Jim & Jamie’s Adventures In Napa

Thursday is a great night to spend a night at The Inn On First.  Every Thursday, from June through mid-September, the Napa Downtown Merchant’s Association presents “Chef’s Market”.  You can find a farmer’s market anywhere. But only in Napa can you buy your produce, watch a world class chef’s demonstration, enjoy live music at four stages including one just for kids – while enjoying a glass of Napa Valley wine. The sixteenth annual Thursday night Napa Chef’s Market summer season kicked-off on Thursday, May 20, and will continue through the summer from 5 to 9 PM on First Street in Downtown Napa.  Free and open to the public, this outdoor food, wine and entertainment extravaganza is like no other – it  features food and wine tastings from Napa Valley restaurants and wineries, cooking demonstrations by Napa’s acclaimed chefs, dozens of food vendors, produce from 25 of the region’s top farmers, three musical stages, and a block of children’s entertainment. Chefs Market has been voted “Best Family Outing” by local radio stations listeners for years.  Even casual foodies will enjoy the two nightly cooking demonstrations at 6:30 and 7:30 each night, which are hosted by Anne Baker, former pastry chef for Mustards Grill. Baker lines up two chefs each night, and both pair their offerings with wine from a downtown tasting room.  Samples of food and wine are free to all watching.

This is a great way to spend a Thursday evening like a local Napan: walk the streets, enjoy some beer and wine, listen to the music, and enjoy the sights, sounds, and flavors of downtown Napa on a balmy summer evening.

If you want some great, easy eats at very affordable prices, then Oxbow Market on Tuesday nights is the place to be.  Gott’s Burgers and Fries, $4.00 for a cheeseburger and fries, and a house salad at 50% off.  Hog Island Oyster company has oysters for $1, and Pica-Pica has $1 ceviche shots.  These are just a few of the treats waiting for those who are staying at The Inn On First on Tuesday nights.  Entertainment will also be provided in the main market area between the hours of 5 to 9 pm.  And don’t forget all the great tasting rooms in the area that are staying open later for the summer, some until 9 pm for those who want to continue to experience of wine tasting later into the night.  You can also walk over to the Verasa and eat at the Bank Bar where they serve 3 tapas for $5.  Stay on Tuesday, be a local.

Get out of the car and onto the bike.  It is a lovely way to see the Napa Valley, and all within reach of The Inn On First.  Napa Valley Adventure Tours rents bicycles out of the Oxbow Market, a 15-20 minute walk from the inn.  While at the Oxbow Market you can pick up sandwiches from The Fatted Calf (love the pulled pork), or go next door to The Model Bakery for a loaf of bread (a huge selection) and head up to the Cheese Merchant in the main building for some olives, cheeses, or other snacks.  While there, visit the wine shop where you can pick up half-bottles of wine for lunch, or walk through the open market and purchase fresh fruit, vegetables, or go to Pica-Pica for some gluten-free items.  Then go to the bike shop, pick up your bike and head right back down First Street, past the inn, over Highway 29 until First Street becomes Browns Valley Road.  Stay on that street until you see the animal farm on the left (about 1/4 mile from Highway 29) and turn left on Thompson Road.  Follow Thompson Avenue to Congress Valley Road (right) and continue to Buhman Road (left) which takes you into the heart of the Carneros Region.  Best place to lunch and wine taste will be Folio Winemaker’s Studio, where you can sit at the picnic table out near the vineyards, or go onto the back porch and enjoy your lunch overlooking the vineyards.  This is the 6-mile marker from the inn.  If you are feeling hearty, head up the hill toward Artesa Winery for a great view (7-mile marker) and then make a decision: more cycling, more wine tasting, or return to the inn.  If you are ready to return, head for Old Sonoma Road, turn left, and follow the directions below for Getting Home.

If you are ready to keep going then head back down the hill away from Artesa Winery toward Domain Carneros Winery (9-mile marker), where you can spend some time enjoying a purchase of their cheese plate with a glass of sparkling wine on their terrace.  Want to go further?  Follow Duhig Road toward Acacia Winery (11.5 mile marker), and then to Cuttings Wharf Road/Carneros Ave to Saintsbury winery (16-mile marker) and then back toward Madonna Estate and Old Sonoma Road (17-mile marker).

Getting Home: Stay on Old Sonoma Road until it crosses back over Highway 29 and you come to Jefferson Avenue.  Turn left on Jefferson and ride down to First Street and turn left. At this point you will have completed a 22-mile loop.  You want a bigger ride than that?  I’ll have to save that info for another blog: think Lake Hennessey and Chiles Valley.

Don’t worry about directions: we’ll have maps for you as well as the bike shop.  There are only a few slight inclines, except for the climb up to Artesa; it is generally a really flat ride with great views of the wineries, vineyard, and the Carneros Region.  And except for a very short (maybe 50 yards) ride along the highway, you are on side streets that keep you away from the hustle and bustle of traffic.

For those who want to see my map, copy and paste the link to a new window:  http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=118210235070811742809.0004863229d0d1cb14f19&z=13&lci=bike

We enjoyed a perfect day in Napa.  Lovely blue skies, 75 degree weather, and a lovely hike for an hour to Lake Marie (Lake Marie Road).  It starts in a parking lot, veers around an RV park, and then climbs into the hillsides filled with oak trees, long grasses, and beautiful flowers all over the place.  There we found a bench at the lake, a place to eat lunch, drink some wine, and to enjoy the afternoon.  Then we made the trek back with some really spectacular views of Napa Valley; all the while proclaiming: “Oh my!  And we get to live here.”  It is a five minute drive from The Inn On First and it is called Skyline Wilderness Park.  For a $5.00 day-use fee you have access to picnic grounds and some really wonderful trails in the hills around the city of Napa.  Due to poison oak we stayed with the Lake Marie Road trail, which is pretty much a straight shot to Lake Marie.  There are picnic areas along the trail, as well as picnic tables or benches (okay, only 2) for you to enjoy the view of the lake, the egrets, the hawks, the ducks, the blue herons, etc.  For a Saturday afternoon, when the valley floor is crawling with people and cars and wine-tasting, this was a perfect day in the park and a picnic lunch where there were few people along the trail, and we only saw one other couple at the lake.  When they left we were alone for a good 30 minutes before anyone else showed up.  Wow!  What a perfect day, and right here within city limits.

If I only had one day and night to spend in Napa, what would I do?   Day 1: Arrive in Napa by 10:00 a.m.  Buy coffee from the Napa Valley Roasting Company at First and Main Street.  Be on the road by 10:00 a.m. either for a winery tour at Mondavi (many public tours all day) or Beringer (fewer tour times but an excellent tour of the cave, winery, etc.).   If I was smart I made a reservation at Schramsberg for the best cave tour of all in the Valley.  Then I make decisions based upon my preferences: broad selection of whites/reds (Jessup, Goosecross, Peju, Arger-Martucci, Flora Springs, Cosentino, Mondavi’s Folio), varietal selection (a TINY few of my faves- Baldacci Brenda’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Sinskey Carneros Pinot, St. Clement Cabernet Sauvignon, Peju Cab Franc, Arroyo Petite Syrah, August Briggs Zinfandel, Rombauer Chardonnay), unique tasting experiences with food and wine pairing (Swanson, Sinskey, Paraduxx, Quintessa, Peju), cave experiences (Schramsberg, Beringer, Vine Cliff, Jarvis), high-end wines (Opus One, Quintessa, Revanna, Phelps, Sherwin), hillside wineries that take you out of the Valley (Kuleto, Nichellini, Pride, Artesa, Reverie, Hess, Long Meadow Ranch), popular wineries (Nickel and Nickel, Silver Oak, Stag’s Leap, Duckhorn, Cakebread, Paraduxx, Quintessa, Rubicon, Frank Family, Miner Family, Phelps), unique wines (Prager/Port, Peju/Provence),  unique architecture (Artesa, Darioush, Rubicon, Beringer, Quixote), unique tours (by horseback or covered wagon: Larsen, by all road vehicle: Long Meadow Ranch, Olive Oil mill: Round Pond).  If time allowed, I would consider cycling in St. Helena or Yountville, doing a volcanic ash bath in Calistoga at the Lavender Hill Spa or soaking in the mud bath/mineral pools at Indian Springs, hiking at the Bale Grist Mill or up to Mt. Helena. Back at The Inn On First I would consider an in-room massage, a power nap, and then an 8:00 p.m. dinner reservation. Hmm.  One day?  I think more like a few days, if not a week…and that is when I would call the innkeepers and ask for an extension of more time at the inn!

It would start with arrival at the Inn at 5:00 p.m.  Enjoy the sparkling wine in the room, some snacks, and sit out in the garden to enjoy the evening.  I would make a 7:30 p.m. dinner reservation in Napa with a casual walk back to the Inn planned for afterward.  In the morning enjoy a hearty breakfast either in the dining room or out in the garden followed by a couple’s massage in the room at 10:30.  Two weeks prior to your stay I would have scheduled you an appointment at Pride Mountain Vineyards for around 1:00 p.m. and would have ordered lunch for you to pick-up from Oakville Grocery around noon.  At Pride Mountain you would enjoy the great wines as well as the spectacular views of the surrounding valleys.  You would know to go either to the mountain-top picnic table with a view, or to a more secluded spot in the glen to sit down and enjoy your lunch.  Once a bottle of wine has been enjoyed with some food you would talk about your lives and how wonderful it is to be on vacation together in such a beautiful part of the world.  ”Speaking of beauty,” you would say….and eventually that would get you to the proposal.  Enjoy the grounds and the aftermath of joy in the “yes” that was given and later drive down to Yountville for a small sweet snack at Bouchon Bakery with a single shot espresso.  Sit outside at the cafe table, hold hands, and enjoy the bliss of new beginnings.  You return to the inn and take a nap, enjoying an afternoon snooze, and then plan on dinner around 6:30 along Main Street in Napa.  After dinner (Friday and Saturday nights only) I would have ordered you tickets for the Jazz/Cabaret club, Silo’s, where you could enjoy Michael Greensill and Wesla Whitfield serenade you magically with love songs from the decades, both playful and sentimental.  At the end of the show I would return to the inn.  Of course, two weeks prior to your arrival, I would have scheduled to have the Lover’s Package set up in the room, with a bottle of sparkling wine on ice waiting for you to open, a bowl of homemade truffles/chocolates, and rose petals in the shape of a heart on the bed, with soft music playing in the room when you return from your day trip.  Draw the jacuzzi bath and luxuriate in the perfect romantic day you have just had in the Napa Valley. The next day the ring should be prominently held out for all to see as you are greeted by innkeepers and guests alike.  You will receive lots of congratulations and one word of advice: choose a response to the question “When’s the wedding?”  That is the first question everyone will ask.  Even an answer such as “Sometime next year” is sufficient.  After that…well, that’s up to you!

Tasting rooms are in abundance in the city of Napa.  Each of them unique- some are individual wineries, others are representing larger wineries throughout the Napa Valley, and still others showcase the wines of small winemakers who neither have tasting rooms and lease equipment from larger wineries.  Vintner’s Collective is part of the latter- these winemakers don’t make more than 10,000 cases per year.  At Vintner’s Collective the winemakers are typically making wine for other wineries in the valley and then have their own grapes to make their own.  For example, Rolando Herrera, who has made wines for Stag’s Leap and Baldacci Vineyards, has his own line of wines under the label of “Mi Sueno” (My Dream).  We were invited for an event to enjoy the wines they offer and I fell in love with Destino Winery (he is also the owner of Bouchaine).  First I tried his Cabernet Sauvignon blend called “Mask” (delicious! and only $30) and then was introduced to his single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($50) and drank nothing else for the rest of the evening.  I was afraid to move away from something I enjoyed so much.  Last year I fell in love with Rolando Herrera’s Chardonnay (rich, buttery, creamy); this year Destino was to capture my palate.  There are easily ten or more wineries represented at Vintner’s Collective so there is much more to taste.  Because this tasting room is within walking distance of the inn (along with 11 others), you never have to get into your car and don’t have to worry about any crazy drivers weaving down highway 29 in the late afternoon.  The other advantage of tasting rooms over the wineries?  They usually stay open to 6 or 7 p.m. on the weekends while the wineries close between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m.  As a side note, the Taste of Napa cards we sell (currently $35 per couple) give you the opportunity over the course of one year to visit each of the 11 represented tasting rooms on the cards and to receive a single pour from each (although most usually give you the full tasting of wines available).

Some friends from San Francisco came to Napa recently to introduce us to Silo’s, a wine-music club here in the city of Napa.  We had heard about the club but had yet to get there.  We decided to eat at Angele as the club is in the same location, and then walked down the sidewalk at 8 p.m. for the show.  It is a small space, and probably holds no more than 50 people.  Dark velvet curtains behind the stage, a piano, some microphones, small cafe tables with tea lamps, and a nice wine and beer bar.  We had been told that Michael and Wesla, the evening entertainers and owners, were to perform that night and that they were both seasoned musicians.  As the lights died down and the server brought us a luscious Elyse Zinfandel to drink, Michael began to play on the piano and Wesla began to sing.  About five minutes into the show I was sure I wasn’t in Napa anymore.  I felt as though I was in New York, in a small jazz club, and the music was carrying me away.  All that was missing was the smoke drifting across the room ( I suppose they could manufacture it!  :-)….)  Her voice was incredible, and his playing was timely and fun.  As Jamie stated afterward: “I would have sworn he was playing with three hands,” as his manipulation of the keys in the songs was playful and engaging and challenging.  The songs were all romantic, standards from across the decades, and soon we were all holding hands with our loved ones and were caught up on a romantic ride through the evening.  They made you laugh, sigh, and remember how much fun it is to be in love with each other through the gift of music.  Only later we found out that she has sang at Carnegie Hall and is well known in the music industry.  She is an acclaimed Cabaret/Jazz vocalist (Wesla Whitfield) and he is a well-known jazz pianist (Mike Greensill) who can be heard every Saturday on West Coast Live, a radio program out of San Francisco.  For anyone looking for romantic entertainment for the evening, this is it!  Don’t miss it.  They have a $20 cover charge and their wine list is good and not over-priced as at other wine bars.  They do have a few items for gnoshing (cheese and fruit, small pizza, dessert), but we didn’t enjoy any of that as Angele completely filled us up (another blog, another time!).  My suggestion to anyone wanting to have a great romantic evening: dinner on Main Street in Napa, a show at Silo’s at the Napa Mill, and then a stroll or ride back to the inn for a jacuzzi tub.  Folks, it doesn’t get much better than that.

Okay, so I moved to Napa and wasn’t expecting to be impressed by any live entertainment offerings.  Until I signed us up to belong to the Opera House family of donors.  I saw the playlist of players for the year and I was really impressed by their offerings.  From Chita Rivera, to Rufus Wainright, to Beach Blanket Babylon.  Concerts, plays, and musicals are just the beginning.  What is even nicer is that the venue is small that no matter where you sit in the house it is a good seat to view the person(s) on stage.  The Opera House was recently renovated and it shows in the seats, the comfortable arrangement, and also in the way it maintains that small town feel to the place.  For those who want to plan ahead with tickets to a live show and some great entertainment, check their website out at:  http://www.nvoh.org/index.php/shows.  We’ve gone three times now and have enjoyed every experience.  It is only a fifteen minute walk to First and Main Streets, with plenty of restaurants to choose from in the area for dining before or after the show.

It always falls on the first Saturday of December.  With over 400 people visiting the inn, eating food from Bleaux Magnolia and Angele, pairing the food with wine from Baldacci Vineyards and Mumm Napa, it was a busy and exciting night for The Inn On First and the other 10 participating bed and breakfast inns in Napa.  For $55 you are provided all the food and drink you desire, as well as a visit to every inn that is decorated for the holidays, and even transportation to and near the inns.  Each inn typically holds open one room for participants to visit and this year we showed them Vintage Reserve, one of our two largest suites upstairs.  I baked an extra 500 pieces of cookies and brownie bon-bons which were completely gone by the end of the night.  It was magical and fun for all of us.  Dressed in our Holiday Vests we showed off all of Jamie’s decorations as well as the enormous 9′ tree fully decked out for the night.  Jamie’s sister, Roxanne, also donated a wreath for the front door that is the first thing you see walking up the front door.  The glass logo sculpture has green and red lights that subtly light up the evening with The Inn On First ambience.  The Napa Valley Register did come by and take a few photos (one of an ornament on the tree and the other of the front door) for you to view:  http://www.napavalleyregister.com/articles/2008/12/12/business/doc49420ebda44d3571685261.txt