Eric and I have a list of restaurants to try that is added to constantly as new places open or we read a good review.

Last night we got to try two new places, Whiskey and Dos Perros. Originally, we were supposed to go to a furniture sale in Cary but after a quick look online at the traffic cams, we discovered a huge wreck between us and the store. And don’t these cocktails look like a nicer way to spend some time?

Eric’s Debonair and my Monkey Gland cocktails

We relaxed and chatted in comfy leather chairs for a bit before heading over to meet some friends a few blocks away at Dos Perros, the new restaurant of Jujube’s owner, Charlie Deal.

The setting is very nice and homey and the waitstaff was eager to talk about the food. Eric got a pork special that was very tasty, but my mole poblano from the menu was just okay. I would have preferred the meat more shredded so the sauce could coat more evenly. I also greatly prefer flour tortillas to the corn ones, but didn’t think to ask if they had any. On the plus side, the beans that came with my dish were excellent and I had Eric take his home for my lunch today. Overall, I thought the food was good but the prices were a few dollars higher than I would prefer to pay. I will give them another shot but order something different next time.

The third new place was Local Yogurt where I met a friend of mine and her kids for a snack this afternoon.

Above is a small bowl of peanut butter frozen yogurt with magic shell and peanut butter cups. And yes, it was as tasty as it looks. :)

With a number of bakeries on the island, we picked up pastries for breakfast each morning and some tasty French bread and cheeses for our lunches. That left dinner as the variable meal of the day…

Bistrot Caraibes (Grand Case)—The first time we walked by this little restaurant, the owner came out and mentioned the first drink was on the house. It turns out that a few places attempted to entice potential customers this way. Our online research had mentioned this restaurant was good, and the menu was certainly appetizing, so we took a seat and enjoyed a glass of wine while looking through the menu. I decided on two appetizers for my meal, beef carpaccio and fresh mussels while Eric enjoyed the veal scallopini with blue cheese. I thought the atmosphere and service were very nice. Cars drive down the narrow street right outside the front door, so it can be a little noisy, but the quality of the food makes a visit to this place worthwhile. Others seemed to agree as it was busy the whole time we were there.

Il Nettuno (Grand Case)—We found this Italian place the night before, so we decided in advance to come back for dinner. Il Nettuno is located on the beach, so it’s all covered outdoor seating with a nice breeze and none of the engine noise. I ordered the lobster and Eric gnocchi. While the preparation was attractive, I found Caribbean lobster not as flavorful as Maine lobster. One of the hosts entertained us with his singing and guitar playing, eliciting rounds of applause throughout our meal. Unfortunately, after our order was taken, we barely saw any wait staff again! We both would have ordered another glass of wine, as we ran out just after our food arrived, but no one bothered to come back and ask how anything was. This would have been a better meal if the service hadn’t plummeted halfway through.

Karakter (Simpson Beach)—Our hosts at the Azure Beach Studios suggested this beach bar for dinner. We walked barefoot down to the end of the beach, parked ourselves at a bench overlooking the water and ordered two specialty cocktails, a frozen vodka lemonade and a ginger apple rum drink. I very much enjoyed my fried calamari, sardines, coconut shrimp cocktail, but Eric was expecting something different from his chicken and mango salsa wrap, namely not deli chicken and gigantic chunks of mango. Regardless, it’s hard to not enjoy eating your last meal in St. Martin while your toes are in the sand.

The following are some of the places where we ate during our week in Barcelona. Unlike most of the places we visit in the US, there are no websites to accompany these, so I’ll give street locations when possible.

Pizzas L’Avia—Just down the street from us on the corner of C/Cera and C/Botella was this busy pizza and empanadas place. We weren’t terribly hungry by dinnertime on our first night, so we grabbed a chirizo pocket and a ham & cheese pocket to go. Both were a little dry, but tasty. I imagine the pizza is very good as that’s what most people were noshing on. There are bottles of their signature cava for sale above the bar for about 2€… so tempting.

3 Hermanos—This cozy tapas place is located at C/Carme 59. We split a 1/2 liter of sangria and enjoyed three small plates that filled us up completely, fresh manchego cheese, sliced jamon drizzled with olive oil, and patatas bravas. One notable thing was the selection of American music playing, perhaps due to the early hour of our dining?

La Fragua—Located at Rambla del Raval 15, we liked this place so much that we ate here twice! The first time we split a bottle of Torres Rose de Casta. I enjoyed the valencia paella (semi-blurry photo below) and Eric had a jamon and cheese flauta and a patatas bomba. The waiters were just flying around this place and ours was no exception. He even insisted on treating us to dessert, a chocolate cake, how nice! The second time we got a half bottle of rioja and split a spicy shrimp skewer, patatas bravas, and a jamon flauta. Everything was beyond delicious.

Rita Rouge—This restaurant is located just behind La Boqueria off of C/de les Floristes de la Rambla bordering a parking lot. Even though rain was in the forecast (like every night we were in Barcelona) we opted to sit outside. Two other tables were enjoying pitchers of sangria, but it wasn’t on the menu. When we asked, our waiter looked confused and came back with a price of 17€, which we declined. Instead, we split a bottle of a local Spanish white and amusingly watched folks cram themselves into tiny parking spaces while waiting for our food. My Fajitas de Gambas al Ajillo (shrimp fajitas) were well seasoned and plentiful and Eric enjoyed his Chicken Tandoori Masala. We also witnessed our first ever bill-dodgers who ran around the corner when the waiter wasn’t looking!

C/Vermell courtyard restaurant—While wandering around Barri Gotic on our first full day we stumbled upon this place in a quiet courtyard area on C/Vermell just a few blocks up from the Picasso Museum. We grabbed a table outside and Eric had a huge glass of sangria and me, my first glass of rioja in Spain. We split an order of pan amb tomàquet (bread rubbed with a cut tomato, garlic and olive oil), chirizo, and a traditional potato pancake.

C/Princesa ice cream shop—On our way back from the beach, we stopped just before Jaume square for a cold snack to stave off the hunger as we still had another two hours until dinner. I enjoyed a coffee ice cream while Eric opted for the chocolate chip (even though he asked for mint chocolate chip). It was a tasty and a generous portion, but I liked the flavor of the French ice cream better.

Mercat de Sant Antoni, Mercat Santa Caterina & La Boqueria—While I enjoyed the bustle of each of these markets, I thought that the Sant Antoni market had the best prices and was a more authentic experience. I overheard lots of tourists speaking English in La Boqueria and even helped an British couple order some cheese. :) The selections of fruit, meats, and cheeses were very overwhelming (in a good way), and be prepared to see skinned sheep heads (and entire animals) for sale alongside the ordinary cuts of meat. Go to La Boqueria for your tourist photos, but head to another one of the local markets to do your actual shopping.

A nice added touch, each stall has their own branded cheese paper. The two below are from La Boqueria.

One of the nicest food-related things about Barcelona is that there are bakeries on practically every corner. We had lovely baguettes, croissants, and chocolate pastries from a number of places. Another thing to note is that we didn’t try any place I had written down before we left, in fact, we found all these places by simply walking around and checking out menus.

Wild Mountain Smokehouse and Brewery, Nederland—We made fantastic time from the Denver Airport, through Boulder, viewing Boulder Falls, and into Nederland to pick up the Peak-to-Peak Highway, but we need some nourishment. What better than beer and bbq! I tried the Big Ned Red which came in a wine glass and was delicious with my pulled pork sandwich. Eric ate the entire plate of beef brisket and washed it down with the amber ale. We also split a plate of sweet potato fries thanks to the happy hour special. If I ever find myself nearby, we will come back.

The Egg & I, Estes Park—Our hotel had a modest continental breakfast, but we needed something more substantial, so we stopped by this popular breakfast place near the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. I had the hikers benedict (of course) with asparagus, mushrooms, tomatoes and crispy bacon on top and my very own carafe of coffee (!!!). Eric’s breakfast croissant was good, but a little dense. I’m not sure pastries bake too well at 9,000 feet?

Creekside Cellars, Evergreen—A scenic detour took us down to this area on our way to Colorado Springs. The red wines were passable but the whites, not so much. And skip the tawny port altogether, yuck. We didn’t stay for lunch, though the patio looked nice.

Charles Court @ the Broadmoor, Colorado Springs—Our fancy dinner of the trip, the Broadmoor Resort is a complex of accommodations, restaurants and grounds to behold. We arrived early and enjoyed cocktails and a cheese plate at the bar while waiting for our table. The service was exceptional and the meal was lovely. April, one of the bartenders, gave us a few suggestions for our main courses and I took her up on the venison main course with a carpaccio appetizer. Eric’s pork special was very tasty and the potato side was a stand-out. Interestingly, they had several wines on the menu that were of good value. All around, we had a fantastic and memorable meal.

Jack Quinn’s Pub, Colorado Springs—We were looking for a quick bite to tide us over until dinner at the hotel on Saturday evening, so we ventured downtown to get a pint and a snack. The place was next to empty at 2pm, but our private booth was a treat and the atmosphere was very pleasant. My guinness and beef boxty was very good and Eric’s fried potato wedges hit the spot.

Phantom Canyon Brewing Company, Colorado Springs—A brewery for breakfast? To prove that it’s never to early for beer, we dined at this brewery for brunch on Sunday. I enjoyed a porter with my chorizo, egg, and potato wrap and black beans while everyone else had a more traditional breakfast of pancakes, eggs, and bacon.

Comfort Inn, Estes Park—A charming lodge, one of the better Comfort Inns we’ve stayed in. The front desk was very helpful, and the only bad thing was the free wifi connection that did not work properly in our room. We just dragged the laptop to the lobby. Otherwise, the room was clean and we had own own marked parking spot. This hotel is a little further out than some other options but Estes Park isn’t that large and this was an affordable place to stay.

Crown Plaza Hotel, Colorado Springs—For some reason the hotels that have hosted the last two River Rats conventions cannot seem to handle large amounts of people. Our room wasn’t ready when we tried to check in at 4:30pm. Then (after requesting a room close to my dad) they put us in the complete opposite end of the hotel. And when I say complete opposite, I mean a 10 minute walk through this sprawling place. No exaggeration, it really took 10 minutes from end to end. The front desk staff was woefully slow and not able to help with even the simplest request (i.e. a reservation for a local restaurant). Despite all of this, our king room was quite large and the bed was very comfortable. Once we figured out that we could park just outside the room, the excessive walking was diminished. I honestly think they just need to hire better managers.

Eat & Drink

Thirsty Bear Brewing Company, San Francisco—We try and hit a brewery in every city, so we can collect a representative pint glass. This place has the distinction of being the only organic brewery in the city, and it receives even more bonus points because the beer is tasty. We just had appetizers as we planned on a late dinner elsewhere, their Spanish-themed menu looked good and the patatas bravas were excellent.

Scala’s Bistro, San Francisco—We were eating pretty late (after 9pm) and this place was still packed when we left. We don’t normally eat in the hotel’s restaurant, but made an exception as this place had great reviews and well, it was close. I ordered steak frites while Eric enjoyed the rigatoni with duck bolognese. A glass of wine each made us even more sleepy so we retired soon after dinner.

Sears Fine Food, San Francisco—Famous for their little swedish pancakes, it is the only reasonably priced item on the menu and while Eric loved the small pancakes, my breakfast was just okay. Service and atmosphere was fine but I have no idea why this place was so crowded.

The Spinnaker, Sausalito—One of the best meals of the trip and it was for a late lunch! After leaving San Francisco, we stopped in Sausalito for a quick bite and awesome views of downtown San Francisco. This glass-enclosed restaurant served the best clam chowder I’ve ever had and with the seafood sampler appetizer, it was plenty for a meal. Eric had the butter lettuce salad and the cheese ravioli in walnut alfredo sauce. Delicious.

Crepevine, San Rafael—We stopped here for both dessert on Sunday night (see entry above for why we didn’t have dinner) and breakfast on Monday morning. The kilauea and siena dessert crepes were scrumptious and filling. Come morning, my New Orleans benedict was good, but hardly spicy. We had some issues with the quality of fried potatoes throughout the trip and this place was, unfortunately, no different.

Zza’s Trattoria, Oakland—We met Leah and Simon here for dinner on the last night of our trip. One side is a candle-lit wine bar with dark woods and a reasonably-priced wine list and the other side is a more boisterous home-style restaurant. Eric and I arrived early, so we started on a bottle of wine in the wine bar, eventually moving next door for dinner. My Prosciutto e Gorgonzola pizza was filling and generously adorned with the good stuff and Eric’s gnocchi was rich and delicious.

Sleep

Sir Francis Drake, San Francisco—When researching hotels in downtown San Francisco, we discovered (like in most cities) that the business hotels go down in price on the weekends while the budget hotels go up. We got a great deal on this boutique hotel and the location (about 3 blocks from Chinatown and 1 block from Union Square) was great. Our king room was small, but comfortable. The bathroom had Aveda products and for being in a busy section of town, our room was remarkably quiet. I would definitely stay here again.

Travelodge, San Rafael—Your standard noisy-because-its-near-the-highway motel, it was clean but the floor sloped, so it felt like you were falling as you walked across the room. We also managed to somehow lock ourselves out of the bathroom. Thankfully the hostess let us in but every interaction with her was pretty chilly. This is exactly the kind of place that makes me rethink just how important saving money is when it means staying at accommodations like this.

Millwood Inn & Suites, Millbrae—This was a very pleasant surprise. We needed a place to stay near the airport and most of the hotels in the area had disparate reviews—except this one. Our king room was large, with comfy blankets, nice bath products and most importantly peace and quiet. The included continental-plus breakfast and wifi were also big bonuses. Highly recommended.

Our last post about San Diego (until we go back that is). :)

JRDN—Eric ate here last June, so we made a point to have dinner here on this trip. The food was very tasty, but I think our waitress was having an off night. One of my sides was wrong (quickly fixed) and Eric’s flat iron steak took forever to come out. Thankfully, the steak was still delicious. Our waitress wound up giving us an extra bottle of wine because of the mistakes, so we came out happy, albeit slightly sauced. The atmosphere of this place is very chic and modern. A wave design constantly changes color on the main dining room wall; this is one of those places where it is impossible to be overdressed on a Friday night.

The Eggery—As this place was located a block from our hotel, we ate here twice for breakfast. I had the best eggs benedict ever here on our second visit. Even though the place was completely packed, somehow my poached eggs came out perfectly cooked. Plus, they were sitting on toasted english muffins, a generous portion of avocado, dolloped with hollandaise sauce and sprinkled with crispy bacon. Yum. I didn’t hear Eric complain about his croissant breakfast sandwich, so it must have been good as well. :)

World Famous—This busy place right on the beach was actually attached to our hotel and although it took forever to get a table (we were watching this sunset unfold while we waited, so it could have been worse), the service was friendly and the food was good. I had a very surreal experience when our waitress introduced herself as “Leandra.” I suppose the novelty of meeting someone who shares your name wears off quickly for people with common names (Eric is very used to this), but I rarely meet other women with my name, so that was a nice surprise. My bacon-wrapped scallops and lobster bisque were both very tasty. Eric’s chicken ceasar salad was equally tasty.

Coronado Brewing Company—After our stint in Balboa Park we headed over to a brewery in Coronado. One of the nicest things about San Diego is that everything is close, so it only took us ten minutes to get from Balboa park to the brewery. Obviously the thing we were looking forward to most was the beer and I was disappointed when I discovered that they were all out of their dark beers. In winter! Grrr! Thankfully, the Mermaid’s Red Ale hit the spot and Eric really enjoyed the Islandweizen. We split an order of Spicy Potato Flautas and a Hawaiian calzone, both tasty. We left completely full and with a new pint glass for our collection.

Mission Cafe—This place is known for it’s comfy atmosphere and hearty breakfasts and our meal did not disappoint. Eric managed to almost finish his Mission French Toast even while nibbling the rosemary potatoes off my plate. I enjoyed the chicken apple sausage and fresh rosemary bread and a never ending mug of very strong coffee. All the breakfast places along the beach are busy, so you definitely need to get here early unless you want to wait for a while, even during the week!

As you may have noticed, we wrote about breakfast and dinner above, but not lunch. With a big breakfast we often aren’t hungry until dinner, and since breakfasts are typically cheaper then lunch, we’ll often eat two meals with a small afternoon snack when traveling.