Eating My Way Through a Long Weekend in Napa
I took off this past holiday weekend for Napa – only a 45 minute drive from my house – but still, I’ve not visited since I first moved here three years ago. I really have been meaning to get back – just to eat (forget the wineries, which now charge exorbitant prices for a tasting), as Napa is blessed with many great eateries all conveniently located near each other in the downtown area.
The downtown is home to Oxbow Market, a large and great market hall – I love a good market hall! – and I’d read that a fast casual offshoot of a higher end Moroccan restaurant in San Francisco, had opened there recently, so Moro was my first stop (and my last, too actually) after checking out the lovely cottage type home where I’d be cat-sitting for the weekend. BTW, the homeowner had grown up in Granada, Spain, where I’d just spent several days this winter. How synchronistic is that!
A stroll through Oxbow reveals a beautiful chocolatier, an olive oil shop, a wine and cheese emporium (it is Napa, after all), a spice shop, a produce market – and the bars and restaurants!
Okay – lunch at Moro – a very tasty, indeed, Braised Lamb Wrap with Harissa, Toum and Pickled Onions. In fact, it was the favorite thing I ate in my days there. I ordered a side salad of Romaine lettuce and baby kale chocked full of Garbanzos, Cucumbers, Green Olives and Dates (I could have done without the dates, but they are a staple of Moroccan food). The wrap was so good, I grabbed another one as my last act before driving back home.
The Fatted Calf – a butcher and charcuterie (it reminds me of Cochon Butcher in New Orleans and those of you who know me will know that it’s one of my favorite places ever) lives on the outer boundary of Oxbow. The next day took me there for lunch where I ordered a slice of a lovely Cherry Tomato Tart with Comté cheese, house smoked ham, and lots of caramelized onions and basil. And almost as an after thought, I grabbed one of the pre-made Porchetta Sandwiches, that wasn’t described as such, but definitely had the elements of a Bahn Mi, with Cilantro and Basil, and Shredded Carrots and Daikon, marinated in a Lemon Chile Vinaigrette. I took both back to the house, and even though I only ate half of the tart slice, I indulged in the whole sandwich which left me in a food coma for the rest of the day…
On Saturday morning, it was a trip to the lovely farmer’s market – more about that in a second post.
On Saturday evening, it was an early dinner at Zuzu, a Spanish restaurant I had been to a couple of times before, and was anxious to get back to. I – a single woman – walked in on a holiday weekend – which in some cases might land awful service, but not here, the service, as well as the food were both excellent – I’d say outstanding, even. I had Steamed Mussels with Jalapeños, Fried Polenta and get this – crumbled Feta Cheese – served with the most deep golden, crusty bread. I know it’s a very unusual sounding pairing, but it was delicious!
The next days’ lunch was at Hog Island Oyster Company, where I could indulge the taste for Chargrilled Oysters I picked up while living in New Orleans. They were good, but I can’t say they are as tasty as the ones at Drago’s in New Orleans – and they were quite a bit more expensive, but hey! – “when you can’t be with then you love”…
I certainly won’t wait another three years before getting back up there.
