Sonoma Is Calling

For all of Napa’s fame and much-feted wines, it can’t compel me the way that Sonoma does. Casual, welcoming, and much less pretentious, Sonoma welcomes you with great, affordable wines, beautiful scenery, friendly people, and fabulous food.

Russian River Wineries:

• Belvedere – Belvedere is one of the best picnic spots in all of wine country. A small winery, they’ve invested time and care into a lovely deck and native plants garden. There’s several picnic areas clustered around the tasting room, with fountains and an aqueduct wending its way through the grounds. Belvedere also offers live Jazz on some Saturdays during the summer. Their wines are good; I especially like the Riesling, and you can buy chilled bottles to enjoy with your picnic. http://www.belvederewinery.com/
• Korbel – I love the champagne, so this is a big hit. Tasting is free, but technically limited to four tastes. They have really nice grounds and a tour that I haven't had time to take before. They carry a much wider variety of Korbel champagnes than you can usually find in the store. My favorite is Korbel Sec, which is their last dinner champagne before you get to a dessert champagne. They also have a deck where you can eat and a nice deli. It's very pretty and worth the drive. http://www.korbel.com/
• Hop Kiln - Free tasting. Very casual setting in an old barn, with a picnic area outside with a duck pond. They offer chocolate to taste with their port and have several good reds and whites. Their ‘Thousand Flowers’ is especially tasty. Hop Kiln is always a fun place to stop. http://www.hopkilnwinery.com/
• Rabbit Ridge - on the road between Hop Kiln and Healdsburg, this winery specializes in reds and does a very good job. One of the best things is that they have great case specials on a regular basis, which make their low-to-mid-range reds very doable for everyday family wine that can also double as a bottle you would take to a party. I like the Dolcetto and Nebbiolo especially, but their other reds are good too. http://www.rabbitridgewinery.com/healdsburg.html

Sonoma & Healdsburg Wineries

• Ledson - This winery is in a fabulous noveau-Gothic home with very nice grounds. They have a picnic area and a good deli. They have a good selection of wines; we enjoyed all of the varieties that we bought. The staff is very courteous and the $5 tasting fee goes toward any bottle that you buy. http://www.ledson.com/
• La Crema – Located in downtown Healdsburg, La Crema is a little more formal tasting environment. However, the staff was very friendly and knowledgeable and the wines are excellent. The chardonnay is good and not your run-of-the-mill oaky, CA variety. I really liked (and bought) the Los Carneros Pinot Noir. The day we were there, they had hosted a wine club event and there were fabulous cheeses set out to enjoy with your tasting, as well as a sample of the pinot grapes. http://www.lacrema.com
• Ravenswood – Just northeast of the town of Sonoma, Ravenswood has a nice, fairly large tasting room and a patio overlooking their vineyards. The wines were good and affordable, and the staff was friendly even though we were tasting in the last half hour they were open. My one complaint is that they were busy and service was a little slow, but hey, the tasting is free, so we can’t complain. http://www.ravenswood-wine.com

Places to eat:

1. Dry Creek Kitchen - In Healdsburg, this restaurant is wonderful. It's a little posh, but they specialize in local ingredients. There are lots of nice touches, like soup between courses and petit fours with your check. If you go early, you can go pretty casual. http://www.hotelhealdsburg.com/home.php
2. El Dorado Kitchen – Located on the corner of Sonoma’s town square in the El Dorado Hotel, EDK is a casually elegant dining experience. I had a lobster risotto that was fabulous, desserts were excellent, and they had very interesting and tasty cocktails. I highly recommend it. http://www.eldoradosonoma.com/kitchen.htm
3. The Girl and the Fig – Just opposite EDK in downtown Sonoma, The Girl and the Fig is warm and inviting. The service is friendly and casual, and the menu has great dishes made with local ingredients. Portions were large and everything was very good. They have a nice bar area and cozy patio seating in the back. http://www.thegirlandthefig.com/html-sonoma/index.html
4. Cafe de la Haye -- It's a small place just off of Sonoma’s town square and is associated with a gallery. They do a great and very affordable brunch. http://www.sterba.com/sonoma/lahaye/
5. On the way back to the Bay Area, there are several restaurants that I like:
• Guaymas – Located on the waterfront in Tiburon, Guaymas has one of the best views of the San Francisco skyline. Their food is upscale Mexican and very good. I love the Camarones Rellenos, tamales and grilled seafood. You can also ride the ferry directly between Guaymas and San Francisco. http://www.guaymas.com/
• Poggio – Nice California - Italian on the main street in Sausaltio. Lovely, spacious dining room and very tasty food. http://www.poggiotrattoria.com/
• Margaritaville – Mexican food right on the marina in Sausalito. Casual, but pretty good. And, they have deck seating if the weather is nice.

Spoil Me

• The Sonoma Mission Inn is a place I could run away from home to. Located in the town of Sonoma and tucked away behind some rather unassuming buildings, the Mission Inn offers one of the best spa retreats I’ve experienced. Staff members are welcoming and friendly, rooms are large and spacious, and the grounds are gorgeous. We were greeted with Gloria Ferrer champagne; there’s evening wine and cheese tasting, as well as an outdoor wood fire for all guests to enjoy. The spa is set up so that you can enjoy most of your experience with your entire party, or enjoy your treatment in solitude. http://www.fairmont.com/sonoma

In Another Life, I lived in Napa

Whether it's golden mustard fields in February, the heat of midsummer, or the harvest's first crush, there are few places in California as beautiful as Napa. The food is as wonderful as the celebrated wines, and the valley itself is lovely enough to put you into a daydreaming mood. There are many, many places to try -- the suggestions below are simply a few personal favorites. Enjoy!

West Side Wineries:

• V. Sattui - this winery is near Rutherford on the west side of the valley. Their tastings are free and they have a good deli and picnic area. Their wines are not the most elegant, but there are many that I like and they're generous with their tastings. I especially like their dessert wines and Rieslings. http://www.vsattui.com/
• Niebaum-Coppala - This is Francis Ford Coppola's winery and was formerly the Inglenook winery, I believe. They charge for their tastings, but you get to keep the glass, which is etched with their crest. The grounds are nice and they have some fun memorabilia from Coppola's movies. I also really like their stone-ground mustards in the gift shop. http://www.niebaum-coppola.com/site.php
• Peju-Province - This winery is just north of Yountville on the west side. They have a really good French Columbard called "Carnival" that my whole family likes. Depending upon how busy they are, they do a pretty good job with their tastings and will sometimes give you chocolate with the reds or allow you to see the barrel room. I think that tastings are $5. Also important to note - Peju is one of the few wineries that offers tastings until 6pm daily. http://www.peju.com/

East Side (Stag's Leap) Wineries

• Rombauer - this is on the northeast side of the Napa Valley. Their tastings are free and they have fabulous Chardonnay and several excellent Zins. I reallly like their wine - it would be worth it to pay for the tasting, but you don't have to. It's also run by the family who wrote Joy of Cooking. Their materials say that you have to make an appointment; you can easily call and do so, but I've also never had any problem just showing up on a weekend to taste. They don't check for reservations. http://www.rombauervineyards.com/
• Duckhorn - Tastings are a little pricey at $10 for three wines, or $15 for five. However, the pours are more like a wine flight than a tasting, and they're served in a very nice setting -- seated tables with gourmet crackers, high ceilings, and a view over the vineyard. The winery is housed in a restored farmhouse and is more like visiting a lovely private home. Duckhorn is most famous for its Merlot, which was served at the Clinton White House, but all of the wines we tasted were good. In addition, Duckhorn generally pours wines that are $50/bottle and up, making the tasting fees even more reasonable. http://www.duckhornvineyards.com/
• Mumm - Mumm is a little more on the commercial side, but still a fun place to taste. Their champagne is very drinkable and affordable, and you can taste uncommon varieties at the winery that aren't readily available in grocery stores. I particulary liked the Cuvee M Red. They have a lovely patio area with seated tasting tables and a nice view out over the valley. Hourly tours are also available, should the mood strike you. http://mummnapa.com/
  

Places to eat:

1. Mustards - on the Bay Area top 100 list year after year, but casual enough that you can go in jeans for lunch or dinner. They have the best lemon-lime pie that I have ever tasted and I have never had a bad meal here. It's eclectic California cuisine with fresh, local ingredients. Very yummy and probably my most consistent favorite in Napa.
2. Rutherford Grill - Right near the turn-off for Niebaum, this is a leather-booth and woodsmoke kind of place that specializes in good steaks and BBQ, but like most good Bay Area restaurants does a good job with fish and salads, etc. Good for lunch or casual but very good dinner. They also have patio seating.
3. The California Culinary Academy - I have only eaten here once, but I had one of the best pasta dishes ever - silk handkerchief pasta with wild mushrooms - yum! Also they make fabulous Bellini's with real peach puree. They have a tasting menu prepared by the students. The menu is not very big and portions are modest but the food is always interesting and the setting is really nice. CIA also has a fun gift shop for cooking junkies.
4. Tra Vigne – Courtyard seating and lovely Italian meals made with local ingredients are the hallmarks of Tra Vigne. The proximity to downtown St. Helena is also nice for whiling away an afternoon or summer evening.
5. Pino Blanc – Pricey, but elegant French bistro fair is offered here. The inside is lovely, though they don’t make use of Napa’s lovely outdoor setting and views. The meal we had here was good, but somewhat expensive. I would go to the other restaurants on this list first.

Places to shop:

1. Napa Premium Outlets – Exit at First Street in Napa. Highlights are Coach, Nine West, BCBG, Max Studio, Kenneth Cole, Ann Taylor and Barney’s (which is unique in Northern CA). www.premiumoutlets.com/napa/
2. Downtown St. Helena – There are quite a few nice boutiques in downtown St. Helena. It’s a great place to stop and putter for a while or have a quick bite to eat.

Winery Maps: http://www.napavintners.com

Ode to Dim Sum

Oh little dumplings, soft and round
Custard, taro or char siu bao

Steaming gently in carts, on plates

Eagerly the table waits

Crispy, salty, suddenly sweet

Always, always too much to eat

Foreign scents, exotic sights

Rouse my tastebuds to ecstatic heights

Oh my, shu mai

Good grief, gin doi

What restraint I must employ

For sooner or later, I anticipate

They'll have to tally what I ate

Favorite Bay Area Dim Sum Restaurants:

Restaurant Peony, 388 9th St # 288, Oakland, (510) 286-8866
Koi Palace, Serramonte Plaza, Daly City, www.koipalace.com
Ton Kiang, 5821 Geary Blvd., San Francisco, www.tonkiang.net
Mayflower Seafood Restaurant, 6255 Geary Blvd, San Francisco, (415) 387-8338
Tin’s Tea House, 1829 Mount Diablo Blvd, Walnut Creek, CA, (925) 287-8288

The Low-Down On Paris

(notes from a trip in 2003)

Transportation: I definitely recommend the Paris Metro and RER trains. You can get daily or multi-day passes (Paris Visite) that are unlimited rides. The Metro is by-and-large safe, easy to use, and fast, and the network covers the whole city, the airports and Versailles.

"Must-See's":

· The Louvre -- do NOT miss the hallway leading up to the Mona Lisa itself. It is primarily religious art, but the colors are beautiful; that whole floor of the Louvre was my favorite -- it includes Winged Victory and several Botticellis. Expect to spend most of a day in the Louvre; I would go early in your trip, before you're tired of museums.

--> The Louvre has a couple of cafes on the balcony of the second or third floor. We ate outside at the one that's more of a restaurant; it would be on the left as you face the front of the Louvre. Lunch was good and the view is great; it would be a fun place even for a snack.

· The Musee d' Orsay: This museum has all of the Impressionist works in it, among other things. It is fabulous; I have pictures with me and my favorite Van Goghs, Renoirs and Monets - amazing. I would allow 3-4 hours at least.

· Tour Eiffel: We went to see the Eiffel Tower at night, ~9-11pm, and that was a great time to go. We got to see the sun set over Paris, and it was less crowded than during the day. It is breezy, but the day we were there it had been hot, so it was nice at night.

· Versailles: This is a day-trip. The train ride is ~45 minutes from Paris. There are 2 main tours of the palace, the King and Dauphin's Apartments, and the Queen's Apartments. When you get there, get in the shortest line and see that one first. Once you've purchased your ticket and seen the first exhibit, you can skip to the front of the line and go in a separate entrance for the second exhibit; it saves a lot of time. There are also vast gardens with the palace. We didn't have time to go, but they are supposed to be lovely. There is a tram that you can take to the main buildings in the garden.

· Notre Dame: This doesn't take long, but it is a beautiful cathedral. We did it on our first day, while we were still energetic, so we climbed all the way up the bell towers to the top. If you're up to it, the view is lovely and you get to see the bell and the gargoyles up close.

--> After you're done at Notre Dame, you can cross from Ille de la Cite to the Ille de St. Louis. Right where the bridge hits and to the right, there is a cafe that supposedly serves the best ice cream in Paris (Berthillion is the brand, I think). We ate there and it was yummy! I had Honey Nougat, I think, and it was wonderful.

· There are some "quaint" neighborhoods in Paris that you shouldn't miss as well; I liked them the best.

o Monmartre: (Made famous by the Moulin Rouge) The church at the top of the hill here is Sacre Coeur, which is beautiful. While we were there, the Nuns were singing; very lovely. As you face the church, to the left and around the corner, there is a square called "Place du Terte". It was one of my favorite spots in Paris. It is a good place to go to have an early dinner and people-watch. Also, there is a large number of street-artists, with water colors, etc. for sale. It is a bit touristy, but in the nicest way. The artists tend to leave around 5-6 pm; it may be later in the Summer. I would recommend La Mere Catherine as a restaurant; I liked their French Onion soup and Goat Cheese salad - desserts were also good.

o Le Marais (pronounced Ma-Ray): Originally the Jewish neighborhood, I thought this area had the best and most-unique shopping, along Rue de Rosiers and the surrounding streets is the best. There is a beautiful square called "Place des Vosges" that has art galleries, restaurants and the Victor Hugo museum. It is worth it to spend an afternoon wandering here and then go to dinner; do not miss it.

--> If you like tea AT ALL, or if you just like the food that goes with tea, do NOT miss Mariage Freres, #30 Rue de Bourg. I had sampled their tea in the States, but it is difficult to find. The experience of going to their tea shop was a lot of fun. I highly recommend their Croque Monsieur (fancy French-style cheese sandwich, but theirs has smoked salmon!), scones, and their Apricot tart. Their teas are wonderful; my favorite is called Pleine Lune, but they have hundreds of types. It is the oldest tea company in France. The tea house is open from 10:30 am to 7:30 pm daily.

o The Latin Quarter and Saint Germain are also worth visiting, but we spent less time there, so I do not have as many ideas for you.