I am always looking for new restaurants to try, especially when we are trying to find some place between our house and our son’s house.  I found one place that sounded very interesting and I called to make a reservation, yes, I still like to talk to humans if I can, as I find the modern way to get a reservation so impersonal.  The place informed me, that they would be closed on Father’s Day, because they don’t have enough help, which is the constant refrain that I hear and observe.

There was another place, that I have tried to go to a couple of times before, and this time I was able to achieve my goal.  We went to Benstein Grille, which is off the beaten track for both parties, but still doable.  My Bride asked if we could eat on the patio section, it was not totally outside, but with the garage doors swung up, it was like the outdoors, and I agreed, because there wouldn’t be idling cars to alter the aromas of the food, which is my main reason for dining indoors.  My Bride and I don’t eat as many large meals anymore, so we are starting to get creative.  She ordered the “B.G. Salad” of mixed greens, pecans, dried cherries, carrots, red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and house made Cheddar Cheese croutons, and a Garlic Balsamic dressing.  The waitress split the entrée salad in two.  The waitress also split my entrée in two as well; Peppercorn-encrusted Filet Mignon, marinated jumbo shrimp and scallions with Beurre Blanc, buttermilk mashed potatoes, and vegetables.  Our son, his wife and the one grandson that came to celebrate had different dishes and appetizers.

Now, I don’t want you to cringe, though we were having a version of surf and turf, I ordered a white wine, as I could handle white with the filet, and we were sitting almost like outside.  We had a bottle of McManis Family Vineyards Chardonnay River Junction AVA 2021.  McManis Family Vineyards is five generations of farmers and is a family-owned wine producer based in Ripon, near Modesto and founded in 1990.  The estate has thirteen-hundred acres all in the River Junction AVA, one of the smallest AVA designations in California and the designation was awarded in 2001 with only one winery.  They are most famed for their Viognier wines.  The vineyard that the Chardonnay is grown has sandy-loam.  The wine had cold Initial Fermentation in Stainless Steel and filtered prior to oak aging.  About two-thirds of the wine was allowed to go through Malolactic Fermentation for additional complexity and texture.  The wine aged for four months in a mix of French and American Oak.  A nice golden-straw color that offered notes of pear, melon, and peach.  On the palate a well-balanced wine with tones of stone-fruits, bananas and a touch of vanilla with a finish of fruit and a touch of terroir.