{"id":21492,"date":"2017-02-03T17:00:36","date_gmt":"2017-02-03T17:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?p=21492"},"modified":"2021-10-28T16:58:40","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T16:58:40","slug":"st-helena-rising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/st-helena-rising\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Helena rising"},"content":{"rendered":"

As far as cities go, St. Helena, California, is pretty small. It\u2019s about four square miles from end-to-end. It\u2019s home to just more than 6,000 full-time residents. It has one major supermarket, and that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n

Yet in 2017 this tiny town in the center of the Napa Valley<\/a> is primed to establish itself as a very big deal in the food world. Some might say it even could supplant nearby Yountville as the food capital of America. And they wouldn\u2019t be wrong.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not like St. Helena has emerged as a food Mecca overnight; with The Restaurant at Meadowood<\/a>\u2014one of only 14 eateries in the United States to earn three starts from the Michelin Guide\u2014the place has had food wizardry in the mix for quite a while. In 2017, however, two existing restaurants and two new ones likely will combine with this icon to make this Napa Valley<\/a> town second to none.<\/p>\n

\"Bar
Bar bites at Harvest Table<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Palmer cleans up<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harvest Table is one of the two game-changing restaurants that\u2019s open right now. The eatery, on-site at The Harvest Inn by Charlie Palmer<\/a>\u00a0on the south end of town, was created and is helmed by Charlie Palmer, a celebrity chef who also has restaurants in New York, San Francisco, Las Vegas, and elsewhere.<\/p>\n

The menu here highlights locally sourced ingredients that vary by season. Many of these ingredients come from five culinary gardens on the property\u2014gardens where Culinary\u00a0Horticulturalist Jean-Pierre Madrigal\u00a0grows herbs and salad greens, fruits, and vegetables that can be used in just about every dish. Chef Levi Mezick gets his proteins from around the area, too, including purveyors such as Tolenas Farms Quail, Masami Cattle Ranch, Mary\u2019s Chicken, Sebastopol Berry Farms, and Bera Ranch Stone Fruit.<\/p>\n

Harvest Table also celebrates innovation; in addition to stocking the wine list with his own wine, Palmer also serves his own beer. The hotel even has its own bee program, which is leveraged for honey.<\/p>\n

While the brunch and dinner menus at Harvest Table are chock-full of great options, my personal favorite way to experience the restaurant is at the bar. Mixologists whip up classic cocktails in no time, and Palmer offers a variety of bar bites such as rock shrimp hush puppies and a fried chicken sandwich with pickled tomato and chili sauce. Weekly specials rock, too; the Wednesday burger is the bomb.<\/p>\n

\"Patio
Patio dining at Two Birds\/One Stone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two for the price of one<\/strong><\/p>\n

North on Highway 29 sits the other of the two restaurants that\u2019s open right now. This one, named Two Birds\/One Stone, is a collaboration between Chef Douglas Keane (he of Cyrus fame) and Chef Sang Yoon. Dishes here come yakitori-style, which is to say they\u2019re served on small plates like tapas.<\/p>\n

Overall, the food menu has a distinctly Japanese vibe. Dishes include ingredients such as kimchee, lap cheong, shiso-edamame puree, and chilled shiitake broth. Many of the meats are cooked on a Binchotan grill. My personal favorite dish is Crispy Sonoma duck leg with grilled persimmon, and spiced tamarind. A close second is Deviled Jidori eggs with gribenes, shichimi togarashi, and wasabi. Oh, and for dessert, it\u2019s a no-brainer; once you\u2019ve tried the black sesame soft-serve ice cream with roasted plum, you will long for it like you long for a lover.<\/p>\n

Keane and Soon\u2019s cocktail menu excites, too. Drinks incorporate traditional spirits with items such as Thai chile, shiso, galangal, and more. Just about every option is unexpected.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d be remiss in writing about Two Birds\/One Stone without at least mentioning the building\u2014a restored portion of the circa-1886 winery at Freemark Abbey. Even before Keane and Yoon moved in, the spot was iconic. Now, with their food, it\u2019s even more of a legend.<\/p>\n

Viewfinder Tip: When dining in the Napa Valley, it helps to make reservations well in advance. Most restaurants also have bar seating that is first-come, first-served.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

What\u2019s next<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve mentioned the restaurants that already are making the case for St. Helena as “food capital” of the country. Two other restaurants are expected to open in 2017 that will extend and amply this campaign.<\/p>\n

The first of these, Acacia House, will be the on-site eatery at Las Alcobas Napa Valley<\/a>, an ultra-high-end luxury hotel set to open on the north side of town just after the first of the year. The restaurant will be helmed by Chris Cosentino, a chef who achieved celebrity status after experimenting with offal meats at his former restaurants in San Francisco, Incanto, and Cockscomb.<\/p>\n

Sweetbreads will be just one aspect of the menu this time around; though Cosentino hadn\u2019t released the information about specific dishes as of press time, he had told various media outlets that guests would have a variety of options crafted to pair with local wines and create an entirely new experience.<\/p>\n

Carb-haters, take notice: Chef also has promised an on-site artisan bread program.<\/p>\n

Finally, also in early 2017, St. Helena will welcome a second restaurant from Meadowood Executive Chef Christopher Kostow. This eatery, dubbed The Charter Oak, will exist in the old Tra Vigne space on the south end of town and will embrace some of the same cooking philosophies Kostow employs at Meadowood, only in a more casual setting.<\/p>\n

Like Cosentino, Kostow has been tight-lipped about what sorts of dishes might appear on The Charter Oak menu. Still, pop-up meals across the country have given diners some glimpses\u2014after one in Chicago, people raved about the wonderful simplicity of steamed ribs and eggs.<\/p>\n

Whatever Kostow comes up with, we know this: The food will be epic. And St. Helena should benefit tremendously.<\/p>\n

What is your favorite destination for food?<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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