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Health & Fitness

My California Trip Food Highlights

Our trip to Napa and San Francisco was simply divine!  The weather could not have been any more perfect and the food scene made me a very happy traveler. 

Of course the two regions have tons of great restaurants and one would need multiple trips to explore them further.   For our first visit I had zeroed in on a few restaurants that I had read about, followed on TV and social media or heard people passionately talking about.   Of course the best laid plans have been known to fail – and my original must-eat list changed dramatically as the trip approached and even during the trip. 

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Restaurants originally on my list were (Yes!  I know. They were kind of cliché):

1.French Laundry (Napa). Because Chef Thomas Keller is God to a humble foodie like me!

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2.Bottega (Napa).  Micheal Chiorello’s long time success story in Napa.  I love his passion for cooking and his recipes always look amazing.  So, I just had to have a taste.

3.Coquetta (San Francisco).  Michael Chiorello’s newest venture.  Sexy, trendy Spanish Tapas place.

4.Chez Panisse (near Berkley).  My friend Moshe Aelyon had drawn my attention to its founder and renowned chef, Alice Waters.

5.Bouchon Bistro and Bakery (Napa).  Owned by Thomas Keller. Plan B, part A, if French Laundry did not work.

6. Ad Hoc (Napa).  Chef Matt Storch highly recommended this one.  Also a Thomas Keller restaurant – they offer a small fixed menu that changes each day.

7.Addendum (A fried chicken take out extension of Ad Hoc in Napa). Owned by Thomas Keller. Plan B, part B, if French Laundry did not work.

OK.  I am not asking for too much, am I?  After all, this is not a big list, right?  

Alas!  How our reality is so different from our dream-world!

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Now here is the list of what I really experienced:

1. French Laundry (BIG NO!  Could not get in.  I went as far as calling them each morning and even  stopping by the restaurant to beg and plead.  I seriously thought I was the only one who thought of doing something like this in order to be taken seriously by the restaurant of that caliber.  Ha! I was so friggin’ naïve!!! )

2.Check! 

3.Check!

4.Closed for the last few months due to a fire.  It is due to open later this month. Dang it!  :-(

5.Check!

6.Nope.  Can you believe they are closed on Tuesdays AND Wednesdays?!!!

7.Nope.  Closed Sunday through Wednesdays!  REALLY?!!!!

8.Bravas, Healdsburg, Napa (a wonderful Spanish Tapas restaurant we heard about from our B&B owners).   So glad we went there.

9.Dosa (A really hip and trendy hot spot in San Francisco serving absolutely delicious, trend-setting Indian food).  LOVED  IT!  This was recommended by total strangers, and I am so very glad we took them seriously.

10.Rutherford Grill, Rutherford Napa.  Awesome French dip sandwich.  A must, Must,  MUST  try, if you are in the area.

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So here is a quick run-down of my thoughts on what we ate.

1. The French Dip Sandwich at Rutherford Grill was delicious.  I have never eaten anything like this before.  The pure finesse of textures and flavors was jaw dropping.  The sliced prime rib was juicy and deeply flavorful.  The au jus was perfectly seasoned and rich in flavor as well.  The bread was oh so soft and spongy – perfect to sop up the au jus.   The horseradish sauce added the spicy kick in the best possible of ways.  We were told to try this sandwich and that is all we ordered when we got there.   A choice we do not regret.

2.Bottega was good food – but I would not call it awesome.  My favorite there was the parmesan dip they served with bread.  This had fresh shaved parmesan.  Yum!   The Polenta served in a mason jar with sautéed mushrooms and a wonderful sauce made of a reduction of balsamic vinegar and chicken broth was pretty good as well.  That sauce was divine.  Creamy and smooth, the flavors were rich but not overpowering.   The mushrooms added a delicious earthiness to the creamy polenta.  I am SO stealing that idea for my next Polenta dish.

3.Coqueta.  A very trendy new addition to San Francisco.  Situated at the gorgeous Pier 5.  Food was delicious and I loved how each dish was presented in a fun way.  I found it to be on the expensive side – given how much food came for your money.  And frankly, I think our Barcelona restaurants in FC make far superior food than what I ate there – right down to the Paella.

4.Bouchon Bakery is divine.  Loved their super-sized macarons.  Everything looked impossible to resist.  Wish I had more time and a few extra bellies.  :-(

5.Bouchon Bistro was a great place for light fare.  A really french menu where each dish is prepared and presented with such expertise that it blows you away.   Like the Beignets de Brandade de Morue.  I have never eaten anything like this.  The exterior was so light and crunchy (I would love to know what went in that batter) and the interior made of fish was so soft and creamy. Wow!  The Moelle Rotie (bone marrow) was a bit on the salty side and I can confidently say that the one at Le Farm Westport is far, far better!  Yay FC!!!

6.Bravas was a delightful Spanish Tapas place.  Everything we ordered there succeeded in exciting our palates and left us wanting more.  The use of strong, bold flavors and textures was downright addictive.   I hope your travels take you to this little gem in Healdsburg. 

Hope you can use my shared thoughts,  lessons learned, mistakes made and surprising finds to create your perfect food-centric vacation to Napa/San Francisco area. 

For this and more articles by Fairfield County Foodie visit, http://fairfieldcountyfoodie.me.

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