Panera - Gilroy, CA

While driving to work from Petaluma this morning I was quite famished. I knew I needed something to eat but I didn't want a greasy hash brown from McDonald's so I decided to try out Panera. The egg souffle caught my eye. It was so delicious! Flaky, buttery crust and perfect, custard like eggs. Wonderful start to my day!

Mrs. DeLish's Cupcakes - Monterey, CA

Kathy and I had a great day! Cupcake Sampling is absolutely wonderful... My Mom's favorite was the Vanilla with Coconut frosting and mine was the Brown Sugar with Maple frosting. They were fantastic! Fun!

Peppers - Pacific Grove, CA

If you read this blog regularly you know I can eat fish, soup and Mexican probably every meal for the rest of my life and be perfectly fine. Through an Internet tip I came across Peppers MexiCali Restaurant in Pacific Grove. Seated quickly we were greeted with a basket of warm chips and two types of salsa. I preferred the green one, yum tomatillos!

For an appetizer we choose a Stuffed Pepper. An Ancho stuffed with cheese and not cooked through completely was what we got. I feel anything stuffed with melted cheese is wonderful so I ate the whole thing!

I saw the the Mahi Mahi Yucatan on the menu and decided that is what I had to have! Chiles, Citrus, Cilantro, Tomatoes and Annatto is what was described as what was cooked with the fish. Sounded delish! It was horrible! I usually find something positive to say but this was awful. I seriously could not stomach it. The waiter took it away after a few bites.

My Mom ordered the Ahi Fish Tacos and I felt they were a little sad too. We felt jipped! So what did we do?....

ORDERED MARGARITAS!

You must try the Blood Orange Margaritas at Peppers! Such a tasty treat! We should have ordered these from the beginning!

Since we didn't eat our entrees we were still hungry... So we ordered a Carne Asada Enchilada and a Cheese Enchilada. My mom didn't care for the sauce but I didn't mind it!

Alright so here's the deal, while at Peppers start off with Blood Orange Margaritas, bring a fun person to have a conversation with and stay away from the seafood! Enjoy your weekend!

LOUD MUSIC!

Loud music at restaurants is so annoying. I don't mind background noise but if you are constantly saying, "Huh, excuse me, what was that?" It is a problem.

Save the rocking out for late night, please.

Ragoots - Morgan Hill, CA

My Mom and I had to go shoe shopping for my sister's upcoming wedding so we made our way to Morgan Hill. It took us seriously 5 minutes to find the perfect pairs so we decided to head to downtown...

After eating we dinner we indulged in a Mixed Berry Crumble and a glass of Jason Stephens Chardonnay. Isn't life just grand?

Whale's Tail - Oxnard, CA

Boat watching is pretty fun thing to do on a Sunday afternoon. Sailboats, fishing boats and kayaks can really be quite entertaining.

The Whale's Tail is located at the Channel Islands Harbor. Boaters, Retired folk and just regular people like you and I hang there for Happy Hour specials.

Lobster Taquitos sure sounded good to me. They were tasty but you really couldn't tell the filling was lobster meat. Oh well, deep fried goodness is always tasty. The salsa wasn't the best but the guacamole and sour cream made up for it. There were Seafood Nachos that also caught my eye on the menu, as well as the chowder. Next time...

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Hozy's - Santa Paula, CA

Really good breakfast places are hard to find. The ones that have friendly waitstaff, a killer menu and cozy enough to make you feel home are the ones I dig. Hozy's in Santa Paula had rave reviews so it had to be tried!

Real, and I mean authentic right down to the letter, Huevos Rancheros. Smoking hot plate meant the beans with under the broiler for the perfect amount of time creating this cheesey, melty masterpiece. The salsa was great, made in house for sure. Savory and delicious.

Let's sweeten it up a little bit now. The Pancakes Plus was just the right amount of treat. The Pancakes were even topped with a walnut butter that was out of the world! Slather on the syurp and you have got yourself dessert!

Hozy's is a delightful place to sneak in on a lazy Sunday morning or any morning for that matter! Full Lunch and Dinners are also available. It is in an industrial are so don't think your lost. Keep driving until you see all the cars - people know good food!

My buddies...

Diesel and Chunk

Osteria Monte Grappa - Ojai, CA

This was my second visit to this cute little restaurant in Ojai. I had a fabulous experience the first time and it soon became my new favorite restaurant. Well, I decided why not try it again? Ok, here we go...

So we get seated almost as soon as we walk up to the restaurant. A measly table on the side of the building is ok with us. Our hostess does not give us menus and waitress has no idea that she is our waitress. I flag down a bus boy for some menus after sitting without anyone coming up to us for at least 15 minutes. The bus boy brought us menus, water, bread and then finally he took our drink order. The house Pinot was $12 a glass. Ouch! Our "waitress" finally made her way over to us after taking the order of a couple that came in after us - how annoying.

After waiting and waiting our food finally came. I ordered the Salmon and it was cooked to perfection. My compliments to the chef! The capers, the butter, the lemon - oh heaven!

And this my friends is the Soft Shell Crab. Scott ordered it thinking it sounded interesting. He has never had Soft Shell Crab before so he can't compare anything to it. I have, I order it at sushi all the time. In my opinion my local sushi joint does it up better than they do.

So we order dessert thinking, "Why the heck not?!" Probably one of the worst prepared creme brulee's I have had in awhile. The sugar crust was so thick it hurt my teeth. Then the custard filling was like soup! Oh my... So we flag down the gal that served us the dessert and tell her it is just terrible. Our "waitress" then comes over and tells us it is her favorite dessert and instead of offering something else just says I will take it off our bill. We were craving something sweet not that we didn't want to pay! Sheesh... onward.

So I don't know what to make of this situation. They were understaffed when we got there that is for sure. We were seated and no one "claimed" us as their table so the bus boy was our only help! A random girl served us our entrees, another random guy brought a second round of drinks and a girl in brightly colored pants brought the dessert. I am very disappointed because my first experience was so wonderful. On our bill we wrote a little note and I also left my blog address to even see if they cared enough to read about our experience. I am curious to see if it will get a response. Every restaurant has a bad night right? What do you think?

The Boathouse - Santa Barbara, CA

Who loves seafood? I do! Southern California is the best. Tons of fabulous restaurants AND terrific beach views everywhere you go! So, head to the one of the more friendly dog beaches, pull up a chair and enjoy the people watching as well!

Not familiar with the Pinot's by the glass - We took a chance and ordered Cellar No. 8. It wasn't bad, I am all about trying new wines!

A girl and her love for Clam Chowder... ahhh. This chowder started off on the right foot, it was served piping hot! The chowder was thick and creamy and had trace amounts of potatoes. Check! Not too many clams either but tons of bacon! My other love!

Where there is chowder there are usually Crab Cakes to follow... They were served just toasted lightly on the flat top. The crunchy bits were tasty. The filler was mostly crab and it was seasoned perfectly. What really made the dish was the slaw that the crab cake was served on, very tangy!

The perfect amount of food and drink! I would return for the people watching and for a meal out on the patio. The cocktail menu looked fun. Mojitos and Martinis of all tastes seem to be shaken here. Another day for that! Happy Tuesday everyone!

Los Arroyos - Montecito, CA

I have dined in Montecito a couple of times. The first time it was at the famous, Lucky's. What is better than Lucky's? Pretty much nothing in my opinion. But, I have also been to Cava. That was an expensive experience - even just appetizers and a drink will set you back almost a Benjamin. And now I have dined at Los Arroyos.

Just across the street you find this fun little adobe. The cute patio, stylish decor and a menu full of delicious items just beckoned us in.

They know how to get the party started! Complimentary guacamole, spicy salsa on top and mild pictured on the bottom. The "spicy" wasn't so spicy, in fact it was just right. Mixed with the guacamole it really became something special. The mild was pretty much watered down ketchup.
That is my BRIGHT red Pork Pozole. It was delicious. I topped it with cilantro, cabbage and squeezed in a little lime after I took the photo. The pork was very tender. The hominy is just so filling, I couldn't finish it all.

Scott ordered the Chiliques, which is basically eggs and tortilla chips cooked together with a green chile sauce on top. A little cheese and pico de gallo on top is what finished off the food mountain. Refried beans, potatoes and a generous portion rounded the dish. He ate it all, said it was delicious and claimed to be "stuffed." And that my friends equals success when dining at a Mexican restaurant! Ole Ole!!

Cowgirl Melissa & Chunkaroo

Seafresh - Ojai, CA

ORDER THESE!

When at Seafresh in Ojai please order the Bacon Wrapped Albacore Bites. They are served with a sweet sauce so that marries savory and sweet! I must warn you they fill you up like a meal so order with a heart appetite! They are on their specials menu so good luck on ordering them! Hope you catch them!