Sunset Snacking in Sayulita

Finally in our beautiful Casa Redonda. Ty & Grady check out the neighborhood from our open air dining room. Below the dining room is the pool and above is the palapa.

Aah...Life is good!

El Costeno is located right on the beach.

Mixed Seafood Ceviche...so spicy. YUM!

Guacamole and REAL Housemade Tortilla Chips
80 degrees, a Giant Margarita and my date...priceless!

Picked up a few provisions for the casa.

Checking out what's going on in the plaza.

The view from our palapa.

What is a palapa?

A palapa is a thatched-roof, open-sided structure.

Best part of the house, quiet, peaceful, away from it all!

Right before sunset...Muy Bueno.

Snacks in Sayulita, Mexico

After a long flight followed by a 45 minute taxi ride, we finally arrived in Sayulita. My son and his friend, Grady, followed their nose to the best smelling restaurant they could find! I wasn't in the mood for a taco or burrito, but apparently, I missed "the best burrito, EVER!"

Sayulita is just north of Puerta Vallarta. Unlike Puerta Vallarta, you don't feel like your getting hustled all the time. No high rise condos, no Walmart or Costco, no vendors in your face, no children begging, no over advertised watering holes that were popular in the 80's. Sorry Hussongs and Senor Frogs.

Sayulita is a small surfer beach town, everything is close to the beach. Polish up on your Spanish before coming down, especially numbers, so you know how much to pay for your purchases. Many of the vendors speak English, but the smaller stores won't be able to help you.

I the middle of the plaza, on Revolution Ave, Chocobanana was staring me in the face and calling my name. My husband however, was not interested in a sweet snack.

Ha, ha...I don't care what anyone says! When it's 80 degrees outside, a frozen banana dipped in chocolate and sprinkles...YUM. OK, if you have to be healthy, your can get nuts or granola instead of sprinkles, but WHY?

In-and-Out Burger

Oh, forget it, the line is way too long, it's too late, and I shouldn't eat this crap.

OK, different night, same long line...forget it.

The line was still long, but I had all day to wait. Decided to park the car and see if the wait was shorter inside. Ho-Hum...

I didn't eat both of these. I actually out ran a grandma and her grandchildren and scored a table while John waited for the burgers and fries. Was it worth it. I don't know.

I'm not from California, but I was introduced to In-and-Out when I went to college in Southern California. Sorry people, the burgers are just ok. The fries are ok too.

Artisan - Paso Robles, CA

Aaaah, the bread is good and butter is soft. Those of you from Seattle, you can relate, we have the best bread and it's always served with the rock hard butter.
I have to laugh every time we're in California..."What Up with the lemon in the water still?!" Circa 1983. Come on, the water still sucks. OK, OK, we'll buy the bottled.

Brioche, prosciutto, super salty Parmesan and a poached egg...Are you kidding me? This is the best starter I've had in a long time. So simple and so PERFECT.

Wine Flight: wines from Paso Robles wineries.

There was a little problem getting the entrees out, no one would have noticed, except, I work in the food industry and noticed a lot of time had gone by since our first course. My husband and I didn't really care, we were having a really great time and thought the service was pretty top notch for this little town. To our surprise, a very lovely Crab Cake appetizer arrived...delicious. Way to go Artisan!

Finally, Strip Steak and Frites! Awesome.

I must say, I haven't met a Steak & Frites I didn't like.

This is the part of every meal that I wish would miraculously turn into a all-you-can-eat buffet! What to get for dessert? I always want all of it, even when I swear I can't have another bite. I only ate half of my entree to save room for dessert.

We decided to share the Basque Cake, brandied cherries and Pistachio Ice Cream...mmm! The texture of the cake was course, velvety, and moist, all in the same bite. I was a little scared of the cherries, but with the cake and the pistachio ice cream. WOW!!!

We battled over every bite...YUMMY!

I don't get down to Central California much, but with the great wineries I visited and the wonderful meal at Artisan...I'll be back.

I Love Pho!

What to get, what to get... Seriously, so many choices, so little time. Honestly, the menu at I Love Pho is so huge, I just stick to the same thing every time. Spring Rolls and Pho!

You've got to start with the shrimp spring rolls, YUMMY wrapped in rice paper. The basil, lettuce, shrimp and vermicelli are so refreshing and so good with the peanut dipping sauce.

This is the Small A, if you're not a big scaredy-cat, this is the pho to get! Well done beef, rare beef, tripe, tendon, and beef meatball...mmmm!Hmmm, what's that?

All right...my husband really doesn't like to eat here...seriously. He only agreed, because I was out of town for weeks and he was going out of town and, well, the things we do for love, right!

To my husbands surprise, I Love Pho now has baguette sandwiches on the menu. I can't give too many details on the baguette sandwich, pork, ham, not sure what else. I'm just glad my husband found something to eat while I slurped down my pho.

Tommy's Joynt, San Francisco, CA

Four Chefs on a mission!

When given a break from meetings in San Francisco, where do chefs go for a cold beer (on draft) and some good old fashion comfort food? Where else, Tommy's Joynt on Van Ness!

The Beer selection is vast, draft or bottled.
OK, who doesn't love comfort food?

That's a big ass hunk of beef!!!

BBQ Beef Sandwich. I had mine on whole wheat, I doubt it's any healthier...ha, ha.
YUM!

Coconut Tea Cake...mmmmm!

I've decided to bake something for my management meetings and hope everyone likes it. OK, here's my problem...who is sitting at the meetings? The Executive chef, Sous Chef, Beverage Manager, Restaurant Manager, and GM...conclusion...major food critics.

Well, the cake was gobbled up. Unless they were being polite, I think the cake was a success!

My husband had a piece with his coffee.

I had a piece with my Earl Grey tea. YUM!

Thank you Tuesdays with Dorie!

The recipe can be found on page 194 in Baking from my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan.