Frog Princesse in Santa Rosa, Napa Valley, Point Reyes (2018 edition)

[Jacksoup]

@JoNorvelleWalkerthanks, mixing up my terminology.  Can’t blame it on too much alcohol, I think.  Only two Moscow Mules in but who knows, that may be enough

[FrogPrincesse]

7 hours ago, curls said:

@FrogPrincesse is that your daughter in the photos? If so, she has gotten so much taller since I met her at the chocolate workshop. Soon she’ll be taller than you!

That is her and indeed she has grown up quite a lot since you met her!

 

[FrogPrincesse]

2 hours ago, Jacksoup said:

My daughter used to live in a duplex on  a side street of the French Laundry. I’ve wandered into the garden at night with my own glass of wine and watched the chefs thru the large kitchen windows.  It was great just to walk around Yountville and stop in for a drink and food at any of these great places.  If you are still in Napa and interested in a winery called Etude, DM me.

I am relieved to read that we are not the only French Laundry voyeurs out there.  We spent quite a bit of time watching them through the windows as well. I was not expecting part of the kitchen to be visible from the street!

 

Thanks for the info about Etude. I believe they have a winery in Santa Barbara as well? It’s too late for this trip, but I’ve added it to the list for the next one!

[FrogPrincesse]

I am finally able to upload all my pictures (Point Reyes has really poor coverage), so I shall be able to resume my trip report tomorrow! 

[heidih]

On 7/6/2018 at 11:10 AM, FrogPrincesse said:

I am doing my best, but I feel that my job won’t be complete until she starts appreciating escargots and foie gras!

 

I like both Madeleine Kamman's  and Melissa Clark's takes on snails:

 

MK:  Quoting from "When French Women Cook" where she describes an incident with the purging snails:  "One boring Sunday afternoon , I succumbed to the temptation to remove the weight. By seven o'clock when we came back from some venture, the walls were decorated with the trails of climbing snails. I got spanked, hated live snails forever, and felt vindicated when they appeared in soups and sizzling in pastry shells".

 

MC: Quoting from "In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite":  "...we did relish dipping nuggets of crusty baguette into the molten. garlicky, green-flecked snail butter., of course. ....Years later, I feel the same, and am convinced that the only reason to order snails a la bourgignon is to sop up the butter surrounding them, then unload the snails to your tablemates, passing them off as delicacies"

 

Edited July 8, 2018 by heidih (log)

[rotuts]

Im in full agreement w MC.

 

and Ive read similar views in several places.

[Tri2Cook]

12 hours ago, FrogPrincesse said:

I am relieved to read that we are not the only French Laundry voyeurs out there. 

I think if I ever got close enough to their window to be one, I'd be one too. 

 

14 hours ago, Jacksoup said:

thanks, mixing up my terminology.

As far as I know, in the context you used it in, "PM" is private message and "DM" is direct message... so to-may-to/to-mah-to.

[FrogPrincesse]

I actually do enjoy the tender texture and slightly gamey quality of a good snail, but it is somewhat of an acquired taste.

 

Also, I remember my grandmother preparing them from scratch and the long process required to put purge and clean them. Very messy! 

[FrogPrincesse]

Day 3, continued 

 

Back at our bungalow in Calistoga, we were a bit hungry after all this wine so we had some of the charcuterie we had just bought.

 

Jesus (the specialty of Lyon, a very large saucisson)

 

 

Wild boar salume (Olli which I just realized is based in Oceanside, north of San Diego!) - not bad but slightly disappointing as the boar flavor was not very pronounced

 

 

Here is the boar salame again on the left, and the delectable lomo iberico de bellota (made from pork loin; nutty, melts in your mouth) on the right

 

 

A nice hoppy IPA from Sacramento to accompany all this. Notes of citrus peel, grass, resin.

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

Day 4

 

We had such a nice time at Acacia House, we decided to go back for lunch where they have a reasonably-priced prix fixe menu.

 

 

 

I started with their signature Margarita which is topped with what looks like egg white but is actually sea salt foam. Fun idea! The foam is a lot more delicate than a traditional salt rim. Grated lime on top.

 

 

The cold soup of watermelon and strawberry was really great, served with a dollop of cream with chives and little accents of local olive oil, a touch of heat. Every spoonful was slightly different. I wish I had the recipe as I could eat this every day in summer!

 

 

Edited July 8, 2018 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Caesar salad with anchovies that had been tempura-fried. The sister property of Acacia House is located in Mexico, hence the Mexican influences (the Margarita, and the Caesar salad which was invented in Tijuana)

 

 

I was too in love with my smoked salmon and avocado toast to remember taking a picture (I ordered it with the salmon roe supplement). I did remember however to take a picture of the cutlery. I had never seen this sort of knives, French apparently, Perceval. I liked their design.

 

 

[FrogPrincesse]

The sandwich of the day was an open-faced braised oxtail with onion confit. The only complaint was that it was on the smaller side. 

 

 

The desserts. Milk chocolate with fennel (I took a picture after it had been already sampled). The fennel flavor was quite pronounced, I liked it but my daughter was not a big fan.

 

 

Stone fruit (nectarine and cherries) crisp. This is a great way to enjoy summer fruit.

 

 

Edited July 8, 2018 by FrogPrincesse (log)

[FrogPrincesse]

Coffee is served in the little espresso cups from Heath ceramics. If you study the previous pictures, you will see that they have a very nice assortment of Heath plates.

 

 

L’addition comes in a vintage cookbook, different each time.

 

 

[Smithy]

Nectarines and cherries together in a dessert! Why didn't I think of that? I'll be making a nectarine pie soon and have been worried about having enough fruit. I KNOW I have enough cherries to round it out if necessary. Thanks for that information.

 

I'm glad you explained about the Heath ceramics. I had been admiring the delicate blue dishes in some of the photos.

 

The Caesar Salad looks excellent. I'll bet the tempura-fried anchovies were a nice touch.