Prior to my virgin trip to the Napa Valley, I thought of the the area as a die-yuppie-scum destination. I was surprised to discover that the valley they call Napa is an amazing place.
I grew up in KC (Kansas City, Missouri). My family makes it out once a year. They arrived in late January for the 08 occasion. The weather was far from sunny. In fact, I don't think it stopped raining during their entire visit. We didn't let that stop us from a trip to Napa Valley.
It started with the Napa Valley Wine Train. Don't let the name fool you as it did me. At a price tag of 89.00 a piece to do the "Express Lunch", I thought we would be drinking wine, wine and some more wine. Don't get me wrong, the day started with a couple of local wine tastings. The true experience is the cuisine.
We started in downtown Napa. The three hour wine train went to St. Helena and back to downtown Napa. Once you board the train, you are greeted by friendly service and an option of four lunch entrees. I had the pork which was amazing. It was served with a mango salsa and fried plantain. The carribean theme proved to satisfy my non-discriminating palate. My father and I shared a bottle of Pinot Noir. The brand of the wine escapes me (I'm a novice blogger and have since learned a few tricks).
The next stop after lunch was the dessert car. We travelled south on the train (south is towards the rear of the train). On our way, we walked through the kitchen, double decker car and alas...the dessert car!
The desert car has some fine lounge chairs to stretch your legs after a full meal. I ordered a local port and enjoyed my chocolate cake with caramel sauce. My Dad extended a handshake to a neighboring passenger. His conversation conflicted with my soaking up the scenerey. It didn't stop me from soaking up the views of a rain soaked Napa Valley. The views were actually impressive. Light fog can make the hills appear to be a scene from Lord of The Rings.
We arrived back to the station three hours later. I truly enjoyed the moving culinary experience on the Wine Train. I want more of this Napa Valley.
The rest of my trip in Napa was amazing.
Oh the fight with the inner self!
Monday, February 11, 2008
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