Jim & Jamie’s Adventures In Napa

All three of us dined for the first time at the Mini Mango last month. We really enjoyed the experience. I personally feel that it was the best combination of your local tiny thai bistro, and an established Napa Valley restaurant. The setting was intimate, they did a nice job of fitting quite a few tables in the main dining room, and the service was very good. The main dining area has a small view into the kitchen and a large view to the outdoor, larger,  heated patio area with tables. Very clean, very simple.

The only thing that wasn’t necessarily simple was getting to the table. To be fair I feel like I should be discuss this. Most people that come to Napa want or expect the red carpet to be pre-laid and surrounded by rows of vines. Not an unjust expectation, but, while they do have a terrific set of red drapes hanging over the patio and excellent service, you will most certainly find a line of guests in front of you and no vineyard views, even if you have a reservation. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

When going to a busy, bustling establishment it is not uncommon to think it is good or even great. Why else would people be there? When there are so many establishments that are almost barren and starving for business, is it better to take a chance on them? Not if you know what you like to eat.

At the Mini Mango, people don’t seem to mind waiting for the food. I found it to be hot, fast and elegant. We ordered just about one of everything. There were noodles slicked with a thin but typically rich sauce, shrimp spicy-smokey-sweet, pork covered, no glazed, with brown sugar glaze that was so sticky, it would stick, literally stick to your fingers but after melt, and then there were  corn fritters.We were served the most perfect corn fritters. The fritters tasted like a corn candy. But better. The corn was mixed into a light batter that when fried, gave it a delicate salty crunch. A perfect patty of corn kernel crispy, crunchy like a chip. But better. The presentation, for all you that eat with your eyes first (you know who you are), was, again very clean, very simple, very true to their style.

As for the Mini menu itself, it is anything but and offers a sufficient array of options for everyone.  This is, of course, providing that everyone likes food.  There are small, medium and large size plates to accommodate your waistline as well as pocketbook. I haven’t even mentioned the exceptionally priced, uncomplicated buddha bowls. These will have to wait until you go see for yourself. Best $3.50, in Napa dining dollars, to be spent.

Author: Mercedes

Zins Valley is a restaurant that has been in the city of Napa for a long time but only recently moved into the historic downtown region, taking over the restaurant space from former restaurant NV.  One of the first things you see as you walk in the right front door is the word “welcome” etched into the glass in numerous languages.  It leads you into the bar area that is nicely laid out, with ambient lighting and bar seating.  To the right, beyond the receptionist’s desk, is the dining room, laid out in casual form; and what struck me is that every seat is cushioned and comfortable.  How often do you go to a restaurant and the booth seats against the wall are cushioned and the single chairs are not, which means someone is going to be less comfortable during the meal?  What a simple but nice touch.

The menu is what I would call comfort food with a global touch.  Hoisin basted pork ribs, coconut curry with jasmine rice and assorted vegetables, garlicky shrimp with pasta, grilled Kobe bavette steak with goat cheese macaroni and cheese, and achiote-rubbed flank steak are but a few of the dishes we enjoyed.  The caesar salad is solid, and the spring roll special that day was fresh and delightful, the flatbread delicious, and the butternut squash soup of the day spicy and warming to the soul.  The cost is reasonable and in tune with the economy and the offerings.  Everything seems to embrace you with comfort, comfort, comfort.  This is not an upscale, state of the art restaurant with the latest trends and culinary nuances; rather it is an established eatery that provides good food at a fair price.

We were happy that Jennifer Huffman of the Napa Register wrote a nice piece on the Holiday Tour. What she wrote about The Inn On First was the following:

Down First Street, Jim Gunther and Jamie Cherry welcomed partygoers at the Inn on First.

“It’s been a great year,” Cherry said. The innkeepers recently became the second California inn to become certified green by the California Green Lodging Association. To receive the award, the innkeepers incorporated a number of changes in their business including replacing plastic water bottles with aluminum containers, adding recycling bins to each room, switching to green cleaning products, and installing tankless water heaters. Customers these days notice such efforts, Cherry said. “Everyone said you have to distinguish yourselves.” Online reviews have also helped draw business their way, he noted.

On that afternoon, plenty of visitors were drawn to the Inn on First, sampling Mumm Napa Valley champagne and chef Gunther’s sweet and savory treats. Or perhaps it was the live tango music by ensemble Tango No 9.

“You gotta make them happy,” Cherry said, as he looked at his guests as they enjoyed the live music.

For the full article, see: http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2009/12/12/home/doc4b22f5d2883f9509032407.txt

Another awesome year for the Holiday Tour.  We invited Baldacci Winery and Mumm Napa to pour wine for our guests this year, and I decided to make my own food instead of relying upon one of the restaurants to provide comestibles.  We started with 200 pieces homemade puff pastry, baked off into small bites, topped with a Humboldt Fog Goat Cheese/Ancho Chili Pepper spread with a roasted sweet tomato.  We continued with homemade flour tortillas which were baked off into 300 chips, with a spoonful of carnitas, roasted tomato salsa, and avocado cream.  Then we put out 500 pieces of chocolate cake squares frosted with peppermint cream and peppermint bits, and 250 pieces of homemade pecan brittle.  It was all gone by the end of the 4 hour event.  Not just here, but at every inn.

Now, to put it into perspective.  There were 11 other Bed and Breakfast Inns on the tour, and each of them also had food, providing approximately 1000 pieces of food at each inn ranging from new york steak sliders, hors d’ oeuvres, ribs, shrimp, chicken, ham, pork, sandwiches, cookies, and small desserts.  12 inns multiplied by 1000 pieces of food equals 12,000 pieces; divided by 375 people, and you end up with 32 pieces of food per person.  No wonder people said they wouldn’t need dinner that night!  There was an average of 24 bottles of wine at each inn, bringing the total to 288; divided by 375 people, and you end up with each person drinking 3/4 of a bottle of wine each.  Considering that many people don’t drink at the event, well you do the math.

Don’t forget the transportation provided between the inns, as well as the entertainment which ranged from Tango 09 (The Inn On First), carolers, jazz trio, and many other musical groups scattered across the inns.  All that for $55.00 per person.  It is a fundraiser for local Napa Charities and it helps to support the local Napa Historic Inns Association.  There is a great article in the San Francisco Examiner (unfortunately we were not mentioned- bah!  humbug!) about the event:  http://www.examiner.com/x-28365-Napa-Valley-Insider-Examiner~y2009m11d18-Holiday-tour-in-the-town-of-Napa-features-best-historic-inns-local-restaurants-and-wines

Now that it is over we’re both a little sad…all this planning, all these wonderful people, and the fun is over so quickly!  ”Ah, next year,” Jamie said with a smile.  I can see he’s already getting ready to plan next year….

I often refer to wine in 3 categories: the rock concert (huge reds), the jazz concert (full fruit, playful on the palate), and ballet (soft, elegant, balanced).  Regusci, for me, falls into the jazz category.  Nice flavor, playful and fun to drink, not too complex, and easy on the tongue.  On an historical note, Regusci is a “Ghost Winery”- “Ghost Winery” is the name given to the few remaining early Napa Valley wineries that were in existence between 1860 and 1900. Very few of these Ghost Wineries remain as the vineyards of most Napa Valley wineries were decimated by the phylloxera infestation of the 1890’s. The economic depression of that decade was the final blow for many others. As a result, most of these wineries were abandoned or forced into bankruptcy and then laid dormant through prohibition.   As a Stag’s Leap District winery, it is surprising to find wine that is not huge with lots of tannins (they do have one Reserve that will need some aging before drinkability); but rather a nice touch to discover wines that are drinkable but also will age nicely over time.  Currently they have a number of wines for you to try: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, and Chardonnay, and all of this overlooking a beautiful estate.  For people looking for wine not too complex and easy on the palate, Regusci is the place to visit.

Judy Rogers, owner/chef of Zuni’s Cafe in San Francisco, continues to provide the ambience and great food that has defined her restaurant since 1987.  The whole roast chicken and the 30-minute wait are still on the menu, and still is a huge hit with it’s accompanying bread salad.  We decided to try the anchovies and parmesan cheese as an appetizer and we loved them with the crusty bread on the table and the parmesan cheese bits sprinkled on top.  The tomato soup was perfect, with roasted tomatoes and cilantro and creme fraiche, and the classic Caesar she makes still delights me.  I was given the opportunity to taste the ricotta gnocchi (wanted to compare them to my own- and I still prefer my own!), the pork chop roasted in the wood-burning oven, and the spaghetti and meatballs she had on the menu.  I still have yet to have a bad bite there.  The ambience is still funky and fun, with nooks and crannies and cubby holes hidden all over; the restaurant looks deceptively small until you walk through the labyrinth and discover tables that are hidden gems.  We kept dessert simple with the plate of biscottini, and with the large bowl cappucino it was a perfect ending to the meal.

One note about Bottega: even with a reservation, plan on waiting 15 to 30 minutes for your table.  You don’t mind waiting, especially near the outdoor fireplace with the cushioned outdoor sofas, a nice bottle of sparkling wine, and good friends with whom to enjoy the evening.  We tried 4 appetizers: the caprese salad with heirloom tomatoes, the deep fried foccacia that is wrapped with prosciutto and served with melon soup/sauce (everyone’s favorite), the crispy calamari, and the house-cured olives.  I decided to have the grilled octupus salad, with perfectly charred octupus tossed with greens and lemon vinaigrette, and a pasta, fettucine with bolognese.  I chose the pasta purposely because I had ordered it once before and was disappointed; it was under-seasoned.  Not so this time.  It was, as Tony the Tiger would say, “Great!!!”  Jamie allowed me to bite into his roasted quail, and our friends allowed me to enjoy a bit of their risotto with quail.  All of it was delicious.  As if that wasn’t enough food, we had to order to chocolate lava cake.  We weren’t disappointed.  Rolling ourselves out of the restaurant we all agreed that Bottega is still a local favorite spot for unique Italian food different from any other in the Napa Valley.

Our friends came into town and wanted something really easy and simple, so we introduced them to Pizza Azzuro.  More than just a “pizza joint”, they have wonderful salads, soup, and pastas to choose from.  I tend to order the pollo pizza, with chicken sausage and arugula, but was willing to extend my palate to something different: linguini with clams.  Always a treat to eat seafood, and sometimes leery of eating seafood in mid-scale restaurant, I was pleasantly surprised by flavor, texture, and overall yumminess.  The portion was huge- I’m learning to share my meals more often when we go there.  The mixed green salad is still a nice touch with blue cheese and candied pecans (I know- it’s been around a long time but it still works), as well as the Caesar Salad which is a nice classic to have on any menu.  The soup was clam chowder (yes, it came in both courses, but I didn’t mind) and it wasn’t too thick and wasn’t too thin- like Goldilocks, it was “just right”.  For anyone looking for a nice, simple, flavorful, and satisfying meal, Azzuro is an excellent choice at a reasonable price.

One of the beauties, and challenges, of the restaurant Ad Hoc is that you don’t have to think about the food.  As a 4-course pre-set meal, you are afforded a menu that details what you will eat for the evening: salad course, main course, cheese course, dessert course.  Jamie’s sister was in town and we decided to introduce her to what Ad Hoc had to offer.  We began with a delicious salad that sat on top of a large triangular cracker.  This has since become the inspiration for my new Nachos breakfast.  With pears and persimmons, it was a great beginning to the meal.  We moved onto the braised short ribs, which fell off the bone, with potatoes roasted long in the oven (crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside), with roasted carrots that had developed a nice sweetness during their time in the high heat.  Our cheese course was simple, a french cow’s milk (sorry, I have forgotten the name already!), some honey, and candied nuts.  Yummy.  Our dessert, though excellent, was my least favorite part of the meal- a creamy orange cheesecake .  It’s my fault, really, as I like my cheesecakes baked and with substance; some of the smoother, silkier cheesecakes don’t satisfy me as easily as the others.  They feel too “fluffy” for me.  As I said, personal preference.  All in all, we still love this restaurant.  And as I like to remind guests, look around the room and listen to the music- you’ll see heads bopping up and down to the tunes that range from the 50’s to present day, from the Beatles to Cold Play.  It’s subtle, but it adds a really nice touch to the experience.

We were named Best of the Bay for 2009 on SF Gate, giving us some much needed publicity on the front page of that website for a full day.  Now that was fun; looking at the page, seeing the picture of The Inn On First at the very top of the page, and we didn’t have to pay for it!  Thanks to everyone who made it happen.  We are excited to be counted as a destination Bed and Breakfast Inn in the Napa Valley.  We have worked hard to distinguish ourselves from all others in terms of service to our guests, as well as through the innovation in the food.  Currently there are 80 distinct and unique breakfasts that get served here throughout the year- recently we added Breakfast Pot Pie, Breakfast Nachos, Morning Gorditas, Hawaiian Pancakes, and Breakfast Canapes.  Our guarantee to our returning guests that we will not repeat a breakfast for future stays continues to bring repeat guests to our doors.  The homemade truffles and nut brittle, the spicy nuts and cheddar crackers, as well as all the other room amenities we offer along with concierge service for all dinner and winery reservations are what continue to draw new traffic.  We are fortunate that this award is right on the heels of “Most Romantic Bed and Breakfast 2007″ and the “Best Bed and Breakfast in the West 2008″.

For more information on our current Best of the Bay award, you can visit:  http://baylist.sfgate.com/winners/wine-getaways/4748/napa/napa-bed-and-breakfast