Travel – Page 71

San Sebastian: Bar La Cepa

December 21, 2015 mmm-yoso Basque Country - Spain and France, San Sebastian, Spain, Spanish Restaurants and Cuisine, Travel

To be perfectly honest, I should have planned our arrival in san Sebastian a bit better. All but one of the places on my were closed during our stay which spanned from a Sunday, leaving on a Tuesday morning. But like the Missus said, "we had a direction and a plan of where we needed to be when and you can't just skip Sunday and Monday!"

We caught the best from the Bilbao Bus Station….basically a big parking lot and ended up at the Amara "Bus Station", basically another big parking lot. From there we caught the local bus to the "Boulevard" and rather quickly found the street we were staying at on, Calle de Fermin Calbeton. Our apartment was basically right at the edge of things; a great location.

So even though the apartment was rather old the location couldn't be beat.

I guess May is still the low season, the places I thought were only closed on Sundays, were also closed on Mondays and visa versa. So we had a bit of a scramble on our hand when we went looking for a place to have bite for lunch. On De Agosto Kalea we came across a place that was doing some decent business. The bar was covered with pintxos (tapas), but as I mentioned in my post on La Vina del Ensanche in Bilbao, I really never took to those…..they looked pretty, but it just wasn't my thing.

Instead we usually went for pintxos caliente or like this meal, some charcuterie. In this case, the lomo iberico de Bellota, cured pork loin sausage.

he portion was quite generous and this combined with the bread made this more than enough for a light lunch. The sausage was very tasty, paprika forward, with a light garlic and herbal touch. Not overly salty, tender and not too waxy.

The Missus also wanted to try Txakoli, a very dry, acidic, "fresh" wine that is a specialty of Basque Country.

It is traditionally poured from about a two meter height. I was told this is to aerate the wine, creating bubbles, and reducing the carbon dioxide. Our bartender was all to happy to demonstrate….. he was really a friendly and funny guy.

The Missus really took to this and I'd try; with mixed success, to try to pour it from a decent height without spilling stuff all over the place. I guess that's best left to the professionals. and while I've read that special pourers are available to help with the process, this guy didn't need that.

La Cepa was a relaxed, fun place to have lunch and a couple of glasses of Txakoli.

Bar La Cepa
31 de Agosto Kalea
Donostia / San Sebastián, Spain

After our meal we needed to "burn off the meal" and headed off; around Monte Urgull. That's Playa de Zurriola and Gros in the background.

On the other side of the Mountain is Isla de Santa Clara and Concha Bay.

The Basilica of Santa Maria del Coro is quite striking, sitting at the base of Mount Urgull. Completed in 1774 it looks impressive when viewed down Calle Mayor. I'll have a bit more on this place in a future post.

We ended our walk at Plaza de la Constitución.

Established in 1723, this version was rebuilt in 1817 after being destroyed by fire. The apartments ringing the plaza have large and distinctive numbers. You see, these apartment used to be boxes from which to watch bullfights that used to take place in the plaza.

On this day, the entertainment was perhaps a bit less exciting……

At this point, the Missus decided we should take a nice afternoon nap, then head out for some evening tapas. Sounded like a good idea to me!

Thanks for reading!

Petaluma: The Saturday Farmer’s Market and Dinner at Risibisi

December 10, 2015 mmm-yoso Farmer's Markets/Night Market, Fine Dining, Italian Restaurants, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Travel

So what do you do after a fun day doing the Cheese Trail? Well, you go to dinner!

We did make one more stop in the late afternoon; Petaluma Creamery.

The focus of this shop is more geared toward ice cream and the café.

After our afternoon nap, we strolled back to downtown Petaluma, passing all those lovely Victorian houses.

Where D street meets 4th street is Walnut Park. We were visiting in October and from May thru November, Walnut Park hosts a Farmer's Market.

We had made the mile-and-a-half walk in record time….thanks to the ahem, the Missus's encouragement. So we took a nice break.

Would you believe that the Missus bought 2 pounds of apples? Which we brought back with us to San Diego?

We also saw what might be the cutest and most chubby, little pony…..

Petaluma Saturday Afternoon Farmer's Market
Saturday from 2:00 pm-5:30 pm
May though November
Walnut Park
Petaluma Blvd and D Street
Petaluma, CA

We were still early for dinner, so we walked around Petaluma for a while.

Our dinner destination? A restaurant named Risibisi. I liked the menu, Italian with regional NoCal touches, which uses local ingredients.

We were seated in a cozy corner. The place filled up really quickly!

The service was polished and very professional, no complaints from us.

I sent Candice a text after ordering my Aperitif, joking that I must have been channeling her when I ordered a Negroni. The Missus had a Pinot Noir.

We started with the Tomato and Burrata.

The tomatoes were very good; nice acid, the flavor textbook perfect. The Burrata was creamy, slightly milky, walking arm in arm with the tomato and the flavor of the Olive Oil. The Missus actually preferred this version to what we had at Central Market the night before. She believed that the flavors were more on target and true to the ingredients. I was on the fence. The tomatoes in this dish had much more flavor, but I enjoyed the umph the anchovy and the peppery olive oil added to the dish at CM. Still, there's no denying, this was quite good.

The Watermelon Salad ($12) was a wonderful combination of flavors and textures.

The Hazelnut Vinaigrette was mild, but added just blended in nicely into the symphony of flavors. Watermelon and arugula playing well together! If anything, I'd have enjoyed a bit more pecorino to add a bit more savory-milky-salty tones to the salad. But this was very enjoyable.

Sweet Corn Risotto ($18).

I'm still looking for "that" risotto…..the usual restaurant style par cooked version, that excels. This one really didn't have the texture I enjoy. The corn added a nice sweetness, the pancetta and pecorino adding the salty tones to balance things out.

The Gnocchi Wild Boar ($18) was delicious. While the risotto fell short in texture, this was so good. The gnocchi was just firm enough, waiting to be eaten to start melting into the ether.

The wild boar was tasty, adding a nice richness to the ragu, which seemed simple, but full of flavor. An excellent dish!

The Missus had Her new favorite dessert; an Affogato. She asked if they would replace the vanilla ice cream with hazelnut ice cream which they gladly did. I had a Tawny Port, which proved to be a nice digestif. Man, we got get back to Porto one of these days.

We had a very nice meal at Risibisi. In fact, the Missus said that while the best dish of the trip was the Pork Confit from Central Market, She thought that our meal at Risibisi was better overall. It's a nice dilemma to have and one I'd gladly like to repeat again….have a dinner at Central Market, then at Risibisi….

Risibisi Restaurant
154 Petaluma Blvd N
Petaluma, CA 94952

We really enjoyed our time in Petaluma and I'm sure we'll return someday…especially when the Missus is itching for some cheese! I do have one more post from this trip coming up….I'll try to get it done soon.

Narita: Naritasan Shinshoji Temple and Seabura (pork backfat) Ramen at Miyamoto

December 7, 2015 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Ramen, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

It was nice to see Narita by daylight as arriving anywhere at night makes things a bit mysterious. The vibe of the city seemed quite relaxed, it's quite hard to believe that over 35 million people pass through an airport just a few miles away. Looking out from the window we had our first glimpse of the colors of the season. Something we don't get here in San Diego. Since our shuttle back to the airport wasn't until 940 and it was only 6am, we decided to do a bit of exploring and find something to eat.

Things seemed quite calm as we walked through the JR Narita Station, which is nearly right next to the privately operated Keisei Narita Station next door. We could make out some of the streets that we thought were so confusing the previous night. There were quite a few small temples tucked along the side streets.

We decided to visit what is probably the most popular site in this part of Narita; Naritasan Shinshoji Temple which is easily found by following the signs. The street heading to the temple, Omotesando, is lined with shops and restaurants, which were all closed at this time of the morning.

The street were very quiet except for schoolkids headed off to class. One particularly feisty little girl marched off quickly in front of us. Everytime we'd speed up, so would she, when we started catching up, she broke into a full on sprint….she refused to let us pass her! It seems we had become part of the morning entertainment.

The temple grounds were quite a bit larger than we anticipated. There's was a good amount to see. Sorry to say, my photos of the Main Hall were among those that were corrupted and unrecoverable form one of the SD cards. Still, there were quite a few distinct structures like the Three Story Pagoda.

For me, the most interesting structure was the Shakado Hall, which looked both grand and imposing at the same time. This was temple's main hall until the 1960's when the larger main hall was built.

Workers were taking down plants and flowers from an autumn flower show which had concluded the previous day.

There's also a large park. The cloudiness in the photo below is not an artifact, but the mist coming off the spruce as the environment warmed up.

We climbed up the stairs next to the Shakado Hall and were greeted by folks as they walked down past us.

The Missus read a sign that basically said, "shortcut to JR East Station", so we followed the trail. And wouldn't you know, we somehow quickly ended up quite close to the station.

We started looking for something for breakfast. And according to the Missus, "a pastry and coffee is not going to cut it!"

We circled around a bit, then ended back at Keisei Narita Station, and noticed a 24 Hour Ramen place. This seemed to fit the bill of the Missus wanting "as much ramen and yakitori" as we could possibly find on this trip.

There was one person manning the shop and one customer in attendance. The typical ramen ticket machine in the corner. The Missus couldn't make out some words and the proprietor (his photo was on the posters adorning the walls) was nice enough to point to different photos on the walls so we could correlate them to choices on the machine.

The Missus read some of the signs and said this place serves "backfat" ramen…….that would be "seabura" ramen. So what the heck, I went whole hog (no pun intended) and ordered the large bowl.

The Missus went with the Tenkasu-don – those crispy bits of tempura batter on top of rice, drizzled with a tentsuyu type of sauce, along with a raw egg. She added another boiled egg for good measure.

When my bowl arrived, I could see what looked like rice porridge on top of the ramen. It quickly became clear that these were silky little minced pieces of fat. Some of which melted away, some not. It added quite a bit of richness to the broth, which, in spite off all this fat, never became greasy. It added a different dimension to what was pretty much a ubiquitous bowl of ramen. The tonkotsu broth (minus the rendered pork fat) was fairly light and on the salty side. The noodles were done adequately…the Missus said the boiled eggs were decently flavored, though a bit on the over-cooked side for Her taste. There was a huge amount of beansprouts, I enjoyed the textural contrast it added to the ramen. The broth wasn't quite hot enough for us, which would have ended up in an even richer bowl of ramen in my mind.

While not an excellent bowl, this was still good enough for us. Would be in the top 2 in San Diego……is San Diego ready for backfat ramen?

Miyamoto (宮本)
814-5 Hanazakicho (Next to Keisei Narita Station)
Narita, Chiba

Plus it sure beat out McDonalds at Narita Airport.

Which had the longest line! Sheesh. Well, at least the portion sizes looked a bit smaller……

Belly full of ramen……we were ready for Seoul!

Thanks for reading!

Narita: Sumibi no Uttori

December 5, 2015 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

Even though we had an amazing time during our trip to Japan last year, our time in Kyoto was limited because of Typhoon Vongfong. That was among more than a handful of reasons we decided to head back; the Missus had always wanted to see the fall foliage and She had gained a real affection for Yakitori (and ramen – remember the Santouka effect?). Also, She needed a use for the $$$$ Burberry overcoat She had bought….. So we decided to head back to Japan. Our trip was scheduled for 17 days and we had a 14 day Japan Rail Pass, so we needed to figure out what to do with those extra days. Seoul seemed like a good idea and that ended up being the plan. We arrived at Narita Airport quite late in the afternoon……man, the sunsets here at like 445pm! I decided that we should just the evening in Narita, before heading to Seoul the next morning. We stayed at the Narita U City Hotel, which is a bit dated, but very close to the JR Station, has a friendly staff, and even a free shuttle to the airport.

After settling in, the first course of business was getting something to eat. Of course the place I'd been looking forward to eating at was closed, even though Tabelog said they were open on that day. So we passed through the JR Station and started exploring, up and down the somewhat confusing side streets of Narita. Until we came across this busy little shop.

And the Missus did want to eat a lot of yakitori on this trip, right? The place was a hoot; the young man who managed the front of house would loudly greet guests as they entered and shout to find seats for customers. In this photo he is shouting upstairs to find a table for some customers. The staff were friendly and quite boisterous. There was an English menu, but we decided to ignore it and take a walk around the counter to see what we wanted.

That combined with the Missus's ability to understand some Kanji helped us make some good decisions.

Of course we started with a couple of beers.

It seems like the place also did a bustling hot pot business, but we were here for grilled meats. In looking at what was being ordered we quickly noticed that pork was really popular here, so we ordered mainly pork influenced items, even though none of them were on the English menu.

The Butahorumon (pork intestine) was very tasty. Smoky, with a crisp exterior, it had that nice savory slightly musty intestine flavor I love.

The Missus favorite was the delicious Yamaimo (mountain yam) wrapped with Pork.

Crunchy, slightly sweet, the thinly sliced bacon added a nice touch of smokiness. Just the right amount of salt made this quite tasty.

The Renkon (lotus root) was also wrapped with bacon.

It wasn't quite as pleasing as the yamaimo though.

Veering away from swine, we just had to try the Tsukune (chicken meatball), which was just ok, too many hard bits, not too flavorful.

The Pork Skin was seasoned well and had a nice deep smokiness, but was a bit too rubbery, with hard bits for our taste.

I ended with a nice Yaki Onigiri, grilled quite well.

This ended up being a nice little meal to get us started. I recall the prices as being quite reasonable as well.

The Missus had wanted to eat a lot of yakitori, right?

Sumibinouttori
533-13, Hanazakicho
Narita-shi, Chiba, 286-0033

Where in the world are we? Part 3

November 30, 2015 mmm-yoso Japan, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We're on our way to the final stop on this trip. The last few days have been great, even when the weather didn't cooperate.

Along with the bright lights of the city. We took short day trips, returning to the same city on both days.

The Daibutsu was more dramatic than I expected. Perhaps the clear blue sky had something to do with it.

Of course we ate well.

And even managed to have dinner at our favorite little place with an old friend.

It looks like the rain is behind us for now…..

We're hoping for clear days for the last leg of our trip. Regardless, I'm sure we'll have a great time!

Thanks for reading!

Where in the world are we? Part 2

November 25, 2015 mmm-yoso Hokkaido, Japan, Travel

The Missus told me She wanted to really experience a bit of winter on this trip. So, I figured on a trip further north. It did rain a bit and the temps did hit 30, but we only experienced a couple of flurries. It snowed the hardest when we headed to the city with the coldest recorded temp.

While that was the extent of things we got to visit the main branches of two of our favorites.

Add in another one of our favorites and I'd say we did rather well.

One of the day trips was to a charming fishing village.

There was a festival taking place.

See the folks in shorts? This was the temp while this was going on.

There were actual small flurries during the performance. Yeeesh!

The lunch we had at the local fish market was a bargain…..and super delicious.

We really ate well.

We were sad to leave. I'm pretty sure we'll be back.

Thanks for reading! Happy Thanksgiving Day from all of us at mmm-yoso!

Where in the world are we? Part one.

November 19, 2015 mmm-yoso Japan, Korea, Seoul, Tokyo, Kamakura, and the Kantō Region, Travel

Yes, we're out and about again. The itch started upon return from our last trip. We had a day layover then hit our first primary stop. I'm not sure why we hadn't visited before.

The city is amazing juxtaposition of the old and new. One of palaces and one a very modern metropolis.

While it's been a bit cold and rainy, we had one marvelous day…..

And we have been eating well. Folks here are to the point, but very nice overall.

We've been mainly sticking with the standards, many found down side streets and alleyways.

It's been a heck of a start to our vacation. We're off to our next stop in the morning.

Thanks for reading!

Osaka: A Deep Fried Meatfest at Kushikatsu Gokakuya with One of My Favorite Food Bloggers

November 7, 2015 mmm-yoso Japan, Japanese Restaurants, Osaka, Travel

On our last evening in Osaka, we finally managed to meet up with one of my favorite Food Bloggers, Kat and her husband Satoshi. Over the years I've seen blogs come and go, I really do miss many of them. But Kat has been a constant with me since probably late 2007 and has been blogging as many years as I. We'd come close to meeting up a few times, but timing and scheduled were never in synch. So finally, the Missus and I got to meet the both of them. We met them at the local Don Quixote had some snacks and coffee and basically strolled around and chatted…..the thing about knowing each other in the bloggas – sphere is that there was a wonderful familiarity to the whole thing.

When dinner came along, we just popped into this Kushiage shop, named Gokakuya.

First rule of Kushikatsu…."no double dipping"!

Satoshi did an amazing job of calling back our orders…..the Missus loved the sauce.

You can read about the whole meal in Kat's blog post.

Those fried chicken skins were really great.

The fried whale….which tasted like very bitter "chiai" – fish bloodline. I'll pass on this in the future.

It was a great time thanks to Kat and Satoshi!

Kushikatsu Gokakuya
1-7-5 Dotombori, Chuo, Osaka

Kat and Satoshi went crazy on the omiyage….we left laden down with gifts…..

Thanks so much guys! It was such a pleasure!

A Daytrip to Nara and Lunch at Kuromon Ichiba (Osaka)

October 30, 2015 mmm-yoso Caffeine Fix, Japan, Markets & Grocers, Osaka, Travel

I don't think a trip to Kyoto/Osaka would be complete without a short detour to Nara, once the capital of Japan.

It was a quick 45 minute train ride to JR Nara Station. From there, we decided to take a leisurely walk to Todai-ji.

It was a quiet and rather relaxing walk…… we passed an interesting looking "local-kine place" along the way.

We saw a branch of Ko Hi Kan Coffee along the way, so we decided to stop and get our caffeine fix for the morning. Pour-over of course…..per the Missus.

The women working here were very friendly.

It was a nice cup(s) of coffee, which energized our rather tired bones for the walk.

It was just a short walk to the Nara Park area.

We ended up spending the most of our time in a couple of areas; the first being Kofuku-ji, once the temple of the Fujiwara-shi, once one of the most powerful families in Japan.

The Pagoda here was undergoing repairs when we visited; but the grounds were really quite beautiful….in a stark and spartan way.

We soon entered the heart of Nara Park; famous for their temples…and of course the aggressive deer. Actually, I found the deer here to be much more mellow than the super aggressive deer in Miyajima. Though you might have a different opinion if you've ever read Lynnea's post on Nara. That last photo in that post is still a favorite of mine.

Just in case you hadn't been informed of the risks of screwing around with the rather cute four-legged friends….there are signs that explain the possible hazards of messing around with them.

I believed that the biggest draw to Nara would be Tōdai-ji.

Based on the crowds that lines the Main Gate, I'd say that my statement is pretty much correct.

The Daibutsu-den, which houses the world's largest bronze rendering of Buddha is quite impressive.

The bronze Buddha which is also quite impressive at 49 feet tall and 92 feet across at the shoulders! This is a image of Dainichi Buddha, the "Celestial Buddha", the source from which all other Buddha's emanate.

There's a lot to see here. There are other statues, like the rather mencing and imposing looking Komokuten; Buddha's Guard who is stepping upon a demon, yet brandishing a scroll and brush, symbolizing both the power and wisdom of the Sutras over ignorance.

To the right of the Buddha sits Nyoirin Kannon.

In contrast to the rather scary and imposing Komokuten, the Nyoirin Kannon represents compassion and boundless love for all.

And, for those who want enlightenment…..you can try to pass through a hole in one of the pillars deemed Buddha's Nostril. Passing through the hole means that you be granted enlightenment….though I believe it doesn't happen until your next life. Plus, I read that it's only about 20 inches wide….the size of Buddha's nostrils…….better leave this to the one of the school kids; many of whom still struggled to get through.

It was fun watching all the school kids trying to pass through the hole….each one had a photo taken…proof that enlightenment will be bestowed upon them. Personally, I did gain a bit of enlightenment….but it happened in the form of the restroom sign. I learned the power of a single space…where Gentleman….became "Gentle Man". Now that's powerful, right?

Kids of all ages came to visit Tōdai-ji. This group of really young ones seemed so cute and charming. They were so little, that a few of them needed help going down the stairs.

And of course, they sell "senbei"…..crackers for the deer…which means every group of school kids became a feeding frenzy.

It was starting to get really crowded. Which meant it was time to "hele".

It definitely is a must see if you're in Kyoto or Osaka.

Initially, the plan was to have lunch in Nara, but we decided to head back to Osaka. Just a few blocks from the busy arcades of Dotonburi resides Kuromon Market.

Along with the numerous shops were countless food stalls, selling everything from live blowfish to Kobe Beef. And there was even a good sized supermarket in the middle of it all.

It was quite a variety. We then decided to just buy a couple of items and have lunch in the market.

It also wasn't easy deciding on what to get. We actually did a walkthrough of the entire market area before making our selections. It was hard resisting all the Kobe beef….especially since you could "burn your meat after ordering"….

In the end I chose some really nice toro from one of the market stalls. The woman sliced everything quite nicely and provided me with wasabi and shoyu.

The Missus chose a selection of nimono and ohitashi for a nice meal from the very friendly folks at another stand.

It made for a very nice lunch.

After finishing up, we headed to the market to grab some beverages and snacks for the evening. At first I was just going to grab 2-3 items, but ended up with quite a load. While walking the aisles I felt a tap on the shoulder. I turned to find a kind looking, elderly gentleman smiling at me. He had two shopping baskets in hand….and passed one of them to me. Such a thoughtful gesture. You gotta love Osaka.

The Missus and I were having a great time.

Kuromon Ichiba
2-4-1 Nippombashi, Chuo-ku, Osaka

The Cheese Trail: Nicasio Valley Cheese Company, The Marin French Cheese Co, and Matos Cheese Factory

October 24, 2015 mmm-yoso Cheese, Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties, Travel

After Point Reyes Station we headed out on the next stop on the Sonoma – Marin Cheese Trail.We were running a bit early so we stopped at Nicasio Reservoir. Very calm and picturesque in the morning.

We arrived at the modest roadside factory/shop of Nicasio Valley Cheese a bit before they opened.

We were able to pass the fifteen minutes or so before the shop opened by wandering though the Pumpkin Patch……yes, it's that time of the year. Watching the kids take to the hay made us realize that this lifestyle is a million miles away from what we're used to.

When the shop opened we walked on over. The space is rather small, the staff enthusiastic, if not particularly well versed on the cheese. Nicasio makes cow milk cheeses. I had read that the style of cheese here is based on the traditional cheeses of the Lafranchi families Swiss heritage.

They so a nice job of lining the samples from the mildest to the semi-soft and flavored versions.

The Foggy Morning, was probably our favorite, very soft and mild, buttery, with a slight tang like a mellow sour cream. It also won first place in the Fromage Blanc, Fromage Frais, and Quark category in the American Cheese Society's Annual Competition. We could tell however, that this would not travel well.

Instead, we went with our second favorite. The wonderfully textured, mild salty-tangy flavored San Geronimo. The fragrance is rather strong, but the flavor is quite tame. A nice everyday cheese.

Folks are quite friendly, it's a nice little stop.

Nicasio Valley Cheese Company
5300 Nicasio Valley Rd
Nicasio, CA 94946

A short drive away is a place that's much more of a destination; the Marin French Cheese Company. It's also the oldest continuously operating creamery in the United States; established in 1865.

They don't mess around with samples here….you open the top and slice your own.

The Missus enjoyed the shop….there's a stand selling sandwiches and coffee; the cooler is stocked with beverages; wine, sparkling wine, etc….

The young lady manning the counter was quite knowledgeable. We enjoyed a few of the samples , but thought they'd never make it back home in good shape. She told us that all the bries and camemberts will easily last 24 hours without refrigeration.

We ended buying a little insulated bag for cheese and picked up the truffle brie, not a big fan of flavored cheeses, but the Missus loves Her truffle. Plus, we were putting together a collection for Missus' work….She was going to do a cheese tasting upon returning. We both really took to the "Petit Breakfast", a wonderfully mild, but particularly creamy cheese. It's currently labeled as the "1865" in commemoration of Marin Cheese's 150th anniversary.

If you're in the area; this might be a nice stop for a short break or lunch…..

The Marin French Cheese Company
7510 Pt Reyes Petaluma Rd
Petaluma, CA 94952

We, on the other hand, had to be off to our next stop, which was about 40 minutes away on the outskirts of Santa Rosa.

Down, off the beaten path outside Santa Rosa you'll find this sign alongside a single lane unpaved road. This is not one of those impulse stop kind of places you see while driving by. It was also our favorite stop on this day…….there's a real charm to this place which was founded by Joe and Mary Matos who relocated from the Azores in the 70's. Joe Matos is a fifth generation cheesemaker who brought his family's recipe with him.

At the end of the gravel road you basically come to a barn and what looks like the back of a house…..

As I parked in front of the "office" a young lady working in the barn area came over and opened the door to the office for us. Upon entering the wonderful fragrance of cheese met us.

Matos Cheese makes one cheese; a nice simple firm cheese called St George. It's much like everything you see around you; simple at first blush, but it rises above, a good, honest, everyday cheese, lighly milky, slightly acidic, not too sharp…that well; I'd eat everyday if I could.

The friendly young lady let me check out the drying room….I loved it! I asked about the cows we had passed…and yes, these were all of their cows. At peak they produce about 10-15 wheels in a day. The young lady said Joe Matos is happy with doing things this way. And really isn't interested in expanding or being famous.

And we got hang out with truly "happy cows"…..

I wonder how many wheels, this not-so-little lady will put out?

Matos Cheese Factory
3669 Llano Rd
Santa Rosa, CA 95407

I know I haven't mentioned this before….but the prices are quite inexpensive…like 40-60% less than what you'd pay for the same product here in San Diego.

So, we were in Santa Rosa and had two places on our list. Unfortunately, we went oh fer two. The first stop, a Chocolatier named Recherche Du Plaisir was closed for the day because they were at some fair. The second was the Russian River Brewing tasting room……but when we drove by, the line was all the way down the street….this was not going to do.

So we ended up going to the local Whole Foods, grabbing some salad, bread, and a beer and headed back to Petaluma. We ended up having a very nice lunch….that's the St George, which we almost polished off.

So if you're in the Marin – Sonoma area and want a break from your wine tasting….why not visit a couple of stops on the cheese trail. You can find up to date info here.

We had a blast.

It was now time for a nice afternoon nap…then off to dinner!