Good food

A quick review of food:  yesterday Tom and I met in Santa Rosa at Willi's Wine Bar, north of the town on Old Redwood Highway.  From the outside this place looks like an old roadhouse.  The inside is simple, and we ate out on the patio, where you can have a dog.  The menu is all small plates and everything we had was 100% delicious. I would go back tomorrow and order the same things, or mix it up and order some new ones.  Great tastes, beautiful presentation, innovative food combos and bottom line, excellent.  The wine list is extensive and you can get everything in a 2.5 ounce pour, a 5 ounce pour, half a bottle or a full bottle. Very casual. I can see why it has made Michael Bauer's "100 Best Restaurants of the Bay Area" list several times.  One of the best meals I have had in a long time, much due to the creativity of everything.  (OK, OK, I know I say that every time I have a good meal out.  Sad, I know, but I am a sucker for good food.)

Today my brother Steve came up to Healdsburg and we went to Diavola in Geyserville, just a couple miles up the road.  I have eaten there three or four times and it never disappoints.  We ordered two different pizzas and they were perfect.  One had smoked pork belly, goat cheese, caramelized onions and roasted red peppers and some fresh herbs.  The other had house-cured salami,  tomatoes, fresh arugula and some other things.  They were perfect and they were a good contrast to each other.  The pork belly pizza was luscious, soft, extravagantly tasty.  The salami and arugula was crisper, cleaner feel in your mouth, spicy and sparky.  Very good.  We each brought slices home and that is dinner tonight.  Along with a home-made mint julep!  Or two.

It's hot in H'burg.... in the 90's.  A precursor of what to experience in Tex Ass.  Getting ready..... stick around for that adventure.

more to follow.


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