stevenmargolis's Profile
Schwa phones disconnected?
The phone line is now up and operational. I got through and was able to make a reservation for June. Good luck.
Schwa phones disconnected?
Same issue. I have been calling for the last two weeks about a reservation in June, and spoke several times with someone at the restaurant, but each time was told they were not yet accepting reservations for June. On Thursday, the phone was working but I could not get through. On Friday, when I dialed, the response was that the phone has been temporarily disconnected. It is still "temporarily disconnected" as of 2 minutes ago (Monday morning). I guess, keep on trying.
Zero Otto Nove/Arthur Ave with kids in Dec?
Zero Otto Nove is definitely good and good for kids. You are probably also aware of Dominick's, about 1/2 block further down Arthur Avenue. Dominick's is totally different - long shared tables, cramped in a good way, no menus but they will tell you everything they have and they can make anything you want, and it is also good for kids. Totally different experience, but I like them both.
-----
Dominick's
2335 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
Zero Otto Nove
2357 Arthur Ave, Bronx, NY 10458
Sonoma Itinerary Recommendations (for next weekend!)
If you are at Sonoma Plaza on Saturday, consider stopping at Roessler Cellars. It is at 380 First Street West, about 50 yards off the corner of the plaza. Very good pinots. I note that 8 or 9 wineries in a day is very, very ambitious.
Dim Sum and XLB recommendations
On my last trip to the area, we flew into SFO then went straight to Zen Peninsula in Millbrae - big place, mostly Asian clientele, not much English spoken, order from the carts, very good. At the end of the trip, we drove down through Sonoma and stopped at Hong Kong Lounge on Geary Street - also big, mostly Asian clientele. Here, you order the dim sum off a printed menu, and they bring each dish to you when it is ready. The dim sum was great.
-----
Zen Peninsula
1180 El Camino Real, Millbrae, CA 94030
Hong Kong Lounge
5322 Geary Boulevard, San Francisco, CA 94121
Zinfandel in southern Sonoma/Napa counties
Hendry Wines is on Redwood Road in Napa. Many good wines, including 2 very good zins. Very interesting tour, usually with George Hendry, owner/winemaker.
Post-sedated and hungry: SF airport to Napa Valley lunch stop
Also in Millbrae, just about 2 miles from SFO, are some great dim sum choices -- Zen Peninsula (where we ate after flying in from NYC) and Asian Pearl. NOt as quick as In-N-Out, but it is really close to SFO.
-----
Zen Peninsula
1180 El Camino Real, Millbrae, CA 94030
Asian Pearl
3288 Pierce St, Richmond, CA 94804
"Obscure" wineries for Sonoma/Napa Tasting Trip
If you do go up Spring Mountain, you might as well stop at 2 wineries. In July, I visited both Terra Valentine and Pride. We liked Terra Valentine, but really liked Pride (see if you can meet/tour with Russell). Sounds like a Smith-Madrone and Pride combo would work just as well.
"Obscure" wineries for Sonoma/Napa Tasting Trip
I agree with Arnot-Roberts. They share a space/garage in Forestville with Wind Gap Winery (the winery of Pax Mahle). In July, we met with all the owners/winemakers -- Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Roberts along with Pax Mahle -- and tasted very good syrahs and cabs from both wineries. This is definitely off the beaten path but well worth it. We also are members at Williams Selyem and visited their new wine facility on West Side Road. Great facility, great wines, but I think it is only available to members, but probably worth a call to find out.
A little help needed to fill in some gaps on my Napa trip
I just got back from 3 nights at Solage in Calistoga and 3 nights at Hotel Healdsburg. I agree with having lunch at Solage prior to the Mudslides. Great pool area, too. If you get the chance, consider making an appointment at Hendry Wines in Napa, which has a variety of great and fairly priced wines and is a very fun and interesting tour. In Healdsburg, SpoonBar at the H2Hotel is great, or you may want to stop at someplace like J Winery (great wine/food pairing). You should expect at least 1 hour to drive from Healdsburg to Napa (probably less in the morning leaving Napa).
-----
Hotel Healdsburg
25 Matheson St, Healdsburg, CA
Clearwater Beach -- Good Choices for a Nice but Casual Dinner
I will be staying at the Sandpearl in Clearwater Beach for 2 nights in June. I am looking for a good, casual restaurant nearby. I will have a car, so anything with 5 miles is probably OK. Ideally, looking for something on the water and with good fish. The other postings are a little bit old, so any choices are welcome. Island Way Grill? Columbia?
-----
Island Way Grill
20 Island Way, Clearwater, FL 33767
A week in San Fran and Wine Country in early June - Help needed finalizing itinerary
Or the Fig Cafe, also in Glen Ellen. No corkage. Also, no reservations (I think).
great small boutique napa and sonoma wineries
In Napa, heading up Spring Mountain is good as there are many choices, e.g., Pride, Cain. On the other side of the valley, consider Viader on Howell Mountain, and to the south, just outside the town of Napa, consider Hendry.
In Sonoma, consider Walter Hansel, WesMar, Littorai, mostly in the Green Valley or Russian River Valley. In Forestville, you could try Arnot-Roberts and Wind Gap (Pax Mahle's new winery).
Almost all of these are by appointment only, but appointments were not difficult to get and did not require you to be a member of the wine club. Some have a fee, others none.
One day/night in Napa, March 2011
Lodging -- Somewhere in Yountville will accomplish lots of your objectives. Consider Villagio, Vintage In or Napa Valley Lodge -- all may be in the price range. Bardessono and Hotel Luca may be too expensive.
Lunch -- Pick up your picnic lunch at Oakville Grocery.
Wineries -- Start up in St. Helena and work your way back down. Cool way may be to head up Spring Mountain, with picnic at Schweiger. It is an appointment winery, but since the first of the day, you can control time. Other choices would be St. Clement or Flora Springs. Other choices (among hundreds) include Peju, Hall, on Rt. 29 or Plumpjack or Silver Oak on Silverado Trail. Loads of choices. If staying in Yountville, there are many choices in town, e.g., Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley, Girard, Jessup, none of which require driving.
Diiner -- Lots of great choices, all within walking distance. Redd is probably over your price point, Ad Hoc is perfect, as is Bouchon or Bistro Jeanty. Drinks are available in town as well (Hurleys?).
Winery on Way Back -- A favorite of mine is Hendry, in the town of Napa. However, an appointment is required (usually at 10:00 am or sometime in afternoon). If not willing to make an appointment, Cuvaison, Etude and loads of other choices (or Artesa for the view and art).
-----
Ad Hoc
6476 Washington St., Yountville, CA 94599
Bistro Jeanty
6510 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599
Oakville Grocery
124 Matheson St, Healdsburg, CA 95448
Bardessono
6526 Yount Street, Yountville, CA 94599
Bouchon
6534 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599
Christmas in the Keys
I agree with the recommendation of Alabama Jacks on the way down to the Keys. It is a fun diversion on the trip.
From Hawk's Cay, it is only about 5 - 10 minutes to Keys Fisheries in Marathon. Order at the wall and eat outside at the tables overlooking the small marina and the gulf.
Sonoma wine tasting recommendations (NOT Russian River Valley or Healdsburg)
Here are some suggestions for off-the-beaten path winereis, some close and some just a bit further but seemingly within your guidelines:
1. Roessler Cellars, right in the town of Sonoma, just off one-half block off Sonoma Plaza. Tasting room only. Very good pinots. No appointment needed.
2. Hendry Winery, 3104 Redwood Road, Napa. Great wines, including wonderful zins. Meet the owner/wineaker, George Hendry, who is wonderful. Need appointment.
3. Walter Hansel Winery, south of the city of Santa Rosa but technically, I believe, in Santa Rosa. Meet the owner/winemaker Stephen Hansel. Need appointment.
-----
Sonoma Plaza
475 1st St W, Sonoma, CA
Wine country ideas for a 1st timer
Another great winery where you will learn and, in all likelihood, walk the vineyard with the owner, is Hendry Vineyards in Napa. Very fun and interesting.
BYOB in Stamford / Greenwich / Norwalk / Westchester
Barcelona in Greenwich (and presumably in SoNo and Stamford) had a $25 corkage, waived when I bought one bottle off the list as well.
Winery Overload - a Napa Breakdown
For a truly informative winery experience, and in Napa so not too far from Avia, try Hendry Wines -- appointments are a must. You will probably spend time walking the fields and tasting wine with George Hendry, the owner/winemaker. He is great, as are the wines.
http://www.hendrywines.com/
What's with Michael Chiarello's place?
I had dinner at Bottega in early August. We were staying in Yountville and had an 8:00 pm reservation on a Tuesday. We got there and the place was swarming with people -- really mobbed unlike any of the other restaurants. Things started badly when the table wasn't ready and they gave us one of those Cheesecake Factory-type buzzers to walk around with that vibrates when your table is ready, but they invite you to go next door to his NapaStyle store where you can get Michael Chiarello "Bottega" plates, wines, etc. That is not the right way to start the evening -- way tacky. We were seated about 20 minutes late. The dinner was good but not great. The service was OK, but 2 different waiters made fun of Yountville as "Kellertown" -- not needed and I had a much better dinner the next night at Ad Hoc -- while deifying Michael Chiarello (who was in and walking around that night). The restaurant was very, very loud. We sat outside and they were having a problem with the fireplace, smoking out some of the guests. Things just were off. On a bright note, they have a great wine list with minimal mark-up on the prices. Things were not bad, but they just weren't too good -- needless to say, I will not go back.
Napa trip - seeking off-the-beaten-track wineries with good reds
I second Hendry. You spend time walking the vineyards with George Hendry and see which "blocks" are zin, cab, pinot, etc. At the tasting, he describes each wine in conjunction with his idea of food pairings. It is really a great time. And, the wines are at a great price point -- I don't think anything is over $40/bottle.
Good Wine Shop Santa Rosa/Healdsburg
The Wine Shop in Healdsburg has lots of small production, hard-to-find wines (pinots especially).
http://www.thewineshoponline.com/
Napa trip - seeking off-the-beaten-track wineries with good reds
If you are willing to make appointments, there are some great choices:
-- For zins, try Storybook just north of Calistoga
-- For spectacular reds, including cabs, cab franc, tempranillo, etc. and for a great view of Napa Valley, try Viader, which is in Deer Park, about 10-15 minutes from St. Helena
Heirloom Tomatoes
There is a new (this year) farmers market at the Larchmont train station parking lot on Saturday mornings. Last week, one booth had about 10 differnet types of heirloom tomatos and a chart describing the different attributes of each type.
