Alfredo's Mexican restarant on my road trip

 

After visiting Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, we drove 50 miles southeast of the Caverns is a small town called Pecos, TX. Starving for what I call real food, we drove into town looking for something, almost anything. I looked up ahead and saw Alfredo’s Mexican Restaurant.  The parking lot was FULL, so I had to stop to see why it was so busy. The menu had a lot to choose from. I ended up ordering 3 cheese enchiladas with onions and 1 pork tamale. I have been on a tamale kick lately, so ordered 1 every time I go out has given me a taste of many.  Now back to the enchilada plate, I came piping HOT, I mean to the point of crazy! Just what the doctor ordered, real Mexican food. The enchiladas were very tasty, the red sauce was very nice, the tamale had a nice, strong smoky flavor. They were a busy place so I can se that they would get the food out as quick as possible. I have to say that both of the items were top notch, that’s why there was a line of people waiting out the door to eat at this place!!! Any ladies in Texas want to find a man? You should go hang out here, 95% of the patrons were men! All those cowboys know where to get a good Mexican meal for a good price, because the plates are as big as Texas!

Brophy Bros Purveyors of fresh seafood Santa Barbara, CA

 

Brophy Bros. Clam Bar & Restaurant

As my second time visiting this great restaurant sitting right on the waters edge, it was still standing room only. After waiting about 30 minutes for a table, it was out turn!

 The menu:

For appetizers, you have a selection of either hot or cold items to choose from, items like, (cold) peel and eat shrimp, ceviche, little neck clams, oysters and a few others (hot) beer boiled shrimp, steamed mussels, garlic backed clams, oysters Rockefeller, just to name a few.

Our choice Oyster Rockefeller, there were six, half shells to the plate, the flavor was nice, with a hint of onion, cheese and spinach. The oysters were very fresh and not over cooked.

For the main courses:

We made two choices, Scampi and Crab Cakes.

Crab Cakes, made with Chilean snow crab, breaded, pan seared and served with a roasted red bell pepper aioli sauce. This dish also can with a salad, rice pilaf and coleslaw. I think I picked the best entrée off the menu. Being pan seared, was a great way to preserve the flavor of the crab, the mix for the patty, was just right, very flavorful and with the red pepper aioli sauce it just topped it off. The rice and the coleslaw were a nice accompanies to round out everything.

 

Scampi, plump extra large shrimp is what was delivered to the table. Sautéed with white wine, lemon, garlic and tomato butter, the soft spices, were just enough to still taste the freshness of the shrimp. I was amazed by the size of the shrimp. This dish also came with rice pilaf and coleslaw.

They also have a full bar and inside or outside seating. But you better get there early if you want to get right in or you will have to wait. This is a very popular spot.

The location that I visited was:

119 Harbor Way

Santa Barbara, CA 93109

805-966-2535

www.brophybros.com

https://www.facebook.com/brophybros

5 Elements Ventura Blvd. Tarazna, CA

 

5 Elements

If you have never had Vietnamese food, you should give it a try. And here is a great place to do so, 5 elements, located in Tarzana in the Capri shopping center on Ventura Blvd.

Although they have many dishes to choose from on their menu, I really like the Vermicelli bowl with shrimp and pork. The Vermicelli bowl consists of soft rice noodles, shredded leaf lettuce, bean sprouts, carrots and cucumbers. If you are gluten free of watching your calorie intake this bowl is great for you. It is fresh, low calorie and packed with flavor.

 

5 elements had a surprising twist to the Nuroc Cham sauce that accompanies this fantastic fresh bowl. The twist you ask, just the right amount of spicy heat. Most of the  places I visit for this dish, I have to add the spice to it, but this was prepared that way. I was a nice switch to one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes. I want to talk about the shrimp and pork for just a second. The pork was very tender and juicy with a nice smoke flavor. The shrimp had the taste of being freshly grill, with a charred, caramelized side.

They have seating outside and the interior was very modern. They also serve adult beverages.

This dish was really refreshing, I think I will go back and try some of their other dishes.

19548-50 Ventura Blvd
Tarzana, CA 91356

http://www.5elementsrestauranttarzana.com/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/5-Elements-Restaurant/162466924403

Cold Spring Tavern Santa Barbara, CA

As we drove to Santa Barbara my friend, says he knows of this little place tucked way that he has always wanted to stop at, I agreed and as we got into Santa Barbara we got off the exit and went up state street to Hwy 154. It was a winding road and the marine layer was thick that day. Once we got to the summit of the hill, the sky’s clear and we found our turn onto Stagecoach Rd.  As we go down the hill we come up on these old buildings, very charming, but I had no idea that we were getting ready to have one of the best meals of the weekend.

 Here is some history:

Over one hundred twenty five years ago, dusty stagecoaches stopped here…The stop was known as “Cold Spring Relay station” they would stop here to change out teams of horses and allow travelers to rest at this stagecoach stop and enjoy one of the most delicious meals in the Olde West.

We walked around to see the history of the place and then we went in for some grub. I was listening to the other people around us talking about the tri-tip being so good and suggested to my friend that one of us get some of the tri tip to try it.  I started looking on the menu and noticed they had a quiche of the day, as our waitress comes over I asked what the selection of the day was and quickly made up my mind. My friend ordered the French Dip Sandwich, roasted tri tip on a French “au jus” and apple horseradish sauce. My selection, the quiche, which consisted of mushrooms, artichokes and broccoli, they both came with salad.

My quiche can we say fantastic! The crust was flaky and the right amount of butter and salt mixture, this type of crust is my favorite; it’s just the perfect balance. The quiche had great flavor, it was a really good choice and the piece I was given was a good portion.

The tri tip, was just the right amount of smoky flavor, tender and the French roll was fresh and soft, it was topped with apple horseradish, which brought all the flavors together. As you can see in one of the pictures the tri tip is being cooked on a BBQ grill right outside like you would do it at home.

The “Cold Spring Relay Stop” also houses a tavern (bar) and an old jail along with this great little restaurant. The inside of all of the places are still the old barn rafters and wagon wheel chandler’s, and oil lamps on all the tables, very charming. This stop really takes you back to the Olde Wild West.

If you’re ever in the Santa Barbara area you should drive the extra 10ish minutes up Hwy 154 to Stagecoach Rd, go left and follow it to this great spot! It will be worth the drive!!!

Cold Spring Tavern

595 Stagecoach Rd.

Santa Barbara, CA 93105

Facebook- Cold Spring Tavern

Ferrell's ice cream shop

When I was a kid, we had this ice cream shop called Ferrell's. I loved this place, you could find the biggest gob stoppers, and any kind of candy you could dream of, not only do they have candy, but they have ice cream!! I found out that this childhood treat was still around and there was a location In Santa Clarita, CA, right around the corner from my house! I went one day to check it out to see if it was still the same place I remembered. it wasn't as big as the location I went to as a kid, but it still had candy and the feel of an old time ice cream shop. I had to order something so a banana split it was. It was just as I remembered, huge scoops with hot fudge, whip cream, nuts, and cherries on top, it was the whole sha-bang! I was good, but I am glad there was someone to share it with, there was no way I could finish it all myself!

Kianti's Pizza

Every time I visit my niece and nephew we go down to the Santa Cruz Board walk. We play a few games and always eat pizza. This time we tried a new pizza place that opened up close to the boardwalk. They only had two different slices to choose from cheese and pepperoni, I wish they would have had more of a selection, but we ordered 2 pepperoni and 3 cheese. I liked the flavor of the sauce and there was a nice amount of cheese. The slices were pretty big, they put them into the oven after we ordered them and the gave us, peppers and cheese on the side. This was a decent piece of pizza, I would eat it again and I am sure the kids would too, especially Noah (he's 5)!

The Buttery in Santa Cruz, CA

The Buttery

Santa Cruz, CA

This is a very cute place that is not only a bakery, the also serve sandwiches, salads and coffee.  I had asked my niece to bake me a birthday cake, but we ran out of time so, my sister in law suggested getting a cake from the Buttery, I went along because everyone in the family was raving about this place.

We went in and the smell of the place was just delightful. The cases were full of beautiful cakes, cookies, cupcakes and tarts.  My sister in law was meeting a client there, so I took the kids and we picked out some tasty treats, I picked pecan sandie (one of my favorites) my niece got a chocolate dream cupcake and my nephew got a chocolate chip cookie (he’s five, so that is standard for the kid). The kids gobbled them down so quick I couldn’t get a picture, but I took a picture of the pecan sandie. After a few images were taken it was time for a taste test, can I say OMG! This is the BEST pecan sandie I have EVER had! It was the right amount of salt and sugar together, the cookie was full of pecans and the small swirl of dark chocolate frosting on top was just the right touch!!! WINNER!

After we finished our goodies, we had to go back to the counter for my birthday cake and something for my brother (he seems to be left out when we go out and about, so I called him to get an order). He ordered an oatmeal raisin and white macadamia nut cookies Picking my birthday cake was hard, the hard some many to choose from, I ended up picking devil’s food cake, with chocolate ganache and strawberries, topped with whip cream icing. Holy crap, this was one rich cake, it was a sweet tooth killer! It took us a couple of days to finish the cake but it was still good on the second day! I had to give you a view of one piece verses the whole cake because I smashed the top by accident when putting it in the cooler for the ride home.

If your ever in Santa Cruz, you should stop by and try something from this place! Two thumbs up!

Samosa from Sukhi's Gourmet Indian Foods

Samosa from Sukhi’s Gourmet Indian Foods

The crust light, flaky for being deep-fried it’s not greasy, the crust also had a nice hint of salt in the background.

Once inside the potato, onion with a hint of cinnamon, cumin coriander seed, just a nip of heat is the very last thing that I taste.

I am a huge fan of samosa and Indian food in general, these I really enjoyed this one it tasted a bit different than most I have eaten. I know every family has unique recipes that they pass on to generations. If I get back to Heyward, CA, I will defiantly go back for more and try other dishes too!

PIG OUT! The Pig BBQ & Pub

 

The Pig BBQ & Pub

1139 W Winnemucca

Winnemucca, NV 89445

Phone: (775) 623-4104

Maybe I should start out with the sauces first.

1. Spicy sauce- Spicy with peppery sweet with a nice kick in the background

2. Regular- Tangy sweet, this is the right sauce for people who like the tang of spice but not the heat.

3. Honey- sweet with a clove taste in the middle and tang in the back half.

Now for the entrée

As I look at the menu, there were so many things to choose from. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to get ribs, chicken, pork so many choices. Then I ran across the pork tacos, I thought they sounded a bit twisty, pork BBQ tacos. As most of you know I am a sucker for food with a twist. The BBQ sauce that I mentioned above were all on the table ready for you to use the one you like the best or all of them, like I did. I think one of the smartest things restaurants with messy food can do is put a roll of paper towels on the table, and there they were. Everything was perfect for a food grub get down! And grub we did!

The pork was smoked, but not heavy like others I have had. Topped with pico de gallo, all in a flour tortilla. This dish did not disappoint! It was tender and tasty; the pico de gallo was a nice compliment to the BBQ sauce that was added. The dish also came along with a salad; I ordered mine with Honey mustard, because for some reason I had that flavor in my mind all day. These tacos were so good that I had to write about them. It’s a shame that I live so far away from this Pig Joint because I would be a frequent visitor if I were closer.

Habanero Grill

 

Habanero Mexican Grill

In the middle of the second half of the cross country trip we saw this taco joint to the left, it had a cool name so we stopped. When we walked in the place was cute and clean, with about 20 tables. The menu was simple, burritos, salads, .

I was glad to see that they had a veggie burrito,( I am not a vegetarian and never claimed to be), on a road trip what I feel I can not get a good supply of is vegetables, so I immediately wanted to order the veggie burrito once I saw the vegetables that were included, zucchini, eggplant, peppers, and onions were the start. First they sauté the veggies, then they add what ever you want, I had black beans, sour cream, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa, guacamole and a spot of cheese. There were also a couple of get rice selections, if you wanted that added. After I was done filling mine I had a high protein and complex carb super burrito!

I took my burrito to the table and sat down with some hot sauce and went to town. Caution this burrito is a bit of a messy hands session, but who does like to get food on their hands, well some of you don’t, so I suggest you use a fork for those folks! Messy hands or not it was worth it! It was great road trip food, when the last thing you want is a huge heavy meal that might give you food comma while your driving. This was the perfect meal, perfect size and perfect cost. Well done! Well done!

But get the trees cut from around your sign so more people can find you along the roadside. Travelers like us who want the perfect road food!

Cincinnati style chili

Skyline chili

It’s a love it or hate it thing. Cincinnati style chili is like nothing you’ve ever tasted.  It’s more of a soup consistently, but a fabulous topping for spaghetti, on a hotdog smothered in cheese, onions and mustard. If you’re having with spaghetti, you can top the chili with cheese (3 way), beans (4 way), onions (5 way). It’s your call on fancy you want to make it. Some folks top their dishes with hot sauce or oyster crackers. I grew up in Cincinnati so of course I am a lover of this style of chili. I do like Skyline better than Gold Star, so Gold Star fans, this is just what this blogger prefers. 

Anyway, if you are ever in the Queen City stop by many of there locations around town and have a bit. Or come to my house, I’ll whip some up!