Eileen Goudge

Love among the vines

There is nothing more romantic than a combination of great food, great wine, starry nights and sunshiny days. Which is exactly what these two weeks in Napa Valley have been for me. A rekindling of romance, not just for my husband and me, but my love affair with food. It started in childhood, with my mother, who used to buy fruits for her large brood straight from the orchards. She also shopped at a roadside stand in Los Altos, DeMartini’s, that sold organic produce (this was back in the sixties!). Mr. DeMartini used to jokingly threaten to weigh us kids when we went in and weigh us again when we went out and charge my mom for the extra, we were such compulsive nibblers.

To be back in Northern California is to return to my youth. And the food! The entire valley is one giant roadside stand. Sandy and I have eaten in a different restaurant every day, each meal a treat. In fact, there are so many great restaurants, we’d have to stay for a month to do more than scratch the surface. Our favorites so far are Mustard’s Grill and Brix in Rutherford; Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, Press, and Go Fish in St. Helena; Solbar in Calistoga; and Redd in Yountville. All the towns are fairly close together, so nothing is more than a 20 or 30 minute drive from where we’re staying.

Here are photos of some of the memorable meals we’ve enjoyed.

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