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Recommended Places to Visit Part of being a great merchant of any type is to be a great ambassador for your neighborhood. This applies ten-fold when you live in a tourist destination such as Napa Valley. For places to taste, drink, eat, do and stay, here are our recommendations. Check out their websites for more information and contact. If it's listed in Downtown Napa then it's easy walking distance from Back Room Wines.
Restaurants Zuzu Spanish Tapas Restaurant. Delicious small plates, very good California and Spanish wine list. Exceptional atmosphere. Downtown Napa. Casual. Moderate price.
Cole’s Chophouse Just down the street from the shop and probably the best steak in the valley. Do NOT miss the hash browns! Great cocktails and desserts too. Not cheap, but worth every penny. Reservations suggested. Azzurro Pizzeria & Enoteca. And, Norman Rose Tavern Downtown Napa both. Same owners for both. Azzurro: thin crust, blistery pizzas, salad, antipasti. Norman Rose: Gastropub. Very good food, and hearty. Very good local wine by the glass selections at both. Casual. Moderate prices at both.
Ubuntu Restaurant "A celebration of their biodynamic gardens" they profess. Awesome cooking. Yoga studio on the second floor. A must try for serious foodies. Go there for the taste experience and not to “fill up.” Downtown Napa. Semi-casual, moderate to expensive.
The General Store In the Napa Mill, just 3 blocks from Back Room Wines. Breakfast, lunch and retail. Open until 4 or 5 P.M. Seating inside & out (by the river), casual atmosphere, good for eating or just drinking wine (& beer). Nice, eclectic, casual menu.
Uva Trattoria Italiana Busy Italian restaurant popular with both locals and visitors. Full bar, music on the weekends, most of the dishes are good (food can be spotty).
BarbersQ Memphis style barbecue in north Napa town. Rather upscale BBQ that delivers for the price. Good wine list and solid service.
Oenotri Downtown Napa. Authentic Italian. Great food. Get the Salumi platter!
Las Palmas Mexican Restaurant (Yajome Street) and Taqueria Maria (3rd St, east of Soscol) Very good Mexican at both. Las Palmas has a French portion on the menu, and it’s done very well. Basic dining rooms and outside seating at both. And the prices are outstanding at both.
ad hoc Owned by Thomas Keller (French Laundry, Per Se, Bouchon). One meal a day: you eat what they serve. And it's really good. Better reserve early. Yountville, Semi-casual, fairly expensive.
Bottega Dan's current #1 ranked restaurant in Napa Valley. Great food, solid professional service, beautiful setting. This is Michael Chiarello's restaurant, opened a couple of years ago. It's like Tra Vigne in the "good ol' days."
Solbar In the Solage Spa & Resort. Delicious food: fresh, intense flavors and plenty of them. Part "spa cuisine" part not. Particularly recommended for lunch. Dine in the restaurant or the bar. Share "Lucky Pig" with a friend or two and thank me later. Calistoga (on Silverado Trail), semi-casual, moderate to expensive (lunch is moderate).
Wineries Napa wineries to visit & Sonoma wineries to visit. All open for drop-in visits unless noted otherwise.
ZD WinesOne of our favorite settings for wine tasting. Beautiful estate, top-notch hospitality and, of course, great wines. Lots of large format and older vintage options here. We like that! Silverado Trail. Whetstone Wine Cellars Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Noir & Syrah. Jamey Whetstone cut his teeth at Turley. Very nicely done wines and a great tasting experience. Just outside of Napa, close to Silverado Country Club. Call the winery at least a day ahead of time and they will have lunch waiting for you (a great deal, by the way...last we checked it's $40 for lunch and wine) Robert Craig Winery. Located just a few blocks from Back Room Wines and Downtown Napa. It's a destination location as the tasting room is behind an office building. Call ahead. Great tasting room staff offers Chardonnay, Cabernet, Zinfandel and their very popular red, "Affinity." Darioush WineryExceptional wines. Viognier, Cabernet, Merlot, Shiraz. Great, professional, friendly staff. Amazing building. For pomp and circumstance of Napa Valley, with the quality of product to back it up, visit Darioush. Ask them about their daily Cheese & Wine tasting. Round Pond WineryIn Rutherford, amongst the vineyards. Fantastic sit-down tasting of Round Pond Cabernet and Sauvignon Blanc, plus their super-delicious olive oil. Call for an appointment. Sojourn Cellars Downtown Sonoma, a few steps off Sonoma Square. REALLY good Pinot Noirs (we carry two) and a big, Napa Valley Cabernet. Appointment necessary. Elyse Winery Many small-production, bigger-style wines. Mostly reds. On Hoffman Lane, off of and west of Highway 29, just south of Yountville.
Cliff Lede Vineyards Outstanding Sauv Blanc, Cabernet and, if you're lucky, "Poetry" to taste. Yountville Cross Rd
Reynolds Family Winery We should know more about Reynolds than we do. Few times we've tasted their wines have liked them. Silverado Trail, just a little north of Napa.
Larkmead Vineyards Rich, earth-driven Cabernets, blends and Sauvignon Blanc. Call or email to make a tasting appointment. Larkmead Lane, Northern Napa Valley.
Mumm Napa Nothing better than sitting al fresco at Mumm with a glass of their sparkling. For making a lot of wine, Mumm Napa does a very good job. Could spend an hour here easily. Silverado Trail.
Enkidu Winery Tasting Room in Kenwood, Sonoma Valley. We like all their wines.
Somerston Winery/Priest Ranch and Beau Vigne Wineries Both of their tasting rooms are in Yountville. Delicious wines (and cool art at Somerston) at both locations. You can schedule a trip to Somerston Vineyards, in the hills east of the Valley floor. It's beautiful up there.
Signorello Winery On Silverado Trail. Big, “heady” wines and a great Chardonnay. Ask about their food & wine pairings.
Entertainment in Napa Valley Napa Valley Opera House Just around the corner from Back Room Wines. Check out their calendar for upcoming concerts and shows.
Silo's Jazz Club In the Napa Mill, in Downtown Napa, just 3 1/2 blocks from Back Room Wines. Fine entertainment for a good price with shows Wednesday through Saturday and an occasional Sunday. Check out the calendar on their website.
Wine Shop & Wine Bar: BACK ROOM WINES, of course! First & Main Streets, Downtown Napa. Great selection of rare California wines, strong import selection, professional service, wine shipping, wine flights and bottles served in the wine bar every day & all day, delicious cheese & charcuteries plates served, great tasting events, wine club. If you can’t come by, then definitely visit at www.backroomwines.com.
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