Falkner For A Taste And Lunch 12/12/2011
First taste of the day... The tasting room was so cold that Paul had the shakes
Lips to Bob
Too many sippies already
... This was after his second one
The pheasants are ready for Christmas
Yes indeed... Wouldn't that be nice
"Bob got a present from the Tasting Room"
Paul got a tee shirt selection just for him
Donna is "Well Red"
See... Even the reindeer do it
Donna decided to pose for the camera... and scare the customers away
To The Pinnacle And Beyond - "Buzzed Lightyear"
To the restaurant for a superty duper lunch
Christmas is a magical time
The roasted brie cheese did NOT last very long
Apple & Walnut Baked Brie $12
Topped with raspberry sauce and served with assorted gourmet crackers
Did You Know? - Brie may be produced from whole or semi-skimmed milk. The curd is obtained by adding rennet to raw milk and heating it to a maximum temperature of 37° C. The cheese is then cast into molds, sometimes with a traditional perforated ladle called a pelle à brie. The 20cm mold is filled with several thin layers of cheese and drained for approximately 18 hours. The cheese is then taken out of the molds, salted, inoculated with cheese mold (Penicillium candidum, Penicillium camemberti) or Brevibacterium linens, and aged in a cellar for at least four to five weeks.
If left to mature for longer, typically several months to a year, the cheese becomes stronger in flavor and taste, the pâte drier and darker, and the rind also darker and crumbly, and is called Brie Noir (Fr: black Brie). Around the Île-de-France where Brie is made, people enjoy soaking this in café au lait and eating it for breakfast.
Donna enjoyed her lunch
Blackened Grilled Chicken Chipotle Lime Pasta $15
Linguini, Chipotle lime cream sauce, fresh red bell peppers, asparagus, garlic and shallots
Did You Know? - A chipotle or chilpotle, which comes from the Nahuatl word chilpoktli meaning "smoked chili pepper" is a smoke-dried jalapeño that tends to be brown and shriveled. It is a chili used primarily in Mexican and Mexican-inspired cuisines, such as Mexican-American and Tex-Mex. Varieties of jalapeño vary in size and heat.
In Mexico, the jalapeño is also known as the cuaresmeño and gordo. Until recently, chipotles were largely found in the markets of central and southern Mexico. As Mexican food became more popular abroad, especially in North and South America in the late 20th century, jalapeño production and processing began to expand into northern Mexico to serve the southwestern United States, and eventually processing occurred in the United States and other places such as China.
Artichoke and Roasted Red Pepper Gratinée $10
Made with Greek yogurt, artichoke hearts, red bell pepper, and roasted garlic served
with assorted crackers and home made crostini
Sue got her vegetarian risotto
Wild Mushroom Risotto $8
Trio of mushrooms in risotto finished with white wine
Did You Know? - Asaf high-starch (amylopectin), low-amylose round medium- or short- grain rice is usually used to make risotto. Such rices have the ability to absorb liquids and to release starch and so they are stickier than the long grain varieties.
Now we are talking.... Spicy succotash... This was EXCELLENT
Butternut Squash Succotash* $7
Made with garbanzo beans, shallots, garlic, sweet peas, roasted bell pepper and chipotle purée
Did You Know? - Succotash (from Narragansett msíckquatash, "boiled corn kernels" ) is a food dish consisting primarily of corn and lima beans or other shell beans. Other ingredients may be added including tomatoes and green or sweet red peppers. Because of the relatively inexpensive and more readily available ingredients, the dish was popular during the Great Depression in the United States.
It was sometimes cooked in a casserole form, often with a light pie crust on top as in a traditional pot pie. Succotash is a traditional dish of many Thanksgiving celebrations in New England[4] as well as in Pennsylvania and other states. In some parts of the American South, any mixture of vegetables prepared with lima beans and topped with lard or butter is called succotash.
We made us of these
Decked out for Christmas
Our server was a bit frightened after serving us but she posted anyway
Even on a stormy day the view is fantastic
Someone is quite creative
South Coast Winery Is Just Down The Road
A new hotel underway
The vineyards were brown but that is OK
Fall colors were magnificent
"OK... We have a plan of attack"
It is late fall and the leaves have....
We cried our little eyes out until we saw the bar to the left was open
Cougar Transformation Underway
Snapping with a cell phone in a difficult room leaves something to be desired
COUGARS????
Too short! They CANNOT "belly up to the bar"
To stand at a drinking bar...a place that sells alcoholic beverages. Usually, the bar, or surface that the drinks are served on, is the approximate height of an ordinary person's stomach, or "belly," hence to stand there is to have one's belly at the bar. In another sense, it could mean to step up, to come forward.
Did You Know? - Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is the simplest peroxide (a compound with an oxygen-oxygen single bond) and an oxidizer. Hydrogen peroxide is a clear liquid, slightly more viscous than water. In dilute solution, it appears colorless. With its oxidizing properties, hydrogen peroxide is often used as a bleach or cleaning agent.
The oxidizing capacity of hydrogen peroxide is so strong that it is considered a highly reactive oxygen species. Hydrogen peroxide is therefore used as a propellant in rocketry. Hydrogen peroxide is also naturally produced in organisms as a by-product of oxidative metabolism. Nearly all living things (specifically, all obligate and facultative aerobes) possess enzymes known as catalyse peroxidases, which harmlessly and catalytically decompose low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen.
Donna Checks In... Sorta
Donna checks in and explains to the operator how the computer works
Donna has a short cut
Now believe me, 1 + 1 = 10
The computer may have grounds
Ah, that does NOT sound right....
1 + 1 + 1 = 11
Bob told me that!
The Rain Was Hard and Daylight Was Shrinking... So Paul Shopped And Snapped
Just hanging around
Amen
All decorated for Christmas
The wood paneling and door were interesting
It's raining outside
Awards did you say???
Radio active grapes
Would someone pull that price tag out of my butt??
Off To The Next Wintery Called Van Roekel
Ah Bob... You did NOT miss anything! The wine was terrible
Actually, the wine was so good we bought two cases... We just didn't want Bob to feel bad
Paul now knows where his terrible reaction to the treadmill comes from
It was the pomegranate champagne that required the purchase
Paul is still snapping
instead of tasting... What a little lamb
Stormy weather does NOT need a drinker on the road!
We totally agree
He made a piggy of himself at lunch
He looked like a hippo walking out of Falkner
Great shirts for the girls
Also well red
I wondered about Jeanette when I saw this one....
They decided to share a tasting as it was approaching dark and it was rainy
.. We all wanted to be alert
Through these doors is.... Cold wet weather
Santa and Paul danced over in the corner of the gift shop
Then The Accident Happened....
Paul was carrying two cases of wine so Sue had the key faub. While looking for which button to push to open the trunk, she slipped on the stairs and when head first into the parking lot blacktop...
We called 911 immediately when we saw the blood.
Sue was out cold for about 3-4 minutes then she regained consciousness and attempted to focus her eyes.
Donna applied pressure to the head to stem the flow of blood (or try too) and Paul gathered jackets, blankets to cover Sue as the parking lot was wet and it was raining.
The paramedics came within about 8 minutes and we were off for a 20 minute drive to the Murietta Hospital.
Donna and Paul stayed right on their tail...
The "Energizer Bunny" managed a smile eventhough she was in a lot of pain....
Not a great picture but "Trooper Sue" is going to the Christmas dances and events no matter what!
They did a Cat Scan and determined there was some blood in the brain meaning when she hit to hard, the brain smashed into the skull and ruptured a blood vessel-capilary and that can be dangerous. She had to stay overnight and get another CAT Scan in the morning to assure the capillary had closed. Too much blood puts pressure on the brain and then bad things happen.
Did You Know? - X-ray computed tomography, also Computed tomography (CT) or Computed axial tomography (CAT), is a medical imaging method employing tomography created by computer processing. Digital geometry processing is used to generate a three-dimensional image of the inside of an object from a large series of two-dimensional X-ray images taken around a single axis of rotation.
CT produces a volume of data that can be manipulated, through a process known as "windowing", in order to demonstrate various bodily structures based on their ability to block the X-ray beam. Although historically the images generated were in the axial or transverse plane, perpendicular to the long axis of the body, modern scanners allow this volume of data to be reformatted in various planes or even as volumetric (3D) representations of structures. Although most common in medicine, CT is also used in other fields, such as nondestructive materials testing. Another example is archaeological uses such as imaging the contents of sarcophagi.
Vertical slices through the brain... You can see "spotting of blood" with this method
An Overnight Stay In Wine Country... How Not Expected!
Donna and Paul left about 8:00 PM and headed for home. She was admitted into the hospital for overnight observation and these concussions can be tricky.
Paul returned Tuesday and spent the day with Sue while they did some leg x-rays and other tests.
After a day of hospital food, we needed something real so we found a nice Italian Restaurant on our way home.
Great food and atmosphere and an amazing friendly wait staff... Definite recommendation