Sobering up after a wine pairing

[Kent Wang]

I recently had lunch at Quique Dacosta in Denia, Spain (it was amazing). As the town is quite remote (1 hour drive from Valencia), the only feasible way to get there is by renting a car. After having the wine pairing, it would be unsafe to attempt to drive back. Fortunately the weather was warm and we were able to take a dip in the Mediterranean and nap on the beach for a few hours before driving back.

 

How would one handle sobering up after other remotely-located restaurants like French Laundry, El Celler de Can Roca, or Osteria Francescana? Do you get a local hotel? For lunch, this seems less ideal than dinner, especially if the town is not particularly exciting like Denia and you don't want to spend that much time there. Spending a night in Yountville and seeing Napa Valley wouldn't be so bad.

 

Steven Shaw hired a van with driver to go to El Bulli and back. 

 

In a pinch, one could nap in the car for a while.

[Lisa Shock]

Watch out about sleeping in the car. In some areas, you could get a DUI just for being in the car with the keys in the ignition -say you're running the AC, or the radio. I know someone who was thusly ticketed, and he was in the back seat.

 

I use taxis a lot. The price is usually pretty reasonable compared to the potential dangers otherwise, that said, I have not visited some of these remote restaurants and cannot vouch for the price or availability of cabs.

[Martin Fisher]

Local hotel.

[Paul Bacino]

DD

[Paul Bacino]

I bring an in law....that I pay..so they can drive

[Mjx]

In some cases (e.g. Osteria Francescana, which in the middle of Modena), you can just [window]shop/stroll for several hours. This is what we did in that case. Where that isn't an option, you could still stroll about, or find someplace to sit and read  book, muck about with an iPad.