Tasty Treats - Lucy Garden Lunch

Cocktail demonstration with Lucy Mixologist, Brady Wilkens.

A fig cocktail. 

Hotel Bardessono's rooftop pool has amazing views.

I loved all of the products they carried in their spa store including my own love knot necklace from local designer, Natasha Grosso and these amazing wood watches from WEWOOD.

Executive Chef Victor Scargle gave us a personal tour of his kitchen and Lucy's garden where they find the inspiration for that day's menu.

The Lucy Garden Table situated right in the middle of the garden. 

Lucy Wine Sommelier, Anani Lawson, sharing details about the wines he was pairing with our garden tasting menu.

I was excited to be invited to one of Yountville's top getaway spots, Bardessono, for a media lunch at their restaurant, Lucy. Bardessono is a Leed Platinum Certified Hotel located in the Napa Wine Country.  

When we first arrived at Bardessono, we were first treated to a seasonal specialty fig cocktail, made for us by their resident mixologist, Brady Wilkens from Lucy Restaurant.  With cocktail in hand we were given a tour of the hotel property including the rooftop pool (where I could spend hours), spa store and their beautifully designed hotel rooms.  

We then were given a tour of the Lucy garden by Executive Chef Victor Scargle.  Victor and his staff go out to the garden everyday to see what is fresh to inspire them for the menu that day.  

Next we sat down at a gorgeous communal table situated in the middle of Lucy's gardens.  We enjoyed a leisurely multi-course meal where every other person had a variety of different courses in order for us to sample all of the dishes that Lucy had to offer.  Lucy's wine sommelier, Anani Lawson, came to share with us all of his wine pairings for the lunch.  He shared two of his favorite local wineries to visit (though he said the list could go on forever) - Chase Cellars for their Zinfandel & Falla Wines for their Pinot Noir.

You can book the Lucy garden table in the Spring, Summer and Early Fall which includes a chef-led tour of their garden, a specialty cocktail prepared by their mixologist and then a multi-course meal at their communal garden table. 

Thank you to Bardessono & Lucy for a delicious meal and a truly relaxing day in the wine country!  

Cheers,

*Photos by Savvy in San Francisco Photography

Cheers to the Weekend

Moscow Mules at Cafe des Amis

Cheers to the weekend!  This has been a such a long week, jam packed with too many commitments. Let this be a lesson to me not to say yes to everything.  But it is really hard to turn down some really fun opportunities.  Unfortunately, they all collided on the same week and I couldn't say no!

The rain (which was a surprise) which I normally am not a fan of, came at a great time this morning.  It allowed us to stay put at home and take it easy (I potentially might still be in my pajamas as I type). 

This week, I had a very fun media garden lunch and hotel tour up at Bardessono in Yountville, hosted a lunch event at DSW in Union Square, attended a Music in Schools Today charity event and went to the Greek Theater to watch three emerging artists from the Restoration Hardware Music label.  I'm hoping to share more details about these events soon on the blog.

Next week is full of activities as well, but only three days of activities versus four - that shows I'm cutting back, right? 

What are you up to this weekend? 

*Photo taken with my iPhone (I'm kind of in shock with the clarity of the picture - makes me want to reach out and take a sip!)

Cheers,

Wordless Wednesday

Cheers,

*taken with my iPhone

Napa Valley Festival Del Sole - Meadowood Gala

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Festival Gala at Meadowood, one of the many events that occurred over 10 days for the Napa Valley Festival del Sole.  The Festival del Sole is a music and lifestyle festival set in the gorgeous Napa Valley.  They just celebrated their eighth year.  The events range from free family concerts, to brunches and dinners at Napa Valley wineries, Yoga in the Vineyard, musical performances and events that feature 50 of the top wineries and artisanal food purveyors from Napa Valley.

The Festival Gala at the prestigious Meadowood Resort was a Great Gatsby-esque gala (everyone was asked to wear white).  The gala started with sparkling wine while we watched a croquet game and glanced at the items that were auctioned off at the end of the evening.

We then moved down to the fairway to enjoy a deliciously prepared alfresco dinner by the award-winning culinary team at Meadowood.  The three course meal was paired perfectly with wines from Lokoya and Intrada wines.

During the meal we were entertained by the Concord Jazz All Stars and then after the meal we were able to watch the live auction that included some amazing packages.  My favorite package was a week long stay in NYC that included a breakfast at Tiffany & Co. experience!  The auction benefited the local arts education programs and other local charities.

It was a wonderful event and Carlos and I really enjoyed ourselves.  The Festival del Sole is a great opportunity to get a closer look at some of your favorite wineries and local Napa Valley favorites while enjoying the arts.  Next year I would love to attend one of the brunch events at a local winery, take the kids to the one of the family concerts and try out the Yoga in the Vineyard.

Cheers,

*I received complimentary tickets from Festival del Sole for the Meadowood Gala, but my thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own. 

Mother's Day Weekend

I will apologize in advance for all of the pictures that I am posting!  We had a wonderful Mother's Day even though Landon woke us up at 6:45am.  We went to brunch at Farm restaurant at The Carneros Inn.  Carneros Inn is just 15 minutes down the road from my parent's house. Which makes it a great place to go but still feel like you are getting away. They have two bocce ball courts in the front with a fountain and a fabulous patio with gorgeous couches. This was a shangri-la for the kids (as you can see from the pictures)! The brunch was delicious and they served it family style.  We had dinner here for my birthday back in July.  We started with a game of bocce ball while enjoying our cocktails and then we ate out on the patio which was wonderful on a warm Napa evening.  Definitely a great place to stop for dinner after a day of wine tasting on your way back into the city.  I am so lucky to have such an amazing and loving Mom! It is so special to me how my bambinos just light up when they see her and how much they adore their time with them.  Love you Mom!