San Francisco & Napa: A Delicious Retreat at Meadowood Grill

We were so thrilled by our lunch at Domaine Chandon, we didn't want to waste our last day in the Napa area without a great meal. Tony had read some great reviews (2 Michelin stars!) about Meadowood, but since it was a bit further north, we did not consider going - there are so many options close by where we were staying. Since we were leaving already, we decided to make the short 20min drive from our hotel as a departing treat.

Meadowood is an exclusive retreat, well hidden in the hills of Napa Valley. From the highway, you would never know there was a huge resort, golf course included, beyond the trees! We drove the winding and narrow road into the resort (it felt like a hiking trail), to be greeted by security who directed us to the Grill. We were treated to a fantastic seat on the porch, overlooking the spectacular golf course - we even saw some hummingbirds fly by, what a treat! It had a very serene, country club feel.

The food was SPECTACULAR and we are still so glad we decided to go afterall. To start, I had dungeness crab soup served with a bit of paprika oil - which was incredibly fresh and delicious. Finally, comparable to the best bisque I have ever had at The Cannery (albeit lobster). We could have licked the bowl clean if it wasn't inappropriate! Tony had calamari lightly dusted with curry powder - which is probably the best calamari we have ever had, I was still savouring the tastes long after we left lunch. For mains, Tony had tuna fish tacos, which was freshly served with avocado and slaw, and I had a flavourful prawns & garlic pasta - the fettuccini was a bit thicker than I like, but the melange of ingredients came together in sort of an exciting way: garlicy, sweet and sour done with red and yellow cherry tomatoes and basil oil. The prawns were exceptionally sweet, skewered on rosemary. It was a lot of flavour that I never would have imagined together but was so delicious and paired perfectly. Although we loved our mains, it was the appetizers that left us salivating for more!

Meadowood Grill was a wonderful treat and worth every visitor to the area's drive to the secluded resort for a delicious meal....and, it was actually one of the cheaper meals we had all week! You get great food for a very reasonable price!