Category: Restaurants

Recently, KC and I had the pleasure of visiting Carmel Valley Ranch. It’s a fantastic weekend getaway with a wonderful restaurant, Citronelle, that offers many creative menu choices. The lobby’s rust-brown and burnt orange hues are warm and inviting. The golf clubhouse has shades of lime green, deep chocolate and white, giving it a crisp, modern feel. The pool area is charming without being too fussy, and the staff is so attentive. I can’t remember how many of them remembered my name, “Mrs. Chin!”. The in-room spa service was terrific, and they even honored my request to have my spa services near the pool. I believe I had Carmel Valley Ranch’s very first by-the-pool massage!

After a few days of long meetings, the ladies of Here Comes The Guide refueled and toasted a job well done with a delectable dinner at Cantinetta Luca, a sister venue of L’Auberge Carmel. The bistro is designed around the concept that Italian dining is a celebration of sharing, simplicity and family—and as a company that considers each other family, we warmed to this notion immediately.

We’d like to congratulate the Certified By The Guide vendors who were recently voted Winners of San Francisco Chronicle’s Baylist Best 2008 Contest:

Have you ever had one of those meals when you’re on vacation that you keep thinking about for weeks after you get home? You know, you’re sitting at work and all of a sudden you’re struck by an intense desire to eat at that restaurant again. Like, right NOW. You entertain thoughts of calling in sick, just to go back and have that food one more time?

It was 8-8-08, and my friends Betty and Mark decided to make the 1-1/2 hour drive from LA for a weekend in Ojai, which is where I live. They wanted to take me to dinner “someplace peaceful and delicious.” So naturally, I chose the Ranch House, a lushly landscaped oasis at the edge of town. From our seat on the restaurant’s pretty patio, we spied a couple dining alone on the garden terrace, he in formal wear and she in a long white satin gown. They were obviously way past their prom days, and after discreet inquiries, we learned that they were indeed “just married.”

Spas are a great way for couples to de-stress during the pre-wedding planning stage, but it might be hard to convince your oh-so manly man to get into a fuzzy white robe and slippers. If you’re looking for a fun activity to take your mind off the wedding prep just for one night (and who wouldn’t need a night off?), how about spending an evening learning to mix the perfect margarita or tequila sunrise? If that sounds good to you, grab your intended and head to The Sky Room in Long Beach August 30 for a Mixology class.

I recently went to an event billed as a “scintillating evening of fun and information, focused on the Bay Area Indian wedding market.” Well, it was all that and more. Afterwards, I wanted throw my own Indian bash. I wanted to be Indian.

When we last left me, I was reveling in the tranquil charms of Capitola’s Monarch Cove Inn… But another sublime experience awaited me in Carmel-by-the-Sea. I was welcomed to L’Auberge Carmel by a smiling host proffering a fresh watermelon cooler, and I easily settled into the laid-back luxury of this European-style hostelry. The lavishly appointed guestrooms embrace a charming garden courtyard where intimate events are held, but now all was quiet, save for the trickling of a fountain.