Carefree Gourmet

Did you know that Whole Foods had a wine bar? Not only that, they have a happy hour where you get 50% off your glasses of wine from 4:00 – 7:00 pm. They include free appetizers! Pam and I met at the wine bar last night with our good friend Julie. Pam is looking for a place to host a send off party for a good friend Hillary, who is leaving the non-profit world to live on a beach and paint. (We are so jealous!). So we tested out the place.

It is kind of weird sipping wine and munching on exotic cheeses (yes, we had to order a cheese plate – the triple cream brie was to die for – the rest was OK) and watching people grocery shop! We were seated at the bar where we looked out across the store versus the back of the bar. They have a nice lounge area, but a couple of guys were spread out and I gather Pam and Julie who arrived before me did didn’t feel comfortable hanging out there.

I would go back for sure. I would hunker down in the leather couches, order wine (you can order by the glass or do a tasting for $10.00) and try a different cheese plate (I am trying to stay away cows milk and Whole Foods has a great selection of goat and sheep’s cheese). Like I mentioned earlier, the wine is 50% off during their happy hour and if you stick with their free appetizers (we were offered two types of pizza, a classic pepperoni and a vegetarian (broccoli and roasted garlic)) it seems to be the best bet in town. Their wine offerings change so it is a great way to get exposed to new wines from different regions and grape varieties. So go try it out and let us know what you think! Cheers!

Pasadena Novel Cafe

Pam and I dined at the Novel Cafe this week for lunch.  I had been their twice for breakfast on my own, enjoying organic coffee and granola.  They have a nice menu – variety, wholesome, organic & fresh.  They have five locations.  We dined at the one in Pasadena, CA.  The restaurant itself is a really nice environment.  Great lighting fixtures, fun upholstered chairs, snapshots of guests on the walls.  They have a large bar area and great selection of organic coffees and teas decorate another wall.  They also have an outdoor covered patio area right in front.  I was a little too uncomfortable to dine outside (which is usually my first choice) but the 100+ degree weather was taking it’s toll.  So we “settled” for a window seat!

The Novel California Burger

Pam ordered the Novel California Burger with french fries.  It was a beauty!  I real burger (not some skinny, scrawny, frozen patty) that must have been 1/3 of a pound.  It was served on a gourmet onion bun (nothing like you get at the grocery store, it was truly a great bun) but you could have ordered wheat or sesame too.  It was loaded with cheese, tomato, avocado, lettuce, grilled onions, pickles, bacon, and mayonnaise.  It usually comes with mustard too, but Pam declined.  It was so tall and beautiful when it was served, we weren’t sure how Pam was going to eat it!  However….. she managed!  The french fries were thin – the way I like them.  I probably could have used a little more cooking as I like mine crispier.  But they were still tasty!  She enjoyed a glass of strawberry lemonade with her burger.  I liked it – it was still tart!

Sante Fe Chicken Salad

I ordered the Sante Fe Salad.  It consisted of organic romaine lettuce, black beans, corn (which I declined), homemade pico de gallo, guacamole, grilled chicken and balsamic vinaigrette.  It came separated like a cob salad did in the 90’s with a few corn tortilla strips on the top.  The lettuce was fresh and green!  I don’t like restaurants that serve you the romain hearts…. who wants to eat white water?  I want my greens!  I got great greens!  The guacamole was fresh, not packaged. The chicken was tender.  However, my overall impression as that it lacked flavor and I definitely would have liked it tossed.  I don’t understand why they had to separate all of the toppings into sections on top of the lettuce.  It doesn’t give you the opportunity to enjoy the melding of all of the flavors.  I also think a different dressing would have made a big difference.  I enjoyed a glass of iced tea.  BTW, they will brew any of their hot tea and make it iced too!  I thought that was very COOL indeed!

Three Layer Chocolate Cake

We ended our meal with a piece of 3 lay chocolate cake. It came straight from the refrigerated area with some funky decor (little whip cream spurts with a red grape poked in it).  The plate was drizzled with chocolate and caramel sauce.  Overall, I didn’t care much for the cake.  It actually left an odd taste in my mouth.  If I am going to splurge on cake I want a GREAT tasting, moist cake with decadent chocolate and dark chocolate!  Rich!

Will we be back?  Yep!  Gotta try something else on the menu.  Pam also wants to try their carrot cake, but I bet they won’t be able to come close to matching her family recipe!