Northern California

The Town & (Wine) Country Experience! Few regions can offer the stunning diversity that can be found in Northern California. Thanks to our partners at the Fairmont San Francisco and the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, we are able to present our clients with a seamless program that showcases the very best of San Francisco and neighboring Wine Country, for a dual location offering or a post conference incentive add-on.

The company's flagship, the Fairmont San Francisco, has been a San Francisco icon since the early 1900's. Majestically sitting atop famed Nob Hill, the hotel features 591 guest rooms and suites, including the renowned Penthouse Suite. The hotel is steeped in tradition. The famous Cirque Room was the first bar to open in San Francisco following prohibition and the opulent Venetian Room has played host to such entertainment luminaries as Ella Fitzgerald, Nat "King" Cole, Vic Damone and James Brown. The Venetian Room is most famous as the place in which Tony Bennett first sang, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco."

The Fairmont San Francisco offers an exceptional base from which to enjoy all that San Francisco has to offer. For the adventurous, the Fairmont San Francisco is a great starting place for a variety of educational, architectural and recreational tours ranging from historic museums, to Victorian homes to biking across the Golden Gate Bridge. World class shopping experiences at Neiman Marcus, Barney's, or a local boutique, are all just a cable car away. San Francisco offers some of the top restaurants in the United States and it is often said that you can eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day for an entire year, and never eat at the same restaurant twice, or have a bad meal!

The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa offers a wonderful post program respite for the body and soul. The resort is the ultimate elegant oasis, blessed by natural mineral hot springs, in the heart of the Wine Country. Known as the authentic Wine Country spa and golf resort, the Inn features a world-renowned 40,000 square foot spa and a 75 year-old private golf course.

A spectacular home base for exploring the famed Napa and Sonoma Valleys, the Inn is just down the road from Chateau St. Jean, one of our favorite venues for a tasting or a private event. The winery's winemaker, Margo Van Staaveren, was named 2008 "Winemaker of the Year" by Wine Enthusiast Magazine.

After a day of wine tasting, hot air ballooning, golf or sightseeing, an afternoon at the spa makes for a perfect afternoon. The Inn's unique spa is centered on the pure concept of "Sanitas per Aquas" (health through water) and this concept is evident throughout. All spa pools and waters included in the European style "bathing ritual" are geo-thermal mineral waters that sit 1100 feet below the ground. These waters rise to the surface at a temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit and contain trace elements of potassium, magnesium, calcium and other nutrients which have proven, throughout history, to be of great benefit to the human body.

The region is known as a culinary hotbed and Sante Restaurant, the Inn's premier dining room, has earned a national reputation for its outstanding food. Recipient of a prestigious Michelin Star as well as the AAA Four Diamond award, Sante is the only restaurant in the Sonoma Valley to receive these accolades. Conde Nast Traveler states, "It's worth a special trip just to eat here" and Gourmet Magazine calls the food, "the best of the new Wine Country style."

Whether you desire your guests to experience city sophistication or country charm - or the best of both - turn to the team at ACCESS Northern California for creative destination management offerings to include during your next Bay Area conference, meeting, or incentive travel program. Contact us today!

Photos represent the Fairmont San Francisco, Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa, and the grounds at Chateau St. Jean Winery.

San Diego

The Beer Essentials! They say that craft beer is to San Diego what artisanal wine is to Napa. In fact, "Men's Journal" and other publications have proclaimed San Diego the new beer capital of the US. Within our county's limits there are roughly 35 independently owned and operated breweries and the variety of beers across the city is the most eclectic in the country. Talk to the ACCESS San Diego team about "crafting" a special beer tasting event or a tour of one or more of our local breweries.

With names like "Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale," "Pure Hoppiness," "Shark Attack," and "Sour Wench Blackberry Ale," these specially crafted brews, with their unique ingredients and flavors, put San Diego's indie craft beer makers in a category all their own.

One popular craft brewery is Stone Brewing Company, located in San Diego's North County. Consistently ranked as one of the best brewers in the country and the world by the two largest beer enthusiast websites, Stone Brewing is housed in a new, custom-designed facility which is also home to a great restaurant with a large outdoor patio and "escape from reality" boulder garden. The brewery is eco-friendly with a solar panel-covered roof. Not only are there plenty of fresh-from-the-brewery Stone ales on tap to go with the menu, but also an amazing selection of San Diego County beers from other breweries to complement the fare - reinforcing the notion that craft brewers are a community who share the common belief that beer is a means for celebration, not competition.

Take a tour with the ACCESS team and learn about the brewery's philosophy, the brewing process and the craft brewing industry as guests view the inner workings of this fascinating brewery. Then, it's "Bottoms Up" as guests enjoy a tasting of some of Stone's award-winning beers.

If you are looking for something different to include during your next meeting, conference or incentive travel program to San Diego, talk to the ACCESS San Diego team about how to make beer enthusiasts of your guests on a fun and educational event or excursion. Call us today!

Spice it up with ACCESS

Tres Rios
Great recipe from seafood king, Brian Malarkey ( BRAVO Top Chef, Season 3 finalist), as published in Top Chef, the Quickfire Cookbook. Brian was also named Best Chef, 2009, in San Diego Magazine's annual poll.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

- 1 pound mixed shellfish, such as mussels, clams, scallops, crayfish, shrimp, and lobster, cleaned
- 2 cups dry white wine
- 2 red bell peppers, seeded and cut into thin strips
- Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons finely diced shallots
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons Pernod
- Salt and pepper
- 6 oysters (such as Kumamoto)
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1/2 baguette, sliced on the bias
- 3 farmed conch, cleaned and chopped
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:

Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F.

Place a large pot over medium-high heat and add the shellfish, wine, bell peppers, lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of the shallots, the butter, Pernod, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and steam until the shellfish open, about 5 minutes. Discard any unopened shells.

Shuck the oysters and arrange on a platter or clean work surface. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon shallots, the vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and divide evenly over each oyster.

Spread the baguette slices on a baking sheet and toast until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the conch, garlic, olive oil, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Spread on the toast slices and return to the oven for about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve with the poached shellfish and oysters.

Enjoy!