Bottega

Carlos and I finally were able to try Bottega in Yountville a couple of weekends ago. We went the Saturday after Valentines Day. We dropped the bambinos off at my parent's house in Sonoma and then headed to Yountville. Unfortunately, it was raining that Saturday, but it didn't manage to spoil our date night. As you drive onto Washington Street you are reminded about all of the amazing restaurants (Redd, AdHoc, Bistro Jeanty, Bouchon and one other you maybe have heard of called French Laundry) that line the small amount of blocks that consist of downtown Yountville.


We had an early reservation (the glamorous life of being parents) and even at 5:30pm there was long line of people standing outside in the rain to pick up a couple of delicious treats from Bouchon Bakery.  It wasn't surprising that Bottega was already packed at 5:30pm. With all of the wine tasting going on and a majority of the wineries closing between 4:00-5:00pm, you get a lot of people wanting to head out to dinner after indulging in "a couple" of glasses of wine. We were really surprised at the prices at Bottega. All of the main courses were under $30. I thought for a restaurant with a celebrity chef behind it, that the prices would be more expensive then they were.  The food was excellent (not that you can really tell from my iPhone pictures) and the service was okay. I think the service piece was mainly because of our waiter. But the highlight of the evening besides having some "us time" was when I looked over at the kitchen and there was Michael Chiarello! I tell you I turn into a star struck little girl when I see a big time chef!  The funniest part was watching the wait staff turn on some major hustle once Michael showed up. They really picked up their pace! I would definitely recommend stopping there for lunch or dinner if you are wine tasting up in the wine country. 


Be sure to check out Michael's store,  Napa Style located right across from the restaurant. It is full of fun kitchen and cooking items. They also have a little cafe where they make delicious paninis. If you are in a hurry you could grab a panini from the cafe and some goodies from Bouchon Bakery and then grab a bottle of wine from your favorite winery and have a picnic.

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P.S. I loved their water glasses (Bottega Copper Tumblers)!