WinoGina's Profile
Best picnic spot on Spring Mtn in Napa??
Hi! We will be visiting Napa/Sonoma for several days in mid-October and are hoping the weather will cooperate for some picnic lunches. We usually avoid visiting this area during busy seasons (fall) and on weekends, but a couple of business trips have left us with these days available. We are planning to visit some "off-the-beaten-path" places to avoids crowds and have gotten some great suggestions from this list. We have decided to spend one day on Spring Mountain in Napa and would like a recommendation about the best winery for a picnic. Right now, I am considering Schweiger and Pride, but am open to other suggestions. Looking for a great view and clean comfortable picnic accommodations at a friendly winery. Thanks for your assistance!
SA-Best Restaurants with Kids
Ok, good to know. Thanks. We also have found that early dinners at nicer places are best with children. We may just give Pesca a try.
SA - Local Pizza?
I will be visiting San Antonio next week with my family and we are interested in finding a great local pizza place. Local to San Antonio or Texas, at least something we can't find in the midwest. We prefer thin-crispy crust, but are willing to try any great local pies! :) We are staying west of downtown inside the 410 loop. Thanks!
SA-Best Restaurants with Kids
Really? Pesca is OK for kids. From the website, it looks pretty upscale. I am sure my husband and I would love it, but would a six-year-old would fit in well there. Thanks.
SA-Best Restaurants with Kids
My husband and I will be visiting San Antonio in June with our 6-year-old son. This trip will be our first week-long vacation with all three of us. We will be staying at a vacation rental with good access to downtown area and River Walk. We will also be spending time at the ususal kid-tourist areas (SeaWorld, Zoo, NaturalBridge, etc). Our son is not too picky and will eat most foods as long as they are not too spicey. We want to avoid large chains and are looking for fun atmosphere and great food that we can only get in Texas! I look forward to your suggestions.
Thanks, from a Midwest Chowhound
Napa dinner for the unadventurous?
I could use some advice about selecting a Napa area restaurant for a trip in April. I have read many many posts and recommendations on other threads, but my needs are kind of different. I love to try new and different restaurants (i.e. Ubuntu), but my husband is not a very adventurous diner.
We have enjoyed meals at The Girl and The Fig in Sonoma and Mustards Grill in Yountville. This trip we already have reservations at The General's Daughter in Sonoma, but I just can't settle on a Napa restaurant that I think my husband will enjoy.
I am looking for a place that utilizes local ingredients, is quintessential "wine country" dining, and has a very pleasant atmosphere. I am considering Martini House, Angele (although it may be too "French" to suit my husband), and maybe ZuZu (not really "wine country" cuisine) or Bistro Don Giovanni. I think Pilar would have been great, too bad it is currently closed for reconstruction according to their website. My husband would be fine with going back to Mustard's, but I kind of want to try something else. Any other suggestions?
We have not been to Sonoma/Napa in April before. We usually visit on weekdays in the winter to aviod the crowds. This trip is an add-on to a business trip, so we will be there over a weekend, too. How busy are wineries and restuarnts in mid-April on the weekends? Does the Sonoma Film Festival bring a lot of people to the area? Is there a chance for outdoor evening dining that time of year?
I would also be interested in hearing your winery choices for best unoaked white wines. Since it is fairly easy to find great red wine in Napa and Sonoma, it would be interesting to hear from those white wine fans out there! Thanks.
Gina
mid-west chowhound
STL - favorite outdoor dining?
The weather has finally turned fall-ish in St. Louis and I am ready for a pleasant dinner outdoors. One of my favorite outdoor dining venues was Aqua Vin, although the food was rarely great, the patio with the waterfall was very peaceful. Now that they are closed I am looking for some other good choices. 1111 Mississippi and Vin De Set are certainly good options. How about some other suggestions? Has anyone been to Gardens at Malmaison? It seems like it gets bad reviews, but I have not read anything recent. What are your favorite STL outdoor dining locations and why? I would especially like to find some places in West County. Thanks!
Picnic Supplies in Solvang?
We plan to visit Solvang on Tue or Wed of our Mon-Fri stay. We avoid wineries on the weekends when vacationing... :) Hopefully even during harvest the scene will be a little more peaceful during mid-week and maybe we can hit Rick's for dinner if the timing works out. Thanks for mentioning Babcock - I would have missed that one.
Picnic Supplies in Solvang?
Wow, that torta rustica sounds awsome! Thanks for adding that suggestion.
Picnic Supplies in Solvang?
Thanks for the suggestions. LO Grocery seems to be the most recommended, so will try to work that in. Jocko's is definately our preference over McLintock's if we are up for steaks and the wait is not too long. We expect to be there on Tuesday or Wednesday, so hope the wait won't be awful. We are also planning to visit all of the Edna Valley wineries you mention on another day of our vacation!
Picnic Supplies in Solvang?
Hello Calfornia ChowHounds! I am a MidWest Hound planning a Central Coast California vacation for my husband and I in October. We are planning to spend a morning in Solvang, pick up a picnic lunch, and visit a few wineries on our way back up to Shell Beach where we are staying. I could use recommendations on where to get picnic supplies, favorite winery picnic locations, and where to have dinner on our way back.
I just learned that Epicurian Picnic in Solvang has recently closed. It was my first choice for picnic supplies, but I understand there are other cheese shops in town. We would prefer cheese, sausage, bread type fixings, but would consider good sandwhiches, too (Panino?).
We are fans of Sav Blanc wine and are interested in visiting some of the top Sav Blanc producers in the Santa Ynez Valley. Gainey and Brander have been recommended to us. Any other suggestions?
As for dinner on the way back to Shell Beach, Chef Rick's, Wine Cottage Bistro, Jocko's or F.McLintocks are on our list of options - thanks to previous threads. I'd love to hear your recent experiences with any of these or others that I might have missed.
I look forward to your recommendations! Thanks in advance.
