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designed in the green spirit of Thomas Keller’s French Laundry, a few
blocks away. Unlike other commercial kitchens, requiring chemical
cleaning products, the concrete floor slopes to a drain; a simple hosing-
down leaves the space sparkling.
Executive chef Victor Scargle is a UCSB graduate. With a CV that
includes some of the most prestigious kitchens in the country, Victor’s early
career began at Fess Parker’s steakhouse. For Victor, “the quality of Napa
Valley’s local ingredients showcases a chef ’s talent.” He sources organic
ingredients from local artisanal farmers, and the estate’s own gardens.
Peppers, tomatoes, beets – whatever is fresh that day goes onto our plates.
Day One
– Architectural Touring
A
short drive from Yountville is the renovated, but still rustic, Oakville
Grocery, with its vintage-style Coca-Cola mural on one panel of the
building, and gourmet comestibles inside. The building opened as a gen-
eral store in 1880, and is listed in the national registry of historic places.
At Oakville Cross, we pass an early Christian Bros. winery building, before
winding our way north toward St. Helena.
For those of us with a casual interest in celebrity architects, two
new entries in spa and dining display architect Howard Backen’s latest
refinements to his “luxury Nordic barn” style.
This is the guy who transformed rural elements like corrugated metal
roofing and rough-hewn exteriors into a new chic. Opened in 2012 is
Backen’s spa-centric Solage resort outside Calistoga. With soaring trestle
ceilings, industrial lighting and pocket doors, the complex is textbook
design for the indoor-outdoor lifestyle.
On our last visit to Napa, the architect’s jointly owned French Blue
all-day bistro, along St. Helena’s main street, was in its incubation. Today,
weekend ge t away