Chanric Inn

This week, I’ll cover all of our Napa Valley posts from our trip there over the summer. Ken and I had a very fun summer traveling (mostly back and forth from Chicago for weddings) and scheduled our anniversary trip to San Francisco/Napa. We spent our honeymoon in Bordeaux and Ken wanted to experience Napa for their cabernets and scenery, so we booked our flights for the 4th of July weekend. I booked the bed and breakfast for the second part of our trip (where I stayed for my bachelorette party the previous year) but left the first few days of the trip up to Ken. I usually need to plan out the entire trip and need to know exactly where we’re staying, but was able to let Ken plan the first few nights.

He searched for a few hotels and decided to book a romantic bed and breakfast – The Chanric Inn:

The inn is located in Calistoga, an appelation that is a little further north of Napa Valley/Yountville. When we checked in (after our meal at The French Laundry which I will blog about at some point), we were just in time for happy hour! The innkeeper, Joel, was a very nice man from France and he helped us check in, provided us some details about the reservations he made for us at different wineries, and offered us sparkling wine, candies, light bites. We enjoyed them by the fire:

The outside patio had different types of herbs growing (Joel picked the herbs before making our breakfast!) The patio continued around the corner with heat lamps:

Inside the beautiful kitchen:

Some of the treats during our happy hour:

The beautiful dining room:

One of the reasons Ken chose The Chanric Inn for our stay is because Joel and his partner are both really amazing chefs. For our first breakfast, we sat outside and enjoyed plums marinated in wine served with fresh mint from Joel’s Garden:

Our own personal raclette with potatoes and cornichons:

A pear tart served with lavender candies from France and fresh Chantilly cream:

Joel also baked fresh brioche (you can see it on the corner of this photo):

On another day, Joel made a fresh fruit salad with kiwi, pineapple, and fresh mint in a sparkling wine reduction:

Baked cod with fresh thyme and tomato paste:

Poached figs:

Joel was such a wonderful host and we would definitely recommend staying at the inn to anyone going to Napa. It wasn’t a far drive from the center of Napa and Joel was very knowledgeable about the different wineries in the area as well.