I ordered this $33 County Line rose, and was told by our wonderful waitress -- who's worked there since the place opened seven years ago -- that it was a cult classic, grown and bottled by a local wine-guy. She said sommeliers from all over the country clammor for the stuff. I certainly understand why.

Between the rose, and the copper-topped tables, the whole evening took on a distinctly rosy glow.

To start, we shared an antipasto plate whose highlights included housemade Black Pig salumi (John's a disciple of Armandino Batali and proved it by branding his arm with the Salumi Artisan Cured Meats logo):

Next, Betty ordered Bodega Bay Dungeness Crab with angel hair pasta and artichoke pesto:

And I made short work of a whole grilled trout with browned butter and almonds. Unreal:

The trout came with a choice of side. I chose swiss chard, pulled from the garden plot just outside the restaurant's door and gently sauteed:

For dessert, we shared this array of housemade gelati and sorbetti:

And that's when Betty looked across the table and told me: "This is the best food I've ever eaten in my life." Which is saying a lot because three days later, while movers were schlepping 25 years worth of accumulated je ne sais quoi to Santa Rosa and we bid the old house in Novato a teary goodbye, she celebrated her 73rd birthday. I should look so good at 73:

While we were at Zazu, we met a national celebrity: "Top Chef" contestant Zoi Antonitsas (who also worked for Tom D.). Here she is hiding behind a menu -- as directed by the folks at Bravo, who, for now at least, control her image:

Zoi is Duskie's sous-chef, and regardless of what anybody has to say about her ability to season mushrooms, I say she's a helluva cook.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to spending time in Sonoma County, and can't wait to get back there to try Duskie and John's other restaurant, Bovolo. I can't say enough good things about Horizon's quick service to Sonoma County: a two-hour ride from Sea-Tac that drops you right in the heart of the wine country.

By the way, Betty loves me not only because I flew down twice in a month to help her with the move and took her to Zazu, but because I kept my mouth shut when I realized my dad's beloved wine collection had turned to plonk, which was not her fault but his. (We spilled the 1985 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, below, directly down the drain.) I also kept mum and happily drank Maxwell House instant coffee for three days -- since the coffee machine and the good coffee had been packed away before I got there.

Trust me: the instant coffee tasted 10 times better than the vintage Bordeaux. Anyway, who needs expensive French wine when you're in Sonoma County wine country?