In the midst of our OCF crunch we had a chance to step outside of the craziness for a small respite. It so happened that Rob's mother's youngest brother flew out here from Florida. Rob hadn't seen his Uncle Mike for over 30 years so we had to get together. He generously offered to take us out to a fine meal "someplace over the top, your choice" he said. Our choice, hmmm. We consulted with Mom and Dad since they've eaten out in the county more than we have. We picked Madrona Manor out on Westside Road in Healdsburg. I've been wanting to go out there because I knew my grandma lived there in 1943 with her mom when my mom was a new baby. My great grandpa was like the ranch foreman out there. It was a good choice. It was fancy French/Cali country and the hotel and grounds were beautiful. After a rather stiff mannered French Maitre d' seated us at a large table and addressed each girl as "mademoiselle" Eden whispered "This restaurant is so fancy it's kind of scary." Mike turned out to be a really nice guy. He had two Southern ladies with him and it was nice just to hear them talk. They were game for the minimalist gourmet cuisine scene. When a wide bowl was set before Uncle Mike with what looked like a tablespoon of fresh corn in the center, even I thought things had gone too far but the waitress quickly assuaged dismay by topping the bowl with a hot creamy soup from a small pitcher.They even rolled with the unexpected arrival of some "beet shooters" sent out by the chef. Where else but California do you get a shot glass of blood red juice topped with peach foam? We had a bottle of Pinot, appetizers, entrees, dessert (very impressive for the girls) and cafe presse decaf. Wow. I don't even want to guess how much it all came to. A small fortune. But Uncle Mike didn't blink an eye. He's had a successful career in water table consultation and is still in demand all over the US so he can enjoy the good things. I hope they liked it all as much as we did. Great folks. They even came back to our digs for a quiet visit and then au revoir. Always nice to meet new family in the world.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Madrona Manor
In the midst of our OCF crunch we had a chance to step outside of the craziness for a small respite. It so happened that Rob's mother's youngest brother flew out here from Florida. Rob hadn't seen his Uncle Mike for over 30 years so we had to get together. He generously offered to take us out to a fine meal "someplace over the top, your choice" he said. Our choice, hmmm. We consulted with Mom and Dad since they've eaten out in the county more than we have. We picked Madrona Manor out on Westside Road in Healdsburg. I've been wanting to go out there because I knew my grandma lived there in 1943 with her mom when my mom was a new baby. My great grandpa was like the ranch foreman out there. It was a good choice. It was fancy French/Cali country and the hotel and grounds were beautiful. After a rather stiff mannered French Maitre d' seated us at a large table and addressed each girl as "mademoiselle" Eden whispered "This restaurant is so fancy it's kind of scary." Mike turned out to be a really nice guy. He had two Southern ladies with him and it was nice just to hear them talk. They were game for the minimalist gourmet cuisine scene. When a wide bowl was set before Uncle Mike with what looked like a tablespoon of fresh corn in the center, even I thought things had gone too far but the waitress quickly assuaged dismay by topping the bowl with a hot creamy soup from a small pitcher.They even rolled with the unexpected arrival of some "beet shooters" sent out by the chef. Where else but California do you get a shot glass of blood red juice topped with peach foam? We had a bottle of Pinot, appetizers, entrees, dessert (very impressive for the girls) and cafe presse decaf. Wow. I don't even want to guess how much it all came to. A small fortune. But Uncle Mike didn't blink an eye. He's had a successful career in water table consultation and is still in demand all over the US so he can enjoy the good things. I hope they liked it all as much as we did. Great folks. They even came back to our digs for a quiet visit and then au revoir. Always nice to meet new family in the world.
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