Napa

A few weeks ago, Jason and I got a chance to have mini getaway to Napa for his birthday!  We arrived on a Thursday around 4:00 in Sacramento and drove to Napa.  We arrived just in time for a wine reception at the Marriott in Napa.  A nice way to start our trip!

Next up, we had reservations at Bouchon in Yountville.  My cousin works at Bouchon, so I was excited to see him and have dinner with him and his lovely girlfriend.  As everyone ate seafood and some more adventurous items, I snacked on bread and butter (and wine).  Reminded me of the French butter we had on our honeymoon in Bora Bora!  Delicious! 

 I had the steak frites with truffle french fries.  That was one amazing meal.  I loved hearing stories of all the famous people that my cousin has seen in the restaurant and how cool Thomas Keller is. 

After getting to sleep in, we headed right back to the Bouchon Bakery next door for some croissants.  One word...amazing. 

 We also grabbed some macaroons for the kids and my parents.  The carmel macaroon was my favorite!  We went to a tasting at Jessup Cellars next in Yountville.  We had a private tasting set up by my cousin's girlfriend.  I have never had wine at 11:00 a.m. in my life, but it was fun!  The pairing came with some yummy cheese and dark chocolate.  Next up we headed to lunch at Mustard's Grill.  Jason and I split a burger and a salad.  Literally everything we ate on this trip was soooooo good. 

After stuffing ourselves, we decided to drive around and headed up to the Auberge Du Soleil. 
I had looked into staying at this hotel, as it is related to our L'Auberge in Del Mar.   A bit pricey, we opted for the Marriott since we'd be out and about so much.  We decided to go get some coffee and dessert on their terrace.  What an amazing view!  I think next time we go to Napa we may have to splurge and stay here!

Jason and I split this strawberry shortcake, complete with strawberry gelato and fresh strawberries.  It was so good with my tea!

 So full at this point, we weren't sure if we could head to another tasting just yet, so we drove around some more and walked around some vineyards.  It was perfect weather.  After walking off our meal, we went to the James Cole Winery, where my cousin's girlfriend works.  We then headed back to Yountville, where Jason surprised me with an impromptu couples massage appointment he had made!  It was so relaxing and a great way to unwind!  That was our first couples massage since our honeymoon!

That night, we went to Press in St. Helena for dinner.  This restaurant was totally Jason and my styles.  We had a lovely time and a fabulous meal.

The next day, Saturday, was Jason's birthday.  We woke up, checked out, and headed back out to St. Helena to the Model Bakery, which we heard had the world's best english muffins.  We both got the breakfast sandwich and coffee.  It was a nice, light, breakfast after all the eating we had done the day before!   They really were so good we got a bunch to go.

After walking around St. Helena, we headed to Calistoga to go to the Schramsberg Winery for a cave tour and tasting at 11:30.  What a cool experience that was.  We loved hearing the history and then getting see the caves gave a whole new appreciation for the art of wine making!  We both really enjoyed all the wines.  After an hour, I was ready to get out of the musty caves and see the sunshine!  So, on we went back to Yountville, for our final stop before the airport.  We had reservations at Bottega for lunch.  After watching Top Chef Masters, I had a little crush on Michael Chiarello, and kinda hoped I'd see him.  No such luck, but had such a yummy lunch.  I was a little nervous eating here, since the menu seemed a little more adventurous than I'm comfortable with, but in the end, I trusted our waiter and just loved the gnocchi with squash.  Jason had some kind of pasta with rabbit ragu.  I had to get over that...

We made one last stop at Bouchon Bakery to stock up on some goodies for my parents and the kids.  Bouchon was having their annual Bastille Day celebration, so we stopped there and said goodbye to my cousin.  Wished we could've stayed longer for the festivities!

We finally made it home on Saturday night to see my two babes.  We got lots of hugs and kisses.  We had such a fun trip and 2 1/2 days was just perfect for us.  Can't wait to go back!

Now on to working off the lbs. I gained!