Anyway, the Buckeye has been around since 1941 and is apparently a Marin institution. We were promptly seated in a corner booth. The inside was a little on the dark side and very rustic--it was kind of hunting lodge-esque, with a big fireplace, mounted animal heads, and high wood ceilings, but elegant all the same. We probably would have been underdressed had we been there for dinner, but it was a much more casual atmosphere for lunch.
Jim ordered an iced tea while we were trying to decide what to actually eat for lunch. Our server brought it out with two types of sweetener, a fine granulated sugar and some sort of simple syrup. Since Jim doesn't use either, it was a bit of a waste. But I still thought it was interesting. The bread they brought out completely macked. It was sourdough and soo soft and chewy on the inside. The crust was a little tougher than I like, but the flavor was really good. We had a second serving.
For an appetizer, we decided to share the Portobello Mushroom and Parmesan Polenta tart. It came with Sky Hill goat cheese and I was a little concerned because Jim doesn't like the stuff, but luckily for him, it came on the side. My first impression of the dish was a little bit of disappointment because the thing was ugly. It wasn't anything special to look at. But I cut it in half and served it up. Jim actually had the first bite and immediately announced that I would like it. That was an understatement. I love Portobello mushrooms, so I knew I'd be fine with that, but it was the polenta I was (needlessly) concerned about. It was silky, moist, and so flavorful. Between the actual mushroom and polenta layers was a mushroom ragu/tapenade-type spread that was super yummy and tied the tart to the mushroom. With the goat cheese, I was in heaven. The goat cheese was actually a lot less tart than usual and very soft without being crumbly. I thought that Jim might be able to tolerate it, but he still didn't care much for it. It took quite a bit of willpower to not shove the whole thing in my mouth. I love goat cheese, and I think it works really well with portobellos. And there was also a salad of sorts, tossed with a deliciously light lemony vinaigrette. The proof was that Jim didn't think it was a bad dressing at all. This is huge, coming from the guy who hates all salad dressing. It was just a pity that the dish was ugly, since I eat with my eyes first.
I didn't have the same visual reaction when my main course came out. It was absolutely gorgeous! The smoky tomato sauce provided a bed for the actual pasta. You could tell just from looking at the dish that the pasta sheets used were fresh. They had a beautiful light green tint to them that matched the sauteed leeks garnished on top. Between the green of the pasta and leeks and the brown of the sliced portobello mushrooms also on top, it was a gorgeous color combination. And then it was punched up by the red tomato sauce underneath it all. When I cut into the dish, the orange of the butternut squash was exposed, lending even more color. This has to be, hands down, the best lasagna I've ever eaten in my life. First of all, it was just unusual. I never would have thought to pair butternut squash with portobello mushrooms. Shrooms and leeks, absolutely, but not butternut squash. But it worked really well. It was such a mellow, mild flavor. The butternut squash was sliced very thinly and just added an extra dimension to the overall dish. Secondly, there was very little cheese, which allowed the flavors of the vegetables to really shine. Fontina is such a mild cheese in the first place, and then it was hardly the star ingredient like most lasagnas are. It was absolutely perfect, tastewise. Plus, it actually felt like a light dish. Thirdly, the smoky tomato sauce gave the dish a fabulous kick. I was surprised at the smoky flavor. It wasn't overpowering, but it was very distinct. I just cannot explain how well the individual ingredients worked together. Perfection. You'd think with the small amount of sauce and cheese that the dish would be on the dry side, but it really wasn't. The squash was moist, as were the other veggies, and even the pasta itself was soft. Jim loved it as well.
Jim's halibut was also beautiful. It came atop a bed of diced Japanese sweet potatoes, which were cooked probably like hash browns. They were light and crisp and lemony. Unfortunately, I could also taste a hint of fish, so for me, they weren't as good as they should have been. Jim's fish was perfectly cooked--moist, flaky, and tender. He didn't even need a knife to cut it. He really liked the potatoes. The dish was the daily special, and while part of him was jealous of our next door neighbor's burger, he was happy with his choice.
Speaking of other diners, I was nosy and checked out everyone's meal within eyeshot. The woman next to me had a delicious-looking salad and her dining companion had the above-mentioned burger. Behind Jim, the lady also ordered a burger, which she added a ton of salt to. That grossed me out, especially when she also dumped it on her coleslaw. What struck me about our neighbors was that no one ordered the same thing as us. This is an incredible feat when the entire menu is on one page. And despite the odd lunch hour, the restaurant was basically full.
I wasn't planning on getting dessert, since it was lunchtime, but we took a look anyway. I really wanted to try their butterscotch creme brulee, but truth be told, it seemed awfully heavy for a lunch dessert. So we settled on a S'more Pie. Now I am not a big fan of marshmallows, but s'mores aren't all that bad. There must be something about melting the stuff that makes it taste better. Our slice was huge. At first I was going to have Jim eat most of it, since other than the graham cracker crust and a layer of melted chocolate on the bottom, the pie itself was all marshmallow cream, which had been toasted on the outside. I was wrong. The marshmallow fluff was light and delicious. There was no overwhelming fake taste to the stuff. It was just plain good. And paired with the chocolate and graham cracker crumb crust, it really was a fancy, schmancy s'more. I may have to try making marshmallows now that I could like them fresh.
The one disappointment I had with the restaurant was the service. Our server was snotty and not all that attentive. Now, I know we weren't white, middle-aged yuppies and we were casually dressed, but still. The rest of the staff was great, which is why I left a 15% tip, but she didn't deserve it. She never bothered to ask us how our meals were, despite knowing that it was our first time here. I'm pretty sure it was just her, though, since other waiters in the area seemed to be completely different. Oh, and when looking back, they didn't give us our Open Table points. I think I'll complain.
The restaurant itself was pretty nice. I loved the landscaping outside. Where we were seated, we had a nice view of the outdoor smoker. I was a little curious for Jim to try some of the food, but he was feeling fish. For some reason, he wasn't in the mood for chicken. Given the fact that he's had chicken for dinner and lunch probably a dozen times over the past 2.5 weeks, I don't know why . . . we were definitely among the younger patrons, so it's not exactly a place I'd be going to for the crowd.
After lunch, we headed to Muir Woods, which is only a few miles away--maybe 6 or 7. It was a beautiful day, and we took full advantage of it. Jim's never been there, so it was nice to be with him his first visit. We didn't get to the place until closer to 4 pm because of our restaurant fiasco. The parking lot was absolutely packed, which was a surprise, and we ended up parking probably about half a mile away from the park entrance.
In the beginning Jim was disappointed because it appeared as though everything but the main paved trail (which was perfectly flat) was closed. He was expecting more tree climbing, obstacle dodging adventures. We found a one-mile trail off the main one that provided him a little bit of that, so it wasn't a total waste from his perspective. Overall, we estimated it was probably about a 4 mile hike, although a lot of it was flat. At least we got a little bit of exercise, though.
Of course, we needed exercise because of our dinner. Our mutual friend C was in town without her husband V, and she wanted to get together. I don't think I've seen C since her wedding last summer, but I'm pretty sure Jim's seen her since. It's kind of funny, because C and I have known each other since diaper days. We were classmates in the parent-tot swim lessons and our moms struck up a friendship. We've never been close, even though we've certainly spent a lot of time together over the years between birthday parties, Junior Lifeguards, lifeguarding, and even carpooling to junior college. Jim used to visit her in Chico when she attended there, and Sister J was a bridesmaid in her wedding, so they're both good buddies with her.
Anyway, because neither of us were hungry, we decided on tapas. There has been a tapas restaurant in Napa that I've wanted to try for a while, but we've never managed to make our way over there. Tonight seemed like the perfect opportunity, and C was more than down. It turns out that C and V are huge restaurant whores, too.
Zuzu is located right on Main Street in Napa around the corner from the law office I worked at while in college. They don't take reservations, which is an absolute pain, but we didn't have to wait very long. The guy originally said half an hour, so we were looking for a place to hang out at in the meantime. We walked by the restaurant again less than 5 minutes later and he flagged us to say that a table was paying. It turned out the be the exact table I was eyeing, which was great. The table was under the staircase, so we had a bit of privacy and definitely a little break from the noise.
The restaurant is pretty small, with a small wine bar. The noise levels are high, mostly due to so many people being crammed into such a small area, but there are no real booths for privacy. The table under the staircase is the closest thing to private there is, so we really scored.
The menu changes regularly and like the latest trend, prides itself on fresh, local ingredients. In comparison to Va de Vi and Hidden (our other two tapas experiences), this was definitely the most Spanish-influenced menu. I don't know if that necessarily makes it more authentic, but I certainly wasn't familiar with a lot of the dishes.
There were a good number of vegetarian dishes, which was nice. C doesn't eat Bessie (chicken and fish only), so Jim got a flat iron Niman Ranch steak with a roasted jalapeno chimichurri to himself, but the rest of the dishes were split among all of us (I obviously didn't partake in the meat dishes). For them, they shared the ceviche of the day, shrimp with Spanish pimenton and some other spicy accompaniment, and duck. I ordered a Tortilla Espanola, a traditional Spanish omelette with Russet potatoes and Spanish onions, Golden Yukon mini-potatoes simmered in vegetable broth with a habanero sauce, and Boniato, mashed Cuban sweet potatoes with Yucca chips.
The food was absolutely amazing. They started us with unremarkable bread, which wasn't a good sign. In fact, it didn't even get finished between the three of us, quite a strong statement considering how much bread Jim and I usually eat. However, once they brought out the first three dishes, the ceviche, shrimp, and sweet potatoes, we got down to business. The sweet potatoes were amazing. They were white and milder in flavor than the sweet potatoes I'm used to. I don't know how they made them, but they didn't have that cloying overly sugary flavor that I'm used to. It tasted very natural, although I'm sure it wasn't. The slight touch of parsley on top was great. I think it was baked lightly, since the top had an ever so slightly crispiness. So good. Both C and Jim liked the vegetarian dish the best. Jim wasn't crazy about ceviche, but he is not exactly a raw fish kind of guy. C didn't really care for the shrimp, so two of the first three had mixed reviews. Jim had 3 of the 4 shrimp and C ate most of the ceviche, so I guess it worked out.
Round 2 consisted of the Golden Yukons, the omelette, duck, and steak. Apparently the duck was quite fatty and C is just as picky about fat as Jim is, so most of the dish went untouched. Both were a little disappointed with how much fat was in the dish, but they agreed that the tiny edible portion was really good. C said her mom makes really good duck, but it's been hit and miss for her at restaurants. Jim ate all of his steak without hesitation. My Yukon golds were good, but other than the habanero sauce (which, for the record, was extremely tasty), there was nothing special about them. The omelette was a different story. It came out in its own mini-cast iron pan--very cute presentation, and then it tasted SO good. The accompanying lemon aioli with green onions was not at all anyone's style, but it was amazing without anything. I think all of us agreed that it was the best dish. C talked about coming back for the mashed potatoes and omelette, and I completely agreed. There were several other vegetarian choices that I would have loved to sample, too.
We vacillated between ordering more dishes or moving on to dessert. After taking a look at the dessert menu, we knew it was time to turn our tastebuds to sweet samples. I had a treat tonight--C and I split the cheese platter. Since Jim doesn't like cheese, I never get to do that. It came out with a goat's milk cheese, blue cheese, and a cow's milk cheese very similar in taste and texture to Parmesan. The blue cheese was mild and quite tasty. I was surprised at how much I liked it, since I'm typically not a fan. It's usually too strong for me, but this was just perfect. Either that, or I'm getting used to the stuff. The goat cheese was pretty good, but I had just had it earlier in the day and I think I liked Buckeye's a little better. Buckeye's had a better texture to it. The platter also came with quince, huckleberries, and honey. I tried it all and especially liked the honey. The pumpernickel bread was really good, which was nice considering their house bread wasn't. We also ordered an apple empanada on a bed of caramel sauce and some sort of chocolate pudding or mousse with scads of whipped cream. It was all amazing. I've never had an empanada before, either sweet or savory, so it was very much a treat. The dough was light and flaky, and the caramel sauce was just decadent. I think it had a hint of lime or some unusual flavor that really worked. The chocolate stuff was silky and bittersweet and soo rich. I loved sharing the three desserts, because I got to have a couple bites of each--perfect. That's me and dessert. I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but I love sampling different things. A bite or two is plenty for me of just about any dessert. Plus, since I love baking, it's always nice to try various confections out.
C had a Pinot Gris with dinner. Jim had a couple of bottled beers (Full Sail and something else). I tried a Muscat dessert wine that was really tasty. It was very sweet and almost syrupy. In fact, it was almost too sweet. That being said, the alcohol content was so low that I barely felt it, even though I had the majority of the glass. I'm really not a drinker, but white wine seems okay. Not Chardonnay. Ick. But I tried C's Pinot Gris and I liked it. The light whites have really worked for me lately. Not that I plan on becoming an imbiber anytime soon.
Between tonight and last night, we had a fabulous dining weekend with great company and top notch food. To quote Leann Rimes, every now and then every girl needs a good friend and a glass of wine.
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