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20 June 2021, 06:45 AM | #1 |
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Napa, Sonoma, Monterey Recommendations
Just booked an 11 night trip in September to San Francisco and Monterey/Carmel. This is actually a re-book of a trip we were planning a little over a year ago and then COVID hit. We will spend 2-3 days in Napa and Sonoma and 4 nights in Monterey. The rest of the time will be in San Francisco.
I know there are plenty of TRF members here who have done this type of trip before and I’m looking for your recommendations on "must do’s" while we’re there. Specifically, I’m looking for some great dinner experiences in these areas. What say you? Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts! |
21 June 2021, 12:25 AM | #2 |
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We did Napa a few years ago for a long weekend. We ate at Chops one night and Morimoto another night. Both meals were good and I’d go there again.
The one good thing we did in Napa was hire a local who arranged all our tastings and drove us around. There were 4 of us and we paid $500 per day which included transportation and all tasting fees. We had him for 2 days and it made the trip a lot less stressful trying to pick out places to go. I know I’ve recommended him to others on here as well and they had great experiences as well. If you want his name, feel free to send me a PM. I’m hoping he’s still around for the next time we’re out there. |
21 June 2021, 12:46 AM | #3 |
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I'm not a foodie but one of the best meal I've ever had is Auberge de Soleil in Napa/Rutherford. It's up on a hill overlooking the world.
I lived in Sonoma County for a long time and places in Sonoma and Napa counties like Healdsburg, Calistoga, Sonoma, Napa, St Helena, are fun towns to walk around in. Or rent bicycles and ride around. The Sonoma County backroads are fun to drive around in as well. There are literally hundreds of wineries scattered through all of Sonoma County. Napa is more of a relatively small valley with two roads running parallel with world class wineries along the way. The best part of both places is getting off the main roads and discovering on your own. If you stick to the main highways you are missing everything. And both Sonoma and Napa counties are only a few miles apart. There is also Safari West on a road connecting the two. https://www.safariwest.com/
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21 June 2021, 12:52 AM | #4 |
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Definitely Bottega in Yountville. Then in Pebble beach try the restaurant the Bench. Roys is also great there. These are my picks
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21 June 2021, 03:39 AM | #5 | |
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The Bench was already on my radar, you confirmed it. I looked up Bottega on Yelp. Looks great and I will pursue it. I’m considering the French Laundry as well. Any comments on that? |
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21 June 2021, 03:42 AM | #6 | |
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In addition to restaurants I’m looking for 2-4 wineries to target while I’m in the area. No more than 2 in a day. Any ideas on which ones are known to provide a superior experience? |
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21 June 2021, 03:44 AM | #7 | |
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My partner is interested in a train ride (3 hours) excursion thru Napa. Not sure if that’s a good use of time or not. |
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21 June 2021, 05:38 AM | #8 |
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Honestly you are going to spend $1,500 to $2,500 and you will feel ripped off. Its just ok. In SF I would try Angler, Rich table, House of Prime Rib.
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22 June 2021, 04:06 AM | #9 | |
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Thanks for the SF suggestions! |
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22 June 2021, 05:33 AM | #10 |
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French Laundry is little more than bragging rights, I would likely never go back and can't recommend it as a value/price experience - or even close to that.
There is a wine/lunch train ride through Napa that some folks enjoy. It's a bit different, but if you just talk and eat you have missed the actual view and flavor of the train.
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22 June 2021, 07:06 AM | #11 | |
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22 June 2021, 07:11 AM | #12 | |
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Napa is a valley and single road with wineries on each side, for the most part. Sonoma is on the other (coastal) side of the hills and is a mess of wineries that have their own roads and entrances and is more like being a mouse in a maze. If you are time constrained you may want to stay in Napa.
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22 June 2021, 08:39 AM | #13 | |
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22 June 2021, 08:42 AM | #14 | |
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22 June 2021, 09:52 AM | #15 |
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We did this exact trip last July for 7 days starting in Sonoma then Napa and finishing up in Monterey. Without a doubt, I would try to incorporate meals at the vineyards if you can. They have an amazing way to pair fine wines with exceptional chef offerings.
Perhaps the most impressive vineyard and pairings we experienced was at Palmaz Vineyard. Look it up, the story behind the vineyard coupled with the old school and new school way of aging is amazing. Food was off the charts. If you decide to go to this one specifically, see if they are doing the tours through the mountain because last July we were not able to experience that due to Covid. This particular vineyard was started by the heart surgeon from Argentina who invented the heart stint. He and his family invested in this vineyard many years ago and they literally tunneled a mile through a mountain as a natural way of aging and keeping their wines at a constant temperature. If you can, it's a must. |
22 June 2021, 09:53 AM | #16 |
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oh, one last thing while in Monterey. Bed and breakfasts in Pacific Grove are very romantic and be sure to take a trip down 17 Mile drive. It's heaven on earth.
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22 June 2021, 09:58 AM | #17 | |
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Monterey has been on my radar for many years. The 17 Mile Drive is almost a bucket list item for me and I’m greatly looking forward to it. I’ll look into the winery you suggest. I’ll probably have 2 or 3 dinners in that area and I would like one of them to be at a winery. |
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22 June 2021, 10:00 AM | #18 |
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Looking up these places now! I’ll definitely be getting to Carmel as I’ve heard so many great things about it.
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22 June 2021, 02:50 PM | #19 |
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22 June 2021, 10:26 PM | #20 |
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Skip San Francisco, extend your wine county trip. Reservations are critical, book everything, as soon as you can.
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22 June 2021, 11:40 PM | #21 | |
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Dragon Beaux in San Francisco if you like Chinese food/Dim Sum. This place is always packed, at least before Covid, so go early. Have fun on your trip. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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22 June 2021, 11:59 PM | #22 |
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I dont have any recommendations for food but when in Carmel, you must stop in at Fourtané. You may get lucky and find a new Rolex in the case (Probably not) but their vintage case always has some prime pieces for sale. Always worth a look to see whats new and exciting. Their webpage usually doesnt show everything they have on display.
https://www.fourtane.com/product-cat...vintage-rolex/
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23 June 2021, 03:23 AM | #23 | ||
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23 June 2021, 04:29 AM | #24 |
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OK I'll be the dissenting view on the French Laundry LOL no disrespect to Larry or Danny, but the TFL was a remarkable experience for my wife and I both times we ate there. A lot of people don't care for it, it is stuffy and its long, if you do the tasting menu it can be over three hours. But the food, the wine list, the ambiance and setting its REALLY hard to match. I know its no longer thought of as the top spot, but its just so fun and beautiful. We love it! Expensive, drawn out, but elegant and very well done. I don't mind paying for that every once in a while.
Wineries are very tough these days, not just with COVID being over and everyone rushing to book visits but a lot of places have stopped booking visits all together and aren't being clear about when they will begin again. Do you have anyone you deal with regularly in the on or off premise businesses near your home? They can most likely be your best connection to gaining entrance to the hard to get or fully booked wineries.
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23 June 2021, 07:42 AM | #25 | |
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Did Sterling get rid of the gondolas that used to go up and change to a tram? That's a bummer if so. |
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23 June 2021, 07:56 AM | #26 |
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I want to say there was a guy on here a while back, that had some really good connections and hooked up a member with some really cool experiences in Napa. Hopefully he comments. I don't post enough to know who it was, but he came into a thread saying he can do all of this stuff, and sure enough, he came through. I thought to myself, wow, that was really cool.
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23 June 2021, 01:35 PM | #27 |
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Far Niente
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24 June 2021, 02:50 AM | #28 |
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PM me if you want recommendations around the Healdsburg area. It is our favorite wine country destination and we have been coming here for 20 years.
We are here now actually. Reservations are mandatory at present and we have seen many people turned away who were not aware of this beforehand.
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24 June 2021, 03:12 AM | #29 |
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+1 Bottega.
If you want something really off the beaten path down to Monterey from SF / Wine Country... Goto Phil's Fish Market in Moss Landing for a rustic experience. There's really only 1 item that is exceptional, that item being their Cioppino in a bowl (comes with a huge salad). I skip just about everything else. Featured like a decade ago with Bobby Flay on a TV show, a hidden gem among Bay Area residents. For a fine dining experience en route to Monterey, Manresa in Los Gatos is top notch (pricey) if they are open. Beautiful downtown to walk around before or after as well. |
1 October 2021, 02:13 AM | #30 |
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I wanted to update this thread as we just returned from our trip. I tried to incorporate as many of the suggestions as I could into our itinerary.
In Yountville we did end up going to The French Laundry for dinner. It was quite an experience and the first time either of us has ever dined at a Michelin rated restaurant. I’m glad I did it and, for a 1X experience, it was worth it. Here’s a pic from that evening. Unfortunately, I had to cancel my reservation at Bottega because it fell on the same night I had gotten in at TFL. Oh well, next time. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk |
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