Category: Travel

Quito – Intiñan Equator Museum, Basílica del Voto Nacional, La Vid Restaurante, Yumbos Chocolate, and More

Chocolate, Ecuador, Ecuadorian Restaurants, Latin American Cuisine, Travel

We were having a fun morning exploring Quito and our next stop would be quite entertaining. Of course one keeps hearing about the “Center of the World” here. And after all, the name of the country is Ecuador, which in Spanish literally means “equator”. And this is where Charles Marie de La Condamine part of the French Geodesic Mission to the Equator from whom he split after disagreements and differing beliefs and methodologies, tested out the hypothesis of Isaac Newton and his work in Principia, that the Earth is not a perfect sphere. And that place where Charles Marie de La Condamine determined was the equator is where Ciudad Mitad del Mundo is located. Where the monument to the Equator is located.

Cool, right? But like a rather famous actor said “Hang on there, pilgrim”. His measurement was off. The “actual” location is about 250 yards away, which is where the Intiñan Equator Museum is located.

It’s a kind of kitschy , fun place….

The fella’s above’s name is…well Inti of course.

We did enjoy the exhibits of the Native Tribes and former residents of the area. One even had Cuy running around! Dinner bells must be ringing somewhere!

And yes, that’s a real shrunken head on the right in that glass case.

And there’s a pole to mark Latitude 0. Of course, I’ve read that this location is also a bit off; but not by that much.

Not that this sweet little one cares about it. He just wanted to be pet…..

There are some interesting activities as well. There’s a movable sink which shows how water drains from one side of the equator to the other.

And then there’s balancing an egg on top of a nail. It is said that it is easy at the equator which I’ve read is a myth. But of course, the Missus had to try, right?

Well, so much for that one…..

Regardless of if this is really the center of the world; we enjoyed this stop!

Intiñan Equator Museum
Manuel Cordova Galarza
Quito, Ecuador

We then headed back to the Old Town, stopping on top of a hill was this huge, imposing Gothic Cathedral. This is the Basílica del Voto Nacional.

Construction was started in 1892 and…well, never officially finished. You see, there’s a legend that says if the Basilica is ever finished, the world will come to an end.

You can actually pay to climb to the top of the towers for an extra fee.

And of course the Missus just had to do it. I think I’ve mentioned before….I’m not a fan of heights. Not that it really mattered to the Missus.

The views from the towers were wonderful.

I later mentioned that the Basilica reminded me of Notre Dame and was told it was modeled after it.

Of course, what goes up must come down….which was more scary for me…..

Yikes….

Look at the lovely stained glass window!

After our visit to the Basilica, we headed into the Old Town.

This lovely building was the home of our destination for lunch. We were told that it used to be the Archbishop’s Palace, but now houses shops and restaurants.

La Vid Restaurant is located on the second floor.

A lovely and classy dining room with a view of Plaza Grande.

The menu had a combination of various Ecuadorian dishes which I was really looking forward to, along with western dishes like Carpaccio, Beefs dishes, and pastas. Of course we stayed with the Ecuadorian dishes.

I’d been wanting to try Ceviche Ecuatoriano – Ecuadorian Ceviche ($11.95) – I think I’ve forgotten to mention; Ecuador uses the American Dollar for currency. We cracked up when the “side dishes” for the ceviche arrived……popcorn anyone?

We were told that Ceviche in Ecuador is commonly served with “Canguil”…..basically popcorn, unsalted to provide textural contrast.

We chose to go with ceviche pescado; in this case sea bass for our ceviche. This was almost like a soup. The fish very plump and instead of being “cooked” by citrus, it seemed to have been precooked? The liquid seemed to be big on “shrimpiness”, though lacking in acidity and spice.

We also got the Bandera Ecuatoriana ($8.95), a platter of two types of Ecuadorian Empanadas.

The Empanadas de Verde; green plantain empanadas were a surprise as it was not sweet as expected; but the cheese made it rich and savory….it also really stuck to the roof of your mouth! It was enjoyable. The Beef version made with white corn was crisp, with a wonderful texture if a bit on the salty side.

I was interested in trying the Seco de Chivo La Vid ($17.95); the Goat Stew.

Which came with plantains, super delicious avocado, tasteless steamed potatoes, and yellow rice. I liked the rice; but the Missus isn’t a fan of tumeric, which is one of the ingredients in the rice. Loved the gameyness of the goat, which a bit on the chewier side. Kind of strong in terms of clove tones; with a hint of cumin. Fairly rich and pretty good.

This was an interesting and enjoyable meal, which gave us a look at what Ecuadorian cuisine was like.

La Vid Restaurante
Venezuela Oe4-56
Quito, Ecuador

Right across the street from the restaurant’s location is Plaza Grande (Independence Square) which dates back to 1612!

The Independence Monument, which was unveiled in 1906 honors those who fought for Ecuador’s Independence from Spain.

Many grand buildings surround the square, like the Metropolitan Cathedral.

We were led around the corner to yet another grand looking church; the Iglesia de El Sagrario (“Church of the Tabernacle).

And were encouraged to take a look at the interior, which was quite grand and opulent….wait, did I really write “opulent”? Well, it was!

Check out the main altar!

From here we headed down Sebastián de Benalcázar, passing yet another church.

The Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco (“Basilica and Convent of San Francisco“).

Where our final destination of the day is located. As you know from previous posts; the Missus loves Her chocolate. And across the street from the Basilica resides Yumbos Chocolate.

Which is an artesenal chocolate maker. We were given a short tour, then directed to a table.

Where we were given a tasting. We were the only customers in the place, so it really felt like a private tasting.

Man, that 90% Cacao was potent, a bit too intense and bitter for my taste. The Missus preferred the 60% which had a nice balance of rich and sweet, with a hint of bitterness. I guess we’re kinda wussy when it comes to chocolate?

We did manage to get a few gifts even though we’d be lugging it around for the rest of the trip.

And we’d be having an even more interesting chocolate “meal” later on during our stay.

Yumbos Chocolate
Sebastián de Benalcázar
Quito, Ecuador

From here we headed back to our hotel. It had been quite a day! And since we weren’t very hungry and had access to the Club Lounge at the JW Marriott, we just had a light dinner there.

We had another private tour coming up the following day, plus reservations for a more “fancy” dinner. So, I thought we’d rest up.

Thanks for stopping by!

Quito – JW Marriott, Mercado Santa Clara, TelefériQo, and Helados de Paila Pomasqui

Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Ecuador, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt, Markets & Grocers, Travel

Last year, before JJ came into our lives we took several trips. One of them was to a place we’d had on our “bucket list” for a while. The Galapagos. Being born and raised on an island, places like Easter Island have always fascinated me. So, of course we had to do the Galapagos. There were basically two ways to get there, it was either Guayaquil or Quito. After doing some research, I thought Quito would be a good starting point.

Well, getting there from San Diego was going to be interesting. We’d be flying Delta with Hartsfield as our transfer point. Man, Hartsfield….during the 90’s, I did consulting work in ATL, and Hartsfield was the airport….it’s always been crazy busy!

Well, at least we’d be flying domestic first, then international business, which means things were a bit elevated.

The actual lounge was a bit less crowded than I recalled.

With a decent selection of food.

So that made the three hour layover a bit easier to handle.

The flight from ATL to Quito was 5 1/2 hours and seemed to go by quickly.

I arranged for a private transfer from the airport to where we were staying the JW Marriott in Quito. I was using accumulated points for this and we had access to the Club Lounge which made things really easy.

It made arriving at 9pm at night and the check in a breeze.

Along with the lounge there was a rather popular restaurant in the hotel, though we never had to visit. The property was huge….like it’s own little city.

My guess is that it is set-up so folks wouldn’t have to leave the property.

The Executive Lounge was quite large and it was never full during our stay.

It had a nice view….

And made having a nice, light breakfast so convenient.

Since we had limited time in Quito; I arranged for a private tour….actually three private tours for our days in Ecuador. This would end up being such fun! I organized the tours based on what we’d be doing…in other words, first I’d want us to just get acquainted….then to expand our horizons so to say. On our first day, I booked us a Private City Tour of Quito, Teleferico, and the Middle of the World. We were asked about our interests and mentioned that we enjoy learning about food and cuisine. So, our first stop was the large Mercado Santa Clara.

Where we were able to taste some of the local products….

The most interesting was the Tamarillo aka “Tree Tomato”, a member of the nightshade family. It was quite puckery and acidic; the skin pretty thick.

Also quite interesting was what they called the “Taxo”, also know as the Banana Passion Fruit.

Slightly sweet, acidic, and mildly fruity.

This was a fun way to start our tour of Quito.

Mercado Santa Clara
RG22+473 Antonio de Ulloa
Quito, Ecuador

In any city, there are things that are every day occurrences and Quito is no different. While driving up one of the streets our guide pointed something out to us saying; “I don’t think you see this in San Diego, huh?”

Can you imagine someone walking goats here? Well, maybe in North Park??? jjk….

Next stop was on the western side of the city. Along the eastern side of Pichincha Volcano, would you believe that the western side…Wawa Pichincha is still active, is the TeleferiQo, a cable car.

Here the 20 minute or so ride brings you up to over 12,950 feet. Making it one of the highest in the world. Quito itself is at around 9,250 feet.

Needless to say, the views, even on a slightly cloudy day are outstanding.

And, it’s even dog friendly…..

There a famous six mile trail that goes to the top of Pichincha ending at 15,400 feet….I’m glad we didn’t have time to do this one! Whew…..

Once back at 9,000 feet elevation we headed off. We stopped near the north side of the city at this little shop; Panificadora Quito.

Where the Missus got a Helados break!

Panificadora Quito
Av. Manuel Córdova Galarza
Quito, Ecuador

After which it was time to head to…..”the Center of the World!”

Thanks for stopping by!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

It was a nice way to start the day.

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

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

Where you order at the counter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fishetarian Fish Market
599 Highway 1
Bodega Bay, CA 94923

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Road Trip – Terrapin Creek Cafe and Roadhouse Coffee (Bodega Bay)

American/New American Restaurants, Caffeine Fix, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Road Trip, Travel

After a short post lunch nap; the Missus wanted to do a bit more exploring. I knew about the Coastal Prairie Trail close by. But of course, with all the speeding cars on the Shoreline Highway, we’d have to drive the two minutes to get there. There was ample parking and some interesting things to see.

And there’s this touching memorial, known as the Children’s Bell Tower.

It is here in remembrance of Nicholas Green, a local boy who was killed during an attempted carjacking in Italy. Nicholas’ parents donated his organs and corneas, in turn changing and preserving the lives of 7 others in Italy. This amazing gesture spurred on organ donation in Europe; creating what is termed the “Nicholas Effect“.

The Tower, designed by sculptor Bruce Hasson consists of 140 mismatched bells; most coming from Italy, those donated bells were flown to the US by the Italian Air Force.

The center bell was blessed by Pope John Paul II. To hear the gentle ringing of the bells when a light breeze passes thru is beautiful.

We decided to just take a nice stroll along Bodega Dunes.

After our walk, we headed down Highway 1, then up Bodega Highway to the little town of Bodega. There was one place I wanted to see. This church.

This is St Teresa of Avila Church. Does it look familiar? Probably not to many from Gen Z and beyond. But this church was in the background of some important scenes in one of my Mom’s favorite movies.

Yep, she loved The Birds!

After taking a gander we headed back up the 1, stopping at another location that was in the movie.

Yep, the Tides Wharf and Restaurant. If I recall, this is where people sought refuge from the birds. Though the original restaurant burned down in 1968. Still, this place really milks it!

If you’re interested in filming locations for the Birds, you can find more here.

We enjoyed looking at the views from the wharf area.

And also this cute “couple”.

We had fun exploring.

We then returned to the Inn and decided on getting dinner at the place right across the parking lot from the hotel. The place is named Terrapin Creek Cafe and sheesh; there was a line out the door. We hadn’t made reservations, so there was no way we’d wait like 2 hours. Also, we wanted some wine with dinner and there was no way I’d want to attempt walking down Highway 1. So I placed a takeout order.

Although Bodega Inn didn’t have a fridge or microwave in the rooms, there’s a nice shared dining area.

But even better than that was this little room set in back of the Inn.

They call this the “wine shack”. It’s a charming place to hang out and have some wine and maybe a self catered meal.

And no one was using the wine shack. Also, the front desk sells bottles of wine from local wineries. So guess what? I went and picked up dinner and then a bottle from the front desk and we relaxed and enjoyed things.

The Charred Octopus and Cauliflower Salad ($22) was kind of short on the cauliflower, though there was a good amount of decently textured octopus hidden under all the arugula and almonds.

There were also some brussel sprouts as well; which tasted really good with the smoky-sweet pepper aioli.

The Mediterranean Fish Stew was not a favorite though. The fennel broth was really salty and fishy. The calamari and mussels were super tough.

The cod fillet was tender; but the salmon was also on the fishy side. And priced at $36, we expected a bit more.

Still, the Missus enjoyed the salad and since the place was just across the parking lot, we’d return for takeout again the next night and dine in the “wine shack” and finish up our bottle of wine.

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

Right at the other end of the building from Terrapin Creek Cafe is Roadhouse Coffee.

The place opens super early and was a handy stop for our morning coffee.

The folks working were super friendly and I got the Missus Her latte which She enjoyed and a scalding and stiff Americano for me.

Which we had on our little porch before heading out for the day!

We were looking forward to another fun day!

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

American/New American Restaurants, Breakfast/Brunch, Caffeine Fix, Dog Friendly, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Monterey/Carmel/Santa Cruz - Monterey Bay/Peninsula, Road Trip, Travel

After our wonderful dinner at L’Escargot and a nice night’s sleep we woke ready to head on to our next stop. Of course we needed our caffeine fix and I needed some breakfast, so we headed out east on Carmel Valley Road to a place I had on my “list”; Earthbound Farm Stand.

In addition to being a large farm stand; the shop served coffee, breakfast and lunch, and the garden grounds were lovely as well.

Dogs were not allowed in the market.

But JJ got to hang outside while I went in to get coffee and some breakfast to share.

The Missus got Her latte; I got a very smooth Cold Brew.

And I was shocked that the Croissant Breakfast Sandwich was $16; but it was huge and came with a salad as well.

Of course, this was a “Croissant” in name only as it was doughy, not crisp, etc, etc…..

There was a sizeable omelet with bacon and cheese in the sandwich.

Which was more than enough for “brunch”. Nothing amazing, but quite filling.

And after eating we strolled the charming grounds.

And JJ enjoyed all the smells and sounds……

Earthbound Farm Stand
7250 Carmel Valley Rd.
Carmel, CA 93923

From here it was about a 4 hour drive to our next destination. And JJ got to drive on a famous landmark.

We drove up to Bodega Bay, a place we hadn’t visited before. We were staying at the Bodega Bay Inn, which was right on the corner of Highway 1 and Eastshore Road.

We were staying in one of the units in the back of the parking lot which had its own parking spot.

It was rustic, but quite charming. Good thing it wasn’t raining since the lot was a basically all dirt.

The Inn had a couple of nice amenities which I’ll go into in the future post.

We had arrived early and our room wasn’t quite ready yet; but the nice gentleman at the front desk told us to go ahead and park our car and maybe get some lunch.

We decided to head on down Eastshore Road to the Marina area to grab some lunch. Looking at Google Maps I thought it would be a nice walk and not on crazy Highway 1. However, Eastshore Road doesn’t have true pedestrian walkways.

And the cars were zipping past us…..not a great walk for JJ and us, but we made it to the marina area in one piece.

For lunch I chose Ginochio’s Kitchen since it had outdoor seating.

And of course we had to try the Dungeness Crab Sandwich and some Clam and Scallop Chowder.

That sandwich was not cheap at $28!

The Missus didn’t care for the sandwich much as it had too much mayo-cheese which detracted from the flavor of the crab in Her opinion. We did like the nicely toasted sourdough which was crisp and light.

Was not a fan of the overly gloppy and thick chowder. Really too salty as well.

We like to be able to taste the seafood when having these type of dishes, which wasn’t the case here.

Ginochio’s Kitchen
1410 Bay Flat Rd.
Bodega Bay, CA 94923

We did enjoy walking down to the marina at the end of Eastshore Road.

It was quite relaxing and JJ had some fun as well!

Before we took our lives into others hands and walking back up the road. Our timing was perfect as our room was ready when we got back. It was time to relax and have a nice afternoon nap.

London – More Shopping at Liberty, Dinner at St John (Smithfield) and Returning Home

Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, British/Irish/Scottish Restaurants/Pubs, Fine Dining, London, Memorable Meals, Travel

As we strolled back to our room following a wonderful lunch at Barshu and exploring Chinatown, the Missus wanted to make one more stop. It was at a place we’d stopped by at earlier. One that “FOY” Sandy accurately wrote as being ” a bit out of my price range” in the comments of that post; Liberty.

This time, the Missus did some serious browsing…..

And in the end, found a scarf that She really liked.

I was actually relieved that, like our visits to Hermes in Paris, it was only a scarf….

Liberty London
Regent St.
London, United Kingdom

As for dinner…well, it was going to take us about a half hour total. So, after returning to our hotel, we set off. We’d be leaving from Paddington, so the Missus had a chance to check out the sculpture, The Wild Table of Love a bit more closely this time.

The actual ride on the tube was only about 10 minutes and we ended up at Farringdon Station, after which it was a ten minute walk to our destination.

Much like our lunch at Barshu, my choice for dinner had been on my “list” for ages. The destination was once named as Anthony Boudain’s choice for his “last supper”. Unfortunately, we all know that didn’t happen. But since, by total accident, we did actually have what Mr Bourdain had as his last meal, it just seemed right to go to St John….and of course, I’ve been wanting to visit for years, since seeing his shows featuring Chef Fergus Henderson. Of course I had to convince the Missus…since St John specializes in “nose to tail” cuisine….well, showing the Missus photos really didn’t help things. But in the end the Missus gave in…..and we were at St John in Smithfield.

Our dinner reservations were for 645pm, so the place was pretty empty when we arrived. But soon enough the place filled up. The service a impeccable, the staff polished, professional, while being quite amiable. As for the customer base…well, it seemed to be mostly Brits based on the accents we could hear.

The Missus’s preconceived notions changed quickly when the bread arrived.

My goodness……yeasty, crusty….just perfect. The butter, while being on the cold side was well…..so buttery!

Now we’d had quite a bit for lunch, so we had a small dinner; but thoroughly enjoyed it.

I had to get my phone out to translate…well, English to, ahem English for what the heck “Cold Roast Dexter” was. Well, Dexter….is (thankfully) not whom you might think, but actually a breed of Irish Cattle. Think of it as cold roast beef….but just any roast beef. The slices of beef were very savory/bovine-y, quite lean but still tender.

The anchovy based dressing was rich, yet so umami and the cress added a wonderful, crisp, bright pepperiness to things. This was so ono!

The signature dish; the one that Bourdain wished for his last meal is the Roasted Bone Marrow & Parsley Salad…..again, a very simple looking dish. I would add, something this good does not need any fancy additions.

Man, that veal marrow was ooozing, gelatinous perfection. Beefy, almost sweet, and a touch of salt on that wonderful bread….say no more!

The Crispy Pig Cheek and Chicory gave me pause as it looked over-dressed. But again, this was delici-yoso. The pig cheek was indeed still crisp but also quite tender, and so porky! I asked the friendly Server what kind of pork this was and he said “Middle White”. So, of course I got the phone out…. Middle White is a breed of British domestic pig.

Loved the porkiness…definitely not the “other white meat” and the bitter, bold flavor of the chicory! We found out quickly that the dressing had a good bit of pungent mustard in it.

This was quite a nice…though smaller, definitely not light meal! It also gave me an appreciation for what seems to be more traditional British cuisine. Both the Missus and I can’t wait to return!

St. John Smithfield
26 St John St.
London, United Kingdom

After dinner, on the way to the metro station, we took a look at Smithfield Market, which of course was closed.

I’ve heard that the market is closing and the location becoming the London Museum.

We got back to our hotel and slept well. Our flight home wasn’t until 1pm, so we didn’t have to wake very early. Plus the Heathrow Express stops at Paddington Station and takes about 20 minutes to get to the airport. Flying Business Class has its benefits as we got to have brunch at the lounge at Heathrow.

And of course we ate on our flight back to San Diego.

One part of the meal in Business or First that I enjoy on British Airways is having the cheese plate for dessert. I really enjoy the Cashel Blue….which I believe comes from Ireland, with a nice port before heading off to dreamland.

And for the next meal…I selected the “light menu”…which ain’t so light.

I actually enjoyed the Smoked Chicken.

Which went well with the ricotta.

Though, my choice for Main Course, the Pesto Trofie was questionable. I guess I was still recalling being in Liguria.

Still, this had been a wonderful trip, starting in London visiting Westminster Abbey and getting early access to the Tower of London is highly recommended. Then heading to Milan…which exceeded our expectations. Then it was off to the Cinque Terre, we loved Veranzza, and even the hikes/walks to the various villages. I’m glad we were able to spend some time in Genoa, where we got to sample some traditional dishes. And of course, visiting my favorite city, Paris. Where we got to hang out on my favorite street. I’d always wanted to take the EuroStar! And it all ended back in London!

We loved this rather longish vacation and maybe when JJ gets a bit older and his favorite Auntie is back in town we’ll be able to do it again!

Cheers!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hmmm…..

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

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

There’s a little Garden shop.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Also, more about the Secret Garden here and here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Of course we had to try the Escargot, right?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Being quite curious; I ordered the Thai Pork Sausage.

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

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

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

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

And to finish off, a basic Greek Salad.

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

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

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

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

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

Peaceful and relaxing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We made a stop at Crocker Grove.

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

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

And JJ seemed to be enjoying himself.

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

Which was once the site of a Chinese Fishing Village.

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

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

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

London – Barshu

Chinese Restaurants, London, Memorable Meals, Travel

I had two specific meals in mind for our last day in London. Of course, with the Missus in tow, we had to have some Chinese food right? I also wanted to check out London’s Chinatown. I know that after our fairly mediocre visit to Dishoom, the Missus was a bit hesitant about my choices. But, there was one place I just needed to check out.

Folks who’ve read our little blog knows that one of my favorite cookbook writers is Fuchsia Dunlop. From the time I purchased Land of Plenty in 2005, I’ve enjoyed her cookbooks and writing style. And, I have made many items from or inspired from her cookbooks over the years. Several of which I’ve done posts on….though I do make adjustments for the Missus’s taste. As I’ve always noted, cookbooks are inspirations and guidelines for what I make. Anyway, I read way back in 2006, that Ms Dunlop had been a consultant with the Sichuan Restaurant Barshu in London and have been wanting to visit ever since. And finally, I had my chance.

Of course, the Missus wanted to walk the 2+ miles there from the hotel, but it was a mild winter day in London.

While walking thru Soho we passed the Chinese Church in London above. Formerly the Soho Baptist Chapel, according to it’s website, the Chinese Church in London was founded in 1950.

Barshu is located on Frith Street, one block from what is considered the Northern border of Chinatown.

There’s some modern interpretations of Sichuan here; but I really wanted to try some our favorite “foundational” Sichuan dishes.

Like the Dry Fried Green Beans with Minced Pork.

Whoa….a generous portion of minced pork on this. The beans were decently dry-fried. It could have used more garlic; but the texture was spot on. Decent porkiness and spice. This was quite nice.

The rice was fine as well.

Of course we had to try the Shui Zhu Niu Rou….the classic “water boiled beef”.

Really good ma-la…numbing “hot”. Almost perfect to my taste. The sauce was a bit on the “thinner” side, but packed with flavor…..great numbing-pungent tones, not overly salty, really delici-yoso! The beef could have been more velveted; but was quite tender.

The Fuqi Fei Pian was the only “clunker” for us.

While texturally, the tripe was nice and crunchy; this was almost bland. It really lacked the “la”, was not spicy enough.

The  Ko Shui Ji (Mouthwatering Chicken) was also spot on.

The chicken was nicely prepped, so tender, and full of poultry goodness. Nice balanced ginger-savory-pungent tones, with a hint of sweet-sourness.. Loved the ma-la as well. This is one of my favorite classic Sichuan dishes and Barshu delivered on this one.

This meal lived up to expectations and made us miss an old favorite of ours which has now been closed over a decade now! My how time flies.

If Barshu was in San Diego; we’d visit quite often.

Barshu Restaurant
28 Frith St.
London, United Kingdom

After lunch we decided to check out Chinatown.

She enjoyed checking out this Chinese Herb Shop – Beijing Tong Ren Tang. Which has many locations around the globe and quite a long history.

We then took a nice stroll from the Newport Place Gate.

Down Lisle Street.

Back around the other Gate.

Then thru the “heart” of Chinatown; Gerrard Street, making a loop, before heading back to the hotel.

We were really enjoying ourselves. And I was starting to get a bit excited about dinner!

London – The British Museum and Ruskin’s Cafe

Caffeine Fix, London, Travel

**** No food in this one. But if you’d like to see a bunch of stuff the British Stole (I’m joking) read on!

On our return trip to London, we had one full day. There was one item at the British Museum that I’ve been wanting to see. So, I went ahead and booked online tickets (admission is free) for the 10am opening time. One of the reasons I had planned on staying in the Paddington area was that the Elizabeth Line takes you to Tottenham Court Road Station in about five minutes after which there’s a nice ten minute walk to the Museum.

As with all our strolls in London; there’s always something interesting to see.

We were quite early so we headed up Museum Street to a cafe named Ruskin’s for some coffee. There seemed to be quite a few Japanese and Korean restaurants in the area. We even saw a Din Tai Fung! And the name of this place caught my eye!

You know why, right? I think “FOY” Junichi will get a kick out of this photo.

You order at the counter and the really nice woman working brought out our Flat Whites. No big deal; on the weaker side of the scale, but serviceable.

Ruskin’s Cafe
41 Museum St.
London, UK

After which we headed up the street to the museum. It was 20 minutes before opening and good gosh, there was already quite a line down the block….of folks who actually had times tickets!

Things did move quickly once the clock struck 10 and we were inside in good time.

The British Museum is humongous and much like the Louvre, one should have a plan and to really enjoy things, perhaps not try to see everything during one trip. Heck we’ve gone to the Louvre three times and have only scratched the surface.

Over the years, the British Museum has come under fire for their collection having been plundered from other countries over the years. The museum itself has a page on “Contested Objects“. In fact, I’ve enjoyed the Podcast “Stuff the British Stole“……. In spite of this, there’s so much historical and cultural significance to the collections, that I couldn’t help but visit. Rick Steves likens visiting the British Museum to “taking a long hike through Encyclopedia Britannica National Park.” Of course, some of you younger folk may not know what Encyclopedia Britannica is……

And like I mentioned earlier; there was one item I needed to see….this.

Yes, that’s the one and only Rosetta Stone.

It’s discovery in 1799 allowed for the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphics. The text carved into the stone; which dates back to 196 BC is of a decree from King Ptolemy V and is written in three different scripts; the top is Hieroglyphic, the center Demotic, and the bottom Greek. Thus linguists could do a translation. I had first read about the Rosetta Stone in Elementary school and even though it was obtained during military action between the French and British, Egypt has called on the British Museum to return it. I was thrilled to finally be able to see it!

We spent our time between the Egyptian and Greek collections. Luckily for you, I managed to take photos of the signs of things I thought were interesting so you won’t have me droning on…..

Pretty cool, huh?

From here we headed to the Greek Collection.

And then it was off to the Parthenon Galleries.

Which were removed from the Parthenon by Thomas Bruce; the 7th Earl of Elgin during the early 1800’s. It is said the the Earl had his men chisel and saw the marble off the Parthenon. Thus these are called the Elgin Marbles. Though these were taken during the Ottoman rule of Greece, it has been a source of contention for many years. Having been to the Parthenon, it saddened me to know that only half of the sculptures are at that site, the other half here. I’m hoping they can settle this once and for all.

There was one other display that caught my attention; it’s a collection of 30,000 clay tablets, dating back to the 7th Century BC discovered in what is now known as Northern Iraq. This is known as the Library of Ashurbanipal, named after the “last great king of Assyria“.

The city where the “library” resided was consumed by fire as the Babylonians attacked the city in 612 BC. All the wood and parchment documents were burnt, but these clay tablets survived. At the time of our visit, it was being cataloged. We really enjoyed the translations. Especially this one; which has a statement I still hear today.

You’ve heard it or said it before, right? “I give, I give, I give, and what do I get????”

On that note….

The British Museum
Great Russell St.
London, UK

It was time to head on out and get some lunch! And I had a place on my “list” that I’d been wanting to try for years!

Thanks for stopping by!