The Cottages...
Photo by Michael Reiss

Visiting Meadowood is pure joy. This upscale country resort is tucked away off Silverado Trail in the Northeast corner of the famed Napa Valley. Cape Cod style cottages dot the wooded landscape. You can find hiking trails, tennis, golf, croquet, and swimming.  The cottages are beautifully appointed and oozing tasteful country charm complete with wood-burning fireplaces, kitchenettes, and sunken bath tubs.

With these superb facilities and creature comforts one should not overlook two fine restaurants on the property. The first, The Restaurant at Meadowood, is refined wine-country dining in an elegant and relaxed setting. The second, The Grill at Meadowood, is informal and upbeat, with beautiful vistas overlooking the golf course. Each has a different menu and a different chef and are noteworthy unto themselves.

The Restaurant at Meadowood offers rustic flavors finished with refinement and flashes of creativity. “The Seared Sonoma Foie Gras French Toast, with Huckleberry Sauce” appetizer ($18) was cooked to perfection with rich flavors seared inside and the generous portion floated on an airy pillow of sweet “French Toast.” The huckleberry sauce was an excellent contrast to the rich foie gras.

With this dish we had a glass of T-Vine Grenache, Calistoga, 1997 ($13). This is a local vintner’s limited-edition wine. It had good fruit and acid balance. This wine worked well to complement the rich foie gras.

Indeed, Mr. Nazim Hakim, the gracious and knowledgeable Matre’d, explained that The Restaurant at Meadowood goes to great length to secure excellent, and perhaps unrecognized local vintners’ wines to offer to its guests. The T-Vine Grenache was such a find.

For the main course we had the “Day Boat Scallops, Truffle Vegetable Risotto, Fresh Herbs, with Champagne Butter Sauce” ($29). It was deliciously prepared. Five (5) huge, beautifully browned and tender scallops appeared on the plate along with a creamy truffle, forest-flavor risotto with crisp vegetables. The dish was finished in a pungent light champagne butter sauce.

We had another excellent red wine offered by the glass, Estancia Red Heritage, Alexander Valley, 1997 ($15), which paired nicely with the dish.

 As an aside, the Wine List at The Restaurant at Meadowood was encyclopedic in scope and had reasonably priced to “stratospherically priced” wines. The wines on the list were arranged in the “tried and true” by-country-and-variety format, rather than the modern “progressive wine list” format, which points out light, medium, and heavy-bodied wines. Meadowood, as is well recognized, is the site of the almost fabled yearly “Napa Valley Wine Auction” which draws the rich and the famous in the world of wine.

In addition to an appetizer and main course, we also savored the thoughtful and complex “Vegetable Tasting Menu.” This five course feast included a “Persimmon Salad in a Pomegranate Vinaigrette,” “Butternut Squash Risotto,” “Stuffed Portobello Mushroom,” and a “Hand-Crafted Cheese Course,” and for desert, “Crème Fraiche Ice Cream.” At $49 the “Vegetable Tasting Menu” was an excellent value. The Restaurant at Meadowood offers a five course “Tasting Menu” with fish and meats for $69, also a great value.

Also on the menu at The Restaurant at Meadowood are: “Crispy Muscovy Duck Breast and Comfit Leg ($28); “Niman Ranch Rack of Lamb” ($35); and “Dry-Aged Niman Ranch New York Steak” ($39).

Chef de Cuisine Steven...
Photo by Michael Reiss

After such a meal we were anxious to meet the new Chef, Chef de Cuisine, Steven Tevere (who is working with Executive Chef Didier Lender). Chef Tevere said his experience included five years at the well-known Boulevard Restaurant, San Francisco, with Chef/Owner Nancy Oaks. Chef Tevere also had formal training at the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco. Chef Tevere said he was intent on using fresh, high quality ingredients and he wanted to “focus on forest and country flavors, and finish his dishes with classic finesse, drawing on his rich background with French and California style cuisines.” We felt that his food achieved that style and that Chef Tevere created wonderfully inspired cuisine.

Besides The Restaurant at Meadowood, one must not forget the equally satisfying dining venue,  The Grill at Meadowood. Here Chef Daniel Perez, a quiet rising star, has drawn from his rich and eclectic culinary background to create wonderful and affordable food in a more informal atmosphere than The Restaurant at Meadowood.

Indeed The Grill at Meadowood gives the diner much to be happy about. For an appetizer the “Grilled Scallop Salad, Beets with Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette”  ($12) was a winner with perfectly grilled scallops finished with pungent Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette.  The “Classic Caesar Salad, Asiago Cheese, Fococia Crisps” ($8) was excellent. The “Avocado, Orange Salad, Toasted Pine Nuts with Balsamic Vinaigrette” ($9) was refreshing and delicious.

For the main course we moved on to dishes with exotic flavors. “The Pan-Roasted Sea Bass, Lemon Couscous, Citrus Coriander Sauce” ($17) had delicious Moroccan flavors.

With this complex and delicious fish course we had Storybook Mountain Vineyards 1998 Zinfandel, Napa Estate, Mayacamas Range ($8.50), a perfect pairing, as this Zin had booth fruit and spiciness to complement the dish.

We also had the “Sautéed Chicken and Rock Shrimp, Peanut, Ginger and Coconut Sauce, Tomatoes, Steamed Rice” ($18), a dish with Chinese/Indonesian-inspired flavors.

With this savory, slightly sweet dish we had Carneros Creek Cote de Carneros Pinot Noir, 1989, $8.50, a good choice, as the jamy, fruity pinot noir was a good contrast to the smooth spicy flavors of the dish.

Also on the menu of The Grill at Meadowood are “Spa Cuisine” items. Examples are “Leek and Russet Potato Soup, Chives ($5), “Seared Free-Range Chicken Breast, Swiss Chard, Citrus Couscous” ($18). These items and others on the menu would have an appeal to  health-conscious diners.

What was impressive about both eating venues at The Meadow Resort, The Grill at Meadowood and The Restaurant at Meadowood was the graciousness of the serving staff and the charming atmosphere of both restaurants.  The Restaurant at Meadowood had an elegant, sophisticated refined country feel with a crackling fireplace, stunning flower arrangements, and romantic lighting, while The Grill at Meadowood had an informal upbeat, farm house friendly feel with brighter lighting and a magnificent view of the Meadowood Golf Course below.  Both are noteworthy food venues in their own right and would make a stay at Meadowood even more memorable.
 

Chef Daniel Perez....
Photo by Michael Reiss

The Restaurant at Meadowood
900 Meadowood Lane ( at Silverado Trail)
Napa, California
(800) 458-8080

Food                   XXX ½
Service               XXXX
Atmosphere       XXXX
Value Rating     XX
Tasting Menus  XXXX

The Grill at Meadowood
900 Meadowood Lane ( at Silverado Trail)
Napa, California
(800) 458-8080