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The New and the Classic in Napa Valley, California
Napa, California --- The golden crop of mustard greens
that symbolize the vineyards of the Napa Valley are
beginning to fade, and winemakers are gearing up for
another vintage. The restaurant scene here is strong,
and continues to grow. The newest in the crop is Angele,
open since December along the Napa River in the city
of Napa.
With a clean, crisp, simple décor and a large
outdoor terrace overlooking the river, Angele features
a classic but updated French bistro menu, complete
with mounds of crisp and golden French fries, French
onion soup and macaroni gratins.
I adored the steamed Manilla clams bathed in a creamy
saffron broth, teamed up with giant slices of toasted
baguette; as well as the unusual and delicious salad
of fresh seasonal asparagus paired with marinated anchovies
and seasoned with a Nicoise olive vinaigrette. But
the best bet of the evening was a moist filet of striped
bass on a bed of creamy flageolet beans, the main player
in a red pepper and flageolet stew. Our wine choice,
alas, was a bit off the mark: the 2001 Seghesio Zinfandel
was unbalanced, with too much acidity to make it a
winner.
TERRA
The grand-daddy of Napa Valley restaurants has to
be Terra, the wildly popular and successful restaurant
begun in 1988 by Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani, both
of whom worked with California superstar chef Wolfgang
Puck.
Situated in downtown St Helena in a large stone building
built in 1884 as a foundry for small farm tools, the
92-seat dining room has a fine, spacious feel, with
service that is friendly and a well-informed, welcoming
wait staff.
Hiro was trained at the top Tokyo cooking school and
wisely combines his Japanese sensibility and sensitivity
with touches of classic French and country Italian.
In other hands the combination could be a hodge-podge
disaster, but here we warm to his soy vinaigrettes,
to sake-marinated fish, and shiso broth. Yes, the menu
does read a bit like a United Nations food fest, and
includes a currant verjus chutney and Cabernet Sauvignon
wine sauce, tapenade and basmati rice in coconut sauce,
pancetta vinaigrette and tortelloni, but all is woven
together with care and forethought. Hiro has a distinct
personality and attitude towards food, and it comes
through loud and clear.
My favorite taste of the evening was his now classic
broiled sake-marinated Alaskan black cod, served with
plump shrimp dumplings in a bright broth flavored with
the pungent Japanese herb, shiso. Light but not lightweight,
the dish packs in a lot of flavor, and the sheer quality
of the cod helps make it a real winner. Equally fine
was the first course lobster tortelloni in an oyster
mushroom and lobster broth, offset by the color of
fresh spinach and the sharpness of fresh tarragon.
In the end, Hiro’s Japanese sensibility wins
out and we leave the table with the memory of clean
clear crisp flavors, that feel ultimately healthy and
wholesome. Our wine choice – the Alban Vineyards
Roussanne from the Edna Valley – was a real success,
with its exotic flavors of cloves, honeysuckle and
mangoes, a fine match for Hiro’s cuisine.
Angele
540 Main Street
Napa, California
Telephone: (707) 252 8115
Fax: (707) 252 8239
Web: www.angele.us
Email info@angele.us
Open daily. All major credit
cards. From $25 to $35 per person, not including service
or wine.
Terra
1345 Railroad Avenue, (between Adams and Hunt
Streets)
St. Helena, CA, 94574-1191
Telephone: (707) 963-8931
Open for dinner only. All major credit cards. A la
carte, $40 to $60 per person, not including service
or wine.
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