6525 Washington Street
Yountville, CA 94599-1300
(707) 945-1050
http://www.botteganapavalley.com/ Yountville, CA 94599-1300
(707) 945-1050
As part of our goal to eat at all Top Chef Masters' restaurants, we decided to spend our Saturday lunch at Michael Chiarello's Bottega. Sense of Yountville was set up outside the restaurant so we caught glimpses of Chiarello as he was making his way from the kitchen to the event.
1. fresh halibut pesce crudo on pink himalayian sea salt - the presentation was definitely the star of this dish. Halibut was tender and relatively mild in flavor. It was the pickled garlic and other accompaniments that make this dish so tasty.
2. wood grilled octopus, olive oil braised potatoes, pickled red onion, salsa verde - the eight-legged protein was a bit firmer than some other preparations we've had. No complaints, but felt a bit uninspired after a few bites.
3. monterey calamari, crisped with Arborio rice flour, aioli nero - not a big fan of this preparation. The rice flour was the star of this dish and not in a good way.
4. parpardelle with veal, pork & porcini mushroom Bolognese, rosemary & Parmigiano Reggiano - felt like this was very well executed. All the flavors were present and the parpardelle had a great consistency. However, it did not have those same flavors what we tend to appreciate in a Bolognese. We don't feel like this was a bad dish, just that it didn't suit our palate.
5. Forno Roasted Scottish Salmon alla Barcaïola potato-zucchini torta & shaved cucumber, spring onion salad - not customary to have a salad near the end of the meal, but it was hearty enough to stand as a main course. All the veggies tasted as if they were picked that morning and had great flavors. Salmon was tender, flaky and flavorful.
6. Risotto del Giorno with softshell crab - our favorite dish of the meal. The risotto with the sweet corn could have stood on its own without the crab. But having shown up on the plate, we didn't hesitate to chow down on it. Crab was crispy and light. Served as a nice textural contrast to the risotto.
7. zeppole - can't really go wrong with sugary, deep-fried dough. Came with a raspberry and lemon dipping sauce. The lemon sauce was the winner.
We weren't really disappointed with the meal, but we weren't blown away either. A pleasant dining experience overall. If anything, the risotto is worth coming back for. There were a couple of other things on that menu that seemed worth a try. So would definitely return if someone else were treating, otherwise, would hold off until the other surrounding options were exhausted.