September 17, 2008

US & CANADA | US | CALIFORNIA | NAPA

Napa’s Grape Expectations

By Suzanne Steinert

It’s harvest time — and downtown Napa is ripe for rebirth.

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September is the peak of “crush” season in Napa Valley — but it’s not just the vineyards getting all the attention. The once overlooked city of Napa (located at the southern base of the valley) has undergone a dramatic revitalization: a profusion of new restaurants, tasting rooms and hotels has turned Napa into a fashionable hub to rival the up-valley resort towns.

But the city’s not done yet: The Westin Verasa Napa (pictured) opens tomorrow with 180 condo-style suites. It joins a clutch of new luxe lodgings that includes White House Inn & Spa — occupying a restored mansion built in 1886, the stylish property calls itself Napa’s first “historic yet green” hotel. Still to come, AVIA Napa (part of a new hotel collection) opens next year — just as ground breaking begins on a 350-room Ritz Carlton (which, upon completion, will usurp the Westin Verasa as Napa’s largest upscale accommodation).

Located along the Napa River in the downtown’s rapidly developing Oxbow District, the Westin Verasa features Craftsman-style architecture that manifests itself in earth tones and natural elements — the entrance boasts a 22-foot flagstone fireplace and a glass-topped table made of saguaro cactus (the largest American cactus).

Each suite features Westin’s signature creature comforts and plenty of techie toys (think Xbox360, flat-screens and iPod docks). Outdoors, there are bocce courts and private poolside cabanas as well as a courtyard overlooking the waterfront and a new nature preserve. Set to open next July, nearby Oxbow Preserve will contain more than 14,000 plants native to Napa. But if you stick to the Westin Verasa’s own walking trails, you can access a new seven-mile riverside promenade, the downtown portion of which opened last spring.

The hotel’s coup de grace, though, is La Toque. Local celeb-chef Ken Frank relocated his Michelin-starred up-valley restaurant — celebrating 10 years in Napa — to its new home at the Westin Verasa. Showcasing Frank’s take on French-Californian cuisine and a wine list with over 800 selections, La Toque is most famous for its seasonal fresh truffle menu — one of only a few in the world. Starting next January, hotel guests can sign up for a series of exclusive chef-hosted “Truffle Camps,” which promise to teach foodies the basics of truffle-cooking. The tours will also give grape geeks a behind-the-scenes peek at farms and wineries normally off-limits to the masses.