We were disappointed to find the new Scenic Route Bakery closed midday Sunday — would have been a perfect place for brunch. But fortunately, Tacopocalypse was open – a little different vibe and menu but just fine. I had two small tacos (lemongrass pork was best) and my husband had a breakfast burrito slathered with the same kind of heartland white creamy gravy with bits of sausage that you find on biscuits and gravy in these parts. Not my thing but he enjoyed.
Category Archives: 2) Frequent Destinations
Frozen fog over the Mississippi — LeClaire, Iowa
The temperature gauge in our car kept sinking lower and lower as we got closer to the Mississippi River, here in eastern Iowa. At one point it dipped to a surreal -11 before climbing back up to still-nostril freezing -4. And as we approached the river town of LeClaire, an odd low hanging cloud — frozen fog perhaps?– sat low int the sky. we are bunking at the surprisingly comfy Comfort Inn, which actually feels a bit like an inn, with a crackling fire in the lobby and old black and white photos of the area on the wall. En route we stopped for excellent middle eastern grub at Oasis and found an old Dino at a Sinclair gas station.
Filed under Iowa, Uncategorized
Hopmonk Tavern/Sebastopol; Shunzi./San Raphael; Bacco/Noe Valley S.F.
Always hard to leave San Francisco on a sunny day, especially after walking The dog with Susan in Golden Gate Park, shimmering as green as Ireland after yesterday’s mist and rain. But I will be back. and maybe someday to live here. Susan drove me north yesterday through Marin to Sonoma County to check out the relatively rural, affordable town of Sebastopol (relative to San Fran) but the beauty of the area was obscured by mist and rain. What little I saw made me wonder what kind of life and community we could build in a place with both a young counter culture vibe and an older casual California moneyed chic vibe, since we belong to neither tribe. We did have the best grilled artichoke I
Susan, parking spot park, Outer Sunset
have ever tasted (and there is a lot to be said for that) at the rustic-cozy Hopmonk Tavern. It was marinated in vinegar, oil and seasoned, cut in half and grilled then served with a grilled but still juicy lemon and a creamy white dressing. Susan’s tomato soup was full of flavor and had little cream, another plus. My small pulled pork sliders on little homemade Tasting buns was good. We stopped en route in San Rafael at Shunzi, a favorite clothing store of Susan’s, full of comfortable California chic clothes (I am still working though the guilt of the money I spent there.) In San Francisco, we had pasta and sautéed Brussels sprouts at Bacco in Noe valley, which was good but having spent two weeks recently in Italy, I am a tough customer. We walked along the main drag in Noe valley, windowshopping, the tiny shops closed but lighted, peddling an often idiosyncratic selection of wares, or as Susan observed, a hyper curated collection of overpriced stuff. Other things of note: – Urban Putt, a very inventive indoor miniature golf course in the Mission. – See’s lollipops, sold near gates 82 and 68 at the San Francisco airport.
Filed under California, San Francisco
Susan, Mifune Japanese, Outer Sunset, the Mission, Golden Gate Park: San Francisco
Exploring the Outer Sunset neighborhood
Tartine
Easy one hour flight from San Diego to San Francisco. (not so easy a flight for D whose flight to Denver was cancelled due to mechanical problems so he got home 5 hours late via Houston). so far I haven’t seen much of this city I adore because I am really hear to see my old friend Susan and we have a lot to catch up on since we last saw each other three years ago.
We did return to Mifune, a good place in Japantown, for udon noodles and tempura. And we have walked her dog several times through Golden Gate Park down the back, which never gets old. We also walked down to the Asian shops on Irving (we are in The Sunset neighborhood) to pursue the little ceramic bowls Decorated with whimsical drawings of animals that I always restock when here.
We also explored the Outer Sunset neighborhood around 46th street and Judah,which has a smattering of little shops and coffee houses including Trouble Coffee, General Store and Carville Annex.
The next day we wandered around the ever-evolving Mission neighborhood, visiting some old favorites like Tartine Bakery, for fabulous bread, quiche and grilled sandwiches and new spots like the gorgeous Heath Ceramics show room, Charles Chocolates, the Local Mission Market – all park of this “small batch” hyper local “maker market” high design aesthetic that’s so big here and beyond. We also stopped for overpriced but incredibly flavorful and creamy ice cream (malted milk ball) at Humphry Slocombe. We also visited a super cool inside put put course in the Mission. Dinner was at a favorite from my last visit – Burma Superstar in the Richmond.
Filed under California, San Francisco
Coronado Island, Balboa Park, Blue Water SeAfood and Gelato velo: viva la San Diego
hotel del coronado
balboa park museums
Fun day. And what a difference a good walking tour can make! I visited The famous Victorian resort Hotel del Coronado last time I was in San Diego some 30 years ago but didn’t remember much except that it was charming. This time I decided to take a 90 minute walking tour of the area around the Hotel, led by a woman in her 60s who has lived on the Island (or isthmus) for decades. She was terrific. (Coronadowalkingtour.com) Granted she has a lot of good material to work with but her presentation was great too. She was enthusiastic but also funny and offered lots of interesting insights.
We started at the pretty Glorietta Bay Inn, across the street from the hotel, which turned out to be the former home of John Spreckels, a sugar magnate who bought up just about everything on the island including the hotel by the turn of the century. Gorgeous place with a lot of original elements still in place (light fixtures, marble kitchen, brass and marble staircase.) The tour went around (not in) the hotel and then over a few of the huge mansions on Ocean Blvd. and to a pretty side street, Loma Avenue.
I had breakfast at the counter of Clayton’s, a popular unpretentious coffee shop on the main drag, Orange Avenue, and picked up some takeout fare from the Bayside Market, an excellent store on the bay side of the island that our guide Jerry steered us too.
It was a surprisingly quick drive to North Park and South Park, both neighborhoods with lots of interesting independent shops and galleries and restaurants, plus small well tended or revived craftsman bungalows. It’s the neighborhood I could see myself living in…Did a quick tour of Balboa Park and was particularly impressed with the lovely Spanish style buildings housing the various art museums. must remember to visit the international art museum next time. it looked really interesting. (Also next time, I will pay the $5 and hike the trail at Cabrillo national monument!)
For dinner we had excellent fish tacos, grilled Ahi tuna and lobster bisque at the Blue Water Grill on India street (a two block restaurant row with ethnic places but none Indian.) It’s a casual order-at-the-counter place. Nothing fancy but fresh fish and cheerful service. Gelato Vero happened to be a block away. Oh happy day!
Filed under California, San Diego
Exploring in and around San Diego: Leucadia, la Jolla, Ocean beach, carnitas snack shack
I drove myself silly today, heading north to La Jolla for breakfast at The Cottage (soy chorizo with scrambled eggs) then north to Leucadia where I found Beacon’s Beach, a near empty stretch of beach except for several surfers. perfect for a stroll once you wind Your way down a packed sand trail Carved into the high sandy bluff. The bluff looked like
Sunset Ocean Beach Pier
a giant version of a kids dripped sand castle and residents clearly were trying to shore up the bluff in spots. I had iced coffee at the charmingly funky Pannikin cafe on 101 Highway, then followed the scenic highway signs as often as I could find
Military cemetery, Point Lomo
them, all the way down to the Cabrillo National Monument, which offers a stunning view of the city. I was too cheap to pay the $5 fee to go to the end of the monument but I did linger nearby at a mesmerizing military graveyard, rows and rows of white tombstones on a bright green grassy slope leading down to the ocean.
I ended up at somewhat seedy Ocean Beach near sunset so I parked the car and walked down the very long concrete pier along with others. Tonight we had a terrific meal at the carnitas snack shack, which seems to be on everyone’s list of where to eat. It’s a little boxy building with a window where a very friendly guy took our order which was delivered to our table in the open air dining courtyard
pannekin coffee house, Leucadia
behind the shack. The braised Duroc pork belly was a stand out!
Filed under California, San Diego
Rainy drive to San Diego with stop in Rancho Santa Fe and Solana Beach
Oddly, the last time I drove from LA to San Diego, about 30 years ago, it was also raining as it was today. But California needs the rain (and hey, California rain bests Iowa deep freeze.) The drive was easy from Burbank to SD on Highway 5, with a detour to drive along historic 101 highway south from Oceanside to del Mar. I stopped in Rancho Sante Fe, an elegant area east of the coast at a spectacular private home filled with contemporary art where the owners were hosting a soirée. In Solana Beach I stopped to catch the last minutes of the Farmers Market in the design district (raspberries! Satsumas!) and caught a good sale at a nearby boutique.
Next stop the Marriott Marquis & Marina where I am in a room high over the water. The sun is coming out. Must get crackin.
Filed under California, San Diego
rainy day in LA : Daichan Japanese Restaurant, Theodore Payne Foundation
Theodore Payne foundation
Lucy eats Japanese food
Rainy damp day here so we hibernated a bit then went out on the drizzle to so terrific Japanese restaurant in a nondescript Studio City strip center called Daichan which was packed with people warming up with miso soup and udon noodles with tempura. I had an excellent bowl of mixed poki, the Hawaiian raw fish dish I feel for on the Big Island. Other highlights were the seaweed wrapped quick fried tofu which was soft and fresh inside, lightly crispy on the outside with the slightly salty flavor of the seaweed.
Later Heather and I drove to Sunland, a suddenly rural area with horse ranches and old farmhouses and a nonprofit called Theodore Payne Foundation dedicated to native vegetation, perfect for the drought resistant front garden H is designing, after tearing up a suffering grass lawn.
Filed under California, Los Angeles
Los Feliz walk, Fred’s 62, Nickelodeon, and Portos…Los Angeles
Very Full day. We followed a walk in the excellent “Walking L.A.” Guide by Erin Mahoney through the Los Feliz neighborhood, walking up narrow winding roads near Griffith Park Observatory, lined with spectacular homes, culls of lush landscaping, amazing on-high views of downtown, with the occasional unfriendly dog, black Bentley, and signs warning of “armed security patrols.” A highlight is the amazing FLWright Ennis–Brown House. We also walked down and up several near-hidden pedestrian walkways that reminded us a bit of the hidden staircases between villages on the Amalfi coast.
We walked south on Vermont to a few interesting shops and restaurants south of Franklin, landing at Fred’s 66, a hipster diner, as advertised, with interesting salads, good burgers and sandwiches and breakfast. we drove awhile more around Laurel Canyon, marveling at yet another pocket of wealth, this one a different vibe than Los Feliz, more
Enjoying FLWright house in Los Feliz neighborhood of LA
rock star than studio exec neighborhood.
Next stop a visit to Nickelodeon headquarters in Burbank where my brother works on a new show Loud House (looked for it in about a year!) Cool place and glad my talented brother landed there. last stop a terrific Cuban bakery Portos, where the woman behind the counter didn’t just give us little samples but whole pastries to try. Delicious and it worked. we bought a bunch. We have loved our visit and slowly getting reacquainted with LA.
Filed under Los Angeles
LA Farmers Market for tacos, falafel, Brazilian BBQ, crepes and more
Loteria At the LA Farmers marketmakes some mean tacos, among our favs the shrimp and pork, also excellent black beans. My niece had a delicious Nutella crepe at a nearby stall and the Moishe’s falafel. The ambiance alone is great – an old fashioned food hall of sorts (the “farmers market” moniker is a bit misleading) with a series of little stalls around since the 1930s, each with a different ethnic or regional offering. The Brazilian BBQ had a strong following, as did the falafel place. Their is also a best French gourmet food and cooking ware store. All this is surrounded by a very upscale open air mall, sort of Disneyland-esque make believe world with fancy brand mpname outposts like anthropologie and top shop.
Filed under Los Angeles, Uncategorized
TakeBetsywithyou 