Welcome to my annual list of most memorable bites and dishes of the year, the ones that I still dream about and can’t wait to enjoy again.
I hope they’ll inspire you to try some new places or to revisit ones you haven’t been to in a long time.
Here, in no particular order, are my Top 10:
Read more
The resort now known as Alila Napa Valley (formerly Los Alcabas) has always been one of my favorite properties in St. Helena for its striking juxtaposition between old and new.
In 2021, the Alila hotel group took over the property with its oversized, minimalist, gray-toned rooms with spectacular vineyard views, with the vines so close to the ground-floor rooms that you could walk out your terrace to touch them.
In May 2024, it completed its transition by debuting its new restaurant, Violetto, housed in the property’s beautifully ornate 1907 mansion.
Chef Thomas Lents serves a French-Italian menu with thoughtful options for a 7-course tasting menu ($145) with optional wine pairing ($85), four-course prix fixe ($105) with optional wine pairing ($65), or a la carte. There are also supplemental items you can choose to add.
Recently, I was invited as a guest of the property and restaurant to stay overnight and to experience the new menu.
Read more
Darryl Bell has known he wanted to be a chef since he was all of 8 years old, when he was already stirring up pots of lentil and hot water-corn bread at his family’s stove in Kansas City, MO.
He more than made good on that dream, cooking in such illustrious kitchens as Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bistro in Yountville, Alinea in Chicago, and Press in St. Helena.
This summer, he finally opened his own restaurant, Stateline Road Smokehouse in Napa, named for the major thoroughfare that divides Kansas City, MO and Kansas City, KS.
It was an endeavor that took a long two years to turn a former auto repair shop into a casual, welcoming restaurant, which I had a chance to finally visit a couple weeks ago.
Even at lunch time on a Friday, the place was packed with folks chowing down on trays heaped with smoky tender meats.
Read more
Everyone needs a light, bright, and sunshine-y side dish that can be prepared on the fly in no time flat, especially at this time of year.
“Charred Tangerine & Herb Salad” is just that dish.
It’s even more appealing because it’s vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free, so it can be enjoyed by a wide variety of eaters.
This easy-peasy recipe is from the new “Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking” (Ten Speed Press).
It was written by Joe Yonan, the two-time James Beard Award-winning food and dining editor of The Washington Post.
Read more
Some couples love to cook together.
Others — whether because it’s more efficient or perhaps a little control-freak-ism at work — divvy up the duties so that one cooks, while the other cleans up afterward.
Which camp do you and your partner-in-crime fall into?
For me, it’s usually the latter.
But if more harmony and togetherness in the kitchen is what you desire, then “A Couple Cooks” (Chronicle Books) is right up your alley.
The cookbook, of which I received a review copy, is by Sonja and Alex Overhiser, a photographer-and-writer couple in Indianapolis who created the award-winning blog, A Couple Cooks.
Read more