SF Bay Area Day Trip:

EAT, hike, EAT

• from SF South Bay (about 45 minutes to San Juan Bautista, CA from San Jose, CA OR from Santa Cruz)
  
• to San Juan Bautista • Jardines de San Juan Restaurant
• to Pinnacles Nat’l Park (about 45 minutes to Pinnacles from San Juan Bautista)
  
• to Moss Landing • Phil’s Fish Market & Eatery (about 1 hr 15 minutes from Pinnacles to Moss Landing)

I love figuring out great San Francisco Bay Area Day Trips.  This makes planning for when guests are in town much easier.  We also love to go out exploring, find a good spot to eat and then a beautiful place to walk it off and another unique eatery on the way home, if possible.  The first time we went to Pinnacles we drove through Hollister, CA and I realized that I was going to need a locals opinion on the best place to eat in the area.  When I got home I talked to a friend whose parents live in Hollister and found out about Los Jardines Restaurant in San Juan Bautista.  Los Jardines is a Mexican restaurant with live musicians playing mandolin at lunchtime on the weekends.  A place you can sit outside and drink a local Hollister Apricot Margarita with chickens hopping around outdoors (we have not been there yet, sounds awesome though we didn’t see any chickens, but my friend claims they are there).  When we got to Pinnacles it was about 1:45pm and it was a nice day in January, perfect temperature for a hike because I can see that Pinnacles gets VERY HOT in the summer.  We did a five mile hike to the top and back down in a loop and the place is stunningly beautiful with expansive views (we did not do the caves hike this time).  Up top there are amazing rock climbing spots that hang right over the side of the mountain (intense). I’ve heard in the Spring that there are beautiful wildflowers.  On our way out it was about 5pm and the sun was setting.  The scenery was gorgeous as we drove past cattle in the fields with pink skies in the background (see the photographs above).  We headed to Phil’s at Moss Landing and if you haven’t been to Phill’s Fish Market and Eatery, you are missing out.  It is a great restaurant with tons of local seafood.  If you aren’t sure what to get, order the Award Winning Cioppino, Fish Tacos, or Dungeness Crab. Oh, you HAVE to get the Fire-roasted Artichokes for an appetizer to share, it so good.

Jardines de San Juan Restaurant (or Los Jardines)
115 Third Street
San Juan Bautista, Ca
Phone: (831) 623-4466

Open 7 days a week: Sunday-Thursday: 11:30 – 9:00pm | Friday-Saturday: 11:30 – 10:00pm

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Pinnacles Nat’l Park

Pinnacles National Monument
5000 Highway 146
Paicines, CA 95043-9762

Park Headquarters
(831) 389-4486

Visitor Information
(831) 389-4485

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Phil’s Fish Market & Eatery
7600 Sandholdt Rd.
Moss Landing, CA 95039

Phone: 831.633.2152

Do you need to pretend you are among the ladies who lunch, even though you have to head out on the one day of the weekend that you don’t actually have to work?  This is California right … everyone works.  The Restaurant at Wente Vineyards is your spot for a ladies who lunch outing.  Wente is also a good place for dates with your honey, hubby, or daddy too (we saw all of the above).  The complimentary lunch valet also makes you feel like your out-for-lunch aka on vaca.  You even get to head out of town a bit for a nice drive in the country to get there, an SF Bay Area Day Trip for sure, without having to go all the way to Napa or Paso Robles.  It is about a 45 minute drive from Mountain View and from Oakland to get out to Livermore, CA.  As you get closer to Livermore you will find fruit stands along the road.  We bought cherries along the way and had a cherry spitting contest, FYI, not at Wente (don’t get yourself kicked out).

We liked snacking on: Cayenne Spiced Roasted Nuts, Maple, Garden Herbs & Warmed Nicolau Farms Goat Cheese, Herbed Bread Crumbs.

We liked sipping on: SEASONAL COCKTAILS such as the Lavender Martini and local wines.

• Livermore Valley Wine Country

* Photo of Fort De Soto above

Two “Out-of-town modern foodie explorer” questions came to mind on this trip to Florida, make that three:

1. Is having family or friends to act as your local foodie-filter tour guides the best way for a foodie to travel when out-of-town?
2. Can the internet as your tour guide replace relatives and friends by acting as your local foodie-filter when out-of-town?
3. Or are the above both a disadvantage to your ability to make new discoveries of your own, in the name of adventure?

I’m going to keep score for each question above and see which one wins out with our recent trip to Florida to see relatives.  All of the places we dined are in the Clearwater and St. Petersburg area, I believe they are all in Pinellas County, FL in the Tampa Bay Area or very close.

3 Points for Question #1:

• Greek Salad with Potato Salad on the bottom – Louis Pappas Famous Greek salad was the original salad we were introduced to by our cousins nearly twenty-five years ago, in Clearwater (it seems to be franchised now, with locations in Tampa too), at Pappa’s restaurant. This trip was the first time that I actually questioned why this Greek Salad has potato salad on the bottom (as opposed to every  other Greek Salad I have eaten) and if it was specific to Greek Salad in Florida, specific to only the Tampa Bay, FL Area, or adapted from a certain region in Greece.  When I started exploring this online, I found that local Tampa Bay area folks commented that all Greek Salad has potato salad in it and that all other Americans, outside of this region, commented that they had never heard of potatoes in Greek Salad before in their life.  I got to the bottom of it and it turns out that Louis M. Pappamichalopoulos (original owner and founder of Pappa’s Restaurant), who arrived from Greece in the early 1900’s worked as an Army Chef and needed to sustain his troops and so he added potato salad to his Greek Salad.  When he returned from the war he opened up a Greek restaurant in Tarpon Springs, FL, a very Greek Fish-town community just up the coast a bit from Clearwater. In the story on Pappa’s website it says that this version of Greek Salad soon became commonplace at the local Greek restaurants in Tarpon Springs, FL (and soon after, all over, just, the Tampa Bay Area).  There is a discussion about this on a Serious Eats thread titled, “Potatoes in a Greek Salad?”
• Tarpon Springs, FL – Greek Restaurants on the Sponge Docks – We never knew about Tarpon Springs, a thriving Greek community on the Gulf coast since the 1890’s, just up from our cousin’s in Clearwater, until a new cousin-in-law told us of her love of the soaps she buys on Dodecanese Avenue in the Sponge Dock District for relatives at Christmas.  This trip we finally ventured up to Tarpon Springs and found it to have a really interesting local Greek heritage, unique to the area.  I stopped in at a little Greek Market and saw two elderly Greek men chatting in Greek while they waited for the rain to let up.  We were then completely sold with the Chocolate Covered Baklava from Hella’s Restaurant & Bakery. Our cousin said later that it is the best bakery in town and so did yelp as a matter of fact.  Next time, we will stay and try the food at Hella’s.  Wait a minute, Hella’s? Is Hella’s, Hella Good? Sorry, I mean Hecka Good?

• Lenny’s Restaurant – Clearwater, FL – Lenny’s is kind of like a New York Deli or Diner in the south (they do have Pastrami and Knishes). It is the official restaurant of the Philly’s when they are in town for spring training (even when they aren’t it seems with the elaborate window murals on the outside of Lenny’s).  We usually go to Lenny’s when we’re down FL in order to visit old friends who actually have a menu item named after them.  The “Walter and Georgia” is something you can only order if you are a senior. Lenny’s gives you baskets of Danish when you order breakfast.  John gets the Scrapple!  I like the lunch sides that include bowls of things like pickles, slaw, etc..  They also used to have these brilliant wooden, handmade magnets of “Lenny”.  We wanted to buy one this time, but the man who made them had passed away.

2 Points for Question #2:

• Dunedin House of Beer - Dunedin, FL – We found Dunedin HOB online on DRAFT Magazine’s “America’s 100 Best Beer Bars 2011.”  So we have to give credit to the internet for this find and a bit of credit to cousin Rob for the buy one get one free coupon.  Now, every time we go on trips to visit family or friends, we check the 100 Best Beer Bars list to see what’s around, this can even make family trips bearable.  Dunedin HOB has a great selection of over forty beers on draft and alligator jerky on the chalkboard for a snack.  The atmosphere looks like a mix-n-match, frat house setting on the inside (maybe they just acquired the building next door and they are adding on).  It does have a back patio and some tables out front too.  The bar tenders were really nice and gave us a great idea for dinner in Dunedin at Sam’s Seafood (see below).  The Florida Beer Company had local beers on draft that were something unique. They also had about 3-4 different wheat beers with flavors like blueberry, apricot, and tangerine. Oldsmar is the other beer bar location that we didn’t get to this trip!

• The Floridian – Authentic Cuban Sandwiches, Treasure Island, FL – The Floridian is a good place near the beach at Treasure Island (on your way to St. Pete) to get a Cuban Sandwich.  We discovered the Floridian online because it was voted the best of the best in a few sources.  The Cuban Sandwich was a staple for Cuban Immigrants in Tampa, Florida where the sandwich was first served in the USA in Ybor City in Tampa, FL.  The Cuban sandwich was served to the workers in the Cigar factories around 1900 in Tampa, before it became popular in Miami (and later in NYC). The Cuban has ham, spiced pork, salami, swiss cheese, dill pickles, a yellow mustard and mayo-mix, on Cuban bread.  The sandwiches are then pressed (or grilled in a Panini-type of sandwich grill) to melt the cheese and make the bread flat and crispy.  Then get an order of the Floridian Bean Soup that consists of navy beans, ham, pork, Chorizo, garlic, and collard greens.  Another interesting local bite you can try at the Floridian is the Devil Crab, a breaded deep fried dough roll with seasoned blue crab inside “A Tampa Thing.”  After going to the Floridian at over-built Treasure Island you can keep driving south towards St. Pete and you’ll get to a great, undeveloped beach called Fort De Soto Park (pictured at top), a Park with over three miles of white sand beaches and camping spots.

2 Points for Question #3:

• Sam’s Fresh Seafood, Dunedin, FL – This point has to go to discovery.  We asked the bartender as Dunedin House of Beers (woman with the tattoos) where to eat and she said that across the street they have the best Bacon-Crusted Catfish you will ever eat and that you won’t be able to get Catfish anywhere else after you have had Sam’s.  When I just searched for a seafood restaurant on Broadway in Dunedin it took about three searches to find the name of the restaurant, Sam’s Seafood.  I have to say Floridians are not on the Yelp circuit. This can make it a bit hard to find the best or most popular local spots.  Hell, Sam’s Bacon Encrusted Catfish may have not shown up anyways, but thanks to discovery, we found it.  Boy was it good.  We got cheese grits and baked beans on the side.  John had the Blackened Grouper Sandwich.  But I have to say the best Grouper Sandwich is at Frenchy’s on Clearwater Beach.
• Grand Central District St. Petersburg, FL on Central Avenue – Central Avenue is a street in St. Pete that is now being developed with independent galleries and more, avante-garde shops, antique stores and restaurants.  I asked a funky dressed girl at a party our cousins took us to in St. Pete about what happened to the Mid-Century modern furniture shops and record stores in St. Pete that I had found last time I was down on a trip to the Dali Museum (now, a new building that is supposed to be wonderful).  She told me about Central Avenue.  I was so pleasantly surprised to find some great galleries and unique clothing and jewelry stores.  One of the greatest places was the newly opened, Sweat Shop. The owner, Raven Reda, is a punk fashion designer and was so outgoing, fresh and just plain charming.  To me, there is something really enchanting about St. Pete (and not the clubby, frat-boy scene).  I like the older homes and neighborhoods that look like island homes in a sense.  It actually reminds me of a Detroit on the water which may not sound appealing to most but we went to art school in Detroit and absolutely loved it. I think it is the feeling of potential for young people to shape the future of a once bustling place.  There is a funky, young artsy-crowd coupled with the mid-century or kitschy leftovers from older folks who move down to FL where their belongings are seeming to eventually find a place in the hands of young folks like myself (who like the humor and nostalgia in some of those objects from the past).

Local Foodie Guide + the Internet + Discovery:

OK, so having a local foodie guide wins.  BUT … if you combine all of three of the above, you will find perfection in your travels. Just don’t be afraid to go with the flow, be out-going and go off the beaten path by talking to locals with your smart phone in one hand, and your personal, local tour guide in the other.

*P.S. Thanks to cousin Mike, who has a lot of seafood restaurant experience, we were updated on the quality of a restaurant’s fryer by the color and taste of our deep fried foods. When the food is very dark, it means they haven’t changed or cleaned their fryer in a few days – depending on the quantity of food they make – and your food can also taste like other foods that are deep fried in the same fryer when the oil isn’t freshly changed. Thanks to his investigative eye our food was mostly all good!

When we head home we have our round of belly filling bites, some for tradition-sake and some for the sake of discovery (Kihachi)! So these are just a few of our favorite spots in Central Ohio, yes, I said Ohio.  You will notice the high and the low represented  here from the higher-end The Winds in Yellow Springs and Kihachi in Dublin (just tried both of these spots) to the taste-tested Skyline Chili (from Cincinnati) and the G&R Tavern in Waldo (fried bologna sandwiches).  We reconfirmed, we wouldn’t trade one for the other, that’s for sure!

When we were at Kihachi, a very unique food experience no matter where you are from, we sat next to a really cool couple from Ohio, come to find out, highbrow foodies.  We got into a conversation about restaurants and the husband said, “There are no good restaurants in Columbus.  My wife can make a great steak at home so why would I want to go out to eat at a steakhouse?” The couple mentioned places they had been in New York City and Chicago such as Rick Bayless’s Topolobampo.  We also learned that they had discovered Kihachi from a friend on the night that Anthony Bourdain was in town eating at Kihachi.  Then we discussed wines and we talked about living in one of the greatest Pinot Noir Regions, the Santa Cruz Mountains, CA.  We found out they like big, bold reds, no fruity Pinots.  The Pinot Noir conversation was actually pretty funny because a few nights before we were hanging out reading the news and I just blurted out, “I don’t know about Pinot Noir anymore.”  John said, “Are you serious right now?”  After a lot of wine drinking over the holidays, it struck me that you have to get such an expensive bottle of Pinot Noir for it to be of a high-quality, otherwise it is very fruity without depth (come to find out, I like the spicier Pinots).  John said, “Just to remind you, wine is made from fruit.” I do have a point here.  The wine and food conversation with this couple got me thinking about the high and lowbrow food and drink.   We realized that we love the lowbrow comfort food of our American childhood memories as much as we appreciate the over-the-top incredible creations in highbrow cuisine, just not in Pinot Noir!

Some of our Ohio Favorites from Low to High:

• Skyline Chili (out of Cincinnati) – Cinnamon in the sauce & served on spaghetti
• Crabill’s Hamburgers – (Urbana, OH) – Sliders
• G&R Tavern – (Waldo – North of Columbus) – World Famous Bologna Sandwich Since 1962
• Bodega (Columbus on High Street)  – Awesome Happy Hour (M-F 4-8pm) & Impressive Seasonal Beers on Draft
• Schmidt’s in German Village (Columbus) – German Food since 1886 – Bahama Mamas!
• The Winds Cafe & Bakery (Yellow Springs, OH) – Creative Cuisine
• Kihachi (Dublin, OH) – Japanese Restaurant

36 Hours in Santa Cruz – from the NYTimes

Lots of Santa Cruz folks wrote-in comments on this article with their picks for their favorite restaurants in Santa Cruz.  One person said the NY Times list of restaurants was a bit outdated.  This got us thinking about our favorite restaurants in Santa Cruz and has also inspired us to try a couple of reader recommended spots that we haven’t been to yet.

Our Favorite Breakfast Spots in Santa Cruz:

• Cafe Brasil - Banana Pancakes, Acai Bowl, & Feijoada (long waits on weekends).
• Zachary’s - Best Burger in SC (Gourmet Burger w/ Avocado & Bacon), Mike’s Mess, Sourdough Pancakes, & Fresh Baked Goods.
• Silver Spur – South of the Border Scramble (get their homemade salsa on the side) & Daily Special Baked Muffins (not Open Sundays).

Best Splurge in Santa Cruz:

• Cellar Door Cafe – Awesome small plates (Smoked Fingerling Potatoes & Brussel Sprouts with smoked Chevre and Cider) & nightly Prix-Fixe Dinner – all local and daily changing seasonal menu.
• Ristorante Avanti - Great California-Mediterranean inspired local and seasonal menu (such as Dungeness Crab Cakes OR Manchego Stuffed Zucchini Blossoms & Homemade Pappardelle and Baked Marin Sun Farms Meatballs).
• Soif - Nice Wine Bar downtown with tasty small plates (Piquillo peppers stuffed w/ Manchego cheese).

Casual Spots:

• Dynasty – Mandarin/Szechuan Cuisine in Capitola (not the village).  We order the Mushu Pork and Beef with Zilan and the complimentary peanut celery appetizer is good too.
• El Palomar Taco Bar - Freshly cooked meat for tacos in Downtown. Check out Taco Tuesday.

• Tortilla Flats Located in Soquel, is inspired by French and Mexican Cuisines, and has been a local favorite for over 25 years.
• Smoqe – A BBQ and Wood Fired Pizza restaurant just off the freeway, south of Santa Cruz in Aptos.
• I will add more spots onto this as I think of them!

Best Coffee:

• Verve – Superb light roast coffee made by an award-winning Barista. Also try the Bowl of Soul Tea (Tea steeped in steamed soy milk and honey). Great vibe too.
• Casalegno’s Coffee Bar w/ Ugly Mug Coffee – If Chris is working ask him to make you his coffee specialty!

Favorite Desserts & Bakeries:

• Chocolate - Downtown Santa Cruz – LOVE their dark chocolate gelato hot fudge sundae – for Chocolate Lovers, you will LOVE it!
• Penny Ice Creamery – Organic Ice Cream Shop with very unique flavors that change almost daily.  Many of the flavors are often reflective of Santa Cruz (Verve Coffee Flavor, SC Brewery, Organic/Local Fruits).
• Marianne’s Ice Cream – This is a nostalgic, classic ice cream shop with lots of flavors on your way to or from the beach in Santa Cruz. I like the Macapuno, Creamy baby coconut ice cream which is not an ice cream I would have ever thought I would like (it’s not chocolate).
• Gayle’s Bakery - Located in Capitola – Love their Princess Cake for Birthdays (Three layers of vanilla genoise cake ~ layers of pastry cream, raspberry jam & whipped cream inside ~ pastel marzipan shell outside ~ sprinkled with powdered sugar ~ topped with a fresh rose)!
• Kelly’s French Bakery - Love their Macaroons.  Great area to hang out in over in Swift Street Courtyard.  There are wine tasting rooms, the Santa Cruz Brew Pub, Bonny Doon/Cellar Door Cafe, a Clothing Shop, Knitting Shop etc…)

Favorite Spot for Cocktails:

• 515 Kitchen & Cocktails – Love their Signature 515 Pomegranate Margarita (cazadores tequila, la pinta tequila, lime, pama liqueur, patron citronge liqueur, sugar rim)! 515 is kind of loungy and a great spot to enjoy cocktails with friends or lovers.

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These are favorite restaurants mentioned in the Comments about the NY Times Article:

A new place was mentioned in the NY Times Article in downtown that we have not tried yet:

• Laila - A stylish Afghan Restaurant – 101B Cooper Street; 831-423-4545

Lots of people mentioned:

• Tortilla Flats in Soquel, is inspired by French and Mexican Cuisines, and has been a local favorite for over 25 years.

A Blogger in the comments recommends:

• My Thai Beach in Capitola Village at 207 Esplanade

AtlasCo, who recently moved from NY to SC, Recommended These:

• The Cellar Door at Bonny Doon Tasting Room. A Michelin-starred chef, small plates, local, fresh, delicious, in a cool space. Must reserve.
• Soif downtown is a good choice for a wide range of local wines and bites.
• Oswald downtown is great.
• Ristorante Avanti on the west side is good.
• Penny Ice is the best ice cream shop in the lower 48!

A few years ago my cousin’s wife, originally from Ohio who now lives in Florida, told us about Mom Wilson’s Country Sausage that is actually located in my childhood hometown.  She told us that each time she drives through our hometown in Ohio on her way to Northern Ohio that she stops at Mom Wilson’s Country Sausages to pick up a Smoked Ham. It was weird to me because I had lived near Ma Wilson’s for twenty some years before moving to California and had no idea Mom Wilson’s was that good. I finally figured out that it is a local gem and on todays visit we spotted something too good and too kitschy to pass up, a Candy-Cane shaped spicy “Cracker Sausage.”

Inside Mom Wilson’s they have lots of tastes to figure out what you may want to buy from hot pickles to spicy sausage, braunschwaiger, caramel corn, and other country sausages and cheese. I asked them what their biggest seller was and they told me it was the Cracker Sausage. After tasting it and finding out it was delicious, I looked in the refrigerator and saw a Candy-Cane shaped Cracker Sausage for $5.60. John and I both said, “That is awesome!”

You can’t order it online, yes, that is how local they are, but you can call them and they will ship it out to you. Then pair it with a box of crackers or their horseradish cheese and it’s a unique gift for friends or your holiday party.

Mom Wilson’s Country Sausage
7720 U.S. Route 23 North
Delaware, Ohio 43015

Phone

(740) 726-2636

I met Serena of GrassRoutes Guides (Oakland, CA) at a Food Blogging dinner in SF and quickly wanted to know when she would come down and write a guidebook about Silicon Valley/South Bay because we are not the ugly step sister of SF.  I really liked Serena’s energy and optimism about Oakland in particular.  Now we have a ton more spots to check out in our often frequented Oakland (and then some spots from her other guides on SF, Wine Country, Portland, & Seattle).  Serena told me that Eco-Tourism should not just be for the exotic travels to such locales as Costa Rica but that even urban places in the Bay Area, that are Eco-conscious, can enrich and enlighten our travels and explorations at home.

The Oakland/Berkeley Guidebook page online has lots of restaurant descriptions and suggestions for places to eat in Categories such as:

• Do Lunch (Bake Sale Betty – Famous Fried Chix Sandwich)
• Casual Night Out – (One pick we’ve tried is – Dona Tomas – Great Cookbook and Creative, Upscale Mexican Spot)
• Coffee Time (Blue Bottle of course! – Don’t miss it!)
• Dress Up
• Farm to Table
• International Grocery
• Sweet Tooth
• Imbibe (Need to add Beer Revolution & Friday at Drakes Brewery to the list (I know it is in San Leandro but it is so worth it))

In Lovell, Maine, fifty miles north-west of Portland, on a Lake Kezar Country Club and Golf course, you will find the best beer bar in the world according to Beer Advocate Magazine. Ebenezer’s Pub serves 35 Belgian beers on tap and over 700 well kept bottles.

By far, this is one of the most fantastic places to find beer anywhere.  Upon our arrival, we were lucky enough to be carrying a camera.  Often, this blatant exhibition of a photographic device will get you sneers, or at least sidewards glances of disquiet.  However, we happened out of our vehicle just as one of the owners was entering his hallowed beer cellar.  He shouted to us, “if you want some good photos, follow me.”  We followed him into the basement of a house easily built before the Jackson administration had taken office.  In this cellar of great bounty, there were kegs, there were bottles, there were barrels.  It was a splendid sight to behold.  At this point, we were shown what was promised as one of the most expensive bottles of beer, fetching a price of $2000 per 750mL bottle (I cannot verify this price or the type of beer, that’s the problem with writing a post too long after visiting).  Further, we were shown bottles of a gueuze that were from the early 1900’s and others that were just discovered in the basement of a collector of unknown age.

Have I mentioned yet that we drank beer there too?  No, I’ve just been droning on about seeing it.  What was impressive here, is that there were beers from everywhere on tap.  There were the Belgians (the favorite style of Ebenezer’s), a few Germans, and the West Coast’s favorites, the American Crafts.  We had one of each (at least), in Ebenezer’s “pretend that you can taste all the drafts and walk out upright” size of 5oz tasters.  As an example of what can be found there, the current draft menu includes Dogfish Head’s 120 Minute IPA (limited to one per customer because of its 22% ABV) and Cantillon Kriek 2006 (a rare cherry lambic).  In any case, the selection of beers is practically unrivaled.  The only places that come close in selection are in large metropolitan areas, and don’t also serve delicious food, are on a beautiful lake (or ridiculously near), or have that selection on tap.  Beer Revolution in Oakland comes close, but is a different scene altogether and fantastic in other ways as you will see in the future post about it.

As I said before, we actually ate a meal here too.  It was a good meal, much better than at a sports bar or pub.  But to truly get an amazing meal (and more beers too), the Belgian Beer Festival that Ebenezer’s puts on is an event to behold.  Sadly, this information is second hand from my parents.  While we were there, they were beginning their preparations for the fest, but our trip did not overlap with the event itself.  Luckily, we have spies everywhere, and had them attend.  They reported that the owner was pouring the last known bottles of certain beers, the opening night dinner was sold out and attended by participants from around the country and Europe, the Belgian food was better than the regular menu, and that they had to wait a spell before they could drive back home.

All in all, if you are in Maine and love beer, get here.  I mean, you can only fly into Portland.  Even if you are going to the coast, the trip inland is well worth it.

Further, this trip was an education for me.  When we entered the cellar, the owner asked if we were beer aficionados.  Of course we answered yes.  What we didn’t know is that while we had a good working knowledge, there is always more to know, especially when it comes to Belgian beers.  I thank Ebenezer’s for introducing us to the Gueuze.  I hope you’ll introduce yourself to Ebenezer’s.

Treats for a Foodie in Northern Michigan’s Leelenau County:

• North Peaks Brewery “Archangel  Summer Wheat” made with Michigan Cherry Juice Ale – Traverse City

• Good Harbor Vineyards – Located just outside of Leland. We liked the bubbly! $3 for tastings
  
• Forty-Five North – Great new tasting room with award-winning wines.  You receive four complimentary tastings and after that you pay $5 for reserve tastings.  Right now Forty-Five North uses CA grapes as they await the maturation of their vines.  Last year we loved the pinot noir rose and this year they featured their award winning Blanc Pinot Rose.
• Black Star Farms – $5 for tastings – This is an interesting tasting room with many guests visiting to imbibe.  You can also taste their mild Raclette cheese while sipping on wine.  Friends love their Riesling.  BSF is also a B&B which looks like it would be fun to stay a night here on the farm sometime.

For more Up North Foodie Information see:  UP NORTH FOODIE Blog
For more Blame it on the Food recommendations from last year Up North: Click HERE

A Foodie in Quebec City Summary:

• Maple Products @ the Old Port Market – Marche du Vieux-Port: Maple Syrup, Maple Sugar, Sugar Pie, Maple Ale, Maple Wine, Maple Salad Dressing, Mini Maple Cones, Maple Candies, Maple Butter, Maple Spread, Maple Tea, Maple Beer from Boreale Beer … (A great brand of Organic Maple Products: Biodélices Organic Maple Syrup)
• Ice Cider, Cider, & Ice Wine Tasting Day Trip (just outside the city): Isle d’Orleans
• Classic Canadian Food: Tourtière = Meat Pie, Poutine (Canadian Quebec Style) = French Fries, Cheese Curds & Brown Gravy, Sugar Pie (Quebec City Sugar Pie with Thick Cream)= Maple Sugar Pie, Caribou Stew
• Drinks: Cheese Plates, Beer, & Sangria – Two spots to grab drinks before dinner: One in Upper Town is Bar L’inox - a 21 year old microbrewery, with 11 delicious beers, also pitchers of Sangria and happy hour specials + sausages in baguettes for a snack to split. *See below for rue Saint-Jean spots such as Pub Nelligans & La Ninkasi.

La Rue St. Jean Area (rue Saint-Jean - A Street beyond the city walls on the west end was a very cool area that seemed less touristy.)

• J.A. Moisan Epicier, a Gourmet Food Store (oldest grocery store in North America), with many Canadian products, prepared gourmet foods, and interesting selection of cheeses, chocolates, candies, and beer/wine.  La Rue St. Jean is located in the Upper town close to some really interesting shops such as The Chocolate Museum and a clothing shop on a street I liked so much, rue Saint-Jean. A pub that we would like to try next time: La Ninkasi is the best place to have a large choice of Quebeckers beers and see a variety of shows.  Pub Nelligans, was great but we had too many people to fit inside because it was raining and we were there on the Tuesday night jam session of Irish music, which seemed really cool.

Wandering lustfully in search of the unique and delicious was the beauty of our trip.

In researching our visit to Quebec City online we found it quite hard to find the local spots as I assume the local food blogs are all in French. This made us realize that it may be difficult to have an Anthony Bourdain-type of locals experience in Quebec City. Luckily we did have help from our friends from Maine who had visited Quebec City quite a few times because of their interest in their French-Canadian heritage. So we knew our first visit was going to entail wandering, talking to locals, and exploring.

What we discovered about Quebec City:

We found the people in Quebec City to be very friendly from the man who gave us the mead to taste at the market and told us where to eat Poutine to the waiter at the restaurant who served us Poutine and told us where to drink next. The city had a very cool blend of modern and classical architecture where the new and old city met. There were many smaller shops instead of huge, mega-stores meaning you could find some unique items that you don’t often find in other cities without infinite exploration. There were many sidewalk-dining areas at the restaurants to dine and drink el fresco putting people together on the streets without glass separators. We discovered unique food and drink in our three day stay and the ability to eat it by walking constantly.

Great Food & Art Suggestions for Quebec City:

• Casse Crepe Breton Great Breakfast for Crepes in the Old City Quebec (There is always a line but the crepes are worth it.) Also try their half-coffee/half-hot cocoa with ice cream drink!
• Restaurant La Nouvelle France Great restaurant for traditional Quebec food such as Yellow Pea Soup, Poutine, Meat Pie, Caribou Stew, and Sugar Pie for Dessert (A Prix Fixe Dinner for about $20, not including drinks).
• The Market in Quebec City had great local goods and produce and was very worth a visit but make sure you have room for snacking – Le Marché du Vieux-Port de Québec
• A Contemporary Art Gallery in Quebec City – Galerie Lacerte Art Contemporain located near the Market in the Old City is worth taking a look in if you appreciate contemporary art.
  

Isle de Orleans: A Quebec City Day Trip

The Isle de Orleans was an interesting sustainable agricultural community. There were cows next to a small field of corn beside a fromagerie and orchards by vineyards and so on. All of these entities seemed to be sustaining everyone in the community as opposed to a monoculture. Many of the products they were producing were world class such as the Ice Wine and Ice Cider. As we entered the island by car from Quebec City (about 15 minute drive) we stopped on the right at the information center to grab a map of the island ($1) and to figure out where we wanted to go. We found some great wineries, cideries, a fromagerie, brewery/bar, and farms. Some tasting rooms have minimal fees of $2-3 and some are free.

Suggested Food & Drink Tasting on Isle de Orleans:

• Blackcurrant Liqueur & Blackcurrant Wine = Mixed together make their Sangria Recipe which we really liked @ Cassis Monna & fille Economusee de la liquoristerie This winery had a great outdoor patio to hang out on after sampling their products in their tasting room downstairs.  We loved the design and aesthetics of this place!
• Ice Wine @ Vignoble Isle Bacchus ($35 for 200ml bottle & $3 for wine tastings, classy spot)
• Ice Cider @ Cideries
• Blackcurrant Framboise @ La Ferme de Liz Ouellet (made by a local woman and a Frenchman from the Dijon Region of France had just come by and said her products were as good if not better than those found in Dijon)Maple Butter
• Duck Terrine, Mustards, Jams, & Cider Tastings for $3 @ Domaine Steinbach Ciderie et Relais Gourmand – Great spot for an entire range of tastings. (I liked the onion preserves and the blueberry and apple jam)
• Cheese, the very first ever made in North America (in 1635) Samples @ Les Fromage de l’isle d’Orleans