Slow Like Honey

My idea of the good life consists of simple things: lots of laughter, fresh open spaces, endless forms of entertainment such as books, plays, music, etc, and of course delicious food. You can’t help but feel that you are living the good life when you enter the Napa county limits.

All the fresh air, sunny skies, and abundance of food and and drink is bound to get to your head. For the most part, Napa is almost too ritzy for me. All that opulence and wealth is in clear view, making envy a a natural and common feeling your entire stay. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t enjoy living the dream every now and then, right?

Only an hour away, Napa is the perfect destination when one needs a mental break. I asked my friend Anna to join me on my road trip to wine country for our photo assignment, she jumped at the chance. Off we went, in search of interesting photos to take and of course, good bites to chomp at.

I immediately knew that I had to stop off at the famed Bouchon Bakery located conventiently in Yountville, which is just a few miles outside of Napa. The place was packed by the time we made it in to town, but the crowds couldn’t derail me.

Walking into the bakery, I felt like I had stepped into heaven. Shelves of bread and pastries greeted me, not to mention the wafting scents of freshly baked cookies. Oh my, what to choose?

After a couple of minutes of heavy debate, I wisely chose the TKO cookie and a pistachio macaroon. At a grand total of 6 bucks, I felt like a chumo for spending a ridiculous amount of mollah on some teeny tiny pastries but c’est la vie. When in Napa…

Like an Oreo cookie, the TKO consisted of two rich and buttery chocolate cookies with a minty cream filling lightly sweetened. Upon first bite, I wasn’t impressed. I thought, wow you just spent 3 bucks on this thing when you could’ve bought a packet of Oreo’s? But the second bite lured me in. That second bite was killer. The flavors from the cream filling melted beautifully with the two cookies that were soft and tender.

Fully satisfied, I saved the pistachio macaroon for later, knowing that snapping pictures might work up my appetite. Over the next few hours, we stopped off at the quaint little town of St. Helena that I could picture living in later in life possibly, and the massive Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.

This place was very Hogwarts-esque if you know what I mean. Huge stone walls covered with ivy, green gardens, and dark hallways. Talk about intimidating, right? But the two people who greeted m e were very warm and friendly, dutifully answering my questions about the building that apparently used to be a castle back in the day. (On a side note, I’ve been thinking about enrolling in baking and pastry courses but that is a whole other issue.)

After poking around, we resumed our trip, visiting Mondavi vineyards and Sterling Vineyards was next on our agenda. Let me recommend Sterling Vineyards for anyone who has Napa on their mind. Their main selling point? A freaking gondola ride, folks! Thats right. Not only will your $20 buy you 5 wine tastings, but it will also give you a chance to see some of the most spectacular views of Napa.

Lunch consisted of a fab mozzarella and tomato sandwich drenched in balsamic vinegar with foccacia bread. I know, out of all the places in Napa, you go to Dean & Deluca, but in my defense, the rest of the eateries were overpriced for my poor college student budget. Plus, spending 6 bucks on pastries kind of put a dent in my wallet. Also, I have a certain fondness for this overpriced market, after wandering the isles of the fine gourmet store for hours last year in NYC. I’m hopeless :)

I saved the best treat for last. Needless to say, I devoured my pistachio macaroon. It was the first macaroon I had ever eaten and I’m now a dedicated fan. A crispy cookie with a light and sweet filling, all wrapped up in pistachio goodness. My mouth still waters at the thought of the cookie. The insides were slightly chewy and stuck to the roof of your mouth, in a good way though.

All in all, the trip was a success. I got a gazillion pictures, ate my weight in pastries, and took a breather from the daily grind.