Foodie vacation within 2-3 hours (flying or driving) of the bay area.
August 7, 2015 8:55 AM Subscribe
My wife and I are going on vacation early in September and would like to focus on fine dining. We live in the bay area and have been up to Sonoma/Napa many times as well as Portland and would like to broaden our horizons. Looking for both locations and restaurant recommendations.
Some quick relevant info;
We like both wine and beer, areas known for such are welcome.
We are not vegetarians (but appreciate fine vegetarian food just as much as carnivorous options!)
Open to all cuisine
Quieter, cooler locales would be a big bonus.
Some quick relevant info;
We like both wine and beer, areas known for such are welcome.
We are not vegetarians (but appreciate fine vegetarian food just as much as carnivorous options!)
Open to all cuisine
Quieter, cooler locales would be a big bonus.
And you haven't been to Seattle why? We are loaded with top quality restaurants (among the best, new and old, are Nishino, Staple & Fancy, Il Terrazzo Carmine, the Herbfarm, Canlis and Spinasse, plus most of the Tom Douglas restaurants), based on some pretty sensational local food, and we have notable wine regions, both within driving distance of Seattle on the west side of the Cascades, and on the eastern side of Washington. Reservations are strongly recommended.
posted by bearwife at 9:03 AM on August 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by bearwife at 9:03 AM on August 7, 2015 [2 favorites]
Yeah, +1 to Vancouver. It is beautiful to walk around in, and would be quiet and cool. There is some awesome sushi in Vancouver (Kaide!), plus the Guu izakaya restaurants, although they are loud. Chambar is a little overrated but good. There is lots of late-night student type food -- poutine and hot dogs and stuff like that. And there's a great couscous place that I am forgetting the name of, and can't find on Yelp. Check Chowhound for recommendations too.
posted by Susan PG at 9:19 AM on August 7, 2015
posted by Susan PG at 9:19 AM on August 7, 2015
Response by poster: @bearwife grew up in seattle, granted I haven't been back as an adult, but I guess it always just sounded "samey" in my head, will reconsider! Along those same lines, we've been to portland many times because my family is in Vancouver (also, if you live in the area and love Bahn Mi, Tan Tan makes the best I've ever had)
posted by deadwater at 9:36 AM on August 7, 2015
posted by deadwater at 9:36 AM on August 7, 2015
Walla Walla. Santa Cruz. San Diego. Santa Barbera.
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:07 AM on August 7, 2015
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:07 AM on August 7, 2015
Vancouver, Canada is the best big city I can think of close enough to you. Has great restaurants and is also just downright beautiful. Plus, it's another country, so you get to feel like it's something different than just the usual stateside Pacific Northwest! (Vancouver, British Columbia is not the same as Vancouver, Washington -- haha.)
posted by AppleTurnover at 10:30 AM on August 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by AppleTurnover at 10:30 AM on August 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
How long is this trip and how many different establishments are you looking for and how fine is fine? Amador County in the Sierra Foothills offers a few fine dining places as well as wine, but if you're going for a week or something, you may run out of places. I recommend Taste in Plymouth and Element in Sutter Creek, specifically. The Inn attached to Element (Hanford House) is lovely.
There are also gourmet markets aplenty with sandwiches and such to bring with you to wineries.
Basically, it may be too much on the "wine" side, and not enough on the "fine dining" side, but I do recommend the area.
A couple of other thoughts are the Tahoe area and maybe Boulder, CO (or Aspen, Vail or Breck, but then the car ride after you leave the airport may make the travel time too long)?
posted by freezer cake at 11:48 AM on August 7, 2015
There are also gourmet markets aplenty with sandwiches and such to bring with you to wineries.
Basically, it may be too much on the "wine" side, and not enough on the "fine dining" side, but I do recommend the area.
A couple of other thoughts are the Tahoe area and maybe Boulder, CO (or Aspen, Vail or Breck, but then the car ride after you leave the airport may make the travel time too long)?
posted by freezer cake at 11:48 AM on August 7, 2015
(Just to clarify, I was suggesting Vancouver, Canada!).
posted by three_red_balloons at 1:42 PM on August 7, 2015
posted by three_red_balloons at 1:42 PM on August 7, 2015
Duarte's Tavern, Pescadero, Ca. Alice's up on La Honda nearby.
posted by Oyéah at 6:20 PM on August 7, 2015
posted by Oyéah at 6:20 PM on August 7, 2015
Oh yeah, Pescadero. +1
posted by jeffamaphone at 7:02 PM on August 7, 2015
posted by jeffamaphone at 7:02 PM on August 7, 2015
The San Juan Islands, particularly for Willows Inn on Lummi Island. Seriously, read about it in the NYT and Bon Appetit. You could do it in conjunction with a trip to Orcas Island for a variety of other foodie treats.
posted by leitmotif at 9:02 PM on August 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by leitmotif at 9:02 PM on August 7, 2015 [1 favorite]
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posted by three_red_balloons at 9:00 AM on August 7, 2015 [2 favorites]