Newport Beach;AC/Jersey Shore From Sea to Shining Sea and DC too

Newport Beach California

I had a chance to eat at the Cannery in Newport Beach, California.http://www.cannerynewport.com/ Nice restaurant and great wine list deal. Tuesday evenings and everyday for lunch 50% off 50 wines and the wines are great. $57 for a Bollinger Champagne and $32 for Failla Pinot Noir 2012. Both wines were great and prices were retail.  The Bollinger is a big wine, yeasty with loads of flavor.

The food was good as well. The restaurant is on a canal and is quite pretty.

Checked out Laguna Beach as well. It still has that tacky charm.

Washington, DC

Also recently visited Washington DC and Falls Church Virginia. Great hotel tip - Fairview Park Marriott Hotel in Falls Church is one of the nicest Marriotts that I have stayed at and the kicker is that weekend rates are around $70. I was also able to use a Marriott certificate as the hotel is rated a category 3 Marriott. Indoor/ Outdoor pool and gorgeous surroundings. They also have a shuttle to the Metro or it is a 20 minute drive to the city on weekends.

We had a chance to go to a Washington Nationals game. Great new stadium and a good team this year. Fun time and easy to get to the stadium by Metro.

In DC we visited the National Portrait Gallery.http://www.npg.si.edu/ Probably my favorite Smithsonian museum (don't tell the Freer). They have a great exhibits and a wonderful atrium to hangout.

Also went to the National Gallery. http://www.nga.gov/The new East building is closed for renovations. But the old West Building has a Degas/Cassatt exhibit which was not thrilling. However the permanent collection is superb. Rembrandt's galore and a room of Van Gogh's.

We ate a Zaytinya again and it was very good  //www.zaytinya.com/ Try the fried mussels, awesome.

Where is food heading? Farm to table. Joke or a movement. Better fast food oxymoron or real progress. Does anyone like Chipotle - not me. Less carbs and more saturated fats. Science or latest fad.

Atlantic City

We also returned to the Borgata in Atlantic City. Okay we like the place. Ate at Bobby Flay's restaurant. Ate at the bar and watched tennis. Had a 1/2 bottle of a 2011 Hugel Pinot Blanc for $26. Ate a chopped salad, steamed mussels and clams and skewers of lobster and filet mignon. Can't complain. Service was friendly and the food yummy.

Had a chance to swim at Brigantine Beach. Warm water and great sand. Wow was that really the Jersey shore.

My garden.

Summer is coming to an end. It was a great summer weather wise in NJ. The farmers markets are still going strong. Eggplant has been very good this year and my cucumbers have been growing like crazy.

Some of my recent dishes: Recipes on request.

Pesto pasta and baked oysters with spinach and prosciutto and a salad of buffalo mozzarella, tomatoes and lettuce.

Ribs with warm potato salad.

 Sea bass from the Jersey waters grilled on the bone.

 The NY Times Plum Torte.http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/21/dining/216frex.html?_r=0

 My hot passion fruit souffle.

Pesto pasta with fresh picked pole beans.

Eggplant Parmesan with baked clams.

Recent wines.

We still are drinking low alcohol wines that go with the summer. WTSO Wine til Sold Out) has had Champagnes for very reasonable prices this summer, like $23. Phillippe Prie rose and regular bottling. Can never go wrong with Champagne.

Enjoy!