Fresh off a 5 day meditation retreat through Art of Living where I followed a vegetarian diet & refrained from alcohol I knew that this trip was going to be less rager, more relaxation. I feel so grown up after typing that sentence!
This is my second trip to Sonoma, my first was last September and I fell in love hard but that trip only skimmed the surface. I stayed and dined at the super romantic Farmhouse Inn where I indulged in a multi-course wine pairing dinner that to this day has been the best meal of my life.
Fast forward to New Year's Day 2015. We stayed at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa. That morning I woke up hungry. My boyfriend Jason consulted Yelp and found a place down the street called Creekside Cafe. It was less than a mile from our hotel (0.3 to be exact). It had great reviews on Yelp and only one $. To which I responded...but I only eat at restaurants with $$$! (Kidding) He was thrilled with his budget friendly find. We headed there on foot and were the only people walking down the road...where was everyone else... I started to worry. As we got closer I saw the sign...still a bit skeptical but then I peered inside...the place was packed!
Soon my hangriness was replaced by excitement! I ordered off the specials menu, Dungeness Crab Benedict, a harmony of all the right flavors and they didn't skimp on the crab. Jason took the waiter's advice with the sourdough French Toast. Every slice was perfectly crispy with just the right amount of powdered sugar sprinkled on top.
Love at first bite for both of us! We had every intention to go back the next morning for more french toast but ran out of time. Now we have an excuse to return!
After stuffing ourselves silly, we headed back to the hotel and collapsed on the bed with a serious case of food coma. How could I possibly do a wine tasting now? Feeding a food coma with wine didn't seem like a great idea, there was just no room for it. The great thing about Sonoma...its much more than just wine. Off we went to explore Jack London State Park. The hike path we chose had some uphill parts but overall it was pretty easy. While the park has over 26 miles of trails, due to time constraints, we only hiked 2 miles, 1 up to the lake and back. Unfortunately the lake was covered in algae and is in need of restoration but overall it was a great time spent outdoors. The surroundings were very lush, green, and had the scent of a winter fresh meadow.
After burning off our calories (sort of) we rewarded ourselves with dinner at Sonoma staple Girl & the Fig...YUM. It's "country food with a French passion." Many of their ingredients are farmed by their staff! I can so get behind that!
We started with cocktails: Sonoma Mule (they use an especially potent ginger beer- I personally don't care for ginger but I have to admit this was quite tasty - it was that good!) & She's Complicated (gin, St. Germaine, pear, cucumber, thyme, lemon). For nibbles we ordered the butternut squash risotto, fig & arugula salad and wild flounder. Everything delivered and then some. To celebrate our fabulous dinner I ordered the white wine flight where I tasted four whites for just $14 - a steal considering the strong pours!
I found everything to be pretty reasonably priced for the quality of their food. I did not want the meal to end so at the last minute I ordered dessert...the profiteroles. Gone in a flash!
