mmm-yoso!!!

Roadtrip (During Covid) - Odds and Ends Edition; Ragamuffin Coffee Again (Oxnard), Bistro Na's Yet Again (Temple City), and Stuffs from Etto Pastificio (Paso Robles)

*** Just a quick post to tie up "loose ends" of our road trip to Yosemite and Groveland.

The morning after our dinner at Six Test Kitchen we headed on out. We had decided to just take our time back and spend a night in the SGV. There was one place the Missus wanted to revisit in Oxnard; Ragamuffin Coffee in Oxnard, so we stopped at the Collection at River Park for our caffeine fix.

And man, the place was doing some good business on this Saturday morning.

I got a cold brew and the Missus.....well She got a Pour Over (of course) - a barrel aged Ethiopian named "Strawberry Fields Forever" and really loved it.

So much, that we ended up getting it thru mail order until they ran out a couple of months ago.

  The Missus has now moved on and we've ordered a couple of other roasts, but according to the Missus, none are quite as good as the Strawberry Fields Forever. 

She's hoping they bring it back.

Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters
550 Collection Blvd. (In the Annex Food Hall)
Oxnard, CA 93036

Getting to LA, we had decided to stay at the new Courtyard by Marriott on Atlantic....a huuuuge place. We loved the freeway access; right off the 10 and the rooms were large.

Though the view.....well, it left something to be desired......

For dinner; well we went to Bistro Na's which I've posted on a bunch of times already, so I won't drone on about it.

We ordered our usual dishes and a couple of new ones.

   Funny thing about trying newer dishes at Bistro Na's, there always seems to be a clunker in the mix. The "Princess Sweet and Sour Fish" was terrible! It had a "muddy" taste and was super sweet, lacking in nuance.....it was more Panda Express than "Imperial Chinese Cuisine" in our book.

The Smoked Duck Breast was amazing though! We ended up getting another order to go.

Bistro Na's
9055 Las Tunas Drive
Temple City, CA 91780

The next morning we got home easily.

For dinner, I decided to use some of the items I'd bought from Etto Pastificio in Paso Robles. We had been served some pasta from Etto at Les Petites Canailles and while we weren't fond of the overall dish, we loved the texture of the pasta. So, on our way to Six Test Kitchen we stopped by the shop.....the photos didn't turn out; so all I have is a photo of what we bought.

And then the dish I made using that pasta and the Pesto Genovese (you can get this Pesto at Mona Lisa in Little Italy), which is now my go to for bottled Pesto (when She's not having me make it from scratch).

I used some cherry and sun dried tomatoes.....

The Missus loved it.

Etto Pastificio (In Tin City)
3070 Limestone Way
Paso Robles, CA 93446

So that's it.......though even before we left on this road trip, the Missus had me planning another one! Stay tuned!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Still a winnah!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for stopping by!

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) - Sidecar Cocktail Co. and Old San Luis BBQ Co. (San Luis Obispo)

On the way back to the motel after dinner, I asked the Missus if She'd like to stop for a cocktail. I was somewhat interested in a place we had passed earlier in the day named Sidecar....no, not "that" Sidecar; this Sidecar, located on Broad Street.

This was the place we passed that had seating along the the creek. They also had tables lined up outdoors as well.

Unfortunately, none of those tables were available....plus, we weren't eating anything, so we just got one of the tables in the bar area which was nicely spaced.

The folks working were quite friendly....the Missus ordered one of the specialty cocktails....called "Walk on Home Boy" ($15).

Strange this supposedly had both Bourbon and Mezcal, but was quite mild in flavor and on the sweeter side/

I asked for an Old Fashion made with Mezcal - which wasn't too bad at all.

 We decided to call it quits after one drink each and decided to head back to the motel.

We enjoyed the service and vibe was very nice.

Sidecar Cocktail Co.
1040 Broad St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

A half a block away, we stopped by this nice piece of public art named "Web of Life".

Close by was the Old San Luis BBQ Company - also known as "Old Slo BBQ". It was basically a window and small attached dining area. 

 Along with a small outdoor dining area along the sidewalk. The menu had tri-tip "sliders" on it, so I talked the Missus into ordering one ($4.25) to take back to the room.

It was a short wait, but soon enough our little slider was ready and we walked back to our room.

Old San Luis BBQ Co.
670 Higuera St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Returning to our room I opened things up......

The rather dry tri-tip was served on a standard issue sourdough-ciabatta style roll. The tri-tip had a strong smokiness with not much else in terms of seasoning and was quite tough and dry. The actual flavor of the bread was stronger than the meat....except for all that smoke.

That BBQ sauce was overly sweet for my taste. I guess we'll stick with our "old faithful" if/when we're back in SLO......

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) - Dinner at Koberl At Blue (San Luis Obispo)

After that nice lunch at Firestone Grill, we walked back to our motel and had a nice afternoon nap.

For our dinner in SLO; I created a list for the Missus to choose from and after looking at various menus; She chose Koberl at Blue. The appetizers and vegetarian menu items interested Her. And you know how we enjoy ordering a selection of appetizers to create sort of our own "multi-course" menu to share. 

The interior bar area is very "old school" looking....I should have taken a photo. We did enjoy eating outdoors and the service while on the "SLO-side" (how appropriate, right?) was friendly.

The Missus had a glass of wine to start and I ordered the Yuzu Gimlet, which needed a bit more gin in my opinion......

Recalling our regret for not ordering the scallops at Les Petites Canailles, we decided to order the Seared Sea Scallops ($22).

The scallops were on the overcooked side for our taste and the artichoke duxelles was quite bland. There wasn't enough bacon to elevate the flavor of the dish and the brown butter sauce was a bit too cold in temp which led to a slightly greasy mouthfeel. I'm thinking that under normal circumstances the radish would provide a spicy-bitter zip....but it just didn't work out in this case. Not a terrible dish, but not good.

A menu item that fascinated both the Missus and I was the Crispy Snowe Crab "Chinois" ($18).

The crab was nicely formed, breaded, and fried but it was so darn salty. And that dressing reminded me of....well "secret sauce" if you know what I mean. We actually just had one each and as much as we hate to waste food, we just couldn't bring ourselves to finish this. We did mention the sodium level to our gracious Server....not to have it taken off our bill; but just to let the kitchen know.

My favorite dish of the evening was the Beef Carpaccio ($17).

The beef ethereally melted in my mouth. It did have a bit too much "stuffs" with all the celeriac and Parmesiano Reggiano. Just having the capers, less horseradish sauce, and onion would have done the job. Still, I enjoyed  this.

The Missus was excited about the Wild Mushroom Ravioli ($20), but it ended up being disappointed.

The basil vermouth sauce was on mild side and really didn't help to bring out the earthiness of the mushroom in the ravioli....I think the Missus was expecting an elevated version of my porcini-cremini sauce. The spinach was perfectly sautéed, but the texture of the ravioli was on the mushy side. 

After this dish, we decided to call it a night at Koberl.

Koberl At Blue
998 Monterey St.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

We headed back to our room....though while walking down the pedestrian only Monterey Street, we decided to make one more stop....which would end up being two more stops before calling it a night.

Thanks for stopping by!

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) - Walking Around San Luis Obispo and Revisiting Firestone Grill 7 Years Later

After yet another nice meal at Madeline's in Cambria (and that beautiful sunset), we slept well. And after a wonderful night's sleep, I got up early, and just as on our previous visit walked on over to Cambria Coffee Roasting Company to get the Missus Her pour over and a Cold Brew for me.

Like Paso Robles; there's something about Cambria that is very comfortable and on this, our second trip here within a year, it all felt familiar.

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

We just relaxed and took our sweet time. We had one more stop before heading home and it was basically a 45 minute drive South. Finally, fully awake we headed off....to San Luis Obispo. We had made a stop in SLO years back, but I had wanted to stay for a night. But man, those hotel prices in the downtown area....over $300 a night! Yikes. So, I booked what was basically a motor inn right off the 101 and a short 15 minute walk into the heart of "SLO". Of course we had gotten in quite early; check-in wasn't until 3pm. So, the motel was nice enough to let us park in the lot and we decided to stretch our legs and grab some lunch.

We basically walked up Higuera Street then took a left on Broad Street. We were playing by ear.

   The Missus had decided that She wanted to see Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, so we headed off in that direction. We meandered along, crossing over San Luis Obispo Creek; stopping to check out some of the public art.

The creek has nice green spaces and a creekside trail. And some of the restaurants and bars have what seems like serene creekside seating.

It was such a bright and beautiful day in May.

We passed the History Center and headed up to Palm and the garden area of the Mission.

It was a nice, peaceful area to take a break. The Mission is well known for the bells and bellringers.

After a short break we headed off to the front of the Mission.

And the bells went off just as we turned the corner.

   The Mission was founded in 1772 by; you guessed it; Junípero Serra. The site itself is fascinating as the area was called Ilano de los Osos (though some say it was La Cañada de los Osos - "Valley of the Bears") "Plain of the Bears" by Juan Crespí, a Franciscan Missionary who documented Gaspar de Portolá's expedition thru what is now California.

There was a nice art display in Mission Plaza and all along SLO called the May Flower Initiative, with some wonderful, colorful displays.

There was something I wanted to check out just a block over. You see; once upon a time, like many cities in California, SLO had a Chinatown (there's a great article here). A block over from the Mission are the remnants of that Chinatown. The most well known being the Ah Louis Store.

Ah Louis is probably the most well known and most successful of those that settled in SLO. The Ah Louis Store still stands; though it's now called "Karson Butler Events at the Ah Louis Store".

    Another business that still exists is Mee Heng Low; you can read a wonderful article on the business here. One can only imagine what challenges these folks had to overcome. The anti-Chinese sentiment, the Chinese Exclusion Act......and there are times...at least these days, where I think we haven't evolved very far from the racism and hate of those days.

By this time, the Missus was getting a bit hungry.....after a short discussion....a very short discussion, we thought it would be kinda cool to revisit Firestone Grill, which we really enjoyed over 7 years ago! My how time flies......

So we walked on over.

They were doing great business; but folks were all wearing masks and distancing and other processes were in place.

We placed our order at one counter; found a table outside. They had closed tables in order to distance diners....a nice job overall.

Soon enough our number was called and I headed off to another area to pick up our food. We had ordered the exact same items as on our previous visit.

The Missus got Her massive Steak Cobb Salad ($11.99), which She plowed thru like there's no tomorrow.

Yes, that tri-tip does well on this; but man, it's the bacon and blue cheese that makes the salad in my opinion. And with all that flavor, who needs dressing.

I got the Trip-tip Sandwich (no BBQ sauce please).

They still gave me BBQ sauce; but at least it was on the side....that sauce is way too sweet and for me doesn't bring anything to the sandwich. Not quite as much tri-tip as I recall; but it is still moist and tender, beefy with mild smokiness....I do like the roll they use; lightly toasted, a bit of garlic butter...yeasty. This was quite good........even 7 years later!

Firestone Grill
1001 Higuera St
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

We were happy with lunch and were looking forward to dinner....but first; a nap of course. I got a text telling me our room was ready so we headed back.

There was one additional stop I wanted to make; Bubblegum Alley....but when we got there, the Missus was so grossed out that She told me I'd be napping in the car if I walked in.....

I dunno; we had been to the Gum Wall in Seattle......but maybe being surrounded by stuff that's been chewed...saliva and all that....in the heat of mid-day?

That's fine......at this point in time, that nap in air conditioned goodness was more important to me!

Thanks for stopping by!

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) - Returning to Cambria and a Revisit to Madeline's

Just trying to finish up posts on our May road trip here. 

After having a wonderful dinner at Les Petites Canailles in Paso Robles, then enjoying a nice walk the following morning at Montana de Oro State Park, we headed to our next destination. We had enjoyed Cambria so much during our November road trip that we decided to return for an evening. 

It was a bit early for check-in when we arrived, so I headed over to the East Village where the Missus "caught up" on some shopping at the charming little shops.

Not sure why this pooch was so tuckered out, but he didn't move a muscle as customers came and went......it was quite amusing.

We decided to pick up some snacks for lunch and headed over to Soto's True Earth Market.

   It's a lovely little market with everything from sandwiches and cheese, to local produce and snacks. Folks were very friendly and we enjoyed the little shop.....I even purchased a shopping bag.

Soto's True Earth Market
2244 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428

I had noticed tables and seating arranged outside the charming Cambria Historical Museum which was closed due to the pandemic.

It was a beautiful day, so we decided to have our snacks here.

 Though we did ask permission from the local "security detail".

Soon enough I received a text message letting me know our room was ready. Just like Paso Robles, we were doing a repeat stay....we had really enjoyed the El Colibri Hotel & Spa on our previous visit to Cambria, the staff at El Colibri are very welcoming and friendly, we enjoyed the quiet location as well, just a short walk to the West Village where I had made dinner reservations at yet another "repeat" location. We had enjoyed our meal at Madeline's during our November road trip, so the Missus and I decided for another visit. It was just as good....so I won't dwell too much on the details and leave you mostly with photos.

The Missus loves the scallops and the "Spanish Octopus", but also really enjoyed the seasonal salad....... Which had....a bacon vinaigrette.

So guess who had to make bacon vinaigrette when we got home? Actually, it was pretty easy as our Server asked the chef about the recipe.....we didn't get a recipe; but got a ingredient list.

They even split our main; the Aubergine Gratin without us having to ask.

The weakest dish of the meal as for some reason the bechamel really didn't bring out the flavors of the eggplant.......

But that's ok as the other dishes were wonderful.

And the Missus enjoyed the Chocolate Truffle Mousse Cake for dessert, while I enjoyed a nice Tawny Port.

 And we got the same lovely outdoor table as on our previous visit. When I mentioned that we enjoyed this table, we were instructed to request "Patio 1" the next time we visit. And....I think there will be a next time. There's something about the vibe and staff that we really enjoy here.

Madeline's Restaurant & Wine Tasting Room
788 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428

We finished up dinner and walked back to the hotel. Since this was at the end of May, the sun wouldn't set until after 8pm. So, like we did on our previous visit to Cambria we took the short walk down to Shamel Community Park and took in the beautiful sunset.

 A perfect end to our day. Back at the room, I had a brew as a nightcap as I will often do on trips. It always gives me time to think about and ponder how blessed we are.......especially during these times to have our health, each other, and even though we'd obviously love to be in Paris, I've come to appreciate a part of California that I think is vastly underrated.

Thanks for stopping by!

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) - The Alchemist Garden Revisited (Paso Robles) and Montana de Oro State Park

*** Not much food in this one.

After our wonderful dinner at Les Petites Canailles we walked over for our "liquid dessert" at a place we loved on our last visit here, the Alchemist Garden. We'd enjoyed our selves so much the last time that we requested sitting at the bar again.

The Missus ordered the Alchemist Gold - basically a smoked Old Fashioned.

 Which included quite a show. She loved Her cocktail. 

As for me; like the last time, I left it to the Mixologist to create something for me based on my tastes on this evening. And boy did he deliver. This was amazing!

Smokey notes, a slight "bite", herbal notes, light bitterness....amazing......

Unlike the last time, we didn't need to order any food.

 I asked about the cocktail and was told it used Laphroig 10 and he proceeded to get out several small shot glasses and gave the Missus and I small tastes of the Laphroig and how it compared to the Macallan, the Nikka, and a Rye Whiskey. The Missus is sold on peaty Scotch's it seems.

Places like this and Les Petites Canailles will keep us coming back to Paso Robles!

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

The next morning; just as had done on our previous road trip to Paso Robles, we made a stop at Spearhead Coffee.....an Americano for me, the pour over for the Missus.

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

After which, we headed on out. On our last road trip, we had really enjoyed Fiscalini Ranch, so I did a bit of research trying to find a nice scenic trail for walking/hiking. Since we were headed back to Cambria, I came up with Montana de Oro State Park, south of Los Osos and Morro Bay. 

We would end up loving our time here......hiking the easy Bluff Trail.

 From the rugged shoreline to the beautiful blue sky.......I just loved the ocean views. While the Missus was absolutely taken by the patches of poppies along the way.

Much like Fiscalini Ranch much of the state park was once owned as dairy and produce ranches. The state of California purchased the property and it became a state park in 1965.

The Bluff Trail displays wonderful vistas, rugged coastline, tidepools, and amazing views.

Can you see the Morro Rock in the background of this photo?

At Corallina Cove, you can actually take the stairs down to the beach and explore the tidepools and the wonderful rock formations.

There's a ravine where wildflowers were blooming......

And of course our little friends all over the place.

Past Corallina Cove is Quarry Cove, with its own set of amazing geology.

And the very photogenic Grotto Rock.

This was a fun way to spend the morning; rugged shorelines with patches of color sprinkled about.

We really enjoyed the Bluff Trail at Montana de Oro State Park.

Montaña de Oro State Park
3550 Pecho Valley Rd.
Los Osos, CA 93402

It's well worth the time spent.....

And of course, we loved Paso Robles.

Thanks for stopping by!

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) - New Frontiers Natural Marketplace (Solvang) and Les Petites Canailles (Paso Robles)

We had enjoyed our time in Solvang and this was the view we awakened to at the Hotel Corque.

It was quite charming in some ways.....during the night before we saw an older couple sitting on the patio having a Dominos Pizza, just enjoying themselves....later during this morning I spied them sitting outside once again having their morning coffee....it's all good, different strokes for different folks and all that.

We saw a market on the way into town; called New Frontiers Natural Marketplace that we decided to stop into before heading on our way. It's really somewhat "Whole Foods" like, but perhaps even better focused on snacks...

They even had Ojai Pixie Tangerines which had just come into season.

However, unlike the watermelon and cherries we were already lugging along the Missus wasn't too interested.

So, I just grabbed some light snacks while the Missus went and got us coffee.....

I'm not quite sure what "Bird Friendly" coffee is, but this was not bad.

And the rest of the "snacks" I had held me over until dinner.....

The folks here were so very friendly.......that I'd gladly come back here again.....after all, who doesn't want to be "bird friendly".

New Frontiers Natural Marketplace
1984 Old Mission Dr.
Solvang, CA 93463

Solvang seems to have changed a bit since we last visited.

We made the hour-and-half drive up to Paso Robles with no problem. Our hotel wasn't quite ready for an early check-in, but that wasn't an issue as the Missus had really enjoyed Paso Robles the last time we visited. As on the last visit, we were staying at the Oxford Suites a couple of blocks from downtown. We parked our car and headed up to downtown.....

All the while enjoying all those familiar sites from our previous visit.

Once arriving in the charming downtown area around the city park, the Missus immediately headed to the General Store.....where one could spend a good amount of time (and money).

Yes, it touristy, but the folks working here are so nice.....and it's full of things you never knew you needed......

It's a fun stop, at least for us......we ended up visiting twice! It's just a nice place to stop and visit.

General Store Paso Robles
841 12th St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

Our friends love the cookies from the Brown Butter Cookie Company, though we've never actually bought them for ourselves....so that was an obvious stop for us as well.

And on this trip, the Missus wandered in and out of various shops....it gave me the chance to take a look at the Downtown City Park.

I wondered about the statue next to the Paso Robles History Museum of Ignacy Jan Padereweski, wondering why this Polish musician and composer is featured here in Paso Robles. It's quite the story, Paderewski was born in Poland in 1860, while in his late 20's he became well known in places like Vienna, Paris, and London. His talents were in high demand and over work resulted in problems with his hands. His friends in San Francisco recommended a stay in Paso Robles, with treatments from the hot springs to bring relief to his pain. He eventually bought property in Paso Robles on which he planted Zinfandel and started a winery, York Mountain Winery. His wine and music are celebrated in Paso Robles each November at the Paderewski Festival.

After making one last stop, to restock on olive oil from Pasoilvo Olive Oil, we headed back to the hotel and our room was ready. We took a nice breather before dinner.

As for dinner; well, after our last experience, I spent a bit more time looking over menus and such and decided on a fairly modern French restaurant named Les Petites Canailles. We opted for outdoor seating and this being a Monday didn't expect the place to be very busy. Well, we were quite surprised when we arrived for our reservations and seeing the place almost full! Tables were nice spread out and we sat outside the tent area for more circulation.

The staff to customer ratio was amazing as was our Server, "Ally" who knew all the dishes, preparations, wine, by heart. She told me that she often eats here on her days off....that says something. The other thing we quickly noticed was that all the customers knew each other and the staff by name. I guess Monday is the local's night to eat out.

Even though it seemed like we were part way into the parking lot, we loved our table. In fact, one of the women on the other table told me, "you have the best outdoor seats"! It was interesting to watch the flow of customers.......

And by the time we placed our order, the place was full.

We had pretty much decided on our dishes for the evening, we'd be sharing four appetizers and a "side". Ally took our order and said, "wonderful, it's a five course meal"! And we left it to her and the kitchen to decide the order of the dishes. One note, just to give you a hint on the service here....our plates and silverware were changed with every course!

We started with the Jaune et Rouge (Yellow and Red) Endive Salad ($17).

This was very refreshing, the endive had been nicely prepared, crisp, cold, the bitterness smoothed out and went quite well with the classical pairing of a blue cheese, in this case Fourme d'Ambert.

The next dish was superb; the Rabbit Terrine ($17).

Served with wonderfully crisp and smoky toasts; the terrine was surprisingly light in texture, it had a mild gamey-sweetness.....this was so good!

The Octopus "a la Basquiase" ($22) was solid in preparation.

Served over chorizo veggies, with tapioca chips, the texture was perfect.....the highlite of this dish was the wonderful sweet-pungent black garlic oil paired with a nice parsley oil. It just went so well with this dish.

Hands down; my favorite dish of the night was the Beef Tartare ($24).

 Served at the perfect temperature; made in a fairly classic style, capers, shallots, and with the perfect amount of pungency from horseradish. The acidity helped cut the richness of the dish. The beef had a tender and almost creamy texture.....and of course that confit egg yolk just added more creaminess to the dish.....this was just a decadent version of steak tartare.

We had also wanted to try the Grilled Asparagus ($14) with Confit Egg Yolk.

This is on the menu as a side dish. It fell kind of short as the asparagus sorely needed more acidity to bring out the sweetness in the asparagus.

This was my favorite meal of the trip. From the service to the presentation, to the wonderful flavors, an excellent meal overall. When Ally asked us about dessert we told her we'd be going to the Alchemist Garden for liquid refreshment, she laughed and said "perfect. If you're there long enough you might even see me there!" Like I mentioned before, there's something about the vibe and people in Paso Robles that we love.

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

And I'm pretty sure we'll return here.

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) - Sensorio, Dinner at BL Brasserie, and Cocktails at The Alchemist Garden

When planning for our trip to Paso Robles I read about an art installation by Bruce Munro named Sensorio, a "field of light" exhibition made up of 58,000 solar powered fiber optic lights. I went ahead and decided to get VIP tickets which allowed us priority entrance at anytime, along with a private seating area, and a free drink each. I arrived right at opening time, which is before sunset....we went to the front of the line, got our temperatures checked, tickets checked, and then headed to the VIP section. I'm not really going to add much more....this is very visual, so I'll let the photos tell the story.

As the sun started to set, we headed out and strolled the trails along the 15 acres of lights.....

It was quite the experience watching all the lights "come alive" as the sun set.

We headed back to the VIP area; the Missus and I had a glass of white wine and then headed off to dinner.

This was a fun experience; if you're interested in checking it out, Sensorio had been closed for a while during the pandemic shutdown, but has now reopened and I believe the field of light will continue to at least September.

Sensorio
4380 CA-46
Paso Robles, CA 93446

For dinner we chose a highly recommended and beloved Paso Robles institution, Bistro Laurent. However, a while back, the restaurant changed concept and became BL Brasserie. I was told however, that the chef and management were still the same; so I made reservations. We arrived and walked into the restaurant, which freaked us out; even though Paso Robles was at an Orange Tier while San Diego was in Red, the dining room just looked packed. Luckily, I had reservations for outdoor dining, which was in sort of a tent, which kind of defeats the purpose in my mind; but this being November, it seems that no one wanted to eat outside.

The Missus started with a glass of white, I had a glass of champagne and we placed our orders. Our Server wasn't the most friendly woman....I think she was a bit irritated that we were the only folks eating outdoors and she had to come outside to serve us, but whatever.

We started off with the Crispy Shrimp ($15.50).

The shrimp was over-cooked and what I assumed were strips of phyllo dough where really almost burnt. 

Speaking of burnt; check out the "odd man out" Crispy Crab Croquettes ($17).

 The one croquette was just about incinerated, really burnt and bitter....why would they serve something like that? I was thinking of calling our Server to complain and return this; but the Missus asked me to taste the other croquettes which had hardly any crab in it. Our Server was already not in a great mood serving us, so I figured let's just leave that croquette alone and see what happens......which was nothing......as it just sat there the whole meal.

Speaking of "interesting" service, a few minutes after receiving our croquettes our bread arrived.

Sadly the butter was ice cold......

Next up would be the "best" (it's all relative) of the night, the Crab and Avocado Salad ($15.50) 

A bit heavy handed on the mayo and the balsamic reduction was way too strong and it just strong-armed what crab there was.

Our last dish was the Belgian Endive, Apples and Smoked Duck ($15.50).

Three small strands of smoked duck........I'll leave it there.

Dinner did take a while.......you know social distancing is great for separating tables and groups of people....it ain't so great when your Server seems to want to permanently social distance themselves from you. I'm wondering, was this an off night? Was the "B" team on.....that's bit of a stretch on a weekend night. The inside of the restaurant was packed; perhaps the kitchen and staff was overwhelmed? I had heard and read so many good things about Bistro Laurent, perhaps the change to a brasserie concept really changed things....... Quite sad overall.

BL Brasserie
1202 Pine St.
Paso Robles, CA 93446

We were kind of bummed.....we had really enjoyed Paso Robles so far. 

Yet, we still had one more stop for the evening. And the Alchemist Garden would totally turn our opinion of Paso Robles right back around!

The place was basically across the street from BL Brasserie and was fairly busy, but the bar area was empty and asked for seats there, which turned out to be an excellent move. The Mixologist was amazing, friendly, professional, efficient...... At this time, there was a requirement that food had to be ordered along with drinks. He quickly told us, "if you've had dinner already, just o for the popcorn", which is what we did.

He then asked us what we wanted to drink. I explained that I enjoyed a good Mezcal Old Fashioned, I love the smokiness, along with the bitter, etc. He told me, "no problem, leave it to me" and proceeded to make me a custom Mezcal Old Fashioned.....not just a plain Mezcal Old Fashion, but with a twist.

He brought out the "heavy equipment" and started work........

It was quite a show to say the least.

I was worried that the drink would be too smoky for my taste; but it was nicely balanced, smoky but smooth, rich, nice acidity, just a hint of sweetness. Perhaps the best Old Fashion I'd ever had.

   The Missus loved Her cocktail as well. We loved watching the mixologist work, such perfect coordination, minimal wasted motion....he entertained us....chatting while making a zillion cocktails for his other customers.

Funny how these experiences really mold your visit. And Paso Robles was back on our "revisit" list.

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

After our cocktails we headed back to our room. Other than dinner, we'd had a great time in Paso Robles.

The next morning, it was time to head back home. We made one last stop at Spearhead Coffee, which did a pretty good job impressing the (coffee nerd) Missus. She said the pour over was not bad at all.

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

So I guess we would be heading back to Paso Robles..........sooner than we thought actually!

Thanks for reading!