Before I go into our adventures in Wine Country, I have to tell you about the breakfast provided at the Napa River Inn, which is prepared fresh by Sweetie Pies in the hotel complex. When we checked in, we were given cards to hang outside our door by midnight to request our breakfast for the next morning. The picture to the right is a picture of a breakfast for two (we probably could have just shared ONE of the breakfasts!). We each got a choice of a pastry or bun, a choice of a breakfast croissant or parfait or quiche, AND a choice of fresh-squeezed juice or fruit. It was all very delicious! It was great to be able to have a leisurely breakfast in the room and not have to find a restaurant first thing in the morning.
After breakfast, we
drove out to Sonoma County, which people claim has "better" wineries. I think by "better" people mean less commercialized and more of what a true winery should be. I chose to go to Benziger in Glen Ellen, because they offer a tour on a tram pulled by a tractor, and they are known for their commitment to being green. While this tour was enjoyable, we liked Beringer better. Beringer seemed more interesting and the people there seemed friendlier.
The Benziger tour started with a tour of the vineyards. We stopped and got out of the tram to look over the vineyards toward Mt. Sonoma, and got a quick lesson on the types of soil and why it's good for different types of wine grapes. The tour continued by showing us some of the machinery used to process the grapes, including a tour of their wine caves. Some of the facts provided to us were similar to what we learned during the Beringer tour. The tour culminated with a tasting of two wines in a special tasting room. We were given the option to taste two more wines on our own in the tasting room, but we needed to make a lunch reservation in Santa Rosa, about 30 minutes away.
I made a lunch reservation at a restaurant called Syrah. I chose it based on good r
eviews, and because I could make a reservation on Open Table. The restaurant was very interesting in it's decor inside and out. The building was covered with vines, and the inside was somewhat artsy and just interesting in general. For example, while looking around, I noticed a Pillsbury Dough Boy resting on the beams.
While the food was pretty good, something about the restaurant disappointed me a bit. I think it was the service, which kind of made me feel as though they catered more to locals than tourists. I also didn't like how our waiter immediately took our wine list away because we ordered iced teas, without even asking if we still wanted to look at the wine list. Too bad, his loss. I probably would have ordered wine had he left the wine list.
Our entrees were a pork, pork, and more pork sandwich, which was an open faced sandwich with pork loin, bacon, and chorizo, topped with a fried egg, and the housemade ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese and topped with a tomato-based sauce. Both were good, although not as good as the dinners we had in Napa. If I returned to this area, I would look for another place to have lunch.
After lunch, we hop
ped back in the car again for a quick drive to the Charles M. Schultz Museum, also located in Santa Rosa. I have to say that although the entire trip was memorable, this was probably the greatest find. I found myself emotionally overwhelmed by Charles Schultz's contributions to the community which will remain his legacy for generations to come.
We spent 2-3 hours in this area, first exploring the museum, which housed memorabilia, original art, and an exhibit of various Peanuts comic strips. There was also an outdoor area which included more original art and a kite-eating tree.
After the museum, we walked across the street to a Snoopy Gift Shop. We didn't find as much stuff to buy as I thought, but it was still worth a visit. Next to the Gift Shop is a skating rink called Snoopy's Home Ice. The Warm Puppy Cafe, where Charles Schultz spent time almost every day, is located here. We joked that the Warm Puppy Cafe might've been a better lunch choice! We did stop there to pick up drinks and take a quick peek at people skating, before driving back to Napa via Calistoga and the Silverado Trail, which is parallel to the major road there.
Dinner that night was at Celadon, which was most excellent! I read that their calamari appetizer was very good, and it was. It was cooked perfectly and seasoned nicely, and was interestingly served with Japanese ginger, like the kind they give you with sushi. The ginger was a nice complement! Our entrees were a flank steak served with mashed potatoes and yellow and green beans (a special), and achiote rubbed duck served with a corn and bacon risotto. The duck was so awesome! The skin reminded me a bit of a nicely crusted prime rib, and it was nice and crispy with a very thin layer of fat that kept the meat moist.
Celadon was a great way to cap off a nice stay in Napa before we headed back to the City of San Francisco!
After breakfast, we
drove out to Sonoma County, which people claim has "better" wineries. I think by "better" people mean less commercialized and more of what a true winery should be. I chose to go to Benziger in Glen Ellen, because they offer a tour on a tram pulled by a tractor, and they are known for their commitment to being green. While this tour was enjoyable, we liked Beringer better. Beringer seemed more interesting and the people there seemed friendlier.The Benziger tour started with a tour of the vineyards. We stopped and got out of the tram to look over the vineyards toward Mt. Sonoma, and got a quick lesson on the types of soil and why it's good for different types of wine grapes. The tour continued by showing us some of the machinery used to process the grapes, including a tour of their wine caves. Some of the facts provided to us were similar to what we learned during the Beringer tour. The tour culminated with a tasting of two wines in a special tasting room. We were given the option to taste two more wines on our own in the tasting room, but we needed to make a lunch reservation in Santa Rosa, about 30 minutes away.
I made a lunch reservation at a restaurant called Syrah. I chose it based on good r
eviews, and because I could make a reservation on Open Table. The restaurant was very interesting in it's decor inside and out. The building was covered with vines, and the inside was somewhat artsy and just interesting in general. For example, while looking around, I noticed a Pillsbury Dough Boy resting on the beams.While the food was pretty good, something about the restaurant disappointed me a bit. I think it was the service, which kind of made me feel as though they catered more to locals than tourists. I also didn't like how our waiter immediately took our wine list away because we ordered iced teas, without even asking if we still wanted to look at the wine list. Too bad, his loss. I probably would have ordered wine had he left the wine list.
Our entrees were a pork, pork, and more pork sandwich, which was an open faced sandwich with pork loin, bacon, and chorizo, topped with a fried egg, and the housemade ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese and topped with a tomato-based sauce. Both were good, although not as good as the dinners we had in Napa. If I returned to this area, I would look for another place to have lunch.
After lunch, we hop
ped back in the car again for a quick drive to the Charles M. Schultz Museum, also located in Santa Rosa. I have to say that although the entire trip was memorable, this was probably the greatest find. I found myself emotionally overwhelmed by Charles Schultz's contributions to the community which will remain his legacy for generations to come.We spent 2-3 hours in this area, first exploring the museum, which housed memorabilia, original art, and an exhibit of various Peanuts comic strips. There was also an outdoor area which included more original art and a kite-eating tree.
After the museum, we walked across the street to a Snoopy Gift Shop. We didn't find as much stuff to buy as I thought, but it was still worth a visit. Next to the Gift Shop is a skating rink called Snoopy's Home Ice. The Warm Puppy Cafe, where Charles Schultz spent time almost every day, is located here. We joked that the Warm Puppy Cafe might've been a better lunch choice! We did stop there to pick up drinks and take a quick peek at people skating, before driving back to Napa via Calistoga and the Silverado Trail, which is parallel to the major road there.
Dinner that night was at Celadon, which was most excellent! I read that their calamari appetizer was very good, and it was. It was cooked perfectly and seasoned nicely, and was interestingly served with Japanese ginger, like the kind they give you with sushi. The ginger was a nice complement! Our entrees were a flank steak served with mashed potatoes and yellow and green beans (a special), and achiote rubbed duck served with a corn and bacon risotto. The duck was so awesome! The skin reminded me a bit of a nicely crusted prime rib, and it was nice and crispy with a very thin layer of fat that kept the meat moist.
Celadon was a great way to cap off a nice stay in Napa before we headed back to the City of San Francisco!
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