Of cheese, vegetables and figs

It was a short and pleasant drive to our next stop, downtown Sonoma, where the enormous plaza or town square with it's serene duck pond is the focal point of the town. Driving around the plaza took me back to that time 10 years ago when we stopped here on our way back to SF from a ski trip in Lake Tahoe. It was just as I remembered it...quaint and peaceful. The square is rimmed with old adobe buildings, converted army barracks, chic boutiques, restaurants, the historic Sebastiani Theater and the Mission (which I will talk about in my next post).

We pulled up behind the Sonoma Cheese Factory, the home of the Sonoma Jack. Before we sampled any of their cheeses, we chose to have lunch in the patio of the Plaza Grill. It would have been a shame to stay indoors on such a beautiful day. There were sausages and burgers already sizzling on the grill, the smell wafting up and taunting our already-grumbling tummies. I couldn't help it, all that food tasting had opened up our appetites!

I chose a turkey burger, but could not decide on what cheese I wanted with it as there was so much to choose from and each one sounded like the perfect choice. After much deliberation, I decided on the Jalapeno Pepper Jack and was very glad I did because I like my burgers with a slight kick (like the Kamikaze burger with wasabi mayo), and this had just the right amount of heat for my juicy burger.

Contentedly wiping the crumbs and grease from our chins, we headed back inside to sample the various cheeses.You're probably wondering where I would put it on top of all that I had already sampled that morning plus the burger (and cold mediterranean pasta salad!) I had just cleanly put away. Well if there's one thing you should know about me, I always have space for cheese and dessert.

So there they were...wedges and tubs of cheesy goodness. On top of each flavor group are tupperwares containing cubes of cheese for sampling. Aside from the traditional Sonoma Jack, we tried the various flavors such as the very spicy Habanero Jack, sun-dried tomato and olive-flavored Mediterranean Jack, Portabella Jack with portabella mushrooms of course (these three were my favorites), and all sorts of cheese spreads and teleme - the softer and tangier cousin to Jack.

The store area is huge and one can find everything expected from a deli and cheese store but it also doubles as a souvenir shop. In addition, there is also a gelato bar and a coffee corner from where we bought the coffee we took outside to the plaza with us later. All this is managed by the Viviani family who carry on the time-honored cheese-making methods of Celso Viviani , an Italian immigrant who founded the company back in 1931.

Not yet cheesed-out, we walked past the Mission down a tree-lined road and turned left towards the Vella Cheese Factory, a true Sonoma treasure. The building made entirely of stone was originally built in 1904 to house a brewery but was later converted into a factory that has been churning award-winning artisan cheeses for 75 years.

As a bonus, we even met the man himself, Ig Vella! It was like a celebrity sighting. He walked into the store wearing his trademark suspenders and white paper cap and I immediately recognized him from the brochures. He nodded his hello then disappeared through a door at the back. I was star-struck. I read that he learned the craft from his father who was responsible for the popularity of aged cheeses in the Bay Area and beyond. Now anyone who makes good aged cheese is definitely a celebrity in my book!

Vella's Traditional Dry Jack is a favorite for its nutty flavor as well as the Mezzo Secco, it's softer offspring. Now for me, tasting is believing. So I tasted and became a believer. The dry jack brings to mind parmesan but with a milder taste and without all the salt. The asiago was nutty, buttery and slightly sweet, perfect in my opinion. The Mezzo Secco is tangy and absolutely delightful.After we made our purchases and stepped out into the sidewalk, I saw this sign (above) across the street and just had to check it out. It was a very simple self-serve produce stand filled with autumn's bounty. The first thing that caught my eye were the fresh figs in their crates! ( Joey can totally relate! She had even coincidentally posted about her experience on her blog on this very day.) The taste of fresh figs were a mystery to me until then. I let out a shriek and made a beeline for them.

The kind man in charge was thrilled that I was thrilled and he immediately transferred some into a little plastic basket, which is how they measure and price them, and asked me how many I wanted. I stammered something about 3 or 4, paid him and grabbed a basket from him. He said to go right ahead and try them, so I did. I bit into one and felt a little bit closer to paradise. I closed my eyes and really tasted it. It was incredibly sweet! It's unique texture is a combination of it's smooth thin skin, crunchy seeds and soft chewy flesh. It was gooooooood! And very well worth the wait. :)We stopped to check out the Fruit Basket along Sonoma Highway. It turned out to be a place to buy much more than just fruit or vegetables. There were wines for sale, assorted breads and biscuits, hordes of pre-packed nuts and candies and other miscellaneous items. Ok, so I really just wanted to stop for a picture with the haystack decorated with pumpkins, which is actually what caught my attention and caused me to swerve into the driveway. But look (second pic below), doesn't it make a pretty picture!? :)

The Fruit Basket

"warty" gourds in all colors and patterns

clockwise from top right: pre-packaged pasta in various shapes, candy corn,
nuts and other goodies, beans of all varieties, and an abundance of squash

Sonoma Cheese Factory
Sonoma Town Square

Vella Cheese Factory
Second Street East
withing walking distance from the Plaza

The Fruit Basket
Sonoma Highway

Up Next: Misson Solano

Autumn in the Valley

On this crisp autumn day in October, the short drive from the town of Glen Ellen (where The Olive Press and Wine Country Chocolates are located) to downtown Sonoma was a sight for sore eyes. The warm colors of the season were visible everywhere. These are some of the pictures I managed to take with my point-and-shoot camera, though no photography or words could do it justice.

The Olive Press & Wine Country Chocolates

Ready for the picking

Next up was another tasting adventure. But this time it wasn't sparkling whites or full-bodied reds that we would be swirling in our cups. This time it would be of liquid gold, olive oil! For centuries extra-virgin olive oil has been valued for it's curative properties and culinary virtues. Any foodie worth her weight in gold knows what the Mediterranean gourmand has known for centuries, that the magical flavor and aroma of olive oil is essential to healthy and pleasurable eating.

And I adore olives and olive oil. I seriously couldn't live without it. Especially olive oil. Fortunately, my friend M is as much a food enthusiast as I am. She prepared the day's itinerary for us but I might as well have drawn it up myself! It is inevitable that such like-minded individuals would have this much fun on a road trip together. Aside from the winery, she included visits to olive oil, cheese and chocolate tasting rooms. Ooh la la! Could that be any more delightful?!

the olive press outside The Olive Press

So after Viansa we proceeded to The Olive Press, a rustic old building with a state-of-the-art Pieralisi press located in the Jack London Village. Olive trees guard the entrance to the tasting room and Provençal-inspired gift shop. Inside is a plethora of all things olive. There are pretty baskets, olive-themed ceramics, assorted jars of tapenade, olive oil storage containers, table linens, kitchenware, cured olives, and various books about olives. On a shelf across the main entryway in neat rows of sleek dark bottles are the olive oils.

In the middle of the room, on offer are the various dipping oils infused with the freshest herbs and spices. Beside each variant is a dipping dish and chunks of crusty bread. I was in glorious oily heaven! I couldn't decide which one was my favorite but it was a close fight between the Basil Walnut and Roasted Garlic and Rosemary dipping oils. What I loved best were the tapenades which I sampled on baguette slices. They were delicious! At the rate I was going, I wasn't going to have any room for lunch!

Then there is the tasting bar where you can sample all the olive oils. Here is how to sample the oils: Pump some olive oil into a small plastic cup and warm it with your hands. Bring the cup to your nose and breathe in its bouquet of aromas. Place a drop of the oil on your bottom lip and taste the oil for its degree of sweetness. After which, sip the oil and using the sides of your tongue, taste for spiciness.

the tasting bar

Ha! Who am I kidding? I didn't do all that. After pumping, warming and sniffing I used the toothpicks provided to spear a bread cube and dip it into plastic cups which I then popped into my mouth. As I went down the line, I savored the delicate flavors, smoothness and richness. Some were fruity or buttery, others peppery. Some subtle, while most were intense. All pretty wonderful.

Beside the tasting bar is a window, through which you can watch the hammer-mill press if you are lucky enough to be there during milling season (Oct-Jan). For those who are not so fortunate, like us, there is a free video tour that demonstrates the entire process.

* * *

Just around the corner from The Olive Press is a small unpretentious store which would be easy to miss if it wasn't for the big sign on the sidewalk. Wine Country Chocolates is famous for their hand-dipped, flavored chocolate truffles. They specialize in exquisite creations filled with wine-infused ganache, made from quality wines in the region such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Port and Zinfandel.

In true wine-country style, they even had a tasting bar! I was literally a kid in a candy store! (Oh shush, I am still a kid at heart :) ) The very friendly lady behind the bar indulged our sweet tooth. We got a sweet lesson on the various compositions of chocolate, how the ratio between cacao solids to sugar and vanilla determines how sweet or bitter the chocolate is. I personally liked the 70% variety, which stayed true to its claim of having a "bold beginning and sweet finish".

Through the glass window, we watched a chocolatier at work. She made magic. She moulded and dipped more of those little pieces of heaven. I couldn't tell what flavor of truffle she was in the process of making, but it could have been any one of a wide variety of other flavors like Kahlua Irish Creme, Capuccino Tiramisu, Amaretto, Raspberry, or Champagne. I was fascinated with the molded designs they had on display, most of which were chocolate animals. They looked too good to eat. But we bought and ate them anyway. :)

The Olive Press

Jack London Village
14301 Arnold Drive, Glen Ellen, Sonoma County
Tel: 800-965-4839

Wine Country Chocolate

Jack London Village

14301 Arnold Drive, Suite 2

Glen Ellen, Sonoma County

Up Next: Downtown Sonoma & the cheese factories

Viansa Winery & Italian Marketplace

Ahhh the wine country. Napa and Sonoma Counties which make up the Wine Country heartland are accountable for 90% of all wine produced in the U.S. Although Napa Valley is slightly better known, Sonoma County is actually the birthplace of California's wine industry. It is in her rolling hills that Colonel Agoston Haraszthy first planted zinfandel grapes in the 1850's. Today, more than just rolling hills and vines as far as the eye can see, it is home to over 70 wineries and has become a popular destination for oenophiles and non-oenophiles alike. And whereas I only dipped my foot into her waters many moons ago, I was determined to take the plunge this time and venture deeper.

So armed with printed pages from Google Maps, my friend M and I took turns at the wheel as we made our way upstate from SF. We both agreed to do only one winery on this trip so we would have time for all the other things we wanted to see and do while there. The day couldn't have been more perfect. Yhe sun was shining and the leaves were swaying gently. As we cruised along the country road, I felt a flood of happiness in my veins. Roadtrip with good friend, perfect weather, gorgeous scenery, prospecting fine wine & food, this is the stuff dreams are made of.

Our first stop was the Viansa Winery. Few places in the world are more romantic than a gorgeous villa surrounded by vineyards. We caught glimpses of the Italian hilltop villa through the olive trees as we made our way up the driveway and into the parking lot. I stepped out of M's camry and into what could have been a vineyard in Tuscany.

The Sebastiani family's Tuscan heritage is visible everywhere, from the architecture : the fountain in the courtyard ,the red-tiled roofs, frescoes, sculptures, traditional artisan iron-work to the things they produced: the food, olive oil and of course the wine. The winery was founded in 1989 by the Sebastiani family and produces some of the finest Italian wines in the region.

We checked out the cool cave cellar with its interspersed arching alcoves topped with a high vaulted ceiling before heading to the Italian Marketplace at the back of the villa. Barbera Rose, Prosecco, Dolcetto, Muscat Canelli are just some of the wines made in these grounds. Upstairs is the marketplace/tasting room, I was surprised to find a very extensive array of food products. They had salsas, jams, dipping oils, spreads, cheeses, side by side with Tuscan-inspired tableware, cookbooks and souvenirs. I made my rounds from table to table sampling everything, sparing none. Everything was so good, I almost forgot about the wines!

At the rear of the villa is the beautiful picnic grounds, a popular venue for wedding receptions. Here, the guests are treated to an expansive view of the countryside, a perfect backdrop for the rustic atmosphere. I could have sat there for hours, maybe even all day and into the night if I had a good bottle of wine with me and some pairings. But we had a long day ahead of us and it was time to move on. Still so much to see!

Viansa Winery & Italian Marketplace

25200 Arnold Dr., Sonoma CA 95476

Tel. 1-800-995-4740

San Francisco

My trip last October was all about reconnecting. So far I had travelled to three different cities (Mexico, Phoenix and Las Vegas) and spent quality time with friends and family, forming new memories in the process in the hopes that it would sustain us until the next time. Coming to San Francisco was no different and neither was it any less special. I spent good quality time with old friends who I haven't seen in a long time, and also took the BART to visit an uncle who lived out east in Bay Point. (He is my mom's only brother who I hadn't seen in over 5 years I believe. My aunt and cousin joined us for a nice pasta dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Concorde.)

However, unlike the other places I had just been to, this wasn't my first time in this splendid city by the Bay. Having visited SF twice before is not enough if you ask me. I can't get enough of her! She holds a piece of your heart captive each time you leave, making you want to linger and compelling you to vow to come back soon. It's no wonder really that she has inspired so many poets, novelists, musicians and artists. Did you know there are over a thousand songs written about this city?

San Francisco Cable Car

Just like Sheila, my friend in Phoenix, the friends I was staying with and visiting on this trip are friends I've had since 5th grade. They're identical twins (for purposes of this blog, I will refer to them from hereon as B1 and B2) and they're both married and living in the East Bay. I stayed with B2 in her house in the Oakland hills where she lives with her husband, her super adorable 5 month old son and his nanny. They have a beautiful 5 bedroom house with a swimming pool and jacuzzi nestled at the foothills of a reserve, the Redwood Regional Park.

B1 picked me up at the airport and she took me straight to Burlingame to meet up with her husband for cocktails. We chatted over mojitos and finger food and it was almost 10 pm when we finally crossed the Bay Bridge into Oakland. I had never stayed in the East Bay before so they made a detour up Skyline Blvd. by the redwood reserve to show me the spectacular view of San Francisco at night. It was breathtaking! I even saw wild deer, like four or five of them from the car. I wasn't fast enough with my camera though, but I have their deer-in-the-headlights look forever imprinted in my memory.

We finally got to B2's house where she had dinner waiting for hours on the table. I had almost forgotten what a riot it is when you have the twins together. They are a hoot and a half, and I missed them immensely. This was going to be a fun 10 days, I thought.

* * *

And how right I was. It was not without thought that I chose SF to be my last stop. Not only could I not resist the opportunity to come back here, but I also wanted to slow down a little, take the pace of my trip down a notch. And this was the perfect place to do that because I didn't have to run around playing the crazed tourist. I did not even make any plans for my 10 days here. I decided to let fate take it's course and let each day bring with it what it wanted.

I spent a lot of time with B2's baby boy who I fell head over heels in love with. (Boy, did it tug at my heartstrings when I said goodbye to him on my last day!) I did a lot of shopping, all the last minute orders of family and friends and buying pasalubongs (gifts for people back home). There was one entire day that Tom, B1's husband, was kind enough to offer to drive me anywhere I wanted. He insisted on being my chauffer when I protested, so I let him take me to Target & Emeryville where we hit some of my favorite stores: Old Navy, See's Candies, Crate & Barrel, Barnes & Noble, Bath & Body Works, Pottery Barn, and Williams-Sonoma, to name a few. In return, I treated him to pizza and a Jamba Juice. :)

Many of my dinners were had in B1's house where her mom would cook us the most amazing Spanish meals. Her mom had a couple of Spanish restaurants back in Manila which were famous for her traditional recipes, Rock Ola being the more famous of the two because it had a young bar crowd as well. I found myself looking forward to these dinners with the entire clan which were always casual, noisy and fun. This was much better than sitting in a stiff and crowded restaurant in downtown Oakland or Berkeley any day.

Stunning views from uphill

I was seeing SF from a whole new perspective, from an East Bay-er perspective this time. Quite different from when I used to stay in San Bruno or South San Francisco during previous visits. I found myself crossing the Bay Bridge at least twice a day, presenting me with spectacular views of the SF skyline during each westward crossing. I loved approaching the city at dusk, when everything turns a hazy orange and looks so serene.

B1 took a day off from work to spend time with me. She asked me what I wanted to do, and I told her to just drive around and so we did. There are few places in the world more diverse than right here. We navigated the hilly streets and drove from one vibrant neighborhood to another.

We headed out to the Presidio, a park under the Golden Gate National Recreation Area which boasts some of the most amazing views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Bay. Here we parked the car at the foot of the world's most famous bridge and strolled on the dunes among bikers, kite-flyers, joggers, folks with their dogs and sunbathers. It was a beautiful clear day and I was glad to be outdoors. We continued over to the Legion of Honor which commands a magnificent view of the city and the bridge and took some pictures.

The "Painted Ladies" and the SF skyline behind them, taken from Alamo Square

We headed towards Haight Street, a stretch of vintage shops and bars where the vibe underscores the city's counterculture, where we stopped for a crepe then drove through colorful Castro district, the mecca of the gay community and venue of the world's biggest gay pride parade. We proceeded to Marina, one of my favorite neighborhoods, where you can find the Palace of Fine Arts, then finally through quaint Victorian houses that make up most of Noe Valley and Western Addition district. We stopped at Alamo Square and sat in the sun enjoying the view before we headed home to get ready for the party. This is a great way to see the city, just driving around the neighborhoods and stopping at cafes and parks as you please.

Haight St. boutique

* * *

On the Saturday before Halloween, we attended a private "pimp n ho" party at a friends house out in Marin County. We immediately headed to Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley to find something to wear. Stepping out into Telegraph Ave. you are immediately transported back to the '60s. Browsing the record shops and vintage clothing stores, I felt so...ordinary! It was almost liberating to be surrounded by so much individuality and people who exuded a devil-may-care attitude about the way they dressed or spoke or lived for that matter. Needless to say, the party and seeing everyone in pimp and ho mode was a blast!

There are tons of reasons why I love San Francisco so much. It's a vibrant, liberal city where anything goes. It is so culturally diverse that each neighborhood might as well be in a totally different country. The unparalleled epicurean delights are endless, ranging from budget friendly to luxe, and representing all corners of the globe. The climate is usually mild though unpredictable at times, the vistas are spectacular, it is a peninsula surrounded by water (a big plus!), I can name you a hundred reasons. But I won't. Instead let me show you two more of them:

Blondie's Pizza and....

clam chowder on sourdough bread!

No trip to SF is complete if I don't have at least one of my three favorite foods from there, the third being dungeness crab. :)

Blondie's Pizza
64 Powell St. , near the end of the Powell cable car line

Boudin Bakery
Macy's Dept. Store, Union Square

Up Next: Sonoma Valley