Redd - Go for the Gianduja

To kick off 2010, B and I had lunch with friends at Redd during our wine country weekend. Redd’s décor is modern and incorporates a lot of natural elements – the dining room is filled with open windows and sunlight, while the dark grains from the wood floors and ceiling accentuate long, clean lines and contrast the white walls.

Yellowfin tuna and hamachi tartare, avocado, chili oil, fried rice – well balanced appetizer. Everything was working in harmony…the fish was fresh, the avocado was creamy, the fried rice puffs had a light crunchy texture, and the chili oil added just the right amount of heat.

Caramelized diver scallops, cauliflower purée, almonds, balsamic reduction – surprisingly, the cauliflower outshined the scallops in this dish. The cauliflower purée was light and flavorful, while the sautéed cauliflower and almonds had a lot of depth. The scallops were peppery with a good sear, but not exceptional.
Prosciutto pizza, fontina, arugula and shaved parmesan – Since the cheese wasn’t melted, they should have used larger shavings of parmesan. The pizza was messy and hard to eat as these tiny, feathery parmesan shavings went flying everywhere. Fortunately, the scrumptious prosciutto and thin, crispy crust made up for it.
Crisp duck confit, lentils, foie gras meatballs, sherry vinaigrette – my least favorite dish. The duck confit was dry and lacked that savory duck flavor. The foie gras meatballs were disappointing – the foie gras could not be tasted nor did it add any richness to the meatballs. Frankly, they tasted like Jimmy Dean sausages in meatball form. Only the lentils were flavored well.
Peanut butter & milk chocolate gianduja, peanut honeycomb parfait, malted chocolate ice cream – the highlight of the meal. Each component was incredible and perfectly executed. The gianduja was like a Kit-Kat, only a million times better! The honeycomb parfait was light with a decadent chocolate ganache at bottom. And I’m usually not a fan of chocolate ice cream, but this malted chocolate ice cream was like no other with fleur de sel and roasted peanuts. This dessert was full of complex flavors and textures, but they were all cohesive and complemented one another. I would come here again just to have this dessert.
Overall, I’d say dessert was Redd’s strong point. While the food was beautifully presented, the dishes were hit or miss and not particularly unique. And even with the reasonable prices, there are just too many other amazing restaurants in Napa for me to come back here for anything other than the gianduja dessert.


BITE METER: Redd – 3.5 bites (out of 5)