December 2011
5 posts
The Lodge At Sonoma — Large Resort In A Small Town
SONOMA, CA—Though the City of Sonoma is a small town, it has an impressive selection of luxury hotels. Most are small to medium-sized with 4-80 rooms, but some larger area properties offer resort-style amenities.
At 182 rooms, cottages, and suites, The Lodge At Sonoma is one of the area’s few large resorts. But, of course, “large” in the town of Sonoma always means provincial...
Downtown Sonoma: New Chef & Tasting Rooms Shine...
SONOMA, CA—Yesterday, I left the office at 1:00 p.m. determined to “play hookie”. An industry event was being held just down the street at one of Sonoma’s truly grand hotels, The Lodge At Sonoma. The hotel’s internationally-renowned sommelier, Christopher Sawyer, along with several local winemakers had been noticing the myriad of boutique tasting rooms sprouting around the...
Another Must-visit Winery in Paso Robles,...
PASO ROBLES, CA—On a recent whirlwind trip to Paso Robles I made it a point to stop by some favorites wineries. My first stop was Lone Madrone.
They have been making wine on the west side of Paso Robles since 1996 and specialize in small-production, single varietals, and unique blends. Their annual case production is only around 3,500. That’s it. Their focus is on sourcing grapes from small,...
Another Meal at Roberts in Paso Robles, California
PASO ROBLES, CA—Recently, I promised readers of this blog that I’d stop by Roberts, once again, for dinner. I’ve had some very enjoyable meals there.
Creatures of habit, far too often, order the same entree over and over again. I’m afraid that’s me. We’ll this time, I decided to explore the menu just a bit. In the past I’ve had the Herb Crusted New Zealand...
Visiting Chimney Rock Winery in Napa Valley
NAPA VALLEY, CA—The other day, I popped into the very popular Chimney Rock Winery just north of the town of Napa on the Silverado Trail. They specialize in 100% estate-grown Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Leap District.
Though it was 4:45 p.m., Luke, my host, was very tolerant of my late arrival. Admittedly, coming in the door just before closing is not cool but I was in the neighborhood...