SF 2k8, Day 5, 6, 7 & 8: Lodging – Vintage Inn

After I’d finished my late lunch at Plaza Garibaldi, we packed up everything and bid farewell to San Jose, then began the surprisingly low-traffic drive up to Napa Valley.  Yountville, Napa Valley, to be exact. 

This is less a restaurant review than a hotel/lodging review – which I’ve done before, if the hotel offers breakfast, and this one did – so bear with me. 

Also, this is where I profess my love and affection for BF.  See, this trip was his gift to me for our 5 year anniversary.  One of the long standing roles I’ve had in this relationship has been the unofficial planner, calendar keeper, trip organizer.  I plan everything.  He’s much happier leaving things to chance or not thinking about them or something, I don’t know, something that drives my slightly Type A personality batty.  So for this trip, I took about 10 steps back, and decided “He said he would plan it, so let him plan it.”  When we first agreed to go on this trip, at his request, I emailed him a list of restaurants and hotels/inns in Napa that I was interested in visiting, and the list was promptly lost (by him).  It’s okay; I didn’t think going to French Laundry would have been that great for both of us anyway.  (I don’t think spending $300 for a dinner that he would probably have only mildly enjoyed would have made either of us happy.)

When the time for our trip was fast approaching, I nervously realized he hadn’t booked a hotel yet for the Napa portion of our trip.

I wish oh wish I had gotten a “between” shot of the above two; the first one is too high and the second one is too low, duhhh.

In September.

Which is peak season for Napa tourism.

*Yes, I have a pink suitcase.

But sweetie scrounged together his Google skills, and managed to find us a gorgeous place.  Me, being the natural uptight biotch that I can be, was worried: how was the location?  Was the place nice?  Isn’t it a bit expensive?  Is this what we really want?  I thankfully kept silent, though I’m sure he knew what I was thinking as he said firmly, “This place looks really good, and I’m booking it.”

When we arrived, I was glad he had.

Our room was gorgeous, with many delightful amenities: an in-room Nespresso machine (that we didn’t use) and regular coffee maker, a small fridge (below the TV behind small shutters), L’Occitane toiletries, and our own balcony with chairs that overlooked the pool area.

And of course, we were welcomed with a bottle of California chardonnay in our room, set on the mantle above the working fireplace.  Unfortunately, though I thought it quite chilly at night, BF’s blood runs hotter than mine, so we didn’t take advantage of said fireplace.

And the best part?  Somehow, peak season and all, he’d managed to find this gorgeous hotel with availability… smack dab in the middle of Yountville, home to French Laundry, Bouchon, Bouchon Bakery (all Thomas Keller restaurants), and a ton of restaurants that people rave about all the time – and just, in the best (in my limited experience with Napa Valley now) area of Napa, since it’s also in the middle of most wineries, and just off the highway.  Perfect. 

But you want to hear about the food.  Well, included with our rooms was a daily morning breakfast buffet.

Above is what I saw when I first walked in.

Then I saw this.  A make your own mimosa station with Mumm Napa Valley Sparkling Wine.  And boy, were they delicious with fresh squeezed orange juice…. yummmmmm. 

I could bore you with pictures of all that I ate, but do you really want to see?  Well, okay, but I’m going to make this quick.

Mascarpone tart that tasted like mousse cheesecake; half a bagel (someone else had already taken half, so I took the other half) with salmon cream cheese, dill cream cheese, and plain (there was a toaster on one side with hot cereals, coffee, teas, etc.)

Heirloom tomato & cucumber salad – bland, it was seasoned only with salt & pepper; beet & watermelon salad – the golden beets in this were delicious; breakfast potatoes; a variety of cheeses, all cow milk; ham; salsa fresca, which I ate with everything after the first day

Both of us were surprised that there were no eggs that first morning we were there.  (More on that later.)  There was also bread pudding with creme anglaise and mixed berry syrup, but I didn’t partake as the idea of dessert after breakfast makes me kind of queasy. 

The next morning we were there, we went hot air ballooning and had to be at the place by 5:30 am, so we didn’t get to have any of the Inn’s breakfast.  But we did walk by, and I noticed there was “county style” quiche – made with eggs – that day.  Hmmm, interesting. 

Saturday, our last day there, as we walked by, we saw… a waffle station!  Funny thing, too, was that morning, BF had said to me “Do you really want their breakfast?  There are no eggs!” and I said, being the economically minded person I am (read: CHEAP. sometimes) and breakfast was included, “Well, we should just walk down and see if there’s anything good, since they seem to change the selection daily…”  Later, I had to say, “Aren’t you glad I made you walk down to see first?!”  BF LOVES waffles, and as you can see in the above picture, there he is, adding strawberries and syrup to his waffles.

So I guess the waffle station is a Saturday thing.  BF was really happy, because for a few weeks now, he’d been talking about chocolate chip waffles.  I don’t have a waffle iron and I don’t do batter items (they do not turn out well in my hands).  He’d tried ordering them at a diner who said they couldn’t do it, even though they had chocolate chip pancakes on the menu (um, just pour the batter into a waffle iron, dude), so he was really keen.  The above waffle station had various fresh berries, whipped cream, butter, syrup, and chocolate chips all just lying there; when he asked the girl manning the waffle makers for a chocolate chip waffle, she happily obliged.  He said later, “She poured the batter into the waffle maker, then spooned some chocolate chips all over the top before closing it, it was awesome.”  And he scarfed this waffle down with the quickness, telling me how good it was but not letting me try a bite, boo 🙁

This time, we opted to sit outside, and I soon discovered…. where the eggs were hiding. 

There was an egg station at the bar outside the area where the breakfast buffet was!  I was so sad, as I’d already loaded up my plate and didn’t think I could eat a full omelette.  (And I was so lazy I wouldn’t even stand up to take a photograph of the station.  Plus I felt a little conspicuous because everyone was looking at me when I took FLASHLESS photographs of my food as it was.  I guess the food photography craze has taken way more off here on the East Coast than in California?) 

More of the same as the other day, except more salsa fresca this time (it was YUM!) and no potatoes, but eggs Florentine instead.  Ah well.

Plus a bagel with some more salmon cream cheese, a slice of ham and some melon.  Tasty.

Also included was every afternoon, they had tea and pastries out for you, so after a short while sampling wines around, you could come back, eat a little snack, and then have a late dinner.  My appetite was all messed up on this trip – I ate only about 2 meals a day – and this didn’t help, but that’s not their fault.  It seemed to be the same selection both days that I checked it out.

Scone with lemon curd and clotted cream (or is that whipped cream?), mini sandwiches (which were REALLY good!), a goat cheese puff, and a chocolate tart.  The only bad thing was, once they run out of an item, they seem to not refresh the trays much.

Overall, I would recommend Vintage Inn to anyone looking for a place to stay in Yountville.  The prices are a bit steep, but they are totally worth it; each room is like its own apartment, and is larger than some NYC apartments, even, gorgeous, and the whole facility is well-kept, gorgeous, with a great and accomodating staff.  The food isn’t anything to blow your mind, but it’s better than a lot of places might offer, with a decent variety of stuff to start your morning, and then to keep you going. 

Two thumbs up!!!

SF 2k8, previously:
Bi-Rite Creamery
King of Thai Noodle House
House of Prime Rib
New Asia
Ghirardelli Square
In-n-Out
The Country Way
Joe’s Cable Car
Honu’s Island Grinds & Bar
Plaza Garibaldi