Category: Croissants

Croissant Files – Christophe Rull Patisserie (San Marcos)

Bakery, Croissants

A few days ago “FOY” Kenneth sent me an email regarding a new patisserie opening in North County that had potentially good croissants named Christophe Rull. Funny thing, a day later the Missus mentioned seeing something about a new bakery in San Marcos on Social Media. After checking a bit, I found that the owner is a bit of a celebrity having been on Netflix and Food Network shows. Well, it seemed like a bit of a drive…..but I decided to check the place out.

Man, I hadn’t been in this part of San Marcos in a while. The shop is located in the new North City development with several large apartment complexes; some of which are still being built. I found parking in the multi-story parking structure and headed on down looking for the bakery. This area seems to be developing into it’s own little 15-minute city. Exiting the parking structure, I quickly noticed the bakery across the street.

Even though the bakery was quite busy, the street were quiet, giving it a bit of a laid back feel. Every table indoors was taken, though there was no line at the counter.

The menu featured coffee drinks, croissant sandwiches, French style baguette sandwiches, which reminded me of Jambon Beurre, like we get in Paris.

The breakfast pastry prices seemed to skew on the higher end. Of course, I was basically only looking for one thing.

I ended up getting myself a croissant ($6.50) and Kouign Amann ($7.50) and a Dulce de Leche Cruffin ($7.00) for the Missus. All packed in an interesting bag.

Once home, I immediately tucked into the croissant.

You can tell by the color….yes, it seemed a bit under baked, the laminate a bit dull, though the ridges were fairly crisp.

The interior was decently honey-combed, but still a bit on the doughy – “wetter” side. The fragrance was quite nice.

Just mildly buttery….I prefer more butteriness, but it just seems like lack of butter in croissants is a San Diego thing. Decent salt, but also a bit sweeter than I enjoy.

Overall, not in my “top three” for San Diego, but much better than the last two places I tried.

The Missus did enjoy the Dulce de Leche Cruffin more than the Kouign Amann which had not held up well until the evening. She did say that both pastries were on the doughy side.

Overall, not worth the 50 miles round trip……though perhaps if I lived in that 15 minute neighborhood I’d drop by once in a while. And I do think that $6.50 for a croissant is on the high side.

So there you go! Another one in the books! Thanks for mentioning this place Kenneth!

Christophe Rull Patisserie
251 N City Dr. Suite 121
San Marcos, CA 92078
Current Hours:
Tues – Fri 7am – 3pm
Sat – Sun 8am – 4pm
Closed on Monday

Croissant Files – Nature Forward Socal Bistro and LuckyBolt Kitchen + Bakery

Bakery, Croissants, European Restaurants, French Restaurants

After my recent “Croissant Compare” post, I was lucky enough to receive a couple of emails of places that baked their own croissants for me to check out! So, of course I went to check things out.

Nature Forward Socal Bistro:

I’ve actually walked past this rather new eatery in Renaissance Towne Center during my visits to Joyee.

I recall looking at the menu online and seeing Shakshuka….so I did have it on my “list”. I then received and email from “FOY” Matt who told me that on his recent visit there he saw croissants in the pastry case. Even though he didn’t have a chance to try it; the Server told him that all the pastries were made inhouse. And he was nice enough to let me know. So, I decided to head on over after doing my Farmers Market and other shopping recently.

The place seemed pretty busy when I walked in.

And I saw a croissant on display in the case. Though it didn’t look very good.

Still, since I was here, I decided to order one “to go” from the very nice woman working the counter. It was decently priced at $5. Then I waited…and waited….and waited…. It actually took over 20 minutes for my croissant! Whoa….

Anyway, thinking that they had heated it; I went to one of the public seating areas between Star Anise and Amardeen to have while hot. I opened the container and to my surprise…..

It was served with a dusting of powdered sugar! Well now….. Not quite my preference with regards to a croissant aux buerre. It was also very pale in color and after shaking off as much of the sugar as possible, I tore into it. And the color did say it all as the croissant totally lacked the crisp-flakiness of a decent croissant. It was just too doughy in texture.

The crumb was also on the doughy side, though acceptable. But it was really lacking in butteriness and of course the addition of the sugar made it skew to the sweeter side, nullifying and salt flavor as well.

This was quite disappointing to say the least. And while I may return with JJ to try out the Shakshuka; I’ll probably be passing on any future croissants here.

Nature Forward Socal Bistro
8935 Towne Centre Dr. #110
San Diego, CA 92122
Current Hours:
Sat – Tues 8am – 5pm
Wed – Fri 8am – 8pm

LuckyBolt Kitchen + Bakery:

Also after that croissant compare, KimberlyM contacted me and mentioned that LuckyBolt Kitchen + Bakery in Sorrento Valley baked their own croissants. She thought it was pretty good and wondered what I thought. Sorrento Valley? Hmmm…..wondering where this place was; I headed on over.

Arriving, I recognized this spot, across the street from the Sorrento Valley Amtrak Station as being where Zumbar Coffee & Tea is located.

Right next to that Coffee Shop sign is LuckyBolt.

I strolled on in and immediately saw the croissants “hiding” behind the signs. The friendly gentleman working affirmed that they bake their own pastries daily.

So, I got one. Priced at $4.75. I took it to go.

So, much like Wayfarer, this was one of those round, “chubby” versions. It was also pretty tiny….check it out compared to one of my coasters.

It was also overbaked as the laminate just basically exploded when I tore off a piece….croissant shrapnel everywhere….

Though I did have someone “volunteer” to help me clean up the crumbs!

The crumb was decently honeycombed and fairly light, but in need of more butter as it lacked that buttery-salt balance I’m looking for. It just seems that as a whole croissants here in SD lack the butteriness of their counterparts in Paris.

Still, I’m glad I tried it!

LuckyBolt Kitchen + Bakery
10920 Roselle St. #105
San Diego, CA 92121
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 730am – 2pm
Closed on Sunday

Thanks again to Matt and Kimberly for thinking of us!

The Croissant Compare – Wayfarer Bakery, Relic Bakery & Kitchen, and Izola

Bakery, Croissants

A little over a week ago “FOY” Kenneth sent me an email regarding having croissants from both Relic and Izola and doing a compare. I did mention that Izola has pretty much come off my “list” ever since the croissant had crossed over the $8 mark! I also mentioned needing to do a compare of croissants from Wayfarer and Relic, which I indicated were my two current favorites here in San Diego. Yes, I admittedly have a “thing” about croissants. In fact, I have an entire category for it! And yes, there are 61 posts (this is number 62). It basically all started during our visits to Paris. And it just gained momentum after visiting La Maison d’Isabelle.

Anyway, Kenneth’s wonderful email got me off my butt and on one recent morning, I first drove up to Bird Rock, which had a bunch of folks waiting, but no one in line to order, to get my first croissant. Then down the 5 to Relic for the second. I was just going to do a compare between Wayfarer and Relic, but since I had already paid for one hour of parking and Izola was just 4 blocks away…I just decided the “heck with the eight dollar price” and went to Izola as well. Needless to say; it was an interesting walk, with some “personalities” along the way.

And here’s what the croissants looked like.

Can you guess which one was $4.80 and which was $8.62 (!!!!)?

Well, let’s start from the most inexpensive. The “Plain” Croissant at Wayfarer ($4.80).

The shape was interesting. I think that “croissant” literally means “crescent” in French. This was not quite that. It’s much different in shape than what I had back in 2020.

Wayfarer seems to sometime overbake their croissant as was the case here, with the laminate too flakey, basically an explosion of flakes upon bite.

On this visit, the crumb was a bit damp and not honeycombed enough. It also seemed less buttery in flavor. Kind of a bummer as at one time, due to the recommendation of RD and CathyGreene, this was my favorite croissant in San Diego.

Wayfarer Bread & Pastry
5525 La Jolla Blvd.
La Jolla, CA 92037

Top left is the croissant from Relic Bakery & Kitchen. To me, of the three, it most resembles a classic croissant in shape and is currently priced at $5.

On this day, it was nice and golden in color, except for the two folds on the top which you can see seems over baked. It was nice and flakey, crisp, not falling to pieces. The interior was quite airy and light. Nice crisp ends and foundation.

I could make out the butter in this, in my mind it could use more as the salt to butter ratio seems a bit off.

A relative newcomer to the East Village/Downtown, this is my current overall favorite.

Relic Bakery & Kitchen
845 15th St.
San Diego, CA 92101

And then we have the $8.62 “Signature” Croissant from Izola. Now, I remember when Izola opened in the third floor of a business building Downtown. Where they’d actually deliver online orders by basket to the curb during Covid. At that time; the croissant was $3.75. Then Izola opened near Faultline Park with a bit of hype in 2024 and their croissants crossed the seven dollar mark. And now….well…you see the price above, right?

As I walked in, I took a look at the Croissant on display and had second thoughts….

It looked pale and somewhat soggy….but, I went ahead and ordered one. It was actually a 15 minute wait for my croissant after ordering….they are quite popular.

But here’s that $8.62 croissant. I gotta say, it’s quite hefty, and has that roundish shape…..

The laminate was not as crisp as Relic’s, but at least it wasn’t over baked. It was decently flakey as well, though one end was not very crisp.

It was decently honeycombed, but a bit on the wetter side. I was told that Izola uses butter from Normandy for their croissants.

There’s a light butter flavor, but for some reason, I detected some sweetness in this?

After doing this compare; I’m sticking with Relic for now. Izola is decent, but the price?

Izola
1429 Island Ave.
San Diego, CA 92101

Kenneth and I had a nice back and forth in our emails…..it was kinda fun!

Kenneth: “Well, if I had known that the croissant cost $8!  It was good but not that nice.  For that price I want tasting it to make me feel like I’m back on Montorgueil!”

Me: “Can you imagine what Parisians would think if a Patisserie on Rue Montorgueil charged like 7 Euros for a croissant aux buerre???“

Kenneth: “There would be rioting in the streets!“

So true! Thanks again for thinking of me and sending me the wonderful email Kenneth!

And I’m always open for croissant aux buerre recommendation for San Diego!

Sourdough & Moore

Bakery, Croissants

When I heard that Sourdough & Moore was opening up a brick and mortar shop I put it on my list to try. I’d seen their stand at the Mission Valley Farmers Market at Civita Park and was interested in trying their sourdough….according to what I’d read, the starter is over a century old.

It took me a bit, but I finally made it down to Newport in OB and Sourdough & Moore.

I’m guessing that 8am on Sundays are pretty quiet right now in OB? Cause I easily found parking and strolled on over.

There’s nothing like the smell of a bakery in the morning, right?

The young lady working was so cheerful and helpful. I asked if they sliced their boule and she led me to the shelves with presliced loaves. There’s a variety of flavors like kalamata olive, rosemary….but I just wanted to try the sourdough straight up. There weren’t any small loaves of plain sourdough available, so I just went with a regular sized loaf. And since I was here; you know there was something else I needed to try, right?

Yep, there’s the croissant aux buerre ($6). I also got the Missus a nice dessert as well!

It’s a Meyer Lemon Cheesecake Croissant ($12).

Which looked so pretty…the light lemon meringue like filling was very nice, not overly sweet, creamy. But the pastry was very doughy and chewy.

As for the sourdough…..

I prefer a bit of a crustier loaf, as the crust was on the chewier side. The sourdough flavor is quite light….so if you’re into not overly tangy-earth sourdough, this might do it for you.

Th bread itself is quite light and fluffy, very soft……not good if you’re into eating toasted sourdough or avocado toast, but it compliments a sandwich nicely.

Personally, we still prefer a assertive tasting sourdough like what Secret Sister makes.

As for the croissant….well, it is really long…..

The laminate looked really baked, but it was on the chewy side, lacking in flakiness.

The interior was decently honeycombed, but also a bit too “wet” for my taste.

It also needed more butter. A telling moment was when I tried to give JJ some and he turned it down! The croissant king?!? What the heck? So, I’m still looking at Relic and Wayfarer being my top 2 here in SD. I need to do a side by side comparison one of these days…..

Anyway, if you like a milder flavored sourdough, ahem, “S&M” might (not literally) be your thing.

Sourdough & Moore
4853 Newport Ave.
San Diego, CA 92107
Current Hours:
Wed – Fri 7am – 3pm
Sat – Sun 8am – 3pm
Closed on Monday & Tuesday

Relic Bakery & Kitchen

Bakery, Croissants

I first heard about Relic Bageri back in early 2024 at their weekends only location in a commercial kitchen on Commerce Avenue. They started doing preorders, but that just wasn’t my thing. I did try to visit, but the lines were crazy. Now you just know that a place so successful was going to grow, right? And finally, in October of last year they opened a brick and mortar shop in East Village.

With all our road trips, I waited a bit to finally visit the shop in East Village. The area seems a bit sketchy, but heck, SDPD HQ is there and there always seems to be parking available.

It’s a nice looking shop, in a sort of transitional area.

Anyway, it wasn’t overly busy on this day and I strolled on in.

Lots of pastries to tempt you…and the price point is lower than Izola!

The same really nice young lady was working on each of my visits.

There’s both indoor and outdoor dining available, a coffee stand, and breakfast and lunch is served. But you know I was really only interested in one thing at the moment, right?

So, I got myself a Butter Croissant, which was $5. And a couple other savory stuffs.

As for the croissant aux buerre……I like the lamination, nice and flakey, good, light, fluffy and airy interior.

In terms of flavor; it’s got a lighter butteriness than I prefer, and perhaps a bit too much salt for our tastes. Still, not overly sweet, nice texture, not over baked as many versions.

As for the rest; well I just had to get this beast.

This is the Chinese Five Spice Sausage Croissant. Well, let me tell you, this is pretty huge.

Nice porky flavor, good, not overpowering anise tones. There’s a bit of herbaceousness and the size and texture reminds me of Lao/Thai sausages. And with a croissant wrapper around it?

Still, I really enjoyed the Jalapeno, Speck, and Cheese Croissant the most.

Love the tangy-sour spice of the pickled jalapenos, with the mildly smoky-savory speck, and the light milkiness of the cheese. If anything, I think a stronger cheese might be even better. Along with the crispness of the croissant, slight buttery-sweetness. There’s something about this combo I enjoyed.

The Missus tried all three and them asked me why I didn’t get anything for “Her”. So of course that issue had to be rectified.

I got the Double Pain au Chocolate which the Missus absolutely loved. And she enjoyed the texture of the Bear Claw, but it was too sweet for Her.

As for me…well, it was another Croissant aux Buerre. Now this one had a bit more butteriness and was still wonderfully light and fluffy. Except that it seemed to have been over baked and was too flakey…as in croissant laminate shrapnel everywhere.

Still, this might be my current favorite croissant aux buerre in San Diego. And of course, there’s a certain someone who was volunteering to “clean up” the fragments.

The Missus enjoyed the pain du chocolate so much that She sent me back on a Saturday to get more. This time, I decided to forgo the regular croissant…..

There was a line on this day and the dining area was almost full.

Still, the folks working have always been so pleasant.

So, this time around in addition to the Jalapeno, Speck, and Cheese Croissant – which I still really like and the Double Pain du Chocolate; I got a couple of others to try.

The Missus absolutely loves the “Mocha Bomb”.

I didn’t care for the Lamb Rillette Croissant.

The pastry itself had a really great texture, flakey and crisp, but the rillette was really chewy and it didn’t feature the typical aromatic-rich-gaminess that I associate with lamb rillette.

Still, we’ve enjoyed exploring various items from Relic. I have gone back 3 more times since this last visit. And the croissant aux buerre has been my favorite in SD so far…. It’s not perfectly to my taste….I’m thinknig a bit more butter but I’m not expecting say…what we get at La Maison d’Isabelle, our favorite boulangerie in Paris, which I’ve posted on like four times. But it has still been enjoyable. I need to revisit Wayfarer….or maybe do both in a side by side comparison, right? Meanwhile; the Missus has been craving that Mocha Bomb! And we need to check out the various kitchen offerings as well.

Relic Bakery & Kitchen
845 15th St.
San Diego, CA 92101
Current Hours:
Wed – Sun 8am – 2pm
Closed Monday – Tuesday

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

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 – Lupulo and Revisiting The Buttery (Santa Cruz)

Bakery, Beer, Croissants, Dog Friendly, Gastropub, Monterey/Carmel/Santa Cruz - Monterey Bay/Peninsula, Road Trip, Travel

After a nice morning hike and a pork filled lunch we had ourselves a nice nap. Upon rising, we decided to head back to downtown Sant Cruz, where the Missus could get more shopping in. And then we’d find a place to have an early dinner.

Because the Missus didn’t feel comfortable among all the homeless in San Lorenzo Park, we walked over to the Soquel Avenue Bridge and crossed the river there.

Check out this truck and trailer crossing the bridge!

Right as we got to Pacific Avenue, one of the main streets in Downtown; the Missus saw this shop.

What else could I say other than “Ommmm on in”?

It was quite a “groovy” experience.

We wandered thru the side streets and alleyways. Check out the tea master at this Tea House.

We headed north to where Pacific Avenue meets Front Street and came to the Town Clock.

Which I later learned had quite an interesting story behind it. You can read about it here.

We then headed down Front Street.

Lined with shops, coffee places, and restaurants…..

And came across these Rockin’ Nana’s….man, they were really good! And much cooler than me!

Meanwhile, a street art thing was happening on the corner.

While walking thru one of the passageways, we came across this “groovy” tea shop/cafe. Named Roxa (and no my fellow Kama’aina’s it ain’t RockZa ok!) Hammock Cafe.

It sold tea and other herbal drinks and had actual hammocks spanning two floors! No, I didn’t feel comfortable taking photos since there were folks just having their teas and lounging on the hammocks. The Missus actually got some tea from here.

I could see why Santa Cruz played a big part in the “Summer of Love”. Some of it still lingers on….

We decided to get an early dinner. Of course the question was, where? I had heard about a nice Gastropub named Lupulo, that served up some decent brews and some “Latin” style dishes so we decided to walk on over and give it a try.

There was outdoor seating, which worked fine for JJ. I went in and ordered. The gentleman working was quite friendly.

The place was pretty busy as well…..

The menu was indeed Mexican/Latin based, I placed my order and had a nice Pliny while we waited for our order.

I loved the glasses here!

And we also enjoyed watching the customers……

As for food. Well, you know how the Missus loves Her meatballs, so I ordered the Albondigas.

The bread was meh……but those beef and pork meatballs were quite good. A bit dense, but you could tell there was pork there! The tomato “sofrito” was tangy, with nice garlic tones. This was fairly good.

I also ordered the Cochinita Pibil tacos….which was made from chicken rather than pork.

This was actually not bad at all. Nice tangy acidity, a bit on the chewier side, which is fine for tacos. Decent savory tones, really enjoyed the pickled onions. The tortillas were quite basic and routine, but not terrible. This was actually not bad and made for a pleasant meal.

Lupulo Craft Beer House
233 Cathcart St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

It had been an enjoyable day for us!

As for the next morning….well….you know we’d be back at the Buttery. And by this time…..well, JJ was now into full “croissant mode”!

And it was just as good as the day before if not better!

The Buttery
702 Soquel Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062

We really enjoyed Santa Cruz and can’t wait to return….with JJ of course!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip – The Buttery, Pipeline Road Trail, and Revisiting Special Noodle (Santa Cruz)

Bakery, Chinese Restaurants, Croissants, Dog Friendly, Monterey/Carmel/Santa Cruz - Monterey Bay/Peninsula, Road Trip, Travel

Upon waking on our full day in Santa Cruz, we decided to head up Soquel Avenue to a bakery I’d heard about. It was a short 10 minute walk from our hotel. Right past the Shopper’s Corner Market, was the Buttery.

The low key location had a nice outdoor area.

And the Missus watched JJ, while I went inside to get us some croissants and coffee.

There was no one in the queue when I entered and I was pleasantly surprised at the price of the plain croissants – $2.95.

So, I was ready to be underwhelmed at this croissant, but it was surprisingly good!

The exterior looked a bit overbaked, but the laminate was crisp, but not flaking to pieces. The ridges didn’t fall off either.

The interior was nicely honeycombed and fluffy. But most importantly, there was a decent amount of butteriness to this! Not bad at all! Better than what we’d had at Bouchon Bakery a few days previous!

I even gave JJ a taste and he went bonkers! Oh man, did I open up a can of worms here!

The Buttery
702 Soquel Ave.
Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Of course we’d return the following morning….

And of course the Missus needed me to “burn off” those croissant calories, so we headed back to the hotel, then set out to Henry Crowell Redwoods State Park. Marissa, the lovely young lady at BPC had recommended the Pipeline Road Trail, though she told me that it was kind of long – 6 miles or so. The big plus being that it starts at the Park Office and that it is well paved and maintained. It is the only dog friendly trail in the park as well.

There a 900 foot elevation gain, but we really didn’t feel it.

There were some nice views.

And of course those lovely Redwoods……

And JJ handled it like a champ. Actually, you can tell by his expression that I’m the “weak link” here…..

It was on the “easy side” for the Missus and JJ, who did really well.

After heading back and freshening up, it was time for lunch. Well, since we had enjoyed our dinner the previous evening at Special Noodle and the Missus was still missing Chinese food we walked on back to the restaurant.

The gentleman from the previous evening remembered us and we were seated in the same area. He even made sure got chopsticks without asking this time!

We decided on some different dishes this time around; starting with the La Rou with Smoked Bamboo.

This usual Hunan style dish was a bit short on chilies and spiciness, but the bamboo was nice and crisp; though the pork was definitely like the stuff I can get at 99 Ranch Market. It was far from bland though with a good amount of soy and smokey tones.

The rice had obviously just been finished as it was steaming hot; but also a bit on the mushy side.

We also got the Braised Pork Belly – Hong Shao Rou, which turned out to be quite good!

Just tender enough, without being mushy, the porkiness came through nicely. Ginger – Soy tones came thru nicely, and more importantly for the Missus, this was much more savory than sweet.

After finishing this; we really needed a nap!

Special Noodle
415 Ocean St.
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

I guess this will be a regular stop when we’re in Santa Cruz!

Now it was nap time!

Road Trip – Bouchon Bakery (Yountville) and The Napa River Inn

Bakery, Croissants, Dog Friendly, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Road Trip, Travel

**** Just a croissant in this one, in case you just want to come back tomorrow!

Our next destination after leaving Mendocino was the actual city of Napa. But first, I wanted to stop at a bakery that folks I know have been raving about in Yountville. Back in 2003, the one and only Thomas Keller opened Bouchon Bakery in Yountville, to reside along his restaurant Bouchon…all of which has become part of the kingdom that includes among others, the French Laundry, which I’ve had the pleasure of dining at a bajillion years ago and Per Se.

So, after a three hour drive, we made a stop in Yountville, which is quite a lovely and artsy town.

We found some parking up the street from the bakery and had a lovely little stroll down Washington Street. Van De Leur Park is a small, but quaint park…..and the flowers were in bloom, which JJ enjoyed.

We arrived at Bouchon Bakery and the Missus and JJ had a seat at the bench outside; while I went in.

Yes, of course I got the butter croissant, which looked fairly good.

Not overly laminated and while the ridges didn’t fall off, it lacked a nice crispness. The interior was on the doughy side and definitely needed more butter for my taste.

Overall….meh. And the funny thing is; we’d actually get a better croissant aux buerre later on this road trip, in Santa Cruz of all places!

Bouchon Bakery
6528 Washington St.
Yountville, CA 94599

We took a short walk after having the croissant.

Yountville seems nice to visit; though all the folks we saw seemed like tourists. I’m fairly certain it’s pretty expensive to live here as well.

From Yountville, it was about a twenty-five minute drive into the city of Napa and our accommodation, the Napa River Inn. Located in the Hatt Building, once the location of the Napa Mill, the hotel is located right on the riverfront.

It’s a historic property…..just look at the lobby.

The rooms are spread thru three different buildings on the property. The entrance to where our room was on Fifth Street.

And it actually had a view of the riverwalk from the patio, though it was discreetly bordered by plants for privacy. But, one of the main reasons we stayed here was how dog friendly the place is.

Look at how JJ was greeted!

I guess there were three pups staying here on this day!

And they had the room nicely set-up for him as well.

There’s a bakery; with free pastries delivered to your room each morning; 2 restaurants, a cocktail bar, and a sweet shop located on the property.

And lots of artwork everywhere.

Napa River Inn
500 Main St.
Napa, CA 94559

After settling in, we headed on out to explore a bit. We crossed the Napa River on the Third Street Bridge.

And went to explore the Oxbow Public Market.

There wasn’t anything at the market or along the walk that caught the Missus’s attention. So we headed back to the room.

It was kind of strange as this would basically be the main theme of our stay for the Missus as She seemed kinda bored with Napa…..

But at least JJ was a VIP!

Wildland Revisited for Brunch (Carlsbad)

Breakfast/Brunch, Croissants, Dog Friendly

Recently, the Missus was craving that smoked fish platter we had at Wildland in Carlsbad. So, since Wildland has a nice outdoor area and JJ likes the area, we decided to head on up.

We thought we’d take JJ on a walk thru the Village and along Carlsbad Boulevard, first hitting up Sleeping Tiger Coffee; which we sadly found is no longer open. Still, JJ enjoyed the stroll all the way down to Tower 35 and back. We had parked a block away from Wildland, which was getting to be pretty busy when we arrived.

I went in to place my order….if you haven’t read my previous post; Wildland is one of those places where you order at the counter and take a number to your table.

Well, disappointment numba 2….I didn’t see the Smoked Fish Plate on the menu and when I walked up to the counter I as told by the very nice guy working that they no longer offer the Smoked Fish Plate. Bumma! He told me that it was a favorite of his as well, but they just didn’t sell enough of it. So, I quickly had to go to “plan B”….which was readily in sight.

Well, at least I’d have another entry for my “Croissant Files“, right? And at least it was $5…..not one of those over $10 one’s I’ve seen recently! The gentleman also recommended the Breakfast Sandwich ($16).

I was handed a number placard and my croissant and headed back to the table. The Missus was indeed disappointed…but the croissant looked much better than the over baked looking one on display.

The exterior was nicely laminated and crisp…flaking away nicely.

The interior layered decently; a bit on the wetter side, but most importantly, lacking in butteriness. Decent by San Diego standards…..’nuff said.

As for the Breakfast Sandwich. It looked quite nice.

That egg was perfect; runny yolk, crisp edges. The Pain au Lait; French Milk Bread was toward the brioche end of the scale to us….sweeter and denser than versions we’ve had in France. The fennel sausage was toothsome, though the anise tones were a bit overwhelming….like having licorice for breakfast.

Not a bad breakfast, especially if we’re on a staycation, but nothing worth the drive all the way up to Carlsbad for…..which to us, that Smoked Fish Plate was. Perhaps one day that dish will return to the menu at Wildland.

Wildland
2598 State St.
Carlsbad, CA 92008