Our evening intro to
Valle de Guadalupe was as dazzling as our afternoon stop. We arrived at
Corazón de Tierra with some daylight, which allowed us to wander the grounds for at least an hour before dinner began.
The entrance contained a large lavender still, which they use to create the lavender oil soap and lotion, both available for sale and in use within the restrooms. The group loved the products.
Corn, sugarcane, rasdishes, eggplant, squash, pumpkin, pomegranates, grapes, olives and much more thrive in the gardens.
I was in awe of the lush gardens, views of the vineyards from the mountains and the sunset in this other-worldly setting. The boats add a dramatic touch to the setting.
They have just opened a new outdoor restaurant in this space under the black covering.
I also wandered off to the adjacent
La Villa del Valle luxury inn to check out their grounds.
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| Photo by Robert Hemedes |
One of my fellow travelers mentioned he read reviews of the place where people talked about its Ikea style furniture. Clearly they do not know their decorative arts, because my jaw almost dropped seeing the open space with striking long, wood tables.
A film crew also set up in the dining room, filming a media story so even after dusk we had some great lighting for photos!
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| Photo by Robert Hemedes |
After returning to our table,
Chef Diego Hernandez and
La Villa del Valle owner
Eileen Gregory, greeted our table and chatted at length about the origins and future plans for their businesses, along with how they make the lavendar toilettriesFrom . She had a serene quality and told wonderful stories about meeting the love of her life and settling in the valley.
She said if her husband Phil were onsite, he could have taken us down to the vineyard. We were offered their winery's
Vena Cava Big Blend.
And then the tasting dinner began.
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| oysters, radish leaf pesto |
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| beet, greens and local cheese salad |
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| purslane salad with lamb |
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| rock fish, chard, lemon sauce |
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| pork belly squash blossoms |
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| sorbet and dessert with cardamom marshmallows, herbs |
I did not take meticulous notes on the dishes. Since I was photographing also, I wanted to enjoy some time just with the food and ambiance. There was no printed menu. I added rough descriptions as captions which I will update when I get notes from a fellow diner.
After our huge lunch, thankfully this dinner was light.One got the true farm to table essence from the just picked produce used throughout the meal. It was definitely an unforgettable experience.
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