Cutting + Cheesecake - Arizona

Greetings y'all! This was pretty much my Arizona "Jump Start Your Year" Horse Show outfit. It was chilly willy in the mornings so you know I had on layer upon layer. Bloggin' from our Ford 650...

I couldn't stand not taking a photo of these two dudes. Bobby and Scott have been friends for over 20 years. I love this photo.

Lunch at the horse show took a few trial and error runs but by the last day we finally got it right. They had a Pulled Pork Comb - Which included a sandwich, fries and a soda. I asked for the bun to be left off so I could make it a forked up meal. With each bite I snagged some sweet pork, a french fry or two and had it sauced up with ketchup and mustard. Now that was a meal. Washed down with Mountain Dew. Oh ya...

And for dinner? Why not another chain? On the scale of chain hood I would say Cheesecake factory is on the higher end. I have always had a good meal here and always left totally satisfied.

For dinner I had the Salmon Genovese and it was amazing! I was so pleased with order and ate every single bite. The salmon was a wonderful medium rare and rested on a bed of pearl couscous. The pool of almond pesto was so tasty, I wish I ordered a side of it so I could eat it up with a spoon. The sun dried tomatoes, green beans and artichoke hearts were all vegetables I could deal with. Order this and order this now. Delicious!

 How can you go to the Cheesecake Factory and not get a piece of cheesecake?!  I decided to go with the original version and was perfectly happy. Sometimes the toppings mask the taste of the good, old fashioned cream cheese so I was happy with my decision on keeping it classic. I was supposed to share with the table but I think I mowed down the most of it.

I love the Cheesecake Factory!

Christmas Eve 2014 - San Juan Bautista, CA

I love, love, love going back home for Christmas. My parents are always the kindest hosts, cook the best food and make you feel so welcome. When I pulled into the driveway on Christmas Eve my Mom's house was already beautifully decorated and her cooking was in full swing.

Our table settings used to set for 30+ people but now they are usually set for 8. It is way less hectic and a much more enjoyable experience for my Mom I am sure.  

This Santa has been a part of every single one of my Christmas holidays. My Mom thinks he was born in the 1950's, I just like his jolly spirit. 

My Mom was making eclairs when I walked in. She then stuffed them with custard and whipped cream. She is just an amazing cook.  

 While she was making the desserts, I took a selfie.

Lol. True story.

Christmas time is always the best time. 

We didn't put out too many appetizers because we didn't want to be stuffed for dinner. My Mom was so kind and made me my favorite Chicken Liver Pate, I ate this until dinner was served and was perfectly happy. 

My sweet Dad. 

It has been a Christmas tradition to have soup and crab the night of Christmas Eve. My Mom would make clam chowder and sometimes split pea soup and then serve up hot buttered rolls.  

It is perfectly filling an a nice segway into the next day's full cooking agenda. I love soup so it is always is a favorite for me!

Cracked crab from Stagnero's in Santa Cruz is the only way to go for a fresh seafood platter. The crab was sweet, fresh and totally meaty. 

As you can see, we had a totally mellow night. It was pretty much heaven in my book...

The Summit - Re-opened - Ojai, CA

The Summit is a little hamburger stand located just a mile down the road from my house. It has opened and closed 3 times since I have moved in four years ago. The operators rent the building, struggle to keep it open on quiet weekdays but then completely flourish on the weekend with bikers, cyclists and tourists. It is a vicious cycle, but us locals love a place to jet down to grab some lunch. So it has officially re-opened so I decided to go support it.

I got Scott and I a Cheeseburger and Onion Rings. The basic version - beef patty, American cheese, lettuce, tomato and onion. There are other options, like upgrades on the beef, extra patties, deluxe cheeses and bacon! I wanted to judge the most common burger first and it wasn't bad. The beef patty was not very appealing so I will for sure upgrade to the Watkins Beef option next time. Everything else was nice; soft bun and crisp condiments. The onion rings are exceptional, nothing to fault there. 

For $20 Scott and I filling lunch and I will return. The connivence of it all is just too perfect. We crave a good lunch after working horses all morning so I for see many trips down to The Summit to fill our cravings. My fingers are crossed for them and much success! 

Wood Ranch - Santa Clarita, CA

Yesterday I cruised on over to Burbank to pick up Scott from the Bob Hope Airport and after many changes in flight arrival times I was getting pretty hungry. Around that airport there are not very many good food options other than fast food. So I decided to rough it, fight Interstate 5 traffic and pull into my favorite Wood Ranch for a mid day meal.

Scott was craving a salad just as much as I was and went for the Tri-Tip Chopped Salad. He has been judging the NCHA Futurity so it was nice to catch with him over a meal. The salad is the perfect amount of food for someone craving something substantial for lunch but not heavy enough to make you feel exhausted after eating it. 

If there is an Asian Chicken Salad on any menu you know I am going to order it. This Salad is very good. I am pretty picky on my Asian style salads because I have had the best one in the world at Tao' Tao's in Sunnyvale, CA. This one is completely different by using romaine, and incorporating mandarin oranges but I do love all the crunch from the nuts and puffed rice noodle.

While I was mowing down my salad I saw a plate of one of my favorite things go by... Onion Strings are so good! They are one of my favorite starters to a meal at Wood Ranch and I almost kicked myself for not ordering them! 

If you have not been to one of the Wood Ranch restaurants yet, you are missing out on a Southern California staple. Go and pig out on BBQ or order a petite lunch salad, it is all up to you! Just be sure to go... Hurry!

The Penthouse - Santa Monica, CA

Everyone enjoys a nice surprise and I received one Monday morning! I was chatting with my pal Dana and she said to pack my bags, and be ready by one because we were headed to Santa Monica to stay in a nice hotel, eat at a fabulous restaurant and discover the a part of the Los Angeles food scene. She didn't have to ask me twice, I had my errands done and was packed in two shakes of a lamb's tail.

We arrived at the Huntley in Santa Monica in the early evening and I could not get over how beautiful it was! Stunning, excellent staff and they house a fantastic restaurant at the top level of the building. How great is that?!

Our crew for the evening. I have to say we clean up quite nice! We loved this downstairs area complete with gorgeous fireplace, huge garden of mirrors and comfortable outdoor seating to enjoy Southern California's wonderful weather.

 We had a late evening reservation and were seated by an amazing spot by the window so we could overlook the twinkling lights of the city and observe he ominous blanket o black, otherwise know as the night time ocean. To liven up the party we settled on an evening cocktail of vodka and grapefruit. Light, crisp and refreshing as we perused the menu!

The chef sent out an amuse for us to enjoy and it was prosciutto wrapped asparagus drizzled with a balsamic glaze. it was salty, sweet and everything you want in a bite. I loved this start to our meal. 

We ordered the seared Ahi to start as we all were interesting in sharing a lot of our dishes. The ahi was perfect, the potato puree that it rested on was delightful as well. Everything was served cool so the pickled red onion and powdered wasabi gave the dish a kick that you were looking for.

Christian and I were all about sharing the Beet and Goat Cheese Salad. We love our beets! The variety of the cuts and colors made for a very pretty picture. We supposed to be sharing but I think I ended up eating most of it!

I for once did not order the scallops! Christian did. I did grab a bite and they were halved (my pet peeve) and set on the plate with a lot of garnish. I like my scallops served whole please!  It was served with a leek ravioli, shaved mushroom and micro greens. Christian seemed totally satisfied but it is kind of a cop out trick the eye into thinking you received four scallops when it was truly two.

 Dana ordered the Duck breast and it was a beautiful plate. With a hearty scoop of forbidden rice, also known as black rice, she ate the meat with bites of carrot, aus jus, rice and meat until her plate was perfectly clean.

Fish and beans? Sure, why not! I ordered the Sea Bass with crispy skin attached. The beans, had pieces of lardons and each bite reminded me of baked beans and went surprisingly well with the fish. I liked it a lot! I cleaned my plate and was totally done for.

I just want to send out a special THANK YOU to Christian and Dana for including me in their fun adventures and blessing me with their friendship. I am a lucky, lucky lady!

Lure Seafood Restaurant - Ventura, CA

I took my family to my favorite place in Ventura to chow down. Where everything is fresh, plentiful and all seafood, Lure! Come virtually enjoy our lunch...

After a morning playing with the horses we all declared ourselves first and foremost, famished but also a little wiped out. How about a little cocktail to treat ourselves after the hard work of plating hard? The Bloody Mary proved itself to be highly potent and a good choice if you want a little seafood snack with   a leaded cocktail. I ordered the Blood Orangtini, it was sweet and lovely. 

For the table we ordered Guacamole and Chips to start and they came out fast. It was a good thing too because we all tore into it like it was the last plate of food on Earth. We also ordered the Lobster Spinach Dip served with crostini and it too was tasty. We just kept chowing down and happily enjoying each others company.

Charbroiled Oysters! I love them. I was excited to order two plates and they all went down the hatch once they were cool enough to handle. They are always so big and tasty. Today was no exception! 

As our entree's arrived person to person I became jealous of everyone's order! First up, Sand Dabs lightly breaded with panko and sauteed with a lemon butter caper sauce. She chose her side as rice pilaf as well as a side salad that came out before her main meal. 

Look at this Louie!

The seafood on this salad was so gorgeous and plentiful. The salad itself was a large portion and did lack dressing, but they gladly will bring more on request. It was ordered x2 at the table and not one left the table without food on it. It is a large portion so beware you salad orderers out there!

I ordered this Idaho Trout Almondine and loved every bite of it! The butterflied, boneless fish is pan seared and served skin on. The almonds and parmesan coating gives a crunch to the otherwise soft delicate fish. My side is the Cilantro Corn Salsa packed with jicama, onion, red pepper and jalapeno. I love this stuff! I couple eat many more cups full! The Parmesan Potato Cake was a great second pick of sides because the smooth creamy red potatoes seared flat with butter, parmesan was a perfect pairing partner to the fish. I loved my lunch, loved, loved it! 

I left feeling stuffed but in a good way. The way that makes you feel satisfied but still comfortable enough to walk and shop. And that is exactly what we did. The weather could not be any more gorgeous in Downtown Ventura so we took advantage of the sunshine!

Jimmy's Pub - Ojai, CA

Yesterday felt totally like a wonderful Fall day. Although it has been Fall for quite sometime now, it just truly has felt like Summer. Warm, sunny days are always welcomed but I do want to update my wardrobe and dress in my favorite cozy clothes for awhile. I slipped on one of my favorite sweat shirt dresses, leopard tights, Frye boots and went on my way!

Christian, Dana and I decided to all meet at Jimmy's pub inside the Ojai Valley Inn to celebrate Dana's birthday a little early. Christian brought Veuve Clicquot to toast Dana and we were well on our way to a leisurely lunch. I did notice one thing about Jimmy's menu as it was sat in front of me, it has changed! in a much better way! It includes higher end options and more seafood! I like that!!

Christian ordered the Green Bean Salad with horseradish, onion, peaches, apples, potatoes and toasted almonds. I personally would probably never order this reading it off a menu but in real life the salad looked scrumptious. 

Dana loves her greens and she raved on this Caesar Salad. She really thought it was perfect but what surprised me the most is she doesn't like anchovies! I think that is the only part worth eating! How funny.

The soup of the day was Clam Chowder and you know I jumped all over that. The chowder was on the thinner end of the spectrum and was totally enjoyable. It really was more like a Corn Chowder which is fine but there was a lot of corn involved. I liked it but didn't finish it as I knew I had my entree coming...  

 Fish and Chips! My favorite! I was so happy to seem them as an addition to the new pub menu. I swear breakfast, lunch or dinner can be solved with an option of Fish and Chips! The fries were thin and crisp, perfectly salted. The star of the dish, even if cod and not my beloved halibut, was quality and lightly breaded. The cole slaw was nice, a perfect bite of freshness amongst bites of fried food.

What a special day! I got to spend a lovely lunch with two of my closest friends in Ojai and dine at a beautiful eatery. Fall is finally here so break out your favorite snuggly sweaters and boots guys and gals!

Chico's Cafe - Paso Robles, CA

There is nothing like a great breakfast! My Mom and I were waking up from a night out in Paso Robles and decided to treat ourselves to a sit down breakfast in the town square. I have walked passed Chico's Cafe a million times on my way to other restaurants so I figured today was the day to give it a try.

 My Mom ordered the Huevos Rancheros and said it was very tasty. The eggs cooked to perfection, salsa flavorful and beans a perfect consistency. The only suggestion was to crisp up the corn tortillas before layering them on the plate. A little bit of texture on the plate goes a long way!

I always order the same breakfast where ever I go! I like the dessert like qualites of the pancakes slathered with butter and syrup. The pancakes were very nice. I liked that there was a hint of sweetness from extra sugar in the batter. The eggs were over easy and perfect for dipping my sweet pancakes in for a savory blast. I like my bacon crispy and it came out just so.

A great breakfast place can be hard to find but look no further in Paso Robles. Their dinner menu sounded fantastic as well, with prices being totally affordable. A return visit will be in the works!

Bonnie Lu's - Ojai, CA

Bonnie Lu's is like "THE" place to go for breakfast in Ojai. On the weekend you cannot drive passed its arcade location without seeing people waiting outside to get a seat inside. I have had their breakfast before and it is solid. What I wanted to try was their lunch, could it compare?

Any lunch place worth going to has excellent soup selections. This is what they call their Chicken Tortilla. I didn't know if I should grab a fork and knife or what. The huge chunks of vegetables were what the cup was full of and lacked my craving for a savory broth. I ate as many pieces of the vegetables before the waitress took it away. 

When I saw the Strawberry and Spinach Salad on the menu I knew that is exactly what I wanted. With feta cheese, almonds and sweet creamy dressing I knew it would be delicious. The only thing that I thought was missing was a nice protein option so I asked for chicken to be added to it. I made this mistake all on my own. The chicken that was served on the salad was obviously cooked on the same part of the griddle as the eggs and other breakfast goodies because the chicken sopped up all that flavor and it was all I could taste. It ruined the salad and I could not take another bite.

I ate paying for a meal that I got absolutely no pleasure out of. I had high expectations for this lunch because of their breakfast success and left feeling disapointed. I hate that. I guess you live and learn...