Napa Valley's demure hamlet has evolved into a dining destination.

Start your day at Bouchon Bakery, the patisserie offshoot of Thomas Keller's precise bistro, Bouchon. The almond croissants ($3.25) and pain au raisin ($2.75) are exemplary morning pastries, but we like to flirt with a high-octane sugar fix. Our favorites: the fancified Nutter Butter stuffed with peanut-rich buttercream ($3) and the brown-butter financier ($1.50).

At dinnertime, Bottega can be a gawking melee. So lunch--with a bargain-priced three-course menu ($24)--is the ideal time to experience Michael Chiarello's modern Italian restaurant. Our favorite dishes: shaved Brussels sprout salad with marcona almonds and pecorino, and Chiarello's brawny veal and pork bolognese.

Wine is (understandably) the chosen liquid of Yountville. Veer from the predictable by visiting the brilliant winemaking co-op Silenus Vintners, outside Yountville city limits. It functions as both a production facility for 18 boutique wineries and a tasting room where you can sample standout wines produced on-site. Cost: $15 to sample six whites; $25 to sample six reds.

The green hotel Bardessono (pictured) features an intensely talented chef, Sean O'Toole. A notable recent example: O'Toole treated meaty sablefish like steak, pairing it with creamed spinach and a bold red-wine sauce.