Wine Country Inns & Restaurants
 

My wife and I are planning a trip to the wine country in the Fall. Can anyone suggest a nice, smallish, but really nice hotel with nice amenities and restaurants close by...Any restaurant suggestions...what is the one restaurant we can't miss in Napa/Sonoma?<BR><BR>

2 great restaurants not to be missed in NAPA--<BR><BR>THE FRENCH LAUNDRY--you need to make reserve.way in advance-Exp- Coat and tie<BR><BR>Mustards Grill--great grilled foods<BR>unusual combos- casual atmosphere<BR><BR>There is also a great Italian restaurant but I forgot the name--<BR><BR>All of these are in the Yountville Area

I agree with Andy, French Laundry (out of this world but reservations extremely tough to get) and Mustards (excellent!)<BR>Also worth checking out, Bistro Jeanty and, for something slightly less upscale but with excellent food, Cafe LaHaye which is right in Sonoma.<BR>

Madrona Manor just outside of Healdsburg. It's an old home, turned hotel. Wonderful dining room. In Healdsburg lots of browsing. Think the Italian in Napa was probably Tra Vigne.

Terra (in St. Helena)<BR>

Alooohaaa,<BR><BR>"Can't miss"??? On this board???<BR>It's all relative here.<BR>Bouchon's, Napa Grille, and Pacific Blue Cafe (good breakfasts) all in Yountville.<BR><BR>Rutherford Grille in R'ford.<BR>Martini House in St Helena.<BR>Della Santina's in Sonoma.<BR><BR>We usually stay in Yountville at either the very funky, "rustic" Railway Inn ("smallish but not "really nice/amentities" for a special occasion) or the Bordeaux House which almost backs up to the Fr .Laundry.<BR>"Staggering distance" we like to say...darn good wine!<BR><BR>A few other smallish places like Petit Logis, Maison Fleurie, Villagio, Vintage Inn, et al in Yountville.<BR>Kal

Maison Fleurie has charming little "cottages," but if you go make sure yours is a distance from the back of the restaurant next door---not very romantic listening to the clash of trash cans! You must book French Laundry exactly two months in advance.

If your trip is this fall, you probably won't be able to do the French Laundry. I think they have a three-month minimum for reservations. Maybe it's two months, I can't recall. There's a great new place called Zuzu in Napa's Old Town district that serves yummy tapas. It's small, so get there early, but good, casual and reasonably priced:<BR>http://www.zuzunapa.com/reviews.htm<BR><BR>There's a fun country store in Healdsburg called the Jimtown Store. It's a fun place to grab a leisurely bite and shop for kitsch.<BR><BR>http://www.jimtown.com<BR><BR>Have fun!

There is fine dining and then there is a dining experience. The French Laundry falls into the latter category. If you can appreciate a truly amazing dining experience, can get a reservation and can afford it, go to the French Laundry. A lot of rest of the restaurants mentioned above are the old standbys. Two newer restaurants in St. Helena that are getting great reviews are Martini House and Roux. I recently ate at the latter for the first time and was very favorably impressed. Bouchon's and Bistro Jeanty (which is very casual) in Yountville are consistently good. Also, Domaine Chandon is upscale and also quite good. Personally, I wasn't too impressed with Mustards the last time I went there. Maybe I just had an unlucky experience (since I used to think it was quite good), but neither the food or the service we received was all that great. For a place to stay with nice amenities and restaurants close by, I would suggest the Villagio Inn. Have a great time in Napa.