Three New Restos in the City of Napa: C Casa ("Innovative Taqueria”); Carpe Diem Wine Bar (with food pairings); and Bui (French Vietnamese)

[maria lorraine]

Have any Chowhounds hit these new spots yet? Any reports?

C CASA
in the Oxbow Public Market

Catherine Bergen (Tulocay brand) with the Jacinto Brothers (Borders). Sounds tasty.

Bergen: “I wanted to use the taco as a vessel with ingredients from around the world. When you think about it, every cuisine has a vessel to hold their food. Japanese use seaweed or rice paper. Chinese use the won ton. Indians use naan. Italians use pizza crust.”

“Tacos with a twist: C Casa in Napa takes traditional fare to the next level”
http://napavalleyregister.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/article_5979cfd0-7d92-11df-afc2-001cc4c03286.html
http://www.oxbowpublicmarket.com/merchant.php?merchant=24

Menu:
Nine Tacos: taco made with spiced lamb ($5.75), ground buffalo ($5.75) or grilled mahi-mahi ($6.00). In all, nine tacos on the menu range from a white bean taco ($3.50) to a grilled garlic citrus prawn taco ($6.50).

Salads: C Casa Caesar made with roasted poblanos, cotija cheese and chile-crusted tortilla crispies ($4 or $7.50) and sides like black beans made with chorizo and goat cheese ($4); “Tres Fruitas” cucumber, mango and jicama sticks seasoned with lime, chile de arbol and “C” salt ($5.25); and roasted fingerling potatoes with jalapeños and cipollini onions ($4).

Agua frescas: Pineapple Mango Agua Fresca, Raspberry Lime Agua Fresca, Melon Agua Fresca ($3).

Salsas, made daily, include chipotle and avocado-tomatillo ($2.00) and chips, also cooked in-house.

Telephone: [phone]
http://myccasa.com/

CARPE DIEM

Any comments on wines by the glass or the menu items?
Do servers actually recommend certain pairings?

Menu items:
Truffled popcorn, artisanal cheeses like La Tur and Roaring 40s Blue, charcuterie/salumi, short rib sliders, flatbreads, and “Italian Picnic,” a vegetable salad.
Menu: http://www.carpediemwinebar.com/images/carpe_menu.pdf

Wine list needs work. Selections are a bit idiosyncratic and obscure.
Prices are high, especially for wines by the glass, compared to their wholesale bottle price and other restos in Napa Valley.
Bottle prices are not as high, but still high, again compared to wholesale bottle price and other restos in Napa Valley.
Wine List: http://www.carpediemwinebar.com/images/carpe_wine_list.pdf

“Carpe Diem, Bui Bistro open in Napa” – Napa Register
http://napavalleyregister.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/article_a49e7a8c-7d93-11df-b317-001cc4c03286.html

http://www.carpediemwinebar.com/

Carpe Diem Wine Bar
1001 2nd St
Napa, California 94559
707-224-0800

BUI

Another branch of the Bui restaurant from Patrick Bui. The original resto is in Berkeley.

Lunch menu with items all $10 and under (with one exception, a combination grilled pork, prawn and crispy imperial roll on vermicelli; it’s $11). Appetizers are all $8; salads ($9) include a banana flower and a prawn, calamari or tofu Vietnamese salad. Five soups, vermicelli and rice plates, sides (including French fries with a spicy aioli sauce) and sautéed vegetables.

Dinner: curries ($11-$16) , pepper tuna ($17), clay pot Chilean sea bass ($19), shaken beef ($19), grilled rack of lamb ($25), bouillabaisse ($22) and pan-seared salmon ($19). Garlic noodles ($6), brown rice ($2) and jasmine steamed rice ($2).

Desserts: tiramisu, ($7), fresh vanilla bean flan ($6) and kaffir lime crème brûlée ($7).

“Carpe Diem, Bui Bistro open in Napa” – Napa Register
http://napavalleyregister.com/lifesty...

Bui
976 Pearl Street
Napa, CA 94559
255-5417

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Oxbow Public Market
610 First Street, Napa, CA 94559

[teejaymoore]

We ate at C Casa last weekend and really liked it. The outdoor taco bar/lounge is a much better use than the proposed market stalls which never took off. We sat at the outdoor bar along the railing overlooking the farmers market on Saturday am.

We had the lamb taco, the shredded beef taco (read name carefully as I passed it the first time thinking it was chorizo) and a chicken one (avocado, pico, etc.) - 2 tacos each. They were all great, but the chicken one was a little bland in my opinion. I also think they need to rethink their pricing as I'm used to the taco trucks ($1.50 versus $4.75 per taco). I realize C Casa uses much better ingredients and they are bigger than the taco trucks (two C Casa were plenty for lunch versus four at a taco truck), it's more of a perception thing. I think it may be a better idea to shrink the size of the tacos a bit and do "three tacos for $10) then you focus on it as a "lunch" versus expensive tacos. Worth a try definitely.

[maria lorraine]

Thanks for the post, teejay. It's tough to beat the taco trucks, even with gourmet ingredients at C Casa. Napa consumers are especially price-sensitive in the current economy and wIth good taco trucks easily found. I wonder if C Casa will survive the competitive market.

[Dan Wodarcyk]

Have been to C Casa a 1/2 dozen times since they opened and really like it. You definitely pay for some higher quality ingredients, but I feel it's worth it. The lamb taco and the prawn are my favorites, but the white bean taco is also great. Mango pineapple agua fresca is excellent. I know what you're saying in terms of this versus the taco trucks, but it's varied enough that it makes for an entirely different experience. They also did a great job with their own, private patio.

Bui needs serious help. Bland, across the board, from the sticky, duck spring rolls to the chicken curry. Intense grease, fryer smell throughout and one server for a place that should probably be half its size.

[teejaymoore]

Agree on your C Casa. I appreciate the ingredients, I just think it would play better to group three smaller tacos into a lunch for say $10 and then you're not as focused on the price of an individual taco. The patio is just great.

[purveyorofawesome]

We went to C Casa a couple of weeks ago. I really liked the food - it feels very different than Taco Truck chow, so I didn't really make the comparison. I loved the Buffalo taco - for me, it was the perfect combination of the retro, American taco and innovative flavors, since the buffalo is ground. The potatoes were good, although only available as a side, not in a taco. Two wines by the glass, both Mas and poured from a keg.

The outdoor taco lounge is really great - great place to hang out.

[Melanie Wong]

Haven't been to any of those three. Another new spot that opened last week is Bistro Sabor, would love to hear reports.
http://napavalleyregister.com/lifesty...