The Polite Traveler

Dear Polite Travelers, We had limited time during our last outing, so we chose to stay close to home and focused on the Santa Rosa area.  Lucky for us, Sebastopol is a close neighbor, and we were thrilled to visit, if only for a few hours.  Tucked away in an interesting set of what had been apple warehouses, is the Barlow, right off Highway 12.  We stopped in at the co-op style market, which sells only the freshest organic foods and natural products.  Besides the market, there are various other shops, breweries, and restaurants sprinkled around the property.  One exceptional example is Sarmentine , and just as its name implies, it’s all about French pastries and bread.  Yum.  Our choices were so scrumptious , that I scarfed up most of it before realizing I needed a picture.  They also serve excellent espresso beverages.  This is our new must-stop when traveling south.  I hope you do too! Happy Travels, my Polite Travelers...

Dining in Waikiki My dear polite travelers, When traveling, I sometimes feel that we are always searching for our next meal .  Is this place good?  Does that place serve wine?  Well, for our most recent trip to Waikiki, we decided to revisit one of our favs and test the waters on a few more.     Hula Grill: The View & So Much More For those of you who follow me, you know how much I love the Hula Grill.  It’s a great combo of good food, affordable prices, friendly staff, and one of the best views in Waikiki.   For this trip , we kept it simple with bar food: a hamburger with fries, battered portobello mushroom, and Hula Grill Tacos.  Every dish was good, not great, but good—with one exception.  The battered portobello mushrooms were excellent—crunchy on the outside, and moist on the inside with an enticing, earthy flavor.  Hula Grill;  2335 Kalakaua Ave., Suite 203 Cheaper Than a Flight to Italy: Arancino di Mare...

Time for a Road Trip We began our trip from the bicycle capital of the U.S., Davis, CA.   Our goal was to explore the Washington  Olympic National Forest  & everything in between.  It was a tiring, but fantastic trip.  Over eight days of driving, we stayed in seven different hotels: ~ Comfort Inn & Suites Ashland, OR       ~Comfort Suites Springfield, OR ~ Hilton Garden Inn, Olympia, WA          ~ Quality Inn Uptown Port Angeles, WA ~ Comfort Suites Astoria, OR                  ~ Comfort Suites Newport, OR ~ HiltonGarden Inn, Medford, OR         Read about our road trip restaurants.   ~ Road-Trip Restaurants YouTube:  ThePoliteTraveler  Instagram: ThePoliteTraveler Facebook: ThePoliteTraveler Twitter: @PoliteTravels Please Subscribe!

  My dear polite travelers, When on the road, one doesn’t always have the luxury of finding the best eats in town, especially when so many are closed, for example on Mondays, and due to Covid-triggered limited staffing issues.  Because of that, I have made a list of those we chose on our long road trip , and why you might want to try or skip each. Bon Appétit. Note A list of hotels and a map of our journey. Louie’s Ashland, Oregon Well, hmmm...this one is a bit of a conundrum.  The food was passable.  Since I didn’t want the typical huge burger and I don't eat fish, I chose the recession hamburger.  Well, it reflected a recession, as it was thin and tasteless.  The fries were also dry.  In contrast, my hubby chose salmon and brown rice.  His dish was great.  The actual—don’t return—issue was the wine.  They had few choices of white wine, and none were good.  As a result, we decided on the house wine, Recession White, and...

Dear Polite Travelers, Conflicting visits have stained our view of the Basque Boulangerie and it’s a shame because our previous experiences were memorable.  Pity.  On our most recent visit, we shared only one pastry and it was anything but memorable.  In my opinion, scones are not filled with jam...or anything gooey, even if it tastes slightly like fruit.  Our “apricot scone” was dry on the outside with a gooey gelatinous apricot filling.  Actually, I didn’t see any pieces of apricot.   My tea was fine, but not memorable and my hubby’s coffee was bland.  Will We Return? Nope.  We’ll drive up the highway to revisit Les Pascals in Glen Ellen instead.  This is not to say you shouldn’t try it.  Our experience may not be yours.  I noted several in the shop who appeared to like their meals . More by The Polite Traveler There’s more than excellent coffee at Black Oak Coffee Roasters Why The Olive Garden in Rohnert Park, C...

  Dear Polite Travelers, During our last trip to Rohnert Park, CA, we decided to take a short drive to nearby Healdsburg.  It’s a lovely small town with a quaint downtown filled with unique small shops.  Luckily, we discovered one of our new favorite coffee shops right here. Black Oak Coffee Roasters is a small shop with adequate, comfortable indoor seating.  Service is quick and personable.  And even though the name implies only coffee, they provide a variety of sweet and savory food options besides beverage options as well.  Our choices that day were a chocolate croissant , for me, and a blueberry scone for my hubby.  We both thoroughly enjoyed each bite.  Please don’t let the dark coat of the croissant fool you.  It didn’t taste overbaked.  In fact, it was simply perfect: flaky on the outside with gooey chocolatey goodness inside. If you are in the area, check it out.  I highly recommend it. More by The Polite Trave...

  Dear Polite Travelers, An expensive, albeit worth it, trip to France isn’t necessary if all you want to do is experience authentic French bakery items.  At Les Pascals —founded and managed by a French husband and wife team—that’s exactly what you get.  Last year, my hubby surprised me with a trip to Glen Ellen and a stay in the unique Gaige House —a member of the Four Sisters Inns .  It was a great visit by the way.  While there we enjoyed several pastry items at Les Pascals and have revisited that moment often.  So, it was only natural, while driving home from our most recent trip to the nearby Rohnert Park, to make a short detour for a revisit.  And we were not disappointed.  In fact, my croissant and hubby’s apple raisin cinnamon roll were so delish, we decided to add this to our ‘must revisit often’ list.  Please check out the pictures and decide for yourself.  It’s worth the drive and many agree.  The line for thi...

Hello Polite Travelers, Well, we’re on the road again.  This time, we stayed close to home visiting Sonoma County, more precisely Santa Rosa/Rohnert Park, CA.  After checking into our contemporary digs ( Cambria Hotel Sonoma) we walked a short distance to the nearby Olive Garden.  Hey, a girl’s gotta eat and I love Italian food. This restaurant is in a shopping center—near the 101 freeway—with several dining options nearby.  Still, I’m an Olive Garden fan and this visit didn’t disappoint. Since it was early in the evening, we were the first visitors to the bar area.  Unless for a special dinner, we tend to prefer this seating due to the smaller, less crowded seating.  Plus, we tend to receive better, more personalized, service. Great Choice for the Light Eater Just in case I haven’t shared this enough, my hubby and I are on the older side, as in our third chapter.  Thus, we eat less.  And Olive Garden is a great place for people like...

Dear Polite Travelers, One of our favorite restaurants in Davis, California, Paesanos , offers simple Italian fare.  We tend to visit once a month, a tradition which began after my last birthday.  Since Davis, CA is a casual university town, most restaurants are as well.  So, even though Paesanos is somewhat casual, it is a step up from the usual $5-beer-with-pizza joints so common when students are in the mix.   Consequently, it was a no-brainer, special-event choice for a b’day dinner.  Sitting in the Restaurant Instead of outdoor or bar seating, we chose to dine in the main room of Paesanos for this special day.  The theme of the restaurant is eclectic, somewhere between old-style Italian and bohemian hip.  Pictures of Italy, especially Venice, adorn the walls.  Tables are tasteful, but not stuffy.  Service was attentive but not pushy and I never had to wait for my water glass to be filled.    The Restaurant...

Authentic Fish & Chips in the Heart of Pacific Grove Hello, dear polite travelers, Recently, my hubby and I took a trip to a London pub via Pacific Grove, California.  Since it was a tad chilly, we skipped the lovely outdoor seating, to sit inside this charming restaurant .  Once inside, I felt as if we slipped via a wormhole directly into an English pub, albeit a small one.  The requisite heavy wooden bar hosted four stools facing a plethora of liquor labels as a colorful backdrop. We learned that most staff are from the UK.  In fact, we learned a bit about Wales from our server.   Warm, welcoming, and quite lovely, he darted around the room tending to everything from taking orders to pouring drinks at the bar. Since The Monarch is known for its fish and chips, my hubby enthusiastically ordered it, pairing it with a medium-bodied beer.  In my opinion, the chips, aka French fries, were dry and somewhat akin to cardboard.  However, th...

Homey, Friendly, & Yummy Eats Dear Polite Travelers, For our last night in Pacific Grove, we wanted something special and found it at the Red House Café .  Outdoor seating is limited but charming.  A few tables surrounded by colorful potted plants fill an area carved out next to the sidewalk while the remaining tables dot the porch.  "Farmhouse" is the first word that comes to mind when trying to describe the restaurant’s appearance.   Comfy.  Cozy.  Farmhouse.  The same motif continues when stepping inside.  Small wooden tables fill small rooms accentuated by simple accents, like small mason jars used as water glasses. But don’t confuse the menu—or wine —with simple farmhouse cuisine.  Nope.  I chose the perfectly balanced portobello sandwich generously stuffed with goat cheese, basil, roasted red bell peppers, and caramelized red onions on a ciabatta roll.  All was topped with a balsamic vinaigrette.  As ...