I got splashed while taking this full on shot of the Jimi Hendrix mural, near the corner of 30th and Ohio Street...
All for art's sake I say.
But back to KD's birthday crawl which was resumed at Et Voila French Bistro where we enjoyed a lovely brunch.
TORC's soup of the day, asparagus with creme fraiche.
The whole shebang below:
Looks good eh! It was like a greatest hits of French bistro food. Except for my dish but I digress.
The birthday gal's quiche with side salad.
TORC's croque monsieur, also with a side salad.
And THIS, my mushroom ravioli. It's hard to see, but there are four in there. I liked the shape, where the edges are pinched to form a point at the top. The sauce itself was so good and I only wished I had a spoon to scoop up every last drop.
One thing about today's brunch, everyone enjoyed their meal here; we even shared portions of our meal with each other and I can say that KD's quiche and TORC's croque monsieur were both as excellent as my ravioli. KD, however, found a porcelain baking bead in her quiche. She had set it aside to show our server. Usually baking beads are placed on top of crusts to weigh the down and are removed after baking. This was obviously forgotten. It was a good thing that KD did not ingest this. When it came time to settle our bill, we were informed that the manager took the quiche off our total, which was a nice gesture on his part. It was the right thing to do, I believe.
By this time, the sun was out and the rain from the previous downpour beginning to dry. Across the street, it seemed as though the signage for the Antique Row Cafe was stripped off. The restaurant was open. I wonder if they are going to refurbish the facade or if the sign is being fixed.
Our next stop was a few doors away from Et Voila...This was convenient and also by design.
A few details from this historic art decorbuilding...
This particular day was also the day of San Diego's Caffeine Crawl. We were told by one of the baristas that a large group was expected there at noon and would it be okay if we moved to another table (assuming one was available).
KD had their pourover; the roaster was Cat & Cloud from Santa Cruz.
I had my usual, the cortado while TORC had a dark chocolate mocha.
According to the barista, their dark chocolate was no longer from Parliament Chocolate in Redlands. Now, it is sourced from the Santa Barbara Chocolate Company (which ironically is located in Ventura, not Santa Barbara). Specifically, it is their Organic Rainforest 73% dark chocolate which the owner found works well with mochas. I actually emailed Hawthorne Coffee later that evening to find out the name of the chocolate because I had forgotten and because I'm anal like that. Inquiring minds want to know. I have to say that higher quality chocolate used in mochas really does make a difference.
Good to the last drop.
Here are a few shots of the group that came in for the caffeine crawl. The owner came out with trays of sample sized shots. He was explaining their different coffees to the group, some of whom congregrated by our old table with the rest hanging out outside.
I saw all of the listings for the Caffeine Crawl locations and thought, Hmmm, well, I've been to pretty much ALL of them, ha ha. And I didn't have to pay a fee either.
Our last food stop of the day was Blackmarket Bakery down the street. Dessert was pretty lowkey. We were pretty full from brunch and coffee. KD chose an apricot ginger scone which we nibbled at in their back patio. We also bought a few treats to take to D, who was in absentia that morning. We would end up visiting her later that afternoon.
They sell Dutch crunch bread here! I need to buy a loaf next time.
Cute shirt!
Here's that scone, studded with apricot pieces and crystallized ginger. A very nice taste sensation.
Another view from the southwest corner of 30th and Adams...
Sidewalk art on the opposite corner...
Previous visit to Et Voila French Bistro:
May 2015
Previous visit to Hawthorn:
January 2017 (this is actually a compilation of revisits to various coffee shops)
Previous visit to Blackmarket Bakery:
January 2017 (actually a compendium of previous posts from the tail end of 2016)
Before visiting D, we stopped by the new Hobby Lobby in Chula Vista. It's where Target used to be and now houses grocery stores Aldi and Smart& Final, as well as Party City. It's quite overwhelming in Hobby Lobby; they literally have EVERYTHING crafty in there. I'm glad that they finally rebuilt that empty lot (it still appears empty on googlemaps by the way) and filled it with stores that I actually shop at!
Last year's birthday crawl (all from January 2016):
"KD's birthday brunch at Ocean Pacific Grille" (sadly this restaurant is now defunct as of December 2016)
"We'll take the whle menu please...drinks @Mostra Coffee + desserts from Champagne French Bakery" - On a happier note, Mostra Coffee will have their own brick and mortar this spring! I can't wait 'til they open!
"Return to the Cravory and Embargo Grill" - Cookies and Cuban food!
Until next year's crawl...
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