38 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF: DAVID ESCALANTE - RO RESTAURANT & LOUNGE A weekend in Yountville isn’t meant to be action-packed. With one main street bordered by restaurants, tasting rooms, boutique hotels, spas, a Panama hat shop and not much else, this is the kind of destination best savored at a slower pace. Wine, dine and expect the sublime in one of America’s most sophisticated small towns. {due west} CYCLE OR STROLL As you roll into town, get the lay of the land with a quick stroll. It’s only a breezy 20-minute walk from one end of tree-lined Washington Street to the other. As you scope things out, appreciate Yountville’s abundance of sculptures by taking the free self-guided art walk available online at townofyountville. com/238/art-walk. Prefer cycling to strolling? Pick up a cruiser or e-bike at Napa Valley Bike Tours & Rentals or, if you’re checking into North Block Hotel, commandeer one of its complimentary bicycles to coast through downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods. For a more rustic route, take Yount Mill Road out of town and zip along verdant vineyards, the Napa River and surrounding hillsides dotted with grazing cows. REMARKABLE RESTAURANTS Ready for the town’s renowned restaurant scene? We’re sure you’ve already heard of a little place called The French Laundry, but the area is overflowing with outstanding options. Beyond his legendary three-Michelin-star restaurant, Chef Thomas Keller has opened several more eateries around town, including RO Restaurant & Lounge, a partnership with his chef de cuisine, Jeffery Hayashi. This Asian-inspired dining destination delights in bringing the artful and unexpected to your table. Take the creamy uni on fresh brioche from the bakery down the road. Or the wagyu flat iron steak with shio koji marinade and cherry tomatoes, a sweet and savory synergy with bright acidity. Or caviar on ice cream. It shouldn’t work, but it does, the light saltiness of the cheesecakelike ice cream harmonizing with the miso caramel and pop of royal-grade caviar. My favorite meal comes from Bottega Napa Valley, an Italian spot with an inviting interior in shades of amber and copper and
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