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Last night Bell and I had our friends Sean and Liz O'Connor over for some appetizers and wine. It was yet another reminder that some of the best times spent are at the table with friends. The conversation was fun, the food delicious and the wine excellent. Our fare for the evening was Thai pork loins with grilled bok choy, poached shrimp in a Cajun butter sauce, spinach artichoke dip, and a peanut butter chocolate pie. To compliment the eats we had a 2005 Schweiger chardonnay, a 2002 Joseph Swan zinfandel, and a port from Dutcher Crossing.

It's been a while since I've posted on the latest food and wine experiences for me and Isabell. For good reason: we got married on September 15th!

We honeymooned in Napa-Sonoma and that of course brought about plenty of amazing food and wine experiences, not to mention a fantastic hotel we stayed in. Instead of trying to cram something about each winery into one post, I figured that I will provide commentary over the next several months as we open some of the wine we brought back. But in installment number one I will review all the happenings of our first stop: Healdsburg.

After the wedding we flew to San Francisco, hopped on the 101 across the Golden Gate Bridge toward Sonoma Valley. For the first three nights we stayed in the cool little town of Healdsburg, at the Hotel Healdsburg. This hotel was easily one of the most enjoyable hotel experiences for both of us. Amazing place. In the hotel is a Charlie Palmer (of New York's Aureole fame) restaurant called Dry Creek Kitchen. The restaurant was recently awarded a Michelin star and did not disappoint. We had a 2003 Hafner Cabernet Sauvignon that was very good.

A day latter we walked down the street to Cyrus, a two star Michelin restaurant. This is bold but Isabell and I both agreed that it was the best restaurant we have ever been to - absolutely epic. The wine we selected was a 2005 Unti Grenache and it was very lively and fun. The food, service, atmosphere, wine, and obviously the company were perfect. Definitely a evening we will never forget.

As you might have guessed, Bell and I stopped into several wineries during our time in Healdsburg. I will dedicate an entire post to our wine tasting experiences soon.

On my way over to class last Thursday at Seattle U I spotted a new coffee shop: Stumptown Coffee Roasters. I made a quick trip over during a break from class and decided to try it out. The verdict: excellent coffee! The atmosphere was what I call modern-attic - urban, industrial, but comfortable too. Perks include free wi-fi and daily cuppings (tastings).

After doing a little research I found out that Stumptown is a Portland boutique coffee roaster that has garnered a ton of accolades from the likes of Food & Wine, Wine Spectator, Entrepreneur Magazine, and USA Today. Good to have another quality coffee company in Seattle!

Last Friday was Isabell's birthday and we already had plans to have a little party at our new place. So that meant that I needed to find a good lunch spot to take the place of a birthday dinner. Neither of us had been to Tom Douglas's Dahlia Lounge, so we decided to give it a shot. The food was classic Douglas: northwest fare with interesting sauces and fantastic desserts. More on that later... Lunch rules be damned, we both had a glass of wine: Bell had a nice Cotes du Rhone that really came alive with her spicy pork and rice dish; I had a viognier that was very nice with Tom's classic crab cakes. But the real wow of the meal came at dessert. We had a pear tart with caramel sauce. Good food, good wine, good company, good times for Bell on her birthday!

After going so big on Wednesday night at Canlis, Bell and I wanted to pace down and have one glass of wine with a light dinner. We headed over to a new spot in Belltown called The Local Vine.

Be warned: wines by the glass are not cheap - look for $12-15 minimums. However, every wine they pour is both generous and more importantly excellent. A nice addition to a solid list of wines is the food, which is made by the owners/chefs of Crush. We ended up having some chorizo gulf shrimp with lime and roasted flank steak with blue cheese potatoes. Both come in appetizer-size

proportions. We are looking forward to heading back, but maybe next time with a few more friends to split a bottle.

This past Wednesday was my birthday and Isabell's is sixteen days later. The mere proximity of dates was grounds for a double celebration, so we made a reservation at a Seattle institution: Canlis. The night started out in a surprising and memorable way. We were brought two glasses of top vintage Krug champagne courtesy of our good friend Emily. Excellent stuff! After sitting in the lounge area for about ten minutes we were seated at our table; a place with a great panoramic view of Lake Union.

We began with fresh oysters on the half shell and ordered a bottle of the 2004 Ramey Claret. A silky red that was excellent to drink all night. Bell has the rack of lamb with an Oregon blue cheese risotto and I had a New York strip. Her lamb was fantastic, while my steak was good, but far from the best I have ever had. What was the best I had ever had was the service - Canlis is second to none. Everyone who came by the table greeted us by name and even our car was waiting for us, doors open when we last the restaurant. Canlis is really on top of their game.

Another note: I absolutely loved the architecture. It was built in 1950 in a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired design that is still a classic today. My grandfather was an architect and big fan of Mr. Wright, so maybe some of his appreciation for great form has been passed down to me.

Last weekend Isabell and I decided to try out a restaurant near our new place on the east side of Capitol Hill. We dropped into The Harvest Vine, a great Basque-style tapas restaurant. The place is very small and quickly fills every night, so we were lucky to grab two seats at the copper bar where we could watch and talk with the chefs. It was a lovely evening and a great place to eat - for both food and atmosphere. We dined on great white and red Spanish wines, some of the best cured meats we had ever had, steamed peppers that were the Basque equivalent of edamame, a nice filet of tuna with a vanilla bean olive oil sauce, and lastly a chocolate dessert with some dessert wine. On janari! (good food) - as the Basque would say.