Mendocino, California (Day 1)

B and I head to Mendocino to celebrate our anniversary. We wanted to go somewhere relaxing after our big Paris trip and before having to deal with moving the following weekend. On our drive up, we stop by Goldeneye Winery. We really like their Goldeneye pinot noir and have been wanting to make a trip up to Anderson Valley to try more of their wines. Goldeneye Winery is a beautiful property with a great outdoor patio for wine tasting. Goldeneye specializes in pinor noirs, while their sister wineries in Napa focus on bordeaux blends (Duckhorn) and zinfandels (Paraduxx). We had a flight of 7 wines and enjoyed them all so much that we joined their wine club. The information cards with tasting notes that accompanied each glass were a nice and appreciated touch. I typically prefer cabernet sauvignon, but found their pinots to be well-structured and complex.

We then made up way up to Mendocino where it was quite foggy and much colder. We stayed at a wonderful bed and breakfast called Agate Cove Inn. Our room was tastefully decorated and cozy. I especially loved the huge jacuzzi tub in the bathroom. Their towels were also really soft - it was like being at home, since most hotel towels are hard and don't feel like they use fabric softener. And to top it all off, they made the BEST breakfasts, far better than any other B&B that I've been to. Poached pear, home-made scones, blueberry bread pudding, eggs benedict...just to name a few of the things we had during our short stay.
To finish off our long day, we had dinner at La Petite Rive. After reading raving reviews on Yelp, I was looking forward to trying this tiny restaurant that is more off the beaten path. Also, the 5 course pre-fixe menu for $35/person seemed like a great deal. Unfortunately, I was disappointed. When we arrived, we found out that they gave our table to another couple who supposedly claimed to be us. The whole thing was handled very strangely, but we were seated at our table in the end. Our waitress was the daughter of the chef, but she surprisingly knew nothing about the food and could not describe the menu. Overall the food was average. The food served with each course was pretty basic - mushroom soup, green salad, asparagus and mashed potatoes for sides. The highlight of the evening was my peppercorn steak in a cabernet reduction - it was thick and juicy with a nice sear on the outside. However, that was offset by B's sad entree - his scallops were chewy and overcooked. I guess this is a prime example of "you get what you pay for."

BITE METER:
Goldeneye Winery - 4.5 bites (out of 5)
Agate Cove Inn - 4 bites (out of 5)
La Petite Rive - 2.5 bites (out of 5)