NEWS TO US
Pho Hoang. Vallejo Vietnamese coming to Imola plaza
Vallejo’s Pho Hoang appears to be headed north, with a Napa location coming to Imola Plaza. Pho in South Napa? Yes please! And not a moment too soon, I haven’t had Vietnamese since I was bánh-ed from their first location.
Hey now! We back!
TIGRE. Bringing Peruvian flavors to Napa
A new chef-founded project pairing Peruvian flavors with Northern California produce in the AlleyWay Studio. Yum! Sounds right up my… personal preferences…
Menchi Katsu Burger. Re-introducing Rachael Ray’s fav Bay Area burger… from a decade ago
The Alley strikes again! Fried. Burger. My tummy is rumbling. Excitement? Indigestion? Does it matter?
Buckle Babe Co. Napa Valley Hat Bar opening in September
Have you ever looked at your hat collection and thought: “These hats are great, but godDAMMIT, they’re not sparkly enough!” Have you ever walked into Wine Girl Napa and felt naked — not because you were unclothed, but because you were unrhinestoned? Friend, you’re not alone. And the Buckle Babes are here to help.
Field Day. Relocating to Second Street.
The curated secondhand children’s boutique is moving to 1415 Second Street, right by robot coffee and across from rock coffee. I guess this location is more convenient, but wasn’t it nice to be able to pop into Aladdin Bail Bonds after picking up footie pajamas?
Nimbus Arts. Building a Napa ceramics studio.
Kilns are being prepped and classes are in development; they’re fundraising for wheels and heavy gear. If you’ve ever wanted to fling clay and pretend you’re Patrick Swayze (yup), your time is now.
Forma Pottery Studio. Community pottery studio, classes begin Oct 5
In more ceramics news, welcome Forma! Wheel-throwing, handbuilding, memberships and open studio access — and yes, kids can get in on it too. Man, huge week for you potheads!
Love Park. T-shirt side hustle: Neon Dinosaur Press!
Napa’s favorite pretzel purveyor is now making screen printed tees. For their first release, 10% of sales are donated to Ripple Effect Animal Project. Preorders available here.
Waymo. Driverless cars approved for Napa
But you know what I’m waiting for? Passengerless cars — that’s when I’ll get interested.
Johnny Doughnuts. Now open at Oxbow
They’ve officially set up shop in Oxbow and are serving daily from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We expect Butter Cream to retaliate.
Zealot Bar & Bottle. Open now!
The new space, with handcrafted wood throughout, is warm, unfussy, and beautiful — just like the owners. We are already contemplating a Social Club membership. Being locals and all.
Don Perico Mexican Restaurant & Bar. Officially reopen
Don Perico is back in business at First Street Napa. Don Perico — more like, Don Where’djago, am I right?! You KNOW I’m right. See you there!
Part Time Pizza. Thursday Pop-Ups
If I were the boss, I’d hire Pizza for a full time position — with benefits!
Harbor Freight. Filling the old Rite Aid location in Imola plaza…
Discount tools where I used to get my Zyrtec? What’s not to like! At least it’s not a third Ross.
Oxbow District. Gets a new sign… {gasp!}
And the community is in a tizzy. What is this turning into, Hollywood, California?!
Chick-fil-A (AmCan). New forthcoming location.
So, we rejected a Napa drive-thru over its projected greenhouse gas emissions… only to have Napa locals drive down to AmCan for chicken instead? Discuss.
Love & Cookies. Monday Bakery, take two
Monday Bakery may be gone, but the baking continues. Love & Cookies is the next chapter: recipe development, culinary education, consulting, classes and, importantly, plenty of baked goods.
Geraldine’s Farm Stand. Cute new farm stand
Fresh produce grown by someone far more capable than us. Perfect for those of us without green thumbs.
Matchplay Kitchen + Bar. Opens at Silverado Resort.
Silverado quietly swapped The Grill for Matchplay — renovated dining room, expanded patio, and a fresh culinary direction. We will, of course, continue calling it “the old Grill” when pretending we’re members.
Over the Hill:
Old Caz Backyard (Petaluma). Opens new taproom.
New Caz.
Sonoma Magazine. Roundup of surprisingly good food at Sonoma gas stations.
A new piece spotlights gas-station counters serving legitimately good sandwiches and hot meals. Helpful if you’re driving through Sonoma and your hunger strikes faster than your GPS can decide. “Ummm, yeah, I’ll have the unleaded, iced — do you guys have oat milk?”
Shimizu Sake Company. Sonoma’s first sake brewery (Cotati)
For goodness sake!
COMING IN HOT
Events and happenings
Through Oct 4: Sonoma Sundays, Free Concerts (live music). Plaza Amphitheater (Sonoma), free
Aug 22: Napa Park Rangers’ Read with a Ranger — Reptiles (storytime). Napa County Library, free
Aug 23: Ink for Animals: Tattoo Benefit for Local Rescue (charity pop-up). Folklore, flash tattoos $100
Aug 23: Wood-Fired Pop-Up with Ollie’s Pizza (food pop-up). Decant Napa, free RSVP / prices vary
Aug 24: The Harder they Come (film screening). Sebastiani Theatre, $14
Aug 28: Napa Bookmine Author Event: Pressing Matters by Alan Ramey (talk). Decant, $0 / $30 (with book)
Aug 28: MNTRA: Salty Residency (dance party). Napa Music Hall / THE Club, $29
Aug 28: Third Eye Blind (live music). Graton Resort & Casino (Roehnert Park), $69+
Aug 29: Hannibal Buress (comedy). Uptown Theare, $50
Sep 1: Diana Ross (live music). Uptown Theatre, $101+
Sep 4: Stephen Malkmus (live music). Gundlach Bundschu, $87+
Sep 4: Gregg Allman: The Music of My Soul (film screening). Uptown Theatre, $24
Sep 5: Con Funk Shun with special guest Lenny Williams (live music). Meritage, $52+
Sep 6: Babyface (live music). Meritage, $88+
Sep 12: Puttin’ on the Glitz (clothing sale). Community Projects, prices vary
Sep 12: Gimme Gimme Disco (dance party). Napa Music Hall, $22+
Sep 13: Calistoga’s Harvest Table (communal dinner). Lincoln Avenue, $175
Sep 19: A Flock of Seagulls (live music) Uptown Theatre, $49+
Advance Notice:
Sep 23: Women in Conversation ft.Anne Lamott (talk). Green Music Center (Rohnert Park), $44
Sep 24 - 27: Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival. Various locations (Sonoma, prices vary
Sep 27: Napa Valley Pizza Contest. NVEF Discovery Campus, $50
Oct 3 - 4 Mictlan: A Theatrical Exploration Of The Aztec Legend (theatre). Sebastiani Theatre (Sonoma), $20+
Oct 4: Soundcheck ft. Tropa Magica & more (live music). Gundlach Bundschu, $55
Oct 9 - 11: Vintage Revival Rodeo. Calistoga Fairgrounds, $125+
Oct 9: CIA at COPIA: Jaime Rojo's 'Chasing Monarchs' (talk/film). CIA at COPIA Napa, Ecolab Theater, $46
Oct 16: Haunted Wine Country (storytime). Sebastiani Theatre (Sonoma), $17
Oct 17: Shakey Graves (live music). Napa Music Hall, The Ballroom, $49+
Oct 26: Shaun of the Dead (film screening). Sebastiani Theatre (Sonoma), $14
Nov 10: Soft Cell (live music). Uptown Theatre, $101+
Nov 16: Fantasia (film screening). Sebastiani Theatre (Sonoma), $14
Nov 20: The English Beat (live music). Napa Music Hall, $48
Dec 3: Rita Wilson (live music). Napa Music Hall, $51
Dec 6: Aprés Ski Holiday Party. Gundlach Bundschu, $45
Paid subscribers: Check out our Events Calendar for the fullest list of goings on!
Unpaid subscribers: Pay us and then check out the events calendar! Or borrow someone’s password, that’s what we’d do.