Tag Archives: winecountry

kenwood dining-feature

Kenwood Inn Chef Says ‘See Ya’ to Gordon Ramsey, Hello to Sonoma

by careysweet4 months ago in Food.0 Comments

There’s London. There’s New York. Then, there’s Sonoma, and when the choice came to down to it for a chef used to working in the world’s best Michelin Star restaurants, the decision was easy. Sonoma rules. That’s why Chef Steven Snook has just taken over the kitchen at Kenwood Inn & Spa, direct from six years of sweating in the {…}

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Ring in the New Year with Sparkling Korbel Champagne

by jamesknight4 months ago in Wine of the Week.0 Comments

Many times I’ve been an advocate for the go-for-broke approach to New Year’s Eve festivities, but after the holiday shopping has been done, many of us find ourselves, well, broke. Fortunately, few people sweat the bubbly, as long as it goes “pop,” and a cheap bottle grabbed on the way to the party usually does the trick. But is there {…}

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Hark! Sonoma County’s Crab Season Opens

by careysweet4 months ago in Food.0 Comments

The Season Begins with Fresh Crabs Crawling Your Way We wait for it all year long, and finally, it’s here – the highly anticipated Dungeness crab season has arrived. These large, hard-shell crabs are a true Northern California specialty, renowned for their sweet flavor and pink, flaky meat, and are considered a delicacy among all seafood connoisseurs. Crab is a {…}

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Sonoma County bubblies sparkle for holidays

by careysweet5 months ago in Insiders Guide.2 Comments

Bring on Beautiful Bubblies for the Holiday Season Cheers. Salut. Skál. Whether your language is English, Spanish or Icelandic, the holidays are when everyone brings forth their best spirits in wholesome toasts to friends, family, health and, hopefully for 2012, wealth. And what goes best with a toast? Sparkling wine, indeed. So put some extra sparkle in your holidays with {…}

Go Retro for Your Sonoma County Wedding

by careysweet5 months ago in Insiders Guide.2 Comments

How About a Mad Men-Marvelous Marriage? Remember the days of jumbo shrimp cocktails, thick New York steaks served with a loaded baked potato, and a good, stiff Manhattan? Then, lighter meals came into vogue, with pan-seared fish, steamed broccoli, and an iced tea. Well. That’s good for every day healthy dining, certainly, but for a most memorable wedding, how about {…}

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Sweet T’s Slings its First Stew in Santa Rosa

by careysweet5 months ago in Food.1 Comment

The dinner bell is ringing in Santa Rosa, and the sound is sweet. Sweet T’s Restaurant + Bar, to be exact, which has just opened in the former Santi space at Fountaingrove Village. So it’s time to tie on the bibs, and settle in for some good, honest, sloppy Southern soul food, like Southern fried chicken served with biscuits plus {…}

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Truett Hurst Winery shows off Biodynamic roots

by jamesknight5 months ago in Tasting Rooms, Wine of the Week.0 Comments

While organic and Biodynamic farming is still perceived by some as a risky endeavor, who would have thought that the challenges would include belligerent sheep? When one of Truett Hurst Winery’s sheep – normally a docile sort – went errant in the parking lot, and decided that a visitor’s Lexus was its blood enemy, it went on the attack. Presumably {…}

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Check into Sonoma County’s Case Ranch Inn

by tina5 months ago in Deals.0 Comments

Russian River Wine Country Slumber, Sip and Dine Package Shopping and getting ready for the holidays can be exhausting. Why not treat yourself to a Sonoma County wine country getaway? More specifically, a fabulous stay in the renowned Russian River Valley appellation. Sunday through Thursday nights, through June 13, 2012, you can enjoy a fabulous package featuring restorative slumber at {…}

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Celebrate after Thanksgiving with great deals in Sonoma County

by tina5 months ago in Deals.0 Comments

The Thanksgiving leftovers are put away and the guests are restless. What to do now? Well, there are wineries to visit. Combine that with a gentle nudge to your guests to take advantage of fabulous lodging deals. Better yet, give them the keys to your house and book a fabulous lodging deal for yourself. Here are a couple of great {…}

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Freestone Vineyards 2009 Fogdog Sonoma Coast Chardonnay

by jamesknight6 months ago in Wine of the Week.1 Comment

It’s tempting sometimes to describe a wine more by what it isn’t than what it is, a pitfall that I often stumble into. It might be dismayingly unhelpful to the makers of wine, for one, and it’s a kind of backhanded smear on the other, nameless wines, entirely undeserved. I could say, for instance, that this isn’t a big, butterball {…}