(Gasp!) Sacre bleu! Sacrilege! I’ll say it again: Napa is overrated. Napa may be wine country, but it’s also the country of mediocre, overpriced food, and way, way, way overpriced accomodations. I used to live there so I base this opinion not just on one or two visits, but on day in and day out of tasting wine, trying restaurants and looking for after-dinner entertainment. Now, the geography is something to fall in love with: fresh air, rolling hills, beautiful vineyards, a cute downtown. But when you really dig deep, it’s a facade, a town that wants to be hip and cool and have substance, but - with a few exceptions - it misses the mark.
I just returned from a girls’ weekend and we stayed at the newly built Meritage. This hotel/spa wasn’t there when I lived there so I was excited to see something new. The rooms are lovely and the spa was nice. The restaurant follows suit with other restaurants in Napa, overpriced, mediocre food. The spaghetti alla bolognese entree was $26. The hamburger was $14. The pizzettes were also $14, and the two gals in our group who each got a chicken pizza were less than impressed with the flavors. Now, it’s not the price per se that bothers me. If I had a burger and when I took a bite of it, I exclaimed to myself and those around me, “This is the most amazing burger I have had in my entire life!”, I wouldn’t mind paying $14 for it. But I didn’t say that. In fact, I had asked for mine medium well, and when it was sent out to me still mooing, I had to send it back for a second setup. I will say, the fries were delicious. But I’m certainly hoping to get more than fries for my $14.
Most of the food in Napa is like this. The restaurant will have great ambience, great decor, great menus, impressive prices, but they simply can’t deliver impressive tastes. One little restaurant is the exception, and I’ve had at least three good meals there now. It’s called Uva Trattoria. Nine of us ate dinner there on Saturday evening. Their prices are very reasonable for both wine and food, and the food is delicious and satisfying. The highlight was a filet mignon entree served with garlic mashers and creamed spinach for only $26. Now that’s a meal - and a deal! The lowlight was the ravioli entree half-order which turned out to be just three raviolis and arrived on an appetizer plate. It was improved on by the very scrumptious desserts. I highly recommend this restaurant which has live music about 9pm.
Anyway, I know a lot of people romanticize Napa and name-drop wines as if they were celebrities, but I don’t buy the hype. I can duplicate the Napa weekend at Santana Row in San Jose for less money and more fun. First of all, the same type of room we stayed in at the Meritage for over $400/room (two queen beds, one bathroom, view of the parking lot), would be just $199 at Hotel Valencia, a very cool and hip hotel right on the Row. The Burke Williams Spa in the Valencia is the best spa I’ve ever been to. The V-bar inside the Valencia is very, very hip. The bar at the Meritage wasn’t even playing any background music on Saturday night, and had all the lights on…never a good look for a bar or the people in it. And, there’s a ton of eating options on the Row, from inexpensive cafes to fine dining. And what about the shopping on the Row? Enough to keep you occupied for at least a couple days. AND, you can even go dancing at night on the Row at a few different locations! The town of Napa specifically refuses permits for nightclubs in the city. What’s up with that? No dancing allowed in the wine country? Only grape stompin’, no jumpin’ and jivin’.
The Meritage is not a hotel for the late-night group either. Since Napa has no nightlife, we retreated to the hotel after dinner. The pool area closes at 10pm but there were some embers still giving off heat in the fire pit inside the gates so five of us went to sit by them. It lasted about 15 mintues before the security apologetically kicked us out because “other patrons wanted to be inside the pool area too, and it wasn’t fair” that we were in there. So, we sat out on the patio area just outside the lobby, where two other groups of people also were sitting and chatting amongst themselves. (One group was a 30th birthday party and they told us they had already been reprimanded for being too loud out on the patio area. This was about 10:30pm.) But we, and the other groups of people, only lasted about another 20 minutes before security again came and kicked us “out” of the patio area because they had received too many complaints about the noise. (The patio off the lobby and pool are in a courtyard and there are hotel rooms with windows facing the courtyard and pool area.) The staff at the Meritage was always courteous and polite and you could tell they felt bad about having to be the party poopers. (Thanks, John, for the excellent shuttle service to and from town!)
I guess I just write this to manage the expectations of the Napa traveller. It is a gorgeous place to visit, just be prepared to shell out some serious cash during your visit.
If you’re going, don’t miss Artesa winery. Off the beaten path with breathtaking views and absolutely delicious wine. Sit on the patio, crack open a bottle of Chardonnay, and on a sunny, clear day, you can see all the way to San Francisco.
