Trip Report- California 5/30-6/7-08
Jun 15th, 2008, 07:43 AM
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Trip Report- California 5/30-6/7-08
I flew on Southwest Airlines from STL to Sacramento on Friday, May 30th. The flight went without a hitch and my friend Kathy picked me up around 8:40 p.m.
Saturday, May 31st
We spent the day in downtown Placerville, which is known as Hang town. It is on Highway 50 enroute to Lake Tahoe so on Friday afternoons the traffic gets a little bit backed up from all the people heading there for the weekend. It is a nice little town in the Sierra foothills with lots of wineries; fresh produce markets, and orchards in the surrounding area. We shopped all day in the downtown and had lunch at a very popular restaurant call the Heyday Café. I purchased several items at Winterhill Olive Oil Company; 7 year aged balsamic vinegar, blackberry honey, Hawaiian salt, lavender chocolate and organic fair trade coffee. We also tried several of the olive oils. At Tony Matthews Store, we tasted several foods that the chef Tracy was serving using Robert Rothschild and Earth & Vine products. We tasted wine at the Winesmith and at Auriga winery tasting rooms.
For dinner, we drove about 30 minutes to the Gold vine Grill in Somerset. We dined on Artichoke appetizer, a delicious fresh salad, Calamari Dore, Egg battered calamari steaks sautéed with white wine, capers and lemon and butter, Croissant Bread pudding (with a candle!) Chef’s most popular dessert…made with sun-dried cranberries, and served with crème anglais, it was outstanding.
Sunday, JUNE 1
MURPHYS TRIP
It took us about an hour and a half to two hours to drive from Placerville to Murphys. It was a beautiful drive through the winding roads along the countryside and the distant foothills, pine trees, and little gold mine towns like Plymouth and Sutter Creek. We parked in the Murphys Inn Motel parking lot at the edge of Main Street where we had reservations for that night (@ $80.00 rate), then walked to shops and restaurants in the little village. The motel was just fine, clean and very convenient.
Lunch at Grounds. Split an eggplant sandwich. The shops were nice, some upscale but I didn’t buy much. We both did buy a very nice necklace and earrings.
There were some nice galleries as well.
Sights to see were the Dunbar House B&B. Neat gardens and landscaping right at the edge of downtown. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers scene was filmed there as well as at the Murphys Hotel, which was owned by David Gerber, producer of the movie, at one time.
We drove out to Twisted Oak winery for tasting. Fun signs along the long drive up to the tasting room….one tree for example was filled with rubber chickens!
Loraine Winery…lovely old farmhouse built circa 1850. Named after David Gerber’s wife, a starlet from the past, who had starring roles in movies with Glenn Ford, John Wayne, and other big name actors of the era. Lots of movie photos all around the house and even in the bathroom! Great wine, only available there. We each purchased 2 or 3 bottles.
Everyone in town told us to have dinner at The Victoria Inn. The restaurant was called “V”. We had: Seared prawns, Deep fried olives, Grilled asparagus, and two other small plates that escape my memory but everything was delicious. Of course we had wine, which was always a must at every dinner the whole time I was there!
Monday, JUNE 2
Our main destination for the day was Ironstone Winery (about 1.5 miles out of Murphys), and it is definitely a destination!
We spent 3-4 hours wine tasting, lunch on the patio, looking at the gardens, amphitheatre area, museum, wine cave, jewelry displays, the 44 pound gold nugget, gift store items, pipe organ from the Alhambra Theatre in Sacramento. The gentleman pouring the wine was a very sweet 91-year-old man. Becky was also pouring and very friendly and welcoming. The resident cat hung out with us during lunch, which consisted of a Mozzarella, tomato, and basil sandwich for me and the Paella Special for Kathy. We shared a small bottle of Riesling. It was absolutely beautiful. I bought three bottles of wine and a very unique wine bronze metal bucket/ wine holder that I fell in love with.
Upcoming concerts in the amphitheatre include Cheryl Crow, Steely Dan, Joe Cocker and the Steve Miller Band, Boz Scaggs, Bonnie Raitt to name some of them.
On the way back to Placerville, we stopped in Plymouth, Ca. in the heart of Amador County wine country to taste at Villa Toscano, Deaver (great ports), and Renwood, where we each bought a cool cheese board with tools, a few more bottles of wine and other small items. We had salad, cheese and crackers that night because we didn’t want to cook and of course more wine!
Tuesday, JUNE 3
We left for Carmel at 10:00 AM. We arrived in San Juan Batista around 1:00 and had lunch at Jardines de San Juan. No roosters any more! Food is adequate; the surroundings are beautiful, with vibrant color. Cacti and flowers everywhere on the large patio section.
Drove through Salinas and stopped at the Ventana tasting room touted as the most award winning single vineyard in America, So far this year, their wines have already collected 53 medals from major national and international wine competitions. We proceeded to Carmel, and checked in to the Coachman’s Inn on San Carlos/7th Street. Rooms were nice and clean for reasonable rate. Right in the heart of downtown, a few blocks from Ocean Ave. We paid $119 per night and had a frig, microwave and a spacious room with table and chairs, coffee maker and very nice bathroom. They brought a continental breakfast to the room each morning with juice and muffins or pastries. The hotel also had lots of local information.
We went to Casanova for dinner. We had eaten here last time we were in Carmel and loved it. They started us out with first course of grilled asparagus, pasta, bread, red dipping sauce, olives, and roasted peppers. The wine list was immense, but we stuck with the red house wine, which was very good. We skipped the 2nd course (which made our 3rd course discounted by 25%). I had filet mignon and Kathy had a very thick pork chop…excellent! The atmosphere is warm and inviting. The waiter was fun and made the experience delightful. Highly recommended.
Wednesday, JUNE 4
We went to Carmel Valley Village in the morning. On the drive (Approx. 13 miles), we stopped at Chateau Julien, a winery that is a replica of a French castle. The grounds were gorgeous, with area artists painting scenes from the parking lot overlooking the vines and beautiful flowers surrounding the grounds.
Inside the wine tasting room was beautiful as well. There was a 2-story fireplace in the center. The tall glass windows included some stained glass and overlooked the vineyards to the rear. All the wines we tasted we tasted were excellent, including the 2005 Bravura Winemaker’s Proriety Blend, the one on the list that sells for $125. I bought 3 bottles, but not the Bravura! The wine hostess was very knowledgeable and we really enjoyed talking about wine and traveling with her.
In the village we tasted at Talbotts. This is the same family that created the ties/shirts that are sold in Nordstrom’s. They sell for approx. $125 retail!!! Ouch!!!
Neat outdoor shop near Café Rustica….lots of unusual items from around the world.
Café Rustica…sat outdoors. I had clams in a broth and artichoke with dipping sauce. Kathy had chicken Parmesan and a butter lettuce salad.
Back to Carmel to do a little shopping. Lots of unique shops. We noticed how many of them had sale items. A sign of the times. Checked out the Hog’s Breath Inn and scoped out a few high-end art galleries. One of them was exceptionally breathtaking. Richard McDonald, sculptures. He does Cirque de Soliel models, dancers, and other interesting things. One of the pieces we liked now sells for over $80,000. (We didn’t buy anything there!)
Dinner…The Highland Inn Pacific Edge Bar. It is four miles out of town overlooking Point Lobos (gateway to Big Sur) They were not serving dinner, so we sat by the window overlooking the ocean and had 2 appetizers, scallops and a cheese plate with a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Peaceful!! We just sat and looked at the ocean for a couple of hours.
From there we went back towards town and stopped at the Mission Inn Bar, owned by Clint Eastwood. We sat at the piano bar and enjoyed a mug of Kahlua coffee as the pianist entertained the entire room. He was classically trained in Russia, and worked in the industry with Clint Eastwood. His jazz interpretations of Rhapsody in Blue and others were exceptional. Kathy purchased one of his jazz inspired CD’s. This is a bar where locals hang out daily.
Thursday, JUNE 5
After checking out of the hotel, we drove to Pacific Grove. We walked along Lover’s Point briefly, then continued to Cannery Row in Monterey. Shopped and walked down to Fisherman’s Wharf, back to Cannery Row for lunch on the water at The Fish Hopper at 700 Cannery Row. It is the most popular seafood restaurant on historic Cannery Row. I had combination plate of fried shrimp, calamari, and cod with fries. Kathy had a shrimp/crab Louie salad. It was nice sitting there over the water, watching kayakers, listening to the seals, and enjoying the seagulls the waves lapping against the structure.
We picked up a few pretty shells at a little shop on the way back to our car, bought a treat of fudge at a candy store, and then we were off again! Arrived in Placerville at 7 PM, picking up a pizza at Papa Murphy’s on the way back.
Friday, JUNE 6
We had a picnic lunch at Boeger Winery on Carson Road in the heart of Apple Hill country. It is a wonderful site, very nice tasting room and great wines. It is 5 minutes from Kathy’s house in Placerville.
Then we went to Boa Vista Orchard store…picked up fresh fruits and vegetables, and bread, and lavender cookie mix.
Woffard Winery for the view sampled one cab ($30 a bottle) Good!
David Girard Winery near Coloma, Ca. on Rte. 49
Rhone style wines. Very good. Beautiful surroundings, a large pond, outdoor theatre-type area where they have concerts and special events. Many weddings are held here. Were having entertainment Friday night with a group performing Tony Bennett/ Sinatra covers.
Back to Boeger for their first of the season Sunset Sippin’ tasting and entertainment from 5-8 PM.
BBQ tri-tip on the grill with baked potatoes, a salad, fresh strawberry shortcake and 2002 Story Hilltop Zinfandel……very jammy and delicious!
Saturday, JUNE 7
Last day in northern California…in the foothills! Had lunch at Apple Mountain Golf Resort in Camino. Outside seating overlooking the golf course at Number 18.
Overall, I ended up buying a case of wine. I bought a box with forms at the UPS store for ten dollars and checked the wine on the plane as my second bag. Since Southwest is not charging for luggage yet, I really lucked out. I did ship my wine bucket and two other boxes of purchases back though.
It was a wonderful trip with lots of great food, wine, scenery, fabulous weather and great companionship.
If you would like to see some pictures from the trip go to <http://www.flickr.com/photos/nmbound/>
Saturday, May 31st
We spent the day in downtown Placerville, which is known as Hang town. It is on Highway 50 enroute to Lake Tahoe so on Friday afternoons the traffic gets a little bit backed up from all the people heading there for the weekend. It is a nice little town in the Sierra foothills with lots of wineries; fresh produce markets, and orchards in the surrounding area. We shopped all day in the downtown and had lunch at a very popular restaurant call the Heyday Café. I purchased several items at Winterhill Olive Oil Company; 7 year aged balsamic vinegar, blackberry honey, Hawaiian salt, lavender chocolate and organic fair trade coffee. We also tried several of the olive oils. At Tony Matthews Store, we tasted several foods that the chef Tracy was serving using Robert Rothschild and Earth & Vine products. We tasted wine at the Winesmith and at Auriga winery tasting rooms.
For dinner, we drove about 30 minutes to the Gold vine Grill in Somerset. We dined on Artichoke appetizer, a delicious fresh salad, Calamari Dore, Egg battered calamari steaks sautéed with white wine, capers and lemon and butter, Croissant Bread pudding (with a candle!) Chef’s most popular dessert…made with sun-dried cranberries, and served with crème anglais, it was outstanding.
Sunday, JUNE 1
MURPHYS TRIP
It took us about an hour and a half to two hours to drive from Placerville to Murphys. It was a beautiful drive through the winding roads along the countryside and the distant foothills, pine trees, and little gold mine towns like Plymouth and Sutter Creek. We parked in the Murphys Inn Motel parking lot at the edge of Main Street where we had reservations for that night (@ $80.00 rate), then walked to shops and restaurants in the little village. The motel was just fine, clean and very convenient.
Lunch at Grounds. Split an eggplant sandwich. The shops were nice, some upscale but I didn’t buy much. We both did buy a very nice necklace and earrings.
There were some nice galleries as well.
Sights to see were the Dunbar House B&B. Neat gardens and landscaping right at the edge of downtown. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers scene was filmed there as well as at the Murphys Hotel, which was owned by David Gerber, producer of the movie, at one time.
We drove out to Twisted Oak winery for tasting. Fun signs along the long drive up to the tasting room….one tree for example was filled with rubber chickens!
Loraine Winery…lovely old farmhouse built circa 1850. Named after David Gerber’s wife, a starlet from the past, who had starring roles in movies with Glenn Ford, John Wayne, and other big name actors of the era. Lots of movie photos all around the house and even in the bathroom! Great wine, only available there. We each purchased 2 or 3 bottles.
Everyone in town told us to have dinner at The Victoria Inn. The restaurant was called “V”. We had: Seared prawns, Deep fried olives, Grilled asparagus, and two other small plates that escape my memory but everything was delicious. Of course we had wine, which was always a must at every dinner the whole time I was there!
Monday, JUNE 2
Our main destination for the day was Ironstone Winery (about 1.5 miles out of Murphys), and it is definitely a destination!
We spent 3-4 hours wine tasting, lunch on the patio, looking at the gardens, amphitheatre area, museum, wine cave, jewelry displays, the 44 pound gold nugget, gift store items, pipe organ from the Alhambra Theatre in Sacramento. The gentleman pouring the wine was a very sweet 91-year-old man. Becky was also pouring and very friendly and welcoming. The resident cat hung out with us during lunch, which consisted of a Mozzarella, tomato, and basil sandwich for me and the Paella Special for Kathy. We shared a small bottle of Riesling. It was absolutely beautiful. I bought three bottles of wine and a very unique wine bronze metal bucket/ wine holder that I fell in love with.
Upcoming concerts in the amphitheatre include Cheryl Crow, Steely Dan, Joe Cocker and the Steve Miller Band, Boz Scaggs, Bonnie Raitt to name some of them.
On the way back to Placerville, we stopped in Plymouth, Ca. in the heart of Amador County wine country to taste at Villa Toscano, Deaver (great ports), and Renwood, where we each bought a cool cheese board with tools, a few more bottles of wine and other small items. We had salad, cheese and crackers that night because we didn’t want to cook and of course more wine!
Tuesday, JUNE 3
We left for Carmel at 10:00 AM. We arrived in San Juan Batista around 1:00 and had lunch at Jardines de San Juan. No roosters any more! Food is adequate; the surroundings are beautiful, with vibrant color. Cacti and flowers everywhere on the large patio section.
Drove through Salinas and stopped at the Ventana tasting room touted as the most award winning single vineyard in America, So far this year, their wines have already collected 53 medals from major national and international wine competitions. We proceeded to Carmel, and checked in to the Coachman’s Inn on San Carlos/7th Street. Rooms were nice and clean for reasonable rate. Right in the heart of downtown, a few blocks from Ocean Ave. We paid $119 per night and had a frig, microwave and a spacious room with table and chairs, coffee maker and very nice bathroom. They brought a continental breakfast to the room each morning with juice and muffins or pastries. The hotel also had lots of local information.
We went to Casanova for dinner. We had eaten here last time we were in Carmel and loved it. They started us out with first course of grilled asparagus, pasta, bread, red dipping sauce, olives, and roasted peppers. The wine list was immense, but we stuck with the red house wine, which was very good. We skipped the 2nd course (which made our 3rd course discounted by 25%). I had filet mignon and Kathy had a very thick pork chop…excellent! The atmosphere is warm and inviting. The waiter was fun and made the experience delightful. Highly recommended.
Wednesday, JUNE 4
We went to Carmel Valley Village in the morning. On the drive (Approx. 13 miles), we stopped at Chateau Julien, a winery that is a replica of a French castle. The grounds were gorgeous, with area artists painting scenes from the parking lot overlooking the vines and beautiful flowers surrounding the grounds.
Inside the wine tasting room was beautiful as well. There was a 2-story fireplace in the center. The tall glass windows included some stained glass and overlooked the vineyards to the rear. All the wines we tasted we tasted were excellent, including the 2005 Bravura Winemaker’s Proriety Blend, the one on the list that sells for $125. I bought 3 bottles, but not the Bravura! The wine hostess was very knowledgeable and we really enjoyed talking about wine and traveling with her.
In the village we tasted at Talbotts. This is the same family that created the ties/shirts that are sold in Nordstrom’s. They sell for approx. $125 retail!!! Ouch!!!
Neat outdoor shop near Café Rustica….lots of unusual items from around the world.
Café Rustica…sat outdoors. I had clams in a broth and artichoke with dipping sauce. Kathy had chicken Parmesan and a butter lettuce salad.
Back to Carmel to do a little shopping. Lots of unique shops. We noticed how many of them had sale items. A sign of the times. Checked out the Hog’s Breath Inn and scoped out a few high-end art galleries. One of them was exceptionally breathtaking. Richard McDonald, sculptures. He does Cirque de Soliel models, dancers, and other interesting things. One of the pieces we liked now sells for over $80,000. (We didn’t buy anything there!)
Dinner…The Highland Inn Pacific Edge Bar. It is four miles out of town overlooking Point Lobos (gateway to Big Sur) They were not serving dinner, so we sat by the window overlooking the ocean and had 2 appetizers, scallops and a cheese plate with a nice glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Peaceful!! We just sat and looked at the ocean for a couple of hours.
From there we went back towards town and stopped at the Mission Inn Bar, owned by Clint Eastwood. We sat at the piano bar and enjoyed a mug of Kahlua coffee as the pianist entertained the entire room. He was classically trained in Russia, and worked in the industry with Clint Eastwood. His jazz interpretations of Rhapsody in Blue and others were exceptional. Kathy purchased one of his jazz inspired CD’s. This is a bar where locals hang out daily.
Thursday, JUNE 5
After checking out of the hotel, we drove to Pacific Grove. We walked along Lover’s Point briefly, then continued to Cannery Row in Monterey. Shopped and walked down to Fisherman’s Wharf, back to Cannery Row for lunch on the water at The Fish Hopper at 700 Cannery Row. It is the most popular seafood restaurant on historic Cannery Row. I had combination plate of fried shrimp, calamari, and cod with fries. Kathy had a shrimp/crab Louie salad. It was nice sitting there over the water, watching kayakers, listening to the seals, and enjoying the seagulls the waves lapping against the structure.
We picked up a few pretty shells at a little shop on the way back to our car, bought a treat of fudge at a candy store, and then we were off again! Arrived in Placerville at 7 PM, picking up a pizza at Papa Murphy’s on the way back.
Friday, JUNE 6
We had a picnic lunch at Boeger Winery on Carson Road in the heart of Apple Hill country. It is a wonderful site, very nice tasting room and great wines. It is 5 minutes from Kathy’s house in Placerville.
Then we went to Boa Vista Orchard store…picked up fresh fruits and vegetables, and bread, and lavender cookie mix.
Woffard Winery for the view sampled one cab ($30 a bottle) Good!
David Girard Winery near Coloma, Ca. on Rte. 49
Rhone style wines. Very good. Beautiful surroundings, a large pond, outdoor theatre-type area where they have concerts and special events. Many weddings are held here. Were having entertainment Friday night with a group performing Tony Bennett/ Sinatra covers.
Back to Boeger for their first of the season Sunset Sippin’ tasting and entertainment from 5-8 PM.
BBQ tri-tip on the grill with baked potatoes, a salad, fresh strawberry shortcake and 2002 Story Hilltop Zinfandel……very jammy and delicious!
Saturday, JUNE 7
Last day in northern California…in the foothills! Had lunch at Apple Mountain Golf Resort in Camino. Outside seating overlooking the golf course at Number 18.
Overall, I ended up buying a case of wine. I bought a box with forms at the UPS store for ten dollars and checked the wine on the plane as my second bag. Since Southwest is not charging for luggage yet, I really lucked out. I did ship my wine bucket and two other boxes of purchases back though.
It was a wonderful trip with lots of great food, wine, scenery, fabulous weather and great companionship.
If you would like to see some pictures from the trip go to <http://www.flickr.com/photos/nmbound/>
Jun 15th, 2008, 08:17 AM
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I am so glad that you had a wonderful visit to Northern California. I live in El Dorado Hills and LOVE the wineries in El Dorado and Amador counties. I prefer them to the Napa area.
Many people do not realise how beautiful and friendly our area is. Thank you for a great trip report.
Did you happen to notice the Stadium Club bar in Placerville? The owners are close friends. It is a dive, but really fun to visit. It has a plexiglass floor so you can watch the trout in the stream that is underneath the building.
Come back and visit our area soon!!
Many people do not realise how beautiful and friendly our area is. Thank you for a great trip report.
Did you happen to notice the Stadium Club bar in Placerville? The owners are close friends. It is a dive, but really fun to visit. It has a plexiglass floor so you can watch the trout in the stream that is underneath the building.
Come back and visit our area soon!!
Jun 15th, 2008, 10:07 AM
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Hello jet, well you obviously had a beautiful time in California! I so enjoyed reading your trip report and furthermore it will be such a good source of information for Fodorite's wanting to visit California. I hope you and your friend will be able to take more trips together, it is wonderful to have a friend that you can enjoy travelling with.
Jun 15th, 2008, 10:20 AM
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jet519- thanks bunches for the fabulous trip report. I've been thinking of heading out to that area for a mini-vacation. (Actually, my sis and her hubby have a large home for sale in Fresno and I thought I could "base" there and do some long day trips.)
And your descriptions of the vineyards is exactly what I was looking for. A fun week of nothing but tasting wine!
great report! Thanks!
And your descriptions of the vineyards is exactly what I was looking for. A fun week of nothing but tasting wine!
great report! Thanks!
