Napa Trip - Etoile at Domaine Chandon

The final day we stayed in Napa, we decided to go drive through some of the wine country on our way to the winery we had lunch at, Domaine Chandon. Yes, it was middle of winter, so the the scenery wasn't quite as beautiful as it could have been. But I think it was still picturesque, nevertheless.

So, before I start the substance of this posting, let me tell you a small story. Since Jen and I had so much rich food the past couple of days, I was actually looking forward to some light food. I figured that we could find something light, like a baguette sandwich, at one of the wineries. Little did I know that the only eatery at the winery would be the only four star restaurant in any of the Napa wineries! I didn't plan it that way, I swear! So, with bloated stomachs, we proceeded to Etoile...

A glass of wine we ordered at Etoile. Sorry, I'm not a wine enthusiast, and I don't remember what it was. In fact, just to let you know: I am allergic to alcohol, so I couldn't drink the wine.

One of the main dishes we ordered: a stuffed chicken breast wrapped with prosciutto (I think). It was actually very good, even though I was extremely full of rich food from the past two days.
Apologies: This was a stuffed pumpkin ravioli, with shaved truffle on top. Very light, and a bit sweet.
They offered Jen a selection of two different wines to try with the food we ordered. The one on the left was a champagne, I believe.

So, we actually did not order this dessert, but they mistakenly brought this banana tart out.

This was the dessert we ordered: a mango crepe, with cut mango on top. Quite delicious, but hard to enjoy, simply because I was so stuffed. *ugh*

Napa Trip - Julia's Kitchen

Sad, this place is closed now. =( But, here is my post about the restaurant, which I enjoyed very much! (Maybe they'll bring it back again!) So, the next night, Jen and I went to Julia's Kitchen at COPIA, a restaurant inspired by Julia Child. Awards given to Julia Child over the years...as many of you know, she is the cook who introduced the art of cooking french food to the American masses!
Jen loves oysters, so we ordered half a dozen kumamotos and skookums.
A foie gras appetizer on a toasted brioche, with fruit and a light balsamic vinaigrette. It was kind of sweet, and I didn't like it much, to be honest - because I like my foie gras simple, with just some salt and pepper. I personally don't like foie gras mixed with a sweet flavor.
Jen's main course: A whole roasted quail, stuffed with wild mushroom stuffing, sitting on a bed of mascarpone polenta, with a side of bacon encrusted brussell sprouts. The polenta was excellent, very light.
I ordered milk-fed lamb, with butternut squash gnocci and organic winter vegetables from the COPIA garden. Delicious!

And to start off dessert: a capuccino, for me =). I loved the rock sugar stick to stir with, that is simple, but pure genius.


I've had a lot of desserts in my time, but this apple tart was absolutely superb. It was the first time I had our waitress compliment the pastry chef. It was quite simply perfect - the pastry was light, warm, and flaky, the apples were just sweet enough, and with vanilla ice cream a la mode, who could resist? We couldn't...and we dug into the dessert, without taking a photo first. One of the best desserts I've had anymore, bar none.

Napa Trip - Celadon

Celadon - I have pretty fond memories of this place, even all these many months later. Zagat said that this restaurant was the place that the locals went to instead of French Laundry. And since I promised myself that I would only go to French Laundry after I have at least another 15 years of food experience under my belt, I decided that this would be the place to go.


It was a pretty chilly January evening our first night in Napa, so when we arrived, we were looking forward to this meal...



As an appetizer, we ordered a small plate of of baby spinach and duck confit with dates and petit basque cheese, drizzled in a truffle vinaigrette. We also ordered another appetizer, the quail...but, the pics dissapeared! =(.



As a main dish, Jen ordered the apple cider-and truffle-glazed duck breast sitting on a bed of sweet potato purée and brussels sprouts. The duck was excellent - a mild, yet slightly smoky and sweet flavor imparted throughout the duck, and the duck's texture was tender and juicy.

I ordered the scallops, which came on a bed of polenta. The scallops were excellent - large, fresh scallops which were very juicy. I didn't like the polenta as much, but mostly because I am not a strong fan of strong cheesy flavors.

Now onto dessert:

Jen ordered a gingerbread dessert, with huckleberry sauce and a side of vanilla ice cream, a la mode.

I ordered chocolate and hazelnut bars. I personally loved my dessert the best, but Jen's was good too =). Yes, for those of you that know me, I do love desserts, enough to order two of them.

And I always get a cappucino with my dessert, if I can...very nice presentation. A fine end to the meal.

Napa Trip - Intro

Originally, the postings for the Napa trip were supposed to start off this blog. That was before I got Doughboys fever - damn that red velvet cake! =)

The trip that Jen and I went on was the main inspiration for this blog, because all we really did there was eat really good food, all the time. To be honest, when Jen said that she wanted to go to Napa, I wasn't that interested; I don't drink, so the appeal of being in the middle of a ton of wineries, but nothing else to do, was nil. But, I was wrong - I forgot about food - yay! Sorry if the descriptions of the flavors of the food are a little iffy; it has been a very long, long time, and I didn't take notes.