Birthday Surf - Dana Point, CA

For Scott's birthday we took a little trip to Southern California. The first night of our vacation was spent in Dana Point at the Blue lantern Inn, an extremely cute boutique hotel overlooking the harbor. We unpacked our bags and decided to find a Scott a surf spot so he could have a birthday surf!

We pulled into the Doheny State Park and it was the perfect place for Scott to catch a few waves...

I even grabbed a Sno-Cone while he out there!

Thrilled from his surfing, the birthday boy and I walked into Wind and Sea for drink and an appetizer. We settled on Mai Tai's... Those things are do dangerous, they taste like juice but are so much more potent!

Poke was on the Happy Hour menu so we decided to give it a try. It was lovely, healthy and just what we needed to fuel us over until dinner a few hours away. 

The night continued on for Scott's Birthday dinner... 

Stay tuned!

Market Restaurant - Del Mar, CA

ATTENTION: If you are going to just skim through this post you have been warned not to miss it. This was the best meal I have ever had! Read on...

I read about Market Restaurant through various reviews and decided that should be the first place my Mom and I check out on our mini vacation. I made reservations and at 6:15 we rolled in, valet parked our car and we were seated quickly. Corn muffins, sliced sourdough and salted butter were brought to our table rapidly. The corn muffins were outstanding!

The chef sent out an amuse bouche and it was breathtakingly good. I felt like I was on the television show "The Taste" - Poached prawn, cucumber watermelon salad with an amazing sesame vingarette served with cracker to finish. It was just beyond... If I could order six spoons of these for dinner, I would have.

You know how much I love my crab cakes so when we saw it on the menu my mom umped up and ordered it for us to share. The Macadamia Crusted Jonah Crab Cake had no filler at all. It was surrounded in a bath of passion fruit lemon grass broth with jewel pieces of avocado and pinapple. Stunning! Best appetizer I have ever add.

I ordered the Acadian Redfish and Crispy Shrimp Tempura because it sounded exotic. The gingered asparagus rice under the perfectly cooked fish was lovely. The red thai curry sauce that the dish was washed with was spicy! Enough to wipe your nose, thats for sure. The shrimp were just out of the fryer so they were crisp and lovely. An interesting meal, that I was pleasantly satisfied with.

My Mom swore she wasn't going to get a steak since she had just gotten back from New York and had a lot of steak while visiting. But when she read about the Waygu Filet served with caramelized onion confit, forest mushroom roast, bernaise and a souffle served along side - She ordered another steak. She said it was delightful and it was worth the order.

Whenever I see Budino on the dessert menu, anywhere, I order it. I loved this butterscotch custard so much. The thick caramel on top, dollop of cream and pistachio brittle made it just out of this world. Served along side were apple turnovers, I barely touched them.

My mom had the Mars Bars and they were a chocolate lovers dream. Too heavy for me with out a cup of coffee or glass of red wine but they were very beautiful. I didn't try much of it because I was too obsessed with my own plate. I like the "M" stamp...

Anyhow, can you see why this really was the best meal ever?! Beautiful food, simple flavors and excellent prices. I was so shocked to see the low price tag on such masterful food. I will be back and you should go! Now!!!

Hawaii Day #7

The last day we are in Hawaii and I finally start craving beef! I have been stuffed to the gills with seafood. I wave the white flag. This French Dip was ordered at the Pine Tree Cafe located just down from the airport. It was not good at all. Meat rubbery, cheese not melted through and onions were still crunchy. The aus had zero ounce of flavor but the french fries saved the day!

I started this book and finished it in for 4 hours straight while lounging by the pool during our last few hours at our rental home.

On our way to the airport to go home we stopped by the Kona Brewery. It looks lovely and stormy doesn't it?!

We started our with the Chipotle Chicken Dip and it was spicy! So, so spicy. Even a heavy spice fan like myself could not handle too much of the heat.

I ordered the Pork Tacos because I was starting to crave some Mexican type food. I usually like corn tortillas over flour but this did the trick to curb my craving.

Scott went for the Cubano Sandwich and a side salad.

So this is where our Hawaiian Adventure ended. We caught the red eye and landed at LAX at 4:30 the next morning. The flight was a short one as I fell asleep 30 minutes after take off and woke as the pilots were about to touch down. We all had fun but were happy to get back to our dogs, horses and work. 

ALOHA!

Hawaii Day #6

As our vacation came to a close Scott wanted to surf one more time at his favorite spot. 

I finished my book and it was spicy!

I wanted to take Scott to the Hawaiian Style Cafe so he could experience some real local food. Not like the junk we got from Bongo Ben's the day before.

He ordered the Korean Chicken and loved it. Heck, I loved it too!

I ordered the Roast Pork, again.

I killed it! I even ate one of Scott's chicken wings. 

Our last meal together as a vacation family was at Huggo's in Kona. it was a beautiful evening and we had a spectacular table.

One more Mai Tai... It was large and in charge!

Kumamoto Oysters for the table. They were light and refreshing!

Scott ordered a Caesar Salad and I munched on the parmesan crisp that came with it.

I am sure you know who ordered this and yes, it was delicious. I promise to be more food adventurous. I promise!

Fallon ordered this pasta and it tasted great! A macadamia nut pesto, mushrooms, goat cheese and grilled shrimp all helped make this dish a good one.

A very small serving of the Teriyaki they claim to known for. Sweet and tender it was done with in a few bites.

Andy went for the Cioppino and he used the bread to mop up the tomato fennel broth.

This is where things started to get bad. This creme brulee was so awful I don't even know what to say happened. Maybe they forgot an ingredient or added the wrong one because it tasted like a dirty mop. It officially was the worst creme brulee I have ever had. 

I set up a travel debit card with a set amount of funds to be used on dining, trinkets and whatever else I wanted while in Hawaii. Before going into dinner I knew I had well over enough money still on the card for at least another week in Hawaii. So when the bill came I treated our table and picked up the tab. The waiter took my card and returned saying it had been declined. I was very confused as to why that happened and gladly gave him my "regular" debit card know that one would be more than fine. He returned with my card and it went through with no problems. 

On the way home I had an uneasy feeling that something was not right with my other card so I logged on to my computer as soon as we got to the rental house. Sure enough, the waiter ran my cards a total of five times! Running my "Hawaii Travel" card to over $750 and then my "regular" debit card twice more. I immediately called the restaurant to tell them what happened and excuses were made that we were in a hurry, the waiter was new, this happens all the time... yadda yadda yadda. It was not the ending that I wanted to have after a beautiful vacation in Hawaii. 

In the end the situation was made right only after constant badgering on my end.

Hawaii Day #6

As our vacation came to a close Scott wanted to surf one more time at his favorite spot. 

I finished my book and it was spicy!

I wanted to take Scott to the Hawaiian Style Cafe so he could experience some real local food. Not like the junk we got from Bongo Ben's the day before.

He ordered the Korean Chicken and loved it. Heck, I loved it too!

I ordered the Roast Pork, again.

I killed it! I even ate one of Scott's chicken wings. 

Our last meal together as a vacation family was at Huggo's in Kona. it was a beautiful evening and we had a spectacular table.

One more Mai Tai... It was large and in charge!

Kumamoto Oysters for the table. They were light and refreshing!

Scott ordered a Caesar Salad and I munched on the parmesan crisp that came with it.

I am sure you know who ordered this and yes, it was delicious. I promise to be more food adventurous. I promise!

Fallon ordered this pasta and it tasted great! A macadamia nut pesto, mushrooms, goat cheese and grilled shrimp all helped make this dish a good one.

A very small serving of the Teriyaki they claim to known for. Sweet and tender it was done with in a few bites.

Andy went for the Cioppino and he used the bread to mop up the tomato fennel broth.

This is where things started to get bad. This creme brulee was so awful I don't even know what to say happened. Maybe they forgot an ingredient or added the wrong one because it tasted like a dirty mop. It officially was the worst creme brulee I have ever had. 

I set up a travel debit card with a set amount of funds to be used on dining, trinkets and whatever else I wanted while in Hawaii. Before going into dinner I knew I had well over enough money still on the card for at least another week in Hawaii. So when the bill came I treated our table and picked up the tab. The waiter took my card and returned saying it had been declined. I was very confused as to why that happened and gladly gave him my "regular" debit card know that one would be more than fine. He returned with my card and it went through with no problems. 

On the way home I had an uneasy feeling that something was not right with my other card so I logged on to my computer as soon as we got to the rental house. Sure enough, the waiter ran my cards a total of five times! Running my "Hawaii Travel" card to over $750 and then my "regular" debit card twice more. I immediately called the restaurant to tell them what happened and excuses were made that we were in a hurry, the waiter was new, this happens all the time... yadda yadda yadda. It was not the ending that I wanted to have after a beautiful vacation in Hawaii. 

In the end the situation was made right only after constant badgering on my end.

Hawaii Day #5

Good Morning Kona! We are entering Day #5 of our Hawaiian Journey...

We wandered into town in search of breakfast and decided we would give the tourist trap, Bongo Ben's a try. 

I ordered the Moco Loco because it is what your supposed to do in Hawaii. It was horrible. I asked for my egg over easy, it was over hard - way hard. The hamburger meat was grey and the gravy was one out of a package. This was like gag me on a plate.

Scott's Egg Benedict didn't look too much better but at least he seemed to enjoy it. Yuck - Stay away from Bongo Ben's.

This house faced the water but only needed a little TLC. Real estate adventure in Hawaii? This would be a good one!

We came across this little sea turtle while doing a tour of the island.

Then we met up with this lovely couple. They were so charming!

I love coconut water. I wish I had a coconut tree at home.

We drove around the island all day and finally got some courage to try some food after our disastrous breakfast at Bongo Ben's. I had read positive reviews about Jackie Rey's so we gave it a go.

The bread they brought out was really good and the lilikoi butter almost made it taste like dessert. Fallon was showing off her fantastic artistic skills on the table.

We got some appetizers started for the table they were Pork Spring Rolls and Shrimp Won Tons. They were both very tasty - They were the perfect start to a lovely meal.

I ordered the Seafood Trio of Mahi Mahi, Crab Cake, Grilled Shrimp served over a coconut cream sauce. Yum, yum!

The rest of the table had tacos. They must have been missing Mexican food from home... They said they were delicious though!

Lilikoi Cheesecake for Fallon and Andy...

Creme Brulee for Scott and Melissa.

We left feeling so full and satisfied. This truly was the best meal on the island so far. I would return to Jacie Rey's for the fantastic food, excellent service and reasonable prices. The best kept secret in Kona.