Hi friends! How was your weekend? I flew to Las Vegas yesterday for a work trip and will be in Sin City for the week. But today, I want to back it up a few weeks to my vacation road trip up to Sonoma wine country. I already recapped my favorite eats and reviewed my Sonoma hotel, so today I’m chatting about my favorite wineries of the trip! Whenever I visit a wine region, I like to do my research to find wineries that I want to visit beforehand. During this trip we did a nice combo of tasting at smaller establishments and larger productions. It’s always kind of fun to compare and contrast, and I tend to gravitate towards smaller wineries. While I love wine and obviously appreciate the wine itself, what I also love is meeting the people behind the wine. I’m the same way with food: ... [Read More]
California travel index
Inn at Sonoma Review + My Favorite California Road Trip ’16 Eats
As a California transplant, I'm always in awe of how vast and beautiful this state is. Having been born and raised in New Jersey where you can drive from the top of the state to the bottom in a couple of hours, it's amazing to me how massive California is. There are so many awesome places to visit and explore, and we've gone on many weekend getaways and vacations without even leaving state lines. This was the case two weeks ago, when my hubby and I set off on a California road trip vacation. We traveled from San Diego up to San Francisco to meet my parents, who flew in from the East coast, stayed there a night, then headed into wine country for the remainder of the week. We elected to stay in Sonoma at the Inn at Sonoma, which I was excited about because while I had wine ... [Read More]
San Diego Spotlight on Lotus Cafe & Juice Bar
Hi friends! Today I'm sharing another installment of my San Diego Spotlight series, when I talk about a local restaurant, bar, dessert spot, or winery that I love. Today we're heading to the town of Encinitas to talk about Lotus Cafe & Juice Bar. Lotus Cafe is one of my favorites eateries around here. When I'm out & about running errands or just don't feel like cooking and want a healthy meal, I head to Lotus. Located in the heart of the action in Encinitas a block away from the beach, Lotus Cafe is a casual, affordable restaurant that serves fresh, healthy, natural food. It has lots of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten free options, but also offers fish, chicken and turkey items. Patrons place their orders at the counter, get a table number, and pick up water, utensils, and ... [Read More]
San Diego Spotlight on Cafe Topes
Happy Friday friends! I'm here today with another post in my San Diego Spotlight series, where I highlight a local business that offers lots of deliciousness. Today the spotlight is on a breakfast & lunch spot in Carlsbad called Cafe Topes. Ever since I first found out about Cafe Topes and got to sample their signature cinnamon bun when I did the Carlsbad Food Tour last year, I've been itching to go back for brunch. With a style described as "American with a modern twist," Cafe Topes has been serving breakfast favorites to locals since 2013. The restaurant has a fun, modern feel to it, and one of the first things you spot when you walk in is a wall full of succulents. Open 7 AM to 2 PM every day except Monday, Cafe Topes has a nice sized patio so that you can enjoy ... [Read More]
La Jolla Day Date: Everyday California’s Kayaking Whale Watching Tour + Lunch at Trilogy Sanctuary
I'm always up for an adventure, and living in the San Diego area, there's no shortage of fun to be had. With our year-round sunshine and moderate temperatures, I love taking advantage of the weather and getting outside as much as I can. From my frequent hikes and walks along the coast, to mountain biking excursions and sunset beach picnics, I get outdoors as often as possible in my free time. One of my co-workers recently remarked that I'm always outside on the weekends, and it's true! Being in nature makes my soul happy. That's why recently when local company Everyday California reached out and asked if I'd like to go on one of their adventure tours, I gladly accepted the offer. My Marine was away for training over Valentine's Day weekend but we both had off of work for ... [Read More]
San Diego Restaurant Week 2016: Lunching at Del Mar Rendezvous & La Jolla’s Brockton Villa
Happy Friday! I hope that you all have some fun things planned for your weekend. I'm definitely looking forward to mine, and I have off from my publicist job on Monday for Presidents' Day so it's a long weekend for me! Backing it up a bit, a few weeks ago was San Diego Restaurant Week. It happens twice annually, and is a fun chance for foodies like myself to try out new restaurants at discounted prices. I missed the last SDRW due to travel, so I was excited to check out a few new eateries this time around. I wound up going out to lunch twice during this SDRW - which is kind of interesting since I rarely dine out for lunch - and thought I'd give you all some SoCal flair and share my thoughts on the restaurants today. First up was lunch at La Jolla's Brockton Villa with ... [Read More]