By the sea

Before heading over to Carmel River State Beach on Saturday, I decided to try out my father's recommendation -- Casanova.


I was seated at one of their outdoor tables. And they were kind enough to turn on the heat lamp for me. Oh, and if I was still cold, they had lap blankets available. Because while Saturday's weather was nice, it was much more the typical weather of the Monterey Peninsula.

I had wanted to order both an appetizer and an entree but the server dissuaded me of this. Something about how I had to be absolutely starving to be able to eat both. And I wasn't.


Since the appetizer I had wanted was a part of their regular menu, I decided to go with one of their specials for that day -- a roasted pork chop served with mascarpone polenta and a pear jus. It was heaven on a plate.

After leaving the restaurant, I called my dad to tell him great his choice had been. His reaction? "They're open for lunch as well?" Yep, every day although on Sunday they expand the menu for brunch.

If I lived in the area, I know I'd find some reason to go to Casanova at least once a month. As it is, I am now trying to figure out the next time I can get down to the area.

Locals

When I was in high school, my father lived in Monterey. I have not really spent much time in Monterey since he moved to Sacramento my freshman year of college. My memory is a strange creature. Even though I may not have spent time in an area in years, upon arrival, a map unfolds in my mind and I remember favorite places of the past.

Ocean Avenue is the street that takes you through downtown Carmel-By-the-Sea. At the end of Ocean Avenue is the beach. As a teenager, I wanted to go to the beach and thought, "Well, I'll just go to Ocean Avenue." My father told me that on a nice day, this particular beach gets really crowded. He then showed me another beach -- Carmel River State Beach. It is near the Mission and to reach it, you drive for quite some time through a residential neighborhood. It is one of those kinds of places that you have to know is there as you would never find it otherwise.

And so on Saturday, I revisited the beach of my memory.

Beginning and end

Stepping into the Sardine Factory on Friday evening was like stepping back into time. The service reminded me of going to Ernie's and Victor's with my parents as a teenager.


I saw seated in the Conservatory.


I started my meal with their famous Abalone Bisque. My only regret it that I got a cup instead a bowl. Next time I will not make that mistake.


At the end of my meal, I ordered a latte. I thought it was cute that they included a little biscotti with it.


For dessert, I ordered the Italian Trio -- tiramisu, cannoli and spumoni inside of a white chocolate cup. Everything was perfect. The cannoli was light and airy. And I even liked the spumoni. I usually don't as to me it can be the ice cream equivalent of fruitcake. When I was about halfway through the desserts, the busser asked my opinion of the spumoni. He then said that he too does not normally like spumoni but for some reason likes that served at the Sardine Factory.

You may have noticed that I did not include my entree. This is because I made a bad choice. It was perfectly good but just not my cup of tea. A gentleman at a nearby table ordered my other choice and it looked absolutely wonderful. He ate every bite and told the server that it was great. Next time.

Oh, and in keeping with the theme of my aquarium visit, all of their seafood is sustainable. And yes, I will be returning. I will have more abalone bisque. And perhaps I will also try their Calamari Puffs.

Afternoon at the aquarium

This was inspired by David, Maddie and Boy Toy. Every time I go New York, David and Maddie swear that we are going to the zoo. Here's the problem. They always get dronk and then can't get up until late in the day. So yesterday I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium for them.



I timed my arrival to coincide with the last penguin feeding of the day.

I originally took a photo of these lovely creatures but then decided that they really deserved video.


Otters!!!!





They even had an exhibit of birds that live along the shoreline.





Now I understand why folks rave about the place. And they're really great about emphasizing environmental issues and what each of us can do to make sure that these creatures continue to exist in the wild. For years I have used their Seafood Watch to make dining decisions -- because not all stores color-code their seafood like Andronico's does. And now the list is available as an iPhone app so now I always have it with me.

So yeah, if you haven't guessed, I see more trips to the aquarium in my future.

It's all about the food

Anyone who knows me, knows that one of the main features of a vacation for me is delicious food. Lots of food. This would be part of the reason why over the last two weeks, I have been consuming a lot of salads. And I know that I have dropped my caloric intake because often I was left feeling hungry. But I ignored that little voice that said, "Go ahead. Get some more food."

I worked all day Thursday and then made the two hour drive to the Monterey area. After all of that, I didn't want to go too far for dinner. Luckily on the grounds of the resort is a steakhouse. A Hawaiian steakhouse. I went with their appetizer of ahi tuna tartar that was topped with wasabi caviar and served with wonton crisps. My main course was their surf and turf combo -- lobster tail and a fillet. And I loved the inclusion of the orchid for decoration.

I am starting to think that there are going to need to be some beach walks to counterbalance all of the food consumption. Of course by the time this posts, I will probably be sitting down to another wonderful meal.

Early bird

For some reason I was up bright and early this morning, so early that the sun hadn't even risen yet. So I patiently waited for the first light.

Now I'm going back to sleep. I am on vacation after all.

Bay to bay

Tonight after work I left the San Francisco area to head to the Monterey area for an extended weekend. Last year my dad had reserved a unit at the timeshare. Actually it was a reschedule. He and my stepmother were supposed to be going to Cabo San Lucas last September. Then her health issues came up. At the time, my dad was still hoping that she'd recover and so he just rescheduled for this year -- in the Monterey area instead. After my stepmother's death, he decided that he didn't want to use the time anymore and so now it's basically mine. I didn't have enough vacation time to come for the whole week that was booked so I figured I'd make it an extended weekend. And now I'm thinking about next year. Leaning toward New Orleans.

I tried to take a photo for y'all right after I checked in but the sun was much too low in the sky at that point. That's OK. I'll take more photos for y'all tomorrow during the day so that you can get a clearer view.

The problem was that I was on the beach. If the moon was full and it had been later in the evening, then maybe I would have been able to take a successful photo. The beach is a one to two minute walk from where I'm staying. And all you want to do is walk along this particular beach. Because this is my Pacific after all.

Update: Apparently at least one of last night's photos sort of came out. But my post from this morning will still give you a much better idea.