Rustic Bakery in Kentfield, California. A simple pleasure

It is hard to find. Once you have you may not want to drive by, otherwise you will have to walk in and enjoy a plain croissant, the Ham and Gruyere croissant of the Bread pudding of the day. They have soups, salads and sandwiches. In the summer the Gazpacho is refreshing, delicious and very much like the one I have in Spain. Otherwise their turkey chili is nutritious and satisfying, if you need to get warmer in a cold summer day in Marin County. The Quiches are moisture and delicious, wether you have the spinach one or the ham and cheese. Salads are organic and the cookies and other sweets are full of tastes that you can recognize; it is very natural!!! The coffee is good but not great ( I am a coffee expert by years of experience). I like my coffee a bit stronger and darker, but it is just me. The service is very good and with a smile, rare to find in Marin County. If you have a chance try the almond croissant and the apple one too. And the lemon meyer one to is aromatic and soothing.

Brouchon. Too busy for its own good in Yountville, Napa Valley, California

The seafood platter was decent: 3 years ago it was great. The freshness was undeniable, but I don't think they use the same seafood purveyor they used to.
A delicious and reliable Quiche... but 2 years ago it was like a custard. It is denser than it used to be. It was good, very good, but I wasn't bowled over by it.
The salad was very good and then we went to their bakery next door. Try the chantilly cream eclair: simple yet unbelievable.
Brouchon is always busy, which is great for business, but it has become the place to go if you are a foodie tourist. One day it may become a museum for the French Laundry down the street, or vice-versa.

Jolé. The future of fusion in Calistoga

Matt Spector is the adventurous chef who owns this beautiful restaurant in Calistoga. His wife makes the sweets and He prepares the most delicious tapa-size plates with the great natural resources of the Napa and Sonoma counties.
Asia, USA and Europe come together in simple and exciting dishes that seem to defy the laws of the gods of the flavors and textures. Foiegras cooked in the wood-fire oven, turned into a dessert-like savory dish served with homemade cornbread and blueberry compot. The menu changes every day depending on the quality of available ingredients (that alone is a guarantee for a worthwhile meal)
How about the lambs tongue reuben? A miniature of the original reuben with all the traditional fixings, the result is the essence of the reuben that you will have in New York.
The Lardens (fatty bacon strips) was crispy and dusted in flour on a watermelon and cucumber salad and chinese Hoison sauce.
Textures complimented the risky but successful creations.
The mascapone cheese cake was refreshing and let you taste the cheese instead of a weird processed block of yellow oversweetened cake.
The staff was very nice and we had a chance to chat with Mr. Spector and his right hand man Gregg. We went every night we were in town, and we will come back