San Diego: Con Pane Bakery

Saturday morning we began our day the best way we know how, with Con Pane Bakery. I love this place. Con Pane is what prompted this getaway. I wanted Gruyere Chive bread and The Italian. This sandwich would easily make my best things I ever ate list. It's truly wonderful. Salami, roasted roma tomatoes, pepperoncini, olive oil and lettuce. So simple, yet perfect.


Other Con Pane Bakery goodies this trip...

The Turkey Cobb

The Roast Beef


Delicious Cinnamon Rolls, we even brought some home.


And the PB & J, it made a wonderful lunch today. Frank ate his on the way home yesterday.



Con Pane is currently located on Rosecrans in Point Loma, but they will be moving next month. The new location is at Liberty Station. It's close by, I hope the quality won't be affected. I'd hate to see a really special place lose its luster. The new digs will be larger, credit cards will be accepted and they'll have ice. So, if they maintain their awesomeness it will be a good move. We'll seek out the new location next trip.

San Diego: Los Panchos

It took us 4.5 hours to get to and from San Diego this trip. It was nice that traffic wasn't an issue.

Once we got settled into the hotel, we walked over to Los Panchos in the Gaslamp. It's tradition for us. We ordered a few cadillac margaritas.


And enjoyed a fine dinner of chips, salsa and guac, California burrito and carnitas. My carnitas were really good, and Frank says the burrito always hits the spot.






After dinner, we wanted to hit a bar, but Friday nights are pretty busy, it was late and we didn't have much time to find somewhere new... silly last call nonsense. So, we went to Yard House. We struck out, two out of four beers requested were out. They ended up taking care of our drinks for the trouble. That was nice. With that, it was last call. We finished our beers and went back to the hotel.

We stayed at the Days Inn Downtown, it suited us fine... $99/night, free parking, wifi, walking distance to Gaslamp, Balboa, etc. A bit nicer than your typical two star motel, with a balcony, fridge and microwave in the room. Even a bottle opener, it would've come in handy on previous trips, I've since learned to travel with one. Only real complaint was that the pillows were much too firm. I'm a side sleeper so I had a real tough time with them, and neck aches were a problem. Our room was on the third floor. This was our view.

Wonderful

We had a fantastic trip to San Diego. It was just what we needed. Despite all my whining and worries about lack of sunshine, the sun was spotted each day. Sunday it didn't break through until 5:00 but I saw it. haha. We played disc golf at Balboa, went to the beach at La Jolla shores, saw Del Mar racetrack, visited Torrey Pines National Park and Little Italy, ate a lot and drank... hit a few bars, tried a few new restaurants and returned to our favorites. As usual it'll take me a bit to sort it all out, but I'm hoping to get some food and drink details up today.

Switching it up

This week's article for LLV is a bit different. We head out of the valley for a change of scenery. I share our experience and a bit on the history of the China Ranch Date Farm. Coincidentally, another LLV writer visited the Ranch recently after a trip to Death Valley to admire the wildflowers. She shared details and photos; those are worth a look, too. Death Valley during wildflower season is spectacular. We went too early this year, but previous years... Wow! Especially in 2005.

Vegas Values: A Refuge in the Mojave

Churrascaria

Years ago, Frank and I dined at Samba inside Mirage. Our meal was cut short when we were served raw chicken. We spoke to the manager and explained our loss of appetite. Their apologies were offered and they invited us back another time, but we declined.

Tuesday, I cashed in my birthday massage and enjoyed the spa facilities at Bally's. Afterwards, I met Frank for dinner at Pampas Brazilian Grille. Enough time had passed we were ready to give the Brazilian Steakhouse experience another go.

The restaurant is tucked away in the Miracle Mile shops. I'd guess it doesn't get much business from passersby, rather diners must be seeking the place out. Whatever the case, the restaurant was busy, we had to wait a few minutes for a table to be cleared. The atmosphere of the restaurant was nicer than I expected. I preferred it over Samba.

We ordered the Surf & Turf Rodizio ($49.95) and the Meat Rodizio ($38.95) figured we save a few dollars by sharing the seafood items. We were instructed to visit the salad bar and then flip our coaster to green when we were ready for the meats.





The menu boasts 40 hot and cold dishes on the salad bar. I walked away with artichoke hearts, tomatoes and mozzarella, and two mystery fried items. Nothing is marked at the salad bar. I consider myself an adventurous eater, but I prefer to know what I am scooping onto my plate... this goes for all salad bars and buffets. Frank tried the rice and beans and potato salads, neither of which I care for, so I lacked carbs. Well, besides the fried items which were deep fried banana bites and some sort of dumpling.





Next, we started the meat parade. We had Picanha, filet with Parmesan crust, pork loin, chicken - hot and bbq, ham, sausage, turkey wrapped in bacon, pineapple, and lamb... we were served in that order. We repeated the Picanha, filet, and ham. We practically had to beg for the lamb, it took three requests before it was brought to the table.

For the most part the meats were good. It was only the sausage that I absolutely did not like. The pork loin was very fatty, I had a tiniest piece of actual meat. The turkey was extremely tender and juicy, but the bacon was underdone. However, it is likely the turkey would be overcooked if the bacon were to crisp up.

The pineapple was welcomed and much appreciated after all those meats the saltiness had really built up, I desperately needed to refresh my palette. The pineapple served this purpose beautifully. While I imagine it was grilled, it was not served to us warm. It was closer to room temperature. It was fine by me, I actually wished I asked for two slices. Thankfully, my husband is a dear... and he doesn't care for pineapple much, so I finished his slice.



The Seafood platter was brought out after our second or third meat. It was timely. The presentation wasn't anything special, but this isn't the place for beautiful food. In fact, every photo I took of the meats was unappealing, but I digress.

M'mmm chicken. No, not if you eat with your eyes.



The surf consisted of shrimp glazed with butter, scallops in butter, grilled salmon and tempura cod. When we placed our order the waitress informed us the menu needs to be updated, the scallops are no longer wrapped in bacon. That nearly dissuaded Frank in ordering the Surf & Turf, but I nudged him to give it a try, anyway. Big mistake. The seafood was BAD, Bad, bad. I couldn't even choke down a scallop, I spit it out. The shrimp were rubbery, the salmon was nearly jerky and the cod was bland and the tempura was hardly intact. They offered to bring another plate, but we refused. We added that we didn't like it.

Our experience was far better than at Samba. However, after dining at Pampas, I'm reluctant to try Texas De Brazil despite a number of raves from friends. I really don't think the Churrascaria experience is one I enjoy. As much as I love meat, this is too much. I really missed my carbs. It's clear that Atkins will never be a choice for me.

Hittin' the Road

The road trip to Phoenix made miss San Diego. While sitting at the Royals game, I turned to Frank and said three magic words. Con Pane Bakery. I want to go.

After a few days of planning and whatnot, we were booked. We're going to San Diego this weekend. I refuse to go in May or June. I've experienced May Gray/June Gloom once, never ever again will I make that mistake. I figured it'd be a nice escape since the weather here in Vegas has been so miserable. This yo-yo crap has got to go. I'm totally over the chill and winds, but the joke is on me. Vegas is supposed to be 80 this weekend. San Diego on Thursday? 80. Friday, when we get in? 69. And that will be the warmest day during our stay. Lovely. At least there will be sun, right? No. It does not look like it. Gray days... wonderful.




That's ok. There is plenty of bread and margaritas available. I'll make the sun shine. It might be in my own little world, but it'll be shining. Dammit.

I've had vacation on the brain. We've also booked flights to Mexico in December. Al Cielo is also reserved. Now, we just need to wait for December. It seems far away, but I'm sure summer will come and go in a hurry and winter will return in no time.

We've also settled our plans for Seattle and Vancouver this July. I still need to book flights and look into hotels. I'll get started after we return from San Diego.

I'm very excited about our travels.

Whitesox vs. Rangers

Today was the White Sox home opener, we shut out Cleveland for a 6-0 victory. Buehrle is my boy. Now, that's how it's done! With any luck it's sets the tone for this season.

I'm hopeful as ever, but watching my boys in Spring Training had me wonder if they can pull it together for a winning season. There are several new names on the roster, it often takes time to find the stride to the playoffs.

Spring Training is so laid back it's hard to tell. Really it is unfair to pass judgement, so much is trial and error at that point. Plus, no one is playing their hearts out, injuries are too risky.

We were shut out by the Rangers pitching, but it was still an enjoyable game. It's always fun to be within arm's reach of the players. I love the intimacy of these games.

An Irish Easter

These daffodils make me smile. Fresh & Easy had them for 98 cents this week, but I bought them on Saturday when they were marked down to 50 cents. I love thrifty finds.

Easter was a bit out of the ordinary this year. When my mom visited Chicago over Christmas she bought corned beef from the Irish Market. We weren't able to get together with her for St. Patrick's day, so it's been sitting in my freezer all this time. I knew it needed to be cooked so I figured why not Easter? I'm never one to be stuck on tradition anyway... I make pork chops for Christmas dinner instead of ham or turkey. Anyhow, Easter was nice, we had my mom and Blaine over.

I started the corned beef at 10:00am it was nearly 8 pounds. Rather than simmering it for hours on the stovetop. I tried my dad and brother's way of preparing it, they cook it in the oven. They put it in a roasting pan with beer and water, covered, it roasts at 325-degrees for a few hours (about an hour a pound). It came out drier than I'm used to, not sure if it's supposed to be or if I overcooked it. Either way it was tasty, tender and savory. To go with our Irish feast, I made mac'n cheese from scratch - my first time, it was decent, the texture was off. I'd prefer it more creamy and gooey. I'm pretty certain skim milk and 2% cheese is the culprit. Somethings are meant to be fatty. Also, made potato pancakes and parmesan salad. For dessert, my mom made snow tunnel cake (since I didn't get it at Christmas). Delicious. My sister teased me about my Irish Easter idea, but it was a success. Tasty eats and full bellies. How can you go wrong?

Bellagio Treats

It's been a week, it's time to share the scoop on Le Cirque. You can get all the details and photos in this week's LLV article, Vegas Values: A Circus Like No Other.

While at Bellagio last week, I took photos of the Spring display. The poppies and gerberas were gorgeous, such vivid colors. This was my second time seeing the display and still the tulips hadn't begun to bloom. I swear they used to switch out the flowers so they were always in full-bloom. It's likely cutbacks are to blame. I suppose I should be thankful they still put it on for us to enjoy. With or without the tulips the Conservatory was lovely.

Cherish

April Fools’ Day is uniquely special to me. As a kid, my mom often teased me that there were fishes on the ceiling. I don’t really get it today, but it cracked me up – I’d laugh my belly laugh and crack her up in the process.

Then I grew up.

And 13 years ago, April Fools’ changed forever. That’s when I became a fool in love. It was then, Frank and I got together and where our love story develops.

The years come and go, but with them our love grows stronger and we collect more memories along the way. I cherish all of our days, those behind us and those yet to come.