beach — Travel — Hello Ivy & Eve

We are so excited to announce we are Cambria Ambassadors! Thanks to the great people at Visit Cambria, we were able to take another girls’ weekend getaway a few weekends ago.

On this trip to Cambria, California, we stayed at the lovely J. Patrick House. Tucked away in the pine forest above the town, this B&B was the ultimate cozy base for our Cambria adventures. The hosts, Linda and Ron, were extremely welcoming and gave us a quick tour of the place before showing us to our room, the Dublin, where we happily called home for the rest of the weekend. The J. Patrick House is wonderfully decorated with antiques Linda has collected from all over yet still has a nice contemporary feel to. This is NOT your grandma's B&B. Another feature we loved about the J. Patrick is that each guest room has its own fireplace. We found ourselves turning it on every time we went to our room. There is something so comforting about a fireplace, don't you think? After we settled in, we joined the other guests for happy hour in the main house (more on that later) before whisking away for our first seafood dinner of the weekend!

On our first night, we enjoyed dinner at the Sea Chest Oyster Bar and Seafood Restaurant. We wanted to eat here the first time we visited Cambria (read about that here) in December, but they were closed for their yearly break, making us even more determined to visit this time around! The Sea Chest doesn't take reservations, and we have heard that a line starts to form outside the restaurant even before they open!

We lucked out as we went there around 7:30, so the dinner rush had died down a bit. We put our name on the list, grabbed a glass of wine from the bar, and waited outside by their giant fire-pit. Before we finished our first glass of wine, they had called our names, and we headed in for a smorgasbord of seafood. We love oysters, so naturally, we ordered half a dozen and decided to try their escargot as well. For mains, Ivy chose the seafood linguine, and Eve went with the cioppino. Everything was delicious, and we had to practically roll ourselves out to our car.

FYI: This is also a cash-only restaurant, so bring cash or your debit card (they have an ATM) and be prepared to wait for a table. Definitely worth the wait!

In the morning, we dinned at the J. Patrick House. We were warmly greeted by Linda and Ron and the smell of freshly brewed coffee. The first course was a delicious fruit bowl with thinly sliced apple, red berries, homemade granola, and yogurt. We could have eaten 12 bowls of their fruit salad! The main course was the JP blueberry pancake, mini banana muffin, and sausage. SO DELICIOUS!!!

After stuffing ourselves, we headed for a guided tour of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. We went on the Bluff Trail walk led by Docent Gil. They offer three different tours in the springtime on Saturdays (for more info, click here).

The weather couldn't have been more perfect for a walk along the coast. While we walked, we listened to Gil as he taught us about the property's history, the importance of the ocean for the people and animals that call this coast home, and identified plants and animals along the trail. We even did some bird watching and saw some ancient mortar holes from the Playano tribe. We couldn't imagine a prettier place to grind acorn flour and prepare meals.

After all the walking and learning, we had quite an appetite, so we headed to Indigo Moon for lunch. We sat on their covered back patio and ordered their artisan cheese plate, which had a trio of cow's milk cheeses (Midnight Moon, Cotswold, and Mahón) accompanied by caramelized walnuts, and pears. We enjoyed a refreshing glass of wine while discussing what we wanted to do next.

For our main dishes, Eve ordered the pistachio-crusted goat cheese salad with greens, ruby grapefruit, chicken, cucumbers, and a lovely Meyer lemon champagne vinaigrette. Ivy ordered the grilled chicken sandwich with brie, onion jam, apples, and focaccia. This is sure to become one of our go-to spots for lunch. Everything is so fresh and delicious!

After lunch, we stopped by our favorite shop, JunkGirls! We met the owners and masterminds of the JunkGirls shop - Jenny and Melissa. These ladies are seriously amazing people, and we could have spent many more hours with them sharing stories and wandering the nooks and crannies of the shop. We knew we wanted to bring home at least one of their unique creations, and we ended up leaving with custom spoon rings Melissa made for us and a set of ladle board wall art pieces designed and created by Jenny! We especially loved picking out our spoons and watching them do their magic to create us unique, beautiful rings. Nothing is impossible for the Junk Girls!

After perusing the other shops, we headed to Cutruzzola Vineyards for some afternoon wine tasting. The tasting room is located at the very north end of town, right off Highway 1. They had a lovely variety of wines to taste, and we bought the 2015 Chardonnay and 2013 Gloria Estate Pinot Noir to bring home and share.

That evening, we headed back to J. Patrick House for their happy hour (which should never be missed!). Linda and Ron have a fantastic selection of local wines (red, white, and sparkling) to pick from to enjoy while chatting with the other guests. They also have appetizers set out for you to snack on before you head off to dinner. Our first night featured an Italian appetizer selection, while the second night was Mexican! We loved the happy hour because it was a great time to meet the other guests, get recommendations on where to go, and enjoy a glass of local wine.

Update: Due to Covid, JP happy hour is on hiatus. We hope it comes back soon!

After enjoying a little downtime at happy hour, we were ready for dinner at Moonstone Beach Bar and Grill. Like Sea Chest Oyster Bar, they do not take reservations, so make sure to plan ahead. They have a large beachfront patio with plenty of heat lamps as well as inside dining. We ordered half a dozen oysters and fried jalapenos (very spicy!) to start. We think their oysters are some of the best we have had on the west coast; that's saying something because we love oysters! Ivy had the New York steak served with a side of smashed potatoes and a garlic cream sauce, while Eve had the Moonstone's Best Catch served with Spanish rice and a delicious lobster shrimp cream sauce. The food was delicious, and the service was superb! We definitely see ourselves coming back and enjoying a glass of wine, oysters, and more on the patio at sunset during the summer.

The following morning, we had another lovely gourmet breakfast at J. Patrick House before our morning Flow Yoga class at GYM 1 with Kristina. For breakfast they had a beautiful (and delicious) fruit bowl with grapefruit, tangerines, and blackberries. The fruit was dressed with Linda's family poppy seed dressing recipe. It went perfectly with the sweet berries and citrus fruits. For the main dish, we had a personal skillet breakfast with eggs cooked any way we wished. We had our eggs sunny side up, and they came with delicious homestyle potatoes, a side of bacon, and toast with delightful bacon jam. After breakfast, we reluctantly packed our bags, said goodbye to our lovely room, and checked out. We were sad to leave but know we won't be able to stay away for too long! We left our hearts at J. Patrick House!!!

After yoga, we headed to Moonstone Cellars for some much-deserved wine tasting (yoga is hard!). Moonstone Cellars is located just behind the main street in downtown Cambria. We enjoyed their wine flight because they have some exciting varietals like the Gewurztraminer, which does not typically grow back home in Monterey County. We bought their Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Sauvignon Blanc to bring home.

Before heading home, we decided to stop at the Cafe for some lunch. The Cafe was an impromptu stop but so worth it! We decided to try it out because, over the weekend it was hands down the most recommended place to eat. We are no sandwich connoisseurs, but this place is GOOD! We had their famous hot pastrami sandwich, which came with a side of coleslaw, a pickle, and a pickled pepper. The Cafe is seriously delicious and completely lived up to the hype!

After enjoying the Cafe, we headed to our last stop, Linn's, for their famous olallieberry pie. Freshly baked every day, this pie is truly dreamy. It is served with whipped cream and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. We sat in the sunshine as we devoured our slices, reminiscing on the weekend's adventures. It was the perfect ending to our lovely girls’ weekend in Cambria.

We also wanted to mention a new company we recently discovered, Brakitty. With all the traveling we do, it's great to have a case to hold your bra's and undies without crushing them. Brakitty cases are super cute and really well made (they are water-resistant too). We brought them on our trip to test them out and ended up loving them and know we will be using them on our upcoming trips. Not only do we use them to stash our bras and undies- but we also keep our jewelry and other small things that would get lost in our bags. We have the Pastel Supernova and Vintage Florals (on sale right now!). Buy your own Brakitty here!

There is so much more to explore in this little beach town we can't wait to visit again! Have you visited Cambria? Let us know about your trip!

xxx Ivy & Eve

A little while ago, Eve headed down south for a mid-week mini trip with her high school bestie K, and her boyfriend C. With C not being from the Golden State K and Eve decided that they should all take the drive south to Santa Barbara for some quintessential California weather, wine, and culture.

K is a fellow foodie and wine lover so planning this trip was a piece of cake: eat all the food, drink all the wine, and enjoy as much sunshine as possible. Check her out on Instagram: @cooking_with_koko

Eve and the crew headed out for the two-night getaway early on Monday morning to make the most of the trip. Here are some of our SB favorites:

xxx Ivy & Eve

Stay:

Hotel Milo- This beachfront boutique hotel is the PERFECT basecamp for all of your Santa Barbara adventures. They host a daily happy hour (featuring local wines), have an amazing daily breakfast, a fleet of cruiser bikes which are free to use! Eve stayed in their Deluxe King room with a sleeper sofa, which was perfect as our cousin J stayed with Eve for a night.

Eat:

Lucky Penny- Lucky Penny serves to-die-for pizzas, salads, and brownies (we would go as far as saying the best pizza in SB). You order at the counter and can take it to-go or do what we did - and sit out on their picnic patio and enjoy the warm Santa Barbara weather.
Lark- Owned by the same people as Lucky Penny and located just next door, Lark is the older, more sophisticated sister. The menu is broken down into three categories: From the Farm, From the Ocean, and From the Ranch. They serve only the freshest ingredients and have an impressive wine list. Great for a date or special occasion!
Sandbar- Sandbar is a great spot for casual cocktails and tasty (and affordable) Mexican fare. Their Happy Hour lasts from 3-7pm Sunday-Friday. We recommend any of their margaritas!
State & Fig- Hands down the best spot for lunch. State & Fig is located in one of the quiet outdoor arcades just off of State Street. Each item on the menu looked better than the last. We finally chose our dishes - and we were not disappointed. We recommend having a glass (or two) of bubbles and trying anything on their daily specials list; or go for the Fig Burger which ended up being the group favorite!
Sambos- A true Santa Barbara classic and has been in business since 1957. Our Mom used to go here on the weekends when she was in college and it is pretty much exactly the same! Their Eggs Benedict is amazing. K got the Crab Benedict which was a special and Eve got the California Benedict with tomato, avocado, and spinach. They also serve up the biggest mimosas we have ever seen! Sit on the patio to soak up the sunshine and people watch.
Backyard Bowl- This place creates the tastiest Acai bowls, smoothies, and hot breakfast bowls. We recommend Backyard Bowls for a quick, nutritious, and totally Instagram worthy breakfast!

Drink:

Joe's Cafe- Another true SB classic. Opened in 1928, Joe's serves classic steakhouse meals (order a French Dip if you're hungry) and some of the stiffest drinks in Santa Barbara. Order a drink and step back in time.
Funkzone wine tasting- Santa Barbara's Funkzone is home to 13 different wine tasting rooms. You can easily spend a whole day exploring the Funkzone but if you can only stop at one Tasting room, we wouldn't miss Kunin Wines (see below).
Kunin Wines- Our hands down favorite tasting room in Santa Barbara. Kunin is everything we like in a tasting room. We were greeted with a smiling and knowledgable host and chose from several tasting flights. We ended up having 2 red and 2 white flights so we could all share. Above the bar the sign reads "join the coolest wine club in town" (they know they're good but also don't take themselves too seriously). The atmosphere is fun and casual; like having a drink at a friend's house. We all left with several bottles (none lasted unopened very long).

Do:

Mission Santa Barbara- The top cultural attraction in Santa Barbara and nicknamed the "Queen of the Missions". Simply stunning.
Biking along the beach- We rented bikes (free at the hotel) for 2 hours and explored the coastline on the wonderful boardwalk trail.
SBMA- The Santa Barbara Museum of Art is the perfect place to spend hours exploring over 5,000 years of human creativity.
The Blue Door- A labyrinth of a shop spanning 3 floors filled with vintage and new items. We spent far too long in here for the boyfriend's liking.
State Street- State Street has everything and anything you would want in a day of serious shopping. You'll find a mix of high street and boutique shops. There is something for everyone!