TRAVELS WITH LESLIE, PART 3 (AND A SERIOUS OBSESSION WITH TYLER FLORENCE!)

Before I begin today's post on the last leg of our Vegas/Northern California vacation, I would like to thank a fellow blogger, named Misi. You can check out her amazing blog, by clicking: 

 ********  HERE*******




Her blog, 1890 Gable House Musings, is all about her farmhouse, her primitive style and the fabulous creations that she displays in her home and sells on her blog. Misi kindly mentioned my blog on her VERY FAMOUS site recently, and so now I have a plethora of new friends. Thanks, Misi!

Onto the remainder of our travels. After leaving San Francisco, we drove over to my husband's childhood home, a beucolic town named Mill Valley. Mill Valley is right next to gorgeous Sausalito, a hop, skip and a jump across the Golden Gate Bridge. Such a leafy green downtown area:

Big Daddy's parents, Al and Marilyn, have lived in their home at the base of Mt. Tamalpais for, oh, I dunno, 10,000 or more years now. They are just wonderful, wonderful people that anyone would be lucky to know:

We all enjoyed some coffee at Peet's coffeehouse downtown, and then some sunshine outside of the Book Depot, in a charming courtyard......

Serious converations between the Willard dudes:

Such a gorgeous April day........

Oh, they just LOVVVVEEEE my picture taking obsession!.......

While we were downtown, we just had to check out the newest restaurant craze in Mill Valley, opened by the Food Network's Tyler Florence (can you say, "hotteeeee"???) and the wild and crazy Sammy Hagar, of Van Halen fame. Both gentlemen are residents of Mill Valley, and Tyler recently opened a GORGEOUS gourmet food/cookware shop downtown. Check out the gigantic forks he used as part of the signage:

The new restaurant (El Paseo House Of Chops) is located in an old, Spanish style courtyard (not far from his store) called El Paseo. They weren't even open yet for the day, but I somehow managed to sneak these shots:

Amazing, intimate outside seating areas--only in California!.....

A peek of the kitchen, hard at work.......

LOVED this patio--that's a mirror, tucked in amongst the ivy......

The wine bar.......sigh.......!

Just one of the many cozy dining rooms.....

And another.......

Al and Marilyn, will you PUHLEEEZE take us to eat here, when we come back (prolly around Thanksgiving)??? They just love it when their dotter-in-law whines!

So that, my dear bloggie friends, was our trip--hope you enjoyed the little mini-tours as much as I enjoyed snapping the photos! 

Come back in a day or two for my awesome Curried Chicken Salad recipe.....Love, Leslie

TODAY I'M MOST GRATEFUL FOR:

*The nice plumber who is in my bathroom, as we speak, fixing my annoying leaky showerhead. He even took his boots off!! And speaking of boots........

*Rain boots--my driveway is under a foot of water, once again!

*My new blog followers--I am truly grateful to you ALL!