the meals before sales tax and tip. Ken splurged and had a Coke to boot.
Sales tax is 9% and we all left a sizable tip.





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