Travel – Page 35

Paris (Before Covid) – Restaurant ERH and Golden Promise Whiskey Bar

November 27, 2021 mmm-yoso Cocktails, Fine Dining, France, French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Paris, France, Travel

Yet another quick pre-Covid travel post.

We returned from our little day trip to Chartres and took a nap and rested a bit. For dinner, I chose a restaurant close to where we were staying. We'd be flying out to Tel Aviv the next morning and just wanted something close by. That didn't mean it would be just another dinner though. I had made reservations at Michelin starred ERH restaurant. The restaurant as basically two blocks from where we were staying.

Noting that ERH shares an address with a sake bar and a whiskey bar, we arrived early for our 730 reservation; and notified the restaurant that we'd be having a aperitif at the Whiskey Bar named Golden Promise.

We each enjoyed a cocktail whilst waiting for our table.

Soon enough our table was ready.

The restaurant is very low-keyed and was were really interested in the tasting menu since the chef, like many of our previous fine dining meals in Paris was Japanese, Keita Kitamura. IN fact, ERH stands for eaux (water), riz (rice), and homme (man), as a homage to the three necessary ingredients for sake.

I'll try to keep this post brief from this point forward.

The amuse:

Jerusalem artichoke with Ikura was amazing! The Parmesan Crisp was nice, the potato cream tasted like taro….

As was the monkfish fritter with sate and basil.

The scallop was so very sweet.

The veal tartare was also quite good.

That radish and haricot vert cream just blew me away.

The Foie Gras dish was served in a novel manner.

In a pastry of sorts, with mango and beets to add some interesting textural and flavor contrasts.

The "Bar de Ligne" (Eropena Bass) with Oyster dish was a bit underwhelming.

Really salty, the persillade (parsley) sauce not really adding much to the dish.

The Carnard de Chaland with Chou Vert, which seemed to be Brussel Sprouts rather than cabbage was quite nice.

Great complexity, sweet – sour – bitter.

And the Missus enjoyed the desserts.

A very nice experience; one which we'd gladly do again.

ERH
Golden Promise Whisky Bar
11 Rue Tiquetonne
75002 Paris, France

As I had my usual beer before sleeping, I again thought about how lucky I was to be able to have these experiences.

The next day we were up early and caught the RER to CDG………

Next up…Tel Aviv!

Thanks for stopping by!

Chartres (Before Covid) – Chartres Cathedral and Lunch at La Table du Marche

November 26, 2021 mmm-yoso France, French Restaurants, Travel

Here's another quick pre-Covid travel post.

On the second day of our short visit to Paris, the Missus wanted to explore a bit. We had visited Versailles on a previous trip, so this time around I thought we'd check out Chartres and the Cathedral, often said to be the best Gothic Cathedral in Europe.

Getting there was quite easy from Gare Montparnasse.

And it seems that everyone is invited to take the one hour ride to Chartres.

And once there; well, it's easy to find your way to the Cathedral.

You really can't miss it.

While walking to the Cathedral we passed this amazing mural.

Doing some research, I found that the mural is of Jean Moulin a hero of the French Resistance in World War II who lived in Chartres. Read more about him in the link to the Wikipedia page above.

The Cathedral is indeed grand. It is said that there were four to five churches on this spot, dating back to the 4th century!

There is quite a bit to see if you have the time. We just decided to stroll around and enjoy some of the highlights.

There's a worn statue in Place de la Cathedrale. It is of Fulbert of Chartres who was Bishop of the Cathedral when it burned in 1020. Fulbert devoted his time to rebuilding the Cathedral which was completed around 1145.

There are beautiful Rose Windows over every entrance.

The Church is dedicated to Mary and there are signs of that everywhere.

Many pilgrims come to the church to see the Black Madonna (above). There's some really good information on why the Madonna is black here. But you might say, the Madonna pictured above isn't black. Well, several years back the Cathedral was part of a huge restoration project and all those years of soot and such was removed from the statue; it was very controversial to say the least.

A few blocks from the Cathedral is the Marché aux Légumes – the produce market. And since it was Saturday, we took some time to check ot out.

It's always fun visiting these places and watching the locals go about their daily lives…..

By this point we were getting a bit hungry. Right at the edge of the market is La Table du Marché – the Market Table. So we thought why not?

The staff was very friendly and welcoming. At places like this, it's always helpful to check out the plat du jour….and we ended up ordering two of the daily specials.

The friendly woman working was delighted that the Missus ordered the Andouillette, which She had loved in Lyon.

While not quite at that level; it was literally bursting with offal-y goodness.

I was thrilled to see Boudin Blanc as a daily special.

And while, like the Missus, this wasn't quite as good a my favorite, it was quite mild, but nicely sautéed and I enjoyed the dressing on the greens.

The service was very warm; the prices, since we're used to Paris prices seemed like a bargain; 10 Euros for the Andouillette and just 7 for the Boudin Blanc!!!

La Table du Marché
11 Place Billard
28000 Chartres, France

We left satisfied and ready for a nap when we returned to Paris!

Paris (Before Covid) – Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Terroirs d’Avenir, Fou de Pâtisserie, and Dinner at Fleur de Pavé

November 13, 2021 mmm-yoso Bakery, Croissants, Desserts, Fine Dining, France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

*** Yet another condensed post of our trip in November, 2019

As we strolled thru Passage du Grand Cerf, it really looked like the Missus still wanted to explore. And so, by the time we hit Rue Bachaumont, where this pooch was having a great time fetching the Frisbee, I decided to make another stop.

We pass the Church of Saint Eustache on a daily basis when we're in the area and had never visited, so I thought this might be a good time to check it out. There was also something I wanted to see.

The church took a century to build, from 1532 – 1632 and contains one of the largest organs in France; the nave is humongous!

The interior of the church is quite grand and I'd read about the stained glass and had one set specifically in mind.

The church is located right next to Les Halles, which was Paris's central market for almost 800 years. So, of course they would be benefactors of the church. In fact the professional pork butchers association, the "Corporation des Charcutiers" has their own chapel. When was the last time you saw sausages and a pig in stained glass?

This sculpture by Raymond Mason commemorates the closing of Les Halles; it's titled "Le départ des fruits et légumes du coeur de Paris, le 28 février 1969" ("The departure of fruits and vegetables from the heart of Paris, February 28, 1969").

There's beautiful stained glass and some beautiful art work at Saint-Eustache; we'll definitely visit again one day…..hopefully.

The Missus really enjoyed this stop and wanted to keep on going; so we ended up walking all the way to Sacré-Cœur!

And enjoyed the view.

We were getting a bit hungry on the walk down and decided to make a couple of stops.

On Rue du Nil, along with the very popular Frenchie empire, is a group of shops which includes a cheesemonger, a butcher, and of course a boulangerie called Terroirs d’Avenir. So we made a croissant stop at the bakery.

We then headed back down to Rue Montorgueil and to a place I'd read about named Fou de Pâtisserie.

This specialty shop is a conglomeration of curated pastries form some of Paris's most well known pastry chefs like Pierre Hermé.

The pastries looked beautiful and of course the Missus had a difficult time choosing just one.

But She finally made a decision and we had some tea which we took to one of the two small tables outside.

While the croissant fell short; nice texture, but the butter-salt ratio wasn't quite to our taste…..

The Missus loved Her choice, called
L'Equinoxe. So, here's another place I'm sure we'll return to.

Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Terroirs d'Avenir
3 Rue du Nil
75002 Paris, France

Fou de Pâtisserie
45 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France

After this we took a well earned break (nap). For dinner I had selected a restaurant that had just opened during the summer of 2019 and had created a bit of a buzz; Fleur de Pavé. Folks sang praises of this restaurant; the chef Sylvain Sendra had garnered a Michelin Star at his former restaurant, Les Itinéraires which he closed in 2017. He and his wife spent the next, almost two years travelling the globe and exploring various cuisines. The result of which is Fleur de Pavé. The restaurant is also very vegetable friendly as it gets much of it's produce from Asafumi Yamashita a farmer who only sells his produce to certain selected chefs of his choosing.

We were really looking forward to this meal. The restaurant was lovely, the staff very courteous, though service was quite slow. It actually took 30 minutes after we finished our meal and a "L'addition, s'il vous plaît" from me to get our check. Of course, the place is new; and as of 2020 they have received a Michelin Star, so I'm figuring they've straightened that out.

We decided to order form the menu and things started out with a trio of amuse:

From top to bottom; a Parmesian Tart with Tzaziki and Carrot; Blakc Rice Crisp with Labneh and Eggplant Caviar; and the thinly sliced Cauliflower with Madagascar Vanilla and Salt….which looked lovely and had a wonderful texture, but was a bit too sweet for our taste.

Up next was the "Scottish Bread", which looked like Parker House rolls…….but was a nice fluffy brioche.

We were excited to try the Salade du Jardin M Yamashita, which was topped with aged Parmesan.

The dressing could have used more acidity.

The Kabocha Carbonara with Mimolette sounded interesting.

Like other dishes; this was on the sweeter end of things and there wasn't enough textural contrasts for us….the dish just seemed to be mushy.

Our favorite dish of the night – the Scallop Carpaccio with Oyster Sorbet and Sea Urchin – so many complex flavors.

That worked together well.

Though the Roasted Monkfish with Pig Ear Tabbouleh and Red Wine Sauce was a bit much.

The Missus did enjoy the dessert and the wine pairing though.

Overall an interesting dinner; the place seems to be trying really hard and the presentations were wonderful……and I guess that paid off with a Michelin Star.

Fleur de Pavé
5 Rue Paul Lelong
75002 Paris, France

Paris (Before Covid) – Revisits to Jefrey’s and Boulangerie Régis Colin and Lunch at Artisan de la Truffe BHV

November 12, 2021 mmm-yoso Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Cocktails, Croissants, France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

**** I know that "FOY" Kerri has been kind of looking forward to these posts; so here goes

Man, November of 2019 seems so long ago….. I've kind of held back on these posts; but thought I'd just better get them done. I'm going to do rather condensed posts. This was a trip the Missus was really looking forward to; Her favorite city; Paris, travel to Israel, Jordan, and Provence. And though it didn't end up quite the way we planned (more on that later) it was still quite memorable.

We arrived in Paris at around 730pm, which, since we'd been to Paris a couple of times already wasn't a big deal. We caught the RER from CDG and got off at Les Halles. We were staying at the same apartment that we'd booked for our last stay in Paris, so we knew the drill. How to pick up the keys; where the apartment was located, etc……

We'd eaten on our flight to Paris; but really wanted a nightcap; so we headed off to a cocktail bar we enjoyed on previous visits; Jefrey's.

**** Jefrey's has closed

They were having some special cocktails during this week; so we tried a few…..

And of course I enjoy Monkey Shoulder; so we enjoyed ourselves. Folks here are very welcoming and since it was a Thursday night the place wasn't overly busy.

Jefrey's
14 Rue Saint Sauveur
75002 Paris France

We enjoy Paris at the end of November……

As the Christmas season swings into gear.

The next morning I was up early as usual. The Missus wanted a croissant from a place we had enjoyed during our last trip; Boulangerie Régis Colin, so I headed on out.

**** Boulangerie Régis Colin has closed

Sadly, the croissant was disappointing this time around. Unevenly baked, lacking in butter, and too doughy…..

Boulangerie Régis Colin
53 Rue Montmartre
75002 Paris, France

After having our light "breakfast" the Missus needed Her caffiene (and people watching fix), so we headed on down the street to Café Montorgueil for our Café Allonge.

And to check out folks heading out for the day and doing their "morning stuffs"…….this pooch was focused on something in the gutter…must have smelled good.

Café Montorgueil
55 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France

And then we headed out….with no plan, we just wanted to wander around and take in Paris. You know, the Flâneur/Flâneuse thing. We headed up Rue Saint-Denis to start things out. I'm sure you've heard of the Arc de Triomphe, but did you know there's one located on Boulevard St Denis. The Porte Saint-Denis was originally the site of a gate of the city walls of the city. The arch was built in 1672 by François Blondel to honor and celebrate the King Louis XIV's victories in the Rhine and in Franche-Comté.

From here we wandered over to the 4th and then the 3rd Arrondissements…….

Until we were getting a bit hungry. Since we had enjoyed eating at Maison de la Truffe during an earlier visit, I thought we'd hit up Artisan de la Truffe located in the BHV Department Store.

We got the Foie Gras with Truffle along with the Charcuterie with Truffle "Planche". For several reasons, we didn't enjoy this as much. The temperature of the foie gras, cheese, and charcurterie were too cold, the bread seemed to be getting a bit "old"….it just didn't do it for us. But hey, we did get enough calories to keep us going for the rest of the day, right?

Artisan de la Truffe (in the BHV Department Store – 3rd Floor)
52 rue de Rivoli
75004 Paris, France

From here we headed off and just enjoyed the city…..

And of course we had to see what was going on at Notre Dame……there didn't seem to be much happening on this day.

We eventually headed back up to the area where we were staying. While walking thru Passage du Grand Cerf…..

I had an idea for another stop…….

Stay Tuned!

San Francisco (Before Covid) – The Croissant Files and Angler

November 3, 2021 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Bangkok, Croissants, Fine Dining, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Travel

I was cleaning out photos that I didn't think I needed or wanted anymore and came across two sets from our trip to San Francisco right before the "official" start of the pandemic. It was January of 2020….I had thought about just deleting this…..but after pondering after a couple of minutes, I thought I'd just do a quick post, especially since I'd done posts on other places during that same visit. So here goes with a minimum of "chatter" from me.

We awoke to a nice sunrise…….and on this day, I thought we'd do a bit of walking and grab some croissants at places along the way. So we headed down Sutter Street to the first location I new was open on this day; Le Marais Bakery……which brought a smile to our faces since Le Marais is a frequent stop on our trips to Paris.

We grabbed some coffee and a Croissant aux Buerre to start things off.

The croissant was a bit dry and the amount of butter to salt was quite low. Though it was nicely flaky/crusty…so decent texture, but nothing I'd return for.

Le Marais Bakery
1138 Sutter St.
San Francisco, CA 94109

From here we headed up Sutter Street passing some beautiful looking houses…yes, that architectural walking tour in Pacific Grove has developed a mild fascination with all these historical houses. Like the "Payne House", which is now a hotel.

On left here is the JACL Headquarters…..

And then walked thru a very quiet Japantown to our next destination.

To the bustling Jane the Bakery.

This would be the best of the three Croissants we had during this walk.

Jane The Bakery
1881 Geary Blvd.
San Francisco, CA 94115

From here we headed down Geary, taking a right on Divasidero…..

Then a quick left on California to a place that had been recommended to me named B Patisserie.

This place was quite popular…..

Though I don't think it's for their plan croissants which lacked butter, was dry, and just not to our taste.

b. patisserie
2821 California St.
San Francisco, CA 94115

The great thing is; these three places are still open….so you can check them out and make your own decision…..

From here we headed down Divasadero and took a left onto Hayes Street; taking some time to watch the pooches having fun at Alamo Square Park.

We had fun watching the dogs……and I think next time I might pay more attention to the architecture in the area.

We headed back west on Hayes Street to the area known as the Hayes Valley, which seemed quite hipster to us….and took a break at a park named Patrica's Green, which is home to Tara Mechani.

There was also this structure which grabbed our attention.

From here we headed west and then took a left on Market Street, where we encountered the San Francisco I recall from visiting in the 90's.

After taking a short break (nap), we headed out for dinner. I'd made reservations at Angler.

Which is kind of known for the seafood and such; but the Missus was interested in the vegetable dishes. It seemed like a great place (this was before the Michelin star) for a nice, light dinner. And, to be perfectly honest, in spite of the spotty service, it was the best meal of the trip.

We went with mostly vegetables; except for the Antelope Tartare.

Which I loved…..great balance of savory-gamy flavors and acidity.

The grilled cauliflower was meh…..

The Missus loved the potatoes….the cloying cheese sauce, not so much.

The texture of the potato was amazing…..which is how She "convinced" me to make Hasselback Potatoes, which was not nearly as wonderful in cut and texture as these.

The Parker House Rolls were very nice; especially with the seaweed butter.

We loved radicchio, so was really excited about the radichio with XO sauce…..

The actual radicchio was fantastic; lightly bitter, savory, prepared well. But the "XO" sauce….well, it brought nothing to the dish. Really……..the Missus still prefers what I make at home.

The last dish to arrive was the Hen of the Woods Mushroom, which was delicous!

I've heard about the $500-$600 meals here…..I guess folks were having lobster and crab; our was not even close to that……and so we'll probably eat here again.

Angler
132 The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94105

And I especially feel like I earned this meal.

And here are some signs for you……

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – Hunan Chilli King (San Gabriel) 7 Seven Years Later

November 1, 2021 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Travel

On the way back from Oxnard and our visit to Anacapa Island we decided to stay the night in San Gabriel at the newly opened Courtyard which is huge and convenient being right off the 10 Freeway. We had made reservations at the Missus's current favorite restaurant, Bistro Na's. We had made reservations for right when the place opened and were seated quickly.

We placed our order and the tea arrived and then……

Bang…..the power went out. The always friendly and accommodating staff at Bistro Na's told us we could leave if we wanted to or just wait a while and enjoy our tea to see if the power would come back on……which it didn't. After about 20 minutes one of the gentlemen came over and told out the power was out thru all of Temple City, so we decided to leave.

As we stepped out, we noticed that many folks had gathered in the parking lot…….

From here we needed to determine where we'd get dinner. I had an idea; the Missus has always been somewhat underwhelmed with the Hunan style food in San Diego, so I broached the subject to see if She was in the mood for possibly getting something "big spicy" from a place we hadn't been to in years; Hunan Chilli King. It had been a while since we'd been there and it would be interesting to see how we'd tolerate the super spicy cuisine. So, we headed on over. I parked on Valley to avoid the psycho parking lot.

The restaurant was barely one-third full, but the counter was filled with take-out orders….I counted a dozen to go orders lined up on the counter! Crazy.

We were seated at a small table near the kitchen…..right next to the chilies…..

Ah; just like old times…..

The menu at HCK has changed quite a bit since our last visit and it sees like all our favorites were gone and they seemed to have been replaced with dishes we've seen on the menus of Hunan restaurants here in San Diego…..oh well, times have changed I guess or perhaps they've changed ownership?

And around this time; the Missus was getting a bit gun shy and when we placed our order asked the young lady if we could get things "medium spicy"……there was a short pause and then the young lady shrugged and told the Missus "okay" in Mandarin.

The place started filling up as our first dish arrived, we were getting a bit nervous….the phone never stopped ringing and orders were being placed. As the first dish arrived; the La Rou with Dried Radish; I told the Missus that we're getting dishes according to how the kitchen feels they should make it. She asked how I knew and I told Her that three plates and two containers of the same dish came out of the kitchen at the same time so they were making things in large batches. So this "medium spicy" thing was just a pipe dream.

And yet, this was definitely not as spicy as I recalled; though it was quite good. Loved the smoked pork, balanced saltiness, the dried radish crunchy, but not hard, a mild bitter-sweetness to it. This was spicy, but tolerable.

We cracked up as our next dish arrived (one of three of the same that left the kitchen at the same time)…….they didn't even bother to put it on a plate!

This rather novel dish was fried boiled eggs, sautéed with chilies. Now this one was pretty darn spicy and I grabbed the handkerchief from my back pocket. Whew….. The Missus loves Her eggs so this really hit the spot for Her. The variety of chilies had varying degrees of heat and fruity-smokiness. The flavor of the eggs came thru clearly in spite of all the chilies; a nice savory-nutty-sweet-umami, with a hint of sulfur…not in a bad way. The texture of the boiled eggs was excellent as well. That extra coating added a mild crispness to things.

Of course I wanted to get some Pork Intestine and man, it seems like the dishes were getting spicier and spicier…..

And yet, while I had a waterfall of perspiration flowing by this point, I was enjoying the food! Loved the perfect texture of the intestine; a mild crunch, some firm toothsomeness, the mild offaliness…..and nothing seemed salty at all!

By this point, the place was almost full and the Missus and I started feeling really uncomfortable…in fact, I'd end up getting tested at 3 then 5 days after returning from this trip. I had no symptoms; but just wanted to make sure I wasn't asymptomatic and possibly pass Covid on to someone.

Thankfully, our last dish arrived, one that was very familiar to us….since it seems to be the signature Hunan dish here in San Diego…..we just had to try the now ubiquitous Eggplant and Chilies with Century Egg.

While it didn't look very promising; this might be the best version we've had to date. The pidan was quite creamy….I just don't know how they do that. The eggplant wasn't mashed to death, but was so smoky and velvety soft, and the chilies gave everything a bit of texture and had some heat to go with things.

By now we were ready to leave…..but not without some SGV "drama". So, there as a large table in the rear of the restaurant with what looked like two families seated. Apparently, one of the men at the table wasn't happy with something. So what he did was ignore the guy and older woman working; waiting until they walked past and then went after the quiet, rather timid young lady, and just stood up over her and screamed at her; clenching his fists and doing his best to intimidate her and unloaded……geez, really? I just wonder what kind of example he's setting for the three kids at the table?

You know; I really miss the food in the SGV….but I don't miss stuff like this.

We couldn't get out of the place fast enough.

That's what things looked like as we left. You can see the line of folks waiting for takeout.

Well, we made it out in one piece and enjoyed the food…….but I'm not sure we'd want to put up with this again….at least not during the pandemic.

Hunan Chilli King
524 East Valley Boulevard
San Gabriel, CA 91776

Funny thing, just like our visit to Yai Restaurant on the way to Oxnard; it had been 7 years since our last visit to Hunan Chill King! What a coincidence.

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – The Collection Farmers’ Market, Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters (Oxnard) and Mama Lu’s Dumpling House (City of Industry)

October 2, 2021 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Chinese Restaurants, Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Travel, Ventura County

We slept rather well after our excursion to Anacapa Island then dinner at Moqueca. We woke rather early and I took a short walk. We needed to refuel both on gasoline and caffeine for the drive to Monterey Park where we'd be spending the evening.

I decided to make a stop at the shopping complex called the Collection Riverpark which was right next to the 101 freeway. We had stopped here before to grab some snacks at Whole Foods, but on this morning, being a Saturday, there was a Farmer's Market. Which was pretty mellow, I guess not too many folks want to head on over to the mall at 8am on a Saturday?

Still, we enjoyed the stroll and the Missus figured out how much She enjoyed Gooseberries.

The Collection Farmers Market
2710-2780 Park View Ct.
Oxnard, CA 93036
Saturdays 8am – 2pm

The Missus had been wanting some coffee, so we headed over to the Food Hall in the complex called "The Annex" and Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters.

The Missus really enjoyed Her Pour Over and their Cold Brew was quite good as well.

I think this will be a nice stop for us on future road trips.

Ragamuffin Coffee Roasters
550 Collection Blvd. (In the Annex Food Hall)
Oxnard, CA 93036
Hours:
Mon – Thurs 8am – 6pm
Fri – Sun 8am – 8pm

The drive to the SGV was a breeze and we headed off to our old neighborhood to do some snack shopping at Hong Kong Market, before trying to decide on what to get for a light lunch. We drove down Colima Road and noticed that a location of Mama Lu's had opened up. Some Jiaozi and Niu Rou Chuan (beef roll).

This was back in July when things were looking good, before the Delta surge hit. Still, seats were spaced out nicely. We were seated and then something interesting happened.

We heard strains of Beethoven's Ode to Joy and soon a "robot" made its way past us holding takeout containers!

It followed the set "path" and took the takeout to the front, then promptly returned to the kitchen….rinse….repeat! It was quite entertaining.

First to arrive was the Niu Rou Chuan; which was quite hefty.

The bread was nicely browned and crisp and not overly greasy. The beef was a bit on the tough side and the bean sauce much too sweet for our taste. The slices of cucumber too thick and cumbersome. Not even close to our favorite version from 101 Noodle Express….though we haven't been there in ages…perhaps we'll revisit again one of these days.

And of course we got some Jiaozi….the Shrimp and Pork version.

Well, at least Mama Lu's is pretty consistent. Like my visits to other locations, the wrapper of the jiaozi was on the hard and brittle side. As my MIL taught me, it seems the dough has been over-mixed. The filling was fine, if on the salty side.

Not bad, but not great…..man this had us missing QingDao Bread!

Still, it had been a while since we'd been back and things are always changing.

Mama Lu Dumpling House
17515 Colima Rd.
City of Industry, CA 91748

By now it was time to see if we could get an early check-in at where we were staying in Monterey Park and perhaps grab a nap before dinner.

Thanks for stopping by!

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – Anacapa Island and Moqueca Brazilian Cuisine (Oxnard)

October 1, 2021 mmm-yoso Brazilian Restaurants, Road Trip, Travel, Ventura County

There was one reason we travelled to Oxnard, and no, it wasn't to check out the abandoned Casa Sirena. While doing research on our previous roadtrip, I planned a stop at Ventura Harbor on the way to Solvang. While doing a bit of research I came across boat trips to the Channel Islands. Where did I hear about the Channel Islands? Then it came to me! It was on one of the late Huell Howser's episodes of California Gold! ( we miss you Huell!) So, after heading down the Channel Islands rabbit hole, to find out that it's called the "Galapagos of North America" and that it is one of the least visited of our National Parks…well, I thought it would be an interesting place to visit. Of course, I'm not quite the intrepid hiker that the Missus (and Her friends) are. So, I decided to keep things simple; we'd just do Anacapa Island, which has basically one loop trail. You get the boat from Island Packers and it takes a bit over an hour to get to Anacapa Island from Channel Islands Harbor.

It's pretty chill, the boat leaves at 930 from Channel Islands Harbor and you need to check in 45 minutes ahead of time.

After checking in; you wait and eventually board, then head off……

The trip takes a bit over an hour…..we were told things were kind of rough on this day, but it didn't seem that way to me. We were told that on occasion, you will see dolphins and such, but not on this day. Eventually, the island comes into view.

There was a Park Ranger and Two Volunteer Guides on board and they provided us with some really interesting info.

Anacapa Island is home to the largest breeding colony of Western Gulls in the world. Nesting season starts in April, chicks are hatched in May and June. By this time of the year (mid-July), the chicks are getting fairly big and are starting to fly away. So, with all these Seagulls….well, there's quite a fragrance if you know what I mean.

The Landing Cove is quite interesting…….

You disembark and then head up the stairs.

From there, it's "seagull city"…..

They definitely run the place and many of them have no fear! The squawking was pretty much continuous and after a while, it seemed like each seagull made different sounds.

There were three guys on the boat who were camping overnight on the island….man, between all the noises and the "guano-ishness", I'm not sure I'd want to do that.

There aren't very many structures on the island and all of them, including the Visitors Center were currently closed.

And there were gulls as far as the eye could see…….

The Missus pointed at one of the birds and asked me what it was.

I told Her it was a seagull chick……

She told me, "no way, look how big they are….."

Well, many of the chicks were just learning to fly……they'd flap their wings a bit and get some air under them….and then come right back down to earth.

There is only one trail on Anacapa Island, it's two miles long in kind of a figure 8. We ended up doing it three times. The views are quite amazing.

The views from Inspiration Point are so beautiful.

We could hear the harbor seals clearly as we passed Pinniped Point.

After our third pass, we headed to the short portion at the west side of the island where the Lighthouse is located. The trail ends right before the lighthouse which is not open to visitors.

We sat on the bench and one of the Volunteers came along. We had a nice chat and I learned a bunch of things.

I asked about that red spot on the beak of the gulls.

And was told that it's basically the "bullseye" for the chicks…..they instinctively peck on the spot when they want to be fed. And then the really nice fellow asked me if I saw the chicken bones and left over french fries on the ground….and yes, we had noticed those. He mentioned that the gulls are expert "dumpster divers" and will fly all the way to Oxnard and Ventura for easy eats!

We also chatted about how graceful the Pelicans were in the air and he mentioned that the Brown Pelicans were almost wiped out in the 1960's. And this one spot, on the west side of Anacapa Island is the primary breeding area for the pelicans.

I really appreciated his insights and I mentioned his expertise he laughed and told me; "no, I'm a retired Botanist, my friend who is the other volunteer here today….well, she's a retired ornithologist!" You gotta love it.

Soon enough it was time to head on over to where the restrooms and main buildings were located. Soon our boat would be arriving to take us back to Oxnard.

I really enjoyed our time on Anacapa; from the beautiful views, the crystal clear water, the kelp beds easily visible.

I loved learning more about the gulls; I think I've kinda taken them for granted and I developed more of appreciation for them…..and even their dumpster diving skills….I recently saw one hauling a huge sandwich across the sidewalk in Little Italy.

If there's one thing I've gained by just travelling in California during the pandemic, it's an appreciation of how diverse and wonderful this state we live in is.

As we left Anacapa, the boat made sure to pass by the photogenic Arch Rock.

We arrived back at Channel Islands Harbor at around 445. We'd only had some nuts and cheese for "lunch", so I thought we should just head on over to Moqueca Brazilian Cuisine which was basically a building away from Island Packers. I had made reservation for 530; but I just thought we'd see if we could get in early.

The restaurant is located on the second floor of a rather non-descript building that holds another restaurant and assorted businesses.

There was only one table occupied when we arrived so we were gladly accommodated.

And were given a nice table with a view of the harbor.

The staff were very friendly and efficient.

I started with a Caipirinha (of course), the Missus a glass of white wine.

It was pretty weak overall, but at least it was somewhat refreshing.

Some toast with Beringela (our server said – "Brazilian Tapenade") arrived with our drinks….which was not bad at all….this was already better than what we'd had for dinner the previous night.

We started with an order of Pastelzinhos (Empanadas), getting 2 beef and 2 cheese.

Nicely fried and crisp. The beef version was nicely seasoned and pretty good, while the cheese version was on the bland side.

And of course, the Missus just needed to get the Mandioca Frita; fried yucca which She really enjoyed.

And since we were at a place named Moqueca, we needed to order the namesake dish, right? Moqueca is a seafood "stew" of sorts that is from the state of Espírito Santo. We simply ordered a small portion with shrimp and cracked up when it arrived in a Korean Dolsot!

It came with some rice that reminded me of a rather dry pilaf, it did well with the tangy-cilantro-mild coconut-mild garlic flavors of the Moqueca. The shrimp was ok quality, but gladly, it wasn't overcooked. The urucum (achiote) provided a bright red color to the dish.

I was actually glad that I had also ordered the sautéed collard greens which went so well with the Moqueca….we ended up just dumping the whole plate into the stew. It added a nice savory-earthy-bitter counterpoint to the acidity of the stew.

This was a pretty good meal, much more enjoyable than what we'd had the previous evening. The staff was friendly and accommodating and while we wouldn't go out of our way to dine here, we'd gladly revisit if we're in the area again.

Moqueca Brazilian Cuisine
3550 Harbor Blvd. Suite 201
Oxnard, CA 93035

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – The Raven Tavern and the Abandoned Casa Sirena Seaside Resort (Oxnard)

September 3, 2021 mmm-yoso British/Irish/Scottish Restaurants/Pubs, Cocktails, Road Trip, Travel, Ventura County

After a wonderful lunch at Yai Restaurant we made it into Oxnard in pretty good time. Our room was actually ready when we arrived and we got a short break before heading off to dinner. I really didn't want to travel too far from where we were staying and after reading through a bunch of reviews and such, thought that the Raven Tavern would make for a nice, low stress dinner. The place was quite busy when we arrived, but we had reservations and were quickly seated outside right along the harbor.

The Servers and such were very nice; but they were obviously a bit overwhelmed…….I believe it's Covid staffing, so I won't hold it against them.

I started with the "Joe's Old Fashioned" ($15).

Too much bitters and not enough Bourbon for my taste.

The Missus looked at what other tables were having and really didn't seem too inspired. She wasn't overly hungry and went with the Veggie Hand Pie ($5).

The crust on this one was better than mine; but that sauce had a weird, almost sour tinge to it and the filling just wasn't very good.

The Missus figured that a hand pie would be enough for Her since I ordered the Steak and Mushroom Dinner Pie ($16) with Garlic Mashed Potatoes ($3).

The crust of the pie was on the gummy-mushy side and the filling was barely lukewarm. The gravy had a strange bitterness to it and wasn't hot. There wasn't very much "steak" in this pie either. The best thing were the mashed potatoes which were nicely seasoned…..the only thing the Missus enjoyed.

The food seemed very corporate and "chain-like"….

Too bad. You can't win 'em all, right?

The Raven Tavern
1651 S Victoria Ave.
Oxnard, CA 93035

We took the short drive back to the hotel and decided to take a stroll. We were staying right on Channel Islands Harbor, just north of Port Hueneme at the Hampton Inn. The harbor is quite lovely, very relaxing, and laid back.

There are many residences along Peninsula Road along with folks living on the various yachts and right next to the hotel was a quaint little park. We had a blast watching all the pooches having their evening social hour.

Right next to the park was an interesting site. We first walked along the dock and along this area there were no boats moored and this was where the sea lions hung out.

You see, right along the harbor is the abandoned Casa Sirena Seaside Resort, which closed down in 2009. I was fascinated in checking it out after reading this in Atlas Obscura. It's both eerie and depressing….the abandoned buildings looking run down and worn.

It was starting to get dark and we saw guys on bikes and other folk hanging around in the walkways and they seemed to be….well….you can figure that one out, right?

Very sad indeed. This must be prime property, so I'm wondering what the back story might be. Going down this rabbit hole a bit, I found this on the Channel Islands Harbor website, so perhaps in the near future a new hotel will stand in it's place. The Hampton Inn we stayed at actually used to be the "annex" of the resort.

Here's a photo of Casa Sirena taken the following morning.

As we sailed off to Anacapa Island……

Stay tuned for that post!

Roadtrip (During Covid-19) – Yai Restaurant 7 Years Later (Los Angeles)

August 15, 2021 mmm-yoso Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Thai Restaurants, Travel

Just before this latest wave of Covid-19 infections, we decided to take another road trip; this time to Oxnard….yes, Oxnard. And, if you've been reading our recent posts, you'll notice that the Missus has been quite enamored with Thai food recently.

So, as we headed up the 101, the Missus requested a stop on Hollywood Boulevard at the edge of Thai Town….requesting a revisit to Yai Restaurant. Funny thing, when I checked on our last visit to Yai, I was shocked to find out it was seven years ago! And our previous visit was seven years before that one! Time sure does fly.

There was quite a bit of construction going on close to the restaurant; though it seems that there are now homeless encampments all along the 101. The location still looks a bit worn and the Yai sign is now quite faded. It does look like they've done a refresh on the interior though.

Our Server was quite efficient and we chose a table in the far corner. Wouldn't you know….geez, even with all the open seating in the place, two parties would arrive and insist on getting tables next to us….sigh…..

We had our aim on two dishes we've had before and the Missus wanted to try one additional item.

Things started with the BBQ Duck with Chili and Garlic which we had and enjoyed on an earlier visit.

As before, the duck was on the chewy side….but also as before, that wonderful garlic-basil-chili flavor with a hint of sweetness.

The Missus wanted to try the Som Tom, so we ordered it "spicy"……which, well it wasn't. We've always thought of Yai to be on the Thai-Chinese end of the spectrum.

This was still quite good though. Loved the cut of the papaya, you could tell, based on the rough edges, and different sizes, that it wasn't "bought in a bag"…in fact, we saw one of the women actually cutting the papaya. Nice acidity, perhaps a bit light on the fish sauce, loved the dried shrimp which added nice savory tones.

Of course, the one item we just had to have was the Black Egg Pow. This was as good, if not better then we recalled.

Man, I'm not sure how they fry up that pidan, but it's crisp on the outside and oh so creamy. That basil forward sauce has a nice hint of spice, balanced sweetness, good garlic tones, and is just plain wonderful.

We were so happy with our meal. And though the prices have gone up quite a bit….it's been seven years after all, and the portions are smaller…it's actually more in line with true "Thai portions" like we had in Thailand. We didn't order any rice with our meal…..after all, I still had a bit of a drive up to Oxnard….the woman working said "oh, you are trying to be healthy" when we didn't order any rice. And then when I paid, she gave me a couple of cookies for the road, "because you had no rice, you might get hungry." It just kind of put that "cherry on the top"; you know what I mean.

For some reason, the fact that Yai was just as good seven years down the line just made us feel great……..we felt blessed that in this time of Covid, we were able to get out for a bit and grateful for a wonderful meal.

And hopefully, we won't have to wait another seven years to have that Black Egg Pow again.

Yai Restaurant
5757 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028