A great day!

Today was my Monday, but with the great lunch I had you would have thought it was my Friday. I met a friend at Rosso, a local pizza place in Santa Rosa. But this isn't any ordinary pizza joint. It's dedicated to pizza made, wine and great starters and appetizers all made with local ingredients.

I'm kind of surprised that this restaurant has lasted though. Saying it is off the beaten path is an understatement. If you didn't know someone who knew about it, you wouldn't find it. But the place was packed. There were people waiting on and off the whole time we were eating.

They have a huge wine list. In fact, it's much larger than the food menu. I'm okay with that. They have everything from great valued wine to the last bottle on the list here....Seriously, don't even ask. Funny I didn't see that next to any of the Sonoma wines on the list.

We started with some local asparagus sauteed in lemon butter.... Then we moved on to their "Beppo" pizza - pepperoni, olives, red onions and fresh mozzarella. It was the perfect combination. Their crust is so tasty. It's crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside and still overall very light. I don't know how they do it, but I'd love to be able to recreate it.
I would have been content if that's where my exciting food for the day ended. But it was far from over.

Most Tuesday nights I am treated to the cooking of my mother-in-law because my wife works late. On this night, we decided that a Cabernet would pair best with the meal.... Chateau St. Jean is located in Sonoma Valley and is known for their Chardonnay and Cabernet wines. This particular one is their "Sonoma County" meaning at least 85% of the grapes were sourced from Sonoma County. The aromas in the glass were all dark fruits like blackberry and black cherry and some cooking spices. In the mouth, this wine was extra rich with the flavors continuing. The finish wasn't extremely long, but it was a very pleasing cab - especially with a price point in the upper $20's.

The wine was paired with this tasty dish....
Beef and Guinness Pie. I know what you're thinking, have a Guinness with it, but I felt like a hearty red would work well on this rainy evening. The richness in the gravy and the meat was an ideal match with the richness in the Cabernet.

As if these two meals weren't enough, it was topped off with this.... My daughter (with help from grandma) made the crust on the bottom out of pie crust, cinnamon and sugar. Then we topped it with ice cream, caramel and whipped cream. Simple, but amazing. If I wasn't so full, we would've opened up a dessert wine to go with it. Next time.

Cheers!