A Foodie's Guide to Napa Valley's Surprise Spring

For those looking for the newest kid in the valley, there's North Block Hotel in the former Hotel Luca in Yountville. In area remarkably lacking in cool and trendy design hotels that aren't faux-Euro in theme or painfully modern, North Block (named for its location at the northern tip of Yountville) employs an industrial and somewhat retro decor with modern furnishings and a hipster-glam aesthetic. Local designer Erin Martin was in charge of the renovation, including all 20 guest rooms.

The hotel is also home to new Redd Wood by Reddington, who also does the nearby one-star Michelin-winning Redd. It offers a gastro-Italian eatery with daily rotating menu of charcuterie and cheese plates as well as wood-fired pizza specialties ranging from traditional tomato and basil pies to hefty homemade sausage, pork jowl or prosciutto cotto toppings. The casual interiors use unfinished stone, walls of glass and industrial steel among wrap-around tufted banquettes and bentwood bistro chairs -- refreshingly casual given the area's numerous fancy gourmands.