California Central Coast Road Trip

My good friend Mel and I just came home from a Spring Break road trip down the California central coast, starting from San Francisco and ending in Santa Barbara. The road trip took us 6 days and it was definitely a leisurely pace. I really wanted to blog about our trip because we found it difficult to find some set itineraries online and I really hope that someone stumbles upon this and finds it helpful. I'll write about our activities, our lodging, and our good eats. We're students of course so we tried to do this kind of on the cheap... but it was a bit of a splurge. So, to all those eager travelers out there, this is for you!

Day 1
Monterey

Activities:

+Drive from San Francisco to Monterey
+Walk around Cannery Row

Mel and I left San Francisco around 3 PM and we hit some bad traffic. I think the drive was supposed to take 2 hours and it may have taken us 2.5-3 hours. So we got there a little before dinner time and we decided to walk around Cannery Row for a bit. We were bombarded with free sample offerings of clam chowder. It was stimulating for the eyes, but we decided that we would try to avoid some of the touristy restaurants on the pier.

Eats:

Crystal Fish
Japanese/Sushi
514 Lighthouse Ave.
Monterey, CA
http://crystalfishsushi.com/
Total Bill: $42.36

Crystal Fish seems to be a popular place for both the locals and for visitors from out of town. It received 4 stars on Yelp and it is located away from the tourist trap restaurants of Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf. It's a cozy place with a great menu and tasty food. Mel and I ordered the Hawaiian Poke (raw fish marinated in green onions, soy sauce, & sesame oil), the Kamakaze Roll (california roll topped w/ assorted fish & crunchy topping), the Caterpillar Roll (avocado & unagi), and the Harbor Roll (fried calamari & tuna). The rolls are a bit small, but the poke appetizer is worth trying anyway so might as well order both. Total: $42.36. This was definitely a splurge and we were hungry!

Lodging:

Ramada Limited
2058 N. Fremont Street
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 375-9701
1 Night Stay: $69.96

This hotel was clean, cheap, conveniently located, and offered a complimentary breakfast (waffle maker, muffins, cereal, coffee, juice, apples & bananas). Free wireless internet is also offered. We booked using Expedia.com.

Day 2
Carmel Valley

Activities:

+Hike in Point Lobos ($10)
+Earthbound Farm Stand
+17-Mile Drive ($9.75)
+Walk around Carmel shops

After eating breakfast, we spent our morning (around 3 hours) at Point Lobos State Reserve. I cannot recommend this place highly enough. It is so worth the $10. Point Lobos is absolutely breathtaking - the views and the scenery are so picturesque. The trails are great - you can hike through the forest and along the beach. There are so many coves and little beaches and the place is teeming with wildlife. You can spot the sea lions and there were lots of little squirrels running around. Just beware of the poison oak!

We also drove through the 17-Mile Drive. The entrance fee is $9.75. The first couple of miles were disappointing and we thought we may have made a mistake driving through this, but when we finally hit the coastline it was certainly very beautiful. There are many stops along the way to hop out and take pictures and we got to see the famous lone Cypress tree on the rock. I also highly recommend driving with some Frank Sinatra and other oldies blasting. Me and Mel thought that that made the drive :).

In the late afternoon, Mel and I decided to walk around Carmel-by-the-Sea. We stopped in at doggie boutiques, Anthropologie, and J Crew. We also spent an hour in the ONLY bookstore in Carmel. Yes, they have ONE. We managed to not spend any money on the merchandise, thankfully. The stores here are pretty high end.

Eats:

Earthbound Farms Produce Stand
Salads, Soups, Pizza, & Paninis
7250 Carmel Valley Road
Carmel, CA 93922
http://www.ebfarm.com/OurFarmStand/index.aspx
Price: $13.02 each

For lunch, we went to the organic Earthbound Farm Stand. They have a little shop with lots of produce and packaged food items. The prices are high, but it's yuppie and enjoyable in that way. Mel bought a ton of strawberries which she ate slowly throughout the rest of our whole trip. I bought some fig jam and some pumpernickel. Tastes like nutrients. If you're kind of a healthnut, their salad bar is to die for. The ingredients are super fresh and there's just so much to pile on your salad - fresh beets, edamame, sunflower seeds, rustic croutons, garlicky broccoli, spinach, arugula, etc. They weigh it and you pay that price. Mel and I both had the salad and we also had a cup of creamy asparagus soup.

Hula's Island Grill
Hawaiian Seafood/ Asian Fusion
622 Lighthouse Ave
Monterey, CA 93940
Total bill: $47.23
http://www.hulastiki.com/

We ate dinner at Hula's and it was just a really fun restaurant with red lighting and hawaiian decor, but not too cheesy! We ordered way too much and spent way too much, but it is a semi-reasonably priced restaurant (around $12 for each entree) and we could have escaped with a smaller bill if we hadn't wanted so many things on the menu. We ordered two appetizers - the island style poke ($9) and the hawaiian ceviche ($9) with a side of plantains ($2). We also ordered drinks and a dessert (the macadamia nut ice cream pie). The mixed drinks here are really, really strong so be careful! The plantains are so tasty... they are semi-caramelized bananas and for a side order it was pretty generous.

Lodging:

Carmel River Inn
Highway One
Carmel, CA 93922
(800) 966-6490
http://www.carmelriverinn.com/
1 Night Stay: $64.05

We somehow got upgraded to a cabin and it was really cute and clean. Everyone gets their own cabin and there is even a little parking space for each house. Our cabin had one room, one queen bed, and a bathroom. It was clean and the heater worked well... it rained that night so we really needed it. Free wireless internet but no free breakfast :/.

Day 3
Big Sur & San Luis Obispo

Activities:

+Driving down Highway 1
+Big Sur
+Movie in San Luis Obispo

We drove through Big Sur, stopping to take pictures every now and then. I think this stretch of the drive down Highway 1 was the most eye-popping. The cliffs, the coast, the winding roads, and the redwoods just made this so quintessentially NorCal. We didn't stop to hike because we were expecting rain that day even though the sun was fortunately shining. The drive from Carmel to Big Sur and then to San Luis Obispo took about 3.5 hours down Highway 1. Later that night we watched I Love You Man at the Downtown Centre 7 Cinema in San Luis Obispo.

Eats:

Splash Cafe
Mexicali/American/Californian
1491 Monterey St.
San Luis Obispo, CA
805-544-7567
http://www.splashbakery.com/
Price: $7 for two fish tacos


Mel and I ordered fish tacos. I got the grilled salmon taco and she ordered the mahi mahi taco. This place offers a wide variety of food - burgers, tacos, chowders, pizzas, and pastries. It seemed really popular with the students of Cal Poly. Good cheap eats!

Lodging:

Vagabond Inn
210 Madonna Road
San Luis Obispo, CA
(805) 544-4710
http://www.vagabondinnsanluisobispo.com/
1 Night Stay: $66.98

Free breakfast & wireless internet.

Day 4
Grover Beach & Santa Barbara

Activities:

Arnie's ATVs
171 North 2nd Street
Grover Beach, CA 93433
1-800-213-1590
http://www.pismoatvrentals.com/contact_information.htm
Price: $48 for 2 hours

Mel and I had so much fun riding ATVs for the first time on the beach and dunes of Grover Beach. We paid for two hours, but because Mel, a mother and a daughter, and I were the only customers, we actually got 4 hours of playtime! That was so appreciated! If you go, ask for Pat. And if they aren't too busy, Pat may take you out and act as your guide/instructor. Mel and I were such wimps when we first started... that is until Pat came to join us and really pushed our limits. We worked our way up to a dune that was 100 feet tall and we went over the side of it. It was crazy and addictive. I just kept going up and down and up and down to experience the rush. Just be warned that you will have sand EVERYWHERE when you are done. Oh, this place also really seems to have the best prices in the area. Wear sunscreen!

Eats:

Station Grill
American/Diner
170 W Grand Ave Ste 101
Grover Beach, CA 93433
Price: $7-10

Good place for a fast, cheap breakfast. The food tastes like diner food. It's really close to Arnie's ATVs.

Pascucci's
Italian/Californian/American
729 State St
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 963-8123
http://www.pascuccirestaurant.com/
Around $13 for each entree

I love this restaurant. Everytime I come to Santa Barbara I eat here. I was introduced to Pascucci's by a friend and native of SB and it's always popular and busy. I highly recommend the baked brie, roasted garlic, candied walnuts, and pear appetizer ($9.95). The entrees are all great too. Mel ordered a pasta dish w/ chicken, tomatoes, and a rosemary cream sauce and I had the almond-encrusted baked chicken w/ a creamy sauce & capers. This place is so cute on the inside too! Oh and free cheesy garlic bread w/ refills! Pinkberry for dessert is also within walking distance. Yum yum yum!

Lodging:

The Sandman Inn
3714 State St
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
(805) 687-2468
http://www.thesandmaninn.com/
2 night stay: $162.20

Free breakfast & free wireless internet. They also have a DVD player and you can borrow DVDs from the front desk (they have a wide selection of new releases). Mel and I decided to take advantage of the DVD player and we watched When Harry Met Sally (I loved it) and Babel (it was just okay). We rented these DVDs from Blockbuster, though, because we had seen most of the ones offered at the front desk. The mattresses were soft and the inn is a bit far from the main State street downtown area, but you can't beat the price!

Day 5
Malibu & Santa Barbara

Activities:

+Malibu beaches
+Walk around Santa Barbara's State street

Mel and I climbed down some boulders off the side of the road to get onto the beach which apparently was a private beach, but we didn't know at the time... at least we got to see the beautiful homes and the well kept beach area! The non-private beach areas are also great. We got lucky with some beautiful weather :) The drive from Santa Barbara to Malibu takes about an hour and a half.

Eats:

John's Garden Fresh Health Store
Deli/Healthy food
3835 Cross Creek Road
Malibu, CA 90265
Price: $8-10 for a sandwich

John's Garden Cafe is a lunch spot that serves soups, burgers, and sandwiches. They have a big selection of chips and drinks and sunny outdoor tables for you to eat on. Mel had the shrimp salad sandwich & the honey lemonade (all very yummy) and I had the curry lentil & tomato soup w/ the $8 fruit salad. But the fruit salad is huge. It has strawberries, papaya, honey dew, cantalope, bananas, & pineapple with yogurt, coconut, and almonds on top. I could not say no. Ooh and it's also a good place for some celebrity sitings. Mel and I saw John Slattery!

Los Arroyos Mexican Restaurant
14 W Figueroa Street
Santa Barbara, CA
Website: http://www.losarroyos.net/
Menu: http://www.losarroyos.net/DT_menu.pdf
Price: $10-13 per entree

Mel and I were really craving some good Mexican food and we tried to research really hard. We finally settled on Los Arroyos. I think we both really liked this place. The food isn't too heavy and they have a great salsa bar... but they don't offer free chips! My entree also didn't come with rice and beans! :( But, I was still full afterward so I guess it was okay. Mel had the steak burrito mojado and I had Tony's Alambres (a mixture of cooked peppers, onions, chicken, steak, tomatoes, and cheese on three corn tortillas). My entree was kind of like an open faced sandwich...but an open faced...burrito? It was tasty. And their horchata is really yummy. Tastes like melted ice cream with cinnamon. Yummy :). I swear there has to be a better Mexican restaurant in SB though...

Lodging:

The Sandman Inn
3714 State St
Santa Barbara, CA 93105
(805) 687-2468
http://www.thesandmaninn.com/
2 night stay: $162.20

Day 6
San Francisco

Activities:

+Drive home
+Hang out in San Francisco

If we had known how much faster driving up 101 would be compared to the drive down Highway 1, I think Mel and I would have wanted to spend more time in Santa Barbara. State street is really long and has so many cute shops and cafes and it would have been nice to spend more time there. But, when we got back to San Francisco (Mel's home sweet home) she took me on a driving tour of the city and that was so awesome of her. I got to see big mansions and cool, hip parts of town :).

Eats:

Hukilau
5 Masonic Ave
(SW Corner of Masonic and Geary)
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-921-6242
http://www.dahukilau.com/sanfrancisco
Price: $10-13 for an entree

Mel and her bf Griffin and I ate dinner here. We ordered the Ahi Poke for $11 (yeah... more Poke!) and a couple orders of Spam Masubi ($2.50). It was my first time eating spam. It's salty and delicious and when wrapped up in some sushi rice and seaweed it is the perfect combination.

Icebee
829 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
415.882.7800
http://www.icebeeyogurt.com/locations.htm
Price: ~$5

Mel also took me to her favorite frozen yogurt place. We ate pink berry in SB and we wanted more froyo!! This place was so cool. They have so many flavors - Snickerdoodle, Green Tea, Peach, Mango, Cookies and Cream, Yogurt-flavored, etc. And you can choose from lots of toppings -fresh fruit, coconut, nuts, chocolate chips, sprinkles, & MOCHI! You just put whatever you want into your cup and then you pay by the weight. It's a much better deal than Pink Berry and it all tasted so good :).

Lodging:

My house. Sorry, this place is exclusive! It's good to be home :)

Daily - My Favorite Poem

I have loved this poem ever since I read it in an English class probably in middle school. I also wrote a college entrance essay about it. That essay must not have been spectacular as I remember that I didn't get into that particular school! Anyway, for some reason, the poem really speaks to me and the way I view life. The activities in my life that I find fulfilling are at the top of my priority list and I do them with special care and consideration. Preparing food is definitely the best example of this. I love brainstorming how to put together a nutritiously complete meal, making a neat little grocery list, going to the grocery store and looking at all the beautiful food, coming home and preparing it, and then eating it throughout the week. I also really like cooking for other people. I still have a bit of insecurity that a dish might taste bad (which is why every recipe I blog about I've tried and tasted at least once before), but I cannot wait to nourish my family with home-cooked meals. Well... here's the poem :)...

Daily
By: Naomi Shihab Nye

These shriveled seeds we plant,
corn kernel, dried bean,
poke into loosened soil,
cover over with measured fingertips

These T-shirts we fold into
perfect white squares

These tortillas we slice and fry to crisp strips
This rich egg scrambled in a gray clay bowl

This bed whose covers I straighten
smoothing edges till blue quilt fits brown blanket
and nothing hangs out

This envelope I address
so the name balances like a cloud
in the center of sky

This page I type and retype
This table I dust till the scarred wood shines
This bundle of clothes I wash and hang and wash again
like flags we share, a country so close
no one needs to name it

The days are nouns: touch them
The hands are churches that worship the world

Roasted Carrots and Cauliflower

For some reason, I have had some difficulty making vegetables really delicious and savory (without butter). The following recipe is not only really yummy, but its method of cooking, roasting, is also one of the healthiest ways to cook vegetables. It was simplified from a Martha Stewart recipe: http://www.wholeliving.com/recipe/roasted-vegetables?lnc=12980c8668ec9110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=cf_link


Roasted Carrots and Cauliflower

Serves 5-6.

1 lb. carrots, cut into 2 inch lengths
1 cauliflower head, chopped (I prefer yellow cauliflower since it has more nutrients)
1 lb. shallots, peeled and halved
3 rosemary sprigs (optional)
3 TB olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

In a 9X13 baking pan, combine vegetables, shallots, oil, and salt and pepper. Mix. Top with rosemary sprigs if you like. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 1 hour at 350F. Remove aluminum foil. Return to oven to bake 1/2 an hour longer.


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Roasting Vegetables

Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat, in our case we use the oven. Roasting vegetables is actually one of the most nutritious ways to cook them. Because many vitamins in vegetables are water-soluble (including the vitamin B complex and vitamin C), they can leech out if they are cooked using water, as in boiling. FYI, water-soluble means that they will enter into solution if it is water based. Some vitamins like A, D, E, and K, on the other hand, are fat-soluble. That is also why if you make vegetable soup, it's a good idea to drink the broth, provided it's not too full of unhealthy substances like oil! The vitamin that we want to preserve in our carrots is vitamin A while cauliflower is a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, and the mineral folate.

Avocado Chicken Wraps

The following recipe is one that I make very often. I love southwestern food, so I tried to incorporate some of those flavors. But I must admit, this isn't that authentic. :) It's an easy recipe since you don't have to cook anything, thanks to some great ready-made products. Foster farms make these chicken breast strips with southwestern seasoning that are so delicious! Whenever they go on sale, I always buy some to make my wraps or to put in a salad.

Here are some pictures of the products that I use for this recipes:

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Avocado Chicken Wraps

Serves 4.

1 package of tortillas (flavored if you like; I like jalapeno cheddar)
1 bunch of red leaf lettuce
4 handfuls of shredded cheese, Mexican flavors
2 avocados, sliced
2 bags of Southwestern Chicken Strips
4 TB of Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette (see below for recipe)
4 TB canned corn
4 TB chopped fresh cilantro

Heat a tortilla topped with shredded cheese on an un-greased skillet until cheese melts. Divide ingredients evenly per wrap. Wrap with foil for convenient eating.

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The following dressing is to be drizzled over the ingredients inside your wrap. It is such an amazing dressing recipe, combining pretty much all of my favorite flavors.

This recipe was garnered from this website: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/347039. Apparently, the recipe comes from a restaurant, the Continental Divide in Charlottesville, VA.

Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, they use key lime
1 small jalapeno pepper, ribs and seeds removed, coarsely chopped (leave in some seeds if heat is desired)
1 small clove garlic, halved
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon honey
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch ground cumin
1 pinch salt, to taste
1 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

Put everything but the cilantro into a blender and puree until smooth. Stir in the cilantro, then taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Shake before serving.

Seafood Sandwich

This recipe is not only a no cook recipe, but is one of my favorite things to make for lunch. I'm a typical college student who is strapped for time so I don't like to cook for lunch. I find that Safeway sells this amazing seafood salad in their meat section; it's $5.99 and it makes up to four sandwiches. Plus, it's about the same price as a package of deli meat. Here's a picture of it:


For some reason, I wouldn't want to tweak this combination of ingredients. Each element seems to go really well with the others, plus the potato bread, seafood salad, cheese, and avocado are such a pretty combination of summery colors.

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Seafood Sandwich

Serves 4.

1 package of potato bread buns
1 package of Salads of the Sea, Seafood Salad
4 slices of medium sharp cheddar cheese
1 ripe avocado, sliced

Arrange ingredients onto 4 buns, with cheese on the bottom, then seafood salad in the middle, with sliced avocados on top.

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This day, I ate Pink Lady apples with my sammy. It was the first time that I tried them. I usually like to eat Fuji apples, but I decided to branch out. Apparently, Jennifer Connelly has said that she eats 3 of them a day. I liked them too, but not THAT much!

Pink Lady apples have a really interesting background. First of all, I must say they really are pink! They have a really distinct flavor - kind of sour but still pretty sweet. According to orangepippin.com... "The marketing effort has particularly targeted young women, and has resulted in Pink Lady apples being promoted in such unlikely settings as the Glastonbury music festival, as well as in women's magazines, and cross-marketed with Barbie dolls. Pink Lady even has its own website - www.pinkladyapples.co.uk. The marketing effort for Pink Lady focuses on lifestyle rather than flavour, and having achieved about 10% of the UK market in a very short space of time, it is clearly working." It's so weird how the color pink is like every marketing executive's dream. There's the pink blackberry phone, the pink Nintendo DS, "Pink" the Victoria's Secret brand... How funny that it actually works!

Sloppy Joes and Cornbread

Cooking for myself is great for a lot of reasons. I get to control how healthy and nutritious my food is and I get to pick stuff that I love to eat. Growing up, I really loved sloppy joes. I never got to eat it at home, just occasionally whenever my school cafeteria happened to serve them. There is something I've noticed about the recipe though. A sloppy joe is made as if you took the inside of a hamburger, (onions, ketchup, mustard, and beef), put it in a blender, and then put it back onto a bun. No wonder they taste so good :). Anyhow, if you're going to do sloppy joes, which are quintessentially American, might as well serve it with a slice of cornbread. Some recipes online even suggest serving the sloppy joe mixture over the cornbread! Below are recipes for my take on sloppy joes and for honey butter to serve on your cornbread.

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Sloppy Joes

Serves 5.

1 pound of extra lean ground beef
1 whole green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 a large yellow onion, finely chopped
6 oz can of tomato sauce, no salt added
1 cup of ketchup
2 tbsp. spicy sweet mustard
1/4 tsp. pepper
salt to taste
5 whole wheat hamburger buns

Spray skillet with nonfat cooking spray. Cook green pepper and onion. Add ground beef and break up the beef while cooking until beef is crumbly. While the beef, peppers, and onion are cooking on the stove, combine the remaining ingredients into a large bowl and mix thoroughly. As soon as beef is no longer pink, add the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.


Cornbread with Honey Butter

1 9x9 inch pan
1 package of Marie Calendar's Original Corn Bread Mix
1 15 oz. can of whole kernel corn
4 tbsp honey
4 tbsp Smart Balance (or butter)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Follow directions on the back of the package for the recipe containing real corn (it tastes better!).

Stir equal parts honey with equal parts smart balance in a separate bowl until fluffy. Voila! Instant honey butter. It is a divine combination :)

Tote Bag - E is for Environmentally Friendly

The last time I went to Berkeley Bowl, I swear I didn't see a plastic bag in sight. Everyone had brought their own canvas bags. It's a great thing that this is catching on. I just have to make sure to remember it as I'm leaving the apartment on a grocery run.

I went to Joann's and bought the biggest canvas bag that I could find. This thing can fit an amazing amount of groceries. I'll have to sew in a piece of vinyl or something to reinforce the bottom, though, because a lot of groceries can get heavy. I loved this yellow "E" that I found. I think my bag looks very collegiate and it's UC Berkeley colors of course.