Carlsbad

We had a great brunch at Americano in the Hotel Vitale in July. The menu was very interesting and the execution was well done. It's quiet during the morning hours, but I wouldn't go anytime after 3:00 p.m., unless you are young and single. I remember having quite a few good breakfasts at the Buena Vista, but that was a long time ago. Maybe it was the Irish Coffees that made it.

When I think of small and intimate, I think of Les Ormes.

[sigh] Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, we walked into Harry's... (apologies to Humphrey Bogart) Harry's Bar. Home of the Bellini. And carpaccio. In Venice, which is icing on the cake. Romance, history, cocktails... Oh wait, What I really mean is: pre-built martinis (which I think were straight gin) in tiny tumblers that were pre-poured and stored in a freezer drawer. No mixology, no flair, no vermouth (as far as I could tell), no garnish. Certainly no bitters. Worst. Martini. Ever. Even Hotel Button, where I couldn't convey even the basic concept, was better than this, because at least they were trying to get me what we wanted. Harry's -- fun as it was *despite* the "cocktails" and the price, simply because it was in Venice and I was there with my ever-so-lovely wife -- was really among the most-disappointing of the bars we've visited. Oh well. It was still fun! ← I believe what you drank was a Montgomery, which is Harry's standard version of a dry martini. It was supposedly named by Hemingway, who liked his martinis with a 15 to 1 ratio and claimed the British general would only fight if his troops outnumbered the adversary by 15 to 1. I think Harry's now makes them 10 to 1, premixed with no ice, poured into the glass and then put in the freezer on trays. The fact that the drink isn't shaken or stirred with ice makes it fundamentally different, and not as good in my opinion. The Bellinis are worth trying and I'm sure they would mix you a more conventional martini if you ask. As an aside, at the Hemingway Bar in the Ritz Hotel in Paris, Colin Field has a somewhat similar drink he calls the Picasso Martini, which is gin pre-chilled to below zero temperature, poured into a cold glass, into which he drops a small iced cube of Noilly Pratt vermouth that has been slightly diluted with water just before serving. The idea is that you take the cube out when the desired ratio of gin to vermouth is reached as the cube melts.

You might take a look at the Lido Restaurant at the Dolphin Bay Hotel in Shell Beach. We had a very nice dinner there in July. The menu was full of interesting things and most dishes were available in small or large plates. They also had an interesting wine list. Lido Restaurant.

I would second The Wine Cask.

In San Diego, Dizzy's presents some excellent jazz in a sort of 1960's coffee house atmosphere. They don't serve booze, but it's close to the gaslamp watering holes, and you can buy a ticket an hour ahead, reserve your seat, and go have a drink before the show.

We had a very nice dinner at Villa Creek in July. The menu had some interesting things on it, the food was fresh and well-prepared, and the service was enthusiatic. The wine list had some good local choices. We ate on the pretty patio, but the inside was very pleasant as well.

As an occasional visitor to Paris, I have a different viewpoint. We almost always have a light lunch either at a cafe or a picnic/eat at the apt., and big dinner because dinner is the primary entertainment for the night. If you have house wine and stick to the good relatively inexpensive places, you can stay within your budget even at dinner. In addition to the places already mentioned (and I would second Le Troquet), I would put in a word for Le Clos Des Gourmets, 16 Ave Rapp, in the 7th. The last time I was there, the 3 course lunch was 29E and the 3 course dinner was 33E. It seems like it should cost more for the quality and the surroundings.

Thanks for the great report.

I've eaten there twice, the last time two years ago, and enjoyed it very much both times. If you are up to eating a lot, the degustation menu is a good way to go. If not, discuss what you like with Madame Constant or the captain, and they will help you decide.

I've always enjoyed La Gran Tapa.

Near the Louvre, A Casaluna, 6 rue de Beaujolais (the small street that borders the Palais Royal) has very good Corsican food at very gentle prices, and is a good lunch spot. Just around the corner, Aux Trois Oliviers, 37 bis rue Montpensier, has good provencal good and a very fun atmosphere. Elsewhere, wine bars you might look at are Sancerre, 22 Ave. Rapp in the 7th; Bar du Caveau 17 Place Dauphine in 1st (sit outside on the square) and its neighbor, Taverne Henri IV, 3 Place du Pont-Neuf; Les Pipos, 2 Rue de l'Ecole Polytechnique in the 5th; and Le Café du Passage, 12 rue du Charonne in the 11th.

It's deja vu all over again. Exactly what we heard in California. The next thing will be that the bars can't survive. Or the restaurants.

Two places I would look at are Laurel and Mr. A's. Laurel is a younger, hipper place, and Mr. A's more formal. They both have websites.

I've been trying to stay out of this, but here I am again. rjwong has made some good points. I'd do everything on the west side on Saturday and Sunday. Spago makes sense to me on Saturday night. Maybe lighten it up a little and stay closer to Pasadena on Monday. On Tuesday, if you don't feel like driving up the 101, I would drive to the Burbank airport (don't they call it Bob Hope now?), dump the car, and fly up to San Jose. Even with the current airport hassles, you are going to save a lot of time and you aren't missing anything by not driving up the I-5. You can be in San Jose by noon, and find something to do until Manresa.

To get the other two, think bank and university. There used to be a French restaurant in the Huntington that had a bar with leopard skin banquettes and a piano player in a tux with slicked back hair, playing Cole Porter. It was an interesting place, but I can't remember the name.

You've decided to stay a month?

Take a look at Piperade and Bocadillos, and if you don't mind traveling to Berkeley, Cesar. If it doesn't have to be Spanish, maybe Chez Nous and you might even like Incanto, which I thought was terrific a few weeks ago.

Are you committed to driving to LA? Maybe it's because I live in Southern California, but the drive is a whole lot more interesting to me going up to the Bay Area, than to LA. Between Palo Alto and and LA, the places of interest would seem to be Santa Cruz (too close to Palo Alto), Carmel/Monterey, the stretch of Highway 1 south of Carmel, the area around Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo (wineries but little else and hot in the summer), Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara, and LA. Of those, I would pick Carmel, Highway 1, Pismo Beach, and Santa Barbara. It seems to me it's a whole lot more interesting going north from Palo Alto. We just returned from the Mendocino coast, and it was a perfect honeymoon place. How about Napa Valley? Sonoma? Just a thought.

One final thought. If you want to avoid the long drive altogether, you could always fly from Burbank to San Jose. Southwest has flights for about $100 every couple hours and the trip is only about an hour.

Further thoughts on logistics: According to Mapquest, it would take about 6 hours 25 minutes to drive up 101 from Pasadena to Los Gatos, and 5 hours 18 minutes via I-5. Having just driven up 101 a few weeks ago, I found their estimates to be just about right on or even a little conservative for driving time if you avoid the really bad traffic times. Driving up I-5 is a total waste of time, while the scenery is interesting on 101 even without stops. IMHO, saving an hour isn't worth it. If you can drive up part way on Monday, it would leave less driving the next day to Los Gatos. If you want to leave Pasadena Tuesday morning, you should try to leave by 6:00 a.m., which would allow you to avoid a lot of the morning traffic. Once you clear the 101/405 interchange, it should be pretty clear. After visiting Stanford, I would hop on the 280 right into the city. It's a very scenic drive and much nicer and quicker than the 101. With a 6:30 pm reservation, you can take BART to Berkeley, and if you go early, you can check out the campus before dinner.

It's an ambitious schedule, but a good one. I think you should have one dinner in San Francisco, so if TFL falls through, I would have dinner at one of your choices there. We just had a great dinner at Incanto, which would save your dad a whole lot of money over TFL. Lunch at Tadich Grill wouldn't be bad either- it has a real old-time SF feel. I love Fleur de Lys and La Folie, but you might like Gary Danko better is you want something more upscale. Hard to go wrong with that list. I wouldn't even think about changing Chez Panisse though. As far as In-n-Out, keep in mind we are talking fast food burgers, but they are fast and good and cheap. Personally, I think the pickles overwhelm everything in the animal style burgers, so I just get them with grilled onions. And to be honest, their fries pretty much suck. Another vote for Cal over the Trees, or whatever they call themselves now. (I was going to give my class, but then everyone would know how really old I am.) Finally, from Pasadena to Los Gatos, it's about 6 hours if you stay on 101 and traffic isn't bad. If you venture over on Highway 1 for parts of it, it can take a lot longer. If you get out of town early Tuesday or have dinner north of LA Monday night, it would be better.

Oh, brother......

Most of the places in and around Carlsbad have already been mentioned, but I'll throw my two cents worth in. Vigilucci's has expanded to several locations, including two in Carlsbad. The newer one emphasizes steak and seafood and is a little more upscale, and has a nice sunset view over a peek of the ocean. It's just south of the Carlsbad Village area on Carlsbad Blvd. (Coast Highway) and Tamarack. On Sate Street, in the Carlsbad Village is the other location, which is less expensive. I would recommend any of the locations. I also heartily recommend Le Passage on State Street in the Village for an intimate French meal. Bellefleur may be the place you heard about for jazz and mussels, although I'm not sure they still have the jazz going. It is located in the outlet mall near the flower fields. Across the street in the fairly new King's Seafood House, which is part of a chain but it has good seafood. In the La Costa area of Carlsbad, Tuscany has good Italian food in a nice setting. The last time I was there, they had a booming happy hour early in the evening, but things quieted down a little later. By the way, there is a nice little wine shop across El Camino Real from there, just north of Tuscany. The La Costa Resort has been completely redone, and I haven't been there since it was completed. The Four Seasons Aviara has an excellent up-scale Italian restaurant called Vivaci. The current chef was formerly at Babbo in New York. As you might expect, it's expensive. In Encinitas, I like Savory a lot, and it might be the kind of place you are looking for. I have also had good lunches and dinners at Meritage. In La Jolla, my favorites are George's, the Marine Room, and Tapenade. The rooftop of George's on a nice day is much less expensive and the food is great for what it is. You might get good days for lunch there, even in January.

I think Honkman got it exactly right: Tapenade, George's, 9-10, Marine Room. (I haven't been to Jack's yet.) All but the Marine Room are walking distance, and it is a short cab ride away. 9-10 is in your hotel in fact. Tapenade is a bit of a walk away, but worth it. The informal rooftop at George's is one of my favorite spots on a nice day or night. I think all of them are vegetarian friendly andl would work with you. Hopefully, the weather will cool off before you get here.