lunch in Napa / winery suggestions

[leeinsf]

My brother and sister-in-law will be visiting me in SF. We'll be making a Napa daytrip - it's their first. For lunch, I'm thinking someplace relatively quick and casual, (not a picnic) but good food. Cindy's Backstreet and Bistro Jeanty (still open?) come to mind, but I'm a little out of date - any suggestions? I'm afraid Ad hoc would be slower, but I like their food.

Also, wondering which wineries, if we have to choose just two or three for red- drinkers, give the best feel for what Napa is like. My personal favorites are Pina Cellars (don't tell anyone!), Hess (for the art - not sure they care for it), and Frog's Leap (too eco-groovy for their taste tho), but they'll want to visit someplace they've heard of - Cakebread? Pride? Silver Oak? Never been to these. Cain? Hendry? (To be honest, I've never heard of them till I started researching this trip.)

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Bistro Jeanty
6510 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599

[maria lorraine]

Stick with your chosen wineries. Pina is great and a sleeper in terms of recognition. Very good wines, wonderful family. Hendry is also good, and a visit to Frog's Leap is especially fun. I'd nix Cakebread (overripe and out-of-balance wines), Silver Oak (trading off old glory and not worth it now) and Cain (OK, but nothing special and a bit too much Brett). Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen and Bistro Jeanty are both good. I'm a fan of Cindy's but not of Bottega's, in contrast to Carrie (though she has a very good palate). The reason: Cindy's food is very flavorful, consistently so, and that comes through in every dish. Bottega is wildly inconsistent -- I had one great meal there (presumably because I was recognized as a food person), but it was quite overpriced for what we ate. Other meals have been inconsistent -- the same dish was half as good as on the previous visit-- with less-than-attentive preparations and staff. Other options are better.

[ceekskat]

Many wineries require appointments which I have found to be the biggest hurdle for day trips. When I called Hendry, I was given a noon tour appt. which would last approx. 3 hrs but upon further inquiry, was given a 3:00 p.m. "tasting" appt. Basically, pick a few & start calling so you can see what your schedule is going to be like. This will also help you plan your lunch accordingly, i.e, whether to eat in St. Helena or Yountville, etc. You don't want to be rushed.

Pride is a beautiful spot to take visitors for a Napa feel & they have a relatively short tour (1 hr) with several time slots. Good wines too. Silver Oak is a nice choice & they too have one hour tastings.

[ThirstyReader]

Jeanty is one of my favorites, and I feel that Bauer is full of it. I like Cindy's, too, and think of it more of a lunch spot than a dinner spot (which is what you're looking for anyhow).

I also feel that Cakebread and Silver Oak trade on their name these days. Both are popular, but very middle-of-the-road. Pride, however, makes great wine and has a view from Spring Mountain that is an added bonus.

www.thirstyreader.com

[CarrieWas218]

Bistro Jeanty is still open and despite Bauer's slamming, I've heard some recent reports that sound stellar.

I just reported a dinner at Bottega that was pretty fabulous and I've never really been a fan of Cindy's Backstreet.

Bistro Don Giovanni has been a consistent favorite and I'm a fan of Cook, which is definitely a local's favorite (understated, to say the least)

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Bistro Jeanty
6510 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599

Bistro Don Giovanni
4110 Howard Ln, Napa, CA

Bottega
6525 Washington Street Suite A9, Yountville, CA 94599