My Napa trip is in 2 days....need suggestions on the following restaurants...

[yokozuki]

My trip to Napa is in a couple of days...My boyfriend''s b-day is on Friday and I wanted to take him to a nice restaurant. As far as Saturday night, I guess we can go to one of the other restaurants....Here is what I found...

1) Matini House restaurant (I am thinking of taking him here for his b-day?)

2) Brix

3) Uva Trattoria

4) Bouchon Bistro?

5) Bistro Jeanty

6) Bistro Don Giovanni

7) Cole''s Chop House

Napa Valley Grille

Any suggestions?? What is the best italian restaurant? Thanks!

 

[AmberGretchen]

Hi - I haven''t been to the restaurants you listed, but would like to recommend two of my own for your trip (I grew up about 30 minutes from Wine Country, and so these are places I have eaten at and know are very good):

For a fancy splurge, the restaurant at Domain Chandon. They make excellent champagne there, and the food is really good, setting is stunning - try to get there while its still light out. They serve California/American/French food, which has been consistently good, and the desserts are excellent as well.

For a slightly more low-key feel, try Market in Saint Helena (about a 10-20 minute drive from Napa). Its right on the main street, so if you are going up on 29 you can''t miss it. This restaurant has really good American food with a little bit of a twist - my FI and I went there for lunch for my birthday on Sunday, and it was really good, with excellent service, and a nice, intimate setting.

Good luck, and let me know if you want other wine country suggestions

 

[yokozuki]

Thank you very much for your help. I definitely am going to go to Domaine Chandon (it''s on my list of wineries to check out). As far as wineries in the area, do you have any favorites or not to be missed? It''s our first trip to Napa so we are just winging it! I have a list from this one show called Simply Wine that focused on Napa and they had their top wineries to go to so I guess we will go by that for now? ha

 

[AmberGretchen]

Hi - I don''t know what''s on that list but here are a couple (although in general I am more familiar with Sonoma wineries vs. Napa; the Sonoma ones tend to be a bit smaller and more off the beaten path). Besides Domaine Chandon, I would try Trefethen, which is right near there. They make some excellent Chardonnays and had a dessert wine the last time I was there that was excellent (I think it was a late-harvest Riesling but don''t quote me on that...). Also, in the Carneros region, Carneros Creek winery had some excellent Pinot Noirs last time I was there, including a really light spicy one that I loved but I don''t remember the name of. If you do make it over to Sonoma, check out Ravenswood for some good Zinfandel and a nice Moscato (dessert wine), Navellus-Birney for really good Chardonay and Pinot Noir, plus a killer Pinot Noir chocolate sauce. Also VJB vineyards makes a really good Cabernet Sauvignon blend. Also in Sonoma, Buena Vista has a fun winery tour and some nice Sauvignon Blancs. If you get sick of rich French and American food, there is a really good Thai restaurant called Rins Thai right off the Sonoma square which is very good with really fast service. A very nice change of pace. Also, the Sonoma Cheese Factory is very good - lots of jack cheese in many flavors plus some good wines and a nice deli. Sonoma itself is worth a visit in my opinion, a good place to get out of the car for a while, and stretch your legs, and wander around and look at some really nice, unique shops and the square itself is a very pretty place for a picnic. Lots of jewelry stores

Seriously though, those are my best recommendations. Wherever you are staying will probably have good ones as well - its good to ask people who live in the area for smaller winery recommendations - they are less crowded, the tasting is often free, and the wines can be really amazing.

Have fun!

 

[Libster]

Sounds like a fun trip

Do a search here, as I remember someone had started a similar thread for Napa. I second the Sonoma recommendation. We went to a nice winery there called Viansa that we just loved. Their website is www.viansa.com We also strolled around the square in Sonoma and it''s a really nice break from all the wine tasting. Have fun and post some pics when you get back

 

[yokozuki]

Thank you for all of your suggestions! We will definitely plan to go back, next time we will stay in Sonoma and try all of your suggestions!! Thank you for your help!

 

[yokozuki]

I keep hearing about that winery....definitely next time we will stay in Sonoma and we will check that place out for sure! I will try to take lots of pics and post them when I get back! Thank you

 

[hoorray]

On your list, I''ve been to Brix and Napa Valley Grille. Both are good. I liked the NV Grill better than Brix. It''s not a fancy atmosphere, but the food was very good. My favorite in Napa Valley is Tra Vigne in St. Helena. I also second the motion for Domain Chandon''s restaurant as well as the winery.

 

[yokozuki]

Is Domaine Chandon''s atmosphere fancy? So, NV Grille''s atmosphere isn''t in general? I wanted to take him to a somewhat fancy place. I will look into Tra Vigne, thank you!

 

[hoorray]

It''s been a while since I''ve been to either, but Domaine Chandon was fancier in atmosphere than NV Grill. If I remember right, the NV Grill was a livlier atmosphere, more casual, but not completely casual. You might call them as ask about the atmosphere or check out the web sites if they have them.

One other place that is very nice is L''Aberge (sp?) at Rutherford. It has a wonderful restaurant and beautiful setting.

 

[mightyred]

Lop, I 2nd Auberge du Soleil - very romantic with spectacular views of the valley below.

A friend was married there last October - it is truly special - the food is outstanding.


http://www.aubergedusoleil.com/html/dining.shtml

 

[widget]

Wow...so many wine country fans on Pricescope...who knew?

For Napa, you might try Mustards...great food, large varied menu and unusual recipes...I get hungry just thinking about it!

If you're interested in wine tasting while you eat, you can order a "wine sampler" deal (I can't remember what they call it) where you can try three featured wines. I know Mustards offers this...you might inquire...I imagine some other Napa restaurants do this, too.

I'm a great fan of Sonoma: Small charming town...touristy, yes, but not like Napa! Most of the wineries are smaller and more intimate, and some have nice picnic/hiking areas. Buena Vista, Gundlach Bundschu and Barthomew Park come to mind..

Have fun!

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PS: You asked about the restaurants on your list, didn't you? I've only eaten at Cafe Jeanty. It's charming and VERY French. They serve mostly the classics: Coq au Vin, Cassoulet, pommes frites, etc. etc.

PPS: A lot of these restaurants don't take reservations. Get there early to try to beat the crowds!