So we started out the day somewhat slowly. As everyone worked on waking up and showering, I drove over to Napa Valley Coffee Roastery and picked up caffeine for all of us addicts. We were joined shortly afterwards by rasslor, brophey, and shadowolf. Lunch was the first item on the day’s agenda, so being that this was many of our group’s first time in California, we had to stop by a restaurant that had the seal of approval of both Alton Brown and Anthony Bourdain: In-n-Out Burger, conveniently located just a few miles away from our rental house.
It was…well, it was a fast food restaurant. I’m thinking that my order would need a little tweaking to find what on their menu really appealed to me; the burger with everything included a monstrously huge slab of onion that unfortunately made it seem like an onion sandwich with a side of burger. The fries were quite tasty, though, even if I didn’t order them “Animal style”.
After lunch we drove up California Route 29 to St. Helena to the Culinary Institute of America – Greystone. The huge, imposing building was beautiful! I was also amused at the trees that were heavy with lemons just outside the entrance. Inside, we browsed through their gift shop and I got a latte as we killed time before the cooking demonstration. We spent an hour watching the chef make a Valentine chocolate torte with a raspberry coulis. I’ll admit I didn’t learn much new, but it was fun to see some of the techniques I’m familiar with and hear the chef touch on some of my favorite authors (like Harold McGee!). After the demonstration everyone got to try the torte, and it was rather tasty.
After the demonstration there was more browsing through the gift shop (and, I admit, making notes for later Amazon purchases) and admiring the herb gardens. Then it was time to hit a few wineries. Since it was right across the street, we decided to make Charles Krug Winery. After tasting several wines, we picked up a Sauvignon Blanc, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Zinfandel. On the recommendation of the Krug staff, our next stop was Peju Winery. This was a fantastic experience – we had a good group of people doing the tasting with us, and the guy pouring the wines not only knew his stuff, he knew how to keep things entertaining. Paul, Brendan, Bob and I tasted six different wines, and he even did a small vertical tasting to allow us to compare some of the wines. We picked up a bottle of Provence (a nice red/white blend), two vintages of Syrah (including a 2003 that Brendan thinks may have been their last bottle) and a Cabernet Sauvignon. (During the tasting, Lydia relaxed in the car and Dan, Mike, and Ray hung out and enjoyed the lovely weather.
After the tasting, we were all pretty tired (and some of us a wee bit tipsy), so we returned to the rental house. We dispatched Paul, Mike, and Ray to pick up munchies while Bob and I walked the two blocks to the Foothill Grille to get a copy of their menu to see what we could order for carryout. Once we got everyone back, we called in a rather complex eight-entree order that they nailed precisely, and we had a great evening of chatting, noshing, and killing two bottles of wine 🙂 It was a fantastic evening and I had a blast.
More to come tomorrow!
Wow. I never heard of ordering fries Animal Style. When I lived out there, though, that was always how I ordered my burgers from In-n-Out.
So, you understand why the Bay, in general, is so addictive? :>
I’m not sure how appetizing I’d find them, but it would be worth trying sometime.
The Bay area in general certainly has some very nice enticements (and we had fun hanging out in Haight-Ashbury today), but I also see some of the downsides. And having looked at the real estate prices, I think that would kill me. Still, it is an exceedingly lovely place to visit!
Hmmm. Your picture of animal-style isn’t at all what they call animal-style on hamburgers… See their own “secret menu” page for what I was talking about getting. :>
I’ve considered moving back there during my non-working period, but every time I look at the house prices, I rethink that plan. :>
That’s my take on the Bay too—there are some fantastic people there, some of my favourite folks in the whole wide world (alas that they’re so far away), but actually living in the place would eat my soul and turn me into a zombie.
Anyway, you convince me that next time I’m in that neck of the woods, my hosts are definitely going to find themselves dragged to an In-and-Out. (The name’s… hmm. Maybe I shouldn’t tell them I mean the burger joint.) I want to see if it beats XXX Burger up in Washington!
Sounds everyone is having a great time. 🙂 Funny, I was just there before FC and shipped back stuff from Peju .If you need a place for a nice lunch, don’t forget the “deli” at V. Sattui in St. Helena. I hope its not raining there!
Heh. We were going to stop at V. Sattui instead of Peju, but when we pulled in the parking lot was full and the place was crawling with people (which is what happens when you hit the wineries on a Saturday, of course). We decided it was too crowded and opted to continue down the road to Peju instead. I’m glad we did!
And we’re getting glorious weather – upper 60’s and sunny every day. I hear that it’s grossly atypical of the season, but I’m not complaining 🙂
Best wishes for a Happy Birthday to you! And for a happy year together ahead for you and Takaza! Take care.
Happy Birthday Duncan! It sounds like you’re having a prime time.
Say Hi to Alton Brown for us – Enjoy!
Happy birthday!