Restaurant L'Isula

We had dinner at Restaurant L'Isula. They had a 2-course menu for €29--entree/plat or plat/dessert or 3-course menu for €36.

L'Isula is located at 7 Rue Georges Clemenceau.

Gambas Sauvage Legumes Croquants et Fraises (wild shrimp with crunchy vegetables and strawberries)--my husband wasn't too impressed with this entree.

Chèvre Chaud de Chez Ravel en Salade et Copeaux de Jambon Iberique--I liked this goat cheese and Iberico ham salad.

Mignon de Veau Sauge et Pancetta, Jus Citronne (veal loin with sage and pancetta). This was okay. The lemon juice was not too impressive--just squeezed lemon.

Canon d'Agneau Croustillant d'Herbes du Marquis--rack of lamb we my favorite. It was prepared pink on the inside.

Panna Cotta--this was creamy and delicious. I really liked the panna cotta in Corsica. 

2017 09 24

Calvi

Calvi is located in northwest Corsica. The airport in Bastia is located in northeast Corsica, so we basically drove from coast to coast. It's only 1 1/2 hours to make the trip.

Calvi is a chichi resort but it does have some historical importance. It has a 15th century citadel that fended off several attacks.

Caserne Sampiero within the citadel is a military barracks that also served as the seat of government for the Genoese administration which built the citadel.

Inside is the Oratoire Saint Antonio, a quiet chapel dedicated to St. Anthony.

Within the Citadel, you'll also find the Cathedrale St. Jean Baptiste.

The cathedral contains the ebony Christ des Miracles.

From the top of the citadel, you get a nice view of Place Christophe Colomb, where our hotel was located (the yellow building).

In the Place, a statue of Christopher Columbus is built into the wall. Calvi claims that he was born there.

Stroll along the charming harborside.

The harborside is packed with restaurants and shops.

There is a nice marina

with expensive yachts.

There is a sandy beach as well, which wraps east from the harborside.

Walking through town, we stopped for a gelato break at Solea. It's located at 14 Rue Georges Clemenceau.

We tried the Castagna (chestnut) and Passion Fruit. The chestnut was good but the passion fruit was a little icy. A medium with 2 flavors cost €3.90.

2017 09 24

Hotel Belvedere

From Bastia, we drove 1 1/2 hours to Calvi.

The Hotel Belvedere is located at Place Christophe Colomb. It was €60 for a night. Breakfast was not included. Parking is €9 across the street. Since we arrived on a Sunday, parking on the street was free. The hotel is conveniently situated in the center of Calvi, so we could walk everywhere.

We had Room 203 with a view of the citadel and the water. Our room was a triple with a large king bed and a twin bed. We used the twin bed to repack my husband since he had just finished a 2-week hike on the GR20.

The bathroom was modern and clean.

2017 09 24

U Muntese

After arriving in Bastia, we picked up a rental car and had lunch at U Muntese, just 8 minutes from the airport.

U Muntese is located at 1875 Avenue de Borgo. It's closed on Mondays and they do take a break from 2:30-7:30pm.

Salad Sampiero--€9 for a small. It had foie gras and grilled eggplant. It was quite a large slice of foie gras for a small portion.

Petites Seiches--€19. Baby cuttlefish served in a crepe cup. It was not chewy but it was very fishy.

Linguine Aux Crevettes (shrimp)--€16. This was just okay. The shrimp were small and the pasta was beyond al dente.

Salade de Poulpe (octopus)--€19. The sauce was a little too vinegary but the octopus was tender.

2017 09 24

SFO to Corsica

In 2017, right before the Santa Rosa fire, we went to Corsica and Italy. I didn't have a chance to blog about our trip back then. Hope my memory and my notes hold up.

I flew on Delta from SFO to JFK. I was surprised that a snack was served. You could choose from Tillamook Cheese & Fruit (3 cheeses, flatbread crackers, almonds, grapes and Godiva dark chocolate), Beef Pastrami Sandwich (served with potato salad and caramel Godiva), and a Veggie Wrap (served with strawberries, grapes and oatmeal crunch cookie). 

Sitting on the left side of the plane, I got a nice view of Long Island as we came in for a landing.

At JFK, I had a 3 1/2 hour layover and had dinner at The Locals, located in Terminal 1 at Gate 5.

What a disappointment. I ordered a Chicken Caesar Salad to eat there and was served a boxed salad, similar to what you find at Trader Joe's. Okay, this had kale in it as well but was it worth $13.99? No!

I flew Air France on a redeye from JFK to Orly in Paris. I had a chicken dinner and a blueberry muffin right before landing. You could barely see the Eiffel Tower in the distance as we came in for a landing.

After a 2 hour layover in Orly, I flew to Bastia in Corsica. It was a 1 1/2 hour flight. Twenty and a half hours after leaving San Francisco, I finally made it to Corsica.

2017 09 23

Cafe Beaujolais

One of my favorite places to eat in Mendocino is Cafe Beaujolais, located at 961 Ukiah Street. They also have an outdoor pizza oven and you can get a pizza in their outdoor cafe. You can purchase homemade bread as well.

They changed owners and I was fearful that the menu would not be as good. My fears were allayed when we ate there recently. I actually think their food is better now.

Thai Duck Salad--$14. Local Garden Greens, Liberty Farm Duck Confit, Toasted Cashews, Pickled Radish, Goat Cheese Fritters, Thai Lime Dressing. I love this dish. It's loaded with duck confit and I like the goat cheese fritters--crispy outside and creamy inside.

Local Fish of the Day (ling cod)--$15. Smashed fingerling potatoes, warm cherry tomatoes and Arugula salad.

Beer Battered Wild Caught Fish & Chips--$18. Scrimshaw beer battered fish (halibut on the day of our visit) with house made tartar sauce and crispy Kennebec fries. The fish was good but the portion was small. The fries were greasy and disappointing.

2019 04 27/05 11/06 08

Jaded Toad

We'd always wanted to try Jaded Toad.

It's located at 275 Windsor River Road. They have a nice outdoor area with 2 fire pits and comfy chairs.

Happy Hour at the Jaded Toad is M-F 3-6pm when munchies are 1/2 price and $1 off alcoholic drinks--Cider $5, Daily Beer $4 with Happy Hour prices. 

They have a non-alcoholic Lemonade for $3. This was watered down and didn't have much flavor.

Fish Tacos--$5 during Happy Hour. They didn't have fish on the day we visited and substituted shrimp. Grilled shrimp, cabbage, pico de gallo, chipotle mayo dressing. These were okay. Not spectacular and certainly not worth $10 when it's not Happy Hour.

Buffalo Wings--$6. House made buffalo sauce with carrots & celery. These were disappointing. You get 6 wings and they weren't crispy.

Chili Cheese Fries--$6. Soggy fries. Another disappointment.

Overall, it was very disappointing and it's doubtful we'll be back.

2019 04 25

Ippinn Ramen

Another lunch at Ippinn Ramen, located at 1880 Mendocino Avenue in Santa Rosa.

Order your noodle or rice dish at the counter and if it's not too busy, you get it by the time you get to the cashier. I always get the Tonkotsu--$9.49. It's a pork based broth served with pork belly chasu and coddled egg. You can get thin or thick udon. I like the thin better.

Their set up is different now. Instead of a sneeze guard, the food is displayed in cases with doors. You still pick up the sides you want. I like the Mixed Fries--$0.99 and dip it in tonkatsu sauce.

2019 04 20

Goji Kitchen

Goji Kitchen is an Asian fusion restaurant in Santa Rosa, mixing Chinese and Vietnamese dishes. It's located at 1965 Mendocino Ave.

Spicy Mongolian Beef--$16. Sliced beef, fresh leeks and onions, bean sprouts and crispy noodles. It wasn't too spicy but flavorful enough.

Szechuan Beef--$16. This wasn't on the menu but you could ask for it. This tasted like orange chicken and we wondered if they brought the wrong dish.

Organic Baby Bok Choy With Fresh Shitake Mushrooms--$17. A little pricey for bok choy but maybe it was the organic that made it expensive.

Basil Eggplant--$15. The eggplant was very tender and good.

Vegetable Clay Pot Rice--$13.50. Clay pot cooked jasmine rice with a crispy bottom. I didn't think this had much flavor but it was a large portion and the rice on the bottom definitely was crispy.

2019 04 16

New Pho Saigon 2

It took a long time to clear customs at OAK. They don't have Mobile Passport.

We grabbed dinner at New Pho Saigon 2, located at 242 Serra Way in Milpitas.

Pho--$8.25 for small bowl, 8.75 for large bowl. Their pho was okay. Not the best I've ever had but flavorful enough.

House Special Big Rice Noodle Soup with Shrimp, Crab, Pork, Squid and Fried Shrimp Cake--$8.25 for small, $8.75 for large bowl. This was also okay.

We had the Bun Rieu as well--$10. It was Tomato, Shrimp & Crab Paste with Meat, Tofu and Vermicelli Noodle Soup. You could get pig blood if you wanted. This was good but the shrimp & crab paste with meat balls were too dense. Good enough but I won't make a special trip for it.

2019 04 13

Venchi & the Ride Home

At FCO, right before our flight, we had our last gelato at Venchi.

It was €4.60 for 3 flavors. Not bad considering it was good quality gelato.

On our flight home, we flew over ice fields. I can't believe all the cracks in the ice.

2019 04 13