Vintage Napa Valley - hotels and restaurants - Recipe - Directory

Sunset, Oct, 2000 by Andrew Baker, Lora J. Finnegan

The ultimate guide to unparalleled inns, restaurants, and bargains--plus recipes for creating your own sublime wine Country picnic FRIDAY NIGHT in downtown Napa, California. Cole's Chop House, to be exact.

A crowd mingles in the bar, the host fields telephone calls, and a waiter hoists a steak the size of home plate to a hungry diner.

"Downtown has been starved for something like this," Greg Cole says, describing his eponymous restaurant. Cole understands one secret of Napa Valley success: pairing perfectly prepared classics, in this case a local Cabernet with an artfully aged steak, to make a sublime marriage of food and wine. Open less than a year, Cole's Chop House is luring visitors to the long-neglected Napa city center, causing people who thought they knew every inch of Napa Valley to realize that it can still surprise them.

Cole's success is only one indication of the revolution that's taken place in the area. Within living memory, after all, this 35-mile-long valley northeast of San Francisco was a lovely but poky rural retreat of interest mainly to Northern Californians. Now Napa Valley has become a five-star destination that ranks with Tuscany or Bordeaux in allure.

La Toque chef-owner Ken Frank calls it "a haven for sophisticated tourists who travel on their stomachs."

The signs are everywhere. Napa Valley restaurants like Thomas Keller's French Laundry and Frank's La Toque are regularly judged among the best in the nation. One can spend the night in some of the most luxurious lodgings this side of Lake Como. Next year, the $70-million American Center for Wine, Food, and the Arts (founded by Robert G. Mondavi) will open in downtown Napa; it will house a wine museum, educational center, and restaurants, where chefs, winemakers, and artists can explore the relationship between gastronomy and art.

Despite its ascent to world renown, Napa Valley holds on to a few secrets--charming, smaller, quieter (and cheaper) gems that are well worth seeking out. The ideal visit to the valley lets you savor both glamour and rusticity: swank spots as heady as sparkling wine, more soothing retreats that invite you to linger and savor the region's many charms.

DINING

Choosing a restaurant in Napa Valley can be daunting: Too many good options abound, and trying to snag a last-minute table can bruise nerves and egos. While ordering a la carte provides an affordable meal, some restaurants offer prix fixe and tasting menus (many even have vegetarian versions) that simply can't be missed.

Generally, prices are lower and reservations are easier to come by at lunch than at dinner. Most menus change seasonally and many change daily. For that reason, our descriptions reflect what our staff tasted on scouting trips; specific dishes may have changed. Except as noted in the listings, the prices we quote are averages for a three-course meal without wine or tip. Fixed-price multicourse dinners offer choices for each course. Area code is 707 unless noted.

The hautest of the haute

Gorgeous surroundings, vibrant atmosphere, and imaginative, well-executed cuisine set these restaurants apart from the rest.

French Laundry. Perhaps the most famous restaurant in the valley, French Laundry shows off chef Thomas Keller's artistic creativity--and his technical skills. Where else will you find oysters and caviar in custard or a savory sorbet served with an herb tuile? The soothing neutral decor directs your attention to the drama unfolding on the plate before you. The drawback? Getting the required reservation. Put your phone on speed dial and keep hitting the button all day: That's the advice from the restaurant's spokesperson. Lunch Fri-Sun, dinner daily ($90 five courses, $105 tasting). 6640 Washington St., Yountville; 944-2380.

La Toque. With one wall dominated by a huge stone fireplace, La Toque's single room looks like the interior of an exquisitely elegant barn. Chef-owner Ken Frank weaves fine ingredients like foie gras, turbot, and rabbit together with intensely flavored sauces to create meals to remember. Dinner ($72 five courses) Wed-Sun. 1140 Rutherford Rd., Rutherford; 963-9770 or www. latoque.com.

Pinot Blanc. Purposefully mismatched fabrics add a festive, eclectic touch to Los Angeles restaurateur Joachim Splichal's northernmost outpost. Chef and partner Sean Knight's food is equally surprising: Veal cheeks and planked local salmon make regular appearances on the menu. Lunch ($32) and dinner ($36) daily. 641 Main St., St. Helena; 9636191 or www.patinagroup.com.

Terra. The decor is massive and rustic--stone walls and exposed redwood beams--as befits a 116-year-old building that has housed a foundry, chicken hatchery, and leather glove factory. The menu consists of "food that we like to eat," says Lissa Doumani, owner and wife of chef Hiro Sone: That includes a sea bass in shiso broth, the lightest, most flavorful dish for miles. Halfbottle amounts of wine are decanted in Erlenmeyer chemistry flasks. "People know exactly what [amount] they're getting," explains Doumani, and "they all of a sudden go back to high school." Dinner ($40) Wed-Mon. 1345 Railroad Ave., St. Helena; 963-8931.