Beer and Bubbles Under the Redwoods

It’s been about a little over two weeks since my last post as life has managed to get in the way of my creative flow; however, during this time, I have had an opportunity to reflect on a wonderful trip that I had with my mother to Mendocino. What this experiences has taught me is the importance of simplicity and plain, old-fashioned fun and how they should be the most important ingredients in any occasion.

Let’s start with Mendocino. This coastal village has been a long time family retreat of ours and was the same place that Ashwin and I spent our honeymoon before jetting off to India this summer. The village is charming, tranquil, and has an all-around relaxed vibe. My mom and I had a three night, four day weekend planned for ourselves in this little haven, starting late Friday morning. Our plan was to stop at Roederer Estate in Anderson Valley, which is a winery that makes some exquisite sparkling wine. My mom and I had stopped at this beautiful estate on our previous trip to Mendocino two years ago and Ashwin and I also made a visit to the winery on our way up in July Each visit was pleasant and we enjoyed the tasting experience, even retreating to the outdoor patio to take in the spectacular views with a glass of bubbly.

The Roederer Estate tasting room sans snobby staff and patrons

Unfortunately, this visit was far from charming and relaxing. My mom and I met at the winery, dressed in casual but decent clothes and found a spot at the tasting bar and waited to be served. Our attendant had to finish her conversation with some middle-aged pseudo-rich guy who was bragging about his burgeoning wine collection…you know the type. Long story short, after one measly pour and being blatantly ignored by her and some older woman with a large set of keys (I think she was the tasting room manager), my mom and I just left the winery. The alleged manager looked right at us and went on to pour glasses for people who arrived after us. I had never had such lousy service at any winery nor have I ever felt so invisible.

I drove along Route 128 angrily until I decided to pull into the Navarro General Store to calm down and get a bottle of water. My mom joined me inside and we ended up purchasing a beer and a small bottle of sparkling wine (albeit bitter and made in Ceres, CA) and sat out on the picnic benches under the redwood trees.

Navarro General Store - a welcomed retreat on Hwy 128 on the way to Mendocino

We ended up having a great conversation and laughing about the whole ridiculous, pretentious attitude of the winery staff as well as the “Muffy and Biff” crowd that bellied up to the bar that particular day.  We continued on to Mendocino and had a wonderful, relaxing weekend, which I will detail in another entry. Right now, I just want to reiterate the importance of having a fun experience, regardless of what you do. It shouldn't matter where you are or even how you are dressed (just be clothed), as long as you are having fun and enjoying the company of those you love, whether it’s at a French chateau or a roadside general store in the heart of the redwoods.

Cheers!

Restaurant Review: Double Barrel Wine Bar

On Sunday my friend, Amanda, and I had the pleasure of having an exquisite lunch experience at Double Barrel Wine Bar in Livermore. Not only was the conversation and company stimulating, but the drinks and plates were definitely worth raving about. Since I live in the South Bay Area and Amanda is in Stockton, Livermore ends up being our meeting place because it is right in the middle. I found Double Barrel Wine Bar simply by using Yelp.

I made a reservation the Wednesday before, which was simple to do using their online service. I received a quick response back, saying that my seating request was reserved for Sunday at 1pm. At the time of the reservation, it would have been most helpful if the restaurant staff would have warned us about limited parking on Sundays because of the farmer's market that was being held right in front of their location. I had to drive around for quite some time looking for a parking space and ended up parking in garage on the other end of the downtown area. When I left the house I was wearing heels but after parking ridiculously far from the restaurant, I opted for the flip-flops that I had packed just in case (and am I glad I did). I had made a reservation outside but when I arrived there, Amanda was waiting for me at our saved table, which unfortunately was located near a screaming banshee child. The waitress was very accommodating and relocated us inside, which was much cooler and calmer.

The tapas menu was one page, while the wine menu was a nice booklet size collection of the many tasty glasses and bottles they had available. We started our meal with the delectable Artisan Cheese Board, which features three types of cheese from the local Cowgirl Creamery, as well as mixed nuts, flat bread, and port-infused grapes. The cheese was heavenly and we enjoyed every last bite of it. Along with our cheese board, we enjoyed some bubbles, me a sparkling rose from France and Amanda, a prosecco from Italy. Both were light and refreshing.

Artisan Cheese Board and Sparkling Wine

So many tasty options!

After about an hour or so, we decided to order some tapas, or small plates. Amanda ordered the Runny Egg Sandwich and I decided on the Tomato-Mozzarella Empanadas, which were a new item not yet on the menu. Our food arrived fairly quickly and the plates were simple, but beautiful. Everything tasted fantastic and were a perfect accompaniment to our glasses of bubbly.

Runny Egg Sandwich

Tomato-Mozzarella Empanadas

After our lunches, we explored the dessert menu and toyed with the idea of just sharing one dessert; however, there were so many heavenly choices that we opted to order two desserts. Amanda ordered the Meyer Lemon Tiramisu and I decided on the Campfire, which was an amalgamation of chocolate mousse, molden smoked salt, toasted marshmallow, and milk chocolate crumble. It even arrived on a wooden plate, which transported me back to my childhood, sitting in front of the campfire, making s'mores. I also tried their sparkling wine flight, which was a trio of tasty, international bubbles. My favorite, of course, was the $21.50 glass of NV Henriot Brut Souverain from Champagne, France. It was everything a good champagne should be, yeasty and crisp, almost like baked bread. It went beautifully with my chocolately dessert.

Campfire with the fabulous champagne

Meyer Lemon Tiramisu

Despite the hectic parking situation and my flip-flop breaking on my walk back to the parking garage (forcing me to walk back with one barefoot), my experience at Double Barrel was great. If you're looking for a good place for tasty small plates and a great wine selection, check them out. If you come on a Sunday afternoon, be sure you give yourself extra time (and patience) to find parking.

Cheers and happy eating!