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It was with great trepidation that my husband agreed to a vegetarian lunch on our recent trip to Napa Valley. However, I must say he was greatly relieved to see the most of the dishes made up for the lack of meat with some pretty substantial flavor.
Our favorite was definitely the heirloom burrata salad. I know I know...that must be the 3rd interpretation of a heirloom tomato burrata salad we'd had in the past 7 days. Heirlooms are in season, it seems. What set this one apart was the pesto that discreetly lined the bottom of the plate. It was a green herb oil infused with a lemony flavor. We recommended it to some people who sat down next to us and they agreed that the dish was sublime.
Unlike hubby, I very much enjoyed the cold soup with raw veggies. It was refreshing and healthy, not to mention quite delicious.
We were both huge fans of our little "snack", deep fried chickpea clusters served atop a bed of romesco sauce. Who said being vegetarian meant being healthy?! Deep fry anything and it becomes 10 times more delicious. Yum!
The truffled gnochetti was pretty decent although the truffle flavor was very much lacking. The picked Swiss chard was a nice touch.
Most disappointing was their polenta (we added an egg to the top of it, much to the pleasure of our server). The dish was too sweet and thin. The "polenta" tasted more like they used cream of corn rather than actual cornmeal.
It was our fault for not going for dinner but I just couldn't get hubby to agree to that, taking up a slot where we could be having a hearty meal elsewhere in Napa. I want to try that cauliflower dish, perhaps next time if I'm extra nice to hubby..............!
All in all the experience was pleasure although I was quite surprised to see the place completely empty when we showed up for our noon reservations on a Sunday.
P.S. Congrats to Ubuntu on their 1 Michelin star in the 2010 guide - from what I understand, it was long overdue.
I had an ok experience at Ubuntu. I'm vegan and enjoyed the food that we had. We got the three appetizers and they were all yummy. Lavender Almonds, Castelvetrano Olives, and chickpea salad. Then we had rustic rancho gordo bean stew and homemade fregola pasta.
The service could be a lot better.The entrees came out minutes after the appetizer leaving no room on the table, and were a little cold when we got around to them.Staff was circling restaurant at times (almost too much), but seemed very inattentive when needed.
The waitress was a little scattered and pushy about getting more plates than we ordered,but we had more than enough food.
We asked for tap water and was told that it was "funky" with no explanation why...so we got it and it tasted like fishtank. But if the staff knows that it is weird, you would think they would offer a complimentary alternative, instead of telling customers that its funky.
I wrote a comment card about the tap water tasting gross and taking away from the meal as a whole, and just thought the restaurant should take more notice. She got a little defensive and then felt she has to tell me that they use an "EXPENSIVE" filtration system and it was not their fault.
I'm probably not going to make any friends with this review, but I guess maybe this place is a little over hyped, and perhaps resting on the laurels of its Michelin star. For non vegans, Ubuntu offers an interesting experience (carnivores will enjoy its new age/creative curioso appeal, vegetarians will enjoy the imaginative and tasty concoctions), however for vegans, I'm sorry, you will be disappointed. So Ubuntu might earn 3-4 stars as a vegetarian, but really misses the mark in terms of meeting an increasing demand for vegans looking for a gourmet and extraordinary dining experience. Millennium in San Francisco sets the bar higher in comparison (of course, a comparison between the 2 is unfair, as Ubuntu is vegetarian, vs. Millennium which specializes purely in vegan cuisine).
I am no vegan myself, nor am I a vegetarian. However, my wife has been vegan for almost 2 years, and we are on a quest to find the panacea for vegan gourmet foodists, and boy, is this a challenge! Even in the great state of California.
My alarm bells went off when our server told us that they were serving small (tapas style) plates the night we went, and that we should look at ordering 2-3 plates per person (at 17-20$ each, we were 4). Don't get me wrong, I'm all for small, delectable plates full of high impact flavor, but imagine my disappointment when I realized that I really only enjoyed 50% of the dishes we order (12).
Of course, it wasn't all bad.
The highlights:
Marcona Almonds (lavender, sugar): those are absolutely amazing, a blissful bite and crunch, the lavender works amazingly well w/ the sugar and depth of the almond. Highly recommended.
5/5
The carta da musica (crisp homemade flat bread with porcini, pecorino and summer truffle) had mixed reviews on the table. Without the summer truffle pecorino for the vegans, this dish loses a lot of its muster. So vegans, prepare to be disappointed. For vegetarians, this is an interesting dish.
3/5 (vegan), 4/5 (vegetarian)
We had this medley of chopped carrot and radish heads with a dreary vinaigrette. Boring. Disappointing. Forgettable. (1/5)
The cauliflower put us in a trough of disillusionment. (1/5)
Desserts... looked interesting. But again, for vegans... a fruit medley/sorbet ? Come on guys, we can do better than this. When are chefs going to start realizing that vegans like decadence too ? Margarine instead of butter, people? Cashew/Tofu dairy cream options? The lack of inspiration was underwhelming.
About the service... when my wife asked for truffle oil/dressing as an alternative to the truffle / cheese pecorino that the non-vegans were having, we got a pretty sour look from our server. She came back 10m later, with a less than a thimble full of "mushroom" vinaigrette. I'm sorry, not worthy of a 1 star restaurant.
I had dinner at "La Folie" in the city (SF) 2 days later. You can read my review on this later, but that is a dining experience worth paying for. Different price point, I know... but it is time that vegetarian establishments (as fancy as Ubuntu aspires to be) start meeting this kind of experience and flexibility.
So no repeat experience required for me, or my party. Why?
Even though vegetarian, there is a clear lack of creativity to provide alternatives for vegans (elimination of key ingredients is NOT what I call creative, it's laziness). Putting an asterisk on your menu stating that the dish can be veganized is a bit of a short sell. I know it's not your target segment, but you gotta expect that within thissegment, a sub-segment exists that is made up of an increasing number of vegans that are desperately looking for culinary experiences worth remembering.
Pure and simple.
PS: On our way back to the South Bay from Napa about 1.5 hrs later, my wife tells me she's hungry. I tell her I'm starving. Too bad it was too late to hit the Vegetarian House in San Jose, Milpitas or Palo Alto :(
The food was tasty and the ambiance was great. The apps were to amazing - those were my favorite items of the whole meal! We had the lavender almonds (AH-MAZ-ING) and the chickpea clusters.
I loved their signature salad (don't remember the name) with the beet 'dirt'. It had great flavor and the cheese was a nice touch. This salad basically has everything in their garden. It's awesome that they grow so much of their own ingredients (and mark which ones so you know exactly where it came from).
The presentation of each dish was spectacular You could tell that the chefs took each dish to heart and carefully placed each item of food on the plate. Gorgeous!
I think we got a new server because service was 'ok'.
I didn't love sitting elbow to elbow with fellow diners. I felt a bit uncomfortable and didn't feel like I could talk freely and comfortably with my husband across the table from me. Too tight along the bench on the wall!
My main complaint about this restaurant is that even though I consider myself an average to above-average 'foodie', I really couldn't decipher the menu. I didn't know what half the things were or how they were prepared. It made it next to impossible to decide what to get and then when I did finally decide and order, what I got wasn't really what I thought I was getting. Pretty disappointing. I wish they'd use a bit more 'plain' English to a certain degree so the average foodie can know what they're ordering.
We really enjoyed our Ubuntu experience. It is pricey so be prepared to spend close to 100 bucks if you are also having a drink. The veggies were delicious and fresh. The spices were interesting and complimentary to the food, never drowning the taste of the veggies in something else. I particularly enjoyed the cheesecake in a mason jar.
This is my favorite restaurant in the Bay Area - it never ceases to amaze me! Whether you are a vegetarian or not, you will surely enjoy the explosion of rich flavors, high quality ingredients, and unique presentation of every dish on their menu. The most unique part of this place is that the chef revises and reprints the menu every day, with major changes every week, in order to use the freshest, locally-grown ingredients. I always leave Ubuntu in sheer AWE and will go back every time I am up in Napa!!
LOVED IT!
Places like this fill me with enthusiasm and gratitude for visionary business owners with excellent taste. The food was divine. The service was excellent. The ambience was spacious and interesting. Wish I lived closer - I'd be there every day!!!
xoxo
During a visit to Napa for my husband's birthday, I was excited to try out Ubuntu, especially given it's newly-awarded Michelin star.
Keep in mind that while my husband and I are omnivores that enjoy fine dining (our trip also included reservations at The French Laundry, La Toque, and Redd), we enjoy vegetarian cuisine and my standard fare at home is vegan. I am both dairy-intolerant as well as gluten-intolerant. Assuming any Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant would be accommodating of my restricted diet, I was excited to give Ubuntu a try.
Okay, I understand that this place is getting a lot of buzz and we expected it to be busy. However, the service was horrendous. Our waiter was slow and extremely uneducated about the dishes. He was really uninterested in answering questions, especially those involving which dishes contained dairy or gluten. Therefore, if you are a vegan, this is probably not your place.
A few words about the menu. We enjoy creativity when it comes to wording menus (read: Thomas Keller's "caviar") but Ubuntu's menu is out of control. It's almost as if it is intentionally designed for the diner to not understand what they are getting until it is served. When your waiter can't answer questions about what is actually in the dish, this makes it impossible for someone with dietary restrictions. The menu is pretentious, egotistical and not at all in-line with yogic principals which is what you might expect from a restaurant that shares space with a yoga studio. Furthermore, expect to order more than two entrees between two people (no, they are not listed as "small plates"). The menu doesn't indicate this, but at least the waiter did.
Unfortunately, I can't comment much on the food since I was limited to mostly salads. We did have a coconut curry that was pretty tasty but still did not live up to the hype.
In summary, this is a trendy place that is getting a lot of buzz. If you absolutely must try the latest and greatest place that everyone is raving about, then go. However, our recommendation is to have a much more enjoyable experience at one of the many other fabulous restaurants in Napa Valley. I would be surprised if this place keeps its Michelin star in 2011.
After Frank Bruni of the NYTimes picked Ubuntu as the second-best restaurant in the world (I'm paraphrasing here), the Boy and I decided to check it out during our trip to California. (I guess it would be more dramatic to say: "We flew all the way across the country to try Ubuntu," but that wouldn't be true) Aaaand...we were disappointed. The lavender-infused sea-salt covered marcona almonds were the highlight of the meal and even they were...unremarkable. Our main dishes--he had a salad and I a salad pizza--were bland, overcooked, and quite sad. Even though we are both eager part-time vegetarians (both of us were raised in households where vegetables were seen as treats), we couldn't get over how generic/bland the food here was.
Then again, we went to Ubuntu last winter--maybe it has improved since then. Maybe. But I, for one, am not (!) going to fly across the country for it again.
We were really excited to head up to Napa and try Ubuntu. I love the whole idea of the place and couldn't wait to try it. We ordered plenty of food and we had some great food and some just ok food.
The real bummer was the poor timing. The server told us that things would come out one at a time, but unfortunately that isn't how it turned out. We are pretty quick eaters and yet are table quickly became jam packed with plates that came out one right after the other. Urgh! So much for a leisurely dinner.
Ubuntu has to be one of my more interesting dining experiences. I had it on my list, but it moved up a bit after receiving a Michelin star last week. I had heard good things about Ubuntu and was looking forward to checking it out.
Ubuntu doesn't look like much from the outside and, after reading the sign that said "Ubuntu Yoga Studio and Restaurant", I was sure I was in the wrong place. The interior of the restaurant turned out to be warm and inviting. There was a community table in the center of the dining room that made an interesting statement. Some of the decorations were a bit odd, but also very interesting.
I'm not a vegetarian, but I have to say that I didn't miss the meat. Never have I experienced such a variety and strength of flavors. Each dish offered dozens of opportunities to create a different bite. I have to admit that most of the time I had no idea what I was tasting. It was a very strange, but pleasing dining experience.
The menu seems to change frequently and was divided into three 'snacks' and about nine entrees, two of which are soups, a few of which are cold and a few are some variety of pasta or grain. We tried nine of the ten or so entrees and five out of the six desserts. Since the vegetarian cuisine was so foreign to me, I can't recommend a single dish, but I can say that I very much enjoyed every dish that was served.
The service was decent, but I do believe our waiter was over tasked. I think she and her guests would have benefited from one or two more waiters in the dining room. I also think the food runners could have spent a little more time explaining what they were serving, and perhaps put a bit more detail into their spiel.
I found the mix of guests to be a bit interesting. I'd like to think that I'm not a snob, but I'm having a hard time getting past the guy with shorts, sneakers and a bandana tied around his head. If my four year old can put on a tie, I'd like to think that this guy could spring for a pair of pants. Maybe I'm out of touch.
I saw plenty of flip flops, one pair of which was worn by a hippie type who had a couple of very small children who, at one point, were allowed to play on the floor. Not exactly the 'dining' experience I'm used to in such a place, but I guess vegetables attract hippies. It's not a bad thing, but something that very much added to the entertainment value of the experience.
Ubuntu is a fantastic restaurant, but vegetarian cuisine really isn't really my thing. The experience of so many unique and amazing flavors is something I'm glad I didn't miss out on.
At this juncture what is the point of another review when 293 some odd people have already given Ubuntu its worthy praise....because never in my life did I think that this medium rare meat lover, raw oyster connoisseur and fried chicken girl was going to fall in love with a vegetarian restaurant.
But I did.
Seriously, where is a restaurant like this in San Jose? Oh thats right, we dont have cool places like this, you have to go to Napa for it. Damn why cant I live up there?
Anyhow, here is the rundown of dinner: we sat at the bar and I started off with my favorite wine: Elyse....hubby got a beer - he was a little sad no hard alcohol was served but he dealt. The bartender suggested that we get 3-4 dishes and share......um it was more like 6 and share we did!
Started off with the heirloom tomato salad with homemade burrata cheese - OMG hands down the best burrata I have ever had! Along with a little starter of the fried chickpeas - delicious little guys.
Next: fig ravioli in a burre blanc foam sauce , macadamia nuts and a green leafy vegetable in the middle I couldnt remember the name of if I tried - delicious and light - I could have had about 20 of them.
The husband picked out the "breakfast" which consisted of grits alongside of these shaved, fried and smoked mushrooms that tasted like bacon, a soft egg, shaved midnight moon cheese some unknown fried green leaf and tomato jam - another fantastic dish
Still a little hungry we ordered up a small plate of grilled figs with shaved midnight moon cheese - that damn cheese was like light and fluffy mana from heaven. I also added one more "salad" of sliced pears, whipped cheve and little spicy peppers with mint leaves.
Dessert you ask? Awesome! It was a basil parfait - sounds odd I know. It looked like a white log of ice cream topped with shaved ice....but it was a frozen basil concoction with lemon granita and meringue kisses all on top of a strawberry sauce with the tiniest little wild strawberries - that were hands down the best damn strawberries I have ever popped in my mouth.
Dont be intimidated by the menu with the descriptions of your courses or with the names of things you have never heard of in your life - just go with the flow.....
We left feeling full and satisfied but not the least bit guilty about what we consumed. It was so damn good I might consider trying to make some vegetarian dishes at home......notice I said I might - mooooooo
I was completely unprepared for this experience. And yes, it was an experience.
To begin, the decor of the restaurant is stunning. Vaulted ceilings, exposed brick, rich dark woods, and appealing art work. There is a community table in the middle which was the only available space late on a friday night for a group of 4. I was hesitant to stay at first but they leave so much space between parties I was hardly distracted nor did I have to share my elbow room.
The food here is incredible and incredibly small. They suggest you order at least 3 plates per person, which sounds fun but when you look at the prices its a bit of a downer (13-20 per dish). Since we were 4 people and there were only 16 dishes on the menu we order almost all of them. This was fortunate as we were able to taste so much but also handy since the menu felt as though it was written in another language. One dish said it had "soil" and generally the menu seemed more like an exotic grocery list than dinner. Nevertheless, we went forth.
The food was flavorful and interesting and we especially liked the two soup dishes (one was a "chili" and the other resembled thai green curry). It was however very, very small. We liked the tasting, and enjoyed trying new things but I am still not sure I was actually full after the meal. This of course led to eating dessert, which due to some allergies left us only one dish to choose out of 5. Rice pudding. I love rice pudding. It was a warm saffron rice pudding garnished with "orange ice", orange segments, and pomegranate seeds. It was divine. Not only tasty but highly inventive. Totally Top Chef worthy.
Overall it was a great experience. Although, I probably wouldn't return unless to impress some guests. If you are looking for a very "Napa" experience, something unique and lots of little food, I highly recommend it. If you are really hungry after a full day of wine tasting, a little hung over and tired of verbally deconstructing everything that enters your mouth...Go for In-N-Out.
I love meat and hate balance exercises.
Did someone say vegetarian? Did someone say Yoga?
Did someone say a restaurant that has both??
How dare you go to Napa and not come here. one of nations top vegetarian restaurant. with this menu I can go vegetarian for a week. but no more! The food is a very flavorful.
Then they have a Yoga room upstairs, this is definitely a health nut restaurant. I noticed most people were there just to see what the buzz about it was, and the food will not disappoint, will I go back? mmmmmaybe, if I want to show off to someone, yes.
The food is mmm mmm mmm good, and I love my veggies! Definitely pricey.
I'm always cautious of going to super-hyped up places, especially ones that don't serve a type of cuisine that I particularly enjoy. I like meat. I love it.
But wow. This was the best tomato I've ever had; the heirloom tomato salad. Probably the best squash too.
This is the ultimate California restaurant. Everything is so fresh and perfectly grown and cooked, much of our meal had been in the ground 12 hours earlier.
I was reading that chef Jeremy Fox, a noted carnivore who loves pork, started this restaurant with the intention of making vegetables taste as good as a perfectly cooked piece of pork.
Well Jeremy, you've more than exceeded, I've never had pork as good as the meal I had at Ubuntu.
Yes, it's a tad pricey, but I feel you definitely get what you pay for.
As one of my friends noted, if you order correctly; at the end of your meal, you will be full; but it will be the most glorious type of full possible; the type of full where you can't eat any more, but still feel like you could run a marathon.
To write this review honestly pains me.
I so support the farm-to-table values that Ubuntu stands for, and as a serious yoga practitioner I love the concept of having a restaurant and a yoga studio linked. Ideally, this marriage cultivates really groovy people preparing and serving gorgeous high prana food. Not so here, unfortunately.
I equate my experience at Ubuntu to the compostable trashbags that came out a couple of years ago...really great concept, but in reality they just suck.
Given the aforementioned values, I chose Ubuntu for dinner on my birthday the other night. The space is really lovely and open and the focal point of the restaurant is a large community table.
However, other than dessert (thank God), my dining experience was lackluster. The food, while artfully prepared, was WAY WAY too salty and the flavor profiles were off. We ordered four dishes:
#1 - Corn and poblano pepper veloute, served with creme fraiche, brioche, a poached egg, amaranth and a stuffed pepper - The soup flavoring was just WRONG and the loads of salt didn't help to mask the flavor.
#2 - Grits with goat's milk whey, green tomato jam, served with sunflower hearts and autumn thinnings - I did enjoy the tomato jam, and sunflower hearts.
#3 - Squash prepared three ways - roast, puree, and raw, with a stuffed blossom and mint - The stuffed blossom was nice, but the overpowering salt in the dish made it difficult to enjoy.
#4 - Gnochetti in a black trumpet fonduta with smoked trumpet "bacon" and thyme - The gnochetti was made perfectly...but.the smoke flavor was in no way delicate and overpowered the rest of the dish.
None of them were exceptional - the way my senses imagined them to be while reading the menu. Reading proved more enjoyable than the actual experience of eating them.
To top that off, my server was pretty unattentive and chilly. By no means do I expect anyone to do backflips for a diner on their birthday, but, come on, would it kill you to be a little sweet and friendly??
The best part of the meal was definitely dessert - A bittersweet chocolate souffle artfully presented with figs braised in rosemary caramel and coffee ice cream, and their signature dessert, vanilla bean cheesecake in a jar with blueberry, huckleberry, sunberry preserves and a teeccino nut crumble. Both were delightful - the eggless cheesecake was AMAZING and a real treat...All the best parts of cheesecake without the heaviness.
Thank goodness we ended the meal on a high note. I think I would have rather skipped dinner all together and just enjoyed my just desserts. To our servers credit, she did make the effort to put a candle on the dessert plate.
Ubuntu really is a great concept, and I would love to see the owners walk their talk and instill the values they purport to stand for.
As it stands now, Ubuntu is an overpriced, somewhat snooty establishment that takes advantage of its platform and location in wine country to charge way too much for food and service that fall way short on execution. Too bad, really. It's like a slap in the face to the humble roots of what the principles of yoga and farm-to-table are really about - presence, sustainability and honoring the earth and all beings. Namaste.
Firstly I think the idea of a yoga studio inside a resto really strange. I practice yoga religiously and I would hate to walk in to a yoga session smelling food. Downtown Napa was completely deserted and it seems like everyone is at this resto. The ambiance is nice and very spacious. We ordered their signature salad, I thought it was an expensive dish of grass and flower petals. We also had roasted potatoes and a zucchini dish. The servings were relatively small and overall I thought it was overpriced fancy vegetarian food.
uck
If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all...
I really like the open feel of the place. Nicely decorated and plenty of space between tables.
Food is super creative and tasty and beautiful. I like the fact that plates are small, so you end up trying several different things. I especially liked the chickpea fritters and the corn/poblano soup was tasty and very nicely presented. Also had an amazing glass of cabernet franc.
Given the quality and uniqueness of food, and basically flawless experience, I don't feel like the prices are that high. I've definitely paid as much for meals at other restaurants that were not as impressive.
Definitely a top recommendation for a special occasion or to make a vegetarian / vegan smile big.
We went there on Sunday after our yoga class. We decided to skip the regular breakfast dive in Napa and try Ubuntu for brunch.
The food is delicious, the ambiance is great but leaving there $100 lighter and still hungry is not OK - Michelin star or not. The meal didn't even include alcohol - just OJ and Coffee and 4 plates to share, which after a workout is nowhere close to being enough....
BTW having a yoga sala upstairs in a high-end place like this is a total design flaw...and I was one of them.
My first non-Asian vegetarian restaurant! This place seems like its always packed. But we were able to get seats at the bar.
Wines: Reisling, Chardonnay, and Champagne (cremant d' alsace rose)
Food: chickpea clusters, just a simple "heirloom" tomato, and homemade gnocchetti pasta in Ubuntu golden buddha broth. I really liked the heirloom tomato and the Gnocchetti. The chickpea was kind of forgettable. The foods were in very small portions. Expect to order at least 3-4 dishes.
Service: The bartender was attentive and the food came pretty fast.
Price is like fine dining price.
Very, very original and creative. The chef's not a vegetarian (actually, he's obsessed with pork), but for some reason he has designed a vegetarian menu. The food's pretty good, too, in a precious, tiny-plate way.
The appetizers include green olives that have, apparently, been cooked rather than pickled. They're intensely green, tender, and delicious.
The hummus is thin and bland, and comes with hard, greasy, deep-fried pita chips. Avoid!
The Carta de Musica salad looks like a spadeful of flowers and dirt tossed onto a wooden dish. The "dirt" is actually ground, dehydrated beets; the flowers include nasturtiums and pinks, mingled with various greens and sprouts (but nothing as mundane as lettuce). It was beautiful to look at and tasty.
Avoid the gnocchi with mushrooms and faux ham. This hearty-sounding dish lacks focus. The terragon sauce tastes downright weird with the other ingredients.
Much better are the chickpea fritters served on red sauce and garnished with hot peppers.
Maybe being vegans shut us out from some of the better dishes. But overall, our experience was mixed: some nice moments and some disappointments, but nothing that made me eager to return. Service is good and prices are high.
I'm not a vegetarian but this place does veggies right. Everything was fresh, literally right from the garden. We loved the heirloom tomato with burrata the best, and I liked the flavors of the black rice with capsicum stew. We had the cheesecake in a jar for dessert which was awesome with the crunchiness of the gratin and the tartness of the berries.
Service was excellent and the artsy ambiance fun.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Unexpected:
Located right on a busy street. From all the zen references, I thought it'd be more zen and off the beaten path...but it's not.
Good:
Fresh green round juicy olives with pesto. Beautiful, simple, scrumptious.
Grow their own ingredients.
Farm-freshy flavors and combinations.
Bad:
Maybe we're spoiled living in SF where farm-fresh creative goodness isn't that rare anymore. The dishes were all good, but strangely nothing that super-wow. Still, was executed really really well.
Maybe we should come back for dinner.
Thoughts during lunch:
My senses are pleased.
Beautiful interior, waitstaff, food.
Fragrant, melt in your mouth chickpea fritters. Must bribe chef for recipe.
Small portions, haute cuisine. Will tiny vegan dishes make me skinny?
Expensive? Yes, beans should not cost that much. Wallet says bah. Does the emperor have no clothes? Don't care, food is everything veg dining should aspire to be.
Yum. Didn't leave stuffed, didn't feel hungry rest of afternoon.
Vegan. Vegetarian. Amazing.
I don't know what everyone is complaining about.
We had a great meal, fabulous service and a really wonderful evening.
The atmosphere was lovely, we made friends with the people sitting near us, and I am very happy with the entire experience.
I loved most everything. I think the Carta de Musica was exquisite, as was the tomato consomme and squash dish. I also loved loved loved the lavendar almonds and chickpea fritters.
The gnochetti were a bit sweet for my tastes, and the heirloom tomato in the salad was a bit over ripe.
But I would totally go back, and I am saying that as someone who dropped $191 for 2 people.
I think our second meal here was one of my all-time favorites. The Winter menu could use some improvement but the Spring and Summer menu(s) are almost too beautiful to eat.
The remarkably creative presentation matched the flavors that followed.
Make sure to order in balance...which is where I think we failed the first time we were in.
3.5 Stars
You'll read the menu and want to weep at how beautiful everything sounds. Almost ethereal…
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Many animals were spared tonight. I love animals - as pets, as food, as an all-important part of our wonderful earth.
Vegetables I typically view as a necessity. I have never kept veggies as pets. I certainly don't name them. I do eat them but more as a nod to healthful living than as sensual enjoyment.
Enter Ubuntu.
OH. MY. FRIGGIN'. GOD.
Just read the reviews and then make a reservation. Wait. Make a reservation and then read the reviews.
I admit that I was EXTREMELY skeptical. BIGish prices and smallish plates. I'm thinking expensive tapas when our server suggested 5 plates between the two of us (the hype surcharge will probably add $20 to our tab.). Oh well. We're here and it's a pleasant space.
All I gotta say is, "Intense flavor meets hearty-savory, artfully crafted cuisine on an adventurous and spirited menu that nails it!" I'm not even gonna tell you what I had because the menu changes daily and, like a rainbow's fleeting beauty, will be something you shall have to savor on your own.
Food=fucking phenomenal! my boyfriend took us here for dinner as part of our "romantic weekend getaway" the menu looked quite intimidating so i just ordered things by the seat of my pants.
we first started with the chickpea fries, whoever thought of deep frying chickpeas should get some kind of award. they blew my mind and this was just the appetizer and it only got better!
one of our many waiters, we had about 4 total, told us the plates were small so we ordered about 4 plates.
our next dish was a grilled watermelon soup. i had never had grilled watermelon before and im in love now.
the carta de musica which was there "signature dish" was the most beautiful and amazing thing i have ever seen/eaten. the beauty and the taste was equivalent.
all the veggies were from there own garden and i was quite impressed with how amazing everything tasted with nothing else except for what this earth has created.
minus one star for having to deal with different people all the time and it being on a busy street the outside noise was a little annoying.
Had a horrible experience at this pretentious, smug and overpriced restaurant.
After first calling to say we were coming with youngsters, we were assured that they could have a child appropriate menu.
There was nothing on the lunch menu having any appeal for them.
The service for the two adults was exceedingly slow, with a order for the next table erroneously delivered to ours. Two courses were never delivered.
This also in spite of the fact that a manager of one of the local Thomas Keller restaurants, a friend of one of the adults, had brought beer for the cooks in advance and sat with us. A manager/server was observed to be totally without personality or smiles at our and neighboring tables. Another manager had a conversation at our table with the Thomas Keller manager, clearly observed our poor service, and did nothing.
I eat out regularly at top restaurants all over the world and can't remember such a similar bad experience.
Furthermore, the few dishes served were small in quantity and not any more distinctive than vegetarian dishes available at most good restaurants.
Try Greens in San Francisco which is many times better.
I really wanted to like this place after reading about it for months but after our meal, I was one unhappy omnivore.
Yes, everything is ultra-fresh since it's plucked from their fancy biodynamic garden and all the platings are very pretty and precious (with edible flowers on almost every plate) but a lot of our food was simply under seasoned. Between the two of us, we shared seven dishes and we still left kind of hungry. Mind you, I'm someone who dreams her last meal is a fantastic vegetable tasting menu so it's not like I need meat to feel satisfied.
The pacing of the food was erratic - our first four dishes came out one right on top of each other (and we scarf our food down fast) but then we had to wait at least 20 minutes for our next dish. Our server was not particularly welcoming all night and ignored us as we waited and waited for the rest of our food. When I made our reservation originally, I informed the hostess that we were celebrating our wedding anniversary at Ubuntu. Not that I expected bells or whistles, but there was no acknowledgement at all that we chose to celebrate our special occasion at their restaurant. This is in stark contrast to the warm reception we received at Ad Hoc the next night.
Would I go back? Maybe. But I wouldn't make a special trip to Napa just to eat here (which is essentially what I did this time).
So I've heard good things and bad things. I finally checked Ubuntu and was very pleased.
Food- We ordered everything on the menu. I can't remember how many things, maybe 7-9 items. Out of everything, I only disliked one thing. I'm a meat eater, so it's hard to please me if I can't have red meat. I left satisfied, and was very surprised.
Ambiance- This place is super cool. I would give six stars for the ambiance if I could.
Service- Great.
Worth the visit!
Very innovative menu from famous Chef Jeremy Fox. I don't necessarily recommend this place unless you are a group of four or more, because the way to really experience the menu is by sharing a bunch of the small plates together in a larger group.
Everything served here is vegetarian, and many of the items are vegan as well, or can be served Vegan upon request. Try the chickpea fries with herbs and a fantastic romesco sauce served on the side to start.
The strawberry pizza margherita with mozzarella and the veggie pizzas were great as well. I'm pretty sure that the Chef's wife is the pastry chef here. She made a strawberry cheesecake that was served in a cold jar...nearly the highlight of the day!
The plates are rich, so you will feel full by the time you are done with what will likely be a two hour meal. Oddly, though, all of us were starving again about 3 hours after and decided it was time to have a meaty pasta dish at Fuzio to fill us up again.
I guess that means you should go here to experience the tastes that are being offered, but don't truly count it as a "meal", as the portions are quite tiny. It looked like there were quite a few other interesting restaurants in the area that deserved a try also. Time for me to get off my butt and head to Napa more often!
I am so all about Ubuntu! I came here a few weeks ago for a work retreat I was helping out with... and this was definitely the highlight.
Minus one thing - and I'll get the neg. out of the way so we can concentrate on the positive (like the lavener dusted marcona almonds~hi!) It was a HOT as HELL weekend in Napa and our big table ran right through the middle, apparently the air condition does not. I highly recommend a table by the wall, under the gorgeous prints on peace and all that fuzzy-hippie-gone mainstream stuff - or take a lot of trips to the bathroom, I heard the air con. works fabulous in there!
So the food: awesome! the lavender dusted almonds I had to push away so I would not eat all of them and ruin my apetite - thank god(dess) for self-restraint because what was to come rocked my wine country world.
A dish that looked like a casserole which consisted of avocado, peas, clover-ey sprouts and was topped with ground up macademia nuts AND white chocolate. I kid you not. It was sooo good.
I ate so much of that I could only dabble into the curry pot, which was delish but almost had too many flavors shooting through my mouth all at once. THEN came the desert.
oooh, the desert.
How about some cheesecake in a jar? seriously - one of the people I was sitting next to who was sharing this jar of cheesecake said " it tastes like you're at a farm, but in a good way" A really good way.
That was Ubuntu. GO! and while your at it, take a yoga class that they offer upstairs. Or see if you could visit the byodynamic farm that they have where they pick the fruits and veggies for the restaurant. How cool is that?
and even cooler still? they opened up their new store for the group I was with - it was opening day of the store, and late, yet they opened it for us and the owner helped us. :)
This is the type of place you want to support if you want this world to be a greener, kinder place.
Yep - it's time to get out the thesaurus for superlatives!
ubuntu delivers major flavors in such surprising, exciting ways that I have not previously experienced elsewhere. The Castelvetrano olives with carrot top pesto - hello! Wow - I will now have a use for the carrot tops I've otherwise castoff into oblivion. And the marcona almonds with lavender sugar/salt - amazing.
The vegetable fritters was outstanding - we keep talking about how we ate ice plants! So refreshing, tangy, inventive. The cauliflower in cast-iron pot was one of my absolute favorites. The hand-rolled fregola was very refreshing and light.
Dessert??? Oh dear, the vegan Cheesecake in the Mason Jar rocked, but the Rose Geranium sorbet with the float was extraordinary.
I will be back.....!!!
I repeatedly said that for me, going to Ubuntu is like going to church; my spirit is awakened, wounds in the soul are healed, and exaltation is experienced. I went in yesterday on the tail end of a very bad day and left with a sense of spiritual renewal. It is quite frankly, my favorite restaurant in the world and with the exception of one course (the carta de musica), every single dish that was served was brand new to me so my sense of wonder at the artistry coming from Jeremy and Deannie Fox continues to appreciate. As usual, I called ahead to pre-order a tasting menu (not yet available on a day-to-day basis, I understand, but something planned for the future). So what was served may not be on the standard menu... My biggest regret is that my new camera dysfunctioned by the fourth course. Hopefully the guest I was dining with will give me a link to his photos since I have so few. When we arrived, I ordered a bottle 2007 Seps Estate Napa Valley Viognier for the first part of the meal. For the latter part, I brought with us a bottle of 1978 Château Beychevelle, Saint Julien. The Viognier proved a perfect pairing for the "cold" dishes and by the time our hot dishes arrived, the age and softness of the Beychevelle worked excellently as well.
1. Cool 'Athena' MELON and LEMONGRAS purée with whipped coconut milk, 'diva' CUCUMBER, basil seed "caviar." A year ago I had the slice of melon which had been brûléed in a different, watermelon-based soup. Now it was paired with a creamier coconut milk soup but heightened with the basil seed caviar and cool, crisp cucumber. A beautiful start.
Immediately after our soup, our utensils were whisked away and we were told the next few courses were to be dined upon with our fingers.
2. Crunchy RADISHES, crème fraîche with nori, mustard-banyuls, HONG VIT, and black salt. Served on a hunk of sheet rock, the radishes were laid out atop the layer of decadently-scented crème fraîche. We had great fun scooping up the dressing with the radishes and when the vegetables were gone, scooping up the dressing with chunks of bread.
3. PADRONS with flowering 'banana' MINT, chickpeas in Napa Smith ale, sauce romesco, smoked maldon. This was a two-part dish; sweet fried peppers were topped with fritters of clustered, fried chickpeas. Served alongside was the Romesco sauce. I'm not sure which were enjoyed more, the pure essence of the padron peppers or the batter-encasing chickpeas.
4. Carta de Musica with virtually the entire SUMMER GARDEN, barely dressed with 'round pond' olive oil, lemon and sea salt, truffled pecorino. Eating this without utensils was a new experience; more visceral and personal. Instead of the usual long, silvers of Pecorino cheese, now the slivers were rolled up into rounds and it made it easier to scoop up the bounty of fresh vegetables.
5. A simple slice of 'gem' avocado, 'cape' GOOSEBERRY, local sea salt, cast-iron bread. A whole version of this avocado was served so that we could see just how monstrously huge it was and our charming waitress delivered it as "Av-foie-cado" has it has the highest fat content of any other type of avocado. Simply served, we were given large slices served next to a simple Cape Gooseberry and preserves. We would take a chunk of the avocado and spread it on the warm, salty flat bread which was served in a warm, cast-iron skillet (yes, at this point we were given our utensils back!). I was reminded of an anecdote where someone was served a simple peach as a dessert at Chez Panisse and now understand how the brilliant fresh taste of a single ingredient can be so impressive.
6. 'Forono' BEETS baked in a ROSE GERANIUM salt crust, 'alpine' STRAWBERRY, pistachio with soy milk, AMARANTH. Before this dish was served, the waitress brought out a Le Creuset cast iron skillet to show us the decorative smiley face that had been designed in the salt crust. When plated, we were each presented with quenelles of roasted beets, plated with the unctuous sauce and contrasted delightfully with the small, powerful strawberries.
7. 'Oxheart' CARROT mille feulle, NASTURTIUM panade, purée of peach and 'noyau', peppery NASTURTIUMS, 'delfino' CILANTRO. The 'noyau' was their version of a spicy mayonnaise. So much creamy goodness in this beautiful dish colored all with orange -- from the carrots to the peaches. So rich, the nasturtium panade was an amazing complement to the richness of the carrots and peaches.
8. Chowder of barely formed BEANS & SUNFLOWER hearts, 'luscious' CORN, barigoule, TARRAGON, future sunflower seeds. I was getting full but this dish simply blew me away. A plate of of the beans and sunflower hearts was presented and the sauce was ladled tableside from yet another Le Creuset pot.
As usual, I write more than I can post here -- see the rest on my blog: http://www.feast-blog.com
That's it. For me, there is no restaurant that continues to thrill and excite me the way Ubuntu… Read more »
I'm not surprised that there's a dearth of vegetarian options in the Bay Area. What I am surprised about is the lack of clear challengers to Greens for the title of the premier Bay Area destination for vegetarians and the people who love them. Ubuntu's concept is unique, but sorry, it still loses.
Food: 2 stars. Although I admire the restaurant's farm-to-table philosophy, the innovative creations do not always translate into strong, consistent flavors. All dishes are generally meant to be shared. The heirloom tomato salad was heavily propped up by the burrata cheese, while the hummus was decent but difficult to eat with the long and thin pita chips. The "oxheart" was a mess of vegetables mixed together - this was my least favorite dish and the most bland. Next up was the corn and poblano pepper veloute, which was good but not exceptional. We closed out the main courses with the gnochetti served in a black trumpet fonduta with smoked trumpet "bacon" and thyme. This was a very rich and heavy dish, but a far cry from Greens' exquisite preparations. The best thing of the night was dessert, the vanilla bean cheesecake in a jar. This was the saving grace of the night, a fairly light and delicious dish.
Service: 3 stars. The table tops are cramped, so I like the fact that they only place two dishes on the table at a time. The timing between dishes is also fairly prompt. Our server seemed a bit robotlike in describing the dishes, but was good about taking away dishes and filling up our wine/water glasses.
Atmosphere: 4 stars. Knowing this place doubles as a yoga studio, I'm glad there weren't any unnecessary visuals. The decor is National Geographic meets trendy zen. I love the arrangement of the wine bottles behind the bar, the rock walls and the view of the open and busy kitchen. The crowd is eclectic, ranging from the GQ crowd to Reader's Digest.
Hits: Cheesecake in a jar.
Misses: Oxheart.
If You Like This Place, You'd Probably Like: Greens, Millenium.
First and foremost I want to define Ubunto :Ubuntu" is an ancient African word, meaning "humanity to others". Ubuntu also means "I am what I am because of who we all are". This restaurant embraces this concept in every way.
I have been wanting to try Ubunto since they opened...I love the concept of farm to table. The menu is created from veggies that are hand picked from their "Bio dynamic Garden" the morning of! Bio dynamic= self sufficient,( in case your wondering! ) Apparently the garden took 6 years to be certified and is a very unique and special, located just a few miles from the restaurant. ( I wish I could have seen it!)
The restaurant is very modern inside and has a cute outdoor patio. I decided to sit outside because the weather was nicer but in my opinion the inside is nicer then the outside.
The menu is made up of many small/medium sized plates and they recommend sharing. That being said, I recommend going with at least 3 to 4 people. The wine list is all organic and the staff was very helpful in selecting a new wine for me, Chenin Blanc from Loir Valley.
The food was a delight, the heirloom tomato Gnocchetti was a hit. Also, Every dish can be ordered vegan and they will happily accommodate.
Yes the restaurant is pricey, but is worth every penny! Don't forget to try the cheesecake in a jar for dessert! That was a sweet and delightful treat.
There is also a yoga studio upstairs. The two operations are actually run separately. From what I was told they accept walk ins for every class! I will have to drop in...definitley before and not AFTER I leave Ubunto, I was stuffed!!
I love the concept and am so proud of Napa to finally have a restaurant "break the mold."
Well Done Mr. & Mrs. Fox, Nameste!
"Restaurant & Yoga Studio"
I should have known it was gonna be like an anorexia convention in here. I swear, I sat next to a group of stick figure ladies at the bar, all wearing their lulumons, and sharing a single order of chickpea fries. One of them took a single fry and cut it up in to 4 tiny bits and spent 20 minutes or so eating it. Another of them made kind of a big deal with the bartender that there was no artificial sweetener for her tea because apparently she was in no position to tolerate an extra 16 calories in her diet.
Ok, so I'm a judgmental ass. And water is wet.
The food is good here, but let's face it. It's not 230 review 4.5 star good. I think people are just a little shocked that an all vegetarian place can turn out hearty, appealing dishes. We started with the chickpea fries and then shared the much lauded cauliflower in cast iron pot, and the mushroom pizza bianco. It was a nice meal, but for creative vegetarian, I'll take Millennium all day long.
Also, the pork chorizo nachos we had at the Mexican place down the street an hour later were awesome.
A few weeks back I ate at Manresa and wished for even more vegetarian options. Well, think of it this way, Ubuntu is Manresa gone vegetarian. Haute vegetarian, with the prices to match, at that. It's easy to misconstrue what you may experience at Ubuntu. Vegetables remain vegetables, albeit some may be new to you. It's the seasoning, the freshness, the interesting juxtapositions that set Ubuntu apart.
I start with heirloom tomatoes in smoked tomato broth, corn pudding, basil, corn pulp crunch, arugula, and burrata. The tomatoes were what I expected but the corn pudding, so sweet, such a surprise. And the pairing of the tomatoes with the cheese! A lovely plate of food. Not a lovely vegetarian plate, just a lovely plate of food.
Next, their carta de musica composed of he entire summer garden, olive oil, truffled pecorino, lemon, and sea salt. The plate is picture perfect. It's the seasonings that surprise and lift the plate above just very good.
Rare gem avocado, despite being touted as high fat content avocado, was avocado nonetheless, although it was tasty and fresh. The zeppole with rosemary that came with the avocado was nice and the green tomato jam more than that, a surprising contrast to the avocado.
I finish with their cheesecake in a bottle. Suffice it to say that dessert is not a letdown at Ubuntu.
The hostess's stand is at the back of the dining room, so when guests enter they mill about waiting for someone to greet them. Service was attentive but some plates arrived on top of one another. The kitchen needs to time things a bit better.
Ubuntu proves that it is possible to create a remarkable vegetarian meal.
Napa, CA
Category: Restaurants
Napa, CA
Category: American (New)
Napa, CA
Category: Hotels & Travel
Napa, CA
Category: Yoga
Napa, CA
Category: Tapas Bars
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