Jennifer Jeffrey, Writer & Editor

rave: *ubuntu* in downtown napa

I had a marvelous lunch today at a new restaurant- slash- yoga studio in Napa called ubuntu.

Before you sigh at the patent gimmickry involved in combining yoga with food, let me assure you: it works.

The restaurant is located on Main Street in Napa, in a space with exposed concrete walls, soaring ceilings, and bright photo collages that hang on the walls blending global images with provocative thoughts. From the dining room floor, one can look up and glimpse the frosted doors of the yoga studio on the second floor, where classes are held 5 or 6 times a day (the yoga schedule is mouthwatering - candlelight flow on Wednesday nights? Yes, please!), imparting an air of serenity to what is already a visually arresting space.

Star dish: ratatouille with zucchini bread croutons (thick cubes of moist green zucchini bread with a crisp exterior, oh!), garnished with burrata cheese and herbs.  Hours later, I'm still thinking about it. Close second: fig pizza with caramelized shallots.

Chef Jeremy Fox (formerly of Manresa) has created a vegetarian menu, but please discard any notion of austerity or lack - the flavors are sumptuous and decadent, and the ingredients are exquisitely fresh. According to the restaurant web site, "Ubuntu is less about a philosophy of no meat and instead a celebration of our own biodynamic gardens, what shows up at the door, and relationships with the local farms in Napa."

"Celebration" is precisely the word that comes to mind upon dining here.

My mouth is still dancing. I'm already planning my next visit.

Ubuntu
1140 Main St. (near Pearl)
Napa, CA
(707) 251-5656

P.S. Sorry about the absence of pictures; I wish I had taken my camera, because the space is gorgeous.

Inspire me: Cornerstone Gardens

Sometimes I drive up in the middle of the week to eat lunch (sans wine) at one of the outside tables and soak in the sunshine.

Then there are the gardens themselves. Like walking through a living museum, the Cornerstone Gardens are a collection of "installations" by landscape designers and garden artists from all over the world. Some of the installations are modern and fun, like the blue bubble tree and the twirly-whirly field of pinwheels by Ken Smith, while others are startling in their stark beauty, like the "white room" of birch trees by Topher Delaney. They're the best kind of art ~ thought-provoking, informative and bewitching, floating against a canvas of blue sky and puffy white clouds.

And now you know.

Cornerstone Gardens
23570 Hwy 121
Sonoma, CA 95476
p: 707 933.3010
f: 707 933.3856

Taste3: Tell Me a Story

One of my grandfathers was a consummate storyteller. He alternately raised and lowered his voice as he spun a yarn, and his eyebrows wriggled across his forehead as he spoke. We hung on his every word. 

Preachers are good storytellers; so are insurance salesmen and actors and successful real estate agents. Farmers? Scientists? Usually not such great storytellers - or if they are, their story hasn't been getting out.

For the past few decades, farmers have been delivering their onions and apples to the back doors of vast supermarkets; we walk in the front doors and select our produce from gleaming, shiny heaps without any knowledge of the farmer, or the farm, or the people who harvested our food. Scientists bend over lab benches and discover amazing things, but their findings are usually printed in obscure journals that no one reads.

Thankfully, that's changing. We're starting to hear stories from farmers and scientists, and real, measurable change is occuring as a result. Case in point: Al Gore turned global warming into a gripping story, and it spread like wildfire. A good story turns facts and figures into meaningful components of the human experience. When we know what happened to the cow we're about to eat, or we know where our carrots came from, or when someone takes the time to explain what genetic recombination in soy beans really means, it changes the whole dynamic of our experience as consumers.

One of the Taste3 sessions was called Storytellers, but it was immediately clear to me that the whole conference was about the art of telling a story. The presenters who knew how to communicate their passions in the form of a story had me on the edge of my seat. 

These were some of my favorites:

Jeffery Henderson. I met Jeffery, otherwise known as “Chef Jeff” in the hallway between sessions, and got to hear his story before he delivered it onstage. A striking man, Jeff grew up in a poor neighborhood, and began dealing drugs while he was still a teen. He spent 19 years in prison, and afterwards turned to cooking as a way out. His is a riveting story about redemption, determination, and the power of a dream. Will Smith has already purchased the rights to this tale; I’ll be first in line for a movie ticket. But first, I’m ordering Cooked: From the Streets to the Stove, From Cocaine to Foie Gras.

Dennis Van Engelsdorp. I’ve never met a bee expert before, but listening to Dennis made me want to don a jumpsuit and a faceguard and walk amongst the bees. He was witty and gregarious, while making it clear that the recent mass bee deaths are more than just a random occurrence; they’re a tragedy that will ultimately affect all of us. Are the bees the canaries in the coal mine? he asked. That's the million-dollar question...

The Thistle on the Roof

While perusing the Chronicle over the weekend, I noticed this intriguing article about the not-yet-open California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. Before they closed a few years ago, the Academy was one of my favorite places to while away a few hours. Packed with preserved animals and compelling exhibits, it always made my science-loving heart go pitter-patter.

Now I have one more reason to anticipate its re-opening next year: a living roof. While the old Academy rooftop was simply a guard against the elements, the new rooftop will combine gardens, walkways and solar panels to become an integral part of the new building. According to the article, the roof's plants will attract butterflies, bumblebees and hummingbirds. It will grow poppies and lupine and beach strawberries.

Do you think they'll let me pitch a tent?

I forgot to mention, in my post on Quixote Winery, that their roof is also alive. From my spot on the ground, I didn't have enough altitude to capture the waving grasses that grace the rooftop, so you'll have to trust me that just behind those bricks, tufty green things are swaying in the breeze.

I can't imagine that the living roof will hit the mainstream anytime soon, what with the necessary complications of adequate structural supports and drainage issues, but still: it's a pretty thought to imagine looking down from an airplane to see buildings with living tops, of previously blank roofs transformed into fields of poppies opening their orange faces to the sun.

Taste3: Quixote Winery

My Taste3 experience began early last Sunday morning, when Margrit Biever Mondavi bought me a cappuccino. We were standing at the cafe counter inside Copia, looking for a caffeine fix to start the day. The woman behind the counter explained that they weren't open yet, but that she would make the drinks for us anyway. Margrit handed her a bill, waving aside my money with a shake of her regal head. We huddled over our cups with Katrina Markoff and Alex and Aki, chatting about which tours we were taking later that morning.

Magrit was leading a tour inside the studios of several Napa Valley artists; Katrina, Alex and Aki were all going on a tour of the French Laundry; I was headed to Quixote Winery.

As we went our separate ways a few minutes later, I thought: this is going to be an amazing three days.

Out in the parking lot, I climbed into a small van along with several other people, thrilled to see the friendly face of Elise from Simply Recipes, and we set off for Quixote. A man in a Panama Jack hat sat to my right; as the bus hummed along, he occasionally pointed to a building and made a comment about something that was happening there - a new owner, a feud, an interesting wine. When I finally asked his name, he introduced himself as Paul Franson, writer and author of NapaLife. I wished I could have sat beside him longer and listened to some of his insider stories. 

Situated on a narrow winding road off of the Silverado Trail, Quixote Winery suddenly appears around a bend like a child's fantasy drawing come to life. The walls curve and dip; colorful tiles meander across the adobe-colored walls. At the far right, a gold onion dome winks beneath the sunlight. Most strikingly, the building seems to grow out of the landscape; the Stags Leap Palisades rise up in the background like a natural cradle, creating a visual feast of sumptuous curves and random  textures.

Get Thyself to Napa

Have you seen the weekend weather forecast? Did you notice that temperatures in some places are going to slide past the 70º degree mark? Did you happen to note that Napa might reach 79ºF on Friday and Saturday?

The message is clear: this is the day to play hooky and get out of the office early. Go ahead; you know you want to. You’re sitting at your desk, staring out at an impossibly blue sky. After weeks of cold, it’s actually approaching t-shirt weather out there. But it won’t last long; the clouds are going to roll back in on Sunday and the rain might return by mid-week.

Hurry! Escape! Locate your giant sunglasses, the ones you bought last summer, put the convertible top down, and head straight for wine country.

On your way, dial Swanson Vineyards (707-967-3500) and make a wine tasting appointment. No, silly, this isn’t one of those places that looks like a faux-McBurgundy mansion. It doesn’t have artfully distressed stones or intentionally scratched floors. The tasting room is pink. Yes, pink. It’s decorated with seashells and flowers. The paper they wrap the bottles in has tiny little hearts printed on it!

Does the name “Swanson” sound familiar? Might it conjure memories of yellow cardboard boxes filled with frozen fish sticks? This is the same family. They’ve come a long way. If you leaf through your collection of old 7x7 Magazines, you’ll notice that one of the Swansons appears in the glossy social scene section nearly every month; her name is Alexis (now Alexis Swanson Traina, as she recently married Trevor), and you’ll also find her name on one of Swanson’s best offerings, a proprietary blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah.

Fresh Cotton Sheets and Roast Chicken

After the stress of the last week, things are starting to get back to normal around here. Petra is slowly regaining the weight she lost during her ordeal, thanks to creamy cottage cheese, steamed chicken breast and peanut butter “truffles.” Her ouchies are beginning to heal, but she still has enough bumps and bruises that I’m dressing her in a  moss-green coat before we go out walking, lest people think she's being abused.

Our bodies are finally back on West Coast  time, and we’re sleeping through the night.  At mealtimes, we’re craving comfort food.

We’ve been back at our favorite stools at the counter at Ten Ichi, feasting on uni and saba and hot, spicy soup laced with kim chee and tofu. The chef that took Kazu’s place is a young man named Johnny. He’s bright and eager, and loves to try his hand at new things. He obviously paid close attention as Kazu’s right-hand man over the past couple of years; he’s doing great work, and we gobbled his creations down as fast as he set them in front of us.