Roche Winery Tasting Room-Sonoma,CA

When the fog is thick and weighing down San Francisco, the sun is usually warming the hills of Sonoma. Which is why a picnic is almost always a great idea! Sonoma has an adorable town plaza with a large amount of tables and perfect spots for blankets and baskets. But even if the weather is begging for a picnic and you are like me, you neither have the time nor the energy to pack goodies for grown-ups after loading baby changing necessities, emergency outfits, essential toys, the stroller, not to mention a selection of crackers, cookies, teething biscuits, bottles, jars, & sippy cups. If that is case, the Roche Winery tasting room is the perfect park alternative!

Roche's relatively new tasting room is less than half a block off Sonoma's Plaza. It has multiple classic-style picnic tables, as well as umbrella covered tables and chairs. There is also a lovely wrap around covered porch with tables and space to throw a blanket down for a little one to comfortably sit and play in the shade. Guests are welcome to bring their own snacks, but they also offer a great limited menu from the Sunflower Cafe. Besides the wonderful surroundings and availability of lovely treats, the wines are wonderful as well (they just received 90+ ratings). Obviously, wine tasting is offered, but also wines by the glass and chilled bottles are available at a very reasonable price. Water is also available and a plethora of non-alcoholic beverages can be purchased just a few shops down for the drivers/non-wine drinkers. The people who work at Roche are another reason to visit. You more than likely will meet a member of the Roche family during your visit but if you don't even the most unrelated employees seem to be an extension of the family. There is a warmth and welcoming air to the staff that adds an extra element of comfort to your visit-as if you were just relaxing at a friend's home on a beautiful sunny day.

Below is my personal rating system:
1 (I wanted to fight) to 5(Wow, Yay & Yum)  & other important details...
Wine/Food: 4
Service: 5
Child friendliness: 4
Best dining time: Lunch on a nice day
Baby changing station: No
Stroller access: Great
Winery website: http://rochewinery.com/tasteroom.htm

 Roche Winery Tasting Room-Sonoma, CA

 Roche Winery Tasting Room-Sonoma, CA

 Roche Winery Tasting Room-Sonoma, CA

 Roche Winery Tasting Room-Sonoma, CA

Barcelona...Pics to see

This entry will be nice and short since it's the weekend, I need to go watch the Giants game, and I just read/saw a blog entry that would trump anything I could put out there today regarding food. My lovely and fabulous niece Haley is spending a semester in Barcelona and just made a post about the markets, cooking classes and dinners she's been enjoying. I'm not sure about the stroller access or the available changing stations, but I know that I want to be there, bambino or no. 

http://barcelona-and-back.blogspot.com/2010/10/girls-gotta-eat.html

BarBersQ in Napa,CA

When thinking of Target, an awesome $1 section, festive seasonal decor, and killer dorm room accessories are just a few of the fabulous images that come to mind but usually an upscale deeeelicious barbecue restaurant does not share the same thought space. Unless, of course, you are visiting the Target located at the Bel Aire shopping complex in Napa which shares it's stripmall home with BarBersQ.

Sonoma and Napa are home to arguably some of the best food and dining experiences in the country. You can usually find these places bordering a cute village plaza or dotting a wine trail or wrapped in a resort, but this is the exception. As soon as you walk in the door, you forget that the need for milk and diapers originally brought you in. With interior design by Stephen Brady and a menu by Stephen Barber, it's quite easy to sink into your seat and just enjoy (that's actually a warning to add at least an hour to your shopping trip!!). Described as 'American Heritage Cooking featuring authentic Memphis style barbecue,'the food is always a treat.Today, I shared the Mini Lamb Burgers and Spinach Salad and yum, yum, yum! They also have a great wine and beer list. Weekend and Monday night football take-out specials are offered. The staff is always lovely and patient with Jack's need to throw cornbread on the floor. And at least one of the owners, Gene Tartaglia or Stephen Barber, will usually make his way to your table to chat for a minute before enjoying his own lunch.

So Target or no Target, lunch at BarBersQ is a great idea!

Below is my personal rating system:
1 (I wanted to fight) to 5(Wow, Yay & Yum)  & other important details...
Food: 4
Service: 4
Child friendliness: 3
Best dining time: Lunch (has a decent happy hour scene so post 4pm might be much)
Baby changing station: No
Stroller access: Limited
Restaurant website: http://www.barbersq.com/

 BarBersQ, Napa: This doesn't give the inside justice, but you can see the bar is super cool

 BarBersQ in Napa: Front

BarBersQ in Napa: a crabby Jack and his auntie Erin

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford

Today was Jack's check up and chemotherapy treatment at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. This June Jack was diagnosed with a rare blood disease, Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH). In LCH, white blood cells 'misbehave' (as one doctor described it) and attack healthy bone, tissue, and organs. The cells are healthy and the disease does not spread from system to system so it is not classified as a Cancer, but the treatment is very similar. In any case, Jack is doing very well and is much tougher and more brave than any of us could have imagined.

We are very lucky to live in Northern California and have a resource such as Stanford with its amazing medical staff only a couple of hours away! The hospital grounds are beautiful and the inside is cleaner than you would even expect. The doctors and nurses are filled with seemingly unending amounts of hope and positive energy.You'll usually find volunteers running fun project tables. Board games and toys, vibrant fish filled tanks, a massive model train village, Disney and Sprouts TV playing on big screens, are all among the well orchestrated distractions that fill each room. The small little faces that pass you in the hall or sit next to you in reception are generally wearing smiles, regardless of the dark circles under their eyes or balding heads. I could tell you story upon story about this place and these people that might inspire you, possibly bring a tear, and definitely revive your faith in the human spirit, but I won't. 1) Because you already know the smallest are most times the strongest and a little hope goes a long way & 2) this is a food blog.

So let me tell you about the hospital cafeteria. (May you never have to come here for any other reason than the birth of a healthy new baby.) Matt and I agree that it has some of the healthiest and best priced hospital meals around. They offer locally sourced fruits, a huge selection of Odwalla juices, organic snacks, as well as your classic bags of chips for the quick grab.Comfortable indoor and outdoor seating is available. And there is a Starbucks cart with hot brew each morning. The only negative I can think of (considering it's in a hospital) is the size of the place. It is guaranteed that I will take someone out with my stroller during each visit.

Below is my personal rating system:
1 (I could have pulled my hair out) to 5(I wanted to give hugs and high-fives)  & other important details...
Food: 3
Service: 3
Child friendliness: 5
Best dining time: Anytime
Baby changing station: Yes
Stroller access: Extremely Limited
Hospital website: http://www.lpch.org/

 Lucile Packard Children's Hospital

 Lucile Packard Children's Hospital: Jack and I in front with the animals

 Lucile Packard Children's Hospital: Seriously, this gift shop rivals FAO Schwartz

 Lucile Packard Children's Hospital: Jack and his auntie Kimberley playing with the train

 Lucile Packard Children's Hospital: The train model

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital: Yay Fish!

Sonoma's Fabulous Farmer's Market

By far, the little city of Sonoma, CA has one of the best Farmer's Market I've ever visited. The locally and sustainbly grown produce is unending. Flower bunches billow out of truck beds. A great band plays in the front of the town hall. And the food carts offer not only the expected bags of carmel corn and corn dogs, but also some of the yummiest dishes from local restaurants (If you go, try Rocket Cafe's cart for sure!!). 

It is also one of Jack's (my very opinonated 10mth old) favorite ways to spend a Tuesday evening. As soon as we arrive at the Sonoma's plaza, the fun begins. From his stroller seat, he excitedly watches (and flirts with) all the people busling from vendor to vendor. His daddy and I carefully browse the stands and gather a smorgesborg of delights. We throw a blanket down somewhere near the live music and enjoy our finds. Jack dances, munches on a sweet strawberries and/or figs, probably a tomato or two, and eventually convinces me to take him to the swings. All and all not too shabby!

Here are some pictures of this week's Farmer's Market. I believe this may have been the last one of the season, which is sad, but April will be here before we know it!

Sonoma Farmer's Market: Every flavor rocks! So do the pita chips-beware they are addictive!

 Sonoma Farmer's Market: Danger! Do you see the size of those brownies???

 Sonoma Farmer's Market

 Sonoma Farmer's Market

Sonoma Farmer's Market: Everything on this table is extra delicious

 Sonoma Farmer's Market

 Sonoma Farmer's Market

 Sonoma Farmer's Market: I would argue the BEST bread in Sonoma

 Sonoma Farmer's Market: Not only beautiful and fragrant, but a smoking deal-$5 to $10 a bunch!

 Sonoma Farmer's Market: Yes, I like it that much!

 Sonoma Farmer's Market: Band and crowd

Sonoma Farmer's Market: Sonoma City Hall

Coastal adventures continue...

 After Capitola, we ventured further south to Monterey/Carmel. I had arranged for us to stay in a hotel that was listed as being located in Carmel, but was actually located in Marina, CA (20mins North of Carmel). One would have thought the address would have given me a clue, but obviously it was not my most observant day. We were still able to spend the rest of our afternoon wandering around Carmel and on it's beautiful beach, but decided to head back to Marina for the evening.

For dinner we found the Kula Ranch Island Steakhouse at the Sanctuary Resort on the Marina State Beach. I wouldn't call it a must-stop, but if find yourself (or screaming little ones)starving and not able to make it to Monterey, it's a good option. It is a Hawaiian themed restaurant with lots of Hula decor and even a ukulele player who was really sweet to play multiple songs for Jack. The food was so so, but the service was great and we felt very comfortable to Jack there.

Below is my personal rating system:
1 (I could have pulled my hair out) to 5(I wanted to give hugs and high-fives)  & other important details...
Food: 2
Service: 4
Child friendliness: 4
Best dining time: Anytime
Baby changing station: Yes
Stroller access: Limited
Restaurant website: http://kula-ranch.com/

Sunday we finally headed to the Half Moon Bay Pumpkin Festival. It was wet so the crowds were more docile than normal. This is a great way to get into the mood for Fall and Halloween, but the crowd can definitely try your patience!! There are lots of vendors selling pumpkin everything-pumpkin pie, bread, beer, hats, ornaments, etc. There are also a couple of stages on which a variety of bands play through out the weekend, including a Radio Disney sponsored stage. I'm glad we went, but don't think I will make this an annual event-maybe every couple of years. On a side note, there are plenty of farms on Hwy 1 that have pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and other fun harvest activities/produce.
Festival website: http://www.miramarevents.com/pumpkinfest/about_show.html

One place I will definitely visit again is Sam's Chowder House in Half Moon Bay. After spending the cold drizzly morning perusing pumpkins, it was the perfect place for lunch! Matt warmed up with the famous Chowder and I had the Gumbo. But, being a seafood lover, I can't wait to return to try the rest of the menu.There were children of all ages everywhere, but layout, views, and the vibe still make recommendable to your most anti-babino friends. I wasn't the biggest fan of our server, but the bus staff rocked and kept the bread coming as quick as it hit the floor.
Below is my personal rating system:
Food: 4
Service: 2
Child friendliness: 5
Best dining time: Anytime
Baby changing station: Yes
Stroller access: Easy
Restaurant website: http://www.samschowderhouse.com/

 Matt and Jack enjoy the sand in Carmel

 Sam's Chowder House, pics from their website

No better time to start...

 This weekend finally brought cool temperatures and the fall rains to northern California. With the change in weather, I found myself rummaging through closets for cuddly clothes and craving soul warming treats. As luck would have it, the Half Moon Bay Annual Pumpkin Festival was scheduled for the weekend! So I wrapped the baby, the daddy, and the dog in snuggly duds and hit the road for the coast. We took a slightly round about way of getting to Half Moon Bay, but had some great child friendly dining experiences along the way!

Our first stop was lunch with family in Capitola at the Paradise Beach Grill. It was a great stumble
-on-in discovery! They describe their menu as island style meets California cuisine. They are committed to using regionally sourced and sustainable ingredients. The interior is welcoming and seasonally festive. Jack (my baby boy) was extra 'talkative' but the restaurant noise level seemed to buffer it just enough so it wasn't too bothersome to the other guests. And their children meals are served on frisbees which are the child's to keep-how cute is that?! Our table definitely enjoyed our food and the exprience as a whole.

Below is my personal rating system from 1 (I could have pulled my hair out) to 5(I wanted to give hugs and high-fives) and some other important details...
Food: 3
Service: 3
Child friendliness: 4
Best dining time:Lunch and Early dinner
Baby changing station: Yes
Restaurant website: http://paradisebeachgrille.com/

 Capitola Coast

 Jack, Luma and me about to stroll on the Capitola pier

 Cute and funky beach rental houses enjoy sand at their door step.

Paradise Grill's waterfront dining