Posted on Jul 08, 2009 under Archives |
Inn at Spanish Bay
I recently was lucky enough to visit the Pebble Beach Resorts for a golf story I was working on. Pebble Beach Resorts, housing Pebble Beach Golf Links, the mecca of American golf courses, includes three resorts. My first stop was the Inn at Spanish Bay.
Inn at Spanish Bay
The 269-room Inn features views of the Del Monte Forest, famed golf course and Pacific Ocean. Rooms include gas fireplaces, sunken tubs, marble bathrooms and outdoor decks. I particularly liked the four poster bed with comfy down comforter.
Room at Inn at Spanish Bay
The Inn sits along the golf route of the Links at Spanish Bay, a classic 6,821 yard Scottish-style course where almost every hole provides an ocean view. At dusk, a bagpiper strolls the coastal path and guests sit outside patios to listen to the music and see the spectacular sunset.
Bagpiper
The view at sunset from my room was beautiful.
Sunset at Inn at Spanish Bay
In the morning I met PR Director Aven Wright McIntosh for breakfast at the Inn’s Roy’s Restaurant, serving Euro-Asian fare. I had the egg hash and Aven had the blueberry pancakes, pics below, before we set off to view the famous 17-mile drive.
Roy's Restaurant
I had the egg hash, delicious
Aven had the blueberry pancakes
Posted on Jun 03, 2009 under Archives |
Casa Del Mar, Santa Monica
Summer is here and if you can’t get away for a vacation, try a staycation and head to Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica, the perfect spot to catch a few waves, watch spectacular sunsets and soak up the scenery.
Perched on the Santa Monica shoreline, this stately brick and sandstone Renaissance revival-style seven-storey seaside resort is a great local beach getaway. The lobby is also a nice spot to meet for drinks and watch the sun set into the Pacific.
Impressive Casa Del Mar lobby
I ended up staying at Casa last week for a beach story and was very impressed with the hotel. It is one of two directly overlooking Santa Monica beach (the other is the neighboring Shutters, owned by the same company). Casa Del Mar’s 129 rooms feature ocean views, breezy butter-yellow walls, hand-painted armoires, wooden Venetian blinds and opulent Italian marble bathrooms. Below is a pic of my room, I really liked the bed.
Casa Del Mar room
My friend Nicole joined me at Catch, the signature restaurant, to enjoy ocean views and delicious seafood and sushi.
Enjoying the sunset at Catch restaurant
The chef sent out a nice sashimi plate with some caper berries.
fresh sashimi with caper berries
We also ordered some sushi, below, and an interesting watermelon, arugula, avocado and feta cheese salad. This dish took a few bites to get used to, but we bothed ended up really enjoying it.
tuna and spicy salmon sushi
watermelon, arugula, avocado and feta salad
Nicole got the halibut with morels and asparagus and I opted for the lobster with gnocchi.
halibut with morels and asparagus
Lobster with asparagus and gnocchi
The lobster was our fave. Next came a big chocolate molten cake and ice cream.
chocolate molten cake and ice cream
Although a bit pricey, Catch is definitely worth a visit just for the view. It is a perfect spot for a romantic date or catching up over a drink in the stunning lobby. Reservations can be made for Casa Del Mar or Catch at 310/581-5533, both are located at 1910 Ocean Way in Santa Monica.
Posted on Jun 03, 2009 under Archives |
Original Pancake House, Redondo Beach
During the press tour of Redondo Beach, while on the Disco Bus, I passed this interesting restaurant and when I inquired about it our hosts informed me it was a local favorite, so I decided to check it out on my final morning before leaving Redondo Beach.
Menu, lots of pancake choices!
The restaurant offers lots of pancake choices and was filled with local which is always a good sign. I opted for sausage and eggs and they gave me a side of pancakes with fresh strawberries. I was told that the apple pancakes are also a local fave.
sausage and eggs
pancakes with fresh strawberries, yummy
I highly recommend stopping in at the Original Pancake House (located at 1756 South Pacific Coast Highway) for breakfast before heading to go surfing, shopping or just enjoying the beach the next time you are near Redondo.
Posted on May 25, 2009 under Archives |
The second half of last weekend’s press tour of Redondo Beach included cocktails at the Portofino Hotel and Yacht Club followed by a tasting menu from chef Daniel Roberts at Baleen restaurant.
Baleen Chef Daniel Roberts
We started off the meal with a seared ahi and watermelon carppacio.
seared ahi with watermelon
Next we had a pear and arugula salad with gorgonzola.
pear and arugula salad
Next came my favorite of the night, a spicy seafood ciopinno.
Cioppino
Chef Roberts also gave us some yummy mac n cheese.
mac n cheese
Our meat course was a tasty short rib with truffle mashed potatoes.
short rib
Everything was delicious. We finished the meal with strawberries and marscarpone cheese.
strawberries