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Saturday, August 22, 2009

Red Tractor Cafe - Dublin, CA


Red Tractor Cafe
4920 Dublin Blvd
Dublin, CA 94568
(925) 828-8300
redtractor.com

Although I've only ordered from their lunch/dinner menu in the past, I discovered a delicious sourdough breakfast sandwich with rosemary home fries from their all-day breakfast menu...mmm! I originally ordered a house salad with a cup of split pea soup, but the lettuce was wilted and soggy so I sent it back and decided to try the sourdough breakfast sandwich instead.

According to others in my party, the farmhouse breakfast was good and included: eggs, bacon, sausage, mini biscuits and gravy, mini pancakes and a cup of coffee. There were no complaints about the fried chicken dinner, roasted carrots or grilled zucchini either!

Their orangeade is so irresistibly delicious and thirst-quenching, the phrase "unlimited refills" has a new meaning for me. It's better than no other orange drink I've ever had, but it's best described as a sweeter, non-carbonated version of Orangina...pulp and all!









Orangeade - with unlimited refills! ($1.99)




Cup of Soup & House Salad ($6.99)


Sourdough Breakfast Sandwich ($6.99)


Farmhouse Breakfast, including a cup of coffee ($9.99)


Fried Chicken Dinner ($9.99)


Red Tractor Cafe on Urbanspoon

Friday, August 21, 2009

T.G.I. Friday's - Pleasanton, CA


T.G.I. Friday's
3999 Santa Rita Rd.
Pleasanton, CA 94588
(925) 225-1995
fridays.com

Friday's has a "Mango Mayhem" special they're running right now...$5 Absolut Mango Cocktails. I couldn't resist trying one, so at the server's recommendation, I ordered the "Go Go Mango" (strawberry, Cointreau, Absolut Mango Vodka, soda and sweet & sour) and it was FABULOUS!!!

We shared the Jack Daniels Sampler Appetizer and the Sesame Chicken Strips was my favorite, followed by the shrimp and the baby back ribs suprisingly came in last. They're usually better...at least when you order them in a meal.





Go Go Mango ($5)


Jack Daniels Sampler Platter Appetizer ($13.99)


T.G.I. Friday's on Urbanspoon

Golden Dragon Buffet - Brentwood, CA


Golden Dragon Buffet
6281 Lone Tree Way
Brentwood, CA 94513
(925) 516-9858

Golden Dragon Buffet offers a $7.99 lunch, Monday to Saturday from 11am - 4pm. We ate here for the first time and being a buffet, it was good to see that it was busy! They offer the typical items that a Chinese buffet offers: Chinese, Sushi, Seafood, Mongolian BBQ, fried food, salad bar, fruit bar, dessert bar and so on.

I discovered the most delightful dessert there...Tapioca Taro! It's actually a soup and I know it sounds odd, it even looks odd (check out my pic at the bottom of this post)...but it was SOOOOOO good that I kept going back for more, despite being a hot summer day. :)

I also liked their Sake (Salmon) Nigiri - which I made "sashimi" because I didn't eat the rice. The green beans in their Chinese food section were spectacular, the Chow Fun and General Chicken were good and the Chicken w/Broccoli and Chili Chicken were so-so. The sushi rolls weren't that great, but it's what you would expect from a buffet, anyway. The salmon was surprisingly moist, but it didn't have much flavor. The crab salad (from the salad bar) was awful.

Golden Dragon Buffet is MUCH better than the two Chinese buffets in Livermore and I definitely plan on returning for more of that Tapioca Taro soup! :)

















Sushi, Salmon and Crab Salad


Chinese Food & Fish


Tapioca Taro


Golden Dragon on Urbanspoon

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Baci Cafe - Pleasanton, CA


Baci Cafe
500 Main Street
Pleasanton, CA 94566
(925) 600-0600
bacimainstreet.com

Baci Cafe (sometimes known as Baci Restaurant) is in a terrific location in Downtown Pleasanton on the corner of Main Street and Neal. We first sat at one of their outside tables, but we decided to sit inside when the person next to us started smoking (she got up from the table and was standing right next to the table while smoking...like that made a difference!)

Anyway, if you are lucky enough to be served from a pitcher that has let the fruit steep into the water, their fruit water is delightful! They put a variety of fruits in their water pitchers such as oranges, lemons, apples, strawberries, etc.

We ordered their "Grilled Bone-In Pork Chop, Herb and Pancetta Crusted" and their "Grilled Salmon with Citrus Beurre Blanc". First, they brought out a Rack of Lamb instead of the Pork Chop, but the Pork Chop turned out to be quite bland as they forgot the "Pancetta Crusted" part. My Salmon was very tasty, thanks to the Citrus Beurre Blanc...I found it to be a perfect compliment to the salmon.

Although this dining experience wasn't 5-star, we appreciate the fact that the server took the Pork Chop off the bill before presenting it to us. That was gracious of her and she told us it was because she wanted us to return...smart girl! We look forward to our next visit to Baci Cafe. :)







Dinner Menu


Fruit Water


Rack of Lamb ($29)


Pork Chop ($21)


Grilled Salmon ($21)


Dessert Menu


Baci Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Flowers Washougal - Washougal, WA


Flowers Washougal
1203 'E' Street Washougal, WA 98671
(360) 835-8564
flowerswashougal.com

I received a surprise phone call with the most terrible, awful news this afternoon. One of our puppies from Litter C just died yesterday...our beloved, sweet boy Apollo. He was the largest and strongest puppy of the litter and in his short life, he has achieved an amazing amount of accomplishments in the show ring - even more than his Champion father Romeo. He was dearly loved by his two-legged and four-legged family and it breaks my heart knowing how much his family hurts because they miss him. He really was a very, very special boy.

As a token of my sympathy, I wanted to send them flowers and that is how I came into contact with Flowers Washougal. I called and explained the situation and asked for any recommendation on what kind of flowers to send. Erik was so nice and he's the kind of person that you instantly like just from a brief telephone conversation. Since Apollo is the sun god, I asked him to incorporate sunflowers into the arrangement. Although I don't get a chance to actually see the flowers, I have a feeling everything that leaves their store is just beautiful. I don't have any floral photos to post, but here are some of Apollo...may he rest in peace and remain in our hearts forever.

Apollo at 28 days


Apollo at 43 days


Apollo with his new mommy (and sister Amy on the left)


Apollo with his new daddy


Apollo at 52 days


Apollo at 14 months


Amy and Apollo - BFF


Amy and Apollo - Spoons


Apollo and his new brother


Apollo sleeping


Handsome Apollo


Puppies LOVE Apollo!


Apollo Wins Best In Show at 20 months


Apollo Wins Two Best In Shows at 21 months


Motorcycle Dog


Christmas 2008


Apollo's accomplishments in the show ring include:

- 2008 IABCA Gold Cup Champion
- IABCA Super Welt Cup Champion in Gold
- ICCF Grand Champion
- ARBA Master Champion
- Multi BIS & BIS Rare Breed