Artisan - Paso Robles, CA

Hello Artisan! I have been wanting to go to this restaurant for two years and I finally got my opportunity. Two nights in a row, i might add. Very excited to tell you about this one...

On night 2 at the restaurant I took my Mom. The first night Cowboy Ron treated Scott and I - thank you Cowboy Ron.

A glass of Mercy Pinot Noir. Tasty!

Fried Green Tomatoes for an appetizer. The batter was very corn mealy and the dipping sauce was a very very blue cheese sauce. Almost too cheesy.

My all time, must go to item... Crab Cakes! There was a lot of jumbo lump crab meat but they were kind of cold. I like mine hot and crispy!

Salmon for me! A tasty bearnaise sauce on top and caramelized brussel sprouts underneath. Tasty!

Dixon Lamb Rack, braised shoulder and deep fried artichokes for mom. She really enjoyed the braised shoulder.

Who doesn't love a Tiramisu Trifle? Oh my...

My personal favorite was the Creme Brulee - Pistachio, Egg Nog and Burnt Honey flavored. So good. I licked the pots clean!

All in all I enjoyed this restaurant very much. The first night I enjoyed perfectly cooked Sea Bass with Lobster Risotto. I ate every last drop! I can't wait to go back. Paso Robles here I come!!

O-Sabi - Ventura, CA

I have seen ads for O-Sabi Sushi and Teppan Yaki in many local magazines and newspapers so I was very excited to give it a go. After running errands in Ventura nothing sounded better than Japanese! Yum.

Hazel Eyes was the name of this drink. Think Pina Colada and Midori. A slush-fest, hard to drink once you reached the bottom but very tropical!

Onion Soup - loved the broth on this chilly evening.

Hello ginger dressing... Wasn't my favorite but it is nice to see a few fresh vegetables every now and then.

FIRE!

Mahi Mahi and grilled vegetables. I downed the fried rice as soon as it hit my serving station. the grilled shrimp were also tasty appetizers. My favorite was the white sauce that is served with the seafood.

I will be back. I would like to try the sushi menu next time. I love trying new places!

Lunasia Chinese Cuisine - Alhambra, CA

My Mom and I decided to head south today and visit my cousins and their new baby, Eleanor. They live in Pasadena so it was just a short drive on the 126, the 5 and then the 210. Beautiful day, no traffic on the way down. Meet the baby...

Cute right?

All the baby googling we declared ourselves famished and Charles took us to Dim Sum - Lunasia, to be exact. I had never been so I was very excited!

Packed house!

This is what a server called, "Special Roll - only served on Sunday" Whatever is was, it was delicious. The servers do not speak English so communication was limited. This by far was my favorite, deep fried seafood goodness!

This might have been Pork Siu-Mai, like I said before no one spoke any English so it was hard to tell. No matter, it was very delicious. it was served piping hot! Yum.

On the left was a Vegetable Dumping and on the right, a Seafood Roll.

Please excuse the messy plate.

BBQ Pork Buns - A soft Bisquick like dough and a little bit of good old American BBQ. Very soft and tasty.

This was my first Dim Sum experience and i loved it. Every bit of it. The ability to try so many things without over ordering. I like appetizers and this is like the Chinese version. Fantastic and cheap too! $50 for a wonderful meal!

Mary's Secret Garden - Ventura, CA

Mary's Secret Garden is located in downtown Ventura, another interesting restaurant selection. In all honesty, we chose this restaurant because we were given a gift certificate and felt we needed to cash it in. Mary's mission is to offer a natural vegan cuisine so we were quite excited to try it out!

This is a Lime Mint Chiller - fresh mint leaves, agave nectar and lime juice blended into a refreshing slush. This was very good! Full of vitamins too!

Soup of the Day - Curry Pumpkin and Corn. Very filling and quite spicy, good thing I had my smoothie! The pita bread was a nice dipper.

Deluxe Raw Tostada - Pumpkin seed crust topped with chipotle cashew cheeze (notice this cheese was spelled with a "z" = not real cheese!), Mexican spiced mushrooms, avocado shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, olives and cilantro dressing. TONS OF VEGETABLES. Almost so much that my body rejecting them. It was so filling.

We have some credit left so I am excited to try more smoothies and gluten free desserts. And probably another Soup of the Day, you know me!

New favorite sport!

Hello Stand Up Paddleboarding. Fun and a workout!

Kaylpso - Hanalei, HI

Kalypso's had a cool corner location in Hanalei. Open air and always busy, so we walked in hopeful. Food was ok. Crab Triangles for an appetizer, basically a quesadilla. Mehh... At the least the Mai Tai was good!

Bouchon's - Hanalei, HI

I like restaurant research. Do you wonder what that means? Well, basically that means Yelp. And I have to pretty much agree with the real life reviews that restaurants receive. Bouchon's had really bad reviews and recent ones at that! Did I listen? No. I had to go and see for myself.

Hello cold Clam Chowder.

Osaka 2 Me Roll. No rice, tuna, avocado, snow- crab, masago, wrapped in seaweed, tempura fried and served with lime chile sauce, unagi sauce, green onion. Sounds delish right? Totally bland.

So my conclusion, listen to Yelp. Always.

Hanalei Dolphin - Hanalei, HI

Hanalei had a lot of night time choices for dinner but I had heard from numerous people that "The Dolphin" was the one place we could not miss. I browsed the menu and thought it sounded tasty but was not blown away by any of the descriptions... Boy, was I about to be proved wrong!

Tasty Pina Coladas for two. They were so milky, sweet and delicious that we could only handle one. So dessert like!

I was given the reins to order appetizers and so I looked over the menu. Then came our waiter, Brandt. He said he would take over the ordering for us, it seemed weird at the time but he brought out the most fantastic appetizer I have ever had. Listen to Brandt, he knows his stuff! ORDER THE RAINBOW POKE MARTINI! Premium cuts of Tuna, Salmon, White Fish and avocado served atop sushi rice with this super, spicy wasabi sauce drizzled on top and at the bottom of the glass.

Brandt then recommend two types of fish: the Walu and the Teriyaki Ahi. The first one sold me it is also known as Hawaiian butter fish, rich, oily and buttery white meat. HEAVEN! Served with drawn butter and Prosciutto and Mozzarella wrapped Asparagus. Next up, Teriyaki Ahi, the house specialty for over thirty years. Ahi steak marinated in their homemade teriyaki and then charbroiled medium rare served with drawn butter. Geez, too good.

I cannot say enough good things about this place. Great setting, service and knockout food. I have not felt this way about a restaurant in a long time, it sure gave Lucky's a run for it's money. If ever in Kauai you have to make time to check this place out, you will not be disappointed!