Orange County Held My Attention With Sweets, Fish and Meat
First stop on our SoCal Orange County road trip was, what else but a bakery. Sweet Lili’s Bakery is right off freeway 5 in Laguna Hills and if you watch Fox 5 with Shally, Lili is her mom. Lili has been turning out Persian desserts and flatbreads for many years. I spotted a cream filled...
Pechanga More Than a Casino-Come Experience it All!
Let’s go on an adventure in Temecula, my travel writer friends proclaimed. We decided on lunch and a tour at Pechanga Resort and Casino as guests of Pechanga. Pechanga was easy to drive to since it’s conveniently located off the 15 Freeway and Temecula Parkway. Once entering the resort and casino, there is a parking...
Finding new treats and a new friend on Big Island, Hawaii
One of our favorite restaurants on the Big Island, Hawaii, is Mai Grille by Chef Allen Hess. The restaurant is the “Home of Bacon” cured in-house. We invited a woman sitting by herself to join us and learned Arianna was from Sicily, Italy. Arianna is working on her PhD in bioengineering and was on Hawaii...
Our food adventure in Wailea, Maui
Where to find very fresh fish in Maui? Miso Phat! In 2016 the restaurant was featured on Guy’s Diners, Drive ins and Dives. I was able to take a picture of owner Joy and two great sushi chefs with Guy’s signature on the wall behind them. I ate the TNT roll-shrimp tempura, crab and ahi...
Santa Fe Serving Historical Cookies and Wines
Santa Fe, New Mexico was the site for the 2019 International Food, Wine and Travel Writers Conference and I attended the conference to network with colleagues, plus, eat and drink in Santa Fe. The official cookie of New Mexico is Biscochitos and usually made for special occasions with recipes handed down in families. They are...
Barrio Logan, San Diego-Food and Arts with Mexican Roots
Las Cuatro Milpas Get there early and forget your diet, my friend told me. Lunchtime at Las Cuatro Milpas on Logan Avenue is known for long lines and authentic Mexican food in San Diego. Waiting in line is worth it because once inside, aromas of home-cooked Mexican food take over the senses. The menu is...
You’re Never Too Old For San Francisco
Mom proved at 91 years old, she’s not too old to fly to San Francisco, especially when it was to see her grandkids! Our adventure began with buying mom’s favorite coffee at Graffeo Coffee Roasters on Columbus Avenue. The Italian company began in 1934 and Luciano keeps the family business brewing bean by bean. Don’t...
Bavaria in the State of Washington
2 hours north of Seattle, Washington is the German Bavarian town of Leavenworth. I felt like I was back in Southern Germany with the ornate details on the buildings and interior German designs. Colorful paintings just like in Bavaria are ever present on the chalet buildings and blooming flower boxes reminded me of the alps. ...
Female Chefs Expertly Work Their Craft
I don’t know what I was impressed with more, eating at Bankers Hill Bar and Restaurant or meeting co-owner Terryl Garve. Terryl started Cafe 222 downtown in 1992 and you might remember the billboards with her wearing a pumpkin waffle as a hat. She’s been a trend setter with food and restaurants even when San Diego...
Lions, Tigers and Ranch Dressing
Near Alpine off hwy 79 is Lions Tigers and Bears sanctuary for exotic animals and big cats. My grand niece (she wants to be a vet) and I spent the morning on a walking tour seeing Meatball the rescued bear, Cherry Bomb the grizzly and Maverick the tiger. There are lots of rescued animals on...
Pancakes and Donuts Bring Fond Memories
Many years ago, my good friend Nancy Ryan (Nancy Knox back then) introduced me to the Swedish pancakes with lingonberry butter, German pancakes and cheese blintzes at The Pancake House in El Cajon. Over the years, we’d meet for breakfast to eat the pancakes and catch up with each other lives. We even brought our...
Learning how to Pack Smarter From an Expert
I am a terrible packer and when I found out about the Pack Like A Pro seminar at Index Urban in Hillcrest, I signed up. You might remember this luggage store as John’s 5th Ave, a locally owned and family run store for 60 years. The seminar was taught by Briggs and Riley luggage company...
