tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12699475178527594452024-03-05T21:11:12.269-08:00Restaurant & Winery ReviewsRestaurant & Winery Reviews from the San Francisco Bay Area to the Greater Sacramento AreaPrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.comBlogger295125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-14059243478983188002009-10-31T20:31:00.000-07:002009-11-01T04:14:37.963-08:00Coconut Grove - Milpitas, CA<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjQvgmVJSpFAvCF7OuyW9kZn34sH6fEvxCgby_Br8bP4v5qZyF0xsfZDsO-hGLAPXy2xMhRlNoL2y7i3BPCnTyLiSRcPXxjN7IdN7nEJsRScCvvJ3Gg46_tzjG_mml5ei9zEVntflrWm4/"><br />
<b>Coconut Grove</b><br />
129 Great Mall Dr.<br />
<b>Milpitas</b>, CA 95035<br />
(408) 263-1882<br />
<a href="http://www.coconutgrove-usa.com">coconutgrove-usa.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=129+great+mall+dr,+milpitas,+ca&sll=38.246758,-122.314525&sspn=0.011763,0.013175&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=129+Great+Mall+Dr,+Milpitas,+Santa+Clara,+California+95035&ll=37.425321,-121.901464&spn=0.023857,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Coconut Grove</b> is located next to Century Theatres at the Great Mall in <b>Milpitas </b>and they serve <b>Malaysian</b>, <b>Singaporean</b> and <b>Thai</b> cuisine. Neither one of us has ever tried <b>Malaysian <b></b></b>food before, so I randomly selected a variety of menu items and hoped for the best!<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5399098881989071265%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
Here is my review on each item we ordered at <b>Coconut Grove </b>in <b>Milpitas</b>, along with their menu description:<br />
<br />
<b>A.B.C. Ais Batu Campur</b> $3.49<br />
<i>Shaved ice, sweet coconut milk, red bean, sweet corn, rice crispies and jellies</i><br />
I absolutely LOVED this beverage! Just think of it as a version of halo-halo or boba tea with lots of goodies...but <b>Coconut Grove's </b>ABC is much better!<br />
<br />
<b>Roti Parada</b> $2.99 ($1 on Wednesday nights from 7-9pm)<br />
<i>The famous "flying bread" hand tossed and grilled with our house dipping sauce (red curry)</i><br />
We both weren't sure what to expect from the "flying bread" description, but thankfully it didn't fly away. <b>Coconut Grove's</b> Roti Parada was so good, I would have chased it down if it did! :)<br />
<br />
<b>Coconut Milk Rice</b> $2.49<br />
This is the perfect accompaniment to a Malaysian meal...it's SO delicious!<br />
<br />
<b>Red Curry Chicken</b> $9.99<br />
<i>Sliced chicken breast, tofu and freshly selected veggies cooked in mild Malay curry with a hint of coconut milk</i><br />
We really enjoyed the Malay curry in this dish (after dipping the Roti appetizer in the same curry) but the chicken breast itself was a bit bland. Perhaps it needed to be in order not to compete with the curry flavor? This was a very tasty dish, but I wouldn't hesitate to try something else at <b>Coconut Grove</b> next time.<br />
<br />
<b>Penang Sizzling Scallops</b> $16.99<br />
<i>Scallops cooked in a creamy coconut milk sauce with bell pepper and a hint of sambal belachan chili</i><br />
This is what I would call <b>Coconut Grove's Signature Dish</b>! The scallops came out sizzling (just like it said) and the sauce was one of the best flavors I've ever tasted...the entire dish (scallops, sauce, bell pepper and onions) was magnificently yummylicious!<br />
<br />
<b>F.B.I. Fried Bananas & Ice Cream</b> $6.99<br />
<i>Fried Bananas and Fried Ice Cream topped with Hersey's Chocolate syrup and whipped cream</i><br />
At this point, we were no longer hungry but since everything we had at Coconut Grove so far was fantastic, we decided to try their dessert. This was recommended by our server and we both thought this was an excellent way to end our meal!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/6/82620/restaurant/Coconut-Grove-Milpitas"><img alt="Coconut Grove on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/82620/minilogo.gif" style="border:none;width:104px;height:15px" /></a>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-88383461164084752692009-10-30T21:30:00.000-07:002009-11-01T03:23:51.240-08:00Bijan Restaurant - Fremont, CA<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_21swMFnKV-I/SdbtLdw-oNI/AAAAAAAADz0/7SlQeQh2ql8/s1600-h/4-stars.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5320700791009222866" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_21swMFnKV-I/SdbtLdw-oNI/AAAAAAAADz0/7SlQeQh2ql8/s400/4-stars.gif" style="cursor: pointer; height: 25px; width: 125px;" /></a><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Bijan Restaurant</span><br />
39935 Mission Boulevard<br />
<b>Fremont</b>, CA 94536<br />
(510) 440-1755<br />
<a href="http://bijanrestaurant.net/">bijanrestaurant.net</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=39935+mission+blvd,+fremont,+ca&sll=38.232665,-122.347643&sspn=0.011765,0.013175&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=39935+Mission+Blvd,+Fremont,+Alameda,+California+94539&ll=37.559888,-121.952426&spn=0.005953,0.00912&z=16&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Bijan Restaurant</b> is located a couple miles west of I-680 on Mission Blvd. in <b>Fremont</b>. It's in the Lucky Shopping Center behind the ARCO gas station and you need to make a u-turn at the next light if you're coming from the 680 freeway. <b>Bijan </b>has belly dancing on Friday nights and it's pretty cool when the belly dancer balances a sword on top of her head while she's dancing!<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5398710629100629921%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
If you feel like eating <b>Persian </b>food in <b>Fremont</b>, I recommend going to <b>Bijan Restaurant</b>...they have good food, good service and a clean restaurant. They also have outdoor dining with a covered patio, which is a nice option.<br />
<br />
Tonight, we shared a <b>Hummus</b> ($5.95) and it was a generous portion for two, which we both really enjoyed. I ordered their <b>Koobideh Kabob</b> ($10.95) with rice, a grilled tomato and veggies...mmm! My husband tried their <b>Prawn Kabob</b> ($16.95) with grilled onions and green bell peppers...it was also delicious!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5yZTlRVLuhWEOQED8Tyua9C9_hqkmCUcXjmBJ6SdiUy7_m1uIYSfdn3ONTFwj7jqxBu-guI1bCQnNAHLOl7UIRyktfxnQSyJYk1A8CbAoflVvCrW3regfQhC-_1itR756fpb8w7XXTo6/s1600-h/bijan_restaurant_fremont_menu_2.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD5yZTlRVLuhWEOQED8Tyua9C9_hqkmCUcXjmBJ6SdiUy7_m1uIYSfdn3ONTFwj7jqxBu-guI1bCQnNAHLOl7UIRyktfxnQSyJYk1A8CbAoflVvCrW3regfQhC-_1itR756fpb8w7XXTo6/s400/bijan_restaurant_fremont_menu_2.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhW4xcbPaMnc4KO91SvPpD2WGe4r22yBhZ-TJkY81jAB5TfjqNhGQQP2o4NVAZmIKfWUtGr4WIFQLYb9FEkeihp_BjLS5TvRIld74X12wCtBb76Sf1ApovQ1DJAxafJhf9lvXkV23x3kkz/s1600-h/bijan_restaurant_fremont_menu_3.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhW4xcbPaMnc4KO91SvPpD2WGe4r22yBhZ-TJkY81jAB5TfjqNhGQQP2o4NVAZmIKfWUtGr4WIFQLYb9FEkeihp_BjLS5TvRIld74X12wCtBb76Sf1ApovQ1DJAxafJhf9lvXkV23x3kkz/s400/bijan_restaurant_fremont_menu_3.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuWTxPs5Eczh__GHEVtkKkVVYwGiYotNFh8CG-ZSn8pNd4FKT0uCMgj1Mjcar0iDqh9Gs8sov_5Ajw8CbcngZueTIQK28eAU_WG_63uJYicR8LyiBEm47kARqF3P8Al5-dW17dGSMOVA4/s1600-h/bijan_restaurant_fremont_menu_5.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKuWTxPs5Eczh__GHEVtkKkVVYwGiYotNFh8CG-ZSn8pNd4FKT0uCMgj1Mjcar0iDqh9Gs8sov_5Ajw8CbcngZueTIQK28eAU_WG_63uJYicR8LyiBEm47kARqF3P8Al5-dW17dGSMOVA4/s400/bijan_restaurant_fremont_menu_5.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_V2OD734ih2-5OyWPWcIyYJRcN653ES2_5UTAT5DU7aNwU7rLr8Fwhlv49O0AlvnRcG_xdOsT14Se89VHl_fGhKYToKIrJ1iYBr3kyQFMUUGkLk5DEJNEIhqYnFNz8jNLQj2K9atB7uOL/s1600-h/bijan_restaurant_fremont_menu_4.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_V2OD734ih2-5OyWPWcIyYJRcN653ES2_5UTAT5DU7aNwU7rLr8Fwhlv49O0AlvnRcG_xdOsT14Se89VHl_fGhKYToKIrJ1iYBr3kyQFMUUGkLk5DEJNEIhqYnFNz8jNLQj2K9atB7uOL/s400/bijan_restaurant_fremont_menu_4.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/6/1474719/restaurant/Bijan-Restaurant-Fremont"><img alt="Bijan Restaurant on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1474719/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-90325623881637551662009-10-29T20:00:00.000-07:002009-11-01T03:24:52.723-08:00Washiku Japanese Cuisine - Fremont, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOTPJHGncP9cABpCjnQNckrbR89zHSS7kTLAW604fVBEibp05IqSYtF53Kl0AZf_bSyDp6RR7cb_NsFjQUCpWtmdlVHQ1JsqS5cwK2w8WscqQfShdu3p6bfB3D_GNSBnPimA2KiHbaCt8/s400/4-stars.gif" /><br />
<b>Washiku Japanese Cuisine</b><br />
46997 Warm Springs Blvd.<br />
<b>Fremont</b>, CA 94539<br />
(510) 687-1838<br />
<a href="http://www.washiku.com/">washiku.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=46997+warm+springs+blvd,+fremont,+ca&sll=37.557796,-121.952604&sspn=0.011873,0.013175&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=46997+Warm+Springs+Blvd,+Fremont,+Alameda,+California+94539&ll=37.490234,-121.928287&spn=0.005959,0.00912&z=16&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Washiku Japanese Cuisine</b> and <b>Sushi Bar</b> is conveniently located between I-880 and I-680 off Mission Boulevard on Warm Springs Boulevard in <b>Fremont</b>. They're open for lunch Monday to Friday from 11:30am to 2:30pm and Saturday from noon to 3:00pm. For dinner, they're open 5:00pm to 9:30pm every day, but on Fridays they're open until 10:00pm. <b>Washiku</b> in <b>Fremont</b> has a $0.99 Sake Special on Monday to Thursday nights...I don't drink Sake, but there were several people taking advantage of <b>Washiku's Sake special</b>!<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5398315766636165361%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
<b>California Roll</b> / $3.50 - large maki, but a bit salty<br />
crab and avocado<br />
<br />
<b>Lion King Roll</b> / $9.50 - good, but nothing special<br />
<i>inside</i>: California Roll (baked)<br />
<i>outside</i>: Salmon, Tobiko, special sauce<br />
<br />
<b>Ocean's Trio</b> / $11.95 - very good, our favorite of the three<br />
<i>inside</i>: Shrimp Tempura, Avocado, Tuna, Salmon, Hamachi<br />
<i>outside</i>: In Soybean Paper<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lmBZoWdoH7xCb5MG1YYA7ZyQiiXsofdJ5qHpApTk6Wy4rhafHXTUz1UeAjpVcDPN3_EfyHTf6_c1cShCjyXVXiHBhyI7Ne7Tani7IokHe81QxikGnarx25CE9jV4qVK66OgHSw3lNem3/s1600-h/washiku_japanese_cuisine_fremont_menu_1.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lmBZoWdoH7xCb5MG1YYA7ZyQiiXsofdJ5qHpApTk6Wy4rhafHXTUz1UeAjpVcDPN3_EfyHTf6_c1cShCjyXVXiHBhyI7Ne7Tani7IokHe81QxikGnarx25CE9jV4qVK66OgHSw3lNem3/s400/washiku_japanese_cuisine_fremont_menu_1.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFoPmAnwgFDO5HAb6-ivxMF1ru_8mpKID1CnjiPNB7vQTOrR4h3Efu6HcV-LTkKD1CXm_MRh_M5G0FFJYhCUWl0lfTMlHbGEN0bK38AU6iLQkA7Z-QY2IcrPXxZd8Y5aM1EqeuE6j8iNO8/s1600-h/washiku_japanese_cuisine_fremont_menu_2.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFoPmAnwgFDO5HAb6-ivxMF1ru_8mpKID1CnjiPNB7vQTOrR4h3Efu6HcV-LTkKD1CXm_MRh_M5G0FFJYhCUWl0lfTMlHbGEN0bK38AU6iLQkA7Z-QY2IcrPXxZd8Y5aM1EqeuE6j8iNO8/s400/washiku_japanese_cuisine_fremont_menu_2.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SFemo-_pHre4Okt8rJAV5WoTHyHfDVjfHIyKKm8DzVWuz4eP9VcTFVhSjC4TR7Ro7f6CPI02or6M1PdLpMvwh609atpBBXJ2sMTb1SK1vJ1rhr899T16f208LcwxFxy9W9_Ap7NgI3X7/s1600-h/washiku_japanese_cuisine_fremont_menu_3.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SFemo-_pHre4Okt8rJAV5WoTHyHfDVjfHIyKKm8DzVWuz4eP9VcTFVhSjC4TR7Ro7f6CPI02or6M1PdLpMvwh609atpBBXJ2sMTb1SK1vJ1rhr899T16f208LcwxFxy9W9_Ap7NgI3X7/s400/washiku_japanese_cuisine_fremont_menu_3.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmiLP6T3YD9G1-SYkTkYpaABmkvHP8dMDl0asL5SIwtUYsiSyBitCW3NZW6aJaPoH31ec4HQBq22W_JtlCLBrKaOkOhqqvniRkkLfod-sutsxsvgyZyiZwoa2g3UTHEwpM5lhwmYe2lST/s1600-h/washiku_japanese_cuisine_fremont_menu_4.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmiLP6T3YD9G1-SYkTkYpaABmkvHP8dMDl0asL5SIwtUYsiSyBitCW3NZW6aJaPoH31ec4HQBq22W_JtlCLBrKaOkOhqqvniRkkLfod-sutsxsvgyZyiZwoa2g3UTHEwpM5lhwmYe2lST/s400/washiku_japanese_cuisine_fremont_menu_4.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVJd09hpR5IQrwpxJaYAi_xoAcuM-Djp3UsCU4PNmaacpXWOcruddt1k5vDfdWxGfrSWjAIK6BpouVk8PthpnHJG6ah_RKUgPY9TqaD1Dj3fa37_VYCCKVNaVXVoq1t18MV1cb3DJAp8U/s1600-h/washiku_japanese_cuisine_fremont_menu_5.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVJd09hpR5IQrwpxJaYAi_xoAcuM-Djp3UsCU4PNmaacpXWOcruddt1k5vDfdWxGfrSWjAIK6BpouVk8PthpnHJG6ah_RKUgPY9TqaD1Dj3fa37_VYCCKVNaVXVoq1t18MV1cb3DJAp8U/s400/washiku_japanese_cuisine_fremont_menu_5.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcisX0A0ToJgEyVLHEoqsuhRXgjtQRyCJqSoMlJFw8lLHat_GkqhKEOoq2I5GlbjhfnVAd-RShrU9l-3VwHucthv5_VCu8qgSuRRX8hN8sG5EUtQt1ZU-TlhEe7mRD6_AnVPVcU-ZqsGdC/s1600-h/washiku_japanese_cuisine_fremont_menu_6.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcisX0A0ToJgEyVLHEoqsuhRXgjtQRyCJqSoMlJFw8lLHat_GkqhKEOoq2I5GlbjhfnVAd-RShrU9l-3VwHucthv5_VCu8qgSuRRX8hN8sG5EUtQt1ZU-TlhEe7mRD6_AnVPVcU-ZqsGdC/s400/washiku_japanese_cuisine_fremont_menu_6.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/6/1477654/restaurant/Washiku-Japanese-Cuisine-Fremont"><img alt="Washiku Japanese Cuisine on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1477654/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-25348817283680547632009-10-27T21:30:00.000-07:002009-10-28T01:16:57.541-07:00Paradise Grill - Castro Valley, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjQvgmVJSpFAvCF7OuyW9kZn34sH6fEvxCgby_Br8bP4v5qZyF0xsfZDsO-hGLAPXy2xMhRlNoL2y7i3BPCnTyLiSRcPXxjN7IdN7nEJsRScCvvJ3Gg46_tzjG_mml5ei9zEVntflrWm4/" /><br />
<b>Paradise Grill</b><br />
<i>Previously known as <b>Paradiso at Willow Park</b> (Golf Course)</i><br />
17007 Redwood Rd.<br />
<b>Castro Valley</b>, CA 94546<br />
(510) 537-3063<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" height="350" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=17007+Redwood+Rd,+Castro+Valley,+CA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=48.240201,64.511719&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=17007+Redwood+Rd,+Castro+Valley,+Alameda,+California+94546&ll=37.732915,-122.079134&spn=0.023758,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed" width="425"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Paradise Grill<b></b></b> is also known as <b>Willow Park Event Center's Paradise Grill</b> and <b>Mike Wiesner's Paradise Grill</b>. They are located at the Willow Park Public Golf Course<b></b> on Redwood Road in <b>Castro Valley</b>.<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5397559463169768769%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
<b>Service</b>: Excellent. Friendly. No complaints at all!<br />
<b>Atmosphere</b>: Pleasant and upscale cozy.<br />
<b>Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and peas</b>: absolutely delicious comfort food...I cleaned my plate!<br />
<b>Grilled flatiron steak (10 oz.), creamed spinach, bleu cheese potato gratin</b>: perfectly seasoned and cooked medium rare, very tender steak with yummy side dishes!<br />
<b>Peach & blackberry cobbler, vanilla bean ice cream</b>: superb fruit cobbler, portion large enough for sharing, could use a bigger scoop of ice cream! :)<br />
<br />
<b>Paradise Grill</b> in <b>Castro Valley</b> is a place I would definitely come back to, whether it be for another dinner, lunch or one of their special brunches on Easter or Mother's Day.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3x5EROd-idAZvpMIWcoX6Uc-duthI1-OHy43H88IBlML9rYdbMaE1uSbDBTQW56yrkS5yawiXLArXm_8aFsC3ehdDsXaZRJpS7SHC4eXDr6T2tB-y1nJkBCTkK8yNdsJjaSEdYT2CQVv3/s1600-h/paradise_grill_castro_valley_menu_2.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3x5EROd-idAZvpMIWcoX6Uc-duthI1-OHy43H88IBlML9rYdbMaE1uSbDBTQW56yrkS5yawiXLArXm_8aFsC3ehdDsXaZRJpS7SHC4eXDr6T2tB-y1nJkBCTkK8yNdsJjaSEdYT2CQVv3/s400/paradise_grill_castro_valley_menu_2.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0G8CxUg5EbedW60kw6m71p0d4Ke5U5jGfqrL7jQ6Hq3m8BnKTWLZdBLWQq2MlX6eAIvUC6ydAkCvLSKYXXFzglq4wI4yHmC-Ecy-OF5gUTO2cGp6Ee9kVmAft17695spTBVyF7b6P_hV7/s1600-h/paradise_grill_castro_valley_menu_3.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0G8CxUg5EbedW60kw6m71p0d4Ke5U5jGfqrL7jQ6Hq3m8BnKTWLZdBLWQq2MlX6eAIvUC6ydAkCvLSKYXXFzglq4wI4yHmC-Ecy-OF5gUTO2cGp6Ee9kVmAft17695spTBVyF7b6P_hV7/s400/paradise_grill_castro_valley_menu_3.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtCtPNCv5Zih81Nm5bXK1yLa2ODf0hwM4vDj3ybVZu-zXg5E3EkM2hmtO1itUKtdfvQZbvlZmyvGzGdBN4dtg6WUHP3pq6asWy1BELmwMxdm99lCyA8bY3dJiouTxtIJIXPDZQUlwYhbH/s1600-h/paradise_grill_castro_valley_menu_4.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCtCtPNCv5Zih81Nm5bXK1yLa2ODf0hwM4vDj3ybVZu-zXg5E3EkM2hmtO1itUKtdfvQZbvlZmyvGzGdBN4dtg6WUHP3pq6asWy1BELmwMxdm99lCyA8bY3dJiouTxtIJIXPDZQUlwYhbH/s400/paradise_grill_castro_valley_menu_4.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8rI55fH-O8OIOxyepRmBxuOVtmTae_hpHK-pM0oZHtRc1mbBZ1tbl_57F_y27s4OGT6v1-FpWEjzrrcWkNIMea6UJg07VSCH3cowCjWKFegmXutTy3lZQG55UNp7wR2COts0c3aFTG5p/s1600-h/paradise_grill_castro_valley_menu_5.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib8rI55fH-O8OIOxyepRmBxuOVtmTae_hpHK-pM0oZHtRc1mbBZ1tbl_57F_y27s4OGT6v1-FpWEjzrrcWkNIMea6UJg07VSCH3cowCjWKFegmXutTy3lZQG55UNp7wR2COts0c3aFTG5p/s400/paradise_grill_castro_valley_menu_5.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuOg3SUsLTjHvH6IuVQy3ftt80WA7e9m-KKWQC3Tp337BhkgAA0cotp9u9Apl9Z8LkvpC-1k_zFluW4X1xNwckB9W66N_46nhNkvvu3YU3KZbwYDYiXlHDaHqY9EPIwJ9A_YcMlUH5ZmJ/s1600-h/paradise_grill_castro_valley_menu_6.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizuOg3SUsLTjHvH6IuVQy3ftt80WA7e9m-KKWQC3Tp337BhkgAA0cotp9u9Apl9Z8LkvpC-1k_zFluW4X1xNwckB9W66N_46nhNkvvu3YU3KZbwYDYiXlHDaHqY9EPIwJ9A_YcMlUH5ZmJ/s400/paradise_grill_castro_valley_menu_6.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGmHb5fvyB1ErbIWJQqPWVjTMfq7maWLDr8cXjxlARESn98bv_3rRym0AuUd4YerqEcRPsmqEpSd3Y6MuME5udzi4YbLG7OpKGoa0f8qchuB4H2EX1lsoXsRi70BE5-TW8BTUSFi0P4kM/s1600-h/paradise_grill_castro_valley_menu_7.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWGmHb5fvyB1ErbIWJQqPWVjTMfq7maWLDr8cXjxlARESn98bv_3rRym0AuUd4YerqEcRPsmqEpSd3Y6MuME5udzi4YbLG7OpKGoa0f8qchuB4H2EX1lsoXsRi70BE5-TW8BTUSFi0P4kM/s400/paradise_grill_castro_valley_menu_7.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/6/1474329/restaurant/Paradise-Grill-Castro-Valley"><img alt="Paradise Grill on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1474329/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-78583552283242072052009-10-18T18:49:00.000-07:002009-10-19T02:42:56.346-07:00Ketch Joanne Restaurant & Harbor Bar - Half Moon Bay, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeMdnCiFba5iJqbygvE1kxLFhlPM83k9ewgyKaH_JEFb2GFGaiu6zZjt38cxxhfaIA0yA6hBQRQfmXviG0JOLCKo0a0_kG5d-EzQEZ9X16kllK6fK4dlwuvbsO5hwPvV5mSC1JUdTIWvZM/s320/2-stars.gif" /><br />
<b>Ketch Joanne Restaurant & Harbor Bar</b><br />
17 Johnson Pier<br />
Pillar Point Harbor / <b>Half Moon Bay</b><br />
<b>Princeton-by-the-Sea</b>, CA 94018<br />
(650) 728-3747<br />
<a href="http://www.ketchjoanne.com">ketchjoanne.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=37.503538,-122.482238&daddr=&hl=en&geocode=&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=19&sll=37.503643,-122.482377&sspn=0.001728,0.001153&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=37.503643,-122.482377&spn=0.011916,0.018239&z=15&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Ketch Joanne Restaurant & Harbor Bar</b> is located off Capistrano Road (west of Highway 1) past Crab Landing. It is located next to Princeton Seafood Company. The interior of <b>Ketch Joanne Restaurant</b> is done in a typical marine-inspired theme with wooden walls. They're open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and they have daily and monthly specials.<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5394221555552684865%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
Service is friendly, but they could use a lot of improvement on their food. Here is my run-down on each item we ordered tonight during our first visit to <b>Ketch Joanne Restaurant</b>:<br />
<br />
<b>Fried Local Artichoke Hearts</b> ($9.25) - These were actually quite delicious and were served with ranch dressing. Unfortunately, there was a hair in the batter of one of the artichoke hearts, so this dish was removed from our table as well as our bill.<br />
<br />
<b>Fried Calamari</b> ($10.95) - The batter was too soft, loose and greasy to call this dish a success. I expected much better from a seafood restaurant in <b>Half Moon Bay</b>. On a positive note, the tartar and cocktail sauces were good.<br />
<br />
<b>Barbecued Oysters in the Shell</b> ($9.95) - Out of four oysters, one shell appeared to have only the "remains" of where an oyster once was. Another shell had a very tiny oyster and the other two looked okay...but we decided to get the fried oysters (in hopes that they would be more substantial, like they usually come at most places) instead of having them remake the BBQ oysters.<br />
<br />
<b>Fried Oysters</b> ($9.95) - There were six fried oysters that came with tartar and cocktail sauces and although I thought they were good...they were not spectacular.<br />
<br />
<b>Half Dungeness Crab in the Shell</b> ($15.95) - Although the crab itself was good, it was served chilled (wasn't expecting that!) and it was a very small half a crab...quite overpriced, in my opinion.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/6/85985/restaurant/Ketch-Joanne-Restaurant-Bar-Half-Moon-Bay"><img alt="Ketch Joanne Restaurant & Bar on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/85985/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-85542623904409110742009-10-17T23:57:00.001-07:002009-11-01T03:22:09.186-08:00Acacia Vineyard - Napa / Carneros, CA<img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_21swMFnKV-I/SdbtLdw-oNI/AAAAAAAADz0/7SlQeQh2ql8/s400/4-stars.gif"><br />
<b>Acacia Vineyard</b><br />
2750 Las Amigas Rd.<br />
<b>Napa</b>, CA <br />
(707) 226-9991<br />
<a href="http://www.acaciavineyard.com">acaciavineyard.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2750+las+amigas+rd,+napa,+ca&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=48.240201,53.964844&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=2750+Las+Amigas+Rd,+Napa,+California+94559&ll=38.234742,-122.347569&spn=0.005899,0.00912&z=16&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Acacia Vineyard</b> was the 7th winery we visited during the <b>Carneros Harvest Passport Experience</b>. My husband was driving, so he didn't finish all the wine he was poured today...but I did. He liked the <b>2006 Lone Tree Pinot Noir</b> that <b>Acacia Vineyard</b> featured today and I have to admit that I didn't taste it because I had enough wine already! :)<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5399090670482650177%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-53012048584822647002009-10-17T23:15:00.000-07:002009-11-01T03:26:26.230-08:00Adastra Wines - Napa / Carneros, CA<img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_21swMFnKV-I/SdbtLdw-oNI/AAAAAAAADz0/7SlQeQh2ql8/s400/4-stars.gif"><br />
<b>Adastra Wines</b><br />
2545 Las Amigas Road<br />
<b>Napa</b>, CA 94559<br />
(707) 255-4818<br />
<a href="http://www.adastrawines.com">adastrawines.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2545+las+amigas+rd,+napa,+ca&sll=37.488137,-121.928417&sspn=0.011884,0.013175&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=2545+Las+Amigas+Rd,+Napa,+California+94559&ll=38.232584,-122.33285&spn=0.011799,0.018239&z=15&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Adastra Wines</b> is located on Las Amigas Road in the <b>Carneros </b>region of <b>Napa Valley Wine Country</b>. Their tasting room is an old wooden barn with lots of rustic charm. Today for the <b>Carneros Harvest Passport Experience</b>, <b>Adastra Wines</b> was pouring their <b>2007 Adastra Chardonnay</b>, <b>2006 Adastra Proximus Chardonnay</b> and their <b>2007 Adastra Pinot Noir</b>. They also offered a variety of cheeses to go with the wines, along with their pairing recommendations.<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5399087597979989905%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/Xp_mUocN6qc&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/Xp_mUocN6qc&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-34694388860044658612009-10-17T23:00:00.000-07:002009-11-01T03:27:42.008-08:00Bouchaine Vineyards & Winery - Napa / Carneros, CA<img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_21swMFnKV-I/SdbtLdw-oNI/AAAAAAAADz0/7SlQeQh2ql8/s400/4-stars.gif"><br />
<b>Bouchaine Vineyards & Winery</b><br />
1075 Buchli Station Road<br />
<b>Napa</b>, CA 94559<br />
(707) 252-9065<br />
<a href="http://www.bouchaine.com">bouchaine.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1075+Buchli+Station+Rd,+Napa,+CA+94559&sll=38.228441,-122.332969&sspn=0.011766,0.013175&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=1075+Buchli+Station+Rd,+Napa,+California+94559&ll=38.224797,-122.334073&spn=0.0059,0.00912&z=16&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Bouchaine Vineyards & Winery</b> is located in the world famous <b>Carneros </b>region of the <b>Napa Valley</b>. They are open from 10:30am to 4:00pm and they have an indoor tasting room plus an outdoor deck that is for food pairings. During the <b>Carneros Harvest Passport Experience</b>, <b>Bouchaine Vineyards & Winery</b> was pouring their <b>2008 Bouchaine Bacchus Collection Chardonnay</b>, <b>2008 Bouchaine Bacchus Collection Pinot Blanc</b> and their <b>2007 Bouchaine Bacchus Collection Pinot Noir</b>...the last of which was our favorite. However, what we couldn't resist taking home with us was a bottle of their <b>Bouchaine Chocolate Sauce</b>, made from their very own <b>Pinot Noir</b>!<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5398897103165320609%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/6HNjXFjSENc&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/6HNjXFjSENc&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/XhToYP0sPXY&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/XhToYP0sPXY&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-1480376655196917092009-10-17T22:45:00.000-07:002009-11-01T03:28:43.176-08:00Ceja Vineyards - Napa / Carneros, CA<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQaAf0D5tcK5cvNiCyaJjTLQjUiunUhsfCYYOxputeN4H-yDrsg5_dGaTispiMUndK74vAB0uf6ByPMFDJaYqhWOJ0FxsDn4d12C2FjtDTWv-vCliP_BZtydAZp_g-fG-kXkcSSPYnrIF/s320/3-stars.gif"><br />
<b>Ceja Vineyards</b><br />
1019 Las Amigas Road<br />
Napa, CA 94559<br />
(707) 255-3954<br />
<a href="http://www.cejavineyards.com">cejavineyards.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1019+Las+Amigas+Rd,+Napa,+CA+94559&sll=38.222757,-122.334309&sspn=0.011766,0.013175&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=1019+Las+Amigas+Rd,+Napa,+California+94559&ll=38.237085,-122.314053&spn=0.005899,0.00912&z=16&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Ceja Vineyards</b> was our 4th stop during the <b>Carneros Harvest Passport Experience </b>today. They have a bocce ball court and an outdoor kitchen where they were pouring some of the wines. Today, they featured their <b>2007 Ceja Carneros Chardonnay</b>, <b>2007 Ceja Carneros Pinot Noir </b>and their <b>2005 Ceja Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon</b>. The highlight of our visit was the <b>Truffle Gateau</b> vendor, though...their chocolate truffles are SO decadently delicious that a $20 splurge for 6 pieces was worth it!<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5398893837618612001%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/M-dh98s-_bs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/M-dh98s-_bs&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/raeRcRqLT1s&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/raeRcRqLT1s&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-51365676868624159062009-10-17T22:30:00.000-07:002009-11-01T03:29:44.089-08:00Etude Wines - Napa / Carneros, CA<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQaAf0D5tcK5cvNiCyaJjTLQjUiunUhsfCYYOxputeN4H-yDrsg5_dGaTispiMUndK74vAB0uf6ByPMFDJaYqhWOJ0FxsDn4d12C2FjtDTWv-vCliP_BZtydAZp_g-fG-kXkcSSPYnrIF/s320/3-stars.gif"><br />
<b>Etude Wines</b><br />
1250 Cuttings Wharf Road<br />
<b>Napa</b>, CA 94559<br />
(707) 257-5300<br />
<a href="http://www.etudewines.com">etudewines.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1250+Cuttings+Wharf+Rd,+Napa,+CA+94559&sll=38.235044,-122.314243&sspn=0.011764,0.013175&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=1250+Cuttings+Wharf+Rd,+Napa,+California+94559&ll=38.24878,-122.314181&spn=0.005898,0.00912&z=16&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Etude Wines</b> is located in the famous <b>Carneros </b>region in <b>Napa </b>county. The wines they were pouring for the <b>Carneros Harvest Passport Experience</b> ticket holders were their <b>2008 Pinot Gris Carneros</b> and their <b>2006 Pinot Noir Carneros - Estate</b>. Perhaps if we tried their Cabernet Sauvignon, we may have liked <b>Etude Wines</b> a little better. They do have a beautiful tasting room that overlooks the barrel storage area...and some interesting topiaries on their grounds!<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5398889419997475809%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/-cFMtkrpSpU&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/-cFMtkrpSpU&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/-DCXdIfJ6o4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/-DCXdIfJ6o4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/GSLfuTg_kzo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/GSLfuTg_kzo&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-75010413426017349542009-10-17T22:15:00.000-07:002009-10-31T15:00:38.492-07:00Saintsbury Vineyard - Napa / Carneros, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVICE2I3Wh7aFYW9iY3aCJW-ebHR7QgnM2B4ZnVwQ2N0Q0wKvvu9rj4DUtZgZWiguJduu9lyFwxqrGzoZfvSSGPubxxlJKqYg1R52MXdMuNH4w2DGOhiBj62rRqkXro3_KA5TjgZdMThqv/" /><br />
<b>Saintsbury Vineyard</b><br />
1500 Los Carneros Ave.<br />
<b>Napa</b>, CA 94559<br />
(707) 252-0592<br />
<a href="http://www.saintsbury.com/">saintsbury.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1500+Los+Carneros+Ave,+Napa,+CA+94559&sll=38.244129,-122.294472&sspn=0.006522,0.005311&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=1500+Los+Carneros+Ave,+Napa,+California+94559&ll=38.258267,-122.321091&spn=0.023589,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Saintsbury Vineyard</b> is located in the <b>Carneros </b>Region of the <b>Napa Valley Wine Country</b>. Normally, they are open by appointment only, but today they were open to <b>Carneros Harvest Passport Experience</b> ticket holders.<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5395561288260723777%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
We were greeted by their very friendly French winemaker, who poured us the Chardonnay, and even their winery cat came by to say hello! <b>Saintsbury </b>specializes in the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wine varieties...and I thought their <b>2007 Saintsbury Lee Vineyard Carneros Pinot Noir</b> was spectacular!<br />
<br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/S-TnZs88DuA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/S-TnZs88DuA&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-44963440260919199052009-10-17T22:00:00.000-07:002009-10-22T14:49:36.681-07:00Starmont Winery (Merryvale) - Napa / Carneros, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBjQvgmVJSpFAvCF7OuyW9kZn34sH6fEvxCgby_Br8bP4v5qZyF0xsfZDsO-hGLAPXy2xMhRlNoL2y7i3BPCnTyLiSRcPXxjN7IdN7nEJsRScCvvJ3Gg46_tzjG_mml5ei9zEVntflrWm4/" /><br />
<b>Starmont Winery - NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC</b><br />
1451 Stanly Lane<br />
<b>Napa</b>, CA 94559<br />
<a href="http://www.merryvale.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=starmont.main">merryvale.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=38.244444,-122.293981&daddr=&hl=en&geocode=&mra=mi&mrsp=0&sz=17&sll=38.244129,-122.294472&sspn=0.006522,0.005311&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=38.244736,-122.293754&spn=0.002949,0.00456&z=17&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Starmont Winery</b>, although not open to the public, was open to <b>Carneros Harvest Passport</b> holders today and that was where we started our <b>winery tour</b>. <b>Starmont Winery</b> is located on Stanly Lane, right off the Carneros Hwy at Highway 29 in <b>Napa</b>. Starmont and Merryvale wines were being poured at the Carneros location today by <b>Starmont Winery</b>'s Vineyard Manager, Remi Cohen.<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5395329794890373889%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
<b>Starmont Winery</b> in the <b>Carneros</b> region of <b>Napa</b> had a cheese platter, figs, strawberries and goodies from Whole Foods Market for us...yummy! We tasted five different <b>Merryvale</b> and/or <b>Starmont</b> wines from the <b>Napa Valley</b> and <b>Carneros</b> regions:<br />
<br />
- <b>2008 Starmont Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc</b> ($18)<br />
- <b>2007 Merryvale Carneros Chardonnay</b> ($35)<br />
- <b>2008 Merryvale Carneros Pinot Noir</b> ($35)<br />
- <b>2007 Merryvale Napa Valley Syrah</b> ($35)<br />
- <b>2006 Merryvale Napa Valley Profile</b> ($135)<br />
<br />
I thoroughly enjoyed <b>Merryvale's</b> Sauvignon Blanc and the Chardonnay, but the real winner was the <b>Profile</b>, a <b>Bordeaux</b> blend (80% <b>Cabernet Sauvignon</b> with <b>Merlot</b>, <b>Petit Verdot</b> and <b>Cabernet Franc</b>) that ended up being my <b><i>absolute favorite wine</i></b> of the <b>Carneros Harvest Passport Experience</b>!<br />
<br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sak-h8hGUys&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Sak-h8hGUys&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/AF6qPWsZG3o&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/AF6qPWsZG3o&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-21975787241686545122009-10-15T13:43:00.000-07:002009-10-19T02:41:31.670-07:00Rising Loafer Cafe & Bakery - Danville, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbQaAf0D5tcK5cvNiCyaJjTLQjUiunUhsfCYYOxputeN4H-yDrsg5_dGaTispiMUndK74vAB0uf6ByPMFDJaYqhWOJ0FxsDn4d12C2FjtDTWv-vCliP_BZtydAZp_g-fG-kXkcSSPYnrIF/s320/3-stars.gif" /><br />
<b>Rising Loafer Cafe & Bakery</b><br />
340 Hartz Ave.<br />
<b>Danville</b>, CA 94526<br />
(925) 838-8800<br />
<a href="http://www.danvillerisingloafer.com/">danvillerisingloafer.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=340+Hartz+Avenue,+Danville,+CA&sll=37.503643,-122.482887&sspn=0.006911,0.008701&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=340+Hartz+Ave,+Danville,+Contra+Costa,+California+94526&ll=37.827006,-121.997981&spn=0.011864,0.018239&z=15&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Rising Loafer Cafe & Bakery</b> is located on Hartz Avenue in downtown <b>Danville</b>, just south of Diablo Road and north of Starbucks Coffee. It's a nice spot to have breakfast, lunch or dinner (Fri-Sat only) and dine al fresco in the heart of downtown <b>Danville</b>. Service is wonderful and the food (lunch) is just slightly above average...I honestly expected better from <b>Rising Loafer Cafe & Bakery</b>. The dishes themselves were creative and they have a great menu, but execution is what they lacked.<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5392974764902776305%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
My <b>Chicken Salad Half Sandwich</b> ($4.95) had only two bites with apple and the soggy croissant had such a strong butter flavor that it overpowered the bland chicken salad. My <b>Napa Valley "Mini" Spinach Salad</b> ($6.95) was better, after I asked for the red seedless grapes that were missing. The <b>Chicken Tortilla Soup</b> ($4.95) was tasty (with a broth similar to menudo) and the <b>Grilled Chicken Diablo</b> ($8.95) was good, but the fries had a baked potato-like consistency on the inside, which was a bit odd.<br />
<br />
If I were to visit <b>Rising Loafer Cafe & Bakery</b> in the future, I would most likely try their breakfast instead of having lunch again. Even their bread basket (which smelled really good) wasn't as great as anticipated...but if you're in downtown <b>Danville</b>, there's not a lot of selection of restaurants that serve breakfast.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxw8jEp56E-IO-afQqhmx_0BapNZ6-jb_gXK2VBbvlmOJzo624aFKt6riGSY2jMeD4E1rI1qws11Catqy3-RtKNKwy99_bHD8OZFc2B2gIYZ_-bHG2wZLgI0TcrmjhKdoN6sNIsjyZoq4g/s1600-h/rising_loafer_danville_menu_01.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxw8jEp56E-IO-afQqhmx_0BapNZ6-jb_gXK2VBbvlmOJzo624aFKt6riGSY2jMeD4E1rI1qws11Catqy3-RtKNKwy99_bHD8OZFc2B2gIYZ_-bHG2wZLgI0TcrmjhKdoN6sNIsjyZoq4g/s400/rising_loafer_danville_menu_01.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4KIERyTmLxcE3Z23cJJ5JHHbr2eUi3bpKk1m8QDm9TpYEekF7ZKghuDRTG7XegmxI9yVHD-G7FyxcA90NGC6ZBX3l6kxt5bUpZSWfJym2vTaaoZr0bhgcrH_Es8Oyo0JTLCEwyUlKTaf/s1600-h/rising_loafer_danville_menu_02.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4KIERyTmLxcE3Z23cJJ5JHHbr2eUi3bpKk1m8QDm9TpYEekF7ZKghuDRTG7XegmxI9yVHD-G7FyxcA90NGC6ZBX3l6kxt5bUpZSWfJym2vTaaoZr0bhgcrH_Es8Oyo0JTLCEwyUlKTaf/s400/rising_loafer_danville_menu_02.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPGOkvjgnn05pJKLpOSKouNvq3U0-wpuK3aaa4iZREyVWaDTnYsvSSsxpdRtyNa9qGj-GMd2iKG5SS59gw6diaHRH60QZukUnpxOI8fD9NrreS5IxmjaAWl3kZ_xAhvx0wtxnqfOBQCrr/s1600-h/rising_loafer_danville_menu_03.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnPGOkvjgnn05pJKLpOSKouNvq3U0-wpuK3aaa4iZREyVWaDTnYsvSSsxpdRtyNa9qGj-GMd2iKG5SS59gw6diaHRH60QZukUnpxOI8fD9NrreS5IxmjaAWl3kZ_xAhvx0wtxnqfOBQCrr/s400/rising_loafer_danville_menu_03.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0o3QkKlTkDGn59DL2ZYwHFVh4Y1bTyklqlKjTQtZFZNITdpr-EjiW2uXm7apGd3zTlObA5upDAlvvc-r3eDg7xFYm0KWEudcV1aKiq8KcoPa1uWO8Wuu87lNoICfAek6V6Q3bYZ-KyKuO/s1600-h/rising_loafer_danville_menu_04.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0o3QkKlTkDGn59DL2ZYwHFVh4Y1bTyklqlKjTQtZFZNITdpr-EjiW2uXm7apGd3zTlObA5upDAlvvc-r3eDg7xFYm0KWEudcV1aKiq8KcoPa1uWO8Wuu87lNoICfAek6V6Q3bYZ-KyKuO/s400/rising_loafer_danville_menu_04.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3Is5Ts14XHQ0IvvNFt5GgScn6efg3ibrmyf2niCBXXQmSrPbvXvXysMz65bbKSiC70VlBWWvdVqwidEoZdFMFcvwaJ317kOst7OKP3eedUFdhtgO3QAmDnfQC9MShBX3tEDpkNBitcKy/s1600-h/rising_loafer_danville_menu_05.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3Is5Ts14XHQ0IvvNFt5GgScn6efg3ibrmyf2niCBXXQmSrPbvXvXysMz65bbKSiC70VlBWWvdVqwidEoZdFMFcvwaJ317kOst7OKP3eedUFdhtgO3QAmDnfQC9MShBX3tEDpkNBitcKy/s400/rising_loafer_danville_menu_05.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9liRf8W64YdimB9886g-qcZ_4VU0aLyQLhGBCoM9jZF5KepyFKE55w08nfnrZKWiqWO4_QJXUYnpH5QWutSQnvEVP2PZK3z8mdnGsyOFzUrLURYaEtRqHNuiiXjFG-UfwKZm2C35DUV9N/s1600-h/rising_loafer_danville_menu_06.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9liRf8W64YdimB9886g-qcZ_4VU0aLyQLhGBCoM9jZF5KepyFKE55w08nfnrZKWiqWO4_QJXUYnpH5QWutSQnvEVP2PZK3z8mdnGsyOFzUrLURYaEtRqHNuiiXjFG-UfwKZm2C35DUV9N/s400/rising_loafer_danville_menu_06.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFbR5yW-KQCywJ-mdTYeJBaH9RGXqDfydbttdyahmVWJ8AtgvcpaB2PMPVeIetk2Wsa2dj-H3UaBTwc4L9lI32uIkT-RVVbC9Yfe6puxrga8TbCB7ns7av-L9kwI-hmpuHEV2_iigojsN/s1600-h/rising_loafer_danville_menu_07.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjFbR5yW-KQCywJ-mdTYeJBaH9RGXqDfydbttdyahmVWJ8AtgvcpaB2PMPVeIetk2Wsa2dj-H3UaBTwc4L9lI32uIkT-RVVbC9Yfe6puxrga8TbCB7ns7av-L9kwI-hmpuHEV2_iigojsN/s400/rising_loafer_danville_menu_07.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWyKNtsHfcmoOwNwsoBTHrggsHy16w7sTaMjhH4z_TdC-rmFAOqRdkyIr-X9mUrr8ztSN9woUq5xAiDSMzjaDojkZAdBw_GvN0G-nIT58TLkfckBDxD-kPt3j0TQyCyfSKLrQn6IwhWpg/s1600-h/rising_loafer_danville_menu_08.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWyKNtsHfcmoOwNwsoBTHrggsHy16w7sTaMjhH4z_TdC-rmFAOqRdkyIr-X9mUrr8ztSN9woUq5xAiDSMzjaDojkZAdBw_GvN0G-nIT58TLkfckBDxD-kPt3j0TQyCyfSKLrQn6IwhWpg/s400/rising_loafer_danville_menu_08.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/6/764609/restaurant/San-Ramon/Rising-Loafer-Cafe-Bakery-Danville"><img alt="Rising Loafer Cafe & Bakery on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/764609/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-17982040192388148252009-10-14T14:58:00.000-07:002009-10-19T02:44:55.167-07:00In-N-Out Burger - San Ramon, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOTPJHGncP9cABpCjnQNckrbR89zHSS7kTLAW604fVBEibp05IqSYtF53Kl0AZf_bSyDp6RR7cb_NsFjQUCpWtmdlVHQ1JsqS5cwK2w8WscqQfShdu3p6bfB3D_GNSBnPimA2KiHbaCt8/s320/4-stars.gif" /><br />
<b>In-N-Out Burger</b><br />
2270 San Ramon Valley Blvd.<br />
<b>San Ramon</b>, CA 94583<br />
(800) 786-1000<br />
<a href="http://www.in-n-out.com/">in-n-out.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2270+San+Ramon+Valley+Blvd,+San+Ramon,+CA&sll=37.822209,-122.000073&sspn=0.006882,0.008701&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=2270+San+Ramon+Valley+Blvd,+San+Ramon,+Contra+Costa,+California+94583&ll=37.788828,-121.972961&spn=0.02374,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
This is one of the busiest <b>In-N-Out Burger</b> locations within a 30-mile radius. It's located right off I-680 and Crow Canyon Road at San Ramon Valley Boulevard in <b>San Ramon</b>. Even during a mid-afternoon weekday around 3pm, the drive-thru line was 8+ cars deep and the dining room was 75% full. Apparently, there are more "off hour" <b>In-N-Out Burger</b> lovers in <b>San Ramon</b> than I thought!<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5392731141399855809%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
The good thing about <b>In-N-Out Burger</b> is they have the highest level of consistency out of any fast food burger chain I've ever experienced. Really...I've been to <b>In-N-Out Burger</b> locations in Mountain View, Sunnyvale, Gilroy, Livermore, Pleasanton and even a couple in Southern California...and I've NEVER had a bad burger or experienced poor service <i>anywhere</i>! Always friendly, always fresh, always hot, always delicious. :)<br />
<br />
The bad thing about <b>In-N-Out Burger</b> is that sometimes it's "not-so-fast" food. The lines in the drive-thru can be quite daunting, although when you walk inside to order, the food seems to take just as long because I have a feeling they expedite the drive-thru orders faster than walk-in orders.<br />
<br />
My "usual" is the Double Double with cheese and grilled onions. I have tried their "Animal Style" burgers, which are fried with mustard and include pickles and grilled onions...but I prefer the regular ol' Double Double with cheese!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/6/1415600/restaurant/In-N-Out-Burger-San-Ramon"><img alt="In-N-Out Burger on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1415600/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-65548755816278511282009-10-13T22:10:00.000-07:002009-10-19T02:54:52.177-07:00Sharis Restaurant & Pies - Livermore, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIIDZy1Ez9KdFDSBvC0G1r952d0gbSRWxXr_jh0Rt_d0I7MHiEsZ1iD967kUqi52kOEETf1UIgfQ5COBRA2-PDQ5pAJrYe9xLjS4SyXxCrfsISSN6uEi7CrX9vurdjq59lwwD30yPRIFEM/s320/4-stars.gif" /><br />
<b>Sharis Restaurant & Pies</b><br />
1116 E. Stanley Blvd.<br />
<b>Livermore</b>, CA 94550<br />
(925) 449-4245<br />
<a href="http://www.sharis.com/">sharis.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1116+E.+Stanley+Blvd,+Livermore,+CA&sll=37.779178,-121.977156&sspn=0.006886,0.008701&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=1116+E+Stanley+Blvd,+Livermore,+Alameda,+California+94550&ll=37.689118,-121.777782&spn=0.023772,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Sharis Restaurant & Pies</b> is a restaurant chain from Sherwood, Oregon known simply as "<b>Sharis</b>" with most locations in Oregon and Washington. They have a new location in <b>Livermore</b>, which was the previous location for Bakers Square Restaurant on East Stanley Boulevard in the Trader Joe's shopping center next to Burger King.<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5392377813828114401%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
We came here to <b>Sharis</b> for the first time tonight and decided to order breakfast for dinner. He had the <b>Cinnama-sation Platter with eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns</b> ($9.49) and I had the <b>Eggs Benedict</b> ($9.49) which came with hash browns. Both of us thought that our breakfasts were pretty good...definitely better than Denny's or IHOP!<br />
<br />
The nice thing we learned about <b>Sharis</b> is that they are open 24/7, so in <b>Livermore </b>they will give the Donut Wheel some competition as an all-night joint. They also offer free wi-fi, so that's a plus for a lot of people as it's not a common thing at <b>Livermore</b> restaurants. We had good service tonight as well, so <b>Sharis</b> is a place we would come back to again!<br />
<br />
Update 10/15/09 - We came back for dinner...and for their "Free Pie Wednesday" special! He ordered the <b>Chicken 'N Dumplings Skillet</b> ($9.99) which was pretty good...but my <b>Savory Lemon & Dill Salmon</b> ($10.49) was overcooked & dry, the red skinned mashed potatoes were cold and the veggies were an inedible mush. On a better note, his <b>S'mores Pie</b> and my <b>Peanut Butter & Chocolate Silk Pie</b> were both delicious!<br />
<br />
Update 10/17/09 - Back at <b>Sharis</b> in <b>Livermore</b> for a <b>Charbroiled Burger with Cheddar Cheese</b> ($8.29) and another <b>Cinnama-sation Breakfast</b> ($8.49). The burger was cooked very well overdone (even though I ordered it "medium") and after I told our server it wasn't cooked right, he told me that they only cook burgers that way. I wish he would have said something when I ordered it because I would have just ordered something else...<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDVS6IGodlCeWULI3LqxaC5Smx5uhNW7fcvhJ3OeWqveWkLNCVoSF-IIIe5H5eyh3fBUXcdH1POLOQO3yFwdecwqTIwo7la1vmRIHw3zUMfnbNwNg9gMoZ-wyWXW0-RETr4Z-T5V7SEo/s1600-h/sharis_livermore_menu_02.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCDVS6IGodlCeWULI3LqxaC5Smx5uhNW7fcvhJ3OeWqveWkLNCVoSF-IIIe5H5eyh3fBUXcdH1POLOQO3yFwdecwqTIwo7la1vmRIHw3zUMfnbNwNg9gMoZ-wyWXW0-RETr4Z-T5V7SEo/s400/sharis_livermore_menu_02.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3XMfwqMVm2kJyJh-XdyD0P_JN0VKlOY3WwSAVo_XTdaT3XeZZDVXx_gSDCsMpBQNEUU_01Li5Kxf-L_J3xwnm-pkTsqYMY2lWX2r5QcfdfK-SQvfUP6Vwppuqgodi6YXX_T3dV7LVsE/s1600-h/sharis_livermore_menu_03.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS3XMfwqMVm2kJyJh-XdyD0P_JN0VKlOY3WwSAVo_XTdaT3XeZZDVXx_gSDCsMpBQNEUU_01Li5Kxf-L_J3xwnm-pkTsqYMY2lWX2r5QcfdfK-SQvfUP6Vwppuqgodi6YXX_T3dV7LVsE/s400/sharis_livermore_menu_03.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9UFhcbCGNI7pKMUxYzROWtoodbI6q4LmF5yu9adOqvJlCebgG9f4kC5KT0SJKEa5-h-RjNw9egFYeV3DzkjU0y-6kMMXDzJHnuB6yNOwEFDse341MTy12KRhPfc7yfkGdt11yOmRD9Q/s1600-h/sharis_livermore_menu_04.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif9UFhcbCGNI7pKMUxYzROWtoodbI6q4LmF5yu9adOqvJlCebgG9f4kC5KT0SJKEa5-h-RjNw9egFYeV3DzkjU0y-6kMMXDzJHnuB6yNOwEFDse341MTy12KRhPfc7yfkGdt11yOmRD9Q/s400/sharis_livermore_menu_04.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rsQluVWeEe8ECpd8i_FAvUwKINIq5JfS9n-WprY5wiDsT2jPARKljDT8y2xhuN2C6Rs6Kquk-y7FCVVzEqleOP2PzW_DRL_vCnbVFmmiL_rp6CLNSS_41oHYFuKWpA2ngQGEO3QzKxdh/s1600-h/sharis_livermore_menu_05.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-rsQluVWeEe8ECpd8i_FAvUwKINIq5JfS9n-WprY5wiDsT2jPARKljDT8y2xhuN2C6Rs6Kquk-y7FCVVzEqleOP2PzW_DRL_vCnbVFmmiL_rp6CLNSS_41oHYFuKWpA2ngQGEO3QzKxdh/s400/sharis_livermore_menu_05.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucLRcRht8gJJMyOeyf80jGfYVyZC432wZ9agDI0GAqxx_abZmFH5KB4k2b3sEFIqOiyTWdOssB_BvxfclLRJSbAEiXCdWAYAT_B3jOrAJ_Q8tYqVS35NaMBq3VHuWWmOaIcB4Um6mosKJ/s1600-h/sharis_livermore_menu_06.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhucLRcRht8gJJMyOeyf80jGfYVyZC432wZ9agDI0GAqxx_abZmFH5KB4k2b3sEFIqOiyTWdOssB_BvxfclLRJSbAEiXCdWAYAT_B3jOrAJ_Q8tYqVS35NaMBq3VHuWWmOaIcB4Um6mosKJ/s400/sharis_livermore_menu_06.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EIs4mWq5ppdH3qhysh9i8WoWlgGXppNrbYR48YLHF3N4rNrvknFoGYg4oMY0xZqB4_7ckDxjA1WKIk9wg_xy3KM0NKW8tQgTLLsoouxticnTVHnqEp0WRibj4Peu8Uf87kr627bEKhF1/s1600-h/sharis_livermore_menu_07.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5EIs4mWq5ppdH3qhysh9i8WoWlgGXppNrbYR48YLHF3N4rNrvknFoGYg4oMY0xZqB4_7ckDxjA1WKIk9wg_xy3KM0NKW8tQgTLLsoouxticnTVHnqEp0WRibj4Peu8Uf87kr627bEKhF1/s400/sharis_livermore_menu_07.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynsLCYZS053TCRL4KJQX75RyVfeftKzGbjVe55PXg-kaWs_vArKGHMdZhnFhhSBAO38lWTRv2jyuorLWBQuZAuoNIiaYGX7g9svASzAAW2bOfHge-NnODn63lkv7GLQl7_GsSS7leGIcc/s1600-h/sharis_livermore_menu_08.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgynsLCYZS053TCRL4KJQX75RyVfeftKzGbjVe55PXg-kaWs_vArKGHMdZhnFhhSBAO38lWTRv2jyuorLWBQuZAuoNIiaYGX7g9svASzAAW2bOfHge-NnODn63lkv7GLQl7_GsSS7leGIcc/s400/sharis_livermore_menu_08.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtB5Z1n5lsk7PVRWPqZ77GI15k_cwBdBILzcI0b_IbnErseuz5EYq5lfhrA6c3AzdMfACx_SC6nwxWn14ceiYQc0gNELJblv6dgYEdHFageJa1zxT5M6h32Gk723RicBrvbwosPIccViF2/s1600-h/sharis_livermore_pies_price_list.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtB5Z1n5lsk7PVRWPqZ77GI15k_cwBdBILzcI0b_IbnErseuz5EYq5lfhrA6c3AzdMfACx_SC6nwxWn14ceiYQc0gNELJblv6dgYEdHFageJa1zxT5M6h32Gk723RicBrvbwosPIccViF2/s400/sharis_livermore_pies_price_list.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/6/1465312/restaurant/Sharis-Livermore"><img alt="Sharis on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1465312/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-34585105537916870182009-10-12T14:14:00.000-07:002009-10-12T17:10:12.215-07:00Carneros Harvest Passport - Sonoma, CA / Napa, CA<a href="http://www.carneros.com/harvest-passport"><img border="0" height="149" src="http://www.carneros.com/assets/upload/images/header/passport_2009_inside3.gif" width="420" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>What</b>: <a href="http://www.carneros.com/harvest-passport">The First Carneros Harvest Passport Experience</a><br />
<b>When</b>: Saturday, October 17, 2009 (10 am - 4 pm)<br />
<b>Where</b>: Carneros region (Sonoma and Napa counties)<br />
<b>Cost</b>: <a href="https://www.carneros.com/harvest-passport-tickets">$49 per person/advance, $59/at the door</a><br />
<b>Contact</b>: <a href="http://www.carneros.com/contact">Carneros Wine Alliance</a>, 707-253-2678<br />
<br />
Come and celebrate the harvest with 18 different CWA (Carneros Wine Alliance) wineries in the highly acclaimed Carneros region, some of which will be their first time pouring wine to the public!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8zN4zoSIQ112avklB43gT_CUTAgDGFgnjE0Uxz0ylzvD_BR2-PEYgmTKkmRJWlBOrPuJc4l5O-WMltyBNICZ-cx8sGvKJotg4owN-OABB-KjD4LYyExwOhMQyBgpC3ClHMmPqNAT-EY/s1600-h/carneros_harvest_passport_map.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8zN4zoSIQ112avklB43gT_CUTAgDGFgnjE0Uxz0ylzvD_BR2-PEYgmTKkmRJWlBOrPuJc4l5O-WMltyBNICZ-cx8sGvKJotg4owN-OABB-KjD4LYyExwOhMQyBgpC3ClHMmPqNAT-EY/s400/carneros_harvest_passport_map.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<u>List of participating CWA wineries</u>:<br />
<ol><li><b>Acacia </b>- 2750 Las Amigas Road, Napa, CA </li>
<li><b>Adastra </b>- 2545 Las Amigas Road, Napa, CA </li>
<li><b>Bouchaine Vineyards</b> - 1075 Buchli Station Road, Napa, CA </li>
<li><b>Buena Vista Carneros</b> - 18000 Old Winery Road, Sonoma, CA </li>
<li><b>Ceja Vineyards</b> - 1019 Las Amigas Road, Napa, CA </li>
<li><b>Clos du Val</b> <i>(pouring at the Carneros Vineyard)</i> - Old Sonoma Road & Buhman Avenue, Napa, CA</li>
<li><b>Cuvaison Carneros Estate Wines</b> <i>(pouring at the Carneros Tasting Room)</i> - 1221 Duhig Road, Napa, CA</li>
<li><b>Crazy Flower Wines</b> <i>(pouring at Merryvale Starmont/Carneros)</i> - 1451 Stanly Lane, Napa, CA</li>
<li><b>Donum Estate</b> (pouring at the Ramal Road Vineyard) - 24520 Ramal Road, Sonoma, CA</li>
<li><b>Etude Wines</b> - 1250 Cuttings Wharf Road, Napa, CA</li>
<li><b>Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards</b> - 21355 Carneros Highway 121, Sonoma, CA</li>
<li><b>Highway 12</b> - 498 First Street East <i>(on the Sonoma Plaza)</i>, Sonoma, CA</li>
<li><b>Macrostie Winery</b> - 21481 Eighth Street East, Suite 25, Sonoma, CA</li>
<li><b>Merryvale/Starmont</b> <i>(pouring at Starmont/Carneros)</i> - 1451 Stanly Lane, Napa, CA</li>
<li><b>Nicholson Ranch</b> - 4200 Napa Road, Sonoma, CA</li>
<li><b>Patz & Hall</b> <i>(pouring at the Sonoma Winery)</i> - 21684 Eighth Street East, Bldg C, Suite 200, Sonoma, CA</li>
<li><b>Saintsbury </b>- 1500 Los Carneros Avenue, Napa, CA</li>
<li><b>Schug Carneros Estate Wines</b> - 602 Bonneau Road, Sonoma, CA<br />
</li>
</ol>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-18689764124736450372009-10-11T18:00:00.000-07:002009-10-19T02:59:11.514-07:00Miramar Fish Grotto - Santa Cruz, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzHTqNM_lUQSWpPWPGV4kocYjJKn7KaeY4x4pJYEBA2RlRSOgu-AQ3vA4UjAGkgCltz1NYO1u1c-7yIQxlhS4_HXSkpJtSXUphw41_vZU7D9HC-xEJcgawBeWtYHFP_yQR_8hNERNPA_Q/s320/5-stars.gif" /><br />
<b>Miramar Fish Grotto</b><br />
45 Municipal Wharf<br />
<b>Santa Cruz</b>, CA 95060<br />
(831) 423-4441<br />
<a href="http://www.miramarfishgrotto.com/">miramarfishgrotto.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=36.959306,-122.019074&daddr=&hl=en&geocode=&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=16&sll=36.96246,-122.019289&sspn=0.013922,0.009227&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=36.96246,-122.019289&spn=0.012002,0.018239&z=15&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Miramar Fish Grotto</b> is located at the <b>Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf</b>, near Beach Street and just west of the <b>Santa Cruz</b> Beach Boardwalk. They're located between Riva's and Carniglia's on the further end of the pier where most of the restaurants are. <b>Miramar Fish Grotto</b> offers a daily happy hour between 2:30 and 6:00 pm with $3 well drinks and $4 appetizers.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRYuPOLvRbaZB0tWJfVFoK_7XfSa46-YVLRnOp8P3JP-mqVbvvl-caTTkXgjfybjtG9DDtoIQmk-c-S6ftXpA3WppuQj2Ausc25-0ndH5MpSr0L2HVZu50gfpf7egkJiXe7elreOaAuM/s1600-h/miramar_fish_grotto_santa_cruz_menu_happy_hour.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZRYuPOLvRbaZB0tWJfVFoK_7XfSa46-YVLRnOp8P3JP-mqVbvvl-caTTkXgjfybjtG9DDtoIQmk-c-S6ftXpA3WppuQj2Ausc25-0ndH5MpSr0L2HVZu50gfpf7egkJiXe7elreOaAuM/s400/miramar_fish_grotto_santa_cruz_menu_happy_hour.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
We were lucky to be seated at a table by the window at <b>Miramar Fish Grotto</b>, as the water views are tremendous here and we were glad to take advantage of them while we dined. To begin with, I ordered a <b>margarita on the rocks</b> and he ordered a <b>bloody mary</b> and both turned out to be delicious! We ordered a couple of appetizers as well, their <b>fried calamari</b> and <b>fried clam strips</b>...and although it was a very tough choice to decide which one I liked best (as both were extremely good) I think I would go with the <b>calamari</b>...it was probably one of the best I've ever had and definitely the best I've had this year!<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5391635317936579617%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
Another item we couldn't resist ordering at <b>Miramar Fish Grotto</b> in <b>Santa Cruz</b> was their <b>clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl</b> and we both absolutely, positively thought that was the BEST <b>clam chowder</b> we ever had...MMMMMMM!!! In addition to such a spectacular culinary experience, we had an excellent server named Jenny. <b>Miramar Fish Grotto</b> in <b>Santa Cruz</b> has definitely earned my 5-star rating! :)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWj4SDCIcDsv3_X28y_iKEgdrlYFieex42bFB9qYBUI7NqeJ4lzva90mHIsBLoj2w946BdP9hNqQ3aLzh79zV1j06uMpGiDO3rh-3ztuZEr7ftyUBVTwII4yct7UXzTeQHP72QxbFVNro/s1600-h/miramar_fish_grotto_santa_cruz_menu_2.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWj4SDCIcDsv3_X28y_iKEgdrlYFieex42bFB9qYBUI7NqeJ4lzva90mHIsBLoj2w946BdP9hNqQ3aLzh79zV1j06uMpGiDO3rh-3ztuZEr7ftyUBVTwII4yct7UXzTeQHP72QxbFVNro/s400/miramar_fish_grotto_santa_cruz_menu_2.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpBkn88sPDBbMs45bjTsX36pBv82HujS_h4rdPChp_UABl09FeOUV61ALamQfA6wnyxd6udVfRWZ06YtOuR4wB0bBENx13HfbEJTup53ang9-vcZg3NaERbVG0P30Og0Le8vN6igZn4Q/s1600-h/miramar_fish_grotto_santa_cruz_menu_3.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfpBkn88sPDBbMs45bjTsX36pBv82HujS_h4rdPChp_UABl09FeOUV61ALamQfA6wnyxd6udVfRWZ06YtOuR4wB0bBENx13HfbEJTup53ang9-vcZg3NaERbVG0P30Og0Le8vN6igZn4Q/s400/miramar_fish_grotto_santa_cruz_menu_3.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xM16grKgMeN3xW1jwASpn_ck5OC4oPcRq6serI-g62iSonjIKO-kbtYytbz9MTtndaQzGkt0Gvc51v3VFm2PgdYKcrVu_1paRwsvTFnJjvKtIjjII35uIaMJwV2WYWoZFT59AErrFxg/s1600-h/miramar_fish_grotto_santa_cruz_menu_4.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6xM16grKgMeN3xW1jwASpn_ck5OC4oPcRq6serI-g62iSonjIKO-kbtYytbz9MTtndaQzGkt0Gvc51v3VFm2PgdYKcrVu_1paRwsvTFnJjvKtIjjII35uIaMJwV2WYWoZFT59AErrFxg/s400/miramar_fish_grotto_santa_cruz_menu_4.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/6/765354/restaurant/Miramar-Fish-Grotto-Santa-Cruz"><img alt="Miramar Fish Grotto on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/765354/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-21786101737145060752009-10-09T20:07:00.000-07:002009-10-19T03:02:32.603-07:00Romano's Macaroni Grill - Dublin, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJyAfc6LjWsAnZTU5HPA0rUT8rZ-hWw9GTD6NzxX-zbN5ckrPvLH_GcXgQrRB3Dgf0hj27SX4smRceh4_0BK68iTFS5XX1-HOimkUN8LIIr4hDXFWlw3cBDb60PQb1UuXr41Q38yC2714/s320/3-stars.gif" /><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Romano's Macaroni Grill</span><br />
4805 Hacienda Dr.<br />
<b>Dublin</b>, CA 94568<br />
(925) 560-1520<br />
<a href="http://www.macaronigrill.com/">macaronigrill.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=4805+Hacienda+Drive,+Dublin,+CA&sll=36.960763,-122.020447&sspn=0.013922,0.017402&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=4805+Hacienda+Dr,+Dublin,+Alameda,+California+94568&ll=37.71377,-121.882925&spn=0.023765,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Romano's Macaroni Grill</b> is also known as simply "<b>Macaroni Grill</b>" and this one's located on Hacienda Drive at <b>Dublin</b> Boulevard and I-580...you can't miss it next to Mimi's Cafe across from the Shell gas station. We came here last Friday evening and the wait was surprisingly only about 10-12 minutes...we've been here before and left when the wait was 30-45 minutes!<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5392257587066931585%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
We decided to venture from the "usual" <b>Macaroni Grill</b> dishes we order...the <b>Penne Rustica</b> for him and the <b>Pizza Margherita</b> for me...and both tried their new <b>Sausauge Salentino</b> ($8.99) dish after sharing a bowl of their <b>Chicken Toscana Soup</b>. Neither one of us cared for the <b>Sausage Salentino</b>, as it was not only served at room temperature, but it was a boring pasta dish with barely a touch of watery tomato sauce, bits of sausage like what you see on a combination pizza, bland broccoflower hybrid (broccoli x cauliflower) and roma tomatoes. <b>Macaroni Grill</b> should really consider removing the <b>Sausage Salentino</b> from their menu!<br />
<br />
On the flip side, <b>Macaroni Grill</b>'s <b>Chicken Toscana Soup</b> ($4.99 for a bowl) was excellent...and so was their <b>Simple Lemon Pound Cake</b> ($1.99) that we shared for dessert! <b>Macaroni Grill</b> also serves Illy coffee, which is very good and a great way to end a meal. Their service is also friendly and excellent, with a lot of attention to drink refills and asking if we'd like any more of their awesome bread. :)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxauUS2disHiH9zRI3IYWHXj_sWrc0pCeCATVapxsMUjqfA6-jeSQObQ9HXpZj0iEhM6LsWoEMqebZK-bPLP6XJ9jgxFUBIaQLQJ0nz4c1sptCIbVPqdlaavxl0rb9tGd2j1Cx0nRmt9s/s1600-h/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_03.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxauUS2disHiH9zRI3IYWHXj_sWrc0pCeCATVapxsMUjqfA6-jeSQObQ9HXpZj0iEhM6LsWoEMqebZK-bPLP6XJ9jgxFUBIaQLQJ0nz4c1sptCIbVPqdlaavxl0rb9tGd2j1Cx0nRmt9s/s400/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_03.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-h66kbiFniJrZ4Cyyq7HUNXr-vV3ekBASc0VsrAmbYzT7kPQSWNmxCHwXj5d_xInJjkce7eZCCbzQ9UMCs4soyYc1EwUFjV9EjdeuLEw8WbfqREdPqS9KedSezTDXlFt938hk8F1PSU/s1600-h/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_04.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-h66kbiFniJrZ4Cyyq7HUNXr-vV3ekBASc0VsrAmbYzT7kPQSWNmxCHwXj5d_xInJjkce7eZCCbzQ9UMCs4soyYc1EwUFjV9EjdeuLEw8WbfqREdPqS9KedSezTDXlFt938hk8F1PSU/s400/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_04.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwa5s3uFSu49C-agA5IOZBVf-ae0w5o1pWQy4hDoIrIGd4m0ndl-a4XbD3ulYZkIXMO4UeOY2bOpMs1bIvMzF8esr-tav1RtQpPvAJac6a9Q6_L0_9h_qsyBB4pRjK7gsAYb5JAlYQBd0/s1600-h/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_05.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwa5s3uFSu49C-agA5IOZBVf-ae0w5o1pWQy4hDoIrIGd4m0ndl-a4XbD3ulYZkIXMO4UeOY2bOpMs1bIvMzF8esr-tav1RtQpPvAJac6a9Q6_L0_9h_qsyBB4pRjK7gsAYb5JAlYQBd0/s400/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_05.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXx-F6Nne52EPyVESyzHJkG-Yz9CotQh0r19zqothwcKdus0ekWQmj6bJ7Ucwnukz8XxYgC134jCtcDMqGsb6lIq39rCe0-6LfA_9ji2kVx-IhhgifbgiMOk7yeYztujYqmMR3DtDejbM/s1600-h/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_06.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXx-F6Nne52EPyVESyzHJkG-Yz9CotQh0r19zqothwcKdus0ekWQmj6bJ7Ucwnukz8XxYgC134jCtcDMqGsb6lIq39rCe0-6LfA_9ji2kVx-IhhgifbgiMOk7yeYztujYqmMR3DtDejbM/s400/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_06.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklyl_vDGFVYMuYp6iTzLN0BdeF0ls3JmtNikkaA8HyODJKf5EA9Mp4yyn83s61zcMceGvorAeIfL34w331zCL9-DYpZy8RMsfyHB75rN899xn81p8oqg8bPR7LINuA9QEONDdeQZcGe0/s1600-h/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_07.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjklyl_vDGFVYMuYp6iTzLN0BdeF0ls3JmtNikkaA8HyODJKf5EA9Mp4yyn83s61zcMceGvorAeIfL34w331zCL9-DYpZy8RMsfyHB75rN899xn81p8oqg8bPR7LINuA9QEONDdeQZcGe0/s400/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_07.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2JpvEuxyf0HT4D9C3HisbFFO8EagFNJ7li7sarB6e0QU_lbt6Dqz5ZLrfG-RaqbVENt2vUdfd2x7TqxVgr-zb1ay_fyTdhQJTxjwVTgT-3Wd9Wd0qTpJ-NIO3K9OFHLss6SxJ9pnhRE/s1600-h/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_08.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ2JpvEuxyf0HT4D9C3HisbFFO8EagFNJ7li7sarB6e0QU_lbt6Dqz5ZLrfG-RaqbVENt2vUdfd2x7TqxVgr-zb1ay_fyTdhQJTxjwVTgT-3Wd9Wd0qTpJ-NIO3K9OFHLss6SxJ9pnhRE/s400/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_08.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9tuett38SG_m0uXttbv24BattK1v1YWLhyphenhyphen452iApjq1nFNTxGd6zptTVaezcgtyVSvtnVaML3uYaBcKnTCsyNo4J3VEZJFQh5eY_BqqwF0_SS6Jeno-t28U-5XPgWsLc2xp_5Zrf1iw/s1600-h/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_09.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA9tuett38SG_m0uXttbv24BattK1v1YWLhyphenhyphen452iApjq1nFNTxGd6zptTVaezcgtyVSvtnVaML3uYaBcKnTCsyNo4J3VEZJFQh5eY_BqqwF0_SS6Jeno-t28U-5XPgWsLc2xp_5Zrf1iw/s400/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_09.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7H3BX3Be0LxXgO5PdVLycUdn4eA5XdD7cWJpJhVZDyewhTzviuh0Q4gFFtvhjJEfiZNqBEQ0kSckmKWujLjOeAdfKgnElez7y8rjB0TaXJd4QM6Y-8wsZn1Tva4Z13eZZz4f18NSSBUc/s1600-h/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_10.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7H3BX3Be0LxXgO5PdVLycUdn4eA5XdD7cWJpJhVZDyewhTzviuh0Q4gFFtvhjJEfiZNqBEQ0kSckmKWujLjOeAdfKgnElez7y8rjB0TaXJd4QM6Y-8wsZn1Tva4Z13eZZz4f18NSSBUc/s400/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_10.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXcoErLToVItZExafumENBybx_oUtlMhpszLhxH6TmuJqQ9Zcg7rUlYIEEgHn0Hso79WLuKqwfnFI7Vtrhj_LHkKWM-6k0DMiHzmwu5tVDLHpUI9QupQIZ62tH19Mn8g_il7HEw-aIl4/s1600-h/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_13.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEXcoErLToVItZExafumENBybx_oUtlMhpszLhxH6TmuJqQ9Zcg7rUlYIEEgHn0Hso79WLuKqwfnFI7Vtrhj_LHkKWM-6k0DMiHzmwu5tVDLHpUI9QupQIZ62tH19Mn8g_il7HEw-aIl4/s400/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_13.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3EsCt2YLimIDufH-hnpeZwk3DIrrA2FDB7Wf2OATuthedHUMgAYJ4UrtZcqX7T3aIW41hBkvvmKaLWhjLKaghySqNoGQEHfB2fAhSkn3LduC2ZsWh0Hp3EaXuiTYDIP39j-02NTsVW0/s1600-h/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_14.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3EsCt2YLimIDufH-hnpeZwk3DIrrA2FDB7Wf2OATuthedHUMgAYJ4UrtZcqX7T3aIW41hBkvvmKaLWhjLKaghySqNoGQEHfB2fAhSkn3LduC2ZsWh0Hp3EaXuiTYDIP39j-02NTsVW0/s400/macaroni_grill_dublin_menu_14.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/6/1412996/restaurant/Pleasanton/Romanos-Macaroni-Grill-Dublin"><img alt="Romano's Macaroni Grill on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1412996/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-9231766007758179872009-10-06T20:00:00.000-07:002009-10-19T03:04:00.454-07:00Main Street Grill - Walnut Creek, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRrAlM0iFHRw_21jGbpAz8bfBLs9CQwDpaGx4994HSYOG46_eTXuuEIczJ9VEJLZ_3TY-gymwS9a8VvEqt99te_nq9paVS_HK86FJh8NGbP01Ucyj0QAa67q0HHt0VtW9SHcYcEgDYMDs/s320/4-stars.gif" /><br />
<b>Main Street Grill</b><br />
2355 N. Main St.<br />
<b>Walnut Creek</b>, CA 94596<br />
(925) 927-1147<br />
<a href="http://www.mainstreetgrilldelivers.com/grill.php">mainstreetgrilldelivers.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2355+N.+Main+Street,+Walnut+Creek,+CA&sll=37.704093,-121.887109&sspn=0.006893,0.008701&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=2355+N+Main+St,+Walnut+Creek,+Contra+Costa,+California+94596&ll=37.917321,-122.064714&spn=0.023699,0.036478&z=14&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
The <b>Main Street Grill</b> serves breakfast, lunch and dinner from 6:30am to 10:00pm and they also provide breakfast and lunch catering and delivery services. They are located inside the <b>Marriott Hotel</b> in downtown <b>Walnut Creek</b>. It is next to a Motel 6 and across the street from a Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealer. FYI, they offer valet parking which the restaurant will validate if you dine there.<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5389769572630248193%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
Service was excellent at <b>Main Street Grill</b> in <b>Walnut Creek</b> and this is what we ordered:<br />
<br />
<b>Side Caesar Salad</b> (included) with anchovies - delicious!<br />
<b>Porcini Dusted Halibut</b> ($25) with toasted orzo, baby spinach, caramelized sweet onions - very tasty!<br />
<b>Main St. Black Pepper Bacon Burger</b> ($11) with Gorgonzola cheese - nice, thick bacon and a generous amount of Gorgonzola cheese, but the meat quality was average.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirqVA_brMIxtOTZ8CU7x3MADll-xVM1oQbSi8H6UmT9tHnX1WImzeVCKKdprdZfE1pRYO6lcdMm25ommcW0jcASEoByzvOJi_O3BxRlma-WhaDLqSbvW2SkFlkm0sAOkmyBFkqGj0BLI/s1600-h/main_street_grill_walnut_creek_04.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirqVA_brMIxtOTZ8CU7x3MADll-xVM1oQbSi8H6UmT9tHnX1WImzeVCKKdprdZfE1pRYO6lcdMm25ommcW0jcASEoByzvOJi_O3BxRlma-WhaDLqSbvW2SkFlkm0sAOkmyBFkqGj0BLI/s400/main_street_grill_walnut_creek_04.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-WBfpLSpyr9bfORAFzb4CDAz1GmZKq8tLAkRXVYjXEb-NIAH2cggEV2OFPu5Vmo2NDmevQ_T6QkncdIcfLQL5g1vHxCRAk4UMVDe0-7BaXBDi1gztEK1jdnIiZKAJMmHqxhygnytUck/s1600-h/main_street_grill_walnut_creek_05.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-WBfpLSpyr9bfORAFzb4CDAz1GmZKq8tLAkRXVYjXEb-NIAH2cggEV2OFPu5Vmo2NDmevQ_T6QkncdIcfLQL5g1vHxCRAk4UMVDe0-7BaXBDi1gztEK1jdnIiZKAJMmHqxhygnytUck/s400/main_street_grill_walnut_creek_05.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/6/764283/restaurant/Main-Street-Grill-Walnut-Creek"><img alt="Main Street Grill on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/764283/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-78713635248975075352009-10-06T11:15:00.000-07:002009-10-22T02:11:59.159-07:00Fuzio - Free Firecracker Pork Fusilli<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMY-bV8LRNB8vcgQ_wkm9PU0yFZMRJhKs6NX1wvdyFfFP01JziuRCc31ccAatBKY12NwPBVshBNxFzuWwWcgvwj9Jql2oaYSGVUqnqKgzj_dgzP2A6GhHk3K3F-0Vb2q1iSErYVapDiWQ/s1600-h/FUZIO_October.jpg"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMY-bV8LRNB8vcgQ_wkm9PU0yFZMRJhKs6NX1wvdyFfFP01JziuRCc31ccAatBKY12NwPBVshBNxFzuWwWcgvwj9Jql2oaYSGVUqnqKgzj_dgzP2A6GhHk3K3F-0Vb2q1iSErYVapDiWQ/s400/FUZIO_October.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
<b>FREE Firecracker Pork Fusilli</b><br />
Thursday, October 22nd, all day!<br />
Only one per person. Dine-in only.<br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=110573855164422281790.00047681fcfd962821b34&ll=38.754083,-121.398926&spn=2.99853,4.669189&z=7&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Fuzio Universal Bistro Locations:</b><br />
<br />
2505 Sand Creek Road, <b>Brentwood</b>, CA ... 925-513-4184<br />
139 G Street, <b>Davis</b>, CA ... 530-753-3877<br />
4930 Dublin Boulevard, <b>Dublin</b>, CA ... 925-833-7124<br />
5959 Shellmound Street, <b>Emeryville<b></b></b>, CA ... 510-594-8450<br />
3113 Stevenson Boulevard, <b>Fremont</b>, CA ... 510-687-9310<br />
1020 10th Street, <b>Modesto</b>, CA ... 209-557-9711<br />
828 J Street, <b>Sacramento</b>, CA ... 916-442-2310<br />
469 Castro Street, <b>San Francisco</b>, CA ... 415-863-1400<br />
1 Embarcadero Center, <b>San Francisco</b>, CA ... 415-392-7995<br />
5633 Pacific Avenue, <b>Stockton</b>, CA ... 209-474-9900<br />
345 N. Arlington Avenue, <b>Reno</b>, NV ... 775-348-2219PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-79643258822313824852009-09-30T16:43:00.000-07:002009-10-19T12:18:50.569-07:00Safeway (4495 First Street) - Livermore, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqjw6sdxIYTdsYLEVd9vmiWjXHRLgEeFD2yw3kIUsbv3aLa1Vq7e1X07qD1KJ4As6dFuVsm4Uqrg1Zc4VzvO7fDQ-DdM7xxDNJu_OSorKB0chLpesXmtvOK2_lozD10aV_jw7u9akBhEE/s320/1-star.gif" /><br />
<b>Safeway</b><br />
4495 First St.<br />
<b>Livermore</b>, CA 94551<br />
(925) 455-2520<br />
<a href="http://www.safeway.com/">safeway.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=37.696534,-121.742597&daddr=&hl=en&geocode=&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=18&sll=37.697256,-121.742608&sspn=0.003447,0.002307&ie=UTF8&t=h&ll=37.696819,-121.742517&spn=0.002971,0.00456&z=17&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
One thing I learned about <b>Safeway</b>'s wine pricing today was that this bottle of wine on the right (with the wolf head) sells for $10.00 at the winery (Kenwood Vineyard) because I bought a couple of bottles just last weekend. So think about that next time you think about buying wine at <b>Safeway</b>! :)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0dGKOG3Qan7vDhzhN9lc_4ywzNJHVaSiWLk8aycvL60hbtys_rOtdtmWno9e90kbY_E-FRltj-YXLqd3O9qwih7sgwEa2nDlJ0IQj53RcX8nH7OaYslbXA6g27QgF9OsyXKOEF9YWS6w/s1600-h/safeway_livermore_wine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0dGKOG3Qan7vDhzhN9lc_4ywzNJHVaSiWLk8aycvL60hbtys_rOtdtmWno9e90kbY_E-FRltj-YXLqd3O9qwih7sgwEa2nDlJ0IQj53RcX8nH7OaYslbXA6g27QgF9OsyXKOEF9YWS6w/s400/safeway_livermore_wine.jpg" /></a><br />
<br />
Another "interesting" thing I learned is that I was told by a Caucasian female employee/supervisor of the <b>Safeway Deli</b> (in a very rude manner) that taking photographs of the deli is illegal! Huh??? Apparently, I must have missed the sign out front next to "No Pets Allowed" that said "No Cameras Allowed" - NOT!<br />
<br />
Anyway, this rude female employee actually went and got the Hispanic male manager to come out of his office in the front of the store and tell me that I was not allowed to take photographs in the store. Well, if he was going to try to take away my camera, I had already thought of holding it up high above my head...he'd never be able to reach it then!<br />
<br />
So...here are my "illegally obtained" photos of the <b>Safeway Deli</b> in this top-security grocery store that I managed to escape from without personal injury or confiscation of personal property:<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5387520259836823137%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
Anyway, after sharing a sandwich from Tommie's Deli earlier today, we compared the Safeway sandwich we shared (chicken, provolone, olive tapenade, artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers). Tommie's wasn't really hard to beat at all and <b>Safeway</b> did have the better sandwich of the two...but they still get one star for the overpriced wine and camera fiasco...plus all the tables in <b>Safeway</b>'s "cafe seating" area were filthy, so we didn't even eat there. So much for this <b>Livermore Safeway</b> being <b>Safeway</b>'s "flagship" store...PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-3632078353510724672009-09-30T15:49:00.000-07:002009-10-19T12:16:50.853-07:00Tommie's Deli & Sandwiches - Livermore, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgClHlm29mQzPK3_0egTe3UAOJ_v89Ytcxe_stjcI6mHob8rhyphenhyphent1vyBfnIpy1UwSWFvaja9yBYwHiFjbjblbVNFMY0cUWv6W0uXToPANrroa78AuEzSHMhLDRMrAf0CDT2JFp7OA8i5CZ0/s320/2-stars.gif" /><br />
<b>Tommie's Deli & Sandwiches</b><br />
2152 Second St.<br />
<b>Livermore</b>, CA 94550<br />
(925) 456-3354<br />
<a href="http://www.tommiesdeli.com/">tommiesdeli.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2152+Second+St,+Livermore,+CA&sll=37.697256,-121.742608&sspn=0.003447,0.002307&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=2152+2nd+St,+Livermore,+Alameda,+California+94550&ll=37.691767,-121.764822&spn=0.023772,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Tommie's Deli & Sandwiches</b> is located in an old brick building on Second Street behind the <b>Livermore </b>Chamber of Commerce. They have a nicely designed website, a very cool exterior facade and a welcoming interior. However, <b>Tommie's</b> popular "<b>Choke & Chicken Sandwich</b>" was one of the worst chicken sandwiches I've ever had! I would have called it "<b>Choke On The Chicken Sandwich</b>" instead. Seriously.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vyextwU1DEwFE0ghy5JfyJaVNu7ai4a85BA3_cD720WYHrUwlDNuuJ-1ieQ2GFL9FG3Y1rzYoTBmEcjlro7c4ru430QvtZqOs4pamJuw5oWXIViJbgRTIfNpPUxzakxDP6DykqDaaUU/s1600-h/tommie's_deli_&_sandwiches_livermore_08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vyextwU1DEwFE0ghy5JfyJaVNu7ai4a85BA3_cD720WYHrUwlDNuuJ-1ieQ2GFL9FG3Y1rzYoTBmEcjlro7c4ru430QvtZqOs4pamJuw5oWXIViJbgRTIfNpPUxzakxDP6DykqDaaUU/s400/tommie's_deli_&_sandwiches_livermore_08.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
It's really too bad because <b>Tommie's Deli</b> in <b>Livermore </b>has great-tasting meat; we even sampled a little of their deli-sliced chicken and it was delicious. However, their sourdough bread was simply awful...it was super dry and crumbly and very thickly sliced, so the sandwich really didn't stand a chance with it. I basically had a mouthful of dry bread and a little taste of chicken, a couple of sundried tomatoes, but almost no artichoke flavor at all. I ditched the bread and just ate the meat, but that was the last $7.00 I would spend on a <b>Tommie's Deli</b> sandwich.<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5387468589188754849%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/6/764863/restaurant/Tommies-Deli-Sandwich-Shop-Livermore"><img alt="Tommie's Deli & Sandwich Shop on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/764863/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-49685857927332574422009-09-29T21:09:00.000-07:002009-10-19T18:48:10.769-07:00Nubi Yogurt - Stockton, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTI111SwjwDj4xIycAPrQbC_F2E_urCGTZKBN8zv5KkUljkA_LAiluKIgEvxUckkEVb4kszLgQkuleGPx46YW-HUg8jVGGTk93mA5aqSIMLg6e7Dql4IfAORyE8QRhZSfo1O16-3bbojk/s320/2-stars.gif" /><br />
<b>Nubi Yogurt</b><br />
5765 Pacific Ave.<br />
<b>Stockton</b>, CA <br />
(209) 473-8888<br />
<a href="http://www.nubi.com/">nubi.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=5765+Pacific+Avenue,+Stockton,+CA&sll=37.680739,-121.769006&sspn=0.01379,0.009227&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=5765+Pacific+Ave,+Stockton,+San+Joaquin,+California+95207&ll=38.011583,-121.31361&spn=0.023669,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Nubi Yogurt</b> is located right past the Sherwood Mall and Weberstown Mall on Pacific Avenue, north of West March Lane in <b>Stockton</b>. It's next to Peet's Coffee & Tea and Juice It Up and they have a few outdoor seating areas. The interior is very nicely done in the typical fro-yo style with curves and glass tiles. <b>Nubi Yogurt</b> in <b>Stockton </b> is <b>self-serve</b> and they charge $0.38 per ounce.<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5387472904361988209%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
<b>Nubi Yogurt</b>'s flavors today were:<br />
<br />
1. <b>Cake Batter</b> (just like iced sugar...not good)<br />
2. <b>Raspberry</b><br />
3. <b>Orange</b><br />
4. <b>Original</b><br />
5. <b>Strawberry</b><br />
6. <b>Pineapple</b> (this was the only good flavor they had)<br />
7. <b>Raspberry-Pomegranate</b> (tastes just like sour raspberry)<br />
8. <b>Pistachio</b> (didn't care for the flavor at all)<br />
9. <b>Kiwi-Strawberry</b><br />
10. <b>Lychee</b> (sour, sour, SOUR...and not really lychee flavor)<br />
11. <b>Vanilla</b><br />
12. <b>Chocolate</b> (watery and icy, not creamy chocolate)<br />
<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/5IZYV6S12xk&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/5IZYV6S12xk&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<br />
I tasted 5 <b>Nubi Yogurt</b> flavors before just deciding to get <b>chocolate</b>, which I should have tasted before dispensing it in the cup because it turned out to be not so good. After I sat down and started eating, I wished that I had gotten <b>pineapple</b> instead!<br />
<br />
<b>Nubi Yogurt</b> in <b>Stockton </b>was also the first <b>fro-yo</b> place I've been to where I did not see the employees smile once. At almost every other <b>frozen yogurt</b> place, they're always smiling! :)<br />
<br />
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/dMSbRo1dix4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/dMSbRo1dix4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/298/1471770/restaurant/Nubi-Yogurt-Stockton"><img alt="Nubi Yogurt on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1471770/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-23142061664153663612009-09-29T18:00:00.000-07:002009-10-19T19:11:50.135-07:00Grand Buffet - Stockton, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0j3Ns83RSKmsuWNqDKho1TnIWlzojb9Xj-R5M8z8gxgXgrjwk1NzgjPUJcnjGRG_h9DdpDscibYUb82tgXerrKFiPq7FZDgr0EZM-td49fMAqKl30Pr2zxvfMSxJR8VwJBxPfNiANz-Q/s320/1-star.gif" /><br />
<b>Grand Buffet</b><br />
4704 Pacific Ave.<br />
<b>Stockton</b>, CA<br />
(209) 952-8688<br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=4704+Pacific+Avenue,+Stockton,+CA&sll=38.002712,-121.317317&sspn=0.01373,0.009227&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=4704+Pacific+Ave,+Stockton,+San+Joaquin,+California+95207&ll=38.001506,-121.308117&spn=0.023672,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
<b>Grand Buffet</b> was previously known as <b>Oriental Buffet</b> and is located on the corner of Pacific Avenue and March Lane in the Weberstown Mall in <b>Stockton</b>. It's easy to find with lots of parking and a large dining area with ample space for large groups of people. <b>Buffets </b>are normally a great place for family gatherings because everyone can eat what and how much they want, but the only thing missing from <b>Grand Buffet</b> is good food!<br />
<br />
Every single thing I tried at <b>Grand Buffet</b> in <b>Stockton</b> was either old and tough, flavorless or just plain yucky. I think I loaded up my plate 3-4 times with a little bite of this and a little bite of that...but never found a single thing I liked! They didn't even have lychee for me to get full on. :(<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5387471501370756417%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/298/1264687/restaurant/Grand-Buffet-Stockton"><img alt="Grand Buffet on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1264687/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1269947517852759445.post-84658089950536389382009-09-27T18:51:00.000-07:002009-10-19T19:16:52.601-07:00Baskin-Robbins - Livermore, CA<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo6qeYlhRylRLMLuH4Ykk3YROAW4JU5ebJdaxNfxnWf1rKv8QedoF4WqfUrglAW_Adxmd6lmIWxiVWC3XztneZdji-Tzjp-g8zWVEo64Zs1q3fBXRMtNk0LuDbRB0269nEe4Z9EgMn7jg/s320/4-stars.gif" /><br />
<b>Baskin-Robbins</b><br />
4323 First St.<br />
<b>Livermore</b>, CA 94550<br />
(925) 371-7031<br />
<a href="http://www.baskinrobbins.com/">baskinrobbins.com</a><br />
<br />
<iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=4323+First+Street,+Livermore,+CA&sll=37.992121,-121.312237&sspn=0.013731,0.009227&ie=UTF8&t=h&hq=&hnear=4323+1st+St,+Livermore,+Alameda,+California+94551&ll=37.705825,-121.740618&spn=0.023767,0.036478&z=14&iwloc=A&output=embed"></iframe><br />
<br />
I received a coupon in my e-mail for one free scoop of <b>ice cream</b> at <b>Baskin-Robbins</b> (since I enrolled in their Birthday Club a few days ago) so I decided to visit my local <b>Baskin-Robbins</b> for the first time this afternoon. It's located on First Street in <b>Livermore</b>, in the Safeway Shopping Center next door to Togo's.<br />
<br />
<embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/bin/slideshow.swf" width="400" height="267" flashvars="host=picasaweb.google.com&hl=en_US&feat=flashalbum&RGB=0x000000&feed=http%3A%2F%2Fpicasaweb.google.com%2Fdata%2Ffeed%2Fapi%2Fuser%2Fleilanisouza%2Falbumid%2F5386378971603048033%3Falt%3Drss%26kind%3Dphoto%26hl%3Den_US" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br />
<br />
My all-time favorite ice cream flavor is Peanut Butter 'N Chocolate, so that's the free scoop I ordered at <b>Baskin-Robbins</b> in <b>Livermore</b>. I also found out it's a "Kid's Scoop" not a regular-size scoop, which is a perfect size, anyway. :)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUM_Tr4sP0_1Xb_dS4oHJIXMGXTGAZfAL-AjkevdnL0n25I5XBSqjh2mnpu6349IGRSavwltuTu-SOtcsqSHULYx4j6duo7zOyRoYhsD5GjTx6j55sldyC4y_ijIYbMid7LwtKmAr6-o/s1600-h/baskin-robbins_livermore_06.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUUM_Tr4sP0_1Xb_dS4oHJIXMGXTGAZfAL-AjkevdnL0n25I5XBSqjh2mnpu6349IGRSavwltuTu-SOtcsqSHULYx4j6duo7zOyRoYhsD5GjTx6j55sldyC4y_ijIYbMid7LwtKmAr6-o/s400/baskin-robbins_livermore_06.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicb4VVhw7PgjnVrX-eKalbvDzMAEoO7CKTmljYUo-ebWWe2BqSMEw9mAZHfFy0tHpIjVnyxB-2VkA9NW78HZwbXS07PvfbidsfCl1WG7UDT3VI4VVVnMQw0hd0veCwZiuPk1pEfF2Exek/s1600-h/baskin-robbins_livermore_07.JPG"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicb4VVhw7PgjnVrX-eKalbvDzMAEoO7CKTmljYUo-ebWWe2BqSMEw9mAZHfFy0tHpIjVnyxB-2VkA9NW78HZwbXS07PvfbidsfCl1WG7UDT3VI4VVVnMQw0hd0veCwZiuPk1pEfF2Exek/s400/baskin-robbins_livermore_07.JPG" /></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/6/1479215/restaurant/Baskin-Robbins-Livermore"><img alt="Baskin-Robbins on Urbanspoon" src="http://www.urbanspoon.com/b/logo/1479215/minilogo.gif" style="border: medium none; height: 15px; width: 104px;" /></a>PrincessCypresshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05589840004853298571noreply@blogger.com0