Wine Country + San Fran Arrival

Just got to San Francisco. What a beautiful town. This needs to be a brief post as I'm about to run to have dinner with my buddy Aaron Weissman at the house of his lovely girlfriend, Kelly Kristal. I'll be meeting my friends Jeff Salomon and Ben Hittman there as well. But I'm running late, so here goes:

We left the Super 8 at 8am and drove to wine country. On the way we passed Mt. Shasta, an active volcano, and the most up-close serious mountain I've yet seen.

(This bad boy is due to erupt again in a few hundred years.)

Once we started passing through Napa and Sonoma, we saw lots of vineyards, and here are some pics.

(Sign for the Napa/Sonoma exit.)

(So many grapes.)

(A local vineyard house.)

We arrived at Emily's place just in time for a late lunch just before 2pm . She was there with her charming Italian boyfriend Marco, and they had anticipated our arrival by preparing a lovely salad with Strawberries and Monterey Jack cheese with a balsamic vinaigrette, in addition to a delicious pasta with a sauce composted of fresh mozzarella, fresh basil, and yellow and red tomatoes (the last three ingredients came directly from her garden). Yum.

We ate, Marco and I swam, and then we left. Here's the proof. They also grow fresh grapes on the vine in their backyard.

(Not quite olympic skills, but still fun.)

(Emily preparing our meal. Salad up top, sauce below.)

(Chester the Dog.)

(Grapes in the backyard. Lucky for me, they were ripe.)

(Beautiful Napa dining room.)

(In the pool with Marco. I am on a 6-person raft, he is riding Free Willy.)

(California. Nice.)

At 3pm, we got back on the rode and drove into San Fran, via the Golden Gate bridge. What an amazingly dynamic bridge design, from an aesthetic perspective. And the sweeping bay views are virtually indescribable. Here are some pics

(The bay.)

(Golden Gate Bridge. Rosemary on the left.)

(First sight of the Golden Gate Bridge.)

(Another great bay shot.)

(Your friendly chauffeur.)

We got to the house and, lo and behold, it was gorgeous. I mean, one of the nicest houses I've ever seen in one of the nicest neighborhoods I've ever seen.

(Such open space and great lighting. I am standing in front of 8 foot bay windows.)

(Not a bad crashpad.)

(The backyard garden. I was almost surprised there was no fountain or something.)

Also, before I left, I picked up this recipe from my friend's mother:

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Shari's RETRO DINNER

Prep Time: Per Package

Cook Time: Per Package

Approximate Cost Per Serving: $5

Ingredients:

1 Package Shake 'n Bake Original Flavor

2 Eggs

1 lb Fresh Chicken Drummettes (not wings)

1 lb Tater Tots (Frozen)

Applesauce

Salt

Directions

1. Wash chicken in sink while cracking eggs into a medium bowl, stirring eggs until homogenous

2. Put spice pack in plastic bag, per directions on S 'n B box

3. Dip each drummette in the egg wash before throwing it the plastic bag with spices

4. Shake (no more than 2 drummettes at a time) until covered with seasoning

5. Bake until crispy (according to directions)

6. Serve with tater tots (which should be cooked per package instructions), along with applesauce and salt

Note: This dish goes great with a nice Jell-O mold

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Ok gotta go. Sorry for the rush.