The Best Bites of Napa, a.k.a. Foodie Paradise

By: Lauran Bell

Published: 08/15/24

Want to go to a foodie paradise? Napa definitely delivers! If you want to make the most out of every bite in Napa, or you just want to dream about your next foodie vacation, this post is for you. We’ll share with you what we think are the top five best bites of Napa.

This summer, my husband and I dropped our middle schooler off at camp, and away we went to explore some of the best bites that Napa has to offer. It was just the two of us, and our doodle, with two nights and one glorious day in Napa.

It just so happens that this trip coincided with a milestone birthday for me. Napa was a great setting to celebrate life and all of its beauty, from the gardens and vineyard-lined rolling hills to the artistry in the dishes that we enjoyed. We ate at a number of great restaurants and had some casual eats at the Oxbow Public Market. What I remember most about the food, however, are the best bites we had in Napa, some of which surprised me.

Dining at The Grove Restaurant at Copia

We found our first tastiest bites in Napa at The Grove restaurant in the Oxbow District. The Grove is flip flop, family and dog friendly, yet at the same time elegant. We were drawn to the gardens in the courtyard and decided that this garden-to-table venue, under the olive trees, was the place for our first date night in Napa. It just so happens to be the Culinary Institute of America’s (CIA) “signature” restaurant.

The menu of this Mediterranean-inspired restaurant includes starters, homemade pasta, three main dishes, currently a seasonal pizza menu, sides, and desserts. At first, nothing really stood out to me on the menu, except the akaushi cote de boeuf, meant “to share,” which was a whopping 145$! (The rest of the prices were much less outrageous, considering the quality.)

Lion’s Mane Mushroom (The Grove)

My husband was excited by the lion’s mane mushroom dish (36$) with “garden carrot puree, Swiss chard, crispy shallots, and porcini jus.” The lion’s mane mushroom would end up being his favorite bite of the entire trip. Although others have described lion’s mane as tasting like crab or lobster, to us it tasted like tender, flavorful beef. It was unlike any mushroom we’ve ever had. This bite had a strong, earthy flavor, which was balanced out by the sweetness of the carrot puree and the spiciness of the garden-fresh chard.

Little did we know that researchers are studying lion’s mane mushrooms (also called pom pom, hedgehog, monkey head, bearded tooth mushroom), due to their potential health benefits. The mushrooms have possible cancer fighting properties and could lead to cognitive, gut, heart, immune system, and mental health advantages. No wonder lion’s mane mushroom is being called the “21st century mushroom.”

(If you are interested in the lion’s mane mushroom dish, and can’t travel at the moment, you might like this Food Forward Family recipe: Portobello and Pineapple Staycation Burger.)

Oregon Wild Rockfish and Manila Clams with Guanciale (The Grove)

Our next best bite was also at The Grove. I was hesitant to order the rockfish because well, it’s rockfish. This, however, was not just any rockfish. It was wild Oregon rockfish and manila clams (42$) with “wilted frisse, guanciale, chive oil, and lemon beurre monté.” Say what? My husband ended up looking up “guanciale” at the table and discovered it is cured pork cheek. It hit me. This cured pork cheek is what set off the clam dish from all of the other average, flavorless clam dishes. If a clam dish doesn’t have some kind of sausage or cured meat in it, then I’m not ordering it. I can’t go back now.

The other part of this rockfish and clam dish that was super tasty was the lemon beurre monté sauce. In French, beurre means “butter” and “monté” means mounted or whipped. It added a rich, creamy, as well as tangy flavor to the already delectable clams. Did I mention the guanciale? The frisse, or curly endive, was drenched in the buttery sauce. All of the greens in the dish were impeccably fresh and from the garden. This was my husband’s second favorite bite of the entire trip, after the lion’s mane. It was one of mine as well.

Added bonus: the lion’s mane mushroom, the Oregon wild rockfish, and the manila clams are all considered sustainable. The Grove’s website says they serve, “locally sourced heritage meats and seafood that meets guidelines set by Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch.” I’ll toast to that!

The Grove Menu (Check for seasonal changes.)

Harissa Marinated Cauliflower in a Flatbread Wrap

After the incredible dinner we had at The Grove, I was not expecting to get wowed by a wrap the next day for lunch at the Oxbow Public Market. If you’re in Napa, you have to go to Oxbow Market, home of Moro. Here you can get mouth-watering Moroccan street food.

I especially did not expect to have my mind blown by a cauliflower wrap. According to the article, “Moro among new flavors at Napa’s Oxbow Public Market,” the cauliflower wrap is a best seller. It is marinated in harissa and served with garlic ginger yogurt. Harissa is chili paste or sauce made from North Africa with roasted red peppers, chili peppers, and garlic. This cauliflower wrap was so flavorful that it rivaled the lamb wrap with cumin, preserved lemon, and mint yogurt sauce, which was also delicious.

Since I’ve had a chance to learn about the chef behind Moro, Mourad Lahlou, it makes perfect sense why such casual, market food was so eye-opening. Chef Lahlou also owns Mourad, a Michelin starred, fine dining, Moroccan restaurant in San Francisco. Mourad’s website says its cuisine highlights the “rich and vibrant flavors of Morocco in new ways that harmonize with the fresh, local, artisanal ingredients.” Moro, the market stall, also captures this essence of flavor and quality.

Anchovy, Piparra, Olive Appetizer (La Taberna)

For our final Napa date night and birthday celebration, we went to La Taberna, a tapas restaurant on Main Street. With its small stools and tall tables, one right after the next, flanking the upscale bar, it’s not somewhere you would generally feel comfortable bringing minors. This is a leave your stroller and diaper bag at home type of place.

Out of everything we had on the menu from halibut ceviche to crispy pork belly, I did not think that literally the least expensive tapa on the menu (3$) was going to be one of our best bites of the entire trip! Called gilda in Spanish, it was on the pintxos or appetizer menu. It’s simply anchovy, piparra, and olive on a small skewer. I’m impressed that such big flavors can come from three ingredients in oil. Piparra is a pickled pepper used in Basque (northern Spanish) cuisine. Salty, bold, and bright, this appetizer was a flavor explosion & shocked all of my senses (in a good way).

Kakahuete and Chocolate Dessert (La Taberna)

La Taberna has a cryptic dessert menu, in the best sense of the word. Let’s call it mysterious. It’s labeled “postres,” the Spanish word for desserts. We had to ask one of the busy managers to explain the desserts to us. The menu shows only three choices with no explanations: Idiazabal Flan, Kakahuete and Chocolate, and Torta de Santiago (Spanish almond cake). If you are a chocolate loving couple, all you need to know is to get two orders of Kakahuete and Chocolate. It’s basically a small portion of chocolate peanut butter pie. All one person needs is one order (unless you have to share). In just a few bites, it hit the spot.

We ordered the Idiazabal Flan & the Kakahuete and Chocolate. The Idiazabal Flan tastes more like cheesecake than flan to me. The Idiazabal cheese, a type of Basque cheese, gives it a rich, smoky flavor. The KaKahuete (peanut in Spanish) and Chocolate tastes like a creamy blend of rich chocolate and peanut butter. It was less like mousse and more like pie. If I get the chance to go to Napa again without my child, I will stop by La Taberna for drinks and the pintxos and postres menu.

La Taberna Menu (Check updates for seasonal changes.)

There’s More to Every Bite in Napa

Enjoying the best bites of Napa was a pleasurable and fun experience, but the food on the plate represents more than just great bites. The dishes are an expression of the Napa chefs, sous chefs, pastry chefs, gardeners, vendors, and restaurant staff, coming together as a community to create a meaningful dining experience. The Grove is dedicated to using sustainable seafood. La Taberna’s chef, Armando Ramirez, on the menu states the restaurant’s commitment to “local farms, ranches, and organic purveyors of Northern California. ” This is also similar to Moro’s focus on local artisanal ingredients. All of the best bites that we had in Napa were created with thought, purpose, artistry, and values, in addition to flavor. I’m grateful that we got to be a small part of the Napa foodie community experience.

As a result of what we ate on our Napa trip, I’m further realizing that although I enjoy meat, certain vegetables cooked with flavor can outshine even the best meat dishes. Considering the current cost of beef and its environmental impact, not to mention the variety and depth of flavor you can get from vegetables, the Napa community has further inspired me to seek and create local, sustainable, and veggie-forward bites.

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