Napa Valley...Day Five...and there were Balloons!

Up at 6 a.m. to clear skies...by 6:30 a.m., I was rushing across the Vintage Inn parking lot, heading for the two balloons that were ready to take flight from the V Marketplace parking lot. Already, the sky was filling with hot air balloons, a sight that always makes my heart race a little faster.



Within minutes, the second of these two balloons was up into the air.

Almost immediately, another truck arrived with another balloon. As I mentioned the other day, the balloon companies are in a race against the rising sun and heat that create air currents that won't allow ballooning. It is in the calm of very early morning is when it all takes place.

The following sequence of photos shows the 10 minutes or so, from the arrival of the truck with the balloon packed up in a bag to the actual takeoff.

The balloon arrives all packed up in a not very big bag




First it is layed out on a tarp.


Then, it is unfolded.


Once unfolded, one of the balloonists starts a fan to start filling it with air.



Next, they start heating the air to the point where the balloon goes upright, along with the passenger basket.


Then, the crew and passengers climb into the basket. There are a few holes on one side of the basket on which to climb into the basket.


And, they are ready for takeoff.



Within seconds of takeoff, the balloon is high above the buildings and trees.



Hot air balloon rides in the Napa Valley last about an hour. The truck and crew follow the balloon and pick up the passengers, crew, and balloon where ever it lands...when you are at the whim of the air currents and a bit of fire, you could wind up in Farmer Brown's pasture!!! Most balloon rides end with a champagne breakfast. As the story goes, in France, balloonists used to carry a bottle of champagne in their basket in case they did, in fact, land in Farmer Brown's pasture or tree...it would be a peace offering.

Having balloooned but once, I will never forget the wonderful, weightless, peaceful feel of it.

After this early morning excitement, I was famished! So it was breakfast back at the Vintage Inn and then a run across the street to Bouchon Bakery..one of Chef Thomas Keller's Yountville ventures...


for several loaves of bread and some pastries to take home as memories of our wonderful week.

The rest of the morning I spent swimming, sunning, and packing...so sad, the latter.

But, there was one more wonderful treat before the drive home: Lunch at Angele in Napa, on the patio overlooking the Napa River. When we walked by Angele after our breakfast at Sweetie Pies on our way to Yountville at the beginning of the week, I noted that Angele looked like the restaurants on the French Riviera. Angele has been open for a few years, but today's lunch was my first meal here.

We ordered our South of France favorite lunch dishes: Croque Monsieur for J,

Salade NIcoise for me,






and a side of French Fries for all of us, including Louie who tasted his first frite when I dropped one on the patio floor.




When we asked our waitress about the Banana Gratin,


she told us that it is Angele's signature dessert. We were not disappointed with what is a sort of Banana Crisp made with creme anglais and topped with a crumbly crust and ice cream. One serving is enough for two to share.

I always say that being in the Napa Valley reminds me of my time in France. Lunch at Angele brought me back to Nice, Cannes, and St. Tropez.

CHEZ PAPA RESTO IN SAN FRANCISCO'S MINT PLAZA

As a fan of Chez Papa Bistrot on Potrero Hill, I was eager to try out its new downtown San Francisco location in Mint Plaza, Chez Papa Resto. Some may consider its location to be in SOMA (South of Market) as it is off 5th Street, between Market and Mission Streets.




Before entering Chez Papa Resto, I was a bit apprehensive about where I was going. I had exited the San Francisco Centre on Fifth Street mid-block between Market and Mission Streets and had to walk to the end of the block to cross Fifth Street...I really wanted to jaywalk because Jessie Street, where the restaurant is located, is almost directly across from where I came out of the San Francisco Centre. Walking into Mint Plaza at 6 p.m., I was surprised at its emptiness and was, from a distance, uncertain that I was in the right place until I spotted Chez Papa Resto's small sign hanging above the entrance.

Once inside, I was pleasantly surprised by the simple and sophisticated decor of the dining room and bar.

I knew my French was rusty when our server greeted us in French and I tried to respond to him. Not to worry...English is definitely the main language spoken by the staff. But, since most of the staff is French, dining here offers the added bonus of providing the opportunity to practice your French.

We were a party of four on a Girls Night Out. While we looked over the menu, we enjoyed our Epi bread, which was accompanied by a bowl of two tapenades, one made with black olives, one made with green olives. Their presentation in a divided white bowl make me think they were the yin and yang of tapenades. I decided not to share this thought with my friends as we devoured much of the bread and all of the tapenade...our attentive server brought us another serving of tapenade when he spotted our empty bowl.

We shared two appetizers to start:




Fried Squash Blossoms that were stuffed with Mozzarella and Goat Cheeses and the Green and White Asparagus Salad.

Then, we were on to our main courses. With about half a dozen Entree choices, the four of us were able to sample much of the menu. We ordered Grilled Loch Duart Salmon, Lamb Daube braised in chateauneuf du Pape, Roasted Monkfish served Bouillabaisse style, and a Vegetarian Plate.



If you've not heard of Lock Duart Salmon, it is a Scottish farm raised salmon that restaurateurs and environmentalists consider to be of the same high quality as wild salmon. Chez Papa Resto's preparation with a Citrus Melange, Orange Braised Fennel, and Opal Basil, was delicous and beautifuuly presented.



The Lamb Daube is a traditional French stew. I sample one of the cubes of lamb and it was perfection...in a rich sauce subtly flavored with Chateauneuf du Pape wine and ganished with colorful vegetables.




The Vegetarian Plate was composed of a selection of the day's vegetables. It included Ratatoille, Potato and Fennel Gratin, Asparagus, Carrots, Fennel, and Peas.







I think that the Roasted Monkfish that I ordered was the most interesting of the four dishes, mainly because of its presentation. I was first served a bowl in which there was the Monkfish, Clams, Clamari and slices of potato. Then, our server returned with a pitcher of Bouillabaisse-like broth which he poured over the fish...the menu describes the broth as a "Boullabaisse Fumet." Finally, I was presented with a small platter on which there was Rouille, shaved Gruyere cheese, and toasted thin slices of bread...I chose to put some Rouille on the toasts and submerge them in the broth; I sprinked the Gruyere over the fish.

We chose two desserts to share:


Profiteroles, a French classic of cream puffs filled with ice cream and topped with warm chocolate sauce. Usually, restaurants serve three Profiteroles in a serving. Thoughtfully, our server brought us four, so we each got our own Profiterole.


Our second dessert selection was a very untraditional Strawberry Ravioli. Instead of being made with pasta, the raviolis were made from a sort of gelatinous fruit leather and they were filled with a thyme and honey cream filling. The ravioli were topped with a fresh strawberry puree that had pieces of strawberry in it...very creative, very tasty.

Our lovely dinner and visit ended with complimentary glasses of sweet wine that were presented to us after dessert.

To sum up, the food at Chez Papa Resto is just the kind of French food that I most enjoy...casual bistro-style Provencal dishes prepared with fresh, high-quality ingredients. Presentations were beautiful. Service was attentive without being intrusive. Co-owner, Marc-Henri Sempere stopped by several times, just to chat and even humored us a bit by tolerating our speaking in French. We left Chez Papa Resto feeling very happy and satisfied.

A few more observations: The dining room is intimate, seating about 70 people. Although it was busy throughout our meal, the noise level was low enough for us to easily carry on conversation at our table...a refreshing change from some of San Francisco's "hot" restaurants where it is impossible to hear or talk with your dining companion. Prices are reasonable for the quality of food: First courses average $14 and entrees average $25. Our dinner for four, with a bottle of wine, was about $50 per person, including tax and gratuity. While the large outdoor patio was not being used during the dinner hour, I can imagine that it would be a lovely place to enjoy lunch or weekend brunch on a sunny day.