SFBayStyle

Quivira Vineyards

People often ask me what I do up in Healdsburg with my four children. The wine country has been my family's weekend destination for years. Believe it or not, there is more than just wine to be found in the wine country and even in the vineyards.

One of our favorite places to take a stroll is on the grounds of Quivira Vineyards. Quivira is a biodynamic vineyard. After a stop in the tasting room, take the time to explore the grounds. There are beautiful native gardens, as well as my children's favorites, the chicken coop and farm animals. On our last visit, the vineyard was the home to a pregnant wild pig. We are still waiting to hear whether the Quivira piglets have been born.

Weekends In The Wine Country

One of the many advantages of living in the Bay Area is our proximity to the Wine Country.  Whether you choose Napa or Sonoma, either is accessible in a little over an hour from San Francisco.  My family spends many weekends in Alexander Valley, in the Healdsburg area of Sonoma County.  People often question my choice of the wine country, as my husband does not drink, and I have four young children.  For my clan, the wine country is our country escape, with the side benefit of having great wine and culinary selections.  We just spent last the Labor Day holiday up there enjoying many of the special events the vineyards and tasting rooms were offering.

Family Winemakers Tasting

Last week, while driving my daughter to her lacrosse camp, I heard of yet another fabulous event that I want to attend. Thanks to KDFC, I am kept in the loop on many upcoming Bay Area events. ( I suggest that you check out their events page before you book up the rest of your summer calendar.) The 18th annual Family Winemakers tasting will be taking place on Aug 24th from 2-6, at Fort Mason. The event is only open to the public for a short window of time, other wise you need to be in the trade.

The tasting will showcase the largest selection of family wines in the world. Advance tickets are available for $45, or $55 the day of the event.

Barneys Outlet Sale on Now

See the list of locations for the nearest Barneys Outlet store. Sale is 50% off supposedly - "Summer Clearance Blowout". Hot stuff.

Rainsong Shoes

I have been wanting a pair of Repetto ballet flats for a while now, and I chose not to join the crowds of fashionable Parisians (is there any other kind?) and buy some flats at the shop on Rue De Paix. The exchange rate made that decision. However, my closet needed a pair to join my growing ballet flat collection - I am so clearly meant to own a pair! Why else would the last pair of Demeter Ballerine shoes have been in my size?

Just minutes before closing, I took a peek into Rainsong Shoes in downtown Healdsburg. Rainsong has an amazing collection of hard to find designers like Giraudon, Pons Quintana, Cydwq, Espace and Repetto. I ran over to the sale rack and saw a few Repettos, not one was in my size, and I figured there was no back stock. I got brave and asked the sales woman to check anyway. Now I am the proud owner of some Repetto ballerina flats and I got them at half-off. The moral of this story: run into stores before closing, and always check the sale rack. You never know what treasure you may discover.

Happy Father's Day

The image above is from the store window of Limestone in Healdsburg, courtesy Pamela Hornik.

Father's Day Bay Area Style

Father's Day is fast approaching, and I of course do not have a gift for my deserving husband. I have received numerous e-mails with Father's Day gift ideas, but nothing seems to fit him. The Sunday New York Times was loaded with ads for beautiful ties, cuff links and watches. That all seems too traditional for my husband, who takes "California Casual" to heart. He didn't even own a suit until a recent trip to China. Monogrammed BBQ tools seem like a good idea, but once again, just not his style. With a few days left, I am deciding between a few options.

Timbuk 2 makes great bags right here in San Francisco. I can visit the Hayes St. shop, or design my own bag online. Another design your own option is for a pair of Converse. (This is what my husband wears as dress shoes.)  If you are not feeling creative, S.F. based retailer, Gap, has an awesome collection of Product Red shirts  in the store right now. You can look cool, and help fight aids in Africa.

Platinum Tour Guides For San Francisco and Napa Valley

I had the pleasure of participating in a moms weekend away at Napa, where one of the events was a limo ride to local stores by David of Eclectic Tour Napa Valley. At first, I wondered why we need a limo in Napa. But after half a day, I was completely sold. First of all, it was relaxing not to have to drive or park. Next, David took us to places we had never been before in Napa (including the Vintner's Collective that has an amazing collection of wines from boutique wineries). Because he had an 'in" at  Vintner's Collective, we received a private tasting for all the gals in my party. The limo and tour combination really added to our weekend away.

Next, when I wanted to entertain some of out of town guests, I asked David for a recommendation for a similar service in San Francisco. He promptly replied with a recommendation for a service called Platinum Concierge.  Sean, of Platinum Concierge, gave me ideas of locations to visit in San Francisco that I would have never thought of, even though I had lived in San Francisco. Both Sean of Platinum Concierge and David of Eclectic Tour were very professional, friendly, had a great understanding of where to go in their respective locations and eager to help in any way.

Snow Bunny Frozen Yogurt

The frozen yogurt invasion continues. I believe that yogurt shops are popping up on every corner, soon to rival Starbucks. I'd rather have yogurt than a coffee, so that's just fine by me. I was up in Healdsburg for a few days when we came upon the latest addition to the town square, Snow Bunny frozen yogurt. Located at 312 Center Street next to one of my favorite shops, Mr Moons, Snow Bunny is a welcome addition.

Opened in February, this is the first location of many being planned by the Acre Gourmet group. The shop was not open when we were there, but we peeked through the windows to see the "dwell magazine styling". My kids look forward to tasting their Strauss non fat yogurt, and multiple toppings. Yelpers raved about the coffee and tea being served at Snow Bunny.  Let me know if any frozen yogurt shops have popped up in your neighborhood.

Why I Love OpenTable

I just returned from an amazing weekend up in Napa. I was all set to write reviews of the restaurants we had just enjoyed.  As I sat down to check email, I found feedback forms from OpenTable and it occurred to me how much I love their service. Not only are they "instant, reliable and free"; now I can review where I have dined.

I have been using OpenTable for a while now and it's the only way I make reservations, unless of course the restaurant (French Laundry and Chez Panisse, for example) still relies only on phone calls. I enjoy the ease of just going online, selecting the time, the date, the size of my party and seeing what is available. They send confirmation messages to me and any guests. The extra perk is that I have been receiving points for all of my reservations towards dining at one of my favorite establishments.

Happy Black Friday!

Today, the day after Thanksgiving is the biggest shopping day of the year. It is also just about the only day you will not find this self diagnosed shopaholic in the mall, or even near a shopping area. I practice sobriety today. It is a good exercise for me. I have now made it two whole days without shopping. That may be a record.

I have also decided that I will not join the holiday craze. Of course I have to buy gifts for teachers, family, babysitters and friends. But what you will not see me doing is running through Nordstrom on Christmas Eve. As tempting as those cashmere gloves may be -- and those silver Nordstrom gift boxes are so festive -- I have decided to buy gifts made locally this year.