Napa wine train

a few weeks ago Stefan and i went back to Napa to take a ride on the wine train after our last failed attempt. clearly we went sometime in October when the sun was still out. it seems the weather has finally taken a turn and decided it wanted to switch into winter mode. 

Stefan likes train rides, so when my coworker offered me a pair of free tickets, i knew i had to take him up on the offer. it was a three and a half hour train ride from Napa to St. Helena and back. during the ride we were fed a three course meal and had tickets for wine tasting as well. the train has a nice old timey charm to it. i imagine that having lunch on a train like that was quite luxurious at the time that the train was first in operation. 

the walkway to the train was covered with locks with written or carved names and dates on them. love locks, i imagine. i thought the idea was cute.

we were seated on the "gourmet train," and had a three course meal. the food was presented nicely, and to some might have been very good, but i'm somewhat of a food snob. to me, the food was a bit better than what you'd imagine mass produced food served at a wedding would taste like. 

green salad with goat cheese and candied pecans.

pork tenderloin with mashed potatoes. it was tender and the potatoes were pretty good.

beef with artichoke heart

after lunch was served, we were moved to a different car for coffee and dessert. the car was lined with individual swivel chairs so that you could face into the car or out of the window for nice views of Napa Valley.

creme brulee

tiramisu truffle

driving home, we decided to stop at Ici in Berkeley. they've got some awesome ice cream flavors and homemade cones that are better than any sugar cone you've ever had. i got the darjeeling cinnamon ice cream. yuh-ummm!