SONOMA WINE TOUR EVENING

OK, it’s night now; you’re refreshed after that Jacuzzi and whatever (we don’t want to know) and hungry again.  We’ve got a great place for dinner……Here’s
Two choices depending on your mood:



Dinner
Ethnic: Portuguese, Sonoma residents favorite, casual, voted best Portuguese restaurant in US
La Salette Restaurant
452-H First Street East, 707-938-1927 (East side of Plaza, behind the Wine Exchange)

Enjoy Portuguese cuisine prepared by chef/proprietor Manuel Azevedo at Zagat’s rated number one Portuguese restaurant in the country. Go for something a little different. . . .try the smoked rabbit salad or the cod cakes to begin. Our absolute favorite is the porco a alentejana, a classic Portuguese stew of marinated pork, tomatoes and clams. Another treat is the grilled sardines with onion compote atop a cormbread toast. Chef Manuel is known for the rolls, they are unique, an interesting blend of cornmeal, flour, and slightly sweet. Of course the selections of Porto, Madeira and Muscatel are a treat, if you are into Porto. There are several vintage selections that are intense, complex, and concentrated. Not bad ending your day with a rare drinkable dessert. Portuguese food is often overlooked, don’t miss this chance to try the best.

Or: Upscale, New Chef, Happening place to Dress-up if you like
General’s Daughter
400 West Spain Street
One of the best dining experiences in Sonoma. Enjoy the rose-covered wraparound porches on a beautiful Sonoma evening or dine indoors in the grand parlors hung with contemporary paintings. The elegant dining room with its muted walls and stately bay windows is im  pressive and intimate. Choose from a wide variety of fantastic food and organically grown produce at this critically acclaimed restaurant.

What a day!  To tell the truth when we did it, we took a couple of days, so if you need that, there’s plenty to go around.



Lodging
A Word About Lodging (We said this at the beginning but it bears repeating)
Of course the first thing you do before planning a trip is figure out where you want to stay.  While we do tell you about a few hidden winery cottages (see below), we feel lodging is so dependent on specific needs (pool, hot tub, free wine) and budgets we wanted you to have a personal experience in choosing a place to stay.  Call Wendy founder of Stay Sonoma at 1-866-647-8888 or she’s got a great web site if you askew personal contact at www.staysonoma.com.  The website covers almost all lodging in Sonoma and you can book it right on the sited.  Wendy can get you the best rate and really knows her stuff.

That said, in each section we like to give you a heads up about a special cottage find that’s not usually advertised to the public. 
For Sonoma our cottage is Castle Cottage. 
Located on the grounds of Castle Vineyards, you can enjoy your own private “castle”.   Sip a glass of wine on your private deck and enjoy the surrounding garden and fountain in a vineyard setting.  The spacious winery guest cottage sleeps one couple very comfortably.   It's rustic on the outside and contemporary on the inside. Castle Vineyards Cottage is located 1-1/2 miles east of the Sonoma Plaza near Bartholomew Park and Buena Vista. Hiking trails are nearby and the location is great for biking or walking to town! Other wineries are close by too! The cottage rents for $185 nightly with a 2 night minimum (3 on holiday weekends) and you can also get weekly and monthly rates in case you like it so much you want to stay on.  (Rates and availablity subject to change)
For more info go to www.castlevineyards.com  for photos of the cottage. Call: 707.996.4188 or 707.333.0047

BEFORE YOU GO:

Call Ravenswood at 707-9332332 and arrange to go on their 10:30 wine tour

Call LaSalette at 707-938-1927and make dinner reservations

EVENTS CALENDARS
Check out the happening events web sites at
www.sonomavalley.com  (the visitors bureau)
www.sonoma.com   (division of winecountry.com)

For those of you (guys) who don’t want to pour over our cleverly written tour information, here’s the Cliff Notes for the wine tour.  Just cut, paste, print, and you are ready to enjoy your Perfect Day in Sonoma.

PERFECT DAY GUIDE DISTILLED

We regularly send out surveys to our clients who have used our guides asking what they thought of the experience.  A few requested a distilled version to take on the road with them.  Below we’ve listed the names and addresses of all the places we suggest you visit.

Breakfast:
Meritage Restaurant
165 West Napa Street (just steps off the plaza)
Phone 707-938-9430
Hours 9:00 am for breakfast Saturday and Sunday, also lunch and dinner Wednesday through Monday

If you want a down to earth cooking . . . ..
Schellville Grill,
22900 Broadway (Five minute drive from the Plaza)
Phone 707-996-5151
Hours 6am to 2pm Seven days a week, and 6pm to 9pm Friday and Saturday nights

Morning Hike:
New Sonoma Overlook Trail

Picnic Lunch Pick-up:
Basque Boulangerie,
460 First Street East (Middle on the East side of the Plaza)

Mid-morning wine tasting
Ravenswood Winery
18701 Gehricke Road
(707) 933-2332
10 – 4:30 Daily

Gundlach Bundschu Winery
2000 Denmark Street. 707-938-5277.
Hours 11am-4: 30 daily

Lunch:
 Depending on what your hunger pangs dictate, you can picnic at either Gundlach Bundschu or Bartholomew Park or if you’re like one of our friends who thinks picnics are for people who don’t have houses (or hotels) may we suggest a great restaurant for lunch?
 
The El Dorado Kitchen  
On the Plaza, lobby of El Dorado Hotel
Open Daily for Lunch and Dinner

Wine Tasting:
Bartholomew Park Winery
1000 Vineyard Lane (end of Castle Road)
11 – 4:30 Daily

Castle Vineyards & Winery
122 West Spain Street.
Phone 707-996-1966
www.castlevineyards.com

Open daily: 10am to 5pm, excluding major holidays

Dinner:
Ethnic: Portuguese, Sonoma residents favorite, casual, voted best Portuguese restaurant in US
La Salette Restaurant
452-H First Street East, 707-938-1927 (East side of Plaza, behind the Wine Exchange)
or.............

Second Choice: Upscale, New Chef, Happening place to Dress-up if you like
General’s Daughter
400 West Spain Street