June 12, 2026, Breakfast - at La Quinta in Fairfield Lunch - Gourmet Sandwich from Calmart Grocery in Calistoga Dinner - Pinot Noir Festival BBQ

June 12, 2026, Breakfast - at La Quinta in Fairfield  Lunch - Gourmet Sandwich from Calmart Grocery in Calistoga  Dinner - Pinot Noir Festival BBQ 

We slept until 8:30 and went to the complimentary breakfast. There was acwaffle maker so we split a waffle and each of us ate a patty sausage and scrambled eggs and split a vanilla yogurt.

At 9:30 we drove to the Johal’s and visited with Mohan and Surjit, who is recovering from knee surgery in India and has a newly acquired fascination with the stock market.

At 10:30 we drove north through Napa and stopped for a tour at Frog’s Leap. We tasted five wines and bought a bottle of rose of Carignan. 

At 1:40 we continued north to Philo, stopping at the Calmart. grocery in  Calistoga to buy a gourmet sandwich containing arugula, sun dried tomatoes, and slices of mozzarella and ham on a toasted square Cimbiata bun plus potato chips and a Dr. Pepper. 

Suzette took over the driving to Boonville and I drove the last few miles to the Apple Farm located just past Philo next to the Navarro Creek.

We rested for about 30 minutes and then drove back through Philo and Boonville to the Anderson Valley Brewery located at the intersection of the road to Ukiah. It was a large property with lots of tables, a stage where a duo of guitarists were playing live rock and roll. There was a large BBQ truck and a food line and two pouring stations manned by pourers of all the wine brought by area growers, which is a tradition. There were hundreds of bottles. The wine never stopped pouring during the two hours we were at the BBQ.

I went to one the pouring tables and found Rick Davis pouring. I did not care for his first pour so I went back for a taste of his Calstar 2014 Sangiacamo Pinot Noir.

I tried several other wines I liked including a Roederer champagne and its 2010 Pinot noir, an elegant Black Oak Ridge Pinot. Several other tastes ended up in the dump bucket.

Then at 6:30 we lined up in the food line and filled our plates with coke slaw, a lovely macaroni potato salad, beans, a smoked chicken thigh, and a large hunk of roasted whole suckling pig to which I added a liberal amount of BBQ sauce.

We drank the light red Black Oak Ridge Pinot with the food and enjoyed the pairing very much.

I may start buying Black Oak Ridge wine as a result of this pleasant introduction.

We shared a table with two lawyers, a PA, and a lady broker.

The lady lawyer sitting next to Suzette was very interesting. She had worked fot NASA and other government agencies, but her description of her daughter was more interesting. Her now 40 year old daughter was an MIT graduate who had worked for Space X several years designing rocket components. Today Space X shares went public at $135.00 and quickly went to about $165 and the Space X  employee stock plan shares her daughter acquired during her employment became worth over $26,000,000.

It was a lovely warm evening, but I tired around 7:45 and we drove back to the Apple Farm. I walked a bit but soon went to the room while Suzette continued walking the property.

I went to bed before 9:00 and blogged this entry Saturday morning after sunlight lighted our room at around 6:20 with bright light

This was one of the better BBQs we have attended. It was well organized with volunteers, like Rick pouring, cooking, and serving instead of the usual free for all with each person serving themselves food and wine.

Bon Appetit 

June 11, 2026 Breakfast - Quiche and Danish at Fiona lobby. Lunch - Cafe at -De Young Museum. Dinner - Green Valley Country Club

June 11, 2026 Breakfast - Quiche and Danish at Fiona lobby. Lunch - Cafe at -De Young Museum. Dinner - Green Valley Country Club

Today unexpectedly turned into a really good food day. It started with beautiful French Danish from Fine’s Bakery in the lobby at Our Fiona Hotel and not so wonderful quiches baked in cupcake paper cups. The quiches were cold and I took a vegetarian one instead of a cheese and bacon one, but I ate it anyway because the spinach and tomato were nice.

Then we drove to the Farmer’s Market at Pier 1 at the ferry terminal on Embarcadero.

We bought pasta and then outside where the Produce vendors were set up we bought delicious plums and flat French peaches that we took to the Johals in Fairfield after lunch.

From the farmer’s Market we drove across the Peninsula to the De Young Museum in Golden Gate Park.

We saw the Monet in Venice traveling exhibit. It was encyclopedic and academic with over a100 Monets and other contemporary artist, such as

                                The men’s room beautifully decorated with fresh flowers

                                 The ice breaking up on the Seine after the winter of 1880

                                                  The Houses of

                                                    The Ducal castle and Bridge of Sighs

                           Water Lillies at Giverney in sunlight and lower light

Then at noon we walked to the large Cafe. The Cafe had excellent food offerings. We took a 1/2 bottle of Gloria Ferrer Blanc de noir champagne, a coke to reconstitute my energy and an exquisite Bombe consisting of a round slice of chocolate cake as the base on which  were a layer of chocolate mousse and a layer of white chocolate mouse with the whole covered with a milk chocolate  coating and the bottom side edge dipped in chocolate praline crumbs. This was the best pastry I have tasted in years. For my entree I chose grilled salmon on a bed of mashed potatoes and five steamed asparagus with a beurre Blanc sauce (Meunière) with the top of the salmon filet garnished with a profusion of small edible flowers and baby red chard leaves.

Suzette chose a bowl of cream of corn soup and a deconstructed salmon cesar salad with two halves of a heart of romaine drizzled with Cesar salad dressing beside a grilled salmon filet.

All three dishes were delicious. We sat outside on the spacious patio beside the sculpture garden dominated by a larger than life sized highly abstracted reclining figure.

After lunch we walked to the William Tuttle Skyscape installation that was very impressive.  Then we visited the 20th century collection which included a good Agnes Pelton and an amazing large painting painted for the 1936 Texas Centennial with black hands held in chains at the bottom of the canvas.

After our visit to the De Young we drove north on 101 across the Golden Gate Bridge to the north end of the bay and then east past San Quentin through Richmond to I-80 and the north to Fairfield ti the La Quinta motel.

We napped for 1 1/2 hours and at 6:00 drove to the Johal’s compound on green valley road where we talked until 8:00 and then droventobthe Green Valley Country Club near their house for dinner overlookingb5he beautiful golf course nestled among the live oaks and pines.

Suzette and I split a slice of meatloaf sauced with BBQ sauce and a side salad, Mohan and Shambly ate salads. Pavn and his wife had eaten and did not eat.

Suzette and I were served separate plates for both the meatloaf garnished with steamed asparagus, sautéed zucchini slices, and carrots on mashed potatoes and the side salad I was embarrassed by how much food there was but I at most of the meatloaf and some of the salad. Suzette barely touched her salad, so Shambly took enough salad for lunch tomorrow.

We then drove back to La Quinta at 10:00 and paid our tolls for the two bridges and our credit card bill.

After a long day with a really good breakfast and lunch we went to bed happy.

I guess in San Francisco exceptional quality in food is normal.

Bon Appetit

June 10, 2026 Breakfast - Granola. Lunch - Spaghetti, meatballs, Garlic toast and salad. Dinner - Rintaro in San Francisco’s Summer Set Menu

June 10, 2026 Breakfast - Granola. Lunch - Spaghetti, meatballs, Garlic toast and salad. Dinner - Rintaro in San Francisco’s Summer Set Menu

We woke up at 7:30 as the market opened in another down day, probably due to the Iran ceasefire heating with Iran downing a U.S. jet and the U.S. retaliating by bombing Iran military targets, which sent the price of crude up and the stock market down. Iran seems to be playing Trump, who wants a peace deal but can’t get it, so long as Israel continues bombing Lebanon and Iran is provoking the U.S. 

I ate granola with milk, mango yogurt, and blueberries for breakfast while I read a contract.

Then at 10:30 I dropped off an invitation to Macon for our 80/250 BD party and then drove to the Center in Los Lunas. Suzette and I ate the Employees’ lunch of Spaghetti, meatballs, Garlic toast and salad. There were also desserts. I ate an allspice cupcake, a piece of apricot bread, and a piece of banana nut

After lunch we drove to Sunport and flew to Oakland at 2:45.

When we arrived we rented a car and drove to Hotel Fiona in San Francisco. We were given a corner room with a semi circular bay window that I liked very much.

We rested until 8:00 when we took an Uber to Rintaro for dinner.

Luke had raved about the restaurant and gave us one of Rintaro s Cookbooks for Christmas.

 

As soon as we looked at the menu we each decided to order the Summer Set menu of eight dishes for $90.00 plus a cocktail and a flight of sakes paired with the dishes.  I will let the menu speak for the dishes. The best dis( for me was my low sodium alternative of homemade soft tofu garnished with fresh cut Bonita flakes and fresh edible flowers served with a fresh grated ginger.  The other dish that was interesting was the next to last dish, a bowl of udon. When it arrived it was cold with a sauce and an egg yolk. We could not eat it and we said we wanted a bowl of hot udon in hot broth, and that is what the kitchen did. In about twenty minutes a hot bowl of udon in broth was served. We were full but we loved it. The dark rich broth was perfect in the cool evening air on the patio where we were seated.

The sommelier explained the three sakes we were served in great detail and I felt like I understood sake for the first time.

It was a great meal at a legitimate Michelin starred restaurant worthy of the recognition. For example when the sommelier was at our table explaining the first sake served with a platter of sashimi, I asked if the univ was from Spain and he said, “No, this one is from Hokkaido.” He then identified the other sliced fish that included two types of blue fin tuna. So the best quality ingredients prepared in an interesting way and presented appealing manner.

We began at 8:15 and ended the meal at 10:30.

I drank barley tea for the first time and enjoyed it.

I slept week but Suzette did not.

I have a sleeping technique that I love that works on almost any kind of mattress. I bury my head under my goose down pillow to block out the light and my mind drifts back to imagine that I am in Paleolithic times sleeping in a warm dark cave covered with soft animal furs.

Wherever I am it seems the same, so long as the room temperature is cool, so I do not sweat.

Bon Appetit