Eating through Chains - AZ

Scott and I hit the road late Monday night for Arizona for a 5 day horse show. While he drove I curled up as best as I could and napped during our drive into the desert. As soon as Scott decided to pull off the highway for a break, I instantly woke up and jumped out of the truck.

He pulled into a McDonald's and I was starting to configure what I was going to order before I even got out of the truck. I knew for sure I would grab one of their delicious Coca Cola fountain sodas. What made them extra delicious anyway? The hash browns are a salty treat, so I definitely would grab one of those but what else...

I had never had a Bacon McGriddle so I decided to go for it. It was sweet and salty with the bites of egg, cheese and bacon. I was throughly impressed with this breakfast sandwich! I am not much of a breakfast lover so this made our stop pretty much a success. Have you tried a McGriddle?

In Arizona where we are staying, it is like chain restaurant city and there is nothing wrong with that. As much as I enjoy fine dining, I also like to eat at everyday type of restaurants. They aim to please and are affordable. I hadn't been to an Applebee's in awhile so I was actually looking forward to it.

Ah, the good old Oriental Chicken Salad with extra dressing. This salad has ben on their menu for as long as I can remember and it always has been good. The dressing is creamy, but totally unique. They could bottle it and probably survive off the profits of the dressing alone. The crispy chicken with bites of shredded carrot, sliced almonds and crunchy rice noodles are just to die for.

Who doesn't love Texas Roadhouse? Have you been to one? They are the restaurant responsible for teaching your children to just throw their used peanut shells on the floor. I never understood the concept but maybe it made people feel like they were at home? Who throws peanut shells just on the floor? Ok. I am done ranting about the peanut shells, but I enjoy the salty snack waiting for me at the table as soon as we are seated. 

I was in the mood for a frosty beverage and thought a frozen margarita was just the ticket. The margarita itself was blended perfectly smooth but the mix itself was much too tart. A couple sips of the frosty concoction would leave you puckering your cheeks up tight.

My meal at the roadhouse was a very simple one. Grilled Salmon, buttered corn and loaded mash potatoes not pictured. The salmon itself was nicely cooked, maybe a little touch over done to my taste but it was nicely seasoned so it made eating it very enjoyable. The bites of corn and mashed potato were great sides and I couldn't have left more satisfied.

What chain restaurant do you just love? 

Azu Anniversary Dinner - Ojai, CA

Our Anniversary dinners are always special to me. We usually spend them at The ranch House but due to a last minute plan change we ended up at Azu. I had been there with Dana for lunch not to long ago and enjoyed it so I was very excited. We ordered a celebratory cocktail and cheers to many more years!

Our starters came up and I was excited to dig in to my Beet and Burrata Salad. The cheese was lovely but the beets shared a plate with pickled carrots hat shocked the soft texture of the cheese and beets. I could have done without the carrots and just sunk my teeth into the creamy cheese and vibrant beets. The waitress talked Scott into a Kale Caesar that he absolutely loved. 

We both ordered the Fish of the Day and were both equally disappointed in the dish. When we ordered the halibut we both assumed it would be served in a small, thick cut as that is the way it usually served. Instead it was a razor thin, flat piece that took up 3/4 of the plate. Halibut is usually flaky and easily eaten with just a fork. I had to pick up a knife and saw up a piece to put in my mouth each bite. We should have sent it back and got something we enjoyed but we were so bummed out we just sent it away after several delicious bites of mashed potato. FAIL.

I thought a dessert might turn this night around and the Flourless Chocolate Torte at the very least put a better taste in our mouthes. It was nice.

I know better than to suffer through a meal without speaking up to the waitress but it is hard to complain n a special date night with the husband. You want to appear kind, sweet and demure not a bossy lady who complains about her meal. So, we took this one in the shorts. 

Maybe I should have stuck to my favorite bacon wrapped dates and honey baked brie for dinner...

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!

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...

Odyssey World Cafe - Paso Robles, CA

I was so happy to have a little fan club last week during our stay at the Pacific Coast Cutting Horse Association's Futurity. My cousin, Shannon, brought her little baby for me to play with and I was so excited to meet Brooke. She is so pretty! She took a nap during the cutting and then we decided to stroll off the grounds to get some lunch.

We decided to go somewhere kind of casual and that has pretty quick service just in case Brooke decided it was time to go! I mentioned Odyssey and Shannon had never been so we decided that was the place to go.

 At the counter as we ordered I saw a Carrot Curry Soup as the special and I jumped all over that. It sounded exotic and it was. I liked that it had the Indian spices that I have been craving lately since my visit to the Himalayan restaurant in Ventura.  

I also ordered a Salmon Salad complete with feta, red peppers, eggplant and pine nuts. It was the perfect lunch for visiting! I like taking bites of food and then getting involved in conversation. Salads are perfect for that! But, to be totally honest, I ate most everything on the plate besides the lettuce!

I talked Shannon into the French Dip because I have had it before and knew she would like it. She bounced Brooke on her lap in between bites and commented on the delicious bread made in house. 

For an easy, quick and affordable meal go to Odyssey and enjoy a meal from around the world!

Ca'Marco Ristorante - Ojai, CA

Cowboy Ron was in town y'all! 

I love when Ron comes to town to visit because he likes to explore restaurants just as much as I do! We had never been to the re-opening of the Ca'Marco Ristorante located across the Soule Park Golf Course so we decided to give it a try. I especially loved the bread that came out with the oil and balsamic, it was kind of toasted and crispy on the ends. Yum! Give me texture!

Scott and Ron both ordered Caesar Salads and when this came we all kind of chuckled. It was a loose interpretation of a Caesar Salad but it tasted good and I guess that is all that truly mattered. The dressing was a version of Italian and the tomato was out of place but you know we are not that pickly to throw a stink. It just was cute.

I ordered a very special Risotto and it initially came out looking like a salad but I mixed that arugula right up and it was blended into each bite in no time at all. I picked my meal of the list of featured dishes for the evening and it was listed as to boost shrimp, garlic, tomatoes and arugula.It did featured all those things and then some! The meal was lovely and the house glass of Cabernet Sauvignon that I enjoyed with it was just as perfect.

Scott's meal of baked ziti, artichoke hearts, mushroom and Parmesan sounded lovely to him as he ordered it but he was less than thrilled with what was placed in front of him. He ate a fair portion and took the rest home. I have to admit I had it for breakfast the next day and I thought it was tasty. My one critique was that the pasta could have been cooked a bit longer. Just a tad al dente for me.

Cowboy Ron ordered the Lasgana and gave it a solid B+. I feel like that should be winning! He thought the cheese:noodle:sauce ratio was off but all in all a darn good meal. I really thought the oven pans that the meals were served in were cute. Bonus points for cute always help!

All in all, I was very impressed with the restaurant. It has had its ups and downs in the past but it seems like they are on their game now. It is a tricky location because the lack of parking in the front, but have no fear, just park in the back! I will return for sure.

Hello Fall! - Ojai, CA

Last Saturday was the most beautiful introduction we have had to Fall in many years. The morning air was crisp and the warm, fuzzy it gave me inspired me to get cooking! I love cooking when the seasons change. Goodbye Summer. Hello Fall! Upper Ojai was just stunning, I had to snap a photo from my porch...

I set the table with candles, flowers and cloth napkins. It was just too pretty of a day not to go all out.

 Scott put on music and sweet tunes blasted through our outdoor speakers. 

Hi Scott!

My grandmother's wicker furniture makes for a lovely outdoor living space. We have used this sitting area so much this year. I see many more evenings of front porch sitting in our future! 

What I love most about cooking all day is the ability to have your meal ready and waiting with a fully clean kitchen to work in! Always clean as I cook, I hate dirty dishes. So with my kitchen spotless I decided to start cocktail hour...

 Cheers!

Scott requested his favorite, Deviled Eggs, to start. I like making them because it is such a labor of love. You must kindly handle the eggs to boil, crack and peel them without injury to the precious whites. Then whip up the yolks to your creamy desire. It is just such a personal recipe. A little of this, a little of that - add what makes you feel right. This time it was mayonnaise, mustard, sweet pickle relish, cherry pepper juice, salt pepper and a sprinkle (or in my case an accidental downpour) of paprika.

Our sweet friends Dana, Brandon and Ryan came over to enjoy eating with us. It is so nice to have local friends who appreciate good eats like we do! When I called them last minute to come up the hill and dine with us they were good enough to jump in their cars and join in. 

I love this shot of everyone digging in! Scott was in charge of cooking the steaks and salmon on the barbecue and he knocked it out of the park! Scott loves barbecuing so I knew he would love his job. He does get nervous about cooking up my seafood selections but every time he does it comes out perfectly. I love a little surf and turf with my meal.

My plate was complete with a piece of salmon, a big scoop of Melissa's Broccoli Salad, a twice baked potato (made with copious amounts of butter, sour cream, cheese and love...) and a slice of garlic bread. 

What is in Melissa's Broccoli Salad you wonder?

• Broccoli - 5 heads - finely chopped
• Red Onion - Only 1/2 - very finely chopped
• Cheddar Cheese - shaved, 1/2 cup
• Sunflower Seeds - 1 cup+, I used extra...
• Dried Apricots - 1 cup, also chopped finely
• The dressing - Mayonaise, sugar and vinegar - make a paste and adjust to your liking! I overly dress mine because I like my food saucy. But do remember as the vegetables "sit" the will sweat some of their liquids out and make the salad extra wet.

Mix it all up in a bowl and let it rest in the fridge for a couple hours!

Our party was a success. It was low key and last minute just like the best parties are. No fuss, no muss and just enjoying quality time with the people you love. 

Happy Fall everyone! Now get in your kitchen and start cooking!