Patti Picasso's Pages: HOLLANDAISE, HUEVOS AND HOMES

As I have said in my previous post, we just returned from nearly 2 weeks in sunny California. Our travel day was a long one as our flight was delayed nearly 2 hours. We landed in San Francisco and then had to drive to our first destination. We were looking forward to some great seafood, but opted for a good old greasy burger at Denny's for our first lunch on our trip.

It was not a very romantic spot but the burger tasted pretty darned good! They don't feed you anything on flights if you're in coach so we were really hungry.
We arrived once again in one of our favorite places on the West coast, Pacific Grove, mid-afternoon. It's called Butterfly Town USA since that is where the Monarch Butterflies migrate each year

The famed breeding habitat for the Monarch butterfly is situated in the southern part of town embedded in residential neighborhoods in mixed oak forests. These Monarchs migrate 2000 miles to reach Pacific Grove after their summer in Canada, often soaring as high as 3000 meters. The black-and-orange butterflies spend much of the fall and winter in the local Monterrey Pine trees, roughly from Halloween until Valentine's Day. It's wonderful to watch them come in. You can't see them at first and then when a new butterfly arrives, the whole tree starts to shimmer as the one that are already there are moving over to make room for the new arrivals. It's fascinating.

We always stay in a condo that is only blocks away from the butterfly sanctuary on a quiet little street only a few blocks from the ocean. One of Frank's favorite things about PC is that fact that there are only 15,000 people there and the speed limit is 25 mph and 15 on the main street. No traffic and no rush to get anywhere, It's a wonderful sleepy little town .

We went to a local restaurant for a bowl of soup and a salad and turned in early since it had been a long day and travel days are always lost time for us.
We got up early the next morning and went to a restaurant on the main street called Holly's Lighthouse Cafe.
Pacific Grove is known for its Victorian homes, Asilomar State Beach, its artistic legacy and the annual migration of the Monarch butterflies. The city is endowed with more Victorian houses per capita than anywhere else in America; some of them have been turned into bed and breakfast inns.

The city is also known as the location of the Point Pinos Lighthouse, the oldest continuously-operating lighthouse on the West Coast.

I'm sure that's why the named Holly's place the Lighthouse Cafe.

I consider myself to be an expert judge of Eggs Benedict. For years I have always said that the best Eggs Benedict in the world are at Katy's in Carmel, California, Well ... Katy's just lost the number one spot to Holly's Lighthouse in my humble opinion. These were without a doubt the very best that I have ever tasted, and I have eaten them all over the world ... literally!

They even brought me an extra bowl of the most delicious Hollandaise sauce that I have ever tasted. I was in heaven!
After breakfast we decided to take a drive along the coast to Pebble Beach for lunch.
Pebble Beach is best known for its luxury resorts, golf courses and stunning 17-Mile Drive tour which passes through the Del Monte forest. To access this haven, you must enter one of five guard gates in Carmel or Pacific Grove where you pay just less than $10 per car. As you pass through the shady entry gates, you are also given a brochure with extensive information and a map.

There are approximately 20 stops along the well marked route, each with a landmark of interest and paved parking for your vehicle. From the trademark Lone Cypress tree to the Restless Sea, Seal Rock to Spanish Bay and Spyglass Hill, you are guaranteed to get a thrill. We have visited the Lone Cypress and photographed it many times.

The well trodden road was once a trail in which covered wagons carried guests from a hotel to picnic grounds along Pebble Beach over 100 years ago. Though a century has passed, some things are timeless in this enchanted forest. Today, tourists continue to enjoy the crashing waves that hit rugged rocks below vistas where pine trees frame each photo perfectly. Picnics are still "in" as are strolls along the sand near Seal Rock lookout. And golf continues to be the number one sport here for over 80 years.

I'd love to be able to go inside one of these mansions and see what they look like.
We then went to the Market which is by the Lodge and bought sandwiches for a picnic.

We shared a sandwich and green tea (I was still full of Eggs Benedict) and then strolled over to the Lodge to look around.

It's a lovely place and they always make you feel so at home whether you're staying there or not.

We have stayed here several times in past years and Frank has played all of the golf courses along 17 mile Drive at one time or another. I decided to have a glass of wine while Frank had a beer as we enjoyed the view of the ocean.

We had so much fun watching this big fellow trying to steal food from people's tables. They're really beautiful birds but a real nuisance most of the time.

We got home in time to go for a dip in the Jacuzzi and then we dressed for dinner. We went to a little Asian restaurant that was near our condo and had some really delicious food. It was still early so there weren't many people there yet.

Before we ordered our meal, two ladies who were dining started visiting with us. They lived in Pacific Grove and frequented the place so they suggested what we should eat and their suggestions were a great choice.

Frank had the stir fried rice with seafood and I had the Kung Pao chicken. Both dishes were excellent.
We then hurried home after dinner so we could watch Dancing With the Stars.