Road Trip – Page 8

Le Menu du Bar at Jeune et Jolie (Carlsbad)

March 14, 2024 mmm-yoso French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Road Trip, Staycation

Like I mentioned in my previous post, the Missus requested a Road Trip to a specific location. This also gave us an opportunity to revisit Jeune et Jolie and spend a night in Carlsbad before heading off. After our last meal at JeJ my friends "B&G" had seen my photos and taken it upon themselves to head on over and have dinner. Though they didn't make reservations. Instead, they dined at the bar, which has its own menu and doesn't take reservations. They had no problem getting seats at the bar arriving right before 5pm on a Friday. The bar menu had several items that looked enticing, so we thought we'd try our luck on a Friday no less!

This time around we stayed at the Tamarack Resort, which we enjoyed. The location was right across from Carlsbad State Beach and had ample underground parking; at least when we arrived.

We checked in and relaxed until it was time to head out to try our luck.

We enjoyed the short stroll over to the restaurant and arrived 5 before 5. There were several parties ahead of us; but most had reservations for dining in. We easily got a place at the bar; which filled up quickly and was totally full in minutes!

Service was friendly and relaxed, yet still quite efficient. The Missus started with a Chardonnay and I had the House Old Fashioned which was no joke!

We placed our orders, we had eaten a fairly big lunch before heading out, so the smaller bites on the menu suited us perfectly. There are offerings of oysters, prawns, a plat du fruits du mer, but we had other things in mind.

"B" had stated that the Croque Monsieur ($44) was his favorite item of his meal, so we started with that. We didn't know what to expect and this is what arrived.

If there was ever a dish to be named "death by truffle" this might be a contender. So the earthy-sweet truffle and brioche really dominated these bites. We really couldn't make out the jamon iberico. Don't get me wrong; you know how much we love truffle, but this was just a bit too sweet and out of balance for me.

Seeing one of my favorites from the tasting menu available, I made sure to order the Veal Tartare ($23).

This was every bit as good as what I'd had before. Tender veal, chopped to my preferred size, nice touch of pungency, the flavor of white soy added a nice savory-saltiness, the crunchy-peppery radish was a nice foil, and the nori powder added another nice layer of flavor.

One item that I really enjoy when in France are Gourgeres, though it's getting a bit more difficult to find light puffs of savory pastry and cheese these days. Even in Paris, where it used to be sold be weight. So, when I saw Gourgere ($16) on the menu I had to get it. Even though it was filled with mornay.

My goodness, we loved these! The crisp and light choux was filled with a savory-pleasantly cheesy Mornay, which even had a nice touch of garlic. That wonderful nutty-earthy-savory-mushroomy flavor of the black truffle came thru clearly as well. We could taste all the components which made this dish delici-yoso! In fact, we had a second order of these!

You know, we enjoy Carlsbad in spite of the lack of Asian food offerings in the area. I hate to think how much damage to my wallet we'd do if we lived in walking distance of Jeune et Jolie!

Jeune Et Jolie – Le Menu du Bar only served at the bar and small "lounge" area. No reservations, first come first served.
2659 State St.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
Current Hours:
Wed – Sun 5pm – 10pm

After dinner we took a nice stroll.

Where we passed several venues with folks having a great time!

Very relaxed, laid-back……fun!

On the way back to the hotel, the Missus and I decided to get a glass of wine at a place we'd had coffee at on our previous visit.

Where on the road were we?

March 13, 2024 mmm-yoso Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Travel, yoso-silly

Well, in case you didn't notice; things were a bit quiet here over the last couple of days. Cathy has been super busy and as for us; well, we had us a little road trip. Where you might inquire? I'm glad you asked.

We started fairly locally and did almost a repeat staycation from last month.

And enjoyed another meal at what is now a favorite of the Missus.

We enjoy the vibe here…..

Our next stop was for dinner at a new Chinese restaurant that I understand spent 3 million dollars on renovations before recently opening.

Well, to say the decor was impressive is an understatement.

Our next stop was a city in Northern LA County. A charming and friendly city, with a lovely "main street".

The Missus wanted to go hiking in the area to see if the poppies were in bloom. Which was just starting up, so we didn't see much.

Regardless, we really enjoyed the nice 5 1/2 mile hike, which was quite easy. It was so peaceful, we just loved the sounds of the birds chirping and singing…..

The city itself is famous for Aerospace development.

And there's some pretty over-the-top street art as well.

We had two dinners in town.

Perhaps a bit more "fried centric" than we are for these days. But I got to get my fried cheese curd fix in.

Along with some nice brews.

On the return trip we had lunch at an old favorite, which really delivered.

And then dinner at an Omakase only place we'd been wanting to try for a while.

We just returned and am getting things in order.

Thanks for dropping by and my apologies while I try to climb back to reality!

Road Trip – The Winsor Trail and Dinner at The Shed (Santa Fe, NM)

March 10, 2024 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, New Mexico, Road Trip, Santa Fe/Taos, New Mexico, Travel

On our one full day in Santa Fe, the Missus wanted to get some hiking in. So we got up early and had breakfast provided by our accommodation, the Inn of the Governors at the attached restaurant El Charro. As before, the breakfast was decent, unlike before the staff was very friendly and accommodating.

And just like we'd done on that previous visit we headed off to do some hiking. This time we did the Winsor Trail to Jawbone Trail which was about 15 minutes out of Santa Fe.

Not much elevation, but we had to watch for all the mountain bikers who were hauling down the trail on the way back.

Though we caught up with most of them because it seems the river crossings had been washed out, so you had to be a bit creative when crossing the river.

After our hike we headed back to the hotel and relaxed. Our breakfast held us up until dinner. Knowing this would be the case, I had made early reservations. Like dinner the night before our destination was just a short walk away. We headed out a few minutes early so we could wander and window shop along the way.

It's fun to wander about and check out the little shops.

I really wanted to try New Mexican cuisine and had been lobbying the Missus to finally have some. You see, the Missus is not the biggest fan of Tex-Mex and good lord after having so many wonderful meals in Mexico it had become more difficult then ever to convince Her. What I did manage to communicate was that She should perhaps consider New Mexican cuisine to be "regional", where the current cuisine shows influences of the local product and those who lived here.

The Shed had been recommended to me by several people, a couple of which had either lived or have relatives who live in Santa Fe. It had been described as "classic", "quintessential", an "institution" and other adjectives to me. I was told that "yes tourists go here….but so do we when we visit relatives." The place has even garnered a James Beard Foundation Award as "an American Classic of timeless appeal" in 2003. The Shed opened in 1953 and has been going strong ever since.

We arrived right at the opening time at 5pm, there was already a line outside. Luckily we had reservations as the restaurant filled up quickly. We were seated in the patio area.

Where we heard the line that became the "shot across the bow" for our meal. A gentleman, American mind you, looked up from the menu and asked the super patient Server, "ummmm, what's an enchilada?" Whoa….. I really felt for the Servers here, each one seemed to patient, even though the placed was totally packed! Our Server was amazing!

The Missus wanted some Guacamole and Chips to start.

The guacamole was fine, we prefer our guacamole a bit more coarse, with more heat, and this really in need of salt and more lime. It was almost like this was made in a food processor.

The chips were warm, with a perfect thickness, and crisp.

When the Missus saw Pozole on the menu She had to try it. I was a bit hesitant, because, well, I make pozole from scratch (yes, I know I need to get that post done).

My goodness, this was terrible. The hominy was obviously canned, over cooked and mushy. The menu said that lean pork was used; no kidding! The broth had no taste…..I don't use pig head for my version but do use pig feet…this had no flavor. To us it was pozole in name only.

The Missus got the Tamale appetizer smothered in cheese and green chile.

The Missus didn't care much for this either; saying that the sauce was very bland and the tamale lacked a good corn flavor.

I got the Enchilada Plate, which came with a side of "Pozole", the hominy was again mushy and bland, and beans, which had a decent texture, but lacked flavor as well.

I got this "Christmas style", that is with both red and green chile. The corn tortillas were quite good, nice flavor, the green sauce did seem a bit bland, the red had a mild smokiness and I enjoyed it more. Both sauces weren't spicy at all.

Service was wonderful, but this was not a great introduction to New Mexican cuisine for us. In spite of all the recommendations, based on the location, perhaps this is mainly a tourist restaurant that makes "food not to offend"?

The Shed Restaurant
113 1/2 E Palace Ave.
Santa Fe, NM 87501

Oh well, you can't win 'em all!

We took our usual stroll after dinner. We really enjoy wandering around Santa Fe.

This is a statue of Pedro de Peralta who is credited with formally establishing Santa Fe.

Check out this cool swing.

There's so much public art to see.

We always enjoy Santa Fe!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip – Sazon (Santa Fe, NM)

March 7, 2024 mmm-yoso Fine Dining, Latin American Cuisine, Memorable Meals, Mexican Restaurants, New Mexico, Road Trip, Santa Fe/Taos, New Mexico, Travel

One of the main reasons we headed back to Santa Fe for another road trip was to dine at Sazon. We had really wanted to have dinner at Sazon during our last stay (Sept 2022), but the Chef, Fernando Olea who hails from CDMX had recently won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest and reservations were impossible to come by. So, instead we ended having a nice meal at Geronimo. This time, I managed to get reservations for an early dinner. The restaurant located in one of those classic Santa Fe Adobes one block from our hotel.

The place was already buzzing when we were seated. The dining area is divided in different rooms, each adorned with colorful artwork.

The service was professional, but warm and not stuffy. There is a tasting menu available during two specific seatings, but we just wanted to try items we saw on the regular menu.

IMG_8464_01

The Missus started with some Champagne, I was looking forward to our upcoming (at that time) trip to Tequila in the upcoming month and had a Tres Generaciones Anejo. We were also provided with a Mole sampler, some of which was too sweet for the Missus, so we were glad to have just gone with ordering off the menu. You'll also soon see why…..

As things started with the Tuetano – Bone Marrow. You know how much I like bone marrow, right?

The salsa rojo on the bone marrow had a nice kick and really blended well with the buttery richness of the marrow. It went so well with the maizey tortillas. This was a nice start.

Next up; the Higado de Ganzo – Foie Gras with a raspberry-coconut sauce on crostini.

The sweetness of the sauces and the resiny flavor of the pine nuts overwhelmed the small slices of foie gras in this dish. It was just a bit too much stuff, which made it a "foie faux" to us.

Next up were these.

The Xochimilco – Huitlacoche, with queso fresco was so delici-yoso.

Oh my, the earthy-mushroomy-sweet huitlacoche paired so well with the slightly milky queso fresco, which added a melty-buttery texture. The corn tortillas added heft and the salsa a bit of heat, with a mild sweetness.

We also enjoyed the Oaxaquenos – Chapulines, which was served over mashed avocado.

Just by themselves, the light and crunchy grasshoppers had a really nice savory-grassy-mild spice that was so nice. Our Server told us that it had been infused with garlic and olive oil and chili de arbol. The corn tortilla was a perfect match as was the avocado.

There was one last dish I really wanted to try; the Cholula, which is the Chef's take on the Chile en Nogada. this was served in a tower format, rather than the usual stuffed chile poblano.

Well, this had a lot going on; the meat here was a combination of ground lamb, pork, and beef; which was seriously overshadowed by a very tasty, not overly sweet and creamy-rich walnut sauce. The balsamic vinegar sauce added another level of sweet-acidity, with a touch of heat from jalapenos. We'd have enjoyed more of the bitter-sweetness provided by the pomegranate seeds. The poblanos added a nice mild green bell pepper flavor to things. That walnut sauce is what made the dish in our opinion.

Overall, this was a memorable meal, the service was excellent, the dishes interesting with such a range of flavors! I'm glad we were able to finally have dinner here!

Sazón
221 Shelby St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501

After dinner, we took a nice stroll. This is the Bell Tower Bar, where we had drinks earlier in the day.

We passed those places we visited on our last trip here.

The Loretto Chapel.

The San Miguel Chapel.

Santa Fe Plaza.

And all the enjoyable public art.

It made for a very relaxing time!

Thanks for stopping by!

Revisits – Spicy Lao Kitchen (Kearny Mesa) and Vientiane Lao Thai Restaurant (Garden Grove)

February 26, 2024 mmm-yoso Lao Restaurants, Orange County, Road Trip, Thai Restaurants

A pair of revisits to Lao Restaurants for your Monday.

Spicy Lao Kitchen:

The Missus was craving the Moo Tod and Goong Nam Pla that we had on our last visit to Spicy Lao Kitchen. So we headed on over.

Spicy Lao vs 01

It was 1230 on a Tuesday, but the parking lot in the strip mall was pretty empty and the restaurant had only two tables of customers when we arrived.

Spicy Lao vs 02

I'm guessing that the soft opening crowds have now gone their way as the sign out front now says "Grand Opening". There was still one person working the front of house, but she did a good job and there wasn't as much of a wait as on our previous visits.

We ordered 4 dishes, three of our favorites here and one new item from the menu.

First to arrive was the Moo Tod thinly sliced pork belly, the crispness gives way to a nice almost creamy texture.

Spicy Lao vs 03

Nicely seasoned, good salt and savory components. For us, the rather salsa-ish Jeow Mak Len, pretty weak in heat and flavor is not needed. In fact, all the jeow we've had here has been pretty weak.

Next up was the Nem Khao.

Spicy Lao vs 04

While still one of our favorite versions in San Diego, this hasn't been as good as what we'd had here on our first visit. The rice was in hard chunks rather than being crisp, there wasn't enough sour sausage nor spice as well.

Of course we got the Goong Nam Pla; the naked shrimp.

Spicy Lao vs 05

This dish was a winnah; good spice, the shrimp tender, nice acidic tones. The shrimp had no off flavors and this was quite a refreshing dish.

We decided to try the Crying Tiger. We were asked how we wanted our beef cooked and said "medium rare". What arrived was definitely not that.

Spicy Lao vs 06

The beef was on the tough side. Though the spice was decent it definitely needed more fish sauce, acid, and more toasted rice powder for that nutty flavor. This was pretty weak.

Still, even though it's still one server manning the front of house, our orders were taken in a timely manner and there wasn't an overly long delay for our dishes as on previous visits.

Spicy Lao Kitchen
5375 Kearney Villa Rd.
San Diego, CA 92123
Current Hours:
Tues – Sat 11am – 9pm
Sunday 11am – 7pm
Closed on Mondays

Vientiane Lao Thai Restaurant:

During our last Staycation, I had made plans to visit a locale in Carlsbad on the morning after our dinner at Jeune Et Jolie. Those plans however fell thru and after having our morning coffee, we had to decide what to do before check in time in Oceanside. The Missus had the idea of heading up to Westminster to visit our current Cha Ca Thang Long place, but we had just been there three times over the last couple of weeks. Then, I had the idea of revisiting Vientiane Thai Lao in Garden Grove. It had been almost 4 1/2 years since our last visit. It would be interesting to compare the nem khao tod there to what we'd recently had at Spicy Lao.

Vientiane vs 01

So we headed on over and arrived at around 1130. The place was fairly busy and we got one of the two remaining available tables. Looking at photos from our first visit back in 2009, the interior looks like a total different restaurant.

Vientiane vs 02

We placed our order and soon enough dishes started arriving. First thing to arrive was a large plate of lettuce and cilantro.

Vientiane vs 03

Which came in real handy for the Nem Khao.

Vientiane vs 04

The rice was crisp-crunchy and not in giant chunks like Spicy Lao, there was an abundance of sour sausage, and even pork skin! A hint of spice, a touch of coconut, perhaps even better than I recalled.

We had never tried the Lao Sausage here, so we ordered that. This was interesting in that it was sliced, then deep fried. Still it was much better than the overly dry and chewy version we had at Spicy Lao Kitchen.

Vientiane vs 05

There were three things we really enjoyed about this sausage; the sausage casing and fried portions were crisp, without being hard or chewy. The rice in the sausage added a wonderful soft, tender texture. And the herbs really gave it some "life".

We also ordered the Lao Beef Jerky, which was on the harder side of the scale, but wasn't overly salty and had an interesting lemongrass-soy-fish sauce-sweet flavor.

Vientiane vs 06

We saved most of this and actually ate it for breakfast! It keeps really well. Of course we need to try the version at Spicy Lao.

The one item we ordered that Spicy Lao does better is the Goong Nam Pla. What arrived at our looked nothing like what we'd had here on previous visits.

Vientiane vs 07

First off, the shrimp were really chewy and gummy. It also had a muddy after taste to it. The sauce was provided on the side and though it had decent heat, lacked sufficient acidity, and the garlic tones we'd noted during our previous visits. Bummer.

Still it was great seeing that the nem khao here was still good after all these years! Funny thing, we thought we ordered a lot, but the couple on the table next to us ordered 6 dishes! Service was friendly and efficient. We need to return soon.

Vientiane Lao Thai Restauarant
10262 Westminster Ave.
Garden Grove, CA 92843
Current Hours:
Thurs – Tues 11am – 730pm
Closed on Wednesdays

Vientiane vs 08

So, even though Spicy Lao is improving, we think they've got a bit to go to catch up to Vientiane. Though the shrimp there was much better!

Road Trip – Pecos National Historical Park, Saint Francis Cathedral, and the Bell Tower Bar (Santa Fe)

February 25, 2024 mmm-yoso Chocolate, Cocktails, New Mexico, Road Trip, Santa Fe/Taos, New Mexico, Travel

**** No food in this one; but if you'd like to see photos of what was once considered one of the crossroads to the west, along with what is considered the oldest statue of the Virgin Mary in North America, read on.

After spending the evening in Prescott and visiting Montezuma Castle National Monument and having lunch at a favorite spot of ours, we headed off to our next destination. Taking the 40 East, then transitioning to the 25, we bypassed our next destination for the night, Santa Fe, and went to Pecos National Historic Park. Once upon a time, the Glorieta Pass was considered the most direct route to the west. Everyone from the ancient Pueblo Indians, to the Spanish, to the settlers head to the west used this pass. In fact lest you think that New Mexico was too far west, the decisive Battle of Glorieta Pass was fought here during the Civil War. The park is fairly large and sprawling, nearly 350 acres.

The main area I wanted to check out was Pecos Pueblo.

Here stand the ruins of the Pueblo, with the foreboding walls of the Mission Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles rising up from the area.

There actually a recreated Kiva. Which really stirred one's imagination of how things must have been.

The large eye-catching ruins are of the Pecos Mission Church.

The first church was completed on these grounds headed by the Franciscans who gained permission from the Spanish. Of course, the labor was provided by the Puebloans. To quote the NPS page:

"Construction of the Mission Church and the Convento were supervised by the Franciscans, but Pecos people provided the labor; the Pecos received no pay for their work, raising questions today about the nature of slavery in the Southwest."

In 1680 the Puebloans rejected the religion and rule in the Pueblo Revolt and the church and convent were razed.

In 1693, the Spanish retook the land and reestablished control and the current structure was built.

We had parked, seen the ruins and immediately headed on over. In retrospect, I'd recommend heading over to the visitors center first as it provided history and context.

And we loved this map as it added to what we had learned about trading of the native peoples during our visit to the Museo Nacional de Antropologia in Mexico City.

Pecos National Historical Park
Pecos, NM 87552

It was a mere half hour drive to Santa Fe from here.

The Missus wanted to make one stop on the way to our hotel at Kakawa Chocolate again.

Where She restocked on some of Her favorites from our previous visit.

Kakawa Chocolate House
1300 Rufina Circle A4
Santa Fe, NM 87507

As before, we stayed at the Inn of the Governors. And as on our previous visit, our room wasn't quite ready yet, but we were able to park and do some exploring.

On our previous trip to Santa Fe, there was a place I wanted to check out but it was closed during our stay; the Saint Francis Cathedral.

On my previous trip, I found the following statue to be fascinating, so I did a bit of research…..

This is a status of Kateri Tekakwitha, the First Native American Saint. If you're interested in a bit more, this entry might be of interest.

As we entered the church, I was struck by how brightly colored it was.

At the Northeast part of the Cathedral is a chapel that was once part of another church that stood on these grounds. It is the oldest part of the Cathedral.

In this chapel resides the oldest existing statue of the Virgin Mary in North America, often called "La Conquistadora".

You can read even more about that here.

We enjoyed our visit and then headed off to our next stop. I've mentioned the architect Mary Colter a couple of times in posts; she the Desert Watchtower and one of our favorite hotels, La Posada in Winslow. I had read that she had also designed the interior of the very popular La Fonda Hotel in Santa Fe. So, we decided to head on over.

The restaurant looked lovely, but we had reservations at another place for dinner.

There is however, a bar on the rooftop of La Fonda, which is open from 3pm to Sunset during weekdays. The clock had just struck 3 so we headed up the elevator.

And then to the host stand. Luckily, we had gotten there right when the place opened.

There were people who had gotten in before we did! I guess they waited for the place to open?

The Missus got a Frozen Sangria and I got a Spicy Serrano Margarita.

And we relaxed and enjoyed the view.

Bell Tower Bar (in the La Fonda Hotel)
100 E San Francisco St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Open from May – late October
Hours:
Mon – Fri 3pm – Sunset
Sat – Sun 1pm – Sunset

Before strolling back to the hotel to check in. We were looking forward to our dinner!

Thanks for stopping by!

COMC, The Road Trip Edition – Revisits to Bistro Na’s and Canton Restaurant – Cháo Cá Chợ Cũ

January 18, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Orange County, Road Trip, Vietnamese Restaurants

During the late fall and early winter, we made several road trips to revisit Mountain House. We decided to stay the evening and make a stop for lunch on the way home. We revisited places I've already posted on, so I thought I'd just post mostly photos of those meals. So, here I go C(learing) O(out the) M(emory) C(ard) again

Bistro Na's:

Good lord, how many posts have I done on the place since our first visit in 2019? There have been some changes over time. Bistro Na's lost their Michelin Star in 2022 and many of the dishes we'd enjoyed in the past are no longer on the menu. We've also noticed some inconsistencies in execution and quality as well.

But, on this visit, the Tofu Skin and the Smoked Duck Breast were as good as ever.

What we consider to be their signature dish, the Crisp Shrimp was not however.

The shrimp lacked the plump tenderness of what we'd had before and the shells seemed to have been fried differently as they were hard instead of being light and crisp.

And did we really spend $22 for a tiny portion of under seasoned Ong Choi? It was listed as having fermented bean curd, but there was not much of the cheesy-salty-savory-sweet flavor present.

After this visit, we decided to give Bistro Na's a rest for a while. There's no much more to explore in the SGV.

Bistro Na's
9055 Las Tunas Drive
Temple City, CA 91780

Canton Restaurant – Cháo Cá Chợ Cũ:

Well, this is now our default stop for Cha Ca. Ever since that initial visit, the Missus has been wanting to return. We've been back three times….I basically have stopped taking photos here. The food has been consistent on all our visits.

Tons of fresh herbs and veggies.

Funky mam nem, a generous portion of bun……extra onions which we put on the sizzling plate.

And we usually get the Cha Gio as well.

Plus, they open at 930am, which is great for our return trip home.

Canton Restaurant – Cháo Cá Chợ Cũ (Cash only)
8550 Westminster Blvd.
Westminster, CA 92683

Road Trip – Lunch at Vinaigrette, San Felipe de Neri Catholic Church, and a Revisit to Kitsune ABQ (Albuquerque)

December 3, 2023 mmm-yoso Albuquerque, American/New American Restaurants, Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Cocktails, New Mexico, Road Trip, Salads, Travel

After spending the morning at Petroglyph National Monument, we headed back to our accommodations to freshen up. It was getting kinda warm so we wanted something on the lighter side. I had Vinaigrette on my list during our previous visit to Santa Fe and recalled that they had a ABQ location as well. Turns out that the restaurant was just a 15 minute walk from the hotel. Plus, we'd be walking thru Old Town and could take our time and explore a bit on the walk back.

The place was almost full when we arrived, but we got the last table outdoor table.

We were glad to get that table as the only outdoor seating still available was this…..I wonder if folks actually sit here?

As you can tell by the name, Vinaigrette specializes in various categories of salads; savory, sweet, "balanced", and so forth, along with some sandwiches and a few sides and soup.

I wanted something refreshing, so I ordered a concoction called the "Pepino", which featured cucumber and lime juice, along with club soda.

This was quite refreshing and not overly sweet.

We also ordered the Kale Fritters.

We enjoyed the crunchiness and earthy tones of the fritters, which went surprisingly well with the Sriracha Aioli. It was a tad on the salty side of things, but was not a bad dish overall.

The Missus got the "Omega".

This was mostly lettuce and really didn't have as much kale as the Missus would have liked. She thought the toasted pine nuts would be great in a salad, though it really clashed with the provided Blue Cheese Vinaigrette. The avocado was just one small piece. This salad needed more acidity added to really balance out all those greens.

I got the Spinach Mushroom which was a much better choice for our tastes.

The earthy, slightly sweet sauteed mushrooms, with savory bacon, and a slightly sweet-sour honey-balsamic vinaigrette was a nice combination. I wish there were a bit more onions for pungency and more boiled eggs to keep the Missus happy, but this was not bad.

The staff was very friendly, the crowd….well, as you can figure, very hipster-healthy-ish. Still, we didn't want anything too heavy and this did the trick….at least for me.

Vinaigrette
828 Central Ave. SW
Albuquerque, NM 87104

After lunch we took our time strolling back to the hotel. There seemed to be more businesses open on this day, but things were still really quiet.

We enjoyed wandering thru the various patios.

There was a definite charm to this place…..

While we had stopped to look at the Cottonwood Madonna the previous day, we had just walked past the San Felipe de Neri Catholic Church.

There has been a church on this site since Albuquerque was founded. The original church collapsed in 1792 and San Felipe de Neri Church was founded in 1793.

There's a museum and gift shop located in the Sister Blandina Convent onsite.

And of course the Cottonwood Madonna.

And if you want to read even more about the Cottonwood Madonna, you can read more here.

As interesting as San Felipe de Neri Catholic Church was, I found something even more interesting down this patio.

As we were looking at various shops, something caught my eye.

So I walked on in.

It was a beautiful little chapel.

This is the Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

It has an interesting story and is even said to be haunted.

We enjoyed strolling around Old Town.

We got back to the hotel and relaxed until it was time to head out for dinner. I had made reservations at a nearby Wine Bar & Bistro, but when we walked over our reservations our reservations were MIA. The place was quite busy and we didn't want to wait so we decided to head on back to Kitsune.

And ordered our food and had a seat in the back patio this time.

I found out that the cocktail that was made for me the night before was called the "Autumn" and featured Blue Corn Whiskey.

Smoky, but not overly sweet.

Of course we got the Karaage.

Which was just a good as the previous night.

And we also got the Pork Belly Rice "Bowl".

The rice on this evening was much better than what we had the previous night; though I'm not sure about that mayo. The pork belly was a bit more chewy than I like, but the seaoning and sauce was pretty good; not overly sweet. The pickled onions handled the palate cleansing duties well.

Not bad for two nights in a row.

Kitsune ABQ
524 Romero St. NW
Albuquerque, NM 87104

We then walked on back to the hotel. On the way back, we stopped at a shop and got some liquid refreshment and a snack.

And sat on the porch and watched the action below.

We went to sleep early as we'd be headed out to Pecos National Historical Park , then it was off to Santa Fe in the morning!

Road Trip – Old Town and the Cottonwood Madonna, Dinner at Kitsune ABQ, and Petroglyph National Monument

December 2, 2023 mmm-yoso Albuquerque, Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, New Mexico, Road Trip, Travel

After heading out from Prescott and stopping for lunch at the Turquoise Room, we made our way to our next stop; Albuquerque. Though our final destination for this road trip was Santa Fe and Taos, we wanted to take our time, do some hikes, and explore some National Monuments/Parks if possible. I thought stopping in Albuquerque might make for a nice break. I decided on staying at the Hotel Chaco as it was close to the I-40, Old Town, and Petroglyph National Monument. We really enjoyed the hotel, ample parking, a nice patio, comfortable rooms. We got to the hotel early and our room was ready! We unpacked and decided to walk on over to the Old Town.

This was a Wednesday in May and the Old Town, which was basically a block away was fairly quiet.

The Old Town seemed much larger than San Diego's version and dates back to 1706! It was fun walking around the area.

We noticed this church along the way.

This is San Felipe de Neri Church, which we'd visit in detail the next day. What really caught our attention was this.

After doing a bit of research this is what I found, this is known as the Cottonwood Madonna. It was supposedly carved by a parishioner of San Felipe de Neri in the 1970's. And according to the story, he died upon completion of this creation! You gotta love these stories!

The one place that did seem quite busy was the Old Town Plaza.

One of the reasons I chose our hotel was that the Sawmill Market, a well regarded food hall was right across the street.

Sadly, as we walked thru the stands, the Missus could not find anyplace She wanted to eat at…..

So it was back to square one…..

We decided to head on back to Old Town and we came across a bar called The Taproom.

What was interesting was that the bar was at 524 Romero Street, but there was also a 524 1/2 Romero Street. And the sign said "Kitsune", which caught our attention.

So we headed on in.

Hmmm……I'm guessing that this is, or was the kitchen for the bar? The menu was an amalgamation of Asian fusion dishes…you know Kimchi Fried Rice, Karaage, Thai Fries…..you get the idea. Well, since we were here and there weren't many choices we were interested in, why not? So, we went ahead and placed our order and paid. Then headed on over to the bar and ordered some cocktails.

Then had a seat at one of the tables. We enjoyed our cocktails.

Funny thing was….well a great thing actually is that we gave the bartender our taste preferences and he just made cocktails for us! And they were quite good.

Soon our food arrived.

Starting with the "Loaded Fries".

The fries were quite good, crisp outside, creamy inside. The roasted pork was quite tender and nicely seasoned, the sweet-salty, slightly teriyaki-ish sauce went nicely with the pork. The only thing that felt out of place was the cheese as both the sour-palate cleansing pickled onions, a gastropub standard did well.

The best item of the night was the Chicken Karaage.

Crisp deliciousness, the chicken thighs had been nicely marinated and was very moist. I enjoyed the addition of Togarashi and is gave things a bit of zip and the mayo did a nice job of cooling things down. The seasoning was perfect on this; a great balance between salty and a hint of sweetness, with a touch of pungency from garlic and ginger.

The Fried Rice was decent.

The rice was a bit undercooked though evenly coated with a kimchi base. Of course the addition of Spam and that sunny side egg (which the Missus immediately poached) didn't hurt things in the least. The gochujang was a bit of overkill, but did add to the presentation.

This was pretty good bar food and we were pleasantly surprised, and after having a busy day, would end up here again the next day.

Kitsune ABQ
524 Romero St. NW
Albuquerque, NM 87104

We took a nice after dinner stroll in the really quiet Old Town.

There only a few businesses open.

Back at the room, we just sat, relaxed, and enjoyed the view from our patio.

We woke the next morning, grabbed some coffee, and then headed out to Petroglyph National Monument. We drove to the Visitor's Center which is actually several miles from any of the trails. We picked up a map and decided to do two of the trails; the Rinconada Canyon Trail, which is a easy loop trail, followed by Boca Negra Canyon.

Among the remnants of an eruption from over 150,000 years ago there are symbols carved onto basalt boulders along the trails.

The trails are quite easy' at least the one's we took.

And things start out quite stark and you'll wonder if you've found the correct trail.

But soon enough, you'll come across basalt boulders.

And soon you'll start getting a glimpse…..

As to the age of the carvings; I've seen things written that some go back to 3,000 years ago, though the signage and the NPS site says between 400 to 700 years ago. As for actual dating; I'm sure there are Archaeologists at work trying to determine accurate dating of the petroglyphs.

And looking at some, like these give a good clue as to the period.

Because sheep are not native to North America and were brought with the Spaniards in the 1600's, so those must have been done after the arrival of the Spanish settlers.

We enjoyed our time here; though it was starting to get pretty warm (this was in May), so it was time to head back and grab some lunch!

Thanks for stopping by!

2024 Rose Parade Road Test #5, Breakfast at Bob’s Burgers (La Puente)

October 30, 2023 Cathy American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Burgers, Festivals & Events, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, What Cathy Eats!

mmm-yoso!!! is primarily a food blog with sometimes interesting stories about how the food was acquired. Cathy and Her Mister took a short road trip on Saturday and here's that post.

Link to 2024 Float Road Test #1

Link to 2024 Road Test #2

Link to 2024 Road Test #3

Link to Road Test #4

On the last Saturday in October, we woke at 4, left home at 5 and after a quick stop at Cream Pan in Tustin, arrived at Phoenix Decorating Company in Irwindale, just in time to see three floats for the 2024 Tournament of Roses Rose Parade being tested for mechanics and maneuverability.

"Sounds of Success". presented by Coding for Veterans, a Canadian based organization. The H60 and P35 aircraft are much more recognizable now that the rebar outline is covered. This symmetric float (same on the camera and off camera sides) looks like it will have giant screens in the center. The 'keyboards' under the screens are surreal.

Unsure about this float, but the 'spotter' in front is easy to see, as is the 'driver' near the back (with the ToR safety evaluator seated next to him). You can see the slot where the Spotter looks out in the above float photo.
Also unknown is this float, with an intricate 'skeleton' which may have some interesting mechanics attached.

//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

The road testing was short, the weather was windy and chilly and The Mister and I were not very hungry yet. We did drive to Porto's and got a few seasonal bakery items and a loaf of cranberry walnut bread (spent less than $11!) and started driving around, looking for 'someplace new to us' for breakfast.

Well. Of course we stopped.

The walls and ceiling are covered with nostalgia. After ordering and paying, we got our beverages and found a nice, clean table. Our food was brought to us. The breakfast menu is pretty simple. The complete menu at the Drive Thru has me wanting to return.

Realizing I haven't had a breakfast sandwich in a very long time, I jumped at the chance to try a sausage breakfast sandwich on rye ($8.99). flat omelet style eggs on toasted, thick slices of rye with four skin-on breakfast sausages, lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise…just a wonderful sandwich.

The Breakfast plate with a hamburger patty, three eggs (over easy) and real hash browns ($9.99) was The Mister's choice. Oh, we both really appreciate the char broiling of a patty and the seasoned grill here produces a wonderful flavored burger.. The eggs were perfectly over easy and the soft boiled potatoes, crisp fried on a flat top grill were just wonderful. Of course The Mister also chose rye toast-an excellent bread, filled with rye seeds.

Bob's Burgers 14952 Valley Blvd. La Puente, CA 91746 (626) 961-2523 Open Fri-Wed 7 a.m.- 9:45 p.m. Closed Thursday Website

What caught my eye, on the counter were these Sampuru- fake food models. But it's not Japanese food (although apparently the teriyaki chicken and beef on the menu are very popular items). I've never seen Mexican or American breakfasts, much less burgers and French fries done in this wax style of advertising. Then again, look at the wall behind the fake food displays… kanji?