"When One Door Closes..."...there's so much more to see, do, and eat!:: day 1 of my adventures ::

The days of my youth come back to me when I think of those two lovely words: Summer Vacation. It's been years since I've had one, and I'm welcoming this almost novel idea with open arms and a hungry appetite.

I celebrated my last day of work with great Strawberry Passion from Cold Stone Creamery - layers of moist red velvet cake and strawberry ice cream (one of my favorites!) with graham cracker crust and strawberry puree, covered in a fluffy strawberry frosting. As a token of appreciation, I also received some heartfelt notes from colleagues I will miss dearly and great gear for the upcoming football season.

So with the end of one chapter of my life and a newfound sense of possibility, I know I'm ready for what lies ahead.



The next day, MS and I took to the open road and drove our way up to Northern California, taking the scenic 101 and 1 routes.

On road trips, it's great to talk story and listen to some good tunes on the iPod - we had our KOST 103.5 playlist. As we drove up the coast, MS fondly reminisced of his family camping trips to Pismo Beach State Park, digging up clams, and eating them on the beach. So we stopped at Pismo Beach for lunch to check out the clams.



After a quick dig on the beach and chat with the PB lifeguards, we sadly concluded that there were no clams to be found that day.



Hungry, we stopped in one of the first restaurants we came across - Two Blocks Off the Beach. After a quick rundown of the menu, I knew I wanted the Tri-tip Green Salad with Peanut-Cilantro Dressing [$11.50 - extra sauce is more]. The salad was everything I hoped it would be - crisp and fresh leaves mixed with a creamy dressing that tasted more like BBQ sauce than peanuts or cilantro, and a medium cooked tri-tip that was soft, moist, and well seasoned.

We finished lunch with some sweet strawberries bought from the side of the road. Plenty of fruit stands along the central California coast, we chose one close to Pismo Beach.

Along the way, we made a few stops to check out the scenary:


Pelicans playing in the wind


Windsurfers playing in the wind, taken from the car


Sailboats in Monterey Bay

After a full day of driving along the windy curvy California coast, we drove into Monterey Bay just in time for dinner on the Fishermen's Wharf.



A stroll down the strip, we decided to get some Steamed Clams in garlic, parsley and white wine at John Pinto's casual Italian seafood restaurant, Domenico's on the Wharf. After our disappointing clam dig at Pismo Beach, we figured we'd order some clams while we were there, and they were deliciously fresh. We also started with their Fried Oysters that were an appetizer on their daily specials' menu. Normally, I'd pass on oysters but give them to me fried, and I'm a happy eater. These were a lot more moist and tasted a lot more like raw oysters than I was used to, but with a douse of lemon and some tartar sauce, they were absolutely delicious. They were one of MS' favorites.



I also ordered the Sea Scallops with Fettuccine [$21.95 for dinner] that were pan-seared and served with wild, fleshy mushrooms, freshly grated parmesan cheese, cream and nutmeg. The scallops were soft and juicy with just the right amount of meaty firmness. The sauce was definitely mild to the palette. So with a dash of salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon, the pasta tasted much better with a bit more flavor.

With night nearly upon us as we finished our meal, we drove another few hours to reach our final destination for the day - Napa Valley. And it was well past our bedtimes.

And although I absolutely love Los Angeles, it's always good to get out of the city and back in touch with the open road.

My adventure continues...

Two Blocks Off the Beach
street: 791 dulliver | pismo beach, ca 93449
tel: 1.805.773.0332
web: www.twoblocksoffthebeach.com

John Pisto's Domenico's on the Wharf
street: 50 fishermans wharf #1 | monterey, ca 93940
tel: 1.831.372.3655
web: www.restauranteur.com/domenicos