Morimoto Napa

Everything about Morimoto Napa is outstanding. The food, service, location, are all among the best of the best.

The wine list has a great number of Napa wines and the drinks also include a big selection of drinks including Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve and of course some wonderful sake choices.

I had dinner there recently and it started with this tuna tartar that has a unique presentation of the tuna and side flavors you can mix to your preference. It comes with a small metal spatula or paddle that you use to build each bite.




The tasting menu continued with a little of everything including sushi, beef, vegetables and a unique fondue with vegetables and a warm bowl of anchovy paste and olive oil. It was sooo good! The food was paired with some excellent Twomey Sauvignon Blanc that the server kept in an ice bucket for us. It was a nice touch on a warm early evening. She was very good about keeping the glasses from sitting empty.



There is an open kitchen so you can see things being prepared and getting ready for service.

The outdoor riverfront seating is in the shade and allows for some nice views and a look at the eastern Napa hills at sunset.

Ample free parking is across the street and it is just steps from the new Napa downtown dock so you could even boat to Morimotos.

I give it 2 thumbs way way up!

more photos of Morimoto Napa here

Making beef stew for dinner on a Friday night

This is by far my favorite beef stew recipe I've ever made. Now understand I haven't made a lot so maybe that doesn't count as much as for some people.

It's actually a Vietnamese beef stew and some of the trickier ingredients include lemongrass, star anise, some Chinese five-spice and some other things that you can find at most large grocery stores around.

You can make it in a slow cooker or in a pot I made mine in my Instant Pot. It took 20 minutes of cooking time + little bit extra because when you add the carrots you cook them in the pan first and then you add them to the stew when it's done cooking and you kind of let it reduce and soften up the carrots to your liking.

Of course one of the great things about beef stew is you can also add ingredients that you like and to give it a little bit of a personalized twist.

I made some mushrooms at the very end and I put some scallions in the pan to cook down and put of that on top of the beef stew and it worked out really well. Give it a try I'll put the link down here below and also there's a video on how to make it.

recipe link
Vietnamese Beef Stew - Bò kho

video

Vietnamese Beef Stew - Bò kho

 

Helen's Recipes (Vietnamese Food)

The woman that does these is named Helen and she has a whole bunch of really great videos. This happens to be the one that I've tried. Some of the others might be kind of intimidating for me but you might want to give it a go. She's really good I really enjoyed the video and this beef stew always comes out extremely well serve with some sourdough bread or whatever you like on the side.

If you want to serve some wine you gotta have something big and bold. Don't be afraid to step it up a little bit there's a lot of flavors in this beef stew. I decided to reach for a bottle of Petite Sirah from Chateau Montelena in Calistoga. It's a 2010 and it's got a ton of flavor so it worked out really well. Just pick your favorite big red wine and enjoy the great meal.