Oxbow Public Market: Return Visit

NAPA, Calif.
Yesterday I was in Napa with Foodhoe and her husband (yes, we were checking out another restaurant, which I'll be reviewing on Tuesday) and after lunch we made a stop at the Oxbow Public Market, the mini version of San Francisco's Ferry Building with various food shops and stands.

It's been almost a year since the last time I've been to Oxbow, so it has definitely changed quite a bit. It had just opened when I first blogged about it so not every store was open. Yesterday, it looked like it was 90 percent done (there's still a few more stores to open).

Oxbow is a bit sprawling, with a main building but several stores scattered around. When you drive up in Napa City on First Street (it's right next to Copia) you see a big Taylor's Refresher right at the corner, along with Fatted Calf. But much of the action is in the main building.

There were several markets opened selling fish, like Kanaloa Seafood Market above ...

... and meat from Five Dot Ranch.

Whole Spice was one of the stores that weren't ready to open when I last visited, but now it's totally opened with a large selection of spices.

Sometimes it seemed like too many spices because you can feel overwhelmed over what to get. I think it's more a place to visit if you've been looking for a rare and specific spice.

The main coffee stand in the back is Ritual Coffee from San Francisco's Mission District. It's funny how many of the stands at Oxbow have San Francisco ties. It's like they just transferred the Ferry Building to Napa. Other San Francisco-related places include the still-to-open Hog Island Oysters and Kara's Cupcakes.

Here's one of the many food stands. This is the Rotisario selling a variety of meat sandwiches. I didn't check out any of the food stands mostly because I just came from lunch. Hopefully another day.

There was a fresh produce market front and center. It was organic and fresh, like you would expect.

Look at these beautiful Romanesco cauliflower. Everything at the store was perfect-looking, and of course, pricey.

I just thought this display at The Kitchen Library store just looked so pretty and Napa Valley.

There's a whole section off the main corridor of the market near the back (and on your way to the restrooms) where you'll find this really large wine store and tasting bar ...

... and this cheese store above.

Oxbow Public Market is definitely more bustling since my last visit. Just like the Ferry Building in San Francisco, there's just a lot of pricey things that are pretty to look at but not sure if I really need. But it's nice to check out, and it's probably great for the tourists visiting Napa Valley.

Oxbow Public Market, 610 and 644 First Sts., Napa. www.oxbowpublicmarket.com