Sonoma Part II: Wine Tastings, Guerneville, and More
Healdsburg plaza
Our day started somewhat late for our second day in wine country, thanks in part to the very plush bed in our hotel room. We found ourselves back in Healdsburg, hoping that something good would be open – it was the 4th of July afterall. We stumbled onto the Healdsburg Bar and Grill (HGB), which offers standard pub fare with many dishes priced under $15, after noticing its lovely outdoor seating complete with red umbrellas and mist machine cooling off the packed lunch crowd. It looked like a good sign. We opted for indoor seating, wanting to bask in air conditioning that we later realized wasn’t quite working. Right off the bat, I had a particularly bad feeling as we were seated right next to the entrance. I hate being seated so close to the ruckus of patrons entering and waiting for their tables. The place was loud but not loud enough to drown out the constant sniffling of the front of the house woman standing next to our table. I was deeply disturbed, especially after seeing her rub her nose repeatedly while she handled the menus. Allergy, cold, or whatever, she should have been sent home; a sick staff member should not be the first thing patrons experience. In terms of food, I had a very cheesey almost soupy mac-n-cheese served in a pathetically small portion, and Andreas had the falafel dish that was overly dry. As we departed, a woman waiting nudged me and asked: “So how’s the food?” “Just ok,” I said. “Does that mean, mediocre?” she asked. “Yes,” I said as I exited. And so with that, we happily departed HGB for a delightful frozen yogurt at the organic yogurt shop Snowbunny next to the plaza.
J Vineyards & Winery
J Vineyards & Winery was our first wine tasting. Andreas had read only good things about the winery in our guides, and the Web site pictured a chic and modern space for the tasting. We were greeted by extremely friendly staff that took the time to chat us up and answer our all our questions (and the Japanese couple’s next to us) enthusiastically. Twenty dollars got has five wines to taste, which Andreas and I shared. We really wanted to like the wines we tasted (2 Pinots, 1 Pinotage, 1 Chardonnay, and a sparkling wine), especially after the fantastic experience we had with Janae, our wine guide, but Andreas and I walked away liking only the J Brut Russian River Valley (surprising since I don’t usually care for sparkling wine).
Taking the very scenic Eastside and Westside Roads towards Guerneville, we made a wine-tasting stop at Gary Farrell Vineyards & Winery, which sits atop a lovely hill overlooking vineyards in the Russian River Valley. Our wine guide led us through 6 very nice wines for $15. We liked most of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs we tried, and we especially loved the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc and bought a bottle for $25. The level of attention by our wine guide at our tasting was noticeable lacking, especially compared to the attention he placed on the other tasters beside us who looked like they had just walked out of a J. Crew catalog or a polo match. I guess Andreas and I need to work on our snobbery some more.
Relaxing dogs in Guerneville
We made our way to Guerneville after our tasting. I was excited to experience what our guide called “Groinville” for the number of gay and lesbians who continue to retreat there year after year. We took River Road, which had the occasional views of the Russian River and the many holiday goers basking in the afternoon sun in their inflatables or cannoes, onto Main Street in Guerneville. Main Street is a very short walk that is bordered by cute shops and eateries. The sidewalks were full of weekenders for the 4th of July festival in town. I spotted the contemporary façade and orange waiting chairs of boon eat + drink immediately, as it stood out against the historic boomtown aesthetics of its neighbors. I made a mental note for lunch the next day. We found our way to Coffee Bazaar on Anderson Road, as did other vacationers needing to cool off by the café’s mist machine with their cold beverages. Coffee Bazaar had friendly staff and attracted a nice mix of straight families with children and gay couples.
A snooze was definitely in order after our tastings and excursion to Guerneville. Back in the hotel room we made our dinner reservations to Barndiva, a recommendation that Janae at J Winery had suggested to us. Little did we know what were about to experience.
My thoughts on the exceptional food of Barndiva next.
