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A Day in San Juan Capistrano	A Day at the Los Angeles County Fair
Wild Note Cafe - Solana Beach, California

RATINGS KEY
• = A YummyEats.com Favorite
• 4 stars = Tops in Yummy!
• 3 stars = Good Stuff
• 2 stars = Fair
• 1 star = Yuk

Reviews

	Food of the Los Angeles County Fair - Pomona - - -> L.A. County Fair Website
1101 W. McKinley Ave - - general information phone: (909) 623-3111

HE SAYS: At the end of every Summer comes the L.A. County Fair and its fantastic variety of fun foods. Every year we like to have some old favorites, and to try plenty of new things. Tradition dictates that directly upon arrival, we start off with a Hot Dog on a Stick, and lemonade. This always hits the spot after the trying drive, and long walk from the parking lot. After watching the mule race, we decided to try the Pork Chop on a Stick. This was a thick, juicy, and very good grilled loin chop (with bone). A tangy barbecue sauce was available to go with it. After walking around and working up a little bit more appetite, we tried this year's hot item - Deep Fried Avocado. This came along with Deep Fried Tomato slices, and two dipping sauces - a Tomato Basil sauce, and a Creamy Ranch style dip. We were getting a bit full at this point, so we sat down with a beer and watched some show horses. Sticking with the "stick" theme we reprised the Deep Fried Snickers Bar. We first had these last year, and were rather afraid, thinking it would be cloyingly sweet. We were almost horrified to see them sprinkle it with powdered sugar. It was very pleasantly surprising to taste this delight. The frying brings out the peanut flavor, giving the whole an almost savory character; hence the dusting of sugar on the outside. After this, we went back to the race track to sit down and watch a couple of races over a cocktail. Now ready for dinner, we stopped at Jalapeno's Cantina for a Taco Combo plate. That really hit the spot. For dessert we had an old favorite: Chocolate Dipped Vanilla Ice Cream Bar coated with nuts - yum! In order to "cut through" some of the fat, we went over to the wine pavillion to sample some of the award winners. Of course, on the way out we bought a large bucket of P-Nuttle, and a pound of Mackinac Island Fudge. That's all we had room for this year. ( He's rating: 4 stars )

SHE SAYS: A day of food and fun at the L.A. County Fair today! Starting off with our annual fair tradition of a Hot Dog on a Stick and cool, fresh lemonade - yum, a tasty treat that really hits the spot after driving and struggling with the terrible parking lot here. The lemonade they sell at the HDOS stands here is very, very good - clearly made from real lemons, an excellent product.
So that we could try out more different food items at the fair, we decided to order one of each thing and split it between the two of us. Today we had in mind to try some of the various "products on sticks" they are famous for selling at the fair, so a bit later we tried a "Pork Chop on a Stick". Um - this was extremely yummy and juicy. They offered some barbecue sauce on the side which tasted good on the chop. Okay - the fair is known for the unusual deep-fried items they sell, so we heard about a new item this year - the "Deep-fried Avocado" - and decided to give it a go. Well - I know that sounds weird, but it really was quite tasty (though the stand selling it, "Chicken Charlies", didn't have any napkins that were dry - weird, eh. There were big rolls of napkins at their little area of tables - ALL damp!). It came with deep-fried tomatoes, as well as two dipping sauces - a ranch and a pesto sauce (I could have used a LOT more of the sauce). All in all, enjoyable and tasty.
Later we got something wonderful to share that we tried last year too - a deep-fried Snickers Bar. Seems like it would be sickeningly sweet (they even coat it with powdered sugar) but it's not. Really, really good. For dinner we shared a taco plate from "Jalapenos Mexican" stand. Two carne asada tacos, rice, and beans - it hit the spot, I loved this. Last today (at this point really *quite* full even though we were sharing everything between the two of us) we got a chocolate coated/nut-dipped ice cream cone - well, let's face it, you can't really go wrong with ice cream - yummy! ( She's rating: 4 stars )

BY "HE": On Friday we rode the train down to San Juan Capistrano, hoping to enjoy the nice weather, and to have a bit to eat and drink. Upon our arrival, we decided to take breakfast at Sarducci's Depot, right where the train stops. There we enjoyed our meal in the large courtyard dining area. I went with simple fare - sausage and eggs - and it really hit the spot, as I was hungry after the train ride. ( He's rating: 3.5 stars )

After touring the mission, which, by the way, was very interesting, we went for drinks at El Adobe De Capistrano (located at 31891 Camino Capistrano). This old Mexican restaurant looks very interesting, and we'd like to try the food there in the future. Fortified with a couple of cocktails, we did some window shopping, then ventured to the Swallows Inn saloon for a refreshing beer. This was a fantastic drinking establishment with a real local flavor.

Now ready for dinner we walked up to Ciao Pasta, a popular Italian restaurant. Here, in the courtyard, under the shade of an umbrella, we started with a Martini. The salad that came with the meal was excellent, with a simple oil and vinegar dressing. I ordered a plate of gnocchi, with a tasty pesto sauce (a choice of three sauces was available). I was too full to finish my entrée, but it made a fine lunch as a leftover. A bottle of Straccali Chianti made a nice accompaniment. ( He's rating: 3.5 stars ) After dinner, we made the short walk back to the station, and caught the next train home.

HE SAYS: For HE's opinion - see his review above called "A Day in San Juan Capistrano".

SHE SAYS: Arriving off the Amtrak train in San Juan Capistrano around 10:00 A.M., we decided to eat breakfast at Sarducci's Depot - right next to the train tracks (you can see the trains go by while you eat). Though I usually don't like eating outdoors, their outdoor patio area looked so inviting, we decided to sit there. We were seated at a good-size round outdoor table right next to a bubbling, blue, beautiful fountain with darling little sparrows and hummingbirds darting in and out of the bubbler at top (really cute). The outdoor tables are of the faux wood plastic variety, and each table is covered with a large green umbrella. There are heat lamps surrounding the patio area for those cold winter nights (not needed this occasion - a bright, beautiful 75 degree day).
I ordered Paige's Breakfast Sandwich. A really delicious choice as it turns out - yummy grilled sandwich layered with fried egg, ham, tomato, and cheese. On the side were some nicely cooked home-fried potatoes - very fresh and tasty, no grease at all. I had a glass of orange juice too. I can honesty say this was one of the best restaurant breakfasts I have ever had - so fresh, so delicious. Yum yum. There was a sweet and brave tiny sparrow who came right to our table and just about took pieces of potato right from my fingertips. I also tossed down a few choice pieces to the other little birds poking around. This was a very enjoyable meal. Service was extremely fast, efficient, and friendly. In all, a top-rate experience. ( She's rating: 4 stars )

HE SAYS: For HE's opinion - see his review above called "A Day in San Juan Capistrano".

SHE SAYS: For dinner, we stopped around 5:30 P.M. at Ciao Pasta - across from the mission along a main road lined with lots of restaurants. We sat in the outdoor patio area, where there were many empty tables at this fairly early dinner hour. The indoor area, which we peaked into, was dark, stark, and empty, with a nice-looking bar near the entrance. The whole restaurant started to fill up soon though, by the time we left the outdoor area, at least, was packed. The other patrons around us were mainly an upscale, older crowd. I ordered the Panzotti - ravioli stuffed with spinach and cheese. It came with a nice house salad - no choice of dressing, but it came with a tasty oil and vinegar and was a small plate of mainly greens and shredded carrots. Pretty good. The ravioli was brought quickly, and was light and tasty in a marinara sauce. We had a bottle of Chianti with dinner, and started with Martini's. I enjoyed this restaurant, it had many things of interest to me on the menu too. ( She's rating: 3.5 stars )

HE SAYS: For HE's opinion - see his review above called "A Day in San Juan Capistrano".

SHE SAYS: Stopped in at the Swallows Inn about 3:30 P.M. after visting the next-door antique store. The Swallows Inn is a neat old tavern - long wood bar and bar area on one side, down the middle are more bar tables ands stools, and on the other side is a grandstand and second smaller bar. The whole place is completely covered with posters and memorabilia - even the ceiling! We sat at the main bar and both ordered Heinekins. This place was starting to fill up with the after-work Friday crowd by the time we left, around 4:45 P.M. Loved this saloon, a very comfortable place to relax. ( She's rating: 4 stars )

HE SAYS: We took the train down to Del Mar - where the turf meets the surf - and stayed for dinner at the Wild Note Cafe in Solana Beach. This is located a conveniently short walk from the train station, located in a design district full of shops featuring wonderful home furnishings.

I started with a Caesar Salad - which had a lighter, healthier tasting dressing than a traditional Caesar - but compensated for this with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese. At the waiter's recommendation, we opted for 1/2 portions, which were quite enough ahead of an entree. I chose a Lobster Penne, which had nice chunks of lobster or langostino, mushrooms and artichoke hearts, and, other than being a bit past the point of al dente, was very nice. The flavor had a lot of complexity; a light cream sauce with a hint of citrus, I believe.

Since we had plenty of time before the last train north, we tried a dessert - a chocolate mousse cake, which was not really a mousse in essence - more of a flourless cake perhaps - but was certainly mousse-like in it's silky texture. Delicious. ( He's rating: 3.75 stars )

SHE SAYS: Today we rode the Amtrack to the Solana Beach station and spent the day at the horse races at Del Mar. After, about 6:00 P.M., we walked from the train station to a nearby restaurant down the street, the Wild Note Cafe. We previously decided to give this cafe a try after a search on the internet turned up this as a spot near the station that wasn't just a brew and burger or pizza joint. Greeted at the door by a very friendly waiter we got a choice of table as the restaurant was close to empty. We sat at a table indoors at the window in the front of the restaurant. Our table looked out to the outdoor seating area where there is a small patio with about six tables or so.
The Wild Note Cafe is attached to a music club called The Belly Up Tavern, and thus is decorated with musical instruments and a kind of jazzy, trendy-scene look with cement floor, exotic looking modern-style paintings, and teak tables and chairs. There is a curved bar at the side, with a view into the kitchen behind it. Music is piped in with an exotic leaning too - one song I remember was the kind of Indian music you usually hear in those Bollywood movies from India (I liked it!).
I ordered the Caesar Salad to start and our very nice waiter suggested a half portion as it's very large - he was right, I had the half Caesar and it was really good with lots of sliced parmesan and a really good dressing. Loved. For dinner I ordered the Panko Crusted Chicken in a curry sauce. Ooh la la - a tasty treat. It came with a nice rice pilaf, very healthy tasting, and some veggies, namely carrot and zucchini. Veggies were a bit bland, but did taste very fresh and healthy. I could have used a bit more of the curry sauce - so good, with golden raisins and nice mild curry flavor, I really lapped it up. Even though very full, we decided to share a dessert and got the chocolate mousse cake. This was also very good - more cake-like than mousse. Yum.
This a a great little cafe, with excellent friendly service, nice atmosphere, and really good, fresh and healthy-tasting food. Highly recommended. ( She's rating: 3.75 stars )