Category: Dog Friendly

Road Trip – MacCallum House Inn and Exploring Mendocino

American/New American Restaurants, Dog Friendly, Mendocino, CA, Road Trip, Salads, Travel

After lunch we set about walking around Mendocino. From what I was told; the history of the area starts with the Pomo People, who lived here for over a millennium. The redwoods brought the lumber industry in the 1850’s and Mendocino Village was established in 1852. Many of the workers were from New England, which explains the Victorian stylings and Saltbox Cottages we saw. The town itself is quite charming, though folks I know warned me of how expensive they though things were…..they called the place “Spendocino”…..to us, it wasn’t as pricy as the Bay area.

Right off Main Street in Mendocino are two really easy trails. While waiting for our room, we strolled along the Mendocino Headlands Trail. The views were lovely.

Quite peaceful and relaxing, not another soul in sight.

Hard to believe that right across the road is Main Street!

We walked to the area overlooking Big River Beach.

And then up to Church Street where there’s well, a church of course.

That’s the historic Mendocino Presbyterian Church, which was build between 1867 and 1868.

And made our way back to our accommodations in a roundabout way. When visiting this charming village one quickly notices how many water towers there are.

In fact, our accommodations even had a Water Tower Suite….good ol’ number 13. According to this post, the water table is the area is close to the surface, thus the area was lacking with regards to in ground water storage. Most of the water towers were built at the end of the 19th century. That water tower above also has a history, which you can read about here.

Walking on Albion Street we noticed this Chinese Temple.

This is the Temple of Kwan Tai a Taoist temple dedicated to Kwan Tai (Guan Yu).

The Missus and I were immediately interested in how this got to be built in Mendocino. Apparently, the Chinese came to the area in the 1850’s to work in logging camps. It is said the the temple either dates back to1854 or 1867, depending on the source. Interesting, huh?

A block down Albion was our accommodation; the MacCallum House Inn which dates back to 1882.

This lovely inn features a variety of accommodations. We stayed in one of the suites in the “North Barn” building.

Which was lovely and had a private patio and even a hot tub, which was nice, even though we never used it.

The main building features a rather popular restaurant with patio seating, which was perfect for JJ. This was where we had breakfast, which was included with our stay. We decided to have an early dinner on this evening. The friendly Server told us that most of the ingredients were locally sourced.

Things started out with some really delicious bread.

The butter was decently whipped and light.

The Missus had Her sights on getting Her veggie fixes, so that was the focus of the meal; starting with the Field Lettuces.

Nice variety of greens, great crisp texture, loved the beets. The avocado was under ripe, hard, and lacking in flavor. The vinaigrette was quite simple, like something I’d make at home. That avocado and sourdough was a $7 upcharge.

The Grilled Asparagus and Proscuitto was fine; though the asparagus was overcooked and mushy, not quite how the Missus enjoys it.

The proscuitto was super fatty, almost like lardo. The egg was perfectly cooked and the cheese was nice and sharp in flavor.

The Olive Oil Roasted Cauliflower was simple, which was actually a good thing. Though the price for this dish was $32!

The Missus loves Her cauliflower and this was lightly sweet – earth – nutty, She loved it. The Kale might have been better served in smaller pieces. The quinoa was fine. That sauce had an interesting sweetness to it. I later found out it was pea “jus”.

I did see something on the “side dishes” menu that interested me. The Collard Greens, Ham Hocks, and Black Eyed Peas.

While the ham hocks were on the crisp side like lardons; we both loved the flavors – so savory and smoky, the beans were cooked perfectly, slightly firm and tender. This was very good.

Overall, a nice meal, the service was very friendly and we appreciated that most of the produce was sourced locally. Not a cheap meal coming in at over $120 not including tip….but heck, we were in “Spendo-cino” right?

MacCallum House
45020 Albion St.
Mendocino, CA 95460

We took a nice stroll after dinner. There’s a Health Food Store; with the interesting name of Corners of the Mouth Health Food Store right next to the back entrance of MacCallum House. Looks like it could have possibly been a church in a previous life?

We got some snacks and I got a couple of beers for the next two nights.

Corners of the Mouth, Health Food Store
45015 Ukiah St.
Mendocino, CA 95460

It was obvious that we wouldn’t be starving in Mendocino…….

Tribute Pizza Revisited

Dog Friendly, Italian Restaurants

After really enjoying the Oxtail Meatballs at Romanella, the Missus was wondering how they would compare to Her previous favorite at Tribute. It had been a while since we’d visited, though we had even tried at the 4pm opening times, there always seemed to be a line. The place has a dog friendly patio, so we thought we’d just roll the dice and arrived at 420 on a Sunday. And guess what, we got a small table on the patio!

So JJ had a place to hang while we ate.

We were really here so the Missus could have those meatballs and our lunch had been pretty substantial, so we went with a lighter meal.

Starting with the House Pickles ($9).

We really enjoyed the varied texture and each tasted different. The cauliflower pickled with beet juice was the Missus’s favorite as it also had a hint of sweetness to go with the acidic-sour. I liked the little mushrooms….there were only two tiny ones, but there’s a savory-earthiness and a wonderful meaty texture to go with the sourness.

Of course we had to get the Focaccia ($8) with ‘Nduja ($5).

Loved the texture of the bread, the mild yeastiness, the crisp crust. The ‘Nduja seems to have changed over the years. It’s less red these days, much denser and less spreadable. Lacking in the salumi like savory tones, though much more spicy. I think we’ll just go with the Foccacia the next time as it’s just fine with the butter and the olive oil-balsamic. The leftovers toasted up quite nicely as well.

And then of course, the Meatballs (3-$21). Yes, we’re in time where 3 meatballs go for over twenty bucks!

This came with more of the wonderful focaccia. The Missus thought the meatballs were ok; not as beefy or tender as the version at Romanella! Whoa…. We also preferred the days when there were actual pieces of roasted peppers and onions in the sauce. The root vegetable marinara also lacked the acidity that it used to have.

Service was fine and our food didn’t take very long, especially for how busy the place was. Of course we didn’t order any pizza though. The outdoor area is small, so things are kind of cramped. I think we’ll just go with some Focaccia and a pizza the next time we return.

Tribute Pizza
3077 North Park Way
San Diego, CA 92104

Road Trip – Doran Regional Park, Fishetarian Fish Market, and Dinner Again from Terrapin Creek Cafe

American/New American Restaurants, Dog Friendly, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Road Trip, Seafood, Travel

After our caffeine fix at Roadhouse Coffee we headed off down Shoreline Highway a bit. The Missus wanted to do a bit of walking this morning, so I headed to Doran Regional Park. We got to the parking lot at the end of the road and had fun walking along the North Jetty and Doran Campground area.

We took the Doran Beach Trail, where JJ could find all sorts of “stuffs” to entertain himself.

After strolling along the beach area, we headed up the road a bit and found some parking on Doran Beach Road and did the Cheney Creek Trail and Bird Walk which was a lovely loop trail.

Walking the loop along the salt water marsh was beautiful and peaceful.

I’m sure my good friend “CC” would have really enjoyed the bird watching.

We actually did the loop counter clockwise from the south. Didn’t run into anyone until we got near to Highway 1.

Saw this interesting rock….but can’t really find anything about it online.

It was a nice way to start the day.

It was already getting pretty late for lunch so, we ended up stopping at Lucas Wharf at the Fishetarian Fish Market.

I wanted to give the Dungeness Crab Sandwich another try. Even though the Missus wasn’t really feeling it, She relented. The shop is a rather charming restaurant/fish market.

Where you order at the counter.

There’s ample outdoor seating….well, at least on this day there was. So, JJ could hang out while we ate.

To make the Missus happy, I got a side of Kale Slaw to go with the sandwich and sweet potato fries..

The sweet potato fries were tasty, but on the dry – soggy side. We enjoyed the crab filling more here, but it still had too much mayo for the Missus.

That ciabatta roll didn’t hold out for the entire meal.

At least you could make out the oceany-sweetness of the dungeness crab here. And it seemed like the amount of crab was generous. I requested the sandwich with no cheese which I believe helped things.

I did get a small side of the kale slaw which seemed to have an Asian touch as we tasted sesame oil?

All in all, a fine, somewhat touristy meal. But JJ enjoyed himself.

Fishetarian Fish Market
599 Highway 1
Bodega Bay, CA 94923

After this, we did a couple of stops along the way, and then headed back to our accommodations for some R&R. After our nap, since Bodega Bay really isn’t great for walking, we just decided to get take out again at Terrapin Creek Cafe. While the Missus hung out in the Bodega Bay Inn “wine shack” to finish the wine we’d bought there the night before; I walked over to get our takeout.

We got the  Charred Octopus and Cauliflower Salad again which was better this time around.

You can’t really see it here; but much more octopus which was fairly tender.

The Roasted Asparagus and Maitake Salad didn’t have a whole lot of maitake….but a load of grated Manchego.

This was fine for a salad, the Missus enjoyed the chopped boiled eggs.

I also got the Pan Roasted Hokkaido Scallops….three scallops for $23.

Pan seared….not sure about “roasted”. Did not enjoy the overwhelming flavor of fennel, but the scallops were fine.

Overall, this was fine. I’m sure eating in the restaurant would have been better; though we enjoyed having the “wine shack” all to ourselves.

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

We had enjoyed our visit to Bodega Bay; though I’m not sure we’d return as we prefer towns where we can walk and explore.

Lunch with JJ – Silverlake Ramen (Fashion Valley)

Dog Friendly, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

Recently, I had to head on over to Fashion Valley….which I usually try to avoid. But since I going there, I was wondering if I should take JJ along and looked to see if there were any dog friendly places to eat. And there were quite a few. I was pleasantly surprised to see that Silverlake Ramen allowed dogs. It had been on the cooler side…..which I kind of look forward to since I can get all my noodle soup fixes in. So, we headed on over.

I’d actually been to the UTC location of Silverlake, but since it was a lunch with a group of people, I didn’t take any photos. And to be perfectly honest, I really wasn’t impressed with the ramen. So, this was going to be interesting……

Silverlake’s location at Fashion Valley is located right along the south side parking lots and driveway, so it’s pretty discreet. The young man working was super friendly and even though I was seated outside was on top of things. He even got JJ a bowl of water!

Which JJ appreciated…..

During my previous visit to the UTC location of Silverlake….which BTW was founded in the Silver Lake (duh) neighborhood in LA back in 2012. Anyway, I probably erred and ordered the Garlic Truffle Ramen, which was way too sweet….and the noodles were overcooked.

I was kinda hungry from having to keep up with the squirt, so I got the Combo ($20.50). Since I’d be having karaage for dinner; I went with the Pork Bun as my appetizer to go with the Classic Tonkotsu. The efficient young man brought out the pork bun soon after I placed my order.

The pickled onions were indispensable as this was really sweet and over-sauced for my taste. There was just too much of the sesame aioli. All of which combined to nullify any porkiness. That bun and the pork were on the chewy side as well.

Hmmm…..now this made me somewhat concerned about my ramen.

Which wasn’t bad. Not a fan of the overly sweet black garlic oil and I think the broth, which was on the thinner side in terms of tonkotsu has quite a bit of msg in it as I soon got the “ms-heebee-gee-bees” and actually gulped down two cups of water during my meal…..thank goodness for the great Server and another bottle in the car!

The tamago had a decently tender yolk…but sigh…..you know my pet peeve right? It was ice cold. Bummer!

The noodles were decently cooked. Nice and slippery, with a good “Q-Q” springiness them.

The pork was milder in terms of the marinade, but quite tender and you could actually make out some rich savoriness. I do enjoy some of that sweet-savory-soy sauce flavor that a good marinade provides for my chashu.

All in all, more of a “B” level ramen to me. This was definitely better than what I’d had at the UTC location and that young man provided very good service. Though I’m not in a rush to return as I’m going to have to revisit those ramen shops I consider San Diego “A” level…..hope the cool weather holds steady.

Silverlake Ramen (In Fashion Valley Mall)
7007 Friars Rd. Suite 357B
San Diego, CA 92108
Current Hours:
Mon – Sat 11am – 9pm
Sunday 11am – 8pm

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

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.

Romanella Cucina Romana Part 2 – Lunch and More Meals

Dog Friendly, Italian Restaurants

In part 1 of my post on Romanella, I covered Happy Hour and a dinner. So far, we had found two menu items we really enjoyed. The Oxtail Meatballs and the Lamb Chops. Happy Hour had been quite reasonable in terms of prices; but that $35 Bucatini Carbonara left much to be desired in our opinion. Still, we’d found two menu items we really enjoyed and looking over the lunch menu served from 12-2 looked interesting…especially since there was an Oxtail Meatball Sandwich on offer.

We decided to stick with a couple of sandwiches which come with either a House Salad or the Soup of the Day. And they even have bread service during lunch as well.

I went with the Italian Sandwich ($16) and both of us went with the soup of the day; which was a Red Pepper Soup….like a thinner bisque.

Very nicely flavored, good savory and lightly sweet tones, good amount of salt, not bad at all.

As for the sandwich.

Served on a nicely toasted focaccia….it looks like it was done up on the flat top. It had a good amount of salumi……Mortadella, Salami, Prosciutto.

A light Italian dressing, which did well not to interfere with the flavors from the salumi, tomato, and pungent red onions. I could only finish half of the sandwich. I had the rest for lunch the next day. Not outstanding; but to me, worth the price paid. I may try the Porchetta Sandwich next time.

Of course the Missus got the Oxtail Meatball Sandwich ($18).

That marinara sauce goes well with the focaccia. The beefy, fairly tender meatballs do well in a sandwich; though the positioning of the proteins left for some bites with only sauce-bread-mozzarella. Though the Missus didn’t complain about that at all.

The coarse cut of the oxtail meatballs really does well in this sandwich.

A week or so later, we took JJ up to Romanella again and by now we had a gameplan….at least for the time being; we’d be going with the meatballs and lamb chops and try another dish. This time I went with the Carpaccio ($20).

While I’m a big fan of carpaccio di manzo; this doesn’t “make the cut”. The meat seemed a bit beyond best served by…it was mushy and had a metallic finish. The EVOO wasn’t flavorful enough and there wasn’t enough parmesan to hide the shortcomings of the beef. Yes, I did enjoy the olives and the arugula….but I ordered carpaccio, not a salad.

And finally, we decided to walk on up last week with JJ for another three appetizer dinner.

This time I tried a cocktail called Smoke of the Gods which featured both Mezcal and Tequila. It had a nice smoky-not to sweet flavor, with an interesting, almost citrusy-nutty background. I was told they use Orgeat in this! Decent cocktail.

As for what we ordered….well, it was our two favorites. This wasn’t HH so the Oxtail Meatballs were $21 and four meatballs were provided instead of the three for HH. Do you see what the “third wheel” for this dinner was?

Yes, it’s in the back to the right.

Folks who read often enough know that I really like pulpo….but having had my share of rubbery-flavorless octopus, I often hesitate in ordering it. I’ve got to say that the Polpo Alla Griglia ($19) wasa very pleasant surprise as the octopus was very tender. I’m thinking they sous vide it? Lightly briny, the polpo was very good.

The Borlotti/Cranberry Beans were perfectly cooked, savory-nutty. Served over roasted potatoes, this was very good….though both the Missus and I thought it could use a bit more salt. Still, we had found our “third” dish for future dinners here.

You know, after almost a quarter century in Bay Park, it felt good to finally find a place where we could grab dinner every once in a while. And the fact that the staff is so welcoming and they are dog friendly….well, that just makes everything better. Now, if I can find a decent pasta dish here!

You can read part 1 of my posts on Romanella here.

Romanella Cucina Romana
3055 Clairemont Dr.
San Diego, CA 92117
Current Hours:
Mon – Thurs 12pm – 9pm
Fri – Sun 12pm – 10pm

Romanella Cucina Romana Part 1 – Happy Hour and Dinner

Dog Friendly, Italian Restaurants

A short while ago, I saw that La Pastaia had closed. Man, that was a rather short run. While we liked the fact that La Pastaia was independently run we never took to the place. Even Farmers Table which preceded that restaurant just seemed very corporate. And before that this place was Mike’s BBQ and for a very brief time LW’s SD BBQ. And going even further back, when we first moved to Bay Park, this was “ABCDE” Chinese Garden! Sheesh; have we been living here that long already?

Romanella opened very quietly a couple of weeks after I saw the new sign go up. It was a quick turnaround. Though thinking about things….we already had four other places within a block that served pizza….did we really need one more?

I took a quick look when I saw the place opening and the really friendly folks….all of whom were Italian let me take a gander at the menu. The outdoor area was dog friendly; they are owned by the same folks as Roman Wolves in Little Italy. We decided to drop by with JJ.

We liked the patio seating.

And JJ seemed appreciative of the “cover” from the brightly shining sun.

The folks working treated JJ so nice!

And they have a Happy Hour (2-5pm) menu…..even better!

And we decided to just stick with HH items, which were nicely priced.

Some bread arrived with 2 sauces.

Yeasty, and pretty good. The marinara was thick, rustic, good tomato flavor. Was not a fan of the weak, gloppy cheese sauce though.

Things started off with the Fiori de Zucca (stuffed Zucchini blossoms – $8HH).

Perfectly fried and so crisp! Unfortunately, we didn’t care for the overly sweet and sticky fig compote, nor the rather bland ricotta sauce…which seems to be the same as what was served with the bread.

We enjoyed the flavors of the Balsamic Glaze and Pesto oil on the rather simple looking Bruschetta ($6-HH).

The crispness of the bread was quite nice, but it was a bit overly charred for our taste. But still not bad.

The Missis loved the beefiness of the Oxtail Meatballs ($10 – HH) along with the rich, thick, and tasty marinara sauce.

This was so beefy in flavor; the only shortcoming was that this was served lukewarm. Still, the Missus wanted more of these!

Last up was simply named Pochetta on the HH menu. When it arrived we were shocked. It was a Pinsa Romana and only $10 for HH!

The Missus cracked up at the potato on the “pizza” as it took Her back to Rome. The slices of porchetta was rather thin and while the potato and the smoked Mozzarella was on the milder side; that crust was so light and crisp. We could only manage two of the smaller slices.

It did heat up well in the toaster oven though! And grating some Parmigiano Reggiano on it really added to the flavor.

The service was a bit spotty….which can probably be attributed to just opening. The folks working were wonderful though…so warm and friendly. And really nice to JJ. And there were those Oxtail Meatballs. So, we returned for dinner a few nights later. Same wonderful crew were working.

We arrived right before 5pm and they got the Missus Her meatballs at HH prices!

This time the bread, which was still warm was just served with the cheese sauce.

This time around, the meatballs and sauce were nice and hot.

And it was even more tender than on our first visit! The Missus really enjoyed this.

This time we decided to try the Lamb Scotta Ditto (Lamb Lollipops – $21). While not cheap; this was another winnah!

A sprinkle of breadcrumbs added a nice textural contrast, the lamb was super tender and deliciously gamey! The mildly garlicky Chimichurri, with a hint of rosemary really worked well with the gamy lamb. This was so good….now the Missus had two favorites! Yikes!

Now since this was La Cucina Romana….well, there’s one dish that I just loved in Rome. Not sure if any of you were reading my posts from way back then. But man; I just loved the Carbonara! And on the menu was Bucatini Cabonara….though it was listed as “MP”; that would be “Market Price”. We asked the wonderful gentleman running the place and was told it would $35 on this day! Whoa….. Still, I just wanted to try it.

So, soon enough that wheel of Pecorino was brought out to the table.

And the cheese wheel dish was being made. Now, what I didn’t notice as this was being made was that pan of cream-cheese sauce on the bottom of the cart.

When the pasta was coated; they piled on even more sauce. Sigh…..

This was a gloppy, very over sauced dish. You couldn’t even taste the Guanciale. The Bucatini was also over cooked for our taste. I guess we’ve really taken to how pasta is served in Italy. This was more like over sauced American style Italian. Kind of a bummer.

The Missus did enjoy Her meatballs and the lamb chops though. And they just treated us….especially JJ so nice that a week later the Missus wanted to return for the lunch specials. I’m happy that the Missus has found a place with some dishes She enjoys in the neighborhood. And being just three blocks away…..of course we returned!

Stay tuned for part 2!

Romanella Cucina Romana
3055 Clairemont Dr.
San Diego, CA 92117

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

Road Trip – The Secret Garden and Dinner at L’Escargot (Carmel)

Dog Friendly, French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Monterey/Carmel/Santa Cruz - Monterey Bay/Peninsula, Road Trip, Travel

After doing the 17 Mile Drive and some shopping in Pacific Grove, we headed back to Carmel. After parking the car, we decided to take JJ down to Carmel Beach which was just a few blocks from where we were staying.

It was kind of overcast, but we enjoyed the short stroll.

We then headed back up Ocean Avenue where the Missus did a bit more shopping.

While looking at this window display, the Artist and owner of the shop, Edi Matsumoto came out. She was so nice and we had a lovely chat!

As we headed on back to the Green Lantern, I happened to look down the driveway off of San Carlos Street and I noticed something.

Hmmm…..

Ok, they really know how to get me, right? You know I just had to see what was down that path.

It was a cute little path, adorned with statuary, fountains, very serene and relaxing.

There’s a little Garden shop.

And the path leads out to Dolores Street and this bookstore.

It was a very nice community bookstore and the owners were oh so friendly and kind.

You can really tell they’re part of the community here!

And you know what; I just happened to open up this Children’s book….

And I saw all those places we’d been walking past! I loved it! I wanted to support this shop, so I bought an Autographed copy! Of course it features pooches, right? But wait, there’s more! There’s a fabulous map, and you can follow Olly’s and Lucille’s adventure using the Voicemap App – from the book’s website!

Here’s a screenshot of the map from that website:

Also, more about the Secret Garden here and here.

Pilgrims Way Community Bookstore
Dolores St. between 5th & 6th
Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93921

On the way back we came across this cute little park between all the art galleries on Dolores Street.

Away from the hustle and bustle, Carmel is quite charming.

We took a short break before heading out to dinner. I had made reservations at a French restaurant for our last dinner in the city. The name, L’Escargot hooked me. The restaurant was a 15 minute walk from our room. It was dinner time and all the traffic was back. Though once we got past 6th Avenue, things seemed to quiet down a bit. The restaurant had ample outdoor seating.

I walked over; peeked into the restaurant and the host seated us at one of the al fresco tables.

I got a Kir Royale and some baguette and butter was dropped off while we looked over the menu.

The butter was cold, but nicely whipped very creamy, milky, and light. The baguette was a bit damp, but the crust was very good!

As we often do; we just went with several apps. Starting with the Duck and Pork Country Pate.

Coarsely ground, but oh so rich….deep earthy-gamy flavors. Those cornichons came in handy. The mustard helped to cut the liveryness. Man, this was so good with the baguette….our Server saw us blasting thru it and brought us another basket!

Of course we had to try the Escargot, right?

Man, these were jumbo sized! Plump, great texture, toothsome, but not chewy! Oh my, that garlic butter was so rick and savory….guess who needed more baguette?

The Sweetbread and Mushroom Vol au Vent was also a big winnah!

Light, crisp puff pastry; crisp and creamy, mildly gamey-sweet sweetbreads, earthy-sweet mushrooms. That mushroom sauce was earth-buttery-perfectly seasoned.

Our Server saw how much we loved this and he brought us another piece of the Veal Sweetbreads – such great service!

Man, I wish this were in San Diego! Even though we were outside of the restaurant; we were checked on on a regular basis. And they gave us that extra sweetbread! This was a delicious meal, our favorite of the two week trip and made up for the other mediocre meals we had in Carmel!

L’Escargot
Mission At 4th Ave.
Carmel, CA 93921

Road Trip – Treehouse Café (Carmel) and the 17 Mile Drive

Dog Friendly, Fusion Cuisine, Mediterranean Restaurants, Monterey/Carmel/Santa Cruz - Monterey Bay/Peninsula, Road Trip, Travel

After checking into our room at the Green Lantern Inn we rested a bit and then decided to do some shopping before having a rather early dinner. The place I picked; because it was just a few blocks away from where we were staying…..the sidewalks are small and traffic both pedestrian and autos are pretty bad during peak times; was the Road Trip – Treehouse Café (Carmel) and the 17 Mile Drive. It’s a very cute location.

On the terrace of a charming little building. There’s a nice outdoor eating area.

Carmel claims to be the most dog friendly cities in the US. And heck, there were no less than 8 pooches hanging on the terrace. Including these two!

The pooches were so well behaved….even more so than their two-legged counterparts, many of whom seemed snooty and demanding. And I gotta say; the service here was on the abrupt side…..though that could have been because of the customers. And quite slow to boot.

Treehouse Café has an interesting menu. There are Thai, Mediterranean, and Italian dishes on the menu. A crazy mix that I would usually avoid….but because of how pooch friendly the place was, I thought we’d just have our first dinner here.

I started with an Allagash White, clean, citrus tones. Which went well with the bread and the herbaceous olive oil.

Being quite curious; I ordered the Thai Pork Sausage.

Very porky with a good amount of rice stuffed into it. Lacking in the herbaceous tones and spice I look for though.

Because I could not get enough bread…..I ordered the roasted garlic. Which was interesting as the garlic was still hard and bitter….not soft and spreadable like I prefer.

The olive oil it was soaking in was quite good though.

And for more carbs….we got the Veggie Combo Platter. Along with the overly chewy pita included…counterclockwise; Dolmas, which were too chewy and bland, some incinerated falafel….not good eats, both the hummus and baba ghanouj were good though…nicely blended, creamy, full of flavor.

And to finish off, a basic Greek Salad.

Overall, a fairly mediocre dinner, that took quite long…..and most places were closed by the time we finished.

Treehouse Café
7th & 8th San Carlos St.
Carmel, CA 93921

So, we just walked on back to our accommodations and called it a night. I did a post; while someone totally crashed out.

As for our full day in Carmel…well, we decided to do something that we had done once before, when we still lived in LA. We decided to take JJ on the 17 Mile Drive from the Carmel Gate.

But first, I took JJ to get some coffee. Carmel is a totally different city in the morning.

Peaceful and relaxing.

Though I did find that the Seagulls here feel quite entitled as well. I actually saw seagulls taking their time crossing the street, stopping traffic three times! I managed to get a photo of one of those occasions!

When you have time to relax and stroll you notice things……I hadn’t taken notice of Carmel’s City Hall before, though we walked past it twice the previous day!

I went to the Carmel Coffee House and Roasting Company to get the Missus a latte and myself a cold brew.

The Missus enjoyed Her latte; my cold brew was quite smooth and easy to drink.

Carmel Coffee House and Roasting Company
Dolores St.
Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93921

And then we headed out. We paid our $12.25 fee at the Carmel Gate, then headed out to see some of the sights. We made a few stops.

Of course we had to stop at that symbol of Pebble Beach, the Lone Cypress.

It is said to have started growing in the mid 1700’s and has survived so much. Even several arson attempts. A symbol of resilience it has been declared the most photographed tree in the world.

We made a stop at Crocker Grove.

There are only two Monterey Cypress Forests in existence and this is one of them.

Bird Rock Vista Point for both the view and a bathroom break.

And JJ seemed to be enjoying himself.

There was just one more stop I wanted to make. When we did our previous visit, China Rock.

Which was once the site of a Chinese Fishing Village.

For some interesting stories and history, check out these two posts.

By this time, we’d kind of had our fill and decided just to head on out to Pacific Grove. We turned on a familiar street; Lighthouse Avenue, where we enjoyed exploring the city on the self guided historic houses tour several years back. The Missus had really enjoyed shopping here and so we stopped and the Missus got some shopping in.

And then it was time to head back to Carmel….we still had the afternoon to do more exploring.