As a lover of dining French style and also San Francisco, this girl has enjoyed a meal at Jardiniere before. When a friend visiting from Toronto mentioned wanting to enjoy food and wine in San Francisco, Jardiniere came to mind. Known for their French-California Cuisine I though it was a good fit for a visiting […]
Rosso Italian Pizzeria In Petaluma’s Theatre District
I had heard about how terrific Rosso Pizzeria was in Santa Rosa and visited last week with a friend to enjoy the fire baked oven pizzas and the extensive local wine list. It was a lovely meal. On the way into the restaurant we ran into friends and local Sonoma County celebrities Cinnamon Metcalfe and […]
Fierce Napa Grapes Live On Mountain Tops
One day while waiting in the car for the kids to finish school, I noticed a lovely photo on my Instagram feed of rolling mountain vineyards with a light dusting of snow. Later that same day, more grapes with snow covered grounds. Checking out the caption, I was shocked to see that these vines were […]
Railroad Square Visiting Jackson’s Bar & Oven
Described by the Chef as “Wine Country Eats”, as a girl who eats in wine country quite often, I would agree. I’ve visited Jackson’s Bar & Oven in Santa Rosa a few times prior to this visit for cocktails and sipped a lovely rose water based drink to remember. The bartender at the Bar crafted […]
Napa Pine Ridge Winery Celebrates 35 Years
Whenever I visit Napa, I know I can count on one of my mainstay girlfriends to recommend great spots to stop, sip & enjoy. Jacqueline is a beautiful women both inside and out… and the girl also knows her wine…making her even more attractive. “If you have to ask if it’s to early to drink […]
Best Restaurant In America Says Open Table
St Francis Winery & Vineyards has been a favorite stop of mine for some time. Not only do they pour a fierce glass of wine, but the landscaping, tasting room, staff & atmosphere are lovely. I had visited them in the Fall recently when the leaves are yellow and the backdrop of the mountains beyond […]
Santa Rosa’s Flipside has a Steakhouse
Being a local to Rincon Valley…I still miss the evenings when we would head down to Rincon Valley’s Rita’s and have a glass of wine served by the fun loving owner, Kevin. He now has a wonderful new spot downtown Santa Rosa, Sprenger’s Tap Room, if you have a chance , stop in and have […]
Sea Stands For ‘South East Asia’ At Sea Thai Bistro
I was introduced to Chef Tony Ounpamornchal when I joined one of his cooking classes at Sur La Table. He was demonstrating how to make his famous Chicken Galangal soup for us in an interactive cooking event. I was hooked. His chicken galangal soup in coconut milk broth with clamshell mushrooms, cherry tomato and shallots […]
Visit Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen Yes, Please.
Enjoying a glass (or two) of lovely Pinot Noir in Healdsburg on the Dry Creek Kitchen patio is a good way to start the week. Open 7 days a week, even Monday, a rarity in the foodie biz, Charlie Palmer’s restaurant is sure to please. On this particular Monday , we had opted for an […]
Nature Reclaims Wine History, Thomas Lake Harris
Moving to Santa Rosa 12 years ago was one of the best choices I could have made. It’s a rough life here among the beauty of Wine Country. My dog has his pick of fine walking paths, trails and vineyards to run through. I walk my animals at least once if not more a day, […]
Elevated Cabernet on Mountains in Laurel Glen
Today I embarked on a return journey to Laurel Glen Vineyards. I had heard tell of a 94 point and a 92 pts score from Robert Parker quite recently. Time to finish a vertical tasting I started 5 months ago. I’m not actually a procrastinator, folks. I simply had to wait for them to release […]
Yay! Rain in Sonoma’s Wine Country, What Drought
Waking up to rain on a late January morning in Wine Country is not all too shocking, unless in happens to be 2014. Which it is. We haven’t seen rain around these parts in months and although it is not quite a down pour here today, any and all moisture is welcome at this point. […]
Sonoma Winter Wineland – Paradise Ridge
When Ken asked me if I wanted to accompany him on a trip down Wine Road… Twist my arm was the most obvious response in my mind. Not one to turn down an opportunity to sip at various vineyards while munching on small bite pairings, Ken and I make a wonderful pair of friendly winos.. […]
Little Zin Now & Then? Or A Lot… ZAP
Introducing Zinfandel outreach & education to thousands of consumers, market professionals & industry folk alike, The Zinfandel Advocates & Producers are ready for their biggest event of 2014. With only a few weeks until “Go Time”…I am hearing plenty of buzz about this world class varietal. This year’s event has been re-designed with the input of […]
A Little Slice of Italy in Napa Valley
“What is it you do for a living?” asks my 12 year old. I was owner of a web design business for the past 10 years and my kids could wrap their heads around this job description easily. I also imported & sold ergonomic chairs for several years across the U.S. Easy to explain. Recently […]
St Francis Knows His Food & Wine Pairings
Living only 15 minutes from the beauty of Mount Hood. Life is rough. Being able to enjoy it while sipping on a variety of lovely wines. Priceless. When walking through the mission style courtyard, a statue of St. Francis of Assisi points the way to the vineyards beyond. St Francis was a man who is […]
Macphail Family Wine Small Batch Pinot Noir
Situated on a rural farmhouse lane in Healdsburg, the recently constructed 4,400 square foot building stands tall in front of the rows & rows of grape vines. A small batch appointment only vineyard, the tasting room is kitty corner to the family home, both with awesome views of the land beyond. I had heard about […]
Hidden Treasures at Shell Beach Sonoma
Timed our trip out to Shell Beach perfectly for sunset views this time…always a plus when visiting the Pacific from the West Coast this time of year. With what seemed to be perfectly calm water & almost empty shores, nothing could have made our timing more ideal. Bodega Bay & the shores of the Sonoma […]
Osake’ Japanese Bistro Santa Rosa Dining
Ask my 9 year old where she would like to go for dinner and there is one overwhelmingly used answer for that question. The girl loves her sushi. Gary Chus Osake Japanese Bistro in Santa Rosa is a favorite of our whole family. We usually start with the Martini Prawns, another fave of my 9 yr […]
Iron Horse Vineyard, The View Is Hard To Beat
When you roll up the hill to the winery, it is obvious why the architects opted for an outdoor wine bar. Views, views, and did I mention the landscape yet? Situated among the rolling hills in the cool, foggy Green Valley, Iron Horse creates a mean glass of bubbly. With three tasting flight choices, there […]
Celebrating Exquisite Local Food at Barndiva
My first visit to Barndiva was for happy hour cocktails on a Saturday afternoon. I remember someone remarking that Happy hour runs all day here on the weekends. My friend Steve & I had been wandering though the Downtown Art market that afternoon looking for a painting and had eaten tapas at Willi’s earlier that […]