|
| |
| Apr 21, 2003 07:48 pm |
Martini's in Saint Helena, by Rae Morrow |
helmut schonwalder
|
...If a restaurant has a good dessert menu I find myself building my
meal around my dessert in order to save some of my appetite.
My latest favorite dining experience was during the weekend in Napa -
our "pumpkin" trip (see the photo on my page). We ate at a wonderful
place called Martini's in Saint Helena. It was my first time having veal
cheeks!
Everything was beautifully prepared and presented, and the dining room
was very comfortable. Other than that, my husband and I do a lot of
dining in the Silicon Valley...
Rae |
Andrea Fasano
|
I had dinner on Saturday night at Martini House in St. Helena and I
thought I'd share.
If planning a trip to Napa, don't miss this restaurant. There are so
many places one can eat in the Napa Valley, but I think this is a
special place (and I've eaten at the French Laundry!) It's one of those
spots that has a great energy, especially in the summer, with its
outside seating under lighted trees. This is a Pat Kuleto joint, who
used to be a restaurant designer, and this is palpable as he has
transformed this 1920s craftsman bungalow with amazing attention to
detail into an atmosphere that is wonderfully magnificently casual.
I had been to Martini House once before and sat upstairs in the dining
room and had a wonderful meal but did not really do it up right. This
visit to Napa was a spur of the moment thing, leaving no chance of
getting a reservation. We went to the downstairs bar area which also
serves dinner, albeit a bar menu (I believe), and we sat outside on the
patio. We had an amazing waiter, Brendon, who probably enjoyed our
company as much as we did his. As he said, "I love it when there are
more wine glasses than there is room at the table."
One word: tokaji. Have it with the foie gras. You will become excited
about Hungarian wines. Another not to be missed - Some Like it Red, a
Cabernet Franc from a small winery in Santa Maria, Red Car. The food was
perfection... foie gras, shaved celery salad, prime flat iron steak,
crusted pike fish (which he let us order a la carte off the prix fixe
menu), scallops and pea sprouts, crème brûlée with chicory and spicy
pecans, and these crazy little doughnuts with a chocolate dipping sauce.
Okay, so it's no French Laundry, but one of those warm experiences that
leaves you feeling like there is no better way you could have spent
three hours of your life. |
|
| |
|
