Sandrini's Restaurant - Bakersfield, CA

Our good friends, Pete and Lisa, took Scott and I out on the town during our first night in Bakersfield for a horse show. It was a warm evening, so when we got to Sandrini's and we stepped down stairs into a cool, welcoming cave I was very excited! This restaurant was Italian Basque, so I knew it would be good eats.

We started with Sliced Tongue pickled with a secret family recipe. It was perfectly tender and made a nice little sandwich with roma tomatoes and fresh baguette.

We also tried the Italian Sausage Bread, a favorite of Pete and Lisa's. I could see why, it ate like a meal!

Scott started with a fresh salad with in house croutons.

And I of course did the soup - a spicy, Basque soup with softly cooked vegetables.

This is my plate and isn't it a beauty?! I saw Halibut, spinach, risotto and reduced balsamic vinegar... How could i go wrong? It was perfect, there was nothing it could be improved on. I will return for this meal again.

Pete and Lisa split the Rack of Lamb and it too was stunning. This is half of one order, the chef so kindly brought it out on two plate for them.

If you live in Bakersfield and have not been here yet, you need to go. It is located downtown and has a cool old school vibe. They have cigar room, which probably used to be for miscellaneous gambling transactions so it has extra cool points. I here when the sun goes own it is a popular spot for Bakersfield youth to shake their groove things, so come early and enjoy their fine food!

Bimini - Reno, NV

While we were in Reno it just so happened to be May 5, my birthday! So Scott told me to get dressed because we had a car waiting for us downstairs. I dressed up in the finest clothes that I brought with me to the horse show and we made our way to the PepperMill. Enter: The Bimini.

The bread service was amazing. I think the crisp flat bread slathered with butter was my favorite. I ate both of them and kind wanted to ask for more!

Scott went all out and ordered Sea Smoke. We had it once before in San Luis Obispo and were dying to give it another try. It was our lucky day and they had it in stock.

An amuse bouche of chilled asparagus soup. Don't you love how Scott is taking it like a shot in the background?! 

You all know how much I love seafood so I started off with the Shellfish Platter - King Crab legs, Lobster claws, Jumbo shrimp, Oysters and Ceviche. My idea of a meal! It was fresh and fantastic!

Scott ordered a little filet, and had a side order of creamed corn not pictured. He loved that it was so tender and cooked to perfection. The corn was good - just the right amount.

You better believe I had Scallops with Risotto. It is basically my favorite thing to eat! The risotto was saucy, just how I like it. The scallops were cooked just right - seared on the outside and opaque through the middle. Love it!

Thank you Scott for always making my birthdays so special. I was tricked into receiving the bill but as I opened it up there was a jewelry box with a gorgeous set of earrings and necklace. He is so clever! 

Our night didn't end there we had some after dinner drinks and did some people watching!

Cheers to being 31!

Amgen Tour of California

As America's most successful cycling race, the Amgen Tour of California is one of the nation’s largest and most recognized annual sporting events.  An eight-day event, this prestigious cycling road race features elite professional teams and athletes from around the world.

They whizzed passed our cutting horse ranch during Stage 4, Santa Clarita to Santa Barbara.  

We cheered them on as we sipped a cold one on this fabulous Ojai day!

Pedal, pedal, pedal!

Sterlings - Reno, NV

Inside the Silver Legacy Casino there is an upscale steak house so we got a group together and gave it a try. Located conveniently across the way from the hotel bar makes it a good place to wait if you did not make reservations.

The bread was fantastic! The first was filled with cheese and bacon. Hello! Fantastic.... And the other soft and filled with sauteed onions and poppy seeds. Unique and worth the price of admission.

Scott ordered a bottle of Golden Eye Pinot and it was very good. Maybe one of the best pinots I have had all year. Look there is Kathy Good taste — you can see her through my wine glass!

The crab cake was my starter and it came out like a salad! No complaints here because it had basil and additional crab in it! It couldn't get any more crabby! Score.

For my entree I had the Chilean Sea Bass with crab risotto! Holy moly deliciousness. There was a trio of sauces lobster sauce, hollandaise and truffle vignetter. This was awesome. Hands down, best thing I ate in Reno.

Kathy Good Taste ordered the Prime Rib and said it was perfect.

Cowboy Ron had the Ahi Tuna, red thai rice and sauteed vegetables. 

And Scott went for a perfectly medium rare filet and vegetables on the side.

Everyone was happy with their meal, including Jarrett who sat to my right at dinner. My photos of her meals didn't not come out so her food critic will be debuted at a later time. All in all, Sterling's is the best Silver Legacy had to offer. Run, don't walk, when making your way there!

NCHA Western Nationals - Reno, NV

Want to meet some of our friends and clients? 

Here are a few photos from scenes from the NCHA Western Championship in Reno... 

Pete & Lisa with Mr. Scott Good Taste...

The rear view of Cowboy Ron with friends Amber and Dee Dee...

Jarrett and Krissi

Scott Good Taste with Lee and Vicki...

Hey look! The Good Taste's!

Melissa Good Taste relaxing - Winnie is in the background...

And my current favorite boots. So comfy, even with a pointed toe!

La Strada - Reno, NV

It was a Kettle One and Tonic kind of night. We were settled into our horse show groove in Reno and decided to take ourselves to a nice dinner with Krissi. We walked into the El Dorado Casino from the Silver Legacy and decided to give La Strada a chance. The restaurant was dark and set the mood for the carbohydrate heavy meal we were about to consume.

We shared an order of the mushroom Ravioli, apparently they are famous for this dish and it was good. Was it great? I would say about as good as mushroom ravioli can be! The sauce is what they should be famous for, creamy and worth every drop.

Scott had a Butter Lettuce Salad with pear and caramelized walnuts. He loved it.

This is just a warning. I had scallops three times during this trip to Reno, I don't know why I was so stuck on them! These scallops were a solid second place in my Scallop Eating Adventure. You will soon see first and third place in future posts. They were seared nicely, maybe a little over cooked but the Corn Risotto was outstanding. It made the dish sing!

Krissi surprised me and ordered Clams. I was so proud of her! The dish looked great and even better for mopping up the juice with the bread at the end!

Scott got talked into Bucatini with a pancetta marinara sauce. He thought the bucatini was a little too chewy for his taste. Bucatini is long hollow strands of pasta so it sometimes tastes a little under al dente. The gravy was fine and the slice of pancetta was amazing.

The meal was overall satisfying. It was on the pricier end of the restaurant spectrum but worth trying something new.

Cafe Central - Reno, NV

The first day of the NCHA Western Nationals was a great one! Winnie, Scott and my horse, advanced to the finals so we celebrated with a night out at the hotel cafe. It wasn't big spending but it really hit the spot.

The Potato Soup came with my meal and I thought it was amzing. So good. 

The salmon with barley risotto was mine. The addition of mushrooms was out of place so I just picked them off. The rest of the dish was fantastic. The salmon was cooked to perfection. I would order this one again.

Scott went all out and ordered the $20 Steak and lobster. He enjoyed his steak with a slathering of ketchup and dunked his lobster in the provided butter. It was small but still tasty.

My Mom and Krissi both had the Thanksgiving Dinner. Turkey, mashed, stuffing, veggies and cranberry all made us envious. There is nothing better than this comfort food!

The cafe was fine, moderately priced and easy to get into. We ate there one other time during our stay for a brunch type meal. I had the French Dip and it was very tasty. The fries served with it were exceptionally delicious. 

Brew Brothers - Reno, NV

We have been in Reno, Nevada at the National Cutting Horse Association's Western National Championships for about a week and a half so be ready for Reno posts! We got to Reno after our ten hour drive with hungry stomachs so we walked into Brew Brothers in the El Dorado Casino. 

We told the waitress to bring us the appetizer that could be made up the fastest - The wings came out and we devoured them. They were not particularly great but did the job just fine. Calories! We needed them.

I ordered the Fish and Chips, of course. They were excellent. Light crispy breading, fried up to perfection. The fries were seasoned extra heavy, I am not sure if it was on purpose but it sure went well with the beer we were consuming.

Scott got a BBQ Bacon Cheeseburger and I know it hit the spot. We had been up since two that morning without a decent meal in our tummy so just about anything would be good. 

We returned to this restaurant another time during our visit and the second time was even better. The onion rings are outstanding as well as the lemon Drops! Who would have thought in a brew house?!