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

La Toque

After graduation I went to Napa Valley with my parents for my graduation trip. Unfortunately we were unable to get a reservation at French Laundry which was rather devastating to me but luckily there were many other delicious places in Napa for good food. La Toque by Ken Frank in the Westin Hotel received many positive reviews on yelp therefore I made a reservation there for our first dinner at Napa. The menu changes periodically to showcase the freshest seasonal ingredients. There are 3 options, one where you pick your own courses, the Chef's tasting menu, and a vegetable tasting menu. There is also the option of wine pairings with each course which my father and I opted for.

Maine Lobster Salad with Manila Mango and Lemongrass
The lobster salad was a dance of fresh and exotic flavors in ones mouth. There were hearty pieces of lobster in the salad and the sweetness of the mango along with other garnishes resulted in a refreshing and delectable starter. 

Seared Artison Foie Gras with Peppered Compressed Pineapple, Apricot, and Spiced Rum Gastrique
As always, anything with foie is instantly on the top of my list. This foie was rich and seared perfectly. Still not as amazing as the foie gras from L'espalier in Boston which I will blog about soon. The foie gras was paired with a sweet wine which was an absolutely perfect combination. 

Alaskan Halibut with Saffron Cream Sauce
I am not completely sure of the full name of this dish. I took a small bite of this and it was thoroughly enjoyable. The fish was battered lightly and deep fried but was not overly greasy or healthy and maintained the freshness and texture of the fish.

Soft shell crab Once again I am unsure of the entire title of this dish. The presentation was a bit awkward in my opinion with the entire crab on the plate. The taste was decent but not something I would order again. The crab was not as crunchy and I would hope and all the textures just did not harmonize together too well.  

Boneless Lamb Loin with Cumin Scented Carrot Puree and Chickpea Fries
The lamb was extremely tender and the entire dish had very strong and robust flavors. The carrot puree complimented the lamb very well and the sauces were also perfect. The presentation of the dish was also lovely. I did not care for the chickpea fries, they were slightly soggy and lacking in any special flavor. 

Wild Pacific Salmon with Red Wine Vermicelli and Oyster Mushrooms
The salmon was sliced very thinly and cooked very well, resulting in very juicy meat. Although cooked well, it was not anything incredibly outstanding. 

Overall the meal was very enjoyable yet it was not mind-blowing. Good quality food but not somewhere I would be specifically keen on returning to.

La Toque 

1314 Mckinstry Street 

Napa 

CA 94558