i like to eat.

I Love Napa, Part 3

The finishing touch to our Napa extravaganza was Bistro Jeanty in Yountville. We were thankfully seated outside (didn't I tell you I love outdoor dining?) and enjoyed more wine (thanks to Hideki and Mark for purchasing the bottles) with good food.

I read about Bistro Jeanty's famous tomato soup in puff pastry, so I wanted to try it. The dish was gorgeous when it came to the table - in it's small porcelain bowl and puff pastry top. The puff pastry was light and it was fun cracking the top. It felt like I was opening a present, anxious to see and taste the soup.

When I first heard about the tomato soup, I was skeptical. I was thinking, what's so special about tomato soup? Anyone can make it. But, oh my, Bistro Jeanty has perfected the creaminess and the flavors of tomato soup. It was amazing. I can eat it any day, with or without the puff pastry.

For entrée, I decided to deter from their regular menu and ordered the halibut special with ratatouille. The fish was cooked beautifully and the ratatouille reminded me of the movie, Ratatouille, with it's perfectly thinly sliced tomato, eggplant, onion, bell pepper and zucchini.

Unfortunately, the halibut and the ratatouille was nothing special. There was nothing that made my taste buds fly, a complete opposite from my previous soup experience.

Other dishes from the table I tried were veal kidneys with creamy green peppercorn sauce - very good, although I'm not that big of a fan of kidney, steak tartare - extremely fresh grounded steak, cassuolet (baked beans with duck confit, sausage and bacon) - delicious and flavorful, but a little heavy and steak with frites - excellent fries (they've won awards for them!) and delicious rib eye with a mouthwatering béarnaise sauce.

For dessert, I ordered a warm apple tart with creme fraiche that again, was nothing to write about. My friend ordered a chocolate mousse creme brulee that was excellent, I wish I ordered it. Another friend ordered crepes with orange butter that were pretty delicious, but I didn't feel like it was anything special.

I would recommend Bistro Jeanty for it's tomato soup. It is truly amazing. Unfortunately, I felt the other dishes I ordered were a bust. Although, the ones my friends ordered were quite good. After trying Bistro Jeanty once, I don't think I'd go back again (except for the soup!) because there are so many other restaurants in that area that I'd love to try (ahem, hello French Laundry).

PS. I just discovered they have the tomato soup recipe on their site! I have to try to make it!

Click here to download:

I_Love_Napa_Part_3_tag_napa_yo.zip (3856 KB)

Select photos courtesy of Rosa Chou.

Filed under // bistro jeanty dinner food french napa outdoor dining wine yountville

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I Love Napa, Part 2

Cliff Lede, a beautiful vineyard in Yountville, was the first stop. The trip barely started; I was already hot from the weather and needed something refreshing, so I ordered their sparkling flight.

Meh, not the best choice since they're known for their Cabernets. But nonetheless, the sparkling wines refreshed my palette.

Second stop was the extravagant Darioush. Its majestic Persian architecture gorgeous, filled with luxurious art wowed me. Good red wines, nothing that made me open my wallet, but definitely a winery to check out at least once.

Next up was Trefethen, a very cute vineyard where we tasted reds and whites. It looked like any other vineyard with its lush greens, cobblestone walkway and old fashioned, brick building, but the inside was dark and intimate. Their 2006 Chardonnay was really good. I'm not much of a white wine drinker, but this one was crisp and light - perfect with fish.

Last winery before dinner was Jessup Cellars. We tried reds, whites and even ports in the extremely small place. The best part? No tasting fee!

We were all definitely slightly buzzed from all the wine drinking, but luckily, we were close to the restaurant we were going to have dinner at, Bistro Jeanty.