Some of my friends thought that I was crazy and some of my friends thought that I was brave. But sometimes, when you meet someone, even online, you click and you know this person will have a place in your life. I met ‘A’ online probably close to 2 years ago in a cookbook club on Facebook (actually, I think we were in a couple of the same groups). We ended up getting to know each other through Facebook Messenger pretty well (this kind of sounds like an advertisement for Facebook, doesn’t it?) and she invited me to California for a visit. I finally took the bait and made the trip. My flights were only $400 (CAD) and accommodations were free since I stayed with ‘A’ and her husband, but I did spend a lot of money at restaurants and on food to bring home. I am excited to say I am no longer a Trader Joe’s virgin!
California is beautiful, but it was cold when I was there – grey May they called it. It was warmer in Calgary than it was in California when I was there! Anyways, here’s a summary of my trip in food photos!
I had a late lunch at the Wolfgang Puck Kitchen at the Calgary International Airport… I know – I couldn’t even make it out of town without eating at an American chain restaurant! I had a salad to ensure a good kick of fibre to start off my trip right… and fries because I couldn’t be too healthy!
The salad was quite tasty – apple and endive with a tangy vinaigrette, it had a fair amount of sweetness, cut by the tang of the dressing and the sharp blue cheese crumble hidden throughout. The shoestring fries were seasoned perfectly. I haven’t eaten very many fries in the last year, but these were worth every calorie.
Flying into Los Angeles was new to me – in some areas there was development as far as the eye could see… what a huge city! I had heard many complaints about LAX before my trip… I have to say, my arrival and baggage pickup was about the most confusing thing I’ve experienced in any airport. Thankfully, coming back home was super easy!
After arriving at LAX we had a 3+ hour drive north to Santa Maria where my friend ‘A’ lives. We stopped for supper at the Reel Inn in Malibu and ate some pretty tasty fish tacos and rice. I doused my tacos in hot sauce to add more flavour; apparently they keep their dishes pretty simple so the customer can customize with whatever sauces they want. The Reel Inn is super cute and comfortable with a huge patio out the back – but be prepared to share a picnic table with a stranger!
After dinner we continued our way north and passed none other than Neil Young and Daryl Hannah in Neil’s fancy car! I got a photo but he put his arm up to block his face so it’s really not worth sharing…
The next day ‘A’ and I hit up the local Case Mañana Mexican Food restaurant in Santa Maria. A small family run joint that has been there since 1964, it was filled with locals over the lunch hour and the food was super tasty. I was impressed that my tostada didn’t fall apart, and to top it off, the chile rillenos were the best I’ve ever had!
Next on the tour was Pismo Beach – it was a little bit cool to be hanging out on the boardwalk, but we were pretty enthralled by the seagulls attacking each other over an unopened bag of potato chips that people had left on their blanket when they went for a walk… it was funny to see the look on their face when they came back – bird shit and feathers all over their blanket and an empty bag of chips… Pismo Beach is a total touristy town, but it’s fun to walk up and down the short streets and check out the shops and restaurants.
I bought candy and chocolate covered strawberries at HotLix, but I wasn’t very tempted by the suckers filled with worms, ants and other odd bugs, nor by the Largest Original Worm Snacks for only $1.95… The salt water taffy was delicious – I brought back a pound of it for my coworkers and it was so soft and tasty it was devoured right away.
Although I wasn’t even hungry I had to get a cinnamon bun from Old West Cinnamon Rolls. ‘A’ said that we can’t come to Pismo Beach and not check out the bakery… well, I can’t walk into a bakery and not get anything! These pecan coated babies just came out of the oven so they were toasty warm. I turned down the cream cheese icing because I did have a little bit of self restraint!
Further travel in the San Luis Obispo region brought us to a farmers market with wickedly huge, sweet and flavourful strawberries. So much better than the strawberries we get here in Calgary! To note, I paid $10 US for the huge tray.
The Santa Barbara Fish House is located pretty close to the pier in Santa Barbara. We spent a fair amount of time on the pier, talking to the fishermen, waiting for the sea lion’s to surface and chase the fishermen’s catch, and watching a giant pelican relax in the sun, waiting for a fishy snack.
I was excited for a buttery, fresh lobster roll… but it wasn’t what I got. The menu said: Tail and claw lobster meat combined with tri colored bell peppers, garlic, onion, parsley, salt & pepper on a toasted roll. Does that imply cold flaked lobster salad with mayo? I don’t think so… I mean, don’t get me wrong – the sandwich was still good… but not what I wanted or expected.
‘A’s lobster tacos were tasty and filled with so much stuff they were hard to eat and super filling. She was only able to eat one!
After a long day of driving and walking we stayed close to home for dinner – Yanagi Sushi & Grill in Santa Maria is ‘A’s favourite sushi joint. We sat at the bar and I enjoyed a unique and super tasty roll with chilli oil called the Firecracker Roll… Damn it was good! The Firecracker is filled with spicy scallop and crabmeat, topped with spicy tuna, and served with chili oil sauce. I liked the pickles and the seaweed salad we were served to start. I’ve never had pickles at a sushi restaurant before.
We spent an afternoon wandering around Solvang, a cute Dutch influenced town with lots of bakeries, restaurants and shops. I purchased a couple flavoured olive oils, some socks for gifts, and my favourite stroopwafels! We ate sausages and pretzels and I drank a huge beer with lunch at the Copenhagen Sausage Garden.
It was super hard to decide which sausage to get – in the end I chose the currywurst and a freshly made pretzel with cheese sauce. They have a HUGE selection of sauces and condiments to choose from including sauerkraut and various pickles, so you receive your sausage on a bun and you get to make it taste how you want. To a certain extent, the number of options is a little overwhelming… I was afraid I’d be missing out on something better!
Their potato salad was super tasty – lots of flavours and textures. The pretzel was to die for but I wasn’t a fan of the ‘cheese’ sauce… it was more like an alfredo sauce to me. I’d much rather prefer a thick cheddar based cheese sauce for my pretzels. With the beer this meal was a whole lot of carbs!
A stop to Saarloos and Sons Wine Tasting Room in Los Olivos resulted in a relaxing glass of wine in their beautiful backyard. This location is truly awesome, and their private backyard is something worthy of a small wedding. You can bring in your own food as long as you drink their wine. But, when you’re there, you really need to eat the cupcakes sold inside the tasting room by Enjoy Cupcakes. Not too sweet, they are cute little morsels of deliciousness!
On the way back south to Los Angeles to drop me at LAX, we stopped in the city of Ventura. Lunch at an Irish pub called Dargan’s was filling and tasty. I had the urge to get my fix of a seafood chowder so I ordered a cup of chowder and the BBQ chicken salad. Yes, it was a lot of food… but it hit the spot (and no, I couldn’t finish it all!) 🙂
Last stop before heading home was a walk down the boardwalk at Venice Beach. I’m glad to say that I’ve done it once, but I have no desire to ever return. The public washrooms were disgusting, there were so many homeless people, and all the vendors (stores and street vendors) sold only tourist crap. If you like to people watch, this is definitely a place to hang out.
We made it to the end of the boardwalk and spotted a rooftop patio – a total score. Unfortunately the hotel was undergoing renovations so we had to walk up 7 flights of stairs… but I really needed the exercise! High Rooftop Lounge is on the top of the Erwin Hotel. With a gorgeous view of the beach and the Venice area, it is a wicked place to hang out with friends and enjoy some drinks and a bit to eat. That being said, we may have been some of the oldest people in the place, and I can’t see myself fitting in to what I would expect to be a trendy night crowd. An afternoon visit was perfect.
Finally, my trip came to an end at LAX… I had a late flight and a long wait so I enjoyed a glass of wine and a smoked salmon flatbread at the little lounge called BLU2 in my terminal. It was the least flat flatbread I’ve ever seen in my life… piled high with arugula and salmon then coated with mayo, I had to pick it apart and scrape off the mayo to eat it. The salad was good, and the salmon itself was good, but I wouldn’t order the dish again.
After 4 days of eating and spending a lot of time in a vehicle, it was time to go back to eating smaller portions at home. Thanks to ‘A’ and her husband for an amazing visit to a beautiful state!
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