Happy Hour Heaven

After a fancy pants dinner the night before, we decided to look out for a more economic meal.  We found it at the Bounty Hunter, a wine bar in Downtown Napa.  We could smell the bbq before we could see the restaurant.  

On Mondays, they have happy hour specials the whole day.  The specials include $5 rib plate, $10 bbq sampler platter, and 2 for 1 glasses of wine (any wine, even the good stuff) or pints of beer (only the on tap stuff).  We started with a charcuterie plate (forgot to take a picture) and then ordered a bbq sampler.  The sampler included St. Louis style ribs, pulled pork and brisket.  They had three sauces- chipotle, mustard based, and sweet bbq sauce.  We liked the chipotle and mustard sauces best.  

The aftermath: 

So we ordered another:

We lusted over this place all weekend, so I was a little worried that it wouldn't live up to the hype that we had built in our head.  Oh, it did.  In fact, it surpassed anything I imagined.  The fact that it was (relatively) cheap (at least for Napa) was just icing on the cake.  

Fancy Pants Fat Kid Dinner

Some people splurge on expensive clothes, cars, or concert tickets.  My splurge is nice restaurants, obviously.  Although Fat Kids enjoy a good deal, I am willing to spent a little more to get the experience.  For the last few bithdays, instead of gifts, M and I have taken each other out for fancy pants dinners.

This weekend wasn't for any special celebration- just a spur of the moment trip.  As part of our hotel deal, we got a $100 gift certificate to use at one of three restaurants nearby.  We selected Morimoto, the solo restaurant venture by Iron Chef star Masaharu Morimoto.  

We decided to splurge and go for the tasting menu.  So worth it- we got to sample dishes that we otherwise wouldn't have thought to order.  It was an incredible experience. 

First course: toro tartare.

The dish came in a wooden bowl packed with ice.  The tuna was packed into a dish similar to a cutting board.  At the bottom, there was three sets of toppings- wasabi & (something I can't remember), sour cream & chives, and guacamole & rice crackers.  Morimoto is famous for coming up with interesting combos and this dish definitely lived up to his reputation.  They also included teriyaki dipping sauce and a little pitted fruit (name I can't remember) to eat as a palate cleanser.  You scoop up the tuna with this utensil that looks like a paddle- can't really see it in the picture (sorry).

A closer shot.  So tasty.  Never had anything like this before.  Incredible presentation.

Second course: I can't remember the name, but it was a thin slice of fish, seared and stuffed with mushrooms and topped with micro-cilantro.

It was tasty, but not memorable.  Given that the first dish was so amazing, I think it was hard to follow up. (Sorry for the terrible pictures- I was trying to be polite by not using flash.)

Third dish: bagna cauda.

Apparently this is an Italian dish that Morimoto adapted.  In the white dish, there is olive oil with a garlic paste and this combo is heated by a tea candle underneath.  It comes with an assortment of items to dip in the oil, including bread, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, brussel sprouts, onions, and tempura, among others.

So the garlic mix doesn't look appetizing, but I swear it was amazing.  Very simple dish, but so tasty.  Beautiful presentation.

Fourth course: soup

Again, I can't remember the name and it's not on the menu.  I think it was a miso base with foie gras.  The green fleck on the left was wasabi.  We scooped up a bit of the wasabi and then got a spoonful of soup.  It gave it a great kick.  With or without the wasabi, it was very tasty.  We scraped the bowl as dry as we could get it and would have licked it clean if were weren't in public.

Fifth course: sushi!

From left to right: oh-toro (fatty tuna), hamachi (yellowtail), sake (salmon), saba (japanese mackerel) and tako (octopus).  At the bottom right, pickled ginger.  Our favorite was the tuna, yellowtail and salmon.  Some of the best fish I have ever tasted.

Sixth course: porkbelly, wagyu beef and lobster with lemon creme fraiche.

Maybe this only happens to me, but when food is super, super tasty, I impulsively slap the table.  It is an involuntary response.  It happened when I ate this dish.  A bit embarrassing, but couldn't help it.

 This was the pork belly.  It was set on a base of polenta and topped with micro greens.  It was so tender, it literally melted onto my fork.

The wagyu beef.  I'm not the biggest beef fan, but this was delicious.

Finally, the lobster tail.  It was a tad spicy- surprising.  It sat on a bed of fava beans, kale and pomegranate
seeds.  Yum, yum, yum.

Last course: dessert!!!

Carrot cake with vanilla bean ice cream, candied carrot and fruit slices.  Not what I expected from this place, but then again, I don't think I could have predicted anything we were served.  Fresh tasting and a nice blend of flavors.

Could not say enough good things about this place.  It was one of the all time best meals I have ever eaten.  Wonderful experience.  

Eating My Way Through Napa

It's Spring Break and while I have tons of work to catch up on, I decided to go on a quick vacation with my love to Napa after finding an amazing travel deal on Living Social.  Most come here for the wine, but I find the food just as a compelling reason to visit.

First stop: breakfast at the Dipsea Cafe.

Our starter course: a biscuit.  This was a late addition- we had to add it on after seeing another customer eating one at a neighboring table.  

M's dish: whole wheat pancakes with fresh blueberries, homemade breakfast sausage (huge link) and home fries.  He was pretty impressed- said it tasted very homemade. 

I had a special: zucchini, carrot and dill pancakes, chicken apple sausage, sour cream and homemade applesauce.  De-lic-ious.  Huge portions, so I didn't get through even half of it.  

This was a fun first stop.  We were worried at first because there was a good 30 or so people waiting for a table, but they moved through the list fast.  I think we only waited about 10 minutes.  Tons of babies- so adorable.  Made my ovaries ache.  It was a tad pricey, but the portions are so large, you could easily split a plate and help stretch your dollar.

Next stop: ironic dim sum for a snacky lunch at a food truck in Napa called Dim Sum Charlie's.

It was it in a Air Stream trailer.  They were camped out in this random dirt lot next to Gott's Roadside and I'm sure they swiped a few customers who didn't want to wait in the ridiculously long lines that are always at that place. 

The prices were really high considering that you could easily get the same meal in San Francisco for half the price.  That said, it was pretty solid.  We got the "Ten Dolla Makes You Holla" deal, which include a steamed  pork bun, a honey pork bun and 5 assorted pieces of dim sum.  

I forgot to take pictures until we got down to the last two pieces.  The one on the right was our favorite.  I have no idea what it is called, but it is super tasty. 

A couple next to us had huge steaming bowls of ramen that smelled wonderful.  Again, far too pricey, but that's true for almost everything in Napa.  

Finally, dessert from Sweet Pies, a bakery next to our hotel. 

Red velvet whoopie pie with cream cheese frosting.  Far bigger than I expected.  Pretty good, but way too big to finish.  They had some other goodies that looked very tasty- cheesecake, creme brulee, cookies, and cupcakes.  Pretty good prices, especially considering that everything is big enough to split with a friend. 

We finished off the day with a fancy pants dinner at Morimoto's, a restaurant owned by the Iron Chef star Masaharu Morimoto.  That meal was deserving of its own post- to come shortly.