Thanksgiving visits have their perks other than just visiting family. Sometimes they live near top notch breweries like Russian River Brewing and Bear Republic, which for some reason I always call "Beer Republic"... weird. Oh, and I think they also make wine in that area too.

Here's how things started out at 11 in the morning...

That's Russian River Brewery, makers of fine brews like Pliny the Elder (nod to David!). Then we headed up to Bear Republic. Did you know Matt of Urban Solace used to run the restaurant next door to them?

And check out Love Farms around the corner...

They own a 6 acre farm near town and exclusively sell their vegetables in the store. Somehow that makes the producer-consumer relationship much more interesting.

We stopped in Monterey on the way back and apparently sardines are all the rage there, even if people don't really seem to eat them.

I left out a few details of the trip, like lunch at Chez Panisse, but I was so into the food, I forgot to take pictures.