As the morning sun rays
peaked their way through the curtains, it was time to wake up. Hampton Inn& Suites Camarillo has a free hot
breakfast every morning for hotel guests. The great room and breakfast nook has
been recently renovated with new tables, chairs, lighting fixtures, counters,
and TV to watch the morning news. Here are some of the items you might find to
cure your breakfast needs:
- Make-your-own malted waffles
- Chocolate and blueberry muffins
- Mini danishes
- Hot brewed coffee (regular, robust, decaf), hot tea, and hot chocolate
- Juices (orange, cranberry, apple)
- Scrambled and hardboiled eggs
- Sausage
- Yogurts
- Fresh fruit
- Oatmeal and cereals
After a filling breakfast,
relax or get some work done before check out at 11am. If you have time to kill
between check out and your next activity, the Camarillo Premium Outlets are a great place to walk around, shop, and eat.
There is even a movie theatre if you have a lot of time.
On Sunday, May 3, 2015 at
1pm, Old Town Camarillo’s sidewalks were
a bustle for the Culinary Crawl, where shops and restaurants opened their doors
for attendees to sample local foods, wines, beer, and cocktails. Here’s a look
at some of the offerings:
Studio Channel Islands Art Center was the central check-in stop to get your wristband, tickets for each stop, and
receive a commemorative wineglass for the crawl.
- Four Brix Winery Rhondezvous 2011 is made from 47% Grenache, 25 % syrah, 15% mourvedre, and 13% counoise from Paso Robles, CA. A great tasting wine with oaky notes on the front of the palate and berry flavors throughout. Rating 4/5
- Brisket sandwich had tender brisket inside yet it was a little plain jane. Rating: 3.3/5
El Rey Cantina served up
Chicken & Cheese Taquitos, Black Bean & Shrimp “Eggrolls”, and
Firestone Walker 805.
- The Chicken & Cheese Taquito tasted exactly what you expect a chicken and cheese taquito to taste like. Rating 3/5
- Black Bean & Shrimp “Eggroll” was unexpectedly on the sweet side and crispy on the outside. Rating: 4.5/5
- Firestone Walker 805 http://www.805beer.com/the-beer/ is a light blonde ale with a clean taste. Rating 4/5
The Rockin’ Edge is owned by
Melissa, who has brought her edgy rockin’ style to Camarillo. She has been
outfitting metal legends like Megadeth, Slash, The Osbourne’s, Alice Cooper,
Ratt, Motley Crue, and others over the years. Being a heavy metal fan of the
1980s and early 1990s, I just love this store!
- D’Amore’s Pizza served up 3-Cheese Stuffed Jumbo Shells Baked in Marinara Sauce. The ricotta filling was awesome and the sauce was just like grandma makes. Mangia! Rating: 5/5
- Scott Cellars 2012 Sangiovese is made from grapes of Three Creeks Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley. The wine has aromas of blackberry and oak, lingering berry flavor with subtle pepper finish. Rating: 4.5/5
- Red Velvet Cheesecake by Chef Brian Fry had a fluffy red velvet cake and creamy cheesecake marbled on top. Rating: 3.8/5
- Olde Shandon Port Works Syrah Port is made from grapes of Paso Robles. It is sweet like liquid candy with a hint of fruitiness and very smooth. Rating: 4.5/5
Sessions at the Loft is a creative
media space for visual or performance art – from studio artists,
production/recording studio for musicians and singers, and screening room for
premiers or video presentations.
- Ottavio’s Restaurant served up Bruschetta alla Sicilian (fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic olive oil, and romano cheese on toasted bread) & Tortellini Silvania (cheese filled tortellini tossed with sautéed chicken, fresh spinach, basil, and sundried tomato cream sauce). The bruschetta bread was cut too thin and ended up getting soggy from the tomato topping. The tortellini had balanced flavors. Chicken was a nice touch. Rating: 3.3/5
- Vinemark 2012 Pinot Noir is made from grapes of Paso Robles. It has berry, dark cherry, and oak aromas with tangy not too rich, not too fruity flavor. Rating: 3/5
The Wine Closet is a retailer of
the fine wines previewed here on the Culinary Crawl and offers tastings of wine
and craft beer.
- Fresh & Fabulous Café (Oxnard, CA) served up Chicken Curry Phyllo Bites and Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad (marinated diced chicken breast mixed with toasted pecans, dried cranberries, mayo, and served over spring mixed greens with balsamic dressing). The phyllo bites had a light curry flavor and had a nice textural contrast from the crispy phyllo dough and the soft chicken filling. The chicken salad was dry and needed to be creamier. The green salad needs more balsamic vinaigrette to bring the flavors together. Rating: 2.5/5
- Carr Vineyards & Winery 2013 Pinot Gris is made from Pinot Gris from Turner Vineyard in Santa Rita Hills. Experienced peach aroma with subtle mineral and peach flavors. 2.5/5
Visual Photography is a full
service portrait studio for school, studio, wedding and event photography.
- Sheila’s Wine Bar & Restaurant served up Bruschetta drizzled with balsamic reduction. This had nice flavors all around but could use more of the balsamic reduction on top. Rating: 4/5
- Bodega de Edgar Empower 2012 White Blend is made from 40% grenache blanc, 40% viognier, 15% roussanne, and 5% marsanne from 30+ year old vines. Experienced a floral bouquet, a quick peppery flavor on the front of the palate with an oaky finish. Rating: 3/5
Salon de Solace is a full service
salon from hair, nails, facials, to massages. They presented a beautiful array
of cheeses, fruits, charcuterie, and pinwheel sandwiches.
- Rock Wall Wine Company 2013 Rock Hound Red is a blend of zinfandel and tempranillo. It had a quickly dissipating berry flavor on the front of the palate with a strong oaky finish. Rating: 3/5
The Green Goddess Boutique is “sustainably
chic” reflecting the best and finest products with values of fair trade,
recycled, and environmentally friendly standards. Owner, Elyce Rembos, made a
beautiful array of homemade desserts like cheese and cherry blintzes, rich
coffeecake and date cake.
- John Cohn Cellars 2008 Late Harvest Viognier is made with 100% viognier from Lodi, CA. The wine has a beautiful honey hue and tastes like honey with a clean finish. Rating: 5/5
Sabores Peruvian Café served up Causa & Quinotto.
Causa is a cold appetizer made with Yukon gold mashed potatoes on the bottom
topped with various ingredients. Sabores had one with a tuna salad of sorts. It
was okay, but if you like tuna salad sandwiches, this would be right up your
alley. Rating: 2.8/5 Quinotto is a
risotto of sorts made with quinoa. Sabores version was topped with braised beef
and shaved parmesan cheese. It was a fantastic mix of flavors surrounded by
beefy goodness. Rating: 4.5/5
- Shannon Ridge 2012 Petite Sirah is made from 100% petite sirah from Lake County aged for 18 months in American oak barrels. Pepper and oak aroma and flavors experienced. Rating: 2/5
Bella on the Blvd served up Pork Lumpia. The lumpia
was pretty good, but would have been better with a sweet chili sauce instead of
the radish compote. Rating: 4/5
- Renwood Winery 2011 Premier Old Vine Zinfandel has berry flavors on the front of the palate with a peppery note that lingers. Rating: 2.5/5
- Le Grand CourtageFrance Grand Cuvee Black de Blancs Brut is a blend of chardonnay, chenin blanc, colombard, and ugni blanc from France. It is a very dry cuvee with a sour finish. Rating: 3/5
Twenty88 Wine Bistro served up a
short rib tostada. The short rib was perfectly braised – tender and juicy. It
worked in harmony with the sweetness of the corn and the saltiness from the
queso. Rating: 5/5 The tostada was
paired well with a Green Bloody Mary. It had a bold vegetable flavor at first
with a spicy kick. It was a refreshing cocktail. Rating: 3.5/5
TCR Acupuncture & Integrative Medicine is a holistic
health care facility using a blend of Eastern and Western medical modalities.
- Twenty88 served Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Linguica. This needed a little more seasoning to make the flavors pop from the pasta and sauce. Rating: 3/5
- Morgan Winery 2013 Cotes du Crow’s is a blend syrah and grenache from central and southern Monterey County. It has cherry and oak aromatics with sweet dark cherry finish. Rating: 4/5
POSH Hair & Skin Studio provide hair
services from cuts, style, color to extensions and skin services from Botox,
Juvederm, facials, to peels.
- Sabores Peruvian Café served up Alfajores (dulce de leche sandwich cookies). The cookies were sweet but not too sweet. The creamy caramel worked well with the buttery shortbread cookies. Rating: 5/5
- Sean Minor Four Bears 2013 Chardonnay made with 100% whole-cluster grapes from the Central Coast. It has citrus and peach aromatics, dry on the front of the palate with a clean fruity finish. Rating: 4/5
Bella Capri Inn & Suites is a boutique hotel in the heart of Old Town
Camarillo. It is family-owned and operated and known for their “True
Hospitality” along with newly renovated rooms and sun-bathed courtyard.
- Old Town Café (Bella Capri Inn’s on-site restaurant) served up Mini Handmade Sopes with shredded pork and salsa verde. They had a great flavor and would love to try it in the restaurant “benedict” style for breakfast one day. Rating: 4.5/5
- Magnavino Cellars 2011 Cabernet has cherry and rhubarb aromatics with bold dark cherry flavor throughout and strong clean oaky finish. Rating: 4/5
As 4pm came around, the Culinary Crawl “crawled” to an
end. We sat on a bench in front of the Bella Capri Inn with the sunshine on our
faces and a cool breeze wafting down Ventura Boulevard. As we relaxed, we knew
the inevitable drive back through LA was soon going to be a reality.
To view more photos, please visit OC Food Diva's Facebook page.
For more information:
50 W Daily Dr
Camarillo, CA 93010
+1.805.389.9898
740 E Ventura Blvd
Camarillo, Ca 93010
+1.805.445.8520
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