California, Part 3

(August 4th, 2012)  From the table to the vineyards.  Maybe that's the opposite progression of the eating philosophy that we subscribe to, but when traveling Northward in California, you'd be remiss for not making a foray into Sonoma or Napa.

And so, to Sonoma we drove.  First stop: Gundlach Bundschu.  Funny name, especially when it gets abbreviated to Gun Bun, but the easy mnemonic comes in the form of a pictogram:

Gun. Lock. Bun. Shoe.  Simple, ey?

One of the nice things about Sonoma is that you could rent a bike and tour all of the wineries that way, without worrying about driving after drinking.  But, for those of you inspired by that, be mindful that apparently you can be ticketed for biking under the influence there...I kid you not.  Go in a group, that will make things easier.

We, on the other hand, drove.  We had a picnic lunch that we had put together in Oakland the day before, and decided to enjoy a few glasses of wine over a lazy afternoon there.  Apparently I don't do the wine touring quite right as I just visit about one vineyard a day instead of the recommended 'as many as you possibly can...'  But, we had a good experience...until the bees found us.

The picturesque view from our picnic table at Gundlach Bundschu.

We ended up leaving there with a bottle of Mountain Cuvee to take home (thank goodness that we were flying Southwest: the first checked bag is free!).

Afterwards, we headed up to Cloverdale to get situated at our B&B (Auberge on the Vineyard).  Everything about this trip was planned pretty last second (as in, day of in most cases), so I'm still surprised on how lucky we were.  Auberge on the Vineyard was a wonderful and sweet little place...somewhat isolated, but perfect for running and relaxing.  The only complaint, really, was how far North it was...but if you're doing things leisurely, this isn't an issue.

View from the B&B.  Our window/balcony had a less obstructed view of the vineyard, but I liked this view just fine.

Dinner that evening was at Diavola Pizzeria and Salumeria in Geyserville.  Another hidden gem of the Sonoma valley!  First off, the restaurant was cute/well or simply decorated:

Above our table.

At our table.

 Second, the food was fantastic (I did say it was a gem, remember!)

Octopus!

The Inferno plus Prosciutto

Affogato.  Yumm.

Appetizer was grilled Mediterranean octopus, with fingerling potatoes, fennel, olio nuovo, celery heart, parsley, bottarga, and mandarins.  Grilling the octopus was a nice change from how you usually have it.  Highly recommended method for cooking eight legs from now on!

The main course was the Inferno Pizza, with roasted red peppers, tomato, basil, mozzarella, spicy italian peppers, and prosciutto added at our request.  We are carnivores after all, and our meal (not counting the octopus), was awfully light on meat.  The spice was just right.

And for dessert, Affogato.  You take the coffee, pour it over the ice cream, and dunk in the biscotti.  How had I never had this before this summer?  Where was I raised, inside an affogato hating cave?  Who knows, but I'm certainly making up for lost time...

Now, if only I had a bowl of Affogato for dessert tonight...