Have you been wanting to take a trip to the California Wine Country? Napa Valley is one of the areas that is a must visit.
The harvest season is normally around August through October. This would be the peak season, so it will have larger crowds and hotels tend to be more expensive. If the large crowds are not your thing, consider checking out Napa from November to March. Local residents call this time period “Cabernet Season”. The crowds will be lighter and there are more hotel deals that you will be able to find.
Napa Valley has over 3 dozen wine grape varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are the most widely used but you will find other surprises like Albarino and Zinfandel.
Napa Valley is not just for wine lovers; it is also a foodie destination. There are 3 great culinary events that are worth checking out:
Napa Valley Restaurant Week: This occurs in January. It showcases the best restaurants with special offers that include multi-course and prix-fixed menus.
Calistoga’s Harvest Table: This occurs in September. This event has 10 or more local restaurants and at least 40 wineries come together in the center of downtown and set up a 1,000-foot table for everyone to enjoy food and drink.
Napa Table: This 300-person dining table stretches down multiple streets in the heart of Napa offering an eclectic menu of dishes to try.
Look at your calendar and put Napa Valley on your list of places to visit. Whether you want food, wine or both, you will not be disappointed.
Are you looking to explore Los Cabos? How about checking out a few roof top bars? Sip on creative cocktails and enjoy the views at these top rooftop lounges:
The Rooftop at The Cape: Located on the 6th floor of The Cape Hotel,
SUR Beach House: Overlooks Medano Beach
The Rooftop at Hotel El Ganzo: includes a swim-up bar
Rooftop 360 at Corazón Cabo: Enjoy great views of the Sea of Cortes
Cielomar Rooftop: Located on the 9th floor of the Viceroy Los Cabos
Breathless Cabo San Lucas: This Adult-Only resort offers stunning views of the ocean
M Bar at Muna in NOBU: Enjoy a culinary experience while sipping on cocktails
La Botica: Located at Las Ventasa al Paradiso
Alma at Esperanza: Enjoy not just cocktails as the sunsets, but espresso drinks as the sun rises
We were recently in Hershey, Pennsylvania and we were meeting family for breakfast. They suggested we go to their favorite place, The Hershey Pantry. This restaurant was packed and there was a wait. The good news is we did not have to wait too long.
Looking over the menu there were several great options to choose from. I kept changing my mind while waiting for the waitress to come over and take our order. Once she arrived, I settled on ordering the Egg Sandwich on Pretzel Roll. The pretzel roll was amazing. It was extremely sweet and soft. On the roll was egg, ham and American cheese. The cheese was creamy, which is always perfect with eggs. The sweetness of the roll complemented the saltiness of the ham. I was a perfect sandwich. It also came with home fries. These were a little unique; they were sliced potatoes verses cubed. The thinness of the potato was nice to each with just a little salt and pepper.
The Peasant Omelet was also ordered. This was a slightly different omelet from the traditional style omelet. Wrapped in the egg was feta cheese, bacon, and onion. Then it was topped with a sprinkling of paprika. The feta cheese gave a slight tang but nothing overwhelming. The bacon was a nice crunchy and salty element. This dish too came with the home fries.
Breakfast was so good at The Hershey Pantry. The service was fast, but we never felt rushed. And the waitress kept the coffee flowing.
When visiting Hershey, Pennsylvania I was looking for a place to get fresh donuts. I came across Duck Donuts and popped in the take a look at what they had to offer.
This was the cutest donut shop I had ever seen. It is duck themed, so there were rubber ducks everywhere plus cute donut themed products. They had a little shop where you could buy everything.
When I got up to the counter, I checked out their menu. They had so many options. It was really overwhelming. You really need to go there with an idea of the flavors that you are looking for.
You can order however many donuts that you want. They are all made fresh to order. It is a great concept. The batter comes out of the dispenser and drops into the hot oil.
You can watch the whole cooking process. Which is exactly what I did.
Once the donuts come out of the oil they are drained and then taken over to the counter. This is where they are prepared with the toppings that were ordered. Whether it’s sprinkles, icing, jelly, cinnamon and sugar, or even Oreo cookies, the choices are endless.
Then your hot, fresh donuts are handed to you, and you are ready to go. You can eat them there, while they are still warm. Or take them home to enjoy. Even if you eat them the next day, they are still soft and fresh.
This is an amazing concept. Upon further research, Duck Donuts is a franchise and there are shops opening all over the country. Check out their website to see if there is one in your area. If you are visiting Hershey, then you must stop by and have a donut.
I was in Harrisburg for a wedding recently and there was some time to kill between the ceremony and the reception. I was looking for a place to grab a quick drink and some munchies. Boro Bar and Grill was the perfect spot.
The restaurant is in a perfect location along the Susquehanna River. Since it was winter the patio doors were closed, however, I could image how nice it is during the spring. The mozzarella cheese sticks were a good starter. They felt extra stringy when they were bitten into when still hot. The kids at the table had a fun time eating them. They were served with a marinara sauce on the side for dipping.
The FreedomFries were a large basket of French fries. They came out pipping hot. They had a nice crispiness.
The soft pretzel logs were a classic soft pretzel. They were very doughy, which was sweet. They served mustard on the side for dipping. I am not a fan of mustard, so I ate them plain. They would have been great with beer cheese.
The last starter that came out was the Sausage N’ Honey. These were a unique menu item that sounded delicious. The sausage was cut up into bit size pieces. They used a hickory smoked Cajun sausage. This sausage had a surprising amount of heat. It kind of sneaks up. The honey that covered the sausage added a nice sweetness to the heat. It was the perfect complement. This was a great stop. They had a nice menu of burgers and wings.
If wasn’t going to a wedding reception, I would have tried something else. Check out their menu at www.borobar.com
There is a wonderful Italian restaurant in Lakeland, Florida that is only open for dinner. And it is a small place, so it is impossible to show up without a reservation. It had been many years since I had been there, so I decided to check them out. We had a reservation for a Monday, it made it a little easier to get a table.
As soon as you walk in you must check out the chalkboard. This is where they list all their specials for the day.
We were one of the first groups to be seated so the restaurant was still a little empty. But by the time we got our drinks the place was full.
Freshly made bread and olive oil came to the table as we were looking over the menu. The bread was crispy on the outside and soft inside. The olive oil with an Italian blend of seasonings, was creamy and had a buttery texture.
The first appetizer we ordered was one of their daily specials, Strawberry Balsamic Brie. We were excited to try this because it is the start of strawberry season in Florida. They took a beautiful brie cheese and baked it in the oven with honey, balsamic vinegar, sliced almonds, and fresh strawberries. The dish came out sizzling to the table; it took a few minutes for it to cool off slightly. They served toasted ciabatta bread on the side. The crunch from the bread was a nice complement to the softness of the cheese. The sweetness from the strawberries and honey paired perfectly with the saltiness of the cheese.
The other appetizer that came to the table was the Eggplant Rollatini. They served 2 pieces which was perfect to cut in half to share. The eggplant was thinly sliced and fried until crispy. Then it was rolled with ricotta cheese and baked until the cheese melted. Then they topped it off with a freshly made marinara sauce. The eggplant was cooked wonderfully allowing the outside to be crispy and the inside soft, not mushy.
Two of the dishes ordered for dinner were the special, Spinach Artichoke Chicken. They grilled the chicken and topped it with a creamy spinach artichoke dip. They ran it through the oven to make the dip a little crispy. They served the chicken with a side of orzo rice and grilled zucchini and yellow squash. The creaminess of the spinach artichoke made the dish very rich.
I ordered the Chicken Florentine for my meal. They chargrilled this chicken as well with amazing Italian seasoning. They served angel hair pasta and fresh spinach on the side. These were drizzled with olive oil and garlic. It was simple but delicious. This was some of the best spinach that I have ever had. There was no bitter taste the way it was prepared.
The last meal that was ordered was the Lasagna. This classic dish was layers of cheese, sauce, and noodles. It came with 2 large homemade meatballs. The meatballs were tender and juicy. They were a nice accompaniment to the lasagna.
It was time for dessert. They had many options to choose from. We ordered the Crème Brule. This sweet dessert had the crispy melted sugar on top covering the creamy filling. The filling was cool, and the sugar crust was warm. It was a wonderful contrast of temperature.
The Tiramisu was delicious. It was layers of lady fingers soaked in espresso. Then they were layered with a mascarpone cheese mixture and dusted with chocolate and powdered sugar. The espresso flavor was not too strong as it was mellowed by the cheese filling which was extremely creamy.
The food at Scarpa’s was fantastic. Our waiter was attentive and very friendly. It was an amazing evening out. Give them a call and make a reservation that next time you are in Lakeland. Check out their menu at www.scarpasitalian.comEnjoy!
If you are in downtown Lakeland and looking for a wonderful Spanish influence restaurant then Nineteen Sixty-One is the place to visit.
There are many great starters that are perfect for sharing around the table. The BrusselSprouts were one of those dishes. They were flash fried and tossed in a maple balsamic vinaigrette. Then they were topped with raisin caramel and Manchego cheese. These were the sweetest Brussel sprouts that I have ever had. The maple vinaigrette and raisin caramel were a flawless combination of flavors that mellowed out the bitterness of the Brussel sprouts.
The Peruvian Ceviche was marvelous. The ceviche was made with Corvina (a sweet fish) and soaked in Leche de Tigre (the liquid from the fish mixed with ginger, lime juice, & cilantro). There was cancha choclo mixed in with the fish. Cancha Choclo are whole corn kernels that have been soaked so that they puff up. They served plantain chips on the side. The ceviche was full of immense flavor. It was tangy from the acid in the lime juice which accented the sweetness of the fish.
The Chips, Avocado Mousse, & Tomatillo Salsa was another great sharable. They made homemade tortilla chips to dip into the mousse and salsa. They also included plantain chips. The avocado mousse was extremely creamy and a little tangy. It was delicious on the plantain chips. The tomatillo salsa was a blend of roasted tomatillos and jalapenos. It was not as spicy as I was expecting with the jalapenos.
To help enjoy these appetizers we ordered a bottle of red wine called Finca La Mata. It was a Tempranillo, which is a black grape from Spain. It was bold but smooth in flavor.
I got to try the soup of the day which was a creamy clam chowder. There was an overall sweet flavor to the soup. The clams were tender.
I made sure to order the 1961 Salad. I heard that this was a best seller. They had chopped up lettuce tossed with Manchego cheese, baby Swiss, and manzanilla olives. They coated the ingredients with a homemade house dressing. The dressing reminded me of both an Italian and Greek salad dressing. It had a tangy taste, but I could not get enough of it. I wish I could have bought a bottle of this dressing for home.
For my dinner I ordered the Arroz Chaufa. This was a Peruvian style Chinese fried rice. They used Peruvian spices, bean sprouts, soy sauce, cilantro, and scrambled eggs. They drizzled a Fresno aioli on top and sprinkled green onions all over. I ordered the rice with chicken. They had tender pieces of chicken chopped up throughout. They had marinated the chicken which added extra flavor to the rice. It had a nice smoky taste to it from the Peruvian spices.
The Seafood Paella was also ordered. This took a little extra time to make so it needs to be ordered right away so that it will come out with the rest of the meals. This was a traditional Spanish paella with bay scallops, lobster tail, shrimp, clams mixed with calasparra rice (the traditional Spanish rice used in paella), cantimpalo chorizo, bell peppers, onions, peas, saffron, cilantro, and sofrito (onions, garlic, bell peppers, tomatoes in a sauce). This paella had extraordinary flavor. The saffron in the rice pairs perfectly with the seafood. The lobster was tender, but the bay scallops were my favorite part. They were sweet, which was a contrast to the saltiness from the other components.
The other dish that was ordered was the Churrasco Steak. They marinated a flat iron steak in aji panca (a Peruvian red pepper marinade). It was cooked to a perfect medium. It was served on top of a black bean chorizo risotto. On the plate they included an avocado crema, salsa criolla, and chimichurri. The steak was tender and full of bold flavor. But it was the black bean risotto that was the star. It had a hint of spice and a creamy texture. It was something unique that I was not expecting when I hear risotto.
Each dish was amazing at Nineteen Sixty-One. We did not save room for dessert so we will definitely have to go back another time for that. Check out their menu at www.nineteen61.com
