Restaurant Review: Mustards Grill, Napa

Cindy Pawlcyn is a legend. A chef of incredible talent who really helped create California cuisine by fusing Mexican and Asian styles of food with American or French. Her flagship restaurant, Mustards Grill, in Napa is not only a great restaurant in a city of incredible restaurants, but of all of the places you could choose from, French Laundry, Bouchon Bistro, or Ad Hoc (all Thomas Keller restaurants, none of which you could go wrong with) Bottega (Michael Chiarello), Morimoto's, or two Michelin star restaurants Redd and Terra, and so many more, Mustards is the most reasonably priced. 

I have been to Mustards probably four times. The restaurant has a seasonal menu with some classics that are always can be ordered. The atmosphere is light and bright, the restaurant has windows stretching the length of most walls. The service is some of the best you will ever find. When I find myself doubling a 20% tip (which I always give 20%) you know the service is good. The only complaint I have is that the low ceilings and tables packed together create a loud atmosphere you won't find at most restaurants of this caliber. On the one hand, people are obviously enjoying themselves; but, if you're doing multiple courses, you also want to be able to talk to the person sitting next to you. 

This time we started with a seasonal cocktail. A Blackberry Bramble. Brambles tend to be too sweet for me, but our waiter promised us that this was not the case. 

Appetizers. We decided to split three appetizers, one of which is a mainstay on the menu and the other two variations on classic Cindy dishes. 

The seasonal dish: Burrata with grilled stone fruits, pickled chilled cherries, and toast points. The Burrata is the best I have ever had in the United States. So creamy and delicious. The fruit, soft but not overly so with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar drizzled. But the surprise is were the cherries whose tartness and now being pickled added an acidity that was needed to cut through all of the sweetness of the fruit and cheese. Great dish. Topped with several different types of herbs. 

This dish is classic Cindy Pawlcyn, California Mexican fusion. This particular version was seasonal. Roasted mushroom and cheese tamales with a salsa verde and pumpkin seeds. The trick to her recipe is the use of butter instead of oil or lard and also mixing in the cheese to the masa. The result is one of the lightest and fluffiest tamales I've ever had. 

This dish is a main stay at Mustards. The smoked / BBQ wings are divine. They are brined first to ensure they're moist, then dry rubbed, and finally smoked over almond wood, which provides a slight sweetness to the wings. The blue cheese dip was fantastic with them. The BBQ sauce I was not a fan of. It was a classic American tomato based BBQ sauce. I would have preferred more vinegar or spice in the sauce, but, the wings were outstanding as always.

I am usually all for trying new things, but in the four times I have been to Mustards, I have ordered this dish three times. Luckily I have had friends and family order other dishes which I have tried. I have not had a missed main course at this restaurant. This, though, Cindy is famous for. She calls it her Mongolian Pork Chop. Again, this is California Asian fusion. The marinade for the pork is fantastic using hoisin sauce, black bean sauce, sherry vinegar among other things. Then it is also grilled over almond wood to the perfect medium. I have never understood why Americans tend to be so hesitant about slightly pink pork. There's no better way to eat it. It comes with a Chinese mustard sauce that provides such a wonderful spicy bite to cut through the richness of the meat and potatoes. The German red cabbage on the side, again, using it's acidity to help cut through the fat of the dish. It is wonderful.