For lunch we went to Redd. I was a bit apprehensive since they don’t have a reputation for being very kid-friendly. When D’s dad called for reservations, they told him that they don’t have high chairs. That was fine, because n doesn’t really use high chairs anymore, anyway. However, our waiter could not have been friendlier. He told us that there was no children’s menu, but that the kitchen could make a simple pasta, or chicken wings, etc. I asked for a pasta with red sauce for k. When the waiter presented our table with the calamari appetizer we ordered, k exclaimed, “onion rings”! The waiter smiled, and said that the kitchen could do onion rings for her, if she liked. I said, “maybe just a few” but he came back with a full order, which we all ended up sharing. I can see why they wouldn’t want to necessarily encourage kids to come to their restaurant, but I found them very accommodating nonetheless.

Redd’s fancy rendition of pork buns. Not being a fan of pork belly fat, I had to take some fat off. However, I really like this dish…very flavorful.

D ordered the short ribs. In fact, D made a category of “best short ribs” on his List, in anticipation of our visit.

Loved the modern interior. Clean lines, lots of light.

We walked a bit in Yountville. There were lots of people out and about. Unfortunately, the line for Bouchon Bakery was out the door, so we skipped it. We did come across this public art installation that I thought was cute:

D’s brother’s family joined us for dinner. We ate at Bistro Don Giovanni, one of D’s family’s favorites in Napa. Funnily, D noticed that there was a group of four that we had seen earlier at Redd during lunch. I guess they have a similar good taste in food!

Really good pizza.

Silk handkerchiefs–housemade pasta with pesto.

Unfortunately, they only serve their famed hamburger on Fridays and Saturdays at lunch. Maybe next time.

Waiting with the restless kids at the fountain outside.

We went back to D’s parents house for dessert.

Tiramisu cake.

Playtime with their cousin.

Reading time with their auntie.

It was a quick trip, but it was nice to see everyone.

After the wedding, it took us two hours (with traffic) to drive to Napa to visit D’s parents house. In the morning, we went to Oxbow Market for breakfast. More specifically, we went to The Model Bakery. D remembered that we had seen this place featured on The Best Thing I Ever Ate, where Michael Chiarello recommended their english muffins. We tried one, and I can definitely say it was the best english muffin I have ever had. (Ask for it toasted, along with jam and butter).

(It was so good, we almost finished it before I could take a picture!)
Also, the prices were a little more reasonable than Bouchon Bakery, making it a solid breakfast choice. We also checked out the smallish farmer’s market which is held on Saturday mornings.

Afterward, D’s parents babysat the kids while D and I did a mini-hike at Bothe-Napa state park. I don’t think we mentioned this on our blog yet, but we bought a CA state park annual pass. D is determined to get his money’s worth, so we figured we should check it out.

We walked until we came upon this cemetary, and then turned back.

There was a small group of houses for the groundskeepers. This was one of the more “lived in” homes.

On the way back we decided to stop at another CA state park site, the Grist Mill.

Can you see the mill? We weren’t sure if our pass was good for the mill itself, so we just walked around.

It was nice to have a little time to ourselves, so that was our “date night” of the month.

When we came back, we met up with the kids/grandparents at the park.

k and n really liked the climbing wall.

n surprised us by climbing all the way up by himself (with D close behind, just in case).

The big kid had fun too.