Heston and I went up to Napa with my mom to spend some time and went to one of her favorite Napa restaurants, Bistro Jeanty. This is one of the most French places I’ve been outside of France. I loved our waiter. He reminded me of Javier from the TV show Felicity. (I adored that show.)

We couldn’t decide which bottle of wine to order so we ordered our meals first. I got the Salade de Betteraves, which was beet and mache salad with feta cheese and citrus dressing. It was perfectly balanced with sweet and savory flavors. My mom got the Salade de Laitue, which was a butter lettuce salad with a mustard vinaigrette. I tried that one too and it was very yummy.

At this point we had finally decided on a bottle of wine. We ordered a bottle of 2005 Rafanelli Zin that was just outstanding. It tasted like plum and black cherry. Soo yum!

For our main courses here is what we got: (I’ll comment on all since we all tried each others.)

Heston had the Cassoulet, which is baked beans with duck confit, sausage and apple smoked bacon. He loved it and I thought it was simply amazing. The portion was rather large though. I think 2-3 people could have had one!

My mom enjoyed the Coq Au Vin, which is chicken, mushrooms, bacon and red wine stew. I grew up having this dish and this was a fabulously flavorful rendition of it. I think the key is cooking the chicken on the bone.

I had the Sole Meuniere, which is a sole fillet, mashed potatoes with a lemon caper butter sauce. This was very rich and was also the first time that I’ve ever enjoyed capers! They really added a lot to the dish.

All in all it was a great lunch and I wish we could go back. The only thing I might change would be the portions, because they were so large! I can’t really find anything else to complain about. The atmosphere was just so warm and welcoming. I felt like I was sitting in my great aunt’s kitchen in Orleans, France.

Why is Bistro Jeanty so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)
Food: 8
Drinks: 8
Atmosphere: 8
Price: $50/person
Summary: Must go!

I took Heston to Bouchon in Yountville for his birthday. We had tried to go while we were in Vegas, but they were closed for a private event. It was perfect because we were in Yountville for the day picking up our wine club shipment at Goosecross and had a great day doing some tastings. Bouchon is the little sister of the famed French Laundry, also in Yountville.

We ordered a bottle of Hirsch Vinyards 2006 Pinot Noir Bohan Dillon. It had a great earth flavor with some blackberry and vanilla flavors as well.

It was recommended that we try the mussels here so we did. Wow. So wonderfully fresh. They were perfect. We shared those as well as a simple green salad with goat cheese. Both were fantastic!

For my main course I ordered the Coquille St. Jacques- seared sea scallops with piquillo peppers, asparagus, marcona almonds, green garlic & chorizo broth. Heston thought it was weird to put chorizo and scallops together. I disagree. The flavor of the chorizo gave the scallops a welcome bit of spice! The wine was a great compliment.

Ever since we went to Boulevard a few weeks ago Heston is obsessed with ribs. He ordered the Plats de Cotes de Boeuf- slow braised beef short ribs, spring onions, horseradish pain perdu & red wine beef jus. He seemed to think that the flavor a much flatter than at Boulevard, but he wants me to be sure to mention that they were still fantastic.

Dessert was a plate of profiteroles and so rich and wonderful. The ice cream was fresh and delightful. A great and memorable experience overall.

Why is Bouchon so festive?
(All ratings are out of 10.)

Food: 8

Drinks: 8

Atmosphere: 8

Price: $80/person

Summary: Must go!