"...........The affable Patrick Rand seems delighted to see me. It's been almost two years. He's just wrapping up lunch, and his staff is prepping for dinner. He pours me half a glass of viognier, we reminisce, and I promise to return for dinner. Next it's down to the Ballard Inn, in the even tinier town of Ballard, where I plan to stay in a couple of days. A charming two-story Victorian with a terrific restaurant and a skilled new chef, they're—you guessed it—conducting wine tastings. I sense a little Sideways avarice when I belly up to the tasting bar, because I don't ever remember the Ballard Inn doing wine tastings before. "

"Where to Stay.......

Ballard Inn A charming fifteen-room two-story Victorian B&B centrally located just south of Los Olivos. Quiet, rustic, a great place from which to begin your wine- tasting excursions or to unwind from a brutal day battling La Purisima. Miles and Jack probably wouldn't be caught dead here, but that was then and this is now. 2436 Baseline Avenue, Ballard; 800-638-2466, ballardinn.com. Room rates are a value at $215–$305, but it fills up fast........

Where to Eat........

Ballard Restaurant On the first floor of the Ballard Inn, Chef Budi Kazali, whose impressive credentials include stints with Ming Tsai of TV Network fame, has returned to his home stomping grounds and brought a pan-Asian influence to his many creative dishes while transforming what was formerly Café Chardonnay into one of the best restaurants in the valley. Charming, intimate dining room with a wood-burning fireplace that's especially cozy in the fall and winter. Another outstanding, fairly priced wine list, mostly of local product. 2436 Baseline Avenue, Ballard; 805-688-7770. Dinner only; closed Mondays and Tuesdays; reservations suggested. $$$$........."

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