"Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it." Greg Anderson

So, after enjoying a few days in San Francisco last week, we headed to Hertz to pick up our convertible for a cruise down the Pacific coast highway.  Although we were slightly derailed by the fact that we had to trade in the sleek little convertible we'd rented for a Chevy sedan due to our oversized luggage (whoopsies), the switch turned out to be a good thing because it rained/drizzled almost every day of our trip.  After securing our new whip, we were ready to head off down the coast for Monterey. 

 [B handled the driving]

 [breathtaking views the whole way]

[just a little rain...]

Our first official stop was Half Moon Bay to see Mavericks, a famous surf break.  Although the misty weather made for some really picturesque scenery:

There weren't many waves to speak of:

Our next stop was Santa Cruz.  Before hitting the boardwalk, we had lunch at Tacos Moreno.  We got the name from one of our guidebooks as a must-see hole in the wall Mexican joint.  B had the pork burrito.

Served with beans, cabbage, onion, cilantro, and salsa (no rice), B found it one of the best burritos he'd ever had (for a Mexican food aficionado like himself, that's really saying something).  I thought it was good, but no match for my quesadilla al pastor.

Served simply with jack cheese and perfectly cooked pork al pastor, I was in cheesy, meaty heaven.

After lunch we went to the boardwalk for some people watching, arcade games (I beat B in air hockey, Galaga and Pac Man!), and a slush puppy before heading off to our final destination.

[the streets of Santa Cruz]

 

[one of the many beautiful cliffside viewpoints on the way to Monterey]

After arriving in Monterey, we relaxed a bit before heading out to explore.

 [Monterey Bay]

Our hotel was in between Cannery Row and Fisherman's Wharf, so we decided to walk over to the Wharf for dinner and drinks.  The Wharf was as touristy and kitschy as it comes, one clam chowder hawking sea-food joint after another, so we decided to do an appetizer-laden bar crawl in lieu of a sit-down meal.  Our first stop was for oysters.

Nestled in a fog of dry-ice, these size-five jumbo oysters were actually pretty good (though 2 was more than enough for me).  Our next stop was for loaded potato skins.

These babies were more like twice-baked potatoes, and after we finished the plate we were out of room for additional "hopping", but they were really darn good.

The next day we walked through the Cannery Row area to have brunch at First Awakening.

 [Cannery Row]

 [an homage to John Steinbeck ]

Hidden in a strip mall, First Awakening doesn't look like much from the outside.  That being said, it hasn't won best breakfast place in Monterey every year since 2006 for nothing.  I had the "bluegerm" pancake (blueberry wheat germ) with a side of sausage, and B had the "Buenos Dias Tortillas."

The pancake was fantastic.  I absolutely love anything blueberry, and the wheat germ gave the pancake an interesting flaky quality that did not interfere with the pancake's moist fluffiness.

The "Buenos Dias Tortillas," scrambled eggs, mushrooms, onion, and homemade chorizo wrapped in a flour tortilla and covered with jack and cheddar cheeses, diced tomato, sour cream, and chives, was similarly amazing - we finished every bite!

After brunch we strolled back to the hotel for our our spa appointments then B explored a couple area record stores before showering and dressing for dinner.  On our way to dinner we stopped by a cute antique mall and ended up picking up an adorable old-school salt and pepper set and then we rode the 17-mile drive around Pebble Beach.

After the 17 mile ride we walked around downtown Carmel for a bit before traveling to Bernardus Lodge in Carmel Valley for dinner.

While we waited for our dinner we had cocktails at Wickets.  The place was adorable and my cocktail in particular, a sea cucumber (cucumber, rum, tequila, lime, and mint), was fantastic.

Next we headed to Marinus for dinner.  When we were seated in our lovely corner booth we were met with a bite-sized gruyere cheese ball, then a delicious little amuse bouche of a bite-sized veggie spring roll sitting in yuzu soy sauce.  It was a fresh, tasty palate cleanser before our first courses.  I had the ham, which was thinly sliced, laced with fat, and served with almonds, frisee, and drizzle balsamic.  It was just a simple dish, but it was fantastic.  B had the trotters (aka pigs feet).  They were deep fried and served on top of slightly pickled cucumber with a dijon mustard.  If you could get past what they are, they were actually quite good.

For the entree I had the foie gras.  It was perfectly seared and served with 2 slices of duck and a marinated strawberry.  Wonderful in its simplicity, this was probably the best plate of food I have ever had.  B got the ribeye with rosemary.  Although it paled in comparison to my dinner, it was fantastic in its own right.

We finished with a progressive cheese plate - a California cheddar served with almonds, followed by an Italian goat/sheep milk cheese served with honey, and finished with a blue cheese served with apples.  Each was better than the next.

Although I didn't take any pictures of our fantastic food (B was getting a little sick of the flash at every step of each meal), I did get one shot of the restaurant from our table:

If you find yourself in Carmel Valley California, you must have dinner at Marinus.  We unanimously agreed this was one of the best, if not the best, fine dining experience we've had in our lives.

The next morning we got up early to head on our way down the Pacific coast highway to LA.  Stay tuned....