San Fran and Napa Valley | Trying new food, in a new place

Azzurro in downtown Napa, Calif., where I had one of the best pizza pies ever.

When I visit a place and write about it on The Offlede, I always save the food for the final post. Anyone who knows anything about food knows it's vital to leave the best for the last.

It's just too bad that this post about food in San Francisco comes six months after my vacation there. But as they say, better late than never.

Dining in the Bay Area is a culinary adventure, one that is rich with opportunities to try new things. I no longer pick up a menu to look for my favorite dish. I keep my eyes peeled for something new, different and indicative of the area.

In Maine, you eat seafood. In New Orleans, you have gumbo. In Denver, it's a giant steak (or mac 'n' chicken). In the Bay Area, it's a smorgasbord of tastes, many of which are high-brow.

My reporter friend and I, however, were served a deep dish of reality when we checked out some menus while visiting in October. For example, at Thomas Keller's The French Laundry in Yountville, a small town in the heart of Napa Valley, the nine-course tasting menu goes for $240. The reality was that we're journalists, not investment bankers stock brokers Realtors lawyers.

Here's a rundown of what I could afford, in chronological order. And I'll rate each from a 1 to a 10. Maybe even a 22.

***

Eatery: In-N-Out Burger
Where: Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco
Why: My buddy and I had not eaten breakfast, so we were famished. From the hotel, we walked and took a cable car to the bayfront, so we had already worked up an appetite. But still, for our first meal in the city, we wanted something uniquely San Francisco, without paying a lot. That was impossible, so we settled on In-N-Out Burger because neither one of us had heard of it.
Atmosphere: It's the only In-N-Out in San Francisco and one of the few chains on Fisherman's Wharf. It was only allowed to locate there because it had the feel of a locally owned place. So, the place is busy with a mix of locals and tourists like us who also had never heard of the place.
What: Double cheeseburger with fries
Price: $5.35
Verdict: This place is no Five Guys, for sure. But it's unique in its own right. The burger resembled a Big Mac, though. The mayonnaise-based special "spread" is like Thousand Island dressing. It was tasty, and for a cool Lincoln note, I couldn't argue with something that, while not uniquely San Franciscan, was uniquely Californian.
Rating: 7

***

Eatery: Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop
Where: Ghirardelli Square, the former headquarters of Ghirardelli Chocolate Co. that was converted into a complex of shops, near the cable car turnaround on San Francisco's waterfront
Why: After walking from Fisherman's Wharf to the Golden Gate Bridge and back, we were once again peckish. Between meals, we decided that a snack was in order.
Atmosphere: We ate in a small patio area fenced off from the rest of the sidewalk. While we licked our ice creams, we listened to a beggar who attempted to sing songs, deliver rhyming pleas for cash - "give me some dough because I'm poh" - and speak the language of the people who walked by - "konnichiwa!"
What: Waffle cone with chocolate ice cream
Price: $4.25
Verdict: It certainly was not the cheapest ice cream I had ever purchased. But it was the best. Well worth it. I was convinced that it was not ice cream, just dark chocolate somehow frozen and made soft. Delectable. And in the time it took me to wolf down that ice cream cone, I don't think the beggar collected enough cash for one of his own.
Rating: 9

***

Eatery: Pier Market
Where: Pier 39, in the heart of Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco
Why: My buddy and I were flying by the seat of our pants when it came to narrowing down dining options. We didn't have many prerequisites, just that our chosen restaurant should have seafood and televisions showing the Red Sox playoff game. In this place, those requirements were met.
Atmosphere: Unfortunately, we were seated out of sight of the TVs. But more magnificently, we had an excellent view of the bay - brilliantly lit at nighttime - from an indoor, glassed-in dining area. The kitchen at Pier Market is open; you can see the cooks work their magic. And as its name suggests, you also can buy fresh fish at the market.
What: Had I watched Michael Chiarello's Food Network episode about the San Francisco original cioppino - a kitchen-sink dish of fish, mussels, clams, crab and shrimp - I would have gone for it. Instead, I opted for the shark, which came straight from the Pacific Ocean. I had never eaten shark, so I gave it a whirl. A basket of sourdough was on the side.
Price: $15.95
Verdict: The fish was infused with flavors from Pier Market's mesquite grill, a specialty. It was glazed with teriyaki sauce and topped with grilled pineapple. It tasted like chicken, but it was excellent nonetheless. The sourdough bread - from Boudin Bakery, an institution in San Francisco - was incredibly sour. I had obviously never had real sourdough until Pier Market.
Rating: 7 (just because of the bread)

***

Eatery: I can't for the life of me remember, and I didn't save the receipt. It was a mom-and-pop diner type that was probably bigger with the locals than with the tourists.
Where: Somewhere two blocks from Fisherman's Wharf
Why: It was the morning of our Alcatraz visit, and we knew there weren't any restaurants on The Rock, so we stopped by on our way to the tour boat.
Atmosphere: We sat outside in the cool morning air. The host stood at the doorway, asking pedestrians on the sidewalk if they needed a table. If a couple walked by, for example, he would say, "Table for two?" Frequently, the people were not interested.
What: A large stack of blueberry pancakes
Price: Reasonable
Verdict: These blueberries were not the little, sweet, wild ones from Maine. They were cultivated in California. Yes, they were big, but they weren't nearly as sweet, tasty or juicy as the ones grown in the wilderness of Down East, Maine. Disappointing.
Rating: 2

***

Eatery: Some Chinese place in ...
Where: San Francisco's world-famous Chinatown
Why: Because we were in Chinatown, and when in Rome ...
Atmosphere: Odd. I don't frequent Asian restaurants, though I'm crazy about their food. This is the first place where I actually had difficulty communicating with our waitress. A few things wound up on my plate that I didn't ask for. At least, I don't think I did.
What: My first experience with dim sum. (Like I said, I don't eat at Chinese places often.)
Price: I wasn't paying.
Verdict: The dumplings were like frogs going down my throat. The spare ribs were very spare of meat, but I guess that's just how they are. The sweet barbecue pork buns made up the dish I hadn't asked for but found on the table anyway. Funny thing is, it was the best. My first dim sum was satisfying and lacking at the same time.
Rating: 6

***

Eatery: Farina Focaccia & Cucina Italiana
Where: Mission District of San Francisco
Why: I had heard that the Mission District was a great place to find great food. At the same time, it sounded sketchy and not as touristy as the waterfront. We arrived by bus, then walked around for a long time, trying to find an affordable place that lacked a long line. We found a wallet-friendly place in Farina, but the dining room was packed. Instead, we sat in a sidewalk dining area equipped with outdoor heaters. It was a cold night: Keep the hot coffee flowing, please.
Atmosphere: Freezing. Yes, it's California, but I live in Florida. Give me a break.
What: Pansotti, a stuffed pasta
Price: $20.25
Verdict: This genovese torelli pasta was stuffed with ricotta cheese and a walnut pesto. It was light but surprisingly filling. And, again, I had never tasted such a thing. If it were not for my carefree attitude while vacationing, I would have a "5-dollar, 5-dollar footlooooong" at Subway for each meal. So, again, it was a good experience.
Rating: 7

***

Eatery: Domaine Chandon's winery
Where: Yountville, Calif., in Napa Valley
Why: We were sampling three sparkling wines and needed something to go along with them.
Atmosphere: The best of the trip. Rolling hills to our left and right. Grapevines, of course. And a patio area, where one man was serving oysters on the half shell and another was playing the accordion. Meanwhile, I spotted a pregnant woman drinking wine, and my buddy and I gossiped with the tasters next to us.
What: Sourdough with brie cheese and a mustard spread
Price: About $13
Verdict: It's probably the most expensive loaf of bread my friend ever bought.
Rating: 22 (uh, because of the wine we had with it)

***

Eatery: Azzurro Pizzeria E Enoteca
Where: Downtown Napa, Calif.
Why: When a pizza craving hits, you eat pizza. You can't mess with that.
Atmosphere: Bustling. We sat next to a group of local friends who must have been celebrating a birthday. Wine flowed steadily to their table. What seemed to be a common scene in California, the kitchen was open at Azzurro, again establishing intimacy with diners.
What: Uh, pizza; to specify, the pollo pie
Price: $22.98 with a few glasses of wine
Verdict: The style here was thin crust, which usually does not appeal to me. I'm a fan of Chicago-style pies. But this, this was an exception. The pizza was topped with Italian chicken sausage, sherry roasted onions, mozzarella and arugula. The memory of this meal is fading fast, as it was six months ago. But this pizza is memorable because it wasn't overly greasy. Like other California food, it was healthy. Wait, a healthy pizza? Well, not quite. But almost.
Rating: 8

***

Eatery: Mustards Grill
Where: Napa, Calif., along State Route 29, the main thoroughfare through the valley
Why: After a full day of vineyard-hopping, we simply happened upon this place. We had examined the menu at the Culinary Institute of America's Greystone Restaurant, but it was out of range for two journalists' budgets. At Mustards, the parking lot was full, and the place didn't seem particularly fancy. It was perfect. Only later did I find out that Mustards' executive chef and owner is the renown Cindy Pawlcyn.
Atmosphere: The Red Sox game was on, and we were the only ones rooting for Boston over the Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim). We sat at the bar because the tables required a lengthy wait. It was tight because every stool at the bar was occupied, too. But that's how one comes to call a restaurant "intimate." It was serious food with a comfortable feel that you can't get at the other fancy places in Napa Valley.
What: Sonoma rabbit
Price: $34.70 with a few glasses of wine
Verdict: I chose the rabbit because it was local, from the valley next door. And, yet again, it was a first for me. The meat was cooked with care over a wood fire. Because the restaurant was busy and the food was running out, my rabbit came with trimmings that were not advertised on the menu. It topped a bed of risotto, which itself was creamy and brilliant. The vegetables were summer squash and zucchini. As a child, my parents forced zucchini down my throat. The only way I was going to willingly eat it was if it were put into a bread. When it came to Mustards, I decided to be brave and eat the horrid vegetable for the first time since my childhood. For some reason, it was magnificent. What Mustards did to it, I do not know. But it sure was a tasty way to cap off a fabulous trip. And, yet again, enjoying zucchini was something entirely new.
Rating: 10

San Fran Day 5 | After high-flying vacation, photos to match

The only good thing about leaving San Francisco was the same good thing about touring San Francisco: the views. As my United Airlines plane lifted over the city, I did the rebel thing and turned on my point-and-shoot Canon, despite the call to "turn all electronics to the off position during takeoff." This first view was over the Twin Peaks looking toward the downtown.

The one-hour trip from Napa Valley to the airport took two hours because of the congestion on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, seen here with a great view of downtown San Francisco.

And one last look at the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Bay before heading back east.

The plan flew over the rust-red terrain and snaking rivers of the West. I'm not sure where this is because the pilot wasn't very helpful in letting his passengers know.
























A pronounced ridge of mountains with a glimpse of the moon above the wing.



























Getting into the more consistently mountainous region.

Getting some snow already here.

Lots of white stuff covering the mountains.

And the sun sets on my vacation in San Francisco and Napa Valley.

Napa Valley Day 4 | Lots of wine, but no complaining

The late-day sun shines through the trees and hits the grape leaves of showcase vines at Beringer, the last vineyard on our whirlwind tour of Napa Valley.

The fog filled Napa Valley like soapsuds in a bathtub. It happened each morning of our two-morning stay in America's wine country. And the air was cold. I could see my breath - not a frequent sight in Florida.

It was worrisome because my New York friend and I had a tee time at Napa Golf Course, the local municipal club where greens fees are a reasonable $30 for 18 holes. Rain seemed probable.

But the fog lifted, and the sun was warm. In another sign of good fortune, the pro at the course gave us each a club rental for free. He had quoted a $20 fee when I called ahead, but he said, "They're so crappy, it wouldn't be right to charge you."

I hadn't played golf in more than a year, so my game was rusty. As we sped around the course in a golf cart, we had good holes and bad holes. My friend parred one, which, as a newbie to the game, was an achievement.

I do believe I hit a ball - or two - into that pond.

The golf course provided expansive views of the hills buttressing the valley. Many of them were covered in golden brown grass. It had rained on the night of my arrival in San Francisco, and the local news station said it was the first time the valley had seen precipitation since January. We saw firetrucks on the roadside and heard of occasional forest fires on the news. As a Florida resident, I can't imagine not seeing, hearing, feeling the rain for 10 months. The dry season can be boring.

Aside from the extended climate, I began to see a certain likeness between northern California and a place I once lived. The evergreen trees, the rolling hills, the cool mornings: It felt like I was in Maine again. Of course, it doesn't get as cold in California as it does in Maine. But if the year-round weather was similar to what I experienced during my vacation, I could definitely get used to it.

Midway through the back nine, we realized that our time to get the full Napa Valley experience was running short. It was almost 2 p.m., and we wanted to squeeze in a few more vineyards on top of our visit to Domaine Chandon the previous evening. It was our first and final full day to get it done.

So, I did yet another of many firsts during this vacation: I cut my round of golf short. The horror.

The only scheduled event on our Napa Valley itinerary was our golfing. We left the quality of our wine experience to serendipity. But really, you can't go wrong in a place so saturated with wineries. Choose one, and the experience will be different from the other and will be genuinely good in its own right.

Rows of grapevines at a vineyard in Napa Valley. The golden hills are in the background.

We had read in some hotel literature that Grgich Hills Estate in Rutherford was an intimate, family run place that was started by a man from Croatia. Actually, it was Grgich Hills that made Napa Valley known among the world's top wine-producing regions.

In 1976, in an event called the Judgment of Paris, Mike Grgich's chardonnay was chosen as the victor in a blind test. His snobby European competitors, thinking something was wrong with the results, ordered another tasting. Grgich won again.

Or so said the young, good-looking lady who administered our tasting in the winery's small tasting room (my friend made sure to check her ring finger, which was predictably adorned with a golden wedding band). The tasting room is adjacent a larger room with giant metal canisters. The building itself smelled of fermentation - the good kind, of course.

On the topic of fermentation, Grgich Hills says it's the best at it. Instead of adding yeast, the winemakers use a trademarked process called Biodynamic farming. Its grapes have living yeast on their skins that allows for a natural fermentation. Grgich Hills fits in with this organic fad.

But enough science, which I can't adequately explain anyway. What do my taste buds say?

We were given - count 'em - five wines to taste from a selection of "current releases." I felt like I was at a movie screening, not a wine tasting. We got the 2006 chardonnay, 2007 fume blanc, 2005 zinfandel, 2004 merlot and the 2004 cabernet sauvignon. All are meant for the colder months of the year.

If you've seen "Sideways," you'd know that Paul Giamatti's character, Miles, isn't a fan of merlot. "If anyone orders merlot, I'm leaving," he says.

I'm not as much of a detractor, but I have to say that Grgich Hills' strongest wines are not their reds. The chardonnay was the best I've had. Our guide during this tour of tastes said the Grgich chardonnay turned her on to white wine. I could understand why.

But the best was the fume blanc. It has the classic sauvignon blanc flavor of grapefruit, but it's tangy and more pronounced in Grgich Hills' take. It's not sweet, but the flavor is intense. I decided to buy a bottle and check my luggage for the first time in my life in order to take it back to Florida. You can get this stuff only in California; you can't find it in the wine section of Walmart. I had to seize to opportunity.

Apparently, the feeling of affection between us and our wine administrator was mutual because she bagged up two glasses with my purchased bottle, instead of the one that was supposed to come with the tasting fee of $10. "This way, you can come back and get even more free refills," she said jokingly. I wish.

The Grgich Hills visit was enough to leave Napa Valley a happy man. It was enough to die a happy man. But we still had two more hours before the last winery closed.

Beringer, up north a ways in St. Helena, sounded familiar, like a wine you might find in Walmart. Because our first two were unfamiliar, I figured we should visit a vineyard that rang a bell. It's a conversation piece: You're in the supermarket, you see a bottle, and you say to friend, "Yeah, I've been there." And Beringer and I share a German heritage: even more reason to pay a visit.

Our tour guide tells us about the cabernet sauvignon vines, which were used only for show in this case, as he drinks a glass of chardonnay.

The grapes of cabernet sauvignon.

For $20, we were led on a tour of the vineyard and, along the way, were given four wines to taste. The first was a chardonnay, oddly juxtaposed with a visit to a showcase vine of cabernet sauvignon grapes. The wine was good, but tasting the grapes was divine. Cabernet is not a sweet wine, but the grapes are so packed with sugars that they tasted like globs of honey. The ones that had turned into raisins were even more intense. If the grapes didn't have seeds, the Sun-Maid girl would be in trouble.

One of Beringer's signature brands, Leaning Oak, gets its name from a - dontcha know? - leaning oak. The tree, however, leaned too much and fell over. It's now a large stump that's cut off about 15 feet down its trunk. It serves only as a degenerate monument.

Rows of expensive oak barrels fill the man-made caves at Beringer.

The Beringer mansion, which was closed for renovations.

We then went into the man-made caves filled with oak barrels in which the fermentation takes place. The ideal temperature of the caves is 58 degrees. The barrels were imported from Europe and cost more than $1,000 each. They can be used only for three to four rounds of fermentation, then they're thrown out. That makes a bottle of $10 Beringer seem quite amazing.

Our tour guide said we were walking on ground once used as a scene in a movie, "A Walk in the Clouds," starring Keanu Reeves. A small storage room for bottles of wine was used as a place for a conversation between Reeves and another major character in the romantic film. Don't ask for details. I've never seen it.

My last taste of wine in Napa Valley suckered me into buying a bottle of it. Our tour guide gave us a taste of Beringer's vintage port and a bit of dark chocolate, too. Port is a sweet, extremely tangy dessert wine, so they were excellent complements. "Vintage," by the way, means 2002. And it was aged in those oak barrels for 21 months.

Drinking wine and eating chocolate on a vineyard in Napa Valley - we were living high. For the things we did and the expensive area of the country in which we did them, we were fortunate not to go broke on this trip. But actually, the vacation was very affordable. We bought our plane tickets early and didn't stay in fancy hotels.

We would've liked to have stayed another few days, visited another 10 vineyards, played another round of golf. But we're journalists - he, a business reporter during a financial crisis in New York; me, a copy editor responsible for an election publication in the swing state of Florida.

Day 5 of my vacation consisted of nothing more than travel. But even as my airplane lifted over California, there was one more touristy thing left to do.

San Fran Day 3 | Leaving town for the (wine) country

The Victorian houses of Alamo Square in San Francisco.

Two locals walk their dogs in the hilly oceanside community of Muir Beach, Calif.

When I visited New Orleans last year, I went about my adventure as an enthusiast in an attempt to blend in and get a sense of what it's like to live there. I got to know the local people, which eventually led to my introduction to Brad Pitt, who was in town to do some reconstruction work.

I left the Big Easy with a great sense of achievement, almost as though I had made some friends, even if it was for only a few days or a couple of minutes. But I also felt that I had missed something. There was much to be experienced in New Orleans that I skipped because I was too busy "blending in." I didn't tour the bayou. I didn't get any sort of Mardi Gras experience. I didn't eat any gator.

Until my San Francisco trip, I thought my New Orleans strategy was the only way to go about tourism. It's probably because it's cheaper. And people who know me know that I'm cheap.

But my friend, whom I've known since freshman year in college, opened my eyes to a different approach: making sure you do the things you've never done and see the things you've never seen, before leaving a place you may never return to.

I saw the Golden Gate Bridge. I learned how to use a Segway. I threw myself into an Alcatraz cell.

Several times during the stay, I said, "I feel like a tourist," and then my friend responded, "That's because you are a tourist." I think I finally came to grips with that on Day 3. So on that last day in the city, we had to ask: What was the final thing we need to do or see before leaving? It was most definitely to visit Alamo Square, where the view of the Victorian "Painted Ladies" has been featured on countless postcards and movies and seen in TV shows such as "Full House."

We found a parking spot beside one of the houses and climbed the small hill. Being in the heart of the city for a few days, then stepping back and taking an overall look at where I had been treading is an amazing experience. Only from this perspective was I able to grasp the rugged beauty and uniqueness of this city.

Luckily, my friend is a patient person. He waited as I pointed my camera this way and that way to get the right frame with the seven Victorians in the foreground and the skyscrapers behind them. A British family, left, walked in front of me and spoke in a pronounced, almost scripted tone. That's when I realized they were being filmed, probably for some travel show in England.

"Thank you, San Francisco," the man said as he walked away.

Ditto.

We left the city via the famous U.S. 101 and the even more widely known Golden Gate Bridge. I hadn't seen the open Pacific Ocean yet, so we headed for Muir Beach, just north of the city.

Having once lived in the surfing capital of the East Coast, Cocoa Beach, I can say that the surfers in Florida would be jealous of the large waves in California. But, on other hand, they'd be less impressed with the temperature of the water.

My friend waded into the rough Pacific as I waited far away from the frigidness. But I had that feeling again as though I was missing out. If I didn't partake, I couldn't walk away from the beach and honestly say I've felt the cool water of the Pacific Ocean on my legs. So I took off my shoes and waded out. The water was soon above my knees, soaking my jeans.

We then made our way to Mare Island in Vallejo, where my friend's grandfather, a Navy captain, had been a commander for five years in the 1980s of a now-defunct shipyard. The barracks were covered with graffiti. Windows were broken. Grass was taking over the roads.

The city of Vallejo is trying to develop the grounds, attracting businesses to locate warehouses and large-scale operations on the site. Some parts have been reserved for preservation, including the museum dedicated mostly to the former civilian employees of the shipyard.

Joyce, our tour guide at Mare Island Naval Shipyard, leads us to the second floor of the commander's quarters.

My friend looks at a list of commanders, including his grandfather.

A volunteer at the museum, Joyce, greeted us when we arrived. She showed us the commander's quarters, where my friend's grandfather had stayed. Because we were "special" visitors, she said, she showed us the third floor and the basement of an old building once profiled on the History Channel and used for a scene in a movie, the name of which I can't quite remember. Anything exclusive is worth doing, so I'm glad my friend has connections.

We arrived at our Napa base, The Chateau Hotel, late in the afternoon. The first thing we noticed was how vacant the building was. Its location was perfect: in the north part of the city, close to the wineries along State Route 29, the main road through Napa Valley. The accommodations were adequate, certainly more so than at the Civic Center Inn in the Tenderloin of San Francisco. And there was even a continental breakfast. How can you argue with bagels, danishes and corn flakes?

It was harvest time for the vineyards, making it peak tourist season. So we can't really explain why the hotel and wineries we visited during our stay were quiet. Maybe it's always like that. Maybe we just picked the right weekend. Or maybe it's the recession.

We quickly checked into the hotel, then headed to Domaine Chandon, a winery not five minutes away that's famous for sparkling wines. I had never tasted a sparkling wine I liked until tasting three of them at Chandon. Maybe it was the atmosphere. A French singer with an accordion filled the outdoor patio with a sophisticated air. Nearby, a man shucked oysters. My friend and I ate "artisan" cheeses as we tasted wine. I had the $16 "prestige tasting," which included the etoile brut, the reserve pinot noir brut and the etoile rose, which was aged five years and featured flavors of plum, raspberry, nutmeg, candied ginger, truffle and cocoa.

My friend and I laughed with the people at the table next to us when we saw a largely pregnant lady drinking a glass of red liquid. Maybe it was grape juice?

And to think, I probably would have never had this experience if I didn't have a friend alongside me.

A daisy in the flower garden of the commander's quarters at Mare Island.

Another flower.

Unripe lemons hang from a tree at the commander's house.

My first taste of Domaine Chandon's etoile brut. The wine was described as "a bouquet of almond and honey [that] leads to flavors of citrus and ginger with a soft, creamy structure."

Panorama | A high-resolution teaser to Bay Area adventures

Click on the image, then on the next page, click it again to get a high-resolution panorama of the Golden Gate Bridge. I shot the bridge with my camera sitting on a tripod, then merged 11 photos together to make this panorama.

I wish Florida could share some humidity with California. It might make for somewhat of a pleasant atmosphere here in the Sunshine State.

But I'm back into the thick of things - including work and the rain - after a short but wicked sweet visit to San Francisco and Napa Valley. I have much to catch up on now that I've returned, so I'll have to take care of those things first.

For now, you'll have to settle for a teaser. Here's a taste of what I have in store for The Offlede. My upcoming posts will hit these highlights:

• A Segway lesson and tour of San Francisco.
• A cruise to Alcatraz Island, a wretched and oddly beautiful place.
• An exclusive tour of the deserted Mare Island Shipyard, where my friend's grandfather served as the Naval commander for five years.
• Wine tastings at three vineyards in one of the best places on Earth, Napa Valley.
• Some of the best food I have ever had.
• "Rebel" aerial photos of the Bay Area. I'll explain later.

I have said that there's no sense in visiting one place more than once. With such limited travel experience, I would like to see as many places as possible. But at the first chance I get, I'm going back to Napa Valley and probably to Sonoma County, too.

That's how good it was.