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Farm-to-table Modern American cuisine is the prevalent style in the Napa Valley and Sonoma County, but this encompasses both the delicate preparations of Yountville’s Thomas Keller, whose restaurants include The French Laundry, and the upscale comfort food served throughout the Wine Country. The quality (and hype) often means high prices, but you can find appealing, inexpensive eateries, especially in Napa, Calistoga, Sonoma, and Santa Rosa.
The focus at festive ZuZu is on cold and hot tapas, pintxos (bar bites), paella, and other Spanish favorites, often washed down with Cava (Spanish sparkling wine), sangria, or a specialty cocktail. The restaurant, which opened in 2002 and contributed to downtown Napa’s renaissance, still draws crowds for flounder ceviche, jamón ibérico, seared pork cheeks, grilled lamb chops with Moroccan barbecue glaze, and many other shareable plates.
Spanish-style tapas and an outdoor patio in perpetual party mode make this restaurant, headquartered in a restored 1920s bungalow, a popular downtown perch. Contemporary Spanish mosaics set a perky tone inside, but unless something's amiss with the weather, nearly everyone heads out back for croquettes, paella, jamón ibérico, pan tomate (tomato toast), grilled octopus, skirt steak, and crispy fried chicken.
