The General's Daughter (Sonoma) to close on 1 Aug

Foodies have been eating with delight at The General's Daughter in Sonoma for many years. However, sonomanews.com is reporting that the Sonoma County mainstay will close on Aug 1 and will be replaced by a new restaurant, Estate, in the same location. Owner Sondra Bernstein, who also runs the well-liked local restaurants The Girl and the Fig and Fig Cafe, said that the Estate menu will explore the realm of Italian-Mediterranean food. Should be delicious...although it's sad to see The General's Daughter go.

Picnicking in Style: a how-to guide for visitors who want to eat on-the-go in Napa or Sonoma

As a wine country resident, people frequently ask me for advice about picnicking (mostly for lunch) while they're visiting wine country. It's no secret that even for lunch the restaurants in the area are fairly pricey--you're paying a premium for the ambiance. That's evident in Healdsburg and Napa more than anywhere else. But never fear--picnicking is a viable option, can save you a chunk of cash, and will allow you to enjoy the beautiful scenery. To do it well, you'll need (1) a healthy and delicious food shop, and (2) a comfortable place to eat.

Buying picnic food

A whole bunch of wineries have food stores where you can buy the prototypical wine country foods--wine, cheese, meats, baguettes, olives and fresh veggies. My favorites are:

• Chateau St. Jean (Sonoma)
• V. Sattui (Napa)
• Oakville Grocery (not a winery, but a great store in both counties)
• Whole Foods (delicious deli takeout, very wide selection)
• Ledson Winery (Sonoma)

Eating Comfortably
If you're sitting on the grounds of a winery to eat lunch, it is generally proper etiquette to have purchased a bottle of their wine to complement the food. Of the wineries listed above with excellent delis, I most enjoy the wine at Chateau St. Jean (I have also posted to this effect on the TripAdvisor Sonoma forum, a great local resource). The wineries listed above also have space to sit and eat, although watch out for the loud and annoying Wine Train driving by V. Sattui. A picture of the picnic area at V. Sattui is shown at right. There are also beautiful town greens in Santa Rosa, Napa and Sonoma, although this doesn't give you the "eating amongst the vines" feel.

Good luck, and happy picnicking!

Been away for a couple of weeks while traveling, but I have a really useful link for my readers today from my friends at winecountry.com. Click the link to see an interesting wine tasting itinerary for one of the least touristed areas in Wine Country, Alexander Valley. This area is just north of Healdsburg (see a map), which means it's somewhat further away from the SF area than other spots. But if you've been to Wine Country once or twice before, you'll definitely want to make the hike up to the Alexander Valley. Couple of notes about the itinerary given in the link:

• Rosso & Bianco--if you really like their wines, you can try their restaurant in downtown Palo Alto as well. Both are run by well-known director Francis Ford Coppola.
• Stryker--the zin is fantastic. This general area is known for Zinfandel as well.

Happy tasting!