It’s highly acclaimed for a reason. Tucked away in Napa Valley’s luxurious Meadowood resort, Chef Christopher Kostow delivers a superb dining experience. Honors include a three-Michelin-star rating along with a Forbes five-star luxury rating. With accolades like these, I couldn’t wait to knock this restaurant off of my bucket list!
As a solo traveler, I scored a reservation for the three-course bar tasting menu on Friday night. At the time, I didn’t realize this bar experience might be the best kept secret in Napa Valley thanks to award-winning Bar & Spirits Director Beau du Bois.
Almond Blossom Milk Punch
You’ll always find a culinary adventure in the best of tasting menus, and my experience at The Restaurant offered no exception. I had no idea what dishes I’d be tasting throughout the evening, but Beau du Bois knew. So, he recommended a cocktail that I would never have tried on my own: an Almond Blossom Milk Punch. And, I took his advice!
For this thoughtful cocktail, Beau steeped quality bourbon with almond blossoms for several days. Once the flavor of almond blossoms permeated the bourbon, he added milk. Acids within the bourbon curdled the milk as it rested. As casein proteins coagulated, they stripped tannins and other polyphenols from the bourbon.
After curds formed, Beau filtered the bourbon through the curds and strained it for use in this Almond Blossom Milk Punch. Because of this milk clarification process, this smooth cocktail brought all of the bourbon flavor without the bite. Delicious!
Savory Culinary Adventure
My meal commenced with a light starter course–a salad roll. In this salad roll, a crepe made with fresh pea shoots wrapped young lettuce from the Meadowood garden.
Next, a savory beignet finely dusted with matsutake mushroom arrived in a small wooden box. Biting into the beignet, the warm flaky pastry gave way to the earthy umami flavors of chestnut and miso. Heavenly!
As I finished the beignet, the server swapped the wooden beignet box for a metal bowl filled with ice. A fresh oyster topped with a thin layer of fresh nasturtium rested on the ice. This unique oyster offering brought the flavor of a fresh, peppery ocean vacation with a light cucumber finish.
After the oyster dish, we transitioned from cool starters to warmer entrees. My server presented a small, steamed cabbage roll with abalone resting in a pool of warm, wild mushroom vinaigrette. After three very comforting bites of abalone, my dish was cleared to make way for the next course.
With a warm clay pot in hand, my server unveiled a steamed sole filet topped with fresh greens. He then plated this dish over a savory rillette made with smoked wings of the sole. Finally, he finished the presentation with a few spoonfuls of fish stock. Thanks to the complex flavors of the fish stock and smoked rillette, this dish easily stood out for me as the best of the set.
Next up, a large plate with sliced, roasted white pekin duck breast arrived as the final savory course of the evening. Cooked to medium rare, the chef brushed the duck breast with cherry preserves and then garnished it with maple mustard seeds. This toothsome dish was served alongside a dish of California rice made with the rest of the duck.
Sweet Endings
As we shifted to our sweet finishing courses, you could imagine my surprise when a small garden of cherry blossoms arrived at the table! In the center of this little garden sat a small dish of cultured yogurt with almond blossoms. For additional texture, this yogurt was sprinkled with fresh rhubarb sorrel granita. While beautiful, this fragrant dish also brought sweet and sour flavors together into a complex and succulent dessert.
For my final tasting, a dark chocolate bay laurel nut truffle arrived in a wooden box filled with bay laurel nut shells. To make this truffle, the pastry chef grinds bay laurel nuts in a mortar and pestle before mixing them with dark chocolate ganache. As a result, this truffle brings an earthy and almost woodsy flavor to the chocolate. This small bite offered a perfect ending to a perfect culinary adventure.
Come With Me
After my last course, Beau du Bois looked up at me with a twinkle in his eye. He smiled and said, “I have a surprise for you. Come with me!” I was so surprised by his request, in fact, that I nearly fell off of my bar stool while climbing down! Together, we rushed though the restaurant.
Surprise! Beau presented me with an impromptu tour of the kitchen! Ahh!
In The Kitchen
As we passed through the swinging door, every person in the kitchen looked up and welcomed me by name in chorus. I couldn’t believe my ears. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Now standing in the kitchen of one of the best restaurants in the world, I received my very own personal tour.
Amazing!
In this bright kitchen, I found myself surrounded by hardworking chefs and cooks preparing dishes for guests in the restaurant. Savory aromas and a symphony of sounds filled the room as professionals chopped ingredients, stirred sauces and plated dishes.
Within the kitchen, glass storage jars containing dried mushrooms lined the open pantry. Chefs used mushrooms from these jars to prepare both the beignet and the cabbage roll for the tasting menu this evening.
As my kitchen tour concluded, we paused for a picture to commemorate the experience. While I’ve always been an avid cook, this unexpected personal tour caused me to pause for a moment and give serious thought to changing my career entirely. See how happy I am in this photo? Yay!
A Parting Gift …or Two!
As if all of this wasn’t enough, I was presented with a few parting gifts. First, the host presented me with a large book gift wrapped in butcher paper. I was delighted to see my name on the tag!
As I carefully unwrapped the butcher paper, I uncovered a pristine copy of Chef Kostow’s A New Napa Cuisine. When I opened the book, I was delighted to see Chef Kostow’s signature with gratitude. I do maintain a collection of signed cookbooks, and I couldn’t be more excited to add this one to my collection.
For my second parting gift, the host presented me with a lovely box. Inside, I found a small bottle of Bourbon Tea, four lovely beeswax caramels and a copy of the menu du jour.
With the incredible food and service that I received during my visit to The Restaurant at Meadowood, Chef Kostow and his team clearly deserve every one of those Michelin Stars.
Visit The Restaurant At Meadowood
Reservations
The Restaurant at Meadowood now uses Tock to manage their reservations. While making your reservation, you’ll have several experience tiers to choose from. These tiers include the full tasting menu in the dining room, the chef’s kitchen counter menu, the bar three course menu and bar snacks by the fire. Prices per person start at $90 for bar snacks and range all the way up to $600 for the kitchen counter experience.
Transportation
If you have a choice, I recommend driving to The Restaurant at Meadowood. You’ll find this eatery in St. Helena, which is roughly 65 miles outside of San Francisco and about 10 miles outside of Yountville. If you opt to take Silverado Trail on the way there, you’ll appreciate the vineyard views along the way.
Accommodations
If you feel like dropping your wallet on a weekend of luxury, you’ll recall that The Restaurant at Meadowood sits inside the world-class Meadowood resort in Napa Valley. Because I haven’t personally stayed at Meadowood, I can’t tell you much about the experience. However, this resort does have a promising rating of 4.5 stars on TripAdvisor with over 2,500 reviews!
While You’re There
While you’re in Napa Valley, consider taking a hot air balloon flight for panoramic views of Napa Valley or tour the Castello di Amorosa winery & castle.
