bottega

i'm back with part two of my trip to california! part one featured our time eating our way through san francisco, but today i'm sharing our adventures in wine country! this is a longer post, but there are plenty of pictures and i promise it's worth it! the bf and i picked up a car and drove north across the golden gate bridge to the napa valley. golden gate bridge welcome to napa valley! tres sabores before our trip, i had combined winery recommendations from friends and family and was left completely overwhelmed. there are so many wineries, each with a different experience. there is truly something for everyone! fellow chicago food blogger anne of a squared had visited napa about a month before i left so i made sure to jot down some of her recommendations. one of the wineries she recommended was tres sabores in st. helena which was our first stop. when we pulled into the winery's driveway, we were greeted by two of the friendliest golden retrievers. it was quite the warm welcome! this tasting was by appointment only and was one of our favorites of the trip. new friends at tres sabores we walked around the property with a few other guests and were guided by the winemaker who poured us samples of several wines including sauvignon blanc, and zinfandel. tres sabores tres sabores sauvignon blanc tres sabores zinfandel the winery was in the process of cleaning out some barrels of wine before adding the wine back into the barrels. it was so cool to see the wine running down the driveway, especially because it was such a beautiful shade of purple! the dogs kept walking in the wine puddle, creating a trail of purple paws around the property! cleaning out the barrels speaking of dogs, they followed us everywhere as we walked around, including in the wine cave. tres sabores wine cave tres sabores not only has beautiful grounds including a garden, they also have sheep and hens which were quite vocal while we were there! tres sabores tres sabores tres sabores tres sabores tres

amazing! the food was excellent but the service was better! we sat in the bar area and despite that, alex (the bartender and our server) was attentive and extremely knowledgable. he made the dining experience for us! one note though... the prices are closer to $$$$ than $$$, entrees start at $21. very worth the money. we definitely recommend.

happy may long weekend great foodie friends, while travelling through napa i was very happy to have dinner plans at bottega ristorante ! napa is one great region for flavour magic. the wine region boasts some of most wonderful wines you may ever taste, what kicks it up several notches is being able to enjoy the fruits of the valley along with award winning food created by award winning chefs…. bottegga did not not disappoint! on the contrary our taste buds were in true heaven. from the minute you park and start walking towards the restaurant the “feel” of being somewhere special in the valley was present. if you followed your nose it would take you along this path and lead you to the doorway to a great dinner. the decor was warm and inviting featuring natural brick and warm natural woods. when you walk in the entrance you immediately see the bar/lounge on your left along with a great wrap around patio that looked truly inviting. if you are lucky you will often see chef chiarello visiti

magnificent!!! we halted here during a short visit in napa valley . we made a beeline for the back of the property from the parking garage and found the café by a little courtyard. we were welcomed set outside under secured zone and requested a few hors d'oeuvres and primary courses. the nourishment quality was extraordinary. we had an extremely meticulous gathering who are for the most part foodies and every one could just depict this spot as phenomenal. from the support of the nourishment, this was a hard 10 in our books. profoundly suggested.

the food was absolutely delightful and the menu was wonderful. i had the fresh basa fish which was perfectly cooked and melted in my mouth. the ambience was spectacular and the wines were amazing. i tried the dessert wine in the end and was bowled over by the taste and aroma!

out of the world food ! each n every dish ordered exceeded the expectations! definitely a second visit place!!! the spagetti tomato to die for ! yummmm

impressed by this meal. taken back by the grey aioli served with calamari but it was squid ink! the food was amazing. the waiter was very knowledgeable on the menu etc. but i think they had too many tables because it was slow to get our order taken etc. noisy atmosphere. overall it was a good meal

first impressions were great, got seated straight away, got watered and menued instantly. waitress seemed to have good knowledge of food and wine (although whenever i asked for a recommendation seemed to recommend the most expensive) the sophia loren pasta was perfect and spot on,stand out of the 3 dishes ordered, a very simple yet complex pasta dish executed perfectly. upon ordering dessert i was never told the specials, yet the table next to me was told, i ordered the tiramisu (i overheard specials after i had ordered) the idea was good with a rich chocolate ganache topping the dish, however the lady fingers were hard and unsoaked which made the dish odd, and it's extremely hard to top a true home made version of the dish. when the waitress came to take payment i let her know, and she was fantastic about it letting the manager know and comping it from my bill. i firmly believe it's not about the problems but about how they deal with them, and due to this reason i would return again, but it would not be my first choice.

posted by foodoofus ⋅ march 13, 2015 ⋅ leave a comment filed under   bottega , foodoofus , michael chiarello , napa “oooh, what kind of surprise is it? is it something i would like? why don’t you tell me about it” napa… will i ever get sick and tired of this place? probably, but for now i’ll enjoy every excursion until my mind grows weary of the crimson grape vines, luscious backdrops of mt. st. helena, and of course the wonderful gastronomic experiences (aka bomb ass food). i promise this is my last fancy-schmancy place (at least for a little while) and i’ll go back to eating my usual standard of stuff. as previously referenced in my nyc round 2 finale issue , sometimes the pressure builds and even the best and brightest chefs can have an off day. in this case, it is the complete opposite and perhaps it’s because of the system that this top notch italian place has established. yountville, which probably boasts quite a bit of rivalry amongst talented celebrity chef empires, and bottega is no different. chef michael chiarello has proven himself a force to be reckoned with ever since the three-way season one finale, of which even he himself is a good sport of my tongue and cheek commentary via twitter . the menu for this evening’s experience michael chiarello’s confidence could be mistaken for arrogance given his appearance on top chef masters season 1, majority of the chef-testants (beyond the italian mafia top chefs) would want him as their mentor. however after visiting his restaurant, his style of management spills onto the restaurant floor like a well-oiled (pasta) machine. there’s no lack of hesitation when having his staff push themselves to the limit by acknowledging every guest in attendance (big or small) while pumping out pasta dishes like nobody’s business with a high turnover. when we first arrived, our party was immediately seated and presented with this view from the corner seat. the ambiance is lively, bringing the grand italian family meal setting to

...finally, the main course. because, you know, 3 appetizers, bread, and two pasta courses wasn't enough already!...i obviously picked the salmon.

just like the gnocchi, this was really impressive, not only in general, but particularly for large group dining....this was just crazy impressive for large group dining. we were all served at once, the food was all hot, the crispy components still crispy, nothing was overcooked and dried out, everything was plated beautifully ... i still can't fathom how they did this.

bottega is chef michale chiarello's marquee restaurant in located right in yountville and across the street from his own napa style home good store. the restaurant atmosphere is very napa: chic, but casual all at the same time with beautiful touches of wood and stone and copper... the menu is filled with rustic, yet modern italian dishes that really epitomized napa food...if you're a foodie or if you're looking for a really special meal while you're visiting napa, bottega should certainly be on your 'can't miss' list. just be sure to make a reservation ahead of time!

always satisfying and very serviceable

great spot for lunch. fantastic tasting gnocchi and shrimp pasta dishes, fast friendly and efficient service. thumbs up

the gnocchi melted in my mouth and the sauce was so complex. this dish was both hearty and light. i could have had an entire bowlful. it was one of the most memorable dishes of everything we ate while in napa.

among the best in the area. they started us off with crusty bread and a delicious garlic cheese spread. this time we shared the corn pasta. it was good but i liked the raviolo we had last time better. some dishes are more impressive than others. i had the whole fish dinner again (bronzino). the fish was delicious and prepared perfect and was served with farm fresh carrots that tasted like olives and were sprinkled with dry fruit for sweetness and texture. i don't recall what the strawberry dessert was called but with the balsamic and black pepper it had everything going on sweet, spicy, tangy, sour and those strawberries were concentrated with strawberry flavor. the dessert seemed very light but also very rich at the same time. it truly was one of the best desserts i ever tried anywhere.


-----24 mar, 2013-----

always good. we've been here a few times and always get good food. this time we started with the potato raviolo. i thought it might be doughy but it was good and tasted yummy with the fried sage and truffle shavings. i had the branzino and it was good too. service was a bit slow this time.