Dario Cecchini is an 8th generation butcher but he has taken his skill to another level from his predecessors. Not only does he have innovative ideas about his profession, but his amazing outgoing personality, and his love for his trade and the people that come to his butcher shop and restaurant, are what sets him apart. He is truly a living legend in the land of Chianti Classico.
Brannan’s Grill Closes in Calistoga It is the sign of the times in the Napa Valley. Another one of Napa Valley’s oldest restaurants, Brannan’s Grill closed in Calistoga. It is a different clientele in the Napa Valley these days, even in the sleepy and laid-back town of Calistoga. We have noticed a steady change in … Read more
Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen to close on July 7, 2018 All the locals know about Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, it is the spot to talk about wine, vineyards, and everyday Napa Valley life. Tourists love the eclectic menu and the enjoyable atmosphere of Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen. Sadly, Cindy Palwcyn is closing her beloved restaurant on Saturday, July 7, … Read more
Zuzu – fine dining for less than $100 Ask a Napa resident or a Napa seasoned tourist where to dine, and surely Zuzu will be on the list of recommended restaurants. From the outside, it may not look like much, but the food is authentic Spanish Tapas. Tapas are small plates of delicious flavored foods … Read more
What new winery in the Napa Valley can boast that they have a restaurant, a bakery cafe & deli, extended tasting room hours, a separate merchandise store, and an event center for hosting weddings and corporate events? None, except for Cairdean Estate. Stacia and Ed Williams purchased 50 acres next to the old St. Helena Outlet … Read more
For the past four years, Dino Bugica has been running his little amazing Italian restaurant, Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria, in the quiet town of Geyserville. When it first opened, few thought that this tiny town could support more than one upscale restaurant.
On Sunday, April 1, the San Francisco Chronicle Food Editor Michael Bauer came out with his annual list of Top 100 Restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you are planning a trip this year to wine country, you probably will want to consider dining at one of these fabulous wine country restaurants on Michael Bauer’s elite list.
On a Wednesday morning we are off to the Napa Valley for a quick overnight stay in Napa. Traveling mid-week gives us the option of booking a hotel or B&B at the last minute in hopes of getting a great price. We have been yearning to try the Oenotri Restaurant in Napa, and directly across from Oenotri is the Avia Hotel. A quick check of the travel websites and we find that we can get a room at the Avia on Kayak for $151. That’s a great price, so we book the room and head on out.
We spend most of the day in the Napa Valley visiting and touring the Somerston Ranch off Sage Canyon Road and then a quick trip to the Clif Family Winery’s new tasting room, Vino Velo. We check into the hotel around 4 pm and begin exploring downtown Napa. We stroll the Town Center and have a look around. Boy, this place is void of people. We did find something the might become the “Battle of Visitor Centers.” The Legendary Napa Valley folks pulled up shop at the Town Center last month and moved the Visitor Center to the posh and chic Riverfront Properties. This created quite a stir for the Town Center because it took away much-needed visitor foot traffic. Now the owners of the Town Center are fighting back. They are remodeling the old visitor center and will open soon, according to the owner who I talked to as she was closing the door. “We will be back and better than ever” she says with great conviction. Stay tuned for the battle.
If new restaurants are any gauge of how the economy is doing, then it must be doing just fine in the town of Napa. Since January, there have been three new restaurants that have opened, one at the Oxbow Public Market, two in the downtown area. In the summer, three more restaurants are slated to open in the Riverfront Residences development. That feels like a lot of competition for restaurant owners, but one would think that investors have reason to believe these restaurants will make it as the economy recovers.
We had a wonderful dinner at Bottega Restaurant this last Tuesday night. What recession, we thought as we entered the restaurant. Bottega has been open since last December 5 and I doubt it has been anything but a full house since. Part of the reason for the popularity of this restaurant is the star power of celebrity chef Michael Chiarello. He is TV chef on the Food Network, winery owner, cookbook author, and proprietor of the Napa Style store. It also helps when Bottega gets great reviews from food critics like Michael Bauer of the San Francisco Chronicle or inclusion in the Chronicles’s Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants. Michael Chiarello seems so natural as he roams the restaurant from the kitchen to the dining room greeting diners. We were seated at the bar waiting for our table when suddenly there is Michael to introduce himself to us and learn a little bit about ourselves. It is a very nice touch and one that brings back the customers.