Jim & Jamie’s Adventures In Napa

We have traveled to Napa many times over the last 14 years prior to moving here and we’ve always enjoyed the mustard blossoms that bring such beauty to this landscape in winter. Yet this year, more so than any other, because we are seeing more and more of it each day as we ride around the valley, we are beginning to appreciate what it has to offer. It is dramatic and heartwarming, and gives you such hope that spring is on its way. It doesn’t last much longer as once the buds on the vines begin to show they till the mustard plants into the soil and the dramatic effect is gone. For anyone traveling to Napa in the next month, be pleasantly surprised by the beauty that awaits you here in the last of these winter months. Fewer people, more personalized service in the wineries and restaurants, and the extraordinary beauty of the mustard in full bloom.

For those who were staying as guests at The Inn On First, we pulled out all the stops for Christmas morning breakfast. It began when Jamie set the table with our holiday china, stemware, and silverware. He ordered a nice bouquet from Beau Fleurs Florist (www.beaufleurs.com) in Napa. With red roses and star gazers and holiday greenery sitting on top of the Holiday Tartan patterned table cloth, he lit the candles and started the holiday choral music, and the feast was ready to begin. We started with a cold fruit soup, with raspberries, strawberry sprinkles, lemon-poached pear, and a creme-fraiche whipped cream. The second course was a platter of warm cinnamon rolls with Strauss Family butter (www.strausfamilycreamery.com, organic dairy products). The main course was homemade brioche mini-loaves topped with poached eggs, a thyme-pepper-lemon sauce, and California Osetra caviar. On the side were smoked apple and chicked sausages. In the immortal words of Jamie: YUMMY!!! Mumm-osas and Po-mosas (Mumm Sparkling wine mimosas with orange juice, or with pomegranate juice!) added cheer and goodwill at the table, as did the decorated Christmas cookies (an old Cherry family recipe). As guests left for the day they were handed their special Holiday Gift to take home with them. What was that gift? Can’t tell you. You’ll have to come yourself and see what we do! Although we struggled with the decision to stay open for Christmas, it was obvious at breakfast that it was worth the cost of our time and energy to celebrate the holiday with others. A bit of Jim and Jamie hospitality, mixed with Jamie’s decorative flair for Christmas, and Jim’s desire to create innovative and delicious food, were the best gifts we could offer to others who wanted a fun and delicious place to celebrate the holiday season. We still had our time together on Christmas Eve, sitting by the fire, drinking Schramsberg’s Brut Rose, eating homemade blinis with creme fraiche and caviar, and then sitting down to enjoy a home-cooked meal of Cioppino and cornbread, finishing with the traditional eggnog and brandy and the Cherry family holiday cookies. Of course, the boys enjoyed their evening as well when we settled down all together and watched Meet Me In St. Louis with Judy Garland. What a great holiday movie to enjoy. I’m already thinking about next year’s menu: how to improve it and make it better. Maybe 4 or 5 courses instead of 3, although I would need to make the portions smaller on all the courses. Ah, decisions, decisions. We’ll see what next year brings! Well, from our family to yours, Merry Christmas. Jim