Category: Uncategorized

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...

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...

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...

Lou & Mickey’s is one of my favorite Gaslamp restaurants, with a recently expanded patio. (This would be a great place to watch the end of day parade of ComiCon cosplayers from the Convention Center up 5th Avenue.) A small Crab Louie, a glass of pinot, and sourdough bread. On a glorious San Diego afternoon. Happy birthday to me! Go...

This is another UFO (Unfinished Object). This is yet another rescued quilt top from EBay, borders and backing mine. Claim to fame – this quilt top is from Quitman, Texas where Sissy Spacek is from. No, she and her family has done nothing to do with this quilt. The flower squares are all hand pieced and the pink and green...

Finally done and in the wash! This was a rescued quilt top with borders and backing added by me. This top was purchased off eBay many years ago and it was beautifully hand pieced. The artists color sense is also outstanding in her combination of patterns and colors. I used a poly cotton batting which I think I just love...

I hope you can tell from this photo just how fresh and delicious the rolled tacos are at Jalapeno’s. Look at the grated cheese, how fresh and springy and bouncy and moist it is. The shredded lettuce is Super Fresh too. This is why Jalapeno’s is so delicious. They deal in huge quantities of food yet everything tastes like it...

Cheese and sourdough bread… One of life’s great combinations. Adding a hamburger patty seems totally extraneous to me, but Mr A cannot turn down a burger. I got the classic with the garlic aioli. They don’t overbutter the bread which makes a real difference in keeping this from being a solid grease bomb. Still the bread is nice and toasted...

Spicy beef ramen.

Hamburger and a shake for our Marching Band girl. Thank you Habit for being open til 11. Tried the Hatch burger – not bad. The Chile was well cooked so it was easy to eat. But the burger overall was not as spicy as I expected. Extra sauce next time.

When you say Chinese, we say Valley Boulevard! This place is a new “old favorite” that we tried several years ago for breakfast (!) while staying at the Hilton next door. A tiny, unassuming eatery in the back corner of one of the endless string of mini-malls on Valley Blvd. Mr A has been raving about the Spicy Beef Noodle...

Need a quick taco with excellent guacamole? Check out La Bonita’s on Palm Canyon Road. We enjoyed the Carne Asada and chicken tacos, and enjoyed watching all the action from the bar. Ms T just had guacamole for dinner.

I do not remember the last time I was so pleased with an inexpensive hotel. The Homewood Suites has a very cute two room suite with a cute little bedroom and a cute little living room for Ms S: The cute little sink, closet, and bathroom: And a cute little kitchen: Why don’t we stay in one of these every...

There is nothing we love more than Lawrys… Except Side Door. Ever since they turned the bar at Five Crowns into this hipster bar, with charcuterie plates and craft liquors, we have been in love. Naming a drink “Consider the Coconut” is maybe going a bit too far. (It’s a reference to Moana) and it wasn’t that good – too...

We knew we were at the right place when, as we were studying the menu outside, perfect strangers exhorted us to come in and try the lentil soup. Thus place was incredible. Everything tasted homemade. Not too much oil or salt. Just fresh and delicious. Like your Turkish grandmother might make. We loved the tomato and herb dipping oil for...

Google and Yelp helped us find Trattoria Mediterranean on Balboa Island. We don’t trust Yelp for reviews anymore (as they extort businesses for good reviews) but use them as a backup for Google, whose restaurant reviews have improved significantly over the last year or so. The restaurant was filling up at 1pm so we missed out on a patio table....

Good scientists that we are, we taste tested the two most popular Balboa Bar purveyors on Balboa Island, Dad’s and Sugar and Spice. We encountered S&S on Friday night an hour before they closed. The lines were crazy but I loved the quiet, dark atmosphere of the island at night. I was also impressed by the Heath Bar Crunch topping....

I prefer drinking spirits straight. I don’t like sweet drinks or wasting empty calories on fillers. Same reason I like espresso, and also tequila. But it has to be Anejo – aged. Not that nasty Patron Silver which is the least aged “Blanco” type. In Mexico I adore drinking Tequila Bandera – a shot of Tequila (preferably Herradura Anejo) plus...

Glad we decided to try this place again. The Al Pastor is the standout. Crispy, spicy, not greasy, and a hint of cinnamon? Nutmeg? I also tried a carnitas taco and that too was very good – meaty and again, not greasy. Sliced pineapple was a bonus. So was the addictive Serrano green sauce. Mr A tried the Carne Asada...