The Restaurant at Meadowood

From Chef_Keller Thomas Keller's tweet:

Congratulations to the entire French Laundry team for once again receiving three Michelin stars. And to the Meadowood team as well!

I was so happy to hear that The Restaurant at Meadowood won its third star in the 2011 Michelin Guide to San Francisco Bay Area & Wine Country. Of course, I'm super psyched that I managed to have a meal here without going through the trauma of making reservations ala The French Laundry.

Our decision to pick The Restaurant at the Meadowood was quite random. We originally had a reservation at Chef Michael Chiarello's Bottega but he was such a quack on Top Chef Masters, so we decided to check out another restaurant instead.

Thanks to our imperfect inner GPS, we drove around Napa, through a preppy country club, arriving a good 20 minutes late; but our maître d was super understanding and we were led into an unexpectedly modern restaurant, where the most delightful meal awaited us. After Manresa, I was kind of dreading another two-star disappointment but Meadowood's chef Christopher Kostow signed, sealed and delivered.

Before the actual tasting menu, we have a short parade of canapés.



Cheese cracker pillow, filled with fromage blanc and topped with itty-bitty petals and herbs from Meadowood’s garden.



Chickpea and squid bites.



Baby carrots and radishes, served in snow vinaigrette.



Potato parfait that reminded me of a glorified chawanmushi.

Tickled and intrigued, the canapés eased us into the seven-course tasting menu.



Wagyu Beef Cured in Meadowood Pine Hamachi, Scandinavian Flavors

This was served with a salty steamed bun that made me wonder if chef Kostow has been inspired by the Chinese mantou.



Beans, Fresh and Dried Smoked Avocado, Cumin, Squid



“Five Oyster Salad” Plant, Leaf, Mushroom, Chicken, Actual

The plant and leaf actually tasted like oysters! Incredulous.



Slow Cooked Lamb Neck Fresh Dates, Carrot, Black Lime

I will be honest and say, the mains easily topped Manresa’s as both red meats were incredibly satisfying.



"Charred" Bavette Laminated Potato, Snap Pea, Foie Gras Butter

The bavette was easily the most impeccable piece of steak I’ve had in my life.
It was everything you could beg for in a steak – gamey and juicy, with an exceptional crust made of mushrooms, truffle, violet mustard and brown sugar.



Lemon Sorbet Nasturtium, Tiny Licorice



Chocolate Almond Fudge Olive, Brioche, Tomato

I really enjoyed this dessert as it taught me something about meals like this.



Multiple courses, one-bite portions… it is impossible to survive or even gain bang-on satisfaction from such meals. A Tartine sandwich will probably hit the spot each and every time, but there’s something educational (I hate this word by the way but it will do for now) as I love discovering unexpected flavors and pairings in familiar ingredients.



By the end of the meal, I was a total groupie. I risked five minutes of total humiliation when I asked the sommelier to ask chef Kostow to sign our menu (I couldn’t bear the thought of talking to him and it would have been rude to star at his er, chest). Chef Kostow actually came by our table (morbidddddd) to chat with us.

Thinking of what to write, the sommelier offered, A meal without wine is like summer without sunshine. To tell you the truth, I would have been slightly disappointed if he scribbled something this flowery but true to his style, chef Kostow scribbled,

Don't listen to the sommelier.

Hilarious. Swoon. Groupie chest bump.