Caffeine Fix – Page 2

Monday Meanderings – Potato Powder Love Noodle (for real) replacing Shann Xi Magic Kitchen in 99 Ranch Market (Balboa), TP Tea coming to Clairemont Town Square, and slicing your own bread at Whole Foods

June 23, 2025 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Chinese Restaurants, Desserts, Markets & Grocers, yoso-silly

I'm doing one of these "meanderings" posts today because I just noticed a couple of things over the last two days that I thought interesting.

TP Tea coming to Clairemont Town Square:

I took JJ to an early morning walk and since I like to keep it some variety, I'll often rotate venues. For some reason, I headed on up to Clairemont Town Square early in the morning, and quickly noticed something new.

TP TEa Coming Soon

Looks like the chain TP Tea – which I guess stands for Taiwan Professional Tea, is opening a shop which was the last known location of Isa.Bella, located in the same structure as Main Chick Hot Chicken. For me, this is great, as I always wondered why there weren't more Asian businesses in this huge complex, other than the Panda Express.

4705-A Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117

Slicing your own bread at Whole Foods:

The Missus wanted some escargot for dinner, so I headed to the Cuisinery to restock. She also wanted some bread and I really didn't want to drive to Secret Sister or even Con Pane. So, I decided to head on over to Whole Foods La Jolla, which is sort of on the way to the Cuisinery. I had gotten the Baby Boule from there before and had it sliced. It's small and not too expensive and would do in a pinch. When I arrived and walked to the bread counter I asked for a Baby Boule and was told it's now self serve….this includes the slicing of the bread!

WF Sliced Bread 01b

I've seen these used at Con Pane and Secret Sister….but never thought it would be safe for me to use one!

WF Sliced Bread 02

But I just tried it out. It's not hard at all. The hardest part was getting the sliced bread into a bag!

It turned out ok.

WF Sliced Bread 03

And I still have all my fingers…..

Whole Foods Market
8825 Villa La Jolla Dr.
La Jolla, CA 92037

Potato Powder Love Noodle replacing Shann Xi Magic Kitchen in 99 Ranch Market (Balboa):

Yesterday, the Missus told me She wanted me to make my Cumin Chinese Cauliflower. So, I headed over to 99 Ranch Market on Balboa. I walked past the food court to see what was happening adn noticed that Shann Xi Magic Kitchen was closed. Which I thought was strange.

Shann Xi Closed 01

There was a note posted on the counter…never a good sign….

Shann Xi Closed 02b

Which just confirmed what I thought…..well, this location of Shann Xi Magic Kitchen is closed. So, it looks like you'll need to go to the Convoy location if you're craving their food.

I also noticed a note on the cash register.

Shann Xi Closed 00

And it seems like "Potato Powder Love Noodle" is opening here next month? What a name! I did a quick search and found that PPLN has shops in San Gabriel and City of Industry. Knife cut and potato noodles (thus the name I guess) with various broths.

Man, Shann Xi is one of the "OG" stands in the food court, which has been kind of a revolving door with Dao Xiang recently replacing Mama Lin's, which replaced Saigon 5, and Cluck n Sip replacing Krispy Krunchy Chicken within the last year.

It seems that places are having a hard time staying in business here.

5950 Balboa Ave (In the 99 Ranch Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111

Wildland and a Revisit to Sleeping Tiger Coffee (Carlsbad)

April 21, 2025 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Dog Friendly

Between all our Road Trips, we’ve taking JJ out to “explore” a bit. On one fine morning, we decided to head up to Carlsbad. We had enjoyed Jeune Et Jolie so much, that when the team behind that restaurant opened a breakfast-brunch-bakery we really wanted to try it out. I had read that dogs were allowed on the patio area, so we decided to head on up.

We easily found parking on State Street and when we passed Wildland, it wasn’t very busy at all. So we took JJ on over for a walk thru the village and along Carlsbad Boulevard.

But first, we decided t get our caffeine fix at a familiar locale, Sleeping Tiger Coffee inside of Witch Creek Winery. The two tables fronting Carlsbad Boulevard were empty, so the Missus sat with J, while I went in and ordered us a Tanzanian Pour Over and a cold brew.

Witch Creek Rev 01

We find it interesting that Starbucks next door is quite busy, while there’s no one getting coffee here.

The Missus enjoys the pour0vers from here and the cold brew is pretty strong and wakes me up.

Witch Creek Rev 03

We sat and relaxed for a bit. We both think the coffee at Sleeping Tiger is much better than the Starbucks next door and wonder why folks aren’t supporting a local business with a superior (in our opinion) product.

Meanwhile; JJ was wondering where “All the witches” were?

Witch Creek Rev 99

**** Sleeping Tiger Coffee is no longer

Sleeping Tiger Coffees (In Witch Creek Winery)
2906 Carlsbad Blvd.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Current Hours:
Thurs – Mon 7am – 5pm
Tues – Wed 7am – 3pm

Fortified by caffeine we took JJ on a nice stroll along Carlsbad Boulevard overlooking Carlsbad State Beach, finally turning back near lifeguard tower 35. Walking back thru Carlsbad Village and along State, we arrived back at Wildland, which was still not very busy, so we grabbed a table on the patio.

Wildland 01

I sat with JJ while the Missus went to peruse the menu.

Wildland 02

The Missus decided on the three item Smoked Fish Plate ($18). Meanwhile, my food friend “LL” recommended the Shakshuka ($20), and after a pretty “meh” version at Flora, I was interested in trying this one.

Wildland 04

Ordering is done at the counter; you’re given a number and your food is brought to you.

Wildland 03

The Smoked Fish Plate was quite good. We chose the Smoked Salmon, Olive Oil Poached Yellowtail, and the item that really made this for us; the Hot Smoked Pastrami Kampachi, which was full of smoky-peppery-herbaceous flavors.

Wildland 05

Loved the veggies, so fresh, the tomatoes sweetly-fruity-acidic; man, those cucumbers crisp and palate cleansing. The vegetables were excellent. The weak point of the dish was the bread, too chewy, with a hard crust.

As for the Shakshuka.

Wildland 06

I thought this was going to be herb overload, but the dill actually complemented the acidic tones of the dish and the celery leaves added a mild “grassiness” to the dish. It seems that the versions in San Diego use za’atar and leave out the cumin and harissa. The eggs were nice and runny, with a hint of smoky-savoriness.

Wildland 07

As with the smoked fish plate, the bread was the weak link here, being too chewy and the crust hard. Still, the dish was pretty good overall.

We did enjoy our time at Wildland and will make sure to return for that smoked fish plate and JJ enjoyed visiting Carlsbad.
Wildland 00
Wildland
2598 State St.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Current Hours:
Sun – Thurs 8am – 9pm
Fri – Sat 8am – 10pm

Coffee Culture (Old Town) and Inka’fe (Bay Park)

April 18, 2025 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Croissants

Just a couple of caffeine fixes for today.

Inka'fe (Bay Park):

Back in January, I noticed that Inka'fe was replacing Humble Bean in the little building on the corner of Denver and Ingulf Streets. The shop didn't seem open yet, but on JJ's last grooming visit, we passed the shop and it was open! We needed to kill some time and wait for "J", so we decided to head on over to check things out.

In Kafe 01

It's a small shop, but there are quite a few coffee based drinks and Peruvian specialties on offer. I had read that Inka'fe is a woman owned business that specializes in organic beans harvested from Peru. There's also Inca Kola and even Lucuma Ice Cream on offer.

In Kafe 02

There are basically three different roasts that are rotated for the basic coffee drinks. On this day, it was the "City Roast". The Missus got a latte, which She thought was quite smooth, almost too smooth, and mild in flavor. I got a Cold Brew, which also did not seem especially strong.

In Kafe 03

It was quite easy to drink and seemed to be a bit lighter.

The young lady working was a joy. I need to return when things warm up and get some Lucuma Ice Cream and maybe an Inca Kola.

Inka'fe
2615 Denver St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Mon – Fri 7am – 4pm
Sat – Sun 8am – 4pm

Coffee Culture (Old Town):

I like to take JJ over to Old Town for a walk during the off season, when things are quiet in the mornings. On this Sunday morning, I skipped my usual coffee routine and we just headed on over to Old Town. I had thoughts of grabbing a cup at Garden Coffee, but I had forgotten that they open at 9….it was just past 8. And then I saw this.

Coffee Culture 01

Ah, yes…..I remembered seeing the sign for Coffee Culture replacing Hola Paris in the Urban Market back in December. I guess they had opened? I walked on over and yes indeed, they were open.

Coffee Culture 02

Man, dig the art work! The young man working; I believe his name is Santiago was really friendly. We even had a chat about places in Mexico. On this day, the coffee featured was Guatemalan, so I got an Americano. I also saw that they have croissants, so I decided to take a chance….there's no bakery on sight, and they didn't have one on display, but I was told they had them. So, I got one of those as well.

Coffee Culture 03

The Americano was very earthy, though not bitter and lacking the sweet-acidity I enjoy….it was pretty stiff though and woke me up.

Coffee Culture 04

This was a decent cup.

Santiago was nice enough to heat up the Butter Croissant for me, but when he handed it to me, I knew it was basically mass produced stuff.

Coffee Culture 05

Very dry, not too crisp-flaky, lacking in salt and butter, the interior doughy……I'll just leave it at that.

Oh well, I'll come back and get a cup again though. The young man was so nice. On this day, JJ was just wanting to "get on with things".

Coffee Culture 05b

Can you see he's telling me "daddy…hurry up?"

Coffee Culture 06

I hope they do well here. The Urban Market seems to have a pretty high rate of turnover. I'm thinking the lease rate must be pretty high.

Coffee Culture
2548 Congress St.
San Diego, CA 92110
Current Hours:
Mon – Tues 9am – 5pm
Wed – Sun 8am – 6pm

Paris – Those Familiar Places Café du Centre and Maison de Chengdu

April 17, 2025 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Caffeine Fix, Chinese Restaurants, Cocktails, France, Paris, France, Travel

Well, during our trip to London, the Cinque Terre and Genoa, and Milan, you knew I had to include my favorite city in Europe, right? Yes, we were staying in Paris, though only for four days this time around. Since we'd been on the go during our trip so far; we just wanted to mostly hang out in Paris. This was our seventh trip to the "City of Lights".

Our flight from Milan to Paris was just briefly delayed. And we had a decent lunch on the flight.

To make things easy for us, we stayed at the Citadines Les Halles. It was easy to get to from CDG via the RER Blue Line. From there, it was just a short walk to our favorite little street in Paris, Rue Montorgueil, which I've posted on many times. And of course, we had a seat at our favorite cafe, Café du Centre to just watch time pass us by.

It was pretty late in the day for a Cafe Allonge, so the Missus had a glass of wine and I had a Kir.

My goodness, it was great to be back in Paris!

Café du Centre
57 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France

When dinner time arrived, we decided to head on over to our favorite simple little Sichuan Restaurant, Maison de Chengdu. Which we first discovered when we stayed in Paris for two weeks and our apartment was just a block away. We strolled up Rue Montorgueil…..

Then taking a right on Rue Réaumur…yes, it was kind of the long way, but we enjoyed passing all those familiar places, including the apartment we stayed in during that two week visit. A right on Rue Volta and we had arrived…..

The restaurant was pretty quiet on this evening.

Though they had a ton of food delivery orders.

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This time we took a seat on the ground floor and basically ordered the same items as on our last visit. And of course, we started with a Tsingtao.

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The only item that was not as good as on our previous visit was the Stir Fried Mountain Yam as it was missing the red and green bell peppers and had hardly any woodear.

The Intestine Dry Pot was nicely cooked; the intestine actually had a bit of "crunch" to it, along with a decent amount of numbing tones from the Sichuan Peppercorn.

The Green Beans had a bit more pork this time around and was stir fried nicely.

The Missus got Her Chinese food fix in. All of this came out to about 42€…..let's say $50/US, which along with the minimal tipping in France, this was a bargain.

You can read about all about our previous visits in the links.

Maison De Chengdu (古味成都)
16 Rue Volta
75003 Paris, France

We took a nice long after dinner stroll, thru all those familiar streets, doing the Flâneur thing. In Paris, it's quite easy getting your "steps" in. You just don't realize how much you walk.

It was a joy to be back in Paris!

Road Trip – Queen Cup Coffee, The Baker’s Table (Santa Ynez), and a revisit to Industrial Eats (Buellton)

April 13, 2025 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Croissants, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

Even though we were staying in Solvang, we decided to head on out during the day and drive around a bit. Santa Ynez is less than ten minutes from Solvang by car. We'd driven thru and made a quick stop in the town on a previous visit, but this time we waned to take JJ for a walk and explore a bit.

I recalled a coffee shop in the little corner off Meadowlark Road where we stopped to do some window shopping last time. So, we decided to stop there.

While the Missus took JJ to stretch his legs, I went in and ordered us some coffee.

The menu cracked me up……and no, I didn't get anything off the "Fancy AF" menu; just a latte for the Missus and an Americano for me.

There's something quite charming about this shop and Santa Ynez as a whole. The young man working was friendly and effcient.

The Missus enjoyed Her latte and my Americano was fairly smooth and woke me up gently.

Queen Cup Coffee
1095 Meadowvale Rd.
Santa Ynez, CA 93460

After our caffeine fix we decided to take a walk thru downtown Santa Ynez, which has an "Old West" flavor to it. It's the second oldest town in the Santa Ynez Valley, established in 1882.

I cracked up when I saw that the Maverick Saloon has a free shuttle! You gotta love it!

There's a tiny library in town, which I later read, claims to be the Oldest Branch Library in California. The little 12 by 14 structure was built in 1912.

It's only open on Saturdays from 1pm to 4pm.

And of course JJ had to get into the act…..

It was a quiet morning in the town, though we saw two guys with some major photography gear walking up and down the street taking photos.

I had read about a bakery in town named The Baker's Table that was supposed to be pretty good. When doing the "Google thing" I aw several bakeries with that name across the country, so I thought it was a chain. Though on later searches, I found that there are several businesses in different cities that share the same name, but are not affiliated.

I thought it would be a nice morning for a croissant, so while the Missus took JJ around for photos, I dropped on in.

The place was fairly busy. I saw this pup in the courtyard to the side of the bakery. I guess the pooch belongs to one of the employees?

And while the croissant didn't look very impressive; it was pretty good!

While the exterior could have been a bit more flaky and crisp; there was a nice balance of butter and salt flavor. The interior was light, fluffy, and nicely honeycombed. This was a pretty good croissant; and would probably be in the "top 3" here in San Diego.

Needless to say, I was quite happy with this! In Santa Ynez! We'll definitely be back!

The Baker's Table
3570 Sagunto St.
Santa Ynez, CA 93460

We went back to the shop we had visited the last time we were in the area. They welcomed JJ in and gave him "some pets" as well.

We might consider staying in Santa Ynez next time if we can find pet friendly accommodations.

We next drove over to Los Olivos. We love exploring Los Olivos, though it seems more boujie on every visit.

This time around we noticed the little library here as well.

This one is only open on Saturday as well; from 10am to 1pm. I cracked up as I asked the Missus if there's only one librarian in Santa Ynez who worked one day a week shuttling from the Los Olivos library from 10am to 1pm and then going to the Santa Ynez location from 1pm to 4pm?

We then drove back to Solvang and took JJ on the Hans Christian Andersen Park Trail.

A quick mile-and-a-half trail which took a bit over a half hour.

The loud woodpecker got JJ's attention.

And I got JJ to pose for a photo I named A "Shrimp on the barbie".

Poor JJ has to put up with all the dad jokes…..

Even though it seemed like we'd done a lot; it was just getting to close to lunch time. There was a place that we had really enjoyed and had been wanting to return to since our last visit. So, we headed down Highway 246 to Buellton and back to Industrial Eats. We arrived at a quarter to 12 and found parking in one of the few spaces in front of the converted warehouse.

We times things well because by the time Industrial Eats opened a line had formed behind us!

We ordered two item we'd had before and the Missus surprised me by telling me to order another item!

The two "repeats" were the Smoked Duck Salad ($18) and the White Shrimp, Pancetta Garlic Toast ($18).

We enjoyed the Smoked Duck Salad even more this time around; the duck was more tender, had a nice gamey-smokiness. The dressing had a nice acidity and the Missus enjoyed the tart-sweetness of the apples….She usually does not like the addition of fruit to salads, but this changed Her mind. A nice refreshing salad.

The White Shrimp was not as good as we recalled however.

The shrimp tasted fishy and were severely overcooked; the "sauce" was thin and watery. I did enjoy the garlic bread and the chilies though.

I was surprised that the Missus ordered the Miso Cod ($18), something that we usually only make at home. The cod was really delicious.

Man, that cod was so tender. moist, and buttery! The miso glaze was full of sweet-umami. The greens were a nice bitter counterpoint. Though we're not sure about the addition of avocado and the water-salty sauce really didn't add much. Still, the Missus wants to return for this dish!

I always think of our good friend Candice who first recommended Industrial Eats to us! We are so thankful and can't wait to return!

Industrial Eats
181 Industrial Way
Buellton, CA 93427

There's also a market next to Industrial Eats that we had never noticed before named Sunrise Organic Farm. Not sure if it's affiliated with the restaurants.

We picked up some cold pressed juice for breakfast and then headed back to our room.

It had been a fun morning, but now it was time for a serious nap before dinner!

Road Trip – Helena Avenue Bakery (Santa Barbara), Good Seed Coffee Boutique (Solvang), and a Revisit to Bell’s (Los Alamos)

April 6, 2025 mmm-yoso Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Croissants, French Restaurants, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Santa Barbara County, Travel

After a surprisingly good dinner at Shalhoob's and a nightcap at Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company, I thought I would have a nice night's sleep. Well, that was not to be. I did anticipate JJ's 4am morning "puppy potty", but I had a hard time sleeping because of the traffic noise from the 101. I really enjoyed the Moxy Hotel, but it was right on the 101 and the traffic noise kept me up for most of the night. Oh well, cant win 'em all.

When morning arose, the Missus and I made some quick plans. We had lunch reservations at our favorite restaurant in the area and added in what we thought would be a fun visit for JJ.

But before all of this, we decided to head down the block. I had noted that right across the way from Figueroa Mountain Brewing was Helena Avenue Bakery. I decided to get my croissant fix, since they supposedly made everything inhouse.

It's quite a charming spot, the bakery shares the space with a wine tasting room. It also shares the address with a place we had really looked forward to eating at that kind of disappointed us on our previous visit to the area.

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You order at the counter and are given a number. We had a seat at one of the lovely outdoor tables.

Soon enough my Americano and Croissant was ready.

The Americano was fairly smooth, with a nice kick.

Seeing that the ridges were falling off the viennoiserie made me somewhat concerned, but the pastry did not shatter into crumbs upon consuming. The exterior was light and crisp, the interior fairly fluffy and "honeycombed". It was sorely lacking in butter and even salt for that matter. Quite bland overall.

A "halfway there" croissant if I've ever had one. Liked the vibe of the place, though I'm not sure what it would be like if busy.

Helena Avenue Bakery
131 Anacapa St. Suite C
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Since we had lunch reservations in Los Alamos, we decided to head on up to Solvang which is sort of on the way. We thought that JJ might enjoy the place and since it was a Monday during the slow season, things wouldn't be too hectic.

And we were right. It was calm and relaxed, we enjoyed strolling around. And JJ kinda enjoyed his "photo-ops".

This was when we thought it would be fun staying in Solvang with JJ, which would be our next "road trip".

We took a short break at this little coffee shop.

Where I had my second Americano of the day. This one was smooth and easy to drink. We just had a seat on the porch and enjoyed things.

It was a nice break in the action for us.

Good Seed Coffee Boutique
1607 Mission Dr.
Solvang, CA 93463

We did a bit more walking; then it was time to head off for lunch. Which was going to be at our favorite restaurant in the area; Bell's in Los Alamos. Over time we've come to conclusion that we enjoy lunches at Bell's more than the prefix dinner. It's much more classically French, with local produce and such. And since this is my fourth post on the place; I'm just going to mainly do photos. You can click on the preceding links for more info on our previous visits.

Perhaps because it was 11am on a Monday, we had the place to ourselves for a while. The back patio is dog friendly and the chef even came out and spent some time with JJ!

We ordered what we usually do at Bell's. They still make one of my favorite versions of Beef Tartare.

Love the cut of beef, with a wonderful texture, perfect ratio of capers and pungency, so rich and decadent.

Of course the Missus had to have Escargot.

The Country Terrine is nice and porky, with hints of winey-sweetness. It goes well with the cornichons and grainy-pungent Dijon.

We also enjoy the slightly offally, mildly sweet Chicken Liver Mousse.

The strawberry jam works as a nice sweet "foil", with the cornichons sour-acidity clearing the palate. Our only issue is with the crostini which were hard rather than crisp.

As with our previous we enjoyed our lunch at Bell's and would return again in a few weeks.

JJ enjoyed his first visit to a Michelin Star restaurant and got treated so nicely!

Bell's
406 Bell St.
Los Alamos, CA 93440

Now it was time to head back to the hotel and get a much needed nap…..if I could block out the freeway noise; before dinner!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you had a great weekend!

Road Trip – La Parisienne (Morro Bay) and Luna Coffee Bar (Cayucos)

February 7, 2025 mmm-yoso Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Travel

We had a decent night's sleep at our hotel, the Harbor House Inn, which was super dog friendly. Of course JJ was still a really young pupper and had to go potty at 3am, but the hotel has a designated green space for that.

After waking and feeding the pup breakfast, we gave him time to "settle" then headed on out for a morning walk before checking out. On our last visit, we had spent time at the shops and such. This time around, we walked north toward the "rock". We had noticed a bakery of sorts during our last visit right off the Embarcadero and Front Street. In need of something for a light breakfast, this time we headed on in to the shop, named La Parisienne.

After looking over the rather large selection; I decided on getting a quiche and ended up choosing the Bacon and Caramelized Onion Quiche. I ordered a coffee for the Missus who was waiting with JJ at the table outside.

The really nice woman working heated up the quiche and even delivered it to our table outside.

She even provided two forks without me asking! This was pretty good, sweet-savory, nice crisp top, creamy-rich interior. Well worth the $5.75 to me!

Not bad at all!

La Parisienne
1140 Front St.
Morro Bay, CA 93442

On our last visit to the area we didn't take the time to check out "the rock", so we decided to walk on over.

Though JJ seemed to prefer the Ice Plants…..

In Coleman Park is this Plaque. Morro Bay is where the first Filipinos landed in the United States on October 18, 1587!

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Well, didn't the Pilgrim's land in 1620???? So….maybe we should be having Adobo for Thanksgiving? Hmmm……

Based on how many folks we'd seen the night before, we were surprised to find the park around Morro Rock to be quite quiet and peaceful.

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The views of the coast were also quite nice.

The Missus asked me what that town was in the distance. I told Her it's Cayucos. I also mentioned that there's a pier with some nice views, so we decided that should be our next stop. So, we walked back to the hotel, packed up, and checked out and drove the short distance to Cayucos.

It was fairly busy, but we still found parking on North Ocean Avenue and made the stroll down the pier.

I admired those surfers, cause the water looked fah-reezing!

We then took a stroll down Ocean Avenue with JJ. I had thoughts about having brunch at The Hidden Kitchen, but the line was crazy long, so we looked for a coffee place instead and saw this sign.

And went down the little passage way to this coffeehouse.

Which had a quaint patio.

And JJ and I had a seat, while the Missus went in and ordered a Latte for Her and a Cold Brew for myself. The breakfasts looked quite large, so we decided to just get our caffeine fix.

The Cold Brew was fine, it did the job; the Missus thought Her latte was on the weaker end of the spectrum, but we enjoyed the vibe here.

Luna Coffee Bar
84 North Ocean Ave.
Cayucos, CA 93430

As a bonus, right next door to the coffee shop is a location of the Brown Butter Cookie Company. We had been to the Paso Robles location, so we knew it was a nice place to grab a few omiyagi for folks.

Brown Butter Cookie Company
98 North Ocean Ave.
Cayucos, CA 93430

We enjoyed the beach town vibe of Cayucos and will think about staying here or perhaps at Avila Beach in the future.

So folks, between Cayucos, Avila Beach, or Pismo Beach, which so you prefer?

JJ would like to know!

Cinque Terre – Castello Doria (Vernazza), Corniglia, and Caffè Matteo (Corniglia)

January 31, 2025 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Cinque Terre/Genoa, Liguria - Italy, Croissants, Italy, Travel

It was our third full day in the Cinque Terre, but it for some reason, it felt like we'd been here for a while. We kept running into a very friendly Aussie couple, like 2-3 times a day. They were staying in a flat we could see from our window with a patio overlooking the sea. We'd see them having wine every evening. We gotta stay there next time!

By now, our morning coffee routine was a visit to Ananasso Bar.

Where the views from one of the tables overlooking the harbor is wonderful.

The wind and the rain from the night before had made for fairly clear skies and the winter air was crisp.

This seemed like a perfect time to visit Castello Doria (Doria Castle) and the tower of the ruins which stands on the edge of a ridge overlooking the village and the sea. Of course, there were a good number of stairs to climb!

The views from the tower are fantastic; especially on a clear day like this was.

From one side you could see the south shoreline.

From the other the North.

And of course a postcard view of Vernazza below.

While admiring the views, the Missus and I discussed our plans for the day. Well, it ended up being pretty easy; we'd been to four of the five villages f the Cinque Terre. There was just one left, Corniglia. We decided we needed to complete the "set".

So, it was back to the apartment to get our stuffs….yes, more stairs…..

On the way up to the train station, we decided to take a peek at the tiny chapel on the main street, Via Roma.

This lovely little temple is the Chapel of Santa Marta.

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And then we were off to Corniglia; the train there takes only 4 minutes! Corniglia has the distinction of being the only one of the five villages not on the ocean; instead it is perched on a hill above the water. Though the train station is at the bottom of the hill.

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So, to get up to this village of 150, you need to catch the shuttle……or…..

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Yep, you guessed it; take the stairs, all 382 of them! Guess which option the Missus picked?

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No, I didn't count them. It actually wasn't too bad because they were nicely maintained and quite even.

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Once near the top, you simply walk thru some narrow streets and end up where the shuttle buses actually stop.

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We strolled along Via Stazione into the charming little village. And ended up at a lovely little square in front of a church.

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This is the lovely Chiesa Di San Pietro.

Which was built way back in 1334!

While enjoying the white marble interior, we quickly noticed a pooch walking thru the church. The dog had a harness on and we thought he was with the nice gentleman and his son. However, when they left the church, the pup did not!

He just hung around and greeted people.

And when folks started coming in for what appeared to be services, he took his leave! Such a well mannered pooch!

You'd weave your way between buildings.

And then suddenly find yourself on the edge with a view.

Crossing over we entered what looked like the "downtown" of Corniglia, there were some cafes and restaurants and a nice little square. And an interesting chapel.

With an even more interesting…and kinda gory statue in the front.

Later on, I did a search in Google maps and found that this is the Cappella dei Flagellati Corniglia, the "Chapel of the Flagellants". Which explains the statue; because you know what Flagellants are, right?

It's quite a lovely area.

Following the instructions of Rick Steves Cinque Terre guide we walked down the little street named Via Fieschi.

Which led us to a lovely terrace known as Santa Maria Belvedere, which had beautiful 180 degree views of the Ligurian Coast.

Corniglia was so chill!

We decided to get a very light brunch and some espresso and headed back to the square, Largo Taragio. Where the Caffè Matteo was doing some good business! This was the most folks we saw in Corniglia.

And they had a bunch of breakfast deals going.

The Missus got a croissant and coffee for 3 Euros; I got the croissant, coffee, and OJ for 5 Euros. The prices were indeed quite fair; even though the croissant, as expected was not very good.

The exterior hard, the interior too brady and doughy, not enough butter…but of course, we expected that.

Between the carbs and the coffee; well, that was enough to keep us until later in the day.

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And at 8 Euros for two?

Caffè Matteo
Via Fieschi 157
Corniglia, Italy

And carbs were good, because well, remember those 382 steps???

I also loved this sign that was in the cafe…..

As the Missus and I waited for the train; we made a decision on where we'd be going to next….since we'd been to all five villages in the Cinque Terre; we thought we'd visit one to the North where the local train ended.

Stay Tuned!

Cinque Terre – Morning Coffee at Ananasso Bar, Checking Out Riomaggiore and Manarola

January 17, 2025 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Cinque Terre/Genoa, Liguria - Italy, Italy, Travel

**** No food in this one, but if you'd like to see where we visited in Riomaggiore and Manarola read on!

We woke early on our second morning in Vernazza. We walked on over to Piazza Guglielmo Marconi and took a look at the waves breaking. Yes, it was fall and it was pretty rough out there. Right at the end of the piazza and on the harbor is the popular Ananasso Bar, which serves coffee in the mornings and cocktails during the evening.

A nice espresso.

We'd end up stopping by on our next morning as well.

You get a front row seat of the harbour as well!

Ananasso Bar
Piazza Guglielmo Marconi 30
Vernazza, Italy

Speaking of a front row seat. During rough seas, the fishermen will bring their boats ashore and while passing among the boats we heard a loud whimper and saw a large Golden Retreiver run to it's owner for comfort. What was the cause for this distress. Well, the source soon walked out from among the boats…..

Like I mentioned in a previous post, these cats have no fear and apparently are not to be trifled with. We saw this feline hiss at a couple who tried to pet it making them back away, it also scared away a fairly large mutt on the next morning. After my previous experience with a "Killer Pussy" on Easter Island, I knew better than to mess with them!

After our coffee we headed on out. We decided on visiting the two southern most villages of the Cinque Terre, Riomaggiore and Manarola. We went and purchased the two day train card at the stop in Vernazza. This gave us free access to the La Spezia – Cinque Terre – Levanto railway line, free use of restrooms, etc. It took us just 10 minutes by train from Vernazza to Riomaggiore, the second largest of the five villages. It's an interesting train station, overlooking a ravine. You access the village via a tunnel.

From there we got onto Via Telemaco Signorini and walked on up to the village.

It's a fairly steep hike, but the views are quite fabulous.

We took a turn around the bend and found the stairs (yep more stairs!) up to Castello di Riomaggiore.

The hulking structure, built in the 13th century, has some pretty nice views, though it wasn't open to visitors. There's also an interesting small church the Oratorio di San Rocco which was built to commemorate the end of the plague.

Walking inland along Via Pecunia, you'll get some nice views of the town.

Via Pecunia ends at a piazza where the Church of San Giovanni Battista stands.

The grey stone church stands above the village. While originally constructed in 1340 and dedicated to John the Baptist, the church went thru a huge renovation in 1870.

From here we headed down to the main street of the village; Via Colombo.

At the end of Via Colombo was one of my favorite spots on this trip. As you approach the train tracks, you'll find stairs leading up to a square. This is Piazza Vignaioli and is right above the train tracks.

And also nice views of the lovely pastel colored buildings in the town.

But what really caught our attention were the views of the "harbor"….I'll just use quotes on that. Because of the rather rough weather, the boats had been pulled up onto the square…which really look like the street! It really look like the waves are breaking on the village streets.

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Quite dramatic looking, huh?

On our next stop, we were going from the second largest, to the second smallest village in the Cinque Terre, Manarola with a population of about 350. And in keeping with the number 2, the train ride from Riomaggiore to Manarola takes about 2 minutes! The village is tucked into a ravine and to get to it from the train station means a 200 yard walk thru a tunnel. The tunnel opens right up in the center of town, which was pretty busy on this day.

The view from the harbor was lovely and you can see the trail that we took along the vineyards to the cemetery…with of course, a wonderful view a short time later.

We then headed back up the main street, lined with shops and restaurants, for some reason, this seemed to be the most touristy of the villages.

The higher up into the the village, the less tourists we saw.

As you get to the bend in the road you'll come across a large water wheel.

Manarola is the oldest of villages in the Cinque Terre, supposedly dating back to the 13th century founded by the Romans. The town was built alongside a large creek and according to the story there was a large waterwheel (magna rota in Latin) in the village from which it got it's name .

Things seemed a lot quieter here.

And so it seemed like a nice time for a Limonata break.

Before heading onward.

We finally came upon the trail we were looking for. It was right next to this church.

This is the Church of San Lorenzo which dates back to 1338.

The namesake of the church is Saint Lawrence, who is the patron saint of the Cinque Terre. I found the ceiling fresco to be quite "interesting". It has San Lorenzo holding a grill…..

The grill "gridiron" is the symbol of San Lorenzo as he was roasted alive on it. It is the symbol of his martyrdom!

To quote the Wikipedia page:

After the martyr had suffered pain for a long time, the legend concludes, he cheerfully declared: "I'm well done on this side. Turn me over!"

Thus Saint Lawrence is not only the patron saint of Cooks, but also the patron saint of comedians as well!

Turning back down the street, next to a wine bar you'll see the sign for Trail 502C. This trail heads up past lovely vineyards to the cemetery, which of course means that the best views.

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I mentioned that cemeteries were moved out of villages for hygienic purposes and many seemed to have ended up on hills with wonderful views.

From the cemetery, you can take some stairs and end up with amazing views!

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Check out the harbor and breakwater!

We then took Via di Corniglia back to the town and the train station.

Since it was still fairly early, the Missus decided that we should head back to Monterosso before calling it a day!

Saturday Stuffs – Phuong Nga Opening a Second Location, Inka’fe Replacing Humble Bean, and by Request, More JJ Photos

January 11, 2025 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Vietnamese Restaurants, yoso-silly

Just couple of things for this Saturday.

Phuong Nga Opening a Second Location:

In the comments section of my latest post on Mien Trung, "FOY" Elle, who always has the "scoops" on City Heights and Mira Mesa mentioned Phuong Nga was possibly opening another location near World Foods where Tan Ky Mi Gia used to be. It just so happens that a couple of days later, the Missus was craving the Bun Rieu from Phuong Nga (you can read that post here).

So, I decided to head into the parking lot at 5237 El Cajon Boulevard and wouldn't you know it…..the sign reads:

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So, when I had a moment when picking up my noodle soup from Phuong Nga I asked the young lady working. She confirmed that this will be a second location because "business has been very good". So they are not moving. There was a line forming so I didn't ask any other questions. Good to see that their business is doing well!

5237 El Cajon Blvd
San Diego, CA 92115

Thanks as always for the info Elle!

Inka'fe Replacing Humble Bean:

I took JJ for his first grooming appointment. We decided to try a place fairly close by. Since this was his maiden voyage, I decided to get a bite to eat and also take a walk. I was surprise to see that the Humble Bean, which I've bean been to is being replaced by something named Inka'fe?

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With a name like that I'm assuming it'll be Peruvian Coffee? It's interesting because the drive thru Gold Soul Coffee is nearby and right down the street is the now crazy busy Superbloom.

2615 Denver St.
San Diego, CA 92110

I did note that Google said the place was open, but it definitely wasn't on this day.

As for JJ, what do you think about his haircut?

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