Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1002743
5 6 | t h e c l e v e r r o o t C CASA Located in Napa's bustling Oxbow Public Market, C Casa serves up a variety of gourmet Mexican dishes, including tacos with duck, mouthwatering grilled prawn, or crab on housemade white corn tortillas. Beyond its seasonal dishes, which put the restaurant's penchant for freshness on full display, C Casa also offers small plates, hearty sal- ads, and eclectic options like goat cheese nachos. C Casa, 610 1st St. #B, Napa, 707-226-7700, myccasa.com MIMINASHI With a menu that changes daily, Miminashi uses seasonal ingredients from nearby farms like Stone Tree and Kicking Bull to create enticing entrees. Chef and owner Curtis Di Fede offers a selection of local wines that pair well with top-selling fa- vorites, including bacon fried rice, katsu, and ya- kitori (skewered) dishes like tsukune (chicken meatballs) and butabara (pork belly). Miminashi, 821 Coombs St., Napa, 707-254-9464, miminashi.com MUSTARDS GRILL Mustards Grill—and owner/Executive Chef Cindy Pawlcyn, for that matter—needs no introduction. Named for the mustard flowers that line the re- gion's vineyards during spring, Mustards features a wide-ranging menu of favorites like tostadas, crispy calamari, barbequed baby back ribs, and a Mongolian pork chop so delicious you'll make another reservation before leaving the restaurant. The wine list isn't too shabby, either. Mustards Grill, 7399 St. Helena Hwy., Napa, 707-944-2424, mustardsgrill.com TERRA RESTAURANT AND BAR TERRA One word comes to mind after a dining experience here: iconic. Terra and its casual partner, Bar Terra, offer seasonally based dishes with a Japanese flair, along with a se- lection of local wines (Pinot Noir is the top seller). Owned since 1988 by married chefs Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani, Terra and Bar Terra should definitely place in your top three culinary destinations in Napa Valley. Sone's cooking could be described as legend- ary for his broiled sake-marinated black cod with shrimp dumplings—it's a perfect ten of a dish. Terra Restaurant and Bar Terra, 1345 Railroad Ave., St. Helena, 707- 963-8931, terrarestaurant.com ACACIA HOUSE Chef Chris Cosentino's Acacia House at Los Alcobas is warm, cozy, and just plain inviting. With ingredients sourced from local vendors, the menu evolves based on seasonally available ingredients. The must-order dishes here are the grilled cheese with taleggio, duck egg and Napa honey, hamachi crudo, and the iberico pork schnitzel with caviar dressing. Acacia House (located in the Las Alcobas hotel), 1915 Main St., St. Helena, 707-963-9004, lasalcobasnapavalley.com Fresh crudités with sunflower seed hummus and hemp oil and iberico pork schnitzel with watercress, shaved asparagus, and caviar dressing are standouts on the menu at Acacia House. Terra features a daily crudo dish on its dinner menu.