Wine+Food=Happiness

View of the vines at Wiens

We’re anticipating a fun weekend coming up!  We’re going to Temecula for some wine tasting with friends!  Temecula is an awesome place to visit for the day or weekend.  From our place, it’s only about 45 minutes away without traffic but when I’m there I feel like I’m super far away on vacation.  This will be I think our fourth time out there for wine tasting (I’ve been out there many times for the Pechanga buffet! Haha) and anticipating some yummy wine tastings.

Wine Slushies...SURE!

We were in Temecula just a month ago for our first anniversary.  We stayed a night at the Temecula Creek Inn for their Taste of Wine Country package.  It included a chauffeured limo drive around the wine town to three wineries, dinner at their restaurant, and of course one night accommodations to nurture your wine hangover.   We went to three wineries: Wiens (our 2nd time), Frangipani, and Oak Mountain.  We loooooove Wiens.  They really understand that customer service + good wines = awesomeness.  We really want to join their wine club, but it may not be the best time for right now.  Maybe in the future when we win the lottery and become millionaires.  At Oak Mountain, they had wine slushies which was a first for us!  We had two rounds of that with the group we were with and it was quite refreshing sipping on them outside in the Temecula heat.

Crab Cake in a Jar- So cute!

PRIIIIIME RIB

Dinner at their restaurant was so yummy and fulfilled my I NEED BEEF craving and ultimately was the inspiration of my LEARN TO MAKE STEAK phase a couple of blogs ago.  We each got our own small appetizer, our own entrée, and our own dessert.  Now that I think about it, that’s a lot!!!  I felt I needed something fried and greasy to absorb the wine still in my system from the afternoon’s tasting so I got the calamari.  Husband got one of his fave—crab cake with crostinis.  It was presented to him in a cute little glass jar with sauce in it.  My little squid pieces tasted fresh and though I wanted greasy it was very light and crisp.  After finishing this first course, I was getting a little full but I knew I had so much to go because… I ordered the PRIME RIB!!!  I had scouted the restaurant’s menu online a couple of weeks before and saw they served prime rib on the weekends.  Hip hip hooray!!! Prime rib reminds me of the holidays when my mom would make it for Christmas Eve and it also reminds me of buffets.  I heart buffets.

Filet Mignon aka baby steak

Anyway, I ordered my prime rib medium rare and husband ordered the filet mignon.  Both came with a side of mashed potatoes and asparagus.  It was perfection.  The meat was juicy and succulent.  It was spiced just right and yes I ate every bit of it.  We had paired it with a bottle of Hart wine we purchased the last time we were in Temecula.  It was a blended red reserve and really enjoyable even after partaking in three winery tastings earlier that day.  We took our time finishing our meals over some nice conversations. 

Creme brulee is so yummay!

After the entrée period we still had dessert to go!  I ordered the crème brulee which is one of my favorites because it’s light and not too sweet.  The husband got his favorite… bread pudding.  It was a little heavy for me, but I enjoyed the raspberry drizzle with it.  By the end of the night, we were exhausted from the fullness we felt from eating all this food.  We barely were able to stumble out the door!  Just kidding, we weren’t stumbling, but we were super uber full.

Bread Pudding - Tim's favorite!

I’m so lucky that my husband is willing to indulge in nice dinners like these.  We do it only once in a while, but each time is such a treat worth spending on.