Vagawandering.com Blog

Quantas A380 departs LAX

First post-Covid A380 departure from LAX for Quantas ! The A380s are slowly being brought into service across most airlines. Qantas Airbus A380s return to the skies – Executive Travellers https://www.executivetraveller.com/news/qantas-airbus-a380s-return-to-the-skies Here is the link: https://youtu.be/wqE4A13wHh0. Enjoy the high res cameras and informative chatter of these airline fanatics LA Flights! The A380 landing (approach) can be seen starting at 4:19...

Con Pane Rustic Breads & Cafe (San Diego)

Not many people would pay $9 for 3 slices of bread and butter, but I would! And then the plate, heaping with 3 ginormous 1.5″ thick slices of fresh LOAF, arrived. My mouth dropped open. I am actually not sure if this picture truly portrays the hugeness of the serving. The bread had clearly just come from the oven. Soft...

Sammy G’s Tuscan Grill (Palm Springs)

We’ve always wanted to eat at one of the fabulous patio restaurants along North Palm Canyon Drive. Even in mid December, low 50s, there were crowds at the patios of Las Casuelas Terrace, Lulu, LGs steakhouse, Marlin Bar, El Patron, Kaiser Grille. We enjoyed Sammy G’s very much. The front patio was packed so we tried the bar patio which...

Cheeky’s (Palm Springs)

We tore ourselves away from Sherman’s to experience the bacon flight at Cheeky’s. Love this place but don’t bring a party of 20! The bacon flight showcased the following 5 flavors. Nodines Applewood, Chimichurri (interesting), Persimmon Jam (meh), Beeler Apple Cinnamon (very cinnamon forward), Jalapeño. I think the Jalapeño was far and away the best. Any chile flavor with pork...

101 Noodle Express (Alhambra)

All love to 101 Noodle Express. Always 101 percent consistently good!! We tried the “spicy beef with rice” which was not spicy at all. Just kinda basic sliced beef and onions in a delicious brown sauce. We all agreed it was a keeper. One thing this place is missing is more veggie dishes. For green beans the only choice is...

Mole Master Class

First watch Rick Bayless, the god of Mexican cooking (well the white god), prepare traditional Mole in an easy to follow recipe for English speakers. No shortcuts, no gimmicks, just a sincere love for the tradition. (Did we mention we love Rick and his Chicago restaurant empire?). https://youtu.be/9nLCrGeaEPE Then watch and be schooled and humbled by a REAL goddess of...

One Life. Six Words. What’s Yours?

“When Hemingway famously wrote, “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn,” he proved that an entire story can be told using a half dozen words. When the online storytelling magazine SMITH asked readers to submit six-word memoirs, they proved a whole, real life can be told this way too. The results are fascinating, hilarious, shocking, and moving.“

Tracing Mexico’s Complicated Relationship With Rice (NYT)

https://nyti.ms/3F66hlL “To the Old World there flowed such indispensable things as maize, chocolate, chiles, tomatoes, avocados, potatoes and rubber. The Americas, in turn, received the wheel, the horse, sugar, wheat, livestock, a syllabic script and, of course, rice. The changes the Columbian Exchange wrought are so profound, so embedded now in our way of life, that it is hard to...

Garmin Venu SQ

I love my Venu SQ fitness smartwatch so much! Square like the Apple watch, 4 day battery life, syncs to Strava, records sleep, heart rate, stress, SpOx, hydration, with a mature, easy to use interface and ALL the stats. A data mongers dream. And I get all my notifications with customizable list of replies. And the music edition lets you...

San Gabriel Valley restaurants

“Los Angeles’s sprawling San Gabriel Valley boasts an embarrassment of culinary riches across multiple cities, valleys, and neighborhoods — especially when it comes to Asian cuisines. Beyond regional Chinese fare, the area is home to specialties from across the continent including India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Taiwan. Here now are 21 essential Asian restaurants in the vast, broad San Gabriel Valley.”...

Al’s #1 Italian Beef, Lou Malnati’s (Chicago)

We went to Al’s the first night we got to Chicago. It was truly awesome and was perfectly satisfying. In fact I dont feel a need to try any other Italian Beef place – this would be a must stop for us the next time we are in the city. Their finely chopped, almost mushy, giardiniera was perfect to eat...

Nandos, Eataly, Caffe Umbria, Intelligentsia (Chicago)

We tried to eat at Nandos in London a few years back but…the location we visited had RUN OUT OF CHICKEN. Why they were still even open we didn’t know. But this time we were cold, wet, hungry, and desperate…and Nando’s came thru. We really loved their chicken, especially the chicken on the bone. I also liked their peas and...

Cindy’s Rooftop (Chicago Athletic Club)

This should be your first meal in Chicago. Duck in the unassuming front door and admire the inlay tile on the floor. Note the cute coffee shop in the lobby for later. Don’t sit on the staircase steps, you have been warned! Wait for the express elevator to be un-roped at 11. The expansive dining room is just as pictured…...

Rick Bayless’ Mexican Empire (Chicago)

Xoco – for when you’re in Chicago and can’t get into Rick Bayless’ famous Frontera Grill! All I can say is, San Diego, you need to step up your Mexican food game: I have never had anything as delicious as this Ahogada torta, in San Diego. The menu description is: “Golden pork carnitas, black beans, tomato-arbol chile broth, pickled onions”....