To say that I like food is a huge understatement. It's like saying a fashionista just likes clothes.
Not to sound like the total spoiled brat that I can be sometimes, but I have to declare here and now that I've become accustomed to finer things in life. So, if that means a $60 bottle of wine, designer handbags and artisan cuisine, so be it.
However, since I am on a grad student budget these days, I will refrane from purchasing expensive bottles of wine and brand named fashion accessories. Yet, I will never skimp on the good stuff: FOOD.
I think this year that I have spent in the North Bay has managed to make me even more of a food snob than I was before. Maybe it's because I sell specialty foods and wine, or maybe it's just because I'm surrounded by so much good, fresh, local and organic stuff everywhere I turn.
I'm lucky enough to live in Sonoma where I can get farm fresh eggs and produce just down the street, or I can drive up to Napa, only 15 minutes away, at Oxbow Public Market for what I can only refer to as "Foodie Heaven". (And even that doesn't do it justice.)
I like to consider myself a connoisseur of public markets. They are my absolute favorite place to play. (Aside from Sephora, of course.) I'm well acquainted with Pike's Place Market in Seattle, The Ferry Plaza in SF, and the largest public market in the southern hemisphere - Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne, Australia.
Oxbow is fairly new compared to the others I just mentioned, but can definitely compete in the same category. Since today was Tuesday, they had their morning farmer's market until noon, which of course rocked my world. It's certainly not the largest farmer's market I've ever been to, or even the most extensive one. (I think Ferry Plaza has everyone beat there.) However, it did have plenty of fresh produce from both the Napa and Sonoma. They also had samples, which just makes eating your way through a market so much more affordable. They're also a great way to get kids interested in eating fruits and veggies, as I've noticed. There were tons of children running around clutching giant bags of kettle corn and sampling fresh ripe strawberries from Watsonville. Mmmmmm. 
After sampling enough fruits to meet our daily intake requirements, my cousin and I headed inside the market. This is where the fun starts. Empty stomachs are highly recommended. Inside we walked around the Oxbow Produce and Grocery where we cringed at overpriced artisan pastas for the pesto macaroni and cheese that I am planning to make tomorrow. 
Moving on, we headed to the wine and cheese section, where joy of joys I found butter from New Zealand. Not that I really eat butter, but I had to get some even if it wasn't local because I love anything that comes from Kiwi country. We then realized we hadn't yet had our daily dose of coffee and made a pit stop at Ritual Roasters where they totally glamorized my latte, followed by a stop at Kara's Cupcakes for a Fleur de Sal chocolate cupcake with caramel goodness in the middle. I'm a total coffee snob, so I take my espresso seriously and Ritual passes the test with flying colors - smooth, rich and complex flavors without being too strong or heavy. (Plus, they make the little design in the foam, which always makes me happy.)
Oxbow also has an Olive Press, where you can try all kinds of olive oils from Arbequina to Sevillana with Mission thrown in there somewhere. Eating lunch there is a tough choice especially when you're hungry. I had originally headed over there for some Gott's Roadside, which of course one can never get enough of considering I had just had some on Saturday in St. Helena between spa time at Calistoga and Dean & Deluca. There's just so much to choose from. I was really tempted to forgo the Gott's for some empandas and arepas at Pica Pica Maize Kitchen. But my cousin had already gotten psyched up for the delectible sweet potato fries with aioli ranch dressing at Gott's and I only had room for a vanilla coke and grilled cheese sandwich in my tummy. (Not the monstrousity I had on Saturday.)
There is too much good stuff to see all in one trip, which means, I'm going to have to head back up to Napa ASAP to finish this culinary adventure.
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