Wine is Fine, but Where's the Good Food (Napa)?!
Has anyone been to and would recommend any of these restraurants or others in the Napa area (mostly Yountville)? Anything off the beaten path/ethnic?? Thanks, LM
Bottega (the frontrunner)
Redd (a close second - menu looks amazing)
Ad Hoc (maybe better for lunch than dinner?)
Bistro Jeanty (very french which is great, but anything special?)
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Ad Hoc
6476 Washington St., Yountville, CA 94599
Bistro Jeanty
6510 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599
Bottega
6525 Washington Street Suite A9, Yountville, CA 94599
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Bottega does an amazing job on food, service, and plain old consistency when you consider that they handle literally thousands of tourists who have never heard of the French Laundry but could recognize Michael Chiarello from three blocks away. It's also one of the least expensive places to eat in Yountville.
We adored Jeanty's roasted marrow bones, but everything else was a level below. And the food is really, really heavy when temps soar into the 90's.
Can't personally speak to ethnic since we have so many amazing places locally, it's never high on my list when we travel around.
I will say that the best meal on our May 2012 trip was at Brix, where Chris Jones moved from Sonoma's Girl & The Fig and Estate restaurants. The clam-prosciutto croquettes were hands-down the finest seafood fritters we've had in four decades of dining out, starting with La Bourgogne/SF in the '70's up through Cyrus, La Folie, La Toque, Boulevard, and Fifth Floor over the past year.
La Toque is infuriatingly erratic. When they are "on", it is one of the finest restaurants we have ever been to. When they are "off", it's insultingly overpriced, oversalted, and underserved.
I second Auberge, but it's their patio that makes them perfect. There's only four tables available, and the view is spectacular. The food's great, the service superb -- but when you add that panoramic view across the entire Valley on a beautiful day, it's one of those rare moments when you know that life just doesn't get any better than this.
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maria lorraine
Jul 11, 2012 03:23 AM
Lots of good spots on Carrie's list,
NAPA/SONOMA, etc. suggestions? (particularly off the beaten path)
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/698780Search results for Napa off the beaten path:
http://www.chow.com/search?search_boa... -
CarrieWas218
Aug 1, 2011 01:08 PM
As others have mentioned, those you cited are heavily referenced on these boards and a little searching will produce a plethora of reviews for you to read.
As for ethnic, I can offer the following:
Zuzu - great tapas
Bistro Sabor - understated and great quality Latin American food
Neela's - expensive and just mediocre Indian food
Taste of Himalayas - newly opened and a bit more upscale than those by the same name in neighboring cities
Pica Pica - Venezualan available in the Oxbow market
C Casa - also in Oxbow, an exciting taqueria unlike every other standard taqueria in the area
Small World - hole-in-the-wall Mediterranean, only open for lunch; inexpensive and quite good
Mini Mango - elegant Thai bistro in downtown
Bui Bistro - French Vietnamese (haven't been)
Morimoto - Japanese fusion (expensive, but good)
Eiko's - Japanese fusion (mediocre)
Juju's Mediterranean - A little better than Small World, but harder to get to, off Trancas-----
Small World Restaurant
1385 Napa Town Ctr, Napa, CABistro Sabor
1126 1st St, Napa, CA 94559C Casa
644 1st St, Napa, CA 94559Morimoto
610 Main Street, Napa, CA -
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Melanie Wong
Aug 1, 2011 12:01 PM
LM, you might notice that there is a blue link for each of the restaurants you mentioned (and I'll link up to Redd for you). Those places are highly frequented and have been reported on many times over the years. You can find those discussions and reviews, advice on what dishes to order, and other tips by clicking on the links to give you a better sense of each place as a start.
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Redd
6480 Washington St, Yountville, CA 94599
