What's on My Easel?

30 Paintings in 30 Days - After Edward Hopper


So last night was our Bay Area Studio Artists reception at Chimney Rock Winery.  We had a great turnout and the winery poured some fabulous wine as well as having some great appetizers!

Unfortunately,  I was so busy greeting guests that I forgot to take some photos of the even!

Here are a few.....

It was a beautiful evening and we were able to enjoy the courtyard where Sue and Marcy presented several large pieces of work.  And inside we were able to set several smaller pieces around the tasting room!  So if you were not able to make it to the reception, the show will be up until the end of April!

Also, they will be having another reception for us in mid-April as well!

Before the doors opened Mr. B and I strolled around the beautiful grounds. This is their barrel tasting room.

And here is the inside of the barrel room - I just wish I had an option to do "scratch & sniff" on my blog because the scent in this room was heavenly!

 Looking out of the barrel room, along the trough fountain and courtyard and back to the wine tasting room.

Inside they were pouring their white wines and outside were their lovely reds.

After our reception we drove to downtown Napa for dinner at Oenotri and to our hotel across the street.

Oenotri is an amazing Italian restaurant run by a good friend Tyler Rodde.  We had a crab appetizer, and platter of house cured salumi (they were so good we ate them before I remembered to take a photo)!


For our salads, Mr. B ordered the Chioggia Beets with Avacado & Meyer lemon, Mascarpone and Arugula. 

I had the Red Oak Lettuce with Mandarin, Grapefruit and Meyer lemon, walnuts and Watermelon Radishes. Yummmm.......

Next we were treated to a Fegato pizza cooked in a pizza oven brought over from Italy.  On top of the pizza was cream, parmigiano-regianno, balsamico, shaved Foi Gras torchon and chives.  The California ban on foi gras had just been lifted 2 days ago!

This pizza had a light delicious crust and the topping was like eating something from another world - rich, heavenly, rich, delicious, rich, incredible, better than butter rich! 

Then our main courses came.  Mr. B ordered swordfish with fried potatoes, clams, mussels, garlic, onions and parsley and I had a comfort food pasta dish, bucatini alla carbonara, farm egg, pancetta, red onion and parmigiano!  Yum all over again.........

And in case that wasn't quite enough, we finished the night off with a Mandarin sorbetto - Prosecco Zabaglione and vanilla meringues.

We then limped our tired selves over to our hotel across the street!

Meanwhile back at home our little darlin' stayed with my parents.  She charmed them so much that my mom took several photos of her getting comfy on the couch!

I think she is pretty comfortable at their home, don't you?

Sweet dreams.....