Tag archives: Blackbird

To Blackbird at uber-vintner Bill Foley’s Hotel Californian for a four-course winemaker dinner delightfully prepared by longtime executive chef Travis Watson with senior winemaker Michael Beaulac explaining the intricacies of the process with each course served to the 33 guests, including gourmands and oenophiles from far and wide. Having covered the eatery’s opening six years […]

To the Hotel Californian for the re-opening bash of Blackbird, the hostelry’s signature restaurant, which has been reimagined with “a beverage-forward atmosphere” featuring cocktails by celebrity mixologist Devon Espinosa, alongside a thoughtfully curated menu of light bites by executive chef Travis Watson who pays homage to the culinary bounty of the Central Coast. My trusty […]

It was a busy week of birthday celebrations as I marked my Medicare moment, the 25th anniversary of my 40th. My longtime friend Cat Pollon ventured up from her home in the Big Orange, bunking at the Hotel Californian, given her usual accommodations at the San Ysidro Ranch were out of action. Dinner at Lucky’s, […]