Sampling Some of Sonoma's Best

August 25, 2012 by K & L in Dining Out, Food, News, North America, Places, Roadtrip 2012

Since we needed to delay our arrival into San Francisco by a day in order to be able to meet the schedules of our hosts, we chose to pass the time in the Napa/Sonoma areas. As expected, we drove by countless vineyards, with their perfect rows of ripening white and red grapes.

Deciding we were allowed to spend more money than usual on the super-high-quality food in the area, we limited our lodging to tent camping, and again lucked out with the last spot in Sugarloaf Ridge state park, on the Sonoma side.

After setting up our tent as a way of staking our claim to the spot, we drove down the windy mountain road into downtown Sonoma, and landed at the El Dorado Kitchen, which soon became tastebud heaven.

For starters, we both sampled some local wines: Loren opted for a Sonoma white and Kristen a Napa red. Kristen again ordered the duck, this time served two ways: seared duck breast and duck leg confit. The mix of all the flavors - the duck jus, apple puree, turnips, pickled cherries and shitakes, and rich duck - made for an incredible palate pleaser.

But, Loren’s roasted Petaluma chicken dish - simple as it sounds - was a home run, winning best plate of the night (at our table). It was the most complex-tasting roast chicken we’d ever sampled, with crispy skin, squash puree, chanterelles, piquillo peppers, romesco and chicken jus.

As if we couldn’t indulge anymore, we ordered the molten chocolate cake with sweet corn ice cream. Delectable.

We were both exhausted as we pulled up to our campsite, and despite the renowned conditions for stargazing that the State Park boasts, we beelined for the sleeping bags. We didn’t even make a fire that night! Instead, we entertained ourselves by finishing up the Netflix movie we’d had since early July.

The sun woke us up around 8am as it rose over the ridge, and we battled a swarm of yellow jackets that really wanted to share in our fried egg breakfast. Eventually, we gave up and ate in the car.

Plated, with sriracha and hungry yellow jackets

We also paid to shower at the park’s facilities, 40 seconds of water for 25 cents. Kristen used 3 quarters, and came out of that experience thinking about how indulgent we are with our normal showers. Loren only used 2 quarters, and owing to the cold he’d picked up somewhere after LA, he wasn’t as thoughtful post-shower. With both of us nonetheless revived from our showers, we headed into wine country to sample some of the local sips.

We ended up arriving rather early - 11am - and were the first patrons at Audelssa, a fancy wine tasting shop in Glen Ellen, near Sonoma. With Loren under the weather, Kristen took one for the team and sampled for both. Audelssa ended up being a great place to start, because it is a small operation: all grapes are handpicked, and the vintner only makes 3,000 barrels a year. Apparently they don’t distribute, and sell only to their wine club members and whatever bottles are bought by happy tasters. It was a nice experience, and in talking to the server, we picked up a tip for a future camping meal pairing: canned sardines supposedly go perfectly with chardonnay. After the 6 large sips Kristen had sampled, she was a bit giggly and ready for caffeine, so we headed into downtown Sonoma.

After a cappuccino at a shop near the square, we started back towards the vineyards but were captivated by another establishment at a scooter importer. So we got round 2, this time chai instead of coffee.

Next we drove to another vineyard, this time a very big operation, Gloria Ferrer. It wasn’t quite the experience we were hoping for, as they “didn’t do wine tastings, per se.” We had to order half-glasses of the five wines that we could, and therefore missed out on the sparkling wines for which the vintner is known.

Despite the less than tasty wines, the patio where we sat offered gorgeous views of the Sonoma Valley and the estate. By that point, we’d had our fill of the grapes and were eager to make the quick drive into San Francisco. After all, we plan to return to wine country, hopefully sooner rather than later.

Getting a Taste of LYFE

August 24, 2012 by K & L in Dining Out, Food, North America, Places, Roadtrip 2012

After reading a great article in Wired Magazine about ex-McDonald’s executives starting up a new restaurant concept called LYFE Kitchen, we knew we had to try it (or, rather, Loren made us go). Their flagship location (and one-and-only so far, though they plan to open hundreds in the next couple years) is in Palo Alto, CA, and we were on our way in that direction anyway.

The founders of LYFE have a lot of knowledge about the fast food business from their experience running McDonald’s, but have thankfully chosen to apply it to a new (and better) system of food service. Instead of supporting unhealthy foods and evil factory farming, LYFE is supporting the next phase of eating: healthier food and local, organic, sustainable farming. In fact, their name stands for Love Your Food Everyday.

The place had a welcoming feel with beautiful interior design using natural materials, an array of herbs and spices growing, a wide-open view into the kitchen area, and quotes about food printed on the walls (including one of Loren's favorites, "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food"). We wanted to sample a few different items, you know, just to see, so we ordered a few different things at the front counter, where they asked our name and gave us a coaster to take to our table. The tables are equipped to correspond with our coaster, so the servers know where to deliver the food.

A few moments later (not as fast as McDonald’s, but who cares?) our summery cucumber mint cooler arrived, and a few minutes after that, the rest of our food. We shared an Asian-inspired noodly brothy fish dish and a little gluten-free margherita pizza. Both were fresh and tasty.

On our way out, we couldn’t resist getting one more thing for the road, you know, just to see, so we ordered baked sweet potato fries, which comes with agave ketchup. They were so delicious and so much healthier than their McDonald’s counterpart: salty white potatoes with high fructose corn syrup ketchup.

Even though LYFE’s prices don’t really compare with conventional fast food joints, we sincerely hope LYFE catches on and makes people more aware of their food choices; to put the quality of their food and the source of their food above price. For a healthier life and a healthier planet.

Charming Carmel and its Valley

August 22, 2012 by K & L in Dining Out, Food, News, North America, People, Places, Roadtrip 2012

The quaint and ritzy Carmel-By-The-Sea was our next stop along the California coast. Loren had been before and wanted Kristen to see it in all its glory. We drove through a few random neighborhood streets to get a feel for the residential area, where every single street is lush with trees and gardens and unique, just-the-right-size homes. We walked only a few minutes along the white-sand beach at the end of Ocean Avenue, as the weather was a bit nippy, and then proceeded to grab lunch, via high Yelp ratings once again.

Our choice was a good one; we ended up sitting outside at a cute bistro called Basil. In order to sample a few different dishes, we split two appetizers and one big salad. The shrimp plate and lamb meatballs were the winners.

To take in a little more culture, we walked around and found ourselves at the Carmel Valley Coffee Roasting Company for coffee and (of course) blogging. It was the perfect place to just chill for a couple hours.

Our next stop: Carmel Valley, the inland companion town to the chillier Carmel, with rolling hills and warmer weather. We arrived and unpacked at Sarah and Taylor’s house, a large but cute ranch-style u-shaped home, which wraps around a magnificently old live oak tree. Unfortunately, these trees were getting hit with an infestation of gross little caterpillars (soon to be moths), which were hanging from a line of silk literally everywhere. As soon as we arrived we walked right into them, and afterwards kept finding them on our clothes.

After a wonderful dinner at a nearby Greek restaurant with the happy couple, we went back to their house to wind down and then hit the hay. Lovable black cats seem to be a theme on this trip. At four of the homes we’ve crashed at, there has been a really cool black cat living there. One of the cats at Sarah and Taylor’s house, Cowboy, got into our bed and went to sleep with us. He even came back the next morning and helped wake up Loren, cute little guy.

Sarah was at work teaching kindergartners, and Taylor was in the metal shop making art, so we set off to explore Monterey, an historic town known for its world-class aquarium and charming Cannery Row. But we were on a different mission; Kristen actually lived here for a year at age four when her Navy dad was in postgraduate school, and we wanted to find her old house. Her faded memory of the house at such a young age made it nearly impossible (“I think that’s it!” “No, wait maybe that one!”), but it was still fun to try.

Before heading further up the coast, we stopped in Sand City to see Taylor’s current sculpture projects, and Kristen lucked out with another Hawthorne family guided tour. We saw the super-cool loft apartment above the metal shop where Taylor used to live, and another gallery space filled with modern paintings, sculptures, and furniture.

From there, we shared a bowl of veggie soup, splurged on some delicious strawberry-rhubarb pie and savored a cappuccino at Sweet Elena’s, and moved on.

L.A. in a Day

August 20, 2012 by K & L in Dining Out, News, North America, People, Places, Roadtrip 2012

We arrived at Dan and Diana’s house in Echo Park, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, after a quick couple of hours in the car. It’s surprising how close things are in southern California. We set off shortly after emptying our car in their adorable house, and our first stop was down the street where Diana works at a non-profit writing and tutoring center called 826. The organization, founded in San Francisco by Dave Eggers, has multiple locations scattered across the country, with storefronts housing kitschy/funky things according to a theme; this one has Time Travel as its theme, and included a front window exhibit featuring a caveman and a robot. Seems like a pretty cool place to work!

From 826, we headed to Hollywood to do a bit of the walk of fame, passing stars in the sidewalk dedicated to Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon, Jim Henson, and a bunch of old-Hollywood names that we didn’t recognize. We also passed by some Banksy street art, which Loren was excited about after having watched the amazing street art documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, by Banksy himself (which Loren strongly recommends). After that point, Hollywood Blvd became really touristy, with crowds of people pouring out of tour buses near the El Capitan theater, street performers and food vendors blocking the way. We made it as far as the Chinese Theater to take a look at stars’ handprints and footprints, then literally exited through the gift shop to get back to the car.

Dan and Diana drove us past mansions (including Brad Pitt’s estate) in an incredible neighboorhood, Los Feliz, up to Griffith Observatory, where we were a tad late for sunset, but the views were still breathtaking. It’s amazing to see how vast that city is. The observatory is a great spot in and of itself, with exhibits on the electromagnetic spectrum, celestial objects, a tesla coil that lit a neon sign wirelessly (by charging the air), and a huge pendulum that tells the hour of the day based on the rotation of the earth.

By the time we left the observatory, we were ravenously hungry. After driving back to Echo Park, we all walked down the street to a delicious neighborhood restaurant called The Park, just before the kitchen closed.

*Grilled bone-in pork chop, fresh cranberry bean ragout, swiss chard cakes & nectarine-ancho chile jam*

*Hangar steak, toasted breadcrumb salsa, fresh cranberry bean succotash & heirloom tomato arugula salad*

To cap off the night, we took a night stroll in the neighborhood to a spot with an often-filmed view of the LA skyline. Along the walk, we met (and pet) about 7 cats, most of which were probably strays, and all of which were super friendly. To say that we got our cat fix that night is a bit of an understatement.

The next morning, Dan made a delicious egg scramble and bacon, and we saw Diana off to work. After a lazy couple of hours, we walked to the prize of the neighborhood, a taco shop called La Esquinita. $1.50 for a taco plus freshly made corn tortilla chips and three salsas. Spread the word, that place is perfection. Plus, it’s just a block or so away from Shepard Fairey’s gallery (he’s the artist responsible for the Obama “Hope” posters, and of OBEY fame; also a grad of RISD and a fave of Loren’s).

With our brief stay reaching its end, Loren and Dan picked some fresh fruit from the back yard’s fig and pear trees, and we added a fallen avocado to the stash as well. Echo Park, with your fruit trees and friendly cats and awesome suburban small-town feel, we love you. Thanks to Dan and Diana for the comfy couches and for showing us a great time!

*Fresh figs and pears from the back yard*

We drove out of Echo Park and made a stop where Loren’s grandparents lived, in Culver City, then drove out to Beverly Hills and down Rodeo Drive, before heading back out to the coast to catch the Pacific Coast Highway north.

Leaving Las Vegas

August 15, 2012 by Loren in Dining Out, News, North America, Places, Roadtrip 2012

After losing some money, a credit card, and a small bit of our souls in Las Vegas, we set out to get back on track. Our first stop on the way out of the city was a quick breakfast. We found Egg Works, an okay little diner that is apparently a suburban Vegas staple with a high Yelp rating. It was good enough for mild hangover breakfast, but not that memorable.

Our second stop was the infamous Hoover Dam, which neither of us had ever seen. It was magnificent in all its concrete and art deco glory, but what got in the way of our enjoyment was the absurd blazing heat bearing down on us. We opted to make it a quick visit, snapped a few photos, and ducked out to hit the road toward San Diego, where good weather, a free place to stay, and wonderful company awaited.

What Happened in Vegas

August 15, 2012 by K & L in Dining Out, Food, News, North America, Places, Roadtrip 2012

Always up for good counterpoint, we jumped from Zion to Las Vegas, where the scenery changed from sheer rocky cliffs to towering hotels, from river to fountains, from nighttime sky to neon flashing lights.

*Dashboard temperature reading as we entered Vegas*

Adjusting to the extreme heat and general sensory overload, we checked into the Hotel Monte Carlo, which turned out to be cheaper in cost than our digs in Sedona. From there, we threw on our “nice” clothes and set out on the strip for the long walk through what seemed like miles of hotel lobbies, casino rooms, high-end malls, and finally landed at The Venetian for dinner.

Good food is super easy to find in Vegas (among other things). Reasonably-priced good food is tougher... so we landed at Bouchon, which is somewhere in the middle of the price range but at the top of the quality range. (The chef, Thomas Keller, has been named “America’s Best Chef” by Time Magazine.) With classic french bistro decor, a relaxed ambiance, and some jedi mind tricks that made us feel like we were on the ground floor (rather than the actual 10th floor), we sank into our table eager to have something other than camp cooking.

We devoured the warm-up course: bread and pistachios with some of the best butter we’d ever tried. For a main course, Loren opted for the Sole Marinière (sautéed fillet of sole, caramelized baby artichokes, manila clams, oyster mushrooms, coco beans, and a delicious seafood broth). For Kristen, the Veal Chateaubriand (seared veal loin, crispy polenta, jingle bell peppers, glazed figs, fennel bulb & sauce soubise).

It was really hard to peel us out of our happy-belly stupor, especially knowing that we definitely had to make our way, in the heat, all the way back down to the Monte Carlo. Turns out Vegas at night trumps Vegas by day. While it was still super hot, and while there were tons of people still out on the streets, things seemed marginally less hectic. And at least we had the neon lights to keep our focus from the heat!

We weaved our way through the nudie card slappers (who are in some way trying to generate business for escorts but as far as we could tell, couldn’t pass out any cards) to the Eiffel Tower restaurant, which is a part of Paris hotel. Unable to eat anything more, we chose liquid dessert of Margarita and Strawberry-Basil Mojito. The view from the bar was pretty spectacular: the Bellagio’s fountain. (In fact, the drinks at Eiffel Tower were so good, Kristen somehow managed to pay the bill but leave her credit card at the bar. Luckily she realized it a few hours after the fact and was able to freeze that account... she eventually cancelled it after the restaurant reported back they hadn't found it the next morning. And of course, 45 minutes later, they found it at the hostess stand. Too late. What you spend in Vegas stays in Vegas!)

After leaving the Eiffel Tower bar, we made it just in time to catch another showing of the Bellagio Fountain show, which was a bit overshadowed by the terrible choice in music ("God Bless the USA"... why didn't Bellagio stick with Clair de Lune, like in Ocean's Eleven?) but still worth seeing. Our next stop was a spot close to our own hotel, the Cosmopolitan's Chandelier bar, where we topped off our liquor buzz with another drink each, though the ambiance far outweighed the drinks this time. After that liquid confidence, we made it back to the Monte Carlo where we decided to try our luck in the casino. First stop: slots. We each lost one dollar immediately, expecting it'd last for at least a few "spins". That sucked. Kristen swore off gambling, Loren tried Fast Roulette and digital Blackjack, and both turned in fairly early by Vegas standards. Total money lost at casino: $25.

All in all, we spent our money where we wanted to: on food and drink. Dinner was literally more expensive than our hotel room for the night. Vegas is certainly a spectacle, and we'll be back at some point at least to try more restaurants, to catch a Cirque du Soleil performance, and to visit the currently-under-renovation but soon-to-reopen Neon Graveyard in North vegas. Until then, we'll save up.

Surprising Sedona

August 12, 2012 by K & L in Dining Out, Food, North America, Places, Roadtrip 2012

We left Albuquerque in a whirlwind with our sights set on Sedona, Arizona. We made two notable stops along the way. First was Gallup, NM, a small town near the NM/AZ border which Hollywood put on the map thanks to the many westerns which were filmed near there. The town is famous for the El Rancho Hotel (and motel), located on historic route 66 and built in the 1930s specifically for traveling film crews and silver screen stars. The main lobby area of the hotel is beautiful and unique, with an enormous stone fireplace flanked on either side by twisting staircases to the overlooking second floor. Rooms are named for the stars who frequented them. And the food smelled delicious, though we opted for our own cheaper fare.

The second stop we made was Petrified Forest National Park. Highlights of the park were the vistas overlooking the Painted Desert, and learning about how the fallen logs turned to stone over the years. The park is one of those over-managed places, where you can’t walk anywhere off the path (at least in the parts we saw). It was sort of disappointing in that way because you couldn’t get a good look at the majority of the petrified wood. But after 30 minutes of walking around and stopping at as many pieces as possible, we were ready to move on.

We could feel a repeat of the Carlsbad experience creeping up on us as we drove past Flagstaff and into the forest that leads to Sedona. As the sun was setting, we passed three campgrounds with no vacancy (it was Saturday night...), and the only RV park in Sedona did not allow tent camping. Outlook not so good.

After driving the resort-style main strip of Sedona, we landed at a motel called the King’s Ransom. The room was more expensive than we’d wanted but in the spirit of preventing another Carslbad bad motel experience, we bit the bullet and took their last room. Loren was quick to check out the attached restaurant, Elote Cafe, on Yelp and as it happened we’d landed at one of the best places to eat in Sedona! After a long wait which included sampling some of the leftover wine from ABQ and some of Elote Cafe's fresh margs, we soothed our growling stomachs around 10pm mountain time/9pm Arizona time. [Q: Why doesn’t Arizona follow Daylight Savings?]

We were also fortunate that our room had a walk out patio from which we could wander into the courtyard-ish area to watch the Perseids meteor shower. It wasn’t the best stargazing we’d seen (thanks, West Texas, for spoiling us!), but we each saw at least 5 shooting stars. We passed out after fighting to stay up to see the rumored hundreds per hour, which never delivered.

The next morning, filling up our bags with continental breakfast fruit and having a couple of boiled eggs, we set off again to see more of beautiful Sedona. We made a mental note that this place could be a candidate city for retiring: beautiful red rock mountain vistas, nearby Slippery Rock State Park (which we didn’t have time to see), a nearby National Forest, emphasis on outdoorsy activities, and a ton of spa resorts. Kristen revised her take once she realized she’d gotten heat rash after only spending about 5 minutes outside to take some mountain photos. That place gets HOT! All in all, though, Sedona is a place we plan to at least visit again.

Albuquerque: Vacation from our vacation

August 11, 2012 by K & L in Dining Out, Food, News, North America, People, Places, Roadtrip 2012

Albuquerque was such a good rest stop for us, offering a soft bed, cool house, warm shower, full kitchen, wireless, and a chance to see more of the Olympics. After sleeping ourselves out of the sleep debt we’d accrued while tent camping/acclimating to the high elevation, we made breakfast and set off for the climbing gym to start “training” for our upcoming outdoorsy lifestyle in Colorado.

From the gym, we met Loren’s mom for sparkling wine tasting at Gruet Winery, where we loosened up, and then to REI for some camping supplies. To top off the spoiling, Kristen was treated to a mani-pedi.

For dinner, the group went to the quirky and fun Range Cafe for delicious food and clever drinks. Below are some highlights.

*Appetizer: Green Chili Strips w/creamy cilantro sauce (a must-try!)*

*Margs. Can you guess which one was Loren's? (hint: it's pink)*

*Coconut-cranberry mojito, a perfect combination of the best flavors ever.*

*Loren's adorable grandparents, aka Mom and Papi*

Day two started with renewed energy. The Subaru (aka Subie) got its oil change, Kristen practiced yoga for the first time since setting off on the trip, and we made it to Petroglyph National Monument just before the visitor center closed. Because of the sun glare, the glyphs were a little trickier to find! Afterwards, the whole group made it out to dinner at Pasion Latin Fusion, where we shared 2 bottles of wine and some delicious plates for dinner.

Good company, good weather, good food, good drink. Thanks so much to Vilma and Jim for being our generous hosts!

BBQ at its Best

August 05, 2012 by K & L in Dining Out, Food, North America, Roadtrip 2012

Taking the expert advice of our hosts, we decided to head to one of central Texas’s most famous barbecue restaurants before leaving Austin. Salt Lick is located about 30 minutes south of Austin in a ranch paradise, a sprawling complex housing both a vineyard and restaurant. At the heart of the operation is a giant BBQ pit, which patrons see on the way to their seats, a peek at what’s to come. We arrived around noon on Sunday, which happens to be about an hour after Salt Lick opens, and the parking lot was already about half full. In order to sample as much as possible, we shared a heaping plate called The Rancher, which features the four meats (ribs, brisket, sausage, and turkey) served with cole slaw, potato salad, beans, pickles, onion and a huge chunk of bread. Barbecue at its best. In order to enjoy it fully and not enter into BBQ-coma, we ignored the bread and beans. Breakfast of champions!

In the aftermath of our feast we drove out to Hamilton Pool, a supposedly beautiful swimming hole oasis, but the 2+ hour wait to get in scared us away. It was a tough decision, but we will definitely come back to Austin, during which time we will definitely put Hamilton Pool at the top of the list.

By the way if you’re looking for a gift from Austin, check out the Salt Lick Cookbook full of drool-worthy recipes – they may or may not be the best barbecue recipes in all of Texas.

Austin: New Favorite City?

August 04, 2012 by K & L in Dining Out, Food, News, North America, People, Places, Roadtrip 2012

The results are in: Austin is amazing. We definitely need to live here at some point. In the few hours that we spent around town, we walked the super-cool S. Congress strip, ate the best tacos ever [Torchy’s at the South Austin Trailer Park, a food truck/trailer haven], splurged on a "cake shake" [exactly what you think: cake blended into a milkshake], recharged after our sugar coma with delicious iced coffee at a place known for hot dogs [Frank’s, the coolest restaurant/bar/cafe/music venue we’ve ever been to] and found the house of our dreams [a deal at $700K, slightly out of reach, considering our zero-income status right now]. Austin has won the city challenge so far. Special shout-out to Matt Fedor for the air mattress and awesome hospitality!

*Selection at Allens Boots on S. Congress*

*We didn't even need candy...the rich sugary aromas were enough!*

*Kristen's pick at Torchy's: the "Trailer Park", served "trashy"*

*With the host! Thanks for everything!!*