{ Dry Creek Valley } { Wine Country Bikes } { Oakville Grocery } { Gary Danko }
The rest of the morning was spent reminiscing about the previous night.
Reality was sinking in and the boy and I could not believe that we finally
ate at The French Laundry. At Tartine, the line was long but we waited for
our ham and cheese croissants and iced coffees. Their croissants are massive
but so good there was no problem finishing one. I also bought a dozen of
their chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin and walnut cookies. If we had more time
to spend in the city, we would have stayed and enjoyed our breakfasts with
the morning paper. But the vineyards were waiting.
Recently dubbed by The New York Times as "the destination for all things
culinary," Healdsburg was recommended to us by California friends in lieu of
Napa. It is just a short drive from the center of town to three Sonoma
County wine locales: the Alexander Valley, the Dry Creek Valley and the
Russian River Valley. The region boasts a variety of superb wineries but as
yet lacks the crowds of toursists that flock to next door Napa. Healdsburg
is still a farming community even though prunes, which was the main crop
until the 1970s, has been replaced by grapes.
The boy opted for tacos across the street from Oakville Grocery while I
stood in a long line inside waiting for my order of mushroom, sun-dried
tomatoes and pancetta pizza. We sat outside the store and ate our lunches
under a big umbrella.
After lunch, we drove to Front Street to pick up the hybrid bikes I reserved
before leaving New York City. One of the owners, John Mastrianni, has been
in the bike business the last twenty-five years. He said he made the best
decision in his life when he moved from New York to Sonoma County with his
wife. I think the effects of his move is reflected by his accommodating and
gentle manner.
Once we donned our helmets, he gave us a map of the Dry Creek Valley
highlighting his favorite vineyards. The boy and I decided to bike the
twelve miles to the other end of the valley. We agreed to bike to the top of
West Dry Creek Road and work our way down to Kinley Road. From there we
would work our way back down, stopping at a chosen vineyard for a tasting
and rest. The weather was perfect for biking. There was a little breeze
coming in from the east. The midday sun was hot but not oppressive.
Our first stop was Bella, where the tasting was held inside a cave. They
have a limited production, less than twenty-five barrels, but all their
wines reviewed have received 90 or more points from respected wine critics
all over the country. Their Zinfandels were huge, lush, and would require
foods that were equally un-shy if one wanted to pair. The Syrahs by contrast
were tamer though no less vibrant in terms of fruit and flavor.
Next stop was the 125-acre Preston Vineyards, where organic vegetables are
farmed alongside the grapes. Picnic tables are set outside for visitors to
enjoy the wine with their food. Preston was the only vineyard that charged
us $5 each for the tasting. We tried their four wines: Zinfandel, Syrah,
Rousanne and Vin Gris.
We crossed over to Lambert Road and ended up at Passalacqua, where finally
we had some refreshing Chardonnay and a wonderfully crisp Sauvignon Blanc.
We bought a bottle of each and packed them in our bike bags.
Unfortunately, the Dry Creek Vineyard across Passalacqua was closed for a
special event. The boy and I decided this was the end of our tasting. We had
about six more miles to go before Kinley Road and it was almost 5pm. I
struggled on the way back. My legs were becoming weak and jello-like. I
frequently stopped by the side of the road. Finally I made my way back to
the rental shop. Back in our car, we devoured the leftover pizza from
Oakville before starting our drive back to San Francisco.
Dinner tonight was at Gary Danko. We had an 8:30pm table for four but ended
up waiting thirty minutes to be seated. The kitchen sent us amuses to enjoy
with our starter drinks at the bar. Since Sean is a vegetarian, they
prepared an extra one without salmon for him. It was a Tuesday night but the
restaurant had the busy buzz of a weekend crowd with all the diners around
us. As much as we promised ourselves not to compare The French Laundry to
Gary Danko, it was disappointing to see that the service here was not up to
par. Apparently tonight's performance was not representative of the Gary
Danko my companions were familiar with. When a restaurant charges $70 for
four courses, I expect the service to be better than what we received that
night.
When we were finally seated, they forgot to give us the wine list. We had to
request for it when the sommelier came to our table to ask us if we had
decided on wine. When I decided on a glass of Zinfandel the sommelier walked
away with the list without asking the rest of the table for their drink
orders. When they brought us a second round of amuses, we had to remind our
waiter again that one of us was a vegetarian. No one told us about the
specials until we inquired. It also took a while for our waiter to return to
take our orders. We spent four hours during dinner not because our courses
were perfectly paced but because we were waiting for our food to be served.
In spite of the service mishaps once the food finally arrived, I began to
appreciate what Gary Danko was really about. I started with the seared ahi
tuna with avocado, enoki mushrooms and nori. The lemon soy dressing was
almost too tart but the mushrooms and avocado provided the right balance.
The tuna was wonderfully tender and pink. The size of this dish could almost
have made it an entree.
Next was the roasted Maine lobster with chanterelles and white corn. Tarragon was the strongest herb in this dish and it tasted like it. I could have been happy without the potato puree because the lobster was rich enough to make the dish a complete meal.
I greatly enjoyed the frog legs wrapped in pancetta. The garlic puree was a
nice touch to the lentils and both kept the saltiness of the bacon at bay.
For dessert, I chose the apricot tart with almond cream and Beaumes de Venise ice cream.
The food was excellent. It was unfortunate though that I had to be there on
an off-night from the wait-staff.
Tartine
600 Guerrero Street @ 18th
San Francisco, CA
415/487.2600
Dry Creek Valley
Highway 101 to Healdsburg in Sonoma County
About an hour north of San Francisco
Wine Country Bikes
61 Front Street
Healdsburg, CA
866/922-4537
Oakville Grocery
124 Matheson Street
Healdsburg, CA
707/433-3200
Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves
9711 W. Dry Creek Road
Healdsburg, CA
707/473-9171
Preston Vineyards
9282 W. Dry Creek Road
Healdsburg, CA
707/433-3372
Passalacqua Winery
3805 Lambert Bridge Road
Healdsburg, CA
877/825-5547
Restaurant Gary Danko
800 North Point at Hyde Street
San Francisco, CA
415/775-1805 |
