Manna Restaurant

I made reservations at Manna Restaurant for our first dinner in Ljubljana. It got good reviews on TripAdvisor. They had a 4-course dinner for €32. You don't actually get to pick the courses--the chef did. You could add a wine pairing: €3.90/glass for "fresh" wine and €4.50/glass for "old" wines (wines older than 2012). Their definition of "old" wine is a little different from what we consider "old" in wine country.

Manna is located at Eipprova Ulica 1a, a 10 minute walk from our hotel (or a 15-minute walk from the Triple Bridge).

There was a nice bread basket with 3 choices--classic white, onion and baguette with walnuts.

Amuse bouche of sea bass fish pate, black polenta and shrimp caviar.

Marinated Octopus on Carpaccio of Octopus, Asparagus, Balsamic Caviar. I was going to choose this as my first course so I'm glad the chef included this in his choice. The balsamic caviar were little bubbles of balsamic vinegar. This was the same caviar concept that we had at the wine pairing lunch at Lambert Bridge. How progressive!

Smoked Duck Breast with Fig, Truffle, Cheese Brioche. This had a nice smokey flavor and the figs were so good with it.

Squid Ink Ravioli Filled with Crab, Langoustine and Royal Prawn with Crab Sauce, Octopus, Royal Prawn. This was what I wanted as the warm starter and I was glad the chef choose it as well. It was so good. The crab sauce was rich and I could have eaten a big bowl of it.

Souffle of Beef Tail with Sauce of Beef Tongue, Spring Salad with Mustard Seeds and Sesame. I loved this as well. The beef tail was fork tender.

Ombrina Filet on Bed of Quinoa. This was a very good fish--firm, not flaky nor dry.

Pork Cheeks cooked Sous Vide, served with 40-year cheese dumpling (sirovstruelj). I think I misunderstood the waiter. Hard to believe the cheese was actually 40 years old.

Deconstructed Apple Strudel, Cottage Cheese, Cinnamon Ice Cream, Caramel Sauce & Walnuts. My husband liked this.

Chocolate Fondant Walnut Brownie with Mint Lemon Ice Cream with Chili Powder. I liked this dessert better.

It was a nice walk back to our hotel along the river. The castle was lit up.

as was the Triple Bridge and Preseren Square.

2016 09 04

Cafe Beaujolais

I spent the weekend along the California coast and went to Mendocino. What a gorgeous weekend. Sunny and warm. I love fall along the coast--so much better than the summer when it's crowded and foggy.

I had lunch at my favorite place--Cafe Beaujolais. It's located at 961 Ukiah Street.

They have the most wonderful bread--the one on the left is their Austrian Bread. It's made of white flour, sunflower seeds, cracked wheat, oats, barley, polenta, millet, buckwheat, flax seed, soy grits, sesame seeds, water, malt, sea salt and yeast. There is no oil or butter in the bread. It is moist with just a hint of sourness. 

I got the Duck Confit Cobb Salad--$13.50. Greens, Boiled Egg, Cherry Tomatoes, Bacon

Avocado, Point Reyes Bleu Cheese, Braised Onions, Olive Vinaigrette. This was a good portion. The duck was tender and all the different ingredients worked well.

My sisters ordered the Sautéed Gulf Prawn Fettuccini--$13.50. Wild Mushrooms, Organic Cherry Tomatoes, Baby Spinach and Shellfish Brandy Butter. This had always been another of my favorites but the portion today was 1/2 what it used to be. It still was delicious with homemade fettucine and the shellfish sauce was creamy and delicious. Just wished there was more of it.

2016 10 22

Vigo Ice Cream

After we finished our brief tour of Preseren Square, we crossed the Triple Bridge and found Vigo Ice Cream. We learned "ice cream" in Slovenia is actually gelato.

I ordered the mango, which was so delicious. The mango flavor was intense and the gelato was creamy. This was also a huge serving for €1.50. My husband got lemongrass, which also had very intense flavors.

2016 09 04

Ljubljana

Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, is a city of 270,000. It has a charming Old Town that is predominantly pedestrian-only. The city is so clean and such a pleasure to explore. Plan on a full day of sightseeing. Two days would allow you to enjoy it at a more leisurely pace.

We stayed near the Triple Bridge in the center of town. Everything was within walking distance. The Triple Bridge, which spans the Lujbljanica River, was designed by native son Joze Plecnik. The center bridge already existed but the two side bridges were built to accommodate the 6 streets of traffic from the west side of the river to the 1 street on the east side of the river.

A statue of poet France Preseren dominates Preseren Square at the base of the Triple Bridge. 

The statue shows Preseren with a naked muse above him. This created quite a controversy when it was first installed because it was scandalous to have a naked statue occupying the same square as a church.

Near Preseren Square is a yellow house with a woman in a frame. This is Julija, Preseren's unrequited love. They met when he was in his 30s and a teacher at her father's house when she was only 4. Later in life, she married for wealth and status but she still inspired his poetry.  Preseren can still see her from Preseren Square.

In the center of the square is an area that rains every few minutes. The sign said this was a microclimate. Overhead sprinklers indicated otherwise. It does provide respite from the summer heat.

Franciscan Church of St. Mary facing the square.

Also in the square is Galerija Emporium--the town's first post-quake department store built in 1895. 

Look inside to see the Grand Staircase.

Model of the city center in Preseren Square.

Copova Street is one of the 6 streets that fans from Preseren Square. A century earlier, this was the route of the Sunday promenade. People would put on their Sunday best and stroll from the bridge to Tivoli Park. Nowadays, it is chock full of locals and tourists. You can stop at the McDonald's on this street to get a "Puff," sugary fried dough.

Miklosiceva Cesta is another one of the 6 streets fanning from Preseren Square. Grand Hotel Union sits on this street, which leads to the train station. This building had a prominent dome with spires, which was modeled after buildings in Prague. For a while, all corner buildings in Ljubljana had to have spires.

2016 09 04

Thursday Night Dinner

I couldn't resist corn passata on this week's menu so I went to Thursday Night dinner at Flavor Bistro as well. I know, I know--better start exercising.

Bruschetta Con Gamberoni--Topped with Grilled Marinated Jumbo Prawns, Wild Arugula, Tomato-Basil Salsa & Spicy Saffron Aioli, paired with 2014 Gainey Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Ynez Valley

Gnocchi Di Patate Dolci--Homemade Sweet Potato Gnocchi Served in Gorgonzola Cream Topped with Parmesan-Walnut Gremolata, paired with 2012 Foris Vineyards Pinot Noir, Rogue Valley, Oregon

Bistecca Ai Ferri--Grilled Marinated Flat Iron Steak Garnished with Stone Oven Roasted Treviso, Balsamic Glaze, Garlic Candy & Sweet Corn Passata in Sage Brown Butter, paired with 2013 Alexander Valley Vineyards Redemption Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley

Tiramisù E Tartufi Di Cioccolato--Espresso Lady Fingers Layered with Rum Flavored Mascarpone Cream Garnished with Homemade Chocolate Truffles, paired with 2012 Bonterra Vineyards Late Harvest Muscat, Bartolucci Vineyard (Organic), Lake County

2016 10 20

Pork Chop Wednesdays Are Back!

It's been a while since we've had Pork Chop Wednesdays at Flavor Bistro. You get all this food plus a white and red wine for $18.95. Today's wine was a Chardonnay and a Cabernet. I guessed neither correctly.

Spice-Brined Grilled Pork Chops with Sun-Dried Fruit Compote

Whipped Potatoes

Creamy Spinach with Homemade Sausage

Peter Rabbit's Favorite with Garden Peas

Blue Lake Beans

Corn on the Cob

Organic Green Salad

Homemade Bread & Butter

Chocolate Foldovers with Whipped Cream

2016 10 19

Kumino Restaurant

Kumino Restaurant in Mountain View was started by two chefs who went to the CIA at Hyde Park. One worked at Manresa while the other worked at Momofuku in New York. Kumino is located at 580 N. Rengstorff in a nondescript mall.

Pork Belly Bun--$3.50. This was a good sized appetizer and can be cut in half and shared. The pork belly was tender and not too fatty but the sauce was not memorable. A better hoisin sauce would have improved it.

My sister ordered the Poached Salmon Rice Bowl--$14.50. It came with a poached egg, pickled cucumber (the yellow thing) and miso butter. Some people on yelp described it as sweet but my sister didn't think it was sweet at all. This was a light lunch but a large enough portion that it was filling.

Fried Chicken Cutlets Rice Bowl--$11.50. It had pumpkin curry, baby carrots and apple chutney. The chicken was well prepared and not greasy. It needed a little more flavor--either more curry or more chutney.

I ordered the Pork Noodle Soup--$12. You know that I judge all ramen against Orenchi and this was just okay. It wasn't bad but not memorable. The broth was a little too smoky, probably from the pulled pork. I liked the spinach but didn't care for the kimchee. The poached egg was not as good as the soft boiled egg at Orenchi.

Another friend ordered the Garlic Noodle with Charsiu--$12. She thought the sauce was too sweet.

2016 10 16