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I was so excited… to check out the original Bouchon, as well as the perfectly positioned, and esteemed, Bouchon Bakery next door. I had been to locations in Las Vegas and Beverly Hills, but as for most popular restaurants that expand, trying the original place is always preferable. To clear any suspense, neither disappointed. We arrived just before or reservation at 12:30pm, by sheer luck given we had driven all the way up from Los Angeles that morning. But we were determined to arrive on time, as we had reservations for wine tasting that afternoon.
While the rest of the party scoured the extensive, college application-like wine list, as do most people in Napa Valley, I just couldn’t help but order the Autumn Spritz. Shall I even bother explaining why? Like a typical spritz the cocktail had Aperol of course, but instead of sparkling wine they used vodka and added St. Germian, cremant and a lemon instead of an orange. It was delicious and a great divergence from all the wine I knew we’d be consuming the rest of the day.
Given we had quite an afternoon ahead of us I wasn’t craving anything too heavy, but I also wanted something substantial before all the wine, so I ordered oysters and fries, which is basically a genius meal irregardless. Fortunately for me my equally cheese obsessed husband ordered onion soup before his madame croquet sandwich, allowing me to get my French fix without a full commitment. The bread was of course spectacular, as is all the bread and baked goods in Napa Valley given their common supplier, Bouchon Bakery!
After lunch we didn’t have time to pop into the bakery, so I made sure we went back on our way out of Napa at the end of the weekend. I suppose you could say our trip started and ended in the same delicious place. Since we had about a 45 minute drive to the airport and a re-eye to New York City, I didn’t want to go too crazy on the sweets. However, the second I walked in I just couldn’t help but indulge a bit with a vanilla almond milk latte and this spectacular ‘better nutter’, a delicious peanut butter cream cookie sandwich that I could barely finish because of how rich and decadent it was. However, it was well worth the several bites I managed and I still think about now.
I can’t exactly say the same for my husband, who managed to find not one but three treasures to take away; a well appointed chocolate eclair, a Bouchon oh oh (what a name right) and unfortunately I can’t remember the third one. However, I am happy to report that for the first time he let go of unfinished desserts, not because they weren’t fantastic, but rather due to how much rich and delicious food we had already consumed throughout the weekend. And it was the perfect treat before our next set of travel, and a definite recommendation for any trip to wine country!
