Fork’n Pork (Victoria, BC)
They had me at Pork. Mac N Cheese – with Pork? Yes please. And here’s a closeup of the menu. Next time tho – we have a date with Empress Hotel.
Yearly Archive: 2017
Afternoon Tea (Fairmont Empress, Vancouver BC)
If you come to Vancouver there are 2 things you must do, Butchart Gardens and Afternoon Tea at the Empress Hotel. The adult ticket to Butchart Gardens was $46CAD which was a lot, but the Gardens never fail to impress me. Lush and exquisitely manicured even in the winter, it presents dozens of photo opportunities and will inspire even the...
Fangirling Reylo, and more
https://www.slashgear.com/in-star-wars-the-last-jedi-subtext-reigns-supreme-27512829/ “Snoke only serves to show us what happens to those who don’t respect the power that Kylo Ren holds; who brush him off as a kid dealing with a bout of idol worship. Luke said it himself when he told Rey that Kylo Ren’s power didn’t scare him enough – Snoke didn’t respect the power within Kylo Ren, instead...
Lunch in Raincouver (Banana Leaf)
We were looking forward to some great Chinese dining in Vancouver, and thanks to a Trip advisor article, found a winner. We were already on Main Street checking out Pulp Fiction used book store when we realized Banana Leaf was just down Broadway. We took the 99 bus down (since it was still about 35degF and raining) and easily got...
Expanding the Blog
I can’t remember the reasons anymore why I thought I needed more than one blog. We can all handle it if I use tags, right? If you want to see just food posts, you can do that. OK then.
Kylo Ren is hot
“Does Rey know that she’s telepathically communicating with a man that is either so evil that he’s pretending to be not as evil to fuck with her? Yeah, I think so. Is she maybe into it a little bit because she loves moody assholes who are so damaged that part of you thinks you might be able to fix then?...
Lunch at the airport – Saffron
Fried rice with chicken. Gringo-mild. Definitely not as good as Mirin. Still, the worst fried rice is better than a burger any day!
Mirin (Escondido, CA)
If there was ever a local restaurant that deserves an episode of Diners, Driveins, and Dives it’s this one. Spicy tuna tacos on a crunchy wonton tostada. Lots of tuna – this could be an entree. Spicy and flavorful. Beef tacos. Marinated thin sliced beef, lettuce, guacamole, corn tortillas. Delicious. Kudos to the chef, it’s easy to bite thru the...
Cold snap
U.S., Canada endure record cold Christmas to New Years period http://mashable.com/2017/12/28/arctic-blast-record-cold-us-canada-frigid-new-year/#bDNcLRvQdPqD “In fact, North America is currently experiencing the most unusually cold air of any region on Earth right now.” Time to go to Canada!
Kula Sushi and Boba Bar (Kearney Mesa)
Kula has been the most popular sushi place in San Diego for a while, so you can’t go there without a plan. We arrived at 515 to find only a 20 minute wait, which had grown to a 36 minute wait by the time we #157 were next. It made the waiting easier to be able to watch the Serving...
Holiday treats
Chocolate Yule Log, from Edelweiss bakery in Rancho Bernardo. This is one of our yearly traditions! Filled with chocolate mouse, the homemade chocolate buttercream frosting is the best part. Pan Dulce from Aurora’s Bakery in Escondido. Super-sized and freshness that actually lasts for days! The squiggly yellow cookie is a huge sugar cookie, really good. The raspberry Coconut roll is...
Garbanzo Salad
Inspired by our local Persian restaurants 3.5 Persian cucumbers 2 15oz cans garbanzos 1 lemon 3 cloves garlic 1.5T oregano 1t salt Pepper 2 tomatoes 1/4c parsley (1/3 bunch) 1/8c EVOO 3-4T rice wine vinegar 4 Oz Lucerne feta (less if strongly flavored)
Costco pizza
Sometime you just want a slice and a drink for $2.58. So good, it’s a crime. Real cheese, crispy pepperoni, fresh made chewy crust.
Urban Plates (Del Mar)
Urban Plates continues to be a popular place in this mall. By the time we were seated with our food at 630, the line was out the door. This place has 4 types of entrees: salads (many with meat), sandwiches, meats, and pizza. We’ve never made it past the meats because they look so good. Tonight they had roast chicken,...
The New Seven Wonders of the World
A new poll reveals 7 new Wonders of the World – The Great Wall of China. The Taj Mahal. Petra. The Colosseum. Christ the Redeemer. Chichén Itzá. Machu Picchu. The ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’ https://nyti.ms/2kdemAZ Here are 6 of mine Easter Island Stonehenge Great Wall St Peter’s Basilica Pyramids Colosseum What are your 7 Wonders?
Walled cities in Spain
https://about-spain.net/tourism/walled-cities.htm One of our most memorable visits in Spain was the walled city of Segovia with its enormous castle, Cathedral, and Roman aqueduct. Today I ran across a great Web page listing all the walled cities of Spain and it got me dreaming of travel again. Case in point – Below are a few pictures of Lugo, whose ancient and...
MH370, smoking gun
I traveled extensively in a previous life and I get obsessed with airline disasters as kind of a survivors guilt thing. The disappearance of MH370 on the Indian Ocean has held my interest for some time. As the article says, this disaster, and the fact that they haven’t been able to find the plane, is inconceivable. However the following fact...
Chino Bandido (Phoenix, AZ)
We’ve found that many diners profiled by Diners Driveins and Dives have not survived the white hot spotlight of fame. Many seem to have fallen back into obscurity and their specials are just not special at all. Making us wonder just how much hype was builtin to the reviews. Chino Bandido is the exception, however. An extremely modest place, Chino...
Mariposa (Sedona, AZ)
Top rated views and a carnivore friendly menu… Top of that list is Mariposa. We arrived at 5, having heard of the gargantuan wait times for the patio. Luckily we were seated right away. The views northward were indeed spectacular. p The temperature was just starting to cool off and we were pooped from our long day of 4WDing and...
Yosemite rock fall
Incredible pictures of the 2nd rock fall at El Capitan in the AP article. So sad that someone died. Apparently about 80 rock falls a year occur but normally without fatalities. Check out all the photos. http://www.apnewsarchive.com/2017/It-happens-about-80-times-a-year-rocks-break-loose-and-crash-down-along-the-climbing-routes-at-California-s-Yosemite-National-Park-but-two-days-of-cracking-has-killed-1-injured-2/id-db78cb3511904dad8acfc181f197548e One of our favorite places in the world, the features of Yosemite Valley like El Capitan and Half Dome envelop the viewer visually...