Enobytes Wine Blog

While we were down in California a few weeks back for a wedding, we took advantage of all that Sonoma wine country has to offer - great wines, great beer, great restaurants, beautiful wineries and graceful hospitality. In the process, we saw old friends, visited new favorites, made some new friends and came home to some old favorites. In the next four posts, we will write about our experiences and hope they might either directly or indirectly effect your wine experiences.

Photo credit: Gayot.com

Bistro Ralph’s in Healdsburg, located on the square, has been there for more than a decade now and continues a blistering pace, never looking back and always maintaining their game like the consummate professionals Ralph Tingles team is. Team Ralph has the pleasure of serving some of the most discerning gourmands and enophiles from around the world. They descend into Bistro Ralph’s dining room daily leaving

satisfied and impressed. Not only does Team Ralph accomplish this among the well traveled he also has to accomplish this standard with his locals who just happen to be the most revered and respected vintners of Sonoma and Napa.

My recent meal here was an example of near perfection and I was not really surprised. We started with the Duck Confit Ravioli served with an herbed, citrus white wine butter sauce. The filling was superb – it was rich, very rich Duck Confit. The sauce was a classic take on herbed lemon burre blanc, creamy and silky in texture with a great fresh thyme and citrus balance. The texture of the perfectly cooked pasta made the ravioli and the well-balanced sauce about as good as it can get.

I was dying for the famous toothpick fries so I opted for the CK Lamb Burger with Chenel Goat Cheese and Pamela had the Chicken Paillard with Caper and Lemon Brown Butter.

The burger was architecturally sound and some of the biggest flavored ground lamb I’ve ever tasted. The melting goat cheese was a perfect match as was the Trentadue “Old Patch Red”. The fries were perfect as always. Pamela’s Chicken Paillard was perfectly cooked and very crunchy; they use Sesame Seed in the breading - what a great twist improving flavor and texture. The classic technique in sauce making was also evident in the lemon caper brown butter pan sauce that accompanied the chicken.

Three near perfect dishes, Bistro Ralph is still at the top of their game delivering excellent food and great service. If you are in Napa or Sonoma make sure you have a meal there you will not be disappointed. Over the years Bistro Ralph has always been like an old friend, a place you can count on to be the best.