Debra Sinick » Dining on the Eastside

Have You Been to Woodinville's Wine Country?

debrasinick — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 22:47:59 +0000

I went to France this past weekend. Ok, I didn’t really, but last Saturday I imagined I was transported to France when I sat down with a glass of wine in my hand and looked out over the valley in Woodinville. It felt like spring was almost here in the Seattle area. Spring was almost here by the calendar, but the weather also supported that spring feeling. It was sunny and just plain beautiful.

The Sammamish Valley in Woodinville, WA

My husband and I decided to head up to Woodinville for some lunch at one of our favorite spots, The Purple Cafe and Wine Bar, and then do a tasting at some of the wineries. Right near the restaurant, you can find 22 wine tasting rooms in just a short distance. We checked out two of our favorite wineries on Saturday, Brian Carter Cellars

Enjoying Wine on the Deck of Brian Carter Cellars

and DeLille Cellars. These two wine tasting rooms were hopping with people enjoying wine and enjoying the day.

There are a lot of wineries to choose from in Woodinville. I counted over 60 listed on The Woodinville Wine Country site! Woodinville has become a magnet for locals and tourists alike who want to taste some of the great wine available in Washington State. Most of the wineries are located in and around the picturesque Sammamish River Valley.

View Larger Map

Locals come, tourists come, people rent limos and take group tours. It’s a fun thing to do around Seattle and you don’t even have to go to France!

What’s your favorite winery in Woodinville?

A Sneak Peek At Bellevue's The Bravern Residences

debrasinick — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 21:05:45 +0000

You can shop to your heart’s content at The Bravern’s Neiman Marcus, Salvatore Ferragamo, Jimmy Choo and more. (There’s already a Facebook Fan Page for Jimmy Choo in Bellevue.) You can dine at several fabulous restaurants such as John Howie Steak and Wild Ginger. You can go to the spa at Elizabeth Arden’s Red Door, but you can’t move into one of The Bravern Residences just yet. The two residence towers are still under construction and should be ready for occupancy the first of next year.

Last week Forum XXII, the eastside real estate network, of which I am a member, was invited to take a hard hat tour of the Towers, courtesy of Schnitzer West, the developer, and Neiman Marcus.

Forum XXII Hard Hat Tour

For our tour, we started at the top, the penthouse.

View Looking South From The Penthouse at The Bravern

The penthouse occupies the entire top floor, the 30th, of each of the two towers. It’s sold as a shell and can be completed to the buyer’s individual specifications. Entirely surrounded by windows and a huge patio areas, there’s essentially a 360 degree view from Mt. Rainier, the Cascades, to Lake Washington and the Olympics. The penthouses will be one of the rare homes were you can see both the sun rise and set.

Construction Crew Busy Working

The Bravern also a 25,000 square foot community room with its own fireplace and catering kitchen. Outside is a glass enclosed sitting area complete with a fireplace. The garden area, which was recently planted, has areas to barbecue and a unique fountain.

The Private Gardens of The Bravern

I’m looking forward to seeing the towers when they’re completed next year.

Balloons over Woodinville, WA

debrasinick — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 04:35:15 +0000

Balloons over Woodinville with dinner on a cool Sunday evening. Trying to catch one of the last few nights of alfresco dining, we went to The Purple Cafe in Woodinville and sat out on the patio. We were treated to a ringside view of the hot air balloons landing behind the nearby trees. With the sun hitting the balloons as they were landing, it was quite a beautiful sight.

Purple Cafe and Wine Bar is a fun place to have dinner. They offer pizzas, sandwiches, and entrees. The Sunday evening bonus: wine is half price for bottles under $50.00. Purple is known for its good food and wine selection. There’s an amazing number of choices of wine by the glass. They also serve wine flights, consisting of 4 different glasses of wine. If you have young kids, your kids will enjoy the milk flights with 4 different flavors of milk.