It was a Good Friday.

It was a rare day, a day The Pinks had school and I did not work. This called for celebration: a leisurely lunch of three couples in Napa. Unfortunately the husbands couldn't go so it was just us girls.

We went to Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bistro. There's one in Las Vegas, another in Yountville, a third in Beverly Hills. It was just right. That's such a simple sentence but really, the decor was just right. The service was just right. The weather in Yountville was just right and I'm not sure how Keller orchestrated that part.  It took me a good 15 minutes to decide what to order. I literally wanted to taste a good two-thirds of the things on the menu. In the end I settled on rillettes au deux saumons, salade Maraichere with chevre chaud, and champignons. The rillettes came with butter on top and is served from a glass jar. One friend had the quiche and the other the scallops. We opted to hit the adjoining bakery on the way out instead of having dessert at the table. This would enable us to share some sweets with the missing husbands.

The bakery had a line out the door and down the sidewalk by the time we rolled away from the table. I came home with a turtle for the recently-braces-freed Paris and croissants, lemon tart and a peanut butter cookie for Dave. The rillettes and sandwiches are for sale at the bakery. The bread is amazing. Crusty and soft inside. Tableside it is served warm.

Yountville is an hour's drive from our house.