Garden Travel Food and Wine

Napa Truffle Festival

Handful of truffles….

Photo Courtesy Napa Truffle Festival

January 13 – 16th: The second annual Napa Truffle Festival begins Friday at the Westin Verasa, Napa, taking in seminars, winery tours & tastings, and memorable meals. (The sold out event already has dates in place for the 2013 event.) On Monday, however, tickets can be purchased that day for a food and wine event celebrating the fabulous fungi at the Oxbow Public Market.

The event’s keynote speaker – a savvy insider in the world of food and travel -Barbara Fairchild is the former editor of Bon Appétit.

Napa Valley Photo © Alice Joyce

The Festival is an exciting concept, bringing in scientific experts to lead seminars dealing with the cultivation and economics of European truffles. Food lovers will bask in the presence of stars of the culinary realm, and the preparation of elegant cuisine calling attention to the earthy, flavorful allure of European truffles.

Boasting an impressive gathering of Michelin Star Chefs from the U.S. and Italy, Ken Frank of La Toque will presiding over cooking demonstrations, and the weekend’s culmination: a virtuoso Saturday evening dinner.

Sonoma .. Napa Holiday

Lovely weather in December stirred a desire to spend the Christmas holiday in Wine Country.

Napa Valley Winter Vignette Photo © Alice Joyce

I never cease to wonder at the beauty of the landscape, where eye-catching vignettes emerge along roadways.

Beignets de Brandade de Morue (Cod) tomato confit Photo © Alice Joyce

Certainly the notion of enjoying fabulous food and wine made the brief getaway a very special holiday, indeed. Christmas Eve lunch at Bouchon .. quite simply a feast! To start: Endives au Roquefort salad with fuji apples, toasted walnuts & walnut vinagrette. T. and I shared satisfying Hors d’Oeuvres: a heaping serving of Rillettes aux Deux Saumons – prepared with fresh and smoked salmon, along with delectable cod beignets!

Bouchon Interior / Photo © Alice Joyce

Coquilles St. Jacques au Cidre entree – exquisitely prepared, succulent scallops on a bed of pumpkin confit, carmelized salsify, apples & cider emulsion. Melt-in-your-mouth nirvana for this foodie!

Thomas Keller Cookbooks … on Amazon

Bouchon Photo © Alice Joyce

Bouchon’s brilliantly exuberant facade…

French Laundry Streetside Gardens / Photo © Alice Joyce

Nearby, Chef Thomas Keller’s French Laundry restaurant impresses with its meticulously maintained culinary gardens and streetside plantings.

French Laundry Culinary Gardens / Photo © Alice Joyce

A few weeks earlier, I had stopped at Bardessono, where I love having lunch in their stylish bar. The courtyard is glorious in winter when the magnolias are blooming!

Luxe settees and a fireplace add to the bar’s atmosphere: a perfect spot to sip a glass of champagne.

Bardessono Creamy Celery Root Soup/Carmelized Onion & Cheese Panini Photo © Alice Joyce

Bardessono Bar Photo © Alice Joyce

: Napa Valley Lodge

The heart of Yountville, with its array of restaurants is convenient to the Napa Valley Lodge, where our spacious room had a beautiful vineyard view.

: Sonoma Valley Inn

Our holiday getaway kicked off in Sonoma, a block or so off the town square with a room at the Sonoma Valley Inn. This hotel is where the Australian Studying Abroad tour group will stay during the first few nights of their Northern California landscape & garden tour. I’m looking forward to escorting the group as we visit private gardens in Marin County.

I’m thinking it may be time to upgrade my Canon Camera, perhaps a belated Christmas present to myself before I embark on my 2012 travel adventures, yearning for a return to the serene landscape of the Sonoran desert… while dreaming of Venice.

Paso Robles Prospects

During an all-too-brief trip to bask in the low key ambiance of summertime in Paso Robles, I enjoyed the pleasures of palate-tingling wine tastings and foodie havens deserving of lavish accolades.

Thomas Hill Organics Photo: Alice Joyce

Highlights to look for in the days ahead include more than one dazzlingly delicious meal at Thomas Hill Organics, a farm-to-table bistro & wine bar establishment located in the heart of Paso Robles.

: For two full days I explored the region with Coy Barnes of The Wine Wrangler. A knowledgeable, resourceful tour guide, Coy put together a terrific itinerary encompassing wine and food pairings at Cass Winery, a visit to Le Vigne Winery – where winemaker Jac Jacobs treated us to enticing barrel tastings, and an unforgettable tour of the historic Ancient Peaks Winery Santa Margarita Ranch in the company of co-owner Doug Filippoini.

Traveling round with Coy, you enjoy the benefits of expertise that’s finely tuned to the wines being produced in the large Paso Robles AVA – some 26,000 vineyard acres and growing: Here’s a region where you’ll find savvy winemakers crafting mouth-watering wines from 40 varietals. I found it exciting to taste wines from uncommon grape varieties on my journey of discovery on the Central Coast.

There’s much more to reveal, so stay tuned as I retrace our various stopovers along back roads and highways where Paso Robles prospects will unfold.

Home Base for my Paso Robles sojourn:

A comfortable stay at the Best Western Black Oak

…where the friendly staff is efficient and helpful.

More Paso! … Wine & Food Pairing Cass Winery

And a meal to die for! at… Thomas Hill Organics

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