Smoked beef short rib with sweet corn, sugar snap peas, smoky bacon, crispy onions, and Texas toast (to help mop the plate).
As promised, I made my return visit to Solbar this week, after my lunchtime visit earlier this month. Geographically speaking, Solbar is the Napa Valley’s northernmost Michelin-star restaurant, located way past St. Helena and into Calistoga, which is the last stop before crossing over into Sonoma County. If you begin your journey from the City of Napa, driving all they way up to Calistoga actually takes you more than halfway over to Healdsburg, which [... read more ...]
Why, yes, that is a fried pickle garnish.
For a few weeks now, I’ve been hearing that the Michelin crew is touring the Napa Valley, no doubt making their final determinations for their 2011 Michelin Guide, which is due in stores on October 27th. I will offer my own insightful predictions as that release date approaches, but for now, I need to experience a few things for myself. A lunch at Solbar was long overdue. In fact, I don’t think that I had dined at Solbar at all since they had earned their first Michelin star in the [... read more ...]
As I’ve mentioned here before, my goal in life is to only eat well, whether that means cooking at home or dining out. With that basic principle in mind, I definitely try to document everything delicious along the way, although sometimes certain meals get lost in the shuffle. And sometimes I may repeat myself, especially when I have certain favorites that I’ll revisit when I have the chance. I’ve actually mentioned all three of these lunches in previous posts, but never presented a photo alongside the article (I only upgraded my camera last May). Eventually, I’ll insert these photos [... read more ...]
"A Night on the Town," dedicated to Schramsberg's legendary riddler of more than 36 years, Ramon Viera, who retired last December.
As a Napa Valley local, I’ve visited Schramsberg maybe half a dozen times over the last few years, but today I’ve finally decided that this winery offers the mother of all wine tours, hands down. The deep history, the unique property, and the world-class sparkling wines are practically unrivaled here in the Napa Valley, and for these three reasons, Schramsberg truly belongs in a class by itself. I’ll just leave it at that. Below, I’ve posted [... read more ...]
The Chilaquiles @ Miguel's Restaurant, Calistoga (minus the sour cream)
I was first introduced to chilaquiles while I was living in Los Angeles. Back then, I was working a prep cook at Houston’s Santa Monica, trying to get some real-world kitchen experience before heading off to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. Since I was working mostly mornings at that time, the “family meal” at Houston’s was often chilaquiles, which I would best describe as breakfast nachos, for lack of better terminology. These meals would assume varying forms from day to day, based upon whatever [... read more ...]
