Restaurant Review – January 2008

Napa Valley Marketplace Magazine Restaurant Review January 2008

Napa Valley Grille
By “The Elusive Epicurean”

I, like many Americans, am an Olympic Champion of armchair living. You know what I’m talking about. Is there anything better than sipping a nice Chardonnay, lounging in bed, and watching someone else exercise on TV? Or reading yet one more issue of Martha Stewart Living with absolutely no intention of macraméing your very own cell phone cozy?

I’m not judging you. I understand. The chill of winter inspires me to do little more than cower beneath my heating blanket, watch bad reality TV and dine on microwave popcorn. It was only through the terror of a crowbar wielding editor that I was motivated to trudge the few miles to Yountville to research this column. The trek was well worth it. Warm and inviting, the Napa Valley Grille has a menu chock full of tempting dishes, many making use of local, seasonal ingredients.

So if you’re reading this review to live vicariously through my culinary experience, I must protest. Turn off Top Chef, put the Stouffer’s back in the freezer, and go get yourself some real food. My words will not do justice to what your taste buds could be experiencing this very moment.

We began with the Hot Crab Fondue ($14.75), which, though delicious, bears little resemblance to fondue. Served with a house made herbed focaccia, the fondue is more a warm pot of parmesan, crab, artichoke and red onion that you can dip, scoop, or spread on your bread (you decide). Think cheesy, gooey goodness with lots and lots of crab. I’m not complaining. I could have made an entrée of it, but unfortunately I had to share.

After the fondue, we had the “Harvest Platter” (insert drum roll, please): air cured beef, coppa ham, pork rillette, prosciutto di parma, salmon tartare, marinated olives, caper berries, apples, crème fraîche, dried figs, raisins, honeycomb, and local artisan cheeses. And yes, I had to steal a menu to recount all of that.

A sucker for anything duck, I couldn’t resist the Crispy Duck Breast with harvest bread pudding, scalloped potatoes and a rich maple demi-glaze ($26.50). The savory bread pudding and sweet demi-glaze complemented the meat and I reluctantly gave samples away to my dining companions. Fortunately, they reciprocated.

Colonel Mustard ordered the American Kobe Tri-tip with sautéed chanterelle mushrooms, bacon, brandy foie gras butter, and sauce bordelaise ($25.75). Miss Scarlet opted for the Boneless Pork Loin ($25.25), which had made it on my short list. Served with sweet potato fritter, classic collard greens, and a whole grain mustard buerre blanc, I could be easily tempted away from the duck on my next visit. The pork loin was one of many selections available from the Napa Valley Grille’s wood burning grill.

Professor Plum, a predictable meat-n-potatoes kind of guy, chose another item from the grill: the Mustard & Herb Crusted New York Steak with watercress salad, house French fries and pink peppercorn jus ($29.25). Predictable though the Professor may be, he does know his stuff, and deemed everything “excellent”.

If I still haven’t seduced you away from the microwave popcorn, try to resist Thursday’s “Slider Night”, where a Kobe Slider and a beer are all of 5 bucks. If brew’s not your thing, don’t despair. Signature Cocktails are 5 bucks each, too. I won’t be cowering under the heating blanket on Thursdays, I assure you.

http://www.napavalleymarketplace.com

Finding Napa – January 2008

Napa Valley Marketplace Magazine “Finding Napa or Napa Finding Me” January 2008.

Finding Napa or Napa Finding Me – Joy Barnes
By JoAnn Busenbark

After 476,784 miles of commuting over a 36-year period from Tustin, California to Gardena and back, wouldn’t you want a community like the Napa Valley to spend retirement?

Joy Barnes, K-12 teacher, dean of students and discipline specialist, found the valley 20 years ago while vacationing, and marked it on her calendar for a potential retirement site.

Born and raised until 14 years of age in Amarillo, Texas, Joy knew at an early age she wanted to become a teacher. After her father’s death when she was ten, she and her mother moved frequently until she graduated from high school in Phoenix, Arizona.

Her mother moved on and Joy stayed to attend Arizona State University, where she received her B.A. degree in English with a minor in history. Later, she obtained her M.A. in Education at California State University, Long Beach.

Joy taught for 40 years in the Los Angeles Unified School District, an amazing feat in my eyes. Thirty-four of those years were at Peary, a middle school in Gardena with a population of 3,600 students.

Joy taught 8th and 9th-grade English for a number of years with 40 students in a classroom, before class sizes went down to 20 – quite an improvement. Joy loved her work and must have had amazing skills at educating this diverse group of kids.
How many kids this age are really interested in English? Making her subject interesting and relevant is the only way she could have survived and been successful.

Joy also developed a pattern for successful discipline and began to share her ideas with other teachers. She soon began to provide trainings and workshops on discipline for groups of teachers.

What is the key to effective discipline, you wonder? Respect is the key, according to Joy. Using respect, she created a sense of community in her classes, and the message penetrated even the most difficult students.

It took some longer than others to realize they wanted to be a part of something positive. As they left Joy’s classroom each day, they repeated “read, think, listen and study.”

This was the mantra that was binding her to her students. Joy’s mission and passion in life was to help kids to think and interact with others, a skill every successful adult must have.

Joy is a certified teacher, certified by a national board in a process that takes 6 or 7 months and includes five portfolios, two videos made in the classroom of the teacher, presentation of three different curriculums, scrutiny of community-parent contacts and a presentation of the teacher’s professional activities. The Los Angeles Unified School District awards a 15 percent salary increase to teachers who receive certification through this process.

Joy was active in the United Teachers of Los Angeles, chairing the local chapter at Peary. The UTLA and the National Certification Board put together materials to assist teachers in the district in their efforts toward certification.
For the last 26 years of Joy’s work at Peary, she was the dean of students for half of each day and a teacher the rest of the time. She trained new teachers in techniques for successful discipline.

How did she find the Napa Valley? Joy worked eleven months of the year at Peary, so her vacation time was precious and she did not want to travel far to find a peaceful, beautiful place to spend time off. Yes, she found Napa to be such a place.
On Joy’s first trip to Napa, Mustards in Yountville had just been open a few months; she was here for Mustards 20th-anniversary celebration. I’d say that is a regular vacationer to the Napa Valley.

Joy’s passion for students and education didn’t disappear with retirement. She is a member of the financial oversight committee for the Napa Valley Unified School District. In addition, she welcomes any opportunity to share her knowledge of discipline techniques and the National Teacher Certification process.

Joy, you found the right place. Enjoy!

http://www.napavalleymarketplace.com

Eco-Touring – January 2008

Napa Valley Marketplace Magazine “Eco-Touring” January 2008.

Our History Runs Through It
Ramblin’ On by the Napa Nomad, Eco-excursions in the Napa Valley
By Arvis Northrop

In 2006 I traveled to Africa; Kenya and Tanzania. It was a “trip of a lifetime” and the impressions sunk in deep. The landscape was beautiful, raw and serene. Upon returning, my head was full of the sights and wonder of where I’d been. But what really took hold is the realization of how the Earth over there is the same Earth over here! I know, “Duh!” But what I’m getting at is that whether in Africa or the Napa Valley, I’ve become aware of the importance of traveling responsibly, which is becoming well known as “eco travel”. For me this means that no matter where I venture out into the world I can be aware of how I tread upon the Earth and the impact I have on my environment.

Now, I’m not going to be climbing Mt. Everest, or probably even Mt. St. Helena for that matter. Nor, will I be white-water rafting in Costa Rica or Truckee any time soon. I’m pretty much a softie and seek out milder forms of adventure. But along with an easy hike or bike ride there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors in Napa Valley and I’m sure there are other “eco travelers” who would like to know they are traveling responsibly while enjoying our famous countryside. One such activity we can recommend is Napa River Adventures.

On a chilly morning in December I invited my friend Isabelle to join me on a leisurely cruise up the Napa River. Isabelle is quite outdoorsy and you’ll normally find her in a kayak on the river. But, as I said, this was December and chilly, so my softie-style seemed more appealing. I made our reservation by phone and we boarded the boat at the Kennedy Park boat launch.

Captain Kevin Trzcinski is the owner of Napa River Adventures and the adventure is on a charming New England-style dory, with a blue canvas canopy. The dory is a twenty one foot electric boat with a fiberglass hull designed by Electracraft and manufactured in California by Catalina Yachts. Twelve deep-cycle marine batteries compose the power plant with a charge time of fourteen hours and a run time of eight to nine hours. An electric vessel is an eco-friendly vessel as there are no toxic emissions in the water or air. As Captain Trzcinski stated, “Electric boats have been around for over one hundred years, but only within the last 20 years have they been gaining in popularity. As fuel prices continue to rise, these boats are becoming even more attractive”. There is also comfortable, cushioned seating all around inside and a table to accommodate your picnic snacks and beverages. It’s all quite stylish; real softie-style indeed! We were accompanied by a young couple from Iowa, sporting a top-notch digital camera with an impressive zoom lens. The Captain kept his eyes open for unique wildlife and maneuvered the boat closer to the shoreline to help our photographer capture several photos of a wide variety of birds along the river.

I too had my simple “point & shoot” camera with me and for awhile I was twisting and turning in my seat to capture photos of Snowy Egrets, Cormorants and a King Fisher. One of the best parts of the cruise was Captain Trzcinski’s knowledge of the river and wetland wildlife, another his notable command of Napa’s history along the river. I decided to settle in and observe how our Napa River winds around the downtown. As the boat hummed along I listened to the Captain’s narrative, and enjoyed imagining the scenes of the 1800’s; the burgeoning business of trade and transportation. The Captain also pointed out that Napa played an active role in the Gold Rush. Miners stayed in Napa on their way to seeking fortune and returned to spend their hard-earned riches when Lady Luck had been a willing paramour. I found a good resource for Napa’s history at www.cityofnapa.org under the “Visitors” section. You could impress your visiting friends and family with the valley’s colorful history and take them along on a Napa River Adventure. For booking information go to www.napariveradventures.com

There’s always a tug-of-war inside me: country or city? I love the rural landscapes we still have throughout the Napa Valley. I think of Africa and the vast, untouched valleys and I fear that we may finally cover up all that we have. But I also love cities and the beauty in the architecture of buildings, the genius of design and engineering. Now I see both striving to fit in along the Napa River. I mourn the loss of historic bridges and marvel at how cool it’s going to be to walk along the promenade from the Hatt Building to Veteran’s Park. I hear of a proposed wildlife refuge in the oxbow of the river and fantastic hotels along its banks. Country or city? I can never decide. For now I will take my cue from my friend Isabelle. As we puttered back toward Kennedy Park she spoke, perhaps mostly to herself, “I’m just happy to be on the river”.

http://www.napavalleymarketplace.com

Community Interest – January 2008

Napa Valley Marketplace Magazine “Community Interest” January 2008.

Echoes of Hawaii:
Napa Valley Flea Jumpers Strum up Fun With Ukuleles
By Louisa Hufstader

Photo by Mind’s Eye Photography – David R. Bennion, CPP

Little and friendly, it nestles in your arms as if to say “stroke me!” And when you do, you hear gentle music and seem to feel the warmth of the tropics.

No wonder the ukulele is such a popular instrument.

“It’s small, it has just four strings – it’s not intimidating,” says Judd Finkelstein of St. Helena.

“And once you pick it up and try it, it’s hard to put down.”

Finkelstein picked up his first ukulele just six years ago, and today leads his own band, the Maikai Gents Featuring the Mysterious Miss Mauna Loa, who will perform Feb. 23 at Copia.

He’s also the founder of 21st-century Napa’s first ukulele club, the Napa Valley Flea Jumpers, which he describes as “a group of local ukulele enthusiasts who meet once a month to eat, drink and most importantly, strum ukuleles.”

A member of the guitar family, the ukulele (roughly, “jumping flea”) developed in Hawai’i more than a hundred years ago as a hybrid of European stringed instruments brought to the islands by Portuguese voyagers.
The uke’s popularity in the 20th century seemed to have reached its apex – or, arguably, its nadir – with the 1968 chart success of “Tiptoe through the Tulips,” strummed and sung in a harrowing falsetto by novelty act Tiny Tim (Herbert Khaury, 1932-1996).

“I’m proud to say I never learned that song,” Finkelstein says.

Then came the 1993 album by Israel “Iz” Kamakawiwo’ole (1959-1997), whose performances of “Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World” were used repeatedly on TV and in films.

“People really tune in to that sound,” of solo ukulele and Hawai’ian-style vocal, says Finkelstein, who’s often asked to perform “Over the Rainbow” at weddings.

Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro, who recently played a return engagement at the Napa Valley Opera House, has also done much to improve the instrument’s image, Finkelstein continues.

“There’s a much greater interest in ukulele now. It seems like it has a much higher visibility, and hopefully some respect,” he says.

Membership grows
Finkelstein is doing his part for his beloved instrument with the Napa Valley Flea Jumpers.

When he founded the club three years ago, he knew only two other people in Napa who played the ukulele.

But by the time their first meeting rolled around, word of mouth had gathered eight Flea Jumpers; these days, about 20 usually turn out for the monthly jams.

Most of the players are from Napa County, but Finkelstein says a contingent from Santa Rosa has grown to six or eight people. In all, about 40 uke players receive his regular e-mails, and the group continues to draw new members.

“We play all kinds of music,” he says, with an emphasis on Hawai’ian tunes because quite a few members “either grew up there or spent a lot of time there, so they can sing in the Hawai’ian language.”

The monthly meetings traditionally begin with food and drink: “Whoever’s hosting it provides the beverage for the evening – we usually get a little exotic with that – and the attendees bring pupus to share,” Finkelstein says, using the Hawai’ian word for appetizers.

“After we’ve eaten a bit and had a bit to imbibe, we start strumming and singing.”

Everybody in the group has a folder with copies of the songs; anyone bringing a new number needs to make about 20 copies to distribute. And anyone can call a tune.

“We let whoever’s hosting start it off, and it’s mob rules after that,” jokes Finkelstein.

The Flea Jumpers folder – like the Maikai Gents book – is heavy on what he calls “zippy, jazzy, romantic, old-time music from Hawai’i,” like “The Hukilau Song.”

The club also plays mainland folk favorites like “Home on the Range,” “When the Red, Red Robin Goes Bob, Bob, Bobbin’ Along” and “What Shall We Do with a Drunken Sailor?”

“The sea shanty is our closer, and we usually let people make up lyrics as we go,” Finkelstein says.

The Flea Jumpers continue to welcome new members at their monthly strum-ins. Ukulele players who would like to join the club can e-mail Finkelstein at his family’s winery: judd@juddshill.com.

Hawai’i comes to Copia
Finkelstein promises a “very exciting” evening in the tropics when the Maikai Gents play Copia next month. The Feb. 23 concert – part of Copia’s Thursday-night “Community Spotlight” series – will include plenty of Hawai’ian-style classics along with hula dancing by The Mysterious Miss Mauna Loa (rumored by some to be Finkelstein’s wife Holly, a trained dancer; “You didn’t hear that from me” is all he will say on the subject).

There will also be special guests, and a full multi-media presentation using the auditorium’s big screen to “enhance the visual aspect of our performance,” Finkelstein says.

For tickets and information, visit www.copia.org; to learn more about the Maikai Gents and hear samples from their CD “The Wiki Wiki Grog Shop,” stop by www.mkgents.com.
http://www.napavalleymarketplace.com