Jen Sofio's wedding

I started out Saturday morning with a lesson from Patrick. Kylie was tired, but I'll take that any day over wild. We then went out for a quick shopping trip to Macy's to get Chad something to wear for Jen Sofia's wedding. A group of us met at Kim's to caravan out to Villa Amodei, a most gorgeous place for a wedding! It was a warm, charming and stunningly beautiful villa in Somis. The experience was unforgettable. The property was very private with no visible neighbor or blemish. There was so much joy and celebration in the air. It takes you away. The flowers were breathtaking. Far from the business-like feel of a hotel or country club. It was a very romantic evening as the the sun set over the orange groves.
The food was out of this world delicious....During the cocktail hour I only had a couple of the appetizers, but the Blue Crab Cake topped with Mango Salsa was yummy and so was the Tomato Comfit with Fresh Mozzarella and Basil on crostinis. We then were seated and on each of the long tables were Assorted Bruchetta Italian Antipasto Assortment of cheeses, Italian ham, salami, grilled vegetables. Then there was a course of pasta followed by the main course of Beef Wellington (Beef tenderloin baked in a puff pastry with wild mushrooms & foie gras served with a port wine sauce) and Braised Baby Carrots French Green Beans with Shallot Butter. There was also a chicken entre which I did not try.

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Santa Barbara - The Wedding

We drove up with Justin on Friday morning to Santa Barbara. We met up with Kim and Pete at the White Jasmine Inn Bed & Breakfast where we stayed for the weekend. Chad and I were in the Santa Ynez room, Justin in the Hideaway, and Kim & Pete in the Nouveau Suite. It was a quaint, relaxing place with a great breakfast delivered to our room each morning. A perfect location to the heart of down town Santa Barbara, so we headed out to State St for some lunch. We went to Madison's where the food was mediocre, but I had a good Bloody Mary. We then headed back to get ready for the wedding. The wedding was on Summerland Beach. It was s spectacular day with crystal clear blue skies and a gorgeous location. Captain Don officiated the ceremony, which was short and sweet. Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Alvarez!

After the ceremony, we popped open a few bottles of bubbly and enjoyed the beautiful views of the ocean. It was then off to a wonderful dinner at Ca'Dario, a fantastic Italian trattoria. To start off we had CARCIOFO RIPIENO - Cold steamed artichoke, stuffed with artichoke hearts and bread, topped with chopped tomatoes, garlic and basil. Yummy! Our wine selection was Pinot Noir, Laetitia, Arroyo Grande Valley. I had the shrimp and scallop risotto special which was amazing! Chad and Pete both had the SPAGHETTINI CON FASOLARI - Thin spaghetti with fresh clams, garlic, chili flakes, parsley and white wine. Then Tiramisu for dessert. I would definitely recommend this great little bistro.

We finished off the night with several more bottles of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Champagne.

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