My taste buds were so overwhelmed with the amazing flavors of this meal that I’ve been a bit tongue tied; I haven’t been able to put words to the experience to a point where I felt like I’ve done it any justice. So, I am going to let the meal speak for itself. I did not give any instructions or likes/dislikes; I just said “surprise me” and this is what the geniuses in the kitchen at the Restaurant at Meadowood came up with:
We started with creative little bites like a pillow on a pillow (goat cheese in a pastry served on a pillow), clam chowder served in a mini hush puppy, and crudités with a delicious dip served in a fishbowl-like vase. After that, I knew I was in my version of an amusement park. We then fell down a rabbit hole…
- whipped yogurt with black sesame, pickled plum shiso
- warm asparagus with microgreens and thin slices of egg that even I liked (I don’t usually like eggs, but I’m glad I didn’t tell them that!)
- tuna venison, kohlrabi, sorrel and caviar
- cod borage with smashed tuber roots
- coal roasted sturgeon with onions
- grilled squab with chrysanthemum and fresh chickpeas
- beef in madrone
- explorateur cherry leaf with shaved baguette
- citrus snowball verbena
- date hearts of palm custard with caraway
- forest mignardise
While the food had firm roots in the Napa Valley, the wine was an around the world tour and everything was perfectly paired! We were welcomed with a Roederer Estate 2000 “l’ermitage” brut from Anderson Valley (served with the bites and crudités) and then…
- Rebholz “im Sonnenschein” grosses gewachs, riesling, pfalz germany 2006
- Cold Heaven Cellars Sanford & Benedict Vineyard vionier, Santa Rita Hills 2008
- School House chardonnay, Spring Mountain, 2008
- Remelluri blanco rioja, Spain, 2008
- Les Cailloux “Cuvee Centenaire,” Chateauneuf-Du-Pape, 2011
- Whitehall Lane, reserve cabernet sauvignon, Napa Valley 1997
- North Coast Brewery “la merle-saison” Belgian farmhouse ale, Fort Bragg, CA
- Domaine Fontanelle, rivesaltes ambre, longuedoc-rousilion, France 1999
As hard as it was to describe my dining experience, I couldn’t begin to write my report on the hotel until I got this all out on paper. My thoughts on the beautiful grounds and rooms at Meadowood will come in Part 2!
