After settling into the Belle du Jour Inn in Healdsburg, we did a day trip to Napa Valley the next morning right after breakfast. Boy, CalTrans seems to be doing road construction on every road and highway in the Bay Area. By the time we arrived in Calistoga, we only had time to visit one winery - Clos Pegasse - off of the Silverado Trail. I then headed straight to Yountville for our lunch at Bottega. I always enjoyed Michael Chiarello's cuisine since he held court in Tra Vigne's kitchen many moons ago and have always enjoyed his show on the Food Network. Bottega's online menu looked promising so we booked lunch for four at noon.
I started with my standby cocktail, the Negroni.
As usual, we each selected one appetizer, salad or pasta and shared each course. D chose the Wood Grilled Octopus served with mesclun greens. Very tender morsels with a hint of smoke.
The Mrs picked the Burrata Caprese with heirloom tomatoes and Balsamico "caviar" or gelatinized balsamic pearls. The burrata is hidden under the tomatoes but it was creamy and good!
K selected the Risotto del Giorno or risotto of the day which was saffron risotto with pancetta and arugula. Perfectly cooked Arborio rice with salty pork and peppery greens.
I "HAD" to order the Lamb Sausage & Eggs which was ground lamb sausage cooked with eggplant served with a soft boiled egg fried with panko and served with Treviso radicchio. Savory lamb with a touch of heat then a crisp outer, luscious inner egg and slightly bitter radicchio to cleanse the palate. It was sooooo good, I had to include 2 photos...
We then progressed to the main courses, the Sonoma Rabbit Sugo with rigatoni and house made ricotta for the Mrs (she had rabbit twice during our trip).
K's Sweet Potato Gnocchi which were as good as any gnocchi I've tried - I believe there was a touch of cinnamon with the potato. Crisp on the outside, tender on the inside...
D's Ricotta Gnocchi which we had to order since the server said this was Michael Chiarello's mother's recipe. It was as tender - almost melt in the mouth - as any pasta I've sampled.
And I couldn't resist the Smoked & Braised Natural Short Ribs served with white beans. No knife or fork needed, you literally could have slurped it off of the plate.
I must say that I did anticipate dining at Bottega well before the trip started. Often, anticipation can lead to letdown, especially if online menu items aren't available or if they simply miss the mark. However, the food was so good that I would have paid a 2nd or 3rd visit if we were lodging in Napa Valley even over a guaranteed table at The French Laundry. Okay, maybe that's an overstatement... but not by much.
Bottega Ristorante
V Marketplace
6525 Washington Street, A9
Yountville, CA 94599
Lunch:
Tuesday through Sunday: 11:30 am - 2:30 pm.
Dinner:
Monday through Thursday: 5:00 pm - 9:30 pm
Friday & Saturday: 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Sunday: 5:00 pm - 9:30 pm
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