Second Visit to Bottega Ristorante

I had a great meal to kick off the 2010.  The day after New Year’s I had a family meal at Michael Chiarello’s Bottega.  My first visit was back in July and I got to taste the summer menu.  I thought it was time for some heartier selections off his winter menu.

Again I have to say, I love the decor, from the pink sea salt reservation desk to the dinnerware, the whole place is rustic and comforting.  I’m scarily observant sometimes, so I noticed the water glasses changed.  They were nice heavy weighted, hammered cups.  Love them.  These Bottega Copper Tumblers are available online at Michael’s NapaStyle store.

Appetizer: Pecorino cheese pudding with crispy soft-boiled egg & forno roasted rapini

I like my eggs completely cooked but this soft-boiled egg was so good.  I didn’t eat it by itself though.  I built my own bite of egg, broccoli raab and pudding.  Great combination of flavors.

At first I was skeptical about a savory pudding.  I tend to prefer foods that are typically sweet to be sweet, and savory to be savory, but this pecorino pudding was amazing.  It was so creamy and I love the tartness of the pecorino.

For the main dishes, we decided to share two pasta dishes and two meat dishes.

Potato Gnocchi with duck, fall squash & chesnut ragu, parmigiano reggiano

On my first visit, I ordered the ricotta gnocchi with tomato salsa, one of the most popular dishes there, and one that he made on Top Chef Masters.  It was so good I ordered it again but also wanted to try a new gnocchi dish.

I could not stop eating the potato gnocchi.  Maybe because it was better suited for winter, being a bit richer and heartier.  I thought the potato gnocchi would be dense but I was wrong.  I don’t know how they do it.  It was just as light as the ricotta gnocchi and it had the perfect amount of crispness.  The shredded duck complemented the gnocchi so well.

Smoked & Braised Natural Short Ribs preserved-lemon spinach, smokey jus

When Michael made short ribs on Top Chef Masters everyone went crazy for them.  I think I was drooling look at the screen so I knew I had to get it this time around.  First of all, the dish was HUGE.  They fell off the bone so easily.  They were a tad salty, but still incredibly tasty.

Wood Grilled Grass-Fed Lamb Rib Chops with creamy ancient grain polenta

This was by far my favorite dish of the night.  Again the portions were huge.  The lamb was tender and juicy.  I am a big fan of the charred part which I know is bad for you but it was so good.  The polenta was the creamiest I have ever had.  Before this polenta has always been grainy but this was so smooth, it was like mashed potato texture.

We loved the dessert the last time so we decided to get 3.  While dessert really is my favorite part of the meal, 3 desserts was a bit much.  2 is right for sharing among 4 people.  We ordered two of the chocolate souffles which again were outstanding and a new one to try.

Chocolate and Caramel Tortino with Espresso stracciatella gelato, bruleed bananas, and Milk chocolate peanut butter bar

The caramel flourish reminds me of a monkey tail.  Wonder if they did that on purpose.

Two chocolate souffles and a chocolate tart …quite a bit of chocolate.  Nevertheless the tart was really good.  Nice crisp chocolate shell and chocolate filling.  The bruleed bananas had a thin crisp layer on the top, and according to my family, they could really taste the bourbon, but I couldn’t tell.  The espresso chocolate chip ice cream was perfect and I loved the peanut butter bar.  It was like a crisp Reese’s cup.

Next time one chocolate dessert and one fruit dessert

Bottega Ristorante
V Marketplace
6525 Washington Street, A9
Yountville, CA 94599
www.botteganapavalley.com