Fun in Napa with Friends, Day 2

Our second day in Napa began at Bouchon Bakery. For those who have never been to Napa or experienced Thomas Keller's culinary excellence, Bouchon Bakery is a must if you ever get a chance. It is situated in Yountville next to Bouchon Restaurant, down the street from French Laundry. The bakery goods are amazing, and I'm sure the coffee is great, too (we had already enjoyed our morning caffeine so we didn't get coffee).

There is always a line in the morning
and it's always an incredibly tough decision, especially if you're in the mood for something that needs refrigeration (we bought the signature bouchons and biscotti, both of which keep just fine, and also travel and ship well, a plus for Foodie and Mr. Foodie)
Foodie and Mr. Foodie are huge Thomas Keller fans, so this was a tough decision for them...
Even the birds eat well in Napa!
Next stop was our long-awaited appointment at Joseph Phelps. The winery is gorgeous, and they produce both phenomenal wine and also fabulous olive oil. The tasting was outdoors on the patio, a great place to take pictures. =)
After the wine tasting, we tried their olive oil (and ended up taking a bottle home):

After Phelps we were ready for lunch, and the best lunch spot we know, if you're in the mood for a burger, is Taylor's Refresher. They have the absolute best burgers we've ever had, and the garlic fries, sweet potato fries and onion rings are phenomenal!
They have a nice picnic area
and, of course, calories don't count if you order a diet coke
but at least it's a "green" establishment
Now THAT is a good lunch!

Following lunch, we were heading for Cliff Lede when we took a detour at Napa Wine Co., a winery that works with dozens of small wineries that don't have their own tasting room. They spcialize in cult wines that you can't get anywhere else. As you can see from the pics below, the famed Marilyn Merlot is one of the wines they feature.

And finally, we were off to Cliff Lede, a winery Foodie and Mr. Foodie really wanted to visit because one of their friends raves about the wine. Cliff Lede makes many sparkling wines, and also had sauvignon blanc and cabernet sauvignon available for a tasting. Mr. Y, Foodie and Mr. Foodie opted to taste the non-sparkling wines (I tried sips of Mr. Y's, because by this time I had reached my limit).

The wine was great, and Foodie and Mr. Foodie bought some to take home. Note to anyone who likes Cliff Lede: the cases are dwindling, so go soon if you want to try the current releases! Cliff Lede has an art gallery and several nice outdoor pieces of art decorating the patio.

After Cliff Lede, we bade our friends farewell. They were staying in Napa for a second honeymoon and Mr. Y and I had a barbecue to attend. I'm confident that Foodie and Mr. Foodie will be back when they can, though, because there are so many more wineries to visit!