Napa Winery Inn: Spend the Night in Napa, You Won’t Regret It

By Alex Krasov, staff writer

Photography by Jason Ortego

The town of Napain California’s Napa Valley used to be a small, sleepy outpost. It was a place most people drove by on the way to the wineries, rarely stopping in. But times have changed – and between the region’s world-famous wines, Michelin-adorned restaurants, and luxurious accommodations, it’s become a posh tourist attraction (with prices to match).

And that’s why the newly renovated and reopened Napa Winery Inn is such a gem. It offers an affordable rate, clean and comfortable rooms, and the perks of a much pricier hotel – all in the center of Napa Valley. Instead of coming up only for the day and missing half the point of a wine country visit, why not make it a weekend?

Come up on a Saturday after brunch (since you’ll have the whole weekend, there’s no need to rush out the door first thing in the morning), check in to your cozy room at the Napa Winery Inn, and take a dip in the sparkling (heated!) outdoor pool. You can pick up a late lunch and stop by a few wineries. The weather is perfect for an easy, pre-dinner stroll around town or the winery grounds – and because the Napa Winery Inn is extremely pet-friendly, you can bring your beloved four-legged companion along for the walk.

For dinner, the options are endless. The famed French Laundry is a mere 10-minute drive from the Inn, as is the Oxbow Public Market, where you can pick up a plate of tacos to-go and enjoy your favorite bottle from the day in your room (each one comes equipped with a wine key).  And there’s no better way to end the night than to climb inside the Inn’s outdoor hot tub and relax under the bubbles and the stars.

The beauty of an overnight stay is that the next day is all yours, too. The Napa Winery Inn includes a complimentary breakfast so you can start the day right from the hotel. Take a rejuvenating morning swim, and then, if you’re still hungry, pick up coffee and delectable pastries at the Bouchon Bakery in Yountville. Or head into Napa for Sunday brunch – everything is mere minutes by car from the Inn.

On the way back, stop by a few more wineries and grab a bottle for dinner at home.  At your favorite winery, find a spot on the deck and sip from your glass there, soaking in the sun. This is how wine country should feel – slow, relaxed, every moment hanging in the air until you’ve had your fill of it. And each one better than the last. Isn’t it nice to sit here – with a full stomach and a fuller heart – and to know you’re not rushing anywhere? For more information, call 1-800-522-8999 or visit www.napawineryinn.com.

Hawk’s Tavern Mill Valley Far From Run of the Mill

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov

There are at least two reasons to dine at Hawk’s Tavern in Mill Valley, California, even if you have to take a drive for that. First is the wine list. Compiled by the Sommelier/General Manger Chris Lamm, it is seriously comprehensive and significantly value-priced.  Suffice it to say that Sine Qua Non Grenache is there, as well as Dunn cabs of different vintages, and a pinot noir list includes Beaux Freres, Penner-Ash, Femme Fatale by Clouds Rest, Freeman, and other sought after labels.

Two iconic California wineries that defeated the French once and for all in the historic Parisian blind tasting back in the 1970s – Stags Leap and Chateau Montelena – grace the bottle selection, while Sequana pinot, Seghesio zin, and Fisticuffs cab are available by the glass along with Roederer brut rose, Walter Hansel char, Long Meadow Ranch sauv blanc – and the list goes on...   

The second reason to dine at Hawk’s Tavern is the new chef, Safir Rezzoug and his new menu, featuring “international classics” cuisine. Chef Safir, recently arriving from Paris, used to work with Alain Ducasse among other masters of the trade. Now he brings his Michelin-star experience to the Northern California town, where he pursues the neighborhood restaurant’s commitment to serving seasonally inspired offerings prepared using locally sourced, sustainable, and organic ingredients.    

On the night we dined, our meal started with a glass of Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA and the Tavern’s traditional complimentary appetizer of a warm soft pretzel and whole-grain mustard on a side. The beer list is also brimming with rare and excellent choices. Hawk’s Tavern is the first and only restaurant in Mill Valley to offer an artisan selection of cask ale beer with a new brew tapped weekly. It has eight locally crafted lagers and ales on tap and twelve available in bottles and cans.  

We tried two new dishes prepared by the Chef from the updated menu that moved from a small plate format to a full meal with starters and entrées.

Our traditional Spanish paella was comprised of saffron rice, chicken meat, chorizo, clams, mussels, shrimp, and topped with basil micro greens.

The short rib plate contained the most succulent smoked baby rib meat with crispy skin, smothered with tangy balsamic reduction sauce and garnished with lightly caramelized apples that maintained their wonderful color and texture, and crushed red-skinned potatoes deemed irresistible by truffle oil.      

Hawk’s Tavern’s ambience is stylishly rustic with reclaimed barn wood walls, a fireplace, mid-century brushed brass lamps, and vintage Western art on the walls. The main dining room seats 45, and the heated front porch 35. The restaurant recently introduced weekend brunch service (Saturday and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.) and Happy Hour (Monday through Friday, 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.).

 Hawk’s Tavern is located at 507 Miller Avenue, Mill Valley, California. Dinner is served nightly until 10:00 p.m. with weekday lunch and weekend brunch beginning at 11:30 a.m. daily. For more information or reservations call (415) 388-3474 or visit www.HawksTavern.com.  

Davis, Yolo County is Not Just UC Davis

By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov

The city of Davis is first and foremost known for its University of California campus. Future winemakers, micro brewers, sustainable crops growers and humane husbandry proponents are studying here, making their family members proud. Also – giving them a reason to visit often. My first visit to Yolo County made me realize that there were many wonderful things this flowering fertile land had to offer, and not just in terms of agricultural bounty.

Farm-to-table restaurants, intriguing wineries, excellent art galleries and festivals, crafty gift shops, a year-round farmers market, and even a state-of-the-art bicycle museum make a weekend trip to Davis well-worth a ride from the San Francisco Bay Area.   

Here is my modest account of what can be accomplished in one weekend in multifaceted YOLO, which some fans prefer to see as an abbreviation of “You Only Live Once.” And if you live in California, there is no excuse to miss out on this experience – rich, inspiring, and one of a kind.

Staying at Hallmark Inn in Davis means that you are in the very center of the city, a walking distance from everything. On the night my husband and I checked in and checked out the swimming pool and the hotel lounge featuring mildly hoppy, crisp and clean Aggie Lager produced by the UC Davis students, we went for dinner to the Seasons Restaurant on the premises. 

Crisp refreshing Albarinofrom the local winemaker Route 3 Wines was nicely paired with baby spinach and strawberry salad made with walnuts, dates, goat cheese, and dressed with honey and balsamic vinaigrette. I also liked my thick smoked bone-in pork chop with velvety Route 3 Grenache.

Since it was the second Friday of the month, right after dinner we followed the route of Second Friday ArtAbout, an evening of art viewing and artist receptions at galleries and businesses coordinated by the Davis Downtown Business Association.  

A four-story building of John Natsoulas Gallery is chockfull of amazing contemporary art pieces – ceramics, photography, paintings and drawings – many created by the UC Davis students. On every corner of the safe walkable downtown there is a sculpture by a young local artist, and regularly happening art events bring out more and more talent.

On Saturday morning, we visited the overflowing with fresh produce Davis Farmers Market. It’s an amazing institution that puts together an array of entertainment events, like annual Fall Festival, Pig Out (in celebration of the National Pig Day), various Cookbook Days, and seasonal weekly Picnic in the Park with live music concerts.

Next to the market, there is U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame, occupying 8,000 sq. ft and containing the most exciting bicycle models from the first three-wheelers to the latest world record breakers.

Our further exploration of Yolo County outside the city of Davis started with a short visit to Woodland known for its many well-preserved examples of the Victorian architecture.

It’s also home to Heidrick Ag History Center and Hays Antique Truck Museum with the most comprehensive collection of agricultural machinery used in the area since the time of its farming pioneers.

After a light lunch of classic pulled pork sliders with house made barbeque sauce and coleslaw at Mojo’s Kitchen 428, we left Woodland for Esparto.

Here, we took part in the Second Saturday Farm Tour at the Capay Organic Farm known to the San Francisco dwellers through its home delivery service, Farm Fresh to You.   

The monthly event included tractor tram tour of the peach and pistachio groves, live music, a market stand, a petting zoo, and gathering sweet pea blossom bouquets in the colorful field.

In Brooks we visited the brand new Seka Hills olive crush facility and tasted organic oil from Arbequina olives produced by the agricultural holdings of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation based in the Capay Valley. The oil won a gold award at the 2012 Olive Oil Competition from the California Olive Council. The tribe also produces wine from its own grapes, and operates the Cache Creek Casino Resort.

From the tribal art-decorated Yocha Dehe Golf Clubat the resort we observed the green-and-gold patchwork of the surrounding valleys framed by the blue mountain ridges.

Then we drove to the small picturesque Winters, where at the city park local artists and vintners were presenting the fruit of their labor to the public as part of the Roots to Wine Art in the Park festival. The festival was well attended by the weekender crowd that spilled onto the main drag, next to the park, studded with wineries, restaurants, and boutique shops.

At the artfully decorated tasting room of Turkovich Family Wines we sampled the nuanced GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre) and barrel select Tempranillo paired with the Winters Cheese Companycheeses.

For dinner, we stopped at Putah Creek Café, attracted by the sight of a pizza chef pulling hot pies out of a sidewalk clay oven.

We realized that we came to the right place as soon as we tried Horseshoe Chardonnayfrom the local Berryessa Gap Winery paired with a house special warm goat cheese salad made with lightly breaded and fried Sierra Nevada cheese and lots of fresh arugula, spinach and berries.  

Across the street, at Root Stock Specialty Gifts and Tasting Room we indulged in wine-and-truffle pairings as well as in some gift shopping before heading back to our hotel for the night.  

Our Sunday started with a farm-fresh breakfast at Monticello Seasonal Cuisine in Davis, a supporter of the Slow Food Movement. All produce comes to the restaurant’s kitchen from Yolo County vendors, so spinach, asparagus or broccoli grace your omelet depending on the morning supplies.

On our way back to San Francisco we headed toward the Sacramento River Delta into historic Clarksburg to visit the Old Sugar Mill, a local landmark built in 1934, and currently home to six tasting rooms serving eight wineries. Another weekend festival, called Wine, Berries, and Chocolate was happening there.

We had to stay and taste some more of Clarksburg Wine Company excellent Chardonnayand Chenin Blanc.

Driving home I caught myself regretting that we didn’t have a family member who would be studying at UC Davis and whom we’d have to visit almost every weekend. On the second thought, nothing precludes us from traveling to Yolo County as often as we wish. YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!

Additional information at: www.yolocvb.org.

Going Basque with Chef Hirigoyen and Loving It, or Ten Years of Piperade

By Emma Krasov, photography by Emma Krasov

A series of serendipitous events preceded my participation in the 10^th Anniversary luncheon at Piperade – chef/owner Gerald Hirigoyen’s outstanding Basque restaurant in San Francisco.

Back in the 1990s, when we still lived in Chicago, on our first visit to the City by the Bay my dear husband took me to the “best French restaurant in town” recommended by a knowledgeable friend – and that was Fringale. I still remember the creamiest sauterne-pouched foie gras and the tender pan-fried skate wing served on a bed of piperade – tomato, bell pepper, and onion sauce.

Inspired, I bought a book, “Bistro, The Best of Casual French Cooking” written by the then Fringale chef, Gerald Hirigoyen. 

With various degrees of success I attempted to recreate at home the majority of Bistro book recipes from relatively easy onion pie to complex cassoulet with meticulously fat-preserved duck confit.

Sautéed figs with roasted almonds and crème mousseline became my top dessert for entertaining, and whenever my teenage daughter wanted to get on my good side, she would present me with a lemon tart from the book.

Ten years ago, after we have just moved to San Francisco, my husband offered to take our family to Fringale for my birthday, to which I gladly agreed.  On our way to the restaurant, I noticed that we were going in the wrong direction – along Embarcadero instead of heading to the inner SoMa location. By the entrance to a new chic eatery my daughter shouted, “Surprise!” and disclosed the reason for the change of venue – my favorite chef was now the owner of a new restaurant, Piperade, and that’s where they were taking me for a lavish dinner of Basque specialties. We had a feast of seafood, cheeses, and stews. People from the neighboring tables were admiring our food and asking what we’ve ordered.       

At the end of our meal, I pulled out my tattered, Burgundy, mustard, and crème fraiche-stained Bistro book, and asked the Chef to autograph it for me. He wrote on the front page, “To Emma. Bon Appetit. Gerald.”

Now, ten years since its opening, Piperade is still collecting accolades from San Francisco dwellers and visitors alike. To celebrate the occasion, Chef Hirigoyen opened a brand new event space, adjacent to Piperade and named Lauburu after the Basque cross which symbolizes spirit and life.

This 1,000 square foot space, perfect for private dining, corporate banquets, family celebrations and industry/public events, like winemakers dinners, became the scene for the 10th Anniversary Luncheon, for which the Chef prepared a special menu of his acclaimed creations.

An array of appetizers included absolutely decadent calamari “A la Plancha” lightly grilled with fennel, olives, capers, lemon, and coriander; bright-red piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese, pistachios, and golden raisins; Chef’s signature terrine of Basque sheep’s milk cheese, ham, and sherry; and a festive plate of seasonal figs with haricots vert and walnuts. Basque wine Txomin Etxaniz, Getariako Txakolina, Gipuzkoa 2009 accompanied the starters.

Chef’s favorite, whole sea bass, prepared with fried garlic vinaigrette, came second, garnished with squash and mushrooms, and complimented by Allende, Viura, Rioja 2008.

Then the most succulent rack of lamb made its appearance with intriguing sides of merguez sausage, roasted fennel, fingerling potatoes and cumin-date relish, paired with Herri Mina, Cabernet Franc, Trouleguy 2007.

An old Basque version of Grenache – Arrels de Clos Pissarra, Garnatxa, Clos Oblidat, Montsant 2006 accompanied a plate of the Pyrenees cheeses.

Finally, a lavish dessert tray presented the signature orange blossom beignets, milk chocolate and hazelnut “Biarritz Rocher” creamy round tarts, and sumptuous gateau Basque with cherry preserve, all perfectly matched with the sweet Clos Uroulat, Jurancon 2009 with subtle residual sugar.

The ambience of Lauburu with reclaimed wood decor, exposed brick, a glass-fronted wall mounted wine display, wood beam ceiling with track lighting, a decorative mirror, and wood panel flooring is simultaneously elegant and bohemian – intimate and inviting. A patio access offers some cityscape views.

Lauburu is located at 1015 Battery Street, San Francisco, and is available for private functions by advance reservation. Piperade, at the same address, is open for lunch Monday through Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and for dinner Monday through Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and on Friday and Saturday until 10:30 p.m. For more information and reservations call (415) 391-2555 or visit www.piperade.com .