Anniversary Dinner at Ubuntu

For our anniversary this year, Shweetie and I again returned to Napa. This time we decided to try out Ubuntu, this vegetarian/vegan restaurant/yoga studio (yes, you read that correctly) that has been receiving a lot of press recently. We were sort of skeptical (how good can vegetarian food really be?), but were very pleasantly surprised at the creativity of the kitchen. I can actually say I didn't really miss the meat, although I do admit, I'm not really that carnivorous in the first place.

We were told that the food was served there tapas-style, so we ordered six savory dishes and two desserts.

Light 'Black Zebra' Tomato Broth, Infused with Shiso: Homemade Goat's Milk Ricotta, Fresh Gherkin, Young Autumn Vegetables


Carta da Musica, with Virtually the Entire Summer Garden: Barely Dressed, Round Pond Olive Oil-Lemon-Sea Salt, Truffled Pecorino


Heirloom Tomatoes, Simply Sliced: Round Pond Olive Oil, Basil, Maldon Salt, 'Surrey' Arugula


Kohlrabi and Black Fig "Ravioli," Smoked Trumpet "Bacon": Brown Butter Emulsion, Sage, Macadamia, Flowering Amaranth


Three Preparations of the Year's First Sunchokes Alla Gratinata: 'Mutsu' Apple, Tuscan Black Kale, 'Oro Cilindro' Beet Thinnings


Brunswick Stew of Sunflower "Barley" and Hearts: Finished with 'Polka' Corn Pudding, Stuffed 'Yummy Sweet' Pepper


Vanilla Bean "Cheesecake" in a Jar: Dark Fall Fruits, Teeccino Nut Crumble


Tcho Bittersweet Chocolate Soufflé: Coffee Ice Cream, Figs Braised in Rosemary Caramel

The food at Ubuntu, for the most part, was pretty good, and we gave it an 8.00. Every dish was very flavorful and nicely presented, though there were a couple we did not care for at all (sunchokes, stew). However, two of the dishes that people rave about (cauliflower, flower pot dessert) were not on the menu that night, so we might have given the food a higher score had we been able to try them.

The service was fine but unremarkable. Our waitress made recommendations to us for food, and there were some hits but also some misses. We gave the service an 8.00.

The décor was a perfect complement to their food - simple and natural, yet industrial and modern at the same time. They offer yoga classes on their mezzanine level, which is just up a short flight of stairs, and visible from the dining room, though the area is enclosed by translucent glass, so you can only see the silhouettes of people practicing yoga. However, the night we were there, there were no yoga classes going on. We gave the décor an 8.50.

Overall we gave Ubuntu an 80.50. Although we wouldn't put this restaurant on our regular rotation, we would definitely recommend that everyone try it at least once, even non-vegetarians!

*For a refresher on our rating system, check out this previous post.*