Bouchon Bakery, V Marketplace, and Napa Style

Hopping off the southbound 10 bus in Yountville has always proven to be a pleasant experience so far (it certainly helps that I don't have to pay the >$200/night it costs to stay here as a visitor!), so I decided to do it again.

I had been to Bouchon Bistro -- the local (and now interstate chain) restaurant of local celeb chef Thomas Keller (of the Michelin-rated French Laundry just up the street)... and let me tell you, I was less than impressed. I actually felt bad that this was the restaurant I took my parents to in their first visit to Napa Valley, but I didn't know any better at the time. The food was overpriced, way oversalted, and not memorable; the space was loud and cramped and the servers were impersonal and embittered. My mother's "trumpet mushroom salad" had one (yes, one) microscopic sliver of mushroom. How does that make a mushroom salad??

However, I had never stopped into the popular Bouchon Bakery next door to the restaurant. I had seen some of their (pricey but tasty-looking) baked goods in Las Vegas -- which is also home to a Bouchon Bistro -- but I was craving some good bread today and figured, why not from here?

It was doing a brisk business... not packed, but there was a line. I'm sure the 70-something-and-sunny weather we've been having didn't hurt. The bakery is small, with a variety of tempting-looking baked goods; my eye was first drawn to the colorful macarons, but quickly distracted by the nearby bread pudding cups (I love bread pudding), but I ended up getting a pistachio and citrus brioche. Which was good, but perhaps a little stale from sitting out for a while. Should've gone with the moist and glistening bread pudding. These items (the specialty baked snacks) are all about $3 each.

Meanwhile, the prices of coffee and bread loaves are a lot more reasonable -- coffee is about the same you'd pay at Peet's or Starbucks or elsewhere, and the loaves of bread are about $3.25 for a normal-sized loaf. I debated between the hearth-style "pain rustico" and the nearby loaf of sourdough; both looked good, and Sarah and I love sourdough, but it's also one that is very hit or miss. Some people don't make it sour enough (in true Boudain/San Francisco style) and other times it is just not dense or moist enough. I went with the pain rustico and when I got home and tore off some pieces to dip in olive oil and herbs, I knew that I had made the right choice: the outside was firm and tasted like a wood oven, the inside was soft and spongy and a little bit moist; overall the bread was very good for the price (which is just about the same -- or possibly even less -- than you'd pay for artisan bread like this at most grocery store bakeries)

I still had time left before the next bus arrived, so I wandered across the street to check out the "V Marketplace" which I had never seen. This place is a strange duck. You walk inside, and it's an eclectic (and sparsely populated) shopping mall of sorts, done up in a pseudo-villa style. The shops seem nearly unanimous in their decision to appeal to older wome. Some have names like "Sisters, the Ultimate Girly-Girl Boutique" and "i*elle" and "Tay & Grace: Playclothes for Women"; others are art galleries featuring plenty of colorful, flower-and-vine-filled rustic scenes.
I explored the whole place but so few people were there that I didn't want to wander into any shops for fear that the shopkeeps would either swoop on me like vampires or sigh in disappointment that I'm not a wealthy menopausal lady.

Popping out the back door, I emerged by Michael Chiarello's "Napa Style" storefront, and went inside to check out the assortment of cookery goods and gourmet foodstuffs -- olive oil and vinegar "caviar", Himalayan sea salt, extra virgin olive oils -- many of which had samples available. Some of the goods are certainly tasty (for the mouth and sometimes for the eyes) but the prices match the decadent indulgence of the goods. For things like sauces, spices, and vinegars and olive oils, a better bet would be to stop in St. Helena up the road where you can try plenty of wonderful oils, vinegars, dressings, sauces, and rubs at St. Helena Olive Oil Co. (These gourmet shops are also pricey, but still about 30% less expensive than Napa Style)

Time was about up for my hour in town... I went to the bus stop (right outside the V Marketplace) and sure enough the next southbound 10 arrived within about 5 minutes.

Michael Chiarello's Bottega Restaurant

After such a great wine tasting experience at Hope & Grace Cellars, I really felt an impulsive urge to stay in town and have Sarah drive the 10 minutes upvalley to meet me for dinner (after all, Yountville is chock full of top-notch restaurants, despite its tiny size.)

I wandered across the street to the sign for "Bottega", which is an Italian-inspired restaurant by celebrity chef Michael Chiarello. Being a Tuesday in the middle of the off-season, I figured I might not need a reservation... and I was right. When I stepped inside, the hostess said they could seat me and I made a reservation for about 20 minutes later, to allow Sarah time to arrive.

When she got there, we were ushered back through the warm, upscale-meets-rustic decor and sat at a cozy table for two with a nice view of the restaurant. The ambiance is not extremely unique, but is nice -- sort of "medieval Italian farmhouse" with spit and polish added. Lots of warm lighting, but not so much as to remove the antique, cavernous feel... pounded copper cups for water... lots of wood and leather and earth tones.

I had previously checked out their menu on the website and was intrigued my multiple dishes on it. I have lived and worked in Italy and can tell you there is nothing "traditional" about this "Italian" food ... it's more like Italian-inspired "California cuisine" (which is more traditionally French-inspired). But I can dig that.

We decided to order the grilled octopus appetizer (Wood Grilled Octopus olive oil braised potatoes, pickled red onion, salsa verde), and for main dishes I ordered the "Confit of Half Duck mostarda di frutta, panettone bread pudding, red wine duck jus" while Sarah opted for "Fall Squash & Amaretto Tortelli, apple braised pork cheeks & pork braising jus." We didn't order any wine; the wine menu seemed decent, although a little pricey and I had already had plenty during my tasting at Hope & Grace.

All of the food was pretty decent; the grilled octopus is different than I had expected (it was basically one skinny tentacle served with some potatoes and greens) and could have been fresher; the tortelli plate seemed somewhat small at first, but was delicious and fairly rich so it ended up being quite filling. The balanced sweetness of the tortelli was a nice change of pace from the over-salted indulgence of other local hot spots such as Bouchon Bistro and Bistro Don Giovanni. And the pork cheeks were tender and succulent. The duck was not as unique of an experience as the tortelli, but was cooked well and was a pretty hefty portion (being that it was half a duck), and the panettone bread pudding was a nice choice for a side -- again, the sweetness was welcome as it offset the savory flavors of the meat.

Though we didn't get any drinks or dessert, the experience was pleasant enough and I definitely plan to come back some time for its varied menu choices (something for everyone) and above-average food quality. For anyone craving Italian-style food, but with that unique Napa Valley twist, I will bring them here (although I would also like to try Tra Vigne at some point. The only other local Italian restaurants I have tried were Boskos Trattoria in Calistoga and Bistro Don Giovanni in Napa, which was awful).

Yountville: Hope & Grace Wines

When I visited Yountville last week -- the first time I really decided to walk around and see what there is to see there -- I didn't get far, after being waylaid by the Girard Winery tasting room at Washington Square.

I decided today would be the day I hop off the bus in Yountville again, but this time further down in the heart of town. I got off at the bus stop right by Bouchon Bakery and the V Marketplace, neither of which I have been to (although I had dinner at the Bouchon Bistro once, and the one word I would use to describe that place is: "overrated"). The first thing I saw was "hope & grace wines" across the street. I had passed by this tasting room before and it always looked interesting, but a little intimidating being right there in the heart of the most touristy part of Napa Valley. Today I decided to just give it a try (and didn't really care what the tasting fee was going to be, either, but hoped for something less than $20)

The tasting room is small and decorated in an interesting, eclectic mix of old-world antiquity combined with whimsical modern art: a large abstract oil painting adorns one wall (and also adorns the wine labels), simultaneously eerie and serene; a gargoyle sits on the counter, while an oil painting of a girl throwing a tantrum adorns the wall behind. I was promptly greeted and I explained that I'm a local who finally decided to stop in and give it a try, and they started me on the tasting flight (which, if I recall, is normally $15).

The tasting started with a chardonnay (local Yountville grapes), then progressed to pinot noir (made from Santa Lucia highlands grapes, from the Monterey area a few hours south), an Oakville Malbec, and finally a St. Helena cabernet sauvignon. I was really wary of coming in here, thinking the wines would be overpriced and poor quality -- I guess I just sort of assumed you wouldn't have to be good quality to sell wines in this heart of hearts of tourism in the valley.

While the wines weren't cheap, they also didn't seem overpriced and, better yet, they were very good! The craftsmanship was definitely there -- every varietal was very well-balanced and drinkable, with my favorites strongly being the Santa Lucia pinot and the malbec (a variety which is a little harder to find around here). The pinot had classic pinot flavors, more in the fruit-and-spice vein than the earth-and-mineral type... but what I loved is that it was light-bodied and smooth; many of these cherry-and-clove flavored pinots tend to have a strange cloying acidity or tartness to them, and this one was far more mellow. I can actually say it's one of the best pinot noirs I've had, so considering that, I didn't find the pricetag ($46) completely unreasonable. The malbec was a bit more pricey at $64, and made me hesitant, but it was extremely unique -- rich, fruity, and full-bodied, but with smooth tannins and an intriguing, yeasty aroma that really reminded me of bubble gum.

The person pouring these wines was Charles Hendricks, the winemaker himself, and he took the time to chat a bit with the customers, which was nice. He also poured me his Stag's Leap cabernet, which I have to say was a huge step up from the $56 cab on the tasting menu; the Stag's Leap cab had just the right level of complexity and smoothness and subtlety -- and the pricetag reflected it, at $75/bottle) I was debating on getting the pinot or the malbec, and so asked for a second taste of the pinot, at which point he revealed that he also makes a pinot from Russian River grapes. I gave that a try, but to be honest I almost always am underwhelmed by Russian River wines (pinot and zinfandel being their claims to fame, but I just can't see why) and this was no exception. I decided to go a little crazy and get both the pinot and the malbec, and when he rang me up, the total came to $80. It was going to be $110 plus tax! Wow, a $30+ discount? I wasn't expecting that! Not sure if it was for being a local, or if he took pity on me for being a teacher, or if he liked my conversations with him about Italy (which he was fond to talk about) or what, but... first he has great winemaking, and now a nice discount to boot? Charles Hendricks, you rock!

Yountville: Washington Square and Girard Winery

I really feel kind of ashamed of this fact: I have lived here for 4 years now -- and visited a few times prior to that -- and have never really explored Yountville. I've stopped in a couple of times for restaurants (this place is more densely packed with high-end restaurants than any other place I know; of them, I've only been to Bouchon and Ad Hoc, two restaurants run by Thomas Keller, the restaurateur of Michelin-rated The French Laundry... which is also here in Yountville)

My bus drives through every day, and I look out the window at the hot air balloons firing up and getting ready for takeoff at sunrise, or all the tourists dining and wine-tasting and window shopping, or the glint of the inconspicuous "French Laundry" sign outside the iconic restaurant (which features a prix fixe multi-course menu at $240 per person, drinks not included. And you must call ahead exactly two months before your desired date to make a reservation.) Today is the day I decided I should hop off the bus and really take a look around.

I disembarked at the first of a few stops the bus makes, and looked around to get my bearings -- this was the north end of town, near Panchas -- an apparent local dive bar that always looks intriguing to me -- and just outside of the "Washington Square" commercial building. I took a look around to find that this building is the home of Napa Valley Balloons (for hot air balloon rides), Napa Valley Bike Tours, and Girard winery. Despite being around 5:30 pm, the tasting room was open and I was intrigued, so I went inside.

It turns out (as I was informed by the pourer -- who also informed me he used to be a student of the school where I teach) that this tasting room is actually open until 7:00 pm! I was kind of surprised by this, because later than 6 pm is unheard of in Napa Valley and I kind of assumed it was a law. He explained that this is true, but city ordinances take precendence over county ones, so tasting rooms in the city limits can often stay open later -- he said there's even one somewhere around here that stays open until midnight!

One pleasant surprise was that Girard is part of the Napa Neighbors program and offers free wine tastings to locals. I hadn't looked into this ahead of time, so I was just prepared to spend $10 or $15 on a tasting (if it was $20, I was going to just turn around and leave.)

They poured a sauvignon blanc, a chardonnay, and old vines zin, and a cabernet sauvignon... he then followed this with one of his favorites, their "Diamond Peak" cab, a premium cabernet with a $75 pricetag. The other wines ranged from $16 to $40, with most of them being about $24.

I came in with no expectations -- I often equate in-town tasting rooms in touristy locations with poor quality. However, I was pleasantly surprised. All of the wines were quite drinkable -- pretty good, actually. The Diamond Peak cab was very smooth, not full of tannins like some of these "connoisseur" cabs are, and it had just the right level of complexity; the pourer explained this was his favorite of their 3 high-end cabs because it was right in the middle -- one of the others was very bold and tannic, the other was kind of light. I didn't try those, but I have to agree that this one was just rich enough, and well-balanced. However, $70+ wine purchases are a rare occasion for me, so I wasn't about to plunk down that kind of money without approval from my significant other. However, I had no qualms at all about picking up the $24 Old Vines Zinfandel, which was also quite rich and smooth, and not quite as fruit-heavy as some zins are.

Lo and behold, by the time I finished my tasting and explored the Washington Square area a little bit, an hour had gone by which meant it was time for the next bus to be coming through soon! So I didn't get a chance to head south into central Yountville, but it was getting dark anyway. I will definitely be heading there to explore the rest of town on another day.