Sommelier Hosted Wine Dinners

2010 WINE DINNERS at Hotel & Café Charlotte
We just love wine-dinners and this series is titled: Quaffing the Coast. In this series we pair owner-chef, Victor's great menus with our favorite Sommelier, Nicole Darracq's, top selections from each of five Coastal Counties: Mendocino, Sonoma, Santa Cruz Monterey and San Louis Obispo! Wines are available for post event purchase and favorites end up on our wine list and on rotation in our tasting room
Quaffing the Coast 3-dates remain, all The 3rd Sunday of the month
       Santa Cruz: February 21st
       Monterey: March 21st
       San Louis Obispo: April 18th
Because we are still early in the process of selecting wineries and wines for 2010 we do not have our menus prepared yet, but you can get an idea of what we did in with earlier menus:

SAMPLE MENU
Appetizer Skewers with Andouille Sausage, Grilled Assiago Cheese & Pear
      Paired with Pedroncelli Vineyards, Field Blend, Friends.Red
Harvest Soup: A pureed blend of home grown squash, pumpkins & spices with dollop of fresh cream
       Paired with Dry Creek Vineyards Fume Blanc
Spinach Salad with Hot Pancetta Dressing & Fried Goat Cheese
       Paired with Lake Sonoma Zinfandel
Lamb Loin sliced and topped with a port & black cherry reduction
       Paired with Geyser Peak Merlot
Dessert of a rich black chocolate brownie-cake, slivered almonds and whipped cream
       Paired with Valley of the Moon Cabernet Sauvignon

Priced at $64 inclusive to tax and tip, you will find these wine events rival the best of the best offered in SF or any of our California wine regions. Nicole is an entertaining and very knowledgable hostess. Add a room to any of these dinners for $89, including breakfast.  Purchase season tickets for all shows and receive a 12% discount.

Doors open at 6:00 and we start with a happy hour wine and appetizer followed by a sit down dinner hosted by Nicole Darracq.  Individual dinners are priced at $64 per person, inclusive of dinner, wines, tax and tip. Purchase Quaffing the Coast season tickets and receive a 12% discount when purchased together. Guests who also spend the evening with us receive our stay and play room pricing, $89 for a traditional room or 20% off larger rooms. 

We hope to see you here. You can call us to make reservations, 209-962-6455 or you can book online be sure to let us know in the comments section that you are joining us for the wine dinner package. See you soon!

Winter events at the Hotel Charlotte

Here's the scoop on a few of the happenings in the area and at the Charlotte this winter. If you can't make it to the Charlotte yourself, many of these events make a one of a kind holiday gift, give us a call and we will make a wonderful holiday gift basket for you!

Bird Watching in the Sierra Nevada Groveland's Christmas Bird Count on 12/27 Groveland has an active Chapter in the Centeral Sierra Audubon Society and has scheduled their annual Christmas Bird Count for December 27th. What a fantastic way to spend one of your Holiday days! Make us part of your plans. To reserve your spot, contact Bill Zachman. More info: www.HotelCharlotte.com/birds.html

Restaurant Specials: We are offering several fall-winter specials in the restaurant on Thursday and Sunday nights through the first week of January and some great holiday menus for the coming festive season. We hope you will join us for one or all of these! www.HotelCharlotte.com/restaurant.html

• Thursday Nights: Gift Certificate Redemption Night Valid through 1/1/2009Join us for dinner on Thursdays, use your gift certificates and we will apply 5% more to the value of your gift certificate. (No cash back when your giftcertificate is worth more than your dinner, bring extra people!)
  
• Sunday Nights: Courses of Course! & Clear the Cellar Night Valid through 1/4/2009We are offering a 3-course dinner of soup or house salad, a 5oz bacon wrapped filet mignon & homemade ice-cream, coffee or tea for $19.95. Add a bottle of wine from our select vintages from $15, (the price of a bottle of house wine and only while supplies last) We have a few great wines in small quantities to share so we can make room for new vintages. The list will change weekly.

Christmas Dinner: Since Christmas falls on a Thursday this year, we will be open for dinner, 5:30 to 8:30. Christmas Eve the restaurant is closed, leaving that night to our staff to enjoy their own families and hope to serve you and your families on Christmas night after all the festivities have wrapped up for the day. We will serve from our regular menu and regular prices with a couple of specials, perhaps something like lobster, king crab legs or venison rack.

New Year's Eve Menu: Consider joining us for the early seatings, starting from 5:30 pm on Wednesday, December 31st. Perfect for those who like the party, but not the late hour of Midnight. The menu choices are:
Lobster bisque or wilted spinach and blue cheese salad
Entrée choices:

• $39 Stuffed Guinea Hen with plum sauce
• $49 Filet Mignon with a port wine and Porcini mushroom sauce
• $49 Ostrich Filet (a tender red meat) with black cherry sauce
• $49 Petite Lobster tail with drawn butter
• $19 Add a lobster tail to any entrée for an extra $19.

Dessert: Napoleon
A Glass of Champagne with Dessert
Coffee, tea or iced tea included

Charlotte Winter Entertainment Schedule is coming together with the following dates already confirmed and more to come! All of these events qualify for our stay & play room rates of $89 per room, breakfast included for 2 people.

• Saturday, February 14th: Valentine's Dinner
• Sunday, February 22nd: Sipping Amador, a wine dinner with Nicole Darracq, our favorite Sommelier
• Sunday, March 1st: Chianti & Crab Feast, Caesar Salad, 1/2 Crab Chiappino, Garlic bread, 1/2 a bottle of Chianti & Tirimasu for dessert. $29 tax and tip included
• Sunday, March 8th, Cabaret with Dennis Brown & Friends, a whole new show
• Sunday, March 22nd: Sipping El Dorado, the last of the Sipping through the Sierra Series with Nicole
• Friday, March 27th: Pine Cone Players Gala Dinner-Theatre for the world Premier of Groveland's got Talent
• Sunday, April 5th, Cabaret with Dennis Brown & Friends, a reprise of the March show for those who were out of town for that date.

By the way, any of these events can be made into a perfect holiday gift package for everyone you know--Let us help! www.HotelCharlotte.com/gifts.html