I’ve been to Cindy’s a few times since I last wrote about it, and it’s become my standby for a good meal — and good drinks — in the Napa valley. When I think about how the dishes are so full of fresh ingredients that are combined in interesting ways and priced in a reasonable fashion… and how they’re served in such a casually elegant and friendly setting… and how the attention to detail that pervades the restaurant is comforting rather than stifling… I wonder why we ever do go anywhere else.

Most of these pictures are from a couple weeks ago, but I have a few pictures from a visit in May. I don’t see the harm in including them, too.

By the way, Cindy Pawlcyn has recently come out with a new book called Big Small Plates, which I can’t wait to get my hands on, especially since that’s the kind of food that I most like to eat.

Rabbit Tostada with Red Chile Salsa, Black Beans, and Feta. It’s relatively hard to find rabbit on menus, and it’s even harder to find good rabbit on plates. But CBK has a way with rabbit, and especially for a first visit, I’d recommend getting this as an indicator of just what CBK is all about. The ingredients tie together so well, and although the serving is large, it’s the juicy, sweet yet earthy rabbit that retains the spotlight, while so many textures and flavors come in and out of focus around it. Some people might think that rabbit tastes like chicken, but it shouldn’t. CBK brings out the rabbit in rabbit.

Chilled Grape and Almond Gazpacho. This was thickened with cream cheese and yogurt.

Laura Chenel Goat Cheese Ravioli, Scallions, Gaeta Olive Sauce, & Parmesan. *from May* This could be a little neater, proportion-wise. That’s a lot of olive to get through to get at everything else, but if you love olives, great.

House Greens with Cindy’s Spiced Pecans & French Butter Pears. *from May*

Salad with Smoked Trout and Grapefruit. *from May*

Meatloaf with Horseradish Barbecue Sauce and Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Usually, Chad waits patiently for me to take my picture, but notice that fork poised in the background.

Opinions on meatloaf usually reflect childhood experiences, and the meatloaf of my youth were more of the onion-y/gravy variety. So, this sweet and spicy BBQ sauce heavy version was quite a change, and we liked it a lot; me, more for the perky novelty.

Rabbit Linguine with English Peas and Mix of Heirloom Tomatoes. That rabbit again, this time backed up by just assertive enough tomatoes, herbs, and peas. I also like that that, even after I’d finished all of the pieces of rabbit, the plate still held its integrity of flavors. This is the first pasta dish that I’ve finished in a long time.

Braised Lamb Shank. *from May* The meat just fell right off the bone.

.

Campfire Pie. I’ve already written about this, so let’s just say — there’s Chad’s fork again…

Chocolate Mousse Mocha Tart with Crispy Chocolate Hazelnut, and Whipped Cream. *from May*

Meyer Lemon Creme Brulee. *from May and still out of focus* There was a top layer of meyer lemon curd in this (under the brulee), and it worked very well.

A Sidecar Named Desire with Belle de Brillet Pear Cognac Liqueur, Cointreau, & Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice. This tasted a lot like a Lemon Drop that eased into orange and then pear flavors…. which is a lot more interesting and less sweet than a normal Lemon Drop.

I forgot to take a photo of my Razmo with Hangar One Raspberry Vodka, Aqua Perfecta Raspberry Liqueur, & Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice. I liked the pure raspberry and alchohol flavor of it, that wasn’t too sweet.

Chad got the Pineapple Mai Tai with Charbay Tahitian Vanilla Rum, Fresh Squeezed Pineapple Juice, and a Meyer’s Dark Float.

I also forgot to take a picture of his Dark & Stormy, with Gosling’s Black Rum & Cock and Bull ginger beer. This was the first drink we ever had at Cindy’s, and I like how it’s only two ingredients, and yet, somehow, it’s more complex than many drinks with, say, four.

For added entertainment during the meal, we looked through this. It’s laid out a lot like a scrapbook, which is all the more impressive because there were many copies of it and was filled with non-copied material like this…

This entry was posted on Monday, August 21st, 2006 at 9:41 pm and is filed under Highly Recommended, Napa Valley, Restaurants. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.