Lakewood Country Club Dinner 12.7.14

The Howells let us crash the country club for a one of a kind evening full of amazing food and delightful surprises.

Look what a respectable group we are when we clean up:

We managed to hold that pose for a few seconds before going crazy touching Greta's super soft vest.  What can I say?  Maybe we aren't so respectable after all:

We had the dining room to ourselves and our own personal menu created by famous chef William Koval who was stolen away from The French Room recently.  The food was over the top amazing.

After dinner, we even got a tour of the kitchen.  

The wine that night was lovely, and we all took home a bottle of our favorite:

Thank you, Paul and Jackie, for a memorable evening!  My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Rancho Loma Weekend 10.24.14

I still can't believe the 8 of us whisked ourselves away to the middle of nowhere for an amazing weekend of wine and food.  I really can't sum this up…there was too much, it was too perfect.

Good thing I created photo books for everyone, so we can all have the memories within arm's reach on our coffee tables.

I can't recreate the photo book here, won't even try.  But I will put a few pictures that make me smile.

Nebbiolo Blind Tasting 8.2.14

I had trouble deciding on the title for this post.  I originally thought the title "ALL ABOUT ME" had a nice ring to it.  And it fit the evening well since it was my birthday and all.

Regardless of the title, the evening was a lovely gathering as always.  Jed and Greta went above and beyond to create a fabulous meal and setting for us.  (Most likely because it was my birthday…you know, all about me!!)  The Cavallo Grill was fantastic- the food just blew us away: like a summer breeze. 

Salmon-chanted Evening 5.31.14

We have Jed (who else!) to thank for the title of this blog post.  It was an enchanted evening indeed at the Swim's lovely new home.  Jordan outdid himself this time.  The star of the menu was salmon, and the dishes Jordan presented to us were imaginative and indescribably delicious.

The wines were also incredible.  The theme was Washington state syrah (100% or blended).  I think this opened many of our eyes to a new genre of wine.  Washington syrah was smooth and bold yet not over-powering.   The nuances of fruit and spice were varied, yet all so good.  We chose some amazing wines to share.

Instead of going on with words, I'll let the photos speak for the evening.  I took nearly 150 pictures!  From the moment we arrived at 7, until the clock was about to strike midnight, we enjoyed a terrific Saturday night.

Bootleg Wine Dinner 3.1.14

It was a night made possible by Jimmy's Italian Food Store, the bountiful wines of Italy, and our hosts…even though one of them was on injured reserve.

We feasted on many foods from Jimmy's including this giant vegetable lasagna which requires 20 people just to put it in or remove it from the oven.

It all began with delicious appetizers served from a tray Jackie bought at the Taj Mahal.

Once Jordan arrived and told us what to do, we dove in and sampled some fine Italian wine.  Several of which were purchased from WTSO.com, A.K.A. "The fastest way to spend way more on wine than you wanted."

The food was amazing.  Stuffed mushrooms, a fresh take on Caesar salad, Lasagna, Osso Bucu, and cannolis.  And as always the table was full of rich conversation and laughter.