Enjoying The Grill at Meadowood’s Vegan Offerings

The name Meadowood is said with a kind of reverence in Napa, a place to aspire to dine at, and no doubt it is a Nirvana nestled in pine trees. The location is absolutely heavenly, private, secluded, heavily wooded with a winding road leading up to my lunch spot, The Grill. I was seated at a table with a stunning backdrop of forested pine trees and waited on my exceptional, friendly wait staff. As I studied the menu, there were a few items that looked vegan, but none were noted as vegan. It is best to call ahead and let them know you are plant-based if you plan on eating there. 

Rich, green wheatgrass elixir in a wine glass
Cold-pressed Wheatgrass Elixir

I started off my lunch with the Cold Pressed Wheatgrass Elixir – Pineapple, Cider Vinegar and Turmeric – and a beautiful pea salad, which was so pretty I didn’t want to ruin it with a fork! The elixir was just what I needed and definitely felt good for you! The wheatgrass is from the Meadowood garden as were a lot of the ingredients. Coffee is a real treat for me, so I chose an almond milk latte, which did not disappoint to accompany my lunch as well. Meadowood also offers soymilk as an alternative. 

Pea salad topped with gorgeous edible flowers & house-grown radishes

The pea salad was crisp and fresh, beautifully adorned with curly pea tendrils and edible flowers – it generally comes with feta but can easily be removed. The radishes, grown in the garden were not too peppery, and all lightly doused with house-made champagne vinaigrette, not too overpowering allowing for the subtle taste of the peas and radishes to come through. 

Black bean & Avocado Tacos

There were a few options on the menu the Chef can make vegan including the Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats with Bartlett Pear and Maple Pecans,  and the Crispy Globe Artichoke,  but I am a sucker for Tacos, so I went for those. My server suggested two salsas to accompany the black bean and avocado tacos, tomatillo salsa which had a lively zing to it and the roasted tomato salsa with tomatoes also grown in the Meadowood garden. 

House-made Raspberry Sorbet garnished with berries, edible flowers atop a chocolate chip cooke

The lunch was complete with a hand-made Raspberry Sorbet garnished with a Strawberry Gel Swirl sitting on top of a delicious and crisp, chocolate chip cookie made by Pastry Chef, Kristin Davison. 

All of the dishes were exceptionally well presented and almost too beautiful to eat thanks to Chef Victoria Acosta. Meadowood has big thumbs up from me for taste, presentation and location. Dishes are pricey, and my only critique would be the dishes have to be made vegan. I am a vegan after all, so I am a huge advocate for vegan dishes to be a part of the menu. As I was dining alone, a friend had recently gifted me with a book by Dan Millman, The Laws of Spirit … I thought this section of the book, The Law of Choices, Reclaiming Our Power was just very relevant: 

We are both burdened and blessed by 

The great responsibility of free will –

The power of choice.

Our future is determined, in large part, 

Be the choices we make now.

We cannot always control our circumstances,

But we can and do choose

Our response to whatever arises.

Reclaiming the power of choice,

We find the courage

To live fully in the world. 

My choice is to be vegan, for the animals, for myself and for the planet and by that choice, we are all able to live fully in the world. 

Thanks to all of the exceptional staff at Meadowood, who made my lunch so incredible.

Tags: #ad, Chef Victoria Acosta, Meadowood Napa Valley, Napa Valley, Napa Valley dining, Pastry Chef Kristin Davison, The Grill at Meadowood, vegan dining

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