***** (5 stars)

This beautiful old house is the setting for a terrific dining experience, and also Oregon's largest pinot noir collection.

We opted for the tasting menu, which consisted of more than a dozen different items, many emphasizing mushrooms. Our favorite courses included the mushroom trio (especially the soup and the tart), the A5 Wagyu, the dual gazpacho intermezzo, and the spectacular dessert plate.

Service was very professional and welcoming, and the wine list is certainly spectacular.

Joel Palmer House
600 Ferry St
Dayton, OR 97114

https://www.yelp.com/biz/joel-palmer-house-dayton-2

***** (5 stars)

Charming atmosphere, great service, and some stellar dishes. We particularly enjoyed the mushroom appetizer, with its rich, creamy sauce, perfect for dipping the accompanying toast, and also the bread. Not a drop was left!

Excellent wine list, and very helpful advice from the sommelier.

A great spot for a relaxing evening of excellent food and drink in cozy ambiance.

Tina’s
760 N Hwy 99W
Dundee, OR 97115

https://www.yelp.com/biz/tinas-dundee

**** (4 stars)

Very cozy, welcoming restaurant that offers both counter and table seating for (currently) a five-course set menu. It's really more courses than that, as there is also a two-part amuse bouche and and intermezzo.

Highlights on our particular night were the various sauces and compotes, the sorbet and intermezzo, the succotash that accompanied the salmon, and the carbonated(!) blueberries. Lowlights were the rather tough duck breast.

A wine pairing option perfectly matched each dish, with some interesting and surprising selections.

Services was friendly, precise, and professional.

Art of The Table
3801 Stone Way N
Seattle, WA 98103

https://www.yelp.com/biz/art-of-the-table-seattle

***** (5 stars)

Excellent wines and such wonderful hospitality. Really a relaxed setting for wine tasting. I particularly like their reserve reds. Thank you

Gard Vintners Wine Tasting Room
311 N Pearl St
Ellensburg, WA 98926

https://www.yelp.com/biz/gard-vintners-wine-tasting-room-ellensburg-3

***** (5 stars)

This spacious restaurant is doing a great job with breakfast. I really liked by Breakfast tac, which was essentially an open fast breakfast burrito. Nice crispy bacon and a delicious smoke salsa to accompany it.

The pancake side was also excellent, with a slightly crisp edge, and ample maple syrup and butter.

You order at a counter and they bring the food to the table.

A big, airy place with friendly service.

BLT’s – Breakfast, Lunch and Tacos
626 N 6th St
St. Louis, MO 63101

https://www.yelp.com/biz/blts-breakfast-lunch-and-tacos-st-louis

***** (5 stars)

This place is hilarious! It's all just one huge joke at the level of thirteen year old humor, and it's wonderful. The fact that every employee is so engaging and in on the joke makes it all the more fun. There's good stuff to eat, funny photo opportunities, a large gift shop, children's play area, and of course the opportunity to bring friends gifts that have passed through Uranus!

Uranus Missouri
14400 Hwy Z
Saint Robert, MO 65584

https://www.yelp.com/biz/uranus-missouri-saint-robert

***** (5 stars)

This place is hilarious! It's all just one huge joke at the level of thirteen year old humor, and it's wonderful. The fact that every employee is so engaging and in on the joke makes it all the more fun. There's good stuff to eat, funny photo opportunities, a large gift shop, children's play area, and of course the opportunity to bring friends gifts that have passed through Uranus!

Uranus Fudge Factory and General Store
14400 Highway Z
Saint Robert, MO 65584

https://www.yelp.com/biz/uranus-fudge-factory-and-general-store-saint-robert-2

***** (5 stars)

Beautiful park, with great theming and landscaping. Lines are long for popular attractions. We waited 2-1/2 hours for Mystic River Falls, and others waited much longer. That said, it was a great ride.

The Flooded Mine is a good ride with a shorter wait.

The food was less than stellar, although the cinnamon rolls were good.

Silver Dollar City
399 Silver Dollar City Pkwy
Branson, MO 65616

https://www.yelp.com/biz/silver-dollar-city-branson

***** (5 stars)

This was a great distillery tour, with a great guide, Kim.

We did the Angel's Share Tasting tour, which ended with a very educational opportunity to sample five different products, and learn about the variations in the way they were made.

Highly recommended for its educational value. And it was tasty.

The Jack Daniel Distillery
133 Lynchburg Hwy
Lynchburg, TN 37352

https://www.yelp.com/biz/jack-daniel-lynchburg

***** (5 stars)

Wow, what an amazing aquarium. Very "immersive" exhibits (sorry). The whale shark tank that surrounds you is literally jaw dropping.

Georgia Aquarium
225 Baker St
Atlanta, GA 30313

https://www.yelp.com/biz/georgia-aquarium-atlanta