Bowl of Berries

Ok kids get ready for a long one!  The Napa/San Francisc trip review!  Crab a coffee or better yet some WINE and enjoy the thorough review!

* 96 Visit vineyards in Napa Valley-COMPLETED

May 5, 2009
Arrived about an hour and a half later then anticipated thanks to air traffic control delays in San Francisco.  Luckily we had not planned much for the afternoon because of things like this.  We were able to get our car rental without much of a line which was good because the line quickly formed behind us and didn’t move very fast.  Scottie picked out a 2009 Infiniti G37, it was red but we can overlook that because this car was awesome.  Brand new and it knew how to move! It also had GRS which I would suggest because it made getting around much easier.  We punched in our B&B address and we just followed directions  The drive went by really quickly, took only an hour to get to downtown Napa.  We found our B&B but were famished and decided to head to Taylor’s Automatic Refresher for “lunch” (it was about 3pm west coast time so it was dinner time back home and we had not eaten to breakfast.)

Scottie got a burger with blue cheese melted within an onion rings and topped with bacon, I had the ahi tuna burger with asian slaw and wasabi mayo.  The ahi burger was awesome, the slaw made the bun a bit soggy which is never my favorite thing but I inhaled it so it didn’t matter much.  We also split an order of garlic fries which were bright green with parsley.  The garlic was intense but not that stinging raw garlic flavor.  I can see how this place fills up for lunch, we were there with only about 6 other people so it kinda worked in our favor that we arrived later.

We checked into our B&B, we were upgraded to the Walden Cottage since it had not been rented, it was behind the main house and offered more room, a King size bed, fireplace, and whirlpool tub. We settled in a bit before deciding our next move.  I remembered Domain Chandon being open a bit later then the others so we drove up to Yountville which is like 15 minutes up the road.  We wandered through the gift shop and found the tasting bar.  We walked up and chose two flights, I had the classic sparkling flight and Scottie has the still flight.  The wines were good , the pours were generous and we enjoyed the atmosphere but decided not to join the much touted club.  We took our “free” glasses and wandered around more outside before jumping in the car and crossing the street to the main street of Yountville. This town is uber small but it is home to one of the most highly acclaimed restaurants, French Laundry.  While we did not have reservations or $700 for dinner we did drive by.  We also stopped in Bouchon bakery for a macaroon and a mini brownie.  Stores around here don’t stay open long so we decided to drive around a bit and get the lay of the land.  Everything in is pretty close to each other and we were surprised at how close the wineries were to each other.  You couldn’t blink or you would miss 4 of them.  The scenery was really beautiful and the rain clouds were clearing up from a day of rain. After driving a bit we decided for a light dinner of appetizers at Brix.  I had planned to get here between 4 and 6 as all of the bar food is half off but since we got a late start we settled for full price. We got 6 oysters and a cheese plate.  The oysters were much smaller then I anticipated but were still flavorful.  The cheese plate was really nice, with 4 local cheeses, sliced apple, stewed apricots, candied pecans, figs and some toasted bread. Paired with a glass of wine and we were set.  We made our way back to Napa and took advantage of the free wine and desserts at our B&B.  We also grabbed the movie “Sideways” since we were in wine country why not watch the quintessential wine movie.  I only made it about 10 minutes in before I fell asleep.  Yes it was only 8pm, but it was 11pm EST and a day of traveling sure does take it out of you.

May 6, 2009
After a refreshing nights sleep we woke up and got ready before breakfast at 9am.  Breakfast was a Pomme de terre, a potato and egg soufflé, with an apple crisp on the side,  It was quite good and the portions were hefty, a great base for a day of drinking!  Everyone at the tables talked about where they had been and where they had eaten.  I guess everyone has one thing in common, drinking wine.  The other quests were all very nice but would be leaving that day so the next day would bring new guests at the table.  We packed up and drove north.  We had an appointment at 11:30 so we decided to walk around a few shops of St. Helena.  We found an olive oil shop that allowed tastings so we tried a few, the lemon olive oil being my favorite. From there we were off to Frog’s Leap for a tour and tasting.  Our tour group was small and intimate and our guide, Kendal, was informative and funny.  The wines were nice and I loved that it was a self sustaining operation.  We had 4 generous tastings during the tour, which I liked because you didn’t feel you had to down the drink to try the next, it was much more relaxed.  We decided not to buy any but I will certainly keep a lookout for it in the future.

We had a bit of time before our next appointment so we decided at the last minute to stop at Peju since some of the guests this morning commented on it, and the grounds were quite unique.  The tasting fee was also waived if you made a purchase, so that was a nice touch.  We tasted with a mother and daughter from Berkley who were quite nice.  We enjoyed the wines very much and picked up two bottles to go.  The ladies also gave us recommendations for San Francisco and even offered us the paper that listed what was going on for the weekend.  We snapped a few more pictures before realizing we needed to grab lunch before our next appointment.

We went down the road to the Oakville Grocery which was much smaller then I expected.  It was smaller then a gas station but was stuffed to the brim with gourmet foods and wines.  Though they had the perfect picnic accessories we decided on hot sandwiches which were made fresh and took a bit longer then we expected but luckily the next winery was literally next door.  We inhaled half of our sandwiches (I had the brie and turkey, Scottie had the chicken and gruyere) in the parking lot of Cakebread.  Appointments are made to keep the tour groups small, we were paired with a couple from New York and our tour guide Marsha was a foodie who went to Chef’s school so she spoke a lot to wine and food pairings which I really enjoyed.  We picked up two bottles of wine to bring home.

We didn’t have any other appointments so we decided to make our way to Stelzner, which was recommended by some friends of my parents. We walked in and were greeted by Aaron who poured for us.  We told him we were send by a college friend of the winemaker Tim, so he called him up and Tim came down to chat.  He was in the middle of a larger order but invited us back the next day to tour the caves.  We enjoyed the wines (they only make reds) and picked up two bottles to bring home.

We decided to squeeze in one more winery for the day.  What better was to end then with some more bubbly.  We went to Mumm which was up the Silverado Trail from Stelzner.  At Mumm you sit at a table and the tastings are brought to you.  I really liked this method because you would really relax and enjoy the wines and the beautiful view.  The day had been overcast and misty but the sun decided to come out near the end of the day so we enjoyed sitting outside.  We really enjoyed these wines so we decided to sign up for the club, so we would get 2 bottles every 2 months.  The price was reasonable and the extras were a nice perk.  We took our first two bottles home with us, so we now need to figure out the best way to get all of these bottles home!

It was time to eat dinner and pizza seemed to be a great option after a day of wine drinking.  We went to Tra Vigne Pizzeria and had another bottle of wine and a large Ducati pizza.  The pizza was spicier then I anticipated but the crust was really light and crispy. We made our way back to the B&B and grab some dessert and wine.  I decided to grab an orange form the tree in the yard and it was one of the sweetest, juiciest navel orange I have ever had.  We sat outside and chatted while I enjoyed the orange.  Then we got another movie for me to fall asleep to again 

May 7, 2009
Woke up again before 7am, I guess that is what happens when you go to sleep at 9pm!  Breakfast was a mushroom frittata with salsa and drop biscuits and a slice of a cinnamon cake.  Another great start to a beautiful day.  The sun was out in full force so it was perfect weather for the drive up to Sonoma County.  It took us about an hour or so to make it up to the most northern winery, Ferrari-Carrano.  The grounds were absolutely beautiful and the view overlooking the vineyards were breathtaking.  We made our way inside the tasting room and gift shop we stepped up to the bar for a tasting.  I had a coupon so we got our tasting for free and even though the lady pouring was nice and knowledgeable she wasn’t overly warm.  Regardless we picked up two bottles and made our way through the gardens before hopping back in the car.

We then made our way to Clos du Bois which had a large facility but a smaller tasting room.  Our “guide” was younger and much more personable.  We both really enjoyed these wines and had a hard time choosing which ones to bring home but ultimately decided on a Zinfandel and the Marlstone (?) which was one of their top blends.  We chatted a bit more then asked for a lunch recommendation.  We were directed to Geuyserville just down the road which had a nice Italian restaurant, Santi.  Everything was made from scratch and since we hadn’t had Italian food yet on the trip it sounded like a good bet.  We were the only ones in the dining room, but the service was nice and un-rushed.  I got the gemelli with meat sauce and Scottie had the ravioli with pine nuts and brown butter sauce.  We both had another glass of wine.  The meal was very nice and a perfect interlude to the day.

With full bellies we ventured down the more scenic 128 back down to Napa.  Scottie very much enjoyed the twisting roads and I liked looking out at the scenery and occasionally yelling at him to slow down.  We stopped back by Stelzner to meet up with Tim again.

There was a large tasting group at the time but they spent their time in a larger part of the caves.  Tim showed us the caves and where they kept their “reserves” and then to the barrels themselves.  He explains how he ages the wines and how they are mixed for each years production.  I never realized how much mixing and experimenting went inot coming up with the blends.  We tasted young wines and more mature wines straight out of the barrel and mixed a few up to come up with a more developed flavor.  It was quite interesting and one of the highlights of the trip.  Since the day was winding down I decided we should take care of our new Mumm membership so we stopped by for two more complimentary flights and watched the sun start to set over the grounds.  It really doesn’t get much better then that.  Our dinner reservations were in downtown Sonoma at 7 at The Fig and the Girl so we made our way to that area and walked around a bit before waiting at the bar for our table.  I had a fig cocktail, ok make that two.  And Scottie has a Pimms cup and a Hendricks with a cucumber that I ordered for him.  Yes at this point I was quite toasty.  We sat outside and I ordered a glass of wine, the duck confit to start and the Croque Monsuier which I begged to be made into a Croque Madame (fried egg on top) but the chef would not accommodate that which sorta bummed me out.  Scottie got the wild boar which was stewed and served over creamy polenta, I only had one bite but it was amazing and Scottie said he really enjoyed it.  After swiftly paying the bill I swaggered back to the car and promptly fell asleep on the car ride home.

May 8, 2009

Our final morning at the Inn started with bruleed French toast and a side of panko crusted vegetable casserole, which was quite interesting.  After packing up and checking out we made our way to the local shipping tore to ship home the 12 bottles of wine we purchased.  Our wine chiller will certainly be stocked after this trip but hey what else would you expect as a souvenir from Napa?  As I filled out the necessary paperwork we heard a large crash and glass breaking.  I didn’t think twice about it but then realized how large of a crash it was.  People from the store ran out but you couldn’t initially see anything.  That’s because an elderly lady had accidentally pressed the gas as opposed to the brake on her brand new car and drove it right into the Sew and Vac shop.  Her car was completely inside the store.  It’s amazing she, or anyone in the store, was not hurt.  The police were immediately called and were at the scene by the time we left to get out of the way.

We had planned to try and hike up Mt. St. Helena to try and work off some of the extra calories were has been driving.  We drove north to Calistoga then turned and when about 10 miles on one of the most curvy steep roads I have ever been on.  I was getting queasy just looking out the window.  We made it to the entrance of the Robert Louis Stevenson State Park and set out for what was to be a 10 mile hike or so.  I had printed off some directions before we left but the trail was not well marked at all, and equipped with only a few bottles of water and a small bag of trail mix, we had our doubts about making it to the top in a timely manner.  So we turned around after about a mile, I was slightly disappointed as I knew Scottie wanted to make it to the top but we both knew it may not be that smart to do it so ill prepared.  So we made our way down the winding road again and headed back to San Francisco.  Tim mentioned to us the day before about a great place to stop and see the Golden Gate Bridge.  He said to get off at the last exit before the bridge and there was a perfect unobstructed view of the bridge and the city.  So we got off at the Sausalito exit and found some old bunkers and a museum, sure enough, one of the best views ever lay in front of us.  We walked around a bit and took pictures and just took in the amazing view.

After about a half an hour we got back in the car to head to the airport to drop of the car. We decided to drive down the famous Lombard street since we weren’t in a rush to return the car.  The drive up the hill was so steep it was almost like the ride up a roller coaster before the first big drop.  The drive down was fun but a bit nerve racking as you really have to go slow to get those turned.  Though Scottie enjoyed it and I enjoyed seeing him happy.  The rest of the drive through the city was quite nerve racking which cars and people everywhere, I can see why no one wants to drive there!  Finally to the airport, we held our breath as the car was inspected as we incurred a roque scratch on the brand new Infinite G37, but with a little red lipstick and lots of luck it went unnoticed.  We grabbed our belongings and traipsed upstairs to the shuttle which would take us to the Bart terminal where we could pick up the train into the city.  We fumbled around with the BART ticket machine as we weren’t sure how much to buy our tickets for (you pay depending on how far you go into down) plus I wasn’t exactly sure which stop we needed to get off at.  Once we go on the train we had of bit of time to do some research on our trusty Blackberries to determine which stop we would get off at.  Note for the future, ask your hotel which BART station to get off at.  Our station happened to be right smack on Powell street which sorta seemed like the hub of the city.  Luckily we only have about 3 blocks to go to get to our hotel, the brand new Intercontinental.  I figured since we spend 3 nights in a charming B&B we could spend a few nights in a skanky modern hotel.  The hotel didn’t disappoint.  We had a plush king size bed with amazing sheets and a nice big bathroom, you know the important things in if.  We decided to rest and clean up a bit before heading down to the hotel bar for drinks.  It was nice to be able to wind down a bit since we did a fair amount of time in the car.  Our bartender was uber nice and gave us some suggestions for getting down to the Wharf, we had dinner reservations at 8 so we had some time to wander around before we ate.  We suggested either taking a cable car or the F-line which was the fleet of refurbished train cars form all over the world.  We decided on the cable car to take us down since it is the quintessential mode of transportation in San Francisco.  Once we rode through the steep roads we ended at the famous Fisherman’s Wharfs and walked down to find the restaurant.  We had time to kill so we walked down to Pier 39, which sorta reminded me of Myrtle Beach with all of the kitchy shops and food places. I spotted Boudin bakery and stopped in to get a small round of sourdough to hold me over since we didn’t eat lunch  We then heard the seals so we walked over to see tons of fat seals just lounging in the sun, it was really funny seeing their personalities.  We then decided to head into dinner a bit early.  We had reservations for Cioppino’s which was recommended by my Mom. I ofcourse had the cioppino and a glass of white wine while Scottie had a nice platter of fried seafood and some clam chowder.  The cioppino was in a huge steaming bowl and I was impressed with the amount of seafood in it.  I ate most of the seafood out and it literally looked like I ate nothing because I still had a bowl full of broth.  Not wanting to stuff myself I stopped eating but enjoyed the bowl very much.

We then decided to walk to Ghiradelli square with the thought of getting a sundae that Scottie’s Mom recommended.  However the line was out the door and I honestly didn’t know if I had room for dessert.  So I settled with the square of chocolate they were handing out and was satisfied with that.  We then decided to head back to the hotel, we tried to get back on the cable car but we couldn’t’ figure out how to buy tickets since the little booths were closed, not knowing you could buy them form the operator, we decided to walk and find another car.  We found the F-line the bartender referred to and noticed people were paying as they entered.  We decided to take a chance and hopped on, hopping it would get us to the hotel. We were in luck as it took us right to Powell Street.  It was cool being on the two different type of transportation, the F-line was cheaper and had the character of the old remodeled cars but the cable car was definitely my favorite.  We wrapped up the night with another round of drinks at the bar before retiring for the night.

May 9, 2009

There wasn’t much of a plan for Saturday, so we slept in a bit before heading out to the Ferry Building and Farmer’s Market.  We decided to walk since it was such a nice day out.  The market was the place to be and I loved every minute of it.  Inside the building there were individual shops selling cheese, produce, meat and coffee.  We found the longest line for coffee and figured it was the best.  The Blue Bottle Coffee Company individually drips the coffee as it is ordered and also made a fantastic Americano for Scottie.  We stood in line for what seemed like 15 minutes but it was well worth it in the end.  With our coffee I decided we must have fresh donuts so I found a stand with Italian donuts and chose a custard filled one for me and Nutella for Scottie.  The custard one was fantastic but the Nutella one skimped a bit on the filling.  We walked outside to see even ore stands and enjoyed our light breakfast while sitting on the pier and people watching.  I could have eaten my way through the market and told Scottie I could live here just for that market.  We then decided to walk up the coast (The Embarcadero) to just take in the scenery.  We made it back up to Pier 39 before deciding to make the hike up to Coit Tower.  The Tower has the highest unobstructed view and I figured for $10 it would be worth walking up to check it out.  The website said it was best to walk up as the traffic can be tricky, so we followed the map up through the neighborhoods, saw a movie being filmed (we think) and hiked up and down some major hills.  We then noticed some stairs going up the side of the cliff and decided to try and see where they went.  Well there were a boatload of steps and even though we are both in pretty good shape we found them quite challenging.  Sure enough they led up to the tower and we had a bird’s eye view of the city.  We walked around the tower before buying our tickets to go up the elevator to the top.  The view form the top was totally worth the $10 for our tickets as you could see every major site of the city.  I then began to freak out a bit thinking about the possibility of an earth quake while we were up there but felt the chances were slim that we would encounter one especially at the exact moment we were up in the tower.

We made our way down and then decided to explore through Chinatown.  We had driven through Grant street o our way inot town but thought we would walk through and maybe grab a bite to eat.  That thought didn’t last long as I realized nothing was in English and was slightly scared to eat something that would make me sick.  Yes I chickened out, but we did enjoy walking through a very authentic part of town.  We decided to stop at an irish pub near Union square to grab a pint and some food, I had a curried chicken salad Panini and Scottie had fried calamari and fish and chips.  Once we were fortified I mentioned wanting to walk through the H&M that was just across the street, after some grumbling from Scottie he agreed to go in with me.  This store was huge and packed with people, I bought two shirts and a scarf with a leftover gift card from Christmas.  We then walked through a mall near our hotel for a bit before resting and packing a bit before dinner.  I had made early dinner reservations as I knew we have a very early flight the next morning.  The restaurant was near the water and only about a mile from the hotel so we decided to walk it.  Unfortunately we took a walk through one of the not so nice parts of town, which kinda freaked me out, but it was still daylight and the bad part only lasted  a few minutes before we were back in a nice area.  We were again early for dinner, so we stopped by a small shack on the water and got a beer then sat outside to entire the setting sun and the nice weather.  We began noticing people walking by with lawn chairs and coolers.  So we took mental note of that before heading to dinner.

We dined at the Town’s End Restaurant which seemed like a locals type of place, the have a deal where you can get an app/salad/soup, entrée, and dessert for $22.50.  Even though Scottie wasn’t terribly hungry thanks to a larger lunch we the waiter kinda lead us to this deal because he assumed we both wanted one of the tuna appetizers.  The tuna was not a great start, was more of a filet then the usual chunk of tuna we are used to.  We kinda picked over it before our entrees arrived.  I ordered an asian style cod while Scottie has the sole which has a wine and caper sauce.  It was much better then the appetizer.  Dessert was a strawberry cheesecake cup which was divine and Scottie has an apple crisp which he said just just ok, though he ate the whole things.  The meal was pretty mediocre but luckily the wine was good!

We decided to follow the crowd to see where everyone was going and discovered there was a concert going on, put on by a local radio station.  The concert would be followed by a huge fireworks show over the Golden Gate bridge.  Even though I was a bit chilly and not thrilled about waiting an hour for the fireworks, we decided to grab a spot and take advantage of the free events.  It ended up not being that cold (thanks to Scottie give up his long sleeve shirt) and it was really nice to just chat about the trip and watch the sun set.  The fireworks weren’t half bad, it was set to music but we were too far away to hear it.  We walked back down Market Street to our hotel where we packed up for a very early flight back home.

Overall this was a fantastic trip.  The weather was absolutely perfect and we were so lucky to be in Napa when it was not busy, it really allowed us to enjoy the area and be a bit more flexible for our planning.  San Francisco was a ton of fun, I really enjoyed walking around and just watching the people and taking in the sites.  I think we will certainly be back to California to take in the other sites of this great state!  I will try and get a link up with all of our pictures!

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 12th, 2009 at 6:31 pm and is filed under 101 List, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.