The Skinny Critic

Dinner at Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley

Dinner at Auberge du Soleil is truly a 5-star experience. Everything from the service and the food to the view is meant to take your breath away and I must say they succeeded. From the moment you arrive it's almost that you are in a private dining room.  The terrace is a must on a beautiful day but it was actually a rainy evening the night we were there and they sat us next to the fireplace over looking the valley of Napa.

They start off the evening with a champagne service--choose from an assortment of bubbly's and settle in, as you'll be here a while.

An amuse bouche came out from the chef and already we were delighted. A creamed leek soup accompanied a toast with a local goat cheese and homemade jam.  It was approachable and delicious.

We decided on doing the 4 course menu. In looking over the courses it was really tough to choose as many of the choices sounded incredible. The waiter steered us towards the fish selections as he said the fish they were able to source was superb. I took his advice and  I started with the poached lobster with cara cara and curry.  Unfortunately there was little to no curry flavor in my lobster, but the lobster was perfectly tender. I also tried the hirmasa crudo with cucumber, cilantro and a lime vinaigrette. The presentation of this dish was beautiful and the fish very fresh however I would have like a little more flavor from the garnishes. 

For our next course I had a very hard time deciding between the red snapper with chorizo, manilla and white bean jus and the squid ink risotto with proscuitto, wild shrimp and gremolata.  I ended up with the snapper, which was an excellent piece of fish. I wish it had come with more sauce as the sauce really helped to elevate the fish to something unique. I also tasted the ahi tuna with glazed pork belly and shiitake mushrooms and a nori sauce. The fish was incredibly fresh and reminded me of the ahi you can get in Hawaii --the color is so bright red it's almost purple!

For our entrees, I ordered the Moroccan spiced local lamb with artichoke, potato gnocchi and green garlic jus. This dish was PERFECT. The meat melted in my mouth and the accopaning sauce was a little sweet but salty.

The local sucking pig with orange glaze was nice and tender as well, but I was very much focused on my lamb.

 

 

Desserts were excellent albeit small.  I often find that desserts are too small at these formal restaurants. The crisp filo wrapped chocolate dumplings were little pieces of heaven and oozed onto your tongue.  The sticky Thai rice pudding was light and refreshing and had a beautiful modern presentation.

After dessert a port cart is rolled over and you are offered incredible cocoa covered almonds and truffles.  It's the perfect end to a lovely meal. 

Darioush in Napa

Darioush winery was recommended by Dana Farner - the beverage director of CUT. She called it one of the more grand tasting experiences in Napa and she could not have been more spot on. Of the 5 wineries we visited on our trip, this was our favorite. Upon pulling up you help but notice the 16 18-foot freestanding columns meant to act as stone trees. The 22,000 square foot winery is meant to evoke Persepolis, the ancient capitol of Persia. The buildings are coated in a travertine stone, all quarried in Persepolis.

You enter into the visitor center, which is not only a tasting room but a gift shop with unique items from around the world.  There are several tasting options at Darioush, but I highly recommend the "By Invitation Only."  You are started with a glass of Viognier and a tour of the winery and then invited to Darioiush Khaledi's private cellar. You hear the story of the Khaledi's and get to try limited release wines such as Darius II Cabernet Sauvignon and library vintages of Signature Cabernet Sauvignon.  All the wines are paired with delicious small bites in the very intimate setting of the cellar. It's such a nice way to really enjoy the wine and it gives you enough time to evaluate how the wines change over an hour.

Some of the wines were really wonderful. I ended up buying 2 bottles of the Viognier and a bottle of the Signature Cabs. It's always fun to open a bottle from a winery you visited.

Darioush 4240 Silverado Trail (707) 257-2345

The Restaurant at Meadowood: better than French Laundry? I think so...

It was a cold rainy night at Meadowood and the tiny restaurant perched over the golf course and blooming white trees. My expectations were somewhat high, given that The Restaurant recently received 3-Michelin stars, making it one of only two restaurants to receive the prestigious award in the San Francisco Michelin guide. Service was perfect.  It felt effortless yet extremely personal. Any question was met with a detailed answer and they made every attempt to ensure that we had everything we desired and were most comfortable. 

The choices are a four course tasting menu, comprising of an appetizer, entree, cheese and dessert or a Chef's Tasting menu, which is 8 courses.  Being the Skinny Critic, I opted for the four course.  It was more than enough food and really felt more like 6 courses with all the canapes, first bites and last bites.  We did the wine pairing as well, which I highly recommend. All but one of the wines were local wines and really took the food and the experience to the next level. As I was dining with my mother, I made her order 4 different courses, so that we were able to try a wide variety of dishes from Chef Christopher Kostow.

I think that long drawn out reviews of tasting menus can get a bit boring so I am going to point out the highlights. The canapes that arrived before our appetizers were all really wonderful little bites. My favorite was the last of the 3 pictures directly below - a goats milk yogurt custard with shiso and plum blossoms from the Meadowood garden. It was so creamy and slightly sour and sweet at the same time. The plum blossom gave it the perfect crunch. 

When doing tasting menus, I really try to pace myself because at this point in the meal we hadn't even started our 4 courses. So I try to eat half of each course. I failed with the goats milk yogurt custard - it was just too amazing not to finish.

After this we were given our first course. My mom ordered the crayfish with asparagus and live scallop with sauce chicken quenelles, sauce mousseline and tarragon. I ordered the whipped brie in whole wheat pasta. My mom's dish won. I finished her dish for her, it was incredible. 

My dish took the victory on the next round. I ordered the chermoula rubbed duck with raw rhubarb, mustard and celery leaf. My mom ordered the american red snapper with anchovy, and foraged and cultivated vegetables. The duck was the best duck I have ever had. The confit was flavorful without feeling fatty.  the breast was incredibly tender and perfectly cooked.

The next course was more of a tie as both cheeses were wonderful. I had the whipped Senne Flada with apple jam, honey comb and toasted brioche. My mom had the cabot cheddar with beer poached prunes, brussels sprouts and puffed rye. The senne flada was incredibly creamy but stronger while the cabot cheddar was firm with a little crunch but not as strong a flavor.

Our waiter recommended the "To Quicken the Heart" for dessert, which was flavors of umami, red cedar and buttered popcorn.  This scared me as all I could think of are the Jelly Beans that have the flavor of buttered popcorn, but he was right! This was amazing! Salty and sweet, my favorite. Unfortunately, this was my mom's order, not mine. I ordered the "ReadyMade Ice Cream Cake," with roasted white chocolate and saffron caramel.  Not nearly as delicious as the other...

I was incredibly happy this entire meal. The food was incredible as were the wines. My favorite wine of the night was the the Ma(i)sonry, Marsanne from Napa Valley 2009.  We received mignardises and then were given a tour of the kitchen. It was a pretty perfect dinner! I say it is better than the French Laundry, because for me personally it was. I think perhaps I was at the French Laundry on an off day. They forgot to bring the supplemental courses we ordered, weren't refilling our wine glasses and the food just wasn't as good as I was hoping it to be.  My experience at Meadowood was what I would want in a 3-Michelin dining experience.

The Restaurant at Meadowood 900 Meadowood Lane St. Helena (707) 967-1205

Farm

There are so many special places in the Napa Valley area that it is often hard to choose where to eat.  We were only in the area for day and had made reservations at Farm at The Carneros Inn for lunch.  It was a great choice for a rainy Friday afternoon.  The hotel itself is done in a country style with buildings including barns and ranchers cottages.  The inside is modern but warm with contemporary touches.  

An outdoor fireplace led to the restaurant that was in a large room with vaulted ceilings in an elegant setting. To start we shared the Wood Stone Oven Flatbread with sausage, mustard, white cheddar, watercress and a lemon vinaigrette. It was excellent.  

For the main courses we shared the mushroom risotto with white truffle oil and parmeasen cheese as well as the halibut with squid ink gnocchi, a fennel-lemon grass curry and kaffir lime broth.  Both dishes were perfectly prepared and so flavorful.  The gnocchi were so delicate and paired nicely with the fish.  The wild mushrooms in the risotto gave it the best texture.  

We liked the restaurant so much that we decided to try their winery, Plumpjack as well.  The wines were also excellent.  Plumpjack know's what they are doing. 

FARM (707) 299-4880  4048 Sonoma Highway