Wine Country Retreat

When you come across a room rate in Napa for under $250 during high season, you don’t pass it up. John and I headed to Calistoga on Saturday morning for some R&R. Avoiding the tasting room crowds, we opted to eat our way through the Valley. I can now officially check off French Blue from my restaurant bucket list. The breakfast was fresh and delicious and I absolutely loved the decor. The waiter informed us that Auberge will be managing the restaurant come Fall in order to ramp up dinner service so keep an eye out for a new Executive Chef. I also highly recommend eating at Goose & Gander, where we dined on Saturday night. The G&G burger with melted bone marrow was to die for and I can now say that I’ve eaten a true jalapeno popper: whole, seeded jalapenos stuffed with cojito cheese and served with avocado puree, sour cream and piquillo pepper coulis. Mouth-watering. They also have an impressive cocktail program if you indulged in too much wine during the day.

On Sunday I dragged John shopping on Main Street in St. Helena. This little town is filled with an array of shops and home decor gems. Visit: St. Helena Olive Oil Co. (they have delicious pasta sauces as well), Napa Valley Vintage Home (amazing kitchen ware, coffee table books, throws & pillows), Pennyweight (for stationary and one- of- a- kind cards), Steve’s Housewares (picked up these gingham placemats) and Orin Swift (The Prisoner is one of my favorite wines).