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Mustards Grill 7399 St. Helena Hwy. Yountville (707) 944-2424 www.mustardsgrill.com “Truck Stop Classics”
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This month marks the 25th anniversary of Cindy Pawlcyn’s Mustards Grill. Located between Yountville and Oakville along Highway 29, the one-story, ranch-style building has French windows and easy charm. The menu says “truck stop classics” at the top, but I’m thinking “farmhouse-meets-fabulous” or something more along those lines.
When Brennen and I were seated, we dove straight into the wine and cocktail list (which says “way too many wines” and comes in a metallic binder). I chose the Mumm Napa Blanc de Noir, while he chose the cocktail of the day—a refreshing “blackberry lemonade” made with Skyy vodka.
For appetizers, we began with the seared ahi tuna with (hot!) wasabi cream and large, thin, triangular-shaped sesame crisps. Mixed with fresh cilantro, red peppers, chives and soy vinaigrette, the thin-sliced ahi was very rare and fresh. Its bright flavors woke up our taste buds quickly. Next, we had the Maine crab cakes, which were topped with a nice-sized dollop of spicy chipotle aioli. Light in color and dense with crab, they came with a small arugula salad with a molasses vinaigrette that had a Vietnamese-like, sweet peanut/ginger flavor.
In between starters and entrées, we treated our palates to some rustic, smoky-flavored grilled asparagus with boiled egg, nicoise olives, cheese and a lemon-tarragon vinaigrette.
For an entrée, Brennen ordered the fresh fish of the day, which on this particular Tuesday night (the place was packed) was a bluenose sea bass with roasted, thin-sliced carrots and turnips topped with a tarragon beurre blanc. A nice, thick cut of fish, it was rich with the buttery sauce and paired well with a glass of Conundrum (a Caymus label), a white wine that’s a mix of several varietals and has a fruity, creamy, full-bodied spirit.
My entrée was the half-slab of barbecued baby back ribs. It was served whole with thick-sliced, creamy coleslaw and honey-pasilla “corn stix” (think cornbread) that came with a ramekin of honey butter. I paired the dish with a Petite Sirah called Psychedelic Rooster (couldn’t resist that name) and it went perfectly with the smoky sweetness of the ribs, which were covered in a mildly spicy, flavorful barbecue sauce and easily came off the bone. The corn sticks were really fun, too. They had a crunchy exterior and a moist interior, and were so good with the sweet honey butter—what a treat. We both got big eyes when we tried them, and especially liked the pasilla flavor.
For dessert, we enjoyed the honey hazelnut crisp with rhubarb and vanilla ice cream, which had whole hazelnuts; and the strawberry skillet, which had fresh strawberries on a flaky biscuit and was served in a tiny skillet (hence the name). Both were topped with French vanilla bean ice cream and were a delicious end to a memorable meal.
