Did you attend the French Laundry's epic holiday party last night? Of course you didn't, you plebeian. Neither did we. Bunrab, however, did. They have loads of photos from last night's gastronomic gathering in Yountville to prove it, including girls dressed as extras from A Little Night Music, Thomas Keller and a bowl of What-Am-I-Chopped-Chicken-Liver (technically, that's not what it's called but wouldn't it be a goddamn scream if Keller started naming his dishes the Rachael Ray way?), brilliant Inside Scoop editor Paolo Lucchesi, and a block of super-fancy ice. [Bunrab] more ›

Pour a saucer of cream on the ground today, folks. Today we honor the dozens of cats who lost their lives during a Napa blaze that occurred on Sunday afternoon. Located in the 2300 block of Stagecoach Canyon Road in Pope Valley, a "cattery," which was described as a "structure used for the breeding or mass housing of domestic cats," burned down. more ›

The weather this past weekend was especially hot in St. Helena, where meat enthusiasts made matters even worse by firing up the coals for another episode of Primal, the annual orgy of butchery, fire roasting, eating and drinking, on the grounds at Chase Cellars. In addition to dishes made from almost every part of various pigs, lambs, beef, goats, chickens and more, features included a four-way bacon tasting, cocktails from our pals at Alembic, smoked oyster stout in bacon-rimmed glasses from Magnolia Pub and Brewery, loads of wines, salumi brought all the way from South Carolina, and even a few vegetables prepared by the folks at Ubuntu. more ›

Renowned for his skills on "Iron Chef" in both the United States and Japan, Masaharu Morimoto's newest Napa restaurant, Morimoto Napa, received a rare three stars from Michael Bauer. A few of the highlights? "Exquisite sushi, tofu. Playful creations. Glamorous warehouse environment. Good sake and local wine list." more ›

by Jerry James Stone more ›

The trio still standing on Bravo's Top Chef comprises The Brothers Voltaggio (brusque, tattooed, envelope-pushing Michael and staid, straight-laced, classically trained Bryan) and beardy Kevin from Atlanta, who has proven that simple food with Southern influences can compete against more innovative, haute cuisine. Tonight they go head to head in one final, Healdsburg-based challenge, with Douglas Keane of Cyrus serving as guest judge. more ›

Eater has word that the Food Network -- home to the world's only living genius, Sandra Lee -- might be looking for a West Coast office of operations. The gastronomic TV network, it seems, is "scoping out the Copia campus with the thought of turning the shuttered food and wine center into a West Coast studio." Which is great news. Local star chefs, like Joanne Weir, deserve a little Food Network spotlight attention, and this might just do the trick. more ›

For the final couple of episodes, the cast of Bravo's ever so popular chef showdown relocated from Sin City to our neck of the woods, staying at the Le Mars Hotel in Healdsburg and eating at Brix in St. Helena. Cyrus was closed a week ago Thursday to accommodate the contestants along with Padma and Tom, and presumably Andy Cohen, Gail and that priggish British dude as well. more ›

A small prop plane bound for Bakersfield, a Cessna 182 to be exact, crashed shortly after takeoff from Napa County Airport this morning at around 4:30 a.m. The pilot, who was the only person aboard, was killed. That is all. more ›

If you've noticed over the past couple of days, it's smells a bit smoky, a bit ashy in Baghdad by the Bay. It seems, according to CBS 5, Northern California is suffering from about 950 wildfire right now.The top half of the state is, in essence, on fire. Yikes! So far, Carmel Valley residents have been forced from their homes due to the massive blaze in the Los Padres National Forest over in Monterey County, which is the largest blaze yet. more ›

Last night's five-alarm wildfire in the San Bruno Mountains, which threatened homes in South San Francisco, has been 75 percent as of this morning. The crisp weather and fog -- which has mercifully killed this past weekend's vile heatwave -- has helped firefighters attack the blaze successfully. more ›