Traipsing Through Napa - Day 1

Earlier this month, Mr. B and I had the opportunity to spend several days in the Napa Valley and then in San Francisco. Mr. B was attending a meeting in San Francisco, so we decided that it would be a great reason to take a needed vacation and escape from the snow for a few days. It was such an incredible trip filled with warm sunshine, exciting food, and delicious wine that I mentioned several times I wasn't going to leave. Ever. However Mr. B refused to send for Oscar and didn't think the idea of living out of a van in Napa sounded like fun. So here I am, back at home. Drat. Luckily we took several pictures and many notes to share our experiences with you. A lot of this can be mail ordered (hooray!) but some things will just require a trip. Anyone want to go back with me tomorrow?

(I'm going to break this trip into several posts to keep it from becoming unbearably long.)

We began our trip by flying into the Sacramento airport and renting a car. As soon as I stepped out of the terminal and felt the warm air I was so happy we could have just sat on the curb and gone no further! We picked up the car and drove into the Napa Valley until we reached the small town of Calistoga, nestled at the north end of the valley. Our home base for the next few days was Chateau de Vie.

I can't say enough nice things about this bed and breakfast. It is classically styled without any of the kitchy pillows or abundance of lace doilies that usually send me running for the nearest hotel. Owners Peter and Phillip provide friendly yet un-intrusive service, creating a relaxing and spotless environment and sharing helpful advice for exploring the area. The best part about Chateau de Vie, however, isn't the comfortable bed or beautiful vineyard views off the large back deck- it is the amazing breakfasts. Eggs Benedict with a citrus Hollandaise sauce, homemade granola over thick natural yogurt, blackberry cornmeal muffins with fresh orange juice. I kicked myself after we left for not bringing my camera down to breakfast! Every morning started off beautifully at Chateau de Vie.

Our first day included wine tasting stops at Frank Family, Nickel & Nickel, Shafer, and Robert Sinskey. I'm kindly not going to regale you with the blow by blow accounting of what we tasted. (And for those of you concerned about our sobriety, we didn't drink everything.) That being said, we tasted a lot of different wines, learned much more about the entire wine making process and business, and came away with very purple teeth. (I kid you not!) The wines of Shafer Vineyards stood out as quite unique by the end of the day. I will let Mr. B share about our experience there in another post. Here is a little slideshow of the tasting rooms to give you an idea of what it all looked like. (There will be no photos of my teeth- sorry!)

Despite all of our tasting stops we didn't forget about food. Following a hearty and delicious breakfast at Chateau de Vie, lunch consisted of a quick picnic outside of the Oakville Grocery. This popular Napa stop is loaded with country store charm and very expensive specialty food items. Luckily if you can be happy with a baguette, a few ounces of good cheese, and a slice or two of salumi then the Oakville Grocery is a great spot to grab lunch on the go. They had a few picnic tables in the back of the parking lot and the wisteria was in full bloom, making it a lovely spot for a quick picnic.

By the end of the day we were ready to sit down in one place for a few hours. I did a fair amount of research to pick out our dinner locations, wanting to make the most of being in an area that is home to world famous restaurants. The French Laundry was not an option as we didn't want to spend that much money and I'm sure there wasn't a snowball's chance I could have made a reservation with only one week notice. However we did drive by and if you've ever wondered what the dumpster at the French Laundry looks like, here you go: (Hint- it's hiding behind the barn door!)

Fortunately we were sober enough to resist the urge to go dumpster diving. But man that would have made a great story!

The gardens in front of the French Laundry were quite beautiful. No wonder the food tastes so good. Just look at that setting!

We ended up at Redd for our first dinner in Napa. It is a sleek yet comfortable restaurant in downtown Yountville. We arrived right when they opened so I was able to snap a photo of the space before many of the other diners arrived.

Our dinner was excellent. In a fun twist on the standard tasting menu, Redd serves two separate tasting menus so you can try 10 different dishes and wine pairings. A few of the standout dishes included a yellowfin tuna tartare (which I am working on recreating at home), caramelized diver scallops on a cauliflower puree with almonds and a balsamic reduction, sauteed skate, and a prime New York steak with short rib cannelloni (whimsical and brilliant) leek fondue and crispy potatoes. The meal was nothing short of inspiring and I came away eager to see how I can play with similar flavors at home.

That wraps up our first day in Napa! Just to be clear, we didn't tell anyone that we were bloggers. I imagine they all just thought we were two excited Midwesterners with very white legs and purple teeth.