California Dreaming

Just returned from 9 days in California—from the gorgeous wine country in Sonoma, to cold but wonderful San Francisco, to stunning Carmel, and then down to Santa Barbara, which was beyond our expectations. The whole trip makes me pine for another San Francisco office. There is just something about the lifestyle. From the freshness and quality of the cuisine to the outdoors feeling that permeates the place, San Francisco makes a wonderful change for this lifelong New Yorker.

 

Two restaurants really stood out: Cyrus in Healdsburg (Sonoma) and San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara. Both have earned the highest rating of 5 M’s (Middleberg Musts) which can be found on “Don’s Favorite Restaurants” on our website. Another must is to visit the Jordan Winery in Sonoma. A beautiful chateau sits among 1,300 stunning acres. I found the wine at Jordan and another winery, Robert Young, to be sensational.

 

The only bummer of the whole trip was leaving from LAX (should have left from Burbank). LA traffic is a nightmare.