El Epazote - Hollister, CA

Hey Melissa Good Tasters! I am finally home but have loads to blog about on my vacation home. One of the places that was recommended to blog about was El Epazote. My sister likes the owner and place so I was down for a visit. With a Mexican Coke in my hand and a menu set in front of me I was ready.

The chips and salsa come with ordered entrees and it is not for the weak. The salsa is spicy! It gets your motor running that is for sure.

My sister swears by the Green Enchiladas, filled with chicken. She loves every tangy bite. The bites of rice and beans are nice too. The portion for lunch is a hearty one.

They serve Pozole everyday! that is so rare for a mexican restaurant! Normally they only make it on Sundays so I was so pumped up. The soup comes out hot temperature wise, and spicy taste wise. I loved it! The tostadas served on the side added crunch and allowed me to dip as the broth cooled. Everyone finished their meal watching me sip my soup so I felt bad about that!

The lunch was lovely and worth a visit for all you Hollister folks!

Progresso's - Hollister, CA

One of the things I like doing most when I am home is taste testing my favorite shredded beef enchiladas at Progresso's in Hollister and Dona Ester's in San Juan Bautista...

This is picture is my childhood, teenage years and early adulthood. It is celebrating happy memories, tough defeats and regular work day lunches. This is time with family, friends and celebration of where I am from. It may not be five star or even the best in the World but it is what I know. This is home to me. So just consider me a "Shredded Beef Enchilada, with extra sauce" kind of gal. That really made me laugh out loud typing that but it is so true!

Running Rooster - Hollister, CA

Before I headed back to Ojai from San Juan Bautista I had lunch with my parents and sister. Some of us were craving sushi but my dad isn't necessarily a fan so I suggested we try the re-vamped Running Rooster. I thought it looked great inside. Modern, fresh and really neat addition to Hollister. Jim Good Taste wasn't ready for his photo! I was happy to be there!

My mom and dad both ordered burgers. I know Running Rooster is high on their burgers but they didn't seem too impressed. They didn't complain but they weren't handing out any awards either.

I ordered the Cedar Plank Salmon and it was solid. A healthy option in house is always a good thing. I also had an order of "Outlaw Fries" that are not in the photo. Think spicy, salty fries - in my mind, they were delicious!

But this was the real winner, the Napoleon Pizza. My sister ordered this and I was extremely jealous. The thin, chewy crust was topped with terrific sauce, mozzarella, capers and anchovies. I love the briny, fishy taste so this pizza really appealing to me. I think next time I come my sister and I would share this pizza. 

I was only in Hollister that afternoon for lunch and then made my way back down south. There is never enough time to visit everyone and feel completely ready to go back home. 

Eats from the 831...

I had this same exact meal three times while visiting my family at home. The shredded beef enchilada with rice and beans from Dona Ester's Restaurant in San Juan Bautista is what I crave most from home. I have been eating it for 30 years and I hope it stays around for another 30!   

I also had an outstanding plate of Crab Enchiladas in cream sauce from The Whole Enchilada. They are almost crispy so they are more like taquitos but the cream sauce is what is absolute heaven. 

I have had a craving for Seaweed Salad lately. It is actually good for you so I am proud of myself for having one healthy habit! My mom and I went to Pearl Sushi in Gilroy for a farewell meal to her favorite sushi chef, Teddy. He is moving to Samuri in Oakland. 

A shared Sugar Mama roll for us and we were totally content. One roll yields a lot of food!

My sister, bro-in-law and I enjoyed a brewskie at the new brewery in Hollister - Hollister Hills Brewery. I had the house blonde and it was very good.

And when I saw they had stadium nachos on the menu I just had to have them. They are the best!

Eats from home are the best, somehow the food always tastes better when you only get to enjoy them a couple times a year!

The Melissa's...

While I was at home I did not get any pictures of me showing so I was pleased to find that I was featured in the newspaper! It really is a beautiful photo of a spectacular horse. 

This is what I won - Isn't it a cool buckle?

And a fancy new bit in memory of a hometown cowboy - Tom Carrerio. I was pretty pleased to win that. I need to get it all rigged up with a headstall and reins and put it on display for all to see!

Nina's Baby Shower - Hollister, CA

My girlfriends! I have missed them so much and was glad I got the opportunity to catch up with them during my last visit back home. Allison, Nina and Keri have been great friends to me throughout the years! They are all married and have babies so that makes me Aunt Missy! 

At Nina's shower she served the best food. I went back for seconds of this Breakfast Casserole. Filled with egg and sausage, it was truly comforting! 

Spinach Salad with bacon, red onion, hard boiled eggs and tossed with a delicious vinaigrette. I chose a section of the salad with extra bacon - I am sneaky like that!

Lots of fruit! All juicy and delicious.

Cheers to Nina, her baby boy and the rest of her family who is just over the moon about his arrival!

Customer Appreciation Day!

How do you feel about free coffee and donuts?!

A welcoming committee while you drive up to the pumps!

And the three of us to pump your gas!

Happy Customer Appreciation Day to all our customers at our Hollister location!

Thank you for your business!

Cafe Ella does it again!

Cafe Ella updated their menu and everything sounded so delicious!

When I saw the Poached Seabass with a grilled portabello mushroom filled with crab, chives & corn salad tossed in tomato aioli. I had to have it! It did not disappoint! There is also a Duck Salad that is new to the menu, my sister ordered it and it was wonderful! I ate what she didn't finish! Go check the new menu out and visit with Ella!

BINGO!

Every third Wednesday at Ridgemark Country Club and Golf Course they hold a buffet dinner and BINGO! The dinner is okay - the mashed potatoes were pretty tasty last night but for the most part it is forgettable. Onto the BINGO game..

These are my losing BINGO cards - I was not so lucky!

This is Kathy mostly texting about tornados and storm drains.

Lookie here, lookie here! Two big winners at BINGO!

All in good fun! Happy Thursday!

Japanese Taco

Tasty lunch today at Miyako's: A Miyako Taco - filled with spicy Lobster. The "shell" is a deep fried tofu skin filled with rice and topped with the lobster (which I am sure was actually langoustine) and spicy sauce. I of course, dipped it into my soy sauce, ginger and wasabi blend.

Good day!

Do you Zumba?

What is Zumba you ask?

The Zumba program fuses hypnotic Latin rhythms and easy-to-follow moves to create a one-of-a-kind fitness program that will blow you away. The Zumba goal is simple: We want you to want to work out, to love working out, to get hooked.

And I am hooked! Check it out yourself! It is a fantastic workout, I know I must have looked silly trying to rock my best Salsa moves... but who cares? It is fun!

Consistency.

Hey foodies! As you know, I love trying new restaurants and then posting my experience to my blog. I had heard that a new restaurant had changed it's menu prices on me from my first post. That really bummed me out! I had to find out if it was the truth!

So, I did my due diligence and researched it myself.

Welcome back, Monte Carlo...

This is the same exact menu I ordered from on my first visit and the exact same prices. (Click on the menu to make bigger so you can see the prices yourself.) Nothing over $18.95 - and that being Filet Mignon. My favorite order - Salmon a mere $12.95. Everything looking good to me.

First noticeable difference: They served the butter in a plastic tub instead of the original metal container.

My beloved Salmon dish - just as delicious as before.

Second noticable difference: Less "green" on the plate, the chopped up fancy stuff to make my plate pretty wasn't there. Did I miss it? Nope, less stuff to eat around!

And the Monte Carlo Chicken still absolutely a steal at $10.95.

All in all, this second visit may have been better than my first. They cranked up the heater, which was nice. Maybe they didn't notice how cold that building really can get! It is huge! The service was fine. A nice gentleman who knew when to come and clear dishes and fill up waters. And when the bill came I was thrilled. A beautiful meal and completely affordable. Try it for yourself. I am proud to say this place has stayed pretty much consistent thus far.

Paine's Restaurant - Hollister, CA

I have been meaning to blog this place for quite sometime now! I have gone to Paine's many times but either not had my camera, not felt like blogging or just plain forgot I was a food blogger - imagine that! Sunday afternoon after the Cookie Party my Mom and I stopped by my grandma's to drop off some of the cookies we collected. She had gotten back from Mass and was up for an early dinner. We were hungry for something other than sugar.

I know Paine's looks completely empty from this photo but I wanted to tell you how nice they were. They start serving at 4:00pm on Sundays and wandered in just before 3:30 - so when we opened the door they said, "Come on in..." and served us anyway. That was very nice of them.

We looked over our menus and ordered. With our meals came a choice of soup or salad. My Mom and I chose - soup, which was Clam Chowder. It was very good! The best chowder I have had in a long time. Not too creamy, and a nice amount of clams. My grandma had a salad with the Greek dressing. She liked it, such a pretty color dressing!

Grandma's entree is up first. She got the Spaghetti and Ravioli Combination with Meat Sauce. She even got a Manhattan to celebrate her Sunday! She put a pretty good dent in the meal but took more than half home. She said it was very tasty. My mom's meal was the Chicken Marsala and she loved it. She usually always orders it when she comes to Paine's and never is disappointed. Now my order - the Veal Picatta! I bet you thought I was going to order fish! Ha! The veal was amazingly tender, the sauce was wonderful! Think lemon, butter and capers - oh my!! The potatoes were a scoop of pure heaven. A wonderful meal was had by all!

Thank you Paine's for opening up for us! That was sure nice of you since not a lot is open at 3:30 on a Sunday in Hollister! The menu is pretty diverse - a lot of things Greek! I have ordered the Saganaki and it is everything fried cheese should be - fabulous! I have ordered the Red Snapper special, as well as the calamari and I have always been impressed. The soups have always been on point. They have a back and side room that can be rented out for meeting or bands! A lot of fun has been had at Paine's! If you haven't gone, check it out!

Ridgemark Country Club - Hollister, CA

So my friend Amanda got a new job and she works inside of Ridgemark. So we made plans to meet up at the Ridgemark Clubhouse and enjoy each others company.

The decor is vintage as you can see...

I ordered chips and salsa because it was on the menu and I figured, "Why the heck not?"... I was impressed. Someone made this salsa homemade and it came from an authentic recipe I am sure.

Today is Friday and you know what that means... Clam Chowder Day! This clam chowder had an excellent broth, plenty of clams but too much boiled bacon. Boiled bacon?! Yes, you heard right. That was little weird but satisfying as a whole.

Amanda ordered the BLT Wrap. That sounded delicious and was glad she tried it. She seemed to like it but it looked a little bit over dressed. She didn't complain but certainly didn't rave...

I don't have much to say about this dining experience. Not because it was terrible but t didn't just knock me off my seat. I enjoyed the afternoon because there was a tournament going on so there was a lot of people watching. Would I return? Sure, it is a nice place to meet up with Amanda. It is not pricey, pretty reasonable actually. That said, 1.25 thumbs up.

Just to let you know...

I had the best Baked Mussels today! They were just OMG good! They are full of mayonnaise, I know I know - BAD for me. But seriously, get to Miyako's in Hollister - across the street from Greenwood Chevrolet - and try them. Oishii! (Delicious in Japanese thank you very much!)

Jack in the Box - Taco Nachos

James and I had a glamorous lunch out today... Jack in the Box Drive-Thru. Lovely. I have been to the Jack in the Box many times but have never heard of Taco Nachos. So by gosh I ordered them.

They couldn't look any more god awful if they tried! Ha ha. What a calorie bomb this was. So basically they are the regular tacos from Jack in the Box, sliced into triangles placed on a bed of lettuce, with a lava of nacho cheese sauce swimming on top - with a delicate placing of a few jalapenos. So gourmet. I feel a tad ill after eating this. Have a great afternoon.

San Benito Chamber of Commerce Mixer

The July Chamber of Commerce Mixer was a great one! The hosts, Serene Home and Dassel's Petroleum, welcomed the Chamber for drinks, appetizers, salads and bbq bites. Serene Home is located at 243 6th Street in downtown Hollister. There you can find great gifts, dishes, home decor, jewelry and much more! Dassel's is located at 31 Wright Road in Hollister as well. We offer propane, gasoline, diesel, lubricants and much more. Keep us in mind for your energy needs!

Grillin' it up!

Our beer selection.

Red, red wine.

The whites chillin' on ice.

The beautiful spread. Watermelon Salad with red onions and cilantro. So refreshing!

Pasta Salad with basil, garlic and tomatos. And of course, veggies and dip.

Yum, yum. My favorite of the evening...

Chicken salad served on a tortilla chip! Perfectly sized for the perfect bite!

Sausages - some spicy, some not.

Rolls for the Tri-Tip Sliders.

Perfectly cooked Tri-Tip. Yum!

Mixing.

Mingling.

Enjoying the beautiful day!

Jeri, the wonderful hostess, from Serene Home.

Jim, from Dassel's, co-host for the evening.

Frankie, calling out numbers for the raffle.

What a wonderful event!