Morimoto Napa@Napa Day 1 ★★

Napa Road Trip during Pandemic. Went during July 4th weekend, when all wineries and bars in LA shut down again. Had our struggles, but ended up going. (Now indoor restaurants are closed again after our trip Was asked about the trip, so I decided to blog about the experience and share the itinerary. We left LA at 6am and arrived Napa at 12pm. Were able to sit at sushi bar without reservation. First time eating out since pandemic in March. Felt uneasy. Nervous to sit at sushi bar facing the sushi chefs. Luckily, we brought face shields to eat with them on. We also brought hand sanitizer. Pretty fresh sushi. Temperature checked upon check-in.

Sushi Lunch Set $47

Negitoro Roll $16, Soft Shell Crab Roll S15

Eating with Face Shield on

Morimoto Napa
10 Main St
Napa, CA 94559
(702) 252-1600
morimotonapa.com

Kenzo Estate Winery@Napa Day 1 ★★★

Exceptional Private Tour & Wine Tasting. Kenzo is the founder of Capcom (think Street Fighter). Limited to 3 groups each time due to pandemic. Must wear mask during tour. We wore our face shields on top of that. Tasting was outdoor. Very safe and distanced. Did not have to wear face shield during tasting. Aaron booked our reservation and also led our private tour. He was very friendly and knowledgeable. He let us decide if we wanted him to introduce all wine at once so that he can leave us alone during tasting (while still checking on us occasionally). It felt safer that way. He would suggest a dish pairing with each of the wine we were tasting. All their wines were amazing. Yui and Muku were some of my favorites. Taking WSET certificated wine course helped me understand wine much better. Aaron warned me that taking Level 1 make me keep going Level 2. He was also very helpful in terms of answering my questions related to WSET. Tour was $80 per person. One of our fees was waived because we bought so many wines. Our tour was at 2pm (booked a month prior). Went to their kaiseki restaurant for dinner the same night. Temperature checked upon check-in.

Aaron Ramo, our private guide

Wine Tasting after Tour

Spacious Environment with No One Nearby

Wine We Bought

Kenzo Estate
3200 Monticello Road,
Napa, CA 94558
(707) 256-1555
www.kenzoestate.com

Kenzo Restaurant@Napa Day 1 ★★★

Exquisite Kaiseki Fine Dining. 1 star Michelin. Went to their restaurant after visiting the Kenzo Estate winery (2 separate locations). Our 2nd time returning. Exceptional service from Joan (same person as last year). $225 pp. Had fantastic wine pairing for $150. Customers were properly spaced out. We ate with our face shields on at the sushi counter. Our reservation was at 7:30pm (booked a month prior).

Seasonal Hassun
sweet corn tofu with shrimp soboro and okra, sonoma duck breast string beans with cream cheese and sesame, eggplant and sweet potato

Hyogo Horse Mackerel
cucumber, cherry tomato, japanese yam, myoga ginger buds and pickled plum gelee

Junmai Ginjo Minakata

Hokkaido Scallop Shinjo Owan
dashi broth, wakame seaweed and spinach

Miyazaki Grouper Sashimi
shiso leaves and ponzu gelee

Chiba Sea Bass Okakiage
zucchini and yuzu pepper sabayon

Shizuoka Freshwater Eel Mille-Feuille
carrot, shiitake mushrooms, edamame, mitsuba pasrsley and burdock root coulis

Slow Roasted Satsuma Wagyu Tenderloin
japanese kabocha squash, kale and green onion inflused red miso

yui 2019

Face Shield on While Eating

asuka

rindo

Junmai Daiginjo Mizubasho

Chef's Selection of Sushi

Uni Sushi

Chef's Featured Desserts

Kenzo Team

Kenzo Restaurant
1339 Pearl Street
Napa, California 94559
(707) 294-2049
kenzonapa.com

B.R. Cohn@Napa Valley ★★★

Finger Food & Dinner for Wedding Banquet@B.R. Cohn Winery Napa Valley. Nice place and everything.

White Wine

Ceviche

Sushi

Mushroom Quiche

Beer

Rose Wine and Red Wine

Dinner First Course: Corn, Coconut and Fennel Chowder
with spicy sausage and cilantro 

Dinner Second Course: Romaine and Butter Lettuce, Grapes, Almonds and Green Onion
citrus dressing

Dinner Third Course: Miso-Glazed Black Cod
lobster broth and chili threads

Dinner Forth Course: Juniper-Crusted Short Ribs, Blend of Wild and Basmati Rice, Local Harvest Vegetable Sauté
toasted pine-nuts and a cabernet maple syrup reduction

By the End of the Day: Having so Much Fun

Dinner Mini Dessert Bar: Gelato Station: Honey Lavender Gelato

B.R. Cohn Winery & Tasting Room
15000 Sonoma Highway
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
(707) 938-4064
www.brcohn.com

Bottega Ristorante@Napa Valley ★★★

Fantastic Presentation & Wonderful Taste. Speechless.

Pesce Crudo $13 (changes daily)
market fresh raw selection from the sea

Red Wheat Linguine Bolognese $18
veal, pork and porcini mushroom sugo, rosemary, parmigiano reggiano

Black Garlic Spaghetti Grande $25
crispy chesapeake bay soft shell crab, cherry tomatoes, green onions, bonito flakes

Agrodolce Addiction $12 jack daniels honey whiskey, local honey, tarragon, lime juice, fever tree ginger ale

Monterey Calamari $10
crisped with arborio rice flour and aioli nero

Wood Grilled Octopus $14
olive oil braised potatoes, pickled red onion and salsa verde

English Pea and Spring Garlic Panna Cotta with Blue Crab and Pancetta Salad $15

Zeppole al Lemoni $10
italian donuts cooked to order, meyer lemon curd and berry earl grey conserva

Warm Chocolate Cake $11

Warm Chocolate Cake $11

Warm Chocolate Cake $11

Bottega Ristorante
6525 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599
(707) 945-1050
www.botteganapavalley.com