The weather has been really nice for the past 2 weeks, so Yi-Shan and I figured that it's about time to head somewhere for a mini vacation. Since we didn't plan in advance, and we didn't want to take any time off from work, our choices were limited to the places "close by".
Yosemite: - I really wanted to go check out Yosemite, but aside from roughing it in the park, there weren't too many lodging options still available in the park. Also, it was warmer this year and there wasn't as much snow -- leading to earlier melting of the snow (which determines the peak waterfall season there). Maybe Yosemite is better left for another time... in the fall/winter, or next spring. Plus it would be a long drive for a weekend trip.
Wine Country - We've already been up to Napa and Russian River this year, so it was probably better to go somewhere else for a change. Though, Calistoga is an option, since we didn't have enough time to drive all the way up there when we went to Napa in January.
Monterey: - In the end, I settled on Monterey area. The drive there is only around 100 miles, which I can easily do in 1.5 hours or less. I already have a bunch of maps for the Monterey Peninsula area, and I'm somewhat familiar with the roads there already. Plus, I also remembered that the ice plants were in full bloom around this time of the year last year, which would definitely make for a more scenic trip.
Day 1 -- Monterey, Pacific Grove:
We had errands to run, so didn't get to leave until late morning on Saturday. With some crafty driving on my part, we got to Cannery Row in time for lunch.
Yi-Shan and Giant Otter.
The water was really blue.
Gorgeous shot of the sea.
In the evening, we went to Passionfish for dinner. In the 2 times that I've been there, and the 9 different dishes I've tried so far, I have yet to find something to complain about. Ask me at any time, and I'll be able to tell you what I had each time. It's that good. =) Since I don't want to do another Passionfish entry, I'll just briefly list the stuff we had this time around:
1. Tempura soft shell crab with sauteed shiitake mushrooms and capers -- Mmmm.. I don't think I'll ever have to order spider rolls at Japanese restaurants. The cost was about the same as a spider roll, but you get the whole freaking crab here, which is pretty good for 2 people.
2. Alaskan salmon with tempura shiitake mushrooms -- The salmon was really soft (not the kind of soft you get with old seafood) and the mushrooms were not greasy at all. Can't get enough of shiitake mushrooms.
3. Braised kurobuta (translates to black pig) with pasta -- For $18, I was expecting something like 3 cubes of meat. Instead, they gave me an entire slab/chunk still on the bone. It was the size of half of my forearm. The pork smelled sooo good, especially with the dijon mustard marinade, and you can practically lift the meat off the bone with only a fork. I felt really full at one point, and thought that I was done -- only to discover that I had only finished half the meat. There was ANOTHER HALF on the underside of the bone. O_o If I have to get nitpicky and complain about something, it's that they should have warned me about how much pork there'd be. If I had a fridge and microwave in the hotel, I would have taken it back for breakfast the next day.
4. Coconut ice-cream with sauteed bananas in rum sauce -- I somehow managed to grow another stomach in time for this.
4.5 We tried a glass of some vino verde (I can't remember which winery). It's a young white wine from Portugal, with a slight effervescence. It was pretty good, but not as good as the bottle of
New Age that I have sitting at home.
After dinner, it was time to check out the Pacific Grove ice plants...
Eastward shot at Pacific Grove.
Sunset at Pacific Grove.
Another shot.
The sea and ice plant in bloom.
I guess some pilot was having fun. Great effect with the clouds.
So many pretty colors.
