drinking through the valley
Ahh, the bed was much more comfortable, and we slept a bit later than normal. Breakfast was fairly decent, and then we started driving north from Napa up route 29.
We did some wine tastings at Conn Creek Winery and later at Clos Du Val. The scenery was quite nice, even though it was overcast for much of the day.
That evening we had dinner reservations at Bouchon. Yes, Thomas Keller is a culinary genius. Getting reservations at his trademark French Laundry (also in Yountville) are nearly impossible, so Bouchon is essentially a fallback. But, its like falling back from a Rolls Royce to a BMW. We started off with three types of salami with pickeled vegetables:
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For the main course, Denise had Steak Frites, and I had a Monkfish stew with yukon gold potatoes, squid & muscles:
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Denise's steak was nothing short of amazing, with a rich, beefiness that could easily be called the best steak ever. My food was good, but couldn't compare. For dessert, Denise had a lemon tart, and I had dark chocolate mouse:
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Again, Denise's tart was perfect. It was this amazing blend of tartness and carmelized sweetness. My mouse was pretty good, but her tart just was so much better.