Eat: Enjoy three new Wine Country restaurants.
Napa Valley’s dining scene has exploded this year with new restaurants of every variety, from casual to upscale. These three offer a glimpse into that mix, from the rebranded Milestone Provisions, a butchery, eatery and creamery inside Oxbow Public Market, to the design-forward North Block, a fine dining restaurant inside the Yountville boutique hotel of the same name.
Milestone Provisions, Napa
Jars of housemade pickles line the white tiled counter at this eatery, a new partnership between Five Dot Ranch, chef Dave Cruz and restaurateur Eric Lilavois. Seasonal country cooking is the focus of the menu, which, depending on time and day, ranges from eggs and andouille biscuits to a fresh-picked baby iceberg wedge salad and pastrami on rye. Did we mention housemade ice cream?
On both our visits, the line was shorter and service faster than, say, C Casa Napa, just across the hall. We found that odd, considering how good Milestone’s food is. The crispy fried chicken sandwich ($14.50) was hot, juicy and crunchy — no sog to speak of on that Model Bakery bun — with butter lettuce, spicy aioli and pickles, and a generous side of fries or mixed greens. Delicious.
We also loved the Little Gem chopped salad ($14.50). While not finely chopped, it was a perfect mix of farm-fresh romaine lettuce and baby kale, studded with paper-thin coins of zucchini, shaved white onion, pickled sweet and piquillo peppers, roasted chickpeas and Fatted Calf salumi. We split both dishes, which made for a satisfying and quintessential Napa Valley lunch. Hard to beat.
DETAILS >> Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday-Sunday, until 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday inside Oxbow Public Market, 610 First St., #2 in Napa; www.milestone provisions.com.
North Block, Yountville
Hits and misses abound at this edgy new restaurant and bar helmed by chef Nick Tamburo, a Momofuku New York alum. Located at the north end of Yountville, inside the North Block hotel named a “world’s best” by Travel + Leisure, North Block specializes in wood-fired, naturally leavened pizzas, as well as dishes cooked on a Japanese grill.
The interiors are black and white, with touches of cactus green and a stunning wall-sized mural of white cranes. Back trouble? The hard, wooden benches and white chairs offer no support and are not finedining comfortable. Ask for one of the leather banquettes instead.
Those sourdough pies are a must, especially the seasonal spring onion ($19) with aged Fiscalini cheddar and bright chive oil. The simplicity — and a few grinds of fresh pepper — let those beautiful charred onion flavors shine.
That said, another live-fire dish, grilled black cod ($34), appeared more poached than grilled, its grill marks and flavors lost to a soup-high shishito pepper broth, which had ample flavor on its own. We gobbled up the chanterelles and sprigs of agretti, a land seaweed, but wanted more flavor in the fish. Another liquid-loaded dish, Tenbrick Farm peaches with hazelnuts ($16), was overpowered by briny sea lettuce and a pool of strong sherry. I would have preferred a drizzle, to allow the peak-season peaches to shine.
Our favorite dish — and a reason to go back — was the grilled Swiss chard ($16). Stuffed with celtuce, a celery-like stem lettuce, radishes and herbs, and rolled and sliced like spring rolls, these crunchy green bites had the perfect balance of acid and smoke. You’ll swoon over them too, especially if you pair them with the NB Spritz ($14), a sublimely refreshing cocktail made with cucumber-tinged Chareau, a California aloe liqueur, St. Germain, coconut and lemon. Summer in a glass.
DETAILS >> Open for dinner from 5 to 9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and until 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday at 6757 Washington St. in Yountville; northblockhotel.com/dining.
House of Better, Calistoga
This casual, counter-service outdoor restaurant puts the “backyard” in Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs. It’s an amalgam of chef Trevor Logan’s Southwest-inspired Green Chile Kitchen, which was in San Francisco for 14 years before closing in 2019, and his popup, Booster Foods Nutrition Kitchen. First thing: That spiked green chile lemonade ($10), sipped by the pool before dinner, was the perfect aperitif. Also look for herbal tonics, ferments and medicinal teas. A wood-fired oven and New Mexican chile roaster inspire many menu items, which range from Little Gems and smoked salmon doused in green chile buttermilk dressing ($22) to authentic New Mexican flat enchiladas ($20). Those enchiladas, with marinated slow-roasted red chile pork and housemade “Christmas” salsa, reminded us of long-ago trips to Santa Fe.
A slice of sweet and savory green chile apple pie ($6.50 per slice, $34 for the whole pie) was easily the best thing we ate all weekend. The house specialty, from Logan’s Chile Pies Baking Co. in Guerneville, features a buttery cheddar crust with walnut streusel, red chile honey drizzle and whipped cream. Wow.
Lastly, the restaurant’s playful outdoor touches, like hammocks and lawn games, made for a relaxing summer escape.
DETAILS >> Open from 9 a.m. Thursday-Monday at Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs, 1507 Lincoln Ave. in Calistoga; drwilkinson.com/house-of-better.