Jennifer Che

1 week ago | tinyurbankitchen.com | Jennifer Che

My favorite types of restaurants - the ones to which I am happy to revisit over and over again - tend to actually be quite simple. They are grounded in excellent ingredients, good execution, and consistency. I love “hearth” type restaurants that are centered around a grill. Fresh, seasonal ingredients are cooked over a fire, and that’s it. No fancy “jus” or sauces, fussy plating, nor complex ingredients. Just simple ingredients cooked really, really well.

1 week ago | tinyurbankitchen.com | Jennifer Che

Cole's Chop House is a well known, storied steakhouse in Napa that serves high quality cuts of dry-aged Prime steaks, seafood, and other classic steakhouse sides and desserts. We were in Napa with several people from China, so it seemed like a fitting place to introduce them to good old “American” food (including American sized portions!). A classic Oysters Rockefeller ($18.00) made with “Roland Henin’s Recipe” was juicy, sumptuous, and tasty.

2 weeks ago | tinyurbankitchen.com | Jennifer Che

Compline is a Wine shop, Wine Bar, and Restaurant, all located within the same shopping area in downtown Napa right near the Napa Visitor’s Center. It’s been said to be a favorite among “industry folk” (meaning chefs, servers, bartenders, wine people, etc.). Wine prices are quite reasonable since you can buy wine at the shop and just bring it to the restaurant. The location is super central and the food is really, really good.

2 weeks ago | tinyurbankitchen.com | Jennifer Che

This post is sort of a tribute to the amazing meals we had at La Calenda, Thomas Keller’s Oaxan Mexican restaurant. We loved the restaurant so much on our first visit, we came back on our last day in California before flying back to Hong Kong. Little did we know that in just one more month, the restaurant would close for good. 🙁Some fond memories:The FoodOf course the food was amazing. The corn tortillas are all freshly made, and the ingredients are top notch.

2 weeks ago | tinyurbankitchen.com | Jennifer Che

For years and years I was a Bouchon Bakery junkie. Every time I went to New York or Las Vegas (Beverly Hills!) I had to stop by a Bouchon Bakery to get my favorite TKO (“Thomas Keller Oreo”). But then we didn’t come to Napa for a long time, and then there was this pandemic . . . Needless to say, it had been YEARS since I’d had one of my favorite cookies. So, we decided to revisit multiple Thomas Keller destinations this time. We stopped by Bouchon Bakery for coffee and cookies.