Author: biteclub

Here in Wine Country, we’re no strangers to the farm market concept. On Saturday mornings, you can practically trip over dozens of local purveyors hawking everything from honey to zucchini. Capturing that passion for fresh, local meats, cheeses, fruits and veggies, the new Oxbow Market in downtown Napa is 40,000 square feet of the region’s […]

The holidays are so delish. Especially when they involve gifts for me. I’ve consulted my own wish list, along with recommendations from my very own gourmet elves and come up with some top treats for the food-lover in your life. 1. Bacon Peanut BrittleBacon. Peanut Brittle. Together in an unholy matrimony. Rejoice. Bacon Peanut Brittle, […]

Taj is a second act for the former owners of Santa Rosa’s Sizzling Tandoor. Looking for a new project after selling their popular Indian restaurant three years ago, the family recently opened a Windsor outpost featuring cuisine from their homeland. At first blush, not much is wildly innovative about the menu or the atmosphere of […]

Lunch on the run can be so uncivilized. Napkins flying, mayonnaise dripping, crumbs landing in every possible nook and cranny. Not to mention finding a pickle stuck to your rear several hours later. Sometimes you gotta eat to live. Plain and simple. But should mobile munching bring you to Sonoma town, speed pass the golden […]

Trampling a five-year-old is never good manners. But the lil’ nippers must learn at some point that blocking mommy’s route to food, especially when it involves fleur de sel caramels, can be dangerous. They don’t make the same mistake twice. Miette’s the kind of candy store and cupcakery that mommies tend to get a little […]

Suddenly cranberries have lost their luster. The thought of reheating the leftover stuffing and potatoes one more time makes give you the chills. And turkey? The mere mention is shudder-worthy. It’s time for a little post-Thanksgiving, pre-holiday eating that has absolutely nothing to do with the T-word. Look forward to Wednesdays and Saturdays at the […]

Experimentation in the kitchen is not a welcome Thanksgiving tradition. Trust me, I’ve tried it and I have the electric knife scars to show for it. You don’t mess with turkey or gravy or mom’s sausage stuffing or cranberry sauce in a can. The mere whiff of something different sets folks into a frenzy of […]

Revised for 2007, but with that same ’06 flavor you’ve come to love… You could wake up at 4am and stick your hand into the backside of a frozen turkey. You could slave away in the kitchen all day just to have your mother tell you the potatoes are lumpy and the gravy lacks her […]

Ready for a little exotic eating? Braised antelope, buffalo rib eye, venison carpaccio , wild boar spare ribs and elk loin are on the menu all week at two area restaurants–John Ash & Co and Hurley’s in Napa. The dinners have become an annual event at Hurley’s, coinciding with the beginning of the hunting season, […]

If you’ve ever had a close friend eat at the French Laundry, you’ve probably ended up on the receiving end of the Conciliatory Cookies and Too Bad Truffles, AKA Pastry Chef Claire Clark’s shortbread and chocolates. It works something like this. Your pal gets the meal of a lifetime. Busting to tell you about it […]