The night before BlogHer Food, I was invited to a dinner at St Supéry Vineyards & Winery in Napa with Rocco DiSpirito, hosted by Bertolli. Here I am with Rocco. Wasn’t that nice of him to have dinner with me on my birthday?
Okay, it wasn’t just me at the dinner. A group of about 20 food bloggers attended. It was really fun meeting so many interesting and talented women. And, I got to hang out with some of my most favorite blogging friends. Here are my girls: Gina Von Esmarch (remember Gina?), Vanessa Druckman and Jennifer Perrillo.
The wine was flowing that evening. I mean FLOWING. (I don’t drink, but everyone seemed happy with the wine.) How pretty is this white?
And the glasses! So many glasses! We counted, St Supéry served NINE different wines over the course of the dinner. We could barely fit our plates on the table.
Bertolli was the sponsor of the dinner, so they served Bertolli frozen meals as the main course. While I wish they would have served a mix of food, I was surprised that the pastas were actually pretty good. The Shrimp Scampi (pictured) and the stuffed shells were my favorite. I’m not a frozen, prepared foods kind of girl, so it’s really only something I would serve in a pinch. But it’s definitely a good frozen dinner option.
The appetizers and dessert were Rocco’s creations. The appetizers were fantastic. The dessert was quite good…the lavender crème brûlée was everyone’s favorite. Apparently the little chocolate cakes were supposed to be lava cakes…sadly they had been overcooked (which, in case Rocco reads this, was not his fault!). But they still made for a beautiful photo subject!
Hello! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and then count on you to share your own! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
I actually have been eating a lot of Bertollis for dinner at my house, they’re yummy!
You look hawt, and that necklace is amazing, glad you had a fun time.
Jayne – I’m so glad to have met you at the Bertolli “Night In Napa” event, but how did I not know it was your birthday that night!?!?!?!?! Glad you had a good time.
Wait – it was your birthday?? I had no idea either! Well, darn…. would have toasted or something on Friday!!
allison – if I ever need to feel good about myself, I just need to read comments from you on my blog.
stacy, kristen – I know, I know! I told people here and there it was my birthday…but I didn’t want to be like “hey, everyone! it’s my birthday! pay attention to me!” that said, you guys totally owe me birthday drinks/parties/gifts
just kidding
You are gorgeous my friend! Glad you had fun…I was not a fan of the frozen meals though:)
I am so glad I was with you on your b-day and that I was able to help you celebrate with more calories to further add to your carb overload! You must go ‘hair down’ more often it is a nice look too. Love your pictures and your piece. We must celebrate something else again soon!
oh, gina, those brownies were wonderful! thank you for sharing with us…and yes, let’s find reasons to celebrate and get together.
everyone – gina’s brownie recipe can be found here: http://bowllicker.com/blog/the-ultimate-cappuccino-brownie/
Happy belated birthday Jane! At least you can say you celebrated it with Rocco at a special dinner for your…29th!
It was an interesting idea to serve food bloggers frozen meals; guess if they get your kudos, that would be good for Bertolli! BUT more importantly, I’m a big fan of St Supery wines and Rick Bakas who is moving to Napa from Denver to be their Director of Social Media Marketing. Just met his wife Jaimie at a tweetup here the other night; sad to see both of them go!
Happy belated birthday!
Wait – it was your birthday?? I had no idea either! Well, darn…. would have toasted or something on Friday!!