Sonoma Bound

 I am off to celebrate my lovely friend's "last fling before the ring" aka her bachelorette bash in Sonoma.
I think we may have watched The Sweetest Thing one too many times in our apartment senior year because we decided to "road trip" it up there.
I am not a road trip girl by any means, but I don't get to see my college friends nearly enough so I couldn't say no to hours (and hours and hours) of catching up and reliving our "glory days."


I am loving all the wedding events as of late, because they are the perfect excuse for some luxurious girl time. I have no doubt we will pick up exactly where we left off. Drinking wine, playing Apples to Apples and laughing our faces off. Pair that with a limo, some delicious meals and Sonoma wineries and this weekend will surely be unforgettable.

Napa Recap, Part Two: The Food

Recapping our trip to Napa without discussing the food would be amiss. Especially since one of our dinners is in the running for best meal of my life.
I enthusiastically vouch and highly recommend every restaurant listed below.

Hog Island Oyster Co. at Oxbow Market, Napa

I am huge oyster fan, and it just doesn't get any better than Hog Island. They have six (or so) different oysters to choose, from all over the world (or country?). I go with the sampler platter and sit at the raw bar because I like to watch the shucking take place, and learn a bit about the different types. We typically also order the clam chowder and grilled cheese, since both are out of this world. Oxbow Market is a foodie's paradise- restaurants, gourmet food stands and other food related paraphernalia  enclosed in a giant warehouse (there is probably a better word than warehouse, but I'm going blank right now).  You can eat in at Hog Island or the Corner Door (I've heard great things, but haven't been able to tear myself was from Hog Island to try it) or get sandwiches, gourmet cheeses and charcuterie to have a picnic. Gott's Roadside is located next door if you're in the mood for a burger and killer onion rings. This is my top lunch pick for Napa Valley! (Also, the Hog Island San Francisco in the Embarcadero is just as phenomenal.)

The French Laundry, Yountville
Dining at The French Laundry has been a dream of mine for years. I ventured so far as to say it was my goal to eat there before I turned 30. Apparently I made an impression on my managers, who surprised Sean and me with a gift certificate for our wedding. I was so stunned when they handed me the card that I cried. (It was also my last day at work before our wedding so emotions were running high.)
Nonetheless, it took us eight months to use the gift (including making our reservation exactly two months prior, when the "books" open). Thanks to the godsend that is Amex platinum we were able to phone in our request early, and they did the heavy lifting to get our ideal time. French Laundry offers two dinner seatings, 5:45 & 9:30. It is a three to four hour dinner, so I was really hoping to get the earlier time. Luckily Amex came through for us again, and we ended up with my ideal slot on Friday evening. This was more than just a meal, it was the destination- we planned our trip around the experience.
So, after all that build up, how did it measure up?
Beyond words.
I can be a tough critic, especially when I have high expectations, and to be perfectly honest- I was a little worried that a restaurant with such a reputation wouldn't live up to my fantasies.
The good news is, it did! I quickly realized that when my imaginary BFF, Anthony Bourdain, calls a restaurant the "best in the world," along with Restaurant Magazine, and they maintain 3 michelin stars year after year- they know what they're doing. Every single bite of the nine course + meal was exceptional. However it is not just the food, it is the service that makes this restaurant truly brilliant. The space is small and extremely charming, housed in a stone cottage surrounded by gardens where they grow the majority of their vegetables and herbs. I was surprised by how intimate it all was. There were about sixteen tables (max) on two levels, and we were waited on by an extremely knowledge staff. We sat down at 5:45 and finished around 9:45- during the four hours, there was not a second of discomfort. It was pure pleasure. For some a four hour long dinner sounds like torture (my brother), but for me it was pure paradise.
At the end of our meal, as we were headed out, I asked the host if he would mind taking a photo of us. He said, why don't you guys come in to the kitchen and take a picture with the chef.
He escorted us through a hallway and in to every foodie's dream land- the kitchen of French Laundry. I tried to take it all in, but I think at that point I was just overwhelmed with happiness.
We were introduced to the chef de cuisine, David Breeden, and then posed for a photo.
And then I died of happiness. All in all, a perfect night and without a doubt the best meal of my life.

 

 

 

French Blue, St Helena

Great brunch spot. The patio has a beautiful fireplace and heated seats. I had the puttanesca baked farm eggs and a grapefruit mimosa. Sean had an epic Bloody Mary. I stole his pickled cauliflower!
This is a great place to fuel up for a day of wine tasting with a hearty breakfast and bit of a booze. 

Auberge du Soleil, Rutherford

There are quite a few great wineries up in Rutherford, but not many places to eat. The Auberge du Soleil is a fancy hotel with a Michelin star rated restaurant and less fancy (but still pricey) cafe with an unbelievable view. We stopped in for an afternoon snack. The weather was unbeatable and we sat outside with our friends, enjoyed a seafood platter, some flatbread with dips and a carafe of wine.  

Our friends, Heather & Ryan

Mustards Grill, Yountville

Sean has declared the Mongolian pork chop at Mustards to be on his list of last meal on earth foods. We can't come to Napa and not go to Mustards. The food is hearty and flavorful, the atmosphere is relaxed. It is the perfect spot to refuel after a long day of wine tasting. I particularly enjoy the crab cakes, the pulled pork sandwich and the onion rings. I’m not a pork chop fan, but I steal bites of Sean’s- it’s that good.

After recapping, it now makes sense why my pants are tight. It was worth it, but I should probably hit the gym! Everything in moderation, right? 

Napa Recap, Part One: The Wine

I'm just going to jump to the chase here. The food in Napa is amazing, the views are stunning, but the real draw is the wine. This was my third trip to Napa (fourth if you include Sonoma county as part of the region), and my favorite visit so far. Each time I learn something new and get to cover a little more ground. The more you know, the less lost you get, the more you appreciate the intricacy of the wine, all the hard work that goes in to producing such high caliber libations, your favorite regions and on and on. I'll try everything, but I'm not afraid to pour out what I don't like. I'm also able to explain to the tasting room pourers what I like. They are often more than happy to tailor the tasting to your specific taste. After all, they want to sell you wine. If  I'm receiving glasses of stainless steel barreled whites, I am unlikely to pull out my credit card. I have also learned to slow down. Sean and I laughed at how our pace has slowed over the years. In the "olden days" we visited six or seven tasting rooms a day. At this point, we found four wineries (with some good meals and plenty of water mixed in) per day to be our sweet spot.

So where did we end up?

Friday:

Stags Leap

ZD

Merryvale*

Jessup*

Saturday:

Rombauer

Duckhorn

Rutherford Hill

V Sattui

Sunday:

PlumpJack

Robert Sinskey

Cuvaison

Acacia

There were no real duds on this list. I genuinely enjoyed each and every winery. V Sattui is a bit tourist-y for my taste, but their Italian deli cannot be beat. They are located right in the heart of it all on St. Helena Highway, and their picnic grounds are perfect for relaxing with a bottle of zin, some crusty breads, salami and cheese.

Stags Leap was our first tasting of the trip and one of our favorites. We were huge fans of their wine before, and this visit only secured our loyalty. Having the opportunity to taste some of their more exclusive club offerings didn't hurt either. The tasting room attendant (sommelier?) was extremely knowledgeable about the region and explained to us the difference between older vines and newer. You could tell just how much he loved his job and Stags Leap wine, as he was excited to go dig up a bottle he thought I would particularly enjoy.

Ina Garten mentioned Robert Sinskey Vineyards on her blog last fall and I immediately made a mental note (and pinterest pin) to visit on our next Napa trip. I hadn't heard of RSV before, however an endorsement from Barefoot Contessa's is as good as gold, and upon researching they were described as a wine house for food lovers. The fate was sealed when the incredibly daunting wine list at The French Laundry arrived Friday night, and one of the less expensive wines listed was an RSV pinot noir. Trying a wine for the first time while consuming one of the most indulgent dinners of my life may have effected my opinion slightly, but our tasting did not disappoint and RSV ultimately ended up being my favorite winery of the trip.  Robert Sinskey's wife is a chef, and their wine tastings come with a small plate of food pairings.  I rarely drink red wine by itself so having a small plate of mini quiche, roasted almonds and some cheese goes a long way with me. Their wine club members are called Gluttons and each shipment arrives with recipes to accompany the wine. They also offer a farm to table tour, an hour and half of wine cave exploring, eating and drinking. I will be signing up for this next go around, I promise you that. All of this to say, if you are making a trip to the region, I highly recommend visiting RSV!

If you want to know more about any of the other wineries we visited, just let me know. I could talk at length about this stuff, but in the interest of brevity I'm sticking to my two favorites.
If you have any recommendations for wineries, or even just wine that can be purchased at Costco, please share!!

*We visited the tasting room (in St Helena & Yountville, respectively) not the actual vineyard. All of the other wineries listed were tasted (consumed?) at the "estate."

Chardonnay

This morning I was catching up on news, filling my daily Duchess of Cambridge quota, when I stumbled upon something special on What Kate Wore. Tell me I'm not the only one obsessed with all things Kate? 

I clicked over to Ladbroke’s, a site where one can put money down on when Will & Kate's much anticipated offspring will be born and what he or she will be named (who actually bets on this?). I love reading and thinking about names. I have had my future daughter's name picked out for years (don't you dare touch it, Kate!). I love reading the annual name popularity lists and hearing what people name their children. 

So I was excited to see a chart with some of the names favorited to "win." 

Elizabeth, Diana, George, John. Perfectly normal. 

And then I scrolled down a bit and noticed a true gem:

Her royal highness and the future queen could be named Chardonnay? Say what?!

And it reminded me of this one time I was watching the local news:

Amazing. Right?! Have I mentioned I love chardonnay?