PRESS Restaurant — Restaurant in St. Helena

Press Restaurant is quite well known in the area and is notable in many facets. They tout themselves as having the largest collection of Napa Valley wines. What really gave me the peace of mind that this was factual was the fact that their full wine catalog, digitally encased on an iPad, has a table of contents! A full searchable wine catalog with filters and a table of contents. Really impressive for those who really want to find that exact bottle they are looking for.

In regards to the food, Press’s menu features three categories. Seafood small bites, small appetizers, and entrees.

The small dishes and appetizers all feature many enticing options, all with their unique and carefully crafted preparation style.

For an appetizer, I tried the ricotta gnudi. This is a French style dumpling, filled with ricotta cheese and accompanied by a jamón stock. The cheese flavor is rich and creamy without being too potent or sharp. It is light and fluffy in texture. On top is jamón mangalitsa, which is similar to prosciutto. A small, yet tasty appetizer.

For an entree, I got to experience the truffle-glazed chicken, by recommendation. And when I say experience, I mean it. There is so much going on in this dish, and every bit of it is nothing less than excellent.

The dish consists of a chicken breast wrapped in a sausage. The sausage is made from the dark meat of the chicken, blended together with spices and truffle. The sausage mix is layered in between the chicken breast and skin, which creates a multi-layered experience. This is then steamed to lock in the moisture and give it an even texture and flavor all the way through. Each and every bite of the chicken is excellent. The outside sausage layer has a firm texture, somewhat reminiscent of a sausage skin or cartilage. Each bite of the chicken is moist and flavorful, and is consistent all the way through. Not a single part was dry or lacking in flavor. Underneath is a mash that is creamy and delicious, but scant in quantity. Then there is the delicious pork belly. It is not strongly smoked like bacon, but still provides a salty fatty flavor along with a firmer texture to the chicken. They go excellent together to add some variety to your bites. Along for the ride are some small sunchokes, and greens that are light in flavor enough to snack on. To summarize, this dish was enjoyable enough to make me happy dance.

For dessert, I was very interested in the fig leaf panna cotta. What is “whipped honey” I asked myself. What does fig leaf taste like? I have to know. The whipped honey is as it sounds. A vegetable based stabilizer is added to be able to whip the honey just liked whipped cream. It is super airy in texture yet still has just as strong of a sweetness as normal honey. A truly unique food science creation. The fig leaf panna cotta has mild notes of mint and menthol, with notes of coconut cream. It has a medium thick consistency similar to a crème brûlée.

Tables of two are uniquely sat in this restaurant, with both guests sitting on the same side on the booth. This allows for a shared dinner experience, which may be a different orientation than normal.

The restaurant also features two large private dining rooms surrounded by an impressive wall of wine. For those looking for a private event, this place can accommodate you.

This dinner was an all around lovely experience, and I loved each one...

The food was very nicely prepared. It was very pretty but I was not wowed by the flavors. Not to mention the service is all part of the effect and for us it was lacking. We were seated promptly and professionally but then we waited a very long time before our waiter came over to speak to us. He walked back and forth past us quite a few times but didn't bother even to say I'll be right with you. I get treated better at my local pizza restaurant. Clearly he had an issue with us or possibly he felt we didn't fit the description of who should eat here. I can see him joking with other guests but when he finally came over he didn't even describe or explain anything other than to say we would both need to order off the same menu. The rest of the staff were very professional and welcoming but he is the one representative for that restaurant above all others. we did not short him on the tip. He did his job. Please keep in mind this meal is price fix. $150. Per person. You would expect better. I also can't eat a lot in one seating but I tried everything I ordered. I left half of everything I ordered and not once did anyone ask me if there was something I did not like or if there was an issue. If I'm wowed I might finish my food but this wasn't worth over eating for. I had the scallop 1st course. I liked this the most out of every course. It was very nice. I tried my husbands halibut. The scallop was way more interesting than the halibut, it was fine just missing something. 2nd course I had the tartare. I loved the puffed naan. The meat was very good, I understood the concept of the veggies on top and they did add depth and made it more interesting to look at but I liked it more without them. My husband enjoyed his squash blossom with ricotta. I felt like it needed seasoning. We both had the New York strip for our third course. The meat was very nice (not oh my god but very nice). I loved the grilled lettuce! The morel mushroom and custard was very rich, I couldn't eat more than two bites but it was very good. I ate two of the four slices of steak. I really did not enjoy the chocolate crème jivara for the fourth course. I skimmed the dark chocolate off the outside, it was yummy. The sorbet was not any flavors I enjoy and I especially did not like the crumble or the sponge. My husband had the cafe au lait, he enjoyed it. I do not believe you can go a la carte but I was not given an opportunity to ask. Very cold, cut dry to the point waiter. Just wanted our course choices and drinks...

Only great things to say about Press. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner outside on their heated patio. We were comfortable and very well tended to on a chilly December evening. The staff followed all safety protocols given the current state of the Covid outbreak.

Our servers were professional and efficient. This is no surprise here in Wine Country where fine dining is an important local industry and access to well trained staff is abundant. That being said it is not automatic and Kudos to Press management for keeping their standards so high.

Press has been in the Valley for a number of years but this was my first visit. I had been mistaken that Press was exclusively a "chop house" style, steak centered menu. While I did have possibly the best restaurant steak of my life, Press offers an amazingly complex and interesting menu. For 20 years I have been disappointed that a region producing some of the world's great red wines did not offer a beautifully prepared steak to pair with them. Press has changed that and shame on me for not learning this sooner.

We started dinner with a scallop crudo dressed in pomegranate that was wonderful. Then oysters that had a bit of cucumber and a horseradish foam that was simply heavenly. Don't have enough good things to say about this dish. From there we ordered the crispy pigs ears. This is a favorite dish of mine. It hits so many high points of flavor and texture. If you like pork or sweet and sour flavors then this is a must try. Our entrees were a bacon wrapped monkfish and their aged ribeye. The monkfish was beautifully prepared and presented. To be honest though, given the level of the rest of the meal it was not that creative and lacked the Wow factor that came at every other part of the meal. Then the ribeye... OMG the Ribeye! This was a well sourced, 21 day aged, and perfectly prepared testament to food as Art. At $100 for just the steak I did have high expectations and all were exceeded.

This is truly fine dining and not an evening accessable to everyone. It certainly will be reserved for only the rare special occasion for us. But even its healthy price will not push me away from my next visit. It is obvious that Press is working very hard to create the best experience they can and with that comes a steep price. Given their culinary neighbors here in the Valley they are well worth it and deserve a visit from everyone looking for a most...