For us, we love the lush mouth feel of the California pinots. We visited the Santa Barbara wine areas many times. Santa Barbara has a number of appellations including Happy Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, and a newly created Los Olivos AVA.
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We love Pinot Noir (part 2)
Pinot Noir: a little (and I mean little) history and information about the grape and then more about our adventures in the wine areas we loved so much. So join us on a Pinot Noir journey to find out more about this wine. It is the 10th most planted grape in the world.
We love Pinot Noir (part 1)
I have to admit, Mike and I are unabashed and unrepentant Pinot Noir fans. We love the big, chewy and/or tasty pinots. Unfortunately, many people have only had the fairly lean ones.
Restaurant Review: Koi Restaurant in the Bryant Park Hotel, New York
What a wonderful lunch! We went to Koi, a delicious Japanese fusion restaurant that takes up almost all of the first floor of the Bryant Park Hotel. This Koi is one of six locations in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Bangkok, and Abu Dhabi.
Continue reading Restaurant Review: Koi Restaurant in the Bryant Park Hotel, New York
Fins at Sharky’s on the pier in Venice, Florida
I have to say, I really like Fins at Sharkey’s. I might like Sharkey’s too but can never get in because the wait is just too long and I am just not patient enough to wait. Maybe we will try again after the season is over.
I was at Fins at least 3 times in the last 2 months for lunch and dinner. The view is just awesome. It is an amazing place to watch the sunset! You can see the sun go down in front of you with the Venice Pier providing a stunning picture. You really feel like you are down in the Caribbean with the wonderful sunsets you see down there.
The most recent time we visited, we were delighted to see a wedding on the beach in front of us and then the wedding party came upstairs for their dinner. Imagine getting married on February 29th. Does that mean, they will celebrate an anniversary every 4 years?
To start, we shared the Strawberry Blush Salad which had fresh strawberries, spring mix, gorgonzola cheese, chili caramel sunflower seeds, with Row Eleven Pinot Noir vinaigrette. It was fairly good but a bit overdressed and the gorgonzola cheese could have been better. It wasn’t really tasty as it might have been.
Many times, we have some of their sushi and it never fails to be fresh. This time wasn’t any different. We had Hamachi two different ways except I had it as sushi and she had it as sashimi. For dinner we simply had a rainbow roll and an Alaskan roll. Fins has lots of sushi and it is good and fresh. They also have fresh oysters that are delicious as well. If you are an oyster fan, by all means go to Fins.
During another visit, we tried the lobster roll that is filled with lobster and is quite good. Okay, it isn’t quite the ones we used to have in Maine but is good nonetheless.
When it is cold, the Lobster seafood chowder is very good. It is a cup but it is in a big, beautiful presentation. It is delicious and a great choice.
The desserts are sometimes good and sometimes not as good. They have a pineapple carrot cake that isn’t very good. I wouldn’t recommend it but they do serve it quite a bit and it is always on the menu so some people do like it. When someone is celebrating a birthday or anniversary, they bring out a dessert with a candle. One of their wonderful desserts is the strawberry shortcake.
It is delicious and is a choux pastry filled with Fresh Florida strawberries, vanilla bean gelato and whipped cream over Belgian chocolate fudge.
The hot fudge Sunday is really wonderful and is Bentley’s white chocolate raspberry gelato, Belgian chocolate fudge, whipped cream, honey roasted almonds. I guess you can see we like the chocolate things.
They have an interestingly eclectic wine list. Some of the wines are just wonderful and some we wondered about but the good news is anyone can find something to enjoy in various price points. Their mixed drinks are good as well.
Their service group is always good. We like to give a shout out when service is excellent because they take care of everyone very well.
You just can’t beat the view and the feeling of being far away on some island when you are visiting Sharkey’s and Fins at Sharkey’s.
For a Japanese food lover, Vizen Japanese Cuisine is the place to go in Sarasota.
Vizen Japanese Cuisine is located in Gulf Gate and is a very eclectic shopping area. It has lots of single owner restaurants and bakeries. It is a great little neighborhood to try all kinds of food including pizza, hot dogs, English food, Chinese food, ethnic groceries, and so much more.
Continue reading For a Japanese food lover, Vizen Japanese Cuisine is the place to go in Sarasota.
Yum is the word for Ortygia Restaurant, Bradenton, Florida
Ortygia is simply a delightful restaurant in the middle of a neighborhood in Bradenton, Florida. We had no idea how to find it but, thank you Google Maps, we got there. Continue reading Yum is the word for Ortygia Restaurant, Bradenton, Florida
Final, and best, stop: Hawk’s Cay Resort, Duck Key, Florida
Our bike trip came to an end (and a great road trip it was) at Hawk’s Cay Resort. It is a beautiful place located on Duck’s Key. It was a short week ago that we left the car here. They were very gracious and let us leave the car while we went riding.
It is a beautiful property. Between the spa, docks, pools, and scenery, it was just the right place for us to land after staying in some funky places along the way. It is one of the most service oriented places we have stayed in a long time. We were there on a shoulder season so our room price was quite good. It is a fairly expensive place to stay but so worth it.
We rode up to the front of the place and dropped off our bags. Then we went to the parking lot and packed up the bikes before we checked in. The room was lovely and the bathroom had a wonderfully large shower. We both really enjoyed it after our ride and after all of the not so great showers along the way.
It was a bit late for lunch and too early for dinner so we went to the tiki bar for a celebratory drink (okay, we were ready for a drink) and some munchies. We had some chips and salsa and some popcorn shrimp. They were so delicious. The bartenders are fun as well. The drink (mojitos) were good. They held us over for dinner.
We walked around the property just to see what is there. It is a great place for families with lots of interesting pools including one that is not quite a pool but a lagoon that has a sandy bottom and filled with some fish so younger children can experience the sea in a safe environment.
There is lots of adult recreation as well with fishing, diving, kite boarding, paddle boarding, sea kayaking, and any other water sport anyone can think of. There is also lots of places to just sit at the dock of the bay.
I would imagine it would be a great spot for a business meeting although who wants to be in a meeting room when they can be outside for all the things to do. I didn’t see a golf course but it may be there. They have a big tennis area with pros that provide lessons.
We had dinner in Alma (their elegantly informal restaurant). Their wine list is quite good. The service is excellent. We shared with the garlic shrimp as an appetizer.
It was just yummy. Basically, we wanted to lick the plate. Mike had the paella and it was very good. I ordered a steak because after all of the seafood and fish we ate, I needed a steak.
While it was good, it was delivered a little cool. I would have sent it back but I was just too hungry so I let it slide but I did tell the waiter. They took the steak off of our bill which I thought was exceptional since I didn’t send it back. They also called us later that evening to offer a bottle of wine because of the cool steak. We thought they were incredibly gracious. We would go back there again simply because of their service.
We had breakfast the next morning in Ocean that had a very good buffet or you can order off a menu.
We left that morning for home. What a trip. We loved the Florida Keys, our excellent adventure, and hope to return sometime soon especially to Hawk’s Cay.
Parmer’s Resort, Little Torch Key, Florida
On the way back from Key West, our next stop was Parmer’s Resort. It is another fairly low-key, funky hotel. We had a couple of calls from them because the day we checked in was going to be their Christmas party. They wanted to make sure we checked in ahead of everyone partying.
Barnacle Bill’s Bed and Breakfast is a must stay place. It is so much fun and doesn’t take itself seriously.
What can anyone say about Barnacle Bill’s Bed and Breakfast. It is definitely an “off kilter” wonderful place on Big Pine Key. They usually require a two-night stay but we were able to stay for one night. It was very special, very eclectic, quirky, or any other odd name we could call it.