The Flatiron Grill is, as its name implies, a
classic steakhouse. The small menu does offer some alternatives,
however, such as seafood pasta, pork tenderloin and grilled salmon.
The decor is an uncluttered blend of bare wood floors, cedar-colored
plaster walls, suede-covered booths and cow paintings by Lowell
Herrero. Newcomers are welcome to mix with locals who like dining
at the bar. ~ 1440 Lincoln Avenue, Calistoga; 707-942-1220. Moderate
to deluxe.
Wappo Bar Bistro dishes up dazzling food that spans the globe with Asian noodles with shiitake mushrooms, Thai shrimp curry, Ecuadorean braised pork, osso buco, chiles rellenos with walnut pomegranate sauce, and Turkish mezze (that hard-to-find treasure that in this case includes herb-and-cheese-stuffed eggplant sandwich, white bean salad, carrots, golden beets, shaved fennel, cracked green olives, hummus, yogurt sauce and, believe it or not, more). Everything tastes even better on the sundappled patio. Closed Tuesday. ~ 1226 South Washington Street; 707-942-4712. Moderate to deluxe. For additional information about Wappo Bar and Bistro, click here.
The All Seasons Bistro is a Wine Country classic—a little bit bistro, a lot California. White-tableclothed marble tables set on a black-and-white checkerboard floor seem small once you pile them up with organic greens, local game birds, wild mushrooms and various pastas and imaginative main courses (their wonderful desserts are all housemade). The wine list, like the adjacent wine shop, is chock-full of regional. Lunch available on weekends. ~ 1400 Lincoln Avenue; 707-942-9111. Moderate to deluxe.
The setting is informal and the menu Italian. Day or night at Bosko’s you’ll find fresh pasta dishes like bay scallops, mushrooms and pesto cream over fettuccine, linguine with bay shrimp and asiago cream sauce and spaghetti with meatballs. Or you can have a meatball, sausage, or Italian ham sandwich on their homemade focaccia. The wine list is extensive and the meals they offer are good and filling. ~ 1364 Lincoln Avenue; 707-942-9088. Moderate. For additional information about Bosko’s, click here.
The material on this web page is excerpted and adapted from "Hidden Wine Country" by Marty Olmstead and Ray Riegert (Ulysses Press, Berkeley, 3d edition, 2003). Olmstead is also the author of other travel books as well as the "California Directory of Fine Wineries", all of which are available on Amazon.com.
For St. Helena Restaurant Suggestions, click here.