this little life of mine

Words carved into a tree. I believe it says: "I Love Matt".

For today's entry for the Blogging from A to Z Challenge I'm on the letter G and chose to feature the colour Green.  We didn't get all that much rain during the regular winter season, but have been getting some late storms this spring and are even expecting some rain to show up sometime this evening and continue through the rest of the week! A lot of people are grumbling and groaning about it, sick to death of the cold, wet weather, and longing for springtime and sunshine, but I'm excited! For one thing, if it really does rain, and we get a good soaking, I can skip watering the front lawn and backyard plants for another week, which will save me some money. For another thing, I love how beautiful and fresh and green the hillsides have become since we've had rain. Here are some shots of the surrounding area I took on the commute home last night and early this morning.  Enjoy!

 

 

 

Today for lunch, Lola and I walked down to a new restaurant that just opened last week in downtown SLO called Urbane Cafe. We got the Rosemary Chicken sandwich and the Californian sandwich and shared them. Both were delicious, but I think the Rosemary Chicken was my favourite. Californian was really good, too, but it was the messier of the two. I can't wait to go back and try the Grilled Portobello Mushroom sandwich next!

 
Yesterday I went to lunch with Lola to Mee Heng Low Noodle House in the Chinatown area of downtown SLO. I love how they put slices of oranges in their water as opposed to lemon. It's a different flavour, but just as refreshing on a warm, summer day.

 
Lola had the soup bowl with shrimp, which looked amazing!!

 
I had the low mein noodle bowl with beef and ginger soy sauce which was delicious! I hadn't been down to Mee Heng Low for a while, and it was nice to be reminded of why I need to stop by more often: the food is wonderful, the atmosphere is great, the service is fast and friendly and it's close to work which makes it perfect for a quick lunch. 

(Now if I could just control myself and not eat the whole freakin' bowl, I'd be doing okay!)

Cheers!

30 Days of Creativity: Day 39

 

30 Days of Creativity: Day 19.

The Wineman Hotel sign downtown SLO.

Steelhead fish statue painted by Sue Palmer
 

 

Yesterday two of my co-workers and I went to Chow restaurant for lunch. We were originally going to Shin's for sushi, but Chow is right next door (1009 Monterey St., downtown SLO), and we haven't tried it yet. We'd actually read some negative reviews on a website about the prices being too high and the portions being too small, so we were hesitant about going there for lunch. However, a gentleman we work with dines at Chow often and RAVES about it every time, so we thought, what the heck, we'll try it.

The interior is beautifully designed and the wait staff were all very nice and friendly and accommodating.

We each chose something different. One of us had the Stir Fried Marinated Flat Iron Steak with housemade egg noodles and seasonal veggies (which consisted of sugar snap peas, broccoli, green onions and asparagus):

... another had the special, which was a Green Curry with Seafood, including shrimp, tilapia and salmon with rice:

... and I had the Stir Fried Shrimp and Bacon with housemade wonton noodles and sugar snap peas:

We were also given a trio of chili sauces ranging from very mild (on the left) to very spicy (on the right). I tried the very mild one and really loved it! I ended up using quite a bit on my dish:

 

We all agreed our meals were delicious (in fact, Green Curry Girl is STILL going on about how perfectly delicious and perfectly spicy her meal was!) and the price was so-so/okay for a lunch (around $10. to $12. each, which is a bit higher than average, but it IS a pretty fancy place, so I guess it's to be expected). Another plus: we were served very quickly! Since we only have an hour for lunch and need part of that time to get back tot he office, getting our food right away meant we were able to really enjoy our food!

Now, I don't know if the people who gave poor reviews on the website just went on an off-day, don't get the whole "fusion" concept, or whatever, but I would recommend giving Chow another shot - or trying it for the first time. It's worth it, imho!