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In Italian

Bistro Don Giovanni: Italian Cuisine in Napa

Bistro Don Giovanni is an Italian Restaurant in Napa that is named one of San Francisco’s top restaurants since opening according to the San Francisco Chronicle. When we were spending a few days in the area, it was recommended that we dine here for dinner.

Interior

There are a lot of tables inside, but they really cram people in here, so depending on where you are sitting, there’s not much room to move around.

Menu

Complimentary Bread

At the start of the meal, they provide you with complimentary bread, olive oil and balsamic vinegar to munch on.

Later in the meal, we also got more bread to soak up the pasta sauces but who knew they had different kinds of breads throughout the evening.

Wine

Since you are in Napa Valley, you gotta grab a glass on wine. We weren’t familiar with the wines in the region. The staff were able to steer us in the right direction and make some recommendations.

Gnocchetti al Ragu d’Angnello

This has soft pillowy gnocchi with lamb ragu, and black truffle pecorino. We shared it family-style but if you really wanted to, you can have it all to yourself.

Mamma Concetta’s Meatballs

They didn’t have room for the whole dish at the table, so they served us a meatball individually per person. It has tomato ragu, parmigiano, and soft polenta. It was really good and highly recommended.

Peach Salad

It has greens, peach, goat cheese, marcona almonds and their moscatel vinaigrette. It was a refreshing salad with the sweetness of peaches and the creamy goat cheese, crunch of lettuce and almonds.

Mandilli

This is their Mandilli served with silk handkerchief pasta and authentic genovese pesto. The pesto was vibrant and the pasta was al dente.

Margherita Pizza

A classic thin crust pizza with tomato, basil, and mozzarella di latte. This item took a long time to arrive at the table but was surprisingly really good and crisp on the bottom. Highly recommended!

Final Thoughts

Overall, solid Italian cuisine in the Napa Valley. Service was good, food was good and we had a good evening dining here. It can get busy, so reserving a table is a must especially if you have a group. We found it was quite family friendly.

Address:
4110 Howard Ln, Napa, CA

Website:
http://bistrodongiovanni.com

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In Cafe

Bouchon Bakery: Pastries and Coffee in Yountville

Bouchon Bakery in Yountville California is Thomas Keller’s first and original location for his bakery. This is beside Bouchon Bistro as well as French Laundry a little bit further away.

We came here for a snack in the morning before we headed off to some wineries.

Inside the bakery, there is only standing room to order. A lot of people do take out or sit outside if the weather is nice.

There are treats everywhere and getting just picking 1 item is so difficult so we got a lot to share between the 4 of us.

If you come here earlier in the day, you can see the staff making the pastries. We came later in the day, so there wasn’t much action going on.

Coffee

As everything is take out, they only have to go containers for their coffee and water. Even though we asked for our lattes for here, there are no reusable cup options offered.

The lattes were pretty average and nothing special.

Pain aux Raisins

This is packed full of raisins and they were not too dry. It had a good amount of sweetness to it.

Croissant

The croissant is a classic and it has many flaky layers but we were missing more of a crunch at the end tips of it.

Chocolate Almond Croissant

The almond chocolate croissant is decadent and filled with the almond mixture to give you a sweet kick to your day. Delicious.

Strawberry Cheesecake Croissant

The croissant-like tart has the strawberry cheesecake mixture in the centre. Fun to eat it with a knife and fork so you don’t get messy.

Lemon Tart

The lemon tart was ok but nothing too impressive about it.

Final Thoughts

Bouchon Bakery is a good option in the area, but I found it wasn’t the best bakery I’ve ever been to. There are a few other places that can do croissants better but its all up to personal preference. I thought Bouchon Bakery was ok, but it didn’t wow me.

Address:
6528 Washington St, Yountville, CA

Website:
https://www.thomaskeller.com/bouchonbakeryyountville

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In Napa Valley

V. Sattui Winery: Tours, Tastings, and Picnics in Napa Valley

V. Sattui Winery was our favourite winery in Napa Valley during this trip. They are a family-owned winery with exceptional award-winning wines. The experience at this winery is great as it has tours, tastings, and a picnic area.

We booked ahead for a 1pm tour and met everyone up by the fountain area right by the entrance.

Meeting up for the Tour

Once we got a quick intro, we moved to a different room at the winery to understand the history of how the winery started.

The room had visuals back in the day just to give you an idea of how they ran their business back then.

Afterwards, we moved into the back where we got to see the vineyard. We learned how and what varieties of grapes they grow on the property.

We could go into the vines to pick out some grapes to try. Yum.

They were delicious and sweet. A fun experience to try it fresh from the vines before they get processed.

Next, we move into the processing room where Rob explained the differing methods of creating white and red wine.

At the end of the tour, we were given vouchers to go for a wine tasting in the main tasting room.

Let’s Get Tasting

The tasting room was busy. I would suggest taking your time appreciating each wine to get the best experience. With your voucher from the tour, you can present it to the staff to begin your tasting of 5 wines.

Gamay Rouge

Gamay rouge, a sweeter rose, for those who enjoy sweet wines but not overly sweet. It smells like strawberries and hints of cherry.

Dancing Egg Riesling

Dancing Egg Riesling is awesome because it has such a fun label! Again, for those who enjoy sweeter white wines. It was refreshing with smells and tastes of summer stone fruit and nice acidity.

Old Vines Quaglia Zinfandel

Old Vines Quaglia Zinfandel was jammy, fruity of dark berries/plums, a hint of earthiness, nicely balanced and smoother finish.

Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon

Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon is something we will be holding on to age. It’s bold and has aromas of dark fruit, plums, aged cherry, vanilla. Looking forward to keeping it and tasting it again after a few years.

Build Your Own Picnic

The best thing about V. Sattui is that there is a deli and cheese counter to create your own picnic. They have everything you need for the picnic. Even plates and cutlery.

Once you have everything, you can head outside and find yourself a picnic table to set up.

There are lots of spots, so don’t worry about over crowding. Worse case scenario, you can make new friends.

Turkey- Fontina Sandwich

This has house-roasted turkey, arugula, apples, fontina, and chile aioli in this cheesy bun. Really good!

Prosciutto Panini

This also has fresh manchego cheese, and caramelized onion. Simple, yet so delicious.

Turkey Bacon Panini

This is the Turkey Bacon Panini with house-roasted turkey, avocado, bacon, caramelized onion, and the V. Sattui smoky mustard. It pairs well with the Chardonnay or Pinot Noir.

Potato Salad

This has potatoes, mayo, dill pickles, bell peppers and celery for added crunch. Best paired with a Sauvignon blanc.

Caprese

Not your regular caprese but it has tomatoes, mozzarella and pesto. The tomatoes were sweet, mozzarella was creamy and that pesto was fresh tasting.

Final Thoughts

We had a great time and the tour is definitely worth it as it comes with the wine tasting. We spent extra time here creating our own picnic and eating outside in their picnic area. Highly recommended.

Address:
1111 White Ln, St Helena, CA

Website:
http://www.vsattui.com/

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In Napa Valley

Cakebread Cellars: Winery in Napa Valley

Cakebread Cellars in Napa Valley offers tastings by appointment with a fee that varies depending on which tasting your partake in. We booked our appointment prior to visiting and it wasn’t an issue.

Cakebread is best known for their Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. They also host a variety of events at their vineyard, so check out their website so you don’t miss out if you’re a fan.

Cakebread Cellars is named after the owners – Jack and Dolores Cakebread. Yes, that is indeed their last name.

You can roam around the property to look at their grapes growing in the vines. It’s a pretty sight.

Wine Tasting

As we checked in for our tasting, we tried the 2017 Sauvignon Blanc. It has sweet fruity notes and would pair well with veggies, chicken or seafood.

Into the Barrel Room

Next, we went into the room where they barrel their wines for aging and to soak in the flavours from the wood and improve its aroma and taste.

Our guide told us a little bit of the history surrounding the vineyard as we got introduced to each wine.

We tried the following wines for the Current Release Tasting for $25 per person:

  • 2016 Chardonnay
  • 2015 Chardonnary Reserve
  • 2016 Pinot Noir
  • 2014 Merlot
  • 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon

We moved around as we went through the list to better appreciate the wine. We moved closer to the barrels to smell the wood inside the barrels as well as see how it’s aged.

Afterwards, our tasting took us out to the vineyard.

We tried a few more wines and tasted the wine grapes off the vines to see how they transform.

Our last stop was their garden and processing area.

The tour lasted about 40 minutes for us as the other half of the group was in a rush. Usually it’s 50 – 60 minutes in length. It definitely quickened the pace but we felt like we were rushed in the end because of them.

Nonetheless, we enjoyed the Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from the tasting.

The 2016 Chardonnay has aromas of melons, peaches and apples with a hint of spice. It’s good out but if you want to build some complexity to the taste, you can age for another 5 – 7 years.

The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon has aromas of dark berries and plums with a hint of spice. You can age this in your cellar for another 7 – 10 year to get it a bit more mature in taste.

Final Thoughts

For a $25 wine tasting, it’s good that the tour takes us to different areas of the vineyard to taste the wine as well as understand where it comes from.

Address:
8300 St Helena Hwy, Napa

Website:
https://www.cakebread.com/

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In American

The Girl and The Fig: Dinner in Napa Valley

One of the most memorable meals of our Napa Valley and Sonoma trip was at The Girl & The Fig. We got reservations for dinner through their website a few weeks in advance. There are a few shops in the area, so we got here a bit early and decided to walk a few blocks to check out some stores until our table was ready.

Interior

There aren’t too many tables inside, but luckily, we were seated in their back patio which was really nice. It is a heated patio, so we weren’t worried when the sun went down.

Menu

Complimentary Olives, Bread and Butter

An assortment of olives arrived at the table and they were so addictive. Our favourite ones were the big plump green ones. They are unlimited, so you can ask for more.

Bread and butter arrived too. We were trying to save our appetite since we ordered a lot of dishes, but ended up eating all the bread since it was also good.

The Works

If you want to try a bit of their meats and cheeses, they suggested we try The Works, which has 3 selections of cheeses, cured meats, seasonal fruit, house-made fig cake, spiced nuts and sliced baguette.

The cheeses that we chose were:

  • La Délice de Bourgogne: Full-fat cow’s milk with fresh cream for a rich, whipped texture.
  • Laura Chenel Chèvre: A goat’s milk with creamy texture and delicate flavour.
  • Central Coast Creamery Ewenique: A sheep’s milk that is velvety and white with sweet and savoury flavours.

All of them were delicious, but the Laura Chenel Chèvre as it went with the honey drizzle.

As for the meats, I don’t remember what we got, but we still enjoyed it. The other accompaniments of this board were delicious like the wine grapes, fig cake, and nuts. It all worked so well as finger food before our entrees arrived.

Grass-Fed Steak Tartare

This has a traditional steak tartare with a raw egg, caperberries, lavender sea salt, mustard, and toast. This was really good and fresh. We liked how the pieces of the tartare was not too fine.

Fig & Arugula Salad

We had to get a dish with figs in it because thats the name of the restaurant. This has toasted pecans, Mano Formate pancetta, Laura Chenel Chèvre, and a fig & port vinaigrette. Perfectly dressed and all the ingredients balanced very well.

Duck Confit

We got this dish with 2 duck confit legs. It sits on top of sweet corn, green tomatoes, farro, and a bacon vinaigrette. The legs were delicious, tender and juicy.

Wild Flounder Meunière

The flounder is served with a Yukon​ potato purée, spinach, and lemon-caper brown butter. A nice combination of ingredients and were pleasantly surprised with how good it was.

Steak Frites

The 6-ounce prime flat iron steak was served medium rare with skinny frites, and a roasted padrón butter. We were also impressed with the dish as it wasn’t too salty and everyone loves fries.

Cookies & Milk

This is a fun dessert for adults and kids. You get two warm chocolate chunk sea salt cookies and a vanilla milk shake. It was very delicious and gives you so much nostalgia when you devour this treat.

Profiteroles

This is more like a profiterole ice cream sandwich. It has Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream in the cream puffs and drizzled with bittersweet chocolate sauce and powdered sugar. Also another amazing dessert!

Final Thoughts

We loved every item we ordered and was well worth the price we paid for 4 people. It was definitely the most delicious and memorable meal of our time in Sonoma and Napa Valley. Highly recommended to make a stop here.

Address:
110 W Spain St, Sonoma, CA

Website:
https://www.thegirlandthefig.com/

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In American

The Boon Fly Cafe: Breakfast in Napa Valley

When we were in Napa Valley, we decided to head over to The Boon Fly Cafe for breakfast. For a Friday, this place was very busy. We waited quite a while and was the last group to be seated for the breakfast menu. We were glad we just squeezed in because we were here specifically for breakfast.

They do offer complimentary water and hot coffee outside as you wait. A nice touch!

Interior

There are a good amount of seats inside for small to large groups. If you have a larger group, best to come early. They only do reservations for dinner. Other wise, it’s first come first serve.

Menu

Boon Fly Donuts

Their mini donuts are made fresh with sugar covering each piece. You get 13 pieces per order. It’s soft in texture and light. When it arrives at the table, eat it right away so you can enjoy them hot and fresh.

The pieces at the bottom of the bucket were coated in a lot of sugar, so they were more sweet.

Boon Fly Chicken & Waffle

This is made using Mary’s free range chicken, malt waffle pepper jam, maple syrup, and whipped brown butter. A deliciously crisp waffle with 3 pieces of fried chicken. Depending on the piece of the chicken, it could be dry or juicy. Pieces like the breast with white meat tend to be more dry.

Green Eggs and Ham

We ordered this because of the name, plus it reminds us of Dr Seuss.  This has poached farm fresh eggs wrapped in honey-cured ham, lemon leek-cream, on crispy hash browns. A creative dish that also tasted good.

Boon Fly Benedict

This dish uses Sweet Pea Bake Shop’s fresh English muffin, thinly sliced honey-cured ham, poached eggs, Jalapeño hollandaise, and crispy hash browns. One of the eggs were poached soft and the other one was more of a medium. The hashbrowns are pretty darn tasty.

Corned Beef Hash

This has house-made corned beef, crispy hash browns, spinach, grilled onions, poached eggs, and Jalapeño hollandaise. I asked the staff for a recommendation on the menu and they said their favourite dish was the corned beef hash, so I had to get it. It was really good and you can tell the quality of the corned beef was very high. The eggs were both soft poached perfectly and the hollandaise was delicious.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the breakfast here was delicious and the staff were very friendly. The dishes we ordered were a bit more on the heavy side, but they do have lighter and healthier items on the menu too.

Website:
http://www.boonflycafe.com/

Address:
4048 Sonoma Hwy, Napa

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In Napa Valley

The Hess Collection: Wine Tastings and Art Museum

The Hess Collection is located in the Napa Valley offering unique wine tastings and a look into their exclusive art collection. We made a quick stop here to check out what they have to offer.

When walking around the property, I really loved looking into their room with all the wine barrels displayed. It smells so nice!

Taste of Mount Veeder: A Vertical Tasting

We enjoyed the vertical tasting that allowed us to try the Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon from different vintages from the oldest to the newest. We tried the 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2014 vintages.

This way, we got a chance to taste what happens to wine as you age it – from softer tannins to bolder tannins along with changes in flavour and aromas. It’s a unique experience that not all wineries offer.

Tasting Menu

From the list of 10 options, we got to taste 4 for $25.

Th 2017 Hess Small Block Orange Muscat was one of the favourites that we had. For those who prefer sweeter wines, this is for you. This is like a dessert wine, but more off-dry, so it pairs really well with spicy foods.

Hess Art Collection

There is an extensive art collection in the building and it’s something nice to experience while you are here.

Final Thoughts

Overall, experience was good. The staff were very knowledgable taking us through the tastings. As a bonus, it’s nice that there is an art collection if you like art.

Address:
4411 Redwood Rd, Napa, CA

Website:
https://www.hesscollection.com/

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In Napa Valley

Castello di Amorosa: Tuscan Castle and Winery in Napa Valley

Castello di Amorosa was highly recommended as one of the must see wineries in Napa Valley. It’s not everyday you see a 13th-century Tuscan castle as the backdrop for a winery. We made the long drive to come visit for the experience. They offer guided and self-guided tours of the castle and finishing off with tastings of their Italian-inspired wines.

This is the sister winery of the Sattui Family, which also operate V. Sattui Winery in Napa Valley, which is also another great winery to visit.

Outside the Castle

You can walk outside of the castle towards their rows and rows of grapes before they get harvested. It’s beautiful to see them on the vines.

Animals

There are a lot of animals around Castello di Amorosa like pigs, chickens, sheep, goats, and other animals. It’s great for visitors with families to check out the space as there is more than just the castle tour and tastings.

Into the Castle

To walk into the castle, you follow a long fight of stairs up towards the drawbridge and go through the doors.

Once you walk through, you can sign up for tours and tastings. You can’t wander about the castle without paying.

General Admission Tasting Experiences

They have guided tours, but we opted for the General Admission Tasting Experiences as they are cheaper.

  • Premium Wine Tasting – $30 per person
    (Premium Tasting of 5 wines)
  • Reserve Wine Tasting – $45 per person
    (Reserve Tasting of 6 wines, including Reserve wines)
  • Wine Club Member – Complimentary Premium Wine Tasting for Club Member and Guest
    (Limit 2 per active membership. Additional discounts apply to higher club levels when member is present.)
  • Child Admission – $20 per minor (ages 5-20)
    (Includes grape juice. Children and Young Adults ages 0 to 20 may enter the Castello only when accompanied by an adult over the age of 21.)

This includes a map of the winery, wine tasting, and access to the upper levels of the Castello, including the Main Tasting Bar and Knight’s Hall.  What you miss out from the guided tours are access to the lower levels of the Castello, including the Torture Chamber, Armory, or The Grand Barrel Room. If you don’t mind that, General Admission is the way to go.

Self-Guided Tour

We climbed up and down the towers of the castle and we were really impressed by the size and the details. No wonder it took them so long to build this space.

We followed the map and wandered throughout the castle and it was great to be at a higher vantage point so we could see the vineyard from above.

This room is The Great Hall and the details are really just stunning. You can’t walk into this area but you can take photos.

Main Tasting Room and Knight Hall

Entry get you a visit to the tasting room. Remember to keep your tickets that you got when you paid, and then present it to the staff to being the wine tasting experience.

With our tickets, we were able to choose 5 different wines to taste on the list.

The staff are very knowledgable and can guide you through a few based off what you normally like.

Of the ones we tried, La Fantasia and it’s a sparkling rose slightly deeper in colour than normal. Sweeter for those who don’t drink a lot usually, but not as sweet like a dessert wine.

The Gewürztraminer was another interesting wine too. It is different from German or Canadian ones that we’ve had before. It is sweeter and more fuller bodied. Probably due to the warmer climate compared to the other countries.

We enjoyed the tasting and learned more about Castello di Amorosa.

Once you’re done the tasting, you can walk around the vast area to buy some bottles of wine or other gifts.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was worth the self-guided tour and tasting. Kids and young adults can still partake in the experience but have grape juice instead of wine during the tasting.

Address:
4045 St Helena Hwy, Calistoga, CA

Website:
https://www.castellodiamorosa.com/

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