Thursday Night Dinner

Here's this week's Thursday Night Dinner at Flavor Bistro in downtown Santa Rosa. All 4-courses with wine pairing for $24.95.

Tortino Di Granchio--Sautéed Dungeness Crab Cake Garnished with Basil Aioli & Crispy Shoestring Sweet Potatoes, paired with 2014 Moma Spumante Brut D.O.C., Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Quaglia Arrosto--Pan Roasted Quail Served in Cannellini Bean Ragù Flavored with Oven Roasted Toy Box Tomatoes, Zucchini & Sweet Basil in Sugo D'Aglio, paired with 2014 Sean Minor Wines Pinot Noir, Central Coast

Agnello Alla Griglia--Grilled Lavender-Marinated Lamb Loin Chop Garnished with Slow Cooked Peperonata & Creamy Black Olive Polenta Topped with Herb Gremolata, paired with 2011 Séka Hills Cabernet Sauvignon Blend Tuluk'a, Capay Valley

Crostata Di Albicocca--Apricot Galette Served with Vanilla-Pistachio Custard, paired with 2014 Marchesi di Gresy, La Serra Moscato d'Asti D.O.C.G., Italy

2016 07 21

Walking in Bergen

After our hike from the top of Mount Floyen, we walked through charming neighborhoods.

Parking spot for electric vehicle. While in Norway, we noted that for a country with only 5 million people, there were a lot of Teslas. Turns out, the country heavily subsidizes electric cars.

Charming neighborhoods with cobblestone streets and shiplap buildings. Joanna Gaines from "Fixer Upper" would be in heaven.

St. Mary's Church--Bergen's oldest building in continuous use. It dates from the 12th century. 

Bryggen's Museum--displays findings of the archaeological excavations of Bryggen from 1955 and contains the foundations of the oldest buildings in Bergen. 

2016 05 21

Floibanen

Take the funicular to the top of Mount Floyen, a 1000 foot climb.

Funicular Station--purchase either a one-way ticket for NOK45 and walk down or a roundtrip ticket for NOK90.

It's a 7-minute ride to the top.

Panoramic view from the top.

Ship coming into port.

There was a race on the day we visited. Runners climbed from the center of town. There is a self-service restaurant, a children's playground and a photo-op troll at the top of the mountain.

The 30-minute walk down from the top of the mountain was very pleasant. It meandered through a forest then through charming old homes.

2016 05 21

Bergunhus Fortress

Bergen has over 80 inches of rain per year and only 60 days of sunshine. We got lucky and had one of the sunny days.

Our hotel was just a few steps from Bergunhus Fortress. It's located at the entrance to Bergen's harbor and is one of the oldest castles in Norway.

Rosenkrantz Tower--the keep of the 13th century castle. 

Haakon's Hall--built in the 12th century as a royal residence and banqueting hall. It is still used for royal dinners and other official occasions. Admission is NOK80 and includes a guided tour.

Statue of King Haakon VII--first king of modern Norway. 

Row of cannons protecting the harbor.

Row of Linden trees on the grounds

View from the fortress. The harbor was filled with carnival rides.

Public bathroom on the grounds. There's blue light to discourage IV drug use. The blue lights make it difficult to see veins.

2016 05 21

Ledford House

Ledford House is a French bistro just south of Mendocino. They have a Bastille Day celebration every year. This year, it was on 7/17/2016. They offer a nightly 3-course bistro dinner for $30. This was the bistro dinner on Bastille Day:

Gardiniere salad--nice pickled vegetable over a bed of greens.

Coq au Vin--the chicken was fall-off-the-bone and the sauce was delicious.

Lavender gelato with lavender cookie. The cookie was delicious. The gelato was overpowered by the lavender. The lavender buds were throughout the gelato and would have been better if it was infused.

One of the best things about the Ledford House is that they have a very affordable wine list. We had a nice bottle of Steele Zinfandel Pacini Vineyard for $35. 

2016 07 17

Bryggen

Bryggen is a Unesco World Heritage Site in Bergen. In 1350, it was the center of the Hanseatic commercial league. Today, it houses tourist and art shops.

Row of wooden houses along the waterfront. There were 6 facades built at the end of the row of buildings to hide the Radisson Blu Royal. They were built in the 1980s.

Wander through the alleys with buildings side by side.

Carved wooden fish in one of the squares behind the row of wooden buildings. This was a reminder of the economic foundation of Bergen--the cod.

2016 05 21

Radisson Blu Royal, Bergen

We finally arrived in Bergen around 11:30 pm. Because it was mid May, there was still a little light.

It was a 15-minute walk from the Bergen train station to our hotel, the Radisson Blu Royal. There was still a hotel strike but fortunately, our hotel was still open. We were told the breakfast may not be as varied but we didn't care. At least we had a room.

The Radisson Blu Royal is located near Bryggen--in fact it's part of the Bryggen. The Bryggen is a series of Hanseatic commercial buildings lining the fjord.

Modern and airy lobby.

The room was clean and roomy.

Breakfast included cold cuts and salmon. That's all I needed. 

We stayed at the Radisson for 2 nights. The 2nd morning, I noticed that there were a few more hot items--the strike was over!

2016 05 20