PCCHA Wrap Up - Paso Robles, CA

The Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association has come to a close but let me catch you up on what happened in the last few days of our event... The San Juan Ranch so kindly sponsored a Dinner and Draw Party for the Finalists of the major events left in competition. The view and building was absolutely stunning!

Thank you for everything! 

The party was held after I had just finished showing in one of my finals on my horse Scotty. My run was going really great until a naughty cow took me out of the class. I didn't let it faze me and continued to show my horse really well. I know I have a really good horse so I left the arena smiling and blessed to be given the opportunity to show him.

They had so much food at the party! My favorite was this appetizer section of crackers, cheese, salami, olives, nuts and fried shrimp. I love to eat a variety of bite sized snacks! It makes cocktail hour easy for communication with all our horse show friends! 

They were even hand passing the little morsels of goodness! We felt like royalty, the San Juan Ranch pulled out all the stops. 

 As if we didn't eat enough already, dinner was served! A whole array of tri-tip, chicken, beans, sauteed vegetables, french fries, salads, fruit and rolls were on display. I took a little of each and balanced my full plate outside to grab a seat.

My posse of Cowboy Ron, my mom and Scott all decided we would grab a seat next to the fountain. It was beautiful and it gave us room and the super packed house. This was the place to be!

 My plate was a unorganized mix of all the selection but I happily indulged! Everything was exceptionally good but my really favorite was the chicken! The skin was really crispy and perfectly seasoned!

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The next night was the night of the OPEN FUTURITY!

 Cowboy Ron and i grabbed our seats and watched Scott show his little horse, CD Skipper, in the field of 19 horses. She is such a cute little horse and she held all of her cows. Good work Skipper!

Scott ended up 11th and received a nice paycheck and buckle for his efforts!

 The next day, it was my turn.... I had to walk down to the herd and show my stuff. I knew I had to compete against a lot of great horses and riders so I was just happy to be there. My performance was not the most desirable but I got the job done, I didn't lose any cows and I showed like I wanted to win. I was rewarded for my efforts and ended up 4th place in the Non Pro Futurity and 2nd the 200,000 Limited Futurity. 

I had a tremendously successful show. I have never won so much money at an event like this in my life! My horses worked like they were supposed to, my parents great support and assistance from Scott and Russ made it all possible. On my drive home yesterday all I could think of was just how blessed I am.

 I will never forget this experience.

Fish Gaucho - Paso Robles, CA

Hello Baseball fans! While Scott, the horses and crew and I are at the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Futurity in Paso Robles we are also cheering on our favorites, the San Francisco Giants. My Mom and I wanted to go out and celebrate a good first round for our futurity horses but Scott wanted to stay in and watch the first round of the World Series. So we called a truce and the ladies went out and he stayed in to watch the game.

We decided to have dinner at a place we have never been before, Fish Gaucho. It is owned by a friend of our's son-in-law so we were anxious to give it a go after hearing many good reviews. To get our meal started night we decided to try their signature margaritas: Watermelon Mint and Blood Orange. They were both fabulous, totally worth giving a shot. the menu is described as California Mexican so I was muy muy excited to give it a try... 

 My mom went the surf and turf route and ordered the Filet, Shrimp and Scallop plate. The 6 oz filet was cooked to her desire of a perfect medium rare, two shrimp totally plump and scallop seared just like perfection. The proteins rested on a bed of jalapeno mashed potatoes and a warm ranchera salsa. She described it as "the best meal she has at a restaurant in a really long time..." 

When I saw Scallops on the menu you know I could not pass it up. The Crusted Diver Scallops complete with chorizo brussel sprouts, poblano crema and mashed potatoes made my day. I literally licked the plate until it was totally clean.

Our dinner was perfect. I rubbed it in to Scott so bad when I got home that he wanted to go for an early dinner today. This is how my second visit went...

I knew I immediately wanted to try the chips, salsa and Morro Bay guacamole when I came on this visit so we put in our order fairly quickly. The pineapple pico de gallo was Scott's favorite, while i favored the watermelon chipotle. The guacamole was totally fine too.

We were greeted with a gift from the chef (being a food blogger has its perks...) to kick off our meal. It was a pork belly taco, with crispy onion strings, spicy salsa and served with a slice of blood orange to squeeze over the corn tortilla blanket. I loved it. In fact, I was feeling quite full from all the chips and taco at this point. The taco will be featured on an upcoming menu and I felt pretty cool to get the inside bite.

Feeling already pretty full, I decided to solider on with the Oysters Oaxaca. Six Blue Point Oysters topped with what they have described on their menu as chorizo and cotija crumbles. It actually was topped with a thick layer of thick cheese that took over the delicate taste of a baked oyster. I literally took off the layer of cheese before eating so tasting an oyster could be detected. I think these need to be switched up a bit. 

Scott is a Lobster Enchilada fan so when he saw it on the menu I knew he was old on it. Let me start off my saying, the portion size is huge! You get a lot of food. He noted that the lobster meat was only claw meat and would have been excited to get a piece of tail meat. He could only finish two but did enjoy the zesty tomatillo sauce.  

As I explored the menu on my second visit it obviously was not quite as successful as the first but I do believe the third time will be a charm as we have to go again to let Cowboy Ron have a turn at bat!

Giorgio's - Ojai, CA

We are really into sports right now as the Giants are playing in the WORLD SERIES as a wildcard team! Yee haw! But, this particular evening we decided to try out the new Giorgio's to watch the San Francisco 49er game. We sat at a table in the middle of the dining area to give us room to clap, cheer and invite our friends in town to join us.

We started with some Mozzarella Toast with a tomato dipping sauce. This bread was perfect for snacking but if you are afraid of a little garlic breathe you had better stay away from this one. It would freak out the most evil of vampires!

Next, I had Mary's Organic Chicken Strips. The chicken was cooked perfectly and the all white meat totally tender! I loved the breading, golden brown and crunchy! Dipped in ranch dressing, it was just awesome. I even had enough to take home with me and mix it up with salad the next day. 

Scott ordered the Caprese Sandwich complete with huge slices of Mozzarella, tomato, cucumber and lettuce. A balsamic drizzle loosened things up and made the sandwich complete. If Scott could critique the sandwich he thought the bread to sandwich ratio was high. A thinner bun might be a better option.

Last but not least was the Fried Chicken Sandwich Special that Dana and Brandon both enjoyed. The Buffalo sauce made brandon think it was spicy but Dana thought it was just right. I am sure the chicken was the same chicken used for my chicken strips order because they both loved the chicken. The fries were a little under done but it was probably because they were such a thick cut. Thinner cut potatoes would clear that right up.

Giorgio's is the East End's best option for football and World Series action. Give them a shot!

Aloha Steakhouse - Ventura, CA

Hello Alvin! 

Hello Cassie!

The Ranch crew has been enjoying working with our remuda this week because of the cool weather. It is nice to throw on a sweat shirt in the morning. It makes me feel snuggly. Anyway, the horses are all on their game and are gearing up for upcoming shows to Bakersfield and Paso Robles.

 After long days at the ranch Scott and I get to occasionally treat ourselves to date nights on the town. This particular evening we went to one of our beach front favorites, Aloha. I felt festive by ordering a fruity cocktail - The Kauai Love.

We decided to start with an appetizer of a Stuffed Artichoke with sauteed mushrooms. It was an interactive starter that required a little work with our conversation. I totally recommend it. 

I ordered the Parmesan crusted Orange Roughy and regretted it based on my first saw through the "batter" it was an egg based and it was soggy and tough. A weird situation for such a tender fish. The taste of parmesan was nonexistent. I just ordered bad plain and simple.

Please do not let my entree order scare you away from this place. I usually leave here feeling amazing and totally pleased. Just steer around this order and try something else. I promise you will be content!

Victoria Pub - Ventura, CA

I love a good food adventure so when my friends called me to meet up for lunch for Ventura I was all in. Victoria's Pub was a place I think Scott and I walked into one time a long, long time ago but never stayed for eats of a drink. I recognized the place right away as I walked in.

I met up with Lisa and Dana as they were already waiting for me to join them. They were probably starving and wanted me to hurry up! 

 I love a place that has Fish and Chips on the menu but I just absolutely ADORE a place that has an option to upgrade to halibut from cod. What a treat! The fish was fried perfectly and the huge fries were creamy delicious. 

The Victoria Pub is an excellent place to watch a game, meet for friends or just grab a good meal. I like the feeling of the cool, dark pub as it is mostly all hardwood. It made me feel like I could possibly in Ireland or England. It has that far away feel.

Gosh, I am obsessed with finding the World's Best Fish and Chips...

Max's Wine Dive - Fort Worth, TX

You know I am always looking for new restaurants to explore so when I discovered Max's Wine Dive on 7th Street in the Cultural District of Fort Worth I was very happy. I had reservations and we were seated at a tall top in the very small dining space. It was buzzing with diners as the restaurant was quite full but I loved all the action.

We were treated with Chicken Meatballs by the Chef. He was placing them down left and right to patrons. I love that! It is such a fun way to get excited about your upcoming meal. It tasted alot like Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy, which I think is fantastic! 

After placing our orders the Chef surprised us with another goodie, Peanut Butter and Jelly Wings! It was actually Thai Peanut Sauce and a Blackberry Coulis but it was so much fun I could hardly contain myself. The fried chicken was messy but I had a great time getting my hands (and face) dirty. Yum, yum!

Scott went pretty simple for dinner and ordered a Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup. It really is a classic order when done right and this was! Guyere, provolne and a red pepper pimento cheese made this the perfect melt. I enjoyed the fried chips too, they were light and salty!

Cowboy Ron went for the Fried Chicken Dinner and loved ever bite. The pieces of chicken were moist on the inside and crunchy on the outside. The greens and mashed were tasty but served a little cold to his liking. The problem could have simply been because he dug into the chicken first, the taters may have been afterthought and cooled during his chicken devouring. 

And now for my wonderful dish, Blackened Diver Scallops. Three perfectly cooked scallops came afloat in jalapeno creamed corn complete with candied bacon and popcorn shoots. How delicious does that sound?! It tasted as good as expected and I recommend it to EVERYONE! Even to non-seafood lovers. It will make you a believer!

The house treated us to a sweet treat before we waddled out. How does a warm Bacon Sugar Cookie served with Blueberry Mascarpone sound? It was out of this world!! Cowboy Ron and Scott Good Taste let me do must of the calories damage on this one as I consumed 3/4 of this solo. It was just so good! They cut the regular amount of butter and replaced it with bacon lard so it was fatty, smoky heaven! I would go back for this again and again and again...

Max's and Chef Stefon Rishel surpassed all my expectations with our dinner here in Fort Worth. I do a lot of research on restaurants and Max's showed up on the radar but I never visited it before now and I feel foolish for not dining sooner! Make sure you make a reservation, order a bottle of Goldeneye Pinot and bring your favorite foodie friends. This place is fun!

Lure - Ventura, CA

Will I ever get tired of going to Lure?! Every time Scott and I are in Downtown Ventura I most always chose Lure. The fresh seafood "Lure's" me in every time... We took a seat at the bar as it was totally packed and we knew we would be served dinner there as well.

Scott had just got out of the water so he was craving something light and refreshing to quench his thirst. A glass of Fume Blanc was just perfect!

While at Lure we always start our meal with a half dozen raw oysters. Kusshi's are our favorites but they did not have them in so we decided Blue Point's would be fine. Dressed in cocktail sauce, horseradish and plenty of lemon we were in heaven.

Charbroiled Oysters used to be my thing. I would order dozens and dozens of them and be so content. After finish my portion of these I think I have quenched my craving...

Scott ordered this beautiful Shrimp and Crab Louie. I loved how colorful it was! The one complaint was that it was not dressed enough, a healthy dose of Thousand Island dressing is absolutely necessary for any great Louie. There was a generous portion of shrimp and crab, enough to be included in each bite of salad.

If there is Fish and Chips on any menu it might as well be game over for anything else... I was really hungry and felt that this order would fill me up! I was right, I even shared my french fries with Scott and left feeling full and happy. The light, crispy breading on the fish is perfect.

We wanted to end our meal with something light and refreshing so Key Lime Pie was the perfect decision. I enjoyed the tart, tangy flavor with the buttery crust. It really is just the most perfect dessert for making you feel like you are eating a fluffy cloud.

A perfect meal. 

Thank you, Lure.

Lure - Ventura, CA

Will I ever get tired of going to Lure?! Every time Scott and I are in Downtown Ventura I most always chose Lure. The fresh seafood "Lure's" me in every time... We took a seat at the bar as it was totally packed and we knew we would be served dinner there as well.

Scott had just got out of the water so he was craving something light and refreshing to quench his thirst. A glass of Fume Blanc was just perfect!

While at Lure we always start our meal with a half dozen raw oysters. Kusshi's are our favorites but they did not have them in so we decided Blue Point's would be fine. Dressed in cocktail sauce, horseradish and plenty of lemon we were in heaven.

Charbroiled Oysters used to be my thing. I would order dozens and dozens of them and be so content. After finish my portion of these I think I have quenched my craving...

Scott ordered this beautiful Shrimp and Crab Louie. I loved how colorful it was! The one complaint was that it was not dressed enough, a healthy dose of Thousand Island dressing is absolutely necessary for any great Louie. There was a generous portion of shrimp and crab, enough to be included in each bite of salad.

If there is Fish and Chips on any menu it might as well be game over for anything else... I was really hungry and felt that this order would fill me up! I was right, I even shared my french fries with Scott and left feeling full and happy. The light, crispy breading on the fish is perfect.

We wanted to end our meal with something light and refreshing so Key Lime Pie was the perfect decision. I enjoyed the tart, tangy flavor with the buttery crust. It really is just the most perfect dessert for making you feel like you are eating a fluffy cloud.

A perfect meal. 

Thank you, Lure.