But there are a few good, dry CA muscats: La Sirena Moscato Azul is very sophisticated. I also like Shadow Mountain. I'm sure there are others. Seriously, try them.

I noticed a couple in my local wine shop. Asked the proprietor. He said that it's on Olive Garden's wine list, so he gets requests. Maybe that explains something.

And to be honest, I've had a couple dry ones from CA that were pretty good

I still remember having a meal with someone who requested omissions/substitutions on a dish and then spent the entire time eating the meal complaining about how it tasted. If you omit the anchovies or the bacon maybe that will change the taste in a bad way. After all, that's why they are in the dish to start with.

Back in Vacaville for a couple more days, we tried both places again. I was less impressed with Clay Oven. Kadai prawns seemed smaller and overcooked, but we enjoyed the potato/cauliflower veggie dish. Chili chicken was adequate. On the other hand, pho lee hoa phat was a better experience. I went with bun with bbq pork (adequate) and egg roll (just OK), but the bun itself and garnishes were good. Tina loved the hu tieu again, and the chicken wing appetizer was excellent. Again the place was packed. Right next door is a small Thai place, which we didn't have opportunity to try.

Pata Negra has had it every time I've been there. They have two styles. A dry style to be used like salami and a moister style for cooking.

Uni is a sushi staple. Really good uni is creamy, nutty, and unique in flavor/texture. Some places it is used for soups or in a sauce for like spaghetti, but fresh uni is my favorite way to finish a sushi meal - like a savory desert.

The uni in Socal is some of the very best in the world. J. Steingarten considered it worth a trip.

I have not tried Vesper, but I've been underwhelmed by Orfila. Not saying they make bad wines - they don't - but compared with other places in CA . . .

My favorite SD area winery is Shadow Mountain. Located at around 3500 feet, producing only estate wines, and pricing the wines reasonably works for me. The carignane from there is the best version of that varietal I've had from a CA vintner. Also it would be a nice place for a picnic.

Another possibility in Yuma is to go to one or more taco trucks. In addition to some along Fortuna Rd in Foothills, Yuma has several along 8th St from around Ave B westward and along Ave B between 1st and 12th St. Mostly various kinds of tacos are featured, but currently there are two Salvadoran pupusa trucks on 8th. Of course, by May, some of the trucks will be gone, but you certainly could have a very different and memorable experience. Last year, a writer from the AZRepublic wrote up an article about his visits to the trucks:
http://www.azcentral.com/travel/artic...

PL is my favorite spot in the world for a picnic, hiking etc.

Campagno's sandwiches at PL is about as essentially Monterey Peninsula as you can get.

Jaymes has some good advice. I think Mexican is the cuisine of choice here. Los Manjares is a favorite of mine too -- great value, generally excellent dishes. A real locals' spot. On the other hand, the service can be irregular and there is no atmosphere. Mi Rancho (4th Ave at 27th) is a little nicer, a little more expensive (but still cheap), but perhaps a better alternative. Mi Rancho also has a more extensive menu including things like Birria de Chivo, goat stewed in a chile infused broth.

"Fine dining" in Yuma is OK, but that really isn't our strong suit. Unless the Market at the Radisson has improved recently, I would suggest River City Grill as the best alternative to Mexican.

I was recently in Vacaville for a couple of days. Based on the rec in this post we tried pho lee hoa phat. The restaurant was fairly full, the service was quick, and the soups were OK. The pho noodles were not badly clumped and the broth was light, but adequate. We actually preferred the hu tieu, which benefited from a more complex and fuller tasting broth. Garnishes were OK. The spring rolls, on the other hand, were mediocre. Nonetheless, overall, we enjoyed.

Also had a take-out meal at Clay Oven (on Orange along I 80). Very good. the naan was adequate, and garlic naan, very garlicy. the bhaigan bharta had good spicing, though lacking the charred/roasted quality that I really love. The chicken biiryani was pretty standard and good. Our favorite was the Kadai prawns, which were deeply flavored and surprisingly tasty. The dishes could be ordered mild, medium, or spicy. I appreciated that the mild was still spicy, and we found the medium to be plenty hot for our palates. We had a bit of a wait for the food to go, but we thought the food was better than what we could reasonably expect.

You might get more response on the California Board where questions about Paso wineries are discussed regularly.

Let me put in a rec for Shadow MOuntain. Elevation over 3,000 feet. Some remarkable reds(particularly for prices). The carignane - who'd guess that? - subtle and really good. A couple unusual whites, a dry muscat and a viognier that I liked. But everything is estate. I think most wines atre 15-20 a bottle. Nice place for picnic.

Have you tried Passionfish? Not as fancy as what you list, but great wine list. Often good seafood preps.

I'm sure there's somewhere in Carmel, but the best Mexican will be in Seaside. Last time I was there, the taco shop in the back of Mi Tierra Mkt at the corner of Broadway and Fremont was excellent, and you could get stuff to go and drive down to the beach where there's parking.

You got a lotta good recs. Wine Vault and Bistro (no scenery however) would still get a vote from me. But be warned, you should check out their calendar and make reservations since sometimes they are full up - particularly on special dinners when winemakers show up.

The Fishery is good and features alot of local fish.

Let me know if I'm wrong, but my last bottle was well below what used to be available from Rosenblum. Last time I was at a TJs, it was priced very inexpensive, and a local supermarket here is closing it out at discount.

I love "dysphoric." Great word.

Nice report. Thanks for sharing.

Yeh, I'm ed (from Yuma). On a side note, I like the chowder at Massaro and Santos or at Cafe Fina better sthan Vivolo's but it has been years . . .

I figured you hadn't had the vintner's cuvee recently, so as a vinous bottom feeder, I thought I needed to comment. I like Turley Ridge and Dusi, on those rare occasions when I splurge. I used to love the Rosemblum single vinyard stuff (on those rare occasion . . .), but the vintner's cuvee these days, not so much

Have you had a low end Rosenblum recently? Since they were bought up, their vintner's cuvee has become merde. Being discounted to around 6 or 7 dollars a bottle. I think stuff like County Fair from TJs is much superior. Or perhaps a Castle Rock bottling.

You definitely need to go to some farmers' markets. The best is in downtown Monterey on Tuesday afternoons. All kinds of fresh produce, breads, seafood, prepared foods, other vendors. Several blocks long.

Also, Sea Harvest in New Monterey is the best source for fresh seafood - though there is also a seafood purveyor on Fisherman's Wharf.

I don't remember the name, but yes, M & S had a predecessor at that Coast Guard pier. I'm sure you have read about Passionfish. I probably over hype it, but the wine list is superb and extremely well priced. The food is usually good and prices are fair. Not much ambience and often loud, it still is worth considering.

Sea Harvest is good for inexpensive fresh seafood.

If you are in town during the week, check out the downtown Farmers Market

Your criteria are hard to meet. Much of the ocean facing part of the peninsula is restricted, park-land, or in Pebble Beach. So Bay View is much more possible. However, Monterey is often cool and windy, so few places have real outside dining.

Probably the best choice would be Massaro And Santos, which does have some sheltered outside seating and is right on the bay. Bay views are also available on Fisherman's Wharf and some Cannery Row restaurants, but most of them are touristy. Cafe Fina is my favorite, but Dominico's has more atmosphere and is a little fancier. I believe the ownership is now the same.

Sandbar and Grill on Commercial Wharf does offer an unusual nearly sea level view of sailboats and harbor.

Monterey is pretty informal, so jeans etc should be OK. You might want to pack long pants and jackets for the weather however. Sometimes it is brisk there even in August.

Don't miss the downtown farmers' market. All kinds of veggies and some veggie food options.

Thank you so much for the detailed reply. I returned the undrunk containers of water to the supermarket and got a refund. I sounded like a science teacher explaining TCA contamination to the grocery manager. Thanks again!!

We all know about TCA contamination - cork taint - occuring in wine on occasion. Recently, however, I purchased some bottled water that finished with that same dull wet cardboard aftertaste that I associate with corked wines. Is it possible for TCA contamination to affect other packaged liquid products - such as this lousy water?