Last minute San Fran/ Napa Recs. Post Trip UPDATES

Check out Brix and ask for outside seating. The view and weather is great and the food was excellent.

For a wine tour, check out Del Dotto Historic Cave...awesome tour, very informative, lots of wine to taste.

Jarvis is another great tour.

My recommendation would be to not try to hit more than 3 wineries in a day. Slow down, enjoy the view at Sterling! By winery #4, you don't know what you are drinking, so I definitely would not put Darioush behind V. Sattui. If you insist on trying to hit those 4, I would recommend skipping the wine tasting at V. Sattui, and just browse the market, it is not on the same level as Sterling and Darioush.

My bias is showing, but I was very disappointed in V. Sattui. Felt very much like Disney World...very crowded, average wine, and they funnel you through the market (giftshop) on your way out.

Painted Ladies is nothing special--there are about 10,000 other homes in SF that look similar. The Piers are a madhouse, touristy, and there are some shady people about.I'd go to the Ferry Building around the corner for lunch which has great food and a lot of variety---you can eat outside and look out over the bay. The on/off bus is touristy but will give you a great feel for the city and you will see a ton, including Golden Gate Park, Haight, Pacific Heights, etc.

Have dinner at the CIA Greystone Castle. I think the restaurant is called Gatehouse. Fun dining experience.

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There is actually a bad arse beer / darts / pool bar in Napa too, can't recall the name but we went there nightly after the wives passed out and drank beer and threw darts.

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Billco’s. It’s awesome. Tons of taps with all kinds of great beer.

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V. Sattui

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I have mixed feelings on this one. The wine is average for Napa and it's really crowded.

However, they are one of the only wineries that is licensed to serve food. So it makes for a decent lunch or snack stop. Do a tasting and split it with the person you're with. Buy a bottle of your favorite, grab some food, and sit outside for an hour at a picnic table enjoying the weather, food and wine.


Del Dotto was an awesome experience. Book one of their last showings. You'll get to try a bunch of wines out of the barrel. It's interesting because you'll get the same wine at different aging levels to see the difference that time makes. And it's a lot of wine. And then there's food and fun as they close down.

Pride was a very cool winery. Brix was recommended as a good restaurant I've been to. Downtown Napa has some good restaurants. Morimoto's was one of our favorites when we went.

We are leaving SF in about an hour.

NAPA: Domaine Carneros had an amazing view. Drink the bubbly skip the reds
Peju has the best Cabernet I’ve ever had.
Domaine Chandon is a fun place to sit under the trees and drink but the wine doesn’t match Carneros even closely.
Hog Island Ohster company has a restaurant in Napa now. Check it out.

SF: I’ll post a long review tonight, but go to Chinatown to Reds and play liars dice with Mr. Wong. Listen to the locals about the Chinese food.
Tomasso for pizza.
Big bus tours will help you see the sights.

I enjoyed V. Sattui for lunch. Note: They don't allow you to bring outside food/beverages to eat on their property. That said it was probably the best lunch I had in Napa.

Charcuterie was great, especially the fruit which some places don't emphasize. Did I buy any of their wines. No, but they had a Maderia LINK that tasted like sweet raisins with an almond aroma. Delicious, like a dessert wine should be. Loaded up 4 in the backseat of the tundra.

I also enjoyed Brix. Waygu tri-tip with asperagus. The best part was when the waiter mentioned that the bar had just opened a Frank Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Went by there the next day and bought 6.

BTW, The Pier smells like sea lion shite, there is a lot of bums and other than the "Bushman" it's just you run of the mill beggars. There was also a group of men wearing suits, that asked for your help "helping the homeless". They were wearing suits. If a priest had been there...no problem.