mmm-yoso!!!

Witch Creek Winery, Sleeping Tiger Coffees, and Carlsbad (Danish) Bakery (Carlsbad)

We enjoyed strolling back to our hotel after dinner at Jeune et Jolie. We had gotten some coffee at the shop on the corner of Carlsbad Boulevard and Grand Avenue on our last staycation in the area. I had forgotten to take photos during that visit. The coffee stand was actually in Witch Creek Winery. We decided to pop in and take a look. There were folks enjoying themselves, though the place wasn't overly crowded.

The musician was plating Guantanamera which was a favorite of my late mom. We decided to finish off the evening with a nice glass of wine.

We got a glass of the Chardonnay and a glass of the White Blend.

The Missus really enjoyed the White Blend. We finished things off by sharing a glass of the Sparkling Wine, which I enjoyed. Fairly light, fruity, but not overly sweet.

We took the 3 block walk back to the hotel. It was a brisk, but pleasant night. We slept well. The next morning we woke and relaxed a bit. I went to get some coffee provided in the hotel's recreation room and we sat on our porch and enjoyed ourselves.

We then took a nice stroll along the Carlsbad State Beach walkway. 

After our morning walk, we decided to check out. The nice gentleman manning the front desk told us it would perfectly fine to leave our car in the lot until one or so. So we loaded up the car, then headed on out. The Missus wanted to check out some of the shop in the area, most of which didn't open until 10. So we ambled up State Street and then Roosevelt.

I was getting a bit hungry and recalled seeing a fairly popular bakery during our last stay in the area. So we headed on over.

The name of the place is simply Carlsbad Bakery. It used to be named Carlsbad Danish Bakery.

The very nice woman working seemed to have a Danish accent, which made me smile as I hadn't heard that in quite a while. I had thoughts about just getting a croissant, but decided on the Brie-Mushroom-Spinach pastry. The Missus got some flourless chocolate cake that She saved for later and enjoyed.

Pastry in hand we started walking back to the hotel.

As we walked past Witch Creek Winery, we decided to grab some coffee. And headed on in.

We'd been here on our last visit, so we knew what we wanted. The Missus got the Tanzania pour-over and I got a cold brew. We placed our orders and took a stroll around the shop.

The place was empty so it was nice to wander around.

There's quite a bit of "stuffs" for sale in the shop and on the patio. Some of it was quite cute and charming.

Once our coffees were ready we took a seat outside and enjoyed watching the parade of pooches up and down the street. The Missus enjoyed Her pour over and the cold brew was great fuel for the drive ahead.

There's a Starbucks next door which does some major business; but Sleeping Tiger was fairly quiet. I dunno, we much rather support a local business.

I had my pastry, which was much larger than it looked on the counter.

This was not bad; enjoyed the creamy brie which also had some nice earthiness, which the mushrooms further enhanced. The croissant dough was lightly buttery; though it lacked the flakiness that I enjoy; this was not bad. I guess I'll need to try the croissants next time.

You can read about Soo's visit to Carlsbad Bakery here.

I'm guessing we'll be returning to these two stops when visiting Carlsbad.

Carlsbad (Danish) Bakery
2805 Roosevelt St.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Tues - Sat  7am - 3pm
Sunday      7am - 1pm
Closed on Monday

Witch Creek Winery
2906 Carlsbad Blvd.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Current Hours:
Sun - Thurs Noon - 7pm
Friday          Noon - 8pm
Saturday     Noon - 9pm

Sleeping Tiger Coffees (In Witch Creek Winery)
2906 Carlsbad Blvd.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Current Hours:
Thurs - Mon 7am - 5pm
Tues - Wed   7am - 3pm

We had enjoyed Carlsbad; but now it was time to head on over to our next stop.....

Le Menu du Bar at Jeune et Jolie (Carlsbad)

Like I mentioned in my previous post, the Missus requested a Road Trip to a specific location. This also gave us an opportunity to revisit Jeune et Jolie and spend a night in Carlsbad before heading off. After our last meal at JeJ my friends "B&G" had seen my photos and taken it upon themselves to head on over and have dinner. Though they didn't make reservations. Instead, they dined at the bar, which has its own menu and doesn't take reservations. They had no problem getting seats at the bar arriving right before 5pm on a Friday. The bar menu had several items that looked enticing, so we thought we'd try our luck on a Friday no less!

This time around we stayed at the Tamarack Resort, which we enjoyed. The location was right across from Carlsbad State Beach and had ample underground parking; at least when we arrived.

We checked in and relaxed until it was time to head out to try our luck.

We enjoyed the short stroll over to the restaurant and arrived 5 before 5. There were several parties ahead of us; but most had reservations for dining in. We easily got a place at the bar; which filled up quickly and was totally full in minutes!

Service was friendly and relaxed, yet still quite efficient. The Missus started with a Chardonnay and I had the House Old Fashioned which was no joke!

We placed our orders, we had eaten a fairly big lunch before heading out, so the smaller bites on the menu suited us perfectly. There are offerings of oysters, prawns, a plat du fruits du mer, but we had other things in mind.

"B" had stated that the Croque Monsieur ($44) was his favorite item of his meal, so we started with that. We didn't know what to expect and this is what arrived.

If there was ever a dish to be named "death by truffle" this might be a contender. So the earthy-sweet truffle and brioche really dominated these bites. We really couldn't make out the jamon iberico. Don't get me wrong; you know how much we love truffle, but this was just a bit too sweet and out of balance for me.

Seeing one of my favorites from the tasting menu available, I made sure to order the Veal Tartare ($23).

This was every bit as good as what I'd had before. Tender veal, chopped to my preferred size, nice touch of pungency, the flavor of white soy added a nice savory-saltiness, the crunchy-peppery radish was a nice foil, and the nori powder added another nice layer of flavor.

One item that I really enjoy when in France are Gourgeres, though it's getting a bit more difficult to find light puffs of savory pastry and cheese these days. Even in Paris, where it used to be sold be weight. So, when I saw Gourgere ($16) on the menu I had to get it. Even though it was filled with mornay.

My goodness, we loved these! The crisp and light choux was filled with a savory-pleasantly cheesy Mornay, which even had a nice touch of garlic. That wonderful nutty-earthy-savory-mushroomy flavor of the black truffle came thru clearly as well. We could taste all the components which made this dish delici-yoso! In fact, we had a second order of these!

You know, we enjoy Carlsbad in spite of the lack of Asian food offerings in the area. I hate to think how much damage to my wallet we'd do if we lived in walking distance of Jeune et Jolie!

Jeune Et Jolie - Le Menu du Bar only served at the bar and small "lounge" area. No reservations, first come first served.
2659 State St.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Current Hours:
Wed - Sun 5pm - 10pm

After dinner we took a nice stroll.

Where we passed several venues with folks having a great time! 

Very relaxed, laid-back......fun!

On the way back to the hotel, the Missus and I decided to get a glass of wine at a place we'd had coffee at on our previous visit.

Valle (Oceanside)

After our wonderful dinner at Jeune et Jolie we were looking forward to our meal the next evening in Oceanside at the Michelin starred Valle restaurant. The samples of the tasting menu we'd seen really enticed us, and the Missus really wanted to sample the wines of the Valle de Guadalupe. So, after heading to Garden Grove to have Lao food for lunch, we headed back to Oceanside and checked in at the Springhill Suites. Man, I hadn't been in this area for ages and it had changed a lot.

It was much more developed and commercial. We actually enjoyed staying in Carlsbad a lot more. Though, we did have a wonderful time at Frankie's, cause you know why!

We strolled down the Oceanside Pier and then walked on over to the location of Valle. It was quite a modern setting, it's all tasting menu here, we got the Tierra Y Mar (Land and Sea) which was $180 per person and shared a single wine pairing which was $150. The staff was friendly and professional, though not as knowledgeable and enthusiastic as the folks at JeJ.

Though the one cocktail that was recommended was outstanding; the "Maggie" ($20). Now, the Missus isn't a big fan of Margaritas, but She loved this.

It has so clean, so crisp, and yet had that hint of agave. I asked about this cocktail and was told it was made with Cristalino, which folks really disparaged when we visited Tequila and I can understand why. And yet, this was so good, it used the Milk punch method to clarify the components of the drink. It was lovely; we had two....  We got a single pairing with our meal, which was excellent.

Things started with the Botanas.

We loved the chicharron foam/broth, it was so porky, light, and comforting.

The little mini fish "tacos" were also quite tasty; nice maize flavor.

Then things really started out with the Charred Onion Tarte with Kaluga Hybrid Caviar.

As with many of the dishes, quite an interesting presentation...charred black. Good sweet-almost caramelized onion tones. The caviar seemed strangely muted as we expected more of salty-savory counterpoint. Great texture though.

The eye catching Betabel (beet) was next. It was interesting that both JeJ and Valle had beet dishes as components of the meal.

This dish featured Humboldt Fog, which, since you know how we enjoy cheese excited us. But the dish was overwhelmingly sweet, though we loved the anise-mint flavor of the shiso, the flavor of rosemary kind of overpowered things.

Next up was the Trucha, Nopal y Tuna. We love Nopal and this was described as an aguachile.

It lacked a nice citrusy acidity and the trout was really tough in texture. 

The one saving grace was the Chardonnay paired with this dish was a favorite of the Missus.

In fact, I've hunted this down once we returned.

The Chancla con corte de wagyu was good.

If I recall in my really horrible Spanish, "chancla" means slipper. This was an decadent slice of what I consider wagyu "lardo" topping....well who cares really.....

Good lord, the avocado crema....the earthy-maize chancla!!!

In total contrast, the Tetela de Birria was quite mild.

Perhaps it was because we were in Jalisco recently (I'll get those posts done soon!), but even the Missus said, "this doesn't taste like birria, where's the bold flavors!"

I enjoy Pescado Zarandeano, I even make a version at home. This was an interesting version as it featured, a tasty "pico de gallo terrine". Which actually tasted much better than the fish!

Which was dry and fairly bland.

At this point, there was an interesting move, the Missus got the Cornejo Alegre, the poached and roasted rabbit.

I thought the Missus would enjoy this. Remember how hard I worked to find that the Missus enjoyed Mole Segueza in Oaxaca. But for Her it was overly sweet and it seemed that the gamy tones of the rabbit was meant to be muted.

I did order the A5 Drunken Wagyu Strip which was an extra $50....let me tell you, this was amazing, even better than what we had at JeJ!

So beefy, with an amazing texture....that was at first firm, that gave way.....good lord, can I say I tasted the soul of beef? Perfectly cooked and seasoned. For me; this was a once in a lifetime kind of thing.

If I were to return...cause the "Maggie" calls to me; I'd sit at the bar and have a couple of dishes. Still, this was a fun experience, though we enjoyed JeJ much more.

Valle
222 N Pacific St.
Oceanside, CA 92054

And after dinner, well, the Oceanside Pier is right there.....

And if you're of my generation; this is called the "Top Gun House".

In case you want to check it out.

Thanks as always for stopping by!

Jeune et Jolie (Carlsbad)

Like I had mentioned in my post on Frankie's, we had enjoyed our staycation at the Lafayette so much, that we decided to finally hit up a couple of places we had always meant to visit. We stayed in Carlsbad at the Best Western. I don't think we'll stay there again, it was noisy and dated, though the location right across from Carlsbad State Beach was great. This was of course between two "visits" from the Pineapple Express. Somehow we lucked out and dodged the storms. Though you could tell by the clouds off Carlsbad State Beach that something was amiss.

We enjoyed taking a short stroll in the area before heading off to dinner. This being during the week, things seemed really relaxed and very small town like, which we enjoyed. 

This is the Alley Art Wall.

We headed back to the room to change before heading off to dinner; which was just a few blocks away. 

Compared to how quiet the rest of the town seemed Jeune et Jolie was very busy. We got a small table in the middle of the dining room.

As crazy busy as JeJ was, the service was top notch. Our main Server; Joe was amazing! Plus, he had lived in Japan, and we even managed to have a chat with him. We were asked if we were right or left handed for the place settings, all dishes were explained well. Watching the kitchen work was incredible as well.

The menu is four courses at $115 per person. We (I) got the Wagyu which was a $55 supplement. We also got one pairing, which the Missus said should be based on the dishes I ordered. We also started with a Champagne for the Missus and since I was feeling "French-Diegan" I got a Kir Royale.

Things started with a nice Amuse Bouche; eggplant puree in a semolina shell.

Crisp exterior, which cracked away to a creamy-earthy-slightly sweet filling. This was a nice start.

Of course I had to get the Veal Tartare which was fabulous.

The veal was chopped exactly the way I like it; it was very tender. There were Asian touches in this; wasabi which added a wonderful pungency and really complimented the dish as did the white soy! The radishes added an additional peppery crunch to the dish. This might now be in my top 2 versions of tartare!

The Missus ordered the "Poireau" as Her first course.

Wonderful, almost sweet-oniony leek, with a potato potage hid the Missus's favorite part of the dish; an creamy and delici-yoso sous vide egg yolk. The Missus loves Her eggs; so it was love at first bite! There was some very mild caviar on this, but it was all about the egg yolk for the Missus.

Some brioche arrived as we finished our starters...the Missus wished that it had come earlier.

The Missus's Scallop course was quite good.

The scallop was a perfect rare and sweet, the sauce which contained grapes added a nice sweet-acidity to things. The scallop was crowned with the cap of a king trumpet mushroom which added a wonderful, meaty, sweet-earthiness.

Thinking that with all the meat I'd ordered that it would be best to get some veggies, I ordered the "Betterave".

The beets had been I believe dehydrated and had the texture of meat. The bone marrow vinaigrette was rich, but I felt was kind of lost in this dish. I loved the bitter-crunch of the chicory and the nutty-slightly sweet hazelnuts really complimented this dish. The Missus is not a fan of beets, but She even enjoyed this!

The most mundane dish of the evening was the Partridge.

The partridge was nicely cooked and seasoned, the jus was a bit on the acidic side; the morel mushroom stuffed with partridge was a bit dry but tasty. Don't get me wrong, this was a nice dish, but compared to what we'd had so far for dinner.....

And then there was the Wagyu ($55 supplement),which was A5 Miyazaki Ribeye. Good lord, I think I died and went to bovine heaven!

Just the decadent beefiness of the meat was amazing! The texture luxurious. The jus had just the right balance of beefy-acidity to compliment the meat. The lightly fried sweetbreads were creamy and had no off metallic flavors. My goodness!

The Missus got the Lavande; which She enjoyed as it wasn't too sweet and had nice lemony tones from yuzu.

I got the Automne, which was made with parsnip and was delicious as well.

Like I mentioned earlier; we loved the service and the food. We didn't care for the wine pairing much and will work around that next time.

The place was quite loud, so perhaps we'll even return earlier in the week, or perhaps sit outside during a warmer time of the year. And yes, we are definitely returning!

Jeune Et Jolie
2659 State St.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 637-5266
Current Hours:
Wed - Sun 5pm - 10pm

Frankie's (Oceanside)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And when we looked up!

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

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

And when I looked down at my napkin!

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

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

Frankie's
406 Pier View Way
Oceanside, CA 92054

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

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

Quixote and the Gutter (Lafayette Hotel)

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

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

The stained glass......

And statue of Lucifer.

The candles, wax hanging.....

The altar behind the bar....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Ceviche ($17) seemed by the book.

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

Of course there were tortillas.

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

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

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

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

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

Good food, great service.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Beginners Diner and the Lafayette Hotel

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

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

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

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

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

Crazy, huh?

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

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

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

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

Our room was humongous.

Check out the wallpaper.

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

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

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

Overlooking the historic pool.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for stopping by!