Since my column ran a little long last week, I held these last thoughts on dining in the Napa Valley until today. But, since the following three dining spots are also serious food havens, they too should be on your first-choice list.
Bistro Jeanty in Yountville opened in early ’98 and is the ultimate in bistro style. Chef and owner Phillipe Jeanty was the chef of almost two decades at Domaine Chandon and was acknowledged as the architect of its reputation as a very serious restaurant. He continues to impress me with his California twists on French food at his own bistro. Always relying on his French background for techniques, his dishes are another kind of wine-country artistry that fits like a glove after visiting gorgeous wineries and tasting wines that have put our vineyard efforts on the international map. From a long-simmered daube of beef, to a roasted pork loin with a wine reduction sauce, and even chicken laced with the flavor of Mediterranean olives, I have never had disappointing food at his tables. If there is a lemon tart for dessert, be sure not to miss that.
Domaine Chandon itself is still a magnet for foodies. This was the first famous winery in California to have a dining room that garnered as much attention as the product in the bottles. Two decades later, it remains one of the hardest reservations to obtain. No wonder. The food is cutting-edge California cuisine showcasing to their best advantage local, fresh products from meats and seafood to cheeses, fruits and vegetables. Who would dream of having soft-shell crab surrounded by local organic greens to start a meal, or saut & #233;ed foie gras while sitting in the midst of a sweet garden? Even the simplest sounding pasta dish flaunts flavors divine. Given the absolute beauty of this whole winery and its impressive views of perfectly manicured vineyards, it remains a must on my travel schedule. Reservations here should be made long in advance.
Meanwhile, in the upper reaches of the Napa Valley is the city of Calistoga. Here you will find the unpretentious restaurant Catahoula, named after the wild state dog of Louisiana. With Domaine Chandon at the helm of sophisticated dining and Bistro Jeanty merely a step away from haute cuisine, Catahoula makes its name as a down-home roadhouse that serves definitive New Orleans-style food. The chef and owner is Louisiana native Jan Birnbaum. He has gotten press from coast to coast for his native dishes that satisfy the soul of displaced Southerners like me. The gumbo reveals a base of long-cooked roux, the flour and oil mixture that takes on a nutty essence as it browns and ultimately serves three purposes: gives the dish its color, is a thickener and is the elemental underlying flavor. No ingredient from crayfish to sausage to chicken is missed. As for the jambalaya, well, just consider a mattress of fluffy rice completely blanketed with a pile of shrimp in a sauce of onion, green pepper and garden-fresh tomatoes. The bread pudding is so Southern it will give you an accent.
Munch a Brunch at Chimayo
Locally, one of the best things to do with your weekend is to have brunch at Chimayo Grill in Fashion Island. Every Saturday and Sunday there is an a la carte menu of Southwestern dishes as only restaurant entrepreneur David Wilhelm can envision them. This, of course, is one of his five restaurants and the one in which he unleashed signature dishes that make much use of chiles, unusual salsas, fresh fish and meats and unique accouterments to make a meal ever so interesting.
A starter of fresh fruit and berries topped with a generous dollop of vanilla yogurt is so appropriate to our climate and how we perceive our food. The chile relleno stuffed with scrambled eggs is arguably my favorite brunch dish in the county. The eggs are enhanced with both chorizo sausage and spicy chicken. The sauce that gently drapes the rellenos is flavored with Parmesan cheese. Like many of the entrees, it is sided with superb sliced potatoes laced with jalape & #324;os and cheddar cheese. The huevos rancheros are sunny side-up eggs atop black beans, with papaya salsa on the side. I defy anyone to find better French toast. This custardy version is, in fact, titled Cr & #269;me Br & #369;l & #233;e French Toast and, like the dessert after which it is named, it has a crackly glaze to be drizzled by you with pure maple syrup. Sides include a choice of applewood-smoked bacon or spicy chicken chorizo.
Traditionalists will manage nicely with the eggs Benedict. The requisite ingredients of English muffins, smoked ham, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce all make their taste marks. There also is a mixture of shrimp, corn and crab is formed into cakes and sits atop English muffins with a flair of green spinach and even poached eggs. I am also taken by the tender petit filet mignons topped with poached eggs (on English muffins again) mostly because the chipotle b & #233;arnaise sauce adds a rainbow of flavor to an already tasty trio.
The omelet is no slouch either. This one is stuffed with cremini mushrooms, sharp cheese and spinach. If the restaurant’s style demands you have something in a tortilla, go with the breakfast burrito crammed with scrambled eggs, pico de gallo, cheddar cheese, black beans and your choice of grilled steak, carnitas pork, bacon or chicken. You get an extra pat on the back if you can finish it.
You are not restricted to ordering from the brunch menu on weekends at midday. The entire menu also is offered and it is wall-to-wall with equally interesting interpretations of mostly New Mexico cuisine. In a kind of reverse sensibility, places in Arizona and New Mexico have taken note of David’s creative style. Now, that’s impressive!
