One of my top 5 favorite restaurants in the United States, Napa Rose was a surprisingly wonderful experience when we were first introduced to it a year ago. All I can remember was the most fabulous, juicy and tender short ribs I’ve ever had and the variety of delicious bread they serve. So during this Disneyland trip, we definitely wanted to go back to Napa Rose, located inside the Grand Californian Hotel. Executive Chef, Andrew Sutton came from Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley to create a Californian cuisine with French and Asian flair. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with earth-tone woods, 20-foot-high vaulted ceilings and an impressive wine cellar. It’s floor to ceiling windows provide you with a serene garden view that’s both tranquil and beautiful.
The basket of different kinds of bread started off the dinner on the right note. I wish I could eat all the bread and still have room for dinner. It was that good. Our server recommended a wonderful Pinot Noir from Ambullneo Vineyards of which only 4,800 bottles were produced. I asked for a glass of which he filled and with a little less than another glassful left in the bottle, he volunteerily left the remaining for my enjoyment. That was a really wonderful and sweet gesture.
We shared an ahi tuna tartare dish as appetizer that had a nice contrasting taste of creamy sauce with mango, green salad and seaweed; somehow all of these unique tastes came together wonderfully. For my entree, I ordered an Osso Bucco dish. I honestly am not crazy about Osso Bucco at all, but the description was so yummy and the server highly recommended it, saying that they marinated the Osso Bucco days ahead and assuring me the meat will smell and taste great and that it will fall off the bone easily. I think it speaks volume when a chef can prepare a dish that completely changes someone’s dislike for that dish into loving it. I loved it! I wish I could finish it, but as you can see from the picture, it was a generous portion. Luckily, my husband was kind enough to finish the rest for me along with his nut encrusted halibut which he said was one of the best halibut he’s ever had.
Dessert was a trio of house-made sorbetto and fresh raspberries. It was so good that we dived right into it and forgot to take a picture until we were done. So if you’re interested in finding out, I guess you’ll just need to go to Napa Rose!
http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/en_US/hotels/dining/detail?name=NapaRoseDiningPage
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