Food Obsession
Almost everyday I eat out somewhere! And every time I do, I take photos of the food I ordered. It has become a food journal of my exploits! Everyone I travel with and occasionally the people sitting at the table next to me, usually have a snarky comment to say out loud about my photo taking before I eat.
Sure, I will entertain the remarks, comments, and general food bashing I get from friends and complete strangers. By the way, it’s interesting to me how complete strangers feel compelled to ease drop in on my food, make some unsolicited remark, and force their opinion upon me, as If I had a sign on my chest that said talk to me bozo! It’s creepy.
Strangers have no idea who they are engaging with…It’s risky business to say something snarky to a stranger and then bug you to no end to the point the food gets cold. For all they know I could be their next worst nightmare waiting for the opportunity to complicate their lives. Or I might want their wallet, jewelry, and car! The moral of the story is: mind your own business stranger!
To be fair, there are a number of strangers who have nice comments to make to me. Those folks have a free pass to engage in some meaningful food talk with me for as long as they like!
There are many reasons for some of my food photos to be cut from the story. Most of the time it’s because I think the series of photos I took did not look good enough to be in the article: operator error, bad lighting, out of focus, etc…Sometimes the photos or location didn’t fit the story line, or it was corporate fast food, or I simply didn’t want to pursue the story at the time. Even better, I might have already told the story, but forgot that I did, and you are seeing it for the second time in this story! (old age syndrome) Hahaha…
Regardless of why it didn’t make the cut, all my photos are taken with the Samsung Note phone and now the Samsung Ultra 22. In this blog, the story of the photos that didn’t make the cut are the focus. Including corporate fast food!
Taco Bell, Watsonville, California
Taco Bell is not real Mexican food. It might look like Mexican food, but it’s not. Don’t be fooled. High school is where I learned about Taco Bell.
In my era of high school (early 80’s), we were an open campus with 2 lunch periods back-to-back. If you were one of the lucky students who had both lunch periods, you could leave campus for 2 hours and have lunch anywhere within that time frame.
One of those places was Taco Bell. Tacos were about .25 cents each or less. For some reason, white painter’s paints were in style back then. And you always knew who ate at Taco Bell that day, because it was a guarantee you were going to spill taco sauce on your white pants and stain them forever!
Today, Taco Bell serves a different purpose for me. It usually happens late at night, like 2am ish, after a night of binge drinking drunkenness! There is nothing better than a 12 pack of tacos to soak up the alcohol and stomach acid…to help you throw up later!
Thank you Taco Bell…
Zoccoli's Deli, Santa Cruz, California
Zoccoli’s Deli in Downtown Santa Cruz, on Pacific Garden Mall, California, is a great sandwich shop that is also an Italian deli. Zoccoli’s was a weekly stop for me during lunch. My office was not too far from here and walking there once a week was a good thing for me.
Eating outside on the deli’s dining tables gave me an interesting view of the Santa Cruz life style that people either love or hate. There is no in-between here!
The sandwiches never disappoint! I always ordered salami, turkey, provolone cheese, sprouts, mayo, and mustard on a sourdough sliced bread.
Sno-White Drive-In, Aptos, California
Sno-White is a local fast food restaurant that is not a corporate chain. They have been here for decades and still produce tasty good burgers! There is one other Sno-White Drive-in that I’m aware of in Modesto, Ca. These restaurants are independently owned.
This double patty burger is known as the Super Burger. It’s loaded with two beef patties, cheese, bacon, lettuce, tomato, onions, mayo and mustard!
Location: 223 State Park Dr. Aptos, Ca. 95003. (831) 688-4747. Open every day 6am to 8pm.
Bruno's Bar & Grill, Scott's Valley, California
If you want a real burger, that is not a fast food joint, check out Bruno’s BBQ. They have a lot of good food on their menu! I have yet to fully explore Bruno’s menu, but I did get to eat their signature burger! Known as the Bad Boy Burger with the Naughty sauce was as good as good gets! The photo does not do justice to the burger which is why I think I scrapped the picture from the story long ago. I just never got back to Bruno’s for a redo of the photos. But I will soon…
Moss Landing Cafe, Moss Landing, California
Moss Landing, California, is located on the coast of Monterey County. It’s only 386 acres. It has a population of about 60 people or more, and it has it’s own U.S. Post Office and zip code. This tiny town was named after Captain Charles Moss. He was known for building a 200 foot wharf in 1866 for whaling and agricultural industries in this town.
Today, it is still a fishing town, but is also home to Phil’s Fish Market and Eatery that has drawn world wide attention. But just on the outskirts of town is Moss Landing Cafe! A local’s breakfast place away from the chaos of tourists that flock to Phil’s Fish Market.
Moss Landing Cafe has been in business for over 30 years and is well known for its fish sandwiches.
I had the Castroville Omelette: sausage, tomato, green onion, mushrooms, artichokes, and house made salsa on top.
Ginger Cafe, Gilroy, California
Ginger Cafe is a family owned and operated Chinese restaurant in Sunnyvale and Gilroy, Ca. Rich with Chinese culinary tradition Ginger Cafe offers a diverse Southeast Asian influence of food!
One of my favorite fish dishes is the Pompano deep fried fish. It is also known as the Sunfish. This one comes with a nice tasty Asian bean and chili paste.
The Tamarind seafood soup hot pot! Catfish fillet, vegetables, shrimp, and calamari all swimming in a tasty tangy soup base. On cold weather days, this soup is the best in my opinion!
The Hideout, Aptos, California
The Hideout restaurant is California cuisine with a fusion of some Mediterranean, and familiar American comfort foods.
In May of 2019, the building caught fire and caused considerable damage. Over the next two years the owners were determined to rebuild and reopen after years of having a very successful restaurant.
Finally, in March 2021, The Hideout was able to reopen in its same location. The layout looked kind of similar to the original, but way better! The layout flowed with ease and looked inviting to me.
I had the the Rueben sandwich. In it was pastrami, aged swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing. What really kicked it up was the spicy sauerkraut.
Jack's Cigar Store, Watsonville, California
Jack’s Cigar Store in Watsonville, California, has been in business since 1914! It’s amazing to me that this store has had such a long life in this town. But this cigar store is like no other I have been. It doubles as a sandwich shop!
In the 1980’s, I discovered this hidden gem while in high school. It was within walking distance from the school to grab a sandwich for lunch. On the cigar side of life, it was a retail shop only. Meaning, you couldn’t smoke in the shop.
I also grew up in the era where if you had a permission note (hand written of course) signed by your parents, you could buy a pack of smokes under the age of 18. I’m sure you can see the flaws in that practice, which eventually met its demise when the laws changed.
The sandwiches are basic. When I say basic, it’s a no frills sandwich! Pastrami, turkey, salami, ham, tuna, or vegetarian are your only choices. You can have it on wheat sliced bread or a French roll. It comes with cheese, mayo, mustard, onions, lettuce, and tomatoes. That’s it!
Sometimes simple is good! And in this case, it was…
Location: 446 Main St. “A” Watsonville, Ca. 95076. (831) 722-5182. Open Monday through Saturday, 9am to 5pm. Closed Sundays.
Nothing like a good pair of Star Wars Lightsaber chop sticks to nerd-out on. It’s a fun and entertaining gimmick that makes eating enjoyable for me!
Food photo journals serve a couple of purposes in my life. It not only helps me tell stories, but it tracks where I have been, where I still need to go, and how much I’m spending financially on restaurant food! Which is a startling annual figure…but hey, I gotta eat!
Until next time on Foodie Booze Explorer…
Thank you for your most enjoyable food commentary … Led here by Len L. (His sister in law). —love food and ghost stories so I’m a new fan of yours!
Diane , Carmel Valley
Thank you so much Diane! Great to meet you here!
Hi Paul, loved the article on Moss Landing Cafe. It the best kept secret around. We don’t tell a lot of people about it because it’s so small and it puts Phill’s fish market and restaurant to shame.
It’s truly one of those hidden gems!