Caffeine Fix – mmm-yoso

Local Krave (PB/Bay Ho) and SPC Cafe (Clairemont)

January 16, 2026 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Croissants

Here are a couple of places I stopped by for a “caffeine fix”.

Local Krave (PB/Bay Ho):

Had to take the Missus’s vehicle in for servicing off Mission Bay Drive. As far as I’m concerned, trying to find a bite to eat in the area at 8-9am in the morning is a bit of a challenge. And then one day as I was coming down the 5 I noticed a shop named the Local Krave on one of the back streets in a business building. I checked the hours and took note and the next time I took the Missus’s car in for servicing, I walked on over to the corner of Bunker Hill and Del Rey Streets. Basically right across from Tango Del Rey.

The little shop was very quiet during my entire visit. There’s a counter area, a shared table and a few seats inside.

They had an interesting menu….calling their tea and coffee pour overs and drinks “Kraveman”! So, I went and had a Kraveman Pour Over – medium roast ($7.99) and needing something to munch on, the version of avocado toast called Bravocado Toast, which at $6.99 was cheaper than my coffee!

Nice head on the pour over; smooth with a good kick! Maybe I’ll try the Nitro Cold Brew next time?

As for the “Bravocado Toast”? Well, it’s served on a croissant “loaf”.

Crisp and somewhat flakey; but way too sweet for my taste. A good amount of butteriness to it though.

The bacon was chopped in slices and seemed to have been premade as it was on the soggy – chewy side. The avocado mix was fine.

Still, for $6.99 these days???? I can hopefully find a food item on the menu that I’d want to have or I may just have to hit up the taco shop on Garnet the next time.

Local Krave
3033 Bunker Hill St.
San Diego, CA 92109
Current Hours:
Daily 7am – 2pm

SPC (Sweet Petite Confections) Cafe:

I’d been seeing this sign while driving on Mt Acadia for a while.

Seems like Sweet Petite Confections, the little chocolate shop in the same strip mall as the Tri-Tiperia is now serving up coffee and some pastries. Even though I’ve never posted on the place….the last time stopped by was years ago for some chocolate for the Missus, I recall the couple running the place being so very nice!

So, on one of my drives with JJ to Mt Acadia Park to play fetch, I decided to stop by……not a great move because JJ don’t like to wait, if you know what I mean….he pretty much has major FOMO.

And there on the door was the sign explaining things.

They basically serve Cafe Moto Coffee, so I knew what to expect. But they also had croissants….which I had to try. I asked if they baked their own and the woman laughed and said that it’s from Lulu’s Buns which I understand is a wholesaler of pastries.

Anyway, I had a nice chat with the couple while JJ was going berserk in the car. It seems that all the construction has really hurt the businesses here….so I’m thinking I need to return.

Though it’ll be for the coffee, which was fine.

That croissant was too doughy, not laminated enough.

Though the interior was decently “honeycombed”, it was bit on the soggy side and lacking butteriness.

I’m hoping this business survives all the construction. I might need to get the Missus some chocolates from here I guess….

SPC (Sweet Petite Confections) Cafe
3582 Mt Acadia Blvd. #A
San Diego, CA 92111
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 7am – 630pm
Saturday 7am – 5pm
Closed on Sunday

Road Trip – Sweetie Pies Bakery (Napa) and Special Noodle (Santa Cruz)

January 4, 2026 mmm-yoso Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Chinese Restaurants, Dog Friendly, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Monterey/Carmel/Santa Cruz - Monterey Bay/Peninsula, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Travel

We had a great night of sleep at the Napa River Inn…and no, we didn’t have any “spooky” visitors as I had heard about earlier in the evening at The Fink. Before we left for our next destination, I decided to grab a quick Breakfast Sandwich from Sweetie Pies Bakery which is right next door to the hotel.

This place has quite a selection of treats for your sweet tooth. We had gotten a sample delivered to our room for breakfast the previous morning.

I ordered a Fried Egg Sandwich to take back to our room.

A basic toasted Ciabatta, with creamy avocado, and pesto.

The bacon was basically a single slice lining the middle of the sandwich, on the burnt side, and a single fried egg. Again only enough to cover two-thirds of the sandwich.

My guess is that “Sweetie” is mostly about the pies as the name indicates?

Sweetie Pies
520 Main St.
Napa, CA 94559

After devouring the sandwich, we checked out and headed to our next destination; Santa Cruz. It took us about 2 1/2 hours to arrive at our accommodation, the Hotel Paradox. We were early for check-in so the hotel let us park and we went to explore Santa Cruz for a bit. The hotel was on the other side of the San Lorenzo River from downtown Santa Cruz and we were next to San Lorenzo Park. On the map, it looked like a nice “green space”. Unfortunately, it was taken over by the homeless population while we were in town. So, instead of having a nice green space for JJ to explore, well…..

We did think the Dragon Archway, which faces the last Chinatown in Santa Cruz across the river. And you can see the two folks hanging out under the archway as well. This made the Missus somewhat uncomfortable crossing the bridge at night. We ended up using the busier Laurel Street Bridge when it was dark.

Regardless, the Missus and I really enjoyed downtown Santa Cruz. It had a kind of Hipster-Artsy-Hippy-Surfer vibe to us. Very mellow and laid back; at least when we were there.

We dropped by Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting for our caffeine fix. It was recommended by one of JJ’s Bay Park Coffee “Aunties”, Marissa who used to work there and went to UCSC.

Cold Brew and Latte fortified we headed on to do some shopping.

Santa Cruz Coffee Roasting
1330 Pacific Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

The Missus loved wandering thru the “eclectic” shops.

And bought quite a few items during our stay.

It seems that tarot card reading, and various psychic readings are big business here.

My goodness, check out the name of this shop! I wonder….

Yes, it was quite entertaining here!

We decided to grab an early dinner….by this time, the Missus was sorely missing Asian food…well, Chinese to be specific. I did some research before the trip and found a place that was dog friendly and basically two blocks from where we were staying. Now, I did have my doubts because the place served everything from Orange Chicken to XLB to Chow Fun to Sichuan/Hunan and has multiple locations, named Special Noodle. But I thought we’d give it a shot. Now if I had my doubts…imagine the Missus!

We arrived and I expected us to be seated on the patio; but the very nice gentleman escorted us to one of the back dining rooms!

He also spoke Mandarin….which eased some of the doubts the Missus had. The menu was huge….talk about “Vietnamese Menu overload” times 2!

Yep, this place tries to cover all bases.

It was a huge portion of rice for a single order.

We decided on some typical Hunan style dishes. Starting with the Pickled Beans with Minced Pork.

While kind of mild in the spiciness department, this was a pretty legit dish. Nice soy flavor, the long beans had a nice crunch adding that mild salty-sourness to the dish. The pork wasn’t overly chewy. Nice savory dish!

And of course I had to try the Intestines with Chilies.

Made with a combination of sliced jalapenos and dried chilies, this had a nice smoky kick. Nicely seasoned with soy sauce-garlic-white pepper and a touch of numbing Sichuan Peppercorns. The pork intestine was fairly tender, with a pleasant initial toothsomeness. Nice funky tones and a really good dish.

And of course……

What we did notice as the place filled up was that the Chinese customers were seated in the same area as us. While the “other” customers were seated in the front dining area, which we named “Eggroll Land” ! Kind of funny….

The Missus was pleasantly surprised at the food and even though She got Her “fix”, we’d end up returning the next day for lunch!

Special Noodle
415 Ocean St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

We were enjoying Santa Cruz. In addition to the “vibe” we had gotten decent Chinese dishes as well!

Talitha Coffee Roasters (Bay Ho) and TP Tea (Clairemont)

November 28, 2025 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix

Just a quick post for today…..

Talitha Coffee Roasters (Bay Ho):

While driving on Morena, I noticed that Talitha Coffee Roasters had replaced WestBean Coffee Roasters. I made a note to drop by….of course it did take me a while….

I did finally make it, parking on Morena I walked on over. The place was not very busy at just past 8 on this Sunday morning.

The menu is broken up into three parts. Classic (latte/espresso), Trendy (with names like “Oh Snap!” and “Fallin’ For You”), and Breakfast items.

Never thought of myself as being “trendy” per se; but I did order a Nitro Cold Brew ($6) and a Spicy Avo Toast ($12).

My cold brew was ready in the blink of an eye.

And I decided to take a seat on the patio while my Avocado Toast was being prepared.

The Nitro Cold Brew was nicely chilled, fairly smooth, and had a very creamy tongue feel. It did have a decent “kick” to it.

I’d gladly have it again.

As for the “Spicy” Avocado Toast.

Well, this for twelve bucks, huh? The sourdough was barely toasted and got soggy fairly quickly. The eggs were over boiled. The “spicy” was just a drizzling of Chili Crisp. Worse of all was the avocado, can you see why?

Yep, the mashed avocado was starting to oxidize. There were a couple of bites that had hints of bitterness. The mild earth-sweetness of avocado was missing. A definite lack of “QC” here.

So, while I’ll probably return for a caffeine fix; I’ll probably stay away from the food here.

Talitha Coffee Roasters
4140 Morena Blvd Suite A
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 7am – 2pm
Sat – Sun 8am – 2pm

TP Tea:

The Missus was excited to try TP Tea which recently opened in Clairemont Town Square. I think the full name “Taiwan Professional Tea” which brought back memories of all Her Tea Adventures in Taiwan. I did warn Her that I think this is mostly a Boba Shop….but then again, She had really enjoyed that in places like Chiayi and Taichung as well.

So, between our recent rain storms we headed on over.

The Missus was quite impressed with the prices. Very reasonable for San Diego. Since this place is named “Taiwan Professional Tea”, the Missus wanted to see just how good that tea was and ordered the Signature Black Tea ($4.95).

Man was this weak.

It really lacked the natural sweet-floral flavor we like with Taiwanese Black Tea. This tasted really watered down and weak.

I asked the Missus if She wanted to try something else, but She told me “look, the place has Professional Tea in the name. If it can’t even make black tea properly….”

So, I guess this is a one and done.

TP Tea
4711 Clairemont Dr.
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Daily 1130 am – 930pm

Road Trip – Terrapin Creek Cafe and Roadhouse Coffee (Bodega Bay)

November 7, 2025 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Road Trip, Travel

After a short post lunch nap; the Missus wanted to do a bit more exploring. I knew about the Coastal Prairie Trail close by. But of course, with all the speeding cars on the Shoreline Highway, we’d have to drive the two minutes to get there. There was ample parking and some interesting things to see.

And there’s this touching memorial, known as the Children’s Bell Tower.

It is here in remembrance of Nicholas Green, a local boy who was killed during an attempted carjacking in Italy. Nicholas’ parents donated his organs and corneas, in turn changing and preserving the lives of 7 others in Italy. This amazing gesture spurred on organ donation in Europe; creating what is termed the “Nicholas Effect“.

The Tower, designed by sculptor Bruce Hasson consists of 140 mismatched bells; most coming from Italy, those donated bells were flown to the US by the Italian Air Force.

The center bell was blessed by Pope John Paul II. To hear the gentle ringing of the bells when a light breeze passes thru is beautiful.

We decided to just take a nice stroll along Bodega Dunes.

After our walk, we headed down Highway 1, then up Bodega Highway to the little town of Bodega. There was one place I wanted to see. This church.

This is St Teresa of Avila Church. Does it look familiar? Probably not to many from Gen Z and beyond. But this church was in the background of some important scenes in one of my Mom’s favorite movies.

Yep, she loved The Birds!

After taking a gander we headed back up the 1, stopping at another location that was in the movie.

Yep, the Tides Wharf and Restaurant. If I recall, this is where people sought refuge from the birds. Though the original restaurant burned down in 1968. Still, this place really milks it!

If you’re interested in filming locations for the Birds, you can find more here.

We enjoyed looking at the views from the wharf area.

And also this cute “couple”.

We had fun exploring.

We then returned to the Inn and decided on getting dinner at the place right across the parking lot from the hotel. The place is named Terrapin Creek Cafe and sheesh; there was a line out the door. We hadn’t made reservations, so there was no way we’d wait like 2 hours. Also, we wanted some wine with dinner and there was no way I’d want to attempt walking down Highway 1. So I placed a takeout order.

Although Bodega Inn didn’t have a fridge or microwave in the rooms, there’s a nice shared dining area.

But even better than that was this little room set in back of the Inn.

They call this the “wine shack”. It’s a charming place to hang out and have some wine and maybe a self catered meal.

And no one was using the wine shack. Also, the front desk sells bottles of wine from local wineries. So guess what? I went and picked up dinner and then a bottle from the front desk and we relaxed and enjoyed things.

The Charred Octopus and Cauliflower Salad ($22) was kind of short on the cauliflower, though there was a good amount of decently textured octopus hidden under all the arugula and almonds.

There were also some brussel sprouts as well; which tasted really good with the smoky-sweet pepper aioli.

The Mediterranean Fish Stew was not a favorite though. The fennel broth was really salty and fishy. The calamari and mussels were super tough.

The cod fillet was tender; but the salmon was also on the fishy side. And priced at $36, we expected a bit more.

Still, the Missus enjoyed the salad and since the place was just across the parking lot, we’d return for takeout again the next night and dine in the “wine shack” and finish up our bottle of wine.

Terrapin Creek Cafe
1580 Eastshore Rd.
Bodega Bay, CA 94923

Right at the other end of the building from Terrapin Creek Cafe is Roadhouse Coffee.

The place opens super early and was a handy stop for our morning coffee.

The folks working were super friendly and I got the Missus Her latte which She enjoyed and a scalding and stiff Americano for me.

Which we had on our little porch before heading out for the day!

We were looking forward to another fun day!

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

November 6, 2025 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Dog Friendly, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Monterey/Carmel/Santa Cruz - Monterey Bay/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.

London – The British Museum and Ruskin’s Cafe

October 11, 2025 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, London, Travel

**** No food in this one. But if you’d like to see a bunch of stuff the British Stole (I’m joking) read on!

On our return trip to London, we had one full day. There was one item at the British Museum that I’ve been wanting to see. So, I went ahead and booked online tickets (admission is free) for the 10am opening time. One of the reasons I had planned on staying in the Paddington area was that the Elizabeth Line takes you to Tottenham Court Road Station in about five minutes after which there’s a nice ten minute walk to the Museum.

As with all our strolls in London; there’s always something interesting to see.

We were quite early so we headed up Museum Street to a cafe named Ruskin’s for some coffee. There seemed to be quite a few Japanese and Korean restaurants in the area. We even saw a Din Tai Fung! And the name of this place caught my eye!

You know why, right? I think “FOY” Junichi will get a kick out of this photo.

You order at the counter and the really nice woman working brought out our Flat Whites. No big deal; on the weaker side of the scale, but serviceable.

Ruskin’s Cafe
41 Museum St.
London, UK

After which we headed up the street to the museum. It was 20 minutes before opening and good gosh, there was already quite a line down the block….of folks who actually had times tickets!

Things did move quickly once the clock struck 10 and we were inside in good time.

The British Museum is humongous and much like the Louvre, one should have a plan and to really enjoy things, perhaps not try to see everything during one trip. Heck we’ve gone to the Louvre three times and have only scratched the surface.

Over the years, the British Museum has come under fire for their collection having been plundered from other countries over the years. The museum itself has a page on “Contested Objects“. In fact, I’ve enjoyed the Podcast “Stuff the British Stole“……. In spite of this, there’s so much historical and cultural significance to the collections, that I couldn’t help but visit. Rick Steves likens visiting the British Museum to “taking a long hike through Encyclopedia Britannica National Park.” Of course, some of you younger folk may not know what Encyclopedia Britannica is……

And like I mentioned earlier; there was one item I needed to see….this.

Yes, that’s the one and only Rosetta Stone.

It’s discovery in 1799 allowed for the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The text carved into the stone; which dates back to 196 BC is of a decree from King Ptolemy V and is written in three different scripts; the top is Hieroglyphic, the center Demotic, and the bottom Greek. Thus linguists could do a translation. I had first read about the Rosetta Stone in Elementary school and even though it was obtained during military action between the French and British, Egypt has called on the British Museum to return it. I was thrilled to finally be able to see it!

We spent our time between the Egyptian and Greek collections. Luckily for you, I managed to take photos of the signs of things I thought were interesting so you won’t have me droning on…..

Pretty cool, huh?

From here we headed to the Greek Collection.

And then it was off to the Parthenon Galleries.

Which were removed from the Parthenon by Thomas Bruce; the 7th Earl of Elgin during the early 1800’s. It is said the the Earl had his men chisel and saw the marble off the Parthenon. Thus these are called the Elgin Marbles. Though these were taken during the Ottoman rule of Greece, it has been a source of contention for many years. Having been to the Parthenon, it saddened me to know that only half of the sculptures are at that site, the other half here. I’m hoping they can settle this once and for all.

There was one other display that caught my attention; it’s a collection of 30,000 clay tablets, dating back to the 7th Century BC discovered in what is now known as Northern Iraq. This is known as the Library of Ashurbanipal, named after the “last great king of Assyria“.

The city where the “library” resided was consumed by fire as the Babylonians attacked the city in 612 BC. All the wood and parchment documents were burnt, but these clay tablets survived. At the time of our visit, it was being cataloged. We really enjoyed the translations. Especially this one; which has a statement I still hear today.

You’ve heard it or said it before, right? “I give, I give, I give, and what do I get????”

On that note….

The British Museum
Great Russell St.
London, UK

It was time to head on out and get some lunch! And I had a place on my “list” that I’d been wanting to try for years!

Thanks for stopping by!

Paris – L’Escargot Montorgueil Revisited, CIAL Restaurant Coréen (since closed), and a place I’ve posted on a zillion times

October 4, 2025 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Cocktails, France, French Restaurants, Korean Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

**** I’m not going into too much detail since there’s a revisit and CIAL has already closed.

I guess we’ve been to Paris so many times that it feels like my second home….at least the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Arrondissements do. And since our stay was basically a four nights to link the Cinque Terre/Milan to London, we really didn’t make too many plans as we figured we’d be returning soon. This was, of course before we got the “little squirt”, so perhaps we should have done a bit more….but still, this was like our 9th time in Paris.

Staying at the Citadines, near Les Halles is quite convenient. The studios have a full kitchen and we really enjoyed the view of square below.

As you can see, it had been raining the night before. And being the creatures of habit that we are, headed off to our usual stop for morning coffee and people watching on Rue Montorgueil; Café du Centre. As always, some cafe allonge and “une carafe d’eau”.

And watch the “theatre of life” pass before us.

After which we headed on out to wander aimlessly. You’ll always see something interesting in Paris. On this day, there was a huge line in front of this shop.

Looking in the window…well, I cracked up as it looked like stuff based on Manga characters. Looking up the place, I found out it’s a yearly pop-up for Maison Ghibli! A store featuring “stuffs” based on Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli! In Paris! My goodness! Paris is always full of surprises!

And of course, we love the names of businesses here!

The clocks seems to move so quickly here! Before we knew it; it was time for lunch. I’d usually plan for our meals….but since we just wanted to relax and enjoy ourselves we hadn’t made any plans. The Missus di want some Asian food. One of the great things about Paris is having access to a decent variety of cuisines. I mean, we have our favorite “neighborhood” Sichuan and several Ramen shops that we frequent. Heck, we’ve even had decent hot pot….though we’re still searching for some good jiaozi.

During our walks, I’d noticed a Korean restaurant, on one of the side street of Rue Rambuteau. Named CIAL Restaurant Coréen.

It was a bit chilly, so I thought the Missus would enjoy a Dolsot BiBimBap and perhaps I could get some Tofu Jigae.

It seems the place was quite popular with the French folks for KBBQ. It was quite interesting as I was greeted with “Annyeonghaseyo”! All the staff on this day were Korean and they thought I was as well!

Anyway, from what I understand this place has closed since our visit, so I won’t go into too much detail. The baechu kimchi was pretty good, fermented tones.

The Missus’s Dolsot BiBimBap was ok. The dolsot wasn’t hot enough and the rice never developed a ncie crust.

I decided on some Doenjang Jigae; the fermented soybean based stew. It was fairly weak in flavor, but really did warm me up.

Basically mediocre Korean. Still, it’s interesting to see the variety of cuisines available in Paris!

CIAL Restaurant Coreen (Since closed)
16 Rue Mondétour
75001 Paris, France

We did a typical after lunch walk and took in the sights….

Before heading back to the Les Halles area.

And indulging in another typical travel habit….the afternoon nap!

Upon waking, we relaxed, had some tea, before deciding to head out for dinner. And of course, there was something happening close by….on the stage right outside Les Halles shopping mall.

For some reason, I felt like the “musicians” were having just as much fun as the folks listening!

While in Milan, the Missus really became attached to Aperotivo time and of course, She wanted to experience the same here! So we headed back up to Rue Montorgueil and Café du Centre.

Though we’ve had drinks here before; we’d never had little bites with our wine and Kir Royale before!

This was quite nice!

Café du Centre
57 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France

As for dinner? Well, I hadn’t made any reservations for our last evening in Paris. My initial thoughts was to hit up a Boullion, perhaps Bouillon République again? But the Missus really wanted to have the Escargot at L’Escargot Montorgueil once again! I guess She wanted to make up for the dozens of times we walked past the place thinking it was tourist hell…..and then finding out that it was quite good. We entered doing our best “marcher avec grâce” (walking with grace)….well, at least the best that a Sansei from Hawaii with two left could do…..

Our Server was again Olivier, whom we thought was a caricature of the stereotypical French waiter. But much like what we thought about L’Escargot Montorgueil we were wrong.

Olivier had a great sense of humor….drier than a French Sauvignon Blanc, delivered with a totally straight face! When we asked him how long he’d been working at L’Escargot Montorgueil, he told us “many, many, years…..longer than the furniture here has been in existence, older than Monsieur Escargot on the sign!”

Of course we ordered the Escargot and the Foie Gras, both of which were as good as what we had on our previous visit.

And of course because I’m so predictable these days….in the comments of my previous post “FOY” Kenneth asked how the Chanterelles were….because he knew we must have ordered them the next night, right?

Oh man, the boiled egg with a sinfully oozing yolk, the sauce so rich, a light acidic sweetness to go along with the earthy, yet lightly sweet-savory tones of the chanterelles.

There was not enough baguette to sop up all the drippings. We went thru three baskets of them!

The Missus really enjoyed the wine picked out for us. In spite of what we were eating, She wanted a white, so Olivier chose this.

The Missus also enjoyed the Creme Brulee for dessert.

While I had a lovely Vermouth.

This was a lovely last meal in Paris. And, I’ve learned my lesson to not disregard places just because of their location.

L’Escargot Montorgueil
38 rue Montorgueil
75001 Paris, France

After dinner we took a nice stroll up Rue Montorgueil….just enjoying the vibe.

Before heading back to the hotel. We’d be getting a nice night of sleep before heading back to London. Instead of flying, we’d be getting there a way I’d been wanting to travel since I first read about it many years ago. Boy, was I excited!

Thanks for stopping by!

Paris – Jeffrey Cagnes (again) and the Earful Tower Walking Tour of the Marais

August 22, 2025 mmm-yoso Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Croissants, France, Paris, France, Travel

**** Not much food in this one, just a morning croissant

Ah yes, so another day in Paris! Which of course we started with our morning Cafe Allonge from our favorite viewing spot on Rue Montorgueil.

Café du Centre
57 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France

We just love sitting here.

To people watch (“observer les passants”)…..

Or sometimes “puppy-watch”……

After a good hour, I decided I needed a croissant. Since the Missus had enjoyed the pistachio – orange tarte from Jeffrey Cagnes the previous day, we took the short stroll up the street to get me a croissant aux buerre.

This was an ok version.

Decently “laminated” with the ridges not falling off; crisp and fairly flaky. The interior light and with a nice “moisture” balance, and decently honeycombed. Where this failed the test was in the flavor; not enough butter, thus throwing off the flavor.

Jeffrey Cagnes
73 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France

After which we headed off….you see we had scheduled a private tour to start at 10am. Strangely, it would be our first ever tour in Paris!

I’ve been an avid listener to the Earful Tower Podcast since I first heard about it in 2017. It’s a great mix of sights, personalities, history, activities, you name it hosted by Australian expat Oliver Gee, a former journalist stationed in Paris who decided that career wasn’t for him and started the podcast. It delves beyond the usual and obvious, which makes it quite entertaining for me. A few years back, the “Gee kingdom” started offering walking tours. And after all these years and 8 visits to Paris, I just thought it would be great to see a bit more. And so, I booked a private tour with “the man” himself, of our favorite neighborhood, the Marais. And we met Oliver at Peloton Cafe.

I don’t want to give away too much, and there was so much, that I’ll just scratch the surface. The tour is quite customizable and when Oliver had found that we’d already visited somewhere, we’d find another place! I’ve mentioned being called a “cesspool of useless information” several times in the past so I was in heaven. It’s definitely a tour more suited for folks who have been to Paris a couple of times and who enjoy exploring more than just the 7th Arrondissment.

That’s the one and only Maison Faust, which dates back to 15th Century.

It’s a half timbered structure that was restored in 1967.

For something a bit grander, how about Hôtel de Beauvais, which is now the court of appeals. We’d always passed the huge wooden doors; but Olive just walked over and opened them to reveal the courtyard.

We’d head on down a passage to a red door…..

And suddenly, we’d be in a church.

Walking out the main entrance we cracked up. This was the Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis, which we’ve walked past many times.

And that’s how it went……charming courtyards.

A stop at the Bibliothèque Historique de la Ville de Paris (Historical Library of the City of Paris).

Another place that we’ve walked past many times. This time we entered…..

And Oliver picked out a book….a really old book and showed us a map of Paris and went over places where remnants of those places could still be seen.

And speaking of remnants; having listened to the Earful Tower for so long, I knew that Oliver had an obsession with the the Philippe Auguste Wall, so of course that was a part of our tour as well.

Do you see the remnants of the wall in the photo below?

He’s even been able to get into the tower that we had passed the previous day.

Even those places we were familiar with, like Place Vosges were seen in a new light.

As we were taken into a “hidden” courtyard……it was a private residence, so I did not take photos.

And this is how things went; we walked into an auction, did several churches, talked about life in Paris. It was a great time!

We highly recommend this tour for folks who have been to Paris a couple of times or those really interested in the Marais. I’m thinking we’ll do Oliver’s Montmatre tour next time!

Midweek Meanderings – Greenhaus Vegetarian Eatery becoming Modern Kabob, Cafe 88 Coming to Linda Vista, and Guess Who’s Opening Indya Restaurant?

August 20, 2025 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Desserts, Indian Restaurants

Just a few things….and an interesting coincidence for hump day……

Greenhaus Vegetarian Eatery:

Driving North on Morena Boulevard trying to avoid all the crazy road construction, I noticed a sign on Greenhaus Vegetarian Eatery.

I didn't even know they closed. Though while checking out their Instagram, I came across an interesting coincidence…..scroll down a bit further and you'll see.

1118 Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110

Cafe 88 Coming to Linda Vista:

And up on Linda Vista Road; there was even a bigger sign…..

In what used to be Babe Kombucha. I'm wondering if this has the same ownership of a business with an identical name in El Cajon?

5401 Linda Vista Rd #409
San Diego, CA 92110

and finally….

Guess Who's Opening Indya Restaurant?:

Talk about coincidences….I was driving past the building that used to house Boomerang's Gourmet Burger off Clairemont Drive and noticed some new signage so I took a turn into the parking lot.

I took a photo to do a post.

Yes, an Indian restaurant on Clairemont Drive.

But like those Infomercials go; "but wait, there's more"!

While looking thru Greenhaus's Instagram account, guess what I found?

Greenhaus becomes Indya

Interesting, yeah?

4577 Clairemont Dr.
San Diego, CA 92117

Hope everyone is having a wonderful week!

Friends of Friends -coffee and breakfast (national City)

July 20, 2025 Cathy Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is a blog about food which has been around since 2005. Today, Cathy is writing and Kirk is taking a break…he calls it 'researching'.

A few weeks ago, cc planned a food crawl for us, since I had been away from eating out for a long while. First stop was in National City.

Friends of Friends is a locally owned, Hispanic and Filipino inspired eatery, mainly known as a coffee shop, which opened in April of 2024. It's located just across from Big Ben Specialty Market in National City. Niederfranks Ice Cream is a block away.

Friends of Friends roasts their own coffee and makes their own syrups. Wavy, the restaurant within prepares menu items and bakes their own pastries. The menu changes for lunch and alcohol is served in late afternoon/evenings. Each visit can be a different experience.

We decided to share some breakfast items.

Regular drip coffee for me (I could choose my own amount of half and half, instead of telling the barista to 'stop' or 'add more', or as I usually request, 'until it's a pretty color'). Very fresh, nice and strong.

cc chose a cortado which was expertly brewed. A side of soda water accompanies a proper cortado.

We were served this McMuff-breakfast ($8) sausage patty in an egg/onion cup, topped with cheese on a toasted English muffin with some chipotle aoili. Very nice and satisfying by itself.

The Smiley Cristo ($12)- ham and cheese with raspberry jam on a toasted croissant topped with powdered sugar. Fancy and quite large. Great flavors.

I will be returning to try more. This establishment has a 'Listening Bar" and hosts collaborative events along with even more interesting lunch-ish items. Really nice.

Friends of Friends 127 East Eighth Street National City, CA 91950 Website (with current menu) Open Daily 7 a.m., closes at 5 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday; 8 p.m. the rest of the week