412818 Tue Jun 19 01:12:11 -0700 2007 0 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 2672804 In the early seventies, there was "nothing to eat" in this village and not much anywhere in the Valley. Calistoga lagged behind the more famed restaurant towns that sprang up as Napa became a hot ticket, but over time provided a palatable meal to visitors who didn't wish to get back in their cars and head south, most notably Catahoula, which in its early days tended to be a bit over the top but with time toned down its excesses and became a favorite we looked forward to returning to whenever we went up for a little R&R. We miss it. We'd had a rather disappointing meal at Wappa shortly after it opened, and, though we would always include it in our menu-reading preprandial stroll, it never enticed us back, despite good word of mouth. Last week it almost felt like the seventies again--more restaurants but, once again, nothing to eat. I don't mean that the same dishes at restaurants known for their dedication to quality of ingredients and preparation would not have sounded good. But Calistoga's choices seemed like something one might find in any tourist town anywhere in the country. We finally decided to try Wappa, but first we had to double-check which items contained cilantro. The staff member we spoke with replied there was no way for him to find out since the kitchen staff was entirely Spanish-speaking. I pointed out the obvious--cilantro is a Spanish word--but he demurred, saying he wouldn't take the chance. Think of the implications--a restaurant in this day and age with zero communication between the dining room and the kitchen. I find it hard to believe that's even legal! We ended up at Calistoga Inn, certainly a pretty spot, with its garden setting enhanced by live music. I had asked for some olive oil to go with my bread (before the busser almost dropped the basket and pawed all the slices in his "save"). Fortunately, vinegar came with the oil, so my otherwise sugar-sweet and bland "Waldorf" spinach salad with candied nuts, dried cranberries, and out of season apples would have been inedible. My paella was OK but no better than that. My BH's "California quesadilla"--pork along with the cheese!--would have made a meal for most; I didn't taste but gather it was OK. The Caribbean-style chicken was generous and tasy but underdone in the center--impossible to notice in time in the semi-darkness. To top things off, we went to the bagel place on the main drag for breakfast and I asked for a fried egg. Can't do. Didn't I see eggs on the menu? Oh, those are scrambled ... from a carton. I've always enjoyed this place for its laid-back ambiance: Folks read the complimentary papers, work on their laptops, speak softly. But this time there was a young woman behind the counter who could be heard half a block away, yakking with co-workers, making small talk with every customer. The above notwithstanding, we had a lovely time: read, relaxed, went in the pools, had a massage, even enjoyed the heat after SF's chilly spring! Tue Jun 19 01:12:11 -0700 2007 11036 Fine