St. Helena was Magnificent Today

Today we went on a drive up to St. Helena, one of our favorite little towns in wine country. The weather was glorious, which made lunch taste even better!

2021-02-23 · Charlie Samra ·

St. Helena was Magnificent Today

Today we went on a drive up to St. Helena, one of our favorite little towns in wine country.  Our target restaurant was the Farmstead Restaurant at Long Meadow Ranch.  We visited Farmstead a couple of times last year, and both times were great.

We made reservations for Monday at noon.  When we got there, it looked pretty empty, so I think we would have been OK without reservations.  We requested a table along their "grapevine rows" on the side of the restaurant.  Because restaurants are still dealing with coronavirus restrictions from the government, all dining is outdoors.  That was fine with us today, because the weather was unusually warm - around 70F (22 degrees centigrade) when we arrived - magnificent!  That is about 10 degrees warmer than the average temperature in February.

So what did we order?  The wife ordered two starters.  The SMOKED CHICKEN WINGS are something we always order.  The flavorful wings and drumsticks are a combination of smoked chicken and spices, smothered in what they call "Alabama white sauce".  Always delicious.  The other starter was the SALAD OF GARDEN GREENS AND CHICORIES, which includes a variety of greens, apples, feta cheese, almonds, pomegranate seeds, and citrus dressing.  A very tasty salad, but I was wondering, do people eat the whole pomegranate seed when they are served like this? Puzzling.

Signature chicken
Signature chicken

Anyway, the restaurant was offering a special today - pork tacos with pineapple, rice, beans and salsa dipping sauce.  After a lot of menu analysis, we decided to try it.  It turned out to be a good choice.  They served four tacos, and a small dish of rice and beans.  To be honest, we thought the pork was a little overcooked, but nonetheless, it tasted good despite that.  That said, I don't think we'd order it again.  There are a lot of other great things on the menu.  The menu changes every season, so we'll probably return again in the early fall.

forg
forg

On the way home, we decided to drive on the backroads towards the northwest hillside of Napa Valley.  There, we could see many vineyards, with beautiful yellow flowers growing amidst the rows of vines.  On the hillside, we could see where trees had burned last year in the big fire that ravaged the area.  It was sad to see that.  I hope we can avoid a repeat of that this year.

Burned oak tree groves all along the hillside on Silverado Trail
Burned oak tree groves all along the hillside on Silverado Trail

As a side note, St. Helena is a great little town to spend an hour or so exploring. It has a really well-defined downtown street with plenty of shops. We especially like to stop at the chocolate shop.

Explore downtown St. Helena for a pleasant stroll; nice little shops and cafes.
Explore downtown St. Helena for a pleasant stroll; nice little shops and cafes.

位置

単語

restriction 制限(せいげん) B1 · 中級 まれ
本文より
“Because restaurants are still dealing with coronavirus restrictions from the government, all dining is outdoors.”
  1. The government has published official restrictions related to the coronavirus epidemic.
    政府(せいふ)は、コロナウイルスの流行(りゅうこう)に関連(かんれん)する公式(こうしき)の制限(せいげん)を公表(こうひょう)しました。
drumstick ドラムスティック A2 · 初中級 まれ
本文より
“The flavorful wings and drumsticks are a combination of smoked chicken and spices, smothered in what they call "Alabama white sauce".”
  1. For turkey, kids always want the drumsticks, while the adults mainly prefer the breast meat.
    七面鳥(しちめんちょう)の場合(ばあい)、子供(こども)は常(つね)にバチを欲(ほ)しがりますが、大人(おとな)は主(おも)に胸(むね)肉(にく)を好(この)みます。
nonetheless それにもかかわらず B2 · 中上級 ときどき
本文より
“To be honest, we thought the pork was a little overcooked, but nonetheless, it tasted good despite that.”
  1. He really did not like the taste of raw fish. Nonetheless, he ate it anyway to be polite.
    彼(かれ)は生(なま)の魚(さかな)の味(あじ)が本当(ほんとう)に好(す)きではありませんでした。それにもかかわらず、彼(かれ)はとにかく礼儀(れいぎ)正(ただ)しくあるためにそれを食(た)べました。
ravage 破壊(はかい)する C1 · 上級 まれ
本文より
“On the hillside, we could see where trees had burned last year in the big fire that ravaged the area.”
  1. The whole mountain side was ravaged by the fire.
    山側(やまがわ)全体(ぜんたい)が火事(かじ)で被害(ひがい)にあった。
pomegranate ザクロ A2 · 初中級 まれ
本文より
“The other starter was the SALAD OF GARDEN GREENS AND CHICORIES, which includes a variety of greens, apples, feta cheese, almonds, pomegranate seeds, and citrus dressing.”
“A very tasty salad, but I was wondering, do people eat the whole pomegranate seed when they are served like this?”
  1. This region of the country is famous for its pomegranates and mangoes.
    この国(くに)のこの地域(ちいき)は、ザクロとマンゴーで有名(ゆうめい)です。
smother たっっぷりかける B2 · 中上級 ときどき
本文より
“The flavorful wings and drumsticks are a combination of smoked chicken and spices, smothered in what they call "Alabama white sauce".”
  1. The turkey was smothered in cranberry and white glaze, which gave it a unique taste.
    七面鳥(しちめんちょう)にはクランベリーと白(しろ)い照(て)りをつけるソースがたっぷりかけられており、独特(どくとく)の味(あじ)を与(あた)えました。
backroads 裏道(うらみち) A2 · 初中級 まれ
本文より
“On the way home, we decided to drive on the backroads towards the northwest hillside of Napa Valley.”
  1. We took backroads on the way home because the freeway was really crowded.
    高速(こうそく)道路(どうろ)がとても混(こ)んでいたので、帰(かえ)りは裏道(うらみち)を取(と)りました。
amidst の中(なか)で B2 · 中上級 ときどき
本文より
“There, we could see many vineyards, with beautiful yellow flowers growing amidst the rows of vines.”
  1. Amidst all the fighting was a young boy just trying to get away.
    その格闘(かくとう)の中(なか)で、ただ逃(に)げようとしている少年(しょうねん)がいました。
overcooked 焼(や)き過(す)ぎた A2 · 初中級 ときどき
本文より
“To be honest, we thought the pork was a little overcooked, but nonetheless, it tasted good despite that.”
  1. The steak was overcooked, so it was not very tender.
    ステーキは焼(や)き過(す)ぎだったので、あまり柔(やわ)らかくありませんでした。
feta cheese フェタチーズ A2 · 初中級 まれ
本文より
“The other starter was the SALAD OF GARDEN GREENS AND CHICORIES, which includes a variety of greens, apples, feta cheese, almonds, pomegranate seeds, and citrus dressing.”
  1. She ordered the pear salad, but it came with feta cheese sprinkled on top, which she did not like.
    彼女(かのじょ)は洋(よう)ナシのサラダを注文(ちゅうもん)しましたが、フェタチーズが上(うえ)にかけられていて、彼女(かのじょ)は気(き)にいりませんでした。
chicory チコリ C1 · 上級 まれ
本文より
“The other starter was the SALAD OF GARDEN GREENS AND CHICORIES, which includes a variety of greens, apples, feta cheese, almonds, pomegranate seeds, and citrus dressing.”
  1. The salad had various greens and chicories topped with French dressing.
    サラダにはさまざまなサラダ用(よう)グリーンとチコリが入(はい)っており、フレンチドレッシングがかかっていました。
starter 前菜(ぜんさい) A2 · 初中級 ときどき
本文より
“The wife ordered two starters.”
“The other starter was the SALAD OF GARDEN GREENS AND CHICORIES, which includes a variety of greens, apples, feta cheese, almonds, pomegranate…”
  1. We ordered onion soup and salad as starters, which were very large and delicious.
    前菜(ぜんさい)としてオニオンスープとサラダを注文(ちゅうもん)しましたが、とても量(りょう)が多(おお)く美味(おい)しかったです。
magnificent 壮大(そうだい)な、素晴(すば)らしい B1 · 中級 ときどき
本文より
“That was fine with us today, because the weather was unusually warm - around 70F (22 degrees centigrade) when we arrived - magnificent!”
  1. The palace was a beautiful example of Gothic architecture - truly magnificent.
    宮殿(きゅうでん)はゴシック建築(けんちく)の美(うつく)しい例(れい)でした-本当(ほんとう)に壮大(そうだい)です。

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