Quick Weekend Getaway: Part 3

In yesterday's entry, I forgot to mention that we went to a hotel bar for a quick drink after going to 230 Forest. It was the lounge area of the Hotel Laguna, and though there was a big group of cheesy wedding goers singing Barry Manilow songs, it was quite nice and we enjoyed our wine. There was a nice patio as well, with an ocean view and strong heat lamps. That's me, enjoying the view.

What? I can't show my face...this is a food blog!

The next day, we ventured out further into Dana Point for breakfast. Janet recalled passing by a "cute little place" that may serve breakfast, so we stopped there. It was Bonjour Cafe & Bistro, and it was, in fact, quite cute and they did, in fact, serve breakfast. The menu was exactly what I look for in a brunch menu: lots of interesting egg dishes, some delectable sweet and bready things plus a good variety of sides.

Bonjour! Breakfast wee wee!

Janet started with a cappuccino, which looked frothy and rich (she said it was great), and I got my usual decaf coffee. I know, DECAF? I gave up caffeine over 3 years ago and it just works for me. My rule is, no caffeine unless there's alcohol in it. In any case, the decaf was smooth and full-bodied, so I was happy.

For my breakfast, I ordered the Les Oeufs Poches Formidables with Scottish smoked salmon. Basically it's two pieces of toasted country bread with pesto spread, topped with poached eggs and the meat or fish of your choices (smoked ham or salmon). It also comes with tomato concasse in basil dressing and either a salad or potatoes. I chose the salad. For me, this is the perfect breakfast because a) I can and will eat poached eggs in and on everything/anything; 2) Toasted. Country. Bread. Say no more.; 3) Smoked salmon is one of my favorite types of fish. The dish was everything I wanted and more; the tomato concasse was like a salsa, but made with basil instead of cilantro and jalapeno. Delicious.

Janet got the Les Oeufs Broullies au Saumon Fume. That would be toasted brioche bread topped with two scrambled eggs, Scottish smoked salmon, onions, freshly chopped chives and Swiss cheese. She gave her breakfast two thumbs up, and it looked very appetizing from where I was sitting.

The service was a bit French (by that I mean slow and easy, like Sunday morning), but it was a Sunday morning and we were not in any hurry so it worked for us. And the food was excellent, as was the bread in their bread basket (which we devoured before I had a chance to take a pic, sorry!). The atmosphere was cozy and quaint, with patrons leisurely sipping coffee and reading the paper. I love places like this.

We had a half hour to kill before my Amtrak was to arrive, so we drove to the San Juan Capistrano station and walked around the little historical streets next to the station. There are a few adobe houses, plus a slew of cute little businesses (petting zoo, hair salon, cafes) in the area so it was a nice little walk before heading back up to LA.

Janet in the San Juan "jail" by the train station

Signage pointing to all the sights of San Juan, cute!

All in all it was a very relaxing and easy trip, one that I will do again someday soon.

Quick Weekend Getaway: Part 2

After picking me up from the San Juan Capistrano station, my friend Janet (we have known each other since we were 8 years old) took me to her gated apartment community in Dana Point. Is it me, or is the entire O.C. area gated communities? The interesting thing is that there's really no danger in these areas in the first place; everything is super clean and new and yuppie-centric. So why the need for all those gates?

Maybe to keep crazy dogs like Sassy away from the world at large. Just kidding. Sassy is Janet's Shih Tzu, and she's really cute and sweet, but hyper as the day is long. We decided to go on a walk down to the beach, but left Sassy behind as apparently she was too tired and would need to be carried half the way.

Sassy stays at home

The cool thing about Janet's gated community is that there is a path that leads down to the Dana Point coastline. It was a cold and foggy day, but the beach and hillsides are still breathtakingly beautiful, and it was a really nice walk. We passed both the St. Regis hotel and the Ritz Carlton on our way down the ocean. Of course our biggest motivation for taking the walk was to prep for our fabulous dinner later. After about 3 miles of walking, we felt like we had created enough of a calorie deficit to head back to the apartment and get ready for a fun night on the town in Laguna Beach.

Dana Point beach

Thanks to some Chowhound recommendations, we chose 230 Forest Avenue restaurant. The place was packed, and we had to wait a while to be seated in spite of reservations, but we were also running a bit late thanks to a very slow cab driver. We sat at the bar and ordered two glasses of Hess Select Cab Sav, one of my favorite wines, and within 10 minutes were escorted to our table.

Warm bread in a bag - yum

The bread, hot and fresh, came in a paper bag and was served with a side of olive butter. Now usually I don't like olives, but the butter was actually quite good. And the bread was crusty on the outside, and nice flaky, buttery wonder on the inside.

We started with two appetizers: the roasted beet salad with hazelnut crusted goat cheese and shallot vinaigrette, and the prosciutto wrapped shrimp with mozzarella, herb pesto and young basil. The roasted beets could have been cooked a little longer, but overall the dish was very good - especially the goat cheese. And the shrimp dish was perfect and an interesting combination of flavors. The fresh mozzarella was a nice contrast to the tangy pesto and salty prosciutto. A winning combo.

Beets and goat cheese

Wonderful shrimp with pesto

The service at 230 Forest was spot-on and they clearly know how to handle their stuff even on the busiest of nights. We had both forgotten it was St. Patrick's Day, so downtown Laguna Beach was rampant with rabid drunken types, all hungry for a good meal. Our waitress was friendly and attentive, and she kept a watchful eye without hovering or getting in the way.

For dinner, Janet ordered the wild King salmon in a saffron and tomato broth. She gave it a thumbs-up and said it tasted good. The presentation was nice and it looked appetizing, though for some reason I didn't take a bite - think I just plumb forgot!

Salmon, served in a heart bowl.

I opted for the seared Ahi tuna with lobster mashed potatoes and edamame. The tuna was crusted with black and white sesame seeds, which was good but I think they overdid it with the sesame. I can understand the use of this nutty seed to balance a fishy fish, like mackerel, but with fish as neutral as Ahi, I don't really get the purpose. All you taste is sesame seeds. However, the fish was fresh and perfectly cooked. The accompaniment of lobster mashed potatoes was something that seems like a good idea, in theory, but it just doesn't work. I love lobster, and I love mashed pots, but together, it was like a fishy blob of paste. I don't think fish or shellfish really works as an ingredient in mashed potatoes. I think a jalapeno mash or a saffron mash would have worked better with this.

Tuna and fishy mashed pots!

The edamame was good, and the sauce was nice as well. I liked but didn't love, sigh. But stay tuned for Part 3, as a little French brunch place saves the weekend with some delectable mid-morning fare.

Quick Weekend Getaway: Part 1

I'm really starting to get into riding the train. So when my friend invited me down to Dana Point for a weekend visit, I chose Amtrak over hoofing it 70 miles down south in my car. With Southern California traffic (and roadwork!) as unpredictable as it is, you never know when a 2-hour car trip will turn into half a day's worth of driving.

A round trip Amtrak Business Class ticket from Union Station to San Juan Capistrano station (about 4 miles from Dana Point) and back is a mere $50, so I figured that was my best bet. Business class offers much roomier seating, plus complimentary wine, coffee, juice and snacks. Even though it's only 1 hour and 15 minutes to San Juan, I thought I'd treat myself.

Union Station signage

The Surfliner was my train and I was pleasantly surprised by the clean and roomy interior of the business class cabin. I leaned the seat back, put on my headphones and let the iPod blare away as I prepared to soak in the beautiful scenery that would surely soon reveal itself through my window.

Was I ever wrong. The entire trip from LA to San Juan was like riding through the stinky armpit of SoCal. Nothing but train graveyards, trash heaps, cement parking structures, abandoned buildings and miles of brown, dead grass. "This is where serial killers go to dump their victims," I thought, morbidly, as I stared out in disbelief. Amtrak should rename this train the Trashliner, as it would be more appropriate.

Beautiful sights along the way

Thankfully my iPod provided a colorful soundtrack to the urban decay, so it wasn't so bad. Props to Mika, Dan Spreewald, Rachael Yamagata, Aimee Mann and the other musicians who live in my digital music device for their inspired (and inspiring) sounds.

The other view from my comfy seat

Sorry there's not much food in this post, but I promise more with the next posts about my trip. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a picture of the snack pack: Tortilla chips and salsa, spreadable cheese with some rosemary crackers, dried fruit and some French sugar cookies. I didn't eat anything except the sugar cookies, which were decent. I gave the rest to my friend when I arrived in San Juan Capistrano. More on that tomorrow...

Snack attack pack rat