West Coast Drool

I was lucky enough to go on my second annual girl's trip to California with my best mom, and we ate and drank ourselves silly. Here is an overview of the mouthwatering excitement.

We arrived around lunchtime, checked into our wonderful hotel and asked the concierge for lunch suggestions. This adorable French bistro/bookstore was walking distance and at the opening to Chinatown. Perfect.

Salade Frisée
Frisée Salad, Warm Poached Egg, Bacon, Petits Croutons, Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette
Tarte Provencale

Crispy Flatbread of Tomatoes, Basil,
Pesto, Olives &Parmesan

Croque Monsieur

To be honest I wanted to come back for dinner. But with more restaurants in one city than you could eat at in a lifetime....I resisted. Books, French food, good coffee. Heaven.

That night we met up with my mom's oldest best friend and two of her sisters at our hotel bar on the top floor, Harry Denton's Starlight Room. After dinner this becomes a club/lounge, and on Sundays has a famous drag brunch. Great drinks, atmosphere and view! We headed downstairs to the attached restaurant.

Scala's Bistro. Two "Top Chef" contestants currently hang their hat here, and the location was perfect:)

Asparagus Salad with Spanish white Anchovies.

Duck Confit - didn't get a picture - ate it too quickly:)

Salty Caramel Ice Gelato with Gingersnaps

DAY TWO

We wandered and wandered. Snacked a little all over. Boudin Sourdough Factory smelled like absolute ecstasy.

Sourdough animals.

We found a cute little wine bar on the water on our way to find the seals and had a olive oil, cheese and wine tasting.

Dinner that night was at 

Le Colonial. French-Vietnamese.

Please check out the pictures of this place. It is otherworldly, and the upstairs feels like a wartime dance hall.

We started with Cha GioChay: Crispy vegetarian "Buddha" rolls with taro, tofu, shiitake mushrooms and jicama with sweet Ponzu. Wrapped each one in lettuce and dipped in the best Ponzu. So delicious, missed the picture again.

Bo Luc Lac: toy box tomatoes and crispy Russet potatoes, Wok-seared filet mignon cubes with sweet garlic-soy sauce over watercress

XaLachBuoi: Baby field greens, ruby red grapefruit, fennel, toasted cashews tossed with citrus vinaigrette

DAY THREE:

We said goodbye to SF and drove through Muir Woods and Sausalito in the rain, taking our time to arrive at our next destination: Sonoma.

We hit Buena Vista Winery, and then into downtown Sonoma to Roche.

Finally, lunch, at The Girl and the Fig.

Cheese and cured meats, olives, fruit with delicious housemade condiments. Delicious cocktail. So it was...delicious.

duck confit (again) flageolet beans, bacon lardons, tomato confit, frisee, dijon mustard jus

They are famous for this and I couldn't resist.

Friday night we never quite made it to dinner after an afternoon of wine tasting. We were so exhausted a nap became....well, Saturday.

NAPA:

I couldn't get a good reservation for dinner at any of the places we really wanted to try on Saturday night, so we hit Bottega for lunch. FAN-FING-TASTIC. We sat outside by a roaring fire and I wanted to order everything.

Green-Egg and Ham Olive oil-poached Delta asparagus, crispy soft-boiled egg prosciutto bits & Cambazola crema

Polenta Under Glass, caramelized wild mushrooms, balsamic game sauce

Potato dough Raviolo filled with spinach & ricotta, black truffles, farm fresh egg yolk, sage browned butter

At this point all I wanted was another stomach. Instead we went back to our hotel and enjoyed the hot tubs and relaxation room, read by the fire, and got a massage. Our big plans for dinner were again defeated by our exhaustion from a day well spent, and we settled for room service. I had come down with a cold and I was so tired, but at least there's plenty to look forward to on our next trip.

OH! Brunch Saturday and Sunday were at The Sunflower Caffe.

They serve a "big ass" mimosa and some fine sandwiches and waffles.

Snacks and drinks at El Dorado Kitchen - truffle fries are to die for.

All in all an amazing trip. We came home with a case of wine, a few memberships, the knowledge of how to remove a Jeep Wrangler soft top, and I think my mom wants to check me into food rehab for duck and egg addiction. But I can't wait until next year!