Travel – Page 40

Road Trip (During Covid-19) – Harmony, Cambria, and Dinner at Madeline’s

December 8, 2020 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, French Restaurants, Memorable Meals, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Travel, Wine Bars/Wineries

**** This is kind of a long one; so you might want to save it for when you more time to read.

We headed out from Morro Bay for Cambria where we'd be staying for two nights. But there was one stop to make. In doing my research for this trip, I'd come across a little town about 15 miles North of Morro Bay and 5 miles south of Cambria named Harmony. Population 18. Yep, you read that right, 18. At least that's what "Gladys the Town Cow" says.

Once upon a time the community was a dairy settlement; originally established by Swiss and Italian immigrants. There was a lot of competition which led to intense rivalries; which eventually resulted in a killing, you can read about it here, along with how a desire to restore peace, the town was named "Harmony". Eventually, the creameries closed down. For many years, the only business in the one street, one block town was the post office. Now, it has a winery, and is home to a small group of artisans who produce pottery and blown glass. It has a fun, funky feel to it. Along with the Gladys the cow; there's the "Holy Cow" to the right which celebrates the history of the town.

We spent about an hour in the town visiting the two businesses; the pottery shop and the glass works, purchasing a couple of gifts along the way.

There's also a Creamery and Dairy shop; basically an ice cream shop which was closed during our visit.

There's also a charming and plain adorable Chapel. After all; like the tag line goes for the Chapel's website goes: "Shouldn't every wedding begin in Harmony?"

You can read more about the venue here.

The little town was such a pleasant and fun surprise, we're glad we stopped by and will probably do it again in the future.

Harmony Pottery Works
2191 Old Creamery Rd.
Harmony, CA 93435
Hours:
Daily 10am – 5pm

Harmony Glassworks
2180 Old Creamery Rd.
Harmony, CA 93435
Hours:
Daily 9am – 5pm

After our visit we drove the short distance to Cambria. I'm not sure why I picked the village, but it turned out to be a wonderful stay. We were staying at the El Colibri Hotel & Spa, right on the otherside of Highway 1 from the village. The actual shopping area is made up of the East Village and the West Village which is separated by about a half mile. Since we were still quite early for check-in, we headed to the charming East Village to do some shopping.

We found parking and went about our way. When doing research on Cambria two things kept coming up; Linn's, which has a restaurant, café, a boutique/bookshop, and a gourmet goods store in town. And a Farmstand about 5 miles out of town. The second thing I read about were Olallieberries, a cross between Loganberries and Youngberries developed at Oregon State in 1949. Even though it was developed in Oregon, growing it there proved difficult and it is mainly grown in Central California. And Linn's is know for their Olalliberry Pies and preserves.

We ended up buying a bunch of preserves for friends and some "hot jelly" (to have with cheese).

We walked around a bit more; then headed to our hotel. While our room wasn't quite ready, I had a plan for our afternoon anyway. The El Colibri is located right at the South end of the Moonstone Beach Boardwalk; which is why I chose the place. And so we headed off and did the approximately three mile walk along the boardwalk. It was easy and picturesque.

Of course we had some "supervision" along the way.

We enjoyed the walk.

There were very few people along the way.

One of our lasting memories of Cambria are the benches; which we first started seeing along the Boardwalk.

This one is one of my favorites….for some reason; I just fine the location somewhat romantic.

As I guess many other folks do.

It was a nice little jaunt for the afternoon.

We got back to the hotel, checked in, freshened up….I check in at work to make sure things were going ok.

After relaxing for a bit we headed out to dinner. I'd picked a restaurant named Madeline's. First off, it was in walking distance. Second of all; the wine by the glass list looked really good. During the day, along with serving lunch, Madeline's is a wine shop until 5pm. I'd made reservations for outdoor dining at 530 pm. So, with the sun setting, we headed out, crossed over Highway 1, onto Main Street, pass the Gas Station….we were a bit early and the Missus wanted to do some shopping. Unfortunately, it seems like many of the shop were closed due to Covid-19.

We did stop in at a shop named Bali Gems. The owner was so nice; we chatted for almost a half hour. He told us that the stones found on Moonstone Beach aren't really Moonstones, but a combination of different minerals like agate, jasper, and such. He asked us where we'd be having dinner and when I mentioned Madeline's, I was told that it is the "best restaurant in town", and not like other "touristy" places. He also provided a nice little map for us. The Missus really wanted to buy something, but couldn't find anything to Her taste….maybe next time….

We got to Madeline's and were seated promptly at a nice table….everything was spaced out wonderfully and the heaters worked well. Our Server was a very nice fellow whose name I believe is Oscar. He was efficient, very knowledgeable, and had the perfect combination of professionalism and friendliness. As we often like to do; we ordered a bunch of appetizers making our own tasting menu.

The bread was nothing to write home about.

The Missus picked Her wine, though I waited until our first dish arrived; the Diver Scallops ($18).

The scallops were nicely seared, still wonderfully rare in the middle. The searing added a nice crispness that held out well. The beurre blanc wasn't too heavy with some nice acidity. I went ahead and ordered a Viognier which went quite well with this. Strange, the Missus had never had a Viognier before???? She loved it and because Madeline's is a wine shop; actually ordered a bottle to take with us……which She's enjoyed here at home.

The Spanish Octopus ($18) was cooked perfectly; tender, with the slightest pleasant toothsomeness.

Nice smokiness, the citrus tones came thru nicely to cut the saffron. By this time; I just trusted Oscar to pick a wine to match. He was awesome; he ended up picking wine that weren't on the "by the glass list"; but rather had been part of tastings that afternoon.

The only dish we didn't enjoy much was the Stuffed Quail ($16).

The lemon beurre blanc overwhelmed everything on the plate and while the wild mushroom stuffing had very nice earthy-nutty-mildly sweet tones; the quail was really dry and tough. Oh, but the wine chosen for us…..by this point, the Missus and I were just sharing a single glass that was picked for us.

Sorry to say I never got a shot at the acorn squash in the Fall Salad ($11), but the Missus assured me that it was quite good.

I really enjoyed the mild bitterness of the baby arugula, combined with the mild, almost spicy flavor of the Gorgonzola, and the balanced tartness of the pomegranate vinaigrette.

The Missus enjoyed Her Chocolate Truffle Mousse Cake ($11).

While I had a nice digestif to finish things off.

This was a nice meal. But, as is often the case, it's the staff and service that elevated the meal, into something memorable. We'll be back!

Madeline's Restaurant & Wine Tasting Room
788 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428

Munich – Odeonsplatz, Max-Joseph-Platz, Hofgarten, and Dinner at Schiller Brau

December 5, 2020 mmm-yoso Beer, Gastropub, German Restaurants and Food, Germany, Munich, Travel

Yes, I'm trying to work thru my backlog of travel posts….so please bear with me.

After a caffeine break at Dallmayr, the Missus was ready to tackle the rest of our "stroll"….. right up the street is Max-Joseph-Platz, named after Maximilian I, the first king of Bavaria whose statue is the centerpiece of the square.

The square also houses the National Theatre and the Residenz, once the royal palace of the House of Wittelsbach which once ruled over large swatches of Europe; Bavaria, Sweden, Greece, Denmark, even the Holy Roman Empire!

We headed up to yet another huge square; Odeonsplatz. Which is crowned by the Feldherrnhalle ("Field Marshals' Hall"). But first there was something I wanted to see; a street named Viscardigasse. Notice the gold cobblestones in this pedestrian only street.

When Hitler came to power, he created a memorial to the "first matyrs of the Third Reich" in the Beer Hall Putsch. All Germans were required to do the Hitlergruss (Nazi Salute) upon entering the Odeonsplatz. Viscardigasse became an alternate route where people could avoid having to perform the salute. The street is also known as Drückebergergasse ("Shirker's Alley"). The cobblestones memorialize this act of civil disobedience.

The Odeonsplatz was created by the House of Wittelsbach. The Feldherrnhalle looked looked quite familiar to us.

The other structure that got our attention was the Theatinerkirche which was built in the latter half of the 17th century.

If we hadn't already done so much on this day, we'd have visited….but man, we'd already done quite a bit.

We walked pass the Residenz.

And the striking Bavarian Chancellery…..

To what was once the royal garden of the Wittelsbachs; the Hofgarten.

It's a striking, relaxing, and elegantly beautiful green space.

There was a wonderful pianist playing in the Pavilion of Diana; which is in the center of the park.

One of the enjoyable parts of this visit was coming across interesting memorials and landmarks. I was curious about that rather simple stone memorial above. I took a photo and looked it up when we got back to the apartment later that evening. I found out that this is the memorial to the Trümmerfrau ("Rubble Women") who helped to clear and reconstruct Germany and Austria after all the destruction of World War II. And while there's some disagreement about the amount of women and such; I still found it quite touching.

I also noticed the fountain to my right….which seemed to have Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf on it. Turns out; it's called the "Wolfsbrunnen" (Wolf Fountain) which was created in 1904 by sculptors Heinrich Düll and Georg Pezold.

From here we headed down the very busy and quite touristy street known as Platzl, with the required Starbucks, Hard Rock Café, and a place that was recommended to me by a couple of folks. A famous beer hall named Hofbräuhaus. It was quite busy….

And quite touristy; which is not a bad things since; well, we're tourists, right? But this was a bit much for us….it seemed like every cliché was in fine form here; the Tyrolean Hats? Check. Lederhosen? You bet? It was just kind of overwhelming for us….. I guess Augustiner-Keller is more our speed.

We decided to head on back to the apartment and figure out where to stop for dinner. The Missus had fun doing some shopping along the way.

We made our way back to the apartment and relaxed for a bit. We weren't super hungry and I basically wanted some snacks and a beer (or three). There was a brew pub that we kept passing everyday named Schiller Brau, located in the MK Hotel München City. It would turn out to be just what we needed after a fairly busy day.

I was quickly told that the special beers are brewed onsite……..and I got a Helles; the Missus Weissbier. I really enjoyed the lightly hoppy, hazy, full bodies Helles.

We started with the "trio of spreads".

Which came with a nice, slightly dense pretzel. We both loved the slightly funky "cheese spread" (Obatza) which had some onion and a bit of smokiness went really well with the pretzel. The apple lard spread (Griebenschmalz) was a bit on the lighter side, but fine. The potato salad was routine and filled out the trio.

One of the reasons we had dinner here was that the Missus saw that the place had a special for the evening……white asparagus. She was still thinking about how much She enjoyed what we had at Plachutta Wollzeile in Vienna.

This was prepared quite simply; which we believe was for the best as we could really enjoy the sweet-slightly bitter-vegetal flavors. The texture was firm but not chewy……simple is best sometimes, right? The potatoes were perfect in texture…and heck; we didn't even use the sauce.

As this was our last evening in Munich; I have sort of a tradition of having a beer (or two) back in our room/apartment. So, I went ahead an bought two bottles of the Helles. In what was a very nice gesture; our Server gave us two Schiller Brau bottle openers as a gift.

One of which I carry with me when we travel. It reminds me of the joys of traveling and all the amazing folks we've run across over the years. I was just looking at it wistfully earlier in the week. It's resting right now; but hopefully soon I can put it to use again.

Schiller Bräu
23 Schillerstrasse
80336 Münich, Germany

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip (During Covid-19) – Cocktails from the Good Lion, Sama Sama, Handlebar Coffee (Santa Barbara), and Morro Bay

November 19, 2020 mmm-yoso Cocktails, Indonesian Restaurants & Food, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

After dinner at the Black Sheep we headed down State Street all the way to the "Funk Zone" area. It was way too crowded, even on a Sunday night, so we decided to head back to the motel room.

About two blocks down; the Missus and I looked at each other…….we still wanted a "nightcap" (or two). I recalled the place right under "The Earth Without Art is Just EH" sign, a cocktail bar named the Good Lion. The outdoor tables were nicely separated and we decided to stop here. The Server was really friendly and reminded us that the current law required us to order some food. Right next door was a restaurant that was on the "list" I'd presented to the Missus before our trip, an Indonesian Restaurant named Sama Sama and they had partnered with the Good Lion to provide food. So we decided to order an item from the menu.

The Missus ordered a "Good Toddy" a warm cognac and spiced rum drink that She said warmed Her up nicely.

I got an Oaxacan Old Fashion.

The first one was kind of on the weak side….so of course I ordered another, which was a bit stiffer and I enjoyed more.

While sitting a very friendly pooch wearing a couple of LED lighted collars walked on up…..she was soooo sweet and friendly, just asking to be pet. Her name was Lexi, I wish I took a photo of her.

Meanwhile, our food from Sama Sama arrived. We had ordered the Crispy Rice Salad.

A bit like Nam Khao, except milder in flavor and the rice was very light and crisp. Not very spicy, the Missus enjoyed the fried egg….it was a nice "dessert" of sorts. Really balanced flavors; cilantro, fish sauce, salty-savory sausage. Even though we would have enjoyed some pork skin in this, I'd gladly it again.

We enjoyed the service, our waters were constantly refilled, the servers really made an effort to keep folks happy. It was a nice way to end the evening.

The Good Lion
1212 State St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Sama Sama Kitchen
1208 State St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

We headed back to our room and fell asleep. Though the rooms were a bit dated and the walls thin; I could hear people talking and all of the street noise.

The next morning we woke and checked out at around 7 am and headed off….first stopping to refuel and grab some coffee from Handlebar Coffee

The Missus, the coffee snob, was disappointed that even though they roasted their own beans; that they didn't do pour over; so She got a double espresso, I got an Americano.

And then we were off to our next destination.

Handlebar Coffee Roasters
2720 De La Vina St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93105

We got on 154 West, then the 101 North, then the1, and made good time to our next destination. It was a place that I always wanted to check out….mainly for one thing.

It was still misty when we got to the village of Morro Bay. We easily found parking and started walking down Front Street. We decided to stop into this kinda touristy looking fish shack and shop.

And I saw something that I hadn't had since we visited Vancouver; salmon candy.

The really friendly young man provided samples and even though it was a bit more fishy than what I'd had before; I got some Salmon Candy. We always bring along a good sized ice chest on long road trips so we could purchase items like this.

Giovanni's Fish Market And Galley
1001 Front St.
Morro Bay, CA 93442

From here we headed south and walked down the Embarcadero. There were many shops; but we didn't see any tourists; just a few locals walking their dogs or having coffee and also other "residents".

It was still quite foggy as we walked down the street window shopping. Though we could hear the barks and honks from seals.

There are quite a few memorials along the waterfront…..

I recall seeing this shop and telling the Missus, "I hope they don't get folks orders wrong….."

We ended up stopping and getting Frankie's "cousin" some treats.

We stopped at a couple shops that were open.

And walked all the way down to Tideland Park before turning around and heading back toward the car.

By now, the fog had started burning off; giving me a view of what I came here to see; Morro Rock.

The drifting fog gave the volcanic plug an air of mystery. We could also see the platform where all the sea lions were hanging out on.

Of course there's always that one fellow who has to do his own thing……

All while under the watchful eye of this one.

We'd enjoyed this stop; it was quite relaxing, the views were nice…..I'm not sure when the area is busy or if it's always this relaxed. Also not sure how the food is in the area; perhaps one day we'll spend a night.

For now it was time to head on out to our destination for the next couple of nights.

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip (During Covid-19) – The Black Sheep (Santa Barbara)

November 14, 2020 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Asian Fusion/Pacific Rim/Hawaii Style Fusion, Cocktails, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

I spent a good month planning our road trip….the dates; not only was the Missus and I burnt out from work, but also from all the toxic politics and hate being spewed. I knew it was going to boil over during election week. Since I had already voted by mail, we decided to leave on the Sunday right after Halloween. I had basically planned out all the dinners….we really don't eat lunch….just having croissants, fruits, nuts, and bars when travelling. We save our calories for dinner. I had decided to stop overnight in Santa Barbara, where we could pick-up wonderful looking bentos from our favorite restaurant on our previous visit to the city and eat on the patio of the motel we were staying in. Unfortunately, a week before our trip Yoichi's decided to stop take-out service and prepare to reopen for dining in and were going to be closed until further notice. I immediately did a bunch of research and picked out a couple of places and let the Missus decide. Which she did and I made reservations for an outdoor table at the earliest time available.

It was a wonderful morning when we left San Diego.

We got to Santa Barbara in record time and arrived early. Our motel was on State Street, but not on the portion to the South that was now a pedestrian only zone. I basically chose the place because of the location and this was the only stop where I actually went in and wiped down the room before we settled in.

Getting to SB early meant that we had time to kill, so we headed down State Street. The Trinity Episcopal Church was having services (this was a Sunday) when we passed…..outdoors.

And it was a pleasant walk as we passed very few people….everyone wearing a mask, along the way.

And State Street was closed from Sola Street to Haley Street, creating a pedestrian zone with outdoor dining areas created.

And with very few people, being able to walk in the street, really enabled one to distance.

I got a kick from the Earth without Art is just "EH" sign and also took note of the business below that sign.

After checking to see where we'd be eating that evening…..to also scope out the outdoor situation we headed back to the motel; we always include a medium sized ice chest when we do road trips and I grabbed some sparkling water, almonds, and an energy bar. We ate on the empty elevated patio of the motel and when we finished, our room was ready.

We freshened up and took a short nap.

We headed down to our dinner destination.

The place the Missus chose for dinner was the Black Sheep….She was fascinated by the rather eclectic menu and the cocktail list.

And got to chose our little table outside in the covered garage like area. Where we saw an amazing sunset……

Our Server was wonderful, very warm, friendly, gracious. While there were several "hiccups" with our meal, we really enjoyed our experience as a whole.

The menu had quite a collection of dishes; from Potato Tacos to Ramen to Duck Confit….I was quite surprised that the Missus had chosen this place.

We decided on what we were going to order and then took a look at the cocktail list….which, unfortunately only had 4-5 drinks on it. A far cry from the online cocktail menu. When we asked what was going on with this we were told that they just lost their mixologist….sad, there's nothing to be done about that, so we went off that list.

I decided on the Yuzu Margarita.

Which, while being a light on the Tequila and Triple-sec, was nice and refreshing. The Missus got the Black Sheep Manhattan which was passable, but could have used a large sized cocktail ice cube or two.

The first dish out was the Australian Wagyu Beef Carpaccio….we laughed when we were told it was "A7 Wagyu" and instantly knew it wasn't Japanese Wagyu.

The dish supposedly had uni and dashi; but we didn't see any on the plate. The beef was very good however; clean tasting, no hints of metallic-off flavors, the basil oil was wonderful and the Missus loved the potato puree

The Missus also really enjoyed the Bone Marrow Bruschetta.

This was wonderful play of textures, from the buttery, very beefy bone marrow, the panko, perfectly toasted baguette. The port sauce wasn't overly sweet….it was closer to a veal jus, the mustard greens added a pleasant bitterness, and the pear a pleasant tart-sweetness.

The potato tacos weren't bad either.

This version used a wonderfully dense, slightly sweeter-nutty purple potatoes, which was really highlited when combined with the pickled onions and tangy crema. Call it hipster tacos if you will; but this wasn't too bad.

While munching on the tacos and bruschetta, we asked the Server about the Uni and Dashi on the carpaccio…..he kindly asked us to hold on for a second while he checked with the kitchen. About ten minutes later he came back out with the chef who had a bowl in hand. Apparently, they'd forgotten the uni and dashi on our carpaccio and decided to give us a special dish using the wagyu beef, uni, and dashi.

Along with the sweet-spice from the sliced chilies; this was really good. In fact, the Missus and I think that had the uni and dashi been used with the carpaccio; it might have just been too much, clashing flavors. Here there was a nice oceany-beefy cleanness to the dish. Kudos to the staff for making things right.

At this point the Server told us he'd bring us our check….but…..we had also ordered the Boqorones. Which they'd kind of let slip. A few minutes later; things were corrected.

Perhaps we had pushed our luck a bit on this one….having had Boquerones in Spain and Portugal…this was a bit too "fishy" for the Missus and the crostini was too hard.

Regardless, in spite of the hiccups, we really loved the service, and the folks here were very warm and kind…..perhaps it had been so long since we'd actually had a meal out (232 days)? But I think not. We really did enjoy our experience and the carpaccio (both ways!) and the bruschetta were delicious.

The Black Sheep
26 E Ortega St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 965-1113
Current Hours:
Wed – Sat 5pm – 10pm
Sunday 5pm – 9pm
Closed Mondays and Tuesdays

On an interesting note; this wouldn't be our last food (or drinks) on this evening.

Stay tuned for that one!

Where In the World Were We?

November 12, 2020 mmm-yoso Monterey/Carmel/Santa Cruz - Monterey Bay/Peninsula, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

Does the map to the right look familiar? Yes, it's my "roaming range" which I've used in a couple of posts since the pandemic started. And as of March 246th (November 1st most years) it was as far as I'd gone since March 15th, the last time I ventured beyond those boundaries….232 days. For us, we who travel several times a year, having to cancel three trips sure took a toll on us. You could say that pandemic fatigue was setting in. The Missus kept complaining that we hadn't gone anywhere this year, even though we had gone to San Francisco in January and then Mexico City in February, it just seemed so long ago to Her. It was time…..we both needed some time off…..but stewing in our juices at home would just make things worse. So, we made a decision. To take a road trip. We'd play it safe, do things outdoors, stay at a variety of places, eat outdoors, with the option to "pull the plug" anytime we felt uncomfortable.

Well, where in the world were we? Not very far….though I got to visit a couple of places I'd had on my list…..it always seemed so close, that we'd always "put it off until later". I guess it was time.

We started in a familiar spot. Though on this occasion the always busy main drag of the city was now blocked off, made into a pedestrian only zone, with outdoor seating areas for eateries and coffee shops set-up.

We only spent an evening. And while my dinner plans fell through a couple of days before the trip; we did find a nice place with outdoor seating for dinner.

The next morning, after grabbing some coffee, we headed out, making a stop to see something that I had on "my list"….though strangely, the Missus had never heard of the place.

We had a fun little short break as this quaint little beach town was empty.

We also made another stop at a charming, tiny little village along the way.

We spent two evenings at our next destination. We enjoyed doing some walking along the beach front boardwalk and also "hiking" (the Missus said it wasn't "a hike" but merely a walk) along a couple of trails along the way.

The views were wonderful; but it was the benches that intrigued us.

It was all capped off with a beautiful sunset on our second evening.

We had one wonderful and one ok meal here.

We were charmed by this village of 6,000 and the Missus now has the place on Her "revisit" list.

We got to check out some Elephant Seals along the way to our next stop.

Our next stop was two nights in another seaside town. We loved the architecture and even did our own little architectural walking tour.

And on our full day in the town we walked along the seaside trail all the way to the neighboring city. Needless to say; it was a beautiful walk.

On our first evening, we got to pay respects to our good friend, the late Ed from Yuma by eating at one of his favorite spots.

And on the second evening, we had a wonderful meal….so here's another place on the Missus's "return to" list.

We actually stayed on the top floor of a Victorian Mansion – the entire set-up was contact free….we saw no one during our entire stay. And right down the street was an Art Store….closed, but with two cats that liked to sleep and hang out in the window.

The next day we were in another neighboring city, with reservations at a Michelin Starred restaurant that really delivered the goods. In fact, the Missus claims that this meal might be the best She's had in the US.

We also took a bit of time to visit a beautiful Mission.

Our final stop was another city the Missus wants to return to. Our main reason for visiting was to see a "field of light"……..58,000 solar power lights, blooming over 15 acres.

And while dinner was less than stellar.

We enjoyed our cocktails afterward.

And then we headed home the next morning.

Let me regroup and I'll start on more detailed posts.

Thanks for stopping by.

Road Trip (before Covid-19) – FLG Terroir and Annex Cocktail Lounge (Flagstaff)

November 1, 2020 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Cocktails, Flagstaff/ Sedona/Winslow/Northern AZ, Gastropub, Road Trip, Travel, Wine Bars/Wineries

After our wonderful tour of the Grand Canyon, we took a short rest, then decided to head out for an early evening. I had a place in mind, but as we wandered down North San Francisco Street (can't get the flaneur out of us, I guess); the Missus went into a shop called The Artists Gallery to do some shopping……..it seems that all of the folks who sell their art and crafts here were also at the Art in the Park the previous day. As we were leaving, I took a look upward and saw the "FLG Terroir" sign in the window above.

This was one of the places I had on "my list"; so we headed upstairs. Man, this place was quite large and the selection of wine was quite good.

The Missus enjoyed Her two glasses of wine and I reacquainted myself with an "old friend" from Belgium.

The seats with a view were taken; so we just sat at one of the tables. I went over to the counter and also ordered us some food.

Which arrived piping hot. First to arrive was the "Poutine" ($5) (after our time in Montreal, I needed to add the quotation marks).

This version had thick mushroom gravy, which wasn't too bad, the fries were crisp; but the cheese curds were mushy. Decent seasoning though a bit on the salty side. To us, this was the better of the two dishes.

Next up was the Shrimp and Grits ($10).

This version was made with red curry and coconut grits. Can't say I'm fond of this combination of flavors as it really overpowered the grits. The shrimp were fine, if a bit on the muddy side and the carrots and zucchini nicely prepared.

Overall, I thought the prices were quite reasonable. The food is a bit "fusiony", but the Missus enjoyed the wine selection, the service was very friendly…..one of the bar staff was even from San Diego!

We'd be happy to return when we're back in Flagstaff.

FLG Terroir: Wine Bar & Bistro
17 N San Francisco St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Currently only open for takeout

After heading back down to San Francisco Street, we headed south, crossing over Route 66 and arrived at our next destination. Alice, in her fine blog "Alice's Restaurants" lists Tinderbox Kitchen as one of her favorites. While we weren't quite in the mood for a full meal; the folks from Tinderbox Kitchen own three properties lined up right next to each other. One of them, called "the Annex", a cocktail lounge serving some basic eats seemed like just the thing to end our evening.

It was a beautiful evening so we headed to the area called "the yard", which was quite interesting….especially the wall in the back of the property. I later read that this was once a Basque Handball Court.

We decided on something simple to munch on; the Annex Nachos with Chorizo ($12), which turned out to be quite good.

The chorizo had a nice, mild smoky-spice. The chips were crisp, the avocado heavy, thick guacamole very nice.

I had the Hip Stag – a Pineapple Infused Mezcal based cocktail. Loved the notes the cilantro-lime bitter added. This was slightly smoky and not overly sweet.

Meanwhile, the Missus was captivated by the smoked cocktail menu and started off with the "Coffee and Cigarettes" which featured Pipe Tobacco Smoke and Espresso Beans. I didn't think She'd like it; but the Missus really enjoyed this…..so much….that I didn't even get a taste!

She definitely wanted another drink after this one and settled on the Irish Whiskey (and Pipe Tobacco Smoked) "Red Badge of Courage".

Which She enjoyed even more.

And then it happened. A group of younger folks were having a competitive round of Jumbo Jenga. One of the young men was really "chirping" quite a bit….and he was backing things up by beating all his friends. He saw us watching and started trying to convince us to play……there's no way I'd play. But the Missus; bolstered by a couple cocktails decided to have a go before we left.

I was amazed to watch Her beat this guy in three moves! The young man was stunned and asked the Missus how often She played. Her response? "I've never played this before….but it's all math….geometry. Maybe you should spend more time in class and less time out drinking?" Oooooh snap!

As you can tell, we enjoyed the cocktails, the vibe, and the service was wonderful. The Missus really does want to return here.

Annex Cocktail Lounge
50 S San Francisco St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Current Hours:
Thursday 3pm – 9pm
Friday 3pm – 10pm
Saturday 9am – 10pm

We stopped at a couple of shops on the way back to our hotel. We talked about how much we enjoyed the friendly folks in Flagstaff.

And look forward to returning again someday. The Missus will want Her smoked cocktail fix!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip (before Covid-19) – Grand Canyon Desert View Tour

October 30, 2020 mmm-yoso Flagstaff/ Sedona/Winslow/Northern AZ, Road Trip, Travel

***** Not much food in this one, mostly just photos – just clearing out the memory card

When planning our road trip to visit Antelope Canyon and Flagstaff, I decided to do a small group day tour of the Grand Canyon from Flagstaff. Why a tour you might ask? Well, the main reason being that it was Labor Day weekend and I didn't want to deal with traffic, parking, etc, etc….. I thought doing a small group tour might work out well and it did. Plus, I figure we'll be back someday….I can take my time and meander around then.

I'm going to try to keep the verbiage down. There are many resources out there for visiting the Grand Canyon.

This tour took the less crowded East Entrance (currently closed due to Covid-19) from Navajo Country into the park. Our guide/driver was a hoot….warm, funny, knowledgeable, just a great guy.

We met at our assigned time in Flagstaff, loaded up the van and were off…..the group was on the older side; so folks were really mellow, even the three biker guys who had ridden in from California. We drove in through the East entrance not running into a single other vehicle until we came to Desert View known for the historic Desert View Watchtower.

Talk about wonderful scenery!

We enjoyed wandering around….I could probably spend an entire day here…..

And of course we spent some time in the watchtower, which only dates back to 1932 and was designed by Mary Colter; Chief Architect for the Fred Harvey Company and one of the few women architects of her time.

The tower was designed to resemble Pueblan Watchtowers, though it is much taller than any known traditional structure. The interior is also quite stunning.

Among the various landmark signs is this one.

Which recalls a terrible tragedy, the deadliest plane crash/collision of its time. Because of this and other tragedies and near misses that followed the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 was passed which became the FAA.

We had a few more short stops……

Before heading to the Tusayan Ruins. Our guide got us to the site just as a Ranger was ready to start his tour.

I could probably do a whole post just on this site; but I think you'll enjoy the National Park Services document much more.

After a quick stop at the Museum/Gift Shop, it was time for lunch under a nice patch of trees. Just simple sandwiches and chips….which did us just fine.

After lunch our next stop might have been my favorite; Grandview Point. The views from the point are amazing.

The Grandview Trail also starts here.

I was just happy with the views.

And our guide made sure to take photos of everyone (who wanted) on the rock outcropping.

There's also quite a bit of history here…..

Would you believe that a hotel once stood on this ledge?

Yep, the Grand View Hotel once stood there! Man, I wouldn't want to be walking around outside the place after having a few whiskies…..

Beautiful, ain't it???

We made a couple more stops before ending things at Grand Canyon Village.

As you can tell; some rain had rolled in right before we stopped here.

So, while folks went to take a "bio-break", got some coffee, or did some shopping, the Missus and I explored this structure.

It's another structure designed by Mary Colton; the Hopi House. Designed to resemble a Hopi Pueblo.

There's an actual Hopi door from Oraibi which leads to an altar room. If you'd like to read more about this amazing architect you can do so here.

From here we headed back to Flagstaff. We'd really enjoyed this small group tour. It gave us a nice taste of the Grand Canyon; I'm sure we'll be back. It was well worth the time and money.

We got back to our room, had a short nap, and got ready for dinner.

Yes, this is still a food blog, so I'll get to that in my next post. Thanks so much for indulging me!

Road Trip (Before Covid-19) – Antelope Slot Canyon, Lower Antelope Canyon, and Dinner at Shift Kitchen and Bar (Flagstaff)

October 24, 2020 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Flagstaff/ Sedona/Winslow/Northern AZ, Road Trip, Travel

***** Warning; this post is super long.

Man, it's been over a year since we did this road trip. I thought I'd better get my posts done. The Missus wanted to do a road trip over the Labor Day weekend last year. She had been wanting to check out Antelope Canyon for years. So, after doing a bit of research , I came up with a plan, to do both Antelope Slot Canyon and Lower Antelope Canyon, check-out Horseshoe Bend, and even do a small group tour of the Grand Canyon over the weekend, with just taking the Tuesday after Labor Day off. Frankie's Auntie "Alle" had just returned from visiting family in Italy and graciously said she'd love having Frankie around over the weekend.

So, we left on Saturday morning. I'd planned a couple of stops along the way. When we stopped right outside El Centro….good lord, it was in the high 90's and the humidity was crazy, so we drove through Yuma and decided to get gas in Dateland at the travel center. The Missus actually enjoyed shopping at the Travel Center and even bought a couple of packages of dates.

We then headed out east on the 8, then headed up the 85, onto the 10 East, then straight up the 17 toward Flagstaff.

Then it happened. About 15-20 miles out of Flagstaff, my transmission went out. I pulled to the side of the road and we tried calling AAA. Unfortunately, cell phone reception was very bad. I finally found a high spot off the freeway and got thru to the Auto Club. Unfortunately, they weren't able to find our location….I even got the latitude and longitude, but no bueno. What I neded up doing was calling the Highway Patrol and getting a location after they pinged the cell phone tower and I walked up about a mile and got the milepost as well.

And then it was just waiting……good thing I could still start my vehicle and run the AC and such. And we waited…..I think this cloud kinda looks like Frankie, what do you think?

And for some reason; a version of an Eagles song went through my mind; "stuck on the shoulder outside Flagstaff, Arizona……"

After about 90 minutes a tow truck arrived and we got hitched up and were on our way to Flagstaff…….except about 5 miles down the road, our tow truck broke down….soooooo; we now needed a tow truck for our tow truck! About an hour later, a fleet of tow vehicles arrived, including the owner of the tow company who was so nice and apologetic.

This time they used a car carrier and we drove to the Flagstaff Toyota dealership. Now, I'm not big on fancy cars; my little 2005 RAV4 had over 220k miles on it….the Missus decided it was time I got a new car. Which is how we went on a roadtrip and I ended up getting a new RAV4. By the time all the paperwork was done and the car was prepped it was 9pm and we headed off to Page. Which was a 2 1/2 hour drive. We got into our hotel at around midnight and immediately crashed….it had been a long day.

The next morning; we had the hotel breakfast and checked out. I had made two reservations for the day….we'd be visiting upper and lower Antelope Canyon. Antelope Canyon is located in the Navajo Nation so all access is by tour groups.

Our first visit was to Antelope Slot Canyon. We headed into Page and arrived at the designated location for Antelope Slot Canyon Tours by Chief Tsosie. Based on our reservation time; we were loaded onto minibuses and headed out. Our guide was amazing; so knowledgeable, even fielding questions and making recommendations for other places to visit.

There were quite a few vehicles parked as several companies do tours here.

And what you don't really see in photos are the crowds of folks entering.

Though they do a really great job of keeping distances between groups allowing folks time to take photos and take in the beauty of the canyon.

Before entering we were given a little lesson on how the canyon was formed. We were asked how the canyon formed in the specific way and no one answered; so I finally went, "sandstone erosion based on fast flowing floods". The guy stopped and cracked up, telling me "I've been doing this for a decade and that's the best answer I've ever had." Not sure if he was just making feel good……and I got an elbow and a whisper of "don't show off" from the Missus for my effort.

Like I mentioned; our guide was amazing. He went over the famous "sites" and set-up and took photos of everyone in the group. He kept folks together; even the two groups of "selfie Instagram girls". He told us stories of Antelope Canyon; the flash flood in 1997 that took the lives of 11 people, with only one survivor (see the link if interested), about Peter Lik's black and white photo of Antelope Canyon fetching 6.5 million dollars, and that National Geographic is banned from Antelope Canyon, how the canyon had been closed twice because folks were illegally dumping human ashes in the canyon.

The lighting does play tricks with you…….

Other well known locations were pointed out; like the "Dragon's Eye".

Let your imagination run wild……

This tour was super easy; the terrain is level so there were quite a few people on the tour. It does get a bit cramped at times, but I as very happy we did this.

We had a little over an hour between tours. I had a well regarded fried chicken place in mind for lunch; but it was just too hot for us to think about having that. Instead, I just bought some cold cuts and a salad from the Safeway across the street from the tour office. This would be enough to hold us until dinner. We planned to be in Flagstaff by then.

After lunch we headed off to Ken's Tours Lower Antelope Canyon. Man, the waiting/office area was packed. Luckily, we had made reservations months earlier. When we were called, we queued up and then headed down a trail. Just looking out, you really couldn't tell that there was a slot canyon here.

And after a short walk, we arrived at some pretty steep stairs and headed down into the canyon.

And while our guide at Antelope Slot Canyon was definitely better; the lighting here was amazing. Also, foot traffic here is one way thru, you don't have to turn around to head back, which made things less cramped. And did I mentioned the lighting????

The lighting, shadows, red sandstone just adds to the otherworldly feeling.

And you start seeing shapes…….some of them are quite well known. This is "Bruce the Shark".

And don't forget to look up. I actually saw the shape of a seahorse in the view to the right.

This was quite an amazing place to visit and I'm glad we did it.

After the tour, before heading to Flagstaff, the Missus had one more place on Her "list". A place that was actually made famous by social media, a destination made popular by Instagram, Horseshoe Bend. Back in, say 2014, about 40,000 people a year visited Horseshoe Bend….but after folks started posting photos on Instagram, you know, the selfie generation, it is estimated that over 2,000,000 folks visit the site right outside Page every year.

And so we found a parking spot and made the short pilgrimage down the trail to the look-out.

Notice the folks sitting on the bench? Well, it was pretty darn hot already on this day.

We saw several young people sitting and vomiting…..heat stroke…I guess perhaps they'd partied too hard or hadn't hydrated properly. What was even worse were the knuckleheads who brought their dogs out. We saw one vomiting….a guy was running past us in the opposite direction; his poor dog was having seizures! What morons.

We joined the masses to take a photo that I guess everyone now needs to have.

We saw quite a few people head over the railing to get "that photo" of themselves here. Crazy. Even with the overlook in place, folks still find a way to kill themselves.

We headed off to Flagstaff. I'd booked two nights at the Residence Inn in "Flag" as I heard residence call the city. Home to Northern Arizona University, both the Missus and I enjoyed our time in the city…..folks were friendly, there's a kind of artsy, hipster, chill vibe. At around 7,000 feet elevation, the weather was much cooler than Page. Also, I was a bit surprised to see the pine forests surrounding the city.

We also lucked out as right across the street from our hotel, the city was having it's "Art in the Park" festival.

Where we managed to do a good bit of shopping and purchase some gifts for folks back home.

It was a fun time….folks (including the four legged ones) were so friendly here.

Gifts in tow; we headed back to the hotel for a short break before heading out for dinner.

And while our dinner destination was a mere two blocks from where we were staying; we took our time. We really enjoyed the historic downtown area of the city.

For dinner, I did a bit of research and decided on Shift Kitchen and Bar; the focus on shared plates and an interesting cocktail list seemed like just the thing for us.

We were seated across from the bar area; a perfect place for us as we could see what others ere ordering and still had some privacy.

The cocktails were good; my favorite of the evening was the Smoked & Dirty Martini.

There was one item that drew me to Shift. The Missus loves salt and vinegar chips and the Pickled French Fries with "Secret Sauce" seemed like something She's love.

Wonderfully "pickly" with a good amount of salt, the Missus just loved this. She really didn't need the "secrest sauce" (think Mickey D's). As a matter of fact, we had a second order of this.

The Duck Liver Tart, was well, a bit too "tart" and sweet for our taste.

We loved the greens, though the pickled pears were much too sour for us.

The Smoked Bone Marrow was quite good; though the garnishes added perhaps a bit too much acidity for our taste.

Loved the bone marrow; savory-buttery goodness on the toast. Could have done without all the mustard seed and really acidic pickled veggies – jalapeno which really detracted from the goodness of the bone marrow.

All-in-all, a decent first meal. Friendly, amiable service, solid cocktails…..we (the Missus) would definitely return for those fries.

Shift Kitchen & Bar
107 N San Francisco St.
Flagstaff, AZ 86001
Current Hours:
Wed – Sun 5pm – 9pm

We'd had a pretty busy 24 hours….we drove from San Diego, got stuck on the I-17, bought a new car in Flagstaff, drove to Page and spent the night, visited Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend, and were really enjoying Flagstaff. Man, would I sleep well on this evening. Dreaming of red sandstone shapes rising toward the sky……

Thanks for stopping by!

Munich – The Asamkirche, St Michael’s Church, and a Caffiene Break at Dallmayr Delikatessenhaus

September 19, 2020 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Germany, Markets & Grocers, Munich, Travel

**** Not much food in this one as I'm trying to go through my backlog of travel posts.

After visiting the Viktualienmarkt and finishing up my "sir…please no not say Spam….please…… we continued meandering along.

This very modern looking structure is the Ohel Jakob Synagogue. I read that this area, around Sankt-Jakobs-Platz was where the original Synagogue stood; which was destroyed by Hitler in 1938.

On this day; it was a nice peaceful place; close to busy streets and businesses.

There are things that aren't in the guidebooks that you come across when you do the "Flânerie" thing; like these interesting colored tiles.

Sometimes they remain a mystery until I'm able to do a bit of research after getting back home. But this one had a sign in English.

This is the "Monument to the Gays and Lesbians Persecuted under the Nazi Regime". There wasn't much I could find in English; but you might find this article of interest.

A few blocks down Sendlinger Strasse; a busy shopping street was our next stop; the Asam Church (Asamkirche). Also known as Church of St. Johann Nepomuk; this 30 foot wide church was created in the Baroque style by two brothers, sculptor Egid Quirin Asam and painter Cosmas Damian Asam as a private church….so basically, they could really go for it. And I've read that the church could act as a showroom of sorts for the brothers.

So, basically every inch of this chapel is decorated.

In fact, if you do travel to Munich; get Rick Steves guide to Munich and Salzburg, the part on the Asam Church s highly entertaining and a hoot. Mentioning that this private pale of worship served as a "promotional brochure to woo clients, and is packed with every architectural trick in the books."

From the ceiling art….which is created in such a way to make it seem like a domed ceiling to the golden gilded grim reaper snipping off the thread of life…..there's quite a bit packed into one fairly tight Barogue space.

I had read that it was never the intention of the brothers to make the church public; but pressure from local citizens forced the family to allow for public access.

Whatever the intentions and backstory, the Asam Church was a fun short visit for us.

Like I mentioned earlier in the post; Sendlinger Strasse, the street the church is located on is quite a popular shopping area. The Missus enjoyed window shopping as we headed down the street. As always, half the fun is people watching.

I wish things were like Paris and there was a outdoor café handy; it would have been fun having a coffee and just sitting down to watch folks (and their pets) walk by.

We turned a corner and headed up Eisenmannstrasse and found ourselves in front of the impressive St. Michael's Church; with its distinctive façade featuring statues of the House of Wittelsbach; which ruled Bavaria from 1198 until 1918! The church is also considered to be the largest Renaissance church north of the Alps. The church itself was created by the Jesuits as part of the "Counter-Reformation" to counter the Protestant Reformation in 1583.

The Altar stands three stories high.

The crypt down the stairs contains the tombs of the Wittelbach. For us; the item that really stood out was the huge Monument to Eugène de Beauharnais who is also interred in the crypt of the church.

After visiting St Michael's we decided to find a café and grab a caffeine fix. I had a place in mind and along the way was the impressive Frauenkirche, which is the location of the Archdiocese of Munich.

It quite amazing that this Gothic inspired church was built in only 22 years – from 1466 – 1488.

Much of the church was destroyed during World War II, the towers survived and the church was rebuilt around that.

What really got our attention was the monument of Ludwig IV as you enter the church.

There's also the Der Teufelstritt (The Devil's Footprint); my photo unfortunately didn't come out…..hmmm……

There's also this relic of Pius X in the cathedral.

As for our caffeine fix; I decided on a place I thought the Missus, who really enjoyed the cafe's in Vienna, might like. Established in 1700, Dallmayr Delicatessen seemed like a place we might like. The "Stammhaus"; the original store is huge, has three entrances, consists of 19 departments, and we were greeted by a fountain…nothing strange about that, right? Except this one had live cray fish in it…..

Though we were tempted by the many offerings…….Dallmayr was given the title of "Royal Bavarian Court Supplier" in 1900 and it's easy to see why.

We headed upstairs to the Café-Bistro Dallmayr.

While the possibility of Lobster Thermidor (a "light lunch"?) seemed interesting; I was still full of Spam Leberkäse, we decided to just get some coffee. The Missus got the French Press which came with the old fashion hours glass timer; very quaint.

I just needed a picker-upper and got a double espresso.

Which was just what I needed.

After finishing up; we spent a bit of time downstairs and the Missus got some gifts for friends back home.

And then we headed out; there were still a couple of other places the Missus wanted to see.

Dallmayr Delikatessenhaus
Dienerstrasse 14-15
München, Germany

Thankful for a nice little break and bolstered by our coffees we headed back out.

As we walked through Marienplatz for the umpteenth time, I was happy to have had a double espresso.

We still had a few sights the Missus had on Her "list"

Well, we're almost at 950 words now…….so, I'll continue on in a future post.

Thanks as always for stopping by!

San Francisco – Mister Jiu’s (Before Covid)

August 20, 2020 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, Travel

If you recall; back in January, before the "you-know-what-hit-the fan" the Missus and I took a trip to San Francisco over the long MLK Day weekend. We had enjoyed ourselves at the Chinese New Year Flower Market Fair…man, looking back at those photos kinda sends a shiver up my spine right now…..that's how ingrained all the Covid-19 precautions have become.

We decided to head back to the hotel for a short nap before heading out to dinner.

Heading down Kearny Street I saw this on top of the building near the corner of California Street.

Take a closer look.

I wondered what these shrouded, hooded, ghostly, Grim Reaper looking statues were. Well, after doing a quick search I found that these are the Corporate Goddess Sculptures, created by Muriel Castanis. As to what they are…from the Atlas Obscura post:

“They are empty, toga-draped forms from which the figures have been removed, rendering the sculptures as abstracted reinterpretations of the neoclassical masterworks of Lorado Taft and Augustus Saint Gaudens.”

Okay then…..

We got back to the room rested, took a short nap, when we awoke, the sun was setting.

After catching up on emails and other things we headed out for dinner.

I had read been reading about Mister Jiu's since the much anticipated restaurant opened in 2016. And the Cantonese (with other regional touches) based fare had garnered Mister Jiu's a Michelin Star. Both the Missus and I were interested; since the other Michelin Star Chinese Restaurant on the West Coast we've visited, Bistro Na's has become a favorite of the Missus. So I made reservations in advance for dinner.

We liked the décor, a very tasteful design, and we especially enjoyed our cocktails for this evening.

We didn't enjoy our lead Server, who was a bit snobby and very condescending, acting like he was doing us a favor by just waiting on us…….. I guess that just meant I needed another cocktail.

We decided on items that interested us; most of which were riffs on staples both the Missus and I enjoy and dishes that I had read about. It was to be a rather light dinner, since we weren't super hungry.

First up was a very basic, simple item….but one which is very important to the Missus. to the point that we make a version of it at home every year. The Fermented Cabbage.

This version, crowned with a touch of spice was quite good….a nice slightly funky fermented nose and taste. A light spice really cleaned things up and the cabbage was nice and crunchy. A well done basic dish.

I love jellied pork dishes, so I had to get the Chicken Feet Terrine, which was also quite good.

Loved the contrasting firm textures of the terrine; it was obviously crafted with skill. Nice mild savory flavors with a touch of sour. Very nice.

Since we enjoy our Liang Cai (cold dishes) we also went with the Chilled Beef Tendon, which unlike the previous two dishes was not quite to our taste.

The chili oil was on the weak end of the scale for us and while it looked quite spicy, it wasn't. There was a real lack of the complex flavors (suan, tian, ku, la, xian).

The Missus loves Her Turnip Cake (and has been grumbling that I don't make it much anymore), so She wanted to try the Crispy Scarlet Turnip Cakes.

This was another non-starter, mainly because, while the exterior was slightly crisp; the interior was quite dry and lacked a light pungency….it was definitely not our favorite. The sauce was much too acidic as well. Give me the version Sea Harbour anytime.

The Missus wanted something with rice; so we ordered the Mapo Doufu.

I gotta say; the rice was absolutely perfect; in texture and fragrance. The mapo doufu, not so much. It was really bland, with a greasy mouthfeel, and really lacking in the basic ma-la we were looking for. I was looking for that numbing-hot (of course my tendency is toward Chongqing in terms of Sichuan), a deep savory – fermented bean flavor, a hint of pungency, all of which seemed to be missing.

Oh well, I had another Cocktail which was another winnah'.

As our final dish, we chose the Sourdough Scallion Pancake. Man, this was very impressive; a definite riff on the typical Chinese Scallion Pancake….texturally, this was amazing; a slight crisp-crunchiness in the exterior that gave way to a airiness, with a bit of a slight chew. The pancake was fragrant, with a definite hint of sourdough and scallion. This was delicious and a nice way to end the meal.

And while Mister Jiu's is now doing takeout during the time of Covid-19; the Missus and I might return once all of this is over and we feel comfortable with travel again. Though it might just be sitting at the bar enjoying a few cocktails and small dishes….and definitely that Scallion Pancake.

Mister Jiu's
28 Waverly Place
San Francisco, CA 94108

You can read Faye's post on Mister Jiu's here.

We enjoyed strolling around Chinatown after our meal. Things were much more quiet, though still quite bright and colorful.

While passing Portsmouth Square we noticed a small group of Chinese Women getting their "exercise"……we decided to sit and watch; just us, two homeless guys and the women getting their groove on. This just reminded us of China and we walked back to our hotel with smiles on our faces.