I have just returned from 12 days in California and have some
impressions I would like to share. First of all, I have to say that I
can see why there are so many people there. I can understand why people
tolerate the population density, the high prices, the traffic, the water
restrictions. Physically, and even with the drought, it is beautiful.

We had lots of great food. I had long been interested in heuvos
rancheros. My first sampling was at our hotel in Newport Beach. They
were great. I had them again in Monterey and they were much better.
However, it is way too much breakfast for me. It should be a lunch or
even a supper.

We spent a night in Santa Barbara. We ate supper at Chuck's Hawaiian
Steak House. It wasn't very Hawaiian but we were there for the early
bird special and I had an open face beef tenderloin tip with blue
cheese. I was expectitn

Supper on Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey was a disappointment. The
seafood grill with salmon, swordfish and shrimp was okay, but no wow
factor. I could get as good or better here.

We spent three days in Monterey and on the first day we had breakfast at
First Awakenings. It was so good that there was no question about us
going there every day we were there.


In San Francisco I was reluctant to have Chinese food, not being sure
how it might react with my system, but when we were hungry and unable to
find anything else we ended up eating at Dong Bei Mama on Geary St. and
had Chicken Kung Pow and Crispy Fried Lamb and they set a whole new bar
for rating Chinese food. The next night we were in Palo Alto and ate at
an Iranian place where I had gyros that also set the bar for Middle
Eastern food.