The Levendi winery from Napa cranks out some brilliantly silky Cabernets...

Almost empty ;o(

You have to love the names of these blends... First Crush wines in San Miguel, Ca offers up some unique experiences, if your ever in their neck of the woods stop by and check out their harvest crush experience!

...ha ha double fisting...

Smell...

Taste...

Some good food was had... Soft shell crab anyone...

...and oysters on the side, my kind of snack!
In the end...

A good time was had by all....

And some new friends were made!

Oh yeah and my favorite wine of the day, hands down...... drum roll please.....
Santa Ema 2011 Sauvignon Blanc! Perfectly refreshing!

First stop Southern food.....

2nd stop Brit. cuisine...

More fried food....yum!

...Stop to pet the cute, photogenic dog....

Then off to eat a dog.... not literally...

Would you like some chili dog with your cheese?

Last stop of the evening...

As unassuming as this looks this was the best item of the night.... Moist and flavorful!

Time to walk it off!

… A creative combination ripe with simplicity… Many restaurants have successfully enhanced the marriage of a ground beef patty and a slice of cheese between two buns… This tasty sandwich made popular in the 20’s and 30’s has several competing for entitlement of creator. But there is one restaurant that has annulled all other unions, Hook Burger located in Burbank, Ca.

This is a high quality burger at a casual dining price. These burgers are created with supreme ingredients and the taste.... well the taste says it all. The flavor combination is a sensual escapade of juicy, marinated meat... gooey, sumptuous cheese... and a soft, fresh baked roll. The creamy, melty cheese seduces the perfectly seasoned prime chuck to create an orgasmic rendezvous in your mouth. Trust me you’ll be begging for more.

The well-known Bitton Design Group has designed the interior of Hook Burger with masculine lines and dark hues, using rustic wood elements with brick. I absolutely adore this place and I hope that my addiction doesn’t last too long, though I’m sure it will because it’s rare to find good shoestring fries in Cali. (Why is that...?)
I strongly purpose that you find yourself at the altar of Hook Burger; your taste buds will thank you as long as you both shall live…

http://hookburger.com/

Last week on the Huffington Post there was an article stating its scientifically proven that dark chocolate and parmesan cheese are a match made in heaven.... So me being the foodie that I am, well logically I was curious. I love cheese and I love, love, love dark chocolate so why not? I knew I had the ingredients at home so I bravely stepped forward into the unknown...
Gluten free bread - Check!
Trader Joe's dark chocolate bar - Check!
Parmesan Cheese - Check!
...

Well my friends I'm here to tell you... Don't Believe The Hype!... Maybe the scientist were experimenting with various "ingredients" that day and decided, "hey lets try this". My suggestion skip the oily cheese and opt for the dark chocolate grilled sandwich (yum), your tummy will thank you for it. And let the culinary artist design the food pairings!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/10/chocolate-parmesan-grilled-cheese_n_1414701.html

Highly recommended for dark chocolate lovers… The Belgian designed chocolate is made mostly from African cocoa beans. It’s smooth and silky. The design of the packing is pretty cute too; it reminds me of the books by Nick Bantock.

In my attempt to be a little more healthy...

I thought I'd try something different by using basmati rice... stick to regular brown rice, this to much longer give or take 3 hours....

Garlic is a must!

Onions too....

Something green...

Something rustic...

Get that rice doing the tango with the onions, yah!

Oh butter what would I do without you?

While we wait!

Voila!

Here is a simple but amazing treat that is guaranteed to WOW guest at you're next dinner party. I picked this up from my beautiful new friend Laurie...but of course I added a "little" twist...
So here it is:
Fresh Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (Preferably organic or non GMO)
Flavored Balsamic Vinegar (Blueberry, Peach, Spiced Pear oooooohhh)
Chopped Pecan's (Trader Joe's Spiced Pecans work really well but you could use just about any nut)
Now here comes the twist, I serve in Sake glasses so you can taste multiple flavors of this indulgent  dessert!