We fit in a marathon coffee cupping yesterday and tried five of Barefoot Coffee’s newest roasts.

I was wooed right away by the nose of the Laoyza Flor Rosa. Curry tickled my senses, followed by hazelnut and nutmeg. The curry carried on in the cup with sour cherries in the middle and finished by the flavors of those lovely dark chocolate covered biscuits, LU le Petit Ecolier.

Next up was a decaf Villa Borghesi. Once again, we were surprised to learn it was a decaf, as the complexity did not disappoint. The scents of Bananas Borrachas transported me to a realm of caramelized sugar, rum, and vanilla ice cream. The palate pleased with orange blossom, cocoa powder, toasted spice, roasted almonds, and dry grass.

Vista Hermosa presented aromas of fennel cookies and vanilla flowers. Its bright, smooth delivery of papaya and dragon fruit was a tropical lover’s dream.

Then it was time for some uber rich dessert in the forms of a Yellow Cutuai and a Maragogype. The Yellow Cutuai smelled of pound cake covered in vanilla ice cream and drizzled with cinnamon syrupy peaches and wowed with a huge gardenia aroma upon breaking the crust.  Flavors of thyme and hay were quickly followed by graham crackers and burnt chocolate. Maragogype was a lovely way to finish the day with its bouquet of Terry’s Milk Chocolate Orange Ball, leather, even more chocolate, sugar cookies, currants, and the faintest tease of cedar. The cup presented grass, currants, tangerine, and extra dark chocolate with once again, just a hint of cedar on the edges.

Sunday found Charles and me at Pilot Peak's White Wine Release Party. (You can see us in the upper left hand corner. Just look for the arrows.) Besides getting to have some super awesome wines, we also got to have some very yummy food. We paired our amazing crackers, soft cheese, and Pacific Rim Chicken Salad with a sparklingly complex Sauvignon Blanc.

We were also lucky enough to try their wonderful Late Harvest Viognier which was the perfect amount of sweet and paired beautifully with white chocolate dipped strawberries. We purchased a bottle of Viognier which was light and refreshing. (It's also the only white you can still purchase, so hurry, hurry, hurry!)

And if all of that fun, sunshine, great food, and amazing wine wasn't enough, we also got to try some local, chocolate truffles which were so good, I hope we start carrying them in the store. I'll have to tell our Perishables Buyer they're a MUST have.

Some days are just so terrific, the only way to finish them off is to sigh in contentment and dream about wine, food, and chocolate.

Charles says that the reason that food is so good in New York is because you're so grateful you survived to eat it.

I recently returned from a business trip in Manhattan. While the food at the hotel wasn't all that, wandering around the streets and randomly choosing restaurants worked really well. Almost everything that I ate out was dynamite, and all of it was an experience.

It began with the evening that my boss and I arrived in NYC. We were starving but didn't want to eat in the hotel restaurant. My boss had been given a list of places to go while in the Big Apple, and she was VERY emphatic that we try one of those spots, so I chose a German eatery. I've never been to a German restaurant, so I thought it might be a fun experience. I still have never eaten at a German restaurant. After 45 minutes of wandering around, stomachs growling loud enough to scare fellow pedestrians, we discovered that the eatery in question no longer existed. My boss then admitted that her friend hadn't lived in New York in a number of years. Ugh! Rather annoyed by this point, I said, "There's an Italian place. Let's eat there." And so began our saga of lucky picks. (I had the Ravioli alla Vodka which was stuffed with goat cheese and spinach and topped with pink vodka sauce and asparagus. I paired it with a Pinot, and it was so amazing, I didn't want to stop eating.)

The morning found us stumbling in search of coffee and sustenance. In that order! We walked a few feet down to the Carnegie Deli. The waiter was the best part about our time spent at the Deli. Since it was breakfast time, I opted for a breakfast dish, not one of their (in)famous sandwiches. While the food was okay, the portions were way too large and the coffee was Robusta. The waiter bullied me into getting a bagel with my meal. The strong-arming was hilarious, and he was right. The bagel -- a classic New York wonder of a bagel, was the best part of my meal.

The next night was much the same. We met up with our friend from the Chico Co-op, saw the sights, and realized extreme hunger. Once again, we wandered and ended up at a pretty tasty Indian restaurant. Now, being from Yuba City, Calif. -- also known as "little India" -- I can be pretty picky about my Indian cuisine, but I have to vouch for the place. The decor was fun/quaint/trying to be classy, which I LOVED. The food was awesome. I paired my Chicken Tikka Masala with a Kingfisher Lager. The lager wasn't much to sneeze at on its own, but paired with the food, wonderful banana notes surfaced, so I couldn't say no to a second glass.

My final night in the big city's main event was getting to see a Broadway show. But before doing something ever-so-fancy, the contrary part of my nature wanted something more down-to-earth. That's how we ended up at a brew pub, a place I had had my eye on since the first night. I enjoyed a pulled-pork sandwich, fries, and a very tasty Irish Amber.

Well, since coming back from New York, I haven't had a satisfying meal. Is it because I'm looking for something really fancy-pants or because I just have me some classic palate fatigue?