4330 Barnes Road, Santa Rosa CA 95403
(707) 527-7687
Parking: Valet parking for events or regular parking otherwise
http://www.vintnersinn.com/dining.asp
Last Visited: July 8, 2006
Food: 3 stars until you find the worm -> then 0 stars
Atmosphere: 5 stars
Service: 4 star waiter, 1 star hostess, 1 star manager
Price: $$$$$
Please read the entire critique for this restaurant, especially the end.
John Ash is well known in the area for being high priced, but you certainly are pampered from the moment you enter their parking lot. The restaurant is nestled amongst vineyards. The scenery is green and lush, with large trees, roses, and grape vines surrounding you.
I’m not sure if valet parking is the norm, but complimentary valet parking (no self park) is the first thing that you see once arriving on the property. As you enter the facility, the Vintner’s Inn is next door, sharing the grounds.
There are both inside and outdoor dining areas. The patio is enclosed with glass that can be folded in such a way that allows there to be open patio dining as well. The earth tones are comforting and warm. The service is courteous and impeccable; the staff desires to meet your every need.
I visited John Ash for a banquet, so my experience probably differs greatly from a typical dining experience at the restaurant in terms of atmosphere and food.
The tables were neatly set with all the necessary silverware, right down to the dessert fork and teaspoon placed above the dish. The bread, served after we had been seated, was served warm. The butter appeared to be whipped and was garnished with a single parsley leaf.
- Roasted Gulf Coast Prawns – Prawns are marinated in lemon juice, chili, and honey and served with a lemon-serrano dipping sauce. The prawns were nice, and of course, displayed nicely, but without the dipping sauce, it lacked flavor compared to other shrimp dishes I have tried. However, the shrimp was succulent, and the dipping sauce gave it the necessary kick.
- Mint Marinated Lamb Kababs – Skewered lamb was grilled and served with a honey tahini dip. The lamb was nicely grilled, but the flavor of the marinade was not strong enough to remain infused in the lamb. The dip had a creamy texture and its flavoring and worked well with the lamb.
- Wild Mushroom Bouchee – Mushroom is chopped fine and sautéed with roasted garlic and lemon thyme. This mixture is then placed on top of a puff pastry. Of the three appetizers, this one had the most flavor. It was served warm and the combination of the fluffy puff pastry and seasoned mushrooms had a nice texture.
- Caesar Salad with bleu cheese – The Caesar salad was a bit on the salty side. It’s not quite the classic Caesar due to the presence of bleu cheese. The double dose of parmesan and bleu cheese increased the salt content making the flavor a bit strong.
- Grilled Salmon with seasonal vegetables, corn sauté, and artichoke coulis – A large piece of salmon is grilled and served atop a sweet sauté of yellow corn. Shiitake mushrooms are cooked in a light cream and placed adjacent to the salmon. Sweet baby carrots are placed on top of the salmon. A green coulis made from artichoke tops the salmon in a wavy design. The assortment of fresh vegetables gave the dish brilliant color and texture. I was especially impressed by the sweet and tendor corn that had been taken off of the cob.
Without the accompanying dips, the prawns and kababs seemed pale in comparison to the type of flavor that they could take on. Many Asian restaurants do wonderful things with prawns and skewers (e.g. spicy salty shrimp and satay). The dips rescued both the prawns and kababs, turning each from drab to fab.
The other entrées I saw also had good portions and lovely presentation.
Another item I found impressive was the detail in the bathroom. John Ash has a stylish bathroom, especially the sink which is rectangular and deep – modern and vintage all in the same look.
My overall impression of John Ash was that it lives up to its reputation of outstanding food and service. The quality of ingredients is fresh which establishes the foundation for good food. I would definitely want to return to try other items on their menu and review their service and menu items (as opposed to that of a banquet).
HOWEVER, after my most recent visit in 2006, I was thoroughly disappointed. From the moment I spoke with the hostess, it seemed too snooty, but it wasn’t until I discovered something in my dinner that I became thoroughly perturbed. Read on for details.
I eagerly anticipated a good meal after my previous visit, figuring that there would be even better food since it wasn’t all cooked at once for the entire seating. When we arrived, we had to wait for all of the people to be seated before us – some had reservations, and though the tables were ready, they were staggering the patrons. This would be fine, but the hostess could surely greet people with a more friendly demeanor – a smile was not easily found. Our waiter was pretty good from start to finish. The only improvement would have been to state the specials with as much enthusiasm as he had with the table next to us. I think he was just not wanting to go through it all again, but he was pretty smooth from start to finish and good with keeping an eye on all those in his section.
After ordering, we were given warm rolls – crusty on the outside, and soft on the inside. The butter was sitting in a small dish atop an herb leaf and the edges of the butter were neatly cut. The chef had whipped up a cold melon soup with blueberry compote and a hint of spice, perfect for the summer evening. Each table received a small serving in a tiny cup on top of a rectangular saucer.
Our seat on the patio gave us a grand view of the vineyards and the blue sky this summer evening, and the breeze was more than welcome.
- Hog Island Oysters – These baby oysters were served on the half shell sitting on top of white and black rock salt on a black triangular plate with rounded edges. There were two small pieces of lemon on the side and a trio of sauces – a typical cocktail sauce with horseradish, a Meyer lemon glace, and a pink peppercorn mignette. The oysters were fresh and delicious – perfect on their own, but the sweetness of the Meyer lemon made the oysters even more succulent. The pink peppercorn mignette was pink in color with red specks and had a light vinaigrette flavoring to it. Both of these sauces were very good. The cocktail sauce was fairly plain with a slight kick from the horseradish, but nothing to write home about. This was the best dish of the night. $2 each
- Fried Calamari – A plate of lightly breaded calamari is served with Thai basil pesto and a green papaya salad. A wedge of lemon accompany the dish. The calamari rings and tentacles are lightly breaded and deep fried. Although the quantity and flavor were good, the calamari lacked crisp. The Thai basil pesto was on the oil side and though it had a punch from the raw garlic in it, I would have preferred to dip the calamari in the pink peppercorn mignette served with the oysters. I tried it and liked the mignette better. The green papaya was shredded and had a light sweet and sour sauce as well as a base of chili sauce. The papaya was placed on top of a leaf of butter lettuce and the papaya was topped with roasted peanuts. The sweet and sour did not get infused into the papaya, likely because it wasn’t sweet or sour enough. The chili flavoring hardly made it to the papaya and seemed to be only on the bottom layer of the salad. The papaya lacked the crunch that Asian restaurants serve it with, but it tried to mimic the same flavors. Calamari was okay, papaya salad was fair and lacking in flavor. $13
- Seared Scallop Salad – Two large sea scallops are seared and top a salad of organic greens topped with an almond cucumber sauce. All are served on a square white dish. Although presentation was nice, this salad lacked flavor. The dressing had hints of mint in it, but the mint was not strong enough. The slivered almonds were scattered amongst the salad, and the red leaf lettuce was tender, but the cucumber slices had a flavor which was too mild to stand out amidst the rest of the items. The dressing seemed to be mostly olive oil and after eating the salad, it seemed there was only olive oil left on the plate. The scallops were the redeeming factor, but not enough to redeem the entire salad. The warm scallops were lightly browned and tasted fresh and juicy, but could have used a touch of salt and pepper. The dish would have been better with a more emulsified dressing that contained a greater amount of mint. $16
- Double Cut Pork Chop with Achiote sauce– This was one of the evening’s specials – not listed on the menu. The pork chop was seared on the outside and served atop a bed of frisee and greens, accompanied by potatoes that had been fried in a spicy sauce. The potatoes reminded me of breakfast – a little spicy. They would have been fine accompanying some eggs. The achiote sauce added color to the dish as it was decoratively drizzled around the plate. The pork chop was fairly thick, and when you cut into it, there is some juice, but I wouldn’t call it a juicy pork chop, nor would I call it dry. It was just in between. The salad was lacking flavor, but as I was eating it, I noticed something moving on my plate. After a closer look, I saw a clear worm with a little green in the center – that must have been where it had eaten a leaf. I notified the busser who said the garden on the grounds may have these things in them, but he said he would show it to the chef. Had there not been a worm, I would not have recommended this dish. The outside of the pork chop had some flavor, but the inside wasn’t juicy enough to my standards. However, I didn’t eat more than two bites of the pork chop when I found the worm, so I lost my appetite completely after that. The salad lacked flavor and the potatoes were okay, but not fantastic. The worm ruined the meal. After learning the price, I was shocked that I had to pay for an over priced dish that I didn’t eat because my appetite was lost. $38
I was appalled by the response we received with the worm. It took more than ten minutes before the manager came to our table and though the busser had returned to the dining area, he did not come back to our table to let us know that he had talked to anyone. This lack of closure made me drop their once five star service down. The manager told me that the garden was organic and that the vegetables are washed twice. I couldn’t believe it. When did organic mean that the item would include bugs and worms and the like. From the staff’s reaction, I would guess this is a regular occurrence which leads me to the question – why aren’t you triple washing the vegetables? Even my Costco spinach is triple washed. The manager never apologized. Instead, he started off with ‘I heard you had a visitor this evening.’ Then he talked about our visit to the area. The lack of apology was disappointing. When the dessert menus were given to us, and we decided not to have any dessert, we were told that the chef would pay for our dessert. This gesture would not have been sufficient had we taken them up on the offer. Our appetite was ruined as soon as the worm was seen. What if something organic was used in the dessert? Then what? When we received the bill, the dish wasn’t even removed from the bill. Can you imagine paying $38 for a pork chop you didn’t eat and a worm that you almost did eat? My aggravation is greater than what can be voiced here. On top of that, when we left the restaurant, the hostess, despite not being busy, didn’t even thank us for coming in. And I intentionally made eye contact. Even if the worm had not been in my dinner, she should have wished us farewell, good night, or anything along those lines. This lack of service at a fine restaurant like John Ash dropped their service rating down further. A disappointing and expensive meal at a place that lacks the kind gesture of apologies and farewells. Another overpriced let down that creates discontent patrons.
The saga continues. I wrote Chef Ash at the email listed on his website and my letter was directed to Operations Manager, R. Ameral. Ms. Ameral wrote a very professional response and apologized for the service I received. She offered to credit me for the pork chop entree, and I accepted. This gesture redeems them of the service issues previously mentioned, but I will not return to John Ash on my own. Since I had left a voice mail with Ms. Ameral, I would have liked her to give me a call, but I suppose the response received via email is just as well. I also learned that John Ash doesn’t actually own the restaurant which makes me glad that he forwarded my message, and now I understand why he didn’t respond to my inquiry. Now we’ve come full circle and my story is complete.
