Totally Unauthorized

Great wine and food can make up for so-so bridge.

I played 2 sessions of desultory bridge yesterday with Tom Jacobson, but at least we were in Sonoma.  The playing site was fine, the refreshments were great and we were close enough to the town square to enjoy walking around buying things between sessions.

The good part was after the game–Gail had played with Barbara, so the four of us drove over to Farm, an incredible restaurant on Highway 12 between Sonoma and Napa.  It is part of a resort, strangely hidden from the road, but well worth finding.  Tom’s wife Barbara joined us.

At Vesu, a couple of weeks ago, the complaint was that the place was ultra-modern and sterile.  Well, Farm is ultra-modern and warm.  There is an open arcade with cunning covered firepits and plush chairs, then the bar, then the dining room. The wine vault is part of the decor, with changing lights add to the mood without being intrusive.

The menu is California modern, but leaning towards heartier dishes rather than the more frou-frou, delicate variety.  The wine list is very upscale California.

I started with a cold coconut-melon soup, beautifully presented in a bowl with all the different melon pieces cut into unique shapes, then the soup poured on at the table.  The delicate and nuanced flavors well matched the artful presentation.

My entrée was the Liberty Farms Duck breast, to which I added the summer truffle supplement.  The truffles were something new for me, but what’s life without adventure?  They are much lighter in flavor and aroma than the winter truffles, but they cost about 1/5 as much, too.  In any event, I enjoyed them, as did Barbara Jacobson, who had them on her lamb.

Duck breast with summer truffles

Same plate, 15 minutes later

Gail had the lamb as well, and it was truly spectacular.  Tom scarfed down every bit of his filet, and Barbara Hanson polished off her olive-oil poached halibut.

The two Barbaras and Tom shared a cheescake; Gail and I had the cheese plate and a glass of very good Australian port.  There were no leftovers here, either.

The tab wasn’t cheap: this is an upscale resort in the Plump Jack group (read:Gavin Newsom and the Getty family), but we would all go back in a heartbeat.