Oxbow Public Market
610 First Street
Napa, CA 94559
Screw the Mustard Festival. Napa Valley’s famed series of outlandishly expensive events in celebration of the puny (but quite pretty) mustard flower seem designed to exclude the majority of broke-ass humankind. And so, this spring, I sped straight past the hoity-toity wineries on Highway 29 and took in the stunning view for free; then (and here’s a perk of irregular employment), I wound my way over to the Oxbow Public Market to enjoy my own, enviably more fun and affordable festivities at Pica Pica Bar’s 3-6 p.m. “3×3″ Happy Hour.
Situated in the midst of Oxbow Market, downtown Napa’s fancy foodie mecca overflowing with outrageous organic concoctions, oyster bars, artisan cupcakes and antique butcher knives on offer for about $300 each (why, why would anyone want such a thing? Useless, old and gross, right? But I digress…), in the midst of all this sits the smart, modern and delightfully unpretentious Pica Pica Bar. A recent offshoot of the adjoining Pica Pica Maize Kitchen (innovative Venezuelan eatery specializing in sweet and savory corn pancakes that are massive, unique and insanely delicious), the bar offers swankier bar fare alongside local and artisan brews and house wines. I’ve had my fair share of lunchtime cachapas (the aforementioned stuffed corn pancakes) and loved ‘em; but to be honest, ever since I heard about the impending opening of the Pica Pica Bar, I’d been itching to get my hands on their exceptional Happy Hour specials: $3 ceviche (!!), pulled pork arepa sliders, house wines and sangrias AND (drum roll, please) draft imports and Bay Area microbrews! What a deal.
My better half and I sauntered up to the bar around 4:30 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon, and boy, was it dead. A single sad and lonely-looking cook sat slumped over the lovely copper bar alongside a takeaway soup carton, eyes glazed over; there wasn’t another soul in sight. We stood expectantly gazing up at the menu, salivating over the draft taps, and thankfully one of the clerks at the neighboring Maize Kitchen soon spotted us and sent a bartender our way. (Apparently early takers on the Happy Hour menu aren’t too common around here. What, do all the Napa-ites have, like, real jobs or something?)
As promised, and to our infinite delight, everything we desired and more was a mere $3 a pop: I settled on the red wine sangria and white fish ceviche, while my partner opted for a Bear Republic Racer 5 (an incredible steal at $3) and the pulled pork sliders (served on {arepas}, little white-corn flatbread pockets). As we sat back and sunk into our beverages, things began to liven up around us. What began as a scant crowd – us, the aforementioned sleepy cook and an ancient but impressive couple (they were throwing back pints of local Berkeley brew Trumer Pils like goddamn champs) – soon morphed into the makings of a solid and diverse Thursday night. Turns out, this particular Thursday was Trumer Pils Brewer’s Night, featuring special prices on the popular pilsner, prizes and more. Couples, young parents toting babies, a few girl’s-night-out gaggles and the like all began to flock to the centrally located Pica Pica Bar; and as we nibbled on our delicious, ideally-sized bar snacks (his sliders looked tiny but packed enough pulled pork to offset the effects of Racer 5′s 7.0% alcohol content, while my ceviche was served by the scoopful alongside plantain chips and jicama sticks), I found myself charmed by a setting amenable to so many.
The beauty of Oxbow is that it accommodates yuppie shoppers and tourists without excluding babies, families, elderly partiers (yup, that couple was on round #2 by the time we settled our tab) or even the marginally employed, such as ourselves. Visitors get to see and smell and sample all the famous food & wine & organic, artisan-oriented Napa-ness without the astronomical tab. It’s worth visiting; and trust me, when it comes time for a drink and a snack, Pica Pica Bar is where it’s at.
by Lauren Westerfield
[Photos: Jacqueline Klassen]
