Day Tripping to Oxnard, California

From historic landmarks to modern day restaurants, freshly-picked strawberries to interesting side trips, Oxnard  offers lots of surprises and fun for visitors to this seaside California community where you Diva on the go just spent three delightful days.

One of the original Five and Dimers still stands in the heart of the town.

 

Strawberry fields forever

Strawberry fields abound in the area and  fresh picked berries are sold at the weekly Farmer’s Market and  along the major highways that lead to Oxnard. We bought a bundle for ourselves and friends. They are soooooo sweet and delicious.

Tasting some mighty fine wines

A really big surprise was the Herzog Wine Cellars which we toured before settling down for tastes  with winemaker Joe Hurliman, a fun guy who obviously knows his grapes. Loved the Reserve Chardonnay with it’s vanilla nose and big, buttery taste, and the Syrah Edna Vally 2005, Alexander Valley Cab Sauvignon. They offer tastings  for a fee. We also ate at the Winery’s fine Tierra Sur restaurant, which impressed your Diva with exceptional fare prepared by Chef Todd Aarons, executive chef with an notable background.  Unfortunatley I only got to sample  a specially arranged menu which precluded me from selecting  what I might have ordered  from the yummy-looking menu.  I loved his Mesclun salad with baby greens, sugar snap peas, beets and balsamic vinaigrette.  I liked my chicken dish which was substituted for the duck course (your Diva doesn’t do duck), but would have preferred sometjng more interesting. Next time. It’s definitely worth a trip back, maybe for dinner. Herzog Wine Cellars, 3201 Camino Del Sol, www.herzogwinecellars.com. You should know that there are many little wineries around the area along with tour operators who offer personalized visits like Roadrunner Shuttle & Limousine Service, www.rrshuttle.com;  Santa Barbara Wine Tours, www.sbwinetour.com.

There’s a charming quaintness about Oxnard especially in  Heritage Square — an area built in 1985 to preserve the historical and architectectural ambiance of the turn-of-the-century city. 

 We even met the mayor,  Andres  Herrera (seen talking to visitors above) a charming man who has done much to improve  and help revitalize the city  which he is obviously very proud of.

The  highlight of  the trip, for me, was the day-long visit to Anacapa Island, one of the Channel Islands National Parks That’s my mate, Richard  and me during our two hour hike around the island.

We were on the island during  nesting season and witnessed slews of  mother Seagulls sitting on their eggs or protecting their impossibly adorable  young. Should you, however, get too close they will fly over your head and poop on you (no joke) so Richard has a remedy, he fought them off by waving his hiking poles….

On the way back to land we spotted hordes of dolphin but alas my photos didn’t come out so use your imagination…..

Okay I have to go now but I’ll be adding more stuff later so come on back to hear about other things we did in and around beautiful downtown Oxnard.

 

For everything else you wanted to know about Oxnard visit:  www.visitoxnard.com

 

Fuel for the Trip was provided by area restaurants listed in order of personal favorites:

 Tierra Sur, at Herzog Wine Cellars, with its super chef , Todd Aarons has the potential for a 4 star rating. Since I was an invited guest with a fixed menu (spicy purple haze carrot soup with coconut and mint cream, which was a fave rave of our group; duck confit with tomato rhubarb and stuff which I didn’t try, opting for a chicken version of the same that was fine;  and a Magrath farms frozen strawberry custard with a Moorpark blueberry beignet (I ate the custard, it was good). I would have preferred to order what I wanted,  but what I had had major promise.

  

Moqueca, a waterfront Brazilian restaurant where we consumed lots of different dishes–all good, not exceptional, but worth a visit when you’re in the mood for ethnic cuisine. I ordered a steak for my entree that was cooked right and tender but unexciting. The flan and peanut butter Pave De Amendoim were awesome, though. 3550  S Harbor Blvd., Suite 201, www.moquecarestaurant.com.  2  1/2 stars.

  

Capistrano’s Restaurant, the fine dining room at the  Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Hotel & Resort. We ate in private wine cellar-like room with a beautifully set table, the Caesar salad earned 4 stars, but the rest of the meal lacked pizzazz. My salmon was okay but over-cooked and while they called it “mango salmon” there wasn’t enough of the tropical fruit to give it flavor. They do a mean dessert presentation and the Herzog wines paired well during the long evening.  www.embasssysuites.com. 3 stars

 

La Dolce Vita in Heritage Square is a charming spot with an adjacent wine tasting room, Rancho Ventavo Cellars (www.rvcellars.com),  where our evening began with samples of their Spanish reds (they don’t do whites, much to my Chard-loving chagrin). But I must say I enjoyed the Pinot Noir, which was also served at dinner. We dined upstairs at La Dolce Vita. Unfortunately my angel hair pasta, that accompanied chicken piccata, was mushy, really overcooked, the piccata lacked Italian brio. One of my dining companions complained his pasta was also overcooked. However others in our group seemed to take great pleasure in the repast especially the warmed chocolate chip bread pudding with caramel sauce and glazed walnuts (I opted for the mango sorbet). All a matter of taste. Anyhow it’s worth a try if you’re in the area. www.theldv.com. 2 stars

 

Trip headquarters– we were based at the Residence Inn by Marriott at River Ridge, a first for this travel diva used to more luxe confines like Ritz Carltons, Four Seasons, Montage, Hotel Bel-Air et al , that sport spas, fitness centers, two bathroom accommodations  with double basin sinks (our studio apartment had one tiny bathroom but it did come with a full kitchen, flat screen TV and a queen size bed with a  rather lumpy, soft mattress). I can appreciate its appeal to  budget seeking families especailly considering the fextensive complimentary breakfast (scrambled eggs, sausage, potatoes, oatmeal,cold cereal, really good ripe,fresh fruit mix, granola, breads, pastries, beverages). The hotel has two pools, tennis courts, a miniscule fitness room and Jacuzzis.  Rates vary in this recessionary era but our studio was about $180 a night with all the added taxes etc. www.residenceinn.com/oxrri.

 

We also took a reminder look at the Embassy Suites, where my husband and I stayed several years ago, this is a more luxurious and Diva-friendly property with added amenities and better appointed suites. Perks include free morning meals (eggs cooked to order, not mass-produced vats, and lots of other choices)  and two drinks and snacks at the evening cocktail party. But it’s smack on the beach and boasts that it is the only all-suite facility on a California coastline beach.  Your diva definitely recommends this for more discerning travelers (there’s a spa, fitness facility, restaurants, boutique), and beach

 buffs, it’s literally steps from the sand. Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach Hotel & Resort, www.mandalaybeach.embassysuites.com

 

I was truly amazed with the amount of diversions available in and around Oxnard. It’s truly a must-see destination, especially the Channel Islands….