By 707 correspondent Heather Irwin. Sign up for the BiteClub Newsletter.
*Flavor! Napa Valley*, a celebration of food and wine featuring dozens of top chefs and winemakers, will be happening from Wednesday November 19th to Sunday November 23rd. During the five-day festival, hands-on events like Pickling and Preserving with Long Meadow Ranch, Cake Decorating with Duff Goldman, Cheese Making with local chef Sheana Davis, as well as chef demonstrations from the likes of Todd English, Masaharu Morimoto, Michael Chiarello, and Christopher Kostow happen throughout the valley. There are also wine tastings, wine dinners, seminars, and even more classes to round out the week. Event details and tickets (which range from $75-$295) are available online. [Ed. note: be sure to see the special pricing offered for tablehopper readers on some events here!]
Get Your Eat On: There are two deliciously incredible events on Saturday November 8th. (Sadly, you’ll have to choose.) First up is the Farm to Fork Fall Feast at Glen Ellen’s Atwood Ranch. You’ll get to meet local farmers, cheesemakers, and cider makers, then sit down to what promises to be an incredible meal from Zazu Kitchen + Farm’s Duskie Estes. (And trust us, when Duskie’s in the kitchen, no one goes hungry.) She’s whipping up pumpkin soup, kale salad, red wine-braised beef shank, chicken with Asian pear, and much more.
Tickets are $150 per person and include live music from the Easy Leaves Duo. Proceeds benefit Sonoma County Farm Trails and the young farmers scholarship fund. Details online.
Also on Saturday November 8th is the Best Winery Chefs dinner and fundraiser at Santa Rosa Golf & Country Club. Featuring Simi Winery’s chef Kolin Vazzoler, Robert Mondavi’s Jeff Mosher, Lynmar Estate’s David Frakes, and Francis Ford Coppola Winery’s Tim Bodell, each chef takes on one course with a special wine pairing. Tickets are $145 per person, with proceeds going to the Redwood Empire Food Bank and other local charities. Details online or by calling 707-526-2922.
La Taberna has opened in downtown Napa, a much-anticipated new restaurant from the ZuZu tapas crew. Inspired by the pintxo bars of Northern Spain, it’s a modern take on the classic Spanish tavern. The menu will include tortilla de camarón, ceviches, empanadas, and halibut croquetas. Hours are Sun-Thu 2pm-11pm and Fri-Sat 2pm-12am. 815 Main St., Napa, 707-224-5551.
Restaurant and wine bar 1313 MAIN in Napa has a new menu, after last summer’s chef changeup. Executive chef Adam Ross debuts creative dishes such as poutine beef-fat (!) fries with oxtail gravy ($12), crispy pork trotters with quail eggs ($15), lavender-smoked duck breast with pickled huckleberries ($24), and lamb chops with harissa jus and lime yogurt ($21). The bar snacks menu (think poutine, a burger, and oysters) is half off during happy hour. In addition to wines by the glass, flight, or bottle, 1313 Main also has an extensive collection of beer, ciders (sadly not including any local ciders), spirits, and port.
