2007-11-08
CUVEE NAPA
Wine Country Dining … Outside or Fireside
by Michelle J. Baker
With fall’s chill in the Wine Country air and daylight set aside for mornings, there’s something wonderfully soothing about an evening out at Cuvée Napa restaurant. Between the crackling of the wood in the lounge’s fireplace, the warm color tones of the restaurant’s décor, and the invitingly comfortable furnishings, Cuvée Napa just feels like home.
Cuvée Napa was designed with a lovely courtyard as centerpiece, and you can see it from most any spot in the restaurant. In the summer, the courtyard, with its bird’s eye view into the kitchen, is the perfect place for lunch or an early dinner. In the winter, head for a seat by the fireplace or find a romantic corner in the lounge, and sink into the room’s ambiance with a Ginger Lemonade or Cuvée Red Margarita from Cuvée Napa’s inspired cocktail menu.
Cuvée Napa’s chef Octavio Barrera, a St. Helena native, has created a seasonal menu of modern American comfort food to satisfy any appetite. At lunch (served Monday thru Friday), the menu features starters, sandwiches and main courses, including the popular potato-wrapped salmon with herbed orzo pasta and citrus butter sauce. At dinner, take comfort in chef Octavio’s signature Chianti-braised short ribs, or his salmon and rock shrimp pot pie with lemon-saffron cream.
The wine list at Cuvée Napa has something for everyone, with a wide selection of old world classics as well as an extensive collection of some very exclusive California bottlings. There’s also a nice assortment of half and large-format bottles, and a well-priced selection of “wines on tap” (wines tapped from five-gallon kegs filled by local vintners).
There’s almost always something “special” going on at Cuvée Napa. At Happy Hour (Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. till
7 p.m.), the lounge offers bar menu specials as well as half-priced cocktails and draft beer, and featured wines for $5 per glass. And every Wednesday night is locals’ night at Cuvée Napa, with three courses for $30 and no corkage fee (you don’t have to be a “local” to partake).
Cuvée Napa also has plenty of room for parties and celebrations. The Grand Cru dining room has seating for up to 55; the cozy Premier Cru dining room, with a view into the wine cellar, seats 16. The entire restaurant may also be rented for special occasions, and the friendly staff at Cuvée Napa is available to help plan any size event (contact Cuvée Napa’s Aaron Diaz or Matthew Steinhausen).
Cuvée Napa, located at 1650 Soscol Avenue in Napa, opens at 11:30 a.m. Monday thru Friday and at 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The late night bar menu is available in the after hours lounge until 11 p.m. during the week and midnight on Friday and Saturday. Reservations are available online at www.cuveenapa.com or by phone at (707) 224-2330.
Related Information
|
