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Wappo Bar & Bistro 1226 Washington St. Calistoga 707-942-4712 www.wappobar.com Regional world cuisine |
The first time I visited Calistoga with my husband, one of our orders of business was to walk the town and check out the restaurant menus. The first place we saw was the Wappo Bar & Bistro. About a block off the beaten path, it had a homey, inviting look. Upon closer inspection, we saw its lush, lovely grapevine-covered patio. But it was the menu that truly stood out. With entrées that spanned the globe, it was anything but boring. We put it on our list of “maybes” and went along our way, only to return after seeing what else the town had to offer.
That was almost 10 years ago. And while Calistoga’s restaurant scene has certainly ramped up since then, Wappo still stands strong. It even opened a separate, very attractive banquet room (on the opposite side of the patio) with knotty-pine walls, colorful fabric-covered seating and a wooden wine bar.
Owners Michelle Mutrux and Aaron Bauman opened Wappo in 1993 and named it after the Native American tribe that originally lived in the area. Their intent was to bring the world’s many flavors closer to home. And while such an undertaking is an obvious challenge, theirs was a recipe for success.
I’ve returned to Wappo several times over the years and have come away happy each time. My most recent visit was just as memorable. It being a blustery winter evening, we (my husband and I) ate in the main dining room, which felt warm and cozy with its dark wood booths, wainscoting, and opened-beamed ceiling. In the warmer months, though, I highly recommend patio seating.
Wappo’s cuisine spans the globe from India and Asia to Europe and North and South America. Our server answered all of our questions (and we saw him doing this for several other tables as well). He was also knowledgeable about the well-priced wine list.
For the meal, we started with the chile relleno. Now before you picture that cheese-covered, fried concoction from your favorite Mexican restaurant, well, just don’t. This one is a fresh poblano chili stuffed with white rice, corn, spicy peppers and herbs. It’s baked and there’s nothing fried about it. It’s served with a puréed walnut pomegranate sauce and topped with fresh pomegranate seeds, chopped green onions and walnut bits.
Next came a winter salad featuring mixed greens, fresh pears, candied nuts, creamy gorgonzola cheese (its texture and tart flavor an excellent compliment to the sweet vinaigrette and candied nuts) and yes, some more pomegranate seeds (I can’t get enough of those so that was fine with me).
Entrée choices ranged from Vatapa (a Brazilian seafood stew), halibut with Thai green curry, roast pork loin with Vidalia onion rings, braised rabbit with potato gnocchi and beyond. I went for the osso bucco gremolata, which is a braised veal shank with white wine, mirepoix and porcini mushrooms served over a saffron risotto. It was amazingly tender and its spicy (not too hot) sauce included artichokes and carrots. My husband had a lamb cassoulet, which was served in a bowl with large white beans, rosemary, sausage and soft breading on top. They were hearty choices to be certain (as are many of the menu items).
We ended the meal with an egg nog brulée and a chocolate ice cream sandwich with warm chocolate sauce and caramelized bananas. The dessert menu also offers espresso drinks and an array of dessert wines. It completed the ‘round-the-globe experience quite well.
