I miss the place already: Kelley’s No Bad Days Café on Pearl Street in downtown Napa has seen its last water fight. The colorful, quirky eatery, owned and operated by chef Kelley Novak, survived downtown flooding and economic hard times, but a stiff rent increase was more than the small café could overcome. And so ends an era: Completely unconcerned with reviews, ratings and tourists, Kelley’s was by far the most idiosyncratic and personality-driven restaurant in town, from its beachy décor to the outspoken chef in the open kitchen.
Novak’s cooking has always been a joy—a member of the family that owns Spottswoode Vineyards, she was a gifted caterer before opening her own place in the early 2000s—but her hospitality could be uneven: Whether or not Kelley’s No Bad Days would be serving lunch appeared to depend on how the chef was feeling on that particular morning. And if you happened to be a Hummer driver, you would be made distinctly unwelcome at any time: Novak has never been shy about her loathing for the vehicle and all who drive it. (If the HMRH8TR license plate on the café wall didn’t tip you off, the toy Hummer impaled by a chef’s knife was, you should pardon the expression, a dead giveaway.)
As for the water fights: Novak was known for deploying her anatomical “Mr. Widdle” dolls to liven things up around the place. I can vouch that it’s quite an icebreaker to be sprayed with a plastic wee-wee doll by a fellow diner. Not for everyone? Perhaps, but as Novak told a television interviewer, “If people don’t like it, they can leave.” Alas, it’s Novak who has left this time.
But as one restaurant door closes, another opens: On Clinton Street, just one block north of the now-shuttered Kelley’s, noted chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Neela Paniz (late of Los Angeles’ Bombay Café) has debuted the first Indian restaurant Napans have seen in years. Located in the same building that houses the expanded Azzuro Pizzeria E Enoteca, Neela’s serves lunch and dinner menus based on traditional Indian cuisine, with tandoor-cooked chicken, housemade curries and chutneys and fresh-baked flatbreads. The restaurant also screens Bollywood videos. Neela’s, 975 Clinton Street, Napa: (707) 226-9988, http://neelasnapa.com.
Downtown Napa now has both the county’s newest Indian restaurant and its only vegetarian dining place, the acclaimed Ubuntu on Main Street, which does double duty as a yoga studio—and has now added a retail shop and wine-tasting bar. Opened in June, the Ubuntu Annex serves wines from local organic and sustainably minded producers, including the award-winning certified biodynamic winery Lion’s Run, which sources its grapes from the Ubuntu gardens. The retail shop sells yoga togs and kitchenware, giving Ubuntu fans the opportunity to purchase specialty items like the hard-to-find cast-iron cocottes chef Jeremy Fox uses to create his signature dish, “Cauliflower in a Cast Iron Pot.” The shop also stocks Fox’s famed “Lavender Almonds” and some of his favorite artisanal foods, such as Regina Olive Oil, Ridgecut Gristmills grits and Rancho Gordo heirloom beans. Ubuntu Annex is open daily from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at 1130 Main Street, (707) 251-5656.
Speaking of Rancho Gordo, proprietor Steve Sando has been struggling for months to open his own store a few blocks north of downtown on Yajome Street. The bean entrepreneur’s original plan was to open to the public in April, the same month you first read about it here. But due to what Sando is calling—with atypical restraint—”a complicated permitting process,” it may be midsummer before customers can walk up to the Rancho Gordo counter and purchase a bag or more of his popular dried beans, posole and other New World produce.
It’s a shame for more than one reason: Not only has Sando been shelling out thousands of dollars in rent for an empty space while missing out on half a summer’s worth of retail sales, but the City of Napa is going without its share of the revenue he could be producing. If you don’t think there’s money in beans, think again: Sando is a chef’s darling whose heirloom Mexican legumes sell out as soon as they’re harvested. For the latest on the shop (1924 Yajome St., Napa), check Sando’s website at www.ranchogordo.com.
Another well-known Napa name, Bounty Hunter, was recently voted “Best Wine Bar” in the “2009 Bay List” poll of more than 21,000 visitors to sfgate.com, the San Francisco Chronicle’s website. Variously known as Bounty Hunter Rare Wine & Provisions (on the sign) and Bounty Hunter Wine Bar & Smokin’ BBQ (on the menu), this bustling, casual First Street spot was an early entry into the downtown nightlife scene.
Bounty Hunter offers simple but well-accomplished food to accompany its staggering beverage list: 40 wines by the glass and 400 by the bottle, along with Guinness on tap and an assortment of artisanal beers and ales. Ribs, steaks, sandwiches and the bar’s signature beer-can chicken are among the heartier dishes; smaller plates include olives, soups, salads and cheese or charcuterie platters. Wednesday is cheeseburger night (Idaho Kobe burgers with Vermont Cabot cheddar, served on buns from nearby ABC Bakery and accompanied by “Gus’s Half Sour Pickles,” which are esteemed so highly by owner Mark Pope that he named them for his beloved terrier).
On any night of the week, you might find yourself rubbing elbows with winemakers, touring musicians in town to play the Napa Valley Opera House and just plain Napa folks out for a bite and a beverage. The wine bar has been packing them all in since 2003, but the Bounty Hunter outfit has been around since the last century: Pope started his Wild West-themed business 15 years ago, with a mail-order catalog that continues to thrive. The Bounty Hunter mailer has been called the “J. Peterman of wine catalogs” for its folksy, storytelling vibe, but unlike Peterman—whose enterprise expanded into bankruptcy a dozen years after its launch—Pope has never relinquished the helm of his company. Here’s hoping he never does. Bounty Hunter, 975 First Street, Napa. (707) 226-3976; http://bountyhunterwinebar.com.
