Bottega is Bellissimo

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Crispy soft-boiled egg with Pecorino pudding at Bottega.

Since opening last year, Executive Chef Michael Chiarello’s Bottega restaurant in Yountville has racked up accolades and crowds galore.

After being invited to dine there recently for the first time, I can understand why it’s won so many foodie fans so fast.

The large restaurant is done up in dark reds, browns and greens. Venetian plaster, Murano glass chandeliers, leather chairs and deep hued wood accents give it a most inviting warmth.

Wouldn't you love a set of these water tumblers? I know I sure would.

Little touches give the place even more distinctiveness from the hammered copper water tumblers to the parade of plateware that arrives throughout the dinner — from homey, floral china to rustic earthenware to modern square and rectangular dishes.

Prices range from $6 to $14 for appetizers, $15 or so for pasta, and $16 to $29 for entrees.

Chiarello came by to say hello, as he often does to patrons as he makes his way through the dining room, which is always bustling. The charming chef offered to let his kitchen just cook for us. And an array of dishes began to arrive.

From his early days as the opening chef of Tra Vigne in St. Helena to his years as the star of the “NapaStyle” cooking shows, Chiarello’s always been known for bold, brash flavors that excite and satisfy. Bottega is no different.

Smooth, silky duck liver pate.

Up first was a silky duck liver pate with soft, sweet sauteed apples and a hillock of parsley and frisee, a nice counterpoint to the fantastically fatty nature of the dish.

Bigeye tuna crudo.

Next, a special that night of bigeye tuna done crudo-style — sashimi-like with a topping of pine nuts and pear — and served dramatically on a slab of pink salt.

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New Restaurants, New Chefs, New Beard Papa and New Holiday Treats

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Sea scallops at the new Meritage in the Claremont Hotel. (Photo courtesy of John Benson)

The newly renovated Claremont Hotel, Club & Spa in the Berkeley hills has unveiled a swanky new restaurant, Meritage.

Guests can sidle up to a mahogany bar or take a seat in the main dining room with its wall of windows affording breathtaking views of the Bay.

Following on the heels of sister establishments, Meritage at the Boston Harbor Hotel and Le Meritage at the Maison Dupuy in New Orleans, the Berkeley locale features an extensive wine list to go with its seasonal, contemporary California cuisine.

Dishes include Castroville artichoke soup with crispy prosciutto and roasted tomatoes ($7/$12); Sonoma goat cheese-potato terrine($9/$17); seared sea scallops with celery root-Yukon Gold potato puree($15/$28); and Bay Area cioppino ($16/$29).

The nicely designed menu lets you order dishes in either small or large plate sizes. Dishes also are characterized by wine characteristics so that you can easily pair a dish to a particular varietal you’re fond of. For instance, the ahi tuna tartare with crispy rice, marinated cucumbers, sesame and ginger ($13/$25) is listed under “fruity reds.”

Creamy artichoke soup. (Photo courtesy of John Benson)

Beard Papa fans will rejoice that another branch of the popular Japanese cream puff bakery has opened — this one at 365 2nd Ave. in San Mateo.

It’s Beard Papa’s fifth Bay Area location. The bakery is famous for its cream puffs that have a unique crispy, pie crust-like exterior and traditional, airy choux pastry interior. The official grand opening complete with ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at noon Dec. 18. For more information, call (650) 342-PAPA.

Parcel 104 in Santa Clara has a not-so-new chef. Jonny Hall, former chef de cuisine of Parcel 104, has been named that restaurant’s executive chef, succeeding Robert Sapirman, who left earlier this year.

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Organic Lamb with Idaho and San Francisco Connections

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A perfect lamb stew for a cold winter night.

Lava Lake Lamb of Idaho, 100 percent grass-fed and certified organic, is luscious, juicy and flavorful meat to be sure.

But what really sets this lamb apart is that all profits from the sale of the meat benefit land and habitat conservation efforts across nearly 1 million acres in south-central Idaho. Those efforts include restoration of wetlands, and studies of rare plants and songbirds.

I recently had a chance to sample some of this fine lamb and to learn more about this unusual enterprise near Sun Valley, Idaho.

Philanthropists Brian and Kathleen Bean of San Francisco purchased 20,000 acres of land on the Pioneer Mountain range-land. Of that, 7,500 acres were made permanently protected in a conservation easement held by the Nature Conservancy, where Kathleen worked for seven years. Her husband is an investment banker.

One of goals of the Beans was to run a sustainable business that sold lamb. The meat is now served at a number of Idaho restaurants. It also can be purchased on the Lava Lake Lamb Web site.

The rosemary garlic lamb sausages I tried made a simple, harried weeknight dish of pasta and tomato sauce something extra special.

The sample of lamb stew meat, tender and mild tasting, went into a recipe from “Flavors of Tuscany” (Broadway) by Nancy Harmon Jenkins.

“Lamb with Black Olives” is an easy stew flavored with garlic, rosemary, a little tomato paste and some dry white wine. As the dish cooks, the lamb juices infuse the sauce, giving it a richer flavor. Like most stews, the taste is even better the next day after the flavors have really melded.

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French Laundry Holiday Party

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A giant clothespin ice sculpture greeted guests on Sunday at the French Laundry holiday party.

Yes, the French Laundry is the only Michelin three-star restaurant in California, and one of the hardest reservations in the country to snag.

But did you know that the tres elegant Yountville restaurant sure knows how to throw one heck of a holiday party, too?

This past Sunday afternoon under gray, threatening skies, the stone building was aglow with candles, a roaring fireplace, and gleaming white tents for its annual holiday party. Yours truly was among the throngs who gathered to enjoy the festivities.

Chef-proprietor Thomas Keller cheerfully greeted guests. Keller may be fond of Prada boots, but he donned some rather uncharacteristic footwear that afternoon that one couldn’t help but notice — real-deal red clogs.

Chef Thomas Keller

Keller's footwear of choice on Sunday.

Me to Keller: “Are you pulling a Mario Batali?”

Keller quipped back: “Don’t say that. Don’t say that. Mario’s are orange and plastic. These are leather and wood. A chef has to uphold standards.”

Fun was definitely in the air on Sunday. If you’re used to the serene environment of the French Laundry, this was noisy, crowded and oh-so casual. It was fun to see cooks who normally turn out exquisite “Oysters and Pearls” instead creating fluffs of pink cotton candy and truffled popcorn.

A French Laundry cook makes four-star cotton candy.

Truffle popcorn, anyone?

The signature salmon cornets that usually precede every dinner at the French Laundry were in attendance on Sunday, but in miniature form.

The famous salmon tartare cornets with creme fraiche.

An assembly line to make the cornets.

Mini versions of Bouchon Bakery’s Nutter Butter cookies and chocolate snowman cupcakes also could be found all over the restaurant, including some set around an old-fashioned gingerbread house display.

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Three Interesting Wine Gifts

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Can you guess what's on top of this wine bottle?

Hunting for an unusual gift for the vino lover in your life?

Look no further than the photo above.

You’re probably wondering just what that contraption is affixed to the top of that wine bottle.

It’s a Ravi Instant Wine Chiller, which I got a sample to test out.

Now mind you, I was dubious about this gizmo, which can reportedly cool wine 40 times faster than other products and do a much quicker job than simply sticking the bottle in the fridge.

After all, at a retail price of $39.95, heck, I’d just as soon just stick the darn bottle in the fridge for free, if you know what I mean.

But I have to admit that when used on a bottle of red wine, there is a marked difference in taste. Wine experts will often complain that many restaurants serve their red wines much too warm. Ideally, reds should be enjoyed at a temperature of about 65 degrees.

To use the Ravi, you first have to chill the cartridge in the freezer. Once it’s very cold, it’s ready to use after you attach the funnel-like base. Insert the funnel-end into the opened bottle of wine, tip the bottle and the wine will pour out into your glass through the top of the cartridge.

We experimented on a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. First, we tasted the wine just straight out of the bottle. It was big, bold and fruity, just like a good California Cab should be. Second, we tasted the wine again after it was poured through the Ravi. There was a subtle but noticeable difference. The wine, now chilled a bit from the Ravi, was decidedly rounder, with smoother tannins, and deeper fruit flavors.

You have to clean the Ravi after each use, by rinsing it under water, then using a small plastic pump to blow air through it to make sure all the excess water is removed. And of course, you have to remember to stick it back in the freezer so it’s handy the next time you open a bottle of wine.

As intriguing as it was, I’m not sure I’d fork over $39.95 for it for myself. But I might do so for a gift for a wine aficionado whom I thought might appreciate it.

You don’t even have to be a wine enthusiast to appreciate this jaw-dropping book, “Into the Earth” (Panache Partners) by photographer Daniel D’Agostini with Molly Chappellet, co-owner of Chappellet Winery & Vineyard in St. Helena.

This large, coffee table-size tome takes you inside — way down inside — some of the oldest and glamorous wine caves in California.

The first caves were dug by hand with pick axes by Chinese laborers. Nowadays, it takes monster machinery to do the work.

Caves are valued for their consistent cool, dark environments — optimal ones for storing and aging wine.

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