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This Weekend: Fall & Julian Apple Days Festival are Finally Here!

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Fall is finally here and so is one of my favorite family traditions – the Julian Apple Days Festival.

This Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am to 5:00pm, head over to the Menghini Winery (formerly J. Jenkins) in Julian. Parents can sip Apple Wine, while the kiddos frolic in the apple orchards and go apple picking.

Across the way is where the real festival takes place with pony rides, panning for gold, pie eating contests, and more! Admission is $5 per person and children 12 & under are free.

On your way into town, make sure to stop by my favorite lesser-known pie shops without the long lines, Apple Alley Bakery.

The Grubdown:

Apple Picking

- tastes like cider, flesh is soft, Jonagold Apple

Menghini Winery

- not your typical wine, pale bitter apple 'n pear notes, Dolcezza Apple Wine

Apple Alley Bakery

- the best of both worlds, warm Apple Pie stacked high and is sticky sweet, Caramel Pecan topping and flaky crust, Caramel Apple Pecan Pie

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Happy Apple Days!

1150 Julian Orchards Dr, Julian, CA 92036. 760-765-2072.

Three Pies to Try at the Julian Apple Days Festival

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This year, I'm giving you over one weeks' notice to put your Julian Apple Days Festival trip on the books. The festival is held for two days only, Saturday September 24th and Sunday September 25th from 10am to 5pm.

There's fun for the whole family from Apple Pie eating contests to panning for gold, and Apple Wine tasting. Adult admission is $5, while children 12 and under attend free.

Around 45,000 people attend the yearly festival. And, if you're one of the lucky first 250 to arrive, you'll win a free pie server.

Here's where to put that pie server to use in downtown historic Julian, just adjacent to the festival.

The Grubdown:

Apple Alley Bakery - 2122 Main St., Julian, CA 92036. 760-765-2532

- the best of both worlds, warm Apple Pie stacked high with sticky sweet Caramel Pecan topping and flaky crust, Caramel Apple Pecan Pie

MOM's Pies - 2119 Main Street, Julian, CA 92036. 760-765-2472

- for me the melted cheese just adds another textured layer, but my hand model swears by it, gooey 'n rather mild Slice of Flaky Apple Pie with Sharp Cheddar Cheese $4.95

- could use more salt 'n cinnamon to spice things up, otherwise simple, tart 'n fresh with an impressive perfectly raised crust, Whole Flaky Apple Pie $14.95

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Bon Appletit!

Where to Celebrate Baby Back Rib Day this Labor Day Weekend

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It's official. The end of summer is here. Say goodbye to long days at the beach, late night sunsets, and barbecuin' on the grill.

Speaking of barbecue, here's where to celebrate National Baby Back Rib Day from LA to San Diego and even Austin, Texas.

After all, Labor Day weekend commemorates summer's last weekend before heading home to reality – so let's go big.

The Grubdown:

A-Frame in LA, CA

- lincoln log stacked, air-dried so they're not greasy, but honestly could have used more fat, Baby Back Ribs with Hoison Chili Glaze, bias cut Scallions & Sesame Seeds

Julian Brewing Co. and Bailey Woodpit BBQ in Julian, CA

- tangy 'n sweet sauce, kinda chewy 'n fatty pork, Half Rack of Baby Back Ribs with Side of too intense chopped Raw Garlic & Parmesan Fries and devilishly creamy Mac & Cheese

Lamberts Barbecue in Austin, TX

- the best of all the meats, tender, juicy 'n fatty in all the right ways, Natural Black Angus Brisket with Brown Sugar & Coffee Rub and House Pickled Escabeche

BONE Appetit!

This Weekend: Everything Apple at the Julian Apple Days Festival

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This week, as summer turns into fall and the apples fall from the tree, there's no better place to enjoy them than in Julian, CA.

The historic Julian Apple Days Festival takes place this Saturday, September 26th through Sunday, September 27th. There's all sorts of fun for the whole family, including pie eating contests, panning for gold, apple picking, apple wine tasting, antiquing – even street theater.

Here's a list of everything Apple to enjoy from hand-picked Apples to Butters, Pies, and more.

The Grubdown:

Apple Picking

- tastes like cider, flesh is soft, Jonagold Apple

J. Jenkins Winery / Volcan Mountain Winery

- not your typical wine, pale bitter apple 'n pear notes, Dolcezza Apple Wine

Julian Cider Mill

- like pureed crisp apples 'n lemon, Fruit Only Unsweetened Apple Butter

Apple Alley Bakery

- the best of both worlds, warm Apple Pie stacked high with sticky sweet Caramel Pecan topping and flaky crust, Caramel Apple Pecan Pie

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Visiting Julian is like stepping back in time. It's a quaint village with friendly faces and festivities year round. However, nothing beats Apple Days – the onset of the holiday season.

Next Week: Pumpkin Spice Lattes!

Memorable Barbecue for Memorial Day Weekend

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In the foodie world, Memorial Day weekend is all about the 'cue: 'Cue the sun, 'cue the fun, and 'cue the barbecue.

So for this three day weekend, I give you three of my top barbecue bites from sunny Southern California to Austin, Texas.

The Grubdown:

Bailey Woodpit Barbecue in Julian, CA

- juicy 'n tender with crunchy veg and a flakey bun, Grass and Grain-fed Smoked Tri Tip Sandwich with Grilled Peppers, Onion, and Side of Cole Slaw $8 (Half Order)

Kogi BBQ, Food Truck in Southern California

- cool cabbage crunch, traditional korean bbq flavor Short Rib Tacos with Cilantro ($2)

Lamberts Barbecue in Austin, TX

- the best of all the meats, tender, juicy 'n fatty in all the right ways, Natural Black Angus Brisket with Brown Sugar & Coffee Rub and House Pickled Escabeche $16

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Happy Holiday!

A new pie to try during Julian Apple Days

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This weekend marks the annual Julian Apple Days Festival. It's my favorite time of year to pick a variety of apples straight from the orchard like Jonagold and Red Delicious.

The 2-day festival brings fun for the whole family from pony rides to Cider & Beer tastings and a Pie eating contest, of course.

Speaking of pie, this year I bring you a – dare I say – better alternative to Julian's famed Moms Pie House, sans the hour-long wait in line.

Open 7 days a week from 9am to 5pm, Apple Alley Bakery serves everything from Strudels to Gluten Free Sandwiches and 7+ types of Apple Pie. After having just one bite of their Caramel Apple Pecan, old-fashioned Apple Pie will just seem like plain old Jane.

The Grubdown:

- the best of both worlds, warm Apple Pie stacked high with sticky sweet Caramel Pecan topping and flaky crust, Caramel Apple Pecan Pie

2122 Main St., Julian, CA 92036. 760-765-2532

Julian Apple Days are here again

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If you can recall, last year the hand model and I took A Day Trip to Julian and ended up missing the entire festival. While we enjoyed the stops at Mom's Pies and Bailey's Woodpit BBQ that ultimately sealed our fate, we vowed not to miss this year's Apple Days – come hell or high Santa Ana winds.

After a 3 hour drive in traffic and gnarly wind gusts, we finally made it past town and to the Apple Orchard across from Menghini Winery. Entering the orchard, we were greeted by a three-man banjo band and a nice old man at the apple stand. He handed us a small paper bag to fill to the brim ($10) and directed us towards the rows of apple varieties.

The Grubdown:

- best of the bunch, sweet 'n sour, crisp and super juicy, Red Delicious Apple

- mild sweetness that tastes and bites like a pear, Golden Delicious Apple

- tastes like cider, flesh is soft, Jonagold Apple

- tart 'n hard flesh, Granny Smith Apple

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The best part was being able to pluck the apples right from the tree to snack whilst shopping.

After we filled our bag, we paid $5 per person to enter the festival. The place was packed with knick-knack stalls, Cider & Beer vendors, "fair food" like Roasted Corn, pony rides, gold panning, and a good 'ole fashioned Apple Pie eating contest.

On our way back to Menghini, we couldn't resist the 5 for $6 J. Jenkins Wine tasting, including a home-grown White Apple Wine.

Don't miss next year's Apple Days Fest, which is always the first weekend of October. In the meantime there's still plenty to do in town. Check out my Day Trip Plan here.

1150 Julian Orchards Drive, Julian, CA 92036. 760-765-2072.

A Day Trip to Julian Apple Festival

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Last weekend the hand model and I drove southeast to the once-a-year Julian's Apple Days Festival, and then missed it. I hadn't been since I was 8, so memory wasn't serving me well. Neither was their signage, nor their website. (Information on the festival's whereabouts was via phone only – talk about small-town time warp.)

As soon as we got into town, we saw throngs of people and parked the second we found a spot (call it trigger happy from living in LA 9 years). Mesmerized by pony-drawn carriages, apple everything (apple cider, apple butter, dried apple rings, caramel apples), and the ridiculously long line outside MOM's Pie's, suddenly we had forgotten all about the festival.

It wasn't until we had ordered a whole take-home Flaky Apple Pie, devoured a quick slice with warm Cheddar on top, and purchased a 1960's wind-up watch necklace at the antique store next door, did we realize "hey, aren't we supposed to pay a $5 admission fee somewhere to pick apples and drink from the beer & wine garden?" Oops.

The Grubdown:

- for me the melted cheese just adds another textured layer, but my hand model swears by it, gooey 'n rather mild Slice of Flakey Apple Pie with Sharp Cheddar Cheese $4.95

- could use more salt 'n cinnamon to spice things up, otherwise simple, tart 'n fresh with an impressive perfectly raised crust, Whole Flaky Apple Pie $14.95

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After speaking to the lovely lady inside the antique shop, she told us the festival was about a mile east of the main town at Menghini Winery. We figured, "what've we got to lose?" (Besides our parking spot.) By the time we arrived, it had shut down and the winery stopped serving. Thankfully the coffee guy in the side room offered us a rare Heirloom Snow White Apple – with flesh, not skin, as white as snow – on the house. It was very crisp 'n juicy with a faint tartness vs. sweetness.

Driving back into town we stumbled upon Julian Brewing Co. and Bailey Woodpit Barbeque. We drowned our sorrows of missing the once-a-year festival in a gluttonous meal of stick-to-your-ribs down-home comfort food and hard cider.

The 2nd Grubdown:

- the star of the night, juicy 'n tender with crunchy veg and a flakey bun, Grass and Grain-fed Smoked Tri Tip Sandwich with Grilled Peppers, Onion, and Side of Cole Slaw $8 (Half Order)

- tangy 'n sweet sauce, kinda chewy 'n fatty pork, Half Rack of Baby Back Ribs with Side of too intense chopped Raw Garlic & Parmesan Fries and devilishly creamy Mac & Cheese $14

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Next year we (and you!) will have to do ourselves a favor by CALLING Tracy Turner at 760-803-4377 like their website lists, instead of just showing up. Thankfully, Julian offered enough charming distractions to make our day trip.

MOM's Pies. 2119 Main Street, Julian, CA 92036. 760-765-2472

Menghini Winery. 1150 Julian Orchards Drive, Julian, CA 92036. 760-765-2072.

Bailey Woodpit BBQ. 2307 Main St, Julian, CA 92036. 760-765-3757.