We went to Indonesia in March 2020, just as they announced school closures. Ended up staying until November. They had no quarantines when we entered, but we self quarantined at the hotel for 2 weeks before going to our house there.

Here are some of the delicious breakfasts we’ve had at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge in the last week.


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Breakfast burrito
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Chicken and waffles

I tried for days to get into Da Enzo when I was in Rome 2 years ago...I even had the hotel concierge try for me. I tried waiting in line one night until it seemed hopeless & I didn't want to eat at 11:00pm. Now I am even more sorry that I didn't get in--food looks wonderful...especially that cacio de pepe. :tu:

Imperfect Foods $7.99 lemon tart for post-breakfast dessert. It was in the freezer for 2-3 weeks, so the powdered sugar melted well after it defrosted. It’s deliiiiicious.


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I hope the Maggiono's question was a joke. Even in Chicago, where it started, it's not even the 20th best Italian restaurant.

With solidarity to all victims, I guess the Covid effect worked great in our favor! There was a wait but it was 20 minutes because we wanted an outside tabel! ;)

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My son's pasta alla Gricia is like Carbonara but without the eggs - with guanciale (cured pork neck)

Looks beautiful. I had recovered from my disappointment. I initially wanted to eat there because my "god-dog'' 's name is Enzo. And then I started reading about it and tried contacting them before my trip. I know that it is very small but you are right---Covid might have helped with the crowds. Italy was packed in June/July 2019.

Today was a simple lazy lunch. A few items from the local Persian deli (KASHK BADEMJAN, HUMMUS, and SHIRAAZ SALAD) with some cilantro and a bagel.

Copper cafe, Madonna inn, SLO CA
tri tip sandwich with both au jus and bbq sauce
pink champagne cake slice

my first time here since 2004 and alas we didn’t eat there that year. Delicious luncheon!


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gorgeous - 65 euros seems super cheap! Wow.

there’s a whole sub forum for Detroit style at the pizza making forum. It used to be just a single huge thread in one of the other forums (now stickied in the Detroit forum).

I make my own sauce- it’s pretty easy. Two things that make a difference are using a micro plane for the garlic and adding about 1/8 tsp of fennel seeds and cooking about 20 minutes on low.

I also got a block of brick cheese a while ago but haven’t used it yet- it’s cut into single pizza chunks in the freezer. Using 1/3 mozzarella, 1/3 white cheddar, and 1/3 Monterey Jack is a reasonable substitute.

The problem with US-made "Italian" sauces is the manufacturers cram too much stuff in thier products (garlic, onions, seasonings, coloring, and other items) while the Italian sauce is simple: tomatoes, olive oil, and maybe salt. You almost never find such products in grocery stores in Italy.

Yeah, I've always made my own tomato sauces (the quote was from work2fly's post, not mine).

As far as a Detroit-style pizza goes, TJ's dough probably has too low a water content, and mozzarella is usually too low in fat to get the proper melted cheese crust around the edges. If you can't get brick cheese, the mozzarella/cheddar/jack combination works pretty well.

On our last visit to Rome, our best food was similarly priced. The most expensive item was a nice piece of salmon, on top of mashed potatoes for €14 or so.

Hilton venti drip coffee ($6)
leftover donuts from Gonzalez, CA

I’ve made coffee in the room or had hotel breakfast for years; this is a nice drip coffee. I’m not planning to stop making coffee at home.


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Along with laksa , nasi lemak and lontong with had espresso meringue cake from Chalkfarm , Sunday lunch

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Grapes , persimmons & what ‘ s left of Packham pears


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A sliver of the cake
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Messed up slice

Cold Spring Tavern, Stagecoach Dr off CA-154, Santa Barbara CA

tri tip sandwich with wild game chili (rabbit Buffalo venison)
iced tea
water

super yum - lotsa fun classic cars parked nearby :-)

Ps there’s a big bridge on 154 - some of our beloved FTers wouldn’t love it.


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