Oenotri

It seems silly that it would be so hard to find a good restaurant that is dog friendly and can accommodate a party of ten, but that was the challenge I accepted when trying to plan a small surprise dinner party for Chu-Toro's birthday. Actually, Oenotri didn't cross my mind because when I dined there nine months ago, I didn't know they had patio seating. But it worked out great because their service was excellent, the staff was prepared, friendly and ran a fun filled night with very good food and wine.

Chef's selection Charcuterie

I requested that the charcuterie and prosecco (a Bele Casel) be ready upon arrival and sure enough, the sparkling wine was sitting on ice, shortly followed by the charcuterie while everyone was getting seated. We were all in conversation and missed the step by step run down of each of the salamis but everyone seemed to enjoy it thoroughly.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Summer Squash, Cream and Bagna Cauda Pizza

Margherita Pizza: Mozzarela Di Bufala, San Marzano Tomato Sauce and Basil

Peppers, Pancetta, Red Onion, Aglio Rosso, and Wild Arugula

We then ordered three out of four of the pizzas offered on the menu to share as our next course. The pizzas didn't resonate with me in the same fashion as they did during my first visit (when i called them Mozza lite), mainly because my focus was on chatting instead of eating and obviously the pizzas cooled. But they were still good pizzas, light chewy crust with simple fresh ingredients, and everyone found at least one or more slice they liked. 

Bucatini Alla Carbonara: Pancettam Tully Dolci Egg, Black Pepper and Pecorino Romano

Torchio with Pork Sausage, Preserved Lemon, Roasted Fennel and Wild Nettles

Wild Nettle Fidei with Wood Oven Roasted San Marzano Tomatoes, Eggplant,
Jimmy Nardello Peppers and Genovese  Pesto

Fresh Central Mills Polenta with Parmigiano-Reggiano

Tagliatelle with Pacific Coho Salmon, Sea Urchin Butter, Garlic, Dill and Cherry Tomatoes

The next wave of food were individual pasta orders. Since we were all having such a good time instead of looking at the menu for our next course, our server Ryan put us on the spot by surprising us and whispering "What pasta do you want?" into our ears to take our order. We all got a good laugh out of that and he returned with four unique beautiful pastas, an order of polenta and a bottle of 2009 Tami' Nero D'Avalo from Sicily. My dish was the tagliatelle which i thought came with sea urchin, but actually was centered around salmon. Probably the only time in my life I've ever ordered a salmon pasta. It was pleasant, but I much preferred the two bites I had of Chu-Toro's Torchio with pork sausage. I'm convinced that any pork dish here is a winner. It packed a flavorful punch and left me wanting more.

Willis Farm Porchetta Alla Diavolo: Fried Potatoes, Arugula, Endive, Fennel, Black Tomatoes

Fried Quails

Coho Salmon with Summer Squash, Corn, Marin Roots Amaranth, and Tropea Tondo Onions

In typical  fashion, I over ordered and asked for one of each of the secondi entrees for the table to share. Although we probably didn't need it, we definitely needed the food to go with our next bottle of wine, a Damilano Nebbiolo D'Alba from Piedmont, right? It ended up being another successful round of food, in particular the Willis Farms Porchetta Alla Diavolo. "Alla diavolo" meaning devil in Italian, the porchetta was kicked up by peppers, spices and garlic. It was probably one of the tastiest pieces of pork I've ever had, really, really good. It was definitely well spiced, flavorful while still being juicy and naturally "porky." The accompanying fried potatoes were the perfect match for this dish while the salad of endive, fennel and arugula helped tone down and balance it all out. The fried quail and salmon dish were perfectly good dishes too, but we agreed the pork was the best. Shaddy finished off most of the salmon on her own under the table since we were all stuffed.

Birthday Cake

Of course we couldn't finish without a big slice of birthday cake. The staff kindly brought it out with the five candles they could scrounge up and we all sang for Chu-Toro. After everyone received a slice, we gave the rest of the cake to our servers for being so attentive, professional yet fun throughout the meal.  The final verdict is that Oenotri is a great place to have a party on the outside patio on a warm summer evening in Napa. Although the food wasn't as earth shattering as our first visit, it was still pretty damn good and we all had a wonderful time. 

Rating 8/10

August 27, 2011

Shaddy Approved