Shannon's Wedding preview... - Tres Pinos, CA

I was a bridesmaid in my cousin, Shannon's wedding and I had such a ball. My sister was also in the wedding so it was a lot of fun... So much so I slacked on photos but here are a few until Justin Lee Photography posts his official ones!

 

Before and After shots of the silliest bridesmaid. I had a ball with the bridal party, tearing it up on the dance floor and visiting with old friends. Poor Scott - Melissa Good Taste was on fire!

Oooo laaa la!

More photos to come!

BJ's Restaurant - Huntington Beach, CA

After our two big nights of celebrating, Scott and I woke up ready to go home! We were out of the omni and on the road pretty early and started our cruise up the coast. At about Huntington Beach we got hungry and pulled in for lunch. I iced tea, he coffee.

Just so you know, the Chicken Tortilla Soup at BJ's is outstanding. They bring out the toppings in the bowl and for presentation, the server pours in the hot liquid. I love it! 

Scott had the fish tacos, he was starving so he ate it all up. I don't think he loved them though, they were just the fuel he was needing to get through the day.

Birthday celebration over, now onto Hollister for a wedding!

Gaslamp Quarter Fun! - San Diego, CA

After the game was over we walked over to hotel to check-in to our room at the beautiful, Omni. The view was stunning...

Room comfy and totally stylish!

And surprise! Champagne and strawberries for the birthday boy!!

After a nap to re-charge our batteries we walked down to the Gaslamp Quarter for dinner, drinks and entertainment.

Oh yes, we are ready!

We had reservations at Searsucker, a restaurant owned by celebrity chef, Brian Malarkey. His mom shows cutting horses with us too, it is a small, small world.

The decor was rustic chic and I just adored the funky "EAT" sign above the chef line.

Cheese biscuits came out to us, better known as Cheddar Puffers. An excellent way to get your appetite revved up!

Holy Moly, I ordered the Jalapeno Strawberry Margarita and it woke me up! The first sip was strong, spicy and an eye opener! 

Next was my order of the Carb Free Crab Cake - it was very soft and definitely chocked full of crab but I am not going to lie, I missed something here... maybe a saucy sauce? A spicy spice? I loved it all the same, and didn't let a bite go back tot the table but it did not make me want to order another.

Scott had the Flat Iron Steak served with a duo of chimichurri and bernaise sauces. He loved it. The steak, sauces and crunchy fried onions on top were just fabulous. Small portion size, but it was just right for him that evening. 

I ordered the Short Rib off the small plate menu because I had already devoured the crab cake. It was good. A solid piece of meat served with mash and horseradish, spoiling me the fried onions as well. I liked it, it was filling, cooked well.

Did i absolutely love Searsucker? I liked it. It is more the type of restaurant to go with a large group, sit in the bar, order tons of appetizers, drinks and laugh your butts off, rather than a table two looking for a romantic evening. Not a bad thing at all, I was happy to had been able to go!

Our next stop was a good one, The Shout House is a dueling piano bar located a few blocks from the restaurant so we walked on in. Grabbed an open seat and were entertained for hours with the up beat piano players. What fun!

The day was jammed packed, we ate, drank and had a wonderful time... We crashed before a night cap at the lobby and called it a day! We cannot wait to go back to San Diego!

San Diego Padres

San Diego Padres? I know what you are thinking, why would Melissa Good Taste - huge Giants fan - want to go to Petco Park? Our dear friend supplies us once a year to enjoy his seats at his favorite park, thats why... Come enjoy the day with us!

We were staying at the Omni right next door to the park so we grabbed lunch at McCormick and Schmick before the game. I went for the Crab Cakes on arugula and grapefruit sections. So perfect, light but filling all at the same time. I loved it.

Scott had the Turkey Melt with french fries. He enjoyed his sandwich, in fact as we drove home the next day he said that this was one of his favorite things during the trip.

This is the walking bridge in between the hotel and the park... How cool is that? From our room at the Omni to the game in fifty steps. I felt first class!

It also is a pretty cool feeling when your ticket says Row 1 and Seat 1. We walked straight to the first row and settled into our seats!

Scott, ready to catch a fly ball for me!

Just chillin...

What does that screen say? Oh that Scott Weis, he is famous!

Happy Birthday Scott!

Next up is our night out in the Gas Lamp District!

Harbor Grill - Dana Point, CA

Before Scott's birthday dinner we decided to enjoy a glass of wine on the balcony. The view was lovely and the weather just perfect! 

Hey look, there is Melissa Good Taste!

When we got to dinner I was told by Scott that a fellow cutter friend of his, John owned the restuarant. We were disappointed to hear that his manager son Keegan was not in to say hello. But, if you read this now, hello! We liked the window that allowed you to watch the cooks stay busy. An "eye" into restaurant cooking!

We started with oysters because we are totally obsessed. Just addicted at the time being, I am sure we will be onto our next new favorite thing very soon.

Scott had the lobster because it was his birthday and he felt like splurging! I say any day of the year is worth ordering the lobster... He loved the dips of butter and did even actually eat all his vegetables. Good boy.

I had the Salmon because the pesto sauce lured me in. I wanted to eat something really bad, like loaded with mindless calories, but I settled with salmon. I made up for the healthy ordered with a pile of mashed potatoes. They were whipped up light and fluffy, I imagine that might be what a cloud tastes like...

The birthday boy didn't wait for his photo to be taken with his candle lit but I am sure we wished for something worthwhile. We chose the carrot cake to finish off our meal and it was lovely. The frosting utterly decadent and cake very moist.

It was a low key, relaxing day topped off with an evening of amazing food. How lucky are we?!

 I hope you got your wish Scott!

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!

Big Sur Oyster Bar - Las Vegas, NV

One of the best parts about being stuck in a hotel for a week is pretty much the Oyster Bar. We debate everyday about making a visit there for at least one of our meals. Everything is tasty, the service attentive and you get to people watch too!

We always start with a dozen oysters because that is just what you do at an Oyster Bar. They were big, briny and when loaded with the extras were just heaven.

Scott went for the Crab Salad and as you can see, was loaded with lump crab meat! Wowza... A squeeze of lemon and maybe a little thousand island dressing is all one would need! 

 I went for the good, old solid dish 0 Fish and Chips. Greasy, salty and crisp from just fried halibut. I love the fries, I love the tartar they serve but my pants... well they don't love that I am continuing to order fried food! They are tight!! Ah well, next time I will just order the oysters...

Silverado Steakhouse - Las Vegas, NV

First off, I want to apologize for the lack of posts in the last few weeks... I have been on the go! From Las vegas, to San Diego and then back home for my cousin's wedding i have been very busy and traveling up a storm. My lack of posts didn't mean I wasn't eating so lets get back to it!

We were at the Southpoint Casino for a horse show again, we all did very well so fancy meals were in store to celebrate. Cowboy Ron won a check 3 out of 4 days so we decided to cheers to Scamper, his great horse. 

For our appetizer we ordered Smoked Duck, it was fantastic. Smoky of course, but also salty and fatty. Almost like bacon, duck bacon!

The table had salads, Ceasar... Ron, asked for anchovies - my favorite!

I went for the Salmon because I love it more than steak. I am in a steak house and this one is very tasty but salmon just appeals to me. I balanced out my healthy meal with mashed potatoes so it makes me equally sinful.

The boys did it right and ordered a filet. Nice, juicy and medium rare - it looked divine. Asparagus greened up their plates and bernaise was table side for dipping. 

We had red wine to finish up so we continued on eating two desserts - Creme Brulee and Molten Chocolate Cake. They were placed in between me and they boys grabbed bites at random in between.

This is our crew, Cowboy Ron and The Good Taste's... Another successful show was in the books! Viva Las Vegas!