The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton: Survival of the Fittest

If food trucks were last year's hot trend, then this year may be remembered as the rise of hotel-restaurants. The likes of Bloomfield (The Breslin/Ace Hotel), Chang (Má Pêche/Chambers Hotel) and Vongerichten (The Mark Restaurant/Hotel) are just some of the culinary titans to recently embrace this movement in New York. But San Francisco also boasts their own array of such ventures, with Michael Mina's flagship restaurant located in the Westin St. Francis and since 2004, chef Ron Siegel has run the kitchen at The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton after having spent time at Aqua, Charles Nob Hill and Masa's. Thomas Keller's original sous chef at The French Laundry, Siegel made a name for himself in 1998 by becoming the first American chef to earn a victory in the original Iron Chef series, defeating Iron Chef French, Hiroyuki Sakai in a lobster battle. Siegel is known for combing French techniques with Japanese elements and although I tend to be reluctant about eating at hotels, positive review after positive review prompted me to see first hand what all the fuss was about.

Left Coast Vacation 2010: Day 4 - Trefethen Winery and Swan Oyster Depot

It should come as no surprise to readers of my posts (that is, if there are any) that MW and I enjoy Rieslings, so for our final morning in Napa we decided to visit arguably, the best in the valley. In spite of the phrase, "cab is king," the dry rieslings from Trefethen Winery have gained some impressive endorsements, along with being featured in this New York Times article. The Trefethen estate is massive in size, dwarfing all of the other wineries we visited. After being led on a short, but informative tour we got to down to business and began the tastings. While neither of us fell in love with any particular wines, even the oft-written about dry riesling, I'd recommend a visit if you are looking for something different than sampling cab after cab.

Cyrus: Second to None

For our last meal before departing for San Francisco, I felt it necessary to visit Sonoma Valley's best restaurant, Cyrus. Under the helm of chef Douglas Keane and partner Nick Peyton, formerly at Gary Danko, Cyrus has become the preeminent California restaurant outside of the Napa Valley. Lauded by critics and locals alike, this two-starred Michelin restaurant sits adjacent to the luxurious Les Mars Hotel and contains all the trappings of any elite dining establishment. Yet, in spite of all the pomp and circumstance, Cyrus remains relatively overshadowed by the behemoth known as The French Laundry. Often relegated to contingency plans for those unable to secure a reservation at Keller's restaurant, Chef Keane has taken this distinction in stride, focusing his efforts on perfecting his food rather than dwelling on this unfair comparison. While parallels certainly exist between the two restaurants, after enjoying a fabulous dinner at both restaurants I could not help but walk away feeling that Cyrus is every bit as good as that place in Napa where the French did their Laundry.

Left Coast Vacation 2010: Day 3 - Opus One Winery, Bouchon and Schramsberg Vineyards

Our third day was filled with even more tours and tastings at wineries and incredible food. What an arduous vacation! We began our day at Opus One Winery. Since Robert Mondavi is synonymous with Napa wines, MW suggested we visit his most prestigious venture. Although the actual size of Opus One paled in comparison to the Robert Mondavi Winery, conveniently located across the street, we enjoyed our tour. Fortunately, the tour concluded in the tasting room as MW an I savored our wine on an outdoor terrace where we were able to enjoy the view.

Ad Hoc: "Temporary Relief From the Ordinary"

After a day filled with an unexpected wilderness hike and lots of wine, MW and I had time to relax before departing for our dinner reservations at Ad Hoc. I know, I know, in a time frame of under 24 hours we would be eating at yet another Thomas Keller restaurant. In my defense (besides them unbelievable deliciousness), Ad Hoc was one of the most highly anticipated meals of the entire trip, especially after MW surprised me with a copy of the Ad Hoc cookbook as a gift. Interestingly enough, the cook book tells the story behind Ad Hoc and details how it was an "accidental restaurant" that came to be. Originally intended to be a burgers and wine bar, Keller selected chef David Cruz to helm the interim restaurant, offering comfort food staples, served family-style. Keller named the restaurant Ad Hoc, a restaurant providing "temporary relief from hunger." While initially reluctant to leave The French Laundry, Cruz guided Ad Hoc to immediate success, creating a legion of devoted following in the process. It was so beloved by its fans that Keller decided to keep the restaurant open and shelve his burger and wine bar plans for the future. After dreaming about and finally having the chance to eat here, I can only hope for a similar restaurant in New York.

Left Coast Vacation 2010: Day 2 - Domaine Chandon, Bottega Napa Valley and Chappellet Winery

After an incredible meal at The French Laundry, our second day started early (thank God for still being on Eastern Time). We dragged ourselves out of bed for a hot air balloon ride above the Napa Valley... or at least that was the original idea. But mother nature had plans, and a combination of blustering winds and fog resulted in a delayed departure from Healdsburg. When we finally got up in the air, the balloon ride was a zen-like experience as we hovered over 2,000 feet above ground. I only wish landing was as peaceful as flying. Persistent winds forced us to land in an open field far from major roads which meant we had to wait about a half hour to be picked up. All in all, the experience was certainly unique and one that I'd recommend doing once.

The French Laundry: Ask and Thou Shalt Receive

The very moment MW and I decided on San Francisco and Napa as destinations for our vacation, I immediately began thinking fantasizing of a perfect meal at The French Laundry. Truth be told, I have dreampt of eating there ever since our life changing meal at Per Se. All that was left was the hard part... actually getting a reservation. Type "The French Laundry" into Google and you will be greeted with a plethora of websites boasting all kinds of "secrets or tricks" to securing reservations; hell there is at least one website where you can pay to have someone secure that coveted reservation for you. It seems that even in the midst of our slumping economy people are still foaming at the mouth for a chance to pay $250 a head for a daily changing nine-course dinner. But all of this is to be expected considering The French Laundry's reputation as the "best" restaurant in the United States and perhaps all of North America with Thomas Keller being the only American chef to have two restaurants with three Michelin Stars.

Ever since Keller purchased The French Laundry from Don and Sally Schmidt in 1994 it has become the marquee restaurant for the western half of the country. So how did I get reservations? I considered making a reservation at one of the Yountville hotels and asking their concierge to assist me (after hearing they saved one reservation per evening), but ultimately thought it was too pricey a risk; the restaurant stopped allowing walk-in reservations a few years ago and I had no luck with OpenTable, having to wake up at 3 am each night only to see no tables were available. Like everybody else... I waited exactly two months to the date and began a series of calling and redialing on three phones exactly at 1 pm Eastern Standard Time since their phone lines open at 10 am Pacific Standard Time. There I sat, hearing nothing but busy signals for over 25 minutes, until...ring ring followed by "Hello, you've reached The French Laundry, this is Jane Doe speaking, how may I help you?" Five minutes later and I had my dinner reservations on my first attempt, foodie rapture enveloped me, Hallelujah!

Left Coast Vacation 2010: Day 1 - Oxbow Public Market and Hog Island Oyster Company

This is part 1 of a series of posts about my vacation to San Francisco and the Napa Valley.

The first day of our vacation was ironically our most hectic. Our six hour flight from JFK to San Francisco was seamless and had me wishing my experience with the rental car counter was half as smooth. After finally getting our rental car we headed to Napa with empty stomachs, resisting the temptation to settle for airport food. Needing sustenance, MW and I decided to grab a light lunch before checking into our bed and breakfast and chose to visit Hog Island Oyster Company's Napa location in the Oxbow Public Market.

The Oxbow Public Market was pretty sleepy on a Tuesday afternoon and although MW and I wanted to peruse the rest of the market in greater detail we were on a tight schedule and headed straight to Hog Island. Started in 1983, Hog Island Oyster is a celebrated company practicing sustainable oyster farming in Tomales Bay, located 40 miles north of San Francisco and works closely with with the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Known for their impeccably fresh farm-raised oysters, Hog Island has been featured on Avec Eric.