El Jardin - Columbia, CA

My family gathered at this quaint restaurant in the historic town of Columbia to celebrate the life of my beautiful Nanny. She is in heaven and we will hold her in our hearts forever.

My brother and cousins... 

 My sister & cousins...

 The chips were made in house, they were flour and kind of chewy. I liked that. The salsa was not the best but it got the job done.

My very large plate of Mole was spicy and savory. The sauce was very good. I would have loved it over an enchilada! The beans and rice were also to my liking.

This meal was the best because I was surrounded by people who make me happy. It will be a day I will remember forever. Rest well Nanny. 

Seven Sisters - Sonora, CA

I have done quiet a bit of research on places to dine in Tuolumne County. There are a lot of little cafes, diners and fast food restaurants. The Seven Sisters Restaurant located inside the Black Oak Casino was one that has received rave reviews and seems to be the best place within the area.

They have a bread girl who comes around and serve slices of bread, our girl was Olivia. She was nice. The options were sourdough, olive or foccacia. There was a balsamic vinegar dipping sauce served with the bread. It was very pungent!

The Wild Mushroom Soup was delicious! My favorite part of the meal. Very nutty.

Wahoo fish from Hawaii. It was very good, my one complaint was the portion size. It was tiny! I was starving! The rice served with the dish was ok. Kind of tasted they made it possibly the day before and just reheated it.


Filet Mignon topped with crab served with rice and butternut squash. It sounds fabulous right? The steak came out overcooked and was sent back once, and it was brought back overcooked again! Aye yi yi. The crab didn't taste like crab, in fact I am not sure it even had a taste. I tried a bite of the butternut squash and it was delicious.

One of the specials of the evening: Buffalo Prime Rib. It was tasty, A very large portion. The cheesy dipping sauce was interesting. I think I would have just preferred horseradish though.

The Seven Sister's Restaurant was really supposed to impress me, knock my socks off! But, sadly it didn't. The atmosphere was beautiful, we had a great table. Had a nice glass of Wildhorse Pinot Noir and finished with tasty cappachinos, doesn't all sound so lovely? I don't think the restaurant lived up to their online reputation. Would I return? Probably if I won big down below in the casino and didn't mind dropping some dough on an average meal. Have you been to Seven Sisters?

Gus's Steak House - Sonora, CA

This is what happened: My mom and I went to the Black Oak Casino, and she started off with a lot more money than I did. It would have seemed she would have walked away the winner two hours into our experience. Then: WHAM! BAM! THANK YOU MA'AM! A quarter machine pumped out 150 cool dollar, dollar bills to me. So you know what that meant? I bought dinner! ;) I have passed Gus's for quite some time, my memory told me I had never been there but I wasn't so sure...

The Cheese Fondue. My memory came back with this bland cheese, I had been there before. Probably when I was too young to determine if food tasted good yet... They serve this complimentry when you arrive. What is most sad, I was so starving at this point for waiting for 40 minutes to be seated, I thought it actually tasted pretty sufficient.

My Mom's salad. Very basic, in fact - she said, "It wasn't worth the calories."

One of the worst cups of Clam Chowder sampled ever. Nothing about it tasted like Clam Chowder. I am sorry for sounding so mean, I really am sorry. :(

The Chicken Marsala. My Mom's order - she actually said it wasn't that bad. I had few bites, some were tastier than others, but for the most part it was edible. Good order!

That is supposed to be the Calamari Steak - It may look like a pancake with that dollop of butter or maybe an egg frittata but, no... All you tasted was egg! The calamari was so lost under the egg batter that the true taste unrecognizable. The fries were well, fries.

I sound really critical after this post, don't I? I always find something nice to say. Our server was friendly, I think she knew something was wrong though. Our plates, everyone, went back with only a few bites eaten. Poor girl, we tipped her well - it wasn't her fault. I know this place is an institution in Sonora but I was not impressed. I feel bad saying that because there really isn't much up the mountain. Try it for yourself and get back to me, maybe your experience was better.

Alfredo's - Sonora, CA

Downtown Sonora is a pretty nice place to stroll. You can wander in and out of antique shops or just get in a nice walk while checking out the beautiful old Victorian homes in the area. The day was a gorgeous day so spending it outside was fabulous. Lunch time rolled around and we found our way to Alfredo's.

Inside the restaurant we wandered our way to the back. Found a quaint corner and continued our lovely time together catching up old memories and potential new adventures!

Spicy salsa! It got the party started, wow! It was watery so I dripped it on the table a couple times, oops. Thank goodness for my trusty napkin!

Typical order of any Mexican food experience: Guac! It was a definite improvement from yesterday's - that is for sure. Tasty!

Fish Tacos! Large pieces of grilled fish. The pico de gallo on the side was a wonderful addition to a fantastic taco! Score.

My order - Pescado Diablo, or spicy fish for all my gringo friends. This dish was so good! So much fish, didn't finish it all but the sauce and sauteed onions were delicious. The rice and beans were exactly how they should be - put on the broiler for a minute or two so they get crunchy. Love it!

Wonderful, wonderful experience. The only comment I have is they had the lights off. It wasn't bad but it was just a little dark in our little conversation corner. The service was attentive and the prices were on point. I recommend this place if ever in the area. Authentic Mexican food will certainly be found here!