Ventana Inn- Day two

Day two of the B-Day trip started with an interesting realization. Despite the fact that we were in Big Sur in November, the heat did not come on all night, and upon getting out of bed, the room was a comfortable temperature. Initially attributing this to well-made cabins, we realized as we stepped outside for the first time that, much to our surprise, that it was a sunny day with temperatures already in the 60’s. We knew we were in for a rare treat. After a quick complimentary breakfast we decided to hit the trails and go for a hike in Pfeiffer State park. After about an hour of hiking uphill we were treated to an amazing view of the ocean. Since the temperature was rising steadily, and not wanting to waist the opportunity, we headed back to the Ventana Inn and after a quick change (and a few bites of left over cheese and crackers) we were pool side. We could not believe we were out at the pool, and in the water, in the middle of November. Must have been a birthday gift from Mother Nature (thanks!!!).

After cleaning up, we took the walking path to the Restaurant at Ventana Inn. We found some interesting cocktails at the bar and went out to the deck. What an incredible view:
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Not wanting to miss out, we meandered back to the hotel for the wine and cheese hour. The wine they were pouring this day was ok, nothing to mention, but the cheese selection was very impressive. Several types of cheddar, a brie, one made with Guinness, a mustard cheese and several others. The big finale to the day was a trip across the road for dinner at Sierra Mar at the Post Ranch Inn. An all glass restaurant built on the cliffs to take full advantage of the views. We got there with just enough time to have a cocktail at the outside bar and enjoy the sunset.
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Despite a very impressive wine list, we decided to bring our own and settled on a Cab from Darioush Winery. A very good choice as this wine drank as well alone as it did with food.  Dinner here is a prix fixe 4 course menu with several options. For our first course we shared a beet salad and a lemon sea bass dish. I thought they were both excellent, but Troya felt the sea bass lacked flavor. I had never had something like the sea bass dish, a very thin slice of fish with a well balanced lemon flavoring, no sauce so maybe marinated or just poured on, and a crunch garnish of seaweed.  For the second course we choose the mushroom brisk and a lamb risotto. Both very good, but not out of the park. Our main courses were a pheasant served with polenta and a beef dish with roasted peppers and a light flavored chipotle style sauce. The flavors for both of these dishes was very good, but I did not think the polenta did anything for the pheasant, but the peppers and chipotle sauce with the beef and the wine went together like music. Neither of us were impressed with desert, but as an after meal treat we had a small caramel filled pastry that could have and should have been our only desert.

As usual, we awoke the next morning feeling a little sad and depressed that our trip was coming to an end. We did our best to prolong the stay by lounging about in the room and sitting out on the deck. We decided the last stop of the trip would be to Deetjens Restaurant for brunch. We had heard good things about this place and it did not disappoint. Our server was all smiles and gracious and managed to put a smile back on our face. The eggs benedict gets great reviews and I have to say they were some of the best I have had. You get to choose from several items on a list, and I went with ham and spinach. The eggs and all were very good, but the Hollandaise sauce is what makes or breaks an eggs benedict. This one was not too rich and had a slight bite to it. The perfect way to end our little Big Sur adventure.

Amazing Greek food…..

Once again a great find in Carmel. If you love Gyros and Phylo wrapped spinach and feta cheese along with other tasty treats you must try Dametra Cafe! It’s a small corner place where you feel warm and fuzzy from the greeting of the staff. The food was truly amazing but add great service and you have an overall wonderful experience!! A definite must try!

B Day trip

Lucky, lucky FTFers, we are bringing you all along for my birthday trip. As per our tradition, Troya took me on a suprise trip for my B Day gift. After placing our dog witn the sitter we headed south to Carmel. Our first stop was at the Carmel Cheese Shop, yes our favorite. We picked out 4 amazing cheeses, but to my dismay could not eat them there andd then. After a little back and forth we decided to have lunch at Dametra Cafe, a little greek cafe on Ocean street. From the moment we walked in the door the imagestaff went out of their way to make us feel welcome. The old saying is that good service can make up for bad food, but not the other way around. No worries here, the food was amazing too. We started with a feta and spinich wrapped in baked philo dough as a starter. Tasted just as it should, not too greasy, perfect balence of flavors. Next we split the greek salad and lamb gyro. The salad was good, needed a few more olives and the creamy dressing a little different. The gyro was great. The lamb was so soft that it almost melted in your mouth, and absolutely no gamey flavor at all. The pita was fresh baked and so flavorful you could eat it alone and be happy. We opted for no desert, but then were treated to fresh baclava with carmel sauce. We were worried it would be too sweet, but the nutty flavor with a bit of honey was in perfect ballence and not too sweet. We now have a definite “go to” spot when we come to Carmel.

For the we drove south to Big Sur. Troya booked us at the Ventana Inn. Wow, talk about customer service, we had a bell hop meet us in the parking lot to take us and our bags to check in and our room. Champagne on ice in the room when we entered and a view of the ocean. Our dinner was the cheese and bread from the cheese shop paired with an 07 Dry Gewurztraminer from August Cellers in Oregeon. I am not usually a big Gewurztraminer fan, but this one was very different. It was still fruity and floral, but not overbearing. This wine was so incredable with the cheese, it was like a chameleon. If the cheese was sweet, the wine was more floral then sweet. With the tart cheeses, this wine was a little more sweet. A very fun food adventure. More to come from our Ventana Inn stay.
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Carmel Trip

So we adventured out to Carmel mainly for a birthday outing for Braxs. My favorites are what I will discuss instead of talking about every single wine room we visited…..I like to cut to the chase….or shall I say the cheese 🙂 Oh Lordy was the Cheese Shop amazing! Great friendly staff, willing to let you try every cheese in sight! I have been to Carmel several times and do not know how I have never visited this house of goodness!!!! It’s a must if you are in the area.
Scheid tasting had some pretty good Pinot Noirs. My favorite was their unique Pinot Blanc. Great fruit flavors with this creamy silk finish. Delicious! Nick, our “guide” through the wine was great! Knowledgeable and a great host!
That night we had a few after dinner cocktails at this really cute rooftop patio bar called Starlight 65. Staff was friendly and they had a variety of tasty drinks. We also had a snack that included these delicious truffle fries always a big hit with the four of us.
The next day we ventured out to Heller Estate which had a very tastey Chenin Blanc. Smooth, clean with a guava flair to it. I visited them years ago and remember liking them more and thinking their pricing was reasonable. My tastes must have changed because I wasn’t overjoyed with most of the wine there and it seems their prices have increased.
My last enjoyable stop was Parsonage. Doc and I have been there once before and low and behold I still liked the same one we got last time we were there. It’s their 2009 Snosrap table Red Wine. It’s a great “hmmmm it’s 4 in the afternoon and I could use a glass of wine, but I am gonna drink it without food and I don’t want to open an expensive one”.
So definitely a place to visit especially when it is a beautiful sunny day (which is kinda rare).