Live Blog: Wine Country & The Elusive 'U'

So, in my quest for the Elusive 'U' I am, indeed, going to Ubuntu in Napa. And, as I stated in the Elusive U Post, there's no way in hell I'm going to an upscale vegetarian place in Napa without also hitting one of my fave places as well. The choices are many, but the logical choice is Redd: it counts as my 'R' and their brunch is just plain awesome. The breakfast pizza is a must and even if you don't see the made-to-order "donuts" on the menu, ask for them - you won't be sorry.

So we've got brunch reservations @ Redd and early (5:30) dinner reservations for Ubuntu. That gives us a decent amount of time in the Wine Country to kill without The Hottie hitting eight different wineries and having to be poured into her seat for dinner. My Plan? Head to Geyserville in The Alexander Valley and hit some of the wineries that we rarely go to because they're so far out of the way. It'll take at least an hour to drive there from Redd and it should be a beautiful, if extremely hot (100+ is a distinct possibility), day for an extended drive in the Wine Country. Hanna, Clos du Bois and the newly remodeled Francis Ford Coppola Winery are all on the itinerary. Now if I can just remember where that frelling speed trap is BEFORE I get to it this time...

8:29 A.M. - Yay! It's overcast! And I'm not being sarcastic either. It's been inhumanly hot here in The Bay for the past 2-3 days and The Wine Country will run a good ten degrees warmer than here, BUT if it's overcast in the AM then we won't have to deal with 100+ weather today. /happydance

9:02 A.M. - Good news, bad news. Good news: As I was jotting down addys for the wineries we're going to (just in case the GPS doesn't have them) I find a free tasting certificate for one of the places! Bad news: Our cranky H2O Heater is dead. Like, the thing that sparks to light the pilot light dead. So no hot water today. On balance, pretty bad news. Ten bucks saved < Cost + Hassle of new water heater. Meh...

9:39 A.M. - ProTip: If you're going Wine Tasting for any length of time, make sure to bring some portable carbtastic, fatty snacks with you to help absorb the alcohol (The pours might LOOK small, but they add up). That's why we're at Trader Joe's buying Pretzel Slims w/Everything (always a fave) and Salty, Sweet & Nutty Trek Mix (never had b4, but looks nut heavy and tasty). And DON'T forget the water either! We've got a small cooler that will be filled with ice, H2O and Frostie's Blue Cream Soda.

11:29 A.M. - Crossing the Carcinas Bridge. The best advice The Professional Liar ever gave me was to get a Fast Pass to zip thru toll booths with zero hassle. It doesn't cost anything and saves a lot of time! Even if you only use the bridges a handful of times a YEAR it's still worth it.

1:38 P.M. - Brunch at Redd was tasty as always, but the "casual" pace of the service leaves our trip to Geyserville in jeopary. Google said it would be a 70-80 minute drive but our Garmin claims we'll be there in 45 mins. We shall see. As for the food itself, I'll post the Director's Cut Review later this week, but I'll leave you with this: The donuts aren't EVER on the brunch menu anymore, but order them anyways. They will make them for you and they are awesome :D

1:55 A.M. - The A's Radio Network sucks like a Dyson. I don't mean the broadcast itself, I mean the transmission on the 60-watt "station" they moved to this year. Being the Minor League affiliate for MLB, the A's have had, like, three different stations in the last five years and the latest one is beyond awful. Seriously, I'm driving HOME from a game and get static less than 1-2 miles FROM the ballpark. Anyways, the transmission has finally become too bad to hear anything resembling speech, so we switch to Radio One. This is fine cause it's The Chart Show with Fearne (sans Reggie, who's at Festival in Reading) which means I'm assured hours of La Roux, Little Boots, Cascada and other acts you're never heard of. And if you haven't figured out by now that I have a thing for Euro Techno/Pop, then you just haven't been paying attention. Plus, the A's went from a one-run lead to a three-run deficit in the short time I've been listening since brunch. Nothing good will come of this >_<

2:01 P.M. - This is the original Taylor's Automatic Refresher in St. Helena. Has The Foodie ever eaten here? No. Why not? Just look at that picture...do you SEE that line? The place is CRAZY popular with locals and visitors alike and while an unbelievably long line can indicate really good food, it also indicates...well...a really long wait :p Some day yes, just not today...I snap my shots and move along.


2:56 P.M. - Leaving Hanna Winery with "merely" three bottles of wine. As always, we bought wines that have little to no distribution or are sold exculsively at the wineries. As "locals" to the region, we can pick up most wines at BevMo, Trader Joe's or the local supermarket (and, generally, cheaper too) so if we're going to drive two hours to a winery, might as well get something special, amirite? Oh yeah, and The Hottie got an extra pour.

WINE-O-METER:

6 "Tastes".
3 Bottles Purchased.

TOTAL:

6 "Tastes"
3 Bottles Purchased.

3:39 P.M. - Our pourer @ Clos Du Bois went CRAZY. I think he was more impressed with our wine knowledge than The Hotties cleavage but, either way, she was SUPPOSED to get 3 samples and ended up tasting 6 (2 of which weren't on ANY of the tasting lists). On top of that, he INSISTED on pouring ME two tastes even though I was refraining as the driver, which means The Hottie got my pours as well. Thank gawd we've got water and snacks in the GTI! Oh yeah, and he comped the tasting as well...so no charge :D FYI, the sectioned wine bag they give you instead of a traditional wine box is pretty slick.

WINE-O-METER:

8 "Tastes".
4 Bottles Purchased.

TOTAL:

14 "Tastes"
7 Bottles Purchased.

4:19 P.M. - Finally headed to The Elusive 'U'. We hadn't been to the recently re-named Francis Ford Coppola Winery since is was Chateau Souverain many, many moons ago and it's STILL undergoing major renovations. Sadly, they didn't have many of the interesting wines for sale (let alone tasting) that I had seen on their website (like the Skywalker Ranch and the Alicante Bouschet wines), so we were a little disappointed. Tasting was comped yet again (which means we paid for zero tastings today) and though we only picked up one bottle of wine, I did snag a jar of their branded pasta sauce. I don't know if it really uses Francis' mother's "secret" recipe, but it was damn tasty regardless ^_^

WINE-O-METER:

5 "Tastes".
1 Bottles Purchased.

FINAL TOTAL:

19 "Tastes"
8 Bottles Purchased.

19 Pours + The Ginger Bloody Mary @ Brunch = A Well Lubricated Hottie. We tried our best to keep the consumption low by only hitting three wineries far, far away (so lots of driving time) but the trigger-happy pourers worked against us and, seriously, what are you going to say. "Oh no! Don't give me another taste of a special wine that isn't even on your wine list. Away with you, heathen!" I think not. As for wines purchased...yeah...thank goodness we got MORE wine. You know, CAUSE WE ONLY HAVE OVER 100 BOTTLES IN THE HOUSE ALREADY. I'm not joking. We easily have that much. Seriously. Don't make me get up and count them all, 'cause I will!!!

5:18 P.M. - Handyman 408-472-1442 needs to die in a fire. I've been stuck behind this truck going consistently five to ten miles UNDER the speed limit for the last half hour. He's completely destroyed ANY chance of shaving time off of my Ubuntu arrival time and actually ADDED time. And, for some reason, Sonoma/Napa have surprisingly few dotted/passing lanes (i.e. two in the last thirty mins and neither were clear as we passed them) for a two-lane highway. Grrrrrr!

5:29 P.M. - Yes, my reservation at Ubuntu is in one minute and I'm in line @ Bouchon Bakery, but that just tells you where the two rank in my food chain: Bouchon Bakery >>> Ubuntu. ANY trip to The Wine Country involves a trip to Bouchon Bakery, so if you wanna know how many times I've been here this year, just check the A to Z. If it's a Napa/Sonoma County restaurant, then it included a trip here - NO exceptions. And I'll be damned if that Sunday Driver was going to keep me from my Sticky Bun, Nutter Butter, Walnut Bread and Neapolitan Rice Krispie Thing. A pox on Handyman 408 and his children's children! DOUBLE BONUS: After not having their Foie Gras Dog Treats all year they FINALLY have some in stock!!! Granted they're smaller and in different packaging, but I don't care. I get a dozen. The Puppy will be dancing a Snoopy Dance when we get home ^_^

6:58 P.M. - Like Redd, I'll post a Director's Cut Review about Ubuntu later this week but, suffice to say, a would not be undeserved. If anybody tells you otherwise they are haters, have a limited palette or simply allow their preconceptions of what food "should be" to stunt their ability to enjoy food that's outside the box. I don't care if it's upscale bio-dynamic vegetarian/vegan, bbq from a strip mall, pretentious molecular gastronomy or food served on a paper plate from a taco truck: at the end of the day, good food is good food. Period. Rant aside, The Hottie got the Rose Wine Flight (three wines) with dinner, so she'll be "sleeping" most of the ride home...



7:15 P.M. - We're now passing the only Sonic with 100 miles of us and we're NOT stopping for the $2.99 Burger and Shake Combo. This is significant for two reasons: 1)The Hottie loves Sonic and rarely misses the opportunity to go (see the Vegas Blog for more on this) and 2)It means Ubuntu did not suck. Seriously, we had Sonic in mind as a back-up in case the Elf Food blew chunks or left us hungry. I mean, even vegetarians were warning The Hottie that upscale veggie cuisine always left you hungry. Well, not Ubuntu.

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OT Review: The Village Pub (Director's Cut)

As you should know by now, The Foodie is a BIG advocate of OpenTable. If I CAN use it to make a reservation, I do. It just makes things much simpler. A few months back they started sending out e-mails after you'd dined at an establishment asking you to rate the restaurant...which I promptly deleted. However, a few weeks ago it occurred to me that I probably SHOULD leave feedback. I mean, I AM an OpenTable VIP, have racked up hundreds of thousands of OpenTable points and eat out way more than any human should. I would like to think my A to Z list alone would give me some street cred, amirite? And I'll DEFINITELY leave more insightful/helpful comments than "corkage at $30 is outrageously high". Seriously...that was this schmucks ENTIRE review of The Village Pub. How was the service, Barry? THEY CHARGED ME $30 CORKAGE!!!!! Um, okay...but was the food any good? $30 – THAT'S TOO HIGH!!!! Yeah...that's useful. I'll bet the same noob spammed Yelp and Chowhound with similar posts. Made him feel better, I'm sure - “I'll get those bastards for charging me so much on corkage – MWAHAHAHAHA!!!”. But, I digress...

So now I AM posting reviews for some of the places I dine, but something else occurred to me: my Gentle Readers have NO idea that its me. For all they know, I'm the douche complaining about corkage fees. I'm just 1 of 72 seemingly random reviews, so I decided to re-post them here. But, of course, reviews on OpenTable are...simple, so I'm not entirely happy with that format. One to five stars isn't much of a range and the character limit make the posts more Twittery than my typically verbose blogs. I understand WHY OpenTable wants everything to be concise, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy with it :p So, as a result, you get the Director's Cut! The stuff I WANTED to say, but couldn't for lack of space/resources.

Now, I NEVER intended to have “reviews” as part of my blog – I wanted it to be more about my experiences, insights and snark but, honestly, if I can keep diners from having a gawdawful dining experience (or, conversely, point them in the direction of a fantabulous meal they wouldn't have otherwise experienced) then I'm okay with that...

REVIEW OF THE VILLAGE PUB AS POSTED ON OPENTABLE:

“Don't let the name fool you: Woodside m-i-g-h-t be a "Village", but there's nothing "Pub"-like about this Michelin Starred gem. I live in the East Bay, so it's a fairly long trek to get there, but it was DEFINITELY worth the drive. I dined on a SAT and while the place was packed, you'd never know it from the flawless tag-team service. Our server encouraged us to order from both the (more casual) Bar Menu as well as the Dining Menu which gives you more options. Highlights included a Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burrata and 12-year Old Balsamic (made tableside), Charcuterie featuring 9 types of cured meat and a fantastic Buttermilk Panna Cotta served over a Blueberry Cake with Warm Almond Soup. We're already planning our next trip back!”

Overall: 5 Stars.
Food: 5 Stars.
Ambiance: 4 Stars.
Service: 5 Stars.
Noise: 3 (Energetic).

THE DIRECTOR'S CUT/COMMENTARY:

Okay, the only other thing I r-e-a-l-l-y wanted to post (but ran out of space) was the noise. I have no idea why OT uses 1 to 5 for everything else but only 1 to 3 on noise, but “energetic” doesn't do justice to just how loud The Village Pub is. Even half full, it was hard to hear The Hottie and it only got worse as the place filled up. Now, I'm not suggesting that it's a bad thing, but I really wanted to point it out. It is a truly great restaurant worthy of it's Michelin Star, but if you're looking for an intimate experience or a romantic place, look elsewhere.

As noted, the tag-team service was spectacular (seriously, we had no less than ten different people dropping off dishes, taking away dishes, replacing utensils, re-filling the sparkling H2O, etc.) and The Hottie was duly impressed by Max their sommilier. Granted, it didn't hurt that her pour was ginourmaous – as least 1 ½ the amount you'd expect for wine by the glass. The kitchen, however, made the slickest move of the night. I ordered one more dish than The Hottie, so when they brought out my Shaved Foie Gras Torchon they presented The Hottie with the cutest little Caesar salad in the history of Caesar salads as a “gift from the chef”. It was 3-4 small pieces of romaine tied together with an anchovy and drizzled with parmesan, mini-croutons and dressing. Foodwise, it wasn't much more than a jumbo amuse bouche but for Style Points, it's off the charts. That sort of thoughtfulness can easily make the difference between a good meal and a great one.

Foodwise, I liked everything I ordered. Of the three things mentioned in the review you c-o-u-l-d skip the Tomato Salad and just go with the Torchon, but I have a fondness for the tomato/cheese/basil/balsamic combo. However, the best thing I ate that night I haven't even mentioned yet: The Braised Lamb Shoulder that was part of the Spring Lamb Trio. Of the three preperations, it was clearly the best. Deep, instense, melt-in-your-mouth meaty goodness. Think of a lamb version of braised short ribs on steroids. If my 'trio' had been three servings of that, I would have been a happy man.

The Hottie went 100% French on the night: Veal Sweetbreads with a Slow-Poached Egg, Charcuterie (which had 4 different accompaniments to go with the 9 types of meat), Three Preparations of Rabbit and the aforementioned glass of Côtes du Rhône. We fully intended to do the full cheese tasting as well but, sadly, ran out of room.

Finally, The Village Pub had all the little extras you'd expect from a Michelin Starred establishment: White Gazpacho as an amuse, Mini-Lemon Madelines with the check and they stored the “Doggie Bag” at the front desk and handed it to The Hottie as we left the building (while opening the door, of course). All in all, one of the best meals I've had in a while and I wasn't kidding, we ARE already planning a return trip. Just too many good things to try on the menu that we just didn't have a chance to get to.

EXPANDED ZAGAT-STYLE RATINGS:

FOOD: 26
DECOR: 21
SERVICE: 26
PRICE: VE

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