Ubuntu

Well, I missed the New York Times article that named Ubuntu the 2nd best restaurant in the country, but I did hear enough buzz about it that a couple of months ago, we made a mid-week trip to Napa to get away and try it out. Trying to explain the concept on the way was enough to make Dan a little wary - I think he automatically assumed he would have to be eating a second meal after dinner, as man can not fill up on vegetables alone. When we arrived, I also explained that there was a yoga studio on the upper level. That fact, combined with the many statues throughout the restaurant did nothing to disspell the assumptions that he had built up on the drive.

However, throughout the meal, the food was both delicious and surprising. We started with their fried sunchokes, which came served with a chunky romesco dipping sauce. They were a wonderful starter, and surprisingly light for being fried. We enjoyed them slowly, finishing them up with our entrees.

As we waited for our entrees, we asked our server what she would recommend from their wine list to go with our meals. While she was relatively knowledgeable and helpful, she sent over their sommelier. Unfortunately, he was less help than she had been. He was seemingly very nervous, and didn't seem to have a great grasp on their wine list, having to go retreieve one and refer to it when we asked different questions. All this for one glass of wine! At least at the end of it all, it was a nice glass and complmented my heavy dinner.

I had ordered their signature cauliflower in a cast iron pot - talk about flavorful! For me, this dish was way too creamy and had an overwhelming parsley taste. However, it was unlike anything else I had ever had with it's different tastes and textures, and I would be willing to try it again in it's different interpretations throughout the year. When it got to be too much for me, we simply switched entrees, as Dan was all too happy to finish mine. I was likewise very pleased with his Egg with Robuchon potatoes that came just as described with slices of thick toast, and a fantastic sauce. Honestly, I could have licked the sauce off that plate, but off course we were in too nice a restaurant for that - and I hadn't had nearly enough wine to embarass myself.

I didn't mourn over the entrees being done for too long, because dessert was on the way. Or so I thought. The different phases of a meal here take a little longer than most other restaurants I've visited. Luckily, they more than made up for it when they did arrive. We shared the cheesecake in a jar with sour cherries, and their chocolate souffle with toasted marshmallow and graham cracker ice cream. The "cheesecake" is light and fluffy, not nearly as heavy and filling as "real" cheesecake, with an overall sweet but slightly sour flavor. The presentation in the jar is lovely, and the portion is not stingy. The souffle is heavenly - and the marshmallows and ice cream are great little bites to break up the heavy chocolate flavor. One of my pet peeves is items that are mentioned in the description of a dish that are little more than garnish when the plate is put in front of you - that is not the case here.

All the dishes at Ubuntu are creative, and intricately prepared. And even though we didn't have a single bite of meat while we were there, we both left stuffed. It's definitely worth a try - but come with a willingness to try new flavors, as you might not recognize a lot on the menu.