Carpe Diem - Downtown Napa

My day off falls on Saturday. Which ends up being interesting because I consider it Tourist Day here in Napa. I've come to notice that on those days I am not treated like a "local". The vibe is more of what someone would get that day here on vacation. That has it's pluses and minuses. Allison, a good friend I've made out here, and I had earlier in the day gone to Rubicon for a glass of sparkling and ended up starving. I suggested Carpe Diem, as it's the new kid in town and neither one of us had been. The vibe when we walked in was really courteous and warm. The menu is full of delicious sounding foods, from apps to flatbreads and deserts. I would consider it more of a small plates bar. Allison and I got the works cheese and charcuterie board and harissa fries.




Let me just say that this was the best cheese/meat board I've had in the valley so far. Better than Auberge even, well the cheese at least. Everything was a really good price, especially for downtown. I will be reccomending this place all the time!

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Open Homes

Just last Sunday some coworkers and friends got together at my Tasting Room manager's newly renovated home for a "Housewarming". Party started at 4, so when I got there after work at 6 the wine was flowing and food was being passed around. One of my favorite things about parties out here is that it is second nature for everyone to bring a bottle to share. Pretty soon you end up with 5, 9, or more!






In addition, it was also a paella cookout. Jason made "vegetarian" paella for Yesenia, who doesn't eat meat but does eat seafood.



The rest of us ate from a much bigger paella pan headed by Curtis himself. Food was delicious and the wine was of all varietals and countries. All in all, a great night with some fun people who like good wine.

new blog

So I've decided to separate "Life in Napa" from my more non-pc, random, everyday thoughts. So friends, add my other blog: extremely loud thoughts. I know I've been a bad blogger, but I have had a lot on my mind lately and no where to say it. I will now have more motivation to blogblogblog, both here and @ xtrmlaudthgts.

Tequila luge

Things found in an attic

Open that Bottle Night - Cliff Lede

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Hana Sushi - Rohnert Park

Happenings

Coming up:"Valentine's" Dinner tomorrow night at Hana with Eric. Dating a Chef has its perks. For example, the amazing food that I have ready and waiting for me at home most nights. But it also has its downsides. Odd hours, random days off, and most importantly; never getting holidays off. This last holiday season for example, I couldn't help thinking how it may be one of the last New Years we celebrate together. NYE, Valentine's Day, etc. are the most popular nights to go out and have someone else make you dinner for a change. And that someone else is now going to be Eric for other people. (About 250 people, Girl and the Fig saw about 600+ people on Sunday. Which I think is insane) Luckily for me, I'm not much of a commercial holiday person. So we decided in advance that we would go out for dinner on Tuesday (since he worked both Sunday and Monday nights). So Sushi Tuesday it is! On Thursday, we will also be going to Open That Bottle Night at Cliff Lede. Industry invitations and bring your own bottle, plus they will be tasting their newest release. Should be a fun week ahead.

Haiti

Martini House - Cellar Menu

Martini House is a rustic, stone restaurant that has the appearance of a house deep in the forest. Run by Pat Kuleto and Todd Humphries, the Martini House was orginally built in 1923 as the home of Walter Martini and his wife Dionisia. During the 20's Martini bootlegged whisky and wine, which he ran out of his cellar.
The cellar has it's own menu, much like a bar menu. In addition to small and medium bites, you can also order the family meal downstairs. Family meal occurs every Sunday-Thursday from 5-7pm.
On the particular day we went, I ordered off of the cellars regular menu. I ordered the mushroom soup and beef carpaccio. Both equally delicious.



The beef carpaccio is something that I probably would not have tried if I had not moved to Napa, something about raw beef in the desert and all. But I am so happy to have experianced the deliciousness of this dish. It is crunchy in all the right ways and comes topped with a bit of crushed Himalayan truffles.
The mushroom soup rivals the one made at a great family style meal at a friends house not to long ago. The soup is creamy and velvety, while not leaving you feeling like you're eating baby food. And the bread that they provide at your table is great to have that bit of crunch.
I can't wait to go back to Martini House, especially to try the Pho soup that they have on their family meal menu. Hopefully I can make it there before they switch it out!


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Mini Mango Thai

About a week ago, a brand new Thai place opened up in downtown Napa. Since our last Napa Thai misadventure, Eric and I have not ventured into the land of deliciousness. But we divided to give this place a chance. The first time we tried to eat here we were told to "forget about it", and to thier defence we were a party of 8 on a Saturday night. So on Tuesday night, Eric and I gave it a second shot.
The resturant itself is small and clean, but has an overwhelming smell of peanut oil when you first walk in. The smell quickly goes away, although some customers chose to dwell on it and raised a fuss. Which was comical because this led to a door being opened and letting cold air in that made customers on the other end of the restaurant to freeze.
The menu is small and to the point. We started our meal with potstickers.



The postickers were good but not great. They were cooked well but the accompanying sauce was not flavorful enough nor was the serving very big. It made me wish for some chili oil.
Much like our last Thai meal, we ordered the same items. Eric got the curry and I got the pad thai.






This time our orders were like night and day from the previous restaurant. Eric's curry was flavorful and made well. I wished that they had chosen a different type of potato, the one they used was too grainy and didn't flow well with the silkyness of the curry itself. My pad thai was actaully flavorful. The eggs were not too overbearing and the prawn was cooked very well and pealed all the way down to the tail. If I could change anything it would be to add a bit more citrus/lemongrass to really make it stand out.
All in all, I think we will be back again. I'm really interested in trying out some of their other dishes, and hopefully they continue to expand on the basics that are already in place.

Ps- they cook with canola oil, not peanut. I think the smell comes from the peanuts that they cook with the food.
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Mumm Napa

Since I am going to the city for new years eve, I've decided to pick up a bottle of sparkling. Mumm Napa has been one of those places I've always wanted to try, especially sine I work right next door.
In retrospect, picking the eve before NYE may not have been the best of ideas to visit a big sparkling wine producer. Mumm Napa was BUSY. The servers were off and on, some were great and others were mediocre. But that's expected when you go into a tasting alone and on a "trade" visit. In the business, those visits are usually comped and most trade doesn't end up buying anything.
I decided the try the Mumm Napa Classics. A Blanc de blanc, Brut prestige, and Brut Rose.


Please ignore the fact that I'm a total dork with my USB drive attached to my keys, I lose things easily.

The Blanc de Blanc was very nice. With hints of green apple and a bit of tart. It also wasn't as fizzy as the other two, which I liked.

The Brut Prestige was sweeter than the first with tones of honeysuckle. It also had a bit more alcohol on the nose and mouth.

The Brut Rose was sweet like the other Brut. It felt a bit meatier with more of a mouthful feel.

My personal favorite was the Blanc de Blanc. Which also means it is what I will be taking to our friends house for NYE.

Happy New Years everyone! Sorry I haven't written on here recently, but I'm making it a goal to make an entry at least weekly. Napa valley has too many wineries and food places to offer to not share them with everyone!
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Life is mysterious

Cool things might be coming my way...update soon.

Want, Need, Have

I feel like I'm finally over the "i've just moved to a new place" hump. Sure, I still miss my friends, and it's strange not having family around. But I don't think that those emotions will ever go away. It's always going to be a bit lonely because in the last few years I've gotten to know some amazing people, who are also scattered all over the place. I like how a few nights before I left Adan and I pinky swore that we'd always be friends, and we wouldn't lose touch or become "pretend" friends. I feel the same way about a handful of other people, I just didn't get the chance to pinky swear them into a contract. I am a terrible phone-caller, so if you feel like you've missed me too, just give me a ring-a-ling.
Right now the biggest stress in my life is my job(s). In a way, I don't mind working two jobs. It keeps me busy and I know that I'm making money. But I hate feeling like I could be doing something else, something where I could be learning or productive. This feeling really only applies to one of my jobs. I laugh because I've had three different employers in as many months, and you're always hearing about how hard it is to find a job in this economy. Probably because I'm taking the jobs no one wants, and honestly, two out of the three, I don't want them either.
So maybe the answer is to cut back on working so much at a place I hate (again), work as much as they'll let me at the place I enjoy, and tell the bank I can only pay the interest on my loans. Peace of mind is worth more to me than being able to pay loans on a degree that I haven't had the chance to use. I miss making art, and this realization hit me in the face like a ton of bricks. Time (or lack of it) should never be an excuse, and really I just haven't found motivation or reason to do anything. So I guess my Harvest Resolution is to make art, work at a place I enjoy, and not worry so much about money. And now that I've typed them out, they seem kind of daunting.

Artful International

Friends of Eric's have started up a non-profit called Artful International. Just wanted to give them a shout out. So check it out!

http://www.artfulinternational.org/

Mission: Artful International is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization devoted to pairing artistic expression with the expansion of charitable efforts around the globe. We exist to join people in the creation, discovery and distribution of all things artful.

Art’s function throughout society is vast. It is a means to communicate, to educate, to inquire and to entertain. It possesses an undeniable therapeutic value and ever persists as the greatest avenue for expression. We believe that our complete admiration for art coupled with its unlimited potential to benefit humanity, creates a dynamic movement that can change the world.

The inherent quality of Artful International is not unlike a deeply rooted tree. Our passion and our lifeblood flow deeply from beneath artistic ground. Stemming from our loyalty to all things artful is merciless devotion to providing support and service to communities and organizations alike.

With that in mind, Artful International is calculated through the simplest of formulas:

Artistic Expression + Global Charitable Advancement = Artful International

We are an art-based company; therefore, our primary objective lies in the creation, discovery and distribution of art. In order to provide the highest quality of service, our primary drive embarks with a love and devotion originating from the necessity for art in everyday life. Our ability to procure a superior product and service relies on these values.

Our secondary devotion is the advancement of charitable efforts. Financial assistance from commercial sponsorship, private donations, product sales and other fundraising is allocated to a network of organizations benefiting humanitarian, educational, environmental, and research developmental needs. Donated product and services will lend a helping hand in assisting local and international aspiring artist find the artful path.

Artful International’s immovable love for and devotion to all things artful is rooted within a vast network of artistic forms. The firmness of that system branches upward into a thriving, expansive growth of charitable services to all of humanity.

Artful International’s primary focus is on a four-platform foundation: Humanitarian, Educational, Environmental, and Research Development. Our services combine efforts to provide artists with the resources to explore talent while promoting social awareness and charitable contributions. All artistic programs are designed to encompass one or more of these charitable causes. We seek to commission artists and artisans to consistently move our mission forward while our skilled production staff creates, implements, procures, and distributes programs. Only with a partnership of creativity and cause can we design a program to support the highest level of social outreach. Our highest priority is providing hope to artists of any skill level and supporting charitable efforts for all walks of life.

Birthday Time!

Today is my birthday. I spent it at work, buying groceries, cleaning the house, updating my phone, and talking to my family. Later I'll be going to Zuzu for dinner. Then out to Downtown Joe's for a drink. No crazy celebration because i've got to work tomorrow. Make money, money!

Things to do that are not work:

Tomorrow (9/23):
Trefethen wine tasting
Chase vineyards BBQ

10/2-4:
ZD winery 40th anniversary

10/10:
Kiwanis BBQ/oyster/wine "Hot October Nights"

10/17:
Napa Oktoberfest

10/18:
Treasure Island Music Festival

Life, a post

Let's see... with in the last two weeks I quit one of my two jobs and picked up a new job working weekends at a winery. ZD winery to be specific (thanks Jason!). I'll mostly be pouring wine to those ever present tourists and daycationers. I'm really excited about this new job experience, I went in earlier this week do to paperwork and within the first hour I met the matriarch, Rosa Lee deLeuze, and she invited me to go to Hot October Nights. So I now have 60$ tickets for me and my plus one (Eric). The deLeuze family (aka the D in ZD) pays for their employees to go to events, and the late Norman deLeuze was a huge supporter for the Kiwanis Club (community organizers, gasp!). Hot October Nights is a fundraising event for the Kiwanis with a silent auction, but it also includes a live band, BBQ/Oyster bar, and wine tasting from various wineries. The event is October 10th, and if it's anything like the last wine event I went to, i'll be sure to bring my camera for some eventful picture taking.

All in all, life out here is getting a little easier. I'm not working as much as I was two weeks ago, I feel like I can sit down and breathe.

Las Palmas, yes please

I feel like my life has been lacking in the Mexican food department. Last week, after being foiled on a sandwich run, Eric and I tried out a place that we hadn't been to before, Las Palmas. Napa's Mexican food selection varies from the Taco Truck to the $20 plate of 2 tacos. This place falls somewhere in the middle. Sadly, the taco shops are nothing near the caliber of what Tucson has to offer. I feel like Tucson spoiled all cheap Mexican food for the rest of my life. Nico's Super Nachos, I will never forget you. And if you think i'm going to pay $20+ dollars for a taco plate then you're off your rocker. I'll just save the cash and use it as gas money to go see my mom, her food is way more worth it.

Anyways, Las Palmas is in the warehouse district, which in Napa means it's two blocks away from downtown. Don't let it's proximity to the Feed Store scare you, you won't find any hay bales or leftover baby animals in here. Las Palmas is right next door to Las Palmas meat and seafood market, both owned by the same person. The Chef has about 15 years of experience working as Chef du Cuisine in the North Bay. Usually I go the safe route at new Mexican food places, but since they have their own butchery I took a risk (for me) and got the fish tacos.

The tacos were tilapia sautéed in white wine, onions, and diced tomatoes. They were good. Everything tasted fresh and made to order, instead of most places where things taste like they've been sitting around in a vat for a while.
Eric got the Chile Verde. Really good, really spicy.

They also had the best horchata i've had since moving out here. How i've missed you horchata! I'd go back just for their horchata. The patio is really nice, but like everywhere in Napa, watch out for the Wasps.

Ubuntu - Anniversary Dinner

For our second anniversary Eric and I planned on going to Ubuntu. For those that have never heard of it, Ubuntu is a farm-to-table vegetarian based restaurant headed by Chef Jeremy Fox and his Pastry Chef (wife) Deanie Fox. Along with the restaurant, Ubuntu also includes a yoga studio and a biodynamic garden.

The inside of Ubuntu. Upstairs is the yoga studio, which you can see into when your dinning through the windows. There is a bar to the left and the hot prep area is in the back. The rest of the kitchen is behind doors between the bar and the hot prep station.
We started off the meal with Crispy Beet Green Fritters. The horseradish creme was paired really well with this dish.
The menu, which changes depending on what is in season in their garden. Everyday they print out new menus, with a lunch and dinner version.
I made Eric dress up for dinner.

Benzinger Salad: cucumbers and smoked eggplant. Probably one of my favorite dishes. The miso bathed cucumber was totally aligned with my taste-buds.
Heirloom Tomatoes, simply sliced, "polka" corn pudding. My least favorite dish of the meal, but still good. I love tomatoes, but for me it was too sweet. I felt that it needed something more savory to balance it out.
Expression of Summer Squash, scented with Vadouvan. Another great dish. The squash wasn't too soft or too hard. And the broth had a nice summer "hearty" taste.
Homemade gnocchetti pasta with split French beans. This dish was Italian with a strong Middle Eastern influence. Delicious, smelled and tasted a bit like perfume, but the kind you'd like to eat.
Desert was "Cheesecake" with a berry preserve. The rolls were honey crisps with powdered sugar. Now I generally dislike cheesecake, but this wasn't as cheesy as some or as sweet as others that i've had before.

All in all I give this place two huge thumbs up! Great food, interesting atmosphere. I do think that they need more servers, because they were running around like chickens with their heads cut off when they started to get busier. I'll be back here again in the Fall, I've heard that their baked cauliflower casserole is spectacular.