Princeton by the Sea Memories

I have personally enjoyed several of these very special cheese cakes created at Elegant Cheese Cakes in Princeton-by-the-Sea. You will not be disappointed. In fact, you may need more than one cake because guests won’t leave a crumb behind. I guarantee it!
[This is not an ad but rather an appreciation of a terrific cake business on the Coastside.]

		Little Green Box Pre-Summer Sale! The perfect summer dessert! Enjoy our delicious milk toffee hazelnut swirl cheesecake, tied with a yellow bow and topped with a beautiful white summer daisy. Sale Price: $99 Shipped! (A $125 Value!)
		Quintessential Green Pre-Summer Sale! Fabulous! Green with a dark chocolate bow…inside discover delicious milk toffee swirl cheesecake on a cookie crust!  Sale Price: $99 Shipped! (A $125 Value!)

[Image from Swann Galleries, for more info, please click here

Well, my cousin came to visit, and we had breakfast at Crab Landing. This was my first breakfast in a very long time and I almost finished the eggs benedict.

While I don’t like the architecture of the Crab Landing from the outside, it’s really cool inside with harbor views and good food. My cousin would definitely come back with her friends.

We were on a tight schedule, but I wanted her to see the charming Mezza Luna Cafe, where I would have liked to buy the homemade Gelato, but went for the chocolate cookies instead. I just had one—and as advertised by the clerk–really good.

My cous is familiar with the bigger Mezza Luna located in the historic Princeton Hotel nearby—but while the cafe is related to it’s bigger brother, it’s specializes in coffee drinks and goodies, and I mean goodies,” to enjoy with the specialty coffee drinks. More than once I’ve explained to friends, yes, the other Mezza Luna is still here–this is the cafe.

She said, “I bet it will be crowded here during the summer.” She was glad it was foggy this morning because there weren’t as many people at the Crab Landing when we got there about 10:30 a.m. By the time we left, the people were “pouring” in. Really.

After the Mezza Luna Cafe, I showed her the indoor mall because fellow El Granandian Carol Breem’s new bookstore. I love this bookstore; I’m a major book reader, it’s true, but she has the most creative cards I’ve ever seen. To send written messages. She carries cards created by local artists and they are so cool. I’m always so proud to bring a friend in her store–and my cousin was impressed. (We both bought cards.)

And, it looks like new stores are opening up in the mall. It’s close to home and fun to walk through there, to the harbor, to the Ketch, to Barbara’s, and the best is to walk all the way to Mavericks.

It’s so close to my home. How lucky could I (we) be?

[Image above: Meet the "Condor,"]

Carole says: The Condor is a 46 foot 1978 Formosa Petterson fiberglass sailboat with 2 births, 2 heads and teak decks. It’s in Ventura Harbor getting examined to make sure it is sea worthy. We will probably keep her there at least through the HMB summer fog so we can get some good sunny sailing in.

Jim says: suspect I’m going to spend around —- but might be able to get away for less…I haven’t been able to diagnose the motor or trans problem…probably —- to get it hauled and the bottom cleaned and painted and to get a survey..I’m not anticipating problems with the hull, but we’ll see….
It needs a lot of stuff cleaned up and maintained, but it should be pretty cool…and I don’t think I can get hurt on it regardless.

From John Vonderlin

Email John (benloudman@sbcglobal.net)

Collin Tiura in his post (please click here) mentions his Jeff Clark surfboard. Well, I have one, too! And Tom Andersen will tell you that he remembers me, wearing a wetsuit, going out at El Granada Beach.

Here’s my Jeff Clark surfboard:

conversation with one of the Patroni kids. Now an adult, of course. He was there during the famous post- WWII tsunami.  I will be talking to him and getting more detail, and I’ll share everything I learn with you. 

There was the Patroni House, a famous roadhouse of the 1920s, and in the 1970s the Shorebird Restaurant opened followed by the always crowded Half Moon Bay Brewing Company. 

Oh—he said behind the HMB Brewing Company there are some old trees and that was home to a chicken coop!  No chickens back there today but whenever I drive by, and I am not doing public relations for the Brewing Co., the place is alive  and booming. You can sit inside or outside so when I drive by I see the people at the tables outside, in very casual attire, having the best time. 

More later…

I gave 3 different memorials at my home for Burt Blumert after his recent death. At two of them, I went way overboard and bought a small cheese cake from Elegant Cheese Cakes in Princeton, It’s a big splurge, but I loved Burt and thought he loved me, too. I wanted to serve his admirers the very best.  

One of the cakes looked like the image  above, and, I cannot find the words to describe the most heavenly slice of cake I have ever had in my life. After performing the very difficult tasks of Hospice for Burt, I wasn’t eating at all. Food was the last thing on my mind. Burt was the first and only thing on my mind.

This cheese cake tasted so good to me. I thought, after having lost so much weight, that any chocolate or cake would be too “rich” for me to digest. Not so with this cheese cake!

 If you have some extra bucks for a special event, I can highly recommend the cheese cake at Elegant Cheese Cakes.