California Dreamin' Part Two

After the bad breakfast experience the day before and another one that I won't waste time discussing, we decided we should just do coffee and a pastry for breakfast the next few days. The two that we went to were Peet's Coffee- very similar to a Starbucks and Bad Ass Coffee - a neat little Kona coffee chain.

The first winery of the day was Francis Ford Coppola Winery. It felt kind of disney-esque with all the memorabilia and the grandness of the property.  I thought it was a pretty neat place to visit with the props from his movies (Godfather cars, Apocalypse Now uniforms, Dracula costumes, etc.) I even got up close to a few of his Oscars. His Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon were nice but not exceptional.

Our next stop was another of my aunt's recommendations, David Coffaro.  We really enjoyed the wine here especially their Zinfandels and their red blends. The winery itself was pretty small but appeared to be quite a social scene during this event. They were playing loud music and lots of young people hung around here for awhile. We purchased futures of their 2010 Zinfandel (Neighbor's Zin) which I assume we will receive at the end of this year. 

We then headed over to Bella Vineyards. This place was really fun since you get to taste in their wine caves. While walking through, I couldn't help but feeling like I was in line for Pirates of the Caribbean at Disney World.  The wine was decent but nothing that I wanted to purchase. The only dislike about the winery is that they had some sort of a Texas theme going on for the event. We couldn't figure out that trend. But anyways...

Our last stop of the day was to Michel-Schlumberger. This winery was beautiful with their gorgeous gardens and fountains. It was reminiscent of an Italian villa. Their Cabernet Sauvignon was tasty.

Dinner that evening was the famed Dry Creek Kitchen. This restaurant is definitely on the pricier side and would be suitable for a special occasion or night out.

I had a glass of ISC Cabernet Sauvignon with my dinner. I ordered the Prime New York Steak Au Poivre with wild mushroom fondue, potato darioule, and candied red onion marmalade

 We didn't do the full course menu but we did order dessert to share after our entrees. We did a tasting of ice creams and sorbets. (Chocolate Earl Grey Ice Cream- my fave, Pomegranate Ice Cream, Coconut Sorbet, Citrus Sorbet, Pineapple Sorbet, Cinnamon Gelato) Then, they surprised us with a chef's tasting of mini-desserts which included a Samoa (yes, the girl scout cookie), Blood Orange Gelee, Chocolate Cake, and an Herbal Shortbread.