Family Cookie Company

Discounted ice cream?  Yes, please!

Family Cookie Company

302 Spring Street

Suisun City, CA

Should you find yourself in Solano County with a hankerin’ for ice cream sandwiches, you’re in luck!

The first time I stepped inside the Family Cookie Company, I knew something special was brewing there.  Then, the nice young lady behind the counter explained why the bakery is so unique.

The Family Cookie Company isn’t your typical bakery.  This humble operation supplies the irresistible cookies found in It’s-It ice cream treats; you can even buy It’s-Its by the case at largely discounted prices here.  At a mere buck apiece, I was able to stock up on Big Daddys, Super Sundaes, and several varieties of the original It’s-Its including the elusive Cappuccino that is hard to find.  If you think your trip home might be too lengthy for ice cream to survive, make a mental note for next time (or hold an ice cream-eating contest on the way home).  You can still buy cases of their tasty doughs in a myriad of flavors including Oatmeal Raisin, White Chocolate Macadamia, and Snickerdoodle.

Now that you’ve read this, pay a visit to this bakery that’s been in business for over three decades…and don’t forget your cooler!

Splash Cafe

Here comes the lunch crowd (at 9:30am)...

Splash Cafe

197 Pomeroy Avenue

Pismo Beach, CA

Splash Café is located across the alley from another establishment that also serves clam chowder.

I feel sorry for the other place.

I’d read up on the café, and most articles suggested getting in line at breakfast time to enjoy hot chowder for lunch.

Although we’d just enjoyed a sugary carb bomb at Old West, we noticed a line starting to form around 9:30…and joined it.  Soon thereafter, while still waiting to order, the line grew, starting to snake around the building even before 10:00.

I ordered what 90% of the crowd was ordering: Chowder in a Bread Bowl.  An additional buck got me “extra seafood”, which proved to be a healthy portion of imitation crabmeat.  The steaming, creamy rich chowder arrived in a chewy bread bowl, and the “lid” of the bowl had been buttered and grilled to add a little crunch.  After a generous sprinkling of pepper, I gobbled it up as if I had just expended as many calories as the half-naked surfers in the room with me.

Finished and ready to explode, I proceeded out the door, vowing to eat nothing else for the rest of the day…and glad I’d worn loose clothing.

Al the Wop's

Old-school sign, old-school charm!

Al the Wop's
13943 Main Street
Locke, CA

Sometimes, I can’t believe what unfolds in front of my very eyes when I’m dining in a restaurant.

On the way back from the Isleton Crawdad Festival, my buddy and I stopped in Locke for a bite to eat.  Al the Wop’s had been on my list for a while for two reasons: providing an abbreviated menu of specialty steaks, burgers and pasta dishes that are raved about, as well as a questionable name I’m not sure should offend people.

One thing this restaurant is not is pretentious.  What you see is what you get.  What you see as you walk in is a typical locals’ bar with friendly bartenders who greet you as you walk in the door as they attend to boisterous bikers, locals and tourists.  What you get is a room toward the back where you can enjoy a nice little meal at an affordable price.

I guess I got the bonus plan on this particular visit.  In the middle of my juicy Al’s Burgers, grilled to perfection and piled high with tomato, lettuce and red onion, a couple walked in…and that’s when the show began.

They ordered salads and voiced their dissatisfaction with the types of dressing that were available.  They ordered pasta dishes, then complained yet again when those arrived.  They ordered an entire bottle of wine, then sent it back after two sips.  The manager was gracious enough to offer another bottle of their liking, and they balked after a few sips of the wine that they had picked out.

All the while, their server and her manager attempted to meet their every demand – with smiles on their faces.  No arguments, no eye-rolling.  The same server also made sure everything was going smoothly at our table, and I nodded happily as I shoved ketchup-laden French fries into my face.

Like I said, what you see is what you get.  A Michelin-rated restaurant this is not; but that’s fine.  Perfectly fine, in fact.  We left more than satisfied after wolfing down burgers, pasta and beer and tipped our server a little extra for her graciousness and to make up for the wine snobs who more than likely snubbed her.

Freeport Bar & Grill

My only suggestion?  Bigger spoons!

Freeport Bar & Grill
8259 Freeport Boulevard
Sacramento, CA

You hear about "hidden gems" all the time, and this is certainly one of them.  Off the beaten path, you either pass it unintentionally, or are brought here by locals who know where to find some of the best ribs in the area.

Dress up.  Or don't.  Anything goes.  I arrived wearing jeans and a hoodie, and was outdressed by only one lady at the bar in a beaded outfit, obviously enjoying the happy hour libation specials.

I was told "everything is good here".  Really?  I immediately challenged that by ordering a bowl of Clam Chowder, which arrived with a light sprinkling of shredded Parmesan and a dusting of chopped green onions.  Green onions?  Seriously?  I dove right in, discovering a generous helping of whole clams (no minced junk here) and a thick, complex soup with a myriad of flavors I could not immediately identify.  Additionally, I was convinced that ALL chowders should be topped with green onions.  What a delicious touch!

Soon thereafter came an embarrassingly large platter of St. Louis Ribs, slathered with barbecue sauce and topped with a large handful of fried shoestring onions.  As if that weren't enough, it was accompanied by a baked potato in GOLD foil and a side of sour cream, again topped with green onions.  Fancy!

It was love at first bite.  Was the giant knife on the platter meant to be used to hack into that baked potato?  Clearly, the ribs needed no assistance as the the pork delicately slipped off the bone upon each bite.  They were smoky, sticky and tender...much like the lady at the bar.

Half an hour later, I spent a portion of my food coma pontificating whether country music was the only option on this karaoke night.  I decided to call it a night and not find out.

Blue Point Coastal Cuisine

Oysters' reproductive organs contain both eggs
and sperm.  Bon appetit!

Blue Point Coastal Cuisine

565 5^th Street

San Diego, CA

A funny thing happened while I was planning my last trip to San Diego: my cousin asked, "There's a place in the Gaslamp Quarter with $1 oysters during happy hour.  Wanna go?"

I had to chuckle since my answer to that question will always be "HELL YES" followed by "stop asking dumb questions".

So there we were, butts atop barstools shoveling order after order of oysters and jumbo shrimp (oh yeah, those were a buck apiece, too) into our mouths as if we hadn't eaten huge pancake breakfasts and deep-fried lunches already.  Every now and then we'd mix it up with some bread, but those juicy bivalves were the highlight.  Truth be told, we wanted to wait for the rest of our party to arrive before starting, but our 90-minute window was quickly shrinking!  At least that's what we told ourselves as we slurped from dozens of shells.

If I received a buck for every time we uttered, "Another order, my good man!" to our server, I would have used them on more oysters.  Or, perhaps, a bigger tip for our server for acting so condescending.