My first gastronomic stop was Julia’s Kitchen at the Food & Wine Arts Center. The restaurant had a
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The Author in one of the
vineyards along Main St | |
fully open kitchen so a lot of action was happening while one awaits their food. I started with an Amuse Bouche of Tomato cheddar soup followed by a pre-appetizer of Artichoke heart with soft cheese in a slightly sweet banyuls vinaigrette. My appetizer was Artisan foie gras that was pan-seared and served with orange marmalade and pear puree. The foie gras was placed on a bread ring that soaked up all the oil from the foie gras which made it the best piece of bread one can possibly eat. For my main course, I had milk fed lamb rack (Yes, milk fed as in lamb that was slaughtered 1 week to 3 months old. – morbid? I don’t think it’s so) with au jus, crusted potato gnocchi, crispy sweetbreads and cauliflower. I loved the textures in this dish, you have a piece of meat that is very tender then you have the crispness and richness of sweetbread and is balanced off because of the crusted potato gnocchi. My ender was a peanut gianduja bar with honey vanilla ice cream with nut brandy snap, violet crumble on dark chocolate ganache with organic honey (does it sound like a novel?) – in a few words it’s a good chocolate bar that was deconstructed.
When you talk of good artisanal burgers, the only place that comes to mind is Taylor’s Refresher, a 1950’s diner type set-up that I came across while leisurely walking along Main St. one afternoon. This might be one of the very rare burger joints where one may choose from a wine list of about 2 dozen different wines about 6 varieties of beer. I tried the blue cheese burger which was "worthy" of the calories that I ingested. I also stumbled across a good pizzeria
called Pizzeria Travigne that housed a big wood fired oven. As you enter the restaurant you are welcomed with thick bushes of rosemary which is very pleasant because of the aroma it gives off as you are passing by. During the evening and when you are staying in St. Helena which is the Northern part of Napa which is basically a ghost town after 10pm. One of the few nice places that is open is the Martini House. It’s a nice place to drink and kick back. They have good food and is a very famous place to grab dinner. The chef seemed to have a fixation for mushrooms (I don’t blame him, I have the same fixation with all varities of mushrooms especially white truffles) because a mushroom tasting menu which was very well executed.
One can always spend at least a couple of hours wandering around Dean and Deluca along the St. Helena highway which is incidentally their only branch in the west coast. Just breezing through the cheeses and other specialty ingredients will give you a natural high already that is if you are a hardcore foodie like me… It’s not a bad idea to grab a quick bite from here because they have a whole line of sandwiches and cooked food which is highly palatable.
Another place I discovered because a group of Mexican grape pickers went in to this store called Sunshine foods. It’s an old family grocery that’s very famous for their cooked food line. I saw them getting this humungous burrito and so I tried one and it was one of the best burritos (at $5.00 a pop) I’ve ever tasted. Of course, I had to skip dinner after munching down this monstroscity. (hahaha!!) This grocery also carries a vast selection of cheese, an olive bar and a lot of gourmet items. You can also head for Mustard’s Grill which serves American food with a twist.
Before I even got to Napa, I’ve been trying to get a table at the French
Laundry but wasn’t lucky enough to get one so I tried my luck to walk in and see if there was any cancellations in the very long list (as in 3 months long) of reservations. I was not surprised to be bumped off in a nice way and so Bouchon came to mind. I zoomed into Keller’s bistro to try my luck and I was able to get a seat at the bar (not bad for a Saturday). I started off with beignets de brandade de mouse which is basically a potato croquette with cod and dipped in a nice airy batter which I immediately tested and made my own interpretation this dish in one of my recent dinners here at Café Ysabel. I also had confit de canard which was braised and fried to perfection on a bed of lentils tossed in a light vinaigrette. I just couldn’t resist but to order another entrée which was grilled lamb with polenta. Together with the meal was a nice bottle of Neyers Shiraz of course from Napa Valley. (Is there any other wine to drink in this side of town? Haha!) After dinner I crossed to the bakery and had a chocolate petit four with an espresso.
Another restaurant in the Yountville area is Bistro Jeanty. A rustic bistro that makes you feel you’re right smack in Paris as soon as you walk in. The food is classical French and there seems to be a resurgence of classical French cuisine in the area of Napa in particular. I started with a hearty serving of braised lentil with homecured pork belly and pan-fried foie gras ragout. Now, these are the kind of appetizers where it is mandatory to have a glass of red wine to balance out the richness of the dish and to keep me alive because of all the cholesterol of this dish. My main course was sautéed sweet breads with reduced pinot noir sauce served with garlic cream on puff pastry. The garlic cream was heavenly. The garlic chips held its shape but it was almost pasty and the sweetness of the garlic was upfront with out the strong hot burning nuances of this ingredient. This was achieved through gently simmering the garlic in stock and milk. I just had to skip dessert this time because I was already in cholesterol bliss after the foie gras and sweetbreads.
On weekends, there is an organic market that has a lot of very interesting produce including a vast variety of mushrooms and a lot of organically grown baby vegetables which is the "in" thing now with vegetables.
The Wine Spectator Restaurant at the Greystone is a must try which is located at the side of the Greystone building. I had their appetizer sampler which is composed of 5 tasting portions of different creative appetizers. First appetizer was a nice serving of foie gras en croute with apple gelee, green garlic soup swirled with crème fraiche, potato croquette with house smoked salmon with streaks of aioli, fresh anchovies marinated in lemon juice with fennel slaw which was very refreshing and the last appetizer was grilled shrimp with roasted pepper sauce. For my entrée I had Hanger steak (which is one of my favorite cuts because of its texture and flavor). The hanger was served with a croute of domesticated mushrooms on a bed of caramelized onions and demiglace. One can enjoy a wine tasting menu composed of 5 to 6 kinds. Make sure you reserve in advance because it’s always a busy restaurant.
As I am writing this article, I am already missing Napa and I am looking forward to my next visit to this picture perfect place.
