sonoma

wednesday evening i had a date at sonoma. interestingly, since we didn't have a reservation, we were told we could sit at the bar or sit upstairs on those weird, too-low sofas. as we discussed leaving, we were interrupted by the hostess who informed us they would have a table in 10 minutes. (huh? why not mention that in the first place? of course we'll wait 10 minutes. geez, why is it so hard?!)



oh - a cancellation.



why is there only one sparkling wine by the glass at a "wine bar"? and it's a prosecco - sadly one that's too sweet to have more than one of, by the way.



charcuterie plate (of course i ordered it) was good but doesn't have the accoutrements that proof does.



i've only had meat and cheese at sonoma in the past so i was initially excited to see what they could do when using fire. i found the menu limited. i wanted something to jump out at me. the special sounded good but when i saw it arrive at the table next to ours, it didn't look as appetizing as it sounded.



waiter moved my OCD date's glass not by the stem but by putting his entire paw over the glass. i may not have noticed, but sadly he did, and he proceeded to obsess about it for the next 5 minutes until he could order another. ugh.



i ordered a cheese and mushroom tartelette as well as the pork tenderloin pate (both from the appetizer menu). i was a little saddened by the look of the tartelette (brown and dry) and by the fact it was slightly underseasoned; otherwise it was good - oh and the baby arugula salad perched next to it was lovely.



the pork tenderloin pate was - not surprisingly after i thought about it - dry. why attempt such a thing? pork tenderloin is always dry if cooked through. i needed sauce with my pate. or it needed a much larger fat percentage in the mixture. the viognier suggested was marginal too (and i usually love a viognier).



my date's hanger steak was undercooked and had to be put in the oven for a bit (um, i think refire in order here but what do i know? i'm just a cook). oh and the chefs knew i was there - love you chef b - come on though - had i been in that kitchen i would've been screaming at you - let's have some attention to detail when cooking for a fellow cook.



oh i hate sounding so negative but i must say i was disappointed. i looked so cute that night too. i should've had a big smile on my face with each bite.



perhaps it was just the company.

proof

wine is proof god loves us and wants to see us happy
ben franklin

i really enjoyed an evening at proof thursday night. i hadn't been since february and, at that time i didn't enjoy it as much as i had several times prior.

even sitting at the bar alone for 30 minutes - which i never do - was liberating. bartenders were sweet.

i really, really, really like this place. it was so light and summery inside (i thought it was a cozy winter spot). i moved outside when friends arrived. i didn't eat anything but charcuterie and cheese as this is what i typically do at happy hour. ann, our server, was fabulous, as always. wine great. i can't say enough good things. it was a perfect night.