Gastronomy Blog by Cathy Chaplin

Restaurant Review

07 Jan 2020

80 Hours in Baja: Puerto Nuevo, Valle de Guadelupe and Ensenada

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I have been meaning to return to the Valle de Guadelupe and Ensenada ever since an epic trip back in 2009. It took an entire decade to make it happen, but I finally made my way this past November along with The Astronomer, my mom, and June. We had a fantastic time.

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Puerto Nuevo #1 – Puerto Nuevo

While we could have driven from San Diego straight to our lodging in the Valle de Guadelupe, it was far more delightful to swing through Puerto Nuevo for lunch. Rounding out the feast of lobsters were rice, beans, salsa, made-to-order flour tortillas, and plenty of drawn butter.

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Lumi – Valle de Guadelupe

From Puerto Nuevo, we drove to the Valle de Guadelupe. A fortuitous internet rabbit hole led me to Lumi, a Scandinavian-Mexican escape in the heart of Mexico’s wine country. While my mom stayed in a well-appointed converted shipping container, The Astronomer, June and I glamped our hearts out.

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Now Closed

03 Jan 2020

Bon Temps – Los Angeles (Downtown)

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Happy 2020, everyone! Thank you for making Gastronomy a part of your internet surfing routine. I dined out far more frequently than I blogged in 2019, so I still have a few more meals to recount before diving into the new year. Now up is Bon Temps, my favorite Los Angeles restaurant experience in 2019.

Chef Lincoln Carson is making magnificent food at Bon Temps, his newish and French-ish restaurant in the Arts District. From start to finish, every single dish dazzled and delighted with the kind of polish that can only be honed over time and tenure.

There were cocktails to start for me and my dining companion Thien. For her, a “3rd & Revolucion” with tequila reposado, aperitivo, lemon, pineapple, and spice ($15). And for me, predictably, a cognac Old Fashioned with grand Champagne cognac, maraschino, absinthe, and bitters ($14).

First to arrive was a complimentary fougasse, a crisp and rich loaf with preserved lemons and leeks.

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Restaurant Review

31 Dec 2019

Portland Provisions: Nordic delicacies, fish sauce wings, and more

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When work required travel to Portland, I tacked on a few extra days and brought The Astronomer and June along on my Pacific Northwest jaunt. With beautiful fall weather on our side, we enjoyed a wonderful stay that included a bit of everything that we love—urban cityscapes, tax-free gourmet dining, natural wonders, and hours spent reading at Powell’s Books. As far as family vacations go, this one ranks somewhere near the top along with Maui.

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Canard – Industrial District

As soon as we deplaned at PDX, The Astronomer, June, and I grabbed a Lyft and high-tailed it to Gabriel Rucker’s Canard for a late lunch. I dined at his finer restaurant Le Pigeon when I visited in 2013. The chiller vibe here made it the perfect spot to kick off our trip.

We feasted on oeufs en mayonnaise with trout roe and maple syrup ($8), a ham jam sandwich with goat cheese butter ($8), the greatest cinnamon toast ever ($4), some French toast with oranges and creme anglaise ($8), a magnificent steam burger ($6), and a “duck stack” ($16).

Though we were so very stuffed following the savories, we couldn’t leave without trying the apple pie Paris brest with salted caramel cream and gruyere streusel ($10). You’d be proud to know that we ate every last crumb of every single dish.

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