This morning, we started breakfast (and more rain) and then went for our mud baths. I really enjoyed this and it was as great as last time. Dr. Wilkinson’s isn’t a fancy place but the ladies were very attentive. The experience started with a light shower and then in to the mud bath for 10 minutes with a facial mask, cucumbers and cool towel. After that, a Jacuzzi of mineral water scented with lavender and then a good long steam followed by a quiet wrap and then massage. Kathryn, my masseuse was so good I begged her to come home with me. She politely giggled but I know she was thinking “hell no, not in that Chicago weather!” Todd had the same experience although he didn’t enjoy it as much as I did. It is just not his thing. I, on the other other hand, must remember to get massages much more regularly. In retrospect, I don't slow down and relax often, so this was really great and I really appreciate that Tina "forced" me into it....
From there we packed up the room and went for lunch to the Culinary Institute of America which was a wonderful lunch. We started with a glass of champagne followed by mussels, I had the salmon and Todd had the sand dabs. OMG, sand dabs with fried green tomatoes and a warm spinach salad.... We walked around the shop there for a while and then went to walk through the town of St. Helena which is very lovely little town. We stopped at the chocolate store which had incredible chocolates. We each bought one – I the dark chocolate and raspberry and Todd had the dark chocolate with chocolate ganache. Of course, we shared and we loved them both. Good thing this place is across the country from where we live!
After walking around town, we stopped at Frog’s Leap for a tasting, were not impressed and amazingly walked out EMPTY HANDED! From there we stopped at Mumm Champagne because, well, because I love champagne and they have a beautiful view to look at while I’m drinking. Mumm's is one of Tina's favorites. She loved it the last time we were here. And the Ansel Adams gallery is fab... From there, we continued down the Silverado Trail (my favorite drive in the valley) to Yountville and checked in to the Vintage Inn. My how sleepy lil Yountville has turned into a lovely little town... Dinner tonight is at Bistro Jeanty.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Calistoga, CA
It stormed most of the night and throughout the entire day with winds blowing through and roads getting washed out. Todd had already hired a driver for the day which was a good thing because my idea would have been to sit in the room and drink the wine we brought. (Todd's note: that would be a fatal option as we definitely have done some serious"collecting")
Our first stop was at Reverie where we were supposed to have a wine tasting in the Redwoods however it was pouring. They took us into the cave instead and we tasted some of the most incredible wine. Although we’re not big fans of “clubs”, we did join their club of 2x/year shipments. There just wasn’t one wine we did not like and they do not sell outside of the winery. Our goal was to try and/or buy only those wines we couldn’t get at home and amazingly (or not so amazingly) we have met that goal…many times :) this is incredible stuff and the owner offerred to do a tasting in our house, if we could get 30 or so of our friends together....
From there our driver Jason suggested we go to Frank Family winery as another unique winery and we enjoyed their wines very much as well.
We then went onto the Castello de Amorosa, an actual castle built from stone brought over from Italy along with the men who built it. It took 14 years and $30 million. It had great rooms, libraries, as well as dungeon and torture chambers. This guy really was a “unique individual”. The wines were mediocre although there was one reserve we liked.
Our original plan was to have lunch at Taylor’s Automatic but it was way too cold and rainy so at Jason’s suggestion, we went to Market for lunch. Todd had what he thought was one of the top 5 burgers of his life. I got the mac and cheese (yes, carb loading was the order of the day and required!). We each shared our dishes as usual and off we went to the next winery which was Honig. This is also a boutique winery that had some very nice wines.
Our last stop was at the Del Dotto winery (and now it must be evident to you why Todd hired a car today) and we did barrel tasting here. Their wines were incredible -- or we were mighty tipsy. We’ll know for sure when we drink the wines we purchased. This was one of our most informative tours and the guide was very knowledge. They taste wine right out of the barrel and if you like it they send it to you when they bottle it. They do some pretty impressive things with cabs. Like bottle it in 3 different kinds of oak so you can see how the oak changes the wine. They produce 107 wines/year Highly recommended. Except I got myself in the dog house a bit by buying a really expensive wine. ut oh....
Back at the hotel, we changed for dinner and went to Bar Vino for dinner where we shared some tapas. Very few people were out this day probably because of the bad weather but we certainly enjoyed the attention of the wait staff and the food was great.
Our first stop was at Reverie where we were supposed to have a wine tasting in the Redwoods however it was pouring. They took us into the cave instead and we tasted some of the most incredible wine. Although we’re not big fans of “clubs”, we did join their club of 2x/year shipments. There just wasn’t one wine we did not like and they do not sell outside of the winery. Our goal was to try and/or buy only those wines we couldn’t get at home and amazingly (or not so amazingly) we have met that goal…many times :) this is incredible stuff and the owner offerred to do a tasting in our house, if we could get 30 or so of our friends together....
From there our driver Jason suggested we go to Frank Family winery as another unique winery and we enjoyed their wines very much as well.
We then went onto the Castello de Amorosa, an actual castle built from stone brought over from Italy along with the men who built it. It took 14 years and $30 million. It had great rooms, libraries, as well as dungeon and torture chambers. This guy really was a “unique individual”. The wines were mediocre although there was one reserve we liked.
Our original plan was to have lunch at Taylor’s Automatic but it was way too cold and rainy so at Jason’s suggestion, we went to Market for lunch. Todd had what he thought was one of the top 5 burgers of his life. I got the mac and cheese (yes, carb loading was the order of the day and required!). We each shared our dishes as usual and off we went to the next winery which was Honig. This is also a boutique winery that had some very nice wines.
Our last stop was at the Del Dotto winery (and now it must be evident to you why Todd hired a car today) and we did barrel tasting here. Their wines were incredible -- or we were mighty tipsy. We’ll know for sure when we drink the wines we purchased. This was one of our most informative tours and the guide was very knowledge. They taste wine right out of the barrel and if you like it they send it to you when they bottle it. They do some pretty impressive things with cabs. Like bottle it in 3 different kinds of oak so you can see how the oak changes the wine. They produce 107 wines/year Highly recommended. Except I got myself in the dog house a bit by buying a really expensive wine. ut oh....
Back at the hotel, we changed for dinner and went to Bar Vino for dinner where we shared some tapas. Very few people were out this day probably because of the bad weather but we certainly enjoyed the attention of the wait staff and the food was great.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Healdsburg to Calistoga, CA
Today we started out at the French Bakery in town known for the breads and you could smell the ovens going when you walked in the door. Todd ordered the breakfast sandwich which did not disappoint and I ordered the pan perdue which did. It was apparent the bread was good but it was very dry.
From there, we did a tour of the Jordan Estate which was beautiful. The grounds were pristine and the tasting room for us was a sit-down tasting with food pairings. They showcased their wine very well and we walked out with a few tucked under our arm.
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From there, we did a tour of the Jordan Estate which was beautiful. The grounds were pristine and the tasting room for us was a sit-down tasting with food pairings. They showcased their wine very well and we walked out with a few tucked under our arm.
From there we visited Ferrari Carano, Ridge and Alexander Valley before heading to Calistoga. Here we checked in to Dr. Wilkinson’s Motel and Spa. We got a room on the second floor which shielded us from the traffic below and has the same amenities as our previous room although a bit bigger. We dropped our bags and went to investigate Calistoga to see how much had changed since our last visit. Of course, our favorite B&B was sold and is now quite remodeled with a high price tag on a room for the night as well as some of our favorite restaurants. I guess you have to expect change in a tourist town after more than a decade later.
For dinner this eveningwe went to JoLe and shared plates that were wonderful along with pichet's of wine. A nice cap to theendoftheday.
Bodega Bay to Healdsburg, CA
Today was a great day that started with watching the seals fish while eating breakfast in Bodega Bay. We then made our way up to the Redwoods in Armstrong State Park and went for one of the quiestest walks I’ve ever taken in Mother Nature. We walked among the tall Redwoods some more than 300 years old and of such majestic beauty when we spoke, it felt disrespectful. It was beautiful.
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From there, we went to Luther Burbank Home & Gardens. He’s the “Bur” part of Burpee and hybridizer of beautiful flowers. He is most famous for the Shasta daisy but also hybrid roses too which most were in bloom and lovely. We marveled at the canna growing easily above 12 feet tall and she said they were in zone 15. I find that hard to believe but perhaps there is a microclimate in there that I’ll look into later. It is definitely Mediterranean type of weather as this reminds me of winter in Greece.
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From there we went to Kendall Jackson—not to taste the wine but to view the gardens which were quite pretty.
Other wineries we stopped at included Martinelli, Hop Kiln, Thumbprint, Stephen & Walker. All in all, we bought over 2 cases of wine the first day. At this rate, we’re going to have 18 cases of wine if we’re careful. :) We’re staying at a quaint ‘50’s motel tonight. It met our needs, Spartan with wine glasses, a small frig, clean sheets and clean bathroom.
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Dinner was at Dry Creek Kitchen, a Charlie Palmer restaurant. We did the tasting menu and each course was wonderful. My favorites were the faro, smoked salmon and filet mignon.
From there we stopped at Korbel, supposedly for our picnic fixings and ended up buying a few bottles of wine not available outside of the winery and then off to Iron Horse. We then went to visit Halberg Butterfly garden but since the sun wasn’t out for a few days, the keeper said the butterflies didn’t survive. She was a sweet lady who offered to give us a tour of the flora but we decided to pass and let the lady get out of the rain. She was sweet and I hope we remember to come back on our next trip.
From there, we went to Luther Burbank Home & Gardens. He’s the “Bur” part of Burpee and hybridizer of beautiful flowers. He is most famous for the Shasta daisy but also hybrid roses too which most were in bloom and lovely. We marveled at the canna growing easily above 12 feet tall and she said they were in zone 15. I find that hard to believe but perhaps there is a microclimate in there that I’ll look into later. It is definitely Mediterranean type of weather as this reminds me of winter in Greece.
Other wineries we stopped at included Martinelli, Hop Kiln, Thumbprint, Stephen & Walker. All in all, we bought over 2 cases of wine the first day. At this rate, we’re going to have 18 cases of wine if we’re careful. :) We’re staying at a quaint ‘50’s motel tonight. It met our needs, Spartan with wine glasses, a small frig, clean sheets and clean bathroom.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
San Francisco to Bodega Bay, CA
What a great start to a vacation. I got in yesterday morning to meet with the bosses. Great to see them and made quick work of a newsletter design. Then the vacation began sharing a glass of wine with them at the Cafe de Presse, a nice French cafe by Chinatown.
We went our separate ways and I thought I'd try to make it Bar Jules for a bite to eat-as it gets rave reviews. The neighborhood our hotel was in felt a bit shady at dusk (no pun intended) and I headed back waiting for Todd. His plane ran late, I fell asleep, he went for mediocre tacos someplace unremarkable (except for the mediocre tacos), also thought it was a bit shady and came back to the hotel.
The next morning I used my trusty dusty Urban Spoon application (thanks Jay!) and found a little breakfast place around the corner called Taylor Street Coffee Shop. Just a whole in the wall with a line around the corner and the most awesome crab omelet made with garlic butter Todd's ever had. I did not order anything "Californian' but my standard breakfast was still great. We both highly recommend this place but come prepared to wait. It's listed in the Michelin Guide we found out so at least you'll be waiting in an international group.
We then walked to the Hertz Rent-A-Car 3 blocks away and realized we were in the Tenderloin District (see "shady neighborhood" reference above). Quickly got our car, and crossed the Golden Gate bridge onto what is truly the crookedest street in the world...in Marin County.
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The drive along Highway 1 was beautiful and we poked along the way stopping at small towns and beautiful vistas. We passed Bodega Bay headed up to Fort Ross but we decided to turn back and enjoyed a leisurely trip back the half hour or so. A great start to a lovely vacation.
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We went our separate ways and I thought I'd try to make it Bar Jules for a bite to eat-as it gets rave reviews. The neighborhood our hotel was in felt a bit shady at dusk (no pun intended) and I headed back waiting for Todd. His plane ran late, I fell asleep, he went for mediocre tacos someplace unremarkable (except for the mediocre tacos), also thought it was a bit shady and came back to the hotel.
The next morning I used my trusty dusty Urban Spoon application (thanks Jay!) and found a little breakfast place around the corner called Taylor Street Coffee Shop. Just a whole in the wall with a line around the corner and the most awesome crab omelet made with garlic butter Todd's ever had. I did not order anything "Californian' but my standard breakfast was still great. We both highly recommend this place but come prepared to wait. It's listed in the Michelin Guide we found out so at least you'll be waiting in an international group.
We then walked to the Hertz Rent-A-Car 3 blocks away and realized we were in the Tenderloin District (see "shady neighborhood" reference above). Quickly got our car, and crossed the Golden Gate bridge onto what is truly the crookedest street in the world...in Marin County.
Note that the Golden Gate Bridge isn't tilting, its the photographer....
The drive along Highway 1 was beautiful and we poked along the way stopping at small towns and beautiful vistas. We passed Bodega Bay headed up to Fort Ross but we decided to turn back and enjoyed a leisurely trip back the half hour or so. A great start to a lovely vacation.
Our first stop along the Highway.
These rocks dusted the coast all the way up. We love the caves!
A blare of red against the rock and clouds. It was striking.
Bodega Bay
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