california travel journal ~ day six
On the fourth of July we were pretty much convinced that we should stay on the resort. Have you ever experienced the craziness that is California rush hour? It sucks. Not. Gonna. Lie. and on a holiday? um…no way. We were happily staying in for the day.
So, how happy for us that our resort boasts one of the best restaurants in LA? Mmmmm….hmmmmm….lucky lucky lucky.
We started our day at the resort restaurant, Baleen. How gorgeous! An open air restaurant on a perfect, balmy California day…
coffee for two…
(plus a bloody mary for J, and a mimosa for moi)
I ordered the King Harbor Benedict
Jeff ordered “The Sandwich”
both selections were AWESOME.
after breakfast…
more hanging at The Portofino.
I would rate this place the third best place I’ve ever stayed.
Number one- The Ritz Carlton Kapalua, Maui
Number Two- Now Paridisus Riviera Cancun
Yeah. This resort is GORGEOUS!
Lots of Ambient music was playing in the lobby living room.
Perfect for a relaxing afternoon.
We took naps, played in the pool and showered.
And pretty soon it was time for our dinner reservations.
At Baleen…
the view from our table.
for apppetizers…
I had the classic caesar with anchovies & mini grilled cheese sandwiches
Jeff had the Ahi Tartare
for dinner…
I chose the chicken. of all things.
I hardly ever order chicken at a restaurant,
but this sounded fabulous…
and it really was wonderful
the sauce, the tomatoes, the goat cheese dumplings…what’s not to love?
Jeff ordered the hanger steak
mmmmmmm…..
for dessert…
Gracie ordered the Chocolate Lava Cake with Raspberries
Jeff ordered a glass of port…
and I couldn’t resist the
warm bread pudding with anjou pear rum anglaise, and sour cream gelato
It was so good.
After dinner and dessert we watched the fireworks over
the Redondo Pier.
How did you spend the Fourth of July?
~Melissa
Gorgeous photos of the places, the food and drink, etc., per usual! I love breakfast food with a well-done bloody mary or mimosa (or both). YUM. (I spent my 4th of July recovering from the weekend and was asleep before the fireworks even started. Lame, huh?)
thanks Dana! That was definitely one of our lazier days…which we needed at that point. About ‘recovering from the weekend’…I’ve definitely bought that t-shirt, LOL 🙂
my 4th was nothing like yours! it was too hot here and we didn’t do much. reading your journal is so wonderful, thank you for sharing your experience :). i wish i could have been there too! i miss you!
awwwww! I miss you too 🙂 xoxo
Great Photos! Thank you for sharing your trip! Everything looks sensational!
Thanks so much Jana!
I’m soooooo hungry now! Super pics of you two! What a gorgeous couple! What a beautiful resort! Can you tell I’m excited?! I’ll stop shouting now! heehee. I’m so glad you guys had such a beautiful trip, you deserve it. And I’m so glad you shared it with us with such great pictures and such detail. 🙂
thanks sweetie 🙂
Oh, and “The Sandwich”? OMG! I want one!
ah yes, the sandwich. YUM!
Yeah, what everyone else said!! LOL WOW the pictures showcase so much and bring us right along on your vacation with you!!! LOVE LOVE LOVE it and all the food looks heavenly!!!
thanks for commenting…glad you enjoyed my travel journal 🙂
You’re going to need a vacation from telling everyone about your vacation now! xo
no kidding! some of those posts took hours! whew! 🙂
Ahh I miss this!!! 🙁 I want to go back so bad.
I miss it too, Gracie! wah! 🙂 xo