Kanok Thai, part 2

Part of the joy of discovering Kanok Thai Cuisine was realizing that we must have walked by it three or four times without knowing it, since it's tucked away in the upstairs of this rather nondescript building. Definitely a hidden gem. The downstairs has a bar - seemingly unused - and what looks like a women's clothing shop selling everything for 39.99.

Kanok Thai Cuisine

What a great birthday present: the existence of this restaurant! I was curious if Solvang had Thai food and when I looked it up this relatively new place popped up, conveniently located across the street from our hotel. Both the space and the food were top notch. I had "PCU Noodles" (above) which I guess is Pad See Ew but better than usual, while Mrs. had Pad Thai (below).

Wildling Museum 2026

 

Although the main exhibit hall - at least 60% of the museum's gallery space - was closed, that didn't stop them from charging full admission. It's not difficult to imagine Larry David taking issue with this. At least the exhibit that was open was excellent - photographs of the desert. This museum is now called the California Nature Art Museum, but I think I prefer the old name.

Good Seed 2026

 

After the sweets were taken care of, we headed to Good Seed - Solvang's most reliable source of fine espresso drinks. I would never have imagined that finding a good cappuccino would be easier than finding a donut, but this was the case.

Aebleskivehuset fiasco

My first hankering was for a donut, but when that proved problematic I decided to expand my Danish vocabulary and try a famous Danish pastry with a long name. That also proved problematic because the girl selling them couldn't tell me a single thing about them, undermining what I'd hoped would be a cultural experience. So I gave up and drowned my sorrows in an apple Danish at Mortensen's Bakery, which wasn't half bad. I've always liked the light in here. Mrs. had an interesting horseshoe-shaped pastry.

clogs

The clog seen here - an advertising display in front of a shoe store in Solvang - is visually appealing. I'm just not sure how comfortable wearing such things in real life would be.

mini Danish village

 

We checked the progress of the mini Danish village being built at a busy Solvang street corner. Whatever the story is behind it, it makes for some interestingly weird photos.