When I won tickets (thanks, Foodbuzz!) to Dean & DeLuca’s Food & Wine Experience, I was so excited. I’m not a drinker at all, but I thought it would be fun – and I’m never one to turn down free food.
For some reason I thought it was in San Francisco (~40 minutes driving), but when I looked up directions the night before, I realized that it was actually in Napa… ~2 hours away. We debated whether or not to go, but decided to make a fun day of it. Traffic ended up being horrendous on 880 (why, oh why California?), but aside from that the drive was okay.
We arrived at the tasting center unsure of what to expect, but the hosts were very welcoming. We started with the whites (I didn’t try these; a bad college experience makes me gag when I taste white wine). Then we moved onto a mix of reds.
I tasted everything, but spit it all out into my spitting cup. Oddly enough I loved all of the least expensive wines – Paloma Merlot, Poem Cellars Cab, and my favorite – a Cab called Fountainhead from Morisoli Vineyard. There was one strictly organic wine (Cade by Plumbjack – Cab) that I tried, but it wasn’t anything special for me. I asked Kerrin (the host) about organic vs. non-organic wines, and she said that most of the vineyards in Napa do have organic practices, but they’re not certified… because in a bad year, sometimes they will resort to pesticides. I’m okay with that.
After we were done with the wines, Bobby and I beelined it to the food! This was the BEST part. They had this delicious French bread (crispy on the outside, pillowy on the inside). There were grapes and raspberries. There were pickles, delicious cheeses, fancy mustards, and salamis.
But the best of the best part – the pâté. I adore pâté (don’t hate). I dipped the grapes in pâté and went straight to foodie heaven. This pâté was the best I’ve ever had, I think – and I have no idea what kind it was. (I do know what pâté is, and yes it’s bad and unhealthy, but I love it – it’s one thing I will not feel bad about eating. It’s just too darn delicious.)
On the way home we stopped at an outlet center and bought clothes. Bobby tried to buy me a new Coach purse, but I told him no – I think he’s planning something because he keeps trying to spoil me with things (what’s the deal, sweetie pie?). I got a few new Gap shirts, and Bobby got some Gap shirts and a new pair of Lucky Brand jeans (his other pair had the button fall off).
We also stopped at this great grocery store, Han Kook (Korean), about 1/2 mile from our apartment because I was out of kabocha (!). When we finally got home we were pretty tired, so I took the whole day off from the computer. It was pretty nice, actually. I think VeggieGirl has the right idea 
Be back later with more FAQs! And maybe a recipe, and some new buys. Hope you’re enjoying your Sunday and getting rest before the work week starts up again. Did you do anything fun this weekend?
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yaaay i’m glad you had fun! how exciting!
hmm, bobby, what ARE you planning?
That sounds like a great weekend!! My guy’s parents were up visiting, so we went to a park with them, walked by the river, and lounged in the sun…very nice
I stocked up on Kabocha today: I bought FIVE tiny ones. It is just sooo good!
Good for you for branching out. I bet the pate totally made it worth the extra drive. I’ve never had it before.
i\I’m the same way with not letting people spend money on me. Now if its my own money, its a different story!
Ahhh, your weekend sounds like it was so exciting! Mine was quite dull in comparison.
Definitely don’t feel bad about the pate if it’s something you love (my roomie loves pate!). I wonder what Bobby has up his sleeves… 
you had such a great day Maggie, the wine tasting, good cheese and pate (I first had it this year when I went to Argentina and it was soooo good! I regret not having tried it before), shopping for cloth and groceries, so fun! Is Bobby trying to propose? So excited for you!!!
I just made a lot of baking/cooking, so fun!
[...] the original post here: Say Yes to Salad » A Food & Wine Experience… This entry was posted on Sunday, May 3rd, 2009 at 5:28 pm and is filed under Coach News. You can [...]
oh wow that’s so cool of foodbuzz to give you tickets! Sounds like a fun time!
I love bread and cheese!
Oh my gosh, that is awesome!!!! What a great time!!!
What?! You turned down a Coach purse?! You are a stronger woman than I am
Looks like a fun day out…I love Napa
If Bobby has a proposal up his sleeve I hope we’re not blowing his cover talking about it!!
Never apologize for pate
And if you like it, you should try the rabbit pate they sell at Cowgirl Creamery and the pate de campagne from Fatted Calf (both so, so, so delicious)
This weekend the whole family did a garage clean up day (oh joy)
but it actually was a lot of fun and productive in the end.
and here and there I worked on a watercolor I am trying to get done in time for my Mom for Mother’s day
(it’s a landscape painting from a photograph of thier recent trip to Moab, Utah over Easter)
Later, my teenager and I experimented with some gnocchi and it turned out FAB!
Wine tasting sounds fun and of course nibbles are always welcome!
what a great experience! i’m glad you decided to go! yay for free food!
and oh CA traffic…LA, OC and SD were always soooooooo horrible. I-5 I hate you.
That sounds like an awesome event! Bread, cheese, and wine is always a winner but when it’s free?! Score!!
The event sounds like it was a lot of fun!
I’m looking forward to more Q&A from you! The event looks delicious and I can’t believe you said no to a new bag! This weekend was fun because I won best dressed at a Kentucky Derby party as you know!
[...] had fun reading through the book. I read most of it on the drive home from Napa on Saturday (after Bobby sobered up he took over the [...]
[...] that’s a type of pâté – I talked about my love of pâté in this post. The mousse is from a local company called Fabrique Délices. The mousse is all-natural, [...]