The Restaurant Meadowood

Posted by Matt

There are exactly two Michelin three-star restaurants in the Western United States – Thomas Keller’s famed French Laundry, and a lesser known gem that is quickly rising in recognition.  The Restaurant at Meadowood is located on a 250 acre resort in the heart of California wine country.   

My wife Julie and I were married in Napa ten years ago.  After the ceremony we had our wedding dinner at the Restaurant at Meadowood.  We decided to revisit this exquisite restaurant for our tenth anniversary. 

The Restaurant at Meadowood is headed by Chef Christopher Kostow, who came to Meadowood in 2008 after stints at Chez TJ near Palo Alto and working as sous chef under Daniel Humm at Campton Place in San Francisco.  For those of you in New York, Daniel Humm is currently the chef at the highly regarded Eleven Madison Park. 

Chef Chris’ style would best be described as contemporary French – combining traditional French methods with modern techniques of molecular gastronomy.  Chef Chris’ cooking is incredibly creative, yet remains comfortably accessible.  A key reason that the dishes remain approachable is the staff’s eagerness to provide a thorough explanation of each course that adds to the excitement of the dining experience.  The ingredients are a fascinating mix of the familiar and exotic.  For example, one of the meat courses starts with a simple cut of beef, but adds morel mushrooms (a first for me), manzanita, and spicebush.  The combination takes the traditional beef and mushrooms combination and makes it something memorable.   

The décor in the newly renovated dining room is simple and elegant.  The space is open and airy with high ceilings and big picture windows that provide a stunning view of the surrounding estate that, as Meadowood’s website describes, “Showcase Meadowood’s natural, tranquil setting.”  Indeed, the beautiful views enhance the dining experience and offer an additional sensory pleasure.

As one would expect from a Napa Valley establishment, the Restaurant at Meadowood offers an extensive wine list with a strong California representation.  The wine list is almost overwhelming – covering 50 pages and over 1100 bottlings.  The prices range from relatively modest to absolutely extravagant.   Fortunately, the skilled wine steward provides excellent guidance at any price point.  A pleasant surprise is the fact that markups are relatively modest for a restaurant of this stature. 

The Restaurant at Meadowood offers a chef's tasting menu each evening of nine or 10 courses, which changes seasonally. The ingredients are sourced from both The Napa Valley Reserve Garden, at the entrance to the Meadowood property, and the St. Helena Montessori school garden across the Silverado Trail.  The tasting menu takes the diner on a journey of complex, unique flavor combinations. 

The impeccable food presentation further enhances the dining experience.  At The Restaurant at Meadowood, all dishes are served on locally sourced pottery and woodwork.  The overall effect is that each course acts as its own vignette.

As elegant as the surroundings may be it is the food that is the star of the show.   I will highlight some of the highlights.  Our meal opened with a dish called “Whipped Yogurt Black Sesame Plum Shiso.”  This initial offering provided an exciting preview for the courses that would follow.  The combination of sour, creamy, spicy and earthy flavors was a fantastic way to begin the meal. 

We also enjoyed a warm asparagus salad.  Two sous chefs approached the table and proceeded to assemble this beautiful, delicate salad tableside.  The edible flowers were grown on the Meadowood grounds.  My wife commented that the salad was too pretty to eat. 

The next course was called “Tuna Venison Kohlrabi Sorrels Caviar.”  Again, the presentation of this course was lovely.  This was my first introduction to kohlrabi, which is a vegetable similar to a turnip with a flavor similar to broccoli stem, but milder and sweeter.  The sorrel adds a bit of sour to the equation; its taste is akin to sour wild strawberries. 

  

 

One of my favorite courses was the “King Crab Uni Cauliflower Kanimiso.”  The crab was sweet and tender.  The roasted cauliflower added a smoky, earthy flavor. 

I am not normally a fan of foie gras, but the “Foie Gras Radishes Seeds Hibiscus” was wonderful.  The fois gras was wrapped in a crisp tube coated in seeds.  The complex layering of flavors and textures made this dish interesting and memorable.

Another highlight of the meal was the “Grilled Duck Hearts Chrysanthemum Fresh Chickpeas.”  It seems that every course of this meal introduced me to something new.  As many times as I have eaten duck, I have never had the opportunity to try duck hearts.  The heart tastes similar to duck breast, but with an intensity that I have never experienced.  The heart is denser and a little chewier than duck breast.  The fresh chickpea puree added brightness to the flavor and appearance of the dish.  This course was definitely one of my favorites. 

This was a fabulous meal from the amuse-bouche through the post-desert mignardises.  After our dinner we were invited to tour the newly renovated kitchen.  The kitchen was almost as beautiful as the dining room. 

If you are interested in a truly unique dining experience near the Napa Valley, the Restaurant at Meadowood will not disappoint.  Every element of the meal is executed to perfection from the beauty of the surroundings, to the professionalism of the staff, to the daring creativity of the food the Restaurant at Meadowood is a world-class restaurant worthy of the accolades it has received.  When Julie and I had our first meal here as husband and wife over a decade ago it was a magical experience.    

Special thanks goes to everyone at the Restaurant at Meadowood for making our tenth anniversary a night to remember.