Now there is a difference between somewhere that serves good food and somewhere that is a good place to eat. Sunday evening I discovered a lovely restaurant Celadon http://www.celadonnapa.com/ which served delicious but enormous food. The menu looks fantastic, Kobe steak with wasabi mash for example but I was left sweating after a mere polenta and roasted vegetables, no room left after that to sample the puddings which as a rule are the highlight of my meals.
I struck gold at V Wine Cellar in Yountville, http://www.vwinecellar.com/ . Not for dinner, although the cheese straws were pretty tasty but for advice on where to go that wouldn't require me to be winched from my chair afterwards. The guys suggested Oenotri and they were bang on the money.
Oenotri http://www.oenotri.com/ in Napa is a little gem of an Italian with Californian charm, squash on tables but not Californian portions. My pizza with pancetta was only marginally bigger than my head, thin, crispy and fully flavoured. The wine list is interesting and well thought out and I enjoyed my very first glass of Franciacorta, not something easily found in the UK despite cropping up in the WSET Diploma exam.
I have nothing to compare it to but the Quattro Mani Franciacorta was intense with something of the farmyard about it on the nose with hints of sweet spice, bread, lemon and baked apples on the palate. I am now in planning for an Italian leg of the sparkling tour so I can continue to taste and discover.
Fortune favours the brave so they say, so after agreeing to some company from a chef at a local restaurant on my chefs bench I was incredibly fortunate to find myself sat next to Aaron London from Ubuntu. Michelin starred Ubuntu http://www.ubuntunapa.com/, what a result! In addition to being a fascinating individual with an intense passion for food he also provided a location for my next evenings dining.
Being something of a hippy, the whole idea of Ubuntu appeals to me massively as ingredients are sourced from the restaurants bio-dynamic garden. Oh. My. Word. the raptures and joy of being served food with such freshness and vitality in America. The Michelin star is well deserved as the delicate balance of texture and flavour alongside the realistic portion size meant that I would have licked the plate clean if it had been decent to do so.
The Kohlrabi noodles were outstanding and perfectly balanced; so much so that my carnivore self didn't feel denied. Which coming from a woman who will happily eat an entire packet of Serrano ham in one go from the packet is saying something. My very favourite thing about the place was that I had room for dessert which I can state was a chocolaty triumph and the perfect end to one of the best meals I had eaten in a long time. I think I very nearly growled at the waiter who tried to take my plate before I had nigh on licked it!
If all food in America was like this there wouldn't be documentaries about people who have to have a wall knocked down so they can get out. Absolute perfection in my books and the wine is pretty darned good to boot. I had a Cremant d'Alsace Brut Rose, Allimont Laugner for an aperetif followed by a glass of Marsanne, Stagecoach Vineyard, Krupp Bros. Both were excellent wines and on my next visit to Napa this is going to be one of the first places that I come!
In the interest of a balanced approach and my desire for dessert I took the tactical approach of having a side salad and cheesecake at San Francisco's Cheesecake factory. Whilst all around me people were being served their main courses in dishes the size of babies baths and skips I cut straight to the chase. Reader, it was delicious, massive but delicious. Sometimes even a girl as classy as myself must succumb to the dark side from time to time...
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