Bottega

Yountville, CA

After a few days with family, our idea of vacation was simple, spending a couple nights in Yountville with Shaddy at Bardessono and  surrounded by great food. Our original plan was to have lunch at Bottega the following day, but when you see Michael Chiarello walking down the sidewalk and he says hi to you because he's just a nice guy, it makes you want to change your plans. So after some lucky shuffling, we changed reservations for that evening know the chef was in the building. One of our favorite meals was our last visit to Bottega where we had the best gnocchi of our lives and one of our top roasted chickens, which made our second trip having to meet high expectations. 


It started with a bump in the road upon arrival since the place was packed and our table wasn't ready. But positive side of the wait was that chef Chiarello was in the bar/lounge speaking with a guest and even posing for a couple of pictures. Since he looked like he was heading somewhere with urgency, we didn't want to impose his path only later to find out he had left for the evening when his 4 year old son called him. So we didn't get to meet him or take a picture, but we saw him twice in one day which was a fun memory. We ended up waiting 45 minutes for a corner booth, which made it nearly 9 PM before we received a dish.

Burrata Autunnale Creamy mozzarella burrata with roasted butternut squash,
caramelized mushroom, shallots, brown butter vinaigrette, sherry vinegar caviar

We started off with the burrata per the server recommendation and it was a pretty good dish. The roasted butternut squash was the star of the dish, but the burrata was not up to par with that of Nancy Silverton's at Osteria Mozza, the best burrata I've ever had. 

Pork Belly “Confit” Crispy soft boiled egg, five onion cavalo nero, CFV mosto cotto

Our second appitizer was the pok belly and soft boiled egg, a good dish, but nothing really great. The pork was cooked perfectly, but the flavor profile was kind of boring. Again, nothing wrong with the dish, but not special either.

House-made egg pappardelle veal, pork & porcini mushroom Bolognese,
rosemary, parmigiano-reggiano

We really struggled with which pastas to order since all of them looked really good. We wanted to feel the amazement of the ricotta gnocchi again, but were eager to try some new dishes. Our first one was the egg pappardelle with a really solid Bolognese, and soft fresh pasta, but did not command a memorable flavor profile. It was a good dish, but maybe its just hard to get amazing Bolognese because I've never had it. 

Risotto of the day, trumpet mushrooms and day boat scallops

Our second pasta dish was the risotto of the day, with trumpet mushrooms and day boat scallops. I found the dish to be extremely salty. It was better when eaten with the natural sweetness of the scallops but could not get over the saltiness. Chu-Toro was a little less harsh on the review of this dish and thought it was pretty good. We did both agree that the risotto was a little chewier than we both would like it, but it wasn't better that risotto we had at Redd.

Wood Grilled Chops of Grass-Fed Lamb fresh persimmons, fennel seed dressing,
creamy ancient grain polenta

For my entrée, I went with the grilled lamb chops, well seasoned and well cooked. A very good dish, with an interesting incorporation of persimmons. Since I generally don't like polenta, it was a pleasant surprise that the grain version was enjoyable.

Confit of Half Duck mostarda di frutta, panettone bread pudding, red wine duck jus

Chu-Toro went with confit of duck, which had an exceptional crisp skin and moist interior. The sweet sauce provided a nice balance to the dish. By the time we were halfway through the entrée, we were both stuffed and I couldn't finish the duck, so Shaddy had one of the best meals of her life when we brought her the leftovers. 

Shaddy's duck confit

Overall, the meal was good, but not amazing like our last visit. I think it brought Bottega back down to earth in our minds, and maybe after another year of eating we were exposed to some other restaurants to compare it to. Or maybe we just didn't order the right items. We're not crossing it off our list, since I'll always have a man crush on Michael Chiarello, but it will be a while before we feel the need to come back.

December 29, 2010

Rating 7/10