I know this pandemic has been difficult for a lot of us. Trust me, I love going out to try new restaurants, to go on adventures far and wide…and don’t even get me started on the ramifications and impact it has had on all of our work situations! But, I want to offer a glimmer of optimism – there are plenty of ways to get outside and still have fun, despite the virus!
For example, I make regular trips to Lake Tahoe and the Reno area. I love it up there, and my son lives in Reno, so I try to go up there as often as possible to visit, ski, or both. Additionally, we live in a great region where we have Shell Ridge and Mt. Diablo right in our backyards! When the weather cools and the smoke clears, you can try a new trail!
If you’re a foodie like me, you may be struggling to find good places to eat and new places to try that offer correct social-distancing practices. At wineries, however, they are seating outdoors at their beautiful gardens, thus you can distance yourself from other people quite easily. My friend Veronica and I recently did this at Rombauer Vineyards and Bennett Lane in the Napa region.
We went up Friday before Labor Day Weekend and it was the perfect time -not crowded, though they said they were booked solid for the holiday weekend. We had a great one on one experience at Bennett Lane and enjoyed most of their wines which was determined by what we toted to our car. We then headed to lunch at (Farmstead), and enjoyed the nice weather and lunch on the patio, although the hostess was a bit snooty as we showed up 15 minutes late. We had the trout and brick cooked chicken, along with shishito peppers from their garden. You can see the menu here.
Rombauer Vineyards has a beautiful view as noted in the picture with the roses in the foreground and their Zinfindel and Chardonnay are among my favorite wines. An interesting tidbit that I did not know, Co-Founder Koerner Rombauer’s great aunt Irma authored the cookbook The Joy of Cooking, and his ancestors originated from a famous wine-growing region in Germany.
