My plan for SF/Sonoma/Napa

Prayers for your liver.

Solid itinerary, well thought out.

Silverado Winery in Calistoga is a must hit then. Mini tram ride up the hill, with a great view down valley. Good enough wines. I also like Stag's Leap Wine Cellars (NOT Stags Leap Winery). Really nice tour of the caves and amazing wines.

If you like Bubbles, you'll be super close to Schramsberg. Great tour, amazing wines and Champagne. Not much for views as it's very wooded. (you'll need to make a reservation though)

 

Sounds like a fantastic trip! I'd recommend David Fulton in St Helena as well. His Pinot Noir is unreal.

 

I suppose a good follow up question could be, what sorts of wines are you looking to try, Chards, Cabs, Pinots, Zins, bubbles...

 

Looks very solid and well-informed. Rare Barrel is only open until 6p and Cellarmaker 8p on Sundays, so you are going to have to leave enough time to commute/walk (est. 1.5 hours each way) and actually enjoy either or both of these great spots. I actually would suggest adding in Fieldwork (until 8p) and maybe the Torpedo Room (until 9p) or Trappist Provisions (until midnite) after Rare Barrel, and then tailgating before the game at City Beer, Cellarmaker and Public House, where you can get up to two beers each to carry into the game. You can also walk over to 21st A. after the game if you want to check it out. When you come back from Napa, you can focus on Trappist and Beer Rev, which are close to each other and on the way to/from Faction.

As for your La Taqueria vs. El Farolito conundrum, you can consider these suggestions: if you are not ok with a pretty dank and low-down atmosphere and clientele, then skip Farolito; if you like massive gut-buster burritos and can stand the dank, then go to Farolito; if you want tacos or smaller, no-rice burritos, go to La Taqueria.

Enjoy!

 

I'm overstating a bit to be conservative, and I didn't know you were going to Uber to/from RB, but I'd still leave an hour from hitting the BART station to arriving at RB and vice-versa. I didn't focus on the Monday part, so you're right that Cellarmaker is not an option for tailgating. I actually have tickets to that game, so BM me if you want to link up at the park or somewhere nearby.

Back to the taquerias. I wouldn't decide based on any poll or vote either. El Farolito (not to be confused with the much lesser El Faro taquerias) was my personal favorite for many years. As I got older, I switched to La Taqueria for the more manageable size and because I love their half grilled chicken, half chorizo burrito. If I go to Farolito these days, I just ask for no rice or just a bit of rice to knock their burrito down to size. Another option on Valencia is Taqueria La Cumbre, which some consider the OG of Mission taquerias. You can't go wrong with any of those options, and don't forget that Rosamunde on Mission has 27 taps and is smack between Farolito and La Taqueria.

 

Rare Barrel, Cellarmaker, City Beer, and 4505 in one day is a lot especially on a Sunday when Cellarmaker closes early. 4505 has a pretty good beer selection. 5 blocks up Fulton from 4505 is Barrelhead at Fulton and Masonic and they are brewing some pretty solid beers in house. I like the idea of coming back through Berkeley on your way back from Sonoma and stopping at Fieldwork/Torpedo Room/Faction. All are great places. We are members at Hook and Ladder Winery in Santa Rosa. Very laid back and affordable plus the owner is a retired SFFD firefighter (I was a volunteer firefighter before moving to the city) so that's cool. @TambaTime do you like good coffee?

 

The best Santa Rosa breakfast place is Dierk's Parkside Cafe.
Jeffrey's Hillside and Spinster Sisters are also good.
If you have time, you can try the Moonlight beers at Flavor Bistro down the block from RR.

 

do you have your alcatraz tickets yet? That would be the thing I would float to a different day on your list. Not too sure where I would move it, but Sunday with everything closing early you may want to do "exploring" early and have time to get to the things that close earlier instead of something that is very time specific.

 

I'll second Dierk's in Santa Rosa. There are a few on here who disagree with me, but I stand by Omelet Express. Every time I go there, I am impressed with the food and service.

 

I will third Dierk's parkside. There is also midtown cafe with an almost identical (slightly smaller..) menu but much shorter wait times. Though if you are doing a weekday that wait shouldn't be too bad.

 

Got it. You are much more organized than me. I just go and decide what to do when I get there. I am not a big keep a schedule guy on my free time. I probably miss out on a lot of things because of it. Looks like you are going to have a fun

 

That beer itinerary is outstanding, but all I can think of is that Rebel Within from Craftsman & Wolves...

 

Cellarmaker doesn't bottle, but they will fill practically any growler.

 

Not really - both those places the taps change constantly. Coffee & Cigs is outstanding ... a must try if on tap. I personally enjoyed pretty much every hoppy/IPA brew I've had from them. I was up there about two weeks ago and they had like 7 hoppys available. Just try everything - Cellarmaker is absolutely kickass. No bottles available, but they do have 32oz and 64oz growlers available. Also if you are into t-shirts - there designs are super cool.