Cecelia e.'s Profile

I love that you really have to search for this winery, even though it is in the popular Dry Creek area not far from Healdsburg. It is even better when you drive there, find family members busily working but willing to take the time to show you their best wines, and also let you sample some of their wine still in the barrels.

We called to schedule an appointment to come to this winery back in October because we had purchased a bottle of their Zinfandel at the River's End restaurant in Jenner, CA as part of our anniversary celebration. We knew that we had loved the wine but wondered if it was as good as we thought or did it seem better because of the spectacular sunset, a great meal, and the celebration of our anniversary? After visiting the winery, we knew that it wasn't an aberration.

Having lived in the San Francisco Bay area and near Napa, my husband and I have visited numerous wineries. I'll admit that I am partial to unpretentious wine-tasting experiences in Sonoma County. I especially love it when I find a good wine produced and showcased by a family with grape stains on their hands because they are busily preparing the next generation of wines.

We came for the Zin but ended up leaving with much more. Normally, we are partial to red wines.  The Viognier (a CA State Fair Best of Class perennial winner) totally surprised us. We also enjoyed other types such as their 2003 Merlot and Cabernet.

While there, Paul (with arms thrust deeply into the bin of grapes) explained to us what he was doing and why. John poured some of his wines for awhile until his son Austin took over. One can tell that Austin is a natural with sales, as he turned on the "right" type of music and proceeded to showcase the family's wines. Friends stopped by and talked about their film "Corked" that was showing that night.

By the time we left, we had purchased a case of wine after having done something we rarely do, join a wine club. We were pleased that John took the time to sign each bottle. We were also very pleased that we had taken the time to search for this winery.

I forgot to mention the slaw-dogs...Yes, my CA-bred husband looks at me like I am an idiot when I say that I like slaw-dogs! (I guess it's a southern thing, especially since I haven't been able to find them west of the Mississippi.)

Anyway, at Bantam Chef, their slaw dogs come with homemade chili (no beans), wiener, bun, onions, mustard, catsup all topped with slaw. Make sure you have plenty of napkins...and don't ever think about eating them while driving!

3.5  Breakfast only

I don't eat here often because I would weigh a ton if I did. My husband loves to eat here when we visit my SC family.  He loves the gravy and biscuits.

The place is usually really crowded in the mornings, especially on the weekends.

Out-of-towners can hear a lot of the local flavor since those working there don't seem to mind that people in the restaurant can hear their conversations.  Sometimes the conversations and the drawl can get rather thick...Even for someone who lived a large portion of her life in the south :)

Price: 5
Massage: 4
Ease of getting appointment: 5
Location: 3-4
Cat: 1

With aching backs, my husband and I called a couple of places early Saturday morning to see if we could schedule massages. We didn't expect to find an availability but we  were very hopeful. Sandra called us back and was able to schedule an appointment the very next day. Enquiring about the fees, we were pleasantly surprised at how reasonable they were.

We weren't sure if we would find the location easily so we arrived early. It was very easy to find. It was downtown near a busy intersection , several restaurants, and the train station. (My husband and I joked that I would run and get a massage every time I drove him to the train station :)

The office was located on the second floor (ok for me, but perhaps a little difficult for elderly people who have problems climbing the stairs.) The interior was comfortable, albeit a little crowded. (This is not a day spa-type place.)

Sandra was very good at finding the knots and working on them. She was very careful to ask if the pressure was right or if she needed to adjust it. Anyway, I came out of the massage feeling great. My husband even commented that my eyes looked glazed!

The only possible downside was her cats. They were well-behaved and didn't bother us; however, it could be a real problem for someone who was allergic to cats. Since they didn't bother us and our backs feel great, we will definitely schedule another appointment!

I was hesitant about how to review the Inn. The rooms are small, like in Paris (thus advertised as European...) The hotel is old but they have updated it somewhat (paint, comfortable beds.) The people were very friendly and personable. The price was rather reasonable. I also enjoyed spending some time in the lounge chairs, drinking a glass of wine, and looking at the bay.

Still, I am not sure that I will come back. Maybe I have gotten older and more picky. I just do not sleep well when it is hot (just a ceiling fan and no ac.) I also do not enjoy having to hang around outside because the room was just too hot to relax in. (Yes, I do know that it is usually cooler and one would not normally need the ac.)

I feel kinda bad writing this review. Have you ever seen someone kick a dog who just wants to be loved and petted? The people were so nice that I feel almost as if I am kicking that dog... Darn it! why am I feeling so guilty??

There are very few restaurants that I have been to where the food was truly bad. If you read my reviews, you'll find that most are in the "3-5" range, with only a few in the lowest ranges. This is one restaurant that I was very much disappointed in the food, and one that I felt compelled to write about:

I'll start with the positives: There was one vacant outdoor table and we were able to be seated fairly quickly. My husband's salad was pretty good, as was the tea. From there, things went downhill pretty fast.

We had to wait over an hour for our food to arrive. When it did, I looked at it and knew that it wasn't going to taste too great. I had ordered salmon with lemon butter sauce and capers. Since I am trying to be health-conscious and lose some weight, I ordered the sauce on the side. I took one bite of the salmon and knew that it was overcooked. I dipped a piece into the sauce, tasted it, and wondered if they had forgotten the lemon because it certainly had a very bland taste. I then poked around in the container with my fork, wondering if the capers had sunk to the bottom. I quickly found out they they hadn't; there were no capers.

Next, I I took a bite of the vegetables (just carrots) and they were cold. I then tried a bite of mashed potatoes and found that they were cold, also. My husband asked if I wanted to send it all back. Since we had been on a short hike that day and we had already been waiting for over an hour for our food to be served, I was starving and thought that I would make the best of a bad situation. I did have the server to bring out additional sides. The replacements were a mixed bag: carrots were cold and the potatoes warm...

As I left, I was mentally kicking myself in the rear. I had read about this restaurant in the guidebooks and I was the one that wanted to go. While the weather was nice and the outdoor seating relaxing, the food was just bad. I kept remembering the waitress telling us that the lead chef was out of town and that they were training someone new. In this economy, with many restaurants going out of business, I wondered why on earth they were training a new chef on a busy Saturday night and even if they were forced to, where was the additional management that would ensure that food was prepared properly?

Visiting the Paso Robles area for the Zin Festival this weekend, we couldn't resist  going to a downtown tasting room called the Midlife Crisis. After tasting their wines and making a purchase, we asked one of the employees about a good place to go to for lunch. The employee indicated that the Odyssey, located one block away, was a great place for lunch, especially for the salads and sandwiches. Another employee, upon hearing our conversation, chimed in that they had awesome soups. They described the place as an European-style deli/restaurant.

Since a salad sounded great to me, my husband and I decided to walk to the restaurant. Upon entering, we noted the restaurant definitely had a relaxed ambiance, as well as a vacant table beside the window. While my husband's gyro was "just average," I had one of the best salmon salads I have ever had. It was filled with pine nuts, as well as roasted zucchini, squash, and bell peppers.

While my husband perused the brochures to determine which wineries we were going to visit, I hungrily munched on my salmon salad. It was so good that I ate everything on the plate. In fact, I was sorely tempted to run my finger along my plate so that I didn't miss one bite of this tasty dish!

Another victim of the economic downturn.  I read a couple of weeks ago that over 90 restaurants had closed in the city of Fresno in the past 6 months.  Ruth Chris Steak has even been advertising a 4-course meal for $39.00.

I hate to see this place go (supposed to close next month.)  There aren't a lot of "sit-down" restaurants around Coalinga and this place was a welcome change of pace.

Thank you, Jesus! Hallelujah!  Yes, yes, that's right.

Oops, slipped a bit into the words that I remember from my childhood Southern Baptist heritage..but dang, this was good!  And the
PRICE; I think I died and went to heaven!

I'll admit, I love massages and I have had my share from across the world.  From highbrow spas to $10 ones in Viet Nam.  From yoga to deep tissue, from lymphatic to Swedish to acupressure.  I even had a Thai massage in Bangkok where I look like I had been beaten up (because of the bruises on my arms.)  For some reason, and I am really questioning why not, I have never had a "foot" massage.

After running errands and walking along the bay for about 5 miles today, my husband and I decided to treat ourselves with a foot massage.  We had already researched YELP and knew that this was the place that we were definitely going to try.  As other Yelpers have indicated, we would have never gone to this place without the reviews.  First of all, it is on a side street that we wouldn't have normally been on.  Secondly, one always wonders, as they walk by,  if these are legit places.

Tonight, we found out that other Yelpers were right on.  My husband and I went into a private room and Amy and Jimmy went to work on us making everything "hurt so good."  Although I had read that it could be a bit noisy, it wasn't for us and we enjoyed every minute of the massage.  In fact, we have already decided that we will go back.

I watch my husband salivate every time we pass this place. It has become somewhat a joke in my family because my CA-bred husband (who can't shoot off fireworks in most of CA), is a closet fireworks addict. Since we usually pass Shelton's every time we fly into Charlotte from the west coast and drive to my SC home, I get lots of laughs. I also get to visit Shelton's at least twice a year because we are stopping on our way from the Charlotte airport or we are making a special trip to Blacksburg to buy fireworks.

On New Year's Eve, even though we had 8 o'clock reservations in Spartanburg, we had to drive last minute to Blacksburg to pick up fireworks. Of course, my husband had to choose the big, flashy rockets. He was also very excited because they threw in lots of freebies! After midnight, he and our guests joined many of our SC neighbors by shooting off fireworks for about 15 minutes! (Yes, I'll admit, I enjoy watching the various colors as the rockets erupt into the sky!)

A few months earlier, my husband had to get his fireworks fix by stopping at Shelton's and purchasing fireworks. I can still remember his face and how he was as excited as a kid as he put the fireworks in the car and talked about the great deals he got at Shelton's. Should I mention the look on my face later that day? Why not? One of his bright ideas was to attach fireworks to the telephone pole near my driveway in SC. After shooting the fireworks (the loud, popping kind), he and everyone else decided to go inside. A few minutes later, with baby in my arms, I decided to leave and go to a local store. Imagine my horror as I saw the telephone pole on fire. After screaming for help, everyone erupted from the house and got the fire put out! Still, every time we enter into my driveway at my SC home, upon viewing the blackened portion of the telephone pole, my husband gets teased mercilessly about his fireworks addiction and his "bright idea" to use the telephone pole to attach live fireworks!