mmm-yoso – Page 192 – As in, yoso-silly, yoso-hungry, yoso-full, or best of all; mmm-delici-yoso!!!!! A San Diego based food and travel blog. An Ex-Pat Kama'aina and Friends explore food, restaurants, and travel from San Diego and points beyond.

Paris – The Pantheon and a Revisit to Arnaud Nicolas

August 25, 2018 mmm-yoso France, French Restaurants, Paris, France, Travel

After finishing up shopping and eating near Saint Germain; the Missus and I decided to just wander around a bit and ended up at the Pantheon.

Though we'd visited the area before, we decided to actually enter and check the place out. There was one thing I really wanted to see……in February of 1851, physicist Léon Foucault, assembled scientists at the Paris Observatory and using a simple pendulum and his newly derived sine law to prove the earth rotates. A month later; Napoleon III requested that he repeat the demonstration in the Pantheon in the central dome.

The Pantheon was originally built to be a church to dedicated to the Patron Saint of Paris; St Genevieve, who is said to have saved Paris from the armies of Attila the Hun in 1451. The church was completed in 1790, which coincided with the beginning of the French Revolution. In 1791, the National Assembly determined that the structure be turned into a mausoleum.

Internment can only be presented by the President and approved by parliamentary act.

On the day we visited there was a special exhibit of the works and career of Marie Curie.

Who was the first woman enshrined in the Pantheon in 1995, over 200 years after the first internment. I was especially interested since one of my Mom's favorite movies was Madame Curie.

We decided to check out the crypt and walk among the remains of France's "National Heroes".

We then walked back to the 7th and took a nice break (nap) at the apartment. It was dark when we awoke. We headed off to dinner…..we had enjoyed our meal at Arnaud Nicolas the previous evening so much that we booked a return visit.

You can read my previous post on Arnaud Nicolas….. Let me just say that it was just as delicious on this visit as well.

It's the charcuterie that's the star here. And the service was just as friendly and gracious as the night before.

Arnaud Nicolas
46 Avenue de la Bourdonnais
75007 Paris, France

Our train to Strasbourg wasn't leaving until the next day at 2pm; as is the norm when on vacation, we woke rather early. With no plans we decided to pack, then just start walking.

We ended up strolling down Rue du Commerce in the 15th Arrondissement. It was a less touristy and quite diverse section of the city.

We turned around near the Eglise Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Grenelle.

We walked back and found the Rue de Grenelle Market…..where we just wandered and browsed for a while.

And had a quick coffee and croissant at the corner shop.

Then headed back to the apartment….packed, then caught the metro to Gare l'est…….

Next up….Strasbourg!

Denali State Park Milepost 135 and Revisiting Twister Creek Restaurant & Denali Brewpub (Talkeetna)

August 23, 2018 mmm-yoso Alaska, American/New American Restaurants, Beer, Gastropub, Travel

There was still a lot of daylight left when we completed our flightseeing and glacier landing and the Missus wanted to do something. So we decided to head out and take the short (by Alaskan standards) one hour and change drive up to Denali State Park. Don't confuse Denali State Park with the enormous and much more popular Denali National Park. The park is known for the views of Denali and the Alaskan Range; especially from the stop at milepost 135 of the Parks Highway. And even though it got overcast and drizzly, the views were still breathtaking.

We also loved the signs.

After lingering for a bit; the Missus was getting hungry, so we decided to head back to Talkeetna. We did make a brief stop at Denali Brewing Company on Talkeetna Spur Road….just in case they'd have that Single Malt Whiskey in stock. And while we were greeted by a very friendly pooch; there was no whiskey to be found.

Since we'd only had a couple of scones for breakfast; we were getting hungry. We drove back to the lodge and walked the half mile into Talkeetna. We just decided to head back to Twister Restaurant & the Denali Brewpub for dinner.

Just like the previous evening, this was the busiest place on the street. And we were in for another surprise; the Hostess Stand was manned by one of the folks that worked at Talkeetna Air Taxi. We'd often see folks working multiple jobs…..we were told it's normal during the high season….though it was somewhat funny….I think there's a sitcom hidden here somewhere. We also saw our favorite Server from the night before. She made sure to stop by and tell us hello.

I started with a Mother Ale; a very light almost Pilsner like brew. Very easy to drink.

We started with the item they were out of the night before; a monstrosity named "The Gourmet" ($15).

Candied Pork Belly in a mess of too sweet BBQ sauce, topped with a relish with jalapenos, red and green bell peppers, and even more pork belly…in the guise of bacon. This is one of those dishes that look great on a menu….but is just a bit too over-the-top for us. At least we'd be amking up for missing out on lunch, right?

We decided to share a dish and went with the Fish and Chips with Sweet Potato Fries ($16), which the Missus thoroughly enjoyed.

The batter on the fish and chips was fine, it was crisp with body, the seasoning perfect for our taste, the fish was moist, though it wasn't of the best quality…..still, not bad, and more than enough for the two of us.

Of course, one of the main reasons for returning here was "dessert"; or more appropriately a digestif; the wonderful newly released single malt whiskey. It was wonderful.

We loved the service and the prices were quite reasonable.

Twister Creek Restaurant/Denali Brewpub
13605 E Main St
Talkeetna, AK 99676

After dinner we walked around Talkeetna a bit….the Northern Lights Gallery was awesome…..I chatted with the owner of ne of the gift shops….he mentioned visiting San Diego in the 80's and the "Gaslight" (Gaslamp) district. We loved the folks here; friendly, but not overly so……just good people.

Just as on the previous evening, I sat by the window of our room and watched the Susitna River rolling by. And of course, I'd bought a bottle back from the Denali Brewpub.

This was a very nice Belgian Strong named One Tree Birch Beer made with birch syrup. This was very smooth, bready, with light citrus tones, and the sweetness of a typical Belgian Strong. I really enjoyed it.

It was 9pm but it looked like 4. I watched the river roll on by and though about what a great day it had been.

And there was still much more to come.

Thanks for reading!

Chicken Wing Wednesday – Gala Chicken

August 22, 2018 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Korean Restaurants

**** Zion Market has moved and Gala did not make the move with the market

I had to drop by Zion Market to pick some stuff up….mainly beef knee bones. Yep, beef knee bones. At the end of my "smoke session" I'll do the knee bones and give them out as gifts to folks who have dogs……the pooches really love the stuff.

Anyway, it nearing lunch time and I decided to grab something to eat. Gala Chicken had moved from their original location in the market, to the spot that Myung In had before they recently closed.

I decided to order the Chicken Wing combination….though in retrospect; maybe I should have just ordered wings.

In terms of wings; this might have been the best I've had at Gala. I'm glad they don't cut into the chicken anymore to test doneness and the batter wasn't too crumbly; like I've had here twice. The chicken was very moist; though it wasn't evenly coated in batter….it was also slightly greasy, but not in a bad way. In terms of seasoning; I still like some hot sauce on the wings….though not the overly sweet stuff that's provided.

Overall; all that rice seemed like overkill to me; they were quite heavy handed with the vinegar in the mac salad; but it was nicely chilled and along with the shredded cabbage helped to cut any greasy tones and richness. And the shredded cabbage made me feel like I was actually getting some vegetables…….along with cutting the richness, it helped to cut the guilt as well.

Not the best wings; but still decent, and better than I'd had here in the past.

Gala Chicken
7655 Clairemont Mesa Blvd (In the Zion Market Food Court)
San Diego, CA 92111
Hours:
Tues – Sat 11am – 730pm
Sunday 11am – 630pm

Cali Banh Mi (Garnet Ave)

August 21, 2018 mmm-yoso Banh Mi, Sandwiches

I was heading to the I-5 North after filling my tank at Costco early one weekday morning. I decided to head to the I-5 North from Morena, over to Garnet….something I'd usually never do because of the amount of traffic on this street. And that intersection; Garnet and Mission Boulevard is always so crazy. But it was before six in the morning, so things weren't going to be too bad. As I drove towards Mission Boulevard I noticed that Cali Banh Mi, the same folks who took over the former Cali Baguette on Convoy, had just opened a new shop.

So, one evening when the Missus was busy at work I decided to drop on by.

The shop is bright and clean…..

And the menu was quite telling……

With "American Deli Style" Banh Mi……"Cali Bowls"……

And the three surfer dudes sitting and eating….I hadn't heard so many "Bro's" slung around in ages. "Like bro…this sauce…is bro'….so….saucy." "Bro….what is this…meat thing…bro…it tastes funky…."

Anyway, I went ahead and ordered the Dac Biet….which, by the way, was basically the only thing named in Vietnamese on the whole board as far as I remember…..and just four bucks.

This was a nice long baguette……a single thin slice of cha lua and thit nguoi. Now, I'm all about proportion in my banh mi; but man, that tiny smear of pate was very chintzy. Lot's of pickled daikon and carrots though…which were not pickled enough for my taste.

All of this would have been ok; except for that pale, doughy, and dry bread. It was slightly crusty, but only around the edges. What's going on these days, as it seems like these places that bake their own bread have been quite disappointing lately? Are they par-cooking the bread…..has the proofing process changed?

As I usually will do; I went back that weekend in the morning on the way to the office. Though once I walked in…..well….based on my previous banh mi, just didn't know what the heck to order. Since it was breakfast time; I went with the third most expensive banh mi on the menu……the Spam and Egg ($6). The slices of Spam were nicely browned and crisp.

The bread was better this time; but was still too chewy and not crisp/flakey enough for my liking. It was much better than my previous sandwich, though nothing really stood out.

The eggs were scrambled….I'm wondering if they'd even make it "op la" if I asked.

Well, even though this is the closest banh mi shop; I'm not sure I'll return anytime soon. It's fine if you want a sort of Americanized Banh Mi. The prices are reasonable; which I'm sure will draw in folks looking for cheap eats. Folks working here are nice and friendly. Personally, I'd rather go out of my way for a good banh mi…..though they seem to be getting harder to find these days.

Cali Banh Mi
2830 Garnet Ave
San Diego, CA 92109
Hours:
Open Daily 8am – 8pm

Sarap Filipino Kitchen (Soft Opening)

August 20, 2018 mmm-yoso Chicken Wings, Filipino Restaurants, Sisig

**** Sarap is now Gaya Gaya

While on my "procrastintion drive" to the office over the weekend; I noticed that "Sarap Filipino Kitchen" had taken over the former Capetown Bar & Grill/Malted Diner location.

I was going to add that to my post for last Wednesday; but then on Tuesday; Eater mentioned the place was in Soft Opening Phase. I mentioned this to Calvin who got quite excited so we ended up going…..and I ended going for three days in a row! The last culminating with a group of six to celebrate one of the folks in our team actually surviving second anniversary.

As folks who've been to Capetown/Malted know; this is a huge spot. The folks working; especially the really kind and friendly Server named Lloyd were really nice; but I don't think they were ready for word getting out so quickly. They seemed a bit under-staffed and on my second visit; I saw folks actually change their order to take-out after waiting quite a while for their food. I'm hoping this will be remedied. I also heard folks grumbling about the portion size……sheesh, I guess they want this to be Tita's?

The menu varied from day to day; the first two days there was no Lechon Kawale; therefore no Sisig, also no Crispy Pata. Before our third visit; I mentioned this to Lloyd who promised me that "tomorrow we will have it….I will make sure we do." And as promised, we had our sisig, lechon kawale, and crispy pata.

So, here's a rundown on my favorite; to least favorite items so far….some of which I've now had multiple times.

Picks:

Everyone I've brought to Sarap has enjoyed the Bagoong Fried Rice, even those who had no idea what the flavoring was. It's very balanced in flavor; with garlic tones balancing out the shrimp paste. It's also not overly salty. They mango mostly added a nice textural contrast.

When I first had the Salt and Pepper Chicken Wings; I sent a photo to my friends, "these wings are good….when was the last time I said that about a new place?" I got a bunch of entertaining emoji's as responses; so I'm guessing it's been a while since I enjoyed fried chickens wings from someplace new.

These weren't the best quality wings; but were perfectly fried; moist, light, and crisp. The seasoning was nicely balanced; the wings had just enough salt. Like the fried rice; everyone who tried this, enjoyed it.

The Crispy Pata was very good.

Perfectly fried; very moist, porky, goodness, the seasoned vinegar helped to cut through the richness. Nice crunchy bits….though not as much gooey parts. Still the folks loved it. At one point no one was finishing up the pata…..they thought they'd finished it. I then got my paper towel; put the pata on end; grabbed the spoon, and proceeded to scrape off a pile of meat. I told everyone to finish things up…..I grabbed the bone as the reward and gnawed off all the good parts. Little "ND" cracked up and told me; "you clean the pata like my mom and you eat the bones like my dad." Now talk about a compliment.

Nilagang Baka:

This wasn't a particularly large portion and rather difficult to share for two people as they don't provide adequate spoons…plus we had to ask for bowls.

Still, this was pretty good; especially the meat, which was very beefy and tender. It's not quite as good as the version at Villa Manila; as the broth was on the mild side in regards to beefiness and the sodium level was a bit too high. Still; this was not bad.

Beer Break – We didn't notice the beer list on our first visit. On my second visit, I saw it on the table and took a look….and cracked up. When was the last time I saw Red Horse on tap? It would warm the hearts of my friends "back home" in Hawaii.

Here are the items I'm on the fence about…..

On my second visit; I ordered the Daeng Bangus….the milkfish.

In terms of flavor; this was great; from the vinegar tones, the milkfish had no off flavors. I especially liked the tomato-onion-chili relish; making this more like Daeng na Isda. I wished that this was fried a bit better and the flesh; though tasty was on the dry side.

The Liempo was too much on the burnt side for my taste; making it a bit bitter.

Beyond the charred-bitterness; the texture of the pork belly was quite good; a bit toothsome, but decent.

The pans……

We had high hopes for the Lechon Kawale, but were disappointed.

I will say the lechon sauce was lighter than other versions, but very tasty. The flavor of the pork was swiney goodness. But the skin wasn't prepped correctly and was super hard; most folks didn't even try eating it. It was fried to death and had lost a good amount of moisture in the process. This was a bummer.

When I was told the sisig here used pig ear and head, I was thrilled. I haven't had a good, more traditional sisig since we visited Gapo Resto a few years ago.

That it had the terrible hard lechon kawale in this didn't help…too many hard bits. For some reason this was also quite bland; we ended having to use the vinegar from pata to raise up the flavor. Good Sisig Kapampangan to me should always have combination of crunchy, soft, and chewy bits….this was mostly hard, had no spice in it, and no sour tones.

The worst item I've had at Sarap was the Garlic Rice. I ordered this with the Daeng.

You can tell by the photo. Hard, dry rice; bitter burnt garlic, it was almost inedible. I brought half the daeng and almost all the rice back to the office. Folks would have one spoon of the rice and that's it…… I'm hoping this is just a "one-off".

Overall; I'm glad to have a place like Sarap in the area to go with Mariscos Miramar, giving us two good choices for lunch.

At the end of our last lunch; a very nice older woman came over chatted. I asked about Bicol Express, something specifically mentioned in the Eater post. I was told that the main chef, from the Phillipines, is starting this week. And he is supposed to make a mean Bicol Express. So, it looks like another visit will soon be in the books for me.

I'm hoping they can overcome all the timing and staffing issues before their Grand Opening.

Sarap Filipino Kitchen
7580 Miramar Rd
San Diego, CA 92126
Hours:
Open Daily 11am – 3pm, 5pm – 9pm

The French Oven (Scripps Ranch)

August 18, 2018 Cathy Bakery, Breakfast/Brunch, Desserts, What Cathy Eats!

Here we are, back reading mmm-yoso!!! to see what food and/or adventure Kirk or Cathy has recently had. It's Cathy's turn to write.

Earlier this year, I was in a residential neighborhood (Avenida Magnifica, a two lane street with houses on either side) and saw a Recreation Center on the left and on my right, a small mall with a dog groomer, four pump gas station, liquor store, taco shop, a hair and nails place, dental office, pizza place and a small doctors office. In the corner, between the dental office and hair salon is The French Oven.

This is the menu of what's available in the counter. There's also another menu board listing prices of pre-order whole items (tarts and quiches).  It's not large inside; two glass refrigerated cases and a glass window at eye level. The breads available are to the right. There are some salads, fruit cups and fresh juice in the open refrigerated section just below along with bottled/canned beverages. Of course there is coffee available, in many forms. A (proper) nice baguette is $3.
Sweets behind the glass window.
Ham and cheese croissant ($4.75)
Black forest ham, Gruyere and Béchamel. Wonderful flavors on a buttery croissant.  There are 'egg bites' and quiches.

The Lorraine ($6.75) includes bacon, ham, onion and Swiss. It is quite a large serving. The pastry is light and crumbly. So very fresh. There is a selection of sandwiches on baguettes, around $8.
Or, if you aren't as hungry, there is a smaller sandwich on a ficelle (Similar to a baguette but thinner; 'ficelle' means 'string' in French) ($4.95).
Prosciutto, Brie, arugula and fig spread. The combination of salty, sweet, tart/bitter with the yeasty bread is just so right.

So many sweets to choose from. The pear tart ($4.75) was excellent. There's a layer of pastry cream on the crumbly crust, then the glaze and pear and nuts and a blackberry and it's all so very, very decadent.
Pretty much every time I feel overwhelmed with choices, reverting back to an old favorite, the almond croissant ($4.25) will always be a choice.

There are more items available, especially on weekends. Tables are out in front. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

The French Oven 10299 Scripps Trail San Diego 92131 (858) 536-8706 Open Wed-Sun 7-a.m.-3 p.m. Website

Flightseeing and a Glacier Landing (Talkeetna Air Taxi), Talkeetna Roadhouse, and Concsious Coffee

August 17, 2018 mmm-yoso Alaska, Bakery, Travel

***** Not very much food in this one – some lovely photos though. I'll be back tomorrow with another post.

We headed off from our lodge at around 830 in the morning. We had scheduled a "Flightseeing Tour" with a Glacier Landing, another of the Missus's "bucket list" items. We decided to "hoof it" and first find out where the offices of Talkeetna Air Taxi was….it was an interesting walk past the train tracks. The nice folks in the office confirmed that we should report back by at least 10 or so.

What else to do but head into Talkeetna and grab something small (remember, we'd be flying) to eat and perhaps some coffee.

And while we weren't too impressed with our lunch the previous day at Talkeetna Roadhouse, we really enjoyed the bread. So we just bought some scones……the best one was the Jalapeno and Cheese scone which was savory-yeasty-slightly spicy-mildly cheesy goodness.

Talkeetna Roadhouse
13550 E Main St
Talkeetna, AK 99676

Just a few yards away stood Conscious Coffee, and rather busy coffee and crepe shack. We got a couple of Americanos; things take a while here, but you get used to that.

We had our pastries and coffee on the bench out front.

Conscious Coffee
13521 E Main St
Talkeetna, AK 99676

We then headed on over to Talkeetna Air Taxi where things didn't look very good; at least for the Glacier Landing. We decided to just take whatever the Alaskan weather would give us….they say it changes by the minute here. We were also quickly refunded part of our payment. We loved the staff here, they were friendly, and professional. Because of the cloud cover, we were asked to "wait and see". and we just kinda hung out until past noon. Until finally, we were given clearance.

We got on the plane….we'd most likely be doing just flightseeing….which would be fine, Alaska is so lovely.

Then there was a problem with the steering mechanism on the plane. We were picked up on the tarmac and taken to another plane. As much as we loved our previous pilot; she told us she was a mother of two and chatted with each of us before trying to taxi, she had to stick with her aircraft.

Our new pilot was quite friendly and chatty. One of the other folks on the flight is an amateur pilot and was welcomed to take a seat upfront.

And soon we were in the air.

Once you get in the air, you see Alaska, as beautiful as it is, in an even more spectacular way.

I really don't recall the names off all the places; I was just in awe of the majesty and pure beauty of the Alaskan Range.

I do remember a few things….this is the Kalhitna Glacier.

We actually saw folks hiking down from the Denali on the glacier. It was so amazing and humbling.

As you can see; we were lucky; the weather had cleared up, and we were cleared to land on the Pika Glacier. Here's an awesome post on hiking the glacier. The pilot was so skilled; we touched down so gently……and then, we were on the Pika Glacier.

We were told to not wander too far from the place. There were areas where the snow was soft and we'd easily sink up to our knees. My goodness, here we were……another moment for the books. And then it started snowing!

There such an amazing feeling of awe and yet peacefulness…..things are very quiet except for the wind blowing past you.

And here's the photo I want on my tombstone.

One of the guys at work saw this photo and did this…..it cracked me up…..

You gotta love it……

The Missus; who first rode on one of these smaller aircraft for the first time just a few years ago, had a blast….I guess after the Nazca Lines; this was a piece of cake.

Our take-off was just as smooth as landing. When we got back to the Talkeetna Air Taxi Office, we offered to pay back what we were refunded; but they basically told us, "no worries, we hope you enjoyed yourself".

Enjoyed ourselves? Are you kidding?

I often go back and look at these and many other photos from our trip to Alaska. The size and scale of things is amazing, the stark beauty took my breath away. It's an humbling experience.

It may have been another item off the bucket list for the Missus, but it's something I treasure and will never forget.

Thanks for reading!

Sieu Sieu BBQ Revisited

August 16, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants

As a sign of how long I've been doing this blog…..do you remember what was in the spot before Sieu Sieu BBQ opened in this spot in 2008? You'd be right if you said Maui Maui Hawaiian BBQ…funny how it went from one reduplicated name to another, eh? And before that; wasn't it something like Yakimono restaurant…..and for bonus points; do you remember when Sieu Sieu BBQ was in Linda Vista? Sheesh…..

Anyway, this one has been sitting around for a while. I took a revisit; it had been a couple of years.

I decided to get Ga Muoi – "salt chicken", something akin to Kwai Fei Chicken and Roast Pork with rice ($8.95).

The chicken came with the minced ginger and scallion "dip" and was on the dry side, but was nicely flavored….the ginger was chopped much too coarsely for my taste, making the flavor too strong.

The skin on the roast pork was too thick and hard and as you can see; the meat was really dry. Can't say it was bland though. Too bad, because on my last visit; the pork was way better than the roast duck…..

The rice, night have been the best I've ever had here, moist, hot, fragrant.

Well, even though the price was right…..it'll be a while before I return again.

Sieu Sieu BBQ
7420 Clairemont Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92111

Midweek Meanderings – Guest Kabob Replacing Hunan Kitchen, Isshido Coming to Mira Mesa, and Menya Ultra’s Second Location

August 15, 2018 mmm-yoso Chinese Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen

So, I decided to take a the REALLY long route to this office this past weekend……well, let's call it what is was….procrastination. I ended driving up Convoy to check on Hunan Kitchen a.k.a. Noodle Hut a.k.a. Tǔjiā Xiāng Cài and here's what I found:

Hunan Kitchen being replaced by "Guest Kabob":

At least that's what the sign says.

I saw the construction on the place a few weeks earlier…..I had hoped that Hunan kitchen would stay….but looks like we're going to have the sixth restaurant in this spot in the last 7 years.

4690 Convoy St
San Diego, CA 92111

Isshido replacing Submarina in Mira Mesa:

I drove up to Mira Mesa….just, well, because. A bit hungry, I turned into the parking lot near Habit Grill and saw this in the now defunct Submarina spot.

I stopped and took a look. I'm not sure what type of restaurant Isshido is going to be. Doing a Google search yielded nothing. So I'm not quite sure what's going on here.

8250 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

I ended up grabbing a late breakfast/lunch across the street….that'll be in a future post. On the way out of the parking lot, I decided to check out…..

Menya Ultra's Mira Mesa location:

Which is right next to Grocery Outlet. With all that brown paper up; it's hard to tell what's going on here.

8141 Mira Mesa Blvd
San Diego, CA 92126

So there you go….one morning of procrastination was pretty productive, even before I got into the office, don't you think?

Emilia-Romagna – The “Devils Bridge” and a Mona Lisa Mystery in Bobbio and Easter Lunch at Osteria Carducci (Piacenza)

August 14, 2018 mmm-yoso Emilia-Romagna, Italy, Italian Restaurants, Italy, Travel

Let's be perfectly honest here….I love obscure history and places; thus my love for Atlas Obscura. And since there's no sponsors or advertising on our humble little blog, you know I'm not getting anything out of recommending both the book and the website. And sometimes, I can get the Missus interested in searching something out as well….in fact, once that seed is planted, She is much more relentless than I am.

That is why; after having breakfast in the Agritourismo, we headed off to Bobbio. Driving thru Piacenza, which would be our stop for lunch, then alongside the River Trebbia. As we came across a bridge the Missus asked that we make a little detour.

To the charming medieval town of Travo.

Since this was a spur of the moment kind of thing; we really didn't do any research, nor plan any stops. We just took in the relaxed vibe and beauty of the town. We parked along one of the side streets and stretched our legs a bit.

I believe that's the Church of Saint Anthony in the photo above.

It was Easter morning and we could singing coming from the church.

We watched as two elderly men parked their walkers and entered the church; the harmonies briefly escaping from the door as they walked in.

This is so vastly different from the life we live here in San Diego……

It was fun sitting on a stone wall and watching folks go about their day.

We took a walk across the bridge to take in the town….that's the second photo above.

From there it was a short 20 minute drive to the town of Bobbio. It seemed that Bobbio had a restricted traffic zone; at least on this day, Easter. I found parking in the Supermarket parking lot and after asking one really nice lady for directions headed in the direction of Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge"), also known as Ponte Gobbo ("Hunchbacked Bridge") and Ponte Diavolo (you know this one, right?).

What's the reason for wanting to see this bridge? Well, perhaps it's the story that the Devil built the bridge over the River Trebbia in hope of receiving a soul of the first person crossing it as payment. The Devil however was tricked as St. Columbanus, who made the deal with the Devil, had a dog (or a bear) be the first to cross the bridge! The irregularity of the bridge is due to either the Devil's workers not being able to build something of consistent heights….oooor the Devil got so angry in being tricked that he kicked the bridge making it lopsided!

Take your pick…..it's a great story whichever you choose to; or not to believe!

As great as that story is, the real reason we came here is because of….well, you may recognize her.

So, what does the Mona Lisa have to do with Ponte Vecchio? Well, according Art Historian Carla Glori, the background in this iconic painting is not some imaginary landscape, but Bobbio! Shades of the Da Vinci code Batman! Here's an interview of Carla Glori. So, of course, we just had to check it out. As did quite a few other folks, of the two and four legged kind.

We both thought the bridge was quite beautiful……

There seems to be interesting things everywhere around the bridge.

We spent a good amount of time before heading back across the bridge and exploring Bobbio.

Unlike sedate Travo, Bobbio was bustling……I later learned that folks usually leave their homes to visit other places during the Easter Holiday.

And I really regretted not doing a bit more shopping here.

I'm thinking as much as we really enjoyed Bobbio, that we'll return and perhaps stay here one day in the future.

It was soon time to head off. I thought we'd have the best chance to find a place to eat in Piacenza so we headed back to the city, which was strangely quiet. I later found out that many folks head out of Parma and Piacenza during the long Easter weekend to be with family or friends. We soon found that Piacenza had its own ZTL zone, but we quickly found parking. And as I was getting ready to pay, one of the folks across the street told us…or at least signaled…letting us know that parking was free during Easter.

We headed down the quiet streets looking for a place I had on my list named Osteria Carducci. Past the Gotico and down Piazza Cavalli….Google Maps was my best friend right now.

All the businesses and even restaurants looked closed; but when we took the left turn at Via Giosuè Carducci, I knew we'd be okay….well, I knew that at least the place was open. The light in the sign was on and there were cars parked alongside the building.

We entered the place, which was bustling, to the surprise of the folks behind the bar. Somehow, in the middle of Eater rush, two Asians walk in!

We were told that they could provide a table for us; but the menu for today was an Easter menu. Which would be no problem; especially since all the vino (for the Missus) was free!

We were led downstairs, which was quite busy. By the time we left every table had been filled…….and no one except us had left yet.

Soon enough, plates started arriving at the table. We were a bit confused as there seemed to be a choice of two items as the primi and secondi……the really nice young lady who spoke really great English explained that this was the menu. We'd be getting everything on it! Yikes! And of course places like these do not do take-away…..these was going to be interesting. The young lady seemed quite amused with us.

Things started off with the Culaccia con Flan de Verdure. Culatello! My flavorite salumi….I ate both my portion and the Missus's. The flan was a moist, though highly caramelized zucchini and ricotta pastry, much lighter than it looked.

We thought we might be able t survive this until two bowls filled with Piacenzi Tortelli con la coda (tortelli with a "tail"), the city's namesake stuffed pasta arrived.

The pasta was both springy and tender; the filling was quite rich and creamy. I could make out ricotta, perhaps a bit of chard or other similar greens, some milky-salty cheese, it was quite satisfying, and filling. The sage butter sure didn't hurt things either.

A minute later, out came two plates of Nidi di Rondini (Swallows nests); roasted rolled pasta, with a nice crunch; rolled around cheese and salumi in a very tasty asparagus cream.

Crunchy-creamy-cheesy goodness.

Next up; the Roasted Veal and Potatoes.

Nicely roasted if a bit on the chewy side…..very nice gravy….but man, a whole plate of potatoes!

The pistachio crusted lamb ribs were quite tasty….the lamb nice and gamey, but also on the tough and dry side.

The mint and yogurt sauce helped a bit.

The Missus and I looked at each other and cracked up……..this was way more than we wanted. Then dessert arrived.

Luckily, this was a light chocolate mousse topped with a tangy fruit compote.

We'd made it…we survived….then the cake arrived.

The Missus discreetly got some paper towels out of Her purse and snuck these away. Yes, we smuggled cake out of Osteria Carducci.

We did enjoy ourselves and the folks here were so warm, friendly, and welcoming. And after this, well, "hearty" would be an understatement….meal, we skipped dinner.

They sure don't mess around with Easter lunch at Osteria Carducci.

Osteria Carducci
Via Giosue' Carducci 6
Piacenza, Italy

We really needed to take a walk after that meal. So we wandered around a bit and ran into the Duomo of Piacenza.

The Cathedral of Piacenza was built between the 12th and 13th centuries in the Romanesque style. It is quite striking.

And the square in front of the Cathedral was fairly busy. This was the most people we saw during our afternoon in Piacenza.

It was fun seeing folks socializing and having a good time.

That's the Column of the Virgin Mary in the photo below.

We took a few minutes to walk around the interior of the Cathedral.

And then decided to head back to the car. I'd taken photos with my phone of the landmarks on the way from where we parked; but we were just down the street from Sant'Antonino Basilica.

And soon enough, we were on our way back to Parma.

It had been a been a fun day…..and Bobbio, I think we'll be back someday!

Thanks for reading!