Joe and I dined at this phenomenal establishment on a recent weekend trip to Napa. It was a spontaneous decision to visit the Wine Country that weekend, so we didn’t do much planning ahead. During our search on Yelp for restaurants nearby our hotel, we came across Farm at the Carneros Inn. With the raving reviews and gorgeous pictures, we knew we had to come here. And surely we were not disappointed.

The environment is trendy, formal, yet with the bit of the wine country laid-back feel. The building is shaped like a barn, there is a long fire pit outdoor that’s perfect for lounging and after dinner drinks. The waitstaff are very friendly, professional, and knowledgeable.

Both of us ordered the 7 course tasting menu.

Started off with some warm bread, one was a buttery brioche-type bun, and another with spices like fennel seeds. Went nicely with the soft butter.

First course: Champagne & Caviar

Delta asparagus, sunflower sprouts, buttermilk, champagne gelee, and caviar. A very nice starter.

Isn’t it so pretty?

Second course: Crudo of Hamachi

Passion fruit, whipped avocado, scotch bonnet, ice plant. This was hands down my favorite dish of the night. Not only was it a beautiful work of art, the quality of the hamachi was top notch. The passion fruit sauce complemented the fish and the grassy greens perfectly. And come on, whipped avocado….need I say more?

Third course: Curry crusted skate wing

Butternut squash, date chutney, sage brown butter. Wow the date chutney was so great with the curry flavor. The skate wing was cooked very well too.

Fourth course: California quail

New York rye stuffing, black rice “boudin noir”, natural jus. Probably one of the best preparation of quail I’ve ever had. Nice hearty pairing with the stuffing and black rice.

Fifth course: Prime New York

Salsify, beef consomme, Bianchetti truffles. Velvety smooth salsify puree, and the fragrant truffles. The beef consomme was poured table side, so clean and packed with flavor, I can drink that every day.

Sixth course: Cowgirl Creamery Redhawk

Served with pepper jam. Loved this cheese already, and the pairing with the pepper jam was the cherry on top.

A quick palate cleanser – cranberry ice cream with cookie crumbs.

Seventh course: the “Lemon”

Lemon & poppy seed madeleines, vanilla bean panna cotta, Meyer lemon curd and sorbet. I’m more of a chocolate and pastry cream kind of girl, but this was DELICIOUS! Every component was well composed and each added layers of flavors.

After dinner came these two cuties – white chocolate truffle infused with orange.

I enjoyed dinner with a glass of Outcast 2012 Pinot Noir. I was so in love with this wine, I had to look them up and order 6 bottles with them. Check them out! They are also quite active in the bay area vintner scene as well as in restaurants.

Joe isn’t a big drinker so the bartender made a great drink for him with lemon and lime juice, brown sugar, simple syrup, and ginger beer.

Such a magnificent and memorable meal, check them out if you are in Napa. Reservation is recommended as they do get busy.

Farm at the Carneros Inn
4048 Sonoma Hwy, Napa, CA 94559
(707) 299-4880