Napa Valley Trip

I am in the midst of planning a trip to the Napa Valley/San Fran area. Does anyone have any good recs for sights, winery tours, restaurants, etc? I am looking for all recs high and low and unique.

Thank You.

Three words...The French Laundry. In Yountville. French Laundry Webiste

Except it's incredibly difficult to get into. My suggestions are all seven years old, but hey, why should anything have changed?

Best meal I could get into: Tra Vigne, and not just because I sat next to Billy Bob Thornton (right after winning his Oscar for Sling Blade) and Laura Dern. Still remember mustard-breaded calamari, mmm.

Less excited by: some place with a one-word name like Earth or Home or Hearth or something, kind of wussy food like I've been underwhelmed by at Spring or Crofton on Wells here.

Wineries worth seeing: I didn't know much about wine then (if I do now) and so mainly went to ones which were tourist attractions; I liked the art at Hess Collection, and the fun, slightly cheesy (in a multimillion dollar sculpture Millennium Park way) Clos Pegase.

Here's what you do:

Go to Oakville Grocery
7856 St. Helena Highway
Oakville, CA 94562
Tel: 707/944-8802
http://www.oakvillegrocery.com

It's on the main road you'll take through Napa. Buy all of the wonderful foods you would like for a picnic, and they have quite a spread of cheeses, olives, breads, meats, desserts, everything. They'll give you paper and plasticware, but it sure helps if you bring along knives.

Then drive down the road to:
St. Supery
8440 St. Helena Hwy (Rt 29)
Rutherford, CA 94573
tel. 800-942-0809
http://www.stsupery.com/

Yes, their wines are good, and they have a tour like everyone else, but they have free open picnic tables for you to enjoy your food from Oakville Grocery, and they will sell you bottles of wine (as well as open them and give you glasses) to enjoy with the food while dining in their patio. Then this could be you....

Rich's idea of a picnic is perfect.

In my book, there's no better location in the Valley for a picnic than Pride Mountain Vineyards, which is on the north end of Hwy 29 and straddles the line between Napa and Sonoma. Tastings and picnic tables are on a reservation only basis, so be sure you plan accordingly. Be sure to ask for a picnic table up the road (left of the parking lot) that overlooks Napa/Sonoma.

First, go to Sunshine Foods, a great, old grocery in St. Helena. It's a great destination to pick up sandwiches, salads, prepared foods, cheese, breads, dessert, bottled water, etc. Other options include pricier Oakville Grocer, which Rich sited, or Dean & Deluca in St. Helena.

With your reservation in hand, head up to Pride. Take in a tasting and then move over to the picnic tables for your lunch. (Editorial note: you'll likely spend 30 minutes or so being 'wowed' in the tasting, so be sure you bring your picnic wares inside.) Note that Pride does not typically carry 1/2 bottles, so plan what you may want to drink (not drink!) with your picnic lunch. The vineyard is known for their Cabernet [2002 released this fall], Cab Franc, Merlot, and also have a very nice Viognier.

Sunshine Foods
1115 Main St. (between Spring and Pope Streets)
St Helena - 707.963.7070

Pride Mountain Vineyards
4026 Spring Mountain Rd.
St. Helena - 707.963.4949
www.pridewines.com

As far as other recommendations, here are a few notes on restaurants and vineyards that we visited last summer, most of which are in Napa. If you have any specific questions, just let me know ...

Restaurants:

Bistro Jeanty
6510 Washington St. - Yountville
707.944.0103
www.bistrojeanty.com
Recommendations: tomato soup with puff-pastry, haricots verts salad, terrine de lapin, lamb tongue; steak frites; mussels; cassoulet

Martini House
1245 Spring St. (at Oak) - St. Helena
707.963.2233
www.kuleto.com/Martini.htm
Recommendations: great outdoor space to enjoy a nice lunch. Good items include the ahi tuna tartare, goat cheese salad, torchon of foie gras, chicken pot pie

Terra
1345 Railroad Avenue - St. Helena
707.963.8931
www.terrarestaurant.com
Recommendations: hamachi and salmon tartare, black code with shrimp dumplings, grilled lamb t-bones, dulce de leche crepes

French Laundry
6640 Washington St. - Yountville
707.944.2380
www.frenchlaundry.com
Notes: What else can you say except good luck in securing a reservation, which are available two months to the day.

Vineyards:

Cakebread Cellars
8300 St.Helena Hwy
Rutherford - 800.588.0298
Notes: Provides a relaxed, informative and enjoyable visit. Has two tasting options, $5 and $10, which provide the opportunity to taste various wines. Fun, successful vineyard with great options for everyone; known for their Chardonnay, but also have a good Sauvignon Blanc, Rubiat, Pinot Noir; good wine club, too.

Joseph Phelps Vineyards
200 Taplin Road
St Helena - 800.707.5789 or 707.963.2745
www.jpvwines.com
Notes: Beautiful vineyard with beautiful wines. Tastings of approx. five wines for $10/head, with a supplemental charge of $20/head for a tasting of their trademark Insignia. One of the high-end vineyards in the Valley; tasting provides good sampling of various offerings; need to split the Insignia jus to try how great it is!

Robert Sinskey Vineyards
6320 Silverado Trail
Napa - 800.869.2030 or 707.944.9090
www.robertsinskey.com
Notes: Strength is in its Pinots. Tasting room is open late so it can be one of your last stops on a given day.

Schramsberg
1400 Schramsberg Road - Calistoga
North on HWY 29; though St. Helena; Left on Peterson Dr.; right on Schramsberg Road)
707.942.2414
www.schramsberg.com
Notes: Great tour; one of the best sparkling wine vineyards in the Valley

Caymus Vineyards
8700 Conn Creek Road - Rutherford
707.963.4204
www.caymus.com
Notes: Pretentious vineyard that bottles a fantastic Cab. Don't bother asking about their Conundrum offering as it's not a focus. Reservations are a must, and you can't be late as they literally shut the door on late-comers.

Gary Farrell
10701 Westside Road - Healdsburg
707.473.2900
www.garyfarrell.com
Notes: One of our only stops in Sonoma. Known for their high-quality Pinots. Reservations required for tasting and tour

Groth Vineyards & Winery
750 Oakville Crossing - Oakville
707.944.0290 www.grothwines.com
Notes: Good Cabs, Chardonnay and Sav Blanc

Hard to argue with any of those calls, and hard to really go wrong in Wine Country.

I would add Zazu, which is in an old farmhouse. It is well regarded by people I trust in SF, and my meal there was superb.

I encourage you to expand your horizons, geograhically, including a drive over the mountains to Sonoma and a trip to the gritty back streets of Santa Rosa for some taco truck food.

Here's a report I lodged previously:

Melanie and Ruth, especially, thanks for your advice. I just spent four lovely days in Sonoma/Napa that started with a trip to the In-N-Out Burger-Krispy Kreme megaplex in Daly City and climaxed at a barrel tasting for O'Shaugnessy Winery's 2000 Cabernet to be released next year.

Based on recs from this board, we dined at Zazu and had a very good meal. My highlights were an arugula salad with house cured duck prosciutto and grilled dourade with shaved fennel and local olives. Simple preparations that focussed on the produce.

I also tried the Santa Rosa taco trucks, concentrating on Elenita at the Bad Benita gas station. They had no pambazos, unfortunately. I sampled lengua and cabeza tacos, a fajita, and a milanesa torta. All were very good. The tiny tacos were especially flavorful as the slow cooked meats lend themselves to long days simmering in the truck. Though not hand made, the tortillas were excellent. The torta stood out because of the bread. In Chicago, most torta stands use a much larger, drier, bolillo with some of the inside removed. The truck instead used an extremely delicate, moist roll -- like brioche. [JB Ed: the bread, I now know, was a telera roll, which is used at La Aurora on Irving near the Kennedy for their fine pambazo. See Steve Z's excellent foto of same (he calls it a hamburger bun, not far off). Also used at Taq. Camelia on Lawrence for the excellent al pastor torta.]

Not that one kind of bread stands out as best, but it was nice to see something different. In terms of variety and overall experience, it would be unfair to compare the Santa Rosa trucks to the wild bazaar that Maxwell St. market is. (Not to mention the presence of many vendors from the southernmost Mexican states.) But what a great Chowhound call the trucks are-- the food at at the Elenita truck was super, and I doubt the hotel concierge would have mentioned it. Thanks again for the help.

I also want to mention the Fiesta super market in Sebastapol. What a great place. More and better selections of meats (cured and fresh), cheeses, vegs, etc. than I have seen most anywhere. And not just local stuff: the selection of Spanish suasages and cheeses was amazing.

And to top off my trip, fresh, ripe figs of all varieties were everywhere. I love to find something that is expensive and hard to come by back home but cheap and plentiful at my destination. Figs were it this time.

HungryHoward wrote:In my book, there's no better location in the Valley for a picnic than Pride Mountain Vineyards, which is on the north end of Hwy 29 and straddles the line between Napa and Sonoma. Tastings and picnic tables are on a reservation only basis, so be sure you plan accordingly. Be sure to ask for a picnic table up the road (left of the parking lot) that overlooks Napa/Sonoma.

First, go to Sunshine Foods, a great, old grocery in St. Helena. It's a great destination to pick up sandwiches, salads, prepared foods, cheese, breads, dessert, bottled water, etc. Other options include pricier Oakville Grocer, which Rich sited, or Dean & Deluca in St. Helena.

With your reservation in hand, head up to Pride. Take in a tasting and then move over to the picnic tables for your lunch. (Editorial note: you'll likely spend 30 minutes or so being 'wowed' in the tasting, so be sure you bring your picnic wares inside.) Note that Pride does not typically carry 1/2 bottles, so plan what you may want to drink (not drink!) with your picnic lunch. The vineyard is known for their Cabernet [2002 released this fall], Cab Franc, Merlot, and also have a very nice Viognier.

We actually did a Cab Franc tasting that day, and really enjoyed Peju the best:

PEJU PROVINCE
Family Estate Wines
8466 St. Helena Highway
Rutherford, CA, 94573
Phone: 800 446 7358 - Fax 707 963 8680
http://www.peju.com

Some in our group preferred the Cab Franc from St Supery (mentioned above). However I believe their taste buds were unfairly influenced from the food we enjoyed with it.

I'm pretty sure Terra was the wussy place with the one-word name like Earth I was thinking of.[/i]

My most memorable meals out in Wine Country in winter of '03 were Bistro Don Giovanni in Napa for the absolutely best pasta ever - it was like they had excellent durum semolina and made it fresh, not dried.

Also had the best corn tortillas ever at a place called something like Tacqueria Sombrero in Healdsburg in Sonoma County. It's right across the street from the Rosenblum tasting room (I know Sombrero is part of the name, not sure about Tacqueria).

Also, after hitting wineries all day is was great to just pick up some bread and cheese from Oakville grocery and snack on that with some of the wine purchased during the day. We ended up going out to lunch much more than dinner.

By the way, we stayed in Healdsburg and hit that location of the Oakville Grocery. I do recommend Sonoma over Napa for casual friendliness, and the Russian River Valley is a great visit and has a great map. Just don't try to have dinner in Napa and drive back to Healdsburg at night like we did.....

Nancy

Nancy Sexton wrote:My most memorable meals out in Wine Country in winter of '03 were Bistro Don Giovanni in Napa for the absolutely best pasta ever - it was like they had excellent durum semolina and made it fresh, not dried.

Also had the best corn tortillas ever at a place called something like Tacqueria Sombrero in Healdsburg in Sonoma County. It's right across the street from the Rosenblum tasting room (I know Sombrero is part of the name, not sure about Tacqueria).

Also, after hitting wineries all day is was great to just pick up some bread and cheese from Oakville grocery and snack on that with some of the wine purchased during the day. We ended up going out to lunch much more than dinner.

By the way, we stayed in Healdsburg and hit that location of the Oakville Grocery. I do recommend Sonoma over Napa for casual friendliness, and the Russian River Valley is a great visit and has a great map. Just don't try to have dinner in Napa and drive back to Healdsburg at night like we did.....

Nancy

I couldn't agree more. I find Sonoma much preferable over Napa these days. Of course, if you've never been, you should visit all the places in Napa at least once before you decide for your self that Sonoma is much friendlier and low key.

Thanks to everyone who contributed recs.

So right now the big game is securing a reservation for the French Laundry which seems like an impossibility. Like tryin to get tickets to Nirvana circa 1995, or Michael Jackson circa 1985 etc....basically you call everyday at 10 when they open and wait to get through, while receiving hundreds of busy signals. Then they tell you they are booked solid for two months and to call back tomorrow to get the next available day. Makes Charlie Trotter look like TGI fridays.

That being said, they do take reservations up to a year out for parties of eight. Maybe I am totally crazy here, but would at least six others be interested in joining my wife and I for dinner at the French Laundry in Napa this fall?

We could probably secure something in October and later no problem according to the reservation people. Obviously coordinating schedules etc will be an issue, but hell, why not have the ultimate chow outing in one of the best restaurants in the world.

Here is the link for folks who are curious about the restaurant:

www.frenchlaundry.com

Thanks,

Mike

mjnagran@comcast.net

So right now the big game is securing a reservation for the French Laundry which seems like an impossibility.

This may be a dumb statement, and I don't have time to look through the thread to determine where you will be staying, but . . . have you or has anyone tried to book the reservation through the concierge at your hotel. I have always had really good luck with that approach. For example, when I was last in DC, we went to what was then the hot restaurant, which did not take reservations. We asked the concierge about it, he gave us his card, which we gave to the hostess, within 10 minutes, we were seated. The wait that was quoted to other walk-ins was 1 1/2 hours. Many restaurants reserve tables for exactly this purpose - a kind of yin/yang washing backs relationship.

Mike,

I have never tried it, but I hear that tables on the day of a visit are quite common. I now my boss for forced to give up his reservation for four, when his group expanded to five.

I am also quite certain that the restaurant holds tables for certain notables, in the event they might call....can you squeeze in the Governator and his party of 5 tonight?

I would suggest spending a few days in Napa and making daily calls.

I've never met you at one of the events, otherwise I might consider the trip.

pd

This is probably 5 years old, but that was the last time I visited Napa. I love visiting wineries, tasting and touring.

I had a very good lunch at Mustard's which I am pretty sure has closed and re-opened since then. Not an amazing transcendental meal like one would have at French Laundry (from what I hear), but a darn good meal with very nice wine pairings.

Visit Hess Collection for the art gallery and pretty decent wine. Visit Chateau Montelena for very good wine, a cool (in every sense) winery, and to see where Napa really got started.

These two are places you might visit if they are convenient, which they are: I think Franciscan makes some reasonable wines and they are right on the highway. Sterling has a beautiful place and offers some interesting varietals at the winery often, though I am not generally a big fan of their wines. Some of the wineries also do dinners, which can be fun though the food is not as good as at a real restaurant. But it is more of a wine experience.

Now for a brief digression - I used to visit Napa with some frequency back when it was the only show in town. But that has been a while because there are so many new and different wine places to explore, like the California central coast, Washington, Oregon, Chile, Alsace, Austria.. I could go on, but what will suprise you is that going to almost any of them is less expensive than going to Napa. The exceptions might be Austria and Alsace with the value of the dollar down; I have not checked lately. In these other places you can often actually speak with the winemakers and have a more personal experience. Anyway, it is a great, fun, thing to do, and you end up with this load of wine that is not as good when you get home as there, but you still have the connection. At least that will be the result if you get excited and involved like I do.

Anyway, I do not wish to complicate your plans, but thought you might wish to hear about alternatives.

Either way, you will have much fun.

Hi,

Just a few weeks ago, I was at a dinner where people were discussing the challenges of getting into tony Napa Valley restaurants. Peter is correct about simply showing up, you know bird in the hand worth more than 2 in the bush, will likely get you an entree.

I also learned there is a tit-for-tat relationship between the hotels/B&B's in the area. Where you go to sleep that night may just have influence to get you into your desired restaurant.

Also, I would get into a chatty conversation with the maitre d' to learn what is their patience on waiting for late arrivals. If you are standing there, in the attire expected, then you are in when the clock strikes midnight.

We once showed up at a Disney World resort at peak tourist season. We inquired about rooms and were advised they were booked for months. My Dad started making reservations for the luaus and few other pricey guest-only events and kept a running, patient conversation with the front desk. When the stroke of 6 PM came and someone didn't secure their reservation with a credit card, we got their room.

Avoid the histrionics others think are so persuasive. Making a friend and getting in is so much easier on everyone. Often if they cannot get you in the first day, they will be embarassed and try even harder to get you in the next.

So patience does have its' rewards.

I also learned there is a tit-for-tat relationship between the hotels/B&B's in the area. Where you go to sleep that night may just have influence to get you into your desired restaurant.

As Cathy2 and MAG noted, going through the concierge at an area hotel is a good idea. I took this route last year when we were in Napa. Here are a few learnings.

Only a handful of high-end hotels/B&Bs have such a relationship with French Laundry. While I do not know the complete list, I'm faily certain it includes Villagio, Vintage Inn, Napa Valley Lodge, Aubridge de Soleil, Meadowood and Silverado Resort.

The list may also include the handful of B&Bs and smaller hotels in the area that include Petit Logis Inn, Yountville Inn, Zinfandel Inn, etc.

Incidentally, we stayed at the Villagio in Yountville and had a wonderful stay. It's designed with a 'hoakey' Italian ruins feel, but once you look past that fault the place is divine. The spa services were top-notch as were the rooms, guest services (ask for Mary the concierge!) and location. We'd definitely go back again. www.villagio.com

Back to the reservation morass...
At 9:45 a.m. each day, the concierges line up at the restaurant and give the reservationist their preferences for ONE party who is, of course, staying at their establishment. Be it party of two or a party of six (etc.), that concierge can make an in-person request for only one reservation each day. So, if the concierge at a given hotel already has a request in the file for a specific date, you'll likely need to pick another day ... or find another concierge/hotel.

At the same time, locals can, and often do, show up at that time to secure reservations for friends, family, and sometime complete strangers with a couple dollars to throw around.

Regardless, it's important to note that the same two-months-to-the-day guideline still applies to securing an in-person reservation.

I hope this primer helps. Yell if you have any questions...

Thanks again for the recs. As I understand it, the French Laundry is no longer accepting reservations in person, so the concierge/locals lining up part may not be applicable, but I will see if I can go through the concierge route.

My wife just scored the last 2 person table reservation for October 5th at 9 P.M. We did it the old fashioned way via phone. I am so excited and look forward to a big review of the dinner and trip here on LTH in a couple of months. Thanks again for everyones advice.

Cool, I'm looking forward to your report.

Congrats on securing the reservation! It should be a meal to remember. It was for us ... afterall, we have the framed, signed menu hanging in our kitchen.

If you have any other questions as you plan the trip, just let us know.

On a different board, I had recommended this wine ('01 Anderson's Conn Valley Vineyards - Cabernet Franc/Merlot (right bank Napa) as one of the best values I've had in a long time. Another poster on the board tried the wine and liked it very much, he then went to the Anderson's Conn Valley winery in Napa and wrote the following report:

I just got back from a long weekend in Napa, and during that time we managed to visit 22 wineries, 14 we had not been to before. One of the ones we made an appointment at was Anderson's Conn Valley.

Friday afternoon we drove into the clouds way above the valley, it's an incredibly beautiful part of Napa they have located in. Todd Anderson, the owner, does the tastings himself, so the three of us and Todd piled into his truck and drove over to the caves.

We took a stroll through the caves to the center portion, where he was sampling his wines. He poured us all a glass of just about everything he has available now, then we headed off to the barrels.

Todd is a great guy, and we spent over an hour and a half with him in the caves. His wine is wonderful, from the $40 a bottle chards up to the one barrel of $1,000 a bottle cab he has (if you order a bottle of it, either him or his winemaker will deliver it to you personally), which he was tasting from the barrel and is selling futures of. He's sold 92 bottles of it already. Every wine is just as good or better then the last one, and I believe we had several vintages of the Right Bank, after 22 wineries I need to look at my tasting notes, I don't have those with me now.

I have a hard time with some of the very high end wines in believing they are worth the cost, probably because most of them are not. As we were ordering some bottles from him, we actually thought about the $1,000 a bottle stuff, it was that good.

I'd very highly recommend taking the time to make the appointment and visiting with him if you are in the area. He's an incredible guy, his story is totally amazing, and his wines, as everybody else here has noted, are to die for.

It was a bit difficult for him to grasp why we were there, explaining to him that there was a post from somebody online who had a glass at a bar in Arizona, and then everybody was watching 5 cases get to Atlanta (ehich he personally brought there), etc.

He did ask for me to remind everybody though that if you can't find it locally, you can always call or get it online from them. They do the third party shipping deal through Buffalo's (like just about every other winery up there) so they transfer ownership of the wine to the shipping company, then the shipping company sends you and charges you for the delivery.

They are online at http://www.connvalleyvineyards.com/ , telephone informaiton is at the bottom of their page. It's a very small operation, their newsletter they gave us was saying they are having trouble keeping up with the phones and the rest, so be paitent, it's worth it.

They are now easily one of our top six wineries, their stuff is excellent.

I'm planning a May trip to Napa/Sonoma/SF. I was completely planning on a Wine Train excursion because I had only heard good things about it, but last night I came across a bunch of negative reviews on Trip Advisor with people's discontent on the quality of food and value. Has anyone been? I'm not sure what to do, as it is a bit pricey, but I was expecting good food and a good experience until I saw those postings.

I haven't been on the train, but I would say if you are a train buff and want to see the scenery, go for it. I'm sure the food isn't as good as a restaurant, how could it be? Go with lowered food expectations, that's all But if it's at night, skip it, because you won't see anything

Wineries to see for the scenery and tour - Mondavi, Jarvis (terrible wine, GREAT bathroom)

Winery to see for the scenery, tour and good wine - Clos Pegase (see if you can get the art tour).

Skip - any of the big names unless you really love their wines.

Wineries to see and learn about wine, but not so much scenery - many of the ones in Sonoma. They aren't visited as much, you probably have to make an appointment even to get in.

Call ahead, and plan out your day - don't just kind of wander around, since so many of the places are off the main roads.

MJN wrote:Like tryin to get tickets to Nirvana circa 1995

Well, it's not exactly like that, is it? Unless something's happened to T. Keller and I haven't heard.

Many of my recommendations have been mentioned so I'll just tell you what I like. Michael Chiarello was the orginal chef at Tra Vigne in it's glory days. I haven't been there since he's left so I don't know if it's still up to the same standards. I love Bistro Don Giovanni, and also recommend Bouchon, Mustards Grill, and of course you will love the Laundry. We were lucky to get in for lunch. I think a must see is Greystone, the CIA in Napa. Go for lunch and eat at the food bar where they serve tapas style dishes, and watch the student chefs. Great cooking store, as you might imagine, and it's a beautiful building.

Oakville Grocery is wonderful, as is Dean and Deluca, which is what Fox & Obel was supposed to be. "Often imitated, never duplicated."

Make sure to visit Copia, in Napa, the brainchild of Mondavi, which is the American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts.

Merryvale has a very interesting component tasting which you need to sign up for in advance. Much more of a learning experience than just visiting tasting rooms. I would give them a call. http://www.merryvale.com/index.cfm?fuse ... y.seminars
Rubicon Estate, which is Francis Ford Coppola's winery, previously Inglenook, has been restored to it's original glory and has a wonderful museum on site. IMO, it's worth paying for a taste of Rubicon, which I believe to be about as good as any of the cults. Not inexpensive.
Sterling is fun because of it's great view perched above the valley. Get some excercise and walk to the top, as opposed to paying for the tram. Opus 1 has a striking winery but may not be open to the public. If you are friends with a local wine shop, maybe they can get you in.

Don't waste a meal on the wine train.

Griffin and I are on our way to New York this weekend, and as usual we are planning our trip using all the great suggestions in recent LTH posts – which reminded me we hadn’t finished posting on our last trip yet. So, before the neurons are wiped out here are some notes about our Sacramento/Santa Rosa leg.

Our first stop:
Sacramento Brewing Co
Town and Country Village
2713 El Paseo Lane
Sacramento, CA 95821
http://www.sacbrew.com/

This is located in a strip mall/parking lot area. They had a decent scotch ale and imperial stout. We split an appetizer that sounded really good: “Bleu Fries”.

I should have read the fine print. I envisioned crumbled Blue Cheese on top of Fries, instead got Fries on top of of blue cheese dressing and chile oil. In theory, I could really get into this concept (sort of like hot wings), but they weren’t very good (barely fried once-frozen fries over “blue cheese” dressing with no discernable chunks of cheese). Looking back at the menu, others must have had the same impression. They offer extra blue cheese “crumbles” for 1.50 extra.

Next stop was much much better:
Brew It Up-Brewery & Grill
801 14th St
Sacramento, CA
http://www.brewitup.com/

Every beer we tasted here was very very good. They had a wide variety of styles on tap. The Belgians, barley wine and imperials were all quite impressive. They also did British and German styles well. Nice smoke to the Scotch ale and Smoked porter. And, the food was not just your standard pub fare.

We got the Crab cakes on toast points with smoked bacon aioli, served with a little salad with more bacon, chopped egg and fried onion strips. It was lovely – real crab, little filler, and a nice combination of other tastes. I was also able to convince Griffin to let me get the Fried Brussels Sprouts (marital law #1: all food orders must be negiotiated since they are always split halfsies unless declared otherwise in advance). These were very lightly battered, nicely fried and quite tender. They went well with green goddess dressing and nicely complemented the excellent “Czar’s Tar” Russian Imperial Stout. Also pictured, the Three Amigos Belgian which was a delightful strong golden ale (strong and sweet with bubble gum and fruit flavors).



Dinner that night was in Santa Rosa, so we spent the day crossing the fields of Napa, heading toward Sonoma. It was a beautiful day. You can imagine the vineyards in the sun. But also, there was this hole in the river, I think on the road between Davis and Napa. It is the intake for a dam, but it looks dam foreboding.



For dinner we ate at Flavor, on the courthouse square in Santa Rosa. We split a bowl of mussels. They were lovely and plump. The waiter brought us extra bread and soup spoons (I already expressed my undying love for him in a previous post). We then split an order of wine braised SHORT RIBS served over Butternut Risotto. They were falling apart and full of flavor.

There were many things I would have loved to try there. Both the PEAR BRUSCHETTA with Mascarpone & Gorgonzola and the SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI in Gorgonzola, White Wine, Cream & Parmesan Cheese were tempting and were probably pushed out of the running by the bleu fries disappointment earlier in the day...

This was a great place, lots of fresh pasta, veggies and flavorful meat dishes. Plus it really didn’t seem that expensive for the quality. (Appetizers $6-8, entrees $12-18.)

Flavor
96 Old Courthouse Square ~ Santa Rosa
http://www.flavorbistro.com/

Afterwards we walked over to Russian River Brewing for an excellent selection of Belgian style beers and IPAs. This was our “real” destination in Santa Rosa, and it did not disappoint. The brewer at Russian River is credited with developing the first double IPA (ever) during his time as brewmaster at Blind Pig in San Diego a decade ago. We were happily surprised to find he has resurrected the Blind Pig recipe which was on tap, in addition to the newer Double IPA, Pliny the Elder. In the mean time, (since I am not a hop head) I am happy to report all the Belgians were strong to form.

Russian River Brewing
25 4th Street, Santa Rosa, CA, 95404
http://www.russianriverbrewing.com/

I agree with positive sentiments expressed in favor of Sonoma vs Napa. I much preferred the relaxed vibe of Sonoma (and if Flavor is any indication, restaurant prices seem to be lower here than on the other side of the mountains too).

When I was in grad school in Davis back in the day, all the wine profs and their students swore by a grignolino from a little known Solano County winery. It's right off I-80 where CA 12 comes in from the east. That is, not very far from Napa.

I started going there, too, and found that, in addition to the unbelievable grignolino, the guy's chenin blanc was fabuluous (it also obviously wan't genuinely chenin blanc, it was some other, quite floral, grape). Anyway, the place is still there, so far as I can tell, and it would merit a visit, just to see a bit of the old-fashioned wine scene in Calif. You might just run into a enology & vit prof/grad student, too! In any case, it would be an eternally-remembered occasion.

Cadenasso Winery
The Cadenasso Winery is available for tours from 9am-5:30 daily.
Address: 4144 Abernathy Road Suisun City CA USA 94585
1 707 427-3345

I'd call first. Ask about the grignolino....

Geo

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The Girl and the Fig is a lovely little French bistro in Sonoma. Just got back from Sonoma on Monday actually and ate there twice during our stay. We had a wonderful rabbit with parpadelle and a very good steak frites. Also has a very nice cheese selection.

1 day Napa jaunt during July 4th weekend. skipping French Laundry; it'd really obliterate my food budget. settling for Chez Panisse + Zuni & few others during the week.

basically, we want to get boozed up for cheap because fine wine would be wasted on us. only criteria: close to the main roads due to tight time constraint.

for sure i'm going to hakusan, just to see how much it differs from takara in berkeley. any more suggestions?

I love Bistro Don Giovanni. It's right on Hwy. 29 in the southern end of Napa. Great food at moderate prices. Good website with wine and food prices. Will make your decision easier. I'll be dining there in a couple weeks. Headed to Napa for a few days.
http://www.bistrodongiovanni.com/