Summer is always the season of travel for me. There are always a plethora of weddings, camping trips and days on the river to fill up what seems in adult age to be the way too short weekends. The month of May kicked off my very busy summer and I wanted to give you all a little piece of what I have been eating throughout my many adventures.
The first weekend of the month brought Mothers Day, and Dianne and I decided to take a trip down to San Diego for a little home cooking at her parents’ house. As we arrived I could smell all of the deliciousness wafting out of the kitchen. When I asked what we would be having, Larry (Dianne’s Dad) said “London Broil, Ribs, Potatoes, and salad” and let me tell you that it was a feast! The London Broil was super tender and cooked to a perfect medium rare with a homemade gravy with green peppers and mushrooms. The ribs fell off the bone and the garlic bread was some of the best I have ever had. Naturally, we filled up like normal and took plenty home.
The next weekend I was off to Reno for the “Goin’ for Broken” race being put on by the 24 Hours of Lemons guys. The drive from Long Beach to Reno while towing a trailer takes about 12 hrs with stops, so we got into Reno very late as we did not leave until about 4PM. After waking up in a Motel 6, I decided that I wanted a good local breakfast joint to get this day started, so we used Yelp and found Pam’s Glorified Ham and Eggs. The menu had all the normal stuff so I asked the waitress what the best thing was. She replied that the Chef George’s Benedict was the most ordered item, so I dove right in. Now I love Eggs Benedict and many of its variations, but this blew them all out of the water. The dish consisted of two pieces of English muffin, each topped with a chorizo patty, basted egg, and chipotle hollandaise sauce. It was so rich, flavorful and unique that I have never had a better Benedict, and I doubt that I ever will.
The third weekend Dianne and I were off to Palm Springs for the Lions 4-L2 convention. Dianne has spent ample time in Palm Springs, so after we fulfilled our duty at the convention she could not wait to show me some of her favorites. We ended up at Sherman’s, a popular establishment and Kosher Deli. I looked over the menu and then the waitress shared the specials with us – and I cried out with joy, “Pastrami Benedict please!!” Now I know that I said that I would never come across a better Benedict just in the previous paragraph, and this was not better but right on par. The pastrami was tender, thinly cut, and just salty enough to balance the rich gravy-like hollandaise sauce. The plate was served with perfectly crisp potatoes and strong coffee. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every bite.
Last but not least, Dianne and I headed out for the TJ of the AZ, Tucson. Our friend Kyle was getting married and we could not wait to party with our friends. We stayed at the Lowes Ventana Canyon resort, and it was beautiful. With a big pool, great rooms, and always something to do the weekend went by way too fast. As far as food went, there are two meals to talk about. The dinner at the wedding was fantastic. I had the chicken breast stuffed with goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes, with a side of asparagus and a light salad. The meal was delightful and kept the hangover from being too bad, but the meal that took the cake was breakfast the morning that we left town. We wanted to find the best breakfast place in town so we searched and came up with Bobo’s.
Bobo’s ended up being the perfect breakfast place. It is super divey like Babe’s, but cheap like no other breakfast dive that I have ever been to. They had all the usual suspects, including my fave Chicken Fried Steak, which is exactly what I had. It was perfectly cooked, covered in some of the best sausage gravy I have had in a long time. They also have killer biscuits and gravy and we ended up with three huge orders of them as well. I have to say that the best thing that I tasted at Bobo’s by far though was the banana pancakes. We were talking to the waitress about them and she brought us one for free. It was unbelievable, like bananas flambé, with brown sugar and tones of bananas and not to mention it was as big as the entire plate. Best of all it was not in need of any syrup or butter. If you ever go to Tucson check this place out!!
It has been a fun-filled month of eating and traveling. Here’s hoping you enjoyed May as much as I did!
Until Next Time, Keep Eating Long Beach – or wherever else you may be,
Cliv