I spent the weekend visiting a friend in Napa. It was such a fun weekend, it really felt like a vacation. I was able to stay up late, sleep in, and have a local tour guide take me to all the best places. The only drawback was that the temperature reached 110 degrees (yikes!) on Saturday. We were able to fix that dilemma by hanging out at the Calistoga Community Pool. It was so fun to bob around the water and dive off the diving board (I haven't done that in ages).
We felt it would be appropriate to take a break from all of our relaxation to eat. One of my favorite places Candice took me to was French Blue. French Blue is a neighborhood restaurant located in the heart of St. Helena. Their menu highlights seasonally inspired dishes and rustic, wood-fired cooking. We were able to make it in time for breakfast and it was absolutely delicious. I ordered the Blueberry Pancake Soufflé, served with rhubarb maple syrup. It was so good that I was almost finished before I realized I should have taken a picture.
The restaurant itself is light and refreshing. They have beautiful skylights that allow the sun to light the entire room, and a gorgeous patio perfect for enjoying a summer evening. You can tell that whoever was responsible for the design made sure that every last detail was accounted for. To make the whole place even better, the menu is more than reasonably priced. Chef Philip Wang wanted to develop a restaurant that would be affordable for locals to enjoy, and he succeeded!
Overall, it was a super great mini-vacation. I'm so thankful that my friend took on the responsibility as tour guide and shared some of her favorite places.
What are your recommendations for Napa Valley and/or surrounding areas?
(The first two photos are from the French Blue website and the last two photos were taken for Short Story Long)
How could I pass up this question without responding? Of course, for me, the best part of the Napa area is Safari West. While actually located in Santa Rosa, it is just 8 miles from Calistoga. Hanging out with giraffes is one of my passions so, getting anywhere near them would make a viewing (and feeding, if possible) a mandate. How could anyone resist those beautiful faces? And, between those amazingly long, graceful legs and those gorgeous eyelashes, I am so jealous!
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