Markets & Grocers – Page 12

SHOMI NOODS @Cravings by 99Ranch (Chino)

November 10, 2018 Cathy Markets & Grocers, Ontario/Riverside/San Bernadino, CA, What Cathy Eats!

Well. Here you are wondering about that (scandalous!) title while looking at mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Cathy is writing today while Kirk and His Missus are busy doing other things.

The other day, while recovering from a long day working for the Registrar of Voters, the internet showed up on my iPad. Something about a 'new concept' for 99 Ranch, the local grocery that has two locations in San Diego, each with small Food Court areas. Cravings is in Chino (a 90 minute drive on the weekend with no traffic if you leave early), opened on October 20 and is half warehouse, half Food Court and very interesting.
Walk in and to the right is the Food Court area. We weren't very hungry (had had breakfast and this was a spur of the moment drive) and decided on the Takoyaki ($5.45) and Karaage ($5.95) from the ramen place (I didn't say the name out loud until we were driving home and realized the alliteration and literally did Laugh Out Loud).

{There are ten businesses in the Food Court area; not all were open and several were very crowded. Photos to follow this food portion of the blogging}

The takoyaki, crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside filled with minced octopus were wonderful - you can see the flaky skin, the gooey interior and some of the octopus in this cross section bite. The thick slices of dried bonito flakes were 'dancing' on the freshly fried octopus balls. Six pieces made a great snack.
Do not be afraid of the karaage. It is dark,
does looked burned,
but it has been marinated and only lightly coated in flour and was moist inside, crispy and light. Also, there was plenty of chicken. Another perfect snack.

So, you may be wondering about the rest of the Food Court. Here are some photos.
Piju (adult beverages and bar snacks) (launched by Cravings)Madbun (meat or ice cream stuffed house made baked or steamed bao/buns)
Wingman (fried chicken with rice, fries or in a cone)
Dos Chinos (Latin Asian Grub)
Oi Asian Fusion (Filipino) Cauldron Ice Cream ( https://www.cauldronicecream.com )
Pinky Promise, a patisserie/modern Taiwanese bakery.
Tenori (Japanese- rolls and rice bowls)
Red Envelope (freshly fried and grilled fish and shrimp and chips(Cajun style)). To the left is where you can park your cart after paying, so as not to crowd the Food Court area.

Views from the Food Court toward the Warehouse area. There are bulk items and plenty of freezer items and the fresh produce area has one entire refrigerated/closed door area as well as an open shelving area, but almost everything is pre-packed, unlike the regular 99 Ranch store.

Cravings by 99Ranch 4024 Grand Avenue Chino, CA (Chino Spectrum Mall) (909) 760-8899 website Market open daily 10 a.m., Food Court open daily 11 a.m.

Paris – Marché Monge, Rue Montorgueil Market Steet, and More Croissants

October 20, 2018 mmm-yoso Bakery, Croissants, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Markets & Grocers, Paris, France, Travel

During our last full day in Paris, we made no plans, "réservations pour le dîner, oui", but really had no real plans other than that.

So, during our breakfast at the Hotel Monge, we came up with our plans for the morning.

Well, at least a place to start. We headed down Rue Monge, one block later we headed west on Rue Lacépède, then turning down Rue Mouffetard. Several blocks down starts the really well known part of Rue Mouffetard, known as Marché Mouffetard, the street that Hemingway dubbed as "A Moveable Feast".

Things were quiet on this morning.

It was still too early in the morning it seems. So when we got to the Paroisse Saint Medard, we decided to head back up to Place Monge. We'd return to Rue Mouffetard the next morning.

At Place Monge; we noticed that it was market day.

The entire square was taken over with booths selling prepared food, produce, meat, and of course fromage.

We always enjoy these markets, as we get to watch everyday life.

And having been to a couple of places in France, we had to smile at places that jogged our memory.

Remember the "Route du foie gras"?

And having just returned from Strasbourg, I just had to crack up when I saw this…..

I recalled how the Missus could not pass up that choucroute garnie?

I did ask the Missus if She wanted some; but She wistfully told me; "I'm still full and it's too early in the morning". so perhaps we'll have to head back to Alsace one of these days.

From here we headed up Rue Monge.

Crossed over the Seine on Boulevard du Palais.

This was the busy 1st Arrondissement. There's a lot going on here; the Louvre, the Jardine de Tuileries, Jardin du Palais Royal, it's all here.

That's the Fontaine du Palmier on Place du Châtelet, like may things in Paris, it has quite a story.

The Tour Saint-Jacques (Saint-Jacques Tower), once part of Church of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie ("Saint James of the butchers"), which was demolished in 1793. All that remains is the tower.

The tower indicated that we were getting close to our next destination.

Once we came across Les Halles, which used to be the central market and has a great long history. It was demolished in 1971 and replaced with the Les Halles Forum a shopping mall.

A short turn right and you're on Rue Montorgueil; one of the most well known Market Street….as like we were often told; is "très différent du marché de rue"….the difference between a "street market" and a "market street".

There are businesses, like La Maison Stohrer to the right; established in 1730, that claims to have invented Rum Baba.

There's an interesting mix of tourists…..

And locals……

It's a wonderful miasma of sights, sounds, and smells.

I'd been told by some folks that people in Paris were quite rude. And while we had run into a few folks who basically didn't want anything to do with tourists……there were so many wonderful folks like the nice woman who saw us staring at the Rue Montorgueil sign and came up to us and asked, "Monsieur, Madame, are you lost, do you need some help?" We never forget these moments as it makes us better human beings. We are all more alike then we are different. It is much harder to be cruel and cold than it is to be kind.

We had done our exploring for the day and decided to head back to the hotel. We knew that lunch really wasn't in the cards. The Missus decided that perhaps we should continue our "croissant quest" on Rue Monge.

Maison Gregoire was a block away from our hotel. Of course we got the croissant "au buerre" (croissants made with butter, not margarine).

This one was a little light in the butter side of things and on the dry side. In terms of flakiness and lightness it hit the mark.

Maison Grégoire
69 rue Monge
75005 Paris, France

Catty corner from Maison Grégoire is another Artisan Boulangerie.

Same drill…except when I removed the croissant from the package….good lord!

Burnt, bitter,….incinerated. Dry as all heck. The lady in the bakery seemed detached and it seems that she just didn't care. This was horrible.

Boulangerie Teillet Philippe
66 rue Monge
75005 Paris, France

Our quest for a favorite croissant continues…….

Strasbourg – Market Day and More Eating at the Christmas Market (Place Broglie)

September 29, 2018 mmm-yoso Alsace, Festivals & Events, France, Markets & Grocers, Travel

We awoke fairly early on our last day in Strasbourg. Our short trip here just went by in a flash.

Since our train wouldn't be leaving until around 130; we asked the folks who managed the apartment if we could pack and leave our luggage there until it was time to head off to the train station at around noon. As with most folks who run these properties, it was no problem.

Even though we had managed to walk around much of the Grande Île and even did a boat tour, there's a lot that we missed. Like the Église protestante Saint-Pierre-le-Jeune, which was basically two blocks from where we were staying.

These places would just have to wait until next time……

On this brisk morning; there was a produce market going on….so we stopped by to check things out.

So, in addition to all the ornament and other stands; many of which were already open at 9am…..

There were folks pulling along wheeled shopping baskets……

We did one more "tour" of Grande Île, walking through Petit France, and taking time to take photos in front of the Christmas Tree at Place Kléber. Which apparently was the thing to do….

This is a statue of Jean-Baptiste Kléber ,the square's namesake; a Military General and Architect who was born in Strasbourg.

A lot of the fun was just wandering around and watching the folks out and about on this morning.

Soon enough; it was time to grab a bite to eat before grabbing our bags and heading back to Paris. You know what the Missus wanted, right?

So we got back to Place Broglie…..

And while the Missus went off in search of more Choucroute Garnie; I found this rather enticing sausage stand.

The guy working here was a hoot. After a good bonjour…..basically using up all the French I knew. I pointed to the great looking sausages with caramelized onions in the tray. He smile and asked me where I was from. I told him "America"; he then said, "good, you want zee hot dog?" He cracked me up! I ordered one; and he actually went ahead and made one up for me fresh. really nice. Before he handed the foot long sausage in a baguette to me he asked: "you want zee ket-chup?" I laughed and said "non merci monsieur – my friends from Chicago would kill me if I put ketchup on my hotdog!" He laughed and said; "so monsieur….you are purist?" And we both cracked up…..the sausage guy….and yours truly; the hot dog "purist"!

By the way; this was delicious; the forcemeat style sausage had an amazing snap, was perfectly seasoned. The mustard added a mild pungency and those onions were really sweet.

But the most amazing thing about this was the baguette; light, crusty, yeasty….oh man; even the Missus, who ate half of this by the way, in addition to what She got, enjoyed "zee hot dog!"

Of course She got more sausages and sauerkraut. Man, I can't believe how much of this stuff She can put away. Oh well, at least She was having a blast.

We finished up our early lunch, picked up our bags from the apartment, and headed off to Strasbourg Station.

We had really enjoyed our stay in joyous, colorful Strasbourg. I'm hoping to return one day.

San Francisco – Lotta’s Fountain, the Ferry Building, a Walk Along the Bay, and the Fort Mason Center Farmer’s Market

September 22, 2018 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Markets & Grocers, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Travel

We must have both been exhausted. After a very nice dinner at Mourad, the Missus and I basically slept ten hours! We got up and with no real plans in mind, decided to take a stroll. Since it had been over a decade and a half since we'd been in the city, we thought a walk along San Francisco Bay might be fun; starting at the Ferry Building, ending near Fort Mason.

So, we headed down Market Street. We passed Lotta's Fountain.

This brass fountain was a gift to the city of San Francisco from Lotta Crabtree, a well known Entertainer, you can read more about her here. According to Atlas Obscura, Lotta loved San Francisco and donated this fountain to the city in 1875. And that would be just a "nice story" if not for the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. The earthquake damage and fires left the city in ruins. Lotta's Fountain though, was still standing and became an important landmark and meeting place for survivors of that disaster. Even though the last known survivor of the earthquake died in 2016, a quake remembrance and ceremony is held at this spot at 512am on April 18 of every year. The exact time the quake struck San Francisco.

This one is the Mechanics Monument,

The five figures in the monument are working a metal punching machine.

And then there's the Vaillancourt Fountain.

A fountain build of concrete squares that folks love to hate. One of the searches that comes up when typing in "Vaillancourt Fountain" is this:

We crossed the street to the Ferry Building, which we had visited before.

And picked up Cold Brew from Blue Bottle Coffee.

It had wonderful fruity tones and was just the pick-me-up we needed.

Blue Bottle Coffee
Ferry Building, One San Francisco Bay Trail
San Francisco, CA 94111

And caffeine in hand we were on our way.

It was a slightly hazy day, but the sun was out, and the temperature was fifteen degrees cooler than San Diego.

We wandered out to Pier 7, and enjoyed the view of the Transamerica Building.

We enjoyed a rather brisk walk up the Embarcadero……..eventually getting to all the tourists at Pier 39 and Fisherman's Wharf.

The haze had started to clear out and I finally got a decent shot of Alcatraz Island.

We meandered past all the tourist traps and got to Ghirardelli Square. Man, I don't recall it being so packed in like this when we last visited all those years ago.

As we neared Laguna Street, we noticed folks carrying bags filled with produce, so we followed the trail and ended up at Fort Mason Center where it was Market Day.

We spent a good forty-five minutes checking out the various stands and sampling the fruit….man, that yellow watermelon was so good.

It was a nice break….a little slice of life. If we lived in the area, this would truly be a weekly stop for us.

Fort Mason Center Farmers' Market
Marina Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94109
Sunday 930am – 130pm

From here; the plan was to grab an early lunch from one of the places on Chestnut Street, so we headed off in that direction.

But after sampling the produce at the Farmers Market and checking out the eating establishments on Chestnut Street, The Missus remained uninspired. So She told me; "let's head back to Chinatown". By heading back, She meant "walk". And then added; let's do it via Lombard Street. Yikes……

So I huffed and puffed my way up Lombard.

Instead of walking down that crooked one block part of Lombard Street we headed a few blocks over and walked down Filbert.

Eventually we made it too Columbus Street, then Jackson. Now the question was, where to eat?

Stay tuned!

Thursdays Near 30th – Toronado, North Park Thursday Market, and Tribute Pizza

July 26, 2018 mmm-yoso Beer, Gastropub, Markets & Grocers, Pubs and Pub Grub

During mid-June, the Missus had a hair appointment, and I gladly "volunteered" to drive Her and wait. If you recall, the Missus's hairdresser is located in North Park.

I somehow "randomly" found parking near Toronado. How convenient. It had been a while since I last visited. I ordered a Pliny the Elder….and totally forgetting about this "blog thing" took a sip before remembering to take a photo. Bad food blogger….bad food blogger. Anyway, as always the temp was just perfect.

**** Toronado has closed

Toronado
4026 30th St
San Diego, CA 92104

All too soon, the Missus walked on over….She's not so much into beer these days, so we decided to take a stroll and decide where to grab dinner. And ran into the North Park Thursday Market.

It's a rather small run. Located on North Park Way between 29th and 30th. But it was fun just watching people chill and enjoy sunny San Diego.

The North Park Thursday Market
3000 N Park Way
San Diego, CA 92104
Thursdays 3pm – 730pm

While She is not a fan of the wine glasses Tribute uses; it had been a while since we last visited.

We started with the Sea Salt Focaccia with 'Nduja; to which they now add a dish balsamic and olive oil.

The bread was fabulous; I think we'll now ask for just olive oil without the balsamic, which was a bit too much. The 'Nduja tasted great as always; though the texture seems to have changed. It's now more waxy than I recalled. Still tasted great, a mild porky, smokey-spiciness.

The potatoes in the Patatas Bravas were nice; crunchy exterior, mildly creamy interior.

The potatoes were perfectly salted; but it seemed that the aioli was overkill and just over powered the mild starchy sweetness of the potatoes.

The Missus; who loves green beans just destroyed it all before I even had a bite.

Oh well, She's the reason we came up here in the first place, right?

Tribute Pizza
3077 N Park Way
San Diego, CA 92104

It was a fun way to spend an early summer Thursday evening.

I'm thinking "FOY" CC must have though so too! Look where they went for their 23rd Anniversary Dinner! Nice!

Hope you're having a great week!

Florence – Snack Time. Grom Gelato and Eataly

April 25, 2018 mmm-yoso Desserts, Florence and Tuscany, Italy, Italy, Markets & Grocers

It's been a long day. Just a quick post for this evening……

Having a nice meal puts you such great state of mind. Everything just looks better…..

Besides the fact this was Florence……

At this time of the night, Piazza della Signoria was quite relaxed at this time of the evening. A far cry from the day time crowds. Though folks (like me) were still out taking photos.

Though the shadows made some of the statues in Loggia dei Lanzi look kind of creepy at night.

As we approached Piazza del Duomo, the Missus decided She wanted some gelato. So we stopped by the nearby Grom Gelato Shop.

I realize Grom is a chain with locations in LA, NYC, and if I recall even Japan.

But the Missus said this was pretty darn good.

I'll take Her word for it.

Grom Gelato
Via del Campanile 2
Florence, Italy

The views of the Duomo and Baptistry probably made it taste even better.

Speaking of chains; the Missus wanted to check out the Florence location of Eataly. We visited the Copenhagen location last year and the Missus really enjoyed Herself.

On the way there we saw these street musicians.

They were really good. But what made things great was the little Pinocchio on a string that danced along to the music….it had better rhythm than me!

We ended up getting a pretty decent bottle of red wine and a nice snack to share.

Eataly
Via dei Martelli 22/r
Florence, Italy

It was a wonderful end to a wonderful day.

From Amsterdam to Paris and Self Catering on Rue Cler

April 21, 2018 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Amsterdam, Desserts, France, Markets & Grocers, Paris, France, Travel

It was a quiet Saturday morning as we finished packing, had some coffee, and checked out of the apartment we were staying in.

The streets were quite empty, except for the local street market; the Lindengracht Market.

Our favorite statue of Theo Thijssen cracked us up. Remember, on our first night in Amsterdam, which was rather chilly, the sculpture of the child in the display was covered with a blanket? Well, I guess since it was market day…..he was now covered in kale!

The one thing the Missus really took to in Amsterdam were the Stroopwafels and She had quite a collection to take home with Her.

The walk to Amsterdam Central Station was uneventful….even sedate.

Purchasing our tickets early on Thalys, I netted us a good deal in First Class. So we had had some time to relax in the lounge. Folks here were nice. The really friendly young woman in uniform saw us; approached us, and lead us to the waiting area, and then since we had first class tickets, walked us to the lounge. Great service.

Here we found a nice quiet corner, had some water and coffee. There was a group of Japanese businessmen in the lounge as well.

It was a smooth (and ontime) three hour – fifteen minute ride from Amsterdam to Gare Nord in Paris.

From there it was a taxi ride and viola! We were back on Rue Cler.

The 7th is (for now), the Missus's favorite district in Paris. In fact, She was toying with the idea of trying to buy property in Paris (more on that later). So, I decided to get a studio apartment basically one street over from Rue Cler.

And while we stayed in the area previously, we had never been able to take advantage of all the wonderful looking shops in the area. On our previous trip, we had always wanted to just relax, grab some cheese, wine, and a baguette, but weren't able to find the time. This time, we made sure to enjoy the late afternoon (after a nap of course), by doing some shopping at places that had multiple recommendations on sites like Paris by Mouth and others….to many to name.

First off, the cheese, Fromager Marie-Anne Cantin a highly revered and recommended shop was basically just down the street.

Amazing selection of cheeses, many unpasteurized, so you won't find these in the states.

Great service; the butter……is so….."buttery"…..

Fromager Marie-Anne Cantin
12 Rue du Champ de Mars
75007 Paris, France

Next, the baguette, "bien cuite, s'il vous plait" – well cooked is our preference.

Les Gourmandises d'Eiffel has three top ten placements in Grand Prix de la Meilleure Baguette de Paris over the last decade.

For some reason, we didn't care to much for our baguette from here; perhaps it was too late in the day.

Les Gourmandises d'Eiffel
187 Rue de Grenelle
75007 Paris, France

Circling back to Rue Cler. We had wonderful help picking out a wine to go with our cheese from the local outpost of Nicolas.

Nicolas
39 Rue Cler
75007 Paris, France

And picked out some lovely tomatoes and since we bought butter from Marie Cantin; I convinced the Missus to get some radishes from Les Halles Bosquet.

Les Halles Bosquet
50 Rue Cler
75007 Paris, France

Along with that excellent Gouda we purchased in Amsterdam. This made a nice meal….with cheese leftover for the next day's lunch.

Though the Missus still doesn't get the radish with butter thing.

After freshening up a bit, we decided to head out for a stroll.

More than one person I know has told me that the Rue Cler area is more for tourists, it's the "Paris the mind expects", but not the "real Paris". I don't know…..seems like lots of locals around, along with tourists of course.

And we were having a great time. We loved the dogs in the area. I'm just sorry I never got a photo of our favorite, whom we saw 4-5 times….he really got around. This mutt was so obsessed with whomever preceded him and would keep sniffing the walls, sign posts, trash receptacles. We named him "Wall Sniffer"……and we kept seeing him all over the place!

Of course we had to finish the evening off by viewing the Missus's favorite landmark in the world.

From both sides of the Seine.

As we watched the Eiffel Tower light show go off; the Missus muttered to me, "it's so nice to be back in Paris".

Montreal – Jean-Talon Market and Schwartz’s Deli

March 15, 2018 mmm-yoso Canada, Canada Food and Restaurants, Diner, Markets & Grocers, Memorable Meals, Montreal, Sandwiches, Travel

I knew we needed some exercise after our zillion calorie meal at Au Pied de Cochon. So I had planned on hoofing it up to Jean Talon Market but it was drizzling so we decided to catch the metro instead. When we arrived the place was pretty much deserted.

It was pretty quiet and we weren't going to be doing any self-catering during our last evening in Montreal, so we just kind of wandered around.

Nothing caught our fancy, so we decided to head on back to Mount Royal area.

Jean-Talon Market
7070 Henri Julien Ave.
Montreal, QC H2S 3S3, Canada

It was a pretty good walk.

There are some pretty interesting buildings in the area, like this one.

I couldn't figure out what it was, so when we returned I looked up the address and it's named Musée des pompiers de Montréal. It's the firefighters museum; which is only open on Sundays from 130pm to 4pm.

It was still a bit early for our lunch destination, so we decided to grab a cup of coffee and relax. We found this very modern-hipsterish looking shop named Dispatch Coffee.

I got some espresso and they served it up right….with sparkling water.

Dispatch Coffee
4021 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montreal, QC H2W 1Y4, Canada

By this time our early lunch destination was ready for business.

I'd heard countless times that you "need" to go to Schwartz's when in Montreal. It's an iconic purveyor of Montreal smoked meat….don't be calling it pastrami in MTL. While similar in in terms of being seasoned, cured, and smoked, classic pastrami is made with beef navel, the front or "ventral" part of the beef plate. Montreal smoked meat like corned beef is made with the brisket. You can read more about the differences at a load of sites; some of them humorously opinionated. I was here to eat.

One quick thing about Schwartz's. You'll see the opening hours listed as 8am; you can get stuff next door to go at that time. But if you want "hot meat", you'll have to wait until 1030.

We got in right at 1030 and sat at the counter. The young man who served us was great; friendly, helpful, in that truly Canadian way.

The place filled up pretty quickly.

The young man pointed out that the "classic" Schwartz's combo was a Smoked Meat Medium Fat, Fries, Dill Pickle, and a Cherry Soda……we got fifty percent of that, the dill pickled, crisp, nicely balanced in flavor and the Smoked Meat Sandwich Medium Fat (9.75 CAD – about $7.40/US !!!). We watched with anxious anticipation as the meat for our sandwich was hand cut.

Man, this was good!

It's not very often that a place delivers on all the hype and expectations. Schwatrz's did this and more. From the surprisingly tender and moist texture, to the balanced seasoning, not too salty, but with more "umph" than most pastrami sandwiches I've had, the wonderful savory tones really shone. The bread was soft, but stood up well to the pastrami with the flavor of caraway, that malty-nutty-spiciness, bringing things together. The mustard added just enough acidic-pungency to cut any richness.

The Missus is still talking about this sandwich.

There was a line forming outside the deli as we left. I can see why…..

Schwartz’s Deli
3895 Boulevard Saint-Laurent
Montreal, QC H2W 1X9, Canada

A while not everyone would agree, I'd say Schwartz's really delivered. We left, satisfied and not stuffed, just perfectly happy.

Kanazawa – Japanese Breakfast at Hotel Nikko, Omi-cho Market (again), and Oyama Shrine

February 3, 2018 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Kanazawa and Ishikawa Prefecture, Markets & Grocers, Travel

Both the Missus and I were really enjoying our stay in Kanazawa. In terms of prices, we both found that Kanazawa was very affordable. For the price of a mid-level hotel in Tokyo, we could stay at the Hotel Nikko and the price included breakfast. Over the years, I've mentioned my love of Japanese breakfast, and how it triggers great memories for me. And these days the Missus enjoys it as well.

And the Japanese breakfast option at the Hotel Nikko is no slouch either. You have choice of western or Japanese breakfast. You know what we chose, right?

It's a rather stylish – garden like surrounding.

Though the setting is rather simple as are the tables and chairs.

And, like I said, breakfast is no slouch……

You have a "breakfast set" of your choice along with buffet items.

At times I found myself wondering; "is this really breakfast"…..

I'm glad it really was……

What a way to start the day.

Hotel Nikko Kanazawa
2-15-1 Honmachi
Kanazawa 920-0853, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan

Of course, after such a hearty and delicious breakfast, the Missus would have me walking all day to burn off the calories. So we quickly headed out.

All paths for us during our short stay went thru Omi-cho Market. And just like the previous day we really enjoyed wandering and browsing.

The morning was a fun time because it was less busy and you could really check out the seafood and produce on sale.

It is indeed "Kanazawa's Kitchen". We even noticed a place we'd end up stopping at for lunch.

We exited at the rear of the market and skirted the walls of Kanazawa Castle. We eventually came to the back entrance of Oyama Shrine. The shrine is well known for its distinctive gate, which was once the gate to the palace of Kanazawa Castle.

Along with the mixed Japanese-Chinese influences, the gate also features Dutch style stained glass windows on the upper level. In fact, the upper two levels once were part of a lighthouse! And the lightning rod at the top is claimed to be the oldest in Japan.

This Shinto Shrine was built by Maeda Toshinaga to honor his father Maeda Toshiie who was the granted and was the first ruler of the Kaga (Kanazawa) Han. He was lauded for his skills with the Japanese spear known as the yari. And as you can see, this statue of him proudly holds that spear.

At this time of the day, the grounds of the shrine were empty, so we really had a chance to appreciate the peacefulness and tranquility.

The gardens actually predate the shrine, which was moved here in 1873.

There are several very distinct statues on the grounds of Oyama Shrine; like this one.

After a fairly hefty breakfast, it was quite relaxing to walk around the grounds of Oyama Shrine.

But the day was still young and it was time to explore a bit more.

Road Trip: Solvang and Los Olivos – Olive Oil, Markets, and Birkholm’s Bakery

January 20, 2018 mmm-yoso Bakery, Markets & Grocers, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County

I mentioned that back in October, the Missus and I took a roadtrip to Santa Barbara. Here are a couple of stops along the way.

I think we really developed our love for Olive Oil during our visit to Crete all those years ago. We both enjoyed our visit to the Peza Union Museum and Tasting Room. Since then, we've always had at least 3-4 bottles of Olive Oil; different grades, for different purposes. These days, it's what we've tasted in Spain, the peppery-grassy olive oils we find fascinating. And while there are places here in San Diego to grab a bottle or two. I thought it would be nice to stop and have a few tasting in Los Olivos along the way.

But first, I needed to grab something for the folks in the office. The last time I was in the area, we got a bucket of cookies from Birkholm's Bakery. Man, that stuff was gone in less than a day!

Since Solvang is pretty much on the way; we decided to make a stop, get those cookies, and stretch our legs a bit.

This time, we even had some coffee.

Really friendly folks……

I loved this sign on the back corner table.

And the folks at work got their bucket of cookies. Not sure why they like this stuff so much. But whatever makes them happy, right?

Birkholm's Bakery
460 Alisal Rd
Solvang, CA 93463

It was a bright, sunny day so we decided to take a walk around the town. It was before the holiday rush and things were still fairly calm and quiet; even on a Saturday.

Another return stop was El Rancho Market.

The Missus and I split a bottle of sparkling water and watched this really aggressive crow beg for demand handouts.

El Rancho Market
2886 Mission Dr
Solvang, CA 93463

Next stop; Global Gardens. This little stand was fairly small and discreet. We chatted with the young lady who was amazingly knowledgeable. We decided on doing the tasting; she wasn't very pushy and we actually only paid for a single tasting. She directed the products tasted to our preferences and could speak to everything we tried.

Some of the blends and styles here are excellent….so good that we spent over $70 on two bottles of olive oil.

Nice job young lady!

Global Gardens
2450 Alamo Pintado Rd
Los Olivos, CA 93441

Meanwhile, we weren't as impressed with the products at Rancho Olivos Olive Oil.

Very nice folks and the dogs were really fun and friendly though….

Rancho Olivos Olive Oil
2390 N Refugio Rd
Santa Ynez, CA 93460

We took a stop at Los Olivos Grocery.

The place was charming.

Though it seems the main draw here is the deli and little restaurant. In spite of what I had heard, there didn't seem to be a large assortment of local products.

Los Olivos Grocery
2621 W Hwy 154
Los Olivos, CA 93441

A short drive later; we arrived in downtown Los Olivos. It's a quaint little town, everything seems centered around 4-5 blocks. We were surprised that the place seemed quite busy.

We had stopped for lunch, but we decided to just do some browsing. This is wine country and there are over 30 tasting rooms in the area. Though, we decided to stop here.

You remember this from my Halloween post?

We took a look at the rather large variety of olive oils available and I chatted with the very nice guy behind the counter…..

We mentioned different flavors; we were looking for something neutral, but still with personality, and he nicely gave us some samples….I offered to pay for the tasting, but he said "no problem". We ended up buying three bottles. Two as gifts; one for us.

Olive Hill Farm
2901 Grand Ave
Los Olivos, CA 93441

Now we were done shopping…..it was time for some lunch!