sonoma wine garden

having been to sonoma wine garden when they first opened for breakfast (see my previous post ), i have been wanting to go back for a meal and finally did last week. sunset on a balmy southern california day is the perfect time to take advantage of the rooftop views of the pacific and to bask in the last rays of sunshine on the outdoor patio. the tomato basil soup with a drizzle of basil oil and garlic croutons, was a perfect way to start. i chose the caesarsalad($12) because it had white anchovies (my favorite), but i was pleasantly surprised by the high garlic content of the dressing and the parmesan crisps which added a nice crunch to the crisp leaves of romaine. cindy chose the beetsaladwith shaved fennel and goat cheese ($12) and cleaned her plate. she loved the presentation as much as the flavor combination. we both had the 2005 jordan cabernet sauvignon from the alexander valley and very much appreciated the ability to order a half as well as full glass (cindy never drinks mo

disorganized, overpriced. their motto should be, "thank god for captive audiences." the physical facility is beautiful and located in the best spot in santa monica place. the flavor is right out of "entourage." food is ok, not super creative or unusual and way overpriced. but the most annoying aspect is the service...total chaos. staffers are very cordial and willing but the problem is that everyone seems to believe that "it's someone else's task." we ordered a salad---it was forgotten. we told the waiter and he disappeared. next we flagged a supervisor and he got thesaladimmediately. but they made the wrong entre. other tables received bread but not us...we had to ask. it's depressing to see someone spend around $1million on construction and start up and then be clueless about how operations are ruining the business. this was dec 2010 so maybe it's better now.