|
You have one day to spend In Napa Valley. You are coming north
from the Bay-area and want to cram in food, wine, the Good
Life, and some terrific scenery.
The big hand is on Mickey's ear and the little hand is on
his tail; it is 8 am and you are just leaving Mill Valley,
Oakland, or even Union Square in the city.
9 am
You land in Yountville and have a Sunday-like breakfast at
Gordon's.
Everything is homemade. The buns, pastries and coffee cake
are worth the pit-stop; the eggs, pancakes and baby-flake
oatmeal are the foods of which legends, if not reputations,
are made.
10 am
The Robert
Mondavi Winery still offers the valley's most comprehensive
overview of winemaking. The one-hour tours, which depart on
the hour from the central courtyard can - and should - be
booked ahead. Each tour ends with a modest fillip of wine
and a complementary food pairing.
11.15 am
Head north on Highway 29, stopping at Cakebread
for some mighty fine wine tasting, OR at Niebaum-Coppola
for a visit to the most perfectly merchandised wine tasting
room in the valley. Be sure to see the Tucker car on the second
floor - featured in Coppola's film, Tucker. Peer in the car
window and check out the dashboard and remind yourself that
this car is nearly 55 years old - and yet it looks futuristic,
even today!
12.30 pm
Get back in your car and continue heading north. You have
a modest lunch at either Cantinetta
at Tra Vigne, OR you order the ahi tuna sandwich at Taylor's
Refresher across the street. If you dine at Cantinetta,
be sure to have a glass of wine that you can't find back home;
if you eat at Taylor's Refresher, order the espresso bean
milkshake, period.
1.30 pm
Head north on Highway 29, crossing the bridge into the tiny
hamlet of St. Helena (population 6,000). Park anywhere (lots
of spaces for two hours of free parking) and be prepared to
walk the two-block length of Main Street. Tourist highlights
include: Fideaux,
my favorite pet shop in the Bay-area, filled with novel treats
for Tabby and Rover, Patina
for its selection of estate jewelry, Cricket
for women's clothing, Goodman's
for the largest selection of Hawaiian shirts in the Bay-area,
and Keller's
Market, for the best selection of farmstead cheeses in
the Bay-area and home of the ilovenapa.com wine center - the
only place in the valley where you will find a selection of
the under-the-radar, small-production wines that we have discovered
and offer on line.
3 pm
If you have sufficient time, head north a few more blocks
and visit Beringer's
heritage winery. Depending on the season, there are special
tours, or just visit the tasting room.
Get back in your car; head south to Pope Street and turn
left, or east. Go to the famed Silverado Trail. Turn right.
Pick out a few of your favorite wineries to visit as you head
south. I love ZD
for the Cab, Chard and Pinot Noir; or head further south and
make a sweep of Stag's Leap District. Of particular merit
here are Pine
Ridge and Clos
du Val, whose wines I have been collecting for years.
If you are planning a one-day tour that includes dinners
in the valley, head back north to Yountville and dine at Bistro
Jeanty, Bouchon,
Mustards
Grill or Brix
- all personal favorites for different dishes (See my individual
Personal Favorite write-ups elsewhere on this site. Each has
a special dish that merits the visit and which should NOT
be missed.)
If you must be back to San Francisco, or points south, for
dinner, plan to return via the Carneros/101/Golden Gate Bridge
and stop for a late afternoon tipple of sparkling wine at
Domaine
Carneros, Taittinger's facility. Sitting on the terrace,
overlooking the vineyards, sipping the wine and (perhaps)
noshing on caviar - ahh! No better way to bring the curtain
down on your one-day excursion to Napa Valley.
On your return to San Francisco… if you are feeling
peckish around Mill Valley, get off Highway 101 at the last
exit before the city (Highway 1/Stinson Beach) and stop at
the Buckeye Roadhouse for the best pulled pork sandwich that
you have ever had (tied with the one served at Mustards Grill).
(If you swear that you have had a better one anywhere in the
United States… or on planet Earth, for that matter…
you are completely delusional and should not be allowed to
visit Napa Valley on your own.)
Alternate plan: stop at Bistro
Don Giovanni in Napa town and dine at one of my all-time
favorite restaurants in the valley. Everyone is made to feel
welcome, the food is fabulous and there are dishes that no
one does as well - see my personal favorites on the Bistro
Don Giovanni Index Card under the Best of Napa Valley section,
or searchable through the Jim's Personal Favorites list.
Good luck. Good travels. Good eatin' and drinkin'!
About the writer:
Jim White, is former food editor and restaurant critic for
one of the largest newspapers in North America.
Jim has written cookbooks, produced radio and TV programs
about food and wine and has written for numerous magazines.
As a consultant to the food and beverage industry, he has
developed, branded, and brought to market more than 4,000
premium products.
Jim moved to Napa Valley because he wanted to. His passion
for the valley, the people and the wines comes through in
his dispatches called "Postcard from Napa Valley."
Jim's observations about wines
he's tasted, or events that he's attended, may be useful to
help you plan your visit here. Use our website search engine
to find if he's written about a wine, a restaurant or an event
of interest to you.
Contact Jim at jim@ilovenapa.com
Read More Perfect
Days in Napa Valley
|
