Napa Valley Destination: The Meritage Resort and Spa and Siena Restaurant

We were in a great mood after our visit to Domaine Carneros (I am in a great mood right NOW just thinking and writing about it), and according to the itinerary I had carefully planned out a few weeks earlier, it was time to check into our first of two hotels during the trip, The Meritage Resort and Spa.

As I walked in, I was welcomed by a grand fireplace and then by the attendant at the front desk. 

The lobby is majestic with gorgeous interior design, and the colors are reflective 

of the Napa Valley region at harvest time.

The elegant guestrooms feature oversized terraces, granite counters, plasma TVs, tile floors, Internet access, and refrigerators. I am a huge fan of refrigerators in my room, because I like to have fresh fruit and vegetables on hand at all times. :)

The Meritage also has an Estate Wine Cave containing Spa Terra (a full service luxury spa), and the Trinitas Tasting Room, where you can sample Trinitas Cellars’ latest releases by the glass or purchase a bottle to enjoy in your room.

There is also a private wedding chapel, Our Lady of the Grapes, onsite at the Meritage. This wood-beamed ceiling chapel is one of the only ones of its kind in Napa Valley.

Our room overlooked the patio had a grand view of the heated pool, fire pit, and bocce ball court.

After we settled into our room, we headed down to Siena Restaurant for 

dinner on the first floor of the resort.

BTW, currently if you check in at Siena on Foursquare,
you'll receive a complimentary glass of Prosecco!

We looked over the wine list and after some deliberation, chose the Trinitas Chardonnay. 

The BF and I usually share a bottle with dinner, and he almost always tries to accommodate my love for white wine. Especially Chardonnay. What a guy! ;) 

Oh, so a little about the wine. I was a little hesitant to order it and was going to go with something on the list that was tried and true, but our server kindly let me try the Trinitas and won me over. It leans towards the buttery/oaky side of chardonnays, but it has a nice fruit balance. The grapes are from the Carneros region (as explored a little earlier in the day).

Here's the bread presentation, so pretty, but I passed on it of course! ;)

I ordered the Mustard Crusted Ahi Tuna served with Roasted Cauliflower,

Crab and Fava Bean Salad, Green Olive Pesto. I am very particular about keeping my meals completely gluten and grain free, and I was assured there was no flour or corn in the crust. Awesome.

The BF ordered the Seared Sea Bass and Sautéed Rock Shrimp with Mashed Potatoes, Sautéed Broccoli Rabe and Cherry Tomatoes, and a Lobster-Curry-Coconut Sauce.

The manager heard about my fondness for cheese (the only non-Paleo thing I eat) and so this was my dinner/dessert combo. There was a dill variety of cheese in there that was my favorite. The plate also had Humboldt Fog, Point Reyes Blue Cheese and Brie as well as some quince paste and grapes. It was a perfect end to a great meal.

After dinner, we headed to the hot tub for a while, followed by spending some time near the firepit. Here's the picture I took from there, looking back up to the room.

OK Room 225, time to rest up for another day of magic in Napa Valley. :) 

Tomorrow's line up: Duckhorn Vineyards, Frank Family Vineyards, and Hurley's Restaurant.

If you are considering a trip to The Meritage, check out their events for New Years Eve and through the holidays. You can find The Meritage Resort and Spa on Facebook here or follow them on twitter here for exclusive deals and contests.

Cake Girls of Sacramento: Rebecca Salinas, Sweet Cakes by Rebecca

Wedding cake: Vida Mia-Botner: Vida Mia Photography

This edition of "Cake Girls of Sacramento" spotlights Rebecca Salinas of Sweet Cakes by Rebecca. Artistically, she is one of the best in town, and I am amazed at some of her replications of things in cake such as cognac and beer bottles/packaging, and even a bag of Cheetos. Check out the photo gallery here.


1. How did you get into the business of making/decorating cakes?
My mom bought me my first Wilton Cake decorating yearbook in 1994 and from that point on I was making cakes as often as I could and always trying new things. Then years later during a family BBQ while everyone was eating cake the conversation about opening a cake business started, with everyone telling me to leave my job and make cakes! So after 14 years of making cakes as a hobby, my husband and I decided to open our bakery. We posted some pictures of my cakes on the Internet and they received such a positive response. We began looking for a retail location and got lucky when we found a bakery fully equipped and ready for us to move into. So we made the leap of faith in ourselves and officially opened Sweet Cakes in Oct. 2008. What started for us as a curious idea has developed into an exciting and rewarding business venture.




2. Do you have any formal training?
I have thought about getting formal training several times during my years of cake decorating, but it never was the right time. When I decided to open the bakery, I had already had 14 years of recipe testing, cake building and studied many books about baking and cakes. I still at times think about attending and I’m sure that I would gain useful information, but for now I feel that I have a good understand of cakes and that is what I specialize in creating.



3. What is a typical day like for you at your shop?
There is nothing typical about a day at the bakery because there is nothing typical about the cakes. It is more of a weekly operation, than it is a daily operation. It depends on the cakes we are making each week how the days will be spent. I can say that Sunday is a reorganizing and deep cleaning day, Monday is a paperwork and shopping day, Tuesday is a day of prep and/or baking, Wednesday is a definitely a baking day, Thursday is a crumb coating day and Friday (the busiest day) is when the cakes began to transform in to finished masterpieces. Saturday is pick up/delivery day, and sometimes the day we start and complete orders for Sunday. It is 7 day a week operation, that I do with the help of my amazing team.


5. What is your favorite material to work with?
It would have to be our marshmallow fondant. I am able to mold it, cover cakes with it, make flowers out of it and it tastes good.



6. What are your favorite and least favorite foods to prepare?
This is a funny one, I don’t cook! I have always loved to bake and make sweets but never really been a fan of cooking. So with that said, my favorite food to prepare is pizza and my least is anything that I have to touch raw meat.



7. Please tell me about any cake wrecks or bridezillas you may have encountered. You needn't name any names. :)
I would say that when I look back at pictures of cakes I have made that I don’t have cake wrecks, but there are some cakes that I can tell I allowed the client to push me around regarding the design. It is not just brides, so I won’t use the term bridezilla, that want to much control over the final design of the cake. They don’t trust enough to let go and let me design a cake I know will fit their style, and event and be amazing.



8. What is your favorite flavor combination?
Ok, so my favorite cake combination is chocolate cake with caramel and cream cheese frosting and my favorite cupcake is cookie dough: a vanilla cupcake with mini chocolate chips baked over cookie dough topped with vanilla buttercream and a piece of cookie.



9. In what sort of cakes do you specialize?
I specialize in one of kind cakes. I enjoy to make tiered cakes (cakes that look like cake). But I also make sculpted cakes, ones that you have to take a second look at to know it’s a cake.


A sculpted cake: A 1957 Chevy Bel Air



10. What is your "can't live without" cake decorating tool and why?
It has to be my icing scrapper; it is a plastic 6” putty knife that I buy at Lowe’s. It helps me to make sure the sides of my cakes are straight and edges are sharp. That will ensure that the cake will look great when it is stacked and has its final decorative elements added on.


11. What types of flavors can we find in your shop. Are customers limited to a list or will you work with them on requests?
The bakery has a wide variety of flavors to select from and we encourage our clients to make their own combinations. We are constantly experimenting on new flavors and welcome requests from clients. We recently took and order for a blue velvet cake to be filled with fresh blueberries and cream cheese frosting.


12. If you had a different career choice, what would it be?
I had a career in automotive industry for 14 years which gave me a lot of experience in retail and accounting. I have also been to college and studied mathematics, computer science and accounting. I have interests in interior design, animal conservation, the environment and art, specifically painting. I had thoughts of being a teacher, an activist and CPA. But now that I’m a cake designer and decorator, and operate my own business, I can’t imagine a different career.


13. What was the biggest cake you ever made? What was the event? What kind of cake/filling/decorations?
I have made a few 6 and 7 tiered wedding cakes that stood just under 3 feet tall and served over 250 guests. One of the cakes had a 16” round base cake with 6 tiers above it with damask stenciling and draping. Another had an 18” round base with multiple tiers above it shaped like pillows each decorated differently.


Photographer: Vision One Studios


14. What would you like cakegrrl readers to know about your business? Why are you one of the best?
That is a big statement to say we are one of the best. I feel that each bakery and every decorator has a different approach to their cakes. That we all offer something different with our designs. The best example of this was at a cake show held this past February where 10 of the local bakeries made cakes with a Marie Antoinette theme and the cakes on display could not have been more different.



Marie Antoinette cake: Carmen Salazar Photography

I think our bakery stands out because of the attention to detail and craftsmanship that we put into every cake. We are not afraid of color, we are able to sculpt cakes, hand pipe cakes, hand paint on cakes, work with fondant or buttercream, make flowers, and work on cakes of all sizes.


15. On average, how many cakes do you make per week?
We have had weeks were we have made up to 26 cakes and others with as few as 5 cakes. It really depends on the size of the cakes and level of detail and decoration on each cake.



16. Is your business strictly made to order or can people buy something from you the same day?
Currently all of our cakes are custom designed and made to order with a 2 to 3 week lead time. We do have cupcakes, cake pops, caramel dipped treats and cookies ready to take home the 7 days a week.


Photographer: Jasmine Randall Photography; Picture of Rebecca at the Glitz and Glamour wedding showcase at Scribner Bend.


17. In your opinion, Is it all about the cake or all about the frosting?
It's all about the cake! The cake is the foundation of it all and it can be eaten with or without the frosting.


18. When making special projects, what is your opinion about using non-edible materials to make cakes (Styrofoam, PVC pipe, etc), or things that aren't cake to support the cake?
Of course the more edible everything is the better, but some of the designs we are being asked to create require structural elements that are not edible.


18. Have you ever won any types of awards? Please take the time to show off and let me know how you have been recognized.
We were recently recognized as one of the 2010 top 5 wedding cake bakers on KCRA’s A-list. We have been awarded the bride’s choice award from Wedding Wire for 2010. We are members of Style Me Pretty’s Little Black Book of wedding vendors. We were awarded “Best Presentation” by brides at the Let Them Eat Cake custom cake and dessert showcase. One of our Las Vegas themed cakes won 2nd place from Cake Central. Most importantly we have our client’s thank you cards and referrals and our wedding industry colleague’s recommendations; that is the best recognition I could ever want.


Best Presentation Table


19. Please tell me about the project or cake in which you took the most pride.
This is an especially difficult question because we really are proud of all our work. I think most recently it would have to be the dessert table we created for my niece’s 16th birthday party. We made a 2 tier cake, mini cupcakes and standard cupcakes, sugar cookies, cake pops, and caramel dipped pretzels and displayed them on cake stands and trays among jars filled with candy. It shows the team work of our bakery and our designing abilities.



You can learn more about Rebecca via her shop's website at Sweet Cakes by Rebecca and you can follow her on twitter here. "Like" her company on Facebook here. Her Myspace page is here.

The Cake Girls of Sacramento: Lien Sanchez, The Crazy Cake Company

The Cake Girls of Sacramento is my new series devoted to the best female cake decorators in this city. They can turn fondant and frosting into irresistible works of art. My first interview is with Lien Sanchez of The Crazy Cake Company in Davis. The Crazy Cake Company has been rated by local brides and voted The Knot Best of Weddings 2010 Pick, as well as being voted "BEST CAKE" in the KCRA A-List competition!

I was first amazed by Lien's work at a Sacramento Philharmonic fundraiser a few years ago. Check out the making of it here. It's exquisite!


1. How did you get into the business of making/decorating cakes?
I used to be a TV junkie (now reformed due to a too-busy schedule) and watched a lot of Food Network shows. After watching too many hours of cake programming, Ace of Cakes in particular, I decided to pick up a box of fondant and make a cake for my sister-in-law's birthday. With about 5 cakes under my belt from my teenage years, I baked and decorated the cake using whatever I had in my kitchen (eg. wine bottle for a rolling pin, etc.). I made a complete mess of the kitchen but had sooo much fun, I took it up as a hobby. The hobby soon became an obsession as I tested cake recipes every week and practically invented holidays just for an excuse to make a cake. As more and more people commented that I should be making cakes for a living, I tentatively started Crazy Cake Company as a side business and now two years later, it's my full time gig and I love it!


Lien's First Cake




2. Do you have any formal training?
When I realized that I wanted to make cake decorating my career, I looked into getting formal training at a culinary school but after speaking to a few baker friends and weighing the pro's and con's, I decided that it wasn't for me. By that time, I had already studied extensively from many pastry textbooks and had taken baking classes at the local JC and felt that I had a good foundation for cakes. And as much as I would love to have a culinary degree on my resume, it wasn't necessary or practical at the time. That being said, I do love learning in a classroom setting and would welcome the opportunity later on.


3. What is a typical day like for you at your shop?
There's not so much a typical day as there is a typical week. Monday/Tuesdays are office & errand days; Baking for the week starts on Tuesday if it's busy or Wednesday if it's a mild week; Wednesday/Thursdays are for icing and any decorating prep (coloring fondant, gumpaste items that need drying, etc.); and Fridays are reserved for decorating and all the finishing touches that makes my cakes fabulous!



5. What is your favorite material to work with?
My favorite material to work with is fondant although modeling chocolate comes a very close second.


6. What are your favorite and least favorite foods to prepare?
Time is at such a premium these days, my favorite foods are those that have less than 10 ingredients and are quick to prepare but still have lots of flavor. Conversely, my least favorite foods to prepare are time and labor-intensive - I reserve those dishes for dinner out with friends. One exception: I don't mind spending extra time trying out a new dessert recipe :).


7. Please tell me about any cake wrecks or "bridezillas" you may have encountered. You needn't name any names. :)
I may be jinxing myself but I haven't had any bridezilla clients yet however, I have had a couple of customers whose design aesthetics don't match up with mine, which can be equally frustrating. I have a broad appreciation of most styles of design from the minimalistic to the ornate to the edgier/darker styles but regardless of the style, I always approach my cake designs with an "editing eye" (as Tim Gunn would say), meaning every decorative element placed on a cake needs to add vs. detract from the overall design. Some brides feel that the more decorative elements on a cake, the more impressive it would be when sometimes, more "stuff" just makes a cake look cluttered and too busy. Fortunately for me, in those rare cases, I was able to satisfy the bride's need for "more stuff" by adding smaller additional elements that don't compromise the cake design and by suggesting a more elaborate cake table setup. Win win for all :)


8. What is your favorite flavor combination?
I like all the cake flavors on my menu (otherwise they wouldn't be offered) but my favorite has to be my red velvet cake with cream cheese buttercream. A red velvet cake is really like no other and for that reason is a bit difficult to describe - the cake itself is moist with a fairly loose crumb and a slightly malty flavor while the cream cheese buttercream has a light cream cheese tang without being too thick or sweet like most cream cheese frostings. I love it so much, sometimes I add it to a couple's cake tasting appointment even if they haven't requested it, if I feel that they would enjoy it based on their other choices.


9. In what sort of cakes do you specialize?
I started my company and named it "Crazy Cake Company" because I love making sculpted cakes. There's just something so challenging and rewarding in making a cake that doesn't look like cake.


10. What is your "can't live without" cake decorating tool and why?
Wow, this one is tough.....if we are truly talking "live without" then it would have to be my rolling pin 'cause I can't imagine rolling out all that fondant with my bare hands or a substitute item, but if we are talking favorite tool then it would probably be my exacto knife with a #10 scalpel blade. It's the tool that is most frequently in my hands during decorating and I find that the scalpel blade puts up less resistance when cutting fondant vs. the regular #11 blade, which is probably the same reason why doctors use it on flesh.


11. What types of flavors can we find in your shop. Are customers limited to a list or will you work with them on requests?
We offer well-known flavor combos like chocolate cake with hazelnut buttercream or vanilla cake with fresh strawberries and cream but also offer some unusual combos like chocolate cake with jasmine mousse or vanilla buttermilk cake with passion fruit mousse. I do also entertain special flavor requests as long as there's enough lead time to source ingredients.


12. If you had a different career choice, what would it be?
I have a lot of interests and I used to wonder if I could make a career out of any of them but sadly interests don't always translate well into long-lasting careers. For example, I love to host, decorate, and plan events and have always thought it would be fun to be an event planner. However, realistically, I know that hosting and planning a personal event is much different and than doing the same for clients. Being an event planner relies too much on other people following through on their part and being the perfectionist and slight control-freak that I am, I think it would drive me to drink, lol. Now if you were to ask me same question a few years ago, I would tell you that I'd want to be a cake designer =D.


13. What was the biggest cake you ever made? What was the event? What kind of cake/filling/decorations?
The tallest cake I made was actually for my friend, Kim's wedding. She had close to 300 people at her wedding and while that in and of itself wasn't unusual, what was unusual was that she wanted all 300 servings represented on the wedding cake (vs. having a small cake on display and sheet cakes to supplement). The cake ended up being 5 tiers and over 2 1/2 feet tall. As for flavors, she chose chocolate cake with jasmine mousse, chocolate cake with raspberry mousse, and vanilla cake with lemon mousse.


14. What would you like cakegrrl readers to know about your business? Why are you one of the best?
I tend to get a lot of referrals from past clients and I believe it's because ordering a cake from me is an great overall experience. From the initial contact, the tasting appointment, the design phase, to the actual look and taste of the final product, I aim to exceed expectations. And while some cakeries are content to recycle the same tired cake designs found in their portfolios, I revel in trying new techniques, designs, shapes, and textures that give my cakes that extra wow factor. The below cake, for example, features edible Monarch butterflies made from gelatin, a fairly new technique in the cake world.





15. On average, how many cakes do you make per week?
For quality control, I only accept 3- 4 cake orders per week depending on the size and complexity of each project. During busy wedding season, I average about 3 cakes a week.

16. Is your business strictly made to order or can people buy something from you the same day?
All of our cakes are made to order and baked fresh each week so a same day cake order would be a stretch, however when schedule permits, I will take an order with 3-4 days notice.

17. In your opinion, Is it all about the cake or all about the frosting?
I can eat cake without frosting but I can't eat frosting without cake so by default, cake wins the battle but seriously, they both need to compliment each other to be good eats.

18. When making special projects, what is your opinion about using non-edible materials to make cakes (styrofoam, PVC pipe, etc), or things that aren't cake to support the cake?
I was asked to make a 2 ft human figure recently (a midget stripper to be specific) and although it was a super-fun project, it did pain me that I was only able to put cake in a small portion of the figure (the chest/body) since the rest of the body parts were small or had to be made with rice krispy treats to be structurally sound - while rice krispy treats are edible, it's just not cake. When complex projects like that come along, non-cake structural items are a necessary evil, but I do put cake in as many places as I can and use other edible alternatives like rice krispy treats and modeling chocolate before resulting to inedible supports like styrofoam. And in those cases, I make sure the client is ok with the amount of non-cake items used, otherwise we alter the design to allow for more cake.





19. Have you ever won any types of awards? Please take the time to show off and let me know how you have been recognized.
I'm sure you don't care about awards won in my previous career so cakewise, I've recently been honored with The Knot's "Best of Weddings" award for 2010 and #1 spot on KCRA's A-list for "Best Cake" for 2010. Being fairly new to the industry, both of these awards mean a lot to me because they're the equivalent of the people's choice award and that tells me I'm on the right track.

20. Please tell me about the project or cake in which you took the most pride.
It definitely is the Star Wars AT-AT walker that I made for my husband's surprise birthday last December. The amount of research and planning that went into that cake was unbelievable, especially since I was determined to make it exactly to scale with every detail. You can read more about it on my blog post but it came out great and had my husband even shed a few tears over it (ok, not really but he really loved it).



You can "like" the Crazy Cake Company on Facebook here. Check out more of Lien's fantastic work here.

For more information or to make an appointment with the Crazy Cake Company, call (916) 849-9794.

Wine Appreciation: Bottling at Sierra Knolls

Last Saturday, CC & I joined another couple and traveled to Sierra Knolls Winery to help bottle 100-120 cases of their 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sierra Knolls is a small family-owned and operated vineyard and winery located in the Sierra Foothills, between Auburn and Grass Valley, 20 minutes off of Hwy 49.

The owners at Sierra Knolls are Steve & Brenda Taylor and John & Linda Chase. They are long time friends and wine lovers. John is the main winemaker.

Sierra Knolls wines are aged in French & American oak barrels in their 50 foot barrel cave. They are environmentally conscientious and solar powered.

After spending the day on the production line, I can report that winemaking on a smaller scale is definitely a labor of love.

CC & I started our day gluing boxes together, then I moved to foiling the bottles, while he wiped down bottles, then my last job (where I spent the most time, trying to give my arms a workout) was wiping down bottles, and CC moved to the labeling machine. It was tedious work, but fun working with others and talking about wine, work, running, restaurants, work, wine, running, and even this web site!


So here is how the production line went (get ready for some awesome ACTION shots *kidding*!!):


Here is the bottle filling station, 6 bottles at a time, then passed down to the corking machine.




The bottles are then corked one by one. Then passed down to be wiped free of any spots from filling them up.



This was the bottle wiping station. Hooray for micro-fiber towels! They made the polishing task much easier.



After the bottles are wiped down, they are passed again, one by one to the bottle labeler. I have attached quite a few labels by hand in the past at Frasinetti, so I was impressed by this automatic labeler! :)



The bottles are then passed to be foiled at the top and then sealed. Again, one at a time.



And here is the final product. We did about 100 cases (nearly 1,200 bottles that day).

There was no shortage of quality control during the bottling (if you know what I mean *wink, wink*). Every bottle of Sierra Knolls Cabernet gets my personal stamp of approval! ;)

After bottling, the whole crew was treated to a salad (YAY), chili and cornbread dinner, and we were given a bottle each to take home. CC & I will be laying ours down for at least 6 months (if we can wait that long).

If you would like to come out and taste the wines of Sierra Knolls, call them at (530) 268-9225 and schedule a tasting.

You can also follow them on twitter here, or friend them on facebook here.

Finally, they will be at the March 6th Foothills Celebration. Taste their wines as well as wines and food from all of these venues!

Croquembouche with Rum Vanilla Buttercream Filled Profiteroles

A croquembouche is a tower of cream puffs held together with caramel. In France it is the traditional cake for weddings, baptisms or communions. Croquembouche comes from the French "croquant" meaning crackling and "bouche" for mouth. Thus croquembouche refers to the crackling in your mouth when eating this traditional dessert. There was really none of that crackling going on with mine, because of the inclement weather sort of melting the caramel I had so lovingly made and layered on the cake. :(

The croquembouche obsession started when I was watching a show on Bravo last week (Chef's Academy) on which the chef taught his students how to make one. I wanted to make something really special for the food blogger's potluck yesterday. I also wanted it so serve entry for the John Mayer Interfaith Baking Contest II. So, I decided to make this croquembouchethingamabob.

It starts out with making tons of little profiteroles (as pictured above). The dough is super easy to make. Here is the recipe I used (since I won't be sharing the filling recipe). (I doubled it and made about 50-60 puffs).

2 cups water
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 cups flour
8 to 10 eggs

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large saucepan, bring the water, butter, salt, and sugar to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, immediately take the pan off the heat. Stirring with a wooden spoon, add all the flour at once and stir hard until all the flour is incorporated.

Scrape the mixture into a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a hand mixer). Mix at medium speed. With the mixer running, and working 1 egg at a time, add 6 of the eggs, stopping after each addition to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix until the dough is smooth and glossy and the eggs are completely incorporated.

Using a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip, pipe the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375-degrees and bake until puffed up and light golden brown, about 20 minutes more.

While everything was cooling, I began working on adornments for the cake... numerous fondant pearls and this candy heart (below), which is how my cake ties into John Mayer. It is the logo seen on the Battle Studies album and used to activate the augmented reality video for "Heartbreak Warfare".





Fondant pearls rolled in lustredust...



I filled each profiterole with a buttercream (secret recipe, but will tell you I threw in the contents of 1 1/2 vanilla beans and a few tablespoons of Bacardi light rum to pimp out my normal buttercream recipe). The puffs of a croquembouche are traditionally filled with pastry cream or sweetened whipping cream, but I thought rum vanilla buttercream would make the cake last a little longer and taste better. I am not a whipped cream fan, except for maybe on ice cream or frozen yogurt.



Here it is with everything but the spun sugar in place. I waited until Sunday (day of potluck to do that).

Below are some side views:



Fondant candy canes and flowers. I had a lot of fun shaping all the decorations.



And finally with the caramel. The recipe is 1/3 cup water, 1 1/4 cups sugar. It takes a long time so be patient. If you boil the caramel too fast, it will crust over and ruin. If you cook the caramel too long and don't cool it in an ice bath, it will turn a dark amber and taste very bad. Otherwise, if you do succeed in the caramel making, the spinning around the cake is a lot of fun!!

Merry Christmas & Happy Interfaith Baking...

Napa Valley Marriott: Comfort & Convenience

Last weekend, I returned to where I now call my second home, Napa Valley. I was fortunate enough to stay in the Napa Valley Marriott. I am including them in the Downtown Napa Series, because they are about a mile or two from downtown, and if your stay in Napa includes activities which commence either downtown or along Highway 29, the Napa Valley Marriott is a great place to lodge.

The Napa Valley Marriott is convenient to most of the wineries along Highway 29 such as V. Sattui, and Whitehall Lane (both technically in St. Helena), two of my favorites that I visited on Saturday.

Some of the amenities at the Napa Valley Marriott include a heated outdoor pool and whirlpool, a fully equipped fitness center, room service, complimentary daily wine tasting, 20,000 square feet of event space, full business center, self-service laundry facilities, valet laundry service, safe deposit box at front desk, gift shop/newsstand, complimentary hotel parking, and their spa and salon, Amadeus.


Here's a shot of their lobby, which is complete with lots of reading material, a cozy fireplace, a helpful and friendly concierge, and plenty of brochures on where to go and what to do.



I took this picture from the patio of my room, which led out to a lovely courtyard.



During 5:30-7:30pm, the Napa Valley Marriott offers wine tasting and appetizers in their concierge lounge.





Above are some of the appetizers that were out the evening I stayed. A big veggie tray (bonus points for having jicama!) and some egg rolls. They were pouring wines from BV (a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon) (another one of my favorite wineries to visit). The Concierge Lounge also provides a continental breakfast from 6:30–10am, and desserts from 7:30-10pm.



This train model of the Napa Valley Wine Train sits on top of the mantle in the lobby at the Napa Valley Marriott. I loved it so much I snapped a picture of it, and it reminds me to let you know about a special package deal going between the Wine Train and the Marriott! It's the Rails and Relaxation Package.

“Rails & Relaxation” Package
If you read any of my post on The Napa Valley Wine Train, you know that I believe it to be a must-see, must do. It's a gourmet meal on a restored vintage train as you cruise past amazing Napa Valley scenery and sip fabulous local wines... And now that it's scheduled to make an appearance on this week's Top Chef, what are you waiting for?

The Napa Valley Marriott has a special Rails & Relaxation Package that allows you to enjoy a luxury resort experience in tandem with a relaxing Napa Valley Wine Train Tour. The Napa Valley Marriott Rails & Relaxation Package includes...
• Overnight accommodations
• Upgrade to Concierge-level guestroom
• 50-minute couples Swedish massage at the famed Amadeus Spa
• Gourmet dinner for two on the Napa Valley Wine Train

Special Offer: November-April
$489 Package Price + tax (Normal price: $679 retail, a $190 savings)
Each additional room night for only $149 + tax
This package has the booking code: RXL

For details on other packages the Napa Valley Marriott offers, click here.

In addition to spacious/comfortable rooms and dining on premises at Harvest Cafe and Characters Bar & Grill, the Napa Valley Marriott also boasts the Amadeus Spa and Salon. The Amadeus offers a variety of spa treatments, including facials, body treatments, and massages. Eucalyptus steam, shower, and Jacuzzi, is complimentary with any spa service if you arrive 30 minutes prior to appointment time. The Amadeus Spa and Salon is also equipped with a Fitness center, complete with a pool, state-of-the-art training equipment, and an array of dumbbells and free weights; cardiovascular equipment includes computerized exercise bikes, free climbers, treadmills, and elliptical climbers. Other amenities at the Amadeus:
• Wet rooms (by appointment only), with a vichy shower (six multi-adjusting shower heads, creating the feel of lying under a warm tropical rain).
• Hydrotherapy Specialty Baths (by appointment only).
• a Rest Area.
• Napa Fitness Lunch option (prepared by Brian Whitmer, the award-winning chef of the Napa Valley Marriott).

If you'll be spending Thanksgiving at the Napa Marriott, they are offering a menu for the holiday for $40 per person, $30 seniors, and $15 for children. See what they'll be serving for dinner by clicking here.

For all the latest updates on the Napa Valley Marriott you can visit them on Facebook, and become a fan or follow them on Twitter.

My Favorite Kind of Train: A Wine Train!

The Napa Valley Wine Train has been on its tracks serving three-course gourmet meals with wine pairings, and offering a unique way to travel through the Napa Valley since its first voyage on September 16, 1989.

In October, the Napa Valley Wine Train was given the "Best of Wine Tourism Restaurant" award in the 2010 San Francisco/Napa Valley "Best of" Wine Tourism Awards at a ceremony held at étoile Restaurant in Yountville.

I've wanted to ride the Napa Valley Wine Train since I moved here, but never made a point to do so. I've always headed to Napa (25 or so times now maybe?) to visit other wineries or take part in other events. Admittedly, I also kind of thought it was a little high in price and even was afraid I would be let down by the experience--(I will debunk those silly notions later in the post). I have always enjoyed rail travel (first rolled into Sacramento on an Amtrak from the Bay area) and if you've read this blog for any amount of time, you're aware of my fondness for wine.

Needless to say, I was thrilled to finally have the chance last week to come aboard. Here's a bit of my experience and a little more about the Napa Valley Wine Train:



Before we boarded, we met the executive chef for the Napa Valley Wine Train, Kelly MacDonald. He and Melodie (marketing director for the Wine Train) discussed our journey and our tour of the layout of the train. Other patrons of the train not on our media tour, were given an orientation, wine tasting, and something that sounded to me like a quick wine tasting class.



Waiting to board, I took this pic of the train, which is complete with nine rail cars and a double-sided Alco Diesel Engine.



Just before departing on our journey, we were poured a Mumm Napa sparkling wine. This set the tone for the delicious appetizers that were about to come through the car door!



See? Right after the sparkling was poured, one of our servers for the 3 hour journey came in with a plate of appetizers. On each plate there was a small piece of pork, some salmon, crostinis, olives, and a sizeable piece of cheese.



Before we were served lunch, we toured the train while it was in motion. No, I did not use a stunt double. Here is a shot of one of the kitchens. It really is tight quarters in there!



A few of us cornered Chef Macdonald and asked him a few questions about working on the wine train. Above is a paparazzi photo I took! I was pretty much fascinated with this portion of the tour. The menu on the train is cleverly built around the wines instead of the other way around as it is done in most restaurants. All the meals on the wine train are made to order. Of course, there is a prep for the day done at the culinary arts center at the station, but everything is actually cooked on the train. That can be up to 300 covers every time the train leaves!

We also asked the chef about celebrities who have ridden the train. He mentioned Richard Dreyfuss and Rachael Ray (who has recently filmed segments for her travel shows on the train). He said there were more famous people, but we kind of put him on the spot with all the questions so he was drawing a blank. Oops! I am hoping to interview the chef in a follow-up post a little later this month.



Another shot of the kitchen. This one is the main kitchen in the center.




Wine* being poured was from Goosecross Cellars.
*Wine is not included in the price of regular lunch or dinner packages.



Here is the salad that came with my lunch, topped with candied walnuts & smoked goat cheese, honey cider vinaigrette on the side. I managed to stop eating the bread at one and a half pieces. I am not sure how. It was addictive.

There were many eyecatching choices on the menu we were given: Beef Tenderloin in a Syrah Sauce, Grilled Pork Chops in Truffle Jus, Roasted Coriander Breast of Chicken on Sundried Tomato Polenta & Mozzarella Cheese, Local Petrale Sole with Tangerine Vinaigrette... but it was the vegetarian dish that really grabbed my attention.


The meal I had above proves to me that the food served on the Napa Valley Wine Train is parallel to almost any restaurant in the region. I am not a vegetarian, but the Eggplant Wellington was something by which I was intrigued. Many vegetarian meals on restaurant menus are just an afterthought--a mess of pasta, or a lifeless gardenburger. I am delighted to report Wellington was smashingly good, and didn't make me say "oh, I wish I had ordered something with meat." It was served with roasted polenta (the yummy cake textured kind!!) and grilled zucchini. On the side was a little disc of peppered goat cheese. The pastry was flaky and almost sweet. It was like having lunch and dessert in one. I was very pleased and satiated, and was able to pass on dessert and watch as my table mates happily enjoyed their creme brulees and tiramisu. I do want to mention the tiramisu and attach a picture of it, notable because it is enrobed in a dome of chocolate (a Chef MacDonald innovation).





The Green Train
The Napa Valley Wine Train diverts 24 cubic yards of waste each week through reduction and recycling efforts. During the winter of 2009, they adopted a cork recycling program through ReCork America. The corks that are recycled are reborn as flooring, building insulation, and various other materials. Here is a link to an article on the cork program.

In 2001, the Napa Valley Wine Train became the first locomotive in the nation to convert to compressed natural gas (CNG). CNG is a natural gas that is compressed to pressures above 3,100 pounds per square inch. It is smokeless, non-corrosive, and efficient fuel source. Continued enhancements to the engine have seen a computer-controlled fuel injection system that fires only a few of the engine's 12 cylinders at a time. This also results in an overall energy savings through waste reduction.


Wine Train Weddings!
The Napa Valley Wine Train can be your venue for an elopement to a complete vineyard estate ceremony. There are packages available to suit most any budget. The wedding coordinator, Diane Fennikoh, sat with me during lunch and told me about some of the ceremonies that have taken place, even on the observation deck while the train was in motion. If you are looking for a place to hold your wedding, the Wine Train is currently taking $1,000 off package prices of weddings (booked for November 1st 2009-March 31, 2010) with 50 guests or more. If you are interested in planning your wedding on the Napa Valley Wine Train, you can contact Diane at (707) 253-2160 extension 202.


Here are some upcoming special events on the Napa Valley Wine Train:
Thanksgiving: November 26th, serving traditional lunch and dinner courses-- Lunch: $99, $134 Vista Dome, Dinner: $104, $139 Vista Dome

Moonlight Escape: December 4th, $154
Dine by the light of the full moon in the 1952 Vista Dome Rail Car. Price includes train fare, a 5-course meal, 2 glasses of selected wine, a glass of sparkling wine, service charge, sales tax.

7 Courses of Christmas Menu: December 10th & 17th
(There are many excursions on the wine train you can choose to take, but this one sounds the best to me!)
Course 1: California Dungeness Crab and Halibut ceviche on Caviar Toast
Course 2: Smoked Acorn Soup with a Chiffonade of Serrano Ham and Candy Cane Butter
Course 3: Baby Turnip and Beet Ragout with Foie Gras Brioche
Course 4: Salmon Wrapped Quail Eggs with Avocado and Red Onion Ribbons
Course 5: Mini Cassoulet with Grilled Apple
Course 6: Grilled Lamb Lollipop on Honey Coriander Baby Carrots w Mustard Crème Fraiche
Course 7: Cabernet Poached Pear on Pistachio Baklava and St. Mary’s Anglaise Coffee

Reserve Seats in the Gourmet Car -- $172
Reserve Seats in the Vista Dome -- $192


Santa Trains: December 19th-24th 8:00am-10:30am
Ride the express train with our special guest, Santa! Ole' Saint Nick is going to bring some friends (including one with a nose that glows so bright) and carolers on board. $20 per person Silverado, $25 per person Gourmet and Lounge, $40 per person Vista Dome


New Year's Eve: December 31st
Reception, dinner, & dancing.
I don't have all the details or cost on this one, but you can contact (707) 253-2111 for more information and to reserve your space.


The Napa Valley Wine Train is not the most affordable thing you can do in Napa Valley, but I do want to stress that it is definitely worth the money should you decide to spend it. The cost of your ticket covers your meal and a fabulous 3 hour scenic ride. Your dining experience and meal will be on par with any other restaurant in the area, and even more unique because of the setting. The Wine Train also sells gift certificates (in denominations starting at $25), perfect for the upcoming holidays. You can also purchase full lunch or dinner package certificates.

Speaking of gifts, there are two new little bottles of sparkling wine available in the Wine Train station's gift shop. One comes on a braclet ($15, shown below) and one -- Bitch Bubbly -- is a tasty sparkling grenache from Oz ($5).



For updates on the Napa Valley Wine Train, you can follow them on twitter here, or check out their Facebook page here.