Ms. Yoga has arrived for one of her business trips and she had a chance to have dinner with some of her former business acquaintances, who have joined the ranks of retirement.  She came into town the other days, saw some of her family, went to have some appointments, met us all and then she was going to the west side of the state for more business.  She is always on the go.  She had asked me to make a dinner reservation for eight people at three on a Monday afternoon, and where she wanted to go, was not going to happen.  Since our state is still recovering from draconian shut downs, the restaurant industry has not recovered and everyone is still on abbreviated hours, as there are no longer employees left in the industry.  I finally found two places that would work logistically, and she chose one of the two.  She then went shopping the day before with one of her nieces and tried the restaurant ahead of time.

My Bride and I got to the mall, where the restaurant was, and we walked the premises upstairs and downstairs to get some our “steps” in.  We got to the restaurant about ten minutes early, but they wouldn’t seat us, until the specific time and after there was a few more to arrive for our party, as they had allotted us two hours for the dinner.  I thought it was rude of them, but I stayed civil.  We were finally seated and everyone tried to make some sense of the menu and we started out with some appetizers. To begin with, I ordered a bottle of Hess Select Chardonnay Monterey County 2021, part of the Hess Family Estates of Napa, which is now Hass Persson Estates; as Ms. Yoga loves Chardonnay.  Donald Hess began the saga in 1978 with an original purchase of nine-hundred-one acres of land in what is now Mount Veeder in Napa Valley and with land to remain underdeveloped in support of local wildlife.  In 2008, it was one of the first ten wineries to receive a Napa Green certification and they have continued to strive for other designations since them.  They have survived the Napa Earthquake, fires and mudslides, which all led to renovations and upgrades to the winery, the visitor center and the art museum for the now renamed Hess Persson Estate, to acknowledge his daughter Sabrina and husband Tim Persson.  They created the Hess Select division when they entered Monterey County.  This wine is a blending of their Chardonnay grapes, using seventy-five percent aged in Stainless Steel and twenty-five percent in new French Oak.  I have been a fan of Monterey County for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines, because of the ideal climate of cooling fog, coastal breezes and a longer growing season.  A pretty golden-yellow color that offered notes of pineapple, star fruit and vanilla.  On the palate there were notes of peaches, golden delicious apples with great acidity and balance, a crisp wine that proclaims Monterey and not Napa.  It was very refreshing and tasty, especially for a popular priced wine.         

For the main dishes, it was across the board from burger and sliders, to steaks and salmon.  Though for dessert, the flourless chocolate cake seemed to be the winner, and the coffee was done French-press.  My Bride is fond of this restaurant, as it is one of the restaurants that she meets her friends, as they go to the mall for their walking regimens.  I also ordered a red wine to go with all of the dinners, though this restaurant is very beer oriented.  We had a bottle of Franciscan Estate Cornerstone Cabernet Sauvignon California 2021.  Franciscan Estate was established in 1973 by Justin Meyer, who was the winemaker at Silver Oak Winery and with the help of Augustin Huneeus, owner of Quintessa Winery.  They began with two-hundred-forty acres in what is now the Oakville appellation, along with contracts across the Napa Valley.  They are famed for their flagship Magnificat Cabernet Sauvignon blend.  The winery is now owned by E&J Gallo who has become a buyer of quality properties these days.  I couldn’t find any production notes for this wine and because it carries a California appellation, I will surmise that it is a bulk wine production, but I was pleased with the wine.  It was a deep-dark red wine that offered notes of blackberry, plum and touches of black tea, and clove.  On the palate, a rich “jammy” wine of black fruit with a touch of caramel and chocolate and a decent finish of fruit.  For a popular priced wine, I found no objections to it, and the people at the table all seemed to enjoy it.