Jewels

The fruit market in Pier 39 of Fisherman's Wharf is an absolute feast for the eyes. The fruits all look juicy, delicious, and almost too pretty to eat.

Hog's Island Oyster Farm

I always tell people I can probably eat 2 dozen of oysters to myself. Oysters are one of the most delicious foods ever and I can seriously eat it all day. That is why I was incredibly excited when I found out that Hog's Island Oyster Farm was located only 1 hours drive out of San Fran. It was initially a bit hard to convince my parents to go because they were a bit skeptical and also not as avid of an oyster lover as I am, but with some persuasion we were on the way to this oyster heaven. The drive was actually extremely leisurely with some very beautiful views of the pacific ocean, forests, and marshes. Hog's Island Oyster farm is located in Marshall but they also have two oyster bars in Napa and San Fran. I wanted to go to the actual farm because there you can sit by a picnic table, shuck your own oysters, and enjoy nature while sipping on wine - a much better experience in my opinion!

Such an amazing price for absolutely divine oysters! 

Where they take your order: they give you a tray with all your oysters along with ice, a oyster knife, and a glove.

Picnic area with the bar where you can get cheeses, wine, and meats. You can bring your own coal or by it from the venue and cook whatever meats or ingredients you bring. The atmosphere is extremely friendly and casual. Everyone just looked like they were having a great time and enjoying good food with good company. 

YES.

Oysters, wine, and cheese. The good life. The crackers and cheese were both made from very high quality ingredients and the wine selection was also very decent. The white wine with the oyster was perfect! 

Dad was quite a master at shucking oyster. 

My first shucked oyster! The extra small oysters were the sweetest while the medium sized ones were recommended for the grill. We did not want to start up a grill therefore shucked all of them and ate all of them raw. They were all incredibly fresh and delicious. The quality of the oysters were amazing and each bite made you craving for more. 

Weather was a little unpredictable and drizzly but it did not dampen our spirits! 

A very very lovely experience. Everyone please make sure to drop by Hog's Island if you are near the area! Definitely worth it! 

Hog's Island Oyster Farm 

20215 Highway 1

Marshall 

CA 94940

Hurley's Restaurant and Bar

Hurley's was the one meal during our stay in Napa that was unplanned. We were busy sight seeing and driving around and just popped into any restaurant that was along the way. Located in bustling Yountville, the restaurant looked lively with a good amount of customers and the food was actually quite good!

Mussels with toasted bread
 The mussels were very juicy and fresh, the seasonings were perfect and did not mask the sweet flavor of the mussels. The bread was also crunchy and soaked up all the juices well. 

Mixed vegetable risotto with diver scallops
The dish was decent but was nothing amazing. The combination of flavors were fine but not something I would order again particularly. The scallops were fresh and of substantial size. 

Hurley's Restaurant and Bar

6518 Washington Street

Yountville 

Napa Valley

CA 94599

Bliss

While driving around Napa, we noticed that there were many signs on the roadside that said "Sweet Cherries". Cherries are one of my favorite fruits and we stopped off to buy a bag of these lovely sweet bites. It was such a simple pleasure, being in the car driving through the beautiful mountains and vineyards of Napa Valley with a bag of refreshingly sweet cherries.

Bistro Jeanty

The food in Napa was delicious but every meal was very heavy and filling, I went to Bistro Jeanty near the end of our trip and although it was absolutely delicious, we all could feel the effects of the food eaten in previous days slowly accumulate. Bistro Jeanty was recommended to me by a close friend and I was so glad that I got to eat there before leaving Napa. The restaurant had a very cozy and lively atmosphere and one almost felt like they were in a bustling bistro in Paris.

Escargots with garlic pastis butter
Escargots were juicy and meaty and the garlic butter was very flavorful but not overwhelming. Only wished the dish was a bit bigger.

Creme de Tomate en Croute - Tomato soup in puff pastry
This dish was the most raved about dish on the yelp page for Bistro Jeanty. The tomato soup was creamy and bursting with the rich flavor of tomatoes. The puff pastry was light, fluffy, and buttery. Every bite of soup and pastry was a match made in heaven. So comforting, simple, and delicious! 

Pieds de Cochon Persilles - Pig's feet and haricots verts salad with a shallot mustard vinaigrette
The execution of the dish was very well done and the pig's feet was delicious, but as an appetizer this dish was way too big and filling. The amount of pig's feet was also astounding and I felt that one cube would have been sufficient as an appetizer. It was also rather heavy and one got sick of the gelatinous chunk of meat quickly. 

Epaule de Porc - Slow roasted pork shoulder with butternut squash gratin, brussels sprouts, and bacon
This dish was recommended by my friend and it definitely lived up to its expectations! The pork shoulder was very tender and falling off the bone. The brussels sprouts were cooked just right, not too soft and not too hard. It had the perfect amount of crunch that contrasted well with the extremely juicy and tender pork. The bacon bits added little bursts of salty flavor. Bacon is always a win in my book.

Daube de Boeuf - Beef stew with mashed potatoes, buttered peas, and carrots
A traditional and simple comfort food, but OH MY GOD was it absolutely mind blowing. This may possibly be my favorite dish of the entire trip (tied with the foie at La Toque). I have never tasted such tender melt in your mouth beef that had such incredible flavor. It was absolutely heavenly and I still fantasize about this stew. This was also the second time in my life that I found peas to be edible and actually quite delicious! The only other time was at Stephanie's on Newbury in Boston. I am an avid hater of peas and the fact that Bistro Jeanty was able to make me eat peas displays their excellent and masterful culinary skills. Absolutely fantastic. 

Bread pudding with rum and raisins
I am a total sucker for bread pudding. It is so warm, sweet, and delicious. At the end of dinner I was on the verge of explosion but just when I was about to throw in the towel I noticed the chalkboard with the specials of the day and had to order the bread pudding. The bread pudding was the perfect end to this amazing dinner. Sadly I was so full that I could not finish it but if I could I would eat it all now. It was everything a bread pudding should be, the top was crusty with caramelized sugar and the inside was creamy, sinfully sweet, and moist.

If you ever are in Napa, please make sure you do yourself a favor and drop by Bistro Jeanty. It is an amazing dining experience. The waiters are friendly, the atmosphere warm and lively, and the food absolutely delicious. 

Bistro Jeany

6510 Washington Street 

Yountville 

CA 94599

Redd

Continuing with our quest of good food and wine while in Napa, our next venture was Redd in Yountville. This was a restaurant that I have not heard of previously but my Dad read a good review in a magazine so we decided to give it a go. Redd's philosophy is to serve reinterpreted classic wine country dishes with Asian, European, and Mexican influences in a refined and relaxed environment. The restaurant had very large floor to ceiling windows which allowed the space to be bathed in sunlight. The waitress was very polite and seated us immediately with a table next to the window.

Crispy calamari, cayenne salt, tamarind sauce, vietnamese dressing
Each piece of calamari was crispy and succulent. It was cooked perfectly and was not tough at all. The batter covering each piece was delicate and light. The seasoning was also superb and very tasty. great dish! 

John Dory, creamy jasmin rice, clams, chorizo, saffron curry nage
This was a very refreshing and light dish. The presentation was beautiful and one could taste the high quality of the ingredients. The clams and the seafood were very fresh and the fish was cooked perfectly.

Crisp duck confit, lentils, foie gras meatballs, crispy spaetzle
The duck confit was extremely tender with the meat falling apart as you cut into it. The skin was absolutely heavenly, very crispy and full of flavor. I am not a huge fan of lentils but this accompanied the strong flavor of the duck very well and was a nice contrast of textures. The foie gras meatballs were decent yet I was unable to taste the distinctive flavor of foie gras, they disappointedly tasted like normal meat balls. The crispy spaetzle was quite dull and too doughy and bland for my tastes. I felt that the dish could do without the meatballs or spaetzle as the duck confit and lentils were made extremely well. 

Roasted organic chicken, potato puree, braised chanterelles, root vegetables, liver toast
The chicken was roasted very well with a nice golden brown coloring to the skin. The meat was juicy and flavorful and the vegetables were also very fresh. I was surprised to see that the portions of this restaurant were all very large. This dish could easily feed two people. The dish was well made but nothing extraordinary. 

Redd

6480 Washington Street

Yountville 

CA 94599-1294

Bouchon

I have been totally slacking on posts! I am back in Hong Kong now and have been staying true to the quest of eating good food and trying out new restaurants. There are still a lot of restaurants that I have not posted about yet, I have a lot of catching up to do. Bouchon is a famous bakery opened by Thomas Keller (French Laundry, Per se) with locations in New York, Las Vegas, and Napa Valley. Being a sucker for macarons, I was really excited to go in and get a few. I have been to Bouchon in Vegas and still salivate at the thought of biting into that delicious macaron.

Yessss.

A little excessive no?

So excited :)

Caramel Macaron
The macarons were a little bit too big for my liking but they were made perfectly. The outside was crunchy and delicate and the inside was soft and sinfully sweet. The cream inside was luscious and delectable.

Strawberry Rhubarb Macaron
The flavor of this macaron was not very apparent yet the texture and taste of it was still delicious. The colors were absolutely stunning though.

Bouchon Bakery

6528 Washington Street

Yountville

CA, 94599-1397