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San Francisco and Napa in 3 nights! Please help

San Francisco and Napa in 3 nights! Please help

Old Jun 19th, 2013, 10:53 PM
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San Francisco and Napa in 3 nights! Please help

Hi All,
My family and I have decided to do San Fran for 3 nights . We will leave LA early Thursday am and get there Thursday afternoon. Its my parents my cousins parents and the "kids" range between 5 girls who are 21-27.
We are staying at the cliff hotel.
We need 2 nights dinner restaurants i heard Mamacia and A16 .. thinking of doing napa for the day .. should we drive our van and hit up few vineyrads and have lunch there or take a tour.. which vineyards are close to each other. probably 2-3 would be good.. also what are some nice must dos in san fran .. i heard farmers market at the ferry building, bike ride in Sasalito? we dont want to shop or do touristy things like alcatraz.. any fun dinner restaurants.. cool places.. thanks!
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Old Jun 20th, 2013, 10:57 AM
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Budget? Cuisine?

I am not a true foodie, but I believe you would have already needed reservations made for the most popular restaurants in San Francisco. After research on yelp and elsewhere, we really enjoyed our dinner at Cafe Claude near Union Square. This was about two years ago. True French food, as I remembered it from being in Paris. We had very traditional entrees, such as the coq au vin. I believe they have jazz some nights as well.

For a fun way to explore the city, go on one of the San Francisco City Guides tours. They are free. You just show up at the meeting spot. I found out about them from this board (Stu Dudley) and they are a lot of fun. You might especially enjoy the Chinatown one, which takes you behind the scenes and makes the place really come to life. Deb, another regular poster, has been on many of them and reports that they are all good.

http://www.sfcityguides.org/current_schedule.html
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Old Jun 20th, 2013, 01:29 PM
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I believe you are staying at the Clift Hotel. I'm not aware of a cliff hotel.

I would not go all the way to Napa. Explore the Sonoma Valley, which is closer, more relaxed and less crowded.

You'll find all the wineries you could ever want to taste in the Valley. There's also tasting rooms in the town of Sonoma.

http://sonomavalleywine.com/

http://www.sonomavalley.com/

As far as dinner goes, Mamacita is expensive Mexican food, good, but not near downtown.

A16 is also in the Marina District, a ways from downtown.

There are a ton of excellent downtown restaurants, it just depends on type of food you want and your budget.
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Old Jun 20th, 2013, 01:42 PM
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I just returned from a trip to Napa..my sister lives there so we go often..highly recommend Round Pond winery..it is so gorgeous, the wine is fantastic, the setting is perfect, the people are super nice, they offer tiny appetizers with your wine...it was $45 per person..waived if you bought wine to send or take home. Lots of wineries near Round Pond if you want to take in more than one in a day...it was hard to leave Round Pond. Also , if you are in Napa, Oxbow Market is a must ...it is an indoor market with outdoor seating...best coffee (Ritual Coffee), best ice cream, great food etc...very fun..as is Modell bakery right next to Oxbow.
Sausalito is really pretty ..lovely to walk along the water or bike around..can ferry easily to the city from there.
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Old Jun 23rd, 2013, 10:00 PM
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Thanks so much!!!!
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Old Jun 23rd, 2013, 10:02 PM
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We like Mexican and Italian - fun scene ... Any recs?
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Old Jun 24th, 2013, 07:32 AM
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Where?
Scopa in Healdsburg is absolutely amazing, but reservations are necessary. Mateo's in Healdsburg is also very good--excellent cocktails.
Diavola in Geyserville is terrific, but not a "scene"--just simple wine country decor, great food.
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Old Jun 24th, 2013, 07:59 AM
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We ate at Mamacita last month and didn't find it that expensive.
Very good grub. Some of thee best carnitas tacos evah'.

Just wait for a "regular" table or dine at the bar.
Our pet peeve are the seats where it's one long couch against a wall and then an approx. 18x24" table spaced about 6" apart from diners next to you.

A16 is not too far away from Mamacita. We have eaten there several times and enjoyed it but haven't been there in 3+ years.
Love the Chestnut Street vibe. Might be worth the cab fare to get there and back.
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Old Jun 24th, 2013, 10:41 AM
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There are sooo many good restaurants in SF. One of our new favorites is Food Inc on California in Pacific Heights. It's a fairly casual bistro with live jazz on Friday nights. For lunch we love the Burma Star on Clement St (the other, non touristy Chinatown). Some things to do - the Legion of Honor Museum is in an incredibly beautiful setting, a little off the beaten path. You can rent bikes and ride across the Golden Gate to Sausalito, then take the ferry back.
As for Napa vs Sonoma, I agree that Sonoma is more rustic, but they are both fun. Jacuzzi winery is a fun one, not too far up. If you are near Geyserville (a tiny, funky fun little town), don't miss Francis Coppola's winery - way over the top, but very interesting.
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