Napa Valley, California | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Napa Valley, California** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Today Mike and I are celebrating our fifth wedding anniversary – five years ago at this moment I was sitting down to a beautiful breakfast in the dining room of the Fontainebleu Inn giddy with excitement and nerves for the day to come. I can’t actually remember what I ate but I think crispy potatoes were involved, maybe waffles? Let’s hope it was waffles.

After a day filled with joy and lots of dancing we re-packed our bags and flew to San Francisco for a honeymoon trip in Napa. It worked out beautifully that we were in Northern California earlier this month and had a chance to revisit one of my favorite places in the world for an anniversary trip.

There were a handful of spots that stood out five years ago and we found some new places on this trip that have become new favorites. If you have a chance to go I highly recommend putting at least a few of these on your itinerary.

Frog's Leap | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Frog's Leap** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Sip:
Frog’s Leap – We had fond memories of sipping wine on the back porch here and had to come back. FL takes a lot of pride in growing grapes and making wine with great respect for the environment, and that feeling of communing with the valley carries through to the tasting experience. A perfect spot to relax, watch the bees buzz, and let the magic of Napa fall over you.

Paraduxx – A new find on this trip and we absolutely fell in love with the wines as evidenced by how difficult it was to choose which ones to bring home. A laid back vibe with really warm, friendly guidance from the tasting room hosts. Who doesn’t want to try a glass (or six) while surrounded by rustling vineyards?

Tamber Bey – The excellent wine and location on Sundance Ranch make Tamber Bey unique, as do the pairings: specially prepared miniature cookies. The combinations are developed by local pastry chef Michelle Romaine and it’s amazing to see in action the way a chardonnay is transformed by lemony shortbread spiked with pink peppercorn. But, I bet I had you at cookies, right?

Tamber Bey | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Tamber Bey** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Gott's Roadside (aka Taylor's Refresher) | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Gott's Roadside (aka Taylor's Refresher)** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Dine:
Ad Hoc – This was the first place we had dinner on our honeymoon and the memory of that fried chicken has lived on in our dreams. Definitely an auspicious beginning. The atmosphere is casual, but don’t be fooled – this is a Thomas Keller restaurant and the cooking is top-notch. Ice cream sandwiches for dessert don’t hurt anything either!

Gott’s Roadside (neé Taylor’s Refresher) – Classic roadside food of the type popularized by In N Out and Shake Shack on their respective coasts. We kept it old-school with a cheeseburgers and diet coke. The grassy backyard dotted with red picnic tables and shaded by umbrellas combined with the mid-century vibe make it easy to pretend you’ve been transported into a Beach Boys song.

Oakville Grocery – Another re-visit, but when the food is this good it’s hard to blame us. We made this our lunch stop on the biking day and I was grateful for the miles covered when it came time to choose a sandwich. So many great combinations and delicious treats it’s hard to decide where to start, so here’s a hint: roast turkey with apple jam and pickled red onions.

The Restaurant at Meadowood – Probably the most elegant, beautifully prepared and presented meal I’ve ever eaten. The entire tasting menu is full of whimsical touches and the experience feels like an adventure – who knows what delicious and inventive bite will arrive next? I really can’t overstate the attention to detail in every dish and in the service. Definitely a place for a very special occasion.

Oakville Grocery | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Oakville Grocery** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Solage Calistoga | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Solage Calistoga** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Stay & Do:
Solage – Is it possible for Napa (a little oasis in and of itself) to be more tranquil? Somehow this boutique hotel in Calistoga manages to distill that peace and amplify it with carefully appointed rooms in a gorgeous setting. Case in point: real milk in the fridge to go with a freshly brewed pot of coffee, from actual grounds. In a world where shelf stable creamers and pods seem standard this alone wins my devotion. I wish we had more time to sample the spa and make better use of the pool, but all the more reason to go back!

Napa Valley Bike Tours – There's an almost 0% chance that I'm going to hit the gym while I'm on vacation. A little ambient exercise is more my speed - a long walk, or in this case a bike ride fit the bill. The valley is easy to navigate, so we did a self-guided tour and NVBT makes it simple and stress-free with helpful maps, wine pick-ups, and great recommendations. It's also a cool way to stop and smell the roses along the way, see the valley from a different perspective.

Spanish Pea Soup with Crispy Ham | Image: Laura Messersmith — **Spanish Pea Soup with Crispy Ham** | Image: *Laura Messersmith*

Ina Garten, aka The Barefoot Contessa, and her cookbooks are already a source of guidance for basic recipes but her show serves as my inspiration for more adventurous culinary efforts. I’ll follow along with an episode of the Barefoot Contessa and choose a recipe to try in my tiny New York kitchen. We’ll see if I can keep up with the Contessa!

Episode: “Food Adventures”

The Set-up: Ina and Jeffrey are on vacation in Napa (jealous) and Ina’s exploring the local food scene while Jeffrey works on his book. I think Jeffrey got the short end of that deal…

The Menu: Deconstructed Lobster Salad, Spanish Pea Soup with Crispy Ham, Viennese Coffee

0:48 – We start off in the kitchen of the Garten’s Napa rental house with Deconstructed Lobster Salad, an idea she got while visiting Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco. Tyler Florence recommended it and when T.F. tells you to try something, you try it!

1:10 – We get some great scenes of the restaurant in action, but my favorite is a shot of a guy wearing shorts embroidered with lobsters and white athletic socks pulled waaay up. When in Rome?

2:03 – Ina is making the sauce for the Deconstructed Lobster Salad. As she zests the lemon she remarks how fortunate it is that the rental house had a rasp. First, let’s be fair, this place could easily be the West Coast outpost of her own gorgeous kitchen. Second, show of hands: who thinks Ina totally travels with a tiny microplane grater?

3:10 – The sauce is comprised of mayo, lemon zest, capers and fresh dill. Is anyone else obsessed with dill lately? Just me? Okay, cool.

4:30 – Time to plate. Two halved lobsters are arranged on a bed of ice, the sauce goes in a small bowl and celery stalks go in a glass. Slice up a little sourdough bread from Boudin Bakery and she’s done.

5:11 – Now to test it on Jeffrey.... Spoiler alert: he loves it. #supportive. It does look pretty cool, but how far you could take this ‘deconstructed’ thing before people called you out? Like, ‘here are some peanuts, purple grapes, and bread – it’s deconstructed PB&J sandwich! Obviously.’

9:17 – After lunch Ina presents Jeffrey with the most decadent, eleven-layer Torte Au Chocolate she made with Paul Lemieux, Executive Pastry Chef at the Auberge Du Soleil hotel.

10:13 – We flash over to the hotel to see how it’s done. Chef Paul walks us very quickly through making meringue discs. I can’t even find a recipe for this cake online, so I’m definitely not making this at home… sorry friends.

11:49 – Ina and Chef Paul bond over their mutual love of chocolate and hazelnut, and I learn a new Italian word for the combination: gianduja.

13:15 – We get another lighting round ‘how to’ from Chef Paul for a layer he calls ‘chocolate decadence’ (hello!) So far the layers seem to be: meringue, chocolate ganache, hazelnut spread, and chocolate decadence. Two words: face plant.

14:01 – More chefyness ensues with the use of a cocoa powder spray gun to get that matte bakery effect. Ina’s finishes spraying with a flourish – blowing the “smoke” off the end like an old-timey gun fighter. Ina is bad a** y’all.

15:18 – Chef Paul releases the cake from the ring form with a BLOWTORCH (for reals!) and puts on a final edging of ground hazelnuts and a little chocolate plaque with the Auberge logo on top. This cake really looks amazing.

19:22 – Next, Ina is at a food truck market called Off the Grid. Someone who lives in San Francisco please visit this for me!

20:10 – While she’s checking out amazing street food Jeffrey’s at home with a bowl of Spanish Pea Soup with Crispy Ham she made for him. This does not seem like a fair trade, but she’s planning to bring him dessert, so that’s something.

21:18 – She says this is one of the easiest recipes she makes and I believe it – it all happens in one pot and seems to take about 10 total minutes of cooking. That dessert better be good, young lady.

22:44 – Like any smart food truck patron she makes a lap before committing. Side Note: I would be so, so psyched if I spotted Ina Garten at a food festival. First up she tries Pepper Jack Mac & Cheese and then checks out an empanada truck. Before she even orders I know she’ll get the Parisienne – aka: Gruyere and ham - aaaand I’m right. Two points for Gryffindor!

23:09 – Back at the rental house Jeffrey is having his dinner. Ina left the most hilarious instructions for him. This is almost verbatim: reheat soup, put ham on top, drizzle with olive oil, love my soup. Ahahahaha. With Jeffrey it’s best to leave nothing to chance.

27:23 – Ina is back from her food truck adventure, and since she feels guilty for heartlessly abandoning her husband to a dish of pea soup she decides to make Viennese Coffee as a special treat to go with the salted caramel cupcakes she brought home.

28:34 – This concoction A. looks amazing. B. appears to be a hybrid of an ice cream float and affogato. C. kinda makes up for that spousal abandonment earlier.

29:44 – Out on the porch for a little dessert with Jeffrey. Ina, you’re forgiven!

Final Thoughts:

Food tourism seems like a fantastic way to organize a vacation – remind me of that when it’s time to plan our next trip!

I love food trucks and festivals, but choosing what to eat is tricky. I wonder how Ina decided?

I’d like to ‘turn up the volume’ on Ina’s Viennese Coffee and make it with coffee ice cream instead of vanilla. Hello, caffeine buzz.

Lessons Learned:

Since the eleven layer cake required advanced pastry techniques (well out of my league) and the other dishes didn’t involve a ton of cooking I decided to make the Spanish Pea Soup with Crispy Ham. We need to eat more vegetables and this recipe really is incredibly simple with a very, very short ingredient list.

One note on seasoning - keep an eye on the salt. I served the soup with crispy pancetta and then added a sprinkle of parmesan cheese for interest, but the combination pushed the flavor over the edge into “too salty” territory. Easily remedied with a little more chicken stock or some more unseasoned peas, but something to watch for.

Small Kitchen Friendly?

Absolutely. I used an enameled dutch oven, a blender, a medium bowl, and one small cutting board. Ina uses an immersion blender in the episode, but I only have a regular one so I needed to puree in batches, hence the bowl. For utensils I used a chef’s knife, wooden spoon, rubber spatula, large ladle, a liquid measuring cup and measuring spoons.

The Verdict:

Mike and I had the Spanish Pea Soup with Crispy Ham for dinner earlier this week on what turned out to be a pretty warm night. It’s actually a heartier soup than you might imagine. I think adding a few fresh herbs (mint maybe?), a squeeze of lemon, or possibly even serving it chilled would make it a better summer dish. I’m planning to make it again when it’s cooler and stir some cubes of fresh mozzarella into each bowl – yum.