So how do you prepare yourself for a day of copious wine consumption and crowds? According to my friend Gabe- blueberry pancakes and Peet's coffee. The fluffy, flour based discs definitely seemed to provide a nice, starchy base for what proved to be a marathon day of wine tasting. Unfortunately, they did nothing to improve the impending snarkiness caused by buses, idiot drivers and simply having to be around so many damn people (but more on that later).

Barrel Tasting or the Wine Road event is held during two weekends in March and spans almost a 30 mile stretch of land from Santa Rosa to north of Cloverdale. Featuring tourist destinations and major "wine stops", to the more intimate locations that are rarely open to the public, providing a rare opportunity to not only sample current wines, but try their "futures" right out of the barrel.


So, fortified with our floury, berry cakes, our group of four headed out to our first stop, Mounts Winery. And as we drove by A. Rafenelli I patted myself on the back for not trying to stop there first. I'm tempted to say it was a zoo that morning, but that would be a disservice to our fine Bay Area zoos. They are much more organized than that.


So Mounts Family Winery... Great place and awesome people (thank you to Dana, Lana & David). A tasting room that is really more of a covered patio overlooking miles of vineyard, it epitomizes the "hidden gem". While sampling from the barrels, you get to enjoy an amazing, untarnished view of the valley. It felt relaxed and unpretentious as well, which I think is becoming a rarity these days. It also doesn't hurt that they produce some amazing wines.

Their Zins (07 & 08- barrel tastings were great) were some of my favorites and the Cab Franc is excellent as well. And if it's a hot day, try the Rose- cool, crisp and refreshing. If you can find this place, you'll be in for a treat.There is nothing snooty about this winery. Just quality vino with super nice people pouring it. I couldn't think of a better starting point.



From there we headed north to Michel Schlumberger, which I would say seemed to specialize more in the Bordeaux varieties. Out of the two barrel tasting they poured, their Cab blend had a nice level of complexity to it (similar to their name, which I refuse to attempt pronounce, unless inebriated). Oddly enough though, we found the whites to be the most enjoyable. That being said, the architecture and setting is worth a visit.

From the winery with the name I refuse to pronounce, we continued on up Wine Creek Road to a place that is rarely visited- Gopfrich Winery. This place is open to the public, well... never. And it showed. You can call for an appointment, but the crowds of Wine Road weekend seemed to be taking a toll on the owners, in addition to the buses that complete blocked their driveway (despite the large No Buses Allowed signs).

Aside from being noticeably flustered with the masses, they still managed to pour some great wines out of their barrels. And the consensus was, the futures were a lot better than their current releases, which I wasn't all too impressed with. Their zin and syrah via the barrel was far and away the best thing they poured. Both seemed very well developed with bold, complex flavors not usually found at that stage.


From there we continued onward and upward to Bella Vineyards and Winery, which proved to be a great spot for a picnic, assuming you could find a table. Zin Restaurant was cooking up some pulled pork and grits, which were excellent, despite the large lines. There was one memorable Zin at Bella, aside from that, there were simply A LOT of people.

From Bella we ventured on to a few other wineries along Dry Creek Road, then hit up the Family Wineries complex, which looked like New Orleans during Mardi Gras... limos and buses piling up, blocking the road, drunk revelers staggering from stop to stop, and at this late point in the afternoon, the only way they could tell the difference between a white zin and a red would be by the color. Either way, after we parked in the back and worked our way to the festivities (without being hit by beads), I encountered what was possibly my favorite wine of the day.

Papapietro Perry Pinots- crazy good. They were pouring tastes out of three different barrels and if my memory serves me correctly, my favorite was from the Elsbree Vineyards, yet all three were incredibly tasty, smooth and rich with potential.

Peterson Winery- Also, in the same shared complex, was pouring oodles of wines, mostly out of their current releases. Nothing to overwhelming here, but I did walk away with a bottle of the Zero Manipulation, which is a Rhone-style blend, built on the old-vine Carignane, with small percentages of other varietals. It was a clean, fruity, easy to drink wine with enough going on to make it interesting.

Dry Creek Olive Oil Company- I'm not sure if I'd call it a palette cleanser, but the golden green elixir they are pouring here is worth a visit to the tasting room. Their Olio Nuovo, which is a bright green "New Oil", pressed immediately after the olives are picked, was amazing. Incredibly fresh flavor with an almost creamy texture and a peppery after taste. I would liken it to drinking fresh milk, straight from a cow.... Yet, I've never done that, so disregard. A happy afternoon for me would be a crusty loaf of bread and a bottle of that green goodness (accompanied by a bottle of Papapietro Perry Pinot preferably).

We stopped by a few other places after the Family Winery Festivities, Acorn Winery being the best of the late day wineries stops. There was one memorable moment though that stands out before we all slipped into a food (courtesy of Giorgio's) and wine coma... The discovery of the greatest wine cleaner ever. I'm determined to own one of these and use it frequently. It's like a bidet for your wine glass see video below). Brilliant.

An amazing day layered with sunny weather, wine, friends and some great food to top it all off. Wine Road 2011 is already in the calendar.

This place is destined to become a breakfast institution in Sonoma County, which is unfortunate, because that will probably mean lines like Hanks Creekside and Omelette Express. The good news, for now, is that this place seems to be flying under the radar.

Unlike the hotel that this joint resides in, it's bright and cheery inside and the food is a fresh take on the classics (where as the hotel itself is simply classic).

And they are doing those classics ridiculously well. We went on a Saturday morning and we're seated right away. Server was incredibly friendly and helpful, recommending her favorites and pouring coffee and bringing out our drinks almost instantly.



The menu could be considered short, but it encompasses all the best aspects of breakfast food (I'd go for quality over quantity... those 6 page menus always scare me). When the food showed up, I sunk my teeth into what was hands down the best chicken fried steak I've ever had. The veggie hash and scramble that my wife had was equally good with a mountain of scrambled eggs on top (see the pics if you need further proof).

I went to the Hillside Cafe back before Jeffrey took over. It was OK. Nothing special though. Now... The new Hillside Cafe... I can't really think of anything negative to say. But I'll be sure to follow up this review with another couple visits just to make sure it wasn't a fluke (and because I've been craving that chicken fried steak ever since).

Vegans Beware- Salted, Cured and Really Friggin Tasty Pig Parts is the name of the game in this meat factory. Tucked away in the SF Ferry Building lies a piece carnivore heaven- Boccalone. This artisan salume shop is a perfect fit for the Ferry Building, where good cheese and bread is a stones throw away. All the salami I tried was fatty, distinctly flavored and delicious. Plus, the dude who came up with idea of a piggy filled meat cone should be given a Nobel Peace Prize. I'd take that over an ice cream cone any day (unless maybe it was bacon ice cream)... Service here was friendly and fast and for $3.50 you can try 3 different salamis. If only I lived closer...

For one reason or another I've waited over a month to write this review. Maybe it's taken me that long to find the words that appropriately define the amazing experience there. Maybe it's taken me that long to remember the copious amount of food that I ate. Maybe it's because I'm afraid that whatever the hell I write here won't do this place justice. And trust me, it won't.

After a week long cruise to Alaska, stuffing myself with mediocre cruise food and watery drinks I was looking forward to spending my last night in Seattle at Crush. Having spent hours reading reviews on various Seattle restaurants, we decided on Crush (it was also one of the few restaurants open on Sunday, July 5th).

We arrived at what appeared to be an unassuming house. Upon entering, we were wowed by the minimalistic white interior and a beautiful bar that overlooks an open kitchen. It was a beautiful Seattle night, so we opted to sit outside on their patio. After perusing the menu, we opted to put ourselves in the capable hands of the kitchen staff. They had a 4 course tasting menu that we went for. And since I'm not a sweet person, I was able to sub my dessert for another savory dish (the servers were great all night).

We both started with a signature cocktail. I had a cucumber vodka concoction and the missus had a strawberry brandy something or other (it's been almost a month so I don't remember the drink details). Both were refreshing and there was an element of finesse to them.

A small bowl of "bread" started the food avalanche. It was actually more like an amuse bouche of cheese puff pastry. Incredibly light and tasty. Then a spoonful of tartare topped with caviar and foam was brought out. At this point, I knew that if this continued we were in for a good night.

What followed was plate after plate of O face inducing food-

1st courses- Japanese Hamachi Crudo Spiced Asian Pear- fresh, clean tasting fish, Ginger & Carrot; Asparagus Soup with Jumbo Crab- very nice soup with a pile of beautiful crab.

2nd courses- Maine Lobster Gnocchi Lobster Coral Butter, Tahitian Vanilla & Tangerine- buttery, soft pillows of potatoes, the flavor combination's for the sauce was also interesting; Grilled Calamari on a Bed of Chorizo and Onion- amazing! Sous vide calamari that was quickly seared. Incredibly tender. And the spicy chorizo and onions was the perfect condiment. The herbaceous green sauce that everything was sitting on rounded out the dish.

3rd courses- Handcut Tagliatelle Pasta & Caviar Sauce Sea Urchin Roe & Quail Egg- one of my favorite dishes that night. Sea urchin, a runny quail egg and caviar... seriously?! I'm so glad I replaced dessert with this dish. Amazing ocean flavor from the sea urchin, then a textural pop from the caviar and that silky yoke from the egg. This might be the perfect pasta dish. Very inspiring.; Sea Scallop on Caramelized Onion Risotto- nicely seared scallop, although slightly to brown on top and a little overcooked. Risotto was nice.

4th course- Glazed Painted Hills Short Rib Potato Gratin, White Corn Grits & Truffle Pistou- I had to continually whack my wife's fork away from my plate... like a pesky fly, she couldn't get enough of these short ribs and rightfully so. Fork tender, sous vide for 24 hours and painted with a dark, rich glaze and dotted with truffle oil... Simple, yet perfect. ; Wild Sockeye with English Peas- nicely cooked and I loved that they kept the skin on. A very light dish in contrast to the short ribs. And it's like a movie opening the same weekend as Titanic... it was hard to pay attention to the fish with those short ribs sitting next to them.

Dessert- Strawberry Tiramasu (I think... I was in a certifiable food coma at this point). I remember the bite I had being pretty good... for a dessert.

The night ended on a perfect note with us sitting inside at the bar, sipping another amazing cocktail, from the incredibly friendly and knowledgeable bartender, and watching the chefs diligently performing their craft. I wish we had another day in Seattle, if for nothing else, to simply eat here again.

That dinner at Crush embodies everything that a good dining experience should be. Perfect, friendly service that is neither pretentious or pushy. Beautiful ambiance in a setting that closely mimics the food. And a kitchen staff that knows how to deliver course after course of memorable, simple, yet delicious food. Having lived in "Wine Country" my whole life, I've ate at some impressive restaurants , but the culmination of the food, service and setting at Crush eclipse them all. One of the best meals of my life.

And knowing that I can hop on a Horizon flight out of Santa Rosa and be sitting on that beautiful patio in a matter of 90 minutes... An awfully tempting proposition. And a trip well worth it. Check out the video below for some pics.