Sonoma-Meritage Oyster Bar & Grill

After a day of driving around the Sonoma countryside, Mr. G and I were looking forward to our dinner in town.  We requested that our concierge find us a seafood restaurant and he referred us to Sonoma-Meritage.  Unfortunately, this was not the pleasant experience we were expecting.

We arrived to a mostly empty restaurant and figured the fact that it was midweek was probably the reason it was empty.  After being shown to our table, we were served some less than stellar looking bread.  It was cold and did not look appetizing.  Heating up bread should be a standard at all restaurants.  After all, it is pretty effortless to place bread in the oven for a few minutes.

After staring at the bread for almost 10 minutes, our server finally showed up to take our orders.  Nothing on the menu was that exciting, but we finally settled on a few items.

To start, I ordered the mussels in a garlic wine broth sauce.  Looks pretty good right?  Almost like they gave me too many mussels.  Wrong!  Although the mussels tasted pretty good, at the bottom of the pile  was a big loaf of soggy bread.  Yuck!

Mr. G went with the lobster bisque and although it looked like pumpkin soup, it turned out pretty good. Albeit lacking in any bits of lobster.

For our entree, we both ordered black fettuccine with clams, mussels and in a spicy tomato sauce.

The pasta was very fresh and the mussels were delicious.  There were too many clams, but perhaps that's because I have eaten so much seafood this week.  The sauce was not that spicy, but it's not shocking that I would find sauce not spicy enough.

Since we were staying at the Fairmont, we received complimentary desserts.  Chocolate torte with vanilla gelato and creme brulee sitting on top of strawberries.

The chocolate torte presented nicely, but Mr. G found a random peanut inside.  Not cool.  Luckily he's not allergic.  The gelato tasted old so that wasn't too good.  The creme brulee was strange because it wasn't in a plate which is what I'm used to seeing, it tasted alright but was a little too mushy for my liking.

Overall, meritage was not as delicious as I had hoped.  The food was subpar and lacked creativity.  The ingredients did not taste quite as fresh as everything else we've been eating this week.  Considering the concierge directed us this way, I'm hoping this was an off night and that others who dine here have a better experience.

Yeti Restaurant in Sonoma

After driving around Sonoma County looking for an afternoon meal, Mr. G and I stumbled upon Yeti a restaurant specializing in Indian and Nepalese cuisine.  Initially we were a little reluctant, but one we smelled the food, we knew we were in for a treat.

Yeti is a very large restaurant that also offers the option to dine on their outdoor deck.  Of course, that's where we decided to eat.  We started off by ordering samosas.  The delicious little pastries are stuffed with potatoes, green peas, and bell peppers lightly spiced with garlic, ginger and cumin.  It was served with sweet tamarind and mint sauce.

These samosas were larger than life and filled to the brim.  The pastry was harder than most samosas I've eaten, but they still had a unique non-greasy taste.  There was a soft hint of ginger and cumin, but I couldn't really taste the garlic.  I enjoyed dipping the samosa in the tamarind sauce.

For our entrees, I ordered Chicken Vindaloo and Mr. G ordered Fish Tikka.  The mahi-mahi was presented on a sizzling platter.  It was marinated in yogurt, tomatoes and garlic.  The onions and other accompaniments didn't appear as though they had been cooked with the fish, but they still had some level of flavor.

The vindaloo was just how I liked it.  Spicy spicy spicy!  It was served in a little pot with chicken and potatoes soaking in the sauce.  Our meal was served with basmati rice, but we also ordered naan.

I never thought that Sonoma County would be the place where I found great Indian food, but so far everything we've eaten in Sonoma has been terrific!  Looking forward to another great meal tonight.

Sonoma Big 3 Diner Breakfast

When we checked in, the receptionist told us that people come from all over to eat the lemon cottage cheese pancakes at the Big 3 Diner.  With that in mind, we knew we had to try it out.

We woke up and headed over to the Big 3.  It was pretty packed in there but we managed to score a seat in a corner booth.  We had a hard time deciding what to eat so we ordered a little bit of everything.

The lemon cottage cheese pancakes were phenomenal.  The lemon and cottage cheese were mixed in the batter and only a hint of the lemon remained in the actual pancake.  They were very thin and light.  You could definitely eat 3 of these without feeling over stuffed.

The buttermilk pancakes were also delicious.  They seemed almost too plain after eating the lemon cottage cheese ones.  But they were fluffy and definitely hit the spot.

We also ordered the Big 3 breakfast.  Two scrambled eggs, chicken apple sausage, home fries and an english muffin.

The apple sausage again wins out.  Although the eggs were labeled organic, they didn't taste any different.  I was happy that the home fries included peppers and onions.

Santé @ Sonoma Mission Inn

When we first booked our stay at the Sonoma Mission Inn, we added a reservation for the Inn’s restaurant.  The menu was rather impressive as were the servers.  They definitely knew their stuff.

Our waiter came to the table and walked us through the menu and included his recommendations.  It took us a while but we finally settled on a few items.  While waiting for our food, the server brought out the chef's amuse-bouche.

I recall he stated it was a chickpea soup with another ingredient that I cannot remember.  It also included a salmon tartar served on a cucumber.  The chilled soup was terrific.  I normally don't like cold soup, but this was amazing.  The chickpea was well blended and the soup was smooth.  It was just the right amount of food to whet the appetite and get ready for a fantastic dinner.

We started off with two appetizers Diver Scallop and Grown Up Mac n Cheese. 

The Seared Diver Scallop was served with a smoked marinated scallop tartar radicchio and jicama salad with a whole grain mustard emulsion.  It was very rich, but thanks to the radicchio and jicama salad, the appetizer was not overwhelming.  The sauce was especially delicious and I sopped it up with the freshly baked bread that the servers kept bringing around.  The bread was served with two butters, both freshly churned.

As a non mac n cheese eater, I must say that the Grown Up Mac n Cheese was phenomenal.  

It included freshly made pasta shells, black truffles, lobster and fontina val d'aosta cheese.  The creaminess was far more enjoyable than I expected.  The cheese blended nicely with the truffles and the pasta was remarkably fresh.  Again, the bread was very useful when it came to making sure the plate was empty.

After about 20 minutes, our entrees were served.  Some people might be put off by the amount of time, but the waiters were very attentive and it was evident that the timing was deliberate.  After having such rich appetizers, I was glad that we had some time to let the food settle before the main course.  The waiters came out with our main course and explained every last item on each plate.

The Butter Poached Maine Lobster was served with sweet carrots, english peas, carrot buerre mote and pea shoot salad.  Lobster has never tasted so good.  I’m embarrassed to say that I was not able to finish the lobster.  It was incredibly fulfilling.  The buttery goodness of the lobster was well contrasted by the semi-crunchy pea shoot salad. I couldn’t have been happier.

The Roasted Sonoma Duck Breast was phenomenal.  It was served with braised swiss chard, duck confit and sunchoke stuffed onion and port wine duck jus.  It was cooked well, but very moist.  There was also a crispiness to the skin that made it that much more delicious.  I didn’t taste the swiss chard or duck confit, but if they were coated in the same sauce as the duck, I’m sure it would have been excellent.

Although we were stuffed to the brim, it was only right that we ordered dessert.  There were many incredible options, but we went with the Chocolate Soufflé.  I never realized just how fluffy soufflé can be.  It was almost like sponge cake but lighter and fluffier.  It was incredible, but unfortunately we were not able to finish it.

After finishing up our dessert and tea, the waiter brought out complementary sweets.

Salted chocolate, strawberry jelly, vanilla and buttermilk macaroon and almond flavor marshmallow.

Dining at Santé was an amazing culinary experience.  From the moment we walked in, the employees warmly welcomed us.  They were all very knowledgeable about the food and genuinely enthusiastic about the food.  We were there for about 2 ½ hours and it was worth every moment.  If you’re ever in Sonoma, I recommend dining at Santé.  They are the only AAA rated 4 diamond restaurant and received a Michelin star this year!  It also helps that their chef used to work at The French Laundry!

Jetsetter Special: Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa

Thanks to Jetsetter, the travel site for Gilt Groupe, Mr. G and I were able to get a good deal on two nights at The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa.  We picked up our car at the crappiest Enterprise I’ve ever encountered.  If you’re ever in SF looking for a car, do not select the Enterprise at 2001 Market Street.  It’s in a location with a sign that reads “This building contains a substance known by the State of California to cause birth defects, cancer and reproductive problems.”  I kid you not.

The ride only took us a little over an hour.  The windy Redwood Highway was not friendly to my stomach, but since we didn’t eat breakfast, I made it there without incident.

The Fairmont sits on a beautiful estate.  There is a fountain outside the main building.  There are multiple buildings with different style rooms.  We walked the expansive compound and almost got lost.  The lobby is very large and open, not well lit but it adds to the Inn feeling.  

Our room is located in the main building.

Not too large, but an extremely comfortable bed.  Our first stop was the Big 3 restaurant.  

We started with the calamari.  It was lightly battered and really big rings of calamari.  The thai sauce was better than the tomoato based sauce.

I ordered a Margarita Pizza and Mr. G went with the Grilled Chicken sandwich with chipotle aioli.  The pizza was pretty good.  It had tomatoes, basil, pesto and mozzarella.  I would have enjoyed more basil and less tomatoes.  Most margarita pizzas that I’ve eaten don’t have tomatoes, just tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil.

Mr. G’s sandwich was quite delicious.  The chipotle aioli gave it a nice kick.  Mr. G also ordered the blueberry latte.  The scent of cinnamon and taste of blueberry was refreshing.

Next up, our spa treatments!!  The Fairmont Spa is no joke!  It has two pools, a bath house and several other amenities.  

Mr. G and I indulged in the bath house ritual before our treatment.  We started with a warm shower using rosemary grapeseed exfoliant.  Next we stepped into the warm pool, it was about body temperature.  After about 5 – 10 minutes, we went into the Jacuzzi which was 105 degrees.  We cooled down with a cold shower.  The eucalyptus sauna was next.  Talk about clearing up your sinuses!  Finally, the dry sauna was our last stop.  I wish I had a picture of the bath house area, but too many people in bathing suits I couldn't very well photograph them!

We sat in the lounge area awaiting our massage therapists and enjoying the complimentary strawberries, orange slices, grapefruits and assorted dried fruit.  Our therapists arrived and escorted us to the Kur 1 room for our Couples Harvest Kur treatment.

Wow Wow Wow.  We were greeted with two treatment tables and a candle lit bubble bath.  First stop bubble bath.  The grapeseed smelled amazing and the complimentary exfoliating gloves made it that much more fun.  We hopped out of the bath and lay on the treatment tables for our mud bath and warming body wrap.

Mud bath is a bit of a misnomer.  It was actually an exfoliating treatment with grapeseeds and other fabulous scents.  They rubbed it all over then wrapped us up so we could bake for a bit.  While baking, we received foot and head massages.

After that we jumped into the shower.  The shower had 12 jets streaming out of the walls.  Post shower, it was time for the 60 minute full body massage.  These therapists are definitely well trained and knew exactly what they were doing.  We walked out dizzily happy, feeling fantastic and rejuvenated.  We went back for facials which were also incredible.  

The treatment room wasn’t quite as luxurious, but I was wrapped in a cocoon of blankets which kept me warm and comfortable during the treatment.  My face feels soft and smooth.  Thanks Mr. G J