December, 2008
Rating:
10 out of 10
Tariff : Dinner
for 2
- 1 appetizer
- 2 entrees
- 1 desserts
- tip
- $78
Atmosphere
Just outside of Yountville on the
west side of Highway 29 sits Mustards Grill, looking
somewhat like a snazzed up roadhouse. It is packed.
Diners make reservations ahead and sit in what looks to be a
big front porch turned into a dining room--it's a decidedly
casual atmosphere, but because of its stellar reputation
some diners are dressed up a bit. Next to the parking lot is
a 2 acre organic garden and hothouses. Chef Cindy Pawlcyn
planned this in order to be able to serve the freshest
seasonal produce. She is known for several other restaurants
in Napa, including Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen and Go Fish
According to the Restaurant's website, Mustards "was the
first in a string of successful , precedent-breaking
restaurants...[and] it changed Napa Valley." Mustards was
named for the wild mustard flowers that bloom each spring in
the vineyard fields.
Food
Even though their motto is "Way too many wines!" we had just
finished shopping for some local bottles and brought one
along with us. The waitress, Crystal, was kind enough to let
us go on the corkage fee. She was an experienced, no
nonsense server with a big personality. She gave us
great advice on favorites, both popular and personal. Crusty
French country bread and butter were brought to our table
and it was so good we ate every bit of it. We tried the
sweet corn tamales with wild mushrooms, tomatillo-avocado
salsa, pumpkin seeds ($10.50). These tiny, tender tamales
were superb. Rich mushroom filling paired with the
sweet grainy corn masa and topped with homemade salsa made
my mouth water for more.
For dinner, I felt I had to try the
famous Mongolian pork chop served with sweet and sour red
cabbage and homemade mustard ($25.95). I was a bit
disappointed, but it was more my fault than the kitchen
because a big thick pork chop tends to be a bit dry and
boring, no matter what delicious sauce you put on it....
We
also tried Quail with chipotle marinade and papaya-lime
chutney ($26.50). These little fried birds were
beautifully done and seasoned to perfection--you could just
pick up pieces and eat them as if you were eating chicken
wings, only with much more subtle flavor. Garlic mashed
potatoes were a nice accompaniment. Here again our waitress
was a sweetie and, knowing we wanted to share our choices,
she had the kitchen divide the entrees and serve half of
each of them to us garnished and presented attractively.
Dessert was a shared slice of apple pie ala mode
($8.50)--good home cookin'!
The hit of the whole meal was
the tamale appetizer, but everything was good and the rest
of the menu looked like it had a lot of 'winners." I
would definitely go back to try more of Mustards'
specialties.
Mustards Grill
7399 St. Helena Highway
Napa, CA 94558
707-944-2424 |
