fatted calf

napa, ca

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we decided it would be smart to have some food in our stomachs before we started wine tasting, so we picked up some sandwiches at the fatted calf in downtown napa before heading out to the wineries. fatted calf specializes in charcuterie but also has various cheeses, crackers, drinks, and other gourmet foodstuffs that are great to stock up on for later. the porchetta sandwich is my favorite. deliciously fatty pork nicely balanced with tangy stuff. not too heavy. the first winery we went to let us eat our sandwiches on a picnic bench outside. beautiful view overlooking the vineyards. nice glass of red wine. heaven.

addendum

yountville, ca

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if you go to napa valley and stay on the napa side (as opposed to the sonoma side), plan your wine tastings around your fried chicken lunch at addendum. be smart. schedule only one winery before lunch so that you're not too drunk. order your addendum meal online in advance so you can skip the line. scope out the picnic tables so you can swoop in just as someone else is leaving. because addendum has the BEST FRIED CHICKEN I HAVE EVER EATEN. oh yes, i typed it. i know. it's bold. a very risky and controversial statement. it will probably lead to arguments. fights. black eyes. maybe even the end of some friendships. but it's done. and it's the truth. addendum's fried chicken has the perfect crispiness. perfect juiciness. and just enough saltiness to bring out that magical chickeny goodness. eaten outside on a picnic table near the french laundry garden - it's simply perfect. thank you thomas keller. thank you.

ad hoc

yountville, ca

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derek and i had just been to french laundry over new year's, so we decided to try its less expensive and less formal sister restaurant, ad hoc, for our anniversary dinner. ad hoc has a very casual atmosphere - waitstaff in jeans, loud classic rock/soul music, and no tablecloths on the tables. we were planning to order their famous fried chicken, but it turns out that it is only available on certain monday nights. instead, they had a set menu to be served family-style: a salad, an optional shrimp risotto, tri-tip steak, vegetable sides, a cheese course, and ice cream sundaes.

we weren't really in the mood for steak and the tri-tip was sadly overcooked. also, despite being served in a baking dish, it got cold quickly. the only highlight of the meal was all of the vegetables - incredibly fresh (from the french laundry garden, perhaps?) and well-prepared. the fennel, in particular, was amazing. derek was bewildered as to why i kept raving about the fennel, but it was seriously delicious. the sundaes were underwhelming - while the chocolate sauce was terrific, we didn't drive all the way up to yountville and make reservations weeks in advance to get ice cream sundaes for dessert. sigh.

lala's creamery

petaluma, ca

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adorable little old-fashioned ice cream shop. when we walked by on the way to central market the night before, i made a mental note to check out lala's later. although it opened fairly recently, it has the old-timey soda shop feel that fits in perfectly with historic downtown petaluma. i ordered a sundae with tea & honey ice cream topped with hot fudge, whipped cream, chopped nuts, and a cherry. the ice cream was delicious - tasted like taiwanese milk tea but less sweet. definitely stop by if you're ever in petaluma.

yeti

glen ellen, ca

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instead of visiting wineries, we decided to hike jack london state park just north of sonoma. it was cool to see the remains of jack london's ranch (apparently he was very interested in the science of farming). otherwise it was an ordinary hike in the forest. the map and guideposts, however, were vague and ambiguous -- we accidentally ended up at fern lake about a half mile outside of the state park boundaries. thankfully derek's iphone gps was still working and we managed to find our way back to the car.

we were very hungry after our little expedition and jack london village was just a short drive south of the park. because it was sunday afternoon, yeti was the only restaurant that was open and they were just about to close the kitchen. thankfully, the cooks graciously agreed to serve us. although the restaurant served both nepalese and indian cuisine, we went with our standard indian restaurant order - chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, and basmati rice. i'm not the best judge of indian food, especially when i'm starving, but i thought it was delicious - creamy, spicy, yum.

central market

petaluma, ca

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why were we in petaluma? cheapest hotel in napa valley where i could use my starwood points. this is how a lot of our travel decisions are made. anyway, it was fortunate because otherwise we would have never found this amazing restaurant - central market. awesome food, awesome atmosphere. i love restaurants where the chef and waitstaff are clearly excited about the food and wine that they're serving. they were out of tables when we arrived, so they sat us in the corner booth next to two large windows. it was super comfy with big pillows and we had a great vantage point to observe the nightlife in petaluma (it's quiet).

our waitress was fantastic - she recommended excellent wines for us and steered us toward great options on the menu. best appetizer that i've had in a long long time - fresh mozzarella served with arugula and crostini slathered with artichoke tapenade. the fact that i still remember all of the ingredients in the appetizer demonstrates how good it was. derek had an amazing smoked fish as an entree - i think it was rainbow trout. dessert was a rustic strawberry pie - clearly homemade. so good. worth driving up to petaluma for, imho.

french laundry

yountville, ca

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thomas keller's french laundry is one of the best restaurants in the country, has three michelin stars, has been on my wish list for years, and is extremely difficult to get a reservation for. derek, always thinking ahead, called the requisite 2 months before new year's eve to get a reservation for 4 for lunch. april and lennon joined us for the amazing meal (see april's excellent write-up on her food blog!). the restaurant is located in napa valley, about an hour north of san francisco. french laundry is in a beautiful old building that looks like it was plucked out of the french countryside (at least what i imagine the french countryside might look like).

we were taken upstairs to a small room with a couple of tables, where it felt like we were in someone's bright sunlit living room. as is often the case with uber-expensive restaurants, the staff recognize that you're there for an experience and not just a meal. they were extremely pleasant and patient, pouring us a complimentary glass of champagne for the holiday and explaining each course in detail. the waitstaff got a kick out of the fact that we were planning on heading to reno after lunch ("gotta stay classy," said derek). after spending $$$$ at french laundry, we had to try to make the money back somehow...

now the food - april did a much better job of chronicling each dish, so i'll just stick to the highlights. our favorites of the 9 courses - "oysters and pearls" ("saboyan" of pearl tapioca with island creek oysters and white sturgeon caviar) and the snake river farms "calotte de boeuf grillee" (bone marrow, marble potatoes, creamed spinach, and "a-1" sauce). they DEEP FRY the bone marrow and serve it next to an impeccable cut of melt-in-your-mouth meat from the top of the rib-eye. perfect beefy goodness. derek ordered the foie gras en terrine, which was served with a toasted brioche bread. what's funny is that before he even finished the first slice, they brought out a second freshly toasted brioche. derek remarked that he was fine, but the server insisted that the chef's instructions require that the terrine be spread on warm bread. that devotion to perfection is evident in each of the nine courses and made for a meal that we will never forget.

gott's roadside

napa, ca

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we love burgers, diners, and roadside stands, so when y+a recommended gott's roadside for burgers in napa, we knew we had to go. especially after a disappointing meal at la toque, we weren't going to take any chances with lunch the next day. napa has a very cute and very walkable downtown area and we explored the market and walked through a few shops before heading to gott's.

i ordered mini corn-dogs (yes, i'm a 10-year-old at heart) and a bowl of chili. fantastic chili, made a delicious dip for my corn dogs. derek had the burger and fries. also excellent. solid american food done well. y+a know how to find great food.

la toque

napa, ca

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sorry for the lapse in blogging, things have been very busy, but now the big event is over and i will try to catch up with the backlog so that my new posts will be more timely. the lag has caused me to forget many details about prior meals. i'll skip the meals where i can't even remember which restaurant we ate at. hopefully moving forward i'll be able to post right after the meal rather than months later and give my devoted reader(s) more accurate information.

derek and i decided to take advantage of our new norcal locale and venture up to napa valley to check out what the fuss is about. unfortunately we also decided to stop by the car dealership while we were up there and ended up spending most of the weekend getting a new car rather than touring wineries. we did make it to la toque, however, which is a michelin star restaurant. derek and i were missing the fancy new york food scene and thought we could relive the experience at la toque. unfortunately, the only thing amazing at la toque were the desserts. the panna cotta was incredibly light - somehow floral and fruity all at once. the food was good, but not worth the price. the sommelier was engaging and gave us intriguing backstories on each of the wine pairings, but one of the wines was undrinkable. overall, not worth the trek but perhaps it was an off-night.

omelette express

santa rosa, ca

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since we weren't in any hurry to get to our extended stay hotel in mountain view, we decided to wander around the "historic railroad square" area in santa rosa and get some breakfast. most of the restaurants were closed (it was a sunday morning) and the others were pretty empty. but one restaurant was completely packed, with a line spilling out onto the sidewalk. so of course that's where we went.

the owner or manager of the restaurant was actually outside with all of the waiting customers, entertaining them with some story. he took our name and told us "not to go far." so we joined the other customers hanging out on the sidewalk. about 15 minutes later, a table opened up and we got to order something from their huge menu of omelettes. i can't remember what i ordered, but i do remember that the omelette was the size of a football. the highlights for me were the slice of homemade sourdough bread and the salsa they served on the side. another good find.

syrah bistro

santa rosa, ca

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derek and i decided to spend the night in napa valley, rather than driving through the night to get to the south bay. i IM'd danielle on my blackberry and she found us a great hotel in the area - the hyatt vineyard creek hotel and spa in santa rosa. perfect location - just off the 101 and within walking distance of the historic railroad square area with shops and restaurants. after 2 days of driving, it was nice just to get out and walk. the concierge at the hotel recommended the syrah bistro, a cute but small restaurant a few blocks away. the restaurant was a little cramped, so when the hostess asked if we wanted to be seated outside, we gladly said yes. but turns out that "outside" is really a hallway between the restaurant and a hair salon.

it was a little odd to be seated next to a display of hair products, but the food and wine made up for it. derek and i shared a terrific bottle of wine, which was from a nearby winery - a 2008 desmond pinot noir. we started with the wild arugula and escarole salad - very good, derek especially liked the crispy shallots and i liked the white anchovy on top. i ordered the pan roasted duck breast, with risotto style farro, oregon chanterelles, and black garlic-sour cherry jus. delicious. definitely a great little spot if you ever find yourself in santa rosa.