brucemac707's Profile
ideas for appetizer using leftover smoked ham?
I have a bunch of leftover smoked ham, and need to bring an appetizer/snack for Christmas dinner. (It's going to be an informal spread of light dishes and finger foods) Any ideas?
Looking for feedback on my Napa tasting itinerary
You won't have time to hit all four of those, much less hit any others. I'd say you have two options:
1: spend the whole day on Spring Mountain (Pride, Spring Mtn, Barnett, , Terra Valentine are all on that road.
2. Get the first appt. at Hendry in the morning, I believe it's either 10am or 10:30. George Hendry's tours last about 2 and a half hours, but are well worth it, very unique.
visit Honig, then drive up to Terra Valentine (or Pride). Both are great spots. All require appointments.
Paso Robles Report
Just wanted to report on my recent trip to Paso. I've been several times in the past, but this was by far the best visit yet. Instead of being dragged by friends/family to their favorite spots, I was able to quietly sneak into town and go where I wanted!
Although there are exceptions, I found the wineries focusing on Rhone varietals to be the best. There is some truly exceptional wines coming out of Paso. Unfortunately, you're gonna pay for quality....
Here's where we went:
Artisan: 2nd time dining here. Hands down the best restaurant in Paso. Nice Paso-centric wine list. Enjoyed the Fondue (again) Hanger Steak was cooked to the perfection, and GF's scallops were melt-in-your mouth. Try the cookies for dessert!
Basil: Decent Thai place, nothing to rite home about, but good choice for quick lunch.
Villa Creek: Not as good as I hoped. Servers changed mid-meal, and things got kinda screwy. Enjoyed the food, but not blown away.
Terry Hoage: Loved all the wines. We had a private tasting with Terry and Jennifer, they were so nice. Highly recommend.
Booker: 2nd time here. Wines are great, we especially enjoy their white. Last time we found them a bit snobbish, went back just to purchase a couple bottles of white, but the girl pouring this time was really sweet.
Adelaida: 2nd time here. These guys make some pretty damn good wine! Their viognier is one of the best in Central California, IMO.
Windward: 2nd time here as well. Strictly Pinot Noir. Like all the new releases (it's been several years) particularly the 07 monopole.
Opolo: Thought their wine sucked.
Rotta: Decent wine, not great. Some good values. $10 rose of zin was good, my gf enjoyed the muscat. Sherry style dessert wine was unique, bought a bottle.
Villa Creek Winery: Everything we tried rocked! Especially the Grenache and the 100% Mourvedre, which was a revelation to me.
Turley: I'm a big fan, and their Zins never disappoint.
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Villa Creek Restaurant
1144 Pine St., Paso Robles, CA 93446
Dry Creek Valley Wineries
I'm going on a tasting mission to Northern Sonoma County in a couple weeks. Looking for some recs. I am a fairly serious wine drinker, and am involved in the tourism/wine industry in Napa. I consider my self an expert on Napa wineries, but not a wine expert :) Part of my job is knowing all there is to know about Napa, so I have visited 100+ wineries here. We are starting to branch out into other wine regions of California, but, frankly, it's exhausting (but fun) work to explore the many wineries in this part of the world. My favorite wines are Zinfandel and Pinot Noir, but I appreciate any truly well-made wine. I have a friend joining me on this excursion who is also a big Zin fan, hence the trip to Dry Creek.
Of course, I am familiar with the bigger names of the area, such as Ferrari-Carano, Seghesio, etc. I am looking for smaller producers with outstanding wine. It helps a lot if a bottle purchase won't break the bank, either. I'm willing to pay for quality, but enjoy finding the best bang for the buck ratios!
I have, thanks to friends, enjoyed wines from both Amphora and Quivira. Would love feedback from anybody on these two in particular, and other favorites in general.
Thanks!
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Ferrari-Carano
8761 Dry Creek Rd, Healdsburg, CA
Lotsa oranges!
Have two trees at work. Seems like nobody else is picking them, and I hate to see them go to waste! Any ideas besides orange juice?
1 day in Napa: Itinerary advice?
agree w/ maria lorraine re: Cakebread. I don't understand why they're so popular, don't like their wines. Honig is a great choice, good people, fun experience, great SB.
Fairfield?
Hi all!
Dropping the kid off with grandpa tomorrow night, gonna go watch Avatar in IMAX in Fairfield. Looking to grab a bite before the flick. I've done some board searches, but there's not a whole lot of info for me. Been to both the Athenian Grill and Main St. Grill in Suisun and not too impressed. We're up for anything, including little divey neighborhood joints with good food. Any ideas welcome!
Valentine's Day dinner in Napa
If she loves mushrooms, the 'shroom tasting menu at Martini House would be a wonderful choice.
recs for Calaveras county?
Hey hounds!
Spending Sat. and Sun. night in Angel's camp? Any good grub out there in Calaveras county?
Thanks!
Prettiest and most picturesque winery?
V. Sattui and his "castle" embody everything that's wrong with Napa Valley.
Your thoughts on Go Fish in St. Helena?
Go Fish has the best sushi in Napa. Not that that means anything.......
The Grill at Silverado?
Anybody been since Peter Pahk took over? I live here, and don't know anyone who's eaten there recently. Normally I'd say I wouldn't be caught dead over there......
4 girlfriends Sept trip to NAPA
Thanks, Maria! I really enjoy your postings on here. Your no-nonsense approach to directing people to the best in the valley really strikes a chord with me. There's so many tourist traps around here, and CH is all about finding the diamond in the rough, right!?
4 girlfriends Sept trip to NAPA
To name a few faves:
Ancien (terrific Pinots)
Ceja
Bouchaine
Cuvaison
Robert Biale (awesome zins)
Judd's Hill
Hopper Creek
O'Brien
Vincent Arroyo (petite sirah)
Pride Mountain
Charbay (interesting change of pace)
Reverie
Fleury
Viader
Wedding Night Restaurant - Napa
try La Toque, Cole's Chop House or Celadon, all in downtown Napa
4 girlfriends Sept trip to NAPA
I really don't want to sound condesceding here, so bear with me. Maria Lorraine is correct in saying many wineries are wary of drunken groups of women. If you're looking to party and have a good time, you're winery selections will do nicely. However, if you're serious about finding some amazing wine, please dig a little deeper. There are so many wonderful smaller, family-run wineries that are really the backbone of the wine country experience. But if you drink and enjoy Mondavi, BV, Sterling, and Beringer back home and enjoy them, by all means pay them a visit and see where your favorite wines are made. Just remember there are over 400 wineries in Napa, and probably less than 100 have any kind of significant national distribution. Part of the magic of coming to Napa is enjoying wines you can't find back home!
One other suggestion: since you're staying at the Marriott, one place I would recommend is Fume Bistro. One of my favorite restos in the city of Napa, and a fairly short walk from your hotel. (No DUI!)
Long time browser, first time reporter
Huge Simpsons fan here, Robert. That's my all-time favorite quote!
Napa bar to watch soccer next Wednesday? Champions League Final
nobody watches soccer in Napa, unfortunately
Neela's: new Indian restaurant in Napa
You're so right, Junie D. It's just that when you think of ethnic restaurants, great food and bargains seem to go hand in hand!
Napa: Tuscany closes. The Border is open.
report: Unfortunately, a subpar experience. To be fair, they've only been open a week, and they were slammed last night, so I won't read too much into it, and will definitely return in a month or so. Our server was pleasant enough, but in the weeds, for sure. For starters we had: Mexican meatballs (tasty) and the cheese/chorizo dip (so-so). My friend and I both ordered the Rib eye tacos, which were actually very tasty. Three tacos filled with chunks of rib-eye, coleslaw and pickled veggies. Good stuff, but for $15 (with no sides) a bit pricey. My lovely woman ordered the Dungeness crab tamales. Last week we loved these, last night they were borderline nasty. Very pungent fishy aroma/taste, which shouldn't happen if using fresh crab. Probably would not order these again. Also, the table next to me waited almost an hour for their food, and we observed no less than four groups of people get up and leave over the course of our meal due to the service.
Where to eat rabbit?
some of my guests went to Bottega last night and said they had a wonderful rabbit dish.
Neela's: new Indian restaurant in Napa
Wow, that's right. I heard about this place somewhere (maybe here) a while back. Has anybody been? Maybe I'll have to take one for the team here and check it out.
Proposing in Napa, CA looking for some ideas
check out O'Brien estates. They're all about the romance.
Napa: Tuscany closes. The Border is open.
the phone number is the same as Tuscany's. 707 258 1000. When I talked to them this morning, they said they're open til 1am tonight. I said really, because of cinco de drinko? They said yes, but they will be serving late every night. Good thing, we really need more late night options in Napa proper.
Neela's: new Indian restaurant in Napa
I ate there the second night they were open. Our server, when we asked how she was doing, replied something, like, "oh, another day in paradise". I was like, what, you hate your job already after two days ?!! Her attitude definitely soured our experience. However, there was a dark-skinned gentleman (can't remember his name) who I think may have been the manager, who was helping out all over the place, running food, etc. He was extremely pleasant to talk to. The food: I thought it was great. BUT way overpriced. I understand they're using some quality ingredients, but wow! $20 plus an entree? Everything we tried was great, but after dropping almost 75 bucks on food alone, for two people, and not leaving full, I felt really disappointed. I love Indian food and always hated the fact I had to travel out of town to get my fix, but it looks like I'll still have to. I would go back for lunch, hoever, to see if there's any value in that.
Napa: Tuscany closes. The Border is open.
Hi RW,
Yes, it's ran by the Jacinto brothers. (Pablo is my mom's neighbor) We actually went to a private pre-opening industry party there last week. We sampled a bunch of small plates, like Dungeness crab tamales, Tinga (chicken) tostadas, prawn cocktail, chorizo and nopales tacos, skirt steak with black bean sauce, and I can't recall what else. Everything I tried was excellent. We're actually going back tonight for dinner, so I'll report back tomorrow.
p.s. pretty funny about the Yelp review. Most likely never been to Mexico, or at least not outside a resort! Imagine that, no chips and salsa! :)
