Menu

Home
About Me
Travel
Food
Lifestyle
Contact

Home
About Me
Travel
Food
Lifestyle
Contact

Browsing Tag

wine review

Worth a Buy or Try? February 2021 Recap

April 5, 2021

Worth a Buy or a Try? January 2021 Recap

February 18, 2021

Find me on Instagram

ablondeseyeview

I’m going to be bold here and say that I think I

I’m going to be bold here and say that I think I’ve found a new favorite hotel in Napa Valley?? Our stay at Rancho Caymus Inn earlier this month surprised me in the best way possible and I want to shout from the rooftops how great this property is!
I stumbled across this boutique gem while searching for hotels to stay at during Labor Day weekend for the BottleRock music festival. Hotels in Napa are already expensive but combined with a holiday weekend, it can get very very pricey. This property had a decent rate with all things considered and had incredible reviews. I knew I had to give it a shot!
I’m so glad we made the decision to stay here. Rancho Caymus Inn is conveniently located smack dab in-between Calistoga and downtown Napa. With this location, you’re just a short drive from everything you could possibly want to do.
The rooms are beautiful boasting dark luxurious wood ceiling beams and doors. The rooms are decorated with dark leather seating, a fireplace and big luxurious king sized beds making the coziness level a 10/10 in my book.
The pool area is the focal point in the middle of the small property with several fire pits to enjoy a glass of wine at night. The small courtyard off of the lobby also has seating with stringed lights and a huge fireplace. They host nightly complimentary wine tastings in the courtyard with local wineries they’ve partnered with. I though this was such a nice touch!
All rates include a surprisingly delicious hot breakfast in their small dining room. It’s all made to order and they even have the famous English muffins from Model Bakery in St Helena!
Now that I’ve typed this all out, I can confidently say that I’ve definitely found a new Napa Valley hotel favorite. Keep an eye out on the blog, I’ll have a more in-depth review and more photos coming soon!
•
•
•
•
•
#ABEVNapa #rutherford #napavalley #napavalleywine #napacalifornia #visitnapavalley #stillatraveler #mydomainetravels #goopgo #foodandtravel #igpassport #winetrip #winetravel #wheretofindme #mytravelstory #hotelsandresorts #uniquehotels #foodtravel #abmtravelbug #followmytravel

I’ll admit, I don’t make it south of Del Mar v

I’ll admit, I don’t make it south of Del Mar very often so when we had plans in downtown San Diego a few weeks ago, I knew exactly where I wanted to go for brunch. I’ve seen Cocina de Barrio all over San Diego foodie accounts lately and everything looks so dang delicious. Well, fellow SD foodies, you did not fail me. Cocina de Barrio’s brunch is the best I’ve had in a long, long time!
Located in Hillcrest, Cocina de Barrio brings the flavors we all know and love from Mexico, a bright and open atmosphere and one amazing cocktail menu full of specialty tequila and mezcal drinks. I was quite literally in heaven.
We decided on a mix of lunch and breakfast items in order to get their full brunch experience. The Ceviche Robalo & Xoconostle was so clean and fresh. I could eat this all day. The Creme Brûlée French Toast was the most surprising. The lemon curd seemed like it would send this dish over the top and make it too sweet but it actually did the opposite. The tartness combined with the fresh berries created the perfect balance. The Chicken Tinga Quesadillas were also scrumptious. Again, simple and extremely fresh ingredients executed perfectly. This should be their motto. For me, the quality of ingredients makes all the difference.
Just writing about this brunch experience has me thinking of excuses to make the 40 minute drive from Carlsbad to try more dishes 😂. If you’re ever in the Hillcrest or downtown San Diego area and looking for a brunch spot, just stop browsing restaurants and trust me on this one. You won’t be disappointed!
Ceviche Robalo & Xoconostle
Prickly pear. Lime-cured striped bass. Red onion. Cucumber. Avocado. Chile Fresno. Cilantro.
Creme Brûlée French Toast
Orange cream custard. Banana. Berries.
Chicken Tinga Quesadillas
Chipotle stewed chicken. Beans. Queso fresco. Avocado salsa. Cotija cheese. Fried egg. Home potatoes.
•
•
•
•
•
#ABEVSanDiego #hillcrest #hillcrestsandiego #brunching #brunchgoals #brunchsohard #brunchvibes #eatcaptureshare #moodofmytable #youstayhungrysd #eatsandiego #exploresd #diningoutsd #sdfooddiaries #restaurantreview #foodieblogger #travelfoodie #socaleats #viewfromtop #foodtraveller

New Buona Forchetta location alert!! San Marcos is

New Buona Forchetta location alert!! San Marcos is home to the newest addition of the beloved Italian eatery. Located near UC San Marcos (honestly those kids have no idea how lucky they are to have a restaurant like this within walking distance) makes it an ideal location for those of us who live east of the 5!
I love the large layout at this location as it’s significantly bigger than the others with plenty of outdoor, indoor and bar seating! Buona Forchetta, in my opinion, is one of those restaurants where you get the most bang for your buck. It’s great quality food that’s not astronomically overpriced, which is sometimes hard to find in San Diego.
If you’re looking for some bomb Neapolitan-style pizza or classic Northern Italian entrees, Buona Forchetta is your spot! Their always-changing specials are usually what intrigue me as they’re more unique and well, special 😂.
If you’re in the North County San Diego area, I highly recommend Buona Forchetta. If not, check out their other locations all throughout San Diego! You’ll be happy regardless of which restaurant you go to.
•
•
•
•
•
#ABEVSanDiego #sanmarcosca #discoversanmarcos #northcountysd #sandiegoeats #sandiegofood #sdeats #abmfoodie #mydomaineeats #goopgo #interiorinstagram #tastingsandiego #sdfoodies #foodieadventures #foodietravels #foodandtravel #dwell #winningmeover #foodtravel #trottermag

Hawaiian food in Oceanside? Yes, please! The Switc

Hawaiian food in Oceanside? Yes, please! The Switchboard Restaurant offers numerous Pupu’s (appetizers), local Hawaiian favorites and burgers. We went in and went ham on the Hawaiian dishes and I must say, I was instantly transported back to our family vacations in Hawaii. The flavors were pretty traditional but I appreciated that some of the dishes had a unique style that really made this restaurant memorable for me.
The switchboard is located next to Hilton’s The Fin Hotel in the heart of downtown Oceanside. Keep in mind, the restaurant is quite small inside but they are offering outdoor dining as well. If I had to choose, I would consider dining at the bar. Their bar is super cute and is made up of old switchboard switches. Hence the name, The Switchboard!
Hua `Alani Duck
Crispy half duck. Tangy tamari. Orange duck reduction. Roasted Brussel sprouts. Sticky white rice.
Avocado Lumpia
Haas Avocado. Cabbage. Sweet peppers. Sweet chili dipping sauce. Chinese mustard.
Seared Ahi Wonton Crisps
Sesame crusted ahi. Pineapple ginger. Arugula. Seoul aioli. Sweet soy glaze. Wonton crisps.
Banana Lumpia
Coconut rum honey. Lime
•
•
•
•
•
#ABEVSanDiego #oceanside #oceansidecalifornia #oceansideca #visitoceanside #dineoside #hawaiianfood #vacationeats #eatcaptureshare #eatsandiego #wheresandiego #sdfooddiaries #diningoutsd #foodsta #foodieblog #travelingfoodie #travelfoodies #viewfromtop #tablesituation #socaleats

Extremely fresh seafood (like I’m talking straig

Extremely fresh seafood (like I’m talking straight off the boat fresh) and peak seasonal ingredients makes The Fishery my go-to restaurant when I’m getting a craving for some damn good seafood.
After college, I stuck around Pacific Beach for a little bit and I kid you not, I walked to The Fishery at least twice a week for lunch to get their Seared Ahi Tostadas. To say I was addicted is an understatement. I actually still crave them 😂 I wish they had a spot closer to Carlsbad!
I hadn’t been for dinner in a while, so we stopped by to check out the dinner scene and since chef Mike Reidy joined the team recently, I was eager to see if he had made any changes. The Fishery was just as good as I remember it and then some! The new chef is killing it, and they have continued to be very consistent with the freshness of their ingredients!
Market Carpaccio
Aleppo chili. Preserved Meyer Lemon. Fennel. Capers.
Sunshine Roll
Snow crab. Avocado. Cucumber. Yellowtail. Lemon.
Poke
Ahi. Avocado. Radish. Scallions. Nori. Sesame. Ponzu. Wasabi Mayo.
Clam Chowder
Littleneck clams. Potato. Celery. Lardons & cream.
Mexican Shrimp + Local Rock Crab Fettuccine
House-made saffron fettuccine. Garlic cream. Tomato. Basil. Chili oil.
•
•
•
•
•
#ABEVSanDiego #pacificbeach #pacificbeachsd #pacificbeachsandiego #seafoodrestaurant #seafoodheaven #seafoodlovers #abmfoodie #mydomaineeats #foodandtravel #littlebitsof_life #seeksimplicity #youstayhungrysd #eatsandiego #sdfoodies #foodietravel #onmytabletoday #sandiegogram #sdfoodie #thrillistsd

Best Deep Dish Pizza in North County San Diego?? F

Best Deep Dish Pizza in North County San Diego?? From what I’ve tried so far, The Spot: Pizza + Cocktails in the Rancho Bernardo takes 1st place! From the not too sweet sauce, the extra melty cheese and crispy cornmeal-like crust, this deep dish pie was absolute heaven.
Pair this with a glass of wine or one of their many delicious curated cocktails, and you’ve got yourself quite the meal. While the inside is nice and modern with an impressive bar, we really enjoyed sitting outside under the stringed lights.
Old Town
Pepperoni. Mushrooms. Onions. Green bell peppers. Fresh garlic. Black olives.
Unknown Pleasures
Cazadores blanco tequila. Hibiscus. Spiced honey. Pineapple. Lime.
•
•
•
•
•
#ABEVSanDiego #ranchobernardo #northcountysd #deepdish #deepdishpizza #pizzapizzapizza #sdeats #sandiegofoodie #sandiegoeats #travelfoodie #foodietravels #socaleats #tablesituation #foodieblog #tastingsandiego #onmyplate #sandiegogram #foodieheaven #foodiegirl #theresandiego

Somerset Grill located at The Vespera Resort on Pi

Somerset Grill located at The Vespera Resort on Pismo Beach pleasantly surprised me. In all honesty, I’ve never really thought Pismo Beach to have much of a foodie scene outside of clam chowder and fish and chips but that’s just my opinion 🤷🏼‍♀️. When we sat down at the restaurant bar, my expectations weren’t very high but once we got to chatting with the bartender and started receiving our appetizers, I grew more and more impressed with the restaurant.
The dinner menu has a good combination of meats and seafood with a few vegetarian dishes sprinkled in. My favorite dishes were the grilled artichoke, hand tied burrata and prime filet steak frites. The only dish we had that I did not like and would not recommend was the lobster pasta. It literally tasted like butter and noodles. It’s unfortunate because the lobster was cooked well but the sauce lacked depth and flavor.
One last thing to note is the service is a little wonky because of being short staffed. There’s no service at the outside fire pits so you have to come inside and order with the bartender which causes a huge bottleneck. At breakfast, servers do not take your order. You again, order with the bartender, grab a number and sit down. Definitely not what I would expect from a high tier resort so hopefully they get this issue a little more streamlined soon.
Overall, I was impressed with the food and wouldn’t hesitate to dine here again. I’m sure it’ll be an even better experience once staffing issues are sorted out.
Open Fire Grilled Artichoke
Spice infused. Lemon aioli.
Hand Tied Burrata
Roasted tomato. Roasted artichoke heart. Petite watercress. Sun dried tomato paste. Crostini.
Prime Filet Steak Frites
Kennebec fries. Maitre’d butter.
Foraged Mushroom Riotto
Arborio rice. Parmigiano-reggiano. Pea. Asparagus. Meyer lemon.
Avocado Toast
•
•
•
•
•
#ABEVPismoBeach #visitpismobeach #experiencepismobeach #pismobeach #pismobeachpier #centralcoastcalifornia #travelmakesus #marriottbonvoy #luxurycollection #explorecalifornia #westcoasttravel #foodandtravel #igeats #vacationeats #eatcaptureshare #foodieadventures #foodiegirl #travelfoodie #californiafoodie #californiaeats

Pismo Beach is moving on up in the world! Let me i

Pismo Beach is moving on up in the world! Let me introduce you to the newest hotel on the Central Coast, Vespera Resort on Pismo Beach. This resort is part of the Autograph Collection with Marriott and was such a needed, in my opinion, addition to this popular California beach town.
I’ve been visiting Pismo Beach since I was a youngin’ as it was the closest beach town from where I grew up in Central California. I’ve always thought of Pismo to be a little stuck in time so to have something so shiny and new is just what the area needed.
Situated right on the boardwalk, Vespera Resort is in an ideal location with everything you can think of within walking distance. There’s a restaurant on property (more on that in the next post), a pool and jacuzzi and my favorite part, a large patio area overlooking the ocean with lounge chairs and fire pits. The perfect spot for sunset!
The rooms are light and bright and look like they’ve come straight from a Restoration Hardware magazine. They did a great job with the decor throughout the hotel tying in coastal and surfing themes. Overall, we really enjoyed our stay here earlier this summer and will definitely be our go-to in the future!
•
•
•
•
•
#ABEVPismoBeach #visitpismobeach #experiencepismobeach #pismobeach #pismobeachpier #centralcoastcalifornia #travelmakesus #marriottbonvoy #luxurycollection #explorecalifornia #westcoasttravel #mydomainetravels #goopgo #verytandc #myanthropologie #visualcrush #abmtravelbug #travelingfoodie #luxurytraveler #seeksimplicity

(C) 2021 - A Blonde's Eye View. All Rights Reserved.

Home
Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy
Terms & Conditions