another day in paradise

May 21, 2009

birthday bubbles
i couldn’t have asked for a more perfect birthday! things started out very nicely: after sleeping in, josh and i headed out for a run in the sonoma sun — there is a path that leads straight out from our b&b through the town, and the air was crisp and dry. i did about 4.5 miles and josh took a break in the middle to play some basketball with a (lucky!) sonoma local.

when we returned, it was massage time! massages are a rare special treat for me (2-3 times/year, usually) but i love them. this was only the second time i’ve ever had one come to my hotel/b&b room — the first time was in hawaii on our honeymoon! i think this experience may have to become a vacation tradition. the masseuse i had did a wonderful job — lots of foot reflexology which felt amazing.

after that, we headed into napa with our friends for some champagne tasting!

first was domaine carneros.
as you can see, i look pretty pleased to be sipping champagne on my birthday! my favorite was the sparkling rosé that i am holding up in this picture
the tasting consisted of their classic brut vintage, the brut rosé, and “la rêve”, a blanc de blancs (made up of all chardonnay grapes).

josh + me. yes, i finally wore the orla kiely tank top! with white pants that josh got me for my birthday in 2005 (i looked on the label to check!).

after the tasting, we stopped for a quick lunch at taylor’s refresher in yountville. their simple (but high-quality) fare was a great contrast to all the champagne — i ordered a chicken sandwich with avocado spread that was great, and shared an amazing coconut milkshake that josh ordered on a whim.

we decided to hit one more winery on the way back — we chose chandon, as i have always liked their relatively inexpensive blanc de noirs. their tasting area was enormous — and it had a much more modern feel than most. part of it felt like a swanky club! we tasted 3 once more — their high-end étoile brut, the étoile rose, and a reserve made from 100% pinot noir grapes. these were good, but i preferred the carneros. or maybe champagne fatigue was just setting in . . .

doin’ time at lasalette
after a nap and some reading/relaxation time, we headed to dinner! yes, there was lots of drinking and eating on this trip. our birthday destination was lasalette, a portuguese restaurant in the town square. i found it on tripadvisor, and was happy to see that the owner of the inn recommended it as well (25 zagat rating — impressive!).

we were greeted with a surprise bottle of — what else? — champagne from our crew in miami (THANK YOU!!!)
with our bubbles, we enjoyed a delicious cheese and portuguese sausage tasting plate.
josh looked pretty happy, too
for an entree, i ordered off of the appetizer menu — i couldn’t resist the scallops with serrano ham served with sweet potato puree! the combo did not disappoint.

it was lovely and we had a great night. i will admit, though, that the restauranted-out feeling is starting to set in for both of us! don’t feel TOO sorry for us, though — i think we’ll survive.

5 Comments

  • Reply MyThy March 10, 2019 at 7:29 pm

    Happy Belated Bday! You’re an ’80s baby too! =)

    Glad you liked the CIA the last time. You look like you guys are havin’ a blast. Enjoy the 80+ degree weather for me!

  • Reply Siobhan Brady March 10, 2019 at 7:29 pm

    we’ll try to make sure to have a home-cooked meal then when you come! the farmer’s market in the am is a must in davis – let’s chat soon 🙂

    a birthday with so much bubbly – you are a lucky girl..

  • Reply Jess March 10, 2019 at 7:29 pm

    Your dinner looks so good!

  • Reply Susan March 10, 2019 at 7:29 pm

    Such yummy birthday food! Glad you had a good one.

    Looks like the hubby got some sun today??

  • Reply atilla March 10, 2019 at 7:29 pm

    We’re so happy you enjoyed the champagne and taster plate. wish we could have shared it with you . Hang in there with the over restauranting since it sounds like everywhere you’ve gone is great

  • Leave a Reply

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.