carneros inn, napa

rarely, a hotel is an incredible oasis with fruit trees, gorgeous rooms, great food, a relaxing and professional staff, no pretense, gorgeous grounds and amenities. you want to move in immediately and never leave. at the carneros inn you stay in these adorable cottages with back decks and outdoor showers. the gardens are full of wildly colored flowers not to mention fig, apple, pear trees bursting with ripening fruit. the beds so comfortable, the interior design so pleasing. oh my yes, it has everything. sounds like paradise right? but then paradise probably wasn't this nice. expensive, well yes of course, you can't stay long. that gavin newsom, hotel founder and san francisco mayor, is some kind of hotel genius. 

hot here in the east today. keeping cool. happy weekend. xo,g.

the french laundry garden

wandering around in yountville last week, i came across thomas keller's french laundry gardens. beautiful. was particularly enamored of the aptly-named lancelot leeks.

oh to have a large kitchen garden like this. a dream come true. reminds me of another thomas, mr. jefferson and his garden at monticello. also dreamy and gorgeous. i read recently that mr. jefferson was frequently in debt. so often in life, practical matters get in the way of big ideas and architectural aspirations. 

in other news, two good articles in the new york times today, both dear to my heart, one with frank bruni discussing a gaggle of artisinal pizzerias opening up around nyc and the other on the productivity of working parents in lisa belkin's motherlode blog. love hearing the positive results of wasting time. read about artisanal pizzas here. read about parental time-wasting for greater productivity here.

ad hoc restaurant, napa

r had been dying to try the legendary thomas keller's latest restaurant in yountville ever since it opened a few years ago. living on the east coast now like we do, we haven't had the chance to try it until now. it is genius. a really fun, great experience. ad hoc is a casual place, all food is served family style, one menu, changes each day. no stress ordering, as in no ordering because everybody gets the same thing. we had garden salad with summer squash, cherry tomatoes, toasted pistachios, red onion and creamy dressing, fried chicken, bean salad, corn on the cob with butter, sea salt and chives, a cheese plate with pluots, and a berry granita for dessert. completely worth the trip. exuberant and intelligent staff. read about ad hoc and the story behind it here.