By 707 correspondent, Deirdre Bourdet.
Traditionally, January marks the absolute nadir for restaurant business in Napa and Sonoma, and this one is no exception. Lots and lots of places are battening down the hatches for the winter—some for renovations, some for vacation, and others for more mysterious reasons.
In Kellerland, TFL will be closed for its annual vacation for the first half of the month, reopening for service on Thursday January 19th. A few blocks down, BOUCHON BAKERY is closed all month while the team conducts “design improvements” to the retail space. Bouchon, however, will continue to operate as usual all through the wintertime. Further south on Washington Street, AD HOC and ADDENDUM will be closed for “construction enhancements” to the kitchen from the first of the year until late February/early March. Addendum’s website says it will reopen Sunday April 1st.
The three-macaron RESTAURANT AT MEADOWOOD has also closed for the next few months for an extensive kitchen remodel, the addition of a five-seat chef’s counter, and a dining room overhaul by Howard Backen and George Federighi. Think modernized dark woods and finishes, new lighting, varying shades of grey and other natural, “elemental” colors. The restaurant is scheduled to reopen for service (and is taking reservations for) the evening of March 12th, 2012.
Tyler Florence’s ROTISSERIE & WINE in Napa is also closed for a major makeover, which will apparently add fun new firepits to the patio, eliminate the back bar to expand the dining area, and possibly add soundproofing (YES PLEASE!) and booths along the walls where the cabinets were. The official word doesn’t say how long the restaurant will be closed, so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens. No changes to the restaurant concept have been announced at this point, and the neighboring TyFlo retail store will stay open as usual during the closure.
The historic structure that houses OAKVILLE GROCERY—which quite awesomely has been in continuous operation as a grocery store since 1881—is closed from January 2nd through mid-March 2012, so that its owners can put in a FOUNDATION for the building. Apparently there wasn’t one before (?!), but after 130 years of big bad shakes, you kind of wonder if it’s even necessary. This year’s renovations will also add two restrooms, additional storage buildings, improve energy efficiency, and make the store ADA compliant though, so it does seem like this closure will be for the better.
The main hall of Napa’s OXBOW PUBLIC MARKET is going dark Monday January 9th and Tuesday January 10th for some scheduled maintenance and merchant improvements (note: this means no locals’ night that Tuesday!). Gott’s Roadside, The Model Bakery, and The Fatted Calf will all remain open with regular business hours during the break since they’re in the Annex building, and Todd Humphries’ Kitchen Door just across the walkway from the main hall will also keep on rockin’. The little brown “KaraVan” from Kara’s Cupcakes will be ready and waiting with sweet treats in the Oxbow’s parking lot during the closure, too.
For an absolutely no-frills, uber-practical chart of most of Napa Valley’s restaurants and their winter closure dates, check out the good ol’ Napa Valley Register page here.
