Upcoming SF Vacation..

Discussion in 'Pacific' started by mattchow, Mar 27, 2013.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
Page 1 of 2
  1. mattchow

    mattchow Savant (1,009) Jun 24, 2012 Texas

    Alright, so I've planned my SF Vacation as far as I can. I'm bringing some extra luggage to pack some beers to bring back home with me to Houston, TX.

    As far as restaurants, here's what I have on my list..

    Flour + Water
    Saison
    Manresa
    French Laundry
    Meadowood
    Incanto

    While in Napa, I plan on making a lateral move over to Russian River and make my way back to San Francisco passing by Lagunitas and Trappist assuming I have enough time.

    My hotel is in the Union Square / Chinatown area, are there any bottle shops nearby I can attack nearby? Near Russian River/Napa ?

    Am I missing anything?

    Thanks in advance!
     
    #1 mattchow, Mar 27, 2013
    ONovoMexicano likes this.
  2. AptosBeerDrinker

    AptosBeerDrinker Initiate (0) Aug 9, 2011 California

    Damn man. Manresa and French Laundry?!? Doing it BIG.
     
    #2 AptosBeerDrinker, Mar 27, 2013
  3. mattchow

    mattchow Savant (1,009) Jun 24, 2012 Texas

    lol, im doing French Laundry for Lunch and Meadowood for Dinner...
     
    #3 mattchow, Mar 27, 2013
  4. colonelforbin

    colonelforbin Initiate (0) Aug 23, 2007 California

    Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa is your best bet in that area

    City Beer is fairly close to Union Square.

    If you're near Trappist, stop by Beer Revolution, just a few blocks away
     
    #4 colonelforbin, Mar 27, 2013
    mattchow likes this.
  5. jpeck13

    jpeck13 Initiate (0) Apr 28, 2011 California

    Just got back from SF. Incanto was ehhh. State Bird Provisions is a must. Plow was awesome for breakfast.
     
    #5 jpeck13, Mar 27, 2013
    mattchow likes this.
  6. jtmartino

    jtmartino Initiate (0) Dec 11, 2010 California

    Nice, dropping a grand on one day's worth of meals. Well done. Meadowood is quite the place.
     
    #6 jtmartino, Mar 27, 2013
    BrewerRev and mattchow like this.
  7. ficklenicholas

    ficklenicholas Initiate (0) Jul 26, 2011 California

    The French Laundry isn't open for lunch. $270 to even sit down, if you can get a reservation. Unless your are some sort of VIP or something.
     
    #7 ficklenicholas, Mar 27, 2013
  8. rgco

    rgco Initiate (0) Apr 2, 2012 California

    Open for lunch on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. I would go to Bouchon and/or Ad Hoc to say I went to a Keller place, and save my money for beer and other stuff.

    Skip Incanto, unless you enjoy weird food that is good, but not great.
     
    #8 rgco, Mar 27, 2013
  9. ficklenicholas

    ficklenicholas Initiate (0) Jul 26, 2011 California

    No shit. My buddy used to work at The French Laundry. He says for the money, you are better off flying to New York and eating at Per Se.

    Ive been to Bouchon (Yountvile once and Beverly Hills Numerous times) and Ad Hoc and I agree with you. Both are delicious and you can save some scratch for Beer.
     
    #9 ficklenicholas, Mar 27, 2013
    rgco likes this.
  10. Trilogy31

    Trilogy31 Initiate (0) Jan 13, 2011 California

    Holy shit man - you can afford to eat at those places much less the mileage you are logging yet choose to stay near chinatown? Hopefully its at the Ritz as its the only respectable place close to there for a man of your ilk.
     
    #10 Trilogy31, Mar 28, 2013
  11. APreacher

    APreacher Initiate (0) Jun 6, 2012 California

    #11 APreacher, Mar 28, 2013
    mattchow likes this.
  12. archi348

    archi348 Initiate (0) Nov 7, 2012 Minnesota

    Save yourself the hassle of packing the beer in your luggage. Bottle Barn sells excellent styro bottle shippers, reasonably priced. My routine is to pick up two of the 15 bottle shippers on each visit. Head over to the RR Brewery, fill em with a case of PtE and a half dozen sours and check them through as luggage on my flight home.
     
    #12 archi348, Mar 28, 2013
  13. mattchow

    mattchow Savant (1,009) Jun 24, 2012 Texas

    I already have my reservations for Friday lunch @ French Laundry and dinner at Meadowood.

    I've been to Per Se already, don't need to worry about scratch for beer. I wasn't a huge fan of Bouchon in Vegas, but it might have just been a poor execution on their part. I'll only have one day in Napa, so Ad Hoc will have to wait for next time.

    Speaking of Styro Shippers, how do they hold up to the travel?

    Love beer, Love food, don't particularly care if my sheets are 100000 thread count as long as there is a roof over my head and I'm somewhat safe lol. It's not like I'm spending my trip inside the hotel room.

    ---

    Thanks for the suggestions so far!
     
    #13 mattchow, Mar 28, 2013
    ONovoMexicano, DrAwkward82 and ficklenicholas like this.
  14. DOTU

    DOTU Pundit (775) Feb 11, 2011 California

    More bottle shops to consider:

    Beer Craft in Rhonert Park (on the way to SF from RRBC) http://www.beercraft.com/

    Trappist Provisions http://www.thetrappist.com/provisions.php

    Healhty Spirits in SF near the Castro http://healthy-spirits.blogspot.com/


    More SF restaurants/bars (some may be too obvious but I don't know what you know, you know?):

    Toronado, Alembic and Magnolia in the Haight; Rosamunde, Abbot's Cellar, Monks Kettle and Zeitgeist in the Mission; Church Key, La Trappe and Rogue Ales' Public House in North Beach; 21st Amendment in SoMa

    Have a great trip.
     
    #14 DOTU, Mar 28, 2013
    ONovoMexicano and mattchow like this.
  15. jtmartino

    jtmartino Initiate (0) Dec 11, 2010 California

    They're great and will last probably 6+ shipments before starting to fall apart. My preferred way to send bottles when available, and super easy to re-use. My only recommendation is to pack the bottles tight and put a layer of paper or plastic wrap in-between the top section and bottom section to prevent the styro squeak that gives the box away to shipping companies.


    Nice, I like this focus too.

    FWIW I've been to Incanto a few times (used to live in the neighborhood) and while it was really good, it didn't knock my socks off like some other places in the city. I take it you are a foodie, so if you need any recommendations let me know.
     
    #15 jtmartino, Mar 28, 2013
  16. stupac2

    stupac2 Pooh-Bah (2,031) Feb 22, 2011 California
    Pooh-Bah

    Do any shipping companies actually care about this? I just got a box that squeaking up a storm, clearly no one noticed/cared. I guess if you're being as safe as possible you should do it, but seems unnecessary to me.
     
    #16 stupac2, Mar 28, 2013
  17. jtmartino

    jtmartino Initiate (0) Dec 11, 2010 California

    No clue, but I've heard more and more reports of people have trouble with UPS and FedEx opening their boxes. Better safe than sorry IMO, and it is an easy fix. I used duct tape last time and it was all of 2 minutes making sure everything didn't make a sound.
     
    #17 jtmartino, Mar 28, 2013
  18. stupac2

    stupac2 Pooh-Bah (2,031) Feb 22, 2011 California
    Pooh-Bah

    Lately I've been removing the styrofoam and putting it inside a black trash bag, and I think that greatly reduces the sound by itself, for some reason. I didn't notice it all with the two boxes I sent out last week.
     
    #18 stupac2, Mar 28, 2013
  19. rboinski

    rboinski Initiate (0) Mar 19, 2012 California

    Bouchon Bakery for snacks/macaroons is really good. Oxbow Market has good coffee and food (especially C. Casa) for breakfast tacos but it seems like you have the Napa thing figured out.
     
    #19 rboinski, Mar 28, 2013
  20. JigsawRecords

    JigsawRecords Initiate (0) Nov 15, 2011 California

    Magnolia! Had a great weekend brunch there during SFBW. English Breakfast w/ an awesome imperial stout (smokestack lightning something).
    http://www.magnoliapub.com/
     
    #20 JigsawRecords, Mar 28, 2013
    afrokaze likes this.
Page 1 of 2
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.