The Bistro at Auberge du Soleil

Val and I went with our toddler to Rutherford CA. It used to be a part of a Mexican land grant given to George Yount, the first Euro-American settler in Napa Valley, by Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. Rutherford is famous for its wineries and its tulip fields (we missed seeing the blooms in spring). Its claim to fame also includes Auberge du Soleil, the reason for our excursion.

Auberge du Soleil is not as accessible as restaurants along the St Helena Highway, like Brix Restaurant and Gardens, and requires more effort to get there. However, the way we were welcomed already promised that this place was well worth the visit. After all, it's not every day that we're told that valet parking is complimentary and it's okay if we're a bit late going into the restaurant (because getting the wee one out of his car seat takes some time). In other restaurants, reservations are only held for 15 minutes and then the host starts calling from the waitlist.

Val and I were excited to eat at Auberge du Soleil because it has been awarded one Michelin star in 2019. What I didn't know at the time of reservation was that the Restaurant received the Michelin star, not the Bistro. But that didn't matter so much to us. We were just happy to be there and enjoy an afternoon of great delicious food. And we were seated on the restaurant's terrace.

Anyway, the Michelin Guide said that Auberge du Soleil is best experienced during lunch. I strongly agree with the inspector(s) who evaluated the Restaurant. The pre-fixe (Restaurant) menu was not available on the day we ate there so we chose from the à la carte offerings (the Bistro menu). We started off our lunch with the chef's selection of charcuterie. Our server, Stef, explained what these were but I didn't pay attention because I was zeroing in on the slices already! Aside from the charcuterie, we were also given some croutons, pickles, and mustard to pair with the meats. Our son took a liking for the biggest pieces. I didn't let him try the smaller ones because they are more rubbery and they might get stuck in his throat.

Then we tried the roasted bone marrow. It was also so yummy! Anna would've loved to eat this! The marrow was so juicy that it melted in the mouth. The horseradish provided a contrasting texture to the buttery softness of the marrow. This dish was perfectly paired with the buttered bread slices that we were given on the side. Of course, the wee one got interested in the bread... until he remembered that he also wanted milk and to people-watch. 

Then the main dishes arrived. Val had a burger which came with a side of fries. It looked delicious but because I'm not a big burger fan, I decided to try the prime New York pavé steak instead. The white stuff on top is "finishing salt", which is designed to enhance the subtler flavours out of the cooked meat. It reminded me a lot of JP and Ate Maddie because they introduced the concept of finishing salt to us. When they cooked sous vide steak, they explained that they sprinkle finishing salt (which was different from the salt used to pre-season the meat) before serving the steak.

The wee one was interested in trying the steak (at 14 months, he already communicates by gesturing the American sign language word for hungry, repeatedly saying "nam nam", and pointing at the steak). I like my steak medium-well; so I sliced part of the browned meat for him to enjoy while I ate the less cooked portion (still a bit pink). We both thoroughly enjoyed the steak and I liked the way the heirloom tomatoes, herbs, and cheese complemented the umami of the steak. My baby is correct: this dish is really "nam nam" (maybe he's saying malinamnam, umami in Filipino).

Since this was my little family's birthday party for the three of us (but celebrating during my birth month), we ended our delicious meal with a chocolate torte and some vanilla bean ice cream. Val and I mainly shared the cake while our son ate the vanilla bean ice cream. Yum!

The diners nearest us were commenting that our little one probably was too young to appreciate the delicious food. They were pleasantly surprised to learn that he was actually enjoying the steak. I have to say that as I have predicted before he was born, that he's developing a taste for high-quality food. As he should.

The food is just one component of the Michelin-rated dining experience at Auberge du Soleil. What made our lunch dining experience here unique was the commanding view of the Napa Valley from Rutherford Hill. We could see the nearby wineries and part of the Mayacamas Mountain Range.

The wait staff were also warm and friendly. They told us that we can order food as we went along; we didn't have to order everything in one go. So they served the charcuterie, which Val zeroed in on early, while we were still deciding on our mains and if we were still getting dessert. We also ordered chamomile tea after the torte was served. They were absolutely not in a hurry to get us out of our table despite having a messily eating toddler. They even told us to go around the restaurant and enjoy the views even after we paid the bill! It was a good call too because the late afternoon sunlight made the landscape even prettier than when we got there just after 2pm.

This has got to be our best dine-out experience so far, hands down. We'll have to try the pre-fixe menu; a great reason to return there.