It was our last night in Napa, and we had spent the day at a private wine tasting with one of the head sommeliers at The Meadowood Resort followed by a couples massage. Pretty much the best thing ever. Little did I know, the night was about to become one of the best nights of my life.
That evening’s surprise dinner location was back at The Restaurant at The Meadowood, the other 3 Michelin star restaurant in Napa (the other being the very well known French Laundry).
We arrived and started the night off with a toast which began our 12 course menu-less adventure in the freshest farm-to-table cuisine I’ve had to date.
[after dining, we were presented a menu of each course's main ingredients, which is what is listed below]
A few amuse bouche to start.
“Veggies and Dip” – garden fresh veggies with a light dipping accompaniment. So fresh!
Whipped yogurt black sesame pickled plum shiso. The most amazing yogurt I’ve ever tasted. Creamy consistency and not the least bit chalky. I dream of eating this everyday.
Wild and cultivated radishes goat cheese pumpernickel. This was a very interesting dish. The radishes had a very earthy flavor. Not my favorite, but very unique. The presentation was perfect – like pulling radishes from the dirt.
Tuna venison kohlrabi sorrels caviar. Tuna…Caviar…there really isn’t a reason not to love this.
Geoduck clam lardo noodle. Soft and full of flavor. Added bonus, the fun of biting these long noodles off the chilled chopsticks.
Coal roasted sturgeon onions. Never had sturgeon before, but wouldn’t complain if I had to eat this dish everyday of my life. I might also be evolving into an onion snob…these added the perfect hint of sweet.
Mangalista pork oyster mustard turnips. I’m not a pork eater, but I still enjoyed this course. The meat was firm, yet light.
Beef in madrone. My personal favorite, and Dan’s as well. Lets go ahead and add mushrooms to the list of ingredients I am now snobby about. Everything about this dish was perfect. The morel mushrooms were just as meaty and tender as the beef. Mouthwatering…
Now for the desserts.
Explorateur cherry leaf shaved baguette. Light and crisp with subtle sweetness.
Citrus snowball verbena. Imagine Italian ice for adults. Refreshing and light; simply melting in your mouth.
Dark chocolate beet violet. The beet was an interesting addition to the sweetness of the chocolate and vanilla ice cream.
Forest mignardise. Bite sized sweets to end the night.
At least, so I thought it was the end of the night…To Be Continued….
