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Categories: Hotels, American (New), American (Traditional) [Edit]
900 Meadowood LnMeadowood Napa Valley and Share Our Strength come together each year for this signature event to celebrate the holidays. http://www.meadowood.com
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holy shit.
I think I orgasmed from the tiny oyster and barely sous vided foie gras bite.
their egg custard was heavenly.
their broths were so rich, complex, and powerful that even simple white chicken meat was on a pedestal. (I hate eating chicken)
out of their 9 course dinner, I was only unimpressed by one- which still wasn't bad- the thin toro with creme fraiche and caviar.
everything else was a party in my mouth. and the after party in my mouth.
went to the back and bowed to christopher kostow.
beside masa's in nob hill, the best meal I've had in my life. best bday dinner I could have asked for.
Since I'm not actually employed at the moment, we opted not to go to Tahiti for our 10th anniversary, and decided on dinner at The Restaurant at Meadowood instead. ;) The meal and service is on par with our experience at French Laundry many years ago. Exquisite.
As you may recall, I hurled after my huge, rich (and yet still phenomenal) dinner at FL. But I've gotten smarter since then. I stuck to the 4 course seasonal menu at Meadowood rather than going for the rich 9 course tasting menu whopper. There is also a vegetarian (6?) course menu option that looked good.
Even with 4 courses, I was absolutely stuffed by the time they'd brought out 3 savory and 3 sweet amuse bouches on top of the courses on the menu. Everything was amazing...and some of the amuse bouches were even, "how'd they do that?" impressive. We closed with a liquid-filled dark chocolate on a little silver pin. Like a chocolate love grenade in your mouth. *shivers*
The restaurant itself is very intimate, even more so on a night where the outdoor deck is not open. Lovely.
this is a review for the resort and the restaurant.
we were promptly greeted by name as soon as we pulled into the resort check in as well as an offering of bottled water. everyone was super courteous but not pretentious. checking in was a breeze and efficient. we were then promptly escorted to our lawn view room. the accomodations are very up to date and clean. within minutes, chocolates and champagne were brought to our room.
we also utilized the health spa and had a couples massage session. even for a spa massage, it was quite therapeutic. the lap pool was never crowded and the facilities were also very clean. there are numerous trails throughout the resort which is perfect for hiking and running.
the dinner at meadowood was perhaps the best domestic meal i've ever had (my favorite meal of all time was at la villa mahana in bora bora). not only was the food superb, but the staff is extremely pleasant and attentive. my wife and i both opted for the 9 course chef's tasting menu.
first course - cold smoked toro
second course - foie gras, cherry almond
third course - fluke steamed "en cocotte"
fourth course - lobster and sweetbread
fifth course - cloverdale farms rabbit
sixth course - smoked heritage pork belly
seventh course - beignet of blu del moncenisio
eighth course - toast and jam
ninth course - peach souffle'
they were all wonderful but the two that stood out were the foie gras four ways and the pork belly. chef kostow's creativity is quite remarkable as each course brought an additional level of excitement. i honestly enjoyed every second of my dinner experience at meadowood. the chef was also quite gracious and autographed a copy of the tasting menu per my request. although i've yet to try french laundry, we overheard the couple next to us telling chef kostow that they enjoyed their dinner at meadowood far more than they did at french laundry. hmmmm....interesting.
This is a review of the resort and the food.
The hubby and I stayed in one of their cottages for several days over the New Years'. The cottage is good if you are looking to for peace and calm and privacy. It has a huge fireplace, and they deliver more firewood and starters with a simple phone call. It also has a huge tub, and besides the usual array of high end toiletries they even had candles and sea-salt! Which was great since for two days we were stuck inside with the flu with barely enough energy to just pick up the phone.
The location is beautiful, it is on a hilltop so you get fantastic views of the valley, and can take in the pink and purple sunsets the porch with a glass of wine. They have their own wine label which I liked a lot -- I think the local air must bring out the bouquet. We brought several bottles home for the family and they loved it.
It is a natural wild life preserve, so you can see deer from your window, etc., and they have private trails on the property that go all the way up into the surrounding hills. But, it was sort of funny how every 100 feet or so along the trail there would be a nice bench, a supply of water bottles and a stern warning that mountain lions inhabit these woods. That made us feel like we were way too young to be staying there!
We never made it to the restaurant, we just ordered in, and the food was phenomenal. The foie gras and the kobe were my faves. Even breakfast was great -- this was the first time I ever ordered Huevo Rancheros, and until recently ordering these in SF thought this was a super delicious treat.
Why 3 stars? Well, the staff was mostly out-to-lunch. They regularly mixed up our dinner reservations in the valley, the taxi reservations, etc. And I am talking about the front desk, English speaking staff, and we even had some sort of a valley/consierge type assigned to us. I expect a whole different level of service from a place like this (they may have been understaffed over the holidays? still no excuse).
I was also surprised that their housekeeping staff (who we saw a lot of, staying in) were non-English speakers from Latin America. Now, they were truly great, very kind, took wonderful care of us and never mixed up anything (somehow we overcame the language barrier). But judging by how greatful they were for the relatively small tips, I had that bad feeling that they were very underpaid, even though the resort charges its guests good money.
So, that contrast in service (and, apparently, wages) left a bad taste in my mouth.
What can you say with having a property that is sitting on the top of a mountain top with no disturbance from the outside world? Nothing...Once you enter the gates to Meadowood, you hope that you don't have to leave this peaceful resort. That is exactly how I felt. From the relaxing massage, to lounging around the spacious lot at the poolside, to having a wonderful meal at "the restaurant" and going back to the room to sleep on a "heavenly" bed, you would think this is one version of paradise.
Once thing you have to be sure to have is their breakfast at the "Grill" Their english muffin is sooooooo yummy...better than any bread I've ever eaten. It is just your typical english muffin..it is fluffy and large and when you put their homemade preserves on it, everything just melts together!!!
All their staff members are so friendly and very attentive. I can't wait until my next visit up there!! A short getaway from home..
The review is for the Meadowood Restaurant. My husband and I went here with 2 other couples (6 people total) and tried the 9 course tasting menu. The service was absolutely impeccable, probably the best service I've ever experienced at a restaurant. Extremely attentive with great descriptions about each course and wine. We did the wine pairing as well, with the first course of sashimi paired with sake. There were so many courses and so many wines, I wouldn't be able to tell you everything in this review; however, they do provide you a souvenir menu for that evening and wine list.
With all of the small bites in between and three amuse bouches to begin the meal, there were probably more like 15 or 16 courses. We ended with a plum dessert with candied bacon. We were raving to the head waiter how great the bacon was and the next thing we knew, another plate came out with tons of candied bacon and side fruits / garnishes. An attentive waitstaff and responsive chef & kitchen is a huge plus in my book!
Our dinner reservations were for 9pm and we were the last to leave at around 1am, we never felt rushed and were waited on hand and foot. What an experience!
The final cost per couple amounted to more than $500 (1 wine pairing, 1 without), so definitely not an everyday type of experience. But I would highly recommend saving Meadowood for a special occasion. The husband and I have already begun saving up for our next trip there!
The dining room is small and intimate, but the tables are well spaced. The scenery is breath taking. The service is friendly and formal, yet fantastically competent. Several items on the menu really stand out as fantastic. The rabbit and sweetbreads are beyond belief.
You'll be completely satisfied if you dine here and eat nothing but the bread.
When you can afford to stay at the bungalows in Meadowood you know you've made it. Luckily for me I run with an amazing pack that took us here two years in a row for our holiday party. We rented out a bunch of these rooms, which are literally one bedroom houses.
The beauty of the whole experience is you feel like you are totally taken care of. Because the property is so spread out you are shuttled wherever you want on the premises if you call the front lobby. In no time they whisk you away to where you need to be. Each bungalow has its own working fireplace and a small stack of wood, heated floors, the most comfortable bed ever and a full mini bar/coffee/snacks. The bathtub is big enough for a soak and the television is a large movable flat screen in the front room.
You can rent out the different sized meeting rooms around the property and we were able to get a full crepe bar with juices and coffee for our two hour meeting. The food and the service was amazing.
Everything about this place screams romance, decadence and comfort... next time I'll have to try going without my work!
This is another review which was a long time a comin'...
I'd been puttin' off coming here for awhile despite the Michelin 2-star rating (and wifey's incessant nagging) because I soooo hate the long drive to Napa. The topic of Meadowood typically pops up in our household just before any big occasion, in this case:
Wifey: Honey, our ___________ (insert favorite special occasion) is next month, ya wanna go to Meadowood in Napa to celebrate?
Me: Meadowood?!?! Why the hell would I want to celebrate the darkest day of my very existence by driving an hour and a half from home!!
Wifey: But...
Me: And there ain't no way I'm dropping a grand to stay at that overpriced hotel for yuppies and coke-head B-list actors!
Wifey: Okay, let's compromise... we won't stay overnight and I promise I won't add truffles to anything we eat.
Me: Nope.
Wifey: How 'bout we go with Cynthia C. and company?
Me: Now yer talkin'! She's good people and I won't have to listen to you yapping in my ear all evening if Cynthia is running interference. Let's do it!!
So off we go to Napa for an evening of fine dining, lively company, and minimal wifey yammering.
We were all familiar with Chef Kostow's work at Chez TJ in Mountain View prior to his appointment at Meadowood. In fact, some of us (whom I won't mention) may have even been stalking him since his departure from the South Bay... but ask Cynthia C. for details.
Beautiful exclusive resort setting. Had to drive up a long, winding private driveway for what seemed like miles before finally reaching the restaurant. Along the way, we passed by rich twenty-somethings working on their atrocious tennis backhands, wealthy middle-agers walking their overpriced and annoying toy dogs, and well-to-do octogenarians trying to recapture their youth by spending ridiculous cash in wine country... I hope they all burn in hell!!
The restaurant's interior is elegant and restrained. They're aiming for timeless appeal, not modern sophistication. The staff are polite, knowledgeable, and obviously trained by master ninjas because they're all whisper-quiet moving about the dining room.
Ordered the chef's tasting menu which was a multi-course offering with interesting flavors, whimsical details, and a well thought out progression. Highlights included the smoked otoro tuna (fatty goodness), foie x 4 (liver with four tastes, wonderful!), and a perfectly poached lobster still dripping with heart-clogging butter.
Approximately 9 courses later (not including two amuse bouches and several palette cleansers), we were all giddy and stuffed.
Our fantastic evening was capped off by a tour of the kitchen and pics with Chef Kostow. A treat that would not have been possible without the help of some hard-core stalker acquaintances whose names I won't mention...
I was lucky enough to be treated to a two day business summit at this magical location. I can't wait to go back when there are no meetings to attend or schedules to keep. The 1 bedroom suite was perfect, charming and quaint yet upscale at the same time, nestled into the hillside, the food was spectacular, the service impeccable. This is a special place, truly a gem!
Fantastic service...from the lot attendant to the waitress, to the cleaning staff. This facility is TOP NOTCH. Highly recommend taking a date here for dinner. Very pricy, and prepare to spend about 2.5 hours or so on a full course meal. But the food is fantastic, and totally worth every penny.
We dined here as guests of very generous friends of ours. They told us "get us reservations at the French Laundry and we'll treat you". Well, we couldn't get reservations there, so we opted for Meadowood instead.
Everything about the evening was spectacular. From the setting, to the service, to the food, to the wine. Unbelievable. It was nice seeing how the top 1% dine.
I had the 4-course menu with a glass of wine and nothing could have been improved upon. We sat out on the deck and for most of our dinner, we had it all to ourselves. We watched people play croquet, toddlers run wild on the lawn, and enjoyed the slow and deliberate pace of our meal.
Also, when I called to book the reservation, the person asked if anyone had any food restrictions. I told him about them, but didn't really expect anything to come of it. But, when we sat down, the waiter told one of the people in our party that they should not order a particular dessert if he was the one who had the noted food allergy. WOW. That impressed me. Its one thing to ask about food allergies, but its another to communicate that information to the server and then for that server to think to bring it up when someone mentions ordering something that has that ingredient. Now THAT is a much appreciated attention to detail.
While I can't say we'll be back anytime soon (not something we can afford to do on our own), I will remember this meal for many years to come.
Review is of the Meadowood Grill.
I arrived in Napa Valley somewhat late on a Friday night, and I was exhausted and starving. To my delight, the Meadowood Grill was still serving for 5 more minutes and agreed to serve me for their final seating time. I had the three-course meal, paired with wines, and I have no complains about the food. In fact, it was exquisitely delicious and unique. The wine flights were excellent, as expected in Napa Valley, and left me pleasantly tipsy.
Unfortunately, I was much less impressed by the service. The restaurant was nearly deserted when we came, and yet the service was practically nonexistant. It took a long time to get our order taken, and the server proceeded to complain about having to work so late and said "thank god, that's easy" when we both ordered the three-course special. Throughout the meal he remained elusive, except for a time he complained that a large 9:30 reservation hadn't yet showed, which would keep him working late. The entire time I felt like the staff was rushing to serve us so that they could go home.
Hopefully the service is normally better, to go along with the 5-star food!
Bonnie Joy and I went to the Dining Room at Meadowood this weekend. Celebrating a special occasion! We both chose the fall tasting menu at $95 per. We were expecting small portions with unique favors and presentations. The service was good however not exceptional. Most items were warm rather than hot. I was hoping for unique favors, unfortunately I was disappointed. Of course, the plating was nice however not unique. I did appreciate the chef coming to our table to confirm if we here happy with the menu. I also ordered the paired wines with the menu. The paired wines were good however not over the top. The waiter suggested the cheese plate which was $35 extra. This may have been the highlight of the menu. I am not sure I misunderstand the waiter or he had trouble making himself clear, and he added an additional wine with the cheese plate which I did not expect to be added to the bill. All in all, not bad however I left not overly impressed with the food. I probably will not return since the restaurant was expensive and did not warrant the hype due to the ratings.
This review is for the Restaurant at Meadowood, definitely one of those special occasion places. The kitchen is currently run by Christopher Kostow, formerly of Chez TJ.
Food: 4 stars. The restaurant offers a nine course $155 chef's tasting menu and a $95 four course seasonal summer menu. We opted for the summer menu, which came with some bonus amuse bouches. The first amuse bouche was amazing - a "pillow" served on a pillow, which was a light cracker filled with warm fromage blanc that oozed out when I took the first bite. The second amuse bouche was just as good, some sort of bone marrow concoction, while the third amuse bouche (a corn custard) was sweetly satisfying. The first course was foie gras with meadowood golden apple, prepared four ways. Each preparation was delectable, especially the seared foie gras that I saved for last. The next course was the exceptional petrale sole with serrano skin, but I didn't think the chanterelle mushrooms, trotters and corn consomme served underneath the fish added much to the dish. The suckling pig (three different parts of the pig) with muscat grape, brussels sprouts and capers was amazing, especially the confit (the pork loin and breast were also good). We were then given a refreshing peach sorbet palate cleanser, which was a nice little prelude to dessert.. The sassafras soufflé, with vanilla bean ice cream and root beer float, was a revelation. So good and a nice ending to a wonderful meal.
Service: 4 stars. Service was impeccable. If you leave your seat, they'd bring a fresh napkin for you on a plate and serve it with tongs. Same goes for the bread - they bring out just two hot piping pieces on a basket, no more. Nice touches like that definitely make you feel special. I just wish our main server had a chance to describe the menu to us instead of just asking what we wanted.
Atmosphere: 5 stars. The inside reminds me of an interior designer's wet dream. Everything seems to be perfectly placed and seems so elegant (there's alot of white). In the early evening, there are great views out the windows of the green lush landscape. The crowd is sophisticated, but there was one party in the private dining area with a baby that kept crying (or laughing, I really couldn't tell) throughout dinner. You just don't bring a newborn baby to a place like this.
Hits: Amuse bouches, suckling pig, sassafras souffle.
Misses: The hole in my wallet.
If You Like This Place, You'd Probably Like: Murray Circle, Cyrus, Dining Room at the Ritz, Restaurant Gary Danko.
There really should be separate Yelp pages for Meadowood the Resort, The Restaurant at Meadowood, and The Grill at Meadowood. Although each are great, I'd be interested to differentiate the reviews of the hotel from the reviews of the restaurants.
The Resort: 4.5 Stars
The resort is beautiful, although it reminds me of the East Coast more than the Napa Valley (think country club). It's very secluded, the golf course is great, pool area and tennis are nice for both kids and adults, and the amenities are first rate. It's not necessarily as plush or exclusive as Calistoga Ranch, but it feels expensive. The rooms are like cottages -there's not one major building- and though smallish, are well appointed.
The Restaurant: 5 Stars
As soon as you arrive, you're struck by the BEAUTIFUL restaurant space. The waiting/bar area is very lodge-y with a roaring fireplace and the dining room is elegant, restrained, and well lit. If you can, try coming while it's still light out. The view onto the golf course is very pretty.
The food is great, although not worthy of 5 stars on its own. Meadowood Restaurant got bum-rushed once it received 2 Michelin stars, but I'm not sure the cuisine is better than other places that only get one. Nevertheless, it is pretty darn fantastic. My favorite thing I've gotten was a simple Kobe Beef dish with shaved truffles... the truffle was so fresh and thinly sliced it nearly melted onto the fatty beef. I've NEVER had anything with truffles that tasted quite so perfect.
The service is also first rate. They make you feel like a VIP even when you aren't.
The Grill: 3.5 Stars
The Grill is more casual than The Restaurant. I've only had breakfast here so I won't go into detail, but I've eaten in this space a zillion times (The Meadowood restaurants were renovated a few years ago and most of the times I've stayed at the Resort was before then). Nevertheless, the view is the same as the restaurant: golf course. Very quaint.
At the restaurant at Meadowood you get to feel like one of the swells. Dine outside and watch the folks who can afford a stay at the hotel play croquet. After driving up from San Francisco I felt that to make it worthwhile it would be necessary to try the pricey tasting menu.
Nine courses. Some were wonderful. Some not to my taste. Others just very good.
The wonderful: foie gras hree ways with cherry and almond redefined how fat should taste; lobster and sweetbread with mushroom and summer truffle was savory perfection; rabbit with summer vegetables was unique; the beignet of blue cheese with apricot puree put this cheese in an entirely new light to me.
The not to my taste: steamed fluke with squash, chorizo and squid didn't come together as a plate for me. The fluke had an off taste (perhaps the chorizo) that was off-putting. The taste of peach was not evident to me in the peach souffle. Yes, it was perfectly prepared. But no, my taste buds were not up to tasting the peach.
Some comments: The smoked toro with caviar was OK but not more than that. I came away feeling that having both foie gras and pork belly on the tasting menu emphasized fat too much. The end of the meal was an unending sequence of sugar (two desserts, two amuse). Fat and sugar overload.
There is no doubt about the talent in the kitchen. But the tasting menu seemed overpriced and unbalanced (at least to me).
Surprising, overwhelmingly positive experience.
We expected standard resort fare at Meadowood -- i.e., high end ambience and high end prices, but only so-so food. We booked a meal here only because, after a full day of wine tasting, we didn't want to have to drive anywhere.
So we were pleasantly surprised by just how incredible the food was. We both had the nine-course tasting menu, and we split a pairing between the two of us. Though pricey ($155 for the menu, the $105 for the pairing), it was well worth it. There was no skimping on ingredients -- toro, foie gras, lobster, and simply generous shavings of truffles. Everything was cleverly done (e.g., the sweetbread wonton). There were lots of "[X] [Y] ways" courses (e.g., foie gras four ways, strawberries four ways with the dessert).
The wine pairing was spot-on -- sake with the toro, tokaji with the foie gras, Meursault with the lobster, Harlan Matriarch with the lamb, etc., etc. Fantastic.
Service was formal but friendly the entire evening. We were seated in the private room for two right off of the main dining room. The room was a touch claustrophic, but very intimate (and we were celebrating our anniversary).
Overall, well worthy of its two Michelin stars (of which we learned while dining). A good cut above Auberge (which disappointed us), and on the heels of or on parity with the French Laundry -- without the impossibility of getting in.
This review is for the Grill.
We had the corned beef hash and the fish tacos. First of all, the bread is really yummy and then they give you great english muffins with homemade jams. Don't say I didn't tell you so!
The corned beef was really good with eggs on top. The meat is cured there and the flavors went well together. The fish tacos were even better. They had salmon and a fresh mango salsa, avocado and jicama!
Our server Alfie was really friendly and the service was really good. The view is of the golf course. The bathrooms were very clean.
A great escape from all of the wineries...
My bf took me to the restaurant at Meadowood earlier this month for my birthday. We were drunk as skunks, but we were still able to enjoy the meals that we ordered.
Nothing disappointed, only impressed. We each got the four-course menu, but didn't make it to dessert. I loved the Morels and the Foie Gras.
The service was top notch, probably the best service I've ever experienced in a restaurant.
I would definitely go back.
Had not been able to get into French Laundry despite maniacal phone acrobatics precisely one month out, so we made reservations at Meadowood. Rested and no longer very drunk we headed on up for their paired tasting menu. First thing that struck me were the grounds. Pretty damn nice property. The interior of the restaurant was very comfortable, elegant, with a nice view of the croquet lawn and golf course. A very attentive waiter quickly assessed our plan and brought out a three different delicious amuse bouche appetite wetters. Now onto the 9 course excercise in gluttony:
1.Cold Smoked Toro Osetra Caviar, Crème Fraiche, Warm Brioche
Nice start. Perfect brioche.
2. Foie Gras Cherry, Almond
Served 3 ways. The wife LOVED the seared, I loved the terrine.
3. Fluke Steamed "en cocotte" Summer Squash, Chorizo, Squid
Entered food/wine coma in the middle of this dish, kinda fuzzy.
4. Lobster and Sweetbread Mousserons, Turnip, Summer Truffle
This dish dislodged me from said coma. Great variety textures
and flavors here. Very interesting dish. Truffles didn't overwhelm.
5. Cloverdale Farms Rabbit Meyer Lemon, Marinated Summer
Vegetables
I love me some rabbit. Cooked to perfection, meaty little guy too.
6. Vadouvan Roasted Lamb Shank Eggplant, Date, Pickled Carrot
NOT a big lamb fan, but this turned me around completely.
7. Beignet of Blu Del Moncenisio Dried Apricot Puree, Bitter Greens
Food/wine coma prevented in depth review of this one.
8. Toast and Jam Silverado Strawberries, Toast Ice Cream
Most clever of all the dishes. Toast Ice Cream??? Met chef
Christopher Kostow (Philosophy major in college....makes sense
after this meal) and unsuccessfully tried to pry the secret to this
from him.
9. Peach Soufflé Basil Ice Cream, Fresh Peach Salad
Loved the basil ice cream, perfect with peaches.
All perfectly paired with world class wines, wish I would have written them down, but I do know I loved em all.
Art, science, food and philosophy on disply here. Highly recommended.
I confess, I'm a groupie of Chef Kostow, thanks Daikons for keeping me calm under multiple pressure points of the evening:
1) Enjoying the long-awaited meal.
2) Getting a tour of the kitchen.
3) Posing for a pic w/the Chef.
A journey in Layman's terms, please follow along w/my pix for the proper identification:
~Country Club in Wine Country
~Amuse 1: Tator Tot, comfort food, refined
~Amuse 2: Pillow of cheese, so airy and decadent
~C1: Creamy pureed corn, reminded me of Chevy's tomalito, better of course
~C2: Smoked fatty tuna, w/o a hint of smoke
~C3: Duck liver 4 ways, wonderful, skip the peanut version
~C4: White fish, very light & firm, not my favorite.
~C5: Shrooms, lobster & butter, need I say more? Hands down, the BEST.
~C6: Rabbit, seasoned beautifully, showcased the meat well.
~C7: Baby cow, wonderfully tender. Mooo. Anchovies were a nice surprise.
~C8: Young cow's milk cheese, liked the goat's milk more.
~C9: Kiwi cubes & sorbet, refreshing, very involved for a pre-dessert.
~C10: Strawberries, Jam & Toast Ice Cream, so unique & light!
~C11: Lime 'cake' w/coconut, excellent, even the coconut 'haters' liked it.
~Last Freebie: mini s'mores, so whimsical & recognizable.
Wine Pairing: One can EASILY split the pairing, pours are generous, in the tradition of the Chef's former Bay Area location and we were certainly sporting healthy buzzes on the way out.
It's rare that I don't feel like I gained 5 pounds after a tasting menu, the portioning is perfect and the food quality stands on it's own w/o doctoring.
Beautiful secluded location, fantastic service, excellent food AND I don't have to stand by redialing for days?!?! Did I mention at 1/2 the price of a certain 3 Michelin starred neighbor? I'm in LOVE.
Very cute isolated setting, fun to sit outside. The grounds are very green and well kept.
Food was rich but flavorful and fresh.
I heard it was a presidential favorite, as well..
Whenever my husband and I have guests who want to see the Napa Valley, we book our regular set of rooms at Meadowood. Otherwise, we stay in Calistoga. Meadowood has offered the best guest experience and each time we take someone there, they are wowed by the property, the vineyards, food, and the service.
I was there when President Bush came to town last summer and boy, was it packed with security personnel from the president and especially the hotel! I never even glimpsed the President but our experience there was not at all diminished by such a high profile man. The only real minus to this luxury resort is that for a Napa Valley location, their wine list is not as extensive as I expect it to be.
INGREDIENTS for THE PERFECT DINNER
2 Little Black Dresses
2 Sharp Suits
1.5 Hour Drive from San Francisco
1 Conversation Seriously Contemplating Popeye's Fried Chicken as an Amuse Bouche
1 Tree Lined Curvy Road leading into the Woods
1 Picturesque Building with
1 Cozy Bar Area with a Roaring Fireplace and Comfy Looking Couch
1 Softly Lit Elegant Dining Room with White Roses and Crisp Linens
2 Manhattans
1 Bloody Mary
1 Glass of Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs
8 Piping Hot Quickly Inhaled Rolls
3 Pats of Glutton Inducing Butter
1 Incredible Kitchen Staff
1 Enjoyable Conversation with Rock Star Chef Christopher Kostow
4 Custom Made Menus by the Talented, Generous and Apparently Nearly Psychic Garde Manger Christina
1 Savvy Sommelier
Countless Wine Pairings
1 Friendly and Knowledgeable Server Nathan
16 Luscious Canapes Including Fried Oysters and Quail Eggs & Caviar
4 Flavorful and Rich Cups of Mushrooms Steeped in Chicken Consomme
4 Paper Thin Slices of Toro topped with Osetra Caviar, Creme Fraiche & Spring Onions
1 Amazing and Refreshing Chilled Carrot Puree with Lobster
1 Airy and Interesting Parsnip Souffle with Sweetbread
1 Decadent Course of Fois Gras done 2 ways
4 Picture Perfect Scallops with Shrimp, Cauliflower Puree & Quail Egg
2 Petrale Soles with Artichokes & Caper Berries
1 Serving of Pork done 3 ways & Apple Gelee
1 Beef Tenderloin with "best Gnocchi ever" & Nettles
4 Adorable Palate Cleansing Carrot Shaped Carrot Sorbets
4 Desserts Including a Memorable Chocolate Souffle
4 Candied Orange Slices
2 Nearby White Picket Porch Swings
1 Clear Starry Night
SIFT WELL. ENJOY.
This place is Baller! Be ready to drop some cash. Used to be better when they had the pond!
The Meadowood Restaurant is as good if not BETTER than French Laundry! I never thought I'd say that, since I was obsessed with TFL after dining there 4 months ago and having the best meal of my life.
The flavor combinations, high creativity, along with flawless wine pairings have pushed Meadowood in front of TFL. And I truly believe this will be the next 3-star restaurant in America (there are only 6 at this point). Each course of the Chef's Menu was flawless, but 2 courses on the Winter Menu had some imperfections, however.
Amuse Bouche:
1. garden radishes w/ olive oil, sea salt: fresh, flavorful
2. double baked potato bite w/ creme fraishe and roe: a wonderful bite of flavor
3. Tea and crumpet: This was the first time in my meal where I was felt this place pushed beyond its 2-star rating. This course was so creative and delicious; the tea was made of a mushroom bullion while the crumpet was from cheese (not sure what type) and black truffle.
Chef's Tasting Courses:
1. Toro and caviar: this delicate and conceptually simple dish was in fact very sophisticated in flavors and was as good as the Oysters and Pearl course at TFL. Wonderful balance of smokiness from the toro, and saltiness/fishiness from the caviar. Creme fraishe and a small brioche slice worked very well to enrich this course.
2a. Foie gras, peanut, grape: The BEST foie I've ever had. Also the most creative. 4 preperations: custard, raw, poached, seared. Since there are only souces of foie in this country, almost all the foie we usually get are very similar, especially if it's seared foie. However, Chef Kostow truly enhanced his foie by cleverly combining it with subtle touches of grape and peanut. What a simple concept...peanut butter and foie, so similar in richness and texture, and such complimenting flavors, yet I've never seen this anywhere else. Wonderful. TFL's amazing foie torchon has now been dethroned.
2b: Celery Root Souffle: unfortunately, I was stupid enough to trade my foie for vegetable...I will never do this again. It was good, but I really need some protein in all my savory courses. Slightly sweet and fluffy, but I thought the black truffle flavor was muted.
3a: Cured Trout w/ olive oil ice cream: Another highly creative course that combined into something miraculous on my taste buds. The trout was extremely tender and flavorful, but when combined with the cold slighly sweet olive oil ice cream...absolutely fantastic.
3b: steamed Medai w/ carrot: the last weak course of the night. I felt the fish was undersalted, and that carrots were too subtle to be a successful complement of a relatively bland fish. Had the slight hints of ginger and serrano chilies played a larger role, I feel that this dish would have been a hit.
4: Lobster and sweetbread ravioli, black truffles: This was the best dish I've EVER tasted. The sweetbread was so tender, paired with a wonderful butter poached maine lobster tail, and the best sauce/foam. Here is the perfect example of how Chef Kostow uses 3 excellent ingredients that would have been great by themselves, but when combined, just became something mesmerizing. I liked this course much better than the lobster at TFL, which was my gold standard for lobsters.
5: Poisson w/ razor clam, chorizo. I couldn't believe a restaurant at this caliber would serve chicken. I've never seen chicken on a tasting menu since it's always duck, squab, or quail when it comes to a bird. However, this poisson had so much natural flavor, tenderness, and again the combinations with clam and chorizo were genius.
6a: Poached goat w/ goat cheese/whey sauce and goat cheese, and grass scent: when I read this on the menu, I was a bit turned off. I stronly disliked the taste of wheat grass shots at Jamba, and take Whey protein supplements after workouts, so when I read "whey and wheat grass", naturally I was reminded of foods I take for purely health reasons. However, this course was again a HUGE success. The tender goat was good by itself, however, once eaten with the goat cheese, sauce, and grass (and the sav. franc paired)...fireworks went off on my senses. All these ingredients went perfectly with each other.
6b: Beef tenderloin sous vide w/ onion and mustard seeds: another great dish, but not as innovative as the goat. The meat was incredibly tender and preserved the wonderful beef flavors through its cooking process.
7: coconut sorbet w/ toasted coconut and candied pineapple: classic combo, great way to cleanse the pallet.
8: Chestnut cakes, rosemary custard, grapefruit sorbet: Great balance btw rich and fresh, sweet and tang.
9a: Chocolate ganache and mint ice cream: great way to end an amazing meal.
9b: Valrhona souffle, banana semifreddo, hazelnut ice cream: Great contract btw hot and cold, chocolate and nuts.
10: Thyme scented chocolate truffle: I never knew how perfectly thyme complimented chocolate
The Meadowood exceeded all of my high expectations.
*This review is only of the restaurant*
Unfortunately for my boyfriend, my birthday and our anniversary fall within a week of one another. This means I expect big presents and grand gestures which show not only his gratitude that I was birthed but also that I have chosen to stick around with him for this long. In all, I must be treated like a queen for about a week.
Luckily for him, he got a gift certificate to Meadowood and was able to put it towards my deliciously expensive birthday/anniversary dinner.
Having read up on this place for weeks, I was preparing for one of the best meals of my life! After all of my research we decided to order 4 courses each. I am a big fan of dining this way: choose your dishes- any course, any order. We opted for the wine pairing as well.
We tried joking a little with our server, but she seemed a bit uptight and cold. It was awkward. The table of Texans next to us provided tons of entertainment. When one proclaimed, "I just loooooove money!" in his soft Texan drawl, I had a flash of G-Dubs cockeyed grin and realized that if this is the crowd our server regularly deals with, I can forgive the awkwardness of our exchanges.
I won't go into detail about what we ate since I am pretty sure the menu is constantly changing. I tasted some really interesting wines which I unfortunately didn't write down.
Overall though, the flavor at times did not live up to the presentation. Dishes were masterfully assembled onto the plate but once I actually tasted the food, I was a little disappointed. I think I was prepared to have one of the best meals of my life and maybe I over hyped it to myself. However, the level of service and quality cannot allow me to give less than 4 stars.
In short, if you just "loooooove money" and have a lot of it to spend, then come here. If you like to eat like you have a lot of money, then I think there may be some better restaurants in the area.
It's official. The Meadowood 8-course meal is the most expensive meal I've puked up.
The chef has a sweet tooth. Bear that in mind. It's richer than French Laundry, overall, for the same amount of courses. Every course had something with animal fat or was fried. Even the bean broth was heavy (like it had ham in it) and the anchovy base had very little lavender and thyme flavor that it was touting. Four preparations of fois gras (one smoked. one plain. one with fruit. one fried).
My favorite course was the pre-dessert tri-layer parfait type deal, with sorrel mousse, yogurt and plum gellee at the bottom.
The kobe beef steak was not as perfectly butchered as I expected. It was also a bit undercooked. I guess I expect kobe or wagyu beef to be prepared is either carpaccio style or medium rare and rested well. The poussin was a bit overdone.
The sommelier's choices were top notch - I don't mind having Tokkai in the middle of a dinner, but I know that other people did.
The service was fun and spot on.
The kitchen kinda smelled like any other restaurant/ diner kitchen.... A bit of pineSol or bleach and hot water dampness. I guess I was expecting it to be pristine, shiny, beautiful and impeccable.
Overall - okay, but not worth the money.
Restaurant review only.
I made a reservation here based on the glowing reviews I read. They were right on. The food was delicious. Every single course was a treat. Some of my favorites were the lobster and sweetbread ravioli and the squab. The cheese plate was delicious too!
I enjoyed the food more than Restaurant Gordon Ramsay or the French Laundry.
Service perfect.
Sommelier selection - perfect.
View - amazing.
As for a table outside if you can. It's amazing to watch the sunset while you eat.
Note - attire is dresssy. No jeans. No jacket required, but it is recommended.
We were enchanted while dining on the terrace, overlooking the green, whilst listening to an orchestra of bullfrogs and crickets.
Our whole experience was impressive. From fresh crab and lobster appetizers to ... I can't even remember our entrees because the wine pairings were that mind-blowing.
Darren, the wine director, was unforgettable, however. He made the night fantastic! He explained where our wines came from, why our glasses were shaped the way they were (who would've known!). When I couldn't make my mind up between two delicious desserts he brought them both, on the house (sweetheart).
Dare I say, The Restaurant at Meadowood is the closest experience to the French Laundry I have had in Napa Valley.
We arrived after driving hours in the pouring rain trying to find this place. The staff was very accommodating and kind. They dried us off and upgraded our room, since no one showed up because of the storm. We had a view of the lawn, which was beautiful. I never thought I would ever use that word to describe a lawn, but it really was very nice. There was a king bed, wood-burning fireplace, and French doors that opened onto a terrace. It was about $500 (gah!) Prices range from about $500 to nearly $4000 (insane!)
Their restaurant is amazing. The food is really just home style dishes like burgers, chicken, pork, short ribs, lamb, etc. But they do it up right and everything I ate was very impressive. I skipped the sweetbreads shittake and potato hash, though...brains? No, I don't think I'm that refined yet.
Check the seasonal rates, which vary. It's expensive, but it's beautiful...a luxury stay you will always remember.
We had an assortment of 7, 3, 4, and 5 course tasting menus around the table, which probably caused confusion. While it was great they offered the option, I was sad that the coordination seemed lacking in such a small dining room. However, each request we made was pleasantly and quickly responded to, so I can't fault the service much.
Dinner started off with an amuse bouche tray, consisting of a premise grown radish with olive oil, a square of some lentil puff, a quail egg with caviar, and a fried oyster. Each was creative, yet simple and a really nice way to whet the appetite. I've never been a fan of raw radishes and this one made me change my mind.
Next was a quick starter of mushroom tea, something M and I had enjoyed at Chez TJ. It's an interesting twist on a light consumme broth, with a tea bag of mushroom. While it's possible we didn't let the "tea" steep long enough, it didn't have as much mushroom punch as I remember at Chez TJ. This broth was rather bland, and lacked excitement. The crumpet, however, served beside the tea was fantastic, light, eggy, and full of flavor.
Our first course was served all together, a Hamachi served with brioche toast for me, and a dungeness crab salad two ways for M. The crab was pretty good, 1 part was wrapped in apple, which made for a fun contrast to the savory crab. I thought both were creative and fun, and very good but not great.
The second course of the tasting menu was a mackerel. This preparation was very tasty with a crunchy crust from a perfectly hot cooking. M's entree of Antelope filet came out. It had great flavor, no "gameiness" just a pure meaty taste, similar but definitely different than beef. A bit too much connective tissue, to call it really nice, though.
The third dish was fois gras. Like beef, I've got a complete fan boi weak in the knees useless vocal cords crush on fois gras. This was served with an apple brulee, along side a hunk of some of the finest prepared goose liver I'd ever had. The table was full of adults shamelessly running bread, fingers, and even tongues over the dishes, squeaking out every last morsel of goodness from it.
By this time, it was about 9:30pm and we were shocked to realize just how long a meal this was going to be, 3 hours and not even halfway.
The fourth plate was a lobster soup, with sweetbreads ravoli and truffles. I found it good but underwhelming, given the ingredients. I mean, you've got the foods culinary oriented people dream of in the same dish, and it didn't knock me out. The lobster was flavorful and the broth was foamy and fun but the truffles all stuck to the dish and didn't add much. Decent dish, definitely not Send-It-Back quality, but not nearly as exciting as the previous.
Fifth, we had a confit of suckling pig. This was the best presentation of this meat I'd ever had, tender with a fatty crust that made you want to eat more. It was bursting with pork flavor with that texture that reminds you why you love pork, yes, even pork over beef sometimes.
When the beef came out, I looked at it, and saw nothing that looked like fat, just a piece of pure unmarbled meat. I was prepared to be underwhelmed. I was prepared not to like it, and to not worry about it, but when my fork sliced it, my attention came back. Yes, my fork. This is what beef is all about, tender, juicy, full of honest beef flavor, unweighted by other distractors. I really wanted a bigger piece of this, despite the capacity of my stomach nearing excessive levels.
We had to ask about my wife's soup at this point. I was too full to fully enjoy it, but you can't argue with a creamy artichoke soup, served with duck confit. The duck gave a great flavor to contrast the artichoke, and we were again reduced to bread soaking to not offend the flavors left in the bowl. It would've made a better starter than a midpoint dish, though.
By this time, my savory stomach was completely full, and luckily, next was a cheese course followed by dessert. It provided great balance and seemed to help cut through the richness lining my mouth. However, I was surprised to have a cheese course served, with no bread.
Dessert was the highlight of the meal, for me. I had a chocolate souffle, which was light and cakeish up top and creamy as you got nearer to the bottom. It was served with a brown butter ice cream that was incredibly rich and only emphasized the chocolate flavor even more. However, the real star of the night was the butterscotch souffle. Never before have I had a souffle this tasty. I felt my taste buds give a standing ovation each time I let more souffle fall onto them. It was light and fluffy, and intensely flavored without being too heavy handed, bringing back happy childhood memories of rarely given butterscotch treats.
Overall, I was pretty happy with the meal and presentation, a little disappointed with service, especially from a 2 Michelin Star rated restaurant.
I made reservations for my sister's 30th birthday. We were greeted with two "Happy Birthdays" from hosts/waiters as we arrived, and a dual-bottle Champagne service. A simple, elegant card sat on our table wishing her a happy birthday. And, I had Japanese kobe beef.
Ridiculously worth it, with an A+ staff. Yay for them!
Let me start off by saying that Meadowood doesn't suck. It's actually kinda trippy. The resort is a bit aged, but in a Dirty Dancing sort of resortish way - complete with the old people. The rooms were nice and there was wireless internet (bonus), but I felt like I was in 1982. Combine the resort off of Dirty Dancing with the golf courses from Caddy Shack, and you have Meadowood.
There's a lot of places to drop cash in Napa Valley, not sure I would pick this one.
I hate to say it, but I was disappointed by the Restaurant at Meadowood. I was so excited (especially since my ocmpany was pickiing up the bill) but it just didn't live up to it's billing - 2 stars in Michelin? My experience definitely did not deserve that.
Now, don't get me wrong - this is a first class restaurant all the way. Great service, unusual food, and dinner is truly an event (a 4 hr event!) not just a meal. However, I had a 5 course meal and I can tell you one of the dishes was downright bad (the Kampachi) and one was mediocre. The Kampachi is my major gripe - it tasted so fishy that I didn't eat it - that should never, ever happen at a restaurant of this caliber. The other was a tuna dish that was just average - again a little bit fishy and not impressive.
Also 2 notes on service that was overall excellent except for 2 things
1) While our group was waiting to be seated in the "bar" area the hostess approached me and listed off all my choices for water before dinner. I was overwhelmed by all the choices and just said "oh, tap water is fine for me". She literally REFUSED to serve me tap water with the explanation "we don't serve tap water in the bar". Absolutely laughable it was so ridiculous. If we're paying $200 a head go get me a glass from the bathroom if you have to - don't tell me you don't serve tap water in a space with a fully outfitted kitchen. Nevermind the economic and environmental implications of this policy.
2) They didn't let us order dessert! They just brought a bunch of things for us to share - which was a) awkward b/c we are coworkers not family and b) annoying b/c I would've ordered what I really wanted to eat! I had no interest in some of the desserts they brought us. I thought it was a really really odd end to the night.
This would really be a good 4.5 stars for me.
Definitely a great place to go for a memorable meal. I'd been to Meadowood with my parents years ago for brunch, and we didn't really walk away that impressed. However, like so many, we decided to venture back over after the French deemed the Restaurant to be a coveted two-star experience. Well, our experience was a near-perfect yet flawed exercise in dining perfection.
My parents were staying at another (I'd say competing) establishment in Sonoma that described the Meadowood staff as "snooty," and nothing could be further from the truth. They were incredibly welcoming and accommodating. I put down on Opentable that we were coming for my Mom's birthday, and we were surprised to see we were seated in a charming private room for three. There were some gaps in the service that were rather shockingly noticeable--we were never offered a cocktail to start when we sat down, and some of the courses did not arrive in sync.
The menu was in a order-by-courses style that reminded me of Gary Danko. It was great how you could order multiple items from each type of food to custom-create the tasting menu you really desired. Now, make sure you note before you go that this is a TASTING menu. That means the portions are SMALL, or at least smaller than most American gourmands are used to. However, after about four courses and I don't even remember how many amuse bouches (if that's how you pluralize it), I left feeling pleasantly full but not stuffed. Just about everything was totally delicious... excellent and occasionally unorthodox pairings of ingredients and flavors that resulted in some real gustatory nirvana.
In all, a nearly-perfect dining experience that I'd be eager to try again.
Very nice outdoor deck with a lovely view but completely over priced now. The Grill has gone down in service and food (and way up in price). This was my third meal there and possibly my last for a while. Maybe with enough feed back this charming spot for lunch will improve but for now I would not waste my money there. I had lunch there over a year ago and it was very good but now the prices have gone over the top - especially the wine list. In the wine country one expects a good glass of wine for
$15 to $20 a glass - it wasn't. The food was also only so-so.
Wow, wow and more WOW. I can't afford to stay at the Meadowood estate. I can't afford to be a member. I can't even afford to eat at their restaurant but you know what? I CAN afford to eat at their grill and a damn good grill it is. I have been there twice now, both with a large group of friends and with a date and it has not disappointed. I would normally balk at paying $12 for a hamburger but this one was worth every cent. Another thing that I hate to admit? I loved the hand soap in their restroom. It was some English brand that I had never heard of. They had it locked down otherwise I would have put it in my cargo pants. This place is a blast to go to when the weather is nice. IF you sit outside you can overlook the golf course and the croquet field. It's a very quiet spot and I would absolutely recommend it as a place to bring a date you actually want to talk to.
As a plus, their whole menu is online...WITH prices.
http://www.meadowood.c...
We ordered two three course meals instead of the typical five at a place of this caliber. We screwed up and had a late lunch at Bouchon so we weren't very hungry.
The starters were so good, we ordered a fourth course. We ordered a THIRD dessert the first two were so good. All and all I tried about nine different things on the menu and all were absolutely outstanding.
Phenomenal food, phenomenal service. Best meal I've had in a long, long time. We left stuffed and giddy and will have a hard time trying someplace new next time we head North.
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