Belly dancers and Moorish “guards” evoke Venice’s historic role as trading nexus between East and West. Classic and contemporary tableaux vivants and music wafts through the palace rooms. With Napa Valley’s fascination for vintage wine and fashion, Sautter suggests dressing up at Mardi Gras with Grandmoth- er’s dresses or modestly priced recycled fashion. What’s a party without food and drink? Sautter serves bubbles to celebrate the season. Bolla notes that Prosecco is locally produced and a traditional beverage at Carnival, with the bo- nus of lower alcohol content during long hours of partying. At Da Ivo, my favorite spot in the San Marco district, the din- ing room hosts a special entry door for those arriving by gon- dola. During Carnival, guests are often greeted with a glass of Valdo Prosecco, followed by a feast of traditional fegato alla Venezia e frittole e galani, finely sliced liver with sautéed onions with small, sweet Carnival fritters for dessert. Luckily Boisset of Boisset Family Estates turned to New Orleans for Napa Gras culinary at Raymond Vineyards. My favorite match ups were beignets with JCB sparkling wine in the Red Room and oysters with Raymond whites in the Barrel Room. I recently asked Boisset why he hosted Napa Gras. “Mardi Gras occurred during Premier Napa, a serious wine event with people tasting and buying barrels of wine. The wine world needs some excitement—a place to travel and dream, a place to dress up and show your secret personality behind a mask.” As guests arrived at Raymond they were handed colorful masks. Boisset likes the equalizing effect of Mardi Gras balls. “We may not know a person’s identity, perhaps a neighbor, restaurateur or winemaker. People seem more approachable in masks.” Winter in Napa Valley is sometimes called “Cabernet Season” when folks gather for hearty meals that call for Napa reds. Hotel Mardi Gras packages are rare. Meadowood Napa Val- ley points to their busy February schedule: Valentine’s Day, Presidents Day, Premiere Napa, and an annual Wine Writers Symposium. But I’ve discovered that Mardi Gras thrives at a few valley spots. BarbersQ in Napa will double their authentic take on étouffée and jambalaya. Both GM Kelly Sherman and new Ex- ecutive Chef Randy Lewis hail from New Orleans. Hurley’s Res- taurant and Bar in Yountville presents a Mardi Gras bash with Cajun music, masks and beads. Bob Hurley brings in a special New Orleanian chef who dishes up seafood gumbo and more. A new Mardi Gras venue is Fish Story on the Napa River. Along with another fave, fried oyster po-boys (think seafood sub sandwich), I’m drooling for the prix fixe dinner menus: oysters Rockefeller, seafood gumbo and beignets or the more gour- met feast with crawdad (crawfish) boil appetizer and lobster Thermidor options. After crawdads by the water, I’ll head for Raymond Vineyards. Boisset has promised new mysteries and adventures for Napa Gras 2013. Tickets will be available at http://raymondvineyards. com/ in mid-January. “I’ve been to Venice Mardi Gras and we won’t match that. But we want to know the person behind the mask,” said Boisset. “The discovery is like a wine label. We describe the wine with art and words. But you don’t know the wine until you pull the cork.” 9
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