Wednesday Night is BYOB at Napa

We tasted some great wines tonight. One of my great friends brought in some wines to try from his cellar...Ridge 1992 (Cab-Merlot); Heitz 1987; Chateau Montelena 1982; Robert Craig 1994; Qupe single vineyard 1995 syrah and Deloach special select single vineyard 1996. We finished with Peter Michael Chardonnay "la Carriere" 1998 vs. 2004. The 1998 had this great yeasty, toasty, nuttiness that we both love but the '04 had this class Burgundian chardonnay with creaminess and burnt apple. Yum!!!! BYOB should be all bout people bringing great wines from their cellar to enjoy with Chef Taibe's food and pass the bottle to let someone else enjoy! Tonight was that kind of night! Oh, and at the tail end of the night Mayor Malloy came in and we enjoyed a quick chat as he had just come from a fundraiser. Yes, he's a friend, but he's been a great Mayor and will be a great Governor. He's been an advocate for small business, luring large corporation, special education, green space, environmental causes, you name it...this is a man meant for public service and he has proven that in my mind. Stamford is a better place for having had him Mayor and Connecticut will be a better State when he governs it.

Retail Wine Night at Napa every Tuesday

Upgrade your palate with Retail Wine Night every Tuesday enjoy a great list of wines at a fraction above cost. Like Cakebread Cabernet at $76 instead of the $175 you would find it on most wine lists or Jordan Chardonnay at $34 http://www.napaandcompany.com

*p.s. we regret to say that we have pulled out of participating in the Alive at 5 Food Booth. Wonderful event, great opportunity, just not this year...sorry folks. We'll put the tacos on the menu at Napa for you to try.

Join us for Sunday Brunch!

For us, Sunday Brunch is an extension of that Sunday feeling. It’s a place to relax with friends, celebrate a special occasion, zone out with The New York Times or just enjoy a great glass of champagne and a wonderful breakfast. Sundays make the perfect day for people to
unwind…what to do with this time? Love it. It is unpredictable and should be treasured. Happy Sunday!

SPECIALTY COCKTAILS
St. Germaine Sangria 10.00
Elk Cove Rose of Pinot Noir, St. Germaine liqueur, fresh mint, diced apples

Grapefruit Sparkler 10.00
Fresh grapefruit segments, ginger liqueur, sparkling wine

Smokey Bloody Mary 9.50
House roasted tomatoes, organic tomato juice, smoked salt, celery, organic tomato vodka, etc.

Alsatian 13.0
Lucid Absinthe, Gewürztraminer, Blood Oranges over ice

SAMPLE MENU...

{EGG DISHES, being brunch}
Quiche 17.0 Mushroom & Gruyere -or- Cauliflower & bacon
Urban oaks baby lettuce

Grilled Ciabatta & Eggs 14.0

Artisan ham, fontina, herb butter

Kinda like Eggs Benedict 14.0

2 soft poached eggs, la quercia prosciutto, roasted ramps, hollandaise,
herbed english muffin toast

Soft Parmesan Polenta 15.0

Poached eggs, sugardale bacon, green asparagus

Napa Breki 16.0

Sunny side eggs, jarred tomatoes, sugar snap peas, field mushrooms,
sugardale smoked bacon, almond ramp pesto

Grass Fed Fillet & Eggs 26.0

Tarragon béarnaise, roasted potatoes, local lettuce

Sunny Duck Trucker Eggs 13.0

House cured lardo, tomato jam, arugula

{SALADS, SANDWICHES & SUCH}
To supplement Chicken with any salad ~ add $6
Baby Lettuce 10.0

25 yr old Balsamic, fine herbs, Sicilian e.v. olive oil

“Farmer’s salad” 13.0

Local lettuce, pickled, raw & roasted vegetables, pine nuts,
soft chicken egg, prosciutto

Steak Tartare 16.0

Classic Preparation, black truffle toast

Fage Yogurt & Granola 8.0

Preserved fruit, local honey

Roasted Plainville Turkey Sandwich 14.0
Fennel raisin toast, quince jam, aged gouda, arugula, smoked bacon

Seared Tuna Club 16.0
Honey wheat toast, avocado aioli, arugula, lightly pickled cucumbers

Napa B. L. T. 16.0
Smoked bacon, local lettuce, preserved tomatoes, aioli, olive parmesan bread

At Napa & Co, we find many uses for wine. We braise our short ribs, we make sauces, and we also make the best Sangria white or red around. Here's the recipe fo you can enjoy some at home this weekend. The St. germain is key!

Summer Sangria!
1 Bottle Sauvignon Blanc or Rose (your preference)

2 Cups St-Germain

2 Fresh Peaches

1 Fresh Orange

5 - 6 Fresh Strawberries

6 Fresh Raspberries

1 Bunch Fresh Grapes

Method: Stir ingredients in a pitcher or carafe. Allow fruit to soak in the mixture between 3 and 8 hours. Serve in an ice-filled glass, then telephone your physician and regale him with stories of your exemplary fruit consumption.

Margot Cafe & Wine bar closes

This past weekend we saw a sad loss for the restaurant/culinary scene in Stamford and truthfully, the tri-state area. Margot Cafe & Wine Bar announced on its door that they closed due to the difficult economic times.

“ I wanted to create an excellent neighborhood restaurant, where friends could meet... enjoy simple, homemade food with a glass of wine... and walk out with some change in their pockets and the desire to come back."

This was Margot's mission and she accomplished that and more. It's always difficult to see a great restaurateur (especially a woman) go and yet a sea of mediocrity exists all around us. We have restaurants that microwave their food that somehow they find an audience and yet a woman with great talent and culinary passion to see fatality by this recession. I am sorry to see her go. I worked with her just two weeks ago at a charity event for the Sexual Assault and Crisis Center. She never said a word. She handled this very emotional chapter with grace and class. We hope she resurfaces again when the riff-raff that have opened fade away and leave room for people that are serious about food. If you're involved in zoning in Stamford, please make note and realize these recent closures are not just the economy but an inevitable reaction to too many restaurants allowed in a town where the population has not grown, the retail is not growing but the restaurants are continuing to open one after another. It's a band-aid for landlords but not good for the big picture of Stamford. We need all of these residential projects completed, some storefronts rented to interesting retail and then maybe we can support the restaurants we have.

Rhone Ranger Wine Class Last Night

Last evening we enjoyed several great wines at our wine class. This week's topice was Rhone Rangers. These are wineries whose focus are the great varietals (Syrah, Grenache, Viognier, Roussane and Petit Sirah) of the Rhone valley in France with am American twist. We sampled Nickle & Nickle, Dyer Vineyard 2005, Sonoma Coast Vineyards 2004, Pax, Walker Vineyard, Russian River 2006 and Shafer, Relentless 2005 from Napa Valley. Shafer was the favorite of the evening paired with our Duck and Foie Gras Meatballs. Marriage made in heaven...

To check out Wine Events go to www.napaandcompany.com

Last nights wine class was $30 for 5 wines paired with bites of food. Cheers!