Redd

\

Yountville, CA

Yountville's Redd is another one of the well respected fine dining establishment in Yountville. Located on Washington Street, with about a half dozen other Michelin starred restaurants, the two things I really like about Redd before taking a bite of their food are, that there is dog friendly outdoor seating (Shaddy Approved!) and that their tasting menu features a choice of two dishes each course, something that Chu-Toro and I love! Twice as many dishes to try is fun and exciting for us. 
We started we two different raw fish appetizers, a yellowfin, tuna tartar and hamachi sashimi.  Both were good dishes, but neither were unique or memorable. Throguh Asain inspired flavors, by the use of Asian pears and edamame, both were well executed and a tasty start. 

yellowfin tuna tartar, asian pear, avocado, chili oil, fried rice

Sashimi of hamachi, sticky rice, edamame, lime ginger  sauce

Next up, I went with the diver scallops and Chu-Toro had the Skatwing. The scallop was a nice dish, well executed with a creamy cauliflower puree, a tasty, solid dish.

Caramelized diver scallops, cauliflower puree, almonds, balsamic reduction

The skatewing was the first misstep of the evening, dry and overcooked. The clams were also overwhelmed by the extremely salty chorizo. This addition seemed extremely out of place.

Skatewing, creamy jasmine rice, clams, chorizo, saffron curry nage

Chu-Toro went with the pork belly, also a little overcooked, but a pretty solid otherwise topped with a fresh apple garish and an apple puree beneath, a nice balance.

Glazed pork belly, apple puree, burdock, soy caramel

The dish of the night was the roasted quail with porchini mushrooms risotto, the best risotto I've ever had in my life. Creamy, rich, and extremely flavorful, it still remains unlike any risotto I've had before. In fact, this dish turned me towards ordering risotto at other restaurants, but still have not anything close to Redd's.

Roasted quail, porchini mushrooms risotto

My next course, the Sonoma lamb loin, was a somewhat played out combination; having had it about a half a dozen times in the past year. This dish did not stand out amongst the others i had, but a decent offering.

Sonoma lamb loin, roasted peppers, chickpeas, tapenade

Chu-Toro's final entrée was the New York steak and short rib cannelloni, a strange concept, but unlike any we've had before. The components of this dish did not really gel together well, but appreciated it being different for a simple steak course.

Prime new york steak, shortrib cannelloni, carrots, peas, romaine

The trio of peanut butter desserts was really good and a fun variation of textures centered around peanuts. The honeycomb parfait was the most original and our favorite.

Peanut butter, milk chocolate gianduja, peanut honeycomb parfait

The sweet corn fritters was the final dessert, Chu-Toro selected this one because she loves corn everything. Although she's not a big cherry fan, the tartness offered a nice balance between the sweet and crunchy corn fritter. 

Sweet corn fritters, cherries, vanilla-corn ice cream

We had a really fun time at Redd and although we weren't wowed by the courses, most of the dishes were good and well cooked. You're not going to find cutting edge flavors or unique combinations, but the execution was there throughout the meal and we would return for a nice outdoor meal with Shaddy. Also, it's still served the best risotto I've ever had.

Rating 7/10
July 19, 2009

Shaddy Approved