Made it to Bottega in Yountville. Had a wonderful lunch and chatted briefly with Michael Chiarello about his interview, Bottega, and his “Top Chef Masters” experience.

Loved the sardine app and the half Cornish hen. Grilled octopus was in the Top 10 of similar dishes. Pastas and fish dishes were uniformly good.

Maybe the best thing we had was the molten chocolate cake-had to order 30 minutes ahead and it was worth the wait. A crusty chocolatey edge with the gooey center toped off with some hazelnuts–a Top 10 dessert of all time.

Want to get back for dinner where apparently the whole wood-roasted fish is the thing to order–if Michael wins “Top Chef Masters” it will be even harder to get a table.

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4. Ad Hoc – Yountville, CA – Saturday, February 17, 2007
5. Redd – Yountville, CA – February 17, 2007

This entry is filed under Dispatches.