Ad Hoc

Can I have a drum roll please? I’ve finally dined at a Thomas Keller’s restaurant!!! Bouchon Bakery really doesn’t count since it’s just pastries and sweets and there’s no sit-down area. If Ad Hoc existed during Jesus’ life, He would have had his last supper there. After being crushed missing our reservation last, last Friday, we were determined to dine at Ad Hoc last, last Sunday. The funny thing about missing our reservation, and a blessing, was that Ad Hoc’s menu for that day was: Bibb Lettuce and Frisee Salad with Fried Barbeque Oysters, Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya, French Laguiole, and Lemon Pound Cake. I don’t like oysters, I’m allergic to crustacean, I have no clue what "Laguiole" is, and lemon desserts are not my favorite. Oh, God… has such a great sense of humor when He wants to teach me a lesson on patience…

Since Nat’s flight was at 8:50 and the drive back to SF was an hour, we arrived at Ad Hoc ten minutes before five when it opened. We didn’t have reservations, but they take walk-ins at the bar. Oh, I forgot to explain that Ad Hoc changes its menu every day. You can find their daily menus on Twitter or their website. They are closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and on Sundays they offer bunch for $39. Apparently you can order the food a la carte at the bar, but we wanted the whole experience so it costs $49 for the pre-fixe dinner which is a bargain to Keller’s French Laundry $250 pre-fixe dinner (granted that has like 11 more dishes…).

I was so excited about dining at Ad Hoc that I took pictures of their parking lot and bathroom:

Only one bathroom for each sex!

I know, I know, I am such a dork, but it’s Ad Hoc! The restaurant is simple. Let me start over, the exterior is really ugly but that just made the interior nicer.

When you walk in you see the bar to the right.

I think there’s about 10 bar chairs? To the back / right back and left you had the dining areas.



The dress code is nice casual. We didn’t mind sitting at the bar.

Dan the bartender/server was very patient with me and allowed me to sample whatever wine I wanted—which was just what I needed in my system: more wine! He looked more of a beer drinker than a wino. I settled on the driest white wine, the Weirgut Schwarzebock Gruner Veltliner.

Geez, typing the wine’s name was just as hard as saying it out loud. The menu of the day was Little Gem Lettuce Salad, Grilled Pork T-bone, Beehive Cheese Co's Seahive, and Chocolate Pot de Créme.

As we waited for our salad, they gave us bread and butter. I was hoping that the butter would be flavored or creamier but I can’t believe it’s just butter.

The Little Gem Lettuce was delicious! I really enjoyed the fried shallots in the salad and also, the salad dressing was lightly drizzled.

The salad was a good light starter before the Grilled Pork T-Bones, which were insanely big!

I’m picky on how my pork is prepared, so I’ll admit it I was a bit nervous when I saw Grilled T-Bones. I usually eat Porky Pig in the form of bacon, ham, dumplings or cooked dry shredded pork. I am happy to report the Grilled Pork T-Bone was amazing! It was juicy and not fatty at all.

I loved the carrots and braised escarole. The flageolet beans w/ pickled cauliflower were not bad either.

The Beehive Cheese Co's Seahive and toasted brioche with raspberry jam helped cleaned the palate before the Chocolate Panna Cotta. Loved the cheese. I didn’t realized that Auntie Em’s Kitchen buys cheese from Beehive Cheese Co.

I got worried when I read the Chocolate Panna Cotta description: “marshmallow fluff and graham cracker crumble.” I’ve never cared S’mores. When it’s camping time and the kids are making S’mores, you will find me just eating the chocolate bar.

I was surprised to find the marshmallows were not as sweet as the marshmallows I’ve had in the past. It was not bad.

Nat barely made her flight but that's because I dropped her off and returned the car rental. As I was taking the elevator to the air train platform at the car rental building, a waspy couple complained about the stench of alcohol. I confessed that I was the wino who hung in Napa all day and that they would be smelling like grapes had they joined me. Some people just need to take a chill pill.

I had a blast at my friends' wedding, relaxing in wine country and dining at Ad Hoc was the perfect closing ceremony.


Address: 6476 Washington St., Yountville, CA 94599
Phone#: (707) 944-2487
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Girard Winery

Girard Winery was our last winery stop before we had our last supper in wine country. William from FolieA Deux Winery & Napa Cellars Tasting Room suggested us to head to Girard Winery since it’s near to Ad Hoc; he gave us a complimentary wine tasting card. Thanks William!

Girard Winery’s interior is more modern than the other wineries we’ve visited. It has a cute patio, but since we were pressed for time, we just stood at the bar.

The complimentary card allowed us to try four wines…which at this moment I can’t find the wine list with my notes…but I believe the tasting costed $15. If you go to their website you can print out a 2-for-1 tasting coupon.

I liked their wine tasting because they offer more of variety. They had a “bordeux” and the Stonefly Cabernet Sauvignon….

I’ll have to update this blog once I find my cheat sheet... One thing is for sure after sampling 22 wines in Napa/Yountville/Carneros is that I am not much of big fan of wines in those regions.

Address: 6795 Washington St, Yountville, CA 94599
Phone#:(707) 968-9297
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Folie A Deux Winery & Napa Cellars Tasting Room

Folie A Deux Winery & Napa Cellars Tasting Room was our 3rd winery stop on Sunday. We decided on Folie A Deux mainly for Ménage A Trios wines. I’ve never had an Ménage A Trois..wine, where three different grapes are mixed. This winery was very simple compared to the two other wineries. It’s not on a hilltop so there’s no majestic view of the Napa Valley. However, what this winery has that the other wineries don’t have is William our server. William really took the time to educate us on the wines and…he’s not bad to look at either…

They had two tasting options and each costs $5. We did both. William also let us try the Ménage A Trois wines as well. Here are the wines we tasted:

1st Tasting:

2008 Folie a Deux Chardonnay $18/ bottle
Comments: very light for a Chardonnay, good
2007 Folie a Deux Amador County Zinfandel $18/ bottle
Comments: lots of spices! Meh.
2007 Folie a Deux Napa Valley Merlot $24/ bottle
Comments: mixed w/ Cab. Bitter finish. My cousin will like this wine.

2nd Tasting
2007 Napa Cellars Zinfandel $22/bottle
Comments: oaky, don’t buy
2006 Napa Cellars Merlot $22/bottle
Comments: dry, not as full, ok
2007 Napa Cellars Syrah – Dyer Vineyard $37/bottle
Comments: ok, smooth, lots of flavor

2007 Napa Cellars Pinot Noir – Napa Valley
2007 Ménage a Trois Chardonnay – California $12/ bottle
Comments: mixed with Monterey, Mendocino, and Santa Barbara
2008 Ménage a Trois White – California $12/bottle
Comments: Chardonnay, Muscat, and Shwa Blanc
2008 Ménage a Trois Rose – California $12/bottle
Comments: merlot, syrah, Gwertzman

My favorites were the Ménage A Trois wines. If you’re in Napa, do not skip this winery and ask for William.

Address: 7481 St. Helena Hwy, Oakville, CA 94562

Phone#: (707) 944-2565

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Domaine Carneros

I’ve always thought it would be boring wine tasting with someone who doesn’t have a high tolerance for alcohol but I realized that just meant more wine for me! Plus, Nat who joined me gets ill when drinking wine with sulfite…which is every wine at the tasting…and pretty much she can only take a swig and then spit into a container... that's just criminal for me. At the end I drank her container. I’m just kidding!

Domaine Carneros was our next winery. It’s a three-minute drive from Artesa. The Domaine Carneros reminded me of the Overlook Hotel from THE SHINING. I was expecting the wine to turn into real blood but it did not. Once you reached to the top, grab a table and a waiter will serve your blood, I meant wine. Unlike Artesa that gave you a variety of wines, Domaine Carneros’ tasting is grouped by colors and whether or not they were sparkling. We opted for the red wines--3 tastings for $15.

2007 Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir, Avant Garde
2006 Domaine Carneros Merlot, Avant Garde
2007 Domaine Carneros, Pinot Noir

Domaine Carneros wines were spicier than Artesa, but still I didn't really care for any of the three. Sadly, the $15 cheese platter was more exciting than their wines.

Oh, I found out their wine is certified organic...too bad that they didn't labeled it big on their menu otherwise Nat would have drank the wine..

When you're done, you have to go inside and pay for your wine tasting/ cheese, which I felt it to be a bit odd.

I am becoming more aware that I do not like wines from the Napa Valley...

Address: 1240 Duhig Rd, Napa, CA 94559
Phone#:(707) 257-0101
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Artesa Winery

After (cough) eating breakfast for four hours at the Carneros Inn…it was now time to get my drinks on in wine country. I’m not a wine connoisseur but I’m picky, love wine, have a high tolerance, and more importantly I am one of those lucky Asians whose face does not turn red when consuming alcohol. My face turns red when I work out.

A group of us headed to Artesa. Since you had to make reservations if you’re a party of 8 or more, we’d pretended to not know each other. Actually Artesa were fine about us not making reservation but that could be because it’s not peak season in wine country.

Artesa is one of the nicer wine tasting locations. It’s on a hilltop so it offers a stunning view of the Napa Valley.

Since I needed to work off my meal…I took the stairs to the building…instead of the elevator, which is really only meant for handicaps /elders. Apparently Artesa is not only known for their wine in the area, but also for their love of art. You will find their artist in residence; Gordon Huether’s art displayed.




On Sunday, there were two wine tasting options: Artesa Classic for $10 or Artesa Limited Release for $15. I went for the Limited Release, and here were my wines:
2008 Artesa Limited Release Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley. $24 /bottle
My comments: fruity, not as dry as I hope, ok
2007 Artesa Estate Reserve Chardonnay, Carneros $26/ bottle
My comments: oaky & smoky taste. Don’t buy.
2007 Artesa Estate Reserve Pinot Noir, Carneros $40/ bottle
My comments: Bitter finish. Light. Don’t buy.
2005 Artesa Limited Release Merlot, Napa Valley $60/ bottle
My comments: smoky, gross
2006 Artesa Limited Release Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley $52.50/ bottle
My comments: light, meh.
As you can see from my notes…er...when I’m sampling, I just want to know if I like it or not. I’m not going to get into the wine description, when I already have a description printed out for me. Had I wanted to purchase any of the bottles at the premise, I would have saved myself 25% with the "Club Artesa" rate.

Oh, once you've paid for the tasting, you go into another room where the pourers are. The set up is like a stand up bar. Best to take your wine outside where chairs are and enjoy the view. I’ve come to conclusion that you are paying for the view at Artesa. The wine sux at Artesa.

Address: 1345 Henry Rd., Napa, CA 94559
Phone#: (707) 224-1668
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17th Annual Taste of Yountville

I completely lucked out that the 17th Annual Taste of Yountville happened on the same weekend as my friends’ wedding…but then again the groom is a big foodie and he knows his friends are all good eaters…The 17th Annual Taste of Yountville was mainly located on Washington Street (where Bouchon Bistro & Bakery are) and on Madison St.—right off Highway 29. There were 13 restaurants and more than 20 wineries hosting the event. Admission was free but in order to sample the food/wine you need tickets. 1 ticket = $1. Each vendor for the most part did not exceed three tickets. It cost an additional $5 for wine tasting –you keep the wine glass. Since it was three hours before the wedding, I figured it would be wise to pass on the wine…

I started off with Hurley’s Restaurant’s rabbit potpie with Portobello mushrooms, carrots, turnips and potatoes. Yes, you heard that correctly, rabbit. My friends know that I won’t eat Bugs Bunny, but when you’re away, you are already out of your comfort zone, making you try something new? This does not mean that I will eat Bambi when I’m in Canada; I’ve already tried deer and it’s too gamey for me.

Since I’ve never had rabbit and the portion was tiny, I dared myself because there’s nothing more annoying when you hear people unwilling to try a new thing. Life is short. The rabbit surprisingly tasted like chicken. I was trying to tell myself that I was eating chicken until I got to the bottom where there was a nice fatty rabbit skin. Will have to check out Hurley’s $18.00 2-course lunch prefix next time around.

Bistro Jeanty’s Roasted Pork with Butternut Squash Puree was my next dish. It was delicious and my favorite! I will definitely make sure I dine at Bistro Jeantry the next time I’m up. Must make note to my companions that Happy Hours are from 3:30-6:30, Monday – Thurs and you get $1 oysters.

Mustard’s Grill’s potato chips with homemade sour cream dip were the next item. At first I didn’t want to waste my tickets on potato chips but then time was running out and I had to return to the hotel to change for the wedding. A colleague of mine had gone up to Napa last year and raved about Mustard’s Grills’ Portobello sandwich. In fact she said that sandwich was the best sandwich of 2009 and she’s engaged to chef and a meat eater. Hell, I figured why not try their potato chips? I ate rabbit.

OMG, I’ve never had potato chips like Mustard’s Grill, and what really sealed the deal was their homemade sour cream dip. The chips are slightly thicker than regular chips. It was just amazing. Actually the more I think about it, their potato chips beats Bistro Jeanty’s Roasted Pork

After sampling Bouchon Bistro, Cantinetta Piero was our last restaurant before returning to the hotel. Cantinetta Piero is located at the Hotel Luca and one of the new restaurants in Yountville. Cantinetta Piero’s Majale (braised pork cheek with Toscanelli Bean Salad) was okay. It was tender and not too terribly chewy.

The Gianduja Budino with Caramel and Meldon Salt was way too sweet. I don’t think it’s Cantinetta Piero’s fault. I think in general Budinos are too sweet for my taste buds. I only liked the rice chocolate balls in the dessert.

Can you believe that I only spent $12 at the Annual Taste of Yountville!? Not a bad deal when you’re in the land of the Michelin starred restaurants. I will definitely plan to come up for future annual tasting and try the wines!


Hurley's Restaurant & Bar
Address: 6518 Washington St, Yountville, CA 94599
Phone#: (707) 944-2345

Bistro Jeanty
Address: 6510 Washington St, Yountville, CA 94599
Phone#: (707) 944-0103

Mustards Grill
Address: 7399 St Helena Hwy, Yountville, CA 94558
Phone#: (707) 944-2424

Cantinetta Piero @ Hotel Luca
Address: 6774 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599
Phone#:(707) 299-5015
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