MrAndrewBradley

While we may be living through a pandemic, I have managed to stay busy with some projects at Fort Bradley, new furniture, providing safe Halloween treats, celebrating Christmas, and much more.  The major project was removing the carpet from the two upstairs bedrooms in my house and replacing it with a new luxury vinyl plank flooring that works well with the existing tile (that looks like hardwood) in the the main living spaces throughout my house. Then I sold the couch that I have had since Fort Bradley began in Roseville and replaced it with a new, larger sofa (and lots of throw pillows). To go along with the new couch, I replaced a side table/dresser and wine cabinet with a new bar cabinet. While my parents helped with so much, I made sure to feed them well and we had some great wines too, plus we celebrated my birthday together in Napa a few weeks after the flooring went it with wine tasting throughout the Napa Valley , stopping at Rombauer , Spring Mountain Vineyards , and Fon...

It was a fabulous last weekend of home ownership in Roseville and really a shows a good reason why I needed to move ... I wasn't home, I was in Napa. In Napa we celebrated with a spectacular wine and food extravaganza featuring wines from the Wagner Family of Wine including Caymus Vineyards and Conundrum . My parents and grandma came to join me on Saturday, we had a quick lunch at Crush then dinner at Siena , always a favorite to prepare for Mother's Day Brunch the following day. Our culinary team does some of the best brunches and the nearly 400 people that enjoyed Mother's Day at the resort did not leave disappointed ... or with an empty stomach. I only wish I could have gotten to the Brioche French Toast station. Once I did get back to Roseville it was time to finish packing and start moving. I didn't get much sleep on Sunday night or Monday night, but everything got packed, the house got cleaned, and I was off to Napa first thing Tuesday morning. Now all my stu...

The last few weeks have been filled with friends, family, food, fun, and work. It started with the announcement that I would be moving from Roseville to Napa over appetizers at Lucille's . From there I was back in Napa for work (and found time to run in the mornings), then back to Roseville and Lincoln for dinner at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants after one last bike ride through my neighborhood. After selling my house in a day, my parents and I headed to Napa to look at my options. After a morning of looking at houses, and some liquid courage at Applebee's , I purchased a brand new townhouse about 10 minutes from work, shortening my commute by over an hour in each direction. Since then I have been in Napa consistently ... filmed a video with DoNapa in our vineyards, enjoyed some great cuisine at Siena with media, helped with an amazing art class on the Vineyard Deck, and had dinner with Joseph Phelps Vineyard s in the Estate Cave. I officially move in a few w...

It's odd to say it was a typical week when you work 16-18 hours a day, but still get to do some amazing things. It started off with lobster and brownies at home, then progressed to brunch at Sacramento's Bacon & Butter , followed by wine tasting at Bogle Vineyards . There was church at Bayside with a guest speaker from Duck Dynasty , Korie Robertson , a few long runs, and even a spur of the moment dinner with friends at the new Old Town Pizza in Roseville. Napa also had its share of fun ... a trip to the magnificent Opus One Winery for a tasting and tour with the winemaker. Dinner at Siena to try a few of the new menu items, our new culinary team continues to amaze me. Lunch at Crush to try out the new wings (tasty), and even a little cocktail testing. Pictures for those with iPads .

I've been doing what I do best, enjoying life, while also working a ton (about 10+ hours on my day off the other day). Driving up to Calistoga for a meeting was so beautiful that I had to pull over to the side of the road and take a picture of the mustard growing up between the vines, plus on the way back to Napa I decided to enjoy a quick meal at Buster's Southern BBQ . I also checked out our new laundry facility, it's amazing, even folds and irons everything. Back in Sacramento ... I took a photo of a few wine bottles for National Drink Wine Day (I may have also opened one) and it was the start of the Sacramento Republic FC pre-season as they played the San Jose Earthquakes at Bonney Field. I don't think I'll ever get bored watching the games or the sunsets. There was also many bottles of wine to be purchased (almost like shopping at Kohl's while at Grocery Outlet ... spent $200, saved $482) on a few cases of wine. Then there was exercise ... a few l...

As always, it's been a great few weeks. I've been making the time to run while I'm at home (even got up to 10 miles on Super Bowl Sunday), enjoyed fabulous food and wine, celebrated with friends and family, plus have been in Napa. My family celebrated my grandma's birthday at Biba in Sacramento with a beautiful lunch. Plus Biba came by to sign a cookbook for her, chat, and take a few pictures. We also had a great dinner cooked at home with a bottle of Napa Valley wine from Rutherford Ranch . Lunch and dinner at Red Robin and Chili's weren't a bad thing either. After a 10 mile run on Super Bowl Sunday we continued a food tradition ... homemade nachos! They were so good, I think after three years, we're figuring out the right way to make baked tortilla chips . The Third Annual Masters and Makers did not disappoint. With an opening wine tasting with HALL Wines/St. Helena and Trinitas Cellars , followed by a winemaker dinner that began with a poolsi...

I celebrated Christmas at the Bradley Lodge with good food and good wine. From fried chicken to Cioppino and prime rib, we enjoyed the food with the wine, and ... 15+ inches of snow. There was also a day of skiing at Bear Valley , a few friendly games of Pinochle and walks along snow covered streets. On our way back to Sacramento we stopped in Roseville to visit with my cousins, then enjoy a fabulous salmon dinner (with more wine) at a friend's house. During dinner we decided we needed something to do the next day and decided on a trip to Lodi for wine tasting. LangeTwins and Oak Farm did not disappoint with their fabulous wines and friendly hospitality. For New Year's I headed to Napa to celebrate with 450+ of my closest friends at The Meritage. I started out 2016 right with a few days of wine tasting. Napa is always beautiful and the winter is a little less crowded, meaning more personalized service, less traffic, and still great wines. There was a stop at Rutherford...

It's been a fun month. There were meetings and wine tasting in Napa Valley , including my first trips to Cakebread Cellars and the Harvest Inn , and a birthday lunch with the team at Hurley's . There was a quick trip to Clarksburg and Bogle Vineyards (the best deal in wine tasting ... no tasting fee) and a birthday dinner with my parents at Scott's Seafood on the River . I celebrated Thanksgiving with family in Scotts Valley and we were able to work off our turkey dinner at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park , looking at the beautiful redwoods and chasing after a few kids. Back in Napa, I enjoyed a lunch at the Kitchen Door and a holiday party with others in the wine/hospitality industry at Inglenook , before heading back to Sacramento to walk through Global Winter Wonderland at Cal Expo. I finished up with wine tasting in Lodi (my excuse ... had to pick up my parents wine club shipment). Lange Twins was a great way to start the day, followed by Viaggio , and, ...

There's never a shortage of Wine, Photos, Phones, and Food in my life, but this week was a little different. I started the week last Sunday with 95.7 The Game's Raiders Opening Drive broadcasting live from The Meritage , then it was time for wine. I was able to explore the Crusher Wine District for the first time, visiting eight wineries ( Avinodos , The Wine Foundry , Humanitas , Trinitas Cellars , J. Moss , Mi Sueño , Crosby Roamann , Y. Rousseau ) in about four hours, all within 1.5 miles of The Meritage. It was so fun to see all the wineries and taste all of their fabulous wines ... I even purchased a few bottles for all the holiday celebrations coming up soon. After a day of wine, Siena offered the perfect dinner and it was my first time to try the new Fall menu ... Fritto Misto, Brussels sprouts, halibut, and a pork chop (I shared). On Veterans Day Crush held a special event to Honor Our Heroes with a special menu that included some very tasty pork ribs and short...

It's been a fun last few weeks with lots of great food and wine. It started with a quick meal at Chevy's (nachos and fajitas were needed), followed by a great concert with Matt Redman at Bayside , then I was off to Napa a few times. In Napa there were walks in vineyards, a dinner in the Estate Cave with family, friends, and 150 others paired with wines from Silver Oak and Twomey Cellars . A day of wine tasting at Frog's Leap , Castello di Amorosa , and Chandon . Food at Bistro Don Giovanni , Gott's Roadside , Hurley's , Blend , and Siena . Bowling and drinks at Crush , and even a few tours with photographers. Back in Roseville it was all about cleaning the house ... organized the freezer, cleaned the oven, and had the carpets professionally cleaned by Valley Carpet Care . In celebration of clean carpets there was also homemade nachos (baked corn tortillas for the chips) and root beer floats. Photos for those with iPads .

I'm rarely home and I'm okay with that. The last few weeks have been filled with work in Napa, trips to San Francisco, time in Sacramento and Lodi, and yes, even a night or two at home. After the Republic FC lost their first playoff game of the season I was off to Napa where 95.7 The Game had their first broadcast at The Meritage and Crush Ultra Lounge . I arrived at 5:30 a.m. and we were ready for the broadcast to start at 8 a.m., it was fun to see the team work to set up their mini-studio, and great to see Crush full of football fans by about 9 in the morning. There are more broadcasts through January , so I'm looking forward to more and more people finding my favorite sports bar with bowling lanes. While in Napa, I took two day trips to San Francisco , one for a media event with Visit California , including lunch at The Boulevard , and the second to see a Giants game . While there for the Giants game I took the chance to walk through the Ferry Building , headed t...

Over the last three weeks I have been staying busy with work and trying to have some fun while at it. There have been a few soccer games with the Sacramento Republic , going to two Friday night concerts at Bogle Vineyards , a wine tasting via Skype that focused on the importance of the shape of the wine glass , happy hours, ice cream, and more. I started off with a goodbye party in Napa as one of our beloved managers left for new beginnings, taking a new position in La Jolla . The wine selection, food, and cheeses were all spectacular, including an Irish Cheddar , which is actually made with Guinness . Next up, I was in Roseville to do a "Shape of the Glass" tasting with Trinitas over Skype. I invited a few friends over and we were able to do the tasting virtually, while learning how and why the glass really can make a difference when drinking wine (or for that matter Coca-Cola ), also note that in some cases a plastic cup is better for the wine than the wrong wine glass ...

The last two weeks have been full of fun, wine, soccer, and food. I started off in Anaheim for meetings and we took a quick trip to Downtown Disney . Once back in the northern part of the state I headed to Old Roseville to see the Budweiser Clydesdales . Next up, my family celebrated a friend's birthday at Mamma Susanna's in East Sacramento. After a fabulous dinner, we headed to Livermore for wine tasting , lunch at the First Street Alehouse , and met my brother and his family at Concannon Vineyard . My parents and I brought the two middle kids back to Sacramento with a quick stop for dinner in Lodi ... we needed Chinese food from Chop Chop :-). We continued our wine tasting in the Lodi area the following day with a stop at one of our favorites, Oak Farm Vineyards , before going to Lodi's Food Truck Mania , luckily we got to the ice cream truck before the line got too long, the kids enjoyed their cones, I enjoyed my Twisted Cow . To wrap up our tour of various w...