Road Trip – Page 11

Road Trip – Brix Restaurant and Firecreek Coffee Company (Flagstaff)

February 3, 2023 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, Fine Dining, Flagstaff/ Sedona/Winslow/Northern AZ, Road Trip, Travel

Back in September of last year the Missus and I took a wonderful road trip. For our first stop, it was between Phoenix, Sedona, or Flagstaff. While the Missus enjoyed the hiking in Sedona, we didn't care for the restaurant scene that much. And we'd do a bunch of hiking during this road trip and there was one stop I was interested in close to Flagstaff; so FLG it was. The drive was pretty long, it took us over 8 hours. We did stop for a quick lunch in Phoenix at Flower Child and headed back on the road. We got in just after 430pm and checked into the Residence Inn. We liked this location when we were last in Flagstaff and our dining destination for the two evenings here were in walking distance.

We had dinner reservations for 6pm and headed out a bit early just to stroll around the historic downtown area.

Just a couple of blocks from downtown, in a former carriage house that was built in 1909 was our dinner destination; Brix Restaurant and Wine Bar.

While the service was a bit slow, the staff was very friendly and this was far from being a stuffy fine dining destination. The Missus enjoyed the wine list and I started with a nice cocktail.

We started with the Elk Tartare and the Wood Roasted Mushrooms.

The Elk Tartare was nicely chilled, though it was on the mushy side in terms of texture.

Those yellow dots were an egg yolk emulsion…I would have preferred a drippy egg yolk as the emulsion really didn't add much to the dish, the horseradish was also strangely mild in flavor. The celery leaves did add a nice boost of palate restoring flavor. Perhaps if they chopped it a bit smaller you could get more than three bites.

The Wood Roasted Mushrooms was another dish that suffered from having a bit too much going on.

The local mushrooms were so earthy, with a mild sweetness and had been nicely roasted which created a layer of smokiness. The miso black garlic puree was so salty and just overwhelmed the wonderful mushrooms.

The bread soon arrived. Like many other places, Brix is now charging for bread and butter. It was $5 at the time of our visit.

I had ordered the Cavatelli.

The pasta, which is similar to shells was pretty thick and overcooked, making it quite mushy. I could have used more basil in the pesto and more pine nut flavor. The preserved lemon was quite strong in flavor and as with the mushrooms, it over powered the dish. The fava beans were wonderful, adding a nice nutty flavor to the dish.

The Market Fish was cooked to perfection.

Crisp skin, moist flesh, and that watercress added a wonderful crisp bitterness. The cannellini beans were undercooked and hard…and you know how the Missus us about Her beans, right? The tomato consomme was salty, but added nothing else to the dish. It was kind of sad since the fish was done so nicely.

In the end, the friendly folks working outshone the food. Yes, service was a bit slow, but the staff were so nice. I just wish the dishes were more to our taste.

Brix Restaurant & Wine Bar
413 N San Francisco St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001

On the way back to our room I wanted to take a look at the Hotel Monte Vista.

Why you might ask? Well, the Hotel Monte Vista has been named the most haunted spot in Arizona (check out the stories on that website)! There are supposedly several, ahem, "guests" who have never checked out. There's a "phantom bellboy" that knocks on the door to room 210…in fact, John Wayne is said to have reported this ghost to the staff several times. You can even read about some of those "ghosts" on the hotel's website. And also on this website as well. You know me and stuff like this, right?

Why didn't we stay here? Well, having already having spent a couple of nights at one of the most haunted hotels in the US, without any disturbances, I really didn't feel like pushing my luck. Plus, I was pretty tired after all that driving and wanted a good night's sleep, which is what I got.

In the morning we woke and I went downstairs to the breakfast buffet and took some stuffs back to the room. I then headed out to grab us some coffee. I had a place located just two blocks away named Firecreek Coffee Company on my list so I headed on over.

The gentleman working was quite nice and friendly. I got the Missus and Ethiopian Pour Over which She said was ok and I enjoyed my Cold Brew.

I'd gladly return here.

Firecreek Coffee Company
22 Historic Route 66
Flagstaff, AZ 86001

Having had a light breakfast and bolstered by caffeine we were ready to head on out.

2023 Rose Parade float road test #3, breakfast at Dollis (Covina) (and a stop at Portos)

September 15, 2022 Cathy Festivals & Events, Road Trip

Thank you for reading mmm-yoso!!!, a food blog. Today's post is written by Cathy, because she does these posts..

Link to 2023 Road Test #1

Link to 2023 Road Test #2

It was the last Saturday in August and The Mister and I woke at 4, left the house at 5, stopped at Cream Pan and got to the Phoenix Decorating barn in Irwindale by 7.

Floats were already on the road and others were preparing to leave. Here is the City of Hope's 2023 entry, "Expanding Hope" preparing to test mechanics and maneuverability with body weight on board.
The Rotary International 2023 entry, "Serving with Imagination and Hope" is ready for decorating following passing of this Road Test. (Decorating begins December 3 this year; check the Phoenix Decorating site link in the first paragraph to sign up).The City of Alhambra float was tested; the riders, Driver and Spotter all had to leave the float within 45 seconds during the Fire Drill. Following this float back to the Phoenix Decorating barn gave me an opportunity to explain things in photos which I had mentioned in (years of) prior posts.
The doorway into the float decorating barn is the maximum height and width of some parts of the Rose Parade route. Each float must be able to fit through this doorway so that it can fit along the parade route. You can see this float needs to "collapse".

the float does indeed collapse!

Lions Clubs International 2023 entry, "We Serve" is small enough to not have any mechanics (other than the engine, steering, brakes and fire prevention) involved in this float; it fits without needing to collapse.

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Now, the food portion of the blog. First the obligatory stop at Portos in West Covina.

A "new" item, cinnamon citrus bun ($2.29) was really good- large, fluffy layered sweet bread pastry with distinct citrus flavor which compliments the cinnamon. A great treat.
A bit of shared breakfast-a Chorizo omelette ($5.95). This was wonderful. A great chorizo (you know I am a bit picky-see the end of this post) mixed with egg omelette and cheeses on a fresh baked Cuban roll.
As always, a bread was purchased; this time it was walnut raisin ($4.15), which is made with rye flour and sourdough starter. The crisp crust is just a perfect texture.
I asked The Mister to choose something from the refrigerated case and he chose a slice of Parisian cake ($3.55). A very moist chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache filling and topped with more wonderful chocolate frosting.

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So, we began looking for a breakfast someplace different. There were various obstacles while driving (road repairs, emergency vehicles, law enforcement action-that sort of thing) and I just told The Mister to type in "breakfast" on the 'maps' icon of his phone. The directions were given to this nondescript location close by. It had been a Sizzler restaurant.
This doorway was indeed the entrance.
Yep, looks like a Sizzler.
A two sided, laminated menu had a good variety of choices.
I chose the carne asada and egg sandwich ($10.99). This was quite large and very good. Not a torta bread, but also not a burger bun, the toasted sandwich was filled with quality ingredients and we took home half for a small lunch.
The Mister ordered the Meat Lovers omelette ($13.99) which was filled with bacon, sausage, ham and cheddar, plenty of each and good quality. The hash browns were standard. The salsa was wonderful.
His platter also came with a choice of toast or pancakes. Very good pancakes.

A great find in a nice neighborhood. Glad we stopped.

Dollis 900 N. Citrus Covina, CA 91722 Website Open Wed-Mon 7-2 (Closed Tuesday)

Roadtrip (2022) – Bob’s Well Bread and Lunch at Bells (Los Alamos)

August 12, 2022 mmm-yoso Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Croissants, French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

After an excellent dinner at Bell's, the Missus and I were looking forward to our return for lunch. But what to do in Los Alamos before lunch? We had pretty much seen the entire town the day before.

I thought that the Missus and I should ponder that over some caffeine and perhaps a croissant? And I had a place in mind.

At the Eastern edge of the (4 block) downtown area in a structure that was formerly a gas station resides Bob's Well Bread.

The business has quite a story. You can read it here. Bob's Well Bread has quite a following, mainly for the artisan, small batch bread made from all natural ingredients. I've heard the phrase "like European" artisan breads in several posts I saw. We wouldn't be grabbing a loaf on this trip; but since it said "Croissants" clearly in the window sign, how could I not try that?

We went in and ordered a Cortado for the Missus, a cold brew for me, and a croissant. The Missus also got several cookies as well.

We then went and had a seat sat one of the picnic tables outside.

I was expecting to have my name called, but the very nice young woman working actually brought us our coffee and croissant. How nice!

So, how did this croissant lineup? In terms of the looks department, it was beautiful; perfectly baked. It was crisp and flakey; the interior so moist and almost creamy in texture. Unfortunately it was really lacking in butteriness and since I love my croissants au buerre, this failed at the "third point". Bummer…..

The Missus did love the cookies we bought however, and I think if we're in the area we'll stop for those and perhaps a baguette.

Bob's Well Bread Bakery
550 Bell St.
Los Alamos, CA 93440

As for our plan? We decided to head on over to Solvang which is just 20 minutes away and get some cookies for the Missus's coworkers. We then took a stroll around Danish Disneyland and just chilled.

We then returned to Los Alamos, relaxed a bit, then checked out. I parked the car and we crossed the street to Bell's right at 11am.

We had requested to sit on the patio again. Same relaxed and friendly service. A lot of the Servers were wearing "Franch" t-shorts…..Bell's say they serve Fr(ench R)anch cuisine.

We looked over the tempting menu and placed an order for four dishes and then went one step father. There was a sandwich we wanted to order, but knew we wouldn't be able to finish, so we got a takeout order as well!

My two favorite dishes came out first.

The Steak Tartare ($25) was amazing. It is now my favorite version in the U.S. it was just so perfect.

Just the perfect cut, the beef was super tender, like the night before, all items were perfectly seasoned. Perfect amount of capers, and that egg yolk, oh my! This was just so clean tasting and refreshing.

I also loved the Country Pate ($18), it was tender and had just right amount of wine in it.

Nice amount of offal-ish flavor for me; the cherries didn't overwhelm anything, and the fried shallots in the pate was perfect. Was not a big fan of the baguette as it was typical hard and chewy American style. The frisee was a lovely addition to the dish.

I was shocked that the Missus ordered the Escargot ($16). While the Missus loved the Escargot in Burgundy, She had never found a version here in the States that She enjoyed.

Well, mark this as the first Escargot She liked outside of France….leave it to "Franch" to deliver. Good amount of garlic, nice balanced flavors. The menu noted that these were "wild snails" and they were much more tender than I expected. Still, that baguette……

I was also surprised that the Missus ordered the La Brujula Tinned Mussels in Escabeche ($20)!

These Spanish tinned mussels were quite good, nice and tender. We didn't care for butter and the ketchup like sauces, but the homemade saltines were wonderful.

This was wonderful meal, we actually enjoyed it more than our dinner. And we really want to do it again soon.

Bell's
406 Bell St.
Los Alamos, CA 93440
Current Hours:
Thurs – Mon 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 830pm
Closed on Tuesday – Wednesday

And as the postcript. On the lunch menu there was Braised Beef Cheek Sandwich that sounded so good. So, after consulting with our Server, we got it to go with the bearnaise aioli on the side.

It was still in fine shape after the five hour drive home. The bread, in this case a ficelle held up fine; the meat was so intensely beefy; I loved the pickled Basque peppers…..

I guess we'll need to return again soon!

Roadtrip (2022) – A Stroll Around Town and Dinner at Bell’s (Los Alamos)

August 9, 2022 mmm-yoso Fine Dining, French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

After getting lunch in Los Olivos, we headed up to our main destination for the road trip, Los Alamos with a population of under 2,000. Why, you might ask? Well, when doing research for road trip destinations and Michelin restaurants, I came across a one-star restaurant in, of all places, Los Alamos! WTH? To make it even more enticing, the cuisine was French; or French influenced….in fact, we got a laugh when we saw that Bell's claimed they served "Franch" cuisine!

We've always enjoyed the Santa Ynez Valley, so we thought why not spend an evening in Los Alamos? We arrived a bit early at our accommodations, the Alamo Motel, which was basically right across the street from Bell's, though the main strip of the town is basically 4 blocks long! I notified the really efficient and friendly young lady in charge that we had arrived and she promised to text us when our room was ready.

And then we set off to take a look at Los Alamos.

There were two markets, well make that one market…..

And one convenience store….a couple of wine tasting shops, several restaurants, one really good looking bakery, which we would check out the next morning, and a couple of art/antique shops.

We did a bit of "window shopping" and folks here as would be expected were super warm and friendly.

We really enjoyed slowing things down and relaxing……

I had read that Los Alamos became popular as a stagecoach stop.

And there is undoubtedly a "old west" vibe to the town.

Check out the 1880 Union Hotel.

Apparently, the saloon here was a great place to grab a cocktail before Covid; but is now open for private events only. Bummer, it would have been fun comparing it to the Iron Door Saloon in Groveland.

Many of the buildings were repurposed, but kept signs and other indicators of the history visible.

We returned to the motel; our room wasn't quite ready yet, but there is a wine bar in front of the motel.

IMG_0305 (2)

Along with some nice shaded seating, quite important on a pretty warm day. The Missus and I had some sparkling water and just relaxed until our room was ready.

IMG_0293 (2)

Soon enough our room was ready, 2 hours earlier than scheduled. I walked over to the market next door, grabbed more sparkling water, and the Missus and I settled in and had a nice nap.

We awoke nice and refreshed. We took a short stroll before dinner. Yep, that's pretty much the town below.

IMG_0304 (2)

Loved this street sign!

With Covid still in our head, we had made 530 dinner reservations outdoors.

We were seated in the lovely back patio. The Service was so relaxed, very friendly, and we just enjoyed ourselves. Bell's is super dog friendly; in fact there were four pooches having dinner with their "hoomans"!

This one was especially charming!

Bell's does only a Pre Fixe menu for dinner, which at the time of our visit was just $75 per person. The husband and wife team (Daisy and Greg Ryan) behind the restaurant are alumni of Per Se and Daisy Ryan, who is the chef was named one of the Best New Chefs by Food & Wine Magazine….yes, in Los Alamos.

We placed our orders and during the evening, the Missus wasn't sure what wine to match with Her dishes….wouldn't you know, the great staff brought Her like 6 different whites to try? And they were like "half pours"!

We started with the Santa Barbara Sea Urchin and ordered it with the Caviar ($15 supplement). As you can see; the uni was pristine; just perfect.

It had a wonderful sweet-brininess, buttery texture….in fact, it didn't need the caviar which kind of over powered the dish. I was worried that the mille crepe would be on the sweet side; but it was quite neutral in flavor and basically was just a wonderful vehicle to get that uni to your mouth.

What we noticed with the quite simply dressed Salade of Finley Farms Lettuces was how perfectly each leaf was dressed.

In what would be a recurring theme; we enjoyed the wonderful balance of flavors and seasonings.

To us, the least impressive dish was the Santa Barbara Bluefin Crudo.

The bluefin was of good quality, but call us jaded, we thought the ojo blanco and the garlic oil really didn't stand up and uplevel the mild flavored fish.

We absolutely adored the Duck Confit.

The Missus told me; "this is what I want your duck confit to be"! Egads! This was wonderful, perfectly seasoned, not overly salty, perfect firm, but not hard texture, fairly moist. It went so well with the jus, lentils, and the sweet-acidic tomatoes! The sourdough croutons added a wonderful crisp-crunch to the dish.

At this point the Missus asked me if we could hang around a bit longer the next day (Monday) and get lunch here. I was able to make reservations for lunch! So we'd be returning the next day.

I had seen Ris de Veau on the menu online; but unfortunately, that had been replaced by the time we had our dinner; so I ordered the Bodega Bay King Salmon.

Man, those heirloom tomatoes were outstanding and the tarragon added a nice anise touch to this; something I would not usually put on salmon I make. The capers added that nice briny-salty component and the Hollandaise added a nice, balanced creaminess to things.

The Missus got the Capuchon de Chevre, basically a hood shaped pasta stuffed with chevre.

Loved the combination of the eggplant cream and the sweet corn; what a wonderful combo!

The Missus got the Almond Financier which was to Her taste (i.e., not too sweet).

Quite refreshing.

I got the Dark Chocolate Glacée.

Which, while being ice and cold….wonderful on a very warm day was a bit too sweet for me.

Overall, an excellent meal. The staff was so wonderful and we loved the fact that there was an automatic 20% service charge for the staff. It's great that Bell's really wants to make sure the staff who are from the area are paid well. And then I was told that our Servers comped two of the glasses of wine, so I made sure to leave a bit more.

Bell's
406 Bell St.
Los Alamos, CA 93440
Current Hours:
Thurs – Mon 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 830pm
Closed on Tuesday – Wednesday

We took another short stroll after dinner, it seemed like everything closed at 6 or 7 on Sundays. As we headed back to our room, the Missus and I noted how relaxed we both felt. I guess Los Alamos will do that to you!

The Missus and I were both looking forward to lunch the next day. And guess what? We enjoyed that even more!

Stay Tuned!

Roadtrip (2022) – Ragamuffin Coffee (Oxnard), Ojai Certified Farmers Market (Ojai), Olive Hill Farm, and Lunch at Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe (Los Olivos)

July 26, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Markets & Grocers, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel, Ventura County

Whew, ever sine we got back from Ojai, the Missus has been wanting the amazing produce we got from the Ojai Certified Farmers Market. In addition, there was a place I'd been eyeing out to try in Santa Barbara county. So, we planned a overnight road trip to hit up some favorites, old and new, then grab dinner, and as it would turn out lunch from what is a new favorite of ours.

We first drove up to Ventura County and stopped at a place I've posted on twice before; Ragamuffin Coffee.

I needed a caffeine boost for all the driving and the Missus wanted some natural process beans.

Just what I needed.

Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters
550 Collection Blvd. (In the Annex Food Hall)
Oxnard, CA 93036

Next up a quick drive up to Ojai to the Farmer's Market.

We got three baskets of tomatoes from this stand…..last time we chowed it all down before we left town!

More broccolini.

And some eggs…..which are so good.

The Missus eyed some nectarines from this stand.

And ended up buying a half dozen….

And She's already has me planning our next trip up!

Ojai Certified Farmers Market
300 E Matilija St.
Ojai, CA 93023

I then made the 90 minutes drive to Los Olivos. We'd be having dinner and spending the evening in Los Alamos (California, not NM) and our room wouldn't be ready for a while; so I thought a stop in Los Olivos would be nice.

We stopped in at our favorite Olive Oil stop during our last visit here Olive Hill Farm.

We did a light tasting and the wonderful, no-nonsense young lady working was amazing with spot on flavor profiles.

We ended up getting a bottle of the Lucca.

Olive Hill Farm
2901 Grand Ave
Los Olivos, CA 93441

I'm thinking that we have a pretty large collection of Olive Oil right now…maybe I should do a tasting post. What do you think?

It was around time for lunch, so we took a look at a couple of places. Unfortunately, even thought the Fess Parking Inn is still there.

The restaurant we enjoyed in the Inn, the Bear and Star has been replaced.

So, we took a look across the street and decided to have lunch at the Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe.

Along with the outdoor dining, there was a wind shop, bar, and restaurant.

The Missus had seen a salad being brought to one of the tables when we walked pass, which is how we decided on this place.

It was the Grilled Romaine Wedge.

I will often grill romaine or cabbage these days which the Missus enjoys, so this was a no-brainer for Her. She enjoyed the bacon and gorgonzola, and the salad wasn't over-dressed.

I looked over the daily specials menu. It was pretty hot, so I decided to order a bowl of the Japanese Cucumber Gazpacho.

While I would have preferred this a bit smoother with more of the vegetal "chorophyllic" cucumber flavors, it was quite refreshing with a clean finish.

I also ordered the Zucchini Sticks.

While some of the pieces of zucchini were under cooked and too hard for my taste, there were a couple that were nice and creamy. These were nicely seasoned and not overly salty.

This was a decent lunch, though nothing special; the staff was quite busy, but were professional and doing their best.

Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe
2879 Grand Ave.
Los Olivos, CA 93441

As we strolled on over to our car, the Missus and I remarked about how much we enjoyed the vibe of Los Olivos. We just wished there were better accommodations (like under $400/night) and perhaps a nice destination restaurant.

It was a nice visit though….and it had been almost five years since we were last here!

We got back to the car and headed off…..Los Alamos beckoned.

Roadtrip (2022) – A Walk Around Downtown and Dinner at Nocciola (Ojai)

July 17, 2022 mmm-yoso Fine Dining, Italian Restaurants, Road Trip, Travel, Ventura County

We took a short nap after our busy morning. It was quite warm when we woke. The Missus was fully engrossed in the book She purchased from Bart's Books the previous day. So, while She relaxed in the air conditioned comfort of our room; I decided to head on out for another walk.

This time, I walked on over to the Arcade and walked thru the the middle portion.

It was quite charming with art work and friendly folks.

There is a distinctive vibe to the town. It's laid back, and drivers actually stop to let pedestrians cross the street. Folks were telling me hello as I walked past them.

I wish I took photos of all the pooches we met. There was one little fellow being transported in a "stroller"; he looked so cool with his shades and his hat on. On the previous evening we were walking back to the hotel and a woman and her pooch we had seen earlier were walking toward us. She put the leash down and went to adjust her jacket. And then totally forgot to pick up the leash and started crossing the street without her dog! The dog sat on the corner with a puzzled look. Such a good boy!

You could just see the thoughts racing thru the little fellows head:

"Huh? Am I an orphan now?"

"Why is my mommy walking away without me?"

"I'm being a good boy; is my mommy going to come back for me?"

As the woman walked toward us, I pointed to the pooch on the corner and told her:

"You forgot something…."

She turned around, cracked up, and jogged back to get her little one…..

I walked around the front of the Arcade and crossed to street to check out Libbey Park.

It was a nice albeit pretty warm day. I also noticed that there were many more cars around, nice cars, like Porsches, 'Vettes, and such.

The next day was going to be the 4th of July and Ojai has a bunch of events the most popular is the parade which goes down the main street. People claim "their spot" by setting up chairs on the sidewalk.

There were chairs set-up from when we arrived!

Spending more then one day in a town like Ojai means you start seeing interesting touches around the town.

I headed back to the hotel, relaxed for a bit then we headed out to dinner. Our dinner destination was about a mile and a quarter from where we were staying, which was a nice walk. We reached Nocciola a bit early so we took a look at the park across the street. Cluff Vista Park was once the site of a gas station, but had been converted into a nice little park.

Our dinner reservation was for Nocciola, a Italian influenced restaurant located in a Victorian House. We had reservations for patio dining; the tables were perfectly spaced, the service was very professional, and we enjoyed our meal.

For our meal we ordered one Insalate, two Antipasti, and one Secondi. We mentioned that we'd be dining "family style" and things started off nicely as the kitchen automatically split the Crescione ($19), the Watercress salad without us even having to ask.

Loved the pleasant bitterness of the watercress, the salty-milky Parmesan crisp, the hearts of palm, and were pleasantly surprised that avocado tastes quite nice with a bit of balsamic on it.

The Olive Oil served with the breads was wonderful; peppery and grassy, just like how we like it.

The Missus also had Her favorite glass of wine on this trip; a Alisl Vineyard Grenache. In fact, we went looking for this bottle on the walk back to our room, stopping at several places, but to no avail.

I was really looking forward to our next dish; the Lamb Carpaccio ($21). Sadly, it was the weakest dish of the evening. It really needed more salt, was lacking in the "flavor of the pasture" which makes lamb so distinctive. It was just strangely bland in flavor so that the julienned celery just overpowered the dish.

The Quaglia ($26), roasted quail set things back on track.

The quail was tender, moist, and full of flavor. The porcini mushroom so wonderfully earthy and delish. The polenta had a wonderful texture, somewhat firm, but creamy. The Marsala sauce completed all the players and didn't over power the dish. Very good.

The Anatra ($42) was also delicious.

That confit duck leg was excellent, the skin crisp, the simple flavor of the duck shining thru…..the Missus gave it Her seal of approval by saying "this is a good as yours"! I thought the roasted breast was a bit over done, but it was still moist and tender, with a meaty-gaminess. The truffle honey glaze was nicely balanced, not overly sweet, with nice nutty-earthy-savory tones.

We really enjoyed this meal. Like I mentioned earlier, the service was efficient and processional. Our settings were changed between every course, the table scraped down between courses.

Nocciola
314 El Paseo Rd.
Ojai, CA 93023

It seems like our meals got steadily better each night we were here!

We enjoyed our stroll back to the room as we made several stops to do some wine shopping along the way.

The next day we packed up, while we liked the fact that Ojai had a great Fourth of July Parade and festivities, we weren't comfortable with the crowds. We got our caffeine fix at a familiar stop and headed on home. It had been a nice road trip and I'm sure we'll return to Ojai one day.

Roadtrip (2022) – Luci’s Trail, Ojai Coffee Roasters, Ojai Certified Farmers Market, Ojai Olive Oil, and Rainbow Bridge Natural Food

July 16, 2022 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Markets & Grocers, Road Trip, Travel, Ventura County

Our last full day in Ojai was going to be pretty full. Even though we did some hikes the previous day, the Missus still wanted to do another hike. So, we got up early and headed over to the Valley View Preserve and did Luci's Trail. The Missus loves hills…..not switchbacks mind you, but just heading uphill. Luci's Trail wasn't very long and didn't have a zillion switchbacks and the view was quite lovely.

The mist was still rising when we started.

But soon enough we rose above it.

And we enjoyed the view.

The trail is short enough….it took us just a tad over an hour to complete.

After which we headed into town and stopped for our caffeine fix at Ojai Coffee Roasters.

Nice people here; the Missus enjoyed Her pour over and I my cold brew.

Ojai Coffee Roasters
337 E Ojai Ave.
Ojai, CA 93023

It was still fairly early, so we took our coffee back to the Hummingbird Inn, freshened up, then sat in the front yard and enjoyed our coffee.

As a bonus, folks were bringing out their pooches for morning walks around the property which is super dog friendly. Got to meet a sweet Black Lab named Midnight…..I shoulda taken a photo, but was just having so much fun.

After our "coffee time" we headed back into town and went to visit the Ojai Certified Farmers Market. We both loved this farmers market….so much produce! I stopped counting at 20 produce booths!

I didn't take too many photos because we were just having a great time. We did buy some amazing tomatoes which we'd have for lunch. And since we'd be heading home the next morning and had a fridge we also bought some wonderful looking tomatoes and broccolini.

Ojai Certified Farmers Market
300 E Matilija St.
Ojai, CA 93023

Sundays 9am – 1pm

Here's what I made with the broccolini.

Topped with a couple of poached eggs and some truffle….man this was good!

After wandering thru the Farmers Market we walked back to the car and headed to our next destination. Ojai Olive Oil has a booth in the Farmers Market, but we wanted to a a tasting of a full range of their products. So, we headed off to their farm and tasting room. I had read that finding the farm was slightly confusing, so we followed the instructions on their site and found the tasting room with no problems.

Tastings were $10 per person. And you get as many of all the various olive oils and vinegars. You get a small container to hold the tiny cups and a bag of bread as well.

The cups are labelled so you know what you're tasting.

We were told that we could have as many tastings as we wanted and should not overfill the cups. I laughed and told the friendly woman about our our olive oil tasting in Crete and that we understood.

We sat outside and went thru our tasting.

After which we made some decisions and strolled back to the tasting room.

While we do prefer the stuff Pasolivo and even Temecula Olive Oil, we settled got bottles of the Tuscan, the Andalucian, and some Lemon Infused Olive Oils.

Ojai Olive Oil Tasting Room
1811 Ladera Rd.
Ojai, CA 93023
Hours:
Daily 10am – 4pm

On the way back to the hotel we decided to stop and pick up something for a light lunch. We had liked how some of the item looked in the deli of Rainbow Bridge Natural Food, so we decided to pop in and get a couple of items.

Which we took back and ate in the wonderful front yard of our accommodation along with some of those wonderful tomatoes.

The Missus especially liked the cauliflower and this did the trick of holding us until dinner.

Rainbow Bridge Natural Food
211 E Matilija St.
Ojai, CA 93023

It was now time for a short nap in the air-conditioned comfort of our room…..

And then it would be dinner time!

Thanks for stopping by!

Roadtrip (2022) – Some Hiking, Shopping, Bart’s Books, and Dinner at the Dutchess (Ojai)

July 11, 2022 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Burmese Food and Restaurants, Road Trip, Travel, Ventura County

We did quite a bit during our first full day in Ojai.

Starting the day with some hiking. We decided to head out to Rose Valley Falls for a quick hike. Getting an early start meant we easily found parking near the camp grounds. The hike was quite short and for the Missus unexciting….except for me taking a fall and smashing up my iPhone. The actual trail took us like 20 minutes and the photos came out looking much more dramatic than how things looked. All the Instagrammers were out having a fun time with their selfies here.

After this short hike we got back on Rose Valley Road and did the Piedra Blanca Formations Trail, which was an easy and enjoyable hike.

The start was thru chaparral shrubland for about a mile. At that point you start getting a peek at the amazing white rock formations.

We found the formations to be quite interesting. Upon closer look you'll see caves, crevasses, and striations.

And if you're like me….if you stare at the formations long enough you start seeing shapes. I thought this one looked like an elephant. What do you think?

While this was a super easy hike for the Missus, She enjoyed the solitude. We didn't run into another hiker on the trail until we were almost on our way out. Plus, those formations were quite interesting.

On our way back we decided to stop in at the Arcade again. We dropped into Heavenly Honey, which was on the busy side. so, we just bought some gifts and headed on out.

Heavenly Honey Company
206 E Ojai Ave.
Ojai, CA 93023

One of the Missus's coworkers who loves Ojai mentioned a wonderful "resort" nearby that we should take a look at. So we headed off to Ojai Valley Inn. This being the Saturday before the 4th the place was pretty busy but we found parking and had a nice little stroll on the property.

It was a nice setting, but not our kind of thing. We checked out the menus at the two restaurants, but the Missus wasn't too interested.

On the way back to our hotel, I decided to make a stop at Bart's Books, which claims to be the "world's largest outdoor bookstore."

We easily found parking and walked on over.

The books that line the shelves facing the sidewalk are available 24 hours a day and you pay via an honor system.

The bookstore is located in the original home of the founder of the shop Richard "Bart" Bartindale in established in 1964.

While the Missus perused various travel books, I asked the staff up front where the food and cookbooks were. They were located in the "kitchen", duh…..

The shop was quite empty during our visit and the Missus really enjoyed the shop and even found a book She wanted. We would return the very next day to explore a bit more.

I later figured out why She enjoyed this shop so much. It seems that "Bart" was inspired by those little wooden book carts along the Seine….which is of course, in the Missus's favorite city…..must be the Ojai Psychic Friends Network at work?

Bart's Books
302 W Matilija St.
Ojai, CA 93023

We then headed back to our accommodation at Hummingbird Inn. Located just outside the main "strip" in Ojai, it's pretty peaceful and relaxed…well, Ojai is quite relaxed as a whole. The Missus really enjoyed the shaded outdoor area out front where She could sit and read.

The hotel is very dog friendly, as is all of Ojai, and in the mornings all the folks staying in the place would have their pooches out doing their morning rounds.

While the Missus enjoyed the day, I took a stroll over to the IGA a few blocks down the street to get some sparkling water.

We enjoyed the markets in Ojai….man, the produce looked quite good and I should have taken photos of the nice selection of cheeses and such…..

For dinner, I made an interesting choice at a restaurant called The Dutchess.

Located next to Ojai Rotie; the Dutchess is a bakery/coffee shop during the day, which then converts to a Burmese Restaurant for dinner service. Even though I wasn't convinced this combo would work, I thought it might make for an interesting dinner. I booked indoor seating for 7pm.

We arrived and were seated immediately. Good thing I made reservations as all tables, especially for outdoor dining were booked.

The service was very warm and friendly; though a bit slow and disorganized. Our main Server seemed only to be able to do one thing at a time…..I ordered a cocktail and the Missus asked to have a taste of one of the wine….well, the woman brought the wine, then left….not returning for almost 10 minutes, at which time the Missus said She'd take the wine….the Server then disappeared to return with my cocktail….then vanished again for another 10 minutes to get the Missus's wine. Oh, and then she got us our water. This would pretty much be the pattern for the whole meal. She was very nice however.

Thankfully, the food, which seemed like a Burmese fusion had it much more "together"

We started with the Chickpea Tofu ($10).

The Missus loved this dish! The perfectly crisp exterior gave way to a wonderful creamy and light interior. The beany-nutty flavor came through nicely. Though I thought the dish was a bit on the salty side, a dip into the tamarind sauce just evened things out for me. The Missus didn't need the sauce at all and just loved this dish.

For us, the only disappointing dish of the evening was the Tea Leaf Salad ($20).

While I was glad this dish used cabbage; the dressing way too sour, the dish really lacking in the fermented bitter-tartness I enjoy from laphet.

For me, my favorite dish of the evening was the Puri ($18). Lest you think this is just fried bread with perhaps a chickpea dip, think again.

This version came with a fabulous Chicken Liver Mousse. The Dutchess's "baking chops" really delivered here as well as the puri was light, yeasty, full of flavor with a nice hint of salty-sweetness.

The Chicken Liver Mousse had a smooth-creamy richness, nice savory-earthy offal tones that were tones down with the plum jam. This was so good!

The Dutchess also displayed some good "baking chops" with the Danbauk (Biryani – $31) topping the dish with puff pastry.

The puff pastry was very light with a wonderful texture. The rice in the dish was tender and the complex seasoning, while again on the saltier side, did well with a touch of raita, which added a nice, refreshing component to everything. Wish there was a bit more lamb in the dish; what we tasted was wonderfully gamey.

We were pleasantly surprised with our meal and would dine here again.

The Dutchess
457 E Ojai Ave.
Ojai, CA 93023

Ojai was indeed full of surprises…..good ones!

Roadtrip (2022) – Ojai Rotie

July 7, 2022 mmm-yoso Lebanese Restaurants, Middle Eastern Restaurants/Cuisine, Road Trip, Travel, Ventura County

After lunch at Yume Japanese Burger Cafe we decided to take a short drive and headed east along Highway 150. The winding road headed uphill and we stopped at the Ojai Valley Lookout. From here you have a wonderful view of Ojai Valley and are surrounded on all sides by mountains.

We drove a bit further, before returning to Ojai to check in at our accommodation.

We showered, relaxed, and even took a short nap before heading out to dinner. Our dinner destination was a nice stroll away; Ojai Rotie.

Ojai Rotie describes themselves as being:

"Chef/Farmer driven, fast casual patio-restaurant offering French-Lebanese style rotisserie chicken".

The atmosphere is relaxed, the large patio is a wonderful place to eat on a warm summer's evening.

We had reservations and were shown to one of the tables. I then went into the main building and placed my order and paid at the counter. I was given a number and placed that on the table.

You then go to the small detached structure to order wine and beer.

The young man working asked me if I was from out of town (folks in Ojai are really friendly), and when I replied yes, he asked where I hailed from. When I mentioned San Diego, he told me he went to college in SD and we had a nice chat.

People watching was quite interesting. There seemed to be quite a few "locals" or at least regulars. I hadn't seen so many folks wearing Birkenstocks in one place…..also interesting choices of slippers. Folks seemed to wear shorts and many women wore flowing "new agey" dresses with dangling earrings to match.

Soon enough our order arrived at our table……

We had ordered the "Dippity Dips"……..

Three different "dips" with Manuoche; the typical Lebanese flatbread with a light sprinkling of Za'atar on it. The Bread was warm, slightly yeasty and very pleasant eating.

Our favorite of the three items was the White Bean Hummus; so beany and creamy.

This was delicious; though I think a touch of lemon would have taken this to another level.

The Muhamarah was pretty good.

This was much smoother and creamier than what we're used to; but it matched quite well with the Manuoche. The generous amount of pomegranate molasses made this a bit too sweet for our tastes; but it was still a nice dish.

I was looking forward to the Charred Eggplant, but it proved to be a bit disappointing.

While adequately creamy, this was missing the smoky-savory tones of a nicely charred/grilled eggplant. It was also lacking adequate salt for our tastes.

Still that White Bean Hummus was really good and the Missus has been asking me to make some.

Of course we had to try the rotisserie chicken and I'd heard good things about the pommes rotisserie. So we got a quarter chicken meal with the roasted potatoes and caramelized cauliflower as sides.

First off, we weren't big fans of the chicken which was on the dry side. The seasoning also seemed quite mild. The saving grace was the bold and piquant garlic paste, which was sooooo good, but stayed with us for the entire evening if you know what I mean. The roasted potatoes were cold, but we both enjoyed the lemon-aioli. The Missus really enjoyed the cauliflower which was generously seasoned and had some great "role players" in the form of pine nuts, golden raisins, and baby kale…..each adding in a layer of complexity.

We'd gladly eat here again. While sitting and watching the "regulars" get their orders we noticed that the house made sourdough bread and lamb kafta were popular and looked quite good.

We really enjoyed the vibe and setting.

And then there are the people…..we would really come to enjoy and appreciate the warm and friendly folks we ran into in Ojai.

For instance, that gentleman in the photo to my right. As he walked by, I noticed his t-shirt, which I really liked, so I took a photo of him. Apparently he saw me taking his photos and came on by and asked me if I liked his shirt and we had a short chat. His name is Dave and he is in charge of restoring and renovating the Ojai Playhouse. We had a really nice conversation and he headed off….only to return a few minutes later with a t-shirt for me!

Yes, it says "Ojai Psychic Friends Network" and I love the t-shirt….plus I got a nice story to tell about how generous folks are in Ojai. And how in the world did he know I was admiring his shirt? Psychic perhaps???

Thanks Dave!

Ojai Rotie
469 E Ojai Ave.
Ojai, CA 93023
Hours:
Wed – Thurs 4pm – 830pm
Fri – Sun 12pm – 3pm, 4pm – 9pm
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Dinner at Kai and Caffeine Fix From WhereUBean Coffee (Phoenix)

June 23, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, Fine Dining, Memorable Meals, Native American, Phoenix/Scottsdale/Chandler/Central AZ, Road Trip, Travel

We could have easily just headed home upon leaving Sedona, but I had one more overnight stop in mind. On this road trip, I had decided to bookend our travels with some more upscale meals. On the way to Zion we stopped in Las Vegas for dinner at Partage. On the way back home, I decided we should spend a night at the Sheraton at Wild Horse Pass and have dinner at Kai Restaurant, the only AAA Five Diamond and Forbes Five Star restaurant in Arizona. Beyond those accolades, I was fascinated by the menu which is described as having "distinct interpretations of Native American cuisine using fresh local ingredients for elevated dining." I thought it would be a nice end to our road trip.

Upon checking in to this rather posh resort, we relaxed in our room.

We had a nice view.

We got ready for dinner and left our room a bit early to do some shopping in the gift shop before heading off to the restaurant. With Covid measures in place, it seemed like reservations were staggered and until one third way through our meal, we were the only folks dining. The service, while discreet is definitely professional and polished; the Servers all knew our names, crumbs cleared off the table between every course, silverware changed, and still, the service wasn't hovering and did not feel stuffy in the least.

The decor is low-keyed, the walls festooned with the craft and artwork of the Pima and Maricopa Tribes and each menu has distinct artwork featured on it as well. I was told that the watercolor on my menu was of the Maricopa Butterfly Dance.

The meal is tasting menu only, with several choices for the "Birth", "Beginning", "The Journey", and the "Afterlife". We decided to share a wine pairing with dinner.

The Amuse was a very nice Sablefish wrapped in Basil Flower. The Olive Oil served with the bread was outstanding and we were told it was from Queen Creek Olive Mill.

As always, the Missus and I shared our course which would give us tastes of a good range of items.

The Escargot with Wild Mushroom was an interesting mix of textures, the truffle crema added some decadent touches to the dish. There was a bit more sweetness then I expected in this dish from the black garlic, bread, and the caramel goat cheese.

We both loved the "Pee-Posh Garden".

While it might have seemed to be a bit much when reading the ingredients on the menu, it was a symphony of textures and flavors, from the fermented white asparagus, to the crunchy and mildly sweet pecan "soil", to the pickled beets, nutty-sweet sunchoke puree, and buttery confit potatoes.

I'm sure you know if foie gras is on the menu, we'd be ordering it, even with a $20 supplement. The fois gras was nicely seared, the interior nice and smooth, rich, earthy, though the roasted and compressed apple was perhaps a bit on the sweeter end of the spectrum for us.

The Pork Cheek and Crisp Belly was nice and "swiney". Perfectly done; the Anasazi Bean adding a nice, sweet-earthiness to the dish.

The mains…ummm "Journey" were prepared well, if a bit on the "standard" side.

The "Kachk", black cod with fennel puree was cooked well, nice and creamy. We appreciated the fact that the fennel puree did not overwhelm the dish.

This could have used a bit more aggressive seasoning in our opinion.

Kai's signature dish is the Grilled Tenderloin of Tribal Buffalo was cooked to a perfect medium rare.

It is of course buffalo….thus a bit on the "toothsome" side. A bit milder in flavor than what I expected, the corn puree and saguaro syrup made this a bit sweeter than I like as well.

The cheese plate was quite routine.

Dessert was served with some fanfare…..

Both desserts were outstanding and not overly sweet.

The Chocolate and Queen Creek Olives.

The Mousse "stones" where wonderful, so decadent and creamy inside, with the "hidden" olive cake adding a touch of savoriness, and the lemon foam had just enough cirtus-acidity for the dish.

The Cactus Melange was also stellar.

That Nopales and Lime sabayon was outstanding and it's really hard to describe the taste of the nopales sherbet.

We loved the parting gift.

Definitely not a inexpensive dinner at almost $600 with tip.

Kai
5594 W Wild Horse Pass Blvd. (At the Sheraton Grand At Wild Horse Pass)
Phoenix, AZ 85226

After dinner we took a stroll around the property.

The next morning we headed home; stopping for coffee and a light breakfast at WhereUBean Coffee.

Nice, relaxed coffee stop; really friendly staff. When I grabbed a Earl Grey cake for the Missus, the guy working pointed me to the "Happy Little Accident" discounted slice….he must've known how much I paid for dinner the previous night!