Siena Restaurant at The Meritage Resort and Spa
Dining
Detectives
By Carol & Joe Davis
We
love the Napa Valley. The Vineyards are beautiful, the
Cuisine and Wines are World Class and it is only an hour drive
from San Francisco. We recently learned that The Meritage
Resort and Spa had just hired Hungarian born and raised
Executive Chef, Krisztian Karkus, who brings
a wealth of experience having worked at resorts around the world
and decided that we needed to dine at their Siena Restaurant
which features seasonal farm to table Tuscan and California Cuisine.
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Traffic
was light so we had time to view the property before dinner. It
has a vineyard, 322 rooms and suites, bars, Siena Restaurant,
conference rooms, wine tasting in the Estate Cave which features
Trintas Cellars wines , Spa Terra , exercise
room, lovely swimming pool, Bocce Ball court and the Crush Ultra
Lounge with full bar, sports entertainment and six bowling lanes
which are backlit at night!
Siena has a very comfortable dining room with well-spaced tables,
a semi exhibition kitchen, large equestrian art and an adjacent
outdoor dining area. As we perused the menu, we enjoyed Valdo
Prosecco, Valdobbiadene, Italy and a basket of delicious
warm bread and flat bread.
We
loved our appetizers! The Fanny Bay Oysters on the Half
Shell with Siena Mignonette and House Cocktail Sauce were cold,
extremely fresh, sweet and were an excellent way to begin our
dinner. The Cinnamon & Star Anise Braised and slow cooked
Kobe Beef Short Rib Sliders on Polenta Brioche with Horseradish
mayo and Vine Ripened Tomatoes was another terrific appetizer.
The sliders were delicious, lean and lighter than we had anticipated
and could easily be a meal by itself. Can't wait to have them
again! The Pan Seared Curry Crusted Jumbo Scallops with
Organic Sweet Apple Relish and Apple Butter were very delicate
and we appreciated that the relish did not overpower the luscious
scallops.
Our
next course was soup and salad. We loved the nurturing Soup of
the Day which was Seafood Stew made with clams, mussels,
prawns and ling cod. The broth was amazing and perfectly seasoned.
We also enjoyed the Little Gems Lettuce and White Anchovies Salad
made with Baby Romaine Lettuce, creamy garlic dressing, excellent
white anchovies and fresh croutons. We loved both of our entrees.
The Daily Special served every Thursday and Friday was a Niman
Ranch 10 oz. Prime Rib, served rare as ordered, with
mashed fingerling potatoes, and sautéed broccoli. Shaved
horseradish was a perfect complement to this tasty cut of beef.
The
Grilled Barramundi which is a mild buttery Australian
fish was prepared perfectly and we loved the unique Fried Corn
Polenta, Peperonata and Sautéed Brussels Sprouts which
accompanied the fish.
We
really enjoyed everything we tried this evening and we were pretty
full....so opted for refreshing Sorbet with blueberries and raspberries
for dessert. Espresso and a Prager "Tomas" Port were
the perfect finish to our excellent dinner.
The
Wine List features Napa Valley wines as well as wines from around
the world by the glass, half bottle and bottle. Our knowledgeable
and professional server Jack, was very helpful and quite accommodating,
serving us half glasses....so we could try a variety of different
wines. With our starters we enjoyed the light and lively 2011
Sterling Central Coast, CA. Pinot Gregio, the light, aromatic,
oaky yet not too buttery 2011 Trintas Carneros Busch Family
Chardonnay, the crisp 2010 Uppercut North Coast Sonoma
Sauvignon Blanc and the lively 2010 Robert Mondavi Napa
Valley Fume Blanc. The 2009 Trintas Mysterium Old Vine
Blend Mendocino, the 2010 MacMurray Ranch Sonoma Coast
Pinot Noir and the 2010 Louis Martini Napa Valley Cabernet
Sauvignon paired perfectly with our entrees.
Siena
Restaurant is open for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Sunday
Brunch. The cuisine was delicious and the presentation was lovely.
The service was professional, comfortable and very friendly. We
look forward to returning soon.... to try some of Siena's
more casual menu items like Pizza, Pastas, and Burgers and Cocktails
plus Bowling in the Crush Ultra Lounge!
Siena
Restaurant at The Meritage Resort and Spa
875 Bordeaux Way
Napa, CA. 94558
707-251-1950
www.TheMeritageResort.com