Our hotel is just a few blocks from the harbor where there are lots of little shops,boutiques, restaurants and bars and not a chain in sight!  I started walking around 0930 in the morning so businesses were not quite open.  I just enjoyed the glorious temperature somewhere in the 70’s!  I found the place that I wanted to eat that Tammy had mentioned to me (Ya’ll know my friend, Tammy, don’t ya?)  Anyway, it’s called “The Olive Cafe” and it’s mediterranean food, of course.  I chose fish tacos because I wanted some good seafood and they were delish!  They came with sweet potato fries and a little ramekin of homemade salsa and you could choose between blackened or pan-seared.  I chose blackened, at the server’s suggestion.  She told me the restaurant has been opened about a year and a half and everthing is made from scratch there.   There was another place called “”The Farmer’s Table”  that looked interesting with local and organic foods.

Now, I’m really excited about this store that I found!  It’s called LeRoux Kitchen and they have all kinds of cookware, specialty  foods and wine.  They also have locally produced olive oils and vinegars that you can taste!  My favorite was Summer Peach White Balsamic that can be added to salads, vegetables or used as a topping on apples,peaches or pears.  I also chose the Dark Chocolate Balsamic which can be added to sweet or savory dishes.  It can be used in a mole sauce for chicken or pork.  I also bought a Spanish Castile olive oil and some Maine sea salt.  I was a kid in a candy store!

I also found a nice consignment store on Exchange Street called “Second Time Around”.  It was very nicely organized and lots of merchandise but I  didn’t see anything this time that I needed.  I would go back, though.

What a nice treat in the middle of the summer to be in a city that’s not 100 degrees.  Hope I get this trip again!

The next morning we woke up and headed to the gym.  What a way to start the new year!  It was kind of dreary and cold outside but we wanted to walk around downtown Norfolk and see what there was to do.  It was quiet because is was New Year’s day but we found the mall open and ate lunch at California Pizza Kitchen.  It goes against my grain to eat at a chain restaurant in another city but the independent places were closed.  It does seem to be a nice mall and they have a movie theater so for future reference, it’s a good layover.

Keoni had done some research and found a wine bar on Granby Street called Trilogy.  It’s in a historic building and has a nice wine list and menu.   We sat at the bar and enjoyed a couple glasses of wine but their kitchen was depleted from the previous night (New Year’s Eve).  The owner recommended a place just down the street called Empire that serves tapas.  This is just what we wanted.  We shared three tapas, seared asparagus w/cracked pepper and whole grain mustard, panko fried chicken w/ waffles and sweet soy and  a goat cheese and olive tapenade with grilled bread.  All were delicious!  I also noticed that they have half price bottles of wine on Monday from 5pm to 9pm.

If you’re going to be in Norfolk, Jan 24th thru 31st, they’re having restaurant week and lots of places are offering a fixed price menu for $20 to $30 for a 3 course meal.

I got out and about around 8:30 in the morning and started walking towards China Town, we stay on Van Ness, kind of in the Nob Hill district.  I walked all the way through China Town to North Beach (Italian section).  A famous place is The Stinking Rose but it’s touristy.  A few doors down from that is Franchino’s Italian Restaurant and it is the real deal for Northern Italian.  It’s family owned and operated and the service is so friendly!  I didn’t eat there this time but I’ve been there lots of times and always enjoy it.

I’ve been using lots of proscuitto lately and I wanted to find an Italian market to shop.  I found the perfect one in Molinari Delicattessan at 373 Columbus Ave and opened since 1896! It was Christmastime in July for me.  All kinds of cheeses, meats, artichoke hearts and sauces.  They also stock Italian wines.  I bought proscuitto, fresh mozzarella, marinated white beans and crusty bread

On the way back, I just had to stop at one of my favorites, Uncle Vito’s on the corner of Bush and Powell.  I found this place while on a trip with my parents years ago.  I’ve gone back so many times and taken friends and everyone loves the pizza and the greek salad and it’s very reasonable!

Another place to shop for specialty food items and wine is Spencer and Daniels on Polk Street.  They have great prices on wine and mustards and sauces and such from wineries in Napa or Sonoma.

I ended my eventful layover with a very cheap manicure, pedicure and eyebrow wax for only $27.00!  Those same services cost me $50.00 and my place here in Marietta!

This is a great walking city with lots of restaurants, bars, movie theaters and a couple of musuems.  I chose the art musuem instead of the technolgy one.  They had a special exhibit of an artist named Todd Schorr whose style is considered American surreal.  It was very interesting, although not my personal taste in art.

I wanted to try a local restaurant and signs led me to Don Pedros Authentic Mexican Restaurant at 43 Post Street.  It seemed to be pretty much a “hole in the wall” place.  Very old looking, almost like an old diner but there were already a good amount of customers at 11:15 so I thought, why not?  I was pleasantly surprised.   I got a lunch taco carnitas with beans and rice.  It was full of deliciously seasoned pork carnitas, pico di gallo and cilantro.  The beans were good and the rice was average but the salsa was nice and hot!

Later on in the day, I met up with some of the crew members at a favorite, McCormick and Schmicks for the wonderful happy hour.  They have a special bar menu that ranges from $1.95 to $4.95 and everything I’ve had has been good.  The drink prices are not cheap but they do have a nice wine selection and the service has always been good at any of the locations.

If I have this layover again, I would be tempted to rent a car and go to some wineries or Santa Cruz (a beach town).  I read that J Lohr has a winery and tasting room minutes from downtown San Jose.  If not, I could still find lots of adventure on foot.

There are three independent type movie theaters in that area.  I went to see “Easy Virtue” with Jessica Biel and Colin Firth.  It was a comedy based on a Noel Coward play that takes place in the 1920’s in England.  Jessica was the “ugly” American who stole the heart of a wealthy British family.  The mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) and sisters don’t like her but Dad(Colin) does!  It was really cute.

I strolled around looking for a good restaurant to try.  I found FARMiCiA at 15 South 3rd Street.  Their menu had a lot of fresh and healthy items.  The decor was colorful with a Granny Smith apple as a centerpiece on the tables.

They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.  I went early because my pick up from the hotel was 0400 in the morning!  I chose an appetizer of three spreads consisting of tapenade, white bean hummus and artichoke pesto.  All this came with a huge amount of delicious french bread.  I couldn’t eat it all so I packed it to go because I wanted to try the French Lentil Salad.  This was topped with baked goat cheese and served with mixed greens and a sherry dressing.  Fabulous!

There were many other things I wanted to try like chicken enchiladas with chipotle crema and mild salsa verde and the Grilled Tuna with greens, tomatoes and tapenade. 

The best part is the Happy Hour from 5-7 pm Tues-Fri.  They have half-priced drinks including beer, cocktails and wine!  They are closed on Mondays.

I had a layover in Houston (downtown) and a pilot told me about this place.  They have a wonderful deli in the back and will let you taste anything there.  They have lots of ethnic sauces and chutneys and such.  They also have all kinds of cheeses from all over the world.

I was like a kid in a candy store, taking my time walking down all the aisles espcially the wine section.  They have a great selection and good prices.  I was really impressed with the employees, they were so helpful and friendly.

This place is worth checking out if you’re in the Houston area!

I then went back to Pestos ( the Italian-Persian place) and they only serve Persian on Friday nights and all day Saturday.  They did have a chicken kebab available so I got that and a Greek salad.  Both were very good and cheap!  The Greek salad was especially good with lots of mixed greens and the dressing was delicious!

We do have some Ethiopian restaurants here in Atlanta so I’ll make a point to go and be sure report back!

Our only agenda was to spend time together so we didn’t have a plan. We did go to the gym and worked out. ( I know, can you believe it? …about Keoni, I meant!!) We went to lunch at The Lucky Strike, which is the restaurant I’ve talked about before with the bowling alley in the back. We shared three midi burgers and onion rings. You can choose several variations of burgers. We chose a tuna burger, turkey burger and a buffalo chicken burger with bleu cheese. I know it’s a strange combo but they were good.

We walked around downtown Louisville, went to Borders then we went to a wig shop and I tried on wigs! Don’t ask why, I just got a wild hair!! I didn’t buy one, I looked ridiculous in every one I tried on.

We went to a place called Pestos, which is off the beaten path on 5th and Chestnut. It is an Italian/Persian restaurant. Another strange combo. We both got kebabs with chicken and beef served with basmati saffron rice and grilled tomatoes. I got a salad with chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, parsley and a lemon and olive oil dressing. It was all delicious. They brought a plate of feta cheese, parsley, green onions and radishes with pita bread for an appetizer. I had a glass of wine and Keoni had a beer and the meal was about $43.00 without tip so pretty reasonable especially since there was so much food!

The next place we were interested in was a bar called Howl at the Moon. They have dualing piano players on stage and have lots of fun and are very interactive with the audience. It was so much fun because they play songs that everyone knows and you can sing along. Unfortunately, I had a 0540 pickup the next day so we left around 930 pm. We did have a lot of fun and hope we can do more trips like this!

Pestos

Lucky Strike

Howl at the moon

Pestos

I got there about 5:30 pm because I had to go to bed early because I had a very early pickup the next day.  I sat in the bar and my server, Corey was very good.  She told me that bottles of wine and champagne were half price. (Monday nights)  But since I was by myself I just had a glass.  (You can recork it and take it with you, though).  I had a glass of Santa Pietra Merlot and it was delicious!  My dinner choice was difficult because I’m trying not to eat much cheese and I’m in an Italian restaurant!  I decided on Portabello Ravioli which is oyster, shitake and crimin mushrooms with a mushroom puree’.  It was also delicious, I savored every bite!