Well, sorta word-free, if you don’t count the captions. I really, really haven’t had time to blog lately, as you can tell by the lack of posts in the last few months. So I guess I’ll sneak in a few photos from Hawaii that I never got around to sharing. At least they’re summer-y (and not dated) and feel appropriate for the time of year… lol. Till next time!

all smiles at Waiola's, the best shave ice ever! even Hawaii's finest say so.

technicolor dream cone

airport-close, a must stop just off the jet from HNL

mmm... poke!

amazing plate lunches, awesome service, and killer poke and roast pork

now that's take-out

food truckin' before it was hip to do so... shrimp at Giovanni's

made to order poke at Ono Seafood

POG (pineapple orange guava juice) and onolicious mac nut pancakes at Boots & Kimo's

the board room

the office

lost

a little scuba fun

Leonard's famous malasadas

hole in the wall morning grinds at Harry's Cafe and the homemade corned beef loco moco

baywatch

Side Street Inn's fried pork chop

and kimchi fried rice

lapping up Lappert's ice cream

peace out!

Just about a year has past since my visit to Istanbul and I’m finally getting around to posting the last of the photographs from the trip. As I look at the images, reminiscing about the neighborhoods we explored, the names of restaurants and dishes we consumed, a lot of the details are hard to recall without referring to my written notes. One thing that did however leave a lasting impression was how wonderfully gracious and hospitable the Turkish people were during our stay. There was a genuine warmth and generosity in just about everyone we came across. Just beautiful people, period. I had such a great time in this amazing city, and along with the remaining food bits I wanted to share a little more of the people I captured with my lens.

One of my most memorable experiences was meeting up with Angelis Nannos of Istanbul Eats, our culinary and cultural guide for the good part of a morning during our week-long stay. The restaurant reviews from Istanbul Eats were so invaluable during our research and planning, that we made arrangements to be one of the first to participate in one of their walking food tours. Quirky but instantly lovable, Angelis led us through a labyrinth of narrow alleyways and crowded markets, showing us a breadth of foodstuffs from the ubiquitous to the more obscure. Visits to some off-the-beaten-path historical sites during the tour kept things interesting and well balanced. If you love food and culture, there isn’t a better way to get acquainted with the city.

Angelis; Turkish Delight; grape leaves; peaks of spices; cheese shop

More like a good friend than guide, Angelis was always more than happy to answer our barrage of questions about Turkey, its food and random minutia. Since we were the only ones in the group, he was also able to tailor the tour to our preferences (less touristy stuff, more food!). Along the way we met some incredibly beautiful and down-to-earth people; humble, proud, and always eager to oblige in my portrait requests.

vendor with a tray of tulumba tatlisi (fried dough soaked in syrup)

I realized in documenting the things we ate on our trip, I found myself too focused on the plates in front of me. What was really grabbing my attention were the people behind the food (and the people of Istanbul in general), and I was really beginning to enjoy capturing their expressions. Their warm smiles and easy demeanor say it all.

bagging Turkish coffee; coffee shop boys; ekmek kadayıfı; loaves; pide; vendor

Along our stroll we ran into a curious little vendor frying anchovies street-side. “Oh that’s hamsi”, Angelis exclaimed. I told Angelis we must try some.

These little anchovies were lightly dusted in cornmeal and fried crisp on the outside. A simple spritz of lemon was all that was needed. I have to say that this impromptu snack ranked as one of the best things I tasted in Istanbul. Delightfully fresh, briny, and piping hot on the inside. What I wouldn’t do to have a tray of that right now with an ice cold Turkish Pilsner.

We took a break in a hidden courtyard for a cup of çay (tea) and Türk kahvesi (Turkish coffee) to go along with some pastries we bought along the way.

Life in Istanbul can be quite leisurely. Let me rephrase that, people take time to enjoy themselves (unlike our fast paced culture at home). The men do enjoy their tea, and at all times of the day you can see runners with trays full of tea delivering hot amber glasses from storefront to storefront.

In a city that’s as modern and forward as Istanbul, it’s great to see shops that still specialize hand craftsmanship and individual trades.

As we ventured away from the throngs of tourists to a curiously quieter part of town, we arrived at a unique little shop. Vefa Bozacisi specializes in boza, a thick, slightly sour drink (popular during the Ottoman Empire) made from fermented millet seed. With a dash of cinnamon and a handful of roasted chickpeas on top, it’s an odd drink you consume with a spoon. Acquired taste aside, I can appreciate the little piece of history and tradition that’s being preserved and carried on.

The ever energetic Angelis took us next to another neat find, again less frequented by tourists. Kadinlar Pazari in the Fatih neighborhood is Istanbul’s Kurdish district. There’s a quaint pedestrian square is flanked by butcher shops and markets selling all types of meats, cheeses, and produce from Turkey’s eastern region.

Our little journey (and tour) ended at one of the square’s many restaurants for a leisurely afternoon meal.

Siirt Şeref Büryan Kebap Salonu specializes in regional Arabic dishes from the eastern part of Turkey that borders Syria and Iraq. The eponymous dish, büryan, is a slab of succulent roasted lamb that’s carved up and served atop freshly-baked pide bread.

We had a great time chatting over juicy pork bits and another Siirt specialty, perde pilaf, a cone of fragrant rice studded with shreds of chicken, almonds, and currants baked inside a crispy shell.

If you ever make it out to Istanbul… I mean when you do, make sure to hit these guys up. And ask for Angelis, you won’t be disappointed.

Spend any time in Istanbul and it’s highly likely you’ll end up in the Tünel/Asmalımescit area of Beyoğlu. The narrow cobblestone streets are home to outdoor cafes and pubs called meyhanes, which is like Turkey’s version of a tapas bar. It’s a great late night option when you want a little something to eat, and get your drink on too.

cafe culture; live music; pint; meze; shake it; aftermath

Black Sea comfort food at Pera Sisore in the Asmalımescit neighborhood

Another great place to explore at night is Istiklal Caddesi, the popular pedestrian avenue in the Beyoğlu district, and the adjacent Taksim Square. Besides people (locals and tourists alike), it’s chocked full of boutiques, stores, and food options of every imaginable kind.

fast food on Istiklal Caddesi

döner anyone?

Just off Istiklal Caddesi by the Beyoğlu fish market is Durumzade, a tiny wrap shop made famous by a particular travel show host (and it’s not the one that likes to eat grubs and iguanas). These handheld lavash wraps (durum) of minced chicken or beef kabobs are the perfect answer to the munchies after a long night hitting the bars. Good thing they’re open 24 hours.

In our conversations with our new friend Angelis, we asked him what he would recommend us to try. “Iskender” was his answer. I’m not sure we ended up at the restaurant he suggested (we walked back and forth on the Istiklal Caddesi trying to find a particular distinguishing landmark), but the iskender at Bursa Kebapçisi was spectacular enough.

iskender at Bursa Kebapçisi

This dish reminds me of a Turkish version of our American sports bar nachos. Cubes of pide bread, slathered with melted butter and a tangy tomato sauce, is heaped high with döner (thinly shaved lamb), köfte (ground meat), and filet, drizzled with yogurt, and garnished with tomatoes and green peppers. Guilt-inducingly decadent. I’m salivating just thinking of it.

At this point I think a little dessert would be nice. You can find baklava in small shops all over town, but I have to admit that the giant Costco-sized Karaköy Güllüoğlu was one of the best I tried. There’s almost 20 varieties of baklava (including my favorite, chocolate!), plus a handful of other decadent treats.

Mustafa Güllü, the friendly papa baklava

We shared an assortment with a few glasses of tea; a fittingly sweet end to our beautiful trip to Istanbul and to this series of posts. Chapter closed.

Previous entries from Istanbul:

Lost in Istanbul: Part I
From Turkey with Love
Lost in Istanbul: Part II
Eating Istanbul: Part I
Lost in Istanbul: Portrait of a City

Some say opening a new restaurant is very much like giving birth to your first child. You jump into the deep end not fully sure of what you are getting yourself into; a long journey involving months of planning, hard work, and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. But when the moment comes, and you see your baby for the first time, you know without a doubt all the pains of labor were worthwhile.

I can’t claim to have accomplished either feat, but I was undeniably proud when I heard that chef Bryant Ng’s long awaited Spice Table in downtown LA was ready to serve its first customers. You see, I’ve followed Ng like a distant uncle, since hearing his story of leaving the corporate world to pursue his passion and love for food, going to Paris to study at Le Cordon Bleu, and cutting his teeth through an all-star roster of restaurants including Daniel (NY), Campanile (LA), La Folie (SF), and most recently, Pizzeria Mozza (LA). I’ve had the opportunity to sample Ng’s food on a few occasions, both personally and in professional kitchens, and this guy really knows what he’s doing. When a mutual friend told me a little while ago that Bryant left Mozza to finally pursue the dream of opening his own place, I was justifiably excited. After over a year of waiting and getting progress reports along the way, the day had come. Through my good friend from whom I know Ng, we were invited to be one of the first ones to sample the food at the Spice Table.

The restaurant occupies the space that once housed Cuba Central, and though I had never been there before, construction photos document the the complete gutting of interior so that Ng could realize his vision. Stepping into the Spice Table for the first time, you instantly feel an air of sophistication and refinement unexpected for a freshman attempt. The interplay of different elements and styles, and use of rustic materials like brick, wood, and copper is a prelude to Ng’s cuisine; simple and unadorned but with an underlying complexity that exudes a great attention to detail.

As you walk through the restaurant, there are definite touches of the east, like the lanterns fashioned from bamboo birdcages sourced from Vietnam. There’s enough restraint however, to keep it from being too Asian kitschy.

After learning his craft in some fairly upscale restaurants around the country, chef Ng returns home at his own place. The dishes are a nod to Ng’s Singaporean roots, and wife Kim’s Vietnamese heritage. Sambal fried potatoes are crisp, pillowy, thumb-sized nuggets, tossed in a lip-smacking chili sauce and slivered scallions. The pate and baguette is rich and livery, more deconstructed banh mi sandwich than French appetizer. The curry fried chicken wings show off Ng’s deft hand at spice, the curry powder adding just the right amount of unctuousness to the crispy crust. In what I believe to be a play on the salt and pepper calamari dish, Ng lightly batters cauliflower florets and deep fries them; they’re delightfully tender and very, very addicting.

The Spice Table offers a selection of satays, and tonight we sampled the lamb belly and pork varieties. I closed my eyes and the aroma of the charred meat skewers transported me to back southeast Asia. The laksa, a Singaporean favorite of thick round noodles in a rich curry broth, is heady with fragrance of sweet coconut. Slurp down the noodles and the spice builds in a warm and very satisfying mouth-tingling way. We sampled more dishes, each washed down with pints from their handpicked beer selection. If there is one thing evident from our initial experience, it’s that Ng definitely has a mastery of spice right out of the gate. The heat doesn’t slap you in the face, it embraces you like a toasty blanket. The chef assures us however that there will be some items in the near future that will also satisfy the macho, man vs. food types. We’ll have to check back on that.

At this point, there is a limited dessert menu, but don’t let that fool you. The kaffir lime custard looks a bit plain and unassuming but it was the perfect palate cleanser for the night; the creamy, tart custard with pops of lychee swirled throughout helped smolder the flames from our night’s meal.

Congratulations Bryant and Kim, on your new addition. We hope to be able to watch it grow and grow over the years.

Saturday night saw us heading out to the Mission once again, this time to meet a new friend in the bay area at Bar Tartine. An extension of Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson’s ever popular Tartine Bakery, the restaurant is just the type of place you wouldn’t mind having around the corner; it’s lively, cozy, and romantic, though simple and unfussy enough to pop in on a whim to grab a glass of wine and a bite at the bar.  Plans are in place to expand the restaurant into the adjoining space, so hopefully the owners and new chef Nick Balla (replacing the just departed Chris Kronner) can keep the same neighborhood feel.

Notables were the luscious and guilt-inducing bone marrow with grilled toast, and the perfectly pan-roasted chicken. Any mention of specific dishes will likely be a moot point however, as Nick Balla is expected to make menu wide changes under his helm.

Though the debate still rages on about who has the best pie in San Francisco, my absolute favorite is still the margherita at Pizzeria Delfina. Man can’t live on pizza alone, and good thing their sides like the tuna conserva and insalata tricolore seldom disappoint. This joint not surprisingly is popular among others in the city, so get there early (preferably before they open) to nab a table. We got a nice one streetside to enjoy the beautiful weather and gorgeous food-friendly light.

yes, I know you want a bite..

Window and people watching in the neighborhood provided a welcomed opportunity to walk off some of the calories consumed…

though it wasn’t long before it was snack time again:  a scoop or two from Bi-Rite’s creamy selections.

late afternoon rays, wispy-clouded blue skies, and salt air at Ocean Beach

It’s easy to say that the best meal of the weekend for me was at Incanto, the restaurant of Mark Pastore and that offal guy, Chris Cosentino. For some odd reason I expected dinner to be a Zimmern Bourdain-ish type of experience, with a series of dares on who would be brave enough to eat what, but Incanto was surprisingly not like that at all. Yes, there are a handful of dishes that exemplify the head-to-tail cooking that Cosentino is famous for, but take away the hype and our American unfamiliarity to the less-often used parts and what you are left with is just simple hearty Italian fare, and well executed I might add.

Stand outs? Just about everything we sampled. The pig’s blood pappardelle with pig’s trotters and foie gras was rich, unctuous, and so over the top. The ‘best parts of the chicken’ risotto was studded with chicken hearts and liver, and tiled with crispy shards of skin. The pork belly was as decadent as pork belly usually is, the accompanying salad of shaved Buddha’s hand deftly cutting the richness of the fat. The pomegranate-glazed poussin with cippolini & treviso drew unanimous raves, and had us pulling out our smartphones to find the recipe which was featured on the Martha Stewart show. I could go on and on about the other dishes, but why bother. Go check them out for yourself.

On our last morning we had a down home breakfast at the lovely Brenda’s before checking out exhibits at SFMOMA. “How Wine Became Modern“, “Exposed: Voyeurism, Surveillance, and the Camera Since 1870“, and “Henri Cartier-Bresson: The Modern Century” are still showing and definitely worth seeing if you’re in town.

Our last dinner in town was at the nationally-recognized and the much talked about Flour + Water; get this, another Italian meal for us in the Mission. Our stumbling economy and typically slow Monday nights have no bearing on this place. We arrived 30 minutes before opening and a line was already forming; within 20 minutes of opening the doors almost all seats had been accounted for. The place was packed. We secured some seats at the communal table up front and met another new friend for night of good food, wine, and conversation (and surrendered my camera after a few quick shots). After a marathon weekend of consumption my memory, tastebuds, and stomach were a little worse for wear; everything I tasted was delicious but I don’t have much to add beyond that. I think I need another vacation.

If there’s one thing I never tire of when visiting the city, it’s the ferry building. I have to go every single time. It’s one of those few places that fall under the must-go-or-i’ll-whine category. I’m not sure most people I know understand this fascination, but at least Gordon indulges me when I’m in town. (Thanks Gordon!) If you love food though, it’s really not that surprising. This place has it all. Awesome food vendors, amazing produce and foodstuffs, a breathtaking waterfront location… and I’m only talking about the outside farmers’ market! Inside the beautifully restored building (dating back to 1898) are some fabulous restaurants, eateries, and more purveyors of fine goods. Of course there’s also the photo geek side of me that sees eye candy and photo ops everywhere. All in all, this place is like my version of Disneyland.

So rather than bore you with details of what we saw, ate, and did, let me take you on a little photo tour of our afternoon.

colors of fall

I just love the intricate details of the building, and all the natural light that floods the marketplace

closeup of the steel frame structure

beautiful stuff to be found at the market, and Gordon being goofy as usual

couldn't help but stalk this apple stand. the apples in their rustic boxes were so photogenic!

the angry skies took a break just for us

freshly shucked slurpees (oysters) by the water, what's not to like?

George, who graciously allowed me to take his portrait. Thanks George!

snack time: 4505 Meats; Zilladog (hotdog + kimchi + chicharrones); 4505 burger; more chicharrones

onto more from Hog Island, this time at the restaurant.

Hog Island's heavenly clam chowder and grilled cheese

not too shabby of an afternoon

I’m sure if I lived up here I wouldn’t have the same fervor about the ferry building; but since I don’t, I’ll just pretend that it’s the happiest place on earth.

A couple of weeks ago we took a quick trip to San Francisco to visit my good friend Gordon for a few days. Who knew that a weekend of eating, hanging out, and eating some more could yield so many good memories (and yes, tons of photos). I’m going to have to split it up into several posts, so here are some of the highlights from the first couple of meals.

Our first evening in the sopping-wet city, we headed out to Contigo, a little tapas restaurant in Noe Valley.

Highlights were definitely the queso fresco, lomo iberico, patatas bravas, and churros con chocolate, though I have to admit that most of our enthusiasm for the food was tempered by a ridiculously long 45 minute wait past our reservation, since the party occupying our table were in no hurry to leave. Bad, bad Contigo.

After an endless downpour throughout the night, we were gifted the next morning with beautiful, sunny skies! Time for some breakfast.

Gordon took us to Dynamo in the Mission for some doughnuts. With about a dozen flavors to choose from, the crowd favorite was the maple glazed bacon apple. Um.. bacon, need I explain more? (We also got a passionfruit milk chocolate for good measure.)

With a box of doughnuts in hand, we made a quick jaunt to Philz. Though I’ve had their coffee (beans) before, Gordon assures me that I need to try their made-to-order poured coffee.

Philz has a real bohemian vibe. No test tubes, beakers, La Marzoccos, or Clovers here. Just straight-up, handmade drip coffee. Now that’s love in a cup!

A steaming cup of Jacob’s blend + maple glaze bacon.. this is killing me. I really shouldn’t write these posts late at night.

Next up, off to the Ferry Building!

Over the summer I finally made it out to the much lauded Santa Monica Farmers’ Market. While the market lives up to its reputation for having some of the best produce and artisanal food stuffs in Southern California (a popular stop for LA chefs), I found it somewhat lacking in the instant gratification department: not enough food stalls! Ogling over eye-poppingly fresh fruit and veggies does work up quite an appetite, so when we came across Carlsbad Aquafarm’s little stand selling freshly shucked oysters, we figured it would be the perfect snack to tie us over till sitting down somewhere for lunch. A half dozen to test the waters disappeared within a few lip-smacking slurps, and we were soon back for another round. Though they traveled a 100 miles north from sleepy Carlsbad that morning, I think it would be safe to say that they were the freshest, tastiest oysters to be found anywhere in Los Angeles.

These sweet, briny mollusks eventually drew us to the Hollywood Farmers’ Market, where Carlsbad Aquafarm sets up on Sundays. the HFM instantly became our favorite; it still had a great line-up of vendors (some of the same from the SMFM), more food options, and it’s less crowded to boot! Getting a dozen of these babies on the half shell became a market ritual, along with a few pints of Carmela’s excellent ice cream (to take home of course), and some delicious and cheap pupusas salvadorenas from Delmy’s.

This past weekend we arrived early enough to the HFM to make sure there were plenty of oysters to go around (note to late risers like me, sometimes they sell out before 11:30 or so). Unfortunately the market ‘police’ had made their rounds, someone had forgotten their permit, and no shucked oysters were to be had at Carlsbad Aquafarm’s stand. Not much arm-twisting was needed to grab some to take home, and at $10/dozen it’s quite possibly the steal of the century.

Not wanting to feel like absolute gluttons after grazing at the market, we arrived home with a mere dozen of Carlsbad Blondes. The shells were immaculate; not a barnacle, spot of mud, or critter to be found, which speaks volumes about the detail and attention paid to the farming of these oysters. If my memory serves me correctly, the oysters go through a finishing process in filtered or purified sea water to remove any silt, grit, or nasty stuff. Which leaves you with an unadulterated taste of the sea.

My only other experience with shucking oysters involved a very filthy bag of razor-sharp oysters and a questionable borrowed knife at a oyster farm in Tomales Bay (just north of San Francisco). Needless to say, getting those things opened safely and cleanly was not an easy affair. Luckily, working with these oysters was quite the opposite. A quick but gentle easing of the knife (I don’t have a shucking knife, but a butter knife works well enough) into the hinged end, and the lid pops open. Running the knife between the lid and oyster removes the hold of the abductor muscle, and the lid is released to reveal the beautifully plump flesh below. Another quick movement of the knife under the oyster dislodges it completely from the shell; left to rest in a bath of crisp, clear brine.

behold, the mighty (and delicious) oyster

These blondes beg for no more than a scant squeeze of lemon. Mild, sweet, with a splash of the sea. Paired with a crisp beer or cold bubbly, it doesn’t get much better than this. If you’re anywhere near the Hollywood or Santa Monica Farmers’ Market, or even better yet Carlsbad, go get a few dozen these (and the other varieties they also raise). You won’t be disappointed.

As promised, the second half of my assignment for Riviera Magazine, and below, another excerpt from Miles:

“Northern Vietnam has produced a number of the country’s most iconic dishes, including pho, which is nearing total assimilation into the American appetite. Vien Dong is no less canonical. The restaurant has for decades been a Little Saigon staple, gleaming and spacious with musical instruments fastened to the walls and a fish tank casting a cool blue glow toward the door.

Start with cha gio, egg rolls fried until their rice-paper skins blister with beautiful little bubbles. Then go to work on the bun cha ha noi, a deconstructed noodle bowl assembled at the table. Wriggle free a few noodles, prune the herbs—cilantro, perilla and the like—and top it all with charred pork submerged in sweetened fish sauce. Bun rieu is a noodle soup of the sea, a mildly sour tomato-based broth swimming with crab, shrimp and, optionally, periwinkle snails.”

Find the rest here.

bún chả ha noi (rice vermicelli noodles with grilled pork patties)

bún riêu oc (tomato noodle soup with crab and periwinkle snails)

chả giò (egg rolls with minced pork)

bánh bèo (steamed rice cakes with chopped shrimp, fried shallots, and scallion)

goi bap chuoi hen (manila clam salad with shredded banana blossom)

perks of restaurant food photography, sampling the dishes.

bánh khọt (coconut pancake cups with shrimp and mung bean)

nem nướng cuốn (rice paper rolls with grilled pork patties)

Recently I had the pleasure of working with my friend Miles Clements on a piece for Riviera Magazine: a roundup of Little Saigon restaurants representing regional fare from Northern, Central, and Southern Vietnam. If you know me, I have an ongoing love affair with Vietnamese food, so this assignment was right up my alley. Lucky me.

Miles wanted to cover a couple of restaurants from each of the three regions; half of them were very familiar to me, the others were places I had yet to try. I had to schedule and shoot six restaurants in under a week, and though it was a bit hectic, I had an awesome time meeting the all the wonderful people behind the food. Unfortunately the article was only two pages long, so I’m going to share some of the photos that ended up on the cutting room floor. These are from the first three I shot, the remaining will come in another post.

from Miles:

“Vietnam’s regional cuisines are universes in themselves, each born of a unique culinary cosmology and each requiring separate exploration. The south celebrates seafood harvested from the Mekong River’s muddy tributaries as well as its abundance of tropical fruits — alien things armored in dull spikes and fleshy tendrils. Up the central coast, soups are slicked with chile oil, and rice flour is transformed into supple dumplings and diaphanous crepes. Noodles are ubiquitous in the north, pan-fried into beef-soaked sheets and steeped in heady chicken and crab broths.

Within Orange County’s Little Saigon (with its three story strip malls and mom-and-pop kitchens) are those very dishes. Restaurants here often specialize in regional cooking, like embassies of southern, central and northern Vietnamese flavors.”

Read the rest of Miles’ story here.

chef/owner Haley Nguyen; canh chua (sour soup); the lovely interior adorned with vintage b&w photos from Vietnam; my favorite, ca kho to (braised fish in a black pepper caramel sauce)

canh ca thi la (fish soup with tomatoes and dill)

in the kitchen; house special cha ca thang long (grilled turmeric catfish with dill and onion)

banh tom (fried sweet potato with shrimp)

banh it kep banh ram (glutinous rice cakes); bun bo hue (beef noodle soup); combo #13 - banh beo, bah bot loc, banh nam

mi quang (dry egg noodles with pork, shrimp, and fishcake)

Ever since receiving the Big Sur Bakery Cookbook earlier this year, I’ve been eager to visit this curious little place, a restaurant and bakery that somehow survives in the rugged and unforgiving climate of the Central Coast. In their book, owners Philip and Michelle Wojtowicz and Michael Gilson chronicle a year in the life of their restaurant; it’s filled with stunningly beautiful photographs, seasonal recipes, charming stories and personal accounts, inspirational profiles of the purveyors, farmers, and local characters the bakery couldn’t exist without. Flipping through the pages, it’s hard not to fall in love with with the romantic notion of work and life in this idyllic remote region.

Oh yeah, the bakery was going to be a mandatory stop during this summer’s Big Sur camping trip. Hell, you could even say the camping was planned around a visit to the bakery. Anyways, we made the leisurely drive up Highway 1 on day 3; a bit smoky, scruffy, and definitely hungry.

The address simply says Highway 1, Big Sur, CA 93920. You’d think it would be hard to miss but let the awe of the surroundings distract you as it does on the drive there and you might just pass it up.

You can order coffee, pastries, and goodies from the bakery, or take a seat for brunch (and even dinner). There’s a beautiful patio outside, and if the weather cooperates as it did on our visit, that’s definitely the place to be.

As far as the food, I’ll let the photos do the talking.

cap and cookies

nine grain cast iron pancake; cafe mocha

wood-fired bacon & 3 egg breakfast pizza

grilled gruyere and ham, mixed greens, and steak fries

biscuit with blackberries and whipped cream

We had a nice lazy brunch, stuffing ourselves silly with caffeine and carbs. Definitely a welcomed break from cooking, cleaning, and feeling all scrubby and greasy at the campsite; but who says you always have to ‘rough’ it?

And I leave you with another shot of the coast, just because I couldn’t take enough of these.. bye bye, Big Sur!