“The World’s Most Elegant Train” is the way they tout themselves.  I have never ridden on the Orient Express, so I will take their word for it, but it is a very nice ride.  We decided that it would be a great way to see part of the valley and have lunch.  The valley is not that big, it goes from the city of Napa to St. Helena and back.  We booked the Vista Dome, the “first class” seating area with a full lunch.

It was a great way to get a feeling for the west side of the valley, as we went through Yountville, Oakville, and Rutherford before arriving at St. Helena.  You could look out the windows and see some of the wineries like Domaine Chandon, Far Niente, Robert Mondavi, Niebaum/Coppola and GrgichHills.  Just a nice slow ride there and back again, while being pampered the entire time.

For lunch we both had Seared Classic Foie Gras, followed with a Baby Lettuce Bouquet salad.  Then I had a classic Filet Mignon with a cabernet/veal demi-glace and my Bride had Sterling Sturgeon with a Champagne Beurre Blanc Sauce.  Then I had Crème Brulee and she ordered Bourbon Vanilla Cheesecake.  We had a bottle of one of my favorite wines Cain Cuvee; my Bride doesn’t mind a red wine with a heartier fish like the sturgeon.  They also had their own branded wines on the wine list.   A great meal, even more impressive that it was on a train and Amtrak should take lessons from them.

Afterwards we went to one of the club cars on the train and did a wine tasting of some of the Napa wines.  As I recall, they had two different tasting events going; one of popular price wines and one with “collectable” wines.  We attended the latter, I unfortunately don’t have my notes from the tasting, but I remember that I was not wowed by any of the selections.  Of course, after having the Cain, the other wines paled in comparison.

As a side note, as I am looking at my souvenirs from the Wine Train, I see that reservations and prepayment were required when we went, so I would presume that is still the course.  They also offered dinner packages, a deli-car fare, brunch excursions and theme excursions.  If you are spending a couple of days in Napa, I would recommend this highly for a nice meal and just to look at the valley without cars all around you.