A long hike, the beach, and the best burgers in far too long

 Another day another adventure!  The Madonna Inn is a famous locale for all of San Luis Obispo County, and having known that Hannah has been a handful of times and told me such great things about it, it was high time she took me there!  It was a rather long hike to the place from where we were staying, but well worth it in the end!  Breakfast is the best meal of the day (in my humble opinion), so what better time than in the morning!  We took our seats and I was stunned by the decor of the place.  It took on the appearance of a old Swiss mountain inn (not that I've ever seen one).  But really a cool place and Hannah and I got a great seat inside a private booth.  Hannah ordered classic take on a fruity breakfast!  It was a fruit bowl in a delicious syrup that included everything from raspberries to grapes.  It of course came with toast, fresh from the bakery as you all know i adore so much.

 I was impressed at the deliciousness of their array of preserves also!  very spreadable and full of flavor.  However, what I at first thought was syrup turned out to be honey!  A big no no for vegans...sorry hun

I took a pretty standard approach on the American breakfast.  Two eggs over hard, bacon, has browns, and biscuits.  An all time favorite of mine, nothing particularly different, it was sure awesome though!  the star of my breakfast was the biscuits.  They were so flaky and buttery and soft (not in a pilsbury kind of way though). A great addition to this breakfast feast!

Mystical urinal

 The Madonna Inn is not only obviously a restaurant, but a grand hotel and resort!  After our meal we took our own little tour.  We went downstairs to their wine cellar and gift shop where I found my personal favorite part of the place: THE URINAL.  I took a panorama shot of the bathroom downstairs, and at first glance you wouldn't tell that there's really a urinal in the place.  BUT WAIT.  WHAT'S THAT BIG CAVE/FIREPLACE THING?  DO I PEE IN THAT?  Yes you do!  That big thing is the cool urinal in this bathroom!  I have to honest though, I did not use it, because I was having a great inner debate over where the floor ended and the urinal began, and I was also contemplating the awkwardness that would ensue If someone was to join me in this "free spirited" commode.

Stealing my phone during my beach nap..  What a beauty she is

Ocean view

I hadn't seen the ocean in far too long, and luckily Hannah's friend was able to present us with a great idea for the day!  The beach!  So, Hannah, myself, and a couple of her friends hopped in a car and went to the beach!  It was so great to bask in the sun for a few hours!  Even if it meant a sunburn for another week.. I missed seeing the California ocean for as long as i went without it, and it was a beautiful day and a good change of pace.

Fresno Fig Burger

Beet Burger

 On to these bad boys, found at Eureka, in downtown SLO.  For dinner we had wanted to go here for a few days before!  And we finally went!  This is one of those places where i really wish i was 21 for.  Their selection of brews on tap was incredible, and i want to say they boasted over 50 beers on tap!  WOAH!  the atmosphere here was great, everyone was having a great time and the bar was PACKED.  Not that we worry about that..  every night there seems to be a wait even for two people to get in...BUT ITS WORTH IT!  The burgers we ordered (which is another thing they like to boast about) were absolutely superb.  I got the Fresno Fig burger, which attracted me mainly because of the mass amounts of goat cheese!  I can't get enough of that stuff and the actual meat of the burger was something else on a scale of awesome.  All natural vegetarian fed beef really makes a difference.  Hannah got a beet burger!  Which is something i'd never heard of and was also equal in it's taste and quality!  the beet patty seriously emulated a beef patty and also was able to go into some grounds that beef isnt really able to go to.  The spices and flavor involved in the beet brought out the flavor so much, it was great really!  The FRIES. This was a great thing because i originally ordered their sweet potato fries doused in honey and cinnamon, however they goofed on my order and gave me regular ones instead, so naturally i told the waiter...and they brought me a whole seperate plate of the sweet potato fries >:)  woah again.  the fries were almost like dessert to the whole meal, and of course we ate ALL OF THEM!!  So filling...  i'm getting full just reminiscing..

Return to SLO. Old Places, New food

For memorial day weekend (being a four day holiday in the military), I was able to get a trip approved for me to go up to San Luis Obispo to see Hannah!  I was really excited for the weekend and It didn't dissapoint. It gave my gorgeous Hannah and I some more time together and myself and her a well deserved break from the norm.  I love seeing her be my tour guide around her new stomping grounds :)  SLO is without a doubt one of my favorite places to explore many styles of food (and some good shopping!).  For anyone with a taste for California travel, promote this town to #1 on your bucket list.  With only about a 15 minute drive to the ocean there's something for everyone to do ( AND EAT).

F. Scott Fitzgerald

 Hannah frequents this place more often than I do of course, but since i was in town i had it in my mind to go back to the Kreuzberg cafe.  In November Hannah and I had breakfast here and it was such a treat.  Not in an expensive way, but in a quality way.  Being from Seattle there are a lot of cozy-cafe kind of places around so this place hits home for me.  The people obviously care about what they're making here, and their homemade kombucha tea on tap is a good example of that.  Iv'e already scolded myself for not ordering it yet, but someday!! I ordered the F. Scott Fitzgerald sandwich for lunch, which had chicken, goats cheese, caramelized pears, and shallots.  And who could resist sweet potatoes fries on the side (:  I love goats cheese and I think that's what really tied the flavors of this sandwich together, the sweetness of the pears too made a great addition to this rich and complex flavor package.  Great lunch! 

Sauerkraut soup w/ toasted bread

 Being vegan Hannah has to be a little more careful with what she orders.  I have absolutely nothing bad to say about that. Iv'e lived the vegan life briefly before and I have a lot of respect for it, and I promise myself and Hannah that someday I'll return to it for good!  Obviously that's not very possible for me to do in the military, so I have to put it on hold for now!  Hannah has always had a love for sauerkraut, a love which i can't seem to grasp.  I can't eat it as easily as she can :)  but that's just me!  The soup of the day being their homemade sauerkraut soup i could tell exactly what she was getting!  She had me try it and i have to say i did enjoy it!  It had a nice tangy flavor to it that went well with the other vegetables in the mix.  The bread made a nice compliment to at all as well.  It had the obvious flavor and aroma of being freshly made, which I always appreciate!  After having real fresh baked bread in Germany I always find this a pleasing change.

Faces of content!

This trip is far from over!  More coming!

Blast From the Past - Tyler's Return

I'm back world!  After being away and not able to experience life as much as I used to be (being in the military and all)  I've finally had the opportunity to meet up with Hannah and have as many more adventures as we can!  Back in March we had the opportunity to spend the day together in Palm Springs, CA (Hannah has already posted a little bit on it).  Hannah was going down with her parents to spend spring break and my base is only about an hour away so naturally we met up for about 24 hours :)

Hannah's hummus plate

Our first night, after getting picked up by Hannah and family, we all decided to go our separate ways finding a place to eat dinner.  So, Hannah and I being people to hunt for a little while before finding a good place to eat, went across the street from the hotel to a nice little market area with a bustling night life and some very nice looking restaurants.  After some wandering we decided on "The Grill", which was just in the center of all this gastronomical opportunity.

Fish tacosss

 The place was quite busy and seemed to cater toward the millions of middle aged /40 something-year-olds wine enthusiasts in California, given that they asked us if we wanted to be seated in the bar (always makes us feel special being mistaken for somebody older than we actually are!).  Anyways, the place was hopping, and the music was a good addition to the environment.  I'm really enjoying this area of California, given how friendly the people are and how much great food there is at our fingertips!  We settled into the place and got to know the menu real well.  I had been craving some good fish tacos for AGES, and seeing that they came with avocado I made a quick and good choice.  Hummus and accompanied sides such as veggie and bread are always a hit with us two, so she made another good choice with that.  When the food came it did not disappoint!  I loved how the tortillas were perfectly grilled to make a little crunch and soft and warm.  in addition the fish was grilled to the point where it made a perfect balance between wet and dry to make a delicious tasting fish taco!  And the avocado?  Well, what is there to say :).  Hannah's hummus plate was exactly what we asked for, and it was a great combination of classic chickpea hummus with a new twist.  we both love greek olives, and the smooth vinegary flavor of the olives seeped into the hummus like a summer rain on a field.  Absolutely great.

Basking like reptiles

The rest of our time together was spend with a little (or a lot) of sunbathing by the pool at our hotel,along with many little talks catching up as much as we can with our physical time!  Remember the promise ring I gave Hannah for christmas too?  Well she presented me with one of my own!  as seen below.  Now i have a symbol of her affection just as she does!  I love it and always keep it on me or close to me.  Engraved on the inside it says "Forever and Always 8/6/12", our anniversary.

My promise ring!

Stay tuned there's a lot more coming!