Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Napa Valley: Wine tasting, B&B, OxBow Market, & Ad Hoc

Never been to Napa before and always hear people talking about the wineries & food, so we did an overnight trip.

When I first mapped out the wineries on google maps, the wineries looked like they were all spread out, but they're a lot closer than I thought.












Didn't really have a plan on what wineries to check out, but Linh had a good time at Castello di Amorosa (the castle one) so we visited that place first.



They had a bunch of poultry running around the property and were very comfortable with people near them.







They also have livestock. Was also told that they have Emus here, but we didn't see them.




So for $30 you get 5 tastings.


If you're not looking to do the tastings you can explore the castle grounds. They also do a guided tour for additional cost.

The castle is neat to check out though.








Downstairs is the souvenir shop and tasting rooms.


One of the staff lead us to a private tasting room in the corner of the castle.






Looks like some kid scribbled all over the wall art.

Even though I don't know how to appreciate wine, we had a great tasting experience. Being able to taste all sorts of wine one after the other was fun.



Linh & his wife have been to Napa several times and last time they only got a bottle of La Fantasia and regret not getting more. So this time they got 1/2 a case which just so happens to be on sale. I guess you can only buy their wine from their website or on location.



Our next stop was V. Sattui Winery  for lunch.




Linh told me that last time he was here it was difficult just to get a table and there was a long line for BBQ.

It was slow for a Sunday. No line for BBQ and there were plenty of tables available.


Linh and I went into the shop to buy a bottle of wine for lunch. They had a very nice selection of cheeses & desserts.





Around 3:30 we headed to our Bed & Breakfast. I have never stayed in one before so this was the perfect opportunity. We stayed at Hotel Napa Valley.






They had complimentary fresh baked goods.

Also complimentary individual french press coffee.

Linh stayed in the main house.

There are 3 homes on this property and the parking lot in the back connects them all together.

There's also several chairs, tables, and fire pits for lounging.

Tammy and I stayed in the property behind.





After we dropped off our things we headed to Oxbow Public Market which is only a few minutes drive from the B&B



Oxbow Public Market reminds of the Ferry Building Marketplace in S.F.













They even have a Hog Island Oyster Co also.




















We headed back to the B&B around 5:30 pm for the complimentary wine hour. The B&B was so quite that we thought we were the only ones staying there, but didn't realize how many people were staying there until we saw them during the wine hour.





Spent the rest of our time on the property lounging around and having a few bottles of wine that Linh bought.

Around 8 pm head out to dinner at Ad Hoc. I have been wanted to try this place for a while.






Moscow Mule

French 75

Caesar Salad, I really enjoyed this.

Rose

Anastasia doesn't eat meat, so they were able to substitute veal for a roasted chicken.

Creamy Farro Brown Butter Sauce, this was good, kind of reminds me of risotto.

Beef Bolognese with Burrata. This was delicious

Sauteed Broccolini

Fried Veal Top Sirloin, this dish was okay. I really wanted to try the fried chicken but it wasn't on the menu this evening.

Fiscalini Cheddar

Ice Cream Sundaes house made vanilla ice cream.

Chocolate, Butterscotch, Strawberry sauces, toasted pecans and whipped chantilly.

Ice Cream Sundae all dressed up. It was delicious.

After dinner we headed back to the B&B and called it a night.

The next morning we headed to breakfast at our B&B.

They made a breakfast sandwich with eggs, feta, spinach, & ham, with a side of bacon and fruit.

Checked out at 11 am and headed to a spa nearby for a massage.

Then we headed back to Oxbow Public Market for some wine and oysters.



Hog Island sweetwater oysters

Disco Hama oysters

For lunch we dined at Napa Palisades Saloon which was a few blocks away from Oxbow.



Strawberry Limeade

Chicken liver pate

Shrimp Diablo, this was very good.

Pickled egg, never had one before and it was interesting.

Reuben Croquettes.. OMG these were delicious.

Chorizo Fries.. this was okay. I would skip these.

Inside of the Ruben Croquette

Grilled artichoke.

Fish tacos these were pretty good also.

Our first round of shots this entire trip.

They rootbeer on tap, so got a rootbeer float since Anastasia had never tried one before.

After lunch we headed home. We hit Napa on a good day. The weather was nice and we barely missed the rain.

That ends this trip.

Next on the agenda will be Bahamas.

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