Editor's note: Meadowood Napa Valley and The Restaurant at Meadowood are closed as a result of the wildfires.
With such comfort in mind, diners are freed to focus entirely on the magnificence of chef Christopher Kostow’s clean, locally driven California cuisine. Choose a four-course or a chef’s tasting menu, with wine pairings carefully selected by the restaurant’s master sommelier, Gilles de Chambure.
Our Inspector's Highlights
- If you are hoping to pair your dinner with an excellent selection of wines, The Restaurant at Meadowood will certainly whet your palate. Of course, you should expect all of these vintages to be of the highest quality considering not only the Napa Valley restaurant’s location, but also its extensive collection.
- In addition to his passion for technique, chef Christopher Kostow focuses on ingredients. One luxury Meadowood affords him is having a garden, as well as greenhouses and chickens.
- Service at The Restaurant at Meadowood is not only attentive and professional, but also highly personalized.
- The best table at The Restaurant at Meadowood would certainly have to be the chef’s counter. Watch as the kitchen prepares a 15- to 20-course meal for you to enjoy from farm-fresh produce and other sublime local ingredients.
- Inside is meant to feel airy but warm and a little traditional, too. There are high, vaulted ceilings, portrait windows and French doors that open directly onto gardens and terraces, along with open floor plans that make even the most basic spaces feel expansive.
Things to Know
- The Restaurant at Meadowood is located in California’s legendary Napa Valley, renowned for its incredible wines and luxurious resorts. More specifically, the eatery is located in St. Helena, which is only about 65 miles away from San Francisco.
- While The Restaurant at Meadowood is a Five-Star fine dining restaurant, it enjoys an elegantly casual dress code that fits Napa Valley’s country setting. Jeans are welcome; but well-kept denim in a dark shade is preferred.
- The Napa Valley eatery is open for dinner Monday through Saturday from 5:30 until 10 p.m. It’s closed on Sundays.
- The price range for a meal at The Restaurant at Meadowood depends on which menu you order. The Chef's Tasting Menu includes nine or 10 courses costs $275. The indulgent Chef’s Counter Tasting Menu features at least 20 courses and is $500. A three-course menu is available at the restaurant bar for $90.
- Since there are just two menus to choose from — the Chef’s Tasting Menu and the Chef’s Counter Tasting Menu — you won’t be able to order anything specific, per se, though you will have the opportunity to discuss your likes, dislikes, dietary restrictions and any other requests you may have with your server.
The Food
- There are two types of menus at The Restaurant at Meadowood. The first is the seasonal prix fixe, which is a four-course tasting menu including canapés, First Bites, your selection of four courses and Last Bites.
- On the seasonal prix fixe menu, you might find the heirloom tomato and wild plum, the “marbre” of rabbit, lobster and sweetbreads, and the chermoula-rubbed duck, as well as a delectable three-cheese course and scrumptious last bites, such as strawberry and pistachio vacherin.
- The other dining option is the chef’s tasting menu, which is a 10-course, three-hour-long feast sure to wow your taste buds.
- Among the parade of courses, dishes like the poached prawn “cocktail,” foie gras enrobed in licorice, grilled Japanese horse mackerel and Pont-l’Évêque in soft pretzel will be trotted out in front of you.
The Chef
- Chef Christopher Kostow of The Restaurant at Meadowood describes his culinary philosophy as the desire to be evocative — not provocative. He considers his food to be thoughtful.
- The chef is known for some unusual-sounding dishes, but is quick to refute the notion that his food is edgy.
- After earning a philosophy degree in college, Kostow gravitated to cooking and moved to San Diego to cultivate his culinary skills.
- Seeking to hone his technique, Kostow then ventured to France, where he worked in a variety of kitchens, from a Paris bistro to the Le Jardin des Sens in Provence.
- Back in the States, he was sous chef to Daniel Humm at San Francisco’s Campton Place Restaurant and went on to become top toque at Chez TJ in Mountain View.
Getting There
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