Kenzo Napa
As we all know COVID put a halt to many travel plans for the past few years. I’ve cancelled a handful of trips domestically and abroad during the past two years. Looking toward the future I hope things have reached the point of being manageable and we can start to, with added precautions and care, experience life at least in some of the same ways that we did previously.
One of the things I’ve missed these past few years has been traveling. And, naturally, dining at places that are on my list of restaurants to try. Well this past week we decided to take the plunge and ventured out from our island home to visit San Francisco and the Napa Valley area. Sadly, I could not book the French Laundry, but having been to Per Se I was not as distraught about not being able to get that table as I might’ve been otherwise.
Since we have a toddler in tow dining out at a full tasting menu as often as have on past travels is a bit impractical. So, I picked one restaurant in Napa and one in the city for our trip. Kenzo Napa, a 1-star Michelin Japanese kaiseki restaurant, is the first Michelin star we’ve been to since October of 2019.
Here is the menu we had during our visit on May 7, 2022:
Hokkaido Scallop Kobujime - Green asparagus, red paprika, Japanese yam, and pickled plum infused sake gelee
Seasonal Hassun - Nagasaki grunt fish with sesame soy sauce / Crispy black tiger prawn shinjo / Wagyu beef and sweet corn aspic / Salmon, cream cheese with lotus roots / Broccolini with vinegar miso
Grilled Gifu Sweet Fish Owan - Signature dash broth, golden thread squash, siring beans and myoga ginger buds
Scared Shizuoka Skipjack Tuna Sashimi - Shiso leaves, ginger, scallions, arugula sprouts, and ponzu soy sauce
Grilled Chiba Cutlassfish - Crispy yukon gold potato, zucchini, and yuzu pepper infused potato coulis
Sesame Tofu Okakiage - Grilled eggplant, mitsuba parsley, and wagyu red miso
A5 Satsuma Wagyu Tenderloin Kuwayaki - Baked sweet onion, estate grown snap peas, and Kenzo estate "rindo" reduction with soy sauce
Chef's Selection of Sushi - Unagi, toro, mackerel, flounder
Supplemental sushi (ala carte add-on) - Hokkaido uni, ikura
Chef's Featured Desserts
It was very nice to be back in a Michelin starred dining room again. The pacing of the courses, service, and ambiance of the restaurant reminded me a lot of Japan.
Overall we enjoyed Kenzo but didn’t find ourselves necessarily “wowed” by any one particular dish. I would say that given everything that the 1-star Michelin rating is appropriate, albeit not quite as good as some other 1-star restaurants we’ve been to in the states and Japan. That being said, Kenzo is still a delicious meal with kaiseki sensibilities toward ingredients and minimalism.
Kenzo Napa
1339 Pearl Street
Napa, CA 94559
www.kenzonapa.com
