Well, I did it. I had the Covid meltdown of “I have to get outta here!”

When my family, who live in the UK, couldn’t travel to the US to see me once again, and I most definitely cannot get into the UK right now, AND, it was -20 degrees in Chicago, I did what any rational person would do! I booked an Airbnb in Wine Country for 30 days. I am not sure I was in a rational state of mind in all seriousness, but I do know now, in transit to my destination, I am at peace with my decision.

I plan to take some much-needed days off, work West Coast hours and take a photo each day with a short write-up of my travels. I will wear my mask, dine outdoors and take in what my version of Disney Land has to offer in this strange world we now live in. Stay tuned…

Day 1 of 30 Days in Wine Country. My spirits soared as soon as I hit the Napa Valley perimeter. The roads and little town streets became familiar, and I knew I made the right decision, which became even more evident by the welcoming gift in my 30 day home away from home Airbnb. I am already enjoying the wine they left. Tomorrow I may take a bike ride if I can remember how to ride one and explore!

Day 2. Napa friendliness. I didn’t go for a bike ride this morning, but I did go for a long walk because I was up at the crack of dawn. It was a lovely quiet walk with people nodding in your direction. I assume they were smiling but who can tell as we all wear masks these days. I believe they were 😊. I walked around the little town and took a photo of the man on the bench (Sidewalk Judge) who clearly tells us to mask up! I then came back for lunch.

The sun had finally cooled off the chill from the overnight 30° temperature, and I am sitting in exquisite peace on my patio enjoying a glass of The Prisoner white wine – another gift from the host. So very peaceful, so very calm, and I believe so very me. I feel like I belong here at this moment in time.

Day 3. Chilly mornings and Bistro Jeanty. The morning started with a very chilly walk around the neighborhood. By midday, it finally crept up to 50 but remained overcast and gray. Late afternoon and it was pouring down with rain; I decided to book an early dinner at a local favorite. The moment I walked through the doors of this beloved restaurant, Bistro Jeanty, I am cast back to a fantastic trip I took with a friend in 2011. We ran the Napa Trail 10K; basically, a mud run due to the rains that year. We ran up the hill, we slipped down the hill, so it went over and over again. Now it seems fun – then it was hell in mud!

This evening I dined on Mussels steamed in cider with crème fraiche & grilled bread accompanied by a Chablis. It was life, food, wine, heaven!

Day 4. Working outdoors and RH. Today is a workday, and it’s raining, so perfect, but… I am happy as I am in a different environment. It’s nice to look out of the windows and glass doors to the gorgeous backyard filled with an assortment of seating from the dining table to sofas surrounding a fire pit and enjoyable lounge seating. Where oh where shall I sit when I want to work outdoors?

It was time for an early lite-bite at RH Restaurant as I seem to be falling asleep around 9 pm! RH has a mesmeric vibe of lounge music and running water from the fountains. The chandeliers give it the Restoration Hardware grandeur without being pretentious. The service is impeccable, with genuine and welcoming happiness from the waitstaff and the managers to see their customers again. I dined on Crispy Artichokes, Potato, Rosemary, Aioli, Lemon paired with a Scribe Rosé. 

Day 5. Another workday and another happy day. I took myself out for a walk around 3 pm to get a coffee and ended up not getting a coffee but buying a fantastic 100% wool and felt Bigalli Hat! Funny how that can happen – never! It is from a fabulous hat shop I have become familiar with over the years called Montecristi Panama Hats.

Early evening was a bit chilly, but the sun was still shining, and I was able to wrap myself up in a blanket and sit on the porch while sipping on a limited edition Hill Family Cabernet Franc 2018 while catching up with my great friend Stacey in NYC, who took a zoom pic of my fabulous new hat! Tomorrow my friend arrives, and I will finally take some vacation time!

Day 6. Wake-up calls from a woodpecker. Well, Good Morning to you all. I think Napa is making me Napa and has given me narcolepsy. I have gone from averaging 4-5 hours of broken sleep a night to sleeping solidly for 9 hours! I don’t even need my alarm. My wake-up call is a woodpecker close by and the birds chirping. My early morning is making coffee, sitting on the back porch, and throwing a blanket over my knees, still in PJs. It’s bliss.

Deb will be here soon, and the vacation adventure of wine tasting and more exquisite patio dining to follow. Stay tuned…

Day 7. Sleeping, baked goods and rainy day wine tasting. Seems the Napa air also affected Deb and we both slept like it was our business. Waking up restful around 8am. We had a coffee, dressed in our sweats and went for a long walk followed by a stop at the Bouchon Bakery for some croissants – 1 million points on WW!! The almond butter croissant was worth all of the points! Deb indulged in a chocolate croissant.

The day was torrential and there was no other choice for us except to go wine tasting. We joined Hill Family Vineyards at their tasting room in Yountville for a rainy afternoon of white and red flight delight. I have been a member of Hill Family for close to 10 years and Deb has helped me imbibe some of the great wines they have to offer during our year of lockdown. I loved everything we tasted and while Deb also enjoyed the selections, her favorite was the Origins 2016 for its spice. This tasting was paired perfectly with cheeses, apricots and salted almonds from Oakville Grocery, the local market.

Day 8. Private tastings and Bubbles. An easy morning of coffee and YouTube workout… yes I do them and have now got Deb into them 😊. The day was planned for a tasting at Allora, one of my club member wineries that is nearly impossible to find. Aundrea, from Vine Tours, picked us up promptly and we started our wine adventure. A private tasting with Kelly, one of the Allora owners, surpassed our expectations. We tasted their only white, a fabulous unoaked Chardonnay, and then on to their indulgent, delicious reds, a cab franc and their signature, Lusso, standing out. It was a relaxing, welcoming and in Deb’s words, unexpected family feel.

Aundrea then had a surprise break in her calendar and exclaimed to us “where else do you want to go, my afternoon is free!” Well, we put it in her hands and ended up at Be Bubbly in Downtown Napa, which surpassed our afternoon expectations of giddy, sparkling fun. A small snack of grilled cheese with fine mustards made for satisfying afternoon fare. Tonight we go to Brix for dinner.

Day 9. Vacation day, amazing food and my old friends, Cakebread Cellars. Last night Brix was sublime, from our host greeting to our wonderful bartender, Jessica, to the Uber home. We dined on grilled asparagus salad and ridiculously good house-made porcini fettuccine with pork ragu, paired with a delightful Peju Merlot. We met a couple and engaged in a conversation about, what else… wines. They had brought with them a Robert Sinskey Pinot Noir and as they ended their evening, they gifting us the remainder of the bottle. Ahh the wonderful kindness of strangers.

The morning started with an hour-long walk through rural wine farmlands of the backroads of Yountville. On the way back we stopped by the fabulous Ciccio’s for takeout lunch, which we enjoyed in the garden at the house.

The afternoon focused on a leisurely sojourn through a Cakebread Cellars wine tasting on the members patio, enthusiastically served by the attentive and knowledgeable staff. Delicious! We quickly followed this lovely event with an early dinner at La Calenda, the new Mexican restaurant, just 3-minutes walk from the house. The rustic patio, warmed with heat lamps, was the perfect setting for our spicy, flavorful shared dinner of fish tacos, pork tacos and jalapeño margaritas. Such a great day!

Day 10. Deb joined a winery! My work is done 😉. But let me go back to the beginning… Easy peasy brunch squeezy at Harvest Table – crab avocado with a hint of chili toast for me, eggs benedict with a too-die-for hollandaise for Deb and fresh squeezed orange mimosas. Attentive and friendly service throughout.

From brunch to a stroll around St. Helena, a cute town of boutiques and stores. Wished we had more time to explore but our Frog’s Leap Winery reservation awaited us! I have been to Frog’s Leap multiple times and have wondered, why have I never joined? Their wine is fantastic, affordable and they have fun stories about their start. And… my friend, Deb is IN and so am I! We joined the ranks of the Fellows! 😜. Time among the mustards made for fun photos!

Dinner was a revisit to Bistro Jeanty for me and Deb’s first foray into the French delights that they have to offer. We dined on escargot in garlic butter, Mediterranean Sea Bass with ratatouille and Cassoulet all paired with a Sancerre and another gift (see day 8) of wine from a random meet of Wine Country Friends of Flora Springs, Cabernet Sauvignon 2012. People in wine country are so friendly!

Day 11. A work day ending with wine with the neighbors. The workday ended with wine at the neighbor’s, the Gentleman Farmer Wines. Who knew how amazing this evening would be?! Well, let me share… we crossed the garden fence to the welcoming back deck of Jeff & Joey, whose beautiful farm table was set for our impromptu happy hour. We started with a joyful, crisp porch Rosé then on to the most insanely, friendly Chardonnay, a uniquely Chablis- like taste of neighborly new friendship. We then moved on to a red of predominantly Merlot (75%) that made us sit back and enjoy the surround sound of croaking frogs and Joey’s newly learned passion of the accordion. The evening was entertaining, filled with lively conversation and lasted into as much as a Monday night could handle. I feel we have new forever friendships…

Day 12. A zoom break, Bouchon and Deb’s last day. Today was a work day and a busy zoom one at that. It’s fine, I am in Napa and when in Napa we can take a Napa zoom break in funky, comfy sofas in the sunshine, even if they are five minutes… it’s all good 😊.

But wait for it, in addition to a crazy zoom day and in the middle of an interview I was doing, there was an earthquake – seriously. Deb was literally running around on the patio to find what might have hit the house (there is major construction going on next door) to the dismay of me, sitting in the garden, trying to stay focused. If it wasn’t scary, it would be funny. By no means anything major, just a little 2.8 shake-ette of the little town of Yountville but a surprise to us Chicagoans.

When we were finally done with work, it was time for wine on the deck with sun shining on our faces and the anticipation of our last dinner together in Napa. What can I say about Bouchon? A lot actually, it’s amazing, but I didn’t stalk their reservations site for weeks or anything crazy like that… but maybe I did. 😉 Memories remained as true today as 10 years ago. Impeccable service and comfortable, posh but cozy surroundings. Starting with a heavenly Salmon Rillette served with crostini followed by steamed mussels in white wine, Dijon mustard and saffron for Deb and the decedent butter, OMG butter, sautéed Mediterranean sea bream for me, paired harmoniously with a Sancerre. A tasty end to a great week! Deb, à bientôt!

Day 13. A work day and backyard time. Today was quite possibly the prettiest and warmest day so far. It was glorious. I was up early to say farewell to Deb and then on back-to-back zooms, so quite tired but not tired of my backyard and walking around my little town. I switched a later morning meeting to a walking meeting and walked for an hour through vine farmlands. I could not have been happier to not be on zoom and get to walk 10,000 steps before noon! It was time for lunch in the yard of a big garden salad.

Produce here is ridiculously good. I cannot get enough of eating fresh fruit and vegetables. Its remarkable to me to see the food on my plate growing in the backyard. I walk past giant orange trees in neighbors’ front gardens and have to stop myself from pulling one straight off the tree. The photo of the little tree shared here is in my backyard and has produced its first lemon, which made me grin from ear to ear. Now the pizza oven in the yard scares me silly. I am dying to try it but think I may burn down the town! Maybe I will give it a go before I leave.

An early evening zoom catch up with my friend Karen from Boston with a glass of wine while I cooked dinner made the perfect end to a very long day!

Day 14. My obsession with things growing in the backyard and the toque blanche, or white hat. I have a pepper! At least I think it’s a pepper? It could be a funny shaped tomato, but I am going with pepper. It’s ridiculous how excited I get to see actual food growing in the backyard.

This early evening I took myself to R+D, a fabulous Hillstone family restaurant and friend and haunting ground of many locals – which is always a good sign. Food is amazing, service is outstanding and the sushi chef’s wear tall hats, which I love – toque blanche. Tonight I am dining on spicy tuna roll and a (now local) favorite of Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc. Life in Napa continues to be complimentary to Life Food Wine life 😊

Day 15. A dent to remember. 18 years and still friends, a reconnection. Jaimee introduced us to The Charter Oak Restaurant in St. Helena and tempted us with the best dip you’ve ever had, fermented soy. I would never pick something like this on the menu!

A gorgeous patio scene full of private yurts that line the landscape of the outdoors. This hidden gem not only has fermented soy but other delicious treats….martinis, triple fried fries, pork ribs, chicken and garlic oyster mushrooms, yum. Reminiscing about the good old days, living in the present in our COVID days. A fabulous evening with one question in front of us…. to note or to not?

Day 16.  Morning walks and late afternoon dinner at Bouchon. Today was glorious. From waking up to 60s degrees and quickly creeping up to almost 80°. I had the whole day ahead of me and was tickled with excitement of what today’s adventure of would bring. You have to understand, I am not an impulsive person. I plan, seriously plan to the detail with agendas and everything! This is not me.

After a pajama patio breakfast of scrambled eggs and fresh fruit salad, my dear friend‘s Jaimee and Kathryn went on their way back to Marin. I then took myself for a 5-mile walk through the vineyards and farms of Napa. People smiled, nodded and waved to me as I walked on the other side of the dirt track roads. My whole being was feeling peaceful – is this normal?  I stopped to smell flowers and look at fruit trees. I passed cows with horns, that I truly thought were bulls… no they are cows with horns. I took a photo!

I booked a last-minute date with Bouchon on their patio for a late afternoon bite and a glass of wine. The moment I sat down at the bistro café table, I was transported back to the trip to Paris I took with my sister in 2019. Ballad du Paris played in the background and I had a blissful moment of unreality… but what’s real these days? We have lived in a Covid bubble for a year. No-one could have predicted that unreal reality!!  For now this is my unreal reality – dining at 5pm on the patio at Bouchon, sipping Rosé and enjoying a delicate, tasty play on the smoked salmon, eggs, red onion and capers classic…  This is truly a #lifefoodwine moment and for that I am happy.

Day 17. Some passeggiata – the art of the stroll and R+D Kitchen. A lazy morning, followed by my 5-mile walk – 12,000 steps by noon – go me! Then it was lunch at home on the patio followed by some passeggiata around Yountville’s strollable town. Yountville has a fantastic Sculpture Art Walk. The sculpture pictured below is named Balancing Act by James Moore, and you can buy it for $11,500. I am not sure if that means you take the sculpture home or it stays put with your name on it, which I assume. Or, the artist makes you a replica? I am going to have to investigate.

Dinner with my friend Debbie, who I have known for 22~ years, was supposed to be at Mustards Grill, a ‘truck stop’ restaurant I have been going back to for more than a decade. Famous for its Mongolian pork chops, which every first-timer should try! Sadly, the last-minute cancellation due to a plumbing problem changed our plans to R+D Kitchen, a new regular haunt for me. We sat outside near the Koi pond and enjoyed spicy tuna made in the Osaka style and the incredible carnitas sandwich of slow-roasted pork, jack cheese & coleslaw on a house-made bun. I am genuinely giving WW a run for their money right now – thank goodness for the steps! R+D is just really, really good comfort food. #lifefoodwine living.

Day 18. Work, 75 degrees, and a return to RH. Waking up to a Monday in Napa is not too shabby. Again, who am I? I don’t like Mondays! Or is it this house that I may never leave, and the real owners are going to have to co-exist with a squatter? Or is it the glorious weather that starts cool and crisp and leans gradually into 60, 70, and then hovers around the perfect 75 degrees before it starts to dip slowly down again once we lose sight of the sun? I love it all. The photo above is another shot of the perfect backyard with the little water feature they have that comes on at night. I haven’t even shared the fire pit yet!

My day was all work, but my early evening was dinner with a friend, Sarah from Boston, who now lives in Cali, who I have known for a very long time and have not seen in 6-ish years. As Sarah had not dined at an RH Restaurant, we decided on the one in Yountville. We dined on the freshest burrata and tomato pesto appetizer, followed by a crisp gem salad and honey glazed salmon paired with a crisp Scribe Rosé. My positivity of enjoying my #lifefoodwine 30 days continues!

 Day 19. A history lesson in the town of Yountville and no proclamations of amazing food today! Too busy, why did I not take more time off? So silly, but not to worry, I am in Napa.

Today I stayed at home but, of course, a lot of backyard working, which helps in any work situation. I enjoyed my breakfast, lunch, and dinner all in the backyard – that is just special in intself! I did, however, take a stroll through my town around 6 pm and took in more of the artwork with its unique sculptures. So, what do we know about Yountville? Here is the page on the Town of Yountville of one of my favorite places in Napa Country.

“During the early part of the 1800’s, the area that now makes up the Town of Yountville was owned by Mexico. George C. Yount received an 11,887-acre land grant from the Mexican government in 1836. His land extended from Yountville to just south of St. Helena and across the entire width of the Napa Valley. Yount was the first permanent Euro-American settler and the first person to plant grapes in the Napa Valley. Yount named his land, Caymus Rancho, after a tribe of Native Americans in the area. In the early 1850s Yount laid out a six block area with a public square and created a small village that he called Yountville.

Immediately below Yount’s southern property line was the northern property line for the Mexican land given to Salvador Vallejo, about 2 years after Yount received his land grant. Vallejo called his lands Rancho de Napa. After the Bear Flag Revolt in 1847, Vallejo began selling his Rancho de Napa property to early pioneers. The people who purchased these lots built houses and stores wanted to name their community Sebastopol to make it distinct from Yountville. So for a time, 2 places existed, both Yountville and Sebastopol, each with their own post offices.

After Yount’s death, Sebastopol changed its name in 1867, in Yount’s honor, and both Yountville and Sebastopol became a single community in Napa County.

By 1868, railroad service had been introduced into the town and influenced the town’s configuration. The coming of the railroad tracks brought in many new comers such as recent immigrant Gotteib Groezinger, who in 1870 purchased twenty acres of land and by 1874, built a winery, barrel room and distillery. The buildings remained a winery until 1955, but for eleven years lay dormant until it was brought to its present state. Today the three massive stone buildings are known as V-Marketplace and house a collection of specialty shops and restaurants. Yountville has many fine shops, restaurants, are galleries and wineries.

Yountville is also the home to the French Laundry, a Michelin 3-star restaurant, and boasts numerous other Michelin star rated restaurants. Yountville is considered by many food critics to be home to some of the finest restaurants in the world.

Yountville became a California municipality on February 4, 1965 and recently celebrated its 50th Anniversary of incorporation.”

Day 20. The perfect alfresco workplace and home cooking. Today was an at-home day. Starting early morning indoors due to the chill and moving to the backyard for lunch and then returning to work in the perfect little work area where the shade is just right to see your screen and zooms have a darn cool background. My Vintage Café from Spotify has played quietly in the background all day, making this busy day a somewhat stress-free day. Have I shared that I love it here? Just in case I haven’t, I love it here!

For dinner, I made one of my go-to sheet pan dinners of roasted salmon and vegetables, spiced just right and topped with crumbly feta cheese paired spectacularly well with a Poseidon Vineyard Chardonnay 2019 from Napa Valley – thanks Jaimee and Kathryn for the gift of wine! By the way, the dinner was amazing. Honestly, everything just tastes better here. I will share this very easy recipe at some point soon.

My evening ended with a facetime catch-up with my friend Joanne in Singapore, where I drank wine, and as it is already tomorrow morning there, she was on coffee. My #lifefoodwine moments continue.

Day 21. A day that ended with the best mani-pedi ever!!! I don’t have a lot to share today unless you want to know how many zooms I was on, which I am sure you don’t. The good news is the day ended with a mani-pedi to end all mani-pedis! I was there more than 2 hours, and it was glorious. Separated by a plexiglass screen with a bit of gap for my hands and similar for my feet, I spent a relaxing time not talking for the first time today and just being looked after by super technicians. If you are ever in Yountville, Lavender Nail Salon is the place to go!

The only decision left for this evening was what wine I should drink and should I light the firepit for the first time? It was a challenging #lifefoodwine moment, I can tell you, but I settled on an Allora Chardonnay and I did light the firepit. A good choice.

Day 22.  Brit girls reunite with shopping and dining Napa style. I met Colette in the Cayman Islands in 1998, and to this day, we are still friends and pick up where we left off every single time, even if we haven’t seen each other for years. It’s true friendship.

Today we shopped at Oxbow Market. We dined on the rooftop of the gorgeous Archer Hotel. We visited many cool and vibrant boutiques where we may have spent a dollar or two or more. We then indulged in mojitos at R+D, followed by another great meal of tuna tartare and a crispy buttermilk chicken sandwich.

Our evening ended by the firepit at 9 pm, yes we are old, and we don’t care if you judge us. This is our #lifefoodwine moment.

Day 23. A Sonoma Plaza stroll and The Girl and The Fig. Gorgeously sunny but a little chilly today. Colette and I decided to drive over to Sonoma Plaza to walk around. I forgot how adorable this historic little square is with its boutiques, cafés, and wine tasting rooms. We planned to go to the Sunflower Caffe for brunch, but with a line of what looked like 60+ people waiting for a table, we quickly gave up on that plan. Instead, we settled on a much-loved restaurant, The Girl and the Fig, which I was thrilled to see had survived this past year. We brunched on Croque Madame and Breakfast Croissants paired with a cheeky Mimosa.

Tonight was a much-needed #lifefoodwine relaxing evening of dinner at home and a movie.

Day 24. An Easter afternoon with the accordion and Jen’s in town. Today I rejoined my Gentleman Farmer neighbors for a casual Easter gathering. A little Kielbasa, ham, and some great rosé, made even more delightful by Joey’s accordion playing.

Jen, a friend from Boston of bygone days who now lives in Houston, arrived late afternoon for my final week in Napa. She had to do the in/out quick turnaround to walk right out of the door to dinner at Bistro Jeanty, where we dined ten years ago after our 10K trail race (pictures below)! I wish I could say that I ordered something different, but I didn’t – mussels of course! I am a creature of habit, and they are soo darn good. Jen dined on the special of Sea Bass and enjoyed many of my frites. We paired our Easter dinner with a phenomenal Sancerre.

Day 25. Off-roading wine tasting, Angele and Porter Family. Our day started at 9.30 am, and our first tasting was at 10 am. I am sure it was 5 pm somewhere 😊. We met Travis at Aonair for a private tasting where he took us up into the hills on an off-roader with rosé in hand and blankets on our laps. I will not say I was queasy, but I will say it was touch and go for a mini moment. Travis was the best host ever. We forgot we were wine tasting at 10 am and instead thought we were in a happy hour. Oh no, no, it was 10 am! Our favorite wine was… all of them!

We left Aonair (reluctantly) and ventured to Reynolds Family for a lovely, very reserved patio tasting where our pick was Naughty Ink a Syrah blend.
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On to Angele Restaurant for an outstanding lunch of deviled eggs, beet salad, and cavatelli. The perfect lunch to prepare for our final tasting at Porter Family, whom I love dearly – seriously, I love them! Touring with their Rosé and ending with the 2016 Barre Azure Blend.

Our day would not have been so amazing without Napa Private Tours and our fantastic driver, Flako, for this trip. There are too many photos to show the BEST day and the perfect #lifefoodwine moment with my friend, Jen, but here are just some of them.

Day 26. Working, dinner and movie. While today was a big workday for both of us, we were still on the euphoric high of how incredible yesterday was, especially after 8 hours of sleep.
A chilly, overcast morning led to a beautiful afternoon of a 30-minute lunch in the backyard to an after-work four-mile walk through the farmlands.

Dinner was at R+D, my now local, spicy tuna rolls, chicken meatballs, and crispy chicken sandwich paired with the Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc, a great wine to enjoy with the easy-going conversation.

Our evening, ahem 8 pm, ended with a comedy movie which we also managed to pair as perfectly as we do to food with a Scribe Rosé. Another #lifefoodwine great moment.

Day 27. Bouchon and Overheard. So, not going to talk about the fact that this was a workday. Let’s focus on the hysterical dinner we had at Bouchon this evening. Once again, our dinner was outstanding. We started with a dozen oysters, followed by the insanely good salmon rillette with crostini, and ending with Jen having a plate of butter whipped with a few potatoes and white sausage. For myself, it was the rainbow trout and hari coverts. Of course, there was a wine pairing of the Jean-Marc et Romain Pastour Sancerre.

Okay, now let’s talk about the best part. Escorted to the adorable front patio, a youngish man having dinner by himself was on facetime with, whom we assume to be his wife. He did not have an inside voice nor inside volume for his phone. At one point, his wife/love interest/girlfriend/flirt – we are not sure which, exclaimed: “honey, turn your volume off, everyone can hear me!” He did not turn the volume down for his entire dinner. Pivot to our other dining neighbors with a man on his phone shouting, “I am over 65, so I don’t have to pay.” Moving on to our most entertaining table of the evening. A suntanned, white-haired, designer-wearing salesman was trying to impress his three guests. It was loud, and it was fun. Here are just some things overheard…”Life, passion, and energy, let’s do it together.” “You must always be excessive.” “Do you remember that time with Kobe Bryant?” “Take a picture… thank you… we look amazing!”

We didn’t need to talk to each other; we were occupied with the conversations around us. It was a very entertaining #lifefoodwine moment.

Day 28. Bubbles and Burgers. It’s almost over. I can’t believe it – honestly. That said, bubbles, burgers, and my buddy Jen made today very special. It was a slow, leisurely morning of French Roast and homemade Avocado Toast, and fresh fruit salad.

Mumm was the destination for our afternoon. A flight of three sparkling delights had us bubbling with joy. A Brut Reserve, Brut Reserve Rosé and the DVX 2015 Cuvée. My favorite being the Rosé and Jen’s the DVX. It was a perfect afternoon, made even more fun by our ‘illegal’ photo shoot on the patio. Just a few posted below.

For the evening, we dined at Goose and Gander in St. Helena. This place is simply superb with its craft cocktails and outstanding comfort food cuisine. Starting with a Mescal based cocktail for Jen and a Pimms and Gin cocktail for me, followed by the octopus garden, a grilled octopus salad and the G&G Burger with duck egg for Jen and the heritage pork burger for me, both served with duck fat fries – OMG, can you feel your arteries clogging right now!

Day 29. Model, Coqueta, and Press. Today was all about food. Going against everything I have been trying to do for almost a year, I mean absolute indulgence… AND it was worth it!

Our day started with an attempt at going to Bouchon Bakery, which was so silly of us on a Friday morning. They had a line for what seemed like a mile. We walked across the street to Mini Model – little brother/sister to the Model Bakery family for ‘World Famous, Oprah loving English muffins’ and boy oh boy, were they worth it. The answer to that is YES!

Lunch was at Coqueta, a relative newcomer to the Yountville dining scene. Whoa, holy moly, what a marvelous minute of the moment decision. The food presentation was beautiful and included a backstory that not only made the food taste better, it also provided a journey to our table. There is so much more I want to share about Coqueta and their staff; there will be a review to follow.

Our next stop was Hill Family Winery, but not the tasting room, the actual new and fabulous – supposed to have their grand opening in 2020 winery. A private tasting paired with cheeses, spirited conversation with the wonderful Sarah, set us up nicely for our final adventure of the day .

For dinner, we ventured to Press, a noteworthy restaurant, which surprised and delighted us with Kusshi oysters with cucumber, lemon whipped horseradish. It was like heaven on an ice. Jen devoured the pan-seared scallops with habanada broth, and I had the truffle glazed chicken, which we paired with the Etude Pinot Noir. Our finale was the lemon verbena panna cotta. The service was phenomenal. To quote, “does this wine make you happy?” YES, yes, it does! The best to date #lifefoodwine day!

Day 30. 5 Mile walk, Lunch with the Gentleman Farmers, North Block and Cabernet Franc by the fire. Sleeping in is glorious! Everyone should try it. An at-home hearty breakfast of avocado toast with a fried egg and fruit salad followed by a 5.2-mile walk that was 1.36 minutes and total calories burned 399. Not sure that completely obliterates our entire 29th day of eating, but we did our best.

We were invited over by our wonderful neighbors. We thought we would stay for an hour or so. Five hours later, Ad Hoc fried chicken and their Gentleman Farmer Rosé and Chardonnay, and it was tough to leave.

We had 10 minutes to get to our dinner at North Block. No time to change, put on my fancy shoes, or glam up for a Saturday night. That’s okay because everything In Napa is chill and who cares. We dined on bigeye tuna crudo followed by asparagus glazed in butter and seaweed and ended with a duck sausage sourdough pizza. We paired our dinner with a Groth Sauvignon Blanc. It was easy, delicious, and casual—no change of clothes necessary.

Our evening ended with the firepit at home and a sublime Hill Family Cabernet Franc 2018. My 30 days are over, and it has been the best #lifefoodwine #30dayinwinecountry