American/New American Restaurants – Page 13

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – Returning to Cambria and a Revisit to Madeline’s

July 17, 2021 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, French Restaurants, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Travel

Just trying to finish up posts on our May road trip here.

After having a wonderful dinner at Les Petites Canailles in Paso Robles, then enjoying a nice walk the following morning at Montana de Oro State Park, we headed to our next destination. We had enjoyed Cambria so much during our November road trip that we decided to return for an evening.

It was a bit early for check-in when we arrived, so I headed over to the East Village where the Missus "caught up" on some shopping at the charming little shops.

Not sure why this pooch was so tuckered out, but he didn't move a muscle as customers came and went……it was quite amusing.

We decided to pick up some snacks for lunch and headed over to Soto's True Earth Market.

It's a lovely little market with everything from sandwiches and cheese, to local produce and snacks. Folks were very friendly and we enjoyed the little shop…..I even purchased a shopping bag.

Soto's True Earth Market
2244 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428

I had noticed tables and seating arranged outside the charming Cambria Historical Museum which was closed due to the pandemic.

It was a beautiful day, so we decided to have our snacks here.

Though we did ask permission from the local "security detail".

Soon enough I received a text message letting me know our room was ready. Just like Paso Robles, we were doing a repeat stay….we had really enjoyed the El Colibri Hotel & Spa on our previous visit to Cambria, the staff at El Colibri are very welcoming and friendly, we enjoyed the quiet location as well, just a short walk to the West Village where I had made dinner reservations at yet another "repeat" location. We had enjoyed our meal at Madeline's during our November road trip, so the Missus and I decided for another visit. It was just as good….so I won't dwell too much on the details and leave you mostly with photos.

The Missus loves the scallops and the "Spanish Octopus", but also really enjoyed the seasonal salad……. Which had….a bacon vinaigrette.

So guess who had to make bacon vinaigrette when we got home? Actually, it was pretty easy as our Server asked the chef about the recipe…..we didn't get a recipe; but got a ingredient list.

They even split our main; the Aubergine Gratin without us having to ask.

The weakest dish of the meal as for some reason the bechamel really didn't bring out the flavors of the eggplant…….

But that's ok as the other dishes were wonderful.

And the Missus enjoyed the Chocolate Truffle Mousse Cake for dessert, while I enjoyed a nice Tawny Port.

And we got the same lovely outdoor table as on our previous visit. When I mentioned that we enjoyed this table, we were instructed to request "Patio 1" the next time we visit. And….I think there will be a next time. There's something about the vibe and staff that we really enjoy here.

Madeline's Restaurant & Wine Tasting Room
788 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428

We finished up dinner and walked back to the hotel. Since this was at the end of May, the sun wouldn't set until after 8pm. So, like we did on our previous visit to Cambria we took the short walk down to Shamel Community Park and took in the beautiful sunset.

A perfect end to our day. Back at the room, I had a brew as a nightcap as I will often do on trips. It always gives me time to think about and ponder how blessed we are…….especially during these times to have our health, each other, and even though we'd obviously love to be in Paris, I've come to appreciate a part of California that I think is vastly underrated.

Thanks for stopping by!

Boss Bird Kitchen – B(efore)C(ovid), D(uring)C(ovid), D(uring)R(eopening)

July 14, 2021 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Chicken Wings, Sandwiches

**** Boss Bird has moved to La Mesa. This location is now Kusina

Here's a post that was 17 months in the making. Chicken Sandwiches…..especially Nashville Hot Chicken has become (yet another) fad in recent years. And back in February of 2020 Boss Bird Kitchen took over the spot that seems to be a revolving door of restaurants; being Capetown Bar & Grill, then Sarap, and finally Gaya Gaya before Boss Bird took over the spot. My first visit was in February 2020. I then did a takeout visit early in 2021. At that time, I wasn't even sure I'd be doing a post….until I decided to return last week. You can think of this as happening during three distinct phases in time, pre-Covid, during lockdown, and during reopening. It does seem to be much longer of a timespan then that as well.

The place looked essentially the same as Gaya Gaya, minus the interesting artwork.

I thought about trying the "Hot Mess" Chicken "Burger", but decided to just get the "Standard". Basically, buttermilk fried chicken breast sandwich. The size of the chicken breast filet was quite generous.

I did like the roll it was served on, which had a mild hint of yeasty sweetness and held up quite well to the sorta "secret sauce" (Thousand Island dressingish). The chicken was underseasoned for my taste and while it was quite a hunk of chicken it hadn't been evenly fried and also suffered from "chicken breast syndrome"……as it was on the dry side.

The portion of fries was also very generous; nicely seasoned, though it was also on the dry side and got rather soft quickly. Still for under ten bucks (at that time), this was a bargain.

Even though the price was right and the young lady working was so friendly, I didn't really have any intention of returning. Then came the lockdown and I was still working from the office quite a bit….I'd be driving past Boss Bird every so often and while they were open, it seemed totally dead. So, I decided to go ahead and place an online order. I didn't think the chicken sandwich and especially the fries would hold up real well on the drive back to the office, so I ordered the "Nickle Box" ($9) of wings. While driving over, I realized that it had been over a year since my initial visit.

Man, had the pandemic changed things! Things had been moved around and when I spoke (even with my mask muffling my voice) there seemed to be an echo!

My order was ready when I finally found a live human being……seems like everyone was in the boss bird "kitchen", so I cooled my heels for about 10 minutes. But all was well once the nice gentleman saw me waiting.

I wasn't overly hungry and this five piece box of wings, which came with 2 biscuits (I gave one away) was more than enough for my lunch on this day. I actually enjoyed the pickles the best.

I had ordered the Wings with Garlic Parmesan, but I think there was a "malfunction" somewhere as the wings seemed to just be plainly seasoned. Like my previous experience the chicken was unevenly fried and some of the pieces had rubbery skin and were on the dry side.

I wasn't a big fan of the biscuits which was too crumbly and not buttery enough for my taste. The person I shared the biscuit with said he could barely finish half of it……so I guess it wasn't just me.

And well, two visits in I guess I needed to get a post done, right? And on June 15th, San Diego was fully reopened, though I waited a while to return to Boss Bird. When I finally decided to return, it was just as the restaurant opened, early in the week. I had the whole place to myself.

The only other customers I saw during my stay were two customers doing takeout. And since I wasn't doing takeout; I decided to go with the "Hot Mess" ($11).

I enjoyed the chicken sandwich. This was by far the best item I've had at Boss Bird; a decent spicy rub, you can tell that this time around the chicken had been nicely fried. While it was still on the drier side, it was moist and tender enough for me. Like I said before; there's something about the pickles here I enjoy and the slaw, while quite plain really helped balance out the sandwich.

The fries were a bit thinner this time around and still nicely seasoned; though it's still on the dry and soft side for my taste.

Still, I'd have this again….one of these days.

So there you go. A post 17 months in the making.

For another view on Boss Bird, please check out Lynn's post.

Boss Bird Kitchen
7580 Miramar Rd.
San Diego, CA 92126
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 8pm
Sunday 11am – 4pm

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – First & Oak, Vaquero Bar, and Mission Santa Ines (Solvang)

June 3, 2021 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cocktails, European Restaurants, Fine Dining, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

We enjoyed a nice hour nap at our hotel before heading off to dinner.

When I had initially started planning this short road trip; Solvang wasn't even a blip on the radar. We do enjoy Solvang, but have always thought of it as a themed village of sorts where you came to buy your friends and aunt cookies. Until I was checking out the Michelin Guide and noticed a restaurant named First & Oak……the menu seemed interesting, sort of the kind of place we'd enjoy. I had never spent a night in Solvang and was curious as to how things were when all the day trippers left. And so far we were enjoying ourselves. The restaurant, located in the Mirabelle Inn, was just a block away from our hotel. I had never spent much time around this part of Solvang and we really enjoyed the cute and quaint houses.

I had made early reservations for dinner……so we'd avoid any possible crowds….though on this Sunday night, I'm guessing it wouldn't be very likely.

We were greeted and taken to our table….which we really enjoyed as it was at one end of the sidewalk, by a very sweet young lady. Unfortunately, she wasn't much help with the wine by the glass….I saw a Veltliner, something we really enjoyed in Vienna, which was local….a rarity in my opinion. The young lady was very nice, but couldn't tell me much about the wine. She wasn't much of a help with the menu either. Luckily, we had pretty much picked out what we wanted in advance. I will say the wine was served at a perfect temperature and we really enjoyed relaxing and watching the street scene…..which by now was rather sparse, but entertaining.

First up were the Kimchi Cracklings ($9).

The Espuma Garlic Aioli was the hit of this dish; pleasantly garlicky, very light and delicate in texture. The rice-crackerish "cracklings" were fine, if a bit bland in flavor.

The Duck Wings ($15) were up next.

This was pretty darn chewy and much too sweet for our taste. You really couldn't make out much else as the cloying sweetness just over powered the dish.

Our favorite dish of the night was by far the Roasted Cauliflower ($16).

The cauliflower had a nice smoky-light sweetness to it with an almost buttery texture. The truffle vinaigrette was excellent and really paired well with the almonds and raisins.

The Salted Baked Beets ($16) was quite hard.

The Red Dragon Cheese had a nice, mild pungency to it….but this dish seemed kind of plain overall.

We shared a main; the Roasted Loin of Lamb ($38).

This really could have been a winner as the quality of the lamb was excellent and the exterior texture outstanding. There were a couple of issues we had with this though…..we ordered it medium rare, but it arrived medium well. Which wouldn't have been a big deal since the meat was very moist…..but the lamb just didn't seem to be seasoned well. Even the King Oyster Mushroom needed more seasoning and probably more of a searing to give some textural contrast. The gnocchi was fried and just didn't seem to fit in with the dish. The red cabbage didn't have enough pickled "umph" for the Missus. The jus/sauce was quite mild and this ended up being quite underwhelming. Which may describe our opinion of the entire meal………

The staff was very nice; our Server was so sweet, but really couldn't tell us much about the wine or the dishes….at one point, I asked her about the lamb and she had to go ask someone….. Perhaps it was the Sunday night crew? Or maybe Solvang is basically for getting cookies for Auntie?

First & Oak
409 1st St.
Solvang, CA 93463

As we were wrapping up dinner; the Missus told me She wanted a cocktail………I guess dinner did that to Her. After Googling about; I found a place named Vaquero Bar. The Missus immediately went to that four lettered website and said, "we can't go there, there's only 2 reviews". My response was, "that's exactly why we should go there"……..so after paying we walked on over to the usually super busy Mission Drive which was quite sedate at this time of the day.

The Missus cracked up at seeing….well, a very familiar sight.

We took the short walk over and noticed that Vaquero Bar was actually part of what looked like a very popular steakhouse name Coast Range. Second thing we noticed as we ambled in; all the folks seemed to know each other.

Except for the Missus and Myself and a couple who were from Newport Beach. One of the mixologists came over; a very friendly young lady named Gabby and took our orders. I quickly noticed that music was provided via a turn table….with real vinyl albums, with one of my Mom's favorite artist playing……Johnny Cash! I guess this was meant to be?

The Missus got something called the Silver Stallion – Japanese Whiskey-Vanilla-Bitters.

I actually asked Gabby if she could make me an Old Fashioned with Mezcal instead of Bourbon and she cheerfully complied.

When she brought the drink over; she told me that this was a new one for her so she of course did a straw test and liked it….even though she was never a fan of Mezcal. This was a nice solid version….I ended up having another, as the Rolling Stones started playing on the turn table.

The Missus, somewhat disappointed in our dinner, went ahead and ordered the Chateau Fries ($8) and finished it all Herself.

I stayed on my "liquid diet" and had another cocktail. We had a great time here. Just like during our previous visit to Paso Robles, the cocktail bar picked things up when the restaurant failed us. I'd gladly return.

Vaquero Bar (In Coast Range Restaurant)
1635 Mission Dr.
Solvang, CA 93463

Solvang seemed like a different city as we walked back to the hotel. So peaceful, so relaxed……..

Getting back to the hotel; there was one more place I thought we might enjoy visiting. I asked the young man at the desk and he told me that Mission Santa Ines was right around the corner; through the Post Office parking lot. So we decided to check it out.

Mission Santa Ines was founded in 1804 and is the 19th of the 21 Missions in California founded by the Franciscans.

It was quite peaceful during this time of the day and the view was quite beautiful.

It was a nice tranquil way to end the day…….

We headed back to the Hotel Corque….the room was so very comfortable, the Missus loved the double sink…and the bed was lovely.

We fell into a blissful sleep thinking about tomorrow….when we'd be returning to Paso Robles.

Thanks for stopping by!

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – Peidras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, Pacific Grove, and Dinner at Passionfish

May 7, 2021 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Monterey/Carmel/Santa Cruz - Monterey Bay/Peninsula, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Seafood, Travel

We had really enjoyed our time in Cambria; from dinner at Madeline's to walking the wonderful trails at Fiscalini Ranch. But it was time to head to our next destination. I walked into Cambria and back to Cambria Coffee Roasting Company for our caffeine fix, we packed, then headed on out. Our next two evenings would be spent in Pacific Grove. The Missus had been to Monterey several times; I've always thought it too touristy for me and decided that perhaps we should stay just a short stroll away. Plus, there was a restaurant I'd always wanted to try out.

We stopped several times along the way, first at William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach.

And took a walk along the wooden pier.

On this day, it was a peaceful and scenic spot…….the breeze from the Pacific lightly caressing your face…..a lovely November (2020) day.

Just a few miles up the road was our next stop; the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery.

There was a lot of parking and a nice boardwalk where you can view the Elephant Seals. This was November, when according to this website, the large male Elephant Seals will start arriving.

No huge males on this day….just a bunch of adorable Elephant Seals relaxing and sun bathing.

And the occasional seal taking a dip to cool off.

We both found this stop relaxing and entertaining.

Maybe next time; once it's back open, we'll check out the lighthouse further on up the road.

We drove up Highway one thru Big Sur (this was before the portion of Highway 1 collapsed). Only stopping once near Big Sur Station.

We made good time to Pacific Grove and arrived before check-in. Which, in the time of Covid was done touch free……everything was done by key code; we never saw a single employee during our stay. I called the provided number and was told we could check in an hour earlier than scheduled. Still, there was a bit of time to kill. So, we found parking on the street near where we were staying and decided to do some exploring.

Pacific Grove is known as "Butterfly Town USA", so we decided to walk on over to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary down Lighthouse Avenue.

First thing I noticed were how charming many of the homes were.

In fact, this would lead us to a fun little walk later on during our stay.

Loved this sculpture at the Post Office on Lighthouse Avenue; it's called "Butterfly Kids".

It was a nice walk to the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary.

Monarch Butterfly's usually start appearing in October to stay over the winter.

And yet we saw none as we walked the trails…..

And so we decided to sit on one of the benches for a while. After a few minutes we saw two Monarch Butterflies….unfortunately, those would be the only two we would see.

And while we were a bit disappointed to only see two; it has now turned to sadness upon reading this.

Our accommodations were at the historic Pacific Grove Inn, a Queen Anne style mansion built between 1904 and 1908.

The Missus was a bit leery about staying in an old house like this, creaky floors and all; but I got us a huge room on the top floor, which was way more room than we needed. I mean, how often are you able to stay in such an historical house….with no one to bother you?

I'm sure that in times not driven by the pandemic there might be some great amenities; but I truly liked being left alone to my own devices.

Dinner was a place I'd been wanting to check out for years; a favorite of the late Ed from Yuma, Passionfish. In fact, Ed did a three part post on the place. Of course, with Covid-19 I wasn't sure what was in store. It was all outdoor dining in the area at this time and the restaurant had done a wonderful job setting up on the patio upstairs in front of what looked like a nail salon.

Service was very efficient and professional, the restaurant had even created a satellite drink/wine station upstairs so customers could get served quickly. Ed had mentioned the amazing pricing of wine at Passionfish; bottles are sold at retail prices. Of course, we really weren't going to do entire bottles, so the Missus got Hers by the glass and thoroughly enjoyed things.

We started things off with some Buttermilk Biscuits.

My goodness; these were some of the best I've ever had; perfect, moist, wonderful flavor, a great balance in texture……man this was good!

The Spicy Fish Stew was a bit of a disappointment. It was quite bland; really tasting like a watered down mariscos consomme that one could get from a Taco truck.

Dungeness Crab Salad was excellent.

The sweet-savory crab meat, along with the almost buttery avocado was a nice one-two punch. The vinaigrette added a perfect touch of aciditiy.

Sea Scallop was perfectly seared; still rare in the middle. We both loved the caper-walnut topping.

Though we found the artichoke risotto cake to be a bit too mild in terms of flavor.

Smoked Trout Ceviche Tostadas were a bit overwhlemed by the spicy salsa and the mild tones of the smoked trout were lost.

Passionfish was a pioneer with regards to serving sustainable seafood and we were excited to try at least one fish dish. So we ordered the Rockfish, with a Jicama-Mint Salad, Rice Crisps, and Cashews. The fish was cooked perfectly; tender and moist. The spicy nuoc mam sauce might have been a bit too much for such a delicately flavored fish, but you couldn't complain about how well the fish had been prepped. Not a big fan of the grapefruit, but the Missus liked it. Loved the greens, a nice combination of bitter-savory-sweet and the cashews added another layer of savory-nutty tones.

All in all a very nice meal; a couple of dishes that missed the mark a bit; but wonderful service and the Missus and I talked about Ed….how he'd be viewing the pandemic, etc.

Passionfish
701 Lighthouse Ave.
Pacific Grove, CA 93950

On the way back we noticed something in the window of this art store.

It was a cat!

We loved it! From this point onward, we'd always stop and check out the "art store cats" to see what was up! They kept us entertained on our walks back to our accommodations.

We were really enjoying Pacific Grove!

Thanks for stopping by!

Cambria (During Covid-19) – Fiscalini Ranch, Cambria Coffee, Shamel Community Park, and Dinner at Black Cat Bistro

March 4, 2021 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, European Restaurants, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Travel

During our roadtrip last November, our second stop was in Cambria. We had really enjoyed our dinner at Madeline's the night before. From the food, wine, and wonderful service….it was such a nice experience. We were looking forward to our full day in the town. Man, it really felt good to be travelling for a bit. We had really missed it.

I had gotten up early in the morning. The office had an urgent request so I was on my laptop and the phone for a bit. After my call, the Missus wanted a cup o' Joe. So I got dressed and headed out.

I crossed Highway 1 onto Main Street, which was quite sleepy at this time of the morning.

I really enjoyed the quaint, artsy, but unpretentious vibe of Cambria…..and a definite sense of humor!

A few blocks down was my destination; Cambria Coffee Roasting Company.

While I understand that there's a deck seating area upstairs with a view of the street; at this time, due to Covid restrictions it's closed. Basically, a table was set-up in the doorway and you could place your order.

And then you stand aside until you are called. I was happy to note that Cambria Coffee does pour-over…..which would make the coffee snob in the family (the Missus) happy. So, I got a coffee and a pour over for the Missus.

It was nice to see locals seeing each other….during these times, with the social distancing and such, I'm sure it's a treat for those on fours legs as well for those on two.

I went and walked on back to our room. The Missus enjoyed Her coffee. While not quite on the same level as Birdrock, She did enjoy it.

Cambria Coffee Roasting Company
761 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428

Bolstered by caffeine, the Missus was ready to head out. I had done a bit of research and planning for this trip to keep the Missus busy. One thing that caught my attention was Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. Previously owned by the Fiscalini family since the late 1800's as a cattle ranch, it was sold in the 1980's to a developer. The plan was to create a residential area, much like what surrounds the ranch. Fortunately (for us), the developer went bankrupt and the North Coast Small Wilderness Area Preservation was formed and raised 11 million dollars to purchase the property. The preserve consists of over 400 acres of trails which straddle both sides of Highway 1. You go from one of the last Monterey Pine Forests to the beautiful coast.

There are at least 17 trails available all of which are well maintained and makes for rather easy hiking. I decided that we should start at Huntington Road entrance, basically just an gate with street parking and walk along the Ridge Trail.

Where we quickly came upon an interesting bench.

This one is known as the, well, Dolphin Bench of course. We'd come to really enjoy the wonderful and quite artistic benches crafted with driftwood along the way.

We hiked along the Ridge Trail coming upon the pine forest.

And then meandered down to the Bluff Trail, which was scenic and beautiful.

And course there are those benches that I mentioned earlier….they really looked like works of art to us.

We took our time, sitting on the benches and enjoyed the views along the way.

These were the Missus's favorite benches.

Once we reached the North Windsor Boulevard Entrance, we headed back up the SeaClift Trail and eventually back from where we started.

Fiscalini Ranch Preserve was a fun, relaxing, and needless to say beautiful way to spend our day in Cambria.

It was time well spent.

After our hike, we headed into Cambria's East Village to do some shopping.

Which was a lot of fun……

We headed back to our very comfortable room at the El Colibri for, at least for me was a well earned afternoon nap.

I had made dinner reservations for this dinner at a restaurant in the East Village. I asked the Missus to get ready a bit early….She was a bit perturbed, but went along. We got into the car and instead of heading across Highway 1 I took a right turn down Windsor Boulevard and right at the turn down the hill stopped and parked at Shamel Community Park.

As we walked from the parking lot to the beach, the Missus got it…..

And boy was it beautiful!

Doesn't get much better than this, does it?

After the stunning sunset, we headed to our dinner destination, finding parking on the street. And enjoying the wonderful fun and artsy décor along the way.

Dinner was at Black Cat Bistro. The menu looked interesting…. We were seated in a covered porch area. During this time SLO County was under the Red tier and had 25% indoor, we requested outdoor. There were only two other couples during our whole meal….all from out of town and the other two parties had such cute and well behaved pooches with them.

The meal started in fine fashion with a delicious Crab Cake and Shrimp Salad ($17).

The shrimp was fried perfectly, the batter was light and crunchy, the shrimp sweet, plump, and oh so tender. The crab cakes was well made, full of crab meat, moist, the breading stood up well in the face of the remoulade sauce. The arugula added a nice balance as the mild bitterness helped to cut the richness. This was easily the best dish of the night, a memorable dish.

Next up was the "Paso Robles Pork Belly" ($15).

Love the addition of Gigante Beans; the pork belly was fine, the sauce was too salty and sweet for our taste.

Next up; the Gnocchi ($14). The gnocchi is fried giving it an interesting texture…..but beyond the light crispness, the interior was too mushy.

We did enjoy the earthiness of the mushrooms paired with the pleasant bitterness of the radicchio. This added a nice dimension to the plate, though that cream sauce just wasn't to our taste.

The last dish of the evening was the main reason I decided to book our dinner at Black Cat Bistro; the Strozzapreti ($25). The Missus loves strozzapreti and strigoli, the wonderful toothsomeness of the pasta. This was a vegetarian version which the Missus was more than happy to order.

There was just too much going on in this dish and the pasta was over cooked and on the mushy side, lacking in that nice chewiness the Missus enjoys. We enjoyed the purple cauliflower and Romanesco….the Missus just loves Her cauliflower. The currants seemed a bit too much for the dish as was the cream sauce. We would have preferred a bit more restraint in the saucing of the dish….but hey…..this is the US, not Italy. Sometimes, simple is best.

Overall a nice meal; friendly staff, the other two parties were from out of town and come to Cambria yearly. The Black Cat Bistro is a favorite of theirs. The Missus enjoyed the wine pairings as well.

Black Cat Bistro
1602 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428

As you can see; we didn't go to bed hungry! We really enjoyed Cambria and will be sure to return.

Times “BC” (Before Covid) – Remember Brunches? Tribute Pizza, Nate’s Garden Grill, and Dan Diegos

January 21, 2021 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Pizza, Sandwiches, yoso-silly

The Missus and I aren't real breakfast/brunch kinda folks……especially the pancake/omelette/etc…… A simple croissant will often do. I know, the "most important meal of the day" and all that stuff. Still, breakfast will often make the Missus feel tired, lazy, and sluggish….so there's not much of that going on in our household. However, when we do want to have brunch (and then probably head back home for a nap) we enjoy something that's not quite conventional as you will soon see.

At the end of 2019 and during the beginning of 2020 I was starting to work on a collection of these brunches….and then Covid-19 hit. And who knows when we'll be happily munching and brunching away next? I was just going to delete these photos…..but since these places are still open for takeout; I thought why not just go ahead and do a "COMC" (Clearing Out the Memory Card) kind of post.

So here goes:

Tribute Pizza:

A favorite of the Missus had started serving brunch and we thought we'd try it out. And we really enjoyed it….this was our favorite of the four.

The Missus loved that kale with pesto, that I started making a similar item that's a staple for the Missus's lunches. (Photo on the right)

We really enjoyed this brunch. We haven't been to Tribute since the pandemic started, but will hopefully rectify things soon.

I'm hoping when the pandemic is resolved they start up brunch again.

Tribute Pizza
3077 N Park Way
San Diego, CA 92104
(619) 450-4505
Takeout Hours:
Mon – Wed 4pm – 8pm
Thurs     4pm – 9pm
Friday    1pm – 9pm
Saturday 12pm – 9pm
Sunday    12pm – 8pm

Nate's Garden Grill:

I've enjoyed my breakfasts at Nate's.

I think I mostly enjoy the vibe and setting…..

The brunches have always been quite rustic and hearty.

And I believe they are doing brunch for takeout on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am – 3pm

Nate's Garden Grill
3120 Euclid Ave
San Diego, CA 92105
(619) 546-7700
Takeout Hours:
Wed – Fri 1130am – 8pm
Saturday 9am – 3pm, 4pm – 8pm
Sunday 9am – 3pm
Currently Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays

Dan Diegos:

And here's one from my 'hood. I hadn't been in a while.

Man, this was soooo much food…..

And that huge bowl of gravy went straight to my arteries.

So, of course the fruit bowl made me feel much better……right?

Really nice folks here. More about diner/pub grub and portions….but every once in a while….

No longer serving brunch, but open for takeout.

Dan Diegos Pub
2415 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Takeout Hours:
Mon – Thurs 330pm – 930pm
Fri – Sun 1pm – 930pm

So there you go….one from the memory card. Who knows when we'll be brunching again. And even though it's never been a priority for us…..I do miss it.

A winter road trip-Denver to San Diego

January 12, 2021 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Road Trip, Utah, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso is a food blog. Todays post is about food but not about any local places and is written by Cathy. Kirk is really busy.

Long story short: 2020 was a sad year for all of us and for my family personally. Death certificates were involved and a small consolation was the availability of a vehicle with low mileage (opposed to mine with 230K miles). My brother started driving and called from Iowa last Tuesday. I flew into Denver on Wednesday and we began driving West together. Here are some highlights of the trip, with food.

The Denver Airport is huge and there are three terminals/train stops before you get to luggage pick up. I was fascinated.

We were on our way in the chilly weather, with a view of the Rockies.
Needing to fuel up and get a snack or two, we stopped into one of the many Convenience Store Truck stops that line our highways and byways, Kum & Go. Yes. It was mentioned in the middle of this post.

There is more, much, much more offered.
No, I did not purchase any branded merchandise, not even the washable face mask. We took the Exit in Golden, Colorado to Historic Central City, Colorado, a former Mining Town which has the primary road named Casino Parkway. We stopped here, the Monarch Casino Resort Spa. There's a 24 hour Cafe.

Shrimp linguine, a bowl of (really good) clam chowder and a side salad with my undecided dressing choices. Great food, pretty town. Still decorated for Christmas.
That night we got to Silt-Rifle, Colorado and stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, which had a beautiful view from the room. and a bagged breakfast instead of buffet, because…Covid. (and yes, it was cold- ).
Eventually, we got to Utah, which has Rest Areas with explanations of your view.

Freeway exits notify you of businesses at that exit. We saw "Mom's Cafe" and had to. It's about two miles form the exit.

The Special- Hot roast beef w/ mashed potatoes and vegetables. Soup of the day: Chicken noodle. We each ordered the same thing.
Home made noodles. Dumplings, really. A wonderful, perfect broth. Quite a bit of chicken. A great cup of soup.

A huge portion of roast beef. Real mashed potatoes, lovely beefy gravy and more fresh carrots.
Our nice waitress, Kathryn, brought this warm delight out. She called it a 'scone' and said it was what Mom's was known for. It was a sort of Indian Fry Bread. Still warm, it tasted slightly sweet and was fluffy and nice. With the honey butter on top, it was a fancy donut! So glad we stopped here.

Price? each special was $8.99, beverages $2.29

Mom's Cafe 10 East Main Street Salina, Utah 84654 (435) 529-3921 Website

We continued driving through Utah, a bit of Arizona and then Nevada, which had pretty rest areas.
I dropped my brother at the rental car area at the Las Vegas Airport and checked into the hotel, which had this view from the 9th floor in the morning.
My dinner was an appetizer plate. Breakfast the next morning was the corned beef hash. Driving home to California, I stopped in Baker, but only for photos. Then I continued on to San Diego. A winter trip, with food, and a new (to me) car.

Stay safe!

Road Trip (During Covid-19) – Harmony, Cambria, and Dinner at Madeline’s

December 8, 2020 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Travel, Wine Bars/Wineries

**** This is kind of a long one; so you might want to save it for when you more time to read.

We headed out from Morro Bay for Cambria where we'd be staying for two nights. But there was one stop to make. In doing my research for this trip, I'd come across a little town about 15 miles North of Morro Bay and 5 miles south of Cambria named Harmony. Population 18. Yep, you read that right, 18. At least that's what "Gladys the Town Cow" says.

Once upon a time the community was a dairy settlement; originally established by Swiss and Italian immigrants. There was a lot of competition which led to intense rivalries; which eventually resulted in a killing, you can read about it here, along with how a desire to restore peace, the town was named "Harmony". Eventually, the creameries closed down. For many years, the only business in the one street, one block town was the post office. Now, it has a winery, and is home to a small group of artisans who produce pottery and blown glass. It has a fun, funky feel to it. Along with the Gladys the cow; there's the "Holy Cow" to the right which celebrates the history of the town.

We spent about an hour in the town visiting the two businesses; the pottery shop and the glass works, purchasing a couple of gifts along the way.

There's also a Creamery and Dairy shop; basically an ice cream shop which was closed during our visit.

There's also a charming and plain adorable Chapel. After all; like the tag line goes for the Chapel's website goes: "Shouldn't every wedding begin in Harmony?"

You can read more about the venue here.

The little town was such a pleasant and fun surprise, we're glad we stopped by and will probably do it again in the future.

Harmony Pottery Works
2191 Old Creamery Rd.
Harmony, CA 93435
Hours:
Daily 10am – 5pm

Harmony Glassworks
2180 Old Creamery Rd.
Harmony, CA 93435
Hours:
Daily 9am – 5pm

After our visit we drove the short distance to Cambria. I'm not sure why I picked the village, but it turned out to be a wonderful stay. We were staying at the El Colibri Hotel & Spa, right on the otherside of Highway 1 from the village. The actual shopping area is made up of the East Village and the West Village which is separated by about a half mile. Since we were still quite early for check-in, we headed to the charming East Village to do some shopping.

We found parking and went about our way. When doing research on Cambria two things kept coming up; Linn's, which has a restaurant, café, a boutique/bookshop, and a gourmet goods store in town. And a Farmstand about 5 miles out of town. The second thing I read about were Olallieberries, a cross between Loganberries and Youngberries developed at Oregon State in 1949. Even though it was developed in Oregon, growing it there proved difficult and it is mainly grown in Central California. And Linn's is know for their Olalliberry Pies and preserves.

We ended up buying a bunch of preserves for friends and some "hot jelly" (to have with cheese).

We walked around a bit more; then headed to our hotel. While our room wasn't quite ready, I had a plan for our afternoon anyway. The El Colibri is located right at the South end of the Moonstone Beach Boardwalk; which is why I chose the place. And so we headed off and did the approximately three mile walk along the boardwalk. It was easy and picturesque.

Of course we had some "supervision" along the way.

We enjoyed the walk.

There were very few people along the way.

One of our lasting memories of Cambria are the benches; which we first started seeing along the Boardwalk.

This one is one of my favorites….for some reason; I just fine the location somewhat romantic.

As I guess many other folks do.

It was a nice little jaunt for the afternoon.

We got back to the hotel, checked in, freshened up….I check in at work to make sure things were going ok.

After relaxing for a bit we headed out to dinner. I'd picked a restaurant named Madeline's. First off, it was in walking distance. Second of all; the wine by the glass list looked really good. During the day, along with serving lunch, Madeline's is a wine shop until 5pm. I'd made reservations for outdoor dining at 530 pm. So, with the sun setting, we headed out, crossed over Highway 1, onto Main Street, pass the Gas Station….we were a bit early and the Missus wanted to do some shopping. Unfortunately, it seems like many of the shop were closed due to Covid-19.

We did stop in at a shop named Bali Gems. The owner was so nice; we chatted for almost a half hour. He told us that the stones found on Moonstone Beach aren't really Moonstones, but a combination of different minerals like agate, jasper, and such. He asked us where we'd be having dinner and when I mentioned Madeline's, I was told that it is the "best restaurant in town", and not like other "touristy" places. He also provided a nice little map for us. The Missus really wanted to buy something, but couldn't find anything to Her taste….maybe next time….

We got to Madeline's and were seated promptly at a nice table….everything was spaced out wonderfully and the heaters worked well. Our Server was a very nice fellow whose name I believe is Oscar. He was efficient, very knowledgeable, and had the perfect combination of professionalism and friendliness. As we often like to do; we ordered a bunch of appetizers making our own tasting menu.

The bread was nothing to write home about.

The Missus picked Her wine, though I waited until our first dish arrived; the Diver Scallops ($18).

The scallops were nicely seared, still wonderfully rare in the middle. The searing added a nice crispness that held out well. The beurre blanc wasn't too heavy with some nice acidity. I went ahead and ordered a Viognier which went quite well with this. Strange, the Missus had never had a Viognier before???? She loved it and because Madeline's is a wine shop; actually ordered a bottle to take with us……which She's enjoyed here at home.

The Spanish Octopus ($18) was cooked perfectly; tender, with the slightest pleasant toothsomeness.

Nice smokiness, the citrus tones came thru nicely to cut the saffron. By this time; I just trusted Oscar to pick a wine to match. He was awesome; he ended up picking wine that weren't on the "by the glass list"; but rather had been part of tastings that afternoon.

The only dish we didn't enjoy much was the Stuffed Quail ($16).

The lemon beurre blanc overwhelmed everything on the plate and while the wild mushroom stuffing had very nice earthy-nutty-mildly sweet tones; the quail was really dry and tough. Oh, but the wine chosen for us…..by this point, the Missus and I were just sharing a single glass that was picked for us.

Sorry to say I never got a shot at the acorn squash in the Fall Salad ($11), but the Missus assured me that it was quite good.

I really enjoyed the mild bitterness of the baby arugula, combined with the mild, almost spicy flavor of the Gorgonzola, and the balanced tartness of the pomegranate vinaigrette.

The Missus enjoyed Her Chocolate Truffle Mousse Cake ($11).

While I had a nice digestif to finish things off.

This was a nice meal. But, as is often the case, it's the staff and service that elevated the meal, into something memorable. We'll be back!

Madeline's Restaurant & Wine Tasting Room
788 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428

Road Trip (During Covid-19) – The Black Sheep (Santa Barbara)

November 14, 2020 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Cocktails, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

I spent a good month planning our road trip….the dates; not only was the Missus and I burnt out from work, but also from all the toxic politics and hate being spewed. I knew it was going to boil over during election week. Since I had already voted by mail, we decided to leave on the Sunday right after Halloween. I had basically planned out all the dinners….we really don't eat lunch….just having croissants, fruits, nuts, and bars when travelling. We save our calories for dinner. I had decided to stop overnight in Santa Barbara, where we could pick-up wonderful looking bentos from our favorite restaurant on our previous visit to the city and eat on the patio of the motel we were staying in. Unfortunately, a week before our trip Yoichi's decided to stop take-out service and prepare to reopen for dining in and were going to be closed until further notice. I immediately did a bunch of research and picked out a couple of places and let the Missus decide. Which she did and I made reservations for an outdoor table at the earliest time available.

It was a wonderful morning when we left San Diego.

We got to Santa Barbara in record time and arrived early. Our motel was on State Street, but not on the portion to the South that was now a pedestrian only zone. I basically chose the place because of the location and this was the only stop where I actually went in and wiped down the room before we settled in.

Getting to SB early meant that we had time to kill, so we headed down State Street. The Trinity Episcopal Church was having services (this was a Sunday) when we passed…..outdoors.

And it was a pleasant walk as we passed very few people….everyone wearing a mask, along the way.

And State Street was closed from Sola Street to Haley Street, creating a pedestrian zone with outdoor dining areas created.

And with very few people, being able to walk in the street, really enabled one to distance.

I got a kick from the Earth without Art is just "EH" sign and also took note of the business below that sign.

After checking to see where we'd be eating that evening…..to also scope out the outdoor situation we headed back to the motel; we always include a medium sized ice chest when we do road trips and I grabbed some sparkling water, almonds, and an energy bar. We ate on the empty elevated patio of the motel and when we finished, our room was ready.

We freshened up and took a short nap.

We headed down to our dinner destination.

The place the Missus chose for dinner was the Black Sheep….She was fascinated by the rather eclectic menu and the cocktail list.

And got to chose our little table outside in the covered garage like area. Where we saw an amazing sunset……

Our Server was wonderful, very warm, friendly, gracious. While there were several "hiccups" with our meal, we really enjoyed our experience as a whole.

The menu had quite a collection of dishes; from Potato Tacos to Ramen to Duck Confit….I was quite surprised that the Missus had chosen this place.

We decided on what we were going to order and then took a look at the cocktail list….which, unfortunately only had 4-5 drinks on it. A far cry from the online cocktail menu. When we asked what was going on with this we were told that they just lost their mixologist….sad, there's nothing to be done about that, so we went off that list.

I decided on the Yuzu Margarita.

Which, while being a light on the Tequila and Triple-sec, was nice and refreshing. The Missus got the Black Sheep Manhattan which was passable, but could have used a large sized cocktail ice cube or two.

The first dish out was the Australian Wagyu Beef Carpaccio….we laughed when we were told it was "A7 Wagyu" and instantly knew it wasn't Japanese Wagyu.

The dish supposedly had uni and dashi; but we didn't see any on the plate. The beef was very good however; clean tasting, no hints of metallic-off flavors, the basil oil was wonderful and the Missus loved the potato puree

The Missus also really enjoyed the Bone Marrow Bruschetta.

This was wonderful play of textures, from the buttery, very beefy bone marrow, the panko, perfectly toasted baguette. The port sauce wasn't overly sweet….it was closer to a veal jus, the mustard greens added a pleasant bitterness, and the pear a pleasant tart-sweetness.

The potato tacos weren't bad either.

This version used a wonderfully dense, slightly sweeter-nutty purple potatoes, which was really highlited when combined with the pickled onions and tangy crema. Call it hipster tacos if you will; but this wasn't too bad.

While munching on the tacos and bruschetta, we asked the Server about the Uni and Dashi on the carpaccio…..he kindly asked us to hold on for a second while he checked with the kitchen. About ten minutes later he came back out with the chef who had a bowl in hand. Apparently, they'd forgotten the uni and dashi on our carpaccio and decided to give us a special dish using the wagyu beef, uni, and dashi.

Along with the sweet-spice from the sliced chilies; this was really good. In fact, the Missus and I think that had the uni and dashi been used with the carpaccio; it might have just been too much, clashing flavors. Here there was a nice oceany-beefy cleanness to the dish. Kudos to the staff for making things right.

At this point the Server told us he'd bring us our check….but…..we had also ordered the Boqorones. Which they'd kind of let slip. A few minutes later; things were corrected.

Perhaps we had pushed our luck a bit on this one….having had Boquerones in Spain and Portugal…this was a bit too "fishy" for the Missus and the crostini was too hard.

Regardless, in spite of the hiccups, we really loved the service, and the folks here were very warm and kind…..perhaps it had been so long since we'd actually had a meal out (232 days)? But I think not. We really did enjoy our experience and the carpaccio (both ways!) and the bruschetta were delicious.

The Black Sheep
26 E Ortega St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 965-1113
Current Hours:
Wed – Sat 5pm – 10pm
Sunday 5pm – 9pm
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays

On an interesting note; this wouldn't be our last food (or drinks) on this evening.

Stay tuned for that one!

Road Trip (before Covid-19) – FLG Terroir and Annex Cocktail Lounge (Flagstaff)

November 1, 2020 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cocktails, Flagstaff/ Sedona/Winslow/Northern AZ, Gastropub, Road Trip, Travel, Wine Bars/Wineries

After our wonderful tour of the Grand Canyon, we took a short rest, then decided to head out for an early evening. I had a place in mind, but as we wandered down North San Francisco Street (can't get the flaneur out of us, I guess); the Missus went into a shop called The Artists Gallery to do some shopping……..it seems that all of the folks who sell their art and crafts here were also at the Art in the Park the previous day. As we were leaving, I took a look upward and saw the "FLG Terroir" sign in the window above.

This was one of the places I had on "my list"; so we headed upstairs. Man, this place was quite large and the selection of wine was quite good.

The Missus enjoyed Her two glasses of wine and I reacquainted myself with an "old friend" from Belgium.

The seats with a view were taken; so we just sat at one of the tables. I went over to the counter and also ordered us some food.

Which arrived piping hot. First to arrive was the "Poutine" ($5) (after our time in Montreal, I needed to add the quotation marks).

This version had thick mushroom gravy, which wasn't too bad, the fries were crisp; but the cheese curds were mushy. Decent seasoning though a bit on the salty side. To us, this was the better of the two dishes.

Next up was the Shrimp and Grits ($10).

This version was made with red curry and coconut grits. Can't say I'm fond of this combination of flavors as it really overpowered the grits. The shrimp were fine, if a bit on the muddy side and the carrots and zucchini nicely prepared.

Overall, I thought the prices were quite reasonable. The food is a bit "fusiony", but the Missus enjoyed the wine selection, the service was very friendly…..one of the bar staff was even from San Diego!

We'd be happy to return when we're back in Flagstaff.

FLG Terroir: Wine Bar & Bistro
17 N San Francisco St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Currently only open for takeout

After heading back down to San Francisco Street, we headed south, crossing over Route 66 and arrived at our next destination. Alice, in her fine blog "Alice's Restaurants" lists Tinderbox Kitchen as one of her favorites. While we weren't quite in the mood for a full meal; the folks from Tinderbox Kitchen own three properties lined up right next to each other. One of them, called "the Annex", a cocktail lounge serving some basic eats seemed like just the thing to end our evening.

It was a beautiful evening so we headed to the area called "the yard", which was quite interesting….especially the wall in the back of the property. I later read that this was once a Basque Handball Court.

We decided on something simple to munch on; the Annex Nachos with Chorizo ($12), which turned out to be quite good.

The chorizo had a nice, mild smoky-spice. The chips were crisp, the avocado heavy, thick guacamole very nice.

I had the Hip Stag – a Pineapple Infused Mezcal based cocktail. Loved the notes the cilantro-lime bitter added. This was slightly smoky and not overly sweet.

Meanwhile, the Missus was captivated by the smoked cocktail menu and started off with the "Coffee and Cigarettes" which featured Pipe Tobacco Smoke and Espresso Beans. I didn't think She'd like it; but the Missus really enjoyed this…..so much….that I didn't even get a taste!

She definitely wanted another drink after this one and settled on the Irish Whiskey (and Pipe Tobacco Smoked) "Red Badge of Courage".

Which She enjoyed even more.

And then it happened. A group of younger folks were having a competitive round of Jumbo Jenga. One of the young men was really "chirping" quite a bit….and he was backing things up by beating all his friends. He saw us watching and started trying to convince us to play……there's no way I'd play. But the Missus; bolstered by a couple cocktails decided to have a go before we left.

I was amazed to watch Her beat this guy in three moves! The young man was stunned and asked the Missus how often She played. Her response? "I've never played this before….but it's all math….geometry. Maybe you should spend more time in class and less time out drinking?" Oooooh snap!

As you can tell, we enjoyed the cocktails, the vibe, and the service was wonderful. The Missus really does want to return here.

Annex Cocktail Lounge
50 S San Francisco St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Current Hours:
Thursday 3pm – 9pm
Friday 3pm – 10pm
Saturday 9am – 10pm

We stopped at a couple of shops on the way back to our hotel. We talked about how much we enjoyed the friendly folks in Flagstaff.

And look forward to returning again someday. The Missus will want Her smoked cocktail fix!

Thanks for stopping by!