For quite some time I have wanted to check out Bistro Jeanty in Yountville. Not because it received a Michelin star on the 2008 Michelin list, but because it’s a popular favorite amongst locals in the Napa Valley. You’ll hear about many who go at least once a week for lunch or dinner and just eat at the bar. Apparently, it’s a local hangout.
    I arrived for lunch at 11:28 a.m. (we had a reservation for 11:30) on Valentine’s Day. The front door was locked and there was an expectant crowd gathered on the sidewalk eagerly peering inside. Hmm. Interesting. To our relief, at exactly 11:30 they unlocked the front door and let us in. Phew. Hungry mobs can be a tad dangerous.
    The atmosphere is cozy, casual and intimate just like a bistro should be. If you’re there with a date, ask for the table for two in front of the fireplace. It’s darling.
    Deciding on lunch took forever. Everything on the menu was enticing: rabbit pâté with celery root apple salad, pike dumplings, pork belly with lentil balsamic and foie gras ragout, mussels steamed in red wine, cassoulet (baked beans with duck confit, sausage and apple smoked bacon), tournedos with black pepper crust. The list of yummies went on and on. Oh brother. I wanted one of everything.
    (As a side note, I feel compelled to note that steak tartare was on the menu. This is the second or third time in as many weeks that I’ve noticed steak or “beef” tartare popping up on menus in both Northern and Southern California. Does this mean that it’s coming back in style? Or that I’ve been too busy to notice that it never went out of style?)
    In the end, we decided to splurge knowing that we’d have to box up most as leftovers. This strategy was totally worth it! We started with croutons de foie blond (duck foie gras pâté with a port poached pear) and the sweetbreads and shiitake pie. Both were wonderful, but the pâté was particularly light and silky.
    Next came the main courses. I had the coq au vin and my companion had the ham and leek quiche with a butter lettuce salad prepared the way I love to see it—gently washed whole leaves of butter lettuce topped with a simple vinaigrette, salt and pepper. That’s it. Nothing fancy, just fresh flavors. The entrées were simple, hearty and ridiculously delicious.
    Although I was about to bust a gut, we had to order a dessert to share. And what else to order at a bistro but a crêpe—with powdered sugar, orange marmalade and a reduced orange brandy. Served flat, the crêpe was the size of a medium pizza.
    After such an indulgent lunch, we clutched the prized to-go boxes to our chests and rolled ourselves in the direction of our automobiles, all the while discussing when we’d be back.
    And despite the fact—or maybe because—it was Valentine’s Day, I have to admit that I fell a little bit (okay, a lot) in love with Bistro Jeanty. —M.B.

Posted on Saturday, February 16, 2008 in Permalink