It's a small but pretty town just north of Napa off of CA 29. As I often do, I arrived here after a great visit with my brother and his family in Oakland. Yountville has some shops, elegant places to stay, and several very good restaurants on the main street of this small town. .
I had a great, rich cassoulet with confit de canard, pork sausage, and lots of small white beans on December 28. The restaurant is reputed to be the most authentically French place for many a mile.
Hurley's, 6518 Washington St. 707-944-2345. www.hurleysrestaurant.com. Somewhat overshadowed by its neighbors but nonetheless a good Northern California restaurant.
Chef Thomas Keller's popular restaurant in the style of a Lyon "bouchon".
The 3 restaurants above are all in the 2007 Northern California Michelin. Note that many of the better restaurants are quite small and well known. It is always best to call as much ahead as possible.
Domaine Chandon is the best winery close to town. It's just west of CA 29 at the downtown Healdsburg exit if coming from the south and is the local outpost of France's Moet et Chandon. Below is the view from the tasting room.
The quirkiest if not necessarily the best place to stay is the Napa Valley Railway Inn, 6523 Washington St. 707-944-2000. www.napavalleyrailwayinn.com. 9 of the 10 rooms are railroad cars. I gather from internet reviews that the service is minimal and that the cars are not insulated and can be noisy.
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