Sunday in Napa - Chapter 2: Braised and Roasted

For Chapter 1, click here. Special thanks to Fernanda for the pictures.
After the tasting we all meandered back to Quixote winery, albeit a momentary pause or two to admire and photograph the landscape. The fog had lifted and the winery in it's golden, verdant, and fiery hues demonstrated itself before us.

Still, soon the smell of wine and braising wafted past us, differentiating itself from the smell of ripe persimmons and dying leaves. Raul, a personal chef and his sous chef/day's organizer/buddy of mine Ashley were prepping a wonderful Napa style menu.Pam led us into a gorgeous dining room where we all sat down and ooh'd and ahh'd at our surroundings. We all began to converse about the Legend of Darrell Corti and locally grown eggs, while we sipped wine from blown wine glasses as big as your head.

We were first presented with some delicious eggs that had been grown locally down the street. Their yolks were bright sunset orange, a sign of real organic eggs at peak freshness.
Raul and Ashely presented us with a colorful & seasonal salad of mixed greens, gems of pomegranate, bright persimmons, and darkly hued sweet beets. It was so gorgeous you just wanted to admire it, not eat it. But since we took photos, we were able to look at our salad and eat it too with little worry.

The main course was even more amazing. Short Ribs braised for six hours in the Quixote Petit Syrah. The meat just fell apart and melted in your mouth with the most savory flavors. It was served alongside some pan roasted, slightly caramelized brussel sprouts. A side dish of barley salad, freshly roasted pumpkin, and morels exalted the bounty of Autumn. I may wax poetry about the meal, but it's only because I can't covey the true yumtasticness of the meal any other way.The apple crisp that followed was equally awe inspiring. The apples had come from Elise's garden, and the freshly whipped cream had been infused with some of the Madagascar vanilla I had brought for Raul, but it's was Raul's own culinary expertise that made it sing. Soft, crispy, busting with warm apples... *le sigh*
As we all reminisced over the meal, only to find out we were an hour late for our appointment at Quintessa Winery. We lugubriously gathered our very full selves, and gave profuse thanks to Pam for having us in her wonderful home and winery, and Raul for the amazing meal. We then piled into the cars and made our way out.

Read Sunday in Napa - Chapter 3: Deep in the Cellar.