Sunday we met our small group in Calistoga, and set off for another day on our bikes.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous — we truly lucked out.  Our first stop of the day was Envy Wines, where I really liked the 2007 Bee Bee's Blend, and then literally down the driveway, across the street and up the next driveway into Summers Estate Winery where I got to taste a grape varietal I had never tasted before — charbono. After a bit of a ride, we stopped for our final tasting of the day and lunch at Lava Vine, where I enjoyed their 2007 Knight's Valley Syrah and their port-style dessert wine (served with salted chocolate), both so delicious that I considered shipping some home to NYC.

After a quick stop at Clos Pegase to see some of the art collection, Dad and I headed back to town in order to shower and clean up in time for our early bird dinner reservation at ad hoc.  I generally can't handle eating that early, but despite the hour, we had a delicious meal before we drove back into SF to stay at our hotel near the airport — we both had 7:15 a.m. flights the next day.  ad hoc offers a prix fixe menu — one selection per day — and that day it was a mixed green salad, braised short ribs, a goat cheese course (they swapped mine w/a cow's milk cheese), and a buttermilk layer cake. Delicious.

The flight home, early as it was, was pleasantly uneventful, but I arrived home to find that the LOST finale hadn't taped properly — major disaster, as I had very deliberately avoided it the night before when it aired.  Oh well.

Thanks to dad for a wonderful trip — looking forward to more. You can see the pictures here.

Once again, apologies for the delay.  It's been a busy week!

Sorry for the delay, kids, but it's been a rough re-entry!

On Saturday morning we woke up and drove the winding roads to Healdsburg from Calistoga, where we met with the rest of our group for the day — about nine in total.  Tom, our fearless leader, got everyone geared up on their bikes and off we went to Bella Vineyards & Wine Cave, for our first tasting of the day.  But first, less than a mile out, I rode through some glass, and although I tried to avoid it, I heard a hiss and — wham — I got a flat in my back tire.  After flagging down Tom for a new tube and a tire lever, we got it changed and were back on the road in no time.

Bella was indeed bella - the scenery was gorgeous, and I am still trying to figure out a way to host a dinner in the private room inside the wine cave.  My favorite at Bella was the 2008 Two Patch Zinfandel.  Next, after a healthy ride, on to Peterson Winery, where I loved the 2007 Peterson Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel.  While we were tasting, Tom had set up a lovely lunch, filled with local produce and cheese.  After lunch, it was down the hill and riding through some chilly wind to Everett Ridge Winery (also at the top of a hill).  Now, although Bella was quite scenic, by the time we got to Everett the sun was shining, and we sat outside overlooking a stunning valley — I could have stayed all afternoon, sipping wine and munching cheese puffs (yes, the puffy Cheetos kind — more on that in my next post).

We rode a mile back into town to finish up for a total of about 20 miles for the day.  After a shower we headed to St. Helena to visit some friends for a pre-dinner drink/snack.  Their kitchen/living/dining area was laid out exactly how I'd want mine to be if I had that kind of space — open, airy, with a big island allowing for folks to hang out while the hosts cook.  Sigh. 

We then headed back to Calistoga for dinner at JoLe.  After all that wine tasting, Dad and I opted for a beer and a cocktail, respectively (when I saw some of the booze selections, and noticed the house-made vermouth, I knew I was in good hands).  Dinner was delicious, but we were fading rapidly, and we went home for a hard-earned good nights sleep.

After a somewhat fitful sleep (tiki drinks make for weird dreams, perhaps?), I woke up, packed, and met my Dad, who had flown in from NYC and driven into SF to pick me up.  We headed out across the Bay Bridge towards Napa, where we had planned a cycling/winery trip.  We stopped along the way in St. Helena at Farmstead to have lunch and catch up with Adam (my college boyfriend), who is now living full-time in Napa. 

After lunch we continued on to Calistoga, our home base for the next two nights.  A representative from the bike tour company met us at the hotel, set us up on bikes, and suggested a short, warm-up route for the day.  Despite a few sprinkles, we enjoyed the ride, and even stopped at Twomey for our first wine tasting of the weekend.

We dined at the Inn at Calistoga, and headed off to get a good night's sleep for the following day.

I arrived on the late side on Tuesday night and was picked up at the airport by my friend Eric (who has also been kind enough to let me stay with him and his family). As a New Yorker, it still feels like such a treat to get picked up at the airport for some reason. After a much-needed good night's sleep I walked from my temporary home in Noe Valley to the Mission in search of Dynamo Donuts. Can I please mention how much I love the Mission? I had to stop myself from going into several little storefronts to buy tamales, there's art everywhere, and the taquerias look amazing. But I had my mission – the maple-glazed bacon apple donut. And yes, it was as amazing as it sounds. I washed it down with some Turkish coffee from Philz (served with a sprig of mint), then headed to the Ferry Terminal building to buy a few small gifts. Unable to resist, I had a half dozen Hog Island oysters as a pre-lunch snack. I then walked to the Civic Center area, where I wandered through the farmers market, then hopped on the BART back to the Mission, where I got to catch up with my friend Austin over a chicken mole burrito from Papalote. I walked back homeward over and through the hills in Noe Valley, admiring the beautiful houses on Delores Street and wondering how cyclists make it up the monster hills. I then went back and relaxed for a while until Eric, Bill and little miss Eva returned home. We rounded out the evening with dinner at the local Thai place, where Eva was treated like a celebrity, then caught up on LOST.

Yes, it was a food-heavy day (will pay for it later on the scale, no doubt), but just wandering around makes me realize how much I like it here. At one point I saw a guy with a special dog leash designed to attach to a bike. You're telling me I can ride my bike to get a maple-glazed bacon donut with my dog?! And why have I not moved here yet?