dilipmerala

January 3, 2024

Paso Robles – Our last road trip of 2023

I have always enjoyed traveling during wintertime. Most of my happy solo backpacking trips back in India happened during winter. So did my long motorcycle trips with my partner in crime, Nikhil aka frozencolor. Many a time on such trips as a bachelor, I used to imagine a future when I will be embarking on such vacations with my soul mate. Now that I have found her, it’s an exciting time in my life as I get to explore some wonderful destinations with her. For our last trip of 2023, we chose to do a road trip and stay within California in the interest of time and convenience. Also, I have come to learn that this state is a country in itself with everything you might look for in a vacation spot, readily available someplace nearby. And the weather is almost always just… heartwarming! We planned a week-long cusp vacation to bid goodbye to 2023 and welcome 2024. Our pick to ring in the new year was someplace pretty, quiet and peaceful – not a dead town with nobody around but not a bustling city with ostentatious bells and whistles on New Years Eve either. There were quite a few worthy contenders but the winner this time was Paso Robles.

Having been to Paso a couple of times already, we knew what we were in for. The drive was spectacular with California 46 bringing the drama. Magnificent skies and open roads flanked by hillocks, rainbows, meadows graced us all the way till Paso Robles. We arrived in time for our check in at The Adelaide Inn where the lobby was spruced up for the holidays with a festive Christmas theme. Our receptionist guessed that we were an Indo-American couple from, well, our looks. She mentioned that she would love to attend an Indian wedding someday as there is always some drama and an angry “aunty”. I joked that there was nobody angry at our wedding (that we knew of). We then proceeded to our room that was simple, clean, spacious and provided all the comforts we could ask for. The television cabinet was pretty neat with sliding doors to conceal what’s inside i.e. the TV. I got excited about the Starbucks across the street and got a coffee as soon as we settled in. The weather stayed around 50-60 degree F (10 to 16 degree C) making us feel the cozy, holiday charm of winter.

We were quite well-prepared for this 2-night stay at Paso Robles, having made reservations for most major meals. Our first dinner was at Taste Craft Eatery – a wonderful slider and cocktail place in the heart of downtown Paso Robles. We got there ahead of time so we walked around the streets, as we usually like to do. We entered a general store called “General store” with a cool collection of items. Here, I indulged in my last impulse buy of 2023. You see, I have been growing a bit of a paunch, giving me a cute but undesirable ‘skinny everywhere else but big and round in the middle’ kind of shape. My goal for next year is to make my body a bit more symmetric and desirable to people who don’t love me already. So when I saw a book titled “Salads”, I knew I had to buy it so that I can incorporate it in my meals for all of 2024.

Hometown House salad at Taste Craft Eatery in Paso Robles

Two young ladies greeted us outside Taste and one of them escorted us to our table deep inside the space. Our drinks and food at Taste were quite delicious. I am usually a beer guy and Summer, though not a big drinker, likes whiskey better than beer. This time, we switched preferences with me getting a whiskey sour and Sumer going for a blood orange beer. The Hometown house salad was very satisfying and our variety of siders (two “Duo”s) did the trick for a nice, satisfying dinner. The next morning, we simply walked to the nearby Margie’s Diner and had a lovely breakfast sticking to our usual choices – Denver omelette with potatoes for me and oats with fruits for her.

That afternoon, we had a reservation at Calcareous Winery – one with some fond memories for us. On our last trip to Cambria when we got engaged, we had driven down to this winery to make the calls and inform our loved ones about my moment of courage when I went down on my knee, and Summer’s moment of weakness when she said “Yes”. This time, we were visiting this beautiful winery as a married couple. We took in the gorgeous view, enjoyed their tasting with an impressive list of wines (one white, three red and a bonus), and split a lip-smacking burger that was brought in looking like Julius Caesar.

Burger and chips at Calcareous Winery in Pas Robles

After the short drive back to town, we visited the cute Spearhead Coffee Shop for a little sip-and-chat. We then made it for our reservation at Buena Tavola for some cocktails, salad, and pasta. My experiment with Negroni for a cocktail did not go down well with my taste buds (lesson learned!). The ambiance at this restaurant was akin to what I had watched in the movies. It was a cozy Italian place with tables near enough to each other that it felt like one big community dinner. We could easily overhear conversations but we tuned into our own in a few minutes. I tried my best not to stare too long at other people’s food. We finished the meal with a memorable chocolate soufflé which was plated like a champ.

Our next plan of action was to take a sneak peek at the big event that was the talk of the town – the bonfire. Wherever we went, everyone we interacted with asked us if we were going to the bonfire. Naturally, we were intrigued. Thankfully, the downtown park where this event was happening was just a block away from Buena Tavola so we found a convenient parking spot nearby for the whole evening. As we started walking towards the park after dinner, we could already sense the hustle-bustle from a distance. The whole town seemed to have assembled at the downtown park for this bonfire surrounded by well-lit, decked up trees and happy party-goers grooving to a LIVE band. And here I witnessed the irony of life, as I saw three firemen throwing huge logs in a bonfire to keep the flames going up.

We walked around the bonfire, clicked some pictures, exchanged some smiles with strangers, danced to the music for a bit, and decided to call it a night to head back to our champagne and chips at the inn. The remainder of the night was spent watching the saucy Sigourney Weaver, sipping champagne, and finally wishing each other a Happy New Year at midnight – our first one as Mr. and Mrs. 😀

The next morning, on New Year’s Day, we took off on our first road trip of 2024. More on that in my next post.

December 30, 2023December 30, 2023

Baar Baar Los Angeles – An exciting new Indian eatery in downtown LA

“This place has been on my list since June,” said my cousin Sunil when planning a quick pre New Year’s eve meetup. With him being one of the most passionate foodies we know, and having wanted to see him and Dips before the end of the year, Summer and I were onboard in a jiffy. We looked up “Baar Baar LA” online and were particularly excited about the bar menu which showed cocktails named after popular Indian movies. The website mentioned that it’s “A brilliant, evolved play on Indian cuisine and culture, tailored to the taste & sensibilities of Los Angeles.” We were naturally intrigued.

The drive from Studio City to downtown (usually 15 mins) took around 40 minutes on account of Friday night traffic. While Baar Baar had its own valet for $15, it was difficult to pull in with a couple of cars waiting, so we decided to park in the public parking down the alley next to the restaurant. We then walked in through the huge front door where the doorman greeted us with a smile.

The place had a cute lobby with the bar to the left of the reception. I was instantly impressed by the elegant decor and lighting design of the place. I had not expected it to be this huge. A lady escorted Summer and me to a table once I mentioned to her that the reservation was under “Sunil”. We were surprised to find a lady already seated at a table that was clearly reserved for a big group. We sat down anyway thinking that may be Sunil has invited some others to this feast. After a few moments of awkward silence, the lady at the table asked us, “Are you here for Sumi?”. That’s when I realized that the receptionist probably heard the name wrong. So we went back to the lobby, laughing about the mixup and explaining it to the receptionist. This is when I met Mr. Kushal, the man behind the restaurant. It’s also when Sunil and Dips walked in and we started chatting with Mr. Kushal as we waited for our actual table. I was also happy to learn that Mr. Kushal happened to be a fellow Mumbaikar who grew up in the Matunga region of Mumbai and has been in LA for 25-odd years. We spoke about our favourite eateries in Matunga and his frequent annual visits to India. He credited his wife for the excellent location of the restaurant and I got a moment to congratulate her before we were escorted to our spacious table.

Front to back – Munnabhai MBBS, Sholay, DDLJ, Lagaan

We started with the cocktails which were all named after popular movies and had an interesting mix of ingredients. Dips noticed that we could buy the fancy cocktail book for $15. This made sense as the cocktail menu book had movie pictures and fun facts about the movies the cocktails were named after. Drinks arrived soon and Sunil’s ‘Lagaan’ got a special fancy bubble on top while being served. We had a hearty catch-up while sipping our drinks as we were meeting up after a while. It looked like the restaurant was fully booked as we did not see an empty seat anywhere. The chatter sounded mostly happy and I saw smiles all around whenever I looked.

The food order had to all be placed in together (appetizers and main course) so we spent some discussing what we would like. After some deliberation, we chose the ‘Green Pea Kulcha’, ‘Dahi puri’, and ‘Chicken Malai Tikka’ as small plates. With some help from one of the waitresses, we understood the right portion and sized our order accordingly. We ordered the ‘Grain & vegetable biryani’, ‘Whole seabass’, and ‘Paneer pinwheel’ for large plates.

Vegetable biryani, whole seabass, and paneer pinwheel

A chef brought out every dish explaining its ingredients and preparation. Personally, I enjoyed the seabass and kulcha the most. My drink, ‘Munnabhai MBBS’, turned out to be pretty neat! The ‘dahi puri’ didn’t hit the spot for me – perhaps my expectations were different having grown up on Mumbai chat 😉 I was happy that none of the dishes were too spicy for Summer, whose spice tolerance is growing with every passing day.

All in all – it was a fun evening at a cool new restaurant in the heart of downtown LA. Baar Baar’s ambiance was noteworthy and it was great chatting with the couple behind the elegant setup. While it’s not easy on the pocket (4-people meal and drinks cost around $300 with a 4% service charge included and suggested tips start at 20%), it does make for a different experience. The food was good enough for us to plan another visit. Mostly, it felt great to be with loved ones for one last social dinner before the end of the year.

December 18, 2023December 20, 2023

Pedaler’s Fork in Calabasas – Where I learned the term “86d”

My boss Jim first mentioned Pedaler’s Fork in Calabasas to me a couple of years ago when we were looking for a lunch spot. While we couldn’t get lunch there at that point as we had arrived during a time they were only serving coffee, I was able to go there a few months later with my then girlfriend now wife. As we browsed through the impressive menu, we picked a couple of fancy drinks and took in the wonderful green surroundings. The waitress returned after a few minutes and said something I had never heard before – “Sorry, we have eighty sixed that drink.” Although I understood the context, I had to Google what the term meant. Wikipedia said that it stood for a food or drink no longer available but also for persons not welcome on premises. One of the slang meanings also seems to be “to kill or execute”. And that is my first memory of this marvelous place that we have now visited a few times since then.

Sharing some pictures from our recent visit to Pedaler’s Fork – an extraordinary cycle shop/restaurant/cafe with some lip-smacking food and an excellent variety of drinks. The indoor decor is elegant and the outdoor patio provides a slice of Calabasas greenery. Fun fact – we recently finished watching the Netfflix show Beef featuring Ali Wong and Steven Yeun and were thrilled to spot Pedaler’s Fork in a couple of scenes 🙂

November 26, 2023November 27, 2023

Solvang – A bit o’ Denmark in California

Knowing that we Indians don’t deprive any part of the world of our presence, I have been wondering where all the Indians were in Los Angeles. Well, I found them all this Thanksgiving weekend in a cute little Danish town in California. Talk about one world, eh!

I pay a bunch of money to keep this website alive but I haven’t really been using it well. One of the things I wanted to do here was post my travel stories regularly, but due to a mix of laziness, busy ness, motivelessness (ok, enough with the language butchering) and discouragement on seeing so many wanderlusters hashtagging away, I have refrained from posting too many articles here. Of late though, I have been missing my blogging days. So, I figured I’ll get right back on the horse. I have so many pending travel posts and wondered where to begin. To keep things simple, I’m starting with my most recent weekend trip to Solvang.

A 2-hour drive from Los Angeles (make it 3-4 if you’re traveling during holidays or weekends as this is a popular route), Solvang is a charming Danish town located at a convenient driving distance for both northern and southern Californians. Therefore, you can expect to see a bunch of tourists here on most weekends and holidays. We were here during Julefest 2023 and as expected, the place was bustling.

Pretty day in Carpinteria, where we stopped for lunch

We stopped at Carpinteria at The Spot for some lip-smacking burgers. This is a popular eatery and we expected there to be a line. Fortunately, it took us just a few minutes to get our order and grab a table (free seating). After enjoying our burgers and milkshake while taking in the pleasant town view, we were back on the road to reach Solvang by 4 pm (check in time at our hotel).

If I were to describe Solvang in one line, it would be – happy, old-timey town full of bakeries, wineries, cool Scandinavian-style buildings, and an eclectic mix of tourists (but mostly Indians 😉 ). It is very walkable and has several souvenir and art shops for those who like shopping.

Breakfast places open early and have long queues if you don’t get there in the first half hour. Bakeries here are also extremely popular for their treats, so expect long queues unless you get really lucky or are there during their early hours. The Solvang Brewing Company is open late (midnight) for pub-lovers. Fitzpatrick’s Tavern closes at 9 pm but is a sweet Irish pub with several TVs for sports lovers.

We started our trip by hitting the Sanger Family of Wines located a stone’s throw from our hotel. After treating ourselves to their fine selection of wines and a decent cheeseboard (our friend Kirsti’s cheeseboards have ruined all other cheeseboards for us), we decided to walk around a bit to make some room in our bellies for dinner. As it started getting dark, we saw queues forming outside all restaurants. Thankfully, we were smart enough to make a reservation at Osteria Grapollo nearby so we were able to just walk in. A delicious pasta, salad and glass of wine later, we were ready to turn in for the night.

Mushroom and sausage pasta at Osteria Grapollo

We started early the next morning to beat the long breakfast queues. One of the great things about our hotel, Hamlet Inn, was that we were literally on the main street and could see what’s going on from our window. I was so excited about this that when I woke up for a bit around 1 am, I peeked through the curtains to see what was going on outside. And voila – four Indians were walking down the street. Anyway, we saw in the morning around 7:30 am that there wasn’t a long queue outside Paula’s Pancake House. So we got there quick and got a table within 15-20 minutes. When we had the buttermilk pancakes and Danish omelette here, we understood what the long lines were for. Following breakfast, we stood in another small queue at Olsen’s Bakery next door, as my dear wife wanted to bring home some sweet snacks.

Other than the town itself, Solvang is a great destination for wine lovers on account of its proximity to Santa Ynez (15 mins) and Paso Robles (1.5 hours). Both these places have numerous wineries and vineyards, where you can enjoy wonderful tastings with lovely views. The drive to Paso Robles is very scenic and worth the road trip. Some of our favorite wineries in Paso Robles are Thacher, Kiami and Opolo. In the Santa Ynez area, we had been to Stolpman in our previous visit. This time, we visited a winery recommended to us by our friend Kirsti, and it was the highlight of our Thanksgiving weekend.

Posing at the Roblar Winery & Vineyards in Santa Ynez

Roblar Winery and Vineywards in Santa Ynez was just a 12-min drive from our hotel in Solvang. We made a lunch reservation for 11:30 am and got there in time to get a good table right by the vineyard. The day was gorgeous with the sun shinging bright enough to give the sky a radiant blue hue. The weather was perfect – not too hot or cold – with a slight breeze making it fun to be outdoors. We were surrounded by plants and flowers of various colors – green, lavender, red and maroon. A couple of hummingbrids kept us company by buzzing around in the background, while we tasted a variety of wines and treated ourselves to some delicious marinated olives, caesar salad and a kale-mushroom pizza.

Black garlic Caesar salad at Roblar Winery

I was particularly excited to find a Grenache wine that, I’ve been told, goes well with spicy Indian food! Our afternoon at Roblar was as lovely as Kirsti had told us it would be, and we were happy to head back to town with no expectations of things to do for the rest of the day.

We ended up having some great coffee at the Good Seed Coffee Roasters, followed by a walk to the Book Loft where I had an epiphany. We had driven past a farm full of horses on our way to the winery and I was wondering about various horse breeds. I was browsing through the science section in the store when I saw that there was an entire “Horses” section on the other side. This side was next to a window and as soon as I got there, through the glass I saw two horses pulling a carriage across the road. And that’s how I stopped browsing and ended up buying a book called “Great Stud-Farms of the World” from The Book Loft. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing indoors.

The next morning, we had brunch at Mad & Vin located just a minute’s walk from our hotel . This was a posh fine-dining restaurant with elegant decor and a pleasant view to the minimalistic, green patio. We kept it simple with eggs, toast and bacon but the skillet this came in looked quite fancy (as expected). Our average cost of eating for 2 at most places ended up being around $40-60 which was not bad at all given the service and quality of food.

The drive back from Solvang to LA was quite fast since we decided to beat the traffic by leaving before 10 am. So we were home by noon. I have been on this route multiple times but still get blown away by the spectacular views of the ocean. The waves crashing against the rocks as viewed from the road between Carpinteria and Ventura is quite special. This is something I also had the opportunity to witness up close on my Pacific Coast train ride from Los Angeles to San Francisco, as the tracks are right up there next to the water.

Cheers to Solvang, that has proven to be a wonderful weekend getaway yet again. Leaving you with some more pictures here –

October 28, 2023

Monster Mash – My California Stage Debut

After striking out on putting up my own production on stage in December 2021 due to the onset of the Omicron variant, I was deligted to be invited to play Dracula in MeMain Productions’ Monster Mash. Teaming up with an impressive, fun, enthusiastic group of artists (including my better half), I had a wonderful time rehearsing for this goofy show which went from scary to funny to emotional with no warning. And then, the shows themselves turned out to be a happy experience for me as an actor, and an exhilirating roller coaster for the audience.

I was ecstatic to be performing for a LIVE audience after four years. The last time I was in front of a LIVE theatre audience was The Rocky Horror Show in Dallas where I also got a chance to a do a little pre-show stand-up act. Then, I graduated, the pandemic hit, I moved to Los Angeles, and got busy with my day job as a Biotech Data Analytics Manager.

Thankfully, I had kept myself active with other gigs like stand-up acts, workshops, and lessons. It came in handy when I stepped back into my stage shoes for this extremely well-written show. The audiences were generous, some of them friends and family, others happy strangers who were sweet enough to stop by afterwards and pay a compliment. All in all, I would say we did quite a memorable MASH!

September 12, 2023

Coming Soon – A Halloween Special!

I am excited to share that I will be back on stage soon. Rehearsals are in full swing and this cast is a delight to work with. Stoked to see how this turns out! Also, it’s my first time professionally acting with someone special 😉

September 10, 2023November 28, 2023

A Visit to Descanso Gardens

Childhood memories of garden visits came rushing back when I visited Descanso gardens a few days ago with my wife. The recent Los Angeles rains have provided a fresh bout of lush to all the greenery in the city’s landscape. Spending some time amidst sprawling trees and blooming flowers rejuvenated us and reinstated our faith in the simple pleasures of life – like a weekend drive to a nearby garden!

The more time I spend in Los Angeles, the more I admire all that it has to offer. While the city has its issues (like most other cities in the world), to me the pros far outweigh the cons. You are never too far from spectacular skies with dramatic clouds, gorgeous weather with the sun shining bright (and yet no sweat), gushing ocean waters with acrobatic surfers, bustling pubs with hearty laughters all around, farmers markets laced with celebrity sightings, mesmerizing valley views, lip-smacking food from all around the world, friendly people who always greet you with a smile, and much more. The things I have experienced in my time here have made me feel at home, and I have barely scracthed the surface. My visit to Descanso Gardens was just a small reminder of all the beautiful things around and that I have so much more to see. Sharing some details and pictures below –

Address: 1418 Descanso Dr, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011
Ticket: $15
Hours: Daily 9 am to 5 pm

April 10, 2023May 13, 2023

And there goes the first quarter…

It’s been a really speedy Q1 of 2023. You already know about Cambria, Hearst Castle and my engagement. The days following the Cambria trip have been about informing family members and loved ones, eating at our favorite spots , watching a cool production of 1984 at The Main, visiting the office and meeting some colleagues for the first time, hiking, celebrating a friend’s birthday at Anaheim, and of course – wedding preparations. From scouting venues and vendors to picking our guest list, invitation design, website content, and food menu – it’s all been one exciting adventure (and we are not done yet!). For the sake of the 2 readers who check out my website, here are some pictures from the last few days –

Hiking to Top of Victory – Yes, those are my hiking clothes

March 14, 2023

Rejoicing in RRR‘s Oscar win for Naatu Naatu

Summer and I watched the bulk of the Oscars 2023 event at Laurel Tavern in Studio City. As we sipped on beer and treated ourselves to some delicious salad and fries, I was eagerly awaiting one award – Best Original Song. Naatu Naatu from S.S. Rajamouli’s RRR had gained enough momentum to make it a front runner. However, when you consider that both Rihanna and Lady Gaga were in the running too, you can imagine why every Indian might have been cautiously optimistic.

When the moment came just before the name was announced, I felt both a bit anxious and happy in anticipation that it was indeed going to be Naatu Naatu. The electric performance by singers Kaala Bhairava and Rahul Sipliganj and a brilliant group of dancers had already gotten people in the auditorium rooting for it.

Ram Charan and Jr. NTR performing Naatu Naatu from RRR (Source: Netflix)

And then it happened. Janelle Monae, looking ravishing as ever, announced that the Oscar went to RRR…RRR…RRR! I applauded and hooted as the lone Indian at Laurel Tavern, with Summer and Max joining me in my enthusiasm. M. M. Keeravani singing his feelings away to the tune of ‘Top of the World’ by The Carpenters was a sweet cherry on the cake. It was truly one of those moments where I was proud of being an Indian and a Telugu boy 😊 I had forgotten what that felt like in the past few years. Thank you, Mr. Rajamouli and team RRR!

March 5, 2023March 5, 2023

The Proposal

It was always going to be in Cambria. It was the first place we had visited together as a couple and we had been wanting to go back ever since. I thought I’ll do it from the heights of Hearst Castle with panoramic views of the ocean on one side and hillocks on the other. But the castle tour turned out to be a bit ostentatious for us. Not to mention the fact that we were surrounded by 50 other tourists. So I had to improvise a bit. Thankfully, our plan to watch the sunset on all of our evenings in Cambria came in handy.

My initial plan was to propose at the Moonstone Beach grill. The idea was that I will order beer and onion rings and then use one of those rings to propose. It occured to me later that she might not take this seriously and also that she can’t be wearing this onion ring all the time. So I rejected this idea. Then, while we were strolling around on our second vacation day and she visited the restroom, I disappeared for a bit. I texted her making a lame excuse that I was looking for a birthday present for her (7 months ahead of time!) and that she can wait for me in the car. Then, I walked into our favourite antique store (Rich Man Poor Man) and bought an emerald ring which I thought suited her personality. I hid it in my jacket pocket and carried a different bag with some other purchases making her think that her present was in the bag.

Later that afternoon, we took the Hearst Castle tour (more on that later) and after the bus got us back down, I suggested that we hit our usual sunset point. But Summer had other plans – she wanted to check out the elephant seals which were at a vista point just 3 miles from the castle. We were close to sunset time and I figured that it will still be pretty there so that’s the way to go. We got there at sunset, watched the sun go down, and I was about to take the knee when some seals started losing it! It got a bit loud and Summer started joking about what they might be saying – “Look, look… I can crawl on my belly!”. And I thought it’s the perfect moment for me to get on my knee and go – “I think they are asking you to say Yes”.

Selfie taken a couple of minutes after engagement

I was about to do it when these two kids popped out of nowhere right next to us, all excited about the varying sizes and sounds of the seals. Their parents had walked further ahead, leaving these two menaces unchecked, loitering around ruining other people’s proposals. I waited patiently for them to get bored of the seals and move on so that I can propose. They hung around for 3 minutes or so (it certainly felt longer) before realizing that the parents are too far and it’s time to skedaddle. Then, I was ready again and as I was about to lunge, Summer started getting really cold from the chilly winds.

Typically, whenever we went to a cold place, Summer stayed with me for a bit and then left me alone (as I love the cold) while she went indoors to get warm. It was windy at the vista point and she couldn’t take it anymore so she said, “I’ll wait in the car, you come in whenever you are done enjoying the view.” As she started walking away, I shouted – “But if you go now, I won’t be able to do this!”. She turned around and found me on my knee holding the ring in my hand. I don’t remember my exact words but it was something to the effect of – “This is it for me. If I’m ever going to be a husband, it’s yours. What say? Let’s do this!”

Ever since we started dating, I had been implying that marriage is not for me. In our conversations about the future too, there was no indication of getting married (anytime soon anyway). So the proposal came as a huge surprise to her. Even with the lame birthday present excuse, she didn’t imagine that I might have been buying an ENGAGEMENT RING. It took her a while to even understand what was going on and if I was being serious. This is where the real ring instead of an onion ring helped. She pulled me up and hugged me and mumbled something I couldn’t hear. I could feel that she was happy but she hadn’t answered me yet. So I got out of the hug and went back on my knee. And then she threw her hands up in the air and said – “Okay!”. And just like that – we were engaged!

Dinner and art appreciation at Robin’s in Cambria

We hit the Cambria pub for some champagne followed by our favourite restaurant Robin’s for dinner. It took some time for us to grasp what had happened. Our farm stay 5 miles from town provided the perfect ambaince for us to take it all in and begin a new chapter in our lives! Exciting times ahead…