Tuesday, April 20, 2010

Friends, Fun, Food (and wine of course)

It was quite a weekend filled with joy and laughter, old friends and new places.  Saturday, was our anniversary, and after going to three stores to chase down cypress mulch, we joined our Cheers friends for another fabulous wine dinner.  Dine by Design catered with their usual delicious style.  Here was our menu and the accompanying wines.

King Salad (shrimp & avocado on lettuce w/spicy dressing)
2008 Ulrich Langguth Riesling ($12.99 at Total Wine)

Pork Loin w/raspberry chipotle sauce
2007 reserve Oak Grove Zinfandel ($7.99 at Total Wine)

Marinated Beef Tenderloin
2008 Columbia Valley Merlot ($9.49 at Costco)

Noodles Romanoff
2008 Mirassou Pinot Grigio ($7.99 at Costco)

Rum Cake
2008 Doulce France Vouvray ($9.99 at Total Wine)


Everything was wonderful, but my favorite dish was the pork loin, and my favorite wine was the Merlot. 

But the fun didn't stop there.  Sunday Kevin and Ashley took us to Raffaldini Vineyards and Winery.  It is about an hour north of here on US 421.  The view from their Italian-style villa was just amazing.  We had a beautiful, clear day with barely a cloud in the sky.  

 Upstairs on the piazza.

 A view of the mountains beyond the vineyard.


A beautifully landscaped rose garden.


On the way to the villa.


Patio overlooking the vineyard.

This was another wonderful day.  Since it was getting late and they closed at 5:00, we decided to forego the wine tasting and just enjoyed the nice weather, the scenery and the company.  We watched people parachuting in the distance like tiny specks against the bright sky.  

We did get a couple bottles of their Vermentino.  This is a refreshing white wine, delicious with seafood and shellfish and mild cheeses.  I look forward to going back and tasting all their wines.

Back in town, we wrapped up our day with dinner at Applebee's.  Today was quite a treat, and ended too soon.  Sharing good times, and good food with good friends was a great way to celebrate our anniversary weekend.

 

4 comments:

  1. It looks and sounds like a delicious weekend.

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  2. It was. I look forward to many more like it.

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  3. Linda, that sounds like it was the perfect anniversary weekend! The food was making my stomach growl :)

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  4. Talon, hi. It was great. Our caterers are part of our group, as well. Thanks for visiting!

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