Garden Fresh: Ubuntu, Napa, Calif.
Kelly Smith Killian -- Restaurants & Institutions, November 1, 2008
Ubuntu
Napa, Calif.
Owner and Proprietor Sandy Lawrence; Executive Chef Jeremy Fox
Green Angle: Chef Jeremy Fox prefers to call this two-year-old eatery, located in an historic building, a “vegetable restaurant” rather than a vegetarian restaurant, because he considers the menu more a celebration of the garden than of vegetarian entrées. The seasonal dishes, including desserts, feature vegetables and fruits grown just 15 minutes away in the one-acre garden and greenhouse on owner Sarah Lawrence's property.
On the Menu: Besides the regular menu of small plates, special tasting menus are offered Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays that focus on particular vegetables such as heirloom tomatoes or squash—whatever is flourishing in the garden at the time. Cauliflower in a Cast Iron Pot (shown), which features cauliflower cooked in brown butter and vadovan (an Indian spice blend), is a year-round favorite. Even drinks such as the Cucumber Bellini feature herbs and vegetables.
Vegetarians or Omnivores: “Almost all of our clientele are not vegetarians,” says Lawrence, who created the unique restaurant, which has a yoga studio upstairs, as a place vegetarians and non-vegetarians could enjoy eating together.
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