Thyme in the Ranch

Thyme in the Ranch is my favorite Southern California bakery. Just the other day, as I walked in the door and approached the counter, my first words were, "It's worth coming here just to smell the goodness!" Many years ago I had the fortunate experience of being a professional baker in an amazing french bakery. To this day, it remains my favorite bakery. In the world. The owner was a Paris-trained baker and was fanatical about her delicious breads and pastries. I could not count, on a daily Read more [...]

E.A.T.

Over the years I have gotten a lot of satisfaction from recommending all sorts of favorite things to people. But E.A.T., a local restaurant in Temecula, California takes the cake (pun intended) when it comes to the number of people who have gotten back to me with rave reviews about the eatery. Virtually every single person I have told about this unique dining experience, with its locally inspired organic produce and meats and wines from Temecula Valley, have become regular patrons of the restaurant. Read more [...]

MICHEL RESTAURANT DEL BURGO at Hotel 111

MICHEL RESTAURANT DEL BURGO is a self-described "semi-gourmet restaurant". The only reason I would agree this restaurant warrants this representation is because the friendly, welcoming staff creates a feeling of comfort and warmth from the moment you walk in the door. In every way, this is a very high quality restaurant and one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. With its lovely terrace and unique view of the pool, it is situated in the Hotel 111 near Carcassonne, France. This stunning hotel Read more [...]

Market Restaurant Del Mar

If I were to rate this restaurant by individual category including service, food, menu, cleanliness, ambience, bar, etc., Market would get 5 Hearts all the way around. This restaurant, located in Del Mar, California, is quite possibly my favorite restaurant in Southern California. From the valet parking service (which is free!) as we arrived, to Kristen, the friendly, hard-working, talented bartender, to Frank, the sushi chef extraordinaire, to the patrons seated around us, this place has got Read more [...]

Whitey’s Ice Cream

  Hoping the folks at Whitey's Ice Cream don't mind, I've copied some of their history directly from their website at wwwwhiteysicecream.com. Whitey's is the best ice cream I have found. It's just a coincidence that I happened to be born in the same city where Whitey's began. The last time I had Whitey's was via shipment from my sweet cousin, Stacie, to help speed my recovery from shoulder surgery. The time before that, I had Whitey's 3 times in one day on the last day of my visit to the Read more [...]