Foothill Café

When chef Jerry Shaffer went from cooking at Masa's in San Francisco to opening Foothill Café on the road from Napa to Sonoma, his schedule was not the only thing that changed. Starting with a corner space in a strip shopping center location, he added a modest (‘funky’ comes to mind) décor then built a menu that reinterprets traditional American food and lifts it to a whole new level.

Some critics cannot stop raving about the baby back ribs, and they can’t be faulted for their enthusiasm. But the salmon and the roasted prime rib of beef should not be placed second to any dish, and you can always have a small order of ribs as a starter. In fact, and this is an honest statement, we’ve simply never had a bad meal at Foothill. I am sure it happens, it’s bound to from time to time, but not to us, not since they opened. Other sure bets on the menu have been the braised lamb shank, the mussels when they appear as an appetizer, and any of the chicken dishes. Vegetables, we should add, are cooked perfectly al dente and the various potato sides (especially the subtle garlic mashed potatoes and the truly memorable bleu cheese scalloped potatoes) are worthy accompaniments to the main courses. Desserts, if a bit predictable, are pleasant endings, particularly with a glass of port or a dessert wine.

Prices, both on the menu and on the well-considered wine list, have remained as reasonable as the day they opened. With many restaurants using their success as an opportunity to raise (and raise again) prices, Foothill Café is a welcome exception. Service has also remained on the same high level of casual professionalism that locals have come to expect and enjoy. Open for dinner only, from Wednesday thru Sunday night, a visit to Foothill is a mile or two off the beaten path, and light years from the glamour and glitziness of some of its up valley brethren, but it is well worth the side trip. ¦

What do these two restaurants – Pizza Azzurro and ZuZu - have in common, other than the number of ‘z’s in their names? Well, for one thing they are casual, for another they were instant hits, and they are new, vibrant and, most of all, do what they do very, very well.

In the case of Pizza Azzurro that means thin crust pizza, one of the best Caesar salads in California, a short list of well-prepared pastas and appetizers, and a wine list that manages to be affordable (the majority of the wines are $25 or less a bottle) and interesting. And, this being a mecca for pizza lovers, there is a good choice of local and domestic beers and ales.

There are eight pizzas on the menu, from the ubiquitous Margherita to a Verde that combines spinach, garlic and ricotta. The Salsiccia pie, with fennel sausage, red onion and oregano, and the Formaggio, with four types of cheese, are also fine interpretations. All are made in the oven that occupies a corner of the light and airy corner restaurant in the middle of town. Open every day except Sunday from lunch through dinner, Azzurro has service that manages to be both friendly and efficient, and prices that are diner-friendly.

A few blocks away, across from the small park that borders the Napa River sits ZuZu, tucked into an older building that, through some decorative legerdemain, has become an attractive venue and one of the area’s most popular new restaurants, coming onto the scene as a complete unknown and rapidly gathering both praise and patrons.

ZuZu is, first, foremost and thoroughly a tapas restaurant, with dozens of “small plates” on the menu. They range from the familiar (grilled ratatouille, sea scallop ceviche, sizzling prawns) to the slightly more exotic dishes such as mashed boniato, an Andalusian ‘Sloppy Joe” in a mini pita, pepino salad and a show-stopping grilled tuna with jicama, grapefruit, avocado and papaya that should be a part of every order. There are around twenty hot and cold tapas altogether, plus a pair of soups and four desserts. As with any tapas restaurant, the idea is to share, and with the talent of the kitchen and the variety on the menu, ZuZu is perfect for this. The restaurant also draws a good crowd of local chefs on any given night, always a good sign.

If the menu is not enough of a draw, the fact that the restaurant stays open late (midnight on Friday and Saturday, until 10:30PM the rest of the week) and serves all day (from 4PM on weekends) is another plus for Napa residents and visitors, who can often find themselves at a loss for a good meal when it gets a little later. While nightlife in Napa is still an oxymoron most of the time, with ZuZu on the scene at least there is a glimmer of light coming from that part of town.

Christopher Dever, a California Culinary Academy graduate, purchased a 1940s building in the heart of Glen Ellen that had, at various points in its history, been a plumbing supply store, a dry cleaners and, more recently, a number of different restaurants. In 1999 he renovated this space on Glen Ellen’s main street, named it Saffron and in 2000 opened the doors. And he has not looked back.

With eleven tables and perhaps 30 seats, Dever can spend the time making the presentation of each dish unique. Plates are all shapes, sizes and colors, and the carafes of ice water, complete with a long strip of lemon peel, has a free-form curve to it. A soft mix of jazz and Big Band music plays in the background, the well-famed art photographs on the white walls, candles, the simple displays of fresh flowers and the white lights that twinkle on the trellis that wraps around the building are a serene country setting for food that runs the culinary gamut.

On one evening a crispy duck confit with asparagus (which perfectly complimented the saltiness of the duck) and a wild oak honey glaze shared the menu with softly smoked salmon over a large potato pancake, topped with crème fraiche. Soups and salads are worthy starters as well, all done simply but with individual twists and turns.
For entrees, the restaurant’s sweetbreads, when they are available, are a first choice, as is the paella. Grouper steamed in banana leaves and served with coconut rice and tropical fruit salsa is light and delicate; the Montana filet of beef with white beans, Serrano ham and a Zinfandel-vanilla bean sauce is filling with a subtle hint of spice. On the wine list there are choices appropriate to any of the dishes.

The list, which could certainly be considered eclectic, runs from light white varietals to the heaviest of French Burgundies, offers labels from around the globe, with a fine selection of Napa and Sonoma wines as well as an arresting collection of Spanish Rioja, a rare Domaine Weinbach Tokai-Pinto Gris, Mi Sueno Chardonnay, a Jade Mountain Syrah and bottles of Cain Five and Viader. In addition to this is an equally diverse list of beers and ales. It appears that if the chef likes to go culinary globe trotting, he wants to have the appropriate drink available.

Desserts are also reason for consideration. While they change frequently, each is well considered and might include a chocolate crème brulee, an apple crumb cake or the exceptional gingerbread bread pudding (both served with homemade ice cream) or a lemon cheesecake.

Service is quiet and friendly, and the tariff is fair. Wine prices are also reasonable, with many good bottles available for under $25. Saffron is located in the heart of Glen Ellen and is open Tuesday thru Saturday for dinner only. Reservations are recommended.

There is the view to start with. From anywhere in the dining room, which, not coincidentally, is perched on an outcropping atop a cliff, the view is extraordinary. This is where the Albion River meets the sea, where the foghorn blows and, far below, the waves crash. It would be almost enough to simply sit at a table with a bottle of wine from their extraordinary wine list and be satisfied with the wine and the view. Luckily the Albion River Inn has a kitchen to backup the natural splendor.

Over the years chef Stephen Smith has earned a reputation for outstanding food and a manner of presentation that is studied and appropriate rather than showy or overbearing. Like the inn itself, understatement and reliance on natural beauty and local ingredients are the hallmarks of the restaurant. If there is outright exuberance it is in the list of over 600 wines and 125 single malt Scotches that Wine & Spirits Manager Mark Bowery has put together, but even here the selections have been thoughtful and well-considered.

In the dining room favorite choices are any of the fresh fish being offered, as well as the pan-seared pouissin finished with a glaze of mandarins, ginger and shallots. The duck, smoked in-house, the lamb and the braised osso bucco are perennial favorites as well. For appetizers, the presence of the Pacific a few hundred feet below the windows is acknowledged with sesame-seared ahi tuna and Cantonese-style Sui-Mai dumplings. There are also oysters to consider, prepared in various ways. The menu at the Albion River Inn changes daily.

Open for dinner only, seven days a week, the restaurant at the Albion River Inn has, over the years, become a destination for gourmets so reservations, particularly on weekends, are essential. Or, to take luxury to another level, there are the rooms at the inn with their fireplaces and spectacular views and gardens. In that case the trip home after dinner is measured in feet, giving you plenty of time to linger over dessert and one more cognac. And a full gourmet breakfast the next morning, for inn guests only, is only a few hours away.