Digging Deeper

California: Day 4 (October 4, 2011)

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:10:14 -0500

9:22AM: After we ate a light breakfast and packed up, we headed out to San Francisco...that is, after one more trip to the Oxbow Public Market for a coffee from Ritual Coffee and a pastry from the Italian Bakery there (Ca’Momi). I am going to get some chocolates, too, and possibly a bottle of olive oil.

10:36AM: We have to watch the weight of our luggage, it seems we are getting a little too close to the limit for John’s comfort, so no olive oil. Also, we opted out of the pastry from Ca’Momi (an enoteca, pizzeria, and pasticceria at the Oxbow Market, where we had some lovely little pastries when we visited this market on Day 2) because there was a Farmers’ Market in the parking lot. How serendipitous! It is there every Tuesday and Saturday. We found a guy selling bread, pastry, and pretzels, which all looked very “old world”-it turns out he is originally from Munich. He was wearing lederhosen and had a accent...I picked up on these subtle clues and asked him where he was from. (Actually, he was probably wearing bundhosen, since they were longer.) I asked him about some of his breads and pastries. John got a plain pretzel and I got a blueberry custard danish. We took them inside the market and purchased lattes from Ritual Coffee. Both the pastry and the coffee were so delicious! We went back to Annette’s Chocolates and made a purchase there, too. On our way out we stopped again at Ritual Coffee, so I could get a coffee to go. I chose El Ciprés, from Costa Rica. The drip method they use brings out all the subtle flavors of the coffee and none of the bitterness. It was delicious, even black, but I did add some half and half and a 1/2 teaspoon of sugar (to bring out even more of the coffee’s flavor). We stopped back at the Visitor’s Center to see if Gary was available. We wanted to thank him for the wonderful winery suggestions he had given us. He was not there, but I asked those who were working to pass along our thanks and appreciation.

10:59AM: Squeeze-In Hamburgers was recommended to us by Austin, at the Artesa Winery. It was not far out of our way so we decided to stop in to check it out.

11:28AM: So far today, we are eating like hobbits! We have had 1st breakfast, 2nd breakfast, and elevensies! First breakfast was at the hotel, just a little something...I needed some protein. Second breakfast was at the Oxbow Public Market, and elevensies was a squeezeburger with cheese from the Squeeze-In. They put a mound of shredded cheddar cheese on your burger, just before it is finished cooking, sprinkle some ice on the flattop around it, and put a cover over it. The ice melts and the resulting steam causes the cheese to melt down, forming a “skirt” around the burger. This overhanging cheese gets crispy at the edges and is quite tasty! I tried to take some pictures of our burger as it was being cooked, but the guy was too fast. I remember seeing this once on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives...not necessarily this particular place, but one like it. We had to try it but we certainly didn’t need a whole cheeseburger; I asked the guy to cut it in half so John and I could share it. Yum!

11:42AM: Back on the road, we are on our way to Muir Woods National Monument. We saw an interesting little diner on the way (The Fremont Diner, 2698 Fremont Drive-between S. Central Avenue and Burndale Road-Sonoma, CA 95476). It was picturesque, very retro, and John decided to stop. We took some pictures (we are such tourists, but I don’t care...you can’t be a native of everywhere!) and picked up a couple bottles of soda for the trip. John chose Cheerwine (a cherry soda) and I chose Dr. Brown’s Original Cream Soda. We will have to stop here the next time we visit northern California, the menu looked delicious but we could not eat another bite, we aren’t really hobbits, after all! They had an amazing-looking apple pie, and a salted caramel cake, which one of the servers said was so good!
We are seeing a lot of wineries along CA121 that we will have to investigate on a return trip to California.

12:18PM: Driving through Marin County toward San Rafael.

2:32PM: We just finished our hike in Muir Woods National Monument Park. It was wonderful! What lush, green beauty! I am not quite sure, but it is either the last, or one of the last, old growth coastal redwood forests. I took so many pictures. I hope most of them come out well. During our hike, we saw a deer in the distance-no easy thing, it was very well camouflaged among all the trees and brush. I could only see his head and neck and was not successful in photographing him, but I did see him!

Time?: After we arrived at the Marriott in Cupertino, our hotel for the remainder of our trip, we decided to have dinner at B.J.’s, which is completely surrounded by the Apple campus. John had the fish and chips and a nice hefeweissen. I had the pot roast. Whenever I go to a brewpub, or some similar type of place, I order a small sampler of their beer. That way I can try several beers without actually drinking more than one. I liked their hefeweissen, but their porter was somewhat lackluster, their brown ale was okay. Looking around, as we ate our dinner, I could see that this was likely a popular place for Apple employees, which makes sense, considering their location. After dinner we went back to the hotel and turned in for the night.

Happy New Year

Mon, 2 Jan 2012 11:23:14 -0500

I was asked earlier today to name one thing I was proud of accomplishing this past year. I chose not to answer at the time. I suppose I could have mentioned my job & what I have accomplished there thus far (no small feat for someone who was nearly technologically illiterate), but the thing that is most important to me I cannot really be proud about, because it was a work of grace done in & through me & it is a thing I could not do if left to myself. God has worked such peace, grace, mercy, & love in me & has enabled me to stand strong through some difficult things. He has kept my heart tender, joyful, loyal, & true. He has helped me to walk on without cowering or falling beneath the weight of the unknown. I am excited for what the new year will bring because I know I do not face it alone. I know, without seeing what is ahead, that it will be a good year. I know that I will continue to grow & love & rejoice. I know these things because God is good. He is faithful, kind, & true, & he keeps his word. I cannot take pride in this, it's his work, as I said, but I am rather awestruck by him & full of praise for who he is & what he has done. Happy New Year to all of you. May the blessings of the Lord rest upon you, may you know & experience the love of God in a new way, & may his peace guard your hearts.

California: Day 3

Mon, 3 Oct 2011 22:41:26 -0400

8:28AM: Showered and breakfasted and back in our hotel room to plan out our day. We know we will be going to Rutherford Hill Winery (the folks at State Line Liquor Store were able to procure for John complimentary wine tastings for us, which was a nice surprise). We will also visit Artesa, near Domaine Carneros (where we went Saturday), because Gary (from the visitor center in Napa) gave us a two for one coupon for that winery. Other than these two we are not sure what else we will be doing...just following our noses, I guess...we seem to have done well so far by that method!

9:40AM: On our way to Rutherford Hill and whatever else the day will bring!

I lost track of the time we arrived at Rutherford Hill, sometime after 10 or 10:30AM, perhaps. We had a lovely visit there. They have caves, too, which they use for their wine cellars, but we did not take the cave tour...another reason to return! The wines were wonderful. I was never a fan of Merlot, but after just 3 days in California, I am becoming a Merlot convert. Their Merlot was delicious, as was their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (which we bought, along with their Zinfandel Port, so good). It was a beautiful area, even if the day was overcast. On our way to the next wine adventure!

12:19PM: We saw Mumm Winery as we were driving along and decided to stop. Mumm makes sparkling wine, so we gave them a try. We tasted their Demi Sec, the Cuvee M, and the Cuvee M Red. We will not buy any wine here, I have definitely heard of Mumm and I am certain we can buy their wine back home. I like the Cuvee M and the Cuvee M Red. The Demi Sec is the sweetest, but the Cuvee M has more flavor. Even so, in my opinion, Domaine Carneros had better sparkling wine. They were more hospitable, too.

After Mumm’s, we thought we would check out Sterling Winery. John had been there several years ago and, while he was not impressed with their wine, he said they had beautiful views of the valley. Unfortunately, it was so overcast and rainy and, apparently, now you have to purchase tickets to ride a tram up there, that we decided not to do it...no point in spending money on something you won’t really be able to see well.

Instead, we went back to the Oxbow Public Market for lunch. We ate at the Pica Pica Kitchen. I had garlic yucca fries and an arepa perníl: grilled corn bread (think cornmeal English muffin, only way better than that sounds) split and filled with pulled pork, tomatoes, and avocado, with aioli on the side. John had a maize’wich (the bread is something like a corn pancake, only sturdier) filled with shredded beef and cheese. I didn’t taste John’s, but mine was quite tasty! They serve breakfast arepas, too, so we might have to come back in the morning.

3:22PM: It looks like we may not make it to Artesa, since it is pouring right now. Since we leave for San Francisco tomorrow we may not get to visit Artesa at all. We have no constraints on us regarding our trip tomorrow, so I suggested we might be able to take a little detour and do it before we head out to San Fran. John was more concerned about a low pressure warning our rental car was giving him at the moment. He was hoping we did not have a slow leak in one of the tires. He bought a pressure gauge so he could keep track of it.

5:38PM: We got to check out Artesa after all! It has been around for 20 years and is very modern in appearance. They cut the top off a hill, built the winery and wine cellars inside, then back-filled it in. You walk up a series of steps with pools of water at each level. Water flows down either side of the steps in channels. There are also fountains at the top. It is sleek and modern inside, as well. Gary, from the Napa Visitor Center, had given us a two-for-one coupon so we decided to share the two tastings Artesa was offering. We enjoyed their wines, but not quite as much as some others we have had. We did not purchase anything because we found out they distribute a couple of their wines and we will likely be able to find them at home. We took some pictures before we left. We could see Domaine Carneros across the way.

Back to the hotel. It was an early night for us, but we do have to check out and travel to San Francisco tomorrow.

California: Day 2

Sun, 2 Oct 2011 02:49:33 -0400

Well, it seems we really needed that nap we took yesterday, since we slept about 12 hours straight!

9:20AM: We got up around 6:00AM, showered (yes, I can take a 5 minute shower, I just prefer a 1-2 hour soak in my garden tub!), and ate a simple breakfast. I caught up on a few things on my iPad--most especially wishing our son, Nathan, a happy birthday...he is 27 years old today!

We are now on our way to Napa to check out the downtown area, some vineyards, etc. At 4:45PM today we have a reservation at the CIA for dinner (that’s the Culinary Institute of America, of course, not the Central Intelligence Agency).

9:30AM: Passing Valley Gate Vineyards.

9:33AM: Eagle Vine Golf Course...a golf course in the middle of a vineyard...we saw that yesterday.

9:40AM: Lots of crepe myrtles lining the road here in Napa-they’re lovely-we’re not quite downtown yet.

9:42AM: Downtown historic Napa.

11:45AM: Lovely stroll through historic Napa...we visited the Oxbow Public Market--LOVED IT! I had my first olive oil tasting at the Olive Press there. Yummy olive oil...I especially liked the Mission, Jaeger, and Karoneiki olive oils. We saw a coffee shop, Ritual Coffee, from which I wished we had ordered coffee. Their coffee is “dripped” through a filter, not brewed.

I tasted different chocolate sauces at Annette’s Chocolates: Chocolate Cabernet Sauce, Chocolate Port Sauce, and Chocolate Raspberry Liqueur Sauce. They were all good, as was the Butterscotch Sauce I also tasted.

John and I had little cream puffs at this wonderful place, called Ca’Momi. I had a milk and honey cream puff and a hazelnut cream puff...bite-size morsels of deliciousness is what they were!

We finally took our leave of the Oxbow Public Market (I hope we get to return, though) and continued our walk through downtown Napa. We stopped at the Visitor Center and were informed about some “can’t miss” vineyards by a very helpful gentleman with an accent I could not place whose name was Gary. He has been to Domaine Carneros (where we had the sparkling wine tasting) many times...he goes there every 14 days!...and said we had to try their salmon or caviar tastings, as well. I would like to have the opportunity to do just that! While there we picked up a set of beautiful olive spoons for our neighbors, Jack and Connie, who are keeping an eye on our house and picking up our mail for us while we are away. We also purchased a poster of Napa Valley Winery Doors.

As we left historic Napa we made our way to Rombauer Vineyard. On our way we saw so many vineyards, it is crazy how many there are out here! It is one of the places Gary recommended, which he said was the best place for Zinfandel. Boy, was he right! We tasted absolutely delicious Zinfandels, 3 of which we can only get there! They do have a Carneros Chardonnay (2010) and a Zin that we may be able to find on the east coast. Unfortunately, we have heard again and again that they cannot ship wine to Delaware (or Pennsylvania, Maryland, or New Jersey, for that matter). The Zinfandels were delicious, the setting was beautiful, and I got some nice pictures. Rombauer’s was delightful!

1:44PM: After Rombauer’s we stopped at Taylor’s Refresher, also known as Gott’s Roadside, and split an Ahi Tuna Burger, Chili Cheese Fries, and a White Pistachio Milkshake. John heard about this place, and their Ahi Tuna Burger, from Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, on the Food Network. It did not disappoint. There was a long line but it moved rather quickly.

After lunch we drove to the Charles Krug Vineyard (owned by the Mondavi family). They have nice wines which are available at home on the east coast. We tasted the following wines: 2009 Chardonnay, 2009 Pinot Noir, 2008 Zinfandel, 2008 Merlot, 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008 Vintage Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, and the Lot XIV Limited Release Zinfandel Port (which we cannot get at home, so we bought a bottle...yummy). It was a nice little unplanned trip, nothing fancy, but the first and oldest vineyard in Napa. While there, as we were tasting the port, we were told about the Prager Winery and Port Works, which was nearby, so we decided to check it out, too. The port at Prager’s was delicious and John Prager, the owner, was hilarious. Dollar bills are stapled all over the ceiling and walls, with names, addresses, and comments scribbled on them. He has a window full of bottles and stacked coins...and lots of dust and cobwebs. I told him it looks like someone needs to do a little dusting and he said, “Are you talking about my website?!” My sister-in-love, Patti, shares my fondness for port, I will have to tell her about this place.

4:00PM (ish): After leaving Prager Winery and Port Works, we made our way to the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, in Napa, where we had a dinner reservation. What a beautiful campus. John said it had once been a winery, Christian Brothers Winery, to be exact, and that he thinks it was a monastery before that.

7:19PM: I am in the car now and it is too dark to see well enough to write so I will have to wait until we get back to the hotel to write about our experience at the CIA.

9:09PM: Back at the hotel with John, relaxing after our “busy” day of wine tasting and eating yummy food!

The food at the CIA was so delicious, the wait staff attentive and informative--we loved everything! John and I decided to share a selection of small bites from the chef to start, their Tasty Temptations starter. There was a gazpacho made from heirloom tomatoes grown in the students‘ garden, bocacchino with pesto oil and heirloom grape tomatoes, taramasalata (made with cod, olive oil, bread, and lemon juice) served on a crusty piece of bread, fried green tomato with fresh corn relish, mission fig with gorgonzola, walnuts, and a balsamic reduction. She also brought out some bread and white bean puree. Everything was so good.

John chose the Seafood Stew: black tiger shrimp, mussels, calamari, peeky toe crab, clams, and fish (we forget what kind), served in a broth beautifully colored and flavored by basil. I dipped some of the bread in the broth...very light and tasty.

I had the Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop: served atop fresh white corn (off the cob) with heirloom tomatoes and padron peppers (both grown in the students‘ garden), with smoked plum jus, arugula, and a drizzle of olive oil. We shared a side of Duck Fat Roasted Fingerling Potatoes. I had a Zinfandel with my dinner. You know, I had never had Zinfandel wine before coming to California, but the Zins I have had here are lovely.

We decided to share a small selection of desserts: panna cotta, garnished with blueberries, a Russian Tea Cookie over chocolate sauce, a Fig Tart with almonds, a Caramel Tuille Cup Filled with Chocolate Mousse, another caramel tuille (disc-shaped) topped with a quenelle of Coconut Sorbet garnished with toasted coconut.

Everything was beautifully presented, a delight to the eye, as well as the tastebuds! One of the cool things about the CIA was how informative everyone was. Also, I was able to walk up to a couple of the stations to watch what was going on and to ask questions. Such a wonderful experience!

I have quite a few photos, and I would like to at least try to do them some justice, so I will present them separately.