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!

Roadtrip (During Covid) - Six Test Kitchen (Paso Robles)

Yes, we did enjoy our time in Yosemite, though I was pretty tired off all the burgers and fried food. Don't get me wrong, I was taken by Groveland, but I really wanted to have a nice meal; something interesting, innovative, and fun. A few years back, I'd read about a chef, Ricky Odbert, who opened a six seat tasting menu experience...in his family's garage! And was fascinated. Eventually he opened a twelve seat reservation only place in Tin City. Once I found out the Missus wanted to go to Yosemite and that we'd be going in and out of Paso Robles....I planned our trip around when I managed to get reservations at Six Test Kitchen. I'm glad I did; because a few weeks before our dinner, Six Test Kitchen received a Michelin Star......

Hidden around the corner from Field Recordings Winery, the restaurant is quite discreet.

You basically sit at the open concept bar/counter overlooking the open kitchen. Sitting here, I quickly noticed the fish bone hanging and drying above the stove. I found out that it was drying to make Six Test Kitchen's version of dashi.

There were only three people working on this evening, the chef, his assistant, and the Sommelier, a young man named Matt, who was amazing. As interesting as the food was; the Missus loved the wine pairings the most, which were quite different from the usual standard pairings the Missus was accustomed to.

Things started out fabulously, with a wonderfully briny-oceany Pacific Gold Oyster.

The finish was almost melon-like in flavor and that Meyer Lemon granite was the perfect match. The great thing about having such an intimate dinner is that you chat with the staff. We were told that the Sommelier lives in Morro Bay so he picks up oysters on his way into Paso Robles. Heck, this might be a good excuse for us to head on back there.

Next up was a Wagyu Beef Tartare. 

I wasn't a big fan of all that Gruyere that covered the beef as the milky-nuttiness over powered the beautiful wagyu. Also, there was a tad too much horseradish for our tastes as well.

The Rock Cod Tempura was fried perfectly, not greasy, light, crisp, though the flavor of the fish was mild, the slightly sweet flavor came through. I asked about the wonderful texture and was told that they dry age the cod inhouse.

With just a dab of the Tarragon-Caper Mayo, it was wonderful.

The Kaluga Caviar with Bacon and Eggs was interesting.

The caviar was lost in this dish basically covered in an egg creme; the chunks of bacon seemed a bit cumbersome.

The next wine up was a crisp Pinot Gris from the Alsace.

Which was served with slices of kampachi sashimi, fermented turnips which were fabulous, pear, and shimeji mushrooms.

An interesting textural combination; the wine really went well with the fermented turnip; the mushroom added an interesting touch of nuttiness, and the Asian pear a light sweetness.

The Missus was smitten by the next wine served.

This white actually comes from the Canary Islands! It's a white bled of two indigenous grapes.

The Missus loved the smooth balance of acidity and light oakiness. In fact, She had me track down some bottles online.

This was served up with the next two dishes; first a Chawan Mushi with Koji Butter.

Amazing texture, though the really strong flavors of the koji butter detracted from the steamed egg custard. I did enjoy the deep smoky tones and was told that this was from the dashi made from the fish bones hanging above the stove was used for.

Next up was the Sablefish....when this arrived the chef, who kept quizzing me about the dishes, kiddingly asked me if I knew what kind of fish this was and I told him "Black Cod"....he cracked up....

The black cod was amazing, buttery, perfectly melt in your mouth tender. The cauliflower puree was quite nice as well.

Next up, a Gamay Rouge from Beaujolais was served along with a very interesting looking dish.

The main part of the dish was a crunchy cigarish looking tube made of chicken liver rolled in onion powder and orange marmalade. Quite interesting, but not quite my kind of thing.

Up next was the Duck Breast.

Which was perfectly done and seasoned, though fairly tough. Loved the delicata squash. Also on the plate was a duck sausage "mole" which was a bit too sweet for my taste; but quite interesting texturally.

By now all the guests had arrived and the kitchen was going full bore....

Next up a Brunelleschi de Montecino.

To be served with two pork based dishes, we enjoyed both.

The Dry Aged Pork Loin was cooked to perfection.

It was so tender, perfectly seasoned, and flavorful. The apple butter potatoes were interesting but a bit too much for me.

The Dry Aged Pork Shoulder was also very tasty and much more "porky".

So moist and porky; we loved the pleasantly bitter-savory mustard greens that was served with it.

And then, dessert of course.....and some Cognac.

And interesting deconstructed carrot cake.

A bit over the top.

We both really enjoyed the not overly sweet, but complexly flavored Barley Koji Ice Cream.

Rice and creamy, moderately sweet, great nutty flavors, and almost a bit of savoriness to boot!

The rest were items like fruit rolls a chocolate peanut butter bar

And these quite tasty, light caramel - white sesame balls.

All in all, we enjoyed our meal at Six Test Kitchen. The dishes are creative, the chef doesn't play it safe and takes a lot of chances, which didn't always meet our tastes, but we understood that going in. The Missus loved the interesting wine pairing which was much different from most. While we probably won't return to Six Test Kitchen, we enjoyed our experience.

Six Test Kitchen
3075 Blue Rock Rd.
Unit B
Paso Robles, CA 93446

Paris (Before Covid) - Restaurant ERH and Golden Promise Whiskey Bar

Yet another quick pre-Covid travel post. 

We returned from our little day trip to Chartres and took a nap and rested a bit. For dinner, I chose a restaurant close to where we were staying. We'd be flying out to Tel Aviv the next morning and just wanted something close by. That didn't mean it would be just another dinner though. I had made reservations at Michelin starred ERH restaurant. The restaurant as basically two blocks from where we were staying.

Noting that ERH shares an address with a sake bar and a whiskey bar, we arrived early for our 730 reservation; and notified the restaurant that we'd be having a aperitif at the Whiskey Bar named Golden Promise.

We each enjoyed a cocktail whilst waiting for our table.

Soon enough our table was ready.

The restaurant is very low-keyed and was were really interested in the tasting menu since the chef, like many of our previous fine dining meals in Paris was Japanese, Keita Kitamura. IN fact, ERH stands for eaux (water), riz (rice), and homme (man), as a homage to the three necessary ingredients for sake.

I'll try to keep this post brief from this point forward.

The amuse:

Jerusalem artichoke with Ikura was amazing! The Parmesan Crisp was nice, the potato cream tasted like taro....

As was the monkfish fritter with sate and basil.

The scallop was so very sweet.

The veal tartare was also quite good.

That radish and haricot vert cream just blew me away.

The Foie Gras dish was served in a novel manner.

In a pastry of sorts, with mango and beets to add some interesting textural and flavor contrasts.

The "Bar de Ligne" (Eropena Bass) with Oyster dish was a bit underwhelming.

Really salty, the persillade (parsley) sauce not really adding much to the dish.

The Carnard de Chaland with Chou Vert, which seemed to be Brussel Sprouts rather than cabbage was quite nice.

Great complexity, sweet - sour - bitter.

And the Missus enjoyed the desserts.

A very nice experience; one which we'd gladly do again.

ERH
Golden Promise Whisky Bar
11 Rue Tiquetonne
75002 Paris, France

As I had my usual beer before sleeping, I again thought about how lucky I was to be able to have these experiences.

The next day we were up early and caught the RER to CDG.........

Next up...Tel Aviv!

Thanks for stopping by!

Paris (Before Covid) - Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Terroirs d'Avenir, Fou de Pâtisserie, and Dinner at Fleur de Pavé

*** Yet another condensed post of our trip in November, 2019    

As we strolled thru Passage du Grand Cerf, it really looked like the Missus still wanted to explore. And so, by the time we hit Rue Bachaumont, where this pooch was having a great time fetching the Frisbee, I decided to make another stop.

   We pass the Church of Saint Eustache on a daily basis when we're in the area and had never visited, so I thought this might be a good time to check it out. There was also something I wanted to see.

The church took a century to build, from 1532 - 1632 and contains one of the largest organs in France; the nave is humongous!

The interior of the church is quite grand and I'd read about the stained glass and had one set specifically in mind.

The church is located right next to Les Halles, which was Paris's central market for almost 800 years. So, of course they would be benefactors of the church. In fact the professional pork butchers association, the "Corporation des Charcutiers" has their own chapel. When was the last time you saw sausages and a pig in stained glass?

This sculpture by Raymond Mason commemorates the closing of Les Halles; it's titled "Le départ des fruits et légumes du coeur de Paris, le 28 février 1969" ("The departure of fruits and vegetables from the heart of Paris, February 28, 1969").

There's beautiful stained glass and some beautiful art work at Saint-Eustache; we'll definitely visit again one day.....hopefully.

The Missus really enjoyed this stop and wanted to keep on going; so we ended up walking all the way to Sacré-Cœur!

And enjoyed the view.

We were getting a bit hungry on the walk down and decided to make a couple of stops.

On Rue du Nil, along with the very popular Frenchie empire, is a group of shops which includes a cheesemonger, a butcher, and of course a boulangerie called Terroirs d’Avenir. So we made a croissant stop at the bakery.

We then headed back down to Rue Montorgueil and to a place I'd read about named Fou de Pâtisserie.

This specialty shop is a conglomeration of curated pastries form some of Paris's most well known pastry chefs like Pierre Hermé.

The pastries looked beautiful and of course the Missus had a difficult time choosing just one.

But She finally made a decision and we had some tea which we took to one of the two small tables outside.

While the croissant fell short; nice texture, but the butter-salt ratio wasn't quite to our taste.....

 The Missus loved Her choice, called
L'Equinoxe. So, here's another place I'm sure we'll return to.

Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Terroirs d'Avenir
3 Rue du Nil
75002 Paris, France

Fou de Pâtisserie
45 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France

After this we took a well earned break (nap). For dinner I had selected a restaurant that had just opened during the summer of 2019 and had created a bit of a buzz; Fleur de Pavé. Folks sang praises of this restaurant; the chef Sylvain Sendra had garnered a Michelin Star at his former restaurant, Les Itinéraires which he closed in 2017. He and his wife spent the next, almost two years travelling the globe and exploring various cuisines. The result of which is Fleur de Pavé. The restaurant is also very vegetable friendly as it gets much of it's produce from Asafumi Yamashita a farmer who only sells his produce to certain selected chefs of his choosing.

We were really looking forward to this meal. The restaurant was lovely, the staff very courteous, though service was quite slow. It actually took 30 minutes after we finished our meal and a "L'addition, s'il vous plaît" from me to get our check. Of course, the place is new; and as of 2020 they have received a Michelin Star, so I'm figuring they've straightened that out.

We decided to order form the menu and things started out with a trio of amuse:

From top to bottom; a Parmesian Tart with Tzaziki and Carrot; Blakc Rice Crisp with Labneh and Eggplant Caviar; and the thinly sliced Cauliflower with Madagascar Vanilla and Salt....which looked lovely and had a wonderful texture, but was a bit too sweet for our taste.

Up next was the "Scottish Bread", which looked like Parker House rolls.......but was a nice fluffy brioche.

We were excited to try the Salade du Jardin M Yamashita, which was topped with aged Parmesan. 

The dressing could have used more acidity.

The Kabocha Carbonara with Mimolette sounded interesting.

Like other dishes; this was on the sweeter end of things and there wasn't enough textural contrasts for us....the dish just seemed to be mushy.

Our favorite dish of the night - the Scallop Carpaccio with Oyster Sorbet and Sea Urchin - so many complex flavors.

That worked together well.

Though the Roasted Monkfish with Pig Ear Tabbouleh and Red Wine Sauce was a bit much.

The Missus did enjoy the dessert and the wine pairing though.

Overall an interesting dinner; the place seems to be trying really hard and the presentations were wonderful......and I guess that paid off with a Michelin Star.

Fleur de Pavé
5 Rue Paul Lelong
75002 Paris, France

San Francisco (Before Covid) - The Croissant Files and Angler

I was cleaning out photos that I didn't think I needed or wanted anymore and came across two sets from our trip to San Francisco right before the "official" start of the pandemic. It was January of 2020....I had thought about just deleting this.....but after pondering after a couple of minutes, I thought I'd just do a quick post, especially since I'd done posts on other places during that same visit. So here goes with a minimum of "chatter" from me.

We awoke to a nice sunrise.......and on this day, I thought we'd do a bit of walking and grab some croissants at places along the way. So we headed down Sutter Street to the first location I new was open on this day; Le Marais Bakery......which brought a smile to our faces since Le Marais is a frequent stop on our trips to Paris.

We grabbed some coffee and a Croissant aux Buerre to start things off.

 The croissant was a bit dry and the amount of butter to salt was quite low. Though it was nicely flaky/crusty...so decent texture, but nothing I'd return for.

Le Marais Bakery
1138 Sutter St.
San Francisco, CA 94109

From here we headed up Sutter Street passing some beautiful looking houses...yes, that architectural walking tour in Pacific Grove has developed a mild fascination with all these historical houses. Like the "Payne House", which is now a hotel.

On left here is the JACL Headquarters.....

And then walked thru a very quiet Japantown to our next destination.

To the bustling Jane the Bakery.

This would be the best of the three Croissants we had during this walk.

Jane The Bakery
1881 Geary Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94115

From here we headed down Geary, taking a right on Divasidero.....

Then a quick left on California to a place that had been recommended to me named B Patisserie.

This place was quite popular.....

Though I don't think it's for their plan croissants which lacked butter, was dry, and just not to our taste.

b. patisserie
2821 California St.
San Francisco, CA 94115

The great thing is; these three places are still open....so you can check them out and make your own decision.....

From here we headed down Divasadero and took a left onto Hayes Street; taking some time to watch the pooches having fun at Alamo Square Park.

We had fun watching the dogs......and I think next time I might pay more attention to the architecture in the area.

We headed back west on Hayes Street to the area known as the Hayes Valley, which seemed quite hipster to us....and took a break at a park named Patrica's Green, which is home to Tara Mechani.

There was also this structure which grabbed our attention.

From here we headed west and then took a left on Market Street, where we encountered the San Francisco I recall from visiting in the 90's. 

After taking a short break (nap), we headed out for dinner. I'd made reservations at Angler.

Which is kind of known for the seafood and such; but the Missus was interested in the vegetable dishes. It seemed like a great place (this was before the Michelin star) for a nice, light dinner. And, to be perfectly honest, in spite of the spotty service, it was the best meal of the trip.

We went with mostly vegetables; except for the Antelope Tartare.

Which I loved.....great balance of savory-gamy flavors and acidity.

The grilled cauliflower was meh.....

The Missus loved the potatoes....the cloying cheese sauce, not so much.

The texture of the potato was amazing.....which is how She "convinced" me to make Hasselback Potatoes, which was not nearly as wonderful in cut and texture as these.

The Parker House Rolls were very nice; especially with the seaweed butter.

We loved radicchio, so was really excited about the radichio with XO sauce.....

The actual radicchio was fantastic; lightly bitter, savory, prepared well. But the "XO" sauce....well, it brought nothing to the dish. Really........the Missus still prefers what I make at home.

The last dish to arrive was the Hen of the Woods Mushroom, which was delicous!

I've heard about the $500-$600 meals here.....I guess folks were having lobster and crab; our was not even close to that......and so we'll probably eat here again.

Angler
132 The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94105

And I especially feel like I earned this meal.

And here are some signs for you......

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) - Croissant from Pavel's Backerei (Pacific Grove), Mission San Carlos Borromeo and Dinner at Aubergine (Carmel)

 We woke quite early on our "getaway day" in Pacific Grove. But we just took our sweet time packing and such.

While the Missus was getting ready, I decided to head on back to Pavel's Backerei to grab a croissant to share. It was just past 7 am and I guess the "Art Store Cats" knew we were leaving and decided to not be in the window on this morning? 

There was also a line outside the bakery....even longer than the last time. It did move quickly though and before I knew it I had made it in.

 Where I ordered a croissant and ogled the donut bigger than my head..... I purchased my croissant and headed on out.

Pavel's Backerei
219 Forest Ave.
Pacific Grove, CA 93950

And while I was sad that the Art Store Cats weren't available, it didn't mean that there weren't interesting things to see......

Sadly, the croissant wasn't very good; lacking in butter, not flakey enough, and too doughy.

And soon enough we were off to our next stop; Carmel. We arrived quite early to the city that has no street addresses, we were staying at 7th Ave & Casanova Street, no street lights, and where you need a permit to wear high heels......really, you do. We got to 7th and Casanova early and were able to check-in! Dropped off our bags and then headed out.

I'd heard some really good things about the Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo, it was the center of Missions in California and Saint (as of 1988) Junípero Serra is entombed there. There were no other visitors when we arrived. We paid our $6 admission and walked on in.........

This Mission is the only Spanish Mission in California that has its original bell and bell tower. The grounds are beautiful and on this day as the only visitors, tranquil....

We were captivated by the place......

One could only imagine how things were when Junípero Serra himself walked these grounds from 1770 to his death in 1784.

And while there are controversies about how Native Californians were treated by the "Catholic Invasion", much of what we see as today's California has sprouted from the seeds planted by Junípero Serra. Who was canonized by Pope John Paul II on September 25, 1988.

It is well worth visiting regardless of your views.

We then drove back to the Green Lantern Inn, parked our car and just decided to do some exploring....which included a walk down to the beach.....

And then doing some shopping......

Because we were able to check in early, we even managed to have a nice afternoon nap, before heading off to dinner, which was at the only Michelin Starred place in SLO-Cal, Aubergine. I had picked our accommodation because it was basically a half block from the L'Auberge Carmel, where the restaurant is located. During this time of Covid, dining was carried out in the courtyard of the hotel. We arrived and were seated in a manner of minutes. There were heaters provided, the staff was amazing. 

Service was indeed at the Michelin level. It was impressive to see....when it started raining, the chef came out to help his staff clear the water from the tops off the tents......while still working to serve the Wagyu Beef mains in person. After having been thru more than a couple hefty wine pairings, we decided to get a single "Sommelier's Tasting" ($155) to share. We told our Server that a single glass would be fine, but he insisted on splitting the tasting......more points for the service here.

   The amuse bouche courses were a great indicator of what the meal would be like. From the decadent anchovy ,artichoke, spinach tart with bee pollen, think savory, complex sweetness, mild vegetal flavors, wrapped in crispness. And the briney Taylor Sheldon Oysters with caviar! My goodness! The South African Bluefin was excellent, perfect texture, very clean tasting......

First up was the Sawara - Japanese Spanish Mackerel in a Nasturtium "Pesto", which was more like a broth.

The calamansi pickled carrots were amazing.....the fish, perfectly cooked, moist, flakey, the "pesto" added an interesting mild bitter-sweetness to the dish.

The smoked maitake mushrooms in a shiro dashi was amazing.

Such wonderful smokey-earthy flavors, which held up to the savory broth; which had hints of sweetness to balance things out.

You definitely wanted to get every drop of the abalone porridge......my goodness this was so good! The pieces of abalone were so tender; buttery-sweet-savory, with a mild oceany brininess. The tomato added a hint of sweet-acidity to help cut the luxurious richness of the porridge....a porridge! 

Also at this time some Parker Rolls were brought out.

Which did really well with the Aged Duck.

My goodness, the dry aging of the duck breast made this so tender. The fat had rendered off perfectly....this was a plain amazing dish.

And then for the last main.....well, it was "drama" time......

   My goodness, triple seared a technique that I believe originated in Japan. Just the smell of the meat almost knocked me off my seat!

A small container of a wonderfully balanced jus was brought out.

And then a plate with several purees. And then the dish was put together on the table.

This was another amazing dish; from the wonderful, pure, clean beefiness.......to the texture, the perfect bite........just crazy good. The eggplant puree was awesome as it seemed to capture the "soul" of the eggplant. An unforgettable dish.

The Missus enjoyed the wine pairing and desserts.

From the service to the food, this was an exquisite meal, and I'm quite surprised the place only has one Michelin Star. Dinner was not cheap coming in at a grand....but heck, with no international trips on the horizon, this was the meal we needed and wanted.

Aubergine at L'Auberge Carmel
Monte Verde & 7th St.
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA 93921

Arriving back at our accommodation, one block from the L'Auberge Carmel, I broke open a beer I had gotten earlier in the day. I had gone out while the Missus was resting looking for a shop to grab a bottle. 

Walking up the street I saw a couple; she had a mask on and he was walking around sans mask. They came across a sign stating that there would fines starting at $100 (This was during November of 2020) for not wearing masks. The guy freaked out and he and the woman, who I'm assuming is his wife started getting into quite the argument. I walked on over....not quite sure what response I would get, reached into my back pocket and pulled out a spare mask I had in a baggy.

"Good afternoon sir, why don't you try this on to make sure it fits?"

"Uh....um...oh......."

I was ready for some kind of weird response...perhaps he'd yell at me.....or worse, so I said:

"Getting fined for not wearing a mask, whether you believe in it or not sure can ruin your day, and we're loving Carmel and I would like to make sure you do too!"

The woman sighed and thanked me. The guy, nodded ok, and put the mask on.......

And hopefully, we had a happy ending to a rather tense situation.......

I'm still not quite sure why I did it. Maybe it was the tone of  sad disappointment in the woman's voice....I'm not sure; but I'm hoping all worked out well.

Paris - Boulangerie Collet, Dinner at Pertinence, and the View She Never Tires Of

It had been a fun day so far and after taking a short break at the apartment; the Missus wanted to head on out again. So, off we went to the Marais, and resumed our "lèche-vitrine". We eventually came across a wonderful green space; Paris is full of these little parks. This one had a lovely garden, benches (of course), and wonderful waterfalls. I came to find out that this was Square du Temple.

It was a lovely little oasis.

On the way back to the apartment, the Missus said She was feeling a bit "peckish" and I mentioned checking out another Boulangerie right around the corner from the apartment, Maison Collet.

And we got ourselves a croissant aux beurre to share. This was a bit overdone, hard, dry, and lacking in the amount of butter I enjoy.

Well, it was good to try. Another one for the books.

Boulangerie Collet
100 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France

We managed to get in a short nap, then got ready for dinner. We had reservations at a restaurant in the 7th Arrondissement, Pertinence, which held a Michelin star. As has been our habit in recent years, this one was helmed by a Japanese Chef, Ryunosuke Naito from Japan and Kwen Liew from Malaysia. The little restaurant serves only 14 covers a night!

The sun was still shining rather brightly as we finished our walk to the restaurant. It was the end of May (2019) and the sun doesn't set until past 930pm during this time of the year.

It's a clean, spartan dining room and the only folks working were the two chefs!

There is what looks like some kind of sleek manhole cover in the middle of the dining area, which turned out to be a hatch to the cave below. During our meal, the Chef had to run down to grab a bottle, the fellow eating at the other table went "ooooh" and looked at me humming the tune of Mission Impossible. I answered with "Monsieur James Bond"! And he cracked up....who said the French don't have a sense of humor?

Speaking of wine; we took the 6 course tasting menu (105/€). The Missus got the wine pairing, which cost a supplement of 70/€ and was enough for the both of us to share.....as for me; I got the caviar supplement at 30/€ which was worth every last bit of money.

After the wonderful and warm bread bites, the amuse was brought out; a Green Pea Foam, light as a feather, with a slight sweetness and tart from the kiwi jelly.

And then the first dish......the Langostein which came with a Konbu Sauce and a Miso Sauce. Check out that caviar; which really complemented the plump, sweet-briney langostein.

I preferred the konbu sauce with this as it heightened the nice seafood flavor. Also loved that nothing was over-seasoned.

The Missus loved this bottle of wine the best.

Man, look at the size of that Foie Gras.......

And yet, it was the thin slices of pickled daikon that really impressed me. It also was a nice foil to the rich-livery foie gras. Not a big fan of the Amaretto sauce though.

When the Red Mullet came out; I really didn't know what to think as it looked like a solid piece of fish; but it was amazing and my favorite dish of the meal.

The skin was light, yet very crisp, it was a treat indeed. The flesh was perfectly moist and mild in flavor....cue in the caviar. The grilled lettuce had a nice sweetness to it; but it was the celery micro greens that were really amazing, packing quite a punch of flavor!

Next up, the pork neck, which was done medium rare - yes medium rare.....I trust places like Pertinence. And this was very tender, considering it was pork neck, and had a touch of anise lingering on the tongue.

Man, I was pretty full after this......I usually leave dessert totally up to the Missus; but this time it was Roquefort with Umeboshi Caramel Camambert. How could I resist???

This was a fine and enjoyable meal. Service was excellent and relaxed, the dishes well paced, quite impressive with the restaurant staffed with only the two chefs. It was well worth the price!

Pertinence
29 Rue de l'Exposition
75007 Paris, France

Since we like to eat rather early; our timing was perfect as we left the restaurant and headed up to Rue Saint-Dominique and then up Avenue de la Bourdonnais crossing the Seine on Pont d'Iéna to see the sight the Missus never tires of.

And then we headed back to the apartment......

And then off to sleep. Where I'm sure the Missus was dreaming of the "City of Lights".

Thanks for stopping by!

Munich - A Quick Visit to the Viktualienmarkt and Dinner at Werneckhof by Geisel

When planning our trip last year that started in Budapest and ended in the Missus's favorite city....yep, Paris, I needed to find stops in between. While the Missus does humor my desire to travel by train; She requested that no trip be longer than three hours or so. So, when planning our exit from Salzburg, I had to keep that parameter in mind. After providing a few options; the Missus agreed on Munich. It seemed an interesting city, we'd never been to Germany....and frankly, I'd always wanted to check out an honest to goodness Beer Garden.

Once, I started to do a bit of research, I got a bit excited when I read about Werneckhof by Geisel, lead by a German-Japanese Chef; Tohru Nakamura. I managed to snag reservations quite easily, considering the place has 2 Michelin Stars.

We arrived at the huge sprawling Munich Central Train Station after a uneventful two hour ride from Salzburg. I had made arrangements to stay at an Airbnb on Schillerstrasse a quick stroll from the train station. The rather "International" and slightly seed feel to the neighborhood bothered the Missus at first. But, in the end, She took to the area.

Of course, after settling in, the Missus wanted to head out right away....some things never change. I had wanted to check out the Viktualienmarkt, Munich's popular and very well known open air market. So, we headed on over. The Market has a long history, dating back to the 15th century....though it became a market by official decree in 1807.

Considering that the market is centrally located in Munich; it's amazing to consider that it covers an area of five-and-a-half acres!

Wanting just to quickly check things out; we started at the Maypole, which along with a bit of history, also lists out, like a typical traditional one, the various specialties of the region.

Among the many traditions that surround the Maypole is the mischievous one where rival villages try to steal their neighbor's Maypole. Here's a funny story of a group from the tiny village of Neufinsing (population 4300) who managed to pull off a heist of the Munich Maypole! When the terms of ransom was settled; the thieves managed to get two meals and beer out of it! You gotta love it!

We found folks in Munich and Stuttgart to be very well mannered and yet friendly in a reserved kind of way.

And also very social.

We'd return to the Viktualienmarkt and actually have a meal and spend a bit more time shopping later on during our stay.

We decided to take a quick walk to the Marienplatz ("Mary's Square"), considered to be the hustling-bustling heart of Munich. The massive New Town Hall ("Neues Rathaus") with its famous Glockenspiel takes up one entire side of the square.

We'd return here several times during our stay as well.

For now; it was time to head back to the apartment to take a short rest before heading out to dinner. Dinner was in the North Eastern part of Munich. We ended up taking the U-Banh from the Goetheplatz station and got out at Giselastrasse. From there, Google Maps was my friend and we found Werneckhof by Geisel.

The exterior is very low keyed; we were greeted immediately after entering the restaurant, shown our table, and then taken to meet the chef. We were the first customers this evening; so it was nice chatting with Chef Nakamura; whose father is Japanese and Mother German. The Chef was also interested in why we chose to dine at Werneckhof by Geisel. We mentioned our affinity for Franco-Japanese cuisine, we loved how well the flavors melded together, the precise cooking and presentation, how some places edged more on European and others more Asian. We then rattled off some of the places we'd been to; Sola, Takao Takano, Alliance, and the Chef smiled and mentioned cooking with these Chefs during events and having actually worked in the same kitchen as well.

Dinner started with nice aperitifs, then the appetizer course. We were thrilled that the appetizers revolved around white asparagus which was in season. Each using white asparagus in different preparations.

The pickled asparagus was a sight to behold, wonderfully presented, the tofu and sorrel vinaigrette amazingly smooth. The raw asparagus was amazingly sweet and was balanced out with rocket and camelina. The grilled version was probably the most mundane of the trio; though you really couldn't complain about the quality of the product. The preparations was a nice way to enjoy and appreciate how delicious white asparagus is.

The Missus and I each took one of the tasting menus so, even though there was some overlap we'd be able to get a nice, full range of dishes.

Up next for me was the "Hamachi". Basically a Yellowtail Tatare and some sliced like sashimi.

This was a wonderful range of textures; the firm, yet buttery Hamachi, the thick, rich parsley sauce, and in an interesting touch, the marinade in buttermilk, which added a pleasant milky-acidity to the dish.

First up for the Missus was the Langoustine in Shiitake Aspic, with Oyster and Anchovies.

I wasn't sure how all these really strong flavors would work together; but there was a good amount of balance in the earthy versus the oceany-savory.....and that langoustine basically melted in your mouth!

We both had the Bavarian Salmon Trout (Steelhead) as our next dish.

The sesame and kombu beurre blanc was quite interesting adding a mixture of nutty-slightly briny flavors to the very tender fish. Yuzu added a nice acidity that helped to cut the richness. In a fairly humorous moment, the Maître'd Markus, a very mellow and friendly young man, ambled on over and started explaining what Yuzu and Kombu was......I started laughing and told him "I'm Japanese" and he cracked up saying that most of the customers, especially the German customers have no idea what these ingredients are and for many, the flavors are still mysterious and exotic. I really enjoyed chatting with Markus and his twin brother, who is the Sommelier, Tobias.

Next dish up, the Gilthead Seabream, another overlap in our tasting menu.

The rice was a bit underdone; but the pressed octopus and especially the fish based sauce was an amazing umami bomb. The fish was perfectly tender; I'm thinking it might have been sous vide.

At this point, we were asked to stretch out legs and led downstairs.

And we were taken to....."Shibuya"!

In the restaurant's wine cellar, a little bar was set-up along with the fixins for some Kushi Shabu. And some great entertainment from the "Mad Professor".....

We got sake or shochu, and a couple of skewers......

We were regaled with stories of the chef and other staff, various jokes, and of course everything ended with the perfect photo-op as well!

We returned to our table for the "main courses". By now the dining room was starting to fill up.

Next up for me was a super tender, rich, and delicious Luma (a company from Switzerland which specializes in Aged Pork) Pork Belly topped with wonderfully earthy morel mushrooms.

The Missus had nice, though rather forgettable (compared to the pork belly) BBQ Eel.

And the meal's crescendo for me was the Ozaki Wagyu......whoa man.

And that truffle sauce....with a nice savory-spicy touch of Gochujang...….

The Missus's Koji Brined Grilled Saddle of Venison was also a big winner.

The lovely, flavor of the pasture, perfectly cooked, fork tender, the jus amazing....a touch of wasabi...good lord; an amazing dish!

And as a palate cleanser...the Missus absolutely loved Erna....the name of the Kombucha's Scoby…..

Dessert here were no joke......the Missus was in heaven.

Shiso, Medlar, Elderflower, and Yogurt.

Mara de Bois Strawberries, Tahitian Vanilla, Tonka Bean, and Sansho.

Hojicha, Raspberry and Lemon Balm.

I thought the snacks that were brought out with the check were presented wonderfully, on a map of Munich where these confections were created.

And I really enjoyed the fortune cookies.

We really enjoyed our meal at Werneckhof by Geisel. And much like our meal at Takao Takano a mere six months before; it was definitely one of the best meals we've had. We loved the effcient yet relaxed service and vibe; not stuffy in the least, a nice playfulness, but with seriously executed food. Markus and Tobias were amazing...….I still remember their names. And that's a photo of Chef Nakamura stirring the pot as a child to the right......he's been cooking for a long time!

I seriously think we'll try to return.

Werneckhof by Geisel
Werneckstrasse 11
80802 München, Germany

We caught a taxi back to the apartment....there were some road closures, so we had the very friendly cabbie drop us off a couple of blocks from our residence. The short walk back actually did us good. We'd get a great night's sleep and wake ready for another busy day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Mexico City - Pujol

Yes, we were back in Mexico City. We had enjoyed our last trip so much; that we decided to head on back during the President's Day weekend.  And while this trip was not without some hiccups....more on that later; the linchpin of this trip was reservations at Pujol; considered by many to be the best restaurant in Mexico City; if not Latin America. so, we headed back on the Thursday before the long weekend. The drill was the same as before; though leaving before the long weekend was a blessing as CBX was a breeze. what wasn't a breeze was having had AeroMexico mess up our flight reservations. We made it across the bridge; only to be told that we had to go to the AeroMexico ticket counter because we had multiple reservations for the same flight. How that happened; I'll never know, but we'd lost our Business Class seats on flights going to, and returning from Mexico City. So, we ended up having to spend an extra hour at the AeroMexico ticket counter at the airport. I will say that dealing with the counter staff was amazing as they worked hard to straighten things out. and in the end, all was well, we had our seats going, and a flight change on the return flight.

Like on our previous trip; we got out of the plane, through all the gates, to our hotel transfer....and then had the six mile; forty minute drive to our hotel. We decided to stay at the same hotel as on our previous visit. We really enjoyed staying in the La Condesa neighborhood....and much like Paris, returning here felt much like coming "home".

The Missus decided that we'd walk from La Condesa to Pujol, which is located in upscale Polanco, which was about three miles and change, so about an hour-and-a-half before our dinner reservation we headed out. We'd never really been into Polanco before, so it was an interesting walk; many bars and restaurants; but the area seemed to lack the character of the Condesa and Roma neighborhoods.

We headed down one of the main streets that goes thru Polanco; Avenida Presidente Masaryk, which had me wondering why such a main thoroughfare in the area known as "Mexico City's Beverly Hills", would be named after the first President of Czechoslovakia. Here's a statue of him in one of the roundabouts on the avenue.

This statue was given to CDMX as a gift from Prague in 1999. As for the background on the naming of the street, you can find an interesting article here.

About five block further down the street, you take a turn on Tennyson and end up at the rather discreet entrance to Pujol. We had arrived about 30 minutes early for our reservation, which was no problem since our table was ready. We had a wonderful, discreet corner table, which we loved.

Service during our meal was excellent, very attentive, but not over-bearing. The pacing was a bit off, with some rather long waits between dishes near the end of the meal. But great service overall.

I started with a Mezcal Negroni which I really enjoyed; the Mezcal really tempered the sometimes overwhelming flavor of the Campari. The Missus who really doesn't care for Negroni, even in Florence, actually enjoyed this.

The Missus ordered something interesting from the drinks menu; a Junmai Gingo from Nami, the first Sake producer in Mexico. The sake had a light fruity nose, very clean finish, definitely not a Daigingo Junmai, but I thought this would go really well with our dinner. The only problem was it as served at almost room temperature. We both ended up ordering a second round and asked that the sake be put on ice, which fixed things up nicely.

So here's the part in the post where I need to apologize for the quality of photos. We loved our cozy corner table, but the lighting gave me fits....and sorry, but I'm not one of those folks who fiddles around waaaay to much before taking a photo with a gigantic DSLR. I prefer not to draw attention to myself. My point-and-shoot usually has excellent low light capabilities, but this was not one of those days.

There were two tasting menus available and we decided to get one of each, after all we share tastes. The Missus got the "Maiz" (corn) and I chose the "Mar" (sea).

Things started off with two lovely "Street Snacks". First, a wonderful, mini-sope topped with a lovely, mildly sweet butternut squash....great corn flavors shone thru.

Next, a smoking gourd arrived at the table.

This contained one of Pujol's signature dishes; a baby corn version of the ubiquitous street corn dish Elote. I can see why folks rave about this item. The baby corn has the wonderful, slightly sweet, maiz flavor, the slightly fruity, rich, costeno chile aioli, with nutty crunch provided by Chicatanas (flying ants). A wonderful, complex combination of flavors. Definitely delici-yoso!

The Missus's first item; a Tlayuda, topped with black beans, tomato, wonderfully mildly peppery-citrusy-bitter baby papalo leaf, and crunchy chapulines (grasshopper).

A wonderfully bold, but balanced dish....maiz-good acidity-slightly sweet, nutty......amazing.

Which over shadowed my well made Chayote and Scallop Pico, making it seem ordinary.

There was a bit too much acidity for me from the pico de piñata. The pickled chayote was amazing, but the scallops were sorely overshadowed by all the assertive flavors.

The Missus's favorite dish of the night included two of Her favorite items; Huitlacoche with Black Truffle.

Served with blue corn tortillas; this was fungi heaven; the earthy, but almost sweet flavor of huitlacoche, combined with fragrant black truffle....not much I can say about this other than....wow....

Our sake, nicely placed on ice arrived at this time. A really nice gentleman, I believe one of the dining room managers arrived and asked us about our serving preference and we explained that for us, this type of sake is best served between 6 to 8 degrees Celsius to really bring out the flavors and clean finish....really nice guy...he even took out a book and wrote down some notes.

My dish was the Kanpachi Ceviche.

The texture of the Kanpachi was perfect, just a slight toothsomeness. The cacahuazintle (nixtamalized corn) juice, celery, and yuzu made up the ceviche sauce. The hoja santa leaves added a bit of a herbaceous; slight anise-minty-peppery touch to the dish. The only downside was that this was a bit too salty.

The Missus Earthy-Smokey Eggplant "Tamal" with Swiss Chard was a simple, yet perfect combination of flavors. It was quite wonderful.

I loved the texture of the pulpo in the Octopus Chintextle with Pickled Carrot.

The pulpo was beyond fork tender.....just perfect. The various Oaxacan Herbs added a different touch to each bite. The Chintextle; a Oaxacan chili paste was kind of strange to my palate as it had an almost bitter, turmeric flavor....the paste almost came across as a pseudo-curry. The Missus loved the octopus, but hated the sauce.

The Missus loved Her Wild Herb Open Papadzul.

So many amazing flavors; the chiltomate salsa had a wonderful tangy-mild sweetness, with a hint of heat from habaneros. The quail eggs were amazing; the texture, they must be sous vide...it was like eating butter.  This was simply amazing.

The skin on my Striped Bass was so wonderfully crisp. It was a tad overcooked and a tad too salty though.

The fried fava beans were absolutely delicious, as was the mole verde.

The last main was the signature "Mole Madre" and "Mole Nuevo", an amazing dish with regards to contrasts in textures and flavor.

Chef Enrique Olvera's Mole Madre is aged like a mother sauce and fed when the quantity falls below 10 liters. At the time of our meal it had been aged 2,779 days....yes, that's over 7 1/2 years! Needless to say, there's a lot going on here; it's not spicy, but quite thick, slightly sweet, with a pleasant bitterness.....I've mentioned the Chinese suan-tian-ku-la-xian (sour-sweet-bitter-spicy-salty) metaphor for a flavorful, yet balanced dish the Chinese use. This was it. The Mole Nuevo, was more in your face, in terms of sweetness, spice, like a typical mole. what a wonderful, interesting dish.

Then we were provided with something to refresh our palates.

Before dessert......

Which is usually the Missus's department. Though I have to say; I loved the churros, light crunch, then melting away in your mouth. Not overly sweet, slight salt tones.....

In the end, this was an absolutely fabulous meal, perhaps one of our all time favorites. We loved the flavors, how the dishes were composed; it just suited us. In our Uber on the way back to our room, the Missus and I discussed our dinner. I think we've dined at some fairly notable places over the years. And in looking at one of those rankings things; I quickly noticed that we indeed preferred Pujol over that dinner at a place that has been ostensibly the best restaurant in the world and the place named the best restaurant in Latin America. Pujol, like our favorite restaurant just suits us.

And I'm sure we'll be returning......

Pujol
Calle Tennyson 133 Polanco
Mexico City 11560 Mexico

Thanks for dropping by and putting up with my lousy photos!