I’m sorry it took me so long to get something up here. You
see… I finally got away for a weekend. It was, as they say in the
movies—loverly. However the second I got home I was slammed with stacks of
papers to grade, computer work to do, classes to substitute and on and on…. But
back to that oh-so-loverly weekend.
After sleeping in a bit on Sunday morning (it was
glorious!), I threw my bathing suit in a bag, threw the bag in the car and we
headed up over the Golden Gate Bridge to hot springs country….Calistoga.
The sun was out, the music was up and the drive was
fantastic. By early afternoon we pulled into “downtown” Calistoga. It’s one of
those mountain towns that has one main street that is the entirety of
“downtown.” Fine by us. We pulled right into a parking space…. Downtown… for
San Franciscans… this was an actual thrill.
This hills are alive.....
As we walked down the actually “picturesque” main street we
passed an abundance of steak &
seafood restaurants, wine shops, Harley Davidson “enthusiasts” and the lone
Chinese food restaurant. We decided that a light lunch at little Italian bistro
with a nice wine list was just the thing… We found what we were looking for at Checkers.
The service was attentive, friendly and very welcoming. We
ordered ourselves a few nice glasses of wine and set in to enjoy basically one
of every appetizer on the menu. Do you ever have those moments where you just
want a taste of everything and a meal of nothing? Garlic shrimp in rich, deep
olive oil with crostini? Check. Cheesy, fresh artichoke spread with crostini?
Check. Crisp mixed greens with juicy pears, sharp cheese and… crostini? Check.
They reaaally like their crostini here. But no complaints from us. It was all
delicious and we were perfectly content. We were on vacation after all! It was
a momentous red letter event… really.
After lunch we strolled past fantastic old hardware stores,
more wine shops and boutiques full of sunglasses, hand lotions and souvenir art
pieces. We weren’t looking for souvenir art… booze is more our style. We stopped
in at Enoteca wine shop where it really was a challenge to pick out just a few
bottles. The owner was lovely, chatty and very proud of her shop… as she should
be! The selection was fantastic. We nabbed a couple of already chilled bottles
and headed over to Golden Haven Spa.
Golden Haven is not a chi-chi Napa valley day spa. It is an
old school mineral/mud bath health and wellness center. No floofy spa robe, no
lavender foot bath while you wait… it’s stinky peet mud and sulfur-y mineral
bath goodness.
How cute is this place?
Golden Haven looks like an old school motel. It’s fantastic.
Our room was big, clean and comfy with an actually bouncy bed! I hate hard
hotel beds. No phone, but wine glasses available at the front desk. Love it.
We dumped our bags and headed into the spa for a mineral
bath and a massage. Everyone was a bit on the hippy side and really nice. We
agreed that the ‘rustic’ nature of the place really was the basis for its
charm.
About two hours later we were all rubbed down and stinky
smelling, but relaxed. We threw on some clothes and decided to walk downtown to
grab some dinner. Brannan’s Grill, one of the few restaurants open after 8 pm,
had a dark “boy’s club” type of feel and a menu that featured
Italian/California fare.
I told you it was dark!
We ordered some local Hog Island oysters, a seafood stew and
a small salad. The oysters were fresh, salty and wonderful. The rich and meaty
fish stew (chock full of crab and such) was on top of light, airy pasta. The
highlight of our meal though, really? The booze. Chocolate mojitos, pear
martinis, citrus-honey flavored muscats… maybe it’s because we sat at the bar…
but we really indulged in the cocktails that evening.
As we walked (ok stumbled) back to Golden Haven we passed
quite a few cottages offering mineral baths and a bed to sleep in. We passed a
tiny high school and a café or two. It really is a great little town.
The next morning I woke up weirdly early. It was cold, but I
trundled over to the quiet motel office to grab a towel and headed towards the
pool. It was like bathwater. The mineral water Jacuzzi was yellow and stinky,
but also hot and wonderful. A more perfect way to start your day? I think not.
I felt like a cat after a bath as I dried off by sitting in the sun on the
little porch attached to my room, while drinking coffee and reading the last
issue of Saveur. I have to make that pound cake now.
My fair city
Monday morning was gorgeous. Sunny, warm, and breezy. We
decided that we simply had to carry on with the spa inspired serenity
(and the foodie goodness of course). On the way back into the city we decided
that a Tiburon side trip was in order. We had a specific destination in mind
too. Sam’s is a fantastic restaurant right on the water. While basking in the
sun you look out over a marina full of boats to see the San Francisco city
skyline.
We sat out back on the deck and settled in with champagne
and a bloody mary. We ordered ourselves an ahi tuna poke, some more Hog Island
oysters and one of the best cheeseburgers I’ve had in a long time. Niman Ranch
of course.
Oyster love part II
As we drove over the bridge into the city we realized that
we just did not want this weekend to end… and it was St. Patrick’s Day
after all. We sent out the alert and threw a last minute backyard bbq in our
car-port. Fresh asparagus, fresh sausages, chicken and portabellos + Guinness +
good friends= the perfect way to end what was honestly an amazingly perfect
weekend.
Now back to grading those papers....
Erin
