Mediterranean Kitchen & Wine Bar
By
Carol & Joe Davis
Dining Detectives
We
love our day trips to the Napa Valley, as it always feels
like we are on vacation. The ride on the scenic Silverado Trail
to visit small production wineries like William Harrison
www.whwines.com
and enjoy the views of the vineyards is so beautiful year round,
rain or shine. The charming towns of Calistoga, St. Helena, Yountville
and Napa along Highway 29 offer interesting shops and are known
for excellent restaurants. We recently had a great lunch in Yountville
at the popular Mustards Grill www.MustardsGrill.com
and we learned that Restaurateur Cindy Pawlcyn had just opened
another restaurant in St. Helena called Brassica. The focus at
Brassica is Mediterranean Cuisine made with fresh, local seasonal
ingredients, so we knew we'd have to try it!
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Brassica
has a large open dining room with comfortable well-spaced seating,
a large bar area for cocktails and dining and offers outdoor patio
dining weather permitting. The décor features large whimsical
poster art and windows all around overlooking the lovely Napa
Valley as well as a beautiful antique marble topped bar. We ordered
Pellegrino Italian Sparkling Water and enjoyed marinated olives,
as we reviewed the menu.
We
noticed that there was an extensive wine list featuring Napa Valley
and Mediterranean wines with over 70 Wines by the glass in 2 oz.
and 5 oz. pours. You also have the option of purchasing any wine
by the Bottle to take home and receive a 25% discount. There is
also a unique Wine Tasting opportunity called the Brassica 12
Vintner Splash. On Saturday Nights, a local winemaker walks around
the dining room and provides complimentary pours and answer questions
about their wines. We enjoyed our taste and chatting with Benjamin
Sharp from Capture Wine www.CaptureWines.com
who shared his joy making this bright and fruity 2010
" Tradition" Sauvignon Blanc.
The
Starters at Brassica's are a great way
to begin and are all also quite reasonably priced. We really enjoyed
the wonderful Hummus with Ful which consisted of excellent
authentic hummus, Ful made from fava beans, cooked eggs and red
onion served with pita bread.
The
Eggplant Fries were unique and delicious, as they are spiced
with thyme and sesame and served with a perfect yoghurt dipping
sauce.
You
must have the Fried Bacon Wrapped Dates which were sweet,
rich and amazing! We relaxed for a while, enjoyed our wine then
ordered Entrees. We loved the Winemaker Pork made with
Greek oregano, garlic, roasted sweet peppers and trahana. The
sweetness of the peppers and the tenderness of the pork made this
an excellent choice. We also enjoyed the 5 ounce Filet Mignon
special which came with asparagus and bacon wrapped leaks. The
steak was rare as ordered and the vegetables were delicious.
We
sampled a number of the small 2 ounce pours and particularly enjoyed
the 2010 Robert Sinskey Los Carneros Napa Valley Pinot Gris
which paired perfectly with our starters and the 2009 Arietta
Quartet Napa Valley Cabernet Blend, which paired perfectly
with our entrees. Of course, we saved room for dessert. We loved
the Strawberry-Rhubarb & Hazelnut Tart served with
Vanilla Ice Cream. The flavors of the fruit shined through perfectly
and the tart was very light. An espresso was the perfect finish
to a most enjoyable dining experience.
Brassica
serves all day seven days a week from 11:30 AM until closing.
The menu has something for everyone. If you want a light meal
you have the option of the wonderful starters, a selection of
pizzas, pastas or sandwiches. The wine list is impressive and
the service was professional, very personable and there when you
wanted them. We look forward to coming back soon with friends
for lunch, dinner or just for a glass of wine.
Brassica
- Mediterranean Kitchen & Wine Bar
641 Main Street
St. Helena, CA 94574
707.963.0700
www.BrassicaNapaValley.com