Cava Restaurant & Bar

Nestled on Coast Village Road in Montecito lies a wonderful restaurant called Cava. Pronounced [ka ' va] n., 1. wine cellar 2. sparkling wine. I dined this past Sunday and had the best Chardonnay I've ever enjoyed. It was labeled Cava House Chardonnay but I asked the waiter and he whispered to me that it was Santa Barbara Winery's standard Chardonnay. $29 per bottle on the Cava menu; $11.00 a bottle at the local grocery store under the winery's label. We had the best patio seat, front and center. My friend counted the Lamborghini's and Ferrari's that raced by. I ordered the Zarzuela which is a wonderful Mediterrenean seafood stew with shrimp, clams, scallops, mussels, and white fish. Very pricey. Entrees for lunch are $20+ and the menu doesn't have any cents on it. Cava serves Latin cuisine from Spain, Mexico, and South America. I'd go again in the minute.

The Da Vinci Code

I finished the DaVinci Code book on Thursday and just saw the movie today. Although I like the book better, the movie was fun to watch. I especially liked the Louvre scenes in France and the church scenes in England. Although the movie dumbs the story down a little and I think misses out on not emphasizing the eventual romantic relationship between Langdon and Sophie, it works for an entertaining movie. I thought that Sir Ian McKellen was especially good as Sir Leigh Teabing. Both the book and the movie are an interesting mixture of art history, conspiracy theory and theology. I'm currently reading Dan Brown's prequel, Angels and Demons.

Best New Orleans Food in Los Angeles

Occasionally a restaurant becomes a 'legend in its own time'. Only a handful of restaurants ever achieve this kind of fame and one of them is Harold & Belle's located in South Central Los Angeles on Vermont just a handful of blocks west of USC. Since 1969 it has presented customers with the best New Orleans style creole cuisine in Southern California. Today I discovered this great "old" restaurant. The tempting food comes in very large portions so plan to order your lunch or dinner accordingly. I ordered their truly famous File’ Gumbo with hot and smoked beef sausage, shrimp, crab, chicken and richly seasoned broth served with french bread, steamed rice available in small or large portions. I ordered the large for $19 but took half of it to go and enjoyed the meal again for dinner. The servers are friendly but don't come by the table very often. So if you want a second glass of wine or are in a hurry, this may not be the place for you. I have to say that they serve the best Gumbo I have ever enjoyed; I'll go back for certain. Steve's tip: because it is in the heart of South Central Los Angeles -- go during the day.

Damn Dirty Apes

I'm watching the Planet of the Apes films right now. Just finished the original. What a great trip down cinema from the early last quarter of the 20th century.

Planet of the Apes (1968)
Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970)
Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971)
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1973)
Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1975)

Las Vegas

Well I've made it to Las Vegas. My Yaris did pretty well on the trip up here. I've actually been stopped by people in Vegas who haven't seen the new Yaris. I paid $3.89 a gallon for gas in Baker in the midst of the Mojave desert. The temperature in Vegas is about 99+ degrees. I'm staying off strip at the Palace Station. Pretty impressed so far especially since the room price was under $30 and this is the first Las Vegas Room I've ever stayed in that doesn't smell like cigarette smoke blowing in through the air conditioning. I'll keep you posted dear readers.

The Brown Pelican

The Brown Pelican is the greatest local restaurant just a stone's throw north of Santa Barbara. It almost entirely caters to locals and has incredible food. It is tucked away in a seaside cove and the best seats are just feet from the beach and California surf. I had Hendry's Special which is a bagel with cream cheese, onions, scrambled eggs and guacamole with a side of fruit. My friend had the Eggs Benedict. Both were incredible. $$$$ Very pricey ~ About $13.00 for breakfast entree. You can always get a seat right by the ocean because nobody but the locals know about it. So ~SHHH~ don't tell anyone.

Spring Vacation 2006

Well, I'm on vacation. I'll spend part of it in beautiful Santa Barbara, California with my friend (both weekends) and the rest of my vacation I'll be in Las Vegas, Nevada. I'm ready for a break! I'll drive my new Yaris from Los Angeles up to Santa Barbara for a few days, then back to Belmont Shore. Finally, I'll drive across the desert of California and Nevada to beautiful Las Vegas next week for about a week of fun and gambling and total relaxation.

800 Mile Yaris Sport Sedan Report

This is my 800 mile Yaris Report. My new car (left) has 800 miles on it now. My brother Bob, who is a kind of a transportation guru (publisher of a Bicycle Mag), recommended the car to me before I had even heard about it. Previously, I was driving a Toyota Corrolla. I find the Yaris roomier than the Corrolla with much more headroom . I've got plenty of leg room as well. With 800 miles on it, I've had a few opportunities to test the MPG of the car. Toyota advertises 40 mpg for the Yaris. Sunday, while driving in Malibu, California, I saw the price of gas at $3.45 per gallon regular. So I was hoping that the gas mileage would be close to 40. In reality, the Yaris REALLY DOES GET 40MPG. So I'm ready for gas to go to $4.00 per gallon and I should still be okay in my budget. As far as driving -- the car is really smooth, quiet, powerful when it needs to be. On big hills I have to drop it down a gear (I have the automatic) but that doesn't seem to eat up too much gasoline. Before buying the sedan, I tested the 2 door Yaris hatchback -- but that is a totally different car -- designed by a different team -- much less room and felt very cramped. The Yaris Hatchback is really a European Car come to America. I was surprised that the 19 inch longer Yaris 4-door sedan actually gets the same gas mileage as the 2 door hatchback. I love my new Yaris Sedan. Get it in red if you can.