Monday, September 26, 2005

Day four, Sideways Vacation & Wine Reviews

The Hitching Post and Sideways Sequel News
On Saturday night we went to the Hitching Post [Link] and had the best steak I remember ever having. I think it was the best steak I have ever had in my life, but after turning 50, I don't know. It was hopping. The waitress at the Hitching Post said that since "The Movie" (as Sideways is called there) business has increased 40%. at the Hitching Post. She said they just learned last Wednesday (at the Hitching Post) that they are doing a Sideways sequel soon. She said that now she will have to kill herself. It will be so cool if they do a sequel to Sideways and and I guess that the folks at the Hitching Post would possibly be the first to know if the folks at Fox/Searchlight were going to shoot it there.

Susie and I at the Hitching Post

Anyway, the food at the Hitching Post was better than I expected. The wine was superb. We had the Highliner (as featured in "the movie." It was so good we bought another bottle to take home. I had heard they had went down hill after "the movie" but I guess they made adjustments. It was fun watching them do the oak wood barbecue, (you can see this in "the movie.")

We got naughty in Neverland
The next day was Sunday and it was back to Solvang for breakfast, then we did the only wine tasting we did this day. We stopped at Babcock Winery and Vineyards [Link]. Man, there wine is great! They have some great Chardonnays with less than 30% MLF, killer Syrahs, a yummy Super-Tuscan and surprisingly good Bordeauxs. They make an out-of-this-world Meritage blend. I know this is not Bordeaux country, but they grow grapes in a vineyard called "Hidden Valley." Reportedly this area has been getting quite a bit of acclaim from folks like Robert Parker and Wine Enthusiast has name them one of the top 100 wineries of the year. There Pinots are on par with Sanford. Plus, the Sanford family has sold their interest in Sanford. So we did the naughty, we joined the Babcock wine club! We decided to quit Sanford, after all these years.

A whale of a good time
We came home via highway one to Pismo Beach where we stopped to stroll out on the pier. While out there we were delighted to see a number of migrating whales pass by. What a wonderful end to a great trip. So far, turning 50 has been pretty cool!

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