Hit or miss at Napa Grille and Wine Den

As featured in the August 30, 2012 edition of Dining Out, Waterloo Region Record.

In 2008, my husband and I attended a friend’s wedding in Carmel, California. After the bouquet was tossed and the picturesque city explored, we rented a convertible and cruised Highway 1 with a Pacific breeze in our hair, eventually reaching San Francisco and onto Napa and Sonoma Valleys. Our goal: to eat and drink our way through all that ripe golden state had to offer.

And California’s bounty is plentiful. Fusion, at the heart of its cuisine, merges influences from the Mediterranean — Spain, Italy and France especially — as well as Mexico and Asia. The abundance of its fertile farmland showcases produce in a way that’s local, fresh and often organic. And California’s cattle ranch history gets a tip of the 10-gallon hat as beef — prepared in different ways — often graces the menu.

Let’s not forget those grapes. Cultivated in just the right conditions, they transform into some of today’s finest wines: chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, zinfandel, and the coveted pinot noir.

All that California dreaming whet my appetite as I set out to review Napa Grille & Wine Den in Cambridge, with my husband and two friends, who also attended the Carmel wedding.

Its building is impressive and could easily pass as the entrance to a posh California winery. Inside, it’s spacious, earthy and accurately captures a ‘den’ feel with cozy dark décor and furniture that’s matured through a few years.

First glance of the wine list had my heart skipping a beat. I counted 77 varieties available by the bottle and more by the glass and half-litre. I’ll drink to that.

My husband started with the cioppino ($13), a San Franciscan fish stew. Steamed shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams and succulent white fish bathed in a bowl of satisfying tomato fennel broth. Large enough to be a main, it was served with toasted crostini. A definite hit.

I had the crab cakes ($13), which were cute in size (crab cakelets?) and perched on a plate of raspberry-chipotle aioli. But first bite had me questioning this fusion. While savoury-meets-sweet can often hit it out of the park, this combo didn’t do it for me and seemed rubbery in texture. This would be a miss.

But our friends had the Caesar salad ($7), another California-born treasure, and the Napa chicken lettuce wraps ($12): both hits. This fork rating could be tricky.

For mains, I had the featured blackened tilapia ($20) with smoked paprika and other jerk seasonings, served with rock asparagus and basmati. While the first few bites were flavoursome, I eventually found myself reaching for my water glass. Dry. Salty. Sigh. Another miss.

But my husband picked another winner with the quinoa-stuffed portobello mushroom caps ($16), topped with spinach, roasted cherry tomato, creamy goat cheese and drizzled in a mouth-watering balsamic reduction. Fantastic. And our friends thoroughly enjoyed the creamy farfalle chicken pasta ($16) and the Waterloo County pork schnitzel ($18).

For dessert, my husband’s key lime pie ($7) was tart and rich. My chocolate truffle ($8) reminded me of a boxed tartufo I’ve purchased before. And our friends shared raspberry cheesecake ($8), which they quite enjoyed.

As we pored over memories and compared culinary notes, one thing was certain: like California, there are treasures to be found at the Napa Grille & Wine Den. It just might mean panning for gold.

Hours
Sunday to Thursday: 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Wheelchair Accessibility
Accessible

Cuisine
California-inspired, fusing influences from Spain, France, Italy, Mexico and Asia.

Menu
The appetizers look awesome — I counted 16. They range from soups and salads to gourmet cheese fritters and platters, Napa chicken lettuce wraps, scallops, beef carpaccio, flatbread and mussels. Mains covered many seafood options, chicken, pork, lamb, beef in a burger and steaks.

Reservations
Recommended

Atmosphere
Gorgeous stone exterior — I want to return to enjoy the picture-perfect patio. Inside it’s dark, cozy, true to its ‘wine den’ title.

Drinks
Seventy-seven wines by the bottle listed ($29 to $160) and several more by the glass (3-, 5- and 9-oz. options) and half-litre. Half a dozen California-inspired cocktails, selection of martinis, beer from Mexico, Belgium, Italy and domestic varieties.

Service
Accommodating but slow and seemed somewhat annoyed at times with our questions.

The bill
$122.61 for two glasses of wine, two appetizers, two mains, two desserts and a coffee.

In a nutshell
A fusion of hit or miss.