A D H O C

When we visited the Napa Valley on our road trip along the coast of California, we had the opportunity to eat at Ad Hoc. A restaurant that is immensely popular because of its food, the restaurant is also owned by Thomas Keller (also the owner of the three Michelin star restaurant, the French Laundry, also in Napa Valley). On this particular trip, we were very excited to give this restaurant a try. Ad Hoc 6476 Washington St Yountville, CA 94599 What we heard about Ad Hoc other than the fact that it was opened by a famous chef was that it was relatively manageable price-wise and that food was more casual and comforting rather than overpriced and pretentious. We were not disappointed. Despite not having a reservation that evening, we were accommodated right away. You can really only get the price fixed menu (which is a very reasonable $50 or so per person) that changes daily. Starting the meal we had a butter lettuce salad with a mix of candied walnuts. I haven’t had much butter lettuce in my life but it was fresh and the combination of flavours really worked well together. The main was an incredible pork dish served with a succotash of corn and bell peppers. It seems simple right? That is their goal. But as is often the case, simple does not mean boring. The pork was fall off the bones tender and incredibly flavourful. Keeping in line with the theme of simplicity, we were served with a myriad of fruits and sorbet which were beautifully presented. Overall this meal lived up to the hype. Nothing extraordinary in terms of creativity but the food ranked very high for us in terms of flavour. If you want a night out where you don’t have to be particularly fancy but still want to get a great meal and leave happy, Ad Hoc delivers. Amongst so many restaurants in the Napa Valley region, Ad Hoc certainly stands out.