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in St. Helena, and many more of excellence that won't warm your credit card quite as much. Blue, a sushi place in St. Helena has a fabulous Hamachi Carpaccio, and a good menu in general. Tra Vigne has both an elegant restaurant with three sittings each night, as well as a pizza place across the parking lot where the standards are just as high and the prices are much more moderate.

In Sonoma, The Girl and the Fig, as well as the cafe and restaurant in the El Dorado are both highly recommended. There are restaurants, bakeries and coffee shops that offer a more casual meal in both St. Helena, and Sonoma.

Wine tasting is the rule in wine country. So plan on several afternoons of driving from one to another. Rent a car or use a limo service. Don't forget to make dinner reservations, because the restaurants do get crowded. If you enjoy eating while watching scenery go by, the Napa Valley Wine Train is highly recommended. The trip on the Wine Train will take you from Napa to St. Helena. Along the way you can view the seasonal mustard bloom in the early spring or the verdant vineyards of the summertime, all the while being elegantly wined and dined. The train is by reservation of course.

Last but not least, before you leave home for the airport, call and make a reservation to tour the Castello D'Amarosa (castle of love), in St. Helena. It's a newly opened attraction created by D.Sattui the well know vintner. The castle is an exact replica of a medieval Italian Castle with dungeons and all. The tour is topped off by a forty-five minute wine tasting extravaganza.

Gift yourself, and your family, a visit to San Francisco, and the wine country of northern California. The variety of food offered is phenomenal, the beauty of the countryside extraordinary, and the sunshine goes on and on.

Learn more about this author, Jacquie Schmall.
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