Tag Archives: restaurant

Roche Harbor

B11I8533.jpgRoche Harbor used to be a lime production site.  A couple of the old lime kilns are still in place although no longer operational.  However, now the focus has been on transforming it in to a tourist and residential destination.  There is a hotel, shops and restaurants.  Plots of land are being developed into residences and there is a large marina.  The place is picturesque enough but it is a bit isolated from the rest of the island.  It had a bit of a feel of the sort of town in which everything is controlled by one company and the rules must be followed.  Maybe I am being unfair but that is how it seemed to me.  We walked around a bit to see what was on offer but we were soon on our way again.

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Cottonwood and Truckee at Night

AE7I4348.jpgWe headed back in to Truckee one evening for dinner.  We were eating at a restaurant called Cottonwood.  It is only a short distance from the center of the town but it is up on a hillside so has a great view down to the main street.  The sun went down while we were having dinner which was taken out on the terrace.  The restaurant has a cool sign that illuminates when it gets dark.  Meanwhile, the town lights up beneath you.  It was a bit chilly – they didn’t turn on the outdoor heaters – but you could have a blanket if you wanted.  We did fine without but, if it had got much colder, I might have taken them up on the offer.

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Proud Bird At Last

AU0E5749.jpgOne of the icons of the aviation scene around LAX is the Proud Bird restaurant. Located under the approach to the 25 complex, it is a restaurant with an aviation theme. Inside there is plenty of memorabilia. Outside there are vintage aircraft (including some replicas) mainly of a Second World War vintage but some others too. Despite its fame, I had never been there other than a brief visit to the parking lot early one morning many years ago.

AU0E5760.jpgPete was keen to check it out too so we headed there for an early lunch. It was the last week that the restaurant would be open prior to a ten month refurbishment program so our timing was fortuitous. The place turned out to be a lot more than either of us had anticipated. The space was very large, the patio (where we ate of course – a sunny day with planes flying by) was very comfortable and the lunch menu, while straightforward, was really nice. Besides, you could walk among the planes while waiting for your food.

AU0E5771.jpgI am not sure what the restoration will bring. It will be interesting to see when things reopen. Meanwhile the staff will have to find other jobs which is probably not making them so enthusiastic. I hope they do well. They certainly treated us nicely.

Sunset at Ray’s

wpid6291-AU0E2255.jpgTraveling for work also means trying to find somewhere nice to eat. What a tough life, you may say, but being on the road a lot means trying to find good food without eating too much becomes a challenge. During the winter months, having a nice view is not too relevant since it is always dark before you get to dinner. However, now the evenings are longer, finding a good view can also help as long as the food is good.

wpid6288-AU0E2245.jpgA good combination in Seattle is Ray’s Boathouse. This is not a restaurant review. Instead, it is a chance to see a nice evening view out over the water of Puget Sound. The upstairs of the restaurant has a simpler (and cheaper) menu but it also has a deck outside. As the sun set, I was not the only person out grabbing photos. With very little cloud (I know, this is Seattle right?), the sky couldn’t really goo too red but it was still a very nice spot to end the day.

I also shot a wide panorama which you can see in more detail here.

Mama’s Fish House

Upon our arrival on Maui, our first mission was to get lunch.  Nancy had planned ahead and chosen a location not too far from the airport and with a beachfront location that was supposed to be very picturesque.  It was called Mama’s Fish House.  We got there a little ahead of the time of our reservation so parked the car and took a look around.  This place is about as gorgeous as you could imagine a Hawaiian beach to be.  There is a small cove with the waves washing by and making the whole thing look like it was created by a movie set designer.

We sat and enjoyed the place for a while until it was time to eat.  When we did go inside, the welcome was warm and the table was by the windows so we couldn’t have been better off.  One look at the menu tells you that this place is not cheap.  My first instinct was to assume that we were paying for the location.  However, when the food arrived, it was absolutely excellent.  The combination of great food and and outstanding view meant the meal was worth every penny.