MrAndrewBradley

I started off my weekend with a salad from Taco Bell and a concert at Bayside featuring Jason Gray, Laura Story and Steven Curtis Chapman ... always fun to see some of the artists sing songs live that I hear on the radio , while also getting to see some friends too. Saturday, after a waffle for breakfast, I was off to Napa and The Meritage Resort and Spa for their inaugural Brew Fest event. Although I didn't get to fully indulge (I had to drive home) I did get to sample a few of the beers from Napa Smith Brewery (their seasonal Crush brew will hopefully be available year-round at Crush Ultra Lounge ), Samuel Adams, Hanger 24 , Speakeasy and Lagunitas (the glasses were small and I didn't let them fill the glass all the way). Beyond the beer, the food was all amazing, I don't know the names of everything, but it was German and it was great from handmade pretzels to schnitzel and spätzle to dessert, strudel with homemade ice cream! I ended the day with chu...

There's nothing wrong with old, but this week has been a week of "new." I started off by going to my favorite Napa resort ... The Meritage Resort and Spa for meetings and to meet with some reporters who haven't been to the property in awhile. They were able to see the new Vineyard Deck and take a look at what the rooms in the main building will look like in a few months as they are all being upgraded. Continuing with the new, we ate lunch at Siena Restaurant where their newest chef prepared a special menu for us including scallops, lamb chops and a dessert medley (to share). For dinner I went to Angéle on Napa's Riverfront for a rustic, yet gourmet French dining experience. The next morning I woke up and worked for a few hours when my laptop screen decided to go black. I tried a few fixes, but nothing worked, so I took it to Office Depot , where after a few hours of resting they were able to get it to work just fine. I took it back and it went off again ...

After a going away party for a friend who is moving to the East Coast at The Park Ultra Lounge in Sacramento I met my parents for dessert (they had dinner too) at Seasons 52 to celebrate their 42nd Anniversary! Although 41 was celebrated in Barcelona and 30 was in Australia, I think they still enjoyed a nice dinner. After a few midweek runs, Friday I needed to get out and went to Mikuni's for time with friends and sushi ... I actually had a Bento Box for the first time (at Mikuni), it was really good and quite filling. After being at Mikuni for a few hours we needed a change of scenery and went across the street to Crush 29 for their late night happy hour to enjoy a little more wine (and in my case a few chicken sliders). Saturday, didn't quite go as planned ... my car battery died, but after getting it jumped by a neighbor I headed to Walmart , had a new battery installed (and ice cream while I waited), then headed to Bayside for church before meeting up with a...

On Tuesday I was invited by Placer GROWN to a lunch at Sinclair Family Farm to learn about some of the fresh produce grown and livestock raised in Placer County. We also learned about Placer GROWN Week , which kicks off on October 5 and wraps up on October 13. The afternoon started with a green salad tossed with feta cheese and pomegranate seeds, followed by homemade beef stew and paired with a selection of wines from Viña Castellano . During a very educational talk by the Placer County Agricultural Commissioner , we enjoyed apple cobbler with just the right amount of vanailla ice cream on top, and, of course, a little more wine. It was fun to learn about the rich history of agriculture in Placer County , including the fact it used to be one of the world's top tree fruit producers and I had no idea that rice was grown near the city of Lincoln. After lunch and learning about Placer GROWN Week, we got a tour of the Sinclair Family Farm, including a sheep dog demonstration (t...

I was doing so well with actually cooking a few meals until I got an advertisement for Texas BBQ Pizza from Pizza Guys . On my way home after going to the gym and grocery shopping (a little ironic), I stopped at Pizza Guys to buy the BBQ Pizza. It was great, complete with BBQ Sauce, Chicken, Bacon, Onions and Cheese. On Saturday I was finally able to try the Peanut Butter & Jelly milkshake from Smashburger and use a Groupon that I purchased. The milkshake uses Nutter Butter cookies and strawberry syrup to create the flavor ... delicious is about all I can say. I paired it with a Truffle Mushroom Swiss Chicken Sandwich (I added lettuce and tomatoes to make it a little healthier) and SmashFries (fries tossed with rosemary, olive oil and garlic). The plan after that was to head to the airport and pick up my parents, but their flight was delayed by a day (in their favor, they got to visit my aunt in Dallas for the night). I still ended up going to their house, but brought ...