 A visitor bonds with a truffle-hunting Lagotta Romagnola |
 Shaving truffles over ice cream at Three Twins |
The always-bustling Oxbow Public Market had an added sense of excitement on Monday, January 16 as crowds of truffle lovers thronged the aisles, nibbling truffle-enhanced specials from many of the food vendors, watching cooking demos, and braving the chill on the outdoor terrace to get up-close and personal with several adorable truffle-hunting dogs.
Most of the merchants at the market offered specials, such as the truffled grilled oysters at Hog Island Oyster Bar, beef Bourguinon with truffle pasta at Five Dot Ranch, and truffle dusted sweet cream ice cream at Three Twins Ice Cream.
Kitchen Door enhanced its already legendary mushroom soup with truffle shavings, The Model Bakery offered a delectable slim crostini topped with mousse and truffles, and Gott’s Roadside got on the bandwagon with truffle fries. Other businesses offered discounts and specials on truffle items. Even Kara’s Cupcakes got in the spirit, adorning cupcakes with a pink fondant pig referencing the animals sometimes used to hunt truffles.
 Liam Mayclem assists C Casa’s Catherine Bergen and tries his hand at making enchiladas |
 Chef Brian Santos of Eiko’s demonstrated making his Kobe beef tataki |
Two cooking demos emceed by CBS Foodie Chap Liam Mayclem drew crowds. Catherine Bergen of C Casa demonstrated making the enchiladas stuffed with wild mushrooms and and a mix of truffled cheeses that were the day’s special at her restaurant. Chef Brian Santos of Eiko’s stepped away from Eiko’s at Oxbow’s emphasis on fish to make Kobe beef tataki with truffles, wrapping slices of the beautifully seared meat around sushi rice, another crowd favorite.
During the day, sales of black truffles were brisk at the Napa Truffle Festival’s welcome table, even at $2.25/gram (which could quickly add up to $50 or more for a full truffle). Many of the buyers had never tried cooking with a truffle at home, but found inspiration during the day to take the plunge.
One lucky visitor won a truffle in the drawing that marked the end of the day and of the seventh annual Napa Truffle Festival.
