This article was first published here at Table8 where I am national editor. Those of us who live in the Bay Area are blessed — for thousands of reasons — but just one being the accessibility of Wine Country in all forms, from Napa to Mendocino, for a quick day or weekend “escape” to sunny vineyards and olive tree groves,… Read more →
This article was first published here at Table8 where I am national editor. Weekending in Sonoma is always a pleasure. In the Bay Area, we are downright blessed to have a region (among California’s endless stunning regions) of such variety and beauty a stone’s throw away. I’ve been weekending there for 15 years and know the towns and villages intimately.… Read more →
A weekend in Guerneville always feels like a real “escape”, under towering redwoods, along the Russian River with the Pacific Ocean just over the mountain crest (more on past visits here). A leisurely stroll — or hardcore hike — through the stunning Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve while in the area is a must. Driving the rough, single lane road… Read more →
A preview of a regular column that will be part of the national Table8 blog we are about to launch this Spring (original article here) — I will cover the Bay Area and am the editor over all writers in other cities. Here we highlight some of the best under-the-radar restaurants we find often get missed by the press or… Read more →
This article was first published at Zagat on February 1, 2016. All photos and article by Virginia Miller. Our Wine Country neighbor up north may be (thankfully) a much slower pace, providing no end of day trip and weekend escape options, but the wide open spaces and country lanes — plus busier downtown Napa — are still filled with urban-quality… Read more →
I wrote this article for Zagat, originally published September 4, 2015. The article and all photos are by Virginia Miller. For many, Big Sur is a spiritual place: that sparsely populated coastline of Central California cradled by the Santa Lucia Mountains, with redwoods and dramatic cliffs lining the Pacific. Being as remote (and stunning) as it is, restaurants are few,… Read more →
Mendocino remains one of our most magical NorCal getaways. The craggy coast, majestic redwood forests, the Victorian village of Mendocino itself — a weekend in Mendo, as locals call it, is always a relaxing proposition. The pace slows down, and the spirit of the hippies who popularized the town in the ’60s and ’70s remains, while dramatic vistas from forests, farmlands and hills to the rugged shore and deep blue sea all refresh from city life and a long work week.
Sebastopol is a laid-back town famed for Gravenstein apples and wineries. Over the years, many of the apple orchards have been replanted with vineyards, but there are a few left, with a growing number of artisanal hard cider producers preserving and showcasing the area’s apple wealth (see our recent feature on Devoto Cider), with an annual Apple Blossom Festival in… Read more →
Aubergine at L’Auberge Carmel, a boutique hotel right in the walkable, intimate town of Carmel, is no stranger to awards. They are one of only 500 Relais & Châteaux privately owned hotel and restaurants in the world, awarded for being a standard setter in the combination of cuisine and charming hotel character. In 2013, Executive Chef Justin Cogley was named… Read more →
ST. FRANCIS WINERY & VINEYARDS, 100 N. Pythian Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95409 Consider it the unsung “steal” of a tasting menu on the idyllic grounds of St. Francis Winery & Vineyards in Santa Rosa. For a mere $50 including wine pairings, Executive Chef David Bush (previously of The Girl & the Fig) creates an imaginative menu roughly every six… Read more →