Acacia House jumped to the top of my list of places to try in wine country as soon as I heard it opened. I’m a huge fan of Cockscomb, having been there for the pig’s head with my family as well as a fantastic pork belly and lobster combo when a friend was visiting from London. I even returned to give their version of the Impossible Burger a try. So when I heard that Chris Cosentino opened up a place in St. Helena, it was basically just a matter of when. And that when finally happened one day when we were looking for a place for lunch on a weekday, and I mentioned it as a possible lunchtime dining spot. Thankfully, weekdays in December are fairly quiet in Napa Valley, so it was incredibly easy for us to get a reservation and go in for lunch.
It’s a gorgeous venue with a nice bar area that you could wait in or just stop in for drinks. The dining room is fairly small, but the tables were nicely spaced out so you didn’t feel like they were trying to cramp you in to a small space. There is definitely an animal theme to the decor, but it is not grossly overdone. We were quickly shown to our table and brought some water to start with. Given the amount we had imbibed the day before, we also decided that a booze-free lunch might be good for our livers, so we just glanced at the drinks list without ordering anything, although there were a few intriguing cocktails available.
The lunch menu is fairly short, primarily consisting of a three course set menu for $29 or a small selection of a la carte options. Like Cockscomb in San Francisco, Acacia House offers the intriguing (and vegetarian) “Impossible Burger” on its menu, so there is definitely some vegetarian options available. We both decided on the three course menu, with my starter being the tomato soup, followed by the open face ham sandwich and the chocolate dessert, while my dining partner went with the Caesar salad, followed by the sandwich and the fruit dessert.
The starters arrived, and they both looked spectacular. The tomato soup was well presented, and it tasted as good as it looked. There was a bit of heat and smokiness, but the flavor of the tomato was really the star. The Caesar salad was the clear winner though, with big olive oil croutons and deep fried anchovies. It was definitely an anchovy heavy Caesar, and that is the kind I love with the umami and briny flavors really singing against the crisp lettuce.
After our starters, we were looking around the restaurant because that’s a thing I like to do, and one of the people working there noticed that I was and eventually brought us some bread on the house. I’m not sure if he thought we were wondering where our mains were or perhaps he recognized me from the blog (I wish), but I’m not one to pass up trying something for free. Shortly after that the sandwiches arrived, and they were loaded high with ham, cheese and Mornay sauce. It was much like an open-faced Croque Monsieur , so I was really happy. The ham was quite salty though, and I opted for the fries with it, so perhaps the salad would have been a touch lighter, but it was a really enjoyable sandwich.
Finally the desserts came out, and the chocolate dessert ended up being a rich chocolate mousse with a crumble and creme fraiche, drizzed with a touch of pungent olive oil. It was chocolate heaven. I noticed an unusual flavor in the background as well, and as I examined the bowl, I noticed there was some sort of powdery substance sprinkled on it. I asked if it was fennel pollen (as you do), and the server was impressed with my ability to find it in the dish. It really did add another level to the rich chocolate dessert, but it was actually quite massive, so I left feeling a bit full due to my menu choices. The fruit dessert was also really tasty as it was a poached pear with ice cream and a crumble, and it really was a nice, wintery dessert to end the meal.
I had some high expectations of Acacia House due to my fantastic meals at Cockscomb, and I’m very glad to report that it did not disappoint in any way. The food was really tasty, and best of all, it was definitely a lunch menu at a reasonable price, so it felt like I had found an oasis in the center of high food prices in Napa Valley. It’s definitely staying on the list for a place to grab a bite, but I am also ready to come back and have dinner and perhaps check out the wine list to see if they have anything amazing. If you’re looking for somewhere in Napa that really does live up to what you would want from a restaurant in the area, Acacia House is definitely a great place to go!
Score: 4.5/5
Recommendations: Caesar salad (but the set menu for lunch is such a bargain, anything on it would probably be a great choice!)
Acacia House
1915 Main St
St Helena, CA 94574
