Month: November 2025

Road Trip – Earthbound Farm Stand (Carmel) and Ginochio’s Kitchen (Bodega Bay)

American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Dog Friendly, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Monterey/Carmel/Monterey Peninsula, Road Trip, Travel

After our wonderful dinner at L’Escargot and a nice night’s sleep we woke ready to head on to our next stop. Of course we needed our caffeine fix and I needed some breakfast, so we headed out east on Carmel Valley Road to a place I had on my “list”; Earthbound Farm Stand.

In addition to being a large farm stand; the shop served coffee, breakfast and lunch, and the garden grounds were lovely as well.

Dogs were not allowed in the market.

But JJ got to hang outside while I went in to get coffee and some breakfast to share.

The Missus got Her latte; I got a very smooth Cold Brew.

And I was shocked that the Croissant Breakfast Sandwich was $16; but it was huge and came with a salad as well.

Of course, this was a “Croissant” in name only as it was doughy, not crisp, etc, etc…..

There was a sizeable omelet with bacon and cheese in the sandwich.

Which was more than enough for “brunch”. Nothing amazing, but quite filling.

And after eating we strolled the charming grounds.

And JJ enjoyed all the smells and sounds……

Earthbound Farm Stand
7250 Carmel Valley Rd.
Carmel, CA 93923

From here it was about a 4 hour drive to our next destination. And JJ got to drive on a famous landmark.

We drove up to Bodega Bay, a place we hadn’t visited before. We were staying at the Bodega Bay Inn, which was right on the corner of Highway 1 and Eastshore Road.

We were staying in one of the units in the back of the parking lot which had its own parking spot.

It was rustic, but quite charming. Good thing it wasn’t raining since the lot was a basically all dirt.

The Inn had a couple of nice amenities which I’ll go into in the future post.

We had arrived early and our room wasn’t quite ready yet; but the nice gentleman at the front desk told us to go ahead and park our car and maybe get some lunch.

We decided to head on down Eastshore Road to the Marina area to grab some lunch. Looking at Google Maps I thought it would be a nice walk and not on crazy Highway 1. However, Eastshore Road doesn’t have true pedestrian walkways.

And the cars were zipping past us…..not a great walk for JJ and us, but we made it to the marina area in one piece.

For lunch I chose Ginochio’s Kitchen since it had outdoor seating.

And of course we had to try the Dungeness Crab Sandwich and some Clam and Scallop Chowder.

That sandwich was not cheap at $28!

The Missus didn’t care for the sandwich much as it had too much mayo-cheese which detracted from the flavor of the crab in Her opinion. We did like the nicely toasted sourdough which was crisp and light.

Was not a fan of the overly gloppy and thick chowder. Really too salty as well.

We like to be able to taste the seafood when having these type of dishes, which wasn’t the case here.

Ginochio’s Kitchen
1410 Bay Flat Rd.
Bodega Bay, CA 94923

We did enjoy walking down to the marina at the end of Eastshore Road.

It was quite relaxing and JJ had some fun as well!

Before we took our lives into others hands and walking back up the road. Our timing was perfect as our room was ready when we got back. It was time to relax and have a nice afternoon nap.

Romanella Cucina Romana Part 2 – Lunch and More Meals

Dog Friendly, Italian Restaurants

In part 1 of my post on Romanella, I covered Happy Hour and a dinner. So far, we had found two menu items we really enjoyed. The Oxtail Meatballs and the Lamb Chops. Happy Hour had been quite reasonable in terms of prices; but that $35 Bucatini Carbonara left much to be desired in our opinion. Still, we’d found two menu items we really enjoyed and looking over the lunch menu served from 12-2 looked interesting…especially since there was an Oxtail Meatball Sandwich on offer.

We decided to stick with a couple of sandwiches which come with either a House Salad or the Soup of the Day. And they even have bread service during lunch as well.

I went with the Italian Sandwich ($16) and both of us went with the soup of the day; which was a Red Pepper Soup….like a thinner bisque.

Very nicely flavored, good savory and lightly sweet tones, good amount of salt, not bad at all.

As for the sandwich.

Served on a nicely toasted focaccia….it looks like it was done up on the flat top. It had a good amount of salumi……Mortadella, Salami, Prosciutto.

A light Italian dressing, which did well not to interfere with the flavors from the salumi, tomato, and pungent red onions. I could only finish half of the sandwich. I had the rest for lunch the next day. Not outstanding; but to me, worth the price paid. I may try the Porchetta Sandwich next time.

Of course the Missus got the Oxtail Meatball Sandwich ($18).

That marinara sauce goes well with the focaccia. The beefy, fairly tender meatballs do well in a sandwich; though the positioning of the proteins left for some bites with only sauce-bread-mozzarella. Though the Missus didn’t complain about that at all.

The coarse cut of the oxtail meatballs really does well in this sandwich.

A week or so later, we took JJ up to Romanella again and by now we had a gameplan….at least for the time being; we’d be going with the meatballs and lamb chops and try another dish. This time I went with the Carpaccio ($20).

While I’m a big fan of carpaccio di manzo; this doesn’t “make the cut”. The meat seemed a bit beyond best served by…it was mushy and had a metallic finish. The EVOO wasn’t flavorful enough and there wasn’t enough parmesan to hide the shortcomings of the beef. Yes, I did enjoy the olives and the arugula….but I ordered carpaccio, not a salad.

And finally, we decided to walk on up last week with JJ for another three appetizer dinner.

This time I tried a cocktail called Smoke of the Gods which featured both Mezcal and Tequila. It had a nice smoky-not to sweet flavor, with an interesting, almost citrusy-nutty background. I was told they use Orgeat in this! Decent cocktail.

As for what we ordered….well, it was our two favorites. This wasn’t HH so the Oxtail Meatballs were $21 and four meatballs were provided instead of the three for HH. Do you see what the “third wheel” for this dinner was?

Yes, it’s in the back to the right.

Folks who read often enough know that I really like pulpo….but having had my share of rubbery-flavorless octopus, I often hesitate in ordering it. I’ve got to say that the Polpo Alla Griglia ($19) wasa very pleasant surprise as the octopus was very tender. I’m thinking they sous vide it? Lightly briny, the polpo was very good.

The Borlotti/Cranberry Beans were perfectly cooked, savory-nutty. Served over roasted potatoes, this was very good….though both the Missus and I thought it could use a bit more salt. Still, we had found our “third” dish for future dinners here.

You know, after almost a quarter century in Bay Park, it felt good to finally find a place where we could grab dinner every once in a while. And the fact that the staff is so welcoming and they are dog friendly….well, that just makes everything better. Now, if I can find a decent pasta dish here!

You can read part 1 of my posts on Romanella here.

Romanella Cucina Romana
3055 Clairemont Dr.
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 12pm – 9pm
Fri – Sun 12pm – 10pm

Romanella Cucina Romana Part 1 – Happy Hour and Dinner

Dog Friendly, Italian Restaurants

A short while ago, I saw that La Pastaia had closed. Man, that was a rather short run. While we liked the fact that La Pastaia was independently run we never took to the place. Even Farmers Table which preceded that restaurant just seemed very corporate. And before that this place was Mike’s BBQ and for a very brief time LW’s SD BBQ. And going even further back, when we first moved to Bay Park, this was “ABCDE” Chinese Garden! Sheesh; have we been living here that long already?

Romanella opened very quietly a couple of weeks after I saw the new sign go up. It was a quick turnaround. Though thinking about things….we already had four other places within a block that served pizza….did we really need one more?

I took a quick look when I saw the place opening and the really friendly folks….all of whom were Italian let me take a gander at the menu. The outdoor area was dog friendly; they are owned by the same folks as Roman Wolves in Little Italy. We decided to drop by with JJ.

We liked the patio seating.

And JJ seemed appreciative of the “cover” from the brightly shining sun.

The folks working treated JJ so nice!

And they have a Happy Hour (2-5pm) menu…..even better!

And we decided to just stick with HH items, which were nicely priced.

Some bread arrived with 2 sauces.

Yeasty, and pretty good. The marinara was thick, rustic, good tomato flavor. Was not a fan of the weak, gloppy cheese sauce though.

Things started off with the Fiori de Zucca (stuffed Zucchini blossoms – $8HH).

Perfectly fried and so crisp! Unfortunately, we didn’t care for the overly sweet and sticky fig compote, nor the rather bland ricotta sauce…which seems to be the same as what was served with the bread.

We enjoyed the flavors of the Balsamic Glaze and Pesto oil on the rather simple looking Bruschetta ($6-HH).

The crispness of the bread was quite nice, but it was a bit overly charred for our taste. But still not bad.

The Missis loved the beefiness of the Oxtail Meatballs ($10 – HH) along with the rich, thick, and tasty marinara sauce.

This was so beefy in flavor; the only shortcoming was that this was served lukewarm. Still, the Missus wanted more of these!

Last up was simply named Pochetta on the HH menu. When it arrived we were shocked. It was a Pinsa Romana and only $10 for HH!

The Missus cracked up at the potato on the “pizza” as it took Her back to Rome. The slices of porchetta was rather thin and while the potato and the smoked Mozzarella was on the milder side; that crust was so light and crisp. We could only manage two of the smaller slices.

It did heat up well in the toaster oven though! And grating some Parmigiano Reggiano on it really added to the flavor.

The service was a bit spotty….which can probably be attributed to just opening. The folks working were wonderful though…so warm and friendly. And really nice to JJ. And there were those Oxtail Meatballs. So, we returned for dinner a few nights later. Same wonderful crew were working.

We arrived right before 5pm and they got the Missus Her meatballs at HH prices!

This time the bread, which was still warm was just served with the cheese sauce.

This time around, the meatballs and sauce were nice and hot.

And it was even more tender than on our first visit! The Missus really enjoyed this.

This time we decided to try the Lamb Scotta Ditto (Lamb Lollipops – $21). While not cheap; this was another winnah!

A sprinkle of breadcrumbs added a nice textural contrast, the lamb was super tender and deliciously gamey! The mildly garlicky Chimichurri, with a hint of rosemary really worked well with the gamy lamb. This was so good….now the Missus had two favorites! Yikes!

Now since this was La Cucina Romana….well, there’s one dish that I just loved in Rome. Not sure if any of you were reading my posts from way back then. But man; I just loved the Carbonara! And on the menu was Bucatini Cabonara….though it was listed as “MP”; that would be “Market Price”. We asked the wonderful gentleman running the place and was told it would $35 on this day! Whoa….. Still, I just wanted to try it.

So, soon enough that wheel of Pecorino was brought out to the table.

And the cheese wheel dish was being made. Now, what I didn’t notice as this was being made was that pan of cream-cheese sauce on the bottom of the cart.

When the pasta was coated; they piled on even more sauce. Sigh…..

This was a gloppy, very over sauced dish. You couldn’t even taste the Guanciale. The Bucatini was also over cooked for our taste. I guess we’ve really taken to how pasta is served in Italy. This was more like over sauced American style Italian. Kind of a bummer.

The Missus did enjoy Her meatballs and the lamb chops though. And they just treated us….especially JJ so nice that a week later the Missus wanted to return for the lunch specials. I’m happy that the Missus has found a place with some dishes She enjoys in the neighborhood. And being just three blocks away…..of course we returned!

Stay tuned for part 2!

Romanella Cucina Romana
3055 Clairemont Dr.
San Diego, CA 92117

Mien Trung and 777 Noodle House Revisited

Bun Bo Hue, Vietnamese Restaurants

These days, I actually look forward to cooler weather as it gives me a opportunity to head on out and get some noodle dishes. Just in the last week as things cooled down I made two revisits of places I’ve posted on many times….so if you’re looking for something new; I’ll try to have something for tomorrow.

Meanwhile….

777 Noodle House Revisited:

I last visited 777 back in January and I thought it was time to head on back for my Hu Tieu Nam Vang Kho fix. There was a time when the folks working here would remember me….I used to go quite often back in 2014 – 2017, but after things slowed down during Covid, I’d only go maybe once a year to get my fix.

Things were quiet on this weekend morning and of course I went with my usual. The Hu Tieu Nam Vang Kho is now $13.97 which caught my attention. Returning home, I checked the price on my last visit in January and it was $11.97. Whoa, a $2 increase……

Well, beyond the price increase, this was an “interesting” visit….

There seems to be a lot more ground pork these days. The shrimp was plump with no off flavors. The blanched bean sprouts goes well with the sauce. Strangely, I ordered the Hu Tieu Nam Vang Kho, but got egg noodles instead? Well, the noodles were slightly springy, which I coat well mixing in the sauce with a chopsticks and spoon.

The pork hock has been on the smaller side for my last couple of visits, so I expected that.

Less edible parts as well. The soup was also loaded with msg this time; which was ok when mixed in with the noodles and sauce….but man, the raging thirst.

Well, as much as I have a sentimental attachment to 777…..this is my 30th post on the place! I’m not sure when I’ll return.

777 Noodle House
4686 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92105 

Mien Trung:

Another place that used to be on my “rotation”, though these days it seems that I visit maybe once a year. My last visit was all the way back in December of last year!

The place was doing a bustling take out business…pots of soup leaving the premises, when I arrived on this past Sunday morn. “Boo” the owner smiled and waved me to a table and asked me “bun bo hue, right”? Of course I’d come for my bun bo hue fix. Looking over the posted menu; it looks like the large BBH has gone up a dollar since my last visit. It’s now $13.95.

A rather overflowing plate of sprouts and veggies soon arrived.

And soon enough my scalding bowl of Bun Bo Hue arrived.

Man, the fragrance of this was so good! The soup was super hot which intensified the already spicy soup….perhaps I’m just getting wussy in my old age; but it seemed much spicier than I recalled!

I really enjoyed the broth; spicy, savory, hints of aromatic lemongrass……not overly salty as it would sometimes be.

An abundance of slippery noodles….I’m glad I wore a dark colored shirt to camouflage the “sprinkling of red dots” from my slurping.

For some reason, the look of the simmered pig’s feet cracked me up. You know why, right?

Loved the gelatinous skin and gnawing on that bone.

This really hit the spot! As I wiped the sweat from my brow and walked up to pay, Boo smiled and said “as soon as the weather cools down, I know I’ll see you here!” I guess I’m also getting predictable in my old age as well?

Mien Trung Restaurant
7530 Mesa College Dr.
San Diego, CA 92111

Well, here’s to cooler weather and getting out noodle soup fixes!

Wildland Revisited for Brunch (Carlsbad)

Breakfast/Brunch, Croissants, Dog Friendly

Recently, the Missus was craving that smoked fish platter we had at Wildland in Carlsbad. So, since Wildland has a nice outdoor area and JJ likes the area, we decided to head on up.

We thought we’d take JJ on a walk thru the Village and along Carlsbad Boulevard, first hitting up Sleeping Tiger Coffee; which we sadly found is no longer open. Still, JJ enjoyed the stroll all the way down to Tower 35 and back. We had parked a block away from Wildland, which was getting to be pretty busy when we arrived.

I went in to place my order….if you haven’t read my previous post; Wildland is one of those places where you order at the counter and take a number to your table.

Well, disappointment numba 2….I didn’t see the Smoked Fish Plate on the menu and when I walked up to the counter I as told by the very nice guy working that they no longer offer the Smoked Fish Plate. Bumma! He told me that it was a favorite of his as well, but they just didn’t sell enough of it. So, I quickly had to go to “plan B”….which was readily in sight.

Well, at least I’d have another entry for my “Croissant Files“, right? And at least it was $5…..not one of those over $10 one’s I’ve seen recently! The gentleman also recommended the Breakfast Sandwich ($16).

I was handed a number placard and my croissant and headed back to the table. The Missus was indeed disappointed…but the croissant looked much better than the over baked looking one on display.

The exterior was nicely laminated and crisp…flaking away nicely.

The interior layered decently; a bit on the wetter side, but most importantly, lacking in butteriness. Decent by San Diego standards…..’nuff said.

As for the Breakfast Sandwich. It looked quite nice.

That egg was perfect; runny yolk, crisp edges. The Pain au Lait; French Milk Bread was toward the brioche end of the scale to us….sweeter and denser than versions we’ve had in France. The fennel sausage was toothsome, though the anise tones were a bit overwhelming….like having licorice for breakfast.

Not a bad breakfast, especially if we’re on a staycation, but nothing worth the drive all the way up to Carlsbad for…..which to us, that Smoked Fish Plate was. Perhaps one day that dish will return to the menu at Wildland.

Wildland
2598 State St.
Carlsbad, CA 92008

London – More Shopping at Liberty, Dinner at St John (Smithfield) and Returning Home

Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, British/Irish/Scottish Restaurants/Pubs, Fine Dining, London, Memorable Meals, Travel

As we strolled back to our room following a wonderful lunch at Barshu and exploring Chinatown, the Missus wanted to make one more stop. It was at a place we’d stopped by at earlier. One that “FOY” Sandy accurately wrote as being ” a bit out of my price range” in the comments of that post; Liberty.

This time, the Missus did some serious browsing…..

And in the end, found a scarf that She really liked.

I was actually relieved that, like our visits to Hermes in Paris, it was only a scarf….

Liberty London
Regent St.
London, United Kingdom

As for dinner…well, it was going to take us about a half hour total. So, after returning to our hotel, we set off. We’d be leaving from Paddington, so the Missus had a chance to check out the sculpture, The Wild Table of Love a bit more closely this time.

The actual ride on the tube was only about 10 minutes and we ended up at Farringdon Station, after which it was a ten minute walk to our destination.

Much like our lunch at Barshu, my choice for dinner had been on my “list” for ages. The destination was once named as Anthony Boudain’s choice for his “last supper”. Unfortunately, we all know that didn’t happen. But since, by total accident, we did actually have what Mr Bourdain had as his last meal, it just seemed right to go to St John….and of course, I’ve been wanting to visit for years, since seeing his shows featuring Chef Fergus Henderson. Of course I had to convince the Missus…since St John specializes in “nose to tail” cuisine….well, showing the Missus photos really didn’t help things. But in the end the Missus gave in…..and we were at St John in Smithfield.

Our dinner reservations were for 645pm, so the place was pretty empty when we arrived. But soon enough the place filled up. The service a impeccable, the staff polished, professional, while being quite amiable. As for the customer base…well, it seemed to be mostly Brits based on the accents we could hear.

The Missus’s preconceived notions changed quickly when the bread arrived.

My goodness……yeasty, crusty….just perfect. The butter, while being on the cold side was well…..so buttery!

Now we’d had quite a bit for lunch, so we had a small dinner; but thoroughly enjoyed it.

I had to get my phone out to translate…well, English to, ahem English for what the heck “Cold Roast Dexter” was. Well, Dexter….is (thankfully) not whom you might think, but actually a breed of Irish Cattle. Think of it as cold roast beef….but just any roast beef. The slices of beef were very savory/bovine-y, quite lean but still tender.

The anchovy based dressing was rich, yet so umami and the cress added a wonderful, crisp, bright pepperiness to things. This was so ono!

The signature dish; the one that Bourdain wished for his last meal is the Roasted Bone Marrow & Parsley Salad…..again, a very simple looking dish. I would add, something this good does not need any fancy additions.

Man, that veal marrow was ooozing, gelatinous perfection. Beefy, almost sweet, and a touch of salt on that wonderful bread….say no more!

The Crispy Pig Cheek and Chicory gave me pause as it looked over-dressed. But again, this was delici-yoso. The pig cheek was indeed still crisp but also quite tender, and so porky! I asked the friendly Server what kind of pork this was and he said “Middle White”. So, of course I got the phone out…. Middle White is a breed of British domestic pig.

Loved the porkiness…definitely not the “other white meat” and the bitter, bold flavor of the chicory! We found out quickly that the dressing had a good bit of pungent mustard in it.

This was quite a nice…though smaller, definitely not light meal! It also gave me an appreciation for what seems to be more traditional British cuisine. Both the Missus and I can’t wait to return!

St. John Smithfield
26 St John St.
London, United Kingdom

After dinner, on the way to the metro station, we took a look at Smithfield Market, which of course was closed.

I’ve heard that the market is closing and the location becoming the London Museum.

We got back to our hotel and slept well. Our flight home wasn’t until 1pm, so we didn’t have to wake very early. Plus the Heathrow Express stops at Paddington Station and takes about 20 minutes to get to the airport. Flying Business Class has its benefits as we got to have brunch at the lounge at Heathrow.

And of course we ate on our flight back to San Diego.

One part of the meal in Business or First that I enjoy on British Airways is having the cheese plate for dessert. I really enjoy the Cashel Blue….which I believe comes from Ireland, with a nice port before heading off to dreamland.

And for the next meal…I selected the “light menu”…which ain’t so light.

I actually enjoyed the Smoked Chicken.

Which went well with the ricotta.

Though, my choice for Main Course, the Pesto Trofie was questionable. I guess I was still recalling being in Liguria.

Still, this had been a wonderful trip, starting in London visiting Westminster Abbey and getting early access to the Tower of London is highly recommended. Then heading to Milan…which exceeded our expectations. Then it was off to the Cinque Terre, we loved Veranzza, and even the hikes/walks to the various villages. I’m glad we were able to spend some time in Genoa, where we got to sample some traditional dishes. And of course, visiting my favorite city, Paris. Where we got to hang out on my favorite street. I’d always wanted to take the EuroStar! And it all ended back in London!

We loved this rather longish vacation and maybe when JJ gets a bit older and his favorite Auntie is back in town we’ll be able to do it again!

Cheers!