Good Morning!

After a day at 5 wineries we were ready for and needed to eat something! One of my pals made reservations for us at the first seating at 5:30 and we were a few minutes early and we grabbed drinks at the bar. First impression of the place for me was there was a real feeling that we were in a special place and the level of attention paid to detail was spot on. It is causal but elegant and it feels intimate but very roomy.

I did my normal routine and ordered a glass of bubbly and my friends each ordered a drink and within just a few minutes we had made a friend of a dude named Eric at the bar from Philadelphia. We were seated in about 10-15 minutes and the server was quick to become our best friend. We ordered 3 appetizers and all 3 were excellent but for me the handmade cheese with on the crustini rocked my world. So subtle and so elegant but rustic (I know, really…but I felt like I was eating fresh farm food but in a high end dining room).

For dinner I had Bucatini and the poached egg on top was like if cream and velvet had a love child. My one friend ordered lamb and the grilled lamb was so rare and tender it melted in your mouth. My pal Jen ordered the chicken….I roast chicken all the time and I think it is really good…but after I had a bite of her chicken…well, when I grow up, I hope my chicken roasting skills reach this level. I have no idea what they do differently, but I will be hunting down every single cookbook of his and figuring it out!

We are all so happy with the service, food and experience we did not want the night to end and though we were all quite full, we split a chocolate cake with hazelnut cream….seriously, this was the devil in a cake. So rich, so decadent, but it was not really dense and it was light and I did not leave there feeling miserable, which is odd for me, because I LOVE to eat great food and I am kinda like a guinea pig and will eat until I bust. ( there’s a story from my childhood in this guinea pig connection, but I will save you the details of it’s untimely death).

We all left happy and can not wait to experience Bottega with more friends and family. I am sure Bottega will become a “go to” place when visitors are in town.

I have now eaten at 5 of the Iron Chef’s restaurants (or their competitors), Michael Symon, Bobby Flay’s, Mario Butalli’s, Elizabeth Faulkner’s and now Michael Chiarello’s, I know he did not win the competition but he performed excellently. The mild manor attitude he has always had on his show Napa Style, did not show during the Next Iron Chef, actually he came across kinda cranky (but I understand the pressure of reality TV, so I forgive the bitchiness). His place is a wonderful experience not just in dining but in living well and hanging out with friends and family. Napa can be kinda unapproachable if you are not a wine “geek” but Bottega really wrapped up our day perfectly.

That wraps up my day in Napa and I have to thank my pals, Rhonda, Jessica and Jen, they are great tasting, dining and just plain old fun friends to spend time with.

Next week I want to discuss my evening at the Zuni Cafe in San Francisco and the wines we had!

Have an awesome weekend!

Much LOVE and wine,

Tammi