What did you eat today?
Breakfast: Eliza invented chocolate nib waffles. Let the world pause to write this day down in the annuls, ’cause they were damn good.
Lunch: Taco bar at friend’s wedding reception
Afternoon snack: Cake, brownies, and cookies at same
Dinner: Ahi, along with salad, avocado, egg, beans, bread.
Dessert: Princess cake.
Location: Salem, OR
Breakfast: Cliff bar (found in my computer bag)
Morning Snack: Fruit at the meeting
Lunch: Ham and brie sandwich from Wild Pear Catering in Salem, OR. This was a great sandwich. The ham was just salty enough and very flavorful. The focaccia was just soft enough to bite without ruining the sandwich.
Afternoon snack: Frappucino
Dinner: Root beer float
Breakfast: Leftover waffles
Lunch: Pizza at Gilroy Gardens. In all honesty, the pizza does not have much to recommend it, but in other respects, Gilroy Gardens is an amazing place. If you have kids between about 4-11, it’s a great day. Think of going to the fair, but without the whining for tickets. There is a water play area that is great on a hot day (i.e., most of them in Gilroy) so have them wear swim clothes. Eliza couldn’t believe that they just let her stay on the spinny Mushroom Swing ride as long as she wanted.
Afternoon snack: Popcorn
Dinner: We had promised Eliza a burger, but then ate pizza for lunch. Truly, we thought we’d be home by dinner, but we were having such a good time at Gilroy Gardens that there was no way to make it home in time. Punched in “Burger” into Waze from on the road and selected one that wasn’t too far off the route. It brought up The Counter, which I”d just noticed in an airport last week. What we didn’t notice was that this one was at Santana Row, a fancy shopping mall. Nor did anyone realize what a zoo that would be on a Sunday evening. It turned out to be a 45 minute wait, but it was a gorgeous night. After 15 minutes of waiting, we finally got smart to the fact that we could order to go and sit at a lovely outdoor table to eat. The build your own burger is great. I highly recommend the fried onion strings, both as a side and on the burger. But it’s also a chance to experiment with stuff I wouldn’t normally put on a burger, like pineapple (not bad). Next time, I’ll go when it’s less crowded and check a few more boxes and see what I get.
Lunch: Chicken ceasar salad from Carolyn’s Seaside Cafe. Fair, but not great. The service was slow (at the height of the lunch rush) so I had to get it to go. Which meant that the dressing came in a little cup, which means it ended up in blobs. Honestly, the reason I like salads at restaurants better than at home is that they are generally willing to get a big bowl dirty tossing the salad and dressing evenly.
Afternoon snack: Frapucchino sort of thing.
Dinner: Leftover tomato onion tart. This is one of my favorite things to eat in the world. Only problem is that it was a small piece.
Location: San Diego
Breakfast: Jamba juice.
Lunch: Carnitas buritto from Chipotle. I actually really like Chipotle, but I never can remember that I prefer the chicken to the pork. Maybe next time.
Dinner: Grilled Romaine Salad at Karl Strauss Brewery. Honestly, I was skeptical of this one, but it turned out to be pretty good. I’m not a huge fan of warm lettuce, but the dressing was tasty, and the chicken with it was great.
Dessert: I also had a brownie sundae, which was forgettable. It had great ice cream, but the brownie was bland and then they squirted canned whipped cream all over the top.
Location: Pacific Grove
Lunch: Burrito from Turtle Bay Taqueria
Afternoon snack: Drumsticks and other ice cream treats.
Dinner: Buttermilk chicken, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes
Dessert: Strawberry tart
Location: Home -> Feast of Lanterns
Breakfast: Grapenuts with cranberry juice and fresh strawberries
Lunch: Bacon cheeseburger from Jeffrey’s Hamburger’s in Palo Alto. Pretty decent burger, good fries, good shakes.
Dinner: Ribs and other yummy potluck food. Thanks Luke
Breakfast: Grapenuts with cranberry juice
Lunch: Roast beef sandwich with bacon and a Visallia onion jam from a little market in Bodega Bay
Dinner: Leftover Sloppy Joes
Dessert: Chocolate Lush from Picnic
Location: Friday Harbor -> Home
Breakfast: Chocolate croissant at Churchills while waiting for the ferry
Lunch: BBQ at Dad’s Diner A go-go. I’d noticed this food truck a few times passing through town, but this time the timing worked out. Check out my review.
Afternoon snack: Java chip frappucino at the airport
Dinner: Raviolis once we got home.
Location: Friday Harbor
Breakfast: Grapenuts with cranberry juice
Lunch: $100 hamburger at the Spruce Goose in Port Townsend. Beautiful flight with Adam.
Dinner: Slice of pizza from Bakery San Juan. Eaten on the Western Explorer. While orca whales did amazing things around the boat. What a perfect last night to the trip.
Dessert: Ice cream. From the Dr.’s Office.