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
Closely resembling the tuna course… I wish my photos looked this good!
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!
