mmm-yoso!!!

San Miguel de Allende (2022) - Dinner at The Restaurant and a Revisit to Lavanda Café

We headed out for dinner on our second (and last) night in San Miguel. As with our previous dinner I had taken a recommendation and made reservations for the meal. It was a nice, short stroll to dinner, just a short distance from the main square.

Located in a restored mansion, The Restaurant apparently created quite a buzz when it opened in 2008, and has been credited with changing the food scene in San Miguel.

The dining room is situated in the lovely courtyard (so many beautiful courtyards in SME) and the menu is somewhat globally focused.

Since we had a late lunch we would stick to one of our favorite strategies and go with several appetizers and one main to make our meal.

We started with the Beef Carpaccio - $300/MX.

The beef was tenderloin and quite lean, the truffled ponzu was quite pronounced in flavor and to be perfectly frank served better as a dressing for the nice crisp veggies and potato strings. Loved the addition of mint and cilantro on this.

The Charred Octopus ($300/MX) was indeed quite charred and a bit more chewy than we prefer.

The overall bitterness of the charred Cephalopod marred the dish, though the tomatoes were sweet, with the perfect acidity, and the avocado puree helped balance out whatever heat that was provided by the habanero sauce.

I was intrigued by the Shrimp and Scallop dish ($510/MX), which featured curry dusted scallops and shrimp, and a cauliflower puree, with lentils.

This was pretty good as the shrimp and scallops were perfectly cooked, the curry flavor was tempered and really harmonized with the creamy, nutty-lightly sweet mashed cauliflower. Loved the lentils which added a nice earthy flavor and textural contrast to the dish.

The most interesting item we ordered was the Cheese Plate ($285/MX).

Yes, that's right, the cheese plate. Why? Well, it's all local/regional cheeses and except for the bleu cheese....I'm thinking that it's basically based on the type of edible mold from the area, all the others were pretty good.

    The Missus enjoyed the wine selection and the service was professional and accommodating.

The Restaurant
Diez de Sollano y Dávalos 16
37700 San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato Mexico

After dinner we strolled on over to the heart of SME, the Jardín Allende. The Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel looked lovely as the sun slowly set.

And unlike when we visited earlier, the church was open and wasn't having any special event going on, so we went to take a peek inside.

After taking a quick look into the church, we crossed the street to the Jardin and had a seat and enjoyed the passage of time.

It was a nice evening for us.

The next morning we slept in for a bit. The owners of the B&B sent me a text and asked if we wanted them to make us breakfast. Since we were the only customers staying in the place we told them to not go thru the effort. Plus, the Missus wanted to try another pour over from Lavanda Café. So we headed on over a bit before they opened and were the first customers on this morning.

The Missus got Her pour over which She enjoyed.

And we shared a Salsa Verde con Chicharron which the Missus enjoyed.

 The eggs were perfectly cooked, nice tanginess, a bit of heat, a nice, hearty breakfast.

Lavanda Café de Especialidad
Calle del Dr Ignacio Hernandez Macias 87, Zona Centro,
37700 San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Since we were the only folks staying at our accommodation, we were told to just take our time, and that we could check out at noon instead of eleven. This would make things work out better for us in terms of getting to our next stop Guanajuato, which would take around 2 hours via Uber.

It was a pretty quiet morning around the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel.

Since the clock was just striking ten, we decided to check out the Museo de San Miguel de Allende right across the street that opened at ten.

   Most of this museum is dedicated to it's former resident; Ignacio Allende, who became a hero of the Mexican War on Independence. The Allende family was a wealthy family and the museum is housed in the family's former home.

Much of the family's living quarters have been restored and I especially like the replica of the original kitchen.

The first floor contains a history of the region as well.

It was a nice little diversion. And soon enough we had to head back to our room and finish packing; call our Uber, and then we were off.....

Next stop Guananjuato!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wolf in the Woods Revisited

Before we left on our last trip the Missus wanted to have a nice dinner out. Going thru our recent "quick visits" it ended up being between Black Radish and Wolf in the Woods....and Black Radish just seemed to be priced too high...heck, we ate at a Michelin Bib Gourmet listed restaurant in Paris for much less than Black Radish. And WitW starts service at 4pm with outdoor seating, so I ended up making reservations there.

And because we had dinner early, there was actually parking in front of the restaurant and we were the only customers when we arrived.

Our service was just as good this time around. The Missus made sure to ask for a stemmed wine glass as we remembered getting served wine in tumblers. The tables are a bit on the "cozy" side, but since we're used to eating in Europe, the tiny tables really don't bother us too much.

As we'll often do; we made a meal out of just appetizers and we stuck with the one item the Missus loved on our previous visit and tried three "new" items.

Starting with the Calamari ($14). We don't often order fried calamari since it tends to be hard and chewy; but this was light and crisp.

The red pepper flakes was a nice addition....the sliced fried padron peppers and the overly strong sauce were really not necessary. We'd definitely have this again.

The Sweet Corn and Pinon Soup ($14) was just as good as on our last visit.

Lovely, great, not overly sweet maize flavor; loved the smoky-mildly spicy Hatch Pepper powder and the pine nuts just added a nice layer of flavor to the dish.

Next up; the Yellowtail Aqua Chile ($19).

The hamachi was of good quality; quite buttery in texture. I prefer my aguachile to have nice acidic-citrus tones and this was on the weak side. The avocados did well in this dish and the slices of serrano added a much needed punch to the dish.

We finished things off with the Maize and Hen of the Woods Mushroom ($17).

This was a pretty good dish. I wish it had more earthy mushroom flavor. As it was, the polenta and shaved Pecorino ruled the dish.  The addition of Marscapone made the polenta very creamy. Like I said pretty good; though I would have liked more mushroom.

This was a enjoyable meal overall. I do wish Wolf in the Woods was in my "neck of the woods" as we'd be having a nice dinner of appetizers every couple of weeks.

Wolf in the Woods
1920 Fort Stockton Dr.
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 234-2597
Hours:
Tues - Thurs 4pm - 9pm
Fri - Sat 4pm - 930pm
Closed Sun - Mon

 

Black Radish - A Quick Look

*** So here's another of those "quick looks".....

The Missus had really enjoyed Wolf in the Woods, so of course She wanted me to find another place for the following week. I did a couple of searches and up popped a place named Black Radish. Hmmmm......I hadn't even heard of this place. Apparently, the building on the corner of University and Villa Terrace had been restored. It's an area I call the "dead zone"...between Hillcrest and North Park. I probably drove past this place several times and never even noticed it!

So, I made reservations for 5pm during a weekday. Which was great since we were the first customers in the place and there were only three tables occupied when we left.

There's a bar area and various tables; the woman who served us was quite friendly and the Missus enjoyed Her glasses of wine.

There's a prefix dinner option for $69, but we often find that starters/apps are often more interesting; so we decided on something from the "bar snacks menu", 3 starters, and one main to share.

Things started off with a decent amuse; white halibut, which was done in a "ceviche-style".

Nice and refreshing; a good start.

Of course, I just had to try the Beef Tartare.

We enjoyed the basil microgreens and the fruit provided. The goat cheese added a light acidic-milky tone to the dish. I thought the dice was a bit too coarse leaving the beef on the chewy side. I could have used a bit more acidity and some light pungency in this. 

I believe I mentioned that the Missus isn't a big lobster fan; I think She's had too many bad versions. However, I insisted on ordering the Lobster Toast.

 Which was a good move. The lobster was cooked perfectly, so tender, it was oceany-sweet, and the brioche added a buttery-mild sweetness, along with textural contrast. We both enjoyed the leaves of what seemed like radicchio....lovely bitterness that went so well with the brown butter. There was some nice citrus tones as well. This was quite good. 

The item we selected from the Bar Snacks menu was the Roasted Pork Belly.

 In terms of flavor, this was quite good; the Gooseberry Jus was rich and yet had some tartness which helped to cut said richness. The pork was on the "hard" side; not chewy, hard.....too bad because we really enjoyed the combination of flavors.

The Scallop was perfectly cooked as well; very rare, it could have been perhaps seared a bit more; but it was so sweet-savory.

I wish there was more than one! This was very good.

We also ordered the "special" for the evening; the Lamb Chop "Cassoulet"....you know me and Cassoulet!

The lamb chops was cooked to a perfect medium rare; it was nice and mildly gamy. The beans was also cooked to a tongue coating creaminess. Sadly, the lamb chops needed more seasoning and the beans were really bland. I mean, really bland....I could have used some thyme, salt, pepper, garlic, acidity, pungency....well anything. Oh my. As is often our experience when ordering the "plat principle" we are often left somewhat disappointed. Too bad, this really could have been good!

The Missus ordered dessert and espresso which She really enjoyed.

As a whole, we really enjoyed the vibe and service here....it was much more relaxed than Wolf in the Woods. Of course we were the only customers during half of our meal. Of the three recent meals we had; this was the most expensive at $170 for 2. The Missus enjoyed the wine She had; so like Wolf in the Woods, we'll probably return.

Black Radish
2591 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Wed - Sat 5pm - 10pm

Roadtrip (During Covid) - Coffeholic (West Covina), Eddie World (Yermo), and Dinner at Partage (Las Vegas)

My attempt at using up all my vacation days led us to schedule another road trip a mere 6 weeks after returning from Yosemite. This time we'd be headed to Zion, Monument Valley, and Sedona....with a couple of stops along the way; which included the SGV and Las Vegas, We again stayed at the Courtyard Monterey Park and again ate at Bistro Na's; so I won't even post on that.

The next morning we headed out to Vegas, first stopping for our caffeine fix in West Covina at a place named Coffeholic.

 This shop was in an interesting location; in the Lakes Mall, near Edwards Cinema, near a bunch of shopping center-chain looking places, banks, and offices. Needless to say, at 8am on a Tuesday, there was not another soul around.

So....service was quick, I had my usual....and the Missus got a pour over (of course), which was super cheap at 5 bucks.....and of course, She got what She paid for.

Regardless, we got our coffee sat and sat for a bit.

Coffeeholic
1240 Lakes Drive Unit B
West Covina, CA 91790

Since we hadn't been to Old Town/Downtown in ages.....like over 20 years we also took a stroll down South Glendora Avenue.....it was so quiet here, almost spooky in a way.....hard to believe this is West Covina.

And after getting in our fix, we headed off.....

It used to be that we'd stop in Barstow for fuel and a "bio break"....but the last time we drove up to Vegas, our usual stop, the Barstow Outlets seemed to be getting somewhat run down. So, I decided that our refueling stop should be at place in Yermo named "Eddie World", which is supposedly the largest gas station in SoCal..... And much like Bravo Farms has restaurants, a huge candy shop....

 And all kinds of snacks and "stuffs" that you never knew that you needed. The restrooms were super clean and it was fun walking around checking things out.

Also, we usually bring nuts and beef jerky on our road trips to cure the pangs of hunger should they set in. This time we hadn't brought jerky; so I bought some stuffs from Jedidiah's Jerky in Eddie World.

We then topped off our tank and headed to Vegas.

EddieWorld
36017 Calico Rd.
Yermo, CA 92398

We got to Vegas in good time. As I mentioned before, the Missus isn't a big fan of staying on the strip, so we stayed at the Homewood Suites on the other side of the I-15 from the strip. Man, had it been over 8 years since we'd been in Vegas? And then of course, there was the question of "where to eat"? Of course, there were places off the strip that had been favorites of years past.

But since we'd be staying on or near National Parks and such, there's not a lot of great choices for eating. I figured we'd be back on the "burger bandwagon" again....so like our previous road trip, I set-up nice "bookend dinners" for us.

After doing a bit of research, I found a French inspired tasting menu only restaurant named Partage, located on of all places Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas's unofficial "Chinatown" where many of the best Asian restaurants in the city can be found.

I had full intended on driving to the restaurant, but of course the Missus had other ideas and decided we should walk the almost two miles to Partage. 

And so it came to be that we walked to the restaurant.

Partage is located in the same strip mall complex as places such as Shokku Ramen, Pho Kim Long, King Fu Thai and Chinese, and Lee's Sandwiches; so yes, it does kind of stand out.

We arrived at the designated time and were seated.

The menu card has the story of Partage.

The Missus and I both took the 7 Course Tasting ($125) menu; the Missus took the wine pairing ($55) and I selected the Foie Gras and Oxtail supplement ($27). Service was quite professional if a bit stiff and our Server was quite sweet but really didn't know the dishes too well.

Thing started with the Amuse - a Pomme de Truffle. Which was delicious.

A crunchy potato round with truffle....man, this was good!

The first dish was the Butternut Squash Veloute with a Coffee-Truffle Foam.

Loved the earthy mushrooms, which also, along with the croutons added a nice crunch. The coffee-truffle foam tasted a bit odd and the dish was perhaps a bit too sweet for my taste.

The Lobster Cannelloni with Leek Foam, and Lobster Bisque was good.

For me, the wonderful bisque was the hightlite of the dish; wonderful sweet-oceany flavors, velvety texture. The Mimolette cheese in the cannelloni added a nutty texture; though I wish the lobster flavor came thru a bit more in the cannelloni.

The Rabbit Boudin Blanc was amazing, while the Rabbit Brulee had a wonderful texture, but was again on the overly sweet side.

Love the seasonings in the sausage and the mildly gamy flavors of rabbit seemed to fit in so perfectly in a boudin blanc.

The Missus and I shared the Foie Gras supplement, which was quite generous in size.

The foie gras was seared perfectly and was so wonderfully decadent. The passionfruit powder was a perfect addition to the dish and the gingerbread wasn't overly sweet. The was delici-yoso!!!!

The Halibut and Sunchoke two ways was a good dish; the hailibut perhaps a bit overcooked, but still moist and tender.

We enjoyed the unique nutty-sweetness of the sunchoke puree and the hazelnut crusted sunchoke was also quite tasty. A nice variation of textures.

The Oxtail Supplement was an Oxtail Croque Monsieur, which like the Foie Gras supplement was worth the price of admission!

Such amazing beefiness! Having the shaved black truffle didn't hurt at all either!

By this point in the meal, the Missus wasn't really wow'd by the wine pairing. We quickly noticed that almost everyone in the restaurant were having cocktails and not wine. And with good reason....they made some very good cocktails.

The meat course for the evening was a pretty much by-the-book preparation of Beef Tenderloin.

The beef was a bit tougher than I prefer; though I loved the sweet-buttery leek confit and the brioche went surprisingly well with the jus. The red wine reduction wasn't overbearing and added to the flavor of the beef as well.

And the Missus enjoyed the desserts.....

Even though the Missus wasn't too impressed with the wine pairing; I think the very innovative pairing from Six Test Kitchen was still fresh in Her mind; this was an enjoyable meal and a nice start to our road trip.

Partage
3839 Spring Mountain Rd.
Las Vegas, NV 89102

While having dessert, the Missus mentioning wanting to walk back to our hotel via the strip and the sweet young lady looked surprised and recommended we take an Uber. But of course the Missus wasn't having any of that......

And so, we walked down Spring Mountain Road and onto Las Vegas Boulevard. We were kid of freaked out at all the folks milling about maskless.......

It seems like Vegas, looked just like....well, the Vegas we remembered.

We walked all the way to the MGM, before heading back to the hotel. Well, at least I got my walking done on this evening, right?

And tomorrow we were headed to Zion!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wolf in the Woods - A Quick Look

*** Here's another one for my "a quick look" week of posts. Hope you're enjoying these posts.

One thing our visit to Wormwood did for the Missus was to inspire Her to dine out again. Yes, we'd be exercising some caution because we're not out of the woods (no pun intended) with regards to Covid yet....so outdoor dining or having early meals seemed to fit the bill. I had read about a place that served tapas style dishes named Wolf in the Woods opening in Mission Hills; so I made 430 reservations for an outdoor table. 

The restaurant is located pretty deep in Mission Hills on Fort Stockton next to a Yoga studio. I can't say I'd ever been around this part of Mission Hills..........

The place was already humming when we arrived, I'm glad we got outdoor seating. It seemed like most of the customers were from the area and the demographics skewed toward an older set.

Our Server was fabulous and even though the table was small, it worked for us as we basically shared small plates. We also loved watching all the pampered Mission Hill pooches walking by.....there were even more dogs to be checked out than what we saw at Wormwood on 30th Street!

The Missus started with a nice white wine. 

We got the Calvados Chicken Liver Pate ($16).

    The Pate was sealed with clarified butter, which the Missus didn't care for, but I enjoyed. The pate was quite good, great texture, just enough richness and balanced delicious, savory liveriness. It went quite well on the brioche toast; the baguette was a bit too chewy (a la typical San Diego style) for our taste. The pate's flavor was so balanced that we didn't need the chutney or salt.....though I'm never gonna turn down cornichons.

The Missus loves Her corn soups, so I made sure to order the Sweet Corn and Pinon Soup ($14).

Whoa....this was our favorite dish of the meal. The soup wasn't overly sweet and had that wonderful mildly-sweet maize flavor. The pine nuts added a layer as well with that distinctive nutty-sweet-buttery taste. The Hatch Chili Powder added some zip and the corn fritter some bulk and texture. The Missus already wants to have this again!

Of course I ordered the Beef Tartare ($20).

This is the classic Beef Tartare I look for, clean and refreshing to the palate. Capers and Shallots for flavor counterpoints a quail egg to add creaminess. The arugula was a nice touch as it added crunch and bitterness to the dish. The Missus thought this was superb; but I graded it as good. This was minced too finely for me, giving the tartare a more mushy texture than I prefer. But the flavor and seasoning was spot on.

The last dish was the only "clunker" of the evening; even though the presentation was quite good - the Harissa Octopus ($18).

First off, the texture was excellent; just the right amount of toothsomeness. The seasoning however was quite weak and the harissa (lining the plate) didn't have enough "oomph" or salt to elevate the dish. The octopus would have been just fine with some textural contrast and the addition of a decent amount of salt, olive oil, perhaps something with a touch of pungency, smokiness, or light sweetness, and lemon juice. Yes, for once I was wanting more salt in a dish. Too bad, because the octopus cooked nicely.

Still, the Missus enjoyed this meal and Her two glasses of wine. The place was pretty busy, but the service was friendly and attentive. I'd say if Wolf in the Woods was in our neighborhood, we'd drop by regularly. So yes, I guess we will be returning....hopefully soon.

Wolf in the Woods
1920 Fort Stockton Dr.
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 234-2597
Hours:
Tues - Thurs 4pm - 9pm
Fri - Sat 4pm - 930pm
Closed Sun - Mon

Wormwood - A Quick Look

Over the years; I've made it a habit of visiting a place in San Diego multiple times before posting. I've always thought it only fair to try several items on the menu and that anyone can have an off day. On vacation or trips it's just not realistic to do that and really....when you're visiting a place you will probably only have one shot at it, right? And so, there have been many possible posts (Trust, Juniper & Ivy, Born and Raised come to mind) that have met the "recycle bin".......and there have been many reasons why we wouldn't return with food not to our taste, terrible service, and price, key among those reasons. There have been some posts like my "never made the cut" or "COMC" posts and more recently during Covid my "visits BC" post....the actual one and done is at the end....can you guess where that is?

But times have changed.......Covid has changed things and of course, prices have gone up like crazy. Even if we like a place it doesn't mean we'll be returning in a reasonable time just based on price alone. 

And so, I thought I'd try and do a some posts on places we dined at recently; which haven't been relinquished to a folder for an extended amount of time. And you can tell me what you think of these.

Again, I have my reservations (no pun intended) about doing these.....but thought because of the Covid rollercoaster, prices and such, I'd just do some quick posts this week. Call it "a quick look" week.

I will reveal at the end if we plan to return in the future or not.....

Our visit to Wormwood was somewhat serendipitous. We had planned on dining elsewhere but our designated dining spot was a bit too busy for us. I had heard that Wormwood in the former location Jayne's Gastropub location was a rather difficult online reservation to get. We just decided to walk on over....and managed to get a one of the tables located in front of the restaurant. Yes, it was kinda windy and got pretty cold; but the young lady manning the host stand was a joy! She was a dog (and cat) lover and seemed to know most of the pooches that walked by....and gave us "heads up" on several......we had a blast dog watching.

The menu seemed interesting; kind of French influenced with an international flair......and we like this type of menu. 

While like the namesake of the restaurant indicates Wormwood specializes in Absinthe based cocktails and such. Though on this evening, neither the Missus nor I were in the mood.....
So we stuck to the food; starting with the "Champignons" - Basically Mushroom Tartletes ($14).

These were very crisp and light, topped with Golden Thread Mushrooms, the tartlets resting on the potato puree. This was a bit light in the earthy-mushroom flavor department, but the crispness was quite enjoyable.

Next up; our favorite dish of the evening....the Missus is leery of ordering mussels at restaurants because many times the shellfish aren't cleaned well, over-cooked and tough, sandy, or taste a bit "off". In this case, the Moules and Merguez ($17) were done quite nicely.

The Mussels were plump and tender, with a light briny-sweetness. The Missus loves Merguez and though there wasn't much of it in the Poblano Cream Sauce, what was there was tasty. The cream sauce was nicely balanced. The addition of preserved lemon added a nice savory-acidic tone that refreshed the palate.

The Confit de Canard ($25) had some potential which was squandered as the dish was very salty. In fact, since I make duck confit at home a lot,  Perhaps they weren't wiping the salt cure off the duck before cooking....or possibly....are they reusing the duck fat for cooking too many times?

The texture of the potato gnocchi was perfect......but again, we really couldn't taste much except for salt.......and couldn't finish this.

I had been craving some beef tartare since returning from Paso Robles, so of course I ordered the Wagyu Tartare ($23).

We really didn't care for this at all. First, the chilled beef was placed on a hot bone and bone marrow......a no-no in my book. Second, the beef was chopped too coarsely chopped and was really tough. Third, the guajillo based sauce overwhelmed everything. 

Like I said, the young lady manning the host stand was wonderful. She even said to call or drop by for reservations as they reserve tables for those customers. As for us; well, I think you can figure that out. Maybe one day.......maybe...

Wormwood
4677 30th St.
San Diego, CA 92116

So there you go......in the "old normal" I would have never done this post......or perhaps, just maybe, waited a year or two and start over.......

What do you think?

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) - First & Oak, Vaquero Bar, and Mission Santa Ines (Solvang)

We enjoyed a nice hour nap at our hotel before heading off to dinner.

When I had initially started planning this short road trip; Solvang wasn't even a blip on the radar. We do enjoy Solvang, but have always thought of it as a themed village of sorts where you came to buy your friends and aunt cookies. Until I was checking out the Michelin Guide and noticed a restaurant named First & Oak......the menu seemed interesting, sort of the kind of place we'd enjoy. I had never spent a night in Solvang and was curious as to how things were when all the day trippers left. And so far we were enjoying ourselves. The restaurant, located in the Mirabelle Inn, was just a block away from our hotel. I had never spent much time around this part of Solvang and we really enjoyed the cute and quaint houses.

I had made early reservations for dinner......so we'd avoid any possible crowds....though on this Sunday night, I'm guessing it wouldn't be very likely.

   We were greeted and taken to our table....which we really enjoyed as it was at one end of the sidewalk, by a very sweet young lady. Unfortunately, she wasn't much help with the wine by the glass....I saw a Veltliner, something we really enjoyed in Vienna, which was local....a rarity in my opinion. The young lady was very nice, but couldn't tell me much about the wine. She wasn't much of a help with the menu either. Luckily, we had pretty much picked out what we wanted in advance. I will say the wine was served at a perfect temperature and we really enjoyed relaxing and watching the street scene.....which by now was rather sparse, but entertaining.

First up were the Kimchi Cracklings ($9). 

The Espuma Garlic Aioli was the hit of this dish; pleasantly garlicky, very light and delicate in texture. The rice-crackerish "cracklings" were fine, if a bit bland in flavor.

The Duck Wings ($15) were up next.

This was pretty darn chewy and much too sweet for our taste. You really couldn't make out much else as the cloying sweetness just over powered the dish.

Our favorite dish of the night was by far the Roasted Cauliflower ($16).

The cauliflower had a nice smoky-light sweetness to it with an almost buttery texture. The truffle vinaigrette was excellent and really paired well with the almonds and raisins.

The Salted Baked Beets ($16) was quite hard.

The Red Dragon Cheese had a nice, mild pungency to it....but this dish seemed kind of plain overall.

We shared a main; the Roasted Loin of Lamb ($38).

 This really could have been a winner as the quality of the lamb was excellent and the exterior texture outstanding. There were a couple of issues we had with this though.....we ordered it medium rare, but it arrived medium well. Which wouldn't have been a big deal since the meat was very moist.....but the lamb just didn't seem to be seasoned well. Even the King Oyster Mushroom needed more seasoning and probably more of a searing to give some textural contrast. The gnocchi was fried and just didn't seem to fit in with the dish. The red cabbage didn't have enough pickled "umph" for the Missus. The jus/sauce was quite mild and this ended up being quite underwhelming. Which may describe our opinion of the entire meal.........

The staff was very nice; our Server was so sweet, but really couldn't tell us much about the wine or the dishes....at one point, I asked her about the lamb and she had to go ask someone..... Perhaps it was the Sunday night crew? Or maybe Solvang is basically for getting cookies for Auntie?

First & Oak
409 1st St.
Solvang, CA 93463

As we were wrapping up dinner; the Missus told me She wanted a cocktail.........I guess dinner did that to Her. After Googling about; I found a place named Vaquero Bar. The Missus immediately went to that four lettered website and said, "we can't go there, there's only 2 reviews". My response was, "that's exactly why we should go there"........so after paying we walked on over to the usually super busy Mission Drive which was quite sedate at this time of the day.

The Missus cracked up at seeing....well, a very familiar sight.

We took the short walk over and noticed that Vaquero Bar was actually part of what looked like a very popular steakhouse name Coast Range. Second thing we noticed as we ambled in; all the folks seemed to know each other.

Except for the Missus and Myself and a couple who were from Newport Beach. One of the mixologists came over; a very friendly young lady named Gabby and took our orders. I quickly noticed that music was provided via a turn table....with real vinyl albums, with one of my Mom's favorite artist playing......Johnny Cash! I guess this was meant to be?

The Missus got something called the Silver Stallion - Japanese Whiskey-Vanilla-Bitters.

I actually asked Gabby if she could make me an Old Fashioned with Mezcal instead of Bourbon and she cheerfully complied.

When she brought the drink over; she told me that this was a new one for her so she of course did a straw test and liked it....even though she was never a fan of Mezcal. This was a nice solid version....I ended up having another, as the Rolling Stones started playing on the turn table.

The Missus, somewhat disappointed in our dinner, went ahead and ordered the Chateau Fries ($8) and finished it all Herself.

 I stayed on my "liquid diet" and had another cocktail. We had a great time here. Just like during our previous visit to Paso Robles, the cocktail bar picked things up when the restaurant failed us. I'd gladly return.

Vaquero Bar (In Coast Range Restaurant)
1635 Mission Dr.
Solvang, CA 93463

Solvang seemed like a different city as we walked back to the hotel. So peaceful, so relaxed........

Getting back to the hotel; there was one more place I thought we might enjoy visiting. I asked the young man at the desk and he told me that Mission Santa Ines was right around the corner; through the Post Office parking lot. So we decided to check it out.

Mission Santa Ines was founded in 1804 and is the 19th of the 21 Missions in California founded by the Franciscans.

It was quite peaceful during this time of the day and the view was quite beautiful.

It was a nice tranquil way to end the day.......

We headed back to the Hotel Corque....the room was so very comfortable, the Missus loved the double sink...and the bed was lovely. 

We fell into a blissful sleep thinking about tomorrow....when we'd be returning to Paso Robles.

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Roadtrip (During Covid-19) - Pacific Grove Walking Tour and Dinner at Jeninni Kitchen + Wine Bar

After our walk down Ocean View Boulevard, we returned to our accommodation and freshened up. The Missus still wanted to do a bit more.....and I had been captivated by the wonderful homes we had seen during our walks. So, while the Missus rehydrated, I did some searching online and found a self History and Architecture Walking Tour presented by the Chamber of Commerce. I thought this would be fun and so did the Missus! So, we headed on down to the Chamber of Commerce near Jewell Park. The CoC was closed to visitors due to Covid; but there was a phone number to call. I called and asked if I could get a copy of the walking tour map. The woman who answered was really friendly and told me to "come on down and give us a call and we'll slide you a map under the door!" I told her I was right outside....soon enough, I saw shadow and the walking tour map was slide under the door! And we were off.

Before we headed off, I took a quick glance at the intro to the walking tour. Apparently, Pacific Grove was started as a Methodist retreat in 1875, when the Pacific Land Improvement Company donated land for the retreat. Instead of plagiarizing the pamphlet, if you want to know more, please enlarge the photo below.

   We loved that the walking tour basically started less than a block away, down Forest Avenue.

The houses were chosen based on style. And there was one particular style of home I was particularly interested in after listening to an episode of 99% Invisible. Yes, I was kinda geeking out in a very strange way.

So my apologies in advance.......

The first home was in the American Foursquare design.

Known for the "boxy" shape, this design was deemed "transitional" during a period right before the Craftsman style came into vogue.

At this time (November 2020) there seemed to be some work going on at the home.

A few steps away was a very colorful Pueblo Revival style home.

 Seeing the homes and understanding the designs really gave me an appreciation of styles and design. As in a Victorian Beach Cottage (Victorian design with wood ornamentation around the porches) versus Folk Victorian design (photo to the right).

The next stop was my favorite; the one I mentioned earlier. 

It is a Kit House.

 
 These homes were sold by companies like Sears, Roebuck and Company and arrived by train, delivered to the site by wagon ready to be assembled. Legos, Lincoln Logs, and similar toys came to mind when I thought about these type of homes. The one distinguishing item is the fastening bolts on the corners of the structure. Can you imagine; ordering your home delivered ready to put together.....and we think Amazon is a revolutionary tech company!

At this point in time; we were just starting to enjoy the walk.....regardless of the architecture.

Th next home was of Gothic design....steep roofs, projecting wood work...porch trim.

Versus Gothic Revival.

 At about this time, I started thinking about the folks who live in these homes. Man, how would you feel about folks walking around gawking in front of your house????

And because we were paying so much attention to the homes, we started noticing other homes......some of which had interesting designs. 

Or those that had something interesting in the window as we passed.

Of course, soon enough we were "back on track" with the next home, which was in the Vernacular style......which can be described as respectful to other forms, but based on what is available, but based on "local needs"? Not sure about this one.

   The next one is a style I think we're familiar with; the Queen Anne style. With the towers and gables, it looks like something out of a movie set, doesn't it?

The next one was quite interesting as I thought that it was just "a barn".

This is called "Board and Batten" style and is noted for the vertical wood siding covered by more narrow boards called battens. This is Ketcham's Barn and is a meeting place for the Pacific Grove Heritage Society.

Our next stop was back on Lighthouse Avenue.

This structure, built in 1904- 1905 was built in the Romanesque style; which I think we're somewhat familiar with.

A bit further down you see colorful storefronts with large bay windows.

Those features and the ornamentation identify these as building in the Victorian Commercial style.

Our last stop was the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, which is in a Spanish - Mediterranean Revival style.

The last stop was perfect as we were staying right up Forest Avenue. We made one additional stop to do some shopping and get some gifts and then headed back.

Of course we did a check-in with the "Art Store Cats".

After a short nap break we headed out for dinner. I had made reservations at a place I'd read a bit about and where the menu seemed interesting; Jeninni, which was located right across those Victorian Commercial style buildings we passed earlier.

There was quite a large outdoor set-up. We asked to be seated in the corner away from other folks eating and drinking.

There was something quite fascinating about the menu; interesting combinations. While I would usually shy away from these type of dishes, I was intrigued. And from our first dish of the night, the Radish and Lardo Tartine ($13), I knew we would have a wonderful meal.

The decadent richness of the lardo combined with a wonderful light pungency of the local radishes was a great combination. The bread was fantastic; we were told it was baked locally. The fennel seeds added nice anise tones and the mustard flowers had a light mustardy pungency.....not a typical mustard kick per se.....more like a pat on the head if you will.

I'm not a fan of sweet items in my salad; but I must say, the sour-tangy-lightly sweet pickled raisins in the Kale Salad ($13) was a hit.

The Missus loves kale so this salad with the bitter kale, nutty pepitas, and milky-savory pecorino was perfect for Her.

Or favorite item on the night were the Eggplant Fries ($8)....it was so good that we had a second order.

Perfectly crisp outside with an amazingly moist and buttery interior, seasoned with a mildly sweet-smokey Urfa Pepper which just highlited the smoky-nuttiness of the eggplant. This was definitely delici-yoso!!!

The Crispy Lamb Shank ($32) was also delicious. Think of it as Lamb version of "Crispy Pata".

Like the other dishes, this was a wonderful combination of textures and flavors; crispy-crunchy lamb skin, moist and tender meat, wonderfully gamey in flavor. The broth was harissa based; but I tasted something quite familiar....I asked and it was confirmed it was kaffir lime leaves. The Missus loved te perfectly cooked chickpeas as well.

Service was friendly and professional. While it's hard to put your finger on precisely what type of food this is; I'll just call it delicious! This was a memorable meal and we can't wait to return!

Jeninni Kitchen + Wine Bar
542 Lighthouse Ave.
Pacific Grove, CA 93950

Cambria (During Covid-19) - Fiscalini Ranch, Cambria Coffee, Shamel Community Park, and Dinner at Black Cat Bistro

During our roadtrip last November, our second stop was in Cambria. We had really enjoyed our dinner at Madeline's the night before. From the food, wine, and wonderful service....it was such a nice experience. We were looking forward to our full day in the town. Man, it really felt good to be travelling for a bit. We had really missed it.

I had gotten up early in the morning. The office had an urgent request so I was on my laptop and the phone for a bit. After my call, the Missus wanted a cup o' Joe. So I got dressed and headed out.

I crossed Highway 1 onto Main Street, which was quite sleepy at this time of the morning.

I really enjoyed the quaint, artsy, but unpretentious vibe of Cambria.....and a definite sense of humor!

A few blocks down was my destination; Cambria Coffee Roasting Company.

While I understand that there's a deck seating area upstairs with a view of the street; at this time, due to Covid restrictions it's closed. Basically, a table was set-up in the doorway and you could place your order.

And then you stand aside until you are called. I was happy to note that Cambria Coffee does pour-over.....which would make the coffee snob in the family (the Missus) happy. So, I got a coffee and a pour over for the Missus.

It was nice to see locals seeing each other....during these times, with the social distancing and such, I'm sure it's a treat for those on fours legs as well for those on two.

I went and walked on back to our room. The Missus enjoyed Her coffee. While not quite on the same level as Birdrock, She did enjoy it.

Cambria Coffee Roasting Company
761 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428

Bolstered by caffeine, the Missus was ready to head out. I had done a bit of research and planning for this trip to keep the Missus busy. One thing that caught my attention was Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. Previously owned by the Fiscalini family since the late 1800's as a cattle ranch, it was sold in the 1980's to a developer. The plan was to create a residential area, much like what surrounds the ranch. Fortunately (for us), the developer went bankrupt and the North Coast Small Wilderness Area Preservation was formed and raised 11 million dollars to purchase the property. The preserve consists of over 400 acres of trails which straddle both sides of Highway 1. You go from one of the last Monterey Pine Forests to the beautiful coast.

There are at least 17 trails available all of which are well maintained and makes for rather easy hiking. I decided that we should start at Huntington Road entrance, basically just an gate with street parking and walk along the Ridge Trail.

Where we quickly came upon an interesting bench.

This one is known as the, well, Dolphin Bench of course. We'd come to really enjoy the wonderful and quite artistic benches crafted with driftwood along the way.

We hiked along the Ridge Trail coming upon the pine forest.

And then meandered down to the Bluff Trail, which was scenic and beautiful.

And course there are those benches that I mentioned earlier....they really looked like works of art to us.

We took our time, sitting on the benches and enjoyed the views along the way.

These were the Missus's favorite benches.

Once we reached the North Windsor Boulevard Entrance, we headed back up the SeaClift Trail and eventually back from where we started.

Fiscalini Ranch Preserve was a fun, relaxing, and needless to say beautiful way to spend our day in Cambria.

It was time well spent.

After our hike, we headed into Cambria's East Village to do some shopping.

Which was a lot of fun......

We headed back to our very comfortable room at the El Colibri for, at least for me was a well earned afternoon nap.

I had made dinner reservations for this dinner at a restaurant in the East Village. I asked the Missus to get ready a bit early....She was a bit perturbed, but went along. We got into the car and instead of heading across Highway 1 I took a right turn down Windsor Boulevard and right at the turn down the hill stopped and parked at Shamel Community Park.

As we walked from the parking lot to the beach, the Missus got it.....

And boy was it beautiful!

Doesn't get much better than this, does it?

After the stunning sunset, we headed to our dinner destination, finding parking on the street. And enjoying the wonderful fun and artsy décor along the way.

Dinner was at Black Cat Bistro. The menu looked interesting.... We were seated in a covered porch area. During this time SLO County was under the Red tier and had 25% indoor, we requested outdoor. There were only two other couples during our whole meal....all from out of town and the other two parties had such cute and well behaved pooches with them.

The meal started in fine fashion with a delicious Crab Cake and Shrimp Salad ($17).

The shrimp was fried perfectly, the batter was light and crunchy, the shrimp sweet, plump, and oh so tender. The crab cakes was well made, full of crab meat, moist, the breading stood up well in the face of the remoulade sauce. The arugula added a nice balance as the mild bitterness helped to cut the richness. This was easily the best dish of the night, a memorable dish.

Next up was the "Paso Robles Pork Belly" ($15).

Love the addition of Gigante Beans; the pork belly was fine, the sauce was too salty and sweet for our taste.

Next up; the Gnocchi ($14). The gnocchi is fried giving it an interesting texture.....but beyond the light crispness, the interior was too mushy.

We did enjoy the earthiness of the mushrooms paired with the pleasant bitterness of the radicchio. This added a nice dimension to the plate, though that cream sauce just wasn't to our taste.

The last dish of the evening was the main reason I decided to book our dinner at Black Cat Bistro; the Strozzapreti ($25). The Missus loves strozzapreti and strigoli, the wonderful toothsomeness of the pasta. This was a vegetarian version which the Missus was more than happy to order.

There was just too much going on in this dish and the pasta was over cooked and on the mushy side, lacking in that nice chewiness the Missus enjoys. We enjoyed the purple cauliflower and Romanesco....the Missus just loves Her cauliflower. The currants seemed a bit too much for the dish as was the cream sauce. We would have preferred a bit more restraint in the saucing of the dish....but hey.....this is the US, not Italy. Sometimes, simple is best.

Overall a nice meal; friendly staff, the other two parties were from out of town and come to Cambria yearly. The Black Cat Bistro is a favorite of theirs. The Missus enjoyed the wine pairings as well.

Black Cat Bistro
1602 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428

As you can see; we didn't go to bed hungry!  We really enjoyed Cambria and will be sure to return.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2020 to you all!

Not much to see here that's different from previous years. Like the past fourteen New Years Eves, I started my day by checking out the Osechi at Nijiya, Mitsuwa, and Marukai.

These days it seems that most folks preorder their Osechi. Still, traditions die hard......

And in them of traditions; like we've done the last 2 NYEs, we had an early dinner at Et Voilà! 

Didn't take many photos as we just kind of enjoyed the evening.....

We haven't been to ET in a while and I just noticed the "Break Me. Don't Cut Me!" Sticker on the baguette......

An enjoyable meal overall.

Et Voilà!
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116

As for today...well, I made the Missus Red Cooked Wagyu Shortribs, while I did my usual, traditional soba.

And so we turn the page on another year......

And we'd like to send out our best wishes for a wonderful and delici-yoso 2020!

Happy New Year!