The Laughlins

After our wet afternoon in Caesarea, we drove into Haifa where we were staying for the night. We stayed at this neat little hole-in-the-wall place (The Port Inn). From the street, it looks like you're in a sketchy part of town, but once you get inside it is quiet, nice, cozy, and a real family-business that tries to make you feel at home.

We walked to the German Colony of Haifa where all of the good restaurants are, and Mark told me to pick one. The problem with picking from a street full of restaurants (which are probably all good) is that you know you'll probably only be eating at one of them the whole time you're there, so you want a good one. I picked from the "look" of the restaurant, because I like a great combo of food and atmosphere. It turns out that I made a GREAT choice (if I do say so myself). We ate at a place called "Faces." It was one of those restaurants with a diverse menu of "different" items, and you could spend a lot there, or (as Mark and I did), not so much, but whatever you order is of the utmost quality no matter what the price. Now I have to say that although I enjoy food, there are not many meals that were SOOOOO GOOD that I would still remember them in a year, month, or even one week. However, this made my list of the top 5 meals that I can still remember because they were THAT good. I ordered a foccacia (fancy pizza) with roasted goose, fresh rosemary, and honey (as the sauce). It was a melt-in-your-mouth meal. We got a big loaf of freshly-baked bread with melted pesto parmesan cheese on top and a whipped pesto butter spread. Even my basic side-salad was exceptional. Mark got a grilled chicken salad (that was huge) that he really liked too. We both had a drink and our tab still only came to about $30! Wow! If you're ever in Haifa, visit Faces.
Here is a video clip of the main street in the German Colony and the inside of "Faces" restaurant...along with pictures :)





We spent two nights in Haifa (in the Port Inn) and two nights at the Sea of Galilee (at Bet Bracha), and both places came with a full breakfast in the morning. That's how they do things here (for the most part). The breakfast at the Port Inn was very good. In fact, on our second night, Mark was lying in bed and said, "I'm already looking forward to the same breakfast again tomorrow." The mom (she was the mom of the family business) cooked up eggs/omelettes for you, and the table was spread with lots of toast, fresh cucumbers, red/green peppers, slices of soft white cheeses, slices of salty cheese, etc. They also had cereal, fruit, drinks, and a drink machine for hot cocoa, coffee, etc., which actually made good tasting drinks. It was very good.






Well, I guess this was my FOOD post. I didn't really plan it that way, but now I'm hungry, so I'm going to go eat! Coming next...tour of the beautiful Bahai Gardens in Haifa and Tel Dor.