Taste Restaurant

We ate there last night and it was delicious! Still my favorite restaurant anywhere! Elegant enough to take fancy people but laid back enough so you don't have to worry about what you are wearing. It reminds me of the Calistoga Hotel.

The service was excellent. Our server was Debbie but we had a good talk with owner Tracy and her husband, the chef, brought us out our soup just because people were busy and it would've gotten cold. Nice, nice people. I interviewed Tracy awhile back for a project and she told me about their training techniques. They spend quite a bit of time role playing so servers are well trained in a variety of situations. Anyway, it shows because they are polite, thoughtful and not too chatty.

We split everything which they did for us ( no charge ) and it was beautifully presented. Seasonal artichoke soup - so good! And somehow it just tasted better and better the deeper into the bowl you got. Imagine making artichoke soup at home...nope. Just enough heat to cut the richness. Nice!
Roasted beet salad with arugula - Fresh, crunchy with petite cubes of feta and ( I think) roasted hazelnut. Tasted just like spring. We split the scallop entree because I'm allergic to some kinds of fish but their fish specials - swordfish with a crispy risotto cake and a fresh halibut entree sounded really good. The scallops were perfectly cooked ( I don't know how they do that but as I said to my hub " no one must answer the phone when they are cooking") and served with a stuffed artichoke heart and a red pepper lobster sauce. Completely new experience for me. Delicately flavored, light and not fishy at all. Fabulous!

Hubby had two glasses (unheard of!) of Raymond vineyards 2003 Reserve Cabernet $11 dollars a glass and billed as The Best Cabernet.

The whole night with dessert ( A Taste of Dessert - don't miss their Creme Brulee') and tip was about $100.00. So probably special occasion fare. But,
I would drive up there for a bowl of soup or salad, a mushroom cigar and a glass of wine and be very happy for a smaller price tag.

Very, very nice!