Two whole days it blustered and blew outside, leaving us in Napa with record rainfall. Yesterday the sun came out and it got back to seventy degrees, and we again ventured out to explore. (When I asked a local if Napa got snow in the winter, she said no, but they did get a lot of floods!) My sinuses go crazy whenever it rains - one of the reasons I had to leave my beloved Seattle - but Napa has enough dry days (I hope) ot make up for it.
We went to the Napa Town Center to check out new hotel Avia (beautiful!) and see some of the local stores. A lot of places for rent, again, which does make you feel the economy is affecting Napa.
The best part was a visit to Annette's Chocolates, which has an outpost in The Oxbow Market. This main store is so much better, I think the ideal candy store for an adult male, which is why I let my husband do much of the tasting. The kind lady at the counter offered him sample after sample of brittle: Kentucky Bourbon brittle, Fiery Beer brittle, Maple Harvest brittle, Chardonnet brittle. He liked them all, but in the end liked the complexity and subtlety of the regular, non-fiery Beer brittle the best. He also had some wonderful cherry ice cream (although the children getting ice cream at the counter recommended the seasonal pumpkin)and a dark truffle. What I liked the best about the store was the shopping potential - tiny bottles of Chocolate Port Sauce, one-pound bags of brittles, truffles in various wine flavors. I mean, really, it's a perfect Napa Christmas shopping stop - but the warm, enthusiastic service and vast options make it a really fun tourist destination when you get to Napa.
As a local, I was sad to see they did not have a "frequent buyer" option. Too bad!
Wow, this is making my mouth water! Was the store very expensive?
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