Faletti's vs Whole Food KO, Carmel & Napa valleys

We decided to stay home and host this past Holiday Season, and cooked Beef tenderloin so many times that every one is saying no moo! I learned a couple valuable lessons - the most important being do not wander. Just serve the over the top, cream, sour cream, butter and parmesan laced mashed potatoes. No other starch, no matter how good (even my mom's leeks and potatoes which rock) compliments that roast as well. The second is don't buy anything important from Whole Foods' "butchers". Why did I stop stopping going there? They enticed us all back with flashy new signs, sale prices all over the store right before the Holidays (Are you kidding? Organic California produce at the same price as Lucky's? Why wouldn't we?) then smack right in the kisser at the checkout counter the next time. "Suckers" they snicker in their Prius on the way to Lamar Avenue on December 23rd, "They actually fell for it! Lemmings!" I paid 20% more for a roast that I asked to have trimmed and tied only to unveil it at home to find that neither had been done.

Having Shopped the city butchers for the best possible quality and value our friends at Faletti's have proven to be the hands down winner on all fronts, again. Best prices, friendly butchers who actually butch, and if it isn't in season they won't have it - but they will have something else that is wonderful (no Halibut but try Flounder from Louisiana). If you want previously frozen Halibut you'll have to go to Whole Foods.

Speaking of Frozen Halibut that has all the flavor and texture of last week's Chronicle, if the butcher's at Faletti's tells you the season is over don't go and order it even if the waitress assures you they serve only fresh local catch. We had a Bocce ball tossing, wine sipping, card playing, fire gazing family overnight trip to Bernardus Lodge that was perfection with the exception of them serving me the datebook over sauteed spinach. Seriously, I had a better meal at the cowboy themed Running Iron at lunch. Which was a cosy, friendly family restaurant that we would stop at again - great burgers and salads and a huge collection of cowboy boots handing all over the ceiling.

But the luncheon of the year took place in the heavenly Don Giovanni in Napa on our way to a night with friends at The Carneros Inn. Don Giovanni is in the top 4 for us to start with, but add in lunch with a James Beard Award winning chef who just happens to be buddies with the owners and the chef and it was purely magical. Off menu treats like fried lemon slices and tiny golden balls of salt cod - pizza that makes me feel for all the other pizzas on earth because they will never be as good, and a table side visit from a flame haired chef - C'mon! Such fun and such good food. All except the gnocchi. Sorry, it had to be said, but don't let that stop you. I would drive up there just for a slice of bread and so I could breathe the same air as they.

The Mr. had a wonderful time splashing away with all the kids in the pool even though it was really too chilly out there, while the rest of us enjoyed massages at the spa. Thank you my Mr.! After that, at the fireplace in the lobby, kids sipped hot chocolate and the adults went to the small bar behind the (closed) restaurant the Farm. The poor child behind the bar was not really ready for us, or for any one who didn't want to order a beer for that matter. Thought he needed grapefruit juice for a lemon drop (???) but meant well. The Boonfly Cafe was the option for dinner so that, unfortunately, is where we went. Honestly I can not imagine what has happened there, but that meal was something Alfred Hitchcock could have imagined. Huge gloppy portions, overly sweet signature cocktails, yuck. The general manager responded immediately to our comments on our exit survey, but to paraphrase myself what could fix that but a tickle down the throat with a feather? They still make amazing tiny doughnuts to order, so go for breakfast on the way out.