Bon Temps Creole Cafe

So, I heard about this place on the radio, but I'm not sure the ad is doing it any good. It's a little restaurant overshadowed by a hotel that was equally as empty and quiet seeming. It might have been the time of year we are in, but anyways. The lights were too bright, the decor looked as if a hundred sorority girls had just flashed somebody on Mardi Gras, but all in all, that was exactly what it was supossed to be. The waitress was one of the most pleasant servers I have ever been blessed to have be served by. Charming, cheerful, anticipatory of my needs etc. I have never eaten Cajun food before, so this was a new experience for me. I don't really have anything to base the food off of, but the cornbread was good, I tried alligator for the first time, not bad, and the entree was good as well. It was definitely more spicy than I am used to, but not more so than I expected from Louisiana style cooking. The Filet medallions were perfectly tender and flavorful, and the fried shrimp on top was some of the best shrimp I have ever had, and I don't usually eat shellfish because of my religious beliefs, but I couldn't stop popping them into my mouth! I would definitely go back there again, maybe I will go check it out for Mardi Gras and see how packed the place is.

By Chance

One evening I happened upon a little winery on the way home from work called Per Cazo, which means "By Chance" in Italian. They had the cutest little story of how they had aquired the place, which they told us as they invited us into their home, sat us down at their kitchen table, and conducted their wine tasting as if we were relatives over for a visit. I have done a lot of wine tasting, as I live in the heart of wine country, and that was by far one of the greatest experiences I have had wine tasting before and since. They brought out some bread and crackers, some cheeses, olives, and prosciutto. It was fantastic.

Finding one's way

In the words of Captain Barbossa, "You best start believin in ghost stories Miss Turner, you're in one." Oh wait, wrong quote, it was this one, "For sure, you have to be lost to find a place that can't be found, elseways everyone would know where it was." That's my motto in creating this blog. I'm hoping, if anybody ever even reads this, that it will reach the right crowd of people, those looking for "lost" little places themselves, not to bring too much traffic or attention to them, but to enjoy their rustic appeal and charm, because they are only well known to those that will truly enjoy them. One such place I found in my own back yard of Paso Robles, CA is Monteleone's Rock. A little whole in the wall bar with couches and games, beers i'd never heard of, and a jolly Hawaiian man as the owner. Unfortunately it has since been shut down, changed ownership, and re-opened under the name The Pour House. It still has some of it's charm, but it does seem to be gaining in popularity. It's kind of hard to find, but if you can find the Firestone Brewery just off the Highway 101, you are almost there! In my travels I hope to find many more interesting little places to write about, and I hope that other travellers who are interesting in the same thing might happen upon my blog and be able to embark on journeys to awesome little "hole-in-the-wall" places!