mmm-yoso!!!

Road Trip - Lunch at Vinaigrette, San Felipe de Neri Catholic Church, and a Revisit to Kitsune ABQ (Albuquerque)

After spending the morning at Petroglyph National Monument, we headed back to our accommodations to freshen up. It was getting kinda warm so we wanted something on the lighter side. I had Vinaigrette on my list during our previous visit to Santa Fe and recalled that they had a ABQ location as well. Turns out that the restaurant was just a 15 minute walk from the hotel. Plus, we'd be walking thru Old Town and could take our time and explore a bit on the walk back.

The place was almost full when we arrived, but we got the last table outdoor table.

We were glad to get that table as the only outdoor seating still available was this.....I wonder if folks actually sit here?

As you can tell by the name, Vinaigrette specializes in various categories of salads; savory, sweet, "balanced", and so forth, along with some sandwiches and a few sides and soup.

I wanted something refreshing, so I ordered a concoction called the "Pepino", which featured cucumber and lime juice, along with club soda.

This was quite refreshing and not overly sweet.

We also ordered the Kale Fritters.

We enjoyed the crunchiness and earthy tones of the fritters, which went surprisingly well with the Sriracha Aioli. It was a tad on the salty side of things, but was not a bad dish overall.

The Missus got the "Omega".

This was mostly lettuce and really didn't have as much kale as the Missus would have liked. She thought the toasted pine nuts would be great in a salad, though it really clashed with the provided Blue Cheese Vinaigrette. The avocado was just one small piece. This salad needed more acidity added to really balance out all those greens.

I got the Spinach Mushroom which was a much better choice for our tastes.

The earthy, slightly sweet sauteed mushrooms, with savory bacon, and a slightly sweet-sour honey-balsamic vinaigrette was a nice combination. I wish there were a bit more onions for pungency and more boiled eggs to keep the Missus happy, but this was not bad.

The staff was very friendly, the crowd....well, as you can figure, very hipster-healthy-ish. Still, we didn't want anything too heavy and this did the trick....at least for me.

Vinaigrette
828 Central Ave. SW
Albuquerque, NM 87104

After lunch we took our time strolling back to the hotel. There seemed to be more businesses open on this day, but things were still really quiet.

We enjoyed wandering thru the various patios.

There was a definite charm to this place.....

While we had stopped to look at the Cottonwood Madonna the previous day, we had just walked past the San Felipe de Neri Catholic Church.

There has been a church on this site since Albuquerque was founded. The original church collapsed in 1792 and San Felipe de Neri Church was founded in 1793.

There's a museum and gift shop located in the Sister Blandina Convent onsite.

And of course the Cottonwood Madonna.

And if you want to read even more about the Cottonwood Madonna, you can read more here.

As interesting as San Felipe de Neri Catholic Church was, I found something even more interesting down this patio.

As we were looking at various shops, something caught my eye.

So I walked on in.

It was a beautiful little chapel.

This is the Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

It has an interesting story and is even said to be haunted.

We enjoyed strolling around Old Town.

We got back to the hotel and relaxed until it was time to head out for dinner. I had made reservations at a nearby Wine Bar & Bistro, but when we walked over our reservations our reservations were MIA. The place was quite busy and we didn't want to wait so we decided to head on back to Kitsune.

And ordered our food and had a seat in the back patio this time.

I found out that the cocktail that was made for me the night before was called the "Autumn" and featured Blue Corn Whiskey.

Smoky, but not overly sweet.

Of course we got the Karaage.

Which was just a good as the previous night.

And we also got the Pork Belly Rice "Bowl".

The rice on this evening was much better than what we had the previous night; though I'm not sure about that mayo. The pork belly was a bit more chewy than I like, but the seaoning and sauce was pretty good; not overly sweet. The pickled onions handled the palate cleansing duties well.

Not bad for two nights in a row.

Kitsune ABQ
524 Romero St. NW
Albuquerque, NM 87104

We then walked on back to the hotel. On the way back, we stopped at a shop and got some liquid refreshment and a snack.

And sat on the porch and watched the action below.

We went to sleep early as we'd be headed out to Pecos National Historical Park , then it was off to Santa Fe in the morning!

Mabel's Gone Fishing - A Quick Look

The Missus had been wanting to check out Mabel's Gone Fishing for a while and after learning the restaurant had earned Michelin Bib Gourmand status, well we just had to visit. Of course, first one had to get a table and because of the accolades getting a reservation was a bit difficult, but eventually, we managed to snag some reservations for an al fresco table on bustling 30th street. While the tables were tiny, we enjoyed watching how excited pooches were going to Dexter's Deli, the "Health Food" pet store across the street.

The seafood focused menu is heavily Iberian-influenced, which really excited us as we've always enjoyed the food and ingredients of the Iberian Peninsula/Coast. It was nice to see Jamon Iberico Bellota, but at $42 a plate....and well, the very nice Server didn't understand when I asked if it was "Pata Negra", the really good stuff I always get when visiting Spain, so we decided to pass.

The menu is designed for sharing which we love, and we got 3 small plates and 2 larger sharing plates. I started with the "G and T of the Month".

Which was clean and refreshing if a bit weak in the Gin department.

The staff was very friendly, even though the place filled quickly.

The first dish up was the Stuffed Piquillos ($16). 

In spite of having bacalao, this dish was quite bland. The peppers lacked the smoky-slightly bitter sweetness with a light touch of "heat" that I'm used to with piquillos. As mentioned earlier, the bacalao with breadcrumbs was really bland. I mean, we had four meals with bacalhau in Lisbon and I would never ever call anything I had there "bland" or in need of salt like these were.

Next up was the Mussels Escabeche ($14).

   First off, the grilled sourdough was fantastic, texturally and in taste. As for the mussels, well the shellfish was tender enough, but the "escabeche" was really weak. I'm used to a good acidic, flavorful escabeche, the addition of paprika for smokiness, more points for garlicky-oniony tones, all of which seemed to be missing here. To be honest, any number of tinned mussels from Tunaville (post upcoming) would be more enjoyable to us then this. But heck, that sourdough was good on its own. On a positive note, this brought back wonderful memories of our lunch at Michelin starred Bell's in Los Alamos, so I went ahead and made reservations. We got yet another road trip coming up!

I was curious about the Smoked Potatoes ($18), since I make versions of smoked potatoes at home.

This was not very pleasing. The potatoes were slightly smoky, really hard in texture, and not seasoned enough. Not sure about the katsuobushi since instead of adding a nice savory component, it brought fishiness to the dish. I think having more smokiness, cooking to where the interior is creamy and the exterior of the potatoes crisp, and seasoning well would do the trick.

At this point in time there was a rather long pause for our mains. I decided to order an Old Fashioned which was quite good.

It was about a 30-minute wait for our larger plates.

The Clam Toast ($26) was up next. And like the mussels the toast was the star of this plate as well.

The clams were decently cooked, though there was a bit of grit. The basil and tomatoes added brightness to the dish, but there wasn't enough of it.  We actually tore up the basil so the flavors could be more spread out in the dish. We enjoyed the red pepper, but the dish could have used more in terms of salt and pepper.

Last up was the Grilled Prawns ($28).

This dish could really have been a winnah; the prawns were a tad overcooked, but the flesh was still sweet, and those heads were perfect for imbibing (aka sucking). Below the prawns was crispy (hard) rice but not enough juice, sauce, or anything to really add flavor to the rice.

In the end, we loved the sourdough. In fact, the Missus is wanting me to visit Secret Sister to get some for Her. It's tough when my two favorite things about a meal is the bread and the Old Fashioned.

The service was very nice, the pacing a bit off, and the food...well, if this visit were in those days of yore, when I would always do multiple visits before doing a post (which I still require for myself for more inexpensive places) these photos would have never seen the "light of day". But things have changed over the last couple of years. As it is, I don't see us returning to Mabel's.

Sad because the Missus was really looking forward to our meal here.

For a different view of Mabel's you can read Soo's post here.

Mabel's Gone Fishing
3770 30th St.
San Diego, CA 92104
Hours:
Tues - Fri 4pm - 10pm
Saturday 10am - 2pm, 4pm - 10pm
Sunday 10am - 2pm

Los Angeles - Far Bar, the Star Alliance Lounge (LAX), and Royale Laurel Class on EVA Air

After dinner at Sushi Enya we took a stroll around Japanese Village Plaza.

And wandered in and out of some of the shops in the area.

We also passed by the now closed Sushi Komasa with brown paper taped over the windows. We felt a tinge of sadness as Komasa had always been a favorite of ours. In fact, my second post, way back in May of 2005 was on Sushi Komasa.

Little Tokyo seems to be thriving as the place was pretty busy, even on a Tuesday night.

Passing places like Kouraku, the first place I recall seeing plastic Japanese food brought a smile to our faces.

And seeing places like Fugetsu-do always bring back nice memories.

It was a bit too early to head back to our room and hit the hay, so we decided to grab a cocktail. There's a place called Far Bar that occupies the iconic location of Far East Chop Suey which has it's own long history in Little Tokyo.

Man, it's been ages since I'd been in this building! I recall the mezzanine as a place where the Missus and I saw parties taking place the two times we ate here a zillion years ago.

The folks working here are very nice and laid back. The Missus had the Jade Empire and I had the La Luna y el Sol, which featured La Luna Mezcal and Aperol. 

Not overly stiff, quite easy to drink.

We also decided to have something small to snack on and went with the Maneki Tots because, well you know we weren't going to have any rolls and it's never a bad time to have some tater tots.

 

This was actually not bad. The tots were fried nicely, the bacon crisp, the braised pork a bit too sweet, the wasabi mayo added a nice zip, but the spicy mayo was a bit of overkill. Kind of a lot going on here, but what was I to expect with stuff like various sushi rolls, pozole ramen, salmon pasta, shiitake miso burgers, among others on the menu?

We liked the folks working and had a nice, relaxing end to our day.

Far Bar
347 1st St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012

We headed back to our room to catch some shut eye. Just like the last time we stayed at the Miyako Hotel our room overlooked 1st street. And just like that time, we could see the unending line outside Daikokuya.

Our flight the next day was scheduled to leave at just past noon, the flight was going to be almost 14 hours, so we decided to fly in EVA's Royal Class, which meant we had lounge access. Which ended up being a blessing since our flight ended up being delayed.

The Star Alliance Lounge was quite empty and peaceful when we arrived.

It would fill up rather quickly soon after, but by then we were ensconced on the porch area.

Which had a view of Terminal B.

 It was basically standard breakfast fare when we arrived, so we just had some coffee, tea, and water.

What was fun was watching the robot "bus boy" do its rounds!

While walking back from the restroom a gentleman had a chat with me. Turns out it was the lounge manager, a really nice guy. I mentioned his "bus boy" and he cracked up and said, "you should hear it sing Happy Birthday in one of about a hundred different languages!"

He also mentioned that I should give the "noodle bar a try, it starts at 1030". And since the lounge staff had just announced our flight was delayed, that's what I did.

Folks rushed the bar when it opened. I got a bowl with the vegetarian pho broth.

Very salty, but I enjoyed the veggies.

Soon enough, it was time to board. The service on EVA is wonderful. The Missus loved the Jason Wu designed pajamas which can be kept and also the Ferragamo amenity kit.

I loved the lie flat seats with a decent amount of space; but wasn't quite sold on the Hello Kitty themed pillows....

Like I mentioned earlier, EVA's service is well regarded and at least based on this trip well deserved. Our meals were also among the best we've had on a flight.

I usually avoid seafood on flights, but that octopus in the salad was so tender.

And the breakfast porridge was also quite good.

Most importantly, being able to get some rest on our flight really makes a difference as we can be awake and alert when we land and can adjust to things quickly.

Our flight departed late, but the pilots made up time in the sir and we arrived at Taoyuan Airport just an half hour late. We then found the MRT to Taipei Main Station and our time in Taiwan had started!

Thanks for stopping by!

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!

Paris (2022) - Musée d'Histoire de la Médecine, Au Petit Versailles du Marais, Dinner at Pirouette, and Some Revisits

After enjoying our croissant at Square Samuel-Paty, I took a look at the time. It was perfect; the museum we wanted to visit, The Musée d'Histoire de la Médecine would be opening in five minutes. We headed on over the two blocks to Paris Descartes University and was instantly confused. I quickly stepped into the local tabac shop and the really nice gentleman pointed me in the right direction. The museum is located on the second floor of the College of Surgery.

The first floor features statues of well known practitioners of medicine. In fact, if you look at this painting.....

And then the accompanying "guide", you might recognize some names.

The building itself is quite impressive. It was  build between 1769 and 1775 by Architect Jacques Gondouin and was the original location of the Medical School which was founded in 1803.

For us, the main focus was the collection of medical instruments. The museum is famous for having the bag and tools of François Carlo Antommarchi which was used for the autopsy of Napoleon Bonaparte. 

I think I'll leave the verbiage here; you'll be able to figure out what all these medical instruments tools were used for. Some are fairly cringe worthy.

And while not quite as enjoyable as the Surgeons' Hall Museums in Edinburgh, this was an interesting stop.

And was well worth the 4 Euro entrance fee.

Musée de l'Histoire de la Médecine
12 Rue de l'École de Médecine
75006 Paris, France

This was back in May and it was a beautiful day.

On the way back to our accommodation, the Missus wanted to stop by what She called a "nice café" that She had enjoyed the previous day when I was taking the baguette class, so we headed on over to Au Petit Versailles du Marais. I cracked up when I saw the sign....

The Missus didn't understand why I cracked up. I told Het look at the sign, it says "Christian Vabret, Meilleur Ouvrier de France". She said "So....." And I had to explain "think of it this way, it's competition for the best in France in different categories." Once you win you hold the title for life. So you found the Boulangerie of a "master". And all by accident.

The Missus then told me; "I was wondering why all these tour groups were stopping by this place while I was enjoying my pastry and coffee.....it was so annoying!"

You gotta love it.

It's a lovely little shop with many temptations.

The Missus made Her selection and we both got coffee.....

And the Missus really enjoyed Her treat!

Au Petit Versailles du Marais
1 Rue Tiron
75004 Paris, France

We then headed back to the apartment for a nice little break. We decided to have dinner nearby. I had read some good reviews on Restaurant Pirouette which was basically a block from where we were staying, so we decided to see if we would be able to grab an early dinner there. Since it was fairly early, there were outdoor tables available.

We ordered 1 entree (appetizer) and 2 plats, starting with the Langoustine "Tempura" (18 €).

Notice the quotation marks around "tempura". This wasn't deep fried. It was also overcooked, chewy, and under-seasoned. The fennel did add a nice anise-crunch and textural contrast. The pesto rosso; sun dried tomato pesto, was pretty much sun dried tomato oil. Not very good.

The Missus got Razor Clams and Cockles (25€).

The white wine sauce was nicely done, it had a nice, pleasant acidity. Unfortunately, there was a good amount of "grit" in this dish which made eating a bit unpleasant. The potatoes were really dry, though the razor clams were tender and sweet.

I got the Lamb Shank, Chard, and Thyme Jus (28€).

The lamb was super tough and there just wasn't enough of the thyme sauce to go around. The leaves of chard were basically uncooked.

Service was a mixed bag; the young lady working was wonderful, but it seemed that the gentleman working just wanted us out of the way.

This was the most disappointing meal of the trip.

Restaurant Pirouette
5 Rue Mondétour
75001 Paris, France

After dinner we took a short stroll, then headed back to the apartment to watch the sunset. We relaxed, caught up on emails and then decided to head on out for a nightcap. We had enjoyed our previous visits to Jefrey's on Rue Grenata. So, we headed there.

I don't know if Covid had really affected things, but the drinks tasted watered down and the service was not as welcoming as on our previous visits.

Jefrey's
14 Rue Saint Sauveur
75002 Paris France

Man, it was kinda sad, we were "oh-fer-two" on favorites of ours during this trip. We headed down Rue Tiquetonne on the way back to the apartment and came across a familiar site.

The Golden Promise Whisky Bar. When waiting for our table at ERH, we'd had a drink here. Hmmmm.....well, we decided to givre it a shot and this time, instead of drinking at the bar on street level, we headed downstairs to the bar. Which had almost a speakeasy like feel to it.

Not wanting to mess around with another cocktail, I just had a Yamazaki Single Malt, which was a nice end to the evening before calling it a night.

It was quite interesting as the other folks at the bar seemed like regulars.

Golden Promise Whisky Bar
11 Rue Tiquetonne
75002 Paris, France

Arriving back at the flat, we decided to get to sleep fairly early. But not before enjoying the sites from the window.

Guanajuato (2022) - La Table de Andrée and La Clave Azul

After our walking tour and lunch at La Vela, we did a bit of shopping, then returned to our room for a short nap. Soon enough it as dinner time. On the evening we had dinner at Mestizo, there was a restaurant we noticed across the street named La Table de Andrée. It was a French restaurant....in Guanajuato......we looked over the menu and decided why not? After our dinner we strolled over and made dinner reservations.

We had early reservations and were the first customers in the restaurant. The staff was really friendly and accommodating.

The Missus got a glass of wine which She enjoyed and we placed our order.

The baguette was interesting; it was super light almost like banh mi.

The amuse was bacon wrapped dates.....not a bad start.

We ordered the Pate de Cerdo al Cognac - pork pate.

This was not bad; porky, slightly sweet, boozy-winey, nicely chilled and moist, a bit on the crumbly side. It went well with the whole grain mustard which added a bit of pungent-spice. The portion size was quite generous as well.

The Missus got the Camarones a la Persillada - shrimp with parsley sauce.

The shrimp was a tad overcooked and the risotto was on the hard side. The sauce was nicely flavored though.

I went with the Hachis Parmentier, a classic French dish that uses leftover Beef Stew topped with mashed potato and baked.

This version used a very flavorful leftover Beef Bourguignon, super tender and beefy, and I believe there was come chorizo as well in this. It was topped with buttery mashed potatoes and cheese which was nicely broiled adding a wonderful texture to things. his was quite good!

The Missus enjoyed Her dessert.

Overall, the dinner was better than we thought it would be. I'm thinking that being a college town, there might be a diverse clientele......as we noticed some French speakers, a German couple among the other customers.

La Table de Andrée
Positos 66
Zona Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Mexico

After dinner we decided to head on over to the bar Susana recommended and we were glad we did.

    It was somewhat divey, the bartender was super friendly, the decor was quirky and eclectic. The music was what I often call the Unites States' greatest export...rock 'n roll.

I enjoyed my Victoria and chased it with some local Mezcal. Guanajuato is one of the nine states within Mexico that have DO (Denomination of Origin) to produce Mezcal. This was a nice Espadin the bartender picked out for me.

We really liked the bartender and the vibe and would end up returning here the following evening.

La Clave Azul
Segunda De Cantaritos 31
Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Mexico

We then headed on over to Jardin de la Union....all cities have their central plaza, where folks gather during the day (and night). For Guanajuato it's Jardin de la Union. Things were bustling and alive.

Folks walking and chatting....Mariachi working the crowds. We ran into a young lady selling cheesecakes who walked up to us and spoke perfect English. She is from Texas, but returned with Her Dad to Guanajuato. She helps out the family by selling the dad's cheesecakes, which were terrible, but of course we bought some. I wish I could remember her name; she was so sweet.

It was a lively scene.

We were enjoying our time in Guanajuato.

Thanks for stopping by!

Guanajuato (2022) - Estacion Gelato and Dinner at Mestizo

Our Uber picked us up right on time in SME and we headed off to Guanajuato. Our driver was fantastic and the hour-and-a-half drive came out to around $30/US! Our hotel, the Casona de Don Lucas was located on Plaza de la Paz and our room, which had two floors also had a small balcony with a view of the Plaza.

Our room was ready when we arrived so we quickly dropped off our bags and headed out to do some exploring. We quickly took to Guanajuato as it was less touristy than SME. We loved the everyday hustle and bustle, the city seemed just a colorful and vibrant.

The first thing we did was head off to the Mercado Hidalgo. Much of Guanajuato is not car friendly; in fact, the main arteries are located underground in tunnels. There are many alleyways, no grid pattern, we were told that much of the city center was built along the walls of the canyons which surround the city. So, we'd often be walking down an alleyway, which would then open up onto a plaza!

The Mercado is located in a huge building. According to legend, it is said that the structure was initially designed to be a train depot. We just took a quick look since we'd be exploring a bit further the following day when we had a private tour scheduled.

After our short visit, we decided to check out some possibilities for dinner and also walk past the University before settling in for a short break. We ended up walking down one of the many winding and narrow streets.

 At the curve in the alleyway stood a little gelato shop. The Missus and I decided to take a short break here.

It turned out to be a good choice. The service was very friendly, the gelato refreshing, and the Missus and I enjoyed sitting on the small balcony.

Estación Gelato
Cantaritos 29
Zona Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Mexico

Once refreshed and relaxed, we strolled over to Positos and looked over the menus of two places I had on my "list". We'd end up eating a both of them on this short trip, but we'd end up returning to one for a second meal!

We strolled on over and took a quick peek at the University of Guanajuato. The University has over 30,000 students......which is why I kind of consider Guanajuato to be sort of a college town....with a ton of history.

We then headed back to the hotel for a short break before heading out for an early dinner. Since we didn't have reservations; we decided on an early dinner and got to Mestizo at 430pm and easily got a table.

The chef at Mestizo is the son of a well known ceramic artist, so the decor of the restaurant is quite lovely.

While perusing the menu, the Missus had the house version of Sangria, while I had an Old Fashioned.

First thing we noticed was how inexpensive items were versus San Miguel. And as is our MO, we found items on the Entrada menu the most interesting and ended up ordering 5 starters for our meal.

Things started out rather auspiciously with the Tostada de Pato ($180/MX)

While the presentation was very nice. The duck was bland, stringy, and dry.

The Ceviche de Robalo ($280/MX) was a slight improvement .

The marinade was bursting with wonderful citrus flavor, the overall seasoning was nice and complex. The fish however had not been marinated long enough and was overly chewy. Still, this was not bad.

Things turned around in a big way when the Chinchulines con Guacamole ($170/MX) arrived.

Perfectly fried and crisp pork intestines; wonderful porky-mild offal flavors, offset with a creamy-mildly sweet guacamole, with pungent onions and cilantro. Not only was this texturally wonderful, the melding of tastes were fantastic. Why haven't I seen this on menus everywhere?

Next to arrive was the dramatic looking Tartar de Atun en Chile Viejo ($200/MX). 

A nice tuna tartare nestled in a smoky, mildly spicy toasted dried chile, this was quite good. The tuna, was of decent quality, nice and meaty with no off flavors, the flavors counterbalanced with clean and briny cucumber and pungent onions, the nutty-sweet pistachios added a nice layer of flavor as well.

And then the show stopper arrived; the Tuetanos Mestizo ($190/MX).

Good lord, this was so delici-yoso, perfectly roasted, the bones were bursting with buttery-beefy marrow, which just melted in your mouth. A perfect amount of salt and the herbs added layers  of flavor. This was so darn good, that we immediately made reservations to return on our last night in Guanajuato.

We really enjoyed most of the meal. Service was friendly and professional and the prices were quite reasonable. The tortillas were decent and up to the task of handling the food.

Mestizo
Positos 69
Zona Centro, 36000 Guanajuato, Mexico

We strolled back to our room, feeling quite satisfied. As we got to De Paz, we decided to grab a nightcap before heading off into dreamland. We saw this doorway and headed down the stairway from the sidewalk.

And walked into almost a speakeasy like bar bathed in greenish light.

The super friendly young woman manning the bar spoke perfect English. There seemed to be an interesting mix of older folks and students having drinks. So the Missus and I each had a nightcap.....

Along with some gratis chips, before heading back across the street to the hotel. I'm still not quite sure what the name of his place is....I'm thinking it was Don Beni Taberna, but am not certain.

Regardless, we really enjoyed our afternoon and evening in Guanajuato. And of course I had bone marrow dancing in my dreams.....

Roadtrip (During Covid) - Tuolumne Grove (Yosemite), Mountain Sage Coffee, Iron Door Saloon (the oldest continuously operating saloon in CA), and Dinner at the Groveland Hotel

   

  After a restful night of sleep at Rush Creek Lodge, we woke early to check out. You see, there was one other place I had on "my list".

Since we were in Yosemite, the Missus and I really wanted to see sequoias. And the usual place for this would be the Mariposa Grove. There are however, three giant sequoia groves in Yosemite and one of the reasons I chose to stay at Rush Creek was that it was just a mile from the Bog Oak Flat entrance to Yosemite and the Tuolumne Grove is just a fifteen minute drive from that entrance. The strategy was to checkout and drive back into Yosemite, hike the short trail (less than 3 miles in and back). We found that much of it was paved, we loved the tree stump with the rings and date places were built....man, would you believe we've been to six of the seven places listed!

We weren't overly impressed at the beginning of the trail....but then, you come across a huge sequoia....the photo doesn't do it justice.

And then the amazing Tunnel Tree.

   From this point on, you could really enjoy the majesty of the sequoias. There were trees with huge burn scars and trees that didn't have a sizeable (it's relative) circumference, but seemed to rise to the heavens. It was such an impressive site and possibly my favorite hike of the trip.

Since this is a nature walk, mostly paved, the grove is actually a short loop trail, we started seeing families and pooches arriving.

Along the way there was a fallen tree; I believe the NPS left it in place so one could really see and experience the grand size in person.

The second photo below if of the Missus walking into the trunk! Amazing!

    We spent a good 2 1/2 hours exploring the Tuolumne Grove. It was now time to head on back to the car and our next destination.

It was good thing we had a bit of an early start since we had no problems finding parking. And like the other places we parked in Yosemite, there were cars waiting for parking as we left........it was good to get an early start.

A tad over 20 miles from the west entrance of Yosemite is the town of Groveland. Founded in 1848 as "Big Oak Flat" Groveland was a gold rush town, it then became the headquarters of the Hetch Hetchy water project which provides water to San Francisco. I thought it would be fun spending the night in this interesting little town.

We first stopped at the local market; Mar-Val Food Store where we restocked on water and a few other "stuffs".

Mar-Val
19000 Main St.
Groveland, CA 95321

I booked us a room in the historic Groveland Hotel which was built in 1849......don't worry, it was renovated in 2018.

And, much like our experiences at other historic hotels, Groveland Hotel is said to be haunted, by the spirit of a miner named "Lyle". No, we didn't book "Lyle's room"....nor did we see anything strange during our stay.

We were of course too early to check in; so we dropped off our luggage; the folks at the front desk were very friendly. And then headed out  down the one main street of Groveland. Two blocks down from the hotel was a quaint coffee shop - art gallery - gift shop named Mountain Sage.

The Missus had a Pour Over (of course), I had a cold brew....and I also ordered a brownie for the Missus. We grabbed a table out on the porch and just relaxed.

The Missus really enjoyed the brownie. This was such a nice stop.

Mountain Sage
18653 Main St.
Groveland, CA 95321

After this really nice break; we decided to take the short walk back to the hotel.....while checking out the shops along the way.

After which we headed to the hotel and luckily our room was ready. The rooms were predictably small, but we were given one on the opposite side of Main Street which was much more quiet. Once we freshened up, we decided to head back out.

We'd be having dinner at the Hotel restaurant, Provisions Restaurant in the back courtyard of the hotel.

We had reservations at 5pm, so we decided to head over to a place I had wanted to check out.

Iron Door Saloon is the oldest continuously operating bar in California!

The place definitely had character; that's for sure....

Check out the dollar bills on the ceiling!

The Owner was awesome; his name is Chris and is Asian! I believe he and his wife are from Oakland and own the bar. 

He also makes a decent Old Fashioned!

It was chatting with him and also the gentleman sitting next to us who is a contractor....we were told it was great we were here on Thursday; from Friday on the place is filled with tourists. Apparently he has a bunch of projects going for folks who are building homes in the area.

The Missus was feeling a bit peckish so we ordered some Sweet Potato Fries which were pretty good; crisp outside, creamy inside.

Chris was great; he shared a bunch of stories with us.....we really enjoyed Iron Door.

Iron Door Saloon
18761 Main St.
Groveland, CA 95321

After our drink we headed back to the hotel and went to check in for dinner. I was looking forward to the dinner BBQ menu....but sadly, it wasn't available on this evening, oh well.

So, I got the fried vegetable plate......

And the Missus the Bratwurst.

The Missus enjoyed Her Scotch Tasting....

As the sun went down a guitar player appeared and there was live music.

It was a nice and relaxing time.

Provisions Taproom & Bourbon Bar (In the Groveland Hotel)
18767 Main St.
Groveland, CA 95321

We slept well.

The next morning we took a walk down Back Street which parallels Main Street for a couple of blocks.

We headed back to Mountain Sage....

And got some coffee to go....and another brownie for the Missus.

Before checking out then heading off to our next stop.

Yosemite sure was an amazing experience and we had fun in Groveland

But I was kind of tired of diner and fried foods.........so.....we were headed back to Paso Robles!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) - Revisits to Les Petites Canailles, the Alchemist Garden, and Spearhead Coffee (Paso Robles)

At the beginning of last October, the Missus and I decided to do yet another roadtrip......this time to Yosemite. We decided to make stops in Paso Robles at both ends of the trip. We were excited to revisit a couple of our favorites, Les Petites Canailles and the Alchemist Garden. I'll keep verbiage to a minimum since I've posted on these places several times already.

We started the evening at Les Petites Canailles and this time were seated indoors. Things were spaced out quite nicely and we felt comfortable with the set-up.

Sadly, the Rabbit Terrine we had enjoyed so much on our previous visit was no longer on the menu.

And overall, this meal did not quite hit all of the "high notes" as the last time we had visited.

Still, LPC makes one of my favorite versions of Beef Tartare, served at the perfect temperature, great balance in flavors and textures.

Still a winnah!

The Spanish Octopus was not quite as good this time around as it was on the the tough side.

I was interested in the pasta dish since the conchiglie, basically shell pasta was made locally by Etto. The texture of the pasta was perfect and it was dressed well. Sadly, the pistachio pesto was way too mild and there just wasn't enough acidity brought on by the sun dried tomato. 

We would however, drop by Etto's shop in Tin City on our way back and bought some of their pasta.

The Mushrooms en Persillade with confit egg yolk was fairly good....though it needed a bit more salt and seasoning in our mind.

The Leeks a la Plancha was quite good, as the leeks were nicely charred, bringing out the herbaceous sweetness, the Espelette Pepper added a nice smokiness and just the lightest touch of heat; we actually wished there was more. Loved the mild sweetness, nutty - butteriness, and distinct flavor the pine nuts brought to this dish.....which it surely would have added to the pasta dish.

Overall, I enjoyed this meal more than the Missus (I could have that beef tartare weekly).......I'm not sure we'll be returning here for a while.

Les Petites Canailles
1215 Spring St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

Of course our next stop was the Alchemist Garden....it was our third visit and it did not disappoint.

While the Missus got one of the cocktails off the menu......I wanted something custom made....so, I asked for an Old Fashioned, mentioning I like smoky tones....and the Mixologist was off to the races.

He torched some sage and then covered it to get a more smoky flavor and made me an amazing Old Fashioned.

I guess the Missus really wasn't too satisfied with our meal LPC....She ordered some fries; which were pretty good.

 Which meant that I could have another cocktail. This time the gentleman had something else up his sleeve. He asked me if I'd ever had a "Clear Old Fashioned"....I told him that I'd heard of it; but had never had one.......so....we were then off to the races!

He explained making the cocktail to me while putting it together. He took his time trying to finds the perfect ice cube; saying that "it had to be clear enough that after stirring a bit, it would be transparent when the cocktail was served"!

He told me that in his opinion Rosemary was the perfect match for this cocktail and set off to smoke some for the drink.

And yes, it's difficult to make out the ice cube when the drink was served.

Man, these folks are artists..........

The Alchemists' Garden
1144 Pine St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

The next morning; while I went to refuel the car, the Missus went across the street to get us some coffee at Spearhead Coffee.

The Missus got Her pour over and I a cold brew and were we ready to hit the road.

Spearhead Coffee
619 12th St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

There's something we really enjoy about Paso Robles...the vibe, the people....the sense of humor and artsiness.....

Thanks for stopping by!

After Waiting Almost Two Years....is it still "Happy Hour" at Et Voila?

Last week, we finally did it, after waiting almost two years, we decided to return to Et Voila for Happy Hour. The place had been a Happy Hour favorite of our for years; and while they they did takeout for a period, it was never the same. We picked a day early in the week and arrived right at 430 to minimize contact. The place was empty and the Owner, Ludo was so happy to see us. Since this was Happy Hour, we sat in the bar area; which they've opened up and put screens up, and also dividers between pairs of seats. Just two other couples arrived during our time at Et Voila, one pair for HH and the other dining in.

The Missus started with a glass of wine and I got the Huckleberry Bourbon ($12 at Happy Hour)

A bit weaker than I recalled, but still fine.

We ordered our usual for Happy Hour..........

The Beignet de Champignons ($10 during HH) were perfect; hot, nicely fried, perfectly salted.

Crisp on the outside, creamy - earthy finish. 

The Missus got Her Raviolis aux Champignons ($13 during HH).

We've had occasion when this dish is a bit too sweet for us...and my goodness, they are really loving the foam these days. But this was well done, a hint of truffle, saltiness from Parmesan cheese, earthiness of the mushrooms.

And we also got the Terrine de Porc et Pistaches ($11 during HH).

Rustic porkiness; a hint of sweetness, this really made me miss Paris and our favorite charcuterie restaurant.

So, did Et Voila deliver? Yes, they sure did. It had been so long....there were moments when the Missus and I took bites of food, looked at each other and laughed out loud. This felt....just so normal and right. Something that had been missing from our lives for a while now. I'm not sure when we'll be doing this again, but I wasn't having those thoughts on this evening....I was just enjoying the moment.

Et Voilà!
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116
Current Hours:
Tues - Thurs 430pm - 9pm
Fri - Sat 430pm - 930pm
Sunday 430pm - 8pm
Closed on Mondays
Happy Hour - Served at the Bar Only
Tues - Thurs 430pm - 730pm
Fri - Sat 430pm - 6pm

We hope all of you are doing well!