| Northwest Wine Fan Recent Adventures |
| Northwest Wine Fan Reviews the Calistoga Inn and Napa Valley...After 30 Years! |
| My wife tells me that a good rule of thumb is to never review a restaurant until you have dined there more than once. Thus when we were traveling to the bay area and drove in through the North end of Napa Valley we stopped at the Calistoga Inn at sunset for dinner and a glass of wine. We had actually planned to drive down Highway 29 and capture photography for future use on the website, but we were fast running out of light. And hungry! I had dined at the Inn over 30 years ago in 1977. This is when I was much younger (and handsome) and traveled to Napa Valley often, to get away from Los Angeles. I came, I ate and I explored wineries such as Chateau Montelena, Chateau St. Jean and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. I dined here at the Inn and several other restaurants such as the Mount View Hotel and the Cottage which is sadly no longer there. Back then Highway 29 was actually a quiet little road meandering through Napa Valley. It never seemed congested and it was easy to get around the valley and surrounding areas such as Sonoma, Santa Rosa and Healdsburg. But alas this wine country has changed. But the Calistoga Inn looks much the same... |
| Calistoga Inn Restaurant & Brewery 1250 Lincoln Ave. Calistoga, CA 98101 Phone: 707-942-4101 Proprietors Rosie Dunsford and son Michael Website www.calistogainn.com info@calistogainn.com |
| I remember my first dinner at the Calistoga Inn some 30 years ago. I had a glass of Chardonnay with my appetizer (which sadly I do not remember) and a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon with my entree of roasted Quail stuffed with wild rice and served with baby carrots. Of course the evening would not be complete without an after meal snifter of Grand Marnier (with two ice cubes)! So here we are in 2009, at the Calistoga Inn. As we enter, we come in through the patio courtyard and it is calling out to us "eat out here." It is a glorious evening and there is a jazz/blues guitarist riffing tunes quietly for all to enjoy. The sun is setting and I am so glad to back here and to be able to share this experience with Carolyn. Our supper started with her having a "French Kiss" cocktail. We shared a house salad of fresh spring field greens, with Gorgonzola and refreshing grapes topped with a golden balsamic vinaigrette dressing, along with a delicious appetizer of Clams and Mussels steamed in Calistoga Wheat Ale with Spanish Chorizo. I always order a house salad. My rule of thumb is that if you can get my attention with your house salad, great things are in store for the evening! Since we still had to drive to San Jose that night we ordered a half bottle (split) of the 2006 Frank Family Vineyards Chardonnay. We had enjoyed a 2007 Frank Family Vineyards Reserve bottling with friends (shout out to Steve and Stephanie) in Bend a couple of months ago, and this was almost as good. Damn fine Chardonnay! Carolyn's entree for the evening was a classic Cobb Salad, while I lavished myself with the Sonoma Duck Breast served Sienese style with fennel, rosemary with garlic parmesan stuffing - pan grilled medium rare (perfectly) with a Pinot Noir sauce. Served with buttermilk mashed potatoes & succotash (OK, I don't quite get the succotash). We finished the night with coffee (driving you know) and started our journey south on Highway 29 towards the bay area. The amusing part of the evening was driving through Napa at night. In the dark I would remark to Carolyn, "Oh there's Robert Mondavi, there's Peju." The only way you could tell was the lighted signs as we drove by. So much for photos, but after all of these years it was nice traveling through here once again. The memories of my past were vividly brought to life once again! |
| Unfortunately I did not have any photos from the Calistoga Inn from my adventure days in the late 70's. Here are some surviving pictures I took in Napa and Sonoma some 30 years ago... Enjoy! |
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| Parting shots...Or things I think I remember...from the 70's! |
| Hey, it's still there! I used to stay at the El Bonito Motel located in St. Helena back in the 70's. It was a simple and inexpensive motel back in the day. I think I used to pay maybe $25-$30 a night to stay here. After all it was all about the food and wine, even back then. Now, this mostly unchanged atmosphere will set you back anywhere from $145-$270 a night. Oh my, how times have changed. The wine and food are still good though! |
| Other things I remember 1) The wine tour at Franciscan was fantastic. They had this wine opener collection that was just marvelous. I purchased a double lever barrel opener (which we have to this day). 2) I loved hanging out at Chateau Montelena. They had this Japanese garden out back that was so beautiful. And great Chardonnay to boot! 3) Charles Krug had a wonderful tasting room host who looked just like Richard Dreyfus, and he knew it. He was a great host! I took home a case of the 1974 Krug Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon largely based on his recommendation. 4) At the Cottage Restaurant, the owner challenged me to guess the secret ingredient to his mushroom soup. When I replied "chocolate milk" it won me a bottle of Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon to enjoy with my dinner. |
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| Sterling, Chateau St. Jean, Clos Duval, Spring Mountain Vineyard, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars! All places I visited back in the day. I cannot remember most of them anymore except to say that a lot of the time I was the only visitor, making for a rich learning experience. These opportunities still exist to this day, believe it or not. Maybe not in Napa, but they're out there. Get out, explore. Visit wineries that are off the beaten path, off the radar screen. Intimate wine appreciation is yours for the finding. Enjoy! |
| Talk To The Cellarmasters Tim & Carolyn Sinniger northwestwinefan@msn.com |
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