Napa & San Fransisco, CA Trip Report - 12.9-14.2021

We fit in one more trip before the end of 2021-- a trip to Napa and San Francisco with our friend Kris from Seattle. We met Kris at the airport, picked up a rental car and drove up to Napa. We were all very happy to be going back to wine country once again. 

We all stayed at the Andaz in Napa. It was located right in the town of Napa with many businesses within walking distance. It was a very nice room, very expensive, but very nice. 

There was a cute outdoor patio at the hotel on the second floor (hence the red lights from heat lamps) and we had a drink and a snack after checking in and unpacking a bit. 

We went across the street to the Norman Rose Tavern for dinner. Everything was quite good and we caught the end of the Vikings game. 

nightcap at Cadet Beer and Wine bar

We had breakfast at the hotel restaurant, Andaz Farmer's Table. We had a small hotel credit to use anyway and it was not busy at all. 

We had booked a driver for the day, or rather Kris had and he arrived at at noon. His name was Joe and he was a very nice guy. 

Our first winery was Palmaz Vineyards. The whole facility is built into the hill/mountain and it had an amazing view. 

lovely food pairing with our wine tasting after the tour at Palmaz

Our second stop was Round Pond Estate

the tasting area was outdoors on a lovely patio

Round Pond view

Last stop was Quintessa Vineyard

After we returned to the hotel, we took a little break and next ended up at Be Bubbly wine bar. Apparently we accidentally crashed a real estate company's holiday party, but the were very kind and gave us a free drinks and a some snacks. Then we went to JaM vineyard's tasting room. The wine was nothing great, and we had some snacks too.  Pretty sure we called it a night after that. 

Napa farmer's market. John and I walked around town a bit Saturday morning

lunch at Torc in Napa

Saturday afternoon we had a tour and tasting at Tench Vineyards. We took an Uber out there. 

After Tensch we went back to Be Bubbly for a couple beverages

dinner reservations at Oenotri

our wine purchases

John and I had breakfast Sunday morning at Jax White Mule diner

In San Francisco we stayed at the Intercontinental Mark Hopkins in Nob Hill. The room was kind of dated, but clean and quiet. John returned the rental car and Kris had to head home as her mom was coming to visit, so she left for the airport that evening. 

hotel lobby

Tonga room at the Fairmont 

holiday display at the Fairmont

Brandy Ho's in Chinatown

Monday we had breakfast at Sears Fine Foods

It was rainy and cold most of the time we were in San Francisco. So we Ubered everywhere and went to the California Academy of Sciences for something to do. We visited the planetarium, aquarium, natural history museum and rainforest sphere.  

albino alligator named Claude

the sun briefly came out while we were at the museum

Beach Chalet Brewery for lunch

It was pouring rain as we left the Bech Chalet. Huge waves, wind and sideways rain as we left. 

Musee Mechanique had a ton of old pinball machines and coin operated machines 

The Buena Vista

hotel exterior

Betty Lou's Seafood & Grill for dinner

Our breakfast at Heist Tuesday morning before heading to the airport was really good. Probably the best breakfast we had the whole trip. 

Other than all of the rain in San Francisco on Sunday night and a of Monday, we had a lovely trip overall. At least the weather while we were in Napa was nice. And our flight home was on time with no issues at all. 

Rosalia Pizza

Rosalia is a pizza outlet that opened in the back of the Martina space in early 2021. It is owned and operated by Daniel Del Prado a local chef that now has a mini empire of six outlets in Minneapolis. 

I did not realize at first it was possible to eat in at this restaurant. They do take reservations for tables inside and outside. There are a good number of tables and the room is bright and white with huge windows on one side and lots of greenery as dear throughout. The service is somewhat hands off, possibly due to Covid protocols, where you scan a QR code to bring up the menu and ordering system. The food is delivered as it is prepared or you can order items one at a time and keep adding onto your tab as needed and close out at the end. 

The  menu has a number of interesting starters so tried the tuna with roasted tomato, caper, cilantro, chile oil and lime. The tuna was very fresh tasting and the other ingredients added extra flavor and a bit if spice to the dish. 

We also tried the chopped salad with oregano vin, romaine, pepperoncini, carrot, tomato, sunflower seeds and chevre. There's just something about having a sale with pizza that works. This was a bit different, but very delicious and flavorful. 

We had the pepperoni pizza topped with tomato, mozzarella, parmesan and pepperoni. The pizza is wood fired and the char is excellent. The crust is fairly light and airy with a good amount of toppings and not too much cheese to weigh it down unnecessarily. 

We enjoyed all of the food items we ordered. Since ordering is on your phone, service is fairly hands off, which is fine. There are people you can flag down if you need anything and everyone is friendly and helpful. 

Rosalia Pizza
2811 W 43rd St 
Minneapolis, MN 55410

Phone: (612) 345-5494

https://rosaliapizza.com

Chip's Clubhouse

Chip's Clubhouse is a newer venue that opened last spring along Snelling Avenue in St Paul. The interior is cozy with lots of wood walls, trim and wooden booths. The room looks as if has been there awhile, but I think this may be a newer building. 

We both had the cheeseburger which is topped with American cheese, garlic mustard aioli, pickles and onions. The burger patties are thinner and I really enjoyed the garlic aioli. The burger was excellent with a toasted bun. This burger should be on all the lists of top burgers in the twin cities. It is that good! 

We shared an order of the battered fries with garlic aioli dipping sauce. We usually do not enjoy battered fries, but these were very fresh, crisp and actually very delicious.

We found the service to be casual, friendly and approachable. The menu has a nice variety and is also very approachable. I had a cider to drink and John had a tap beer but the cocktail list looks very intriguing as well. We need to return soon and explore the menu. 

Chip's Clubhouse
272 Snelling Ave S #200 
St Paul, MN 55105
Phone: (651) 330-1617
https://visitchips.com