Breakfast at the Carneros Inn (Boon Fly and Hilltop)

I’m not much of a breakfast person in general, but I’ll make an exception on vacation (and anyway, during our stay at the Carneros Inn, breakfast was included in our rate!).

We tried both restaurants, the Boon Fly Cafe and the Hilltop dining room (open only on weekends most of the year).

The Boon Fly is a bright red barn-like structure, with high ceilings and a casual, airy feel.  While there are some pretty tempting options on the menu (“green eggs and ham” – poached eggs wrapped in ham, with lemon leek sauce on hash brown), we stuck with lighter fare, knowing we’d have lunch soon enough.

So we got steel cut oats, but it also turns out we couldn’t resist the Boon Fly doughnuts – light and sugary, served in tin pails.

On our last day, before heading to the airport, I chose something a little heartier – Poppa Joe’s eggs in a hole, with sourdough bread, hash browns, and bacon.  Buttery bread, runny eggs, and plenty of ketchup… How can you go wrong?  I need to master making this at home.

We went for Sunday brunch at the Hilltop, where it turns out they also serve doughnuts – only here, they’re dressed up in white linen instead of a pail.

I had green breakfast enchiladas, which look completely non-photogenic here (especially compared to D’s showy chilaquiles) but were actually one of the best things I ate during our whole Napa trip – corn tortillas wrapped around scrambled eggs, with tomatillo sauce, Jack cheese, crema, and avocado.  Nothing avant garde, just really good ingredients that go so well together.  And I ordered a side of sauteed spinach, which was downright generous, and made me feel a little healthier after a few too many restaurant meals.

On the way back to our cottage, I noticed this little guy enjoying a breakfast of his own!