Errand Day

Just the snacks I packed in the suitcase. I had a carry-on full of food for the plane and layovers.

Packing is an adventure.  Just as much as the journey to the destination.  I make sure I always have more than enough food with me for the just-in-case moments.  The better prepared I am, the less likely I’ll need it.  But the moment I’m unprepared, I’ll kick myself for not being prepared.

Back seat fun after picking up Little Obi-Wan from Kindergarten after flying in.

Chaz checked out some restaurants and bakeries online ahead of time.  Some of the places weren’t as gluten-free as they claimed after further inquiry.  A couple of places looked promising.  Sometimes though, actually looking around and asking people when you get there is a good thing, too.  We seemed to find even more places where I could eat once we were in California.

It’s not that we ate out a lot, but having the option helps.  We did eat in quite a bit, too.  And my bestie is the best bestie ever.  In order to make sure there was no cross-contamination, she bought an extra set of stainless steel pots and pans.  I’m pretty lucky since she did a gfcf

New pots and pans.

trial with Little Obi-Wan to see if it would make a difference with his level of functioning.  And let me tell you, just looking at him, you would never know he’s on the spectrum.  He was diagnosed after our last visit and has made a lot of progress since we last saw him.  Yet, he’s still the same bright kid who loves to have fun.  That is what is important.

The day after flying in, which would be the day before the big football game, we spent the day running errands with bestie and Little Obi-Wan, who had the day off from Kindergarten.

We had quite the day.  Los Angeles is big and going from one place to another can take longer than anticipated.  We had several scheduled stops and Little Obi-Wan was chomping at the bit to go to the bakery for his chocolate twist.  He had to earn his chocolate twist by being patient and not melting down while we were running errands.  I had a really cute picture of Chaz pushing him inside a Costco cart while we were in parking lot, but I accidentally deleted it when I was

Keeping Little Obi-Wan distracted in car. We had fun in the back seat.

trying to share it.  Silly me.

The fig display at Whole Foods

Not only did we go to Costco, we went to the bank, to the pet shop, Ralph’s, and Whole Foods.  We had things to get for the Old Man’s birthday party, dog food for Manny, food for the tailgating, etc.  A lot of running around and lot of time spent in the car.   Waiting.  Waiting to get to the next place.  Every stop he asked if it was time for a chocolate twist and we all would tell him, “Not yet” and how many more places we had to go.  He did a great job and didn’t start to lose it until we were at Whole Foods.  The store was super busy and crowded so there was a lot of sensory input for him to try and sort out.  We got out of there as fast as we could.  Some Pirate Booty helped him out.  He was quiet as soon as we were in the car and he had the open bag in front of him.  Poor guy was hungry.  I think we all were by that time.  I already ate an Überbar I had in my purse.

By the time we got in the car after the last errand all of us adults were agreed, Little Obi-Wan had earned a chocolate twist.  He was a happy guy.

Once we got home, hangriness was starting.  Me trying to figure out what I want to eat or where I want to eat doesn’t happen when I’m hangry.  Somehow I managed to decide on Sammy’s Pizza.  They are a chain throughout Southern

Chilled Vegetable Salad with burrata on the side for Chaz

California and have an array of gluten-free foods.

We each ordered our own personal pizza and shared a salad (made from local produce).  Thankfully, our server caught that we had no idea what burrata is and asked since we had already told her I cannot have

New York Style Pizza on gf crust, no cheese.

gluten or dairy.  So, she put it on the side so Chaz could enjoy it.  The woodfired pizzas are supposed to be their signature.  Chaz and I were agreed that the salad was much better than our pizzas.  It didn’t stop us from eating them.  I took my leftovers home and ate them for breakfast the next morning.

What really intrigued me was the Cotton Candy on the menu.  I was expecting a dish with a small cloud of cotton candy dusted with cocoa.

Not so.

If it was blue, it could have been Marge Simpson’s hairdo

When our server came out.  Everyone gasped.

Waiting on the men for date night

I was taking a zillion pictures and one of the women in the booth next to us asked if she could take a picture.  Who am I to stop someone from taking food porn?

My small vacation indulgence turned into a big vacation indulgence.  I ate about half of it and the server put the rest in a bag.  It deflated because of the heat, but I still ate the rest of it before our big double date with the bestie and her Old Man, sans Little Obi-Wan thanks to respite.

Would I recommend Sammy’s Pizza?  Yes, but I wouldn’t recommend the pizza.  The salad was to-die-for and we agreed that if we wound up eating at another one on our visit, we would try another salad and their other entrées.

Another recommendation, Sushi Dragon in Sun Valley.  Pretty good sushi.  Not like our usual Cincinnati sushi haunt, but still good stuff.  Bestie and the Old Man are on friendly terms with the sushi chef.  Always know your sushi chef.  Chaz and I are friendly with our sushi chef and his wife, who are also the owners of the restaurant.  We get exemplary service when we are there and we make sure the tip shows how much we appreciate them.

Tip: don’t order the chef’s choice when with a group of people.  You just might get your food last and you’ll be hangry and drunk by the time you eat.  And it wasn’t me that was hangry.  Instead it was so good I belched rather loudly in the middle of eating.  Papa would be proud.