In the interest of improving my blogging rate, some posts will remain picture-less. I mean, it honestly has nothing to do with being a photographer's wife who never seems to get to even look at pictures he's taken much less ACTUALLY get something to put up on the blog.... yes, the whole cobbler's-wife-never-has-shoes syndrome. Moving along.
We had planned this weekend back in September, and I had been looking forward to it ever since. We drove up to Solvang on Friday night, and spent Saturday and Sunday with our friends Alias and Helen and their adorable little boys Elijah and Jason. On the drive up Friday we stopped and had dinner in Santa Barbara with our friend Linda. Linda is one of our favorite people, and dinner with her is always a lot of fun. She picks delicious restaurants, and the conversation is never dull. This evening we dined at a place called Elements. If you are ever passing through Santa Barbara and are looking for a quiet place for dinner with great wine, drinks, and food, this is one to try. The atmosphere was relaxed, the wait staff attentive and friendly, and the food was delicious. It was a harbinger of what was to come for the rest of our little trip.
We arrived very late Friday night at the Kronborg Inn in Solvang, where we have stayed before. As chance would have it, we were booked into a room right next to Alias and Helen and the boys! It even had one of the connecting doors, which meant when the boys were put down for the night Helen and Alias could hang out in our room and we stayed up late chatting. But I am getting ahead of myself. I heard little voices bright and early Saturday morning, and Jay and I got up and headed into town where we had breakfast at the Greenhouse Cafe. The latte and coffee were fantastic, as was the meal. We then headed off to meet with our friends at the Los Olivos Grocery where we buy fresh bread, cheeses, meats, and fruit for a picnic at whatever winery we end up at. Jay and I selected an loaf of olive bread, fresh figs, a smoked cheese, and prosciutto. Then began the wine tasting.
Our first stop was Curtis Winery, and they had their late harvest Viognier, which is the closest one can get to an ice wine outside of Canada or Germany. We bought one bottle to put aside for Christmas, and also picked up a chilled Rose for our lunch. We are members at Curtis and so also picked up our November shipment. We then ended up at Fess Parker, where we had our lunch. Fess Parker has an enormous rolling lawn perfect for children to run and play, and the boys did just that. They were even joined by a neighbor's Jack Russell terrier who helped them chase after their soccer ball! Helen and I continued playing outside with the kiddos while Alias and Jason tasted inside. On this stop, Jay picked up a Syrah for our Christmas dinner in San Antonio, which he claims is one of the best he's ever tasted. I am looking forward to trying it!
After the boys' naps that afternoon we had a 6:00 reservation for dinner at Los Olivos Wine Merchant Cafe. That dinner was soooo good! I honestly cannot remember what Jay had, but Helen had the risotto and I had the pumpkin gnocchi, which came in a parsnip cream sauce sprinkled with pomegranate arils and parmesan cheese. Excellent. We split a bottle of zinfandel, and for dessert I had the best creme brulee I've ever eaten, Helen and the boys split the Chocolate Scream, and Alias had the Apple Honey Tart. What a wonderful dinner it was, and the boys were very well-behaved. We were stuffed and exhausted, and after an evening of conversation we all headed to our beds.
The next morning Jay and I had breakfast at the Solvang Restaurant, where we finally tried Aebleskiver, a Danish delicacy. We wandered into the Antique Center as we always do, then met with Helen and Alias and the boys to walk town a bit more. Jay and Alias tasted at the Mandolina tasting room in town before we left, and this time Jay brought home a Pinot Grigio. I drove us home while Jay finished reading the latest Robert Jordan book in the Wheel of Time series. We got back in time to tidy up and buy groceries, then get ready for another busy week of work.
We now have 40 bottles of wine at home and are in desperate need of friends to help us drink them... anyone up for a visit?
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