<geek>
</geek>
So I took Gina to Napa this last week during her spring break. Only today have I recovered from the three days of insanely great dining. Herein, for all the gourmands out there, a list of the restaurants where we dined, what we ate, and any other notes I may remember:
Bouchon, Yountville:
Bouchon is owned by Thomas Keller, owner/chef of the foodgasmic French Laundry right down the road in Yountville. It's a bistro/brasserie with impeccable style. Definitely recommended, as are all the restaurants we dined at on this trip.
My sister guided me here, and it didn't disappoint one bit. Fantastic Italian fare. Crowded and boisterous, even on a Tuesday night. By the way, if you're looking for any wine info, we didn't drink all that much. I had a glass of wine here and there - for instance, at Bistro Don Giovanni, I had a glass of Clos Du Val Cabernet Sauvignon, which was pretty good. Alas, I'm not very studied in wine, either, so I can't give you a florid description of bouquet, taste, and mouthfeel.
Julia's Kitchen at Copia, Napa:
We had lunch here, at the restaurant in the "American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts," named after the estimable Ms. Child. I had a glass of La Famiglia di Robert Mondavi Pinot Grigio, which was quite a nice wine - high praise from me, as I don't drink wine much, and whites least of all. The interior has quite a nice, open, industrial feel, and though the service seemed a little harried and overworked, they went above and beyond to rectify mistakes. Gina ordered the bouillabasse, but the waiter misheard her and brought her lamb shank; both he and the manager apologized profusely, and the manager comped us the dish, which more than made up for the error. The waiter also offered us to have a dessert on him, which we declined. The food was great and we were in absolutely no hurry. Errors happen, and the way they reacted greatly impressed me.
Foothill Café, in the J&P Shopping Center, 2766 Old Sonoma Rd., Napa:
In planning the meals on our trip, I consciously tried to sample a wide variety of cuisines (French, Italian, Californian), and this was booked with the intention of being a more informal American meal. I hadn't heard of this place until I saw it listed in the S.F. Chronicle list of Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants. When I consulted my just-bought Zagat Wine Country restaurant guide, it got high marks there as well. And a few days after the top 100 list, the Chron gossip column noted that Gary Danko (more on his restaurant later) dined there, which sealed the decision for me.
For most tourists, this place would be completely under the radar. To say it's a hidden gem in Napa would be an understatement. It's tucked in a tiny strip mall on a quiet suburban street. We parked in front of the laundromat in the mall and were immediately serenaded by the loud, thumping bass of a nearby parked car. The nondescript exterior belied a quaint, funky, joyous small restaurant with friendly and attentive service and flat-out awesome food. Jerry Shaffer is the owner/chef; he toiled in the kitchen at Masa's, a perennial destination restaurant in San Francisco, before opening the Foothill Cafe 13 years ago. The setting was relaxed, but the food was just as top-notch as the other restaurants. And the ribs. Oh-sweet-merciful-Jesus-smoking-in-an-oak-oven, the ribs. Off the motherfucking hook. Rate right up there with the brisket at Mill Valley's Buckeye Roadhouse, and the fantastic BBQ I fondly recall from Dreamland in Birmingham. If you're anywhere near there, go. Just go. Now.
Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant, St. Helena:
This was a last-minute addition on the way out of town. When we got up to Napa, Gina told me she wanted to go to the Culinary Institute of America's Greystone campus. I had considered making reservations there when I was planning, but went with my other 4 choices instead. Fortunately, I was able to snag a lunch reservation, and I am so glad I did. Greystone is a fantastic estate, and we got to visit the gift shop and peruse and drool over their assorted kitchenwares before dining. The restaurant's interior is great, with two open kitchens; one had CIA students preparing the appetizers and first courses, the other used for prep on main courses. The hostess got us a great table where we got to view both kitchens. The way the tables are arranged, it's almost a dining in the round experience. Gina told me if she wasn't an educator, she'd be a chef, so this was a bit of a thrilling experience for her. (It was her 30th birthday, so I wanted to spoil her as much as I could.) And the food was excellent, too.
We got back home on Thursday, rested our palates for two days, then we (along with my family) went out for my sister Melissa's 35th birthday. Egads, I am so bloated, comatose and delighted after this week. Here's what I had last night.
I splurged and got the wine pairing with the tasting menu, and man oh man, it was all splendid - I was too buzzed to recall what the wines actually were. In terms of the food, it was up there with French Laundry and Picasso in Las Vegas.
This week: back to Beanie Weenee, yo.
Today was my girlfriend's 30th birthday. Over the weekend, she rented a beautiful house in Santa Cruz, my old stomping grounds (went to college there). It was Gina, me, and a whole bunch of her friends, about 90% of whom are female. Growing up as the only XY in my immediate family, I'm used to it, so I was suitably domesticated for the occasion. She has a really decent, tight-knit group of friends, and I didn't do anything to embarrass her or myself. The weather, unfortunately, didn't really cooperate, as Saturday was stormy and blustery, but the house and the view weren't shabby at all. We cranked up the gas fireplace, broke out the game of Taboo, and spied the whitecaps out on Monterey Bay.
So, that audition. I spent a few days trying to attain a semi-respectable Cockney and learning the monologue. And I didn't get to do it. I cold-read for the role of a fellow with... a Hungarian accent. So I had to pull a generic Eastern European drawl out of my ass in about 15 minutes' time. I think I did all right. If I can't roll with last-minute changes and be game, I probably won't be able to hack it as an actor. It at least gave me a little confidence that perhaps I can perform well even when folks call an audible on me.