Gourmet Eats - Yountville, CA

Domaine Carneros Estate

Have I told you about my love for Northern California? Well, let me say it is just a lovely area. There is so much to do! One day, you're sitting on the sand by the ocean the next day you're in the city, and the next you're hanging out in wine country. I have probably explored more of this area in one year than I had explored VA/DC in ten years. Such is the life of a newbie.

Living in California means that people are much more inclined to visit. I love having visitors because it always provides an excellent excuse to play tourist. With Malia in town, I knew I had to take her to Napa. Wine country is just amazing. Not only are there some great wineries and vineyards, but the countryside is absolutely gorgeous. We planned on hitting up one of my favorite sparkling wineries, Domaine Carneros. It is crucial to make sure you are properly fed before you go on a tasting tour. I had heard some great things about Bistro Jeanty - so we headed to Yountville for lunch.

French countryside? Even better, Yountville, CA.

Bistro Jeanty is just that - a classic french bistro. What is a bistro exactly you ask? Traditionally, a bistro is a small restaurant serving moderately priced food in a modest location. Bistro Jeanty serves up classics, such as coq au vin, cassoulet, and escargot. Because we were going to be sampling some wine in a couple hours, I didn't want to order anything too heavy.

Clockwise from left: tomato soup, sardines, mussels, haricot verts salad, fresh baguette with butter.

We had high expectations for Bistro Jeanty after reading rave reviews of their creme de tomato en croute (cream of tomato in puff pastry) and moules au vin rouge (mussels in red wine). We ordered everything to share - the tomato soup, mussels, the haricot verts salad, and sardines. Our waiter was probably disappointed at the amount of food we ordered, but hey we had to save room for Bouchon Bakery!

The cream of tomato soup was extremely rich. While I enjoyed it, I was expecting a little more. The amount of cream overpowered the tomato, in my humble opinion. The moules au vin rouge were probably my favorite part of the meal. The mussels were fresh and creamy. The fresh baguette provided an excellent instrument for sopping up the salty, winy broth. The sardines were quite good as well. I have now eaten sardines twice in the past month and I must say I enjoy them much more than I did ten years ago. It certainly helps when when they are fresh and prepared well.

Disappointed Face.

Now to be honest the food was good, not amazing. AJ was a little more disappointed. He isn't the biggest fan of traditional French food. Although, I still think he hasn't tried the right things. After paying our bill, we headed next door to Bouchon Bakery for some treats.

Cappuccino, pistachio, and raspberry macaron and a "nutter butter".

I love Bouchon's macarons - so we each ordered one - cappuccino for me, pistachio for AJ, and raspberry for Malia. And because I can't resist baked goods I also got a "nutter butter". The macarons were crisp and chewy. AJ's pistachio macaron tasted a bit stale. Poor AJ wasn't having the best luck thus far. The "nutter butter" was delightful full of peanut buttery goodness. The cookie was crisp with a nice creamy filling. However, Malia and I missed the peanut shape. And if I had to choose I think I would take the original (gasp).

So what are your favorite places to eat in Napa or Yountville?

Bouchon Bakery - Yountville, CA

Nothing says "Happy Valentine's Day" like a heart shaped TKO and a macaroon.

AJ (and our friend Kelly) planned a lovely Valentine's Day weekend in Sonoma wine country. AJ and I spent the weekend with two other couples, sipping on wine and eating some lovely meals together. Kelly did an amazing job of planning our wine tours and dinners, so I got to sit back and enjoy the ride. However, I did have one request - a stop at Bouchon Bakery on our drive up.

Bouchon Bakery is the brainchild of Thomas Keller - the reknowned chef of the French Laundry and Bouchon Bistro. Bouchon Bakery was originally built to provide the fresh baked bread for Bouchon Bistro in Yountville. Chef Keller's wonderful pastries find inspiration from the exquisite bakeries of France. After experiencing great success with the original Bouchon Bakery in Yountville he opened up two more bakeries - in Las Vegas and New York City.

Treats galore.

We arrived in Yountville just around noon and found a line had already crept outside of the small bakery. As we stepped inside the sweet smells of fresh bread and sweet dough hit our noses. The plethora of treats that lined the glass cases was almost overwhelming. The bakery sells a couple of sandwiches, savory quiches, and some salads in addition to their sweets. I knew that I wanted to try a macaron and their namesake bouchons, but wasn't sure if that was sugar overkill.

Lucky for me, my friend David ended up buying a bag of bouchons to share (score!) I ended up ordering a turkey, brie, and cranberry sandwich on fresh bread and a pistachio macaron. AJ went with the mushroom and cheese sandwich and Thomas Keller Oreo (TKO).

Fresh baked bread - my weakness.

Joe Cool.

It was a beautiful day in Yountville and we were fortunate enough to snag a table in the sun. The bouchon was too enticing to wait to consume. Dessert before lunch? Don't mind if I do! The bouchons are named for their cork-like shape. They were almost the perfect brownie - moist, chocolatey, and a mix between fudgy and cakey. I stopped myself from filling up on brownies alone and moved on to my sandwich.

Turkey, brie, cranberry sandwich.

The bread on these sandwiches was freshly baked - nicely warm, with a slight crunch on the outside, and soft on the inside. The gooey cheese paired wonderfully with the slightly sweet, tart cranberry sauce, and the tender turkey. I only ate half to save room for my macaron.

Pistachio macaron.

The french macaron is quite different from its cousin - the coconut macaroon. The macaron is a meringue-based cookie consisting of egg whites, almond flour and confectioner's sugar. My pistachio macaron was a beautiful pastel green, but the pistachio flavor itself was much more subtle. The cookie was light and crisp, with a chewy interior. The creamy pistachio filling was delightful. AJ's TKO was delicious as well, especially if you are an Oreo fan. But if it were up to me, I would take a whole box of macarons to go!

All smiles at Bouchon Bakery.

Bouchon Bakery was the perfect place to start off our Valentine's Day weekend in Sonoma. This cozy bakery transported me to a French village. I certainly plan on coming back again soon!