Ad Hoc & A Proposal

During the festivities of this past weekend, we managed to squeeze in a meal at Ad Hoc in Napa, one of Thomas Keller's more "affordable" restaurants ($52/person still isn't exactly cheap). They offer one set menu served family style so I was a bit nervous - I like having options! What if the options included foods I don't like? I can be a pretty picky eater! Luckily, the food was great and the company was even better. 

Delicious salad of TFL lettuces, which were grown in the "Laundry" garden - I normally don't love salad but this one had a great citrus dressing that was just the right amount of lightness and sweetness combined.

Steak with button mushrooms, asparagus, parsnip puree, and blue cheese butter - the steak was a bit rarer than I'm used to but it was delicious. I'm not a fan of blue cheese so this was one of those rare occasions that I didn't indulge in butter. It's probably better that way!

Almond financier topped fresh whipped cream - I found the dessert plenty sweet without the caramel so I'm glad the server offered to serve it on the side instead of drizzled all over. I thought it was going to be too corn bready for my tastes but it ended up being really yummy.

Goat milk cheese with honey - I love the combination of sweet and savory at the same time!

I kind of wanted to try the fried chicken at Addendum right behind Ad Hoc but we were super stuffed after four very satisfying courses. It seemed a bit excessive to top off the meal with fried chicken. Plus, we weren't able to stay because Bryan was going to propose that night! 

Of course, no proposal goes off without a hitch and this one was no exception. After dinner, Jeff and I had been instructed to drive to Palo Alto and wait while the happy couple drove to the proposal spot. It just so happened that along their drive, Sandy caught us walking in downtown Palo Alto. As she rolled down the window to call out to us, Bryan drove off rather quickly, worried that we might accidentally spill the beans. Luckily, we did no such thing and she was none the wiser. After the proposal took place, they came back to meet us and we shared lots of hugs, laughs, and details. It's been a long time coming so we are super excited for them! 

Solbar

The morning right after our abundant Chinese New Year feasting, Jeff and I drove up to Napa to meet his cousins at Solbar for a delicious lunch. They're visiting from Taiwan so I wanted to make sure I picked a great restaurant - the Michelin star didn't hurt either. I liked that the Sunday brunch menu was a bit more than eggs and waffles. Luckily, Solbar didn't disappoint! We chose to eat family style so that everyone could try a little of everything.

Here's what we ordered (clockwise from top right):

• beet salad
• scallops
• lucky pig
• fish tacos
• shrimp lettuce cups
• fried chicken & french fries (not pictured)

Our favorites were the fish tacos, shrimp lettuce cups, and fried chicken. The food was quite reasonably priced, considering the location and Michelin star rating. Along with a bottle of rose, our total was less than $50/person (including tax and tip). After all that, we were stuffed so we passed on dessert! 

My only gripe was the service. We were consistently out of water - the servers would constantly come by to ask how we were doing but never take the initiative to refill our water. Also, we had half a pot of pork left from our lucky pig dish and they never offered to wrap it up for us. When they came to take it away, we just assumed they would wrap it up for us. Our mistake perhaps, but there was over half a pound of pork left. It wasn't until we are all in the car empty-handed that I realized no one received a to go box for all that leftover pork. Big fail, Solbar! 

Next time, I'll do my best to plan early and get a reservation for Auberge du Soleil. Much better views and service along with excellent food!