The Elf has a convention in NoCal and since golf is a way of life for her we will get it in one way or another.  That is how Elfie rolls.  🙂

Scotland OR Half Moon Bay?

“You MAKE the call”…

Santa Clara Hyatt Regency:  Guest Room

Four years have passed since we’ve been here and they’ve definitely upgraded and modernized their rooms.

Palo Alto:  Downtown

This isn’t the heart of downtown but we’ll be there later tonight.

Joanie’s Cafe: Crepe Bretonne

Joanie’s Cafe (joaniescafepaloalto.com) in Palo Alto serves some standard and more interesting breakfast fare.  This dish features scrambled eggs, chicken-apple sausage, brie cheese, onions and mushrooms.  Bella supports this combination fully.

Joanie’s Cafe: Cherries, Berries and Mascarpone French Toast

The berries are fresh and ripe while the cheese could be a bit more plentiful but it is still exceptional.  The cherries are cooked into it and it includes a side of maple syrup.  I’m not accustomed to heated or cooked mascarpone so bear this in mind.

Joanie’s Cafe: Side of Home-Made Corned Beef Hash

This has a nicely browned and almost crisp exterior and tender chopped texture on the inside.  Our server refers to Bella as “mama” which I find hilarious but rather cool.  Their Guatemalan coffee is smooth, easy-drinking and tasty.

Ocean Course:  Half Moon Bay

We experience small town charm at the starter podium with an early twenty-something off-duty female employee chatting with the starter before walking off to pick-up her paycheck.  Then the starter teases a burly sixty-something male town local whose giant pick-up truck is hogging multiple nearby valet parking spaces.

The weather deviates from 57-60 degrees Fahrenheit and I’m loving it.  I’m not sure if the sun will ever express itself today and that is just fine with me.  “Seattle or bust!”

Ritz Carlton:  Half Moon Bay, CA

Right out of the gate I realize that even though the golf rate here is an indulgence for us it is so worth it.  If we were to spend the same amount in Orange County we would never find a comparable experience without paying nearly triple this rate.

Front 9:  Green

My rental clubs are newer TaylorMade which I love but this putter weighs about as much as an empty aluminum can so I am launching my putts well past the hole.  Considering the it is overcast with dampness on the greens these are still typical fast California greens.

Ocean Course:  Front 9

We’re huge fans of canyon courses but this ocean links course is a fantastic play and so beautiful.

View from a Bridge

Spectacular!  Carmel pretty…

Ocean Course:  Front 9

The wind is very light which is good since we’re already adjusting our distances due to using rental clubs.

Ocean Course:  Front 9

The hazards on this links course (as is typical) are the tall grass areas and other growth like bushes (rarely if ever are trees your obstacle).

Ocean Course:  Par 3

These TaylorMade irons are fantastic whenever I make a good swing on them.

Ocean Course:  Front 9

The “rough” on links courses are truly “rough” and I’m afraid I’m finding them early and often.

Ocean Course:  Front 9

Par 3 holes are especially enjoyable here.

Ocean Course:  Front 9

Baby Ducks and Mama

Quack city U.S.A.!

Cute Little Fuzzy Waterfowl

Thankfully these cute little buzzards aren’t on land or I’d be tempted to tackle one and pet the hell out of it.

Bella Strokes her Approach Shot…

Shock-her!  Consistency is her middle name on the course.  Teachers really understand the mantra “practice, practice, practice”.

Ocean Course:  Front 9

Yes, we’ve come upon another sweet par 3 hole.

Elfie is NOT a fan of this lie…

Especially after her hybrid club fails to provide her the loft to get up and over.

Ocean Course:  Front 9

The pace of play is good with a short waiting time on holes.

Ocean Course:  Front 9

This is our last hole on the front.

Ocean Course:  Back 9

There are ocean views at most holes.  Amazing!

Pretty and Colorful Birds are Commonplace in NoCal

I am reminded of this on this course especially.

Scotland or Half Moon Bay?

What a nice escape…

Ocean Course:  Back 9

Enough said…

Ocean Course:  18th Hole

Super green and some “delicious” undulations…

18th Hole:  Ocean View

A bit more sun and these photos would be better but once again you won’t find me bitching about cool weather very often.  We’re told sightings of the sun are a rarity in this town.

Back in the locker room I notice a sluggish black tick has become tangled in the exterior threads of my thick polyester blend athletic socks.  I free him and give him a water slide ride down the toilet bowl.  Yuck!  Apparently I should have left behind some of those balls I hit into the tall grass near the tree line.

Rangoon Ruby:  Tea Leaf Salad

For dinner we meet up with Bella’s friends at Rangoon Ruby (rangoonruby.com) in downtown Palo Alto.  My college mentor Doctor Irv said this dish was outstanding and as usual the doc didn’t lie.  It is a signature dish in Burmese cuisine and for me it was the winner of the night.  The crunch factor, dressing and flavors make this very different and interesting.

Rangoon Ruby:  Coconut Rice

This rice is sweeter than I thought and nearly has a sticky rice consistency.  YUM City U.S.A.!

Rangoon Ruby:  Spicy Catfish

We order it at a level 4 so I can eat some.  The sauce almost, kind of, sort of reminds me of a Bolognese sauce.  We also have dishes of spicy shrimp, beef and pork but none of these were very memorable and remind us of Chinese or Thai dishes we’ve had in the past.

Rangoon Ruby:  Coconut Pineapple Ice Cream

This fantastic ice cream is icy and creamy with each flavor in balance here.

Fried Coconut Custard with Vanilla Ice Cream

I sabotage this dish by listening to the waitress and second guessing myself.  I originally wanted the coconut pineapple ice cream on this but wondered if it would be too much coconut flavor.  As it turns out there is essentially no coconut flavor in the custard so I did myself a disservice here.  These fried nuggets are almost crunchy on the exterior, have an aroma of yellow sheet cake and taste like miniature custard donuts.

Gong Cha Tea & Coffee:  Iced Brown Sugar Milk Tea

Bella has heard great things about Gong Cha Tea & Coffee (gong-cha-usa.com) so we stop in BEFORE dinner and AFTER dinner for tasty beverages.  I order an iced brown sugar milk tea with 25% ice and normal sugar on both visits.

I love these Asian tea stores with “how to order” menu’s posted with the following instructions: (1) choose your drink; (2) pick a size; (3) sugar sweetness (100%, 70%, 50%, 30%, no sugar); (4) ice cubes level (100%, 50%, 25%, no ice); (5) select your toppings (ex. pearl, white pearl, basil seed, pudding, milk foam etc.).  For people with short-term memory problems it is a helpful reminder.  🙂

I spend over 90 minutes in the hotel fitness center after all this drinking and eating.

Cinnabar Hills Golf Course:  Patio Dining View

It isn’t Half Moon Bay but since we enjoy hilly canyon courses we should be right at home here.  We are blatantly ignored by the wait staff for about 10 minutes before a menu is provided.  Another 8 minutes pass before our order is taken and then we are told our food may not be ready before our tee time which is still 45 minutes away.

One of the waitresses gave off a lazy aroma as if she wanted us to bail out since they were clearly busy and a wedding party was gearing up soon.  Clearly management  scheduled the day poorly or staff called out or both.  In the end, the waitress came through and made it happen so everything worked out.  I guess I expected more since there is documentation on our table touting a recent award received for their restaurant.

Cinnabar Hills Restaurant:  Reuben Sandie on Rye

I can’t recall when or if I’ve ever had a reuben sandie but this is a superb sandie with properly melted cheese, tasty rye bread and Russian dressing.  The wife has a build-your-own omelette which she says is very good in spite of them forgetting one of the cheeses.

Cinnabar Hills:  Lake Course

The pro shop pairs us with locals Bettina and Steven; a super friendly and helpful couple.  Steven reminds me physically and by voice of feature film actor Daniel Stern but he can’t recall the actor very well so I tell him he should visit youtube.com and watch a clip of the movie “City Slickers”.

Cinnabar Hills:  Lake Course

Cinnabar Hills:  Lake Course

This was the prettiest hole on this course.

Cinnabar Hills:  Lake Course

This par 3 hole has a postage stamp narrow green and I miraculously hit my ball on and it stays on about 15 to 18 feet from the hole.  Then I proceed to get the “yips” and mishit my first putt way short and miss the pressure putt to save par since I still had 12 feet to go.  You gotta love this easy game called golf.  😦

Cinnabar Hills:  Canyon Course

We finish our 9 holes of the Lake Course and have transitioned to our back 9 which will be played on the Canyon Course.

Cinnabar Hills:  Canyon Course

Whomever planted that tree in the center of the fairway is a j@#$A$$.  Unless it was God, then it is “perfectly normal, perfectly healthy”.

Canyon Course:  A Deer Escapes…

It surprises us to see a family of mule deer on the course so late in the day and on such a warm day.

Cinnabar Hills:  Canyon Course

Those wimps are playing the white tees while I’m hitting from the black tees.

“Nice try”! 

(Note:  Davy’s here only for obtaining the better photograph.)

Cinnabar Hills:  Canyon Course

There are some excellent views at the top of this course.

Cinnabar Hills:  Canyon Course

A very green and pretty hole.

Cinnabar Hills:  Canyon Course

Best view of the various courses and the surrounding area.

Jang Su Jang:  Seafood Pancake

We meet Bella’s cousin and family for Korean food at Jang Su Jang (jangsujang.com) in Santa Clara.

Jang Su Jang:  Pork Cabbage Wraps

This plate has soft slices of pork and various ingredients to use in making cabbage wraps.

Jang Su Jang: GIANT Dumplings

I don’t believe my photo fully illustrates how huge these are.

Jang Su Jang: Egg, Seafood, Beef and Tofu Soup

Some people may find the combination odd but it does work.

Mayflower Restaurant Inc., Milpitas, CA:  Dining Room

Mayflower Restaurant Inc. (mayflower-seafood.com) is “sold out” but our number is called in 10 minutes or less.  We’re dining with a college music educator friend of Bella’s.

Mayflower:  “Pork is Good, Pork is Your Friend”…

Standard but tasty dim sum fare.

Mayflower:  “Unknown Dim Sum Mystery Nugget”

I fail to ask Bella’s friend what this is and Bella’s never had it before.  It seems like it “may” be a combination of a green Asian veggie, and shrimp but seriously speaking — no clue.

Mayflower:  Deep Fried Taro and Meat Dumpling

Mayflower:  Fried Shrimp Dumpling?

Excuse the poor descriptions but in regards to “dim sum”, you look, you like — you order.  “Enough said”…

Mayflower:  Fried Flour Crisp Stuffed in Rice Noodle Rolls

I don’t expect the description to elicit excessive saliva excretions but this has been my favorite dim sum dish for a while now.

Mayflower:  Dipping Sauce of Peanut Butter and Jelly?

You dip pieces of the flour crisp (shown above) in these dipping sauces.  One delicious Asian peanut butter sandie.  Perfection!

Mayflower:  House Special Pan Fried Crispy Noodle w/Seafood and Greens

Mayflower:  Coconut Red Bean Custard

The custard is a bit too gelatinous for me and it lacks creaminess.  Also, red bean has never been of interest to me.  Beans in a dessert?  No thank you…

Fantasia Tea Cafe:  Iced Cappuccino Black Pearls Milk Tea

Next door I try another iced beverage at an Asian tea stop.  This has good coffee flavor but it is a bit too sweet.  The boba (i.e. black pearls) are fun to eat and gnaw on.  The nice thing here is that if you remember to order it your way you can control the sugar, ice etc.

Mountain View, CA:  Downtown

This area has changed so much since my college days.  It wasn’t really an area we wanted to hang out in regardless of having friends from the area.

Alexander’s Patisserie:  Little Tahiti

There are some very nice looking desserts here.

Alexander’s Patisserie:  Cannele

This could use more char on the exterior and more moisture on the interior.  Otherwise, it is a real beaut.

Alexander’s Patisserie:  Iced Kyoto Coffee with Whole Milk

I’m not big on adding much sugar to premium java and I especially avoid doing so when eating sweets.

Alexander’s Patisserie:  Huckleberry Lavender Panna Cotta

We aren’t sure whether to stare in admiration, eat it, or both.  Thus, we opt for both — times two (2).  “Sharing is NOT always caring”…

Peet’s Coffee:  Cold Brew Fog

I love Peet’s but this was rather sweet with not enough coffee flavor.  As Elfie would say, “no interest”.  I think the competitive economy has forced them to add a variety of “foo foo” drinks and many are misses in my book.

THE END!!!