Bouchon Bakery (The One In Yountville Part One)

If I were asked what's the one thing that makes the whole #WanderUS trip worthwhile, I would answer with Yountville. This little town 90km north of San Francisco, is a gem for foodies and anyone who's up for out-of-town kind of enjoyment. Think of serene Ubud in Bali combined with the lines of food place in Melbourne alleys.

This town has a certain pull that I couldn't describe. Maybe it has something to do with Thomas Keller and all the things he did there. I don't know for certain, but I'm hooked. So much that I was willing to wake up at 5AM, take a cold shower at 12C, go for an hour of ferry ride and another hour of bus ride to get there. But I take pride of discovering my own way to Yountville. I talked to a lot of people and everyone responded the same. They said it is impossible to go there unless I rent a car and drive there. Guess what? I made it with public transport.

Ferry ride to Vallejo. A view of SF from afar. 

Vallejo Ferry Terminal & Tourist Center.

Halfway through. Napa Valley vineyard on left & right along the way. 

Here we are! 

It's 9.30 AM and a long line of people are already in place to grab some of Bouchon Bakery's goodness. Yours truly is one of them. Came with empty stomach, I was immensely overwhelmed with so many options to choose from, but considering I'll head to lunch at Bouchon after, I grabbed a few quick bites and a cup of cappuccino.

Cookies & macarons to the rescue! So much sugar for breakfast, but I suppose there's never a wrong timing for desserts and such right?

This Nutter Butter is a winner for me. Sandwiched in two thick crunchy cookie, the chunk of grounded nut spread was as dense as scrumptious could be. It is also fulfilling in a way. I was munching it halfway when I realize if I pursue it further, I'll end up ditching the macaron altogether. Plus the colorful macarons are sort of jumping off from its box, drawing my attention to be tasted. Leia, the NX300 did well in portraying that right? I must say, I'm glad making the decision to bring her over. The touch screen focus really helped in making drooling pictures like this.

The Nutter Butter. Look at that chunk of nutty fillings.

Enough geek talk. And so I dug in with full curiosity.

What does Thomas Keller could offer in macaron department? Let's analyze. It is bigger in size compared to the common macaron. It almost fit the whole circular area of my palm. You can almost call it gigantic. Purposefully made to psychologically justify the price maybe ($3.25 each)? On the first bite, I must admit it lived up to its hype. It has that beautiful 'feet' that rings around it. It is light and crisp outside, soft and chewy on the inside. Out of the four flavor I picked, Coconut must be the one that speak to me the most with its rich flavor, followed by Pistachio, Coffee, and Caramel. Again, with the size, I could only finish half of each. Packed the remaining for late night cravings. ;)

Kudos to Leia, the NX300 for this shot. Touch screen focus is awesome!

Added this photo just to make you envious. =p

And here's another one.

10.17 AM and I was sugar high. Indescribable happiness. I was all smileful, like I could take on the world.

10. 20 AM and I have a good forty minutes before Bouchon opens for lunch. Guess where I went to? Now here's a hint. And I'll spill more of it on the next post.

Here's a clue for the next post. Dare to make a guess? ;)

Yountville, I missed you already.

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Bouchon Bakery 

6528 Washington Street
Yountville, California
Ph: 707-944-2253
Opens: 7AM-7PM daily

Here's how to get to Yountville from SF using public transport, in three simple step:

1. Take any Muni / Bus that heads to San Francisco Ferry Building
2. Find the pier that heads to Vallejo. You can buy the ticket on the ferry. Ferry schedule here.
Its an hour ride and there's wifi on the ferry. How awesome is that?
3. Take either one of this Vine Bus:
- Vine Express 29. This go straight from the Vallejo Ferry Terminal to Yountville. But only run two trip in the morning: 6.15 and 7.15. Schedule here.
- Vine 11. This go from Vallejo Ferry Terminal to Napa College, then transfer to Vine 10 that goes to Yountville.

The One With Apple, Disappointment and Its Antidote in California

If you're thinking Apple, the multi billion dollar consumer electronics company that's missing Steve Jobs' magical touch, it is not. Apple is one of the many new friends I made on this trip. Obviously that's not her real name. Met her accidentally while I was attending a workshop in Sunnyvale. A fellow Indonesian who's living the life we would all envy from afar.

If it wasn't for her, I would probably end up cashing out unnecessary taxi money or went home with a pair of sore feet. Sunnyvale is not exactly a city equipped with public transport and truthfully, Google Maps can be very misleading. True story. I walked 30 minutes from the Caltrain station to my Airbnb's apartment at 10 PM and I did not meet one single person along the way, let alone a bus.

I don't believe in coincidence, I know that the universe connect us for a reason, and that is ... to let her show the beautiful food around the city.

The Famous Burger Joint

In-N-Out Burger was the obvious choice. Everyone who's ever been to this part of West Coast always raved about it. I went with utter curiosity only to be disappointed afterwards. Not only that the patty lacks beefy flavor, it also not particularly exciting in taste and texture too. Some kind of bland if I might go to the extreme. And let's not mention the juice. There's none. The special sauce? It's just thousand island. The equation was just not right.

Burger = patty + bun + everything else (sauce, other toppings, vegs)

In my simplest formula this is what makes a burger. When the patty is ruined, even a good well toasted soft bun couldn't help much. In-N-Out did well on the latter but not on the former.

And why am I being this critical to a piece of burger? After spending two weeks in the northern hemisphere, you'll see that burger is as close to a signature food as nasi goreng is to us Indonesian. One is free to make their own rendition of nasi goreng, but screwing up is simply unacceptable.

Then again, for that kind of price tag (less than $5), you shouldn't expect much and let's not be too hard on In-N-Out. Because as the name suggested, you go there for a quick fix, you get in, you dig in, and the off you go with your life. It is not meant to be life changing. Frankly speaking, it is at the bottom rank compared to the other 7 burgers I tasted on the trip. I personally think people go there for the nostalgic reason, the comfort of having something you grew up with.

The Not So Famous Gelato

Now this one right here is the underdog. Classico Gelato, hidden in the long walk of shophouses in downtown Mountain View, is one of the most voted gelato for a few years in a row. It hasn't got the cult following like In-N-Out but damn they have the good stuff here.

For $6.50 I have myself a scoop of Spumoni (pistachio, chocolate, vanilla gelato with dried fruits and nuts) and Creme Brulee. My suggestion: always have it with the original cone. It is the best way to enjoy ice cream with added texture.

After a let down with In-N-Out, this gelato eaten in the sunny blue sky of California was the perfect antidote to put me back in good mood.  It is one of the reasons why I love exploring a city with locals, you get to discover the hidden gem. This post is a thank you not for Apple and a few hours of food adventure.

Meet Leia

Oh, to close with, allow me to introduce Leia, my travel companion on this trip that took most of the beautiful pictures. Yes, she's the new member of the family. A mirrorless Samsung NX300. Proven to be quite portable and dependable. All the shot taken here are hers. You'll see more of her super power in the post to come.

So long, I'll see you in the next episode of #WanderUS Stories.

Fellexandro Ruby
The Wanderlust