John Ash & Co.
still a star
As Wine Country palate matures, rivals emerge, but this place keeps its status
For many years, John Ash & Co. defined gourmet dining in Sonoma County as it showcased the quality, bounty and variety of the area's locally produced foodstuffs.
As the years have passed, the use of locally produced ingredients has become standard at many of the area's best restaurants, so while it's nice that much of the food is sourced locally, it's no longer unique.
And while the food at John Ash has shown consistent quality over the years, the quality bar has been set ever higher by restaurants like Cyrus and Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg and the El Dorado Kitchen in Sonoma, among others.
The food at John Ash & Co., while still very good, no longer defines gourmet dining in Sonoma County.
What this means is that the Sonoma County culinary scene has grown up. And that's a good thing.
John Ash still sets a standard in providing a beautiful setting, especially with the opening of The Front Room in what was previously the bar and lounge area.
Designer and restaurateur Pat Kuleto has given this area a comfortable rustic appeal, with a bare wood ceiling, an arts-and-crafts look to the windows and hanging lamps, and touches of Victoriana in the beaded shades on the freestanding lamps (my friend calls it "bordello chic"). An attached closed-in plantation-style porch with tables looks out on the vineyards. The décor of the main dining room remains unchanged, so the place is now a bit of a hodgepodge, but it's a likable hodgepodge.
The Front Room has its own menu -- upscale bar food like grilled shrimp lollipops, an ahi tuna tartare tower, pizza margherita, and mussels steamed in coconut milk with lime leaf.
The wine list runs to 22 pages and there are between 9,000 and 10,000 bottles in the cellar, making it one of the best, if not the best, lists in Wine Country. I can only hint at its treasures. Page 11, for example, lists the Italian varietals and includes the 2002 Sangiovese from Acorn for $40, a 1997 Castellani Amarone for $90, a 2000 Paras Nebbiolo from Mount Veeder for $85, and much more, including some super-Tuscans for three figures.
Service was superb, except for one barren stretch when our table sat with empty wine glasses for what seemed like too long, but Walter Inman, the beverage manager, set that straight with a trio of good wine pairings.
Jeffrey Madura is the executive chef, a position he's had for many years. His sous chef is Christophe Preyale Dit Imperiale. With the Vintners Inn Conference Center being built on the front lot facing Barnes Road, the kitchen will be busier than ever in the future.
It was plenty busy the night my party was there. An event on the patio, with lots of people giving each other polite hugs and kisses on the cheek, had the staff hopping. But I didn't notice any long gaps between courses, so the kitchen was keeping up just fine.
First out were the Stuffed Squash Blossoms ($12,3 stars ), filled with mild mascarpone cheese and pecans, dipped in batter and deep fried into crunchy, frilly tiers of golden crispiness. Small dice of squash were scattered around the appetizer, along with frisee. It was one of the night's specials, as was the Watermelon Salad ($10, 3.5 stars), an eye-opener of a fresh salad. I say eye-opener because seedless chunks of red watermelon were given a topping of thin-sliced red onion. I wouldn't think onion and watermelon would be an attractive couple, but both were mild and sweet and were held together beautifully by a tangy raspberry vinaigrette. It was surprisingly good.
Hooray for the guy who put only two capers on the Cajun Style Rock Shrimp Cakes ($16, 3 stars ). So many times at other restaurants, the caper person gets overly enthusiastic and turns a gentle dish into a sour slog through a handful of these pickled flower buds. The two cakes pair naturally with a remoulade sauce and a slightly spicy red cabbage slaw.
A cheese course is listed among the appetizers. I like cheese and fruit for dessert, and I'm sure I could have had Three Milks, Three Cheeses ($11, 3 stars ) at the end of the meal if I'd asked, but we had them here, before the entrees. The cheeses are local: Laura Chenel's fresh goat cheese, Rouge et Noir triple brie cow's milk, and Cypress Grove Lamb Chopper sheep's milk cheese, the three served with chutney and pecans. If they'd really like to astound the out-of-towners, they might consider an ultrapremium selection of Andante Dairy's crottin, Cowgirl Creamery's Mount Tam cow's milk triple cream, and Bellwether Farm's San Andreas sheep's milk cheese.
We had to try the Sonoma Onion Soup ($9, 2.5 stars). It's a workmanlike French onion soup with a rich and concentrated onion flavor, good 'n' smelly gruyere cheese, and a house-made crouton.
New Zealand Venison Loin ($32, 2.5 stars) was tender and full of meaty flavor and served with a sweet and sour peach gastrique -- a reduction of sugar and vinegar with sliced peaches. Israeli couscous studded with fava beans, plus helpings of chanterelle mushrooms and broccolini, finished the plate. A Lobster Risotto ($26, 3 stars ) was nicely made, the rice grains tender and full of broth but not mushy, with a little lobster claw meat on top. The rice contained corn kernels, red sweet pepper and tomatillo chunks. A little carrot-corn puree on the side and a piece of crispy thin flatbread accompanied the risotto.
We ordered the Grilled Cider-Brined Pork Tenderloin ($27, 2 stars ) done medium. But the heat was too much for this little piggy and it was well done and consequently dry. Fingerling potatoes with bacon, red wine vinaigrette and apricot salsa were a nice sweet-sour addition but didn't save the pork.
And then -- glory of glories -- we had Scott Noll's exquisite desserts. First up was a special that should be named A Quick Trip to Heaven ($9, 4 stars ), consisting of three items: a chocolate malt gelato, brioche French toast with muscat dessert wine reduction topping, and a parfait made of orange-basil gelee, strawberry coulis and mascarpone mousse. It's a complete freedom of expression made with a complete control of ingredients -- and that's the definition of great art. Next we tried the Peach Cobbler ($9, 4 stars ), made of peaches, plums and apricots with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and every bit as good as any cobbler I've ever had.
To sum up: As steady as ever, except the desserts are even more outrageously wonderful.
Jeff Cox writes a weekly restaurant review column for Q. You can reach him at jeffcox@sonic.net.
TOP DRAWER
Restaurant: John Ash & Co., 4330 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa.
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Lunch
from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Monday through Friday
Sunday brunch
from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. seven days.
The Front Room
Bar and Lounge
open from
11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
on Monday through Friday.
5:30 to 11 p.m.
on Saturday
11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
on Sunday
Reservations:
Call 527-7687.
Price range:
Expensive
entrees from $16 to $33
Wine list: 4 stars
Ambiance: 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Food: 3 stars
Overall: 3.5 stars
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