Top 10 New
Restaurants

If you haven't updated your list of favorite valley restaurants lately, it's time. Surprisingly quickly, the dining scene has grown much more eclectic in the last two years. Add some home cooking here, a fish fantasy there, and new takes on California-fresh cuisine everywhere, and pretty soon you've got a top 10 of Napa Valley's best new restaurants.

Ad Hoc
Yountville
What was supposed to a temporary (ad hoc) restaurant owned by chef Thomas Keller of The French Laundry, Bouchon, etc., is looking at least semi-permanent. The menu changes daily, and everyone eats the same four-course meal featuring flavorful homey American food like fried chicken with green bean casserole and potatoes, and French variations like smoked duck and lentils. The ambience is equally comfy in the building that used to house the Wine Garden and before that The Diner.
 Dinner Thursday - Monday from 5 p.m., supper Sunday 3 - 8 p.m., closed Tuesday - Wednesday. 6476 Washington Street, Yountville CA 94599, 707.944.2487 for reservations. $45 fixed-price menu.

Annalien
Napa
For a valley with such great restaurants, the absence of a topnotch Asian place left a gaping culinary hole until Annalien opened on Main Street two years ago. Now you don't have to drive to San Francisco for tender (unfried) spring rolls, spicy lemongrass chicken, sea bass steamed in a banana leaf and other creative Vietnamese dishes. With a chic atmosphere, good service, the offbeat humor of owner Anna Shepley and nicely fresh, precise food, Annalien adds a welcome ethnic alternative to our wine country cuisine.
 Open Tuesday through Saturday, lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., dinner 5 to 9 p.m.  
1142 Main Street, Napa CA 94559, 707.224.8319. Entrees $14-$23.

BarBersQ
Napa
For eat-in or take-out, this upscale barbecue joint has elevated the idea of southern home cooking to something sophisticated. It's hard to think of another restaurant in Napa Valley where you can get your fingers as messy with slow-cooked ribs, pulled pork sandwiches topped with creamy cole slaw inside the bun or tender roast chicken in an ambience as contemporary and cool as this. Kentucky native and executive chef Stephen Barber makes his delicious barbecue (also known as 'cue or Q, hence the name) with top ingredients. He and partner Gene Tartaglia worked together at Mecca in San Francisco.
 Lunch and dinner daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. 3900 D Bel Aire Plaza, Napa CA 94558. 707.224.6600, www.opentable.com. Entrees $17 - $30. Wine and beer.

Cuvee Napa
Napa
If at first you don't succeed, try again, is what owner Roger Roessler and partners did at sleek Cuvee on Soscol Avenue near downtown Napa. The beautifully designed restaurant opened as Asian-inspired Budo about three years ago, but Roessler decided to change the format and menu to a more friendly, less expensive approach that would attract more locals and keep the place humming. Comfort foods like braised short ribs, surf and turf and fresh Pacific seafood have found a good following and the service and elegant ambience keep people coming back.
 Lunch and dinner Monday - Friday from 11:30 a.m., dinner only Saturday - Sunday from 5 p.m. 1650 Soscol Avenue, Napa CA 94559, 707.224.2330, www.cuveenapa.com. Entrees $14 - $25. Very good wine list.

Press
St. Helena
Press is the brainchild of Leslie Rudd, owner of Dean & DeLuca, Rudd Winery and other local businesses. Press specializes in precisely cooked cuts of meat, fish and poultry, great wines to go with them, and serves large side dishes in their cooking pots. In an airy, contemporary building with a relaxing but elegant atmosphere, Press is the kind of place where you want to allow the whole evening to relax and enjoy yourself. Prices are high and the food and service are outstanding.
 Dinner Wednesday through Monday, 5 to 10 p.m. 587 St. Helena Highway South, St. Helena CA 94574. 707.967.0550, www.presssthelena.com. Entrees $18 - $35. Extensive Napa-oriented wine list.

Go Fish
St. Helena
Famed restaurateur, Cindy Pawlcyn along with Sean A. Knight have brought a much needed West Coast-Style seafood to the Napa Valley.  Taking over the former Pinot Blanc location, Go Fish offers an upscale seafood emporium with a comfortable, but classy atmosphere including a 16-seat Sushi Bar supervised by partner Chef Ken Tominaga of Hanna Restaurant in Rohnert Park.  With over 140 items on the menu, the hardest part is selecting from a myriad of seafood choices. 
   641 Main St, St. Helena, CA 94574 .  707.963.0700.  www.gofishrestaurant.net
Weekdays 11:30 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Weekends 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m. Sushi Bar Every Day 11:30 a.m.-10:30 p.m.

Domaine Chandon - etoile Restaurant
Yountville
Restaurant at Chandon recently under went a transformation with a new name and a new look becoming the signature of elegance for the only winery with the fine dining in the Napa Valley.  The seven-course tasting menu at etoile highlights the connection between food, with Chef Christopher Manning and Domaine Chandon wines selected by wine maker Jim Kress.
   One California Dr. Yountville, CA 94599. 800.736.2892  www.chandon.com
Sunday - Saturday Lunch: 11:30am - 2:30pm, Dinner: 6:00pm - 9:30pm. Tasting Salon: Daily: 10:00am - 6:00pm.

Bleaux Magnolia
Downtown Napa
People couldn’t get enough of their Cajun style food and sizzling crawfish at the farmer’s market.  Now the dynamic duo of Chef Matt Mermod and General Manager Philip Schuster recently opened Bleaux Magnolia in the former Posticinos location behind the Napa Town Center.  Schuster describes the cuisine as contemporary Creole serving up dishes like Duck Breast Jambalaya, Cornbread Crusted Catfish, and Seafood Gumbo for dinner and to die for weekend brunch featuring Cabernet Braised Eggs & Duck Sausage and Jambalaya Breakfast Burrito.
    1408 Clay St. Napa, CA 94559, 707.252.2230  www.bleauxmagnolia.com
Open Tues. to Sat.-Lunch,11:30 am - 2:30 pm & Dinner,  5:00 pm  - 9:00 pm
Sat & Sunday, Brunch,   11 am - 3 pm

Redd
Yountville
Executive Chef/Owner Richard Reddington is a quarterback and a magician in the kitchen.  His five course meals with wine pairing will enlighten any one’s palate.  Reddington said he has found the perfect balance of serious food and unpretentious environment.  The contemporary setting with large picturesque windows offers a full bar.
   6480 Washington St.  Yountville, CA 94599.  707.944.2222.  www.reddnapavalley.com
Lunch: Monday - Saturday: 11:30am - 2:30pm Dinner: Sunday - Saturday: 5:30pm - 10:00pm Sunday Brunch: 11:00am - 2:30pm

Siena Restaurant at the Meritage Resort
South Napa
Nestled between the newly opened Meritage Resort and the just opened wine cave, the Siena Restaurant is fast becoming a local’s favorite.  Executive Chef Jeffrey L Longenecker presents an elegant menu with a Tuscan Flare.  The atmosphere is warm and comfortable featuring an atrium filled with silk banners and is equipped with a wooden ceiling.  An exhibition kitchen showcases a wood burning pizza oven. 
   875 Bordeaux Way, Napa, Ca 94558.  707. 251.1950.themeritageresort.com.
Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.  Morning brunch on Sat, 7-11 a.m. and Sun 11 a.m. – 2 p.m.

< Back