The French Laundry, Yountville
I hate to admit I haven’t eaten here, but you don’t need me to tell you just how good it is. There’s barely a food critic or past guest who doesn’t love this Napa icon. The hardest part is getting a reservation—with just 16 tables and bookings accepted only 60 days out, you’ll need to persevere, but it’s worth the effort. Chef/owner Thomas Keller offers three menus daily: prix-fixe, tasting menu and vegetarian tasting menu—most consisting of five and 11 belt-loosening courses (and costing a breathtaking $240 a head). The food, wine, service and country house setting are said to be faultless (Keller was named Outstanding Restaurateur of 2007 by The James Beard Foundation). I really must make a booking.
6640 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599| +1 707 944 2380 | www.frenchlaundry.com
Bouchon, Yountville
For a more relaxed, informal (and less expensive) lunch or dinner, Keller’s other Yountville restaurant—set in an 1880s Wells Fargo stagecoach stop in the center of town—is a delight. This is classic French bistro fare at its delicious best: steak frites, roasted chicken, quiches, brandade, boudin noir, pot de crème and plump profiteroles, washed down with a terrific French-Californian wine list. The interior is lovely, with a magnificent zinc bar as the centerpiece, mosaic floor, burgundy velvet banquettes and a hand-painted mural by French artist Paulin Paris. There’s also an outdoor patio for summer dining.
6534 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599 | +1 707 944 8037 | www.frenchlaundry.com
Terra, St. Helena
Set in a handsome stone foundry in picture-postcard St. Helena, Terra is a marriage made in culinary heaven for chef/owner Hiro Sone and partner Lissa Doumani, who creates the divine desserts and pastries that end each meal. A fusion of New American cuisine, European country food and a twist of the Orient to reflect Sone’s Japanese heritage, Terra offers dinner only in the most intimate of settings. Ingredients are just-picked and delivered to the restaurant each day by Napa farmers and wine-makers. The grilled Liberty Farm duck breast on a chanterelle and chestnut risotto is food from the gods.
1345 Railroad Avenue, St. Helena, CA 94574 | +1 707 963 8931| www.terrarestaurant.com
Cyrus, Healdsburg
I love the little touches of this outstanding French-Asian restaurant, located just off the square in the new boutique Les Mars Hotel in Healdsburg—warm canapés served with your cocktail, amuse bouches to open the meal, an extensive cheese selection and mignardises (chocolates, candied fruits and petit fours) with coffee. The food in between is pretty darn good too, served on crisp white linen, china, crystal and silver under an arched and vaulted ceiling. The menu is a prix-fixe in a choice of three or five courses—chef Douglas Keane, maitre d’ Nick Peyton and sommelier Jim Rollston are on a winner.
29 North Street, Healdsburg, CA 95448 | +1 707 433 3311| www.cyrusrestaurant.com
LaSalette, Sonoma
Ham with trout? Shellfish with pork? Fruit with eggs? They may sound like strange food pairings, but in the hands of acclaimed Portuguese chef Manuel Azevedo, they all come together in spectacular style. This lovely indoor-outdoor restaurant, located at the back of the Mercado Building in historic Sonoma Plaza, offers an array of Portuguese classics—stuffed with seafood, rice, potatoes, hot peppers, spices and tomatoes—with a Nova Portuguesa twist. The restaurant is named for Azevedo’s mother, and the staff welcome you like family as soon as you walk in the door. A great place for a casual and relaxed dinner.
452 1st St E # H, Sonoma, CA 95476 | +1 707 938 1927 | www.lasalette-restaurant.com
Tra Vigne, St. Helena
Mixed feelings about the Italian restaurant and pizzeria Tra Vigne; the setting is pleasant—a large and airy (if a little noisy) dining room, a well-stocked bar, and a pretty Tuscan-style courtyard—but the food and service are wildly inconsistent. A lunch I had there last year was fine but forgettable (I can’t remember a thing I ate) and the service was annoyingly slow and indifferent. I understand there’s been a couple of changes of chef, which always makes me nervous—although a Napa insider tells me things have settled again. Might only be worth swinging by for a take-out pizza as you tour the Napa wineries.
1050 Charter Oak Avenue, St. Helena, CA 94574 | +1 707 963 4444 | www.travignerestaurant.com