mmm-yoso!!!

Happy Hour at The Lion's Share, Almost 8 Years Later

Ever since the Clairemont Drive Trolley station was completed near the end of 2021, the Missus and I have been trying to take advantage of it, though mostly due south. Recently, the Missus and I were chatting about doing a happy hour and for some reason we thought of The Lion's Share. Heck it had been so long since we last visited, we didn't even know if they were still open! But, doing a quick check, I confirmed that they were still open and also still did Happy Hour! There were two ways we could do the trolley there; the Blue Line to Santa Fe Depot with a short walk or take the Blue Line, then transfer to the Green Line at Old Town. The Green line stop is right around the corner from the restaurant. We decided on walking from Sante Fe Depot.

Once opening the door and stepping in, we were greeted by a very friendly gal. The place still has that interesting, somewhat bizarre decor and for some reason it seems even darker than before.

We decided that the bar area was just a bit too dark for us and decided to get a two top in the front area, under the watchful eyes of the various creatures present; both mounted and framed.

The friendly young lady brought us menus and asked if we'd been here before. When we mentioned the last time was nearly 8 years ago, she mentioned changes that had occurred, including a recent changing of chefs.

Looking over the menu, the Missus and I were instantly drawn to the Happy Hour portion.

In what alternate universe would you be able to get cocktails for $8 in downtown in this day and age? Of course, in our cynical minds we had doubts to how good they would be and immediately ordered two!

We saw two items from the HH food portion we wanted and I also saw Bison Tartare on the main menu. You know me and tartare, right?

Strangely, two of our food items came out before our drinks!

The Missus had wanted to try the Wagyu Beef Cheek Tacos (HH - $15).

Looking at this, I wasn't too inspired. The beef looked really "wet", almost scummy, and was that Sambal I see on the tacos? But, this was quite good. The tortillas, while on the milder end of the maize scale held up well; the salsa verde was tangy, sour, and had good spice. And most off all, those cheeks were so very beefy. The Missus actually preferred these to tacos we'd recently had at Tahona (post coming up). 

When I think of The Lion's Share, I think of somewhat exotic meats. I had always enjoyed the Venison Sliders (HH - $15), so I had to order that.

   Man, these were a lot more hefty than I recalled. The venison, which was done medium-well, we weren't asked for a preference. had a mild gamey flavor, the Havarti was kind of wiped out by the bacon and onion jam, which added a nice sweet-pungent touch to this. I enjoyed this, but it was a bit much for the Missus.

In case you were wondering where are the cocktails? So were we. Soon after the sliders our cocktails arrived. I got the Vodka Mule which was quite refreshing and not watered down. The Missus enjoyed it more than I did. And funny thing, the Missus ordered Federal Buffalo Stamp which was too strong for Her, but I enjoyed. These were definitely not watered down and well worth $8!

Soon enough our Bison Tartare ($22) arrived. Apparently, I hadn't read that it was served on Bone Marrow! I have a thing about cold, raw, beef being served on hot bone marrow, but this was awesome as the bone marrow was warm and not hot at all. This was so much better than what we had at Wormwood.

The tartare was very tender, nicely diced. I was somewhat concerned that it was "cut" with too much pickled squash and capers, but I enjoyed the palate restoring briny-sourness it added. Was not a fan of the potato puree which had been overly salted. But that toast; oh my, delici-yoso......it had been brushed with beef wagyu fat which added another dimension to things.

And perhaps that's how I should state things. The dishes we enjoyed added that other "dimension". The cocktails at Happy Hour were $8. Our total for the meal, $68 before tip and taxes. In this day and age, pretty darn good, especially for the location. We enjoyed our meal, I'm certain we'll return....for Happy Hour, of course!

Under the watchful eyes of our "hosts"!

The Lion's Share
629 Kettner Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92101
Current Hours
Tues - Sun 4pm - 2am (Happy Hour 4pm - 6pm)
Closed on Monday

After our early dinner, we took a nice stroll. Things weren't overly crowded at Seaport Village on this day. Which we enjoyed.

You know, because of how touristed this area is, I don't think we've been down here in maybe a decade?

And we enjoyed our time here. It was almost like being on vacation!

Honolulu - Returning to 8 Fat Fat 8 and a Nightcap at Agave & Vine

After our stroll and my interesting encounter at Ala Moana Park we headed off to dinner. We had reservations for a more hip and popular place the following night, so when I asked the Missus what She wanted for dinner, She said "8 Fat Fat 8"! Really! I think She was thinking of me since, as I noted in my post from 12 years ago, I had been a customer from when the place opened in 1985. And even after I moved away, I would still drop by for Pau Hana Time when I was "home". And as I noted in that earlier post, even the Missus enjoyed Her visits there. Still, it had been almost 12 years since my last visit, so this was going to be interesting. We walked on over from the Ala Moana Hotel.

I was quite happy to see that the Midas Muffler is still next door, Times and Grace's across the street. Sometimes, things like that bring on nice memories and a feeling of comfort.

It was a Thursday around 430 and the place was very quiet. The nice guy working told me that Mary, the daughter of the late owner Sy wasn't working this evening.

As I mentioned before, when I'm here, it's full "local mode" for me and I'll be getting a Bud Light "bucket ice". You don't mess with tradition.

In case you're wondering what a Bud Light is going for at 8 Fat, these days......

Yep, it's a whole four bucks! The Missus had a glass of the House White ($6), which She said wasn't bad.

I just had to get some Crispy Gau Gee ($10).

Well, this was even better than what I'd had the last time. Perfectly fried and crisp, the filling was moist, with great pork and shrimp tones. The Missus has never been a fan of this dish; but it's the style of Chinese Food I grew up with, so it was a nice taste down memory lane.

The Missus wanted some veggies so we ordered the Ong Choy ($10).

Man, talk about the generous portion! Stir fried nicely, still crisp, great chlorophyllic flavors, the garlic added a nice pungent counter point.

And of course we had to get the signature Fat Fat Chicken ($15).

The Missus loved this. It was one of Her favorites way back when and I guess it still is. Crispy skin, good salt and pepper (and probably msg), tender meat. I'd forgotten how good this is!

We talked to I believe his name is Reagan and I mentioned some of the regulars from back in the day. Many have passed and he told me that most of those regulars stopped coming after Covid. Kinda sad, but then I started seeing folks arriving, so it looks like a whole new generation of folks have adopted the place.

Yes, it's divey, but for me it feels like home! And I was happy to finally be back here; and apparently the Missus was too. Because according to the Missus, this was Her favorite meal of the trip!

8 Fat Fat 8 Bar & Grille
1327 S Beretania St
Honolulu, HI 96814

We took our after dinner "walk" back to the hotel. Once there, we decided to get a nightcap. Earlier that day, when we picked up lunch at the Lanai in Ala Moana Center, we noticed a bar in that food court. We decided to check it out. It's named Agave & Vine and they were pretty busy on this Thursday evening.

The bartender seemed to know quite a few of the customers. There were folks bringing food from other stalls and restaurants over to eat, have a drink, and perhaps watch some sports.

I decided to try the Bad Decisions ($12).

Not bad, not watered down, nice citrusy tones, the Blanco came thru nicely. The Missus enjoyed Her glass of wine.

It was a nice little stop right across the bridge from the hotel.

Agave & Vine (In the Lanai - Ala Moana Center)
1450 Ala Moana Blvd.
Honolulu, HI 96814

Once in our room, I sat on the patio, just enjoying the city lights.

It was great to be "home"!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip - Pecos National Historical Park, Saint Francis Cathedral, and the Bell Tower Bar (Santa Fe)

**** No food in this one; but if you'd like to see photos of what was once considered one of the crossroads to the west, along with what is considered the oldest statue of the Virgin Mary in North America, read on.

After spending the evening in Prescott and visiting Montezuma Castle National Monument and having lunch at a favorite spot of ours, we headed off to our next destination. Taking the 40 East, then transitioning to the 25, we bypassed our next destination for the night, Santa Fe, and went to Pecos National Historic Park. Once upon a time, the Glorieta Pass was considered the most direct route to the west. Everyone from the ancient Pueblo Indians, to the Spanish, to the settlers head to the west used this pass. In fact lest you think that New Mexico was too far west, the decisive Battle of Glorieta Pass was fought here during the Civil War. The park is fairly large and sprawling, nearly 350 acres.

The main area I wanted to check out was Pecos Pueblo.

Here stand the ruins of the Pueblo, with the foreboding walls of the Mission Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles rising up from the area.

There actually a recreated Kiva. Which really stirred one's imagination of how things must have been.

The large eye-catching ruins are of the Pecos Mission Church.

The first church was completed on these grounds headed by the Franciscans who gained permission from the Spanish. Of course, the labor was provided by the Puebloans. To quote the NPS page:

"Construction of the Mission Church and the Convento were supervised by the Franciscans, but Pecos people provided the labor; the Pecos received no pay for their work, raising questions today about the nature of slavery in the Southwest."

In 1680 the Puebloans rejected the religion and rule in the Pueblo Revolt and the church and convent were razed.

In 1693, the Spanish retook the land and reestablished control and the current structure was built.

We had parked, seen the ruins and immediately headed on over. In retrospect, I'd recommend heading over to the visitors center first as it provided history and context.

And we loved this map as it added to what we had learned about trading of the native peoples during our visit to the Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City.

Pecos National Historical Park
Pecos, NM 87552

It was a mere half hour drive to Santa Fe from here.

The Missus wanted to make one stop on the way to our hotel at Kakawa Chocolate again.

Where She restocked on some of Her favorites from our previous visit.

Kakawa Chocolate House
1300 Rufina Circle A4
Santa Fe, NM 87507

As before, we stayed at the Inn of the Governors. And as on our previous visit, our room wasn't quite ready yet, but we were able to park and do some exploring.

On our previous trip to Santa Fe, there was a place I wanted to check out but it was closed during our stay; the Saint Francis Cathedral. 

On my previous trip, I found the following statue to be fascinating, so I did a bit of research.....

This is a status of Kateri Tekakwitha, the First Native American Saint. If you're interested in a bit more, this entry might be of interest.

As we entered the church, I was struck by how brightly colored it was.

At the Northeast part of the Cathedral is a chapel that was once part of another church that stood on these grounds. It is the oldest part of the Cathedral.

In this chapel resides the oldest existing statue of the Virgin Mary in North America, often called "La Conquistadora".

You can read even more about that here.

We enjoyed our visit and then headed off to our next stop. I've mentioned the architect Mary Colter a couple of times in posts; she the Desert Watchtower and one of our favorite hotels, La Posada in Winslow. I had read that she had also designed the interior of the very popular La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe. So, we decided to head on over.

The restaurant looked lovely, but we had reservations at another place for dinner.

There is however, a bar on the rooftop of La Fonda, which is open from 3pm to Sunset during weekdays. The clock had just struck 3 so we headed up the elevator.

And then to the host stand. Luckily, we had gotten there right when the place opened. 

There were people who had gotten in before we did! I guess they waited for the place to open?

The Missus got a Frozen Sangria and I got a Spicy Serrano Margarita.

And we relaxed and enjoyed the view.

Bell Tower Bar (in the La Fonda Hotel)
100 E San Francisco St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Open from May - late October
Hours:
Mon - Fri 3pm - Sunset
Sat - Sun 1pm - Sunset

Before strolling back to the hotel to check in. We were looking forward to our dinner!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Hour Revisits to Et Voila

During our last trip to Europe in November of last year, we managed to spend four nights in Paris. Instead of going for all the Michelin starred places, we just wanted to chill and enjoy; after all we've now been to the city eight times since 2016! Funny thing, the Missus ended up having Escargot four times during our stay! I clearly recalled how much She used to hate snails! My how times have changed! Back in January, we went and did a Happy Hour revisit to Et Voila, something that used to be rather routine for us in those days before Covid. We did manage one very nice HH revisit back in January of 2022, two years ago! We noticed some new dishes on the Happy Hour menu and decided to head on back for HH when we stayed at the Lafayette Hotel and headed on back for one more visit a few weeks back.

We did notice that some of the dishes and drinks had changed a bit and now have pegged our current favorites. I thought I'd go ahead and list our Happy Hour dishes.

Of course, I had always enjoyed the Huckleberry Bourbon (especially when it used to be $7 at HH), though on our last couple of visits it seemed a bit weaker. Still, habits die hard, and I had one on all three visits ($13 at HH).

On my last visit, I noticed a cocktail called the "Months of 'Ber" ($14) which had Mezcal and Aperol. I was curious and ordered it. I mentioned that I hadn't noticed this cocktail before and Ludo smiled and said "it's because you don't visit often enough these days..." Ah, so French!

This was nice, slight smoky, lightly sweet-citrusy, loved the hint of anise.

Of course if one is going to have escargot, a baguette is required. The half baguette aux buerre is now $6.....but it's absolutely necessary.

As for the dishes. 

The good.

Well, the Missus does enjoy the Escargot ($11) and the Happy Hour price is reasonable.

It's a bit parsley heavy for my taste; but the escargot are tender enough. The Missus enjoys these and can easily polish it off in less than 10 minutes along with the baguette.

I've always enjoyed the house made Terrine de Porc ($13 HH) and for some reason, the two times I had it during our recent visits I really enjoyed the porky-winey-slightly sweet terrine.

I enjoy the pickled veggies which help to refresh the palate and the nasal clearing mustard.

On the fence:

We had the Beignet de Champignons  ($10 HH) on every visit. On the first visit, it was quite nice, crisp, earthy, exactly what made the dish a Happy Hour staple over the years. Though on our last two visits, the mushrooms were over-fried, almost burnt, and extremely salty.

Still, I'm sure we'll keep ordering this.

The not-so-good.

On our first two visits we got another Happy Hour staple, the Raviolis aux Champignons ($15 during HH). Man, they sure foam it up these days, check out what it used to look like.

There was a tendency in the past for this dish to swing into the "too sweet" territory and on both visits this was even sweeter than before! You really couldn't taste the mushrooms and truffle. I think we're crossing this dish off our "list" on future visits.

We tried one new Happy Hour menu item, the Braised Lamb Belly stuffed with Merguez ($20 HH). We love merguez and harissa, so we were quite excited, but this was a let down.

I'm not sure where they get their merguez, but man, it was bland, lacking in the sweet-gamy-cumin flavors we love...same with the harissa as this really lacked spice. The lamb belly was overly chewy and bland as well. In fact, the only item that stood out were the raisins, of which there were too many for our taste.

Well, even though we didn't enjoy every dish at Et Voila, we still have our favorites. And I still think we enjoy the Happy Hour menu more than the dinner menu. And of course the Missus will need Her Escargot fix from time to time.

Et Voilà!
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116
Current Hours:
Sun- Mon      430pm - 830pm
Tues - Thurs 430pm - 9pm
Fri - Sat         430pm - 10pm
Happy Hour - Served at the Bar Only
Sun - Thurs 430pm - 730pm
Fri - Sat       430pm - 6pm

Frankie's (Oceanside)

**** No food in this one, so perhaps you'd like to return tomorrow!

I'm just going to a short post for this evening. We had enjoyed our staycation at the Lafayette so much, that we decided to finally get to some of those places on my "list". We stayed one night in Carlsbad and one night in Oceanside. It really allowed us to relax and enjoy those cities and not have to worry about transportation and such.

On our second night, we stayed in the downtown area, near Highway 101.

We had some time to stroll around before our dinner reservations and I had a place we just needed to check out. A cocktail bar. 

Just because of you know why. We lost Frankie in August of 2021 and just like Sammy we think and talk about him everyday. So, when I heard about a cocktail bar named Frankie's....

The bar was pretty busy on a Friday afternoon. The one bartender was hustling. Many of the patrons seemed to know one another.

There was a nice variety of $10 Happy Hour cocktails.

The Missus got the Paleta and I got the Georgia Sunshine. Decent cocktails, not watered down, not overly sweet.

We got a table streetside and the Missus and I made a toast to our boy.....

And when we looked up!

Whoa! Rainbows are a rarity here in the San Diego area. It had been raining the night before and a bit during the day, but still.... Folks were actually walking out of shops to the sidewalk to take photos of the rainbow!

And it looked like it even progressed to a double rainbow of sorts.

And when I looked down at my napkin!

We used to call Frankie "F" and "Effy"......

Of course, this is probably wishful thinking.....but just like Sammy's cloud, we like to think that F sent us a little message.....

Frankie's
406 Pier View Way
Oceanside, CA 92054

I'm certain that we'll be visiting Frankie's whenever we stay in Oceanside. We miss you Frankie!

Thanks for visiting and I'll get those staycation posts done soon!

Quixote and the Gutter (Lafayette Hotel)

On one of the evenings during our stay at the Lafayette I made reservations for dinner at Quixote. I had really enjoyed our meals in Oaxaca and was looking forward to this dinner. Like the rest of the hotel; the restaurant's decor is a trip. Apparently, the furnishing were originally from a Catholic Church in Oaxaca. Man, was it kinda strange.....think Dark - foreboding, David Lynch.

I think the photos speak (hopefully not in a deep scary bass) for itself.

The stained glass......

And statue of Lucifer.

The candles, wax hanging.....

The altar behind the bar....

We were encouraged to check out the various rooms.....

 Before returning to our table, right below the statue of "Lucifer". We had already placed our order. Our Server, Jacob was amazing, he encouraged us to check things out. Though I kinda wonder about working with all of this around you! The place was quite quiet, and to be perfectly honest, kinda spooky, before the crowds descended on the place.

You gotta appreciate the kitsch.....very spooky kitsch.

Keeping with the theme, many of the cocktails were mezcal and tequila based. I really enjoyed the Mezcal Old Fashioned.

As is our MO we stayed with all appetizers to make our meal.

First up, the Crab Corn Donut ($21).

Man, I loved this. This is the way crab tasted when I was a kid. I appreciated the fact that the donut added heft without being too sweet. The crab flavor was a bit too strong for the Missus. We both enjoyed the hint of spice in the rich sauce.

The Ceviche ($17) seemed by the book.

The snapper was marinated nicely; good texture no off flavors. I will say that there was not enough acidity in the dish for our taste.

Of course there were tortillas.

The Squash Blossom (Flor de Calabaza - $15) was quite good.

We enjoyed the crisp, tempura like batter, the horseradish aioli added a nice slightly pungent and rich touch to the dish. The slice of sweet potato wasn't my favorite but the Missus enjoyed it. There was mushroom in this dish which added an earthiness which "grounded" the dish.

The last item was going to be interesting. The Missus had issues with mole being too sweet during our visit to Oaxaca. In fact, until I found a place with mole sugueza She really didn;t care for mole at all. But, we just had to try the Memelita ($15).

Outside of Oaxaca, our favorite memelitas are probably from Pasillo de Humo in CDMX. But these are in a different league. The memelitas have such a wonderful maize flavor. The duck carnitas....well, what can you say, a good touch of rich flavor without being "foul" (fowl). The mole had just the right touch of savory and mild rich sweetness. The adobado was nice and savory, the pickled veggies gave your palate a break and the refried beans added an earthiness that grounded the dish.

We really enjoyed this meal. Of course, I like my Mezcal and Jacob picked a nice, "fumar" one for my digestif.

Good food, great service.

Look out Lucifer; I think we'll be back!

Quixote (In the Lafayette Hotel)
2223 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Mon - Fri Noon - Midnight
Sat - Sun 1pm - Midnight

On this evening, we headed on over to an area of the hotel down a hallway which said "The Gutter". This opened up into a faux courtyard.

And a doorway, with the sign "The Gutter".

This is the Lafayette's "cocktail bar/game room", which features a two lane bowling alley that you can reserve.

There's also pool, shuffleboard, and of course more cocktails!

Which you can have in your own vintage, wood framed booth, if you're not playing pop-a-shot....

As you can tell, we enjoyed our time at the Lafayette. There are certain things you need to take into consideration; like parking. If you can't find adequate street parking, overnight valet parking is $35. And yet, the folks working here were wonderful, great service. I'm sure we'll be back on another staycation in the future. We're hoping the neighborhood keeps moving with the times and that they'll be even more options for enjoying the area.

The Lafayette Hotel
2223 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92104

Beginners Diner and the Lafayette Hotel

Recently, we needed to have some work done on our house. It was scheduled (and took) for four days. I needed to be present onsite during parts of the day. The Missus however, was working on a couple of those nights. In the end, we decided to do a staycation and stay at the recently renovated Lafayette Hotel. I would shuttle the Missus back and forth to work, spend the nights at the hotel, the Missus would sleep during the day, and on Her nights off, we'd relax and explore a bit.

CH Holdings spent 31 million renovating this historic hotel and we were interested to see how it was. Well, it was quite chic and lavish, in a retro, over-the-top manner. From the time set foot into the lobby.

The check in counter is a small kiosk, which doubles as a coffee bar.

The Missus actually enjoyed the coffee from here; I believe She'd always get the Ethiopian. There are no phones in the room, so the hotel and concierge can be reached by text.

There are four (now five) venues to get your cocktail fix at the Lafayette. We actually took time to try all of them. Check out the simply named "Lobby Bar" with the statue of Atlas at the center.

Crazy, huh?

We checked in on a Sunday and I easily found parking around the corner, no need to feed the meter....more on the parking, or lack thereof later in the post. The Missus had to work so I enjoyed the Lobby Bar.

Classic cocktails; the bartenders work super hard here as the place was quite busy. Man, I'd hate to see the place on the weekends. The bartender still made time to greet and chat with each customer.

On one of the Missus's nights off, we stopped by for a cocktail before dinner and the Missus tried the famous Pimm's Cup. She said it was a bit too sweet for Her.

We were told that folks stood three or four deep on some weekends! Speaking of customers, they seemed to fit into four specific categories, the multi-generational adults, the "TikTok/Instagram/Influencer/Look at me" group (who were always doing selfies and filming....we saw one group walk back and forth down the front steps like six times!), the Hipsters, and the "Hip Replacements". I'll let you figure out which group I fit into.

Our room was humongous.

Check out the wallpaper.

The beds were comfortable and there was a huge mini-bar in the room. Because our room was overlooking El Cajon Boulevard it was a bit on the noisy side; but the Missus still managed to get some sleep at night.

There's a nice, more laid back pool bar.

The Missus and I had a nightcap here on our last evening. The drinks were described as Italian-Tiki in theme. As with all our interactions with staff at the Lafayette, the service was amazing.

Overlooking the historic pool.

That pool was designed by.....well, I'm thinking most of you wouldn't recognize the name, but it was one of my mom's favorite actors/athletes, Johnny Weissmuller, who is probably the definitive Tarzan and to claims to have invented the Tarzan yell!

In fact, there were several moments when I wished the place did tours. Most folks working really didn't have much of a grasp on the history. Except on my last day there, when I spoke to...I believe his name is Dexter. He told us the room we were staying in is his favorite; according to Dexter, room 326 is where Bing Crosby stayed, it's where Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner stayed. It's also where; clearing one's throat a certain president and a certain "Blond Bombshell" stayed under assumed names and off the books. I dunno, but it makes for a great story, huh?

On one of my evenings at the Lafayette, I decided to check out the very retro looking 24 hours diner in the lobby; Beginners Diner.

My goodness, I loved the classic diner look. I had a seat at the counter.

It was pretty early for dinner, so the place was pretty quiet.

I really wanted to try the Wagyu French Dip, but they were out. So, I ordered the Cali Banh Mi ($20). Soon enough it arrived at the counter.

  I didn't care for the fries which quickly got limp and were over salted. 

The sandwich was not bad. A bit too bready and the sambal aioli was kind of weak. But the pork pate, think (pate Campagne) was swiney and winey, if cut a bit on the thinner side for my taste.

The place was getting quite the "hipster infusion" as I was leaving. On an interesting note, the Missus took a walk during one of Her days there and told me the place was packed with folks form the 60+ club. My good friend Candice also noted that quite a few folks who were regulars at the old Red Fox; which has moved across the street now frequent this place.

Beginners Diner (In the Lafayette Hotel)
2223 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92104
Open 24 Hours Daily

You know, I've never been the biggest fan of CH Holdings restaurants which always seemed more style than substance. We were hoping that our upcoming dinner at Quixote would change that.

But I was really enjoying the Lafayette.......and it was time to head on to the Lobby Bar for a nightcap.

The Lafayette Hotel
2223 El Cajon Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92104

Thanks for stopping by!

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!