Friday, June 19, 2015

Family Day, Father's Day, & Other Festivities at Holman Ranch & Will's Fargo Steakhouse & Bar.

By Laura Medina

The Gates to the Holman Ranch's Gardens, Vineyard, Pool, Carriage House, & BBQ Patio.
http://www.holmanranch.com/index.html

Nestled on the edge of the California Cowboy-sque town of Carmel Valley, in the fertile and verdant hills of Central California, the secluded Holman Ranch is a retreat and winery rich in the Californian Ranching history that is now, an escape from urban Los Angeles and the urbane San Francisco. 

A Californian Western respite from the hubbub of Hollywood, Holman Ranch brings Central Californian culture and history into today and cuisine through its restaurant, Will's Fargo Steakhouse and Bar.

The guest rooms.
http://www.holmanranch.com/index.html

Setting foot on the Holman Ranch estate is like stepping back in time.

Imagine if the Cartwright Family from "Bonanza" opened up a Bed and Breakfast then tossed in a winery and an olive oil farm with a good ole barbecue patio, converted the carriage house into a dancehall/fitness shed and added on an equestrian course, that's Holman Ranch today.


When you settled into your guest room, you might be greeted by the Holman Ranch peacock, their unofficial mascot.

Since the ranch is so rich in vegetation and wilderness, don't be surprised if you glimpse a deer buck, a lizard, or a wild boar.  One of the many activities you can enjoy is scavenger hunting. 

Horses & Equestrian Course.
http://www.holmanranch.com/index.html

In fact, Holman Ranch uses it's past as present "gift theme retreat" packages to bring out Dad's "Inner Cowboy" for Father's Day.  Some of these activities are so fun that they can bring out the whole family's "Inner Cowboy and Cow Girl" for the spouse and the kids.  Stuff that the family can do together and alone.

Celebrating Father's Day or even Mother's Day or as a wedding/honeymoon or as a really awesome corporate retreat or events where folks pretend to be cowboys and cow girls on the range, where they can rope dummy cattle during a roping clinic, horse-back riding, and square dancing at a premium BBQ dinner, can make their holidays, vacations, birthdays, and events memorable. A 180 degree flip from the usually nightclub scenario.

As for Dad on Father's Day, with the daughter, they can do archery, fishing, and skeet shooting, photography nature, and bird watching.

Chapel & fitness class at the Carriage House.
http://www.holmanranch.com/index.html

If you want to go "deep" inside and out, Holman Ranch thought of everything...away from the city life.

Other than the obvious choice of conducting weddings, people can use the chapel to mediate as a part of the ranch's "Wellness and Spirit Package," to cleanse then connect mind, body, and spirit such as: doing yoga or pilates inspired by the rolling hills in the fresh air.  It's recommended you do a buddy-system hiking or mountain biking through the trails, just in case you encounter wild life.

Since we're in the heart of the world's fruit and nuts and produce basket, take advantage of Holman Ranch's "Culinary Escape" and "Wine Lover's Delight."  

"Culinary Escape" offers a wide range of cooking classes, from the novice to the expert chefs learning more about the locale produce for their own knowledge.

Yes, Holman Ranch and the Carmel Valley is part of Central California's fertile Wine Country where soil and climate and the East-West Breeze meet to produce the world's finest wines...to pair with award-winning cattle.

Holman Ranch Vineyards & varietal grapes.
http://www.holmanranch.com/index.html

In their "Wine Lovers' Delight," ideal for the foodie single or to enrich the honeymoon, the owner will take you on the tour of the winery and the vineyard themselves.  During the tour, you'll learn to sip, savor, and learn wine and course pairings.  They'll even show you the whole process to the bottling.

They even have house-pressed olive oil and vinegar tastings.


If you prefer simple, you can always hang out in the pool, next to the vineyard.

Game Room 
http://www.holmanranch.com/index.html

The night time can be relaxing but it doesn't have to be boring, especially for the dudes, the dads, and the family.

At night or taking shelter from the noon day sun, folks play games in the saloon-like Game Room, where folks can play pool, card games, shoot darts, or keep up on the tournaments on the big, flat screen TV.  

BBQ Rose Patio.
http://www.holmanranch.com/index.html

The bar can be fully stocked and there's a catering kitchen.  The Game Room opens out to the BBQ Rose Patio to throw...a BBQ. 

The Game Room is a great place to throw a bachelor party for the grooms.

Stone Terrace.
http://www.holmanranch.com/index.html

For Mother's Day or a Girls' Getaway, Holman Ranch can do afternoon tea, a bonfire with S'mores, estate wine tasting, wine and cheese reception, picnics, or yoga and pilates.

If you want to throw a wedding then honeymoon there or schedule a corporate event or party, please contact Holman Ranch at events@holmanranch.com

For horse-back riding or equestrian training, reach them at horses@holmanranch.com

Will's Fargo Steakhouse & Bar
16 E Carmel Valley Rd
Carmel Valley, CA 
https://www.tastemade.com/places/wills-fargo-restaurant-16-e-carmel-valley-rd-carmel-valley-ca/cxuweJi_RfuJEwA7r0SKkQ

It doesn't have to be isolating.  If you make a quick right out of the Holman Ranch Estate, you're immediately into the town of Carmel Valley where Holman Ranch has the Holman Ranch Tasting Room (where you pick up your guest room keys while you're tasting and sampling the wine) and their own restaurant, Will's Fargo Restaurant.

French Onion Soup, Will's Fargo Steakhouse.
https://www.tastemade.com/places/wills-fargo-restaurant-16-e-carmel-valley-rd-carmel-valley-ca/cxuweJi_RfuJEwA7r0SKkQ

Will's Fargo Steakhouse hired a French chef from the Brittany region, reinforcing and continuing Central Californian Coast's love of traditional French cuisine using the freshest produce from their own backyard which is the country's and the world's produce basket.

Roasted Free Range Chicken in Sauce Marchand De Vin a.k.a. "Red Wine Reduction Sauce."
https://www.tastemade.com/places/wills-fargo-restaurant-16-e-carmel-valley-rd-carmel-valley-ca/cxuweJi_RfuJEwA7r0SKkQ

For a main entree, you can order Roasted Free Range Chicken on a bed of Sauce Marchand De Vin, a.k.a. Red Wine Reduction Sauce, probably made with Holman Ranch red wine.

The "French Red Wine Reduction Sauce" is practical, local, wise, thrifty, and anti-oxidant rich.  An healthy dish without you knowing this. 

Holman Ranch Pinot Gris
https://www.tastemade.com/places/wills-fargo-restaurant-16-e-carmel-valley-rd-carmel-valley-ca/cxuweJi_RfuJEwA7r0SKkQ

Holman Ranch describe their Pinot Gris notes as freshly sliced peaches and wild honey.

Chocolate Truffle Cake with Olive Oil Ice Cream.
https://www.tastemade.com/places/wills-fargo-restaurant-16-e-carmel-valley-rd-carmel-valley-ca/cxuweJi_RfuJEwA7r0SKkQ

Another deceptively healthy dish is the dessert.  No meal is complete without dessert.
At Will's Fargo Steakhouse, the chef uses Olive Oil as the fat in their vanilla Olive Oil Ice Cream to top their gooey Warm Dark Chocolate Truffle Cake, their version of a chocolate lava cake.

If this hearty and decadent meal gets you all concern about fat and a fit figure, don't worry.

With all the ranching, hiking, horse-back riding, and square dancing, you'll be as fit as a fiddle, without the city stress, at Holman Ranch.

To make arrangements while sipping their wines, contact their offices at their Holman Ranch Tasting Room at http://www.holmanranch.com/contact.html and at 19 E. Carmel Valley Road, Suite C, Carmel Valley, CA 93924 or at Tel (831) 659-2640 or Fax (831) 659-6055 or at info@holmanranch.com













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