The other night we had a splendid, over-the-top evening with good friends. It was a milestone birthday for Dave’s friend, Joe. And his wife, Yvette, planned a small, intimate celebration. A party that included the surprise visit from Joe’s sister and brother-in-law (Rosemarie & Dick), who live near Westerly, Rhode Island. A party that included a very fun limo ride from their house to the restaurant and back. And an off-the-charts dinner.

We’ve been to Baci (pronounced bachi) before with Joe & Yvette. It’s Joe’s very favorite restaurant. Joe’s Italian, so good Italian food is prominent in his vernacular. We gathered at their home first (when we arrived at their door unannounced – remember, it was a surprise). We sang “Happy Birthday” to him at the front door, as he gazed at us in wonderment, why were we there? The relatives had flown in the day before and Yvette had them walk into a restaurant that evening, to surprise Joe.

There’s the birthday guy bottom right, with his wife Yvette. Rosemarie and Dick over on the left, and Dave an me middle right. Along with the star of the evening – the Showket Sangiovese. Deeeelicious. Joe brought it from home – it’s not on the restaurant’s menu. In fact, it’s likely not on very many menus as it’s in very short supply. We all enjoyed the wine very much.

En route in the limousine, we enjoyed a bottle of Dom Perignon champagne. Yum. All the while listening to Joe’s favorite Andrea Bocelli CD. I’ll also mention that I had a HECK of a time trying to take pictures with my DSLR, in the dark, mind you, trying to focus. The DSLR’s have to be focused – no auto focus! When your subject is dark, or nearly so, it was nigh-on impossible to figure out whether things were in focus. I took lousy photos that night. My apologies for that! Note to self: at night, taking flash pictures, use the old point-and-shoot!

Up top you can see the tender fried calamari. By far the best calarmari I’ve ever had. Bar none. So very lightly battered and fried, served with a marinara sauce. Osso buco is there (succulent and tender), also a Caesar salad (good, thick garlicky dressing) and my entree – something not on the menu, but Joe has pull in the kitchen. It was an angel hair pasta with shrimp, but instead of a marinara sauce, it was served with a lobster sauce. Not heavy with sauce at all, just lightly sauced. It was spectacular. We ate the leftovers the next day. There was also swordfish at our table, some tiramisu (that was exceptionally well done), a peanut butter cheesecake that I didn’t try. And Yvette and I shared a very good cannoli. And we also had an old bottle of Port. What an evening. We were all like little stuffed piggies as we waddled to the limo for the return ride. A good time was had by all! Thanks again, Yvette, for including us in Joe’s surprise! If you live in or near San Diego, you should try Baci. It’s right alongside the 5 Fwy. inland from Pacific Beach, not far form Sea World. In fact it’s between Clairemont Dr. & Sea World Drive. A lovely, understated elegant restaurant. I particularly like the ambiance of the restaurant, specifically their back room, which is available for parties. The back room feels more like a patio at an Italian villa.

Baci, Italian Fine Dining
1955 West Morena Blvd.
San Diego, CA 92110
(619) 275-2094

http://www.sandiegobaci.com

A year ago: Lamburgers with Goat Cheese

My iPhone didn’t take half-bad pictures, in the early evening, while it was still light outside, with just indoor light. It must have an automatic adjust for light. I know the above doesn’t look like much, but it’s the view from our seats in this restaurant. Haven Gastropub is new. It’s in Old Town Orange, here in Orange County. The city isn’t the “the city” in Orange County like you might think, since it’s Orange (city) in Orange County). Actually there is no real central city, as the County is made up of about 20 or more small cities – Orange, Santa Ana, Huntington Beach, Fullerton, Costa Mesa, Lake Forest, San Clemente, Brea, Tustin, Irvine, Laguna, and the more famous Newport Beach. I’ve only named a few of them. But Orange is one of the historic districts in our county. Old town Tustin also has an historic district (near where we live). At one time Tustin thought it was going to be “the” hub of the area, but somebody decided to locate the main train station in Orange and Santa Ana and Tustin was bypassed. But those old towns are still much as they were when the railroads were built.

There’s a “circle,” now called the Orange Plaza, with 4 main streets leading off the large round-about that used to be called the Circle. For about a block in each direction there are small independent stores (oh yes, a Starbuck’s too), with a few tea places, cafes, gift shops, and lots and lots of antique and bric-a-brac shops that I usually avoid.

Green salad with sliced pears and rum-raisins

Bouillabaisse in a light creamy broth

Lamb shepherd's pie with oodles of cheese on top

Corned beef sliders & fries

This restaurant took over a space from another restaurant that just closed. We’re thrilled they did, since we HAVE no gastropubs in our county. HAD none, that is. We may become regulars at this new place. Don’t know what a gastropub is? They’re supposedly old news in lots of places, so 2005, I guess. Okay. A gastro-pub is gastronomical – meaning tasty cuisine – and pub obviously means it has wine and beer. And that’s about it. Often gastropubs have small plates of things, or at least they usually offer some smaller dishes. Not many, really, of anything. Haven has a one-page menu and a one-page wine/bear menu. They do have 4 dinner items that run upwards from $20. We both ordered a glass of white wine – I didn’t happen to like my Sauvignon Blanc, but I’m very picky about what S.B. I like. I drank some of it with my dinner – it just wasn’t a good sipping wine.

Dave drank his and mine and liked both. We shared a green salad with pears and some rum-soaked raisins, Dave ordered their bouillabaisse, and I ordered lamb shepherd’s pie. It was absolutely delicious. It must have had lots of really good stuff in it (read: butter, cheese, oil, fat, whatever) since I slurped up every bite in the casserole. The picture doesn’t look like much, but trust me, it was super. Dave wanted to drink the last few slurps from his big soup bowl – he thought the broth was exceptional. At the table next to us they ordered the corned beef sliders – the plate was huge – 3 big sliders with Haven’s home-cured corned beef dripping out the sides of the buns, and a mammoth mound of pommes frites. And just because, I ordered their tarte tatin too, with a little globe of ice cream on the side (they make their own).

Individual tarte tatin & ice cream

If you didn’t get my drift – the food was fabulous. I can’t wait to go back. We went on a Friday night (early – 6pm) and had no trouble finding a seat. By the time we left at 7:45 the joint was absolutely jumping with people waiting outside to get in. We went at the right time. Next time we’ll go on a weeknight, probably. But back there we WILL go. Soon.

Haven Gastropub
190 S. Glassell #C&D
Orange, CA 92866
(714) 221-0680, Open 7 days, 11 am – 2 am; Chef: Greg Daniels; Owners: Will Dee & Jeff Hall

Our first night in Walla Walla, we ate at Saffron, a Mediterranean restaurant a couple of blocks from 2nd Street, the main drag of Walla Walla. It was off-the-charts delicious. The menu was unusual – it contained numerous items that you won’t see on most restaurant menus.

I started off with a glass of house made sangria. This was no plop-a-piece-of-fruit-on-top kind of sangria. But one that contained a variety of local, seasonal fruit, obviously marinated for some time before serving. It was a tall glass, an ample serving. And really good. Dave and I shared an arugula salad with fresh spring peas (pictured above), some shaved cheese and some thinly sliced prosciutto on top. It was very tasty. A bit too much dressing for me, but it was good nevertheless.

Dave ordered a steak with kale and beans on the side. The kale was tender and barely cooked, so it still had form and texture. I ordered a guinea hen which was tender and juicy, and served on a bed of farro (perfectly toothsome), some smoked bacon and a few shreds of hearty greens (maybe more kale) as well. I wanted to eat every bite, but couldn’t finish it. It was too dark in the restaurant to take a picture, and I don’t do flash. Too rude, I think.

Dessert was a delish panna cotta made into a pie with an amaretti cookie crust. It was perfectly sweetened, a small serving which was fine with me, and a nice ending to a very special meal. With the wine and tax, our dinner was $106. I’d go back there for another dinner if I visit Walla Walla again.

 Saffron, 125 West Alder Street, Walla Walla Washington 99362, Phone: 509.525.2112

Our second night in Walla Walla we went to Brasserie 4, a very cute French bistro restaurant in downtown Walla Walla. A very different menu again, not the usual French fare. Certainly bistro food, though. Only 3 dinner selections (bouillabaisse, mussels frites and steak frites), but they had several appetizers, some cold plates, some nice sounding salads, croque monseurs and two quiche of the day offerings.

We ended up ordering a charcuterie plate (which would have been enough to serve about 6 people, I think). I wish they had offered a smaller portion but also some cheese. But that’s not the French way (cheese is only served after dinner, I believe). Then I ordered their freshly made cold baby turnip soup (picked that morning from the chef’s mother’s personal garden). Dave had French onion soup, which he proclaimed delicious. My soup was sensational. We’ve been eating so well these last few days, we called it quits after that. We were both contentedly full. The restaurant doesn’t have a website, but here’s Trip Advisor’s comments.

Brasserie 4, 4 E. Main St., Walla Walla, WA 99362, Phone:  509.529.2011

Sorry, I don’t have any photos of this restaurant. Or the food. I know, a picture speaks a thousand words, but I just didn’t feel like photographing in the restaurant that night. It isn’t a fancy place necessarily and casual attire is fine.

Just trust me, okay, that the food is worth it? Our dinner was really wonderful. We ordered a little lighter meal, actually – we both had some local wine (most restaurants in the area serve a preponderance of local wines).  They served us some fresh bread including a paper thin baked lavash with some kind of seasoning on it. Very different. VERY good.

We both ordered a scallop appetizer as our entree. It was 3 gorgeous sea scallops on a bed of onion puree with some microgreens sprinkled on top. And some little drizzles (I think it was extra virgin olive oil and balsamic) around the plate. Dave and I both wished we could have picked up the plates and licked them clean. The onion puree was to die for. Probably local sweet onions (Walla Walla sweets) is my guess. Dave had asparagus soup (cold, a brilliant bright green) and I ordered a rustic cherry tart with their house made vanilla bean ice cream. Splendid is all I can say. Hood River isn’t exactly in a mainstream location, but they do have some great restaurants.  Don’t miss this one if you happen to be driving through. Open for lunch and dinner, plus Sunday brunch too.

Celilo
16 Oak Street, Hood River, OR
Phone: 541 386-5710

Most people wouldn’t associate #1 cuisine with the small town of Placerville. Long ago the town was called Hangtown (early vigilante justice resulted in the hanging of three men), Placerville is one of the early “gold rush” towns named after the placer gold deposits found in the nearby river beds and hills in the late 1840’s. It’s an old-time kind of town, funny little narrow streets, small stores, and now boasts another really good restaurant. So we hear, Heyday Cafe is almost always busy, with waiting lines outside for the indoor seating. We were there for lunch, and only had to wait about 10 minutes.

Glancing at the dinner menu made me think I’d like to go there in the evening sometime (salmon, steak, ravioli, chicken Marbella). Lunch offered a very large variety of salads, panini, pizza and pita sandwiches. Dave and I shared a panini sandwich (very tasty, soft panini) filled with real roasted chicken slices, blue cheese, bacon, herb aioli with avocado and tomato slices on the side. It also came with a side dish, so I ordered Caesar salad, which was exceptionally good. So was the panini. The sandwich combinations were not the normal lunch fare (like the filet mignon slices with Provolone cheese, melted, peppers, grilled onions and a sweet mayo). Taylor ordered a Margherita pizza which she proclaimed the best pizza she’d ever had.  They offer a variety of (mostly local) wines and beer too. There’s a picture of our son-in-law Todd and ham-it-up Missy Taylor.

I’ll be looking forward to returning to Heyday. It’s right on the main street of town (at the west end). We sat at the coffee table with sofa and chairs, but I’d recommend waiting for a real table if at all possible.

If you do happen to stop in Placerville, don’t miss a visit to The Bookery, the used bookstore almost across the street from Heyday. This is the bookstore I’ve mentioned before (I always stop in there every visit) that has the largest collection of used cookbooks I’ve seen. Sure enough, I had to buy two (the new Silver Palate Cookbook – the 25th anniversary edition) and the Open House Cookbook by Sarah Leah Chase. Always wanted that book and now I have it. A visit to Tony Matthews is also in order on every Placerville trip (a very nice home goods, kitchenware store). But whatever you do, stop for a meal at Heyday.

Heyday Cafe

325 Main St
Placerville, CA 95667-5605
(530) 626-9700

A week or so ago we had SO much fun with our friends Barbara & Bob, visiting this restaurant in Indio. It’s new. We’d not heard about it, but Barbara said, trust me, you’ll like it. Oh my, yes we did. With a very Southwest-looking gate entrance, valet parking available, huge grounds, and a fantastic building, there wasn’t anything not to like.

Obviously you need to be in or around the Palm Springs/Coachella Valley area to visit this place. So I’m sure I’ll lose a bunch of readers right now . . . that’s okay. Those who do visit the area or live nearby will be glad to know more about Jackalope Ranch. The restaurant is part of a group that includes several other Valley restaurants (Kaiser Grille, Prime Chop House, Hog’s Breath Inn).

As the population boom has expanded in the valley east of Palm Springs, it’s spread further east toward Indio. More and more subdivisions have popped up, more and more shopping attractions too. Our second home is in Palm Desert, about 5 miles away, west of Indio. We met our friends at Jackalope. Go to the patio outside they said - we’ll meet you there. The only hitch was that we had to BE THERE at 3:15 pm. WHAT, I said? 3:15? Really. Barbara said yes. Again, she said, trust me. We didn’t have lunch, which was a good thing.

The bar area outside probably seats about 100 people. If you sit closer to the restaurant, around a huge bar, there are misters to keep you cool. They spit out a fine mist about every 3 minutes or so. We, instead, sat further out, to what we hoped would be a less noisy space (yes, it was). We overlooked the pond and waterfalls pictured above. Listened to the birds. We sat carefully in the shade. Bob kept moving our cantilevered umbrella to keep all 4 of us out of the sun. It was in the low 90’s the afternoon we were there, but comfortable enough (dry heat, remember, in the California desert).

Jackalope Ranch is a huge restaurant – done in dark woods and kind of upscale country/cowboy decor. They have a mammoth indoor bar too, where there is a large digital indicator of the temperature of the draft beer they draw from a tank. Bob, who is a beer drinker, thinks that’s really “cool.” Every time they pull a tap beer, the temperature rises a degree or two, so it’s a game to see how long it takes to get the temp back down. The restaurant features barbecue (all kinds) and steaks. And a bit of everything, really. We didn’t eat in the sit-down restaurant, but spent all our time out on the patio.

So now, on to the food and drinks outside. Seven days a week from 3:30 pm - 6:00 pm, Jackalope Ranch offers all their bar food, margaritas, well drinks and house wine at HALF PRICE. What a huge bargain. You can easily eat your (early) dinner there, which is what we did. If  you get there later than 3:30, you may not find any outdoor seating. It’s very popular, although now that the weather is warming up, you might have a better chance.

We had their homemade guacamole and multi-colored chips. We had their version of nachos – with some pulled pork sprinkled all over the top (yum). We had margaritas and wine. Then Bob ordered a pulled pork sandwich. I didn’t taste it, but since I’d tasted the pulled pork on the nachos, I’d say it was delicious. Barbara and I ordered a wedge salad that was really refreshing. We were there for exactly 3 hours and 15 minutes. What fun we had. Would I go again – you betcha – in a heartbeat. Except that during the summer months it’ll be hotter than heck on the patio, so we may not go until late Fall. But go again we will.

It’s located right on Highway 111 (that’s the main drag all the way through the Coachella Valley). It’s east of Jefferson, on the left, about a half a block past the date shake place. Look for the big gate.

A year ago: Dijon Chicken Breasts with Panko Crust

The other day we were out at our house in the desert. (We rented it for much of the “season” this year, and the tenants had just left. We want to use the house some in the next few weeks before the weather turns too hot to enjoy except inside in air conditioning.) The weather was absolutely picture-perfect. Temps in the low 80’s, shorts and t-shirt weather. Sandals weather. And I forgot to pack breakfast food, so oh-gee, we’ll have to go out <BG>. I decided to surprise my DH. I said “Trust me, honey, I’m going to surprise you – we’re taking a ride.” I’ve known about The Parker for awhile, but since it’s a 10-mile drive from our house there, it was always seemed a bit too far to go, for breakfast.

My friend Rachel has raved about the hotel for almost as long as it’s been in existence. Her daughter was married there last year and I saw pictures of it. I think it used to be the Merv Griffin hotel, but was redone – in retro 1930’s-60’s chic. It’s a kind of hoot, if you will, to walk into a lobby with funky chotsky from my own bygone era. Naugahyde. Bright orange. Canary yellow. Gee-gaws of all kinds gracing tables. A couple of chain mail just inside the front door seem a bit out of place, but they add to the funky feel. After walking through the lobby building you go outside and there’s Norma’s. It does have indoor seating too, but its charm is the outdoor patio. Also so retro 50’s, I had to laugh. Take a look!

The hot spot (not literally) to sit is along the outside edges (the orange banquettes). None was available when we got there. I snapped this photo from our table, which was just fine nevertheless. First they delivered a little shot glass of berry smoothie. Oh my was it ever scrumptious. It’s on the menu too, but they brought us an amuse bouche. It was piquant. Barely icy. Then they brought us carafes of coffee (you can see the press pots sitting on the table in the left foreground). The coffee was fabulous. I don’t know what they use, but it was elegant, deep, dark, full of flavor. Even my DH, who is a real coffee snob, thought it was excellent.

We ordered a single order of eggs benedict and shared. The eggs were perfectly done - still runny, but oozing just right. The Hollandaise was also light and pleasant (obviously they make it fresh). Not too much. Not too little. They served it with a small mound of mache and some baby purple potatoes that were perfectly cooked. I’ve seen purple potatoes, but never eaten them – they really are purple inside. I liked the texture. And the flavor. We leisurely finished our breakfast, and enjoyed every last slurp of our coffee before wandering out onto the grounds (see greenery in rear of patio photo). It was lovely – with small seating areas here and there, some in, some out of the sunshine. Fountains burbling in various places as well. Trails meander in different directions, eventually coming to the bungalows. Of course, we weren’t staying there, so didn’t get to see any rooms, but you can view a few on their website if you’re interested. The hotel is now part of the Meridien chain (Starwood). We heard several languages being spoken as we sat in the restaurant.

If you enjoy the ambiance of a small hotel, this one fits that ticket perfectly. And I concur with my friend Rachel that the food at Norma’s is exquisite. Rachel raves about the French Toast. The hotel also has a dinner restaurant which Rachel has recommended too. Guess we’ll have to go back to try that another visit. Try it we will, and maybe we’ll even go to breakfast there again. Just have a full wallet – it’s not cheap. Definitely a splurge, but I didn’t begrudge a penny of it. With coffee at $6 per pot and one breakfast entree, our bill was $34, not including tip and valet.

Yesterday, my friend Cherrie and I were on a mission for herbs, spices and foodstuffs. We needed sustenance at about noontime and Ford’s Filling Station in Culver City came highly recommended. It was close to our destination, and the food was good. No, not good, but GREAT. And the most interesting part, is that the owner/chef, Benjamin Ford, is the son of Harrison Ford. Benjamin has some very commendable experience under his belt, and has obviously found his niche with this restaurant.

In that part of Los Angeles, you never know when you might see a movie star. Alas, we did not. We were so cold sitting outside we hardly looked to one side or another. Likely folks from Minnesota would have thought the weather was perfect for bikinis. We were bundled in sweaters and light jackets, and still we were cold. It was a gorgeous, clear, sunny day. The kind of day you like to write your friends about. It’s just that it was about 50 degrees and with a light breeze.

The sidewalk on this part of Culver Blvd is wide – not as wide as in Paris, but wide enough that they’ve set up about 6 restaurants in a row, all with outdoor seating. Lots of umbrellas abounded, and outdoor heaters. Unfortunately, the one next to us wasn’t working. That’s about the only complaint I could utter about our experience since everything else (most importantly, the food) was outstanding. You can see two other restaurants looking down the street some.

The lunch menu was substantial - offering everything from small plates of unique salami and cheeses (separate items), sandwiches, salads and entrees. AND, they were also offering a 3-course fixed price lunch menu at $22. I did photo effects on the menu above, so you probably can’t read the options. I ordered goose rillettes, fish & chips, and cream puffs with ice cream.

Cherrie had the greens and citrus salad, which she said was very nice. I wanted to try different things, if they were offered, and rillettes isn’t something you see often. Especially goose rillettes. In case you didn’t know, rillettes is a preparation similar to pate, that’s all. And mine (warm) was served with 3 tiny toasted baguette slices, some caramelized shallots, grainy whole mustard, and cornichons. It was scrumptious. If I’d had another bread slice I probably would have eaten it all. Sorry that the picture is in the shade so you can’t see the mustard on the right and the little cornichons.

Next up was fish n’ chips. Well, actually, it was a beer-battered combination of cod, fresh asparagus spears (2), lots of smaller-sized chips, onion rings, with two dips – a regular ketchup and what they called an ooo-eee sauce. It was a mayo based concoction, much like tartar sauce, but it was laced with curry powder. Delicious. The fish was perfectly – absolutely perfectly cooked. The batter was thin and crisp on all the food, and light. Cherrie and I both ordered the fish, and both thought it was outstanding. The waiter recommended it, among most other things on the menu, but he particularly mentioned the fish. I’d order this again anytime. It’s been several years since I’ve had fish n’ chips, but this was worth the wait. I couldn’t finish it all, it was so filling.

Last, but not least, we had a choice of cream puffs with mocha ice cream, or a butterscotch pudding. The waiter recommended the puffs, so we both had them. They were small, filled with a delicious custardy-cream, topped with chocolate, more chocolate drizzled decoratively on the plate, and with a nice little mini-egg shaped mound of mocha ice cream. Cherrie and I slicked up the plate. The ice cream was particularly creamy and smooth. My mouth is watering just lookin’ at the picture.

So, if you live anywhere near Culver City, I recommend you hightail it over to Ford’s Filling Station for a fill-up. The food was so good, in fact, that we decided we need to return to Ford’s Filling Station for another round. Maybe dinner this time, with our husbands.

Ford’s Filling Station
9531 Culver Blvd. (at Cardiff)
Culver City, CA
(310) 202-1470

My dear friend, Cherrie, took me out for a surprise birthday celebration the other day. My birthday was several weeks ago, but she and I hadn’t “celebrated” it yet. We went in her car and I had no idea where we were going. She drove south to San Clemente (the town made famous by Richard Nixon’s “Western White House” located within a stone’s throw of the freeway). Having never shopped the couple blocks of San Clemente town, it was a delightful surprise. For those of you reading this who don’t know where San Clemente is, it’s a little bit south of halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. It’s at the very south end of Orange County (the north end houses Disneyland and the south end has San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente).

Cherrie and I enjoy afternoon tea. A lot. And you’ll remember that some months ago she and I hosted a tea for a group of 12. Whew. We made just about everything for it – my golden raisin buttermilk scones, lots of sandwiches, even cold soup. What a lot of work it was, but fun nevertheless. This time we got to enjoy it from beginning to end and somebody served us. Cherrie was tickled to even FIND this place since so many hotels and cottages no longer serve tea at all. For many years the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Niguel served tea in their gorgeous but small library. But, it closed up tea-serving some years ago. We’ve been to any number of places around our large county over the years, but almost no one serves it anymore. There are a couple in downtown Orange, but neither place is a favorite of ours.

Anyway, Cherrie found this little place in San Clemente called the Posh Peasant. And what a treat it was. From the moment we walked in, until the moment we left nearly two hours later, we were pampered and cosseted. We ordered the full-on tea. They call it High Tea, but technically it’s not, it’s an Afternoon Tea . . . lots of tea places mistakenly call it High Tea, which is more of a peasant meal served in the evenings in England. No matter. There were umpteen choices of tea (we ordered Lady Grey). The only other decisions we had to make involved what type of scone (we chose lemon over the blueberry), which of two soups and which dessert. First we were served a plate of bruschetta to take the edge off our appetites. Next were the scones, served with an adorable little server for crème fraiche and jam. Then we had a very small demitasse serving of cream of mushroom soup (delicious). The teapot was kept hot over a tea warmer and the waitress poured it frequently for us. Next came a salad and sandwich plate with a delicious green salad containing lots of fresh, diced fruit, dried cranberries and candied walnuts, and five small tea sandwiches with various fillings. Lastly we were given a choice of about 6 or 7 desserts, all homemade by the owner. Cherrie opted for lemon crème brulee and I had the choco-lat, their version of a chocolate lava cake, but a dainty serving in a small ramekin topped with vanilla ice cream.

Everything at the Posh Peasant is homemade by the owner, Kim Bennett. We asked to meet her and she graciously came to our table and visited with us. She used to be in the corporate world (worked for PacSun). Her family thought she was plum crazy earlier this year when she told them she was buying a tea shop and that she was going to BAKE and MAKE everything. Most of her family never knew she could cook, let alone bake. She said she used to years ago, but just got out of the habit. It’s like riding a bicycle, I think. She got right on that thing and is successfully baking lots of goodies for the patrons. Cherrie and I are discerning afternoon tea aficionados, and I’d rank the food as top notch.

This little restaurant is dolled up to be a tea shop, with much of the usual decor you’d associate with afternoon tea (with cute hats you can choose to wear for the duration of the tea if you’d like to get in the mood), but it’s tastefully done. Not too much. Not too little. There are a few things to buy (tea-related stuff). And the shop serves a variety of lunch items too (eleven sandwiches and four entree salads) in addition to the full tea items. There’s a children’s tea, too, for $19.99. And any number of other afternoon tea variations of tea with scones, a tea sampler, a sweet tea and the very common Cream Tea that you’ll find throughout. There are eleven lunch-type sandwiches on their menu. The full tea we had was $24.99, and worth every penny (thank you, Cherrie!).

Will we go again? Absolutely. The sooner the better. Want to join us? It’s a very cute place. Fun for a small group, even. Great for a lunch with a small group of women. They do open for catered events too, in the evenings. If the food at the tea is any representation, it would be fantastic. And when you leave there, go across the street to Oliver’s, a new olive oil and balsamic vinegar shop that is fabulous. Lots of things to taste. We just wished we had been hungrier for tasting oil and vinegars. We did try a few and came home with some purchases from there. Their website isn’t quite up and running as I write this, but Bob, the owner, said it’s in progress.

The Posh Peasant
220 Avenida Del Mar
San Clemente, CA 92672
(949) 498-7813
Open Tuesday-Sunday, 11 AM to 4 PM