mmm-yoso!!!

Tahona Bar

A couple of months back, the Missus and I decided to go to Tuetano for our date night. The Missus was wanting to have a drink or two, so we walked on down and took the trolley to Old Town. It's great having the Trolley off Morena. Once we got to Old Town however, the Missus just wasn't "feeling it". She wanted a cocktail. Just then, I recalled reading that a bar specializing in Mezcal, Cocktails, and Oaxaca influenced cuisine had opened a couple of years back in Old Town named Tahona. So, I suggested we check it out.

And while there were some misses with the food; we enjoyed the service, the cocktails, the Mezcal (of course), and the general vibe of the place. So much that we've visited a half dozen times since.

We always get there right after 4pm and on nice days we sit outside and enjoy the fresh air (and heaters). When it's a bit more chilly or drizzly, we'll have a seat in the bar area.

And since there's usually no one there, we'll take the corner table, which has a view of El Santo Campo Cemetery (I included that in a previous post) and the dining room.

While I truly believe that Old Town is trying more than ever to please locals, there's the simple fact that this is a tourist hot spot. And it's quite apparent in some of the dishes. We've stayed away from stuff like the Chips and Salsa and Guacamole.

We tried a few tacos, but all are over $8 for a single taco and while not bad, we know we can get better elsewhere.

Some of the fusiony tacos didn't fare much better. The Tempura Nori "Taco", which used nori as a base was not very enjoyable for us.

This mish-mash of quick to get soggy tempura nori, bland mahi mahi, overly sweet mole, made doubly sweet and salty with unagi sauce, with pickled daikon and carrots - a la do chua was just a mess.

We've tried a couple of other items, like the Empanadas ($16), which got soggy quickly and the smoked tuna was too fishy and salty for the Missus.

And I guess they were trying for a Mediterranean feel by adding that tapenade, which wasn't bad.

On the positive side, we found some dishes we really enjoy here. More on that later.

Because, well, one of the reasons we keep returning are the cocktails.....

  Some of which feature ingredients that include Hoya Santa; which, if you read our Oaxaca posts you know the Missus loves. My current favorite cocktail is the Oaxacan Firing Squad (above) and the Head Ancho (right) which has a nice spicy component to it.

I usually will have one cocktail, then finish with a Mezcal (of course). And when it comes to Mezcal, this place is great. The staff really knows their stuff, in fact, they all seemed to have gone and visited Oaxaca. On our last visit we started chatting with our Server about Boulenc. And once they find out we've been to Oaxaca, do the suggestions start coming! They are quite enthusiastic about their Mezcal and Tequila. In fact, they even got us to try Mezcal Pechuga which was so smooth and smoky. I'm kicking myself for not trying it when we visited Palenque el Cornejo!

And the Missus has found that She has a taste for Tequila Anejo; specifically this one.

As for our favorite dishes at Tahona? Well, there are three we currently order.

We enjoy the Wagyu Aguachile Tostada ($18).

In this case, all of the pieces went together well; from the toothsome, though very beefy flavored grilled wagyu, to the refreshing, not overly sour leche de tigre, which also had a bit of heat to it. The guacamole acts like a cool, calming component, while the pickled veggies and onions add a pungent-sour. The tostada adds a ice maize-crunch to things.

We had wanted to try the Flor de Calabazas Tempura ($18), but they were out on our first two visits. They've had them on subsequent visits and we order it on every visit.

This is another example of somewhat disparate ingredients working well together. The tempura batter adds a nice crispness to the delicate squash blossoms. It seems that it all just melts in your mouth. The earthy eggplant crema gives the dish a smoky heft and the olive oil adds a fruity-rich component.

And the one dish that we luckily ordered on our first visit, the Birria and Bone Marrow ($28).

 The beefy birria partners well with the buttery-rich bone marrow. This version has some great richness and bulk, we favor this more hefty version to the more delicate version at Tuetano. We also order this a specific way. We ask to replace the blue corn tostadas with corn tortillas which has a stronger maize flavor and also want a salsa that has a good "kick", since the birria here can really stand up to it. We enjoy the roasted shishito peppers and the fun "pepper roulette" that it provides.

We enjoy those three dishes above with the cocktails and agave spirits at Tahona. Add in the very friendly and enthusiastic staff, which can overcome the somewhat slower service at times and it's currently on our "date night" rotation. At least until tourist season starts. Though perhaps by arriving at 4pm those crowds can be avoided.

Tahona Bar
2414 San Diego Ave.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Tues - Thurs 4pm - 10pm
Fri - Sat 4pm - 11pm
Sundays 4pm - 10pm

Doing the trolley/bus thing can be beneficial, especially during the slower season. One night, we walked into El Santo Campo Cemetery.

We saw three young men walk into the cemetery with these strange looking lights, meters, and gear. We started chatting with them. Turns out they are Ghost Hunters! The Missus who is usually quite reserved with strangers started chatting them up! Apparently, they are from Vista and were spending a couple of nights in Old Town. They had spent the previous night at the Whaley House. And when the Missus asked if they had seen anything, they shared a video they recorded on some strange lights and the meters blinking and stuff. You gotta love it!

One evening, we walked over to Casa de Reyes, which can be crazy busy during peak season and times. But on this evening, there was a duo playing music, folks just kicking back and enjoying things and a group of folks dancing! It was adorable!

And for some reason, because we were walking just like we do in some of our favorite cities, it felt like we were on vacation.

While sipping that Mezcal, I closed my eyes and while I was actually sitting there in Old Town, my mind was many, many, miles away.....

Thanks for stopping by!

Takeout from Village Kitchen (Again)

I was recently referred to as a "Debbie downer" in the comments section of one of my posts. Which I actually thought was funny. So, perhaps for a change of pace, here's a more "positive" post! 

The Missus hasn't really been wanting Chinese food since we got back from Paris. We found a Sichuan restaurant that served simple, but really enjoyable food. We liked it so much that we ate there three times in two weeks! Go figure. But, on one of our "date night" dinners at EE Nami, we passed Village Kitchen and the Missus stopped as said "maybe we should get takeout from here soon". Which is how I found myself ordering takeout one evening.

The really nice woman who remembers me from when she used to be at Kangxi is Coming was working. She's always been so nice to us and was happy to see me. 

I went and ordered three dishes, two oldies but goodies, and because a favorite of the Missus, the La Rou with Cucumber Skin in no longer on the menu, something a bit different that I saw. The woman told me it "was good to come and order" because of the extra fees involved with online ordering.

In case you're keeping score, from left to right, the first two items are the Preserved Radish Skin with La Rou, the Eggplant and Green Chili with Preserved Egg, items which we've ordered many times before. On the right is the Baby Bamboo Shoots with Minced Pork.

The Preserved Radish Skin with Hunan Smoked Pork was quite good, perhaps the best rendition we'd had from VK to this date.

Nice crunchy dried radish, with smoky and surprisingly tender La Rou, nicely stir fried, not greasy, decent spice. This was quite nice.

The Eggplant and Green Chili with Preserved Egg was my least favorite dish of the evening as I felt it was on the greasy side.

The Missus enjoyed all the pidan hidden under the mashed eggplant.

The big surprise was the Baby Bamboo with Minced Pork.

This dish also featured preserved vegetable, which added a nice sour-salty flavor to the dish. Great earthy-soy flavors with a mild spice, this is a new favorite of ours.

We were pleasantly surprised at how much we enjoyed this takeout meal. We'd been doing takeout from Village Kitchen quite often in recent years and this might have been the best yet.

So, a week later, guess what the Missus wanted? It was indeed "rinse and repeat". And wouldn't you know it, we thought that this was even better than what we'd had previously.

Take a look at the Baby Bamboo dish, man, it was nice and spicy this time around!

   They sure didn't short us on the chilies did they? And more preserved vegetable which just lifted the dish in my opinion. Great smokiness to the dish, perfect amount of soy and sodium flavors.

The eggplant was better this time as well, less greasy, the mashed and melt-in-your mouth eggplant was quite good. There was definitely more spice in this as well. The Missus loved this.

And to top things off, the radish skin with la rou was better as well! There was much more smoked pork this time, the radish skin was so nice and crisp, this was quite enjoyable.

   Not sure who was cooking on this day, but I'm hoping the person will always be there on my visits! And the dishes really brought some heat this time around....maybe it was a new delivery of chilies? The one a sat next to while waiting for my takeout?

We go back a way with Village Kitchen to when they first opened. It seemed like the place had hit a rut for a while and was inconsistent. But while there were differences in the dishes for these two meals, they were both good. Here's hoping that this is how things will be from here on out!

Village Kitchen
4720 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

Road Trip - The Winslow Arts Trust (The La Posada Museum), More La Posada, and Dinner at the Turquoise Room

After taking a short break watching the trains go by, we walked over to the area next to the hotel that was once the railroad depot to visit the La Posada Museum, also known as the Winslow Arts Trust Museum.

The Museum goes thru much of the history of Winslow with regards to Route 66, the Railroad, and Native American history and heritage in the area.

We enjoyed our short visit. Especially the menus and items from various Harvey Hotels and restaurants; especially the menus.

How does Thanksgiving Dinner for $2 sound????

Of course travel by car spelled the demise of railroad traffic and the planning of the I-40 meant that Route 66 was going to be bypassed. This foretold the end of an era and the demise of the La Posada.

We enjoyed our little trip back in time and contemplated all these changes as we took one last lap around the grounds of La Posada before checking on our room.

I must admit that Allan Affeldt and his wife Tina Mion have done a wonderful job restoring the hotel, with classic Spanish and Mission Revival Architecture designed by Mary Colter (for those interested, I've been reading this Biography/Coffee Table book about Mary Colter) having gone as far as trying to track down the original furniture. And there are some artistic touches as well.

We really enjoyed exploring, even though some of the art of Tina Mion, which displayed everywhere is not quite to our taste.

By this time, our room was ready. All the rooms are named after different celebrities who have stayed at La Posada. The one we stayed in was the Roddy McDowell (you remember him, right?) room. 

Of course while going to our room the Missus had a peek in this one which was being cleaned....

Guess where She wants to stay next time?

We also enjoyed all the historic photos in the hotel.

And of you want even more about the La Posada, here's a wonderful, albeit abridged (the long version can be found playing in the hotel lobby) video that features Allan Affeldt. 

Once in our room, we rested up before heading to dinner at the Turquoise Room.

We had early reservations for dinner and were seated promptly. We had really enjoyed lunch at the Turquoise Room on our previous trip to the area and was quite excited to see what was on the menu.

Service was very professional and welcoming. Looking over the menu, the Missus was a bit sad to see that the Lamb Pozole She enjoyed so much for lunch wasn't available. Still, a version of the salad we had enjoyed last time was. We split the Arizona Grown Vegan Salad ($20).

Loved the variety of textures, from crisp kale "chips", to wonderful, almost sweet thinly sliced jicama, the perfectly cooked beans, sweetness from the carrots and green beans, earthy quinoa. We really enjoy this salad.

The Missus surprised me by ordering the Grilled Chicken Breast with Tomatillo Sauce and Tamale ($25)

This was a "airline" chicken breast; which means a boneless breast with the drumette attached. Except for katsu, we almost never order chicken breast when dining out, but this was a n excellent choice. The chicken was moist and tender. I'm thinking that it might have been quickly brined because of the texture of the flesh and the nice flavor which permeated the chicken. The black beans were ono! 

I got the "Wild-Wild" Platter ($40). This was not cheap, but we really enjoyed it.

Man, that fried quail was so tasty as was the toothsome but nicely gamy Colorado Venison Medallion. The black current sauce really supported the flavor of the venison. The pork, venison, and bison chili that topped the tamale was quite good as well. Though the tamale itself was really dry and lacking in flavor.

We really enjoyed our meal and the service. 

Turquoise Room (in the La Posada Hotel)
303 E 2nd St.
Winslow, AZ 86047

Man, our last three dinners at Joseph's Culinary Pub, Geronimo, and the Turquoise Room were all good. We were three for three!

After dinner, we decided to take a nice stroll around Winslow.

And of course we had to Stand on that Corner again!

We enjoyed our stroll. It was a nice way to end our little road trip. I'm hoping to return again soon!

Thanks for joining us on our little foray to Mesa Verde and Santa Fe, with our stops in Durango, Gallup, and Winslow!

Take it easy everyone!

Road Trip - Nochi Bakery (Gallup NM), a Story About Gallup N.M., and we Arrive at La Posada (Winslow, AZ)

We had a wonderful night of sleep after our dinner at Geronimo and woke refreshed. Sadly, we needed to leave on this morning. So we had a light breakfast at the hotel, drove to Whole Foods and bought up more of those Red and Green Chile Peanut Brittle and hit the road. Our next destination was a visit back to Winslow and this time we were actually staying the night at La Posada. We drove down the 25 thru Albuquerque and then west on the I-40. By the time we got to Gallup it was time for a break.

It was a pretty quiet Tuesday when we drove into town and parked. We walked around a bit stretching our legs after an almost 4 hour drive from Santa Fe and enjoyed all the public art.

While strolling along Route 66, we noticed a Filipino Bakery, in Gallup!

With a tight little menu of Siopao, Lumpia, and sandwiches....here in Gallup!

I decided to get something small to eat and ordered a Siopao, then some coffee at the next counter. We noticed what looked like a Filipino Market right next door....

And took a quick look while waiting for my steamed bun.

Which was ready when we walked back thru the doorway. We had a seat, and I had my light lunch.

The pork siopao was not bad.

 The bread was fluffy, slightly moist, a bit on the sweet side but that's to be expected. The filling wasn't too sweet, nice savory tones. Overall, a bit heavy in the bread versus the filling, but this wasn't bad at all.

Heck, I've had worse in San Diego!

The really nice and friendly young lady working the register me their family is originally from LA....now in Gallup of all places.

Nochi Bakery
107 W Highway 66
Gallup, New Mexico 87301

We took our time strolling back to our car.

While driving over the train tracks back to the I-40 West, I crossed over on the Miyamura overpass. Of course, the name got my attention. So, when I got back home I did that Google thing and found that the overpass (and a school in Gallup) is named for Medal of Honor recipient Hiroshi Miyamura who was born in Gallup. His parents were Japanese immigrants. Something I read in the Wikipedia post led me down a rabbit hole. When FDR signed Executive Order 9066 all persons of Japanese ancestry on the west coast were to be placed in internment camps. Cities not on the coast were given the option to do this or not. Gallup's citizens with the strong support of the Sheriff, Michael Mollica did not detain their Japanese-American citizens, the only town in New Mexico to do this! Here's more in the words of Hiroshi Miyamura himself, who passed away in November of last year:

The Only Town in New Mexico - Hiroshi Miyamura from Autry Media on Vimeo.

And more here if you're interested.

Once on the 40 west, it was a nice two hour drive into Winslow. Having been to this little town of around 10,000 before made finding our destination a snap. We had enjoyed our lunch at the Turquoise Room and checking out the La Posada Hotel on previous visit so much, that we decided to stay here for the night. We arrived and our room wasn't quite ready yet, so we headed out to explore the grounds of this historic hotel.

The La Posada has quite a history, a product of the Fred Harvey Company which built hotels all along major rail lines, allowing for passengers to spend a night and relax, or partake of the food in the restaurants manned by the Harvey Girls. Another familiar name associated with the La Posada is Mary Colter, who also designed the Desert Watchtower and was one of the few female architects of her time. In many ways this was to be considered her crown jewel. Unfortunately, the hotel opened right at the start of the great depression and remained open for only 27 years.

The La Posada was gutted and all the furnishings sold off. The building then became the offices for the Satna Fe Railroad. Finally, in a state of disrepair, threatened with demolition, Allan Affeldt and his wife Tina Mion bought the property and set about restoring it to its former glory.

And it is something to see. We spent a good two hours just exploring the halls and the grounds of the hotel.

Along with all of the quite "interesting art" of Tina Mion.

Over the years many celebrities have stayed at the La Posada.

Though I'm still trying to figure out who "Needles the Wonder Dog" was.

We were enjoying wandering around the property. Trains go right past the back of the hotel grounds.

And if you'd like to relax and watch them go by....well, that's easy to do as well.

We were really enjoying our own little "tour" of La Posada and were only about half way done!

I'll get to the rest in my next post!

Thanks for stopping by!  

HitH - Fast Times

After my post on revisiting Farmer's Table, I decided to do more posts on places within walking distance of our home. So, I decided to do a H(angin') i(n) t(he) 'H(ood) revisit to Fast Times. I went and looked for my original post on Fast Times and I couldn't find one. What the heck? I did eat at Fast Times when they first replaced Coastal Crave in the neighborhood, but I guess I never did that post. I remember one old timer at FT told me that the classic Fast Times at Ridgemont High was based on Clairemont High School. And according to this Mental Floss post it was. In fact, you might find this article interesting as well. Anyway, I guess I never did that post. I recall coming up with the moniker "TGI Fast Times", as the food really reminded me of stuff you'd get one of those Chain Bars. Well since I never did that post, I'm thinking I'd better catch up here 6 years down the line.

It's kind of part sports bar, neighborhood hang out, upper level dive bar, with live music a couple nights a week. There seem to be a great many regulars here.  Some very "interesting" folks!

There's a dozen brews on tap, nothing fancy or exotic mind you, but a solid selection ranging from, yep, Bud Light to stuff by Harland and Societe.

I had a .394 on this visit.

I recall that the one item I had actually thought was decent on my visits way back when were of all things, just simple Tater Tots, which by todays pricing is a bargain at 4 bucks.

Served with ketchup and ranch dressing; these were light and crisp outside with a creamy interior. Just the way they should be.

Another item I recalled from those visits of yore was the reason I called this place "TGI Fast Times" were the Potato Skins ($11). Sadly, this dish hasn't aged well.

The potatoes had been sliced down the center; I'm guessing to aid in the cooking, but it made the potatoes, which were now like large potato wedges quite dry and hard. In fact, this was really salty and dry.

I knew I should do at least one more visit, but wasn't quite sure what to get. One Saturday, I walked on over to Sprouts to do some quick shopping and noticed that Fast Times was open. The place opens at 11am on Saturdays and Sundays. I suddenly recalled seeing a certain dish on the menu for "brunch". Here it is....

 Yep, it's a Loco Moco ($12)....well make that a "loco moco" with those quotation marks. First off, it's topped with bacon, which ain't a bad thing...since of course there are some good locos that have fried rice with stuffs like Portuguese Sausage.....the bacon was a tad overcooked, but heck, at least it was crisp. The item that really threw me off was the slices of toast. This was a new one for me. Which led me to send a Tweet -" Question. Is toast a legit Mac Salad replacement on a locomoco? Methinks not!" It was just kind of odd as there was already rice.

As for the rest? Well, the burger was very lean and dry, the gravy tasted like it came from a "bottle/can", though the egg while a bit overdone was acceptable. Though I'm still fixated on the toast.

Still, I'm thinking that the majority of folks aren't coming to Fast Times for a gourmet experience; they are doing what we call "pau hana time" back home, socializing, hanging out with friends, coming for the nights when there's live music. And to be perfectly honest, I much prefer Fast Times to Farmers Table, just for the unpretentious, neighborhood vibe and the prices which are quite reasonable at this local Watering Hole-Sports Bar-Neighborhood Hang Out.  During my visits, it seems that the customer base skews a bit older, but perhaps it's because of when I've visited. There's also some interesting little things I've noticed during my visits. For instance, Fast Times has QR code coasters with menus on each table and on the bar, but they automatically give you a paper menu! I've never seen anyone (but me) who has actually used the QR codes!

You gotta love places like these!

Fast Times
3065 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Mon - Thurs 3pm - 9pm
Friday 3pm - 11pm
Saturday 11am - 11pm
Sunday 11am - 8pm

Mike's Red Tacos (Clairemont)

I recently had to run some errands and was in the area near Genesee and Balboa. In need of some lunch I decided to give Mike's Red Tacos a try...or make that another try. You see, I paid several visits to the truck when it was parked on Morena and was rather unimpressed. The truck was super popular, especially since birria had taken the US by storm....one of those food fads. I was interested to see if the birria (and consomme) at the newish brick and mortar shop would be better.

Mike's occupies the former location of Wings Republic which I visited once, but had such a lousy meal that I never returned, nor ever did a post.

The young ladies working the front were very nice and cheerful. I ordered the #2 combo which came with chips and consomme. My order was ready fairly quickly and I made sure to grab some salsa from the salsa bar before heading home.

Arriving home I opened things up and proceeded to dig in.

  First thing I did was take a sip of the consomme. Which, sadly is the same as it was from the truck. Weak in flavor, greasy tongue feel, in my opinion only good for moistening your taco. The birria itself is a bit better than what I'd had on my visits to the truck. It is less stringy and more tender though still not quite as beefy as I enjoy.

Strangely, my favorite item were the chips as they were crisp, had a nice maize-ness to them, and were well dusted with seasoning.

   I did enjoy the salsa rojo which had a nice spice and a kick of citrus. The tortillas this time around did not hold up as well, they started to tear as I picked my tacos up. These tacos just aren't beefy-savory-spicy (without the salsas) enough with that flavor which dances with a hint of smokiness from dried chilies. Like I've said before, to me this is "birria not to offend".

And before you say "look at Kirk, he's going to pull the Fernandez card again", let me just stay in the area and say I prefer the birria (and consomme) from El Viejon. And KennethB, I do wish Emily's was still open!

For now, I'm going to head further down to Convoy, if I'm not checking out Fernanadez or other places for birria. That said, Mike's seems to have improved a bit, but not enough to stop me from looking for other options in the area.

   Please check out Soo's post on Mike's as well.

Mike's Red Tacos
4310 Genesee Ave. Suite 104
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Sun - Thurs 11am - 930pm
Fri - Sat 11am - 1030pm

Sunday Sandwiches - Siesel's Old Fashioned Meats

Siesel's is a fairly regular stop for me these days. Admittedly, I used to drop by every so often for ham hocks (I really like theirs - it's a key ingredient for my Portuguese Bean Soup) or some bit of higher quality red meat (usually not for Asian dishes), heck I've even bought stuff from what I call the "frozen protein zoo". But, ever since the Pandemic began I've been shopping there more often. I've found several specialty grocery items I used to get from the now closed Bristol Farms at Siesel's and on recent visits some of the produce looked quite good as well!

On a recent visit, I was a bit hungry and passed the Deli Counter. I then recalled Cathy's post from over a decade ago and realized that even though I've been to most of the sandwich places in the area, I had never given a sandwich from Siesel's a shot.

   I perused the menu where prices range from $7.99 to $10.99 for sandwiches. Siesel's sells Dietz and Watson products and that's what they use for their sandwiches as well. The gentleman behind the counter saw me checking out the menu, came over and apologized. Apparently, they had just raised prices of all sandwiches by a dollar that week

I had noticed the "specialty sandwich" was named after the Fire Company right across the street; Station 25. The folks working there are so nice, you always see them greeting people, giving dogs treats, oogling babies, and they are an integral part of the Bay Park community. So, I decided to order the Station 25 ($10.99). I also got a small bag of chips as well. I then went and got the grocery items I needed before circling back to the counter to pick up my sandwich which was ready.

It felt quite hefty.

It was a large sandwich on a nicely toasted "French" Roll.

   So, as you can see, there was a lot going on here! From the three meats, Hot Ham (Capicola), Turkey, and Bacon. The "Buffalo" Cheddar was actually a good match in this protein laden sandwich as it added a bit of spice. Loved the sprouts and avocado. The triple threat of sauces, chipotle mayo, mustard, and D&Ws oil-vinegar "hoagie sauce" was a bit too much. I'd probably go without the mustard next time.

This ended up being two meals for me. Gone are the days when I could polish off a large sandwich like this in one sitting. 

This was a decent sandwich and with pricing these days worth the price.

I had to do some shopping a few days later, so I decided to try another sandwich. I went with the Cuban ($9.99).

  I definitely didn't expect anything like what I've had at other places, heck, this is served on the "French" Roll! Sadly, it seems that they forgot to toast the roll. This bread overloaded sandwich also had way too much of the mustard-mayo based sauce. 

Unlike the Station25, this didn't seem like a good value.

This past weekend, I stopped by and decided to grab yet another sandwich. This time I went with the "Rudy" ($9.99). Man, this was another hefty sandwich.

I'm not a big fan of "deli chicken", because it usually doesn't have flavor and is dry. This version sports D&Ws "Buffalo Chicken" which actually has some flavor and was moist and tender. I loved the flavor of the sourdough, but it didn't hold up well on the short trip home. There's pepperjack cheese and peperocini which added some nice "zip". Avocado, lettuce, tomato, and mayo rounds out the sandwich. This was pretty good. I'll probably get this again without the mayo and eat it on the premises.

Overall, I prefer the sandwiches here to the typical supermarket stuff. The prices, at least for these days aren't bad, and some of the sandwiches are quite generous in size. It's good to have yet another option in the area. And convenient for when I need to do some shopping at Siesel's. Not sure why I didn't do this earlier.....

Siesel's Old Fashioned Meats
4131 Ashton St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Hours:
Mon - Sat 9am - 7pm
Sunday 9am - 6pm

 

Road Trip - Dinner at Geronimo (Santa Fe, NM)

We took a short break after our day of hiking and exploring. Our room was very comfortable, I'm sure we'll stay here again next time.

For our "special" meal in Santa Fe, I had originally wanted Sazon, but due to the chef recently winning the James Beard Best Chef Southwest (2022), I just wasn't able to get reservations. So I searched around a bit and saw Geronimo mentioned on many lists. And I managed to make reservations with no problem. 

And deciding to make the 20 minute walk up (and then down) artsy Canyon Road would turn out to be a lot of fun. The street is full of historic adobe houses, most of which have been turned into art galleries. 

Canyon Road is made for strolling, exploring and enjoying all the art.

   I'm glad we headed out early as we spent a good amount of time checking out various galleries and all the wonderful art!

My favorite by far is "Peace Offering" by the late Walt Horton, in which a squirrel offers up an acorn to a sweet looking and curious bear. It looks so wonderfully adorable. You can't help but smile when you see it!

Geronimo is located in a historic 250 year old building. The namesake of the restaurant is not who you think it would be, but rather it is named for Geronimo Lopez who was the house's original owner.

While many folks were seated on the veranda, we chose seats in the warm and classy dining room.

The service was excellent, the perfect mix of efficient professionalism without being snobby or intrusive. Things got off on the right foot with a glass of Champagne.

After perusing the menu; the Missus decided on the four course Vegetarian Tasting Menu  ($80) with a wine pairing ($90). I decided to order two appetizers and a side for my meal.

The Missus's first course was a nice Endive Salad.

Nice peppery-bitterness from the endive, I thought the onion vinaigrette had a good pungent-sweet balance.

Up for me was the Wagyu Beef Carpaccio ($30).

Man, this was so good. The clean, almost sweet slices of Wagyu Beef went so well with the bitter-nutty arugula. The shreds of Parmesan added salty milkiness, while the classic addition of capers provided the right amount of a pickled sour and salt. The herb oil really wasn't needed, but the mustard horseradish sauce was just perfect on this.

Next up for the Missus was the Wild Mushroom and Sherry Bisque.

    In what was a very classy move, I was brought out a cup of the bisque as well since I had to wait for my next course! Super cool! The bisque was decadently smooth and velvety, but the Missus said there wasn't enough earthy mushroom flavor for Her. Of course, She's become quite the mushroom soup snob.

Since I hadn't expected a course, I had ordered an Old Fashioned, which was quite delish.

Next up for me....why I ordered appetizers part 2, the Foie Gras ($30).

   Perfectly seared , this wiggly slice of heaven was delici-yoso, with the duck demiglace adding another layer of rich-savory flavor. The "French Toast" teetered on the sweeter side, but the foie gras nicely brought it back to earth.

I also got a side of Broccolini ($10) which was nicely cooked, because....well, I needed something that actually looked healthy, you know what I mean?

The Missus's next dish was the Risotto. 

Nice basil tones and that Parmesan infusion went so well with the peppery-citrusy flavored arborio rice. The artichokes and asparagus were delicious. But, as is often the case with risotto, some of the rice was still on the hard and chewy side. Still, great flavors overall.

The Missus enjoyed Her dessert, the Meyer Lemon Crepe.

  This was a nice meal, with classy, yet warm and unstuffy service, and worth the price in our mind. The Missus enjoyed the wine pairing. It was a great way to end our time in Santa Fe.

Geronimo
724 Canyon Rd.
Santa Fe, NM 87501

We headed back down Canyon Road and ran into one of the two couples (the one without the pooch) we saw during our hike. They recognized us first and said hello. We all cracked up! They were headed to Geronimo and we told them that they'd enjoy there meal there. We hope they did.

Ambling back to the hotel, in the light of the "golden hour" (the sun doesn't set until after 7pm in September), admiring all the art, gave us time to reflect on how lucky we were to be able to dine at places like Geronimo and enjoy cities like Santa Fe.

And "Peace Offering" will always bring a smile to my face!