Meadowood Restaurant- Review

Dining at Meadowood Restaurant was certainly an enlightening experience. After a full day of wine tasting and loving the pure beauty that Napa had to offer, my boyfriend and I decided to finish our perfect adventure with an evening of extravagance. We journeyed up the winding roads of St. Helena, famished and nervously excited, praying that our experience would be live up to the vaulted expectations that we had. The setting was picturesque, looking up, the milky way lit up the night sky, the smell of the trees enlivened our senses. The only way to describe the setting is pure romance. It was beautiful, the ambiance was hushed but still comforting. The evening began with two glasses of Krug.

I would like to think that I, like my boyfriend, am a completely unique diner. I rarely do a "standard" tasting menu an I order way too much food for my own good. Meadowood offers two styles, a tasting menu of nine courses and a Summer prix-fixe menu of four courses. My boyfriend and I found ourselves in a predicament. The tasting menu, to be honest, was not nearly as exciting to read as the prix-menu and we wanted to try more than just four items from that menu. We ended up trying everything offered on the prix-fixe menu, which ended up being a total of fourteen courses.

Each course was exquisite. Chef Kostow's vision of California cuisine is a revelation. Each course was thoughtful and balanced, presenting an elegance rarely found in a Chef so young. The best bite of the evening came from the Lobster, Morel Mushroom, Sweetbread, and Black Truffle course. As if peering into my soul, Chef Kostow created a dish of everything I love most in life. It was so perfect, I forgot how to speak. I sat in a catatonic trance, unable to move, reeling from the feeling of pure bliss. It was literally that grandiose of a moment. I completely understand why Michelin bestowed three stars to Chef Kostow. Completely deserved.

Service here is remarkable and by far the best I have ever had, anywhere. As a professional in the industry, I am constantly disappointed by service, jaded because I can spot a flaw without any hesitation. Olin was our server and he was a consummate professional. His gate and personality were indicative of an illustrious pedigree, his demeanor was warm and welcoming, and he was on point throughout our entire experience.

I loved Meadowood. They made us feel like we were the most important guests in the dining room. Every moment was appreciated and lovely. I cannot wait to come back and do it all again.

Pretention vs. Attention

Yo yo yo,

It's time for another update. I thought today I would continue discussing service and service styles that you will find in most fine dining restaurants. I recently ate at a restaurant for lunch and had a more than decent time, but the service was cold and shrewd. The management staff was stuffy and pretentious and as I was thinking about rating the restaurant I couldn't help but want to take away points for lack of warmth.

Don't get me wrong, the server, a young female (which is rare), was friendly enough, but the she rarely smiled and really showed no depth as a professional. She marked the table correctly and things were served in a timely fashion, but there was something missing. It's so important to connect to your guests and it is your responsibility to do so. If there is no connection, there is no experience. Every single person in the restaurant had this lethargic and unapproachable look to them, so much that it made me feel weird. It's disconcerting when you are spending $100 for a lunch to have that feeling. The serving assistant looked mean, like he hated being there, the manager was uptight and had that "I am looking down on you look" and that's not what people need when they are spending their money. The funny thing is reader(s), I watched the server interact with the bartender who was across the large dining room, not necessarily completely visible without looking through a large glass pane diagonally across from where I was sitting, laughing and smiling acting completely different with him than with us. Don't get me wrong, I don't need a jester at the table, but bring the warmth and smile you had with your coworker to me, because frankly he doesn't give you your tip. (You can find my review for Spruce, San Francisco, Ca on Yelp tomorrow!)

There is a fine line, there always is, when dealing with this echelon of restaurant. Personality and attention, warmth and genuineness has to be part of you repertoire because if they are not, get out of this industry because you are wasting your time . People do not want pretentious service, there are a hundred other restaurant who will provide that warmth with great good, and your restaurant will fail. Overall, I am not completely hating on this restaurant, I really didn't mind the experience, I just wish they would have cared as much about me, a 20-something guy, casually strolling in for lunch as they did for the group of six ladies to my left who were ordering wine and who probably had a larger check. Again, this ties in with the "you never know who is serving you" idea. Oh well, just pay attention, don't be pretentious, be humble and approachable and you won't have any problems.

Have a good night,
Shaundon