Mike and I are headed to Bottlerock this weekend and I couldn’t be more excited because as much as Bottlerock is an excellent music festival, they’re also a food and drink focused one. Located in sunny Napa Valley, it’s almost too perfect. Here’s our Bottlerock 2018 what to eat and who to check out guide!
Morimoto
Morimoto will both have a food stand and be headlining the Williams Sonoma Culinary Stage. We’re definitely going to get a plate of maki and hopefully he’ll have the chicken katsu burger again because I’m all about crispy chicken sandwiches.
A couple of years ago, on the Culinary Stage, Morimoto taught Snoop Dogg how to roll sushi, which was very apt considering that Snoop loves rolling ;) This year he’s teaming up with Ken Griffey Jr so maybe there’ll be some fish throwing? I have no idea, but I plan to be there! The crowds at the culinary stage look pretty intense, almost like the chefs are celebrities or something?!
Snoop Dogg
Speaking of Snooooooooooop, he’s going to be dropping it like it’s hot, with two sets, one rapping and one on the culinary stage. Maybe he’ll bring out a surprise guest? I’ve got my fingers crossed for Martha of course, since they’re besties and have that Potluck Dinner Party show together.
Sadly his music set is on the same time as the Killers so we’re going to be skipping out on that. Hopefully he’ll rap a little during his cooking set, fingers crossed.
Halsey
Halsey is also doing two sets: one preforming, one cooking. I don’t know much about her, but I was pretty obsessed with Badlands at one point so I’m hoping to catch her set. And I’m always curious about people cooking, plus she’s a headliner on the Culinary Stage so I can’t wait to see what she does.
Dominique Crenn
I have not had the pleasure of eating at a Dominique Crenn restaurant, but after watching her Chef’s Table episode on Netflix, I want to see her cook in person because the brunch menu at Petit Crenn is right up my alley.
Warren G
Warren G can cook?! I had no idea but after learning that he was on the Culinary Stage I did a quick google search and apparently Warren G is quite the foodie. Also, I love Regulate so obviously we’ll check him out on both stages.
Bouchon Bakery
If you’ve been to Yountville, you’ve probably visited Thomas Keller’s quaint pistachio colored bakery, Bouchon. I love their bouchon (chocolate brownie-like cork-shaped cakes), their giant chocolate chips, their oreos (I even made Keller’s oreo recipe), and their sandwiches. Oh and their almond croissants are insanely good too. The best thing I ate at the festival was definitely their freshly fried beignets! We had a bag and the group next to us was super curious, so I offered them some and they went to buy their own bag because they were that good :)
Kara’s Cupcakes
Kara’s Cupcakes is originally from San Francisco but they have an outpost in Napa. They bake with local, sustainable products and I’ve been a fan since way back when – their banana cupcakes are my favorite! I think listening to music while snacking on a cupcake will be even sweeter. And when you buy a cupcake, you can get a bonus pink guitar pick that has a cupcake on it.
FK Frozen Custard Bars
I love frozen custard (think dense, extra creamy ice cream made with egg yolks) so this San Francisco based custard truck is going to be on the must-eat list. I can’t think of anything better than a frozen treat on a hot day. Bonus, they have a bunch of fun flavors like black sesame, thai tea, ube, and cookie butter.
Hendrick’s Gin
Hendrick’s has a giant 3 story bar/structure next to the WS Culinary stage. It has that quirky cute ye olde curiosity shop feel to it and they have bunch of refreshing cocktails on tap. We tried the Madame Butterfly: super instagramable because it’s made with butterfly pea flower tea with a dehydrated lemon wheel. Purple, pretty, and packs a punch. My favorite of the bunch was the Sun God, which had Hendrick’s, Lillet, cucumber, lemon, and soda.
Knob Creek Bourbon
Knob Creek had a whole shop/bar with a bunch of Big Green Eggs set up for grilling. For $16, you can get a cocktail (or bourbon neat/on the rocks) and a small plate of food. We tried the grilled shrimp as well as the ribeye and both were excellent. I’ve always been interested in Big Green Eggs – they’re cute! – so it was fun watching the grilling.
Alright, that’s all I got for now, but I’ll be reporting back and updating this post with what we actually ate. I’m really looking forward to seeing what all the Napa peeps break out. I’m hoping there’s going to be some really good wood-fire pizza and some sort of excellent french fry dish.
If you guys have any Napa Valley recommendations or have the inside scoop on what to eat at Bottlerock, please let me know!
xoxo steph
Can’t wait to read more about your adventures there! Bottlerock is on my culinary and musical bucket list, but the timing has never been right for us to get back to Napa for one!