American/New American Restaurants – Page 11

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Rush Creek Lodge and Spa, Hiking Around Rush Creek, and Yosemite Valley

March 10, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Beer, Burgers, Markets & Grocers, Road Trip, Sierra Nevada, California, Travel

Here's a fairly quick post about our trip to Yosemite in October of last year.

After heading out from Paso Robles, we took a bathroom break and filled up our tank at Bravo Farms outside Kettleman.

Bravo Farms is one of those…..well road side stops with everything from a diner – food court – mercantile, which means all kinds of stuff you never knew you needed, it has some places for kids to play….all in the middle of…well…not much.

I did really enjoy the signs in the very clean restroom which cracked me up.

It was a good place to stretch our legs since we wouldn't be stopping until we got to Rush Creek Lodge and Spa. I chose the place, which was kind of remote mainly because of the location, 1 ile from the west entrance to Yosemite and size of the rooms; we got a Hillside Villa with our own private and a nice view.

We arrived a bit too early to check in. I had told the Missus that there were hiking trails around the lodge…..so guess what we did?

I parked the car in the lot where our Villa was located and we headed up to where the trails were.

I asked the Missus which trail She wanted to do…big mistake….Her answer? "All of them." Which is what we did.

It did us a nice "taste" of the beauty of the area.

And once we returned, our "Villa" was ready……it was quite large.

And the view….

There were a couple of shortcomings with the unit. It had no microwave, so you'd have to eat in the resort or drive the 20 or so miles to Groveland. But, there was a Restaurant, Tavern, and a General Store.

I had made reservations for dinner at the restaurant….during these times of Covid, it was optimal to do so. And on this day, we were seated in the Tavern.

The tables were nicely spaced out.

I started with a Big Sky Brewing Moose Drool ($9), a nice Brown Ale.

I was interested in trying the Crispy Fried Cauliflower ($17), which proved to be a mistake.

This wasn't particularly crisp and the sauce…..was like something from Panda Express; it was teeth rattling sweet.

We also got the Tomato and Roasted Garlic Soup ($14).

This lacked garlic flavor. Though it still wouldn't have been too bad if it had been served at a better temperature. It was barely lukewarm.

The Missus ordered the Rush Burger ($20).

After the two appetizers, we didn't expect too much….especially when they asked the Missus how She wanted the burger done. In many places, asking that question is just going thru the motions and you'll get your burger well done. This burger however, was cooked exactly how the Missus wanted. It also had a nice char adding a nice smokiness. The fries had a decent crispness.

I ordered the Lamb Shawarma ($21).

This wasn't very good either. The flatbread was really tough; so was the dry lamb which really lacked flavor.

Overall, very corporate food…our dinner was a $100 without tip! I guess most folks were a captive audience and there's no microwave in the rooms. At least the Missus enjoyed Her burger. And I guess we really weren't staying here for the restaurant, right?

The Restaurant at Rush Creek Lodge
34001 CA-120
Groveland, CA 95321

One of the reasons we stayed at Rush Creek was the distance to the West Entrance to Yosemite; it was less then a mile!

We got an early start and headed into Yosemite, making several stops along the way.

And then we entered the park.

The Missus was so excited about doing some hiking; unfortunately both of the trails we selected we closed as trail, road ,and parking lot work was going on. Sigh…..

We then headed to Yosemite Village and the visitors center, spoke to some rangers and decided just to do some trails in the area.

We first did the Lower Yosemite Falls Trail, an easy trail. The water was just a trickle on this day….and few weeks later there would be a major storm and waterfall would be going like crazy. Just our luck on this day.

From here we walked thru Cook's Meadow….I really enjoyed the views from here.

And from here we headed to Mirror Lake via the Valley Loop.

Because parts of the trail parallels the road, there was a lot of vehicle noise; it's also a pretty busy bike path…..and of course, because of the season, Mirror Lake was dry. It was still quite beautiful though.

And we took the loop back to Yosemite Village and our car.

We drove back to Rush Creek and relaxed for a bit. The Missus and I just weren't up to having another meal in the restaurant and we didn't want to drive to Groveland. We went over to the General Store and picked up a bottle of wine for the Missus and a beer for me. I had done some planning and brought along a self-heating Omeal and also a portable heater-lunch box; we had brought packaged meals. I put my package of basmati rice in the Omeal bag, so it heated up along the vegetarian chili.

The 110 volt hot plate didn't get things super hot, but it did the trick.

It was an ok meal……but the view just couldn't be beat.

And we were sure that tomorrow would be a better day!

Thanks for dropping by!

La Mesa Bistro and Bakery (again)

February 5, 2022 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, What Cathy Eats!

Thanks for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!! while Kirk is enjoying a short vacation. This is Cathy posting.

I wrote about La Mesa Bistro and Bakery in 2010, 2011 and 2018. The menu has remained the same- chalk boards everywhere which match up with a physical menu you can grab and look at before ordering, paying and finding a seat. You also serve yourself coffee and water. A great choice of different coffees are offered.

Smoked salmon scrambler ($12.95) is probably my favorite breakfast here. I do enjoy smoked salmon and the scoop of cream cheese, tomatoes and onions rounds out each bite. Scramblers here are made with two eggs and are quite large. With all the scramblers, you get a choice of fresh fruit or house potatoes and toast. House made salsa and a quick made berry 'jam' are wonderful, fresh and flavorful condiments.
Italian sausage and cheese scrambler ($12.95) was The Mister's choice one morning. A fresh, mild Italian sausage (can taste the fennel) along with cheddar, tomatoes, bell pepper and green onion was a great savory breakfast. The pan fried, crisped potatoes are always wonderful.
The Egg Florentine ($11.95) is essentially a meatless Benedict. Two poached eggs on top of toasted English muffin halves with spinach and tomato topped with a lemony hollandaise is very satisfying. Waffle with bacon and eggs ($11.95) is a more 'traditional' breakfast and quite wonderful- the waffle had a slight taste of vanilla and was quite large, crisp edges and a fluffy interior. It was good with and without syrup. Stuffed French toast with bacon and eggs ($12.95). A bit 'fancier' than just French Toast-stuffed with cream cheese and strawberries then dipped in egg and fried and topped with fresh berries. The bacon here is always crisp and not too salty. Eggs are properly cooked 'over easy'.

Behind the cash register are some 'Specials' and this is the "One, Two, Three" ($8) It includes coffee and is one pancake, two eggs and three slices of bacon or sausage patties. Perfect for a quick, seated breakfast.

Of course there are lunch items on the menu.
A clubhouse sandwich (1/2 sandwich with soup)($10). Turkey, ham, bacon, Swiss on white bread with from scratch clam chowder. An absolutely wonderful New England style chowder, flavorful and filled with clam pieces and skin on potato, creamy and great. All three soups (also chicken tortilla and vegetable) here are made from scratch and very good.
The albacore tuna salad ($11.95) served with a Green Goddess dressing, on top of lettuce, shredded carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers, walnuts and fresh strawberries. Grilled bread is on the side and this (quite large) salad is perfect for lunch.

Don't be afraid of the menu or menu boards, basically it's a listing of combinations of basic ingredients. If you are craving something, just ask.

La Mesa Bistro and Bakery 8697 La Mesa Boulevard La Mesa 91941 (619)589-0806 Open seven days 7:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Website

Golden Egg Omelet House (Escondido) (again)(no omelet)

January 30, 2022 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, an old fashioned food blog. Kirk is not writing today because He and His Missus are enjoying some free time, while Cathy has some free time to write.

It has been more than six years since the last post about this mainstay (more than 35 years) restaurant in Escondido. Golden Egg survived the the shutdowns and is still going strong. The whiteboard of specials is still at the front door.

The menus of omelets (and other breakfast choices), lunch choices and baked potato casserole choices remain the same (other than, of course, prices).
It was lunch time and I was pretty sure what I would order- avocado stuffed with tuna salad ($13.69). (The menu choices are a tomato or an avocado stuffed with tuna or shrimp salad). This very large meal is a mini smorgasbord! Large scoops of a tasty (mostly) tuna salad inside avocado halves atop mixed greens with artichoke hearts, tomato, pickles, cucumber and cheese. A large slice of grilled bread and salad dressing are served on the side. Yes, there were leftovers- enough for another meal.

The Reuben ($13.79) is served on a great seeded rye (grilled) and is quite overfilled with a quality corned beef, plenty of sauerkraut and Swiss. It comes with side choices of fries or salad or soup. The soups are made here. The choice for that day was a creamy broccoli chicken. It was decadent-the old fashioned flavor of Vegeta, a condiment (primarily salt with dehydrated vegetables (carrot, parsley, onions, celery and parsnip)) I grew up enjoying in my Polish home.

Golden Omelet is crowded early on weekends, which is good to see. Always quality, fresh made food and friendly service.

Golden Egg Omelet House 316 West Mission Ave, Suite 102, Escondido, CA 92025 (760) 489-6420 Website Open daily: 7-2:30

Teeny tiny oyster crackers!

2022 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade floats and a few meals

January 4, 2022 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Cuban Restaurants, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Sandwiches, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy today. She's the one who does these Rose Parade posts. Kirk is taking a break.

So, it's 2022! Happy New Year. A time to start anew, change habits. For starters, most of the photos in this post were taken on December 31, unlike when The Mister and I attended the Showcase of Floats-following the Rose Parade in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

With Covid-19, not many people were volunteering to decorate the floats and we had been receiving daily emails and noticing all of the float builders asking for volunteers. We had helped decorate floats in early December, and were wide awake around 1 a.m. on December 31, saw a live video of the float barn and how much help was needed, especially since final judging is around 10 a.m. on the 31st. We got in the car and drove to Irwindale.

Here are some photos of floats and details at the Phoenix Decorating Company barn.

Trader Joe's, "You're Invited"
Kiwanis International, "Dream To Achieve"Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day, "Seeding Tomorrow"

Lutheran Hour Ministries, "Jesus Teaches"
Oddfellows and Rebekahs, "Arctic Adventure"
The Century anniversary of Shriners Hospitals for Children, "Celebrating 100 Years of Believing in Dreams". This float depicts a young girl with scars from Spina Bifida repair, spinning in a looking glass, dreaming of being the spinning ballerina in a jewelry box. There were three color florographs on this float, celebrating the providing of care to children with complex medical conditions regardless of their ability to pay.

"Wild Kingdom" by RFD-TV and Mutual of Omaha.
The Closing float, reminding people of the Rose Bowl Game.
Rotary International, "Changing Lives Through Education"

Lions Clubs International, "Quest For Kindness"

Best wishes to you and yours. Dream, Believe, Achieve.

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It was after 11 a.m. and The Mister and I still had not had breakfast so we left and began driving to a favorite stop, The Peppertree Cafe. Another Covid-19 survivor.

Since it was a Friday, the regular menu (and specials) were available. We were so tired and overwhelmed. The Soup, Salad Half Sandwich ($9) was great- clam chowder, ranch dressing, turkey sandwich. There was a half order hot beef sandwich available ($9) so I tried it. Just enough food. A very long day. Peppertree Cafe website

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In November, we finally made it back to Porto's, where we had not been since October, 2019. So happy it survived Covid.

The menu (bakery and meals) is limited, dine in capacity is at 50% (tables removed), most cold beverages are bottled but the food items are consistent.
Torrejas (Cuban French toast) was just perfect-crisp exterior, fluffy interior.
Pan con Lechon- slow roasted pork with pickled onion and a green garlic mojo sauce on the fresh Cuban bread was a nice, salty contrast for breakfast. Portos Bakery Website

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Also in November, The Mister was craving a good pastrami sandwich, so we drove up the 15 to The Hat, which also survived Covid-19.

Things are about the same, other than you have to ask for condiments.

The sides are still enough to share-a large serving. The pastrami is still kind of perfect. The Hat website
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2022 Rose Parade Float decorating, dinner at Costa’s

December 8, 2021 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog with some reasons as to how the meal occurred. Cathy is posting today.

I've posted about Rose Parade float decorating for the parades of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Last year, there was no parade to celebrate 2021, but things are a bit more 'normal' and this past Saturday, the first 'Dry Decorating' day happened at Phoenix Decorating Company, where The Mister and I volunteer with hundreds of others as Petal Pushers. The Kiwanis also coordinate volunteers for decorating at Phoenix). They need volunteers, so if you aren't doing anything this Saturday or next, sign up now-it's fun and an easy way to cross something off of your 'Bucket List'.

Since you've seen some 2022 float road tests (all linked on this post), I'll try to be a little different this year with photos. Some floats are not ready to be decorated. At all.
But by the end of the day on Saturday, quite a bit was accomplished on the Rotary float. Many materials were used for this owl!
Lentils had been tediously applied on this 'urn'.
Cotton for the polar bear fur.
The Mutual of Omaha/RFD-TV float "Wild Kingdom" had every other feature being decorated, even the Burmese python.
Shriners had a few volunteers. Tedious work!
The dark purple statice petals were carefully applied.
More beans!

The Lutheran Laymans League (and organizer of Petal Pushers volunteers) has their 71st float in the Rose Parade. It's the only Christian themed float in the Parade, this year themed "Jesus Teaches".
You Are Invited! by Trader Joe's has so many features to be decorated.

So many floats, so many details, so much more work to be done!

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After we finished for the day, we were cold and exhausted and drove to a close, familiar place for a meal, Costa's Family Restaurant. The last time we were here was after our visit to the Showcase of Floats, following the 2020 Rose Parade, unaware of what the year had in store for us. We were seated when the sun was still out, but it was dark when we left.
Starting the meals with a bowl of house made vegetable soup and beet covered salad had us reminiscing the familiarity of this home style restaurant and we are happy it has survived.
Just a simple side of dinner rolls with butter.

Beef and Gravy ($12). Served with wonderful, lumpy, mashed potatoes and the vegetable of the day. Tender meat, thick brown gravy, comfort food. As was the Liver and Onions plate ($12). Tender calves liver, thin, light crusted, pan fried, caramelized onions and the same mashed potato and vegetable sides. We really enjoyed this.Each meal includes dessert. I chose tapioca pudding, The Mister chose chocolate pudding. Both were made here…and were wonderful.

Costa's Family Restaurant 851 E. San Bernadino Road Covina, CA 91723 Open Daily 7 a.m. – 8 p.m. Website

2022 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Float Road Test Four, Breakfast at Georgia’s Original Bun ‘n Burger (Covina)

November 4, 2021 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, What Cathy Eats!

Thank you for stopping to read mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog sometimes with explanations as to why and how the food was found. Cathy is writing today while Kirk enjoys a short break.

Link to 2022 Rose Parade Float Test One

Link to 2022 Rose Parade Float Test Two

Link to 2022 Rose Parade Float Road Test Three

The Mister and I drove North very early on Saturday, in light rain which turned to fog, to watch another Road Testing of mechanics and maneuverability of some floats which will be participating in the 2022 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade, which has the theme of "Dream, Believe, Achieve".

"Soaring to New Heights" will be presented by Farmers Insurance and features not only a surfer, but also a bicyclist and a 'person' who is 'bouldering' (outdoor wall climbing). The float photo is of the 'off camera' side of the float, while the drawing shows the 'camera side'. Large, beautiful and (of course) I am most interested in the materials which will be used for decorating this colorful float. Every visible inch of each float must be covered with all natural materials; nothing dyed or artificial.
The City of Hope, "Gardens of Hopes and Dreams" is whimsical, with giant butterflies moving their wings as well as oversized flowers and mushrooms.
"Wild Kingdom" presented by RFD-TV and Mutual of Omaha will honor both Marlin Perkins and Jim Fowler, the original hosts of this longtime (since 1963) documentary style television show which features wildlife and nature.
Shriners Hospitals for Children will have another float featuring the larger than life "Fezzy Bear", who will collapse while going under objects (like signal lights and the 210 freeway) along the five mile Parade Route.
The first (Banner) float in the parade as well as the Closing float (introducing the event following the parade on television, the Rose Bowl Football Game) were also tested on Saturday.

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As we have been doing this year, after viewing and taking photos, The Mister and I head East from the Phoenix Decorating barn area in Irwindale and look for cars parked, indicating a restaurant serving breakfast.

This was the place- Georgia's Original Bun 'n Burger with some neon signage above the door indicating its name had been Plum's Cafe (which moved to Costa Mesa in 2012).
It was a little crowded and instead of eating outside, we sat at the counter, with a view of the kitchen as well as a view of the rest of the counter and other side of the interior. (Factoid: the record album at the far right in this photo is the Don Ho Show album, which we owned; Mom and Dad loved that nightly comedy, variety and audience participation television show, which only ran for five months in 1976-77 with 90 episodes.)

The printed, disposable menu is quite extensive, with breakfast being served all day.

'Tavern' ham, eggs (three, poached) and home fries (look at the nice size pieces of potato) along with rye toast ($11.99). A great tasting thick slice of ham as well as the potatoes and eggs and toast. Very satisfying breakfast.
A very thick, but not dense, vanilla flavored waffle with two eggs (over easy) and crispy, thick bacon ($11.99) was also quite a large breakfast.

There were bottles of wine in the (former) pie case, because this restaurant is open late (a rarity it seems) and the lunch and dinner items, especially the burgers, have us curious to try more of the menu.

Georgia's Original Bun 'n Burger 180 East Rowland Street Covina, CA 91723 (626) 915-2016 Open Sun-Wed 7 a.m.-6 p.m., Thur-Fri-Sat 7 a.m.-9 p.m.

San Francisco (Before Covid) – The Croissant Files and Angler

November 3, 2021 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Bangkok, Croissants, Fine Dining, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Travel

I was cleaning out photos that I didn't think I needed or wanted anymore and came across two sets from our trip to San Francisco right before the "official" start of the pandemic. It was January of 2020….I had thought about just deleting this…..but after pondering after a couple of minutes, I thought I'd just do a quick post, especially since I'd done posts on other places during that same visit. So here goes with a minimum of "chatter" from me.

We awoke to a nice sunrise…….and on this day, I thought we'd do a bit of walking and grab some croissants at places along the way. So we headed down Sutter Street to the first location I new was open on this day; Le Marais Bakery……which brought a smile to our faces since Le Marais is a frequent stop on our trips to Paris.

We grabbed some coffee and a Croissant aux Buerre to start things off.

The croissant was a bit dry and the amount of butter to salt was quite low. Though it was nicely flaky/crusty…so decent texture, but nothing I'd return for.

Le Marais Bakery
1138 Sutter St.
San Francisco, CA 94109

From here we headed up Sutter Street passing some beautiful looking houses…yes, that architectural walking tour in Pacific Grove has developed a mild fascination with all these historical houses. Like the "Payne House", which is now a hotel.

On left here is the JACL Headquarters…..

And then walked thru a very quiet Japantown to our next destination.

To the bustling Jane the Bakery.

This would be the best of the three Croissants we had during this walk.

Jane The Bakery
1881 Geary Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94115

From here we headed down Geary, taking a right on Divasidero…..

Then a quick left on California to a place that had been recommended to me named B Patisserie.

This place was quite popular…..

Though I don't think it's for their plan croissants which lacked butter, was dry, and just not to our taste.

b. patisserie
2821 California St.
San Francisco, CA 94115

The great thing is; these three places are still open….so you can check them out and make your own decision…..

From here we headed down Divasadero and took a left onto Hayes Street; taking some time to watch the pooches having fun at Alamo Square Park.

We had fun watching the dogs……and I think next time I might pay more attention to the architecture in the area.

We headed back west on Hayes Street to the area known as the Hayes Valley, which seemed quite hipster to us….and took a break at a park named Patrica's Green, which is home to Tara Mechani.

There was also this structure which grabbed our attention.

From here we headed west and then took a left on Market Street, where we encountered the San Francisco I recall from visiting in the 90's.

After taking a short break (nap), we headed out for dinner. I'd made reservations at Angler.

Which is kind of known for the seafood and such; but the Missus was interested in the vegetable dishes. It seemed like a great place (this was before the Michelin star) for a nice, light dinner. And, to be perfectly honest, in spite of the spotty service, it was the best meal of the trip.

We went with mostly vegetables; except for the Antelope Tartare.

Which I loved…..great balance of savory-gamy flavors and acidity.

The grilled cauliflower was meh…..

The Missus loved the potatoes….the cloying cheese sauce, not so much.

The texture of the potato was amazing…..which is how She "convinced" me to make Hasselback Potatoes, which was not nearly as wonderful in cut and texture as these.

The Parker House Rolls were very nice; especially with the seaweed butter.

We loved radicchio, so was really excited about the radichio with XO sauce…..

The actual radicchio was fantastic; lightly bitter, savory, prepared well. But the "XO" sauce….well, it brought nothing to the dish. Really……..the Missus still prefers what I make at home.

The last dish to arrive was the Hen of the Woods Mushroom, which was delicous!

I've heard about the $500-$600 meals here…..I guess folks were having lobster and crab; our was not even close to that……and so we'll probably eat here again.

Angler
132 The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94105

And I especially feel like I earned this meal.

And here are some signs for you……

Lemon Grove Cafe

October 16, 2021 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Greek Food, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog with random posts, is where you have landed. Kirk is vacationing with His Missus and Cathy is writing today.

An early morning wake up with differing cravings had The Mister and myself looking for breakfast away from home. We started driving South, took the Lemon Grove Avenue exit and saw the pretty painted building with an almost full parking lot and decided to stop. This has been Lemon Grove Cafe since 2012 and was a location of Antique Row Cafe prior to that. The writing on the wall says it all.
There is also and outdoor covered area as well as the comfortable indoor seating. The breakfast menu is pretty extensive.
Señor Uno ($11.95) was The Mister's choice. A three egg omelette with sausage and cheese, the side of country fries were chosen (over hash browns) and were crisp with onion and bell peppers. The tasty breakfast sausages filled the large omelette, topped with plenty of cheese.
This came with a choice of toast, English muffin, biscuit or pancakes, and pancakes were what was craved. The cakes were quite thick/large and had a nicely crisp crust.
Once I saw the choice of chicken souvlaki with eggs it had to be ordered. Greek style breakfast-the savory craving would be satisfied. The over easy eggs were properly cooked. The grilled skewer/souvlaki style chicken had large pieces of flavorful dark meat. The tomatoes and Feta combined with the warm pita bread and tzatziki sauce helped make each bite memorable.

We will be returning for more meals at this family owned cafe.

Lemon Grove Cafe 3521 Lemon Grove Avenue Lemon Grove, CA 91945 (619) 644-1031 open Mon-Sat 7 a.m.-8 p.m., Sun 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Website

2022 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade Float Road Test #3, Breakfast at Lisa’s Coffee Shop (Covina)

October 13, 2021 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

It's time for another mmm-yoso!!! 2022 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade float Road Test post. Kirk (and His Missus) remain on vacation and Cathy is writing.

Link to 2022 Float Road Test #one

Link to 2022 Float Road Test #two

The Mister and I were at Phoenix Decorating in Irwindale early on a Saturday in late September, in time to see floats lined up and ready to undergo mechanics and maneuverability testing. The Lions Clubs International float has another cute design this year to accompany their "Quest for Kindness" theme.
The City of Alhambra has their 2022 entry to the Parade, "School Rocks" featuring a bit of movement of the float-the engine will be 'wobbling' its way down Colorado Boulevard over the five mile Parade Route.
Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day , a company that makes some delightfully scented cleaning products, will be sponsoring a float for the third time. The 'outline' of Mrs. Meyer is on the label of most of their products and the reason for this float design. Clever and cute.
Rotary International, another Service Organization, has their 2022 Parade entry, "Changing Lives Through Education", symbolizing the importance of education around the world and one of Rotary's seven areas of focus: Basic Education and Literacy.
The City of Hope Cancer Treatment Center will again (for the 49th year) be inspiring America with cancer survivors riding this beautiful float along the Parade route.

Bonus photos: This basic outline of a float might give you an idea of the design as well as the detail of sturdiness built into all floats. Hopefully more will be complete with the next Road Test to help 'connect the dots'.

There is always a Driver, who only follows the 'rose colored line' along Colorado Boulevard, looking down the entire route. Then there is the Spotter, who can see out the front of the float and communicates with the driver constantly over headphones. I caught the Spotter resting his hand out of his viewing area. {you can also see the Spotters’ cut out in each of the above float photos as well as the Spotter and Driver on the Mrs. Meyer's float} Here are some peeks inside the decorating barn.

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As always, we make no plans and just begin driving home, looking for a breakfast spot. Usually, we see cars parked so we know a restaurant is open. This time, we saw the signage. Had to stop. A good size breakfast menu with many choices. Again, we did not order coffee, even though this is a Coffee Shop.

The "Mini Attack" ($8.99) was wonderful. House made buttermilk biscuit (light and fluffy), grilled and then filled with scrambled egg and a sausage patty (really good quality, flavor and size) and smothered in house made Country Gravy. It was served with two *very good* house made salsas.
The Corned Beef Hash breakfast plate ($13.99) was enough to share. A good sized serving of griddled crisped hash along with nicely crisped Home Fries, two (poached) eggs and toast. Flavors! Filling! A great neighborhood place!

Lisa's Coffee Shop 1530 W. San Bernardino Road Covina, CA 91722 (626) 339-2014 Open seven days, 7 arm,-2 p.m.

Tom’s Famous Family Restaurant (number 23)(Escondido) (again)

October 11, 2021 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Diner, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is being written by Cathy while Kirk takes a break.

I wrote about Tom's Famous Family Restaurant in 2018 and it's time to post some revisits to this classic California diner (the first location opened in 1962). There is a menu at the drive through, if you park at that end of the lot.

But there is also the full menu taped in the window next to the door (and another above/behind the ordering counter). There are also posters in the window and a White Board next to the cash register advertising special prices.
The original 'open kitchen' is in view when you order and pay. Food is brought to your table.
One of the window posters had a "Strawberry Pancake Meal Deal" ($8.99) Two bacon (crisp!), two sausage (good quality; skin on), two eggs (perfectly made over easy) and hash browns (a good crisp, not a 'raw' interior)…
Along with a choice of pancakes or French toast. Thick piece of eggy bread, crispy exterior and a proper fluffy interior topped with that wonderful frozen then thawed strawberries in sugar sauce, like Mom used to put over ice cream. The White Board next to the cash register had "Chili cheese omelet, includes coffee" ($7.99). I had to. You can see it is a well made plain omelet topped with two slices of cheese (one Swiss, one cheddar (not American)) smothered with beanless (hot dog) chili. Great flavors! The home fries were wonderfully crisp, topped with onion and bell pepper. What a great breakfast!

The Mister was craving pastrami so we were back the other day. Tom's Pastrami sandwich ($8.99) was ordered. Not the combo (which is only $1 more). The hand cut, smokey, flavorful pastrami on a toasted bun with mustard and pickles hit the spot.
I ordered the three piece fish dinner ($9.99). The lightly battered, perfectly fried flaky fish pieces were very well prepared. I chose onion rings and vegetables on the side. The whole slices of onion, fried crisp after being dipped in cornmeal batter were just so good (no uncharge!). The "Normandy"steamed vegetable medley was a good choice this cool day.

Also included were toasted bread (a hamburger bun, as I would make at home) and a choice of soup or salad. This day, lentil soup the choice. It was amazing. Lentils, tomatoes, celery, onion, herbs and spices. The bowl of soup could have been a meal in itself.

Tom's Famous Family Restaurant #23 505 West 5th Avenue (at Centre City Parkway) Escondido 92025 Open daily 6 a.m.-10 p.m. Breakfast served all day