Wining and Dining in Napa Valley

After leaving San Francisco we headed to Muir beach and the Muir Wood Forest. We have always wanted to see the Redwoods and I have always wanted to dip my toes in the Pacific. Thankfully my best friend Stacy suggested the Muir beach and forest which was much closer than the Redwood Forest. Plus, it was on the way to our first wine stop, Sonoma.

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Here is a tip, check the closing times of vineyards, especially when it is a Sunday. We were going to head to Chateau St Jean first, but we ran out of time and had to do some quick searching for a winery that was open a little later. All things happen for a reason, because we ended up at a winery that wasn’t on our radar but should have been. Buena Vista Vineyard.

The winery itself was beautiful and the tasting room absolutely charming. I particularly liked the stuffed bird lamps. Our tasting guide was wonderful. She had gone to school in Virginia so she was knowledgeable on some wineries in the Commonwealth. She even suggested one to us that we just visited a few weekends ago. Stay tuned for that blog. Before arriving I was telling everyone how excited I was for Zinfandels. I have become a fan and was super excited to dive in to tasting a bunch.

My cousin Lizey and I did the private reserve tasting while the boys did the press house tasting. The first three wines on each list were Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. I was obviously excited for the Zin. It was very nice to compare each varietal next to each other. All the wines were spectacular. We all bought a bottle of the Sherif, a blend of Petite Sirah, Cab Sauv, Grenache, Syrah and Petite Verdot. This wine was smooth and exploded with flavors of blackberry and chocolate. It is the perfect wine to pair with grilled meats and veggies or a homemade bolognese.

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We left the winery with a few bottles and excitement to continue on our wine adventure. We headed to Napa where we had an Airbnb. Our host was something else. After our 30 min introduction about what NOT to do in the house, the boys headed to Trader Joe’s and Lizey and I poured a glass of wine and started getting ready for our dinner at the French Laundry.

As a wedding present , 7 years ago our friends gave us a gift certificate for the French Laundry. With two moves under our belt and 7 years later we had not lost the certificate. Our friend’s brother, Patrick, is a waiter at the FL and happened to be our waiter that evening, which made the whole experience that much more memorable.

Arriving at the restaurant we received such a warm welcome from Patrick who quickly gave us the lay of the land. First things first, a glass of complimentary bubbly. Next, what wine would we choose for the culinary adventure on which we were about to embark on? Thankfully, Patrick helped us pick. Even for me, the wine list was overwhelming. Maybe it was the pages and pages of wine on the iPad Patrick handed me. Patrick picked a lovely Chardonnay out from Napa and a great Zin from Calistoga.

There were two menus: The Chefs tasting menu or Tasting of Vegetables. No surprise, the whole table picked the Chefs menu. We started off with smoked salmon mousse in an everything bagel cone. I could have eaten 6 more of those. Next up we were given two options, Oyster and Pearls and or the Royal Kaluga Caviar. We all picked the oysters and pearls. I’ve never had just the tenderloin of the oyster, but thats what they gave us, topped with Regiis Ova Caviar. I don’t even know if I can do it justice by trying to describe this first dish. All I can say is It was beyond creamy, and melt in your mouth buttery, with perfectly melded flavor. It was a great start to our dinner adventure.

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Next up: K&J Orchard Persimmon salad or Soft Boiled Rhode Island Red Hen egg with black truffles. I was the only one to get the egg with truffles ( I didn’t realize that was $125 extra!). I don’t regret it one bit. I was brought a wooden box filled with truffles. The gentleman picked one and literally shaved the whole thing! It looked like a truffle massacre. I was not complaining one bit. That may give you hint as to why this dish was an extra $125.

Next up Sauteed fillet of Japanese Bluenose Medai, which is Sea Bass. This was topped with a Bantam hen egg dumpling. Following this incredible dish we all had sweet butter poached Nova Scotia lobster with caramelized beets. I literally cannot even give a description. The lobster, the beets….the lobster. I may have just died and gone to heaven!

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Bread and butter course? Yes please! Toasted pretzel Epi and whole grain mustard butter. The mustard butter was out of this world and I wanted to ask if I could take a doggie bag of it home.

Hopping on to the next dish – Devils Gulch Ranch Rabbit with creamed spinach puree and sweet curry jus. This was a “hare” out of my usual meat I eat, but let me tell you something: cook rabbit like this all the time and I am a new fan.

Next up: Choice of Hearth Roasted Elysian Fields Farm Lamb with wilted swiss chard, glazed sunchokes, preserved meyer lemon and caper brown butter a jus OR Charcoal grilled Japanese Wagyu with celery root custard, watercress pudding and dark raisin marmalade ($100 extra). The whole table went with the lamb, except me. I was on a culinary adventure and no one was holding me back! The lamb was incredible and so flavorful. But let me tell you, Wagyu is the most sensational beef I’ve ever had. No wonder its so expensive. It melted in my mouth and the celery root custard and watercress pudding paired so well. The piece de resistance was the dark raisin marmalade. Good lord this just made the meat melt even more.

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Not done yet: Gougere time! Cheese ya’ll. I am going to try and describe this the best way I can. It was like a goat cheese fondue with black winter truffles. I about died and went to heaven when this dish came around. Cheese and truffles – I was a happy happy girl.

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My husbands favorite course – Dessert. There were doughnut holes, rice pudding with kiwi, truffle and this super tasty pudding type thing in a cappuccino cup.

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Finally, we were brought a wooden box of the most beautiful looking chocolates. They looked so pretty that at first I thought they were oversized marbles and I was confused. No, they were just the most beautiful chocolates I had ever seen. AND, the waiter made sure to tell us to pick more than one… so naturally we did.

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After this fabulous meal, Patrick asked us if we wanted a tour of the kitchen and the rest of the property. We were all quick to say, YES. Cleanest kitchen I have ever seen and the attention to detail shows the dedication that the staff has to fine dining. We got to see the wine cellar and the private dining area. This is truly a beautiful restaurant and an incredibly special place. I will never forget this culinary adventure. Thank you to Ellis, Kirsten and Jason. 

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