San Francisco / Wine Country Trip

10 years ago

DH is going to the Apple Developer's Conference in San Francisco in June. We decided that I will join him after the conference is over & we will sightsee in San Francisco, Sonoma, & Napa. We haven't been away for a full week of vacation in 10 yrs! We usually just take a long weekend trip. We're very excited.

We were in the area 2 yrs ago. I got to see a lot of San Francisco because I was sightseeing while he was in a training. We then took a couple of days to go to Sonoma & spent one day in San Francisco together. We managed to see several wineries in Sonoma - Benziger, BR Cohn & Gloria Ferrar. I got to visit Chinatown but DH was only there at night for dinner.

I definitely want to visit Chinatown again & DH wants to visit. What are the other "must see" places in San Francisco? What about wineries or sights in Sonoma & Napa? Hotel recommendations and restaurant recommendations would be great too. We love finding little local restaurants with great food and we love all kinds - including pretty much any ethnic food.

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Comments (9)

sushipup1
10 years ago
The square in the middle of Sonoma has lots of tasting rooms, most with several wineries in one location. The Girl and the Fig in Sonoma is lovely, one of our favorites.

Our favorite SF restaurant is the North Beach Restaurant, old-fashioned fancy Italian. http://northbeachrestaurant.com/

If you have an evening in SF, try to see Beach Blanket Babylon. It's fabulous! Get your tickets ASAP you have a date when you'll be there. Just across the street from the North Beach.

http://www.beachblanketbabylon.com/

We're down in Monterey, maybe for your next trip?

Here is a link that might be useful: The Girl and the Fig
LuAnn_in_PA
10 years ago
Our MO is to rent a beach house in Bodega Bay, then take trips throughout the Sonoma County area.

Last time we were there, we did the Dry Creek Valley. If you head up that way, stop for paninis at the Dry Creek General Store, then take them to eat out on the patio of Raymond Burr Vineyards.
Heaven.
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If you have a car, then I would suggest you go to Draegers Grocery in San Mateo on 4th St. and have the most fun ever. Outrageously expensive but the best upscale grocer in the Bay Area. Since you've been to Spanish Table in other cities I wouldn't bother with the Berkeley location, it's pretty small although it is nearby the Cheese Board, which is a great cheese store run by a collective (very Berkeley). If you like seafood, then eat at Sea Salt on San Pablo & Dwight Way in Berkeley, an excellent place for lunch that is one of my favorites. If you do have your car when going to IKEA, then Townhouse Grill in Emeryville has an excellent burger and good salads, but Sea Salt is not that far north, just a few minutes, and is much better food. Their lobster roll is very tiny but absolutely choice and with a bowl of their excellent clam chowder (full of bacon and properly unthickened), my hands-down favorite lunch in the entire East Bay. Good wine list, excellent coffee, very laid-back at lunchtime. Weather in the Bay Area has cooled off and the fog is back, so bring that Polarfleece vest, especially for the Marina.
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sushipup1
10 years ago
Here's info on Sonoma Square, or the Plaza.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sonoma Square
linda_in_iowa
10 years ago
In San Francisco my favorite place to eat is Waterfront Restaurant near the Ferry Building. Near Union Square is The Farralone, also very good. John Ash is excellent in northern Santa Rosa. As someone else mentioned, try to get tickets to Beach Blanket Babylon. I have seen it about 5 or 6 times, It is constantly updated .On the internet it is listed as Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon. I lived in Santa Rosa for about 30 years before I moved to Iowa 7 years ago.
linda_in_iowa
10 years ago
In San Francisco my favorite place to eat is Waterfront Restaurant near the Ferry Building. Near Union Square is The Farralone, also very good. John Ash is excellent in northern Santa Rosa. As someone else mentioned, try to get tickets to Beach Blanket Babylon. I have seen it about 5 or 6 times, It is constantly updated .On the internet it is listed as Steve Silver's Beach Blanket Babylon. I lived in Santa Rosa for about 30 years before I moved to Iowa 7 years ago.
sushipup1
10 years ago
Here's a link to the Chronicle's Top 100 restaurants in the region. You'll find everything from bar food to the most expensive Michelin restaurants.

Just check the food pages of sfgate.com for more.

Here is a link that might be useful: Top 100
matti5
10 years ago
I live in the SF bay area.

The Napa Valley wine train is fun for lunch or dinner. If you want to spend a fortune for dinner, but have the meal of a lifetime, I would look into The French Laundry. Book early. V. Sattui is one of the top wineries in Napa and the castle there is a must see. Nice place for a picnic too. Opus One is also nice, but hard to get tours of.

SF has wonderful walking tours that range from a couple of hours to all day. You get to tour and go behind the scenes of various restaurants, bakeries, wine bars, etc... I did an Italian food tour that was amazing. We went to 5 different restaurants for different courses and ended up at a bakery for fresh out of the oven biscotti.

The Culinary Institute in SF is fantastic. The students put on quite a lunch. They often have theme days.

I agree with Beach Blanket Babylon. Seating is tight as the club is not that big.
Lindsey_CA
10 years ago
In the Sonoma Valley, I would highly recommend going to the Francis Ford Coppola winery in Geyserville -- they have great wines, and you can also see his Oscars, Golden Globes, etc., on display. There's even the Tucker car from the movie of the same name, as well as the Godfather's desk and chair, etc. There is a big pool for swimming, and a fantastic restaurant -- Rustic - Francis' Favorites. The food is great, and you can sit inside or outside on the patio. I've included a link to the restaurant part of the web site, and you can view the menu. Open for lunch and dinner. We eat there every time we go to the wine country.

There's also a wonderful selection of stuff to buy at the winery, in addition to the wine.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rustic - Francis' Favorites
sleeperblues
10 years ago
We were just there two weeks ago for a conference, then drove to Yosemite for a couple of days of hiking.

We rented bikes and rode over to Sausalito and then on to Mill Valley and went to a little park with a grove of gorgeous redwoods. You can take the ferry back but we rode our bikes back. Exhausting but exhilirating day. We walked up the stairs to Coit tower and took the elevator to the top of the tower. The murals at the base are free and are very interesting, painted in the 1930s. The story of Lilly Coit is highly entertaining, also.

San Francisco / Wine Country Trip

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sushipup1

LuAnn_in_PA

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