Bottega Napa Valley

Bottega

6525 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599
www.botteganapavalley.com

I don’t know why I didn’t review Bottega sooner? The return of Michael Chiarello has been long anticipated in the Napa Valley. His new restaurant, Bottega is a welcome addition to the Yountville scene. I actually spoke with him at the bar on my first visit, pleasant guy. To give you a quick idea of what he pays attention to; he wanted the soda guns at the bar changed and cleaned because he didn’t like the way his soda tasted. He also wanted the ice bin refreshed because he felt it “smelled” and the stemware needed to be polished better before service. Nice attention to detail Chef and usually a great sign that the food will also be up to par.

I have eaten at Bottega once for lunch and dinner and I like what I’ve eaten. The pasta has been cooked properly, everything has been well seasoned, the food is hot, and looks good on the plate. The menu has regular specials and changes with the seasons. As for atmosphere, Bottega has a good vibe, the hostess station is constantly wiping down food and wine menus as they return from the tables, table service seems efficient as you never see service staff congregating as if they have nothing to do. The bar seems to already have a regular crowd, meaning locals show up to eat and drink; not just tourists. I’ve eaten at the bar twice, same spot at the bar actually and have been properly attended to. I cannot speak to the actual service in the main dining room.

Maybe I’ve felt too relaxed, too at home with the food. Usually when I’m not seeking to do a review, but to simply enjoy an evening, I tack up the night for experience. Here is a quick rundown on the food, (no pictures), I’ve eaten at Bottega on two different visits, next time I'll arm myself with a camera:

Duck liver pate on crostini with celery tops, tarragon, and frisee salad. No doubt in my mind, the pate had been enriched with cream, it was far too rich and creamy not to have been. They weren’t shy with the salt either. Considering I made this dish a couple times in Italy, it tasted how I remember, perhaps with a bit more salt. The use of celery tops is a very Italian touch. The tarragon brightens the dish and brings a needed floral note to the liver, while the frisee a hint of pleasant bitterness.

Pecorino pudding with a deep fried 4 minute egg. The egg was the best part of the dish and visually, cool looking. Perfectly crispy on the outside and a liquid yoke on the inside, it's playful with serious execution. As for the pudding, you better like the flavor of pecorino, or you might have trouble finishing this savory starter. The consistency makes you think of dessert rather than savory pudding, which may also be another obstacle to the dish. It seems to be on the menu as a regular item, so someone is buying it. I happened to enjoy the creaminess, the pecorino, and the runny egg yoke.

Garganelli with rabbit sugo, a lighter sauce, not nearly as heavy as a meat sauce or even some of the sauces my mother has done with chicken. The rabbit was broken down into pure shredded meat, not meat on tiny carcass. I love seeing rabbit on menus and it's not offered nearly enough here in the U.S. The sugo was not overly scented with herbs either. There was no need to get carried away with this sauce; it should be light and flavorful. A light dusting of grated grana made for a satisfying afternoon pasta.

Papparadelle with pork, veal and porcini Bolognese, well incorporated, balanced sauce. The papparadelle were quite wide and fit the sauce perfectly. You need a hefty noodle to hold up a sauce like this. I think there is a fear in many Italian restaurants that too large a papparadelle isn't appealing or somewhat difficult to eat. However, the size of the pasta is essential to a hearty sauce. The addition of the porcini, just as I’d had in Italy, is truly the secret ingredient. It was nice to have another persons’ Bolognese for a change. I have experimented with different red wines in my Bolognese, Aglianico recently. Aglianico, a varietal almost exclusive to the region of Basilicata, is too big for the meat and the mushroom flavors. White wines or lighter styles of red seem to incorporate into the sauce better. Bravo to the kitchen for crafting this delicious sauce.

Apple turnover with caramel fleur de sel gelato. Not awe inspiring. The gelato was very good, but it should be. The addition of the salt was a nice touch. It was a good dessert, just not great. I would have been happier with two scoops of gelato.

Quick note on wines, lots of selections by the quartino rather than a glass both from the U.S. and Italy. Price points range from acceptable to outrageous, but no one is forcing you to buy a $29 quartino of Barolo. A quartino is roughly 1.5 glasses of wine. There are probably some ups and downs here, if I had to request something, it would be to offer a more reasonably priced quartino of house select bulk juice sourced locally from a premier winery. He has enough connections and there's enough juice out there to put a red and white selection together, even if they had to go to Sonoma County to get it.

I look forward to coming back to Bottega.