A Day At The Gardens

About an hour north of San Diego is Corona del Mar, and there you will find a hidden gem, Sherman Gardens.  To celebrate a big birthday of my friend Jan, a few of us went north for the day.  We always have such a great time together.  Getting there is half the fun.  When we finally arrived, it was just about lunch time, so we spent the few minutes we had checking out the gift shop.  Beautiful scarves, handmade jackets, gardening books, and many beautiful gift items.  We lunched outside in the garden, with ducks and flowers all around.  It was perfect.  The food at the cafe is worth the trip.  They have a fixe prix lunch for $20 or $25, depending on whether you get the 2 or 3 course meal.

I had the most well prepared quiche lorraine I've had in years.  The custard was perfectly cooked, not overcooked and hard.  The quinoa salad with greens that accompanied the quiche was good too.  I started with a warm goat cheese salad and greeens in a vinegrette dressing.  Kind of a cheesy day, but delicious.  The crab cake on a bed of risotto was the most popular item on the menu.  Everyone raved about it.  Debbie ordered the meat loaf, a hearty slice of dense meatloaf with gravy, potatoes and veggies.  We also had a delicious beet salad and tomato soup as starters.  We ordered 2 desserts for the table:  an insanely lemony tart with a shortbread crust, and a flourless chocolate cake.  Both got rave reviews. 

After lunch we spent some time in the small, but exquisite gardens.  One section is devoted to succulents.  This was our favorite.  Artistically displayed succulents of many varieties, in pots, in beds, coming out of shells, you name it .  Beautiful.

Our next stop was Rogers Garden in Newport Beach.  The place was hopping on a Friday afternoon.  It is such a treat to wander around the nursery.  They have so many plants to choose from it's really overwhelming.  Candy for your eye.

A fabulous day was had by all, and we'll definitely be back to both gardens soon again.  A day out with the girls, fine food and beautiful gardens, now what could be better?  Nothing!  Happy Birthday, Jan.  (I won't say what number you're celebrating, but it's a biggg number)