Dining and Wine Tasting in Napa Valley

Last week I offered my firsthand tips for wine tasting in and around Napa, California. But I also wanted to share some more great spots we came across on our weekend travels. I know that there are dozens and dozens of awesome restaurants in Napa Valley, not to mention fabulous opportunities for shopping, sightseeing and wine tasting. It’s impossible to fit everything in during one long-weekend stay! But if you do find yourself in Napa, here are some favorite locations I’d recommend both in town and in Napa Valley:

Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen: While we’d booked dinner reservations at two upscale restaurants in Napa Valley — Bottega (fabulous) and Martini House (waitstaff had an off night), I think my favorite meal all weekend was a lunch at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena. No reservations needed here at lunchtime — at least when we arrived, about noon on a sunny Saturday in May. Cindy is Cindy Pawlcyn, the great restaurateur (and chef) behind Mustards Grill, a Napa Valley institution; her latest endeavor is Go Fish, which focuses on seafood. But at the “Kitchen,” we found a darling little terrace with limited seating, so we sat upstairs, among whitewashed walls, cottage-like beadboard, and modern art and accents. The environment, like the food, felt fresh, innovative and unpretentious.

Three of the six of us around our lunch table ordered the Adult Grilled Cheese, which changes daily (ours featured walnut bread, a soft cheese and jam) and comes with the most delectable, thick polenta fries. Two other huge hits among us: the Thai gin-tini (where the glass rim is laced with cayenne pepper) and gooey, chocolatey, marshmallow-topped, s’mores-like Campfire Pie (if no one had been looking, we would have licked our shared plate clean).

Zinsvalley: This open and airy restaurant in downtown Napa is where we stopped in for a mid-afternoon repast, right after we arrived in town and dumped our bags in our rental house. We ordered an array of “shareables” — goat cheese crostini, a selection of imported and domestic cheeses (pictured right) and rosemary flatbread with roasted garlic. Paired with big glasses of red wine, it was the perfect way to begin our long weekend of decadent (calorie-filled) dining and drinking!

Napa River Mill: On our morning exercise walk through town, my girlfriend and I stumbled upon the renovated Napa River Mill, home to the absolutely lovely Napa River Inn (pretty flower-filled balconies pictured at left), Sweetie Pies bakery (thumbs up for the peach muffin I bought), renowned Celadon and Angele restaurants, and the Napa General Store, where I could have browsed for at least an hour. The General Store is indeed a store, selling wine-themed gifts for the home (among other things), but it also houses a wine bar and restaurant with a glorious patio overlooking the river. We’ll make a point to eat a casual breakfast or lunch here on our next trip to Napa, for sure.

Oxbow Public Market: We weren’t exactly sure what Oxbow Public Market was, when we set out across the Napa River to find it (per the friendly man at the Napa Visitor Center), but I was tickled to find Kara’s Cupcakes housed here. Naturally I had to order a $3 treat from my namesake bakery; I sampled the vanilla cupcake with coconut cream cheese frosting, which was few swallows of sugary decadence, indeed. Other “artisans and purveyors” here include a produce stand, antiques store, butcher shop, and a phenomenal coffee roaster. Each cup of coffee from Ritual Roasters is brewed to order — but the short wait is oh-so worth it.

I’m not sure I’d rush to check out Oxbow Public Market, but if you’re game for a stroll on a pretty day, it’s worth maneuvering a bit of construction to check out these specialty merchants.

Vitner’s Collective: Here, find one wine tasting room that represents more than a dozen different winemakers in Napa Valley. What’s neat is that this set-up allows some smaller wineries without their own tasting rooms to get their names out there.

We sampled offerings from Ancien, Vinoce, Richard Perry, Showket and D-cubed all in one sitting – or, standing, that is. We lucked out, arriving at about 4:15 p.m. or so, to an empty tasting room. It did get packed as the time inched closer to happy hour on a late Friday afternoon. Still, the pour staff was attentive (thanks Director of Sales Andy), and as more customers entered for a taste (or two or three) another room upstairs was opened up to accommodate. Tasting fee here is $25 to taste six different wines; very much worth the fee to taste and learn with exceptional staff in a 19th-century building in downtown Napa that was once a brothel!