Road trip to San Francisco and wine country reveals refreshing restaurants, wineries, and accommodations.
When I moved from San Francisco to Reno 20 years ago, I made a promise to myself to visit the Bay Area as much as possible. I believed that by moving to The Biggest Little City, I would miss out on culture and proper restaurants and bars. I came to Reno kicking and screaming, sad to leave the beautiful big city behind.
It didn’t take long, though, for me to fall head over heels in love with Reno, which I quickly learned is packed with plenty of culture and great food and drink. Now you would have to drag me out of here kicking and screaming.
That said, I relish traveling and indulging in new experiences. After staying home way too much because of the pandemic, in late April and early June I got away for two much-needed trips just a few hours away — to San Francisco and wine country. They provided me with a change of scenery and an adventure packed with real flavor.
In the spring and summer, the city was not its same crowded self, but the upside was that there was plenty of breathing room and no crush of people. As of September, when you travel to the city, know that proof of vaccination is required to enter retail indoor spaces and you must wear a mask indoors. The newly added precautions will make travelers feel even more secure.
Enchanting Accommodations
In April, I stayed at elegant Taj Campton Place, centrally located in the heart of Union Square. The generously sized, clean room was serene, but if you want action just look out the window to see the famous shopping square ringed by such stores as Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Apple. The hotel staff was friendly and attentive. And the cozy in-room breakfast was perfect fuel for the day, including egg-topped avocado toast, bagel with gravlax, a tall glass of fresh orange juice, and pot of rich coffee with cream.
In June, I enjoyed a sexy room at the sophisticated boutique Hotel Nikko near Union Square. Settled on the 22nd floor, I had an incredible view of surrounding buildings and even a hint of the ocean. Bonuses: The hotel is dog friendly and the cocktails and shows at the swanky nightclub Feinstein’s at the Nikko were fabulous.
Speaking of food, I had some truly memorable experiences at exceptional restaurants while visiting the city.
Delectable Breakfast and Lunch
Daily Driver, in the Dogpatch area and Ferry Building (and also newly in Ghirardelli Square), is where to go for delicious organic artisan bagels and house-made butter and cheeses, as well as house-cured gravlax and a full sandwich list.
Owners David Jablons and Tamara Hicks joined forces with Hadley and David Kreitz, who steward a farm with 100 goats and sheep in West Tomales called Toluma Farms & Tomales Farmstead Creamery. The Kreitzes started selling milk and making their own artisan cheese 10 years ago. David Kreitz, a fourth-generation New Yorker, couldn’t find good bagels in the city, so he started making the Bay Area’s only wood-fired, organic bagels five years ago. The fresh bagels paired with the creamery’s small-batch butter, quark, butterkase (an Austrian traditional meltable and mild cheese), and cream cheese made on-site are pure heaven.
Fine Dining
If you want an excuse to dress up for dinner, make reservations at Michelin-starred Spruce. Relax in a room of pure refinement, rich with dark brown velvet and leather furnishings, as you enjoy classic tunes from the likes of Barbra Streisand or Motown artists Stevie Wonder and Aretha Franklin.
The California-inspired cuisine is scrumptious, including the locally sourced produce (nearly all of which comes from a private farm in Woodside) and wagyu rib eye from Japan. The stunning three-course meal is $89 per person (not including drinks). Be sure to accompany it with a special bottle of wine — Spruce holds a prestigious Wine Spectator Grand Award (the magazine’s highest honor) for its 3,500-bottle cellar, and about three sommeliers are on duty each night to help you navigate it. There’s a refreshing cocktail program, too.
Outdoor Dining
Next up was Coqueta in The Embarcadero at Pier 5. The excellent food took me on a virtual tour of Spain. Our group shared the cured salmon bites along with potatoes and beets with a smear of whipped goat cheese. Then the paella arrived, with its seasoned brown rice sticking to the sizzling pan, as well as a mammoth tomahawk steak. We started with cocktails, and a delightful tempranillo complemented the meal while we sat outside, in a mostly enclosed plastic dome outfitted with heaters, looking at the bay water.
Chinese Specialties
On a Monday night, all was quiet on the streets of Chinatown except inside China Live, where food is served family style. My guest and I enjoyed pan-fried pork dumplings, soup dumplings, Peking duck with a kumquat glaze, vegetarian Hong Kong wok-fried egg noodles, and Singapore spicy chicken curry with crispy Brussels sprouts. We also sipped tasty ginger whisky and scotch cocktails and devoured the most amazing pineapple carrot cake.
Italian Cuisine
For lunch one sunny day, I sat outside in a parklet at a Mano in Hayes Valley. I ordered an aperol spritz and twirled freshly made pasta onto my fork. I finished the meal with a refreshing panna cotta topped with blackberry compote. Then it was off to walk around the funky, locally owned shops in the area.
Spectacular Views
In terms of dining with a stellar view you can’t beat Waterbar. I sat at what must be the prime table inside looking onto The Embarcadero boardwalk, where a steady stream of people walked, jogged, skated, and biked past me. The Bay Bridge, which filled the window frame, entertained me as sunset came into view. I started the meal with crunchy sourdough bread and salted butter, oysters, and shrimp cocktail. Then I moved on to the whole Petrale sole served Cajun-style with pasta.
Greek Dishes
Kokkari Estiatorio is a stalwart of the San Francisco food scene. Open since 1998, the highly rated fine-dining destination is worthy of a visit. I could have made an entire meal of the appetizers, with my favorite being the Gigantes (oven-baked giant heirloom beans with tomato sauce, olive oil, and herbed feta). But I also ordered the traditional grilled whole fish with horta and lemon, and my dinner companion ordered the spiced lamb skewer grilled with onion, bay leaf, cucumber, tomato, tzatziki, and potatoes. Save room for the enormous sundae for dessert.
Bound for Wine Country
As I drove into Sonoma County, I found myself taking calming breaths and relaxing my shoulders as I soaked in the rural setting studded with oak trees, a few palm trees, and grape vines as far as the eye can see.
My first stop was Jordan Vineyards in Alexander Valley, which pays homage to France in a big way, from the vine-covered chateau winery building to the wine, including Bordeaux varietals. John Jordan bought the winery from his parents in May 2021 to preserve the land and worked with Maggie Kruse, Jordan’s winemaker for 15 years, to create a culinary program that paired perfectly with the wine.
Our host for the vineyard tasting experience, Stephen Neeld, informed me of the company’s history, its wine, and sustainable farming practices (including recycling water, creating compost, instituting solar power, and supporting pollinators). As swallows and turkey vultures circled overhead, we hiked through a vineyard and up a hill for a wine-and-food tasting overlooking the lush green valley on one side and grape vines on the other. I savored cured meats from local Journeyman Meat Co. (which can be substituted with salmon bites), local breads, marcona almonds, and pickled olives.
Some of the hills near Jordan are scarred, a reminder of the devastation experienced here not long ago. The area has been clobbered by fire and then COVID-19. Business owners need visitors to visit and support their operations.
My next stop was St. Francis Winery & Vineyards in Santa Rosa, which also lives in the shadow of the fire that came within feet of the property. But that sad mark falls to the back of your mind as you sit on the stone patio near a grassy knoll circled by flowers, bushes, and trees where weddings likely take place year-round.
As a hawk swirled nearby, I began an estate food pairing with tapas and wines. The certified sustainable winery is home to another female winemaker, Katie Madigan, who started as an intern and spent her whole wine career here. The wines are mostly red varietals, and the small-batch artisan collection is luscious, including the rosé, pinot noir, zinfandel, and port. Executive chef Peter Janiak serves a seasonal menu with ingredients coming from local farmers. I enjoyed the shrimp tostada, tomato and mozzarella arancini, and sour cherry and pecan Florentine. The culinary team accommodates dietary restrictions.
Then I was off to Coursey Graves Winery on top of Bennett Mountain in Bennett Valley. My steep drive up was rewarded with gorgeous views and flora, planted and wild, including oak trees and native flowers. I took a tour through the wine caves and then enjoyed a picnic lunch of panzanella bread salad, charcuterie, toast with a spread, and tomatoes and cucumbers. Nearby restaurants also can cater your experience. With the tapas, I tasted the winery’s merlot, cabernet franc, Syrah, cabernet, petit verdot, and malbec.
I also stopped at Dry Creek Vineyard in Healdsburg, where you can sit at a picnic table resting in the bright green grass in the shade of mature trees. Watch ravens and dragonflies swoop as you sample Dry Creek’s rich and luscious wines.
In the town of Sonoma is Sojourn Cellars, a boutique producer of sumptuous, highly rated wines. Guests can perch inside the charming house or in the garden to taste Sojourn’s Chardonnay, pinot noir, and cabernet, produced from grapes grown in Sonoma, Russian River, and Napa Valley.
Marine Layer Wines is a new winery making lush, small-production pinot noir and Chardonnay with grapes sourced from all over Sonoma County. The tasting room opened in downtown Healdsburg in June 2021.
The Barlow
I highly recommend a visit to The Barlow in Sebastopol. The 8-year-old outdoor market district includes 40 artisan makers and merchants with community gathering spaces spread over 12.5 acres, where you’ll find restaurants, wine and cocktail bars, and retail shops, as well as producers making wine, beer, spirits, cheese, bread, and more.
Inside The Barlow is year-old Region, a Disneyland of wine that showcases 25 wineries and 50 wines from 14 local appellations, so you can taste wines of the valley all in one spot. You can enjoy a bottle, glass, or taste from card-activated machines that keep the wine cold and fresh. Guides are available to recommend wines, and Winemaker Wednesday features a new winemaker each week pouring their wines.
Fern Bar, also in The Barlow, is a cool space packed with happy ferns and other greenery, stained-glass lamps, and a hippie chic vibe. The partners, who grew up together in Sebastopol, envisioned opening a speakeasy bar with creative dishes made with local and organic ingredients. One of the partners was the former bar manager of three-Michelin-starred The Restaurant at Meadowood in St. Helena, and it shows in the flavorful craft cocktails (house-made beers and spirit-free elixirs also are available).
I wrapped up the evening in The Barlow at Blue Ridge Kitchen, a farmhouse-style wood grill with Southern comfort food and fun cocktails. While sitting outside, I enjoyed the vegan roasted cauliflower steak and Blue Ridge drunken fried chicken.
Napa Choices
Palmaz Vineyards is a special stop in Napa. The stunning 18-story winery was built into the Mount George mountainside for a gravity-fed operation. Winemaker Tina Mitchell creates a dynamic selection of wines. I sipped the 2016 Florencia muscat, 2017 Amalia Chardonnay, and 2017 Cedar Knoll cabernet.
Darioush offers several experiences for visitors, from a simple wine tasting with light fare and an olive oil tasting with an expert to an exclusive wine tasting served along with a wine and culture history lesson. Darioush’s wines are a real treat.
At Hall Wines (with tasting rooms in St. Helena and Rutherford), splurge on the Platinum Tasting to sip Hall’s highly rated wines. The experience includes a small food pairing of artisan cheeses and charcuterie as well as insights on the terroir and winemaking techniques.
Fall and winter are perfect times to escape to the Bay Area and wine country. Grab your vaccination card and a collection of masks and make reservations for a delicious getaway.
Amanda Burden is editor and publisher of edible Reno-Tahoe magazine. She savors every chance she gets to travel to destinations full of fantastic food and drink.
RESOURCES
Food
Amanosf.com
Brkitchen.com
Coquetasf.com
Dailydriver.com
Fernbar.com
Kokkari.com
Sprucesf.com
Wine/Bar
Courseygraves.com
Darioush.com
Drinkyourregion.com
Drycreekvineyard.com
Fernbar.com
Hallwines.com
Jordanwinery.com
Marinelayerwines.com
Palmazvineyards.com
Sojourncellars.com
Stfranciswinery.com
Accommodations
Hotelnikkosf.com
Tajcamptonplace.com
Other Resources
Feinsteinssf.com
Thebarlow.net
