PROJECT.PURPOSE.LIFE
YOUNTVILLE (NAPA VALLEY)
Duration: Half Day
With COVID-19 still happening, there still isn't much traveling that can be done unless it's by car or if you feel comfortable enough to take other types of public transportation such as flying on an airplane, bus, train, etc. I'm still trying to be careful but I do crave the travel. To meet in the middle with being able to travel and wanting to travel, I explored Yountville, California which is within the Napa Valley area. Yountville is the town famous for Thomas Keller's Restaurant The French Laundry, a three star Michelin Star Restaurant. This restaurant is difficult to get a reservation for since they fill up really quick. Unfortunately, my husband and I didn't get to confirm our plans quick enough to be able to place our reservation when we saw openings. However, we were able to try Thomas Keller's sister restaurant Ad Hoc which is also located in Yountville. There are a lot of shops in this little town, places to do wine tastings, and a nice art walk along the street. Be sure to go online to search for restaurants that may need reservations.
STOP 1: ART WALK
There are different pieces of art scattered throughout the city. Each one unique in their own way. There's an explanation for each piece you see along the side of the road. There is a total of 29 colorful and fun sculptures scattered from one end of town to the other, so this is a fun activity to do while walking around town.
STOP 2: BOUCHON BAKERY
We left in the afternoon to give ourselves some time to walk around, visit some shops, and see what was around prior to our dinner reservations. First stop was the Bouchon Bakery which is also owned by Thomas Keller. Since we had a reservation to the other restaurant, we didn't get to try the Bouchon Restaurant since we didn't want to be too full and not enjoy our dinner. This is why we decided on visiting the bakery.
We were able to snack and not get too full and at the same time experience a piece of Bouchon. The bakery is a small little shop, so depending on what time you go, there may be a bit of a line outside. It's really difficult to choose what to get in their bakery since you'll want everything; however, the pastries we enjoyed the most was the cheese bread, chocolate croissant, the fresh fruit tart (fig, plum, raspberry, and blueberries), and their macaroons!
STOP 3: AD HOC RESTAURANT
AD HOC which is a Thomas Keller's American Flare restaurant, that serves set menus. We were able to make a reservation exactly when they opened (5:00PM) which was a great time to go especially if you want to try indoor dining. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we've come from closed restaurants, to semi-opened ones, to restaurants that only do dine in if they have outdoor seating. This was the first restaurant we've eaten indoor in since the pandemic. In the beginning while there aren't so many people, we felt okay eating inside. Since we are still being cautious, as the time began to pass, the restaurant started to get busy around 6:30PM. Table seating are still within social distancing protocols, but it's still a bit uncomfortable when more people begin to trickle in and continue to walk pass you multiple times. Masks are definitely still required throughout the restaurant, and can only be removed once at your table. Other than that, the food, service, and ambiance was still enjoyable. The food menu is a one time use due to precautions, so you can either keep it or give it back to them, and their drink menu will be digital. Use your smartphone to scan the QR code located on the menu and their drink list will appear. Our set menu was around $56/pp excluding drinks, which is available at an the additional cost. They are very generous with their servings. You will either finish their meals completely or have food to take home and eat again for another meal. Either way, the food was delicious, serving was absolutely generous, our server Dan was such a kind person, and the atmosphere was casual and relaxing.
Our set menu was the following:
(Course 1: TFL Garden Heirloom Tomato Salad)
(Course 1b: Regiis Ova Royal Caviar at an additional cost ($45)) ---DID NOT ORDER
(Course 2: Buttermilk Fried Chicken served with creamy polenta and sauteed garden vegetable)
(Course 2b: Choice of adding an order of Maine Lobster Man 'n' Cheese at an additional cost($33))
(Course 3: Cowgirl Creamery Mt. Tam)
(Course 4: K+M Chocolate Tart)
