Meadowood
I recently spent a thoroughly beguiling three nights at The Meadowood Resort on the Silverado Trail in Napa Valley; really and truly, if you’re planning a Napa fantasy, you should most definitely book one of their mountainside cottages as your accommodation. The luxury, the pampering, the comfort…not to mention the fact that you feel so strongly that you are in a rural place. That you are in Napa Valley.
If you go, though, you’ll be luckier than I…for The Meadowood’s great restaurant, one of only two 3-star Michelin restaurants in Napa Valley (you KNOW the other), was recently closed for two months for renovation…of course, during my stay! But I’ve eaten there several times before (heavenly)…and, during this recent stay in February, I did get to chat with The Restaurant’s brilliant chef, one of California’s great culinary stars, Christopher Kostow.
Chef Christopher Kostow
After seeing the extensive gardens at The Meadowood, I was most interested in discussing with Christopher a subject very much on my mind lately: will locavore endure?
My own observation first: I’m not sure that the country’s hottest, hippest food trend—restaurants using ingredients that are local—is going to always have the weight it has right now. I don’t think it’ll ever die…I just think that there’s a locavore backlash right now among many chefs, and that “locavore” is going to get taken down a peg or two, or three.
Why? Lots of chefs feel handcuffed by the locavore creed. If you work in Miami and you want to cook with foie gras…whatcha gonna do? If you work in Cleveland, and the greatest fish is available to you only by airlift…whatcha gonna do? If you work in North Dakota and you need some brilliant fresh herbs in winter…whatcha gonna do?
But these examples are not minor exceptions to the rule. Many chefs are looking to the airplanes, and FedEx, for most of what they’re using.
Consider another major new star on the American culinary scene, Cesar Ramirez at Brooklyn Fare in (guess where!), another glittering recent addition to Michelin’s three-star pantheon.
When you go to Brooklyn Fare, your dinner is 25 or so small courses selected by Ramirez. No one has ever been able to exactly characterize what he does…other than “make incredibly delicious food!”…but more than anything else his vision involves a heavy Japanese aesthetic. And the execution of this aesthetic includes the air freight, constantly, of top-quality fish from Japan. In the same vein, you will find delicious fresh cheeses from Italy on your plate—also flown in, because they’re the best examples in the world.
Ramirez is part of that revisionist group of chefs who wants to work with the best possible ingredients, no matter where they’re from.
So…how does Kostow of Meadowood view all this?
For starters…Kostow sees himself as working very much in a very specific place. Ramirez of Brooklyn Fare could probably move to Kansas City tomorrow, and his restaurant wouldn’t change that much. Everything about Meadowood, however, and Kostow’s work there, screams Napa Valley.
During the two-month closing, Kostow said, “our kitchen staff took lots of local trips together. We went to purveyors. We went to wine producers. We visited local historical societies, to get a better perspective on who we are.” Meadowood’s restaurant was locavore before, but it’s even more deeply locavore now.
“Locavore,” said Kostow “…depends on where you are. If I were cooking in a restaurant in New York City, I would not set up a rooftop garden. But when you’re in an agricultural place…of course you should emphasize the local products!”
“Fortunately,” he went on, “we’re in a very happy position: we do not have to choose between local and good, as many chefs do!”
“For restaurants like ours,” said Kostow, who worked extensively in France before burgeoning in California, “the new luxury is not lobster and foie gras, like it used to be. I handled many expensive ingredients in France, which sometimes came out of the freezer and were not all they were cracked up to be. Our ‘luxury’ has a better quality aura: we spend the money on running the garden, which is a much more precise guarantee of quality. We’re not interested in ‘name’ luxury ingredients on the menu. A restaurant’s own agriculture is the true luxury in 2013.”
Meadowood Garden
Though I’m all for anti-locavore pushback when it makes sense (as in Brooklyn)…I’m also all for a locavore like Kostow! I can hardly wait to get back to Meadowood and take the measure of The Restaurant’s enhanced locavorism!
And what else will be greeting me when I return? Here’s a piece of a recent press release, tracking the changes. Please note the number of times the concept of “local” is invoked!
On the inspiration behind the recent additions, Restaurant Director Nathaniel Dorn says, “The projects we completed during the last couple of months were primarily designed to enhance our guests’ comfort, enjoyment and sense of discovery. We delved deeper into our relationships with a few of our existing artisans and craftsmen and forged several exciting new partnerships as well.”
The new entry and expanded bar area, designed by noted architect Howard Backen, features a twenty-foot beamed ceiling, fieldstone walls, two fireplaces, large windows and a polished concrete-and-wood floor. Craftsman Michael Capp worked with Dorn to execute his designs for new dining tables for both The Restaurant dining room and the bar. The table tops are crafted of limestone while the bases feature cast iron steel and 100-year-old wood salvaged from a bridge in British Columbia. Suspended custom ceramic tiles by local artist Richard Carter add warmth and texture to the room and are positioned to add interest to the overhead space. Fabric colors feature shades of gray and subtle pin striping in keeping with the accents in the dining room.
In addition to the beautiful new space with seating for 18, guests will also find snacks from Chef Christopher Kostow and The Restaurant at Meadowood culinary team offered at $20 per person. The bar will be open Monday through Saturday evenings from 5:00 p.m. to midnight with wines available by the glass or bottle and an array of traditional and signature cocktails.
Another new culinary debut occurs at the actual bar itself, where guests will now be able to enjoy a three-course menu each evening priced at $90 per person. The menu will change nightly and guests are encouraged to call ahead to reserve space as seats at the bar are limited. “This new three-course menu was largely inspired by the members of our local community who enjoy coming into The Restaurant mid-week,” says Dorn. “We have a good many vintners, for example, who’ve told us they’d like to come into The Restaurant at the end of the day for a lighter meal and some good conversation. So, we’ve created that opportunity for them.”
The new private dining room was created in response to the growing number of larger parties inquiring about dining in The Restaurant. “Increasingly,” says Dorn, “we have guests who want to hold special celebrations in The Restaurant. This space, which overlooks a small, private garden, will be perfect for gatherings of friends or family members celebrating special occasions. It’s also ideal for members of our local vintner community wishing to host private dinners featuring their wines alongside Christopher’s menus.”
Finally, in the dining room, wine enthusiasts are likely to delight in the new Thomas Warner-designed wine cellar. Crafted entirely of rich walnut the cellar fills the space of the original four-seat private dining room. Says Dorn, “We’re excited to have our extensive wine collection located in the dining room where it will be close at hand for both our staff and our guests.”
For more information on The Restaurant at Meadowood or to reserve a table, visit www.therestaurantatmeadowood.com. To reserve seating at the bar or to inquire about the private dining room, call 707-967-1205.
All photos courtesy of Meadowood
