Travel – Page 8

Road Trip – Queen Cup Coffee, The Baker’s Table (Santa Ynez), and a revisit to Industrial Eats (Buellton)

April 13, 2025 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Croissants, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

Even though we were staying in Solvang, we decided to head on out during the day and drive around a bit. Santa Ynez is less than ten minutes from Solvang by car. We'd driven thru and made a quick stop in the town on a previous visit, but this time we waned to take JJ for a walk and explore a bit.

I recalled a coffee shop in the little corner off Meadowlark Road where we stopped to do some window shopping last time. So, we decided to stop there.

While the Missus took JJ to stretch his legs, I went in and ordered us some coffee.

The menu cracked me up……and no, I didn't get anything off the "Fancy AF" menu; just a latte for the Missus and an Americano for me.

There's something quite charming about this shop and Santa Ynez as a whole. The young man working was friendly and effcient.

The Missus enjoyed Her latte and my Americano was fairly smooth and woke me up gently.

Queen Cup Coffee
1095 Meadowvale Rd.
Santa Ynez, CA 93460

After our caffeine fix we decided to take a walk thru downtown Santa Ynez, which has an "Old West" flavor to it. It's the second oldest town in the Santa Ynez Valley, established in 1882.

I cracked up when I saw that the Maverick Saloon has a free shuttle! You gotta love it!

There's a tiny library in town, which I later read, claims to be the Oldest Branch Library in California. The little 12 by 14 structure was built in 1912.

It's only open on Saturdays from 1pm to 4pm.

And of course JJ had to get into the act…..

It was a quiet morning in the town, though we saw two guys with some major photography gear walking up and down the street taking photos.

I had read about a bakery in town named The Baker's Table that was supposed to be pretty good. When doing the "Google thing" I aw several bakeries with that name across the country, so I thought it was a chain. Though on later searches, I found that there are several businesses in different cities that share the same name, but are not affiliated.

I thought it would be a nice morning for a croissant, so while the Missus took JJ around for photos, I dropped on in.

The place was fairly busy. I saw this pup in the courtyard to the side of the bakery. I guess the pooch belongs to one of the employees?

And while the croissant didn't look very impressive; it was pretty good!

While the exterior could have been a bit more flaky and crisp; there was a nice balance of butter and salt flavor. The interior was light, fluffy, and nicely honeycombed. This was a pretty good croissant; and would probably be in the "top 3" here in San Diego.

Needless to say, I was quite happy with this! In Santa Ynez! We'll definitely be back!

The Baker's Table
3570 Sagunto St.
Santa Ynez, CA 93460

We went back to the shop we had visited the last time we were in the area. They welcomed JJ in and gave him "some pets" as well.

We might consider staying in Santa Ynez next time if we can find pet friendly accommodations.

We next drove over to Los Olivos. We love exploring Los Olivos, though it seems more boujie on every visit.

This time around we noticed the little library here as well.

This one is only open on Saturday as well; from 10am to 1pm. I cracked up as I asked the Missus if there's only one librarian in Santa Ynez who worked one day a week shuttling from the Los Olivos library from 10am to 1pm and then going to the Santa Ynez location from 1pm to 4pm?

We then drove back to Solvang and took JJ on the Hans Christian Andersen Park Trail.

A quick mile-and-a-half trail which took a bit over a half hour.

The loud woodpecker got JJ's attention.

And I got JJ to pose for a photo I named A "Shrimp on the barbie".

Poor JJ has to put up with all the dad jokes…..

Even though it seemed like we'd done a lot; it was just getting to close to lunch time. There was a place that we had really enjoyed and had been wanting to return to since our last visit. So, we headed down Highway 246 to Buellton and back to Industrial Eats. We arrived at a quarter to 12 and found parking in one of the few spaces in front of the converted warehouse.

We times things well because by the time Industrial Eats opened a line had formed behind us!

We ordered two item we'd had before and the Missus surprised me by telling me to order another item!

The two "repeats" were the Smoked Duck Salad ($18) and the White Shrimp, Pancetta Garlic Toast ($18).

We enjoyed the Smoked Duck Salad even more this time around; the duck was more tender, had a nice gamey-smokiness. The dressing had a nice acidity and the Missus enjoyed the tart-sweetness of the apples….She usually does not like the addition of fruit to salads, but this changed Her mind. A nice refreshing salad.

The White Shrimp was not as good as we recalled however.

The shrimp tasted fishy and were severely overcooked; the "sauce" was thin and watery. I did enjoy the garlic bread and the chilies though.

I was surprised that the Missus ordered the Miso Cod ($18), something that we usually only make at home. The cod was really delicious.

Man, that cod was so tender. moist, and buttery! The miso glaze was full of sweet-umami. The greens were a nice bitter counterpoint. Though we're not sure about the addition of avocado and the water-salty sauce really didn't add much. Still, the Missus wants to return for this dish!

I always think of our good friend Candice who first recommended Industrial Eats to us! We are so thankful and can't wait to return!

Industrial Eats
181 Industrial Way
Buellton, CA 93427

There's also a market next to Industrial Eats that we had never noticed before named Sunrise Organic Farm. Not sure if it's affiliated with the restaurants.

We picked up some cold pressed juice for breakfast and then headed back to our room.

It had been a fun morning, but now it was time for a serious nap before dinner!

Road Trip – Whiskey n’ Rye, Exploring Solvang, and Bell’s (Los Alamos) Yet Again

April 12, 2025 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, BBQ, Dog Friendly, French Restaurants, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Travel

As soon as we got back from our last road trip with JJ, the Missus had me planning another one. Looks like we're doing one and month? Anyway, JJ had so much fun in Solvang and it was the slow season, so She wanted to stay there. I managed to find a dog friendly motel close to the edge of the "main drag" and we were set!

Of course, the Missus wanted to have lunch at Bell's yet again, so I made reservations for lunch and called to make sure we had a patio table. This time, even though it was on a Monday, I had 1pm reservations, so things were a bit more busy.

Still the service was great as they immediately brought JJ his own bowl of water when we were seated.

Lunch was as expected. Not going to go into much detail since I've done so many posts on the place before.

Though I will say, that even though the beef cheek in the beef cheek sandwich was delicious; we didn't care for the "rye-ish" bread that really messed up all the flavors.

Perhaps I should have stayed with my favorite here; the beef tartare. Still, this was a nice lunch.

Bell's
406 Bell St.
Los Alamos, CA 93440

After lunch we headed straight over to Solvang to see if our room was ready. And yes, it was! So we were able to check in an hour early.

We stayed at the Viking Inn on Mission Drive.

We liked the outdoor space with a fence right outside our door. The room was comfortable. I had read about street noise, but that wasn't a problem at all. Later that evening, the Missus, JJ, and I sat and relaxed outside for a bit. We had the whole area to ourselves. Being on the first level made taking JJ out at 4 in the morning a lot easier!

It seemed like the place was only half full, so no parking or similar issues. The only time we dealt with folks was when we checked in; the rest is done by code and text messages. While these accommodations were quite different from where we stayed in Solvang before, we enjoyed it.

Not sure how it is when things are busy, but this was really relaxing!

Viking Inn
1506 Mission Dr.
Solvang, CA 93463

After unpacking, we took JJ for a walk. On our last visit to Solvang we found a really nice Pet Store, which just happened to be across the street from where we were staying.

And then headed down 246 and did some shopping. While there seemed to be traffic heading out of Solvang……I found out later that all the folks working in the town head on home….the opposite happens in the morning, there we hardly saw anyone walking!

We enjoyed ducking in and out of shops!

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It was quite entertaining.

Folks working at these shops were very friendly. I'd usually stop at the front of the shop with JJ and let the Missus walk in if there's no "dogs welcome" sign. Most of the time we got waved in.

This soap shop was interesting…..

Mainly because of this sign…..

I asked the young lady working about it and she told me that every once in a while they'd find teeth marks or a chunk bitten out of the soap when they close up!

We ended up at the Mission Santa Ines, which we visited before.

We walked JJ along the grounds where dogs are allowed. JJ seems to be fascinated by statues. I call this one "JJ meets JC"!

I love the view from the Mission.

As we headed back you could see the line of cars heading out of Solvang…….

We got back to the room, took a short break and then headed out to dinner. One things about Solvang, it seems that many places are closed on Monday and Tuesday, so we had rather limited options when it came to dog friendly establishments. We decided to stay close and went to a place named Whiskey 'N Rye Smokehouse which was down at the end of Atterdag Road.

We were surprised to see that the entire interior of the restaurant and the bar was packed. I guess folks eat pretty early here? But we lucked out as the entire patio area was empty. I guess folks thought it might be too cold? The really nice Server was shocked when we said that he didn't need to fire up the heater.

As the name says; the place has a huge list of Bourbon, Scotch, Rye, and similar spirits; but I just wanted a beer.

The food offerings were BBQ/Meat/Burgers based, you know what I mean right?

The Missus had seen photos of the Brisket Dirty Fries ($22) and was fixed on ordering that.

While I don't think this was worth twenty-two bucks; it was the better of the two dishes. The fries had been "dusted" thus it was able to retain crispness thru the whole meal. The brisket wasn't very smoky and sort of stringy and chewy. I wish the cheese mix had more Gouda in it than Mozzarella, but it was great at making a gooey mess. The pickled onions and jalapenos were good as it added spice, pungency, and acidity. I thought this was decent "beer food".

We also got the Filet Mignon Tips ($34) which was a mixed bag.

We ordered the meat rare. but only the large piece was rare, the rest were medium-well, skewing things to the tough side of the scale. The meat was well seasoned, though the "sauces" really didn't go well with the proteins but was necessary for the really dry "garlic bread" bites in our opinion. The Bloody Mary aioli was interesting, but pretty bland; the BBQ Sauce was too sweet.

We were hoping for something in line with Shalhoob's, but this was more in line with "chain/tourist" food. At least the service, while a bit slow, which I can understand based on the crowd was quite nice. Not too many places open on this day so we had limited choices.

Whiskey 'N Rye Smokehouse
442 Atterdag Rd.
Solvang, CA 93463

Still, Solvang has it's charm and we were enjoying ourselves.

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip – Loquita Santa Barbara

April 10, 2025 mmm-yoso Dog Friendly, Road Trip, Santa Barbara County, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

After lunch at Bell's we headed back to the hotel and took a short nap. Upon waking, the Missus was ready to go once again. What She had in mind was taking JJ for a "walk" to the Mission Santa Barbara, which we had visited before. I had some reservations about this; first, yes we had walked to the Mission before but were a lot closer. This time, it would be a 2 1/2 mile walk each way and I was worried about how JJ would handle things. Well, I should have known better…..he was a total champ!

We headed under the 101 and up familiar State Street. But from there it was unfamiliar territory, where we hadn't visited before. Thru lovely and quite peaceful…at least on this day, Alameda Park.

Before getting to the Mission.

Where J enjoyed lying in the cool grass. It was still February when we took this road trip, so the rose garden wasn't in bloom, but JJ seemed to enjoy himself. As for the Missus, well once we arrived, it was "mission accomplished" and time to head back.

We enjoyed looking at the historic homes on Garden Street as we made our way back. Though it wasn't quite as diverse and fun as what we had enjoyed in Pacific Grove. We did make a nice stop at Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden which is right next to Alameda Park. Lovely trees and ponds, JJ was especially fascinated by the turtles.

Before heading down on Garden, then on State, ducking under the 101, to get back to our hotel to freshen up.

Our destination for dinner was basically two buildings down from the Moxy. I had tried to make reservations for Loquita the night before, but none were available. This was because Loquita was one of the places closed for Employee Appreciation night on Super Bowl Sunday. We saw folks dancing and having a great time when we passed on the way back from Shalhoob's! It seemed like a fun place and was dog friendly, so JJ could hang out.

We had a table in the lovely outdoor patio.

The Missus started with a Sangria and I had one of the specialty Gin and Tonics; the "Costa Blanca" which had kaffir line infused gin; it was quite refreshing. JJ got a nice bowl of water.

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Loquita features Spanish influenced dishes. It had been a while since we'd had some of these dishes, so it was fun ordering.

We started with the Jamon Tasting ($35) which featured Jamon Serrano, Jamon Iberico, Iberico de Chorizo, and Pan con Tomate.

While we would usually enjoy the Jamon Iberico (especially if it's Jamon Iberico Pata Negra), this time the "white pigs" (i.e. Jamon Serrano) won out as it was more tender.

And was also cut thinner, so we enjoyed the texture of the Serrano more, even though the Iberico was more marbled, it was quite chewy. The Missus loves Spanish Chorizo, so that goes without saying. The Pan con Tomate was served on pan de cristal, the traditional bread and was quite good, even if it wasn't quite as honeycombed as what we had in Barcelona.

The tomato still had that wonderful "flavor of sunshine"! Sweet-acidity, with a touch of tartness, the olive oil lifting the flavors.

The Missus, always the egg lover, really enjoyed the Tortilla Espanola ($22).

Lots of flavor in this one; from the smoked tomatoes to the garlic aioli foam. Very tender, especially the potatoes.

Our least favorite item of the night was the Pulpo ala Gallega ($28).

The pulpo was really tough, they really laid on the aioli, which had strong sour tones that we didn't enjoy.

At first glance, I thought the Gambas al Ajillo ($24) was over sauced. But we ended up really enjoying the acidic-sweetness, a nice amount of garlic, along with some sneaky spiciness of the dish.

The shrimp were sweet and tender and in spite of the assertive sauce, you could still taste them. They even bought us extra bread for sopping up that sauce.

The service was friendly and effcient; very nice folks here. Before doing this post, I found out that Loquita was designated as a Bib Gourmand restaurant by Michelin, so good for them.

Loquita Santa Barbara
202 State St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

We then returned to the Moxy. I have mixed feelings about the Moxy Santa Barbara. The staff was great, love the funkiness, the rooms were a bit small, but comfortable, but of course the freeway noise and if you needed a fridge you'd have to use the one in the shared kitchen. Good thing we have a portable freezer for JJ's food. I believe they serve pastries and I do know there coffee in the lobby which I had before we left the next morning.

I read that the Moxy brand is directly aiming for Gen Z customers and I could tell by the decor.

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I'm probably the wrong target audience!

Like many boutique hotels these days; the check in counter doubles as a pseudo "bar" of sorts. And as a bonus, upon check-in you receive a token for a free cocktail from a list. After our nice dinner, I took JJ out to the lobby and had a decent Gin and Tonic.

It was the quiet time of the year in Santa Barbara, so it was relaxing to hang in the playfully designed lobby with JJ. A nice way to spend our last evening in Santa Barbara.

Moxy Santa Barbara
12 East Montecito St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Yes, I was learning to take time to "stop and smell the flowers"…….

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Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip – Helena Avenue Bakery (Santa Barbara), Good Seed Coffee Boutique (Solvang), and a Revisit to Bell’s (Los Alamos)

April 6, 2025 mmm-yoso Bakery, Caffeine Fix, Croissants, French Restaurants, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Santa Barbara County, Travel

After a surprisingly good dinner at Shalhoob's and a nightcap at Figueroa Mountain Brewing Company, I thought I would have a nice night's sleep. Well, that was not to be. I did anticipate JJ's 4am morning "puppy potty", but I had a hard time sleeping because of the traffic noise from the 101. I really enjoyed the Moxy Hotel, but it was right on the 101 and the traffic noise kept me up for most of the night. Oh well, cant win 'em all.

When morning arose, the Missus and I made some quick plans. We had lunch reservations at our favorite restaurant in the area and added in what we thought would be a fun visit for JJ.

But before all of this, we decided to head down the block. I had noted that right across the way from Figueroa Mountain Brewing was Helena Avenue Bakery. I decided to get my croissant fix, since they supposedly made everything inhouse.

It's quite a charming spot, the bakery shares the space with a wine tasting room. It also shares the address with a place we had really looked forward to eating at that kind of disappointed us on our previous visit to the area.

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You order at the counter and are given a number. We had a seat at one of the lovely outdoor tables.

Soon enough my Americano and Croissant was ready.

The Americano was fairly smooth, with a nice kick.

Seeing that the ridges were falling off the viennoiserie made me somewhat concerned, but the pastry did not shatter into crumbs upon consuming. The exterior was light and crisp, the interior fairly fluffy and "honeycombed". It was sorely lacking in butter and even salt for that matter. Quite bland overall.

A "halfway there" croissant if I've ever had one. Liked the vibe of the place, though I'm not sure what it would be like if busy.

Helena Avenue Bakery
131 Anacapa St. Suite C
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

Since we had lunch reservations in Los Alamos, we decided to head on up to Solvang which is sort of on the way. We thought that JJ might enjoy the place and since it was a Monday during the slow season, things wouldn't be too hectic.

And we were right. It was calm and relaxed, we enjoyed strolling around. And JJ kinda enjoyed his "photo-ops".

This was when we thought it would be fun staying in Solvang with JJ, which would be our next "road trip".

We took a short break at this little coffee shop.

Where I had my second Americano of the day. This one was smooth and easy to drink. We just had a seat on the porch and enjoyed things.

It was a nice break in the action for us.

Good Seed Coffee Boutique
1607 Mission Dr.
Solvang, CA 93463

We did a bit more walking; then it was time to head off for lunch. Which was going to be at our favorite restaurant in the area; Bell's in Los Alamos. Over time we've come to conclusion that we enjoy lunches at Bell's more than the prefix dinner. It's much more classically French, with local produce and such. And since this is my fourth post on the place; I'm just going to mainly do photos. You can click on the preceding links for more info on our previous visits.

Perhaps because it was 11am on a Monday, we had the place to ourselves for a while. The back patio is dog friendly and the chef even came out and spent some time with JJ!

We ordered what we usually do at Bell's. They still make one of my favorite versions of Beef Tartare.

Love the cut of beef, with a wonderful texture, perfect ratio of capers and pungency, so rich and decadent.

Of course the Missus had to have Escargot.

The Country Terrine is nice and porky, with hints of winey-sweetness. It goes well with the cornichons and grainy-pungent Dijon.

We also enjoy the slightly offally, mildly sweet Chicken Liver Mousse.

The strawberry jam works as a nice sweet "foil", with the cornichons sour-acidity clearing the palate. Our only issue is with the crostini which were hard rather than crisp.

As with our previous we enjoyed our lunch at Bell's and would return again in a few weeks.

JJ enjoyed his first visit to a Michelin Star restaurant and got treated so nicely!

Bell's
406 Bell St.
Los Alamos, CA 93440

Now it was time to head back to the hotel and get a much needed nap…..if I could block out the freeway noise; before dinner!

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you had a great weekend!

Road Trip – Shalhoob’s Funk Zone Patio and Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. (Santa Barbara)

April 4, 2025 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, BBQ, Beer, Dog Friendly, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Santa Barbara County, Travel

After our stroll along State Street, we settled into our hotel; the Moxy. We took a short nap and then had to decide on dinner. A couple of places on my "list" were closed; several of them for "Employee appreciation parties"! Pretty nice; I'm guessing Super Bowl Sunday is pretty quiet round these parts. There was one place I wanted to try; Santo Mezcal, but they don't do reservations and there was a 90 minute wait.

There was one interesting place I had on my "list", it was all outdoor dining, which was perfect for JJ. Shalhoob's Funk Zone Patio was just barely two blocks away. An extension of a company that runs several butcher shops, the menu has everything from tacos to burgers to BBQ, and beer of course. So, we walked on over.

The Funk Zone is an interesting location; there are wineries, restaurants, breweries, shops, and even some houses sprinkled among auto shops, warehouses, it has a real industrial transitioning to hipster feel.

The actual restaurant used to be the main "cutting room" for the butcher shops and has now been converted.

While the few parking spaces were taken….the place was maybe half full. There was a large screen television mounted on a large golf cart showing the Super Bowl pregame.

You order at the counter, they give you a number, and you have a seat at one of the tables or barrels. The Missus wanted a beer! Go figure! The features brews made inhouse. Not quite knowing what the Missus would want; I got a Funk Zone Blonde to go with what the Missus ordered; the Funk Zone Lager.

Turns out the Missus preferred the Blond Ale….whew…good thing I got that, right?

The Missus wanted a 1/4 Rack St Louis style BBQ ribs ($10.95), with a side of Street Corn ($8.95). I went with the Oak Smoked Tri-Tip Sandwich ($16.50). The woman working the counter was very nice.

The Tri-Tip Sandwich was pretty good; the meat a bit on the drier side, but tender enough. There was a very nice smoke ring, and so I knew the assertive smokiness of Oak would be front and center.

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I think the pico de gallo was kind of overwhelmed by the smokiness of the tri-tip, though the garlic bread and aioli came thru nicely; adding some moistness and a rich-mild pungency to the sandwich. The BBQ Sauce, which I believe is St Louis style was a bit too sweet for my taste, but this was an enjoyable sandwich overall.

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The "street corn" was sweet and maizey; though it had too much other "stuffs".

Was still pretty good.

I had reservations about the ribs; but they turned out to be pretty good.

Like the tri-tip, the BBQ sauce was a tad on the sweeter side; but the ribs were tender, quite smokey. It might be a bit much for some folks, but the Missus enjoyed the smokiness and the "fall off the bone tenderness" was quite good.

This ended up being a relaxing and enjoyable meal for us. Just what we needed on this day.

Shalhoob's Funk Zone Patio
220 Gray Ave.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

After dinner, we walked back to the hotel. JJ was pooped as was the Missus. I'm not sure why since I had been the one doing the driving up from San Diego! I decided to take the opportunity, since JJ wouldn't be displaying his yappy separation anxiety, to walk over to the Figueroa Mountain Brewing tap room a block away and watch the end of the Super Bowl. Like the rest of the area, things were pretty mellow. There was only one table taken and a couple of folks over at the bar.

I had a Frozen Goat Weizenbock.

Fairly boozy, fruity – yeasty notes.

And I took in the last quarter of the Super Bowl and chatted with one of the local guys, who told me that the sports bars around the area are pretty busy, but many places close during Super Bowl Sunday. He lives on State Street and walked on over here.

Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. Santa Barbara
137 Anacapa St. F
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

It was a lovely end to a fun day.

Road Trip – The Sando Truck (Santa Barbara)

April 3, 2025 mmm-yoso Food Trucks, Japanese Restaurants, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Santa Barbara County, Travel

JJ had done so well on our road trip to Morro Bay and Cambria that when the Missus had another string of days off, we decided to try it again. This time, we'd head to Santa Barbara. Granted, we have kind of mixed feelings about the city; it's kind of touristy, we hadn't always enjoyed our stays too much, but I had an idea. This time we'd stay in the Funk Zone…..at the Moxy Hotel and just kind of see how we like it this time around.

As with our previous road trip; JJ was a champ and we made it to our destination in no time. We even managed an early check in! Our room was interesting, but comfortable; I'll go into a bit more detail a bit later.

The Funk Zone is located across the 101 from the busy portion of State Street. It was a nice short walk to Stearns Wharf.

This was a Sunday and we were shocked at how "quiet" things were….more on that later.

We enjoyed the walk as did JJ who got a lot of "pets" from folks.

We even had a photo-op or two…..

What I had found interesting was that there weren't reservations available for many places or various restaurants were closed. We looked for a place to grab lunch and I had noticed this food truck just around the corner from the hotel.

And we thought "what the heck"? We weren't too hungry, so this sounded good. We got a Pork Katsu (that's what it is on the menu…I guess folks wouldn't know tonkatsu???) Sando – 3 piece (which I think is one sando) $11 and an order of Potato Salad ($5). The guy working was very nice; he pointed us to a table we could use.

We liked that shokupan was used for the sandwich and yes, the crust was trimmed off!

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The "sizing" was a bit off as the tonkatsu was significantly smaller than the bread and had been over-fried a bit. The pork was toothsome and not tough; a bit too much katsu sauce as well. Overall, an ok sando…..in Santa Barbara!

The Potato Salad was actually quite good.

At first glance we thought it might have a bit too much mayo; but this was nice and refreshing. The potatoes nicely mashed, a good amount of egg in this, but our favorite ingredient was that instead of just plain cucumber, kyuri asazuke, pickled cucumbers were used. This added a nice sour-acidity which helped to balance out the mayo.

This was pretty filling and a nice start to our stay in Santa Barbara.

The Sando Truck
210 State St.
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

We decided to take a stroll after our meal. We headed under the 101 and over to the main part of State Street…..usually busy with tourists, today it was totally empty.

We actually enjoyed this…..

Many of the businesses were closed as were the restaurants I'd tried to reservations at. What was going on?

Well, I guess that many places don't open on Super Bowl Sunday? The bars were open, but there didn't seem very full. I guess this is what SBS is like in downtown Santa Barbara?

Milan – MU Dim Sum

April 1, 2025 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Fine Dining, Italy, Memorable Meals, Milan, Travel

We had enjoyed our time in Genoa and the Cinque Terre, but now it was time to head back to Milan. Our train from Genoa to Milan Central took about an hour-and-a-half. Since we had a flight the next morning, I booked a hotel fairly close to the train station.

As for dinner; well that was going to be interesting. I had taken into account the Missus's need for Asian food, but I missed the mark by one day. Still, I had made reservations for dinner at the Michelin listed Mu Dim Sum. After our rather disappointing meal at the 2 Michelin Star A Wong in London earlier during this trip, the Missus really wasn't too excited about this meal. Though I did point out that our previous foray into Chinese here in Milan at Hekfan was pretty good. Still, the Missus obviously didn't want to get Her hopes up.

As we walked to our dinner destination, I was quickly reminded that it was Halloween Eve. I never knew that Europe celebrated Halloween….but now I do.

It was a short four blocks to dinner. The restaurant is quite classy looking and rather dark.

We had a corner table. The service was quite relaxed, only one person spoke Mandarin which the Missus found interesting.

The menu is quite large; so while we looked it over, I started with……well, this is Milan…an Aperol Spritz.

The Missus was fascinated by the tea selection and ordered some tea, which She loved.

They even had a fancy hourglass for timing the tea based on type.

We placed our order and soon enough the Asume Bouche arrived. A tasty version of Million Layer Potato and a crisp-crunchy Fried Chicken "Nugget".

And soon our food started arriving. Things started on a high note as the Sweetbreads with Shiitakes and Shellfish Foam was delici-yoso!!!!

The rich buttery sweetbreads balanced with earth-tender shiitakes dancing in a shellfish based emulsion that was sweet-savory-umami-oceany.

Next up was one of my favorite crustaceans, Mantis Shrimp.

You know how I love Mantis Shrimp, right? The Soy-Sake sauce was light, not overly sweet, and didn't interfere with the wonderful sweet and tender shrimp. My favorite item of the meal.

The Mushroom and Truffle Crystal Dumplings were delicious as well.

The filling was so earthy-savory, with the black truffle flavor coming thru clearly. The wrapper was a bit thick, but had a decent "pull" to them.

The wrapper on the Spicy Duck Ragout was quite good, nice stretch, not brittle.

Didn't care much for the overall flavor as the salt and seasonings overshadowed the duck. It was quite salty.

We got one each of the Regular and the Black Char Siu Bao.

The filling was fairly tender, not overly sweet, very classic seasoning. The regular bao was a bit too wet and doughy. The "Black Bao", obviously made with activated charcoal had an almost gritty-crunchy texture, though the flavor was less sweet, but not substantially different from the "regular" one.

The next three dishes came out all at once.

The Missus was told by the one person who spoke Mandarin that the Char Siu was made from pork neck. We did like the toothsome texture and the strong porkiness.

The pork was nicely seasoned with five spice, white pepper, and salt. Instead of being highly glazed it was sauced which dampened the savory-sweetness a bit; but this was pretty good. The Missus enjoyed the fermented cabbage.

The Tripe was a bit harder than I like, but the flavor of ginger came thru quite nicely.

This was nice and savory and frankly better than many versions I've had here in the states.

IMG_3285b The Peking Duck was "almost there". The fat had been nicely rendered, but the skin was still a bit rubbery. The flesh was very tender, the flavors spot on, good gamey-earthy notes, five spice, a hint of sweetness. The dan bing weren't up to the task and tore easily. Still, the duck was not bad at all.

We took the dessert with us to go and the Missus had them to finish up Her evening in our room.

We had enjoyed this meal. Who'd have thought, not one, but two decent Chinese dinners in Milan? The service here was a bit spotty, but the Missus enjoyed the tea, we liked most of the dishes, and would gladly dine here again. And of course….the sweetbreads and mantis shrimp!

MU Dimsum
Via Aminto Caretto 3
Milano, Italy

The next morning, we headed out early, up Via Napo Torriani to Milano Centrale. Passing quite a few interesting things along the way. Like the church pictured below.

That's the Santuario di San Camillo de Lellis, a Catholic Church.

And while there was nothing that would quite match the sculpture L.O.V.E. which I made a point to see earlier during our stay, there is the sculpture below right in front of the Central Station.

It is a work by Michelangelo Pistoletto named The Big Apple of Milan.

While we had flown into Milan landing at Milan Linate Airport, we would be flying out of Milan Malpensa Airport. We caught the first available train from the station to MXP which took about 50 minutes or so.

We were flying out on Air France….you can figure where we were headed right? Anyway, since we had first class tickets, we had use of the lounge which was surprisingly empty.

Which meant I could get some lunch before our flight.

Our next stop was my favorite city in Europe, so I was quite happy!

Thanks for stopping by!

Where in the world were we…..

March 29, 2025 mmm-yoso Flagstaff/ Sedona/Winslow/Northern AZ, Phoenix/Scottsdale/Chandler/Central AZ, Road Trip, Travel, yoso-silly

Hi, dis is JJ! My daddy said he's too pooped to do a post…maybe he needs one of my bags? I dunno…. It was only 1,300 miles…he getting old I guess!

Anyway, he is sorry about not posting for the last couple of days, but we were on a road trip, my fourth so far. Yeah, I know Daddy is behind on those as well. So I am helping out…..he don't know, you don't need thumbs to use the keyboard!

Anyway, we had a lot of fun.

Our first stop was Scottsdale…..wow kind of fancy place. I was hoping some of the folks here would adopt me….I was ready to leave with them!

People here seemed to have a good time.

And den, we went to a place on Woof 66???

Where Mommy and Daddy have been many times. Dey said one of their favorite places is here…..

All I know is that Momma made me stand on dis corner three times to take pictures?

So weird, yeah?

An den we went to some big place where dey wen look at pretty hills and stuffs…..

Our last stop was where dere was a big puddle…..I don't like puddles! I'm afraid of dem, but we went anyway.

And I heard the bridge was falling down and told Daddy, but he don't listen to me. Good ting we left before dat happen!

Mommy and Daddy told me that they had some good food.

IMG_6933 - Copy

But I don't know since I can't have hoo-man food. So you will have to wait for that.

Whoa, now I'm tired…..dis blogging ting isn't as easy as I thought. I need a nap….

I tink daddy will be back tomorrow. I hope my aunties Alle and LL will like it! Bye-bye!

Road Trip – A Revisit to Madeline’s (Cambria)

March 22, 2025 mmm-yoso American/New American Restaurants, Dog Friendly, European Restaurants, French Restaurants, Paso Robles/Cambria/San Luis Obispo County, Road Trip, Travel

Another one of the reasons for us returning to Cambria was to dine at Madeline's once again. We first dined here back in 2020 and enjoyed it so much that we returned a year later. I big plus is that the wine shop by day, restaurant by night has several outdoor tables and allowed dogs. I made sure to request our favorite, known as "patio 1".

After shopping and lunch, we drove over to El Colibri, it was before the published check in time, but our dog friendly room was ready! Lucky us. So we managed a short nap. When JJ woke, while the Missus relaxed and read, I took him for a stroll along the Moonstone Beach Boardwalk which I've posted on before. The boardwalk is basically right out the hotel's doors!

JJ enjoyed the walk and made some new "friends" and the view is just a lovely as I remembered.

And I don't recall seeing deer around here before!

I think that it is a "seasonal" thing?

After returning and freshening up; we were ready to head out for dinner a bit early.

Also close to the hotel, right down the road is Shamel Park. We love walking along the beach and the sunsets here are lovely, though on this evening we had to get to dinner.

We headed on back up Windsor Road and crossed over Highway One onto main street. West Main was very sedate on this evening.

As we passed Mushrooms on Main, this friendly gal popped up!

We gave her a treat and the friendly owner invited JJ in for a "play date". Unfortunately, we had to get to dinner, so we took a rain check. We'll definitely return here on our next trip.

We arrived at Madeline's and were directed to our table. The Server was quite friendly to JJ. The Missus looked over the wine list and immediately ordered a Sauvignon Blanc.

We looked over the menu which is seasonal and ever changing. It did have several items that we'd enjoyed on our previous visits.

And there seemed to be so many mushroom based dishes….it was our lucky day! We placed our order and then bread service arrived.

Sadly, the bread, while nice and warm was not ready for prime time. It had been smushed down and the middle was still wet. It was probably pulled out before it was ready.

In keeping with our usual ordering at Madeline's we went with all appetizers and a salad. This way we get a nice variety of dishes that tend to be more interesting.

The only real "clunker" of the meal arrived with the first three dishes; the Bruschetta ($20).

With the sweet balsamic glaze, the sour tower of goat cheese, this was a bit too much for this dish. You really couldn't make out the eggplant which had been breaded and fried, but got soggy quite quickly.

The ship was quickly "righted" as the Baby Spinach Salad ($13) arrived.

As I mentioned before, we love the Bacon Vinaigrette here! It adds a wonderful smoky-savory component to a salad.

Another item we've always enjoyed have been the scallop dishes, and the Scallops Saint Jacques ($20) was no exception.

I had thought that the duxelles would be a bit too much for this dish; but as usual, the scallops were perfectly cooked, perfectly rare the way we like it. The lemon buerre blanc added a nice refreshing note to the dish.

We ordered two additional mushroom appetizers, both of which were quite hearty.

The Duck and Wild Mushroom ($20) featured two of our favorite ingredients. But man, combined with the cream sauce it edged on being a bit too much!

And the Tartine Forestiere ($20), featuring both local and smoked mushrooms was a study in umami.

Even the goat cheese and balsamic glaze could not temper the wonderful flavors of the mushrooms!

I finished as always with a Tawny Port.

Overall, this was yet another wonderful meal at Madeline's. And since we can always bring JJ….and get "Patio 1", I'm sure we'll return again, Hopefully soon.

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

The next morning, the Missus decided to sleep in, so I took JJ for a walk to Cambria Coffee which I've posted on a couple of times before and had a cold brew and just relaxed.

Cambria Coffee Roasting Company
761 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428

And soon enough we headed back home.

This short road trip was a test to see how JJ would handle things. He always seemed to enjoy riding in the car. And he did enjoy Morro Bay and our stops in Ojai and Cayucos. He did well in Cambria and on the drive home. So, you could say he passed with flying colors. And since we can't really travel Internationally….we want to wait until JJ is a bit older before leaving him with his Aunty, this meant more road trips were in store!

Thanks for stopping by!

Genoa – Ravioli Orientali

March 15, 2025 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Cinque Terre/Genoa, Liguria - Italy, Italy, Travel

We were pretty full as we sauntered back to our room after our traditional food tour of the city.

We took a nice little break before heading back out. We strolled around thinking of what to get for dinner.

I was ready to get a final meal of Trofie al Pesto……and the subliminal hints were there.

But I could tell that the Missus had gotten Her fill. She was having "Asian food withdrawals" and sorely wanted something to fulfill that need. But we were in Genoa!

Then I recalled seeing a tiny shop during our walk the previous evening named Ravioli Orientali right down the street. I know, dumplings in Genoa? But the Missus needed Her fix, so we walked over to find that the place was open.

It had started drizzling as we walked over; nature setting a "trap" perhaps? So we took the bait and scooted on in.

It was interesting as the two guys working were of African descent, but all the dumplings were being made by hand.

So, we placed our order and started with a Tsingtao (of course). Aaah, this was "nice to have around" indeed!

About this time a family of four, mom, dad, and two sons walked into the restaurant. The youngest boy was super interested and excited. He also spoke perfect English as he walked over and asked us, "are you the owners?" After all, we were the only Asians in the place, right? We cracked up and said no, but also offered to help with the ordering. The parents wanted a beer and we recommended and ordered the Tsingtao for them. The parents weren't interested in any food as they had already had dinner, but the boys were.

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The gentleman working tried to explain things; but only spoke Italian, so the Missus, charmed by the young man stepped in. And when She explained what Xiao Long Bao was, his face lit up, he had heard of "soup dumplings" and he spoke to his parents….turns out they are from Romania and were spending a month traveling. And so they ordered some jiaozi and XLB.

We got the XLB and one each of the Baozi.

The wrappers on the XLB were too thick and gummy; but there was actually "soup" in them, the filling was very "oinky", great pork flavor, and surprisingly tender! Better than much of what we have here in San Diego!

IMG_3222b The texture of the baozi dough was not as fluffy as I enjoy; but it had a hint of sweetness and was not bad. We enjoyed the pork version more….pork here is mighty tasty. There were hints of sesame oil, ginger, soy sauce….not sure how easy it is to get it in Genoa, but this was pretty good overall.

Much better than what we expected.

As for the family….well, they placed two more orders for XLB! We asked the young man what he thought of the dumplings and he said "it's the second best food we've had on this trip!" What was the first? "We could not eat enough kebabs in Istanbul!" You know, I give the boys parents a lot of credit, you could tell they weren't interested in trying any dumplings or baozi, but they encouraged their son to try it! They fed his curiosity and passion. Who knows, a few decades from now he could be Romania's Anthony Bourdain!

Ravioli Orientali
Piazza della Raibetta 4
Genova, Italy

In a way Ravioli Orientali exemplifies what Genova was to us. We arrived not knowing what to expect and were gleefully surprised at what we encountered.

We took a short stroll before heading back to our room, through the atmospheric caruggi, totally enjoying the evening in spite of the drizzle.

Walking thru the porticos, back to the hotel for the final time, we celebrated the fact that Genova had exceeded all our expectations……

As we hope to return someday, as we had only dipped our toes into the vast ocean of what Genoa has to offer!

Thanks for stopping by!