Shannon "Downtown Shan" V.'s Profile

Yolanda's is Classic Ventura. I remember having family dinners here way back in the day. A few weeks ago my mom and I went for lunch while visiting my sister who just had a baby, at the hospital.  When we walk in, I'm flooded with a happy nostalgic feeling.  So happy that I order a Top Shelf margarita, and it must have rubbed off because my cute as hell mom ordered her usual glass of Chardonnay but added a shot!  What?!?  Well we had a great lunch. It was the day after Thanksgiving.  We did the buffet, which if I lived in Ventura, I'd hit up all the time. It was great, make your own tacos, enchiladas, even a pasta alfredo! beans and rice and a great soup! The salsa bar is amazing with like 10-12 different choices!  Try them all!  The food is solid and the service rocks. The top shelf margarita was awesome, but I think it should come in a big proper margarita glass not a water glass. So glad this place has stuck around. We'll be back much more often.

We grew up in Vta and this 31 flavors has been here forever! We always loved the A frame "house" it's in. Well I recently went to bring my sister who just had a baby and was in the hospital, a cool treat. I decided to go retro and get her favorite she used to get growing up. When I ordered a "dacquiri ice freeze", the girl behind the counter looked confused. Apparently it's not on the menu any more. Well she was willing to work with me and we concocted a very reasonable facimilie and my sissy was so smily happy just like a kid! I wish I could remember her name, but she was very helpful with a great attitude. They have these great "cake bites" that we enjoyed also! I remember growing up we had friends who worked here... those were the days.... Gotta love Baskin Robbins! Thanks for the memories and helping keep them alive!

Two days after Christmas, me, the man and Bridget landed here for lunch. We were looking for a dog friendly patio on Main St. and I think we found the only one!  The service was great and they treated Bridget girl famously!  I think I had the best veggie burger I've ever had! It actually had real veggie flavor, I tasted the carrots and cabbage and it was light and even fluffy! Check out my pictures and then go taste for yourself. I was so glad I ordered it! The slaw is also good, not sweet or soggy. G did the chicken sandwich and was happy, the portions are huge.  Bridget got a few of the steak fries, so everyone was happy!  We love steak fries! They also have sweet potato fries and cold draft beer.  Thanks O'Brien's!

We made Bridget an appointment after hearing our sister rave about Ella's "mud bath"... I was like, "What?!?" Bridget needs that! So over to Woof we went from Downtown, the drive took about 12 minutes! super quick.  The shop is small and adorable! Although I could have, I didn't buy any goodies, just got Bridget the full service bath which includes the mud conditioner treatment.

She's an English Bulldog and in 5 years has NEVER let anyone cut her nails without both vocal and bodily dramatics. After warning Diane, I left Bridget and came to pick her up to find out there was no drama!  What?!? The groomer was really nice too, I think her name was Aida. Bridget's nails have never looked better and she's never smelled so good! She is soft and isn't scratching herself up, she has bully sensitive skin.  I would highly recommend Woof, it is a cool neighborhood shop with friendly people that genuinely care and are there to help you.  Bridget says, "woof, woof!! Check out my picture and thank you!"

Around the holidays this place gets so busy!  Tons of perfumes, lotions, cologne, even brands for kids. Get there early, don't be tripped out by the "get in line" system, a salesperson will call you up to the counter, let them know what you want, if you don't see it, ask, they probably have it. Once your list is complete, you take your ticket to the cashier and pay for your goodies. Go home, wrap, give, enjoy smiles and not only smell good, but feel good.

The salespeople are friendly and helpful. There is something for everyone. Good deals on name brand labels. Go for great deals for Valentine's Day and Mother's Day!

When you think baby shower, you may not think of a pirate-y themed, harbor side, restaurant/bar right off the bat, but give it a little more thought and you'll come around!  YES, we had my sister's baby shower at Blackbeard's BBQ and it rocked!! First off Chef Mark and his team were amazing. My sister and I visited the harbor a month or so before our shower date to find a place that was "us". After not being impressed by the Italian place, the Greek place or the French place our dad suggested the Pirate BBQ place. We were as puzzled as you probably are now at first, but we went ahead and took her 2 girls for lunch to check it out.

First off, Kate made sure we were super happy on the patio noticing that my sister was 8 months pregnant.  We ordered drinks and sweet potato fries while we took in the vibe.  We could smell the bbq and it smelled delicious. We could see other patron's food and it looked delicious. We decided to tell Kate our plan; she got excited and asked if we wanted to meet with the Chef/Owner. He came to our table on the patio and sat with us. We really felt like he cared about helping to make our event special.  We asked to try a few items and he proceeded to go to the kitchen, Kate came back with a huge sampler platter which included baby back ribs, his tri tip, bbq chicken, pulled pork and beans.... oh it was so much food! We had dinner too!  Check out my pictures.

Our ladies shower was AMAZING!! Chef Mark and the team set up the patio for us and a great buffet.  He let us decorate and basically "take over"!!  Our menu consisted of BBQ tri tip and chicken skewers, brown rice, the amazing beans and salad.  The food was so great, all of our guests were thoroughly impressed and several said they couldn't wait to bring their families back.  The harbor side setting can't be beat. It is the most scenic place in Ventura, if you are hosting an event or simply want to spend a nice afternoon in the harbor, give Blackbeard's a consideration, and they have a room upstairs for weddings and the like. Thank you so much Captain Blackbeard! We had a blast and can't wait to bring baby boy in!

La Bella Cucina is now La Gran Cusina. I had noticed a few weeks ago that LBC had closed and was anxiously awaiting a new spot..... Saturday night we were walking home from The Pantry and a gentleman outside repeating, "pizza, pasta, family style..." handed me a menu.   He informed me they delived downtown and I immediately thought, "Sunday night Pizza Party!!!"  We called right at 4:45 and he said it would take a little longer since they just opened and had to get the ovens hot. I had no problem with that. It ended up taking about 45 minutes which I thought was fine. He threw in a piece of cheese cake for "the extra wait".  We got a small pizza, a minestrone soup and a mista salad. The salad was fresh and the house dressing is amazing!! I could eat it as a soup!  The pineapple was super fresh on the pizza, crust was under cooked and the minestrone was carrots, celery, onions and zuchini (no noodles or beans?).  I tasted potential and will try again and hope you do too.

Our beautiful Aeron is restored to perfect condition thanks to Alfie! I took her in on Friday totally planning on leaving her and coming back in a week. He asked me to wait while he finished up with another customer and then went right to work on her. In about 20 minutes we were both back in the car on our way home, good as new!

Her compressor was shot. He replaced it and got her all set up for me. What a pro!Thank you!

I'm from Cali, not Philly. I eat avocado tomato sandwiches on wheat, not cheese steaks.  Was it the creative juices that were flowing at the Renegade Holiday Fair, the full moon, or just the brotherly love, that compelled me?  Who am I to question fate?  This seemed like a very "proper" cheese steak and I wanted one!  Turns out, it was quite proper, not overly juicy and messy, but quite tasty. Fresh chopped rib eye and loaded with onions. The cheese (I got provolone) melts into almost a cheese sauce consistency and the crusty bread was the best part!  It was $10 and includes a small bag of chips.  I can't say that I'll eat "one provolone with" every day, but I will appreciate a taste of "brotherly love" now and then.

My G man and I rode our bikes out to the old Cornfield yesterday to check out the Holiday fair. I was happily surprised at how big and well organized it was.  There were tons of vendors and everything was just beautiful  There were food trucks, I had a Cheese Steak!  There were plenty of clean port-a-pottys with fresh cold water sinks.  There was security, gorgeous men in beautiful black suits and ties making sure everything stayed chill.  And.... wait for it..... wait for it..... there was a..... BAR!  And..... you were free to cruise around and shop while you sipped! Now this is the kind of shopping I can get my man to join me in!!  Plus it was a gorgeous sunny day and we got some Christmas shopping done with fun!  We won't miss it and even considered riding out there again today!!

Things we liked: Wooden Ties!! so clever and $34!
Cute oven mits and hot pads made from vintage fabrics by Collision Ware (2 gifts).
I ordered some custom jewelry from Punky Bunny designs (a gift).
G man bought a bike top tube bag from Reclamation Dept (a useful gift for himself).
There were several booths offering all natural yarns.
Book Buttons.
Knitted and crochet blankets, hats and scarves.
Cute baby onsies and screened t-shirts.
Jams, jellies, honey, cake pops, candy.
Candles, lotions and soaps.
Lots of paper goods and stamps..... and so much more!

There are a lot of creative people out there, it  feels good to support them in the pursuit of their dreams.  People came from all over to come to do some shopping and enjoy the day.  There were families, kids, dogs, couples, the only one missing was YOU!  Go check out Renegade!!!