Monthly Archives: August 2012

Brut rose & Sonoma brut late release – Gloria Ferrer Winery

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Brut rose & Sonoma brut late release - Gloria Ferrer Winery
2007 Brut Rose – “Vibrant flavors of wild strawberry, rosehips, and crisp blood orange character.” 92% Pinot Noir/ 8% Chardonnay. Equally delicious with shellfish, crab, roasted chicken, sushi, or Indian/Thai cuisine. $9
Sonoma Brut Late Release – “With five more years on the cork this wine has developed into a more mature flavor profile.” 87% Pinot Noir/ 13% Chardonnay. Floral notes of honeysuckle, baked apple delicate hazelnut and honey on the palate. Delicious with shellfish, roasted fowl or sushi, or pair with triple creme cheese and fruit compote. $6
Gloria Ferrer Winery, Sonoma CA

Mmm, another delicious couple glasses of California sparkling wines! Very bright and fresh tasting. Be careful with the complimentary almonds though. They’ll make you keep going back for more wine, lol!

Gloria Ferrer patio
Gloria Ferrer patio. You order your sparkling wines and snacks at the inside counter, grab a table (preferrably on the patio), and they bring out your flutes as they’re ready. Very relaxing and easy.

Crispy squid – Farley Bar

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Crispy squid - Farley Bar
Deep fried calamari with jalapenos, lime, aioli. $11
Farley Bar, Sausalito CA

I have to say that calamari is one of my favorite appetizers ever! Who doesn’t love fried squid with aioli, right?! These were delicious and I loved the crispy batter and fried pepper slices. Everything was cooked perfectly and had a wonderful texture.

Wooden patio table at Farley Bar

Long wooden patio table at Farley Bar. I really liked the outdoor seating at Farley Bar. The tables are really narrow so everyone faces one direction, towards the Bay with a great view of the Bridge.

Anniversary cuvee & Va de vi – Gloria Ferrer Winery

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Anniversary cuvee & Va de vi - Gloria Ferrer Winery

Anniversary Cuvee – “A versatile accompaniment to a wide variety of appetizers from fresh seafoof to specialty cheeses.” 100% Chardonnary. Flavors of apple, baked Asian pear, vanilla and brioche. Bright citrus notes of Meyer lemon. $8
Va De Vi – “A classic sparkling wine blend with just a trace of Muscat that is dry, but not too dry.” 89% Pinot Noir/ 8% Chardonnary/ 3% Muscat. Versatile accompaniment with spicy cuisine, as well as fruit based desserts. Enjoy luscious flavors of perfectly ripened fruite that is revealed in a long, soft finish. $5
Gloria Ferrer Winery, Sonoma CA

Served with roasted almonds. I always love stopping by Gloria Ferrer whenever I visit Sonoma because their sparkling wines are delicious and perfectly priced. It always amazes me how differently these bubbly wines taste when sampling different ones consecutively.

Gloria Ferrer patio view
View from the Gloria Ferrer patio looking towards Highway 121. This winery isn’t too far from the highway so the views aren’t amazing, but their patio is great to hang out in if you can get a seat! This place is very popular.

Bloody mary – Farley Bar

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Bloody mary - Farley Bar

Vodka and tomato juice cocktail, garnished with olive, onion, caper berry and lime. $10
Farley Bar, Sausalito CA

The bloody mary was very good, but it was also a bloody mary from the other table that the waitress spilled all over the table, my leg and shoes! I wasn’t mad, but an apology (or some form of acknowledgement) would have been nice. And extra napkins to wipe it up, geez!

Golden Gate Bridge from Sausalito
The view of Golden Gate Bridge from Cavallo Point is stunning! A great way to start a Sonoma weekend trip.

St. Louis pork spare ribs – The Dancing Pig

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St. Louis pork spare ribs - The Dancing Pig
Pork spare ribs smoked in-house, dry rub served with a light barbecue sauce, and two sides. Half slab $14.95
The Dancing Pig, San Francisco CA

You definitely get A LOT of food! So if you’re looking for a great value, perhaps The Dancing Pig is for you. I’m a lover of bbq pork ribs and I’ll enjoy most preparations, but I wasn’t a fan of these. They had a weird grainy texture that did scream bbq to me! I was disappointed!

Collard greens and mac 'n' cheese - The Dancing Pig
Sides of collard greens and mac ‘n’ cheese. Noms, I loved the mac and cheese! They’re of that creamy, loose variety that always reminds me of those I had growing up. And as you can see the sides are huge!

Decorative urn and succulent, 17th Street

Decorative urn and succulent, 17th Street. I don’t like the fake greenery around the urn, but I love the wall mounted succulent – super cool!

Mimosa – Farley Bar

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Mimosa - Farley Bar

Sparkling wine with fresh squeezed orange juice. $10
Farley Bar, Sausalito CA

We decided to have a quick Sonoma weekend trip and stopped to have brunch at Farley Bar on the drive up. The food and drinks were really good, but one of the waitresses spilled drinks for the table next to us and totally stained by white deck shoes. I was SO annoyed but decided not to let it ruin my experience. She apologized to the other table, but didn’t mention anything to me. RUDE!

Cavallo Point field, Sausalito
Overlooking the field at Cavallo Point with the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco Bay in the background. The setting at Farley Bar is nice and relaxing!

Sliders menage a trois – The Dancing Pig

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Sliders menage a trois - The Dancing Pig
Three little sandwiches: barbeque pulled pork and cole slaw, beef brisket with chimichurri sauce and caramelized onions, and smoked chicken with lettuce tomato and aioli. $7.95
The Dancing Pig, San Francisco CA

The overal theme of these sliders was that the proteins were dry. The flavor combinations should work beautifully but the execution needs to improve. I will say that the price point is very good at The Dancing Pig! The food just needs a little refinement.

Pink and orange Lantana camara (Verbenaceae)
Pink and orange Lantana camara (Verbenaceae), 17th Street. I love that the lantana is still covered in morning dew. Simply beautiful!

Afternoon tea – Virgin Atlantic

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Afternoon tea - Virgin Atlantic
Mixed cheese and red onion finger sandwiches on white bread, scone served with Frank Cooper’s “Oxford” strawberry jam and Rodda’s classic cornish clotted cream, and coffee. Complimentary
London (LHR) to San Francisco (SFO), Virgin Atlantic

I’m not a big tea fan so I opted for coffee. I have to say that I really liked the finger sandwiches. They were really flavorful and the white bread with mixed cheese spread had a delightful texture and would playfully stick to the roof of my mouth. The scone with jam and clotted cream were also tasty and different. Yay!