Roadtrip (2022) – Some Hiking, Shopping, Bart’s Books, and Dinner at the Dutchess (Ojai)

We did quite a bit during our first full day in Ojai.

Starting the day with some hiking. We decided to head out to Rose Valley Falls for a quick hike. Getting an early start meant we easily found parking near the camp grounds. The hike was quite short and for the Missus unexciting….except for me taking a fall and smashing up my iPhone. The actual trail took us like 20 minutes and the photos came out looking much more dramatic than how things looked. All the Instagrammers were out having a fun time with their selfies here.

After this short hike we got back on Rose Valley Road and did the Piedra Blanca Formations Trail, which was an easy and enjoyable hike.

The start was thru chaparral shrubland for about a mile. At that point you start getting a peek at the amazing white rock formations.

We found the formations to be quite interesting. Upon closer look you'll see caves, crevasses, and striations.

And if you're like me….if you stare at the formations long enough you start seeing shapes. I thought this one looked like an elephant. What do you think?

While this was a super easy hike for the Missus, She enjoyed the solitude. We didn't run into another hiker on the trail until we were almost on our way out. Plus, those formations were quite interesting.

On our way back we decided to stop in at the Arcade again. We dropped into Heavenly Honey, which was on the busy side. so, we just bought some gifts and headed on out.

Heavenly Honey Company
206 E Ojai Ave.
Ojai, CA 93023

One of the Missus's coworkers who loves Ojai mentioned a wonderful "resort" nearby that we should take a look at. So we headed off to Ojai Valley Inn. This being the Saturday before the 4th the place was pretty busy but we found parking and had a nice little stroll on the property.

It was a nice setting, but not our kind of thing. We checked out the menus at the two restaurants, but the Missus wasn't too interested.

On the way back to our hotel, I decided to make a stop at Bart's Books, which claims to be the "world's largest outdoor bookstore."

We easily found parking and walked on over.

The books that line the shelves facing the sidewalk are available 24 hours a day and you pay via an honor system.

The bookstore is located in the original home of the founder of the shop Richard "Bart" Bartindale in established in 1964.

While the Missus perused various travel books, I asked the staff up front where the food and cookbooks were. They were located in the "kitchen", duh…..

The shop was quite empty during our visit and the Missus really enjoyed the shop and even found a book She wanted. We would return the very next day to explore a bit more.

I later figured out why She enjoyed this shop so much. It seems that "Bart" was inspired by those little wooden book carts along the Seine….which is of course, in the Missus's favorite city…..must be the Ojai Psychic Friends Network at work?

Bart's Books
302 W Matilija St.
Ojai, CA 93023

We then headed back to our accommodation at Hummingbird Inn. Located just outside the main "strip" in Ojai, it's pretty peaceful and relaxed…well, Ojai is quite relaxed as a whole. The Missus really enjoyed the shaded outdoor area out front where She could sit and read.

The hotel is very dog friendly, as is all of Ojai, and in the mornings all the folks staying in the place would have their pooches out doing their morning rounds.

While the Missus enjoyed the day, I took a stroll over to the IGA a few blocks down the street to get some sparkling water.

We enjoyed the markets in Ojai….man, the produce looked quite good and I should have taken photos of the nice selection of cheeses and such…..

For dinner, I made an interesting choice at a restaurant called The Dutchess.

Located next to Ojai Rotie; the Dutchess is a bakery/coffee shop during the day, which then converts to a Burmese Restaurant for dinner service. Even though I wasn't convinced this combo would work, I thought it might make for an interesting dinner. I booked indoor seating for 7pm.

We arrived and were seated immediately. Good thing I made reservations as all tables, especially for outdoor dining were booked.

The service was very warm and friendly; though a bit slow and disorganized. Our main Server seemed only to be able to do one thing at a time…..I ordered a cocktail and the Missus asked to have a taste of one of the wine….well, the woman brought the wine, then left….not returning for almost 10 minutes, at which time the Missus said She'd take the wine….the Server then disappeared to return with my cocktail….then vanished again for another 10 minutes to get the Missus's wine. Oh, and then she got us our water. This would pretty much be the pattern for the whole meal. She was very nice however.

Thankfully, the food, which seemed like a Burmese fusion had it much more "together"

We started with the Chickpea Tofu ($10).

The Missus loved this dish! The perfectly crisp exterior gave way to a wonderful creamy and light interior. The beany-nutty flavor came through nicely. Though I thought the dish was a bit on the salty side, a dip into the tamarind sauce just evened things out for me. The Missus didn't need the sauce at all and just loved this dish.

For us, the only disappointing dish of the evening was the Tea Leaf Salad ($20).

While I was glad this dish used cabbage; the dressing way too sour, the dish really lacking in the fermented bitter-tartness I enjoy from laphet.

For me, my favorite dish of the evening was the Puri ($18). Lest you think this is just fried bread with perhaps a chickpea dip, think again.

This version came with a fabulous Chicken Liver Mousse. The Dutchess's "baking chops" really delivered here as well as the puri was light, yeasty, full of flavor with a nice hint of salty-sweetness.

The Chicken Liver Mousse had a smooth-creamy richness, nice savory-earthy offal tones that were tones down with the plum jam. This was so good!

The Dutchess also displayed some good "baking chops" with the Danbauk (Biryani – $31) topping the dish with puff pastry.

The puff pastry was very light with a wonderful texture. The rice in the dish was tender and the complex seasoning, while again on the saltier side, did well with a touch of raita, which added a nice, refreshing component to everything. Wish there was a bit more lamb in the dish; what we tasted was wonderfully gamey.