Napa Foodie Tour

Recently I visited Napa, California, by far the best known of the Cali wine regions.  I spotted winery after winery along The Silverado Trail and Highway 29.  What I want you to  know is that some of the countries best restaurants are here too!  I wanted to try a few but where to begin?  I decided on a walking foodie tour with Foodies on Foot.  Owners Gale and Sherry offer 4 different tours in the area.  I chose the Oxbow Tour.  Their other tours visit Sonoma, Historic Napa Mill and for the more adventurous, a Segway tour.  The last is on my radar for another visit as I often seek adventure. Comfy shoes and an empty stomach are recommended.

We began our tour at 10:30 a.m. and it lasts approximately 3 hours.  Our group met at the famed “Oxbow Market“.   After a brief explanation of what we could expect we headed inside the Oxbow for our first taste of Napa.

Stop #1 – Ca’ Momi prides itself on its commitment to authenticity, organic sourcing, sustainability, and practicing the rich tradition of Italian cooking. We snuggled up to the bar at this Italian hot spot inside the Oxbow.  They boast of their authentic Italian food (Naples style) and this is why.   The Verace Pizza Napoletana association (VPN) is an organization that certifies the authenticity of Pizza Napoletana. This certification is given to pizzerias who meet strict requirements that respect the tradition of the art of the Neapolitan pizza making. Not only do they own this amazing pizza oven but the mozzarella is hand made right in front of customers.

We were served a breakfast pizza with the most delicious, crisp edged crust topped with a farm fresh egg.  We enjoyed the pizza along with a Blood Orange Mimosa from the cool bar.  What a great way to start the day!

Now we were ready to take off on a short walk to the Model Bakery.  For close to 90 years the Model Bakery has been on the scene in the Napa Valley.  Serving up fresh baked breads made with organic stone ground flours and the finest ingredients.  Alongside their delightful and tasty breads you’ll find an array of pastries, cookies, cakes and their famous “English Muffins”.  We were treated to these hot out of the oven muffins with butter, jams and honey.  You’ve never had an english muffin like this.  It is not comparable at all to the stuff you find at your local grocery store.  This is a perfect, quick stop for a bite to eat before you head off to hit the sauce on a day long wine tasting tour.

I snuck back into the kitchen for a peek and let me tell you they were busy as bees in that kitchen.  I snapped a couple of quick photos before scurrying out as I was definitely in the way!

Breakfast hour was over so we took a leisurely walk to a food truck.  Food trucks haven’t fallen off the poplar foodie scene anywhere, best as I can tell.  We were treated to beef, street tacos at La Esperanza.  The truck sits across from the Napa Wine Train tracks.  It was fun to wave to all the patrons of the train as we devoured spicy, beef tacos, served just the way I like “em, with fresh cilantro, diced onions and a slice of lime.

By now our bellies are starting to feel satisfied so we take a longer stroll into downtown Napa to continue our tour.  Our tour guide, Gale tells us facts about the recent earthquake that shook Napa to the core.  Many damaged buildings remain behind orange netting, warning us to stay out until repairs can be completed.  Along the way we also see 3 large steel beams recovered from the World Trade Center rubble.  Installed in a park like setting, a reminder of our blessings to be enjoying a sunny, warm day on the beautiful west coast.

We’ve worked up a bit of an appetite after walking several blocks to Napa Valley Bistro, home to classic American cuisine with a twist.  Co-owner and executive chef Bernardo Ayala has worked for some of the best known restaurants in the valley, such as Napa Valley Grille, Silverado Resort, Domaine Chandon, and the Culinary Institute of America in Greystone. With credentials like that we knew we’d be in for a treat in this sleek establishment.  Chef Bernardo was in the kitchen when we arrived and he delighted us with Achiote Marinated Chicken Empanadas.  Avocado, Lime Creme Fraiche, Black Bean Puree, Queso Fresco – delicious and fresh!  Pockets of pastry stuffed with flavorful chicken on top of black bean puree is not only tasteful but looks appetizing too.  No?

Lucero Olive Oil tasting room was next on the tour.  Believe me if you’ve never “tasted” olive oils it’s practically as enjoyable as wine tasting.  We gathered around a large bar where a variety of oils and vinegar were placed on a placemat for each of us.  I immediately spotted the Mandarin Orange one and my interest was piqued to taste it most of all.

Along with infused olive oils they sell a wide range of flavored  balsamic vinegars and a basic one as well.  I couldn’t resist making purchases here to enjoy these fresh tasting oils in my own kitchen.  The best was saved for last when small cups of vanilla ice cream were served with a drizzle of Chocolate Olive Oil and a choice of the flavored vinegars.  Strawberry, pineapple, fig, blackberry, the list goes on and on.  It was the better than one would imagine.  In fact I liked it so much I’ve been making ice cream sundaes at home and drizzling them with oil and vinegar.  Weird huh?  You need to try it!

Inside Val’s Liquors lies a gem of a restaurant – Clemente’s .  Clemente’s is the home of Chef Clemente Cittoni, where Malfatti is served.  Most likely you’re not familiar with this dish. Malfatti is Italian slang for mistake, but when you eat it you won’t consider it a mistake for one minute.  Read the short story of how it came to be here.  We were served ours in cups topped with fresh made marinara and tons of oozy gooey cheese.  Melt in your mouth goodness. A long line of locals waited for orders “to go”.  Clemente is running a tight little operation tucked inside a place you’d least expect it.

As our tour started to come to an end we headed back towards the Napa River for a sweet treat, riverfront, at Frati Gelato.  Master gelato maker, Dr. Anthony LuPriore oversees the production of authentic 16th century gelato.  Offering a vast array of flavors we were treated to the signature flavor, Frate.  A mixture of marscapone and pistachio.  Heaven on earth!

When I thought the tour was about to be over we ventured to one last stop, Mason Cellars tasting room.  We sampled 4 different varieties in this downtown location.  Beautifully designed labels grace the bottles.  The wines are nice too!

This ended the tour as a group, but a nice perk was a little card for a wine tasting at “Uncorked” another tasting room across from the Oxbow Market.  We decided to sit a spell and taste a few of their offerings.  A solo guitarist entertained as we sat at a long bar, rested our feet and enjoyed a few sips of Ahnfeldt wines.

It was a fantastic way to spend a few hours on a warm, sunny Saturday in Napa.  Next time you find yourself in Napa and are looking for a diversion from hitting the wineries check out Foodies on Foot.  Heck you can still make at least one tasting after the food tour is complete.  Gale, our guide was very pleasant and made a point to visit with each member of her tour group.  She kept up a steady but leisurely pace and gave us plenty of history and info about Napa.  Here is their info:

Tours: $70 each 3 hours

Time: Napa tours start at 10:30am- Sonoma tours start at 11am

Available: Tues-Sat

Call Sherry 707-208-4691 or Gale 707-280-1348

Email us at foodiesonfoot@yahoo.com