Spencer’s Restaurant – Palm Springs, California
Dean Beck: What do you have against preachers? Clay Spencer: It’s what they preach against I’m against. Dean Beck: I’m …
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Cheeky’s – Palm Springs, California
Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw is widely credited with the aphorism “England and the United States are two nations divided …
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Sherman’s Deli & Bakery – Palm Springs, California
Not everyone appreciated my friend Bob’s stark honesty as much as I did. For nearly twelve years, Bob was my …
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Lulu California Bistro – Palm Springs, California
How many times have you heard a transplant to the Land of Enchantment say it just doesn’t feel like Christmas …
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Jake’s – Palm Springs, California
“Now i lay me down to sleep And pray the Lord my soul to keep If i die before i …
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Geoffrey’s Malibu – Malibu, California
The walls at Geoffrey’s Malibu are festooned with copies of whimsical framed “doodles” created by Hollywood celebrities and movie stars …
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La Super Rica Taqueria – Santa Barbara, California
Truly legendary restaurants, those which can legitimately be called institutions–and there are very few of them–don’t just inspire return visits; …
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Norton’s Pastrami & Deli – Santa Barbara, California
“I flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami.” ~George Costanza January 14th has been designated “National Hot …
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Opal Restaurant and Bar – Santa Barbara, California
We’re all familiar with premise of Iron Chef America in which accomplished chefs are pitted against the veritable pantheon of …
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Trattoria Mollie – Montecito, California
In its three best-selling editions–published in 2006, 2008 and 2012–National Geographic’s “Passport to the Best” has enthralled, excited and educated …
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Cafe Chloe – San Diego, California
From your seat on the sidewalk patio of Café Chloe, you can see Petco Park, the open-air home of the …
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Nine-Ten Restaurant and Bar – La Jolla, California
My baby sister Anita paid me the ultimate compliment, not as a brother, but as a savvy restaurant essayist. When …
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Phil’s BBQ Restaurant – San Diego, California
A few decades ago, the culinary cognoscenti anointed the best bastions of bodacious barbecue–Kansas City, Memphis, Texas and the Carolinas…and …
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El Agave Restaurante and Tequileria – San Diego, California
Tequila has long endured a legacy of scorn, derision and misinformation. It’s been a proving ground for manhood among frat …
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Piatti Ristorante & Bar – La Jolla, California
A tavola non si invecchia. Translation: At the table with good friends and family you do not become old. ~ …
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Pizzeria Mozza – Newport Beach, California
“Breadmaking is one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with …
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Indigo Moon Cafe, Wine and Cheese Shop – Cambria, California
It might be easy to dismiss Cambria as a “jumping off” point to some of California’s most spectacular and popular …
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Nepenthe Restaurant – Big Sur, California
With all the travails and vicissitudes of modern life, we can all use a respite or safe harbor to which …
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Schooners Coastal Kitchen & Bar – Monterey, California
Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, …
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Sierra Mar at Post Ranch Inn – Big Sur, California
Famous French mime Marcel Marceau once remarked “do not the most moving moments of our lives find us all without …
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Casanova Restaurant – Carmel, California
For they could not love you But still your love was true And when no hope was left inside On …
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The Squeeze Inn – Roseville, California
Tried to amend my carnivorous habits Made it nearly seventy days Losin’ weight without speed, eatin’ sunflower seeds Drinkin’ lots …
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Chuck’s Restaurant – Placerville, California
In 2009, James Beard Award-winning food journalists Jane and Michael Stern published a terrific tome entitled 500 Things to Eat …
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Crab House at Pier 39 – San Francisco, California
Every town has them–the touristy attractions every out-of-town visitor wants to hit and locals avoid like a Lobo basketball team …
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Destino Nuevo Latino Bistro – San Francisco, California
In 2004, The Economist (a British weekly news publication) proclaimed that “Peru can lay claim to one of the world’s …
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Spice Islands Cafe – Mountain View, California
During a two-hour layover en route to a business meeting in Silicon Valley, I managed to devour every single delectable …
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Parcel 104 – Santa Clara, California
Freshly caught trout, free-range chickens, hand-picked fruits and vegetables–those are what most influence Bradley Ogden, an uber chef and restaurant …
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