Travel – Page 35

COMC: Jerusalem (Before Covid) – A Wine and Cheese Tour with Israel Wine Journeys and Shabbat Dinner at Mamilla Rooftop Restaurant

April 7, 2022 mmm-yoso Cheese, Israel/Palestine, Israeli Food, Travel, Wine Bars/Wineries

**** I'm trying to get these pre-Covid trip posts done; so I'm not going too deep on this one. So consider this a C(learing) O(ut the) M(emory) C(ard) post.

For our first day in Jerusalem, I booked a wine tour with Israel Wine Journeys, mainly for the Missus. And just let me say that Yakov was a joy to work with and tailored the two tastings to the Missus.

While for me; Yakov decided to take us to a Dairy and Cheesemaker for a light lunch – a goat farm; Iza Piziza Dairy.

Yakov was amazing…..we do recommend Israel Wine Journeys; they did a custom tour for us.

This was a Friday; so Shabbat started at sunset. There are specific rules to food preparation on Shabbat; no cooking or baking or using any heat source for preparation of food is allowed. Many restaurants are closed on Shabbat, but I really wanted to have a Kosher Shabbat meal. After doing a bit of research I found that the Mamilla Hotel's Rooftop Restaurant had a cold Shabbat menu. So we made our way down the eerily quiet streets of Jerusalem and got to the Mamilla Hotel and the rooftop restaurant.

Which was really quiet…..

The view was wonderful though…..

And we had a light dinner of cold dishes. The vegetables we had during our time in Jerusalem were excellent and this was our first real exposure to it; the tomatoes were especially wonderful.

The two young "kids" serving us were a bit green, but very sweet……

This was a nice, light and refreshing meal.

Rooftop (In the Mamilla Hotel)
Shlomo ha-Melekh Street 11
Jerusalem, Israel

After dinner we headed back to the apartment along the quiet, almost silent streets of Jerusalem.

We had a busy day planned; so it was time to get some sleep……

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Angels Landing (Zion), Grafton Ghost Town (Rockville), Pa’rus Trail (Zion), and Dinner (Again) at the Zion Canyon Brewpub (Springdale)

April 1, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Beer, Chicken Wings, Pubs and Pub Grub, Road Trip, Travel, Utah

*** This is a pretty long post with not much food; so I wouldn't mind at all if you'd just like to return on another day!

I knew that our first full day in Zion was going to to be a full one. The Missus really wanted to do Angels Landing. I wasn't too thrilled about doing the trail, but I knew the Missus had it on Her "list". So, to avoid the crowds and such; I planned for our visit to be during the first week after the shuttle stopped running and more importantly, the week after Thanksgiving. We drove into Zion early and easily found parking. The place was pretty quiet and we crossed over the Virgin River to get started.

The initial walk up wasn't too bad and the view was very nice.

And then we entered a pretty area known as Refrigerator Canyon.

And soon enough it starts getting a bit more strenuous.

And then there are the 21 fairly steep switchbacks; known as "Walter's Wiggles"…..sheesh….

Which culminated in an area called Scouts Lookout.

I thought it would be a good place for me to stop and let the Missus do Her thing.

This isn't "Angels Landing" you might say. Why do you want to stop here?

Well…….

But I just couldn't let the Missus go on alone.

And the last portion of the hike is called the Spine…..for a simple reason……

That last portion is is done on what feels like the edge of a cliff…..which it basically is; made of sandstone no less. There are chains bolted into the side of the cliff to use as hand holds as you make your way up. And, btw, that "little person" you see in the background in the photo to the right is me. Oh, and did I mention that I don't like heights?

The Missus tried to motivate your truly by shaming me a bit. Telling me that an ex-coworker, the one who met us for dinner in Kyoto did Angels Landing.

And if she could do it, well I should be able to; so forth and so on. In the end, I just went ahead and did it. The sandstone is a bit slippery, but I made it.

Of course the Missus was in "Her element" and this was just a breeze for Her.

It was actually more difficult (and scary) descending.

And here's the kicker; after finishing up the hike, the Missus sent a text to the young lady telling her that even I managed to climb up to Angels Landing. Her response? "Really, I stopped before the chains!"

What?!?!?! Needless to say, I felt just a tad betrayed here.

And even "Mr Hiking" himself; Calvin stopped at Scout's Lookout.

Hmmm……like they say; "there's one born every minute….."

Though I did feel a bit proud when I saw a guy waiting at Scout's lookout for his significant other, a young lady who I passed on my way down from the top.

I'd say the hike down was a bit harder on the knees and joints; but we did pretty good time, less than 2 1/2 hours.

It was a stroke of luck that we'd arrived the week after Thanksgiving as things weren't very crowded; though we passed quite a few folks heading up on our way down.

Angels Landing is quite popular, I just read that you will now have to get a permit to hike Angels Landing from April 1st.

Because it was still early when we completed our hike; we decided to head into Springdale to fuel up and then head off to a place I'd read about called Grafton Ghost Town.

I read that Grafton was the most photographed Ghost Town in the US and was also in quite a few movies, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. It was featured in the famous Bicycle Scene; along with a small-kid favorite song of mine; Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head. I just can't help believing (sorry BJ Thomas "dad joke" insertion) humming that tune as I type this.

Five of the original thirty structures have been restored by the Grafton Heritage Partnership.

The Grafton Heritage Partnership site has a history of the town; established in 1859, the last resident left Grafton in 1945.

The place was so very quiet; we were the only visitors, so we strolled around the buildings. The large Alonzo H Russell home was open so we took a look inside and also walked down into the cellar.

Which provided a peek into a different time.

On the way back, we made sure to stop at the Grafton Cemetery, which gave us a deeper look into the struggles of the folks who settled here.

The surroundings are stunningly beautiful; but the stories are of hardship and tragedy.

This is a wonderful post on Grafton.

After visiting Grafton we headed back to our room, had a super light lunch and relaxed for a while.

Of course, after a while the Missus was itching to do something. So, we decided to take a nice stroll along the easy, paved, Pa'rus Trail, which follows the Virgin River.

There were many instructional-informational signs along the way.

It's one of the few trails that allow leashed pooches and we ran into a couple of happy ones; along with folks biking and families.

All while listening to the comforting sound of the Virgin River….

The mighty Virgin River…..

And like on all our hikes in Zion; there was wildlife to be seen.

We walked until the Canyon Junction Bridge before turning around and heading back to our room.

By now it was getting close to dinner time. Now, in spite of getting the right location and timing the crowds and access for our road trip; there was one thing I'd missed. It seems that many of the restaurants; especially the ones we wanted to eat at in Springdale close for a break following the Thanksgiving weekend. So, we decided to head back across the parking lot to the Zion Canyon Brewpub.

We sat on the back patio again. This time there were several feral cats roaming around. One of them decided to entertain him/herself with one of the customers bags.

There would be no burgers for us this time. We decided to go full on "fry mode" and ordered the Chicken Wings ($12), Chimichurri Fries ($6), and Beer Battered Onion Rings ($6). Actually, this was pretty cheap dinner.

I gotta say; those onion rings weren't bad. Crisp, not greasy, fairly light, and nicely seasoned.

And of course, a cold one.

Zion Canyon Brew Pub
95 Zion Park Blvd.
Springdale, UT 84767

As we walked back to our room we noticed that the Christmas Tree was up in the parking lot.

It was time to relax and then head off to sleep…..

Roadtrip (During Covid) – The Watchman Trail (Zion) and Dinner at the Zion Canyon Brewpub (Springdale)

March 31, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Beer, Burgers, Gastropub, Road Trip, Travel, Utah

After our dinner at Partage we had a nice night of sleep. And then we headed off for Zion early the next morning after fueling up the car.

As for where we stayed….well, I'd learned some lessons during our road trips and made some adjustments. First, we stayed near Springdale, at the Cable Mountain Lodge, in Zion Canyon Village. There was a grocery, a brew pub, and the town of Springdale was a short walk away.

Zion Canyon Village is also right at the west entrance to Zion as well. We arrived too early to check in; but there were some trails nearby, so we got our parking pass, and then I headed off to the Entrance Station right across the Virgin River. However, the station wasn't manned, so I walked over to the Visitor Center where there were two Rangers sitting at a desk and asked them about getting my entrance passes and paying my fee. I was told that I'd need to drive to the Toll Booth, pay for my 7 day pass, then return and start hiking……the other Ranger, who was really nice asked me how long we were staying and I said 3 nights…..he said since the pass was for 7 days and no one is manning the booths, that I could just go ahead and do the Watchman or the Pa'rus Trail and we'd just pay when we enter the park in the morning. I jokingly said; "if I do that; you won't send the FBI or CIA after me on the trail will you?" I heard someone cracking up nearby. A young lady was poaching wifi on her laptop and heard me. She laughingly said; "that's exactly the same thought I had……" Anyway, the two Rangers just cracked up and gave me their names; you know, "just in case a black helicopter tried to abduct me." These guys were hilarious.

So, there are three trails nearby; the easy, paved Pa'rus Trail, the Archaeology Trail, and the Watchman Trail which is a bit over 3 miles in and back with a 600+ foot elevation gain….well, you know which one the Missus picked, right?

The Watchman Trail. We found the trailhead after passing the Watchman Campgrounds right past the Visitor Center and Stores and headed off.

We saw way more wildlife in Zion than Yosemite.

It was a beautiful trail.

And the views….

There's a little loop trail at the top so you get a nice view of the valley below.

I actually really enjoyed this hike; it wasn't too hard, the views were amazing.

By the time we finished up our hike; it took us a bit under 2 hours, we were able to check in.

Now, there's another thing I learned after our stay near Yosemite….we'd need at least a small fridge and a microwave. Well, our room at Cable Mountain Lodge was huge. It also had a real kitchen; stove, oven, microwave, dishwasher (!), and full sized refrigerator.

As well as quite a view from the patio!

For dinner we walked across the parking lot to the Zion Canyon Brewpub.

And while there was ample seating inside; this is right at the doorstep of Zion, so we requested a table on the back patio.

I got a nice Amber Ale to start.

And the Missus….well, She got a burger (of course).

The burger was ok, it was anointed with Swiss Cheese, jalapeno bacon jam, and garlic aioli. But what the Missus really enjoyed was that onion ring and the Chimichurri Fries; which were crisp and had a decent amount of garlic and olive oil flavor.

I decided on the Elk Burger, which wasn't bad.

I enjoyed the mushrooms which had been sautéed in the amber ale; nice earthy-sweetness. I had seen that they put something called "Utah Fry Sauce" on the burger. I cracked up when I tasted it……it's basically the "poor man's thousand island dressing" I grew up eating; "mayo and ketchup"! The burger was mild in flavor, kind of gritty, and a bit over done.

Overall, this is what we kind of expected…….though as a whole it might had more "personality" (and was cheaper) then what we had at Rush Creek.

Zion Canyon Brew Pub
95 Zion Park Blvd.
Springdale, UT 84767

After dinner, I crashed early. The Missus already had some plans for tomorrow and it would be a full day.

Thanks for stopping by!

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Coffeholic (West Covina), Eddie World (Yermo), and Dinner at Partage (Las Vegas)

March 27, 2022 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, European Restaurants, Fine Dining, French Restaurants, Las Vegas, Los Angeles County, Markets & Grocers, Nevada, Road Trip, Travel

My attempt at using up all my vacation days led us to schedule another road trip a mere 6 weeks after returning from Yosemite. This time we'd be headed to Zion, Monument Valley, and Sedona….with a couple of stops along the way; which included the SGV and Las Vegas, We again stayed at the Courtyard Monterey Park and again ate at Bistro Na's; so I won't even post on that.

The next morning we headed out to Vegas, first stopping for our caffeine fix in West Covina at a place named Coffeholic.

This shop was in an interesting location; in the Lakes Mall, near Edwards Cinema, near a bunch of shopping center-chain looking places, banks, and offices. Needless to say, at 8am on a Tuesday, there was not another soul around.

So….service was quick, I had my usual….and the Missus got a pour over (of course), which was super cheap at 5 bucks…..and of course, She got what She paid for.

Regardless, we got our coffee sat and sat for a bit.

Coffeeholic
1240 Lakes Drive Unit B
West Covina, CA 91790

Since we hadn't been to Old Town/Downtown in ages…..like over 20 years we also took a stroll down South Glendora Avenue…..it was so quiet here, almost spooky in a way…..hard to believe this is West Covina.

And after getting in our fix, we headed off…..

It used to be that we'd stop in Barstow for fuel and a "bio break"….but the last time we drove up to Vegas, our usual stop, the Barstow Outlets seemed to be getting somewhat run down. So, I decided that our refueling stop should be at place in Yermo named "Eddie World", which is supposedly the largest gas station in SoCal….. And much like Bravo Farms has restaurants, a huge candy shop….

And all kinds of snacks and "stuffs" that you never knew that you needed. The restrooms were super clean and it was fun walking around checking things out.

Also, we usually bring nuts and beef jerky on our road trips to cure the pangs of hunger should they set in. This time we hadn't brought jerky; so I bought some stuffs from Jedidiah's Jerky in Eddie World.

We then topped off our tank and headed to Vegas.

EddieWorld
36017 Calico Rd.
Yermo, CA 92398

We got to Vegas in good time. As I mentioned before, the Missus isn't a big fan of staying on the strip, so we stayed at the Homewood Suites on the other side of the I-15 from the strip. Man, had it been over 8 years since we'd been in Vegas? And then of course, there was the question of "where to eat"? Of course, there were places off the strip that had been favorites of years past.

But since we'd be staying on or near National Parks and such, there's not a lot of great choices for eating. I figured we'd be back on the "burger bandwagon" again….so like our previous road trip, I set-up nice "bookend dinners" for us.

After doing a bit of research, I found a French inspired tasting menu only restaurant named Partage, located on of all places Spring Mountain Road, Las Vegas's unofficial "Chinatown" where many of the best Asian restaurants in the city can be found.

I had full intended on driving to the restaurant, but of course the Missus had other ideas and decided we should walk the almost two miles to Partage.

And so it came to be that we walked to the restaurant.

Partage is located in the same strip mall complex as places such as Shokku Ramen, Pho Kim Long, King Fu Thai and Chinese, and Lee's Sandwiches; so yes, it does kind of stand out.

We arrived at the designated time and were seated.

The menu card has the story of Partage.

The Missus and I both took the 7 Course Tasting ($125) menu; the Missus took the wine pairing ($55) and I selected the Foie Gras and Oxtail supplement ($27). Service was quite professional if a bit stiff and our Server was quite sweet but really didn't know the dishes too well.

Thing started with the Amuse – a Pomme de Truffle. Which was delicious.

A crunchy potato round with truffle….man, this was good!

The first dish was the Butternut Squash Veloute with a Coffee-Truffle Foam.

Loved the earthy mushrooms, which also, along with the croutons added a nice crunch. The coffee-truffle foam tasted a bit odd and the dish was perhaps a bit too sweet for my taste.

The Lobster Cannelloni with Leek Foam, and Lobster Bisque was good.

For me, the wonderful bisque was the hightlite of the dish; wonderful sweet-oceany flavors, velvety texture. The Mimolette cheese in the cannelloni added a nutty texture; though I wish the lobster flavor came thru a bit more in the cannelloni.

The Rabbit Boudin Blanc was amazing, while the Rabbit Brulee had a wonderful texture, but was again on the overly sweet side.

Love the seasonings in the sausage and the mildly gamy flavors of rabbit seemed to fit in so perfectly in a boudin blanc.

The Missus and I shared the Foie Gras supplement, which was quite generous in size.

The foie gras was seared perfectly and was so wonderfully decadent. The passionfruit powder was a perfect addition to the dish and the gingerbread wasn't overly sweet. The was delici-yoso!!!!

The Halibut and Sunchoke two ways was a good dish; the hailibut perhaps a bit overcooked, but still moist and tender.

We enjoyed the unique nutty-sweetness of the sunchoke puree and the hazelnut crusted sunchoke was also quite tasty. A nice variation of textures.

The Oxtail Supplement was an Oxtail Croque Monsieur, which like the Foie Gras supplement was worth the price of admission!

Such amazing beefiness! Having the shaved black truffle didn't hurt at all either!

By this point in the meal, the Missus wasn't really wow'd by the wine pairing. We quickly noticed that almost everyone in the restaurant were having cocktails and not wine. And with good reason….they made some very good cocktails.

The meat course for the evening was a pretty much by-the-book preparation of Beef Tenderloin.

The beef was a bit tougher than I prefer; though I loved the sweet-buttery leek confit and the brioche went surprisingly well with the jus. The red wine reduction wasn't overbearing and added to the flavor of the beef as well.

And the Missus enjoyed the desserts…..

Even though the Missus wasn't too impressed with the wine pairing; I think the very innovative pairing from Six Test Kitchen was still fresh in Her mind; this was an enjoyable meal and a nice start to our road trip.

Partage
3839 Spring Mountain Rd.
Las Vegas, NV 89102

While having dessert, the Missus mentioning wanting to walk back to our hotel via the strip and the sweet young lady looked surprised and recommended we take an Uber. But of course the Missus wasn't having any of that……

And so, we walked down Spring Mountain Road and onto Las Vegas Boulevard. We were kid of freaked out at all the folks milling about maskless…….

It seems like Vegas, looked just like….well, the Vegas we remembered.

We walked all the way to the MGM, before heading back to the hotel. Well, at least I got my walking done on this evening, right?

And tomorrow we were headed to Zion!

Thanks for stopping by!

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Odds and Ends Edition; Ragamuffin Coffee Again (Oxnard), Bistro Na’s Yet Again (Temple City), and Stuffs from Etto Pastificio (Paso Robles)

March 26, 2022 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Chinese Restaurants, Cooking, Los Angeles County, Markets & Grocers, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Travel, Ventura County

*** Just a quick post to tie up "loose ends" of our road trip to Yosemite and Groveland.

The morning after our dinner at Six Test Kitchen we headed on out. We had decided to just take our time back and spend a night in the SGV. There was one place the Missus wanted to revisit in Oxnard; Ragamuffin Coffee in Oxnard, so we stopped at the Collection at River Park for our caffeine fix.

And man, the place was doing some good business on this Saturday morning.

I got a cold brew and the Missus…..well She got a Pour Over (of course) – a barrel aged Ethiopian named "Strawberry Fields Forever" and really loved it.

So much, that we ended up getting it thru mail order until they ran out a couple of months ago.

The Missus has now moved on and we've ordered a couple of other roasts, but according to the Missus, none are quite as good as the Strawberry Fields Forever.

She's hoping they bring it back.

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

Getting to LA, we had decided to stay at the new Courtyard by Marriott on Atlantic….a huuuuge place. We loved the freeway access; right off the 10 and the rooms were large.

Though the view…..well, it left something to be desired……

For dinner; well we went to Bistro Na's which I've posted on a bunch of times already, so I won't drone on about it.

We ordered our usual dishes and a couple of new ones.

Funny thing about trying newer dishes at Bistro Na's, there always seems to be a clunker in the mix. The "Princess Sweet and Sour Fish" was terrible! It had a "muddy" taste and was super sweet, lacking in nuance…..it was more Panda Express than "Imperial Chinese Cuisine" in our book.

The Smoked Duck Breast was amazing though! We ended up getting another order to go.

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

The next morning we got home easily.

For dinner, I decided to use some of the items I'd bought from Etto Pastificio in Paso Robles. We had been served some pasta from Etto at Les Petites Canailles and while we weren't fond of the overall dish, we loved the texture of the pasta. So, on our way to Six Test Kitchen we stopped by the shop…..the photos didn't turn out; so all I have is a photo of what we bought.

And then the dish I made using that pasta and the Pesto Genovese (you can get this Pesto at Mona Lisa in Little Italy), which is now my go to for bottled Pesto (when She's not having me make it from scratch).

I used some cherry and sun dried tomatoes…..

The Missus loved it.

Etto Pastificio (In Tin City)
3070 Limestone Way
Paso Robles, CA 93446

So that's it…….though even before we left on this road trip, the Missus had me planning another one! Stay tuned!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Jordan (Before Covid) – Petra at Night and Wadi Rum

March 19, 2022 mmm-yoso Israel/Palestine, Jordan, Middle Eastern Restaurants/Cuisine, Travel

**** I'm trying to finish up our pre-Covid travel posts, so will try to keep this brief, the photos speak for themselves. Not much food in this one.

After seeing the wonders of Petra in person, we decided to do Petra by Night. I had planned on being in Wadi Musa on one of the three nights the light show was available (Mon-Wed-Fri). We had an early dinner in the hotel we were staying at; Petra Palace.

And then walked over to the Petra Visitors Center to stand in line for tickets. We got there early and were the fifth group of folks getting tickets. Just before 830 we were let in and proceeded to head down the Siq toward Al-Khazneh (the Treasury).

The path was lined with candles.

After getting to the Treasury, we found sat on mats along the candlelit ground.

And soon enough, there was the sound of a flute and the lights shining on the Treasury came on.

And then more music, more lighting effects, a reading/poem…..more lights…..

After a while it got a bit monotonous; but heck I guess it's worth doing once?

And then we marched back out of Petra and back to the hotel.

The next morning we packed up had a quick breakfast in the hotel…..

We checked out and waited excitedly for our driver to pick us up…..well, that is, I waited excitedly. You see, the next part of our tour was for Wadi Rum. Not that I knew a lot about Wadi Rum….but what little I knew surrounded the tales of one T.E. Lawrence, probably more well known in the west from the movie Lawrence of Arabia. TE Lawrence fought alongside the Arab tribes revolting against Turkish rule and is known to have been launched from Wadi Rum. In fact, there's a set of peaks in Wadi Rum named after one of Lawrence's writings. Anyway, Lawrence of Arabia was one of my late Mom's favorite films and without fail, she would watch it everytime it was on television. You can read more about TE Lawrence and Wadi Rum here.

That's the "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" above; named after Lawrence's Autobiographical work of the same name.

It's quite possible that I enjoyed Wadi Rum even more than Petra in some ways. Perhaps it was our amazing Bedouin Guides and Drivers, whose sense of humor was great and also the Australian couple, who was on our tour of Petra the previous day who were so much fun and easy going.

From the Nambatean ruins…..

To the amazing peaks and valleys….

The views……my goodness….

We would and take a short hike to one of the peaks…..things were so beautiful, so serene, so colorful….you could have what I call a "Bourdain moment" of your very own taking in the amazing vastness of Wadi Rum.

And our Bedouin Drivers made a pretty good lunch……

That chicken grilled over a live fire was awesome……..the Missus and I started talking about returning to Jordan at this point and staying in a Bedouin camp in Wadi Rum….maybe even one of these places!

After lunch we headed off….our Bedouin driver asked us if we wanted to go "dune surfing"……and having our wonderful Aussie companions in our Jeep it was all go……

Man, it was so beautiful here….I know, I keep saying that over and over…..you get the point!

One of the last stops was the Jebel Umm Fruth Rock Bridge. There were younger folks climbing up the rocks to stand on the formation….

Of course, I'm not a big fan of heights…nor scrambling up the side of the mountain….but you know who the only person on our tour who was all in for doing this was, right?

And here's the photo She took of us "wussies" waiting below…..

We really enjoyed Wadi Rum and like I mentioned above, hope to return and spend a night here one day. Our Bedouin Guides and Drivers were so accommodating and had a great sense of humor.

Once our day was done; our drivers took us to the border crossing at Aqaba, where we crossed over to Eilat and then were taken to Ramon International Airport for our flight to Tel Aviv.

Our flight arrived in Tel Aviv we suddenly realized that we were no longer in our "little bubble" of vacation. Our flight arrived and we took the shuttle bus to the main terminal.

Once we got to the baggage claim and exits, the Missus bargained with one of the cab drivers (our scheduled transfer never showed up) and we got into his cab. Just before we left a young Orthodox Jewish man spoke to the driver who came to us and asked if we wouldn't mind splitting the cab fair into Jerusalem. The young man would pay a third and we two-thirds. We said sure, why not. When the young man entered the front seat of the cab we said hello to him; but he would not speak, nor even acknowledge our presence. I mean, he spoke to the cab driver, but refused to speak to us!

Once our driver dropped the young man off, he pointed to the neighborhood and said; "tomorrow evening starts Shabbat….do not come to this part of the city". Our driver was a really nice guy and dropped us off at the apartment we were staying at. Once we unpacked, showered, and got ready for bed, I walked out to the patio……

The Missus and I wanted no part of the politics…….we just wanted to enjoy the history, sights, and food….but people are one of the biggest part of any trip we take. As looked out at the street I wondered; "would we be able" to do that?

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Six Test Kitchen (Paso Robles)

March 17, 2022 mmm-yoso Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Fine Dining, Memorable Meals, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Travel

Yes, we did enjoy our time in Yosemite, though I was pretty tired off all the burgers and fried food. Don't get me wrong, I was taken by Groveland, but I really wanted to have a nice meal; something interesting, innovative, and fun. A few years back, I'd read about a chef, Ricky Odbert, who opened a six seat tasting menu experience…in his family's garage! And was fascinated. Eventually he opened a twelve seat reservation only place in Tin City. Once I found out the Missus wanted to go to Yosemite and that we'd be going in and out of Paso Robles….I planned our trip around when I managed to get reservations at Six Test Kitchen. I'm glad I did; because a few weeks before our dinner, Six Test Kitchen received a Michelin Star……

Hidden around the corner from Field Recordings Winery, the restaurant is quite discreet.

You basically sit at the open concept bar/counter overlooking the open kitchen. Sitting here, I quickly noticed the fish bone hanging and drying above the stove. I found out that it was drying to make Six Test Kitchen's version of dashi.

There were only three people working on this evening, the chef, his assistant, and the Sommelier, a young man named Matt, who was amazing. As interesting as the food was; the Missus loved the wine pairings the most, which were quite different from the usual standard pairings the Missus was accustomed to.

Things started out fabulously, with a wonderfully briny-oceany Pacific Gold Oyster.

The finish was almost melon-like in flavor and that Meyer Lemon granite was the perfect match. The great thing about having such an intimate dinner is that you chat with the staff. We were told that the Sommelier lives in Morro Bay so he picks up oysters on his way into Paso Robles. Heck, this might be a good excuse for us to head on back there.

Next up was a Wagyu Beef Tartare.

I wasn't a big fan of all that Gruyere that covered the beef as the milky-nuttiness over powered the beautiful wagyu. Also, there was a tad too much horseradish for our tastes as well.

The Rock Cod Tempura was fried perfectly, not greasy, light, crisp, though the flavor of the fish was mild, the slightly sweet flavor came through. I asked about the wonderful texture and was told that they dry age the cod inhouse.

With just a dab of the Tarragon-Caper Mayo, it was wonderful.

The Kaluga Caviar with Bacon and Eggs was interesting.

The caviar was lost in this dish basically covered in an egg creme; the chunks of bacon seemed a bit cumbersome.

The next wine up was a crisp Pinot Gris from the Alsace.

Which was served with slices of kampachi sashimi, fermented turnips which were fabulous, pear, and shimeji mushrooms.

An interesting textural combination; the wine really went well with the fermented turnip; the mushroom added an interesting touch of nuttiness, and the Asian pear a light sweetness.

The Missus was smitten by the next wine served.

This white actually comes from the Canary Islands! It's a white bled of two indigenous grapes.

The Missus loved the smooth balance of acidity and light oakiness. In fact, She had me track down some bottles online.

This was served up with the next two dishes; first a Chawan Mushi with Koji Butter.

Amazing texture, though the really strong flavors of the koji butter detracted from the steamed egg custard. I did enjoy the deep smoky tones and was told that this was from the dashi made from the fish bones hanging above the stove was used for.

Next up was the Sablefish….when this arrived the chef, who kept quizzing me about the dishes, kiddingly asked me if I knew what kind of fish this was and I told him "Black Cod"….he cracked up….

The black cod was amazing, buttery, perfectly melt in your mouth tender. The cauliflower puree was quite nice as well.

Next up, a Gamay Rouge from Beaujolais was served along with a very interesting looking dish.

The main part of the dish was a crunchy cigarish looking tube made of chicken liver rolled in onion powder and orange marmalade. Quite interesting, but not quite my kind of thing.

Up next was the Duck Breast.

Which was perfectly done and seasoned, though fairly tough. Loved the delicata squash. Also on the plate was a duck sausage "mole" which was a bit too sweet for my taste; but quite interesting texturally.

By now all the guests had arrived and the kitchen was going full bore….

Next up a Brunelleschi de Montecino.

To be served with two pork based dishes, we enjoyed both.

The Dry Aged Pork Loin was cooked to perfection.

It was so tender, perfectly seasoned, and flavorful. The apple butter potatoes were interesting but a bit too much for me.

The Dry Aged Pork Shoulder was also very tasty and much more "porky".

So moist and porky; we loved the pleasantly bitter-savory mustard greens that was served with it.

And then, dessert of course…..and some Cognac.

And interesting deconstructed carrot cake.

A bit over the top.

We both really enjoyed the not overly sweet, but complexly flavored Barley Koji Ice Cream.

Rice and creamy, moderately sweet, great nutty flavors, and almost a bit of savoriness to boot!

The rest were items like fruit rolls a chocolate peanut butter bar

And these quite tasty, light caramel – white sesame balls.

All in all, we enjoyed our meal at Six Test Kitchen. The dishes are creative, the chef doesn't play it safe and takes a lot of chances, which didn't always meet our tastes, but we understood that going in. The Missus loved the interesting wine pairing which was much different from most. While we probably won't return to Six Test Kitchen, we enjoyed our experience.

Six Test Kitchen
3075 Blue Rock Rd.
Unit B
Paso Robles, CA 93446

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Tuolumne Grove (Yosemite), Mountain Sage Coffee, Iron Door Saloon (the oldest continuously operating saloon in CA), and Dinner at the Groveland Hotel

March 12, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cocktails, Pubs and Pub Grub, Road Trip, Sierra Nevada, California, Travel

After a restful night of sleep at Rush Creek Lodge, we woke early to check out. You see, there was one other place I had on "my list".

Since we were in Yosemite, the Missus and I really wanted to see sequoias. And the usual place for this would be the Mariposa Grove. There are however, three giant sequoia groves in Yosemite and one of the reasons I chose to stay at Rush Creek was that it was just a mile from the Bog Oak Flat entrance to Yosemite and the Tuolumne Grove is just a fifteen minute drive from that entrance. The strategy was to checkout and drive back into Yosemite, hike the short trail (less than 3 miles in and back). We found that much of it was paved, we loved the tree stump with the rings and date places were built….man, would you believe we've been to six of the seven places listed!

We weren't overly impressed at the beginning of the trail….but then, you come across a huge sequoia….the photo doesn't do it justice.

And then the amazing Tunnel Tree.

From this point on, you could really enjoy the majesty of the sequoias. There were trees with huge burn scars and trees that didn't have a sizeable (it's relative) circumference, but seemed to rise to the heavens. It was such an impressive site and possibly my favorite hike of the trip.

Since this is a nature walk, mostly paved, the grove is actually a short loop trail, we started seeing families and pooches arriving.

Along the way there was a fallen tree; I believe the NPS left it in place so one could really see and experience the grand size in person.

The second photo below if of the Missus walking into the trunk! Amazing!

We spent a good 2 1/2 hours exploring the Tuolumne Grove. It was now time to head on back to the car and our next destination.

It was good thing we had a bit of an early start since we had no problems finding parking. And like the other places we parked in Yosemite, there were cars waiting for parking as we left……..it was good to get an early start.

A tad over 20 miles from the west entrance of Yosemite is the town of Groveland. Founded in 1848 as "Big Oak Flat" Groveland was a gold rush town, it then became the headquarters of the Hetch Hetchy water project which provides water to San Francisco. I thought it would be fun spending the night in this interesting little town.

We first stopped at the local market; Mar-Val Food Store where we restocked on water and a few other "stuffs".

Mar-Val
19000 Main St.
Groveland, CA 95321

I booked us a room in the historic Groveland Hotel which was built in 1849……don't worry, it was renovated in 2018.

And, much like our experiences at other historic hotels, Groveland Hotel is said to be haunted, by the spirit of a miner named "Lyle". No, we didn't book "Lyle's room"….nor did we see anything strange during our stay.

We were of course too early to check in; so we dropped off our luggage; the folks at the front desk were very friendly. And then headed out down the one main street of Groveland. Two blocks down from the hotel was a quaint coffee shop – art gallery – gift shop named Mountain Sage.

The Missus had a Pour Over (of course), I had a cold brew….and I also ordered a brownie for the Missus. We grabbed a table out on the porch and just relaxed.

The Missus really enjoyed the brownie. This was such a nice stop.

Mountain Sage
18653 Main St.
Groveland, CA 95321

After this really nice break; we decided to take the short walk back to the hotel…..while checking out the shops along the way.

After which we headed to the hotel and luckily our room was ready. The rooms were predictably small, but we were given one on the opposite side of Main Street which was much more quiet. Once we freshened up, we decided to head back out.

We'd be having dinner at the Hotel restaurant, Provisions Restaurant in the back courtyard of the hotel.

We had reservations at 5pm, so we decided to head over to a place I had wanted to check out.

Iron Door Saloon is the oldest continuously operating bar in California!

The place definitely had character; that's for sure….

Check out the dollar bills on the ceiling!

The Owner was awesome; his name is Chris and is Asian! I believe he and his wife are from Oakland and own the bar.

He also makes a decent Old Fashioned!

It was chatting with him and also the gentleman sitting next to us who is a contractor….we were told it was great we were here on Thursday; from Friday on the place is filled with tourists. Apparently he has a bunch of projects going for folks who are building homes in the area.

The Missus was feeling a bit peckish so we ordered some Sweet Potato Fries which were pretty good; crisp outside, creamy inside.

Chris was great; he shared a bunch of stories with us…..we really enjoyed Iron Door.

Iron Door Saloon
18761 Main St.
Groveland, CA 95321

After our drink we headed back to the hotel and went to check in for dinner. I was looking forward to the dinner BBQ menu….but sadly, it wasn't available on this evening, oh well.

So, I got the fried vegetable plate……

And the Missus the Bratwurst.

The Missus enjoyed Her Scotch Tasting….

As the sun went down a guitar player appeared and there was live music.

It was a nice and relaxing time.

Provisions Taproom & Bourbon Bar (In the Groveland Hotel)
18767 Main St.
Groveland, CA 95321

We slept well.

The next morning we took a walk down Back Street which parallels Main Street for a couple of blocks.

We headed back to Mountain Sage….

And got some coffee to go….and another brownie for the Missus.

Before checking out then heading off to our next stop.

Yosemite sure was an amazing experience and we had fun in Groveland

But I was kind of tired of diner and fried foods………so…..we were headed back to Paso Robles!

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Sentinel Dome, Taft Point, and Dinner at Rush Creek Lodge (again)

March 11, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Burgers, Road Trip, Sierra Nevada, California, Travel

After a having a nice night's sleep at Rush Creek Lodge, the Missus was raring to go. After a light breakfast we jumped in the car and headed on out. We had place in mind and wanted to beat any possible crowds. It was going to be a bit of a drive first onto Wawona Road…where we stopped at the super popular Tunnel View…..it was early enough in the morning that there was no one else around. We had the wonderful view to ourselves.

From here we went onto Glacier Point Road and easily found parking at the beginning of the Sentinel Dome Trail. And so we headed up Sentinel Dome, which for some reason, I didn't find too difficult. You start in rather sandy ground and forest, eventually making your way up the granite slope.

And end up with an awesome 360 degree view of Yosemite.

That view of Half Dome is priceless.

And then there's this……

This fallen Jeffrey Pine was once the subject of one of Ansel Adams most iconic photos. Unfortunately, it died during a drought in 1977 and fell over in 2003.

From here we scrambled on down then took a detour through the forest to Glacier Point.

Which way too crowded for my taste….so we headed back up the switchbacks to the trail and then headed around to Roosevelt Point.

The view from Roosevelt Point was outstanding.

Though that could be said about much of Yosemite. From here it was back on the trail.

Taft Point was also a great stop……

Not only for the fabulous views of the valley and El Capitan…..

Which are fantastic…….of course, with a lookout like this…..we enjoyed this much more than Glacier View.

Still, it's the fissures in the seemingly impenetrable granite that we found so fascinating.

It was amazing to see these fissures carved into the mountainside.

Once we were done, we headed back to the loop trail which led us to our car.

Coming early was a good decision; there were cars lined up looking and waiting for a parking spot as we left.

We spent the rest of the afternoon in Yosemite Village (mostly window) shopping and then headed back to Rush Creek, where we had a short nap.

Since we went the packaged food route the previous night and the Missus wanted to have Her burger again, I made reservations at the restaurant at Rush Creek again. This time they sat us in the main dining room. It was a Wednesday and there were significantly more people at the resort.

We started with the "Garden" Board ($21), which wasn't such a big deal.

The Missus got the burger again ($20).

Ordered exactly the same as on our previous visit; this time it was overcooked…..so not nearly as good as before.

I went with the Brisket Tacos ($19).

The actual BBQ and seasoning wasn't too bad, but the brisket was dry and tough.

So…pretty much the same a before.

The Restaurant at Rush Creek Lodge
34001 CA-120
Groveland, CA 95321

Still, our room was super comfortable and the folks working at Rush Creek were really friendly.

And we'd had a wonderful of hiking in Yosemite.

We'd be checking out in the morning; but I had one more place on my list to check out…….

Roadtrip (During Covid) – Rush Creek Lodge and Spa, Hiking Around Rush Creek, and Yosemite Valley

March 10, 2022 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Beer, Burgers, Markets & Grocers, Road Trip, Sierra Nevada, California, Travel

Here's a fairly quick post about our trip to Yosemite in October of last year.

After heading out from Paso Robles, we took a bathroom break and filled up our tank at Bravo Farms outside Kettleman.

Bravo Farms is one of those…..well road side stops with everything from a diner – food court – mercantile, which means all kinds of stuff you never knew you needed, it has some places for kids to play….all in the middle of…well…not much.

I did really enjoy the signs in the very clean restroom which cracked me up.

It was a good place to stretch our legs since we wouldn't be stopping until we got to Rush Creek Lodge and Spa. I chose the place, which was kind of remote mainly because of the location, 1 ile from the west entrance to Yosemite and size of the rooms; we got a Hillside Villa with our own private and a nice view.

We arrived a bit too early to check in. I had told the Missus that there were hiking trails around the lodge…..so guess what we did?

I parked the car in the lot where our Villa was located and we headed up to where the trails were.

I asked the Missus which trail She wanted to do…big mistake….Her answer? "All of them." Which is what we did.

It did us a nice "taste" of the beauty of the area.

And once we returned, our "Villa" was ready……it was quite large.

And the view….

There were a couple of shortcomings with the unit. It had no microwave, so you'd have to eat in the resort or drive the 20 or so miles to Groveland. But, there was a Restaurant, Tavern, and a General Store.

I had made reservations for dinner at the restaurant….during these times of Covid, it was optimal to do so. And on this day, we were seated in the Tavern.

The tables were nicely spaced out.

I started with a Big Sky Brewing Moose Drool ($9), a nice Brown Ale.

I was interested in trying the Crispy Fried Cauliflower ($17), which proved to be a mistake.

This wasn't particularly crisp and the sauce…..was like something from Panda Express; it was teeth rattling sweet.

We also got the Tomato and Roasted Garlic Soup ($14).

This lacked garlic flavor. Though it still wouldn't have been too bad if it had been served at a better temperature. It was barely lukewarm.

The Missus ordered the Rush Burger ($20).

After the two appetizers, we didn't expect too much….especially when they asked the Missus how She wanted the burger done. In many places, asking that question is just going thru the motions and you'll get your burger well done. This burger however, was cooked exactly how the Missus wanted. It also had a nice char adding a nice smokiness. The fries had a decent crispness.

I ordered the Lamb Shawarma ($21).

This wasn't very good either. The flatbread was really tough; so was the dry lamb which really lacked flavor.

Overall, very corporate food…our dinner was a $100 without tip! I guess most folks were a captive audience and there's no microwave in the rooms. At least the Missus enjoyed Her burger. And I guess we really weren't staying here for the restaurant, right?

The Restaurant at Rush Creek Lodge
34001 CA-120
Groveland, CA 95321

One of the reasons we stayed at Rush Creek was the distance to the West Entrance to Yosemite; it was less then a mile!

We got an early start and headed into Yosemite, making several stops along the way.

And then we entered the park.

The Missus was so excited about doing some hiking; unfortunately both of the trails we selected we closed as trail, road ,and parking lot work was going on. Sigh…..

We then headed to Yosemite Village and the visitors center, spoke to some rangers and decided just to do some trails in the area.

We first did the Lower Yosemite Falls Trail, an easy trail. The water was just a trickle on this day….and few weeks later there would be a major storm and waterfall would be going like crazy. Just our luck on this day.

From here we walked thru Cook's Meadow….I really enjoyed the views from here.

And from here we headed to Mirror Lake via the Valley Loop.

Because parts of the trail parallels the road, there was a lot of vehicle noise; it's also a pretty busy bike path…..and of course, because of the season, Mirror Lake was dry. It was still quite beautiful though.

And we took the loop back to Yosemite Village and our car.

We drove back to Rush Creek and relaxed for a bit. The Missus and I just weren't up to having another meal in the restaurant and we didn't want to drive to Groveland. We went over to the General Store and picked up a bottle of wine for the Missus and a beer for me. I had done some planning and brought along a self-heating Omeal and also a portable heater-lunch box; we had brought packaged meals. I put my package of basmati rice in the Omeal bag, so it heated up along the vegetarian chili.