Cocktails – Page 6

Covid-19 Takeout – Et Voila. Trying for Our Own Little “Happy Hour”

May 13, 2020 mmm-yoso Cocktails, French Restaurants, Sandwiches

Welcome to March 73rd….or something like that. In a way I'm glad to be super busy with work, otherwise I'd just be out of sorts, I think the days would all just roll into one another…….of all the things I enjoy doing, going out and eat is a big one. and more than that; I think it's the fact that we "can't" do something that is driving us a bit crazy. The Missus and I have been looking for a bit of normalcy. We were chatting about just going out for Happy Hour. I quickly recalled that one of the Missus's favorite spots, Et Voila was doing Curbside and window pick-up. And even better, with the relaxing of ABC regulations, they had two of our favorite cocktails available for pick-up. Reminder; you still need to order food if ordering cocktails for pick-up, so don't go all crazy, ok?

Anyway, the drill was easy, you place an order on the Et Voila website, along with pick-up time, pay using Pay Pal (you don't need a Pay Pal account), and get to the window at pick-up time.

To be perfectly honest; EV wasn't offering any of our favorites for takeout; but I managed to find a couple of items, which turned out to be pretty good.

And then of course, there was this.

Man, these were really good…a bit too good! Much stiffer than what I recall having in the restaurant. And the Huckleberry Bourbon was much better than what we had during Happy Hour last time. And man, the Tequila Mockingbird…..I was getting over a sinus infection and that baby just cleared me up.

As for the food; well, I got the Gazpacho which was refreshing, especially with the hot weather.

No sure what was up with the guacamole, it really didn't do much for the dish. The Missus drizzled on some nice olive oil……and then reminded me that I should plan on making some Salmorejo soon.

We both enjoyed the simple Baguette Pâté-Cornichons.

The Missus isn't much of a mustard fan; but She loved the Dijon provided. It helped, along with the brightly flavored cornichons to cut the rustic flavor of the pate. This was a very nice sandwich for eight bucks.

In the end it was worth going a bit off course….I've been trying to consolidate trips to places along a certain route….but this, along with Sushi Tadokoro were well worth the detour. It helped us to escape from all the craziness going on right now…..we did have our own little Happy Hour sitting in the backyard….in fact the Missus, thinking out loud said, "do you think they'll keep selling the to-go cocktails when this is all over?"

Currently, Et Voila has pick-up times set for 12-2pm and 4-8pm daily. The online form is easy to fill out. They are currently doing orders for same day pick-up.

Et Voilà!
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116

A La Carte and 3 Course Menu – Cold or Ready to Eat on their website for Curbside Pick-up or To-go.

What have you been doing to add a bit of normalcy to your day?

Clearing Out (the) Memory Card, the It’s Warming Up Edition. Revisits to Thai Papaya and Et Voila

February 27, 2020 mmm-yoso Cocktails, French Restaurants, Thai Restaurants

I know it's getting warm when the Missus starts requesting certain places……and it's been warming up the last few days.

Thai Papaya:

**** Thai Papaya has closed

So, it goes like this. I get a text from the Missus, "can you pick up Thai on your way home tonight." It can only mean one place and She doesn't even have to tell me what to order. It's the Som Tom Khai Kem (papaya salad with salted egg), Duck Larb, and Issan Sausage.

As it always is and has been.

Thai Papaya by Sab E Lee
2405 Ulric St
San Diego, CA 92111

Et Voila!:

Another favorite of the Missus is Happy Hour at Et Voila! So, with things warming up and both of us getting a home a bit earlier than usual we headed over.

And got our usual.

Sadly, that Huckleberry Bourbon, which used to be a HH favorite and used to be $7, is now $11, and tasted watered down….looking nothing like what it used to back in 2018.

Everything else seemed a bit different and we didn't enjoy it as much as we used to.

The Beignets de Champignons was nicely fried, but very salty.

And the Raviolis de Champignons way too sweet.

After not enjoying that Huckleberry Bourbon (my good FOY "YummyYummy" had warned me that the drink seemed a bit watered down over her last couple of visits), I ordered the Tequila Mockingbird, which I enjoyed; especially since it wasn't too sweet and there was a nice bit of savory heat from the Habanero Bitters.

It was quite telling as we walked to our car….the Missus told me, "I think we're done with Et Voila for a while".

Et Voilà!
3015 Adams Ave
San Diego, CA 92116

Versailles and a Late Lunch at Canard Street (Paris)

December 28, 2019 mmm-yoso Chains, Cocktails, France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

By November of 2018, we were on our third trip to Paris (can you believe it's now up to five?). And even though one could fill a lifetime exploring, and enjoying the city, the Missus thought we should start exploring places around the city. Starting with the Palace of Versailles. So, I got purchased advance tickets online and we headed out on the RER "C" line making it to Versailles-Rive Gauche in 40 minutes or so. From there it was a short walk to the Palace.

It was a misty – foggy day in Versailles.

But there's no denying the grandness of the Chateau.

It is indeed quite impressive and opulent. Hard to believe that this was once a "small country hunting lodge and residence" built by Louis XIII. Eventually, under Louis XIV, the property underwent four "campaigns", huge renovations. The King actually made Versailles his permanent residence and the center of political power, until the French Revolution. It has quite a history and a lot of rooms (over 2,000) and even had zoo (the "Menagerie"). Marie Antoinette had a "farm" ("Hameau de la Reine") created on the property, where she could escape….and where she could have a "faux country life"…..milking cows and sheep; which were carefully cleaned and groomed. The book Marie Antoinette: The Portrait of an Average Woman; has this quote:

"Sheep were led to pasture by ribbons of blue silk tied round their necks"

All this decadence, all that taxpayer money, all the social inequality…….just a few of a the many factors that lead to the French Revolution.

It's all on display in the various rooms in the Chateau.

Don't forget to look up at the ceilings!

The most well known room in the Chateau is probably the Hall of Mirrors.

Which is where the Treaty of Versailles was signed, which ended World War I.

We walked out onto the gardens……still quite grand; even on a misty day like this was.

And of course; all the fountains.

From here we decided to check out the Grand Trianon.

Which Louis XIV built as his escape from the Chateau.

We also explored the Petit Trianon as well.

By this time; the Missus and I were "palaced-out" and we decided to head back to Paris.

The lines were growing ever longer as we left. We caught the train back to Paris and the Missus decided to do (even more) shopping. We made a return trip to Repetto (which I've posted on before).

Sadly….at least for the Missus; She discovered that She had all the styles and colors that She wanted.

We decided to head back to the hotel for a break, but decided to grab lunch. We wanted something quick and decided to head back to Canard Street. We got the Demi Magret and the Sandwich de Foie Gras.

The duck breast was surprisingly good….especially for what I consider "fast-casual" food. It was just a tad over-cooked, but still juicy, tender, and full of flavor.

We didn't care for the baguette used for the sandwich; it was dry and much too hard and chewy. Hardly any foie gras torchon as well.

Still, this came out to around 20 Euroes which ain't bad for duck breast and foie gras, right?

Canard Street Paris
16 rue des Petits Champs
75002 Paris, France

We had a well deserved nap; then took an early evening stroll. We then headed off in the direction of dinner. This was to be our first visit to Le Pont de Sichuan, you can read that post here. We were still a bit too early for dinner and noticed this spot right around the corner of our destination.

And stopped for an aperitif.

It seemed like a popular after work destination…..lot's of folks having whatever the version of happy hour is in Paris.

And we had a seat at the bar and had a couple of Kir before dinner.

Le Trader's
3 Rue de la Bourse
75002 Paris, France

A nice little aperitif!

Thanks for stopping by!

Kindred

October 23, 2019 mmm-yoso Cocktails, Vegetarian and Vegan Restaurants

I think it was my good friend Candice who first mentioned Kindred to me. And even though the Missus is now eating a fairly vegetable heavy diet at home, I wasn't sure about Kindred…..I mean not just vegan food, but a Death Metal themed vegan restaurant? Though the cocktail menu did entice us a bit and then I recommended the place to my coworker "AA" who is a tried and true vegetarian….she absolutely loves the place; it's now her "date night" stop.

So, of course we had to stop by.

We loved the setting and most of all our favorite Server; Tracy!

And now kindred has become a fun stop for us.

We'd tried a host of cocktails; anything with Bourbon, Rye or Mezcal….with names like Psychic Venom.

Most were decent; though some on the sweet side.

All of this came to a stop when one day; I ordered what I thought was a great sounding cocktail and it arrived looking flowery pink!

At this point I enlisted the help of Tracy, who having served us at least three times before already had a bullseye drawn on our tastes and recommended something called the "Golden Axe". I'm usually not a fan of too much saffron or turmeric, but man, this cocktail with Bourbon and Rye is now my favorite.

The turmeric rice nectar adds a touch of bitterness, the ginger, spice, the booze some good smokiness.

The Missus will still order something like the "Horrorchata" or the "River Styx"…but I'm styx-ing with my Golden Axe.

As for the food, over our half dozen or so visits to Kindred; we've only ordered four items……two are winners, one is good, and the last meh….. I will say; we stayed away from items like salads and typical fare. So maybe that's the way to go here.

Both the Missus and I love mushroom; so when Tracy mentioned "the Dip" being something that used to be on the secret menu….and so we should try it; we did.

It's the earthy-salty mushroom jus that makes this for us. Heck, we'd just take bread slathered with the horseradish aioli and we'd be good to go. As it is; the peppered satan seitan, does no damage, and the sautéed pepprs and onions add a touch of sweetness and light pungency. There's also a nice spicy component to this as well. And as strange as it sounds; the tapioca mozzarella has a non-descript, but not terrible flavor or texture. The chips have usually been on the soggy side when we order this. But we're not here for the spuds.

Our other go-to are the Skewers.

Like the Dip, it's the flavors that make this dish for us; garlicky chimichurri, punchy harissa, which kind of leaves the horseradish sauce in the cold here.

The seitan is nicely charred, crisp around the edges, not mushy like other versions I've had. The flavoring of the seitan is covered up pretty well; which I think is the M.O. here a Kindred.

The "Hearts of Palm" is basically a farinata (garbanzo bean flour) flatbread.

The texture is somewhat "mushy – doughy", though it's moist, there's a bit of an earthy flavor to it. Again, it's the Aji Amarillo Aioli and lime that really gives this dish some "umph". It's a decent dish; though perhaps a bit too sour at times.

We've tried the Herb Puffs twice and it really didn't make an impression on us.

While light, on both occasions it was served rather cold and had lost any pleasing crispness.

As a whole, we enjoy Kindred, the staff are great, we've found some favorites, the music……well, maybe I'm too old? Though I get a kick thinking about Bee-Oh-Bee who loves Death Metal….I keep reminding him to bring his lovely Missus here. The food is unique and they don't hold back on flavor either. And that Golden Axe…….

Kindred
1503 30th St
San Diego, CA 92102
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 4pm – Midnight
Friday      4pm – 1am
Saturday    10am – 1am
Sunday      10am – Midnight