Room at the Aloft Ontario-Rancho Cucamonga

Find yourself in the Rancho Cucamonga/Ontario area? You could do worse than to stay at the Aloft, a less-expensive division of the W hotel brand. While the Aloft Ontario-Rancho Cucamonga isn’t the fanciest of places, it is comfortable and pretty hip, especially for Cucamonga, land of the chain restaurant.

I recently stayed at this particular Aloft, and while I had a fine stay, I wasn’t wowed by the experience. The room was pretty basic, though it was nice enough with a flat-screen TV, work desk with plug-ins for an iPod or laptop to connect to the TV, and Kohler faucet and sink. There were Bliss bath and body products, a hair dryer, complimentary bottled water and free WiFi, but no mini bar (just sayin’). Also, I didn’t really like the pillows, which were flat by the time I woke up.

Cute bedside clock

What you see when you first walk in, opposite the sink

Sink, separate from the toilet and shower

Aloft hotels are pet-friendly, which I appreciate as a pet owner, but the drawback is hearing someone’s dog barking late at night. There is also a wide range of fast-prep foods and snacks available 24 hours a day in the lobby, but the prices are a bit high (you pay for the convenience, of course).

I used the fitness area, which was small but clean. There were complimentary ear buds to use, but the machines didn’t offer music or TV (and I forgot my iPod), so I wasn’t sure what the point was. Oh, well.

All in all, the Aloft is a good choice for a stay in Cucamonga, especially if you need a place close to the Ontario airport. The service is friendly, which is always welcome and can make or break an experience.

Note: This stay was hosted.

Tunapica at Asia de Cuba

The Mondrian hotel in West Hollywood is known for its sleekness, especially its ultra-stylish Skybar. What else would you expect from Sunset Boulevard? And its Asia de Cuba, a Philippe Starck-designed Latin-Asian fusion restaurant, is no exception. But this sleek eatery isn’t just all style; there’s substance behind that pretty face.

Asia de Cuba has always been a destination restaurant, but with a new cocktail menu and a revamped dinner menu by Chef Troy N. Thompson, there’s even more reason to visit.

The menu offers a bevy of shareable plates, including a host of ceviches such as wild salmon with salted avocado ice cream, spicy coconut milk, bird’s eye pepper and black lava salt, as well as shrimp and snapper with watermelon confit, Vietnamese red chili, garlic, jalapeño and shaved coconut. The Tunapica, a tuna tartare dish served picadillo style on stacked wonton crisps with Spanish olives, black currants, almonds, coconut and a soy-lime vinaigrette, is a nice twist on the usual tuna tartare and shares well. Other standouts include the pan-seared jumbo sea scallops, which come with plantains and habañero corn crema (I personally like the plantains and scallops better separately); the calamari salad with crispy squid, chayote, hearts of palm, banana, cashews, chicory, radicchio and sesame orange dressing; and the braised oxtail and kimchi steamed dumplings with spiced calabaza threads and mango ponzu.

Shrimp and snapper ceviche

The new cocktail menu also includes drinks made for sharing, including those for two and punches for the whole table. The guava punch, though on the sweet side, is a good choice with white rum, dark rum, Crème de Peche, fresh lime and guava juice. Watch out for the made-for-two Cuban Missile, a potent concoction of brown rum, aged rum, white rum, honey rum, Cherry Heering, Angostura bitters, orange juice and lemon juice.

If you’re looking for a dependable drink, go with a classic mojito, which is well-balanced here with lots of lime and little syrup. If you’re looking to be a bit more adventurous, try the Hemingway Thyme with aged rum, fresh lime, maraschino, cane syrup, grapefruit twist and thyme foam, or the Chili Passion Caipirinha with cachaça spirits, muddled lime, raw sugar, passion fruit purée and a of dash Sriracha.

Trio of mojitos

Chili Passion Caipirinha

See more photos:

Note: This meal was hosted.

Caulfield’s, one in what seems like a growing string of literary-themed bars and eateries (Hemmingway’s, Writer’s Room), is the Catcher in the Rye-inspired restaurant that took over the Bond Street space inside the Thompson Beverly Hills hotel. Now, I’m not sure how you get a French bistro out of the Holden Caulfield character, but I guess that’s neither here nor there. What would be significant is the food and drink; unfortunately, some of the menu here misses the mark. While some dishes are really good, others are kind of boring. The good thing is, nothing I tried here recently was actually bad.

The good:

We started and ended well. The appetizers Toad in a Hole, with the traditional egg cooked into a piece of toast and as well as a side of smoked trout salad, and the Pan-Seared Crab Cakes served with planks of corn were mighty tasty. These dishes were seasoned well and prepared nicely. The Banana Terrine dessert, which was really more like a trifle with layers of banana, wafers, chocolate and rum custard, was a delightful way to end the meal.

The not-so-good:

Our first Frisée Bacon-Lardon salad arrived sans bacon and with an overcooked poached egg. Our second salad was better, though there wasn’t much in terms of seasoning on it. Same goes for our mains: the chicken pot pie and the beef short ribs lacked pizazz, and by that I mean salt and pepper. This was unfortunate as the dishes could have been much better, though I could have done with some kind of starch to go with my huge plate of short ribs.

As for the cocktails…I don’t remember much about them other than whatever whiskey-based drink I ordered was very strong. Obviously these didn’t make much of an impression.

If Caulfield’s would step it up a notch and make some small adjustments, this could be a great place for an upscale-yet-unpretentious meal, which I would find welcoming in shi-shi Beverly Hills.

Note: This meal was hosted.

Sage restaurant from Chef Shawn McClain at Las Vegas’ Aria Hotel is a gem. It was the most impressive meal of our stay. Maybe it was because I didn’t really know what to expect — what’s “new American,” anyway? — but Sage has turned into a place I highly recommend for any stay in Vegas. Everything that is placed in front of diners has been carefully considered — even the bread (crusty and fluffy) and butter (lavender, with a side of salt) are special.

We started our meal with cocktails, including a flaming absinthe demonstration. Check out the video:

My favorite drinks of the night were the Smoking Bulleit, with smoked peach-infused Bulleit bourbon, mint and lemon (the cocktail menu changes seasonally, so this one may no longer be available), and The Artful Margarita, made with Oro de Jalisco blanco tequila, Art in the Age root liqueur, Cointreau and lemon, which tastes like root beer.

The food at Sage was excellent. The Foie Gras Custard Brulée blew my mind, and the Wagyu Beef Tartare — topped with a gorgeous poached egg yolk and served with crispy chocolate chips — had made me reconsider the dish entirely. You know the food is good when something you normally don’t go for, in this case beef tartare, leaves you wanting more. The Slow-Poached Organic Farm Egg — all foamy, topped with shaved potato chips — was another delicious dish.

The Glazed Pork Belly, which is actually more sweet corn tortelloni than pork, is still a good choice; you’ll just want to know what you’re getting. The Main Dayboat Scallops were perfectly cooked, and the 48 Hour Beef Belly came so fork-tender that the meat practically fell apart just by looking at it.

We opted for the Signature Tasting Menu ($79 per person), which comes with optional wine or beer pairings ($39 each). This is a good value for four courses at this quality (by the time we got to the dessert course, I was stuffed, so please excuse me for not discussing it), so you’d be well-served making a stop here on your next trip to Vegas.

Further reading:

Las Vegas, NV: Sage is a Cocktailian’s Respite From Bottle Service by estarLA

Note: This meal was hosted.

Gingerbread house at Fairmont San Francisco

Looking for some holiday cheer? The historic Fairmont San Francisco hotel once again has its larger-than-life gingerbread house on display in its lobby. If you’re in SF sometime before Jan. 1, then this is a must-see. Just try not to eat the house, mmmkay?

Julian Serrano at the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas is a fun and flavorful way to have a meal. Not only is the food a delight, but the restaurant’s decor complements the playful tapas menu with its bright colors and modern design. This was one of my favorite meals while staying at the Aria.

First and foremost, the cocktails. The drinks here were great — the Manzana Deliziosa made with Hendrick’s gin, green apple purée, Lillet and fresh thyme was nicely balanced as it packed a punch. The Piña 43, made with Herradura añejo tequila, Cuarenta y Tres liqueur, pineapple and lime, and the Dulce y Picante, with Spanish brandy, St. Germain, strawberry and cayenne pepper, were also standouts.

As for the food, most of my favorite tapas dishes turned out to be vegetables. The sautéed baby spinach with pine nuts, raisins, apple and shallots, while it sounds a bit boring, was the most flavorful plate of spinach I have ever had. And I couldn’t down put the sautéed padron peppers (which I thought were piquillo peppers) simply prepared with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt. The Brava Potatoes topped with spicy tomato and alioli sauces were satisfying, and the seared scallops in romesco sauce were perfectly cooked.

And the, of course, there was the paella. We got the mixed version chock full of lobster, mussels, chicken, Spanish pork chorizo, vegetables and saffron rice. Take a look at the photo — somehow this huge plate is meant for just two people! With all the other dishes we had, we barely ate any of this, which was a shame, but it was tasty.

We had three desserts — churros with chocolate sauce, almond cake and rice pudding. The arroz con leche de coco, a rice pudding made with coconut milk topped with fresh pineapple, was the most appealing to me. I love rice pudding, and this version had perfect consistency and interesting flavors.

If you’re visiting Las Vegas, Julian Serrano should be on your short list of places to eat and drink. Hey, you’ll even get a Spanish lesson in the restroom over the speakers — not a moment will be wasted.

Further reading:

Destination Vegas: Lunch at Julian Serrano by LAist

Note: This meal was hosted.

If you’ve been following my Twitter and Facebook page feeds, then you already know that I recently spent a weekend in Las Vegas with Lindsay of LAist, Esther of estarLA and Caroline of Caroline on Crack, and that we stayed at the Aria Hotel & Casino. The property was a breath of fresh air in many ways, and not just because of the vanilla scent that’s pumped in. Aria seems to attract a more mature, yet still hip, clientele, which makes getting around a lot more pleasant than it is at many other hotels in the area (i.e., the douchey factor is a lot lower). The decor is modern but low-key (The Cosmopolitan it is not), but there’s still a nightclub and a daytime pool club for partying types. All this made for a relaxing and fun stay.

We stayed in one of the Aria’s Sky Suites, which range in price from $700 to $7,500 per night depending on size and season. Ours was a two-bedroom suite, complete with living room, dining room, wet bar and two full bathrooms (and a half bath — that’s three toilets!). Our suite had tons of room for the four of us to spread out, and the beds were super comfortable (I even ordered a couple of pillows for myself when I got home). The bathrooms had two sinks, a self-cleaning jet tub, a sauna shower, a walk-in closet, and a Toto toilet with a heated seat and cleaning functions. And housekeeping puts a little pack of *six* different flavored chocolates on your nightstand every night at turndown. There’s also a special snack station with pastries, fruit, cheese, crackers, wine, sodas, coffee and tea just for Sky Suite guests (though no one ever checked our credentials).

My only real complaint: the lights and curtains are controlled electronically, either through buttons on the wall or via the computer system accessed through the televisions. The whole system was confusing, and we’re technologically advanced people! Also, every time housekeeping came in, they would leave this awful music playing through this system, so whenever we came back to the suite, we would be greeted by cheesy smooth jazz or fake reggae.

Here’s a video of our first look at the suite:

We also checked out the Spa at Aria. The space is large, with men’s, women’s and co-ed areas. Make sure to check out the Ganbanyoku heated-stone bed room but skip the Shio salt room. The co-ed outdoor infinity pool is nice, but make sure to go early because it overlooks the Liquid Pool Lounge, where the daytime club scene and its accompanying loud music takes place. There are also some indoor pools and spa tubs, as well as two saunas: a eucalyptus steam-heat room and a dry-heat room. You’ll find snacks and drinks in multiple places, and there are roomy showers and fully stocked vanities so you can clean up afterward. A day pass costs $30 and gets you access to everything but doesn’t include treatments.

For high-end shoppers, there’s the adjacent Crystals mall, which is part of CityCenter, where the Aria, Vdara Hotel, Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Veer Towers also reside. Crystals is filled with stores such as Prada, Louis Vuitton and Tom Ford, so not exactly in my price range, though it’s all nice to look at.

We stopped by the Aria’s main nightclub, HAZE, just to see, you know. It wasn’t really any of our scenes, but it seemed like people were having a good time dancing and drinking. There was an especially boisterous bachelorette party in the corner when we were there. In retrospect, we should have gone to one of the other hotel lounges when we heard the 80s music coming out of it — that was definitely more our speed.

All in all, I enjoyed my stay at the Aria and at CityCenter. If you take advantage of the property’s amenities, there’s little reason to leave the property when you’re just in Vegas for a weekend. Next time, I’ll check out Vdara or the Mandarin Oriental.

Stay tuned for food posts from the Aria!

Note: This stay was hosted.

Honey Sriracha Chicken Wings at Delphine

When I think of the W Hotel Hollywood, the last thing I think of is a plate of chicken wings. But now, thanks to Delphine‘s Tuesday Wing Nite, chicken wings and a swanky hotel aren’t mutually exclusive.

Choose from a variety of flavors, including Thai Red Curry, Ranch Country and (the ultra rich, very L.A.) Truffle Cheese. Or go for my favorites, the Honey Sriracha and the Spiced Honey — both are delightfully sweet and a little spicy. The spiced honey itself — clover honey infused with cardamom, clove, cinnamon and other spices with a splash of vinegar — is to die for. I wanted to bathe in it, it was so good!

The wings cost $4.50 for two to four wings, depending on the flavor. There are also side dishes for $3, including a pretty potato salad and a tasty cole slaw. I wasn’t a big fan of the special cocktails, the Honey Bee and the Early Tea, but they’re available for wing-eating pairings.

Delphine Executive Chef Sascha Lyon, formerly of New York’s Balthazar and Pastis, is a cool guy, and if the other food on the regular menu is as good as some of these wings, then I’ll have to make a trip back.

Note: This meal was hosted.

Hello, Waikiki: view from the top of Diamond Head

The second week of our honeymoon was spent in beautiful Oahu, Hawaii. Though this was my third visit to the island, Rory had never been, so we decided to spend our entire time there. This worked out fine, as this time I went armed with lots of food recommendations and did a lot of things I hadn’t done before, such as hike Diamond Head and visit the Pearl Harbor memorial.

We got a really good deal — round-tip airfare for two, five nights at the Sheraton Princess Kaiulani hotel and a rental car for about $1,600 — through Pleasant Holidays. The hotel was right across the street from Waikiki beach, so it was really convenient, and the room was nice, clean and comfortable. We had a partial ocean view room with a king-size bed that came with two bottles of water a day at no extra charge (that may not sound like much, but I hate when hotels charge for bottled water).

Partial ocean view (patch of blue between the buildings) from our hotel room

Aside from lounging on the beach, which we did a lot of, we hiked Diamond Head crater, which was not the best idea as it was a really humid day — even the locals said so. And if you know me, you know that I don’t deal with humidity well. So on this hot and humid day, we hiked up a crater on a trail that was built nearly straight up. I almost barfed, then nearly passed out. But I made it and was rewarded with a 360-degree view of Waikiki (above).

I nearly died at the top of this staircase.

Enough about that. On to the food!

My favorite meal of this trip was at Nico’s at Pier 38, a counter-service restaurant in the industrial part of Honolulu. It was so good, we went twice. Both times I got the marlin burger, which is made with ground marlin, onion and dill and comes two on a bun. Rory got the fish and chips, both of which were fried nicely.

Marlin burger from Nico's

Fish and chips from Nico's

My second-favorite meal of this trip was from Boots & Kimo’s Homestyle Kitchen in Kailua on the east side of the island. This place is known for its breakfast, especially its macadamia nut pancakes, which come smothered in a special vanilla macadamia nut sauce. It’s sweet, and it was so satisfying that I devoured it. I normally don’t go for sweet breakfasts, but I really enjoyed this dish. Rory liked his open-face roast beef sandwich, too. Everything on the menu is described as “onolicious,” and I can’t disagree (“ono” means “delicious” in Hawaiian). This place had a long wait, even during a weekday lunch, so either get there early or order your food to go, as we did.

Macadamia nut pancakes (they're under all that sauce)

Roast beef sandwich from Boots & Kimo's

Another favorite meal came from Duke’s Waikiki, which was surprising considering we have Duke’s restaurants here in California. But the kalua pulled pork on a taro roll, which is part of the Barefoot Bar menu, was really good with a nice balance of sweet and savory notes. The seasoned fries that came with it were good, too. (And yes, I had a Lava Flow cocktail here.)

As for dessert, most people know about Matsumoto Shave Ice on the North Shore, but I’m not sure most know about Waiola Shave Ice, which I think is better. The ice is a bit smoother, and the flavors are a bit nicer. The ambiance may not be as nice as Matsumoto’s store, but your stomach won’t mind. There are two locations in Honolulu, but we went to the original hole-in-the-wall location on Waiola Avenue. The area is a little sketchy, but the shave ice is tops!

Waiola shave ice

In comparison, here’s Mastumoto’s shave ice, which is larger. You can tell by the colors that the ice isn’t as finely shaved as Waiola’s.

Matsumoto shave ice

For a different kind of sweet, we headed to Leonard’s Bakery, which specializes in Portuguese-style doughnuts called malasadas. These are basically fluffy doughnuts without holes. You can get them filled with different flavored creams or simply rolled in sugar or cinnamon. We tried the latter two without filling, and we loved them. They key is to eat them right away because they don’t keep well.

Leonard's malasada

The Lone Cypress in Carmel

The second part of our drive up the California coast started with a stop in Cambria. After a beautiful drive on Highway 46 from Paso Robles, we came upon the cutest little town and gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean in Cambria. We found a kind-of-crappy-but-good-enough-for-one-night motel called Mariners Inn for about $80 — a price that couldn’t be beat considering the place practically sat right on the water. Listening to the waves crash at night was delightful.

Me on the beach in Cambria

We had dinner at the Sea Chest, a lovely little seafood restaurant with a great view of the sunset. This place wasn’t cheap, and it takes cash or check (yes, check) only. But it came highly recommended by Chef Brock Kleweno of Yamashiro Restaurant, so we had to try it. Rory had the cioppino, and as he was feeling adventurous, he tried all the shellfish in it, a first for him. I’m happy to report that he is now over his fear of shellfish. I had the scallops and shrimp scampi combo over linguine. Both dishes were delicious, but the portions were generous, so if you’re traveling, you may want to split just one dish.

Cioppino at the Sea Chest

Scallop and shrimp combo at the Sea Chest

Sunset over the Pacific in Cambria

The next day, we went up the road to Hearst Castle in San Simeon. I forgot my camera on this tour, so I don’t have any photos of the ornate home media mogul William Randolph Hearst built in the first half of the 20th century. But I do have photos of the elephant seals that live about three miles up PCH.

San Simeon elephants seals

From there, we made our way to Big Sur. But because PCH was closed a few miles up due to a mudslide, we circumvented the closure by going through Los Padres National Forest. It took a long time and had lots of hairpin turns, but once we emerged on the ocean side of the forest, we were rewarded with some some amazing, dramatic views.

View after emerging from Los Padres National Forest

We had dinner at Big Sur Bakery, which has a full restaurant in addition to baked goods. We started off with the soup of the day, which was a vegan broccoli soup. It had a nice texture despite not containing any dairy, and was nicely flavorful.

Broccoli soup at Big Sur Bakery

The pepperoni pizza was really interesting because it was topped with scallions. I’ve never had that combination before, and I liked it a lot. I may add scallions to my pepperoni pizza from now on!

Pepperoni pizza at Big Sur Bakery

The next day we stopped at Pfeiffer State Park. It was gorgeous — beautiful white-sand dunes, huge rock formations — but it was so windy that I was literally pushed back from seeing it all. Rory made it farther than I did, and we managed to get some cool photos.

Big Sur

On our way up the coast to Carmel-by-the-Sea, we stopped at Point Lobos State Reserve, which offered a bunch of hiking trails and more pretty views. We saw more sea lions here and some really cool trees.

Point Lobos State Reserve

Carmel is a place I used to frequent as a child. My parents and I would drive up every few years or so, so I was already familiar with the area. But it had been close to 15 or 20 years since my last visit, so it was nice to be back.

Rory marveling at the crazy trees

Rory and I had dinner at Merlot! Bistro. We opted for the $14.50 two-course dinner — one of the most-affordable meals we could find in an expensive area — and it was OK. However, the roasted garlic appetizer and the house-made sorbets were standouts.

Roasted garlic at Merlot! Bistro

Sorbet at Merlot! Bistro

We stayed at the Carmel Wayfarer Inn. This was a great find at $119 for the night, a steal in Carmel. It was a huge room with a full kitchen, king-size and day bed, and fireplace. We liked it so much we wanted to stay another night, but we had to get to Santa Cruz for the screening of Rory’s short film, “Mountain Man.”

Carmel Wayfarer Inn

Before we left Carmel, we took its famous 17-Mile Drive. After the grandeur of Big Sur, this was pretty anticlimactic. But the Lone Cypress (top) was pretty cool, the mansions along the route were awesome, and these rocks were fun to see.

Along 17-Mile Drive

Last stop: Santa Cruz. Rory was drawn to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk because it reminded him of Coney Island. We rode the sky buckets, even though I was afraid we would lose our flip flops on it. Ha.

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Mmm, chocolate-dipped soft serve

Before we headed to the theater for the screening, we stopped at Cafe Campesino, an absolutely delicious Mexican-food stand that specializes in HUGE custom tacos. One is enough to fill you up in one sitting. I had mine with chicken, spicy guacamole, nopales and queso fresco. The best part? They make their own tortillas.

Taco from Cafe Campesino

We stayed at the Continental Inn. It doesn’t look like much from the outside, but our room was really pretty nice — it even had hardwood floors — and the continental breakfast included make-your-own waffles. Not too shabby for a motel.

I loved this trip up the coast (read about the first part of this trip). I didn’t know much about the central coast, and I’m so glad that we did this trip because I learned and experienced so much. We just kind of got in the car and started driving with just a general idea of where to stop and spend our nights, and I think this made the trip more fun. I used the Kayak mobile app to search for hotels in our price range as we made our way, and it came in very handy.