mmm-yoso!!!

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.

Thanks for stopping by!

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!

Vienna - Paul Restaurant and a Quick Visit to Saint Stephen's Cathedral

When planning our last trip to Europe, we decided to fly into Budapest and end our vacation in Paris (of course). Instead of flying to Paris, I talked the Missus into doing the trip by rail....I love train travel. The Missus decided to humor me; with the only condition being no trip over four hours long. Which would make a slight difference a bit later on. I plotted out our course from Budapest and decided our next stop would be Vienna (2 hours 45 minutes by train). The Missus had always wanted to visit Vienna....the history, art, music....and of course, the coffee culture.

We walked the mile and a half from the Vienna Central Station to the Parkview Residences where we were staying. Since we travel light, we try to alternate hotels and apartments. It was a bit of a blustery walk....in fact, it always seemed windy in Vienna. It was also a bit drizzly, but thankfully not pouring.

I really liked our location, while not in the center of Vienna, it was just outside the Ringstrasse, the ring road that circles the inner city. It was also right across the street from the Stadtpark, the large and lush city park.

Since it was already late in the afternoon when we arrived; I decided on something fairly close to the apartment, though right inside the ring road. Right past the park is Paul Restaurant, serving smaller plates in the bar area, in the style of a modern brasserie of sorts.

And while the Missus really never took to Vienna; She enjoyed the Austrian wines, and Paul was a good start.

We ordered five dishes off the menu, which turned out to be a perfect dinner. Remember, all we hadn't had much during the day.

Things started with a very nice Grilled Lettuce Hearts with Langostines.

The Langostines were perfectly cooked, sweet, and tender. The grilled lettuce had some nice varying textures and the grilling brought out some smoky-sweetness as well. The bacon bits added another layer of flavor and those confit tomatoes were delicious.

Next up; the Porcini Soup. While very comforting, the Missus said this didn't measure up to what I make at home (I'll get to the recipe one of these days). The fact that I use 1 ounce of porcini, porcini cream (when I can get it), truffle oil, two types of mushrooms, etc.....makes it a fairly pricey proposition.

This was smooth and creamy, with a mild porcini flavor.

I really enjoyed the Beef Tartare.

Rich and yet refreshing; the texture was smooth and decadent. Wonderful with the toasts provided.

The only clunker of the evening were the fried dumplings, which we probably shouldn't have ordered. The wrappers were like cardboard and the filling lacked flavor.

The jus was too salty and really made this an odd dish.

The cheese plate was a nice dessert, but nothing really stood out.

This was a nice, not too fancy, solid meal. Not overly rich and quite satisfying. The service was relaxed and the folks were friendly. And the Missus enjoyed the wine. Check out the sitting area outside the restrooms downstairs!

It was just what we needed. We were saving our heftier meal for days when we'd be doing more walking.

Paul Restaurant
Johannesgasse 16
Vienna 1010, Austria

Speaking of walking, after dinner the Missus wanted to check out St Stephen's Cathedral.

Like many Cathedral's and Churches it's really difficult to get a complete and clear photo. It's just so impressive. There was quite a bit of work going on so we weren't able to see some things like the Turkish cannonball still stuck in a buttress dating back to the second Ottoman siege of Vienna in 1683.

I was later told that there's always preservation and restoration work going on at the Cathedral.

The doors were open when we arrived so we walked in. There was choir practice commencing when we entered. The darkness of the place gave it quite and eerie feel.

We noticed what seemed to be stones in netting above the center of the Cathedral. I later learned that this was a work by Austrian artist Peter Baldinger, named "Sky Full of Stones", you can read more about it here. We lingered for a few more moments, then headed out, taking one last "lap" around the exterior of the Cathedral.

We headed back to the apartment, walking through the park. There's quite a bit to see in the park, a wonderfully grand Historicist Music Hall, a children's playground, we'd use the U-Bahn Station when leaving Vienna, and of course, many monuments. On this evening, the Johann Strauss Monument shined brightly, piercing the darkness.

We got back to the apartment, did a load of laundry, checked emails and such, then headed off to sleep. According to our plans; the next day would be a full one.

Thanks for stopping by!

Fools and Kings

**** Fools and Kings has closed

One evening a few months back, I was looking for a place to grab an early dinner with the Missus. She wanted something different. I returned to the menu at Fools and Kings, a fairly eclectic collection of small plates....with dishes from some of our favorite places; Spain, Peru, and heck even North Africa. Over the next month or so we visited this quaint and rather discreet little eatery in Mission Hills.

Come to think of it; we've always had  a table on the little patio out front....I don't think we've stepped into the dining room!

The menu is a fairly tight one, not too many dishes, but the range, at least in geographic terms is vast. The menu is broken up into five sections; Salads, Bocaditos (appetizers), Crudo, Flat Breads, and A la Carte items. All items are meant to be shared.

Funny thing; I'm not much of a Sangria person, but I did enjoy the White Sangria, especially during the hot spell we had a few months back. While it edged toward the sweeter side; I think the lychee and cinnamon gave it a nice refreshing and "clean" taste.

On our three visits, we were basically the only people eating at Fools and Kings, of course it was early in the week and for dinner; like 430-5pm or so.

Each meal started with some Canchita, which always made us smile as it reminded us of our favorite little place in Miraflores.

Anyway, just like other posts of the same ilk. Here are our picks and pans.

Our favorite here is the Stuffed Piquillo Peppers ($10).

The peppers are stuffed with crab and goat cheese, a nice, rich combination....creamy, savory, sweet, milky, a tad of mild heat from the peppers. Served on a toasted and pressed, yeasty and light bread, it was very much a "Montedito". This was by far our favorite dish and we had it on every visit. The simply dressed greens added a nice bitterness and "green" flavor to temper things a bit. In fact, we thought the greens in most of the dishes were nice and simple.

We both also enjoyed the Lamb Sausage ($14).

This reminded us of Merguez, a bit more meatier, but it still had those nice spices that reminded us a bit of what we had during almost every meal in Tunisia.

The Missus enjoyed the Lentil and Burrata Salad ($8).

Of course, She loves puy lentils and corn...and Balsamic Vinegar. The burrata had a light milkiness, a mild acidity, and was very soft, but not runny. I actually enjoyed the yeasty bread, as I thought this salad was like something I make at home.

I really didn't care much for the Sauteed Wild Mushroom with Burrata ($10).

For some reason, I didn't care for the milky-acidity of the burrata, along with the texture of the cheese combined with the earth flavors of the mushrooms. It was a bit to much with the truffle oil; even for me a truffle oil lover. I mainly enjoyed the greens and the bread.

Sadly, our two "pans" were both of the Crudo we had.

We gladly waited the 20 minutes or so for the Cebiche ($14), you know how much the Missus loves Her cebiche. And this would have been pretty good; that leche de tigre was nice and bright in flavor, great acidity, I even asked for another spoon to eat my canchita in the leche de tigre.

The problem was that the fish was still partially frozen; we bit into ice crystals with every bite. It had also spent a bit too long in the leche de tigre. The camote, sweet potato had very little flavor was quite mushy.

On our next visit we tried the Tuna Carpaccio ($15). I dunno about combining Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Soy Sauce....like that Yellowtail with Olive Oil and Soy Sauce in in my previous post on Sushi Noguchi; I find the flavors really clash.

The fish was decent quality, but also on the mushy side....I believe they mix duck pate in with this? It was just a strange mish-mash of flavors and textures for us.

Overall the service was friendly and relaxed. Our dishes did take a while, but we were in no rush. Prices aren't bad....but this might sound a bit strange based on the wide geographic swath of the various dishes. But the menu just seems a bit limiting for us; there isn't that two or three dishes we want to return for. At least not for a while. Maybe when the weather turns warmer that White Sangria will call to me. Until then I might just "wander very far, Very far, over land and sea....." Yeah, go ahead and call me Nature Boy:

"And then one day
A magic day he passed my way
And while we spoke of many things
Fools and kings
This he said to me
The greatest thing you'll ever learn
Is just to love and be loved in return"

Fools and Kings
4015 Goldfinch St
San Diego, CA 92103
Hours:
Tues - Fri 430pm - 10pm
Sat - Sun  10am - 2pm, 430pm - 10pm

Romeo & Julieta Wine Cafe

**** Romeo & Julieta has closed

Here's a little place on a rather odd corner in Talmage that I would never had found. It's a recommendation from my "FOY" JasonV. It's a favorite of his Missus, Jackie. The location is indeed interesting; being on the corner of Monoe and 47th Street. I'm sure most folks drive up the back way from Fairmount....but the place is basically a quarter mile from ECB and Nhu Y. The little wine bar is located right next to a dental office in the same strip mall. It's quite unassuming.

This is Romeo and Julieta a Polish Wine Bar of sorts. The humble exterior leads to a pretty nice and cozy interior.

We love the art and the ceiling.

Though when the weather is nice and not too hot; you can drink and dine al fresco as well.

The place is run by what I believe is a wonderful and friendly husband and wife team. The husband is the chef; though he's often helped out serving wine, and the super friendly woman runs the front of house; often on her own. In other words; this is a real mom-and-pop operation. You can't be in a rush here.

There's a regular menu of items; sort of a Polish fusion; the usual suspects, Peirogi's, Polish Sausage, and such, served with purple cabbage, sauerkraut, and cucumber salad, hearty stuff. And other items like Crab Cakes and Barbecued Pork.

The wine list is quite good and you're always served light and crusty baguette; the texture of a nice banh mi; with an addictive garlic aioli.

Don't forget the specials on the Chalk Board; where we found our favorite dish; the Pork Rouladen. Again, knowing what the "base" cuisine is of the place helps...we were looking for Polish - German - Eastern European type dishes.

A classic German - Polish dish of pork rolled around pickle spears. This version features sliced pork cutlets, pounded flat, wrapped around pickle spears and cheese. Smothered in a tasty gravy and served with a nice, rustic mashed potatoes; this is totally comfort food. The Missus enjoys the sauerkraut and sautéed cabbage and onions. The red cabbage is fine, but doesn't compare to what She really enjoyed in Prague. The cucumber salad is a bit bland for our taste; it could use more salt and bit more acidity to help cut the richness of the food.

As you can tell; the portions here are no joke.

Another favorite from the specials board was a version of the Polish Classic Bigos Stew - Hunter's Stew.

This version features the classic base of sauerkraut with Polish Kielbasa, bacon, and chopped pork. A hearty sour-meaty-smokey-porky combination. And that tomato salad was really good as well.

Of course these aren't always featured on the specials board; so the Missus will order the Polish Sausage Plate ($17.95).

 

While I enjoyed the nice snap of the sausage; I didn't think it was anything really special; but the Missus really enjoyed this....for a while. After two or three times, we've gotten a bit tired of this and the Missus tired of the left-overs. Yes, there are always left-overs.

You see; our drill is to arrive during Happy Hour; the Missus doesn't mind the House Chardonnay here; though they've recently changed it; and I'd just get a glass of the Italian Grillo, six bucks during Happy Hour.

Then we'd order the Polish Schnitzel Sliders from the Happy Hour menu ($9.50). I'm usually not a big fan of these fusion slider things; but this is pretty good.

The crunchy beef schnitzel, combined with the slightly sweet, but pungent, beet colored horseradish, the almost always sweet and slightly acidic tomato, and that pickle, don't forget that pickle, just goes quite well in a bun. There are four of these to an order......combined with the Missus's weak spot; sweet potato fries, enough for the both of us.

We usually end up taking most of the other entrée home as left-overs.

We also tried some of the other items over time, not all of which we enjoyed.

The Stuffed Cabbage was a menu board special. These were huge and we loved the mashed potatoes.

But we thought it on the bland and somewhat mealy side. Even with that wonderful horse radish.

The Happy Hour Wings and Fries; was priced right at $9.50.

The Missus of course, enjoyed those fries, but those wings weren't deep fried. I know this place serves flatbread/pizzas, so I'm thinking this was cooked on a conveyor oven? Not sauced enough and rubbery skin, not good eats.

My good friend's Mom back in Hawaii used come and visit with her rolling pin. She made awesome pierogi's. So during one of our first visits I decided to try the Pierogi's; the Happy Hour version. Unfortunately; they were out of the two versions that featured sauerkraut. So I ordered the Potato and Cheese; "bacon style" ($9.50).

Man, these were really stuffed. I found the wrapper to be  bit on the brittle side and there was too much mushy potatoes as filling. The bacon and bacon fat topping was lovely, but I really didn't care for this version. I'll probably try one of the other versions one of these days.

There's a lot to like about Romeo & Julieta. We think the food is quite hearty and you do get your money's worth; especially those Happy Hour items. The owners are really friendly, gracious, and just really nice folks. There's often only two to three people working; which is fine during the time we eat; early on in the evening.

Happy Hour is from 4pm to 6pm Tuesdays thru Saturdays and 3pm to 6pm on Sundays.

And make sure to check out the specials board. JasonV told me he enjoyed the Watermelon Salad.

I'm sure if you choose well from the menu; you'll have a nice and hearty meal.

Romeo & Julieta Wine Cafe
4715 Monroe Ave
San Diego, CA 92115
Hours:
Tues - Sat 4pm - 10pm
Sunday     3pm - 10pm

Thanks for the recommendation Jason! Maybe one of these days we'll run into you here!

And share some Bigos.