Trader Joe's Monterey

Trader Joe's is one of my favorite grocery store chains, simply because they stock mini peanut butter cups. Those things are deadly! They are also the reason why I've learned to avoid TJ's because if I let myself go inside, I just can't help buying them! Two hours later I've inhaled 3/4 of the container and feel sick to my stomach. No self control when peanut butter and chocolate is involved!

The downtown Monterey location (570 Munras Ave, Monterey) is moderately sized and has a bit of a wonky floor plan with an almost hidden cereal aisle. Tyler, Dave, and I stopped at TJ's after Easter mass in Carmel. I was hoping to find some quality white vinegar (for Red Velvet cupcakes :), but they didn't have any! No white vinegar whatsoever! Can you believe that? There's a Peet's Coffee in the same shopping center, so the parking lot can get busy. It's also next door to a pharmacy and R.G. Burger (<-- read about my wonderful experience).

After grabbing the mini peanut butter cups, I strolled over to the baking aisle and was saddened to see that it was a mere four feet wide. I just wasn't winning. In addition to needing white vinegar, I was also looking to find some Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa. No luck here.



However, I did spot a Trader Joe's version of unsweetened cocoa (with cupcakes on the label!) and added it to my cart. I grabbed a thing of eggs, baking powder, and baking soda. Now I know that when I need baking supplies, this is not the best place to go looking. I'm excited to try out the cocoa though!

Breakfast at Maryjane's Coffeeshop

This morning I woke up in a daze. Vanessa was asking me if I wanted to go to breakfast with them. I had no idea what time it was, I remember declining and falling back to sleep. I woke up, presumably an hour or so later, and decided to shower. Apparently not as much time passed by as I had thought and by the time I got out of the shower they were just about to leave. I hustled and jumped in the car with Vanessa and Chalon.





Boy am I glad I was able to come along! We went to Maryjane's Coffeeshop in downtown's Hard Rock Hotel (207 5th Ave, San Diego).





Their menu was super cute and witty! At the bottom it read: Some advice & a higher code to live by: don't do things on video you will regret one day... NEVER DRINK & DRIVE... Never drink & blog... Always leave big tips… THINK TWICE BEFORE YOU PIERCE





I ordered the Hall 'n' Oatmeal: served with our secret topping. OK, it's brown sugar, golden raisins, silvered almonds, sundried cherries & pistachios ($6). it was delicious but I wish the oatmeal would have been piping hot, that's how I like it!

Their coffee was sooooo yummy! Vanessa and I each had about 3 cups! Also on their caffeine menu: 'Lattes, cappuccinos and all that Seattle stuff' ($4).




Vanessa ordered the buttermilk pancakes. They were tasty, very vanilla-y and thin! Chalon ordered the daily special. I loved this menu option: Cereal boxes to your table. It includes cereal like Lucky Charms, Fruity Pebbles, Count Chocula, Maryjane's housemade granola, Frosted Mini Wheats, and Kellog's Corn Flakes (all for $6)

Maryjane's is open during the following hours:
Mon-Thu, Sun 6:30 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Fri-Sat 6:30 a.m. - 3 a.m.

Location:5th Ave,San Diego,United States

LOdgings, as of April 2010

What are your thoughts?

Original underwater artwork, courtesy of David. Printed on canvas by Costco's online photo center.

Love my pillow collection!

Coach Store, Downtown Carmel

My mom, sister, and I always find great deals at the Coach factory store (San Carlos St & Ocean Ave, Carmel). Once we had chowed down on the slice of chocolate cherry cheesecake from Cafe Carmel, it was time to go handbag shopping. The last time the three of us went to Coach, Nicole and I got matching wallets (hers brown, mine black). This time we got matching "swingbacks" (hers black, mine brown). I got the Penelope Signature Swingback for ~$70 (online it retails for $140). They gave us the above coupon when we walked in, so our total purchase was discounted even further after picking out seven items (some were gifts!)

Read their Yelp reviews here.

Cafe Carmel Coffee House

After visiting both Georis and Bernardus' tasting rooms in Carmel Valley, my mom, sister, and I decided to do a little shopping. Before we hit up the Coach Factory store, we ducked into Cafe Carmel Coffee House (top of Ocean Avenue, Carmel) . Check out their reviews on Yelp.

The coffee house had lots of pastries, various desserts, fruit salads, pasta salads, yogurt parfaits, quiches, etc. Their website also mentions that they carry paninis, sandwiches, and wraps. The long glass cases display all their yummy products, and large blackboards highlight their drink offerings, which include: coffee, tea, espresso, frappes, and smoothies!

Window displays drawing in the crowds.

 My mom ordered a slice of Cafe Carmel's chocolate cherry cheesecake. The cheesecake itself seemed almost like a mix between cheesecake and cookies and cream ice cream. It was coated in a gloopy cherry topping and a ribbon of whipped cream. Cafe Carmel used an oreo cookie crust instead of the typical graham cracker crust. Good choice. I snuck a few bites from my mom's plate and was glad I did! I'm not the biggest cheesecake person, but I did thoroughly enjoy this!

Nicole ordered a tall cup of coffee that she shared with us. As shown below, they had four flavors available for customers: Decaf French Roast, Dark French Roast, Medium House Blend, and Light Kona Blend. They have the whole spectrum! I wonder if they have free wifi...

Bernardus Tasting Room in Carmel Valley

We left Georis' tasting room and headed to the Bernardus one a few blocks away (Yelp). As I mentioned earlier, all of the wine tasting rooms are in walking distance of each other! How very convenient. We walked past a few quaint restaurants that I wouldn't mind trying some day (including a Thai spot). 

In terms of ambience and aesthetics, this place just wasn't that cool. I really wanted to be impressed by it because Bernardus has a great reputation. Unfortunately, the building was an outdated, cinder block monstrosity with zero character.

The room itself was very small. For $5 you got to taste about four different wine types. My mom's boyfriend David and his brother from Arizona met up with us and sampled the various Bernardus wines. I can't give a great description of which wines were better than others, simply because my wine pallete is non-existant. Attention Kali Bills: you need to visit and then I will take notes on what you think, post your shrewd thoughts, and pretend they are my own, of course.

After all this wine we decided it was time to go shopping in downtown Carmel... read about it here.

I Spy Cool Things at Vanessa's

Visiting Vanessa and Chalon in San Diego and their place is amazing! I feel like I am in an artists nest and I wanted to share...


I spy a leg lamp and gorgeous blue roses...


I spy a cute pitbull named Data, gazing at (my favorite) hanging artwork...


I spy more art from installations...

Not pictured, but still spotted: two octopi hanging from a pair of antlers in a two-inch vile...

Location:Cherokee Ave,San Diego,United States

Georis Winery in Carmel Valley

After hiking the Fort Ord trails, we got in the car and drove to Carmel Valley for wine tasting! I wanted to give my mom a day full of activities that she'd enjoy (we were celebrating her birthday after all). Hiking and wine was the easy solution!

Carmel Valley's "Village" has a handful of wine tasting rooms that represent the various wineries in the area. Ever heard of Bernardus, Chateau Julien, Chateau Sinnet, Georis, or Talbott? Yup, they have wine rooms here! After looking around on Yelp for the best place to take my mama to, I settled on Georis' tasting room (4 Pilot Rd, Carmel Valley). 

Interesting fact about Carmel Valley: the Jamesburg Earth Station calls Carmel Valley home. It's basically the largest tracking satellite dish antenna in the whole entire world and NASA used it during the Apollo moon landings. If you are ever on a game show: Apollo's 1 - 6 were unmanned, 7 - 10 were manned earth/lunar orbit missions, 11 was our first successful lunar landing (!! [duh] !!), 12 - 17 more lunar landings, except for 13 (think: Tom Hanks). 

Back to the winery recap! Georis was breathtakingly beautiful. Sunny, mid 70s weather, blossoming flowers, wrought iron wine sculptures - a perfect day. 

There were two main seating areas. One just behind the tree in the above picture. The other was to the right of this fish pond. We ordered our wine flights from inside before finding a cute table to sit at. My mom got the "Grand" flight, five delectable reds. I decided to get the "Premium" flight because I am more adventurous than her. The real reason is that I haven't figured out yet if I like reds or whites better. I guess I'll have to do further research to determine... Both of us enjoyed our wine selections. The flight portions are slightly bigger than a traditional tasting portion AND they include a cheese and cracker plate - that's why prices were in the $15 - $20 range, rather than the standard $5.

Much of the gazebo area was covered by wisteria. Wisteria has the prettiest flowers, such a shame that this climbing vine only blooms one season of the year. I'd list this flower as top 10 in my book, easily.

Earlier that morning I went to Whole Foods in the Del Monte Shopping Center. My experience there was less than pleasant. I wanted to order some quasi gourmet sandwiches to pack for a picnic lunch. I ordered two of their combo meals that include a sandwich, small side salad, and bottled water. My hope was to get a good deal by adding the $3 side salad instead of ordering the salad separately. The problem was that their "small" portion size was about 1/2 a cup! Thumbs down! I actually had to go to the salad bar and get more salad greens to add a bit of substance to the strawberry salad!

My mom and I cheered each other, Nicole sipped on her water. My mom said that all of these reds is her version of "heaven."

       

More pictures of the cute wine tasting "room":

The turkey, bacon, guacamole sandwich on a toasted baguette from Whole Foods. This was actually worth the money! Everything else - eh. Not so much.

Roast beef sandwich from Whole Foods on foccacia (?) This wasn't my favorite. I didn't like the bread choice either. My sister loves roast beef sandwiches, specifically of the Arby's variety, so I went out of my way to get her a roast beefer. I'm practically shaking with excitement to let her know I got a RB, and she tells me she gave up meat for lent. D'oh! I knew that, but forgot, because WTF who gives up meat for lent?

She ate the sweet potato salad that I brought and crackers from the cheese and cracker plate that was included in the price of the wine flight. Check out our delicious spread!

The wine flight carry case:

On Wikipedia, there was a blurb about the Monterey Wine Trolley, which is a public bus nicknamed the Grapevine Express (route 24). Supposedly it stops at most of the tasting rooms in Carmel Valley's Village. LET'S GO PEOPLE. This screams convenience! This hoots fun! This beckons for debauchery!

Mission Beach, San Diego

This morning I woke up in beautiful San Diego. Kali and I (unknowingly) donned matching outfits and set out on our walk along the beach.





Kali lives within walking distance of the walkway spanning from Mission Beach and PB.




I was craving coffee, naturally. We stopped at an acai berry smoothie/granola place in an area called the Promenade. Just like Mary Kate and Ashley, we ordered matching acai bowls. The Rasta: blended acai, granola, bananas, strawberries, and honey. Kali (MK) got hers without granola for cleanse reasons.



Absolutely delicious! We chomped down on these while sitting on a stoop overlooking the ocean. Then Amy walked up and we walked with her to grab food at The Cantina. She ordered an artichoke scramble...

I'm excited to see how these next few hours will go as I surprise Kerry for her 23rd birthday!

Location:Ocean Blvd,San Diego,United States

Chick Flicks

When we returned from happy hour, candy country, and pastry paradise, we decided to pop in a movie. We decided on 10 Things I Hate About You. (This reminds me that I liked the abcfamily version, which has recently begun airing new episodes, I'll have to catch up on those sometime...) I also watched She's Out of Your League and I Love You Beth Cooper the other night. Don't judge me because I love chick flicks!

I thought She's Out of Your League was hilarious and it reminded me of something that would be a topic on this insightful blog: 20-Nothings. If you have a few minutes to spare I especially enjoyed reading this: The 5 Love Languages.

Carmel Bakery and Coffee Co.

Yelp!

Since 1906 or 1911, this bakery has been shelling out cannolis, biscottis, and pretzels galore. As we walked back up to our car from the Cottage of Sweets, we passed by this cute little bakery and decided it was high time for coffee. Sarah mentioned that when visiting her grandma back in the day, she'd duck in to this bakery and gobble up one of their -at least I think- iconic pastry pretzels. The website for Carmel Bakery and Coffee Co. (Ocean Ave & Lincoln, Carmel) is currently under construction, but it did offer the following info:

Since 1911, Carmel Bakery has been a Carmel tradition... equal parts bakery, deli, Starbucks coffee bar, and neighborhood hangout, Carmel Bakery specializes in Scottish shortbread, English scones, Italian biscotti, and giant soft Bavarian pretzels.

WOW. Got the whole Europe thing covered now, don't ya?

As you walk by, there is a wide window that just cannot be avoided. The caramel apples strike first, followed by the gingerbread men whisper hello, and then you see them - a mountainous stack of glazed, salted, crispy, crumbly pretzel pastries. Oh heaven. Yes, I would like to go inside...

Sarah ordered one of those scrumptious, knotted, sweet baked dough beings and thankfully let us all try. It provoked a conversation about the nature of pretzels. This was a sweet pretzel, but most people think only in terms of savory (salty) pretzels. Wikipedia helps clarify (as always) "The pretzel shape is used for a variety of sweet pastries made of different kinds of dough (flaky, brittle, soft, crispy) with a variety of toppings (icing, nuts, seeds, cinnamon)." I also learned that the phrase "tying the knot" originated when a pretzel was used to tie the knot between two prominent families. The loops were symbolic of everlasting love. How funny! The article is actually extremely interesting believe it or not. Read more here (at least open it in a new tab - you might want to read it sometime).

They offer sandwiches for ($6.95) including Turkey & Swiss, Baked Ham & Swiss, Roast Beef & jack, Chicken Salad & Jack, Tuna Salad & Jack, HOT French Dip Tri Tip with Jack Cheese, and a HOT Meatball sub. Other lunch items include, homemade soups, salads (mixed greens, tuna salad, chicken salad, Caesar), and garden wraps (steak Caesar, chicken Caesar, turkey & jack).

Tyler was pleased to see that they offer a Bakery Breakfast Burrito for $5.50 (two other types Arturo's for $0.50 more and Grande for $1.50 more). If you'd like to read about his breakfast burrito experience at Carmel Bakery, click here (when he posts I'll link to it). Last weekend I was able to join him on his trek to Baldemiros to try their breakfast burrito. I'll let you know my thoughts in an upcoming post.

As for drinks, this place has DUN DUN DUN Starbucks! Everyone on Yelp was freaking out about that. OH Heavens! Starbucks is in one of OURRR Carmel shops?? ... But we reject big businesses for the mom & pop variety. Oh wait! The businesses lining Ocean Avenue still manage to sell everything ridiculously over priced so why does it matter?? Sheesh. I like Starbucks.

Anyways. Drinks include all the iced drinks you can think of. Prices are steep with a 16 oz. frappe at $4.65, an iced vanilla latte at $3.95, a grande americano at $2.50 and a grande cappuccino at $3.50. Their coffe of the day will run you $1.60 - $2.10. They offer teas, chai, cider, hot chocolate (MMM sounds good right now, I'm cold in my house). They also have the cutest doggie cookies!

Here's an idea, grab a yummy treat for yourself and trot down to the beach (photo from Yelp):

We just sat around and talked for a few hours, it wasn't that busy on a Wednesday night. Eventually they dimmed the lights and we knew that we had to leave. They were polite though and didn't yell at us about closing hours.