J C.'s Profile

Considering the average level of food available to the happy tourist in Napa, Cindy's was superb.  Three standouts: 1. the Campfire, 2. Panorama bread, and 3. the fizzy water.

Have you ever gone through an entire bag of jet-puffed marshmallows, only to roast maybe two to three to the ideal, toffee-colored crispy peaks enveloping the steaming hot, gooey and pillowy sweetness within.  Imagine 10-15 of those, topping a chocolate crumble crust, caramelized almonds, and cake (I think, though who could tell when all of the ingredients merge so perfectly with one another).  That is the Campfire.  It might be the adult sibling to my childhood favorite, S'Mores.

The bread is Cindy's concoction and almost led my sister and might have led to a mini battle over the last piece if the servers had not continued to bring by additional servings.  I've never had bread where the crust was the star, but somehow the Panorama bread achieves this effect.

Finally, the bubbly water was tasty -- just the right, subdued companion to our meal, and constantly refreshed (though you only pay once for one bottle).  Cindy might have a secret factory pumping away fizzy water for all I know.

Thank you Cindy, when are we going to see you with your own cooking show?

With all of the Pinkberry clones running rampant, it was difficult for me to be overly excited when my sister began raving about her favorite froyo place and mentioning words like "by weight."  My limited mind could only believe she was referring to places like my favorite froyo place in DC, where I have seen them weigh the froyo, before counting the exact number of raspberries they'd permit to spottily crown the poor yogurt, visibly begging for more topping companions.

The decor of So Frais sets off the casual, relaxed aesthetic and dominant culture.  The main wall is a black chalkboard listing drinks, caricatures of the So Frais team, and assorted doodles.  You pick up a bowl (larger than your average cereal bowl) and self serve.  Yes, the golden spigots which usually are guarded safely behind the counters at every other yogurt shop, offer themselves freely to each customer.  

You are again a child, free to mix pomegranate with lychee -- or peach sorbet and no-sugar-added vanilla... the potential combinations boggle the mind in a delicious fashion.  Can you imagine scooping your own kiwis, blackberries, mini gummy bears and other toppings onto your yogurt -- perhaps even layering?  Even after many ladles of toppings and froyo, the total was just $6.

In the age of the narcissistic consumer, So Frais rules.

I am still reeling from what must be one of the best Indian food experiences I've had in recent memory.  Until now, my encounters had required me to play fun games such as "find the chicken pieces in the oil sauce," so discovering a place that had mastered the art of cooking Indian food that is spicy, aromatic, imbued with flavor, yet light/non-greasy and vegetarian, comforted me.  I am now convinced, if I ever thought otherwise, that healthy vegetarian food can be more filling and savory than its oil-laden carnivore-friendly counterparts.

We tried the vegetable patties, baigan bharta, and dahl and I'd heartily recommend all three.  All of our dishes were priced around $6.  I believe in Manhattan this might buy you a side dish of steamed carrots (if).

Note: only single occupancy wc's here for those who have less than positive "reactions" to Indian food.

Note: drink review, no food tasted.

This place is just what I was looking for: a non-pretentious, conveniently located bar where the drinks are taken seriously.  Dave, from PDT, constructed their menu, but you can go off of it easily because the bartenders have access to classic recipes in a bar book.  The attention to detail is fantastic -- even the cash register looks like an antique.

But the best part of my experience was certainly the service -- my request for a custom drink was not only fulfilled, but the excellent bartender was willing to play with the ingredient proportions to get it just right to my liking.  Their ice cubes are specially made to be larger than usual to minimize dilution through melting.  In short, all of the quality, and none of that reservation speakeasy hassle... Also, at $10/cocktail you really cannot complain.

But in addition to cocktails, the wine list is fantastic.  The bottles are reasonably priced (except for the sparkling, which is limited, though of high quality).  Many Rhones appear on the list, both red and white, along with a fantastic dessert wine selection.  There are also Italians and Californians... I cannot stop raving about this place.

Until Beretta I had been a cioppino virgin... and my was this seafood stew in a tomato-based broth savory!  Their menu is rather limited, having risotto dishes, pizza, and antipasti coupled with a special of the day (which the cioppino was, on a Friday evening).  The bread was spectacular, and the fresh, almost stringy mozarella accompanying the eggplant dish, beautiful.

The cocktails, however, were not a match for the Italian food on the menu.  Most seemed Latin-influenced, including rum drinks with sugar cane, etc.  Over-sweet and not so pleasing.  

Note: beware of the wait time... this place was packed and obviously quite popular.

Odd that I loved the open, industrial decor of this place more than the drinks on offer.  There was even a special smokers' section, slightly gated off, but visible from the street and open air.  Non-smoker here, but appreciated the attention to others who aren't. The music was low-key, but enhanced the loft-like feel of the place, with its steady electronic hum.

Not overly impressed with the drinks being a non-rye drinker, but the bartender was more than willing to accommodate my request for a Clover Club (no raspberry syrup) by making a muddled strawberry, lemon juice, Tanqueray and egg white drink in a flute that merited the attention it received as a very frou frou pink and fizzy drink.

Crowd was not the best, but the decor more than made up for it.  Would be a great place to throw a party as it's not the typical speakeasy joint with the low-lying ceiling, tables and dark booths.

How is this not a dive bar?  Friend and I walked in on a Friday and immediately did a 180... not what we were looking for at all...

We were fortunate enough to be the receivers of tastings from the wineowner himself, a retired military physician.  You can immediately sense his passion about the wine, and though the Roussanne was not available for tasting on that particular occasion, he noted my enthusiasm and fetched a bottle immediately.  

The only winery I've visited where I remember each wine as being a standout.  They don't over-oak their wines, and though the Roussanne lacked the perfumed character of a Rhone Roussanne, the taste was improved as an unblended single-varietal.  

Note: the appellation permits blending though it's not noted on the bottle of up to 25%, so a "Syrah" might contain Merlot for all you know.  The Roussanne and Pinot Noir here, however, are pure... and delicious!

Larry, the taste pourer, was knowledgeable about the vineyard.  Standout was definitely the "ancient vine" Mourvedre, a historical relic in its own right.  He showed me a picture of the gnarled vines, such a change from the new ones lining the road and easily visible from your automobile.  

Further adding to the distinction of the vines, they escaped the blight of phylloxera that killed other 100-year plus vines, because they are planted in SAND.  The phylloxera apparently infiltrates the vines through soil, so the sand protected the vines and encouraged the vines to produce more flavor because the roots must reach deeper into the ground to reach the water table.

Mourvedre is usually a mixing grape, and one of the winery's unique Rhone varietals.  They don't tend to blend, however, and this Mourvedre was excellent, making me proud of New World wines and the way they scoff at convention and are willing to experiment.

I was excited to taste the Viognier, which might be my favorite white wine varietal, but it lacked the perfumed quality I was expecting and instead was "racy" and citrus-flavored... more a wine for Pinot Grigio lovers... and the Zin... well not my choice, though Zin lovers would probably appreciate it.

Note: this winery owns Jacuzzi across the street, but a very different feel here, maybe not quite so welcoming.

Mixed up my breakfast order, refused to give me early or late check out, and places doggy biscuits on the front desk (?).  Staff was oddly careless and unprofessional.  The bartender at Firefly had such a weak arm that my Lady Luck cocktail arrived pitifully flat, the powdered egg whites having not set due to her lack of a proper shake.  Would come back here in a pinch, but would not to.