Breakfast at the Blogger Conference

POSTED
Oct, 2008
24
Joe Power

Joe Power

The Wine Bloggers Conference in Santa Rosa begins today, but we got here yesterday. Last night we went to the hotel lounge for a glass of wine or three. I asked the bartender for a recommendation for breakfast. He suggested a place called Hank’ Creekside which is right across from the resort where the conference is being held.

It was a great suggestion. I had a spinach and cheese omelet covered in hollandaise, with sides of cottage fries, ham, and toast made from the region’s world renowned sourdough bread. Amy had apple smoked chicken sausage with the cottage fries, scrambled eggs, and biscuits. Both meals were fantastic, and perfect stick-to-your-ribs food for days like today, when the wine is scheduled to start flowing much too early for most humans.

Speaking of which, stay tuned for a lot of posting all weekend. Hopefully, my brain will not be too wine addled to maintain my usual bare minimum standard of coherence. If not, please accept my humblest apologies in advance.

But, back to the food. As seems to be the norm in the part of the world, everything was exceptionally fresh. The eggs had that sweetness that only comes from the very freshest cackleberries. The sourdough had the tang that is the hallmark of San Francisco bread, but both of those things are pretty standard here. However, what stood out for me were the potatoes. They were barely seasoned, which was great as I think that most places over season their food, and it lets me adjust the flavor to my tastes. What made these so special is that they tasted of the earth.

That probably doesn’t sound that appetizing to a lot of people. Earth and dirt are not words usually thought of as positive descriptors of food, but in this case they are. The potatoes were the cleanest, freshest tasting spuds I have ever had. They tasted wholesome and of the earth. I did not leave the slightest evidence on my plate that they had ever existed. That is a rarity for me and potatoes.

If you are attending the conference, or if you find yourself in this part of wine country, do yourself a favor and check out Hank’s Creekside Restaurant on Hwy 12 and Fourth St. across from the Flamingo Resort.

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