Cheese whiz

Violetto (St. Helena, CA)

GETAWAYS • Napa

I follow executive chef Mark Shoemaker as he tells me how he’s revitalizing the fruit and vegetable gardens at Alila Napa Valley, a Hyatt luxury property in St. Helena. “It’s important to have an organic experience out here. I just put on my headphones, listen to Björk, and get to work,” he says. Shoemaker arrived at Alila early last year, and he’s already put his mark on the resort’s culinary program, most notably at the resort’s fine dining restaurant, Violetto.

Violetto offers Napa’s only Italian tasting menu, in both four- and eight-course options. I had the four-course, along with the three enhancements to begin the meal — focaccia, oysters, and caviar gnudi. Our experience began with a vermouth, which I was eager to try. Hours prior, in the garden, my group and I cut several aromatics, including blackberry leaves, basil, and lemon balm, to aid in making the vermouth. (The one we tasted was not our own as once it’s made, it sits for a week).

As for the menu, I’d started with Tenbrick Farm asparagus paired with slices of white and red strawberries, finely chopped ahi tuna, and a pumpernickel crumble which added a nice contrast in texture. Next, housemade Scarpinacci pasta. The shoe-shaped pasta was stuffed with goat cheese and smoked trout, topped with vibrant orange caviar over a neon-green tarragon oil. Third course: line-caught halibut with a prosciutto crumble.

By the time you get there, you won’t need another reminder that Shoemaker spent time cheesemaking on a farm in Washington, as he enthusiastically incorporates cheese into many of his dishes. But if you’re lucky, you’ll get one: The standout of the meal was the fourth course, my dessert, a Humboldt Fog with both shaved truffles and drizzled truffle honey.

Wine pairings are available, and the sommelier will direct you towards several California AVA pairings as well as picks beyond the valley, like a robust Scarpetta Cab Franc from Italy.

The restaurant is housed in an early 20th-century Georgian farmhouse, and the inviting room features several wooden round tables and grayish walls, accented by colorful abstract art provided by ÆRENA Galleries. Like the menu, which changes seasonally, the artwork also rotates. It suits Violetto, the type of place where you’ll want to return, to see and taste the newest creations. –Dyana Lederman

→ Violetto (St. Helena, CA) • 1915 Main St • Wed-Sun 5-9p.