Once sleepy downtown Napa is napping no more. A foodie revolution has taken place in recent years, with a “who’s who” of celebrity chefs taking up residence. Along the redeveloped Napa riverfront alone are a string of high-end establishments with sun-splashed patios where customers accompanied by canine companions are welcome to pull up a chair. At Napa General Store, a popular breakfast and lunch spot in the historic Napa Mill complex, you and Spot can enjoy your meal at an umbrella table right on Napa River Trail. Just a block or so down is Fish Story, a swimmingly popular seafood establishment with dog-friendly patio seating as well as a covered porch with river views.
Cross the river on the First Street bridge to enjoy a meal with Rover at Gott’s Roadside, part of the Oxbow Public Market, a successful sibling to San Francisco’s Ferry Building Marketplace. That renovated Airstream trailer in the vacant lot next door is Dim-Sum Charlie’s, a gourmet Asian food truck at the center of Food Truck Fridays, one of the region’s most offbeat social events. Bring your own chair and wine (no alcohol is sold) on the first Friday evening of the month and gather around a bonfire to rub shoulders (or touch noses, as the case may be) with locals while sampling the fare offered by 10 food trucks based in the Napa/Sonoma region. You’ll be amazed at what yummy stuff can be whipped up in a kitchen on wheels.
Photo: Janet Fullwood
