Joseph Phelps Winery

This is part 3 of the Napa Valley Adventures series. Other posts in this series: Ad Hoc and Bottega Ristorante

Imagine having a chance to play winemaker for an afternoon.

A chance to sit in your own "wine lab" and experiment, tasting individual flavor components from single origin wines, and then mixing them according to your preference.

Better yet, imagine you were using the same components used to make the winery's own very special, very expensive signature wine.

The Joseph Phelps Winery in Napa Valley holds many different kinds of interesting wine classes and workshops. The inner chemist in me was drawn to this "Make Your Own Insignia Blend" class because it looked so much more interesting than a basic tour. Better yet, we would be able to taste elements of the wine that we'd never be able to taste anywhere else.

The class is held inside their main tasting room. As soon as you enter, you see that each place setting already contains six glasses full of small amounts of red wine.

These are the individual components of the Insignia, the signature wine that Joseph Phelps Winery makes. From left to right, we tasted the following components, each from a single vineyard:

2008 Merlot
Oak Knoll District
Napa Valley

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
St. Helena Ranch
St. Helena (Napa Valley)

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
Suscol Ranch
Napa Valley

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
Las Rocas & Barboza Ranches
Stags Leap District (Napa Valley)

2008 Cabernet Sauvignon
Banca Dorada Ranch
Rutherford (Napa Valley)

2008 Petit Verdot
St. Helena Ranch
St. Helena (Napa Valley)

The individual components are never sold to the public. Instead, they are blended together to make the signature Joseph Phelps Insignia, which contains 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Petit Verdot, and 4% Merlot. Of course, we don't know the secret combination of the the ratios of the different Cabernet Sauvignons!

It was definitely interesting to taste the individual components. The Merlot definitely has the deepest fruit, while the Petit verdot is the complete opposite - almost harsh and acidic in a way. The different Cabernet Sauvignons tasted much more similar (it is the same grape after all, just different terrior from each of the regions), yet you could definitely taste the differences between the different regions.

It's pretty incredible how the mere soil from plots that are only a few miles apart can make such a difference.

After tasting all the wines, the real fun part began! Based on our own preferences, we tried blending our own wine. Each person was given a pipet that could hold 10mL of wine.
We then mouth pipetted various amounts into a glass and blended them to see how they would taste. For fun, Bryan first tried making a wine that was equal parts of each component. He quickly conceded that it wasn't that great.

Similarly, my random blends were OK, but didn't taste that amazing either.

Finally, they poured us a sample of the actual Insignia wine. Not surprisingly, it tasted a lot better than any of the blends we had tried making. Of course, it benefited from the fact that it had been kept at the perfect temperature and served in the perfect glass. Still, I think we've decided to keep our day jobs for now and not become winemakers!

Overall, we had tons of fun at the wine making seminar. It's just a bit different from a normal winery tour + tasting that you'd get.

Furthermore, on top of tasting all the components, you do get to taste several other Joseph Phelps wines. So it's sort of like a normal tour + tasting but with a fun and unusual twist.
 
Afterward, you get to hang out on the patio overlooking this gorgeous view for as long as you like.

Sip your wine, savor the sun, and just relax.

Notes
Tickets are $60 and you must reserve them beforehand from the website.

5 Napkin Burger: Beer and Bourbon Series!

A burger so juicy that you will need five napkins to wipe up all the juice?

That's the claim behind 5 Napkin Burger, a fancy hamburger-focused bistro that spun off of a really, really popular burger on the menu at Nice Matin, an Upper West Side restaurant in New York.

The restaurant has since been expanding, with the first Boston location opening in Back Bay right inside the Prudential this past year.

Recently, they began a Beer and Bourbon Dinner Series, where the restaurant partners with various different beer or bourbon providers and offers a multi-course dinner paired with the featured drink company's products. For $45, you get a 2-course dinner plus dessert, passed hors d'oeurves, and a chance to try 4-5 different types of beer.

Bryan and I happily accepted an invitation to attend the first dinner of the series this time around, feature Stone Brewing Company.

The evening begins with passed h'ors d'oeuvres and a sample of Stone Levitation Ale. The beer was light and refreshing, not too malty or hoppy, with a hint of sweetness.

My favorite appetizer of the evening was the cheddar tot. It's a perfectly fried little bite filled with mashed potatoes and cheese.

The guacamole was good as well, chunky and chock full of avocados. The chicken skewers, on the other hand, were dry, overcooked, and not very pleasant to eat at all. I couldn't finish mine. Similarly, the tuna tatami wontons, topped with a bit of wasabi mayo and tobiko, were underwhelming.

I did run into Michelle from The Economical Eater, who was also at the event! 
After about 30-40 minutes of hanging out in the hors d'oeurves room, they introduced Stone Brewing Company and ushered us into the main dining room. We all sat at a long table, making friends with those around us.

First Course: Peel & Eat shrimp & Beer Boil

Whole shell-on "beer boiled" shrimp were served with drawn butter with a side of parsley. I'm not sure if I like beer-boiled shrimp. The texture of the shrimp was oddly mushy and not very flavorful. Bryan, who hates getting his hands dirty, suffered silently as he picked at the shrimp shells to get at the mushy meat. We were quite disappointed with the shrimp and neither of us finished that course.

The Stone IPA paired with the dish, on the other hand, was quite good - hoppy with malty notes.

Then the main courses came, along with normal and sweet potato fries. I absolutely loved the sweet potato fries. They were crispy and perfectly seasoned on the outside while sweet and moist on the inside.  I usually love normal fries more, but in this case I found myself continually going back for the sweet potato fries (though the normal fries were good too!).

Bryan ordered the Mushroom bleu "black & blue", which means the burger is charred on the outside but then basically rare on the inside. The Mushroom Bleu contains seven ounces of fresh ground beef, blue cheese, and is topped with sautéed mushrooms and shallots.

They did an excellent job executing the burger. It was cooked perfectly, with a good char on the outside and a nice rare center. The blue cheese flavor was prominent, though not evenly distributed. In general, the burger definitely was made with high quality ingredients.

Despite all that, Bryan still though the burger did not quite reach an optimal balance of texture and flavor. The bread to meat ratio was not ideal: he wished for less bread and more mushrooms and sauce. He also would have preferred some sort of crisp or crunch (maybe from lettuce, or something fried?).

But perhaps we're being picky, comparing this burger against some of the best burgers in the city. Overall, it's still a perfectly enjoyable burger and still much better than many burgers throughout the city.

The beer that came with this course was delicious, and probably my favorite of the bunch. We had the Arrogant Bastard Beer, an aggressive IPA that was deep, hoppy, and flavorful, almost like caramel. It definitely was strong enough to pair with the flavorful entrees we were enjoying.

I ordered the Veggie Burger, which was served with 5 Napkin's own sauce ("5N Sauce"), bread & butter pickles, lettuce, and tomato on a multigrain roll.

I was really really impressed with the veggie burger and I really think it's one of my favorite veggie burgers I've had! Unlike many veggie burgers, which rely on rice or beans, this one had beets as one of the main ingredients. It was a gorgeous bright red tone (ha ha, it looked like Bryan's rare meat burger!), and was filled with lentils, carrots, beets, wheat berries, and sunflower seeds (among many other ingredients, I'm sure).

I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. If I came back, I would seriously consider ordering it again.

For dessert, we had "Smore's Pie", a cylindrical dessert made with chocolate ganache and marshmallow on top of a graham cracker crust and covered with a chocolate glaze. It was OK but nothing particularly exciting. This was paired with Stone Smoke Porter, a deep, chocolatey and creamy beer that actually worked quite well with dessert!

Overall, this entire meal was fun, informative, and really a pretty good value. For only $45 (inclusive of tax, tip, everything), you get to try 4 different beers, a bunch of hors d'oeuvres, and a three course meal. They are pretty generous with the pours, and they won't hesitate to refill if you finish your beer early. [Heh, I have such low tolerance you can see how much of each beer I could finish before moving onto the next one, thus explaining how I was able to get this shot!]
 
It was a great chance to try the burgers at 5 Napkin, and we discovered a new craft brewery that makes very good beers. Stone Brewing Company beers can be found in several places around Boston, such as Lord Hobo in Cambridge and Craft Beer Cellar in Belmont.

There's still one more going on tomorrow night, featuring Long Trail Brewing Company. You can get tickets here.


Disclaimer
I did not pay for this meal

Bottega Ristorante

This is part 2 of the Napa Valley Adventures series. Other posts in this series: Ad Hoc

For food-obsessed individuals, Yountville is like a surreal, magical place that seems too good to be true.

This tiny town is home to some of the best restaurants in the nation. Just walk up and down the one-mile strip of the main road (Washington Street), and you'll saunter by Thomas Keller's empire (The French Laundry, Bouchon Bakery, and Ad Hoc are all within a mile of each other), Redd (1 Michelin star), and Bistro Jeanty (an excellent French bistro that's a favorite of the locals).

The local convenience store sells bottles of Opus One, Joseph Phelps Insignia, and gourmet cheeses alongside batteries and magazines.

Wine shops with incredible selections and tasting rooms dot both side of this road.

About halfway up Washington Street, right in the center of all this action, sits Bottega Ristorante.

Chef Michael Chiarello opened Bottega in December of 2008. After spending over a decade running a huge business that included his own family vineyard, the NapaStyle stores, and his TV shows, he decided he really wanted to get back into the kitchen. The restaurant has since received both IACP and James Beard Award nominations, as well as accolades from many other publications.

Chiarello loves being at Bottega.

"I don’t think I’ve been happier in years. It’s great to be able to throw a party every day. You don’t get that on TV. There, you are cooking alone," [Food Gal]

Bryan loves Italian food, so it was a no-brainer that we would eventually try this place. After failing to get a reservation the past few times I was in Napa, I finally landed an early (5PM!) reservation for dinner this year.


Chef Chiarello makes wine (we are in Napa Valley, after all!) which he serves at his restaurant. These are very small production wines and not that available outside, so we thought it would be fun to try. His bottles aren't cheap (I think this bottle of Eileen Cabernet Sauvignon (WS 92 points) was close to $80 at the restaurant!), but they are pretty good. Most of his wines score in the low 90's on Wine Spectator.

We started by sharing a huge plate of Parmiggiano truffle fries, which were excellent. They were serious contenders to my favorite truffle fries in Boston. I can't believe we polished off that entire plate.

I ordered the Caramelized Brussels Sprout Salad as my starter, which came with citrus segments, toasted Marcona almonds, prosciutto bits, and an aged balsamic dressing. I loved the crispiness of the roasted Brussels Sprouts. The dish had a nice mix of sweet (citrus) and savory (prosciutto) flavors.

I am a huge fan of pan roasted gnocchi so it's no surprise that I really enjoyed my Pan Roasted Potato Gnocchi with spring vegetables (I love fresh peas!). I especially liked the texture of the gnocchi, which was crispy on the outside but nice and chewy on the side.
Isn't this gorgeous? This is the Potato dough Raviolo filled with spinach and ricotta, black truffles, farm fresh egg yolk, and sage browned butter. I was a bit surprised that the ravioli was so huge! (You only get one for your entire order!). We loved the farm fresh egg that oozed out, and we used it as a sauce for the rest of the ravioli.

The Smoked & Braised Natural Short Ribs is the signature dish that Chef Chiarello made when competing on Top Chef Masters. I did not watch that season, but apparently he wowed the judges with this amazing short rib recipe, with James Oseland saying this was the best rendition of the dish he'd ever had.

The shortribs were served with whole grain mustard spaetzle, Sicilian pickles, quince paste, and a smoky horseradish jus. Bryan loves pickles and horseradish, so he really, really enjoyed the dish. Execution was perfect - the short ribs were soft and tender, the individual components were well seasoned, and the flavors of the dish came together quite well.

For dessert, we ordered the Ricotta Zeppole, Italian doughnuts fried to order served with Italian Praline dipping sauce. It's hard to go wrong with doughnuts, and these were fantastic. They reminded me of beignets I've had at other restaurants (frankly, I really didn't see a difference - maybe they are the same as a beignet?). They were hot and crispy on the outside, soft and moist on the inside.

Overall, we had a great time at Bottega. The place definitely fills up fast and I can see why it's so popular. It's centrally located; the food is very good; and it's a fun atmosphere inside. Although none of the dishes soared to any new heights to blow us away, all the dishes were very well executed.

We had a great time.

And I would totally come back again - if only there weren't so many other fantastic restaurants in this food-centric region to try first!

Bottega Ristorante
6525 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599

Ad Hoc

"for temporary relief from hunger"

Thomas Keller's more casual restaurant in Yountville, called "Ad Hoc" was never intended to be a permanent restaurant. While designing a very different type of restaurant (think "burgers and bottles" hamburger and wine pairing), Thomas Keller's team temporarily opened up Ad Hoc ("literally meaning for this purpose only") for just six months to serve the local community.

The concept?

Offer a 4-course family style meal with a small, accessible wine list in a casual environment that is "reminiscent of home."

It became so popular that it was really hard for them to close it down.

Thomas Keller quipped "if we keep it, we'll have to change the name. Maybe to Ad Lib."

That was 2007. Ad Hoc is clearly still around and going very, very strong. In fact, its fried chicken has become legendary, and Thomas Keller has even written a cookbook for the restaurant.

So finally.

Finally, after having tried Per Se, The French Laundry, and countless different Bouchon bistros and Bouchon bakeries, I can finally say I've tried all of Thomas Keller's restaurants in the US.

The interior here is airy, bright, and very inviting. Though the atmosphere is casual (most people were wearing jeans), you still feel that everything is high quality and thoughtfully laid out.

The menus come in these brown no-nonsense folders (see picture up top), and all the food is served family style. The menu changes daily, and each day only one specific four-course menu is served ($38).

Since we were having brunch, Bryan ordered a mimosa (made with delicious, freshly squeezed orange juice) for $9.

Biscuits & Jam was the first course, and it was fantastic. The biscuits were among the best I've ever had. They were warm, flaky, and perfectly crispy on the outside. On top? A lovely dollop of maldon honey butter. Yes, even though I'm sure the biscuit is already loaded with butter, it tasted even better slathered with this slightly sweet butter.

Yum.

The homemade strawberry jam was delicious, not-too-sweet, and full of intense fruit flavors. This was also wonderful with the biscuit.

The "Biscuits & Jam" trio also came with a bowl of freshly cut pineapples, oranges, and grapefruit. All of the fruit was great - sweet, juicy, and and very refreshing.

The second course was a grilled Niman Ranch Beef skirt steak served alongside a soft scrambled hen egg topped with roasted pepper stew and grilled spring onions. I've made skirt steak before. I know it's a tougher cut of meat that can be challenging to cook right. All of the elements of this dish (the steak, eggs, vegetables) were executed properly and enjoyable to eat. However, none of the flavors were really that unusual, and I was a bit underwhelmed. In the end, the entire plate was good, but not exactly that memorable.

Similarly, the fried Russet potatoes were perfectly fried to a golden brown, but did not particularly impress me. I think I've had better home fries at cheap diners.

Thankfully, I absolutely LOVED the rocky road ice cream sundae. This should come as a huge surprise to anyone who knows me because typically, I don't really like marshmallows, and I hate nuts in my desserts! However, I love marcona almonds, and the candied marcona almonds worked beautifully in this dessert. I loved the dense crunch that they provided; plus the creamy chocolate ice cream was divine.

I thought I was stuffed, but we finished up that ice cream really, really quickly.


Thoughts
In general, Ad Hoc is a fun place to visit. The ambiance is friendly, the food is solid, and the prices are reasonable. I found certain menu items (biscuits and ice cream) to be really special, while others (steak, eggs, vegetables) were a bit sleepy.  I think your experience will vary tremendously depending on which day you go. If you happen to go on a day when they have their buttermilk fried chicken, you just may think it's one of the best things you've ever tasted in your entire life (or so I've heard).

I plan on returning, if nothing else just to try the fried chicken (which appears twice a month on Monday evenings and sometimes as "chicken and waffles" during brunch). You can also check out Addendum, his new take-out restaurant that only serves their fried chicken and BBQ chicken (not yet opened for the season when we were there in March).

Reservations were impossible to get via Opentable, but a breeze via the telephone. I think they just don't make that many seats available online.

Ad Hoc
6476 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599

Napa Valley Adventures (& a little bit of SF)

I first got to experience California's breathtaking wine country when I traveled there three years ago to cover the S. Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition. I've been so lucky to be able to go back every year since that first time, and every time, I discover something new.

This past March, between the craziness of covering the Mystery Basket Competition and the Finals, Bryan and I had some time to get away and enjoy some other parts of Napa Valley.

We tried some fantastic meals (there seems to be an endless supply of really good food in this area!), visited some awe-inspiring vineyards, and even tried our hands at making our own wine blends.

Here's a sneak preview of upcoming posts from our next trip series on Napa Valley.

After landing in San Francisco and before heading up to Napa Valley, we enjoyed a lovely tasting of seasonal, local, freshly foraged ingredients at a two-Michelin star restaurant in the city.
In Yountville, we finally got to try brunch at Thomas Keller's more casual restaurant, sampling some of the best biscuits I've ever had.
A delightful sampling of dishes from a French-trained Japanese chef (alumnus of Spago) at a one-Star Michelin restaurant in St. Helena.

Food is art at this French one-star Michelin restaurant, the only restaurant in Napa Valley inside of a winery!

A solid Italian experience from a celebrity chef who has hosted several shows on the Food Network and was second place in Top Chef Masters.

I had a chance to make my own "Insignia" blend by pipetting various ratios of component wines.
One of the coolest wineries we visited - it's housed entirely inside a cave in a mountainside and has its own waterfall to keep the humidity constant!


Chandon Winery, Yountville CA

 We tasted wines at several other wineries, all unique in their own special way.

Stay tuned as we continue the Napa Valley Adventure Series throughout the next several weeks. Enjoy!