mmm-yoso!!!

Liquria - Visiting Levanto, a Pesto Class at Cinque Sensi, and dinner at Taverna del Capitano (Vernazza)

We were at the train station in Corniglia, wondering what to do. Well, we had already been to all five villages of the Cinque Terre, but I had an idea. The Northernmost stop on the train route is the town of  Levanto, known for the beaches, surfing, and resorts. Getting there from Corniglia took less than 15 minutes!

It was about a fifteen minute walk from the train station into the Old Town. There's a daily market in the covered market hall, but it had already closed when we arrived.

We walked into the Old Town on Via Garibaldi where a gate dating from the 1700's marks the start of a charming pedestrian only street.

It was so calm on this day....which was a Saturday!

Via Dante Alighieri is one of the streets that go to the beach.

Interestingly, there's a "promenade" that rises above the shore, you need to cross thru one of passages under the promenade or go up cross the street, then back down the other side to access the beach.

It was quite a lovely winter day and not very crowded. We loved watching this pooch enjoying his "back scratch" moment!

There were folks enjoying a winter days at the beach and a couple of surfers as well.

I was told Levanto is a nice option to the busy Cinque Terre as it is still a short train ride from the villages, has beaches, is cheaper, and a bit more laid back.

I've also read that there's quite a bit to see and do beyond the beach as well.

And lots of history as well.

As for us, well we just did a quick hour or so walk before heading back to Vernazza.

Well, in contrast to Levanto, Vernazza was buzzing on this Saturday afternoon.

The Missus wanted to do some shopping then relax. So, I decided to take a pesto class, wine and olive oil tasting at one of the wine bars right past the train station.

I had noticed that Cinque Sensi had pesto classes three times a day; the 3pm and 530 pm classes also did a wine and olive oil tasting. Not cheap at 50 Euros, but this ended up being a lot of fun.

I learned that there are over 60 varieties of basil in Liguria! Also, you should never use a food processor; heat is the enemy of basil, so the colder the temp the better.

And of course, we had to pick the basil leaves by hand!

First crush the garlic; then the pine nuts. You add salt to the mortar, then the basil leaves and crush. To types of cheese are used Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Sardo.

This is what my final product looked like.

Of course, just as we were about to taste guess who showed up? Yep, so the Missus got a chance to taste the pesto, which She said was delicious and could not believe I made. And also some wine and olive oil.

This was a fun hour-and-a-half class.

Cinque Sensi Vernazza
Via Roma 71
Vernazza, Italy

We took another stroll down to the piazza and harbor.

It was much calmer on this afternoon.

We then headed back to the flat and took a break. And since I know, no post in Vernazza is complete without a photo of stairs.....

This was the view from the living room as the sun went down.

We decided to head on down to the harbor and piazza for our last meal in Vernazza. This being the winter season, not all the restaurant are open. The only other place we hadn't tried was next to Ananasso Bar, a place specializing is seafood named Taverna del Capitano. We had been forewarned that the service here was awful, but we decided to go ahead and try it out. A big plus was that it was a decent evening and we had a table outside.

And our experience with the service was fine. A bit slow, but of course a Negroni makes everything better right?

The bread offered was terrible; sorry to say I forgot to take a photo. Our strategy stayed the same; go for local seafood, don't order anything too fancy, keep it simple. Which worked out for us again.

The smoked swordfish was quite meaty; though not as "smoky" in flavor as we like. The Balsamic did add some personality to the dish which would have been pretty bland otherwise.

The house preparation of Anchovy - three ways was a winnah!

We were told that these came from Monterosso; the fried version was crisp and salty; so umami. The version with lemon was tart and rich, the soaked in olive oil on the potent oily-rich scale. All different, all enjoyable in their own way.

Of course we got the Mussels.

Plump, sweet, this version had more butter and a more pronounced acidity, which really added to the flavors. We polished it off in no time.

Not a bad last dinner at all!

Taverna del Capitano
Piazza Guglielmo Marconi 21
Vernazza, Italy

Now here's were it gets a bit interesting. Remember how I mentioned that being in a little village during the slow season means you'll notice things? Well, while we were eating, we noticed this woman having a drink at Taverna del Capitano.

Well, we had seen her the night before having a drink at Ananasso Bar and then at the bar at Gianni Franzi and on our first night at the bar across from 5 Terre Bistrot. Always alone; always wearing the white jacket. 

We went to have a drink to mark our last evening in Vernazza at Ananasso Bar.

And guess who was getting another drink there?

By this time we'd gotten to know one of the Servers at Ananasso Bar and we mentioned the woman to him. He looked at us and smiled saying "ah yes, mystery woman, she showed up a few weeks back by herself and has been here since!" Mystery woman?!??!

Oh the stories that must ride the tides in the Cinque Terre!

Well, for us it was getting late, it was time to head on back to finish packing and hopefully get a good night sleep before heading out the next day.

The next morning we did the typical espresso routine, took a last stroll around the town, packed, then dropped off the keys to the flat at one of the restaurants. We caught our train to Monterosso for our transfer to Genoa.

There's a nice bar/cafe at the train station, Bar Della Stazione, which has a nice view.

The Missus and I got a caffeine fix and shared a panini for a light lunch.

And soon we were off to our next stop; Genoa! It was going to be interesting to see how we'd deal with a big city after enjoying the relaxed confines of winter in the Cinque Terre!

Thanks for stopping by!

Finca

So, the Missus wanted an early weekend dinner/happy hour and was thinking of revisiting Tribute Pizza. So, we drove on up and found parking on North Park Way. We were a bit early though and Tribute was still closed. We went and did some strolling thru the area and headed back toward our vehicle when I noticed this shop in the newish apartment complex on the corner of Grim and North Park Way. I then recalled our good friend Candice had mentioned the place, named Finca to me and thought we might enjoy it.

Turns out that Finca opens at 3pm on weekends with a Happy Hour from 3 to 6 pm. We decided to give the place a try. This was before the recent super cold spell, so we had a seat outside.

The folks working were very friendly! We were handed a menu, with some items that looked quite "hipsterish", but interesting to us. There were some featured small plates which were $10 during HH.

The Missus started with some red sangria, which was $10 during HH. She enjoyed it and followed with the house red; which She also enjoyed during our meal.

Since I saw Beef Tartare on the menu and it was priced at just ten bucks during Happy Hour; you know I had to order it, right?

Well, this wasn't a good start to our meal as the beef was mushy; over dressed; though we enjoyed the pickled green beans and the pungent-savory fried onions. The item we least enjoyed was the cardboardish, hard, flat bread, which had no flavor at all.

Things completely changed with the Bone Marrow ($16). Ah yes, you know me with beef tartare and bone marrow, right? We really weren't sure when the bone marrow arrived, with a layer of red pepper jelly smeared on it.

Loved the yeasty grilled sourdough, which went so well with the beefy-tallowy-buttery bone marrow. We made sure to get every single drop of the rendered fat. No wonder there's an option to do a Bone Marrow luge to finish! The red pepper jelly had a hint of sweetness, sour, and acidic-spice to complement and cut the richness. This was quite good.

We also got the Lamb "Chorizo" ($18) which were more like lamb meatballs.

The meatballs were very tasty; more African-Middle Eastern flavors to use, cumin...that sort of thing. It was enjoyably gamy, nice "flavor of the pasture" as it were. The "soubise"; basically a bechamel based like sauce was a bit too sour and sweet for us.

We managed to take a look inside the restaurant-bar before leaving.

Stylish; somewhat moody.

We really liked the service and the food, especially the bone marrow was quite enjoyable. So, we decided to return a couple of weeks later. Again it was for an early dinner on a weekend.

The Missus again enjoyed the Sangria, followed by a glass of the house red. The service again was warm and friendly.

We started with the Red Wine Spanish Sausage ($17). 

Now this was the one dish that really reminded us of Spain. Yes, there's grits on this; which were quite tasty, and that black garlic sauce wasn't too sweet, but along with the shallots added some nice pungency. The sausage itself had great flavor....there seemed to be hints of coriander and other spices; which just took me back to Seville for some reason.

And of course we had the bone marrow again.

Which was even better this time around! The fat was even more rendered and we could make out a hint of salt which heightened the flavors!

We had one last dish for the evening; the Chicken Liver Mousse ($15).

The mousse was quite runny, very metallic, almost bitter. Not a fan of the very dry milk bread and the dish goes a bit overboard with sweet items. The pork cracklins ' were super hard instead of crisp...heck, I almost "cracklin'd" my tooth on a piece. We'll pass on this one in the future.

Yes, I said in the future. While I'm sure we'll make that revisit to Tribute soon, we enjoyed that bone marrow and the wonderful staff enough to return again! When we're in the mood for California-ish "tapas" with Middle Eastern and Asian, hipster-modern touches. To us, this is what BoujieManacould be!

Finca
3066 North Park Way
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Tues - Thurs 5pm - 9pm
Friday            5pm - 10pm
Saturday        3pm - 10pm
Sunday           3pm - 9pm
Happy Hours:
Tues - Fri       5pm - 6pm
Sat - Sun        3pm - 6pm
Closed on Mondays

Finca also features a bottle shop which opens at 3pm

BoujieMana

Ah yes, BoujieMana. Like would you actually go to a place with "Boujie" in the name? Not quite sure how I heard about the place, but what fascinated me the most was the location, off Aero Drive. You basically go to where there's massive construction happening on Aero Drive, then head on down Aero Court to where the street ends at a office park. The restaurant, is in what looks like a business complex, on the other side of the Mira Bella Apartments. Shades of Green Acre, but not in Torrey Pines/Sorrento Valley/East Village.

I had looked at the menu online and thought that it would make for an interesting lunch excursion.

It was quiet during our lunch visit on this day. It was before the heatwave and we decided to have a seat in the deck area.

The large restaurant serves lunch and dinner during the week and brunch during weekends. The menu has some variations for each dining option and we were told that there are monthly changes to the menu.

Being the nosy customers we are, we spied what the other two tables were getting and determined that the sandwiches and pizzas seemed a bit hefty. In keeping with how we like to dine these days; we find that appetizers sometimes give a better outlook into the restaurant as the chef can take more chances with food, we ended up ordering three starters and a salad.

The Missus saw Smoked Deviled Eggs ($9) and made sure to try that.

The Missus usually enjoys deviled eggs, but this wasn't a favorite of Hers. I think it's the sourish salsa verde which was intensified with the pickled jalapenos that took this over-the-top. Too many sour tones, which really seems unappetizing on eggs to us. 

The Roasted Octopus ($19) was interesting as it was "almost there" for us.

The octopus was pleasantly tender, the bean puree was nice and creamy, potent acidity.......it was just a bit too salty. I'm thinking that some bread would go really well with this; tempering the saltiness and complementing the savory-acidity well.

The portion size for Wild Chicory Caeser ($16) was quite large. Instead of bacon, this featured crisped prosciutto which added a nice layer of salty-savory sweetness.

We enjoyed the bitter tones and the fact that the salad wasn't over-dressed. In fact, the leftovers did well with dinner. The salty-cheesy parmesan added another layer of flavor to the salad.

We were both curious as to how a Mediterranean restaurant would interpret an Aguachile. So, we ordered the Shrimp and Scallop Aguachile ($21) and this turned out to be our favorite dish of the meal.

 As we figured, this wasn't an aguachile in conventional terms. It wasn't overly acidic, but quite mellow. Though I will say the seafood, especially the bay scallops were sweet and tender, so were the shrimp. Both of which weren't over-cooked and tough. The sweet and ripe avocado and the briny cucumber added another layer. But what clinched it all was the nicely toasted and salted sour dough, which was the perfect foil for the dish. Yes, it's not a conventional version of the dish, but we enjoyed it. We both wished that the octopus had that nicely toasted sour dough with it as well.

So, a few weeks later we decided to return; again for lunch.

This time, it was during the heatwave, so we sat in the large interior of the restaurant.

Of course we got the Aguachile.

This time it had a bit more acidity and "oomph". Still, the sweet and tender seafood was still present.

We decided to order the Mediterranean Pita ($19) as well. As with our experience with previous dishes, the portion size was quite large.

   The highlight of the dish for us was the pillowy and warm pita. After that, well, everything was way too sour. Man, that chicken might have been ok, but the puckery-tartness overwhelmed things. Same with the green salad. Yikes, the sharp sourness just took over. Kind of a bummer.

In the end, we really enjoy the not-so-aguachile here, while not a true Mexican version of the dish, it is quite pleasant and the quality of ingredients here seems good. Service is welcoming, though things do take time getting to your table. I'm sure the folks in the new developments in the area appreciate the place and with all that is going on in the locale that it will keep being "boujie". 

I need to return to try the chicken wings and the crispy squash blossoms.

Things have sure changed since my office was in the area way back when!

BoujieMana
3545 Aero Ct. Suite B
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Tues - Fri 11am - 9pm
Saturday   9am - 9pm
Sunday      9am - 2pm
Closed on Monday

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.....

Long Story Short - A Quick Look

Before we left on our trip, the Missus wanted a nice dinner in the North Park area, "something new". We'd recently had a not so satisfying dinner in the area and with prices these days, well, we'd rather not spend $19 for a single scallop appetizer. While doing a bit of searching, I found that the wine bar Little Thief had closed and was replaced by a restaurant and wine bar called Long Story Short. I enjoyed the backstory of the chefs a husband and wife team. You can read about that here. The restaurant was only open from 4pm to 10pm Tuesdays to Saturdays and the menu was ever changing, based on what could be sourced locally, something that is amazing when it works out, but can be disappointing when it doesn't.

I made reservations for Tuesday at the 5pm slot and we headed on over.

The place was pretty quiet when we arrived.

Our Server was a very friendly woman and we decided to have seat outside since it was such a nice day.

We weren't too hungry and ordered two "hot" dishes and a pasta.

First to arrive was the Uni "French Toast" ($30). 

Well, this is San Diego Uni, so while I was worried we'd be getting one little piece of Uni on a slice of micro toast, we still had to try it. Luckily, it was not that. The uni melted in your mouth with that delicate lightly briny-savory-sweetness; the brioche had a nice butteriness but wasn't overly sweet. There was just a touch of avocado which really made no difference. The shoyu added some saltiness to things. As for the koji-maitake miso; well, the best thing I can say is that it didn't interfere with the clean, yet decadent textures and flavors of the uni and brioche. This was by far our favorite dish of the meal.

Based on the other dishes in the meal; I ordered some bread ($9) and butter. Yes, they charge you nine bucks for bread here.

Especially since it was "Hoja Santa" Sourdough. You know the Missus and Her love for Hoya Santa, right? Unfortunately, the hoya santa was placed on the crust of the bread and we really couldn't make out the wonderful anise-minty-grassy tones of hoya santa we love. Also, it just seems that the flavor of Hoya Santa here is not as assertive as what we'd had in Oaxaca. We also didn't care much for the "street-corn" butter. The bread itself proved to be an adequate vehicle for dipping though.

Next to arrive was the Roasted Winter Squash ($22).

The Missus loves Kabocha which was in this dish; She loves mushrooms and this featured Maitake and Oyster mushrooms. Unfortunately, the sum of the parts just didn't go together well. The sweetness of the kabocha was overly heightened which nullified the earthy tones of the mushrooms. A bit too much sour and sweet for us. The brown butter was also a bit much. Our least favorite dish of the evening.

The last item up was the Chino Farms Corn and Ricotta Agnolotti ($29). 

I would usually hesitate in ordering a pasta dish with corn in the fear it would be too sweet. But this dish included Huitlacoche another one of our favorite ingredients. The actual dough for the pasta was a bit on thick side and chewy, but the balance of sweet and salty was nicely balanced. The sauces weren't too heavy. The aleppo pepper was barely detectible in the dish. Still, the sauce was quite nice with the bread.

The Missus enjoyed the two glasses of wine She had with Her meal. The timing was kind of uneven as it was almost a 30 minute wait between the Kabocha dish and the pasta, though the folks working were quite friendly. We did enjoy the uni, so perhaps we'll return. It's totally up to the Missus if we will. I'm hoping they do well; heck two of the places we visited less than a year-and-half ago; Verbena Kitchen and Hoxton Manor have already closed. 

Whoa, I just noticed that I'm over 700 words for a single visit post with 3 dishes! I guess I made what should have been a "short story long" in the case of "Long Story Short"!

Long Story Short
3017 University Ave.
San Diego, CA 92104
Current Hours:
Tues - Sat 4pm - 10pm
Closed Sunday and Monday

COMC: Jerusalem (Before Covid) - A Wine and Cheese Tour with Israel Wine Journeys and Shabbat Dinner at Mamilla Rooftop Restaurant

**** I'm trying to get these pre-Covid trip posts done; so I'm not going too deep on this one. So consider this a C(learing) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard) post.

For our first day in Jerusalem, I booked a wine tour with Israel Wine Journeys, mainly for the Missus. And just let me say that Yakov was a joy to work with and tailored the two tastings to the Missus.

While for me; Yakov decided to take us to a Dairy and Cheesemaker for a light lunch - a goat farm; Iza Piziza Dairy.

Yakov was amazing.....we do recommend Israel Wine Journeys; they did a custom tour for us.

This was a Friday; so Shabbat started at sunset. There are specific rules to food preparation on Shabbat; no cooking or baking or using any heat source for preparation of food is allowed. Many restaurants are closed on Shabbat, but I really wanted to have a Kosher Shabbat meal. After doing a bit of research I found that the Mamilla Hotel's Rooftop Restaurant had a cold Shabbat menu. So we made our way down the eerily quiet streets of Jerusalem and got to the Mamilla Hotel and the rooftop restaurant.

Which was really quiet.....

The view was wonderful though.....

And we had a light dinner of cold dishes. The vegetables we had during our time in Jerusalem were excellent and this was our first real exposure to it; the tomatoes were especially wonderful.

The two young "kids" serving us were a bit green, but very sweet......

This was a nice, light and refreshing meal.

Rooftop (In the Mamilla Hotel)
Shlomo ha-Melekh Street 11
Jerusalem, Israel

After dinner we headed back to the apartment along the quiet, almost silent streets of Jerusalem.

We had a busy day planned; so it was time to get some sleep......

Midweek Meanderings - Spicy Lao Kitchen Coming to Kearny Mesa and Vinya Vino + Vinyasa Coming to Balboa

Here are a couple of places I noticed when doing takeout recently.

Vinya Vino + Vinyasa Coming to Balboa:

I was doing some takeout from Noble Chef a while back when I noticed construction taking place in the old Beverly's location off Balboa.

Doing a bit of research it seems like this'll be a Yoga Studio/Wine Bar/Tapas sort of place....man Balboa sure is changing!

And I had a chuckle wondering if any of the customer base would do yoga, have a glass of wine, and then head over to Noble Chef for some....well...maybe Steamed Pork with Salted Fish? Somehow it just seems like something I'd see further up north? Hopefully I have the target customer base all wrong!

6185 Balboa Ave.
San Diego, CA 92111

Spicy Lao Kitchen Coming to Kearny Mesa:

Funny, I saw Vinya when doing takeout from Noble Chef.....I saw this one when doing takeout from Golden City.

I believe this used to be the Subway in Spectrum Center. Googling the name of the place led me to this post. Apparently, the owners of the Jerky Shop in the strip mall are opening this up. Now this one, I'm kinda excited about!

5375 Kearney Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123

Paris - Snack Shopping at Le Comptoir de Mathilde, À la Mère de Famille, and Jacques Genin. Cheese Tasting at Le Cheese Geek.

After our lunch at Maison de la Truffe the Missus had planned on picking up some "treats" for Her friends and coworkers. Of course, She had already purchased a few items from La Grande Epicerie, but wanted to stop at a few more places. I had done a bit of research the previous night; lookin at options fairly close to where we were staying. So, we headed back to the 3rd and onto Rue Rambuteau for our first stop - Le Comptoir de Mathilde.

Part of a chain of shops and franchises across the country.

By this time; the Missus was focused on caramels and chocolates. 

Quite chain like and commercial....but fun to stroll thru.

Le Comptoir de Mathilde
42 rue Rambuteau
75003 Paris France

Less than a block away we were now in the 4th, was another popular chain; this one based in Paris named À la Mère de Famille.

 The woman working was so nice and friendly that we bought a couple of boxes of chocolates.

À la Mère de Famille
23 Rue Rambuteau
75004 Paris, France

The shop I saved for last was Jacques Genin also in the Marais. You can read more about the Chef and his shop on David Lebovitz's post. Anyway, just looking at the place tells you quite a bit.

I just hung back and let the Missus do Her thing.

She put together quite a lovely (and expensive - but of course you can tell that, right?) box for Herself.

Jacques Genin
133 Rue de Turenne
75003 Paris, France

After which we headed back to our accommodations.

For our last evening in Paris I wanted to do something fun. I had read about Le Cheese Geek on a wonderful post from Madame Fromage and ended up booking a cheese tasting.

Our tasting took place at Fromagerie Saisons which was pretty close to  where we were staying. Everything about our booking was easy. We ended up at the cheese shop a few minutes before our tasting and were quickly welcomed in. The tasting took place in the "cave" below the shop....but first; we had to pass all the tempting cheese for sale.

Our guide thru this tasting was Fabrice; who was engaging and had a great sense of humor. Our group of ten was diverse; from "curd nerds" to their friend who just came along for the ride.

Typical question - "is it ok to eat the rind?"

Fabrice - "yes, of course..." and he went on to to explain.

My remark - "just don't do that with the babybel, ok....unless you like rubber...."

We had a nice selection with a nice pairing.

   First up was a farmer's cheese made from raw goat's milk in ash named Le Roumé. This was so very light, with a mild acidity, with a nice clean finish.

It was a nice start.

This was paired with a very nice and clean Sauvignon.

Next up was a wonderful Brebis.

   This amazing Brebis d’Estive from the mountains of the Aspe Valley is from the farm of Maxime Bajas whose entire herd consists of 100 sheep! It was so wonderfully savory and nutty to my palate, with a mildly rich finish.

This was served with Candied Piment d’Espelette and was served with a nice Gamay.

   

This was an amazing duo of Comté, a Comté Jeune aged 8 months and a Vieux Comté aged from 36 - 42 months. Both from Montmorot. This was nice example of a difference in taste and texture of aged chesses.

   Next up was my favorite duo of a wonderful Camembert de Normandie, so deeply savory and earthy, made from a maker whose entire herd consists of 80 cows; paired appropriately with a nice apple cider. And the Munster, very ripe and "footy" from Alsace.

   The last cheese was a wonderful Roquefort, made by a small producer Maison Carles which works with mold from the local rye bread. This was served with a Tawny Port....something I hadn't tried before this tasting, but has now become part of my routine with Roquefort.

Our tasting with Fabrice and  Le Cheese Geek was delicious, educational, and most of all a lit of fun. Since our visit, Le Cheese Geek now has a permanent location in the 10th Arrondissement. As with most of these type of events, things are currently paused due to Covid; but by all means give them a try once we're over this pandemic.

Le Cheese Geek
31 Rue Sainte-Marthe
75010 Paris, France

   This being the end of May (2019), it was still quite bright outside as we walked back to our accommodations. And though we had initially thought that perhaps we'd grab a small bite to eat on the way back, we were pretty full.

As is kind of my tradition on my last night in a locale, I purchased a beer on the way back to the apartment.

Where we just packed up, caught on emails and messages, then relaxed.

I'm always so thankful that we're able to travel and have these wonderful meals and experiences. And even more thankful to be able to share them with you.

Yes, we may still be stuck at home right now; but one day, hopefully soon, we'll be able to travel again. And we'll make the best of it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Midweek Meanderings - Da Kine's Landing in La Mesa, Golden Chopsticks Opening in Mira Mesa, Romeo and Julieta Sold, and Panda Country (Clairemont Mesa) Closes

Here are a bunch of updates for this Wednesday.

Da Kine's Reopening in La Mesa:

**** This location is closed and Nelson is currently only doing catering

**** Da Kine's has reopened in La Mesa. A post can be found here.

I gotta hand it to all the wonderful F(riends) O(f) Y(oso) out there, you are all an amazing bunch.

I noted that Da Kine's had cleaned out their Linda Vista location back at the beginning of March.

I instantly received a couple of emails.....when I went to Bay Park Coffee that weekend Noel came out and asked if I knew about Da Kine's moving..... Man, that "coconut wireless" sure works pretty fast, huh? Noel told me he had a feeling that Nelson would move his shop closer to home...he lives in La Mesa.

Move the calendar forward a month and "FOY" DerekR emails me with the screen shot to the right.

Not five minutes later I receive another email; this one from "FOY" Kerri  who sent me an excerpt from Da Kine's Facebook page:

"Aloha Da Kine's Ohana! It's been a month since we've closed. We wanted to share an update with you.
Da Kine's has a new home! Our new location is off University Ave. in La Mesa. We're currently in the process of building the inside of the restaurant. Our expected opening will be mid to late summer 2021."

So, with Derek and Kerri already doing my work for me.....well, it's only right that I go check things out, right?

So, this past weekend I went to pick up some food for the Missus; She had something specific in mind for dinner after She got home from work.

I decided to Google some of those businesses on the sign and I headed off. Once arriving at the strip mall in question, I went ahead and opened up Da Kine's website to see if there were any clues.....and they made it easy for me with the new address.

And based on what I read....it seems that's going to be the new location.

I'm sad that they are leaving the neighborhood; but happy that they will keep the business going.

Call me a stalker or whateva', but I thought folks would be interested.

Awesome work Derek and Kerri!

Romeo and Julieta is sold:

The Missus and I were thinking about various Happy Hours we would like to go to once we're over the pandemic and Romeo and Julieta Wine Bar came to mind. I decided to check out the website and was sad to see that they had just closed, last day of business was April 11th, and the business has been sold.

Sad to see them go; but best wishes on their future endeavors.

4715 Monroe Ave
San Diego, CA 92115

Panda Country (Clairemont) Closes:

I stopped by Mister Falafel for the Missus a couple of weeks back. While waiting for my order I decided to take a stroll. I quickly noticed that the ABCDE Panda Country looked closed, so I walked over.

And sadly, the note on the door confirmed that they have closed....after 41 years. And while, like Troy's Family Restaurant down the street, Panda Country wasn't my cup of tea, it's sad to see a place that has been part of the neighborhood for so long close down. Much like the neighborhood diner, the local Chinese restaurant has always been part of the foundation of a neighborhood.

4455 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92117

And Finally, Yes Golden Chopsticks is Coming to Mira Mesa:

*** Golden Chopsticks has finally opened - post can be found here.

And just to end this post on a high note.

After "FOYs" Elle and Sandy mentioned seeing the sign for "Golden Chopsticks" in the comment section of a recent post, well I had to go check it out. So, I dropped by during lunch yesterday.

And yes, right were I believe Payless Shoes used to be; in the mall that holds Target, Menya Ultra, Sandwich Emporium, and a host of others, was the Golden Chopsticks sign.

And soon enough, Eater San Diego confirmed that this is "that" Golden Chopsticks. So it looks like we'll finally be getting some decent Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings north of the "94". And while I'm solidly in the Royal Mandarin camp; I'll gladly partake of Salt and Pepper Chickens Wings from Golden Chopsticks.

8155 Mira Mesa Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92126

Thanks for the heads up Elle and Sandy!

And just for old times sake, remember this blast from the past?

Have a great week everyone!

Stuttgart - Weingut Franz Keller, Breakfast, and You Know Where We're Headed Next, Right?

After dinner at Alte Kanzlei we headed back to the hotel. We took the "scenic" route, passing thru Schlossplatz once again. It was nice to see folks out and about.....everyone socializing (before Covid-19 of course), no one glued to their smartphone.

The "Golden Hour" was fast approaching and the square took on a different look in the light of fading afternoon

We decided to sit at one of the benches for a few minutes to just watch folks coming, going, and some were having a drink too!

We walked on over to the Neues Schloss and it looked quite stunning at this time of the day.

After which we headed back down Königstrasse…...

And took a quick look at the Hauptbahnhof; the train station which was basically right across the street from our hotel.

As we were about to head into the hotel, the Missus and I spotted the external entry to the hotel restaurant...….there was a wine bar named Weingut Franz Keller next to the restaurant.

During our trip the previous winter, the Missus developed a fondness for the wines of Alsace and She was curious if She's enjoy German Rieslings and Muskats as well.

The prices were nice for half-pours, the wines aren't a sweet as American Rieslings, it was a nice digestif stop for us, as we had two glasses each.

The young man who Served us was so sweet, very kind, friendly.....a really nice guy and made the whole experience fun.

Weingut Franz Keller
Schillerstrasse 23
Stuttgart, Germany

Our train the next morning wasn't until almost 11am....so, we could sleep in...….which we kind of did. We usually wake quite early when travelling….well, check that, I wake early all gthe time these days. Our room had a nice view of the park next to the hotel.

Since we wouldn't be getting into our next stop until after 2pm; we decided to take advantage of the hotel buffet breakfast.

Which, like most buffet breakfasts in Europe was actually not too bad.

And after heading back to our room...where I actually took a perfect 20 minute nap, we were soon enough heading to our next stop; to the Missus's favorite city. You know where right?

Thanks for stopping by!