There's a quiet wine revolution happening in northern California and it isn't in Napa. It's in Mendocino county, an area about three hours northwest of San Francisco that's a visually stunning mix of evergreen covered mountains and rolling vineyards. The wineries are more casual and certainly less crowded than in Napa or Sonoma, but their Pinot Noir is equally delicious. After a morning of wine tasting, I stopped to look for lunch in the small town of Boonville, where the Mosswood Cafe obliged with a menu of hot panini. I was more than happy with the Traditional ($8.75), an upscale version of a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. More

A cup of coffee from Blue Bottle alone is worth braving the line at their Ferry Building location. But waiting can also give rise to some excellent ideas—like ordering one or both of the small, simple, and perfectly delicious sandwiches. Each is served on a quarter of crusty sweet baguette (from Acme Bread, just down the way) in a coffee filter, halved and lightly layered with high quality ingredients. More

Leave it to Henrietta's Table executive chef Peter Davis to upgrade an ordinary ham and cheese sandwich from lunch-box fodder to high-class restaurant fare ($14). More