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Coffee or Wine?

December 8, 2012 by DanicasDaily 21 Comments

Happy Saturday all!  Yesterday was such a fun day and a day I have been waiting for ever since I found out that our work holiday party was going to be held at Vintners Inn in Santa Rosa.  I was excited to try the food by John Ash & Co, but, more importantly, I was able to experience one of the places by Ferrari-Carano ~ the people in the book I told you I was reading last month called A Very Good Year. 

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I wish I had arrived earlier so I could have snapped pictures in the day light ~ everything looked so beautiful lit up at night.  I told The Husband that just means we have to go back Winking smile

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Our holiday party was held in the events center.  I give major kudos to Vintner’s for decking out all the “serious” business conference rooms in festive holiday style.

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All of the wines served with dinner were part of the Accolade family of wines ~  XYZin from our old vines, Geyser Peak and BanRock Station.  BanRock Station is one of our Australian Brands and they make a delicious red wine called Crimson Cabernet that tastes just like sweet berries ~ it is one of my favorites so far and I think it would be pretty tasty served over ice or spritzed with fizzy water.

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Before I dive into the food, I just have to tell you all that I tracked visually with pictures, but, decided to just enjoy the day and not worry about the points+.  I kept breakfast & lunch incredibly light so I was ready to dive in as soon as we walked in the door.

I chose the Roasted Mary’s Organic Chicken and The Husband chose the Zinfandel Beef Braised Short Ribs so we could try two of the three choices.

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I ordered my salad sans stinky cheese, but, The Husband braved the stink and liked it (just like Mikey!)  I really loved the fig vinaigrette and the candied pistachios.

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The sour dough rolls were served with butter that was drizzled with a rosemary olive oil. 

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I like how the chicken was simply roasted with sea salt & black pepper.  It tasted even better when you mixed it in the earthy thyme mushroom sauce with a little of the smashed red potatoes.

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The Husband’s beef ribs were so tender you only needed your fork to cut them.  His dish reminded me of a Sunday pot roast that is served with carrot and potatoes.  His potatoes gratin were amazing….the potatoes, butter, and cheese literally melted in your mouth with each bite.

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The Chocolate Mouse Cake was so rich and velvety however, my favorite part was the hazelnut brittle on the plate,  Don’t worry, I resisted licking my plate since there were so many people around lol.

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I also totally dig they had a coffee bar to go with dessert.  It was hard to choose which to drink with my cake ~ the red wine or the coffee so I alternated…I am pretty sure everyone at my table thought I was crazy for doing that Open-mouthed smile

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It was such a fun night and honestly I love being at my job even more.  Everyone is so incredibly nice, fun and we both felt so welcome that it was like we had known everyone for years.

This morning, we both woke up craving bacon & breakfast (in that order too!).  Not just any breakfast place, but, one of our favorite local places…. The Joy of Eating.  You all know I LOVE their BLTA’s and their tasty Asian salad, but, I LOVE their breakfast probably more.

Veggie Omelet without cheese and with egg whites, cooked without oil or butter

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….it’s loaded with mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, tomatoes and it’s only 2 points+!

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What makes everything they make amazing is their sweet, Hawaiian homemade bread.

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I always get it “dry” (no butter), top 1 slice with Blackberry Jam and slice in quarters.

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Add 2 slices of their THICK Apple Wood Smoked Bacon…..

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To make a BACONWICH!!!  (8 points+) (Thanks Tracey for showing me the way!)

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Finished with fruit instead of hashed browns ~ not too shabby for a 10 points+ breakfast!

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We spent the entire day getting in our Christmas shopping for our families.  I am proud to say we are 2/3’s of the way done which is a pretty big success considering there are like 30 people in our families we have to buy for.

We also made a stop at Trader Joe’s and Sam’s Club where we both picked out one thing we wanted for dinner.

I picked making a big fruit salad that we shared with blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, a persimmon, orange and fuji apple (all 0 points+ and Simply Filling!)

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He picked Rosemary Focaccia Bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. 2 slices for 3 points+ plus 2 point+ for the olive oil.

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What can I say….sometimes, you have to eat what you crave.

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I am so glad tomorrow is a new week to reset.  I am not expecting too much at the scales this week since I had such a big loss last week.

See you all tomorrow with my Weekly Menu and if time permits my Active Link 12 Week Challenge summary and thoughts.

QUESTION OF THE DAY:

If you had to choose just one drink to have with your dessert, what would it be?  Coffee or Wine?

Night all!

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Comments

  1. 1

    Staci says

    December 8, 2012 at 11:21 pm

    Okay, so this is where I get ALL messed up. When I have a day that I decide not to count points.. because I feel most of us have those days… I don’t know what to do pointswise the rest of the week! Do you just count yourself out of weeklies or just pretend that day didn’t exist and keep weeklies where they were before that day or what? I hope that question makes sense! Lol

    Reply
  2. 2

    Jane says

    December 9, 2012 at 6:31 am

    I am not much of a coffee drinker at night and for me it’s usually wine or dessert as there aren’t enough calories for both. But at a lovely dinner like the one you were at, with a coffee bar, it totally would have been a wonderful cup of coffee.

    Reply
  3. 3

    Jessey says

    December 9, 2012 at 6:58 am

    I’ve wondered the same Staci. Looking forward to hearing what other people do in these situations.

    Reply
  4. 4

    Tammy says

    December 9, 2012 at 7:19 am

    I have seen where you like persimmons, so I purchased one. It was so bitter I could barely stand to swallow the first taste. How do you eat them? How do you tell they are ripe? Really want to be able to enjoy this fruit! Thanks 🙂

    Reply
    • 5

      DanicasDaily says

      March 31, 2013 at 11:46 am

      Hi Tammy,

      I am not sure how you tell when Persimmons are right because I usually buy all my fruit firm. I have heard when they are softer, however, I am not sure I’d eat it then 🙂

      Danica

      Reply
  5. 6

    christine says

    December 9, 2012 at 9:12 am

    COFFEE!

    Reply
  6. 7

    diane says

    December 9, 2012 at 9:53 am

    Definitely coffee with the dessert, but have finally learned after 3pm, it has to be decaf.

    Reply
  7. 8

    Gail H. says

    December 9, 2012 at 10:20 am

    OMG you had me just drooling! Geyser an Banrock are 2 of our favorites! My choice is wine, but of course I love our new Nespresso machine! Please keep in mind I didn’t drink before I met my Aussie husband…what does that tell you 🙂 I now have a very large wine fridge in my living room and belong to a wine club! Looking forward to your weekly menu…and no I haven’t earned one darn AP with my AL 🙁

    Reply
  8. 9

    Linda says

    December 9, 2012 at 11:10 am

    I don’t eat dessert, but I would still have the wine 🙂

    Reply
  9. 10

    Bonnie says

    December 9, 2012 at 11:51 am

    Coffee…yep I’d have coffee.

    Reply
  10. 11

    Christina says

    December 9, 2012 at 11:53 am

    If the dessert is the end of the meail AND the end of evening I will order a nice cappacino with my dessert. But if we are going to be still enjoying festivities then will continue with the wine.

    Reply
  11. 12

    Cara McNulty says

    December 9, 2012 at 1:21 pm

    Wow. What a gorgeous setting for a party. Where do you work? As for the comment about the sour persimmon above… when a persimmon is really pretty it will be very bitter. You need to pick one that is turning dark and a bit brown. Think how a banana gets sweeter the uglier it gets.

    Reply
    • 13

      DanicasDaily says

      March 31, 2013 at 11:47 am

      Hi Cara,

      I work at Accolade Wines, the 5th largest winery in the world.

      Danica

      Reply
  12. 14

    Lucia says

    December 9, 2012 at 3:19 pm

    Def coffee with dessert… persimmons if they are firm, they are not ripe, they need to be a bit soft and some black spots on the skin, then you know they are ready. This place looks fantastic

    Reply
  13. 15

    Becky says

    December 9, 2012 at 4:13 pm

    Coffee with cream and sugar please.

    Reply
  14. 16

    Shannon Z. says

    December 9, 2012 at 6:49 pm

    Coffee! I would always choose coffee. 🙂

    Reply
  15. 17

    Barb says

    December 10, 2012 at 7:55 am

    With dessert, I’d go with coffee. Bacon and blackberry jam – now that is a combination I have never tried but I guess you can’t go wrong with salty and sweet.

    Reply
  16. 18

    Amy Timm says

    December 10, 2012 at 8:33 am

    Is the Crimson Caberent available to purchase in the US, anywhere on line? I searched it and what i found was availabe for purchase in Australia and New Zealand. Do you consider it sweet?

    Reply
    • 19

      DanicasDaily says

      March 31, 2013 at 11:48 am

      Hi Amy,

      It is not available yet for sale in the US, but, we are working on bringing in Crimson Cabernet and other Australia Wines for sale soon.

      Danica

      Reply

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About Danica

Whether she’s enjoying a dish at a local restaurant or whipping up a crowd-pleasing, nutritious meal at home, Danica has a passion for all things food. She believes in and follows the Weight Watchers principle of “all things in moderation” and chronicles her culinary adventures here. Besides sharing her daily eats and tasty, nutritious recipes, Danica connects others seeking a healthier lifestyle on her site and shares her travel adventures around the world.

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