Pool Boy

I am going to SF area and want to spend one day/night up in Napa. Anyone know of some of the best wineries to tour around (nice scenery; not super tourist; friendly)?

Anyone know of a place to get a good meal (can't afford FL, but was thinking of hitting up Buchon)?

thank you.

jonathan

As for wineries in Napa Valley, you might try heading up to Neal Family at the extreme Northeast end of the valley. They are kind of up on the mountain a tad... If you're willing to head over to Sonoma, I'd suggest Bella (certainly not the 'best' wine or winery, but the folks there are very friendly and the place is beautiful. I'd suggest a picnic there on their grounds.

Amazingly delicious strawberries from Homestead Farm, swiped through mascarpone.

Had lobsters on the grill Sunday with corn saland and a roasterd red pepper with feta dip to go with some fresh out of the ground radishes and pita etc. Oh and Saturday night was Maestro. OMG!

My wife works for the Smithsonian and she headed over to the farmer's market in the Penn Quarter this past thursday (what's it called?) and picke dup some nice fresh bread and pea soup with morels. Paired those with some fresh greens from our raised bed veggie patch and dinner was complete!

If you ever venture out to farms in MD for pick your own fruits and veggies, I like Homestead Farms for strawberries, blackberries, tart cherries, currants, apples, and peaches and Butler's Orchard for blueberries, blackberries, apples, etc. Butler's doesn't have peaches. Larriland Farm also has peaches (and other fruits and veggies) but I've only been there for blueberries.

We'll be heading to Larriland soon for strawberries and probably again ina while if our blueberry and raspberry bushes do not produce enough to sate our appetites....

2004 Peay Chardonnay...wioth grilled lobster & corn salad

If you are using Reidel Sommeliers this is impossible-unless you use them once a year or less. Knowing the value of a $60 glass causes me to take an incredible amount of caution and patience with a glass. Still, even with the softest, most considerate touch a glass is broken from time to time. It is actually quite distressing when I think that I might start with 16 Reidel Sommelier bordeaux and burgundy glasses and, three years later, have eight left. Unfortunately it is not eight of one kind but a mix.

The number that I invite to dinner parties is now dictated by the number of available wine glasses I have!

JoeH...I only have two Somms and I use them frequently. However, I am told that if you look at one the wrong way, it'll crack and splinter right back at you.

I dined here this past Saturday with out of town wino friends....I was a little worried in that pals from the DC Crü had only a so-so experience here about a year ago.

But I was pleasantly surprised.

Service was good. Room atmosphere was good (a tad loud as they were packed with quite a few larger parties (grad celebrations?)). Food was delicious.

I had a warm lobster salad over a beet carpaccio, followed by Veal 'picatta' (really a sweetbreads 'burger' complete with special sauce) and then followed by a pork loin and cabbage ( with, I don't know, skin? Porcini/trotter crust? Ahhhhhh!) Followed by a pineapple and apricot charlotte. Oh and a charcuterie butcher's block!) Delish.

The lobster salad was marvelous. And, I am not a big beet eater, really, generally speaking, but I keep trying because my wife loves them, and these were great. The 'picatta' was wonderful, rich, but light enough at the same time. Inventive and fun and great flavors & textures. The 'meat block' was interesting. They brought it to us even though we did not order it (I forgot about it) -- I am not sure if it ended up being 'free' or if we got charged as my friends deviously paid the bill (they rock!) but it was pretty good. The pepperoni was delicious and not over the top, the salmon was delicious, there was a slab of 'particle-meat' (I forget the proper gastronomic term..aspic?) that was atsty as well. There was other stuff I did not get to try, too. TYhe bread with it was average. The pork was fabulous. Juicy and deliciously layered with the outer 'skin'. Delicious. The apricot and pineapple thing was decent, but nothing to write home about.

Wines were a 2004 Planeta Cometa, a 1997 Joseph Phelps Insignia and a 1997 Etude Cabernet. All were good, but the Insignia was ridiculously good. All BYOW.

I'd go back.

I don't know how you manage that. I broke a Spag a couple of days ago while drying it. I also have a tendancy to break all the "fancy" glasses my wife buys for me from time to time.

Interesting. But frankly, I've had great luck with breaking stemware. Only 1 or 2 lost in 5+ years.

The best cheese course I have had in the last couple of years was actually in NYC at Grammercy Tavern. It was fantastic.

Been here a couple of times with my local winos, the DC Crü, but haven't been for, what maybe 18 months. Anything new going on here?

...It's just funny how this is touching some kind of deeply-felt neurotic foodie nerve with everybody. If you can't enjoy the occasional poor-quality crap, you're dead inside....

I kind of agree, but I still think it is possibel to find better poor quality crap to eat out there versus lesser poor quality crap.

What I think is funny is how many posts are stacking up from such a simple dumpster dive as what I did.

That said, anyone else ever had a Ted Drew's frozen custard in St. Louis? You know, a concrete? Mmmm.

Remember the late Nectar in Foggy Bottom? Jarad Slipp, the destination restaurant's ace host and sommelier, called to let me know he's planning to open a new place with another local restaurant personality. "It could be two months or it could be eight months," he says. The two business partners (I'm not yet allowed to name the other participant) have most of the financing they need, but they're currently looking for a suitable location.

For the theater district, I'd say DB Bistro Moderne (a bit on the high end, but the much talked about burger is worth it), Amarone (47th and 9th) for a nice, relaxed Italian meal, or Bistro du Vent, which is on 42nd and 10th IIRC, and is a neighborhoody bistro - part of the Batali stable of restaurants. I think that BduV would be my pick overall. Then there's always Siberia for a drink afterward if you are in the mood for a really eclectic scene, to say the least, and have time before the show. PM me for details if you want.

I'll 2nd the recco on dbBistro Moderne. But honestly, I do not think the burger is all that. I'd try their coq au vin, seriously good. If db is booked, try Triomphe, which I think is on the same block-ish.

Thanks for the cable car recipe. Sounds good!

ol_ironstomach said:

Gifford's? IIRC the location you mention is the resurrected Gifford's, after the chain imploded for a while in the 90s.

Yes, that is the place. It imploded in the 90's? I remember it as pretty good and I was a sometime visitor during 1995 to 2000 or so. Looks like they moved south a bit, too.

Wild Berry Mojito

Cable Car

Blood and Sand

Green Tea Martini

Very Sexy Cocktail

Blood Orange Cosmopolitan

Summertime Splash

Nero's Passion

BTW, great thread!

I'm actually heading there for a Wedding in June, and am very much excited. I've heard only good things about this place, and the food.

I think all of their landscaping is finally mature enough to block out the view of the Sheetz gas place across the street, too.

There an interesting ice cream place in Belstville just north of Powder Mill Road on the southbound side, I can't remember the name, but they have some unique flavors of ice cream (like ginger). Pretty good.

There used to be a place in Bethesda, too, that had decent ice cream and it was an independent as well. Sort of on the backside of where the Discovery Channel building is/was (still is there, but Discovery Channel is not). Opposite side of the bilding where Philly Mike's is located. Anyone know if it is still there and whatthe name of the place is? Or did the Ben & Jerry's shop kill them off?

....I wish someone, anyone would open a decent red-sauce Italian anywhere near me.....

It is Kefa Cafe that has the big gelato sign. haven't been there in years and never tried the gelato, but there usually seems to be a small growd outside. We usual flock to Moorenko down the street instead.

I had a memorable meal there back in the summer of 2002. Very good. Very relaxed and great service. Oh and the 1971 a good wino friend shared with us that night was quite, quite good. I know I'll never have the chance to drink that again.

Isn't this the place the smears crap in to your ice cream on a slab and then scoops it all together for you?

If so BLEAH.

I hate crap in my ice cream, except maybe chocolate chips.

Does anyone know about this place? Is it still there? A googling says there is a place that serves gelato there called Kefa Cafe? Is this it? I'd kill for some good gelato that close to home (Laurel)

Well, I guess her lack of customer service skills is no longer an issue since the storefront closed.

Is she still involved with Palena? Those caramels were so good as were the chocoate slab cookies (not chip). That said, there was this hazelnut dauphoise (or something like that) that I just must have never 'got' -- dry and bleah.