1500 people served (Last Weekend!)

So after a full weekend, we served 1500 guests which equals 2 weddings, 4000 hors d’oeuvres, 1000 finger sandwiches and much more. So, what does a caterer do for her day off? -Go to lunch! We decided to have a day out and headed to Napa, I had heard that Oxbow Market was full and open and wanted to check it out.

Driving from Petaluma to Napa is always a beautiful thing, a great start to a relaxing day. Pulling into the market I noticed that they expanded greatly since the last time I was there in 2007. My first thought was for some sweet potato fries from Taylor’s Refresher - always a favorite. But first, we decided to head inside and take a look before grabbing a bite. I was thrilled to see the spice merchant was still there, which is a great place to get just bits of things that you want to try out. We wandered on back to the cheese counter and tried some great bleus from the very helpful staff. The cheese counter is kind of hidden in back through a set of doors, but worth looking for; there's also a lot more back there.

We decided to have lunch at Pica Pica, a restaurant specializing in corn items from Central and South America. A tough call with Taylor's right outside, but the menu was very intriging. We ordered a trio of Empanadas and an Arepa. The arepa was something that I had never tried before. A thick cornmeal cake similar to a tortilla that is grilled, split and then filled. It was wonderful! Sturdy enough to hold up to the shredded skirt steak with grilled plantains, and not even a drip on the tables. You can be sure that I will be looking up that recipe.

We wandered on and around and headed to the Model Bakery and then outside. Don't forget to go around the corner past Taylor's to the Fatted Calf. It's an artisan butcher and cafe. It was a challange not to have another lunch when I saw their duck rillette. I guess we have to go back.