Ukiah and Branches Restaurant, So Worth the Drive!

Last weekend, I was invited to Ukiah to try a brand new restaurant (Branches Wood Fired Chophouse), and to stay in the hotel next door to it. It was one of the most perfect getaways I have had in recent memory!

I left for Ukiah immediately after work (in Roseville) and met one of my best friends from the Bay area at Ukiah Brewing Company around 8pm. My total travel time was only about 2 hours and 45 minutes. It was an easy drive (I took the 80, to the 5, to the 20, to the 101.) The food at Ukiah was waaaay overpriced, but I did really like their darkest beer--Coops Stout?.

We stayed at The Hampton Inn Ukiah. It can be described as having a similar-to Victorian-style architecture, and it is pretty much right up against the mountains, so the backdrop is just beautiful. It is a fairly new Hampton Inn, and I have to say it is one of the nicest ones I have seen. There is a balcony attached to most, if not all of the rooms. I stayed on the bottom floor, and had a little patio area.

Here is a shot of the inside of my room. The hotel has free wi-fi with your stay, and there was a refrigerator and a microwave inside as well. Loved that!!

Below is the exercise room. It is a little bare bones (no weights or anything), but the machines (especially the treadmill) was extremely nice. I was able to put in 12 miles during my 2-day stay! (Damage control!!)

Before dinner, we visited Tierra Art Garden, a boutique tasting room featuring Mendocino County Wines and wine related merchandise as well as whimsical pieces of artwork for the home and garden. It was such a lovely store. Wine tasting is $5 and includes about 5 picks. The $5 is refunded with a purchase. I picked up some Frey Chardonnay that will probably be opened during appetizers on Thanksgiving. :)

We had dinner on Saturday night at Ukiah's newest restaurant, Branches Wood Fired Chop House.

I tried to control the drooling as I peered into the meat counter. This counter is located beside the bakery counter in the lobby of the restaurant. This is also the counter that supplies the restaurant.

We arrived at Branches a little bit early, and sat on the "pub" side (photo above) of the dining room until our table was ready. 

I started the evening with a glass of non-vintage local bubbly (Scharffenberger Brut, Mendocino), and tin addition, the drink below magically appeared in front of me. I am not sure how this happened.

 

The Jade Martini is made with Absolut Vanilla Vodka, Midori Melon Liqueur, fresh squeezed lime, splash of simple syrup, lemonade, lemon & cherry garnish. It was a little sweet for me (though the ingredients suggest it would be a tart drink), so I stuck to my wine for the evening.

When I saw The Philly Cheesesteak Spring Roll on the menu, I said what you probably just did, which is "OMG! I am so getting that!" Description on the menu: Prime Rib, American Cheese, Onions, and a side of Roasted Red Pepper Dip. It was super cheesy and if you are concerned about your waistline, don't worry, it comes with a little salad mix in the middle. That makes it all OK, right? :)

Below is a photo of one half of the dining area that can probably be rented out for a special event.

And below is the main dining area where I sat (I actually sat in a large booth and got to see the entire dining room being served.) As you can see, Branches is really a pretty restaurant, and there are chandeliers to match the "branches" name/theme of the place.

This is the meat presentation you get shortly after being seated. Beef at Branches is sealed and refrigerated to retain its natural juices and aged from 21 days to 35 days depending on the cut

For dinner, I ordered the Greek Salad (Romaine Hearts, Mint, Cilantro, Kalamata Olives, Tomatoes, Feta Cheese, Cucumber, Red Onions, Garlic Flat Bread, Fresh Cracked Pepper, Lemon & Extra Virgin Olive Oil) I am pretty traditional with dressing and only get balsamic and olive oil on the side. The flat bread served as the croutons on the salad and there were generous amounts of all the ingredients. Very nice! I will also note that I had the 2009 St. Supery (oak-free) Chardonnay (Napa) to accompany my meal.

My friend had the 10 oz. Rotisserie Roasted Prime Rib Of Beef with Au Jus, a side of mashed potatoes. He was expecting a thinner piece, but the piece was thick and the perfect size. It was cooked perfectly, "rare" just as he ordered it. The horseradish was creamed, but we forgot to ask if fresh horseradish was an option. The beef was tender, and the two signature sides he ordered made the meal a perfect trio. The caramelized butternut squash could have been served as a dessert. It tasted like candy, very much like yams without the marshmallows on a Thanksgiving plate. The mashed potatoes were perfectly seasoned by the au jus.

                                      

FYI:

Here are the ways you can order your meat at Branches:

Very Rare Cold In The Center

Rare Raw In The Middle

Medium Rare Red Throughout The Meat

Medium Pink Throughout The Meat

Medium Well Slightly Pink In The Middle

Well Done No Pink At All

Black & Blue Charred Outside - Raw In The Middle

Here's Chef Munther (white coat) on the line.

After dinner, I was invited to take a tour of the bakery/dessert side of the restaurant. Here's a peek:

 

Looking into the dessert window from the service side.

Joe, plating a dessert.

Dinner was wonderful and I am already thinking about going back to Ukiah, and definitely going back to Branches (they also offer lunch and brunch). Since the menus are not yet online, I will post them here for your pleasure and convenience!! Click on each image to enlarge. 

Below are some more shots outside and inside the hotel. I wanted to highlight the free breakfast each guests get at the Hampton Inn Ukiah. It's a very generous buffet style set-up, complete with 3 hot selections (that rotate depending on the day), a waffle making station, 3 choices of coffee, a cereal bar, fresh fruit and juice, and a selection of bagels, muffins, and pastries that can be reheated to your liking.

View from my patio.

One of the highlights of my trip was the hike we took at Montgomery Woods State Reserve. I can't begin to describe the beauty of the trees, so here are some pictures I took. Seriously, if you have the use of your legs, DO NOT MISS this place. Get outside and experience it for yourself. I would drive to Ukiah again just to go back here!

Ukiah, I love you and I will be back very soon!

Back from Ukiah!

I am back from Ukiah and have unpacked my suitcase. Post on the hotel, the food, and the forest to come... A lot to write about. Such a great place to go for the weekend!

Enter to Win Two Nights at the Montage Beverly Hills!

This week in honor of Executive Pastry Chef Richard Ruskell’s 11th appearance on Food Network Challenge (airing this Sunday, August 1st, Montage Beverly Hills launched it’s first ever Twitter contest!

To help cheer on his record appearance, Montage Beverly Hills is giving my readers (and Twitter followers) the chance to win a two-night getaway and private pastry class with the dessert innovator himself!

From now until August 3, you can enter to win by following Montage Beverly Hills on Twitter and tweet "I want to taste #ChefRuskell’s creations @MontageBH"! Go here for more details.

The winner will receive a private pastry lesson with Chef Ruskell to learn how to make his famous creations, plus lavish accommodations for two in the heart of the Golden Triangle. Please visit http://www.montagebeverlyhills.com/ruskell-twitter-rules.php to see the complete contest rules and details about the prize.

The Winner
One winner will be selected by random drawing from among all valid entries on or about August 4, 2010. The winner will be notified by Twitter, email or US Mail and the winner will be posted on the Sweepstakes' website.

Follow the Montage Beverly Hills at @MontageBH for updates on Chef Ruskell and the trip giveaway contest.

Sauvignon Blanc Tasting/Tweetup & the Luxurious Avia Hotel

I don't know if you know this, but Downtown Napa is a pretty up and coming place.

Downtown Napa is already home to the Napa Valley Wine Train, The Oxbow Public Market, Taylor's Automatic Refresher, The Cordair Gallery, ZuZu Restaurant, The Bounty Hunter, and Back Room Wines.

Soon though, downtown will boast a restaurant led by Masaharu Morimoto of Iron Chef fame, as well as one created by Tyler Florence (also of Food Network).

I have been heading out there as often as I can and refer to it as my second home. I don't know what it is about Napa Valley, but I feel like I belong there. I probably would have moved already if I didn't also love Sacramento so much and have some very important ties here such as my house and my friends (who I love very much)!!


Last Thursday, I attended a Sauvignon Blanc tasting and tweetup hosted by the Cordair Gallery. After the party, many of us headed back to where I was staying, the Avia Hotel, just a block or two away from the Cordair Gallery.


So many wines, so little time. The highlights for me were St. Supery and Ceja Vineyards (which is actually sold by the glass in Sacramento at Zócalo!)
I had a chance to meet Dalia Ceja at the tweetup. Check her out here making empañadas.

After the tasting and socializing, about ten of us headed back to the Avia, and had dinner in the restaurant. I was very pleased when I saw a Sobon Zinfandel on the menu for around $7, and also that the chef happily added some grilled chicken to a salad I ordered that did not originally contain chicken.





After dinner, I said goodnight to my friends and headed up to my cozy room. I was so impressed by the hotel and service, I want to share it with you here. I have never felt so spoiled in all my life!! CC was stuck at work, so didn't get to share it with me… and I'm pretty sure that was the only negative thing about my stay.


Inside the Avia Hotel, Napa:














Inside my room:





Sometimes, no, most of the time beds in hotels aren't all that great or my bed at home is better. My only exceptions have been in this hotel and in some of the Westin hotels at which I have stayed. The Avia spared no expense on the bedding or decor, I'm sure.



Tub, right beside bed. I am a bubble bath loving type of girl. Did they design this room for me? :)



Inside of the bathroom. The shower head is a dual one with the option of an overhead waterfall or a nozzle with a hose. Then again, you could just get in the tub with a bottle of sparkling wine like I would do. :)

The Avia has some pretty smokin' internet deals from time to time. Your best bet to catch them is to follow them on twitter here, or go to their website and hook one of their package deals.
One of the specials is a 20% discount for California residents. Staycation, baby!! :)

Oh, and do pickup one of the winetasting cards during your stay. There are 14 tasting rooms within stumbling distance of the Avia! (Keep in mind that each wine-tasting room has its own definition of the taste, from a single glass of wine to a full flight.) You can buy one online here or there is one included in a package deal at the Avia.

Also recommended: Go see my friend Chris at Olabisi & Trahan Wine Tasting Room, just a 1/2 block away. Do taste the 2007 Olabisi Mendocino Chardonnay. There's also the Ceja tasting room a few blocks away and of course the Cordair Gallery.

Fun fun fun and only a little over an hour from Sacramento! It was great meeting many of my Napa twitter contacts in person and I can't wait to do it again.

Leaving it All Behind at the Howard Creek Ranch Inn

Last Friday evening CC & I left from Roseville and headed to the first weekend of the Mendocino Crab & Wine Days.

We drove, or should I say HE drove US five hours to a little town outside of Fort Bragg called Westport. We landed in Westport about 11:30pm on Friday night, where we were to lodge for the next two nights, The Howard Creek Ranch Inn.

Picture it this way, though. Neither one of us had been to or even driven by the Inn before. We had set up our stay through a third party and only briefly glanced at their website.

When we arrived at the Inn, it was raining, muddy, and dark. We slowly made our way to our room, and even at the late hour were soon greeted by our hostess, Sally. She had been waiting for us to arrive, and left on lights around the farmhouse for us to find our way in the unfamiliar territory. It was kind of endearing that she waited for us to arrive before turning into bed. She came downstairs and showed us to our room, the Solar Room, and instructed us on how to obtain coffee and breakfast for the next day. We opened the door to the Solar Room and the fireplace was already going! The room was toasty warm!



I took some of these pictures of the farm the next day. Sally (pictured below) gave me a tour of all the rooms that were not occupied.




Here's a picture of the suspension bridge that connects the farmhouse and the carriage barn. We stayed in the barn structure and had breakfast with Sally and Sonny during the mornings. I love this bridge because it reminds me of my grandmother's house in Kentucky, only the bridge at my grandmother's was more treacherous and it was pretty much only boards and rope. Crossing the bridge over the creek took me back 25 years!





Crocuses blooming outside the farmhouse, taken after breakfast.



Sally and Sonny had the fire going for us on Sunday morning when we arrived to the farmhouse. It was nice treat to have breakfast with them (along with another couple who were staying in the beach house) in the main room. Sally prepared french toast with banana topping, sausage, a fruit plate, and eggs. The day prior, it was strawberry and banana pancakes, baked apple with granola and whipped cream, and eggs. Both days had fresh orange juice, coffee and real maple syrup.



Here are a few shots of some of the room interiors. As you can see, they each have their own charm and attention to detail. Some of the wood and window work on the inside is pretty amazing. As is some of Sally's collections of unique glassware, books, ornaments, and other items.


This is the top floor of the Redwood Suite. It actually has an ocean view and the back door is only 200 yards from the beach. The skylights are so beautiful.




The Walden Room. It's on the first floor of Carriage Barn. It has redwood detailing and a gorgeous tiled floor. The bedroom has a fireplace, queen size bed, kitchenette, living room area, and a tiled bathroom. It has a separate entrance from the other barn rooms and there is a tiled deck on the outside.



Blue Balcony Room


Above is the Captain's Room on the second floor of Carriage Barn. There's a king sized bed, and fireplace plus kitchenette with microwave, refrigerator, & electric fireplace.

You can see more photos of the rooms and their descriptions, along with their rates by clicking here.

If you are ever in the mood to just get away from everything, this is the place to do it. It's so quiet and peaceful, and all of the rooms are walking distance from the beach. The Inn now has wi-fi, so you can even partially get away and work remotely if that is the only option.

Either way, Sally and Sonny will kindly welcome you.

Good to know:
1. Make sure you know exactly where you are going when heading to the Inn, and try to drive in during the daytime. The roads leading to your destination are windy and can be a little scary in inclement weather.

2. There are refrigerators, so you can even dine in your room. The couple that was there while we were brought salami, cheese, bread, and a bottle of wine for their dinner. I thought that sounded just lovely.

3. The Inn is unique and therefore not like a hotel. It is like staying at a carefully preserved farmhouse and piece of history. You will be kind of sad when you leave.

4. The pool area will be completed this year and looks to be another pleasant asset to the list of amenities at the Inn.

5. Stay in a room with a skylight if you can!! I loved the carriage room.

6. You will have access to a masseuse while you are at the inn.

7. The rooms have green toiletries!! I noticed the Livi line of tissue and toilet paper. The only reason I know that is because I used to sell janitorial products. I asked Sally about the green products and she said she has always done things that way and never made a fuss about it. I felt sorry they were never previously recognized for their environmentally-friendly ways, so I am doing it now.

8. If you stay in the Solar Room, you will be steps away from a hot tub. Bring your swimsuit.

9. Bring a significant other. You will grow closer to them and always remember your stay. Pretty romantic as there are no silly tvs or phones to distract you from each other.

10. Bring your camera. There are lots of photo opportunities. Several animals including cats, sheep, a llama (or an alpaca, the jury is still out on this one), a horse, and a host of different birds-- there are flowers growing all around the farmhouse--and of course, the roaring ocean. Ask Sally and Sonny about hiking around the property and they will give you a map.

For more information, you can go to the Howard Creek Ranch Inn's website here, or give them a call directly at (707) 964-6725.

In my next Mendocino post, we get crabby at the Crab & Wine Days, and I meet up with a German-born chef who specializes in organic and raw foods.