Charming Capitola Hideaway Shadowbrook Restaurant – Capitola, California Visited January 2026 While on a mid-week holiday to California’s central coast with friends Kim and Mary, they asked us if we wanted to have dinner at Shadowbrook in the tiny beachside town of Capitola, Having never heard of Capitola, I was […]

California Coastal Dining Oasis Nepenthe – Big Sur, California Visited: January 2026 During spring break my senior year in high school, I joined friends on a road trip north on Highway 1 in California. There were many memorable events, including nearly being hit head-on by a huge truck on a […]

Français Fantastique Brigitte Bistro – Petaluma, CA Visited: August 2025 Friends Kim and Mary have joined us for many dining experiences in France, so when visiting them recently in Northern California, they took us to their favorite French bistro in Petaluma, which is located in the heart of Sonoma wine […]

Inviting Italian In “The City” Fino Ristorante – San Francisco, California Visited: February 2022 • Italian San Francisco definitely does not have a shortage of very good Italian restaurants, so to help us decide upon which one to visit, Tracy enlisted a friend who works in the city to aid […]

A Parisian Evening In McMinnvilleBistro Maison – McMinnville, Oregon Visited: May 2021 • French I love French food, and both the look and the menu of what I viewed online of Bistro Maison in McMinnville, Oregon, enticed me.  It looked like a spot we needed to dine, so I secured […]

Dinner In The GardenAlchemy Restaurant & Bar – Ashland, Oregon Visited: May 2021 • New American Cuisine Before heading up to Ashland, Oregon, I made reservations at Alchemy Restaurant & Bar, located inside the Winchester Inn. I perused the menu online, and although the menu was not extensive, it was […]

“Over The Moon Italian Cuisine” Luna Trattoria – Mendocino, CA Visited: October 2020 – Northern Italian On the recommendation of the Sea Foam Lodge in Little River, our foursome had made dinner reservations a few weeks previously at Luna Trattoria in Mendocino. Tracy and Mary scouted it out an hour […]

A Little Bite Of Rome in the City By The Bay Roma Antica – San Francisco, CA Visited: May 2019  •  Italian I’m always on the prowl for a great cacio e pepe, and recently I found one of the best I’ve ever tasted at a small restaurant located in […]

South Philly Perfection Ristorante Pesto – Philadelphia, PA Italian – Visited: April 2018   Before leaving for Philadelphia many people offered me dozens of restaurant recommendations, but after diligently doing my homework (something I should have done in college) there was only one place I knew we MUST visit … Ristorante […]