Food

Ojai Summer Retreat

~ tanlandia ~ 1 Comment

When Nick and I were on our Asia trip back in March, we met the loveliest couple who live in Ojai. Since moving to California, I had heard of Ojai a few times but really knew very little about it. I became intrigued by it and once we had a free weekend, we packed our bags and headed south!

After a scenic six hour drive along the 101 and various backroads, we made it to the most quintessentially California town of Ojai. Nicknamed “Shangri-La”, referencing the natural beauty of this health-and-spirituality-focused region, with a downtown lined with local coffee shops, galleries, and boutiques, I could definitely see why this was a place for celebrities or city folk to retreat and recharge over a long weekend.

We pulled into the beautiful Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, which resembles an upscale Spanish hacienda style inn, as Ojai was once inhibited by the Chumash Indians; it was rebuilt in Spanish Colonial Revival architecture after a fire struck the town in 1917 and taken to our suite. Ojai Valley Inn & Spa has quite the property tucked in between the mountains on 200 acres, with a golf course, tennis courts, pools, spa, and all necessary amenities, we knew right away we could easily stay a week. Our room (fireplace Shangri-la) was on the farther edge of the main grounds, nice and private and backing up to the golf course, with a little porch overlooking a courtyard. As tempted as I was to use the fireplace, August in Southern California probably wasn’t the right time.

Once our luggage was unpacked we needed a bite after driving all day and ventured out. Our time in Ojai was short, and we wanted to see the downtown, so we quickly refueled ourselves at the resort then headed out to the town to explore further. We wound up at the Wallace Neff Bar at the resort and asked the bartender if we could take our tuna tartare and cheese & charcuterie plate outside to enjoy the summer heat which he happily did, whilst probably thinking we were a bit crazy.  We miss not having those warm evenings (or days for that matter!) in San Francisco so we definitely had to take advantage of this wonderful weather. Both dishes were not only outstanding, but beautifully presented. They even make the chickpea crackers for the tartare in house, wonderful!

With our bloodsugar now back up, we walked approximately one mile to get to the downtown area. Although most shops were closed, the sun was still out and we were able to peek into many of the boutiques and art galleries, as well as the bustling Ojai Ice Cream Shoppe. We arrived at Azu, a Spanish restaurant and tapas bar. After a quick look at the menu, we were sold and were able to get seated almost immediately.  The menu consisted of the traditional tapas offerings, patatas bravas, gambas, and paella (all of which we ordered!!) along with more “Ojai-seeming” dishes to cater to the vegan and health conscious. For drinks, we went for the flight from Ojai Alisal Winery. One of my Sommolier friends had recommended Ojai Alisal and to check it out if we had the chance, so I just had to try it, and lucky for me got a taste of two with my flight – it was excellent. We enjoyed all of the dishes we ordered and had a wonderful experience at Azu.

Waking up the next morning I decided to go for a jog. The Ventura River Trail runs right up along the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa, so that was quite the treat for me. An endless path which leads down to the ocean with scenic views at every turn, such a magical place! After an al fresco breakfast looking out over the giant Oak trees onto the golf course, we went straight to the pool where we spent the rest of the afternoon – it was bliss!

Once we had enough sun, we booked it to the spa where we had some great massages. The spa is beautiful and definitely worth a visit. The facilities felt great and it is definitely a place you can relax at all day.

Before our dinner at Olivella’s, the resort’s upscale valley-to-table restaurant, we just had to take in the Pink Hour.  Since Ojai is lined up with an east-west mountain range, it is one of few towns in the world to have a “Pink Moment” that occurs as the sun is setting. The fading sunlight creates a brilliant shade of pink for several minutes on the Topatopa Bluffs, over 6,000 feet above sea level at the east end of the Ojai Valley. It is certainly a rare and magical moment.

Our dinner at Olivella’s was world-class. The restaurant faces the rear side of the resort making it very intimate and romantic. Since it was a beautiful night with a full moon, we opted to sit outside on the back patio, as did most of the other diners. The dining room was absolutely beautiful, but it was still light out with the sun setting and we just had to be out for it! We split the bucatini all’arrabbiata with Maine lobster, Dungeness crab, and estate basil which was amazing, probably due to the fact all their pastas are made in house. Nick had the short rib, and I had the Mediterranean Branzino along with market vegetables. Everything we had was outstanding. We wished we had another night there to sample even more dishes from the menu!

The next morning we rose with the sun, enjoyed the morning as much as we could until we hit the road back up to San Francisco. After reading up a little on Ojai in our room, I learned that the citrus varietal, Pixies, originated in the valley so now I was on a mission to get some. Luckily on our way out of town, we found the best citrus farm (Friend’s Ranch) where we pulled over and picked up bags of Valencia oranges, grapefruits, and pixies. Couldn’t have found a better souvenir and made a great orange ricotta cake with our finds! Ojai, we WILL be back!

 

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Carmel Valley Summer Escape

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Summer chills in San Francisco prompted us to take a last minute trip down to one of our favorite local destinations, Carmel Valley. We booked a room at the Bernardus Lodge & Spa for a few nights, packed up Tasha (our beloved Borzoi) and hit the road south for a long weekend escape.  Having stayed in many spots throughout Carmel and Carmel Valley, as soon as we pulled up, I knew I would love this place. It’s located in the hills, nestled up next to Garland National Park and right down the road from downtown Carmel Valley (wineries!). You’re right in the heart of all sorts of activities and don’t have to go far to do everything from horseback riding, wine tasting, great eats, cute farms, and the beach. The resort’s natural splendor and beautiful rustic feel are coupled with glistening chandeliers sprinkled throughout the property. The lobby was filled with fresh cut flowers, serene and fabulous at the same time. We grabbed a glass of the signature Bernardus wine and headed to our suite.

After a short walk through the property, passing croquet and bocce courts, we arrived at our room. It was tastefully decorated, a bit of rustic and a good dose of glam country. Our porch looked out onto the Santa Lucia mountains with breathtaking views – we were instantly transported thousands of miles away from home and were ready to move in.

On the first night, we had dinner reservations at the restaurant in the Bernardus, Lucia. I do love to get out when traveling, but did hear from several people that it was incredible so of course we had to give it a try. Having perused through the “Edible Monterey” magazine in our room, which showcased Lucia and its chef, I was even more excited to try the dishes on the menu… only local and seasonal ingredients of course, much from Bernardus’ own garden.  We walked into the serene, tastefully done dining room, and noticed the upscale feel immediately. Looking through the menu once we were seated, my eyes were drawn to the local asparagus with burrata and balsamic! It was incredible and tasted very fresh. So simple, yet filled with wonderful flavors. We also ordered a delicious mushroom soup. Not too creamy, and you could really taste the fresh mushrooms. Halibut and scallops with ricotta ravioli were also winners followed by a meyer lemon semifreddo (sadly not pictured).  We had such a wonderful dining experience at Lucia that on our way out, we made another reservation for the following night – we simply had to come back and eat our way through the rest of the menu!

In the morning we woke and took a family jog (yes, Tasha came along) down to Garland National Park. The entrance was only one mile from the resort so it was very easy to get to by foot. After a lovely breakfast and quick shower, we then head back out for more hiking through the hills of Carmel Valley before the heat set in. With so many trails, you would really spend all day there, but we didn’t want to overdo it and headed back to Bernardus to lay poolside for a bit. We’re always up for a mid-afternoon swim, and at Bernardus you really do want to take advantage of the facilities.

Although it wasn’t our first time in Carmel Valley, we had never been wine tasting in the area. We set out first to Bernardus’ own tasting room to learn more about their wines and the area. Being such a dog friendly area, even more so than SF if you can believe it, Tasha was welcomed into the tasting room and definitely fit it in like a local. The wine was great, and so were the chocolate covered cashews and coffee beans we snacked on. We met some locals and think we now have some new friends for when we come back!

Our next spot was Cowgirl winery, which was recommended to us not only by Bernardus, but one of our friends. It was such a quaint spot and we loved it! We perused the cute shop and looked through all sorts of local finds, and made our way outside to the picnic benches and enjoyed a flight of wine. Chickens were running all over – it was the best!! Tasha didn’t mind, I think she liked them frolicking around (or was thinking of snacks…). Lawn games were strewn about and everyone was enjoying the California sun. I loved the local and low key feel of just being in Carmel Valley.

We then returned to Bernardus for dinner number two at Lucia. We changed up our order this time, getting a vegetarian curry, and foie gras burger!!! So wonderfully rich, with flavors that were completely on point. And of course, we had to end the night with their chocolate dessert – yum!

The following morning we enjoyed a yoga session out by the pool before breakfast. The instructor was wonderful and very talkative, which helped us get an even better understanding of the area. We had a lovely morning enjoying the facilities of Bernardus before we checked out and hit the road, knowing we would return again someday soon. Bernardus was more than we had expected and will now be our go-to Carmel Valley destination in the future.

On our way back to San Francisco, we weren’t quite ready to rush right back into city life just yet, so we made a detour off the coast. We stopped by Swanton, an organic berry farm located in Davenport. Being very familiar with their produce and jams from shopping with them at the San Francisco Ferry Building Farmer’s Market, we were excited to check out the farm and do a little berry picking ourselves!!! We loved it; it was such a fun experience with a great take home gift. Can’t go wrong when strawberry season is in full bloom!

Day 8: Cambodia

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Sunday afternoon, March 13th, 2016

Arriving back at the airport, we then boarded not our jet, but helicopters! I was a little nervous, but it was so much fun and a great way to see some of the more hard to get to temples (30 minute flight vs 3 hour drive!). Our flight path included views of a temple complex that was once the center of a large city, a waterfall, mountainous ruins, and various temples, even the temple we had dinner at the night before! Landing in the fields of a small village, it’s astonishing to find out that just a few years before, this area was filled with landmines. With the horrific recent history surrounding the Vietnam War, beyond the temples and ruins, visiting Cambodia is quite an emotional experience learning all that the people have gone through in the 1970’s and after. Everyone local we came across had some kind of story that they or their family endured during this time.

On a quite walk to Koh Ker, this temple was unlike any of the others we had seen yet as it was more of a step pyramid structure, with stairs that ran all the way up to the top. Our guide told us the reason for the steep steps up to the top is they are thought to be the “stairway to heaven”. Despite the heat (probably 95*F) we ran up to the top to catch views of the surrounding smaller temples that are now in ruins. It was hot, but we embraced it!

Before hopping back in the helicopter we visited one more temple in the area that the people would come to for fertility blessings. After our adventurous afternoon we made it back to Amansara for a light bite, swimming, and rest.

That night we ventured into Siem Reap for local Khmer food at Chanrey Tree, before headed to “Phare Ponleu Selepak”, a circus show of the people. It was a good night with a lot of fun where others in our Remote Lands group joined.

Day 5: Laos

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Thursday, March 10, 2016

We rose early and met up with our guide to see more of Luang Prabang. We started at the morning market which was mostly vegetables and meat – with a lot of live animals as well!!  Ducks, chickens, frogs, snails, moles, and raccoons were just some of what we saw!! Even a small owl!

From there we visited the Royal Palace, built in 1904 by the 42nd king of Laos.  When the monarchy was evicted from the country, the new government converted the palace into a museum, and in it were housed many artifacts from the royalty, including thrones, garments, furniture, accessories, and a garage filled with old heritage cars (including a Citroen, Edsel, Lincolns, and a Toyota FJ). Unfortunately no photography was allowed.  After the palace, we hiked up 328 steps to the top of Wat Phousi Hill, which is what it sounds like, a temple on the top of a hill. The views all across Luang Prabang were magnificent! We then hiked down and did some shopping in the boutiques on the way back to Amantaka. Including walking across a bridge made of bamboo! Scary thing to know, this gets washed away and rebuilt each monsoon season!

At 1:00pm we then boarded a river boat for a cruise along the river to the Pa Ou Caves. It was a relaxing 2 hour excursion upstream and we also stopped off at a small nearby village where we tried the local whiskey – $#^&*@! (our reaction to it). Women were weaving beautiful tapestries, something Laos is known for. Once we climbed into the caves, we were overwhelmed by the thousands of statues of Buddha! Because an image of the Buddha cannot be destroyed, for hundreds of years Laos’ damaged Buddhas have been sent to these caves, so these caves held these centuries of retired Buddhas!

That evening we ventured out of the hotel and found a great restaurant with proper Lao cuisine, which surprisingly, are hard to find. There is a strong French influence in Luang Prabang – baguettes and pastries are excellent here – but the local food isn’t as popular with tourists. Tamarind, the restaurant we went to was opened to help showcase Lao food and also has a cooking school! Our server was excellent and helped us to order a good spread of food, and even taught us the best way to eat – with your hands. I loved it! Sticky rice is used to scoop up your food and is used in place of utensils. Thai cuisine would be the most similar, but some main differences would be the sticky rice found in Laos, and dishes that are not as brothy but instead thicker so that you can use the rice to scoop up the food. Chopsticks are only used for noodle dishes, which generally aren’t as popular in Laos.

After dinner we walked back to Amantaka, stopping at the night market to see all of the trinkets the locals were selling.

On our last morning, we woke early and got out onto the streets where just the night before we had been for the night market.  At the crack of dawn was the alms giving to the monks of Luang Prabang, who in their rich saffron-colored robes and number in the hundreds, make their way through the city on this centuries-old ritual.  The procession of monks passed by quickly, stopping at each of the kneeling alms-givers to put a dollop of sticky rice into their bowls.  All of this was done in silence, interrupted only by the noises of several tourists…  Now, for the most part, tourists were well-behaved.  However, there were several exceptions to this, with certain individuals elbowing their way in and being generally obnoxious.  If you’re going to watch, watch from a distance (bring a zoom lens), and don’t be disrespectful to the monks.  Nevertheless, this was a highly moving experience to watch a ritual that has such a deep, rich history.

Days 1&2: Vietnam

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March 6th + 7th, 2016

Dubai quickly came to an end when we woke up in Bangkok to begin the rest of our trip. I would not recommend taking a red eye, especially when your days and hours are all mixed up from international travel – however we had to maximize the time we had. We were shuttled off to the private jet terminal where we would meet the rest of our group to travel throughout Southeast Asia. There are 16 of us total (8 couples: 4 from the States, 2 from Europe, 4 friends from China) along with our guide and founder of the travel group (Remote Lands – who also did our Honeymoon to the Maldives!) Catherine. The itinerary is 15 days of touring Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines, and Tokyo by means of private jet (Gulfstream G200). We will be traveling to Aman properties in each country, so it really is a special itinerary.

With lots of time to play who’s who in the lounge before take off, it looks to be a great group of very friendly couples who love to travel. As we split up between the two jets, we were able to chat more with some of the couples on the 1.5 hour flight over to Vietnam, with lots of Champagne – of course! Finally arriving at our first property, the Amanoi in Vĩnh Hy, Vietnam, we knew we had arrived at paradise. The property was very zen-like, with an emphasis on wellness and relaxation. Our room was spectacular and setup just how I like it – very open with 360° views to the outside, very open walls.

We then made our way to the restaurant, which had magnificent views out to the ocean, for some traditional tea and snacks (Vietnamese green tea, Vietnamese rice pancakes, VERY fresh fruit… and cream puffs – Nick’s favorite). Having some time to kill before dinner we wandered over to the spa for a great couples massage.

 

For our first night, there was a welcome cocktails and dinner out at the Cliff Pool, a great infinity pool that overlooks the sea. It was a beautiful location, tasty food was served, and the lights of the fishing boats lit up the ocean. The food kept coming and drinks were flowing – it was a wonderful night and a great way to start off our trip and gave a taste of what Vietnam has to offer!

Waking up on Monday, we enjoyed yoga with some of the other guests before breakfast and then a day at the beach. Nick went out on the Hobie Cat a few times, we snorkeled, tried stand up paddle boarding (for the first time!), and did lots of swimming. What a great day!

Once the sun set, we headed down to the beach where a BBQ was set up for dinner. The location of where we are staying in is a National Park that is right next to a fishing village, meaning all of the seafood we had was fresh caught and so good!! At about 4:00pm we can see all of the boats heading out to throw their nets and catch all the fish they can before sunrise.

Dubai or Bust!

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Up, up, and away! Here I am, at an altitude of 37,000 feet, sipping on Veuve Clicquot as I catch up on this past years movies during our 16+ hour flight to Dubai from SFO, and I must say, Emirates does it right. Nick and I got very lucky, we are headed off for a 21 day adventure which kind of happened by chance, through South East Asia – Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Philippines, and Tokyo (an itinerary put together by Remote Lands, who incidentally also did our honeymoon to the Maldives). I also took this as an opportunity to make a stop off in Dubai for a few days. It’s a destination that has always intrigued me, heck; it was even an option in my future plans as I job searched whilst my time in London was coming to an end, and the fact that I have a lifelong friend residing there at the moment, it was the perfect time and excuse to visit.

 

Curious about what we have been eating? I can fill you in. To set up the flight, I thought it was only appropriate to start with a Kir Royale, this was actually my first real drink when I turned 21, so a great celebratory beverage for me. I had a traditional Arabic Mezze consisting of local savory dishes such as houmous, moutabel, muhammara, and stuffed grape leaves. It was excellent.

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Nick had the smoked salmon. As a main course I had the Baked Sea Bass, not bad considering it still is just airplane food. Nick went with the Chicken Nilgiri which was cooked in a coriander and mint curry, served with patak paneer and steamed rice, it looked excellent.

The showstopper of course was dessert. Chocolate and Pineapple mousse with a honey anglaise, yum!

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My friend, Ariel, happens to work for the airline Emirates, so she was able to get us some nice seats on this Airbus A380,  and this plane is huge. We boarded and went straight upstairs (my first time on a double decker!) to our seats and access to an in flight lounge. It is really nice to go there to stretch your legs, have a drink, and hang out with some of the other chatty passengers. Not to mention all of the nibbles they have such as tea sandwiches, various warm bites, and sweet treats. I found myself wandering back there a few times…

Poke, Kalua Pig, Lomilomi!

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Hawaii definitely has it’s good eats on the island. I was more up to venturing off our hotel to get a little more of the local cuisine. We found a fantastic little caffe in a neighboring town to where we stayed which we went to more than once! We just stumbled upon Waimea Coffee Company on our own, and it was the best ever. The pour over was so smooth, and the acai bowls and smoothies we had were also excellent. What we liked most about this place was it was a very “locals only” joint, and even had some musicians playing inside on a Sunday morning – I loved that! Clearly it was the place to be. We also noticed what looked like to be a very popular Hawaiian breakfast spot across the street, Hawaiian Style Cafe, it was too heavy for us Tans, but would recommend it to anyone looking for a comforting morning meal.

Me diving into my acai bowl and Nick enjoying breakfast at the Mauna Kea. Surprisingly only dined at the restaurant one morning.

One day we were on the beach, we noticed two couples who, from what it seemed, met at the hotel in the previous day and were exchanging restaurant recommendations. My ears perked up and I listened intently to what they had to say. From what I gathered, “Merriman’s” was the place to go. Checking it out online, it looked great! The Chef, Peter Merriman, originally from Pennsylvania, came out to the Big Island for what he thought was just a few months to work in the kitchen of the Mauna Lani Bay Hotel, and hasn’t left since. He is one of the 12 famous chefs to help create and popularize what is “Hawaiian Regional Cuisine” and has opened several restaurants throughout Hawaii. After dining at Merriman’s on this past trip, I would definitely say it was the best meal I have had in Hawaii to date.

Dinner at Merriman’s. Best poke I have ever had in my life, and warm chocolate dessert – need I say more?!?! I love me a chocolate purse.

The last (but not least) dining experience that I will note was the LUAU we went to!!! It was my first time going to a Luau (and 4th trip to Hawaii!) and it was sensational!!! The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel has the best luau on the island and I was very impressed! The hula dancers, flame twirlers, food, music, Mai-Tai’s, it was all great!!! Nick and I had a wonderful time with lots of great food, plus I got my fill of that Hawaiian macaroni salad we all know and luck (but hate to admit!)

The Hawaiian feast!!!! Yumm!

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Such a beautiful place!!

*mere*