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Dining in Napa, Sonoma, North Bay, and Sacramento


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Spent a few days in Sonoma earlier this month and had a few good meals. Went to Chalkboard for a pre-half marathon dinner. The restaurant is associated with Chalk Hill Vineyeards. Our meal was good but not great. Honestly, I chose this restaurant because I wanted some pasta and I didn't want to go to a great restaurant before a race because I wanted to really enjoy my meals in Sonoma and didn't want to eat too unhealthily before a race. For those reasons, Chalkboard fit the bill.

After the half marathon though, it was no holds barred.  ;) The boyfriend and I met up with some of my family for brunch at Bravas Bar de Tapas. We ordered entirely too much food and it was all delicious. Later that night, the boyfriend and I had a fantastic meal at Scopa. It was probably our favorite restaurant meal in our ten days in California. A summer bean salad and grilled peach salad led to stuffed peppers and an eggplant pizza. All washed down with a bottle of Acorn Sangiovese. What a lovely place and a great dinner.

For a pre-wine tasting lunch, we enjoyed sandwiches at Wild Sage Deli in Dry Creek. Nothing fancy but good, filling sandwiches.

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This reminds me I didn't report on my recent Napa trip. In Yountville, I went to both Bouchon and Bistro Jeanty, expecting the latter to be superior; it was not the case.

My steak tartare at Bistro Jeanty tasted sweet, to the point of being downright odd. I asked my bartender what caused the sweetness in the dish ... "Ketchup," she whispered, "but don't tell anyone." That's just gross.

On the other hand, I had a surprisingly wonderful meal at Bouchon - I figured it would be very good, but it was even better than I thought. It has some of the best bread and butter I've had in a long time (I think great bread and butter is a wonderful thing, and is what saves Le Diplomate from mediocrity).

Better still is Oenotri in Napa - it's along the lines of 2 Amys, and right up there with it in terms of quality. The seasonal vegetables (salads, etc.) here are terrific.

My final meal was a repeat at Sushi Sam's in San Mateo - both times I've been, I've had arguably the best sushi of my life (I've never been to Japan, however), and it's not all that expensive.

At the low end of the spectrum, price- and atmosphere-wise, was La Luna Market & Taqueria in Rutherford, where you can stuff yourself silly on really good Burritos, Tacos, etc. for $10 or so - it's carryout only from what I remember, so you'll be eating outdoors or in your car.

I agree with Don that Oenotri and Bouchon are well worth a visit if you are in the Napa Valley, and Sushi Sam's has the best sushi I have ever tasted.

I live near Napa, and there is a new restaurant in Yountville called Ciccio that I absolutely love. It is a warm, unpretentious Italian place with great service and wonderful food.

The restaurant is small (it was an Italian grocery store in 1916) and they do not take reservations. Try to get there early if you can. If you can't, the wait usually isn't that long. They don't have a huge bar or outside waiting area, but if you walk up the main street of Yountville there are many places where you can enjoy a pre-dinner drink. The last time I was there, my friends and I walked across the street to the new R&D Restaurant for a cocktail on their beautiful patio while we waited.

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Any recommendations for the Santa Rosa area? I'll be flying into SFO thursday afternoon and driving up, have thursday night and all day friday free to myself.

My friend's wedding is saturday in Calistoga, then sunday morning I'm driving back down to SF and staying in the city until tuesday.

I was thinking of maybe going to Russian River brewery thursday night, then perhaps Lagunitas & Cowgirl Creamery friday. But Cowgirl I can go to when I'm in SF, and living in Chicago I can make a trip to Lagunitas' production facility and taproom here.

I was considering maybe a small hike in redwoods (Armstrong Redwoods SP near Guerneville appears to be the closest to Santa Rosa), and then a few wineries for tasting. But I would know nothing about which to choose, as well as places to eat those couple days, whether in Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, Sebastopol, or somewhere around there. I think I'd rather stick to those environs (and maybe somewhere along the coast) than head east to Napa.

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I was thinking of maybe going to Russian River brewery thursday night, then perhaps Lagunitas & Cowgirl Creamery friday. But Cowgirl I can go to when I'm in SF, and living in Chicago I can make a trip to Lagunitas' production facility and taproom here.

Personally, I think a trip to Lagunitas is well worth it.  It's been a while, but my husband and I went some years back (on our way from SF up to Sonoma), and we had an absolute blast.  Not sure what the Chicago facility is like, but I feel that the Petaluma location captures the spirit of Lagunitas perfectly.  There are tons of beers available that you can't find anywhere else.  Plus, if the weather is nice, there is a great outdoor area to sit, drink, eat, maybe listen to some live music.

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Personally, I think a trip to Lagunitas is well worth it.  It's been a while, but my husband and I went some years back (on our way from SF up to Sonoma), and we had an absolute blast.  Not sure what the Chicago facility is like, but I feel that the Petaluma location captures the spirit of Lagunitas perfectly.  There are tons of beers available that you can't find anywhere else.  Plus, if the weather is nice, there is a great outdoor area to sit, drink, eat, maybe listen to some live music.

Just trying to decide between wine and beer. I'm more a beer drinker, but I visited a bunch of wineries when my dad was working in the tasting room of one near Paso Robles, and I don't expect to be in the area anytime soon. Not exactly many wineries to visit around Chicago!

Good to know about their outdoor patio. Weather should be beautiful friday.

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Well, I didn't make it to any wineries, besides where my friend's wedding was. I decided on breweries instead.

Got into SFO around 4 thursday. Checked into hotel in Santa Rosa around 7. I was exhausted, but still hungry, so made my way all of 3 miles to Russian River Brewery. They're probably most famous for Pliny the Elder (and I made sure to bring back two bottles, one a gift). But most of what I tried there was very good, though I didn't get to their dark beers or sours. Took me about 40 minutes just to get a seat at the bar, place was packed on a cool night. Food was meh, I had a pizza, it wasn't spectacular but I was hungry and it was fine.

Friday I had the whole day to kill, so I woke up, ate free motel breakfast, then headed west through the Russian River Valley itself, stopping first at Armstrong Redwoods State Park, just north of the hippie-ish small town of Guerneville. On the way there I drove past Korbel. The state park was nice, with a small, mile and a half-long loop that was an easy and enjoyable hike, with a few old redwoods over 300 feet.

From there I made my way west, then north up the coast for a couple dozen miles to the old Russian settlement at Ft. Ross. The park ranger there gave a short but interesting talk, and then I made my way down the coast, stopped for coffee in Bodega Bay, than headed back east, eventually to Petaluma and Lagunitas. I was feeling a bit antsy by then and fairly tired, so only had a small beer sampler, getting some souvenirs and goodies to go (barrel-aged stout for later that night, to pair with the ice cream sandwiches I bought next door to my motel at Trader Joe's). Lagunitas indeed had a great outdoor patio--so packed on a beautiful friday afternoon/early evening that I couldn't find one spot to sit outside, so I plopped myself down at the bar. Their burgers sounded good, but I stopped at an In n Out in Petaluma prior to that.

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Better still is Oenotri in Napa - it's along the lines of 2 Amys, and right up there with it in terms of quality. The seasonal vegetables (salads, etc.) here are terrific.

I went to have lunch at Oenotri today (the one "must" restaurant I've found in Napa; unfortunately, today I found it closed).

Driven by unseasonably cold weather, I went to another restaurant in the same charming little promenade, Grace's Table, by Chef-Owner Mauro Pando, and (according to the website) recognized as a "Bib Gourmand" in the Michelin guide - which surprises me because quite frankly, it isn't cheap, especially not for lunch.

Their website says they focus on "France, Italy, and The Americas," and based on what I saw and had today, I would limit that focus to "The Americas," in particular, South America, Central America, and Mexico, because that seems to be the restaurant's strength.

My dining companion started out with an Iced Tea ($3.00, cheerfully refilled without asking) which seemed ever-so-slightly infused with a fruit, but it was so subtle it was impossible to tell what it was; I had a glass of Apricot-Infused Soju ($9.00) which was pretty much as you'd expect: a fairly neutral spirit, with a predominance of apricots - really good, fresh, apricots. When we ordered the drinks, we also ordered the top-teaser item on the menu, Iron Skillet Cornbread ($6.00) with lavender honey butter. I had ordered 4 pieces for $9 (instead of 2 pieces for $6), thinking I'd take half of it back to have with my coffee the next morning, but unfortunately, our first food item arrived, with the cornbread nowhere to be seen: they had forgotten the order. So, I reminded them at that time, and they got the size wrong - a mistake, but no big deal. The cornbread was excellent, and really only needed about 25% of the butter that it came with. If you dine here, get the cornbread, no matter what else you order - it really is that good.

We ordered three items to split, and I realized I had erred in not asking for one of them to be served first, alone, before the other two. Fortunately, the kitchen was astute enough to make this decision for us, and it's a good thing because it simply would have clashed. A Seared Ahi Salad ($17) was an upscale version of a Salade Nií§oise, something I'm an absolute sucker for. I remember thinking, about ten years ago, that someone needs to take this classic salad and make it with sushi-grade tuna - about five years afterwards, I saw one at Marvin in 14UP, have seen several of them since, and order them whenever I get the chance. Although this was brutally expensive, it was a good version, coming with two bigger-than-sashimi pieces of lean tuna, and upscale renditions of panko-crusted soft-boiled egg, sliced fingerling potatoes, haricots vertsNií§oise olives (pitted), frisée and máche, in a lemon vinaigrette. At the price, I don't regret ordering it, but probably wouldn't get it a second time - it was very good, but not outstanding.

The next two items are probably overlooked by Californians, but in my opinion, would both be the best examples of their type in all of Washington, DC. Fish Tacos ($15) were insanely expensive for two medium-sized tacos, but were simply outstanding in the two most important areas: the house-made tortillas, and the "catch of the day" (which was, I believe, Mahi-Mahi). The accoutrements - a little white cheddar, black beans, pico de gallo that could have been a bit fresher, and house slaw with a bit too much buttermilk chili-lime dressing - were all good enough not to detract from the two stars of the show, but not so good that you'd write home about them (which, come to think about it, is exactly what I'm doing right now). At $7.50 per taco, you have every right to do a gut check, but these were possibly better than any fish tacos I've had outside of California (talking about both California California, and Baja California). A rich man's dalliance, to be sure.

This was getting to be quite a substantial lunch, and when the Southwest Tamale ($19) arrived, I knew it would remain unfinished. Again, this was a lot of money, but in this case it was also a lot of food: a beautiful corn husk stuffed with fantastic corn masa, chipotle pulled pork shoulder, green chili, black beans (on the side, room temperature, in a little tub), Jack cheese, chili-lime slaw with a little too much mayonnaise, cilantro-lime dressing, and cascabel chili sauce which is, to the best of my recollection, the first time I've ever eaten cascabel chilis. The other two dishes were close calls as to value, but as expensive as this was (nineteen dollars for a single tamale), this was probably the best tamale I've ever eaten, and it's a damned shame that most of it went *un*eaten because we were both just too full - as I type this, I'm cursing myself for not getting the rest of it to go.

The total lunch bill, including tax and tip, was $88.52. I guess there was more than enough food because this fantastic tamale was left about two-thirds unfinished - just be aware that if you eat here, my guess it that you might want to stick with Latino dishes, and accept the fact that you'll pay plenty for them (I looked around and saw what other people had, and while everything looked very good, I think we struck oil with the cornbread, the fish tacos, and the tamale).

Did I say something about a tamale? You know what? I think I'm going to go get one for carryout, right this minute.

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I just read this thread. 6 years years ago, it seems like a dinner for two at French Laundry approached $900. I wonder what it costs now. 4 years ago at Komi, I spent around $600, with the wine tasting.

What makes a meal worth $600-900 (maybe $1100 now?)? Has the rest of the country caught up, and so the marginal benefit of a place like French Laundry has become much smaller compared to the many fine restaurants in the country? I think you can get the whole menu at Rose's and a few good bottles of wine and be under $300.

I guess it's different, but Little Serow ends up running $150 for two with drinks... And I love that place. I wonder if it is 6-7 times better to go to French Laundry. Maybe for the ambience, service, and experience it is. But I'm not sure. I think 2-3 times sounds reasonable, but 6-7 seems like a lot.

Just seems with sourcing of foods, innovative chefs, discerning customers, the advent of social media in dining - I wonder if the so called best places in the country truly are the best? I wonder how Rose's would do if in Heald County, or how French Laundry would do in Capitol Hill (and if they could suspend the prices they charge).

But, man Don, you got a rich group of people on this website! :)

Simul

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I just read this thread. 6 years years ago, it seems like a dinner for two at French Laundry approached $900. I wonder what it costs now. 4 years ago at Komi, I spent around $600, with the wine tasting.

What makes a meal worth $600-900 (maybe $1100 now?)? Has the rest of the country caught up, and so the marginal benefit of a place like French Laundry has become much smaller compared to the many fine restaurants in the country? I think you can get the whole menu at Rose's and a few good bottles of wine and be under $300.

I guess it's different, but Little Serow ends up running $150 for two with drinks... And I love that place. I wonder if it is 6-7 times better to go to French Laundry. Maybe for the ambience, service, and experience it is. But I'm not sure. I think 2-3 times sounds reasonable, but 6-7 seems like a lot.

Just seems with sourcing of foods, innovative chefs, discerning customers, the advent of social media in dining - I wonder if the so called best places in the country truly are the best? I wonder how Rose's would do if in Heald County, or how French Laundry would do in Capitol Hill (and if they could suspend the prices they charge).

But, man Don, you got a rich group of people on this website! :)

Simul

Simul, this isn't directed at you, I promise.

I'm not naming any names, but someone said to me, about a week ago, 'You can come over to my place, stay for five hours, and eat as much brisket as you want for $100.'

An awful lot of people think you can have a multi-course, multi-hour meal for $150 all-in that will be comparable to The French Laundry or Per Se; you simply cannot.

Diners do not realize how much certain restaurants are playing into their primal instincts under the guise of gourmet dining. There are some things I almost desperately want people to know, but I don't want to be the one to tell them.

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Simul, this isn't directed at you, I promise.

I'm not naming any names, but someone said to me, about a week ago, 'You can come over to my place, stay for five hours, and eat as much brisket as you want for $100.'

An awful lot of people think you can have a multi-course, multi-hour meal for $150 all-in that will be comparable to The French Laundry or Per Se; you simply cannot.

Diners do not realize how much certain restaurants are playing into their primal instincts under the guise of gourmet dining. There are some things I almost desperately want people to know, but I don't want to be the one to tell them.

I don't want to take this off course, but I don't understand what you're saying Don. I read the link but I don't get what you mean by primal instincts.

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I don't want to take this off course, but I don't understand what you're saying Don. I read the link but I don't get what you mean by primal instincts. 

It's okay, Jason, I'll split these posts off into a separate thread. I basically mean "what McDonald's helped to pioneer." They appeal to people's "primal cravings" of fat, sugar, salt, etc. What I really don't want to do is dangle some sort of carrot that I cannot (or, more accurately, "will not") back up with detail, because I've been not-so-subtly accused in the past of posting partial, vague information, basically being the jerk who says, "Ha, ha, ha, I know something that you don't know." What I'm trying to say to diners is, "Please educate yourselves, be a skeptic, and don't be fooled by something that tastes good as an arbiter of quality, or by the amount of food you get as being indicative of good value, because it's not (always) the case." And this has nothing to do with me being an educated diner, or me having a good palate; it's merely a direct result of me hearing things from employees and ex-employees of certain restaurants - it's that and nothing more, and it has nothing to do with taunting, or me being superior, or anything else other than wanting people to think for themselves and be educated to the maximum.

I really don't want to call out specific restaurants, but the truth is that I *do* know things that the average person doesn't; not because "I'm so smart and everyone else isn't," but because I hear things due to the position I'm in - from ex-line cooks, for example, or bartenders, or AGMs - things that would be pretty shocking if they came out and were substantiated because some of peoples' favorite restaurants would be knocked off of their pedestals, at least to some small degree. And make no mistake, I like these restaurants too! It's just that I have them in proper perspective because I do know things - insider-y things - about them, the shortcuts they take, the ingredients they use, the cooking methods they employ, etc. It doesn't mean they're bad by any means; but they're no French Laundry. And Bouchon serves frozen french fries, btw, or at least they used to, so please don't think I'm being a Thomas Keller acolyte. And who knows, maybe I'm even wrong about that - I hope this answers your question without me coming across as a schmuck-o. This is nothing I wouldn't tell you in person; I just don't want to broadcast these things here. So why do I mention this stuff at all, especially in such a coy fashion? In response to Simul's post - I want people to know that the rest of the country *hasn't* caught up, and I don't name names because I don't want to harm perfectly honorable businesses that I like, and who's to say that I'm even correct?

Cheers,

Rocks

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It's okay, Jason, I'll split these posts off into a separate thread. I basically mean "what McDonald's helped to pioneer." They appeal to people's "primal cravings" of fat, sugar, salt, etc. What I really don't want to do is dangle some sort of carrot that I cannot (or, more accurately, "will not") back up with detail, because I've been not-so-subtly accused in the past of posting partial, vague information, basically being the jerk who says, "Ha, ha, ha, I know something that you don't know." What I'm trying to say to diners is, "Please educate yourselves, be a skeptic, and don't be fooled by something that tastes good as an arbiter of quality, or by the amount of food you get as being indicative of good value, because it's not (always) the case." And this has nothing to do with me being an educated diner, or me having a good palate; it's merely a direct result of me hearing things from employees and ex-employees of certain restaurants - it's that and nothing more, and it has nothing to do with taunting, or me being superior, or anything else other than wanting people to think for themselves and be educated to the maximum.

I really don't want to call out specific restaurants, but the truth is that I *do* know things that the average person doesn't; not because "I'm so smart and everyone else isn't," but because I hear things due to the position I'm in - from ex-line cooks, for example, or bartenders, or AGMs - things that would be pretty shocking if they came out and were substantiated because some of peoples' favorite restaurants would be knocked off of their pedestals, at least to some small degree. And make no mistake, I like these restaurants too! It's just that I have them in proper perspective because I do know things - insider-y things - about them, the shortcuts they take, the ingredients they use, the cooking methods they employ, etc. It doesn't mean they're bad by any means; but they're no French Laundry. And Bouchon serves frozen french fries, btw, or at least they used to, so please don't think I'm being a Thomas Keller acolyte. And who knows, maybe I'm even wrong about that - I hope this answers your question without me coming across as a schmuck-o. This is nothing I wouldn't tell you in person; I just don't want to broadcast these things here. So why do I mention this stuff at all, especially in such a coy fashion? In response to Simul's post - I want people to know that the rest of the country *hasn't* caught up, and I don't name names because I don't want to harm perfectly honorable businesses that I like, and who's to say that I'm even correct?

Cheers,

Rocks

I see what you are saying now - thank you for the clarification. It's an interesting point but I don't think it is correct. And that's because these fancy French Laundry places are also just as guilty as playing to primal instincts, just different ones. Instead of the instinct to overeat, FL and its kind satisfy a desire for status, which is also innate. People want to be able to tell their friends that they've been to this world-class restaurant and had a famous chef cook for them. And if their golf buddy (or whatever) has done that, then maybe now I have to go to some Michelin-starred restaurants in Europe. Now the golf buddy is posting some photo of him and Keller on Instagram to bask in whatever reflected status he has. And it goes on.

There are almost certainly some people who are interested in what FL is doing as a craft and its curiosity and a thirst for knowledge that drives them. But that's not most of them.

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I've never been to French Laundry or Per Se or Alinea or whatever, so hard for me to really know what you mean. But, until I get there, I'll take your word for it. I agree that status and to be able to "check in" on Facebook and Instagram your meal at a place like French Laundry carries a social cachet, and a lot of people are into that.

Is better ingredients/better prep/ambience/worse taste > worse ingredients/worse prep/casual/better taste?

The taste of the food should play some role in evaluating the reataurant. Can't believe I just wrote that sentence :) It's sort of the primary thing I judge, but I'm a bit of a heathen that way.

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Better still is Oenotri in Napa - it's along the lines of 2 Amys, and right up there with it in terms of quality. The seasonal vegetables (salads, etc.) here are terrific.

Yep. We got one of the simply dressed lettuce salads, which was appearing on all the tables around us. It's a giant pile of the fluffiest, prettiest lettuce you'll ever see (ha, the receipt lists the dish as "lettuces"), with each leaf slicked down with the exact right amount of a cheery meyer lemon vinaigrette, and almost smothered in deeply flavored Parmesan curls. Every speck was gone in minutes (we shared everything). The side of kim chee-d, deep-fried brussel sprouts was also excellent. The pasta with nettle pesto and pine nuts and the pizza (some kind of smoked pig on it, plus caramelized onions) were very good, but the vegetables were definitely the star of the table. Thanks for the recommendation!

We also swung by the Oxbow Public market to pick up some cream puffs at Ca'Momi Enoteca which remain, IMHO, the best ever. (They call them Italian beignets.) They sell them by the pound so for us it worked out to be about a dollar a piece. Pffffttttt, a trifle for what you get! I tried all the non-fruit flavors and my favorites were the hazelnut and coffee. The market location only sells pizza and sweets now (plus wine, of course). The full menu is available at the new location down the street from the market (walking distance, apparently). That is probably a good thing, since I had been on the fence whether to order the gnudi I had last time as my first dessert course ;-)

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Yep. We got one of the simply dressed lettuce salads, which was appearing on all the tables around us. It's a giant pile of the fluffiest, prettiest lettuce you'll ever see (ha, the receipt lists the dish as "lettuces"), which each leaf slicked down with the exact right amount of a cheery meyer lemon vinaigrette, and almost smothered in deeply flavored Parmesan curls. Every speck was gone in minutes (we shared everything). The side of kim chee-d, deep-fried brussel sprouts was also excellent. The pasta with nettle pesto and pine nuts and the pizza (some kind of smoked pig on it, plus caramelized onions) were very good, but the vegetables were definitely the star of the table. Thanks for the recommendation!

Just out of curiosity, what night were you there?

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Interesting as when we did eat at the Vegas location of Bouchon shortly after it opened, we were not all that impressed. It was very good, but no better than many other great bistros we had eaten at, most recently at that time Bistro Jeanty which we thought blew it out of the water. Granted Jeanty had the advantage of being located in Napa with easier access to much fresher ingredients probably, but still no comparison. I would still not pass up the opportunity to try out French Laundry or Per Se, but am a little more wary with the review of Per Se.

I had dinner at Bouchon and Bistro Jeanty on back-to-back nights in 2014, and believe it or not, the bartender told me that Bistro Jeanty put *ketchup* in their steak tartare - I knew of its reputation, so was shocked, but there it was, right in front of me. The Bouchon in Yountville has *terrific* bread - they serve epi with perfectly salted butter, yum.

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On 1/12/2016 at 6:17 PM, DonRocks said:

I had dinner at Bouchon and Bistro Jeanty on back-to-back nights in 2014, and believe it or not, the bartender told me that Bistro Jeanty put *ketchup* in their steak tartare - I knew of its reputation, so was shocked, but there it was, right in front of me. The Bouchon in Yountville has *terrific* bread - they serve epi with perfectly salted butter, yum. 

Now that I think about it, it has been around 10 years since we ate at Bouchon at Venetian and something like 12 since Bistro Jeanty. A lot can change in a restaurant in that time.

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I stopped in and tried Zuzu, a delightful tapas bar with a warm and cozy atmosphere. I sat at the bar, watching all the magic in the kitchen, and the bartender took great care of me. I had 4 plates - I absolutely loved the flounder ceviche (beautifully bright colors and tastes) and asparagus with jamon (gorgeous vegetables and meat), but found the bacalao (salt cod drizzled with white truffle oil & garlic crostini) to be a little heavy/salty (though this could be that I just don't like salt cod-based dishes. I keep trying, for some reason, and hardly ever love them) and didn't particularly care for the sauce on the lamb chops with moroccan barbeque glaze, mint, & curry oil. Everything was baseline good and I ate almost everything (quite a feat - 4 small plates do add up), but the heavier dishes didn't wow me. I saw a lot of tres leches being ordered and gobbled down, but didn't have space for it. Great neighborhood spot. 

Dropped by Oxbow Public market to pick up some cream puffs at Ca'Momi Enoteca because I can't help myself. Also tried their Osteria on First street for lunch because haven't been able to get the gnudi (Bellwether Farms jersey ricotta & spinach malfatti with butter, sage, and parmigiano reggiano - the green of the spinach belies the tender richness of the "pasta") off my mind. Together with the burrata e verdure (wood-oven roasted vegetables, house-pulled burrata, schiacciata all'olio) I had an incredibly delicious, albeit crazy-heavy meal, and I was only able to finish half of it (leftovers held up beautifully for later)! Those two dishes plus a salad, for 2, would be pretty much the perfect vegetarian Italian meal. I liked the burrata dish even more than the gnudi, which is saying something. They toss whatever baby veg they have on hand with nice olive oil, roast till sweet in a wee skillet, and serve with a generous dollop of excellent burrata plus a whole flat bread. The flat bread is very much like their VPN pizza dough, perhaps even the same dough but baked slightly thicker, as it has the same stretchy, yielding, but crispy-on-the-edges quality I love so much about Neapolitan pizza. If you get the chili oil to go with the bread, beware that it is quite spicy! The space is hipster-industrial, with exposed beams and ducting but lots of hanging lights and candles. Servers are young (or I'm getting old, probably both), good-looking, and extremely attentive. Loved everything about my experience!

I would, and probably will, go back to all of these places. 

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On 1/12/2016 at 6:17 PM, DonRocks said:

The Bouchon in Yountville has *terrific* bread - they serve epi with perfectly salted butter, yum. 

Bouchon.JPG

Dinner at Bouchon last night was very good while falling short of outstanding (which is what you should normally expect at a Bistro or Brasserie, but having the seasoning somewhat "off" at a Thomas Keller restaurant hurts more than it normally does, especially when it's *so* easily correctable).

The two-tops against the entrance wall are close enough together where you could eavesdrop if you wanted to, but also far enough apart so that you don't feel scrunched up against your neighbor. 

The 2015 Triennes Rosé a pale, dry Rosé from Provence, sold at $10 a glass, is made from primarily, if not all, Cinsault. The bottle itself reveals a more precise location of being from the Department of the Var (there's a sneaky way to tell this just from codes written on the bottle), so this wine - which might be a Côteaux Varois (and they make wonderful Rosé there) - retails for something around $13 per bottle, and sells on the list for $40, or about triple-retail:

Screenshot 2016-05-24 at 17.40.10.png Screenshot 2016-05-24 at 17.39.06.png

And it was triple-retail that I happily paid, because this is fine example of a pale, bone-dry Rosé from the Southeast of France - at $40, even if they're making $30+ on every bottle they sell, it's a good wine to get here, as it goes with a very wide variety of dishes - it served us throughout the entire meal (which actually turned out to be very simple and small in terms of number-of-courses). 

Before the meal, we were brought (to our surprise) some roasted pistachios, in shell, which were served alongside the always-tremendous epi - the classic "stalk of wheat" variation on the classic baguette. The bread and butter at Bouchon has always flirted with simple perfection, and so it was on this evening; the pistachios seemed unnecessary and almost odd, although we certainly had the option not to eat them. 

We'd planned on getting some apps, maybe splitting an entrée, having some cheese, and maybe splitting a dessert, but after having the chicken at Kinship, my dining companion wanted to try it here, and our delightful neighbor (on my right) had the leg of lamb, and enthusiastically extolled its virtues, so we dove straight into the main courses:

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Poulet Rôti ($29.75) is served atop Petits Pois à la Française and chicken jus, and is (according to our server) par-roasted before dinner service, then finished to-order in the oven, the second step taking about twenty minutes. It must surely be brined or injected, because the deepest part of the breast meat was delightfully moist and perfectly salted - it just could not have been any better, and this is what was on the very top, so diners tend to eat it first. We were both fighting over the breast meat, which is probably one of the most difficult things to cook well. Unfortunately, there is often a white meat - dark meat sacrifice, and so it was with this half-chicken: The dark meat was simply too salty - not to the point of being inedible, but to the point where it was too salty, and there was no doubt about it. However, with the mildly seasoned Petits Pois, it added some salt to an arguably undersalted (but otherwise fantastic) side dish. Salt issues aside, this was a *fine* example of roast chicken, and one which I will gladly order again in the future. 

Gigot d'Agneau ($35) was four cuts from a cylinder, stacked atop one another, and served in a bowl on top of lots of chickpeas, a trivial amount of piquillo peppers, some spring onions, and lamb jus. The salting issue here was easily fixed: the lamb was slightly undersalted, and all I needed to do was ask my server for a little sea salt, add a single scoop evenly distributed over all four rounds, and the lamb instantly went from being very good to excellent. If you don't really like chickpeas, you should think twice about this dish, because there are a lot of them, but they were well-cooked, well-seasoned, and lent a North African flavor to the lamb, which was otherwise not really a North African dish. Although both of us preferred the chicken, both of us also enjoyed the lamb, and depending on your personal preferences, you could have flipped a coin between these two dishes.

I hate to be a simpleton, but after these two entrées, we were pretty well stuffed, and just didn't really want any cheese or dessert - we weren't starving to begin with, and these entrées were hefty enough to do the trick. A good showing once again for Bouchon, a restaurant that I've now been to several times, and which I have consistently enjoyed. 

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A quick rundown of 2 weekends ago.  PM me for more details.

Coqueta for dinner Thurs night.  2nd year coming here and we will be back next great.  Great Tapas, and yes I have been to Logrono.

Friday stoped by Kunde in Sonoma where we are members and always get treated well.

Dinner Friday night at Carpe Diem in Napa, again a repeat for us.

Great tasting and visits at Venge and Cade Saturday.  Both are in the hillside and are on top of their game.

Saturday Night dinner was at Ad Hoc, was good not great.  What they called short ribs wasn't.

Sunday tastings at Chappellet, Hietz and Flora Springs.

Sunday dinner at Redd was exceptional, service and food were awesome.

learned more on the life long wine journey, drank well, ate well and will be back next year.

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First trip to Napa:

- Sweetie Pies - This bakery was in / next to our hotel (Napa River Inn) and provided breakfasts with our room each morning.  The "AM Bun" was a wonderful cross between a croissant and a sticky bunn, the apple / cheese danishes were delicious, the scones were light and airy and the quiche of the day was custardy and wonderful (bacon and spinach versions).  Really impressed and definitely a nice way to start each day.

- Gotts - First night in, walked over to the Oxbow Public Market.  After a glass of wine, decided that a burger to cap off a long travel day was in order.  Wife had the Texas Avocado Burger and I had the Green Chile Cheeseburger.  We both liked the fact that these burgers had a pretty low "sloppiness" quotient.  Each was well assembled, cooked appropriately to order, and had a wonderful blend of each ingredient in each bite.  Nicely executed and I get the hype.  Both Fries and Onion Rings were excellent renditions.

- Oenotri - lived up to Don's commentary upthread.  Orecchiette with rabe and sausage was very nicely done.  Burrata with grilled radicchio was probably my favorite dish of the evening.  I prefer 2 Amy's crust from a pizza standpoint, but the version here is quite nicely done.  The meyer lemon cake with torched merengue was a nice end to the meal.  The place was hopping at 8pm and though they were packed, I thought the staff moved folks through the small bar area nicely.

- Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen - Showed up for a 730 reservation at 630 (didn't realize everything in St. Helena would be closed at 5-6) and they didn't bat an eye and sat us immediately.  Nice bottle of rose suggested (one of the cheapest on the list, which I thought was nice) and carried us through the whole meal.  I had a Tex-Mex chicken dish with black beans that was excellent and my wife had a wonderful "spring" risotto.  Despite not needing it, had the "s'mores" Sunday - excellent.  Great casual vibe with upscale food.  I really enjoyed this place and would definitely go back.  

- Bouchon - Don't get me wrong, the food was great.  However, I was unimpressed with the service.  Long times where our waitress disappeared, when I asked for her opinion I got a variant of "everything is good", etc...I realize its a bistro, but at a Keller place I guess I expected more.  Started off with a fig old fashioned that was one of the best cocktails I've had in awhile.  I had the French onion soup to start, wife had a salad with goat cheese.  She had the steak frites and I enjoyed the Parisian gnocchi which I always like - these were no exception.  In terms of the steak frites the steak was perfectly cooked and the frites were so good that I had to ask the server to actually take them away.  We were so full we didn't push ourselves with desert and instead took a nice after dinner stroll.

- Giugni W F & Sons Grocery (Giugni's) - Went here on a suggestion from our host at Ehlers.  Was not disappointed by this old school deli.  Cash only.  Excellent breads.  Had the roast beer on soft sour roll with horseradish, mayo, giugni juice (oil, vinegar, herbs), lettuce, onions and tomatoes.  Just a wonderful little spot - we ended up here twice and could have been more.  Easy sandwiches to pack with us to picnic with.  

- Culinary Institute of America - Greyscale - Stopped in here to visit their small deli.  Had a great Cuban sandwich and a nice sized side salad for 7 dollars (!).  Service was a little slow, but its run by students so it is what it is.  Couldn't believe the value and the sandwich was very tasty.

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Had a really lovely lunch at Girl and the Fig.  The steak tartare and the flounder were particularly nice.

Cochon Volant BBQ was strong in everything except pork ribs, which is about average for restaurant ribs, ie barely edible.

Oxbow Market is well worth a visit, though very busy even at 3:30ish.  Hog Island Oysters reminded me how much I miss eating West Coast oysters on the West Coast.

Definitely enjoyed the smaller tasting room and vineyards to the big boys.  

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Going to Napa for 2 1/2-3 days.  We have a res at Ad-Hoc as a little homage to our Honeymoon dinner at the French Laundry.  We also have a Vintage VW bus tour of wineries.  We will go to Hagafen, Paraduxx and Pestoni.  Domaine Carneros looks interesting as I am a Tatt fan and like sparkling. 

Need to look up what other places we might want to visit... suggestions happily accepted. I have a huge amount of wineries on my google map, that I don't remember where they came from.  Perhaps a food and wine article, or perhaps from James May and Oz Clark's special- not quite sure, so they could be total trash.  (Curses former self for not filling in more details on the comments section of her google map).

I haven't figured out any other food yet, we will have lunch with our tour.  And I am sure we will check out Oxbrow for one meal.  

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I like visiting Domaine Carneros. I’m not sure when you are going, but there is a cool contemporary art installation, Di Rosa, very near the winery. It’s closed now, but reopening the end of this month.

For food in the area, you can’t go wrong with Ciccio or Oenotri for Italian, or Boon Fly Cafe for fried chicken. If you’re going to Ad Hoc, however, fried chicken may not be on your radar. 

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Ad Hoc is *far* superior to the overrated Bistro Jeanty - the bread and butter at Ad Hoc is some of the best you'll have, anywhere.

I am all-in on Boon Fly Cafe for fried chicken - it's fantastic, and you can't go wrong doing that. DIShGo has a great palate, and Ciccio is a wonderful place for wood-fired entrees and really good (top-level) pizza - none of these places are remotely junk food.

It's too bad Fremont Diner has closed; it was a tremendous place for all-day breakfast, but don't forget about Oxbow Market for a mid-day meal.

If you go to San Francisco this trip, you must go to Swan Oyster Depot - it may be my favorite restaurant of its type in the world (cash only). You'll need to get there 30-minutes before it opens and wait in line, and you'll understand why you do once you've eaten there.

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On 1/11/2020 at 1:59 AM, DonRocks said:

Ad Hoc is *far* superior to the overrated Bistro Jeanty - the bread and butter at Ad Hoc is some of the best you'll have, anywhere.

I am all-in on Boon Fly Cafe for fried chicken - it's fantastic, and you can't go wrong doing that. DIShGo has a great palate, and Ciccio is a wonderful place for wood-fired entrees and really good (top-level) pizza - none of these places are remotely junk food.

It's too bad Fremont Diner has closed; it was a tremendous place for all-day breakfast, but don't forget about Oxbow Market for a mid-day meal.

If you go to San Francisco this trip, you must go to Swan Oyster Depot - it may be my favorite restaurant of its type in the world (cash only). You'll need to get there 30-minutes before it opens and wait in line, and you'll understand why you do once you've eaten there.

Thanks to you and DishGo for the recs.  Have any winery recs?  Likely only have time to visit 1-2.  I don't mind trying to reserve something, and don't mind paying a good bit for a tasting.  Noted on Swan Oyster, I might be able to do that when I go back in May!

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On 1/11/2020 at 1:59 AM, DonRocks said:

Ad Hoc is *far* superior to the overrated Bistro Jeanty - the bread and butter at Ad Hoc is some of the best you'll have, anywhere.

I am all-in on Boon Fly Cafe for fried chicken - it's fantastic, and you can't go wrong doing that. DIShGo has a great palate, and Ciccio is a wonderful place for wood-fired entrees and really good (top-level) pizza - none of these places are remotely junk food.

It's too bad Fremont Diner has closed; it was a tremendous place for all-day breakfast, but don't forget about Oxbow Market for a mid-day meal.

If you go to San Francisco this trip, you must go to Swan Oyster Depot - it may be my favorite restaurant of its type in the world (cash only). You'll need to get there 30-minutes before it opens and wait in line, and you'll understand why you do once you've eaten there.

The donuts, don't forget the donuts at BFC.  If you can stay at Carneros Inn, their individual cabins with outdoor showers, heated floors and awesome views are spectacular.

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4 hours ago, ktmoomau said:

Thanks to you and DishGo for the recs.  Have any winery recs?  Likely only have time to visit 1-2.  I don't mind trying to reserve something, and don't mind paying a good bit for a tasting.  Noted on Swan Oyster, I might be able to do that when I go back in May!

There are some lovely wineries in St. Helena, and it is a charming town to visit. I found this map online that lists the wineries by town, which might help you limit your choices. I asked a good friend who lives in the Napa Valley and visits a lot of wineries there, and she recommended going to Hall and Duckhorn up north in St. Helena, and stopping at a smaller winery, like Sequoia Grove or Pina, which is on the Silverado Trail.

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17 hours ago, ktmoomau said:

Sequoia was in a YouTube vlog I saw and looked beautiful, nice to know it is good!  Thank you, thank you, very helpful!!!!

I've been a member at Sequoia Grove for a couple years.  I highly recommend their "Taste of Cabernet" tasting - it was informative and a lot of fun.

A couple other wineries that I've enjoyed my visits to: Quintessa, Venge, Larkmead, Caldwell (down in Coombsville but the caves are cool)

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A few years ago we were told to make an appointment at Round Two near St. Helena.  When we called on our way  the winemaker son lead us to his dad house.  Dad apologized for the rain, sat us at his dining table and discussed his philosophy of winemaking for 3+ hours while pouring and pouring great wine.  Dad, Dennis Johns has been involved in the business for many years.  His passion was phenomenal.

http://www.roundtwowines.com/press/about

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We spent four nights in Healdsburg last week (at the H2 hotel, which I would recommend, very nice hotel, good sized rooms, wonderful location a block off the square). Here are a few dining highlights:

Chalkboard - Just off the square in the former Cyrus space. Our meal here was . . . fine. Nothing was bad, the service was good (except for what was a poor wine recommendation), but nothing really popped for us during the meal. For starters we had the salmon crudo and the beet salad. Both were very meh. The mains (Porcini Gigli and the Cab Braised Short Rib) were far better. I wouldn't recommend against it, but it's not a restaurant I want to return to immediately. 

Valette - We really enjoyed our meal at Valette, also just off the square. Everything was wonderful, although if anything our meal was a bit too rich. We got the Day Boat Scallops En Croute, which are apparently their signature dish, and I can see why. It's a show-stopper presentation, and also absolutely delicious. I was skeptical going in as scallops are so great when just prepared simply, but this was worth it. Their beef tartare was also fantastic. For mains we went with the Crispy Skinned Steelhead Trout with peas, and then with the Coriander Crusted Duck Breast served over forbidden rice with duck confit. Both were standouts. Service was wonderful. Just a standout meal. 

Willi's Seafood and Raw Bar - I've still never had a great crab cake on the west coast. Overall however, I enjoyed Willi's. The oysters and other items from the raw bar were fantastic. 

Barndiva - I would say it was between Barndiva and Valette for our best meals in Healdsburg. They don't have the same menu posted that we ate from, but the fish entree we had here was fantastic, as was the roasted squab. Tremendous meal all around with great service. 

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