Vista Grille at the La Contenta Golf Club

Each meal here is a hole in one!

Vista Grille at the La Contenta Golf Club
1653 Highway 26
Valley Springs, CA

What's better than a near-perfect BLT, chock full of thick-cut bacon and the right amount of mayo nestled between layers of juicy tomato and crisp lettuce?

The view from a window seat at the Vista Grille.

Precisely manicured greens, a lovely outdoor balcony, and tiny birds fluttering around the hanging moss-filled baskets of perennials created a breathtaking backdrop.  I typically prefer at least a little soft background music when I dine, but the silence of the room allowed me to appreciate the surrounding beauty and calm.

Now, if I could only figure out how those golfers managed to avoid work for a day...

Richmaid Restaurant

Be the first to order Liver & Onions
 a la Mode!  I dare you.

Richmaid Restaurant
100 S. Cherokee Lane
Lodi, CA

Richmaid is a long-standing fixture in Lodi.  Though the building's exterior may shows signs of wear, the food being served inside is the reason this place is still around.

I came here for a second (!) breakfast on a Sunday morning to "kill time" before a poker tournament at the card room down the street.  Church-goers made up most of the crowd, peppered with families with small kids and, of course, a couple degenerate gamblers at the counter (of which I was one).

I needed something quick and delicious, and Biscuits and Gravy sounded like a nice little snack.  In the meantime, I watched as order after order was cranked out of the kitchen, bells being rung for pickup by the servers.  Omelets, wet burritos and chicken salads seemed to be all the rage this particular morning.

Moments later, my plate arrived with steam rising from the rich and buttery gravy atop two very large, fluffy biscuits.  The biscuits were hearty, holding up to all the gravy and generous handful of sausage pieces sprinkled on top.  Some additional black pepper brought it close to perfection, and that plate was killed in a matter of minutes.

This may be my new go-to destination these weekly poker tournaments.  I'll probably pass on the Liver and Onions, but a Banana Split sure does sounds good right about now...

Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates

Leaving without some of these would be 
a HUGE mistake.

Ginger Elizabeth Chocolates
1801 L Street
Sacramento, CA

Attention Ginger Elizabeth:

Under no circumstances are you allowed to close up shop or move farther than 50 miles from my house...ever!

This chocolate is TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE.  One day, I came this close (thumb and index finger half a centimeter apart) to heading home without making a stop here.  Boy, would that have been a mistake!


Unless you're looking for it, you may miss this sweet little shop.  Look for it.  Burn the address into your memory.  Then, visit again and again and again.

On my first of many, many visits to come, I chose a couple of Parisian Macarons and the Cafe Cremeux.  My boyfriend chose the Gianduja Cake and European Sipping Chocolate.

Believe me when I say this may be the BEST HOT CHOCOLATE EVER!  One sip, and I was hooked.  With a robust, not-too-sweet chocolate flavor, coupled with giant homemade marshmallow cubes, it was instantly declared the best hot chocolate I've tried.

The Cafe Cremeux was a hemisphere of awesomeness: shortbread, cake and chocolate creme housed within a thin chocolate shell, topped with a tiny chocolate candy (of course) and the smallest slice of candied orange peel.  A masterpiece.

We left, completely satisfied and looking forward to a chocolate macaron breakfast the next day.

Katrina's

Best.  Gravy.  Ever.

Katrina's
456 Grass Valley Highway
Auburn, CA

Dude.

I would come back here just for the gravy.  Not the Biscuits and Gravy, although the biscuits are pretty dam perfect; but I could just eat a bowl of gravy. Full of chopped meat (Ham? Bacon?), they could serve it in a bowl and I would slurp it down.

BELIEVE what the locals say.  Our food arrived super fast, and the quality was fantastic.  My homemade Corned Beef Hash was phenomenal and could easily feed a family of four.  My boyfriend's pancakes were so thick and luscious he could only eat one of them!

Get here early, because the tiny dining space fills up quickly.  You don't want to be famished, sitting a few feet away from me on a bench, salivating over my leftovers.

Rick's Dessert Diner

Calories, schmalories.  Just do it!

Rick's Dessert Diner
2322 K Street
Sacramento, CA

To those opposed to birth control:

If you must bring your family of eight, please note:

1)  There WILL be a line.  Single file should be the obviously logical choice here.
2)  The queue progresses along the dessert case.  When you get to the register, please do not ask, "So, what kind of pies do you have?"
3)  The dessert case area is not the size of a ballroom, so kindly think of the diners and control your brats (if they are brats, of course)!

Now that I've gotten that off of my chest...

Amazingly beautiful, scrumptious delicacies can be found here.  Slightly pricey, yes, but quality takes time and effort.

Two thumbs up!

Silver's at the Wharf

Check out my mussels!

Silver's at the Wharf
32260 N. Harbor Drive
Fort Bragg, CA

It took a bit of research to find a "nicer" restaurant open past 4pm on a Saturday night in this sleepy town, but we found one.  On the water? Bonus. Too bad it was too dark to enjoy the view, though.

Silver's was one of the only restaurants in the area that I noticed had tablecloths.  I thought to myself, "Great!  I'll fit right in with this cocktail dress!" Apparently, the other diners thought, "Great! I'll fit right in with these jeans!"  I suppose they already knew that the air conditioning runs on full blast, nighttime or not.

Luckily, our server's cheerful demeanor warmed me up, as did the fresh French bread and appropriately-softened butter.  I scanned the menu, hoping to fulfill my craving of seafood, and chose the Mussel Steamers; they sounded light, somewhat healthy, and a good pick after all of the candy and other crap I had devoured earlier in the day.

The mussels arrived.  I SWEAR I do not purposely order the largest physical dish on the menu when I go out to eat.  It just happens.

A substantial bowl was placed in front of me, piled high with steaming (of course) mussels swimming in a luscious, buttery wine sauce. This mountain of shellfish carefully concealed a rather large supply of chopped garlic, adding a kick to each and every bite of these phenomenal bivalves.  I went to work, systematically transferring mussels to mouth and empty shells to extra bowl.  When finished, I sopped up the wine sauce with bread.

So much for a light meal...there's always tomorrow.

Bob's Big Boy

Too many of these might turn me into
a Big Girl.

Bob's Big Boy
4211 West Riverside Drive
Burbank, CA

Ignored was the fact that I had just inhaled a rather substantial grilled lobster Mexican feast. I was on vacation, dammit.  I wanted a picture with that Big Boy statue, dammit. And no dinner while on vacation is complete without dessert.

Bob's Big Boy is like stepping onto the set of Happy Days (or so I assume...that show was too squeaky-clean for me).  This particular Friday night found me freezing my rear end off in a strapless sundress, quickly making my way through the weekly classic car show so I could accumulate 1,200 more calories for the day.  A buddy and I snagged a couple of seats at the counter instead of waiting for a table like the other chumps in line. I was on a mission, after all.

I think I glanced at the menu for .0001 seconds before demanding the Decadent Hot Fudge Cake.  I caught a few annoyed looks from folks still in line who wished they'd made our move to the empty seats.  I sent some looks back for holding the door open the entire time they were in line, sending a chilly breeze throughout the counter area.  Brrr, for crying out loud!

A towering mass of moist chocolate cake, piping hot fudge and sweet whipped cream soon arrived, and I felt eyes of envy descend upon me.  A young man seated next to me stole a glance at my plate, likely wishing he'd saved room for dessert.

The first forkful of thick, warm hot fudge against the tender crumb of chocolate cake was enough to send me swooning.  This is what a diner experience is all about.  Scan for available counter seating at all times, people, and you will be rewarded handsomely.