Super hero sandwich – Los Gatos Meats & Smokehouse

Super hero sandwich - Los Gatos Meats & Smokehouse
Whole wheat hero, tri-tip with bbq sauce, cheddar cheese, bacon, avocado, mayo, mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, mild pepper rings, pickle on the side. $7.99
Los Gatos Meats & Smokehouse, Los Gatos CA

Super hero sandwich - Los Gatos Meats & Smokehouse
Wow, this sandwich was SO good! . It was packed with so many delicious ingredients, and the beef was very flavorful and tender!

Canadian geese
Canadian geese at Vasona Park.

Grand slam of sliders – Escena Lounge & Grill

Grand slam of sliders - Escena Lounge & Grill
Crab cake, old bay tartar sauce. Pulled pork, jack and coke bbq sauce, slaw. Natural beef, cheddar, secret sauce, Achiote chicken, pulled spicy chicken, guacamole. Served with fries and a pickle. $12
Escena Lounge & Grill, Palm Springs CA

Mmm, all these sliders were pretty good but I think the pulled pork was my favorite. I also enjoyed that they tried to differentiate the sliders by having different toppings and sauces.

Pulled pork sliders - Escena Lounge & Grill
Trio of pulled pork sliders. $9
Had to order these another day since I liked them so much and they’re a great value.

Mt. San Jacinto summit
View of Coachella Valley from Mt. San Jacinto summit.

Pork belly sloppy joe – King’s Highway

Pork belly sloppy joe - King's Highway
Smoky bbq sauce, cornmeal buttermilk onion rings, seasoned French fries. $13
King’s Highway, Palm Springs CA

This was one of the fancier sloppy joes I’ve ever had, lol! The pork belly was delicious and I like the bbq sauce. The onion rings were a bit greasy, but the French fries rocked!

Salt and pepper - King's Highway

Salt and pepper.

Dinny the Apatosaurus

Dinny the Apatosaurus, Cabazon Dinosaurs, Interstate 10. These dinosaurs are worth a quick stop!

Half bbq chicken plate – Harbor Village Kitchen

Half bbq chicken plate - Harbor Village Kitchen
Served with rice, steamed vegetables and hot and sour soup. $10.95
Harbor Village Kitchen, San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

Ugh, when I think bbq chicken I don’t usually expect some translucent sauce poured all over it. I’m still not sure what that sauce was supposed to be. Anyway, this was barely passable airport food in my opinion.

Hot and sour soup - Harbor Village Kitchen
Hot and sour soup.

Hanging art installation
Hanging art installation, Terminal 2.

Pulled pork sandwich – Big Jake’s Island BBQ

Pulled pork sandwich - Big Jake's Island BBQ
Topped with homemade bbq sauce, served with coleslaw and baked beans.
Big Jake’s Island BBQ, Captain Cook HI

This was ok. I wish they would have at least toasted the bun. Since they didn’t, it got soggy pretty quickly from the bland(ish) bbq sauce. Hmm…

Black sea snails
Black sea snails, Kealakekua Bay State Historical Park.

Half rack BBQ rib plate – Big Jake’s Island BBQ

Half rack BBQ rib plate - Big Jake's Island BBQ
Served with rice, coleslaw, and baked beans. $18.95
Big Jake’s Island BBQ, Captain Cook HI

This was pretty good. The ribs were tender and juicy, but I wish the bbq sauce had more flavor and punch. It tasted kinda flat. The plate was quite substantial though which I needed after our kayaking adventure. You’ll notice that the pic is kinda foggy – that’s because my iPhone fell into Kealakekus Bay (see story below)!

Kayaking in Kealakekua Bay

We spent a wonderful morning kayaking to Captain Cook’s Monument, watching spinner dolphins frolicking near us, and snorkeling around the State Park. On our way back to the pier, we noticed that a rather larger couple had capsized their kayak in the middle of the Bay and were having difficulty getting back in. After some time, the woman was able pull herself back into the kayak only to immediately fall back out. So we paddled to them and noticed they were clearly exhausted from multiple attempts to reboard their vessel. They had lost all their snorkeling gear and were just trying to stay afloat at that point. So we decide to rescue them. David, who was in the rear of our two-seat kayak, grabbed hold of their kayak with the couple in tow, leaving myslef with the only free arms to single-handedly paddle four people and two kayaks back to the pier! Needless to say, this took a LONG time and great amount of effort.

When we finally reached the pier, the couple was helped up by some of the guys working the kayak rentals and I pulled myself back onto the pier. As I did so, my iPhone that I had wedge into my life jacket for easy access to take photos and video of the dolphins, broke loose and dropped straight down into the Bay! Argh! I immediately dove down after it and finally located it at the bottom after multiple attempts. My poor baby! It still turned on, the lens was wet (hence the foggy pics), but I was worried that the damage would slowly reveal itself. When we got back to the hotel, I put my iPhone in a bag of rice that we picked up at Costco and forced myself not to turn it on for an ENTIRE night (this was really hard for me, lol)! The good news is that the iPhone still works and I still have it today. The camera lens eventually dried out. The bad news is that the WiFi connectivity got fried, but thank god I have unlimited data. Lesson learned: No good deed goes unpunished!

Waimea back ribs – Don the Beachcomber

Waimea back ribs - Don the Beachcomber
Baby backs coated in house rub, flame broiled and baked with honey mango BBQ glaze. Happy hour $9.95
Don the Beachcomber, Kailua-Kona HI

I’m a huge fan of BBQ ribs! These babybacks tasted good but not amazing! I wish they were a little more tender, but since they were slathered in delicious BBQ sauce I didn’t mind too much, hehe.

Hulinee Palace gate
Decorative gate at the Hulihee Palace, Ali’i Drive.

Savory pork wings – Wingmasters Sports Bar

Savory pork wings - Wingmasters Sports Bar
With authentic Buffalo sauce served with celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing. 3 piece $6.99
Wingmasters Sports Bar, Seattle WA

Mmm, pork wings! They French these pork ribs for easy eating and slather them with your choice of sauce – heaven! This place is around the corner from my bro’s in Ballard so we often head over for food, drinks, and games.

Hefeweizen - Wingmasters Sports Bar

Hefeweizen.

Decorative fence
Decorative metal and glass fence, 24th Ave NW.

Savory pork wings - Wingmasters Sports Bar
September 2013. With sweet ‘n hot sauce. 3 pieces $7.59
Looks like the price has gone up since my last visit!

Celery sticks - Wingmasters Sports Bar
September 2013. Celery sticks and bleu cheese dressing.