Food and Drinks Blog Week 2

Legend: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner (LL = Liquid Lunch)

Day 1 Los Angeles (LA)

B: OJ, Pot Coffee, Danish Pastries, wearing thin 6.0

TJ with ribs

L: Travelled down to Santa Monica Beach, a Surfers Paradise type of beach area, heaps of high rise, shopping malls, great Pier and the Pier is the end of the legendary Route 66, which stretches from Chicago to Santa Monica Pier. Really crowded, they get 22 million visitors here a year, with up to 1 million a day on busy days (sound like Surfers), nice beach, small surf, heaps of swimmers, full on commercialism. Not surprisingly, we had lunch at a food court in a huge shopping mall, with a huge range of food, settled for Beef Ribs with smoky barb cue Sauce, potatoes and carrots. Not a huge serve, but a tasty well-cooked serve, rating 7.5.

D: Last night in LA, and we had spotted a Japanese restaurant Myako near where we stayed, early in the piece, and as a last night treat, sampled its wares. Had a combination plate?, stated with miso soup, green tea, main was beef teriyaki and rice, accompanied by fresh salad, sushi rolls, Tempura veges including, sweet potato, pumpkin, potato, green bean, zucchini and broccoli, as well as Prawns. A really nice meal, to conclude our visit to LA rating 8.0.

Day 2 In transit

B: OJ, Pot Coffee, Pastries rating 6

Our first ride on the Amtrak train (LA to San Francisco), pretty much dictated our meal options i.e. Dining Car or Café.

L: Had meal in dining car, opted for Angus Beef Burger and chips (first burger in the US). Really, just a hamburger pattie with lettuce tomato, red onion, and dill pickle. Chips straight from a packet, (as in Smiths potato chips) should have jerried did not say French fries. Lizzie didn’t get any dill pickle, so after trying half of my first dill pickle ever, I did as any good hubby would do and gave her half, I did not really want. Rating 7.0.

D: Tried the Café, and had my first Hot Dog of the U.S.A. trip, (binged to warm up in the microwave oven) rating 6.0.

Day 3 San Francisco    

B: Sound familiar OJ, pot Coffee and Danish pastries/muffins rating 6.0

L: Visited the famous Fisherman’s Wharf (after an exhilarating ride on a San Francisco trolley car, and yes the hills/streets really are as steep as they often seem on telly), rode shotgun hanging on for grim death to a post on the side of the trolley car, and they warn you not to lean out too far, as you will collect other vehicles, or trolley riders, I kept my black a… well inside the danger zone. The wharf had seafood galore, so we tried a clam chowder in a huge wholemeal bun very tasty rating 7.5, and fried fish, shrimp (prawns) and chips, rating 7.0.

Pier 39 Clam Chowder in a Sour Dough bun -
no waste or washing up with this dish

D: Found a restaurant nearby to our hotel, which served Noodle soups, in particular roast duck noodle soup (cost $7.50), this morsel set the bar high for noodle soup, had with egg noodles, coriander, brocolini, chilli sauce, flakes, and oil. Rating 8.5

Day 4-San Francisco

Day tour of San Francisco, city, including Golden Gate bridge, and giant redwood forests, about 1 hour out of city, and the trendy town of Sausalito on the way back to SF.

B: OJ, Pot Coffee, Danish pastries and muffins rating 6.0

L: Back in city between tours, had lunch at a pub nearby tour office. Tried the spicy tuna soft tacos, with salsa, avocado, chilli sauce, rating 7.0. Because of the huge serves also sampled Lizzie’s beef slider burger, mini burger, spicy patty and onion rings, rating 7.0. Having had a couple of spicy food items, I decided I had better have a beer, so I tried a local draft (tap) beer called Sierra Nevada, then had to try another brew called Mirror Pond - 5.0% went down ok, rating 7.5.

D: After a long day on the tour, we settled for Pizza, thin margarita, with fresh tomato, basil and cheese, rating 7.0.

Day 5 San Francisco

B: Finally found a decent barista made lavazza coffee, as opposed to pot stewed crap, rating 7.5.

L: finally made our way to the biggest Chinatown in the USA which is in San Francisco, after another trolley car ride and familiarisation walk, located a restaurant within many Chinese patrons, and so thought if it’s good enough for the locals it is good enough for us to try. Had the lunch special $6.95, and had tasty chicken and corn soup,  followed by roast duck, Chinese veges and rice, with chilli sauce and oil, green tea, did not disappoint, rating 8.0.  

Sweet Chicken & Corn Soup
from the Garden Chinese Restaurant
complimentary with lunch

Deep Fried Quail

Also got to try Lizzie’s stir fried beef, ginger and veges, rating 7.5. After lunch, walked around and spotted roasted quail for $1.59 ea. too full to eat then, and to my regret didn’t buy any for Ron, so did not get to try, these tasty looking morsels.

Also had to pay for my first haircut in more than 20 years, and yes before all the smart a’holes ask if I got a discount for half price, yes I did, at $9 forthe cut and facial hair trim, I don’t feel like Jim Nabors, after Rocks pleasure. i.e. violated.  The barbers name was "Dick Troy". Hmmm!!

D: Found a little Italian place and had cheese ravioli with tomato/creamy sauce, rating 7.0. Also tried a local beer called Anchor Steam, 26 oz., large bottle (wheat beer), not too bad rating 7.0.

Day 6 San Francisco

B: Green Tea, Monkey (extra small) bananas all the way from Guatemala, better than the previous few days of OJ, Pot coffee etc., rating 7.0.

Found our way to San Francisco Farmers Market, where there were free samples galore, including organic fresh fruits, dried fruits, falafel, hummus, tabouli. Bought some sun dried Nectarines, just beautiful.

Brunch at the Farmers Markets
at Ferry Bldg.

L: More brunch after the samples, and settled for scrambled free range eggs, hob bacon on a crusty bread roll, first real Aussie type brekkie, rating 7.5.

D: Last full night in San Francisco, so we had to go back to Chinatown, and I know some of you will think I am weird, or confirm what you think you already know, but I just had to have duck again, this time ½ a Peking variety (cost $13.00), served with warm sweet buns, shallots and great sauce, even had the host show me how to make the roll. Separate the bun, ad sauce and shallot and crispy skin only of the duck, the rest of the duck i.e. the meat is eaten separately, dipped in the sauce, a fine meal

rating 8.5.

Peking Duck

Day 7, last day, in San Francisco.

B: OJ, pot coffee, Danish pastry, rating 6 and a lavazza rating 7.5.

L: Had a Thai meal for a change. Chicken Pad Ga Paw, chicken, long bean, red and green capsicum, Thai basil and rice, seasoned with peanuts, chilli sauce, soy sauce, rating 7.5.

D: Quick meal before boarding train for Seattle, had margarita pizza again, won’t bore you with composition, rating 7.0.

Forgot to mention we also found another Farmer's market tucked away in the Civic Centre area and got to buy some fresh 'Honey Dates", Apples, dried apricots and oranges for the train trip, and some tasty little morsels ie. Flax seed crackers, bloody beautiful.  

The End