California 2011

So I've actually been to California four times in my life. Three of them were this year. Of those three, two were for business and one was for pleasure. This was the first time I've made tentative plans to go away for spring break and actually followed through on them. It was such a fun time. This post is long overdue because the trip was in march and it's almost July now. Of course I had almost given up on this blog, so I wasn't originally planning on posting it here. I don't know how you bloggers do it; from your fancy cameras/photos to your cool craft ideas and tantalizing recipes. I STILL haven't found my niche. Yet people still encourage me to write, which is ever so heartwarming, but I've found that when I don't have a cause or topic to rant about, I'm rather boring. So I either digress waaaay of topic (like I'm doing now) or write about nothing at all. Well, I've decided not to give up so, lets get started.

We started our trip on a high note! So excited to be leaving the great, yet increasingly boring, state of AZ. Well, the euphoria wore off around Yuma when we were all just tired, I guess. It was a lot like being on a sugar high and crashing completely. Poor Whitney (one of my BFFs) had to drive the whole way, since I have no sense of direction and we definitely would've ended up in Canada, even with the use of her GPS. Rubby (another good friend) was having a great snooze in the back seat almost the entire time. But even in our non sugar-induced-crashed state, we found moments for random karaoke and silly conversation. When we arrived we were exhausted and hungry. There was a situation with checking in, but we got that worked out and got settled in. I think the name of the place was the Roadway Inn or something like that. Well, the Four Seasons should rest assured, there is definitely no competition. The place wasn't a disaster. It was old from the outside but the furniture and appliances were all modern. My stay would have been a greater success had it not been for the "asbestos pillows". My pillows may not have really contained asbestos but they certainly had something...and that something caused both me and Rubby to experience the worst allergy flare-ups. Another problem I had with the place was the fact that they boasted "free continental breakfast" but delivered nothing but cinnamon buns, honey buns, and other breakfast pastries in addition to coffee and tea. No croissants, no cereal and milk, no oatmeal. I'd like my breakfast without cavities, please. Well we definitely found a place for a proper breakfast. The infamous Broken Yolk Cafe. It was less than a mile away from our...motel(?) So if anything could be said about that place, the location was perfect.

You don't see lines like this outside Ihop...Just saying.

I'll never forget this. When I asked for water, it was initially brought to me in a glass, with ice, like every other adult. Upon spilling my glass of water, I was demoted to the safer plastic kid's size cup...with a lid. They have a great sense of humor there.

Love at first sight! French toast with strawberry...whatever (puree, I guess), fried eggs, Country potatoes (ah-mazing!) and turkey bacon. Breakfast of champions. We had enough fuel to conquer seaworld that day. And believe me, we conquered.

The Broken Yolk Cafe became our official breakfast joint for our spring break stay. Our lunch and dinner options, however, changed everyday. Let's rewind to the first day of our stay...when we arrived we went to some Chinese buffet which was unmemorable except for two things. It was located across the street from the broken yolk cafe and this:

Definitely full of fail...but an otherwise decent brownie.

Other disappointments include our pre-beach lunch at a Mexican restaurant I'd rather soon forget

Looks good, right? WRONG! Although the carne asada was divine, I specifically mentioned that I detest runny eggs. It took too long for our orders to come out and they messed up on them about three times. No bueno!

Luckily, it was a brisk yet beautiful day at the beach

I believe it was that same night that we went to Little Italy for a fancy Italian Dinner. The neighborhood and the ambiance of the area and the restaurant were amazing and authentic. I must confess however, for the amount I spent on my meal I was truly underwhelmed

It was a beautiful night...

So this was a plate of veal something or other, I guess it was a wine based sauce and it had some type of rubbery cheese over the meat. Served with mashed potatoes and veggies but I had to have some wild mushroom risotto on the side. With truffle oil and pieces of truffle (however microscopic)? yea, I'll take a side of that. The sauce of the risotto was rich and delicious, the mushrooms were divine (even the detestable shitake)...the arborio, however, a little too al dente for me. Overall a satisfactory meal, but it didn't exceed expectations or anything.

Leaving without a canoli would've been like a slap in the face to my non-existent italian grandmother. It was deeeeelish.

Little Italy was a great time. Our waiter at the restaurant, Vincenzo, was very hospitable and there was a sense in the air, almost like everyone new each other. It was cozy and intimate and the rosemary bread they started us off with was to die for. While walking back to our car (valet parked...for the first time in my LIFE!), we happened upon the studio of Grant Pecoff. And who should be inside working on a new piece but the man himself! Awesome experience meeting an artist of his caliber. I was definitely inspired.

Another memorable event was our last dinner in San Diego. We took a trip to the gas lamp quarter had dinner at The Marble Room. This restaurant certainly has an interesting history. It was a former whore house owned by a woman named Madam Cora. The waitresses dress in "tasteful" lingerie and there is live music. It was amazing. The atmosphere is casual but the food is a bit more upscale. Take their duck nachos, for example. I've never had anything like it in my life. It was delectable. They had a special bbq type sauce that accompanied several of the dishes. Again, I've never had anything like it. The music was amazing, the food was off the charts, and the cute host guy that spent some time at our table making sure we were taken care of, was just a bonus.

they aren't kidding about those gas lamps

the nightlife was insane...so many restaurants to choose from as well, but we found what I believe to be the best one. The night ended on a high note...literally (live music pun...hehehehe).

This was the best (and only) spring break trip I've had so far. California is an amazing place to visit. I'm fortunate to live so close by.