Thanks for your response. This looks good. I can't find their menu online, but I assume I could order something simple like eggs and a biscuit.

I like the C Casa menu. Thanks for the recommendation.

Since we will be wine tasting in the morning, we will want a more substantial breakfast than pasteries, so a bakery probably won't work for us. I'm thinking more like bacon and eggs, oatmeal, pancakes, etc.

We are spending one night in downtown Napa and need a breakfast suggestion. We have an 11 am appointment at Far Niente, so anywhere in the downtown area or on our way to Far Niente would work. Thanks.

First, let me say, I am more of a wine and gin gal. At home, I mostly drink gin martinis, gin and tonics, and wine. I also love margaritas when I go out, but I've never been able to make a good one at home.

I have two cocktail books (The Bartender's Bible by Gary Regan and The Craft of the Cocktail by Dale Degroff) but am a little overwhelmed by all the choices.

I'm hoping you can suggest some great cocktails I can make with any of the following bottles. Additionally, any insight you can give me regarding the quality of the liquors is appreciated, as I'm not sure which ones if any are really great and should be for sipping, and which are better used in mixed cocktails. I especially need help with whiskeys/whiskys, as I know next-to-nothing about them.

Finally, I have no idea how long most of these bottles have been in the cabinet. Some, particularly the whiskeys, could possibly have been in there from the 1960s, and some may have been purchased within the last 7-10 years. What is the shelf life of these bottles, particularly the misc. liqueurs on my list?

Here is what I have:

TEQUILA:
Jose Cuervo Especial
Patron Reposado
Sauza Blanco
Herradura Blanco
Corralejo Reposado

MEZCAL: Monte Alban (1/2 full, bought in Mexico mid-late 1970s)

WHISKEY/WHISKY:
Bushmills Irish Whiskey
Chivas Regal Blended Scotch
White Horse Blended Scotch
The Glenlivet Single Malt Scotch
Makers Mark Bourbon
Jack Daniels
J&B Blended Scotch
Johnnie Walker Black Label

RUM:
Bacardi Light
Mount Gay Eclipse
Sailor Jerry Spiced Naval Rum
Myers Original Dark Rum
Cruzan Aged Rum

CACHACA: 51

BRANDY: Raynal and E&J, both VSOP

VODKA;
Skyy
Ketel One
Blavod Black Vodka

GIN:
Plymouth
Tanqueray
Tanqueray Ten

MISC. LIQUEURS:
Luxardo Maraschino
Hypnotiq
Creme de Violette
Kahlua
Chambord
Cointreau
Anisette
Creme de Cacao
Triple Sec
Patron Citronage
St. Germaine (I add a splash to Champagne)
Cassis
Kirschwasser
Drambuie
Peach Schnapps
Dry Vermouth

BITTERS:
Peychaud's
Fee Bros. Old Fashioned

Marie Calendars has a lemon pie cake that is delicious. It has a light pie crust, filled with the lemon filling from a lemon meringue pie, and topped with lemon cake. Sounds strange, but it really is good. I bought it at the Northridge location. Not sure if it is a seasonal item or if it is available year round.

Melisse is my ultimate favorite restaurant, one I wish I could eat at all the time.

Brents Deli is my favorite go-to restaurant where I can go often.

D'Amores on Winnetka near Sherman Way is my favorite, much better than Barones in my opinion. I also like Mulberry St. in Encino, although it has been many years since I've been there.

In an previous post to someone looking for wine tasting suggestions, Maria Lorraine made an excellent point that visiting wineries whose wine offerings need to be aged will not be fully appreciated by someone who has not learned what to look for and how to taste young wines that are not yet ready for drinking.

Are there any classes, seminars, barrel tastings, etc. in Napa Valley that would cover this topic? My sister and I are planning a trip to Napa in a few months and I would love to visit wineries that could educate us. The only one I know of that might be close is a Joseph Phelps seminar on barrel tasting. Is anyone familiar with it?

Thanks for posting this rec. I'm always looking for new places in the north sfv, especially Mexican.

I second the Ruth's Chris bar in Woodland Hills. The bartenders are friendly and pour the best martinis. And you won't find a better steak.

I am aware of that. I only mentioned the Venetian to help pinpoint how long it had been since I ate at Prime.

I ate dinner at Prime many years ago (it was shortly after the Venetian first opened) and thoroughly loved it. The steaks were great and the side dishes were all excellent. The only problem was the table near us with people wearing tee-shirts, shorts, and flip-flops. But it's Vegas, so expect that at many high-end restaurants.

I don't know where you live, but if you're in the Los Angeles area, give Woodland Hills Wine Co. a call. They are in the San Fernando Valley and have a very good selection of inexpensive wines. The owner and the people working for him are extremely knowlegable about wines and have never tried to push wines on me that were over my budget. Their number is
800-678-9463, www.whwc.com.

Brad, it was actually an accident that I had these two different wines. I was given a gift card and decided to splurge on a really good bottle of white Burgundy, since I had never had one before. I went to the Wine Merchant in Beverly Hills, as I know they have a good selection of and are very knowlegable about French wine. The person helping me suggested the 1er, which I bought. About two weeks later, I was having dinner across the street from the same wine shop, and decided to get one more bottle as I had money left on the gift card. Without asking for help, I grabbed the other wine, not noticing the slightly different label. I did notice the lower price, but the store was having a sale--I just figured that accounted for the lower price. It wasn't until I got home and was adding the wine to my inventory list on the computer that I realized the difference between the two. I didn't get around to asking about the difference until now, when I'm ready to drink the cheaper one. As for 'being told" when to drink each, I actually looked up online to figure out when they were ready to drink.

Thank you to all for clearing this up and for your pairing suggestions. As usual, I am in awe of the depth of knowledge found from people contributing on this board. While I did know that the '1er' signified a premier cru,I was confused because the labels of the two bottles were so alike. I thought all producers of great wines throughout France used second labels quite different from their top wines. For instance, in Bordeaux, estates such as Chateau Margeaux and Chateau Palmer also produce Pavillon Rouge and Alter Ego. And I had no idea that 'Clavoillon' was the vineyard--I didn't know what the word signified. Again, thank you.

I have two 2006 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet white wines. The labels look identical except one says 1er, Clavoillon, and the other does not. Additionally, the 1er cost $100 and I was told to drink it between 2013-2018, while the other cost $70 and I was told to drink it before 2014.

Also, what food should I serve with these wines? I've read roast chicken, shellfish, cream-based sauces, and corn go well with white Burgundy. Do I need to stay away from food with citrus? What about BBQ food? Any particular cheeses you would recommend?

I'll be spending one night at the winery's B&B and thought dinner there would be convenient. But I'm having second thoughts, as I haven't read anything about it on the boards. Has anyone been there or heard anything about it?

Tate's Bake Shop cookies are sold at Gelson's. I get the Chocolate Chip Walnut cookies. They are thin, crisp, and taste homemade. They're the best I've ever tasted. I took a package to work and they were devoured in minutes!

I second francisd's recommendation for ANGELO'S. Delicious, fresh ingredients, and personable service. It's at Devonshire and Mason, near Carrow's and Casa de Carlos. It's more expensive than Alessio's, but worth the extra price.

In that same shopping corner, CAFE ORIENT is a nice casual restaurant.

If you want some really good Mexican, try MELODY'S on Reseda, just a hair south of Vanowen. They also have a sister restaurant, LAS FUENTES, very close by, on Vanowen about a block or two east of Reseda. Vegetarians can always get their Salpicon salad without meat, quesadillas, or cheese enchiladas.

I've been to all three, and my vote would be ROY'S, especially if your mom isn't a red meat eater. I've never been to the Downtown or the Pasadena location, but I know someone who has been to both and says the Pasadena location is better than the Downtown location. I highly recommend Roy's Hawaiian Martini, Misoyaki Butterfish, and Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. I've also enjoyed their Salmon and their Short Ribs. Honestly, I've always had a wonderful meal at Roy's in Woodland Hills.

Cheval Blanc is also good, but the food nor the menu are as good as Roy's in my opinion. In fact, my last meal at Cheval Blanc was a bit of a let down. Also keep in mind, Roy's will have a wider selection of fish dishes.

-----
Cheval Blanc
41 S De Lacey Ave, Pasadena, CA 91105

I recently had a wonderful dinner at CHINOIS ON MAIN STREET in Venice. It's one of Wolfgang Puck's restaurant. Every dish we had was superb and the service was excellent. We had the catfish (they present it whole and then took it back to the kitchen to cut up for us) and melt-in-your-mouth short ribs (this might have been a special that night).

I just returned from our trip and tasted wonderful wines. On our arrival date, we just went to the HITCHING POST for their wine tasting. All three of us agreed that St Rita's Earth was our favorite, so of course we had to buy a bottle for our steak dinner.

The next day, we hit four wineries. First stop was ZACA MESA. This was one of our favorite stops this trip. They had a nice dry rose and and a few whites I stocked up on. Next was KENNETH VOLK. We loved stopping here for their "heirloom" wines, which were delicous. Although I was specifically in the market for whites, I wound up buying more reds from them. The two I liked the most were Touriga and Aglianico, two varietals I've never heard of before. I can't wait to open them! After Kenneth Volk, we visited RIVERBENCH. Again, I found a nice dry rose and liked their Chardonnays. Finally, we went to RANCHO SISQUOC for our picnic lunch (fabulous sandwiches from Panino's) and our last tasting of the day. Although enjoyable, we all agreed that we prefered the other wineries. I did walk away with a nice Malbec.

On our last day, we only had time for one tasting before heading home, so we went to ALMA ROSA. Their wines were all terrific. I bought a couple of Pinot Gris and a couple of Pinot Blanc to take home.

What made this trip really fantastic was not just the quality of wine, but importantly the people behind the counter. Everyone was so nice, personable, and knowlegable about the wine. We just enjoyed talking with everyone. so much.

Thank you, Chowhounds, for your recommendations!

I just looked this one up, and it looks great. I think I remember reading an interesting article about the winemaker. Thank you.

Qupe is a winery I wanted to try on my last trip but didn't have time for. This looks like a good one to add to out list, as I want to try Marsanne, and I love Albarino.

And thank you for the Au Bon Climat recommendations. We're probably spending a little time in Santa Barbara on our way up on Sunday, so this would be an excellent tasting to start our weekend!

I love Viognier, but I've never tasted (that I know of) Marsanne and Rousanne. I will definitely keep an eye out for these. Thanks.

The wine shop you're probably talking about in the Wine Ghetto is Taste of Sta. Rita Hills. I took your suggestion and called them, as it looked like a great tasting room. Unfortunately, they told me none of the tasting rooms in the Wine Ghetto are open on Tuesdays.

On my last trip, I visited Melville, Babcock, and Alma Rosa--all wonderful. Based on the number of suggestions and my past experience, I think I'll have to revisit Alma Rosa.

Thanks for your suggestions, and I will report back!

Good to know I'm on the right track with Kenneth Volk and Rancho Sisquoc. I will try to visit Riverbench--although I am in the market for white wines, I always love tasting the reds! I went to Beckman on my last visit, and you are right--I bought a couple of bottles that were delicious.

I don't think we will be able to drive that far north on this trip, but I plan on a Paso Robles wine tasting trip in the near future. This is good information to have--thanks.

Cold Heaven looks great. I may call for an appointment. But if I don't make it this trip, I will definitely try another time. Thank you!